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Media (100 unread)

CBC Health and Science News

Inuit TB rate 185 times higher

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 1:32pm CST

Tuberculosis remains a serious health problem in Canada's North, with the infection rate among Inuit 185 times greater than for others born in the country, a national analysis shows.

Newsvine - health

Men have longer sex life expectancy, study says

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 1:01pm CST by msnbc.com health

Men are more likely than women to be interested in sex, have sex and enjoy sex, according to new scientific research, which also found people who stay active and healthy enjoy longer sex lives.

USATODAY.com Health - Top Stories

Long-term use of osteoporosis drugs linked to hip breaks

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:53pm CST

A popular group of drugs prescribed to slow bone loss may be putting some patients at an increased risk of hip fractures if taken ...

Newsvine - health

Insurance for infertility treatment lags

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:38pm CST by msnbc.com health

Alyce Robins counts herself among the lucky ones. After seven rounds of infertility treatment, she had a baby girl, and her health insurance paid for nearly everything.
Clinton, Gates say US help abroad improves image

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:31pm CST by Ann Sanner, Associated Press Writer

Bill Clinton and Bill Gates have told a Senate panel that U.S. investments in fighting AIDS, malaria and other diseases in underdeveloped nations play a vital role in improving America's image abroad.

CBSnews.com: Health News

Assisted Suicide Group "Glad" for Trial

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:31pm CST

Leader of Final Exit Network Hopes Group's Work Will Be Validated in Court Case
A Look Inside Harry's Colonoscopy

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:30pm CST

"Early Show" Co-Anchor Says Hello to His Liver, Finds Peace of Mind From Results

CBC Health and Science News

N.L. lab head quits after drug error fiasco

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:27pm CST

Dr. Nash Denic has resigned as head of laboratory services at Newfoundland and Labrador's largest health authority after a drug-testing fiasco in which lab officials are accused of reacting to the problem too slowly.

WebMD Health Headlines

New Diarrhea Danger for Children

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:25pm CST

A severe diarrhea-causing germ once thought to only affect the elderly or seriously ill is now affecting a growing number of healthy children

Newsvine - health

Tainted ingredient sold after salmonella found

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:10pm CST by msnbc.com health

The company responsible for a ballooning recall of processed foods continued to manufacture and distribute a flavor-enhancing ingredient for a month after tests confirmed it was made with contaminated equipment, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.
Pringles recalls two flavors of chips due to salmonella concern

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 12:09pm CST by B-Rizzle

Procter & Gamble Co. has recalled two versions of Pringles chips because of concerns about potential Salmonella exposure.

The Seattle Times: Health

Study: those who stay fit have longer sex lives

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:44am CST

It seems the old cliche may be true.

Newsvine - health

Unnatural chemicals in the food are making us fat.

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:41am CST by Rees Sloan

The new weight-gain threat Obesogens are chemicals that disrupt the function of hormonal systems; many researchers believe they lead to weight gain and, in turn, numerous diseases that curse the American populace.
Procter & Gamble Agrees to Reformulate Herbal Essences Due to Toxic Contaminant

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:37am CST by Christina-977072

rocter and Gamble (P&G) to reformulate 18 products from its top-selling Herbal Essences brand to reduce levels of the carcinogenic petrochemical 1,4-dioxane.
Judge in California Could Halt Planting of Genetically Modified Sugar Beets

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:31am CST by Christina-977072

A case involving genetically modified (GM) food will be in front of a federal judge Friday in San Francisco. Researchers say the future of generations of Americans hangs in the balance, as the judge could order a halt to the planting or harvesting of any GM "Roundup Ready" s …

USATODAY.com Health - Top Stories

Women who drink moderately less likely to gain weight

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:25am CST

Those who consumed a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight than women who drank no alcohol at all.

Newsvine - health

Study: those who stay fit have longer sex lives

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 11:00am CST by Associated Press

It seems the old cliche may be true.
Antitrust bill to stand alone | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:56am CST by ThomastonPaine

Rep. Betsy Markey's bill to end the antitrust exemption for health insurers will be handled by the Senate as a standalone bill and not be wrapped into a broader health-care reform package now being finalized, a senior House aide said Tuesday.

