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Men with high testosterone may live longer

2007-12-01T00:58:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) -- Researchers in Britain found men in the upper 25 percent of natural testosterone levels have a 41 percent lower risk of dying from heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions, cancer and all other causes, compared to men with the lowest levels.

"Low testosterone seems to predict increased risk of total mortality in cardiovascular disease as well as cancer," said Dr.

Kay-Tee Khaw,professor of clinical gerontology at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine in Britain, as quoted by media reports Tuesday.

The researchers tracked 11,606 British men ages 40 to 79 who had no known cancer or cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.

They joined the study from 1993 to 1997 and were followed until 2003.

Among these men, 825 died during the study period.

The researchers measured their testosterone levels using frozen blood samples provided earlier, and compared their levels to a group of men still alive at the end of the study period.Khaw said the relationship between testosterone levels and cardiovascular disease mortality was comparable in magnitude to well-established risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.Khaw said the findings suggest that men with low levels of testosterone might be able to cut their risk of death with testosterone supplementation, but did not recommend doing this without more research backing up these results.(Agencies)

128 per 100,000: Washington has highest U.S. AIDS rate

2007-12-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) -- With a rate of 128cases per 100,000 people, Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of AIDS in the United States, while the national rate is 14 cases per 100,000, according to a report released Tuesday."Heterosexual contact in the District is the leading mode of HIV transmission at 37 percent of newly reported infections, while nationally men who have sex with men lead new transmissions," it said.

The report, the first to look at the HIV epidemic in Washington specifically, found that nearly 70 percent of all people with HIV developed full-blown AIDS within a year, which means they were diagnosed years after having been infected.

This compares with 39 percent nationally.

Dr.

Shannon Hader of Washington's Department of Health said the report does not examine why Washington is hit so hard by the human immunodeficiency virus."We have a lot of transmission going on among heterosexuals, we have a lot of transmission going on with men who have sex with men and we have a lot of transmission among injecting drug users," Hader said.

(Agencies)

Low Vitamin B12 may accelerate mental decline with age

2007-12-01T00:37:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) -- Study finds low levels of vitamin B12may speed mental decline in older people, media reports quoting researcher as sayingTuesday.

Dr.

Robert Clarke of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and colleagues followed 1,648 men and women 65 and older whose mental function was tested at least three times over a 10-year period.

They foundlower holotranscobalamin levels and higher methylmalonic acid levels -- both of which are markers for low levels of vitamin B12 -- were each independently linked to faster mental decline.

Higher folate levels along with low B12 levels did not accelerate mental decline.

Doubling a person's vitamin B12 levels by taking oral supplements could slow cognitive decline by one third, according to Clarke and his team.

Based on the findings, low levels of vitamin B12 appear to precede mental decline, the researchers conclude.

"Correction of vitamin B12 deficiency may be appropriate among those with relevant symptoms," said Clarke.(Agencies)

Vietnam contains acute diarrhea outbreaks

2007-12-01T00:27:00.001-08:00

HANOI, Nov.

27 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has basically contained an acute diarrhea after it has hit the country for over one month, local newspaper Labor on Tuesday quoted Vietnamese Deputy Health Minister Trinh Quan Huan as saying.

The number of new infection cases admitted to hospitals sharply decreased last weekend.

Only 12 patients, including a cholera one, were admitted to the Tropical Disease Hospital and four to the Bach Mai hospital in capital Hanoi.

To eliminate the disease, Vietnam has taken drastic measures, including monitoring food safety, ensuring environmental hygiene and intensifying publicity on acute diarrhea, especially in food-hit localities.

Acute diarrhea has affected over 1,800 people in Vietnam since Oct.

23.

Of the patients, 267 have been tested positive to cholera virus, according to the ministry.

GE's new CT scan with clearer images, fewer radiation

2007-12-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) -- GE will lauchits new high-definition CT scanner in 2008, which can produce clearer images of the body's internal organs, bones and soft tissue whileemitting fewer cancer-causing radiation,media reported Tuesday.

Computed tomography, known as CT, uses X-rays to produce pictures that allow doctors to look inside a patient for early warnings of cancer, heart disease and other problems.

