Diseases/Conditions News

ALBANY, N.Y. - As the economy falters and more people go without health insurance, low-income women in at least 20 states are being turned away or put on long waiting lists for free cancer screenings, according to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Lead exposure well within levels generally considered safe may harm mental health, new research suggests. Full Story »

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The king of South Africa's Zulus wants to revive the practice of circumcision among his people to help fight the spread of AIDS, the Sapa news agency reported Sunday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing its crackdown on coal pollution with a new plan to cut sulfur dioxide — a move that would clean up the air for millions of Americans and bring some relief to people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases. Full Story »

FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- With a growing array of choices for breast cancer treatment, researchers are now trying to pinpoint the best combination of therapies or the best order in which to give cancer drugs to patients. Full Story »

MONDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Taking antidepressants may not only help alleviate depression, but could make you more extraverted and less neurotic, new research suggests. Full Story »

WELLINGTON (AFP) - An HIV-positive man in New Zealand has admitted injecting his blood into his sleeping wife and infecting her with the virus which can cause AIDS, a newspaper reported Sunday. Full Story »

OTTAWA (AFP) - Six severe allergic reactions to swine flu vaccinations have been observed in Canada, health authorities said Tuesday, adding that all of the individuals are feeling better. Full Story »

THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Adding chemotherapy to standard cancer-suppressing tamoxifen can boost survival in postmenopausal women with the most common type of breast cancer, known as estrogen receptor-positive, and it's best given before the tamoxifen regimen starts, according to a new study. Full Story »

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Antidepressants may go well beyond just easing the symptoms of depression; they may also make people less neurotic, U.S. researchers said Monday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newly infected AIDS patients rarely know they have the virus and can continue their high-risk behavior just when they are the most infectious, Dutch researchers reported. Full Story »

LONDON - Canadian doctors have been advised not to use a batch of 170,000 doses of swine flu vaccine while authorities investigate reports of allergic reactions among recipients, drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday. Full Story »

FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Compounds derived from two spices -- pepper and turmeric -- could help prevent breast cancer by limiting the growth of stem cells that promote tumor growth, a new study shows. Full Story »

Taking an antidepressant can lead to significant personality changes, likely for the better, a new study finds. Full Story »

TUESDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- While the war against HIV/AIDS is still far from over, 2009 could prove to be a watershed year in terms of advances in prevention and treatment, experts say. Full Story »

GENEVA (AFP) - An unusual number of severe allergic reactions to swine flu vaccinations have been recorded in Canada, where a batch of the vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been recalled, the WHO said on Tuesday. Full Story »

FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- New therapies and new spins on existing treatments are offering hope for patients with breast cancer, especially those with metastatic disease, according to research being presented this week at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Media coverage of the warnings on antidepressants and children's risk of suicidal behavior often failed to give the public the whole story, according to a study published Monday. Full Story »