USATODAY.com Health - Top Stories

Panera Bread to post calories on menus at company stores

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:56am CST

Panera Bread customers around the country soon will be able to tally calories for their smokehouse turkey panini and broccoli ...

Newsvine - health

'Biggest Loser' players get a reality check

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:48am CST by msnbc.com health

In week eight of "The Biggest Loser,"the contestants dealt with real-life obstacles: full-time jobs and finding the time to exercise. The Black team seemed to be at a real disadvantage, but were they able to come out on top?

CBSnews.com: Health News

Breast Milk Cheese Mom: Bon Appe-teat!

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:30am CST

Woman Whose Chef Husband Turned Extra Lactation into Cheese Says It's Totally Safe
Video: First Ever Live TV Anchor Colonoscopy

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:22am CST

In Full: CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric guided The Early Show anchor Harry Smith through a colonoscopy on live TV. Couric is an advocate of colorectal cancer prevention.

CBC Health and Science News

Superbug MRSA on rise in Canada

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:19am CST

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of Canadians becoming infected or colonized by the superbug MRSA since 1995, both in hospitals and within the community, a study has found.

Newsvine - health

'Lost Boys' actor Corey Haim dead in Burbank at 38

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:13am CST by msnbc.com health

Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in "Lucas" and "The Lost Boys" whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.

Medical News Today

2010 Recipient Of Minority Scholar Award Will Conduct Clinical Research On Leukemia

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 10:00am CST

Alison Walker, MD, has been selected to receive the ASH-AMFDP Award, and will begin her research in acute myeloid leukemia in July of this year. The award, designed to help increase the number of underrepresented minority scholars in the field of hematology, is the result of a partnership between the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It provides four years of support, including an annual stipend of up to $75,000 and an annual grant of $30,000 to support research activities...

WebMD Health Headlines

Platelet-Rich Plasma Helps Tennis Elbow

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:54am CST

Platelet-rich plasma -- injections of a patient's own blood platelets -- heals of tennis elbow better than cortisone shots, a study finds.

Topix.net - Health

Ask Dr. Gott: Plavix, Prilosec like oil and water

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:53am CST

Dear Dr. Gott: I have a heart condition and take both Plavix to prevent blood clots and Prilosec for stomach acid.

Newsvine - health

Good Health Boosts Sexual Life Expectancy

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:50am CST by Coral Atlas

A good reason to live longer- or NOT?

ABC News: Health

Fosamax Scare Strikes Women With Osteopenia

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:30am CST

Some doctors say drug companies are "medicalizing old age" with bone-loss drugs.

Osteoporosis - Health - Pharmaceutical industry - Drugs - Alendronic acid

USATODAY.com Health - Top Stories

Salmonella finding did not stop distribution, FDA says

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:30am CST

The company responsible for a ballooning recall of processed foods continued to manufacture and distribute a flavor-enhancing ...

CBSnews.com: Health News

Ever-Macho Cuba Now Paying for Sex Changes

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:30am CST

Cuba Once Persecuted Homosexuals and Transsexuals But Now Funds Sex Changes under Universal Health Care System

ABC News: Health

WATCH: Giving Birth Safely

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:18am CST

Dr. Richard Besser answers questions on the safety of C-sections.

Richard E. Besser - Health - Question Answering - Religion and Spirituality - American Broadcasting Company

Medical News Today

Visit Your Pharmacy This No Smoking Day

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 9:00am CST

Helping a man to stop smoking after 43 years and supporting a woman to quit cigarettes following 15 previous relapses are just two examples where a local pharmacy made the difference of a life time. This No Smoking Day on Wednesday 10 March the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is advising the public to make a trip to their community pharmacy as the first step towards quitting for good. Every year thousands of people across the UK give up smoking on the national day and this year's campaign theme, Break free, we can help, has come from smokers themselves...

Newsvine - health

VIDEO: Landlord Donates Kidney To Tenant

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:47am CST by Shawn-299392

It's a landlord's responsibility to fix a tenant's home, but for Sherry Hanson, that relationship has grown so much deeper. Her landlord is rebuilding her life...
Sick ships: Cruises see rise in norovirus cases

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:40am CST by msnbc.com health

More than 400 passengers were sickened by the norovirus on a Celebrity Cruise lines ship in mid-February. That outbreak of gastrointestinal illness is one of eight to hit cruise ships in 2010 - with four in just one week, according to the CDC.

