Flu? Malaria? Disease forecasters look to the sky

NEW YORK (AP) — Only a 10 percent chance of showers today, but a 70 percent chance of flu next month.That’s the kind of forecasting health scientists are trying to move toward, as they increasingly include weather data in their attempts to predict disease outbreaks.In one recent study, two scientists reported they could predict — more than seven weeks in advance — when flu season was going to peak...

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Mandela’s recovery “on track” at home: South African government

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African President Nelson Mandela‘s recovery is ‘on track’ at his home in Johannesburg, the government said on Wednesday in its first statement since the anti-apartheid hero was released from hospital a week ago.Mandela, 94, who has been in frail health for several years, spent nearly three weeks in a Pretoria hospital in December for treatment of a lung infection...

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Omega-3s may not protect against faulty heart rhythm

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Sorry, Charlie, but fish oil supplements did not prevent atrial fibrillation in patients who had already experienced episodes of the heart rhythm malfunction, a new clinical trial has found.The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, adds to a growing pool of disappointing evidence regarding the protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids on...

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FDA approves 1st new tuberculosis drug in 40 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.The agency approved J&J’s pill, Sirturo, for use with other older drugs to fight hard-to-treat tuberculosis.Sirturo is the first medicine specifically designed for treating multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis....

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Republican Senator: chances for “fiscal cliff” deal “exceedingly good”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that chances for a small “fiscal Cliff” deal in the next 48 hours were “exceedingly good” and that President Barack Obama had won.“I think people don’t want to go over the cliff if we can avoid it,” Graham said on Fox News Sunday.“This deal won’t affect the debt situation, it will be a political victory for the president and I...

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MSF warns Kenya not to send more refugees to stricken camp

LONDON (Reuters) – Conditions in a camp for Somali refugees in Kenya are deplorable and a government plan to send in thousands more would pose a major risk to health, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday.Kenya has more than half a million refugees from Somalia, which has lacked an effective central government since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.A series of bombings, shootings...

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Poor reading skills tied to risk of teen pregnancy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Seventh grade girls who have trouble reading are more likely to get pregnant in high school than average or above-average readers, according to a new study from Philadelphia.Researchers found that pattern stuck even after they took into account the girls’ race and poverty in their neighborhoods – both of which are tied to teen pregnancy rates.“We certainly know that social...

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Light Therapy Helps Ease Winter Blues

Every October as the clocks are turned back, Jose Balido notices that his mood changes, almost as if his body were going into hibernation.His limbs are heavy and he has trouble moving around. Simple household chores like loading the dishwasher seem “insurmountable,” he said. But when spring arrives, the lethargy lifts.“It took me a while to realize what it was,” said Balido, owner of a travel social...

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The Medical Guide to Holiday Movies

Anna Karenina lies febrile on her post-partum bed, her husband, Karenin, and lover, Vronsky, flanking her in sorrow. She repents to each, anticipating her end, and just when the romance soars to its peak, you wonder aloud — why does she have a fever? And, could this really happen?Luckily, we’ve got Hollywood’s holiday ailments covered. Our unofficial disease guide takes a shot at unraveling the medical...

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South Africa’s Mandela to remain in hospital for Christmas

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African President Nelson Mandela continues to respond to treatment more than two weeks after being taken to hospital in Pretoria and will remain there for Christmas Day, the presidency said on Monday.The 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero and Nobel Peace laureate has been treated for a lung infection and gallstones after being hospitalized on December 8.President...

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Explainer: Naming of Parts for an Instrument of Civilian Slaughter

The PTAB 2.5M anti-armor bomblet has a cylindrical body with a dome-shaped ballistic cap at its front and it terminates in a four-fin tail unit that is structured in a drum configuration. In its Aug. 2, 2012 online posting, Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons noted that the tail unit comes in both short and long versions.The entire bomblet measures 0.87 meters in length, has a body diameter of 60 millimeters...

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Acortar las internaciones no significa peor atención: estudio EEUU

NUEVA YORK (Reuters Health) – Los hospitales de Asuntos delVeterano (AV) de Estados Unidos pudieron reducir la duración delas internaciones sin aumentar la cantidad de reingresos.“A medida que los hospitales se volvieron más eficientes,creció la preocupación porque estuvieran dándole el alta apacientes más enfermos y más rápido”, dijo el autor principal deun nuevo estudio, doctor Peter Kaboli, del...

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AffordRx.com Makes Prescription Drugs Affordable

AffordRx.com to donate thousands of discount drug cards to those in need.Margate, NJ (PRWEB) December 21, 2012AffordRx, a discount prescription drug card, is currently giving away thousands of free discount cards to those in need.Countless senior citizens and children living in the United States are not able to afford their prescriptions regularly. Many people are left with no choice but to skip doses...

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FCA releases two new reports on important role of family caregivers in reducing negative outcomes for patients

Increased training, support and recognition are needed by families as healthcare increasingly moves into home settingsSAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance has released two new reports that shine a light on the important roles of family caregivers in U.S. healthcare—and how those caregivers are often unrecognized...

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Canada wins $28.3 billion case on pension fund payments

OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Canadian government won a far-reaching case at the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday when judges ruled Ottawa did not have to return more than C$ 28 billion ($ 28.3 billion) to civil servant union pension plans.The unions said the federal government had improperly taken the money out of their plans, largely through withdrawal of surpluses. Ottawa said it had followed laws...

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House Republicans eye limited fiscal cliff bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With time running short before a Dec. 31 deadline, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will begin work on legislation that simply would extend current low income tax rates for all families with incomes below $ 1 million a year, according to an aide.Negotiations will continue with the White House on a broader tax and spending deal, the Boehner aide said.Boehner is presenting...

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Kids Lead Crowd Funded Scientific Mission to Nicaragua: Science Education is the Tide that Lifts All Boats

Enzo, Haley and Emma are ordinary kids working on an extraordinary mission. They are joining up with a team of Special Forces medics and elite, global surgeons to deliver medical aid to the Rama Indians of Nicaragua in the spring of 2013.In partnership with HumaniTV, the journey will be beamed to tens of thousands of kids around the globe by satellite as the three middle school students trek through...

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Child deaths and bitter cold in Syrian refugee camps

ZAATARI, Jordan (Reuters) – One-year-old Ali Ghazawi, born with a heart defect, faced a battle for survival even before his family fled Syria‘s civil war. It was a struggle he lost two weeks ago in the bitter winter cold of a tented refugee camp in north Jordan.Ali died two days after undergoing a heart operation in Zaatari camp, which houses at least 32,000 refugees who escaped fierce bombardment...

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Mental health toll emerges among Sandy survivors

NEW YORK (AP) — The image of his brother trapped in a car with water rising to his neck, his eyes silently pleading for help, is part of a recurring nightmare that wakes Anthony Gatti up, screaming, at night.Gatti hauled his brother out of the car just in time, saving his life at the height of Superstorm Sandy. The two men rode out the hurricane in their childhood Staten Island home and survived....

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Roche wins EU nod for breast cancer drug Perjeta

ZURICH (Reuters) – European health regulators recommended Roche‘s breast cancer drug Perjeta for approval on Friday, cementing the company’s hopes that the drug will become the standard of care for an aggressive, incurable form of cancer.Roche is hoping that combining Perjeta with its older drug Herceptin will become the standard treatment for women with a form of cancer known as HER2-positive, which...

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