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Body symmetry could be a tell tale sign of an aggressive person

Researchers may get some indication of how aggressively an angry person will react by measuring the size relationship between a person’s ears and other body parts, according to a new study.

23 Aug 2004

Tobacco youth buy rate in Nevada cut in half

Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval has announced that the percentage of stores that sold cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors has dropped to 8.2% in July.

23 Aug 2004

Rooms where people smoke contain higher air concentrations of endotoxins

A room where people smoke contains dozens or hundreds of times higher air concentrations of endotoxins than smoke-free indoor air. This has been shown by a research team from Lund University.

23 Aug 2004

Nicotine replacement therapy shown to help teenagers and women

In the first study, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that the nicotine patch seems to work as well, at least initially, for teens as it does for adults. In addition, the patch, the top delivery form of NRT (followed by gum, an inhaler and a nasal spray) worked equally well with or without supplementation by an anti-depressant given to the teens.

21 Aug 2004

Health Canada has outlined proposed changes to the current labelling requirements for tobacco packaging

Health Canada has released a consultation document,"Building On Success - A Proposal for New Health-Related Information on Tobacco Product Labels," outlining proposed changes to the current labelling requirements for tobacco product packaging.

20 Aug 2004

$1.7 Billion dollar public health settlement with major tobacco company

Attorney General Baker stated that, “Georgia’s citizens receive two major victories from this settlement. The first is that Sun Tobacco now will be subject to the same marketing restrictions as other MSA participants, prohibiting them from marketing tobacco products to our youth.

20 Aug 2004

Decreases in tobacco, drug and alcohol use by students

California's Attorney General Bill Lockyer has released the results of the 10th Biennial California Student Survey (CSS), which shows decreases in tobacco, drug and alcohol use by students in the seventh, ninth and 11th grades during 2003 and 2004.

18 Aug 2004

Girls play truant more than boys

New research published by the University of Edinburgh reveals that there is a substantial difference in levels of serious delinquency between boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 15.

18 Aug 2004

Computed tomography may improve screening of latent atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time, known to occur to some degree with aging; but other risk factors (such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history for atherosclerotic disease) that accelerate this process have been identified.

18 Aug 2004

Exposure to natural and man-made substances in the environment accounts for at least two-thirds of all the cases of cancer in the U.S.

These environmental factors include lifestyle choices like cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of exercise and excessive sunlight exposure. Other factors include exposure to certain medical drugs, hormones, radiation, viruses, bacteria, and chemicals that may be present in the air, water, food and workplace.

18 Aug 2004

Steps families take to minimize asthma triggers in the home are either wrong or ignored

Parents of children who suffer with asthma are making many efforts to clear their homes of substances that could trigger their child's symptoms, but the steps they take aren't always the ones that could do the most good, a new University of Michigan study finds. And many don't take other steps that are known to help.

17 Aug 2004

Link between marijuana and mental health

An eminent University of Melbourne Psychiatry Professor will lead a conference detailing the latest research findings on the link between marijuana and mental health.

16 Aug 2004

Charlie Watts treated for throat cancer

The drummer for The Rolling Stones Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is currently being treated for throat cancer. He is reported to be at the end of a six-week course of radiotherapy after being diagnosed in June of this year.

15 Aug 2004

One of the largest causes of death and disability worldwide

A new series of 5 seminars about one of the largest causes of death and disability worldwide - COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) - starts in this week’s issue of the Lancet.

15 Aug 2004

Smoking may be on the rise again

The statistics are alarming: About one in five high school seniors smoke cigarettes daily. Yet nearly half a million Americans die prematurely from tobacco-related disease and smoking is projected to in some way kill one third of all smokers.

15 Aug 2004

Osteoarthritis twice as likely if parents suffer the condition

New research published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, shows that children whose parents have osteoarthritis of the knee are twice as likely to develop the condition themselves. This research suggests that genetic make-up plays a role in osteoarthritis development.

12 Aug 2004

Structural microvascular changes, visible in the eye, may precede development of severe hypertension

The eyes may be the window to the soul – and future hypertension, according to research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Aug 2004

Survey shows Irish happy with smoke free pubs

Results of a survey, commissioned by the Irish Department of Health and Children, show continuing strong public support for the smoke-free at work measure introduced on 29th March, 2004. The survey of 1,000 people was carried out recently by Lansdowne Market Research.

11 Aug 2004

Newborns may be harmed when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other anti-depressants during the third trimester of pregnancy

Health Canada is advising Canadians that newborns may be adversely affected when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer anti-depressants during the third trimester of pregnancy.

9 Aug 2004

The smoking rate among Canadian teenagers has dropped below that of the general population for the first time in almost 10 years

Data show that 18% of teens aged 15 to 19 smoked daily or occasionally last year, down from 22% in 2002. Substantial changes in the smoking behaviour of Quebec and Ontario youth are behind much of the decrease, namely lower smoking rates among boys in Quebec and girls in Ontario.

9 Aug 2004