 China's Ai Weiwei takes inspiration from milk scandal
 BEIJING (Reuters) - Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has taken inspiration from fears in China about milk safety for his latest work of art, a huge map of China made out of milk powder tins appearing at an exhibition in Hong Kong which opens on Friday. Ai, whose 81-day detention in 2011 sparked an international outcry, has regularly criticized the government for what he sees as its flouting of the rule of law and the rights of citizens. ...
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Organ donor cards hard to implement in China, official says
BEIJING (Reuters) - A system of donor cards indicating consent for organ transplants will not work in China as families will insist on having the final say, and many people see nothing wrong in using organs from executed prisoners, an official said on Friday. Nearly 1.5 million people in China need transplants every year, but only 10,000 can get organs, according to the Health Ministry. ...
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Great-Grandma, 79, Jumps From Plane
What do you do after you’ve survived six strokes, beat cancer twice and suffered from osteoporosis, arthritis and diabetes? If you’re 79-year-old Carolyn Meiselbach, you go skydiving. Of course. Meiselbach said she leaped into the upstate New York sky last month to settle some unfinished...
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Sanofi says will keep Toulouse research site
 PARIS (Reuters) - Sanofi said it would overhaul rather than exit its Toulouse research site, as it seeks to break an impasse with the French government which opposed the drugmaker's reorganization plans and the loss of jobs. Sanofi has been regrouping its research operations around the world into regional hubs and closing some laboratories to cut costs as it grapples with the impact on revenues of patent loss on several top-selling drugs. Chief Executive Chris Viehbacher plans to move research facilities in France to Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg, while closing other sites and cutting jobs. ...
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EU watchdog backs Bayer acne drug for certain patients
 LONDON (Reuters) - Bayer's acne pill Diane 35 and its generic versions are safe to use in certain women when other options have failed, the European Medicines Agency said on Friday. Following a formal safety review, conducted at the request of French authorities, the agency concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks - provided measures were taken to minimize the chance of blood clots forming in veins and arteries. ...
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Novo Nordisk says completes hemophilia drug trial
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the world's biggest insulin producer, said on Friday it had completed the first phase III trial of a hemophilia drug, N9-GP. Novo Nordisk said in a statement that in patients given the drug, 99 percent of bleeding episodes were treated with only one infusion and two-thirds of the patients had experienced complete resolution of bleeding. Patients had also reported an improvement in quality of life during the trial and the drug appeared to have a safe and well-tolerated profile, Novo said in the statement. ...
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Canadian astronaut wrestles with gravity after spaceflight
 By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Back on Earth, Canadian astronaut and cyberspace tweeter Chris Hadfield is getting a rough re-introduction to gravity after a five-month stint aboard the International Space Station, the former commander told reporters during a video webcast from Houston. Hadfield became a social media rock star with his zero-gravity version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and a continuous stream of commentary on Twitter about his life in orbit. But living without gravity for five months has left him feeling dizzy, weak and prematurely aged. ...
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What Teens Should Expect From Their First Gynecologist Visit
Visiting a gynecologist for the first time can be awkward and embarrassing for some teens. But the visit is crucial to help them understand their bodies and lay the groundwork for future health and wellness. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the first...
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Aimee Copeland Gets Bionic Hands
Aimee Copeland, the 25-year-old who lost her hands, both feet and her entire right leg to flesh-eating bacteria a year ago, has received two new bionic hands. Copeland spent the week in Ohio at Touch Bionics, where she received two bionic hands free of...
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WWII Vets: ‘There’s No Such Thing As a Good War’
Every week, it seems, we hear about an even more tragic kind of military death—that of veterans who take their own lives, most often when they’re back at home, seemingly safe and sound. It is, of course, an even deeper loss because unlike most combat-related fatalities, these deaths seem to be much more preventable. If only we’d seen the signs. If only we’d stopped him or her before it was too late.
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The supervised after-prom party: Now with cars, iPads and other goodies
 By Alice Mannette WICHITA, Kansas (Reuters) - Sometime on Sunday morning, a Pennsylvania high school student will be presented with the keys to a black Honda Civic just for going to a party after the school's annual prom dance. In Roanoke, Virginia, one student will drive away next month with a new car and two others will get iPads. At a high school outside Dallas, two students received $500 college scholarships. ...
