Rich countries undermine WTO medicines deal – charities
Several charities have accused rich countries of undermining a WTO agreement to improve access for the world’s poorest people to cheaper drugs against diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
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Pacific Tsunami Warnings, Watches Dropped After Quake – update
Tsunami warnings and watches prompted by a magnitude-8.3 earthquake were canceled from eastern Russia to the South Pacific after experts said there was no longer a threat to coastal areas. U.S. tsunami warning centers announced the cancellations in e-mailed statements as seismologists revised the magnitude of the undersea quake in the northern Pacific from the initial 8.1. The quake struck today off Russia’s Kuril Islands at 8:15 p.m. Tokyo time at a depth of 30 kilometers (19 miles).
ADHD :: Columbia study examines ADHD’s role in smoking
Research has shown that most smoking in the US occurs among people who have psychiatric conditions, such as alcohol or drug abuse, major depression, anxiety and ADHD. Columbia University Medical Center researchers are recruiting smokers who have been diagnosed with ADHD to be part of a study that will help them quit smoking.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug increases liver damage in mice carrying mutant human gene
Research performed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on the mechanisms that contribute to liver disease in alpha-1-AT deficiency patients. People with alpha-1-deficiency have a genetic mutation that can lead to emphysema at an early age and to liver damage. Using an experimental mouse model of the disorder, the researchers investigated the effects of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug on liver injury.
Potassium Cyanoaurate Alert in Woking, Surrey
Surrey police have advised that eight vials (total 147 gram) of a toxic chemical, potassium cyanoaurate (also known as gold potassium cyanide), went missing from a business in Woking after delivery to Blackburn was arranged on Thursday 2 November. It is not currently known if the package was stolen or is missing in transit.
Health Protection Agency Launches New Radiation Dosimetry Service
The Health Protection Agency has today launched an updated service supplying ‘radiation badges’ to people who work with radiation. This new personal dosimetry service uses thermoluminesence dosemeters (TLDs), often known as ‘radiation badges’. These are worn on clothing or laboratory coats and provide a reliable measurement of radiation dose to people in the workplace.
Researchers Develop Novel Method for Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have developed a unique anti-sickling agent that may one day be effective in treating sickle cell disease, a painful and debilitating genetic blood disorder that affects approximately 80,000 Americans.
Flu :: CDC Announces Weeklong Event to Focus on the Importance of Influenza Vaccination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the designation of the week after Thanksgiving as National Influenza Vaccination Week. This year, National Influenza Vaccination Week will run from November 27 to December 3. This event is designed to raise awareness of the importance of continuing influenza (flu) vaccination, as well as foster greater use of flu vaccine through the months of November, December and beyond.
Newly identified strains of Chlamydia trachomatis could produce new diseases
A new study led by a scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is the first to conclude that Chlamydia trachomatis is evolving at a rate faster than scientists first thought or imagined. Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium that is the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases and the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Hypertension :: Significant reduction in blood pressure with implantable device system
A device first implanted in the United States at the University of Rochester Medical Center as part of a clinical trial is showing a significant reduction in blood pressure in patients who suffer from severe hypertension and cannot control their condition with medications or lifestyle changes.