U.S. patients who use certain asthma inhalers made with ozone-depleting propellants should talk to their doctors now about alternatives ahead of a ban that starts in January, health officials said on Friday...
Rueters- -5-30-2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN3035248520080530?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Some early-stage breast cancer patients may soon have an alternative to chemotherapy. A major study, released today, found that a drug commonly known to treat brittle bones also showed promise in treating early-stage breast cancer and could change the way many breast cancer patients are treated...
ABCNews.com - 5-31-2008
Protein accumulations, or plaques, characteristic of Alzheimer's disease can be eliminated from the brains of mice, researchers report, by encouraging scavenger immune cells called macrophages to do their work...
Reuters - 5-30-2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL06270020080530?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A new analysis of current research provides "the strongest evidence to date" that giving small children supplemental vitamin D will help prevent them from developing type 1 diabetes later on, according to the review's co-author...
Reuters - 5-30-2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL06260820080530?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
A baffling phenomenon known as sudden infant death syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for children under age 1. Now, British researchers say they may have found a contributing factor: bacteria...
USAToday.com - 5-29-2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-29-bacteria-SIDS_N.htm?csp=34
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 21 million Americans suffer from some kind of depressive disorder. For about 4 million of the most severe cases, no treatment can help. But there is a promising experimental therapy now in clinical trials that, in essence, "rewires" the brain. It is most definitely medicine on the cutting edge...
ABCNews.com - May 29, 2008
Two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains have learned to control a mechanical arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach for and grab food and even to adjust for the size and stickiness of morsels when necessary, scientists reported on Wednesday.
The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the most striking demonstration to date of brain-machine interface technology. Scientists expect that technology will eventually allow people with spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions to gain more control over their lives....
The New York Times - May 29, 2008
U.S. health officials proposed changes on Wednesday to the way prescription drug labels explain what is known about the risks of a medication's use by pregnant and breast-feeding women....
Reuters - May 28, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2844317120080528?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, according to a new study.
The germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. The study found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000....
CNN.com - May 28, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/28/deadly.bacteria/index.html?eref=rss_health
The naturally-occurring chemical bicarbonate, used to make baking soda, could help detect cancer using sensitive scanning, research suggests....
BBC News - May 28, 2008
Finally some good news: The rate of childhood obesity may be leveling off in the USA after years of skyrocketing growth, new government data show.
About 32% of children and teens ages 2 to 19 -- about 23 million -- were either overweight or obese in 2003-2006 compared with 29% in 1999. The increase is not considered statistically significant....
USATODAY.com - May 27, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2008-05-27-obesity-children_N.htm?csp=34
Nearly 40,000 military personnel have been given diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003, Pentagon records show....
The New York Times - May 28, 2008
Premature single births have been increasing in the United States, mostly among infants delivered by Caesarean section, researchers are reporting. And they say some of the increase may be due to Caesareans that are not medically necessary.
The trend is worrisome because premature babies are at risk for breathing and feeding disorders, delayed brain development, other health problems and death....
The New York Times - May 28, 2008
Gum disease, both in smokers and non-smokers, may be a warning sign of an increased risk of cancer....
BBC News - May 26, 2008
Long seen as a problem for children, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was first described in 1845 by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, who wrote "The Story of Fidgety Philip."
More recently, it has been recognized as continuing into adulthood for some people, and new research seeks to estimate the effect of ADHD on workers.
This lack of ability to concentrate costs the average adult sufferer 22.1 days of "role performance," per year, including 8.7 extra days absent, according to researchers led by Dr. Ron de Graaf of the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction....
USATODAY.com - May 26, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-27-adhd-work_N.htm?csp=34
Many people with heart disease do not know the symptoms of a heart attack, even though their risk of suffering one is five to seven times higher than those with no such history, researchers reported on Monday.
Reuters - May 26, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2322118520080527?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Menopausal women who take hormone-replacement therapy pills more than double their risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot, French researchers said on Friday.
The review of 17 studies suggested that the risk was also significantly higher during the first year of treatment, they reported in the British Medical Journal....
Reuters - May 22, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2293658720080522?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Federal health officials yesterday announced plans to begin mining the medical records of millions of patients to try to identify safety problems from drugs and medical devices more quickly.
The Sentinel Initiative will enable the Food and Drug Administration and others to analyze the growing number of databases of health records compiled by the government, health insurers and HMOs to try to identify drug- and device-related problems sooner than does the current system, which relies primarily on voluntary reporting by individual doctors....
washingtonpost.com - May 23, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203918.html?nav=rss_health
A common virus traditionally viewed as mild killed at least five U.S. infants last year, government health officials said Thursday....
The New York Times - May 22, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Childhood-Virus.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
For years, smokers have been exhorted to take the initiative and quit: use a nicotine patch, chew nicotine gum, take a prescription medication that can help, call a help line, just say no. But a new study finds that stopping is seldom an individual decision....