Historically, higher-quality CT images have only been achieved by using more radiation.

The new technology is capable of producing images that are 30 percent clearer, generated 100 times faster using half the radiation dose of today's technology, said Corey Miller, spokesman of GE Healthcare, a 17 billion U.S.

dollarsunit of General Electric Co,.

Cardiac scans are able to achieve an even greater dose reduction of up to 83 percent, he said.

The improved quality of the images using high-definition CT scanners is analogous to the improved clarity of high-definition video, according to the company.

(Agencies)

China's scenic Hainan plans three nonstop flights to Russian cities

2007-12-01T00:06:00.001-08:00

HAIKOU, Oct.

5 (Xinhua) -- China's southern province of Hainan plans to open nonstop flight routes to Russian cities of New Siberia, Vladivostok and Habarovsk by the end of the year as the scenic island is attracting an increasing number of Russian tourists.

The first flight from New Siberia to Sanya, a coastal city of Hainan, will be launched in early November, according to the tourism authorities of Sanya.

The other new routes - one from Vladivostok to Sanya and the other from Habarovsk to Sanya or Haikou, capital of Hainan - will start trial operation ahead of the New Year's Day.

Flights from Russia to Hainan have been increasing sharply in the past few years.

In 2005, there were only two chartered flights from Moscow to Sanya operated by Russia's Transaero Airlines.

The airliner opened aviation from St Petersburg to Sanya in 2006, in which year the two routes saw a total of 98 flights.

In the first seven months this year, the number of flights from the two Russian cities to Sanya increased to 106.

U.S. company to resume testing arthritis drug

2007-11-30T23:56:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) --Drug developer Targeted Genetics Corp.

said Monday it will resume the study of an experimental arthritis drug that was halted in July after the unexpected death of a patient.The U.S.

Food and Drug Administration gave the Seattle-based company permission to continue the trial after reviewing information on all 127 patients, including a 36-year-old woman who died a few weeks after receiving the drug.

The woman's family and government scientists have questioned whether a genetically modified virus used when the drug is injected played a role in her death.

However, government advisers for the National Institutes of Health said earlier this year that the woman probably died of an unrelated fungal infection.

The company's own investigation reached a similar conclusion earlier this month, noting that only trace amounts of the virus were found in the woman's body.

The injected virus is meant to deliver a new gene that helps ease arthritis pain.

Jolee Mohr of Taylorsville, Ill., was also taking antiviral and antibiotic medicines, which government experts said could have weakened her body's ability to fend off infection.

The National Institutes of Health's advisers are scheduled to meet in December to complete their inquiry, though panelists have said it may not be possible to unequivocally identify Mohr's cause of death.

While NIH's advisers make recommendations on how to conduct clinical trials, companies do not need their permission to start or resume studies.

(Agencies)

High natural testosterone lowers death risk for men

2007-11-30T23:46:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Nov.

27 (Xinhuanet) -- Higher natural levels of the male hormone testosterone may lower the risk of death from heart attack, stroke, cancer, cardiovascular conditions and all other causes, British researchers said Monday.

Malaysian first double organ transplant recipient dies

2007-11-30T23:35:00.001-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov.

27 (Xinhua) -- Siti Salmah Jasni, Malaysia's first double organ transplant recipient who underwent a heart and lung transplant on Nov.

2, died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here Tuesday.

Siti Salmah, 18, died at 5:40

German professor wins Thai top medical award

2007-11-30T23:25:00.001-08:00

BANGKOK, Nov.

27 (Xinhua) -- A German medical professor who discovered a new treatment for breast cancer was named winner in the field of medicine of 2007 Prince Mahidol Award of Thailand, while an Australian scientist and a Nepalese eye surgeon were both nominated as winners in the field of public health.

"Their outstanding work had improved medical treatment for many people around the world," Vicharn Panich, chairman of the Award Committee of the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, was quoted by Thai news network The Nation as saying on Tuesday.

Professor Axel Ulrich from Germany, Professor Basil Stuart Hetzel from Australia and Sanduk Ruit from Nepal were chosen from 69 outstanding medical practitioners and researchers nominated from 35 countries.

