1. Norwegian scientists detect mutated form of swine flu 12 hours ago   permalink

Rob Stein / Wash Post Health

Scientists in Norway announced Friday they had detected a mutated form of the swine flu virus in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill, the most recent report of mutations in the virus that are being watched closely for any change that could make it more dangerous.

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Crof / H5N1 :   Norway reports a mutant form of H1N1

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Ty Tagami / Health news Mass swine flu vaccination in DeKalb Saturday   —  Pregnant women, healthcare workers and others in priority risk groups for swine flu can get vaccinated Saturday in DeKalb County.

Jpnm.coordinator / Scotsman.com News Swine flu death toll in Scotland reaches 40   —  ANOTHER swine flu death was announced today, bringing the death toll in Scotland to 40 since the outbreak began.

BBC News Drug-resistant swine flu hits UK   —  Health officials in Cardiff say a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu has spread between hospital patients. RSS Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come   —  Reuters - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over. Yahoo! News Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC   —  AP - Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, health officials said Friday. Www.usatoday.com Last year's flu shot may help ward off swine flu, study shows   —  "Overall, those that received a seasonal flu vaccine last year had a 45% less chance of developing swine flu compared to those who did not get the seasonal flu vaccine," says study senior author, retired U.S. Army Col. Jose Sanchez, the influenza team leader at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center in Silver Spring, Md. Jpnm.coordinator / Scotsman.com News Swine flu: Now drug-resistant strain spreads from one patient to another   —  HEALTH officials are probing the first British case of a drug-resistant strain of swine flu spreading from person to person. Doctors have already come across several strains o Editors / Medical News Today No Time For Complacency On Swine Flu - Australian Medical Association   —  AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the AMA is encouraging people to visit their GP to be immunised against swine flu. It has been reported that there are still far too many Australians who have not been vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus. Editorial / Health British hospital hit by swine flu strain that resists Tamiflu   —  A strain of swine flu resistant to Tamiflu has spread between patients in a British hospital, leaving one person in critical care. The Seattle Times Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC   —  Health officials say four people in North Carolina have tested positive for a type of swine flu that's resistant to the drug Tamiflu. RSS Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC   —  AP - Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, health officials said Friday. Crof / H5N1 Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come   —  Via Reuters, Maggie Fox offers a good overview of the H1N1 situation around the world: Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come. Excerpt:The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global... Crof / H5N1 CIDRAP on swine flu   —  CIDRAP has published a new update today of its overview: Novel H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu). This is the most comprehensive discussion I know about H1N1. Dr. Mercola / Vital Votes Health Blog Most Britons Reject Swine Flu Vaccine   —  More than half of Britons being offered vaccination against pandemic H1N1 flu are turning it down because they fear side-effects or think the virus is too mild to bother. A survey of more than 100 family doctors indicated that there was widespread resistance from patients, and that on average only 46 percent of those offered the vaccination ... DONALD / NYT Signs That Swine Flu Has Peaked   —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said flu activity was declining in all regions of the country. NPR Topics Santa Wants Swine Flu Vaccine For Christmas   —  Swarmed by kids, Santas are asking the government for priority access to the scarce H1N1 vaccine. TIME.com China: Two Die After Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine   —  Two deaths in people receiving the H1N1 vaccine were reported in China, where an estimated 12 million have been inoculated so far Online / Detnews.com CDC: H1N1 flu cases seem to be dropping in U.S.   —  Atlanta -- Health officials say swine flu cases appear to be declining throughout most of the U.S., but the specter of Thanksgiving gatherings makes it hard to predict what will happen next.

2. CLIMATE CHANGE: Health at Risk 40 minutes ago   permalink

Mgutierrez / IPS Inter Press Service

HAVANA, Nov 20 (IPS) - The impacts of climate change on human health will require new approaches to development, based on mitigation and adaptation programmes in line with policies that ensure equal access to health care.

