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 Back to Medical News Today Archives
Medical News Today: 02-01-2006
According to medical professionals in northern Iraq, there is a serious shortage of medicines to deal with the sudden outbreak of bird flu in the Sulaimaniyah area. In fact, things are so bad there that their pharmacies have just 30 pills (in total) to treat a growing number of patients. 30 pills would just about treat four patients... click link for more info.
Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder - the most chronic and disabling of the severe mental illnesses. The first signs of schizophrenia, which typically emerge in young people in their teens or twenties, are confusing and often shocking to families and friends. Hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, unusual speech or behavior, and social withdrawal impair the ability to interact with others... click link for more info.
We used to think that pregnancy could get rid of depression as the mother-to-be experiences a surge of hormones. However, it seems this is a myth. Women who stop taking their antidepressants during pregnancy run a serious risk of the depression coming back. You can read about this new study in this week's issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)... click link for more info.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1 percent of people all over the world. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don't hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them... click link for more info.
Although women are much more aware of heart disease than they used to be, symptoms of heart disease are not taken as seriously as men's. This is according to a report published in the journal Circulation. The report looked at a national study of over 1,000 women - the aim was to assess awareness of cardiovascular disease risks... click link for more info.
Childcatchers: the tricks used to push unhealthy food to your children, exposes the top twelve marketing tricks, used by food and entertainment companies to lure children into eating more unhealthy food. The report also warns about the tricks of tomorrow. Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which? explains: "It can be incredibly difficult to protect your child... click link for more info.
The 3rd Analysis of the Early Prostate Cancer Trial (EPC) Programme gives additional confirmation that bicalutamide 150mg is a proven treatment option for men with locally advanced prostate cancer. New data published in the February 2006 edition of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) confirm that bicalutamide 150mg improves the chance of survival by 35 per cent (hazard ratio = 0... click link for more info.
The complexity of glucose metabolism and the number of cellular processes affected by diabetes provides ample space for new drug targets and for first-in-class molecules. Some of them have reached or are close to early clinical development in type 2 diabetes. Roche pioneered and leads the field of glucokinase activators with a phase I compound... click link for more info.
Future Science Group is delighted to announce the launch of its new journal Regenerative Medicine published under the aegis of Senior Editor Dr Stephen Minger of King's College London. Regenerative Medicine provides a forum to address the important challenges and advances in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, delivering essential information in concise, clear and attractive article formats... click link for more info.
Commenting on today's Health White Paper on Health and Social Care Services, Emma Harrison, senior public affairs officer, Which? comments: "Recent Which? research highlighted the fact that nearly two-thirds* of the public and health professionals think that the main priority in health care is involving patients in decisions about their condition or treatment... click link for more info.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt today announced a fundamental shiftin focus that will provide integrated health and social care servicesin local communities and closer to people's homes. The plans are outlined in Our Health, our care, our say: a newdirection in community services - the Government's White Paper onimproving community health and care services... click link for more info.
Malignant melanoma is a dangerous, aggressive form of cancer and approximately 54,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, according to the American Cancer Society. Interestingly, there are many similarities between malignant melanoma in horses and malignant melanoma in people.Recognizing the extraordinary opportunity for translational research that the disease represents, Dr... click link for more info.
A shoulder shrug. Lack of eye contact. A hand gesture. What patients don't say can be just as important as what they do, according to a study of nonverbal behavior published in a January issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. According to the study by Richard Frankel, Ph.D., professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and the Center for Implementing Evidence Based Practice at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center, and colleagues from Johns Hopkins and Northeastern universities and the Fetzer Institute, nonverbal behavior can be an important diagnostic tool increasing the physician's comprehension of words spoken or thoughts left unsaid... click link for more info.
