Health and Medical News Headlines for April 22, 2010

Fergus On Flu

Was the global response to swine flu an overreaction?
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 22 Apr 2010 | 1:40 am

Hope Source And Steffens Counseling Partner To Offer Intensive Outpatient Treatment For Sex Addicts & Their Spouses

Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment. Sex becomes the organizing principle of an addict's life to the extent they are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior. The Society for Advancement of Sexual Health, (SASH) makes a conservative estimate that 3-5% of the population of the United States meets the criteria for sexual addiction and compulsivity...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Apr 2010 | 12:00 am

Versartis CEO Jeffrey Cleland Featured At Advancing Protein Therapeutics Conference

Versartis, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for patients with metabolic diseases, will be represented at the Advancing Protein Therapeutics conference on Wednesday, April 21, by Jeffrey Cleland, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Cleland's presentation, "Matching Pharmacokinetics to Clinical Requirements" will address optimizing therapeutic, dosing and manufacturing qualities of the company's lead products VRS-859 (exenatide-XTEN) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and VRS-317 (hGH-XTEN) for growth hormone deficiency (GHD)...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Apr 2010 | 12:00 am

UAB's Whitley Asserts Urgent Need For New Antibiotics In CDC Health-Care Blog

As the deaths and suffering caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections continue to rise around the world, now is the time to support a global commitment to develop 10 new antibiotics by 2020, says Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) President Richard Whitley, M.D., a renowned researcher and infectious disease physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 11:00 pm

Arizona State Settles DNA Case With Indian Tribe

The Havasupai people, who live in the Grand Canyon, had claimed that university researchers misused their DNA.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Apr 2010 | 10:47 pm

Pre-term babies face lifetime lung trouble (Reuters)

Reuters - Children born extremely early -- at 25 weeks or before -- may risk a lifetime of lung problems, including asthma, British researchers reported on Thursday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 10:41 pm

Pre-term babies face lifetime lung trouble: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children born extremely early -- at 25 weeks or before -- may risk a lifetime of lung problems, including asthma, British researchers reported on Thursday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 10:00 pm

Women's Mortality Rates At U.S. Hospitals Differ From Men's

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals for the same procedures and treatments, according to a new study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The HealthGrades Seventh Annual Women's Health in American Hospitals study also identified hospitals in the top 5% in women's care through an analysis of nearly 7 million hospitalization records from all of the nation's nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals. Compared to men, women had a higher risk of mortality in three cardiovascular procedures: valve-replacement surgery (52...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 10:00 pm

Health Tip: Signs That Baby is Teething (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Babies generally begin cutting their first teeth between the ages of 4 months and 7 months.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

New Form of Painkiller May Fight Colon Cancer (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Adding to previous research suggesting that painkillers can reduce the risk for colon cancer, researchers report that an investigational form of the drug naproxen blocks a molecular process that leads to the disease.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Studies Confirm Link Between Breast Density and Cancer (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Having dense breasts has long been known to increase a woman's risk for breast cancer, and new research confirms that a decline in breast density over time does, in fact, decrease that risk.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Clinical Trials Update: Apr. 21, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Study Finds Patients Breathe Easier After Weight-Loss Surgery (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who've lost weight after bariatric surgery breathe easier and take 50 percent fewer prescription breathing medications, a new study finds.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:49 pm

Managing Type 1 Diabetes Can Stress Teens (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Teens with type 1 diabetes may need help as they begin taking more responsibility for monitoring their blood glucose levels and administering insulin, a new study suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:48 pm

More U.S. Women May Be Obese Than Thought (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- A new study says federal guidelines on obesity should be revised so more women fit into the category of "obese."
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:48 pm

Ramen creator's son noodles with plan to say toodles to salt, sell 100B servings a year

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - More than a half-century after his father invented instant noodles to feed Japan's war-ravaged masses, Koki Ando says it is time to change the high-calorie,...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:23 pm

U Of Az. Animal Sciences Expert Receives $264,000 MDA Grant

The director of the University of Arizona's Animal Sciences Department, Ronald E. Allen, Ph.D., is one of 42 medical researchers and their labs who have been awarded more than $21 million in grants by MDA to advance critical neuromuscular research in 2010. Many of the grants are multi-year awards to be distributed over the next three years. Allen has been awarded $264,000 to continue his pioneering work in the regulation of skeletal muscle satellite cells, cells that are required for normal muscle growth in animals and humans; and to rebuild diseased muscle...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 9:00 pm

Excessive Alcohol Consumption May Lead To Increased Cancer Risk

Researchers have detected a link between alcohol consumption, cancer and aging that starts at the cellular level with telomere shortening. Results of this cross-sectional study were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held here, April 17-21 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Telomeres are found at the region of DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome, and are important for the genetic stability of cells. As people age, telomere length shortens progressively...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 8:00 pm

A Desk That Allows You to Stand or Sit

A writer who likes to shift positions while he works tried out a work station that, with a push of a button, adjusted to his sitting or standing height.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Apr 2010 | 7:20 pm

Mammographic Density And Risk Of Breast Cancer

Women who have a breast density of 75 percent or higher on a mammogram have a risk of breast cancer that is four to five times greater than that of women with little or no density, making mammographic breast density one of the strongest biomarkers of breast cancer risk. At the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held in Washington, D.C., April 17-21, researchers will present the latest data on mammographic density and breast cancer risk...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 7:00 pm

Genzyme Expects $175 Million Fine for Shortages

The company announced another delay in easing shortages of two drugs that were caught up in the manufacturing problems.