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Yahoo! News GOP: Health test recommendations could affect care   —  AP - Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care — and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul.

Noreply / Dr. Wes Early Health Care Reform Photoshop Entries Are Up   —  Early US Health Care Reform Photoshop Contest entries are available to view here . (I did the one at left - sorry, it's ineligible). There's still plenty of time to submit your entry. Entries will be still be accepted until 30 Nov 2009 at 23:59 pm CST! -Wes Musings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.

News.yahoo.com Senate Dems moving ahead on crucial health vote   —  WASHINGTON – With no margin for rebellion, Senate Democrats pushed toward a crucial weekend test vote on their sweeping health care bill Friday, and wavering moderates appeared to be falling in line on President Barack Obama's signature issue. THE MEDICAL NEWS :    Nelson says he'll vote to allow debate, others still up in the air Editors / Medical News Today $10 Million In Grants Aimed At Enrolling American Indian, Alaska Native Kids In Health Care To Be Awarded   —  HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of up to $10 million in grants to help reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children who qualify for, but are not yet enrolled, in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). HealthNewsDigest.com Understanding of Youth Sport-Related Injuries Can Reduce Long-Term Health Consequences   —  (HealthNewsDigest.com) - DALLAS, – An estimated 12 million athletes between the ages of 5 and 22 suffer sports-related injuries annually leading to 20 million lost days of school and approximately $33 billion spent in health care costs in the U.S. alone. But what do we know about the health-related quality of life in these injured athletes? Blogs.abcnews.com The $100 Million Health Care Vote?   —  Rick Klein is ABC News' Senior Political Reporter and author of The Note's morning look at the upcoming day in politics. Throughout the day, ABC News' political team contributes to The Note with the very latest news and analysis from the nation's capital. ABC News :    Health Care's 'Public Option' Would Cover Little of Population Www.kaiserhealthnews.org Audio: Health On The Hill   —  Senate debate could begin later this week on an $849 billion health care bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., unveiled Wednesday. The measure, once fully implemented, would extend health care coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans and reduce the deficit by 127 billion over the next decade, according to CBO estimates. Editors / Medical News Today :    Reid Advances Dems' Health Reform Effort With Release Of Senate Bill EST GOP: Health test recommendations could affect care   —  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care - and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul.... Health Care IT Dell Offers Virtualized Desktop Solution, Services for Health Care   —  Dells Medical Clinical Computing solution is designed to make it easier for hospital personnel to gain access to the information and applications they need. The client virtualization offering keeps the information and data stored in the data center, and lets physicians and other health care professionals access them through such devices as laptops, Foxnewsonline / FOXNews.com Female Health Care Under Attack for the 2nd Time in a Week?   —  For the second time this week, new guidelines on women’s preventative health-care services have created a firestorm of controversy, as many question whether these are the first steps towards health-care rationing in the U.S. TIME.com World Leaders Put Off a Climate Change Treaty   —  As climate change experts had long expected, world leaders said this weekend they will not reach an agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December TIME.com Protecting Forests May Still Help Climate-Change Fight   —  Climate negotiators have real hope that a proposed agreement to reduce deforestation could prove to be a bright spot in a meeting that might otherwise be considered a failure ROBERT PEAR / NYT Nebraska Senator Will Vote to Start Health Debate   —  Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, one of three wavering Democrats, said Friday that he would vote to start debate on a giant health care bill. CBC Canadian health-care spending to top $180B   —  Health-care spending in Canada is expected to reach $183.1 billion this year, up more than five per cent from last year, according to a report released on Thursday. NPR Topics Pelosi: Abortion Issue Won't Sink Health Care Bill   —  In an NPR interview, the House speaker predicted she can corral enough votes from moderate Democrats to guarantee final passage of health care legislation — even if it contains the less-restrictive rules on abortion contained in the Senate version of the bill. Boinky / Finestkind Clinic and fish market Why Modern Health care costs so much   —  A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away." The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure? "Yes, I am sure. The duck is ...

