Health

International Scientists Assess Health of Global Environment

Basic necessities rapidly being degraded worldwide, report finds
29 March 2005

An international group of scientists has evaluated the status of all Earth’s ecosystems for the first time, and “the outlook is troubling,” according to a March 28 Stanford University press release. More than 2,000 scientists from 95 countries participated in the assessment and concluded that the environmental benefits that human societies depend on and take for granted -- necessities such as food, clean air, potable water and fuel -- are rapidly being degraded.    » read more »

U.N. Says Vietnam, Cambodia Confirm New Bird Flu Cases

New human cases not attributed to person-to-person transmission
29 March 2005

New human infections of a deadly bird flu have been confirmed in Vietnam and Cambodia, according to an update from the World Health Organization (WHO) March 29. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reports that laboratory testing has proven three additional cases of human infection, for a total of 28 human infections since mid-December.    » read more »

The Prostate Cancer Foundation, World's Largest Prostate Cancer Philanthropy, Partners With National Basketball Association On New Awareness Campaign

Campaign Created by TBWA\Chiat\Day and TEQUILA\ New York

NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research, today announced that it has launched a nationwide awareness campaign with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The new campaign, entitled "Act. Like A Man," comes as PCF embarks upon its 12th year of operation to find better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer. TBWA\Chiat\Day and TEQUILA\ New York created the advertising and branding for the campaign and were selected after a closed and confidential review coordinated by search consultancy Bob Wolf Partners/TPG.    » read more »

Babies Born Preterm Cost Businesses Big Money: Hospital Charges Estimated at $7.4 Billion Annually

March of Dimes Analysis Finds Direct Health Care Costs for Preemies Nearly 15 Times Greater Than Full Term Babies

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Employers pay nearly 15 times more for babies born prematurely -- in their first year of life -- than for full term babies, with an average cost of $41,610 for a premature baby vs. $2,830 for a healthy, full-term baby, the March of Dimes said today.    » read more »

Top Policy Officials to Address Major National Health Issue Affecting Women and People of Color

WASHINGTON, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's top health policy officials will examine gaps in understanding the causes and consequences of a significant health problem that disproportionately affects women and people of color during the National Public Policy Summit on Lupus, April 13 and 14, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. For 1.5 to 2 million Americans, the autoimmune disease lupus is an urgent public health issue that requires national attention and action now.    » read more »

SNA Launches SchoolNutrition.org, Source for Latest School Nutrition News

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The School Nutrition Association (SNA), formerly American School Food Service Association, has launched a new and improved website at http://www.schoolnutrition.org/. The new website incorporates a new look and feel with numerous enhancements yet continues to provide the resources and information that have made the Association's website the premier online resource for the school nutrition industry.    » read more »

U.S. Health Secretary Leavitt Names Additions to Senior Staff

Senior Department Leadership and Past Colleagues Fill Key Roles

WASHINGTON, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today formally named six people to his senior staff, including a Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff and four counselors. The appointments are the first in a series of appointments that will comprise Secretary Leavitt's senior team at the Department.    » read more »

Pediatric Gastroenterologists Release Survey Results on Celiac Disease Awareness

Physician Survey Shows Need for Education About Diagnosis and Symptoms

FLOURTOWN, Pa. and SAN MATEO, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation (CDHNF) with the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) announced today announced today the findings from a survey of 200 pediatricians, family practitioners, and endocrinologists revealing the lack of understanding about celiac disease (CD) in children. The survey was conducted by CDHNF in partnership with Epocrates, Inc., using the Epocrates Honors(R) Market Research Panel.    » read more »

New Vaccine Could Prevent Deadly Pneumonia

Experts say vaccine could protect hundreds of thousands of children a year
25 March 2005

A successful trial of a new vaccine offers some hope for protecting up to 1 million children who otherwise would die each year from bacterial diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis. A consortium of U.S., international and nonprofit health organizations announced the successful test in Washington March 25, unveiling the results of a trial that involved more than 17,000 children in The Gambia from 2000-2004. The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) sponsored the work with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.    » read more »

Vaccine Prevents Deadly Pneumonia in African Children, New Clinical Trial Confirms

* First Major Randomized, Controlled Vaccine Clinical Trial in Nearly 20 Years to Show Significant Reduction in Child Mortality *

WASHINGTON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Global health leaders today presented new research showing that vaccinating infants against Streptococcus pneumoniae -- a bacterium that causes deadly pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis -- could substantially reduce death and serious illness among children in the developing world. If used widely, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine could prevent hundreds of thousands of child deaths each year.    » read more »

Genetically Modified Natural Killer Immune Cells Attack, Kill Leukemia Cells

St. Jude lab studies show that new genetic modification and culture techniques produce NK cells with significantly enhanced ability to eradicate leukemia cells

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural killer (NK) immune system cells can be genetically modified to brandish a powerful "on-switch" that prompts them to aggressively attack and kill leukemic cells. This finding, from researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, suggests a way to improve the outcome of children who receive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or other blood cancers.    » read more »

HHS Announces New Communication Tools to Help Parents Talk to Their Teens About Abstinence

Web Site to Help Parents Discuss Important Issues About Healthy Choices, Sex and Relationships

WASHINGTON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today released a new set of communication tools to help equip parents to talk with their teens about sex and relationships while encouraging them to remain abstinent.    » read more »

Nationwide Alert On B-Sure Pregnancy Test

March 25, 2005

Oak Park, MI -- Harmony Brands, Oak Park, Michigan, a national distributor of health, cosmetic and other consumer products, is voluntarily recalling its B-Sure brand One-Step Home Pregnancy Test., because its safety and efficacy can no longer be assured.    » read more »

Hospice Caring for Terri Schiavo: The Best That Humankind Can Offer

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past week many people have asked -- "why is hospice caring for Terri Schiavo?" "Terri isn't terminally ill," "Terri doesn't have cancer," "Terri has been in the hospice facility for too long," are just some of the variations on the question of "why hospice" that we have heard.    » read more »

NASA Finds Atmospheric Soot Might Cause Arctic Warming

Black carbon particles travel north, causing snowmelt
24 March 2005

Acceleration of snow and sea-ice melting and warming temperatures in the Arctic might be caused by particles of soot, according to new findings from NASA. The latest findings are the result of ongoing work in which the space agency uses satellite data and computer models to study how the Arctic climate is affected by soot particles traveling on wind currents from populated regions.    » read more »