Older women on hormone therapy are more sensitive to negative events, confirming speculation that age-related estrogen loss affects the brain’s ability to process emotion, an Oregon Health & Science University study shows.But that sensitivity to negative emotional events, such as viewing a photograph of a dead person, doesn’t necessarily mean women taking estrogen remember those events any better. [click link for full article]

A person who works in the manufacturing of computers has a higher risk of dying of cancer, compared to other people, according to an article published in the journal Environmental Health. In fact, overall death rates (cancer and non cancer) are higher among computer manufacturing workers.Previous studies had indicated there was some link between computer manufacturing workers and cancer. However, they involved small numbers of people. This study is much bigger. [click link for full article]

The Washington Post on Sunday examined the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Treasurer Bob Casey (D) (Finkel, Washington Post, 10/15). [click link for full article]

The first long-term, large-scale study designed to determine the safety and effectiveness of treating preschoolers who have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate (Ritalin) has found that overall, low doses of this medication are effective and safe. However, the study found that children this age are more sensitive than older children to the medication’s side effects and therefore should be closely monitored. [click link for full article]

The Chinese government next year is scheduled to launch a nationwide family planning policy that will offer financial incentives to people in rural areas who abide by the country’s one-child-per-family policy, the China Daily reports (Zhang, China Daily, 10/16). The one-child policy seeks to keep China’s population, now 1.3 billion, at around 1.7 billion by 2050. [click link for full article]

If your child is not getting enough sleep he/she is at higher risk of becoming obese, say researchers from the University of Bristol, UK. The researchers believe that lack of sleep may be one of the major contributory factors in the obesity explosion among children today.The scientists say that lack of sleep may alter hormones so that children end up consuming more food, as well as the wrong types of food. [click link for full article]

Without the knowledge of many health care providers, the indoor hospital environment could be making people ill. A new report has revealed that substances commonly found in hospitals - including chemicals used to clean floors and medical equipment, fumes from building materials, latex gloves, and other common substances - can trigger an asthma attack and even cause the disease. [click link for full article]

Soot particles spewing from the exhaust of diesel trucks constitute a major contributor to the alarmingly high rates of asthma symptoms among school-aged children in the South Bronx, according to the results of a five-year study by researchers at New York University’s School of Medicine and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. [click link for full article]

The New York Times on Tuesday examined contraceptive options in the U.S., where 60% of unplanned pregnancies occur among women who use contraception. [click link for full article]

Researchers at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD) announced on 15 October 2006 that they have discovered a new molecular mechanism that may underlie neuropathic pain. [click link for full article]