The New York Times - May 22, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/science/22smoke.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Deaths from drug and alcohol overdose dropped slightly last year in Baltimore, according to a report released yesterday by the Health Department. The decline continues a downward trend from the peak a decade ago.
In 2007, 235 city residents died from overdose in Baltimore, down from 244 the previous year....
baltimoresun.com - May 22, 2008
So-called "metabolic syndrome", a composite medical condition often cited by drug companies, can predict diabetes but not heart disease, British researchers said on Thursday....
Reuters - May 21, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2185057420080522?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Pfizer Inc.'s once promising anti-smoking drug Chantix received another blow Wednesday after a nonprofit group's report about serious physical side effects prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ban the drug's use by pilots and air traffic controllers....
USATODAY.com - May 21, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-21-chantix-smoking_N.htm?csp=34
Nanotubes, one of the wonder materials of the new age of nanotechnology, may carry a health risk similar to that of asbestos, a wonder material of an earlier age that turned into a scourge after decades of use when its fibers were found to cause lung disease, researchers said Tuesday....
The New York Times - May 21, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/science/21nano.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Being deprived of sleep even for one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shutdowns akin to a power failure -- brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness, researchers said on Tuesday....
Reuters - May 20, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2034716020080520?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Cervical cancer, which can be prevented by a vaccine or detected early by Pap smears, kills 33,000 women in Latin America and the Caribbean a year, according to a new study.
Better screening and an affordable vaccine for girls could reduce the deaths, which could increase to 70,000 a year by 2030 if nothing is done, the authors said....
The New York Times - May 20, 2008
Women who are stressed in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child developing asthma or other allergies, a study suggests....
BBC News - May 19, 2008
Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found -- adding to evidence the ''sunshine vitamin'' has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing....
The New York Times - May 16, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Vitamin-D-Breast-Cancer.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
More breast cancer patients are undergoing mastectomies, reversing a trend in which women were choosing less extensive surgeries that let them keep their breasts, a new study suggests...
USAToday.com - May 16 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-16-women-masectomy_N.htm?csp=34
There are different kinds of allergic reactions: If you get stung and have pain and itching, that is normal. If you get a huge swelling that lasts a week, that is probably a local allergic reaction, and it isn't really dangerous unless you get stung in the throat...
BaltimoreSun.com - May 16 2008
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-to.hs.expert15may15,0,77211.story?track=rss
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that people ages 60 and above should get Merck & Co Inc's vaccine Zostavax to protect against shingles....
Reuters - May 15, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1528996320080515?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Sales of cancer drugs will grow at nearly double the rate of the global pharmaceutical market and could reach $80 billion by 2012, according to IMS Health, which tracks prescription drug sales....
Reuters - May 15, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1453543620080515?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The difference in death rates between highly educated and poorly educated people in the United States is very wide and growing wider, according to new research....
washingtonpost.com - May 14, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/13/AR2008051302599.html?nav=rss_health
Using ultrasound in addition to mammography helped doctors spot significantly more breast cancers in high-risk women compared with mammograms alone, but it also resulted in four times as many false alarms, researchers said Tuesday....
The New York Times - May 14, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/health/research/14ultrasound.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study shows.
The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol -- problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes....
USATODAY.com - May 14, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-14-medication-nation_N.htm?csp=34
New research shows exercise during the teen years _ starting as young as age 12 _ can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown. Middle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause....
washingtonpost.com - May 13, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/13/AR2008051301860.html?nav=rss_health
Scientists are creating tiny mechanical "nanoworms" that could zip through the human body like cruise missiles, finding cancerous tumors that are too small to be seen any other way...
ABCNews.com - 5-13-2008
The sexually transmitted virus called HPV, for human papillomavirus, is well known to lead to cervical cancer in women -- which is why the federal government recommends that all girls be vaccinated for HPV at 11 or 12, before they become sexually active...
NewYorkTimesResearch.com - 5-13-2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13canc.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Giving elderly people either Aleve or Celebrex, two anti-inflammatory painkilling drugs, did nothing to ward off the mental decline associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Monday.
Reuters - May 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0951763120080512?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The parents of two 10-year-old boys who believe vaccines caused their sons to develop autism brought their case to U.S. federal court on Monday, arguing a mercury preservative in the shots caused a rare reaction....
Reuters - May 12, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1229943220080512?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
In a randomized controlled study of 145 children ages 2 to 16 who had more than seven seizures a week and were unresponsive to medication, senior author Dr. J. Helen Cross of the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London reported a 38% reduction in mean seizure frequency among the 54 children assigned to receive the ketogenic diet.
The control group experienced an increase in seizures, according to the report, which appeared in the online edition of Lancet Neurology....
Los Angeles Times - May 12, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-ketogenic12-2008may12,0,4231240.story?track=rss
Children whose fathers are depressed have smaller vocabularies than those who do not, a US study suggests...
