July 7, 2011
Drinking soda is linked to obesity, but new research shows it may be in ways that complicate attempts to tax sweetened drinks as a weapon in the fight against bulging waistlines. (Los Angeles Times)
July 7, 2011
Small rural hospitals in the United States provide a lower quality of care and have worse patient outcomes than larger hospitals, a new study finds. (US News and World Report)
July 6, 2011
Laura Ashmore and Jennifer Williams are sisters. After that, their relationship becomes more complex. (New York Times)
July 6, 2011
A patient walks into the examining room and says, “Doctor, my back hurts and nothing works—except my Percocet.” Now, the physician must decide: Is this pain for real? (Wall Street Journal)
July 6, 2011
Early intervention is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, scientists believe. A study just getting under way is taking that to a new extreme: targeting fetuses still developing in the … Read More
July 6, 2011
Fears of a growing mistrust of vaccinations in developing countries have led academics to set up a ‘listening station’ that monitors local responses to new immunisation campaigns. (Science and Development Network)
July 6, 2011
Scientists may still be debating the role of viruses in chronic fatigue syndrome, but blood banks aren’t taking any chances. Last summer the AABB, a nonprofit that represents blood-collecting organizations, advised people with the disorder, marked by severe fatigue and … Read More
July 6, 2011
So, antibiotic resistance: We care about it, right? The World Health Organization does: It made antimicrobial resistance the theme of this year’s World Health Day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does. The journal Lancet Infectious Diseases says it’s … Read More
July 6, 2011
Several state legislatures are passing laws that prohibit municipalities and other local governments from adopting regulations aimed at curbing rising obesity and improving public health, such as requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information on menus or to eliminate trans fats … Read More
July 5, 2011
Doctors are testing women for human papillomavirus, or HPV, more often than guidelines recommend, suggests a new study. (MSNBC)
July 5, 2011
Russian lawmakers, worried about a falling birth rate, passed a law on Friday that abortion advertisements must carry a health warning. (Reuters)
July 5, 2011
It’s a standard scenario across the world – the computer crashes and we scream exactly what we think at the flickering screen. But we may soon have to learn to bite our tongue – or risk the wrath of being … Read More
July 5, 2011
If Aubrey de Grey’s predictions are right, the first person who will live to see their 150th birthday has already been born. And the first person to live for 1,000 years could be less than 20 years younger. (Reuters)
July 5, 2011
New data on late abortions is likely to re-kindle the debate on what constitutes reasonable grounds for a termination. (BBC News)
July 5, 2011
Fertility drugs may raise the risk of older women having babies affected by Down’s syndrome, warn doctors. Research shows that using powerful drugs to boost the number of eggs a woman produces may lead to problems in embryo development for … Read More
July 5, 2011
Swedish doctors on Monday presented a new method they said dramatically reduces the risk of multiple births from in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) without affecting chances of having a baby. (AFP)
July 3, 2011
Journal of Medical Ethics (Volume 37, Issue 7, July 1, 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Quality of ethical guidelines and ethical content in clinical guidelines: the example of end-of-life decision-making” by Daniel Strech, Jan Schildmann, 390-396. … Read More
July 2, 2011
New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 364, Issue 24, June 16, 2011) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “Why States Are So Miffed about Medicaid — Economics, Politics, and the ‘Woodwork Effect’” by B.D. Sommers and … Read More
July 1, 2011
The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) high-profile initiative to diagnose mystery illnesses is pausing to catch its breath. (Science)
July 1, 2011
Doctors have rejected calls for the British Medical Association to start campaigning for a cut in the legal time limit for abortion from 24 to 20 weeks. (Guardian)
July 1, 2011
Health officials in the Indian state of Rajasthan are launching a new campaign to try reduce the high population growth in the area. They are encouraging men and women to volunteer for sterilisation, and in return are offering a car … Read More
July 1, 2011
The political and legal future of the sweeping health care reform bill received a big boost Wednesday after a federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled in favor of the Obama administration and Congress, concluding a key provision in the landmark … Read More
July 1, 2011
A new type of pulmonary stem cell has been identified by scientists at UCLA. These cells have a potential to regenerate large damaged airways and play an important role in strengthening immunity against infectious agents and environmental toxins. (Medical News … Read More
July 1, 2011
The Abandonment of Treatment Working Group of International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) has put forward recommendations to make cancer treatment available to a higher number of children in developing nations. (Medical News Today)
July 1, 2011
Parichehr Salasel believed that where there was life, there was hope. Two doctors at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre disagreed, saying that it is in the best interests of her husband, Hassan Rasouli, who is in a permanent vegetative state, … Read More
