Health News

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $287 million in grants on Wednesday to create an international network of 16 labs to try new approaches to making a vaccine against AIDS. Bill Gates is seen in this November 11, 2002 file photo during a news conference in New Delhi. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen
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Reuters

Gates Foundation funds AIDS vaccine work

AP - Thu Jul 20, 2:51 AM ET

SEATTLE - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday it's awarding $287 million in grants over five years to create an international network of scientists to speed up the development of an AIDS vaccine.

ENVIRONMENT

Beach bacteria

Study says 1.5 million people get sick from California beach pollution each year.

FULL COVERAGE

Stem cell research

The House fails to override Bush's veto of a bill to lift funding restrictions.

ADDICTION

Meth's grip

Methamphetamines remain the nation's top drug problem, a study finds.

FULL COVERAGE

Start losing weight

Drop the pounds by getting a detailed diet assessment.

Weight Loss News

  • Sydney kids. Thousands of children across Australia are to be weighed, measured and interviewed about their diet under a national plan to tackle obesity, the government said(AFP/File/David Hancock)
    Australian children to be weighed and measured in obesity crackdown AFP - Wed Jul 19, 2:57 AM ET

    SYDNEY (AFP) - Thousands of children across Australia are to be weighed, measured and interviewed about their diet under a national plan to tackle obesity, the government said.

  • Gastric-Bypass Surgery Best for Super Obese: Study HealthDay - Tue Jul 18, 11:53 PM ET

    TUESDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity surgery has become increasingly popular, but deciding on the right procedure can be a tough choice.

  • Stomach bypass best for extreme obesity Reuters - Tue Jul 18, 2:47 AM ET

    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.

  • Diet drug may help obese adolescents Reuters - Tue Jul 18, 2:22 AM ET

    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.

  • Adolescent Obesity Linked to Premature Death HealthDay - Mon Jul 17, 11:54 PM ET

    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.

Sexual Health News

  • Impotence Can Foreshadow Coronary Artery Disease HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Impotence is more prevalent among men who have more severe coronary artery disease than among men with low levels of the disease.

  • Impotence could be sign of heart disease: study Reuters - Tue Jul 18, 7:02 PM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - Men suffering from impotence should be screened for cardiovascular disease because it could be an early sign of the illness, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.

  • Viagra pills are seen in an undated publicity photo. 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. (PRNewsFoto/Reuters)
    Online sexual enhancement products risky: FDA Reuters - Thu Jul 13, 1:23 AM ET

    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.

  • FDA says avoid 'natural' impotence pills AP - Wed Jul 12, 8:22 PM ET

    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.

  • Chlamydial Infections KidsHealth.org - Wed Jul 12, 8:00 PM ET

    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.

Medications/Drugs News

  • Alzheimer's Patch Could Replace Pills HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- The first patch designed to deliver a widely used Alzheimer's medication via the skin appears to minimize side effects while being easy to use, Swedish researchers say.

  • Clinical Trials Update: July 19, 2006 HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

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

  • FDA: Mixing migraine, depression meds risky AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:33 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - People taking migraine drugs together with some antidepressants are at risk of a life-threatening condition, health officials warned Wednesday.

  • Women often stop asthma therapy in early pregnancy Reuters - Wed Jul 19, 7:30 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many women significantly reduce their use of asthma medications in early pregnancy, placing them and their infants at risk, according to a report in the July issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. However, national treatment guidelines recommend continued use of these potentially life-saving drugs.

  • Pharmacists strike in Italy over supermarket sales AFP - Wed Jul 19, 11:02 AM ET

    ROME (AFP) - Pharmacies across Italy have remained closed as chemists went on strike in protest at a government decision to authorise the sale of non-prescription drugs in supermarkets.

Parenting/Kids News

  • Steamy Air Won't Ease Croup HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to popular belief, humid air does not relieve the coughing and wheezing of croup in children, a new study shows.

  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease KidsHealth.org - Wed Jul 19, 8:00 PM ET

    Signs and Symptoms: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious infection of the female reproductive organs that may cause severe symptoms, minor symptoms, or no symptoms at all. The most frequent signs of PID include: vaginal discharge with an odor pain during urination aching pain in the lower abdomen fever and chills nausea and vomiting irregular menstrual bleeding pain during sex fatigue diarrhea

  • Researchers Spot New Gene-Linked Gastric Disorder HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've identified a genetic disorder that causes congenital diarrhea and intestinal failure in children.

