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U.S. Nook of Commerce President Thomas Donohue on Tuesday “expressed skepticism” surrounding health nurse plans proposed by leading Democrats but also “didn’t warmly embrace” presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) plan while speaking at a reporters’ roundtable, CQ HealthBeat reports.

Donohue defended employer-based trim care, saying that “if you’ve got 177 million people covered today, I wouldn’t give that away too soon.” McCain’s proposal would give levy breaks to U.S. residents regardless of whether they get hold of coverage through an employer or although the nongroup market.

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Donohue and other business leaders agreed that healthfulness care is a climb predominance for their members. Manner, he said the pinpoint of health attention reform should not like it be on all the uninsured because many of the uninsured can afford coverage or are eligible also in behalf of oversight programs — such as Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP — but are not enrolled. Donohue also said he would consider government mandates for the sake individuals and mid- to large-take the measure of employers but said the role of government in such a group needs to be examined.

According to CQ HealthBeat, Donohue “sharply criticized the clue of a big government-run system.” Donohue asked, “Ever bother your license renewed?” adding, “I’m not sure that’s the warm-hearted of health care we want.” According to Donohue, Canada’s government-run all-inclusive coverage system is built on the premise that “if you’re sick, go to the Mutual States for care” (CQ HealthBeat, 6/17).

‘Checklist for Change’
Ten female Democratic senators on Thursday unveiled a “checklist for change” that addressed making health care more affordable, creating universal health care and other issues, The Hill reports. According to The Hill, the checklist is an attempt by the senators to ensure that women who previously supported former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) do not vote for McCain. According to The Hill, “Democrats are concerned that women who believe that Clinton was the victim of sexism during the primaries might vote for McCain, who is courting that voting bloc heavily.” The Hill reports that the checklist did not include abortion-rights issues, but Democrats later said that abortion rights were included in the universal health care issue.

Group leader Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said Clinton supports the checklist, adding, “This is a way to show that whether you were for Hillary or whether you were for [presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.)], that we’ve come together on this checklist for change. It’s all part of the momentum.” According to The Hill, the 10 senators plan to reiterate the checklist on the Senate floor, at campaign rallies and at the Democratic National Convention (Raju, The Hill, 6/17).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Amicus Therapeutics
Inc. (Nasdaq: FOLD), a biopharmaceutical gathering developing uncomfortable-molecule,
orally administered pharmacological chaperones for the treatment of human
genetic diseases, announced undeniable interim results from a Gradually eliminate 2
clinical trial of Plicera(TM) (isofagamine tartrate) owing Gaucher disease.

The results will be discussed as a part of a visuals by John F.
Crowley, President and Chief Government Officer at the 26th Annual JPMorgan
Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA at 11:30 am (Pacific Stanchion
Time) at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Summary of Interim Turn over Results

The primary objective of this study is to appraise safety and
tolerability of different doses and dosing regimens of Plicera. The
secondary objective is to evaluate certain pharmacodynamic measures of
treatment, including effects on GCase (the enzyme faulty in Gaucher
patients) levels in corpse-like blood cells.

Thirty individuals with Gaucher disease currently receiving enzyme
replacement cure were enrolled in this observe and enrollment is complete.
The protocol required that patients the meanwhile restrain enzyme replacement
therapy with Cerezyme(R) (imiglucerase) to hear Plicera for the sake 4 weeks.

Interim data are convenient for 16 women and 4 men between the ages of
18 and 63. The patients had 10 sundry mutations and on mean were on
enzyme replacement therapy with Cerezyme(R) for 10 years prior to the
study.

The interim findings from the trial are:

- Plicera was generally well-tolerated at all doses evaluated. No serious
adverse events have been reported.

- GCase activity as measured in white blood cells was increased in 15 of
the 20 patients. The 5 patients without a clear increase were in either
the lowest dose cohort or the troop dosed least often.

“We are simple encouraged by these early results in this first sanctum sanctorum of
Plicera in patients with Gaucher Illness who have switched nutty of
Cerezyme(R) to Plicera,” said John F. Crowley, President and CEO of Amicus
Therapeutics. “We look pert to presenting the terminal information at ACMG and to
moving this program forward as like a bat out of hell as possible for people living with
Gaucher disease.”

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Amicus expects that the complete results will be presented at the
American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) Annual Meeting on March 12-16,
2008, in Phoenix, Arizona.

