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9 - 30 -04 (An artificial version of the pigment that gives tomatoes their colouring is being tested on prostate cancer patients after promising animal trials. Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Holland, had found synthetic lycopene slowed the growth of human prostate tumours in mice. Lycopene has already been linked with a reducing the risk of prostate cancer. . )

(More set of Health News : Gene to blame in rare cases of extreme obesity Last Updated: 2004-09-30 15:27:31 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Changes to a gene involved in the regulation of body weight may contribute to weight gain in a very small number of obese individuals, new research reports.. )

9 - 29 -04 (Massage therapy eases many cancer patients' ills Last Updated: 2004-09-28 15:40:46 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A relaxing session with a certified massage therapist appears to help reduce anxiety, pain, fatigue and other types of discomfort in cancer patients, new research reports. Moreover, patients still continued to feel better 2 days after the massage, the authors note. )

(More set of Health News : Parents' interests influence girls' activities Last Updated: 2004-09-29 15:20:26 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research shows that kids really do tend to follow in their parents' footsteps, at least in terms of how they choose to spend their free time. )

9 - 28 -04 ( A Thai woman who recently died of bird flu probably caught the disease from her daughter, the government has said. If true, she would be the first person in the latest outbreak to get bird flu from another human rather than birds. A case of human-to-human infection would renew fears that bird flu may one day combine with human flu to create a more deadly version of the disease. But officials said this was likely to be an isolated case, and the WHO said it posed no "significant" public risk. )

(More set of Health News : WHO Downplays Bird Flu TransmissionFears By JONATHAN FOWLER Associated Press Writer GENEVA (AP) -- The World Health Organization Tuesday downplayed fears over human-to-human transmission of bird flu, after authorities in Thailand confirmed that a woman who died of the virus probably contracted it from her daughter. )

9-24-04 First Set of News

Study: living in the suburbs can make you sick Last Updated: 2004-09-27 10:32:07 -0400 (Reuters Health) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Living in the suburbs may have once been part of the American dream but it can lead to high blood pressure, arthritis and headaches, researchers reported on Monday.

Thai suspected bird flu case fans human link fear Last Updated: 2004-09-27 9:49:37 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Vissuta Pothong BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand, rattled by fears a girl passed bird flu to her mother, said Monday it has no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the deadly H5N1 virus in the country.

Sound of voice may predict sexual behavior Last Updated: 2004-09-27 13:00:08 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Charnicia E. Huggins NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research findings suggest that the sound of a person's voice may predict his or her level of sexual activity. Men and women whose voices were given higher ratings in attractiveness reported having more sex partners and were younger at first intercourse than those whose voices were considered less attractive.

Study: Sprawl Linked to Chronic Ailments LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Warning: Suburban sprawl may be hazardous to your health. A report released Monday found that people who live in sprawling metropolitan areas are more likely to report chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing difficulties than residents of more compact cities.

Seniors Take Up Tai Chi, Yoga Across U.S. By AMBER McDOWELL Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Balanced on one leg like flamingos, a dozen people older than 60 concentrate on staying upright, as they master the basics of tai chi.

Bitter Malpractice Fight Going to Voters By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer Rivaling Bush vs. Kerry for bitterness, doctors and trial lawyers are squaring off this fall in an unprecedented four-state struggle over limiting malpractice awards. The volatile issue is in voters' hands and each side is desperate to win, spending millions of dollars to make their cases and portray the other side as greedy.

Harvard Program Stresses Patient Care By JUSTIN POPE AP Education Writer CAMBRIDGE , Mass. (AP) -- At Harvard Medical School, as elsewhere, most students will see a dozen births or more during a three-week obstetrics rotation, but they rarely will meet a mother before she arrives at the hospital, or see her again once she leaves.

Doctor Who Pioneered PMS Research Dies LONDON (AP) -- Dr. Katharina Dalton, a gynecologist who did pioneering research on premenstrual syndrome and was said to have coined the term, has died. She was 87. Dalton died Sept. 17 in Poole, Dorset, her family said. The family did not specify the cause of death.

Panel Studies Effects of Nuclear Tests IDAHO FALLS , Idaho (AP) -- Idaho residents who believe Cold War nuclear testing harmed their health will testify before a National Academy of Sciences panel to say they should be included in a federal compensation program.

Cyclist Ends Tour to Raise Aid for Cancer By MARTIN FINUCANE Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) -- The speedometer on Charlie Hamilton's bicycle handlebars told the story. Miles traveled: 11,741. Speed: 0.0. Hamilton dismounted from his bike Sunday at Fenway Park after a 25-week odyssey across North America in which he traveled to games at all 30 major league ballparks, raising $13,000 for cancer research and treatment.

