Health News

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Fat cells in obese people are "sick" compared to those in lean people, a new study shows.

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.

EDINBURG, Texas - A nearly half-ton Texas woman charged in the death of her toddler nephew couldn't have beaten the boy to death because of her limited movement from weight problems, her attorney said Tuesday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A death row inmate who says he's too fat to be executed received poor legal help during his trial and later when he appealed the death sentence, his lawyers said Monday during a clemency hearing.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, in extremely obese patients can be cured by gastric bypass surgery, according to the findings from a new study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenagers arrested for juvenile offenses have a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, so screening these teens soon after arrest may help catch many cases, a new study suggests.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Older women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have improved sexual function, less insomnia and fewer hot flushes, a study released Friday has found.

TUESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A daily dose of the erectile dysfunction drug tadalafil (Cialis) helped relieve lower urinary tract symptoms in men with signs of enlarged prostates, according to a new study.

NEW DELHI - A cell phone ring tone that sings "Condom, condom!" has been launched to promote safe sex in India, where condoms carry a strong social stigma and HIV and AIDS are growing problems, health experts said Tuesday.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - A cellphone ringtone that chants "condom, condom!" has been launched in India to promote safe sex and tackle the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

TUESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The makers of the type 2 diabetes drug Byetta reported Tuesday the deaths of four more people who'd been taking the medication.

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who are tempted to quit taking their statin medication because it failed to prevent a heart attack should think twice, Canadian researchers said on Wednesday.

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

NEW DELHI (AFP) - A top Indian hospital where 49 babies died in clinical trials that took place at the facility said Tuesday that the drugs used in the tests were "safe," according to a report.

(HealthDay News) -- It's important for a child to learn to be independent and care for himself. But how do you know when a child is old and mature enough to stay alone?

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to mothers who don't spank their children, mothers who've spanked their child in the past year are three times more likely to use harsher forms of punishment.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treatment with a combination of anti-HIV drugs, known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), can improve the immune systems of infected patients, but new research indicates that in young children this effect may increase the risk of asthma.

CHESTERTOWN, Maryland (Reuters) - Wide-eyed and interrupting occasionally with comments like "My dad's a Marine," a dozen or so boys listened avidly as Sgt. Roy Meredith described being injured by shrapnel in Iraq.

(HealthDay News) -- No one is immune from worry -- even children. So it's important for parents to help them deal with their concerns in healthy ways.

WASHINGTON - What does a company do when there's anecdotal evidence that two of its drugs are equally effective in treating a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, one costing patients $60 per treatment and the other $2,000?

MONDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Safety warnings slowed the use of antipsychotic drugs in seniors with dementia. But the overall use of the drugs in the elderly increased, a finding which suggests that warnings may not be sufficient to protect patients, Canadian researchers say.

FRIDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A new method of identifying protein structures related to Alzheimer's disease has been developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Electrical stimulation of the brain may improve memory and recognition in elderly people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, results of a study hint.

THURSDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In 2007, about 3.4 million Americans enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug plan reached a gap in their prescription coverage known as the "doughnut hole," leading some of them to stop taking prescribed drugs, says a Kaiser Family Foundation study released Thursday.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- People throughout the world have major misconceptions when it comes to what causes cancer, new research suggests.

GENEVA (AFP) - People are deeply confused about what causes cancer and the most effective means of prevention, with many favouring more fruit rather than cutting down alcohol, a new study said Wednesday.

TUESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- New findings that antipsychotic drugs may not work as scientists have assumed could lead to changes in how the drugs are developed and prescribed, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators have called for more data before deciding whether a Johnson & Johnson experimental schizophrenia drug could be sold on the U.S. market, the company said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK - New data show New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.

NEW YORK - Talk about an extreme makeover: Scientists have transformed one type of cell into another in living mice, a big step toward the goal of growing replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases.

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

WASHINGTON - What does a company do when there's anecdotal evidence that two of its drugs are equally effective in treating a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, one costing patients $60 per treatment and the other $2,000?

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Contrary to popular belief and common medical advice, eating seeds, nuts, corn and popcorn does not cause the bowel disease diverticulosis or its painful complications, researchers said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK - New data show New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.