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Physical inactivity among children today at epidemic levels

A new University of Leicester study funded by the British Heart Foundation reveals that the level of physical inactivity among children today has reached epidemic levels.

30 May 2007

Community-associated antibiotic-resistant staph infections increase

The incidence of antibiotic-resistant staph infections associated with being acquired in the community and not in health care institutions increased almost seven-fold in Chicago's Cook County Hospital system between 2000 and 2005, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

30 May 2007

Women with breast cancer do not get potentially life-saving information

New published data from a large pan-European survey indicate that the majority of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer taking post-surgical endocrine therapy are not involved in making key decisions about their treatment, nor are they given sufficient information to make informed treatment choices that could affect their long-term outcome.

28 May 2007

$101 million in Medicare fraud charges

Authorities announce criminal health care fraud charges against 16 defendants for fraudulently billing Medicare approximately $101 million.

28 May 2007

Dentists can play a significant role in decreasing tobacco-related illness and death

Dentists may be able to help their patients stop smoking by referring them to tobacco-use telephone "quitlines," according to a pilot study published in the May issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

28 May 2007

Depression among type 2 diabetes rural Appalachian clinic attendees

In Appalachia, diabetes hits hard. Depression does, too. Together, they form a difficult pair to beat.

28 May 2007

FDA should be given broad regulatory authority over tobacco marketing, packaging, and distribution

A combination of increased excise taxes, nationwide indoor smoking bans, and other measures would significantly lower the U.S. smoking rate, which now hovers at around 21 percent of the adult population, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

28 May 2007

Restrictive medical studies exclude blacks and women

Treatment studies that exclude the homeless, illicit drug users or people with mental problems disproportionately curb the number of African-Americans and/or women eligible to participate in medical research, according to a new study from investigators at Stanford University.

28 May 2007

African-Americans more likely to be excluded from treatment studies than men or non-African-American patients

A new analysis has found that many alcohol treatment studies are designed in ways that inadvertently omit women and African-Americans from participation.

28 May 2007

Hospitals that have better working conditions for nurses are safer for elderly intensive care unit patients

Hospital associated infections are the number six cause of death in the United States (CDC March 2007). Nurses, as the largest workforce in the nation's hospitals, are in a unique position to positively impact the safety of ICUs if systematic improvements to their working conditions can be made.

28 May 2007

Pilot a model of clinical education for health students

The Griffith University project will develop and pilot a model of clinical education for health students that improves their learning experience and better reflects the realities of clinical practice.

28 May 2007

Hillary wants another go at health care reforms

When Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke to a packed auditorium full of medical students and doctors at George Washington University, she proposed a new health care plan.

28 May 2007

Contact lens solution found to cause serious infection

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has issued a warning to health care professionals and consumers regarding a certain contact lens solution.

27 May 2007

Very-low-birth-weight newborns face higher risk of death at community hospitals

More than 20 percent of very small babies who died in California between 1991 and 2000 might have lived had they been born in different hospitals, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.

24 May 2007

Clinical study results on bifeprunox for schizophrenia

Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Lundbeck A/S presented clinical study results on bifeprunox, an investigational treatment for adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

24 May 2007

New tool-kit to educate doctors on osteoporosis

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research are developing a tool-kit to educate doctors on osteoporosis and provide them with a focussed set of effective, easy-to-use risk factor tests that will lead directly to preventive programs designed to reduce the risk and impact of the condition.

24 May 2007

Oral hygiene recommendations

For more than 75 years, the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance program has helped consumers make informed decisions about safe and effective oral care products.

24 May 2007

Diets high in salt may increase stomach ulcers

Scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) have discovered that diets high in salt may increase the virulence of the pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is the most common cause of ulcers in the stomach and duodenum.

24 May 2007

Seniors and heart disease: Lower cholesterol, cut your risk

A new report from RetireSafe's Senior Center for Health and Security examines how statins can be an effective treatment for lowering cholesterol and cutting the overall risk of heart disease in America's seniors. among Americans.

24 May 2007

Diagnostic tests for Malaria are often underused in Zambia

Despite improvements in the ability to diagnose malaria, these diagnostic tests are often underused in Zambia, and patients with negative test results are often prescribed anti-malaria medications, according to a study in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA , a theme issue on malaria.

24 May 2007