9-24-04 Second Set of News

Herbal therapy can interfere with prescription drugs Last Updated: 2004-09-27 14:40:38 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A long-used herbal drug taken to lower cholesterol may interfere with nearly 60 percent of all prescription drugs, including the popular anti-cholesterol drugs called statins, new research reports.

Herbal therapy can interfere with prescription drugs Last Updated: 2004-09-27 14:40:38 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A long-used herbal drug taken to lower cholesterol may interfere with nearly 60 percent of all prescription drugs, including the popular anti-cholesterol drugs called statins, new research reports.

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDayNews) -- The self-esteem of children who become overweight or obese is likely to fall, claims a new study that confirms what many heavy children and their parents already know. To determine if being overweight precedes a low self-esteem among children, or low-self esteem leads to becoming overweight, Australian researchers followed 1,157 children, aged 5 to 10 years at the start of the study, and evaluated their weight and self-esteem in 1997 and again in 2000.

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDayNews) -- Fortifying food with folic acid can greatly reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other birth defects, says a Canadian study in the latest issue of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. The study found a 78 percent reduction in the number of babies born with nerual tube defects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador after the Canadian government made it mandatory in 1998 that folic acid had to be added to pasta, flour and cornmeal.

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDayNews) -- The vast majority of West Nile infections this year have occurred in West Coast and Rocky Mountain states, with almost no human infections recorded in the densely populated Northeast, where the virus first took hold five years ago. Overall, there have been just 10 cases of human infection with West Nile virus recorded this season from Maine to Washington, D.C.

(HealthDayNews) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch: Bone Metastases A research study to determine if Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) reduces the pain of metastatic bone tumors in patients who have not received adequate pain relief from conventional therapies. Volunteers who have one or two metastatic bone tumor(s) causing pain and whose pain persists when on pain medication may be able to participate.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Stem Cells Found to Help Heart, Eyes Stem cells, plagued with political controversy because they are harvested from human embryos, have found separate experimental uses in helping the heart and eyes, the Washington Post reported Monday.

(HealthDayNews) -- When Tabby scratches or bites you, don't just dismiss her bad temper. You could get cat scratch disease, a bacterial infection. The condition is caused by Bartonella henselae bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Warning signs include swollen lymph nodes, especially those around the head, neck and upper limbs. A person with cat scratch disease also may experience fever, headache, fatigue and a poor appetite.

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDayNews) -- A new type of T-cell that reduces asthma and airway inflammation in mice has been identified by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This finding reinforces the theory that a lack of regulatory T-cells, known as Tregs, is a prime cause of asthma and allergies.

SUNDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDayNews) -- Now that fall has arrived, fireplace safety has become a burning issue. House fires and carbon monoxide poisoning are serious and potentially deadly dangers that can flare up if your fireplace is poorly built or maintained. Michigan State University thinks it's a hot topic and offers some advice on staying safe while you enjoy the cozy comfort of your fireplace.

9-24-04 First Set of News

Children of teen mothers have raised suicide risk Last Updated: 2004-09-24 10:23:13 -0400 (Reuters Health) LONDON (Reuters) - Babies of teenage mothers and infants who have a low birth weight have a higher risk of committing suicide later in life than other children, Swedish scientists said Friday.

Advice as good as physiotherapy for back pain: study Last Updated: 2004-09-24 10:08:43 -0400 (Reuters Health) LONDON (Reuters) - Routine physiotherapy seems to be no better than expert advice at relieving mild lower back pain, British researchers reported on Friday. Although patients who receive physiotherapy for back pain are more likely to report improvements than others with back pain, scientists from the University of Warwick in England said there is no proof of any long-term benefit.

First baby born after ovarian tissue transplant Last Updated: 2004-09-24 10:02:43 -0400 (Reuters Health) By David Lawsky BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian woman has given birth to the first baby born after an ovarian tissue transplant, a medical breakthrough that brings hope to young cancer patients whose fertility may be damaged by treatment.

Dogs sniff out bladder cancer Last Updated: 2004-09-24 12:12:43 -0400 (Reuters Health) LONDON (Reuters Health) - The acute sense of smell that makes dogs useful for detecting illegal substances at airports might also be used to help doctors diagnosis bladder cancer, researchers reported this week in the British Medical Journal.

Group urges review of new U.S. statin drug advice Last Updated: 2004-09-24 11:44:13 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Maggie Fox WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer advocates backed by some prominent doctors and researchers on Thursday questioned a new U.S. policy recommending wider use of statin drugs to lower cholesterol. The new guidelines, published in July, suggest that people without high cholesterol levels should take statin drugs to get their levels even lower.

Snow peas blamed for diarrhea outbreak Last Updated: 2004-09-24 13:01:42 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Several cases of food poisoning that occurred in Pennsylvania earlier this year represent the first time infection with the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis (cyclosporiasis) has been associated with snow peas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FDA to Decide on Antidepressant Warning By DIEDTRA HENDERSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration "within a few days" will decide on a stronger warning for antidepressants, a top official told Congress. The agency is likely to follow recommendations of federal advisers who want black boxes, the most strident warnings, to highlight links between the drugs and increased suicidal thoughts and actions of children.

