Archive for the 'Research' Category

Health and Medicine - Updates every 15 Minutes - in Wordpress

Monday, June 5th, 2006

This page pulls from health and medical sources to keep the latest news updates. All the latest about bird flu, cancer, heart disease, and medical discovery will be here daily. Bookmark this page for quick updates. Subscribe to the RSS or Link it from your site.

Report: Nation’s kids need to get more physical

  • FILE - This May 10, 2011 file photo shows children at Tracy Elementary School running across a field as they take part in after-school exercise activities on the campus in Baldwin Park, Calif. Reading, writing, `rithmetic _ and PE? The prestigious Institute of Medicine is recommending that schools provide opportunities for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for students and treat physical education as a core subject. The report says only about half of the nation's youngsters are getting at least an hour of vigorous or moderate physical activity every day. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)WASHINGTON (AP) ? Reading, writing, arithmetic ? and PE?


    • Hobby Lobby tests birth-control coverage mandate

  • Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. A challenge to the federal health care law faces its most prominent test yet in a full 10th Circuit hearing in Denver on Thursday. Hobby Lobby stores is challenging a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morining-after birth control pill. The Oklahoma based arts and crafts chain says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)DENVER (AP) ? In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. asked a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.


    • Nearly all US states see hefty drop in teen births

  • CORRECTS lines pointing to states in map; graphic shows the teen birth rate for 15- to -19 year olds for 2011 by stateNEW YORK (AP) ? The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report.


    • Study: No higher cancer rate at Conn. Pratt plants

  • EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? An 11-year study of the incidence of brain cancer at jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in the state ended Thursday with university researchers saying they found no statistically significant elevations in the rate of cancer among workers.

    • Cannes auction of space trip with DiCaprio raises 1.2 million euros for charity

  • Actor Leonardo DiCaprio attends the 'The Great Gatsby' world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New YorkBy Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - A trip to space with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio raised 1.2 million euros ($1.5 million) for charity at a glitzy fundraiser at the Cannes film festival on Thursday. At the 20th annual event organized by amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, DiCaprio emerged as the mystery guest to accompany the winner on a Virgin Galactic flight into space. DiCaprio stars in the film "The Great Gatsby," which opened the 66th Cannes film festival. …


    • Lawyers in Colorado shooting case challenge insanity defense law

  • File photo of the accused Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes at his arraignment in CentennialBy Keith Coffman CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - Lawyers for accused Colorado movie theater gunman James Holmes argued on Thursday the state's insanity defense law was unconstitutional because it forces him to cooperate with court-appointed psychiatrists or forfeit the right to raise mental-health issues at sentencing. Prosecutors countered during a hearing before Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. that without an independent examination, there would be no way to evaluate defense claims that Holmes was legally insane at the time of the crime. …


    • Study: No higher cancer rate at Conn. Pratt plant

  • HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? An 11-year study of the incidence of brain cancer at jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in the state ended Thursday with university researchers saying they found no statistically significant elevations in the rate of cancer among workers.

    • Boy Scouts Vote to End Ban on Gay Scouts

  • Some gay rights advocates call the move a step forward, but others say the 103-year-old organization has sent the wrong message to youth if it denies membership to gay leaders.        

    • Aveo says partner Astellas will not seek EU nod for kidney cancer drug

  • (Reuters) - Aveo Pharmaceuticals Inc said it was informed by its partner Astellas Pharma Inc that the Japanese company would not be seeking marketing approval for their experimental kidney cancer drug in Europe. Aveo shares fell about 13 percent in extended trade, after closing at $2.70 on the Nasdaq. They have lost about 55 percent of their value since April 30, when FDA reviewers raised questions about the drug. Astellas does not intend to fund any future studies of the drug, tivozanib, in renal cell cancer, Aveo said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. (http://r.reuters. …

    • Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

  • Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. A challenge to the federal health care law faces its most prominent test yet in a full 10th Circuit hearing in Denver on Thursday. Hobby Lobby stores is challenging a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morining-after birth control pill. The Oklahoma based arts and crafts chain says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)DENVER (AP) ? In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. asked a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.


    • California reveals prices for health insurance under Obamacare

  • By Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is rolled out across the nation. Under the federal health care reform law, Californians who do not get or cannot afford health insurance through their jobs can buy coverage through an exchange, at a group rate negotiated by state regulators. …

    • Lawmaker would give FDA more oversight of drug compounding

  • By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, on Thursday became the latest lawmaker to propose legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greater regulatory authority over drug compounding. U.S. lawmakers, responding to a deadly meningitis outbreak in 2012, continue to wrestle with ways to regulate the pharmacies that compound large volumes of drugs for hospitals, individuals and clinics. …

    • U.S. House won’t follow Senate lead on immigration bill: Boehner

  • House Speaker Boehner holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in WashingtonBy Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday his chamber would chart its own path on immigration rather than simply considering a Senate-passed measure, quashing hopes some Democrats had for quickly enacting the landmark legislation. "While we applaud the progress made by our Senate colleagues, there are numerous ways in which the House will approach the issue differently," Boehner said in a statement. "We will not simply take up and accept the bill that is emerging in the Senate if it passes," he added. …


    • WHO: Scientific red tape mars efforts vs. virus

  • China's Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, WHO, delivers a speech during the 66th World Health Assembly at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)GENEVA (AP) ? International efforts to combat a new pneumonia-like virus that has now killed 22 people are being slowed by unclear rules and competition for the potentially profitable rights to disease samples, the head of the World Health Organization warned Thursday.


