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Presents letters to the editor on medical topics as of August 24, 2002. Preventing stroke with ramipril; Trial which may clarify the use of lithium in bipolar disorder; Burden of illness and suicide in elderly people; Interpretation of exercise treadmill tests.

Presents news related to health and medicine in the United States and around the world as of January 2000. Issue on the reuse of hospital and clinic instruments despite single-use designation in Florida; World Health Organization's study on reassessing ways to reduce maternal mortality; Overview of the United Nations Children's Fund report `After the Fall: The Human Impact of Ten Years of Transition.'

Reports developments on medical information around the world. Famine in Africa; Outbreak of measles in New York; Identification of heart rhythm through supercomputers.

Reports developments related to the global health service operations as of January 1991. Guidelines set by the Royal College of Surgeons of England related to testing of HIV patients; Assessment on the medical practices employed in Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Australia, France and the U.S.; Statistical details on the emergence of HIV cases. INSETS: New AIDS figues;Neglected specimens.

Reports global developments related to science as of April 1994. Discovery of a telomerase enzyme along cells to replicate indefinitely; Interrelation between chemical exposure and breast cancer in the United States; Controversies over compulsory HIV testing in Australia.

Presents an interview with health commissioner Mark R. Chassin on medical care in New York. Profile of Chassin; Reasons for lack of access to health insurance; Process of making hospital care more efficient.

Reports several development related to medicine in Great Britain as of March 28 1992. Comparison between the infant mortality rates between white and black infants; Survey on the number of doctors who sexually abuse their patients; Increase in the birth rate among women in their 30s and 40s.

Reports developments on various issues related to medicine as of January 1992. Use of gene therapy to treat patients with life threatening diseases in Great Britain; Prevalence of family violence in the United States; Information on HIV infected people in Sri Lanka.

Reports developments related to medical science. Legislation to reduce road deaths in Australia; Compensation for HIV contaminated French victims through transfusion; Increase number of admitted patients in emergency rooms in New York.

Reports developments on medicine as of March 1991. Association of the development of mesothelioma with the degree of exposure to asbestos; Complaints on the unavailability of treatment for infertility within the National Health Service; Campaign against the risk of alcohol to health.

Reports developments related to medicine as of January 1990. Competition between hospitals; Occurrence of changes of the health care system; Estimation of sales of biotechnology pharmaceutical products.

Reports global developments related to medicine as of December 1994. Publication of death rates for National Health Service patients with health warning in Scotland; Prevalence of human rights abuses in Rwanda; Details on the management of acute back pain in Great Britain.

Reports global developments related to medicine as of November 1994. Compensation for patients contracted with hepatitis C from contaminated blood in Great Britain; Investigations on HIV infections in Germany; Approval of assisted suicide measure by voters in Oregon.

Reports developments related to medicine research. Decline in the number of hospital beds; Factors affecting the decrease in hospital beds; Improvement on the health system.

Reports developments related to medical research as of June 1994. Passage of a bill on trading of human organs; Legality of the involvement of doctors on direct patient care; Appointment of physician Ephraim Sneh as health minister.

Reports global developments related to medicine as of April 1994. Endorsement of a declaration on patients' right in Europe. Discrepancies in the performance of community and hospital services in England and Wales; Alteration in the compensation scheme of physicians in Australia.

Reports developments related to politics and medicine. Study on the effects of the government policy of increasing the price of cigarettes every year; Efforts of the Danish government to minimize smoking in Denmark; Announcement of a ban on smoking in the United States military.

Reports medical-related developments as of February 1994. Shortage of blood supply in the United States; Percentage of cesarean delivery in Florida; Establishment of environmental standard for benzene causing leukemia in Great Britain.

Reports medical sciences developments in Great Britain. Citation of boxing as cause of brain damage; Claims of the civil rights group on psychiatric care; Campaign against the marketing of baby milk formulas of Nestle.

Debates the issue of rationing in relation to the drug `viagra' also known as sildenafil citrate, in European Union countries. Speculation on how the cost of the drug may impact on Great Britain's health service; Reason reimbursement for the drug under France's social security's health insurance system is not allowed; Publication in Italian newspapers regarding the availability of the drug.

