Health Headlines - April 8

Skin Problems Common With Certain Arthritis Drugs

A family of arthritis medications called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) blocking agents can cause serious skin problems in 25 percent of patients who use the drugs, researchers report.

Pfizer Withdraws Bextra From Market

Although it disagreed with the government's recommendation, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. Thursday pulled the painkiller Bextra from American and European markets.

HIV-Infected Parent's Final Illness Toughest on Teens

AIDS takes a heavy emotional toll on the teenage children of HIV-infected parents, with risks for depression and self-destructive behavior peaking just before a parent dies, researchers report.

Infants Are Able to 'Read' the Mind

A child has just secretly munched the last cookies in a box. Will she be surprised when her little brother -- who did not witness the incident -- reaches into the box for the cookies he believes are still there? Or can she grasp that people act on the basis of their beliefs, even when those beliefs do not reflect reality?

Epstein-Barr Virus May Boost Lupus Risk in Blacks

The common Epstein-Barr virus may increase the risk of lupus in black Americans, researchers report.

Exercise Keeps Arthritis Disability At Bay

Staying independent with age may hinge on staying fit.

Science Waking Up to While-You-Sleep Dialysis

Across America, thousands of patients with end-stage kidney disease visit clinics for hours each day while a machine does what their kidneys cannot -- clean their blood of toxins.

Mediterranean Diet Extends Lives

Older folks who follow a modified Mediterranean diet high in fish, fruit and vegetables tend to live longer.

Refugees More Likely to Suffer PTSD

Refugees in western nations may be about 10 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general populations in those countries, says a study by researchers at the University of Oxford in England.

Food Banks in Appalachia Try Diet Fare

A surplus of diet food for the overweight has been a boon for the hungry in Appalachia. Once hot and trendy, low-carb Atkins diet foods that never got sold are being shipped to food banks.

Pfizer Halts Bextra Sales at FDA Request

The blockbuster painkiller Bextra was yanked off the market Thursday, and the government ordered that 19 other popular prescription competitors — from Celebrex to Mobic to high-dose naproxen — carry tough new warnings that they, too, may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.