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Japanese ruling bloc to submit bill to aid victims of tainted blood products December 23, 2007 TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Sunday his ruling bloc will submit legislation providing aid to about 1,000 people exposed to hepatitis C through defective blood-clotting products sold by … [Read more...]

Major leap for stem cellsReported November 21, 2007 In an advance that could transform stem-cell research and accelerate progress toward treating patients with personalized replacement tissue, American and Japanese researchers report they have reprogrammed ordinary human skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells. By inserting four key genes into the cells, the … [Read more...]

Houston targets syphilis increaseReported August 29, 2007 To deal with a syphilis outbreak, the city Department of Health and Human Services is offering extended hours at two of its clinics that specialize in sexually transmitted diseases. The new hours start Saturday, and city residents can be diagnosed and receive treatment for free. • Medical Center Clinic, 1115 S. … [Read more...]

NY health official: Higher tax helps smokers quitReported June 15, 2008 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York smokers have been sent outside in all kinds of weather, coughed at in disdain, and now they are burdened with the most expensive cigarette taxes in the nation. Now, to add cost to injury, the state is declaring its highest-in-the-nation cigarette tax a success. The number … [Read more...]

Many Recovering Alcoholics Depend on Coffee, CigarettesReported July 18, 2008 FRIDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Of the more than 1 million Americans who join Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), almost all drink coffee and close to 60 percent smoke, Vanderbilt University researchers report. Most recovering alcoholics drink coffee for its stimulatory effects, and smoking reduces … [Read more...]

No worries about eating Australian porkReported April 29, 2009 As news of swine flu outbreaks dominates the media, the national representative body for Australian pork producers has acted to assure people that they should not be concerned about eating pork or pork products. Australian Pork said Australian consumers can have the “utmost confidence in the wholesomeness and … [Read more...]

Talks on local health careReported February 26, 2009 A meeting was held on Thursday to deal with Cambridge Memorial Hospital's budget crisis and an overall funding shortfall for health care in the region. The meeting took place at regional headquarters in Kitchener. A group advocating for quality health care in high growth areas made a presentation to local politicians and … [Read more...]

Therapist treats wartime trauma with artReported June 01, 2009 GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Art therapy is the latest approach the Army is using in Europe to address soldiers’ psychological problems stemming from downrange deployments. Since early May, soldiers and civilians seeking psychological treatment have … [Read more...]

HIV testing compulsory before marriage in India Reported February 03, 2008 The Indian state Maharashtra government has proposed the testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) be made compulsory before marriage in the state. If the decision is made into law, Maharashtra would be the first state in the India to have such a scheme.   This … [Read more...]

New model to predict the spread of emerging diseases Reported November 22, 2007 A new model to predict the spread of emerging diseases has been developed by researchers in the US, Italy, and France. The model, described in the online open access journal BMC Medicine, could give healthcare professionals advance warning of the path an emerging … [Read more...]

Plastic surgery clinics under scrutiny in DubaiReported July 22, 2008 DUBAI: Health inspectors have closed several plastic surgery clinics and revoked doctors’ licences as part of an aggressive effort to impose tougher regulations on the rapidly growing industry. The Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS), a branch of the new Dubai Health Authority (DHA), is … [Read more...]

Quebecer offers bargain on diseased pancreas, raises ethical concerns Reported February 12, 2008 MONTREAL - A Quebec man trying to hawk his diseased pancreas over the Internet has found it is a buyer's market for hypoglycemic organs. Mario Meunier, of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., is hoping to raise awareness about a glucose deficiency known as nesidioblastosis, and cash … [Read more...]

Health advocates stepping up pressure to ban smoking in cars with kids Reported January 22, 2008 TORONTO - Ontario can't wait until the end of the year to decide whether to join other provinces in banning smoking in cars that carry kids, health advocates said Tuesday as they called on the Liberals to mark national non-smoking week by moving ahead with the ban. A private … [Read more...]

Pre-Marital Sex: What Kids Must Know   Reported May 30, 2009 It took Sweden 50 years to do it. In India, it might take even longer to include sexuality education in the school curricula, if the ongoing debate is any indication. Indian parliamentarians have just recommended that sex education for the young be banned, and … [Read more...]

Turkish drug market to grow furtherReported March 20, 2009 ISTANBUL - The Turkish pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow as much as 12 percent in 2009 despite the economic crisis, the chief executive of Bayer's Turkey unit said Wednesday. Sebastian Guth told a news conference the pharmaceuticals sector was less vulnerable to the economic crisis than the auto, white … [Read more...]

