Health News

GENEVA (AFP) - Child obesity is ballooning into a big problem in China as 'little emperors' are increasingly getting an appetite for the Western couch-potato way of life, according to a study presented in Geneva.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program may expand reimbursement for bariatric surgery for the obese, in light of a study that found the treatment can help reverse diabetes, the agency said on Monday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.

GENEVA (Reuters) - France is the first EU country to report a leveling off of childhood obesity rates, suggesting that healthier diet programs and a ban on vending machines in schools is paying off, researchers said on Thursday.

TUESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy may be a way to treat erectile dysfunction in men who do not respond to pills such as Viagra, researchers report.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Problems with maintaining an erection may foretell heart trouble ahead for men with type 2 diabetes, two new studies show.

MONDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Findings from two studies of men with diabetes add to the evidence that erectile dysfunction can be a powerful early warning sign for serious heart disease.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's government is worried that high school graduates may not know enough about sex.

MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy often suffer from heart failure, but Viagra might prevent or delay the onset of this condition, a new Canadian study finds.

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

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists experimenting with genetically-modified mice said on Wednesday they had unveiled a molecular pathway that helps explain drug addiction and appetite.

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

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

MONDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetics with high blood pressure have only a 50-50 chance that their doctors will change their medications as needed or offer other treatment, a new study finds.

(HealthDay News) -- If your child has an uncomfortable sunburn, here are suggestions to help it heal and to soothe the youngster's pain, courtesy of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Give the child a cool bath. Apply a cool compress. Apply a moisturizer, aloe or hydrocortisone cream. Avoid products with Benadryl or benzocaine to minimize the risk of a reaction. Give the child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. Leave any blisters alone to reduce risk of infection. Do not try to pop or drain them. Keep the child out of the sun until the burn heals.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- At least some of the biological risk for childhood asthma and allergies traces back to the womb, new research suggests.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Young children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may suffer some of the same harmful cardiovascular consequences seen in older children and adults with the condition, Israeli researchers say.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies younger than six months old should never be given water to drink, physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore remind parents. Consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a potentially life-threatening condition known as water intoxication.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children younger than 3 years of age may strain the heart and cause inflammation, according to research discussed today at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting in Toronto.

LONDON (Reuters) - A flood of new "brain-boosting" drugs will emerge in coming decades for diseases like Alzheimer's, putting pressure on authorities over the drugs potential misuse for non-medical purposes -- such as helping students cram for exams, scientists said on Thursday.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes, but not cardiovascular disease, in the elderly, a new British study finds.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program may expand reimbursement for bariatric surgery for the obese, in light of a study that found the treatment can help reverse diabetes, the agency said on Monday.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - Ads for prescription drugs need to be clear and direct and government needs to study the effects these ads have on consumer behavior, particularly among the elderly and minorities, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts said on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An extract from Chinese club moss shows promise as a treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers report after analyzing combined data from multiple trials conducted in China.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy smoking and drinking, especially beer, may hasten the onset of pancreatic cancer, according to researchers who presented their data Tuesday at the Digestive Disease Week 2008 conference in San Diego.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Wednesday, one day after it was revealed that he has a malignant brain tumor.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physical ability may not be the only factor determining whether a person returns to work after suffering a stroke. Psychiatric factors, such as anxiety and depression, also appear to impact return-to-work, suggest findings from a study conducted in New Zealand.

SUNDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Caregivers of deceased lung transplant patients are four to five times more likely to suffer symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the average person, researchers report.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with HIV have a much higher risk for many cancers, including anal cancer, but a lower risk for prostate cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Being deprived of sleep even for one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shutdowns akin to a power failure -- brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness, researchers said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies younger than six months old should never be given water to drink, physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore remind parents. Consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a potentially life-threatening condition known as water intoxication.

WASHINGTON - They're the cold cases of medicine, patients with diseases so rare and mysterious that they've eluded diagnosis for years.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The American Cancer Society (ACS) has launched a new 10-week challenge to help people get active, stay active and have fun doing it.

LOS ANGELES - The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.