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Simple procedural change may reduce cardiac arrests outside pediatric ICUs

A simple procedural change may significantly reduce cardiopulmonary arrests outside a pediatric hospital's intensive care unit, according to a study reported at the American Heart Association's 8th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

11 May 2007

Dealing with a flu pandemic in the UK

Giving local authorities responsibility for implementing pandemic flu plans may not be the best policy, says a senior public health doctor in this week's BMJ.

11 May 2007

Health care professionals should inform sensitive patients about the risks of exposure to air pollutants

If you have some form of lung or cardiovascular disease, has your doctor told you how to check today's "AQI", and what to do if it's over 100?

11 May 2007

Low frequency of resistance to Tamiflu confirmed

New data published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed a low frequency of resistance to Tamiflu (oseltamivir) over 3 influenza seasons (2003:2006).

10 May 2007

Experts explain China's mystery pig disease

According to media reports a mysterious disease has killed thousands of pigs in China's southern Guangdong province.

9 May 2007

Assessment of state immunization requirements for healthcare workers and patients

A new study shows wide state-to-state variations in laws regulating vaccinations for health care workers and patients, setting the stage for future research to determine whether more laws could serve as effective tools to combat infectious diseases.

9 May 2007

New vaccine breakthrough for respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a widespread infant illness that has been linked to asthma and can be deadly but may be curable by the development of this new vaccine technology by the Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre and The University of Queensland's Faculty of Biological and Chemical Sciences.

9 May 2007

FluMist may help reduce the burden of seasonal influenza

MedImmune, Inc. has announced research results showing that use of FluMist(R) (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal) in daycare and school settings may help reduce the burden of seasonal influenza.

9 May 2007

Abbott seeks U.S. and E.U. approvals for Humira as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abbott has announced it has simultaneously submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a Type II Variation to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) seeking approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in the U.S. and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in the European Union (EU).

9 May 2007

Study compares three natural surfactants used to treat babies with respiratory distress syndrome

A pig-derived surfactant given to premature babies whose lungs aren't yet making the lubricant reduces mortality rates by 19 percent over two other commercially-available surfactants, researchers say.

8 May 2007

Surfactant replacement therapies improve neonatal survival in premature infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

Data presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies, Annual Meeting demonstrate that premature infants with neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) have a nearly 20% better chance of survival if they are treated with Curosurf, (poractant alfa) Intratracheal Suspension rather than either of two competing surfactant therapies.

8 May 2007

New evidence-based guidelines for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

New evidence-based guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) recommend a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), citing that pulmonary rehabilitation can help improve a patient's exercise tolerance, dyspnea, and health-related quality of life, as well as decrease hospital stay and health-care utilization.

8 May 2007

Bird flu death toll climbs to 75 in Indonesia

Bird flu has claimed it's 75th victim in Indonesia with the death of a woman from the deadly virus on May 3rd.

7 May 2007

Face masks offer little protection from bird flu

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the mass wearing of surgical face masks would do little to reduce the rate of infection in the event of an influenza pandemic.

7 May 2007

Tens of thousands of Americans die each year from secondhand tobacco smoke

While the health risks associated with indoor secondhand smoke are well documented, little research has been done on exposure to toxic tobacco fumes outdoors.

4 May 2007

Study shows effectiveness of Peramivir in mouse model of H5N1 virus infection

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has announced that investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, reported favorable results evaluating peramivir treatment in an animal model of influenza using a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus (an avian influenza strain that had caused fatal human infection in Viet Nam).

4 May 2007