National and International News
Bird flu could kill 2 million Britons - The Independent 13/03/05
Two million Britons could die in the bird flu pandemic that experts warn is both imminent and inevitable, one of the country's leading authorities has told The Independent on Sunday.
Call for action over bird flu risk - Daily Mail 13/03/05
Bird flu greater risk than terrorists, says Ken - The Telegraph 13/03/05
Pandemic fear as bird flu infects nurses - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
Fear of bird flu pandemic grows as more humans infected - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Builder wants to lay down tools - The Observer 13/03/05
Dave, a self-employed builder, hopes to retire in two years' time when he is 60, as his health is suffering from the hard physical work.
Letters to the Editor [Letters] - The Observer 13/03/05
Jamie Oliver's attempt to wean schoolchildren off junk food reminds me of a similar attempt of mine.
Dr John Briffa: Off the hoof - The Observer 13/03/05
Eating meat provides growing children with many essential proteins. Dr John Briffa reveals how to beef up a vegetarian and vegan diet
Do the science ... - The Observer 13/03/05
It was the regime designed by doctors for diabetics, but the GI diet has become this year's fashionable cure for anyone wanting to get into a size 10. A newly sculpted Mimi Spencer asks, is it too good to be true?
Jamie Oliver: What's in your basket? - The Observer 13/03/05
Weekdays are a blur, but on Saturdays it's a fry-up in front of Barney the Dinosaur. Dr John Briffa reckons it's generally pukka tucker
Scientist attacks bird flu plans - BBC Health 13/03/05
Government plans to tackle a predicted bird flu pandemic have been attacked by a scientist who fears an outbreak could kill two million people in the UK.
Cut NHS management, Lib Dems say - BBC Health News 13/03/05
The Liberal Democrats are promising to get rid of middle management in the NHS in a bid to increase efficiency.
Cancer results to stay secret - The Observer 13/03/05
Insurers are to be banned from requesting results of new genetic tests to stop women at risk of breast cancer being frightened away from life-saving screening.
School medicals are back to fight obesity - The Observer 13/03/05
Pupils will have their weight, height and diet checked annually at school as part of a radical move to help combat soaring levels of childhood obesity.
Finns' fitness craze takes pole position - The Observer 13/03/05
Nordic walking may raise laughs, but it sheds calories without tears
Say high to these alternative Amsterdams - The Observer 13/03/05
The Dutch are clamping down on coffeeshops, and 'herbal tourists' will soon have to look elsewhere, writes Gemma Bowes
Inside track: Merck Sharp & Dohme - The Guardian 12/03/05
A 60-second cribsheet on some of the country's largest employers of graduates
Legionnaires' case fails - architect still faces charges - The Guardian 12/03/05
The case against a local authority accused of killing seven people who died in Britain's biggest outbreak of legionnaires' disease collapsed yesterday.
Too high a price to pay [Comment] - The Guardian 12/03/05
The law against incitement to religious hatred will only strengthen intolerance and choke off women's right to dissent
This week [Comment] - The Guardian 12/03/05
I have been reading newspapers in waiting rooms a lot this week. I was in hospital with my four-year-old, who has fractured her leg - there's no such thing as a safe slide - so I've been mainly reading Sparkle Fairy magazine. But when I did get a minute for the papers, frankly I wished I hadn't. Browsing through the MRSA league tables was definitely not to be recommended, so I turned to the seemingly innocuous investigation into the death of Tutankhamen. For years, historians have speculated that he was murdered (ah, this looks more absorbing), but now it's thought he died of a fractured leg. Great. Thoroughly depressed, I turned to the Tories' proposed education policy - you can see how desperate I was - and if distraction was what I wanted, then this story drove me to it.
Your shout [Letters] - The Guardian 12/03/05
The reply given by Meriel Schindler (Legal Counsel, March 5) about office access in relation to the Disability Discrimination laws relies on a common misconception that able-bodied people with no experience of disability, are in a position to assess premises and recommend alterations.
Natural health therapist Emma Mitchell answers your questions - The Guardian 12/03/05
I’m 32 and have tonsillitis two or three times a year. My GP prescribes anti-biotics — are there any alternatives?
Time to let Brown play his ace [Comment] - The Observer 13/03/05
It is nearly eight years since Gordon Brown entered the Treasury, to its denizens' applause, on his first day as Chancellor. This Wednesday, he will present what some Blairites bill as his last budget. Up to the last minute, he will be stabbing away with two fingers on his keyboard, refining his speech which will be projected on to the wall of his office in stark block capitals. It will be a Brown classic, dishing his critics who doubted his forecasts for the economy and government borrowing while starkly dramatising the difference between his plans for investment in public services, training and science with the Tories plans for cuts.
Ministers reprieve Alzheimer's treatment - The Observer 13/03/05
Controversial plans to withdraw drugs for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia from the NHS are to be blocked by government ministers amid growing political and public anger.
Why Nice is right [Leader] - The Observer 13/03/05
Howard urges Tories to defy the pundits - The Guardian 12/03/05
Michael Howard today urged Conservatives to have the "self-belief to defy the pundits", as Tory poll ratings rise and the clock ticks towards a May election, in a US-style party jamboree spring conference.
Labour defends 11% rise in public sector jobs - The Guardian 12/03/05
The number of public sector workers has increased by nearly 600,000, or 11%, since Labour came to power in 1997, new figures revealed yesterday.
Tories find their voice in middle England - The Guardian 12/03/05
As Michael Howard and his party begin spring conference, their anti-immigration message seems to be in step with voters' concerns
Margaret Hughes: Prime time: On the march for a better care deal - The Guardian 12/03/05
Dementia sufferers and their carers will march on Parliament next week to protest at the government's means-testing policy and to lobby for free long-term care. More than three out of four people in care homes have Alz-heimer's disease or other forms of dementia - yet most don't qualify for free nursing care. And even if they do, it's usually only for the lowest of the three-tier banding system - which, un like the other two bands, is being frozen at £40 a week for the second year running.
Jackie Clune on conceiving triplets - The Guardian 12/03/05
Comedian Jackie Clune has just discovered she's the one woman in 9,000 who conceives triplets naturally. She expects the immediate future to be no joke
More waiting for NHS ops - Daily Mail 11/03/05
The number of patients waiting for an NHS operation in England continued to rise at the start of the year, new figures have revealed.
Hand gel to fight hospital bugs - Daily Mail 11/03/05
An alcoholic hand gel used to fight infection looks set to be introduced to hospitals across Scotland.
Week to highlight obesity problem - Daily Mail 11/03/05
A week of action to highlight the problem of obesity is to get underway.
Immunisation list found in river - Daily Mail 11/03/05
A health board has launched an investigation after a document giving details of babies on an immunisation list was found in a river.
Medical records found in a river - BBC Health News 11/03/05
More waiting for NHS ops - Daily Mail 11/03/05
The number of patients waiting for an NHS operation in England continued to rise at the start of the year, new figures have revealed.
NHS waiting lists up in January - BBC Health News 11/03/05
More work to hit cancer targets - Daily Mail 11/03/05
More work is needed to ensure the NHS hits key targets to improve the treatment of cancer patients.
Inquiry after bereavement gaffe - Daily Mail 11/03/05
An inquiry is under way after hospital staff mixed up the identities of two patients and then wrongly told one family their relative had died.
Hospital probes identity blunders - BBC Health News 11/03/05
Mother wins landmark appeal - Daily Mail 11/03/05
Doctors will no longer be able to use their previous good record to escape findings of serious professional misconduct following a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal.
Judges overturn ruling on doctor misconduct - The Telegraph 12/03/05
Soap and water is best weapon - Daily Mail 13/03/05
For ridding hands of viruses, nothing beats old fashioned soap and water, scientists have discovered.
Labour claims the NHS is on the mend. But the scandalous truth.... - The Telegraph 13/03/05
The first thing Gwyneth Lester saw when she entered the Maidstone Hospital ward in which her 83-year-old mother-in-law, Mary, was being treated, was a swarm of flies.
The 'silent' killers our hospitals could prevent - The Telegraph 11/03/05
Why do more people die from blood clots after surgery than from the MRSA superbug, asks Christine Doyle
'Safe limit' drinkers risk heart disease - The Telegraph 13/03/05
People who drink close to Government-promoted "safe" limits of alcohol are twice as likely to develop hardened coronary arteries than those who abstain, according to research.
Auntie has a lesson for the NHS [Opinion] - The Telegraph 13/03/05
I don't feel I get an awful lot in return for my £121 a year licence fee, but there was one BBC programme last week which I thoroughly enjoyed - its programme of job cuts. The BBC's director general Mark Thompson announced that 980 of the 3,500 staff employed in its "professional services" department are to be made redundant and a further 750 jobs are to be outsourced to private companies.
