Today's Reuters Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Oakland officials slam U.S. prosecutors over marijuana crackdown
Thu,12 Jul 2012 07:41 PM PDT
Reuters -  OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Officials in the city of Oakland rebuked federal prosecutors on Thursday for seeking to shut down a medical marijuana dispensary that bills itself as the world's largest in the latest clash over a federal cannabis crackdown in Western U.S. states. The criticism came a day after federal prosecutors announced lawsuits seeking to seize two properties housing the Harborside Health Center, a California cannabis dispensary that gained attention when it was featured on the reality TV show "Weed Wars. ...
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One in eight with fibromyalgia uses cannabis as medicine
Thu,12 Jul 2012 07:32 PM PDT
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in eight people with the painful condition fibromyalgia self-medicate with pot and other cannabis products, according to a new Canadian study. "That is not unusual behavior, in general, for people with chronic medical illnesses for which we don't have great treatments," said Dr. Igor Grant, who heads the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California and was not involved in the study. "People start looking around, they look for other types of remedies, because they need the help," he told Reuters Health. ...
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Rights groups file suit challenging Arizona abortion ban
Thu,12 Jul 2012 06:51 PM PDT
Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - Rights groups challenged a controversial Arizona law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, seeking to block the measure before takes effect in early August. The law was signed by Republican Governor Jan Brewer in April, handing Republicans a win in an ongoing national drive to impose greater restrictions on abortion in a presidential election year. The law, due to take effect August 2, would bar healthcare professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in a medical emergency. ... Full Story | Top |
Missouri law to deny birth control coverage vetoed
Thu,12 Jul 2012 04:04 PM PDT
Reuters - KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Missouri's Democratic Governor Jay Nixon on Thursday vetoed a bill that could have resulted in women being denied insurance coverage for contraception, in the latest battle over Catholic Church objections to providing birth control coverage as part of the new health care law. Republican lawmakers in Missouri drafted the law in response to President Barack Obama's policy of requiring insurers to cover birth control for free as part of the new federal health care law, even if they work for a church or other employer that has a moral objection. ... Full Story | Top |
Icahn issues new warning to board of Forest Labs
Thu,12 Jul 2012 03:11 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn stepped up pressure on Forest Laboratories Inc on Thursday, warning that time was running out for it to accept his nominees to the company's board of directors. Icahn appealed to Forest's non-management board members, saying his attempts to reach an amicable agreement with Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Solomon had fallen on deaf ears. The company's annual meeting is set for August 15. It recently cut its profit forecast to earnings of 65-80 cents a share for the fiscal year ending in March 2013, down about 80 percent from a year earlier. ... Full Story | Top |
Brain tissue from former NFL star Seau to be studied for damage
Thu,12 Jul 2012 02:35 PM PDT
Reuters -  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tissue from the brain of former San Diego Chargers star Junior Seau, who committed suicide in May, has been sent to the National Institutes of Health for analysis amid growing concerns over the long-term effects of football-related head injuries. The brain sample was sent to the NIH, the U.S. government's primary biomedical research institution, at the request of Seau's family members, said Sarah Gordon, spokeswoman for the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office. Gordon declined to comment further on the decision. ...
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Heavy people more likely to have colon polyps
Thu,12 Jul 2012 02:13 PM PDT
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese and overweight people are more likely to develop colon polyps, a possible precursor to cancer, than are slimmer individuals, according to a new review of past research. Polyps, also called adenomas, are clumps of cells that grow from the colon's lining. Although less than 10 percent become cancerous, most colon cancers are thought to develop from polyps. ...
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One in 8 with fibromyalgia uses cannabis as medicine
Thu,12 Jul 2012 02:11 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in eight people with the painful condition fibromyalgia self-medicate with pot and other cannabis products, according to a new Canadian study. "That is not unusual behavior, in general, for people with chronic medical illnesses for which we don't have great treatments," said Dr. Igor Grant, who heads the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California and was not involved in the study. "People start looking around, they look for other types of remedies, because they need the help," he told Reuters Health. ...
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Interactive health records may boost preventive care
Thu,12 Jul 2012 01:47 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Medical records that patients can access online may encourage more people to get recommended screening tests and immunizations, a new study suggests. In a clinical trial at eight primary care practices, researchers found that patients who used such "interactive" health records were more likely to become up-to-date on recommended preventive care. That included screening tests for breast, colon and cervical cancers, and immunizations like the yearly flu shot. ... Full Story | Top |
Merck osteoporosis drug, company pipeline win more respect
Thu,12 Jul 2012 01:07 PM PDT
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Industry analysts on Thursday predicted annual sales of up to $3 billion for a Merck osteoporosis drug shown to be effective before its clinical trial was completed, and said the development could provide a needed jolt of faith in Merck's overall drugs pipeline. Merck, the second-biggest U.S. drugmaker, on Wednesday said outside monitors recommended that its late-stage study of odanacatib, a new type of treatment, be stopped early because data has already shown it reduces fractures. Shares of Merck rose 4.2 percent on Thursday, on boosted hopes for the medicine. ...
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FDA to guide device makers on marketing application
Thu,12 Jul 2012 12:56 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration plans to provide medical device makers feedback before they apply for marketing approval to help companies identify regulatory requirements early in the device development process. The new program, called "Pre-Sub," comes a day after the Congress passed the FDA User Fee Reauthorization Bill that increases fees paid by companies to the health regulator in return for more meetings. ... Full Story | Top |
"Chemical intolerance" a common complaint: study
Thu,12 Jul 2012 12:34 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A sizable percentage of low-income patients in primary care may be particularly sensitive to chemicals in household cleaners, perfumes and other everyday products, a small study suggests. The study, done at two Texas family medicine practices, screened patients for symptoms of "chemical intolerance," also known as multiple chemical sensitivity. It's a controversial diagnosis, and there's no agreement on the cause - or that it even should be considered a disorder unto itself. ... Full Story | Top |
Gene-swapping vaccines spawn lethal poultry virus: experts
Thu,12 Jul 2012 11:59 AM PDT
Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - Three vaccines used to prevent respiratory disease in chickens have swapped genes, producing two lethal new strains that have killed tens of thousands of fowl across two states in Australia, scientists reported on Friday. The creation of the deadly new variant was only possible because the vaccines contained live viruses, even though they were weakened forms, said Joanne Devlin, lead author of the paper published in the journal Science. Devlin and her team discovered how closely related the two new strains were with viruses in the vaccines after analyzing their genes. ... Full Story | Top |
Sunshine out of the shadows with promising heart device
Thu,12 Jul 2012 11:50 AM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Shares of little-known Sunshine Heart Inc have quadrupled in value in the past five days as investors bet on a unique technology that some analysts say could provide a new treatment option for millions of heart failure patients. The company is suddenly standing out in a sector that has attracted little attention in recent months amid uncertainty about government reimbursement for medical devices and a weak economy that has caused patients to postpone costly procedures. The brainchild of Sunshine co-founder Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
Doctors use hormones more often than prescribe them
Thu,12 Jul 2012 10:04 AM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors may be more willing to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or recommend it to their wives, than to prescribe it to their patients, a study of German gynecologists suggests. Nearly all were willing to recommend HRT for hot flashes, a typical menopause problem, whether to a partner or a patient. But with other potential uses, there was some disconnect. For example, 59 percent of the doctors said they would take hormones to ward off osteoporosis, or recommend it to their partners. ... Full Story | Top |
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