By MARIA CHENG on Nov 20, 2008 05:51PM

Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier

LONDON (AP) -- Some advanced lung cancer patients already treated with chemotherapy might be able to skip some of the bad side effects of another series of chemo by taking a pill instead, a study suggests. An international study showed patients on Iressa, an expensive, newer targeted treatment, survived about as long as those on another course of chemotherapy....

By LAURAN NEERGAARD on Nov 20, 2008 03:01PM

HIV tests not yet as routine as cholesterol checks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two years after the government urged making HIV tests as common as cholesterol checks, there are small gains but still one in five people infected with the AIDS virus doesn't know it, scientists said Thursday....

By RASHA MADKOUR on Nov 20, 2008 05:52AM

Teen lives 4 months with no heart, leaves hospital

MIAMI (AP) -- D'Zhana Simmons says she felt like a "fake person" for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. "But I know that I really was here," the 14-year-old said, "and I did live without a heart."...

By KEVIN FREKING on Nov 19, 2008 01:30PM

Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions - but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage....

By BEN LEUBSDORF on Nov 19, 2008 03:08PM

Surgeon who did first US heart transplant dies

DETROIT (AP) -- Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, a cardiac surgeon who performed the nation's first human heart transplant and who also developed lifesaving medical implants, has died. He was 90. Kantrowitz died Friday in Ann Arbor of complications from heart failure, said his wife, Jean Kantrowitz....

By MARIA CHENG on Nov 19, 2008 11:58AM

Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells

LONDON (AP) -- Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique has great promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Only a handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done....

By CARLA K. JOHNSON on Nov 18, 2008 03:03PM

Ginkgo fails to prevent Alzheimer's in large study

CHICAGO (AP) -- The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn't help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. "We don't think it has a future as a powerful anti-dementia drug," said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study....

Nov 21, 2008 06:00AM

Scientists Honored For Contributions To Cancer Fight

The American Cancer Society - the nation's leading voluntary health organization and largest non-governmental funder of cancer research and discovery - will present its highest honor, the Medal of Honor, to four Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against cancer.

Nov 21, 2008 06:00AM

AVMA Congratulates Obama Family For Making Adoption Of New First-Family Dog A Serious, Careful Decision

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, President-Elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said that they plan to take their time adopting a first-family dog, waiting until "late winter, early spring" to pick their new pet. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) thanks the president-elect for setting a good example for every American considering adopting a pet.

Nov 21, 2008 06:00AM

Impact Of Aging Society To Be Examined By New MacArthur Network

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is creating a new inter-disciplinary research network to help America prepare for the challenges and opportunities posed by our aging society. In the middle of the next decade, the United States will become an aging society, one feature of which is that those over age 60 will outnumber those under age 15.

Nov 21, 2008 06:00AM

AVMA Responds To Alleged Abuse Of Turkeys At West Virginia Farm

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is concerned about reports detailing possible inhumane treatment of turkeys at poultry-breeding facilities in West Virginia. The AVMA expects that the alleged abuse, which was captured on video, will be fully investigated.

Nov 21, 2008 06:00AM

AARP Public Policy Institute Releases Issues Report On Racial, Ethnic Disparities In Medicare Beneficiaries' Immunizations

"Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunization Rates Among Medicare Beneficiaries" (.pdf), AARP Public Policy Institute: The issues report discusses factors that might contribute to black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries' access to immunizations.

Nov 19, 2008 12:28PM

Study to Examine Early, Inherited Form of Alzheimer's

Researchers are seeking 300 volunteers with a biological parent with a known genetic mutation causing rare and typically early-onset forms of the disorder to join the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease Network (DIAN) study, a six-year, $16 million study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Nov 19, 2008 06:08AM

ADHD Medications Do Not Cause Genetic Damage in Children

In contrast to recent findings, two of the most common medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to cause genetic damage in children who take them as prescribed, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Duke University Medical Center.

Nov 20, 2008 10:01AM

Landmark Study Defines Benefits of Early HIV Testing and Treatment for Infected Infants

Testing very young babies for HIV and giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately to those found infected with the virus dramatically prevents illness and death, according to a report in the "New England Journal of Medicine". These findings come from the "Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy" (CHER) study, the first Phase III randomized clinical trial to study the best time to begin ART in infants. Launched in South Africa in July 2005, CHER is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the departments of health of the Western Cape and Gauteng in South Africa.

Nov 18, 2008 02:08PM

Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Fails To Show Benefit in Preventing Dementia in the Elderly

The dietary supplement Ginkgo biloba was found to be ineffective in reducing the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older people, according to a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association". This research was co-funded by five components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM); National Institute on Aging (NIA); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Nov 14, 2008 05:52AM

New Program Teaches Preschoolers Reading Skills, Getting Along With Others

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies shows that it's possible to teach preschoolers the pre-reading skills they need for later school success, while at the same time fostering the socials skills necessary for making friends and avoiding conflicts with their peers.