The article reports an increase in pressure in the U.S. for tighter restrictions on access to the anaesthetic propofol. The pressure was prompted by concerns on a growth in the number of healthcare professionals who are becoming addicted to the anaesthetic. Lethal levels of the drug was discovered in singer Michael Jackson's body. A warning was issued by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in July 2009 on the abuse of the drug by anesthesia professionals and other health care providers.

The article reports that U.S. President Barack Obama overturned a funding ban on international family-planning organizations that support a woman's right to abortion. The ban restricted these agencies from receiving foreign aid from the Agency for International Development. The President is quoted concerning the executive order and the Supreme Court's decision in the Roe v. Wade case. Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Population Action International are mentioned.

The article reports that plaintiff lawyers in a Michigan court withdrew all but one of 91 cases of asbestosis after court judge Robert Colombo Jr. was shown evidence that the occupational doctor Michael Kelly may have misdiagnosed many of the cases. Hospital staff radiologists who reviewed patient x rays found that 88% had no evidence of asbestosis.

The article reports that the medical records of the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama show that McCain has had multiple melanomas and that Obama uses nicotine replacement therapy. The records also show that McCain had problems with his joints. Obama's doctor reports that he is in excellent health.

The article reports on the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.'s decision to pay $58 million in a settlement related to its rofecoxib (Vioxx) advertising. The company agreed to the settlement to settle allegations that its advertising played down potential health risks associated with the drug and was deceptive to the public. The settlement, which is the largest in a multi state consumer protection case involving drugs, will end investigations into the advertising that were being conducted in 29 U.S. states.

The article reports on a decline in the number of walk in health clinics that are being opened in retail stores the United States in 2008. A discussion of financial problems which the clinics have seen as a result of slow return on their investments, and as a result of a lack of utilization by U.S. consumers, is presented. A slowing of expansion plans which has been seen at MinuteClinics, TakeCare and Little Clinic, the three major chains which operate the clinics, is examined. A discussion of the reasons behind the popularity of the clinics prior to 2008 is offered.

The article reports on a decision from 94% of patients suing Merck to accept a settlement agreement which the company offered to them. The litigants sued Merck as a result of developing side effects from the company's drug Vioxx. Merck announced the $4.98 billion settlement in November of 2007, and indicated that individual awards contained within it would range on average from $150,000 to $200,000. To receive the awards litigants must provide evidence of a Vioxx related heart attack or stroke, proof that they received at least thirty Vioxx pills, and evidence that they took at least one pill prior to their medical event.

The author reports that the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations has changed its code of ethics barring gifts or money from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to physicians that could influence their choice of drugs or devices for their patients. Large pharmaceutical companies sponsor free meals, expenses for travel, continuing medical education and free drug samples.

Presents medical-related news for the week of May 3, 2003. Patients with end stage ischaemic heart failure who had their own bone marrow injected into sites of myocardial ischaemia; Researchers from the United States and Australia who have found that deciduous teeth have robust stem cells in their dental pulp; Study that says that Alzheimer's disease can be fairly accurately diagnosed through measurement of concentrations in cerobrospinal fluid of two proteins associated with the illness; Announcement of an initiative to reduce HIV infections by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Federal government think tank in Australia that recommended that the state compensate doctors for administrative red tape; Helpline that has been established in England for people to report suspected adverse reactions to a drug; Announcement of lay people appointed to the General Medical Council; Decision of the French government to reduce the amount of subsidy it gives to drugs of only moderate medical usefulness.

Presents news briefs related to medicine as of June 26, 2002. Debate about a plan in Scotland to provide free personal care for older people; Mandatory nursing care insurance in Germany; Long term care for elderly people in Ireland; Others.

Offers medical news briefs for May 18, 2002. Review of the smallpox vaccination policy in the United States; Global campaign by the World Health Organization to eliminate lymphatic filariasis; Consideration of a proposal to tighten drug patent law in the U.S.; Indication that the detention policy for refugees in Australia puts their health at risk; Others.

