Health News

N.L. Premier Danny Williams recovering well from heart surgery, office says
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The office of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams says he is recovering well from his heart surgery and is expected to be released from hospital this week. In a statement, his communications director said he was released from intensive care on Friday and that doctors are pleased with his progress.
      

Physician assistants to take growing role in health care across Canada
TORONTO - Susi Schoeley knew she wanted to work in medicine, but nursing didn't appeal to her and becoming a doctor would require too much of a time commitment, both for earning her credentials and after entering the workforce. So when she heard about a program to train practitioners who seemed to bridge the gap between the other two disciplines, she jumped at the chance.
      

Antidepressant blocks tamoxifen benefit, may raise cancer death risk: study
TORONTO - Women prescribed tamoxifen to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil and its generic equivalents because of a potentially dangerous drug interaction, a study suggests. Paxil, or paroxetine as it is known generically, appears to negate the effects of tamoxifen, and may lead to an increased risk of death from breast cancer, the researchers say.
      

Guidelines could cut unnecessary CT scans for kids with head injury: study
TORONTO - A team of researchers from pediatric institutions across Canada has developed a set of rules to help doctors decide whether a child with a minor head injury should receive a CT scan. The seven clinical signs - dubbed the CATCH rules - are derived from a study of almost 3,900 children aged 16 and under, who were examined at 10 Canadian pediatric teaching hospitals after suffering a minor head trauma.
      

U.S. first lady tackles child obesity, out to change how millions eat, look
WASHINGTON - By now, it is abundantly clear that Michelle Obama loves french fries. The U.S. first lady talks about this "guilty pleasure" all the time, trying to ward off any notion that she is a nutrition nanny even as she cajoles Americans to eat better. Now, her conversation with the public about the nation's health and fitness is about to get a lot more pointed.
      

Conference Board says new heart health strategy could save billions of dollars
OTTAWA - A national plan to promote healthier living and reduce heart disease and strokes could save the country $76 billion between now and 2020 - if it meets just some of its targets - a new report says. The Conference Board of Canada analysed the potential savings of a heart health plan put together last year by a coalition of groups, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
      

Anti-doping forces suspect experimental anemia drug may be in used by dopers
VANCOUVER, B.C. - At the Salt Lake City Olympics, blood doping athletes used a brand new drug called Aranesp. Six years later at the Beijing Games, the dopers turned to Mircera, a newer drug that had just hit the market. As the Vancouver Olympics are about to kick off, anti-doping experts are wondering if the newest kid on the blood doping block, Hematide, will be making an unwelcome appearance at the Games.
      

Study finds increased autism risks in kids born to older moms, dads' age may play lesser role
CHICAGO - A new study says a woman's chance of having a child with autism increases as she ages. It also says the risk may be less with older dads than previously thought. University of California at Davis researcher Janie Shelton is the lead author. She says that although the father's age can contribute, the risk is overwhelmed by the mother's age.
      

B.C. reaches deal with 47,000 health workers, but they won't get wage hikes
VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government has reached a tentative contract with unions representing more than 47,000 health-care workers around the province. The two-year agreement contains no overall wage increases because the recession has left the government with a $2.8-billion deficit.
      

Bad malaria drugs litter Africa, raising fears of resistance
High rates of the most effective type of malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality - including nearly half the pills sampled in Senegal - raising fears of increased drug resistance that could wipe out the last weapon left to battle a disease that kills one million people each year, according to a U.S. report released Monday. Between 16 per cent and 40 per cent of artemisinin-based drugs sold in Senegal, Madagascar and Uganda failed quality testing, including having impurities or not containing enough active ingredient, the survey found.
      

China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder that should have been destroyed by was reused
BEIJING - The discovery has punched a 170-ton hole in China's promises to overhaul its food safety system. Officials say they've found yet another case where large amounts of tainted milk powder from the country's 2008 scandal that should have been destroyed were instead repackaged. China ordered tens of thousands of milk products laced with an industrial chemical burned or buried after more than 300,000 children were sickened and at least six died from the contamination.
      

Canada switches to growth charts based on WHO, not U.S., standards
TORONTO - It's out with the old yardstick and in with the new as professional organizations that keep tabs on the height and weight of Canadian children turn to "superior" growth charts based on World Health Organization standards. The monitoring charts for newborns to age five show how children should grow, rather than how they do grow, while the new charts for ages five to 19 are a better tool for identifying young people at risk for obesity.
      

Obama invites leaders of Republican, Democratic parties to half-day discussion of health care
WASHINGTON - In the first major step to revive his health care agenda after his party's loss of its super-majority in the Senate, President Barack Obama on Sunday invited Republican and Democratic leaders to discuss possible compromises later this month. Obama's move came amid widespread complaints that efforts so far by him and his Democratic allies in Congress have been too partisan and secretive.
      

Tanning bed bill aimed at teens not based on reliable science, industry says
TORONTO - Tanning salon operators say proposed federal legislation that would warn consumers of the cancer risks of tanning is political grandstanding and are instead calling on the provinces to help regulate operating standards in the industry. The Joint Canadian Tanning Association also denies there is any scientific evidence to show tanning beds cause melanoma or skin cancer.
      

Obama tells Dem activists to be optimistic, says he won't walk away from health care overhaul
WASHINGTON - Just a year after celebrating Barack Obama's inauguration, despondent Democrats on Saturday heard from their party leader who urged optimism in the face of Republicans' strong challenge to their congressional dominance. At its winter meeting, a defiant Democratic Party worked to project a message of strength even as loyalists acknowledged the prospect of several defeats in November. The party that controls the White House typically loses seats during midterm elections at an average rate of 28 net House seats. President Bill Clinton, the last Democratic commander in chief, lost control of Congress in his first term and Democrats privately are predicting it could happen again.
      

Largest mumps outbreak in years spreads as more than 300 cases diagnosed in New York suburbs
MONSEY, N.Y. - More than 300 people have been diagnosed with the mumps in suburban New York as America's largest outbreak of the disease in years spreads. Almost all the cases are among Orthodox Jews. A health official says 303 people in the Rockland County towns of Monsey and New Square have been diagnosed with the highly infectious disease.
      

Brazil gov't handing out 55 million free condoms for Carnival parties
Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins next week. A new television ad features a talking condom that loudly reminds young people to take him along when they go out to party.
      

Health authorities warning about tainted cocaine after two illnesses
WINNIPEG - Winnipeg health authorities blame tainted cocaine laced with a veterinary drug for landing two people in hospital with a potentially fatal illness. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said two adults were recently hospitalized with a rare illness called neutropenia that weakens the immune system, leaving them unable to fight off infections. In severe cases, if left untreated, the disease can be fatal.
      

Dorel's reputation takes hit with another product recall, this time a car seat
MONTREAL - Dorel Industries' (TSX:DII.B) reputation took another hit Friday after transportation safety agencies in Canada and the United States disclosed a "potential problem" with nearly 30,000 infant car seats. The problem involved a faulty spring that could cause Maxi-Cosi Mico infant seats made in 2008 to not lock fully when installed into their removable base.
      

17,600 Fox Sports NFL robot action figures had high levels of lead
SEATTLE - U.S. customs officials say nearly 17,600 Fox Sports NFL robot action figures seized at the Seattle waterfront last month were contaminated with lead paint. Officials said Friday the NFL Team Cleatus toys were manufactured in the Guangdong province of southeastern China and were destined for a distributor in the Seattle area. But they declined to identify either the manufacturer or the distributor.