 Challenges remain before docs use whole-genome sequencing
Researchers found that sequencing a person's whole genome - all three billion or so DNA nucleotides in the chromosomes - required a significant amount of manpower for a small payoff. One of the study's authors said the cost of sequencing a person's entire genome has dropped in recent years, but the technology has been mostly used for research. "We thought the time had come to do a small pilot study of patients in the clinical setting," Dr. Euan Ashley told Reuters Health. For the new study published in JAMA, he and his colleagues recruited 12 unrelated people between November 2011 and March 2012 to have their full genomes sequenced.
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Oxigene Inc says drug meets main goal of ovarian cancer trial
(Reuters) - Oxigene Inc said on Tuesday that its experimental drug Zybrestat combined with Roche's big selling cancer drug Avastin significantly slowed progression of recurrent ovarian cancer better than Avastin alone in a midstage clinical trial. Shares of tiny Oxigene, which had been halted prior to announcement of the trial results, more than doubled in extended trading. The drugs, which use different mechanisms to deprive tumors of blood supply and oxygen needed to grow, met the primary goal of the study by demonstrating a statistically significant increase in progression-free survival (PFS), or the time it takes before the cancer begins to worsen. "This promising combination warrants further evaluation particularly given the significant need for new treatment options in relapsed ovarian cancer," Dr. Bradley Monk, lead investigator of the study, said in a statement.
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Judge in Colorado theater massacre case appoints new sanity evaluator
 By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A judge overseeing the Colorado movie theater massacre case appointed an evaluator on Tuesday to conduct a second sanity examination of accused gunman James Holmes after earlier ruling a first evaluation to be "incomplete and inadequate." Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour, in a written ruling, approved the selection by the state mental hospital of the new examiner, whose name was redacted in the order. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder and attempted murder charges linked to the 2012 shooting during a viewing of a Batman film in a suburban Denver cinema that killed 12 moviegoers and injured 70 others.
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Alleged Sex Assault Victim, 6, Too Young to Testify?
Research shows that more sexual abuse cases are coming to light and children are increasingly being admitted as witnesses in court proceedings. An estimated 1.6 percent of children between the ages of 12-17 have been victims of rape/sexual assault and many must face their assailants.
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Profit-taking drags Wall Street lower
 By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, with selling picking up late in the session, as investors cashed in some of the recent market gains, but the S&P 500 finished less than 1 percent away from a record high set last week. Indexes had swung between gains and losses in the first half of the session, as the lack of major corporate earnings or market-affecting data kept trading directionless, but they closed near the day's lows. Shares of retailers American Eagle and Urban Outfitters fell sharply after disappointing outlooks. ...
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Especially for women, hearing loss linked to depression
Higher rates of depression were most common among women and among the middle aged, compared to people over 70, researchers found. A few smaller studies have shown a connection between hearing loss and depression, but they were not based on nation-wide samples and the results were conflicting, Dr. Chuan-Ming Li said.
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When Zach met Barack: pitching Obamacare online
 By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama took his quest to sign young people up for health insurance to an edgy comedy website on Tuesday, where he traded insults with host Zach Galifianakis while plugging his signature Obamacare health program. Obama sat for an interview on "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis," on the Funny or Die website. The actor, who starred in "The Hangover" films, is known for his cringe-inducing banter on the program. ...
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Insurers wary of Obamacare unknowns as they plan for 2015
 By Caroline Humer NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health insurers are struggling to set prices for their Obamacare plans in 2015 and decide which regions to return to before the deadlines for submitting those plans to regulators. Some insurers already expect to lose money this year following the rocky launch of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, which aims to provide coverage to millions of uninsured Americans with the help of government subsidies. ...
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Obamacare enrollment in private coverage rises to 4.2 million people
 By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Tuesday that 4.2 million people have signed up for private health insurance under Obamacare, and indicated that total enrollment could surpass a 6 million-enrollee forecast by the end of March. New enrollment data for a five-month period from October 1 through March 1 came out as the administration threw its public relations campaign into overdrive, with President Barack Obama appearing for an interview on the comedy website, "Funny or Die," in a direct appeal to the site's audience of young adults. ...
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Louisiana man fined $600 after drunken fight with wife aboard flight
A judge in the Cayman Islands fined a Louisiana man $600 on Tuesday for forcing a Delta Air Lines flight to make an emergency landing after he got into a drunken argument with his wife aboard the plane on their anniversary. Michael Foret, 33, was escorted from a Delta Air Lines plane by police when it landed in the Cayman Islands on Sunday night. On Tuesday, Foret, who had been held in police custody, appeared before a Cayman Islands judge, his lawyer, Ben Tonner, said. Foret was fined for disruptive behavior aboard a commercial flight, he said.
