Reuters: Health News

U.S. parents think twice about sending kids to camp

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:47:12 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Since its opening last week, camp counselors at New Jersey's Liberty Lake Day Camp disinfect door knobs, take the temperatures of children as they arrive and remind the campers not to share canned sodas.

Wealth, disability factors in alcohol-longevity tie

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:08 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moderate drinkers are wealthier, more educated and less likely to be disabled than teetotalers, which explains some, but not all, of the association between moderate alcohol consumption and longer life, according to a new study.

Social factors influence neighborhood asthma rates

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:41:00 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Childhood asthma is less common in neighborhoods with high economic potential and strong community vitality, new research shows.

Bedwetting, being overweight linked to sleep apnea

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:44:10 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who are overweight and wet the bed at night may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), researchers report.

Prostate cancer screening still unproven: report

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:45:43 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - PSA blood tests are often used to screen men for prostate cancer, but there is still no good evidence that they cut death rates from the disease, a new review finds.

India gay ruling boosts AIDS fight but stigma lingers

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:14:25 -0400

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian court ruling to decriminalize gay sex will boost the fight against AIDS, but a powerful stigma against homosexuality and uneven quality of healthcare will still hamper efforts, a top AIDS worker said.

Many parents lack confidence in changing behavior

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:31:02 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many parents don't have enough self-confidence to implement and enforce changes in their child's behavior that will reduce the child's risk of obesity, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston have found.

Fertility drug combo promising in older women

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:27:52 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The combination of two drugs -- Femara (letrozole) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) -- could be of benefit in infertile women of advanced reproductive age undergoing intrauterine insemination, results of a study indicate.

Sickle cell disease healthcare costs high in U.S.

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:46:18 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study shows that the annual cost of medical care in the US for people who suffer from sickle cell disease exceeds $1.1 billion.

Drug curbs severe facial pain: study

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:34:25 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a small study suggest that the drug pregabalin (sold as Lyrica) can reduce stabbing facial pain and other symptoms stemming from a condition called trigeminal neuralgia.