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June 29, 2007

Exercise legs on long journeys, WHO advises

Passengers travelling for four hours or more face double the risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots, the World Health Organization said Friday in advising travellers on how to avoid it....

CBCnews - June 28, 2007

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/06/28/dvt-travel.html?ref=rss

Posted at 10:52 AM

F.D.A. Curbs Sale of Five Seafoods Farmed in China

In the latest move against Chinese imports, the Food and Drug Administration yesterday effectively blocked the sale of five types of farm-raised seafood from China because of repeated instances of contamination from unapproved animal drugs and food additives....

The New York Times - June 29, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/business/worldbusiness/29fish.html?ex=1340769600&en=421a9e84866a41cc&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Posted at 10:32 AM

Scientists Report DNA Transplant

Scientists said yesterday that they had transplanted a microbe's entire, tangled mass of DNA into a closely related organism, a delicate operation that cleanly transformed the recipient from one species into the other.
After the operations, the "patients" -- single-celled organisms resembling bacteria -- dutifully obeyed their new genomes and by every measure exhibited the biological personas of the donors....

The Washington Post - June 29, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/28/AR2007062802046.html?nav=rss_health

Posted at 10:20 AM

June 28, 2007

Study Finds Many Injuries to Surgeons Go Unreported

Nearly all surgeons accidentally stick themselves with needles and sharp instruments while in training. But most fail to report the injuries, risking their health and that of their families and patients to the threat of diseases including AIDS, hepatitis and many other blood-borne illnesses, according to a survey being published today....

The New York Times - June 28, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/health/28needles.html?ex=1340683200&en=0ce6d09599478d7e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Posted at 9:20 AM

Study: Antidepressant-birth defect risk small

Newborns face little risk of birth defects from antidepressants taken by many women early in pregnancy, say the reassuring findings of the two biggest studies of this controversial link.
The research focuses on the class of drugs chosen most often for depression and anxiety, including the brands Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft....

CNN.com - June 27, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/27/antidepressants.birth.ap/index.html

Posted at 9:13 AM

Scientists: Stem cells created from unfertilized eggs

Scientists say they've created embryonic stem cells by stimulating unfertilized eggs, a significant step toward producing transplant tissue that's genetically matched to women.
The advance suggests that someday, a woman who wants a transplant to treat a condition like diabetes or a spinal cord injury could provide eggs to a lab, which in turn could create tissue that her body wouldn't reject....

USATODAY.com - June 28, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2007-06-28-stem-cells-unfertilized-eggs_N.htm

Posted at 9:11 AM

FDA advisers back new heart device

A medical device that relies on freezing cold to treat some abnormal heart rhythms should be approved, federal health advisers recommended Wednesday.
Cryocor Corp. still would have to meet several conditions before it could market its device, meant to correct an abnormally fast heart rhythm condition called atrial flutter, the Food and Drug Administration advisers said in an 8-2 vote....

USATODAY.com - June 27, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-27-fda-heart-device_N.htm

Posted at 9:10 AM

June 27, 2007

Conflict Alleged in Drug Firms' Education Role

Drug companies have become the biggest sponsors of continuing medical education courses in recent years, even at the nation's top medical schools, a development that critics say raises health-care costs, skews doctors' treatment decisions and allows the industry to skirt laws against advertising "off-label" uses for its products....

The Washington Post - June 27, 2007
(Registration required)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062601963.html

Posted at 12:35 PM

UN Finds Progress in Tackling Bird Flu

Countries are making progress in fighting bird flu but concerns remain for some nations -- especially Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria -- where human contamination is still possible, the United Nations said Wednesday....

The New York Times - June 27, 2007
(Registration required)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-UN-Bird-Flu.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Posted at 12:32 PM

Study: Diabetes keeps rising among youth

White children account for most of the new cases of diabetes in children, says a new study, but the disease is found in all ethnic groups, and rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are on the rise.
In Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, Dana Dabelea of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center reports on the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, the first study designed to estimate the national incidence of diabetes by race, ethnicity and diabetes type in people under the age of 20....

