Latest science news in Health & Medicine
F.D.A. Panels Back Sterner Language on Bone Drugs
The F.D.A. is expected to issue a revised label in November for bone-building drugs like Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva.
Gastric bypass reduces blood pressure
The kidneys play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure by adjusting the production of urine after eating or drinking. This process begins already in the upper digestive...
Fatal fungal infections resist newest class of drugs
Fungi that cause severe infections in those with compromised immune systems are resisting the action of the latest group of antifungal drugs. Uncovering their strategies for doing this will lead...
No link betweem menopause and increased risk of fatal heart
Contradicting the long-held medical belief that the risk of cardiovascular death for women spikes sharply after menopause, new research suggests instead that heart disease mortality rates in women progress at...
Payment for pediatric obesity services now can save money later, U.S. study finds
In an effort to guide medical providers, patients and payers in better serving obese children and enabling the best health outcomes possible, U.S. experts reviewed existing successful programs to evaluate...
1.6 children per woman
For the first time, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research presents corrected birth rates that are considerably higher than the official figures. Researchers also anticipate a reversal in the...
Bacteria shed light on new drug targets for inherited cancers
Cancer Research UK scientists have succeeded in purifying a protein found in bacteria that could reveal new drug targets for inherited breast and ovarian cancers - and other cancers linked...
Study Dumps Colon Cleansing as Useless and Dangerous
Colon cleansing is not only a waste of money but potentially dangerous and even deadly.
Chondroitin sulfate improves hand function, relieves morning stiffness caused by osteoarthritis
New research shows that chondroitin sulfate significantly decreased pain and improved hand function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand compared with those in the placebo group. Results of...
New polymer research could boost probiotics industry
A protective delivery vehicle that shuttles friendly bacteria safely through the stomach to the intestines could provide a major boost for the probiotics industry. The new technology could also be...
China hospital separates conjoined twins
A Chinese hospital said Tuesday it had successfully separated four-month-old conjoined twin girls in a "challenging" six-hour operation.
Prenatal exposure to phthalates linked to decreased mental and motor development
A newly published study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health heightens concerns over the potential health effects on children of a group of ubiquitous chemicals known...
The Champions: Rep. Shelley Berkley’s Cause Is Often Her Husband’s Gain
In championing kidney care, Representative Shelley Berkley of Nevada has often taken actions that have benefited the business interests of her husband, a doctor.
Doctors Discover the Benefits of Business School
Once there were five or six joint M.D./M.B.A. programs at the nation’s universities, but now there are 65 as more doctors realize health care is a business.
2nd chickenpox shot recommended for kids
Children should receive two doses of chickenpox vaccine, Canadian pediatricians say.
NIH Awards UTHealth Professor $1.5 Million to Study Long-Term Health Effects of West Nile Virus
Kristy Murray, D.V.M., Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas School of Public Health, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health...
Exercise Triggers Stem Cells to Become Bone, Not Fat
McMaster researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body's capacity to...
First Irish study shows weight difference in twins at birth is key predictor of health complications
The first results of a major all-Ireland study of twin pregnancies has shown that a major difference in the birth weights among a pair of twin babies results in an...
Stomach bacterium damages human DNA; Risk factor for gastric cancer
The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of gastric cancer, the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Molecular...
Couch potatoes explained? Missing key genes may be cause for lack of resolve to exercise, researchers find
You may think your lack of resolve to get off the couch to exercise is because you're lazy, but researchers have discovered it may be you are missing key genes.
Novel method for increasing antibiotic yields
A novel way of increasing the amounts of antibiotics produced by bacteria has been discovered that could markedly improve the yields of these important compounds in commercial production. It could...
Search for predictors of risk for PTSD: Meaningful associations dependent on reliable measures of pre-existing trauma
A new study suggests that certain variants of a gene that helps regulate serotonin (a brain chemical related to mood) may serve as a useful predictor of risk for symptoms...
Killer hospital bug shows Achilles heel: researchers
A fungus that has become a major threat to hospital patients may have a hidden weakness, according to research published on Monday that highlights the bug's ability to bind to...
Non-Epileptic Seizures May Be Misdiagnosed Longer in Veterans
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures may go undiagnosed for much longer in veterans compared to civilians, according to a new study published in the September 6, 2011, print issue of Neurology(r), the...
Letters: Psychedelic therapy and the war on drugs
Peter Aziz was jailed for providing consenting adults with a physiologically harmless substance which they took under close supervision for healing purposes ('Healer' jailed for providing drug potion, 3 September). I am an NHS...
The Consumer: Expert Opinion Is Changing on Having Wisdom Teeth Extracted
Each year, despite the risks of any surgical procedure, millions of healthy, asymptomatic wisdom teeth are extracted from young patients.
Electrified bacterial filaments zap uranium
Electrified bacterial filaments zap uraniumNature News , 05092011 doi: 10.1038/news.2011.519Lee SweetloveMechanism by which microbes scrub radioactive contamination revealed.
Congressional Paralysis Puts NIH Drug-Development Center in Limbo
From Nature magazine Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), is in danger of missing a self-imposed deadline for his hallmark priority:...