The selection is held annually by the Prince Mahidol Foundation chaired by Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The awards, including cash prizes of 1.5 million baht (about 44,118 U.S.

dollars) each, will be bestowed on the three doctors by the King of Thailand at a ceremony at the Grand Palace on Jan.

30,2008.

Doctors separate 6-day old conjoined twin girls in S China

2007-11-30T23:14:00.000-08:00

NANNING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Doctors in south China have succeeded in separating a pair of six-day-old conjoined twins, but they both remain in a critical condition.

After a six-hour operation from about 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday to 2:00a.m.

Wednesday, four doctors at the No.

303 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army separated the twin's livers, repositioned the girls' hearts and divided a shared intestine.

The girls, who spent their first six days with their noses just inches apart, could finally sleep in separate incubators in intensive care on Wednesday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"However, they are critically ill and we expect them to stay that way for the next seven days," said Dr Shi Dekun, the lead surgeon.

He said the girls then could hopefully come off ventilators.

"It is very rare for newborns to undergo such complicated surgery, a challenge for both the girls and our doctors," said Shi.

Shi said that, in an ideal situation, the surgery would have been performed when the twins were two months old but, in this case, one or both of the girls may have died if they had waited.

When the girls were born on July 11, they shared a common pericardium and part of a liver and intestine.

Eighty-two ill in four Beijing food poisoning cases

2007-11-30T23:04:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Eighty-two people have fallen ill in four separate food poisoning cases in 24 hours, Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said on Friday.

A bureau spokesman said the cases occurred from 9:00 a.m.

on Thursday to 9:00 a.m.

on Friday, affecting 45 staff in the NCR (Beijing) Financial Equipment System Co., Ltd, 12 migrant workers in the eastern Shunyi district, 18 workers in the Laocaichen Food Company in the northeastern Pinggu district, and seven tourists from an overseas tour group.

He said the sufferers showed symptoms of vomiting, stomachache and diarrhea.

Some had recovered after treatment, and others were sent to hospital.

By 1:00 p.m.

Friday, three NCR workers were still in hospital.

He said 12 migrant workers were poisoned by undercooked beans, but the causes of the three other incidents were still being ascertained.

He said the bureau had sent staff to collect food samples and test samples from the patients.

Calls to the NCR company and Laocaichen were unanswered.

The National People's Congress (NPC) has said it would amend the Food Hygiene Law, promulgated in 1995, this year to strengthen supervision of the production and distribution of food, and prevent substandard food from entering the market.

Earlier this month, a corrupt Chinese primary school headmistress in Guangzhou was jailed for a year after being found responsible for a food poisoning incident that caused 185 students to fall ill.

Doctors separate conjoined twin girls in north China

2007-11-30T22:54:00.001-08:00

SHIJIAZHUANG, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Doctors in north China succeeded in separating a pair of 4-month-old conjoined twin girls on Sunday, and they currently remain in a stable condition.

After the arduous operation from 9:40 a.m.

to 9 p.m., doctors at the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University in this capital of Hebei Province separated the twin's livers, repositioned their hearts and rebuilt their breastbones.

Both are in a relatively stable condition, but they still have to survive the crucial and dangerous 72 hours after the operation, according to Li Yanmin, director with the hospital's pediatric department.

The twins, born on March 15 prematurely without breastbones, spent their first four months with livers, hearts and a large area of their breast and abdomen connected, according to Li.

The girls suffered congenital heart diseases and malnutrition when they were born, weighing only 4.3 kg jointly.

Doctors did not carry out the operation until they grew to 7.5 kg.

The operation was made three days after one of another pair of conjoined twin girls in southwest China died of heart and lung failure after being separated from her sister.

The 8-day-old baby girl was born with complicated heart disease that led to heart and lung failure, according to a doctor in charge of the operation.

The other girl will not be safe until she survives the remaining four-day period.

Office workers finding it harder to breathe easy

2007-11-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, July 23 -- Pent-up office workers dissatisfied with not enough money and free time now have another bugbear: good, clean air.

A recent survey of office workers found most of those polled believed they were working in unhealthy environments.

The complaints included not having enough ventilation, being exposed to bad odors and indoor climate controlled temperatures being either too hot or too cold.