Australia ABC News: Health

Rudd to offer incentives for top hospitals

Fetched: March 10th, 2010, 8:24am CST

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the Government will offer incentive payments to outstanding hospitals under its new health plan.
Nursing homes facing crisis, say nurses, industry

Fetched: March 10th, 2010, 8:24am CST

There are fears some of Tasmania's nursing homes will have to close their doors because of rising costs and staff shortages.

CBSnews.com: Health News

Video: Harry Smith's Colonoscopy Results

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:18am CST

Dr. Mark Pochapin gave Harry Smith a good bill of health after his live televised colonoscopy.

BBC Health News

India help for Sri Lanka amputees

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:12am CST

An Indian charity sends a team to Sri Lanka to provide 1,000 amputees in the war-ravaged north with artificial limbs.

CBSnews.com: Health News

Video: Colonoscopy Fact vs. Fiction

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:03am CST

Harry Smith gets the scoop of a lifetime before his live on-camera colonoscopy from Dr. Mark Pochapin, director of the The Jay Monahan Ctr. for Gastrointestinal Health.

Newsvine - health

Day 14,15 of Ladybugs Diet and Exercise...03/08/10 - 03/09/10

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:02am CST by Lady Bug

Whooo Hooo....I feel great.... Last night I went to the gym and I burned almost all the calories that I ate...I'm a litttle sore today... I did 30 min. elliptical on 75-90 Resistance and if that don't get your heart pumping and your buns burning...nothing will....

Medical News Today

Advocates Seek Increased Federal Funding To Bridge The Gaps In Lupus Research, Awareness, And Education

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 8:00am CST

On March 16, 2010, an anticipated 1,000 advocates will band together for lupus in person and virtually by phone, email, and through social media networks, to share their personal stories with Members of Congress during the Lupus Foundation of America's, (LFA) Twelfth Annual Advocacy Day. Advocates' personal stories will demonstrate how the gaps in lupus research and understanding have a profound effect on the estimated 1.5 million people in the United States who are living with the disease. It has been more than 50 years since the U.S...

ABC News: Health

Are C-Sections Too Common?

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:56am CST

Cesarean births are at an all-time high and fewer women are giving birth vaginally following a cesarean section, spurring the National Institute of Health to reassess current recommendations on birthing practices.

Childbirth - Health - Caesarean section - Reproductive Health - Pregnancy and Birth

CNN Health

What can I do for chronic sinusitis?

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:53am CST

I have been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. It would seem like every six months or so, I have an episode where I am unable to go to work for about three days because I develop a temperature, swollen lymph nodes, (recently, swollen, inflammed tonsils) headaches and skin flora on my scalp. How is skin flora associated with sinusitis? Will this ever stop?

CBSnews.com: Health News

Video: Harry Smith's Live Colonoscopy

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:52am CST

Harry Smith underwent a colonoscopy by Dr. Mark Pochapin live during The Early Show as Katie Couric oversaw the procedure.

NPR Health and Science

Vaccinating Kids Helps Adults Avoid Flu

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:52am CST

Researchers studying isolated communities in Canada showed that immunizing children against influenza lowered flu rates among unvaccinated adults by 60 percent.
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Newsvine - health

Sick ships: Cruises see rise in norovirus cases

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:38am CST by Linda Carroll, msnbc.com - Only on msnbc.com

The stomach bug caught up with Kenneth Thompson just a few days before the end of the cruise. He’d seen others getting sick and was hoping he would escape unscathed. But then his stomach started to feel queasy. Pretty soon he was vomiting every half hour. “I never had anything like this,” says the 71-year-old from Concord, S.C. “It just came out of me in streams, just gushes of it.”

CBSnews.com: Health News

Inside Colonoscopy Screenings

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:37am CST

Dr. Mark Pochapin Explains How Doctors Perform This Important Test for Colon Cancer

ABC News: Health

Sex Into Your 60s? It's the Norm, Study Says

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:34am CST

Thirty-somethings can expect to enjoy at least another 30 years of sex, researchers have found. At age 30, men will be sexually active for another 35 years, while women will be active for another 30. And the findings are even better for older adults.