Cancer warning over eczema creams - BBC Health News 12/03/05
US authorities have ruled two eczema creams should carry warnings that they may increase the risk of cancer.
Stomach bug's secrets uncovered - BBC Health News 12/03/05
Scientists have discovered why the H. pylori bacterium, which infects half of the world's population, causes stomach problems in some people and not others.
Oily fish helps cut inflammation - BBC Health News 12/03/05
Scientists have discovered why a diet high in oily fish like salmon and mackerel may help improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
Tycoon offers $1m in US coma case - BBC Health News 12/03/05
A US tycoon has offered $1m (£520,000) to the husband of a badly brain-damaged woman to stop him from removing her feeding-tube next week.
Tycoon offers husband of coma woman $1m to reject euthanasia - The Independent 13/03/05
Doctors support 999 call option - BBC Health News 12/03/05
Doctors in Wales have voted to allow GPs to dial 999 to admit seriously-ill patients into hospital.
7,000 Irish smokers kick habit - BBC Health News 12/03/05
More than 7,000 smokers have kicked the habit since Ireland's smoking ban was introduced, according to the country's prime minister.
Drug to cut Parkinson's problems - BBC Health News 12/03/05
A drug can reduce the disability associated with treatment for Parkinson's disease, research suggests.
Experts warn over 'healthy' diets - BBC Health News 11/03/05
London's "highly competitive" culture is being blamed for people taking dieting to dangerous extremes.
Gene blamed for eyesight threat - BBC Health News 12/03/05
Half of all cases of an eye disease which is a leading cause of blindness are caused by a faulty gene, US scientists suggest.
Performance measures are 'crude' - BBC Health News 10/03/05
Increased monitoring of the performance of schools and hospitals does not always lead to improvement, according to a Bristol University report.
Scanners 'can treat depression' - BBC Health News 11/03/05
Scanners can help combat depression, a US study of rats shows.
NHS 'not dealing with complaints' - BBC Health News 10/03/05
The NHS is failing to deal with patients' complaints adequately, according to the Health Service Ombudsman.
Many American Elderly Do Not See A Dentist Because of Cost - Medical News Today 13/03/05
A survey of 415 senior citizens in Western New York, conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine, found that more than half faced barriers to seeing a dentist. Not surprisingly, the most serious barrier reported was cost.
So, is there more to men than sex and cars? Dream on - The Independent 13/03/05
New research shows men revert to stereotype in their dreams. And, oh dear, guess what women fantasise about in their sleep? By Roger Dobson
Public sector workers vote for strike in pension row - The Independent 13/03/05
One of the biggest walkouts in British history was in prospect yesterday after public servants voted to strike over pensions in the run-up to the election.
Cot shortage hits premature babies - The Independent 13/03/05
Scores of women due to give birth to seriously premature babies are having to travel hundreds of miles around Britain because of a massive shortage of NHS intensive care cots.
Cot crisis sends women hundreds of miles to give birth - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
Children as young as three should be told the truth about their sperm-donor fathers - The Independent 13/03/05
First UK study of children conceived by artificial insemination revealed to the 'IoS' has prompted fierce debate. By Sophie Goodchild
Children receive spiritual healing on NHS - The Independent 13/03/05
London hospital appoints 'energy channeler' to help young leukaemia patients with side-effects of chemotherapy
Stricter abortion law call by Howard - The Independent 13/03/05
Tory conference: Leader adopts US-style campaign tactics and becomes first British politician to parade his family on platform
Boys lead girls to smoke and drink - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
BOYS are a bad influence on girls when it comes to smoking and drinking, a new study has shown. Females attending mixed-sex schools were more likely to have tried cigarettes and alcohol than those going to girls-only institutions.
Forty Britons end lives in Swiss suicide clinic - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
FORTY Britons, including two Scottish women, have flown to Switzerland to commit suicide.
The real bugs in the NHS [Letter] - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
AS a neonatal nurse with more than 20 years’ experience, it is of no surprise to me, or my colleagues, that MRSA and many other infections are making their way into neonatal units (News, last week).
Nurses failing to clean beds - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
A STUDY has found that more than four in 10 nurses are failing to clean hospital beds thoroughly between patients and are making do with a quick change of linen, writes Sarah-Kate Templeton.
Earth dads give breast milk a try - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
FOR MANY men fatherhood is not quite the same unless they have shared the experience as far as possible. A survey has found that a third of modern fathers admit to tasting their wife’s or girlfriend’s breast milk.
Midlife crisis? 40 is gateway to happiness - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
Scientists find beginning of middle age is the time when we become content with our lot
Working mothers ‘don’t harm a child’s education’ - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
CHILDREN do not lose out in their educational development by having a working mother, according to a study to be published this week. It rejects the idea that the children of stay-at-home mums do better at school.
Hospital union reveals private contractor rip-off - The Sunday Times 13/03/05
AN NHS hospital run under a flagship private finance initiative contract was charged £200 by a company just to hang a mirror, it has emerged.
Sex with Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson - The Times 12/03/05
My boyfriend ejaculates amost immediately during intercourse. Although he's good at other things in bed, I find the lack of sustained intercourse frustrating. Could his problem be related to the fact that he was circumcised as a child because his foreskin was too tight?
Moving on: his affair still hurts - The Times 12/03/05
I am desperately trying to move on from pain since my husband confessed to a two-year affair. We are in our mid-fifties, have been happy together for 30 years and are still basically happy. He admits that it was a terrible mistake; she was 25 years his junior. She made the first move; working and travelling together gave them the perfect cover. He told her that he would never leave me and did not want a long-term relationship, or more children. She threatened to blackmail him when he tried to end the affair. I am raging at the web of lies and deception, and I am angry for not recognising the clues. They have had no contact since his confession and he has no love for her. But I never knew I could feel such hatred. I have called her, and him, every name under the sun. He takes the line that “I am sorry. But I have chosen you, not her ...” I admit that I would like to punish him, but I never felt that I wanted to leave him — I would never give her that satisfaction! Whenever I have a fit of the weeps, he says to stop the self-pity. There is a huge difference between this rage and self-pity. He won’t agree to counselling as to him it would be paying someone to rake it up again. I need advice. Is this rage normal? How long will I feel it
Serious writer's block - The Times 12/03/05
DVT didn't strike writer Andrew Lycett in hospital or on a plane. He was working in his study at home
Mind over money matters - The Times 12/03/05
In a new TV series Benjamin Fry examines why past traumas can turn us into spendaholics
Getting fat on love - The Times 12/03/05
The BBC’s Lorraine Heggessey donned a ‘fat suit’ to prove that overweight women are not taken seriously — so think twice before moving in with your man
Dr Copperfield: inside the mind of a GP - The Times 12/03/05
Think positive. If avian flu’s going to kill us all we can forget worrying about pensions
Junk medicine: democracy in science - The Times 12/03/05
Neither we, the public, nor politicians should decide on what to research
Analyse this: return of the Time Lord - The Times 12/03/05
DIE-HARD Doctor Who aficionados could hardly contain themselves: a new series of the classic TV show is coming to our screens on March 26 (BBC One, 7pm). Will the Daleks be back? Will they now be able to climb stairs? Will the actor Christopher Eccleston be up to playing the Time Lord? Can Billie Piper cut the mustard as his assistant? And will the dodgy props and backdrops be upgraded to modern standards? Doctor Who is part of the national heritage. It is the longest-surviving sci-fi show in the history of television, and the Doctor himself has gone through seven different incarnations. Lest this shape- shifting seem improbable, we learn that one of the Doctor’s characteristics is “regeneration”, a recreation which suits a thespian’s career changes very nicely.
This won't hurt a bit - The Times 12/03/05
Dentistry is undergoing a gentle revolution that will consign drill-and-fill to history. Jane Feinmann reports on the new ‘minimally invasive’ approach to oral health
Struggling to juggle - The Times 12/03/05
MODERN life is confusing — it’s official. Rapid bursts of information or a continual stream of new gadgets that need mastering can quickly overload our brain’s processing capacity, according to new research by Australian psychologists.
Home or away - The Times 12/03/05
Young mums want to stay at home, but can they afford it?
Keeping baby in the dark - The Times 12/03/05
I recently read an article that said if a baby sleeps with a light on in the bedroom, it could have a detrimental effect on his or her immune system. I am very concerned; could you give me your opinion?
Lunchtime fix: nose-tip surgery - The Times 12/03/05
If you desire a nose like Nicole Kidman’s (who grew her own), tip reshaping could be the answer. Billed as the easy alternative to a full-scale conk job, Simon Withey, a plastic surgeon at University College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital in London, explains that it can be complex.
