U.S. Supreme Court Reopens Late-Term Abortion Ban Issue
On Justice Samuel Alito Jr.'s first day on the bench, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear a challenge to a federal law that bans late-term abortion, The New York Times reported.
The Partial Birth Abortion Act was passed in 2003 but was immediately challenged in court and has never taken effect.
Within the last year, three federal appeals courts have ruled the law unconstitutional. Their rulings were based on a 2000 Supreme Court decision against a similar law in Nebraska.
The 2000 Supreme Court ruling said that any abortion ban must include an exception for the health of the mother
The announcement Tuesday that the Supreme Court will reopen the issue comes just three weeks after Alito was sworn in to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. During Alito's confirmation process, there were many questions about his views on abortion.
Tuesday's move by the Supreme Court is likely to re-ignite debate about how it will rule on efforts to limit abortion rights, The Times reported.
Heart Attack Linked to Later Bone Density Loss in Men
Male heart attack survivors have an increased risk of bone density loss and osteoporosis in later life, says a Tulane University study in the journal Osteoporosis International.
Researchers analyzed data from 5,050 U.S. men and women who took part in a national health and nutrition survey between 1988 and 1994.
"According to our data, people who reported a previous heart attack were more likely to have low bone mineral density than those who did not report a heart attack, but when examining this association separately for men and women, it was only significant for men," study author Jeanette H. Magnus said in a prepared statement.
Heart attack wasn't the only factor associated with bone density loss. The researchers also found that cigarette smoking, lack of physical activity, and being overweight also increased the risk of bone density loss.
"We have long known that heart disease and osteoporosis have similar risk factors, but this is the first study to examine the relationship between heart attack survivors and low bone mineral density," Magnus said.
"We recommend that men who survive heart attacks be screened for bone density loss," she concluded.
ReNu Contact Lens Solution Taken Off Market in Singapore
A spike in rare eye infections has prompted U.S. eyecare company Bausch & Lomb Inc. to suspend sales of its ReNu contact lens solution in Singapore.
The move is a precautionary measure and, "investigations are still ongoing on the cause of the recent reported incidence of contact lens-related fungal corneal infections," the Singapore health ministry said Tuesday.
This kind of infection can cause significant loss of vision and, in serious cases, patients may require corneal transplant, MarketWatch reported.
The health ministry said 39 cases of fungal corneal infection have been detected over the past year in people who use contact lenses. Of those 39 cases, it was confirmed that 34 people used ReNu. Four people were unsure of the brand they used and one other person used a different brand of contact lens solution.
The ReNu solution sold in Singapore is made at Bausch & Lomb's plant in North Carolina.
Hungary Confirms First Bird Flu Cases
Test results released Tuesday showed that three dead swans found in Hungary had the H5N1 bird flu virus -- the first confirmed cases in that country.
In Malaysia, culling of birds resumed after that country reported its first case of bird flu in a year, and Germany confirmed 22 new cases of bird flu in swans.
In Hong Kong, bird flu was detected in a dead magpie found near a flower market and a massive slaughter of chickens in western India has been expanded, the Associated Press reported.
The Indian government plans to kill a total of 700,000 chickens in the Navapur district, and has ordered 48 farms in the area to be emptied and remain closed for three months.
Along with killing birds, the Malaysian government has ordered house-to-house searches for sick people in an area where bird flu killed 40 chickens last week. The area is located close to the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, the AP reported.
In Europe, veterinary experts debated the use of poultry vaccines to protect commercial poultry stocks. France and the Netherlands support the idea while several other countries say it would be too costly and difficult.
Bird flu has been confirmed in seven European Nations -- Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, France and Slovenia.
50-Something Men Happy With Sex Lives
Despite declining sex drives and more problems with impotence, men in their 50s have more satisfying sex lives than men in their 30s, says a survey of 1,185 men aged 20 to 79.
In fact, men in their 50s reported being as happy with their sex lives as men in their 20s, the American and Norwegian researchers reported. The findings appear in the urology journal BJU International.
The men rated their satisfaction with various aspects of their sex life on a scale of zero to four -- with four being the highest, BBC News reported.