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Republican Party wins Florida congressional seat in special election
 By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Republican David Jolly won an expensive battle to fill a vacant U.S. Congressional seat in a special election watched by both major parties for what it portends for November when all 435 congressional seats will be up for grabs. Jolly, 41, defeated Democrat challenger Alex Sink, 65, a former state chief financial officer, by 3,500 votes or a 1.87 percent margin - 48.43 percent to 46.56 percent, according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections website. Libertarian candidate Lucas Overby took 4.83 percent of the votes. Republicans were quick to declare the result a repudiation of President Obama's Affordable Healthcare Act, known as Obamacare.
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Motor racing-"Small, encouraging signs" in Schumacher condition - agent
(adds details from statement, background) PARIS, March 12 (Reuters) - There are small signs of encouragement in Michael Schumacher's condition but the most successful former Formula One champion of all time faces a long fight to recover after suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident, his agent said on Wednesday. "We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up," his agent and spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, said in a written statement. Schumacher, 45, slammed his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps resort of Meribel on Dec. 29.
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"Small, encouraging signs" in Schumacher condition - agent
There are small signs of encouragement in Michael Schumacher's condition but the most successful former Formula One champion of all time faces a long fight to recover after suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident, his agent said on Wednesday. "We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up," his agent and spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, said in a written statement. Schumacher, 45, slammed his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps resort of Meribel on December 29.
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5 Ways to Eat Less Packaged Food
While it’s not practical to eliminate packaged foods completely, there are ways to cut back so you can reduce your exposure and protect your health. Try these five fresh food strategies.
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Ackman accuses Herbalife of breaking laws in China
 By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager William Ackman renewed his attack on Herbalife on Tuesday and said he has evidence the U.S.-based nutrition and weight loss company is breaking direct-selling laws in China, its fastest growing market. Ackman, who has placed a $1 billion short bet against Herbalife, said the company was making recruits pay an entry fee and letting distributors recruit new members, activities he said were illegal in China. Herbalife said it follows local laws. Chinese regulators have yet to comment on the matter but direct sales models have recently come under fire in China, where authorities launched a probe in January into Herbalife's rival NU Skin Enterprises Inc after state media reported that it brainwashed its members.
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Geron says FDA halts testing of lead drug
(Reuters) - Geron Corp said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had ordered to halt the trials of its cancer drug imetelstat due to concerns of liver damage. The company said the FDA verbally notified them about the hold, which will affect all trials of the treatment, including its thrombocythemia and multiple myeloma mid-stage studies. The experimental blood cancer drug was touted as a saviour for the company in November, after a number of trial patients were cured. Geron's shares closed at $4.40 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. ...
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Nine arrested over stabbing of Hong Kong newspaper editor
 By Grace Li HONG KONG (Reuters) - Police in Hong Kong and China have arrested nine men with suspected links to organized crime for the stabbing of a prominent Hong Kong journalist, the territory's chief of police said on Wednesday, an attack that was seen by many as an assault on press freedom. Thousands of protesters dressed in black and wearing blue ribbons, symbolizing press freedom, marched in condemnation of the attack this month. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is a freewheeling capitalist hub which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and freedom, but Beijing's Communist Party leaders have resisted public pressure for full democracy. Two men had been arrested in China, and seven in Hong Kong in connection with the attack on Kevin Lau, a former editor of the respected Ming Pao newspaper, who was seriously wounded.
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AstraZeneca sells British R&D site, to take 165.50 million pounds charge
AstraZeneca has agreed to sell its Alderley Park research site in northern England to a public-private partnership group as it moves drug discovery to a new global centre in Cambridge. The decision to close Alderley Park was a major blow for the northwest of the country, but the latest transaction has a silver lining as new owner Manchester Science Parks plans to keep the 400-acre site as a biotechnology campus. The site lies with within the Cheshire parliamentary constituency of British Finance Minister George Osborne, who said on Wednesday he was delighted it would continue to play a role as a centre for the life sciences industry. The sale follows a decision last March by AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot to move drug research and development to a new site in university city Cambridge in eastern England - a world-class centre for life sciences.
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Eating Habits for Better Sleep
Our cultural lack of sufficient sleep does more than just keep Starbucks in business; it may be contributing to our ever-growing waistline.
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U.S. drugmaker to give unapproved medicine to dying Virginia boy
A dying seven-year-old boy who is suffering from a viral infection could receive an unapproved treatment as early as Wednesday after a drugmaker struck a deal with U.S. regulators to provide the medicine. Pharmaceutical company Chimerix Inc, lobbied by supporters of Josh Hardy in a campaign that has gained national attention, will make him the first patient in a 20-patient pilot trial of open-label brincidofovir (CMX001). The drug, used to treat adenovirus infections in patients with weakened immune systems, has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was initially withheld by the Durham, North Carolina-based company. "Being unable to fulfill requests for compassionate use is excruciating, and not a decision any one of us ever wants to have to make," Chimerix President and Chief Executive Kenneth Moch said in a statement on Tuesday.