Women's Health Research at Yale (WHRY) has presented Congressman Rosa L. DeLauro with its "Champion Award" for her outstanding and abiding commitment to women's health research and related legislation on Capitol Hill. DeLauro was recognized for her progressive stance on women's health care issues, her consistent support for increased funding for women's health research, and her valuable contributions to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee and the National Institutes of Health Office for Women's Health Research... click link for more info.
Changes in the brain that are important indicators of bipolar disorder are not prominent until young adulthood and are reduced in persons taking mood-stabilizing medications, Yale School of Medicine researchers report this month in Biological Psychiatry. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure a part of the brain that regulates emotions, the ventral prefrontal cortex, that lies above the eyes... click link for more info.
The SV40 Cancer Foundation has just been established by Raphaele and Michael Horwin in memory of their son, Alexander Horwin who passed away in 1999 from an SV40 positive cancer at the age of 2. SV40 was the 40th virus found in rhesus monkey kidney cells when these cells were used to make the polio vaccine... click link for more info.
Warm Your Heart' - American Heart Month will be acknowledged at the National Museum of Health and Medicine with a special health awareness program on Saturday, February 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the goal of educating about the human heart and its importance. The museum's new exhibit, "A Healthy Heart," will be highlighted during this program, presenting an exciting and extraordinary full-color journey through the cardiovascular system using groundbreaking visual technology that allows one to see into the inner workings of this vital system... click link for more info.
A new study has found that the highest rates of hospitalisation across primary care trusts in London were associated with population profiles and measures of deprivation. The findings, which are published in the February issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine cast doubt over Government plans to cut avoidable admission rates as outlined in yesterday's White Paper... click link for more info.
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities welcomes the intentions of the Government's white paper, Your Health, Your Care, Your Say. However, the charity believes that measures still do not fully ensure that people with learning disabilities are supported to access mainstream health services and engage in their communities... click link for more info.
The 21st Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology will be organised from 5-8 April 2006 in Paris. This is the largest urological congress in Europe and the second largest in the world. We expect well over 8,000 urologists from all over the world to attend. Since you are an esteemed medical journalist we would greatly value your presence at this meeting... click link for more info.
NDO Surgical announced thatMedicare has increased its reimbursement rate for the Plicator procedure forthe treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Effective January 1,hospital outpatient facility reimbursement for the Plicator procedure willincrease by approximately 7.5%. The Plicator procedure was first recognizedfor payment under Medicare's hospital outpatient payment system on April 1,2005... click link for more info.
Fewer than half of U.S. children ages 2 to 17 usually have a dental checkup at least once a year, according to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This situation prevails even though tooth decay, the single most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S., is highly preventable through regular home care and professional preventive services... click link for more info.
"The Factors Fueling Rising Health Care Costs 2006," America's Health Insurance Plans: According to the report, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of AHIP, health insurance premiums are growing at a slower rate, despite higher utilization and costs of health services. The report says that premiums increased 8... click link for more info.
The U.S. primary care system requires immediate reforms, according to a report released on Monday by the American College of Physicians, Reuters/Houston Chronicle reports (Reuters/Houston Chronicle, 1/30). The "State of the Nation's Health Care" report, which ACP releases annually, recommends reforms in how primary care is delivered, financed, organized and valued (CQ HealthBeat, 1/30)... click link for more info.
The U.S. primary care system requires immediate reforms, according to a report released on Monday by the American College of Physicians, Reuters/Houston Chronicle reports (Reuters/Houston Chronicle, 1/30). The "State of the Nation's Health Care" report, which ACP releases annually, recommends reforms in how primary care is delivered, financed, organized and valued (CQ HealthBeat, 1/30)... click link for more info.
President Bush could face "significant political obstacles" to health care proposals that he plans to announce in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, but he is "counting on the deepening frustration with mounting medical costs to overcome the resistance," the Chicago Tribune reports (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 1/31)... click link for more info.
The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues.Maryland: The state Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Friday approved 6-4 a bill that would require that Maryland spend no less than $25 million annually on stem cell research, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports (AP/Baltimore Sun, 1/27)... click link for more info.
