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Pentagon too slow responding to Anthrax scare

A report by officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia says the Pentagon was too slow in informing local officials about the recent anthrax scare in Defence Department mail facilities and gave antibiotics to workers without coordinating with public health officials. It says the Homeland Security Department (DoD) "needs to be involved earlier in such incidents".

6 Apr 2005

No association found between diet and pancreatic cancer

According to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the risk of pancreatic cancer does not appear to be associated with dietary patterns.

5 Apr 2005

Europe wants checks for Sudan dyes

The European Commission will extend its checks for Sudan dyes to cover unprocessed palm oil and turmeric as a number of samples have tested positive for Sudan contamination and products have been withdrawn.

5 Apr 2005

Diuretics work better for high blood pressure

Study results by faculty members of the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston suggests that the older, cheaper diuretics remain the drug of choice for both black and non-black patients in treating high blood pressure and reducing risk of heart disease, and confirms earlier findings that diuretics rather than newer, more expensive drugs such as ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, or beta blockers should be preferred as a first therapy for most patients.

5 Apr 2005

Congress must act now to avert crisis and keep Medicare program strong

A survey of physicians released by the American Medical Association (AMA) indicates that steep Medicare payment cuts to physicians, nurses and other health professionals will hurt access to care for America's seniors and disabled.

5 Apr 2005

Pneumonia jab now available for over 65s in UK

People over 65 in the UK are to be offered a routine jab to help protect against diseases, including pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia. Two in 1,000 over-65s are admitted to hospital with pneumococcal pneumonia each year and the infection can cause serious diseases.

5 Apr 2005

Cryoablation may be safer alternative for stopping abnormal electrical patterns

Freezing abnormal electrical pathways in the hearts of young patients may be a safer alternative to zapping them with powerful radiofrequency probes in order to treat tachycardias and other arrhythmias, according to a new study in the April 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Apr 2005

Modest triglyceride elevations linked to coronary artery disease risk

Even modest increases in blood levels of triglycerides, as well as a type of high cholesterol known as type III hyperlipidemia, are strongly associated with coronary artery disease in people with a family history of the disease, according to a new study in the April 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Apr 2005

Gene therapy shows effect in heart patients

The first double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial of VEGF gene injections into the heart muscle of patients with coronary artery disease with the intention of spurring growth of new blood vessels showed significant effects on heart wall motion, although blood flow was not significantly better in treated patients, according to a new study in the April 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Apr 2005

Britain becoming "pill for every ill" society

A report by the influential Commons Select Committee on Health, criticises the drugs industry for promoting the wider use of medication in a bid to increase its profits, and says Britain is being turned into "pill for every ill" society by the multibillion-pound drugs industry, which encourages patients to take medication even for "unhappiness".

5 Apr 2005

Cognitive therapy to treat moderate to severe depression works just as well as antidepressants

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University, challenges the American Psychiatric Association guidelines that antidepressant medications are the only effective treatment for moderately to severely depressed patients.

5 Apr 2005

E.Sakazakii Meningitis to become a notifiable disease

A potentially fatal form of meningitis in premature babies linked to contaminated milk powder should be made a notifiable disease according to a report released today.

5 Apr 2005

Studies examine menopausal hormone therapy and risk of breast cancer recurrence

The doses of estrogen and progestogen used in menopausal hormone therapy may be related to the risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a new study in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

5 Apr 2005

Research supports the practice of Pilates to achieve some health benefits

Pilates is a beneficial exercise to enhance flexibility and muscular fitness and endurance, particularly for intermediate and advanced practitioners, but may have limited potential to notably increase cardiovascular fitness and reduce body weight.

5 Apr 2005

Yoga should heal, not hurt

Yoga should heal, not hurt, according to Roger Cole, Ph.D. In his presentation at the ninth-annual American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition, Cole reviewed the injuries most often suffered by yoga practitioners and recommended ways to avoid them.

5 Apr 2005

Nasal filter new weapon against hay fever

The first clinical trial of a nasal filter has shown that they can significantly reduce both the number of people experiencing symptoms and the severity of their symptoms.

5 Apr 2005

DNA packaging linked with cancer

New laboratory findings at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggest that what lies outside cancer cells is at least as important as the genes inside in explaining a tumor's malignancy.

5 Apr 2005

Peplin has U.S. patent granted for novel anti-cancer compounds

Australian biotech Peplin Limited has announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office had granted Peplin a patent covering the use of its macrocyclic anti-cancer compounds to stimulate the immune system.

5 Apr 2005

UK study links heart conditions with common ‘hidden’ hormone disorders in the elderly

A study of nearly 6000 elderly people in Birmingham has shown that ‘hidden’ thyroid disorders are common in over-65s and that there is a strong link between one type of abnormality and irregular heartbeat. The work will be presented at the British Endocrine Societies 2005 meeting in Harrogate on Wednesday.

5 Apr 2005

Blue-green algae linked to Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the University of Dundee have announced that cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) found throughout the world may produce a toxin linked to certain types of neurological disease.

5 Apr 2005