| Alberta in brief | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 7:08:25 PM by Blog57 Team | | EDMONTON (CP) - A truck driver who was involved in a crash with a bus that killed six oilpatch workers last year will stand trial. Inderjit Singh Virk, a trucker based in Brampton, Ontario, is charged with six counts of dangerous driving causing death and 21 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm for the May 20, 2005 tragedy. A judge ruled in a preliminary hearing this week that there was enough evidence for a trial to proceed, but no date has been set. The bus was trying to turn around on a highway north of Edmonton, which had been blocked by an earlier crash. A tractor-trailer then slammed into the bus. Many of those killed were oilpatch workers standing outside the bus having a cigarette before the collision. At least 29 other people were hurt.... | |
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| | | Research Findings In Allergy-Immunology Unveiled | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 1:28:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | Investigators are presenting more than 380 abstracts on preliminary findings in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Nov. 9-15. Following are highlights of some key investigations on allergic rhinitis and ocular allergies. ALLERGIC RHINITIS "Patient Perspectives on the Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis and the Effect of Allergic Rhinitis on Daily Living." (Abstract #29: Nov. 12 at 2:00 p.m.) - Michael S. Blaiss, M.D., Memphis, et al - Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways affecting 10 percent to 25 percent of the world's population. Of the 2,500 adults with AR who were surveyed by telephone interview, 40 percent reported that congestion was the most frequent symptom and was extremely bothersome.... | |
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| | | Health advisories issued for eight beaches | | Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 11:39:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | Public health advisories were issued Thursday because of levels of bacteria in ocean waters at eight beaches. Health warnings were initially issued for Agate and Nye beaches in Lincoln County, Florence North Jetty beach in Lane County, Umpqua beach in Douglas County, and Bastendorff and Sunset Bay State Park beaches in Coos County. Kiwanda and Short Sand beaches in Tillamook County were added to the list. Meanwhile, road hazards, closures will greet first-season coast elk hunters, forest officials say. See the story under "Outdoors." Increased levels of pathogens and fecal bacteria are common after heavy rains when runoff can wash pollutants into streams and rivers, and sewers and treatment ponds can overflow. Water samples indicate higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria, which can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses.... | |
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| | | Abbott to Buy Kos Pharmaceuticals for $3.7 Billion (Update6) | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 7:24:38 AM by Blog57 Team | | Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Abbott Laboratories, the maker of heart drugs, stents and nutritional supplements, agreed to buy Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $3.7 billion, adding to its cholesterol treatments. Abbott will pay $78 for each Kos share, 56 percent more than the Nov. 3 closing price, the Abbott Park, Illinois-based company said today in a statement. Billionaire founder Michael Jaharis and his family control Cranbury, New Jersey-based Kos, and a majority of holders agreed to the buyout, Abbott said. The deal will give Abbott the most powerful drug available for elevating good, or HDL, cholesterol and expand its presence in the $20 billion-a-year market for cholesterol pills. Good cholesterol helps ferry bad out of the body. Kos's Niaspan, a version of the vitamin niacin, is part of what some doctors and investors say is the next wave of heart drugs.... | |
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| | | From the Editors of E/The Environmental | | Posted Friday, November 03, 2006 3:43:16 PM by Blog57 Team | | What kinds of home improvements could I do that would make my house healthier and more environmentally friendly? ?Elizabeth Bram, via e-mail Most homes have room for improvement when it comes to health safety for family and environmental impact. First, indoor air quality is a serious problem affecting millions of homes. Studies show that air within homes can be more seriously polluted than the air outdoors, even in the largest and most industrialized cities. According to Glenn Haege, a master handyman who hosts a national radio show on home repair, as our homes and apartments have become more energy efficient and airtight, "humidity levels from cooking and breathing tend to increase, causing mold and mildew." Harmful chemicals, he says, from construction materials, insulation, furniture, carpeting, padding, paints, solvents and household cleaners, drawn by this moist atmosphere, combine to contaminate the indoor air, which then stays trapped inside.... | |
