Health and Medical News Headlines for April 21, 2010

UPDATE 1-Victoria completes drilling second Cameroon well

* Data indicates more than 300 feet of gross pay at the site
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:48 am

Hard times hit Italy's Carrara marble finishers

Carrara marble, the stuff of Michelangelo's David and a symbol of Italian luxury, has run into hard times amid the world financial crisis and growing competition from abroad. "The...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:35 am

Liquidation of Wall St-backed China dairy hits snag

* Liquidators in talks with local govt, creditors - source
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:34 am

UPDATE 1-Provexis falls as Dutch investor cuts stake

* DSM Venturing cuts stake to 17.8 pct from 20.8 pct * Provexis says DSM Venturing remains strategic investor
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:15 am

India water crisis laid bare by clash with cola giants

A pollution fine for Coca-Cola and an order for PepsiCo to cut water use at factories in India have highlighted an intensifying conflict between big business and farmers over natural...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:14 am

UPDATE 1-Elan swings to first-quarter operating profit

* Tysabri sales up 25 pct q/q (Adds detail, CEO quote)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:04 am

Great white shark divers ready for WC tourists

Jaw gaping with razor-sharp teeth bared, the great white shark launches after the tuna bait and smacks into the metal cage holding a row of wetsuit-clad tourists. The group surfaces with
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 1:01 am

NetEase may become Microsoft MSN partner in China-reports

SHANGHAI, April 21 (Reuters) - Chinese online game operator NetEase.com may be looking to buy into the joint venture between Microsoft and a Shanghai investment company to operate MSN in China, local...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 12:52 am

UPDATE 1-Hunting starts 2010 well, helped by higher oil price

* Trading Jan to Apr in line with the board's expectations
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 12:50 am

Romania - Factors to Watch on April 21

BUCHAREST, April 21 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Wednesday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 12:41 am

Senate Bill Sets a Plan to Regulate Premiums

Fearing that health insurance premiums may shoot up in the next few years, Senate Democrats Tuesday laid a foundation for federal regulation of rates.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Apr 2010 | 12:06 am

5 Quick Tips For Parents Of Overweight Kids

More than 25 million American children are obese or at risk for becoming obese. If you're the parent of an overweight kid, you're probably wondering what you can do to help your child. BeSmartBeWell.com interviewed leading childhood obesity experts, as well as parents and kids, to come up with some practical advice for dealing with the problem. Here are just a few of their habits to have. Make family dinners a priority. Studies show that kids in families that sit down together for dinner several nights a week are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits and behavior...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 12:00 am

Cal/OSHA Issues Citations To Hospital, Fire And Police Dept. In Meningitis Exposure Case

The Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, today issued $101,485 in citations to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland for ten violations of the state safety and health standards in connection to a life-threatening exposure of bacterial meningitis. The case also involves citations issued to the Oakland Police Department and Fire Department as well as a continuing investigation of meningitis exposure involving ambulance employees of American Medical Response...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 11:00 pm

PPD To Present At World Vaccine Congress 2010 Conference

PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced Mark Esser, Ph.D., associate director of immunology, and Lisa Kierstead, Ph.D., associate director, labs, will present at the 10th annual World Vaccine Congress 2010 Conference in Chantilly, Va., on April 19-22. Dr. Esser will discuss the role of vaccine biomarkers in accelerating clinical trials...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 10:00 pm

Who’s to Blame When Flawed Health Products Are Sold?

Doctors in a landmark medical device case ask who should be held responsible when a company sells flawed products.

Source: NYT > Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:50 pm

Clinical Trials Update: April 20, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Weight Gain, Smoking May Make Prostate Cancer Deadlier (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Men treated for prostate cancer who smoke or put on excess pounds raise their odds of disease recurrence and of dying from the illness, two new studies show.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Earlier Detection of Breast Cancer May Be Possible (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- A blood test may indicate that women have breast cancer as many as 17 months before they're diagnosed with the disease, new research suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

N.F.L. Gives $1 Million to Brain Trauma Center

Boston University’s School of Medicine’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has warned of the long-term effects of head trauma and been critical of the N.F.L.’s stance on concussions.

Source: NYT > Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:20 pm

F.D.A. Is Urged to Set Maximum Levels of Salt in Food

The federal government should declare high levels of salt in supermarket and restaurant foods unsafe, a new report urged.

