The oil makes up a large component of the Mediterranean-style diet which is known to protect against some forms of cancer.
Researchers have now isolated chemicals that could be the active ingredient in the oil which affects cancerous cells.
A team from the University of Granada in Spain found two chemicals made by the plant and present in the oil blocked the protein involved in some breast cancers.
Around one fifth of breast cancer tumours have Read the rest of this entry »

The jailed former president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, has been brought to hospital days after beginning a hunger strike in protest at his arrest.
Police cordoned off the clinic close to his remand prison in the capital Taipei to keep back supporters angered by his arrest without charge for corruption.
It was not clear why Mr Chen was in the hospital but Taiwanese media say there are plans to force-feed the ex-leader.
Mr Chen began his fast Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON — A California fertility center received a warning from the Food and Drug Administration for failing to adequately test donors for sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia and gonorrhea.
The letter, dated Oct. 9 and released Tuesday by the FDA, says the Center for Fertility and Gynecology in Tarzana, Calif., tested semen donors in laboratories using non-FDA approved screening tests.
Representatives for the facility weren’t Read the rest of this entry »

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned U.S. patients last week that it is investigating the possibility of a link between the psoriasis drug marketed as Raptiva, or efalizumab, and at least three deaths caused by a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. The agency is looking into a fourth, unconfirmed, report of the deadly infection in a patient taking Raptiva.
All four patients had been taking the medication Read the rest of this entry »

By Bernadine Healy, M.D.
There is nothing worse for any physician than to find a dangerous medical problem in a patient and feel powerless to help. That’s how the whole country seems to feel as it hears about
released this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings show a 3 percent jump in teens having babies, following 14 years of decline. Many adults seem to have given up even trying to influence teen sexual behavior, Read the rest of this entry »

The rating affirmation reflects Shannon Medical Center’s (Shannon)
leading market position, moderate liquidity position, and low debt
burden. Operating in San Angelo, Texas, which is in Tom Green County,
Shannon had a 55% market share in its primary service area (PSA) in
fiscal year (FY) 2007. Since the rating was assigned in 2001, Shannon
has consistently maintained a market share at or above 55%. Shannon’s Read the rest of this entry »

At the University of Minnesota Medical School, which is funded partly by clinical practices, the growth in unpaid bills means margins are narrowing to the point where just doing more procedures isn’t going to suffice, said Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences. The university has postponed a $200-million building for outpatient care on campus and begun streamlining its management ranks. If things don’t improve, it might raise medical Read the rest of this entry »

to be Reviewed at FDA Advisory Committee Meeting on December 10, 2008
WATERTOWN, Mass.–(
)–Acusphere, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACUS) announced today that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has published a Federal Register Notice on the FDA
website (
)
of a planned public meeting of the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs
Advisory Committee on December 10, 2008. On the agenda for that meeting
will be a review of Acusphere
Read the rest of this entry »

SANTA CRUZ — Dr. Nicholas Abidi moved west because his family wanted to be closer to his in-laws. But after leaving a large, successful practice in Philadelphia in 2000 to settle in Santa Cruz, he found the financial transition was anything but easy.
In fact, by 2004, Abidi said he realized he would have to adjust his practice to make the economics work. Now, the orthopedic surgeon has become a commuting physician, one of a number of Santa Cruz-area Read the rest of this entry »

Recall Friday: Osem Meals-on-the-Go, and still more peanuts
It’s been, happily, a slow week for recalls unless you produce food containing peanuts. That recall continues with more and more companies either being pulled in or widening their own, earlier recalls. According to the
“more than 2,100 products in 17 categories have been voluntarily recalled by more than 200 companies, and the list continues to grow.”
Indeed. Two Read the rest of this entry »