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January 25, 2010
In tough economic times, NIH head looks to clinic
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As he puts together his budget proposal for the coming year, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins plans to do something a little different - emphasizing the "health" in the name of his U.S. agency.
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January 22, 2010
Mother jailed for "sickest boy in Britain" fantasy
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A mother was jailed on Friday for pretending that her healthy son was "the sickest boy in Britain" and needed to be fed through a tube and be taken to school in a wheelchair.
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January 21, 2010
EU agency urges ban on diet drug
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European authorities urged a halt to sales of an Abbott Laboratories Inc diet pill on Thursday after concluding risks were too high, while U.S. regulators said they had asked for a stronger warning.
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January 21, 2010
Study links thyroid disease to non-stick chemicals
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have linked a chemical used in consumer goods like non-stick pans and water-resistant fabrics with thyroid disease, raising questions about the potential health risks of exposure to the substance.
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January 20, 2010
Insulin pumps may be better than shots: report
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pumps that deliver insulin to the body as needed may be more effective than insulin injections for helping people with type 1 diabetes keep their blood sugar under control, according to a new review of 23 studies comparing the two approaches.
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January 20, 2010
"Silent pandemic" will force drug price rethink
LONDON (Reuters) - A "silent pandemic" of chronic disease is creeping up on poor countries and will force pharmaceutical firms to take a more tiered approach to pricing some of their most lucrative medicines.
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January 19, 2010
Diabetes hits Canada's native population hardest
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Type 2 diabetes is much more common among Canada's native people than their non-native counterparts, and women of childbearing age are particularly at risk, new research shows.
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January 18, 2010
Experts urge screening for obesity in kids
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, a federal task force recommends.
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January 18, 2010
Severe form of psoriasis ups heart disease risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with severe forms of the inflammatory skin disease psoriasis are more likely to die of heart-related causes and stroke than those without the condition, new research shows.
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January 18, 2010
For doctors in Haiti, worst is yet to come
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An earthquake killing up to 200,000 people would have been bad enough anywhere, but in Haiti, where AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are rampant, children are malnourished and hygiene is already a challenge, it may create one of the worst medical disasters ever.
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January 15, 2010
Up to 80 million Americans infected with H1N1: CDC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As many as 80 million Americans have been infected with H1N1 swine flu, up to 16,000 have been killed and more than 360,000 hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
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January 15, 2010
U.S. regulators pressed to speed up BPA decision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should immediately ban the use of the chemical bisphenol A in food and beverage containers, a U.S. environmental health advocacy group urged on Thursday.
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January 14, 2010
Diabetes ups risk of dementia for mildly impaired
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes may hasten progression to dementia in older people with mild thinking impairment, new research shows.
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January 14, 2010
Could Vioxx cousin prevent religious fast headache?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Every year, millions of observant Jews fast on their holiest day, Yom Kippur, and millions of Muslims fast for the month of Ramadan. And every year, as many as 40 percent of those who fast develop serious headaches.
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January 13, 2010
Siblings key in pregnancy-related diabetes risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with a family history of diabetes who are free from the disease themselves are more likely to develop pregnancy-related diabetes, a new study confirms.
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January 13, 2010
U.S. obesity rate appears to be slowing
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans are still too fat, but the obesity epidemic in the United States appears to be waning a bit, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
Some blood pressure drugs may cut risk of dementia
LONDON (Reuters) - Medicines commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
Scientists link plastics chemical to health risks
LONDON (Reuters) - Exposure to a chemical found in plastic containers is linked to heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, confirming earlier findings and adding to pressure to ban its use in bottles and food packaging.
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January 12, 2010
US FDA warnings target four drug companies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Bayer AG, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, and Cephalon to stop using "misleading" promotions for some drugs, according to letters released by the agency on Tuesday.
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January 12, 2010
In women, exercise may keep high pulse in check
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A speedy ticker could increase your chances of suffering a fatal heart attack, according to a new study. But in women, regular workouts might help keep the risk low.
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January 12, 2010
Why those fat thighs may help you live longer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with fat in their thighs and backsides may live longer because the fat traps harmful fatty particles and actively secretes helpful compounds, according to a report published on Tuesday.
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January 12, 2010
High stroke rate seen in Iran
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People in Iran appear to suffer strokes more often and at younger ages than those in many Western countries, according to a new report.
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January 12, 2010
Proper drug-taking would greatly cut heart risks
LONDON (Reuters) - Encouraging more patients to continue taking their prescribed cholesterol drugs would stave off twice as many stroke and heart attack deaths as giving the drugs to a wider range of people, scientists said on Tuesday.
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January 11, 2010
Too much sitting in front of TV may cut life short
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sitting in front of a television set for hour after hour day after day may raise the risk of death from heart disease and other causes - even in people who do not weigh too much, Australian researchers say.
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January 11, 2010
Lead damages child kidneys, even low levels: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tiny amounts of lead are common in the blood of U.S. teenagers and may be damaging their kidneys, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
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January 11, 2010
Less sleep for kids may mean higher blood sugar
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young children may be more apt to have high blood sugar, a precursor to diabetes, if they average 8 hours or less of sleep a night, report Chinese and American researchers.