  • Movement, Coordination, and Your 1- to 2-year-old KidsHealth.org - Wed Jul 19, 8:00 PM ET

    Walking is the major achievement of this age and over the course of the year your child will likely get much better at it. As your child's mobility improves, so will his or her ability to investigate places he or she couldn't go before. Once again, take a look around your home from your child's vantage point. It's a good idea to childproof your home to keep up with your child's advancing skills.

  • FDA: Antidepressants should have risk info AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:48 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The manufacturers of Prozac and other antidepressants should include prescribing information about an uncommon but life-threatening lung problem that affects babies born to mothers who take the drugs during pregnancy, health officials said Wednesday.

Seniors/Aging News

  • Alzheimer's Patch Could Replace Pills HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- The first patch designed to deliver a widely used Alzheimer's medication via the skin appears to minimize side effects while being easy to use, Swedish researchers say.

  • **FILE PHOTO** A man passes the Logo of Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis at the company's headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, on Aug. 12, 2005. Novartis is poised to seek U.S. sales approval of the Exelon patch by the end of 2006. (AP Photo/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt)
    Alzheimer's patients may get skin patch AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:35 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Alzheimer's patients may soon get the first skin patch to treat the creeping brain degeneration, a novel way to deliver an older drug so that it's easier to take and might even work a little better.

  • Skin patch can help Alzheimer's patients Reuters - Wed Jul 19, 12:52 PM ET

    ZURICH (Reuters) - Alzheimer's patients wearing a once-daily skin patch experience fewer side effects than those who take the drugs in an oral pill, according to the results of a six-month drug trial released on Wednesday.

  • Immune therapy may help Alzheimer's patients Reuters - Wed Jul 19, 1:10 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Infusing human antibodies into people with Alzheimer's disease appears to slow disease progression and may even improve the patients' condition a little, researchers reported on Tuesday.

  • Weight loss precedes Alzheimer's diagnosis in women Reuters - Tue Jul 18, 11:55 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women destined to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease often show a reduction in body weight many years before symptom onset, new research shows. However, men who develop this neurologic disorder do not show any weight changes.

Diseases/Conditions

  • Health Tip: Reduce Risk for Salivary Gland Cancer HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    (HealthDay News) -- Salivary gland cancer is caused by tumors that grow in any area of the salivary glands.

  • Gemzar Approved for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer HealthDay - Wed Jul 19, 11:54 PM ET

    WEDNESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Eli Lilly & Co.'s popular cancer drug Gemzar has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to be used as a treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer, the company said.

  • FDA: Antidepressants should have risk info AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:48 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The manufacturers of Prozac and other antidepressants should include prescribing information about an uncommon but life-threatening lung problem that affects babies born to mothers who take the drugs during pregnancy, health officials said Wednesday.

  • FDA: Mixing migraine, depression meds risky AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:33 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - People taking migraine drugs together with some antidepressants are at risk of a life-threatening condition, health officials warned Wednesday.

  • India AIDS agency pushes for legalisation of homosexuality AFP - 7 minutes ago

    NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Indian government's AIDS prevention body has asked a court to scrap a law banning homosexuality, saying the move would help check the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Most Popular Health News

  • Common bacteria linked to circulatory disease Reuters - Wed Jul 19, 7:28 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Infection by Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, also appears to increase the risk of diseases of the circulation, also referred to as "vascular disease," according to an analysis by Italian researchers.

  • Alzheimer's patients may get skin patch AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:35 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Alzheimer's patients may soon get the first skin patch to treat the creeping brain degeneration, a novel way to deliver an older drug so that it's easier to take and might even work a little better.

  • FDA: Mixing migraine, depression meds risky AP - Wed Jul 19, 8:33 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - People taking migraine drugs together with some antidepressants are at risk of a life-threatening condition, health officials warned Wednesday.

  • The poor age faster than the rich, study finds Reuters - Wed Jul 19, 7:04 PM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - People with lower socio-economic status appear to age faster than their better-off counterparts, British researchers said on Thursday.

  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $287 million in grants on Wednesday to create an international network of 16 labs to try new approaches to making a vaccine against AIDS. Bill Gates is seen in this November 11, 2002 file photo during a news conference in New Delhi. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen
    Gates Foundation funds AIDS vaccine work AP - Thu Jul 20, 2:51 AM ET

    SEATTLE - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday it's awarding $287 million in grants over five years to create an international network of scientists to speed up the development of an AIDS vaccine.