Outcomes of acute COPD exacerbations may be better with early antibiotics
Medscape
Outcomes may be better when patients hospitalized for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receive early antibiotics, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study reported in the May 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.More

Study: Include psychiatrists in first response teams to help disaster survivors
EHS Today
A new study of 9/11 survivors and victims' family members shows that psychiatrists should be included in disaster first response teams to provide immediate assistance in alleviating early trauma symptoms ranging from sleeplessness to constant anxiety.More

Intellectual function in Mexican children environmentally exposed to manganese living in a mining area
EHP
Excessive exposure to manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, has shown to be neurotoxic, especially by inhalation. Few studies have examined Mn potential effects on cognitive functions of environmentally exposed children. This purpose of this study is to estimate environmental exposure to Mn resulting from mining and processing and explore its association with intellectual function of school-age children.More

Gulf oil spill workers report health problems
Medline Plus
With the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico now in its sixth week, reports of clean-up workers falling ill are on the rise. "Within the past week, we've seen a number of workers hospitalized. That's new," said Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. More

79% of European managers are concerned by work-related stress, but less than a third of companies have set procedures to deal with it
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Concern about psychosocial risks such as stress, violence and harassment is increasing in European organizations, the first findings of the biggest workplace health and safety survey in Europe show. The new data was released on June 3 2010 by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) at the mid-term review conference of the Community Strategy for Health and Safety at Work (2007 - 2012).More

Working overtime is bad for the heart
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
The research, which is published online Wednesday, May 12, in the European Heart Journal, found that, people who worked eleven or more hours per day compared with those who worked a normal, eight-hour day had a 60 percent higher risk of heart-related problems such as death due to heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks and angina.More

Scientists seek former students in toxic MT town
Yahoo! News
Researchers have embarked on an ambitious study to track the health of thousands of high school graduates over a half century in a Montana town where a toxic mine has killed hundreds of people and made it the deadliest Superfund site in the nation.More