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Over four percent of pregnant women ages 15 to 44 used illicit drugs during the past month

...according to new data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The data show that pregnant women ages 15 to 25 were more likely to use illicit drugs than pregnant women ages 26 to 44.

2 Jun 2005

New shingles vaccine

Doctors say they have come up with a vaccine that can reduce both the incidence and the severity of shingles by more than half.

2 Jun 2005

Education is the best defense against obesity

According to a study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, education is the best defense against obesity.

2 Jun 2005

Modern mothers prefer a good nights sleep to sex

In a survey by two popular magazines it appears that mums today find it harder to get a good night's sleep, and are getting around 30% less sleep than their own mothers did.

2 Jun 2005

Every U.S. child and adult will be obese by 2044

Advertisements on television and in newspapers consistently hype the latest diet fads. News reports comment on the latest research about the negative effects of obesity on Americans.

2 Jun 2005

Autism community knows there is no one-size-fits-all approach

Autism therapy is bedeviled by unpredictable outcomes. Even with the best behavioral treatments, which are the only ones to have been scientifically demonstrated to work - says Laura Schreibman, professor of psychology and director of the Autism Research Program at the University of California, San Diego - some children improve dramatically, some only somewhat and others not at all.

1 Jun 2005

Stronger version of chickenpox vaccine cuts incidence and severity of shingles in older adults

In one of the largest adult vaccine clinical trials ever, researchers have found that an experimental vaccine against shingles (zoster vaccine) prevented about half of cases of shingles--a painful nerve and skin infection--and dramatically reduced its severity and complications in vaccinated persons who got the disease. The findings appear in the June 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Jun 2005

Airbags may not be that safe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that airbags installed in automobiles have saved some 10,000 lives as of January 2004. A just-released study by a statistician at the University of Georgia, however, casts doubt on that assertion.

1 Jun 2005

A drug used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 induces resistance more often than previously thought

The incidence of drug resistance associated with single-dose nevirapine, a drug used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, may be substantially higher than previously thought and of particular risk for those infected with HIV-1 subtype C, according to three new studies published in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

1 Jun 2005

Day care facilities are a significant source for indoor allergens

Researchers studying day care facilities in the South have found the facilities to be a significant source for indoor allergen levels. A new study of 89 day care settings in two central North Carolina counties found detectable levels of seven common allergens from fungus, cats, cockroaches, dogs, dust mites, and mice in each facility tested. The levels were similar to those found in Southern homes.

1 Jun 2005

Learning about each other's differences is the way to reduce prejudice

From anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, from the fear of terrorism to hostility towards asylum seekers, conflict between different cultural groups continues to be an alarming feature of the 21st century.

1 Jun 2005

2.9 million low-income adults in California live with hunger

A new report to be released June 7, by UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows that more than 2.9 million low-income adults in California live with hunger or make daily decisions about whether to eat or pay for other essential needs.

1 Jun 2005

You can teach your child to eat healthier

Parents, take heart: You can teach your child to eat healthier. A study of preadolescent children found that those who attended a behaviorally oriented nutrition education program and were taught to follow a diet low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol adopted significantly better dietary habits over several years compared to their peers who received only general nutritional information.

1 Jun 2005

Sniffing out a partner

Beneath the perfume, soap and deodorant, it seems that the old smelly rules of attraction still apply.

1 Jun 2005

Children in residential institutions desperately vulnerable to abuse

Violence against children in residential institutions can be found across Europe and Central Asia, according to research gathered by UNICEF in the run-up to a major conference on violence against children. The research also reveals glaring gaps in knowledge and data.

1 Jun 2005

Child's social environment may have only a modest effect on whether very young children become depressed

"Our study found that even dysfunctional family relationships and poor communication styles have a limited impact on the observed mental health of a child," Professor Jake Najman said.

1 Jun 2005

Having twins reduces the risk of many types of women's cancer

...and starting a family later in life increases risk of breast cancer and melanoma but reduces the risk of ovarian, cervix and uterine cancer according to an international study conducted by a team from The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).

1 Jun 2005

Study of MRSA bloodstream infections in children

The UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) is to begin a study reviewing bloodstream infections in children caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

1 Jun 2005

New information on reproductive health in St Petersburg

Abortions are still very common in St Petersburg, as is the use of unreliable contraceptives, despite the fact that sexual education reaches out to young people better than before. The social change is especially evident from the active sexual behaviour among young men.

1 Jun 2005

'Complicated Grief' far worse than depression and doctors want it recognised

Doctors in the U.S. are hoping that a condition they refer to as 'Complicated Grief' which goes far beyond depression, will soon be recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.

1 Jun 2005