USATODAY.com - June 27, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-26-diabetes-children_N.htm

Posted at 12:28 PM

June 26, 2007

Kidney, Heart Disease Spur Each Other

Hearts and kidneys: If one's diseased, better keep a close eye on the other. Surprising new research shows kidney disease somehow speeds up heart disease well before it has ravaged the kidneys. And perhaps not so surprising, doctors have finally proven that heart disease can trigger kidney destruction, too....

The New York Times - June 25, 2007
(Registration required)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-HealthBeat-Hearts-and-Kidneys.html

Posted at 12:01 PM

AMA Supports Allergy Medicine at School

The American Medical Association voted Monday to lobby for laws allowing severely allergic children to bring lifesaving medicine to school.
Many school districts have policies prohibiting children from bringing medicine to school and 18 states have similar bans, said Dr. Duane Cady, a member of the AMA's Board of Trustees.
When it comes to serious food allergies, denial of medicine at school can be a matter of life and death, according to a measure AMA delegates adopted at their annual policy meeting....

The New York Times - June 25, 2007
(Registration required)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-AMA-Allergy-Medicine.html

Posted at 11:59 AM

CDC: Number Of Uninsured Adults Rises

The number of adults without health insurance jumped by 2 million from 2005 to 2006, according to a new federal report.
Uninsured Americans numbered 43.6 million last year, a 6 percent increase from 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....

CBSNews.com - June 26, 2007

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/26/health/main2979888.shtml?source=RSSattr=Health_2979888

Posted at 9:29 AM

June 25, 2007

Lancet: Echinacea does fight colds

A new study published today in the British journal The LancetInfectious Diseases finds that the popular herbal supplement echinacea cuts the chance of catching a cold by 58% and can reduce the duration of colds by about a day and a half.
This directly contradicts a major study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine which found that echinacea doesn't work.
The Lancet study looked at the results of 14 previous clinical trials that investigated echinacea's effects on the common cold. Those trials involved a total of over 1,600 patients....

USATODAY.com - June 25, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-25-echinacea-colds_N.htm

Posted at 10:51 AM

Staph Superbug May Be Infecting Patients

A dangerous, drug-resistant staph germ may be infecting as many as 5 percent of hospital and nursing home patients, according to a comprehensive study.
At least 30,000 U.S. hospital patients may have the superbug at any given time, according to a survey released Monday by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology....

The New York Times - June 25, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Staph-Infections.html

Posted at 10:39 AM

U.S. struggles with breadth, depth of war injuries

More than 800 of them have lost an arm, a leg, fingers or toes. More than 100 are blind. Dozens need tubes and machines to keep them alive. Hundreds are disfigured by burns, and thousands have brain injuries and mangled minds.
These are America's war wounded, a toll that has received less attention than the 3,500 troops killed in Iraq. Depending on how you count them, they number between 35,000 and 53,000.
More of them are coming home, with injuries of a scope and magnitude the government did not predict and is now struggling to treat....

CNN.com - June 25, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/25/coming.home.wounded/index.html


Posted at 10:25 AM

June 21, 2007

Study Finds 1.8 Million Veterans Are Uninsured

As the nation struggles to improve medical and mental health care for military personnel returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, about 1.8 million U.S. veterans under age 65 lack even basic health insurance or access to care at Veterans Affairs hospitals, a new study has found.
The ranks of uninsured veterans have increased by 290,000 since 2000, said Stephanie J. Woolhandler, the Harvard Medical School professor who presented her findings yesterday before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. About 12.7 percent of non-elderly veterans -- or one in eight -- lacked health coverage in 2004, the most recent year for which figures are available, she said, up from 9.9 percent in 2000....

