Health and Medical News Headlines for July 3, 2008

How Often Do Doctors Act As Good Samaritans? What Help Do They Provide?

Asthma attacks, heart attacks, fainting, broken bones and car accident injuries are just some of the problems which have confronted doctors who have stepped in to help a member of the public outside while off-duty according to a survey of Medical Defence Union (MDU) members1.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

Internet Addiction: A Novel Disease Or A Bad Habit?

It is impossible to deny the incredible significance of the internet and the effects its development has had on the world.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

Substances Similar To The Body's Own 'Cannabis (Marijuana) Are Necessary For Healthy Skin And May Lead To New Skin Disease Treatments

Scientists from Hungary, Germany and the U.K. have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the active ingredient in marijuana (THC), but these play an important part in maintaining healthy skin.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

FDA Clears First Automated Whole Blood Processing System In U.S.

Gambro BCT, Inc., soon to be known as CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in automated blood collections, therapeutic systems, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced that it received FDA clearance for the commercial sale of Atreus® Whole Blood Processing system in the United States.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

MIT Researchers Offer Tantalizing Evidence On How To Make People Smarter, Naturally

New research findings published online in The FASEB Journal provide more evidence that if we get smart about what we eat, our intelligence can improve. According to MIT scientists, dietary nutrients found in a wide range of foods from infant formula to eggs increase brain synapses and improve cognitive abilities.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

Discovery Explains How Cold Sore Virus Hides During Inactive Phase

Now that Duke University Medical Center scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, they may have a way to wake it up and kill it. Cold sores, painful, unsightly blemishes around the mouth, have so far evaded a cure or even prevention.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

One Dose Of IOERT Is Equal To Six Weeks Of Radiation For Breast Cancer

Many women with breast cancer may not need six weeks of daily radiation after surgery. This explosive finding was made public at the recent International Society of Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (ISIORT) conference held in Madrid, Spain earlier this month. A Single Dose of Radiation is Enough Renowned surgeon Dr.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry Calls NBC To Pull Baby Borrowers

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) calls NBC to pull its television show, "The Baby Borrowers." The reality show separates babies and toddlers from their parents and places them with strangers for three days. Separating babies and toddlers from their parents for extended periods of time can lead children to feel distress and anxiety.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

New Study Finds Coronary Arterial Calcium Scans Help Detect Overall Death Risk In The Elderly

Measuring calcium deposits in the heart's arteries can help predict overall death risk in American adults, even when they are elderly, according to a new study published in the July issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Matthew J. Budoff, M.D.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

CPPC Calls For A National Framework In England To Help Millions Suffering From Long Term Chronic Pain

The Chronic Pain Policy Coalition (CPPC), established to promote better treatment for the 7.8 million who suffer from long-term chronic pain such as severe back pain or depression, is calling for a national chronic pain treatment framework for England in the light of the Darzi review into the future of the NHS.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 3 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am

Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects (AP)

AP - A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 3 Jul 2008 | 9:50 am

Fighting fit?

How to get the most out of your gym membership
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 3 Jul 2008 | 9:50 am

AMDL Announces Investor Relations Presentation Available on Website

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 9:00 am

Changing times

How care has been transformed by the NHS
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 3 Jul 2008 | 8:18 am

Luxembourg, France are top for European heart care

LONDON (Reuters) - Luxembourg and France topped a European survey on Thursday that ranks countries by the quality of cardiovascular care.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 8:10 am

Shire to add New Orphan Drug to its HGT Portfolio - EU Launch Imminent

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 7:35 am

Simmering beef row heats up SKorea's vegetarian trade

Food safety fears sparked by South Korea's resumption of US beef imports are a headache for the government but good news for vegetarian restaurants. Restaurants and markets...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 7:22 am

NHS immigration

'Everybody was so kind and welcoming'
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 3 Jul 2008 | 7:17 am

Assisted Suicide of Healthy 79-Year-Old Renews German Debate on Right to Die

A woman’s desire to avoid life in a nursing home forces a country to confront the thorny ethical issue and casts an assisted-suicide advocate as Germany’s Jack Kevorkian.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 6:27 am

F.D.A. Panel Urges More Testing for Diabetes Drugs

Diabetes drugs would be subject to more stringent safety standards under recommendations made Wednesday by a government panel.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 6:19 am

Nabriva Therapeutics Announces Appointment of New CEO

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 6:00 am

E. Coli Illnesses Prompt Beef Recall

The Agriculture Department is warning that the beef supplied by a Nebraska company may be responsible for at least 40 illnesses.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 5:34 am

