Ancient Wheat Could Yield Celiac-friendly Bread Gastro NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An analysis of ancient strains of wheat could eventually yield a bread recipe that people with celiac disease can relish.
Asbestos Draft Bill Author Considers Changes Blood WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The author of a draft bill for a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund said on Wednesday he was considering changes to address concerns of fellow Republicans and would meet them again Thursday on the details.
Brain Stimulation may Curb Persistent Depression Depression NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Individuals with severe depression who do not respond to standard types of treatment may be helped with an experimental treatment called deep brain stimulation, Canadian investigators report.
Brazil Opens way for GMO Crops, Stem Cell Research Lifestyle SAO PAULO, Brazil, (Reuters) - Brazil's lower house passed in a final vote on Wednesday a Biosafety Law expected to clear the way for the sale of genetically modified (GMO) crops and for research into human embryonic stem cells.
Carnitine Supplement Helps Sperm Swim Menshealth NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking carnitine supplements seems to improve sperm mobility in men with poorly active sperm, a problem known as asthenozoospermia, Italian researchers report.
Deaths From Measles Falling but Gaps Remain: U.N. Childhealth GENEVA (Reuters) - Deaths from measles are declining worldwide, but Nigeria, India and Pakistan need to step up immunization to beat the lethal virus, U.N. agencies said on Friday.
Drug Curbs Asthma Flares Tied to the Common Cold Allergy NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young children with occasional mild bouts of asthma triggered largely by catching the common cold may be helped by treatment with the asthma drug Singulair, results of a study show.
EU to Test Readiness for Bird-flu Triggered Pandemic European LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The European Union executive will check whether member states are ready to fight a human pandemic sparked by bird flu, putting pressure on eight EU countries that have failed to prepare an action plan.
Europeans Oppose US Anti-abortion Push at UN Meet European UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - European countries are opposing a move by the United States to push a U.N. conference into stating that women do not have the right to abortion, French and British officials said on Tuesday.
Family Doctors Deserting Labour Party: Poll European LONDON (Reuters) - Family doctors in Britain will be deserting the ruling Labour Party in the next election, according to a poll published on Friday.
Flu Cases Rise in US, Peak may be Ahead: CDC Infectiousdiseases ATLANTA (Reuters) - The number of Americans with influenza has jumped since January, suggesting the worst of the 2004-2005 flu season may be ahead, federal health officials said on Thursday.
Hanoi Says First Bird flu Vaccine Tests Successful Infectiousdiseases HANOI (Reuters) - Initial tests of a bird flu vaccine on monkeys in Vietnam have been successful, medical officials said on Friday, adding than tests in humans could be only months away.
Healthy Lifestyle Could Reduce Alzheimer's Risk Alzheimers AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Regular exercise and a healthy diet could go a long way to reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a neurologist said on Thursday.
Heart Attack During Pregnancy Rare, but on the Rise Cardio NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heart attack during pregnancy, labor or delivery occurs rarely, but the rate has increased in the last 10 years, according to a study conducted by a team from the University of California-Davis. The trend seems to be related to the increase in maternal age.
High Levels of Vitamin E cut Prostate Cancer Risk Cancer NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High blood levels of the major vitamin E components, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, seem to cut the risk of prostate cancer by about 50 percent each, a study shows.
Illegal Drug Sales Booming on Internet Neurology VIENNA (Reuters) - Illegal drug sales on the Internet are booming as unlicensed online pharmacies selling drugs like morphine evade a patchy global effort to stop them, the United Nations narcotics watchdog said on Wednesday.
Impotence Treatment Linked to Heart Infection Cardio NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The use of contaminated syringes to inject drugs for impotence led to an outbreak of a serious heart infection in Israel caused by a pathogenic mold, investigators report.
Inhaler Option Makes Insulin More Acceptable Diabetes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving patients who have type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, the option of using an insulin inhaler may help them comply with insulin treatment recommendations, new findings suggest.
Medicare Drug Benefit Changes Worry Advocates Healthcare WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Professionals who care for the estimated 6.3 million Americans who are eligible for both the federal Medicare and federal-state Medicaid health programs say patients could face significant disruption -- and potential ill effects -- when their drug coverage is switched from one program to the other at the end of this year.
Morocco may Have First Human mad cow Death Infectiousdiseases RABAT (Reuters) - The Moroccan government said on Thursday it believes a man died of the human form of mad cow disease, which is suspected to be the first case of its kind in the North African country.
Morocco Says CJD Death not Linked to mad cow Infectiousdiseases RABAT (Reuters) - The death this week of a Moroccan who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has no link with mad cow disease, a government minister said on Friday.
MRSA Superbug Spreading in the Community European LONDON (Agence de Presse Medicale for Reuters Health) - The MRSA superbug is beginning to spread among healthy people in Britain as well as hospital patients, Britain's Health Protection Agency said on Thursday.
Music has a Flavour to Woman who "tastes" Sounds Humaninterest LONDON (Reuters) - Music can be a mouth-watering experience for one Swiss musician who "tastes" combinations of notes as distinct flavours, according to a report in the science journal Nature.
New Studies Point to Crisis Among U.S. Black men Afram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A batch of new studies suggesting that black males in the United States are falling ever further behind other groups in health, education and employment has ignited a debate within the black community about who is to blame and what can be done.
No Evidence That Echinacea Treats Colds Altmed NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most of the major studies on the effectiveness of echinacea for treatment of the common cold contain major flaws, suggesting that research has not yet established that this herbal medicine is effective, according to a new report.