The Washington Post - June 21, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062002161.html

Posted at 9:24 AM

Mortality rate for female diabetics rises

Medicine has made life-saving advances in treating and preventing heart disease, the major killer of people with diabetes, yet female diabetics are dying at higher rates than three decades ago, researchers reported this week.
"There's good news here; we are making progress," said Dr. Deborah Burnet, a diabetes expert at the University of Chicago. "The bad news is it appears to be limited to men."
The trend has ominous public-health consequences, experts note. Diabetes is growing more common in the U.S. as the population gets older and fatter, and elderly women are the fastest-growing segment of society....

The Baltimore Sun - June 21, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-to.hs.diabetes21jun21,0,6388249.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 9:22 AM

Study: Estrogen may help arteries of women in their 50s

Estrogen pills reduce the amount of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries of postmenopausal women in their 50s, a finding that should reassure women who need to take the hormone for relief of moderate to severe hot flashes, say the authors of a study out today.
The amount of calcified plaque foreshadows future risk of heart attacks. Still, no postmenopausal woman should take estrogen solely to protect her heart, the authors say....

USATODAY.com - June 20, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-20-estrogen_N.htm

Posted at 9:15 AM

June 20, 2007

Blood test can reveal cancer of colon

Johns Hopkins researchers are developing a simple blood test that can help doctors determine who needs a colonoscopy, a screening procedure for colon cancer recommended for all adults over 50 - but one considered so unpleasant that many avoid it.
The new test, which looks for cancer-related proteins in the blood, identifies colon cancer and precancerous polyps almost as well as a colonoscopy, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Research....

The Baltimore Sun - June 20, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.colon20jun20,0,1208429.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 12:34 PM

Bush Will Pair Veto With New Cell Initiative

President Bush will issue an executive order intended to encourage scientific advances in regenerative medicine, according to senior White House officials who said Mr. Bush would announce the initiative on Wednesday, just as he vetoes a measure promoting embryonic stem cell research....

The New York Times - June 20, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/washington/20stem.html?ref=health

Posted at 12:31 PM

Breast cancer genes can come from father

A deadly gene's path can hide in a family tree when a woman has few aunts and older sisters, making it appear that her breast cancer struck out of nowhere when it really came from Dad.
A new study suggests thousands of young women with breast cancer — an estimated 8,000 a year in the U.S. — aren't offered testing to identify faulty genes and clarify their medical decisions....

USATODAY.com - June 19, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-19-breast-cancer-genes_N.htm

Posted at 8:43 AM

June 19, 2007

With Rise in Radiation Exposure, Experts Urge Caution on Tests

According to a new study, the per-capita dose of ionizing radiation from clinical imaging exams in the United States increased almost 600 percent from 1980 to 2006. In the past, natural background radiation was the leading source of human exposure; that has been displaced by diagnostic imaging procedures, the authors said.
“This is an absolutely sentinel event, a wake-up call,” said Dr. Fred A. Mettler Jr., principal investigator for the study, by the National Council on Radiation Protection. “Medical exposure now dwarfs that of all other sources.”...

The New York Times - June 19, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/health/19cons.html?ref=health

Posted at 8:55 AM

On the Horizon, Personalized Depression Drugs

...it will soon be possible for a psychiatrist to biologically personalize treatments. With a simple blood test, the doctor will be able to characterize a patient’s unique genetic profile, determining what biological type of depression the patient has and which antidepressant is likely to work best....

The New York Times - June 19, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/health/psychology/19beha.html?ref=health

Posted at 8:44 AM

Stroke Drug May Also Help With Frostbite

An anti-clotting drug used to treat strokes and heart attacks can also restore blood flow to frostbitten fingers and limbs, greatly reducing the need for amputation, according to a new study....

The Washington Post - June 18, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/18/AR2007061800901.html

Posted at 8:37 AM

Fewer baby boys being circumcised in the U.S.

