Month: April 2013

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The proportion of women undergoing screening for breast cancer every year did not change after a government-backed panel said women in their 40s shouldn’t have routine mammograms, according to a new study. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women aged 50 to 74 have a mammogram every other year and said for younger women, screening should be an individual decision by each woman with her doctor. …

LONDON (AP) — Chinese scientists have for the first time found strong evidence of how humans became infected with a new strain of bird flu: from chickens at a live market.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Two dozen babies sat on the laps of their mothers, who dressed in a rainbow of headscarves at the Medina Maternal Child Health Center. They are among Somalia's luckiest — the first to receive a new vaccine that protects against five dangerous diseases.

Many weight–loss programs encourage participants to focus on diet first and then eventually exercise. But researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found that changing diet and exercise at the same time "gives a bigger boost than tackling …
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Chicken and ground beef are the meats most likely to cause foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The CSPI looked at some 33,000 cases of foodborne illness to determine the most likely culprits.

The price of a new prosthetic leg can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. But even the most expensive prosthetic limbs are built to withstand only three to five years of wear and tear, meaning they will need to be replaced over the course of a lifetime, and they’re not a one-time cost.        

(Reuters) – Drugmaker Shire Plc said it settled all litigation with Actavis Inc and Watson Pharma, allowing the two companies to sell a generic version of Shire’s drug, Intuniv, to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The settlement gives Actavis the license to make and sell its version of Intuniv in the United States from December 1, 2014. Actavis will get a 180-day period to exclusively market Intuniv, during which it will have to pay Shire a royalty of 25 percent of gross profits from the sale of the drug. …

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Chinese scientists have confirmed for the first time that a new strain of bird flu that has killed 23 people in China has been transmitted to humans from chickens. In a study published online in the Lancet medical journal, the scientists echoed previous statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese officials that there is as yet no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this virus. The H7N9 strain has infected 109 people in China since it was first detected in March. …

By Elaine Porterfield SEATTLE (Reuters) – Seattle police call it one of the boldest attempted drug thefts they have seen: A woman impersonating a nurse, apparently addicted to painkillers, crept through the hospital rooms of patients and tried to steal medication from their IV machines. "It's pretty unusual, pretty brazen," Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt said on Wednesday. "It really shows how desperate this woman is and how powerful addiction can be. …

The price of a new prosthetic leg can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. But even the most expensive prosthetic limbs are built to withstand only three to five years of wear and tear, meaning they will need to be replaced over the course of a lifetime, and they’re not a one-time cost.