At your table: garlic - The Times 12/03/05
From curing a cold to easing asthma, garlic is proving to be a drug-free route to health
How to cheat at eating: rice pudding - The Times 12/03/05
SAINSBURY'S LUXURY CREAMED RICE PUDDING Fat 23.8g (425g can) Sugars 37g Price 55p Verdict This rice pudding has a pale, creamy colour with a good balance of rice and sauce, though the rice is a little soft and it’s quite sweet. This is the only one tested that’s made totally from whole milk, which accounts for 77 per cent of the ingredients, and cream, 6 per cent. This gives it a home-made taste but means that it’s also loaded with fat and calories. If you can’t resist, go for a small portion and serve it with something tart such as fresh raspberries or stewed blackcurrants. 534 calories AMBROSIA LOW-FAT RICE PUDDING Fat 3.4g (425g can) Sugars 35.7g Price 48p Verdict This looks like a diet option. It’s very watery and the sauce doesn’t hold the rice even though whey has been added to thicken it. Despite this, the rice has bite, which makes it more satisfying. The flavour is quite bland, with a hint of condensed milk, although it’s actually made from a mixture of skimmed and full-cream milk. However, it’s the only rice pudding tested that’s free of artificial ingredients and it has a slightly lower fat content than the Weight Watchers brand, making it a great healthy eating choice. 344 calories WEIGHT WATCHERS RICE PUDDING Fat 4.3g (425g can) Sugars 19g Price 43p Verdict In the best school-dinner tradition, this rice pudding looks totally unappetising. It’s so stodgy that a spoon stands up straight in it and it’s a slightly alarming pale beige colour. It tastes a bit salty, too, possibly on account of the addition of sodium bicarbonate. This rice pudding also contains an artificial sweetener rather than sugar, which gives it an unpleasant aftertaste. It may be a better calorie option for slimmers, but its taste lets it down. 293 calories
The house work-out - The Times 12/03/05
The health police tell us that small bursts of activity — from fidgeting to vacuuming your flat — can help us to get fit. Patrick Kidd spent a week stepping up without breaking sweat ...
How the fit and fabulous stay that way: Bobbi Brown - The Times 12/03/05
Make-up guru Bobbi Brown, 47, knows all the tricks but says happiness is the best beauty therapy
Hand gel to combat hospital infections - The Times 12/03/05
AN ALCOHOL-BASED hand gel is to be introduced in hospitals across Scotland to try to counter the growing incidence of infections in wards.
Arthritis sufferer tells of worry and expense - The Times 12/03/05
PAMELA DALY’S disabled badge was stolen on four occasions, causing stress and worry and costing her money.
Gangs cash in on disabled car badges - The Times 12/03/05
IT IS a growing crime that takes only a few seconds to commit and requires nothing more sophisticated than a brick, yet costs millions of pounds and affects some of the most vulnerable people in the country.
Indian Province To Offer Financial Incentives for Families With One Female Child in Effort To Correct Gender Imbalance - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Officials of the southern Indian province of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, in an effort to reverse the region's "dramatic drop" in the number of female infants born, announced that the government will provide financial incentives to couples who have a single female child, the... AP/Yahoo! News reports. Many Indian parents prefer male offspring because boys tend to make more money for the family and are less expensive because they do not require a dowry when they marry. As a result, some Indian couples choose to abort female fetuses. In an effort to prevent sex-selective abortions, the provincial government plans to provide $2,300 in insurance payable to single female children of Indian couples in the province who undergo sterilization, according to Rajasekhar Reddy, the top state elected official. The policy would be awarded to girls on their 20th birthdays, Reddy said. The government also will provide a one-time payment of $700 for every girl who reaches the age of 18 (Farooq, AP/Yahoo! News, 3/10). In addition, the government will provide a monthly scholarship of $29 for girls in grades nine through 12 and a one-time payment of up to $1,167 if either of the girl's parents dies. The provincial government also announced a "major publicity campaign" to promote female children featuring Andhra Pradesh native and tennis player Sania Mirza (Farooq, BBC News, 3/9). Mirza will appear on billboards with the slogan, "Your daughter may be the next champion" (Australian, 3/10). India has one of the greatest gender imbalances worldwide, with approximately 927 female infants born for every 1,000 male infants. Approximately 943 female infants are born for every 1,000 male infants in Andhra Pradesh (Reuters, 3/10).
Scientists Discover Sperm Protein Necessary for Conception in Mice; Finding Could Lead to Fertility Treatments - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Japanese scientists recently discovered a mouse sperm protein, which also is present in human sperm, that is necessary for fertilization, a finding that could lead to new fertility treatments, according to a letter published by the scientists in the March 10 issue of the journal... Nature, BBC News reports. The scientists -- led by Masaru Okabe, director of the Genome Information Research Center at Osaka University in Japan -- bred genetically engineered mice lacking an immunoglobulin protein, which the scientists nicknamed Izumo, that is normally present in sperm. Although the mice were healthy and continued to produce sperm, they were unable to impregnate female mice (BBC News, 3/9). Although other scientists recently discovered an egg protein necessary to allow fertilization, called C9, the discovery of Izumo is the first equivalent to be found in sperm, the AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The finding "promises benefits in the clinical treatment of fertility and the potential development of new contraceptive strategies," the research team writes (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/9).
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Calls for Partnership With Antiabortion Advocates To Prevent Unintended Pregnancies - Medical News Today 13/03/05
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan on Thursday at a San Francisco abortion-rights event publicly called for abortion-rights opponents and supporters to work together to prevent unplanned pregnancies, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. During the 10th annual Power of Choice luncheon, which was hosted by San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and attended by about 1,600 women, Keenan said that abortion-rights supporters are "ready to battle the Bush administration" over judicial nominations and reproductive rights but at the same time hope to find common ground with abortion-rights opponents (Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/11). In an attempt to appeal to more moderate voters, NARAL Pro-Choice America placed a full-page advertisement -- headlined "Please, Help Us Prevent Abortions" -- in the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. The ad features an open letter from Keenan saying, "The time has come to join together in a new campaign to reduce the number of abortions" by passing legislation to improve access to contraception (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/16). Although the ads so far have been "met with deafening silence," she said the group has no plans to "let up" on its attempts to find common ground with abortion-rights opponents. Her statements were "echoed" by physicians, attorneys and other reproductive rights advocates at the luncheon, according to the Chronicle. However, Mike Spence, vice president for the California Pro Life Council, said that it might be "difficult for the two sides to minimize their differences," the Chronicle reports. "There is no abortion that is not acceptable to NARAL, so that kind of extremism makes it hard to find common ground," he said (San Francisco Chronicle, 3/11).
Mass Legislature Rejects Governor's Proposal That Would Have Directed Federal Abstinence-Only Funds to Classroom Program - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Both the Massachusetts House and Senate on Wednesday defeated a budget measure proposed by Gov. Mitt Romney (R) that would have required the state to spend its $740,000 federal abstinence-only sex education grant for classroom use only, the... Boston Globe reports (Levenson, Boston Globe, 3/10). Romney last month signed a supplemental budget for the state but returned to the Legislature a section on the state's usage of federal abstinence-only funds. The original Legislature-approved language would have allowed the state Department of Public Health to use the federal funds for classroom use or for outreach campaigns, such as advertisements on buses or in subway stations. However, Romney proposed rewording the language to specify that federal funds can be used only for classroom activities (AP/MetroWest Daily News, 3/10). The state House voted 104-44 to reject the measure, and the state Senate rejected the measure on a voice vote, according to the Globe (Boston Globe, 3/10).
What is a researcher? European Commission defines roles and responsibilities - Medical News Today 13/03/05
The European Commission has today adopted a European Charter for Researchers and a Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. These two documents are key elements in the EU's policy to make research an attractive career, which is a vital feature of its strategy to stimulate economic and employment growth. The Charter and Code of Conduct will give individual researchers the same rights and obligations wherever they may work throughout the EU. This should help counter the fact that research careers in Europe are fragmented at local, regional, national or sectoral level, and allow Europe to make the most of its scientific potential.
Taking Vitamins to Treat Illness - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Vitamins are taking on a new role in health care -- to help manage or treat disease. You may only think of your over-the-counter multivitamin as backup for not getting enough vitamins in your diet. But researchers are finding ways for vitamins to do more.