Infertile Woman Has Baby After Transplant By CONSTANT BRAND Associated Press Writer BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- A woman who gave birth after a pioneering ovarian tissue transplant snuggled her day-old baby girl Friday and called her "a big miracle." Ouarda Touirat, who was infertile after she underwent chemotherapy due to Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1997, gave birth Thursday night following the ground-breaking procedure that doctors say could one day allow women to delay motherhood beyond menopause.

Brothers Honored for Living With Diabetes By WILLIAM KATES Associated Press Writer SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Day in and day out, brothers Robert and Gerald Cleveland have meticulously managed their blood glucose levels even though they've had diabetes for seven decades. On Thursday, the world's leading diabetes research center paid tribute to the Clevelands for their longevity and everyday perseverance. According to the Boston-based Joslin Diabetes Center, they are the first siblings known to have lived with Type 1 diabetes for 50 years or longer.

FRIDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDayNews) -- Twice daily doses of 400 milligrams of the drug imatinib (Gleevec) can slightly improve progression-free survival for people with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), says a European study in this week's issue of The Lancet. Imatinib is approved worldwide for treating patients with GIST, tumors that don't respond to conventional chemotherapy, the researchers said. This study found that a single daily dose of the drug is sufficient to induce a therapeutic response and that a doubling of the daily dose may slightly improve patients' progression-free survival.

9-24-04 Second Set of News

(HealthDayNews) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch: Ulcerative Colitis A research study of an investigational medication to treat mild to moderate left-sided ulcerative colitis. Volunteers 18 or older who have a documented diagnosis of ulcerative colitis by standard clinical criteria, including endoscopy (either flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, sufficient to define the proximal limit of disease) with biopsy may be able to participate. Research site located in Raleigh, NC.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Woman Gives Birth After Tissue Transplant A 32-year-old Belgian cancer survivor has given birth to a healthy daughter after having her own ovarian tissue reimplanted to correct infertility, researchers reported Friday in The Lancet medical journal.

(HealthDayNews) -- Don't assume that herbal health products are safer than other medicines just because they come from plants, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) says. Although herbal products often are advertised as "natural," they aren't natural to the human body. Unlike prescription drugs and other medicines, herbal products don't have to meet government approval standards before they can be sold. For one thing, they may not be pure, and may include plant derivatives that could make you sick.

FRIDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDayNews) -- A significant percentage of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering potentially lethal wounds to the head and neck, areas not covered by today's improved body armor. A unique report on combat injuries found that, in a 14-month period, one of every five soldiers injured in battle and airlifted to an American military hospital in Germany suffered from this type of injury.

THURSDAY, Sep. 23 (HealthDayNews) -- While it may seem strange, what happened to you in the womb may affect your suicide risk later in life. That's the conclusion of a study in the Sept. 25 issue of The Lancet that found if you were born to a teenage mother or had a low birth weight, the odds are higher that you might commit suicide as a teenager or young adult.

THURSDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDayNews) -- About half the patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the United States don't receive the recommended dose and schedule of chemotherapy, which reduces their chances for remission or cure, says a University of Rochester Medical Center study. Researchers reviewed data for 4,552 patients in 567 cancer practices across the United States and found that between 48 percent to 53 percent of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were given less than 85 percent of the recommended chemotherapy dose intensity.

THURSDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDayNews) -- Excessive drinking took more than 75,000 lives in the United States in 2001, shortening the lives of each of those who died by an average of more than 30 years, a new government report says. In all, a total of 2.3 million "years of potential life" were lost to alcohol abuse, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FRIDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDayNews) -- The use of gene therapy to deliver nerve growth factor into areas of the brain where neurons are degenerating, to reverse the ravages of Alzheimer's disease, is being investigated by Rush University Medical Center scientists. If this technique proves successful, it could be a major step forward in finding a way to slow the course of Alzheimer's disease.

Repligen Corp., a biotechnology company that concentrates on pediatric diseases, said Friday that it launched an early-stage clinical trial of a treatment for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Shares of Repligen were up 14 cents, or 7.25 percent, at $2.07 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq. The Phase I trial of RG1068, a synthetic form of the human hormone secretin, will primarily test the safety and tolerability of two dose levels in up to 16 patients.

