The long-term effects of a disaster on physical and psychological health are the focus of a new study of rescue workers who provided assistance after the explosion of a fireworks depot in the Netherlands in May 2000.Using a unique Dutch electronic medical record database that allows pre- and post-disaster comparisons as well as comparisons between case and control cities, Dr. Mattijn Morren and colleagues were able to follow the workers for 4 years. [click link for full article]

A relative of the anti-aging gene Klotho helps activate a hormone that can lower blood glucose levels in fat cells of mice, making it a novel target for developing drugs to treat human obesity and diabetes, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found. [click link for full article]

Early studies have shown that an experimental breast cancer scanning technology, called digital breast tomosynthesis, appears to be more accurate than a mammogram in detecting breast cancer tumors, and the scan ideally will involve less pressure on the breast, the Wall Street Journal reports. During a DBT scan, an x-ray tube moves in an arc around the breast, taking several pictures at various angles in about five seconds. [click link for full article]

Analysis of three genetic mechanisms that cause non-small cell lung cancer might explain why East Asians respond better than other ethnic groups to a certain type of chemotherapy, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found.This type of analysis might become useful in tailoring cancer treatments to individual patients, the researchers said. [click link for full article]

Already more than 100 years two subjects - asthma and allergy - are indissolubly connected. One who speaking about asthma, always recollects an allergy. [click link for full article]

A humanitarian response to the African HIV/AIDS pandemic by Indiana University School of Medicine and its education partner in Kenya, Moi University School of Medicine, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. The program, AMPATH (Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS) was only a concept 7 years ago. Through the efforts of its field director, Joseph Mamlin, M.D. [click link for full article]

Canadians look to trusted sources for accurate information in advance of, during and after public health emergencies such as SARS or an influenza pandemic. It is necessary to have information available before the emergency strikes. This was not the case with September 11th or the SARS crisis. It took too long to provide psychological information to the health workers and the public. [click link for full article]

CPA has just signed a $125,000 agreement with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The grant is to develop a web-based survey with which to collect information, from a sample of representative practitioner psychologists, about the problems and characteristics of the clients they see and the nature of services they provide to them. [click link for full article]

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S. and affects more than 20 million children and adults. If you have asthma or know someone who does, visit www.ReadyToGoPro.com to find out how one lucky person can win a trip to NBA Draft 2007 in New York and spend time with an NBA player or legend. [click link for full article]

From Atlanta to Seattle, asthma has a major impact on cities throughout the United States, according to the most recent rankings of the Asthma Capitals - the 100 most challenging places to live if you have asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). [click link for full article]