The survey, conducted by www.1010job.com, a recruitment website, surveyed more than 1,400 office workers last month and found that more than 80 percent of respondents said the poor environment in their office had affected their health.

Some 46 percent of workers said their offices lacked good ventilation.

Liu Yuan, 29, who works at a foreign-funded company in the Beijing CBD area in Chaoyang District, spends most of his time in the office.

"The air quality in my office is stale but it is hard to find a window that can open," Liu said.

Like Liu, millions of office workers throughout the country are feeling the office walls closing in, and losing a grip on what it's like outside because of the sheer amount of hours they spend at work.

Many offices rely completely on artificial air systems for ventilation.

Some glass-walled office buildings don't even allow for the windows to open.

But even if they could, the air quality outside isn't that appealing anyway.

Song Guangsheng, director of the Indoor Environment Test Center under the China National Interior Decoration Association, said poorly planned indoor environments and a lack of ventilation are major reasons why office workers get sick, such as catching a cold.

"We need to arouse enough concerns to improve indoor air quality in offices where there are large numbers of people," Song told China Daily.

"The ventilations of centralized air-conditioning systems attracts dust, and is a breeding ground for mould fungus and acarid -- and need to be cleaned regularly, say every two or three years.

"The air-conditioning systems in some buildings have never been cleaned since they were installed 10 or 20 years ago." The National Standardization Administration launched the cleaning code for ventilating and air-conditioning systems in 2003.

However, the sanitation of air-conditioning systems in public places is still unsatisfactory.

In 2004, the Health Ministry ordered an overhaul of air-conditioning systems in about 1,000 public places such as hotels and large supermarkets in 60 cities across the country.

The ministry found that only 6 percent of air-conditioning systems met the national cleaning code.

More than 47 percent of the systems were heavily contaminated and 46 percent were moderately contaminated.

To tackle the problem, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Construction launched detailed operation and sanitation management rules in March last year.

The rules stipulated that certain components of public central air-conditioning systems be cleaned within regular timeframes.

Atmospheric cooling towers should be cleaned at least every six months, the filter screened once a year and the ventilation tubes should undergo sanitation assessment at least every two years.

However getting office buildings to fall into line was a problem.

"The office is a management blind area as the sanitation rules can only be enforced in 'public places'," Song said.

But according to the Labor Law, employers need to provide a "safe and healthy" environment for workers.

"If employees are not satisfied with their working environment, they should asked their boss to monitor the air quality in their office or complain to labor and social security departments," Song said.

Cleaning fees for the air-conditioning system of a 20-storey office building can be in the hundreds of thousands of yuan.

"The cleaning fee is too dear for the employers to accept," Tang Shuxin, an engineer with the Beijing Luran Indoor Environment Assessment Company, said.

"So many would rather leave it dirty and pay the cheap fine charged by sanitation departments," Tang said.

"The total ventilation tube of a 20-storey office building can be as long as 10 kilometers and special equipment is needed to clean it." Regular maintenance can stop people getting sick from airborne bacteria.

Earlier this year 40 athletes and coaches in the Beijing training center of the State Sport General Administration were struck down with illness.

It was later revealed that the dirty ventilation tube of the air-conditioning system was to blame.

Experts from Beijing epidemic prevention center found that the dusty ventilation tubes had become a hotbed of viruses and bacteria, CCTV reported.

After a thorough cleaning of the ventilation tubes, the flu outbreak was halted.

Sick building syndrome Besides the spread of respiratory infectious diseases, crowded and airtight offices can also produce "sick building syndrome".

Huang Xiaodi, 33, an employee of an IT company in Zhongguancun in Beijing, often feels dizzy, tired and cannot concentrate on work these days.

"Sharing a small office with a dozen people, I often feel short of breath," Huang said.

"However, we have to shut up the windows to avoid the heat and noise on the street." Medical experts told Huang that he might be suffering from environment-related hypoxia, a type of sick building syndrome.

In low-oxygen environments with poor ventilation, such as crowded shopping malls, air-conditioned cars and offices, people often feel stuffy, hard to breathe and cannot concentrate.