Anxiety Overview Provided by A.D.A.M., Inc. Definition Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear that lingers. The source for this uneasiness is not always known or recognized which adds to the distress: "Everything stresses me out." "I am always worried." Alternative Names Feeling uptight; Stress; Tension; Jitteriness; Apprehension

9-23-04 First Set of News

9 - 23 -04 ( WHO Focuses on Heart Disease and Strokes By JONATHAN FOWLER Associated Press Writer GENEVA (AP) -- Health authorities worldwide must scale up efforts to curb global growth in heart disease and strokes, turning more attention to problems that start in childhood and are now hitting poor nations hardest, the World Health Organization said Thursday. . )

CDC Worries Some Not Getting Flu Shots By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Of the Americans who most need a flu shot, fewer than half actually get one, federal health officials warned Thursday as they called for special attention to babies, toddlers and the elderly as vaccinations begin next month.

Poor Medical Treatment Kills Thousands By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Requiring doctors and hospitals to report publicly on their performance and tying their pay to the results would dramatically reduce avoidable deaths and costs attributable to poor medical care, says a new report from an organization that works to improve health care quality.

New Boarding School Teaches Weight Control By BILEN MESFIN Associated Press Writer REEDLEY, Calif. (AP) -- Required exercise at 7 a.m. sharp. No personal televisions or computers. A cafeteria bereft of potato chips and candy bars but full of good-for-you vegetables.

Insurance Falls Short for Some Workers By THERESA AGOVINO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- Privately insured, low-income workers with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and asthma are being financially squeezed as employers shift the burden of higher health care costs to employees, a new study found.

THURSDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- Researchers say they've decoded the genome of the bacterium that causes Legionnaire's disease and are hunting for genes that can explain its occasional virulence and provide targets for better treatments. Legionnaire's disease is a respiratory infection that is so named because it was first described after a 1976 outbreak at a convention of former servicemen in Philadelphia.

THURSDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDayNews) -- The history books say an Allied soldier downed the legendary German flying ace known as the Red Baron near the end of World War I in 1918, but a new study suggests that the baron was an agent in his own downfall. The real damage to Baron von Richthofen was done nine months earlier when he sustained a brain injury, which ultimately led to some fateful errors he made on his final flight, according to two American neuropsychologists.

(HealthDayNews) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch: Psychosis A research study of an investigational medication for patients with Parkinson's disease and psychosis. Volunteers with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease who also exhibit symptoms of psychosis, defined by the presence of visual and/or auditory hallucinations, with or without delusions of at least four weeks duration, may be able to participate. Research site located in Schenctady, NY.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Lack of Quality Health Care Cited in 79,000 Deaths Lack of access to routine, quality health care led to as many as 79,000 deaths and $1.8 billion in avoidable medical costs in 2003, according to a new report from a private health care advocacy group.

THURSDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDayNews) -- New research shows that healthy people with high levels of anger, hostility or depression also have high blood levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation of the arteries.

9-23-04 Second Set of News

A new report calls for the urgent need to improve treatments and find a cure for prostate cancer, a disease that strikes one in six American men. The report from the Prostate Cancer Foundation was written by 24 leading researchers into the disease and is a comprehensive review of the state of the art in prostate cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and research. )

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- Health care may not be the defining issue in this fall's presidential race, but it could become critical in some "swing states," new research suggests.

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- In the high-tech world of cardiology, few things are guaranteed other than high cost. But now, a doctor says a simple Post-it note can play a role in diagnosing heart disease -- and no, it's not a matter of writing something down and sticking the note on the refrigerator.

Brain stimulation slightly improves Parkinson's Last Updated: 2004-09-22 16:38:15 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Electrical stimulation of a brain region called the subthalamic nucleus provides only modest benefits to patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Data support new meningitis vaccine - US panel Last Updated: 2004-09-22 15:46:15 -0400 (Reuters Health) BETHESDA, Maryland (Reuters) - A panel of U.S. experts on Wednesday unanimously agreed that a new Sanofi-Aventis meningitis vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective, but said follow-up data were needed.

Morphine-free poppy holds key to new pain-killers Last Updated: 2004-09-22 15:04:15 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Patricia Reaney LONDON (Reuters) - Australian scientists have discovered how a naturally morphine-free poppy blocks production of the narcotic, in a finding that could lead to the development of more effective drugs.

Early treatment ups survival after heart attack Last Updated: 2004-09-22 16:00:18 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Karla Gale NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - After a heart attack, treatment with angioplasty or bypass surgery during the initial hospital stay appears to improve survival compared with a more delayed, conservative approach, new research shows.

Don't let kids "play through pain," expert advises Last Updated: 2004-09-22 15:13:15 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with persistent foot and ankle pain may have underlying injuries that could be worsened by further activity, according to a spokesperson for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Even mild kidney disease raises risk of death Last Updated: 2004-09-22 17:00:21 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kidney disease need not be severe to cause an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease, according to the findings from two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Supplements may reduce some chemotherapy side effects Last Updated: 2004-09-22 14:35:15 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast cancer patients who take a multivitamin or extra vitamin E experience a smaller decrease in important immune cells, a common side effect of chemotherapy, new research suggests.