Today’s daily briefing

Keep up-to-date with the latest health headlines. Every day, you’ll find links to the newest articles on medicine, health and wellness -- the information you need to stay informed.

(LAT)

A strain of H5N1 avian influenza identified last year has become dominant in southern China and is the source of a new wave of bird flu in Southeast Asia, scientists reported today.

(LAT)

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises comprehensive healthcare reforms but says he’s saving the details for after the election.

(LAT)

At the first public hearing on New York’s proposal to prohibit the use of artificial trans fats in restaurants -- an aggressive move by the city’s health commissioner, Thomas Frieden -- dozens of scientists lined up to praise the proposal, and even some restaurant industry representatives agreed that such fats should be phased out over time.

Burger King plans trans fat-free test within 90 days (MarketWatch)

Burger King Corp. (BKC) said Monday it hopes to begin testing trans fat-free cooking in some restaurants within 90 days. The announcement came as fast-food rival KFC, a unit of Yum Brands Inc. (YUM), disclosed it hopes to be frying chicken in oil without the artery-clogging ingredient in all its 5,500 U.S. restaurants by next April.

Study finds added gene risk for breast cancer (Reuters)

Women with close relatives suffering from breast cancer who do not have the main genetic mutations linked to the illness still have a higher than average risk of developing the disease, doctors said on Tuesday.

Regular exercise can help prevent blindness (Daily Mail)

Regular exercise can prevent blindness in old age, research shows. Those who break into a sweat during exercise at least three times a week are 70 per cent less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.

New Scanning Tool Could Prevent Unneeded Heart Attack Hospitalizations (HealthScout via Forbes)

A new imaging technique may soon help doctors determine which people with chest pain can safely be sent home rather than hospitalized for a suspected heart attack.