Blood Levels of Flame Retardant Are Rising, USA - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Levels of commercial flame retardants in human blood samples have risen sharply since the 1970s even as levels of dioxin and other "persistent organic pollutants" have decreased, reports a study in the March Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
RIKEN Develops Snake-like Robot Using Artificial Muscle - Medical News Today 13/03/05
RIKEN announced that it has succeeded in developing a "flexible" robot using artificial muscles made of polymer gel (IPMC [Ionic Polymer Metal Composite] actuator). Developed in collaboration with the Bio-Mimetric Control Research Center of RIKEN and the Research Institute for Cell Engineering of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), this snake-like robot can move forward, step backward and turn around in water.
Researchers Develop Mouse Model - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Researchers at the University of Utah have developed genetically engineered mice that closely mimic what happens to humans who suffer from the juvenile, or dry, form of age-related macular degeneration. The findings are reported in the March 4, 2005 Early Online Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (
http://www.pnas.org).
One year after the terrorist attacks in Madrid, Declaration by European Commission President - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Declaration by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission - “The 11 March attack against Spanish and other citizens was an attack against all European citizens, an attack against the very principles on which the EU is founded.
Hereditary Cancer Expert Links Colorectal Cancer and Jewish People - Medical News Today 13/03/05
In a recent special edition of Familial Cancer, a quarterly Journal of Cancer Genetics, results of research found Ashkenazi Jews may have one of the highest lifetime risks for colorectal cancer of any ethnic group in the world. Henry T. Lynch, M.D., editor of the Journal, professor and chairman of Preventative Medicine and Public Health, and director of the Hereditary Cancer Institute at Creighton University Medical Center, calls for more intensive colorectal cancer screening guidelines as a result of these findings.
Dental practitioners can be instrumental in preventing their patients' eating disorders - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Dental practitioners play a crucial role in the early identification, referral, and case management of their patients with eating disorders, yet little has been reported regarding current secondary prevention practices. Dental professionals are often the first health care providers to identify manifestations of disordered-eating behavior.
ABILIFY Now Applicable to Maintenance Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: FDA Approves New Indication - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Bristrol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical have jointly announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an additional indication for ABILIFY (aripiprazole) Tablets and Oral Solution, atypical antipsychotics, as of March 1.
Kansas Supreme Court Lifts Gag Order in Case Involving Attorney General's Subpoena of Abortion Medical Records - Medical News Today 13/03/05
The Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted a gag order imposed last year in a case involving Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline's (R) attempt to access the medical records of women who underwent late-term abortions at certain clinics in the state, the... AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Hanna, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/10). Two Kansas medical clinics late last month filed a brief with the state Supreme Court requesting that the court block Kline's investigation involving the medical records of about 90 women who sought late-term abortions at the clinics in 2003. According to the brief, Kline last year issued a subpoena ordering the release of complete, unedited medical records -- including each patient's name, medical history, birth control practices, psychological profile and sexual history -- for all women and girls who sought abortions at or after 22 weeks gestation. The brief claims that Kline subpoenaed the records to search for evidence of crimes, including possible violations of laws limiting late-term abortions and requiring mandatory reporting of suspected child sexual abuse (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/4). The two clinics involved in the case also asked the state Supreme Court to lift the gag order imposed by a Shawnee County judge in October 2004, the AP/Wichita Eagle reports.
Illinois House Committee Approves Bill Requiring Medical Care for Fetuses 'Born Alive' Under Any Circumstances - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The Illinois House Judiciary Committee on Civil Law on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill... (HB 984) that would require doctors to provide medical care for any infant "born alive" at any stage of pregnancy under any circumstances, including during abortion procedures, the Chicago Tribune reports (Slife, Chicago Tribune, 3/10). The measure would define a "person" as "every infant member of the species Homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development," according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. The bill describes "born alive" as "any human who has been completely expelled or extracted from the mother and who has a heartbeat or muscle movement, whether or not the umbilical cord is still connected and regardless of whether the expulsion was a result of natural birth, caesarean section or abortion," according to the State Journal-Register. The measure would require that all state laws applying to "people," including murder laws, also would apply to all infants born alive, as defined in the measure, according to the State Journal-Register (Mackey, Springfield State Journal-Register, 3/10). However, the bill includes language specifically stating that nothing in the measure would affect the state's abortion laws, according to the AP/WQAD.com (AP/WQAD.com, 3/9). Committee Chair Rep. John Fritchey (D), who helped to add the language ensuring that the bill would not affect abortion rights in the state, said that, although the bill has a "laudable purpose," he is worried about the "subtext of the bill, which is threatening to a woman's right to choose," according to the State Journal-Register (Springfield State Journal-Register, 3/10). The measure now goes to the full state House (Chicago Tribune, 3/10).
Defenseless Plants Arm Themselves With Metals - Medical News Today 12/03/05
A group of plants that uses metal to defend against infection may do so because the normal defense mechanism used by most other plants is blocked.
Routine Dental Panoramic X-Rays Not Necessary, Study Shows - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Most dental patients would agree that the fewer dental X-rays they are exposed to, the better. Now, a new study by dental researchers at the University at Buffalo has shown that one type of X-ray patients receive routinely, called the panoramic X-ray, could be used selectively in some cases instead of as a routine diagnostic tool.
Biopharmaceutical Company Immune Response Announces Drug Remune Delayed Virologic Failure in Two Studies - Medical News Today 12/03/05
California-based biopharmaceutical company... Immune Response on Wednesday announced that its drug Remune effectively delayed virologic failure in HIV-positive patients who were taking other antiretroviral drugs in two European studies, the AP/Business Week reports. In a Phase II study of 39 HIV-positive patients in Spain, individuals taking Remune were less likely than patients taking a placebo to have a viral load higher than 55,000 copies/mL at 48 weeks, according to the AP/Business Week. In a study of 51 HIV-positive patients in Italy, patients given three injections of Remune had stable CD4+ T cell counts through 28 weeks, compared with patients taking a placebo whose CD4+ T cell counts declined. Immune Response said that the studies were intended to "explore the potential utility of the treatment" with Remune rather than to be used to seek regulatory approval, according to the AP/Business Week (AP/Business Week, 3/9). John Bonfiglio, president and CEO of Immune Response, said, "The positive virologic and immunologic trends, along with HIV-specific immune responses we are seeing in patients treated with Remune in both the Italian and Spanish studies, are a powerful signal for us to continue the direction of our Remune clinical program" (Immune Response release, 3/9).
Number of New AIDS Cases Increase in 2004 in Singapore, Especially Among MSM, Health Minister Says - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The number of new AIDS cases reported in Singapore in 2004 increased to 311, almost 30% more than the number recorded in 2003, Dr. Balaji Sadasivan, senior minister of state for the city state's... Ministry of Health, said in parliament on Wednesday, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. About 90% of the new cases were among men, with about 33% among MSM, Balaji said, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. There are about 2,000 HIV-positive people in Singapore. Balaji said there was a "sharp" increase in the number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men and that there could be 4,000 to 8,000 HIV-positive people living in Singapore who are unaware of their status, according to the AP/Yahoo! News (AP/Yahoo! News, 3/9). Balaji also said that heterosexual, married men who engage in casual sex put themselves and their wives at risk of contracting HIV, adding, "If we do not act to protect women, many women will get infected, and we too will have a situation where women form the majority of AIDS patients," Channel News Asia reports. He said the city state needs to eliminate the stigma of HIV testing and prevent discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients (Channel News Asia, 3/9).
Flu activity declining in USA during week 8 - Medical News Today 13/03/05
During week 8 (February 20-26, 2005), influenza activity has declined in the United States. One thousand twenty-five (21.0%) specimens tested by U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories were positive for influenza viruses.
Genetic Testing -- Is It Right for You? - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Cancer seems all too common in your family, but should you have a genetic test to learn more about your risk?
How long can I use my sunscreen after opening? European Commission- Medical News Today 13/03/05
There will be no more doubts regarding risks linked to the conservation of a beauty cream, sunscreen or a shampoo. From today, cosmetic products with a durability of more than 30 months will have to indicate the time period the product may be used after opening. The motivation behind this initiative is to better inform consumers, given some cosmetics can deteriorate after opening and be possibly harmful to the consumer. This information will be labelled on products by means of a symbol representing an open beauty cream jar followed by the period of use after opening. In addition, as from today the labelling of 26 substances used as perfume and aromatic composition in cosmetic products will be mandatory as these substances may be allergenic. Until now they have only been mentioned in the list of ingredients of cosmetic products under the title 'parfum' or 'aroma'. This new labelling requirement will allow consumers to identify substances they are allergic to.
Nurses not happy at raising pension age, UK - Medical News Today 13/03/05
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is currently consulting its members on the proposals to modernise and review NHS Pensions.
