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Development banks not fulfilling health pledges

Multilateral development banks are not fulfilling their commitments to support initiatives involving reproductive and sexual health in developing countries, according to a new study released by Gender Action, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that monitors the banks' policies on women and gender equality, Inter Press Service reports.

11 Jul 2007

Vietnamese aims to increase access to HIV care, treatment

The Vietnamese government has issued a series of documents aimed at increasing access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the country in an effort to keep the country's HIV prevalence below 0.27% in 2007, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

11 Jul 2007

Growing support for tobacco tax increase to fund SCHIP by lawmakers

Congressional support "appears to be growing" for an increase in the federal tobacco tax as a way to fund the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP, the Wall Street Journal reports.

11 Jul 2007

CMS issues final rule for Medicaid prescription drug reimbursements

CMS on Friday released a final rule that will change the Medicaid prescription drug reimbursement formula for pharmacies from being based on the average wholesale price to being based on the average manufacturer price, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 7/10).

11 Jul 2007

Some professionals choose to enter nursing field as second career

The Boston Globe on Monday examined how a "small but growing number of mid-career professionals" are choosing to enter the nursing field as a second career, a trend that could help "mitigate the widespread nursing shortage facing" the nation.

11 Jul 2007

CBO report projects possible impact of health care spending growth on income tax rate

If health care costs continue to grow at the same rate as the last 40 years, income tax rates will need to increase substantially by 2050 if they are the only mechanism used to pay for the additional costs, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released on Monday, CQ HealthBeat reports.

11 Jul 2007

Abiogen licenses RFB4 antibody from Cancer Research Technology

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, today announces it has agreed an exclusive worldwide licence with Abiogen Pharma S.p.A. (Italy).

11 Jul 2007

Attitudes and experiences of community pharmacists towards paediatric off-label prescribing

Forty per cent of community pharmacists have dispensed an off-label drug to a child in the last month, according to research published in the July issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

11 Jul 2007

Discovery of gallstone gene

Scientists at the University of Bonn, together with colleagues from Romania, have discovered a gene variant that significantly increases the risk of developing gallstones (Hepatology No. 46, 11 July 2007, DOI 10.1002/hep.21847).

11 Jul 2007

First-time link between food intolerance and illness

Researchers from University College London have found compelling evidence for the first time to link food intolerances and serious illness.

11 Jul 2007

How immune cells catch pathogens

To protect us from disease our immune system employs macrophages, cells that roam our body in search of disease-causing bacteria. With the help of long tentacle-like protrusions, macrophages can catch suspicious particles, pull them towards their cell bodies, internalise and destroy them.

11 Jul 2007

FDA says lycopene in tomatoes no use in fighting cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has shot down in flames any claims that the lycopene found in tomatoes has cancer-preventing properties.

11 Jul 2007

Top brain experts say alcohol does not destroy brain cells

At an international neural stem cell conference in Australia, ninety of the world's top scientists in neural stem cell and brain development research, from 11 different countries were brought together last month by the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI).

11 Jul 2007

Antibiotics for children with urinary tract infections create even more problems

New research has questioned the use of antibiotics for children with urinary tract infections.

11 Jul 2007

Western diet increases breast cancer risk in Asian women

A study on the dietary habits of Chinese women has found that those who ate a Western diet increased their risk for breast cancer.

11 Jul 2007

Selenium supplements may do more harm than good

In a British trial examining the benefit of selenium supplements it has been found that in some cases the supplement can do more harm than good.

11 Jul 2007

Bird flu suspected in turkey flock in the U.S.

The discovery of what is suspected to be avian flu antibodies in a flock of turkeys on a farm in the United States has experts alarmed.

11 Jul 2007

Bangers and burgers could cause cancer

Food safety experts in Europe have warned that an additive used in some sausages and burgers could cause cancer.

11 Jul 2007

Age-related macular degeneration associated with increased mortality risk

Individuals age 49 and older with cataract and those age 49 to 74 years with age-related macular degeneration appear to have higher mortality rates over an 11-year period than those without such visual impairments, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Jul 2007

3-D microscopic views of tiny mouse brains available online

A multi-institutional consortium including Duke University has created startlingly crisp 3-D microscopic views of tiny mouse brains - unveiled layer by layer - by extending the capabilities of conventional magnetic resonance imaging.

10 Jul 2007