Canadian Online Health Information: August 2004

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

California man's HIV diagnosis turns out to be wrong - after 8 years

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A California man who once tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS has learned the diagnosis made eight years ago was mistaken and he was never infected. Jim Malone spent years battling depression and losing weight, expecting to die at any time....More

Surgically separated twin boys leave New York hospital in a double stroller

NEW YORK (AP) - Less than four weeks after they were surgically separated, two-year-old twins Carl and Clarence Aguirre left the hospital on Monday in a double stroller pushed by their beaming mother, who exclaimed, "I have two boys!" As a crowd of Montefiore Medical Center...More

Study reveals misconceptions about student drinking patterns

TORONTO (CP) - A new study throws cold water on the image of students drinking their nights and weekends away. A survey by the Canadian Centre for Social Norms and Research says 63 per cent of college and university students questioned drink only twice a month, or less....More

Oldest person in Germany dies at 111; said sensible lifestyle key to longevity

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - Germany's oldest person died in her sleep early Monday at age 111, according to her nursing home....More

Hundreds of unnecessary operations to prevent stroke done each year: study

TORONTO (CP) - Hundreds of unnecessary and potentially risky operations to prevent stroke are being done each year across Canada, a study suggests. At least one in 10 of the carotid artery surgeries should not be done, the study says....More

Higher-income Canadians more apt to be screened for colon cancer: study

TORONTO (CP) - Canadians with higher incomes are more likely to receive screening for colorectal cancer than less affluent residents, an Ontario study suggests....More

Fight over brain-damaged woman heads to Florida Supreme Court

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - The battle over Terri Schiavo has played out at times like a soap opera, but when the Florida Supreme Court hears arguments in the case Tuesday it will be deadly serious stuff....More

China bans blood buying and selling to help prevent AIDS from spreading

BEIJING (AP) - China has made it illegal to buy and sell blood in an effort to stem the country's growing AIDS epidemic, the first time the disease has been targeted in a law, state-run media reported Monday....More

Monday, August 30, 2004

Restaurants, food companies push for protection from obesity suits

WASHINGTON (AP) - Bills to protect restaurants and food companies against lawsuits by people who claim the meals or snacks made them fat are moving ahead in the states like hamburgers passed out a drive-thru window....More

California approves bill encouraging Canadian prescription drugs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California legislators have approved bills that would create government-sponsored websites encouraging consumers to buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The measures, which face almost certain vetoes by Gov....More

Study finds chocolate seems to temporarily improve blood vessel health

MUNICH, Germany (AP) - Good news for chocolate lovers. Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to improve the function of important cells lining the wall of blood vessels for at least three hours....More

Prairie provinces grappling with financial losses as a result of smoking bans

REGINA (CP) - Health advocates may be applauding the growing movement to ban smoking in public places, but people who operate casinos, bars and even charity bingos say they're losing millions. "There will be closures. There's no question about it....More

Premiers' national pharmacare pitch panned by experts as unworkable, cynical

OTTAWA (CP) - It was billed as an easily saleable master stroke of public policy that would both improve the nation's health care and salve federal-provincial jurisdictional disputes....More

China bans blood buying and selling to help prevent AIDS from spreading

Causes of most heart attacks same worldwide, Canadian-led study finds

TORONTO (CP) - A landmark Canadian-led international study has found that the risk factors for heart attack are the same for people around the world, from the fisherman in Vancouver to the female office worker in Hong Kong to the sheep farmer in Australia....More

California man's HIV diagnosis turns out to be wrong - after 8 years

Friday, August 27, 2004

German doctors grow new jaw bone in man's back muscle for transplant

LONDON (AP) - A German who had his lower jaw cut out because of cancer has enjoyed his first meal in nine years -a bratwurst sandwich -after surgeons grew a new jaw bone in his back muscle and transplanted it to his mouth in what experts call an "ambitious" experiment....More

California pharmacies sue drug makers, alleging price fixing

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Nineteen California pharmacies filed a state lawsuit Thursday accusing the world's largest pharmaceutical companies of conspiring to inflate U.S. drug prices....More

Brain scans show planning revenge really can be sweet

WASHINGTON (AP) - Dirty Harry had it right: brain scans show revenge really might make your day....More

South Korean man loses lawsuit seeking damages from Coca-Cola for tooth decay

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A South Korean court dismissed a lawsuit Friday from a man seeking damages for claims that years of drinking Coca-Cola caused him to lose nearly all his teeth, a news report said. Lee Cheol-ho, a civic activist, had sued Coca-Cola Korea Bottling Co....More

