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NZ Ministry of Health, mums and babies take part in big latch on

The New Zealand Ministry of Health is walking the talk by taking part in tomorrow's nationwide breastfeeding promotion - the Big Latch On.

31 Jul 2008

Increase in number of homeless Australians receiving help

A new report says there has been a significant increase in the number of people receiving help from the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), a federal and state government initiative aimed at providing services and housing to Australians who are homeless.

31 Jul 2008

Survey reveals most drinkers exceed current safe alcohol guidelines

According to a new study people who drink more than the guidelines for safe alcohol consumption place themselves at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

30 Jul 2008

Scientist warns about granite bench tops and radiation

Professor Llope reportedly tested 55 stones of 25 varieties of granite stones purchased from local dealers and found some homeowners would be exposed to 100 millirems of radiation in just a few months - this exceeds the annual exposure limit set by the Department of Energy for visitors to nuclear laboratories.

30 Jul 2008

Top Doc slams cancer treatment in Australia

One of Australia's top cancer specialists says the standard of treatment for cancer victims in the country leaves a lot to be desired.

30 Jul 2008

Genetic clues to schizophrenia uncovered

New research has found genetic flaws which scientists say are about 15 percent more frequent in people with schizophrenia.

30 Jul 2008

FDA extends warning on Serrano peppers from Mexico

Laboratory testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that both a sample of serrano pepper and a sample of irrigation water collected by agency investigators on a farm in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, contain Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint as the strain of bacteria that is causing the current outbreak in the United States.

30 Jul 2008

Study compares student performance against environmental pollution

University of Michigan researchers are studying connections between air toxins and K-12 student performance in Michigan - and possibly whether air quality should be a factor when deciding where to build public schools.

30 Jul 2008

DNA Heritage overcomes patent claims

DNA Heritage has recently overcome patent claims held by a competitor which would have severely restricted the use of DNA testing and databases that allow families around the world to match and connect up through their DNA.

30 Jul 2008

A counter to counterfeit drugs

The counterfeiting of medicines has been known of since around 1990 and is a growing problem-in both developing and developed countries. Counterfeit medicines are estimated as more than 10% of the global medicines market and in some developing countries it is thought to be as high as 50%. One prediction is that global counterfeit drug sales will reach $75 billion by 2010.

30 Jul 2008

Using the web to tackle young people's drinking

Health researchers at the University of Leeds are helping young people take the first steps towards reducing dangerous alcohol intake through an online personal analysis of their drinking behaviour.

30 Jul 2008

Eroded telomeres are behind dyskeratosis congentia aging syndrome

Each time a cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes shorten - and when these caps are gone, so are we. Now, by using an unconventional strategy to shorten telomeres in mice, researchers at Rockefeller University have not only created the first faithful mouse model for studying a rare yet fatal premature aging syndrome, but they have revealed the molecular defect behind the disease.

30 Jul 2008

FDA seizes more than $24 Million in unapproved new drugs

Representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service today seized $24.2 million worth of unapproved new drugs from KV Pharmaceutical Company of St. Louis, Mo. Agents acted after United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway filed a civil forfeiture suit and obtained a warrant to seize the unapproved new drug products being made by KV Pharmaceutical.

30 Jul 2008

microRNA may influence development of alcohol tolerance

In recent years, a class of small molecules known as microRNAs have been found to play an important role in regulating gene products in most animal and plant species.

30 Jul 2008

Bush signs historic global AIDS bill

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), hailed President Bush for signing legislation to re-authorize PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).

30 Jul 2008

Stanford Medicine explores the complex world of clinical trials

Back just 100 years ago, the notion of testing treatments and drugs through randomized clinical trials was unheard of. Clinical trials began to proliferate only in 1800, placebos were first used in 1863 and randomization wasn't introduced until 1923.

30 Jul 2008

Promising new therapy for Alzheimer's

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center announced today the nine-month interim results of an ongoing Phase II clinical trial of GAMMAGARD Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IGIV) for Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Chicago.

From Baxter International Inc. 30 Jul 2008

Robotic surgery now benefits bladder cancer patients

Robotic surgery, largely pioneered for prostate cancer surgery, is rapidly being adapted for use in other areas, including for bladder cancer patients. Urologic surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center now have significant experience -- and have demonstrated considerable success -- with robotics for removal of the bladder, also known as cystectomy.

30 Jul 2008

Minorities less likely to know about breast cancer treatment options

Nearly half of women treated for breast cancer did not know that their odds of being alive after five years are roughly the same whether they undergo mastectomy or breast conserving surgery. Minority women were even less likely to be aware of this important factor of their treatment decision, according to a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

30 Jul 2008