    • Maine Medicaid expansion passes but governor sets veto

  • By Dave Sherwood BOWDOINHAM, Maine (Reuters) - Maine’s Democratic-controlled legislature on Thursday passed a bill to expand access to its Medicaid program as outlined by the Affordable Care Act, setting up a showdown with the state’s Republican governor, who immediately began veto procedures. At issue is lawmakers’ effort to link expanded access to the health insurance program for low-income residents to a plan to pay the state’s share of $484 million in debt owed to Maine’s hospitals. …

    • Regards.

    Posted in Diet, health, WordPress, Research, Medicine | No Comments »

    Prempro Lawsuit - Mesothelioma Web - Resources for Mesothelioma Patients

    Tuesday, May 9th, 2006

    Additional Resources

    Symptoms
    Early symptoms of mesothelioma are difficult to identify and therefore often overlooked. Pleural mesothelioma symptoms may first appear as shortness of breath, chest pains or persistent cough or a change in cough pattern. Some patients however, may show no symptoms at all. Peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms include pain or swelling in the abdomen, nausea, weight loss, bowel obstruction, anemia or swollen feet. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor of the pleura (lining of the lung and chest cavity) or peritoneum (lining of the abdomen) that is almost always caused by sustained exposure to asbestos.

    More Prempro Lawsuit - Mesothelioma Trust Claim

    Information to help file a claim.

    Asbestos increased risk
    Mesothelioma is a cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the sac lining of the chest or abdomen. Exposure to airborne asbestos particles increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Companies manufacturing products containing asbestos have known for over 60 years that asbestos can cause serious diseases.

    Diagnosis and Survival
    Mesothelioma is serious and life-threatening. By the time cancer is diagnosed the survival time of patients is usually short. Mesothelioma usually spreads throughout the peritoneal or pleural cavity before diagnosis, and complete surgical removal is unlikely. Because of this, the average survival time is only 1 year. If the cancer is found early, approximately 50% of the patients survive 2 years and approximately 20% survive 5 years. Additionally, unlike with other tumors, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are not very effective.

    Risk
    Malignant mesothelioma is a diffuse tumor that affects men more frequently than women. Sustained exposure to asbestos is the predominant risk factor. However, smoking dramatically increases risk amongst the asbestos-exposed. The latent period between asbestos exposure and onset of symptoms can be 20 to 50 years or even longer. The median age of diagnosis is 60. The tumor can spread rapidly to involve the pericardium (sac around the heart), mediastinum, and opposite pleura. Progressive pain and shortness of breath can occur. The tumor is usually associated with a pleural effusion.

    Exposure Limits
    Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma worked at jobs where they were exposed to asbestos. Exposure for as few as one or two months can lead to mesothelioma 10 to 50 years later. The long latency period means that people exposed to asbestos in the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s may now be seeing symptoms and are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

    Posted in health, Death, Research, Mesothelioma, Prempro Lawsuit | No Comments »

    Low Calories, Longer Life , Less DNA Damage - Why?

    Saturday, April 15th, 2006

    Several recent experiments were funded by a 12.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. Results from these are showing strong evidence that a reduced calorie diet consistently produces conditions associated with longevity in the body.

    Prior clinical studies had shown this to be true in rodents.

    The resulting conditions for longevity are cited here from the Press Release:

    “Results from a controlled clinical trial indicate that overweight people who cut their calories by 25 percent for six months have reduced fasting insulin levels and core body temperature, two markers for which lower levels have been associated with increased longevity in humans. ”

    Furthermore, the studies indicated less DNA damage, known to be associated with cancer and other diseases.

    The Press Release stipulates the conclusions for longevity in rodents were true when the lower calorie diet was maintained for much of the rodent’s life. This extended testing has not been performed on humans, but testing will begin this year. Until this study begins, effects of such an intervention on human aging are unknown. But, current indications point to effects similar to those in rodents.

    “Beyond its effects on fasting insulin levels and core body temperature, the low calorie diet also resulted in changes in some, but not all, of the metabolic factors that have been related to longevity or aging.”

    Anyone willing to step out on an edge with me and venture a guess as to why these things are true?

    Here’s my theory:

    I think we’ll find a very simple mechanism at the core of why there is less DNA damage. So, simple as to be over-looked.

    Why do we use chemotherapy? Simply stated, we bombard cells with enough poison to kill any cell that isn’t very healthy. This only leaves the strong cells living.

    I believe a similar mechanism is at work in a lowered calorie diet. Since the bodies sources to supply its processes with needed ingredients are cut down, the body cuts down on processes. Weaker cells and components within the body will die and break down. Only the strongest and healthiest cells will continue to survive. Sounds a lot like chemotherapy doesn’t it?

    )))see my comment about all this below((((

    OK, now, let’s go crazy over the edge with this outlandish conjecture.

    I think after this mechanism is discovered, we will find that a process very similar to chemotherapy will yield the same results.

    )))see my comment about all this below((((

    OK, now, let’s take it over the top.

    I think the people using rotten food therapy to combat cancer have accidentally discovered these very things. I believe we will find they have many of the same changes for longevity as a side effect as well.

    Sound crazy? Maybe so. But you heard it here first. Sit back and watch.

    Regards.

    Posted in Diet, health, Research | 1 Comment »