According to a study by the National Health and Social Life Survey, the U.S. circumcision rate peaked at nearly 90 percent in the early 1960s but began dropping in the '70s. By 2004, the most recent year for which government figures are available, about 57 percent of all male newborns delivered in hospitals were circumcised. In some states, the rate is well below 50 percent.
Experts say immigration patterns play the biggest role in the decline, which is steepest in Western states with big populations from Asian and Latin American countries where circumcision is uncommon. The trend has also accompanied a change in Americans' attitudes toward medicine and their bodies....

CNN.com - June 18, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/18/circumcision.decline.ap/index.html

Posted at 8:31 AM

Survey: Most asthma patients have uncontrolled disease

In a recent U.S. survey of asthma patients, more than half reported that their disease is uncontrolled and that they have never received an asthma action plan, according to a report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The emphasis of a new draft of U.S. asthma guidelines is better physician and patient education, with a focus on asthma control at each asthma clinic visit, said Dr. Stephen P. Peters of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In this effort, physicians need "to partner with patients."...

CNN.com - June 19, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/18/health.asthma.reut/index.html

Posted at 8:28 AM

June 18, 2007

Skipping Insulin for Weight Risky

Diabulimia is usually practiced by teenage girls and young women, and it may be growing more common as the secret is exchanged on Internet bulletin boards for diabetics and those with eating disorders. One expert who has studied the phenomenon estimates that 450,000 Type 1 diabetic women in the United States -- one-third of the total -- have skipped or shortchanged their insulin to lose weight and are risking a coma and an early death....

The New York Times - June 17, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Diet-Diabulimia.html

Posted at 8:50 AM

States, feds split on kids' health insurance

As Congress edges closer to renewing a health insurance program for children, state officials have made it clear that they have a much different vision for the program's future than the Bush administration.
Governors and Medicaid directors have put their weight behind a bill that would more than triple funding for the program — from about $5 billion a year to more than $15 billion. This would allow them to reach out to 5.5 million uninsured children presumed eligible for government health insurance based on their incomes. Plus, they could continue to provide health insurance to populations whose incomes are above the threshold the program was originally designed to serve.
The Bush administration would like to return the program to its original roots — children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but not more than twice the poverty level. Today, that threshold is $41,300 for a family of four....

USATODAY.com - June 18, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-18-kidsinsurance_N.htm

Posted at 8:44 AM

June 15, 2007

Tainted toothpaste found at Md. store

Discount stores in Maryland and three other states sold toothpaste falsely packaged as Colgate and spiked with a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze, federal health officials said yesterday.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating who laced the toothpaste with diethylene glycol, which FDA inspectors first discovered last week in a tube on the shelf of a Silver Spring discount store.
The Colgate-Palmolive Co. warned consumers to beware of counterfeits and is helping recall the tainted products....

The Baltimore Sun - June 15, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.toothpaste15jun15,0,76142.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 8:30 AM

Pancreatic Cancer Surgery Overlooked

Nearly 40 percent of patients with early pancreatic cancer who could be treated with surgery don't get the operation, dooming them to grim chances of survival, a study found.
The complicated operation is tricky but safer than previously thought and can extend life, although chances of surviving five years are still not great, Dr. Mark Talamonti, study co-author, said Thursday....

The New York Times - June 14, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pancreatic-Cancer.html

Posted at 8:28 AM

CDC: Lyme disease cases double in U.S.

The number of cases of Lyme disease has doubled in the United States since 1991 and these numbers are probably underestimated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
More than 21,000 cases of the tick-borne disease are now reported every year, the CDC said, making it the most common illness transmitted by bugs or animals in the United States....

CNN.com - June 14, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/14/lyme.disease.reut/index.html

Posted at 8:23 AM

June 14, 2007

Intricate Toiling Found In Nooks of DNA Once Believed to Stand Idle

The first concerted effort to understand all the inner workings of the DNA molecule is overturning a host of long-held assumptions about the nature of genes and their role in human health and evolution, scientists reported yesterday.
The new perspective reveals DNA to be not just a string of biological code but a dauntingly complex operating system that processes many more kinds of information than previously appreciated....

