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The Food and Drug Administration issues warning on antidepressants

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a warning about the possibility of worsening depression or suicidal thought in people, particularly children, who take any of 10 popular antidepressants, especially at the beginning of treatment or when the dosage is changed.

6 Apr 2004

New York - Due to changing blood donor criteria, donor deferral rates have been increasing since 1999

Due to changing blood donor criteria, donor deferral rates have been increasing since 1999 with trend lines predicting additional deferral increases. This predicament has created a critical demand for new people to step forward to donate to ensure there is an adequate supply of blood for hospital patients in New York and New Jersey who require life-saving transfusions, reports New York Blood Center (NYBC) officials.

6 Apr 2004

British Asian cancer patients are not being met because of a lack of consideration for cultural differences

The study, carried out in Leicester, looked at the information preferences of British Asian patients – the majority of which were first generation and spoke English as well as their native language. It found that over half of English-speaking Asian patients would prefer to discuss their cancer and read health leaflets in their mother tongue.

6 Apr 2004

Requests for organ donors must be tempered by a better understanding of cultural differences

In Canada, most organ donations come from people who have died, rather than from living donors. In western culture, there is a division between mind and body, he explains. Once the brain no longer functions, the corpse is no longer considered a true person -- as highlighted by Descartes' philosophy, "I think, therefore, I am" -- so organ donation is seen as acceptable. In addition, western society has been greatly influenced by the Christian belief in the spiritual value of non-reciprocal giving, says Bowman, making organ donation a gift of love and generosity.

6 Apr 2004

Launch of The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park by Matt Ridley

The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park is a partnership between Oxford University and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, and is one of six such Parks nationally, funded by the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry. The aim of the Genetics Knowledge Parks (GKPs) is to translate advances in genetics research into clinical practice.

6 Apr 2004

Call for sexual health policy to be driven by science instead of politics

Today three leading national public health organizations – the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), the American Social Health Association (ASHA), and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) – renewed their call for sexual health policy to be driven by science instead of politics.

6 Apr 2004

Ohio university to get major expansion cancer program

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees today has authorized the preparation of architectural and engineering plans for a possible major expansion of the university’s cancer program.

5 Apr 2004

Penn State Hershey Medical Center awaits arrival of hospital's first sextuplets

The team of Penn State women's health obstetricians and Penn State Children's Hospital neonatologists at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center are preparing for the arrival of the first set of sextuplets in the medical center's 34-year history.

5 Apr 2004

Consumer trust in food is high in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway, but low in Italy and Portugal

Consumer trust in food is high in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway, but low in Italy and Portugal and relatively low in Germany. Research also shows that consumers in these countries are most sceptical about meat products, fast-food outlets and food processors.

5 Apr 2004

Functional food, beyond providing a purely nutritional value, may promote health or reduce the risk of disease

Functional food, beyond providing a purely nutritional value, may promote health or reduce the risk of disease. An example is food meant to lower the cholesterol level. During the past few years, the potential benefits posed by functional foods have led to an increased interest by producers and consumers as well as a broader range of such products on the market worldwide.

5 Apr 2004

Cordis Cardiology receives warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Cordis Cardiology, a division of Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson Company, reported today that it received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding FDA's observations concerning the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations.

5 Apr 2004