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Damages caps in medical malpractice cases

Caps on medical malpractice damages mean lower insurance premiums for doctors, according to a new review from two Alabama universities.

1 Jun 2007

Veterinarians who work with birds at increased risk for infection with avian influenza virus

The study showed that, compared with the control group, the veterinarians who worked with birds had significantly higher levels of antibodies in their blood against the H5, H6 and H7 avian virus strains, indicating previous infections with these viruses.

1 Jun 2007

Mass-media advertising encourages people with stroke symptoms to go to hospital more quickly

Mass-media advertising can encourage more people experiencing stroke symptoms to go to the hospital more quickly, according to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Jun 2007

Encouraging people to walk more

People can be encouraged to walk for up to 30-60 minutes more per week if they are given the right kind of help, finds a study published on bmj.com.

1 Jun 2007

Public health ethics expert on quarantine order for tuberculosis patient

Marc Hiller, associate professor of health management and policy at the University of New Hampshire and a specialist in ethical issues in public health, is available to comment on the recent federal order that placed a Georgia man with a lethal form of tuberculosis into quarantine.

1 Jun 2007

Perchlorate in foods not likely to present a public health threat

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a new report, 2004-2005 Exploratory Survey Data on Perchlorate in Food and has indicated that the estimated average exposure to perchlorate in foods is well below the perchlorate reference dose (RfD) suggested by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

1 Jun 2007

Man with rare TB zig-zagged his way around Europe on planes

Officials in the United States have revealed that the airline passenger infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis fled across Europe to avoid detection.

31 May 2007

Rapid syphilis testing prevents congenital disease and stillbirths

Congenital syphilis is a major preventable public health problem in many developing countries, frequently causing stillbirths or neonatal death and disabling children who survive.

30 May 2007

Human antibodies protect mice from H5N1 avian influenza

An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus.

30 May 2007

Caring for grandchildren does not have negative impacts on grandparents' health

Despite previous research findings that showed negative health impacts on grandmothers who care for their grandchildren, new research conducted by Linda Waite, the Lucy Flower Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, and researchers at three other universities shows caring for grandchildren generally does not have dramatic and widespread negative impacts on grandparents' health.

30 May 2007

Regular exercise increases "good" cholesterol

Regular exercise appears to modestly increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or "good," cholesterol, according to a meta-analysis study in the May 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

30 May 2007

Dentists need more training in oral cancer detection

More than 92 percent of Illinois dentists provide oral cancer examinations for their patients, but many are not performing the procedures thoroughly or at optimum intervals, according to a new University of Illinois at Chicago study.

30 May 2007

Warnings on all alcohol in Britain by end of 2008

By the end of 2008 all alcoholic drinks sold in Britain will carry new health warning labels.

28 May 2007

Form of bird flu spreads in Wales

An outbreak of a mild form of bird flu in Wales continues to spread and authorities have admitted that they cannot rule out the possibility that the disease has spread from person-to-person.

28 May 2007

Significant breakthrough in the search for an effective malaria vaccine

One person dies of it every 30 seconds, it rivals HIV and tuberculosis as the world's most deadly infection and the vast majority of its victims are under five years old.

28 May 2007

FDA should be given broad regulatory authority over tobacco marketing, packaging, and distribution

A combination of increased excise taxes, nationwide indoor smoking bans, and other measures would significantly lower the U.S. smoking rate, which now hovers at around 21 percent of the adult population, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

28 May 2007

Co-infection of HIV and HCV a significant health concern due to increasing prevalence

Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), who also have alcohol problems, were negatively affected by co-infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

28 May 2007

Drinking lots of coffee reduces the risk of gout for men

Coffee is a habit for more than 50 percent of Americans, who drink, on average, 2 cups per day.

28 May 2007

Time to fortify the world's processed cereals

Fortifying cereals with a different type of iron supplement reduces anaemia, iron-deficiency anaemia and general iron deficiency children in developing countries, and boosts three major iron status indicators, conclude authors of an Article published in this week’s edition of The Lancet.

28 May 2007

Bird flu arrives in Britain

Health officials in the UK are investigating two possible cases of bird flu in north Wales and say 36 people could have been in contact with the disease.

28 May 2007