3. U. of Nebraska Defeats Tighter Limits on Stem Cell Research 1 hour ago   permalink

MONICA DAVEY / NYT

The effort had been seen by opponents as a possible new front in the national debate over the matter.

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HealthNewsDigest.com Regents Uphold Current Embryonic Stem Cell Research Policy   —  (HealthNewsDigest.com) - A resolution to change the University of Nebraska embryonic stem cell research policy was rejected by the NU Board of Regents on Friday.

Jpnm.coordinator / Scotsman.com News Human skin grown from stem cells offers burns victims hope   —  SCIENTISTS have transformed stem cells into human skin in a breakthrough that may revolutionise the treatment of burns victims.

Health News Health Advice Medicine Diet and Fitness First human trials for stem cell blindness therapy   —  The first human trials of a stem cell therapy for an eye disease that causes blindness in young people could start next year. WebMD Health Stem Cells May Be Used as Skin Grafts   —  Human embryonic stem cells can be used to produce skin grafts for people who have been seriously burned, a study shows. ScienceDaily On your last nerve: Researchers advance understanding of stem cells   —  Researchers have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological ...

4. In Ukraine, pandemic is political 1 hour ago   permalink

Www.washingtonpost.com

© Copyright 1996- The Washington Post Company | User Agreement and Privacy Policy | Rights and Permissions

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Crof / H5N1 :   Ukraine: Panic and politicking

5. FDA Warning Letter for Deconsal: Cornerstone Therapeutics preparing a response 47 minutes ago   permalink

THE MEDICAL NEWS

Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing significant products primarily for the respiratory and related markets, today reported that it had received a Warning Letter from the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") alleging that its Deconsal CT chewable tablets ( ...

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Kevin / KevinMD.com How should the FDA regulate the social media advertising of drugs?   —  Originally published in MedPage Today by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent Drug and device makers are urging the FDA to establish clear guidelines that will allow the industry to discuss and promote products in the unsettled world of online social media. The FDA is hearing testimony from drug and device companies, online ...

Editorial / MedPageToday.com FDA Panel Rejects Cell Culture Flu Vaccine, Wants More Safety Data   —  BETHESDA, Md. (MedPage Today) -- With members citing unanswered safety questions, an FDA advisory panel today narrowly rejected approval of the nation's first cell-based influenza vaccine -- an alternative to vaccines produced by the traditional, time-consuming method of growing the virus in eggs.

Editorial / MedPageToday.com FDA Panel Finds Tiotropium Safe for COPD Patients   —  An FDA committee said new data allay concerns about the risk of stroke and cardiovascular events previously associated with tiotropium (Spiriva), drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim said.

6. News Analysis: Screening Debate Reveals Culture Clash in Medicine 1 hour ago   permalink

KEVIN SACK / NYT

Backers of science-driven medicine cheered the new recommendations on cancer screening, while many patients still believe that more is always better.

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HealthNewsDigest.com First Cervical Cancer Screening Delayed Until Age 21   —  (HealthNewsDigest.com) - Washington, DC -- Women should have their first cervical cancer screening at age 21 and can be rescreened less frequently than previously recommended, according to newly revised evidence-based guidelines issued today by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and published in the December issue of ...

Www.everwell.com Mammogram Debate Myths   —  New breast cancer screening recommendations from an expert panel are turning conventional wisdom on its head. Rather than starting mammograms at age 40, as the panel previously recommended, women are now advised to begin at 50--and then to be tested every other year, rather than annually. The recommendations do not apply to those at increased ... Schwitzer health news blog :    Five popular falsehoods in the mammography discussion

CNN.com Scrutiny for cancer screenings   —  It's been a confusing week for women, with new guidelines for breast cancer and cervical cancer exams. Though the guidelines triggered controversy, one expert said, there could be a silver lining.