Human sexual behavior - Sexuality - Health - Old age - Sex Education

CBSnews.com: Health News

Harry Smith's On-Air Colonoscopy

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:33am CST

"Early Show" Co-Anchor Gets Support from "CBS Evening News" Anchor Katie Couric Before Live Screening

Newsvine - health

FDA Approves Botox to Treat Spasticity in Flexor Muscles of the Elbow, Wrist and Fingers

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:14am CST by Par4TheCourse

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults. Spasticity is common after stroke, traumatic brain injury, or the progression of multiple sclerosis.

Medical News Today

Los Angeles Times Profiles Antiabortion Pastor Who Travels Southern Calif. In Mobile Pregnancy Clinic

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

The Los Angeles Times on Monday profiled Dave Wilkinson, an evangelical pastor who runs three Ventura County, Calif., pregnancy clinics that try to urge women not to have abortions. Once weekly, Wilkinson and other antiabortion-rights advocates drive to Los Angeles in a donated motor home to offer ultrasounds to pregnant women and urge them not to have abortions through "prayer-filled counseling sessions," according to the Times. Wilkinson said that many of the women promise to carry their fetuses to term...
Study Shows Need To 'Speak Plainly' When Discussing Sex, Columnist Writes

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

"A new study suggests that what people mean when they say they've had sex -- or haven't -- depends on whom you ask," St. Petersburg Times columnist Colette Bancroft writes in an opinion piece about new research from the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention. The study, published in the journal Sexual Health, examined how men and women in various age groups classify whether various physical acts constitute "having sex...
Health Overhaul Policy Tidbits

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

NPR: For those who have forgotten what the Senate's bill would actually do as the debate has turned to politics and procedure, "a short refresher" may come in handy. The legislation's main concepts include the requirement that individuals buy health insurance, a plan that would help eliminate pre-existing condition exclusions and spread risk more widely, and subsidies to help people buy coverage to meet the new requirement (Rovner, 3/9)...
Senate Test Vote Today On Bill To Extend COBRA Subsidy, Doc Fix And State Medicaid Funding

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

The Senate is poised to consider a measure today that would include extending subsidies for COBRA benefits and unemployment insurance, prevent the Medicare payment cut for doctors and provide additional funding to state Medicaid programs. The legislation "faces a key test vote in the Senate, its momentum helped by about 60 popular tax breaks for individuals and businesses that expired at the end of last year," The Associated Press reports. "All told, the measure would add $107 billion to the deficit over the coming decade...
Questioning The Benefits Of Elective Removal Of Ovaries During Hysterectomy: Evidence Suggests Procedure May Do More Harm Than Good

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

Removal of the ovaries (bilateral oophorectomy) while performing a hysterectomy is common practice to prevent the subsequent development of ovarian cancer. This prophylactic procedure is performed in 55 percent of all US women having a hysterectomy, or approximately 300,000 times each year. An article in the March/April issue of the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology suggests that this procedure may do more harm than good.. William H...
Brain Activity Predicts Emotional Resiliency Following A Fight With A Partner

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

Common wisdom tells us that for a successful relationship partners shouldn't go to bed angry. But new research from a psychologist at Harvard University suggests that brain activity - specifically in the region called the lateral prefrontal cortex - is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner. Individuals who show more neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex are less likely to be upset the day after fighting with partners, according to a study in this month's Biological Psychiatry...
Fashion And IT

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

Consider this T-shirt: It can monitor your heart rate and breathing, analyze your sweat and even cool you off on a hot summer's day. What about a pillow that monitors your brain waves, or a solar-powered dress that can charge your ipod or MP4 player? This is not science fiction - this is cotton in 2010. Now, the laboratory of Juan Hinestroza, assistant professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Design, has developed cotton threads that can conduct electric current as well as a metal wire can, yet remain light and comfortable enough to give a whole new meaning to multi-use garments...
Male Batterers Consistently Overestimate General Rates Of Violence Toward Partners

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

Men who engaged in domestic violence consistently overestimated how common such behavior is, and the more they overestimated it the more they engaged in abusing their partner in the previous 90 days, according to new research conducted at the University of Washington. Those men overestimated by two to three times the actual rates of seven behaviors ranging from throwing something at a partner to rape, according Clayton Neighbors, lead author of a paper to be published in a spring issue of the journal Violence Against Women...
New Research Looks At Beliefs About God's Influence In Everyday Life

