Health :: New policies on childhood anaphylaxis, emergency contraception and human/veterinary medicine
The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician group, voted at its Annual Meeting to adopt the following new policies.
Illness
Depression :: Few Risks of Birth Defects from Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy
Use of certain antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors most commonly known as SSRIs, during pregnancy does not significantly increase the risk for most birth defects, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, released in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Virus :: A new bat virus in humans
CSIRO scientists have played a key role in discovering that bats are the likely host of a new virus that can cause a serious but apparently non-fatal respiratory tract illness in humans.
Malaria :: FDA clears for marketing first quick test for malaria
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the Binax NOW Malaria Test, the first authorized U.S. rapid test for malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. The test is intended for laboratory use.
Mental Health :: Students with symptoms of mental illness often don’t seek help
Studies show that the incidence of mental illness on college campuses is rising, and a new survey of 2,785 college students indicates that more than half of students with significant symptoms of anxiety or depression do not seek help.
Ear :: More than 80 percent of patients manage to stop discomfort from tinnitus and can lead a normal life
It is estimated that between 10 and 17% of the population has suffered tinnitus at some time in their lives, according to a number of international studies. Tinnitus is understood as the perception of noise in the ears or inside the head although there is no external source of sound, without any vibratory cochlear activity taking place (which occurs when an external noise is produced). Depending on the intensity of the symptom, the patient may have their everyday life affected. In extreme cases the discomforts may make working routines impossible or negatively affect normal daily life.
Alcoholism :: Intensive-care patients with alcohol problems are more likely to require mechanical ventilation
More than 300,000 patients receive mechanical ventilation during intensive care per year in the United States, even though the hospital mortality rate for ventilated patients can approach 50 percent. New findings indicate that medical patients with an alcohol-use disorder (AUD) are more likely to require mechanical ventilation, and/or need it for a longer period of time.
Mental Health :: SARS survivors recover from physical illness, but may experience mental health decline
Most patients who survived severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) had good physical recovery, but they or their caregivers often reported a decline in mental health one year later, according to a study in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Parkinson’s Disease :: Gene therapy promising for Parkinson’s disease patients
The first-ever phase 1 clinical trial using gene therapy to battle Parkinson’s disease is completed by a team led by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Healing :: Demonic possession and miraculous healing
Latest research into health in medieval Europe — taking in everything from demonic possession to miracles of healing — is to be revealed at the University of Nottingham.