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More bird flu cases in Pakistan and Bangladesh

According to a government official in Pakistan new bird flu cases have been discovered on at least five commercial poultry farms in the southern province of Sindh and in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

10 Apr 2007

Doctors religious views bias how patients are treated

For many the relationship between religion and health creates controversy in the medical world, and the influence of religion on healing almost always causes arguments amongst doctors.

10 Apr 2007

Waist measurement a better guide to obesity

New research by Canadian scientists suggests that doctors should add a tape measure to their key diagnostic tool kit.

10 Apr 2007

Smoking and drinking lots of coffee may protect against Parkinson's disease

In what must be a rare example of smoking supposedly providing some benefit, researchers in the U.S. say in families with a history of Parkinson's disease, those who smoke cigarettes and drink lots of coffee appear to reduce their risk of developing the disease.

9 Apr 2007

Power lawn mower injuries crop up with change of season

Spring is here, the sky is blue, the grass is green and it's time to give that lawn a trim. But beware: Lawn mower injuries are a seasonal threat to children and the leading cause of amputations in adolescents, say specialists from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Maryland's designated pediatric trauma center where the most severe injuries are treated.

9 Apr 2007

European research helps people with dementia improve their quality of life

As approximately 1.9 million elderly people in Europe experience a form of dementia. A pan-European research project is seeking to help them 'navigate their day' and improve their quality of life.

9 Apr 2007

Heart study observes 20th year in Forsyth County

Because of the 4,035 Forsyth County residents who participated in a long-running study of heart disease risk factors, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues have made major findings such as how being overweight is associated with becoming disabled and that passive smoking increases the risk of hardening of the arteries.

9 Apr 2007

Doctors aggressively treat early heart attacks

An international study involving 467 hospitals in 12 countries found that doctors do a good job of aggressively treating the early stages of heart attacks - even before laboratory tests confirm the diagnosis.

9 Apr 2007

More aggressive breast cancer in Hispanics independent of healthcare utilization

A new study provides evidence that racial differences in the clinical presentation of breast cancer may be due more to biological factors rather than differences in access to healthcare alone.

9 Apr 2007

Many women undertreated for ovarian cancer

One in three ovarian cancer patients in the U.S. fails to receive the recommended comprehensive surgical treatment, according to a study in the May 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

9 Apr 2007

Combination Lyme disease vaccine proteins patented

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Stony Brook University have received U.S. Patent Number 7,179,448 for developing chimeric, or "combination," proteins that may advance the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests for Lyme disease.

9 Apr 2007

Forum endorses salt reduction to prevent heart disease and stroke

A committee convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report endorsing population-wide strategies to reduce salt consumption as a cost-effective means of lowering blood pressure; thus preventing heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems.

9 Apr 2007

New York City pushes for male circumcision to reduce spread of HIV

Officials in New York City are again at the forefront when it comes to health matters.

8 Apr 2007

HRT scare questioned

According to the latest research hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may not be quite as dangerous as was first implied by a major American study in 2002.

8 Apr 2007

Hormone the culprit between obesity and colon cancer

A team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego say they believe a chemical produced by fat cells encourages colon cancers to grow faster; they say this may explain why severely overweight people appear to be at far greater risk of the disease.

8 Apr 2007

Mediterranean diet for children means fewer allergic symptoms

The benefits of a Mediterranean diet have been further enhanced with the latest research by scientists from Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom.

8 Apr 2007

Study shows beneficial effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in children

Routine infant immunisation with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has caused a 39% fall in all-cause pneumonia hospital admission rates for American children aged under two years, according to an Article published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

8 Apr 2007

Newborn screening programmes for cystic fibrosis should be adopted internationally

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis saves on treatment costs and would offset the actual costs of the screening programme.

8 Apr 2007

FDA warns consumers on health risks of keeping pet turtles

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urgently reminding the public that contact with baby turtles can pose a serious health risk to infants, small children, and adults with impaired immune systems as they can be natural hosts to Salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause severe illness and death.

8 Apr 2007

Herbal treatment Forskolin may help knock out for urinary tract infections once and for all

Researchers in the United States have found that a common herbal extract which can be bought over the counter at health food stores, has the ability to cut down on urinary tract infections and may also enhance the effect of the antibiotics used to treat such infections.

8 Apr 2007