Only one dose of vaccine is needed for protection against pandemic H1N1 flu and the jabs have so far proved to be safe, the World Health Organization said on Friday. . . .
Reuters - October 30, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59R38420091030?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Eating just a little bit more fiber could have a big impact in trimming the waistlines of America's young people, new research shows. . . .
Reuters - October 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S4ZW20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a more than twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. . . .
Reuters - October 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S4ZJ20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Low vitamin D levels in the body may be deadly, according to a new study hinting that adults with lower, versus higher, blood levels of vitamin D may be more likely to die from heart disease or stroke. . . .
Reuters - October 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S4JB20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Patients taking statin drugs were almost 50 percent less likely to die from flu, researchers reported on Thursday in a study providing more evidence the cholesterol-lowering drugs help the body cope with infection. . . .
Reuters - October 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S4CE20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Women who regularly use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have better survival after a colorectal cancer diagnosis, research indicates. . . .
Reuters - October 29, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S3WQ20091029?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A molecule found in a curry ingredient can kill esophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, suggesting it might be developed as an anti-cancer treatment, scientists said on Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 28, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59R1E020091028?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The U.S. government may end up throwing away unused doses of swine flu vaccine if people cannot get it soon enough, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - October 28, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59Q3O720091028?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Young children and adolescents who take the newest generation of antipsychotic medications risk rapid weight gain and metabolic changes that could lead to diabetes, hypertension and other illnesses, according the biggest study yet of first-time users of the drugs. . . .
The New York Times - October 27, 2009
Patients with non-operable head and neck cancers should be given chemo- and radiotherapy at the same time, as it more than doubles the time they live without the disease getting worse, British scientists said on Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 27, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59R04F20091028?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Childhood cancer survivors are 18 times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than the general population, UK researchers report. . . .
Reuters - October 27, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59Q43A20091027?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Tackling just five health factors could prevent millions of premature deaths and increase global life expectancy by almost 5 years, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - October 27, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59Q39L20091027?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday. . . .
Reuters - October 26, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59P0L320091026?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
People who die in a U.S. hospital are nearly five times as likely as their counterparts in England to have spent part of their final hours in an intensive care unit (ICU).
What's more, over the age of 85, ICU usage among terminal patients is eight times higher in the U.S. than in England. . . .
Reuters - October 23, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59M57H20091023?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday. . . .
Reuters - October 25, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59N19E20091025?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not reduce the risk of diabetes and might modestly elevate the chances of developing the condition, researchers found in a pooled analysis of trial data. . . .
Reuters - October 23, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59M4HR20091023?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Drug labels in the United States often omit information showing the severity of side effects or that a medicine is not very effective, two doctors said Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 22, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59L4WS20091022?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
When one identical twin develops the developmental disorder autism, the risk of the other developing it is high -- substantially higher than it is for fraternal twins, a new study confirms. . . .
Reuters - October 22, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59L4MW20091022?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Gardasil, the vaccine used to immunize girls and young women against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, may now be given to boys and young men to protect them from genital warts, a federal advisory group recommended Wednesday.
But the panel of independent medical experts stopped short of urging its routine use in boys, as it has recommended for girls. . . .
The New York Times - October 21, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/health/policy/22vaccine.html
People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop working completely, a new study suggests. . . .
Reuters - October 22, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59L3PY20091022?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Global efforts to immunize children against life-threatening diseases set a record high last year but failed to protect millions of youngsters in the world's poorest countries, health officials said on Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 21, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59K3AA20091021?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Half of those hospitalized with the new H1N1 virus are under 25, a clear illustration that the pandemic is affecting the young disproportionately, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - October 21, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59J58H20091021?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Parents and caregivers who place car seats on beds, kitchen counters and other places outside the car injured 43,000 U.S. children over five years, researchers reported on Monday.
More than 3,400 of the children were injured badly enough to require hospitalization, the researchers told a meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. . . .
Reuters - October 20, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59J2ZC20091020?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A single doctor, nurse or technician with dirty hands can undo all the good work of an entire hospital staff trained to carefully wash their hands to prevent the spread of infection, French researchers reported on Monday. . . .
Reuters - October 20, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59J2Z420091020?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Fresh results from the world's first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine confirm that it is only marginally effective.
Yet, the findings are exciting to scientists, who think they may show how to make a better vaccine. . . .