Source: NYT > Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:14 pm

International Community Foundation Releases Study Of Tuberculosis Impacts And Solutions In The San Diego-Tijuana Border Region

In an effort to educate and inform policy makers and key civic leaders about emerging trans-boundary issues and challenges related to the spread of tuberculosis in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, the International Community Foundation has published "Tuberculosis in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region: Time for Bi-National Community-Based Solutions...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 9:00 pm

Idaho Technology, Inc. Receives AOAC-PTM Approval For Additional Salmonella Matrices

Idaho Technology, Inc. (ITI) has received AOAC Performance Tested Method approval for two additional Salmonella matrices-stainless steel environmental samples and dry pet food. These matrices join the list of already approved matrices in the Salmonella LT Food Security System including chocolate, cooked ham, fresh raw chicken, lettuce, raw ground beef, and liquid whole eggs. This assay uses real-time PCR technology to identify the presence of Salmonella in less than one hour after a pre-enrichment period...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 8:00 pm

Report says school food making kids unfit to serve (AP)

AP - Too fat to fight? Many American children are so overweight from being fed french fries, pizza and other unhealthy foods at school lunchrooms that they cannot handle the physical rigors of being in the military, a group of retired officers say in a new report.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 7:30 pm

Humana Ensuring Young Adults Have No Gap In Health Coverage Before Provision Of Health Reform Law Takes Effect

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced today that it will extend health insurance coverage for young adults currently covered by their parents' Humana health plans during what otherwise could have been a gap in their coverage. Young adults whose Humana coverage would have ended at some point this spring or summer now qualify for coverage on their parents' or guardians' plans until they turn 26. Although the dependent-care provision of the new health reform law takes effect on September 23, 2010, Humana will provide uninterrupted coverage for these young adults this year...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 7:00 pm

American Idol winner sparks smoking debate (AP)

AP - Just a few miles after passing a towering Marlboro Man ad, a second billboard off the highway promotes cigarettes with a new American face: Kelly Clarkson. The former American Idol winner invites fans to buy tickets to her upcoming concert in Jakarta, the nation's capital. The logo of her sponsor is splashed in huge type above her head â the popular Indonesian cigarette brand L.A. Lights. Similar ads also run on TV.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 6:29 pm

Gilead Terminates Phase II Clinical Trial Of GS 9450 In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) today announced the company is stopping its ongoing Phase II clinical trial of GS 9450, an investigational caspase inhibitor, in patients with chronic hepatitis C. This decision follows reports of significant laboratory abnormalities and adverse events in a number of clinical study participants. Patient safety is Gilead's top priority, and the company has therefore made the decision to halt this study immediately. Gilead will be conducting a thorough review of all available data to assess future clinical development of the compound...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 6:00 pm

Sweet tooth? Here's news hard to live with

Sugar lovers may have to face a bitter truth: The less sugar added to foods for typical people, the better are their blood-fat profiles and the lower are their cardiovascular risks, a study to be published Wednesday concludes.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 5:40 pm

Hospital death rates 'poor test'

Death rates are a poor measure of hospital care and should not be used to trigger public inquiries, experts say.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 20 Apr 2010 | 5:39 pm

Exposed: The strange sex life of spiders (AFP)

AFP - Here's the good news: you are a male and you are allowed to have sex, at most, twice in your life. If that's the good news -- you may well ask -- what's the bad news? It's this: if you copulate for longer than 10 seconds, you get eaten by your sex partner. Thus is the challenge facing the male of the orb-web spider, Argiope bruennichi, according to a scientific paper published on Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 5:08 pm

Consumer Directed Health Plan Enrollment Grows By 27 Percent In 2009

Enrollment in Consumer-Directed Health Plans (CDHPs), providing consumers more control over the cost of their health care, grew to an estimated 23 million people in 2009, up from 18 million people in 2008 - a 27 percent increase. This key finding was reported in an analysis of Mercer's National Survey of Employer Sponsored health Plans by the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO). Released today by AAPPO, this analysis also reveals that small employers lead CDHP adoption in 2009, accounting for most of the growth among all employers...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 5:00 pm

AABB And Fenwal Continue Scholarship Awards Program To Promote Leadership In Blood Banking And Transfusion Medicine

AABB and Fenwal, Inc. are pleased to announce they are continuing the AABB-Fenwal Specialist in Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine Fellow Scholarship Awards program. Fenwal has partnered with AABB on this effort for nearly 30 years as a means to attract and develop new leaders in blood banking and transfusion medicine. "AABB-Fenwal scholarships provide educational opportunities to individuals who are new to the blood banking and transfusion medicine community," said Karen Shoos Lipton, JD, chief executive officer of AABB...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 4:00 pm

Study: Brain games don't make you smarter (AP)

AP - People playing computer games to train their brains might as well be playing Super Mario, new research suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 3:53 pm

Despite Cancer, Maura Tierney Tries ‘North Atlantic’

Maura Tierney found acting in the Wooster Group’s “North Atlantic” a welcome distraction while being treated for breast cancer.

