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Monday, September 30, 2013

Harvard study finds food expiration labels are misleading

Americans throw out billions of pounds of food every year because they falsely believe "sell-by" and "best-before" dates on package labels indicate food safety, researchers have found.
A study published Wednesday by Harvard Law School and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that dates printed on packaged foods, which help retailers cycle through stocked products and allow manufacturers to indicate when a product is at its peak freshness, are inconsistent. They confuse consumers, leading many to throw out food before it actually goes bad.
"The labeling system is aimed at helping consumers understand freshness, but it fails - they think it's about safety. And (consumers) are wasting money and wasting food because of this misunderstanding," said co-author Emily Broad Lieb, who led the report from the Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic.
Broad Lieb and NRDC scientist Dana Gunders said that, while labels "appear to be a rational system," they are essentially meaningless to consumers. Manufacturers often decide on their own how to calculate shelf life and what the dates mean.
As a result, huge amounts of food, not to mention considerable natural resources and labor, go to waste in landfill and taxes, and harm the environment.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140806.html

Sunday, September 29, 2013

New Understanding of Racial Disparities and Diabetes

Black and Hispanic women have much higher rates of diabetes than Asian or white women, but death rates for related conditions such as heart disease and cancer are the same for all older women in the United States regardless of race or ethnicity, according to a new study.
The findings show that diabetes prevention is the key to reducing rates of diabetes-related deaths among all postmenopausal women, according to the University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers.
They analyzed data collected from more than 158,000 women, average age 63, between 1993 and 2008. Diabetes rates were about 27 percent for blacks, 21 percent for Hispanics, 16 percent for Asians and 12 percent for whites.
Regardless of race and ethnicity, all of the women with diabetes were two to three times more likely to die from heart disease, cancer or other causes than those without diabetes, according to the study, which was published online Sept. 16 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140746.html

Saturday, September 28, 2013

2 Questions May Reveal Seniors' Impending Decline, Study Says

Mobility is a key indicator of healthy aging, and doctors should screen older patients for signs of physical decline, say the authors of a new review.
For the study, published Sept. 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers analyzed studies published between 1985 and 2012 that examined mobility and aging.
"The review confirmed that increased physical activity and exercise are extremely important for healthy aging," Dr. Cynthia Brown, of the division of gerontology, geriatrics and palliative care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a university news release.
Mobility problems are often an early sign of impending functional decline in seniors, which can affect their ability to live independently, Brown said.
She recommended that primary care doctors ask all senior patients two questions:

Friday, September 27, 2013

Could E. Coli Vaccine for Cows Cut Human Infections?

Vaccinating cattle against E. coli bacteria could cut the number of human infections by 85 percent, far higher than previous estimates, British scientists say.
The researchers reviewed the way that E. coli is transmitted from cattle to humans, noting that the risk of infection is particularly significant during the brief periods when cattle are "super-shedding" extremely large amounts of the bacteria in their feces.
"As far as we can assess, the major risk to humans is from those animals that are shedding the bug heavily," said Stuart Reid, senior study author and a principal at the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London. "If the vaccine has an impact on these animals at that time, the risk to humans is disproportionately reduced."  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140753.html

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Health Tip: Coping With Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and fever to skin rashes and joint pain. There is no cure, but a healthy lifestyle can help control symptoms.
Womenshealth.gov offers this advice about living with lupus:
  • Pace yourself, and avoid pushing yourself too hard. Take breaks when necessary, and get plenty of rest.
  • Find ways to reduce stress, such as by exercising, socializing and relaxing.
  • Seek companionship from friends, family and a support group.
  • Talk to your doctor if you struggle with lupus, or worry that you may be becoming depressed.
  • Learn as much as you can about lupus, and take more control of your disease.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140699.html

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

U.S. Teens Begin to Slim Down, Study Suggests

American teens may be getting the message that carrying excess weight isn't good for them.
New research shows that the number of obese teens leveled off and the rate of overweight teens dropped slightly between 2005-'06 and 2009-'10.
Teens reported eating more fruits and vegetables, eating breakfast on weekdays more often, and being more active. They also ate fewer sweets, drank fewer sweetened beverages and spent less time watching TV, according to the study.
"Over the past four or five decades, we've seen diets getting worse, physical activity on the decline and more obese teens," said the study's lead author, Ronald Iannotti, chairman and professor of exercise and health sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. "We would see the same pattern decade after decade. The good news is that it looks like in the first decade of this century, things are starting to get better."  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140703.html