These are symptoms of environment-related hypoxia, according to Wang Hanzhi, a doctor with the Guangren Hospital in Beijing.

"Long time exposure in a low-oxygen environment will affect brain function, causing dizziness, low appetite, affect memory and work efficiency," Wang said.

Stuffy offices also retain toxic gases generated by building material and furniture, such as ammonia and formaldehyde.

Therefore, all windows should be able to be opened to allow workers to control the flow of fresh air, Wang said.

Wang also recommended the use of plants to filter the air.

Regular exercise can help, too.

Zhou Wei, an instructor with a Beijing fitness club, said aerobics could enhance circulatory and respiratory efficiency and promote oxygen flow to the muscles.

"Vigorous and sustained exercise, such as jogging, swimming, or cycling, are the best choice," Zhou said.

(Source: China Daily)

Students plagued by poor health

2007-11-30T22:33:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, July 23 --Soon after one student catches a cold, sniffles and sneezes are heard in every classroom, and not just at kindergartens - universities are also hotbeds for germs.

Shanghai Jiaotong University recently carried out a survey on the lifestyles and health conditions of students at eight universities, and the results showed that many students are in "sub-healthy states", suffering from bad sleep and a lack of physical exercise.

"If one student catches a cold, many more will end up getting infected," said Bonnie Zheng, a junior college student.

"When we are called upon to donate blood, many people don't want to because they don't really feel healthy enough." Only 34 percent of the 1,500 students surveyed considered themselves to be healthy.

More than half of them said they believed they were in poor health.

"About a third of my classmates are busy preparing for post-graduate programs abroad," Sophia Miao, a junior at Shanghai University of International Studies, told China Daily.

Many students study for a second degree and some even go after a third in order to improve their chances of finding work in a competitive job market.

The survey showed that students majoring in sciences end up shouldering a heavier academic burden than their peers in the liberal arts.

Some said they felt like they were studying as hard as they did in their final days of senior middle school.

Nearly half of the surveyed students said their physical health had declined since they went to college.

More than half of the surveyed students complained that they were sleeping poorly.

Eighty percent said it took them an hour or even longer before they could fall asleep at night.

Some said they played computer games, while others watched movies on their computers late into the night.

Some also said they stayed up all night studying before important exams.

Such unhealthy lifestyles are now common among students.

One student reportedly stayed up playing computer games at an Internet caf.

Eventually, his supervisor tracked him down and took him back to school.

"He was semi-conscious when I picked him up," the supervisor, surnamed Dong, said about the young man.

Zheng said: "We are required to run 800 m at least 10 times every semester." She added that she did not do any additional exercise.

Male students were slightly better off because they arranged the occasional football or basketball game, but women tend to agree that the best leisure was "to have a nice sleep".

More than 80 percent of those surveyed said they loved sports, but few exercised outside of the required sessions.

"We just punch the card for PE classes and don't do any more exercise," Miao said.

Many universities have gyms but few students make use of these facilities.

"We are not aware of them, I guess," Zheng said.

"We eat poorly, too," said Pu Shanying, a student from East China University of Science and Technology.

Students at that school have posted pictures on the campus website showing cockroaches that had been found in food from the campus canteen.

They also showed large steamed buns with very little filling.

"It's common knowledge that we should be cautious and not drink milk from the canteen on exam days," Pu said.

"You don't want to have a stomach ache at that time." "We are too young to realize the importance of good health," Miao said.

"We sleep late, eat lots of barbecued food and drink Coke, so our poor health is natural." (Source: China Daily)

Free health checks for Shanghai's cabbies

2007-11-30T22:23:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, July 23 -- Free health checks and education will be offered to Shanghai's 100,000 taxi drivers - who face stressful, long working shifts.

"This follows a program providing health education and free checkups to taxi drivers in Beijing two years ago.

About 10,000 taxi drivers took part and more than 1,000 received free examinations," said Li Chengzhi, manager of Shanghai Ciming Health Checkup.

"Taxi driving is a job with a high workload, unhealthy lifestyle and lots of stress." The Beijing program found 61.4 percent of drivers had fatty livers and 50.6 percent had high cholesterol.

About one-third of the drivers didn't realize they had health problems.

