Month: June 2013

ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) — Geoff Soza was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary in Yellowstone National Park when the 64-year-old man learned the hard way that his seemingly healthy breakfast habit of mixing thawed berries with Greek yogurt had exposed him to a national outbreak of hepatitis A.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The world's poorest nations are set to nearly triple spending on nutrition programs for mothers and children over the next two years to help cope with volatile food prices, the World Bank said on Thursday. The Washington-based global development lender said its direct funds for nutrition programs should rise to $600 million for 2013-14 from $230 million in 2011-12. Ninety percent of those funds will be disbursed through the World Bank's fund for the poorest, the International Development Association (IDA), and go largely to Africa and South Asia. …

By Francesca Trianni NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two New York-area prosecutors said on Thursday they would no longer consider unused condoms seized from suspected prostitutes and sex traffickers as evidence, saying the public health benefit of making condoms available trumped their value in the courtroom. "We need to put public health above the very little value of using condoms for prosecuting prostitution and trafficking," said Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health experts are recommending changes to safety restrictions on former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, in light of a new analysis suggesting that the drug may not increase the risk of heart attack as much as previously thought.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a life or death matter: Who gets the next scarce donated organ? In an unprecedented challenge to the nation's transplant system, a federal judge has allowed one dying child — and a day later another — to essentially jump the line in rulings that could have ramifications for thousands of people awaiting new organs.

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health advisers voted on Thursday to recommend relaxing market restrictions on GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia, the former blockbuster at the center of one of the biggest drug controversies in recent years. The vote, by a divided Food and Drug Administration advisory committee of outside health experts, could modestly enlarge the market for Avandia in the United States and lay the groundwork for further research into the drug's health risks. …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Who gets the next donated organ is a life or death matter, and now a judge is allowing two dying children in Pennsylvania to essentially jump the line. It’s an unprecedented challenge to the nation’s transplant system that specialists say raises serious questions of fairness.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health experts are recommending changes to safety restrictions on former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, in light of a new analysis suggesting that the drug may not increase the risk of heart attack as previously believed.

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finnish start-up company Valkee has raised 7.4 million euros ($9.8 million) from a venture capital fund and other investors to help it to boost sales of its light-therapy products, designed to relieve seasonal affective disorder and jetlag. Priced at 185 euros, Valkee’s bright-light headsets resemble digital music players – quite unlike the lamps that are more commonly used to treat seasonal affective disorder – but blast light rather than music into the ear canals. …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who use birth control pills are less likely to develop ovarian cancer later in life, a new analysis of past studies suggests. Researchers pooled data from 24 studies and found Pill users had a 27 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. And longer use seemed to be tied to more protection. "It reinforces that there is a positive relationship between the use of oral contraceptives and ovarian cancer prevention in the general public," said Dr. …

By Trevor Stokes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Emergency patients received nearly twice as many CT scans in the U.S. as in Ontario in recent years, according to a new study that also found use of the high-powered X-rays is rising in both countries. Doctors use CT scans to get a clearer image of the interior of the body than regular X-rays can provide, but the imaging is costly and exposes patients to higher levels of radiation – raising concern about cancer risks from repeated CTs, especially in children. …

By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) – The man imprisoned for killing Kansas late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller will be penalized for trying to intimidate a woman who reopened Tiller's clinic, a state official said Thursday. Scott Roeder will spend 45 days alone in his cell for 23 hours a day, with one hour in the prison yard for exercise, and will have reduced privileges for another 60 days, Kansas Department of Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay said. …