The Atlantic
Coffee linked to lower risk of deathLos Angeles TimesA study finds that older adults who drink java are less likely to die than those who don't. Subjects who averaged four or five cups per day fared best, though it's not clear why. The research is the largest analysis to date to suggest that coffee's [...]
Globe and Mail
Drug moves toward FDA approval for HIV preventionLos Angeles TimesThe FDA says Truvada, which has been used for years to help manage HIV, appears to be safe and effective in preventing the virus that causes AIDS. Associated Press WASHINGTON — A pill that has long been used to treat HIV has moved a [...]
USA TODAY
42% of American adults will be obese by 2030, study saysLos Angeles TimesThough the rate of the last 30 years has slowed, it's far from leveling off, and it's going to get expensive, say experts at the Weight of the Nation conference in Washington. The ranks of obese Americans are expected to swell even [...]
Bloomberg
Obesity in US projected to grow, though pace slows: CDC studyLos Angeles TimesObesity in the United States is projected to continue its rise over the next 18 years, extending to 42% of Americans by 2030, according to a study released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That expected growth in the proportion [...]
Los Angeles Times
Bird flu can spread in mammals, study findsLos Angeles TimesThe results, showing an engineered flu strain can spread easily between ferrets, derive from a controversial study that stirred debate over fears of a bioterrorism threat. A poultry seller in Vietnam, which is still struggling with new cases of bird …Mutant-flu paper publishedNature.comBird flu [...]
ABC News
Doctor says he's found the actual G spotLos Angeles TimesSmall clusters of erectile tissue deep within the vaginal wall are the trigger for enhancing female orgasm, the physician says. Skeptics say it's not so simple. A researcher's report on the G spot touched off a scientific and political tempest among …G-Spot Found?WebMDDoc claims he's [...]
CBC.ca
Illinois surgeons re-transplant kidney into second patient in unusual operationLos Angeles TimesBy Thomas H. Maugh II / For the Booster Shots blog In what is claimed to be the first operation of its kind, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago have removed a transplanted kidney from its original recipient and implanted it in a [...]
CTV.ca
Breast cancer classification promises better therapiesLos Angeles TimesResearchers have devised 10 categories for breast cancer tumors, an important stride toward targeting treatments more precisely. The hope is to spare patients unnecessarily toxic therapies. Harumi Mankarios, RN, left, examines Tina Roark, right, …Breast cancer treatment gets boostThe GuardianBreast cancer rules rewritten in 'landmark' studyBBC NewsStudy: Breast [...]
Zee News
Turning Stem Cells into a Powerful Weapon Against AIDSNBC Los AngelesIn an exciting medical breakthrough, UCLA scientists say they have found a way to turn stem cells into cells that fight HIV. The genetically engineered cells have proven to be effective in suppressing the virus in animals. By Angie Crouch and Julie …Stem cells [...]
BBC News
Study finds link between autism and obesity during pregnancyLos Angeles TimesWomen with diabetes or hypertension were also more likely to have children with developmental delays. By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times Pregnant women might now have one more good reason to watch their diet and exercise: A new study links autism and …Autism Linked [...]
Los Angeles Times
Obama respects Supreme Court's power, attorney general writesLos Angeles TimesA letter to a federal judge aims to settle an uproar over the president's remarks about the healthcare law, but questions remain. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.) is among Democrats who have defended President Obama's remarks about the Supreme Court and …Holder defends Obama remarks [...]
BBC News
We may be fatter than we think, researchers reportLos Angeles TimesA new study finds that the widely used body mass index, or BMI, may be understating obesity in many people. The nation's obesity experts are searching for better ways to measure the nation's state of health and to judge the success or failure of [...]
CTV.ca
FDA decides not to ban BPA in food packagingLos Angeles TimesThe agency says it will continue to study health effects of the widely used chemical; an environmental group is highly critical. BPA is present on some cash register receipts and might rub off onto hands. It is also used in some food containers.US Denies Request [...]
Los Angeles Times
Signs of Supreme Court activism worry Reagan administration lawyersLos Angeles TimesAdvocates of judicial restraint say conservative justices should be wary of the impulse to strike down the healthcare law passed by Congress. John G. Roberts Jr., now chief justice of the Supreme Court, testifies during his Senate confirmation hearings …Steven Pearlstein: Eat your [...]
Telegraph.co.uk
Autism rates rise, disorder now affects 1 in 88 children, CDC saysLos Angeles TimesA study of 8-year-olds' health and education records is the latest in a series to show autism rates up dramatically in last decade. Researchers cite public awareness and better case identification. Christopher Astacio stands in the doorway watching as …Autism Rates Higher [...]
ABC News
Dick Cheney's new heart awakens Times' letter writersLos Angeles TimesOver the weekend, letter writers to The Times argued all sides of the healthcare law that the Supreme Court will take up this week, the LA Memorial Coliseum scandal and the too-late LA City Council vote on Wal-Mart's planned store in Chinatown.Cheney's surgery reopens debate [...]
Boston.com
California seeks limits on small-business self-insurance trendLos Angeles TimesCritics say health insurers offering new type of self-insurance for firms with as few as 25 workers are gaming the system and may undermine a key goal of the federal Affordable Care Act. By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times Sensing a fresh threat to …How The Health [...]
Los Angeles Times
Researchers closer to a test to predict heart attacksLos Angeles TimesUsing a blood sample to detect circulating endothelial cells that sloughed off damaged vessel walls could help save at-risk patients who had normal stress tests. Normal, healthy circulating endothelial cells, left, are smaller and more uniform than …Study of the Day: A Fast, [...]
Los Angeles Times
Should you take aspirin to prevent or treat cancer?Los Angeles TimesEarlier this week, three studies in the medical journal The Lancet (here, here and here, no subscription required) co-authored by researcher Peter M. Rothwell of the University of Oxford in England and an accompanying comment (subscription required) by …Studies find an aspirin a [...]
Los Angeles Times
Electroshock: First glimpse of how it works adds clues to depressionLos Angeles TimesElectroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, has been used to jolt severely and persistently depressed patients from their disabling mood state for more than seven decades. And while the treatment is considered highly effective, psychiatrists and mental health …Shock Therapy's Effect on Depression [...]