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Virginia governor's race to test Tea Party Republicans' allure
 By Gary Robertson RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - The most nail-biting U.S. governor's race this year is centering on whether a Tea Party Republican can win Virginia, the southern state that has twice backed Democratic President Barack Obama. So far, the answer is: maybe. Republican state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, known for his anti-abortion and tax-cutting positions, is in a tight race with Terry McAuliffe, a former national Democratic Party chairman. The election will take place in November. ...
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Correction: Drunken Driving-Zero Deaths story
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a story May 17 about a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation on a blood alcohol threshold for drivers, The Associated Press incorrectly reported the definition of a drink. The standard definition of a drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol.
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Endometriosis more common in lean women: study
By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heavy women are less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis than their slimmer peers, according to a new study. Researchers following more than 116,000 women found that morbidly obese study participants were 39 percent less likely than normal-weight women to develop the chronic condition - in which uterine tissue grows outside the uterus and causes painful periods and bleeding. That link was especially strong among women with infertility, according to Dr. ...
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Higher-stakes soccer matches tied to more injuries
By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Soccer matches played at a high level of competition are more likely to result in injuries - and in more serious ones - compared to less important games, according to a new study. The finding makes sense, according to Håkan Bengtsson, who led the research, because prestigious games are likely to be "higher intensity and (result in) more situations with higher risks. ...
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Judge blocks Arkansas law banning abortions after 12 weeks
By Suzi Parker LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday blocked a new Arkansas law that would ban most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, one of the most restrictive abortion statutes in the nation. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright granted an injunction sought by abortion rights groups, saying the ban was "more than likely" unconstitutional and ordering that implementation be delayed until a legal challenge to the law can be tried in court. The law was to have taken effect in August. ...
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Sony to name Chugai Pharma's CEO as chairman: Nikkei
 (Reuters) - Sony Corp plans to appoint Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Chief Executive Osamu Nagayama as chairman, the Nikkei reported. Nagayama's appointment will be finalized on June 20 at a board meeting to be held immediately after a shareholders' meeting, the business daily said. Outgoing chairman Howard Stringer, who served as Sony's CEO between 2005 and 2012, will retire in June, the Japanese paper said. (Reporting by Aditi Shrivastava in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das)
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Surgeons-in-training dislike new work hours: survey
By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most surgeons-in-training dislike new rules that limit how many hours they can work, according to a new study that also found the majority said they skirt the restrictions. Researchers surveyed 1,013 surgical residents - who train for years alongside more senior surgeons - and found that about two of every three said they disapproved of the 2011 regulations, which aimed to improve patient care as well as the residents' education and quality of life. ...
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Two states say 2014 Obamacare insurance costs on low side
 By Sharon Begley and Caroline Humer (Reuters) - In a boost for President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, two states in the Northwest said on Friday that insurance companies submitted applications to sell policies on the states' health insurance exchanges at rates well below what some insurance executives had predicted. The insurance marketplaces are a key element of the reform law, which is due to take full effect in 2014. A core principle of these exchanges is that competition, along with government subsidies and other measures, will keep rates affordable. ...
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Illinois Senate approves marijuana for medical uses
 By Joanne von Alroth SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois Senate on Friday voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state in the nation after California to allow the drug's use for medical purposes. The bill, approved by the Illinois House in April, now moves to Governor Pat Quinn's desk to await his signature. Quinn has indicated he is sympathetic to the bill, especially as it would benefit injured veterans. "We fully expect Gov. ...
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Death toll from new bird flu in China rises to 36: WHO
LONDON (Reuters) - Four more people in China have died from a new strain of bird flu, bringing the death toll from the H7N9 virus to 36 from 131 confirmed cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The United Nations health agency said the four deaths were from cases that had already been identified in laboratories. Since May 8, there have been no new cases of infection with H7N9, it added. ...
