Month: April 2013

A look at how diet and lifestyle could be keeping our past and present leaders young.        

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – The National Institutes of Health on Thursday halted a study testing an experimental HIV vaccine after an independent review board found the vaccine did not prevent HIV infection and did not reduce the amount of HIV in the blood. The trial, started in 2009, is the latest in a series of failed HIV vaccine trials. The study, called HVTN 505, had enrolled 2,504 volunteers in 19 U.S. cities, and was looking at men who have sex with men and transgender people who have sex with men. …

By Carey Gillam (Reuters) – Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study. The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of “glyphosate,” the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food. …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bad news in the fight against the AIDS virus: The government is halting a large U.S. study of a possible HIV vaccine because the experimental shots aren’t preventing infection.

(Reuters) – Shoppers Drug Mart Corp, Canada's biggest pharmacy chain, reported a 4 percent rise in first-quarter revenue as higher over-the-counter sales helped to offset tighter price controls for generics. The price controls, which were recently tightened, have crimped growth at Shoppers and rivals such as Jean Coutu Group Inc in recent years. Shoppers Drug Mart's net profit at C$119 million ($117 million), or 59 Canadian cents per share, was in line with analysts' estimates, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. …

ABC News’ Paula Faris reports: If you think those hard to open, child-resistant caps will always keep your children safe from pills, think again. In the blink of an eye, children can gain access to medication that poses a risk to their health. Every year,…        

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – Iran is ready to resume talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear program and awaits word from the European Union on timing and details, Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator said on Thursday. Ali Bagheri, in an interview with Reuters in Geneva, said Iran needed 20 percent-enriched uranium for its Tehran research reactor and four others being built, and was continuing to convert some of its stockpile into reactor fuel. "We are waiting for Lady Ashton to call Dr. Jalili, and Dr. Jalili is obviously ready to take the call," Bagheri said. …

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have identified a hormone that can sharply boost the number of cells that make insulin in mice, a discovery that may someday lead to a treatment for the most common type of diabetes.