News For Friday Aug 29, 2008 News For Friday Aug 29, 2008

Health Health

Family sues co. for muscular dystrophy drug - Added 6 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:NDFAR101-0714081148 -->!!-- pobj:NDFAR102-0714081149 -->A Minnesota family is trying to force a New Jersey drug company to give their son an experimental drug for a fatal form of muscular dystrophy, saying...

Researchers report toadfish sing to attract mates - Added 6 weeks ago

It's not exactly Tony serenading Maria in "West Side Story," but for all their homeliness toadfish also sing to attract mates. OK, singing may be a stretch; it's more of a hum. But it turns out to be useful, for science...

Alzheimer's vaccine stopped plaque, not dementia - Added 6 weeks ago

Some doctors have long suspected that if the plaque that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease could be removed, they could be saved. But a new vaccine that did just that suggests the theory is...

Donor kidneys removed with single bellybutton cut - Added 6 weeks ago

Brad Kaster donated a kidney to his father this week, and he barely has a scar to show for it. The kidney was removed through a single incision in his bellybutton, a surgical procedure Cleveland Clinic doctors say will...

Plans for large-scale AIDS vaccine trial dropped - Added 6 weeks ago

Plans for a large-scale trial of a potential AIDS vaccine are being dropped in favor of a smaller, more focused study, the National Institutes of Health said Thursday. The trial of the vaccine, developed by the Vaccine...

Polio resurfaces in region of Pakistan - Added 6 weeks ago

An eight-month-old Pakistani girl has tested positive for polio in an area where militants campaigned against vaccination, a World Health Organization official said Thursday. The girl, identified only as Tanzila, comes...

Report: Invest $10 a person for better health - Added 6 weeks ago

Investing just $10 per person _ roughly the price of a six-pack of beer and some chips _ could greatly fuel community programs that get couch potatoes moving, prevent smoking and improve nutrition, researchers say. How...

Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol - Added 6 weeks ago

The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the...

Researchers: Menthol used to attract young smokers - Added 6 weeks ago

Tobacco companies deliberately changed the menthol levels in cigarettes depending upon whom they were marketing them to _ lower levels for young smokers who preferred the milder brands and higher levels to "lock in...

Study: When kids become teens, they get sluggish - Added 6 weeks ago

One of the largest studies of its kind shows just how sluggish American children become once they hit the teen years: While 90 percent of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3 percent of...

E. coli linked to beef now reported in 5 states - Added 6 weeks ago

An E. coli outbreak traced to recalled beef in Michigan and Ohio has spawned cases in three other states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. New York, Kentucky and Indiana each have one lab-confirmed case of a...

Physical fitness may slow Alzheimer brain atrophy - Added 6 weeks ago

Getting a lot of exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease, a preliminary study suggests. Analysis found that participants who were more physically fit had less brain shrinkage than...

Physical fitness may slow Alzheimer brain atrophy - Added 6 weeks ago

Getting a lot of exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease, a preliminary study suggests. Analysis found that participants who were more physically fit had less brain shrinkage than...

Doctors hopeful easier blood thinners are nearing - Added 6 weeks ago

A trio of experimental drugs has doctors hopeful that for the first time in decades, millions of people at risk of lethal blood clots may soon get easier treatment. The first goal is a pill option for people who now...

Group to demand US clear Mexican tomatoes - Added 6 weeks ago

Mexico's health secretary says a team of health and agriculture officials has traveled to the United States to demand that Mexican tomatoes be cleared of any suspicion in a recent salmonella outbreak. Jose Angel...

Study: As gas prices go up, auto deaths drop - Added 6 weeks ago

High gas prices could turn out to be a lifesaver for some drivers. The authors of a new study say gas prices are causing driving declines that could result in a third fewer auto deaths annually, with the most dramatic...

More suspects in frustrating salmonella probe - Added 7 weeks ago

Think of your favorite recipe for salsa. Three common ingredients now are suspects in the salmonella poisonings that have become the nation's largest foodborne outbreak in at least a decade. And therein lies the...