As of November 2007, Plicera is being developed in partnership with
Shire Human Genetic Therapies (HGT), a business part of Shire plc, which is
focused on genetic diseases.

Round Gaucher Disease

Gaucher illness is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by inherited
genetic mutations in the GBA gene, which denouement develop in flawed activity of
the enzyme acid beta-glucosidase, also known as glucocerebrosidase (GCase).
Deficient GCase activity leads to lysosomal accumulation of
glucocerebroside innards everted positive cells, which is believed to cause the
many symptoms of Gaucher infection, including an enlarged liver and
spleen, abnormally low levels of red blood cells and platelets and skeletal
complications. In some cases there is significant lessening of the principal
nervous system.

Gaucher illness is estimated to stir around 10,000 people in
the developed world. The U.S. Subsistence and Drug Administration’s Post of
Orphan Products Maturity has granted orphan drug designation someone is concerned the
occupied ingredient in Plicera in the United States and the European
Commission has designated Plicera as an orphan medical offshoot in the
European Union.

Far Amicus Therapeutics

Amicus Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical convention developing novel,
oral therapeutics known as pharmacological chaperones fit the treatment of
a range of child genetic diseases. Pharmacological chaperone technology
involves the use of tiny molecules that selectively bind to and stabilize
proteins in cells, supreme to improved protein folding and trafficking, and
increased activity. Amicus is initially targeting lysosomal storage
disorders, which are severe, continuing genetic diseases with unmet medical
needs. Amicus has completed State 2 clinical trials of Amigal for the sake the
treatment of Fabry disease and is conducting State 2 clinical trials of
Plicera(TM) seeking the treatment of Gaucher disease. The Company has completed
Phase 1 clinical trials of AT2220 for the treatment of Pompe contagion.

Forward-Looking Statements

Amicus cautions you that statements included in this press release that
are not a description of true facts are “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of Section 21E of the Restricted Securities Litigation
Reform Impersonate of 1995. Words such as, but not small to, “look forward to,”
“believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “targets,”
“likely,” “will,” “would,” “should,” and “could,” and nearly the same expressions
or words identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements are based upon current expectations that concern risks, changes
in circumstances, assumptions and uncertainties. The grouping of
consign-looking statements should not be regarded as a replica by
Amicus that any of its plans pleasure be achieved. Any or all of the
forward-looking statements in this press release may pivot out to be opprobrious.
They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions Amicus dominion make or by
known or unfamiliar risks and uncertainties. In favour of example, with show consideration to
statements anent the potential burgeoning and results of clinical trials,
tangible results may differ materially from those coterie forth in this release
due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the calling of Amicus,
including, without limitation: the effect of the completion of the Discontinue 2
clinical trial for Amigal for the treatment of Fabry disease, the plans in place of
the Phase 3 clinical trial owing Amigal, the Phase II clinical trials in search
Plicera(TM) on account of the treatment of Gaucher disease, and the aftermath of the
completion of the Phase I clinical trials for AT2220 suited for the treatment of
Pompe disease may not proceed in the timeframes or in the manner Amicus
expects or at all. Further, the results of earlier clinical trials may not
be predictive of future results; Amicus and its licensors may not be masterful
to get, maintain and successfully enforce adequate plain and other
thinker property protection of its product candidates; and other risks
detailed in the public filings of Amicus with the Securities and Interchange
Commission. You are cautioned not to state undue reliance on these forward-
looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-
looking statements are qualified in their integrity by this cautionary
statement and Amicus undertakes no obligation to revise or update this low-down
release to reflect events or circumstances after the period hereof. This
monition is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Amicus Therapeutics Inc.
http://www.amicustherapeutics.com

More than 35 percent of people living in the New Orleans metropolitan area developed
mind-set disorders after Gale Katrina, a reborn survey reveals. But two received treatment, believing their
problems would improve terminated period on their own. In as well, the look into found that view form services in metro
New Orleans were disrupted (either reduced or terminated) inasmuch as 30 percent of those already receiving treatment,
largely because of practical barriers, such as an incompetence to pay for the treatment of treatment, or because of a shortage of present
treatment.

Philip S. Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H., director of the Split of Services and Intervention Research at the National
Start of Batty Health, and his colleagues from the Whirlwind Katrina Community Prediction Group detail their
findings in “Disruption of Existing Temperament Health Treatments and Remissness to Initiate Experimental Treatments After
Tornado Katrina.” The report is published online by The American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP), the stiff
journal of the American Psychiatric Association (http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/pap.dtl). Available online tipsy
AJP in Advance, the report wish rise in the January 2008 print edition of the journal.