Source: NYT > Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 3:43 pm

Too much salt: Report urges FDA to force rollback (AP)

AP - Too much salt is hidden in Americans' food, and regulators plan to work with manufacturers to cut back — but the government isn't ready to go along with a major new recommendation that it order a decrease.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 3:23 pm

In poor countries, taller moms' kids are healthier (Reuters)

Reuters - In developing countries, taller moms tend to give birth to healthier kids who are less likely to die in infancy, be underweight or have stunted growth, a new study finds. At the same time, good nutrition in adolescence and delaying marriage and childbirth appear to lead to taller adults.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 3:07 pm

Local Children To Learn About Their Health, Fitness And Nutrition At Clifford Johnson Elementary Mini-Medical School

Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama called the obesity epidemic one of the greatest threats to America's health and launched the Let's Move campaign to fight childhood obesity. Following Obama's lead and recognizing the importance of educating children about their bodies, health, fitness and nutrition, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) - in partnership with the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society- will host a Mini-Medical School from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, April 22, in the gymnasium at Clifford Johnson Elementary School, 2S700 Continental Drive, Warrenville, Ill...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 20 Apr 2010 | 3:00 pm

Spanking Toddlers Makes for More Aggressive 5-Year-Olds

Using corporal punishment to discipline toddlers is an independent risk factor for aggression by the time they reach school age.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:50 pm

Popular Best-Hospital List Tracks Subjective Reputation, But Not Quality Measures

A new analysis of the best-hospital rankings by US News & World Report finds that there is little relationship between the institutions' subjective reputation and objective measures of hospital quality.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:49 pm

Flu drugs saved many pregnant swine flu victims (AP)

AP - Quick treatment with flu medicine saved the lives of many pregnant women who were stricken by swine flu last year, according to the most complete analysis of deaths among expectant mothers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:38 pm

CDC Report Confirms Pregnant Women at Increased Risk for H1N1 Death

Pregnant women infected with H1N1 influenza are at increased risk for death, but earlier treatment reduces this risk.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:21 pm

Palliative Care Programs Continue to Increase in American Hospitals

Between 2000 and 2008, the number of palliative care programs in American hospitals of 50 or more beds has more than doubled.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:21 pm

Early vs Late Tracheotomy May Not Lower Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Risk

In adult patients in the intensive care unit, tracheotomy 6 to 8 days vs 13 to 15 days after mechanical ventilation did not significantly lower the risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 2:00 pm

Peginesatide Safe, Effective in Treating Anemia of Chronic Kidney Disease

Long-term once-monthly peginesatide, a new synthetic erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, is safe and effective for hemodialysis patients with anemia.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 1:32 pm

Ex-military leaders: Young adults 'too fat to fight'

More than a quarter of young adults are unable to meet physical requirements to join the military, creating a potential threat to national security, a group of retired armed forces leaders said Tuesday.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 1:26 pm

Alfuzosin Improves Ejaculatory Dysfunction in Men With Probable BPH

The uroselective alpha-1-adrenergic blocker alfuzosin significantly improves lower urinary tract symptoms and symptoms of ejaculatory dysfunction in men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 12:58 pm

Azacitidine and Decitabine "Important" in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Many of the decisions about the use of these agents are made in the absence of high-quality data, so 2 experts offer practical guidance.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 12:27 pm

U.S. salt limits urged for processed food

Salt, a staple in most food, could soon be regulated if the Institute of Medicine has its way.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 20 Apr 2010 | 12:21 pm

Value of Haptics Questioned in Virtual Reality Surgical Training

New data suggest that haptics, or sensory feedback cues from virtual reality programs, do not improve the efficiency of laparoscopic surgical training.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 12:05 pm

Pediatric Headache Linked to Risk Factors for Long-Term Vascular Morbidity

A study shows clustering of several important risk factors for long-term vascular morbidity in children and adolescents with severe or recurrent headache or migraine.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 20 Apr 2010 | 11:59 am

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