The New York Times - October 20, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/20/health/AP-US-MED-AIDS-Vaccine.html
Lower-income women appear less likely to survive breast cancer than their more-affluent counterparts, and later diagnosis may largely explain why, a new study suggests. . . .
Reuters - October 19, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59I4MO20091019?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Delivery of some swine flu vaccines has been delayed because companies cannot make it as fast as they had hoped, just as the virus has really started to spread, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. . . .
Reuters - October 16, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59F4VV20091016?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Health officials on Friday predicted a shortfall in the supply of swine flu vaccine, as the numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths grow to levels unprecedented for this time of year.
Flu caused by the H1N1 virus is now widespread in 41 states, and flulike illnesses account for 6.1 percent of all doctor visits. . . .
The New York Times - October 16, 2009
The new pandemic H1N1 flu may cause blood clots and other unusual damage in the lungs and doctors need to be on the lookout, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59E5D220091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Warfarin, a common blood thinner used for preventing heart attacks and blood clots may also cause problems for individuals who suffer some form of trauma, particularly the elderly. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59E5LZ20091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Exercise can reduce the often debilitating fatigue that cancer patients experience during chemotherapy, new research shows. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59E4J320091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
New guidelines on protecting hospital workers against the H1N1 swine flu stress keeping influenza patients away from others and put protective equipment such as face masks last.
The new guidelines posted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge hospitals to vaccinate as many staff as possible against H1N1 and to bar entry to visitors with flu-like symptoms. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59D5LW20091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The statin drugs that so effectively lower people's cholesterol levels may be contributing to a social divide in the problem of high cholesterol, a new study suggests. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59E3YE20091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Indoor smoking bans lower the risk of heart attack, even among nonsmokers, by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, a panel of U.S. health experts confirmed in a report on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - October 15, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59E3WZ20091015?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Advanced dementia is a terminal illness and should be viewed as such, researchers conclude in a report released Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 14, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59D5IY20091014?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Older people who have been infected with or vaccinated against seasonal flu may have a type of immunity produced by cells that protects them from the swine flu virus, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - October 14, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59D5QF20091014?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
An analysis in 10 states of people hospitalized with the pandemic strain of H1N1 influenza shows that asthma is by far the most common underlying condition associated with severe cases of the disease.
In children, other, much rarer chronic conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, are also predisposing patients to life-threatening bouts of the virus, federal health officials said. . . .
The Washington Post - October 14, 2009
Prostate cancer patients who chose minimally invasive surgery rather than more extensive operations to remove the prostate were less likely to experience complications like pneumonia, but reported higher rates of long-term problems, including impotence and incontinence, according to one of the largest studies to compare outcomes to date.
Patients achieved similar rates of cancer control regardless of which surgery they had, the analysis found. . . .
The New York Times - October 13, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/health/research/14prostate.html
U.S. surgeons do a mediocre job of incorporating "evidence-based" guidelines into their practice, according to research reported. . .at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 95th Annual Clinical Congress. . . .
Reuters - October 13, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59C58E20091013?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Black and Hispanic children with asthma are less likely than their white counterparts to be taking daily medication meant to prevent asthma attacks, a U.S. study shows.
The findings, published in the medical journal Chest, suggest one reason for the generally poorer asthma control among minority children. . . .
Reuters - October 13, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59C47T20091013?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Most of the people who have died from the new pandemic H1N1 flu had underlying conditions such as asthma, but 45 percent seemed healthy, according to the largest study yet of U.S. cases. . . .
Reuters - October 13, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5984RT20091013?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Data released last month showing an AIDS vaccine's promise are weaker than believed, reports find. . . .
The New York Times - October 10, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/health/research/11hiv.html
Having a stressful childhood may slash decades off a person's life, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. . . .
Reuters - October 9, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5985FV20091009?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Swine flu is believed to have killed 19 children the week ending Oct. 3, bringing the number of pediatric deaths to 76 since the pandemic began in April, health officials reported Friday. . . .
Reuters - October 9, 2009
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-09-swine-flu-children_N.htm?csp=34
As if getting shingles isn't painful enough, researchers reported on Thursday that adults who get the rash have a 30 percent greater risk of developing a stroke than other adults. . . .