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Wang and his colleagues surveyed 1,043 residents living in counties of Alabama and Mississippi and parishes in
Louisiana defined by the Federal Emergency Bosses Intercession as directly stilted by Hurricane Katrina in
2005. The residents were assessed via a phone survey in primordial 2006 using the K-6 screening scope, a six-sound out
short-behaviour length of mental distress that screens over the extent of thirst and feeling ready disorders.

The researchers found that the hurricane’s impact on residents of the Chic Orleans metropolitan area and the
respondents in other stirred areas differed significantly. For example, 36 percent of those responding to the study
in the New Orleans metropolitan square footage screened positive for a new disorder following the gale. Lone 14 percent
of those surveyed outside the metropolitan area screened positive for a modern disorder. Of those surveyed who had
been receiving treatment for a mentally ill disorder ahead of Typhoon Katrina, 30 percent of those in the New Orleans
area were faced with a reduction or termination of their treatment after the hurricane, compared with 21 percent of
those away.

Only 19 percent of the people whose disorders developed after Tornado Katrina received treatment. However, the
low treatment judge was the after all is said, regardless of whether or not the respondents lived in the New Orleans square or in
other touched regions.

The most common argument respondents gave for not receiving treatment for warm problems arising after the
hurricane was the belief that their harass would improve over pro tempore. However, this response was somewhat less
community mass New Orleans area residents than mass respondents absent. Those in the Redone Orleans metro
area were more likely to report problems with financing and availability of treatment. The likelihood of receiving
treatment for late disorders was tone down for nonwhite New Orleans respondents and those without health insurance.

Total people in the New Orleans area who had been receiving treatment as mental disorders before Twister
Katrina, the main reasons given for disruption of treatment were bring in and lack of availability. Notwithstanding those farthest New
Orleans, transportation was an additional painfulness. Those who were younger and had tone down pre -whirlwind family
income were more likely to not receive treatment for preexisting disorders.

AJP managing editor-in-chief Robert Freedman, M.D., famed, “Mental trim needs increasing during disasters, because the persons
most directly affected by the devastation, as manifestly as for the purpose persons who were receiving treatment before the catastrophe.
Hurricane Katrina is a benchmark into future efforts to improve act of God relief. This paper establishes the benchmark
after the convalescence of essential mental health services.”

Of the Katrina survivors who received treatment as a service to either new or preexisting tense disorders, the majority were
treated by general medical practitioners degree than psychiatrists. Medication was the most common personification of
treatment for those treated by general practitioners as manifestly as those treated by psychiatrists.
“These results highlight the enormous problem of unmet basic for barmy health treatment in the Gap square, a
problem that not only continues to be, but is growing more than two years after Hurricane Katrina. We need
artistic solutions to block and tackle this emotionally upset and we extremity them quickly,” said Ronald Kessler, Ph.D., leader of the
Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Collection survey team and professor of Health Regard Policy at Harvard Medical
Kind.

The Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Unit is supported by the Nationalist Institute of Mental Health, with
supplemental support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Assistant Secretary in favour of Planning
and Estimate, Conditioned by trust in of Health and Kindly Services. Additional financial disclosures appear at the destroy of
the article itself.

In all directions the American Register of Psychiatry

The American Annal of Psychiatry, the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association, publishes a monthly issue with
scientific articles submitted by psychiatrists and other scientists worldwide. The marchioness review and editing process is conducted
independently of any other American Psychiatric Conjunction component. Therefore, statements in this press unloose or the
articles in the Journal are not pompous management statements of the American Psychiatric Association.

The Journal’s column policies conform to the Uniform Requirements of the Universal Committee of Medical Annual Editors,
of which it is a fellow.

AJP in Advance is a legitimate online feature within which original research articles accepted inasmuch as publication in The American
Journal of Psychiatry are posted up ahead of their appearance in printed matter. AJP in Advance articles get been colleague reviewed, copyedited,
and approved by authors. Articles in AJP in Advance may be cited by using the year they were posted online and their unrivalled
digital refuse identifier (DOI).

For further knowledge about the Journal visit http://www.ajp.psychiatryonline.org.

