Hormone Reduces Mortality in Heart Patients With High BP

(HealthDay News) -- The hormone relaxin reduces shortness of breath and cardiovascular death in people with heart failure who also have high blood pressure, according to a phase 2 trial conducted in eight countries.

The study included 234 people who, within a few hours of arriving at a hospital, were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of a placebo or varying doses of relaxin -- 10, 30 100 or 250 micrograms/kilogram (µ/kg) -- a day.

Shortness of breath improved in 40 percent of those who were given 30 µ/kg, compared with 23 percent of those who received the placebo.

After 60 days, fewer people given 30 µ/kg of relaxin had died from a cardiovascular cause or had to be readmitted to the hospital because of heart or kidney failure than in the placebo group: 2.6 percent compared with 17.2 percent. After 180 days, there were no cardiovascular deaths in the relaxin group at this dosage, but 14.3 percent of the placebo group had died from cardiovascular causes, the study found.

The study also found that people in the relaxin 30 µ/kg group spent less time in the hospital than did those in the placebo group (10.2 days vs. 12 days) and lived longer after discharge (47.9 days vs. 44.2 days). No safety concerns were noted in the relaxin 30 µ/kg group.

The study was funded by Corthera, and several of the researchers worked for the biopharmaceutical company, which has the rights to develop and market relaxin. The findings were to be presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Fla., and appear online and in an upcoming print issue of The Lancet.

Over time, standard therapy can resolve shortness of breath and high blood pressure caused by heart failure, but evidence from this study "suggests that early administration of this drug in addition to standard therapy might be associated with more rapid, sustained and complete resolution of acute heart failure, as well as with more favorable long-term outcomes," wrote Dr. John R. Teerlink, of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and his colleagues.

On the basis of the study's results, the researchers said they plan to conduct a phase 3 clinical trial of relaxin, at 30 µ/kg, in people with heart failure.

More information
The American Heart Association has more about heart failure.

Health Tip: Asthmatics Don't Have to Stop Exercising

(HealthDay News) -- Exercise is good for most people, even asthmatics who have their doctor's approval.

The American Council on Exercise offers these suggestions to help reduce your risk of an asthma attack while exercising:

• Keep your inhaler or other asthma medication nearby, in case you become short of breath during exercise.
• Warm up for at least 15 minutes before exercise.
• Take plenty of time to cool down, and slowly decrease your activity.
• Drink plenty of water before exercise.
• Don't exercise outdoors when air quality is compromised by allergens or pollution.
• Don't overexert yourself.
• Breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Don't push yourself too much. Give yourself a break, especially if it feels like you're on the verge of an asthma attack.

What to Expect From a Colonoscopy

(HealthDay News) -- As part of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Americans are being urged to schedule a colonoscopy to check for this common and highly preventable type of cancer.

But many people are too nervous or scared to have the important screening test, which is recommended if you're age 50 or older or have a family history of colorectal cancer.

A colonoscopy isn't as scary as some people believe, says Dr. Dale Burleson, a colorectal surgeon at Baylor Medical Center at Frisco.

The most difficult part of the procedure may be the preparation, when patients take a laxative pill or drink to "flush" the colon. This is necessary to make sure the colon is as clean as possible so that the doctor gets the best possible view of the colon.

The preparation isn't "nearly as bad as it's made out to be. It only takes a few hours. By the time you're ready for bed, you're all set," Burleson said in a Baylor news release.

The colonoscopy exam itself is probably the easiest part. "The patient is awake, but with sedation, there's little or no discomfort. Many patients have told me it wasn't nearly as scary as they expected," Burleson said.

During the procedure, a long, flexible tube with a tiny video camera is inserted into the colon. The camera sends images to a monitor viewed by the doctor. The images can be printed and stored in a computer.

A colonoscopy is used to look for inflammation, bleeding, ulcers, changes in color, and small growths of tissue called polyps. Most polyps are noncancerous, but they are generally removed during a colonoscopy, and a biopsy is taken to determine if they're benign or malignant.

"The normal lining of the colon should look like the inside of a cheek, completely smooth. We're looking for anything that might signal a digestive condition or early signs of cancer," Burleson said.

More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about colonoscopy.

CT Scans of Pregnant Women Increasing

(HealthDay News) -- Although more pregnant women are getting all types of medical imaging, the number of those getting CT scans has more than doubled over 10 years, Brown University researchers report.

CT exams are not routinely done for pregnant women, but, in some cases, it may be the only way to diagnose life-threatening conditions such as bleeding in the brain, blood clots in the lungs or appendicitis. CT scans expose the fetus to higher levels of radiation than other methods, causing concern that CT scans could harm the developing baby.

"At our institution, utilization of radiological imaging in pregnant women increased 107 percent, comparing 1997 to 2006," said lead researcher Dr. Elizabeth Lazarus, an assistant professor of diagnostic imaging and a radiologist at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. "The rate of increase was highest for computed tomography (CT)."

