Incorporating macadamia nuts into a heart healthy diet can reduce cardiovascular disease risks according to Penn State researchers.”We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are recommended as part of a healthy diet,” says Dr. Amy E. Griel, recent Ph.D. recipient in nutritional sciences. [click link for full article]

CMS will increase Medicare payments to long-term care hospitals by 0.71% in “rate year” 2008, the agency announced Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. [click link for full article]

More than seven out of 10 runners will sustain an injury over the course of a year, many of these injuries preventable without any adverse effects on running distance or performance, according to Dr. Irene Davis, director of the Running Injury Lab at the University of Delaware, and director of Research for Drayer Physical Therapy Institute.In earlier studies, Dr. Davis identified the specific gait mechanics associated with common injuries. [click link for full article]

Two newspapers on Wednesday published opinion pieces on issues related to health care coverage. Summaries appear below.Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times: The number of uninsured U.S. children “is a stain on the nation,” Times columnist Brownstein writes in an opinion piece. [click link for full article]

CMS in an online posting on Monday announced its decision not to expand Medicare coverage for the use of carotid stents, reversing its previously announced plans, the New York Times reports (Feder, New York Times, 5/2). [click link for full article]

Minority widows are at a particularly high risk of poverty in late life, according to a report published in the latest issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 47, No. 2). While the data reveal a substantial financial widowhood penalty among all ethnic groups, minority women often have lower incomes and fewer assets to begin with. [click link for full article]

The debate continues on whether or not eating highly allergenic foods, such as peanuts, during pregnancy puts a baby at risk for allergy to that food. While there has been…

Public Health Implications of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, [click link for full article]

The Indiana University Adult Anxiety Disorders Clinic seeks participants for a clinical treatment study of medications for panic attacks. Participants in the study must be over the age of 18 and have repeated panic attacks. Symptoms of panic attacks may include a racing heart and shortness of breath, fear of losing control, dizziness accompanied with a cold sweat, fear of dying and moments of sheer terror. [click link for full article]

Tens of thousands of Americans die each year from secondhand tobacco smoke, according to a 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General. While the health risks associated with indoor secondhand smoke are well documented, little research has been done on exposure to toxic tobacco fumes outdoors. Now, Stanford University researchers have conducted the first in-depth study on how smoking affects air quality at sidewalk cafés, park benches and other outdoor locations. [click link for full article]