Judge skeptical of tobacco argument in U.S. suit
• Public Health • Feb 25 05
A federal judge on Thursday voiced skepticism about a key argument that cigarette makers are using to defend themselves against government charges of…
New strain of HIV in New York City still worrisome
• AIDS/HIV • Feb 25 05
Scientists say they have so far been unable to figure out why a new drug-resistant strain of HIV identified in New York City progresses…
Flu shots effective in kids older than two
• Children's Health • Feb 25 05
Flu vaccines are effective in preventing the illness in children older than two years, according to a new report.
However, the researchers stressed that…
Men likelier than women to have bowel cancer test
• Emergencies / First Aid • Feb 25 05
Men are more likely than women to take up invitations for bowel screening, according to a large Cancer Research UK study published in…
Wash helps stop “mad cow” transmission in surgery
• Infections • Feb 25 05
British scientists said on Friday they had developed a cheap and effective detergent wash that virtually eliminates the risk of spreading variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob…
Eating breakfast may do a heart good
• Fat, Dietary • Feb 25 05
Mom may have been right when she said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A small study suggests that skipping that…
Global anti-smoking pact takes effect on Sunday
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Feb 25 05
A global treaty aimed at dissuading children from smoking and helping adults kick the habit comes into force on Sunday despite what health officials…
Dirty water, poor sanitation kill thousands daily
• Public Health • Feb 25 05
Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation kill 4,000 children every day, global health experts said on Friday.
They described the deaths as a “silent…
Ethiopia records polio case as virus spreads
• Infections • Feb 25 05
A two-year-old girl has contracted polio in Ethiopia in another sign that the epidemic is spreading across Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said…
Asian countries appeal for bird flu help
• Flu • Feb 25 05
Asian countries battling a bird flu virus that threatens to create a human pandemic that could kill millions need urgent help from the wealthy…
Platelet transfusions carry risk of infection
• Infections • Feb 25 05
Despite the fact that a blood infection called bacterial sepsis is one of the most frequent causes of death in people who have received…
More drugs better for protecting baby from HIV
• AIDS/HIV • Feb 25 05
Scientists defended the practice of giving a single dose of the drug nevirapine to protect newborns from their mothers’ AIDS infections, saying on Thursday…
Anti-smoking message saves heart patients’ lives
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Feb 25 05
Counseling people who have survived a heart attack about quitting smoking before they have even checked out of the hospital appears to reduce their…
Wives of smokers run risk of stroke
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Feb 24 05
Smoking by husbands is associated with an increased occurrence of stroke among their non-smoking wives, according to a new study.
“Growing evidence suggests that…
Malaria preventive linked to ‘psychiatric events’
• Drug Abuse • Feb 24 05
People traveling in tropical areas who take the anti-malaria drug mefloquine appear to be prone to psychiatric events such as anxiety or psychosis, new…
UN predicts 9.1 billion people on earth by 2050
• Public Health • Feb 24 05
The human race is expected to swell from the current 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion people by 2050, with populations exploding in hungry developing…
US poll backs bigger gov’t role on drug prices
• Drug News • Feb 24 05
Nearly two-thirds of people want the U.S. government more involved in limiting the price of prescription drugs, according to a survey released on…
Hospitals aim to split device savings with doctors
• Public Health • Feb 24 05
Hospitals desperate to save money are trying to get doctors to find methods of cutting supply costs and offering to share savings with doctors.
…Heart attack risk with HIV drugs a concern
• Heart • Feb 24 05
The risk of having a heart attack for HIV-positive people increases the longer they’re on anti-HIV drug therapy, according to the latest results of…
Nerve factor infusion improves Parkinson’s disease
• Neurology • Feb 24 05
Continuous infusion of substance derived from specialized brain cells improves symptoms and quality of life for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), according…
Meditation technique helps lower blood pressure
• Alternative Medicine • Feb 24 05
Transcendental meditation is an effective alternative to blood pressure-lowering medication, according to the results of a study involving African Americans.
Deaths from UK hospital superbug rising - report
• Public Health • Feb 24 05
Deaths involving the hospital “superbug” MRSA in England and Wales have risen in recent years, according to a report on Thursday.
Nigeria to expand therapy to 100,000 AIDS patients
• AIDS/HIV • Feb 24 05
Nigeria will dramatically increase the number of AIDS sufferers receiving life-saving drugs this year after its cash-strapped AIDS programme received a financial boost, the…
Studies expose bacterial secret for infecting body
• Infections • Feb 24 05
Bacteria that cause a range of diseases from dysentery to plague use a needle-like “sword” to attack cells, and some have evolved a shield…
Pregnant women risk murder in U.S., report finds
• Pregnancy • Feb 24 05
Murder is a surprisingly common cause of death among pregnant women in the United States, U.S. government researchers reported on Wednesday.