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Expensive generic drugs cost Australia billions

Consumers and the Australian Government are paying up to 10 times more for generic cholesterol-lowering drugs compared to the United Kingdom, according to research carried out by health economists at the University of Sydney.

27 Apr 2010

Researchers to commence enrolling participants in National Children's Study

After years of planning, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are ready to begin enrolling participants in the National Children's Study, which will examine the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and adult health.

27 Apr 2010

Cell phone program to promote more physical activity

About two thirds of the American population is overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. The obesity epidemic in America is the result of poor eating habits, genetics, and a lack of exercise. It's therefore difficult for public health officials to get people to make a conscious effort to control their weight.

27 Apr 2010

Four unhealthy behaviors associated with increased risk of death when combined

Four unhealthy behaviors—smoking, lack of physical activity, poor diet and alcohol consumption—appear to be associated with a substantially increased risk of death when combined, according to a report in the April 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

27 Apr 2010

ASPO meeting to focus on children's ear, nose and throat health

The American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology will hold its annual meeting, April 30 - May 2, during the 2010 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings - a joint meeting of eight otolaryngological societies in Las Vegas, NV.

27 Apr 2010

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

As G8 development leaders gather in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week to discuss priorities for the upcoming summit, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the WFP, calls for world leaders to focus on the nutritional needs of mothers and children in developing countries in a Toronto Star opinion piece.

27 Apr 2010

Costs, effects on business questioned as health overhaul analysis continues

The Associated Press: The biggest unanswered question in the health overhaul debate remains what the new law will mean for ordinary Americans. "Many experts believe the law falls short on taming costs, and that will force Congress to revisit health care in a few years.

27 Apr 2010

A first step in the long road to health reform

Australia provides good health care to the majority of its citizens most of the time and compares well with like countries. The capacity for illness to destroy families financially, seen in the US and in many less economically advanced countries where governments make small or no contributions to the cost of health care, is much diminished by Medicare, public hospitals and subsidised pharmaceuticals.

27 Apr 2010

AHRQ releases Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

Several studies have found that a majority of American adults have trouble with basic health literacy tasks such as reading and understanding prescription drug labels and following their doctors' instructions correctly.

26 Apr 2010

Elderlink offers personalized referral lists for senior citizens and their families

Elderlink, Inc., a free senior care referral service serving California since 1994, is offering senior citizens and their families the ability to find the care they need via personalized referral lists based upon their individual needs.

26 Apr 2010

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

Rationing Funds, Risking Lives: World Backtracks on HIV Treatment, the new report from the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, documents early warning signs resulting from the global pullback on AIDS commitment and funding: caps on the number of people enrolled in treatment programs, more frequent drug stock outs, and national AIDS budgets falling short.

26 Apr 2010

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is a major cause of illness and death worldwide. But it is a complex behavior, and how much people smoke, how hard they find it to quit, and the impact of long-term smoking on health varies greatly among individuals. A substantial portion of this variability is genetic. Two years ago, deCODE discovered the first common, single-letter variation in the sequence of the human genome, on chromosome 15q25, associated with nicotine addiction and risk of lung cancer.

26 Apr 2010

Report shares what women need to know and what women can do

Lung Cancer Alliance hailed today's release of "Out of the Shadows: Women and Lung Cancer," a groundbreaking report issued by the Mary Horrigan Connors Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

26 Apr 2010

Peer counseling can help improve breastfeeding in overweight or obese women

Breastfeeding is best, but what happens when something goes wrong? And why do so many women struggle with this "natural" process even after carefully following all the well-meaning advice they've gotten from their health care providers? Not surprisingly, some women have more difficulty than others and there are many factors associated with experiencing breastfeeding problems - especially in the first week after birth.

26 Apr 2010

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

According to new research there are certain genes in a smoker that make it difficult for them to cut down or quit the bad habit. This report from three studies published in the journal Nature Genetics mentions at least three different genetic mutations on chromosome 15 or changes that can increase the number of cigarettes smoked per day by an individual.

25 Apr 2010

New website to counter misguided 'mercury facts'

At the "International Mercury Expo 2010*" this weekend at the College of William and Mary, a mercury watchdog group is launching a new website to counter misinformation on 'mercury facts' spread by industry and groups claiming to represent consumers – but in reality often representing special interests in disguise.

24 Apr 2010

New federally funded programs to address health disparities in underserved communities

The increasing number of minorities diagnosed with cancer has inspired a variety of initiatives at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center focusing on minority health through research, education and community relations.

24 Apr 2010

Children need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: Secretary of Health

Pennsylvania parents are strongly urged to protect their children by making certain they are fully immunized against preventable diseases, Secretary of Health Everette James said today to mark the start of National Infant Immunization Week, April 24-May 1.

24 Apr 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"What is still needed [to fight malaria] is the only tool that has ever truly conquered any infectious disease: an effective and affordable vaccine. And here, the global malaria community has been too complacent," a Lancet editorial asserts in an article highlighting achievements and drawbacks in attempting to provide universal access to malaria prevention and treatment.

24 Apr 2010

Today's Opinions: Government power grab on health; A doctor's interface with computers; A focus on wellness

Following the passage of Democratic health-care reform legislation, President Obama assured the country that it was a 'middle-of-the-road, centrist approach' instead of an intrusive, government power grab. But the government seems incapable of resisting the nannying impulse that undermines this claim (Michael Gerson, 4/23).

24 Apr 2010

Public Health News and Research

Expensive generic drugs cost Australia billions

Researchers to commence enrolling participants in National Children's Study

Cell phone program to promote more physical activity

Four unhealthy behaviors associated with increased risk of death when combined

ASPO meeting to focus on children's ear, nose and throat health

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

Costs, effects on business questioned as health overhaul analysis continues

A first step in the long road to health reform

AHRQ releases Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

Elderlink offers personalized referral lists for senior citizens and their families

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

DeCODE scientists discover common SNPs that increase number of CPD and risk of lung cancer

Report shares what women need to know and what women can do

Peer counseling can help improve breastfeeding in overweight or obese women

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

New website to counter misguided 'mercury facts'

New federally funded programs to address health disparities in underserved communities

Children need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: Secretary of Health

Recent releases in Global Health

Today's Opinions: Government power grab on health; A doctor's interface with computers; A focus on wellness

News Medical 2025: Healthcare Shifts That Mattered Most eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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