Workplace Health Promotion Programs Show 16:1 Return on Investment - Medical news Today 12/03/05
Health promotion in the workplace can positively affect the bottom line for companies and the waistline for employees, according to Brigham Young University researchers.
'Speaker's cramp', a new type of involuntary mouth-lip-muscle movement - Medical news Today 12/03/05
A task-related spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the mouth and jaw, causing involuntary movements of the mouth and lips (oromandibular dystonia), manifesting only during speech as grimacing and sound distortion, has been diagnosed by a research team in Copenhagen, Denmark, and termed "Speaker's Cramp".
Age shouldn't be a factor in kidney transplantation - Medical news Today 12/03/05
Growing evidence suggests that age alone shouldn't prevent older adults from being organ donors - or having a kidney transplant themselves - according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The findings could help alleviate a serious shortage of organs for transplantation.
Radiography used to identify teens with sleep apnea - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Fifteen percent of all teenagers in the United States undergo orthodontic treatment. Craniofacial Risk Index (CRI) scores, calculated from the radiographs routinely obtained on all orthodontic patients, correctly classified 80% of apneic and 78% of non-apneic adult snorers into high- and low-Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) groups. (Sleep apnea is a temporary suspension of breathing during sleep, with potentially serious consequences.) Researchers at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) wondered whether similar radiographic use could identify adolescent orthodontic patients with high RDI scores.
Playa Del Rey Man Celebrates Surviving an Aortic Dissection - Medical News Today 12/03/05
A hunch on the part of paramedics may have saved Richard Houchin's life when the inner lining of his aorta split apart a year ago. Maybe the Playa del Rey resident is alive today because he collapsed while standing with a business associate who quickly called 911, or because he ended up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the care of Sharo Raissi, M.D., director of Thoracic Aortic Surgery, and a world-recognized specialist in the thoracic aorta.
ACT UP/Paris Protests Against Tenofovir Trials 'Hypocritical,' Contribute to High Cost of AIDS Drugs, Opinion Piece Says - Medical News Today 12/03/05
ACT UP/Paris' protests of a clinical trial testing the antiretroviral drug tenofovir to determine if it can reduce the risk of HIV infection are "hypocritical" because conducting the trials in a low-cost environment will help to keep down the price of antiretroviral drugs, Roger Bate, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece (Bate, Wall Street Journal, 3/11). Cameroon's Ministry of Health last month announced that it had suspended the trial, which involved HIV-negative commercial sex workers in the city of Douala, after ACT UP/Paris alleged that the trial violated ethical norms and called for its cancellation. The group claims that the study recruited particularly vulnerable participants without providing HIV/AIDS prevention information or treatment. However, Family Health International, which is conducting the trial using funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, denies ACT UP/Paris' claim that the study is unethical and is addressing all of the ministry's concerns and recommendations regarding the trial. The health ministry has agreed to allow the follow-up of participants currently enrolled in the trial (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/9). Organizations such as ACT UP/Paris "should encourage, not discourage, cheaper trials in places like Cameroon," Bate writes, adding that any future Gilead profits from HIV/AIDS drugs would serve to encourage further research and development in a shrinking field. The results of the clinical trial are "crucial" because it might prevent someone exposed to HIV from contracting the virus, which is the "best alternative" to prevention until a vaccine is developed, Bate writes. He concludes that "groups like ACT UP need to grow up -- for while their rhetoric is to care for AIDS sufferers around the world, their actions have the opposite effect" (Wall Street Journal, 3/11).
NHS Confederation comment on Labour's health pledge - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The NHS Confederation, whose members include more than 90% of NHS organisations throughout the UK, says that trusts are already tackling the Labour health pledge to reduce maximum waiting times to 18 weeks by 2008.
Longterm care for people with Parkinson's, UK - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) welcomes the National Service Framework (NSF) on Long Term Conditions published today.
Forensic dentistry key in identifying victims of tsunamis, other disasters - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Disaster victim identification (DVI) is an intensive and demanding task involving experts from various disciplines. DVI interventions can be brought to a successful conclusion only if properly planned, involving well-trained key experts and selection of the appropriate forensic diagnostic tools.
Tips to Avoid Falls at Home - Medical News Today 13/03/05
When it comes to household safety, it pays to be proactive. In the United States, about 30,000 people die each year as a result of injuries at home. Falls are responsible for about one-third of home injury fatalities. Older adults are often more susceptible to falling because of a decline in mobility and balance.
Afghani Girl with Heart Defect to Get Treatment Through Project Kids - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Vasila, an 11-year-old Afghani girl, has a beaming smile, a bold singing voice, five brothers and sisters, a house they and their parents share with six other families and, between the 20 children who live there, one toy: a little plastic doll without arms or legs. Vasila also has a congenital heart defect that could take her life if it is not treated within six months.
Exercising When You're Older - Medical News Today 13/03/05
No matter how well you take care of yourself, it's not realistic to think your body can do at 65 what it did at 45 or even 55. That doesn't mean you should reduce physical activities. It does mean you'll need to modify your expectations.
Women Realize Skin Aging in 5-year Cycle, Rohto Pharmaceutical Survey - Medical News Today 13/03/05
Rohto Pharmaceutical (TSE: 4527) announced on March 10 the results of its latest survey on women and skin conditions. The company conducted an Internet survey of 1,142 women aged 25 to 59, and 771 women interested in anti-aging.
Impoverished Areas Have Low Access to Occupational Medicine Services - Medical News Today 13/03/05
High-poverty counties in the Southeastern United States have limited access to physicians and clinics specializing in occupational and environmental medicine (OEM), reports a study in the March Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
New Estimates on Extent of Malaria, Wellcome Trust - Medical News Today 13/03/05
A new comprehensive investigation into the extent of the deadliest form of malaria shows there were over half a billion cases in 2002.
Cardiovascular disease and periodontal bacteria link, study shows - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Researchers report this week that older adults who have higher proportions of four periodontal-disease-causing bacteria inhabiting their mouths also tend to have thicker carotid arteries, a strong predictor of stroke and heart attack.
Here Comes the Sun - and the Allergies - Medical News Today 12/03/05
After months of uncharacteristic amounts of rain, Southern Californians are reveling in the sunny, warm weather of the last week. Some may not be enjoying it as much as others, though, as people with allergies suffer the consequences of the weather change.
Cornea transplants can be improved - Medical News Today 12/03/05
UHC study indicates need for new standards and training - Improving the training and standardizing the procedures used by the nation's eye banks to assess corneal cells may help to select corneas with optimal health for transplantation, according to new study led by Jonathan H. Lass, MD, principal investigator of the study and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Discovery May Lead to Better Candidiasis Drug - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Oral biologists at the University at Buffalo have shown for the first time how histatin, the naturally occurring antifungal agent in saliva, kills the oral pathogen Candida albicans, the fungus responsible for most HIV-related oral infections.
ENDO 2005 - The Endocrine Society's, 87th annual meeting - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Throughout the year, The Endocrine Society hosts a variety of meetings and events on different areas of endocrinology. Members of the press are invited to participate in these events to learn about the latest research and information on endocrine diseases and conditions.
Los Angeles City Council Votes To Allow Pharmacies To Sell Syringes Without Prescriptions - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved 12-0 an ordinance that would allow pharmacies in the city to sell syringes to people without a doctor's prescription, the... Los Angeles Times reports (Hymon, Los Angeles Times, 3/10). Under a new law (SB 1159) that went into effect Jan. 1, cities and counties in California can authorize pharmacies to sell up to 10 sterile syringes at a time to an adult without a prescription. California law previously required prescriptions to purchase syringes, except when used to inject adrenaline or insulin. Under the new law, the state Department of Health Services is responsible for evaluating local syringe sales and must report back to the state Legislature and pharmacies selling syringes without prescriptions must register with their county health department. Pharmacies also must provide educational and referral information and written and verbal counseling to people purchasing syringes without a prescription (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/24). HIV/AIDS advocates have "long sought" an ordinance to allow the sale of syringes at pharmacies because they believe the availability of clean syringes will help reduce the spread of HIV among injection drug users, according to the Times. Under the ordinance, pharmacies can choose whether to sell syringes, and Walgreens already has decided to do so, according to the Times. Los Angeles currently spends about $500,000 annually to support seven needle-exchange programs in the city, and the new measure is intended to be another way to reach injection drug users who do not use the exchanges, according to the Times. To become law, the ordinance must be signed by Mayor James Hahn (D) (Los Angeles Times, 3/10).