Source: NYT > Health | 21 Apr 2010 | 6:20 pm

Needle exchange needed to curb rising HIV rate in Cdn prisons: advocacy groups

TORONTO - Rates of HIV among inmates in federal prisons appear to be rising dramatically, prompting advocacy groups to call for sweeping changes to prevent further spread of the disease,...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 6:14 pm

Hit and miss: N.S. minister hopes to increase number of organ donations

HALIFAX, N.S. - Nova Scotia's approach to organ donation is a "hit- and-miss" affair that requires new rules to ensure doctors follow through on the wishes of potential donors, the...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 6:05 pm

Radient Pharmaceuticals To Present Onko-SureTM Cancer Test At Prestigious Annual Oncology Conference

Through its US-based subsidiary AMDL Diagnostics Inc., Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation (RPC) (NYSE Amex: RPC) announced today it will be presenting at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago from June 4-8, 2010. ASCO is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 28,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 6:00 pm

Race almost on

'I'm yours London Marathon,' says our diarist runner
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 21 Apr 2010 | 5:22 pm

Drunk sportsmen 'not role models'

The drunken antics of some sporting heroes do not affect the alcohol drinking habits of the young, research suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 21 Apr 2010 | 5:22 pm

Early baby survival rate 'static'

Babies born before 24 weeks are spending longer in intensive care without improvement in overall survival rates, a study finds.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 21 Apr 2010 | 5:22 pm

Vitiligo 'cancer protection hope'

People with the skin condition vitiligo may have natural protection against skin cancer, a study suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 21 Apr 2010 | 5:21 pm

Covidien Announces Innovation: Delivered Mobile Surgical Tour

Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced the launch of the Innovation: Delivered tour, a mobile program that will introduce surgeons, residents, nurses and hospital administrators around the country to the SILS(TM) Port Multiple Instrument Access Device. The SILS Port is an advanced, single-incision laparoscopic device that reduces the four, Â½-inch or smaller incisions normally associated with traditional laparoscopic surgery to just one incision in the belly button...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 5:00 pm

Help the environment, play golf with Bill Clinton

Christie's on Thursday is set to auction a series of "experiences" that include a round of golf with ex-US president Bill Clinton in a special fundraiser for the 40th anniversary of Earth...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:50 pm

HIV rate in Cdn prisons rivals that of some African countries: advocacy groups

TORONTO - Rates of HIV among inmates in federal prisons appear to be rising dramatically, suggests a report, prompting advocacy groups to call for sweeping changes to prevent further...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:50 pm

Dishwasher injuries: 2 youngsters need stitches after being cut on sharp edge

TORONTO - Health Canada is warning of a possible new danger lurking in the kitchen: the dishwasher. It issued an advisory Wednesday that there have been two separate reports of young...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:47 pm

UPDATE 1-Conoco warns of LA refinery flaring plan -filing

HOUSTON, April 21 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips warned of planned flaring at the Wilmington, California plant, its 139,000 barrel per day (bpd) Los Angeles-area refinery, between Friday and Sunday, according...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:39 pm

Canada asks Norway to help its G8 plan to reduce deaths of poor kids, moms

OTTAWA - The Harper government turned to Norway to help salvage its showpiece G8 maternal and child health initiative after facing heavy criticism for apparently excluding family planning
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:05 pm

Conoco warns of LA refinery flaring plan -filing

HOUSTON, April 21 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips warned of planned flaring at the Wilmington, California, plant of its 139,000 barrel per day (bpd) Los Angeles-area refinery between Friday and Sunday, according...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:03 pm

Covidien Wins GHXcellence Award For Canadian Achievements In Supply Chain Performance

Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced that Covidien Canada received a GHXcellence Award as Supplier of the Year from the Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX). The award, which recognizes the achievements in improving supply chain performance, was presented at the 10th Annual GHX Supply Chain Summit held in Orlando, FL, on March 29-31, 2010. The Summit is the largest healthcare event that focuses on the entire supply chain and common industry issues. The theme of this year's Summit was "Your Challenge. Your Chance. Your Legacy...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 21 Apr 2010 | 4:00 pm

FDA Adds Boxed Warning to Propylthiouracil

The new warning includes a postmarketing data review of cases of severe liver injury and acute liver failure, some fatal, as well as information on whether to use the drug in pregnancy.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 21 Apr 2010 | 3:49 pm

Mercury in Tuna Sushi Higher at Restaurants than Groceries

Tuna sushi from your local supermarket might have lower mercury levels and so be safer to eat than sushi from a high-end restaurant, a new study using fish DNA suggests.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 21 Apr 2010 | 3:27 pm

Radiation for prostate cancer lacks data: U.S. panel (Reuters)

Reuters - There is not enough evidence to sort out the effect of various radiation treatments for prostate cancer patients, especially newer, so-called focused radiation, an advisory panel told the U.S. Medicare agency on Wednesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 21 Apr 2010 | 2:48 pm

CookingLight: A 'less is more' approach to sodium

Sugar hides in plain view on many food labels, as honey, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and any number of nutrient-poor, calorie-rich, so-called "natural" sweeteners. And sugar has good reason to hide: It's the target of big public health campaigns, soda-taxing schemes, and anti-fructose agitation, the result of its suspected link to obesity.