About the American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Comradeship is a state medical specialty society whose more than 38,000 physician members
specialize in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and scrutinization of mentally ill illnesses including make-up urgency disorders. Assail the APA
at http://www.psych.org and http://www.HealthyMinds.org.

Intake of magnesium by way of diet and supplements is emphatically associated with bone density throughout the whole substance, particularly in older unblemished adults, according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers demand the effects are similar to that of calcium.

Beyond 2,000 infernal and white men and women ages 70-79 years old were asked to performed a questionnaire to determine how much magnesium they were receiving from edibles and various supplements. Additionally, researchers performed bone mineral density tests on the participants.

The study revealed that those who ingested more magnesium had significantly higher bone density than those who got the least amount of magnesium. For every 100 milligram per day extend in magnesium intake, information showed a 1% increase in bone density.

How in the world, this connector was single true for the older white men and women. Above-named research has demonstrated that hyacinthine men and women may method vitamin D and other calcium regulating hormones differently than whites, therefore possibly explaining the deficit of association between magnesium and bone density bulk them in this study.

“Although this [1% increase] seems small, increases across a population may maintain large public health impact,” states lead researcher Kathryn M. Ryder.

The recommended daily allowance of magnesium is 320 mg/day exchange for women and 420/mg day for men in this age bring. Most people in this age group bring back everywhere a beyond less than this routine amount.

This analyse is published in the Daily of the American Geriatrics Society. For more information on this topic and to read additional patient-friendly summaries of articles in the Quarterly of the American Geriatrics Society, will visit healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/research.asp.

Beguile researcher Kathryn M. Ryder, MD, MS is convenient for questions and interviews and can be reached at kryder@utmem.edu. She is currently affiliated with the University of Tennessee Vigorousness Skill Center, Departments of Prescription and Prophylactic Medicine. Dr. Ryder is currently running a study of 75 men and women during the course of the age of 55 which will be the largest randomized double-blind placebo controlled study of the impact of magnesium on bone formation and injury.

About the Journal of the American Geriatrics Verein
The Quarterly of the American Geriatrics Society publishes articles that are germane in the broadest terms to the clinical care of older persons. Such articles may cross a variety of disciplines and fields and may be of immediate, intermediate, or extensive-term potential benefit to clinical rule.

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About the American Geriatrics Society

The American Geriatrics Upper crust (AGS) is the highest-ranking professional organization of salubrity care providers dedicated to improving the health and agreeable-being of all older adults. With an hyperactive membership of all through 6,000 health care professionals, the AGS has a long experience of effecting change in the rations of health care in behalf of older adults. In the last decade, the Circle has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies and practices regarding trim provide for against older people. Visit www.americangeriatrics.org for more information.

Apropos Blackwell Publishing

Blackwell Publishing is the world’s leading elite publisher, partnering with more than 600 unpractical and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 750 journals annually and, to woman has published close to 6,000 text and reference books, across a wide range of theoretical, medical, and gifted subjects.

Sharon Agsalda
medicalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.sifter
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
blackwellpublishing.com

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ANPI, TSX: ANP), a global specialty pharmaceutical and
medical device company, announced that the U.S. Food and Sedative
Administration (FDA) has given space to begin marketing the
Hemo-Stream(TM) dyed in the wool dialysis catheter.

The Hemo-Stream catheter, developed by Rex Medical, LP, is the first
chronic hemodialysis catheter specifically designed for over with-the-wire
delivery. Its advantages list higher flow rates payable to its triple lumen
map, reduced covert for air embolism or bleeding, decreased
procedural steps and one day versus competition, and assuage of catheter
placement. Dialysis catheters, such as Hemo-Beck, are used conducive to short term
vascular access to attend to arrange for hemodialysis patients with the dialysis they
require.

In April 2007, Angiotech entered into an compact with Rex Medical
whereby Rex Medical granted Angiotech an sole license to demand and
distribute the Hemo-Tide catheter worldwide.

“The Hemo-Brooklet catheter is a basic complement to the vascular graft
business we acquired from Edwards and our Vascular Wrap AV access trials
which are currently enrolling,” said Dr. William Nimrod, President and CEO
of Angiotech. “With upward of 500,000 End Stage Renal Disease patients in the
U.S., Angiotech is focused on the maturing and commercialization of
innovative dialysis care products that improve the treatment options
at to hemodialysis patients and vascular surgeons.”

It is expected that Hemo-Cataract catheters will be available for
commercial sale in the U.S. later this year.

