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January 18, 2012
Study suggests how often to test bone density
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women with thin bones should be screened every year and those with denser bones can safely wait up to 17 years to have their next bone mineral density test, according to new research.
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January 18, 2012
FDA approves BTG's drug for cancer toxicity
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators gave the nod on Tuesday to a drug from British specialty drugmaker BTG Plc that helps cancer patients get rid of toxic levels of a chemotherapy treatment.
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January 10, 2012
Heart disease more likely in people with psoriasis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer from psoriasis may want to pay extra attention to heart risks, according to a new study that found they are at a greater risk for blocked arteries than those who don't have the skin disease.
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January 10, 2012
New DNA reader to bring genetics to clinics
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new DNA reader could bring genetics to medical clinics.
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January 3, 2012
'Double-jointed' soccer players have more injuries
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Soccer players with "hypermobile" joints may have a higher injury risk than their less flexible teammates, a study of one professional team suggests.
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December 27, 2011
Obesity linked to older adults' risk of falls
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese older adults may be more likely than their thinner peers to suffer a potentially disabling fall -- though the most severely obese may be somewhat protected from injury, a new study suggests.
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December 22, 2011
Broken arms among boomers likely to rise
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Broken arms send several hundred thousand Americans to emergency rooms each year, and a new study suggests that number could rise by nearly a third by 2030, when the youngest baby boomers will have just turned 65.
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December 22, 2011
Metal hip lubricant reduces wear and tear: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A substance that forms in patients with all-metal artificial hips turns out to contain the common lubricant graphite, a discovery that could help in designing longer lasting implants, researchers said.
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December 16, 2011
Elite athletes at greater risk for arthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elite male athletes who participate in high-contact sports like football, soccer and rugby have a higher risk of developing knee and hip arthritis later in life than men who exercise a little or not at all, a recent study found.
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December 6, 2011
More older Americans have knee pain, replacement
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older Americans are increasingly complaining of aching knees, and getting those knees replaced, even though X-ray evidence of knee arthritis is not on the rise, a new study finds.
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December 5, 2011
Stem cell therapy poised to come in from the cold
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December 2, 2011
Behavioral therapy may ease kids' fibromyalgia
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teaching teens coping skills to deal with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia may provide them some relief, a small study suggests.
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November 22, 2011
Merck to pay $950 mln to settle US Vioxx charge
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November 21, 2011
Underweight people at higher risk after surgery
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who are underweight have a 40 percent higher risk of dying in the first month after surgery than patients who are overweight, according to new research released on Monday.
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October 27, 2011
Steroid medications tied to vitamin D deficiency
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who use oral steroid medications may be at greater-than-average risk of a serious vitamin D deficiency, a new study suggests.
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October 21, 2011
EU starts new probe into painkillers' heart risks
LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's drugs regulator is launching a new review of the safety of common painkillers in light of fresh evidence about possible risks they may pose to heart health.
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October 20, 2011
Ankle braces may help teen football players
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ankle braces many football players wear to prevent injuries seem to work, a study of high school players suggests.
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October 7, 2011
Stiff ankles tied to young athletes' painful knees
New York (Reuters Health) - Young basketball and volleyball players' chances of developing a painful condition called jumper's knee may hinge on how far they can flex their ankles, say Swedish researchers.
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October 3, 2011
Nobelist who died before announcement to keep prize
LONDON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ralph Steinman proved the importance of his Nobel prize-winning research in a most personal way, using his own discoveries to fight the pancreatic cancer that eventually killed him just days before the award was announced.
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October 3, 2011
Nobel prizewinner dies before announcement
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A scientist who won the Nobel prize for medicine on Monday for work on fighting cancer died of the disease himself just three days before he could be told of his award, and after using his own discoveries to extend his life.
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October 3, 2011
Nobel medicine prize honours work on body's defences
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Three scientists who unlocked secrets of the body's immune system, opening doors to new vaccines and cancer treatments, won the 2011 Nobel prize for medicine on Monday.
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September 23, 2011
U.S. FDA guidance on biosimilars may be imminent
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears to be on the verge of issuing long-awaiting guidelines for the development of generic versions of complex biotechnology medicines.
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September 16, 2011
Novartis drug helps in serious childhood arthritis
The findings were presented at the European Pediatric Rheumatology Congress in Bruges, Belgium. John Hohneker, head of development for integrated hospital care at Novartis, told Reuters the data was "outstanding."
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September 13, 2011
Despite risk, some with kidney disease use NSAIDs
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite advice that people with kidney disease avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a new study suggests that they may be using the painkillers even more often than other people do.
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September 12, 2011
More painkiller use linked to kidney cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who regularly take painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen may be at higher risk of kidney cancer, according to new research.
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September 9, 2011
Mutant genes found for asthma, point to possible therapy
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could help asthma patients, scientists said on Friday, as they identified two mutant genes that may predispose a person to asthma.
