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Teenage smokers at risk of depression, alcohol abuse and drug use

According to American researchers smoking cigarettes may make teens more prone to depression, alcohol abuse and illegal drug use.

28 Oct 2007

Public access policy for NIH-funded research set to become law

The U.S. Senate last night approved the FY2008 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill (S.1710), including a provision that directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen its Public Access Policy by requiring rather than requesting participation by researchers.

24 Oct 2007

Decorative contact lenses can seriously damage the eyes

Consumers are being warned that decorative contact lenses bought without a prescription can permanently damage people's eyesight.

23 Oct 2007

Genetic ancestry testing could spawn unwelcome societal consequences

For many Americans, the potential to track one's DNA to a specific country, region or tribe with a take-home kit is highly alluring.

19 Oct 2007

19,000 Americans died in 2005 from MRSA

A new study that estimates nearly 19,000 Americans died in 2005 from a virulent, antibiotic-resistant infection acquired mostly in the hospital underscores the need for Congress to require public reporting of patient infection rates, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

19 Oct 2007

Medsafe warns of "natural health" hazards

The New Zealand Ministry of Health's medicines and medical devices regulator Medsafe is warning New Zealanders to be aware of what they're buying when shopping for herbal remedies, following charges brought against a Chinese herbalist in Auckland.

19 Oct 2007

British doctors say cut the time limit for abortions

At present the current limit for abortions is 24 weeks, but a survey of 1,000 GPs by Marie Stopes International, found 65 per cent thought the current 24-week abortion limit should be cut; of these, 62 per cent said the upper limit should remain within 20 to 23 weeks.

17 Oct 2007

TB man forcibly detained in British hospital

A man is being detained in a hospital in Manchester, England in order to prevent him spreading tuberculosis (TB) to other people.

10 Oct 2007

Routine HIV testing may violate many state laws

A new study concludes that routine testing for HIV recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may violate many state laws.

10 Oct 2007

New research warns of the lack of specialization when judging individuals with mental disorders

Research carried out by the Department of Criminal Law of the University of Granada has analysed for the first time all the criminal sentences passed in Spain since 1870 in which the defendant was acquitted of the charge or the sentence was reduced on account of mental disorder.

10 Oct 2007

Genomic technologies to identify toxic chemicals should be developed

A new report from the National Research Council recommends that government agencies enhance their efforts to incorporate genomic data into risk assessments of chemicals and medicines, and calls for a concerted effort to fully develop these methods' potential to protect public health.

10 Oct 2007

Patients perceived cancer care unaffected by lower Medicare reimbursements

Patients perceive no significant change in the quality of care for cancer since the United States' government passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) according to a study published in the November 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

9 Oct 2007