Reuters: Health News

HIV spreads in NY at three times the U.S. average

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:58:21 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers are contracting HIV at three times the national rate, the city health department said on Wednesday, attributing the difference to New York's large population of high-risk groups such as gay men and blacks.

Researchers turn living cells into insulin-makers

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:23:04 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have transformed ordinary cells into insulin-producing cells in a living mouse, improving symptoms of diabetes in a major step towards regenerative medicine.

Study points to brain chemical involved in obesity

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:03:13 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers studying people with a rare genetic disorder have identified a brain chemical that may play a role in appetite and obesity, a finding they say could lead to new drugs to help some obese people.

Flying is a headache, literally, for many travelers

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:21:23 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Headaches associated with air travel appear to be a "huge and painful problem," Israeli researchers report.

Maple Leaf takes blame for food poison outbreak

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:37:04 +0100

TORONTO/WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - The head of Canada's biggest meat processor said on Wednesday his company was fully accountable for a nationwide outbreak of listeriosis food poisoning, which has been linked to deaths of 15 people.

Study shows mental skills fade earlier than thought

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:03:15 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - The rapid deterioration of our mental abilities as we age begins far earlier than scientists had suspected, Swedish researchers said on Wednesday.

Researchers regrow crucial hair in inner ear

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:06:49 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers working on mice have regrown the tiny hairs in the inner ear that are crucial to hearing, and said on Wednesday their findings might lead to ways to restore hearing loss in humans.

Stroke drugs show similar results, or no benefits

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:34:57 +0100

BOSTON (Reuters) - Two studies released on Wednesday call into question the advantage of using a blood pressure medicine and a well-known blood thinner for preventing the recurrence of a stroke.

Sleep helps selectively preserve emotional memories

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:20:03 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sleep tends to help people better remember aspects of a negative event while allowing memory of background information to fade, researchers have found.

Thinness in midlife boosts later brittle bone risk

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:35:17 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who are slimmer in middle age are at greater risk of having osteoporosis later in life, a new study confirms.