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Clinical use of immunoassays not recommended as a primary means of assessing environmental fungal exposure

Routine clinical use of immunoassays, a type of blood test for measuring antigen-specific IgE or IgG antibodies, is not recommended as a primary means of assessing environmental fungal exposure or its harmful effects according to a report published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

24 May 2004

Statewide education organizations weigh-in on Medicaid lawsuit against ODJFS

The Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) issued a statement this week in support of the lawsuit filed by the Delaware County MR/DD Board last month against the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS).

24 May 2004

Cosmetic surgery reality shows send a dangerous message to viewers

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) today announced the growing trend in cosmetic surgery reality shows, such as MTV`s I Want a Famous Face, sends a dangerous message to viewers, encouraging people to seek plastic surgery for the wrong reasons.

24 May 2004

Data from Indiana youth health survey released

Indiana State health officials today released data from a 2003 health survey of Indiana youth in grades 9 through 12 that assess whether teens are engaging in certain risk behaviors.

23 May 2004

WHO to tackle heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety as well as diseases

The World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization, has raised global public health to a new level, by resolving to take more action to prevent death and illness resulting from heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety, and lack of access to health services as well as from diseases spread by viruses, bacteria and other dangerous microbes.

22 May 2004

World health officials adopt global health strategy

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was today endorsed by Member States at their annual Health Assembly in Geneva. The strategy addresses two of the major risk factors responsible for the heavy and growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which now account for some 60% of global deaths and almost half (47%) of the global burden of disease. NCDs include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and obesity-related conditions.

22 May 2004

Helminthic therapy, using worm eggs to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disorders

University of Iowa Health Care researchers reported important findings recently at a conference of specialists in New Orleans, La. The findings are from their study of helminthic therapy - using specially prepared worm eggs - to treat patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disorders that don't respond to standard treatments.

21 May 2004

Clusters of viral meningitis found in two Manhattan schools

Working closely with the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is investigating clusters of viral meningitis in two Manhattan schools (4 students at La Guardia High School, 2 students at Stuyvesant High School).

21 May 2004

Using smart fluids to retrain muscles

Physical rehabilitation has traditionally consisted of arduously retraining the body on weight machines and other resistance devices, but with the growing interest in “smart fluids,” NU engineering professor Constantinos Mavroidis envisions a simple brace that can increase the resistance on a healing joint with the turn of a dial.

21 May 2004

20 percent of all black men born from 1965 through 1969 had served time in prison

Being jailed in federal or state prisons has become so common today that more young black men in the United States have done time than have served in the military or earned a college degree, according to new study.

20 May 2004

Craig Fuller of NACDS testifies on Medicare-approved drug discount card program

Today, Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on the Medicare prescription discount cards, the important role of pharmacies and lessons learned from the first two weeks of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program.

20 May 2004

Tories call for Labour apology on wasted public health funds

The British Conservative Parties Shadow Secretary of State for Public Services, Health & Education, Tim Yeo has called on the Labour Government to apologise for wasting public funds after ministers announced plans to scrap dozens of NHS quangos.

20 May 2004

Boston Medical Center awarded grant to support breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Trustees of the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation to help support the Hospital Education of Lactation Practices (HELP) Lowell Program.

19 May 2004

Exercise reverses signs of artery disease in obese children

Healthy but obese adolescents display abnormal responses to tests of blood vessel function, but after a short course of exercise their test results match those of lean youngsters, even though they remain heavy, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease, meaning they have a greater than 20 percent chance of developing heart disease within 10 years, and about one in six has a 10-year risk that is greater than 10 percent, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Higher volume may not guarantee higher quality angioplasty and stenting

"Practice makes perfect" seems logical, but how much practice remains uncertain, and current health care quality guidelines may be set too high. It may be time to reexamine the standard recommending hospitals perform at least 400 angioplasty and stent procedures per year, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Britain's youth complacent about HIV/AIDS

New data from surveys across the UK reveal a decline in 12-15 year olds’ knowledge about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Figures from 1995-2001, (see tables), using a sample of 142,281 young people, show a declining trend of youngsters who think that HIV can be passed on by:

19 May 2004

Drug combo effective for advanced breast cancer

A pair of studies at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center that takes laboratory science to the patients' bedside found that combining the molecularly targeted therapy Herceptin with a specific chemotherapy combination resulted in significant tumor response rates and longer relapse-free periods in women with an aggressive form of advanced breast cancer.

19 May 2004

Royal Society warns bureaucracy is hampering British scientists

University scientists will remain overloaded with administrative work despite proposed changes to the method of assessing the quality of research they carry out, according to a report published today (19 May 2004) by the Royal Society.

19 May 2004

Job strain and marital stress factors are a deadly blood pressure increasing duo

“The Double Exposure study was designed to determine if people under stress go on to develop higher levels of ambulatory blood pressure, possibly moving them along the pathway to hypertension,” said Sheldon Tobe, MD, lead investigator from Sunnybrook and Women’s Health Science Centre, Toronto. “Double Exposure refers to the possible interaction between job and marital factors on new and existing hypertension.

19 May 2004