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Doctors: Eyes May Help Diagnose West Nile CHICAGO (AP) -- The condition of a patient's eyes may be one way to diagnose West Nile virus, doctors at Northwestern University say.
Gluten Disorder More Common Than Thought CHICAGO (AP) -- Celiac disease, a severe digestive disorder triggered by gluten in wheat and other grains, is more common among Americans than previously thought, affecting more than 1.5 million people, a study suggests.
Survey: Teens See Little Risk In Ecstasy NEW YORK (AP) -- Teen use of Ecstasy has leveled off, but most American youngsters see no great risk in experimenting with the drug, according to a study released Tuesday by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News -- Protecting The Elderly From Abuse WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two senators hope to combat abuse against the elderly with a bill that would better train workers to detect abused senior citizens and require FBI criminal background checks of nursing home aides. Read the story and comments from a Harvard physician.
School Health Centers Benefit Asthmatics CHICAGO (AP) -- Health centers in schools can help poor and uninsured children with asthma improve their attendance and stay out of the hospital, a study in New York City found.
An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News -- Cancer Risks To Kids From Arsenic WASHINGTON (AP) - Children could face an increased lifetime risk of developing lung or bladder cancer from using playground equipment made of wood treated with arsenic, the nation's top product safety official said Friday. Read the story and comments from a Harvard physician.
Playground Equipment May Pose Cancer Risk WASHINGTON (AP) -- Children could face an increased lifetime risk of developing lung or bladder cancer from using playground equipment made of wood treated with arsenic, the nation's top product safety official said Friday.
An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News -- Treating Heart Disease In Women (Society for Women's Health Research) -- Established medications for heart disease including aspirin, beta-blockers and lipid- lowering drugs are grossly underused in high-risk women, according to Risk Factors and Secondary Prevention in Women with Heart Disease: The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study, from the January 21, 2003 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Read the story and comments from a Harvard physician.
Uncertainties Slow Smallpox Vaccinations WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two weeks into a national vaccination program that was expected to take a month, smallpox vaccinations have begun in just 16 states.
Obesity Rate Could Reach Nearly 40 Percent In Five Years: Reports Address U.S. Epidemic Among Adults, Causes, Treatments (USA TODAY) -- Nearly four out of 10 adults in the USA will be obese within five years if people keep packing on pounds at the current rate -- putting their health at risk, says one of the top obesity researchers.
Antibiotics To Bear Resistance Warnings WASHINGTON (AP) -- Antibiotics soon will bear a big new warning - - that overusing them makes them less effective.
FDA OKs Anti-Nerve Gas Drug For Military WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration approved a drug Wednesday intended to increase the chance of survival for people exposed to the nerve gas soman. The drug is limited to use by U.S. military personnel.
Idle Computers Could Seek Smallpox Cure SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- It's the ultimate needle-in-the-haystack search, but a coalition of scientists and technology companies think they may be able to make headway on a cure for smallpox using computer screen savers.
Little League Safety Gear Reduces Injury CHICAGO (AP) -- Face guards and softer balls can reduce the number of injuries in Little League baseball, according to new research that supports expanding the use of equipment now offered to relatively few players.
Many With Scoliosis Can Skip Treatments CHICAGO (AP) -- Many adolescents diagnosed with spine curvatures can skip braces, surgery or other treatments without developing debilitating physical impairments later in life, a 50-year study suggests.
High Blood Sugar Linked To Lost Memory WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists have found yet another reason to slim down: The high blood sugar so common among the overweight may contribute to the fogged memory of old age.
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Study Looks At Effects Of Medical Mistakes PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Patients are often harmed by inadequate care and outright medical mistakes in the days after they are sent home from the hospital, according to new research.
Researcher Assesses Health In Downturns BOSTON (AP) -- There may be a silver lining in the down economy: Tough times are good for your health.
Doctors Recommend Restrictions On Ephedra PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ephedra, an herb found in weight-loss and bodybuilding supplements, is unsafe even when taken in recommended doses and should be restricted, according to doctors who studied reports of bad reactions to the herb.
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Children's Stimulant Prescriptions Vary CHICAGO (AP) -- Prescription rates for Ritalin and similar attention deficit disorder drugs -- both widely praised and widely maligned -- vary dramatically across the nation, new research indicates.
Drug May Also Help Prevent Stroke Damage WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists working with mice have found that a compound used to fight severe blood infections may be useful in preventing stroke damage.
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Dramatic Increases Seen In College Students' Mental Health Problems Over Last 13-Years WASHINGTON (American Psychological Association) -- College students frequently have more complex problems today than they did over a decade ago, including both the typical or expected college student problems -- difficulties in relationships and developmental issues -- as well as the more severe problems, such as depression, sexual assault and thoughts of suicide.
