The HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention launches the ‘Your Mental Health’ Public Awareness Campaign to increase awareness of mental health and well-being in Ireland. The campaign is informed by a national survey of attitudes to mental health among Irish adults which reports that 85% of adults agree that anyone can experience a mental health problem. [click link for full article]

Patients perceive no significant change in the quality of care for cancer since the United States’ government passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) according to a study published in the November 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. [click link for full article]

A new antihistamine, Xyzal, became available last week, and is indicated for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria (hives). Xyzal (levocetirizine), is the active isomer of Zyrtec (cetirizine), a…

A new study finds treatment for breast cancer differs between African-American women and white women, though the differences are partly dependent on insurance type. The study appears in the November 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Mousumi Banerjee of the University of Michigan and co-investigators Dr. Kendra Schwartz from Wayne State University and Dr. [click link for full article]

Asthma UK Cymru will be offering National Healthy Living Week exhibition delegates the chance to get top tips from an asthma specialist on managing the condition and the opportunity to meet inspirational Paralympic gold medal winner David Roberts MBE. Wales has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world, with 1 in 12 adults and 1 in 10 children living with the condition. [click link for full article]

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 109 national research and training grants totaling more than $52.6 million in the first of two grant cycles for 2008. Of the grants, 91 are new and 18 are renewals of previous grants. All of the grants go into effect January 1, 2008. [click link for full article]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the agency will collect $4 billion from Part D drug plan sponsors due to lower-than-expected drug costs in 2006, the first year of the Medicare drug program. This collection results from the payment reconciliation that CMS has completed for 2006, including the application of risk sharing created under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). [click link for full article]

Pandemic flu is waiting to strike. Even though public health organizations are preparing, others need to prepare now as well, according to the October Texas Medicine magazine. Physicians fear that because little new information is being reported about the potential pandemic outbreak of the avian flu, people will become complacent, and not be prepared for its strike. [click link for full article]

Kentucky gubernatorial candidates Steve Beshear (D) and Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) on Wednesday in a televised debate aired that aired locally discussed their views on several issues, including abortion rights, the AP/Evansville Courier & Press reports (Alford, AP/Evansville Courier & Press, 10/4). [click link for full article]

A patient who is infected with community-acquired pneumonia and is hospitalized has a better chance of survival and a lower risk of admission to the ICU (intensive care unit) if he/she had already received the pneumococcal vaccine, compared to patients who had not been vaccinated, according to an article published in Archives of Internal Medicine (JAMA/Archives), October 8th issue. [click link for full article]