Shanghai Ciming plans to launch the program to educate drivers on health in two months, and offer free checkups to 800 to 1,000 drivers.

Many work 20 hours a shift.

Local taxi drivers said high stress and difficulty in finding toilets were the two main threats to their health.

"Fatigue and pressure result in some drivers having high blood pressure.

Since many drivers have to wait to urinate while working, prostatitis and other related diseases are common,"said Jin Kangsheng, a veteran driver at Shanghai Dazhong Taxi Co, which arranges checkup every two years.

Smaller companies seldom provide regular checks for staff.

"My company doesn't have such concern for our welfare.

The authorities should issue policies to protect our health," said Zhang Guohua, a driver from Shanghai Jinqiu Taxi Co.

Officials from Shanghai Taxi Association said companies are not required to check drivers' health, but the association has helped negotiate with the government to allow drivers to use public toilets.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)

New checks put curb on defects in Shanghai

2007-11-30T22:12:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, July 27 -- Couples planning to have children are enjoying a new service in Jing'an District of Shanghai.

More than 100 couples there have received special health check cards which offer free examinations designed to reduce the rate of birth defects.

Launched by Jing'an District Population and Family Planning Commission, the free check-ups are available to all including immigrant workers and residents.

"It's our first try at a totally free check-up service in order to encourage couples consider the prevention of birth defects.

We can also extract valuable information from the results," said Ying Bu, dean of the Population and Family Planning Commission.

The check-ups will include sperm and egg examination and tests for diseases.

Couples who have tried the service already are satisfied with the service.

The new check-ups could be crucial in controlling the rate of birth defects after new government regulations canceled mandatory physical examinations when couples are married.

"We found fewer couples had any check-ups before pregnancy," Professor Li Xiaotian from Fudan University's Maternity Hospital said.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)

Shanghai to blacklist office buildings with poor air quality

2007-11-30T22:02:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, July 27 -- Shanghai plans to launch a survey of the indoor air quality in downtown office buildings and publish a list of buildings where air doesn't meet health standards, according to a local environment association.

The project aim

Guangdong, Macao, HK agree to step up co-op in infectious diseases control

2007-11-30T21:52:00.001-08:00

HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Guangdong Province, Macao and Hong Kong health authorities have agreed to further strengthen mutual communication and cooperation in combating infectious diseases at a meeting concluded here Friday.

The consensus was reached at the seventh tripartite meeting of Guangdong, Macao and Hong Kong on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

The three parties will step up alertness in the prevention and control of dengue fever, AIDS, tuberculosis and plague.

Leading their delegations in the meeting were the Director of Health of Hong Kong Lam Ping-yan, Associated Director of the Department of Health of Guangdong Province Huang Fei and Director of the Health Bureau of Macao Koi Kuok-leng.

During the two-day meeting, they examined the situation and trend of major infectious diseases, including dengue fever, AIDS, tuberculosis, Legionnaires' Disease and seasonal influenza in the three places and exchanged experience in the preparedness for emerging diseases and new measures under the International Health Regulations.

They reviewed their work since the last tripartite meeting in June 2006, which included the progress in information exchange, the notification mechanism and cooperation in scientific research as well as exchange programs of medical professionals and the first joint exercise on emergency preparedness.

Participants were very satisfied that the joint exercise conducted last year had effectively tested the emergency preparedness plans of the three places, their coordination in the prevention and control of avian influenza.

They said that the notification mechanism has been working smoothly, resulting in effective exchange of information on infectious diseases.

The eighth tripartite meeting would be held in Macao.

Guillain-Barre syndrome epidemic contained in NE China city

2007-11-30T21:42:00.001-08:00

CHANGCHUN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- An epidemic of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an inflammatory disorder that can cause paralysis and breathing difficulties, appears to have been contained as no new cases have been reported over the past 20 days, local health sources announced on Friday.

Eighteen of the total 36 infected people since late June have been discharged from hospital after recovering while the remaining18 are still receiving treatment, said Fan Qingjie, director of the disease prevention and control center in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.

Two of the 18 are in a serious condition, Fan added.

The 36 people, mostly youths, contracted the disease in late June and early July in Shuangyang District, Changchun city.