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

Most Americans believe God is concerned with their personal well-being and is directly involved in their personal affairs, according to new research out of the University of Toronto. Using data from two recent national surveys of Americans, UofT Sociology Professor Scott Schieman examined peoples' beliefs about God's involvement and influence in everyday life. His research discovers new patterns about these beliefs and the ways they differ across education and income levels...
Federal Funds Support Health Depts., But Leadership Is Key - Study

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

The surge of funds for bioterrorism preparedness over the past decade does not appear to be improving local public health resources in general, according to research from Purdue University. However, the funding increase to health departments does spur epidemiologic activity that is key in detecting infectious disease risks, such as a surge in communicable disease like influenza or tuberculosis, at the local level, says George Avery, an assistant professor of health and kinesiology...
Research Identifies New Mechanism Regulating Embryonic Development

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

A Princeton University-led research team has discovered that protein competition over an important enzyme provides a mechanism to integrate different signals that direct early embryonic development. The work suggests that these signals are combined long before they interact with the organism's DNA, as was previously believed, and also may inform new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer. The fought-over enzyme, known as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), is found in all complex organisms, ranging from yeast to humans...
Low-Income Women Living In Small Cities Have Higher Chance Of Obesity

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 7:00am CST

A recent Kansas State University study found that the availability of supermarkets -- rather than the lack of them -- increased the risk of obesity for low-income women living in small cities. This suggests that policies to increase healthful eating behaviors might need to be tailored based on geographic location. K-State researchers studied the availability of food stores for low-income women in Kansas to see whether there was a link to obesity...

CBSnews.com: Health News

Video: Colonoscopy Prep for Harry Smith

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:57am CST

Katie Couric helps Harry Smith get ready for his colonoscopy and explains why the procedure is so important for men and women.

ABC News: Health

WATCH: Baby Slings Linked to Suffocation

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:53am CST

Safety commission raises red flag over the popular infant carriers.

Children - Shopping - Baby - Equipment - Carriers

Newsvine - health

Utah Air Guard mission in Chile changes from training to humanitarian

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:40am CST by Spikegary

3/9/2010 - SALT LAKE CITY (AFNS) -- Four members of the Utah Air National Guard's 151st Air Refueling Wing based here had a rude awakening Feb. 27 when the 15th floor of their hotel in Santiago, Chile, started to shake.

CBC Health and Science News

Eastern Health may discipline lab staff

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:30am CST

The head of a St. John's-based health authority plagued by a new set of laboratory mistakes says staff may be disciplined for failing to document problems and alert managers

BBC Health News

Sex drive 'lasts longer in men', research suggests

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:18am CST

Men are likelier than women to enjoy sex in old age, researchers find.

Medical News Today

Washington Post, 'Marketplace' Examine Issues Related To HPV Vaccines

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The Washington Post on Tuesday published a list of questions and answers from a Consumer Reports review of the safety and efficacy of Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA found that a few women and girls vaccinated with Gardasil experienced serious complications but that the rates and severity of most side effects appear to be consistent with those of other vaccines, the Post reports. FDA approved the vaccine in 2006 for women and girls ages nine through 26...
GOP Candidate For Calif. Gov. Switches Positions On Abortion-Related Issues

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, took liberal positions on abortion-rights issues when he unsuccessfully ran for state Assembly in 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports. Poizner's past statements supporting abortion-right issues contradict the conservative stance he has taken in his current campaign. On Friday, the Poizner campaign sent an e-mail claiming that he is "the only Republican candidate for governor who is against taxpayer-funded abortion...
Stupak Indicates Abortion Compromise Possible For Health Bill

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who is leading a coalition of anti-abortion Democrats standing in the way of party leadership efforts to pass a health bill, signaled Monday that the impasse may be close to resolution. The Associated Press: Stupak "said he expects to resume talks with House leaders this week in a quest for wording that would impose no new limits on abortion rights but also would not allow use of federal money for the procedure. ''I'm more optimistic than I was a week ago,' Stupak told The Associated Press between meetings with constituents in his northern Michigan district. ...
Administration, Health Insurers Point Fingers At Each Other In Premium Hike Dust-Up

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The Obama administration and insurance industry executives are continuing their battle over rate increases. Politico: "Insurance industry executives sat down with administration officials in the White House last week to justify their rising premium costs, attributing them to increasing medical costs. But it's an answer President Barack Obama apparently wasn't buying. In his weekly Saturday address, he said insurance companies 'couldn't give me a straight answer as to why they keep arbitrarily and massively raising premiums.' ...
Medical Miracles More Likely, But At What Cost?

