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Alimta with cisplatin
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Alimta (pemetrexed disodium) for ...more |
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World Trade Center Asbestos
EPA collected wipe samples in a subset of the households that were...more |
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Diseases Caused By Asbestos Exposure
Pleural plaque is not cancer, and it does not cause cancer...more |
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Mesothelioma: A Killer
Lurks in the Lungs |
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Health Tip: Turn the Sound Down! |
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September 28, 2004 06:02:58 AM PDT , HealthDay |
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(HealthDayNews) -- Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by one-time exposure to a very loud sound, or by repeated exposure to loud sounds over an extended period, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Sound is measured in units called decibels. Normal conversation is about 60 decibels, the humming of a refrigerator is 40 decibels, and city traffic noise measures about 80 decibels.
Exposure to harmful sounds causes damage to the nerves and sensitive hair cells of the inner ear. Sources of loud noises that can cause hearing loss include motorcycles, firecrackers and firearms, all emitting sounds from 120 to 140 decibels. |
Health Tip: Certain Mushrooms Are Healthy |
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September 28, 2004 06:02:58 AM PDT , HealthDay |
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(HealthDayNews) -- Mushrooms aren't a vegetable, but this doesn't mean the non-poisonous varieties aren't good for you, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
A mushroom is a fungus that creates more mushrooms by releasing spores. They're found all over the world and are an honored food in some cultures.
Mushrooms are brimming with protein, B vitamins and minerals, and are low in calories. Cooked fresh mushrooms are the most nutritious, the CDC says.
You should never harvest wild mushrooms since they may well be poisonous. |
Tracking Down Deadly Poison |
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September 28, 2004 06:02:58 AM PDT , HealthDay |
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TUESDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDayNews) -- Two quick tests for the deadly botulinum toxin have been developed by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These new tests may prove useful in new technologies to fight bioterrorism or in the development of substances that can counter the toxic effects of botulinum toxin. Both tests are superior to current technologies to detect this lethal poison, according to the scientists who developed them.
One of the new tests is a real-time test that could be deployed in a kit and used in the field. It could potentially be used to protect food supplies, soldiers on the battlefield, or by emergency teams responding to a situation involving an unknown material. The old test takes days.
The second new test is a cell-based assay that lets scientists study the action of botulinum toxin in living cells. This technology could help scientists rapidly screen for chemicals that might counter the paralyzing effects of botulinum toxin.
The research appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about botulism. |
Undertreatment for lymphoma is 'alarming pattern'
Newsday
Nearly half of patients with an aggressive form of lymphoma did not receive the recommended dose of chemotherapy, researchers have found in an analysis of 567 oncology practices nationwide.
The undertreatment veers from a chemotherapy schedule set by national guidelines and reduces chances for remission or cure, doctors say.
"This is an alarming pattern," said Dr. Gary Lyman, lead investigator of the study and director of health services and outcomes at the Wilmot Cancer Center of the University of Rochester in New York.
Lyman and colleagues analyzed the cases of 4,522 people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, and discovered that 48% received less than 85% of the recommended chemotherapy dosage. Because the study included so many patients at a large number of oncology practices across the country, it is likely, Lyman said, that the tendency to undertreat is deeply ingrained and affects a vast number of patients with the disease.
The research team defined undertreatment as interruptions in care or reductions in dosage. Both occurred to avoid chemotherapy's nagging side effects. The standard of care involves powerful drugs infused and taken as pills over 24 weeks.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society estimates that 54,370 people will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma this year and that 19,410 patients will die of it.
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