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Genes Tied to High Blood Pressure Found in Black Americans

Black Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than whites, and now a large new study has pinpointed four common genetic variations affecting their risk.
The study included nearly 30,000 black Americans at 19 sites across the United States and is the largest study to look at how genes influence blood pressure in black people, according to the researchers.
The investigators pointed out that most gene discoveries to date have been in white people and noted that previous studies in blacks failed to identify any genes associated with blood pressure.
Genes account for 40 percent to 50 percent of a person's risk for high blood pressure (hypertension). The four genetic variations identified in this study also affect other racial/ethnic groups, the researchers noted. Other risk factors for high blood pressure include lifestyle, diet and obesity.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140705.html

Monday, September 23, 2013

MyPlate Recipe of the Week -- Avocado, Potato, and Grilled Chicken Salad

Fresh avocado with red potatoes, chicken, and a lemon-yogurt dressing are a winning combination for this main-dish salad. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/sample-menus-recipes/AvocadoPotatoAndGrilledChickenSalad.pdf 

Costs for Kids' Food Allergies Estimated at Nearly $25 Billion

Childhood food allergies cost the United States about $25 billion a year in medical fees, lost work productivity and family expenses, according to a new study.
Food allergies affect about 8 percent of children in the United States. Along with significant costs to the health-care system, food allergies also cause financial burdens for families from needed expenses such as special diets and allergen-free foods, the researchers noted.
The study was published online Sept. 16 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140710.html

Health Tips for Long-Term Travelers

If you are going to be spending a long time in a foreign country—to go to school or to work, for example—have a plan to protect your health while you’re away from home.  http://www.cdc.gov/features/longtermtravel/

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Access to healthcare for the poor varies widely among states

Access to affordable, quality healthcare for poor Americans varies dramatically among the states, according to a new study that found a wide disparity in measures of health between states with the best healthcare systems and those with the worst.
In the highest-performing states, low-income, less educated residents are more likely to be covered by health insurance, to have a regular source of medical care and to get recommended preventive care, such as cancer screenings.
These Americans were also less likely to die prematurely or end up in the hospital for conditions such as diabetes andasthma, the report from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund found.  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-health-states-20130918,0,1895924.story

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Better diet tied to fewer deaths after heart attack

People who changed their eating habits for the better following a heart attack tended to live longer than those who stuck to eating not-so-heart-healthy foods in a new U.S. study Among some 4,000 men and women, those whose post-heart attack diets improved the most were 30 percent less likely to die from any cause and 40 percent less likely to die of heart disease, compared to those whose diets improved least. "This study really suggests that lifestyle changes - specifically those geared toward making changes in your diet - will have an impact," Dr. David J. Frid, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told Reuters Health. "I think it's something we've assumed for a long time, but we had no compelling data to substantiate it," Frid, who wasn't involved in the new study, said. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140328.html

Friday, September 20, 2013

Hepatitis B Vaccination Cuts Deaths From Liver Disease, Cancer: Study

Taiwanese researchers report a 90 percent reduction in deaths from complications of hepatitis B since the country began its infant vaccination program in 1984. Vaccinations have also decreased the spread of hepatitis B, which can cause liver damage, liver cancer and a deadly reaction in babies called infant fulminant hepatitis, the researchers said. "Immunization has provided 30-year protection against acute hepatitis and end-stage chronic liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer," said lead researcher Chien-Jen Chen, a vice president at the Genomics Research Center at Academia Sinica in Taipei. The implications of the findings are global. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140318.html

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Half of People With High Blood Pressure Don't Know It

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is common around the world and the leading cause of heart disease, but many people are unaware that they have it, a new study shows. The international team of researchers noted that this is true for wealthy, developed nations as well as low-income countries. And despite the availability of drugs to control high blood pressure, many people who do know they have the condition are not being properly treated. "Blood pressure-lowering drugs are generally inexpensive and commonly available treatments," senior study author Dr. Salim Yusuf, a professor of medicine at McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said in a university news release. "However, only a third of patients commenced on treatment are on enough treatment to control their blood pressure. This is worst in low-income countries, but significant in high- and middle-income countries, too." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140317.html

