Brazil prepares for carnival under clouds of crisis

Brazil is to roll out its famous annual carnival late this month with only a few signs of the global crisis that is taking a toll -- but fears are mounting over next year's celebration. ...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:50 pm

Eni to cut refining, marketing capex in 2009-2012

MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Italy's oil and gas major Eni will cut capital spending on refining and marketing by 30 percent to 2.8 billion euros ($3.62 billion) under 2009-2012 business plan as it aims...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:29 pm

CenterPoint's Texas gas compressor damaged by fire

NEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - CenterPoint Energy said late Thursday its Champlin natural gas compressor station in Texas sustained "heavy damage" in a fire at DCP Midstream's gas processing plant and hub...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:20 pm

MOBILE FAIR-UPDATE 3-Nokia, others target mobile software sales

* Nokia to launch mobile software download service-sources
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 12:56 pm

Share trading in Spain's Vueling suspended-bourse

MADRID, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Trading in the shares of Spanish low cost airline Vueling has been suspended on Friday, the stock market said.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 12:54 pm

China Unicom appoints Lu Yimin as president

HONG KONG, Feb 13 (Reuters) - China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd said it appointed Lu Yimin as the company's president effective Friday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 12:48 pm

Norway to present law on sea wind turbines in June

OSLO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Norway will present a draft law in June to promote wind turbines at sea in a shift to renewable energies from offshore oil and gas, the government said on Friday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 12:10 pm

Nothing to sneeze at — decoding the common cold (AP)

AP - Scientists have unraveled the genetic code of the common cold — all 99 known strains of it, to be exact. But don't expect the feat to lead to a cure for the sniffling any time soon. It turns out that rhinoviruses are even more complicated than researchers originally thought.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 11:53 am

BP's 3-yr eurodollar bond set at $500 mln -IFR

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Oil major BP has set the size of its planned three-year U.S. dollar-denominated euro bond at $500 million, IFR reported on Friday, citing unidentified sources.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 11:47 am

Saskatchewan government finds higher mercury levels in Lake Lenore fish

LAKE LENORE, Sask. - The Saskatchewan government is issuing new guidelines for fish consumption from Lake Lenore because of recent testing for mercury in walleye and northern pike. The
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 11:39 am

Powerful incense drug warning

A synthetic drug that is up to five times as powerful as cannabis is being sold legally in Britain, as incense.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 11:32 am

MEDIHONEY(TM) Dressings Shown to Help Improve Outcomes of Non-Healing Venous Leg Ulcers in Recent Case Series

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 13 Feb 2009 | 11:30 am

Sex in a recession

What impact is the downturn having on sexual desire?
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:11 am

Early Switch From IV To Oral Meds Is Effective For Children With Acute Bone Infection

When treating children for acute osteomyelitis--a bacterial bone infection--an early changeover from intravenous (IV) antibiotic delivery to oral antibiotics is just as effective as continuing the IV therapy, according to pediatric researchers.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Transoma Medical Receives FDA Marketing Clearance For Sleuth AT™ Implantable Cardiac Monitoring System

Transoma Medical, manufacturer of Sleuth, the first wireless, automated implantable cardiac monitoring system has now received FDA marketing clearance on its second-generation product, Sleuth AT™ (Advanced Trending) Cardiac Monitoring System.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

CLSI Publishes Guideline For Analysis And Presentation Of Cumulative Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Data

Susceptibility statistical data, consisting of the cumulative and ongoing summary of the patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility of clinically important microorganisms, are important to the practice of medicine.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

UT Southwestern Performs First Local Implant In Deep Brain Stimulation Study For Depression

UT Southwestern Medical Center neurological surgeons have begun implanting patients as part of a clinical study that is investigating whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy may help people who suffer from major depressive disorder, a severe form of depression.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Medical Design Concept Shows Spring's Potential To Enhance CMC Implant Performance

Medical device engineers are evaluating the use of tiny springs to improve the performance of implantable devices that act like joints in the human body. The springs, manufactured by Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., have been incorporated into the conceptual design of a ball-and-socket type carpometacarpal (CMC) device used to replace diseased or arthritic joints and restore movement.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Hope For 14 Million Rosacea Sufferers: Pyratine-XR(TM) Study To Be Presented At South Beach Symposium

Senetek PLC (OTC Bulletin Board: SNKTY), a life sciences company engaged in the development of technologies that target the science of healthy aging, announced that positive study results from a clinical trial of Pyratine-XR(TM) in patients with rosacea will be presented February 13, 2009, at the 7th Annual South Beach Clinical Dermatology Symposium in Miami, Florida. Dr.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Zila Completes First Phase Of Global Marketing Initiatives For Oral Cancer Screening Product, ViziLite(R) Plus

