World / Health & Beauty
S.C. Allocates $2M To Expand Breast, Cervical Cancer Screening Program For Low-Income Women
04.07.2008 10:13
medicalnewstoday.com
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday announced the state has allocated $2 million to expand a program that provides no-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings to low-income women, the AP/Charlotte Observer reports.The program, called the
World
Cancer
A noisy brain is a healthy brain: Study
04.07.2008 09:25
b4uindia.com
Canadian scientists have shown that random brain activity that is not important to mental function, often considered to be ‘noise’, is actually indicative of a healthy brain. Experts at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest say that their findings overturn the intuitive notion that the brain noise quiets down as children mature into adults, and become more efficient and consistent in their cognitive processing. "What we discovered is that brain maturation not only leads to more stable and accurate behaviour in the performance of a memory task, but correlates with increased brain signal variability," said lead author Dr. Randy McIntosh, a senior scientist with the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest. "This doesn't mean the brain is working less efficiently. It's showing greater functional variability, which is indicative of enhanced neural complexity," Dr. McIntosh added. A research article published in the Public Library of Science - Computational Biology suggests that the study involved 79 participants representing children aged eight to 15, and young adults aged 20 to 33. All the subjects completed a series of face memory tasks to measure their ability to recall faces with accuracy. The researchers collected the participants’ electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to measure their brain signal activity, while they were performing the task. They found the young adults to score better on the face recognition tasks compared to the children, which was an indication of more stable and accurate cognitive behaviour. The researchers also observed that the young adults' brain signal variability actually increased and became noisier. "These findings suggest that the random activity that we think of as noise may actually be a central component of normal brain function," said Dr. McIntosh. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Flooding and animal diseases are very important for diversity of natural areas
04.07.2008 09:25
b4uindia.com
Scientists have demonstrated that natural disturbances such as flooding and animal diseases are very important for the diversity of natural areas. For research into the matter, Dutch Rubicon laureate Chris Smit investigated a large number of blackthorn seedlings between five and ten years old in the Junner Koeland, a 100 ha, species-rich natural area along the Overijsselse Vecht river in The Netherlands, which has been grazed extensively for centuries. Young blackthorns have scarcely been spotted there over the past 30 years. These observations coincided with a considerable reduction in the rabbit population since the end of the 1990s, caused by the disease viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS). The establishment of scrub is an important process that leads to greater variation and diversity in a landscape. Prickly shrubs such as blackthorn and hawthorn provide a valuable safe haven for many plant and animal species. The thorns protect these plants and animals from grazing by large mammals. Smit’s experiments show that blackthorn seeds under the scrub are quickly eaten by small mammals such as mice. Thorns provide no protection against this. However, Smit discovered that the young plants in the Junner Koeland frequently grew in recently flooded sections among high vegetation that was inedible for grazers. Blackthorn seeds in the inedible vegetation have better chances of survival. Thus, large and small grazers together limit the spread of blackthorn, with the influence of the small grazers seeming to be the greater. Current nature management policies will need to take more account of the importance of small mammals and natural disturbances when it comes to the diversity of natural grasslands. Large grazers have now been introduced on a wide scale in Dutch natural areas. One of the main aims of this introduction is to promote greater natural diversity in the landscape, as greater diversity leads to more plant and animal species. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Umbilical cord stem cells may offer treatment for hepatic diseases
04.07.2008 09:25
b4uindia.com
A new study has revealed that stem cells derived from human umbilical cord may offer a treatment option for hepatic diseases. Researchers from Universities of Granada and Leon have found that human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCBCs) can effectively treat hepatic diseases, such as hepatitis and are therefore an effective alternative to bone marrow. The researchers examined the regenerative potential of HUCBCs cells with the help of xenotransplant model from human to rat in which HUCBCs were injected through the hepatic portal vein of rats with hepatitis caused by D-galactosamine. They found that cell transplant in rats caused an improvement both in the histological damage and in the hepatic function. The present treatment for terminal hepatic failure consists of a liver transplant. This method is, however, limited due to the lack of donor organs. In addition, there is not at present a specific treatment for the fibrosis caused by many hepatic diseases, so that receive a treatment for the complications of the disease. The development of such alternatives is therefore an essential objective for present research to improve suffering in many patients. The study is published in the journal Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
American Lung Association Urges People Living Near Wildfires To Protect Themselves Against Staggering Levels Of Unhealthy Air Pollution
04.07.2008 09:16
medicalnewstoday.com
Dangerous air pollution resulting from wildfires poses lethal health hazards to people living and working in the surrounding areas. Residents with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis and also those with chronic heart disease should take extra precautions during this time and call their physician immediately if problems develop.
