Half of Americans use prescription drugs - survey
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About half of all U.S. women and 40 percent of U.S. men are currently using or have recently used a prescription drug, according to government statistics published on Thursday.
This “snapshot” of information was based on a survey that found that 54 percent of white non-Hispanic women and 43 percent of white non-Hispanic men had used a prescription drug in the past month, the National Center for Health Statistics said in a statement.
Pope says “no” to abortion pill and gay marriage
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Pope Benedict, speaking out on hot topics that will figure in the campaigning for this year’s Italian general elections, on Thursday condemned the use of the so-called “abortion pill” and gay marriage.
He was immediately attacked by gay leaders and leftist politicians who accused him of interfering in domestic affairs.
UK cancer patients “wait too long” for treatment
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Many British patients suffering from cancer are waiting too long before being seen by a specialist, although referral times have improved over the last five years, a House of Commons committee said on Thursday.
Around 40 percent of people ultimately diagnosed with cancer were not referred urgently and were not seen by a specialist within two weeks of referral in 2004, the Public Accounts Committee said in a report.
Stomach bacteria linked to iron deficiency
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Helicobacter pylori infection, which affects about one third of adults in the US, is associated with an increased risk of iron deficiency and related anemia, according to the results of a new study.
Moreover, this relationship holds true even in the absence of peptic ulcer disease, which can cause iron-deficiency anemia through hemorrhage, the researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
“Gamma knife” treatment can extend cancer survival
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Many patients can survive for years after undergoing effective gamma knife radiosurgery for cancers that have spread to the brain, according to a new report.
As many as 40 percent of patients with systemic malignancies have cancers that spread (metastasize) to the brain, the authors explain, and radiosurgery of these metastases can extend survival to 13 months or longer, depending on the tumor type.
Roche will help generic drug makers make HIV drug
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Drug maker Roche Holding AG said on Thursday it would help generic drug makers in the developing world produce versions of HIV drug saquinavir.
Roche will offer manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and the world’s least developed countries the technical expertise they need to make the drug, which is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to treat the virus that leads to AIDS.
Rush hour traffic may cause more than just road rage
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Ever feel like rush hour traffic is killing you? According to research it just may be.
Many of us sit behind the wheel for hours each week. Now new research shows traffic may be more than just frustrating, it may be deadly.
Whether we’re speeding to work or creeping home behind slow moving cars, many of us drive stressed.
St. Jude projects 90 percent cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia
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The cure rate for the once almost universally fatal childhood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) could reach 90 percent in the near future, thanks to improvements in diagnosis and treatment over the past four decades, according to investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Almost 4,000 cases of ALL are diagnosed in the United States each year, about two-thirds of which are in children and adolescents, making this disease the most common cancer in this age group.
Major grant to study institutional care of disabled people in Europe
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The Tizard Centre at the University of Kent has been awarded a 350,000 euro grant by the European Commission to find out how many disabled people are still cared for in institutions across Europe and what would be the costs of replacing institutions with services in the community.
The project is led by Professor Jim Mansell and Dr Julie Beadle-Brown from the Tizard Centre, and Professor Martin Knapp from the London School of Economics. It involves researchers in Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic and will take two years to study the situation in 22 countries. It builds on a previous project by the Tizard Centre showing that conditions in institutions abroad were similar to those that existed in Britain and the USA before they were replaced with community services.
Being groggy in the morning is as bad as being drunk
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According to researchers in the U.S., grogginess on waking up in the morning should not be dismissed because it seriously impairs thinking and memory skills.
They warn that this has implications for doctors, firefighters and those who are expected to go straight into action the moment they wake up.
New Vaccine Candidate Against Hepatitis C
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Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) have developed a vaccine candidate for hepatitis C, leading to hope in the fight against a disease for which no vaccines are yet available.
VIDO is the first in Canada to show that this vaccination technique may be effective against HCV. The study was published in this month’s Journal of General Virology.
Fifteen percent of US workforce affected by alcohol
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There may be an alcohol problem brewing in American offices, shops and factories. An estimated 15 percent of the U.S. workforce consumes alcohol on the job, has a drink before going to work or otherwise is under the influence of alcohol, according to a study by the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions.
That equates to some 19.2 million workers impaired during the workday via intoxication, withdrawal or hangover.” Clear policies should be in place regarding alcohol impairment and impairment at work,” wrote Dr. Michael Frone, principal investigator of the study.
Scientists identify early signs of meningitis
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British scientists said on Wednesday they have identified early signs of meningitis that could improve detection of the disease and save lives.
Leg pain, cold hands and feet and abnormal skin colour develop within 12 hours after infection—long before the more classic signs of the illness such as a rash, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and impaired consciousness.
Drinking and driving still serious problem in UK
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Too many motorists drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs over Christmas, despite big campaigns about the dangers, police said on Wednesday.
During a four-week crackdown in December, 133,136 drivers underwent breath tests in England and Wales, and nearly seven percent were positive.
EU raises cash to test bird flu, extends monitoring
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The European Union warned its national governments on Wednesday not to relax their vigilance in the battle against bird flu, ordering them to maintain strict surveillance on wild birds and poultry until the end of 2006.
The EU’s current monitoring programme, set to expire at the end of this month, requires governments to keep a close watch on migratory routes of birds and areas where wild birds might enter into close contact with domestic birds, such as ponds.