The Washington Post - June 14, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/13/AR2007061302466.html

Posted at 10:16 AM

In Health Care, Cost Isn’t Proof of High Quality

Stark evidence that high medical payments do not necessarily buy high-quality patient care is presented in a hospital study set for release today.
In a Pennsylvania government survey of the state’s 60 hospitals that perform heart bypass surgery, the best-paid hospital received nearly $100,000, on average, for the operation while the least-paid got less than $20,000. At both, patients had comparable lengths of stay and death rates....

The New York Times - June 14, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/health/14insure.html?ref=health

Posted at 10:11 AM

FDA advisers reject Sanofi-Aventis weight-loss drug

Federal health advisers unanimously rejected the drug, voting 14-0 that the manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis SA, had failed to prove that it is safe. A Food and Drug Administration medical officer had told the panel that the drug increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and other psychiatric problems.
The FDA usually follows the advice of its advisory panels but is not required to do so. It's decision is expected by July 27....

CNN.com - June 13, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/13/obesity.drug.ap/index.html

Posted at 10:09 AM

June 13, 2007

Symptoms Found for Early Check on Ovary Cancer

Cancer experts have identified a set of health problems that may be symptoms of ovarian cancer, and they are urging women who have the symptoms for more than a few weeks to see their doctors.
The new advice is the first official recognition that ovarian cancer, long believed to give no warning until it was far advanced, does cause symptoms at earlier stages in many women....

The New York Times - June 13, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/health/13cancer.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

Posted at 9:26 AM

Study: Race disparity in medical care persists

Blacks were far less likely than whites to get specialized procedures after a heart attack and were more likely to die within a year, according to a study showing persistent racial disparities in U.S. medical care.
The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, tracked 1.2 million Medicare patients at least 68 years old treated for a heart attack between January 2000 and June 2005 at 4,627 U.S. hospitals....

CNN.com - June 12, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/12/heart.blacks.reut/index.html


Posted at 9:24 AM

Study: Suicide risk double among male U.S. veterans

The risk of suicide among male U.S. veterans is double that of the general population, according to a study published Monday.
"We need to be more alert to the problem of suicide as a major public health issue and we need to do better screening among individuals who have served in the military, probe for their mental health risk as well as gun availability," said Dr. Mark S. Kaplan, professor of community health at Portland State University in Oregon, lead author of the study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health....

CNN.com - June 11, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/11/vets.suicide/index.html

Posted at 9:21 AM

June 12, 2007

Alzheimer's Drugs: a Milky Alternative

Drinking a milkshake-style medicine at breakfast seems to feed brain cells starved from Alzheimer's damage, researchers reported Monday. It's one of four promising experimental drugs poised for large-scale testing against the brain-destroying disease.
The milkshake drug, called Ketasyn, is a dramatically different way to approach dementia. It hinges on recent research suggesting diabetic-like changes in brain cells' ability to use sugar for energy play a role in at least some forms of Alzheimer's....

The Washington Post - June 11, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061101775.html

Posted at 10:37 AM

Rice Engineered to Carry Cholera Vaccine

A team of Japanese researchers has developed a type of rice that can carry a vaccine for cholera, a step that could one day ease delivery of vaccines in developing countries.
While it's only the latest of several plants being tested as potential means of producing vaccines, the development is potentially important in medically underserved countries that lack refrigeration to store regular vaccines....

The New York Times - June 11, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Vaccine-from-Rice.html

Posted at 10:33 AM

Thousands claiming vaccine-autism link get day in court

Since 1999, more than 4,800 families have filed claims with the government alleging their children developed autism as a result of routine vaccinations. Most contend that a preservative called thimerosal is to blame for the impaired social interaction typical of the disorder.
The court is being asked to decide whether there is a link between autism and childhood vaccines. If it finds one exists, the families could be eligible for compensation under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund, a program established by Congress to ensure an adequate supply of vaccines by safeguarding manufacturers from lawsuits. Under the program, people injured by vaccines receive compensation through a special trust fund....

