Thursday, February 24, 2005

Health Headlines - February 25

Caesarians Do Not Stop Postnatal Depression

Having a planned caesarian section does not reduce a woman's risk of suffering from postnatal depression, doctors said Friday.

Dirty Water, Sanitation Kill Thousands Daily

Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation kill 4,000 children every day, global health experts said on Friday.

English Cancer Patients Still Face Long Wait

A fifth of patients with suspected cancer wait more than a month to be seen by a specialist in England, a report showed on Friday.

Judge Skeptical of Tobacco Argument in U.S. Suit

A federal judge on Thursday voiced skepticism about a key argument that cigarette makers are using to defend themselves against government charges of civil racketeering.

U.S. Panel: AstraZeneca Heart Drug OK with Others

AstraZeneca Plc should be allowed to market its hypertension drug Atacand to heart failure patients taking other heart medicines called ACE inhibitors, U.S. experts recommended on Thursday, despite finding problems with a trial of the medicine.

More Drugs Better for Protecting Baby from HIV

Scientists defended the practice of giving a single dose of the drug nevirapine to protect newborns from their mothers' AIDS infections, saying on Thursday it works and is not toxic.

Wives of Smokers Run Risk of Stroke

Smoking by husbands is associated with an increased occurrence of stroke among their non-smoking wives, according to a new study.

Malaria Preventive Linked to 'Psychiatric Events'

People traveling in tropical areas who take the anti-malaria drug mefloquine appear to be prone to psychiatric events such as anxiety or psychosis, new research shows. Women and people with a psychiatric history seem especially vulnerable.

U.S. Poll Backs Bigger Gov't Role on Drug Prices

Nearly two-thirds of people want the U.S. government more involved in limiting the price of prescription drugs, according to a survey released on Thursday by a nonprofit health research group.

U.S. Worried by Infections in Transfusion Recipients

Americans who receive blood platelet transfusions are probably at a higher risk than generally believed to contract potentially deadly bacterial infections, according to a report published on Thursday.

New HIV Strain Has Very Deadly Aspects

Research on a recently discovered HIV strain shows it holds an array of disturbing traits that help it quickly progress to full-blown AIDS while resisting drug treatments, doctors said Thursday at the leading meeting on AIDS science.

Vietnam Confirms Another Bird Flu Case

Vietnam confirmed another bird flu case Friday, the first reported infection in more than a month.

Schiavo Case Highlights Eating Disorders

Before she was the severely brain-damaged patient at the center of a legal dispute over whether she should live or die, Terri Schiavo was a young woman who desperately wanted to be thin.

Lawsuit Asks FDA to Regulate Salt Use

Concerned that Americans are consuming salt at twice the recommended levels, a consumer group asked a federal court Thursday to force the government to regulate it.

Experts Pinpoint Ducks' Role in Bird Flu

Health and animal experts said Thursday any long-term strategy for controlling bird flu must address the role of ducks and other waterfowl as major culprits in the spread of the deadly virus.

Repeat Tests Help Spot Newborn Hearing Loss

Repeat testing of newborns within 10 days of delivery may be the best way to catch hard-to-spot hearing difficulties and to rule out false diagnoses, according to a new study.

Autism Experts Collaborate to Improve Treatment

Leading American experts in autism are banding together to form the Autism Treatment Network (ATN), a national, non-profit organization for doctors and medical centers aimed at improving autism treatment.

Gene Insight May Improve Child Asthma Care

Researchers have identified a common genetic profile shared by children who suffer acute asthma attacks.

Spouse Most Likely Source of Elder Abuse

Elderly people may be at increased risk of abuse if they're cared for by a spouse, especially if the spouse is coping with his or her own physical or mental health problems, according to a new study.

Ibuprofen Controversy Continues After Pain Drug Hearings

Even though a government advisory panel recommended last week that strident warnings be placed on cox-2 inhibitors, some experts are calling for warnings on related drugs, especially those given to children.

Nerve Cell 'Traffic Jam' May Trigger Alzheimer's

Like cars backed up on a freeway, blockages in nerve cell signals may lead to the neurological traffic jam that is Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.

SARS virus behaviour could help design treatment, vaccines

Scientists in Singapore have discovered the SARS virus can evade the body's immune system, a finding that may help experts design treatments and vaccines against the disease.

Tracheotomy: surgery opens hole in windpipe to ease breathing

A tracheotomy, the surgical procedure that Pope John Paul II underwent, creates a temporary opening in the trachea, or windpipe, to ease breathing.

African AIDS front shows signs of hope

Condom use and multiple-drug "cocktails" have slowed the spread of AIDS cases in certain African countries, a global AIDS conference in Boston was told.

Britain probes three firms amid biggest ever food recall

Britain's food watchdog said three companies were under investigation for their alleged role in a cancer scare that has triggered the country's largest food recall.

EU concerned over British food scare, other states alerted

The European Commission expressed concern over the discovery of food tainted by a potentially cancer-causing dye in Britain, saying other EU states had been alerted.

Animal experts say efforts insufficient to combat bird flu

Animal health experts at a conference on bird flu criticised the underfunding of efforts to combat the deadly virus which threatens both poultry stocks and humans.

World's first anti-smoking treaty becomes law Sunday

The world's first treaty on reducing tobacco consumption which is said to be causing five million deaths a year becomes binding international law on Sunday, the World Health Organisation said.

Experts say smoking costs Hong Kong 1.3 bln dlrs each year

Smoking in Hong Kong costs the former British colony 5.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (1.3 billion US dollars) in health and social costs each year.

HIV-positive Indian boy kicked out of school after other parents protest

A four-year-old HIV-positive boy has been kicked out of school in India's northeastern state of Assam under pressure from the parents of his classmates, a rights group said.

Hong Kongers don't believe government on pollution

The vast majority of Hong Kongers believe the government's pollution measurements in the smog-choked city are inaccurate.

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