Subcutaneous injection of pollen-extract can ward off symptoms of hayfever

Injecting small amounts of pollen-extract just below the skin in people who have hayfever can desensitize them to the pollen and reduce their symptoms. It also reduces the amount of medication they use. more  

Beta blockers are less effective than other drugs for first-line treatment of high blood pressure

Beta blocker drugs are commonly used in the initial attempts to lower blood pressure. However a Cochrane Review shows that they were not as good at reducing death or the severity of disease as other classes of drugs. Drugs that perform better include thiazides, calcium channel blockers and renin angiotensin system inhibitors. more

Viagra-like drugs can treat erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes

Around half of all men with diabetes have at least one episode during the course of their condition when they fail to maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. Many different strategies have been used to overcome this, but a Cochrane Review of clinical trials shows that three phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis) increased diabetic men's satisfaction with their sexual life, compared to placebo. more  

Coaching patients over 65 can help them to take an active role in general practice consultations

Older patients (+65 years) who are given pre-visit information booklets or a pre-visit coaching session ask more questions when they see a doctor than untrained patients. The trained patients also get more information from their doctors per question asked, and were also in a position to supply the doctor with more information. This added confidence did not, however, cause an increase in the length of appointments. more

School meals good, especially for poor children  

School meals can improve physical and mental health of disadvantaged children. more

Inhaled steroids best treatment for children with asthma  

Although several medications are available to help children maintain asthma control, clinical trials directly comparing them have not been conducted. In fact, current recommendations in national and international asthma guidelines are based either on studies of single treatments compared to a placebo in children or on comparison studies in adults. more

Study on fear responses suggests new understanding of anxiety disorders

A new study on rats has identified a part of the brain's cortex that controls learned but not innate fear responses. more

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