7. ACOG Calls for Later and Fewer Pap Tests 12 hours ago   permalink

Editorial / MedPageToday.com

Women can wait longer to have a first Pap smear and repeat the test less frequently, according to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

discussions

Kevin / KevinMD.com :   When women should have their first Pap smear; the new cervical cancer screening guidelines

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Www.philly.com Doctors group advises Pap smear every two years for women in 20s   —  WASHINGTON - Most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, say new guidelines that conclude that is enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.

Online / Detnews.com Young women don't need Pap tests as often, report says   —  New guidelines for cervical cancer screening say women should delay their first Pap test until age 21, and be screened less often than recommended in the past.

8. DEVELOPMENT: Child Rights Make Headway, But Millions Still Suffering 40 minutes ago   permalink

Mgutierrez / IPS Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (IPS) - The international community, which has been hit by a financial meltdown and a global food crisis, claims it is doing its best to protect and safeguard the rights of children worldwide.

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Www2.ohchr.org Convention on the Rights of the Child   —  Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, IRIN :    GLOBAL: Children’s rights not yet a reality

9. AFRICA: Growing Use of Cellphones for Family Planning 40 minutes ago   permalink

Mgutierrez / IPS Inter Press Service

KAMPALA, Nov 19 (IPS) - The growth of cellphone use, particularly in the developing world, is providing health experts with a new channel of communication to provide family planning information.

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IRIN UGANDA: HIV-positive women need family planning services, study shows   —  NAIROBI, 20 November 2009 (IRIN) - HIV-positive women in western Uganda want fewer children than women not living with the virus, but often do not have access to family planning services, a new study reveals.

10. First-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Escalon Medical 41 minutes ago   permalink

THE MEDICAL NEWS

Escalon Medical Corp. (Nasdaq Market: ESMC) announced the results for its fiscal first quarter ended September 30, 2009. For the first quarter of fiscal 2010, product revenue decreased approximately $234,000, or 2.7%, to $8,435,000 during the three-month period ended September 30, 2009 as compared to the same period last fiscal year. The Company ...

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LLC. / Health Escalon Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2010 Results   —  WAYNE, Pa., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Escalon Medical Corp. (Nasdaq Market: ESMC) announced the results for its fiscal first quarter ended September 30, 2009.

11. CDC: H1N1 cases down, vaccine availability grows 2 hours ago   permalink

CNN.com

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Health officials on Friday reported a slight decrease in H1N1 flu activity nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 43 states now have widespread flu activity, compared with 46 states last week and 48 states at the beginning of November.

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Online / Detnews.com Wayne Co. brings H1N1 vaccinations to preschoolers   —  Wayne County began mobilizing its H1N1 vaccination efforts by creating a makeshift traveling doctor's office to administer shots today to several hundred preschoolers.

Editorial / MedPageToday.com CDC Watching H1N1 Mutation, but No Cause for Alarm   —  The CDC is keeping a careful eye on a mutation in some strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu that Norwegian researchers isolated from three patients with severe disease.

Www.philly.com Less vaccine, but a lot of problems   —  ATLANTA - When the nation's swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be "messy." They were right.

12. Moderate Democrat boosts Senate health bill 2 hours ago   permalink

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of three wavering U.S. Senate Democrats said on Friday he would vote to start the chamber's healthcare debate, bolstering the chances for a broad reform bill one day before its first crucial test.

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RSS Moderate Democrat boosts Senate health bill   —  Reuters - One of three wavering U.S. Senate Democrats said on Friday he would vote to start the chamber's healthcare debate, bolstering the chances for a broad reform bill one day before its first crucial test.

WSJ.com Democrats Pitch Health Bill to Voters   —  Senate Democrats touted the immediate benefits their health bill would bring to Americans, aware that the cost and reach of the bill may already be turning off some voters ahead of the 2010 elections.