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FDA approves device for preventing migraines
 On Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of a device for preventing migraines. Called Cefaly, it's the first transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device designed for use prior to the crushing pain of such headaches. A migraine lasts four to 72 hours if untreated. "Cefaly provides an alternative to medication for migraine prevention," Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.
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Henman believes doping not significant in tennis
 Tennis must guard against doping even if performance enhancing drugs have not been a major problem in the sport, former world number four Tim Henman warned on Wednesday. High-profile men's players Marin Cilic of Croatia and Serbia's Viktor Troicki both fell foul of anti-doping regulations last year. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is introducing a biological passport system, following calls for more anti-doping procedures from leading players like Roger Federer, but Henman doubts whether doping can even help tennis players.
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Quitting smoking linked to improved mood
 By Kathleen Raven NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smokers who kick the habit appear to benefit from an improved mood, according to a new review of past studies. On average, quitting smoking was associated with improvements in mental health similar to taking an antidepressant drug, a team of UK researchers found. "The main message is that when people stop smoking, they feel better than they did when they were smoking," Dr. Paul Aveyard, one of the review's authors, told Reuters Health. "People who quit smoking may feel grumpy, irritable and bad - those feelings are similar to feelings of stress and people conflate the two," Aveyard, from the University of Oxford, said.
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GO FIGURE: Health care needs 42 sign-ups a minute
 WASHINGTON (AP) — If the Obama administration's health care plan is going to pass what amounts to its first physical, people have to sign up this month at a pretty speedy rate: 42 times a minute.
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Moms in labor can bar dads from birth room, N.J. judge rules
By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey this week became the first U.S. state to allow pregnant women to bar the fathers of their children from the delivery room while giving birth, under a court ruling. Mothers-to-be are also not obligated to inform fathers they have gone into labor, according to a decision published Monday by Passaic County Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed. "The court further finds that it would be an undue burden on the mother to require her to notify the father when she is in labor or require his presence during labor. It would invade her sphere of privacy and provide unwarranted strain on the mother." Mohammed's ruling pertains specifically to "putative fathers," or biological fathers not wed to the mother.
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TV time linked to less sleep for kids
 By Ronnie Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The more television children watch, the less total sleep they're getting, according to a small Spanish study. Researchers found that a nine-year-old who watched five hours of television a day, for example, slept an average one hour less a night than a nine-year-old who watched television for less than an hour and a half a day, lead author Marcella Marinelli, from the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, told Reuters Health. The study team followed some 1,700 children for up to three years and found those who increased their TV time got even less sleep as they grew up. "This study really demonstrated that kids who watch a lot of television and continued to do so continued to have a trajectory of less sleep than they should have," said Christina Calamaro, from the Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware, who was not involved in the research.
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Maryland mall shooter may have copied Columbine massacre: police
 By Alice Popovici MARRIOTTSVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - The gunman who killed two store employees at a Maryland mall this year did not know his victims and may have been obsessed by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, police said on Wednesday. The shooter, Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19, opened fire at a Columbia, Maryland, mall on January 25 while it was crowded with Saturday shoppers. Investigators have been unable to find any connection between Aguilar and the employees he gunned down at a Zumiez Inc skateboard store, the Howard County Police Department's investigation found. Aguilar worked at a doughnut shop.
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Wall Street pares losses as Ukraine concerns ease
 By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday, as equities recouped much of their earlier declines amid signs of progress in diplomatic attempts to ease tensions surrounding Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in London on Friday ahead of a referendum Sunday on whether the Ukraine's Crimean peninsula will join Russia or go independent. "People are just kind of reassessing, they are looking at that headline and thinking maybe it is not going to turn out to be a disaster in Russia and Ukraine," said Ken Polcari, Director of the NYSE floor division at O'Neil Securities in New York.
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Gene mapping study shows promise, challenges
CHICAGO (AP) — These days, it's faster and cheaper than ever to decipher a person's entire DNA. But a small study suggests that looking for disease risks that way may not be ready for the masses.
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Rohingya dying from lack of health care in Myanmar
 THE' CHAUNG, Myanmar (AP) — Noor Jahan rocked slowly on the floor, trying to steady her weak body. Her chest heaved and her eyes closed with each raspy breath. She could no longer eat or speak, throwing up even spoonfuls of tea.
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5 fitness apps that get results
Looking for a new way to reach your fitness goals? Now's the time to check out some of the hottest fitness apps as 2014 gets underway. 
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What to do about your bad breath
Millions of Americans suffer from bad breath. For some, it's ever-present, no matter what they do. But there are some steps you can take. 
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