A new study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference finds that obese people are significantly more likely to have persistent or severe persistent asthma than their thinner counterparts.The study presented looked at 3,059 adults with asthma, who were divided into three groups: non-overweight, overweight and obese, based on their body mass index (BMI). [click link for full article]

Some children may not be able to keep their asthma under control even if they consistently report using inhaled corticosteroids, a mainstay of asthma treatment, suggests a new study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference. [click link for full article]

Sleep apnea is associated with a greatly increased incidence of pregnancy-induced diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.The study found that when the women’s weight was taken into account, sleep apnea was associated with a doubling of the incidence of gestational diabetes and a fourfold increase in the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension. [click link for full article]

Five organisations representing some 85 per cent of NHS mental health staff have today suspended their membership from the Mental Health Alliance in order to form a coalition to support the modernisation of mental health services. Over the past eight years the independent Mental Health Alliance has been successful in providing organisations with an effective vehicle to influence legislation and also the Mental Health Bill presently going through Parliament. [click link for full article]

On the day that marks the launch of its new mental health network, the NHS Confederation is publishing a poll which shows that the majority of NHS mental health service leaders feel that mental health services have been adversely affected by pressures such as meeting the 18 week target. In a recent poll of 71 NHS organisations providing mental health services, 40 chairs or chief executives responded. [click link for full article]

N.V. Organon, the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel, and Royal Philips Electronics announced today that they will join forces in the development of new drugs and therapies for mental disorders and cancer. [click link for full article]

Greater social support is urgently needed to meet the complex needs of the growing number of socially disadvantaged UK residents suffering from Tuberculosis (TB), according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing. Research carried out by TB specialists across London found that the increased concentration of TB in marginalised groups presents new challenges for the agencies trying to halt its spread. [click link for full article]

The countries of the Americas face a looming health crisis as their populations age and suffer increasingly from chronic diseases, said Dr. Cristina Beato, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), at a symposium organized by the Washington, D.C.-based Dialogue on Diversity. Strategies that focus on prevention should be a top health priority throughout the region, she said. [click link for full article]

The Agency has launched a public consultation on the minimum food skills and knowledge that young people should possess, understand and be able to apply by different ages. Working with the British Nutrition Foundation to develop the core food competences framework, the aim is to make it easier for young people to select healthier choices, based on a sound understanding of key food skills and knowledge of what constitutes a healthy diet. [click link for full article]

Doctor Mom’s admonition, “Don’t peel your apple,” is getting new scientific support from scientists in New York, who are reporting isolation of chemical compounds from apple peel that may be involved in the apple’s beneficial health effects. Their report is scheduled for publication in the May 30 issue of ACS’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. [click link for full article]