Month: August 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists who sparked an outcry by creating easier-to-spread versions of the bird flu for research purposes want to try such experiments again using a worrisome new strain. This time around, the U.S. government is promising extra scrutiny of such high-stakes research up front.

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – U.S. food companies have “undue influence” in vouching for the safety of common additives such as salt, trans fats and artificial sweeteners, according to an analysis released on Wednesday that calls for better oversight of the additive process, which is currently self-governed by industry. An analysis showed that all 451 notices of additive safety voluntarily submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 1997 and 2012 came from people who had a vested interest in the outcome of those assessments. …

Beer smells like beer and a violet smells like a violet to everyone, right? Maybe not, according to the latest study that traced the way we smell to differences in our genes. 

GENEVA (AP) — Scientists in Switzerland are hunting for a species of mosquito capable of spreading the tropical disease dengue that may have crossed the Alps.

By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) – Information about the most famous and valuable human cells in the history of science is about to become a little harder for researchers to get. The National Institutes of Health announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with the family of the late Henrietta Lacks, the African-American woman whose cancer cells scientists took without her permission 62 years ago and used to create an endlessly replicating cell line now used in countless labs worldwide. …

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists are to create mutant forms of the H7N9 bird flu virus that has emerged in China so they can gauge the risk of it becoming a lethal human pandemic. The genetic modification work will to result in highly transmissible and deadly forms of H7N9 being made in several high security laboratories around the world, but it is vital to prepare for the threat, the scientists say. …

By Hugh Bronstein BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – China has approved its first major shipment of genetically modified Argentine corn, Buenos Aires officials said on Tuesday, signaling an increase in competition for a market long dominated by U.S. exporters. Argentine Agriculture Minister Norberto Yauhar said Chinese health authorities cleared 60,000-tonnes of genetically modified (GMO) Argentine corn. The cargo was already headed inland to be used as hog and chicken feed. Benchmark Chicago corn futures fell briefly after Reuters reported on the shipment. …

Shared medical appointments, or group visits, are becoming a popular — and possibly more satisfying — way to see the doctor.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that individuals who walk to their jobs are at about 40 percent less risk for having diabetes as those who commute by driving. They also found that workers who biked or used public transportation had less of a chance of carrying excess pounds than those who drove or took a taxi.

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor (Reuters) – How long would you like to live – 100 years? Maybe 120? Would extended life spans be good for society, the economy and the way people go through their lives? With populations aging and medical science progressing, questions like these are moving from the science-fiction category to the realm of long-term issues that ethicists and policy makers are starting to consider. …

By Valerie DeBenedette NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Black patients with heart failure were more likely to be hospitalized for complications of the disease than whites with heart failure, in a new study. They also tended to be younger and heavier, were less in shape and were more likely to have other significant health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. However, black heart failure patients were just as likely to die from heart-related causes as whites. Researchers said weight and coexisting diseases may play a larger role in the risk of death than race. …

By Shefali S. Kulkarni NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A heart procedure may be an effective alternative for treating the leading cause of strokes in the U.S., an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, suggests a large new study. In a group of nearly 38,000 people, researchers compared individuals with similar stroke risk profiles to one another, and found that those with atrial fibrillation who underwent the catheter ablation procedure fared better than those on medications alone over three years. …