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'Miracle Mermaid Baby' Milagros meets the media after her successful operation

The world had its first glimpse of 13-month-old Milagros Cerron last Thursday since she had surgery to separate her fused legs. This is only the second such successful operation on record performed to correct "mermaid syndrome."

5 Jun 2005

Banned chemical discovered in Canadian farmed salmon

Canadian federal officials have confirmed that farmed salmon with trace amounts of a banned chemical have recently been found on store shelves.

5 Jun 2005

Doctors in the UK demand that junk food television advertisors pay for public health messages

Delegates to the British Medical Association's public health medicine and community health annual conference want a 'fairness doctrine' adopted by advertisers, and the motion has been backed and put forward by alcohol addiction and research council chairman Dr Noel Olsen.

5 Jun 2005

How consumer behavior is affected by ideas of mortality - called mortality salience

In our post 9/11 world, Americans demand more--more food, more drink, more time with friends and family, and more time for religion.

3 Jun 2005

Jelly beans can reveal how consumers evaluate an experience

We each have that one flavor of jelly bean--the one that we can consume endlessly in one sitting. Yet, there is another flavor that we eject from our mouths as soon as we taste it.

3 Jun 2005

Consumers may make more judgments based on quick thinking rather than lengthy contemplation

Imagine a shiny new BMW sitting in your driveway. Now, imagine a shiny new Hyundai. Now, come up with one reason why you should drive that BMW. How about ten reasons? What about the Hyundai? A little bit harder isn't it?

3 Jun 2005

ESP will open new doors into music for non-musicians

A new University of Southern California computer system lets a user "drive" a piece of music, using a wheel and foot controls. The Expression Synthesis Project (ESP) interface, devised by a team led by Elaine Chew of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, could be in the hands of consumers within two years.

3 Jun 2005

Women living longer - infant mortality dropping

In 2003 Washington had a lower percent of low-weight births, a lower infant mortality rate, and a higher life expectancy rate than the nation as a whole.

2 Jun 2005

Finances are leading cause of stress

Asked to identify their leading cause of stress, 23 percent of respondents selected “finances” and 21 percent chose “job/career” - the top two responses to an online poll conducted by LifeCare, Inc., the exclusive provider of Life Event Management Services. The poll was open to employees of LifeCare's 1,500 client companies nationwide via its web site, www.lifecare.com, during the month of April.

2 Jun 2005

Australian MPs back call for smoking bans in cars

A campaign by doctors to ban adults from smoking in vehicles carrying children has strong support among Western Australian politicians, an AMA(WA) survey has revealed.

2 Jun 2005

Potential smoking liability cases thrown into doubt in Europe

The outcome of potential smoking liability cases in Europe has been thrown into doubt after a widow lost her claim for damages against the tobacco company she blames for her husband's death from lung cancer.

2 Jun 2005

UK latest country to join anti-smoking drive

Smoking causes more than 100,000 deaths in the UK each year and now the UK government is promising that it will become a driving force in helping smokers all over the world to quit.

2 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

Twenty countries plan to go smokefree

At least 20 countries around the world are working towards smokefree public places and it is time for the UK to provide a strong lead, Cancer Research UK's Chief Executive declares.

1 Jun 2005

Consumers of organic food should be more inquisitive about its quality

A team of researchers leading a pan-European organic food project also recommends that shoppers tell retailers if they are satisfied or not with the products and the information provided on their labels.

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

BMA Scotland response to McTear v Imperial Tobacco verdict

Commenting on the judgement announced by the Right Hon. Lord Nimmo Smith on the case of Mrs Margaret McTear against Imperial Tobacco Limited today (Tuesday 31 May 2005), Dr Bill O’Neill, Scottish Secretary of the British Medical Association (BMA), said:

31 May 2005

Doctor sold Surgery Board exam answers on eBay

The American Board of Surgery is being forced to rewrite its certifying exam and change its examination rules after 86 answers to the test turned up for auction on eBay in August, 2004.

31 May 2005

Asbestos Compensation Fund Legislation passed by Senate Judiciary Committee

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is to be applauded for taking action to protect the rights of true victims of asbestos-related illness and ensure they promptly receive their full compensation, the Center for Individual Freedom said late last week.

30 May 2005