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Exclusive: Onex fails to find buyer for Carestream Health
 By Soyoung Kim and Greg Roumeliotis NEW YORK (Reuters) - Onex Corp has called off its auction of medical imaging firm Carestream Health Inc after failing to find a buyer that was willing to meet its price expectation of as much as $3.5 billion, three people familiar with the matter said this week. Bain Capital LLC, the last remaining private equity firm that was talking to Onex about a possible deal, dropped out of the auction this week, the people said. Another interested party, Thomas H. Lee Partners LP, exited the process earlier, they added. ...
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Is MRSA the Godzilla of Superbugs?
In the years I’ve spent writing about infectious diseases I can only think of a handful that have made me squirm: Guinea worm disease, which involves painful extractions of long worms from the human body (blech); Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba (pretty self-explanatory); Ebola (because, well, it’s Ebola); and Staph A (full name, Staphylococcus aureus).
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Fever reducers don't slow children's recovery: study
By Trevor Stokes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A review of past research finds that fever-reducing drugs have no effect on the speed of children's recovery from an infection, contrary to the fears of some doctors and parents. Researchers have debated for decades whether lowering a sick child's fever helps the recovery process or interferes with the body's ability to fight the infection. Some previous research has shown that giving children fever-reducing "antipyretic" medications, such as acetaminophen, after vaccinations interfered with their immune responses to the vaccines, for example. ...
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Mini-Movies May Boost IVF Success
Mini-movies of growing embryos could help boost the success of in vitro fertilization, a new study found. But the number of women who could benefit from the time-lapse technology is unclear.
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OAS calls for softer approach toward illegal drug users
 By Eduardo Garcia BOGOTA (Reuters) - The Organization of American States on Friday published a report calling for decriminalization of drug use and for greater coordination between nations in tackling the scourge. "The report presented by the OAS today is a vital piece in the construction of a common way to fight this problem," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said during the presentation of the 200-page report in Bogota. ...
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Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands
 ATLANTA (AP) — A metro Atlanta woman who lost both hands, her left leg and right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease was on her way back from Ohio Friday after being fitted with prosthetic hands.
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Afghan parliament fails to pass divisive women's law
 By Miriam Arghandiwal and Ibrahimi Aziz KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament failed to pass a law on Saturday banning violence against women, a severe blow to progress made in women's rights in the conservative Muslim country since the Islamist Taliban was toppled over a decade ago. President Hamid Karzai approved the law by decree in 2009 and parliament's endorsement was required. But a rift between conservative and more secular members of the assembly resulted in debate being deferred to a later date. ...
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Bernanke upbeat on innovation outlook in commencement address
 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted an upbeat picture on Saturday for the potential of innovation to lift living standards, delivering a sweeping look at the last 100 years that included memories of his 1963 South Carolina home. Bernanke made no reference to monetary policy or the immediate outlook for the U.S. economy in prepared remarks to graduates of Bard College at Simon's Rock, Massachusetts. But the die-hard baseball fan did manage to work in a reference to one of the sport's greats. ...
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Lundbeck says drug shows improvement in depression symptoms
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck and Japanese partner Takeda said on Saturday that data from clinical phase III studies with the antidepressant vortioxetine had shown significant improvement in patients' symptoms. Lundbeck said in a statement that the trial showed safety levels consistent with previously completed studies at lower doses. Lundbeck and Takeda submitted vortioxetine, also known as Brintellix, for regulatory approval in the United States and Europe at the end of last year. ...
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Saudi Arabia has another case of new coronavirus: WHO
LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has reported another case of infection in a concentrated outbreak of a new strain of a virus that emerged in the Middle East last year and spread into Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. In a disease outbreak update issued from its Geneva headquarters, the WHO said the latest patient is an 81-year-old woman with multiple medical conditions. She became ill on April 28 and is in a critical but stable condition. ...
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Correction: New Virus story
NEW YORK (AP) — In a story May 15 about a new SARS-like virus spreading from patients to health care workers in Saudi Arabia, The Associated Press reported erroneously the location of the 20 deaths attributed to the virus. There have been no deaths reported in France and Qatar, only in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany and Britain.
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High-tech tools for STDs
Want to let others know you're STD-free? Need to tell former lovers to get tested? Or just having some strange symptoms? New sites and apps can help. 
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