Adding fat-lowering drug no help for diabetic hearts

2010-03-15T13:16:11Z

<div><p>ATLANTA (Reuters) - Adding a drug that lowers blood fats known as triglycerides to cholesterol-fighting statins provided no additional protection from heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease in patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to data from a large study.</p><p>The study run by the ATLANTA (Reuters) - Adding a triglyceride-lowering drug to cholesterol-fighting statins provided no additional protection from heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease in patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to data from a large study.</p><p>The study run by the President Obama</div><div><p>Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggests that many Americans are being overtreated. Maybe even President Barack Obama, champion of an overhaul and cost-cutting of the health care system.</p><p>Is it doctors practicing defens...

"Personal" study shows gene maps can spot disease

2010-03-11T07:45:23Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two studies published on Wednesday show it is possible to sequence the entire gene maps of families with inherited diseases and pinpoint the offending bit of DNA.</p><p>The studies, which would not have been possible a year or two ago, are the first real delivery of the promised transformation of medical science from the

Scabies pill also works against resistant lice: study

2010-03-10T14:17:12Z

<div><p>Ivermectin, a pill prescribed for the skin disease known as scabies, also gets rid of hair lice that are resistant to conventional lotions, a study published on Thursday says.</p><p>Lice affects over 100 million people worldwide each year, especially children of primary school age, according to the paper, appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine.</p>...

Genetic researchers win $500K US medical prize

2010-03-10T12:15:49Z

<div id="subtitle">Genetic researchers share $500,000 prize for medicine and biomedical research</div><div><p>Three American scientists who contributed to the mapping of the human genetic blueprint — an advance that continues to give the medical world a better understanding of human disease — were awarded the nation's richest prize in medicine and biomedical research Wednesday.</p><p>The $500,000 Boston asked more than 19,000, normal-weight US women aged 39 or older how many alcoholic beverages they typically drank in a day, and then tracked the women for around 13 years.</p>...

U.S. agencies join in bid to speed drug development

2010-02-25T07:45:21Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With an aim of getting experimental new drugs to people quicker, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health announced a plan on Wednesday to work more closely together.</p><p&...

US panel: Too little known on lactose intolerance

2010-02-25T05:00:41Z

<div id="subtitle">US panel finds no good count of how many dairy avoiders really are lactose intolerant</div><div><p>Many people who think they cannot digest dairy products might do all right if they eat a small amount at a time, but surprisingly little is known about just how many have true lactose intolerance, a government panel concluded Wednesday.</p><p>Lactose is a sugar in milk, and most babies are born producing enough of the enzyme lactase in the smal...

Panel: Too little known about lactose intolerance

2010-02-24T14:45:48Z

<div><p>Many people who think they can't digest dairy products may do OK if they eat a small amount at a time — but surprisingly little is known about just how many have true lactose intolerance, a government panel concluded Wednesday.</p><p>Lactose is a sugar in milk, and most babies are born producing enough of the enzyme lactase in the small intestine to digest it. But worldwide, most people's lactase levels progressively decrease throughout childhood. How low those le...

Agencies join in bid to speed drug development

2010-02-24T14:31:32Z

U.S. "tweaks" stem cell policy

2010-02-22T08:08:25Z

&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government broadened the definition of a human embryonic stem cell on Friday, helping qualify several corporate and academic experiments for federal funding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Lana Skirboll, directo...

Millions missing out on colon cancer screening

2010-02-22T09:26:14Z

<div><p>Nearly half the people who need potentially lifesaving checks for the nation's No. 2 cancer killer — colorectal cancer — miss them, despite years of public efforts to make colon screening as widespread as tests for breast and prostate cancer.</p><p>But what if you opened your mailbox one day to find an at-home test kit, no doctor's appointment needed?</p><p>The dreaded colonoscopy may get the most attenti...

Health spending a winner in Obama budget

2010-02-22T13:00:59Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health research is a potential winner in the new U.S. budget proposed on Monday, with the National Institutes of Health in line for an extra $1 billion -- the largest increase for the agency in eight years.</p>&am...

NIH policy urges CT makers to track radiation dose

2010-02-22T13:06:20Z

<div><p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - The National Institutes of Health plans to require that all makers of CT and other radiation-producing scanners used at NIH clinics have software that tracks a patient's radiation dose and logs it into an electronic medical record.</p&...

Holder And Sebelius Convene National Summit On Health Care Fraud

2010-01-28T10:31:32Z

BETHESDA, MD - JANUARY 28: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius listens during a "National Summit on Health Care Fraud" at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) January 28, 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland. The summit was to discuss ways to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the

In tough economic times, NIH head looks to clinic

2010-02-22T15:15:37Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As he puts together his budget proposal for the coming year, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins plans to do something a little different -- emphasizing the "health" in the name of his

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