Focuses on the high cost of prescription drugs for the aged in the United States (US). Actions taken by US President Bill Clinton to address the problem; Increase in the annual spending on medicines in the US; Legislative bills relating to Medicare and prescription drug coverage in the country.

Reports that the Colorado Board of Education passed a resolution which advised against the use of psychotropic drugs to deal with disruptive and problem behavior in children. Advice for teachers regarding problem behavior in schools; Study on the use of psychotropic drugs in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Alleged relationship between school violence and psychotropic drug use.

Focuses on the decision of the New York Court of Appeals on the case of a woman refusing medical treatment. Objection of the patient towards blood transfusion for religious reasons; Basis of the Supreme Court decision to override the right of the patient to refuse treatment; Criticisms on the failure of the Supreme Court to conduct a hearing.

Comments on domestic violence in the United States and the efforts made to combat this threat to women's health. Factors behind the rise of aggression and violence in the American society; Growth in authority of each person's `inner policeman' as the only permanent solution.

Reports on the start of a vaccination program against raccoon rabies in the United States. Cooperation of the Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine with the New York State in arranging an air drop of baits containing vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein; Approval of the vaccine by the US Department of Agriculture.

Reports on the disclosure made by the `Palm Beach Post' newspaper of the amount charged by at least 72 doctors in six states in the United States in 1992 for treating Medicare patients. Legal action taken by the newspaper's owners, Cox Newspapers, under the Freedom of Information Act to force the Health Care Financing Administration to provide the figures; Highlights of the newspaper report.

Reports on the anti-abortion malpractice program of Life Dynamics, a non-profit educational organization based in Denton, Texas. Organization founder Mark Crutcher; Increased number of abortion malpractice lawsuits in the United States; Comment from Pamela Maraldo, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Reports on the Senate Special Committee on Aging's hearing on the issue of health care fraud. Minimal chances for detection of the crime; Nature of majority of the fraud cases; Financial cost of health care fraud.

Reports the approval of blood test for prostatic cancer by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Accuracy of the combined blood test and rectal examination; Essentiality of conducting the tests; Opposition of the test by urologist.

Reports the call of the American Hospital Association for uniform system of hospital billing in the United States. Reason for the health reform proposal; Improvement of relationships between doctors and hospital staff; Information on the 'medical arm race' concept.

Reports the issuance of guidelines recommending the voluntary testing for HIV and hepatitis B virus among doctors by the Federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. Prohibition of doctors and dentists to perform invasive procedures; Recommendation of special examination for health care workers with AIDS; Reasons for issuing the guidelines.

Reports on the conviction of New York City-based doctor David Benjamin of murdering Guadalupe Negron, a Honduran immigrant who allegedly paid Benjamin $800.00 for an abortion. Laceration of Negron's cervix and perforation of the uterus; Jury's rejection of the charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

The article reports on a letter sent by the U.S. retail chain Walmart to President Barack Obama supporting a change in the law that would require employers to provide healthcare insurance to their workers. The letter was signed by several individuals, including chief executive Mike Duke, Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, and John Podesta of the Center for American Progress. The move by Walmart was criticized by Neil Trautwein, vice president of the National Retail Federation.

The article reports on the possibility that the actual number of people around the world that have been infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus could be much higher than official figures. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 12,954 cases of swine influenza had been confirmed in 46 countries and 92 people had died from the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that the country has had 6,764 swine flu cases. A potential situation has been outlined by WHO director general Margaret Chan.

The article presents an obituary for Michael Ellis DeBakey, former pioneering cardiovascular surgeon and inventor.

The article reports on a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision which was reached in 2008. In the decision the court voted to bar a lawsuit in a state court brought by the widow of a man injured by a cardiac catheter that had been made by Medtronic and had been approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With the decision the court reaffirmed the FDA premarket approval process which balances patient risks and benefits. The Medical Device Amendments of 1976 to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which gave the FDA the responsibility of overseeing the safety of medical devices, is discussed.