Old Pimple Remedy: Using 'Spot' to Cure Spots Dermatology LONDON (Reuters) - Take two puppies, cut off their heads and collect the blood, reads the 17th century instructions -- not for some voodoo rite but to heal pimples.
Passive Smoking Blamed for 10,000 UK Deaths a Year European LONDON (Agence de Presse Medicale for Reuters Health) - Britain's doctors and nurses on Wednesday redoubled demands for smoking to be outlawed in enclosed public places as a new study showed that passive smoking may kill more than 10,000 people every year in the UK.
Program Helps Reduce Teenagers' Risky Driving Childhealth NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A program that has teenagers and parents sign driving "agreements" helps keep kids from driving under potentially hazardous conditions, according to the results of a new study.
Republicans to Meet Again on Asbestos Bill Lawethics WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans will meet again on Thursday to discuss a proposal for a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund, Sen. Arlen Specter said after a lengthy session on the issue on Wednesday.
Romanian Mental Hospitals "inhuman", Says Amnesty European BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Human rights group Amnesty International condemned Romania on Thursday for inhuman conditions in its overcrowded psychiatric institutions, saying children and agitated patients are often tied to their beds. Amnesty said the living conditions and treatment of patients in mental hospitals in the Balkan country, which hopes to join the European Union in 2007, "continued to breach international human rights standards."
School Programs Help Kids Stay Fit, Healthy Childhealth NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Schools with programs that encourage kids to eat well and exercise tend to have a much healthier and fitter student body, new research hints.
Scientists Find Marker for Early Testicular Cancer Cancer LONDON (Reuters) - Danish scientists said on Thursday they had discovered a new method that could help to detect very early signs of testicular cancer.
Severe Obesity Linked to Increased Healthcare Costs Healthcare NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As waistlines grow bigger, healthcare costs get higher, according to the results of a study that found healthcare expenses to be nearly twice as high in morbidly obese individuals than in their normal-weight peers.
Simple Measures Could Reduce Infant Deaths Childhealth LONDON (Reuters) - Four million newborns die worldwide each year, but three quarters of them could be easily saved, researchers report on Thursday.
Smallpox Preparedness Program Needs Clarification Dermatology WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal program that is supposed to protect the United States against a smallpox attack has gone awry because of a lack of clear communication about the goals, a panel of experts said on Thursday.
Smoking may be Greater Kidney Risk Than Thought Cancer NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The link between smoking and kidney cancer may be stronger than experts have appreciated.
Smoking ups Risk of Premenopausal Breast Cancer Breastcancer NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Both active and "passive" smoking (exposure to secondhand smoke) increase the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal but not postmenopausal women, a study of middle-aged Japanese women suggests.
Steroid Injection Won't Quiet Ringing in the Ears Neurology NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to some previous reports, a new study suggests that people who suffer with severe, disabling ringing in the ears known as tinnitus are unlikely to find relief with steroid injections in the ringing ear.
U.S. 'bunker Buster' Bomb Production Halted Again Blood OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Reuters) - The plant that makes 2,000-pound (900 kg) "bunker buster" penetration bombs has stopped production for a second time after workers developed anemia due to TNT exposure, officials said on Wednesday.
U.S. Congress Likely to Proceed With Medicaid Cuts Healthcare WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Budget leaders in the U.S. Congress say they are likely to follow the lead of President Bush and call for reductions in spending for the Medicaid health program for the poor.
U.S. Senate Votes to Block Canada Cattle Imports Lawethics WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted to overturn a Bush administration plan on Thursday to allow imports of Canadian cattle, the second defeat in two days for the administration's efforts to normalize beef trade roiled by mad cow disease in North America.
UK has one of Europe's Worst Drugs Problems - UN Addiction LONDON (Reuters) - Britain ranks in the top three for heroin and ecstasy abuse in Europe and has the biggest amphetamine problem in the region, a United Nations drugs watchdog said on Wednesday.
Up to 89 Million More AIDS Victims in Africa by 2025 - UN Aids ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A further 89 million people in Africa could be infected with HIV by 2025 in the continent's biggest crisis since slavery, the United Nations said on Friday.
US may Drop Anti-abortion Line at UN Conference Productsafety UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States signaled it may drop a demand for anti-abortion language that raised hackles at a U.N. women's conference, but the top U.S. delegate insisted on Wednesday that many nations agree with Washington.
US Rabbis can use Tube to Suck Circumcision Blood Dermatology NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rabbis should use a tube to suck blood from circumcision wounds rather than suck the blood directly with their mouths to protect infants and themselves from disease, the leading Orthodox rabbinical group said on Thursday.
USDA Mulls Listing Stores Involved in Meat Recalls Lifestyle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumers would no longer have to wonder whether their local grocery stores are selling recalled meat products under regulations being developed by the Agriculture Department, a senior USDA official said on Wednesday.
Women and Children Gang Raped in Congo's Ituri: MSF Childhealth GENEVA (Reuters) - Women and children are being gang raped in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo in what amounts to crimes against humanity, Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Thursday.
World's Second Oldest man Dies at age 111 European BERLIN (Reuters) - A German who was the world's second oldest man and briefly believed to be the oldest man alive died on Wednesday at the age of 111, his family in the western German city of Duesseldorf said.
World's Women Worse off in Past Decade: Report Aids UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Life for many of the world's women has become tougher in the decade since a global U.N. conference in Beijing agreed to push for equality and economic development, a grass-roots group said on Thursday.
Young men With Sleep Apnea Have Higher Risk of Death Cardio NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most patients referred for evaluation of sleep apnea, a condition in which airways become blocked during sleep and breathing stops for brief periods, are in their 50s, but men in their 20s with this condition appear to have the highest risk of death, an Israeli research team reports.
