London, Apr 9: Heartburn medications are often prescribed to people with poorly controlled asthma, however, the treatment has been found ineffective in reducing asthmatic symptoms, say researchers.

The study led by the American Lung Association''s Asthma Clinical Research Centres has shown that heartburn medications do not help control asthma symptoms prescribed to those without significant heartburn.

The researchers found that participants who took esomeprazole (Nexium) had as many asthma episodes as participants who were given an inactive pill, or placebo.

Washington, April 9 : Low levels of vitamin D in patients with autoimmune disease may be a result rather than a cause of the disease, and supplementing with this nutrient may worsen a patient's condition, according to a review.

Researchers at the California-based non-profit Autoimmunity Research Foundation, who have authored the review, say that vitamin D may provide short-term relief by lowering inflammation, but it may exacerbate disease symptoms over the long-term.

Washington, April 9 : A novel therapy for metastatic prostate cancer has shown considerable promise in early clinical trials by reducing signs of the disease in patients with drug-resistant cancer.

Of 30 men who received low doses of one the drugs in a multisite phase I/II trial designed to evaluate safety, 22 showed a sustained decline in the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in their blood.

New York/Toronto  - The parents of a two-month-old baby wanted to donate the heart of their severely brain-damaged daughter for another baby, but physicians in Toronto cancelled the transplant at the last minute.

The reason was the strength of Baby Kaylee's heart and lungs. The baby continued to breathe without the respirator, the Toronto Star reported on Wednesday.

Maputo  - Through a combination of improved prevention, diagnostic and treatment methods Mozambique is finally turning the corner on malaria, the biggest killer of children in Africa.

The number of malaria dead in the south-east African country fell for the first time in 20 years last year - from 3,998 in 2007 to 2,949 in 2008, or about one-quarter, Health Minister Ivo Garrido was quoted by the Noticias newspaper Wednesday as saying.