Latest science news in Health & Medicine
China urges precautions against deadly virus
(AP) -- China has made it mandatory for health care providers to report all cases of a viral illness that has sickened thousands of young children across the country,...
Too much technology kills good bacteria
COLUMBIA, Mo., May 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says he's fearful the increasing use of silver nanoparticles in wastewater treatment might be killing beneficial bacteria.
William H. Stewart, 86; surgeon general fought tobacco industry
William H. Stewart, who as U.S. surgeon general from 1965 to 1969 led the federal anti-smoking crusade, called for warning labels on cigarette advertising and used the introduction of Medicare...
UCLA study links poor health to fast-food neighbors
Higher rates of diabetes, obesity occur in areas where fast-food restaurants and convenience stores greatly outnumber grocery stores, researchers say. ...
Celebrity-snooping ex-UCLA Medical Center staffer is indicted
Lawanda Jackson, who has since resigned after admitting to peeking at the hospital records of stars, was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of obtaining identifiable health...
McCain Health Plan Could Mean Higher Tax
The McCain campaign acknowledged that for some workers, a tax credit would not offset eliminating tax breaks on employer-provided health benefits.
More Mothers Breast-Feed, in First Months at Least
About 77 percent of new mothers breast-feed their infants at least briefly, the highest rate seen in the United States in more than a decade, a government survey shows.
Trachoma 'eliminated' in Tanzanian village
Scientists have successfully eliminated trachoma — the world's leading preventable cause of blindness — in a Tanzanian village.
Trends In Heart Mortality Reversing In Younger Women
Coronary heart disease mortality in younger women could be on the rise, according to new findings. High levels of smoking, increasing obesity and a lack of exercise could all be...
Osteoporosis Drugs Linked to Jaw Infection, Study Shows
Dentistry researchers have identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis. Microbial biofilms, a mix of bacteria and sticky extracellular material, are causing...
Arsenic found in infant rice cereal
Researchers say one-third of infant rice cereal in Britain contains unsafe levels of arsenic.
Workers' health insurance costs soar
From 2001 to 2005, employees' incomes rose 3% but their coverage costs jumped 30%. ...
Personal Health: You Name It, and Exercise Helps It
People with chronic health problems can improve their health and quality of life by learning how to exercise safely.
Drug Target For The Most Potent Botulinum Neurotoxin Determined
Botulinum neurotoxin -- responsible for the deadly food poisoning disease botulism and for the beneficial effects of smoothing out facial wrinkles - can also be used as a dreaded biological...
Factors Leading To Hospital Admission For Heart Failure Identified
Nearly two out of three patients have one or more precipitating factors that may contribute to hospital admissions nationwide for heart failure, according to a new study. Pneumonia, irregular heart...
Hyperviscous Fluids: Better Treatment For Severe Blood Loss
Intravenous administration of isotonic fluids is the standard emergency treatment in the US for patients with severe blood loss, but bioengineering researchers have reported improved resuscitation with a radically different...
UT Southwestern's Mangelsdorf Elected to National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences today elected Dr. David Mangelsdorf, chairman of pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, to membership, one of the...
FDA let artificial-blood trials continue despite risks
A report that pools data from 16 studies concludes that the FDA should have halted research years earlier because of increased incidence of heart attacks and deaths. ...
Democrats say politics at work in toxic chemical decisions
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic senators accused the Bush administration Tuesday of injecting politics into the Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of health risks from toxic chemicals, citing a congressional investigation that...
Philippines health officials: No kidneys for foreigners
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Foreigners will be permanently banned from receiving kidneys for transplant in the Philippines to prevent the country from becoming a major Asian center in an already...
Singapore sees more HIV infections in 07
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Singapore recorded 422 new HIV infections last year, the highest number in a single year since records started in 1985, the city-state of 4.5 million people said...
Exercise-heart study casts doubt on 'fit but fat' theory
CHICAGO (AP) -- New research challenges the notion that you can be fat and fit, finding that being active can lower but not eliminate heart risks faced by heavy women....
Study finds increases in nursing home, assisted living costs
NEW YORK (AP) -- Costs for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and some in-home care services have increased for a fifth consecutive year, and could rise further if a shortage...
FDA warns Merck to fix vaccine plant problems
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has ordered drugmaker Merck & Co. to correct manufacturing deficiencies at its main vaccine plant....
Afghan 'health link' to uranium
The BBC hears that rising rates of child health issues in Afghanistan may be linked to depleted uranium weapons.
JPL Nanotubes Help Advance Brain Tumor Research
PASADENA, Calif.- The potential of carbon nanotubes to diagnose and treat brain tumors is being explored through a partnership between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and City of Hope,...
Women's biological clock revealed: Hormone may predict age at menopause
Age at menopause may now be predicted more realistically according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study revealed that...
New fatal virus discovered in Bolivia
Scientists have isolated a new fatal virus, associated with haemorrhagic fever, in rural Bolivia.