Health News

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although technically more challenging, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a common type of stomach bypass operation, provides greater weight loss in severely obese patients than does placing a plastic band around the stomach to make it smaller, new research shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The weight-loss drug Meridia may be a safe, effective treatment for severely overweight children as young as 12, researchers reported Monday.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Teenage girls who are obese run a three-fold greater risk of premature death in middle age, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Young women who are overweight at the age of 18 have a higher risk of dying young, but medication and behavior therapy can help young people lose weight, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

WEDNESDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to Europeans, Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are more than twice as likely to progress to end-stage kidney disease, researchers say, and higher rates of obesity and diabetes may be to blame.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some sexual enhancement products sold on the Internet contain the same ingredients as prescription drugs such as Viagra and are not only illegal but dangerous, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - Some products touted on the Internet as natural alternatives to impotence drugs like Viagra illegally contain the same active ingredients as the prescription medicines, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

Chlamydia is a unique type of bacteria that can live and reproduce inside human cells. There are 4 known species of these bacteria, 3 of which can cause disease in humans:Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia pneumonia, and Chlamydia psittaci.

(HealthDay News) -- Genital herpes is caused by a sexually transmitted virus, often leading to blisters on or near the genitals or rectum. These blisters eventually open into painful sores that take several weeks to heal. Over time, outbreaks tend to become less severe and last for shorter periods.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many of the same things that are good for a man's heart may also be good for his sex life, new research confirms.

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

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Young women who are overweight at the age of 18 have a higher risk of dying young, but medication and behavior therapy can help young people lose weight, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

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

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

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some sexual enhancement products sold on the Internet contain the same ingredients as prescription drugs such as Viagra and are not only illegal but dangerous, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - Women who consult with pregnancy resource centers often get misleading information about the health risks associated with having an abortion, according to a report issued Monday by Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee.

During these early months, you may find yourself with many questions about your baby's health. Most doctors have phone hours when you can call with routine questions. Don't hesitate to call your child's doctor with your concerns, no matter how small they may seem. Of course, if you suspect illness, don't wait for phone hours - call your doctor immediately. As in the newborn period, illness at this age requires immediate attention.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Advisers working at some federally funded pregnancy resource centers mislead pregnant teens about the risks of abortion, falsely telling callers it raises the risk of breast cancer, infertility and mental illness, a U.S. congressman said on Monday.

A group of viruses that infect the membranes (tissue linings) of the respiratory tract, the eyes, the intestines, and the urinary tract, adenoviruses account for about 10% of acute respiratory infections in children and are a frequent cause of diarrhea.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have sexual intercourse during late pregnancy are more likely than abstinent women to have a spontaneous delivery at 38 to 40 weeks' and less likely to require labor induction, according to results of a study conducted in Malaysia.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression and anxiety are associated with poor sleep quality, daytime drowsiness and nightmares in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a recent report.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Gradual weight loss can precede dementia and begin as early as 10 years prior to memory loss, concludes a Mayo Clinic study involving women with and without dementia.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Memory failure is usually the very earliest sign of a pre-Alzheimer's condition, and a new study finds that "executive functions" -- concentration, decision-making and problem-solving -- may be the next neurological systems affected.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- The Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) slows the rate of brain shrinkage in some people with mild cognitive impairment, a pre-Alzheimer's disease condition, U.S. researchers report.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Who's at highest risk for developing Alzheimer's disease as they age?

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of all cancer deaths are preventable.

MONDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've developed a new, faster method of identifying molecular abnormalities that cause normal cells to turn into cancer cells.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Advisers working at some federally funded pregnancy resource centers mislead pregnant teens about the risks of abortion, falsely telling callers it raises the risk of breast cancer, infertility and mental illness, a U.S. congressman said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression and anxiety are associated with poor sleep quality, daytime drowsiness and nightmares in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a recent report.

ABUJA (Reuters) - An AIDS charity set up by former U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a deal with Nigeria on Monday to make cheap AIDS drugs available to fight the disease in Africa's most populous nation.

PENSACOLA, Fla. - When Marine Lt. Alan Zarracina finally did the splits after months of struggling with the difficult pose in yoga class, the limber women around him applauded.

CHICAGO - Private rooms would be standard in new U.S. hospitals under recommendations from an influential architects' group that says building design can help curb infectious diseases and medical errors.

PARIS (AFP) - Incidence of asthma and wheezing among children can rise significantly if they use an indoor swimming pool, according to a European study.

VIENNA, Austria - Europeans are thinking twice — and sometimes three, four or five times — before having kids. But benefits that are the envy of moms elsewhere may be boosting birth rates in some countries, baby step by baby step.

WASHINGTON - More women are lighting up cigarettes around the world even as the smoking rate declines for men, activists attending an anti-smoking conference said Thursday.