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Lawmakers discuss plans for SCHIP reauthorization

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Monday at a forum co-sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said that Congress likely will have the ability to authorize the $50 billion over five years needed to enroll all children eligible for SCHIP but "hedged on whether it would do so this year or over the next several years," CQ HealthBeat reports.

28 Feb 2007

Automakers' health care costs to exceed savings from concessions

Health care expenses for General Motors and Ford Motor likely will increase at a rate that exceeds savings from health care concessions made by the United Auto Workers in agreements reached in 2005, according to a report issued on Monday by credit rating company Fitch Ratings, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Feb 2007

Heart attacks can give couples a new lease of life

A third of people who suffer heart attacks discover new meaning to their lives and reconnect with their partner, but others see it as a threat to their well-ordered existence, according to research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

28 Feb 2007

One in four American women infected with HPV

In the first comprehensive study of a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer, it has been found that one in four American women age 14 to 59 are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV).

28 Feb 2007

Common painkillers raise mens' risk of hypertension

Researchers in the United States believe that regular use of common painkillers such as Acetaminophen (paracetomol), ibuprofen and aspirin, increases the risk of high blood pressure and consequently heart disease in men.

28 Feb 2007

Obese eight year old to stay with mother

The grossly overweight eight year old in Britain who was facing being taken into care, will be allowed to remain with his family.

28 Feb 2007

Garlic - a tasty addition to food but useless for lowering cholesterol

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say they have found that eating garlic raw or taking it in supplement form does not lower "bad" cholesterol levels.

28 Feb 2007

Nicotine use is highly addictive in primates

Tobacco dependence is the leading cause of mortality in Canada. Although most smokers express a desire to stop smoking, only a small number are able to succeed.

27 Feb 2007

Court rules Synergetics product infringes IRIDEX patent

IRIDEX Corporation has announced that the Hon. Catherine Perry, United States District Judge, granted summary judgment to IRIDEX on its claim that Synergetics, Inc.'s adapter-based connector systems infringe 12 separate claims of IRIDEX's Patent No. 5,085,492.

27 Feb 2007

Pfizer wins Norvasc patent challenge by Mylan

Pfizer said today that a federal court in the Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) has upheld the company's U.S. patent covering the active ingredient in Norvasc

27 Feb 2007

Meta-analysis on antioxidants provides muddled conclusions

A new meta-analysis examining the effect of antioxidant supplements on all-cause mortality published in the Feb. 28, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) misuses meta-analysis methods to create generalized conclusions that may inappropriately confuse and alarm consumers who can benefit from supplementing with antioxidants, said the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

27 Feb 2007

PPD licenses dyslipidemia statin from Ranbaxy

Ranbaxy Laboratories and PPD, Inc. have announced that PPD has acquired an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and market Ranbaxy's novel statin for the treatment of dyslipidemia.

27 Feb 2007

Key protein - claudin-1- for hepatitis C virus entry identified

For as many as 200 million people worldwide infected with hepatitis C, a leading cause of chronic liver disease, treatment options are only partially effective. But new research by Rockefeller University scientists points to a potential new target for better drugs: a key protein that resides in human liver cells that hepatitis C requires for entry.

27 Feb 2007

Cutting tax on alcohol dramatically increases sudden deaths involving alcohol

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, National Research Institute of Legal Policy and The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies, Finland, have found that cutting excise duty on retail sales of alcohol can have immediate repercussions on a nation's health.

27 Feb 2007

Task force recommends greater use of exercise testing in chronic disease

Exercise testing can be a powerful tool for diagnosing chronic heart and lung conditions and measuring responses to treatment, according to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal.

27 Feb 2007

Mobile-phone addiction in teenagers may cause severe psychological disorders

Such a harmless and common object in our society represents a real problem for four in ten young adults in Spain, for whom their mobile phone has turned into an addiction that can lead them to consequences as dangerous as those caused by alcohol or drugs.

27 Feb 2007

Botox could be used to treat incontinence and cystitis

It has won an army of celebrity fans for banishing crow's feet and frown lines, but the use of Botox to combat bladder problems such as incontinence has been hailed as a 'major advance' by a urology expert.

From Sheffield Hallam University 27 Feb 2007

Stanford student is visionary behind global fight againts blindness

Six years ago, as a 19-year-old college sophomore, Jennifer Staple decided to battle preventable blindness so she started the nonprofit "Unite for Sight" with a staff of one: herself.

27 Feb 2007

New toy helps teach words to autistic childre

Helma van Rijn has developed a toy that uses a new method for teaching words to autistic children. She developed this toy as part of her graduation project at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

27 Feb 2007

Dissecting secret formula of nectar

The sugar-containing nectar secreted by plants and consumed by pollinators shares a number of similarities to fitness drinks, including ingredients such as amino acids and vitamins. In addition to these components, nectar can also contain secondary metabolites such as the alkaloid nicotine and other toxic compounds.

27 Feb 2007