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Australian court sentences bogus doctor to one year behind bars

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A bogus doctor who treated 100 patients, including a one-year-old baby and a pregnant woman, was sentenced Monday to a year in prison....More

World Health Organization says more funding needed to investigate avian flu

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - More money and global attention should be focused on avian flu in Asia to study the virus, which experts fear could mutate and trigger a human pandemic, the World Health Organization said Wednesday....More

Train brings Americans to Canada seeking lower-cost prescription drugs

VANCOUVER (CP) - Carla Coco-Boutte of Santa Barbara, Calif., stepped off an Amtrak train here Wednesday for a brief Canadian excursion, but her souvenirs of the trip won't be aboriginal carvings or smoked salmon....More

U.S. government makes plans for world's next big outbreak of influenza

WASHINGTON (AP) - Closing schools, restricting travel and rationing scarce medications may be the country's first protections if a powerful new flu strain spurs a worldwide outbreak because it will take months to brew a vaccine, say government preparations for the next pandemic....More

Paul Martin lowers expectations for summer deal on medicare with premiers

OTTAWA (CP) - Paul Martin downgraded hopes of a medicare-reform deal with the provinces this summer and conceded Wednesday he might actually need several meetings with the premiers to get it done....More

Kubler-Ross, author and advocate for the hospice movement, dies at 78

PHOENIX (AP) - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who revolutionized the way the world looks at terminally ill patients with her book On Death and Dying and later as a pioneer for hospice care, has died. She was 78....More

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

World Health Organization says polio spreading to more countries in Africa

GENEVA (AP) - Polio has spread to new countries in Africa, further setting back global attempts to wipe out the disease, UN officials said Tuesday....More

U.S. research suggests that obesity hikes risk for nine types of cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Heart disease and diabetes get all the attention, but expanding waistlines also increase the risk for at least nine types of cancer, U.S. research suggests....More

Russian completes 5,000-km wheelchair trip to inspire disabled, denounce drugs

MADRID, Spain (AP) - He had to change tires 11 times and once fell to the ground and spent the night in a ditch, but 65-year-old Russian Vladimir Ksenchak rolled undaunted into Madrid on Tuesday at the end of a 5,000-kilometre wheelchair trip....More

Pollution warnings for fish from one-third of U.S. lakes, one-quarter rivers

WASHINGTON (AP) - One of every three lakes in the United States and nearly one-quarter of its rivers contain enough pollution that people should limit or avoid eating fish caught in them....More

Study suggests that 1 in 3 American adults has high blood pressure

DALLAS (AP) - As Americans get older and fatter, the number of adults with high blood pressure has climbed to almost one in three over the past decade, putting more people at risk of a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure, U.S. government researchers said Monday....More

Canadian Blood Services boosts testing for West Nile virus in donations

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's blood bank is now doing more sensitive testing for West Nile virus in Toronto and Winnipeg after the two areas recorded probable human cases of the disease....More

Fraser Institute: Generic drug policy costing Canadians hundreds of millions

TORONTO (CP) - Canadians are paying hundreds of millions of dollars too much for generic prescription drugs because federal government policies are allowing manufacturers to shut out competitors, a study released Monday concludes....More

Australian court sentences bogus doctor to one year behind bars

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A bogus doctor who treated 100 patients, including a one-year-old baby and a pregnant woman, was sentenced Monday to a year in prison....More

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Toronto health officials report first probable human case of West Nile virus

TORONTO (CP) - Toronto health officials reported Monday the first probable human case of West Nile virus this year in Canada's largest city....More

Vietnam steps up efforts to fight bird flu, three cases test negative

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - As bird flu spreads in the region, Vietnam is deploying teams of veterinary experts nationwide to inspect efforts to fight the disease that has killed 19 people in the country, including three this month, officials said Monday....More

Monday, August 23, 2004

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) - Diet book author Dr. Carlon Colker's name has been dropped from one of three lawsuits relating to the dietary supplement ephedra, and his lawyers say they expect similar results in the two other cases. ...More

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

WASHINGTON (AP) - A new Food and Drug Administration analysis backs earlier suggestions of a link between at least some antidepressants used by children and suicidal tendencies, prompting the agency to prepare new warnings. ...More

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a cancer drug made by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have undergone chemotherapy. ...More

Malaysia tests 4 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysian officials were testing four people Saturday -three from a village hit by the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain -after international health officials warned the virus appears to be entrenched in parts of Southeast Asia. ...More

