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Three new Mayo Clinic studies find that REM (rapid eye movement) sleep behavior disorder is associated with anxiety, apathy, lower scores in attention and executive functioning, as well as symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Chicago on April 15. People who have REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) appear to act out their dreams, which often are unpleasant and violent.

Antidepressant use has likely accounted for only ten percent of therecent fall in suicide rates among middle aged and older people,according to a large study published in May 2008 in the Journal ofEpidemiology and Community Health. On a global scale, over 800,000 people commit suicide yearly, but thisrate has been falling in many countries.

Iomai Corporation (Nasdaq: IOMI) announced that it has received approval from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand its program to develop an immunostimulant adjuvant patch for use with an injected H5N1 influenza vaccine. This decision was based upon positive clinical data generated in a 500-subject, Phase 1/2 study recently completed by Iomai.

Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users. This risk is highest in the first week following prescription and decreases gradually thereafter. These findings are published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Antipsychotic drugs are frequently used in elderly patients for the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems associated with dementia and delirium.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Announces Its 2008 Research ... FOXBusiness - 5 hours ago

A major review suggests vitamin supplements do not prolong life and could even lead to a premature death.

Japan is to become the first country in the world to vaccinate thousands of health workers against bird flu.

Sen. Arlen Specter has recurrence of cancer Boston Herald, United States - 5 hours ago

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing and development of proprietary product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the fields of psychiatry and neurology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that it has accepted for filing the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for SILENOR™(doxepin hydrochloride).

Some women who carry the BRCA gene mutation, which predisposes to breast cancer, may choose to have a prophylactic mastectomy rather than undertake lifetime surveillance, a Dutch scientist will tell the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) today (Wednesday 16 April). The mastectomy option appears to give an excellent result in avoiding breast cancer, with a remaining risk of less than 1%, Dr.

Camden Primary Care Trust, supported by Jo's Trust, a cervical cancer charity, is spearheading a national Cervical Screening Awareness Week from the 21st to 27th April 2008. The campaign is being launched, to raise awareness of cervical cancer and to ensure that women aged between 25 and 64 years know how important it is to attend their cervical screening appointment when they are invited.

Children with mothers who have allergies or asthma have an increased risk of wheezing in the chest if they take part in baby swimming before 6 months of age. This is shown in a new study using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Study (MoBa) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH).The results come from a study of 30 000 participants from MoBa. Approximately 25 percent of these children took part in baby swimming from 0-6 months of age.

A retrospective analysis of anonymous oocyte (egg) donation cycles, comparing the pregnancy outcomes between vaginally-administered progesterone versus intramuscular (IM) progesterone injections, demonstrates that vaginally-administered progesterone and IM progesterone achieve equal pregnancy outcomes, according to data presented by Brian Berger, MD, Boston IVF, at the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society annual meeting in Rancho Mirage, CA.

The Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy (SHCA) will honor the United Health Foundation and Aging with Dignity today for the 500,000 Wishes Campaign - a grassroots effort to distribute half a million copies of the Five Wishes living will document in 20 foreign languages. The 2008 National Healthcare Consumer Advocacy Award, to be presented today in St.

Aerobic physical exercises that aim to improve cardiovascular fitness also help boost how fast you can think, manual dexterity and how well you can concentrate on visual and auditory tasks, concludes a Cochrane Review.This conclusion was drawn after Cochrane Researchers identified 11 studies that examined the effects of getting healthy people over the age of 55 to take on additional physical exercise.

The decreased incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States seen in 2002 and 2003 did not extend to women of African ancestry, researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center report at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego.Breast cancer incidence rates in U.S. women over 50 declined sharply during 2002 and 2003. But this decline, the researchers report, was confined to Caucasians.

Donations Pour In For Teen's April 16th NY Experience (PRWeb Apr 15, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/ComedyCures/cancer/prweb861694.htm