Month: April 2013

Research involving the examination of more than 107,000 patients at two Boston hospitals published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that at least some of the side effects associated with statins may be temporary. Statins are the most widely used class of drugs to fight and control the harmful effects of cholesterol.

New research presented in Pediatrics on Monday has found that younger teens, or “tweens,” are not as sexually active as has been represented in the media. The new study found that younger teens are in fact very unlikely to be sexually active, and that older teens are delaying sex in larger numbers than they have in recent years as well.

By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A study funded by the National Rifle Association released on Tuesday proposed that armed personnel be stationed in every school in response to December's school massacre in Connecticut. The proposal by the National School Shield Task Force also includes security accords between schools and law enforcement, an online safety assessment tool for schools, state safety standards and improved federal coordination for school safety. …

By Greg Roumeliotis and Soyoung Kim NEW YORK (Reuters) – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is emerging as the lead contender in an auction for Life Technologies Corp , a genetic testing maker with a market value of more than $11 billion, three people familiar with the matter said this week. Thermo Fisher, the world’s largest maker of laboratory equipment, is considering a bid of $65 to $70 per share for Life Tech and is interested in buying the entire company, two of the people said. …

At a conference April 9th to 11th, conservation biologists and synthetic biologists will try to find common ground. Steve Mirsky reports.

By Jeff Mason and Julie Steenhuysen WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – The White House unveiled a sweeping new initiative on Tuesday to map the individual cells and circuits that make up the human brain, a project that will give scientists a better understanding of how a healthy brain works and how to devise better treatments for injuries and diseases of the brain. "There is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked," said President Barack Obama of the ambitious project unveiled at a White House ceremony packed with scientists. …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Parents of preschoolers at risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may first want to try behavior training before they put their children on medications, suggests a new analysis of past studies. Researchers found medications improved young children’s behaviors but put them at risk for mood and growth problems. Training that teaches parents to understand their children’s needs, however, did the same without side effects. “Training also helps the parent feel more confident,” said Dr. …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Although fewer people are dying shortly after treatment for heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia at most U.S. hospitals than a decade ago, the same trend doesn’t apply to certain small, rural facilities, a new study suggests. So-called critical access hospitals – which have no more than 25 beds and are typically miles from the nearest other hospital – are exempt from reporting those sort of quality and outcomes data to the government. …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Doctors should screen women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer to see if the cancers might be due to certain mutations – and if so, women should be counseled about their personal risks before getting tested, a government-backed panel said this week. One in 300 to one in 500 women has a BRCA mutation. According to the National Cancer Institute, a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer during her lifetime increases from 12 to 60 percent if she carries the mutation, and ovarian cancer from 1.4 percent to between 15 and 40 percent. …

Blinded by the Light: Wrecked Up by Our Juice, Another Citizen of the Night [Slide Show]