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Speed and efficiency of response to outbreaks are key to tackling epidemics

In an age where the next pandemic could leap continents in the hours it takes for an international flight to take off and land, University of Utah Professor Paul Hu fears the death toll may depend on how fast and efficiently world health officials can respond to an outbreak.

20 Jul 2011

Women with breastfeeding difficulties may experience postpartum depression

Women who have breastfeeding difficulties in the first two weeks after giving birth are more likely to suffer postpartum depression two months later compared to women without such difficulties.

20 Jul 2011

Regular physical activity may reduce rates of cognitive impairment in older adults

Engaging in regular physical activity is associated with less decline in cognitive function in older adults, according to two studies published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

20 Jul 2011

Study: Married people seek medical care sooner for chest pain

Men who are married or in common-law relationships seek medical care sooner for heart attacks compared with single, divorced or widowed men, found a new study in CMAJ.

19 Jul 2011

DNDi's new drug development programme for children with HIV/AIDS

Today at the 6th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) announced the launch of a new drug development programme to address critical unmet treatment needs of children with HIV/AIDS.

19 Jul 2011

JDR publishes study titled 'Public Health Surveillance of Dental Pain via Twitter'

The microblogging service Twitter is a new means for the public to communicate health concerns and could afford health care professionals new ways to communicate with patients.

19 Jul 2011

Food4Me project to investigate potential of personalised nutrition

When the human genome sequence was launched in 2000, it introduced the possibility of personalisation in health care. Such personalisation can be applied to nutrition, a key health determinant, to create a diet tailored specifically for an individual, according to their individual physical and genetic make-up. Food4Me is a new, EU (FP7) funded project investigating the potential of this personalised nutrition.

19 Jul 2011

Teens with positive sense of well-being more likely to report being healthy in young adulthood

A new study finds that teens with a positive sense of well-being are more likely to report being healthy in young adulthood. The research suggests this is not just because teenagers who feel good about themselves are healthy in the first place.

19 Jul 2011

Mayo Clinic licenses M. tuberculosis complex speciation test from QIAGEN

Mayo Clinic has licensed patent rights from QIAGEN to enable Mayo Medical Laboratories to offer an M. tuberculosis complex speciation test. The test expands Mayo Medical Laboratories' current offering for tuberculosis testing, which already includes M. tuberculosis complex culture, molecular identification and drug susceptibility testing.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 19 Jul 2011

Exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles risk of hearing loss among adolescents

NYU School of Medicine researchers report in a new study that exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles the risk of hearing loss among adolescents. The study is published in the July, 2011, issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Jul 2011

U.S. FDA approves 2011-2012 influenza vaccine formulation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved the influenza vaccine formulation for the 2011-2012 vaccine that will be used by the six manufacturers licensed to produce and distribute influenza vaccine for the United States.

19 Jul 2011

State roundup: Strain felt from home care, adult day care cuts

A growing number of states are shifting health care costs to the federal government by finding military veterans who receive Medicaid and signing them up for medical benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Arizona, California and Texas are among the states that are working to replicate a program first launched in Washington State.

19 Jul 2011

BMC receives $1.1 million MDPH grant to expand HIV clinic

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has awarded a nearly $1.1 million grant to Boston Medical Center (BMC) to provide funding for HIV/AIDS support and case management services.

19 Jul 2011

Coal seam gas and cancer risk: Report

An Australian Senate committee has been looking into the impact of coal seam gas (CSG) mining on the Murray-Darling Basin that has moved to Dalby on Queensland's western Darling Downs today. The Senate Standing Committee on Rural Affairs and Transport is touring southern Queensland examining the environmental consequences of CSG mining on the Murray-Darling River system.

19 Jul 2011

72-hour Ecuador booze ban to investigate contamination

After 23 alcohol related deaths the police confiscated 28 containers each holding 55 gallons of contaminated alcohol in Los Rios, a coastal province of Ecuador. A 72-hour national dry law prohibiting the sale of alcohol has been declared to allow authorities to locate and discard the deadly methanol-contaminated liquor that affected so many individuals.

19 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: NYT on Medicaid's value; WSJ against exchanges; Chicago Tribune on food deserts

Medicaid is under assault these days from nearly every direction. Governors complain that they cannot afford to put up their share of the money. Congressional Republicans led by Paul Ryan want to reduce the federal contribution by $771 billion over the next decade. ... President Obama has expressed willingness to cut Washington's contribution.

19 Jul 2011

Partners of Bacterial Vaginosis sufferers at increased risk of HIV

Starpharma Holdings Limited today commented on results of a study which showed that men were three times more likely to contract HIV from their female partners if the women also had bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the three months before the men became infected.

18 Jul 2011

Wales attempts ban on smoking in cars carrying kids

Wales is slated to become the first country in Europe to ban drivers from smoking with children in their car. Labor leaders in the Welsh Assembly are considering a new law barring cigarettes in cars carrying anyone under 18. The move could see a driver who legally lights up in England face criminal charges if they keep smoking over the border in Wales.

18 Jul 2011

Health experts continue to react to CIA's use of vaccine program to hunt Bin Laden

Health experts continue to react to the CIA's use of a vaccine campaign to hunt Osama bin Laden:

18 Jul 2011

IHD blood test for Alzheimer's disease yields 83% sensitivity and 82% specificity

Innovative Health Diagnostics (IHD), the innovative company specialising in the development of diagnostic blood tests for Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative illnesses presents its first clinical results for its IHD-Amy blood test for Alzheimer's disease.

18 Jul 2011