CNN.com - June 11, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/11/autism.vaccines.ap/index.html

Posted at 10:15 AM

June 11, 2007

New tests may help predict Alzheimer's

New tests involving blood and brain scans can detect symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and brief appraisals of real-life functioning can predict who is likely to develop it, researchers said Sunday.
The tests will be critical, experts told a meeting on Alzheimer's disease, because more than 26 million people now have the brain-wasting disease and this number will quadruple, to 106 million, by 2050....

CNN.com - June 11, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/11/alzheimers.screening.reut/index.html

Posted at 3:42 PM

Potentially Incompatible Goals at F.D.A.

A series of drug-safety scandals has led many on Capitol Hill to question whether the Food and Drug Administration has failed to strike the right balance between speed and safety. A clear sign of this imbalance, these critics say, is the increasing number of F.D.A. drug-safety officers who say they have been punished or ignored after uncovering dangers of popular medicines....

The New York Times - June 11, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/washington/11fda.html?ref=health

Posted at 11:55 AM

Alzheimer's Cases May Quadruple by 2050

More than 26 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease, and a new forecast says the number will quadruple by 2050. At that rate, one in 85 people will have the brain-destroying disease in 40 years, researchers from Johns Hopkins University conclude.
The new estimates, being presented Sunday at an Alzheimer's Association conference in Washington, are not very different from previous projections of the looming global dementia epidemic with the graying of the world's population....

The New York Times - June 11, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Alzheimers-Rise.html

Posted at 10:21 AM

Taking On Alzheimer’s

About five million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, an advocacy group funded by individual donors as well as foundations and major corporations, including drug makers. Without a cure or new treatments, the number of those with the disease could grow to 13.2 million by 2050, the National Institute on Aging estimates.
Virtually every large drug maker and a number of smaller biotechnology companies are working to develop Alzheimer’s drugs, with several hundred ideas under study. Several companies are expected to announce results of clinical studies during an international Alzheimer’s meeting that is under way in Washington. “There seems to be a current of excitement,” said Peter Davies, a biochemist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, who has studied Alzheimer’s for 30 years....

The New York Times - June 10, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/business/yourmoney/10alz.html?ref=health

Posted at 10:12 AM

June 8, 2007

House Votes to Expand Stem Cell Research

The House gave final Congressional approval on Thursday to legislation aimed at easing restrictions on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research, but Democratic leaders in both chambers conceded they were short of the votes needed to override a veto threatened by President Bush....

The New York Times - June 8, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/washington/08stem.html?ref=health

Posted at 8:41 AM

Researchers Detect Variations in DNA That Underlie Seven Common Diseases

Applying a new genomic technique to a large group of patients, researchers in Britain have detected DNA variations that underlie seven common diseases, discovering unexpected links between them....
The seven common diseases are bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease, Crohn’s disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes....

The New York Times - June 7, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/health/07disease.html?ref=health

Posted at 8:39 AM

CDC: 2006 West Nile virus deaths up

Deaths from the mosquito-borne West Nile virus increased last year to their highest level since 2003, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 177 people died from West Nile in 2006 out of 4,269 reported cases, the CDC said. The number of deaths was the greatest since 2003, when 264 people died out of nearly 10,000 cases....

CNN.com - June 7, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/07/west.nile.deaths.ap/index.html

Posted at 8:11 AM

New meningitis vaccine may end epidemics

A new meningitis vaccine promises to end devastating epidemics that have plagued West Africa the last century, according to recent studies. The new vaccine protects against meningitis A, the deadliest form of the disease and seen primarily in Africa.
It was developed by the Meningitis Vaccine Project, a partnership of the World Health Organization, the Seattle-based non-profit PATH and the Serum Institute of India....

