Copyright 2006 Medical News Today Latest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com admin@medicalnewstoday.com admin@medicalnewstoday.com en-us Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56915&nfid=rssfeeds ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced the termination of the License Agreement of March 15, 2006 that had previously been entered into by Takeda, ASKA, KI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(*) and BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc. with respect to the investigational new drug known as Tavocept(TM) for the territory of Japan. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56914&nfid=rssfeeds Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today the discontinuation of development of an investigational compound TAK-128, which was discovered by Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation and has been under development for treatment of peripheral diabetic neuropathy. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56913&nfid=rssfeeds Apollo Life Sciences Ltd (ASX: AOP) announced today that initial studies showed two of its human proteins outperform competitor proteins in stimulating faster growth in numbers of blood-producing stem cells, which are mainly used to generate white blood cells for chemotherapy patients. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56912&nfid=rssfeeds As part of its ongoing efforts to raise the bar on dementia care, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) has developed a nationwide standard of excellence for settings that provide care to individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56911&nfid=rssfeeds Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced today that a single once-daily morning dose of the investigational amphetamine compound SPD465, extended release triple-bead mixed amphetamine salts, designed to reduce symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adul [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56910&nfid=rssfeeds Veterinarians now have an additional tool available to aid in the prevention of periodontitis in their canine patients. Pfizer Animal Health launched today a Porphyromonas vaccine that gives practitioners one more opportunity to optimize their patients' oral health. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56909&nfid=rssfeeds Over the past two years, there has been documented concern about the cardiovascular safety of some pain relievers and arthritis treatments. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56908&nfid=rssfeeds Sosei Group Corporation ("Sosei"; TSE Mothers Index: 4565), the biopharmaceutical company, today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) SOH-075 (NorLevo(R)). Sosei acquired the exclusive distribution rights to the product in Japan from Laboratoire HRA Pharma which is currently approved and marketed in over 50 countries. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56907&nfid=rssfeeds On November 16-17, Oral Health America and the National Periodontal Disease Coalition (NPDC) will gather in Pittsburgh to explore the controversy and recent scientific data surrounding the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56906&nfid=rssfeeds As a fast-relief inhaler used by millions of Americans with asthma is phased-out for environmental reasons, the American Lung Association today launched an educational and access initiative. The effort will help people with asthma learn about the transition to ozone-friendly, but higher-cost prescription inhalers. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56905&nfid=rssfeeds AgaMatrix, Inc., a privately held developer and manufacturer of blood glucose monitoring products, has received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") to sell its Zero-Click(TM) Blood Glucose Data Management System ("Zero-Click"). Zero-Click makes it easier for users to download and manage data from AgaMatrix's blood glucose monitoring systems ("BGMS"). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56904&nfid=rssfeeds AgaMatrix, Inc., a privately held developer and manufacturer of blood glucose monitoring products, has received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") to sell its Zero-Click(TM) Blood Glucose Data Management System ("Zero-Click"). Zero-Click makes it easier for users to download and manage data from AgaMatrix's blood glucose monitoring systems ("BGMS"). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56903&nfid=rssfeeds EDDA Technology today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its IQQA(R)-Liver software, an image analysis system that provides diagnostic decision support for physicians' evaluation of hepatic lesions using multiphase Multi-Detector CT (MDCT). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56902&nfid=rssfeeds CoolTouch Inc., a leading manufacturer of medical lasers since 1994, announced today that the CoolTouch CTEV 1320 nm laser system received 510(K) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of superficial incompetent tributary veins associated with varicose veins and varicosities. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56901&nfid=rssfeeds Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY) announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance to market Visage(TM) PACS and Visage CS (picture archiving and communications system and client server) products as medical devices in the United States. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56900&nfid=rssfeeds CuraGen Corporation (Nasdaq: CRGN) and TopoTarget A/S (Copenhagen Stock Exchange: TOPO) announced today the initiation of patient dosing in a Phase II open-label, multi-center clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravenous PXD101, a small molecule histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, for the treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56899&nfid=rssfeeds ROXRO PHARMA Inc.'s novel intranasal pain reliever has been shown to provide effective pain relief for patients who had undergone major surgery, according to new data presented here today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56898&nfid=rssfeeds Bioheart, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative cell therapies designed to repair areas of damaged muscle tissue in a patient's heart and improve cardiac function, is expanding its United States and European clinical trials of its MyoCell(TM) adult myogenic (muscle) stem cell composition and MyoCath(R) needle-injection catheter product candidates. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56897&nfid=rssfeeds While kidney failure is a serious condition that requires extensive medical intervention, a small subset of these patients are prone to developing another grave condition known as Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56896&nfid=rssfeeds MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is publicly traded on the Hercules Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced the initiation of its Phase III clinical program to determine the safety and efficacy of its novel oral treatment for bronchial asthma (MN-001) in asthma patients. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56895&nfid=rssfeeds Antigenics Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN) announced that preliminary data from a Phase 1/2 investigator- sponsored trial of the company's investigational cancer vaccine Oncophage(R) (vitespen; formerly HSPPC-96) as a treatment for recurrent glioma were presented at the Immunotherapy Task Force Meeting, held at the Society of Neuro-Oncology's 11th Annual Scientific Meeting. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56894&nfid=rssfeeds Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) today announced that its licensee Helsinn Healthcare SA has discontinued enrollment of new patients in the becatecarin (XL119) Phase III clinical trial program in biliary tract tumors. Exelixis in-licensed becatecarin from Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2001 and subsequently out-licensed it to Helsinn in June 2005. [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56893&nfid=rssfeeds Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced the results of a study which suggested that stimulant medications such as ADDERALL XR(R) (mixed salts of a single-entity amphetamine product) are significantly more effective than non-stimulant medications in the treatment of patients aged 8 to 15 with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56795&nfid=rssfeeds U.S. Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday in Baltimore at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' semiannual meeting voted "overwhelmingly" to adopt a draft document explaining the church's position on contraception and family planning, the New York Times reports (Banerjee, New York Times, 11/15). [click link for full article] Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56611&nfid=rssfeeds University of Iowa scientists have made a discovery that broadens understanding of a rapidly developing area of biology known as functional genomics and sheds more light on the mysterious, so-called "junk DNA" that makes up the majority of the human genome.The team, led by Beverly Davidson, Ph.D., a Roy J. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56658&nfid=rssfeeds In the face of rising health care costs, hospitals "have stepped up as unexpected partners in lowering costs for businesses" by providing a variety of preventive health services, the Wichita Eagle reports. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56608&nfid=rssfeeds Moving Toward Real Solutions: Advances to Address Low Health LiteracyWhat: The American College of Physicians Foundation (ACPF) and the Institute of Medicine bring together leading researchers and other stakeholders from around the country to take a solution-oriented approach to the problem of low health literacy.When: November 29, 2006; 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56666&nfid=rssfeeds In the largest review of "broken heart syndrome" patients ever conducted, Mayo Clinic researchers studied 100 patients and found symptoms recurred in 1 out of 10 patients over a four-year period, and that patients experiencing physical stress had a worse survival rate than those under emotional stress. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56607&nfid=rssfeeds Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a simple "dipstick" test for detecting cocaine and other drugs in saliva, urine or blood serum. The test is based upon DNA-gold nanoparticle technology, and can be packaged in user-friendly kits similar to those used for home pregnancy tests. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56662&nfid=rssfeeds "The Nuts and Bolts of PDPs," National Health Policy Forum: The issue brief -- by Mary Stahlman, senior research associate at the National Health Policy Forum -- provides an overview of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, including information on enrollment, premiums, formularies, cost sharing, prices, payment, cost management and the denied claims appeals process. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56606&nfid=rssfeeds A study of healthy women has harvested results involving fatigue and vigor that eventually may help researchers fine tune efforts to treat a multitude of illnesses and syndromes linked to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol.That low cortisol levels are found in such maladies as chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia and atypical depression is not new. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56657&nfid=rssfeeds Some insurers say they will not sell coverage to companies providing the minimum level of health insurance to comply with the state's new health insurance law, because the minimum threshold set for Massachusetts employers to avoid an assessment is too low, the Boston Globe reports. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56605&nfid=rssfeeds The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding five new research projects that will shed light on antidepressant medications, notably selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and their association with suicidal thoughts and actions (suicidality). [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56665&nfid=rssfeeds Results of the two largest studies on hyponatremia, SALT-1 and SALT-2, presented Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, found that the investigational drug tolvaptan treated hyponatremia - water intoxication -- faster and more effectively than available treatments. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56604&nfid=rssfeeds Nine research universities in Southwest border states today announced the formation of the Southwest Border Security Consortium, an alliance that will develop and promote scientific and policy solutions to issues affecting the U.S.-Mexico border region. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56661&nfid=rssfeeds The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, a culinary trade group with more than 800 members in San Francisco, has filed a lawsuit against the city to block part of an ordinance that requires businesses with 20 or more employees to contribute to the cost of workers' health care, the New York Times reports (Marshall, New York Times, 11/14). [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56603&nfid=rssfeeds In 2005, 40.3 million people in the world, including 25.8 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, were living with HIV. The question of the origin of HIV-1, responsible for the AIDS pandemic, has been stimulating the scientific community for many years. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56656&nfid=rssfeeds The CEOs of the Big Three U.S. automakers on Tuesday plan to meet with President Bush to seek help on health care costs and trade issues, which have contributed to recent losses reported by the companies, the AP/Washington Times reports. In the last fiscal quarter, Ford reported a loss of $5.8 billion; General Motors reported a loss of $91 million, compared with $1. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56602&nfid=rssfeeds Dr. Richard Cash, credited with saving millions of lives by promoting the use of oral rehydration therapy to treat cholera and other diarrheal diseases, has been named a joint recipient of the 2006 Prince Mahidol Award for "exemplary contributions in the field of public health."Dr. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56664&nfid=rssfeeds Geisinger Health System is convening leading national authorities to help address potential risks and challenges associated with the widespread implementation of electronic health records (EHR). [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56601&nfid=rssfeeds Stroke, by its very nature, breeds medical fragmentation. While knowledge has increased dramatically among the many specialties involved in its prevention and treatment, unification is critical for improving patient care. