| Ozone ’link’ to premature deaths |
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High levels of ozone may be killing off people who live in cities around the world, experts suspect.
Peaks in air ozone levels were linked with peaks in premature death rates in urban areas across the US, researchers at Yale University found.
Ozone pollution, from vehicles and power stations, has been linked before to increased hospital admissions and lung diseases such as asthma.
The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.The researchers compared death rates with ozone levels for 95 large urban US communities between 1987 and 2000.
They found an increase of 10 ppb (parts per billion) in the previous week’s ozone was associated with a 0.52% increase in the overall daily death rate and a 0.64% increase in cardiovascular and respiratory-related deaths.
This would translate to 319 extra deaths in New York City and nearly 4,000 extra deaths across the 95 areas studied in the year 2000 alone, the researchers calculate.
Underestimate
Lead researcher Dr Michelle Bell said: This actually underestimates the total impact of ozone on mortality because it only captures the mortality impact associated with high ozone levels in the past few days, not the impact associated with a lifetime exposure.
The average daily level in the study was 26 ppb.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the UK has said ozone levels should not exceed more than 100ug/m3 (51 ppb) more than 10 times per year by the end of December 2005.
A spokesman from the Met Office said: In the UK, we already have similar statistics on ozone levels increasing and the health response.
It is still not clear if there is a threshold concentration, below which there is no health impact.
Some researchers believe there is no safe level.
Ozone is not emitted directly into the atmosphere. It is a secondary pollutant produced by reactions between different chemicals and sunlight in the atmosphere.
We see certain times of the year when we have higher levels of ozone and it’s often when we get heat wave conditions.
He said DEFRA published forecasted levels of ozone, so people particularly susceptible to ozone levels - people with lung conditions such as asthma - could follow these and take extra medication to cover themselves for those high periods.
He said cutting emissions from vehicles and industrial activities was one way to reduce ozone pollution, although there are also natural sources of ozone precursors.
Professor Andrew Peacock of the British Thoracic Society said: We know that in the US high ozone levels cause lung health problems, but we are also concerned about levels of ozone here in the UK, particularly in cities where there is a lot of exhaust pollution.
When ozone is inhaled at ground level it can be harmful to the lungs and cause chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma.
Adequate funding must be given to research into this area so that we can fully understand the effect of ozone on the health of people in the UK.
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| Health Care Provider Finds Solution For Their Business Phone - Nov 17, 2004 15:36 IST |
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Curative Health Services, Inc. (NasdaqNM:CURE) a company that delivers high-quality care and clinical results for patients with serious or chronic medical conditions through specialty infusion and wound care management, jumped from 17 to 38 office locations and from 340 to over 1000 employees when they acquired Critical Care Systems in 2004. This acquisition included a network of local pharmacy branches that provide products, related clinical services and disease management support to patients with chronic or severe conditions. One of the challenges of this rapid growth was the number of disparate business phone systems that resulted from these acquisitions.
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| Complex drug names ’pose risk’ - Nov 17, 2004 15:35 IST |
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Eye movement experts say complex words and designs on prescription drugs can lead both pharmacists and customers to make mistakes.
The Applied Vision Research Institute, based at the University of Derby, said a quarter of all medication errors were caused by confusing labels.
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| Minister backs contraceptive jabs - Nov 17, 2004 15:33 IST |
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Mrs Hodge said many schoolgirls have children at an early age because they lack self-esteem.
She is urging young mothers to lecture their peers in schools in a bid to cut the number of unwanted pregancies.
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| Basic Diet and Weight Management Practices - Nov 17, 2004 14:32 IST |
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The perfect diet should be combined with a healthy weight management or activity program.
Weight management may conjure up that dreaded “exercise” word. And exercise to some means pushing the body beyond limits, experiencing painful in joints, muscles, bones – everywhere. No pain no gain, right? Wrong.
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| First Gourmet Coffee for the Health Conscious on the Market - Nov 17, 2004 14:4 IST |
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The Ultimate Coffee has begun to market the first health conscious coffee in the world: a low acid, natural, and healthy gourmet coffee developed by the internationally-renowned and European-trained coffee expert, Johann Wulff.
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| Local Woman-Owned Business Brings Breast Cancer Awareness to Women Across the Country & the Globe - Nov 17, 2004 13:48 IST |
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Mariangie González, from Mind, Body and Paw, is temporarily putting business on hold to participate in an online event designed to bring awareness of breast cancer to work at home moms all across the country and the globe.
This month-long event is taking place on InternetBasedMoms.com, a community of work at home moms who network and share resources to build their online businesses. In October 2004, this community is banding together to bring awareness of breast cancer and raise funds for breast cancer charities.
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| DOR to Present Live Webcast at New York Society of Security Analysts’ 8th Annual Heathcare Conference - Nov 17, 2004 13:40 IST |
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DOR BioPharma, Inc. (AMEX:DOR) (DOR or the Company), announced today that Gregory J. Davenport, Ph.D., President of DOR’s BioDefense Division, will be presenting at the New York Society of Security Analysts, 8th Annual Healthcare Industry Conference in New York City. Dr. Davenport will be presenting during a special afternoon session focused on the biodefense sector.
Dr. Davenport will be providing an overview of the DOR’s biodefense programs, including an update on the status and anticipated upcoming events relating to DOR’s ricin and botulinum toxin vaccines. Dr. Davenport’s presentation will occur on Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at 3:10pm ET at the Harvard Club, 27 West 44th St, New York, NY 10036.
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| HSA Resources Bank Launches Health Savings Accounts - Nov 17, 2004 13:37 IST |
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HSA Resources in association with Stearns Bank N.A. announces the launch of H S A Resources Bank with a user friendly and simplified Health Savings Account (HSA) solution today.