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September 6, 2011
Rare surgery brings more weight loss, more risks
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A less common form of obesity surgery may spur more weight loss than its far more popular cousin, gastric bypass -- but at the price of greater long-term risks, researchers reported Tuesday.
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September 6, 2011
Common painkillers tied to miscarriage risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who use common painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen early in pregnancy may have an increased risk of miscarriage, a study published Tuesday suggests.
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August 31, 2011
More Americans developing gout; obesity blamed
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A growing number of Americans are being diagnosed with the painful form of arthritis known as gout -- thanks in large part, researchers say, to the national obesity epidemic.
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August 29, 2011
Women may get unneeded osteoporosis screening
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many women who get screened for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis may not actually need such testing, a new study suggests.
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August 19, 2011
REFILE: Gout drug may help some with few treatment options
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new drug that's injected intravenously may help some very sick gout patients who don't get better with usual treatment, according to a new study.
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August 16, 2011
Gout drug may help some with few treatment options
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new injectable drug may help some very sick gout patients who don't get better with usual treatment, according to a new study.
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August 12, 2011
Ankle braces may help teen basketball players
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ankle braces many basketball players strap on to prevent injuries may actually work, a study of high school players suggests.
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August 5, 2011
Cone offers relief to women with arthritic knees
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For women with arthritis of the knees, going to the bathroom can be an excruciating exercise, but a new study suggests that relief may come from a simple piece of waterproof paper.
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August 3, 2011
Childhood hardship tied to adulthood disease risks
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who are abused, lose a parent, or suffer other hardships may have increased risks of chronic health conditions later in life, a new study suggests.
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July 28, 2011
"Jumper's knee" most common in volleyball
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For weekend athletes, volleyball may carry the biggest risk of the tendon injury known as "jumper's knee," a new study suggests.
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July 21, 2011
REFILE: Benefit of MS drugs comes at steep price: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drugs used in the hope of slowing multiple sclerosis progression may help some patients, but at a very high cost, according to a study out Wednesday.
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July 19, 2011
Tests start on HIV biotech drug grown in tobacco
LONDON (Reuters) - In a first for European drug research, scientists have launched a clinical trial of an anti-HIV biotech medicine produced using genetically modified tobacco - a plant better known for ruining human health.
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July 11, 2011
Teflon component linked to arthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High blood levels of a man-made chemical used in non-stick coatings were associated with a raised risk of arthritis in a large new study of adults exposed to tainted drinking water.
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July 11, 2011
Former first lady Betty Ford dies, age 93
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Betty Ford, the wife of the late President Gerald Ford, who overcame alcohol and prescription drug addictions and helped found a rehabilitation clinic that bears her name, died on Friday at the age of 93.
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July 8, 2011
REFILE: Does Botox help neck pain?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ingredient in a Botox injection probably won't help ease neck pain, nor will it help neck pain sufferers do physical activities any better or improve their quality of life, a new review of past studies suggests.
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July 6, 2011
Sunburn offers clues for pain drug development
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a molecule in the body which controls sensitivity to pain from UVB irradiation, or sunburn, and say it may help them develop new drugs to treat pain in other common conditions such as arthritis.
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July 5, 2011
Does Botox help neck pain?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ingredient in a Botox injection probably won't help ease neck pain, nor will it help neck pain sufferers do physical activities any better or improve their quality of life, a new review of past studies suggests.
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June 30, 2011
Roche undeterred after FDA's Avastin rebuff
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG had nothing to lose by giving Avastin another roll of the dice, and by doing so showed the world it still believes the drug should be used in breast cancer.
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June 17, 2011
US FDA staff: Novartis gout drug data 'complicated'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Novartis AG medicine reduced pain from gout but also appeared to raise the chances of serious infections and other problems, U.S. drug reviewers said.
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June 14, 2011
Protein linked with rare disease plays role in aging
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The same mechanism that causes children with a rare genetic disease called progeria to age at seven times the normal rate may play a role in normal aging as well, government researchers said on Monday.
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June 9, 2011
Pain drugs' safety for heart patients doubted again
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heart disease patients who chronically use painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen might face an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or dying from cardiovascular causes, a new study suggests.
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June 2, 2011
"Double-jointedness" common among teens: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many teenagers, especially girls, have some degree of "double-jointedness," a UK study suggests -- a sign, researchers say, that such flexibility is most often perfectly normal.
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May 26, 2011
Why do pro skiers get knee injuries?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A turning, off-balance skier leaning backwards is a recipe for knee disaster, according to a new report from a panel of sports medicine and skiing experts.
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May 25, 2011
Deaths in Pfizer arthritis trial under microscope
LONDON, (Reuters) - Four deaths during a study of Pfizer's new rheumatoid arthritis pill will be pored over at a medical meeting in London this week, as doctors weigh the drug's chances of upending current clinical practice.