Month: August 2013

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has reported a cholera outbreak to international health monitors, with 163 new cases this year associated with three provinces.

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Fewer older children and adults were hospitalized for severe diarrhea once the U.S. started vaccinating babies against rotavirus in 2006, according to a new study. Rotavirus is one cause of the “stomach flu,” or gastroenteritis, and introduction of the rotavirus vaccine has already been tied to a drop in related hospitalizations among preschoolers. But whether vaccinating babies would also confer protection for older people was unclear, researchers said. …

Therapy is all about learning how to cope and manage difficult situations better, but sessions may not always equip patients with the practical tools they need to face challenges when they occur.

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A program focused on primary care and coordination of services between groups of doctors and hospitals reduced costs for patients who were not even covered by the plan, according to a new study. Previous research has found that the Massachusetts accountable care organization, or ACO, saved money and improved quality of care for people it covered directly. ACOs are a critical component of President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act. …

Bronze Aged: As Teens Turn to Tanning Salons, States Look the Other Way

FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) – U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, who faces the possibility of a death sentence for the November 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, rested his case in the sentencing phase of his trial on Tuesday without making any statement. "The defense rests," said Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 31 others, most of them unarmed soldiers, at the central Texas military base. The jury of 13 military officers was instructed to return to court on Wednesday, when they are likely to begin deliberating Hasan's sentence. …

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has reported a cholera outbreak to international health monitors, with 163 new cases this year associated with three provinces.

In a study of patients asked to tolerate discomfort, different placebo treatments achieved different levels of relief, in keeping with individual expectations. Katherine Harmon reports.

After just one year, some schools around the country are dropping out of the healthier new federal lunch program, complaining that so many students turned up their noses at meals packed with whole grains, fruits and vegetables that the cafeterias were losing money.

Specialists at England’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital use new scanner to view the foot and ankle.        

By Jessica Wohl (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it will offer health insurance benefits to domestic partners of its U.S. employees starting next year, following the lead of other major companies. The world's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, also plans to begin to offer vision care to its eligible employees and their dependents, according to information the retailer sent to workers this week. Wal-Mart is the single biggest U.S. employer outside of the federal government. More than half of its 1.3 million U.S. employees are on its health-care plans. …

By Caroline Copley ZURICH (Reuters) – Positive results for Roche's experimental eye drug should bolster its position in the multibillion-dollar-a-year market for vision loss treatments, as it looks to branch out beyond its core cancer expertise. After scrapping drugs to treat diabetes and boost levels of "good" high-density cholesterol, the world's largest maker of cancer drugs is hoping to prove it has a stronger hand when it comes to developing treatments for the eyes. …