World
Asthma
UK Travellers To Africa And Asia Continue To Ignore Health Messages About Preventing Malaria
04.07.2008 09:16
medicalnewstoday.com
A study by the Health Protection Agency's Malaria Reference Laboratory (HPA) and published in today's BMJ.com shows that despite highly effective measures available to prevent malaria, the burden of disease among UK travellers has steadily increased over the last 20 years. There were 39,300 cases of malaria in the UK between 1987 and 2006. Of these 20,488 were in UK travellers (visitors from the UK to malarious countries) and the remainder were among visitors to the UK.
World
Infectious Diseases
USAID Commits $7.6M To Care For AIDS Orphans, Other Vulnerable Children In Nigeria
04.07.2008 09:15
medicalnewstoday.com
USAID on Monday announced that it is donating $7.6 million to provide quality comprehensive care to 8,616 AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria, the country's Vanguard reports. Yemi Osilaja -- executive director of
World
HIV/AIDS
Federal Appeals Court Rules First Amendment Rights Of Antiabortion Advocates Were Violated
04.07.2008 09:14
medicalnewstoday.com
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that the First Amendment rights of two antiabortion advocates were violated when they were ordered to stop circling a Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., middle school in a truck displaying graphic images of aborted fetuses, the
World
Gynecology
Society Discusses Initiatives For Small, Rural Hospitals At Conference
04.07.2008 08:16
medicalnewstoday.com
ASHP played a key role in a recent national conference to discuss solutions and best practices for improving medication access, use and safety for patients in rural healthcare settings. The Society was a co-sponsor of the 2008 National Conference on Medication Access, Use and Safety in Rural America with the National Rural Health Association and University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy PREPP Institute in Minneapolis.
World
Pharmaceutics
ASHP Offers Expertise To New NABP Medication Safety Task Forces
04.07.2008 08:16
medicalnewstoday.com
ASHP met recently with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to explore new opportunities for collaboration as NABP launches several task forces to improve the quality of patient care and medication safety. An ASHP staff expert will serve on the NABP's new Task Force on Standardized Pharmacy Technician Education.
World
Pharmaceutics
NDC Update: ASHP Continues To Pursue Options For Relief From Reporting Requirement
04.07.2008 08:15
medicalnewstoday.com
ASHP continues to seek relief from a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) requirement that hospital outpatient departments report National Drug Code (NDC) numbers on single-source drugs and 20 multiple-source drugs when submitting Medicaid claims.
World
Pharmaceutics
Terrence Higgins Trust Offers One Hour HIV Testing In Hastings, UK
04.07.2008 08:15
medicalnewstoday.com
On Monday July 7, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is launching 'Fastest', a new one hour HIV testing service aimed at men who have sex with men in East Sussex. 'Fastest' will run on the first Monday of every month between 17.30 and 19.30 at Hastings Voluntary Action in Priory Street, Hastings.
World
HIV/AIDS
BDA Response To NHS Next Stage Review, UK
04.07.2008 08:15
medicalnewstoday.com
The British Dental Association has noted the recognition of the importance placed on dentistry in the NHS Next Stage Review, published today by the Department of Health. The review is published just one day after the Department of Health was criticised for the failures of the new dental contract by the Health Select Committee.
World
Dentistry
Medicare Adds Third Recognized Source To Help Determine Coverage For Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy Drugs
04.07.2008 08:15
medicalnewstoday.com
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced additional updates to the information it uses in determining which drugs may be covered under Medicare Part B when used to treat patients undergoing cancer treatment through chemotherapy. CMS will add Elsevier Gold Standard's Clinical Pharmacology compendium to the list of Medicare anti-cancer treatment compendia.
World
Cancer
HDMA Co-Sponsors Import Safety Summit As Part Of An Ongoing Commitment To Patient Safety And Supply Chain Security
04.07.2008 07:23
medicalnewstoday.com
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the national association representing primary healthcare distributors, will co-sponsor the Import Safety Summit on July 9, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC. This first-of-its-kind Summit is designed to bring together a broad cross-section of industries and government officials to discuss current efforts and best practices to protect consumer health and safety.
World
Critical Care Medicine & Anesthesiology
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