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Solving sleep problems helps epileptic children

Sleeping woes may explain why children with epilepsy are often so hyperactive, say researchers with the University of Florida's Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute.

30 Mar 2005

First North American trial to evaluate the role of an aromatase inhibitor in the prevention of breast cancer

Today, a new clinical trial evaluating a novel approach to breast cancer prevention launched in the United States and Canada. Called the ExCel research study, this is the first North American clinical trial to evaluate the role of an aromatase inhibitor in the prevention of breast cancer.

30 Mar 2005

Conventional wisdom could be wrong in primary care

A study by Mark Hall, J.D., professor of law and public health sciences at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre, is suggesting that conventional wisdom could be wrong in that primary care doctors who coordinate the care of their patients by specialists may actually have lower liability risk than primary care doctors who do not attempt care coordination.

29 Mar 2005

Coordinating care of chronically ill patients does not increase liability

Conventional wisdom is wrong: primary care doctors who coordinate the care of their patients by specialists may actually have lower liability risk than primary care doctors who do not attempt care coordination.

29 Mar 2005

Weather forecasts may help predict West Nile virus

Weather forecasts could become barometers for predicting the potential threat of West Nile virus to humans and wildlife, according to scientists at two state agencies based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

29 Mar 2005

Surprising discovery about natural immunity to pneumococcus

Since 2000, U.S. infants have been routinely immunized against pneumococcal (Streptococcus pneumoniae) infection. Now, Boston researchers have made a surprising discovery about natural immunity to pneumococcus.

29 Mar 2005

Academic medical centres need to monitor advertising

Similar advertising practices by pharmaceutical companies have been criticized for creating demand for services and failing to present balanced information, but academic medical centres have not been criticised, says Dr. Robin Larson, instructor in medicine at DAMS and lead author of the study.

28 Mar 2005

Vaccine prevents deadly pneumonia in African children

Global health leaders today presented new research showing that vaccinating infants against Streptococcus pneumoniae -- a bacterium that causes deadly pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis -- could substantially reduce death and serious illness among children in the developing world. If used widely, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine could prevent hundreds of thousands of child deaths each year.

28 Mar 2005

Important that menopause not viewed as a disease

An independent panel convened last week by the National Institutes of Health found that many women move through the menopausal transition with few disabling symptoms, and that it is important that menopause not be viewed as a disease.

28 Mar 2005

Latest findings in male reproduction research

The XVIII North American Testis Workshop, chaired by Population Council senior scientist Matthew Hardy, will be held 30 March - 2 April in Seattle, Washington. Participants will discuss findings from the large body of recent research on male reproduction.

28 Mar 2005

New estimates of the causes of child mortality worldwide

Seventy-three percent of the 10.6 million child deaths worldwide each year are the result of six causes: pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, neonatal sepsis, preterm delivery and asphyxia at birth.

28 Mar 2005

US tendency to arrogantly flout international ethical practice for patient trials abroad

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed that observing a widely accepted code of medical ethics that protects patients who take part in trials is not necessary for studies conducted abroad, states a comment in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

28 Mar 2005

Most accurate estimates of the causes of child deaths to date

The most accurate estimates of the causes of child deaths to date, published in this week’s issue of The Lancet, reveal that worldwide more than 70% of the 10·6 million child deaths that occur annually are attributable to six causes: pneumonia (19%), diarrhoea (18%), malaria (8%), neonatal sepsis or pneumonia (10%), preterm delivery (10%), and asphyxia at birth (8%).

28 Mar 2005

Improving access to healthy food has little effect on diet

Improving food shopping access for people living in deprived neighbourhoods has little effect on diet and health, says an editorial in this week's BMJ.

28 Mar 2005

Rejected asylum seekers and illegal immigrants should get HIV treatment free on the National Health Service

MPs on the Commons health select committee say, in a strongly worded report, that rejected asylum seekers and illegal immigrants should get HIV treatment free on the National Health Service (NHS) like everybody else, to avoid the risk of a further spread of Aids; they say the government's withdrawal of free treatment from these groups as a measure against "health tourism" was ill-advised.

23 Mar 2005

Poor oral health can affect newborn

A study published recently in the Journal of Periodontology has found that pregnant women with tooth decay are at risk for delivering Preterm Low Birth Weight (PLBW) babies.

23 Mar 2005

NIAID investigates safety of H5N1 avian influenza vaccine

Fast-track recruitment has begun for a trial to investigate the safety of a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced today.

23 Mar 2005

Tummy size an indicator of potential diabetes

A study by Youfa Wang, PhD, MD, assistant professor with the Centre for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has found that the size of a man's waist is a better predictor of his risk of developing type 2 diabetes than his body mass index (BMI).

22 Mar 2005

BMA(NI) initial response to Review of Public Administration further consultation

In an initial response to the further consultation document on the Review of Public Administration, BMA(NI) Chairman, Dr Brian Patterson, said: "In our response to the first RPA document we highlighted our belief that the number of Health Boards in Northern Ireland should be reduced and are pleased to see that this has been reflected in this latest document.

22 Mar 2005

Women who are HIV-positive or are abused are more likely to think about or attempt suicide

The Hopkins study, consistent with previous research, sheds new light on the extent to which being in an abusive relationship compounds suicide risk for HIV-positive women in particular. This latest study is published in the March/April 2005 issue of Women’s Health Issues

22 Mar 2005