Low temperatures and relative humidities have been linked to the rapid spread of influenza in a new study by researchers, led by Dr. Peter Palese, from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, supports the theory of the seasonal flu. Influenza has long been considered a seasonal virus. [click link for full article]

The Social Security Administration has announced a 2.3% cost of living adjustment for the more than 50 million Americans receiving Social Security in 2008. This adds about $22.00 to the average monthly Social Security check of just over $1,000 and is the lowest increase in four years. “Rising healthcare costs, including Medicare Part B premiums and prescription drug costs, have outpaced Social Security cost-of-living increases for years. [click link for full article]

The intensity of the immune response to cancer is determined by the genes of each patient, according to researchers in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. This finding will contribute to the early assessment of prognosis of patients and an individualized choice of optimal therapy. [click link for full article]

KaBOOM!, the Washington, D.C.-based charity dedicated to the creation of great places to play for children in neighborhoods across America, will be honored on October 19th by NARSAD, the world’s leading charity dedicated to mental health research. NARSAD will present KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder, Darell Hammond, with NARSAD’s first-ever Children’s Mental Health Award. [click link for full article]

Summaries of several recent editorials and opinion pieces that examine the recent presidential veto of legislation to reauthorize and expand SCHIP appear below. Editorials [click link for full article]

The international breast cancer support group Reach for Recovery during a recent breast cancer awareness campaign delivered messages to 2,783 women at eight hospitals and clinics in northern Namibia, the Namibian/AllAfrica.com reports. [click link for full article]

California-based StemLifeLine on Monday at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., presented a pilot study of its service in which couples who have undergone in vitro fertilization pay for stem cell lines to be created from surplus embryos, London’s [click link for full article]

NPR on Wednesday examined the results of a new NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health poll that looks at the public’s views and opinions of SCHIP and the pending legislation surrounding its reauthorization. The poll surveyed 1,527 randomly selected U.S. adults via telephone from Oct. 8 through Oct. 13 (NPR. [click link for full article]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee with a 32-13 vote on Tuesday became the third House committee to approve a measure (HR 1424), sponsored by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), that would require most health insurers to provide equal levels of coverage for physical and mental illnesses, CQ Today reports. [click link for full article]

The drug company Merck & Co said on Wednesday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new uses of its diabetes drug Januvia in combination with other medicines but also reported the drug can cause serious allergic reactions to some patients.Januvia (sitagliptin) received FDA approval in October 2006 as a prescription medicine for use as part of a treatment programme (including diet and exercise) to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. [click link for full article]