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Black church members report better quality of life than general population

Health disparities between black Americans and the rest of the nation have been well-documented in medical journals. But one study shows that blacks who identify as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church actually report a better quality of life than the average American.

28 Jun 2011

Researchers identify new lung stem cell that helps repair large airways

Researchers at UCLA have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the large airways of the lungs, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment.

28 Jun 2011

More than 18,000 cholera cases recorded in Haitian capital since start of May, WHO says

More than 18,000 cases of cholera have been recorded in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince since the beginning of May, an increase that may be related to "the beginning of the rainy season and the flooding that hit the capital," according to Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesperson, Agence France-Presse reports.

28 Jun 2011

Bdellovibrio safe and effective for treating Salmonella infection

Scientists have tested a predatory bacterium - Bdellovibrio - against Salmonella in the guts of live chickens. They found that it significantly reduced the numbers of Salmonella bacteria and, importantly, showed that Bdellovibrio are safe when ingested.

28 Jun 2011

New strategies for minimising the consequences of preterm babies

Babies born prematurely could be at greater risk of developing kidney diseases later in life according to a landmark study investigating the impacts of preterm birth on kidney development.

28 Jun 2011

Cinnamon extract can prevent Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's, the degenerative brain disorder that disrupts memory, thought and behavior, is devastating to both patients and loved ones. According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in eight Americans over the age of 65 suffers from the disease.

28 Jun 2011

Health law headlines: PR challenges and overhaul tell-alls

Although Democrats are having some success with attacks on the GOP Medicare plan, they are still playing defense on the health law, according to Politico. Meanwhile, former Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag writes a "tell-all" for the magazine Foreign Affairs about the health overhaul.

28 Jun 2011

Australian Nobel Prize winner closer to delivering vaccines in food after positive first study in humans

The Australian scientist who won a Nobel Prize for identifying a cancer-causing stomach bacterium, today said a clinical trial had shown that some strains of the bacteria (Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori) were safe and well tolerated in humans.

27 Jun 2011

Vitamin D supplements safe for healthy pregnant women

Use of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy has long been a matter of concern but now researchers writing in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research report that even a high supplementation amount in healthy pregnant women was safe and effective in raising circulating vitamin D to a level thought by some to be optimal. The study also found no adverse effects of vitamin D supplementation, even at the highest amount, in women or their newborns.

27 Jun 2011

Mayo Clinic signs agreement with Kindstar

Mayo Clinic today announced that it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Wuhan Kindstar Globalgene Technology, Inc. (Kindstar) to provide specialized laboratory support based on provision of knowledge from Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and its reference laboratory, Mayo Medical Laboratories.

27 Jun 2011

Very low calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes: Study

According to scientists people who have had obesity-related type 2 diabetes for years have been cured, at least temporarily, by keeping to an extreme, low-calorie, diet for two months. The researchers from Newcastle University, overturns previous assumptions about type 2 diabetes, which was thought to be a lifelong illness.

27 Jun 2011

New and effective diabetes drug seeking approval

A new drug for diabetes from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and AstraZeneca PLC was effective in lowering blood sugar. The pharmaceutical drug makers are looking for approval for the drug, dapagliflozin, as the first in new class of pills designed to lower blood sugar by increasing the amount of glucose excreted in the urine.

27 Jun 2011

HIV drug linked to accelerated and early aging

New research published this Sunday reveals that a class of generic AIDS drugs often used to treat HIV in Africa and other poor regions can cause premature aging and lead to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and dementia.

27 Jun 2011

Lean gene and heart disease risk

According to a new study published Sunday, being lean may not always lead to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. The researchers have successfully identified a gene linked both to having a lean body and to a higher risk of metabolic diseases.

27 Jun 2011

Brazil stepping up efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

"Long heralded as a model for the global response to HIV/AIDS, Brazil is intensifying its actions, at home and abroad, in the face of potential setbacks including an arising need for new treatment regimens, the resultant increase in drug prices and the debate over intellectual property rights," Inter Press Service reports.

27 Jun 2011

GAO report examines U.S. food aid

A new GAO report (.pdf) examines international food aid. "GAO recommends that Congress consider eliminating the 3-year waiting period for foreign vessels that acquire U.S.-flag registry to be eligible to transport U.S. food aid.

27 Jun 2011

U.S., South Korea sign international development coordination agreement

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan "on Friday signed an agreement to better coordinate international development aid during a meeting [in Washington] between the two countries' top diplomats," Agence France-Presse reports.

27 Jun 2011

With the clock ticking, Obama enters deficit negotiations

Even though the threat of default looms, Democrats and Republicans remain split over the possibility of tax increases and cuts to programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

27 Jun 2011

Nile completes dosing in Part B of cenderitide Phase I study for ADHF

Nile Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops novel therapeutics for heart failure patients, today announced that it has completed dosing the first patient in Part B of the ongoing Phase I study.

27 Jun 2011

Abortion policies under scrutiny in a number of states

Wisconsin's governor signed a budget that cuts some funds to health clinics, including Planned Parenthood, but in Indiana, a federal judge ruled against the state's plans to end funding for the group. Those developments came as abortion policies are coming under scrutiny in a number of states.

27 Jun 2011