WHO begins building smallpox vaccine reserve
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Work has started on building a 200 million-dose stockpile of smallpox vaccines but it could take up to three years to complete, World…
US warns about risks of Boehringer AIDS drug
• Drug Abuse • Jan 19 05
U.S. health officials on Wednesday warned the public they had received reports of liver toxicity and deaths related to Boehringer Ingelheim’s AIDS drug, Viramune.
…
Vitamin E may ward off Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Neurology • Jan 19 05
Vitamin E supplements may play a role in preventing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the slowly paralyzing condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease,…
Non-alcoholic beer helps fight cancer, in mice
• Cancer • Jan 19 05
Mystery ingredients in non-alcoholic beer seem to protect against cancer, at least in mice.
Rodents fed cancer-causing chemicals suffered 85 percent less DNA damage…
Anti-fungus drug useful for sinus problem
• Allergies • Jan 19 05
Treatment with a nasal spray containing the anti-fungal drug amphotericin B reduces the swelling and inflammation that occurs with chronic rhinosinusitis, a common cause…
Fatal medication errors peak at start of the month
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Deaths related to medication errors appear to rise sharply during the first few days of each month, suggesting that hectic pharmacies may be…
Elderly with rheumatoid arthritis can cope well
• Arthritis • Jan 19 05
Many elderly people with rheumatoid arthritis may go about their daily activities with no more problem than others their age, a new study suggests.
…
UK animal protests scare off drug firm suppliers
• Drug News • Jan 19 05
Increasing numbers of suppliers to British drug companies are being scared away by extremist animal rights protesters, threatening the future of research in the…
Brazil hands out record 11 million carnival condoms
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Brazil, one of the Latin American countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, will hand out a record 11 million condoms to prevent…
Low-LDL gene quite common in African Americans
• Genetics • Jan 19 05
Researchers have identified two genetic mutations that are fairly common in individuals of African descent and are associated with a 50 percent reduction in…
Impotence from prostate radiation may be avoidable
• Cancer: Prostate • Jan 19 05
Radiation therapy is effective for prostate cancer, but up to 90 percent of men will develop impotence after the treatment. New research indicates that…
UN envoy urges tsunami-like generosity for AIDS
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
A senior U.N. official lamented on Tuesday that the world could donate billions of dollars in aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami…
Safety belts saved 160,000 lives in US since 1960
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Safety belts accounted for 160,000 or more than half of all lives saved in the United States by auto safety features adopted since…
New virus may cause childhood diseases - study
• Infections • Jan 19 05
A newly discovered virus related to the SARS virus may cause several mysterious childhood ailments, including Kawasaki disease, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
The…
Indonesia raises tsunami death toll to 166,320
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Indonesia’s Health Ministry raised the country’s death toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami to 166,320 on Wednesday, pushing the total number of people killed…
Painkiller combo cut post-surgery morphine need
• Pain • Jan 19 05
Women undergoing hysterectomy who are given two types of painkiller around the time of the surgery experience less postoperative pain, and this means they…
Experts eye warning system for all disasters
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
As the Asian tsunami focuses world attention on natural disasters, experts on Wednesday called for a global early warning system for all such…
U.S. blacks get less treatment for cancer - study
• Cancer • Jan 19 05
Black patients with esophageal cancer in the United States are half as likely as whites to get surgery that can help them live longer…
Defibrillator curbs sudden deaths better than meds
• Heart • Jan 19 05
The risk of sudden cardiac death faced by people with heart failure is offset more with an implantable defibrillator than with drug treatment, according…
Vietnam issues bird flu alert, Thailand has new case
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
Vietnam told people on Wednesday not to handle dead chickens following the deaths of five people from the deadly bird flu virus and…
Scientists peer into circuitry of live animal brain
• Neurology • Jan 19 05
Microscopic imaging techniques have enabled scientists to delve deep into the brain of a living animal to see how visual circuitry works.
By combining…
New UNICEF chief cool towards reproductive health
• Public Health • Jan 19 05
The new director of the U.N. children’s agency, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, said on Tuesday that social issues like reproductive health were irrelevant…
One drink per day helps women’s mental powers
• Gender: Female • Jan 19 05
For older women, that glass of wine at dinner or after-dinner aperitif may benefit the brain as well as the heart, according to…
Extended Raptiva therapy safe, effective for psoriasis
• Skin Care • Jan 19 05
Treatment with the relatively new drug Raptiva for 12 weeks has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for moderate-to-severe chronic psoriasis.…
New use for WD-40 lube spray - the war on drugs
• Drug News • Jan 19 05
The makers of the handy spray lubricant WD-40 proudly list 2,000 uses for their product, from unsticking rusty screws or squeaky bicycle chains…