Month: April 2013

One of my favorite things to do is nestle on the couch with a gigantic bowl of freshly popped popcorn while donning fuzzy socks and catching up on DVR’d episodes of one of my favorite shows, Glee.

The poison, found naturally in castor beans, has been used experimentally to kill cancer cells.        

By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A quality improvement program at a single children’s hospital succeeded in cutting back inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, in a new study. Researchers found within six months of introducing new electronic and educational tools, doctors were meeting national guidelines for treatment of childhood pneumonia in 100 percent of patients. “It’s quite truthfully astounding,” said Dr. Thomas Brogan, a pediatrician at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle who wasn’t involved in the new study. “They did an incredible job. …

The marathon attack opened old wounds across the country.        

By Stephanie Nebehay and Sui-Lee Wee GENEVA/BEIJING (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that a number of people who have tested positive for a new strain of bird flu in China appear to have had no contact with poultry, adding to the mystery about a virus that has killed 17 people to date. Chinese authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed some live poultry markets to try to slow the rate of human infection, but many questions remain unsolved, including whether the H7N9 strain is being transmitted between people. …

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Going to the doctor in Puerto Rico has for years often meant getting in line. Now, it might mean getting on a plane.

(Reuters) – Laboratory tests provider Quest Diagnostics Inc, whose earnings have been hurt by Medicare reimbursement cuts, said growth this year will be driven by acquisitions. The No. 1 U.S. laboratory testing company has been implementing a $500 million restructuring program to restore growth and improve operational efficiency as hospital operators buy up physician practices, cutting into its customer base. The company announced on Wednesday its second deal this year to expand services to people who live in remote areas and do not have easy access to such services. …

By Debra Sherman (Reuters) – Medical device maker St. Jude Medical Inc said on Wednesday first-quarter profit rose as lower expenses outweighed a decline in sales but warned that full-year revenue will be hurt by foreign exchange effects. Shares dropped 1.2 percent to $41.65 in mid-day trading. Chief Financial Officer John Heinmiller said on a conference call that 2013 revenues will be reduced by about $90 million to $110 million from a year ago due to the negative effects of foreign exchange. It will cut earnings by 12 cents to 15 cents per share. …

With a full range of diet foods and other weight loss aids, Diet Doc is able to provide the most comprehensive approach to dieting, capable of delivering quick results and leading all Americans toward a future of much improved health. The company …
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MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Hundreds of women who received faulty breast implants gathered Wednesday in a makeshift courthouse in the south of France for the fraud trial of five executives accused of using cheap industrial silicone to fill tens of thousands of implants that were sold around the world.