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Raising tobacco taxes could curb youth’s cigar habits

The only way to effectively turn teens away from smoking cigars is to raise prices, and one way to do that would be taxing cigars at the same rate as cigarettes.

26 May 2005

Elderly suicide victims more likely to have fallen to their deaths

Suicide is a major public health problem among those age 65 and older, and a recent study found suicidal people in that age group who live in cities are more likely than their younger counterparts to choose falling from height as their suicide method and to choose to jump from their own homes or apartment buildings.

26 May 2005

Intensive tobacco control measures can sharply reduce smoking rates

Comprehensive tobacco control efforts, including raising cigarette taxes, making workplaces smoke free and offering free and readily accessible nicotine patches, have a widespread impact on lowering smoking rates.

26 May 2005

Competition from specialty hospitals promotes high-quality patient care

Specialty hospitals provide quality care to patients by offering new choices, and this hospital competition should not be stifled, the American Medical Association (AMA) testified to a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this week.

26 May 2005

New treatment for wrinkles

Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s Center for Cosmetic Care in Edina now has a new option for people seeking treatment to slow down the aging process of our skin - the Fraxel.

26 May 2005

Tiny fluorescent crystals barely visible to the human eye that could revolutionise cancer diagnosis

Scientists funded by the Association for International Cancer Research have developed tiny fluorescent crystals barely visible to the human eye that could revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment in a big way.

26 May 2005

Is winter flu worse because of exercise-induced 'window of susceptibility'?

When you exercise or work outside in winter, that dry feeling at the back of your throat indicates the cold air has irritated your throat. Racehorses share a similar experience: exercising in below-freezing air causes mild airway injury.

26 May 2005

Armed forces doctors' pay rise fails to address recruitment and retention crisis

The announcement of a 3.225% pay increase for armed forces doctors by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body fails to address the continuing recruitment and retention crisis. Many doctors working in the armed forces will be bitterly disappointed at this missed opportunity to correct the disparity between pay for armed forces doctors and their civilian counterparts, the BMA warns today (26/5/05).

26 May 2005

New study shows that bypass surgery is more successful than stents in heart surgery

A study of nearly 60,000 patients has found that people with several clogged heart arteries did better if they had bypass surgery rather than a less-drastic procedure in which the blood vessels are propped open with tiny mesh cylinders called stents.

26 May 2005

China's bird flu vaccine already on trial amid forecasts of disaster

As scientists in the west warned of a possible global pandemic killing millions, China has apparently developed vaccines that block the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu among birds and mammals.

26 May 2005

U.S. House of Representatives approve two bills on stem-cell research

Two new bills related to stem-cell research have been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives one promoting non-destructive methods and the other supporting research resulting in the death of unborn children.

26 May 2005

IVF treatment less effective in women living with a smoker

According to Canadian study passive smoking is apparently as damaging to a woman’s chances of having successful fertility treatment as being a smoker.

26 May 2005

'Bad' metabolism cloggs up arteries

Scientists are now saying that a 'bad' metabolism may explain why some people who have never smoked and do not have high cholesterol levels suffer from a potentially lethal build-up of plaque in the arteries.

26 May 2005

Scientists renew warnings over a bird flu pandemic

Scientists have again renewed their warnings about the potential global effect of a flu pandemic on health and economy.

26 May 2005

BMA(NI) concerned about affect on NHS waiting lists if proposal to cut consultants' additional programmed work goes ahead

Hospital consultants in Northern Ireland have expressed their dismay and frustration to the British Medical Association about Department of Health plans to cut their programmed work across NI by 1800 hours each week, for at least the next year. This, in effect, equates to removing 53 consultants from the NHS in Northern Ireland.

26 May 2005

New type of inhalation chemotherapy

Pediatric cancer specialists at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) are investigating a new type of inhalation chemotherapy with the potential to treat children with a deadly bone cancer that has spread to their lungs.

26 May 2005

Researchers discover way to reduce plaque deposits on the brain that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Their findings, which will be highlighted at the upcoming 2005 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference in San Francisco, brings renewed hope to the 4.5 million Americans who have Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2005