Children's health
13 Nov 2007
Food Allergies among College Students: Awareness and Preparedness are Low
In one of the few studies ever to focus on food allergies among college students, University of Michigan Health System researchers have found that a surprising number of these young adults are not prepared to rapidly treat themselves in case of an allergic reaction and often are not vigilant about…
Children's health
13 Nov 2007
The Power of Fruit Juice
Some types of fruit juice are packed with health benefits, but stay away from juices loaded with sugar. In years past, family physician Pamela Rockwell told parents not to let their children drink too much fruit juice because of its link to obesity. These days, though, she has changed her…
Children's health
13 Nov 2007
Significant Shift in Reason for Tonsillectomies over Last 35 Years
A new Mayo Clinic study indicates tonsillectomies are increasingly being performed to treat airway obstructions evidenced by snoring and sleep disorders as opposed to tonsil infections. “This research shows that obstructive airway problems causing sleep-disordered breathing are now the primary reason children and young adults are having their tonsils and…
Blood
13 Nov 2007
New Anti-cancer Drug now Subsidised by the Government
A government committee has recently announced its addition of Velcade (bortezomib) to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Velcade is a novel drug used to treat an aggressive blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Until recently this drug was at prices far beyond what the average Australian could afford. Now the public…
Blood
13 Nov 2007
New Hope for Patients with Myeloma as Velcade is Added to the PBS
An expensive drug for the treatment of advanced and progressive stages of multiple myeloma has become available on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from November 1st 2007. This is fantastic news for sufferers of this rare and debilitating haematological cancer, whom normally face a poor prognosis without treatment. Multiple myeloma…
Cancer
13 Nov 2007
Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting
The 34th COSA ASM promises a series of stimulating and exciting presentations from international and national experts covering the many disciplines of oncology research and clinical practice. The conference is held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on November 14-16, 2007. On Day 1, Wednesday November 14 Gene discovery could improve…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
1.5 Million Children Could Be Saved
Despite global efforts to control it, diarrhoea is still one of the most common reasons for the high child mortality rates in many low and middle-income countries. This is according to a doctoral thesis, presented at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. One fifth of all the deaths amongst children…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
China’s One-Child Policy Could Backfire on Its Elderly
China’s efforts to control population growth in the present may cause problems for the county’s senior citizens in the future. This prediction comes from a Saint Louis University School of Medicine researcher who spent a year in China studying its geriatric policies and practices. Joseph H. Flaherty, M.D., associate professor…
Children's health
09 Nov 2007
Reading the Leaves for Clues to Origin of Rare Epilepsy
For a century, scientists have known that Lafora disease is a progressive and deadly form of epilepsy caused by a buildup of carbohydrates in the brain. Although this type of epilepsy has been well described in patients, researchers have been at a loss to explain precisely why – on a…