Daily Women's Health Policy Report Blogs Comment on Abortion Coverage, Abstinence-Only Funding in Senate Health Reform Bill, Other Topics   —  Blogs Comment on Abortion Coverage, Abstinence-Only Funding in Senate Health Reform Bill, Other Topics November 20, 2009 — The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries. ~ " Two New Analyses Show Women Have 'Much at Stake' Under Stupak Amendment ," Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check : Jacobson explains how two new ...

13. Los Angeles gets tough on medical marijuana shops 2 hours ago   permalink

Yahoo! News

Reuters - Past the security man and his pit bull and through a haze of eye-watering smoke, two youths load up a pipe next to a row of shiny glass jars with two dozen varieties of marijuana bud displayed like candy.

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Latest Health Headlines Video: Marijuana Treats Help Autistic Boy?   —  A California mom claims medical marijuana helps her severely autistic son live a better life. CBS 2's Michele Gile reports.

Editor / MAP US CA: Prosecutors Attack Proposed L.A. Ordinance to Regulate Marijuana Dispensa   —  National Law Journal, 20 Nov 2009 - Attorneys at the Los Angeles City Attorney's office and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office blasted a proposed city ordinance this week for running afoul of state laws that prohibit the sale of marijuana. The Los Angeles City Council postponed a scheduled Wednesday vote on the ordinance, which ...

14. RIGHTS-LAOS: How Women Cope With Disability - Part 1 40 minutes ago   permalink

Mgutierrez / IPS Inter Press Service

VIENTIANE, Nov 20 (IPS) - Before 2002, Chanhpheng Sivila held training workshops for the many Lao disabled women and men at her own house.

15. 8.3% of households in Massachusetts struggle with food insecurity 41 minutes ago   permalink

THE MEDICAL NEWS

Project Bread, the state's leading anti-hunger organization, released numbers from its upcoming annual status report on hunger in the Commonwealth. The disquieting trends described in this report, caused by high unemployment, point to 554,000 people in the Commonwealth struggling with hunger.

16. 24-hour hotline to nurses 43 minutes ago   permalink

Newseditor / ABC News

It is hoped a new medical advice hotline will stop people from turning up to emergency departments with minor ailments such as colds.

17. Separated twin starts to wake up 43 minutes ago   permalink

Newseditor / ABC News

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

18. Broward Jury Awards Former Mayor's Sister $300 Million in Fraud Case Against Tobacco Giant Philip Morris USA 2 hours ago   permalink

Www.prnewswire.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- A Broward Circuit Court Jury returned a $300 million verdict against Philip Morris USA within hours of closing arguments this afternoon in favor of Cindy Naugle, the sister of Jim Naugle, a former mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Naugle, 61, who stopped smoking in 1993, smoked her first cigarette ...

discussions

DUFF WILSON / NYT > Money :   Ex-Smoker Wins Against Philip Morris

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Bizjournals Health Care:General News Former McKesson chairman convicted of fraud   —  Charles McCall, former chairman of San Francisco-based McKesson Corp., was convicted Thursday of fraud in a case that cost McKesson investors $8.6 billion.

19. Video: Medical Revisions Frenzy 3 hours ago   permalink

Latest Health Headlines

Phones are ringing off the hook in many medical offices throughout the nation as the public reacts to two new guidelines this week concerning cancer screenings. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

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WebMD Health Mammography Guidelines Jolt Medical Field   —  The new guidelines on breast cancer screening have instantly ignited an emotionally charged firestorm among physicians across the country.

20. Dog stroking is good for your health: Patting a four-legged friend helps patients halve number of painkillers they ... 3 hours ago   permalink

Editorial / Health

The effect of pet power is well understood by their owners, but now a new study says dogs should be available for patting in every hospital.

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Jpnm.coordinator / Scotsman.com News Five schools and communities adopt a Euro health project to help the Lothians win its battle with the bulge   —  THEY are known the world over for their creamy cheeses, buttery croissants and crusty breads, their rich sauces and fine wines.