USATODAY.com - June 7, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-07-meningitis-vaccine_N.htm

Posted at 8:10 AM

13 E. coli cases may be linked to beef in expanding recall

Thirteen cases of infection with E. coli bacteria may be linked to a multistate beef recall, the beef producer and Arizona state health officials told CNN Thursday.
No deaths have been reported in connection with the recall, but four people are hospitalized, according to United Food Group, which greatly expanded the recall on Wednesday....

CNN.com - June 7 ,2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/07/ecoli.beef/index.html

Posted at 7:58 AM

June 7, 2007

Report: Accidental Deaths on the Rise

The nation's accidental death rate has been gradually creeping higher and is up 12 percent compared to the lowest rate on record, in 1992, according to a report released Thursday by the National Safety Council.
The independent, nonprofit group warned that if the trend continues, the nation could surpass the all-time high of 116,385 accidental deaths, set in 1969....

The New York Times - June 7, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Accidental-Deaths.html

Posted at 7:52 AM

F.D.A. Issues Strictest Warning on Diabetes Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration has called for the toughest safety warning on two diabetes drugs, Avandia and Actos, whose health risks have become a focus of Congressional concern....

The New York Times - June 7, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/health/07drug.html?ref=health

Posted at 7:50 AM

Lowering heart risks saves as many lives as treatments

Quitting smoking, lowering blood pressure and reducing other health risks have prevented as many heart disease deaths over the past 20 years as costly high-tech treatments, a study shows.
The study is the latest attempt to explain a decline in heart disease death rates that began in the 1970s. It's the first to gauge the effect of such powerful new treatment methods as cholesterol-lowering drugs and angioplasty, which allows doctors to open clogged arteries from within by inflating a small balloon....

USATODAY.com - June 6, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-06-heart-risks_N.htm


Posted at 7:49 AM

June 6, 2007

Agency: 1,600 roller-shoe injuries last year

Accidents from trendy roller shoes are far more numerous than previously thought, contributing to roughly 1,600 emergency room visits last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday....

USATODAY.com - Juen 6, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-06-rollershoes_N.htm

Posted at 12:01 PM

Newest Avandia Study Not Reassuring

The maker of the controversial diabetes pill Avandia pointed to early results of its own study Tuesday, saying they offered reassuring evidence the drug doesn't raise heart risks. However, outside experts called the results inconclusive at best and a sign of greater risk at worst....

The New York Times - June 5, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Diabetes-Drug-Risks.html

Posted at 8:03 AM

Folic acid doesn't prevent colon polyps, may increase risk

High doses of folic acid do not prevent precancerous colon polyps in people prone to them and may actually increase the risk of developing the growths, a new study finds.
It's the latest evidence that taking too many vitamins may be harmful. Last month, a study linked heavy vitamin use to fatal prostate cancer, and other research has shown beta-carotene pills can heighten smokers' risk of lung cancer....

CNN.com - June 5, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/05/folic.acid.colon.ap/index.html

Posted at 7:57 AM

June 5, 2007

Attempt to save faltering hearts

U.S. doctors are beginning an experiment this month to try to save patients dying from congestive heart failure - by temporarily resting their hearts and then boosting them with a drug long abused for bodybuilding.
The goal: to help the heart heal itself and rescue patients who otherwise wouldn't survive without a heart transplant or an implanted machine to pump their hearts....

The Baltimore Sun - June 5, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.heart05jun05,0,4751973.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 10:29 AM

A Painful Lymph Illness Often Follows Cancer

Many cancer survivors develop lymphedema...a chronic condition that causes swelling from an accumulation of fluid....
Though it can occur without cancer, patients whose lymph nodes were removed during cancer treatment are particularly susceptible. Some studies suggest that 30 to 40 percent of breast cancer survivors develop lymphedema, sometimes years after surgery.
There is no cure for lymphedema. But while patients are still occasionally told that they must learn to live with it, experts say effective treatments are not only available but critically important, and the sooner patients get help, the better....

