Washington, D.C., plans to invest $650,000 in needle-exchange programs to help prevent the spread of HIV among injection drug users in the city, officials announced Wednesday, the Washington Post reports (Nakamura, Washington Post, 1/3).

AFP - Swiss scientists searching for a vaccine against cat allergies have adopted the maxim "my enemy's enemy is my friend" by successfully testing their formula on every mog's foe -- a mouse.

Alcohol and drug use can progress into abuse and even addiction so insidiously that sometimes people do not realize that it has become a problem for them and those...

President Bush last week signed a $555 billion fiscal year 2008 omnibus spending bill (HR 2764) that effectively lifts a ban on city funding for needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C., the

The Philadelphia Inquirer last week examined the launch of pilot needle-exchange programs in New Jersey that aim to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among injection drug users. The pilot program has been in effect in Atlantic City since Nov. 27.

Male flies that develop homosexual tendencies when drunk may help reveal how alcohol affects human sexual behaviour, say researchers

Exposure to nicotine as a teenager may cause the brain's white matter to develop abnormally, suggest researchers

A team of researchers at Penn Sate has used an animal model to reveal, for the first time, a physiological basis for the effect of alcohol on malesexual behavior, including increased sexual arousal and decreased sexual inhibition. The research, which will be published on 2 January, 2008 in thescientific journal PLoS ONE, resulted in four novel findings with broad importance for further addiction research.

Children living in homes where there is parental substance abuse can find life difficult, unpredictable and confusing. Sometimes they even believe the alcohol or drug abuse is their fault....

AFP - A Saudi human rights watchdog is urging carriers of the AIDS virus to report any discrimination they suffer in the conservative Muslim kingdom, the Jeddah daily Arab News said on Wednesday.

A husband and wife team based at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas, have developed a cocaine vaccine that is currently undergoing clinical trials. The vaccine, which is based on an inactivated form of the drug, teaches the immune system to fight real cocaine and stop it getting to the brain and delivering the expected "high".

AFP - Britons are the world's biggest fans of fast food, just ahead of Americans, while famously gastronomic French are the least attracted by quick meals, according to a study published Wednesday.

The factual evidence in the following is confined to UK drug users and where available, accompanied by the relevant statistics from official agencies; Background: The UK Drug Strategy is the responsibility of the Dept of Health and is implemented by the National Treatment Agency.

Title: Health Tip: The Dangers of Excessive Drinking
Category: Health News
Created: 1/1/2008 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/2/2008

A nationwide study of 7,751 emergency room patients has confirmed that visits to the E.R. provide a great opportunity to use brief interventions to reduce harmful drinking. Asking emergency...

If you live or have lived with someone who has a drinking problem, chances are you have been affected in ways that you may not even realize. Answering these...

Each year as the ball drops, New Yorkers resolve to improve their lives and their health by carrying out New Year's resolutions. The right resolution, properly observed, could save your life. So, in the spirit of the season, the Health Department's doctors and other specialists offer eight resolutions to make in '08. 1. Quit Smoking"Make 2008 the year you quit for good," says Sarah Perl, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Tobacco Control.

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Cannabinoids may suppress tumor invasion in highly invasive cancers. Cannabinoids, the active components in marijuana, are used to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, weight loss, and vomiting, but there is increasing evidence that they may also inhibit tumor cell growth. However, the cellular mechanisms behind this are unknown. Robert Ramer, Ph.D., and Burkhard Hinz, Ph.D.

People with clinical addictions know first-hand the ravages the disease can take on almost every aspect of their lives. So why do they continue addictive behaviors, even after a period of peaceable abstinence? Some answers appear rooted in regions of the brain active during decision making.