Year: 2013

(Reuters) – Obese children, adolescent girls in particular, are more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) than normal-weight youth – with extreme obesity tied to a three- to four-fold higher risk of MS. The study didn’t prove that carrying around some extra eight in childhood causes MS, a neurological disease in which the protective coating around nerve fibers breaks down, slowing signals traveling between the brain and the body, said researchers whose work appeared in the journal Neurology. …

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A drug containing purified brain proteins derived from pigs may yield modest improvements in patients whose dementia is caused by a lack of blood flow to parts of the brain, according to a new analysis. Researchers in China pulled together results from six randomized controlled trials of Cerebrolysin and found that the drug slightly improved vascular dementia patients’ scores on two tests that measure mental impairment. …

Fact or fiction? Sex burns a lot of calories. Snacking or skipping breakfast is bad. School gym classes make a big difference in kids' weight.

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (Reuters) – Prosecutors in southern Brazil, where 235 people died when a fire ravaged a nightclub in Santa Maria last weekend, are investigating whether city leaders and inspectors were negligent in allowing the club to operate. The investigation, which is separate from a criminal probe into the causes of the tragedy, comes after police said the club's sole exit was partially blocked and that fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights weren't working. …

Dropping some pounds could involve more than calories swallowed and energy expended, according to Massachusetts researchers. They’ve concluded that to lose weight, you need to eat at the right time.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – As a U.S. judge prepares to face a Chinese puzzle in a rare antitrust trial, one skill in particular stands him in good stead – his ability to speak Chinese. The class action lawsuit was filed by vitamin C purchasers who claimed that the Chinese manufacturers had fixed prices. The antitrust trial, due to begin on February 25, would be the first to involve Chinese corporate defendants, said lawyers involved in the case. It also marks the first time the Chinese government has filed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief in a U.S. court. …

Study debunks myths about snacking and skipping breakfast.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Medicare and its beneficiaries in 100 metropolitan areas will pay less for durable equipment beginning July 1. The new prices, set by competitive bidding, are expected to save 45 percent on average, on products including walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, hospital beds and prosthetics. Diabetic testing supplies will be available at savings of 72 percent through a separate national mail-order program. Medicare is forecast to spend $598 billion this year on benefits for 50 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries. …

A new study shows how important it is for men to carefully consider treatments for early-stage prostate cancer. Fifteen years after surgery or radiation treatment, nearly all of the older men in the study had some problems having sex.