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The Fiscal Times reports on medical miracles and their place in the national health care reform debate with a likely subheading: high health care costs. "The idea of foregoing heroic efforts and new technologies to save dying patients is anathema for most Americans. It contradicts a core national conviction that innovation coupled with a can-do attitude can accomplish virtually anything" but "(h)ealth care in America will cost nearly $2.7 trillion this year - $9,000 per person - a $200 billion increase over last year...
Supreme Court To Consider Legality Of Lawsuits Against Vaccine Makers

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The Associated Press: "The Supreme Court will decide whether drug makers can be sued by parents who claim their children suffered serious health problems from vaccines. The justices on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from parents in Pittsburgh who want to sue Wyeth over the serious side effects their daughter, six months old at the time, allegedly suffered as a result of the company's diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine. ... Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer, Inc...
Link Between Obesity And Poor Colon Cancer Prognosis

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

Obese patients with colon cancer are at greater risk for death or recurrent disease compared to those who are within a normal weight range, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "Obesity has long been established as a risk factor for cancer, but our study in colon cancer patients shows that obesity predicts a poorer prognosis after the cancer is surgically removed," said Frank A. Sinicrope, M.D., professor of medicine and oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester...
Development Of New Scale To Measure Anxiety Outcomes

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

A new questionnaire and outcomes measurement scale developed by the department of psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety. The scale can easily be incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating psychiatric disorders. The study appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. To determine the impact of treatment on any medical disorder, it is necessary to evaluate outcomes. Standardized scales are increasingly recommended as an outcome measurement tool in the treatment of psychiatric disorders...
As Men Lose Health, Women Lose Partners

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

At age 55, men can expect another 15 years of sexual activity, but women that age should expect less than 11 years, according to a study by University of Chicago researchers published early online March 10 by the British Medical Journal. Men in good or excellent health at 55 can add 5 to 7 years to that number. Equally healthy women gain slightly less, 3 to 6 years. One consolation for women is that many of them seem not to miss it. Men tend to marry younger women, die sooner and care more about sex, the study confirmed...
Former USDA Leader And AVMA CEO, Dr. Ron DeHaven Responds In Video To USDA Decision To Scrap Animal ID System

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

A recent decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to scrap a national animal identification system could seriously hinder U.S. veterinarians' ability to track diseased animals and prevent the spread of those diseases -diseases that could spread to humans and cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars. That's the message that Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and a former head of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, delivers in a new video which can be viewed on http://www.avmatv...
The CSIC Presents The Archive Of Mourning Concerning The Terrorist Attacks In Madrid

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The project, directed by CSIC researcher Cristina Sanchez Carretero was completed through close collaboration with associations for victims and those affected. On Thursday March 11, the project will end with its transfer to the Spanish Railway Foundation and the digitized catalog will be available for study with prior approval. The main focus of the investigation explores the social mechanisms that occur in response to collective trauma, although the items have been analyzed from multiple perspectives...
Behavioral Problems In Childhood Double The Risk Of Chronic Widespread Pain In Adult Life

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

Bad behaviour in childhood is associated with long-term, chronic widespread pain in adult life, according to the findings of a study following nearly 20,000 people from birth in 1958 to the present day. Chronic widespread pain is a common complaint that can have a major adverse effect on quality of life, often requiring referral to a hospital specialist for investigation and treatment...
Genetic Variant Greatly Increases Lung Cancer Risk For Light Smokers

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

Individuals with a certain type of genetic susceptibility to lung cancer face a greatly increased risk for the deadly disease with even a small exposure to cigarette smoke, a study team that includes researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) has concluded. For family members who carry this genetic variant, the risk of lung cancer is similar for both light and heavy smokers, the researchers say, adding that even non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke and have a family history of lung cancer should be monitored for early detection...
FDA Approves Botox To Treat Spasticity In Flexor Muscles Of The Elbow, Wrist And Fingers

