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Greater access to medical information under new law

Following the President's signature of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt praised the bill as an important step forward in ensuring the safety of drugs and medical devices.

27 Sep 2007

People with a strong fear of crime twice as likely to show symptoms of depression

The research, based on data taken from the Whitehall II study, also shows that fear of crime is associated with decreased physical functioning and lower quality of life. The findings are published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

27 Sep 2007

Genetic test announced for suicidal ideation in patients using antidepressant drugs

NeuroMark, a Boulder, Colorado company, announced today the immediate availability of a genetic test to identify people at risk of suicidal ideation - thoughts of committing suicide - when prescribed an antidepressant drug.

27 Sep 2007

Climate change may increase heat-related deaths by 2050

While some uncertainty does exist in climate projections and future health vulnerability, overall increases in heat-related premature mortality are likely by the 2050s, according to a recent study by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and soon to be published in the November 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

27 Sep 2007

CDC awards $35 million to increase HIV testing opportunities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $35 million in funding to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans.

27 Sep 2007

Call for food industry to phase trans fats out of their products

Experts on nutrition and public health are calling on leaders in the food industry to speed up the elimination of industrially produced trans fatty acids from the foods they produce and distribute, and to become partners in promoting healthy diets throughout the Americas.

27 Sep 2007

Ethnic minorities may be more willing than was previously thought to take part in clinical research

The study, published in the Aug. 29 issue of BMC Public Health , contradicts previous research suggesting that ethnic minorities are less likely to volunteer for clinical research, possibly due to infamous breaches of medical ethics such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

27 Sep 2007

New research on glycemic index

In work investigating the reproducibility of glycemic index values, researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA) have reported that multiple glycemic index value determinations (measure of the rate of glucose absorption into the bloodstream) using a simple test food, white bread, resulted in a relatively high level of inter-individual (among different individuals), and intra-individual (within the same individual) variability.

27 Sep 2007

FDA warning on use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal)

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care professionals and consumers to concerns over the use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal) tablets after recent reports of deaths and other adverse events.

27 Sep 2007

Scots second only to Americans when it comes to obesity

Health officials in Britain say Scotland now has the one of highest obesity rates in the developed world, and comes second to the United States.

26 Sep 2007

A blood test for concussions - aim of new research

The University of Rochester Medical Center received $1.5 million to develop a blood test for concussions by isolating proteins that can predict memory loss, chronic headaches or other neurological problems.

26 Sep 2007

Impact of population-wide weight loss observed

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Cienfuegos, Cuba and Loyola University had a unique opportunity to observe the impact of population-wide weight loss due to sustained reductions in caloric intake and an increase in energy output.

25 Sep 2007

Potential new therapeutic target for obesity

A hormone system linked to reducing food consumption appears to do so by increasing stress-related behaviors, according to a new study.

25 Sep 2007

New study says fruits and vegetables not linked to colon cancer risk

Eating fruits and vegetables was not strongly associated with decreased colon cancer risk, according to a study published online in the September 25 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

25 Sep 2007

Maternal weight gain appears to favor the birth of boys

A slightly greater number of males than females are born worldwide every year.

25 Sep 2007

Personalized interventions key to improving colon cancer screening rates

One of the best ways to encourage an individual to get screened for colorectal cancer is to use a personalized approach, according to researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

25 Sep 2007

The cancer burden in the developing world

Only a few years ago cancer was considered to be a disease of westernised, developed countries, but now the burden is increasingly falling on less developed countries, a leading epidemiologist told ECCO 14, the European Cancer Conference.

25 Sep 2007

WHO and its partners call for increased research to improve patient safety

They emphasized the need for intensified research at an international conference that opened today in Porto, Portugal. The conference on Patient safety research: shaping the European agenda will examine evidence showing that harm from medical care poses a substantial burden in terms of suffering and death in Europe and around the world.

25 Sep 2007

Type 2 diabetes a massive problem!

The global epidemic of Type 2 diabetes is an indicator of serious underlying issues in our society, says a University of Sydney medical expert.

24 Sep 2007

International teams fighting deadly Ebola virus in DR Congo

Another four more cases of the Ebola virus have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the total in the country to nine to date.

24 Sep 2007