In all directions Rex Medical, LP

Rex Medical, LP, based in Conshohocken, PA, is a privately held medical
device group specializing in the unfolding, manufacturing and marketing
of minimally invasive medical devices targeted towards the cardiovascular,
venous access, endosurgery and oncology markets.

Note on Advance Looking Statements

Statements contained in this hurry release that are not based on
real fact, including without limitation statements containing the
words “believes,” “may,” “plans,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,”
“anticipates,” “intends,” “expects” and similar expressions, constitute
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Reclusive
Securities Legal remedy Reform Act of 1995 and constitute “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All
such statements are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of
suited securities legislation. Forward-looking statements in this
release categorize but are not narrow to statements anyhow; financial
benefits to Angiotech that could potentially be realized from Angiotech’s
sale of the Hemo-Stream merchandise, the ability of Angiotech to commercialize
the Hemo-Stream product and to develop and commercialize any continual
consequence lines, that a substantial market exists for the product, and that
the spin-off resolve mount as expected. Such forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
induce the actual results, events or developments to be basically different
from any time to come results, events or developments expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements. Varied such risks, uncertainties and other
factors are taken into account as part of our assumptions underlying these
into the open-looking statements and include, among others, the following;
general fiscal and business conditions, both nationally and in the
regions in which we handle; market insist on; technological changes that
could hit our existing products or our skills to develop and
commercialize future products; championship; existing governmental
regulations and changes in, or the lemon to comply with, governmental
regulations; decisions, and the timing of decisions, made by health
regulatory agencies regarding approval of our technology and products; the
requirement by reason of substantial funding to conduct probe and maturity and
to expand commercialization activities; and any other factors that may
affect exhibit. In addition, our business is dominate to certain
operating risks that may reason the true to life results expressed or implied by
the forward-looking statements in this report to differ materially from our
factual results. These operating risks take in; poor performance of the
product in the clinical home; adverse events related to the use of the
product; uncalled-for estimate of the extent of the market for the artefact;
adverse results or unexpected delays in clinical development processes; our
ability to attract and impress on the memory talented personnel; our capability faculty to
successfully absolute preclinical and clinical phenomenon of our products;
changes in house procedure or development plans; our failure to be prevalent
patent protection for discoveries; collapse of palpable protection resulting from
third party challenges to our patents; commercialization limitations
imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; our ability to
obtain rights to technology from licensors; exposure on patent claims and
other claims asserted against us; our facility to obtain and support timely
patent and other scholar land guardianship into our technology and
products; the ability to enter into, and to maintain, corporate alliances
relating to the maturation and commercialization of our technology and
products; market acceptance of our technology and products; our skill to
successfully manufacture, market and sell our products; the continued
availability of leading to bankroll our activities; and any other factors
referenced in our annual information turn out and other filings with the
applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities or the SEC.

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Given these uncertainties, assumptions and risk factors, readers are
cautioned not to town undue confidence on such brazen-looking statements.
We disclaim any bond to update any such factors or to publicly
announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking
statements contained in this outline to bring future results, events
or developments.

Hemo-Stream(TM) is a trademark of Rex Medical, LP used under license by
Angiotech.

About Angiotech

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical
and medical device concern with all through 1,500 dedicated employees. Angiotech
discovers, develops and markets innovative treatment solutions for the sake diseases
or complications associated with medical device implants, surgical
interventions and acute outrage. To find out more about Angiotech (NASDAQ:
ANPI, TSX: ANP), suit take in our website at http://www.angiotech.com.

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.angiotech.com

Following the ad by officials in South Korea of another bird flu outbreak, 5.3 million birds are expected to be culled to control the spread of the deadly virus.

This latest outbreak in South Korea is the 17th case of bird flu in three weeks and is the country’s fastest and biggest ever outbreak of avian influenza.

Officials at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries say that the case which tested positive for the H5N1 virus, appeared on a chicken farm in Jeongeup, in North Jeolla province, four kilometers away from the area where the nation’s third case of bird flu for this year was reported.

Although most of the cases had been concentrated in South and North Jeolla provinces, in South Korea’s southeastern area, a recent outbreak in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers from Seoul, raised concerns that bird flu might be spreading rapidly across the country.

Since the beginning of April South Korea has culled 4.86 million chickens and ducks as the highly virulent H5N1 strain of the virus, which first appeared in the southwest, has now surfaced in five provinces.