The New York Times - June 5, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/health/05cons.html?ref=health

Posted at 10:27 AM

Chemo and Surgery May Help Colon Cancer

Scientists reported promising gains Monday for treating colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, showing that chemotherapy before and after surgery to remove liver tumors can help keep the disease in check.
The study is the first to scientifically test an approach that many doctors have tried for patients with advanced colon and rectal cancers....

The New York Times - June 4, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Colon-Cancer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Posted at 10:15 AM

June 4, 2007

New Liver Cancer Drug Is Promising, Doctors Say

In a large clinical trial, the drug, called Nexavar, extended the lives of patients by almost three months, or 44 percent. While that is far from a cure, experts say it represents a breakthrough after years of efforts to find a drug that works....

The New York Times - June 4, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/health/04liver.html?ref=health

Posted at 8:59 AM

Breast cancer study: Use less radiation

Women with early-stage breast tumors can undergo a shorter course of radiation without a greater risk that their cancer will come back years later, the largest study to test this suggests....

USATODAY.com - June 3, 2007

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-06-03-cancerstudy_N.htm

Posted at 8:57 AM

Doctors Say Roller Shoes Injuring Kids

Trendy wheeled sneakers that let kids zip down sidewalks, across playgrounds and through mall crowds could also send them rolling into emergency rooms on a stretcher, say doctors who blame a rash of injuries on the international craze....

The Baltimore Sun - June 4, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/health/ats-ap_health13jun04,0,43946.story?coll=sns-health-headlines

Posted at 8:55 AM

June 1, 2007

Release of Microbe Study Spurs Bioterror Worries

Researchers in Germany reported yesterday that they had altered the DNA of a disease-causing bacterium to enable it to infect a species it cannot normally sicken -- a double-edged advance that experts said could deepen scientists' understanding of human diseases but could also speed the development of novel bioterrorism agents.
The change in infectiousness -- the first of its kind ever engineered from scratch -- poses no direct threat to human health, scientists said, because the microbe already causes a human disease: the food-borne illness called listeriosis....

The Washington Post - June 1, 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053102159.html

Posted at 9:21 AM

Smokers crush out habit with hot line help

At least 8,106 Marylanders have called the state-sponsored hot line for advice on kicking tobacco since last July, when the state agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract with Free & Clear, a Seattle-based firm that operates the hot line, said Joan Stine, director of the state Health Department's Center for Health Promotion....
In addition, the city Health Department began offering free nicotine patches or gum in March to any city resident who calls the state hot line and agrees to undergo the recommended counseling, said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, city health commissioner. About 890 people have received a free month's supply of either nicotine gum or patches at a cost of about $45,000 since early March....

The Baltimore Sun - June 1, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.smoking01jun01,0,2276639.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 9:19 AM

Doctor Sees Blood Cancers in WTC Program

The head of the largest program tracking the health of World Trade Center site workers said several have developed rare blood cell cancers, raising fears that cancer will become a ''third wave'' of illnesses among those exposed to toxic dust after Sept. 11....

The New York Times - May 31, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Attacks-Health.html

Posted at 9:15 AM

Border guard let TB patient cross into U.S.

A man infected with an extremely dangerous strain of tuberculosis was allowed into the United States at a border crossing even after a routine check of his passport set off a computerized alert, authorities said yesterday....

The Baltimore Sun - June 1, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.tb01jun01,0,3818314.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Posted at 9:10 AM

Study spots gaps in Americans' diet, health IQ

Ninety percent of Americans say breakfast is an important part of a healthy diet, but just 49 percent manage to eat breakfast every day, a new survey shows.
And only 11 percent know the amount of calories they should consume daily to maintain a healthy weight, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation's second annual Food & Health Survey....

CNN.com - May 31, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/31/diet.health.iq.reut/index.html

Posted at 9:07 AM


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