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NTSB Finds Short Runway
The NTSB announces that Comair Flight 5191 departed from a short runway not typically used by commercial jets before it crashed, killing 49. |
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US Health Care Embarrasses
In an analysis of global infant mortality conducted by Save the Children, Japan is found to have the lowest newborn death rate, 1.8 per 1,000. Four countries tied for second place with 2 per 1,000 : the Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland and Norway. Among 33 industrialized nations, the United States is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies. |
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Cuba Bans Smoking
In recognition of the health risks of tobacco, Cuba bans smoking in public places, including all restaurants and cigarette machines will be removed.
Government statistics now indicate that four out of every 10 Cubans smoke and that 30% of preventable cancers each year can be linked to smoking. |
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Yawn: Yes, Juice Makes You Fat
Jean Welsh of the CDC releases a study documenting that fruit juice is a leading factor in the obesity of American children. Its unfortunate that something so obvious, would still be released as news and/or research. Any time a natural food is processed by humans in an attempt to increase commercial shelf-life, that food's nutritional value will be weakened. The consumption of any food product in which the naturally provided fiber has been removed, and the sugar content concentrated will always yield sub-optimal results. |
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Nation of Bhutan Bans Smoking
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking and the sales of tobacco products. |
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Dr. Condemns US Food and Drug Administration
Dr. David Graham, a 20-year FDA scientist who had warned that Merck Pharmaceutical's Vioxx arthritis drug Vioxx had heart risk implications, called the FDA's oversight of the drug "a profound regulatory failure" and went on to say that "the FDA as currently configured is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx. We are virtually defenseless." Graham estimated Vioxx had caused between 88,000 and 139,000 excess cases of heart attack and stroke. |
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UK Unveils Smoking Ban Plan
According to plans unveiled by the UK government, smoking could be banned in every cafe, restaurant and most pubs in England within four years. |
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FDA Bans Critic of Vioxx And Bextra
Curt Furberg, a drug safety expert ,says his invitation to participate in a meeting on the risks of arthritis drugs like Vioxx and Bextra has been rescinded by government officials because he publicly expressed concerns about the medications.
Curt Furberg, a member of the FDA's drug safety advisory committee presented study data during a meeting of the American Heart Association last week. During the meeting, Furberg said a study showed people who took Bexta, a drug similar to Vioxx, had twice the risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who didn't take it. |
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GAO Needs Key Indicators
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sets forth options for Congress to consider in establishing a system of key national indicators. |
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Red Sox Win World Series in Four Games
The curse of the bambino is broken when the Boston Red Sox defeat the Saint Louis Cardinals in four games during the U.S. World Series. |
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U.S. To Ration Flu Vaccine
Dr. Julie Gerberding , a top U.S. health official warns of "a very fragile vaccine production system," and urges healthy people to defer getting their influenza shots.so that more medication will be available for those most at risk. |
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Can Dialysis Spread West Nile?
US health officials announce that two people who contracted West Nile virus in Georgia may have acquired the deadly infection while undergoing dialysis treatment. |
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Lance Controls Tour de France
American Lance Armstrong, wearing the Yellow Jersey, takes control of the Tour de France by power cycling in a climb around 21 hairpin turns and through obnoxious spectators to a win the 9.6-mile individual time trial at l'Alpe d'Huez. |
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Armstrong Retakes Tour Lead
American cyclist Lance Armstrong retakes the overall lead (yellow jersey) by outsprinting his competition in the 15th stage of the Tour de France, the first stage in the Alps. Neither Jan Ullrich nor Ivan Basso could stay ahead of Armstrong at the end of the seven climb, 112-mile ride from Valreas to Villard-de-Lans. |
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Midlife Fitness Reduces Alzheimers Risk
Dr. Marilyn Albert, chair of the Alzheimer's Association's medical council, announces that midlife obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure appear to affect the brain as well as the heart. Those who avoid these conditions reduce their risk of Alzheimers disease. |
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Hamilton wins British Open
American Todd Hamilton wins the British Open in Troon. |
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Tour Wants Suspect Riders Removed
Organizers for the Tour de France request that two riders being investigated for suspected doping be withdrawn from the race. |
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Armstrong in Sixth Place, Back 9:35
Lance Armstrong fell early but recovered and finished in a pack behind sixth stage winner Belgian Tom Boonen in the Tour de France. Thomas Voeckler of France retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and was 9 minutes, 35 seconds ahead of the sixth-place Armstrong |
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Lance Takes 2nd in Prologue Race
Lance Armstrong, seeking to become the first six-time Tour de France winner, speeds to second place in the 3.8-mile prologue race against the clock in Liege, Belgium. |
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Super Strong Toddler
The New England Journal of Medicine reports a super-strong four year old child in Germany that has a mutant DNA segment that blocks the production of a protein called myostatin which limits muscle growth. Researchers are pursuing a way to limit the activity of myostatin in the body, including human tests of a genetically engineered antibody designed to neutralize myostatin. |
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Bi-lingual Slows Brain Aging
A study to appear in the journal Psychology and Aging shows that fluency in two or more languages prevents some of the effects of aging on brain function. This is particularly true for fluid intelligence, which is the ability to maintain one's attention on a task. |
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Mental Genes Slow Over 40
The journal Nature publishes a study conducted by Harvard Medical School which indicates that 400 genes in persons over 40 tend to function at a lower level, perhaps because of some kind of damage |
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Arkansas Student Obesity Revealed
Dr. Joe Thompson, director of the Arkansas Center of Health Improvement, releases "sobering" statistics that 40% of Arkansas school children are either overweight or at-risk of becoming overweight. |
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World's Oldest Person Dies
The World's Oldest Person, Ramona Trinidad Iglesias Jordan, dies of pneumonia in a nursing home in San Juan at the age of 114. She was born September 1, 1889 and liked to have a small 7 ounce beer with her meals. |
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WHO World No Tobacco Day
In Geneva, The World Health Organization (WHO) announces that the 2004 campaign for World No Tobacco Day on May 31 will be launched with the slogan "Tobacco and Poverty: a vicious circle." |
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Atkins Confirmed, Again
Linda Stern study of 132 obese patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia confirms that subjects on the Atkins Diet significant amounts of weight without harmful effects on blood fats and sugars. |
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Monsanto Shelves First Genetically Modified Wheat
Amid resistance from consumers and processors, the biotech firm Monsanto decides to cancels plans to bring a new variety of genetically engineered wheat to market. |
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Atlanta Air Quality Worse Than Thought
The Atlanta Journal Constitution Reports that Atlanta Air Quality is significantly dirtier than thought. |
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Toxic Flame Retardant Found in Breast Milk
Several American mothers nursing their infants had high levels of potentially toxic flame retardant chemicals in their breastmilk, a U.S. environmental group said on Tuesday. |
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Armstrong Wins 5th Tour
American Lance Armstrong wins the 3,350 km Tour de France for a record equalling 5th time. |
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