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Cravings for chocolate increased by dieting

Those planning to break New Year's dieting resolutions with a feast of chocolate on Valentine's Day, should think again, according to researchers at the University of Hertfordshire.

13 Feb 2007

WFP resumes programs providing food to people with TB, HIV in Cambodia

The World Food Program has resumed its programs providing people living with HIV and tuberculosis in Cambodia with access to food after receiving aid from Spain and the U.S., the agency said on Thursday, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports.

13 Feb 2007

Healthier wines

A new technique that uses ozone to preserve grapes could help prevent allergies and boost healthy compounds at the same time, reports Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the Society of Chemical Industry.

12 Feb 2007

Octopuses and depression

Researchers often use animals to help them resolve problems that can be applied to people. Dr. Jean Boal, a biology professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, is developing a new and unique way to research the causes and effects of depression with the help of octopuses.

12 Feb 2007

FDA approves absorbable polymer suture that uses DNA technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it has cleared for marketing in the U.S. the TephaFLEX Absorbable Suture - the first absorbable polymer suture made from material isolated from bacteria modified by recombinant DNA technology.

12 Feb 2007

Serious warning placed on antibiotic Ketek

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has issued a warning about an antibiotic used to treat sinusitis and bronchitis.

12 Feb 2007

British bird flu - who's to blame?

The Hungarian Agriculture Ministry has admitted that turkey meat from a plant near the site of a Hungarian bird flu outbreak was sold to various parts of Europe including Britain.

12 Feb 2007

Scientists baffled by strange illness killing colonies of honeybees

Scientists across the United States are baffled by a strange illness which appears to kill honeybees by the thousands.

12 Feb 2007

Mad cow disease appears again in Canadian cattle

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says there has been another case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canadian cattle.

12 Feb 2007

South Africa starts major HIV/AIDS vaccine trial

The launch of the first large-scale study to evaluate a candidate HIV vaccine on the African continent was announced today by study collaborators in the United States and South Africa. The trial will involve up to 3,000 participants at five sites throughout South Africa and is expected to continue for four years.

11 Feb 2007

Folate and vitamin B12 preserve cognitive function among seniors

Folate and vitamin B12, two important nutrients for the development of healthy nerves and blood cells, may work together to protect cognitive function among seniors, reports a new epidemiological study from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA).

11 Feb 2007

FDA approves temporary limb salvage shunt

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for U.S. marketing a vascular shunt, a medical device that can help save the arms and legs of soldiers critically injured in combat as well as individuals in other trauma settings and emergency situations.

11 Feb 2007

New, rapid-detection system for Salmonella

The food and drink we consume have to pass strict quality controls. Nevertheless, these measures are not always sufficient, given that sometimes certain foodstuffs can still give rise to food poisoning, most often caused by micro-organisms. The Salmonella bacterium is undoubtedly one of the best known of these.

8 Feb 2007

Approval of orlistat capsules over-the-counter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved orlistat capsules as an over-the-counter (OTC) weight loss aid for overweight adults.

7 Feb 2007

FDA warns of deadly results of skin-numbing creams

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about topical anesthetics that have skin-numbing effects.

7 Feb 2007

Second worker tested for bird flu on British farm

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the UK has announced that the vet who became ill after working on the farm where an outbreak of bird flu has occurred, has tested negative for the virus.

7 Feb 2007

ViroPharma receives orphan drug designation for Maribavir

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for maribavir for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia and disease in the populations at-risk.

7 Feb 2007

Most of Medicare and Medicaid savings in Bush's budget proposal come from reducing growth in Medicare provider payments

The "lion's share" of the Medicare and Medicaid savings over five years proposed in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal comes from limits on annual inflation adjustments for reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers for Medicare, amounting to $39.5 billion, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Feb 2007

Ban called for on newer birth control pills

The advocacy group Public Citizen has filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding that the sale of some of the newer birth control pills be banned.

6 Feb 2007

FDA clears MammaPrint test for marketing

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing a test that determines the likelihood of breast cancer returning within five to 10 years after a woman's initial cancer. It is the first cleared molecular test that profiles genetic activity.

6 Feb 2007