In a first study of its kind, researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health assessed the ability and willingness of healthcare workers to report to work in the event of disasters involving weapons of mass destruction or virulent infectious disease outbreaks. Eighty-seven percent of healthcare workers from 47 facilities in and around New York City, indicate that they would be able to report for work in the event of a mass casualty incident and 81% would be able to go to work if there was an e

Two common weight loss supplements promoted as ephedra-free and safe for dieters caused increased heart rate among healthy people, and could have harmful health effects in some people, according to a study by UCSF scientists. Their placebo-controlled clinical study is the first to examine the pharmacological effects of these re-formulated dietary supplements.

The research examined the effects on blood pressure and heart rate of two dietary supplements containing bitter orange e

Diet effective with no limits on portion size

A low-fat, plant-based diet is more effective at helping women lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity than an omnivorous diet, shows a new study appearing in the September issue of The American Journal of Medicine. The study, involving 59 overweight, postmenopausal women, was conducted by Neal D. Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), together with colleagues at Georgetown Universi

Clioquinol, an antibiotic that was banned for internal use in the United States in 1971 but is still used in topical applications, appears to block the genetic action of Huntington’s disease in mice and in cell culture, according to a study reported by San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers.

The study, led by principal investigator Stephen M. Massa, MD, PhD, a neurologist at SFVAMC, was reported in the August 16, 2005 issue of Proceedings of the National Acade

A new study finds the number of women getting routine screening mammography may be less than previously reported. The study, published in the October 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, finds as many as one in three women have never had a mammogram or have not had one in more than two years, and that many women have one or two mammograms then fail to return for regular screenings.

While screening mammography has been credited with sig

Women who suffer heart attacks wait longer to be assessed, admitted and receive treatment than men with the same condition, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

890 patients admitted to coronary care units via casualty departments in six major teaching hospitals in Dublin were studied in detail by a team led by Dr Sharon O’Donnell from the City’s Trinity College.

The study of 613 men and 277 women shows that: On average, wo

Several nuclear receptor proteins appear to overlap in their ability to exert anti-inflammatory effects, according to new research by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Nuclear receptors are important drug targets for a number of diseases, for example, glucocorticoid receptors for asthma and arthritis. But use of drugs targeting these receptors is sometimes limited by unwelcome side effects. The new findings may suggest a way to overcome this obstacle.

In a

NSW Special Minister of State, John Della Bosca, today announced the results of new research which shows an alarming number of children are being put at risk through the improper use of seat belts and child restraints.

The research, undertaken by the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute with the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Sydney Children’s Hospital, examined crash and injury data for children aged 2-8 years who were in motor vehicle accidents.

“Our

Young children may be missing out on ‘pretend’ games like pirates and spacemen due to the demands of the school curriculum, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The project, led by Dr Sue Rogers at the University of Plymouth, found that reception classes were not always designed to meet the needs of 4-5 year olds. ‘Children of this age learn to make friends as well as to use their imagination through role play,’ says Dr Rogers. ‘We know th

A new study to be published in tomorrow’s New England Journal of Medicine shows that United States investment in tuberculosis (TB) treatment abroad saves lives and money at home. Most cases of TB in the US and Canada occur among immigrants, refugees, visitors, and other migrants from countries where this disease remains common.

An international team led by McGill University Health Centre researchers Dr. Dick Menzies, Dr. Kevin Schwartzman, and Ms. Olivia Oxlade predicts that

Another brain receptor confirmed to affect alcohol intake; may serve as treatment target

A new set of experiments in mice confirms that a brain receptor associated with the reinforcing effects of marijuana also helps to stimulate the rewarding and pleasurable effects of alcohol. The research, which was conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and was published online September 2, 2005 by the journal Behavioural Brain Research, confirms a genetic

New research from the University of Alberta reveals just how self-conscious and easily influenced consumers can be.

Through a series of carefully controlled experiments at a campus bookstore, researchers learned that consumers will, in every case studied, spend more money to buy a brand name item when someone they don’t know is standing near them at the time they choose their purchase. Consumers also tend to spend more money when a group of people is standing near them but a

New research suggests that depression may hasten the progression of heart disease by increasing the levels of a key protein that causes inflammation.

In a study of 32 people with heart failure, the 14 patients who felt the most depressed had nearly twice the levels of this protein in their blood.

The protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), is one member of a large family of proteins called cytokines, chemical messengers that are mobilized when the body is i

A study of how the immune system reacts to strains of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria–emerging strains that sicken otherwise healthy people, or so-called “community-acquired” infections–has shown for the first time that these strains are more deadly and better at evading human immune defenses than more common S. aureus strains that originate in hospitals and other health-care settings.

In a paper released today online in The Journal of Immunology, scient

One in seven businesses in Tayside, Scotland, have employed migrant workers in the past two years, and a similar proportion say they could or will do so again in the next two years.

These are among the initial finding of the first full-scale survey of migrant labour in Tayside, currently being carried out by Scottish Economic research, based at Abertay University’s Dundee Business School.

Six hundred local employers have responded to an initial survey, and SER is now con

Most teenage boys who don’t plan to cause pregnancy still believe it is likely they will get someone pregnant within six months. The likelihood is linked to beliefs about pregnancy and condoms, as well as socioeconomic status. These findings are reported in the electronic edition of the September issue of Pediatrics.

Despite playing an influential role in whether girls become pregnant and keep their babies, males are often overlooked in efforts to understand the motives behind teen pre