http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/ Health - Science & Technology: Find breaking news, world news and pictures on Health en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.29/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/ http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2144044-widow-poisoned-agent-threatens-to-quit-inquest.html LONDON (AP) — The widow of a former Kremlin agent killed by radioactive poisoning plans to boycott an inquest unless the British government holds a public inquiry examining alleged Russian involvement in her husband's death, her lawyer said. Lawyer Ben Emmerson told a pre-inquest hearing Tuesday that Marina Litvinenko "will consider herself unable to cont... Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:08:59 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2144044-widow-poisoned-agent-threatens-to-quit-inquest.html 2013-06-11T20:08:59Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2141338-astrazeneca-560-deal-respiratory-firm.html LONDON (AP) — British drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC says it is to acquire Pearl Therapeutics Inc., a Redwood-City, California-based company involved in therapies for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for at least $560 million. The deal — which could involve further payments of up to $590 million if sales and drug development targets are met — g... Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:51:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2141338-astrazeneca-560-deal-respiratory-firm.html 2013-06-10T11:51:10Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2133060-pa-girl-lung-donor-list-boy-sues.html PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A dying Pennsylvania girl has been placed on the adult waiting list for donated lungs amid a court fight over the nation's transplant rules with help from a judge who granted another petition Thursday from a boy at the same hospital. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network added 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan to the list Wednesd... Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:08:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2133060-pa-girl-lung-donor-list-boy-sues.html 2013-06-06T23:08:47Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2133324-berries-blamed-california-mans-hepatitis.html ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) — Geoff Soza was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary in Yellowstone National Park when the 64-year-old man learned the hard way that his seemingly healthy breakfast habit of mixing thawed berries with Greek yogurt had exposed him to a national outbreak of hepatitis A. Dozens of illnesses have been reported, and federal official... Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:58:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2133324-berries-blamed-california-mans-hepatitis.html 2013-06-06T22:58:15Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2134964-us-panel-wants-changes-to-avandia-safety-measures.html WASHINGTON (AP) — US government health experts are recommending changes to safety restrictions on former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, in light of a new analysis suggesting that the drug may not increase the risk of heart attack as previously believed. A majority of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted Thursday to modify or remove measures tha... Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:55:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2134964-us-panel-wants-changes-to-avandia-safety-measures.html 2013-06-06T21:55:51Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2131038-coroner-asks-public-inquiry-spys-death.html LONDON (AP) — A coroner overseeing a British inquest into the 2006 poisoning death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko said Wednesday he has asked for a new public inquiry to be held so that crucial evidence can be scrutinized. The call came after widespread concerns that the existing inquest would be effectively powerless to determine what happene... Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:48:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2131038-coroner-asks-public-inquiry-spys-death.html 2013-06-05T17:48:52Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2130426-md-eyes-operation-rome-mayor.html ROME (AP) — Studied under pioneering U.S. surgeon. Saved lives transplanting livers on two continents. Helped create cutting-edge transplant center in Mafia-plagued Sicily. Elected mayor of Rome? Whether Ignazio Marino adds that last credential to his impressive resume will be decided by a runoff election in Rome's mayoral race. The June 9-10 balloting pi... Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:48:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2130426-md-eyes-operation-rome-mayor.html 2013-06-05T12:48:24Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2129006-jj-recalls-32m-contraceptive-packages-us.html NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (AP) — Johnson & Johnson is conducting a voluntary recall of millions of oral contraceptive packages in 43 countries outside the U.S., but the health care giant says there's a "very low" risk that the flawed tablets could cause unplanned pregnancies. It's the latest in a series of about 40 product recalls announced by the U.S.-ba... Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:48:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2129006-jj-recalls-32m-contraceptive-packages-us.html 2013-06-04T20:48:06Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2127944-stinky-feet-lead-to-better-malaria-traps.html LONDON (AP) — For decades, health officials have battled malaria with insecticides, bed nets and drugs. Now, scientists say there might be a potent new tool to fight the deadly mosquito-borne disease: the stench of human feet. In a laboratory study, researchers found that mosquitoes infected with the tropical disease were more attracted to human odors fro... Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:31:35 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2127944-stinky-feet-lead-to-better-malaria-traps.html 2013-06-04T09:31:35Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126134-fda-weighs-lifting-safety-restrictions-avandia.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A former blockbuster diabetes pill that was subjected to major safety restrictions in 2010 may be less risky than once thought, according to the latest analysis of the much-debated GlaxoSmithKline drug Avandia. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing a new interpretation of the key study of Avandia's heart attack risks, which sugge... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:47:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126134-fda-weighs-lifting-safety-restrictions-avandia.html 2013-06-03T22:47:41Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126342-hpv-growing-upper-throat-cancer.html ATLANTA (AP) — Doctors have known for some time that a sexually spread virus can cause some types of oral cancer. But actor Michael Douglas' comments on his own throat cancer in a newspaper story Monday threw a spotlight on a subject not often discussed. And it raises a lot of questions: —What virus can cause oral cancer? HPV, the human papillomavirus. It... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:26:23 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126342-hpv-growing-upper-throat-cancer.html 2013-06-03T22:26:23Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126988-sunscreen-slows-skin-aging-used.html WASHINGTON (AP) — If worry about skin cancer doesn't make you slather on sunscreen, maybe vanity will: New research provides some of the strongest evidence to date that near-daily sunscreen use can slow the aging of your skin. Ultraviolet rays that spur wrinkles and other signs of aging can quietly build up damage pretty much anytime you're in the sun — a... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 21:11:26 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126988-sunscreen-slows-skin-aging-used.html 2013-06-03T21:11:26Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126858-advice-black-women-breast-cancer-gene-risk.html CHICAGO (AP) — New research suggests that bad genes may be responsible for more breast cancer cases in black women than has been previously known. About 1 in 5 African-American women with the disease have an inherited mutation that drastically raises their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, according to a study released Monday. It may help explain why bl... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:00:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126858-advice-black-women-breast-cancer-gene-risk.html 2013-06-03T20:00:10Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126340-conjoined-twins-with-shared-heart-split.html HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — Conjoined Palestinian twins with a shared heart and other vital organs returned home to the West Bank Monday after Israeli doctors determined they could not successfully separate them. The mother, Basma Breiwesh, arrived at a Hebron hospital with her conjoined daughters three days after she gave birth at Hadassah University Hospit... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:23:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126340-conjoined-twins-with-shared-heart-split.html 2013-06-03T17:23:19Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126136-sanofi-abandons-2-drugs-trial-failures.html PARIS (AP) — Drugmaker Sanofi is abandoning two drugs in the late stages of development after trials revealed they weren't more effective than other therapies. One drug, iniparib, was given to lung cancer patients in combination with chemotherapy and compared to treatments of chemotherapy alone. The company said Monday iniparib did not improve the patient... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:41:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2126136-sanofi-abandons-2-drugs-trial-failures.html 2013-06-03T15:41:56Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2125718-gene-flaws-common-blacks-with-breast-cancer.html CHICAGO (AP) — Gene flaws that raise the risk of breast cancer are surprisingly common in black women with the disease, according to the first comprehensive testing in this racial group. The study found that one-fifth of these women have BRCA mutations, a problem usually associated with women of Eastern European Jewish descent but recently highlighted by the plight of Angeli... Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:47:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2125718-gene-flaws-common-blacks-with-breast-cancer.html 2013-06-03T12:47:09Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2124330-vinegar-cancer-test-saves-lives-india-study-finds.html MUMBAI, India (AP) — A simple vinegar test slashed cervical cancer death rates by one-third in a remarkable study of 150,000 women in the slums of India, where the disease is the top cancer killer of women. Doctors reported the results Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago. Experts called the outcome "amazing" and said this quick, cheap test could save... Sun, 02 Jun 2013 11:45:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2124330-vinegar-cancer-test-saves-lives-india-study-finds.html 2013-06-02T11:45:17Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123486-italy-confirms-3-cases-respiratory-virus.html ROME (AP) — Three people were being treated Saturday for a new respiratory virus that is alarming global health officials, in the first cases in Italy, the country's health ministry said. A 45-year-old man who had recently returned from a 40-day visit to Jordan was hospitalized in Tuscany with a high fever, cough and respiratory problems, the ministry sai... Sat, 01 Jun 2013 18:14:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123486-italy-confirms-3-cases-respiratory-virus.html 2013-06-01T18:14:39Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123274-russia-smoking-ban-takes.html MOSCOW (AP) — A law that bans smoking in public places has taken effect in Russia, a contentious move in a country with one of the highest smoking rates in the world. The ban, which came into force Saturday, prohibits smoking in workplaces, schools, universities and on public transportation. More restrictions will be applied a year later. Authors of the b... Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:17:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123274-russia-smoking-ban-takes.html 2013-06-01T16:17:06Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123316-somalia-parents-to-polio-vaccine.html MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamic extremist rebels are fighting a campaign in Somalia to administer a polio vaccine, charging that it contains the virus that causes AIDS or could make children sterile, a battle of words that is frustrating health workers. Al-Shabab, the rebels linked to al-Qaida, have discouraged many parents from getting their children i... Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:38:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2123316-somalia-parents-to-polio-vaccine.html 2013-06-01T15:38:08Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2121246-france-trial-drug-maker-postponed.html PARIS (AP) — The trial of makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in hundreds of deaths has been delayed by presiding judge to allow further investigations. The decision to postpone the trial over one of France's biggest recent health scandals will allow for a Paris judge to complete a separate investigation. The judge said a date for resuming... Fri, 31 May 2013 14:06:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2121246-france-trial-drug-maker-postponed.html 2013-05-31T14:06:00Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2119618-archbishop-york-prostate-cancer-surgery.html LONDON (AP) — Archbishop of York John Sentamu, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, says he has undergone surgery for prostate cancer. Sentamu says he had an operation Thursday for "locally advanced" cancer of the prostate. The 63-year-old archbishop said he would "be out of action for some time" but looked forward to resuming work. Uga... Thu, 30 May 2013 20:20:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2119618-archbishop-york-prostate-cancer-surgery.html 2013-05-30T20:20:51Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2118876-nestle-to-boost-study-harmful-food-infections.html LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, is boosting research to tackle the threat of ever-stronger strains of bacteria and germs in food manufacturing. The Vevey, Switzerland-based company said Thursday it will initially focus on several types of food-borne bacteria — particularly a dangerous strain of bacterium... Thu, 30 May 2013 17:31:11 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2118876-nestle-to-boost-study-harmful-food-infections.html 2013-05-30T17:31:11Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2116474-us-takes-action-to-ease-neonatal-drug-shortage.html WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators will allow overseas imports of a critical intravenous drug formula used to nourish premature infants, amid a shortage that has impacted hospitals nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration says new supplies of the injectable drug, total parenteral nutrition, will be available to U.S. patients this week. The agenc... Wed, 29 May 2013 16:25:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2116474-us-takes-action-to-ease-neonatal-drug-shortage.html 2013-05-29T16:25:21Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2113868-french-man-dies-sars-related-respiratory-virus.html PARIS (AP) — A French patient infected with a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS died Tuesday of the disease, which has killed half the people known to be infected and alarmed global health officials. The novel coronavirus is related to SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003. Dr. Margaret Chan, head of the World Health O... Tue, 28 May 2013 19:55:54 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2113868-french-man-dies-sars-related-respiratory-virus.html 2013-05-28T19:55:54Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2113902-2-kosovo-bear-cubs-slaughtered-gallbladders.html PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo authorities say two bear cubs have been slaughtered for their gallbladders and dumped in a garbage bin. Gezime Hasani, a spokeswoman for Kosovo's environment ministry, said Tuesday that a man who kept the bear cubs in captivity refused an order from the ministry to hand them over so they can be moved to a bear sanctuary. Ins... Tue, 28 May 2013 13:26:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2113902-2-kosovo-bear-cubs-slaughtered-gallbladders.html 2013-05-28T13:26:06Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2112988-moms-obesity-surgery-help-break-cycle-kids.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Obese mothers tend to have kids who become obese. Now provocative research suggests weight-loss surgery may help break that unhealthy cycle in an unexpected way — by affecting how their children's genes behave. In a first-of-a-kind study, Canadian researchers tested children born to obese women, plus their brothers and sisters who were c... Mon, 27 May 2013 20:12:35 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2112988-moms-obesity-surgery-help-break-cycle-kids.html 2013-05-27T20:12:35Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2112378-doc-face-transplant-patient-making-good-progress.html WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A surgeon who operated on Poland's first face transplant patient says the man is already practicing swallowing and making sounds. The 33-year-old man received a skin-and-bone transplant on May 15, three weeks after losing his nose, upper jaw and cheeks in a workplace accident. Doctors say it was the world's fastest time frame for su... Mon, 27 May 2013 13:27:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2112378-doc-face-transplant-patient-making-good-progress.html 2013-05-27T13:27:57Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2105274-who-scientific-red-tape-mars-efforts-vs-virus.html GENEVA (AP) — International efforts to combat a new pneumonia-like virus that has now killed 22 people are being slowed by unclear rules and competition for the potentially profitable rights to disease samples, the head of the World Health Organization warned Thursday. Dr. Margaret Chan, in a blunt warning to the U.N. agency's annual global assembly, port... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:46:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2105274-who-scientific-red-tape-mars-efforts-vs-virus.html 2013-05-23T21:46:28Z http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2102474-polish-man-quick-face-transplant-injury.html WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A 33-year-old Polish man received a face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest time frame to date for such an operation. It was Poland's first face transplant. Face transplants are extraordinarily complicated and relatively rare procedures that us... Thu, 23 May 2013 03:11:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/int/scitech/health/2102474-polish-man-quick-face-transplant-injury.html 2013-05-23T03:11:44Z