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Study reveals association between cardiac vagal activity and functional somatic symptoms

A study in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics outlines some novel insights between cardiac vagal activity [heart rate variability in the high-frequency band (HRV-HF)] and symptoms that do not find an organic explanation.

11 May 2010

One-quarter of young adults use waterpipes

As fewer people puff on cigarettes, a new smoking trend may be gaining popularity among North American youth. A study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that almost one-quarter of young adults in Montreal had used waterpipes (also known as shishas or hookahs) in the past year.

11 May 2010

Exposure to fine particulate matter can trigger cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks

The scientific evidence linking air pollution to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death has "substantially strengthened," and people, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk, should limit their exposure, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement.

11 May 2010

UT Southwestern offers advanced lung-cancer patients free screenings of tumors for genetic mutations

UT Southwestern Medical Center is the only site in North Texas participating in a national study that offers advanced lung-cancer patients free screenings of their tumors for genetic mutations, some of which might be targets for treatment with existing or experimental therapies.

10 May 2010

Groups vie for a piece of health law's $15 billion prevention fund

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "If you had $15 billion to spend on preventing disease in the U.S., where do you think it would do the most good? Fighting obesity? Smoking? Maybe encouraging exercise?

10 May 2010

Depression, hostile behavior increase risk of mortality

This study conducted on a sample of 20,625 employees of the French national gas and electricity companies demonstrates that being depressed and hostile increases the mortality risk.

10 May 2010

Mother’s depression and smoking habits can influence smoking among adolescents

A new study reveals that adolescents aged 12 to 17 living with mothers who are current smokers or who have had a major depressive episode in the past year are far more likely to smoke than adolescents not living under these circumstances.

10 May 2010

First Edition: May 7, 2010

Today's health policy headlines explore a range of issues -- from how health reform politics are playing in midterm election campaigns to hospital action in the marketplace.

7 May 2010

New research examines coping and appraisal of disease-related pain

Growing evidence suggests how individuals cope with and appraise disease-related pain, such as arthritis or cancer, is related not only to their experience with pain but also to their physical and psychological functioning, according to new research presented here today in a plenary session talk at the American Pain Society's annual scientific meeting.

7 May 2010

Natazia tablets receive FDA approval for prevention of pregnancy

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Natazia (estradiol valerate and estradiol valerate/dienogest) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

7 May 2010

A checklist to stay healthy at every age

Shantanu Nundy, MD, a second-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center may soon find out. Driven by his mother's health questions and the difficulty of providing simple, reliable answers, Nundy collected all of the "generally accepted truths" about preventing disease, organized them into checklists based on age, and persuaded the Johns Hopkins University Press to publish them as Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants you to Know.

7 May 2010

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals reports first-quarter net income of $5.5 million from continuing operations

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals today announced its first quarter financial results for the three month period ended March 27, 2010. The Company reported net income from continuing operations of $5.5 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to a net loss of $7.0 million, or $0.14 per share, for the period ended March 28, 2009.

7 May 2010

Pennsylvania Auditor assails use of some HIV/AIDS prevention funds

Philadelphia Inquirer: "The Pennsylvania Auditor General's Office criticized the state's oversight of HIV/AIDS prevention funding Wednesday in a report that alleges more than $700,000 in waste, abuse, and potentially fraudulent spending by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

7 May 2010

FDA approves new oral contraceptive Natazia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Natazia, a combination hormonal tablet for use as an oral contraceptive.

7 May 2010

Experts unveil roadmap to improve health and health delivery in the U.S.

A Commission of national health care experts convened by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress has unveiled a roadmap and integrated approach that will put "health" back into our nation's health care system as well as address key opportunities following passage of health care reform legislation.

6 May 2010

New research to improve effectiveness of nicotine vaccination for cigarette smokers

If Pradeep K. Garg, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center figures out why some smokers are more addicted to nicotine than others, it could lead to more successful smoking cessation treatments.

6 May 2010

Annual heart disease and stroke rates in China to rise up to 73% by 2030: Research

Annual heart disease and stroke rates in China will rise by up to 73 percent by 2030, given an aging population and other increased risk factors, without policies and prevention efforts aimed at controlling blood pressure and smoking, according to research from Columbia University Medical Center published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

6 May 2010

Aradigm receives FDA IND approval for inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin

Aradigm Corporation today announced it received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin Investigational New Drug (IND) application. The first trial planned under this IND is a Phase 1/2a, multicenter study designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of once-daily administration of 150 mg (3 mL) of Ciprofloxacin for Inhalation (CFI, ARD-3100) in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have a history of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection.

5 May 2010

Genetics researchers use new approach to detect causal gene variants

In findings that may speed the search for disease-causing genes, a new study challenges the prevailing view that common diseases are usually caused by common gene variants (mutations). Instead, say genetics researchers, the culprits may be numerous rare variants, located in DNA sequences farther away from the original "hot spots" than scientists have been accustomed to look.

5 May 2010

Eight states to receive grants for local health programs

Pregnant women in eight states will receive prenatal services and education from the March of Dimes, thanks to a $313,000 grant from the WellPoint Foundation, Inc., a private, nonprofit organization wholly funded by WellPoint, Inc.

5 May 2010