Study: Mild Concussions Can Be Serious PITTSBURGH (AP) -- High school athletes who suffer the mildest of concussions -- in which obvious symptoms disappear within 15 minutes -- often have memory problems and other latent difficulties days after the injury, according to a new study.
FDA Seeks To Speed New Drug Development WASHINGTON (AP) -- Worried about a serious slowdown in the creation of novel drugs, the government is taking steps it hopes will speed medical innovation, largely by making clearer how companies can prove a new product works before they waste time researching the wrong thing.
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Chromosome Shrinkage May Promote Disease NEW YORK (AP) -- The tips of the chromosomes in many cells shrink as you age, and a preliminary study now suggests the shrinkage might promote death from age-related disease.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy Faces Scrutiny (USA TODAY) -- A task force of prominent scientists from a variety of specialties will meet Thursday in Washington, D.C., to begin reviewing whether testosterone replacement therapy in older men should be studied in a clinical trial.
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Steep Claims For Tea Extracts: Supplements Tout Health Benefits, But Experts Say The Verdict Is Still Brewing (USA TODAY) -- For several years, tea has been touted for its possible health benefits, especially for preventing heart disease.
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CDC Chief: Bioterror Threat Remains Real WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than a year has passed since anthrax attacks kept the nation on edge, and the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worries that people have forgotten.
Experts Warn Against Sleep-Deprived Kids WASHINGTON (AP) -- To wake parents up to the importance of snoozing, sleep experts warned Tuesday that seemingly energetic children who dodge bedtime for other activities are more prone to injury, poor school performance and crankiness.
Scant Compensation For Sick Nuke Workers OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) -- Nearly three years after the government launched the Department of Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program, two-thirds of almost 38,000 claims are unresolved.
Test May Help In Heart Disease Prevention (The Associated Press) -- A check for hidden, painless inflammation is likely to become part of a standard checkup for millions of Americans at moderate risk of heart disease.
Sleep Imbalance Linked To Heart Disease CHICAGO (AP) -- Too little sleep -- or too much -- may raise the risk of developing heart disease, according to a study of nearly 72,000 nurses.
Transplant Recipient Gets Nut Allergy CHICAGO (AP) -- A man who received a liver transplant got a life- threatening nut allergy from the new organ, Australian doctors say.
New Scan May Improve MS Treatment WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's one of the biggest frustrations in treating multiple sclerosis: Someone with debilitating symptoms can have an MRI scan of the brain that, inexplicably, shows only a tiny spot of damage.
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Dentures Supported By Implants Help Elderly Eat Better (INTELIHEALTH) - Elderly people can improve their chewing ability and nutrition if they wear dentures anchored by tooth implants instead of using ordinary dentures, a study has concluded.
Even Minor Risk Of Oxygen Deprivation At Or Immediately After Birth May Place Premature Babies At Greater Risk For Cognitive And Language Problems WASHINGTON (American Psychological Association) -- Birth is a time of peril for the human brain, especially in pre-term infants. For vulnerable "preemies," biochemical signs of reduced blood oxygen levels (hypoxia) soon after birth are associated with lower IQs and language skills.
Report: Death, Disease Await Iraqi Kids BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Death, disease and starvation await Iraq's children should war break out, and casualties in the thousands or even in the hundreds of thousands cannot be ruled out, according to a report released Sunday by an independent team of European and American experts.
Nicotine-Reduced Cigarettes Reach Market RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The first tobacco CEO to acknowledge smoking is addictive is offering a new cigarette made with genetically modified tobacco that lets smokers choose their level of nicotine.
Study Says Broken Homes Harm Kids More LONDON (AP) -- Children growing up in single-parent families are twice as likely as their counterparts to develop serious psychiatric illnesses and addictions later in life, according to an important new study.
Leukemia, Agent Orange Link Found WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Veterans Affairs Department will extend benefits to Vietnam vets with a type of leukemia that researchers now say is linked to exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange.
FDA Issues Warning On Asthma Drug WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday that some patients using a popular asthma medication are more likely to face life-threatening complications and more likely to die from their symptoms than those who are not taking the drug.
FDA Warns OxyContin Maker Over Ads WASHINGTON (AP) -- The maker of the controversial painkiller OxyContin placed ads in a popular medical journal that "grossly overstate" the drug's safety, the Food and Drug Administration said in an unusually stern warning released Wednesday.
Regulator Working On Hospital Infections CHICAGO (AP) -- An influential hospital regulatory group said Wednesday it is stepping up efforts to reduce fatal infections contracted by hospital patients after criticism that it is not doing its job.
