Emergencies / First Aid

Hormone brain natriuretic peptide can predict pulmonary hypertension

Measuring levels of a hormone called brain natriuretic peptide in individuals with serious lung disease can predict the presence of pulmonary hypertension and a…    

Mammography rates better with shared care

If follow-up mammography is an indicator of quality breast cancer care, then older survivors who receive shared care--provided by both a primary care physician…    

US unprepared for, overwhelmed by Katrina - report

Federal emergency agencies were unprepared for the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina and quicker involvement by President George W. Bush might have improved their response,…    

Biopsy Remains Best Way to Verify Mammography Results

Biopsy remains the gold standard for evaluating women who have abnormal mammography findings, according to a government report that found noninvasive imaging tests such…    

Lives will be saved as early signs of meningitis now identified

Scientists in the UK say they have identified the early signs of meningitis and blood poisoning which should improve detection of the disease and…    

Guidelines Needed to Help Care for Children During Emergencies

Evidence-based guidelines for the care of children in emergency situations should be developed and distributed to international relief organizations, according to researchers from the…    

New rapid test can identify bird flu in 15 mins

The diagnostic test maker Inverness Medical Technology Inc. says its Binax Inc. unit has been granted U.S. regulatory approval to add a bird flu…    

Accurate and rapid method of diagnosing bacterial meningitis

University of Sydney researchers at Westmead Millennium Institute develop an accurate and rapid method of diagnosing bacterial meningitis.…    

OTC painkillers relieve muscle pain

Use of the painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or the combination of the two are equally effective for…    

Businesses prepare for bird flu disruptions

Global corporations are crafting emergency plans for remote work sites and stockpiles of masks and antiviral medicines in case dire predictions of a worldwide…    

‘Morning-after’ pill doesn’t increase unsafe sex

Allowing ‘morning-after’ contraceptive pills to be sold over the counter does not increase their use, suggesting that easy availability does not lead to an…    

Rat poison deemed “potential agent of terror”

A type of rat poison, which is illegal in the United States, has the potential to be used in an intentional mass poisoning…    

Access to trauma centers often limited in US

If they were to be seriously injured, many Americans would have to travel an hour or more to reach a trauma center, according to…    

Pill camera spots polyps in small intestine

A tiny swallowable camera-in-a-capsule is more effective than standard imaging methods in identifying intestinal polyps in the small intestine, according to results presented at…    

Drug combo curbs nausea of chemotherapy

For cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy that includes cisplatin, the combination of two drugs is better than one for curbing acute cisplatin-induced    

Many women wait weeks for a mammogram

Many Mammogram facilities in the U.S. are facing staffing shortages, which, if left unaddressed, may further limit women’s access to mammograms and…    

Mexico culls chickens with bird flu in the north

Mexico slaughtered chickens on farms in Northern Mexico this month and put a million more in quarantine after discovering low-pathogenic cases bird…    

‘GlucoWatch’ may be useful in diabetic tots

A wristwatch-like monitor that checks blood sugar without a needle may be useful for managing Diabetes in young children, new…    

Over 180,000 Darfur deaths in 18 months: UN envoy

The U.N. emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, estimates that more than 180,000 people have died in Sudan’s Darfur from hunger and disease over the…    

MRI scans could have antidepressant effect -study

High-speed magnetic resonance imaging scans produce effects in rats similar to the use of antidepressants, confirming observations made in human patients,…    

Banned rat poison may still pose threat

A highly toxic rodent poison, banned worldwide since 1984, may still pose a risk to public health due to its continued illegal sale and…    

Men likelier than women to have bowel cancer test

Men are more likely than women to take up invitations for bowel screening, according to a large Cancer Research UK study published in…    

Factors Should Signal Heart Disease In Women

Delay To Emergency Room Could Cause Heart Muscle Damage

Men and women share many risk factors for heart disease, the No. 1…    

New Tests Provide Clues to Fetal Health

Two new techniques, one using maternal blood and the other amniotic fluid, should give health-care providers new insight into the health of a baby…    

Antibiotic overuse linked to high resistance rates

Overprescribing antibiotics to patients is associated with high rates of antibiotic resistance in southern and eastern Europe, according to a report from the Netherlands.…