House Committee Approves FY 2006 Budget Resolution; Senate Outline Expected To Pass - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The House Budget Committee on Wednesday voted 22-15 to approve its fiscal year 2006 budget resolution, which calls for $69 billion in cuts over five years to mandatory spending programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, about $18 billion more than President Bush requested in his budget proposal, CQ Today reports (Taylor, CQ Today, 3/9). In his FY 2006 budget plan, Bush proposed revisions to Medicaid that he estimated would save $60 billion over 10 years and $14 billion over five years. The Congressional Budget Office projected that Bush's plan would reduce Medicaid spending by $9 billion over five years (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/9). The House budget would require the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid and shares jurisdiction over Medicare Part B, to find $20 billion in savings over five years. The budget also would require the House Ways and Means Committee, which has authority over Medicare Part A, to find $18.7 billion in savings over five years (Weisman, Washington Post, 3/10).
New Ebixa data - safe and effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease - Medical News Today 12/03/05
New data highlights positive effects of Ebixa (memantine) treatment in Alzheimer's disease - New results from a study assessing patients switched from an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor to Ebixa and results from an open label naturalistic study
Positive effects of Ebixa (memantine) treatment in Alzheimer's disease, New data - Medical News Today 13/03/05
New Hand-held Information System for Emergency Responders - Medical News Today 12/03/05
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has announced the release of a PDA software tool designed to help first responders when they arrive at a hazardous material (Hazmat) incident, such as a chemical spill.
Nobel laureates to open ASBMB annual meeting in San Diego - Medical News Today 12/03/05
In a first for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), two Nobel Laureates will share the Herbert Tabor/Journal of Biological Chemistry Lectureship. Both Dr. Michael S. Brown and Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein, who were awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning the regulation of cholesterol metabolism, will be on stage to open the Society's Annual Meeting on April 2 at 6:00 p.m. in San Diego.
Sens. Graham & Sessions Introduce Bill That Would Cap Medicare Drug Benefit Spending to Original CBO Score, USA - Medical News Today 12/03/05
Sensators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) on Thursday introduced legislation that would cap spending on the Medicare prescription drug benefit to the original... Congressional Budget Office estimate of $395 billion over 10 years, CongressDaily reports. The new CBO estimate for the benefit is $849 billion between 2006 and 2015 (CongressDaily, 3/11). Anticipated "savings" could reportedly bring that figure below the $724 billion estimate from the Bush administration (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/7). The bill would establish annual spending caps for the benefit, and the president would be required to submit legislation to scale back the benefit if spending goes beyond that amount. Graham said, "I was always concerned the projected costs of the Medicare prescription drug benefit would turn out to be wrong. Even I was surprised at how quickly and dramatically the projected costs of the program spiked" (CongressDaily, 3/11).
Report Examines Medical Discount Cards - Medical News Today 12/03/05
"Discount Medical Cards: Market Innovation or Illusion?" Comonwealth Fund: The study, written by Mila Kofman, an assistant research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, and colleagues, examines the marketing and sales of medical discount cards and how the cards work. According to the study, many people who sign up for medical discount cards might not have sufficient information about the cards, have difficulty obtaining promised discounts or have trouble finding participating providers (Commonwealth Fund release, 3/11).
Shutting down the HIV assembly line - Medical News Today 12/03/05
After infecting a susceptible cell, the human immunodeficiency virus hijacks that cell's normal machinery to produce carbon copies of itself. New HIV particles roll off the cellular assembly lines, burst like bubbles out of the cell, and float off to invade other cellular factories. Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have now identified an early step in HIV particle assembly. The findings, published March 11 in Cell, could lead to new drugs that combat HIV infection by shutting down the virus's assembly lines.
UK Commission for Africa Report Says Donors 'Not Paying What They Promised' To Fight HIV/AIDS - Medical News Today 12/03/05
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's... Commission for Africa on Friday released its report, which criticized international donors for "not paying what they promised" to fight HIV/AIDS, the Financial Times reports (White, Financial Times, 3/11). The 460-page report calls for a doubling of international aid to Africa to $50 billion annually, the removal of trade barriers, debt forgiveness and increased efforts to address poor governance, corruption and war throughout the continent. The report also calls for annual funding for HIV/AIDS to be increased to $10 billion annually within the next five years (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/9). In addition, the report urges the international community to bring into line the "current disparate response" to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and asks African nations to allocate 15% of their annual budgets to health services and ensure that there are an additional one million health care workers in Africa by 2015 (Agence France-Presse, 3/10). Blair established the 17-member commission, which has nine African members, in February 2004. The commission, which examined challenges facing the continent and ways to resolve those issues, includes politicians, economists and advocates from Africa and developed nations. The report aims to put Africa in the forefront of the international agenda during the United Kingdom's year as chair of the G8 and during its presidency of the European Union (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/9).
Almonds Boost Vitamin E Intake and Lower Cholesterol, New Research - Medical News Today 11/03/05
Grabbing a Handful of Almonds Can Help Overcome America's Vitamin E Shortage - For those concerned about America's vitamin E shortfall, highlighted in the government's recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, consider grabbing a handful of almonds. A new study published in this month's Journal of the American Dietetic Association confirms that eating almonds significantly increases vitamin E levels in the plasma and red blood cells and simultaneously lowers cholesterol levels. This is the first study to demonstrate that eating almonds will result in higher vitamin E levels.
EPO Rules Symbicort® Combination Patent Still Valid - Medical News Today 11/03/05
AstraZeneca announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that the European combination patent for Symbicort® is still valid, despite a challenge by several generic manufacturers. This positive decision means that there will be no change in the validity of the patent for Symbicort, covering the combination of formoterol and budesonide in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
EPA Announces Landmark Clean Air Interstate Rule, USA - Medical News Today 11/03/05
Acting Administrator Steve Johnson today signed the final Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), a rule that will ensure that Americans continue to breathe cleaner air by dramatically reducing air pollution that moves across state boundaries in 28 eastern states. By 2015, CAIR will provide health and environmental benefits valued at over 25 times the cost of compliance, and those benefits will continue to grow.
Hepatitis B Transmission Among Persons Undergoing Blood Glucose Monitoring in Long-Term--Care Facilities - Medical News Today 11/03/05
Regular monitoring of blood glucose levels is an important component of routine diabetes care (1). Capillary blood is typically sampled with the use of a fingerstick device and tested with a portable glucometer. Because of outbreaks of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections associated with glucose monitoring, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended since 1990 that fingerstick devices be restricted to individual use. This report describes three recent outbreaks of HBV infection among residents in long-term--care (LTC) facilities that were attributed to shared devices and other breaks in infection-control practices related to blood glucose monitoring. Findings from these investigations and previous reports suggest that recommendations concerning standard precautions and the reuse of fingerstick devices have not been adhered to or enforced consistently in LTC settings. The findings underscore the need for education, training, adherence to standard precautions, and specific infection-control recommendations targeting diabetes-care procedures in LTC settings.
Novartis investigational renin inhibitor Aliskiren offers once-daily, dose-dependent blood pressure reductions - Medical News Today 11/03/05
Study also demonstrates a safety and tolerability profile for Aliskiren comparable to placebo - Data published in the March issue of the journal Circulation 1 indicates a significant dose-dependent response with the antihypertensive agent Aliskiren vs. placebo and another antihypertensive, irbesartan. Aliskiren (SPP100) is potentially the first in a new class of orally active renin inhibitors in development for treating hypertension with the potential for improved end organ protection.
King's Achieves UK First in Islet Transplantation - Medical News Today 11/03/05
New breakthrough means insulin dependence could be a thing of the past for diabetes sufferers - A multidisciplinary team at King's College Hospital has successfully achieved islet cell¹ transplantation in a Type 1² diabetes patient. This breakthrough has major implications for diabetes sufferers and has never before been achieved in the United Kingdom. The patient, a 61 year old man, now no longer needs insulin injections, following three transplants of islet cells isolated from cadaveric donor pancreases.
Rape and Sexual Violence Ongoing in Darfur - MSF - Medical News Today 11/03/05
Women and girls in war-ravaged Darfur are continuing to suffer a high incidence of rape and sexual violence, according to a report issued today by Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Stories of rape survivors told to MSF are a horrific illustration of the daily reality of the ongoing violence that has displaced almost two million people in Darfur.
Women believe menopausal symptoms require treatment with 64% experiencing severe problems - Medical News Today 11/03/05
3rd European Menopause Survey also highlights loss of confidence in HRT and resultant suffering - More than four out of five women (84%) believe that menopausal symptoms require treatment and should not simply be accepted, according to a survey of over 4200 European women aged 45 to 60 years. However the research - Organon's 3rd European Menopause Survey - also shows that less than half of women have a positive opinion about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) today and many are unaware of its established benefits.