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| | | Cow's milk allergy prevalent among children but often misdiagnosed | | Posted Monday, October 30, 2006 7:20:48 PM by Blog57 Team | | SINGAPORE: Cow's milk allergy is one of the most common childhood allergies but it is often misdiagnosed, say doctors. It is believed that 3.5% of all children who have severe reactions to food are allergic to cow's milk. Angry rashes plagued Charlotte Lum from the time she was just five weeks old. Doctors she went to told her parents it was eczema. The girl continued to suffer till she was three. Her mother, Stella Lum, said: "We didn't think it was an allergy. We thought it was an eczema problem, that was the diagnosis from the paediatricians from the very beginning. So, we made sure that everything was clean and we gave her the appropriate cream for her bath and daily use. In terms of food allergy, it didn't occur to us, until it was highlighted by her teacher and also when I shared this information with my friend who has been treating skin problem.... | |
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| | | MEDICAL CRISIS More doctors to flood zone | | Posted Thursday, October 26, 2006 3:33:42 PM by Blog57 Team | | The Public Health Ministry yesterday dispatched 60 more doctors from various provinces to assist flood victims in the Central region as the prolonged flooding continues to take a serious toll on the people's physical and mental health. The 60 medical officers from Nakhon Ratchasima, Chon Buri, and Nakhon Pathom will assist flood-hit people in Sing Buri, Ayutthaya and Angthong, respectively, said Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot. So far, the flood crisis has affected 507,030 people - nearly half of them suffering from foot, hand and mouth disease, and skin rashes. Angthong had the most patients with 44,140, followed by Sing Buri at 39,750, Nakhon Sawan at 35,452, Suphan Buri at 26,644, and Phitsanulok at 26,207. Dr Prat yesterday received 650 life jackets from the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, which would be given to health volunteers aiding flood-hit people.... | |
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| | | With the rising cost of vet bills, is health insurance a wise ... | | Posted Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:10:37 PM by Blog57 Team | | When Aimee and JCClavijo adopted an orange tabby from Broward County Humane Society last year, they didn't think adding a fourth pet could bust their budget. But JazzPurr became ill with a kidney condition shortly after he arrived. That's when the Clavijos decided to sign up for pet health insurance to help with JazzPurr's veterinary expenses, including daily medication that costs about $40 a month. "So far so good. I get about 80 percent back so it pays for itself," said Aimee Clavijo, 31, a sales representative who lives in Sunrise with three cats and a dog and pays $25 month in pet insurance for JazzPurr. More pet owners are making similar choices, as pets have come to be treated more like members of the family, a shift that has moved them from the backyard into the living room.... | |
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| | | Hana licenses skin rash compound | | Posted Monday, October 23, 2006 3:11:41 AM by Blog57 Team | | Cancer drug company Hana Biosciences Inc. said Monday it bought the rights to develop and sell a drug that might be used to treat skin rashes caused by cancer treatments. South San Francisco-based Hana (NASDAQ: HNAB) bought the rights to the drug, Menadione, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Menadione is still in preclinical development, but could possibly be developed into a treatment for skin rash linked to use of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, which are used to fight some cancers. .... | |
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| | | 2 more dengue deaths, 61 new cases in Delhi | | Posted Thursday, October 19, 2006 7:15:52 PM by Blog57 Team | | Two more dengue deaths were reported in the capital on Thursday and 61 new patients were admitted to hospitals, with the viral disease giving no breather to citizens, doctors and civic authorities. The latest victim was 55-year-old Riyaz from Uttar Pradesh who died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the early hours of Thursday. "He died due to multiple organ failure. The patient was in a state of shock because of the illness," said DK Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS. The second victim also died in AIIMS. Hospital authorities said Yashpal, 32, a resident of southwest Delhi, was brought to the hospital on October 17 in a very serious condition. "His platelet count had been dipping ever since he was admitted.... | |
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