Mozobil Boosts Stem Cells Before Bone Marrow Transplants (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The Genzyme Corp. drug Mozobil (plerixafor) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to boost a person's blood stem cell count before a bone marrow transplant, the agency said in a news release.
Fatal attraction: How leukemia seduces blood cells (Reuters)
Reuters - Leukemia cells use powerful chemical signals to lure healthy blood-forming stem cells into their cancerous lairs, where they lose their power to make healthy blood cells, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
Reuters - Although many children with so-called juvenile idiopathic arthritis have a low level of disease, about one in five have moderate to severe disability, Italian researchers report.
Not All Dementia Is Called Alzheimer's (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A common form of dementia often mistaken for Alzheimer's can be prevented with good health habits, a new report says.
HealthDay - FRIDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Much has been reported about the stress and burden of caregiving, but a new study suggests there may be a flip side to taking care of someone you love as they age -- a decreased risk of death.
Multiple Doses of Steroids Don't Help Preemies (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery who are given multiple doses of steroids to help their fetus tend to give birth to low birth-weight babies with smaller head circumference, a new study found.
Low Doses of Melamine Won't Harm Kids' Kidneys (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Low doses of melamine did not cause severe kidney problems in children exposed to the industrial chemical during the recent tainted milk scandal in China, Hong Kong researchers report.
AFP - The death toll from Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic has reached 1,123, with suspected cases now at 20,896, the UN said Friday, as a health expert returning from the site said the situation was "worsening" in some places.
U.S. flu shows resistance to flu drug, CDC says (Reuters)
Reuters - A common strain of influenza circulating in the United States this winter is resistant to Tamiflu, the most popular drug used to treat it, federal health officials said on Friday.
Reuters - Indicators of arousal, such as elevation of the heart and respiration rates, which occur immediately after a traumatic event, are predictive of future posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Australian researchers report.
Indonesia's "tree man" faces new operations (Reuters)
Reuters - An Indonesian man dubbed the "tree man" because of the gnarled warts all over his body said on Friday his condition had worsened again although he still hoped to recover and find a job.
Lung cancer deadliest tumor for Australia women (Reuters)
Reuters - Lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the biggest killer of Australian women with cancer, as females who started smoking in the 1970s and 1980s as they gained equal rights with men are diagnosed with the deadly disease.
AFP - The death toll from Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic surged past 1,100 on Thursday, the United Nations said as aid groups warned of a "grave" humanitarian crisis.
Government Launches Nursing Home Rating System (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled an updated Web site Thursday intended to make choosing a nursing home easier for elderly Americans and their families.
Marital Distress May Affect Breast Cancer Recovery (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Marriage problems are associated with poorer outcomes for women with breast cancer, a new U.S. study finds.
Bat Saliva-Based Stroke Drug Disappoints in Trial (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental clot-busting drug derived from the saliva of the vampire bat has failed to reduce stroke damage in a major trial.
Toxic Poinsettias? Hangover Cures? It May Be All Fiction (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- It's that magical time of year when people are willing to suspend disbelief just a little bit and hope that holiday miracles, like Santa delivering presents across the globe in a single evening, can actually happen.
'Hot' Toys May Not Be the Best Present (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Mental and physical development should be important considerations when you're looking for children's Christmas gifts, advises an expert at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
FDA Wants New Diabetes Drugs Tested for Heart Risks (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now asking all companies looking for approval of new type 2 diabetes medications to undertake studies that determine whether they cause cardiovascular problems.
Some cough medicine overdoses deliberate: report (Reuters)
Reuters - Some children showing up in emergency rooms with overdoses of cough or cold syrup may have been intentionally medicated to keep them quiet, doctors cautioned on Thursday.
Study clarifies steroid benefit in pre-term births (Reuters)
Reuters - A one-time set of steroid injections for pregnant women at high risk of giving birth prematurely can head off major problems for the baby, but more injections give no further benefit, Canadian researchers said.
Europe keeps US poultry off the Xmas menu over chlorine use (AFP)
AFP - European Union farm ministers rejected Thursday attempts to lift a ban on US poultry which is washed in chlorine, ensuring that American turkeys will not grace Europe's Christmas dinner tables.
AFP - Austria's health ministry imposed an immediate ban Thursday on the sale and distribution of the herbal incense "Spice", which some people have taken to smoking for its hallucinogenic effects.
Smoking linked to colorectal cancer deaths (Reuters)
Reuters - Cigarette smoking is associated with the occurrence of colorectal cancer and with mortality from the disease, according to a multinational team.
Top New York State court rejects cigarette claim (Reuters)
Reuters - New York State's top court on Tuesday rejected a product liability claim against tobacco companies by smokers who said they should have used lower levels of tar and nicotine.
AFP - Doctors hailed the first US face transplant as a means for the severely disfigured to "face the world" without humiliation Wednesday in announcing the successful replacement of 80 percent of a woman's face.
Nature's Fury Makes South Most Dangerous Area in U.S. (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Americans worried about being caught up in a killer heat wave or deadly natural disaster might do well to avoid the South and the Great Plains states, according to a new U.S. "death map."