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Viewpoints: A missing contraception question, Obama's budget blind spot, NEJM on Medicare Advantage

David Brooks and Gail Collins discuss the surprising role debates over contraception, abortion and unwed mothers have played so far in the campaign.

23 Feb 2012

Protests against NHS reforms results in a disciplinary meeting for a senior medical professional

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23 Feb 2012

MRSA strain in food animals concerns experts

The strain of staph, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA CC398, most often infects farm workers who come in contact with infected pigs, turkeys, or cows. Now the strain of bacteria has been found in about half of meat samples taken throughout the country. The researchers say that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in livestock used for food is to blame for the infection's drug resistance.

23 Feb 2012

New phone number to University of Michigan memory loss and dementia services

Her diagnosis was scary: Alzheimer's Disease. So Myriam Torres was desperate for accurate information and help with coping with what the future might bring.

23 Feb 2012

States wage internal battles to fund mental health systems, overhauls

States are grappling with funding mental health programs: Iowa lawmakers are fighting over how to pay for an overhaul of the system, Kansas' mental health workforce is dwindling and Illinois cuts endanger emergency care for the mentally ill.

23 Feb 2012

Underreporting of alcohol's role in crime and accidents decreases public support for liquor laws

Reading a newspaper article about the role alcohol played in an injury accident or violent crime makes people more supportive of enforcing alcohol laws, a new study suggests.

23 Feb 2012

Lack of coverage of alcohol's harm may dampen public's support for alcohol-control laws

If people see news coverage of alcohol's role in violent crime and fatal injuries, they may give more support to alcohol-control laws, according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

23 Feb 2012

AFA applauds nation's first National Alzheimer's Plan

The following is a statement by Eric J. Hall, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' release today of its "Draft National Plan To Address Alzheimer's Disease."

23 Feb 2012

Environmental health risks low in the United Arab Emirates

By global standards, health risks caused by environmental factors are low in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), new studies by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers show.

23 Feb 2012

South Korea stepping up fight against TB, CBS News reports

CBS News examines the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in South Korea, which "has the highest incidence rate of tuberculosis among the world's wealthiest countries, nations [that] belong to the 34-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

23 Feb 2012

Studies provide global perspective on condom use problems and errors

Problems with the correct use of the male condom, such as not wearing a condom throughout sex or putting it on upside down, are common in the U.S. and have become a major concern of public health officials. New research shows that countries around the world are facing similar challenges.

23 Feb 2012

Micronutrients affect methylation, linked to changes in the immune system

The offspring of women who were given micronutrient supplements (minerals needed in small quantities, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A) before they became pregnant had gene modifications at birth as well as when they were tested at 9 months.

23 Feb 2012

U.S. Surgeon General, SEMBC join to launch Fighting D in the D campaign

In her advocacy for effective disease prevention and health promotion programs, U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., joined the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) today to launch the "Fighting D in the D" campaign during a kickoff event, attended by over 225 guests, at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit.

23 Feb 2012

ANFP renames and re-launches its charitable foundation

As a part of its recently announced strategic rebranding initiative, the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) has renamed and re-launched its charitable foundation.

23 Feb 2012

International Microbicides Conference to take place from April 15-18

The biennial International Microbicides Conference is the premier gathering for those working on new approaches to HIV prevention and this year's conference in Sydney, Australia will place a strong emphasis on the role of community in both research and implementation of scientific findings. The conference will take place from April 15-18 at the Sydney Exhibition and Conference Centre located on the Darling Harbour waterfront.

23 Feb 2012

FDA EMDAC recommends approval of VIVUS' Qnexa for obesity

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended Qnexa be granted marketing approval by the FDA for the treatment of obesity in adults.

23 Feb 2012

Counterfeit drugs on the Internet find their way into legitimate pharmacies

Criminal gangs are increasingly using the internet to market life-threatening counterfeit medicines and some have even turned up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, according to a review led by Dr Graham Jackson, editor of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, and published in the March edition.

22 Feb 2012

Southeast Minnesota Beacon Community to demonstrate HIE technology at HiMSS Conference

Medical records are an invaluable tool in treating patients. When a caregiver has ample information regarding a person's medical history, treatments are more effective and efficient. Unfortunately, few people have complete medical records -- due, in large part, to a lack of any universal repository tools for keeping those records.

22 Feb 2012

India still faces challenges in efforts to eradicate polio

The PBS NewsHour examines polio eradication efforts in India, which has gone an entire year without reporting a polio case. "For India, the challenge is to remain vigilant and polio free for two more years to officially fall off the list of endemic countries," according to the news service.

22 Feb 2012

Parental exposure to PFOA may increase risk of obesity in their daughters

The levels of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that mothers had in their blood during pregnancy increased the risk of obesity in their daughters at 20 years of age.

22 Feb 2012