Senate’s Frist sees $14 billion Medicaid savings
• Public Health • Mar 09 05
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Wednesday the Senate budget resolution would propose Medicaid savings of $14 billion over five years.
Frist told…
Singapore mulls HIV self-test kits as infections rise
• AIDS/HIV • Mar 09 05
Singapore said on Wednesday it is studying the use of over-the-counter HIV test kits for early detection following a jump in the number…
Heroin cheap and easy in remote Afghan North
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Mar 09 05
In war-battered Afghanistan, finding heroin - a derivative of opium, the country’s main cash crop - is both cheap and easy.
Outside…
Childbirth kills 9,000 Tanzanian women annually
• Childbirth • Mar 09 05
Malnutrition and lack of access to healthcare results in 9,000 deaths of Tanzanian women during childbirth each year, the U.N. said Wednesday.
…
Vietnamese relatives have bird flu, no symptoms
• Public Health • Mar 09 05
Two elderly Vietnamese relatives of people who died of bird flu have tested positive for the deadly virus despite showing no symptoms, health officials…
Study: Plavix saves lives after big heart attacks
• Drug News • Mar 09 05
Patients whose clot-clogged arteries were treated with standard drugs, including aspirin, following serious Heart attack were more likely to maintain opened arteries and…
Senators eye longer specialty hospital moratorium
• Public Health • Mar 09 05
A federal advisory group urged lawmakers on Tuesday to extend a moratorium on new, small specialty hospitals while more information is gathered on whether…
Think cats make your kid sneeze? Try cockroaches
• Asthma • Mar 09 05
Cockroaches worsen asthma symptoms in children far more than furry pets or dust mites, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
High-rise apartments in…
Australia government to outlaw Internet suicides
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
Australia’s government plans to outlaw inciting, promoting or teaching people how to commit suicide on the Internet, but Justice Minister Chris Ellison said on…
Mental slowing in elderly a tip-off to dementia
• Psychiatry / Psychology • Mar 08 05
Mild loss of mental powers in older people - the kind of slowing or forgetfulness that has often been thought of as “normal for…
Sudanese women struggle to survive childbirth - UNFPA
• Childbirth • Mar 08 05
Sudanese women have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and desperately need medical help and education, the country head of…
Pfizer Lipitor study has mixed results
• Drug News • Mar 08 05
Heart disease patients who took high doses of Pfizer Inc.‘s cholesterol-treatment Lipitor had fewer Heart Attack and Strokes, but the risk of death from…
Thalidomide helps pancreas cancer patients - study
• Cancer • Mar 08 05
The controversial drug thalidomide slows weight loss in patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, doctors said on Tuesday.
In one out of five…
Taiwan frets over record-low birth rate
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
Taiwan health worker Ma Pei-ching thought she had a tough job 20 years ago, going door-to-door handing out condoms and teaching couples about…
Stigma drives Darfur women to risky abortions
• Pregnancy • Mar 08 05
Khadeeja came to Khartoum to avoid the stigma in her village that led other young women like her, pregnant after being raped by militiamen,…
Bed nets, drought help Eritrea slash malaria rate
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
Malaria infections in Eritrea have fallen sharply in the last few years thanks to increased use of bed nets and a drought which…
Singapore widens smoking ban to more public spots
• Tobacco & Marijuana • Mar 08 05
Singapore said on Tuesday it would widen its ban on smoking to include bus shelters, public toilets, swimming complexes, stadiums and community clubs…
Toddlers in US often lack vaccination
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
In a 2003 survey, 37 percent of children in the US were undervaccinated for more than 6 months during their first 2 years of…
Zimbabwe twins on life support after separation
• Childbirth • Mar 08 05
Seven-month-old conjoined twins from Zimbabwe were in critical condition and on life support on Tuesday after being separated the day before by doctors in…
Clinton to undergo heart operation, office says
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
Former President Bill Clinton will undergo a low-risk operation to remove scar tissue and fluid from around his heart, his office said on…
Smoking in pregnancy damages baby’s chromosomes
• Fertility and pregnancy • Mar 08 05
Mothers who smoke when they’re pregnant may cause genetic damage in their babies, findings from a new study suggest. In fact, one common…
New method makes ‘safer’ stem cells, study finds
• Public Health • Mar 08 05
Researchers looking for ways to make safer stem cells for use in medical therapies said on Monday they had grown human cells without the…
Virtual reality eases pain in kids with burns
• Pain • Mar 08 05
Playing virtual reality interactive games can significantly reduce the pain that children experience while undergoing treatment for burns, according to a new report.
…
More kids, teens being injured on motorbikes
• Trauma & Injuries • Mar 08 05
The number of children and teenagers getting injured in motorbike accidents increased by 50 percent from 1995 to 2001, suggesting more young people are…
Freezing tumors reduces cancer pain
• Cancer • Mar 08 05
Cancer that has spread to bone or soft tissues can cause severe pain and be difficult to treat. Doctors at Brown University now report…