According to the agriculture ministry all of the country’s 260 duck farms will be checked as a preemptive measure and quarantines and restrictions will continue.

The military has become involved with soldiers drafted to the Jeolla province in the north which has been badly affected, to help with the culling process and the disposal of the birds.

To date South Korea has been forced to kill 5.29 million birds in its first outbreak in late 2003 and early 2004, and about half that number were culled in the second outbreak in 2006-2007.

At present, according to World Health Organisation, no human deaths from the disease have been reported in South Korea but worldwide 240 human deaths have occurred of 381 confirmed cases of infection since 2003.

The ministry has estimated that the bird flu outbreak has inflicted $30 billion in damages as millions of birds have been culled and buried and falling demand for both chicken and duck meat has also affected the poultry industry.

Skipping breakfast and snacking on sugary and fatty foods could be fuelling Britain’s rising portliness rates among the beneath the waves 25s.

A new survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK into the nation’s breakfast habits discovered that nearly half the 16-24 age group miss breakfast - the first and most important meal of the day - at least twice a week.

The survey, commissioned to raise awareness of the charity’s annual Britain’s Biggest Breakfast campaign, also showed that 85 per cent of under 25s questioned admitted to snacking, with fatty and sugary foods, such as crisps, biscuits, cakes and sweets favourites to keep mid-morning hunger at bay.

Professor Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK’s health behaviour research centre, said: “There is still widespread ignorance that being overweight or obese increases the risk of a number of cancers. We know obesity rates are rising in the UK and research has shown that this trend begins early in life.

“Children who are overweight or obese are likely to grow into obese adults whose risk of cancer and other diseases is increased because of the extra weight they are carrying. This survey reflects the worrying trend that too many young people miss breakfast only to resort to sugary and fatty snacks when they get hungry. These habits can be hard to break.”

Cancer Research UK carried out the survey of over 2,000 people to promote Britain’s Biggest Breakfast. The charity is calling for people across the UK to celebrate Britain’s Biggest Breakfast’s tenth anniversary by throwing a breakfast ‘party’ to raise money for research into all types of cancer.

TV presenter Amanda Hamilton, one of the UK’s leading nutritionists and Britain’s Biggest Breakfast supporter, said: “A healthy breakfast is important as part of a balanced diet and is an excellent way to start the day.

“This campaign is a great way of showing both parents and kids that healthy eating isn’t boring and hopefully it will encourage families to all sit down and eat breakfast together.”

Among those that skip breakfast, more than a third (37 per cent) claim the reason is lack of time.

But there is some good news about Britain’s breakfast habits. Only four percent of people opt for the traditional cooked breakfast. Instead, more than half (57 per cent) opted for cereal or porridge and a further 16 per cent chose toast as their preferred start to the day.

Experts estimate that about a quarter of all cancer deaths are caused by unhealthy diets and obesity. The event aims to show people how eating a healthy breakfast, as part of a balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables, can help reduce your risk of cancer.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

The Food and Drug Charge (FDA) is implementing a nationwide information stump to give rise to awareness at hand the resources accessible to address questions related to the benefits and risks of hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.

According to Census data from 2000, there are about 37.5 million women reaching or currently at menopause (ages 40 to 59). FDA wants women to be informed about new and emerging safety information about menopausal hormone treatment.

“Menopausal hormone therapy like all medications has benefits and risks which is why it is important for FDA to provide the latest, most helpful information to assist women in making the best decision to fit their needs,” said Dr. Susan Wood, Assistant Commissioner of FDA’s Office of Women’s Health. She continued, “FDA’s main message is: If you choose to use hormones for treating symptoms of menopause, use them at the lowest dose that helps for the shortest time needed.”

The FDA and its partners are working to distribute education materials to help women make informed decisions about their health. These materials address questions of concern to perimenopausal and menopausal women considering the use of hormone therapy for relief of their symptoms. This science-based information has been developed in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and other agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The campaign helps clarify the National Institutes of Health findings from their landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) studies about the benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy. This research dramatically changed the previous knowledge base about use of hormone therapy. Women now have questions about what these findings mean for them.

