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Sprouts and broccoli may reduce risk of high blood pressure

Glucoraphanin, also known as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS(TM)), a naturally-occurring compound found in broccoli sprouts and broccoli, may reduce risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to new research published in the May 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

28 Apr 2004

British doctors say 40% or 9 million sick notes are suspect each year

British doctors get 22 million requests for sick-notes every year - and they estimate that nine million of these are suspect, according to a new report.

28 Apr 2004

AGT Biosciences Limited and ChemGenex Therapeutics today announced merger agreement

AGT Biosciences Limited of Melbourne, Australia and privately held ChemGenex Therapeutics, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, today announced that they have signed a merger agreement. The cross-border merger creates a new, genomics-driven pharmaceutical company with leading edge capabilities for drug discovery and development, as well as two drug candidates in Phase II human trials for cancer.

28 Apr 2004

McGreevey signs landmark legislation designed to improve patient safety

Governor James E. McGreevey today signed landmark legislation designed to improve patient safety and save lives through comprehensive reporting of medical errors by hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.

27 Apr 2004

Pennsylvania's restaurants, stadiums, bars and supermarkets are adjusting to revised food safety requirements

Pennsylvania's restaurants, stadiums, bars and supermarkets are adjusting to revised food safety requirements in the Pennsylvania Food Code, according to a specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

27 Apr 2004

ESA launches mission for health

ESA today announced the launch of its ‘Space Solutions’ initiative, a business-to-business provider of know-how and technologies to industries in the wellness market. The launch was announced at an event featuring an address by ESA astronaut André Kuipers, live from the International Space Station.

27 Apr 2004

California has set a public health goal for arsenic levels in drinking water

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) today announced the publication of a final Public Health Goal (PHG) for arsenic in drinking water.

27 Apr 2004

UK, new guides help people with learning disabilities live more independently in the community

The UK Department of Health has launched two new guides to Direct Payments to make them more accessible for people with learning disabilities. Because Direct Payments allow individuals to choose what services they want and how and when they want them it can empower people with learning disabilities to live more independently in the community.

27 Apr 2004

Hand surgeons warn of gardening dangers

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) recommends gardeners take the proper precautions to prevent hand-related injuries before digging or planting in the garden this spring. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), emergency rooms treat more than 400,000 outdoor garden-tool-related accidents each year.

27 Apr 2004

Britain wheezes at bottom of European lung league

Data from The European Respiratory Society’s (ERS) new European Lung White Book shows that the death rate from respiratory diseases in the UK is 105 per 100,000 people, which is twice the EU average. The only countries with a higher rate are former Soviet Union countries - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – and Ireland.

27 Apr 2004

Morning cough six times more likely to disappear if you stop smoking

It seems logical enough: if you stop smoking, there is every chance that certain tobacco-related complaints will improve or even disappear. Yet no long-term study has ever been undertaken to confirm or disprove this piece of folk wisdom. A cohort study to be published in April's European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) will now fill that gap.

27 Apr 2004

How clean are your lungs?

The airways that conduct air into and out of the lung contain secretions - mucus - that trap inhaled particles. These are removed from the lung by a process called mucociliary clearance that moves the mucus, dead cells and inhaled particles and microorganisms towards the throat from where they are swallowed.

27 Apr 2004

Quality of dietary fat is associated with allergies

The quality of dietary fat is associated with the risk of hay fever and allergic sensitisation, but not atopic eczema and bronchial hyperreactivity.

27 Apr 2004

Sleep apnoea and obesity

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a common disorder with an estimated prevalence of at least 2 to 4% among middle-aged adults, especially common in obesity.

27 Apr 2004

Irish minister launches Heart Foundation´s conference on salt, functional foods and heart health

Mr Ivor Callely T.D. Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children today, (27 April 2004) launched the Irish Heart Foundation´s Conference on Salt, Functional Foods and Heart Health.

27 Apr 2004

Compulsory community treatment orders (CTOs) alone do not reduce admissions to psychiatric hospital

Compulsory community treatment orders (CTOs) alone do not reduce admissions to psychiatric hospital, according to an important new study from Australia, published in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

27 Apr 2004

Biological bandages are being successfully used to treat patients with severe burns

Doctors have been impressed with the rapid recovery rates instigated by the ‘tailor-made ’ discs, which have been devised by a research team at the Sheffield company, CellTran, with financial support from the Wellcome Trust biomedical research charity and the White Rose Technology Seedcorn Fund. They will be officially launched at the British Burn Association’s annual meeting in Manchester tomorrow (28th).

27 Apr 2004

Illinois, hospital beds and other health care services to be monitored

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced the launch of a $450,000 Web-based system that provides the state with up-to-the-minute information from more than 200 hospitals in Illinois on the availability of beds and other critical health care services necessary to guide the response to an act of terrorism or other public health emergency.

27 Apr 2004

Landscape architects brighten life of elderly patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease

Landscape architects at Manchester Metropolitan University have designed a special garden for elderly patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

27 Apr 2004

Ageing population no burden to the future rich

Living standards will increase by up to 35% over the next 25 years, even taking into account the ageing population and the higher cost of caring for older people, according to a Melbourne economist.

27 Apr 2004