Reuters - October 8, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5980EM20091009?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The age group most likely to become infected with swine flu -- students from elementary and high school -- is the group that did the worst in having seasonal flu shots last year, according to data released Thursday by federal health officials. . . .
The New York Times - October 8, 2009
A virus linked to prostate cancer also appears to play a role in chronic fatigue syndrome, according to research that could lead to the first drug treatments for a mysterious disorder that affects 17 million people worldwide. . . .
Reuters - October 8. 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5974WC20091008?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
While concern over the spread of the H1N1 virus sweeps the country, epidemiologists in New York and a few other cities that were awash in swine flu last spring are detecting very little evidence of a resurgence. . . .
The New York Times - October 8, 2009
Vaccination against the H1N1 swine flu is off to a slow start in the United States, but states have ordered more than 2 million doses of mostly nasal spray for the first patients, a top health official said on Tuesday. . . .
Reuters - October 6, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5955ND20091006?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
As children received swine flu vaccine for the first time on Tuesday, federal health officials attacked popular myths about the pandemic and the vaccine designed to stop it. . . .
The New York Times - October 6, 2009
Danish women who took antidepressants during pregnancy had twice the risk of pre-term delivery as other women, and their babies were more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit than those of women who did not take the drugs, researchers reported on Monday. . . .
Reuters - October 5, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59457920091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
People who follow a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish are less likely to become depressed, scientists said on Monday, but the reasons are unclear. . . .
Reuters - October 5, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59453520091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Very early pre-term babies kept alive with ventilators, chest tubes and drugs to support the heart may live a little longer than they did 10 years ago, but are just as likely to die before ever going home, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. . . .
Reuters - October 5, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59454620091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Three Americans won the Nobel prize for medicine on Monday for revealing the existence and nature of telomerase, an enzyme that helps prevent the fraying of chromosomes that underlies aging and cancer. . . .
Reuters - October 5, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59418E20091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
You may have heard the oft-quoted statistic that autism affects 1 in 150 US children. Turns out it's more like 1 in 91 -- and about 1 in 58 boys, according to new figures released Sunday. . . .
Reuters - October 5, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59446N20091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Around the world, about one in 10 babies are born prematurely each year, and more than one-quarter of the deaths that occur in the month after birth are the consequence of preterm birth.
Those are among the findings of a new study of the burden of preterm birth by the World Health Organization and the March of Dimes. . . .
The Washington Post - October 5, 2009
Maryland is in line to get just 55,000 doses of swine flu vaccine next week, with the limited first batch to be distributed among doctors, hospitals and health clinics based on the population of the state's communities, a state health department spokesman said Thursday. . . .
The Baltimore Sun - October 1, 2009
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bal-swinefluvaccine-1001,0,7313623.story?track=rss
More than half of babies born in rich nations today will live to be 100 years old if current life expectancy trends continue, according to Danish researchers. . . .
Reuters - October 1, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5907DM20091001?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The very first doses of swine flu vaccine will start arriving in states and cities that ordered it on Tuesday, and might be sprayed up the first patients' noses by the end of the week, U.S. health officials said on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - October 1, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5905Y920091001?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Women who are overweight or obese when they get pregnant are more likely to give birth to children with congenital heart defects, according to a U.S. government study released on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - October 1, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5906EI20091001?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
High-risk patients who took a combination of three older heart drugs -- a generic statin, a generic blood pressure pill and a low-dose aspirin -- cut their risk of a heart attack or stroke by as much as 80 percent, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. . . .
Reuters - October 1, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5907LR20091001?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Treating even mild forms of gestational diabetes helps cut the number of Cesarean sections and other serious problems that can occur when women carry larger-than-average babies, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. . . .
Reuters - September 30, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE58T7H920090930?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
New research suggests penicillin is becoming obsolete, and antibiotic resistance could lead to a "major health crisis" unless governments act to promote research into new drugs. . . .
CNN.com - October 1, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/01/antibiotic.penicillin.resistance/index.html?eref=rss_health
The number of people being tested for H.I.V. more than doubled in dozens of countries last year, improving detection of AIDS and contributing to a major surge in those being treated. . . .
The New York Times - September 30, 2009
Babies who are starved of oxygen at birth have a much lower risk of brain damage if they are given mild hypothermia, major research suggests. . . .
BBC News - September 30, 2009
