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Rockefeller microbiologist tests safety of spiked eggnog

With one in every 20,000 eggs contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, drinking homemade eggnog can be something of a gamble. But an experiment designed to test whether the alcohol in spiked eggnog can kill the deadly bugs suggests that, in general, few bacteria survive in a mixture containing both raw eggs and 20 percent rum and bourbon.

21 Dec 2008

Women donate to charity differently than men

To whom would you rather give money: a needy person in your neighborhood or a needy person in a foreign country?

18 Dec 2008

Does sugar make kids hyperactive? and six other myths debunked

Does sugar make kids hyperactive?

18 Dec 2008

Most frequent cause of death among firefighters is not flames, it's their hearts

Forty-four percent of U.S. firefighters who died on duty in 2007 succumbed to a heart attack, based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration. That figure is twice the number of cardiovascular deaths among on-duty police officers.

18 Dec 2008

EPA should assess health risk of phthalates and other chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should examine whether combined exposures to chemicals known as phthalates could cause adverse health effects in humans, says a new report from the National Research Council. In addition, this analysis, called a cumulative risk assessment, should consider other chemicals that could potentially cause the same health effects as phthalates, instead of focusing on chemicals that are similar in structure, which is EPA's current practice.

18 Dec 2008

Prison for couple who neglected child's health

A couples' neglect of their child's health which resulted in "dire and tragic consequences" has earned them prison sentences.

17 Dec 2008

Report looks at dangers of drinking raw milk

With disease outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk rising in the United States, a review published in the January 1, 2009 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases examines the dangers of drinking raw milk.

16 Dec 2008

New map of natural hazard mortality in the United States

The map, featured in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Health Geographics, gives a county-level representation of the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes or extreme weather.

16 Dec 2008

Coping with a serious illness through the holidays

The holidays are generally considered to be a joyous time; however, for people coping with serious illnesses the holidays can bring unwanted stress.

16 Dec 2008

Does faith help literacy?

New research at Goldsmiths will set about answering that question by looking at how faith impacts upon becoming literate, in particular when families move to a new country and need to learn a new language.

16 Dec 2008

'Gross' messaging increases hand washing behavior

Research conducted by University of Denver (DU) Associate Professor Renée Botta suggests that it takes "gross" messaging to get undergraduate students to wash their hands more frequently after going to the bathroom.

15 Dec 2008

Close call for 3 year old girl stung by deadly box jellyfish

A three year old girl is lucky to be alive after she was stung by a deadly box jellyfish at a remote beach in Milingimbi in the Northern Territory, Australia.

15 Dec 2008

Calls for a change in alcohol culture and promotion

According to a new report from the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, 90% of 12 to 17-year-olds in the state have used alcohol; the report also reveals that the level of risky drinking by adults has decreased from 50% to 30% in men and 37 to 27% in women.

14 Dec 2008

Sales of soft drinks in U.S. increased dramatically in last twenty years

Over the past two decades, the number of adults consuming sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and punches has increased dramatically, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

12 Dec 2008

Success of anti-meth ads questioned by study

An independent review investigating the effectiveness of a publicly funded graphic anti-methamphetamine advertising campaign has found that the campaign has been associated with many negative outcomes.

12 Dec 2008

Major math anxiety in stressful situations

Imagine you are sitting in the back of a classroom, daydreaming about the weekend.

10 Dec 2008

Lip balms, sunscreens make ideal stocking fillers, dermatologist says

If you're in need of some stocking-stuffer ideas, consider lip balms and sunscreens for your loved ones.

10 Dec 2008

Conquering cancer: A global effort

Despite the recent good news that cancer incidence and death rates for men and women in the United States continue to decline, cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide in the year 2010, and low- and middle-income countries will feel the impact of higher cancer incidence and death rates more sharply than industrialized countries.

10 Dec 2008

Holiday heart health tips

Some studies indicate that death rates from heart attacks and stroke as well as non-heart-related causes spike during the holiday season.

10 Dec 2008

FDA announces permanent injunction against Wilderness Family Naturals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that Wilderness Family Naturals LLC of Silver Bay, Minn., and its owners have signed a consent decree that prohibits them from manufacturing and distributing any products with unapproved claims that the products cure, treat, mitigate or prevent diseases.

10 Dec 2008