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By Laura Watson

varenicline is a new drug that has been proven to aid smokers quit the habit

Three studies published in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association all point to the fact that using the drug known as varenicline is better at helping smokers quit, compared to a placebo and the commonly used antismoking drug, bupropion. The drug is a non-nicotine drug that stimulates the production of dopamine in the brain which suppresses the cravings that smokers get.

19 US centers were home to the study that dealt with 1025 smokers, with the group split in to three groups; varenicline twice per day (n = 352), bupropion SR twice per day (n = 329), or placebo (n = 344) orally for 12 weeks, with 40 weeks of nondrug follow-up. The results of the study were in favor of varenicline, as it outperformed both the placebo and bupropion in eleviating cravings.

"Varenicline is an efficacious therapy for smoking cessation. In this trial, varenicline was more efficacious than placebo at all time points and more efficacious than bupropion SR at the end of 12 weeks of treatment and at 24 weeks," the authors write.

By Lennox Bradly

Canada confirms its 6th case of Mad Cow disease

Tests have come back on a Manitoba cow that was believed to have the dreaded mad cow disease. The tests confirm that indeed the cow did have the very dangerous disease, prompting the beginning of a full investigation. This is Canada's 6th confirmed case of mad cow disease in the last 3 years.

The good news, is that the cow was born well before 1997 when new feed regulations were brought into play disallowing the use of cattle parts in cattle feed. This means that the cow did not contract the disease from anything that it ate past that time frame.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is tracking down other cattle that were born in the same time frame as the infected cow to also test them for the disease:
"If we can identify any of the birth-herd mates or those that were born around the same time as this infected animal and consumed the same feed on the birth farm, we would remove those as a precaution," said CFIA senior veterinarian George Luterbach.

By Ron Swerdfiger

The state of Pennsylvania has reported its first positive cases of West Nile virus for this year

Cases of the West Nile virus have been reported in Pennsylvania and are the first reported cases to be found in the state this year. Harrisburg was where the infected mosquitoes were found, leading health officials to warn the public to be careful and take precautions.

“We’ve detected West Nile virus in mosquitoes, which means it’s time for Pennsylvanians to take steps to reduce the risk of becoming infected,” Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson said. “If you’re going to be outside, remember to use insect repellant containing DEET --- especially during dawn and dusk --- and wear long sleeves and light-colored clothing.”

Currently nobody in the state has contracted the virus, but older adults and basically anybody with a compromised immune system is at risk of contracting the virus. The virus is spread from a mosquito to a human through a musquito bite, so taking precautions to limit the amount of bites that you do receive is very much recommended.

A year ago, 25 cases of West Nile virus in humans were reported in the state.

By Mya Blake

The country of Uganda maybe the first country to invoke the death penalty for anybody who is convicted of knowingly passing on the HIV virus to minors

It is being reported that the Ugandan parliament is considering the death penalty for anybody who is proven to have knowingly infected another person under the age of 18 with the HIV virus. “Its major purpose is to amend the previous act, which was giving a life sentence to all those who had sexual contact with minors…the previous act was sentencing them to life imprisonment. But it was considered that we should be able to categorize the different categories of defilers. And we came out with a new
term called aggravated defilement," stated Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, who is a member of the Ugandan HIV/AIDS committee.

If "aggravated defilement" is passed through parliament, then it will become law and will see guilty parties put to death. Passing the bill will not be easy, as there are many people who oppose the death penalty.

Source: Voice of America

By Laura Watson

A US study affirms the view that healthy living can greatly benefit your heart

Affirming something that is common knowledge to a lot of people, US researchers have stated that living a healthy lifestyle can drastically reduce a middle-aged man's risk of developing heart disease. Their study claims that a middle-aged man can reduce the risk of heart disease by 57% if he takes good care of his body, and can reduce it by up to 87% if he does not drink or smoke.

"This shows there's no substitute for a healthy lifestyle," stated the leader of the US study that followed over 42 thousand men, Stephanie Chiuve. She states that even making slow changes over time can be beneficial for one's health: "In other words, it's never to late to change. You can still achieve benefits if you make changes in middle age or later in life."

By Ron Swerdfiger

Rainy season could lead to more West Nile cases

The United States has seen its fair share of West Nile so far this summer, but due to heavy rains of late, health officials are warning that more infected mosquitoes are ready, waiting to bite. “Personal protection during mosquito season is also very important”, said Dr. Hudson who works for the Orange County Health Department.

Along with heavy rain, increases the chance that you will have stagnant water around your home, and this is one factor that seems to draw mosquitoes. Officials state that limiting or totally removing the amount of standing water from around your property is a very good idea to eleviate the temptation to mosquitoes. Wearing bug spray while outdoors, wearing full length cloting to expose little to no skin, and staying inside during prime mosquito times of day, (dawn and dusk) are also viable methods of staying bug bite free.

The virus is transmitted from bug to human through a mosquito bite therefore it is vital to protect yourself at all times to limit your risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito.

By Luther Brady

Health care outlets all across the United States are beginning to stock the Gardasil vaccine

Now that the all clear has been given, clinics all around the United States are stocking the cervical cancer drug known as Gardasil, to be given to women to protect them from cervical cancer as well as other vaginal conditions. The vaccine will be given to girls as young as 11, as it is important for them to receive the drug before entering into sexual maturity if the drug is to properly function, providing the most protection against the disease.

Health care stablishments in Fairbanks are not wasting any time, and are already in the process of stocking the Gardasil drug. They have already begun vaccinating women, and so far all seems to be working well.

The Gardasil vaccine may soon be on a list of immunizations that are deemed necessary for all children to receive.

By Dennis Landrey

Stem cell researchers can now use human embryonic stem cells to create T-cells to help fight disease

Stem cell research has come a long way and progress continues to be made concerning the ability of scientists to use them to better benefit our medical world. The latest scientific stem cell research now allows for the creation of disease fighting T-cells to be created from stem cells that can be used to help fight various diseases, something that has never been able to be accomplished before.

A US study performed at the University of California, Los Angeles, AIDS Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, showed how scientists were able to take human embryonic stem cells, and convert them into T-cells which are the body's main defense against diseases such as HIV that effectively kills a person's immune system.

lead researcher Zoran Galic, states: "This tells you that you may be able to use human embryonic stem cells to treat T-cell and other blood diseases.

The study is published in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By Mya Blake

A second gorilla has died at the Washington National Zoo following the death of Kuja on Saturday

The staff at the Washington zoo are in a panic, as a second gorilla has died not even a day after one died on Saturday. On Saturday, a gorilla named Kuja, died while in surgery to implant a device to enable his heart to function better, and the death of 34-year-old M'geni Mopaya, comes as a real shock to the staff.

The gorilla was being introduced to the family of gorillas previously led by Kuja when according to zoo spokesperson Peper Long, "He collapsed and died."

An autopsy is being conducted on the gorilla to find out the exact cause of death, but results will not be known for a couple of weeks. He did have the condition known as cardiomyopathy, which is a heart condition very popular amongst gorillas, but showed no signs of ill effects.