Unintentional weight loss in older adults often leads to frailty, a decline in physical function and even death. So is it wise for older, overweight women to embark on a weight loss program? New research from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center suggests that these women are better off trying to lose weight - even if they regain some of it. [click link for full article]

The House Oversight and Government Reform Domestic Policy Subcommittee on Thursday held a hearing on Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to dental care — an issue that has attracted attention since the recent death of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old Maryland boy who had an untreated tooth infection that spread to his brain, the [click link for full article]

There is renewed hope for treatment of a rare genetic condition that causes rapidly accelerated aging and leads to an average life expectancy of 13 years.Scientists studying the genes of two infants who died of mysterious illnesses found the infants had mutations in LMNA, the same gene altered in patients with the premature aging condition progeria. [click link for full article]

The study published by Chih-Mei Chen et al. in the May edition of the distinguished Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology did not approve earlier papers, according to which contact with cat allergens during the first few months of a child’s life has a protective effect. [click link for full article]

A combination of molecular-targeted therapy and hormonal therapy may be the most promising area of research for those seeking an effective treatment for ovarian cancer, according to a new review in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. “Several clinical trials have confirmed the role of hormone therapy in recurrent ovarian cancer treatment, especially in patients with low-grade tumors,” says review author Dr. [click link for full article]

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) will chair a Special Committee on Aging hearing titled, “The Future of Medicare: Recognizing the Need for Chronic Care Coordination,” on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to examine the need for care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries who suffer from multiple chronic illnesses. [click link for full article]

At the 116th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), meeting in Nusa Dua (Indonesia), UNICEF and IPU members said more can be done to halt violence against children in every country. According to the United Nations Secretary General’s recently released study on the subject, violence against children is widespread, underacknowledged and extremely damaging. [click link for full article]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - the world’s largest humanitarian lifeline - welcomes a 30 million euro donation from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) to WFP’s major emergency relief efforts in the Darfur region of the Sudan. [click link for full article]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is too reliant on expert opinion in particular fields in developing policies and recommendations, and should instead use more systematic reviews of relevant research and seek views of representatives who will have to live with those recommendations. The findings are reported early Online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet. [click link for full article]

A joint public health project involving NHS Direct and the Health Protection Agency has revealed that a higher than expected number of people between the ages of 5 and 44 are suffering from eye problems. In the week ending 24 April, figures show that NHS Direct was receiving on average 150 calls a day from people with these hay symptoms, which is a rise of all calls to NHS Direct from 0.7% to 1.5%. [click link for full article]