http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. With simple and innovative measures, public agencies at state and local levels can play a significant role in promoting healthier eating habits—steps that could make a difference in curbing the nation's obesity epidemic. One effective option, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is requiring restaurants to include calorie counts on menus, along with the physical activity equivalents required to burn off a meal. The researchers, who examined studies on calorie labeling and regulatory options available to local governments, offer several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of menu labeling. The suggestions are especially applicable to chain restaurants with fewer than 20 locations, a category that represents more than half of the restaurants in the U.S. These eateries are not subject to the federal Affordable Care Act's menu- labeling provision. It requires chain restaurants with more than 20 locations to provide calorie information on their menus and menu boards, as well as a statement addressing daily recommended caloric intake. The findings are featured in a Perspective in the May 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-state-local-obesity-epidemic.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 09 May 2013 16:02:45 EST news287334155 (AP)—The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that cities and counties can ban medical marijuana dispensaries, a ruling likely to further diminish the state's once-extravagant network of storefront pot shops and fuel efforts to bring greater oversight to the quasi-legal industry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-court-california-cities-pot.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:52:00 EST news287077914 A new study by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital examined injuries to children related to amusement rides, which included rides at amusement parks (fixed-site rides), rides at fairs and festivals (mobile rides) and rides found at local malls, stores, restaurants or arcades (mall rides). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-kids-year.html Pediatrics Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news286564011 (AP)—The Philippine Supreme Court temporarily halted the implementation of a law that provides state funding for contraceptives, legislation opposed by the dominant Roman Catholic Church but supported by reproductive health activists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-philippine-court-halts-contraceptives-law.html Health Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:00:02 EST news282887448 Scores of women were dumped unconscious in a field after a mass sterilisation in eastern India because there was no room in hospital for them to recuperate, medical officials said Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-indian-women-dumped-field-sterilisations.html Health Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:44:57 EST news279441891 Indonesia has identified the bird flu virus that killed hundreds of thousands of ducks in recent weeks as a more virulent type which is new to the country, according to a letter seen Tuesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-indonesia-virulent-bird-flu-strain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:40:40 EST news274419633 (HealthDay)—U.S. teens are much less likely to buy cigarettes if they are hidden from view, new research suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-cigarettes-kids.html Addiction Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:10:01 EST news273753335 Health coverage for the poorest Americans could be in jeopardy in many states as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last month on the Affordable Care Act, according to a new legal analysis. The report examines federal and state Medicaid options following the United States Supreme Court's ruling in NFIB v Sebelius and appears in the August issue of the journal Health Affairs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-poorest-americans-states-opt-medicaid.html Health Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:00:12 EST news263487284 California has banned local authorities from outlawing male circumcision, striking a final blow to a San Francisco group that had hoped to put the matter to a popular vote. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-california-circumcision.html Health Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:23:15 EST news236920981 (AP) -- California's governor has signed a bill that that will prevent local governments from banning male circumcision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-calif-gov-bill-circumcision.html Health Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:12:13 EST news236830316 The number of caesarean deliveries rose sharply in China this week as mothers rushed to give birth before the deadline for school enrollment, state media and local governments said Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-c-sections-china-school-deadline.html Health Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:38:46 EST news234081512 Public health analysts expressed doubt Monday (April 25) that eradicating malaria is an attainable goal, saying the difficulty of doing so may put that out of reach despite the global effort now under way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-eradicating-malaria-tall.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:08:24 EST news223121279