Health Headlines - November 16

Infections Big Risk for Premature Babies

The smallest premature babies, already at high risk of brain damage, are likely to develop even more mental disorders if they get any infection in the first weeks of life, researchers said on Tuesday.

Study Links Smog Increases to Urban U.S. Deaths

Increases in air pollution caused by cars, power plants and industry can be directly linked to higher death rates in U.S. cities, a study said on Tuesday.

Teens with Same-Sex Parents as Normal as Peers

Teenagers raised by two women appear to be as well adjusted as those who are raised by male-female couples, a new report indicates.

Short-Term Ozone Pollution Raises Mortality Risk

When ozone goes up in cities, even for short periods at levels below current regulatory standards, so does the death rate, according to an article in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

New Drug May Be Better Than Aspirin for Diabetics

A drug called picotamide appears to be a more effective blood-thinner than aspirin for people with diabetes, according to an Italian study.

Estrogen Helps with Endometriosis Pain

The benefits of the standard drugs used to treat pain caused by endometriosis are improved when the woman is also treated with estrogen and progestin hormone therapy, Italian researchers report.

White Kids More Likely to Be Allergic to Peanuts

Perhaps because of differences in feeding habits, white children appear to be at increased risk for peanut allergy compared with their non-white peers, new research suggests.

Outpatient Tonsillectomy Safe for Most Children

Kids who need their tonsils removed can be in and out of the hospital on the same day, in many cases, Spanish doctors report.

Laser Therapy Improves Rosacea Skin Sensitivity

Laser treatment that destroys small blood vessels relieves the facial skin sensitivity that often accompanies rosacea, doctors in Sweden report.

Study Links Sleep Deprivation, Obesity

Weight-loss experts have a novel prescription for people who want to shed pounds: Get some sleep. A very large study has found a surprisingly strong link between the amount of shut-eye people get and their risk of becoming obese.

Britain Plans Sweeping Smoking Ban

Four hundred years after King James I denounced tobacco as "loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs," the British government is taking heed. It announced plans Tuesday to ban smoking in most public places.

Activists Seek Funds for World Health

Health activists on Tuesday demanded more money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ahead of the group's board meeting where U.S. representatives are expected to push for a suspension of new projects.

FDA Criticized on Abortion Pill Safety

The government on Tuesday said a controversial abortion pill is safe enough to remain on the market, despite a third death and a grieving father's plea.

Health Researcher Martin Kaplan Dies

Martin M. Kaplan, a health researcher and former secretary-general of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pugwash conferences on disarmament, has died. He was 89.

FDA Orders Viagra to Pull 'Wild Thing' Ad

The government ordered Pfizer Inc. to yank cheeky television ads that promised better sex for men taking Viagra because they failed to disclose known risks associated with the drug, according to a letter released on Monday.

Study: Low-Fat Diets Better Long-Term

Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets.

Health Tip: Cold or Allergy?

Millions of Americans with year-round allergies may confuse their symptoms with frequent colds, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology says.

Extending Immune Cell Life Fights HIV

Boosting a cellular protein called telomerase may help ward off HIV, say UCLA scientists.

Drugs May Not Protect Against Cat Allergies

People allergic to cats may not be getting adequate relief from their prescription drugs even though more of the medications contain ingredients aimed at attacking these irritants, a new study finds.

New Clue to Prostate Cancer May Improve Treatment

New information about the activity of a hormone-sensitive cell receptor could improve the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a study in the November issue of Cancer Cell.

CT Scan Spots Operable Pancreatic Cancers

High-quality computed tomography (CT) scans are as effective as more invasive endoscopic ultrasound in assessing whether pancreatic cancer can be treated surgically.

Aromatase Inhibitors Recommended for Breast Cancer

A group of drugs called aromatase inhibitors should be used after surgery to treat postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, new guidelines recommend.

Health Tip: Boxers or Briefs?

So much for the "old wive's" tale that couples who want to get pregnant should eschew briefs for boxers.

The reasoning went that tight briefs would elevate testicular temperature, thus hampering sperm production.

But fertility experts say it simply isn't so.

Researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook say they've found that briefs produced no significant differences in a man's scrotal temperature or in his sperm count, concentration or movement.

The findings applied even when men switched from one type of underwear to the other, the scientists say.