More Health Science News

The numbers are down for the second year in a row, suggesting progress in the effort to fight prematurity – which is linked to a host of developmental problems.

A trial of sigmoidoscopy, a procedure that identifies tumors and polyps in the colon, finds that having it done once can reduce deaths by 43%.

A study shows that combining the drug ranibizumab, or Lucentis, with laser therapy is twice as effective at improving vision for those with diabetic macular edema.

It marks the agency’s first approval of an immunotherapy treatment for cancer, a move toward a new approach to battling many forms of the disease.

The hard-to-detect substance improves performance in men and women, experts say.

Two medical researchers at UCLA are opening a clinic this year for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects 1 in every 3,500 boys – including the couple’s 9-year-old son Dylan.

Oral contraception didn’t end unintended pregnancies, but it offered freedom in career and family planning. Today about 12 million American women take the pill and 80% will use it at some time.

Melanoma among the young increased by 50% between 1980 and 2004, a study finds. Use of tanning salons may be one reason.

Researchers say modifying chickens with a duck gene could protect them and reduce human exposure to dangerous influenza strains.

Crime scenes may one day make use of germ makeup, which can be traced to individuals. ‘There’s a rain forest of bacteria on your skin.’

Prenatal, infancy, early childhood — factors in all may affect a person’s future weight and health.

Yes, yes, it hath charms to soothe a savage breast (or beast, if you prefer to repeat a common mistake).

If you want music to sharpen your senses, boost your ability to focus and perhaps even improve your memory, you need to be a participant, not just a listener.

Adding pounds during the first trimester can increase the danger of the disease, which can affect both the mother and infant even after birth.

Experts call for listing binge eating and gambling as official disorders, but not sex addiction or obesity.

A look at the 58-year history of the psychiatry manual.

The assessments from the CDC indicate that Americans may have turned a corner in fighting weight problems. But health experts say there’s more to be done to reverse the trend.

A study finds that 17% more Americans have myopia than 30 years ago. Close-up computer work could be a reason.

State money from 2004’s Proposition 71 is being channeled toward research with the most potential for near-term benefits.

The increase in overweight Americans offsets the decline in smoking and threatens greater life expectancy, a study finds.

A study finds steep drops in neuroticism and increases in extroversion among patients taking Paxil. Such traits had been believed to shift very little over a lifetime.

Psychological problems are rampant, leaders admit. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been long, and repeat deployments are highly stressful. Doctors, too, fall prey to mental illness.

The cervical cancer screening advice follows another panel’s controversial mammogram report, but experts say it’s a much different situation. Still, Paps are the only reason some women see a doctor.

Studies showed substantial cardiovascular dangers linked to the anti-inflammatory medication almost four years before it was taken off the market, new research finds.