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Lactulose improves quality of life in patients with cirrhosis who have minimal hepatic encephalopathy

A study on patients with cirrhosis who had minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), a condition in which behavioral, psychological and neurological changes are associated with advanced liver disease, found that cognitive function and health related quality-of-life improved when they took lactulose. Lactulose is a drug used to help eliminate toxins such as ammonia that are normally cleared by the liver.

5 Mar 2007

Life-saving cancer genetic testing vastly underutilized

A study released today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 38th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer found few patients were aware of genetic cancer syndromes and the high risk of developing cancer if genetic mutations were found. Fewer still were motivated to follow up on this information with their own healthcare provider or genetic counseling/testing services.

5 Mar 2007

Inaugral conference of Society for Acute Medicine to be held in UK

The Society of Acute Medicine has announced that the 1st International Conference for Acute Medicine is to be held at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, on the 1st and 2nd October 2007, and will be officially opened by Dr Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.

5 Mar 2007

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Kenya could destabilize the country

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Kenya could destabilize the country's social and economic sectors, according to the recently released Kenya National Human Development Report 2006, Kenya's Nation reports.

4 Mar 2007

Increasing numbers of blood collection centers in parts of China contributing to spread of HIV

The increasing number of blood-collection centers in parts of China is posing a threat to vulnerable populations and placing them at an increased risk of HIV transmission, some Chinese HIV/AIDS advocates have said recently, the Boston Globe reports.

4 Mar 2007

British Medical Association slams new settlement as a pay cut for all doctors

The British Medical Association [BMA] today said the 2007-08 settlement for doctors was a pay cut and that UK doctors would feel betrayed and insulted to be offered such a derisory pay deal.

1 Mar 2007

New terms for describing gene products involved in microbial-host interactions

An international group of scientists has announced a major expansion of a lingua franca used to describe the activities of genes in living organisms.

28 Feb 2007

Legislation introduced to help improve heart disease, stroke prevention efforts among women

A group of female lawmakers -- including Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Reps. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) and Lois Capps (D-Calif.) -- earlier this month introduced legislation (S 573, HR 1014) that aims to improve heart disease education among women, bolster gender-specific research and increase women's access to heart disease screening, CQ HealthBeat reports.

28 Feb 2007

Stanford student is visionary behind global fight againts blindness

Six years ago, as a 19-year-old college sophomore, Jennifer Staple decided to battle preventable blindness so she started the nonprofit "Unite for Sight" with a staff of one: herself.

27 Feb 2007

Memorial Hospital, IU Cancer Center join in fight against cancer

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center and the Indiana University Cancer Center announced an affiliation agreement on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The agreement gives the Jasper hospital priority access to the resources and services of the IU Cancer Center, an IU School of Medicine and Clarian Health partnership.

27 Feb 2007

Neurological disorders a global problem

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that neurological disorders, ranging from epilepsy to Alzheimer disease, from stroke to headache, affect up to one billion people worldwide. Neurological disorders also include brain injuries, neuroinfections, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease.

27 Feb 2007

Restaurants guilty of sponsoring "extreme eating" say food police

According to a consumer group in the U.S., chain restaurants are guilty of promoting "extreme eating" by offering patrons dishes loaded with calories.

27 Feb 2007

State actions on human papillomavirus vaccine proposals

The following highlights recent news of state actions on human papillomavirus vaccine proposals. Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

25 Feb 2007

Alaska Medicare beneficiaries have trouble finding primary care physicians

Alaska Medicare beneficiaries experience greater difficulty than beneficiaries in other states in finding primary care physicians, and "evidence indicates" the problem is "worsening" amid a growing physician shortage and low federal reimbursements rates, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

25 Feb 2007

Strong associations between built environment and BMI

New York City dwellers who reside in densely populated, pedestrian-friendly areas have significantly lower body mass index levels compared to other New Yorkers, according to a new study by the Mailman School of Public Health.

22 Feb 2007

Apolipoprotein C1 protein linked to elevated BMI in people of American Indian and Mexican ancestry

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a variant of a common blood protein, apolipoprotein C1, in people of American Indian and Mexican ancestry that is linked to elevated body mass index (BMI), obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

22 Feb 2007

Progress being made in efforts to stop female genital cutting in Mali

Organizations working in Mali to stop female genital cutting -- a practice sometimes referred to as female circumcision or female genital mutilation in which there is a partial or full removal of the labia, clitoris or both -- are beginning to make progress, Afrol News/Daily Nation reports.

22 Feb 2007

$70 milion pledged to help Zimbabwe address growing number of AIDS orphans

Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom on Thursday pledged $70 million to Zimbabwe to help the country address the growing number of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related illnesses, Reuters South Africa reports.

22 Feb 2007

Gates Foundation, Canadian Government announce initiative to develop HIV/AIDS vaccine

Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday announced a joint $139 million initiative to establish a research institute for the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports.

21 Feb 2007

Indonesia facing increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases

Indonesia is facing an increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases, particularly among commercial sex workers and injection drug users, and the country's Papua region is facing a generalized epidemic, according to a report released recently by the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and other international agencies and local nongovernmental organizations, Reuters reports.

21 Feb 2007