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On Memory, Older Americans Outsmart the English
FRIDAY, July 3 -- Older people in the United States scored better than their counterparts in England on a memory and awareness test, possibly because of differences in levels of depression and education and the fact that American adults receive more...
New Weapons in Fight Against TB?
FRIDAY, July 3 -- Extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis might someday meet its match in two drugs now used to treat Parkinson's disease, suggests a new study. Researchers, led by a team from the University of California, San Diego, report in the July...
Health Tip: Wax Buildup May Cause Hearing Loss
-- Inside your ear, there are glands that produce a waxy oil called cerumen. This helps protect your ear from dust, germs and other foreign substances, but too much wax buildup can trigger hearing loss. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers...
Cell Pathway May Be Key to Lung Cancer's Spread
FRIDAY, July 3 -- U.S. researchers say they've found a major cellular flaw that may drive the rapid spread of relapsed lung cancer. When caught early, lung cancer can often be treated. But most cases are not detected until the disease is well...
Health Tip: Understanding Pre-Diabetes
-- Before some people develop full-blown diabetes, their blood sugar is above normal, but not high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of diabetes. This condition is called pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association says. Normally, a person's...
FRIDAY, July 3 -- Celebrations including fireworks cause almost 10,000 injuries every year in the United States, but taking certain precautions can help keep you and others safe while enjoying the key summer holiday tradition. The nonprofit MCG...
Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Middle-aged adults who live alone are twice as likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease later in life compared to those who are married or live with a partner. And the risk is three times higher among those who are...
Cancer Endangers Some Wildlife Species
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Cancer is a major threat to certain species of wildlife, which need to be protected through health monitoring, researchers say. "Cancer is one of the leading health concerns for humans, accounting for more than 10 percent of...
Kids With Type 1 Diabetes Often Overweight
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Children with type 1 diabetes are more likely to be overweight than those without the disease, increasing their risk of serious health complications, researchers say. The finding is from a major study that explored the weight...
Odd Behaviors on Ambien Linked to Brain Circuitry
THURSDAY, July 2 -- New information about brain circuit activity may help explain why some people who take the sleep aid Ambien (zolpidem) walk, eat, talk on the phone and even drive while not fully awake -- and without remembering it the next...
C-Section Stress Could Alter Baby's Immune Cells
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Babies delivered by cesarean section experience changes to the DNA of white blood cells, which might explain why they're at increased risk for immunological diseases such as diabetes and asthma later in life, Swedish researchers...
Why Swine Flu Differs From Seasonal Flu
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Scientists have uncovered some intriguing clues about why the new swine flu frequently brings on gastrointestinal distress and vomiting, symptoms not usually associated with seasonal flu. In experiments with ferrets, research...
Cystic Fibrosis Treatment May Cause Hearing Loss
THURSDAY, July 2 -- A common antibacterial treatment for cystic fibrosis can cause sensorineural hearing loss, finds a new study. Researchers reviewed the medical records of 50 cystic fibrosis patients treated over a 13-year period at Children's...
New Drug Could Work Against Leukemia
THURSDAY, July 2 -- A new targeted therapy shows promise in treating acute myeloid leukemia, a highly treatment-resistant blood cancer, according to a new study. Researchers created an antibody (7G3) that recognizes and binds to a molecule called...
If 2 Painkillers Are Banned, What Next?
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Banning the popular painkillers Percocet and Vicodin, which a U.S. health advisory panel has urged, would not be as drastic as it sounds, some medical experts contend. The reason, they say, is that other options are...
Health Highlights: July 2, 2009
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Many More Kids Vaccinated For Hepatitis A One-dose hepatitis A vaccination coverage among U.S. infants ages 24 months to 35 months increased from...
Multaq Sanctioned for Heart Rhythm Disorders
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Multaq (dronedarone) tablets have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to promote a normal heart rhythm in people with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. These conditions cause the heart to beat too quickly...
Clinical Trials Update: July 2, 2009
-- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch and ClinicalConnection.com: Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial If your child (boys aged five to eight and girls aged five to seven) has had allergy symptoms for at least one year, he or she...
Study Casts Doubt on Low IQ's Role in Early Death
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Low IQ alone doesn't increase a person's risk of early death, says a new study that challenges findings suggested by previous research. The Swedish study of data on nearly 44,000 men found that other major factors -- such as...
Health Tip: Straining the Hamstring
-- A hamstring injury can sideline an athlete or exercise buff for quite a while. While anyone can pull a hamstring, some people are at greater risk of the injury. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers this list: Young athletes who...