BBC.com - 5-10-2008
Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to make a record number of doses for the next flu season despite concerns that demand may drop because this year's vaccine was largely ineffective...
CNN.com - 5-9-2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/09/flu.vaccine.ap/index.html
Adult women who were breast-fed as infants may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who were not breast-fed, unless they were first-born, study findings suggest...
Reuters - 5-9-2008
Fewer than half of Americans can recognize the top five warning signs of stroke, information that could help save thousands of people from death and disability, the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
Reuters - 5-8-2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0839529420080508?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.
USAToday.com - 5-9-2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-09-teen-drug_N.htm?csp=34
Most people are vaccinated against pertussis as kids. But here's a surprise: It's come roaring back since an all-time low in the 1970s, largely due to waning immunity in adults who received shots in early childhood.
CNN.com - May 5, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/05/05/hm.vaccines/index.html?eref=rss_health
The diabetes pill metformin is just as effective as insulin injections in treating women who develop diabetes during pregnancy, researchers in New Zealand and Australia reported on Wednesday.
Reuters - May 7, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0738705020080507?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
An international team of researchers said they have pinpointed three variants of the genetic code that appear to set the stage for aggressive neuroblastoma, the deadliest solid tumor in early childhood.The finding is not expected to immediately change the way doctors treat the cancer, diagnosed in 700 children in the United States alone each year, they reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Reuters - May 8, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0720199520080508?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Intrauterine devices are not only among the most effective contraceptives, but they also can help protect women from a cancer of the uterus called endometrial cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday....
Reuters - May 7, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0651615220080507?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Women who stop smoking can enjoy major health benefits within five years, but it can take decades to correct respiratory damage and shed the added risk of lung cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday....
The New York Times - May 7, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/us/07smoke.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
People who sleep fewer than six hours a night -- or more than nine -- are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies.
The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use....
The New York Times - May 7, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Sleep-Obesity.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Men ages 65 and older should get screened for osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease once thought of primarily as a woman's problem, a physicians group said today.
In a report in today's Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians unveiled new guidelines urging doctors to look for factors that put older men at risk. The report says a substantial number of men go undiagnosed....
USATODAY.com - May 6, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-05-osteoporosis-men_N.htm?csp=34
Long-term use of ibuprofen may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a large US study reports....
BBC News - May 6, 2008
More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from treatable ailments like diarrhea and pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said Wednesday.
Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to Save the Children's global report....
USATODAY.com - May 6, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-06-child-health_N.htm?csp=34
Insulin pumps are used by tens of thousands of teenagers worldwide with Type 1 diabetes, but they can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, a review by federal regulators finds....
CNN.com - May 5, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/05/insulin.pumps.ap/index.html?eref=rss_health
A new needle-free device that delivers a local anesthetic to the skin promises to help make delivering drugs and drawing blood less painful for children....
Reuters - May 5, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL56005720080505?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won't get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding whom to let die.
Now, an influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients would not be treated. They include the very elderly, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients and those with severe dementia....
baltimoresun.com - May 5, 2008
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.pandemic05may05,0,626753.story?track=rss
A new type of treatment that trains immune system cells to better recognize the AIDS virus may help control the deadly and incurable infection, Australian researchers reported on Friday.
Reuters - May 2, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0231211820080502?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Women whose jobs regularly expose them to weed killers may have a higher-than-normal risk of a particular form of brain cancer, results of a U.S. study suggest.
Reuters Health - May 2, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL26130320080502?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Migraine is commonly associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia, a new study shows.
Reuters Health.com - May 2, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL26120620080502?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Imagine what a pacemaker does to your heart -- its electrical impulses regulate a heartbeat that's out of whack.Now picture a pacemaker-type device that jolts the brain and regulates mood circuits -- potentially easing deep depression no other treatments can touch.
CNN.com - May 2, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/05/02/deep.brain.stim/index.html?eref=rss_health
The electromagnetic fields that are generated by incubators in hospital nurseries influence the heart rate variability in newborns, suggesting that such fields are capable of altering autonomic nervous system activity, new research indicates
Reuters Health - May 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL16505920080501?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
An international research team has pinpointed a genetic mutation that can raise a healthy person's blood sugar to harmful levels, putting them at higher risk of serious problems like heart disease....
Reuters - May 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL0150143320080501?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The biggest U.S. outbreak of measles since 2001 is unfolding in 10 states, with at least 64 people ranging from infants to the elderly becoming ill -- most of them unvaccinated, U.S. health officials said on Thursday....
Reuters - May 1, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0141448220080501?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
The U.S. breast-feeding rate has hit its highest mark in at least 20 years with more than three-quarters of new moms nursing their infants, according to a government report released Wednesday.
About 77% of new mothers breast-feed, at least briefly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
USATODAY.com - April 30, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-30-breastfeeding-moms_N.htm?csp=34
