Sunday, December 24, 2006

Medical News - November 24, 2006

Laura Bush Discusses Her Skin Cancer
San Francisco Chronicle
First lady Laura Bush says she first thought a sore on her right shin that turned out to be skin cancer was an insect bite. "Actually it never occurred to me to make it public," she told Bob Shieffer on CBS "Face the Nation" aired Sunday.


Olive oil 'can cut cancer risk'
BBC News
Adding plenty of olive oil to a diet could help protect against cell damage that can lead to cancer, experts say. A study of 182 European men found those who had 25 millilitres of olive oil per day had reduced levels of a substance which indicates cell ...


Health Highlights: Dec. 23, 2006
Forbes
Signs of elevated blood pressure in African Americans can be evident as early as age 10, according to new research from the Medical College of Georgia.


NIH researcher is ordered to forfeit Pfizer payments
Los Angeles Times
The scientist, who pleaded guilty to conflict of interest, gets two years' probation and community service. By David Willman, Times Staff Writer.


Psychological Approach Helps Back Pain
WebMD
By Salynn Boyles. Dec. 22, 2006 -- Most people suffer from low back painback pain at some point in their lives, but people with long-lasting pain often get little relief from the most widely recommended treatments.


New scan spots dementia
Health24.com
A new imaging technique could make it possible for doctors to detect Alzheimer's disease in the brain before extensive damage has taken place, researchers report.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Medical Headlines - December 21, 2006

Teens Getting High on Medicine as Abuse of Illegal Drugs Falls
Bloomberg
By Robert Schmidt. Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Use of illegal drugs by teenagers fell slightly over the past year as adolescents took prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medicines to get high, a US government-funded study showed.


Flu 'could wipe out 62 million'
BBC News
The 1918 pandemic claimed 50 million lives, and experts in The Lancet predict the toll today would be higher than this, despite medical advances.


Brain Scan May Detect Alzheimer's
FOX News
By Salynn Boyles. A newly identified imaging compound that shows how Alzheimer?s disease ravages the brain could lead to better tools to diagnose the disease and better ways to evaluate new treatments.


Biomarkers Little Help for Heart Attacks
ABC News
There may be nothing better than basic risk factors to predict a patient's chance of suffering a heart attack, says new research.


Fish oil gives babies head start: study
The Age
Toddlers born to women who consume fish oil during pregnancy know more words and longer phrases than other children, a study has found.


Botox Soothes Writer's Cramp
Forbes
THURSDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Already hailed for its wrinkling-erasing properties, Botox is now being touted as an effective treatment for writer's cramp, too.

Monday, December 11, 2006

What is mesothelioma?

Fresh bill to spare asbestos victims of dilemma
The Herald, UK - Dec 6, 2006
Families and campaigners yesterday told MSPs of the appalling dilemma faced by mesothelioma victims as they eked out their last weeks of life. ...


Heroes leave pawprints on lives touched
Contra Costa Times, CA - Dec 10, 2006
... being found in people that worked the Pile, it's thought that by studying the dogs, doctors may learn to understand a disease such as mesothelioma, a cancer ...


Nine-Year Mesothelioma Survivor Inspires Patients
PR Web (press release), WA - Nov 15, 2006
Nine year mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus is scheduled to provide another inspiring teleconference to mesothelioma patients and their families on December 14 ...


Weitz & Luxenberg Wins $25 Million in Mesothelioma Verdict
PowerHomeBiz.com (press release) - Nov 29, 2006
... PC obtained a jury verdict ordering DaimlerChrysler AG to pay $25 million to a New York City brake reliner who lost his right lung to mesothelioma, a rare ...


Thompsons DWP mesothelioma consultation response
SourceWire (press release), UK - Nov 29, 2006
... asbestos litigation team. We pursue several hundred cases each year on behalf of mesothelioma victims and their families. The firm ...


Asbestos roof warning
Sky News Australia, Australia - Dec 8, 2006
... By the year 2020, experts say there will be 13,000 cases of mesothelioma and up to 40,000 cases of asbestos-related lung cancer.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Medical Headlines - December 7, 2006

Drug-Coated Stents Don't Boost Death Risk, US Advisers Say
Washington Post 
By Amanda Gardner. THURSDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A US Food and Drug Administration advisory committee said Thursday that drug-coated stents -- tiny mesh tubes used to prop open blocked arteries that ...


Trans fat banned in New Yorkers' attack on porkers
Sydney Morning Herald - Dec 6, 2006
H Kenneth Woods, chef and owner of Sylvia's restaurant, cooks southern fried chicken using a soy bean oil that doesn't contain trans fats in New York's Harlem neighbourhood.


After 21 years, scientists say: mobiles don't cause cancer
Times Online - Dec 5, 2006
Mobile phones have no effect at all on the risk of cancer, the largest and longest-running investigation yet conducted has found. A study that has followed 420,000 mobile phone users in Denmark, for up to ...


Teen girls should scale back their weigh-ins
MSNBC - 6 hours ago
Dec. 4: The hamburger giant is offering advice and exercise gear, but is the new move legitimate or just for publicity. "One the Money's" Larry Kudlow speaks with two experts.


Smokers risk osteoarthritis: study
CBC British Columbia 
Men who smoke have a higher risk of arthritis in the knee, showing faster loss of cartilage than non-smokers, a new study suggests.


Medicare Issues Getting Much Attention in Closing Days of Congress
SeniorJournal.com - Dec 6, 2006
December 6, 2006 - The final days of this Congress are seeing considerable focus on Medicare issues. A group of senators have asked Health & Human Services to make diabetes screening and prevention a "top priority" for Medicare.