Miscellaneous News

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Asbestos: the iron grip of latency

It happens every day somewhere in Europe: a building from the 1950s is demolished. A few children on their way back from school watch the giant bulldozer at work. The engine has already attacked the ground floor - apparently nobody has noticed the asbestos pads…

10 Jan 2006

Overweight people not interested in healthy lifestyle

According to a poll in the UK more than a quarter of obese and overweight people do not want to lose weight, and many were unable to identify their weight category.

9 Jan 2006

Insight into how marajuana induced munchies works

Marijuana--or more specifically its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol--has a well-documented tendency to stimulate hunger. And while scientists have traced this property to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, they have had little understanding of the neural circuitry underlying this effect.

22 Dec 2005

Cannabis medication linked to grandmother's death

A British grandmother who died after being given a controversial and experimental cannabis-based medicine had apparently told her family that she thought the drug was driving her mad.

19 Dec 2005

Canadians call for decriminalisation of prostitution

In a new report the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network has called for the federal government to decriminalize prostitution.

14 Dec 2005

UK surgeon in Iraq tells story

A consultant surgeon and visiting lecturer at the University of Southampton has described one of the many untold stories of the 2003 Iraq war in a compelling book Blood, Heat and Dust. It is an account of the campaign seen through the eyes of the military doctors and nurses who worked in the war zone.

13 Dec 2005

Pricey head lice treatment nothing but common cleanser

An expensive experimental head lice treatment for children has been revealed as nothing more than a common skin cleanser costing as little as $10 a bottle.

5 Dec 2005

Overproduction of food in rich countries is fuelling health problems worldwide

The dairy sector in the European Union is an example of how agriculture subsidies can lead to negative health effects in Europe as well as in developing countries.

2 Dec 2005

U.S. trained surgeon could face manslaughter charges in Australia

An enquiry in Australia has recommended that a U.S. trained surgeon should face manslaughter, grievous bodily harm, assault and fraud charges.

2 Dec 2005

A kiss and peanuts - a deadly combination

The combination of a kiss and an allergy to nuts has resulted in death for a teenage girl.

29 Nov 2005

"Alcoholism - The Simple Truth" - France

A leading French journalist and a former alcoholic Hervé Chabalier, says the nation is in a state of national denial and needs to do something to reduce the nations' alcohol consumption.

28 Nov 2005

New European Union directive on food labelling

Safety for people with food allergies will be boosted later this month when new European laws will force manufacturers to label their food more accurately, but the laws do not offer full protection, says an editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

26 Nov 2005

South Korean cloning pioneer responds to accusations

South Korean cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk has defended himself in the media following allegations over ethics violations that have seen his groundbreaking work plunged into controversy.

24 Nov 2005

Fury over delay in Libyan Court ruling on children infected with AIDS

A delay by Libya's Supreme Court in reaching a decision on the appeal of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, condemned to death for infecting more than 400 Libyan children with the AIDS virus, has infuriated the children's parents who hurled stones and bottles at police outside the court.

16 Nov 2005

Heart defect caused 4-year-old to die on Disney ride

According to a Florida autopsy report a 4-year-old boy who collapsed in June after riding a rocket simulator at Walt Disney World had a serious heart defect which caused his death.

15 Nov 2005

Youth group calls Bush hypocritical over Plan B

Advocates for Youth, a national, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health

15 Nov 2005

Teenager died after having his lip pierced

At an inquest into his death the dangers of body piercing were underlined by a coroner following the death of the student from blood poisoning two months after having a ring put through his lip.

14 Nov 2005

Warnings to be put on condoms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling for warnings to be placed on condoms.

14 Nov 2005

Total smoking ban is accepted in New Zealand

The public has made significantly more enquiries to a national Quitline for smokers, and demand for nicotine replacement treatment vouchers has increased, following a total ban on smoking in indoor public places in New Zealand, according to a letter in this week's British Medical Journal.

13 Nov 2005

British mother demands the right to know about teenage abortion

A British mother is presently fighting government guidelines issued last year to reduce teenage pregnancy, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases.

10 Nov 2005