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults. Spasticity is common after stroke, traumatic brain injury, or the progression of multiple sclerosis. "Muscles affected by spasticity have increased stiffness and tightness, which may lead to pain, difficulties with hygiene and other activities of daily living, and may affect how a patient looks," said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research...
New Hope To Vitiligo Patients Offered By Skin Transplant

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

In the first study of its kind in the United States, Henry Ford Hospital showed that skin transplant surgery is safe and effective for treating vitiligo. Henry Ford researchers followed 23 patients for up to six months after surgery and found that the treated area regained on average 52 percent of its natural skin color. In eight patients with a specific type of vitiligo, the treated area regained on average 74 percent of its natural skin color. The surgery involves using skin cells taken from normally-pigmented areas of the body and transferring them to the damaged area of skin...
Scientists' Understanding Of Limb Growth Altered By Roving 'Sonic Hedgehog' Gene

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

Sonic hedgehog, a gene that plays a crucial rule in the positioning and growth of limbs, fingers and toes, has been confirmed in an unexpected place in the embryos of developing mice - the layer of cells that creates the skin. Named for a video game character, Sonic hedgehog describes both a gene and the protein it produces in the body. Its study is important to increase understanding of human birth defects. It was thought to be exclusively present in the cell layer that builds bone and muscle, called the mesoderm...
Nurses To Make Aged Care An Election Year Issue, Australian Nursing Federation

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 6:00am CST

The massive $300 wages gap between aged care and public hospital nurses is set to become an election year issue with the launch of a national advertising campaign by the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) and the NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA). Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary of the ANF and Brett Holmes, General Secretary of the NSWNA today launched the nurse's $3 million election year campaign with a call for the Rudd Government to inject funding into the aged care system. "This is a plea from the heart. Older Australians deserve the best possible care...

Topix.net - Health

Researchers back cancer-fighting properties of papaya

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:34am CST

A street vendor prepares papaya for her daily customers in Yangon. Researchers say that papaya leaf extract and its tea have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumours, backing a belief held in a number of folk traditions.

Medical News Today

Utah Gov. Signs Revised Bill Allowing Criminal Charges Against Women For Illegal Abortions

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) on Monday signed a bill (HB 462) that would allow prosecutors to bring criminal homicide charges against women who arrange illegal abortions, the Salt Lake Tribune reports (Gehrke, Salt Lake Tribune, 3/8). An earlier version of the bill (HB 12), sponsored by state Rep. Carl Wimmer (R), would have allowed sentences of up to life in prison for any woman whose fetus dies because of her intentional or "reckless" actions...
New York Times Examines Factors Affecting VBAC Rates As NIH Conference Begins

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The New York Times on Tuesday examined efforts to increase rates of vaginal births after caesarean sections at the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, a small hospital run by the Navajo Nation and financed partially by the Indian Health Services. According to the Times, the hospital "prides itself" on having higher VBAC rates and lower overall c-section rates than wealthier, more renowned hospitals. This week, NIH is hosting a conference to evaluate factors affecting the nation's low VBAC rate, which dropped significantly since a peak of 28.3% of births in 1996...
Obama Attacks Insurers, Rallies Public To Press Congress To Approve Health Reform

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

"The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases," The Washington Post reports, adding that President Obama "and his health secretary staged a two-pronged attack Monday in a stern letter to health insurance chief executives and a speech in which the president castigated insurance companies 22 times. 'How much higher do premiums have to rise,' he demanded, 'before we do something about it?'" The president gave an impassioned speech in Philadelphia Monday...
Cornyn And Boehner Sharpen Criticism Of Obama Health Proposal

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

News outlets report on health care remarks from GOP leaders. "National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn said Monday that if some type of health care legislation is able to limp its way out of Congress, GOP candidates across the country are poised to make it the premiere issue of the fall campaign," Politico reports. "While Cornyn said his personal preference would be to stop a bill entirely, his campaign committee is already preparing its attack line for a scenario that assumes Democrats squeeze a bill through the controversial reconciliation process in the next month...
Long Term Care Facilities Receive Increased Scrutiny

