Using powder-free latex gloves rather than those with cornstarch powder greatly reduced the number of workers’ compensation claims related to latex-related illness, a recent Geisinger study found.
Healthcare workers use latex gloves to reduce the spread of infection and disease when caring for patients. The gloves also protect workers from exposure to chemicals, bodily fluids and other potentially dangerous substances.
Often, a powder such as cornstarch (more…)

ImVisioN Therapeutics AG, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT™), today announced that it has obtained positive Phase I clinical results for its lead product, IVN201 (Cat-MAT), an immunotherapeutic product for the treatment of cat dander allergy.
The study was conducted from August 2008 to March 2009 in a total of 20 patients with allergy to cat dander. The results demonstrated an excellent safety (more…)

For the millions of Americans with food allergies, the importance of being educated about food allergy and prepared to treat a reaction is not to be underestimated. On March 28, the first of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network’s (FAAN) (more…)

A new study published in Epilepsia finds that the prevalence of depression is almost twice as high in people with epilepsy compared to the general population. Among those with epilepsy, racial minorities have seven times the odds of depression in comparison to the majority Caucasian population. The findings also show that 40 percent of depressed respondents with epilepsy were not accessing mental healthcare (more…)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-but not exposure to traumatic events without the development of PTSD-may be associated with subsequent attempted suicide in young adults, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Approximately 421,200 to 842,400 Americans age 15 to 24 (more…)

Some people overindulge on junk foods or needless shopping sprees when they feel depressed. Others lose control the minute they feel happy. Is there a way to avoid such extreme actions? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research demonstrates simple techniques that can help people act in their long-term interests rather than indulging in immediate pleasures.
"The recipe is simple," write (more…)

The following highlights efforts that seek to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.
Austin, Texas: City officials this month will begin a series of forums, called the "Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Initiative," which (more…)

The federal government should make preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and promoting mental health in young people a national priority, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. These disorders — which include depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, and substance abuse — are about as common as fractured limbs in children and adolescents. Collectively, they take a tremendous (more…)

The Institute of Race Relations has published a new report on the devastating impact on family life of Britain’s anti-terrorist control order and detention policy. The report, entitled ‘Besieged in Britain’, has been written by journalist and author Victoria (more…)

Frequent and/or long-term marijuana use may significantly increase a man’s risk of developing the most aggressive type of testicular cancer, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
The study results were published online Feb. 9 in the journal Cancer .
The researchers found that being a marijuana smoker at the time of diagnosis was associated with a 70 percent increased risk of testicular cancer. (more…)