Across the country, substance abuse centers are reaching out to older addicts who have historically been ignored. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 12:20 pm
Ministers have promised to tighten laws requiring drug firms to disclose data from clinical trials. Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:11 am
Scientists in the US have shown that listening to a cell phone while driving was enough distraction to cause drivers to make the same type of driving errors as they would under the influence of alcohol. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
Epigenetic regulation - modifications to the structure of chromatin that influence which genes are expressed in a cell - is a key player in embryonic development and cancer formation. Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory [EMBL] in Heidelberg now gained new insight into one crucial epigenetic mechanism and reveal that it acts much faster than assumed. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
There is a 70 % increased risk for cancer among children with congenital abnormalities and this risk continues until young adulthood. Individuals with nervous system malformations, Down's syndrome and multiple birth defects have the highest cancer risk. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
The national disability charity United Response has welcomed the publication of The Joint Committee of Human Rights report, 'A Life Like Any Other?'Chief Executive Su Sayer, has particularly welcomed the committee's recommendations on the need for a human rights based approach to healthcare, but has called for other issues such as a right to employment not to be overlooked. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
Patients prescribed drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis could be at a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a study published in the open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
A novel genetic study has revealed why chickens have yellow legs, demonstrating that though Charles Darwin was right about many things, his view on the origins of the chicken was not entirely correct. The study, published February 29 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, reveals the genetic basis for the appearance of yellow skin in billions of chickens raised worldwide. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
The DPA, the association which supports and represents dentists in general practice, has said that patients in areas where NHS dentistry is not available should be entitled to a refund of their National Insurance which they could then spend getting their teeth fixed in the private sector. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
A combination of negative mother-daughter relationships and low blood levels of serotonin, an important brain chemical for mood stability, may be lethal for adolescent girls, leaving them vulnerable to engage in self-harming behaviors such as cutting themselves. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
People with Medicare have one last chance to change their Medicare health plan before they are locked into their plans for the rest of the calendar year. During the Open Enrollment Period, which began January 1 and lasts through March 31, people with Medicare are allowed to change their choice of Medicare health coverage once, but cannot add or drop the Medicare drug benefit. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
New consensus colorectal cancer guidelines state for the first time that the primary goal of colorectal cancer screening is cancer prevention. Previous guidelines have given equal weight to tests for detecting cancer and preventing cancer. By removing polyps from the large bowel, colonoscopy is the only screening test that also prevents colorectal cancer. Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
The critical blood thinner heparin, which has been linked to at least 19 deaths, contained a possibly counterfeit ingredient. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:58 am
Surely the best message we can derive from the Dr. Robert Jarvik episode is that it may be time to rethink the advertising of prescription drugs. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 8:56 am
After more than a decade of struggle, the House passed a bill requiring most group health plans to provide more generous coverage for treatment of mental illnesses. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:45 am
Although relaxation dentistry is an appealing concept for most, it is a hotly debated topic in the dental world. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 7:42 am
The American Cancer Society is recommending virtual colonoscopies and stool tests be a part of colorectal cancer screening for adults 50 and older. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 6:23 am
The government hopes to start a baby boom by rewarding women who give birth to eight or more children a one-time bonus of $25 as well as free utilities. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 5:47 am
The state is asking the drug maker to pay for the medical expenses of Medicaid patients who have contracted diabetes or other diseases after taking the drug Zyprexa. Source: NYT > Health | 6 Mar 2008 | 4:54 am
A computer test to spot the earliest signs of glaucoma is being developed by experts at a UK eye hospital. Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 6 Mar 2008 | 12:02 am
U.S. health officials said Wednesday they have found a contaminant in a blood-thinning drug produced by Baxter Healthcare Corp. that has been linked to more than a dozen deaths in the United States.
Researchers suggest that clinicians be aware of the possibility of tendinous complications, including tendonitis and even tendon rupture, in patients who take statins. Medscape Medical News Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 11:00 pm
Unstructured treatment interruptions in children and adolescents with HIV infection are associated with rapid increases in HIV RNA and precipitous declines in CD4+ cell counts, often resulting in infectious complications requiring hospitalization. Reuters Health Information Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:48 pm
Findings from UK researchers provide no substantial support for the notion that infections in infancy can protect against subsequent hay fever, according to a report in the March issue of Allergy. Reuters Health Information Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:47 pm
Three types of esophageal stents provide palliation of dysphagia in patients with esophageal or gastric cardia cancer, according to a report in the February American Journal of Gastroenterology. Reuters Health Information Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:36 pm
Another nugget of information with regard to gene-guided dosing of warfarin has been published, with a new prospective study finding that variants in one gene affect the initial response to the drug, but variations in another do not. The results add to the body of knowledge about the pharmacogenetics of warfarin, say editorialists, but this approach is still a way from prime time. Heartwire Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:02 pm
The FDA has approved revisions to the safety labeling for celecoxib capsules, lopinavir/ritonavir tablets and oral solution, lisinopril tablets, and lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide tablets. Medscape Medical News Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:00 pm
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has issued the first guidelines for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand's disease. Medscape Medical News Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:00 pm
A 15-year longitudinal study shows that girls aged 6 to 12 years with high hyperactivity, particularly those with high physical aggression, should be targeted for intensive prevention programs. Medscape Medical News Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:00 pm
In a follow-up study, women who took hormones in the Women's Health Initiative trial remain at higher risk for breast cancer 3 years after the trial was stopped, but cardiovascular risk is reduced. Medscape Medical News Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:00 pm
Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is overexpressed in several malignancies, and now an in vitro study by Canadian and Brazilian researchers has shown that Hsp90 overexpression is linked with a worse prognosis in patients with uveal melanoma. Reuters Health Information Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 5 Mar 2008 | 9:36 pm
If you live in the United States and like spicy tuna rolls, Puerto Rican roast pork or Thai noodles, there is a good chance you are eating, and enjoying, MSG. Source: NYT > Health | 5 Mar 2008 | 6:41 pm
Long gone is the era of four food groups and three square meals. It seems that every day brings a new revelation about which foods belong in a healthy diet. Eat this. Avoid that. If you feel a little overwhelmed, you're not alone. Take Cooking Light's nutrition quiz to see if what you think you know is really true.
Our level of happiness is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts. Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:50 am
