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Use of major opioid drugs combined with a history of previous relapse increased the likelihood of another relapse

The risk of relapse is significantly increased for health-care professionals treated for substance use disorders if they have coexisting psychiatric illness or a family history of substance abuse.

23 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

Federal database used to track trends in cochlear implant complications

Changes in the format of a federal database for mandatory reporting of major and minor complications for medical devices, including cochlear implants, could make it a valuable resource, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

22 Mar 2005

Most cancer patients can be very hopeful for a good outcome and a continued ability to work

Only one of five cancer survivors surveyed in a Penn State study were disabled or out of work four years after treatment, but a minority suffered lasting effects that prevented them from working.

22 Mar 2005

Depression appears to be a major cause of insomnia in people with HIV

Patients in the last stages of HIV infection with full-blown AIDS and those who have suffered some kind of brain impairment as a result of the disease are also more likely to suffer from insomnia, the reviewers conclude in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

22 Mar 2005

Chrysler saves millions on workers healthcare

The Chrysler Group will save itself tens of millions of dollars in health costs through changes it has won from the United Auto Workers union while costing employees and their family up to $1,000 in health care deductibles, according to a deal reported in the Detroit News, which it said is outlined in a March 10 letter to workers, but not publicly announced by either the union or the company.

21 Mar 2005

STD incidents amongst students who pledge viginity

Hannah Brückner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale University and Peter Bearman, professor of sociology at Columbia University, in new research say young adults who make virginity pledges as adolescents are just as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, and that virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior.

21 Mar 2005

Bush intervenes in Terri Schiavo case

Terri Schiavo, has been in a permanent vegetative state which is far more severe than a coma, since she had a heart attack in 1990 that deprived her brain of oxygen.

21 Mar 2005

Hospitals may now be more willing to partner up with former adversaries

A study publishing in the latest issue of Health Services Research is one the few published evaluations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO).

21 Mar 2005

Virginity pledges may even encourage higher risk sexual behavior among young adults

Young adults who take virginity pledges as adolescents are as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not take virginity pledges, Yale and Columbia University researchers report in the March 18 issue of Journal of Adolescent Health.

21 Mar 2005

Calls to regionalize the care of patients with heart attacks are premature

Calls to regionalize the care of patients with heart attacks are premature, and do not account for potential unintended consequences, according to a commentary by Yale researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

21 Mar 2005

Chemists say they have identified a gene that appears to play a key role in the development of type 1 diabetes

In the current study, the researchers focused on the formation of the MIF protein (macrophage migration inhibitory factor), a proinflammatory protein that they showed in previous studies is elevated in diabetic animals and may be involved in the cascade of immunological events that leads to the destruction of the pancreas and the subsequent onset of type 1 diabetes.

21 Mar 2005

Rapid rise in obesity may reverse life expectancy trend

It's been assumed that U.S. life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in the March 17 New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that this trend is about to reverse itself -- due to the rapid rise in obesity, especially among children.

21 Mar 2005

Veterans more overweight than general population

More than two-thirds of women and almost three-quarters of men receiving care at Veterans Affairs outpatient facilities in 2000 were overweight – a higher percentage than among the general population – according to a new report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

21 Mar 2005

Smart tech at Pittsburgh hospital improves patient safety

Pittsburgh's Ohio Valley General Hospital, in an effort to improve patient safety, has implemented an automated system that uses barcoding and "smart" infusion system technology to ensure that patients receive the right intravenous (IV) medication at the appropriate dose and rate.

16 Mar 2005

New set of standards to improve sexual health services in the NHS

A new set of clear recommended standards to improve sexual health services in the NHS have been jointly launched today by Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson and Ruth Lowbury of the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.

16 Mar 2005

Conference to assess evidence on management of menopause-related symptoms

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of Menopause-Related Symptoms, March 21-23, 2005, at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

16 Mar 2005

Wyeth responds to patent lawsuit ruling

Wyeth responded to the ruling today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the case of Israel Bio-Engineering Project v. Amgen, Inc.

16 Mar 2005

Cancer survival comes at its own price

Patients who hear the dreaded words "you have cancer" invariably look forward to the day the doctor tells them "you're cured." But University of Florida researchers say survival often comes at its own price -- the mind may need mending even after the body heals.

16 Mar 2005

Employees with diabetes are not automatically more tired

Employees with diabetes are not automatically more tired due to a combination of work and illness. However, Dutch researcher Iris Weijman found that employees with diabetes who have several chronic conditions and those who experience inconvenience from their illness do have a higher risk of fatigue.

16 Mar 2005