AMA apologizes to black doctors for past racism - Added 7 weeks ago

Transplant surgeon Clive Callender has hurtful memories of being the only black doctor at medical meetings in the 1970s, met with stark silence when he pleaded for better access to transplant organs for blacks. So when...

Genes from Middle East families yield autism clues - Added 7 weeks ago

Harvard researchers have discovered half a dozen new genes involved in autism that suggest the disorder strikes in a brain that can't properly form new connections. The findings also may help explain why intense...

Fewer nonsmokers breathe cigarette fumes, CDC says - Added 7 weeks ago

Nearly half of nonsmoking Americans are still breathing in cigarette fumes, but the percentage has declined dramatically since the early 1990s, according to a government study released Thursday. A main reason for the...

More suspects in frustrating salmonella probe - Added 7 weeks ago

Think of your favorite recipe for salsa. Three common ingredients now are suspects in the salmonella poisonings that have become the nation's largest foodborne outbreak in at least a decade. And therein lies the...

Product recalls: smoked salmon - Added 7 weeks ago

The following recall has been announced: _ Salmolux Inc. is recalling 6,140 units of its Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Nova Lox, sold in 3-ounce packages, because it might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The...

School lunch programs hit hard by food prices - Added 7 weeks ago

Add schools to the list of places hit hard by rising food prices. The school lunch program _ long a reliable source of food for kids _ is having serious trouble making cheap, healthy meals. The culprit is food prices...

Study finds addictive drugs easily ordered online - Added 7 weeks ago

More than three-quarters of Web sites that offer highly addictive medications do not require a prescription, according to a study released Wednesday. Powerful pain killers like morphine and oxycodone, and stimulants...

Group calls for zero tolerance of doctor bullies - Added 7 weeks ago

Bullying doctors can make nurses afraid to question their performance, resulting in medical errors, according to a hospital group that announced new requirements for cracking down on intimidating behavior. Outbursts...

Watch your waistline: Fat men have bad sperm - Added 7 weeks ago

Too many fatty foods are dangerous not only to men's waistlines, but to their sperm production. In research presented Wednesday at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, scientists...

Fringe autism treatment could get federal study - Added 7 weeks ago

Pressured by desperate parents, government researchers are pushing to test an unproven treatment on autistic children, a move some scientists see as an unethical experiment in voodoo medicine. The treatment removes...

Dental industry gets an earful on mercury - Added 7 weeks ago

People trust dentists with their health. Some members of Congress are more skeptical. The dental industry, asked to testify Tuesday about pollution from mercury in tooth fillings, found itself under attack from...

Fringe autism treatment could get federal study - Added 7 weeks ago

Pressured by desperate parents, government researchers are pushing to test an unproven treatment on autistic children, a move some scientists see as an unethical experiment in voodoo medicine. The treatment removes...

Summary Box: US plans controversial autism study - Added 7 weeks ago

QUACK RESEARCH? The government wants to test chelation, a treatment for lead poisoning, on children with autism _ even though there's no evidence it leads to improvements. WHY? Proof that chelation doesn't work might...

Elderly may fare worse on prostate cancer drugs - Added 7 weeks ago

A prostate cancer study that could change how doctors treat some patients found that widely used hormone-blocking drugs did not improve survival chances for older men whose disease hadn't spread. In fact, men given the...

FDA issues warning on Cipro, similar antibiotics - Added 7 weeks ago

Federal drug safety officials have imposed the government's most urgent warning on Cipro and similar antibiotics, citing risks that they can cause tendon ruptures, a serious injury that leaves some patients...

Some accomplishments of athletes over 40 - Added 7 weeks ago

A look at a few of the major accomplishments over the past quarter-century by athletes who were past the age of 40: _Dara Torres: At age 41, the swimmer wins two events at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, the 50- and...

