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The risk of severe Arthritis of the knees linked to Obesity may cause just as much harm on the hips, but men may be the only gender at risk.

Among the nearly 2,600 aged Icelandic adults studied, being overweight or obese caused a significant increase in total knee replacement surgeries. Of the participants studied, women as well as men showed the same level of increased risk.

Total hip replacement, however, was more likely to happen in the obese men of the group as opposed to the women in the group. The body weight of the women studied was not a factor nor did it increase the risk of total hip replacement.

Researchers noted that studies linking body weight to knee replacement surgery risk are plentiful. The weight of the body in both men and women seems to correlate directly with an increased risk of knee injuries and surgeries.

At the conclusion of the study, women who were deemed overweight had an increased risk of total knee replacement of 60% over their thinner counterparts. Obese women showed even higher risks than the overweight group.

Men in the study who were overweight were 70% more likely to have a knee replacement surgery with yet another significant increase for those deemed obese.

Hip replacements, on the other hand, are a totally different story. The obese men of the group showed an increased risk of hip replacement by 70%. Obese women, however, showed no increased risk of hip replacement nor did the women falling into the category of overweight.

Researchers noted the anatomical difference between men and women may play some part in the increased risk of hip replacement related to weight in men.

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When combining two drugs most often used to fight the effects of Type 2 Diabetes, researchers have found a possible reduction in kidney damage related to the effects of the diabetes.

The two drug combination, losartan, or Cozaar and aliskiren, or Tekturna, is still in the earliest of testing stages and thus will need many more studies in order to be proven effective and safe for diabetics.

The drug losartan, is commonly prescribed to diabetics to combat the high blood pressure associated with the disease. Alisander, on the other hand, blocks the growth of Angioplasty II, a molecule that damages Blood vessels in diabetic patients.

According to the June 5 issue of the New England Journal of medicine, the nearly 600 people studied were afflicted with Type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes is most commonly found as an adult onset disease. The six-month trial of the combination drug was divided into two groups. The first group took ½ smarten and ½ Alisander. The second group took ½ losartan and a Placebo in place of the aliskiren.

The participants who were given the combination of drugs showed a 50% decrease in urine protein levels nearly 25% of the time. A reduction in urine proteins was only noted in 12.5% of the control group who took the placebo.

Unfortunately for people who suffer from Type 2 diabetes in the United States, the research will fall on deaf ears. The United States FDA does not notice urine protein levels as a biomarker for diabetes and thus a reduction in those proteins will prove nothing to the FDA.

Even though the FDA does not recognize the potential for the two-drug therapy, doctors in the United States are noticing. Dr. Ajay Singh, the director of dialysis at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is already thinking of changing the drugs he prescribes to his patients. “This is an important study that is likely to change my practice.”

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Patients who were given a combination of gemcitabine, capecitabine and bevacizumab showed an improvement in Tumor growth in advanced pancreatic Cancer patients.

The patients given the 3 drug combo, showed a decrease in tumor growth for nearly 6 months following the start of the drug series. The average survival time was increased to nearly 10 months.

The study involved 50 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Before the therapy, these patients were given a median 6 months of survival after being diagnosed. With the introduction of the 3 drug therapy, this time was increased by almost 4 months on average.

The history of the three drugs is what brought the therapies together for researchers. Gemcitabine and capecitabine have both been used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and have shown promise in regards to bettering the patients quality of life. Bevacizumab, on the other hand, has been used in cases of colon, Lung and breast cancer to reduce the blood supply to the tumor.

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Links have been made between coronary bypass surgery and the various degrees of mental impairment that presents itself later in the surgery patients. Surprisingly, new findings uncovered that the bypass surgery is not to blame, as comparable cognitive decline has been observed in heart disease patients who have not had surgery.

Dr. Ola A. Selnes of Johns Hopkins University Baltimore expresses that the link may be that some vascular disease of the brain may be present among the coronary artery disease patient and that Selnes and her colleagues assessed the cognitive performance of their subjects, and then assessed them again after 12 months and 72 months. The assessments consisted of using standardized tests on more than 150 patients of coronary bypass and more than 90 similar heart patients who had been medically treated.

Both groups experienced mild cognitive decline in comparable degrees. Selnes and her team reported that the test results were similar yet at 6 years.

Selnes also reported she was surprised to find that the significant degrees of decline did not involve memory, bringing doubt to the faux thoughts that coronary artery bypass surgery leads to Alzheimer’s disease.