The collection of cord blood at birth in the UK is to be closely regulated for the first time.

The Philippines bans organ transplants for foreigners because of illegal trade of kidneys taken from the poor.

Scottish scientists find that binge eating and crash dieting may significantly reduce life expectancy.

A specific protein in the body may be the key to overcoming the increasing problem of resistance to HIV drugs, researchers say.

Doctors who take a few minutes to talk with patients about their smoking maybe passing along a leaflet or a sample of nicotine gum make a difference when it comes to helping them quit successfully, according to a recent review of studies. "Assuming an unassisted quit rate of 2 to 3 percent, a brief advice intervention can increase quitting by a further 1 to 3 percent," write reviewers led by Lindsay Stead, of the University of Oxford in England.

Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the hallucinogenic drug LSD, dies at the age of 102.

The Alabama Department of Public Health is encouraging all teenagers, including pregnant teens, to call the Alabama Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-Quit-Now, for help in quitting tobacco products. The department has launched a statewide campaign detailing the dangers of tobacco to teenagers, including pregnant teens. The department has produced a new Web page for teens on MySpace, http://www.myspace.

Local communities are in steady decline with new research showing one in four older people (25 per cent) think their community has changed for the worse in the last 10 years (1). The equivalent of nearly three million pensioners also said they are prevented from going out because there is nothing available in their local area.

In recognition of her tireless efforts to support the health, independence and well-being of older Americans, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will present its inaugural "Congressional Leadership Award" to Senator Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR) on May 1, during its Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting, which runs from April 30 through May 4, is the premier conference on aging research. Sen.

An estimated 90,000 visitors stroll, amble, walk, dash, and sprint through Washington DC's Union Station every day. To help ensure that fewer visitors fall -- in the station and elsewhere -- the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) will be offering free falls screening and falls prevention and other senior health information in the station's main hall May 2.

The cost of cancer care for elderly Medicare patients varies by tumor type, stage at diagnosis, phase of care, and survival, according to a new study published online April 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The 5-year cost is highest for patients with lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers. The estimated cost for 5 years of care for elderly Medicare patients diagnosed with cancer in 2004 is $21.1 billion.

US officials say Chinese-made ingredients for a blood-thinning drug may have been deliberately contaminated.

Junior doctors face tougher competition this year after a bid to give UK-trained medics priority in applying for jobs fails.

"Mind games may improve our performance at work", reads the headline in The Times. The newspaper reports that a new study has shown that volunteers who took part in "rigorous exercises designed to tax their mental agility… stimulated problem-solving abilities in the brain that can be applied to a variety of circumstances.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday during a national conference condemned the practice of sex-selective abortions and called for stricter enforcement of laws that prohibit the practice, the New York Times reports. During his first speech on the subject, Singh highlighted the "alarming" gender imbalance in the country. In 1981, 962 girls were born for every 1,000 boys.

There are significant discrepancies in black women's recollection of having had health screenings -- including tests for breast, cervical and colon cancer -- and their medical records, according to a small study published in the journal Oncology Nursing Forum, Reuters Health reports.

MedPage Today

The BBC hears that rising rates of child health issues in Afghanistan may be linked to depleted uranium weapons.

May is Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month in the United States. Since it's peak allergy season, it's a great time to increase public understanding of asthma and allergies, as well...

A lethal intestinal virus which has already claimed 20 lives could cause more deaths in eastern China.