There are approximately 21 million people living with diabetes in the United States, and among that population are many athletes. A new position statement from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association outlines several guidelines that can help athletes and their parents, coaches and health care professionals effectively manage diabetes. [click link for full article]

Neonatal services in England have improved after the reorganization, especially for premature and low weight infants. Now, fewer infants have to travel long distances to get suitable treatment. However, problems still persist, says the National Audit Office. The serious shortage of nursing staff is undermining further improvements, as well as a lack of cots in the right place and a shortage of specialist 24-hour transport. 60,000 babies are born in England each year. [click link for full article]

The House on Monday voted 253-154 to approve a $516 billion fiscal year 2008 spending bill that combines 10 unfinished spending measures with the FY 2008 foreign operations spending bill (HR 2764), the [click link for full article]

People suffering from chronic mental or physical disabilities should not resort to a dolphin “healing” experience, warn two researchers from Emory University. Lori Marino, senior lecturer in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Program, has teamed with Scott Lilienfeld, professor in the Department of Psychology, to launch an educational campaign countering claims made by purveyors of what is known as dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT). [click link for full article]

New research published in the December issue of The Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that outcomes of high-risk cancer operations in 80-year-olds are considerably worse than reported in case studies and published survival statistics, which may lead to unrealistic expectations about the safety of these operations in the elderly. [click link for full article]

Although delaying surgical treatment remains the standard of care for patients with severe gallstone pancreatitis, a new study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that, contrary to widespread belief, early cholecystectomy — or surgical removal of the gallbladder — significantly reduces hospital stays in patients with mild to moderate gallstone pancreatitis with no increase in complications or mortality. [click link for full article]

One of the most difficult things for people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is that many believe the condition to be a psychological, not physical affliction.New research by the Faculty of Kinesiology hopes to measure one of the syndrome’s most obvious symptoms - information that could help doctors in the diagnosis CFS. [click link for full article]

Key Health Disparities-Focused Legislation Introduced in the 110th Congress, [click link for full article]

Childhood exposure to severely disadvantaged communities is linked to decreased verbal ability later in childhood, a lasting negative effect that continues even after moving out of the neighborhood, according to research that will be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Living in “concentrated disadvantage” decreases later verbal test scores by about four IQ points, which is roughly equivalent to missing a year of school. [click link for full article]

Researchers in the US claim they have discovered the genes responsible for storing fat in cells.Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York, identified the FIT1 and FIT2 (Fat-Inducing Transcripts 1 and 2) genes that package fat in the form of lipid droplets. [click link for full article]