MEDICINE

Pop star Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and other drugs, and police will refer the case to prosecutors for possible criminal charges, officials said on Friday.

Men with prostate cancer are being diagnosed at a younger age and earlier stage today than in years past, and the racial disparity in stage at diagnosis has decreased significantly, researchers report today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Even though testing has so far raised no

Swine flu infected 14 times as many children as adults over 60 in Chicago, city health department officials reported on Thursday in one of the first detailed looks at the new pandemic virus.

Researchers searching for a cure for obesity said on Thursday they have developed a drug that not only makes mice lose weight, but reverses diabetes and lowers their cholesterol, too.

For women, feelings of hopelessness are not just unfortunate, they are a stroke risk, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

U.S. health authorities are turning to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in a bid to prepare people to be vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus.

Aug 28 - Specialty pharmaceutical company Eurand NV (EURX.O) said U.S. health regulators approved its pancreatic enzyme product, Zenpep, to treat the inability to digest food due to a lack of enzymes made by the pancreas

WASHINGTON - U.S. drug reviewers questioned a Genzyme Corp (GENZ.O) study meant to back wider use of the company's Clolar leukemia drug, according to documents released on Friday ahead of an advisory panel review.

Men and people of South Asian descent are more likely to have unfavorable perceptions of colon cancer screening, research from the UK shows.

New ultra-sensitive blood tests can rapidly detect when heart muscle is dying from a heart attack, even from the moment the patient arrives in the emergency room, according to two studies on Wednesday.

Younger Americans are being exposed to worrisome amounts of radiation from medical scans that increase their risk of cancer, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Scientific advisers to President Barack Obama may have asked the government to speed up the availability of swine flu vaccines, but they are unlikely to be ready before October, the new head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

CHICAGO - An Abbott Laboratories Inc (ABT.N) unit that makes genetic tests will work with Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) to develop a test to screen non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors to determine which patients are good candidates for a novel cancer therapy being developed by Pfizer.

Pop star Michael Jackson died from a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol given in a cocktail of drugs, leading authorities to suspect his doctor of manslaughter, court documents showed on Monday.

Hormone-based drugs that help treat aggressive prostate cancer may be dangerous for some men with heart disease, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

People as young as 45 with high blood pressure are more likely to have memory troubles, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study suggesting aggressive early treatment of the condition may pay huge dividends.

China launched its first national organ donation system in a bid to crack down on organ trafficking and create a source for transplants other than executed prisoners, who currently make up the majority of donors.

In the United States, there has been an increase in cases of typhoid fever resistant to the drugs most commonly used against the illness, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

You've heard about using marijuana and drugs derived from it to keep some of the side effects of toxic cancer chemotherapy in check. But what if smoking marijuana for 10 to 20 years could actually protect against certain tumors?

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report on Monday, saying the H1N1 swine flu poses a serious health threat to the United States and could kill as many as 90,000 Americans.