20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors
• Drug Abuse • Oct 26 04
Medical errors are one of the Nation’s leading causes of death and injury. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as…
Prof. says he was pressured to be tobacco advocate
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Oct 26 04
A pharmacology professor testifying in the U.S. government’s $280 billion suit against the cigarette industry said on Monday he quit working as an expert…
Britons want national smoking ban - poll
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Oct 26 04
Nearly seven out of 10 Britons want to see smoking banned in restaurants, pubs and offices, according to a poll published on Tuesday.
Sixty-six…
Chief Justice’s cancer raises new election issue
• Public Health • Oct 26 04
U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the leader of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, has undergone surgery for thyroid cancer, suddenly throwing a political spotlight…
Herbal medicine eases dementia
• Alternative Medicine • Oct 26 04
An herbal medicine used in Asia for 2,000 years can reduce the impact of dementia, a small study suggests.
After 16 people took the…
Shrunken foot muscles signal diabetic nerve damage
• Diabetes • Oct 26 04
The total volume of muscles in the foot is halved in people who have nerve damage resulting from diabetes, compared with diabetics without neuropathy,…
New drugs, plan needed to fight killer TB
• Infections • Oct 25 04
Tests and medicines used to diagnose and combat tuberculosis (TB) in poor countries are outdated and ineffective and new treatments must be developed to…
California ahead on colon cancer screening
• Cancer • Oct 25 04
California has made significant progress in getting the word out about the importance of colorectal cancer screening, the results of the 2001 California Health…
Heart valve replacement makes pregnancy risky
• Pregnancy • Oct 25 04
Among women with artificial heart valves, pregnancy results in live births in only about two thirds of cases, Lebanese researchers report.
As they explain…
Childhood cancer ups later breast cancer risk
• Cancer: Breast • Oct 25 04
Women who survived childhood cancer have an increased risk of developing breast cancer compared with other women their age, the results of the…
Bush, Kerry both seen pressed to curb drug prices
• Public Health • Oct 25 04
The pharmaceutical industry is expected to face pressure to curb rising prescription-drug costs no matter which candidate wins next week’s U.S. presidential election.
Drug…
Laser zaps liver tumors in breast cancer patients
• Cancer: Breast • Oct 25 04
When breast cancer advances, it can spread (that is, metastasize) to the liver. German researchers now report that laser therapy, which can be…
Physical fitness helps kids’ minds, too
• Children's Health • Oct 25 04
The most physically fit group of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders tend to score highest on an academic test known as the Illinois Standard…
“Mad” honey can be a hazard to the heart
• Emergencies / First Aid • Oct 25 04
The cases of 19 patients sent to the emergency room by a dose of “mad” honey highlight the not-so-sweet side of the food, according…
Generic anti-seizure med may not be as effective
• Epilepsy • Oct 25 04
People with epilepsy, and their doctors, should be cautious when switching from brand-name phenytoin (Dilantin) to generic versions, researchers in Minnesota say.
They found…
Breast cancer chemo may increase stroke risk
• Cancer: Breast • Oct 25 04
In general, chemotherapy appears to increase the risk of stroke in patients with breast cancer. However, researchers report in the October 20th…
High birth weight linked to leukemia risk
• Childbirth • Oct 25 04
Heavy babies apparently face a heightened risk of one type of childhood leukemia, a Scandinavian study indicates.
Each kilogram increase in birth weight appears…
New TB vaccine promising in early clinical trials
• Drug News • Oct 25 04
The results of the first early test of a new type of tuberculosis vaccine show that it elicits strong immune responses in adults with…
Newer arthritis drugs linked to skin disorder
• Arthritis • Oct 25 04
Newer drugs like Enbrel and Remicade have been a boon to many arthritis sufferers, but researchers now report that such drugs may lead to…
Drinking tea might delay Alzheimer’s disease
• Neurology • Oct 25 04
Drinking tea appears to affect the brain in a similar way as drugs prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease, UK researchers report.
The team, based at…
Repeat concussions may have lingering symptoms
• Neurology • Oct 25 04
Athletes with a history of concussion are at risk of suffering lasting symptoms the next time they take a blow to the head, according…
Tests begin of flu vaccine grown in insect cell lines
• Infections • Oct 25 04
Scientists are launching a research study to check the effectiveness of a new type of flu vaccine that is made differently than the conventional…
Israel to allow Arafat to leave his compound for medical treatment
• Public Health • Oct 25 04
Israel will allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to briefly leave his compound to receive medical treatment in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli…
Health premium for employees to pay, McGuinty says
• Public Health • Oct 25 04
Toronto - Individual taxpayers - not employers - are the ones who should pay Ontario’s new health premium, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday.
Mr.…
More going for laser eye surgery
• Eye / Vision Problems • Oct 25 04
Singaporeans, who hold the dubious distinction of being the most short-sighted people on earth, are flocking to eye centers for corrective laser surgery after…