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FDA approves updated labeling for Warfarin (Coumadin)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of updated labeling for the widely used blood-thinning drug, Coumadin, to explain that people's genetic makeup may influence how they respond to the drug.

17 Aug 2007

Strengthened warnings on some type 2 diabetes drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced manufacturers of certain drugs approved to treat Type 2 diabetes have agreed to add a stronger warning on the risk of heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart does not adequately pump blood.

16 Aug 2007

Study looks at father's role in a household with a depressed mother

Children whose mothers are depressed are less likely to develop problem behaviors if their fathers are actively engaged in family life, a Saint Louis University researcher finds.

16 Aug 2007

Have you ever experienced pain in your abdomen?

Of course, all of us have experienced a “belly ache” sometime in our lives, but how can you decide when abdominal pain is serious? While most stomach pain isn't serious, persistent or severe pain should not be ignored.

16 Aug 2007

Living in America - you don't live quite as long!

According to the National Centre for Health Statistics, despite being one of the richest countries in the world, America has dropped to 42nd place in the world rankings of life expectancy.

15 Aug 2007

FDA tells drug giant to come clean about Alzheimer's drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has warned a major drug company about misleading the medical profession over a drug for dementia.

15 Aug 2007

New recommendations to improve existing standards for electronic health record systems

A new report prepared by RTI International for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recommends 14 functional requirements that would serve to increase efficiency and improve billing accuracy for clinicians using electronic health records (EHRs).

13 Aug 2007

$25 million made available for health care partnership emergency care competitive grants

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that $25 million is available to hospitals and other health care facilities via a competitive emergency care grant program focused on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

13 Aug 2007

Sanofi pasteur ships doses of Fluzone influenza vaccine for the 2007-2008 season

Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, has begun shipment of influenza vaccine (Fluzone, Influenza Virus Vaccine) in the United States for the 2007-2008 season.

13 Aug 2007

FDA warns against use of red yeast rice products promoted as high cholesterol treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to buy or eat three red yeast rice products promoted and sold on Web sites.

12 Aug 2007

More sophisticated model is needed to assess preventive treatment in the elderly

Rather than prolonging life, preventive treatments in elderly people may simply change the cause of death, the manner of our dying, say doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

11 Aug 2007

Prophylaxis effective at preventing joint bleeds and preserving joint function and structure in young boys with hemophilia A

According to a new landmark study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, infusions of clotting factor VIII used preventively can significantly reduce the risk of developing joint damage associated with joint bleeding in young children with hemophilia A.

9 Aug 2007

Five ways to save 100,000 American lives

A new report says more than 100,000 American lives would be saved each year if people increased the use of five preventive services.

8 Aug 2007

Underinsured children in the U.S. increasingly at risk for not getting needed vaccines

Due to limited federal and state funding for vaccines, underinsured children in the United States are increasingly at risk for not getting needed vaccines, according to a new study published August 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

8 Aug 2007

Parents' depression impacts child's symptoms of depression

A parent's struggle with stress or depression can lower a child's quality of life -- and it could hinder an overweight youngster's attempts to lose weight, too, University of Florida researchers say.

8 Aug 2007

Do you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of bowel function. Patients who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome have abdominal pain or discomfort accompanied by changes in bowel habits such as constipation or diarrhea (or both).

8 Aug 2007

Even older women at high risk have little interest in being tested for HIV

Few older women were interested in being tested for the virus that causes AIDS despite having significant risk factors for lifetime exposure, according to a study published in the July/August edition of the Journal of Women's Health.

8 Aug 2007

Geriatric conditions and disability

A broad study of adults ages 65 and older has found that half of them have one or more conditions that can affect their ability to participate in activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing on their own.

8 Aug 2007

Health plan interventions control prescription drug expenditures

As national spending on prescription drugs rose faster than any other segment of health care spending, the health plan at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was able to maintain constant spending, resulting in savings of more than $6.6 million over three years.

8 Aug 2007

Children in single-father families miss out on health care

Children living in the custody of single fathers are less likely to have access to affordable health care and visit the doctor less often compared to children living in families with a single mother or both parents.

8 Aug 2007