HEALTH

A series of great white shark sightings have caused the closure of several beaches on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Reports indicate at least three sharks were sighted along Cape Cod beaches, with the sharks measuring between 14 and 18 feet.

Nearly two decades ago, Oregon became the first state to allow terminally ill patients to get a prescription for drugs that could be used to take their own lives. Since then, about 600 people in the state have chosen to die in this fashion. Now, it's Massachusetts' turn to consider legalizing this controversial way of death.

In an analysis of more than 1,600 men from Sweden and Finland, researchers found that men with high levels of mercury in the body had an increased risk of heart attacks, while those with a high concentration of omega-3s had a lower risk.

Researchers found that almost twice as many users significantly cut back on marijuana following four hour-long phone counseling sessions compared to those who were put on a treatment waiting list.

Through last week, 1,118 cases of West Nile virus and 41 deaths had been reported. The updated figures represent a 40 percent increase in the number of cases and a 61 percent spike in the number of deaths, but are short of the all-time record for a full year: 9,862 cases and 264 deaths in 2003.

In a large international study published in the Lancet medical journal on Thursday, researchers found rates of both multi drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) were higher than previously thought and were threatening global efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

Manufacturers currently warn against putting pacemakers into MRI scanners, whose strong magnetic field might in principle cause the metal wires from the devices to heat up and burn the heart tissue.

Patent expiries mean annual sales of 15 different categories of heart drugs are set to fall by more than a quarter by 2017, from $83 billion in 2011 to $60 billion, according to consensus analyst forecasts compiled by Thomson Reuters Pharma.

Desmoid tumors are rare, with only 900 people in the United States diagnosed with the sometimes fatal growths. The condition has gained notoriety in recent days because Rosie O'Donnell's wife, Michelle Rounds, had surgery to treat desmoid tumors just before getting hitched to the comedian in June.

One company is developing what it hopes will be the first in a new class of treatments for autoimmune conditions. Each dose of the drug consists of thousands of microscopic parasite eggs, culled from pig feces, suspended in a tablespoon of saline solution to be swallowed.

Researchers looked at data from 19 previous clinical trials and found that a bout of exercise generally helped hopeful quitters reduce their nicotine cravings - though whether that translated into a greater chance of quitting was unclear.

In Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, most voters do not want to see the kind of changes to Medicare proposed by the Romney-Ryan ticket.

In New York, there were several cases of infection with a bug called Mycobacterium chelonae, which caused reddish or purple raised bumps in the areas tattooed with gray. The infection can mimic an allergic reaction and be difficult to treat.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said on Wednesday that 1,118 cases of West Nile virus infections and 41 deaths had been reported so far this year, up from fewer than 700 cases and 26 deaths just one week ago.

A spritz of "hydrogel" coating turns out to keep bananas fresher longer, scientists claim.

The RNC's 2012 platform calls for annual audits of the Federal Reserve, bans all legal recognition of same-sex couples, and prohibits abortion in cases of rape and incest.

Researchers from one head and neck specialty program found that a resident having excelled in team sports was a more accurate predictor of success in the program than any of those other factors.

Researchers found that when elementary school students were offered apples and cookies with lunch, kids were more likely to opt for an apple when it was branded with an Elmo sticker.

Obesity, high blood pressure and other metabolic problems fuel a faster loss of cognitive ability than normal weight people, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The results add a new layer to the already ubiquitous risks involved with being overweight, and dispels the belief being overweight sans metabolic risk factors is the same as being normal weight.

Binge drinking may not be so bad after all, according to a recent study that found that binge drinkers are happier than those who do not binge drink

With an estimated 650,000 homeless people in the United States and around 380,000 in Britain, experts said high levels of infection would not only cause yet more poverty and distress for those without homes, but could also become a wider problem.

In 1999, 4 million Americans were using personal trainers, but now the number hovers around 6.5 million.

From June 2012 there have been new cases of anthrax among heroin users in Europe - three in Germany, two in Denmark, one in France and one in Scotland, authorities say.

If you bought kids vitamins featuring Disney and Marvel characters, you're entitled to a refund after the companies peddling the products entered a $2.1 million settlement with the government for making false and unsubstantiated claims.

About two-thirds of U.S. teens and young adults have had oral sex mistakenly thinking it’s a safer alternative to regular intercourse, according to a study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From December 1, cigarettes and tobacco products in Australia must be sold in plain olive green packets with graphic health warnings, such as pictures of mouth cancer and other smoking-related illnesses.

Researchers found that by 2008, 12.5 percent of children were drinking artificially-sweetened beverages. That was up from six percent a decade earlier.

Dallas County officials have declared a state of emergency after a West Nile Virus outbreak killed several in Texas where hundreds of cases have been reported.

First discovered in Uganda in 1937, the West Nile virus is carried by birds and spread to humans by mosquitoes