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February 8, 2012
US consumers want tougher probe of engineered salmon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to subject a new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat.
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February 7, 2012
Spanking kids can cause long-term harm: Canada study
TORONTO (Reuters) - Spanking children can cause long-term developmental damage and may even lower a child's IQ, according to a new Canadian analysis that seeks to shift the ethical debate over corporal punishment into the medical sphere.
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February 7, 2012
Breast cancer kills older women more often
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast cancer is often considered more deadly among younger women, but a new study shows older women are actually more likely to die of the disease.
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February 7, 2012
White House to spend more on Alzheimer's
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February 7, 2012
Komen VP steps down after Planned Parenthood flap
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior executive of the breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure has resigned after a public outcry over the group's decision to cut funding to women's health organization Planned Parenthood.
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February 7, 2012
Amateur tattoos carry hepatitis C risk: CDC
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you're planning on getting a tattoo, make sure it's from a professional and not your friend, says a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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February 6, 2012
Ovarian cancer screening popular despite guidelines
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite expert guidelines and scientific evidence to the contrary, a third of U.S. primary care physicians believe ovarian cancer screening is effective and many would offer it to patients, according to a new survey.
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February 6, 2012
Male smokers lose brain function faster as they age
LONDON (Reuters) - Men who smoke suffer a more rapid decline in brain function as they age than their non-smoking counterparts, with their cognitive decline as rapid as someone 10 years older but who shuns tobacco, scientists said on Monday.
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February 6, 2012
FDA staff unsure about new use for Amgen's Xgeva
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reviewers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that they were not sure whether Amgen Inc's Xgeva bone drug should be approved for a wider use of delaying the spread of cancer to the bone.
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February 3, 2012
REFILE: Komen reverses Planned Parenthood funding cut move
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation backed down from its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and birth control services, following a massive outcry by supporters of the world's largest breast cancer charity.
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February 3, 2012
Malaria kills twice as many as thought: study
LONDON (Reuters) - Malaria kills more than 1.2 million people worldwide a year, nearly twice as many as previously thought, according to new research published on Friday that questions years of assumptions about the mosquito-borne disease.
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February 3, 2012
Komen reverses move to cut Planned Parenthood funding
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Susan G. Komen for the Cure said on Friday it was retreating from a decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and birth control services, and apologized for a move that thrust the world's largest breast cancer charity into a deeply politicized controversy.
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February 3, 2012
Komen, Planned Parenthood donors skirt abortion fray
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major sponsors of the two top U.S. women's health advocacy groups affirmed their support on Thursday for the organizations even as the rift between their supporters deepened.
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February 2, 2012
Bloomberg pledges $250,000 to Planned Parenthood
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged on Thursday to give $250,000 of his own money to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America after breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure withdrew funding for the group.
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February 2, 2012
Senators urge Komen to reconsider funding decision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some two dozen Democrats in the Senate on Thursday called on breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure to reconsider its decision to cut off funding to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
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February 2, 2012
Komen denies abortion pressure in funding shift
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Thursday denied political pressure from anti-abortion groups had anything to do with its decision to cut off funding for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, trying to contain a crisis between the two leading women's health groups.
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February 2, 2012
Special Report: The French breast implant scandal
MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - In March 2010, a pair of health inspectors acting on a tip paid a three-day visit to a factory in this hilly town on the Mediterranean coast.
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February 2, 2012
"Yo-yo dieting" not tied to early death: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite earlier concerns, dieters who repeatedly lose weight and then gain it back aren't at higher risk of early death than people who don't "yo-yo diet," according to a new report.
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February 2, 2012
Judge: Health labels may stem tobacco co rights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal rule requiring large graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising may violate the free speech rights of tobacco companies, a U.S. district court judge said at a hearing on Wednesday.
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February 2, 2012
UK says home-grown cancer pill too costly to use
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's health cost watchdog NICE sparked a major row on Thursday by snubbing a pricey new prostate cancer pill discovered at the country's top cancer research center, a decision critics said was bad for patients and research.
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February 1, 2012
No need to loosen conflict rules, U.S. FDA head says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress should not loosen conflict of interest rules to expand the pool of potential U.S. government health advisers, the head of the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.
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February 1, 2012
CORRECTION: Seed therapy for prostate cancer may zap fertility
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Radioactive "seeds" that are sometimes used to treat early prostate cancer may do widespread damage to the DNA in a man's sperm, a small study finds.
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February 1, 2012
Nuclear accidents pose little risk to health: NRC
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February 1, 2012
Seed therapy for prostate cancer may zap fertility
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Radioactive "seeds" that are sometimes used to treat early prostate cancer may do widespread damage to the DNA in a man's sperm, a small study finds.
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February 1, 2012
Crab-like robot built to remove stomach cancer
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Inspired by Singapore's famous chilli crab dish, researchers have created a miniature robot with a pincer and a hook that can remove early-stage stomach cancers without leaving any scars.