Men in their 20s had an average overall satisfaction level of 2.79, while men in their 50s had an average of 2.77. Men in their 30s had an average of 2.55 and men in their 40s scored an average of 2.72.
When it came to sexual function, scores moved steadily downward with age. For example, men in their 20s had an average score of 2.79 for sexual drive, compared with 1.54 for men in their 70s, BBC News reported.
"Our results show that, although men experience more problems and less sexual function as they get older, it doesn't necessarily follow that they are less satisfied with their sex lives," the study authors noted.
White House Wants Military Retirees to Pay More for Health Care
U.S. military retirees would have to pay more for health care under a Bush administration proposal that includes increased annual enrollment fees for retirees younger than 65 years old.
The proposal would also increase prescription drug co-payments for all beneficiaries of military health care, except people on active duty, the Associated Press reported.
Current enrollment fees for the Pentagon's health-care system, TRICARE, are $230 a year for an individual and $460 a year for a family. The Bush plan would increase the individual cost to between $325 and $700 by 2006, and the family cost to between $650 and $1,400. The fees would vary according to military rank at the time of retirement.
In the past five years, annual health-care costs for the U.S. military have doubled, to nearly $38 billion, and are projected to reach $64 billion by 2015. Health care accounts for nearly one dollar of every $12 spent by the Pentagon, the AP reported.
Health Tip: Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?
Between meals, snacks and drinks, the average American eats the equivalent of about 20 teaspoonfuls of sugar a day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
To save calories and still satisfy a craving for sweets, many people have turned to artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame.
In an article published in the online magazine FDA Consumer, the agency said, "Questions still linger about whether saccharin may cause cancer in humans, and though the sweetener is still widely used, it carries a label that warns of its potential risks."
Aspartame, the agency continued, "has come under fire in recent years from individuals who have used the Internet in an attempt to link the sweetener to brain tumors and other serious disorders. But FDA stands behind its original approval of aspartame, and subsequent evaluations have shown that the product is safe."
"A tiny segment of the population is sensitive to one of the sweetener's byproducts and should restrict intake. However, the agency continually monitors safety information on food ingredients such as aspartame and may take action to protect public health if it receives credible scientific evidence indicating a safety problem," the FDA publication said.
Health Tip: Signs of Autism
Autism, a complex neurological disease, often appears in infants as a lack of responsiveness to others.
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says symptoms of the disease include:
Impaired social interaction, which can range from inability to connect with others, to an obsessive focusing on one thing to the exclusion of anything else.
Problems with verbal or nonverbal communication.
Repetitive behaviors, such as rocking or twirling.
Failing to respond to one's name and avoiding eye contact.
Researchers do not know what causes autism, though there may be a genetic link.
There is no cure for autism. But some with the disorder can improve with therapy.
Food Fact:
Raspberry preserve.
Fresh raspberries are delicious -- but fragile. Here's how to treat them right. Because all fresh berries are highly perishable, they should be refrigerated (unwashed) as soon as possible after they're picked. Before refrigerating, spread the juicy, fragile berries in a single layer on a large tray or baking sheet. Wash berries gently but thoroughly before you eat them or use them in a recipe. Juicy and sweet, raspberries are jam-packed with vitamin C, folate and potassium; one cup has more than a third of your daily requirement of fiber. Raspberries are particularly powerful antioxidants. When researchers at Tufts University in Boston measured levels of antioxidants in various fruits and vegetables, berries consistently cropped up at the top of the list.
Fitness Tip of the day:
Drink up.
By the time you feel thirsty during a workout, you may already be dehydrated! Your body requires constant hydration during exercise. Drink at least 8 oz. of water every 15 minutes while you are exercising.
FAQ of the day:
How many calories do I need each day?
Fifteen calories per pound per day is a good rule of thumb for maintaining your weight. But remember, this is a rough estimate for the average, moderately active person; the actual number you need will depend on your relative amounts of lean and fat body tissue, and your fitness level. If you're very lean and active, you may burn as many as 17 calories per pound per day. Here's a rough guide to the number of calories a 125-lb. woman burns during different activities: About 1 calorie a minute sleeping or sitting quietly, 3 calories a minute doing light housework, and 14 calories a minute walking up stairs.
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