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Obesity crisis will shorten the lives of Australian children by four years

New Australian research predicts that children who are fat can expect to die four years earlier than their thinner peers.

5 Mar 2008

Adolescents need to start the day off 'right' by eating breakfast

University of Minnesota School of Public Health Project Eating Among Teens (EAT) researchers have found further evidence to support the importance of encouraging youth to eat breakfast regularly.

4 Mar 2008

Abuse of prescription medications linked to drug abuse among college students

College students who take frequently abused medications without a prescription appear to have a higher risk for drug abuse than those who use such therapies for medical reasons, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Mar 2008

HPA announces consultation on its advice on solid radioactive waste disposal

The Chairman of the Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart, has announced that the Agency's Board is consulting stakeholders on its proposals to update advice on solid radioactive waste disposal.

4 Mar 2008

Rural doctors doubt Federal health commitment to the bush

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia says it is not satisfied with the federal health minister's commitments to rural health.

3 Mar 2008

Smoking from a hookah - harmful and addictive

A new fad among college students and other young people - smoking from a hookah - is raising public health concerns.

1 Mar 2008

Scottish suicide rates in men fall by over 40 percent

In the 1980s and 90s, Scotland was known for its alarmingly high suicide rate. But since 2000, suicide rates have fallen sharply. A study published in the online open access journal BMC Public Health found this reduction is associated with a significant drop in hangings as a means of suicide.

1 Mar 2008

Simple screening questionnaire for kidney disease outperforms current clinical practice guidelines

The general public is not sufficiently aware that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious and progressive medical condition.

1 Mar 2008

Genetic factors in smoking also increase risk of chronic bronchitis

Smoking is a known risk factor for respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, but genes also play a significant role in its development, according to researchers in Sweden, who studied more than 40,000 Swedish twins to determine the extent to which behavior, environment and genes each play a role ion the development of chronic bronchitis.

1 Mar 2008

Vitamin supplements for lung cancer

Vitamin supplements do not protect against lung cancer, according to a study of more than 77,000 vitamin users.

1 Mar 2008

Hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients

An independent panel convened this week by the NIH concluded that the use of hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients should be increased in adolescents and adults.

28 Feb 2008

Less sleep means more injuries in kids

Lack of sleep can lead to increased injuries among preschool children, research from the University of Rochester School of Nursing has found.

28 Feb 2008

Ginkgo biloba and dementia

Taking the supplement ginkgo biloba had no clear-cut benefit on the risk of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the February 27, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Feb 2008

Decline in cystic fibrosis since introduction of prenatal carrier screening

A brief report in the February 28, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link between two independent population-based screening programs.

28 Feb 2008

Heart disease in Europe

New figures published by the European Society of Cardiology and the European Heart Network this month, highlighted the significant differences in cardiovascular disease across Europe.

27 Feb 2008

Growing US disparities in health not inevitable

In the public health field, there is an ongoing debate as to whether improvement in the overall health of the population is linked to increases or decreases in social inequities in health, that is, the inequities between higher-income and lower-income groups or people of different race/ethnicities.

27 Feb 2008

Sanofi Pasteur helps tackle yellow fever in Latin America

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi-aventis Group, has announced that six million doses of Stamaril yellow fever vaccine have been shipped upon UNICEF's request to respond to the yellow fever epidemic in Latin America.

27 Feb 2008

NIU seeks approval for new proton cancer treatment and research center

Northern Illinois University has named Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation as its expected provider of clinical services for a new $160 million proton therapy cancer treatment and research center to be built in the DuPage National Technology Park about 35 miles west of Chicago.

27 Feb 2008

NCMHD announces HIV/AIDS expert as new senior policy advisor

Idalia Ramos Sanchez, a longtime fighter for health equity especially as it relates to HIV/AIDS, has been appointed senior policy advisor at the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

27 Feb 2008

Heart attack rates drop following national smoking bans in France

French researchers announced a striking 15% decrease in admissions of patients with myocardial infarction to emergency wards since the public ban on smoking came into effect in restaurants, hotels and casinos in France last January.

27 Feb 2008