Health and Medical News Headlines for July 1, 2009

WHO to start clinical trial on river blindness drug (AFP)

AFP - The World Health Organisation said Wednesday it was launching a clinical trial for a drug that could halve the treatment period for river blindness, a disease that threatens 100 million people mostly in Africa.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:35 pm

Two-thirds of American adults are too fat: study (Reuters)

Reuters - Obesity rates continued to climb in the past year with 23 U.S. states reporting adults in their states are fatter now than they were a year ago, two advocacy groups said on Wednesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:31 pm

Prince William Health System Completes Merger With Novant Health to Expand Quality Health Care in Northern Virginia

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pm

NAMI Observes Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pm

Search for America's Best Veterinarian Continues With Third Annual 'Thank Your Vet for a Healthy Pet(R)' Contest

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pm

Infants Should Be Screened for Hip Trouble

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pm

UPDATE 1-U.S. FDA casts doubt on Lantus cancer link

NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cast doubt on Wednesday on a possible association of cancer with Sanofi-Aventis' widely used Lantus diabetes drug after recently published...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:56 pm

UPDATE 2-Dow to cut ethylene production, take charge

* Shares slip 0.4 percent (Adds details on ethylene, divestitures; updates stock activity)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:50 pm

CORRECTED - CORRECTED-BRIEF-Cynosure signs agreement with Unilever

July 1 (Reuters) - Cynosure Inc : * Signs agreement with Unilever to develop light-based devices for home use * Says financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:47 pm

Christian Children's Fund Name Change to ChildFund International Official

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:44 pm

UPDATE 1-EU approves Sadia takeover by Brazil's Perdigao

* Perdigao, Sadia have Europe as major export destination
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:36 pm

UPDATE 2-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Citigroup, Anheuser-Busch and others, updates International Power, Aozora)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:34 pm

Antibiotics May Boost Risk for Recurrent Ear Infection (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Repeated use of antibiotics to treat acute ear infections in young children increases the risk of recurrent ear infections by 20 percent, according to researchers in the Netherlands who called for more prudent use of antibiotics in young children.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:03 pm

TV Ads Trigger Mindless Eating (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Watching food ads on TV leads to a boost in snacking among children and adults, increasing the risk of weight gain, U.S. researchers say.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 1:03 pm

Poll: Obama health plan has support

A new national poll suggests that a bare majority of Americans support President Obama's health care plan.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:51 am

State-by-state list of obesity rates, rankings (AP)

AP - State-by-state list of obesity rates, rankings
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:38 am

Mississippi's still fattest but Alabama closing in (AP)

AP - Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:37 am

Swine flu emergency in Argentina

A health emergency is announced to fight a swine flu outbreak in the Argentine city and province of Buenos Aires.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:30 am

Lack of sleep 'hits women harder'

Lack of sleep raises a woman's risk of heart disease more than it does for a man, research suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:27 am

Karen Burgin, CNM, MA, Named To American College Of Nurse-Midwives Fellowship

Karen Black Burgin, CNM, MA, of Montclair, New Jersey was inducted into the Fellowship of the American College of Nurseâ€Midwives (FACNM) at the ACNM's 54th Annual Meeting in Seattle this past spring.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Australia's Chief Nurse Wins ICN Presidency

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) warmly congratulated Rosemary Bryant - Australia's Chief Nursing and Midwifery officer - on her appointment as President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). Lee Thomas ANF Assistant Federal Secretary said Rosemary's appointment was great news and an honour for Australian nurses.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

HHS Rescinds Controversial Medicaid Regulations

The Health and Human Services Department Monday "rescinded three controversial Bush administration regulations governing Medicaid and said it would postpone and possibly change or rescind a fourth," according to CQ Politics.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Patients With Moderate To Severe Periodontitis Need Evaluation For Heart Disease Risk

Additional research is called for and patients with moderate to severe periodontitis should receive evaluation and possible treatment to reduce their risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a special consensus paper by editors of The American Journal of Cardiology and Journ
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

