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DHA during pregnancy prevents colds in babies: Study

A new study suggests that pregnant mothers who take DHA supplements with the intent of boosting their babies' brains are also giving them some added protection against common colds.

1 Aug 2011

Meningococcal case at Townsville child care center

Meningococcal disease - a serious infectious disease affecting the brain and related organs - has been detected at a child care centre in Townsville, Queensland, where a medical student died of the illness last week. Queensland Health has confirmed a child at the centre has been admitted to hospital with meningococcal disease.

1 Aug 2011

Wall Street Journal examines India's public health infrastructure

The Wall Street Journal and the newspaper's "India Real Time" blog published stories on Saturday examining India's health care system. "Indian government officials say the country's public health infrastructure is sorely deficient, but they argue it is improving because of several initiatives underway," the blog reports.

1 Aug 2011

Disparities persist despite insurance

A pair of studies highlights how health disparities continue to take shape and unravels some of the factors that are involved in differences in health outcomes.

1 Aug 2011

Mobile health software effectively helps manage diabetes

An interactive computer software program appears to be effective in helping patients manage their Type 2 diabetes using their mobile phones, according to a new study by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers.

1 Aug 2011

New device can produce blood-based diagnostic results in minutes

Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device-in effect, a lab-on-a-chip-that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world.

1 Aug 2011

Mobile health technology may help patients manage Type 2 diabetes

1 Aug 2011

One in four British women at risk of cancer

A cancer charity revealed figures that show that British women are nearly a fifth more likely to develop cancer at some point during their lives than their European counterparts. Most of it is blamed on lifestyle factors such as obesity and alcohol consumption.

31 Jul 2011

Weight-loss programs a waste of time: Expert opinion

According to obesity expert and University of Melbourne professor of medicine Joseph Proietto the high failure rate of weight-loss programs could be explained by growing evidence that an obese person’s body is programmed to regain any weight that is lost. He said that authorities are wasting money on campaigns urging people to exercise and eat healthy food since obesity is “''physiologically defended”.

31 Jul 2011

CDC, ZKBS classifies Advaxis Agents as non-pathogenic materials

Advaxis, Inc., a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, has received affirmation by the Public Health Service of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Zentrale Kommission für die Biologische Sicherheit, the Central Commission for Biological Safety in Germany, that Advaxis strains, constructs and immunotherapies have been attenuated to the point that they are classified as non-pathogenic materials for handling and shipment.

30 Jul 2011

PA departments warn public regarding use of glass-bottled milk from Brunton Dairy in Aliquippa

The Pennsylvania departments of Health and Agriculture and the Allegheny County Health Department are advising the public of the possible health risks associated with products, specifically glass-bottled milk, from Brunton Dairy in Aliquippa, Beaver County.

30 Jul 2011

FDLI conference to discuss IOM study on 510(k) Clearance Process

On the heels of the release of the highly anticipated Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Public Health Effectiveness of the FDA 510(k) Clearance Process, The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) is holding a "Dialogue" on the report August 4 in Washington, D.C.

30 Jul 2011

FDA to open docket to seek public comments on IOM's report on 510(k) program

The FDA today announced that it will open a public docket to begin receiving public comments on the Institute of Medicine's report on the 510(k) program, the most common pathway to market for lower-risk medical devices.

30 Jul 2011

SACHDNC presents new recommendations for storing dried newborn blood specimens

The states should develop clear and open policies regarding retention and research uses of dried blood spot specimens left over from newborn screening, according to a new set of "recommendations for national guidance" published in Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

30 Jul 2011

Middle-age health differences responsible for life expectancy gap

Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations

30 Jul 2011

State roundup: Protests over plans to close Brooklyn hospital

A stream of hospital administrators, a state assemblyman, doctors and advocates for immigrants took the microphone at a sometimes raucous hearing in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday to plead with state officials not to close, merge or shrink troubled hospitals in the borough.

30 Jul 2011

HHS announces grants to expand nursing education, training and diversity

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $71.3 million in grants to expand nursing education, training and diversity.

30 Jul 2011

Pew director issues statement on Prescription Drug User Fee Act hearing

Allan Coukell, director of medical programs for the Pew Health Group, issued the following statement today on a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee hearing, "FDA User Fees: Advancing Public Health."

29 Jul 2011

Male circumcision may reduce HPV-associated penile precancerous lesions

A University of North Carolina-led international study shows that among Kenyan men, circumcision is associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated precancerous lesions of the penis.

29 Jul 2011

'Systems biology' study of breast cancer

Using a "systems biology" approach - which focuses on understanding the complex relationships between biological systems - to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer, researchers for the first time have identified a set of proteins in the blood that change in abundance long before the cancer is clinically detectable.

29 Jul 2011