Financial reward incentives for general practitioners in the United Kingdom who successfully treat a number of patients with high blood pressure have not proven effective. Researchers found that nationally set targets for treating patients with hypertension (consistent blood pressure measuring 140 mmHg over 90 mmHg or higher) did not make a discernible difference in care improvements. About half of the UK population over age 50 has hypertension (that number correlates to about two out of three patients of the same age in the United States), which is one of the most treatable -- yet unde...

Even though pediatric lupus patients are at increased risk of developing heart disease as adults, statin drugs, which lower cholesterol, do not provide enough benefit to warrant use in these patients. Children with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes widespread inflammation and organ damage, often exhibit early signs of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) putting them at risk of heart attack and stroke. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center wanted to find a way to lower this risk and turned to statin drugs for the study. The randomized trial included 221 partici...

Patients who experienced ischemic stroke (IS) who were admitted to hospitals with designated stroke centers were less likely to die than those who were not, according to new research. The study found that ischemic stroke patients fared better and had less chance of dying at 30 days follow up if admitted to one of the nearly 700 acute care hospitals in the U.S. that are designated by the Joint Commission as stroke centers, based on recommendations from a team of physicians and researchers comprising the Brain Attack Coalition (BAC). Researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute i...

New research from the University of California, Davis and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology indicates it's okay to eat potatoes if you're trying to lose weight.

Watching actors smoke in movies causes smokers' brains to prepare for a cigarette, according to a study that appears in the January 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience .

The National Institute of Mental Health has just given a grant of almost $8 million to further the study of children with symptoms of mania in order to better predict the onset of bipolar disorder.

Empathy is a useful tool for improving care, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal .

Scientists find that individualized therapy is more beneficial for older adults suffering from insomnia, helping patients to overcome their symptoms for up to six months.

The Candida albicans fungus, which is the leading cause of infection in people with suppressed immune systems, spreads so easily due to its "promiscuous" nature.

"Flat-footed" older adults may be more likely to experience chronic knee pain than their peers who have higher arches, according to a new study from Boston University School of Medicine.