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February 1, 2012
Funding bill may address drug shortages-aides
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation aimed at relieving shortages of crucial drugs used to treat cancer and other illnesses may get momentum next week when lawmakers decide whether to attach it to a must-pass funding bill for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, congressional aides said on Tuesday.
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February 1, 2012
Breast cancer charity ends Planned Parenthood funding
The Komen Foundation, best-known for the Race for the Cure fundraisers it sponsors around the country each year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
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January 31, 2012
Re-operation common after breast-conserving surgery
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in four women who have breast-conserving surgery for cancer needs a second operation to remove more breast tissue, suggests a new study that also found the rate of re-operation varied widely by surgeon.
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January 31, 2012
No big Fukushima health impact seen: U.N. official
VIENNA (Reuters) - The health impact of last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan appears relatively small thanks partly to prompt evacuations, the chairman of a U.N. scientific body investigating the effects of radiation said on Tuesday.
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January 31, 2012
Eating fish tied to lower risk of colon polyps
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who eat about three servings of fish per week have a somewhat lower chance of having polyps found during a routine colonoscopy than women who eat just one serving every two weeks, according to a new study.
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January 31, 2012
Diabetes drugs tied to pancreatic cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study links the diabetes drug metformin to fewer cases of pancreatic cancer -- at least in women -- but finds other diabetes medications are associated with a higher risk of the disease.
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January 30, 2012
Study clouds evidence on soy and menopause
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle-aged women may find some relief from hot flashes and other menopause problems with soy supplements, according to Chinese researchers.
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January 30, 2012
Pricey surgery robots lack clear benefits: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As robots march into operating rooms across the nation, some doctors are getting worried that patients might not be better off with the costly machines.
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January 30, 2012
U.S. FDA approves Roche skin cancer drug
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January 30, 2012
Gel lubricant reduces pain during vaginal exams
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Next time you get a vaginal exam, you might want to ask your doctor to use a lubricant gel.
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January 26, 2012
REFILE: Men's hopes for robot prostate surgery unrealistic
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Robot-assisted surgery for prostate cancer has been heavily hyped, and a new study suggests that men's expectations of the surgery may be too high.
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January 26, 2012
CORRECTION: Exercise may boost mood for some chronically ill
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Working out regularly may brighten the mood of people with chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease and back pain, according to the first sweeping look at previous research.
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January 26, 2012
French breast implant boss arrested
MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Jean-Claude Mas, the Frenchman who has sparked a global health scare by selling substandard breast implants, was arrested on Thursday and could be charged with manslaughter, the public prosecutor in the city of Marseille said.
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January 25, 2012
Men's hopes for robot prostate surgery unrealistic
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Robot-assisted surgery for prostate cancer has been heavily hyped, and a new study suggests that men's expectations of the surgery may be too high.
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January 25, 2012
Exercise may boost mood for some chronically ill
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Working out regularly may brighten the mood of people with chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease and back pain, according to the first sweeping look at previous research.
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January 25, 2012
Device makers urge coverage of weight-loss surgery
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Device manufacturers are pushing the U.S. government and health insurers to cover weight-loss surgery, an effort that could give millions more obese Americans access to the treatments.
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January 24, 2012
Common scans could hurt thyroid, researchers say
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The iodide dye used in heart scans and other medical imaging might damage some people's thyroid glands, which could cause important health problems later on, U.S. researchers say.
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January 24, 2012
Kids seek tans, use less sunscreen as they age
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As kids go from elementary to junior high school ages, the desire to tan gets stronger while the habit of using sun protection gets tossed out the window, according to a survey that tracked kids' attitudes about the sun over three years.
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January 24, 2012
Arsenic cancer risk still high decades later
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People exposed to very high levels of arsenic in Chilean drinking water back in the 1950s and 60s are still showing a higher-than-normal risk of bladder cancer -- years after the arsenic problem was brought under control, a new study shows.
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January 23, 2012
Abortion safer than giving birth: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.
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January 23, 2012
Several countries allow fungicide found in US orange juice
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators may ban orange juice shipments from Brazil after finding a fungicide prohibited in the United States, which sent orange juice futures to an all-time high on Monday.
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January 23, 2012
Korean research, a first step toward Dr. Smartphone?
SEOUL (Reuters) - Tired of long waits at the hospital for medical tests? If Korean researchers have their way, your smartphone could one day eliminate that -- and perhaps even tell you that you have cancer.
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January 20, 2012
Drug lobby wants clearer FDA rules for diet pills
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pharmaceutical industry may stop investing in medicines to treat diseases like diabetes or obesity without more explicit guidelines from U.S. regulators, the chairman of the drug trade group said on Thursday.
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January 19, 2012
Goal for Alzheimer's drug by 2025 too ambitious?
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government has set a deadline of 2025 for finding an effective way to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease, an ambitious target considering there is no cure on the horizon and one that sets a firm deadline unlike previous campaigns against cancer or AIDS.
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January 19, 2012
U.S. indoor tanning tax having mixed effects
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although a 2010 federal excise tax was meant to deter customers from using indoor tanning salons, only a minority of the businesses taking part in a new survey reported a drop in clients and most said their customers did not seem to care.