FDA Seeks Public Input On Tobacco Regulation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is seeking public input on the implementation of its historic new authority overseeing tobacco products in the United States. In a Federal Register notice, the agency invites the public to provide information and share views on a wide range of topics, from product content to advertising and marketing.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Grameen Foundation, Google, MTN Launch Cell Phone Applications To Help Ugandans Get Health, Other Information

The Grameen Foundation on Tuesday launched the first application of its Application Laboratory (AppLab) project, which aims to use "the proliferation of mobile phones in Africa as a way to get information and services to poor communities in Uganda without Internet access," the Seattle Times' blog, the "Business of Giving," reports (Heim, 6/29).
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Immediate Tendonitis Relief Following Rotator Cuff Treatment

A minimally invasive procedure to treat tendonitis in the rotator cuff of the shoulder provides immediate symptom relief to the patient, according to a study published in the July issue of Radiology. The study found that ultrasound-guided nonsurgical therapy significantly reduces pain from calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff and restores lasting mobility after treatment.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Can Video Games Boost Thinking Skills In Elderly?

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study whether and how video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly - and then to use their findings to develop a prototype video game to do just that.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Also In Global Health News: Developing Country Agriculture; MDR-TB In Pakistan, HIV/AIDS Funding In Ghana; Rwandan Religious Groups Fighting Disease;

Oxfam Calls On G8 Leaders To Increase Agriculture Investment In Developing Countries The development group Oxfam is calling on G8 leaders, ahead of their meeting in Italy, to increase investment in agriculture in developing countries, Reuters reports.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

Is Midline Or Transverse Incision Better For Abdominal Surgery?

An unusual study at the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital examined for the first time whether the incision technique used in major abdominal surgery had an effect on the results. Neither physician nor patient knew what kind of incision had been made.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am

WHO paper: TB vaccine could kill babies with HIV (AP)

AP - The World Health Organization says a study has shown that babies with HIV could die if given a standard tuberculosis vaccine.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 9:43 am

'IVF success blood test hope'

Researchers have raised the prospect of a simple test to show whether fertility treatment is likely to work.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 1 Jul 2009 | 9:05 am

Fury at Rwanda sterilisation bill

Rwanda is urged to drop a draft law which would forcibly sterilise people who are mentally disabled.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 1 Jul 2009 | 8:58 am

Greece acts to stub out smoking

Greece - the EU's heaviest-smoking nation - introduces a ban on smoking in all public places.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 1 Jul 2009 | 7:55 am

Wal-Mart Says It Backs a Mandate on Insurance

The nation’s largest private employer said cuts in health care costs must be part of the reform package.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 7:06 am

Bone-Growth Proteins Show Risk in New Study

Patients who received a bioengineered protein during spinal fusion procedures had far more complications than patients who did not, according to a study released Tuesday.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 6:57 am

Many With Insurance Still Bankrupted by Health Crises

Among people counted as medically insured are some who have coverage so meager that a medical crisis means financial calamity.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 6:52 am

Study Dismisses Protein’s Role in Heart Disease

A blood protein thought to play an important role in heart disease is little more than a bystander, researchers say.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 6:47 am

World Briefing | The Americas: Argentina: Swine Flu’s Spread Leads to School Closings

Authorities in Buenos Aires announced that they were canceling classes for thousands of students to try to contain a fast-spreading outbreak of swine flu.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 6:37 am

Panel Recommends Ban on 2 Popular Painkillers

A federal advisory panel voted to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin because of their effects on the liver.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 am

Panel Suggests U.S. Medical Priorities

The report recommended priorities for the Obama administration as it spends $1.1 billion to compare the effectiveness of drugs, medical devices, surgeries and other treatments.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 5:37 am

How Old Do You Feel? It Depends on Your Age

The older Americans are, the younger they feel, a large new survey found.

