In China, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in people over the age of 40 is much more prevalent than previously thought, according to researchers in Guangdong. Their findings appear in the second issue for October of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society. The investigators administered spirometric tests and questionnaires to a cross-sectional population in seven provinces/cities in China. [click link for full article]

More and more children are being diagnosed with depression. However, whether or not children should be treated with antidepressants is hotly disputed. You can read a Head to Head - where one person writes in favor, while another writes against, in this week’s issue of The British Medical Journal (BMJ). [click link for full article]

Using household cleaning sprays and air fresheners as little as once a week can raise the risk of developing asthma in adults, say researchers in Europe. Such products have been associated with increased asthma rates in cleaning professionals, but a similar effect in nonprofessional users has never before been shown. “Frequent use of household cleaning sprays may be an important risk factor for adult asthma,” wrote lead author Jan-Paul Zock, Ph.D. [click link for full article]

The number of induced abortions worldwide declined from nearly 46 million to under 42 million between 1995 and 2003. Abortion rates fell most significantly in Eastern Europe, a trend that corresponds with substantially increased contraceptive use in the region, according to “Induced Abortion: The Global Reality and Avoidable Risks,” a new report by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO) published in the 13 October 2007 issue of The Lancet. [click link for full article]

While advances in maternal health have been excellent in some countries, a Review in Women Deliver, The Lancet this week describes progress as “uneven, inequitable and unsatisfactory”. Dr. Kirrin Gill, Rohini Pande, and Dr. [click link for full article]

A mother who gives birth and has severe obstetric complications is at a significantly greater risk of experiencing mental health problems and death, compare to women who give birth without complications. It is important that resources are channeled adequately to make sure that women with severe obstetric complications (SOCs) receive satisfactory care before and after they are discharged from hospital. [click link for full article]

Summaries of an editorial, opinion pieces and a letter to the editor addressing President Bush’s veto of legislation that would have reauthorized and expanded SCHIP appear below. Editorial [click link for full article]

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee by voice vote on Wednesday approved legislation (HR 1424) that would require health insurers to provide equal levels of coverage for physical and mental illnesses, CQ Today reports. [click link for full article]

More than 21,000 girls younger than age 15 in England and Wales are at risk of undergoing genital cutting — sometimes referred to as female circumcision or female genital mutilation — according to a study funded by the United Kingdom Department of Health and conducted by the not-for-profit group Forward, London’s [click link for full article]

A report released yesterday by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), a coalition of women’s, public health, and environmental groups campaigning for the phasing out of toxins in cosmetics, has suggested that over half of 33 top brands of lipsticks on sale in the US contain detectable levels of lead. [click link for full article]