SPRINGFIELD, Ill.–(ENEWSPF)–June 16, 2011. Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director, today announced the first birds this year in Northern Illinois testing positive for West Nile virus were found in LaSalle County. “With the temperature heating up, we could see more West Nile virus circulating. In hotter weather we[Read More…]
Health and Fitness
Madigan Alerts Consumers to Dangers of Fuel Gel in Firepots
Chicago–(ENEWSPF)–June 16, 2011. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is urging consumers to immediately stop using fuel gels in firepots due to their serious potential for causing severe burns. Recent media reports have brought to light severe and even life-threatening burns and injuries suffered by people using the scented fuel gels, which[Read More…]
Key Step Identified in Legionnaire’s Disease Infection Process
Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–June 16, 2011. NIH researchers have uncovered a key step in the biochemical sequence the bacterium which causes Legionnaire’s disease uses to reproduce inside the cells it infects. The bacterium is known to activate a cell protein to help it hide from the cell’s defenses while it reproduces. In[Read More…]
NIH Researchers Identify New Marker to Predict Progressive Kidney Failure, Death
Bethesda, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–June 16, 2011. A high level of a hormone that regulates phosphate is associated with an increased risk of kidney failure and death among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of Miami and funded by the National Institute of[Read More…]
Obama Administration Releases National Prevention Strategy
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 16, 2011. Today, members of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, including Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin (Chair), as well as Senator Tom Harkin and Domestic Policy Council (DPC) Director Melody Barnes, announced the release of[Read More…]
USDA Loans, Grants Can Defray Cost for Radon Mitigation in Rural Low-Income Homes
SPRINGFIELD–(ENEWSPF)–June 14, 2011. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) strongly encourages everyone in Illinois to test their home for radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer. Thousands of people have tested their homes, and nearly 40 percent were found to have high levels of radon. Those[Read More…]
FDA Approves First Ceramic-On-Metal Total Hip Replacement System
Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–June 14, 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on June 13 the first ceramic-on-metal total artificial hip system for patients with osteoarthritis. Hip joints consist of bone in the shape of a ball at the top of the thighbone (femur) that fits into a rounded socket[Read More…]
FDA Approves New Test to Help Determine if Breast Cancer Patients are Candidates for Herceptin Treatment
Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–June 14, 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new genetic test that will help health care professionals determine if women with breast cancer are HER2-positive and, therefore, candidates for Herceptin (trastuzumab), a commonly used breast cancer treatment. The test, called Inform Dual ISH, allows[Read More…]
FDA Announces Changes to Better Inform Consumers About Sunscreen
Silver Spring, Maryland–(ENEWSPF)–June 14, 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that sunscreen products meeting modern standards for effectiveness may be labeled with new information to help consumers find products that, when used with other sun protection measures, reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging,[Read More…]
Federal Welfare Programs Can Have Negative Effects On Children’s Cognitive Scores
COLUMBIA, MO-(ENEWSPF)- The United States federal government supports many welfare and entitlement programs that attempt to eliminate poverty by providing financial assistance to families in need. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has found that requirements for some of these welfare programs can create stress on families, which[Read More…]