Source: NYT > Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 5:29 am

Comic Strip Aims to Educate Families About Diabetes (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- The syndicated comic strip "Baldo" will feature a storyline on diabetes in order to boost awareness about prevention and treatment of the disease among Hispanics.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am

Statins Might Stave Off Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with a cholesterol-lowering drug might protect against Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am

Online Genetic Testing Appears to Have Benefits (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Online genetic testing for lung cancer appears to offer some benefits to patients, according to U.S. researchers who evaluated the use of an online test among 44 smokers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 1 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am

FDA advisers: Take Vicodin, Percocet off market

A government advisory panel is expected to vote Tuesday on ways to reduce the risk of serious liver injury associated with acetaminophen, found in over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol and NyQuil.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 1 Jul 2009 | 2:38 am

Cookie dough E. coli outbreak grows, CDC says

The toll of the nationwide E. coli outbreak linked to tainted cookie dough has continued to mount, federal health authorities said Tuesday.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 30 Jun 2009 | 11:09 pm

Problem pregnancy 'autism risk'

Complications in pregnancy and giving birth later in life may raise the risk of having a child with autism, a research review finds.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 30 Jun 2009 | 11:00 pm

Vegetarians 'avoid more cancers'

Vegetarians are generally less likely to develop cancer but this does not apply to all forms of the disease, a study concludes.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 30 Jun 2009 | 10:59 pm

TierneyLab: Flaws in the Case Against BPA

A report suggests that studies of BPA, the chemical in hard plastic bottles, have been flawed.

Source: NYT > Health | 30 Jun 2009 | 9:53 pm

CRP, Other Biomarkers, Not Clinically Useful to Predict CVD Risk

Screening for contemporary biomarkers, such as CRP, will not add much to conventional cardiovascular risk factors in terms of helping to predict future events in the primary-prevention setting, say the authors of a new study.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 9:29 pm

Alogliptin Delayed; Cancer Concerns With Insulin Glargine

The makers of alogliptin say it will be two years before they have the cardiovascular data needed by the FDA, while the EASD raises concerns over a possible cancer risk with insulin glargine.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 9:29 pm

Mainly Medical Unknowns Regarding Michael Jackson's Apparent Cardiac Arrest

With concerns raised about the use of prescription painkillers in Jackson's death, as well as the stress he was under with an impending world tour, Dr Douglas Zipes, from the ACC, and Dr Vinay Nadkarmi, from the AHA, both weigh in on some of the speculation.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 9:29 pm

Masitinib May Be Effective Against Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis

Researchers report RA patients find relief with masitinib from their symptoms.
WebMD Health News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 8:24 pm

Social Activity in Late Life Associated with Better Motor Function

A new analysis from the Rush Memory and Aging Project finds people who report less frequent participation in social activities have a more rapid rate of motor decline in old age.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 7:12 pm

Obama Steers Health Debate Out of Capital

The White House is trying to shift the health care debate away from Washington and to the states.

Source: NYT > Health | 30 Jun 2009 | 6:40 pm

Girl, 9, dies of swine flu as UK cases jump

A nine-year-old girl has died in Britain from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, as authorities reported a jump in the number of cases in the country.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 30 Jun 2009 | 5:27 pm

Studies Suggest Physicians Should Be Vigilant for Serious H1N1 Infection in Young

The pattern of the swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) seen in March and April of this year suggests that people exposed to H1N1 strains during childhood before the 1957 flu pandemic will be relatively protected from severe illness, according to a study in the June 29 Online First issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 5:26 pm

Cardiac Rhythms Synchronize With Music

Music, particularly pieces that contain crescendos or gradual increases in volume, elicits synchronized cardiovascular and respiratory responses in young people, a new study finds.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 5:18 pm

ASMBS 2009: Socioeconomic Factors Figure Prominently in Access to Bariatric Surgery

Focused public health efforts are needed to reduce significant race-, income-, education-, and insurance-related disparities and to equalize and expand access to bariatric surgery.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 5:18 pm

Common UCP2 Polymorphism Linked to Worse Survival After MI

A common polymorphism in the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene is associated with worse survival in diabetic patients after myocardial infarction (MI), according to a report in the June 15th Cardiovascular Diabetology.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 3:56 pm

Biogen Reports 10th Case of PML Linked to Tysabri

A 10th patient taking Biogen Idec Inc's multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri has developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) since it was reintroduced to the market in July 2006.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Jun 2009 | 3:56 pm

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