The executive board of the U.N. Population Fund last week approved a five-year, $27 million program to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health services, Agence France-Press reports. The aid for 2006-2010 will target 30 Chinese counties that have tried to improve services and give reproductive freedoms to clients (Agence France-Presse, 1/30)... click link for more info.
Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati UK HealthCare physician and Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, announced a discovery by his research team that will impact how physicians and patients approach treatment for macular degeneration.Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of permanent vision loss among the elderly in many industrialized countries, including the United States... click link for more info.
A new study on eating habits, forthcoming in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, reveals that not all eating habits are made alike. Adwait Khare (University of Houston) and J. Jeffrey Inman (University of Pittsburgh) identify two ways of characterizing eating habits, which they termed "carryover habit" and "baseline habit... click link for more info.
The effects of heart valve disease are well documented - 100,000 U.S. surgeries per year to repair or replace damaged valves -- but doctors still know very little about the causes. Rice University bioengineer K. Jane Grande-Allen hopes to change that by designing a laboratory apparatus that will allow valve testing under the same chemical and mechanical conditions that exist inside the heart... click link for more info.
Professor Ian Frazer's selection as Australian of the Year 2006 recognises that while cancer is an increasingly serious global health issue, scientists can significantly reduce cancer mortality through hard work and innovation, the President of The Cancer Council Australia, Mrs Judith Roberts AO, said today... click link for more info.
The following highlights health issues mentioned last week in governors' state of the state addresses.Hawaii: In her Jan. 23 speech, Gov. Linda Lingle (R) proposed several new initiatives, including a tax credit of $100 to people whose annual household incomes are less than $50,000 to provide relief for taxes on food, health care services and nonprescription drugs, saying "it is unconscionable that we tax people for eating and getting sick... click link for more info.
Congress should revise the 2003 Medicare law to allow HHS to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies and revise income criteria for subsidies offered under the drug benefit, Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP, said on Friday in an overview the group's legislative agenda for 2006, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 1/27)... click link for more info.
"Preventing the Further Spread of HIV/AIDS: The Essential Role of Human Rights," Human Rights Watch: In the report, Joseph Amon, director of HIV/AIDS research at HRW, looks at the role of human rights abuses in the spread of HIV/AIDS and "whether [the pandemic is] due to denial of the existence or extent of the epidemic, misappropriation of resources, or hostility to those individuals infected or those populations most at-risk of infection" (Amon, "Preventing the Further Spread of HIV/AIDS: The Essential Role of Human Rights," January 2006)... click link for more info.
The AP/Yahoo! News on Monday examined the Bush administration's "outreach to nontraditional AIDS players" -- including religious organizations and local groups -- in distributing grants for the five-year, $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. According to State Department estimates, religious organizations accounted for 23% of all groups that received PEPFAR funds last year, and about 80% of grant recipients were based in the country where the program was implemented... click link for more info.
Hormone replacement therapy might contribute to lower survival rates in women who develop lung cancer, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Apar Kishor Ganti of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and colleagues conducted an analysis of about 500 women who were diagnosed with lung cancer between January 1994 and December 1999 (Wallace, Reuters, 1/26)... click link for more info.
Study finds statins have beneficial effect on rheumatoid arthritis cells in vitroStatins, a class of drugs widely used to treat high cholesterol, have also recently been studied for their potential role in inflammation and other cell processes, including immune response. They have also been shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in normal cells and tumor cells... click link for more info.
DURHAM, N.C. - Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania.The Duke researchers provided free HIV tests and counseling during a two-week pilot program in 2003... click link for more info.
Prevention is a key message during National Heart Health month, and the American Psychological Association (APA) today released strategies to help Americans manage stress.Research shows that 20 percent of Americans are worried that stress will affect their health, yet 36 percent say they deal with stress by eating or drinking alcohol... click link for more info.
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