Pig's Eye May Aid In Disease Fight (Cox News Service) -- In a pig's eye. That's where scientist Michael Young believes he might find a cure for macular degeneration, an age-related disease that leads to the loss of central vision.
Smallpox: History And Basics (INTELIHEALTH) -- It was the scourge of nations for thousands of years, killing kings and peasants alike, devastating the empires of the Aztecs and Incas and other nations of the New World, and still producing at least 10 million annual cases as late as the 1960s.
The Symptoms And The Course Of Smallpox (INTELIHEALTH) -- A case of smallpox passes through several stages, from the earliest phase, which is not contagious, through the disappearance of all scars several weeks later.
Types Of Smallpox (INTELIHEALTH) -- Read about the types of the disease known as smallpox.
Study Finds Meal Portion Sizes Growing CHICAGO (AP) -- Americans aren't just supersizing their portions in fast-food restaurants, they're doing it in their own kitchens.
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Twins Study Bolsters Pot "Gateway Theory" CHICAGO (AP) -- A study of Australian twins and marijuana bolsters the fiercely debated "gateway theory" that pot can lead to harder drugs.
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Women Seen Undertreated For Heart Disease PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A new study adds to the evidence that many women who suffer heart attacks are not getting adequate treatment.
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Alzheimer's, Cholesterol Gene Linked CHICAGO (AP) -- A variation in a gene that is supposed to help the brain break down cholesterol may play a role in some cases of Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.
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U.S. Testing Drugs Prescribed For Kids WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government announced plans Monday to begin clinical tests this year on 12 drugs commonly prescribed for children even though their safety and effectiveness has been tested only in adults.
FDA Approves Epilepsy Drug For Children WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to help control partial seizures in children with epilepsy.
Polls: Majority Supports Some Abortions (The Associated Press) -- A majority of Americans support abortion rights, but that support is highest when a woman's life or health is in danger or there is evidence the baby will be physically or mentally impaired, recent polls suggest.
Study: Teen Lovers Lose Virginity In December NEW YORK (AP) -- School's out for the holidays. Teens have got time on their hands and perhaps even a crackling fire to set the mood. What are they planning for vacation? Apparently, losing their virginity is high on the list for those with significant others, according to researchers who reviewed data from a federal health survey.
Researchers Develop Stem Cells In Mice WASHINGTON (AP) -- A team of Israeli researchers transplanted human and pig kidney stem cells into mice, where they developed into small kidneys that appear to work.
Researchers Develop Smallpox Vaccine Test WASHINGTON (AP) -- A laboratory test for the effectiveness of smallpox vaccines has been developed by a team of European researchers and it may be used as Americans start receiving shots against the disease.
Public Willingness To Be Vaccinated Against Smallpox Depends On Whether Physicians Choose To Get Vaccinated And Whether Deaths Result From Early Waves Of Vaccination BOSTON (Harvard School of Public Health) -- A new study by Harvard School of Public Health researchers suggests that if the threat of a bioterrorist attack using smallpox increases, Americans? individual decisions about whether they will choose to be vaccinated will be heavily influenced by what they see practicing physicians choosing to do. If physicians are reluctant to be vaccinated themselves, large numbers of Americans will be unwilling to do it voluntarily. Also, if there are deaths from side effects of the vaccine, the public will be less willing to be vaccinated.
CDC Confirms Case Of West Nile Infection SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- An infant with West Nile virus was infected before she was born, and doctors said Thursday that the baby's birth defects may have been caused by the mosquito-borne illness.
British Scientists Debunk Mummy's Curse LONDON (AP) -- Don't sweat the curse of the mummy.
Test Helps Predict Breast-Cancer Survival BOSTON (AP) -- Researchers say a new cancer genetic testing method is helping some doctors determine if a woman's breast cancer will spread -- sparing her anxiety and, in some cases, the ordeal of chemotherapy.
Birth Trends: Teen Moms Down, Preemies Up WASHINGTON (AP) -- "It's a boy." Statistically speaking, that's what the majority of moms hear after giving birth. Chances are he was born on a Tuesday. It was probably August. If she was typical, his mother was 24 years old, almost 25. In 2001, it was more likely that she got prenatal care than in years past. Chances that she smoked during pregnancy dropped, too. The trends are documented in the 2001 review of American births, released by the government on Wednesday.
Study: Short Maternity Stays OK For Baby BOSTON (AP) -- "Drive-through deliveries" that send new mothers home from the hospital after just one night do not seriously endanger newborns, according to a study that calls into question laws enacted around the country to restrict the practice.