Lazarus acknowledged that many people worry that the radiation used in these scans might harm the fetus. However, women need not be overly concerned, she added.

"First of all, it should be stated that radiological imaging is safe during pregnancy and is often used to diagnose potentially life-threatening medical problems," Lazarus said. "The risk of direct radiation to the fetus during pregnancy is a very slight increase in childhood malignancy."

The point of the study is to raise awareness about the increase of imaging in pregnant patients and to possibly encourage the development of protocols that minimize radiation exposure, Lazarus said. For example, MRIs and ultrasound do not expose the patient or fetus to ionizing radiation, she noted.

The report is published in the March 17 online edition of Radiology.

For the study, Lazarus' team looked at the trend in pregnant women undergoing CT, fluoroscopy and plain-film X-ray imaging at Rhode Island Hospital and Women and Infants Hospital from 1997 through 2006.

During the period, the number of these tests on pregnant women increased by 10.1 percent a year. The number of CT exams increased by 25.3 percent per year. These exams involve higher amounts of radiation than many other imaging procedures, the researchers noted.

They looked specifically at 5,270 examinations done on 3,285 patients. During the study period, the number of patients imaged each year increased from 237 to 449, and the number of exams increased from 331 to 732. This is an 89 percent increase in patients and a 121 percent increase in examinations. Yet, during the same period, the number of deliveries increased only 7 percent, Lazarus said.

Although the study did not look at the specific causes of increased imaging in these patients, the finding seemed to follow the trend of increased medical imaging in all patient groups, Lazarus said.

"We know from other studies that imaging, particularly MRI and CT, has been increasing in the general population. The increase in the general population has been attributed to multiple causes, including technological progress and the high yield of radiology in the diagnosis and triage of patients. Our data in pregnant patients closely approximates these more general trends," she said.

Dr. Jorge Guerra, a professor of radiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, agreed that the number of CT scans has increased, as has all imaging, but the radiation exposure to the fetus is minimal.

"The dose of radiation given to the fetus in any one exam is very low," he said. For pregnant women undergoing a CT, the odds that the infant will develop a fatal childhood cancer directly related to the radiation exposure of the exam is one in 2,000, Guerra said.

Guerra noted that limiting radiation exposure is an important goal, and current doses of radiation are significantly lower than the doses used during the period of the study.

"There are ways to cut down on the levels of radiation by changing the parameters of the CT," he said. "Since 2006, we have become so acutely aware that we are changing the parameters in studies that affect children and women of childbearing age. There is no excessive risk to the patient or to the fetus."

More information
For more on medical imaging, visit the Radiological Society of North America.

Traditional Chinese Therapy May Help Ease Eczema

(HealthDay News) -- Certain traditional Chinese medicine, including tea and acupuncture, may safely and effectively help treat chronic eczema, a new report finds.

Use of Erka Shizheng Herbal Tea, a bath additive, creams and acupuncture over eight months greatly reduced the severity of the itchy, red skin condition and improved the quality of life of 14 atopic dermatitis (eczema) patients studied by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The patients received the treatment at a Manhattan center for natural health.

All but one patient saw at least a 60 percent improvement in eczema severity, based on standard rating scales to measure disease activity, after a little more than three months of treatment. All but one also experienced a 50 percent increase in a quality-of-life questionnaire after about two and a half months of treatment.

The use of steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines by the patients also greatly decreased within 3 months of starting the traditional Chinese medicine. No abnormalities of liver and kidney function were observed.

Despite such positive results, which were expected to be presented in Washington, D.C., at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's annual meeting, the researchers said people should still discuss using any complementary or alternative medicines with a physician before starting treatment.

More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about eczema.

Health Tip: Avoid Animal Bites

(HealthDay News) -- Even the most friendly of cats and dogs can inadvertently bite you or a loved one, which could lead to an infection.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to help prevent animal bites:

• Small children should never be left unattended with any animal.
• If you see animals fighting, avoid trying to separate them.
• Don't approach or touch animals that appear sick, or any animals with which you're not familiar.
• Never touch or bother an animal that is eating.
• Always keep your pets on a leash when away from home.
• Choose your family pets wisely, and make sure to keep their vaccinations current.

Obama calls for overhaul of U.S. health care system

President Obama on Thursday called for a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. health care system, warning that soaring medical costs present "one of the greatest threats not just to the well-being of our families ... but to the very foundation of our economy." full story

RICH MEALS, POOR SLEEP - More Fat You Eat, Less Soundly You Sleep

Tired of tossing and turning at night? To enjoy more peaceful sleep, try trimming fat from your meals. New research links higher fat intake -- especially at dinner -- with lighter sleep, interrupted breathing and restless dreams. Read more >>