John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, has expressed disappointment at the inadequate progress made in gaining access into Myanmar, where Cyclone Nargis has left tens of thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, without food, drinking water, medical attention and medicines. Holmes described the current situation as “increasingly desperate.

Scientists have developed a new class of drugs called the vaptans thatcould treat a large variety of conditions, including but not limited topainful menstrual periods, brain hemorrhage, certain psychoticdisorders, and glaucoma. This was reported by Professor GuyDecaux, Erasmus University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium, and colleaguesin a New Drug Class paper released on May 9, 2008 in TheLancet.

Just a week before the House of Commons is projected to debate the timelimit on abortion in the United Kingdom, a study has been released thatindicates that over the past 12 years, no improvement has been seen inthe survival rates of babies born before 24 weeks gestation, thecurrent legal limit for abortion in the country. According to theauthors of the study, published on BMJ.

Reduction of smoking rates among teenagers can be achieved by trainingmore influential students in secondary schools to promote anti-smokingmessages in everyday conversations with their friends and peers,according to an article released on May 9, 2008 in The Lancet.A young person’s smoking habits are strongly associated with thebehaviors their friends perform and usually, this is attributed to peerpressure.

Joseph Fritzl says he knew Elizabeth did not want him to do what he was doing to her - having sex with her - but it was “like an addiction”. We added that he wanted to have children with her. He said he knew the whole time that was he was doing was wrong. He sometimes wondered whether he was crazy for doing such acts. However, his double life became quite “matter of fact”, he says. He had two families, one upstairs and the other downstairs - two parallel lives.

The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists joined hundreds of thousands of women and doctors in applauding the introduction of H. Con. Res. 342, a bipartisan resolution stating that “the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new policy restricting women’s access to medications containing estriol does not serve the public interest” and calling on the FDA to “reverse its policy.” Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.

According to state media there are 22,464 reported human deaths so far and 41,054 people missing. The total number of townships affected stands at 47 - 7 townships in the Delta Division are badly affected, plus another 40 townships in the Yangon area. Reports indicate that the scarcity of drinking water, lack of electricity and gasoline are aggravating the situation. The World Health Organization says the damage and number of injuries are still being assessed.

Providing appropriate treatment methods to HIV-positive women during pregnancy can prevent nearly all risk of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, according to a study published online Wednesday in the journal AIDS, the PA/Google.com reports (Kirby, PA/Google.com, 5/6).

During a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers, officials and representatives of the durable medical equipment industry discussed a Medicare competitive bidding program, including the application process and possible alternatives to the program,

AFP/Google.com on Tuesday examined the increasing number of gay male couples who are having children through surrogacy services. According to AFP/Google.com, the number of gay couples in the U.S. who have children through surrogacy or adoption is increasing. The