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

'Nursery school dropouts': Poverty as a health crisis for many of America's kids

America’s pediatricians are sounding an alarm about what they call “the most important problem facing children in the U.S. today”: childhood poverty, which they say is a serious threat to children’s physical and mental health, and a barrier to their development, achievement, and future. Dr. Benard Dreyer, Professor of pediatrics at New York University and co-chair of the Academic Pediatric Association task force on childhood poverty, has been taking care of children, many of them quite poor, for nearly four decades. He spoke recently to NBC News about how and why childhood and family poverty can contribute to everything from obesity to poor performance in school, and can have a lasting effect on a child’s chances later in life. http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/06/19489097-nursery-school-dropouts-poverty-as-a-health-crisis-for-many-of-americas-kids?lite

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Subtle cues help obese shoppers skip unhealthy choices

Subtle hints may help nudge people toward making healthier food choices at the grocery store, new findings suggest. Obese people heading into a store who were given a recipe flyer with a few health-related words spent less than one-third the amount on unhealthy snacks as those given the same flyer with unrelated wording, Dutch researchers found. And the flyer had an effect even if people weren't thinking about it as they shopped. "Subtle cues can have a strong impact on our behavior, without us noticing. Fortunately, this is true not only for tempting food that surrounds us and makes self-control difficult - it also works for subtle cues that remind us of our health and dieting goals," Esther K. Papies of Utrecht University in The Netherlands told Reuters Health in an email. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140457.html

Monday, September 16, 2013

U.S. Drinking Water Sanitation Still a Concern: CDC

While U.S. water sanitation has improved, bacteria-laden drinking water continues to cause disease outbreaks, according to a report released Thursday by federal health officials. Legionella-tainted plumbing systems, untreated groundwater, and problems with distribution systems were the three main culprits identified in the 33 outbreaks reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2010. In all, unsanitary drinking water was responsible for 1,040 illnesses, 85 hospitalizations and nine deaths in 17 states during that time. http://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/centers-for-disease-control-news-120/u-s-drinking-water-sanitation-still-a-concern-cdc-679929.html

Sunday, September 15, 2013

My Plate Tip of the Day

Fitting activity into a daily routine can be easy – such as taking a brisk 10 minute walk to and from the parking lot, bus stop, or subway station. What’s important is to be active most days of the week and make it part of daily routine.

Obesity Gene Tests May Not Hamper Weight-Loss Efforts

Genetic testing for obesity risk does not discourage people from trying to lose weight -- instead, it may help reduce how much they blame themselves for their weight problems, according to a small new study. Research has shown that genes influence a person's risk of becoming overweight and one gene, called FTO, appears to have the greatest effect. The "A" variant of the gene is associated with a greater risk of weight gain, while the "T" variant of the gene is associated with a lower risk. One in two people has at least one copy of the A variant. People with two A variants -- one from their mother and one from their father -- are 70 percent more likely to become obese than those with two T variants, according to the study authors at University College London (UCL). http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140436.html

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Researchers: Protein Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death

People with low levels of a certain protein are at greatest risk for sudden cardiac death that occurs in the morning, a new study contends. The researchers suggested that their findings could lead to new treatments to reduce people's risk for this condition, in which the heart suddenly stops beating due to electrical instability. The findings were to be presented Sunday at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Indianapolis. "Sudden cardiac death due to this electrical instability causes an estimated 325,000 deaths annually in the United States alone," Dr. Mukesh Jain, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said in a chemical society news release. "That includes the three out of four heart disease deaths in people aged 35 to 44." http://consumer.healthday.com/cardiovascular-and-health-information-20/heart-attack-news-357/researchers-protein-linked-to-sudden-cardiac-death-679600.html

Friday, September 13, 2013

5 Percent of U.S. Kids 'Severely Obese,' Experts Warn

While the rate of obesity among U.S. children seems to have leveled off, the number who are "severely obese" continues to rise, according to the American Heart Association. Some 5 percent of children and teens now fall into this category, putting them at high risk for premature heart disease and type 2 diabetes, the researchers report in an American Heart Association scientific statement published in the Sept. 9 online edition of Circulation. http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutritional-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/5-percent-of-u-s-kids-severely-obese-heart-association-says-680014.html

Thursday, September 12, 2013

USDA Tip of the Day

Moderate intensity physical activity is any activity that takes about as much energy as a brisk walk. For the average person, this is about 1½ to 2 miles in 30 minutes, a pace at which breathing will quicken and the heart will beat faster.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Tip of the Day

Reaching and maintaining a healthier weight is important for your overall health and well being. For obese adults, even losing a few pounds or preventing further weight gain has health benefits.

