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Two-thirds of tonsil tumour samples show evidence of HPV-16 gene: Study

It is estimated that more than 7,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK and approximately 3,500 cases result in death. These cancers include tumours of the mouth, lips, throat and voice-box, and some have been linked to the sexually transmitted infection, HPV-16. Scientists at Liverpool analysed the DNA of more than 90 cancerous tissue samples to look for genes that indicated infection.

6 Oct 2009

Sit-and-reach test to gauge age-related arterial stiffness

How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position - normally used to define the flexibility of a person's body - may be an indicator of how stiff your arteries are.

6 Oct 2009

Group Health Research Institute to receive federal stimulus funds from ARRA

Group Health Research Institute, formerly Group Health Center for Health Studies, will receive more than $15 million in federal stimulus funding from ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

6 Oct 2009

Depression leads to elevated inflammatory proteins in the human body: Study

To help solve this long standing chicken and egg conundrum, researchers led by Jesse Stewart, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis asked two critical questions. Does depression lead to elevated inflammatory proteins in the human body? Or does an increase in these proteins lead to depression? They found that the answer to the first question appears to be "yes," and the answer to the second question may be "no" among healthy adults.

6 Oct 2009

Study finds that visual impairment in T1D patients may be decreasing

People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in recent years are less likely to develop diabetes-related vision loss than those diagnosed in earlier years, says a new study funded by the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Forecasts of visual impairment prevalence in T1D patients may need to be amended, the researchers suggest, since current predictions assume that the earlier incidence rates will continue.

3 Oct 2009

Rewarding healthy behavior with incentives helps lower healthcare costs

On September 30, the U.S. Senate voted to adopt a measure aimed at rewarding healthy behavior as part of the Obama Administration's overall healthcare reform legislation. The Senate Finance Committee voted for a bi-partisan amendment that would allow health plans to provide financial incentives for people to quit smoking, exercise more and engage in other healthy activities.

3 Oct 2009

Researchers study the role of CHRNA3 and CHRNA5 genes in lung cancer

A recent study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology determined that variations of specific genetic markers identified in previous research, or SNPs, may indicate a greater lung cancer risk in African Americans than in whites. The genes CHRNA3 and CHRNA5 may contribute to lung cancer risk due directly or through their association with nicotine dependence.

3 Oct 2009

Study points to subtle differences between boys and girls' attitudes to multiple drugs

New research by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers looks at the specific ways parents and peers influence teenagers to smoke, drink and use marijuana in combination.

3 Oct 2009

Senate finance amends reform bill to allow states to negotiate with insurers

The Senate Finance Committee approved a handful of amendments aimed at cutting costs for consumers — although some disagree that that's what the changes will do — in its health care reform bill Thursday.

3 Oct 2009

American Lung Association launches new smoking cessation campaign

The American Lung Association is launching a new smoking cessation campaign, "Quitter in You," designed to highlight the need to change the way Americans look at quitting.

3 Oct 2009

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. Yet, according to a recent survey issued by the Heart Rhythm Society, more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

3 Oct 2009

Scientists identify measures for reducing $2 billion healthcare burden from substance abuse

With substance abuse now accounting for one in 14 hospital admissions and generating billions in health care costs, leading scientists held a briefing on Capitol Hill today to present the evidence that we already have and the evidence we need in treating and preventing the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

3 Oct 2009

Make healthy housing a priority: NCHH

According to new research from the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH), the majority of U.S. families (67%) live in a home with at least one major health risk.

3 Oct 2009

Study reveals disproportionately higher rate of primary c-sections among African-American women

A study released by Kaiser Permanente indicates that while the rate of cesarean-section (CS) deliveries for first-time moms has continued to increase over the last ten years, there is a disproportionately higher rate of primary c-sections among African-American women.

3 Oct 2009

Democrats shoot down Republican abortion amendment, others pass

Members of the Senate Finance Committee wrangled Wednesday over proposed amendments to tighten abortion restrictions to the panel's health reform bill, with Democrats ultimately defeating the effort.

1 Oct 2009

Stress linked to ischemic strokes

Strong links have been uncovered between stress and ischemic strokes. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medicine have carried out the first study into the correlation between self-reported feelings of prolonged psychological stress and different stroke subtypes.

1 Oct 2009

People with a gun more likely to be shot in an assault than those without one

In a first-of its-kind study, epidemiologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that, on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The study estimated that people with a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun.

1 Oct 2009

North Shore-LIJ Health System to implement the largest EHR program in the New York metropolitan area

The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced today it is subsidizing up to 85 percent of the cost of implementing and operating an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system in the offices of its more than 7,000 affiliated physicians in New York City and Long Island -- part of a $400 million investment to strengthen the quality of care throughout the region by automating inpatient and outpatient records in all medical settings, including 13 hospitals.

1 Oct 2009

Amicus brief filed against tobacco companies' lawsuit challenging FDA tobacco regulation law

Today, eleven public health and consumer advocacy organizations filed a friend of the court (amicus) brief asking a federal court to reject a lawsuit by R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard and other tobacco companies that seeks to block key provisions of the new federal law regulating tobacco products. The immediate issue before the court is the industry's challenge of a provision that requires FDA approval before tobacco companies can make claims about "modified risk tobacco products."

1 Oct 2009

WHO: 2.7 is the new limit for indoor radon gas

The World Health Organization announced that they have established a new limit for indoor radon gas. The new maximum radon level is 2.7. This is a 32% reduction from the previously accepted "action level" of 4.0. http://www.mitigationsystem.com/releases/release/7166404/19723.htm

1 Oct 2009