MedicineWorld.Org brings daily society news from various sources to keep you updated on the latest events in the world on this topic. Medicineworld society news service is the most comprehensive society news service on the internet. We keep an archive of previous few days of news on this site. Please go down through the list to find the older news items. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT en-us http://medicineworld.org/images/Society-news.jpg 90 90 http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/supplying-prescriptions-as-three-month-supply.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/supplying-prescriptions-as-three-month-supply.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time. An analysis of 26,852 prescriptions filled for 395 different drugs from 2000-2005 showed that patients who purchased their drugs in three-month supplies rather than with one-month supplies saved on average 29% in out-of-pocket costs. After factoring in third-party payers, including Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies, total savings averaged 18%........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/transcendental-meditation-for-college-students.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/transcendental-meditation-for-college-students.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT The Transcendental Meditation technique appears to be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, as per a newly released study to be reported in the American Journal of Hypertension, December 2009. "The Transcendental Meditation Program, a widely-used standardized program to reduce stress, showed significant decreases in blood pressure and improved mental health in young adults at risk for hypertension," said David Haaga, PhD, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at American University in Washington, D.C........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/vitamin-a-deficiency-in-women.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/vitamin-a-deficiency-in-women.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Almost half of UK women could be suffering from a lack of vitamin A due to a previously undiscovered genetic variation, researchers at Newcastle University have found. The team, led by Dr Georg Lietz, has shown that almost 50 per cent of women have a genetic variation which reduces their ability to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin A from beta-carotene........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/liver-protective-effects-of-green-tea.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/liver-protective-effects-of-green-tea.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Several studies have shown that lipid peroxidation stimulates collagen production in fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells (HSC), and plays an important role in the development of liver fibrosis. Hepatoprotective effects of green tea against carbon tetrachloride, cholestasis and alcohol induced liver fibrosis were reported in many studies. However, the hepatoprotective effect of green tea in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced models has not been studied........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/as-women-age.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/as-women-age.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, researchers are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age. The discovery could lead to a simple, noninvasive test for better diagnosing and treating certain age-related diseases in women, they suggest in a report in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication. These diseases include lupus, Sjgrens syndrome (linked to dry mouth and dry eye), and other immune-related disorders that affect millions of women worldwide, often at higher rates than in men........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/hazards-of-outdoor-second-hand-smoke.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/hazards-of-outdoor-second-hand-smoke.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. The study, believed to be the first to assess levels of a nicotine byproduct known as cotinine in nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors, found levels up to 162 percent greater than in the control group. The results appear in the recent issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/to-reduce-marijuana-use.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/to-reduce-marijuana-use.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it. Continued marijuana use may result in many serious consequences including depression, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer. As such, it is critical to prevent marijuana use by adolescents and numerous behavioral and medical researchers have been trying to establish the best means of prevention........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/premature-birth-report-card.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/premature-birth-report-card.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT For the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a "D" on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, demonstrating that more than half a million of our nation's newborns didn't get the healthy start they deserved. In the 2009 Premature Birth Report card, seven states improved their performance by one letter grade and two fared worse. Criteria that affect preterm birth improved in a number of states:....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/engage-in-more-binge-drinking.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/engage-in-more-binge-drinking.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT A newly released study in the Journal of American College Health finds that students placed by their universities in coed housing are 2.5 times more likely to binge drink each week than students placed in all-male or all-female housing. More than 500 students from five college campuses around the country took part in the study:....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-cardiovascular-disease.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-cardiovascular-disease.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a newly released study by scientists at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/concerns-about-nanoparticles.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/concerns-about-nanoparticles.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, researchers are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage therapy plants their main gateway into the environment. Their study will be published online November 12 in ACS' journal Environmental Science and Technology....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/drug-ads-can-be-harmful-to-your-health.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/drug-ads-can-be-harmful-to-your-health.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT While the debate over prescription drug advertising persists, a newly released study released online in the American Journal of Public Health offers guidelines for improving drug ads in order to minimize potential harm and maximize benefits. The study reveals that while there are some benefits from prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), there are significant risks that are magnified by the prominence of DTCA........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/use-dark-chocolate-to-fight-stress.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/use-dark-chocolate-to-fight-stress.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT The "chocolate cure" for emotional stress is getting new support from a clinical trial published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research It observed that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed. Everyone's favorite treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/how-to-curb-health-care-expenses.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/how-to-curb-health-care-expenses.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Slowing the growth in U.S. health care spending will most likely require adoption of an array of strategies as well as an improved approach to moving promising strategies into widespread use, as per a new analysis by the RAND Corporation. The most-promising option for curbing health care spending is changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid to provide care, but implementing such a system must overcome significant obstacles in order to be successful, as per the study published online by the New England Journal (NEJM)....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/short-meditation-could-improve-pain.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/short-meditation-could-improve-pain.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:12 GMT Living with pain is stressful, but a surprisingly short investment of time in mental training can help you cope. A newly released study examining the perception of pain and the effects of various mental training techniques has observed that relatively short and simple mindfulness meditation training can have a significant positive effect on pain management........ ]]>