Zila, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZILA) today said it has completed the first phase of the global rollout for its proprietary oral cancer screening product, ViziLite® Plus with TBlue®. Beginning in North America and through its direct sales force, Zila now markets ViziLite Plus in all 50 states of the U.S., as well as Puerto Rico and Canada.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of IB1001 For The Treatment Of Hemophilia B

Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of IB1001, an intravenous (IV) recombinant Factor IX (rFIX) product for control and prevention of hemorrhagic episodes in patients with hemophilia B. It is estimated that the market for therapies to treat this disorder is in excess of $600 million.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Genta Submits Randomized Study Of Tesetaxel In Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer To FDA For Special Protocol Assessment

Genta Incorporated (OTCBB: GNTA) announced that the Company has submitted a proposal to the Food and Drug Administration for a randomized clinical trial of tesetaxel, an oral taxane chemotherapy compound, for Special Protocol Assessment (SPA).
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Pennsylvania Cardiologists Advancing Knowledge Of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

Pennsylvania Cardiologists David Schwartzman, MD, and Jeffrey L. Williams, MD, MS, FACC, are authors of a study released in the European Society of Cardiology's Journal Europace.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 13 Feb 2009 | 10:00 am

Morning Rounds: Health Reform Support, Warnings on Peanuts and Madoff’s Newest Victims

Health news from around the Web.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 9:01 am

Government’s New Online Cancer Risk Tool Omits Minorities

Blacks, Hispanics and Asians cannot use a colorectal cancer risk assessment because it relies on data derived from studies of older whites.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 9:01 am

Obesity During Pregnancy Linked to Infant Birth Defects

Researchers find more evidence that babies born to obese women are at increased risk of spina bifida and other birth defects.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 9:00 am

Court Says Vaccine Not to Blame for Autism

Three federal judges ruled against families seeking compensation, saying the shots were not to blame.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 8:52 am

China to Investigate French Company Over Claims of Tainted Formula

Government officials said they would investigate whether infant formula by French beverage giant Danone was tainted with melamine.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 8:50 am

Doctor's Diary

A weekly insight into the issues at a busy GP practice
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 8:46 am

Willem Kolff, Doctor Who Invented Kidney and Heart Machines, Dies at 97

After inventing the first artificial kidney, Dr. Kolff went on to prove that biomedical engineers could build all sorts of artificial organs.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 8:09 am

Cure for the Common Cold? Not Yet, but Possible

Researchers said that they had decoded the genomes of the 99 strains of common cold virus.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 8:04 am

Medicare Blow to Virtual Colonoscopies

Medicare has tentatively decided not to pay for virtual colonoscopies, dealing a setback to a technique that medical experts recommend for colon cancer screening.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 7:56 am

CROI 2009: More Evidence That Early Initiation of Anti-HIV Therapy Improves Survival

HIV-infected patients with a CD4 cell count higher than 500 who defer starting highly active antiretroviral therapy have a 36% higher risk of death than those who start therapy sooner.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:59 am

Air bag jacket 'could save lives'

Dozens of lives could be saved every year if motorbike air bag jackets were made compulsory, according to doctors.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:58 am

Drug Inhibits Colon Cancer in Mice (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A drug called enzastaurin significantly reduced the development of colon cancer in mice, and tumors that did develop were less advanced and aggressive than those in mice that didn't receive the drug, according to a study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:48 am

Docs Override Most Electronic Drug Warnings (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors often override electronic medication safety alerts and rely instead on their own judgment when prescribing drugs for patients, which suggests that physicians find the alerts more annoying than helpful, says a U.S. study.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:48 am

Court Says Vaccine Not the Cause of Autism (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- There's no scientific evidence that childhood vaccines such as the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine caused autism in children of parents seeking compensation from a federal fund, a U.S. court ruled Thursday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:48 am

When toddlers point a lot, more words will follow (AP)

AP - Don't just talk to your toddler — gesture, too. Pointing, waving bye-bye and other natural gestures seem to boost a budding vocabulary. Scientists found those tots who could convey more meaning with gestures at age 14 months went on to have a richer vocabulary as they prepared to start kindergarten. And intriguingly, whether a family is poor or middle class plays a role, the researchers report Friday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 4:36 am

City Unveils Facebook Page to Encourage Condom Use

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has introduced a Facebook page and Facebook application to promote the use of condoms.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 3:38 am

A.M.A. Joins Several States in Suing Aetna and Cigna

The American Medical Association and others say two health insurers for more than a decade rigged a database to underpay doctors on out-of-network claims.