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| New Natural Health Discovery Protects From Seven Deadly Diseases - Nov 17, 2004 13:25 IST |
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MonaVie and Acai Berry found to have unprecedented health benefits. If you pay any attention to the latest in health news, you’ve probably heard of free radicals and what they can do to your body. Basically, free radicals cause oxidation of your body’s cells, similar to what happens when metal gets rusty or fruit turns brown as it sits in the open air.
This free radical damage contributes to what many call the seven deadly diseases: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, arthritis, alzheimer’s, and osteoporosis.
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| President Bush’s Premier Health Plan Explained - Nov 17, 2004 13:19 IST |
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President Bush Endorsed, Promoted, and Encouraged people to have Health Savings Accounts. Health Savings Accounts with qualified medical coverage. Its really very simple to understand and quite affordable. http://www.HSAFL.com
Health Coverage: Approved insurance company offers a qualified medical high deductible health plan. For individuals the deductibles are $1000, $1700, or 2600.
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| Dade Behring and Premier Sign Agreement for Microbiology Instruments, Reagents - Nov 17, 2004 13:10 IST |
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Dade Behring (NASDAQ:DADE) and Premier announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement in which Premier, one of the largest group purchasing organizations in the United States, has agreed to a three-year contract for Dade Behring’s MicroScan(R) microbiology instruments and reagents. This agreement is in addition to the announcement earlier this year of an agreement between Premier and Dade Behring for Dimension chemistry systems, StreamLab automation systems, Stratus(R) CS, Syva(R) Emit tests and hemostasis tests. Dade Behring is a worldwide leader in the field of diagnostics.
The extension of our microbiology business with Premier reflects the very positive partnership we have developed together through the years, said Jim Reid Anderson, Chairman, President and CEO, Dade Behring. It also ensures that Premier’s members--and their patients--have our commitment to provide them with the best clinical diagnostics to improve the quality of health care.
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| Light Up My life - Nov 17, 2004 13:9 IST |
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With the clocks going back, millions of British workers will be heading home this evening in the dark. Depressing? Yes, but there could be a good reason for why we get the winter blues. When Jenny Simmonds had her first bout of SAD 20 years ago, the doctors said it was postnatal depression.
But then her spirits slumped again the following winter. She was depressed two years after the birth, says husband Jon. I’m no doctor, but I thought, ’this isn’t postnatal’. It happened again the next year, and the next. For 10 years we were told it was a chemical imbalance.
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| EPCglobal US Supports FDA Initiative to Protect U.S. Drug Supply Chain from Counterfeit Drugs - Nov 17, 2004 12:28 IST |
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Addressing significant challenges facing the health and life sciences industries, such as counterfeiting, the EPCglobal Inc(TM) Healthcare and Life Sciences Business Action Group has made the tracking and tracing of pharmaceutical pedigree a top priority in the development of Electronic Product Code(TM) (EPC) technology.
Today’s announcement by EPCglobal US, an affiliate of EPCglobal serving subscribers in the United States to help foster the adoption of the EPCglobal Network(TM) and leverage radio frequency technology (RFID) in the supply chain, comes on the heels of the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement of a new initiative designed to protect the U.S. drug supply chain from counterfeit products.
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| Enzon to Present at Credit Suisse First Boston Healthcare Conference - Nov 17, 2004 12:10 IST |
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Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENZN) announced today that the company will participate in the Credit Suisse First Boston Healthcare Conference, which is being held November 17-19, 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ken Zuerblis, Enzon’s chief financial officer, will give a 25-minute presentation on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 3:30 p.m. MST or 5:30 p.m. EST.
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| Commercial Viability of Phosphatase Enzyme Class as Therapeutic Targets Analysed - Nov 17, 2004 11:53 IST |
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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c9232) has announced the addition of Phosphatases: Emerging Role in Signal Transduction, Human Therapeutics, & As Drug Targets to their offering.
Recently, several members of the phosphatase drug target class have been identified and classes of compounds have been screened with hits identified.
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| ``Pass the Potatoes’’ This Holiday Season and Lose Weight - Nov 17, 2004 11:51 IST |
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This holiday season, passing the potatoes doesn’t have to mean calorie counting and extra hours at the gym. Lately, potatoes have been a casualty in the carb-free, protein-centric diet craze, but recent clinical data shows that harnessing the power inside the potato can actually be a key component in the struggle to lose and manage weight. Video Available
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| Current uses of Green-Fluorescent Protein in Biopharmaceutical Industry Examined - Nov 17, 2004 11:47 IST |
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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c9202) has announced the addition of A Guide to Green-Fluorescent Protein to their offering.
This resource-oriented practical Guide provides an all encompassing overview of the most important features and technological applications of Green-Fluorescent Protein and its variant forms. It seeks to describe Green-Fluorescent Protein’s usefulness in biomedical programs and applications.
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| New findings may redirect strategies for treatment of prostate cancer - Nov 17, 2004 11:41 IST |
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A new research study published in the November issue of Cancer Cell may have important implications for treatment of prostate cancer, the most common malignancy afflicting males in the United States. The research provides significant and somewhat surprising new information about modulation of the androgen receptor (AR), a key determinant of prostate cancer progression and an attractive target for prostate cancer therapies.
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| Autism may be caused by brain swelling due to immune system reaction - Nov 17, 2004 11:40 IST |
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Autism could be caused by an immune system reaction which causes the brain to swell, say researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. If this is so, we may one day be able to create a test for autism, and perhaps even develop treatment to prevent it.
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| Egg donors could be paid £1,000, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:39 IST |
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Women who donate their eggs to infertile couples could be paid up to £1,000 under new proposals from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Although the sale of gametes is illegal, the EU Tissues and Cells Directive, which comes into force from next April, says donors may receive compensation for the inconvenience of the procedure.
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