Dimensions of the Local Health Care Environment and Use of Care by Uninsured Children in Rural and Urban Areas
Despite concerted policy efforts, a sizeable percentage of children lack health insurance coverage. This article examines the impact of the health care safety net and health care market structure on the use of health care by uninsured children [and concludes that U]ninsured children had low levels of utilization over a range of different health care provider types and settings. [Pediatrics, Vol. 117 No. 3, 3-06]
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Mammogram Radiation Does Not Raise Risk of Cancer in BRCA Mutation
Exposure to radiation through screening mammography does not contribute substantially to the burden of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, even when screening begins at an early age, investigators report in The Lancet Oncology, published online on March 22.
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Child's Death Prompts Recall-Excess Lead Found In Reebok Charm
Reebok International Ltd. yesterday announced a recall of 300,000 promotional charm bracelets after a 4-year-old died of lead poisoning within days of swallowing one of the heart-shaped charms.
Although health and safety officials said the death was highly unusual, the incident has renewed concerns about lead in children's products, especially jewelry.
Studies Spot Obstacle to Human Transmission of Bird Flu
HealthDay reported on March 22, 2006 that two new studies may explain why the H5N1 bird flu virus has yet to be transmitted human-to-human. The reports found that the H5N1 virus settles in cells deep within the lungs, rather than in the upper respiratory tract, where human flu virus settles. Human flu is usually transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the virus is released into the air. However, because the H5N1 virus is lodged deep in the lungs, it would not be released through coughing and sneezing. These findings may also explain why the virus has proven so lethal when it does get a foothold in humans. This means that, for the time being, human-to-human transmission of H5N1 is highly unlikely. However, it is possible that in the future the virus could go through mutations causing the H5N1 to settle in the upper respiratory tract rather than deep in the lungs.
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Spring Fever: Great For The Soul But Tough Times For Asthma & Allergies
American Lung Association Offers Healthy Checklist as Old and Young Prepare to Burst Outdoors
As winter-weary Americans burst outdoors to exercise, play and dig into yard work, and student athletes’ training transitions back out to fresh Spring air, millions of people may be at risk for flare-ups of lung disease due to high pollen levels and/or outdoor air pollution that can reach unhealthy levels any day. And scientific updates reported in the American Lung Association’s Lung Disease Data report confirm that our increase in outdoor activity can pose health problems for some if they aren’t prepared.
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New Two-Drug Treatment May Aid Asthma Sufferers
Researchers are working to develop a two-drug treatment that could improve breathing in people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Unlike current asthma medications, which ease breathing by reducing airway inflammation, the new treatment being developed works to reduce mucus production in airways. In research in mice and human cells, Dr. Michael Holtzman and colleagues found that some cells lining the air passages of the lungs transform into another cell type, resulting in an overabundance of mucus-producing in the airways. Those cells built up because of two cellular mechanisms, one that allowed for the prolonged survival of cells, and one that encouraged those cells to transform into mucus-producing cells. Dr. Holtzman is working to develop treatment to impede both these processes, and thereby reduce the overabundance of airway mucus in those with chronic lung disease.
For More Information please visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1567005
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