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56660&nfid=rssfeeds The Missouri Hospital Association will continue lobbying for increased state funding after voters rejected a ballot measure that would have generated about $289 million for hospitals that provide care to low-income residents, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/12). [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56600&nfid=rssfeeds In a new study published online this week in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Sagiv Shifman, Jonathan Flint, and colleagues present a high resolution genetic map for the mouse genome--one of the most detailed genetic maps now available aside from that for humans. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56655&nfid=rssfeeds HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Monday reiterated the Bush administration's opposition to legislation that would authorize the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the AP/Washington Post reports. Leavitt said, "The idea of the government negotiating drug prices really isn't about the government negotiating drug prices. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56599&nfid=rssfeeds It's often said that a man shares 30% of his genes with a banana, rather more with a fruit fly, and yet more with a mouse; so why are these organisms so different if many of their genes are so similar? In this issue of PLoS Biology, Pat Simpson and her colleagues for Cambridge University use fruit flies to shed some light on the problem. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56663&nfid=rssfeeds As the open enrollment period for Medicare Part D begins, panelists on this "Ask the Experts" will cover how plan choices are changing, how the process is going for beneficiaries and what they should think about when making drug coverage decisions. Larry Levitt, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and editor in chief of kaisernetwork. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56598&nfid=rssfeeds One of the consequences of malaria has been shown in new research to be an increased likelihood for women in their first pregnancy to develop preeclampsia (very high blood pressure and protein loss in the urine), which carries high risks for both mother and child. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56659&nfid=rssfeeds Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts in 2007 plans to begin requesting mental health patients to fill out questionnaires "designed to gauge a patient's state of mind," the Boston Globe reports. Patients will receive questionnaires after every eight counseling sessions or more often if the insurer decides they are warranted. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56597&nfid=rssfeeds Although addictive drugs have diverse molecular targets in the brain, they share the common initial effect of increasing the concentration of a substance called dopamine. In an article in PLoS Medicine, researchers Christian Luscher (University of Geneva) and Mark A. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56654&nfid=rssfeeds The St. Paul Pioneer Press on Sunday examined how a recent study indicates that "hospitals that provide more intense care do not prolong life for patients with chronic or terminal illnesses." According to a study conducted by Dartmouth Atlas, Medicare could spend $19 billion less on end-of-life care for beneficiaries and obtain the same outcomes (Olson, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 11/12). [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56596&nfid=rssfeeds Johns Hopkins scientists have successfully grown large numbers of stem cells taken from adult pigs' healthy heart tissue and used the cells to repair some of the tissue damage done to those organs by lab-induced heart attacks. Pigs' hearts closely resemble those in humans, making them a useful model in such research. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 10:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56651&nfid=rssfeeds The Nigerian government plans to build a National Clinical Research and Training Center in the capital, Abuja, to conduct research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as on avian and pandemic influenza, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo said recently, Xinhua News Agency reports. The $11.4 million center will aim to conduct HIV tests on roughly 10,000 people annually, Lambo said. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 10:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56594&nfid=rssfeeds Influenza vaccine is associated with a small but increased risk for hospitalization with the potentially debilitating neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, although the absolute risk associated with the vaccine is very low, according to a report in the November 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56647&nfid=rssfeeds Biotechnology issues such as human embryonic stem cell research, which figured prominently in Missouri and elsewhere in the midterm elections, are "new kind[s]" of political issues that are not "going away," William Saletan, science and technology reporter for Slate magazine, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56593&nfid=rssfeeds Stroke survivors less than 65 years old report having more difficulty accessing physicians and affording medications than stroke survivors older than 65, according to an article posted online on 13-Nov-2006 that will appear in the January 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Approximately 5.4 million U.S. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56653&nfid=rssfeeds The number of banks that offer health savings accounts has more than tripled since the end of 2005, as more employees enroll in high-deductible health plans that qualify for HSAs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Market-research firm Information Strategies found that nearly 1,100 banks now offer HSAs, which allow consumers to set aside money tax-free for medical expenses. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56592&nfid=rssfeeds A new study by scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is the first to show that a mother's diet during pregnancy influences the health of her grandchildren by changing the behavior of a specific gene. The study was conducted using mice of an unique strain called "viable yellow agouti" also known as Avy in scientific terms. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56650&nfid=rssfeeds Post-conflict recovery is affecting efforts to fight the spread of HIV in the Liberian town of Ganta, which has become "emblematic of the AIDS challenge facing the country" as it recovers from a 14-year civil war, PlusNews reports. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56591&nfid=rssfeeds Patients around the United States with obstructive lung diseases receive only about half of the recommended medical care, with care varying significantly based on individual conditions, according to a RAND Corporation study issued on13-Nov-2006. [click link for full article] Thu, 16 Nov 2006 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56646&nfid=rssfeeds The outcome of the U.S. midterm elections "spoke so unambiguously about abortion that even the most intransigent antiabortionists should be able to construe the message: Voters do not want Big Brother opening the doors of private homes -- or the doctor's office -- and coercing people's most personal medical decisions," a Los Angeles Times editorial says. [click link for full article]