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Mental illness exacts "enormous toll" for U.S. businesses

A study led by a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine psychiatrist highlights the toll anxiety and depressive disorders exact on workplace performance and profits and points to employer-guaranteed specialized psychiatric care as both cost effective and humane.

10 Nov 2005

Flu expert calls for mandatory vaccination of health care workers

Johns Hopkins' senior hospital epidemiologist and flu expert is calling for mandatory vaccination of all health care workers as the best means of protecting patients and hospital staff from widespread outbreaks of the viral illness.

10 Nov 2005

One in five Americans has or is at serious risk for developing diabetes

At least one in five Americans has or is at serious risk for developing diabetes, meaning millions are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, key health organizations are warning.

8 Nov 2005

Women refuse follow-up tests for breast cancer

In a study of women with breast cancer, Kaiser Permanente researchers and others examined characteristics of women who refused recommended follow-up testing after a positive breast cancer screening test, or a visit to a medical provider for breast cancer symptoms.

8 Nov 2005

HIV antiretroviral therapy does help those in third world

With preliminary results from a study in Botswana, Harvard School of Public Health researchers have found that people with HIV-1 subtype C in resource-poor settings, who receive antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, can achieve comparable results to those in the developed world.

7 Nov 2005

America will not have a high-quality health system if equal attention is not given to mental health issues and substance-use problems

Without a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of health care for people with mental conditions and alcohol or drug problems, high-quality care in the nation's overall health system and better health for the public are goals that will remain unmet

7 Nov 2005

Waist-to-hip ratio, not body mass index, is the best measure of heart attack risk

Waist-to-hip ratio, not body mass index (BMI), is the best obesity measure for assessing a person's risk of heart attack, concludes a global study published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

7 Nov 2005

First study to investigate regional low birth weight rates on a national scale

Low birth weight, an important risk factor of infant mortality and childhood developmental disorders, varies more than 3-fold in regions across the U.S., according to national research conducted at Dartmouth Medical School. The study offers promise for health care experts in an area of prenatal health where progress has been elusive.

7 Nov 2005

Socioeconomic status determines life expectancy in HIV patients

HIV patients with a low socioeconomic status are likelier to die much more often than patients with higher levels of wealth and education, a new UCLA study has found.

3 Nov 2005

Neurological and neuromuscular diseases raise risk of complications from flu

As another flu season approaches, patients with neurological and neuromuscular disease are especially vulnerable to respiratory failure caused by influenza.

3 Nov 2005

Women who smoke are more concerned about their habit and their ability to quit than men

In a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the majority of smokers mistakenly believed nicotine causes cancer, leading many to smoke "light" cigarettes because they believed them to be less harmful.

3 Nov 2005

Lung cancer drug approved for treating pancreatic cancer

Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals have announced that U.S. regulators have approved their lung cancer drug Tarceva for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

3 Nov 2005

Strong association between physical and mental health problems and restless legs syndrome

Adults with restless legs syndrome (RLS), a common debilitating condition, may be affected physically, mentally, and socially by their disease.

1 Nov 2005

Women more at risk for colorectal cancer

A new study of gender and risk factors for colorectal cancer reveals that while both tobacco and alcohol increase risk for colorectal cancer, women who smoke are at higher risk.

1 Nov 2005

Dead human tissue illegally used in surgery

London Health Sciences Centre is investigating if its surgeons used human tissue products that were recalled because they might have been taken illegally from corpses at funeral homes in the United States.

31 Oct 2005

Health care cuts in the US are costing lives

Lori Smith, a representative of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign in Tennessee, believes that plans to dismantle national social programmes for sick and poor people throughout the US are leading to suffering and death.

30 Oct 2005

First long-term study to evaluate repeated treatment with BoNTA for post-stroke spasticity

New research shows that repeated treatments of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) over one year after a stroke can improve muscle tone and reduce pain in the arms and hands, making it easier for patients to dress themselves and perform personal hygiene.

30 Oct 2005

Type 2 diabetes and depression can be a fatal mix

Patients whose type 2 diabetes was accompanied by minor or major depression had higher mortality rates, compared to patients with type 2 diabetes alone, over the three-year period of a recent study in Washington state.

27 Oct 2005

New diabetes trial - largest diet and exercise study of its kind

Doctors from the University of Bristol are looking for volunteers who have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to take part in the largest diet and exercise study of its kind. The study will be based in local hospitals across the Southwest.

26 Oct 2005

Kids with asthma may also be at risk for psychological problems such as depression

This study, recently published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, is one of the first to examine relationships among asthma, anxiety and depression, and several aspects of social functioning in urban children.

26 Oct 2005