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Report from health experts recommends several strategies to reduce childhood obesity

Zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants near schools and playgrounds, community policing to improve safety around public recreational sites, requirements that publicly run after-school programs limit video game and TV time, and taxes on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks are some of the strategies local government officials can use to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic in their communities, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

2 Sep 2009

Scientists shed light on the relationship between hypertension and obesity

Some of the first information about how fat causes hypertension have been identified by researchers who say the findings should one day help identify which obese people - and maybe some thin ones too - are at risk for hypertension and which drugs would work best for them.

2 Sep 2009

Lipose commences supply of Viafill Fat Transfer System

Lipose Corporation announced today that its Viafill™ Fat Transfer System is now available for sale to healthcare professionals. Viafill is an autologous fat transfer system that allows doctors to harvest fat from one part of the body and process it for use as injectable filler in another part of the body.

2 Sep 2009

Exercise prevents increase in the number of fat cells during weight regain

Exercise helps prevent weight regain after dieting by reducing appetite and by burning fat before burning carbohydrates, according to a new study with rats. Burning fat first and storing carbohydrates for use later in the day slows weight regain and may minimize overeating by signaling a feeling of fullness to the brain.

2 Sep 2009

Ground breaking surgery leaves no unsightly scar

Surgeons at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University used a novel approach for the first time in Canada to remove a tumour embedded in the upper face of Jayden Cambridge, an 18-month old child.

2 Sep 2009

Alpha Pro Tech to triple N-95 respirator mask production

Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd. (NYSE Amex: APT), a leading manufacturer of products designed to protect people, products and environments, including disposable protective apparel and building products, today announced that it will be tripling the average output of N-95 respirator masks that it has been producing since May, which will help accommodate Alpha Pro Tech’s current backlog and increase availability for the upcoming flu season/swine flu season.

2 Sep 2009

Majority of women depend on family or friend's opinion to decide on breast cancer surgery

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Sep 2009

Daytime surgeries reduce minor complication rates

Patients who have after-hour orthopaedic surgeries risk a slightly higher rate of necessary follow-up surgeries, according to a study published in the September 2009 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). The data also suggests that patients whose surgeries took place during the day have the same healing, recovery time, and major complication rates as patients who have surgery after hours.

2 Sep 2009

Young children need to be supervised while in showers and bathtubs: American Academy of Pediatrics

Bathtubs and showers are frequently associated with injuries to children. Although interventions have been initiated to prevent injuries due to submersions and hot water scalds, little attention has been paid to slips, trips and falls, which account for more than 80 percent of bathtub- and shower-related injuries.

2 Sep 2009

Patients with PFO may have increased odds of postoperative strokes

Patients who have a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale incidentally discovered and repaired during surgery for a different condition may have an increased odds of postoperative stroke, along with no clear benefit on short-term outcomes or long-term survival, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

2 Sep 2009

Union leaders hope to restore relevance in push for health reform

"The man expected to become the AFL-CIO's next president said Monday that lawmakers would pay a political price if they abandon a government-run option in any health care overhaul. 'We need to be a labor movement that stands by our friends, punishes its enemies and challenges those who, well, can't seem to decide which side they're on,' said Richard Trumka, currently the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer."

2 Sep 2009

Visioneer document scanner streamlines patient care delivery systems

There is constant pressure in the healthcare industry to streamline patient care delivery systems that will function effectively under the real world constraints faced by public and private hospitals. Whether it is an admissions process, patient records or a doctor’s office environment, Visioneer scanners make short and easy work out of converting paper into digital documents.

2 Sep 2009

Michigan newborn blood spot data to help understand causes of celebral palsy

A statewide team of researchers led by a Michigan State University epidemiologist are hoping Michigan's archive of newborn blood spots will help them uncover the causes of cerebral palsy, the most common disabling motor disorder in children with annual health costs of $12 billion.

2 Sep 2009

Study: Retail clinics offer quality care

Retail walk-in medical clinics offer quality care, according to a new study. U.S. News & World Report reports: "Writing in the Sept. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, study author Dr. Ateev Mehrotra said that retail clinics — which are typically staffed by nurse practitioners and found in drug stores and other retail chain stores such as Target and Wal-Mart — provide a good standard of care for sore throat, ear infections and urinary tract infections. Mehrotra is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a policy analyst at Rand Health."

2 Sep 2009

Study reveals that baking soda benefits patients with advanced chronic kidney disease

A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate—baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn, and more—slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), reports an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

2 Sep 2009

The more alcohol people drink, the more likely they might be to exercise, says study

Drinkers aren't just bending their elbows: according to a new study, the more alcohol people drink, the more likely they might be to exercise.

2 Sep 2009

Single-dose H1N1 vaccine wins approval in China

The Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. on Monday announced its H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine won the approval of a panel of experts from China's State Food and Drug Administration, the Associated Press/Forbes reports. The company expects to obtain a production license later this week. According to the company, clinical trials of the H1N1 vaccine showed a single shot produced an immune response capable of protecting against H1N1 (8/31).

2 Sep 2009

White House: Key GOP senator has 'walked away' from negotiations

The Obama administration struck back at Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi's Saturday remarks that proposed health reforms "will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money," Bloomberg/The Washington Post reports. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the remarks "tremendously unfortunate but in some ways illuminating."

2 Sep 2009

Population growth in cities exacerbates transmission of dengue

"The rapid growth of crowded cities has helped spread and increase the transmission of dengue around the world, health experts said on Tuesday, warning up to 3 billion people were already at risk," Reuters reports.

2 Sep 2009

Playing Tetris may increase brain efficiency

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques.

2 Sep 2009