Experimental Microbicide Might Prevent Spread of HIV, Herpes, Pilot Study Shows - Medical News Today 09/03/05
An experimental microbicide gel for women might help prevent the spread of HIV and the herpes simplex virus, according to pilot study data presented on Feb. 24 at the... 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the New York Times reports (Bakalar, New York Times, 3/8). Microbicides include a range of products -- such as gels, films, sponges and other products -- that could help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/3). Dr. Marla Keller and colleagues from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City treated 10 HIV-positive women with the topical vaginal gel, called PRO 2000, which is manufactured by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, and applied a placebo gel to another 10 HIV-positive women. One hour later, the researchers collected and examined secretions from both groups for evidence of viral infection. The researchers found that PRO 2000 significantly reduced viral levels in HIV-positive women without causing an inflammatory response, according to the Times. A 14-day study to test whether repeated applications of the microbicide cause "unacceptable side effects" currently is under way, according to the Times. In addition, researchers are planning a larger study of the microbicide that will include 3,000 women at nine sites.
Netherlands Insurance Association Recommends Offering Individual Life Insurance to Some HIV-Positive People - Medical News Today 10/03/05
A Netherlands insurance industry association on Wednesday announced it has begun recommending that its members offer individual life insurance plans to some HIV-positive people, and six companies so far have agreed to do so, the... AP/Jerusalem Post reports. The Dutch Association of Insurers advised its members to insure HIV-positive people who have responded well to treatment, do not have other medical complications and who have never used injection drugs, according to a statement from the group (AP/Jerusalem Post, 3/9). Successful treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy, which is a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs, is one of the most important conditions for an HIV-positive person to qualify for life insurance, the Netherlands' Expatica News reports. The cost of life insurance premiums for HIV-positive people who qualify is expected to be comparable to the cost of policies offered to people who have diabetes or are obese. The insurance initially is expected to be offered to about 25% of the 10,000 HIV-positive people living in the country, with the number expected to increase significantly over the next few years, according to Expatica News (Expatica News, 3/9). The Dutch Association of Insurers represents more than 95% of the insurance market expressed in terms of gross premium income (DAI Web site, 3/9). An individual life insurance policy often is required to acquire a mortgage in the Netherlands, according to the AP/Post.
Department of Justice Looking Into GlaxoSmithKline's Prescription Drug Price Disclosures to Medicaid - Medical News Today 10/03/05
GlaxoSmithKline in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing said that the Department of Justice is investigating whether the company violated Medicaid requirements by not properly disclosing some drug pricing arrangements, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under federal law, drug manufacturers are required to report to the government the lowest price that any client is charged for a drug. Medicaid officials use the figure to calculate reimbursement rates "at discounts similar to those available to other big purchasers," according to the Journal. The law permits manufacturers to omit prices that are less than 10% of the average manufacturer price, with the intention of allowing manufacturers to charge charitable organizations a lower price without having to give the same discounts to Medicaid. Some lawmakers recently have voiced concerns that some drug manufacturers might be using the provision to offer steep discounts to certain health care providers without reporting the prices to the government. Officials for GSK said they are cooperating in the investigation and have provided documents and information related to their drug pricing arrangements. DOJ attorneys in the case also are handling an ongoing probe into whether GSK and other companies overstated the average wholesale prices of some drugs in an attempt to inflate Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates. The Senate Finance Committee last year, in an inquiry that is still under way, requested information from 19 drug companies, including GSK, about their pricing practices. GSK spokesperson Mary Anne Rhyne said that the company is "not aware if there is a link" between the investigations. Rhyne would not provide specific details on the investigation, saying that the company has not yet taken a public stance (Lueck, Wall Street Journal, 3/9).
Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report Summarizes Editorials on Florida Governor's Proposal for Abortion Alternative Counseling - Medical News Today
Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings (R) last week announced that Gov. Jeb Bush (R) plans to ask the state Legislature to authorize $4 million to launch a statewide program to counsel pregnant women and promote alternatives to abortion. The Pregnancy Support Services Program would establish a toll-free hotline to direct women with unplanned pregnancies to local not-for-profit organizations that oppose abortion rights. The organizations -- which would receive state grants and could include religious groups -- would provide services for pregnant women, including helping to find shelter, maternity clothing and infant supplies and providing information about adoption. The program also would provide pregnancy support services, state-funded individual counseling for women up to one year after giving birth and parental skill development classes. In addition, the program would promote abstinence as the best way to prevent unplanned pregnancies (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/2). Several newspapers recently have published editorials about the proposal. Some of them are summarized below.
New radiography qualification for dental nurses - Medical News Today 10/03/05
A new 'Certificate in Dental Radiography' that allows dental nurses to take X-rays in compliance with current legislation has been launched. The qualification is awarded by the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) and has been developed with the help of the College of Radiographers, the British Dental Association and the British Society of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology. It is also supported by the Dental Nurse Standards and Training Advisory Board of the General Dental Council.
Response From Epilepsy Voluntary Organisations To New NHS Initiative On Long-Term Conditions, UK - Medical News Today 10/03/05
Epilepsy voluntary organisations welcome new UK Government plans to establish quality standards for services for people with long-term neurological conditions, but call for an urgent rethink on funding to address the serious gaps in service provision and improve the health of people with epilepsy.
Orchid Launches Scrapie Susceptibility Testing Kit - Medical News Today 10/03/05
New Offering Makes Orchid's Highly Accurate and Robust Scrapie Susceptibility Assay More Widely Available to Customers - Orchid BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORCH), a leading worldwide provider of identity DNA testing services, today announced the launch of a new testing kit for scrapie susceptibility based on its highly accurate and robust proprietary genotyping assay. Orchid, the largest provider of scrapie susceptibility genotyping in the world, has already used this assay to genotype more than 1.3 million sheep in its U.K.-based, high throughput scrapie susceptibility testing service. The new kit has been designed for customers with lower-throughput testing requirements who want to benefit from the accuracy of this analytical approach when conducting sheep genotyping in their own laboratories.
Father of Regenerative Medicine Pushes M Prize Over the $1 Million Mark - Medical News Today 10/03/05
In a move that will push the Methuselah Foundation's M Prize over the $1 million mark, Dr. William Haseltine, biotech pioneer of Human Genome Sciences fame, has joined the Three Hundred, a group of individuals who pledge to donate $1000 per year to the M Prize for the next 25 years. "I am delighted that my decision to join the Three Hundred has pushed the prize fund over its first one million dollars, which I trust is only the first of many millions," said Dr. Haseltine of his decision. "There's nothing to compare with this effort, and it has already contributed significantly to the awareness that regenerative medicine is a near term reality, not an IF."
Federal Government's Restrictions on Medicaid Mental Health Funds Affect Children's Services, Sen. Collins, Rep. Waxman Say - Medical News Today 10/03/05
The federal government's misinterpretation of a Medicaid law is potentially harming children's access to mental health services, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said on Tuesday in a letter to... CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and HHS Acting Inspector General Dan Levinson, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. Recently, the federal government audited state Medicaid programs to determine whether federal funds had been used to pay for care of children living in mental institutions, AP/Newsday reports. According to the audit, federal law prohibits Medicaid funds to be used for any services provided in state-operated psychiatric hospitals for people under age 65; an exception exists for inpatient psychiatric services for those younger than age 21. However, other medical treatment provided to such children cannot be paid for with Medicaid funds, the audit says. As a result of the audit, the federal government has asked California, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Virginia to repay more than $10 million in federal funds that were used to pay for care of children in institutions, according to AP/Newsday. But Collins and Waxman in the letter said that Congress in 1972 approved an exemption that allows Medicaid to fund children's "inpatient psychiatric hospital services," which, according to Collins and Waxman, includes medical treatment. They said, "Because the loss of these funds could threaten the viability of institutions that provide critical mental health services, these audits are a direct threat to the health of needy children." CMS spokesperson Mary Kahn said the agency is "looking into the situation" (AP/Long Island Newsday, 3/9).
Genetic Therapy Reverses Nervous System Damage in Animal Model of Inherited Human Disease - Medical News Today 10/03/05
By injecting a therapeutic gene directly into the brain, researchers have treated a naturally occurring genetic disease in cats. This is the first genetic disease affecting the central nervous system to be successfully treated in an animal larger than mice and rats. If this approach can be successfully applied to humans, say the researchers, it might one day treat an entire class of diseases called lysosomal storage disorders, which cause severe, sometimes fatal, disabilities in about one in 5,000 births. The members of the research team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the U.S. Naval Academy published their findings in this month's issue of the Annals of Neurology.