Another Genetic Link to Testicular Cancer Is Found
THURSDAY, July 2 -- A second gene linked to inherited testicular germ-cell cancer has been identified by scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. "This study contributes to our understanding of why testicular germ-cell cancer appears...
Monthly Pet Pill Could Kill Fleas, Ticks
THURSDAY, July 2 -- Controlling ticks and fleas is drudgery for countless pet owners. Now, researchers report they're closer to developing a monthly pill that would conveniently rid cats and dogs of these disease-carrying invaders. Many pet owners...
Health Tip: Controlling Asthma
-- Medication used to control asthma may be used every day, without the fear of becoming addicted, the American Academy of Family Physicians says. So-called controller medications help prevent inflammation, so users feel better and breathe easier....
Increasing Alcohol Use Tied to More Hospitalization
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- The more alcohol men drink, the more time they spend in a hospital, research from the United Kingdom has found. The study, which involved nearly 6,000 men in Scotland ages 35 to 64, began during the early 1970s. Initially, the...
CPR Survival Rates for Older People Unchanged
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Despite efforts to fine-tune the procedure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, the survival rate for older people given CPR has not changed much in recent decades, new research has found. Just 18 percent of adults older...
Drugs May Not Slow Kidney Damage in Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Results from a new trial have dashed hopes that early use of two blood pressure drugs could slow the loss of kidney function caused by type 1 diabetes. But the study, reported in the July 2 issue of the New England Journal of...
With Medicare Plan, Drug Spending May Be Up
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Older people who signed up for Medicare's prescription drug coverage, called Part D, spent more on drugs after enrolling than they had before but less on other types of medical care, researchers have found. Their study, in the...
Growth Hormone May Build Muscle in Older Men
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Elderly men who exercised and received the growth hormone known as "mechano growth factor" (MGF) showed increased muscle mass, according to a British study. The results suggest that MGF may help treat age-related loss of muscle...
Shared Race, Social Group Seem to Help People Relate
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Brain imaging technology reveals that familiarity breeds empathy, according to a new study. Neuroimaging of the anterior cingulate cortex -- the area of the brain that is linked to emotional response -- shows more activity when...
Anti-Smoking Drugs Get FDA 'Black-Box' Warning
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Two drugs prescribed to help people quit smoking, Chantix and Zyban, will now carry "black-box" warnings on the potential risks of psychiatric problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts, U.S. health officials said...
FDA Tells Patients to Stick With Diabetes Drug Linked to Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Despite recent studies suggesting that the injected diabetes drug Lantus (insulin glargine) might boost cancer risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday urged patients who are on the medication to continue using...
Master Stem Cell for Human Heart Identified
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- For the first time, researchers have identified a single "master" stem cell in humans that is capable of differentiating into all three major cell types that make up the human heart. "This is a very simple but very important...
Possible Gene Regions for Schizophrenia Located
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Immune function may play a role in schizophrenia, say scientists who found that schizophrenia patients have genetic variations on a section of chromosome 6 that contains numerous genes associated with immune response. That...
Celiac Disease Making Inroads in U.S.
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Celiac disease, a serious digestive system disorder, has become far more common in recent years, a new Mayo Clinic study has found. According to a report in the July issue of Gastroenterology, the disease is four times more...
Test Before Corneal Transplant May Improve Outcome
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Among patients with herpes simplex virus who need a corneal transplant, testing for inflammation biomarkers before the surgery could improve outcomes, U.S. researchers say. The cornea, which covers the front of the eye and...
Obesity Rates Continue to Climb in U.S.
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- The rates of adult obesity in the United States increased in 23 states during the past year and did not decrease in any state. And the number of obese and overweight children has now climbed to 30 percent in 30 states, a...
Clinical Trials Update: July 1, 2009
-- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com and CenterWatch: Low Back Pain This trial is for people with chronic low back pain. Qualified participants must be at least 18, and have had low back pain for at least three...
Health Highlights: July 1, 2009
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: TB Vaccine May Be Fatal for Infants With HIV Infants with HIV can die if they're given a standard tuberculosis vaccine, according to a three-year...
Antibiotics May Boost Risk for Recurrent Ear Infection
WEDNESDAY, July 1 -- Repeated use of antibiotics to treat acute ear infections in young children increases the risk of recurrent ear infections by 20 percent, according to researchers in the Netherlands who called for more prudent use of antibiotics...
Health Tip: What's Causing My Neck Pain?
-- There's nothing worse than a pain in the neck, lore has it. Frequently, neck pain can be managed by taking a pain reliever, performing stretching exercises, and applying hot and cold therapy. But it's still important to know what's behind your...
