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Lack of control of work hours and schedule often leads to physician burnout

A new national survey of physicians has found that a lack of control of their work hours and schedule often leads to burnout, while many other difficult issues that physicians face do not seem to diminish their career satisfaction.

11 Apr 2007

Stressful job equals high blood pressure

Workers reporting high levels of job strain have higher blood pressure than workers who are under less strain, reports a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

11 Apr 2007

More guns more suicides!

In the first nationally representative study to examine the relationship between survey measures of household firearm ownership and state level rates of suicide in the U.S., researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that suicide rates among children, women and men of all ages are higher in states where more households have guns.

11 Apr 2007

AIDS Healthcare Foundation commends the passing of HIV testing bill

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US' largest provider of HIV/AIDS healthcare, prevention and education, and operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California which conducts more than 15,000 HIV tests annually, today lauded the California Assembly Health Committee for its unanimous vote (12/0) in favor of Assembly Bill 682, California's Routine HIV Screening Bill, which will now move on to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

11 Apr 2007

Abbott agrees with WHO to expand access to lopinavir / ritonavir

Abbott and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Margaret Chan, have agreed on a balanced approach to provide Kaletra/Aluvia (lopinavir/ritonavir) capsules and tablets to more patients in the developing world, while supporting continued long-term biopharmaceutical research and development.

10 Apr 2007

Explosion in severly overweight Americans

The proportion of Americans who are severely obese -- about 100 pounds or more overweight -- increased by 50 percent from 2000 to 2005, twice as fast as the growth seen in moderate obesity, according to a RAND Corporation study.

10 Apr 2007

Male births on the decline in the U.S. and Japan

A study published in this week's online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives reports that during the past thirty years, the number of male births has decreased each year in the U.S. and Japan.

10 Apr 2007

Obesity a major health issue in Canada

With 59% of Canadian adults being overweight and 23% being obese, plus the disturbing increase in childhood obesity, it is clear that obesity is a major individual and public health issue in Canada.

10 Apr 2007

Good doctor-patient communication makes a difference in patient outcomes

A systematic review of studies published over the past four decades has confirmed that good doctor-patient communication makes a difference not only in patient satisfaction but in patient outcomes including resolution of chronic headaches, changes in emotional states, lower blood sugar values in diabetics, improved blood pressure readings in hypertensives, and other important health indicators.

10 Apr 2007

India is poised to revolutionize biotechnology

India's health biotech firms are emerging as a major global player, with growing means and know-how to produce innovative as well as generic drugs and vaccines at costs small relative to those of giant Western firms, according to ground-breaking Canadian research.

10 Apr 2007

Morbid obese a rapidly growing population in the U.S.

In a study to be published later this year researchers have found that not only are Americans getting fatter each year but the number of severely overweight members of the population is increasing twice as fast as other obese Americans.

10 Apr 2007

Forum endorses salt reduction to prevent heart disease and stroke

A committee convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report endorsing population-wide strategies to reduce salt consumption as a cost-effective means of lowering blood pressure; thus preventing heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems.

9 Apr 2007

Study shows beneficial effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in children

Routine infant immunisation with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has caused a 39% fall in all-cause pneumonia hospital admission rates for American children aged under two years, according to an Article published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

8 Apr 2007

FDA warns consumers on health risks of keeping pet turtles

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urgently reminding the public that contact with baby turtles can pose a serious health risk to infants, small children, and adults with impaired immune systems as they can be natural hosts to Salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause severe illness and death.

8 Apr 2007

Physical, emotional burden of breast cancer lingers for older survivors

Surviving breast cancer is both a physical and an emotional ordeal, but the consensus among researchers is that life generally returns to normal for most women within two years of completing treatment.

7 Apr 2007

Conceptualizing and defining public health emergency preparedness

A panel of experts convened by the RAND Corporation has recommended actions that communities around the United States should take to be better prepared to deal with bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreak and other large-scale public health emergencies.

7 Apr 2007

$1.1 billion funding to low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS in U.S.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced more than $1.1 billion in funding to help states and territories provide care, medications and services for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

7 Apr 2007

Beneficial effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in children re-emphasized

Routine infant immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has caused a 39 percent fall in all-cause pneumonia hospital admission rates for American children under 2, according to an article published in this week's edition of The Lancet .

7 Apr 2007

War study has implications for understanding male and female psychology

A man's health and behavior are more adversely impacted by war and the associated disruption than a woman's---as evidenced by the dramatic jump in non-combat mortality for Croatian men during the Croatian War of Independence, a new study shows.

5 Apr 2007

Lower doses of dexamethasone for multiple myeloma recommended

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) - supporting research and providing education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers and physicians - today said physicians should consider lowering the dose of the steroid dexamethasone when treating patients with multiple myeloma.

5 Apr 2007