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

Vermont sues FDA for refusing to allow imports of Canadian drugs

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, charging the agency's refusal of the state's petition to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada was "arbitrary and capricious and otherwise unreasonable." ...More

Malaysia tests 4 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated

Vermont sues FDA for refusing to allow imports of Canadian drugs

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Dozens of chimpanzees from a Dutch laboratory face a housing crisis after plans for their early retirement on the Spanish coast collapsed because of residents' fears they would carry infectious diseases. ...More

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

Malaysia tests 4 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

Malaysia tests 4 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated

Discovery of potential stem cells could help those suffering from diabetes

TORONTO (CP) - A group of Canadian researchers has made a discovery of potential stem cells in the pancreas, a finding that could not only one day lead to new treatments for diabetes but also change the way scientists understand the way cells develop. ...More

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

Supplement industry marketing vitamins geared to low-carb diet followers

(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20-billion US dietary supplement industry. ...More

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

Vietnam steps up efforts to fight bird flu, three cases test negative

Discovery of potential stem cells could help those suffering from diabetes

Malaysia tests 4 people for bird flu; says outbreak isolated

Vermont sues FDA for refusing to allow imports of Canadian drugs

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

Dutch laboratory chimpanzees' retirement in Spain appears doomed

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

New FDA analysis backs continuing antidepressant-suicide concern

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

Discovery of potential stem cells could help those suffering from diabetes

Vietnam steps up efforts to fight bird flu, three cases test negative

Greenwich diet doctor dropped from one of three ephedra lawsuits

Vermont sues FDA for refusing to allow imports of Canadian drugs

FDA approves drug Alimta to treat advanced lung cancer

Vermont sues FDA for refusing to allow imports of Canadian drugs

Vietnam steps up efforts to fight bird flu, three cases test negative

Friday, August 20, 2004

B.C. residents' health records will be secure with U.S. company, Collins says

VICTORIA (CP) - The privacy of British Columbians will be protected if Victoria allows a U.S.-based firm to manage the province's medical records, says Finance Minister Gary Collins. ...More

Children could be infected by e. coli from petting zoo animals: officials

VANCOUVER (CP) - An outbreak of E. coli that affected at least six children who visited two different petting zoos in Greater Vancouver prompted a warning Thursday from health officials. ...More

Product touted as C. difficile treatment; McGill expert expresses doubts

LAVAL, Que. (CP) - A milk product similar to highly concentrated yogurt was touted Thursday as a potential treatment for the deadly C. difficile bacteria that has hit a number of hospitals. ...More

Ottawa can't afford to fully fund proposed pharmacare program, says Goodale

OTTAWA (CP) - Finance Minister Ralph Goodale has pulled the fiscal rug out from under the provincial premiers' demands for a multibillion-dollar national pharmacare program, saying it's unaffordable. ...More

Health Canada proposes changes to labelling of tobacco products

TORONTO (CP) - Health Canada is proposing substantial changes to current requirements for the labelling of tobacco products in an effort to reach more smokers, the federal department said Thursday. ...More

Chinese lab worker says deadly bird flu strain found in pigs

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Health experts warned that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu appeared to be entrenched in parts of Southeast Asia after a teenager in a Malaysian village hit by the virus was hospitalized with flu symptoms. ...More

EU raises threat level for mad cow disease in Canada, U.S. and Norway

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Food Safety Authority on Friday raised its assessment of the risk of finding mad cow disease in the United States, Canada and Norway, but officials said the move would affect only Norwegian beef exporters. ...More

Chinese lab says deadly bird flu strain has been found in pigs

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese laboratory said Friday that a deadly strain of bird flu has been found in pigs, expanding the number of species that can be infected with the disease. ...More

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Medical Ventures Q2 loss widens to $856,629, company recalls 200 catheters

RICHMOND, B.C. (CP) - Medical Ventures Corp. announced Monday that its quarterly loss widened despite higher revenue and that its subsidiary has recalled about 200 catheters whose packaging was damaged during shipping. ...More

Vaccine to be developed by U.S.-based Chiron seeks to tame bird flu

WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Institutes of Health awarded Chiron Corporation a $1.194-million contract to develop up to 40,000 doses of vaccine against H9N2 avian influenza, a type of bird flu that is less lethal but more widespread than the strain that killed 27 this year in Asia. ...More

Illinois expands drug suppliers beyond Canada in nod to availability problems

WASHINGTON (CP) - In a nod to the reality that Canada can't begin to provide all the cheaper prescription drugs Americans want, Illinois is adding European suppliers. ...More

Fitness: Hiking with canine buddy can get both in shape

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - People who love to hike find taking along a four-legged companion can have physical benefits for both ends of the leash. ...More

