Study: Over half of Americans on chronic medicines (AP) (14-May-08)

AP - For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study shows.

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Government to unveil fitness test for adults (AP) (14-May-08)

AP - If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape.

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Clinical Trials Update: May 13, 2008 (HealthDay) (14-May-08)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:

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Black Rectal Cancer Patients Less Likely to Get Chemo, Radiation (HealthDay) (14-May-08)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Even though black and white rectal cancer patients have similar referral rates to oncologists, blacks are less likely to receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy, new research shows.

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Exercise may protect girls from future breast cancer (AP) (14-May-08)

AP - Get your daughters off the couch: New research shows exercise during the teen years — starting as young as age 12 — can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown. Middle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause.

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First Beijing death linked to China virus outbreak (14-May-08)

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's capital has recorded its first death from a recent outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease as authorities try to contain the spread of a potent virus just three months before the city hosts the Olympic Games.

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Experts move closer to identifying best embryos (14-May-08)

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Australia and Greece appear to be moving closer to identifying genes that determine which test-tube embryos stand the best chance of implanting in the womb and growing into healthy babies.

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Researchers find smoking-lung cancer culprit (13-May-08)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein responsible for repairing damaged DNA may be a vital link to explaining how smoking causes lung cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

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AstraZeneca Seeks Generalized Anxiety Indication for Seroquel - FDA news (subscription) (13-May-08)

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Disclosing drug makers payments to docs gets boost (AP) (13-May-08)

AP - Legislation that would require prescription drug makers to disclose payments to doctors got a boost Tuesday when Eli Lilly and Co. broke ranks with the industry and endorsed the bill.

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Study: Older brains don't benefit from painkillers (AP) (13-May-08)

AP - Results from a large government experiment are dimming hopes that two common painkillers can prevent Alzheimer's disease or slow mental decline in older people.

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Senate revises drugmaker gift bill (13-May-08)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A revised Senate bill would require drugmakers and medical devicemakers to publicly report gifts over $500 a year to doctors, watering down the standard set in a previous version.

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Exercise may cut premenopausal breast cancer risk (13-May-08)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Regular exercise in adolescence and young adulthood may help cut a woman's risk of developing breast cancer before menopause, according to a U.S. study published on Tuesday.

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Many blacks miss therapy for rectal cancer (13-May-08)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blacks with rectal cancer are 23 percent less likely to get chemotherapy than whites, even when they see a cancer specialist, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

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Sitting too long may be dangerous for young infants (13-May-08)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - "Do not leave infants less than one month old in a sitting position for a long period of time," suggests Dr. Aurore Cote, because this may place them at increased risk for sudden infant death.

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Drug combo prevents NSAID-related GI disturbance (13-May-08)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although all of the common strategies protect the upper gastrointestinal tract from the complications of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), popular over-the-counter analgesics such as Motrin (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen), the combination of a COX-2 inhibitor and a proton pump inhibitor is associated with the largest reduction in gastrointestinal complications, according to a Canadian study published in the medical journal Gastroenterology.

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Gene therapy shows promise in rare brain disease (Reuters) (13-May-08)

Reuters - An experimental gene therapy treatment appears to have helped eight children with a rare and incurable neurological disorder, although it may have been responsible for the death of one, researchers reported on Tuesday.

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More than 2 million U.S. youths depressed: study (13-May-08)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.

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Gene therapy shows promise in rare brain disease (13-May-08)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An experimental gene therapy treatment appears to have helped eight children with a rare and incurable neurological disorder, although it may have been responsible for the death of one, researchers reported on Tuesday.

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Breastfeeding halves rheumatoid arthritis risk (Reuters) (13-May-08)

Reuters - Women who breastfeed their babies longer are less likely to get rheumatoid arthritis, Swedish researchers said on Tuesday.

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