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Evidence suggests that antibiotic use in agriculture has contributed to antibiotic resistance in the pathogenic bacteria of humans

Doctors have become increasingly concerned by the problem of "super-bugs" - bacteria that have become resistant to standard antibiotics.

6 Jul 2005

Urine testing may predict birthmarks

Vascular anomalies - birthmarks caused by abnormal development of arteries, capillaries, veins or lymph vessels - can sometimes begin to progress, requiring aggressive treatment to save the child's health or vision. Research at Children's Hospital Boston now suggests that urine testing can help monitor these anomalies and predict those about to become a serious threat.

6 Jul 2005

Helping children deal with chronic pain

One in fifty children and adolescents live with severely debilitating and recurrent pain but there is an "embarrassing" lack of data on the best ways to treat them, according to researchers.

6 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

New tool to help healthcare professionals treat children with autism

A new classification tool may allow healthcare professionals treating children with autism and autism-related disorders to more systematically sort out the combination of traits in the condition, and to better predict how children may improve over time.

6 Jul 2005

New treatment for rosacea

Galderma Laboratories has announced FDA approval of a new product for the topical treatment of the inflammatory lesions of rosacea. MetroGel (metronidazole) Topical Gel, 1% will be available by prescription July 29, 2005. The new medication incorporates a higher concentration of metronidazole in a new, technologically advanced vehicle.

6 Jul 2005

Study details safety and efficacy of new Merci Retriever treatment for stroke patients

The recently released July issue of "Stroke," the official journal of the American Stroke Association, published new data on the safety and efficacy of the Merci Retriever System, the first medical device cleared by the FDA to remove blood clots from the brain in patients suffering an ischemic stroke.

6 Jul 2005

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical

The bird flu situation in many Asian countries remains critical and requires more attention by affected countries and the international community, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

6 Jul 2005

Plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza

International animal and human health experts today unveiled a multi-point plan designed to reduce the risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus spreading from poultry to humans, and appealed to the international community to come forward with funds to make it work and help stave off the risk of an influenza pandemic.

6 Jul 2005

Changes to the BCG vaccination programme announced

Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) the current universal BCG vaccination programme delivered through schools will be replaced with an improved programme of targeted vaccination for those individuals who are at greatest risk.

6 Jul 2005

All trampolines, including small ones, a child hazard

Researchers at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, say that small, one-person trampolines, intended for exercise, are not toys and because of the risk of injury, children should not be allowed to play on them.

6 Jul 2005

Sexual abstinence unrealistic - pediatricians say teens need birth control and emergency contraception pill

In complete contrast to the abstinence-only approach to sex education favored by religious groups and President Bush, an eminent group of pediatricians is saying that what todays' teenagers need is better access to birth control and emergency contraception.

6 Jul 2005

If you want that child to do well at school take the TV out of their bedroom

In what will appear to be blatantly obvious to many grandparents and many of the babyboom generation, when children have TV sets in their bedroom they don't do so well at school tests.

6 Jul 2005

Gamblers and addicts have a lot in common

A group of researchers from the U.S., the UK, and New Zealand, have apparently found that problem gamblers often display many similar personality traits as people who abuse alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine.

6 Jul 2005

Polio cases up to 111 in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier this week that another 11 cases of polio have been confirmed in Indonesia bringing the total number of cases in the country to date to 111.

6 Jul 2005

Patients in the UK at risk because of the poor English of overseas doctors

At present almost a third of doctors in the the UK are from overseas, and British doctors are warning that patients' lives are possibly being put at risk because thousands working in the UK as doctors may not have adequate English language skills.

6 Jul 2005

Aspirin can help prevent heart disease, but vitamin E no protection against cancer

It may have taken 12 years, but researchers now say that studies involving nearly 40,000 women in the U.S. has found that regular, low doses of aspirin do not prevent cancer, and vitamin E is pretty ineffective in warding off both heart disease and cancer.

6 Jul 2005

Antidepressants will cheer you up and stop a repeat heart attack

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression and heart disease have long been associated, and one can often lead to the other.

6 Jul 2005

Tourette's and obsessive compulsive disorders linked to strep throat

A new study is suggesting that Strep throat infections can triple a child's risk of developing compulsive behaviors or tics, an indication that the same antibodies that attack the infection may also damage brain cells.

6 Jul 2005

Discovery of genes that impact the development and function of blood stem cells

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified for the first time a group of genes that impact the development and function of blood stem cells, a discovery that brings researchers a step closer to harnessing the power of stem cells for disease treatments.

6 Jul 2005