Health Headlines - January 28

Study Finds Most Bone Growth Occurs at Night

The perception that children seem to grow taller overnight is likely true, researchers said on Thursday.

Smoking Further Linked to Deadly Pancreatic Cancer

Smoking may speed the growth of pancreatic cancer by causing it to develop in younger people, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

U.S. Group Warns of Mix-Ups with Foreign Drugs

The same brand names are sometimes used for different drugs in different countries, posing a risk for people who import cheaper medicines from abroad, a U.S. group warned on Thursday.

Can't Sit Still? It May Keep You Thin, Study Finds

People who literally cannot sit still may have inborn behavior that keeps them slim even if they overeat a little, researchers in the United States said on Thursday.

Health Savings Accounts Hurt Poor, Care

Health plans with high patient-paid deductibles, embraced by many Republicans as a market-based solution to quell soaring medical-care costs, lead to poorer quality care and increasing patient debt, a study released on Thursday said.

Passive Smoke Raises Kids' Lung Cancer Risk - Study

Children exposed to passive smoking have a higher risk of developing lung cancer later in life than other youngsters, according to new research.

Unsafe Sex Burdens Health in U.S.

The public health burden related to unsafe sexual activity is three times higher in the U.S. than in other developed nations, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medicare Expects to Pay $2 Billion for Heart Devices

Wider coverage for expensive implanted heart devices likely will cost the U.S. Medicare program for seniors about $2 billion over five years, the program's administrator said on Thursday.

Tsunami Survivors Risk Fungal Infection

Survivors of the Asian tsunami, in which nearly 300,000 people were killed or are still missing, could be at risk of a deadly fungal infection, Australian researchers said Friday.

Statins Reduce Deaths Among Dialysis Patients

Treatment with a statin drug -- such as Lipitor or Zocor -- significantly reduces the risk of cardiac and non-cardiac death in people on hemodialysis, investigators report.

Meth Becoming a Threat in Some Cities

Already known as a rural scourge, methamphetamine is becoming a problem in a number of U.S. cities. Meetings of the 12-step group Crystal Meth Anonymous have increased in Chicago from one night a week a few years ago to five a week.

Medicare Expands Defibrillator Coverage

About 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, some of whom have never suffered cardiac arrest, became eligible for coverage of expensive defibrillators Thursday in a move that could cost $2 billion over five years.

Everyday Activity Said Key to Weight Loss

It turns out some couch potatoes spend more time on the couch than others. And that could be a key to obesity.

Lawmakers Look to Tax Cosmetic Surgery

Nip, tuck and ... tax? Lawmakers trying to plump up the bottom line are considering a "vanity tax" on cosmetic surgery and Botox injections in Washington, Illinois and other states.

States Encouraged to Use Flu Shots

Afraid millions of doses will go to waste, the government all but dropped its restrictions on the flu vaccine Thursday, encouraging states with ample supplies to offer shots to anyone who wants one.

10 Die of Bird Flu in Vietnam This Month

Vietnam reported another bird flu death Friday, bringing the human toll from the virus that spreads mostly from chickens and ducks to humans to 10 so far this month, officials said.

Bush to Pledge $3.2B to Combat AIDS Abroad

President Bush will ask Congress to provide $3.2 billion to combat AIDS in Africa and other poor regions, continuing the program's gradual growth, senior administration officials said Thursday.

Gates Foundation Gives $10M for Polio

The United Nations said Thursday that it has received grants of $10 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help develop and introduce a more effective new vaccine for polio.

Journal Retracts Report on Prozac Papers

The British Medical Journal has retracted a report that said Eli Lilly and Co. documents suggesting a link between Prozac and a heightened risk of suicide attempts and violence had gone missing for years.

Hispanic Americans Face Liver Disease Risk

Hispanic Americans may be at higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than other racial groups, says a study in the February issue of Hepatology.

Nervous System Development Detailed

Research in mice and fruit flies offers the first evidence that a group of proteins called phosphatases play an important role in nervous system development, says a study in the Jan. 28 issue of Science.

Study details suspected case of human-to-human bird flu transmission

Researchers say they have the first scientific evidence to confirm worries that the bird flu, the avian virus that has sparked a health alert in Southeast Asia, can be transmitted from one human to another.

After SARS, health experts ponder the next global epidemic

The panic caused by SARS and the impact of avian flu fuelled a debate among public health professionals about where the next global epidemic might emerge -- and how to contain it.

Two more people infected by bird flu in Vietnam

Two girls have tested positive for bird flu in southern Vietnam and are critically ill in hospital, a doctor said.

Japan's AIDS experts alarmed as HIV infections hit record high

The number of Japanese people who were infected with HIV or developed AIDS topped 1,000 for the first time in 2004, officials said, voicing concern the virus could be spreading more quickly due to a lack of awareness.

More than 400 pigeons culled in Thailand over bird flu fears

More than 400 pigeons have been culled in central Thailand, after one of the wild birds was found infected with a strain of bird flu that can be deadly to humans, officials said.