Lebanese feast on 'buns and guns' in Hezbollah fiefdom

Behind a barricade of sandbags, Ali devours a "Magnum 357" as his friend Hussein tucks into a giant "B52". Welcome to "Buns and Guns" restaurant in the heartland of south...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 5:27 am

Aiming to Sell the World on Fitness

Technogym, an exercise equipment maker, is expanding its reach to countries with few health clubs, in a strategy to survive an economic downturn in the United States.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 5:21 am

European Plan Would Expand Health Care Access Within the Bloc

European Union residents would be able to receive most health care treatment anywhere in the 27-nation bloc without prior authorization under a proposal published on Wednesday.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 4:53 am

CBaySystems Launches Kyps(TM), a Web-Based Practice Management and EMR System

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 4:01 am

Health Tip: Giving Medications to People With Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- As a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer's, administering their medication -- and preventing missed pills or the wrong dosages -- can be a daunting responsibility.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 3 Jul 2008 | 3:47 am

Smokeless Tobacco Products Do Raise Cancer Risk (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Smokeless tobacco products (STPs), which include products such as snuff and chew tobacco, do increase the user's risk of cancer -- just not as much as smoking does.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 3 Jul 2008 | 3:47 am

Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects, scientists say

top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra - but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long. Watermelons contain...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 3:09 am

A Quandary on Blood Drops in the Brain

Improvements in scanning techniques are making it easier to see microbleeds in the brain, but it’s unclear what should be done about them.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 2:53 am

Auditory Evoked Potentials Altered in Tinnitus

Most results from auditory brainstem response testing in patients with tinnitus and normal hearing fall within normal limits, but certain details differ in tinnitus patients compared with those without the condition, Brazilian researchers report in the June issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 3 Jul 2008 | 2:47 am

Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra _ but don't necessarily expect it to keep the
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 2:42 am

Skin Deep: A Spa for Those Women Concerned About ‘Pelvic Fitness’

Phit — short for pelvic health integrated techniques — is the first medical spa in Manhattan wholly dedicated to strengthening and grooming a woman’s genital area.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 2:42 am

Personal Best: To Beat the Heat, Learn to Sweat It Out

No matter how much you train in the heat, it will never be easy, athletes and researchers say.

Source: NYT > Health | 3 Jul 2008 | 2:35 am

Filipina with upside-down clubbed feet takes first steps after surgery

perform surgery to untwist her severely clubbed feet took her first unaided steps Wednesday in pink-and-white sneakers - the first shoes she's ever worn. "I'm very happy," Jingle Luis...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 3 Jul 2008 | 1:52 am

Cuba to Juba: south Sudanese doctors come home (Reuters)

Reuters - They left as children and teenagers, crossing the border between dry southern Sudan and Ethiopia before being transported half a world away to the green strangeness of Cuba's Isla de la Juventud.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 3 Jul 2008 | 1:29 am

Mental health treatment more commonly accepted

Business Wire July 02, 2008 ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jul 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Seeing a psychologist or other mental health professional isn't an unusual thing; in fact it's relatively common. Nearly three in ten U.S. adults (29%) report that they have received treatment or therapy from a psychologist or other mental health professional. The survey...
Source: PsycPORT.com | 3 Jul 2008 | 1:26 am

Mental health anti-stigma campaign kicks off at colleges

The Nation's Health July 02, 2008 Originally Published:20080601.
Source: PsycPORT.com | 3 Jul 2008 | 1:26 am

Free mental health programs for returning soldiers

The Baltimore Sun, Maryland July 02, 2008 Jul. 2--Anne Arundel County yesterday became the first local jurisdiction in Maryland to offer free mental health and substance abuse programs to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Source: PsycPORT.com | 3 Jul 2008 | 1:26 am

Doctors shocked by own water baby

Two doctors who live near a maternity hospital are caught out by their baby's home delivery in the bath.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 3 Jul 2008 | 12:13 am

Filipina with upside-down feet walks for 1st time (AP)

AP - A Filipino teenager who came to New York so doctors could perform surgery to untwist her severely clubbed feet took her first unaided steps Wednesday in pink-and-white sneakers the first shoes she's ever worn.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 3 Jul 2008 | 12:05 am

Oldest women hit hard by dementia

Almost half of all women in their 90s are suffering from dementia, Californian research suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 2 Jul 2008 | 11:13 pm

Cold sore virus secret revealed

The secret of how the cold sore virus persists for a lifetime in the body may have been cracked by US scientists.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 2 Jul 2008 | 11:05 pm

Kroger expands ground beef recall (AP)