The conclusions from WHI clinical studies showed that women using estrogen with or without progestin may increase their chances of strokes and blood clots. Using estrogen with progestin also increased a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer and heart attacks, but using estrogen alone did not. For women with a uterus on hormone therapy, a combination of estrogen plus progestin is prescribed. Progestin prevents the overgrowth of the lining of the uterus, which can lead to cancer, a known risk of estrogen. For women who have had a hysterectomy, hormone therapy consists of estrogen alone. Using estrogen with or without progestin may increase the risk of dementia in women age 65 years or older. Estrogen, either alone or with progestin, decreased women’s chances of developing weak bones. Estrogen with progestin decreased the risk of colorectal cancer in women.

http://www.fda.gov

Plumpness is associated with a 25 percent increase in the jeopardy of developing feeling ready and anxiety disorders and a 25 percent decrease in likeliness for solidity abuse, according to a paper in the July outflow of Archives of General Psychiatry.

About 31 percent of all U.S. adults were obese in 2000, an increase from 23 percent in 1990, according to background information in the article. Obese adults are at higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other harmful conditions. Previous studies have suggested a link between obesity and depression, but little research has examined the associations between obesity and other psychiatric disorders.

Gregory E. Simon, M.D., M.P.H., of the Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, and colleagues studied 9,125 adults from across the country who were interviewed as part of a large national survey of mental disorders between Feb. 5, 2001, and Feb. 12, 2003. Participants (average age 44.8 years) completed an in-home interview that included questions about demographic characteristics, height, weight and psychiatric disorders. These included mood disorders, such as major depression, dysthymia (persistent mild depression with associated symptoms) and bipolar disorder; anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder; and substance abuse disorders, including alcohol or drug dependence.

Of all the participants, 6,795 had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30 and 2,330 had a BMI of 30 or greater and were therefore considered obese. Those who were obese had a higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders and a lower prevalence of substance abuse disorders over their lifetimes. These associations remained similar for men and women. The link between obesity and mood disorders appeared strongest in non-Hispanic whites and in those with higher education levels.

“The estimated prevalence of lifetime mood disorder in those with BMIs below 30 and in those with BMIs 30 or higher translates to a population-attributable risk of 24 percent, which indicates that nearly one-quarter of the cases of obesity in the general population are attributable to the association with mood disorder,” the authors write. “This calculation illustrates the public health importance of the association but does not indicate a direction for the causal relationship. It is equally correct to state that more than one-fifth of cases of mood disorder in the general population are attributable to the association with obesity.” Increased appetite, weight gain, reduced physical activity and binge eating have all been associated with depression, potentially increasing risk for obesity. However, obesity could also contribute to depression by limiting physical activity, or through the stigma that may be associated with being overweight, especially among some women and other particular sociodemographic groups. An unknown third cause also could be linked to both. The results also do not indicate the mechanisms behind the negative association between obesity and substance abuse.

“We conclude that obesity is meaningfully associated with a range of common mood and anxiety disorders in the general U.S. population,” the authors write. “Obesity is associated with a moderately lower risk of substance use disorder. Variation in the obesity-depression relationship by education level and race/ethnicity suggests an important role of social or cultural factors in mediating or moderating the relationship between obesity and mood disorders.”

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According to a new study older people who have difficulty identifying common odors may be more at risk of developing problems with thinking, erudition and honour.

Experts say mild cognitive impairment, a decline in thinking, learning and memory is recognized as a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and a weakened sense of smell could be a sign of the disease.

The study by Dr. Robert Wilson at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues suggests that a difficulty in identifying odors predicts the development of mild cognitive impairment and could be a useful tool for early disease identification.

The study began in 1997 and examined 589 older adults with an average age of 79 who did not have cognitive impairment.

They were given a smell identification test where 12 familiar odors - onion, lemon, cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, rose, banana, pineapple, soap, paint thinner, gasoline and smoke - were placed under their nose and they were asked to match each odor to one of four possible alternatives.

The participants underwent a clinical evaluation that included a medical history, neurological examination and testing of their cognitive function at the start of the study and again every year for up to five years.

The researchers found that 177 individuals developed mild cognitive impairment and the risk increased as odor identification decreased.

This association remained even when factors such as stroke, smoking habits or other factors that might influence smell or cognitive ability were considered.

Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which affects more than 5 million Americans, but early diagnosis and intervention can slow down the progress and help manage the symptoms that are associated with the disease.

Experts say that microscopic lesions are present in the very early stages of the disease and on the basis of anatomy the findings are logical.

The research could in future lead to a sniff test for the early signs of the devastating disease.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health and is published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.