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The New York Times: "The Senate Finance Committee has opened an investigation into patient deaths and allegations of substandard treatment at long-term care hospitals, small specialty medical centers that treat chronically ill patients. The investigation focuses on the Select Medical Corporation, a for-profit corporation that runs 89 long-term care hospitals, more than any other company...
Racial Disparities Persist In Hospice Use

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

Even as medical caregivers try to change practices, racial disparities in hospice care continue, according to a study in the March 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. BusinessWeek / HealthDay News: "Blacks and Hispanics with advanced heart failure are much less likely to turn to hospice care than whites, even though blacks in particular are more likely to develop the condition, a new report finds...
Today's Opinions And Editorials

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The Emotion of Reform The New York Times For the Democrats, expanding health care coverage is an emotional hot spot. Over the past year, Democrats have fought passionately for universal coverage (and) there is something morally impressive in the Democrats' passion on this issue. At the same time, it's interesting to compare it to their behavior on other issues in which they have no emotional investment (David Brooks, 3/8). The Washington Voter-Approved Death With Dignity Act Is Working The Seattle Times The Washington Death With Dignity Act ...
Obamas, Clinton Commemorate International Women's Day

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

Marking International Women's Day at the White House Monday, President Barack Obama vowed to fight for gender equality at home and abroad, Agence France-Presse reports. The president marked the event with First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, AFP reports. "Even as we reflect on the hope of our history, we must also face squarely the reality of the present - a reality marked by unfairness, marked by hardship for too many women in America," Obama said...
Food Aid Phase Over For Haiti, Focus Should Be On Jobs, Hurricane Season Preparation, Schools, Haitian President Says

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

At their meeting on Wednesday, Haitian President Rene Preval is expected to ask President Barack Obama to stop food aid to Haiti, Reuters reports. "Preval told a news conference on Monday the aid could in the long term hurt the economy of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 'I will tell him (Obama) that this first phase of assistance is finished,' said Preval," according to the news service...
Shaughnessy Receives 2010 Linwood F. Tice Friend Of The APhA Academy Of Student Pharmacists Award

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) announces that April M. Shaughnessy, RPh, CAE, of Alexandria, VA, is the recipient of the 2010 Linwood F. Tice Friend of APhA-ASP award. She was chosen to receive the award in recognition of her more than two decades of dedication to the development of student pharmacists and new practitioners. The award will be presented during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition, in Washington, DC, March 12-15, 2010...
UNAIDS Director Cautions Against Funding Cuts To Global Fund

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

During an appeal to government and private donors to pledge money to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe warned of the repercussions tightening budgets could play in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports. "An estimated 94 percent of patients on anti-retroviral treatment in Africa count on external donor funds to provide their medications, Sidibe said," according to the news service. "If we stop now, if we reduce the financing, the people who are on treatment today ...
U.N. Official Addresses Increasing Drug Addiction In Developing Countries

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday warned of an impending "health disaster facing developing countries if wealthy nations fail to control drugs," Agence France-Presse reports. During a speech delivered in Vienna, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa pointed to "increasing use of heroin in East Africa, cocaine in West Africa, and synthetic drugs in the Middle East and South East Asia as warning signs" of a growing drug problem in impoverished nations (3/8)...
New York Times Examines Millennium Villages In Africa

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

The New York Times examines development and health improvements in Sauri, Kenya, which was the first Millennium Village in Africa, a project conceived by economist Jeffrey Sachs, which aims "to show that tightly focused, technology-based and relatively straightforward programs on a number of fronts simultaneously - health care, education, job training - could rapidly lift people out of poverty...
Opinions: Don't Slow Fight Against HIV, TB, Malaria; U.S. Focus On Women, Girls

Posted: March 10th, 2010, 5:00am CST

2010 To Be 'Decisive Year' For Global Health, Global Fund Director Says In a BusinessDay opinion piece, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Michel Kazatchkine reflects on the organization's progress and impact on global health outcomes since its creation in 2002, as detailed in the organizations' 2010 annual report. Kazatchkine writes, 2010 "will be a decisive year; the world will be reviewing progress on the millennium goals. But this is also the year of the fund's replenishment...