Romanow urges Martin, premiers to stop bickering, find plan to save medicare

TORONTO (CP) - Roy Romanow made a passionate plea Wednesday to Prime Minister Paul Martin and the premiers to come up with a concrete plan - and not just more rhetoric - on how to maintain the lifeblood of Canada's health-care system at next month's first ministers' meeting. ...More

New York issues emergency order to reduce emissions blamed for acid rain

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Citing what they called a public health emergency, New York officials on Tuesday ordered power plants to reduce emissions blamed for acid rain. ...More

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

U.S. approves first device to clear blood clots from brains of stroke victims

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the first device to remove blood clots from the brains of people suffering strokes, the device manufacturer said on Monday. ...More

Dosanjh still nixing pharmacare, but premiers plan meeting to refine proposal

TORONTO (CP) - In his first public address as federal health minister, Ujjal Dosanjh carefully toed the government line on Monday, saying Ottawa is prepared to invest more money in medicare to reduce waiting times, but not by sponsoring a national pharmacare program demanded by the provinces. ...More

More Canadians giving health-care system a failing grade: CMA poll

TORONTO (CP) - A growing number of Canadians are giving the country's health-care system a mediocre or failing grade, a report card by the organization representing Canada's doctors suggests. ...More

National pharmacare program would reduce hospital waiting lists: McGuinty

TORONTO (CP) - A national pharmacare program funded by the federal government would indirectly result in shorter waiting lists, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday. "That (a federal funded program) would free up the provinces to devote themselves more fully to reducing wait times," McGuinty told reporters after a speech to a meeting of the Canadian Medical Association, a group representing the country's physicians. "We are pulled in all directions within health care itself and that would give us the flexibility to attack wait times." ...More

Monday, August 16, 2004

Rats on drugs: Studies may help unravel human addiction

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rats can become drug addicts. ...More

National pharmacare program would reduce hospital waiting lists: McGuinty

More Canadians giving health-care system a failing grade: CMA poll

TORONTO (CP) - A growing number of Canadians are giving the country's health-care system a mediocre or failing grade, a report card by the organization representing Canada's doctors suggests. ...More

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Health watchdog urges caution to prevent playground injuries

TORONTO (CP) - A health organization is urging parents to take precautions with their kids to prevent injuries at playgrounds. New figures released Wednesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information show 8,698 children were taken to emergency rooms in 2002-2003 after being hurt at Ontario playgrounds. ...More

Manitoba Lotteries gives severance packages to 269 workers due to smoking ban

WINNIPEG (CP) - Manitoba Lotteries Corp. will give severance packages to 269 workers - a move the corporation says is necessary because of Winnipeg's tough smoking ban. ...More

Unexpected results: Pot-like drugs given epileptic lab rats worsened seizures

TORONTO (CP) - Some people who use marijuana to try to control their epilepsy could actually risk making their seizures worse - if research showing the drug's effects on laboratory rats is any indication. ...More

West Nile blood testing beefed up in parts of Ontario and Saskatchewan

OTTAWA (CP) - The agency that distributes blood and blood products is taking extra precautions against West Nile virus in two provinces. ...More

Hands down, CPR by bystanders a must in saving lives outside hospital: study

TORONTO (CP) - Richard Snell is living proof that CPR saves lives. ...More

Cambodian PM orders anti-AIDS drug test halted; cites human values

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's prime minister on Wednesday ordered a halt to plans for human trials of an anti-AIDS drug that would have recruited hundreds of local sex workers to determine if the medicine could prevent new HIV infections. ...More

Kerry slams Bush over blocking Canadian drug imports

(AP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Wednesday that President George W. Bush is standing in the way of bipartisan efforts in Congress to allow drug imports from Canada. ...More

Terrorists might tamper with imported Canadian prescriptions: FDA chief

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tampering with prescription drugs imported from Canada could be a way for terrorists to launch an attack on Americans, acting U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Lester Crawford said Wednesday. ...More

West Nile blood testing beefed up in Ontario and Saskatchewan

OTTAWA (CP) - The national agency that distributes blood and blood products is taking extra precautions against West Nile virus in two provinces. ...More

Britain issues its first cloning licence for stem cell research

LONDON (AP) - Britain granted its first licence for human cloning Wednesday, joining South Korea on the leading edge of stem cell research, which is restricted by the Bush administration in the U.S. and which many scientists believe may lead to new treatments for a range of diseases. ...More

