HEALTH News, Aug 02, 2011 (2)

Drug cuts brain lesions in MS patients: Actelion study Mon,1 Aug 2011 10:33 PM PDT Reuters - ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss biotech company Actelion Ltd said on Tuesday a mid-stage study showed one of its drugs under development helped reduce new inflammatory brain lesions in a targeted group of multiple sclerosis patients. Full Story

Magnetic field exposure linked to asthma risk Mon,1 Aug 2011 03:58 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children whose mothers had high exposure to electromagnetic fields while pregnant may have an increased risk of developing asthma, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that adds to an ongoing debate. Full Story

Acute-care hospitals to see higher Medicare payments Mon,1 Aug 2011 03:24 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. government announced an increase in reimbursement rates to acute-care hospitals for 2012, a sharp contrast to the cut it announced for skilled nursing facilities on Friday. Full Story

Factbox: Who serves on FDA drug advisory panels Mon,1 Aug 2011 03:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drugs regulators are revisiting conflict-of-interest rules that critics say rob advisory committees of necessary expertise by overly restricting who can serve. Full Story

Lawmakers may relax FDA drug conflict rules Mon,1 Aug 2011 03:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers likely will change the criteria for advisers reviewing new medicines next year because of complaints that the rules meant to prevent conflicts of interest make it harder to find real experts. Full Story

Boys who masturbate likelier to have safe sex? Mon,1 Aug 2011 02:41 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Masturbation could play an important role in sexual self-awareness and condom use in teenage boys, according to a new report. Full Story

Are hospital-based doctors fueling health spending? Mon,1 Aug 2011 02:40 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The growing number of hospital-based physicians in the U.S. could be taxing Medicare resources, government-funded researchers suggest in a new report. Full Story

Many kids abuse controlled medications Mon,1 Aug 2011 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than one in five teens who get strong painkillers, stimulants or other controlled medications from their doctor take too much of the substances, according to a new survey of Michigan students. Full Story

Syphilis up among minority gay, bisexual men Mon,1 Aug 2011 02:38 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The rising U.S. syphilis rate appears to be disproportionately striking minority gay and bisexual men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Monday. Full Story

U.S. says insurers must fully cover birth control Mon,1 Aug 2011 02:36 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health insurance companies must fully cover women's birth control and other preventive health care services under Obama administration rules released on Monday. Full Story

DHA in moms may help babies fight infection: study Mon,1 Aug 2011 10:41 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving pregnant moms omega-3 fatty acid supplements might help prevent infection in their infants, suggests new research. Full Story

Major League Baseball injuries increasing Mon,1 Aug 2011 09:49 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Injuries among Major League Baseball players are on the rise, despite advances in conditioning methods and injury treatments, according to research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Full Story

Factbox: Who serves on FDA drug advisory panels Mon,1 Aug 2011 08:57 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - drugs regulators are revisiting conflict-of-interest rules that critics say rob advisory committees of necessary expertise by overly restricting who can serve. Full Story

For Breivik, insanity tough to prove, hard to fake Mon,1 Aug 2011 08:51 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Assessing whether Norway's confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is insane, as his lawyer asserts, will take months of observation, interviews and analysis -- and experts say it's hard to fake mental illness. Full Story

Japanese rice to be tested for radioactive cesium Mon,1 Aug 2011 08:48 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - More than a dozen regional governments in Japan will conduct tests to determine whether locally grown rice contains too much radioactive cesium, farm ministry officials said on Monday, as food safety worries spill into the country's traditional staple. Full Story

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