The herbal medicine St. John’s wort appears to work just as well as some prescribed antidepressants for treating patients with major depression, a new review finds. However, patients in German-speaking countries might experience the best benefits.
While there is public interest in the United States about whether St. John’s wort adequately treats depression, in some countries, like Germany, doctors commonly prescribe it for mild symptoms. (more…)

New research provides support for the use of St. John’s wort extracts in treating major depression. A Cochrane Systematic Review backs up previous research that showed the plant extract is effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorders.
"Overall, we found that the St. John’s wort extracts tested in the trials were superior to placebos and as effective as standard antidepressants, (more…)

A geneticist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston plans to scan the genomes of about 4,000 people in the hopes of finding out why blood pressure often increases as young adults age.
The two-year study by principal investigator Myriam Fornage, Ph.D., is funded with a new $1.1 million grant from the Genes, Environment and Health (more…)

Cytokinetics, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CYTK) announced today that a Late
Breaking oral presentation and a poster presentation, each relating
to one of two clinical trials for CK-1827452, were presented at the
2008 Annual Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Conference, which
is being held September 21-24, 2008 at the Metro Toronto Convention
Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These trials, conducted in
stable heart (more…)

Teenagers who are overweight or obese are more likely to have considered suicide than those who are a normal weight, according to new research presented at a meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Child and Adolescent Faculty.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool measured (more…)