AP - The Kroger Co. expanded its voluntary recall of some ground beef products beyond stores in Michigan and parts of Ohio to its stores in more than 20 states on Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 2 Jul 2008 | 10:10 pm

First floods, now pesky mosquitoes for Midwest (AP)

$Dr. Anju Peters shows where a swarm of mosquitoes attacked her daughter Sonia, 7, last week leading to an outbreak of hives, swelling and a rash Wednesday, July 2, 2008, in Chicago. Heavy rains and warm temperatures that have hit the Midwest are creating ideal conditions for these bugs. (AP Photo\Russel A. Daniels)$ AP - First came the floods now the mosquitoes. An explosion of pesky insects are pestering clean-up crews and just about anyone venturing outside in the waterlogged Midwest.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 2 Jul 2008 | 9:52 pm

FDA panel urges more testing for diabetes drugs (AP)

AP - Diabetes drugs should face tougher safety standards that could cost manufacturers millions but protect patients from unforeseen heart risks, a government panel has recommended.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 2 Jul 2008 | 9:29 pm

New Device Facilitates Detection of EGFR in Circulating Lung Cancer Cells

The CTC-chip allows for molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells in lung cancer patients, and thus provides the ability to monitor changes in epithelial tumor genotypes during treatment.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 9:01 pm

Alzheimer's less likely for men over 90 than women (Reuters)

Reuters - Men are much less likely than women to live into their 90s, but those who do have a much lower chance of having Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 2 Jul 2008 | 8:26 pm

Migraineurs With Comorbid Pain Disorders More Likely to Have Suffered Childhood Maltreatment

New research suggests migraineurs who have suffered childhood abuse are much more likely than their counterparts who have not been abused to have comorbid pain conditions, including arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 8:11 pm

Prevalence of Dementia Higher in Women Than Men After 90

A new analysis of data from the 90+ Study shows that all-cause dementia doubled every 5 years for women but not for men.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 8:00 pm

Four Combined Factors Predict Success of In Vitro Fertilization

Four factors (total number of embryos, number of 8-cell embryos, percentage of embryos that stopped dividing, and maternal FSH), when combined, were 70% accurate in predicting pregnancy after IVF.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:53 pm

Use of rhBMP in Cervical Fusion Linked to Serious Adverse Events

Healthcare providers should use approved alternative treatments or enroll in approved clinical trials.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:28 pm

Reduced Hygiene, Illicit Drug Use Linked to CA-MRSA in Men Who Have Sex With Men

A case-control study in MSM showed that reduced hygiene and use of crystal methamphetamine were associated with community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:13 pm

Low HDL-C Associated With Poor Memory

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in middle age is associated with poor memory and may lead to dementia later in life, a new study suggests.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:00 pm

NAMS Updates Guidelines on Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy

The North American Menopause Society suggests the benefit-risk ratio for hormone therapy is favorable near menopause but decreases with aging and time since menopause in previously untreated women.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:00 pm

FDA Safety Changes: Atripla, Halcion, Restoril

The FDA has approved revisions to the safety labeling for efavirenz plus emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate tablets, triazolam tablets, and temazepam capsules.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 2 Jul 2008 | 7:00 pm

Salmonella Probe Adds Foods Served With Tomatoes

The government is about to start testing numerous other types of fresh produce in the hunt for the source of the nation’s record salmonella outbreak.

Source: NYT > Health | 2 Jul 2008 | 6:55 pm

Obesity may offer some protection after stenting (Reuters)

Reuters - Paradoxically, obesity may offer some protection against heart-related "events," like heart attack, in people who have a stent placed to prop open a clogged coronary artery, research shows.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 2 Jul 2008 | 6:51 pm

MRSA Infections Can Bug Fitness Buffs

Before heading to the gym, take simple steps to avoid the potentially deadly bacteria
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 2 Jul 2008 | 6:15 pm

New Hope Against the Cold Sore Virus

Driving herpes simplex out of hiding could bring about a cure, scientists say
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 2 Jul 2008 | 6:14 pm

Salmonella inquiry looks beyond tomatoes

The federal government has expanded its investigation into an outbreak of salmonella illness to include items commonly eaten with tomatoes, health officials said Tuesday.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 2 Jul 2008 | 5:22 pm

Handle produce right for more nutrition

Fresh fruits and vegetables are among the most nutritious foods you can choose. They're low in calories yet rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. That's why produce, along with whole grains, forms the basis of a healthful diet. What's more, the way you store, prepare, and cook these foods can magnify (or preserve) their already healthful properties.