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January 8, 2010
Forget "fad" diets and eat less, say UK experts
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Now that you're discovering all the extra flab from the Christmas and New Year food and booze binge, you're casting around for the latest diet to lose it all in time for summer.
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January 7, 2010
Inducing labor may lead to more C-sections
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women tempted to induce labor for convenience rather than medical necessity may want to wait for nature to take its course.
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January 6, 2010
Use of psychiatric drug combos growing in the US
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - US adults being treated for mental illness are more likely to be prescribed two or more drugs today than a decade ago.
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January 4, 2010
Quitting smoking may up diabetes risk temporarily
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle-aged adults who quit smoking may see their risk of type 2 diabetes increase for several years -- at least partly because of the weight gain that can come with quitting, researchers reported Monday.
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January 4, 2010
Many antipsychotic users not getting needed tests
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who take newer drugs for schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions are supposed to have their blood sugar and cholesterol levels checked regularly but many don't, according to a study released today.
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January 4, 2010
Even with fewer risk factors, heavy men die earlier
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overweight middle-aged men may have a higher risk of heart problems and strokes and die earlier than their thinner peers -- even in the absence of some traditional risk factors, a new study suggests.
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January 4, 2010
Economy will drive workout habits in 2010: poll
NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters Life!) - Money, or the lack of it, changes everything, and that includes how people will be working out in 2010.
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January 1, 2010
Sleep loss may affect health by curbing exercise
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A number of studies have linked chronic sleep deprivation to a heightened risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Now, a small study suggests that low levels of physical activity during the day may partly account for the connection.
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January 1, 2010
Job stress may raise diabetes risk in women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - White, middle-aged women working in British civil service jobs may want to keep an eye on their blood sugar. Those reporting high levels of job strain and little work-related social support appear to be at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
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December 31, 2009
Restless legs syndrome, erectile dysfunction linked?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two disorders that seem completely unrelated except that each is the focus of massive drug company ad campaigns may actually have something in common: Older men who suffer from restless legs syndrome at night are almost twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction as those without restless legs, researchers report.
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December 31, 2009
Effects of diet on diabetes risk vary by ethnicity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diets heavy in meat and fat seem to raise the risk of diabetes, though the effects of this and other diet patterns may vary by ethnicity and sex, a new study finds.
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December 31, 2009
Diabetes on the rise among older Mexican Americans
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The percentage of Mexican-Americans with type 2 diabetes, the kind closely linked to obesity, has nearly doubled since 1993, new research shows.
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December 31, 2009
Early menstruation linked to heart disease risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who started having menstrual periods before the age of 12 may have a higher risk of developing or dying of heart disease than other women, a new study suggests.
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December 30, 2009
Nerve stimulation ineffective for low back pain
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with chronic low back pain who seek relief with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation or TENS are wasting their time and money, according to a report published today.
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December 30, 2009
Longer time to conceive may up risks for mom, baby
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who take years to get pregnant are more likely to give birth to unhealthy babies, new research from Finland shows.
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December 29, 2009
A burger or fried chicken with a side of diabetes?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Avoiding "fast food" burgers and fried chicken may cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes -- the kind closely linked to obesity, new research hints.
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December 25, 2009
Cola drinking linked to diabetes in pregnancy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking lots of sugar-sweetened cola may increase women's likelihood of developing diabetes during pregnancy, a condition known as gestational diabetes, new research shows.
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December 24, 2009
Low blood sugar may impair diabetics' driving
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Bouts of low blood sugar can lead to unsafe driving among people with diabetes, new research shows.
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December 23, 2009
Wider weight-gain range during pregnancy may be OK
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women may be able to gain a little more or, in some cases, substantially less than is currently recommended without negatively affecting their babies' birth size, a new study suggests.
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December 23, 2009
'Good' cholesterol less protective with diabetes
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Diabetes may lower the heart-protective benefits of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the so-called "good" cholesterol, but giving diabetics niacin, a drug that raises HDL levels, might restore the benefit, researchers said on Tuesday.
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December 22, 2009
Enriched gel grows blood vessels in rats: US study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A special gel enriched with enzymes and growth factors can help grow new blood vessels around a blocked artery in rats and might offer a way to make grow-your-own bypasses, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
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December 18, 2009
Fake sugar may alter how the body handles real sugar
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Combining artificial sweeteners with the real thing boosts the stomach's secretion of a hormone that makes people feel full and helps control blood sugar, new research shows.
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December 17, 2009
US heart disease costs: $503 billion in 2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cardiovascular disease and stroke will cost the United States an estimated $503.2 billion in 2010, an increase of nearly 6 percent, and many cases could have been prevented, the American Heart Association said on Thursday.
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December 17, 2009
Tailored treatment may be best for diabetics
CHICAGO (Reuters) - For many years, diabetes experts assumed that the closer they could get a diabetic patient's blood sugar level to what is considered normal, the better.