Source: NYT > Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 3:22 am

'Plaster cast better' for sprains

Forget wrapping it in a tubular bandage - a new trial suggests the best way to treat a sprained ankle is in a plaster cast.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 2:30 am

Pre-conception diet tips ignored

Women are ignoring healthy eating, alcohol and lifestyle advice before they get pregnant, British research suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 2:18 am

Throw your hands in the air - kids learn more quickly with gestures

Toddlers who use gestures more often have better vocabularies on reaching school age, US researchers say.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:24 am

Researchers complete genetic map of the cold virus

Researchers have solved the first step in treating the common cold, by mapping its entire genome, or genetic map, teams from the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported Thursday.
Source: CNN.com - Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:15 am

Rodents found; peanut processor told to stay shut

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday ordered the recall of all products ever shipped from the Peanut Corporation of America's plant in Plainview, Texas, after discovering dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in the plant.
Source: CNN.com - Health | 13 Feb 2009 | 1:09 am

Atlanta hospital finds Legionnaire's bacteria (AP)

AP - Atlanta's largest hospital has found the bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease in patients' rooms, and officials said Thursday it likely sickened four people who were treated there.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 13 Feb 2009 | 12:25 am

NY State Registry: Hospital, Operator Experience Together Affect Primary-PCI Outcomes

Based on his group's analysis, "hospitals ought to do about one primary PCI a week and physicians about one a month," a researcher said.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:58 pm

ATHENA Published, FDA Readies to Hear Advisory Panel on Dronedarone for AF

The drug is envisioned as a safer alternative to amiodarone in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:47 pm

Obesity may raise migraine risk, U.S. study finds (Reuters)

Reuters - Obesity may raise the risk of getting migraines, the latest health problem to be associated with being much too heavy, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:14 pm

FDA Approves Calcitriol Ointment for Psoriasis

The FDA recently approved calcitriol ointment 3 ìg/g (Vectical, Galderma Laboratories, LP), a first-of-its-kind, topical ointment to treat psoriasis.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:00 pm

Higher Levels of pCRH in Mid-Pregnancy Linked to Postpartum Depression

New research says that women with higher levels of a hormone produced by the placenta midway through pregnancy appear to be at significantly increased risk for postpartum depression.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:00 pm

Bipolar Disorder Increases Risk for Premature Death From Medical Illness

The first systematic review to examine mortality data in bipolar disorder reveals that patients have up to a 2-fold increased risk for early death.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:00 pm

Zoledronic Acid Benefit in Breast Cancer: Data Published in NEJM

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine is one of the first to show that a bisphosphonate used for osteoporosis and bone metastases also has a benefit in breast cancer.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 10:00 pm

Marlboro top choice of regular teen smokers (AP)

AP - Marlboro, the cigarette favored by adults, is also the runaway favorite of teens who regularly smoke, according to a new federal report released Thursday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 12 Feb 2009 | 9:57 pm

Postnatal Psychosis: 50% of First-Time Moms Have No History of Mental Illness

Almost 50% of first-time mothers who develop postnatal psychosis, a rare but severe condition, have no previous history of serious mental illness requiring hospitalization, new research suggests.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 9:24 pm

Vaccines don't cause autism, special court says (AP)

AP - Vaccines aren't to blame for autism, a special federal court declared Thursday in a blow to thousands of families hoping to win compensation and to many more who are convinced of a connection.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 12 Feb 2009 | 8:57 pm

AAPM 2009: New Opioid Clinical Practice Guidelines Published

The new guidelines, 2 years in the making, are now available.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 8:27 pm

Common Cold DNA Deciphered, Congestion Continues

Scientists crack genetic code of common cold; discovery could lead to new treatments.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 12 Feb 2009 | 7:01 pm

Preliminary Evidence Favors Ustekinumab in Psoriatic Arthritis

Ustekinumab, a novel monoclonal antibody targeted to interleukin 12 and 23, reduced signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis in a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 12 Feb 2009 | 6:32 pm

Octuplets' mom seeks online donations

Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, is using the Internet to help support her family of 14 children. She's started a Web site seeking donations.
Source: CNN.com - Health | 12 Feb 2009 | 4:41 pm

Neanderthals 'distinct from us'

Scientists studying the DNA of Neanderthals say they can find no evidence that this ancient species ever interbred with modern humans.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 12 Feb 2009 | 3:51 pm