Sleep Apnea Seen in Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes may have an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea, a small new study suggests. Gestational diabetes typically develops during the second trimester of pregnancy and occurs in roughly four to eight of every 100 pregnant women in the United States. Sleep apnea causes brief interruptions in breathing during sleep. Left untreated, sleep apnea increases the risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease and heart attack, according to background information in the study to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. "It is common for pregnant women to experience sleep disruptions, but the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea increases substantially in women who have gestational diabetes," study author Dr. Sirimon Reutrakul, who conducted the research at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a journal news release. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140028.html

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Move More to Control Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Study

Most pregnant women don't get enough physical activity throughout the day to prevent excess weight gain, a new study finds. If a woman gains too much weight during pregnancy, it increases her risk for complications such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine) and for obesity after delivery, and also ups the baby's risk for childhood obesity. Along with helping control weight, regular physical activity can help reduce back pain, boost energy levels and reduce insomnia. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140031.html

Monday, September 9, 2013

Good Nutrition Can Boost School Performance, Expert Says

A healthy diet can help students excel in school, a registered dietitian says. One of the best ways to jump-start a successful school day is to provide children with a nutritious morning meal, says Debby Boutwell, a clinical dietitian in the division of nutrition therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. This doesn't necessarily mean serving traditional breakfast foods, however. For school children, Boutwell recommends a breakfast that includes high-fiber grains, fruit and dairy products. Here are some options: Fiber rich and whole-grain cereals with low fat milk Yogurt and berries Toast, eggs and 100 percent fruit juice Whole-wheat bagels and cheese or eggs with low-fat milk Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with low-fat milk Grilled cheese sandwich with 100 percent fruit juice http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140064.html

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Breast-Feeding May Pass Good Bacteria From Mom to Baby

Breast milk delivers beneficial bacteria from a mother's gut to her baby's digestive system, according to a new study. Swiss researchers found the same strains of several types of beneficial bacteria in breast milk and in mothers' and babies' feces. Strains found in breast milk may help establish a critical nutritional balance in the baby's gut and may be important to prevent intestinal disorders, according to the authors of the study in the Aug. 22 issue of the journal Environmental Microbiology. "We are excited to find out that bacteria can actually travel from the mother's gut to her breast milk," Christophe Lacroix, of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health in Zurich, said in a journal news release. "A healthy community of bacteria in the gut of both mother and baby is really important for baby's gut health and immune system development," he explained. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139982.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Family History of Diabetes Makes 'Prediabetes' More Likely, Study Finds

Before full-blown diabetes sets in, people typically develop a syndrome known as "prediabetes." Now a new study shows that people who are not obese but who have a family history of diabetes are at higher risk of becoming prediabetic, too. Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not as high as seen in diabetes. It was known that a family history of type 2 diabetes increases a person's risk of diabetes, but it was not known if it increased the risk of prediabetes. In the study, researchers led by Dr. Andreas Fritsche of the German Center for Diabetes Research looked at more than 5,400 people with normal blood sugar levels and more than 2,600 with prediabetes. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139981.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Friday, September 6, 2013

Omega-3s tied to lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Women who have diets high in omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who skimp on fish, new research suggests. Researchers surveyed Swedish women about their diets and found over the course of more than seven years, long-term consumption of more than one serving of fatty fish each week was tied to a lower risk of developing the condition. "This study is the first to attribute the protective effect of fish against rheumatoid arthritis to its content of omega-3 fatty acids," Daniela Di Giuseppe, a doctoral student at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and lead author of the study, told Reuters Health in an email. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation, deformities and disability. People with the condition also have a higher risk of heart disease, some infections, anxiety, depression and blood cancers like leukemia. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140011.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Kidney Disease Patients Can Benefit From Exercise: Study