Travel abroad for organ transplants on the NHS under EU proposal. Reported January 15, 2009 British patients waiting for an organ transplant could soon travel to other European countries for operations paid for by the NHS, under EU proposals.   Under the plans if an organ became available for transplant in the UK but was not match for any … [Read more...]

Ohio Orders More H1N1 Flu VaccineReported November 30, 2009 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has ordered 259,800 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vaccine will be shipped directly to 511 local health departments, family physicians, federally qualified health centers, pediatricians, OB/GYNs, … [Read more...]

Montreal's 'miracle baby' survives heart troublesReported September 05, 2009 MONTREAL — There was a phalanx of doctors, a flood of cameras, and an auditorium full of hospital staff. But the star of the show at the Montreal Children's Hospital was a tiny boy, not yet one year old, whose survival was termed "a small miracle." Doctors and his parents beamed with pride … [Read more...]

Pregnancy lifestyles could be better   Reported June 05, 2009 Women need more support to adopt healthier lifestyles when they are pregnant, a Queensland study suggests. Only 10% of women quit smoking when they became pregnant and those who continued to smoke only reduce their average intake from 16 to 13 cigarettes per day, a study carried out at … [Read more...]

Emergency wait times tackledReported February 26, 2009 The province’s massive plan to ease hospital wait times is already starting to have an impact on St. Joseph’s Health Centre’s emergency department but there are still challenges ahead, says the hospital’s top official. CEO Carolyn Baker said initiatives rolled out through the Ministry of Health in the last two years … [Read more...]

Early Childhood Factors Raise Risk for Snoring Reported August 22, 2008 FRIDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Suffering respiratory or ear infections in early childhood, having a dog in the house as a newborn, and even being raised in a large family all appear to increase the risk of snoring later in life, new research suggests. The findings may seem … [Read more...]

France: 47 students test positive for H1N1 Reported July 23, 2009 French authorities on Wednesday quarantined around 47 students, most of them believed to be Spanish, after they tested positive for swine flu, while attending a summer French language course at a school in France. Henri Welschinger, acting director of the La Salle Saint-Nicolas Catholic school, in … [Read more...]

40 percent Indian children are underweight, says global indexReported October 14, 2009 New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Over 40 percent of children in India are underweight, says this year’s Global Hunger Index, which finds that South Asia now has higher levels of hunger than sub-Saharan Africa. India ranks 65th on the index, with Democratic Republic of Congo at the bottom - … [Read more...]

Woman, son test positive for Swine Flu in CoimbatoreReported June 03, 2009 New Delhi: The latest update on two confirmed cases of swine flu in India is that they have been traced to Coimbatore. The two are first cases of human to human transmission of the swine flu virus. The 34-year-old woman and her five-year-old son who flew in from Boston, US via Chennai to Coimbatore … [Read more...]

Japan's Hepatitis Victims Prepare Compensation Claims Reported January 16, 2008 Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Only 10 percent of hepatitis C sufferers in Japan who caught the cancer-causing virus from contaminated blood products might be eligible for compensation because the source of infection for the others hasn't been … [Read more...]

New way to look inside our brainsReported December 10, 2007 The world's most powerful MRI -- 100,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field -- is going on-line at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The machine will be especially useful for imaging the brain for such conditions as tumors and strokes. A recent study of 12 men and 13 women found the machine to be … [Read more...]

Report Warns Of Danger From CT ScansReported November 28, 2007 Millions of Americans, especially children, needlessly get dangerous radiation from "super X-rays" that raise the risk of cancer and are increasingly used to diagnose medical problems, a new report warns. In a few decades, as many as 2 percent of all cancers in the U.S. might be due to radiation from CT scans … [Read more...]

Rising use of highly radioactive CT scans has scientists worriedReported November 29, 2007 MELVILLE, N.Y. -- Doctors might be overusing CT scans, the popular diagnostic tool that exposes patients to far more radiation than conventional X-rays, scientists in Manhattan will report today. The analysis by investigators at Columbia University Medical Center comes on the heels … [Read more...]

Pregnancy lifestyles could be better   Reported June 05, 2009 Women need more support to adopt healthier lifestyles when they are pregnant, a Queensland study suggests. Only 10% of women quit smoking when they became pregnant and those who continued to smoke only reduce their average intake from 16 to 13 cigarettes per day, a study carried out at … [Read more...]

Adults, kids sought for H1N1 vaccine trials at IWKReported September 15, 2009 The IWK Health Centre in Halifax is seeking healthy adults and children for H1N1 vaccine trials. The IWK is one of several hospitals across Canada where the vaccine will be tested, likely in late September. The trials will be part of the process in getting the vaccine approved, an IWK spokesman … [Read more...]