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Pain patch abuse blamed for increase in deaths

What would Sid do?Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

Shower manganese a public health threat?

Not manganese! Ahhhrrrgggg!A new analysis based on animal studies suggests that showering in manganese-contaminated water for a decade or more could have permanent effects on the nervous system. The damage may occur even at levels of manganese considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Time Running Out for Mississippi’s HIV Patients

Medicaid beneficiaries living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi are about to be denied access to medications they need to stay alive. A law that takes effect tomorrow, July 1, limits Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries to two brand-name drugs. But controlling HIV infection requires three drugs, and all of them are brand name.

Oceans turning to acid from rise in CO2

So ... very ... burny!A report issued by the Royal Society in the U.K. sounds the alarm about the world’s oceans. “If CO2 from human activities continues to rise, the oceans will become so acidic by 2100 it could threaten marine life in ways we can’t anticipate,” commented Dr. Ken Caldeira, co-author of the report and a newly appointed staff scientist at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology in Stanford, California.

Clean skies=faster global warming?

Global warming may proceed more quickly and be more severe than previously predicted according to research about to be published in the scientific journal “Nature”. Reductions in airborne particle pollution, or aerosols, as air quality is improved, will amplify climate change by reducing the cooling effect due to aerosols and also by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide that remains in the atmosphere. Uncertainty about the magnitude of past and present cooling, however, means that we cannot be certain about the strength of future warming, which may exceed previous estimates.

New Tooth Whitener Could Help Heal Teeth

Looking good, feeling strong.Tooth whiteners that could enhance teeth’s natural healing ability may soon be available in over-the-counter gels and strips, according to a dental researcher who shared his team’s latest findings today at the American Dental Association’s national media conference.

Eyes need sunblock, too

July is UV Safety Month, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds Americans of the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun’s harmful rays by wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. One of the greatest threats to your eyes is invisible. The scientific evidence is piling up: long-term exposure to invisible ultraviolet radiation can damage our eyes and lead to vision loss. Everyone — including children — is at risk.

New software finds smallest extrasolar planet yet

So very small.A team of researchers recently revealed it has discovered the smallest planet yet found orbiting a normal star outside the solar system thanks to a new computer program developed under the guidance of a NASA astronomer. The team studied irregularities in the motion of two known giant extrasolar planets circling the star Gliese 876 and its motion to deduce the presence of a third planet in that system, according to a scientific paper submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. An extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits any star other than the sun.

Weight-loss surgery reduces heart disease risk

A study using new measures of heart disease risk shows that gastric bypass surgery reduces the risk of heart disease even more than previously believed. The researchers say the finding underscores the value of the surgery for extremely overweight people, whose obesity puts them in danger of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular illness.

Drug cuts heart transplantation rejection

A new study shows that a drug, called daclizumab, is effective at reducing organ rejection and risk of infection in heart transplant patients. The multi-center study by cardiologists from the United States, Sweden, Germany and Canada will be published in the June 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.