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Uninsured children admitted to hospitals are twice as likely to die as insured children

Children who lack health insurance are twice as likely to die from their injuries after being hospitalized as children who are insured, according to a new report released by Families USA, USA Today reports. For the report, researchers led by J. Mick Tilford of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences analyzed government data from 2000 and 2003.

4 Mar 2007

New York Gov. Spitzer defends proposed health care cuts in TV ad

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) on Wednesday began airing a television advertisement defending a plan included in his fiscal year 2007-2008 budget proposal that would reduce state health care spending by about $1 billion, the New York Times reports (Hicks, New York Times, 3/1).

4 Mar 2007

Texas Rep. proposes legislation to increase SCHIP enrollment

State Rep. John Davis (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced a bill (HB 2049) that would ease SCHIP enrollment restrictions imposed by lawmakers in 2003, the Houston Chronicle reports.

4 Mar 2007

Indiana House rejects cigarette tax increase to fund health care coverage

The Indiana House on Tuesday voted 52-44 against a bill (HB 1008) that would have raised the state's cigarette tax by 25 cents per pack to fund health coverage for low-income, uninsured residents, the Evansville Courier & Press reports.

4 Mar 2007

FDA approval for new cattle antibiotic will cause controversy

According to reports the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is about to approve the use of another antibiotic in cattle.

4 Mar 2007

Another case of bird flu appears in Laos

World Health Organization (WHO) officials say it is likely 42-year-old woman who died in Laos had bird flu.

4 Mar 2007

Health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England

The health of Gypsies and Travellers is significantly worse than that of other vulnerable groups, reveals research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

4 Mar 2007

Early life growth protects against "bad" cholesterol

Tall toddlers and rapidly growing teens are likely to find themselves with lower cholesterol, particularly the "bad" type, in later life, suggests research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

4 Mar 2007

Risks of being a second twin

A nine year study published on the British Medical Journal website concludes that being a second born twin confers a small increased risk of suffering fatal complications during birth.

4 Mar 2007

Babies born to South Asian women are at a higher risk of perinatal mortality

Babies born to South Asian women are at a higher risk of perinatal mortality (death before, during or shortly after birth) than babies born to black or white women, concludes a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

4 Mar 2007

Insulation improves health

Insulating houses can significantly improve health and reduce days off work and school, according to a new study in this week's British Medical Journal.

4 Mar 2007

Morphine for euthanasia is a myth

Using morphine to end a person's life is a myth, argues a senior doctor in a letter to this week's British Medical Journal.

4 Mar 2007

FDA investigating norovirus linked to San Antonio Bay oysters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating an outbreak of norovirus-associated illness linked to eating raw oysters harvested from San Antonio Bay, TX.

4 Mar 2007

FDA approves new test for West Nile virus in donors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the approval of a license supplement for the first fully automated West Nile Virus (WNV) nucleic acid test for donor screening.

4 Mar 2007

Ink-jet printing of bone

A modified ink-jet printer can be used to directly print layer upon layer of artificial bone for quick-fix grafts used in reconstructive surgery.

4 Mar 2007

Rare cell prevents rampant brain activity

One of the mysteries of the brain is how it avoids ending up in a state of chaos, something which happens only on exceptional occasions, when it can lead to epileptic fits.

4 Mar 2007

Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood vessels.

4 Mar 2007

New surgical technique decreases colorectal 'OR' time

For patients with colorectal cancer who require the surgical removal of a part of their colon (colectomy), an experimental procedure that combines the benefits of laparoscopic surgery and open surgery may decrease the time they spend in the operating room.

4 Mar 2007

New combined laparoscopy and colonoscopy procedure at NYPH/Weill Cornell

A small number of patients diagnosed with polyps in their large intestine have extensive or difficult-to-remove polyps, such as those that are flattened against the colon wall or in hard-to-reach places. As with all polyps that may develop into malignant cancers, they must be removed.

4 Mar 2007