Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have for the first time shown that reduced vitamin D absorption in patients with quiescent Crohn’s disease (CD) may be the cause for their increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. The findings, which currently appear on-line in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, also showed that the only way to [...]

CMAJ.ca – Mixing certain common antibiotics with the popular group of blood pressure medications called calcium-channel blockers may cause hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure) and induce shock in older patients, requiring hospitalization, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “Macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin) are among the most widely prescribed [...]

Whether or not you floss regularly and take care of your gums may affect your risk of developing pneumonia or other lung disease. Maintaining periodontal health may contribute to a healthy respiratory system, according to research published in the Journal of Periodontology. A new study suggests that periodontal disease may increase the risk for respiratory [...]

Everyone knows that exercise comes with metabolic and cardiovascular benefits, but scientists understand surprisingly little about how physical activity influences the heart itself. A recent study in the December 23, 2010 issue of Cell offers some of the first molecular-level insights. The studies in mice suggest that exercise turns on a genetic program that leads [...]

Simply taking more steps every day not only helps ward off obesity but also reduces the risk of diabetes, finds a study published on bmj.com. While several studies have shown that physical activity reduces body mass index and insulin resistance – an early stage in the development of type 2 diabetes – this is the [...]

Purdue.edu – Researchers have found evidence that an environmental pollutant may play an important role in causing multiple sclerosis and that low doses of a generic blood pressure medication, hydralazine, might be used to help prevent the disorder and possibly even treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The toxin acrolein was elevated by about 60 [...]