Exercise can be safe and effective in people with kidney disease, even if they have other related health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, researchers have found. According to the new study, a structured exercise and lifestyle program can improve kidney patients' fitness, body composition and heart health, and this type of regimen can be offered to kidney disease patients with other co-existing medical conditions. The program included 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise and group counseling about behavior and lifestyle changes. A health care team including a kidney specialist, a nurse practitioner, an exercise physiologist, a dietitian, a diabetes nurse and a psychologist were involved in helping the patients keep on track, the researchers explained in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology. A total of 83 patients with chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to either take part in the program or receive usual care. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139996.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Blood Pressure Drugs May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk

Men and women who take drugs to keep high blood pressure in check may be somewhat protected against Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, a new study found. And those who took a type of blood pressure drug called a beta blocker may be particularly protected from dementia. The report, presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th annual meeting, found that treatment for high blood pressure was good for the brain, regardless of the type of blood pressure medication taken. But people who took beta blockers had the fewest brain changes typical of incipient Alzheimer’s disease. Examples of beta blockers, which slow the heart beat, include acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol, nadolol (Corgard), nebivolol (Bystolic) and propranolol (Inderal LA). Over time, high blood pressure has corrosive effects on blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. http://www.alzinfo.org/08/articles/diagnosis-and-causes/blood-pressure-drugs-reduce-alzheimers-risk

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Your Gut Bacteria May Predict Your Obesity Risk

Bacteria in people's digestive systems -- gut germs -- seem to affect whether they become overweight or obese, and new research sheds more light on why that might be. The findings, from an international team of scientists, also suggest that a diet heavy in fiber could change the makeup of these germs, possibly making it easier for people to shed pounds. "We know gut bacteria affect health and obesity, but we don't know exactly how," said Dusko Ehrlich, a co-author of the two new studies and coordinator of the International Human Microbiome Standards project. The research finds that "people who put on the most weight lack certain bacterial species or have them at very low levels. This opens ways to develop bacterial therapies to fight weight gain," he said. Experts believe the gut, where the body processes food, is crucial to weight gain and weight loss. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140159.html

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Study May Explain Why Some Obese People Don't Get Diabetes

Obese people are generally believed to be at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but a new study suggests the risk may have more to do with inflammation than extra pounds. Researchers in Ireland report that chronic inflammation may affect the risk for heart disease and diabetes, which are caused by so-called metabolic factors including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The findings could help explain why up to 35 percent of obese people are not affected by metabolic disorders -- a phenomenon known as metabolically healthy obesity. "In our study, metabolically healthy people -- both obese and nonobese -- had lower levels of a range of inflammatory markers," study author Catherine Phillips, of University College Cork, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society. "Regardless of their body-mass index, people with favorable inflammatory profiles also tended to have healthy metabolic profiles." In conducting the study, the researchers examined information on 2,040 people between 50 and 60 years of age involved in the Cork and Kerry Diabetes and Heart Disease Study. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140116.html

Monday, September 2, 2013

Gene May Raise Diabetics' Chances of Heart Disease

Some people with type 2 diabetes might be at higher risk for heart disease if they also carry a particular type of gene, new research reveals. The gene variant could raise diabetics' odds for heart woes by about a third compared to people without this DNA, according to a team from the Harvard School of Public Health and Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. The finding might lead to new ways to prevent or treat heart disease in this group of patients, the team added. People with type 2 diabetes are already up to four times more likely to develop heart disease than those without diabetes, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death among the more than 370 million people worldwide with type 2 diabetes, according to information in a Harvard news release. As reported in the Aug. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Boston team analyzed data from more than 4,100 people with type 2 diabetes. About one-third of them also had heart disease. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140119.html

Sunday, September 1, 2013

New Drug Combo Helps Hard-to-Treat Hepatitis C

Combining an old drug with an experimental one may cure many cases of hard-to-treat hepatitis C -- without the harsh side effects of the standard regimen, a U.S. government study finds. Experts said the study, reported in the Aug. 28 Journal of the American Medical Association, is an important research step. It focused on patients who often do not respond well to the current hepatitis C drug regimen because they already had liver damage, harbored a particularly stubborn strain of the virus or had other "unfavorable treatment characteristics." In other words, they were the patients who often are left out of clinical trials. "This was the real world, and the treatment response was really quite good," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of the researchers on the work. Of the 60 patients in the trial, 48 percent to 68 percent had the virus cleared from their bodies, depending on the drug dose. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140120.html