An Aetna InteliHealth/Harvard Medical School Look At The News -- The First Nasal-Spray Flu Vaccine WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government scientists gave a tentative endorsement to the first nasal-spray flu vaccine, while stressing that it's useful only for certain healthy people, not those most at risk of severe influenza. Read the story and comments from a Harvard physician.
West Nile Outbreak One For Record Books NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The United States suffered the biggest reported outbreak of West Nile encephalitis in the world this year, a federal disease control expert said Wednesday.
First U.S. West Nile Prenatal Case Reported SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- A month-old baby with the West Nile virus was infected before she was born in the country's first documented intrauterine transmission of the disease, according to a report.
Nasal-Spray Flu Vaccine Gets Initial OK WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government scientists gave a tentative endorsement to the first nasal-spray flu vaccine, while stressing that it's useful only for certain healthy people, not those most at risk of severe influenza.
Study Questions Drinking-Lung Cancer Link WASHINGTON (AP) -- Light to moderate drinking of alcoholic beverages does not increase the risk of lung cancer, according to a study that involved more than 9,000 people over two generations.
30,000 Pints Of Plasma Quarantined WASHINGTON (AP) -- Blood banks are quarantining all plasma frozen during the West Nile virus epidemic -- an estimated 30,000 pints -- to reduce further the low risk of spreading the disease through blood products.
U.S. Vulnerable To Smallpox's Return WASHINGTON (AP) -- It was one of history's greatest triumphs: Eliminating a disease that killed hundreds of millions of people and was feared across the globe.
Gene Therapy Seen Hopeful For Sufferers Of Diabetes (Boston Herald) -- The first patient has been enrolled in a groundbreaking gene therapy study at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center that seeks to use a genetic growth factor to repair diabetes-damaged nerves.
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Study: Two Chickenpox Shots Work Best (The Associated Press) -- A chickenpox outbreak at a day care center two years ago found vaccinations surprisingly ineffective and may suggest that children should get two shots instead of one, researchers say.
Hospitals Trimming Treatments For Dying PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Time after time, Peter Clark heard parents at Georgetown University Hospital beg doctors to save the lives of their dying children. And throughout the neonatal intensive care unit, he heard doctors promise to try. Even if it meant cramming tubes down the children's throats, cutting open their chests or bombarding their frail bodies with radiation. Even when they knew the treatments couldn't save them, and would only fill their final days with pain.
Leg Amputation, Reconstruction Studied (The Associated Press) -- People whose mangled legs were reassembled by doctors had about the same amount of disability and distress two years later as those who had amputations, a study found.
Bush To Offer Americans Smallpox Vaccine WASHINGTON (AP) -- After agonizing for months, President Bush has decided to make a risky but effective smallpox vaccine available to all Americans, beginning with the military and health workers who would be front-line defenders against a bioterror attack.
Team Treatment Helps Elderly Depression CHICAGO (AP) -- Elderly patients suffering from depression fared better when there was a team approach to their care, a study suggests.
For more on seniors' health, visit our featured area:
Stanford To Develop Human Stem Cells SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Stanford University reignited the debate over the use of stem cells when a top scientist said the school intended to experiment with nuclear transfer technology, an effort many consider to be cloning.
Study Firms Evidence On Colic Relief CHICAGO (AP) -- Mothers of colicky babies, take heart: New research bolsters evidence that the incessant crying usually stops by about 3 months of age -- and has no lasting effects on your sanity.
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FDA Tries To Plug Risky Drug Loophole WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is ordering 10 prescription drugs to be detained at the U.S. border if patients buy them abroad instead of through their doctors, calling the medications too risky for unsupervised use.
Doctor Links Kids' Fears To Recovery WASHINGTON (AP) -- The anesthesiologist lowers a drug-filled mask over the terrified child's face, holding it in place until the youngster goes limp and the screaming stops. Often, that's how children are put to sleep for surgery, and it infuriates Dr. Zeev Kain. His research shows that children who cry as they're being put under anesthesia suffer nightmares and even heal more slowly than calm youngsters.
Study Looks At Pollution, Gene Mutations WASHINGTON (AP) -- Exposure to air pollution from steel mills may cause genetic mutations that are passed by fathers to their offspring, according to a study in mice.
Simpler Way To Treat Abnormal Heart Beat (The Associated Press) -- The preferred way of treating common heart rhythm problems is actually no better -- and perhaps even worse -- than a simpler approach using cheaper drugs, according to new research that could affect millions of people.
Report: Immigrant TB Screen Saving Money (The Associated Press) -- Screening and treating immigrants from developing countries for dormant tuberculosis infections would prevent thousands of cases and save tens of millions of dollars, a study shows.
