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WHO says earthquake survivors need medical care, safe water, vaccinations

The World Health Organization is sending emergency equipment, and will help to support vaccination campaigns and set up a disease surveillance system following the devastating earthquake on the island of Java, Indonesia on Saturday.

29 May 2006

WHO ships Tamiflu to Indonesia just in case

A Hong Kong laboratory officially recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the latest four cases of bird flu infection in humans in Indonesia.

29 May 2006

Cognitive behavioral therapy effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome

According to the latest research behavioral therapy was more effective in treating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than being on a waiting list for treatment.

29 May 2006

Sleeping pill rouses people in a permanent vegetative state

South African researchers have found that a drug commonly used as a sleeping pill can temporarily revive people in a permanent vegetative state to the point where they can have conversations.

25 May 2006

Misuse of ADHD drugs sends thousands each year to seek emergency hospital treatment

Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that problems with the drugs used to treat attention deficit disorders force as many as 3,100 people to seek emergency hospital treatment each year.

25 May 2006

WHO says Indonesian bird flu cluster does not show virus has mutated

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that despite the cluster of seven members from the same Indonesian family dying of bird flu this month, it does not signify that the virus has mutated and is being transmitted from human to human.

25 May 2006

Charity calls for drug "shooting galleries" to be set up in the UK

According to an independent group of experts, Britain should set up special centres for heroin addicts to inject themselves to try to cut the risk of disease and overdose.

24 May 2006

Heavy marijuana use not linked to lung cancer

Despite popular belief, a new study shows that people who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer.

24 May 2006

Research could lead to new treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have identified biochemical signals that attract pathogenic cells to damaged lung tissue - one of the first steps in a chain of events leading to a lethal disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF.

23 May 2006

Trandolapril and verapamil reduce risk of developing diabetes in Hispanic patients

The combination of drugs traditionally used to control blood pressure might not be ideal for Hispanic patients, University of Florida researchers warn.

23 May 2006

Clinical trials funded by for-profit organizations more likely to report positive

Cardiovascular clinical trials published between 2000 and 2005 were significantly more likely to report positive findings if they were funded by for-profit organizations than those funded by not-for-profit organizations, according to a study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 May 2006

Researchers identify target of the widely prescribed antidepressant Prozac

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island have identified which among several different kinds of cells in the brain is the chief target of the widely prescribed antidepressant Prozac.

23 May 2006

Patients more satisfied if they have more contact with pharmacist

Getting hospital-based pharmacists out from "behind the counter" to work directly with inpatients and health care teams reduces medication errors and problems, according to a University of Iowa and Department of Veterans Affairs review of previously published studies.

23 May 2006