HEALTH

H1N1 pandemic swine flu is far less lethal than feared, British scientists said on Wednesday, but public health officials should not be complacent in fighting it and vaccination campaigns should continue.

Bone marrow transplants, already used to treat some children with sickle cell disease, also may cure some adults with this deadly genetic defect that causes red blood cells to contort, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.

A relatively low birth weight and early-age weight gain may increase the likelihood of early puberty, hint findings from a German study. Earlier onset of puberty has been linked to certain cancers, high blood sugar and obesity.

About 3 million Americans suffer from the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, and that number is likely to double by 2035, new research shows.

Women who took a commonly used class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates had significantly fewer invasive breast cancers than women not using the bone-strengthening pills, according to a new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Is soy food helpful or harmful for women with breast cancer? Studies have yielded mixed results. A new study published today suggests that breast cancer survivors may benefit from eating moderate amounts of soy products.

Health experts warned Wednesday of a stroke crisis in Europe which is already costing the region's economy an estimated 38 billion euros ($56 billion) a year, with numbers expected to rise as populations age.

Children and young people who survive cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as young adults because of the cancer treatment they received, researchers said Wednesday.

U.S. advisers felt MRI imaging drugs from GE Healthcare and Covidien appear to carry a higher risk of a serious skin disease in some patients than similar products, a Food and Drug Administration official said on Tuesday.

Residents of poor neighborhoods may die sooner than residents of wealthier neighborhoods - regardless of what they eat, how active they are, or other individual risk factors, new research suggests.

Roche Holding AG said on Wednesday three studies on its drugs used to treat early and advanced breast cancer showed good results.

As little as 15 minutes of physical activity a day can substantially cut death rates in men with prostate cancer, new research hints.

Holding off on introducing certain foods in order to prevent children from becoming allergic to them may be counterproductive.

About 20 percent of kidney dialysis patients who undergo a procedure to open a blocked artery are given the wrong blood clot medicine, increasing the chances of significant bleeding, researchers said Tuesday.

Whenever I find myself dreading a workout or trying to give myself a reason to take a day off or not finish for the day, I remind myself of my mantra and repeat it until I am finished.

Antidepressants may go well beyond just easing the symptoms of depression; they may also make people less neurotic, U.S. researchers said Monday.

One of the most systematic looks yet at the swine flu pandemic confirms that it is at worst only a little more serious than an average flu season and could well be a good deal milder, researchers said on Monday.

Fewer people are getting cancer and death rates continue to fall, according to the latest report on cancer in the United States, released on Monday.

Lonely, stressed-out rats were far more likely to develop breast tumors than rats living in a social group, a finding that suggests loneliness can have a profound effect on health, researchers said on Monday.

The number of deaths from the H1N1 swine flu virus has hit 100 in Japan, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, as the pandemic continues to spread around the world.

Larry Brubaker suffered a massive stroke in March and was hospitalized for nearly a month before being moved to an acute rehabilitation facility, then to a nursing home and finally to his own home near Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Measuring body mass index or waist size in overweight people can accurately predict the risk of heart disease, Dutch scientists said on Monday.

Native Americans in Alaska are more likely to be hospitalized with swine flu than whites in the state and the lack of running water in some areas may be a factor, researchers have found.

U.S. drug regulators asked on Friday for manufacturers of prescription pain medications to provide more specifics on an industry plan to curb growing abuse of morphine, methadone, oxycodone and other opioid drugs.

A study involving 128 South African families has identified genetic traits that may protect some people from tuberculosis in a finding that could help lead to a new TB vaccine, scientists said on Saturday.

An HIV genetic stowaway that may have come from a related cat virus could help the AIDS virus transmit and replicate in people, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.

An advocacy group on lung health plans to work with health authorities in 12 countries from 2010 to reduce indoor fuel burning, which causes respiratory diseases and lung cancer and kills 2 million people a year.

The number of prostate cancers diagnosed in UK men each year would jump from 30,000 to 160,000 if the country introduced population-wide screening for the disease, new research shows. However, many of those cancers are low-risk and may not lead to death.

U.S. drug reviewers recommended that regulators further study the effects in children of a group of medicines known as atypical antipsychotics, a report released on Friday said.