Health News

Big first trimester weight gain ups diabetes risk (Reuters)

Reuters - Women who gain weight too quickly during the first three months of pregnancy are more prone to develop pregnancy-related diabetes, new research shows.

New Knee May Improve Balance (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A knee replacement can help improve an elderly person's balance, according to a new study.

Young Kids to Benefit From Broader Pneumococcal Vaccine (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- The recent approval of a new, more broadly effective pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) for young children could greatly reduce the prevalence of pneumococcal disease in that age group, a new government report suggests.

Body's Response to Foods' Smell, Taste Could Be Diabetes Risk Factor (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A mutation that affects how the body responds when a person smells or tastes food may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes in some people, U.S. researchers report.

Long-used, little-studied laxative safe, effective (Reuters)

Reuters - Until now, a scant number of top notch clinical trials have evaluated whether sodium picosulfate -- the active ingredient in numerous over-the-counter laxatives -- is safe and effective.

Australian authors protest China visa refusal (Reuters)

Reuters - More than 90 Australian authors signed a letter on Thursday decrying China's refusal to grant a visa to one of the country's most celebrated writers because he was HIV-positive, a move that Beijing defended.

As You Age, Better Health Means Better Sex (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Better health translates into better sex lives, with healthy people more likely to engage in sex (and good sex at that) and to express an interest in sex, new research finds.

Health Tip: What's Behind Childhood Obesity (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is a major problem in the United States, and children are no exception. Today's kids are spending more hours watching TV, sitting at the computer or playing video games, and less time being active.

CDC uses shopper-card data to trace salmonella (AP)

AP - As they scrambled recently to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds around the country, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used a new tool for the first time — the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries.

Study suggests too many invasive heart tests given (AP)

AP - A troublingly high number of U.S. patients who are given angiograms to check for heart disease turn out not to have a significant problem, according to the latest study to suggest Americans get an excess of medical tests.