Toronto pharmacy uses Bahamas to export drugs, FedEx alerts U.S. customs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Toronto pharmacy began sending out new shipments this week to replace prescription drugs seized by U.S. Customs officials in Miami. ...More

Vermont to sue FDA for permission to import prescription drugs from Canada

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont says it will become the first state to sue the Food and Drug Administration for denying its request to import prescription drugs from Canada. ...More

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

U.S. agency releases new rating system for vehicle rollovers

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's traffic safety agency is expanding its rollover rating system for cars and trucks. ...More

Teen smoking rate drops below that of general population: StatsCan

OTTAWA (CP) - Fewer teens lit up last year, as their smoking rate fell below that of the general population for the first time in almost a decade, Statistics Canada reported Monday. ...More

South Africa bans poultry exports as bird flu strikes ostrich industry

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - An outbreak of bird flu has killed 6,000 ostriches in the past three weeks, leading authorities to ban all poultry exports from South Africa, agriculture officials said Monday. ...More

Women who take anti-depressants in late pregnancy may put babies at risk

OTTAWA (CP) - Women who take some anti-depressant drugs during late pregnancy may be putting their babies at risk, Health Canada is warning. ...More

Mother of formerly conjoined twins looks forward to holding them separately

NEW YORK (AP) - The mother of twin toddlers who were born joined at the head said Monday that as the boys recover from their separation surgery, she cherishes the chance to cuddle them one by one. ...More

Doctor welcomes role as a parenting partner

NEW YORK (AP) - Parents approach the search for their children's doctors like it's a professional endeavour - they research, they interview, they check credentials. Once pediatricians are chosen, however, parents treat them like part of the family - calling at any hour and asking questions that really don't have anything to do with medicine. ...More

Japanese poultry farm boss gets one-year sentence for bird flu coverup

TOKYO (AP) - A chicken farm operator was given a one-year prison sentence for covering up a bird flu outbreak that triggered a scare in western Japan, a court official said Tuesday. ...More

First lady Laura Bush defends president's policy on stem cell research

LANGHORNE, Pa. (AP) - First lady Laura Bush defended her husband's policy on embryonic stem cell research Monday, arguing that it is an ethical and moral issue "that must not be treated lightly" by political critics. ...More

Northern Ontario patients to be connected to health professionals by video

KENORA, Ont. (CP) - The Ontario government is investing $5.7 million in telemedicine technology to make health services more accessible to northern communities. ...More

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Scientist gets congratulatory letter from Health Canada after being fired

OTTAWA (CP) - Three weeks after firing Shiv Chopra for insubordination, Health Canada has sent him a gold watch and congratulatory letter praising his 35 years of "dedicated service." ...More

U.S. regulators warn Boston again about buying Canadian drugs

BOSTON (AP) - U.S. government regulators told Boston Mayor Thomas Menino they are "troubled" by the city's decision to join the list of cities allowing municipal workers and retirees to buy prescription drugs from Canada. ...More

U.S. government tightens rules on announcing suspected mad cow cases

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government is setting more stringent standards for when it will announce an initial screening test for mad cow disease has yielded a suspicious result, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. ...More

Doctors need to be careful about monitoring patients on heart drug: study

TORONTO (CP) - Deaths and hospitalizations rose dramatically among Ontario patients being treated with a drug touted in a clinical trial for the treatment of heart failure, a new study has found. ...More

Conjoined Filipino twins separated in New York operating room

NEW YORK (AP) - Two-year-old twins from the Philippines who were joined at the tops of their heads have been surgically separated, a hospital spokesman said. ...More

B.C. crack addicts want government-funded pipe kits, safe place to smoke

VANCOUVER (CP) - A new support group for crack cocaine users wants the government to establish a safe inhalation site to give crack users a spot to smoke up in safety without harassment from police. ...More

Bacterial infection kills 100 patients at Quebec hospital in 18 months: study

TORONTO (CP) - A bacterial agent commonly found in health-care settings has been blamed for the deaths of 100 patients in the last 18 months in a single Quebec hospital, says an infectious disease expert at the facility, who is calling for government action to forestall more outbreaks across the country. ...More

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Street youth more likely to die of suicide, drug overdose: Montreal study

TORONTO (CP) - Young people living on the streets of large cities have a far greater chance of dying compared with others in their age group, say Canadian researchers, who have identified several risky behaviours that may predict an early death. ...More

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Breast cancer research indicates benefits to sticking to treatment guidelines

TORONTO (CP) - Adhering to special after-surgery treatment guidelines for early-stage breast cancer improves survival rates and reduces the risk of reoccurrence, a Canadian study has found. ...More