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Many local health directors unsure of authority to curtail smoking

Local health department directors across North Carolina are confused about state laws covering whether their facilities can be made smoke-free, but still strongly support such policies, according to a new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

11 Jul 2005

Costs of coronary artery bypass graft surgery more than 80 percent higher in US than in Canada

Although there are no differences in clinical outcome, the in-hospital cost of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in the U.S. is 82.5 percent higher in the U.S. than in Canada, according to a study in the July 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

11 Jul 2005

Most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed

Contrary to what you might think, most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed. They are also not more likely to get depressed as the end of life approaches, and they are not more likely to be depressed if they want to die or hasten their own death.

11 Jul 2005

Lorenzo's oil prevents onset of pediatric neurological disorder

Use of Lorenzo's Oil in young boys who have been diagnosed with but are not yet showing signs of a pediatric neurological disorder known as X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) may prevent the disease from developing in the body. According to a study of male children published today in the Archives of Neurology, use of the oil prevented onset of the disease in a majority of cases.

11 Jul 2005

Study compares four standard measures for heart failure treatment

UCLA investigators found large gaps and marked variation in U.S. hospitals' heart failure treatment based on adherence to four standard quality measures. The study points to the need for hospitals to establish education programs and systems to improve quality of care for this patient population.

11 Jul 2005

Northerners in the UK more prone to certain cancers

According to the office for National Statistics (ONS) ' "Cancer Atlases" for the 1990s, people in the north of England and Scotland are far more likely to get certain cancers than those living in the south.

11 Jul 2005

Bird flu could be carried out of Asia by migrating geese

Scientists are warning that migrating geese and other birds at a wildlife refuge in China, means the birds could carry the devastating virus out of Asia and spread the avian flu virus further afield.

7 Jul 2005

Patients suffering from oral cancer have increased levels of certain bacteria in their saliva

Six common species of bacteria were found at significantly higher levels in the saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) than in the saliva of healthy individuals.

6 Jul 2005

Study details safety and efficacy of new Merci Retriever treatment for stroke patients

The recently released July issue of "Stroke," the official journal of the American Stroke Association, published new data on the safety and efficacy of the Merci Retriever System, the first medical device cleared by the FDA to remove blood clots from the brain in patients suffering an ischemic stroke.

6 Jul 2005

Substantial public health impacts of 1990 invasion and occupation of Kuwait

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) made public the findings of Phase I of their investigation of the public health impacts on Kuwaiti Nationals of Iraq's 1990 invasion and seven-month occupation of Kuwait.

6 Jul 2005

Early detection of colorectal cancer

The largest study to date on the early detection of colorectal cancer offers benchmark data for what could be expected from large-scale use of flexible sigmoidoscopy as a screening tool for colorectal cancer.

6 Jul 2005

Obese older women may be more prone to frailty

Obesity is associated with frailty in obese older women, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

6 Jul 2005

Vasodilators first choice for some heart patients

Few front-line medications exist for treating hospitalized patients with acute decompensated heart failure, a stage of heart failure marked by heightened severity and often-lengthy hospital stays with frequent readmissions. Now, a study suggests the list of preferred drugs for treating the disease might be even shorter.

6 Jul 2005

Study indicates vitamin E reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in women

The results of a new study involving nearly 40,000 healthy women shows vitamin E significantly reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and also confirmed that vitamin E is safe, reporting that taking 600 IU of vitamin E supplements every other day did not increase total mortality in healthy women.

4 Jul 2005

Ethnic groups in the U.S. more at risk of colorectal cancer

A new study has found that people of Hispanic, black and other U.S. ethnic groups have a 10 to 60 percent greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer, and a 20 to 30 percent higher risk of dying from the disease compared to non-Hispanic whites.

30 Jun 2005

Twenty-seven per cent of accidental deaths in Britain were due to transport accidents in 2003

For males, transport accidents were the most common form of accidental death (37 per cent). For females, transport accidents comprised 15 per cent of accidental deaths. Where the cause of the accident was known, falls were the most common cause of accidental death for females (28 per cent).

30 Jun 2005

Relationship between weight loss and health needs closer inspection

Although it seems obvious that when overweight people lose weight their health should improve, the relationship between weight loss and health may not be as simple as that, suggests previous studies from Finland and Denmark.

29 Jun 2005

Routine immunization virtually eliminates major killer of young children in the Gambia

The Lancet has today published online new research from a team led by the UK Medical Research Council's Richard Adegbola showing that routinely vaccinating infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib) - a bacterium that causes deadly diseases including pneumonia and meningitis - has virtually eliminated Hib meningitis in The Gambia.

29 Jun 2005

Parents whose children are born with a low birth weight run greater risk of dying of cardiovascular diseases

Even the fathers are at greater risk. These findings are published in a new report by Karolinska Institutet. The report shows that genetic factors affect both birth weight and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

28 Jun 2005

Low doses of radiation associated with a small excess risk of developing cancer

Low doses of radiation, such as those received in the nuclear industry, are associated with a small excess risk of developing cancer, according to a study published online by the BMJ today.

28 Jun 2005