Experts said the infections were related to residents drinking tap water without boiling it.

The syndrome, in which the immune system attacks nerves, has initial symptoms of fever, aching throat, diarrhea and then weakness of legs and arms.

In serious cases, one's whole body can become paralyzed, even the muscles used for breathing.

China finds harmful substance in Philippine dry banana pieces

2007-11-29T12:44:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

1 (Xinhua) -- China's quality control authorities have found two tons of dry banana pieces imported from Philippines contain excessive sulfur dioxide, which may cause nausea and vomiting.

The General Administration of Quality Sup

China launches research on children's mental health

2007-11-29T12:34:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has launched its first large-scale survey on the psychological development of children and teenagers to improve their mental health.

The three-year project would cover over 100,000 children ag

German hygiene, skincare prodcuts banned in China

2007-11-29T12:23:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.1 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health on Wednesday banned a range of German-made hygiene and skincare products under the brand "Bubchen" from the Chinese market.

The 16 Bubchen products were imported and sold under licenses granted to other products, said a ministry statement.

The health authority had not granted any license to the products, the statement said.

The dealers were asked to stop sales of the listed products and retrieve those already sold, the statement said.

"The importer and distributor of these products will be penalized according to the law," it said.

A Chinese website on Bubchen products has been founded by a company named Beijing Sensensen Trade Co.

Ltd., which claimed to be the general agent of Bubchen products in China.

The products listed on the website are mainly for infants and pregnant women.

China's health watchdog blacklists four milk beverages

2007-11-29T12:13:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

3 (Xinhua) -- China's health authority has blacklisted four milk beverages for containing insufficient protein and excessive soluble gluside.

The four brands were picked out after the latest nationwide inspection of milk beverages, the ministry said in a statement seen on its official website Friday.

The health authority listed two products of "Super Girl TM" produced in Tangshan city of north China's Hebei Province, "Youran" milk from Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and "A Boshi" juice milk from Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

The ministry suspended the production and sale of the four products and asked the companies to recall their products.

"Any restaurant and shop which continues to sell these products will be punished according to the law," the statement said.

The local health departments will also check the production procedures and quality control systems of the four manufacturers and announce appropriate punishments including fines, the statement said.

Milk beverages refer to beverages whose components consist of at least 30 percent milk and 70 percent water and other substances.

In 2005, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine conducted a sample survey of milk beverages in ten provinces, finding that 14.3 percent of the products sampled did not meet the standards.

China vows to ensure public health security for 2008 Olympics

2007-11-29T12:03:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

7 (Xinhua) -- China is setting up an extensive network to monitor potential epidemic outbreaks before and during the 2008 Olympic games to ensure public health security, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said here Tuesday.

"The country will develop a far going monitoring network that is quick to react to the outbreak or any sign of an outbreak of epidemic diseases," said Dong Xiaoping, a section chief with CDC, at a symposium.

The network will connect hospitals, government bodies and medical experts with the public, so that information on epidemics at home and abroad could be updated promptly, he said.

The prevention and control of bird flu will be a top priority.

Dong said the government will develop the strategic supply of vaccines as the most effective solution for potential epidemics.

China adopts monitoring measures to ensure public hygiene through Olympics

2007-11-29T11:52:00.001-08:00

By sportswriter Zhang Rongfeng BEIJING, August 8 (Xinhua) -- China is to set up monitoring system over contaminating diseases before and all-through the Olympic Games next year, Wang Yu, director of China Disease Control Center (CDCC), said Tuesday on a seminar.

According to Wang, the monitoring system points at some special diseases and the system functions in the traits of sensitivity and wide coverage.

The Center aims to catch any symptom related to infectious diseases in time and get alert to tackle hygiene problems in efficiency with the assistance of the system.

The seminar focused on themes of "disease control, bacterin and city safety".

Public security of sanitation is a reflection of organizing ability in world sport event, so Chinese government underlines the hygiene programme in order to ensure a successful Games.

A series of given and pertinent sanitation safety measures will be implemented before and through the Games.

Dong Xiaoping, director of science and technology department of CDCC, reminded of taking care against bird flu problem.

"Bird flu is an infection worthy of attention.

