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IDF and DHA to host World Diabetes Congress in Dubai

Leading diabetes experts and members of the diabetes community will convene in Dubai from 4-8 December 2011 for the biennial World Diabetes Congress, organised by the International Diabetes Federation.

22 Apr 2011

Using dietary supplements may lead to health-risk behaviors

Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you?

22 Apr 2011

Organophosphates exposure during pregnancy may impair child cognitive development

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that exposure during pregnancy to a family of pesticides called organophosphates may impair child cognitive development. The findings are published online in Environmental Health Perspectives.

22 Apr 2011

Health Partners earns NCQA accreditation for high quality care

Health Partners announced today that it is the first health plan in the nation to receive the new, "Multicultural Health Care Distinction" from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the nation's most trusted independent source for health care quality accreditation.

22 Apr 2011

Elderly individuals with CKD more likely to suffer from heart disease

Chronic kidney disease is common and linked with heart disease in the very elderly, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

22 Apr 2011

Severely obese adolescents no more likely to be depressed

According to a new study, severely obese adolescents are no more likely to be depressed than normal weight peers. The study, which has been released online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, did find that white adolescents may be somewhat more vulnerable to psychological effects of obesity.

22 Apr 2011

GM-SCF therapy can reduce flu symptoms and prevent death

New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus.

22 Apr 2011

Roundup: Idaho Gov.'s exchange/health law decision; Calif. exchange board meets; Iowa mental health plan

Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is no fan of the health care reform -- he was the first governor to sign legislation requiring his state to sue over President Obama's overhaul -- but said the bill state lawmakers passed in the 2011 session would have required Idaho to forego the creation of a state health insurance exchange.

22 Apr 2011

Contraception drospirenone raises risk for blood clots

Two new drug safety studies conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provide strong evidence that women taking oral contraception with drospirenone have an increased risk of nonfatal venous thromboembolism, or blood clots, compared to women taking oral contraception with levonorgestrel.

21 Apr 2011

Toddlers having insecure emotional relationship with mothers at increased risk for obesity

Toddlers who do not have a secure emotional relationship with their parents, and particularly their mothers, could be at increased risk for obesity by age 4 ½, according to new research.

21 Apr 2011

Providing complete information about breast cancer treatment options often ends up overwhelming patients

Women who choose among different breast cancer treatment options make smarter choices when getting the information and making decisions in small doses rather than all at once, as is customary, a University of Michigan study found.

21 Apr 2011

FDA warns four firms to stop making unproven MRSA prevention claims

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued four warning letters to companies that manufacture and market over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, including hand sanitizers, that claim to prevent infection from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA).

21 Apr 2011

Elderly persons with low income use inappropriate psychotropic drugs more often

Elderly persons often have several diseases and use many drugs; they are also more sensitive to drugs compared to younger persons. Use of more drugs than necessary tends to occur among the elderly, however, underuse of drugs and use of inappropriate types of drugs also occur. Psychotropic drugs, such as hypnotics, anxiolytics and antidepressant drugs, are common among the elderly.

21 Apr 2011

NHATS to begin enrollment for study on improving quality of life among the elderly

21 Apr 2011

New trial in UK to test whether statins could be used to treat pre-eclampsia

Pregnant women could benefit from a pioneering trial that will test whether heart disease drugs can be used to treat pre-eclampsia.

21 Apr 2011

Feds announce comprehensive plan to combat painkiller abuse

The new strategy will put increased pressure on the state of Florida, which has a reputation as being "the nation's pill mill."

21 Apr 2011

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides linked to lower IQ in children

In a new study suggesting pesticides may be associated with the health and development of children, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health have found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides - widely used on food crops - is related to lower intelligence scores at age 7.

21 Apr 2011

$2.3 million of malaria medicines stolen

According to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, malaria medications valued at almost $2.3 million may have been stolen from government-run distribution centers in Africa and other locations.

20 Apr 2011

Stepped up measures to tack rising painkiller abuse

Prescription drug abuse is one of the largest problems in the country say experts and according to White House drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the Congress must require special training for doctors and other health care workers before they are allowed to prescribe powerful drugs such as OxyContin.

20 Apr 2011

Enrollment begins in ‘National Health and Aging Trends’ study

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will begin enrolling study participants to examine how current and future aging populations can lead fuller, healthier lives. The study, which begins data collection on May 1, 2011, is supported by the National Institute on Aging and is designed to help researchers understand changes in health and functioning among seniors, as well as the social and economic consequences of health and aging for individuals, families and society.

20 Apr 2011