Production of H1N1 vaccine over the next year will be “substantially less” than the 4.9 billion doses previously forecast but one dose should provide adequate protection, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Based on clinical test results from some 25 drugmakers, weekly production of the new vaccine will be less than 94 million doses, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.
“The real figure will be substantially less than 4.9 billion (over the year),” Hartl told reporters. Read the rest of this entry »
The global public health campaign to convey a realistic view of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic is being undermined by a babble of contradictory reactions at international airports, experts said on Friday.
Air travelers are confronted by a host of inconsistent H1N1 messages and approaches as they travel between countries. Authorities at some airports quarantine suspected flu cases, while others dispense with posting even the most basic health information for passengers. Read the rest of this entry »
The minimum legal drinking age of 21 now in place by all U.S. states may have prevented a significant amount of alcoholism and drug abuse, according to a new study.
In the study, researchers found that adults living in states that permit the purchase of alcohol before age 21 were more apt to have alcohol and drug problems later on than adults living in states that prohibit people under the age of 21 to buy alcohol.
The study, published today in an early online edition of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, suggests that lower drinking ages may lead to more problems with alcohol and drugs later in life. Read the rest of this entry »
A new study shows that a chemical found in green tea can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown.
The study done by researchers in Hong Kong and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry finds that EGC, a main compound in green tea, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by up to 79 percent.
EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones.
Researcher Ping Chung Leung notes that previous studies have already linked green tea to improved bone health, but says that few have been able to pinpoint the exact chemicals that are responsible for it. Read the rest of this entry »
Before you flip open that tub of Ben and Jerry’s, be aware that ice cream really can control your brain and say “eat me.”
A U.S. study by UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has found that fat from certain foods such ice cream and burgers heads to the brain.
Once there, the fat molecules trigger the brain to send messages to the body’s cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation — for up to three days.
“Normally, our body is primed to say when we’ve had enough, but that doesn’t always happen when we’re eating something good,” said researcher Deborah Clegg in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
UK scientists have produced further evidence to suggest delaying becoming a mother may be risky.
They found women who start their periods early were more likely to require medical assistance such as forceps, or a Caesarean section.
The effect was neutralised if these women had their first baby at an early age – but not for older mothers.
The University of Cambridge study features in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Read the rest of this entry »