Rethink On EU Services Directive Welcomed by The Pharmacy Profession, UK - Medical News Today 09/03/05
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has welcomed a decision by the European Commission to open the way for a rethink on proposed legislation designed to liberalise the EU market in services. As part of a growing EU public affairs programme, the Society has been actively lobbying both in its own right and in association with other organisations to highlight its concerns about the directive and call for a radical rethink of some of the proposed legislation. On March 2, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso announced that the European Commission considered the services directive to be seriously flawed and would need to be radically revised. During a press conference the following day, Internal market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy announced that, as part of this revision, sectors such as health and publicly funded services of general interest needed to be excluded from the scope of the Directive.
Taiwanese Health Dept. Considers Needle-Exchange Program To Reduce Spread of HIV Among Injection Drug Users - Medical News Today 09/03/05
Taiwan's... Department of Health is considering implementing a needle-exchange program to help reduce the number of new HIV cases among injection drug users in the country, the Taipei Times reports. According to Taiwan's Center for Disease Control, 446 injection drug users were infected with HIV in 2004, a sixfold increase over 2003 figures, and 80% of HIV-positive people in the country were infected with the virus through injection drug use, the Times reports. "The chances of drug users contracting HIV here is very high," DOH Director-General Hou Sheng-mou said, adding, "We are brainstorming ideas and will put forth a practical solution soon." Taiwanese health officials are considering a "harm-reduction" model used in Australia that includes a needle-exchange program, according to the Times. "The needle-exchange program has been effective in containing the disease in Australia," Ling Ting, deputy director of the Taiwan's CDC, said, adding, "We are willing to experiment with the radical pilot project after reaching a consensus." Implementing a needle-exchange program in Taiwan would require the support of police and the courts, according to the Times. "If we are to offer clean needles, we first need to revise a host of statutes that outlaw drug use," Ling said, adding, "We have to persuade (drug users) that we are here to help them, not to bust them."
Breast Cancer - Simple Question from your Doctor Can Help Identify Your Risk - Medical News Today 09/03/05
1 out of 7 Minority Women Lack Important Family History of Breast Cancer - Having your doctor ask you about your family breast health history can greatly increase the chances of identifying your risk for breast cancer. In a recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers found that only 26% out of 1700 women in the Greater Boston area had documentation of their family history of breast cancer. Further data showed that minority women were significantly less likely to have this information asked about or recorded than white women.
Health Care for Muslim Women in the USA, Post Conference News Brief - Medical News Today 09/03/05
A conference titled, "Patient-centered Health Care for Muslim Women in the United States," the first of its kind in North America, was held on March 4 and 5, 2005 at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This event was the first in a series of activities designed to identify and overcome patient, provider and health services related factors that are barriers to the provision of high quality, culturally appropriate, patient-centered care for Muslim women. Participation was not limited to any professional, racial or ethnic group. More than 200 participants from across the country attended the conference.
MUHC researchers make cancer target breakthrough - Medical News Today 09/03/05
Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), in Montreal, have identified a new gene to combat cancer. In a new study, published in the on-line edition of the journal Clinical Cancer Research this week, the researchers document a reduction in the growth of both colon and lung cancer tumors with inhibition of the gene.
Second Nurse Suspected to Have Bird Flu in Vietnam - Reuters 11/03/05
A Vietnamese nurse who tended a bird flu patient with a colleague who has since tested positive for the deadly virus has been hospitalized after showing symptoms of the disease, health officials said on Saturday.
Won't Ban Junk-Food Ads for Kids, Official Says - Reuters 11/03/05
The U.S. government will not ban or limit junk-food advertising to children, but wants the industry to set new guidelines to promote healthy eating and minimize obesity, a top regulator said on Friday.
Blacks Get Less Aggressive Heart Attack Treatment - Reuters 11/03/05
The gap is narrowing, but African Americans who suffer a heart attack are still getting less aggressive treatment compared with whites, according to a new study.
China Launches First Human Trials of AIDS Vaccine - Reuters 13/03/05
China, criticized for a slow initial response to its AIDS/HIV crisis, has begun its first human trials of a new AIDS vaccine, Xinhua news agency said.
Canada 'Nowhere Near' Internet Pharmacy Clampdown - Reuters 11/03/05
Canada said on Friday it was "nowhere near" deciding how to clamp down on Internet pharmacies that send cheap medicine to the United States, often without Canadian doctors having seen the patients.
FDA Panel Backs Bristol-Myers Hepatitis Drug - Reuters 11/03/05
U.S. health experts on Friday praised the effectiveness of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s experimental hepatitis B drug and recommended the Food and Drug Administration approve it to treat the liver disease in adults.
Baby's Size Linked to Birth Size of Both Parents - Reuters 11/03/05
Having a father who was a small infant more than triples the chances that a baby will also be born small. Furthermore, if this is the case for the mother as well, the likelihood is over 16 times greater, according to study findings reported by French and US researchers.
Even a Late Exercise Start Cuts Heart Risks - Reuters 11/03/05
Adopting a regular exercise routine for the first time late in life reduces the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, Canadian researchers found in a clinical study of older people.
Heavy Drinking Tied to Hardening of Heart Arteries - Reuters 11/03/04
In contrast to the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol intake on the heart, higher levels of alcohol consumption are linked to calcification of the coronary arteries, researchers report.
Some 'Senior Moments' Are Signs of Epilepsy - Reuters 11/03/05
Memory blanks, losing train of thought, temporary confusion -- all are often chalked up to "senioritis" once people reach a certain age. But these symptoms can also be a warning sign of the seizure disorder epilepsy, experts said Friday.
Older Siblings Smarter, Norwegian Study Shows - Reuters 11/0/05
First born children in Norway get better education and as adults are more successful in the job market than younger siblings, a Norwegian-U.S. study showed.
Bill Clinton Rests After Successful Surgery in NY - Reuters 10/03/05
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is expected to make a full recovery after surgery on Thursday to remove scar tissue and fluids from his chest just months after a heart-bypass operation, his doctors said.
Clinton Out of Surgery, No Complications - Reuters 10/03/05
Bill Clinton to undergo heart surgery again today - Medical News Today 10/03/05
Medieval Plague May Explain Resistance to HIV - Reuters 10/03/05
The persistent epidemics of hemorrhagic fever that struck Europe during the Middle Ages provided the selection pressures that have made 10 percent of Europeans resistant to HIV infection, according to a UK study.
Hip Socket Instability Raises Osteoarthritis Risk - Reuters 10/03/05
Older adults with a developmental abnormality of the hip socket that makes the joint unstable are more than four times more likely than unaffected people to develop osteoarthritis of the hip, Dutch researchers report.
Gene Identified in Major Cause of Blindness - Study - Reuters 10/03/05
A variation in a single gene could be responsible for half of all cases of age-related macular degeneration, researchers said on Thursday in a finding that could lead to better treatment for a leading cause of blindness.
Anti-Obesity School Program Prevents Purging Too - Reuters 10/03/05
A school-based program to prevent obesity may also be effective in preventing adolescent girls from vomiting or using laxatives or diet pills to control their weight, new study findings show.
Malaria Estimated at 515 Million Cases Worldwide - Reuters 09/03/05
More than half a billion people, nearly double previous estimates, were affected by the deadliest form of malaria in 2002, scientists said Wednesday.
High and Low Blood Pressure Bad for Brain Function - Reuters09/03/05
New research indicates that high and abnormally low blood pressures can have a detrimental effect on one's thinking ability or cognitive function.
Early Warning System Seen for Deadly Leg Clots - Reuters 09/03/05
An early warning system can help doctors prevent many cases of deep-vein thrombosis, the so-called "economy-class syndrome" that causes potentially fatal blood clots, researchers said on Wednesday.
Nordics Stock Up on Antivirals as Flu Fears Mount - Reuters 09/03/05
Norway said on Wednesday it would stock antiviral drugs for a third of the population, amid growing concern in Nordic states of a shortage of drugs to treat a predicted human influenza pandemic.
Yearly Eye Exams Not Needed for All Diabetic Kids - Reuters 09/03/05
Diabetes can lead to retina damage, and an annual eye exam is currently recommended for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. However, an Australian team suggests that screenings at least two years apart are safe in most cases.
Study: Plavix Saves Lives After Big Heart Attacks - Reuters 09/03/05
Patients whose clot-clogged arteries were treated with standard drugs, including aspirin, following serious heart attacks were more likely to maintain opened arteries and live longer if they also took the anti-clotting drug Plavix, researchers said.
Vietnamese Relatives Have Bird Flu, No Symptoms - Reuters 09/0/05
Two elderly Vietnamese relatives of people who died of bird flu have tested positive for the deadly virus despite showing no symptoms, health officials said Wednesday.