Bacterin is the best way to curb it, so we will execute strategic storage on bacterin in line with the needs in different areas," said Dong.

Beijing Kexing Biology Co.

Ltd offers to donate one million RMB (140,000 US dollar) to a special fund established by CDCC in coping with hepatitis.

On the Seminar, the attendees exchanged ideas and suggestions over experience derived from the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

Experts presented lectures on the topic of "public hygiene contingency and problem-handling measures".

Body of experts show them where to stick it

2007-11-29T11:42:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

8 -- To facilitate the need by Western doctors to study in China, several organizations exist for this purpose, including the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies that works with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chinese government.

It provides inform

Diabetics in north China face higher amputation rate than south

2007-11-29T11:32:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

8 (Xinhua) -- Diabetics in north China are more likely to suffer from foot ulcers and amputations than those in the south of the country, according to a new survey.

The survey of 634 patients in 14 first-rate hospitals in seven provinces and two municipalities showed that people living north of the Yangtze River are more likely to suffer diabetes-induced foot ulcers.

Diabetics in the north are also more likely to have aggravated local ulcers, greater risk of coronary heart disease and eye damage.

The rate of recovery from foot ulcers in the north is lower than the south.

Research shows that 2.6 percent of diabetics in the south suffer amputations, while the figure is 9.7 percent in the north.

The reason was the diet and lifestyle differences between the north and south, said Wang Yuzhen, a doctor at the 306 Hospital Affiliated to People's Liberation Army of China, who led the research.

The diet of northerners generally contained higher levels of sugar and fat, and relatively less fibre, said Wang.

"Drinking and smoking also contribute to the high incidence of diabetes and diabetes-induced foot ulcer," said Wang.

Foot ulcers are a common complication of diabetes.

After ten years with the condition, 40 percent are at risk of foot ulcers, which can lead to amputation or even death.

The study showed that a diabetic has a foot amputated every 30 seconds somewhere in the world.

Wang said the best way to avoid the ailment was to change to a healthy diet and to give up drinking and smoking.

China to intensify food safety supervision in rural areas

2007-11-29T11:21:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

8 (Xinhua) -- China will intensify food safety supervision in rural areas this year, according to China's food and drug watchdog here Wednesday.

By the end of 2007, a government at township level and county level must establish food accident response systems, said Yang Jiangying, spokeswoman of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

"The local governments should shoulder their responsibilities to discover, report and handle food safety accidents timely through the system," Yan said.

"SFDA will also make special inspection over small-sized food companies, workshops and restaurants in rural areas, aiming to eradicate possible hidden dangers of food accidents," Yan said.

A credit system among food companies will be set up and companies which violate China's food safety regulations will be written on SFDA's blacklist.

Yan also announced on Wednesday that the SFDA would hold regular press conferences to brief the media on China's food security situation.

China to tighten control of medical appliances

2007-11-29T11:11:00.001-08:00

BEIJING, Aug.

9 (Xinhua) -- China's drug watchdog has vowed to strengthen inspections for licenses of imported drugs and medical devices, after allegations involving the death of a teenager who received an artificial heart pump.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) would launch a six-month campaign of special inspections of licenses for imported medical devices, said SFDA spokeswoman Yan Jiangying.

The SFDA would verify the authenticity of the applications for domestic and imported medical appliances, with a complete verification of cardiac pacemakers, valves, brackets and artificial joints by November.

A court in Shanghai on July 25 began hearing legal proceedings in which a couple are suing Shanghai East Hospital for allegedly attaching an unregistered imported device to their son's heart.

Zhou Yiqing, 13, received a ventricular assist device (VAD) in April 2004, but he died a year later after further heart surgery at the same hospital.

A VAD is a mechanical pump that helps the heart pump blood through the body.

Zhou's parents claim the hospital used a VAD that had not been registered by the SFDA.

However, the hospital says on its website that the German-made device was imported in 1998 when SFDA had no registration regulation on imported medical appliance.

According to Nanfang Daily, the parents had acquired a written certificate from SFDA, stating the German-made device has no registration.

They claimed the operation was actually a medical experiment.

The case has been adjourned to allow more evidence to be collected.