Health Care News and Research

RSS

The lower your cholesterol in midlife, the better you are off in old age

With up to 39 years of follow-up data in hand, Finnish researchers can say men who had naturally low cholesterol levels in early middle age are more likely to survive and have a higher quality of life in old age

1 Sep 2004

Knowing more about a gene’s responsibility will stir up a swarm of controversy

Pinning down how genetics contributes to behavior is slippery business. For instance, identifying the genes linked to a likelihood of developing schizophrenia or autism could stigmatize those who possess the genes, and may even play a role in defining the conditions themselves.

1 Sep 2004

Are Latin America and the Caribbean ready to meet the health challenges of the coming senior boom?

Advances in medicine and public health have dramatically increased life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.But is the region ready to meet the challenges of the coming "senior boom"?

31 Aug 2004

1 in 7 Americans in 2003 faced problems getting needed medical care

Despite sluggish economic growth and rapidly rising health care costs, Americans' access to needed medical care improved slightly between 2001 and 2003, especially among low-income children and adults, according to a national study released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

31 Aug 2004

Australian broadband for health suppliers chosen

The Australian Government has announced a list of approved suppliers to implement its $35 million broadband initiative.

31 Aug 2004

Mental distress increases risk of heart disease in diabetics

“Mental health professionals need to be involved in the care of diabetic persons,” says study author Tara W. Strine, M.P.H., an epidemiologist in the Division of Adult and Community Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings appear in the American Journal of Health Behavior.

30 Aug 2004

African-Americans and Asians more pessimistic about the health systems ability to cope with a bioterrorist event

While nearly three-quarters of Americans believe that the public health system would respond fairly in a bioterrorist event, African-Americans and Asians adhere to this view in smaller proportions, perhaps because of past discriminatory policies put in place by health officials, according to a new UCLA study.

30 Aug 2004

Atrial fibrillation patients often receive needless treatment

Results of the Euro Heart Survey on atrial fibrillation (AF), demonstrate that many AF patients receive clot-preventing drugs while not at risk for stroke.

29 Aug 2004

Black women may not be getting mammograms as often as white women

Black women may not be getting mammograms as often as white women, despite a widespread belief that this particular racial disparity has been overcome, a University of Rochester Medical Center study shows.

27 Aug 2004

Yogurt, unfortunately, is not the answer for thrush

The curative power of yogurt to prevent cases of thrush when taking antibiotics has been debunked by a University of Melbourne researcher.

27 Aug 2004

Ephedra substitute - Seville orange may have risks

People taking “ephedra-free” weight loss products that contain the herb Citrus aurantium, or Seville orange, may be doing more harm to their body than good, according to a new review published by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers.

27 Aug 2004

New York Judge strikes down federal abortion ban

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles (PPLA) has applauded the New York court ruling issued today in National Abortion Federation (NAF) v. Ashcroft, a lawsuit challenging the federal abortion ban passed by Congress last October and signed by President Bush. Today's ruling invalidates the ban.

26 Aug 2004

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder high among Chernobyl children

In an extensive study of children exposed to varying levels of fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, Israeli researchers have found that Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) scores are higher among those who were in-utero at the time of the accident -- regardless of their actual level of radiation exposure.

26 Aug 2004

FDA reinforces use of Sustiva in first-line HIV combination therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Sustiva® (efavirenz) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include new long-term virologic and clinical data from BMS Study 006 in its prescribing information.

26 Aug 2004

NHS hospitals in the North of England are performing better than those in the South

According to new research from the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO), based at the University of Bristol, the explanation lies in regional differences in the gap between wages in the private and public sectors.

26 Aug 2004

Prozac helps treat adolescents with depression

The TADS researchers said that major depressive disorder is common, with one in 20 teens affected at varying levels of severity. Like other forms of depression, major depressive disorder has been associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior and with completed suicide.

26 Aug 2004

$700,000 to help prevent or control diabetes among New Yorkers

Governor George E. Pataki has announced that 14 community-based organizations in New York State have been awarded grants totaling $700,000 to help prevent or control diabetes among New Yorkers.

25 Aug 2004

Another large tobacco company has joined the Master Settlement Agreement with Iowa and other states

Iowa's share of payments will be about $14.8 million over the next ten years, with over one-fifth of that going to State coffers.

23 Aug 2004

Clinicians have been able to reduce mortality rates in HIV positive children from 15 to 3 percent

"This is perhaps the first time that it has been demonstrated that HIV positive children can be successfully treated with antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings and the outcomes are comparable to those we have seen in U.S. pediatric antiretroviral clinical trials,"

23 Aug 2004

Striking increase in high blood pressure in the U.S.

A new analysis of the prevalence of high blood pressure in the US shows a striking increase over the last 10 years in the number of adults with this condition.

23 Aug 2004