Medicaid paying for Viagra for sex offenders in New York
News-Medical.Net
According to an audit by the state's comptroller, a large number of convicted rapists and other high-risk sex offenders in New York have been getting Viagra on Medicaid for the last five years. The audits by comptroller Alan Hevesi's office showed that between January 2000 and March 2005, 198 sex offenders in New York received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions, and this included those convicted of crimes against children as young as 2 years old.
Student eyes future as nurse serving God
St. Petersburg Times
Hernando Christian Academy valedictorian Dasha Eyers has a clear vision of where she's going in life. Some of the details may change along the way, but the 18-year-old believes that "serving God and serving others for him," is what her life's about. Dasha has chosen nursing as a way to answer the call to missionary work.
Nursing teacher shortage pinches ECC
Perpetuates national need for nurses
The Beacon News
Despite a continuing nationwide nursing shortage, Elgin Community College was only able to accept 80 out of 300 applicants to its professional nursing program for the upcoming fall semester. While some of the applicants were rejected because they weren't qualified, Associate Dean of Health Professions Phyllis D. Thomson said many were turned away simply because ECC does not have enough teachers to educate them.
Oral Contraceptives Boost Herpes Shedding
MedlinePlus
NEW YORK -- For women with genital herpes, taking oral contraceptives can double the likelihood of actively shedding the virus and so passing on the infection, a new study shows. The risk is also roughly doubled when women have bacterial vaginosis -- vaginal infection characterized by heavy discharge -- or when the vagina is colonized by group B strep.
Halting Oral Contraceptives: Effects Linger
WebMD Medical News
A new study of women with female sexual dysfunction shows that some hormonal effects seen with oral contraceptives don't disappear right away. The findings were reported in Washington at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' 14th Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress.
Boys, Too, Suffer Long-Term Consequences of Sexual Abuse
News-Medical.Net
Children of both genders are frequently victims of sexual abuse, and the long-term consequences are nearly identical in men and women, according to a broad-based new report in the June 2005 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Among participants in the study of more than 17,000 California adults, 25 percent of females and 16 percent of males reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse. Moreover, say the authors, sexual abuse significantly increases the risk of developing health and social problems - such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and marital strife - in both men and women.
Breast Implant Maker Accused of Cover-Up
WJLA-TV Washington D.C.
Washington -- Two former employees of a breast-implant manufacturer alleged the company covered up high rupture rates and workers were so fearful of bosses finding defective implant parts that they hid the parts in the ceiling. The allegations are contained in a 2003 lawsuit against the Mentor Corp. which recently won a recommendation from federal scientific advisers that the government let the company resume widespread sales of its devices under certain conditions. The suit was dismissed.
FDA imposes restrictions on Accutane
The Cosmetic Site
Starting in July, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration will implement new restrictions on isotretinoin, the drug more commonly known as Accutane, after it has been linked to birth defects in children of women using the drug during pregnancy. The drug is also under investigation for causing depression and suicidal behavior in teens using the prescription acne medication.
FDA Warns Against Abuse of Dextromethorphan (DXM)
FDA press releases
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned about the abuse of dextromethorphan (DXM), a synthetically produced ingredient found in many over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold remedies. The agency is working with other health and law enforcement authorities to address this serious issue and warn the public of potential harm, after five recently reported deaths of teenagers that may be associated with the consumption of powdered DXM sold in capsules.
U.S. Surgeon General Issues Second
'Healthy Dozen' List - Toddlers
Mental Help Net
WASHINGTON -- As parents and children look forward to summer fun, U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., today outlined a dozen tips to help keep toddlers safe and healthy. This is the second in a series of "Healthy Dozen Tips" that Dr. Carmona will release as part of "The Year of the Healthy Child" agenda.
Feds Eye Medicare Handbook Before Release
ABC News
WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials are revising the draft of a Medicare handbook to give a more clear explanation of new rules on benefits, particularly on prescription drugs, before it is sent to millions of elderly Americans.
Churches Recruited in $2.5 Million
Project to Fight Against Cancer
New York Newsday
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Researchers from three South Carolina universities are working with the Baptist Education and Missionary Convention as part of a project to educate blacks about cancer. The $2.5 million project hopes to reach 500,000 members of the 1,500 congregation that belong to the convention in South Carolina.
New Test Spots Early Prostate Cancer
Reuters Health
NEW YORK -- A new blood test that detects early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) promises to be a "powerful complement" to standard prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for identifying patients with prostate cancer, researchers report. Dr. Robert H. Getzenberg from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore predicts, "once this test is refined and approved for general use, it will have an impact on the detection and treatment of prostate cancer."