Torn ACLs, other big injuries hit little athletes - Added 7 weeks ago

A 14-year-old gymnast with a stress fracture in her lower back. A 12-year-old who tore his ACL in a soccer game. A 16-year-old runner with a leg stress fracture. A 15-year-old who tore his meniscus playing basketball. ...

Aging swimmer shows there's hope for rest of us - Added 7 weeks ago

Dara Torres jokes that she had trouble reading the scoreboard after winning the first of two events at the Olympic swimming trials. Her eyes just might be the only part of her body showing some age. At 41, Torres is...

Cholesterol drugs recommended for some 8-year-olds - Added 7 weeks ago

For the first time, an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems. It is the strongest guidance ever given on the...

Magic Johnson's wife in public eye on HIV campaign - Added 7 weeks ago

Magic Johnson's normally publicity-shy wife Cookie is emerging as a spokeswoman in a campaign urging black women to get tested for HIV. Cookie Johnson is appearing with the former LA Lakers star in a five-year, $60...

Farmers say salmonella scare has hurt tomato sales - Added 7 weeks ago

Expect fewer slices of red, ripe tomatoes next to the grill this holiday weekend. With a salmonella scare causing many customers to shun what's normally a summertime favorite, tomato farmers nationwide have had to plow...

Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects - Added 8 weeks ago

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra _ but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks going all night...

Haywire brain chemical linked to sudden baby death - Added 8 weeks ago

Scientists have new evidence that the brain chemical best known for regulating mood also plays a role in the mystifying killer of seemingly healthy babies _ sudden infant death syndrome. Autopsied brain tissue from...

Filipina with upside-down feet walks for 1st time - Added 8 weeks ago

A Filipino teenager who came to New York so doctors could perform surgery to untwist her severely clubbed feet took her first unaided steps Wednesday in pink-and-white sneakers _ the first shoes she's ever worn. "I'm...

Scientists: Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects - Added 8 weeks ago

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra _ but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long. ...

Filipina with upside-down feet walks for 1st time - Added 8 weeks ago

A Filipino teenager who came to New York so doctors could perform surgery to untwist her severely clubbed feet took her first unaided steps Wednesday in pink-and-white sneakers _ the first shoes she's ever worn. "I'm...

Kroger expands ground beef recall to 20 states - Added 8 weeks ago

First it was the tomatoes. Now it's the beef. Fourth of July picnic tables are getting a careful look as familiar hamburgers are feared to be among the tainted ingredients in separate food safety scares. On Wednesday,...

NJ officials warn of lamp oil poisonings - Added 8 weeks ago

New Jersey officials have issued a health alert saying six people have been sickened by mistaking lamp oil for apple juice, including one person who died. Bruce Ruck of the state Poison Information and Education System...

First floods, now pesky mosquitoes for Midwest - Added 8 weeks ago

First came the floods _ now the mosquitoes. An explosion of pesky insects are pestering clean-up crews and just about anyone venturing outside in the waterlogged Midwest. In some parts of Iowa there are 20 times the...

FDA panel urges more testing for diabetes drugs - Added 8 weeks ago

Diabetes drugs should face tougher safety standards that could cost manufacturers millions but protect patients from unforeseen heart risks, a government panel has recommended. Advisers to the Food and Drug...

Skeeter advice: Wear repellent, avoid perfumes - Added 8 weeks ago

Flooding, heavy rains and summer heat have produced a bumper crop of pesky mosquitoes, particularly in the waterlogged Midwest. Here's how experts recommend avoiding the bugs and treating their bites: _Wear insect...

More than 4,000 Danes may have salmonella - Added 8 weeks ago

Danish health officials fear more than 4,000 people may be infected with salmonella and are checking everything from refrigerators to credit card receipts to find the source of what may be the worst outbreak in 15...

3-D mammograms, cameras may improve breast exams - Added 8 weeks ago

Remember peeking through a View-Master? Scientists are using the same concept behind the classic kids' toy to try to see mammograms in 3-D. The goal: A better way to check for breast cancer in women with breasts too...