OSCAR - THE DEATH PREDICTING CAT

PROVIDENCE - In the two years since Oscar was adopted into the dementia unit of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence he has maintained close vigil over the deaths of more than 25 patients, nursing staff and doctors say.
Like any feline, Oscar gives a hefty portion of his day to sleep. He likes to doze on stacks of patient reports. Or on the desk at the nurses' station. Or in the linen closet.

FDA ISSUES WARNING AGAINST COUGH MEDICINES FOR CHILDREN

WASHINGTON - Hoping to halt the growing number of injuries to infants and toddlers, the F.D.A. issued an advisory warning to parents never to give cough and cold medicines to children under the age of 2 unless instructed to do so by a doctor.

The warning is part of a broad reassessment by the agency of the safety of the popular medicines, which have been blamed for hundreds of adverse reactions and a handful of deaths in children under the age of 2. Registered Nurses have been advocating stronger warnings and prohibitions for years. The F.D.A. will convene a panel of independent experts on October 18th to discuss whether more warnings are required. Such meetings often signal that the agency is seriously concerned about the safety of the drugs under review.

WHY WOMEN GET MORE MIGRAINES THAN MEN

LOS ANGELES - For every man with a migraine, three women are struck by the severe headaches that often come with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and aura. That means a staggering 18 to 25 percent of women suffer from migraines, making it one of the most common disabling conditions faced by women around the globe.

This 3-to-1 ratio raises the obvious question: Why? The reason, suggest researchers at UCLA, is that women may have a faster trigger than men for activating the waves of brain activity thought to underlie migraines. If the theory is correct, this triggering mechanism may be a new target for migraine treatment.

A NEW MODEL OF HEALTHCARE: DRUG STORES AS CLINICS

"The traditional place we deliver care is no longer in the traditional location"

SAUSALITO - The internet era, the shortage of doctors in many parts of the country, and the lack of health care insurance have created a new era of "urgent care light" as patients get tired of waiting days for medical attention, and those without health insurance run to local drug stores, discount club pharmacies and mini-care retail clinics where they can have only a brief wait to see a doctor or a nurse, and walk out with a prescription.

THE FULL MOON AND THE REGISTERED NURSE

SAUSALITO - You may hear people say, "Just ask an emergency room nurse. They will tell you that they are busier on nights when there is a full moon." Popular legend has it that the full moon brings out the worst in people: more violence, more suicides, more accidents, and more aggression.

The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents, birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things. Some people even buy and sell stocks according to the phases of the moon, a method probably as successful as many others.

If so, shouldn't nurses be better trained and prepared for this event, both in classrooms and on the job? The problem is that numerous studies have tried to find lunar effects. So far, the studies have failed to establish much of interest.