Merck migraine drug shows promise in clinical trial
An experimental migraine drug being developed by Merck & Co. significantly relieved pain two hours after dosing compared to a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial, the company said on Thursday.
The drug, MK-0974, also demonstrated sustained pain relief through 24 hours, according to data presented at the American Headache Society annual meeting in Chicago.
Sugary drinks tied to extra pounds in preschoolers
Preschool children who are regularly given sugary drinks between meals are more likely to be overweight than their peers, new study findings suggest.
The “empty” calories from sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit drinks have been blamed for contributing to childhood obesity, but not all studies have found evidence to support that claim.
Ecstasy harms memory in novice users
People taking the illicit recreational drug Ecstasy show subtle but significant impairment in verbal memory after trying the drug for the first few times, Dutch researchers report.
While novice users in the study had taken a relatively low cumulative dose of about three tablets of Ecstasy, on average, they scored lower on tests that required them to memorize a series of words and then recall them later.
Lack of sun does not explain low vitamin D in elderly who are overweight
It’s not yet clear why overweight elderly adults have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. However, researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA) have found that lack of sun exposure may not account for low levels of vitamin D in elders who are overweight.
“People aged 65 and over with high percent body fat have lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the storage form of vitamin D, compared to those who have lower percent body fat,” says corresponding author Susan Harris, DSc, epidemiologist in the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA.
Weight loss TV show draws obese viewers in India
An Indian version of the weight loss reality TV show “Biggest Loser” is attracting a large following in a country increasingly grappling with obesity.
“Biggest Loser Jeetega”, or biggest loser wins, features 16 obese contestants closeted in a house near the western city of Mumbai for nearly four months with only trainers and fitness equipment for company.
Parent’s pain may affect child’s migraine severity
The degree of disability and pain suffered by adolescents with migraines may have a lot to do with how their parents experience pain, a new study shows.
Dr. Ann Pakalnis and colleagues found that, as the number of chronic pain-related conditions reported by a parent increased, so did the child’s number of days with migraine, hours of disability due to headache, and use of anti-migraine triptan medications.
Diabetes group urges patient caution on Avandia
The latest studies on Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline’s blockbuster diabetes drug, have raised enough questions about the drug’s safety to worry the American Diabetes Association.
Several studies now suggest the drug, which lowers blood sugar levels, may raise the risk of heart attack. Glaxo researchers rushed out an interim analysis of an ongoing study on Tuesday the company said showed no increased risk, but independent experts disagreed.
