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,...
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.
MicroCT Of Skeleton Can ID Even The Subtlest Birth Defects
A technique called microscopic X-ray computed tomography (microCT) is affording scientists the ability to visualize even the subtlest birth defects in prenatal and postnatal bats, mice, opossums and primates, which...
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%. ...
Climate change threats to HIV rates
Social factors, including economic pressures caused by climate change, could lead to an increase in HIV infection rates world-wide, warns a leading researcher from the University of New South Wales...
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...
Smoking is a major cause of gum disease: study
Almost a third of the more than two million cases of gum disease among Australians are caused by smoking, according to research by University of Adelaide researchers in the Australian...
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...
Study of Bacteria Levels in Aircraft Shows Low Risk to Travelers
A study measuring bacterial concentrations in cabin air on 12 commercial passenger aircraft has shown that flying may be safer than we think. Elevated levels of bacteria were detected at...
Drug use on the decline
A report has found that, overall, the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs has dropped since 2004, yet teenagers are still drinking dangerous amounts.
Cancer kills more indigenous people
Indigenous New Zealanders and Hawaiians are more likely to die from cancers than people of European descent living in the same countries, according to research.
Scientists find trick to fast metabolism
Researchers have learnt how to manipulate fat cells in a way that speeds up metabolism, aids weight loss and prevents diabetes.
Early intervention could stop crime
There are several risk factors that could predispose children to a life of crime, revealed new findings that may aid early intervention programs.
Opinion: ECT - what no one is talking about
ECT, or electro-convulsive therapy, is used as a treatment for people with depression. The trouble is, not much is known about it, writes Sam Westgarth.
Feature: Taking medicine back to nature
From reptile blood to green tea, medical researchers are borrowing from the natural remedies of the past to improve health today, writes Catherine Madden.
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,...