Federal Spending Was on ‘Starvation Diet’ During Bush Years, Says

(CNSNews.com)
– Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said yesterday that some of the spending in the $819-billion stimulus passed by the House of Representatives last week represented important federal spending priorities needed to “make-up for a starvation diet under the Bush Administration.”
McCaskill indicated that the question wasn’t whether all the money approved in the House bill should be spent but whether it should be included Read the rest of this entry »

Snorers Burn More Calories During the Day

TUESDAY, Dec. 16 (HealthDay News) — People who snore burn more calories when they’re resting during the day than people who sleep quietly through the night, new research shows.
However, the calorie expenditure doesn’t seem to be enough to balance the extra weight that often accompanies the condition, also known as sleep apnea.
“There are a lot of other factors that are going on that lead to a net increase in body weight,” said Dr. Michael Thorpy, Read the rest of this entry »

Daschle delayed telling Obama about tax problem; earned $200K+

This morning’s reports about Health and Human Services secretary-designate Tom Daschle, his tax troubles and the money he earned in recent years from interests in the health care industry that he would oversee, include:
, “was aware as early as last June that he might have to pay back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a private equity firm, but did not inform the Obama transition team until weeks after Mr. Obama named him to the Read the rest of this entry »

Prisoners' medical details lost

A health worker lost a memory stick containing medical information of more than 6,000 prisoners and ex-prisoners from HMP Preston, an NHS Trust said.
Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust said the USB stick was being used to back up clinical databases at the prison when it was lost on 30 December.
The data was encrypted but the password had been written on a note which was attached when it was misplaced.
The trust said the member of staff concerned Read the rest of this entry »

Fire Hospital Kills Five Infants in India

Crews are still trying to determine the cause of a bus rollover in northern Arizona as the first victim leaves a Valley hospital.
On Friday, the driver of a tour bus headed back to Las Vegas from the sky walk at the Grand Canyon lost control on Interstate 93 at mile marker 28. Arizona police said the bus veered to the right and crossed the median, rolling at least once.
“It was very loud, like a bomb,” witness Shelia Larsen said. “Then after that, Read the rest of this entry »

Final Hospital Vote Set For Feb. 3

“We have looked at this and looked at this and looked at this,” said Supervisor
(D-Sugarland Run). “It’s time to vote. It’s time to take action.”
The unanimous decision to schedule a vote came after the Board of Supervisors, meeting as a committee of the whole, spent more than two hours questioning county staff members and representatives of HCA Virginia, the company that wants to build the hospital. They asked, among other questions, whether Read the rest of this entry »

FDA advisers set vaccine for 2009-2010 flu season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government medical advisers on Wednesday issued their recommendations for next season’s flu vaccine, the front line defense against a disease that kills an estimated 36,000 people a year.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended only a slight change for the 2009-2010 season from the current vaccine, which protects against infection by three kinds of flu viruses.
For Type A flu_the most serious kind_the Read the rest of this entry »

FDA Panel Assesses Lilly Blood Thinner

For the last six years,
’s blood thinner Plavix has enjoyed a near monopoly in the market for oral medications meant to prevent clots in patients who are at risk for heart attacks and strokes.
That monopoly status could be threatened, if the
. Tuesday afternoon, an advisory panel may recommend that the F.D.A. grant that approval.
Plavix had global sales of $7.3 billion in 2007, making it the world’s second best-selling drug after
Read the rest of this entry »

Students use drugs for exam advantage

College students now use prescription drugs more than any other illicit drugs, excluding marijuana and exams are often a time in which students pop a pill or two for an advantage, according to recent studies.
A Sept. 3 study published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that college freshmen think prescription pills are more harmful than drugs like alcohol and marijuana but significantly less harmful than drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cardiovascular health and disease: Important issues for women

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of women in the United States, claiming almost as many women’s lives each year than all forms of cancer, lung disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease combined.
The latest statistics from the American Heart Association published in January of this year indicate that one woman dies every minute from cardiovascular disease. The lifetime risk for a 40 year-old woman of developing some form of cardiovascular Read the rest of this entry »