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Chinese bird flu expert will head the WHO

Dr. Margaret Chan, a Chinese expert on bird flu, is to be the next head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

8 Nov 2006

Toyota builds employee health clinic in new factory to reduce health care costs

In an effort to contain health care spending, Toyota Motor will construct a $9 million medical clinic for employees and their families at its new San Antonio truck factory, the Detroit News reports.

8 Nov 2006

Tubby tummies in kids increase the risk of serious disease later on

A new study by American researchers has found that between 1988 and 2004 abdominal obesity increased more than 65 percent among boys and almost 70 percent among girls.

7 Nov 2006

Will Libya take one step forward or two steps back?

A court in Libya has heard the closing remarks for the defence in the case of the six foreign medics accused of deliberating infecting 426 children with HIV at a hospital in Benghazi; 52 have since died of AIDS.

1 Nov 2006

Potential for first diagnostic DNA test to guide antidepressant treatment

Treatment of depression is difficult for both patients and for psychiatrists. While there are numerous drugs available that work, finding the right one -- or right combination -- is, at times, a matter of trial and error.

31 Oct 2006

Weill Cornell findings could foil two potential bioterror agents - viral peptide prevents deadly Hendra, Nipah viruses from infecting cells

Two lethal and easily transmitted viruses -- both potential bioterror agents -- may soon be much less dangerous, thanks to research led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

31 Oct 2006

Trial involving medical workers accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV involves 'profound political issues'

The "scientific community, AIDS activists and Libyan government would do well to recognize ... the political and diplomatic import of the case" involving five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV, Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes in a PLoS Medicine opinion piece (Garrett, PLoS Medicine, 10/26).

30 Oct 2006

Accusations against medics charged with infecting children with HIV - attempt to cover up poor Libyan medical system

The accusations against five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor charged with infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV are "an attempt to deflect Libyans' attention from the shocking state of their own medical system," a Washington Post editorial says (Washington Post, 10/29).

30 Oct 2006

Most U.S. residents do not examine source, date of health care data posted online

Three-fourths of U.S. adults who search for health care information online regularly do not examine the source and date to determine the quality of the data, according to a survey released on Sunday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

30 Oct 2006

Six medics fight for their life in Libyan re-trial as another child dies of AIDS

The death of a nine-year old girl from AIDS in Libya brings the death toll to 52 of children in a Benghazi hospital who were allegedly deliberately infected with the virus by six foreign medics.

30 Oct 2006

Lab-on-a-chip nanoscale array monitors cellular processes

Researchers at Tel-Aviv University in Israel have developed a lab-on-a-chip device that can incorporate enzymes and even living cells in a nanoscale array capable of monitoring electrochemical reactions.

30 Oct 2006

More hospital patients visited by 'hospitalists' rather than family physicians

An increasing number of private-practice physicians nationwide are relying on "hospitalists" to provide care to their hospitalized patients, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

26 Oct 2006

FDA approves Tyzeka for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis B

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tyzeka (telbivudine) for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis B (HBV), a serious viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause lifelong infection, scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), and eventually liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

26 Oct 2006

Eminent scientists support jailed medics in Libya

The case of the six medics currently on trial in Libya on charges that they deliberatly infected more than 400 children with HIV 1998, has hit international headlines due to the action of a group of prominent American scientists.

26 Oct 2006

Birth of conjoined twins a medical and practical challenge

Another set of conjoined twins are expected to be born this week in Canada.

25 Oct 2006

Consumer-driven health plans appear to reduce costs, but some plan beneficiaries forgo needed medical care

Consumer-driven health plans can help employers reduce health care costs but might lead some patients to forgo necessary care to save money, according to a study by RAND, the Washington Post reports.

24 Oct 2006

Health officials announce physician quiz campaign to help reduce medical errors

HHS and other health officials on Monday announced a new campaign designed to limit surgical complications by encouraging patients to quiz their doctors about medical procedures, CQ HealthBeat reports.

24 Oct 2006

Compliance with medications lowers health care costs

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who take medications as directed have decreased medical costs, researchers from the University of Chicago researchers report at the American College of Gastroenterology annual scientific meeting in Las Vegas. A second study from the same group, however, suggests that there is no simple way to improve compliance.

23 Oct 2006

New biologic treatment for tennis elbow

A person suffering from tennis elbow may not have to look any further than his or her own body for the most effective treatment, according to a study published in the November issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

23 Oct 2006

Wall Street Journal examines concerns over limits of HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined how forms that outline the medical privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act "essentially detai[l] the many ways a doctor can use and disclose medical information -- often without a patient's consent or knowledge" -- and how patients who visit physician offices, hospitals and pharmacies mistakenly "assume signing somehow protects their privacy".

23 Oct 2006