One in four smokers will get lung disease
• Respiratory Problems • Oct 17 06
At least one in four heavy, long-term smokers who do not quit will develop the deadly lung disease COPD, Danish scientists said on…
Abuse of caffeine pills can land you in intensive care
• Drug Abuse • Oct 17 06
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) says many young Americans are ending up in hospital because of an abuse of caffeine medications.
It…
How Much Influence Do Medical Publications Have On Your Doctor?
• Public Health • Oct 17 06
New research by Saint Louis University in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association asks two intriguing questions: How much impact do articles in…
Americans piled up Tamiflu on bird flu fear
• Flu • Oct 17 06
Fears of a bird flu outbreak led Americans to hoard the antiviral drug Tamiflu in 2005, with prescriptions spiking most sharply when media coverage…
Gene Involved In Common Birth Defect Also Regulates Skin Biology
• Dermatology • Oct 16 06
Following up on an earlier discovery that a gene called IRF6 is involved in the common birth defect cleft lip and palate, researchers at…
Amateur Soccer Has High Rates of Face and Mouth Injuries
• Surgery • Oct 13 06
Amateur soccer is responsible for a surprisingly high number of fractures and other significant injuries to the mouth, jaw, and face, reports a study…
American Indians Most Likely to Feel Health Care Discrimination
• Public Health • Oct 12 06
American Indians and Alaska Natives, especially if they identify themselves as American Indian and white, are more likely than other racial groups to feel…
Blacks, Whites Differ on End-of-Life Treatment
• Public Health • Oct 12 06
A small study of preferences for life-sustaining treatment shows up a divide along racial lines. Lead study author William Bayer, M.D., says the wishes…
Bird flu back again in Egypt
• Flu • Oct 12 06
According to the World Health Organisation, Egypt has reported it’s first case of bird flu in five months.
This latest case has appeared in…
New Vaccines Available For Children and Adolescents
• Children's Health • Oct 10 06
Several new vaccines have been licensed and approved for use within the past year - extending the immunization period from childhood into adolescence. Discussing…
Depressed smokers can be helped to kick the habit
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Oct 10 06
Staged smoking cessation interventions can help smokers who are receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment for depression quit smoking, a study shows.
“The mental health system…
Stroke Symptoms Common Among General Population
• Stroke • Oct 09 06
As many as 18 percent of adults who have no history of stroke report having had at least one symptom of stroke, according to…
Appetite Changes, Depression Signal Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson
• Neurology • Oct 09 06
Parkinson disease patients who develop impulse control disorders as a result of treatment are more likely to be depressed, irritable, and have appetite changes,…
Mediterranean Diet Associated with Reduced Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Neurology • Oct 09 06
Eating a Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables and olive oil and includes little red meat, is associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s…
Drug May Help Women Stop Smoking
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Oct 09 06
Adding the opiate blocker naltrexone to the combination of behavioral therapy and nicotine patches boosted smoking cessation rates for women by almost 50 percent…
New bird flu vaccine promises to offer cross-protection
• Flu • Oct 05 06
Early clinical trials of a new bird flu vaccine have produced promising results and a phase 3 trial of the cell-based H5N1 flu vaccine…
Breast feeding confers many benefits but making a child smarter is not one of them
• Children's Health • Oct 05 06
New research by Scottish scientists has found that whether a child is breastfed or not has no bearing on their intelligence.
Although some earlier…
Carrot juice with botulism latest food scare from California
• Food & Nutrition • Oct 05 06
A Floridian woman, the fourth victim of botulism poisoning contracted from drinking spoiled carrot juice, is suffering from paralysis.
Her case has prompted the…
88% of uninsured children live in households with a working parent
• Children's Health • Oct 05 06
A majority of the nine million uninsured children in the U.S. live in households where at least one parent works full-time, year-round, according to…
New Study Suggests Perchlorate Effects on Thyroid Function of U.S. Women
• Endocrinology • Oct 05 06
Early last year, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel concluded its review of research on the health effects of perchlorate, an inorganic anion…
One-third of U.S. kids unfit
• Children's Health • Oct 04 06
Researchers in the U.S. report that as many as one-third of American children are physically unfit but boys are in better shape than girls.
…
Food like an addictive drug for some people
• Food & Nutrition • Oct 04 06
Researchers in the U.S. have found that the same brain circuits are involved when obese people fill their stomachs as when drug addicts think…
Obese Smokers at Higher Risk of Death
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Oct 03 06
People who are both very obese and who smoke increase their risk of death by 3.5 to 5 times that of people of normal…
Bayer forgot to tell risks of heart surgery drug
• Drug Abuse • Oct 03 06
According to the German drug giant Bayer AG, the reason the company failed to inform U.S. regulators about a study on the risks of…
Low birth weight linked to low IQ in teens
• Children's Health • Oct 03 06
Adolescents with a low birth weight, defined as less than 4.4 lbs., have lower IQ scores than other teens and are also more likely…