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| China says child deaths not linked to hepatitis vaccine Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:38 PM PST Chinese health authorities said they have found no link between a hepatitis B vaccine and the deaths of nine children who had received those shots, state media said on Friday. China has been investigating 17 deaths following inoculation with a hepatitis B vaccine, made by Shenzhen-based BioKangtai, from December 13 and 31. Nine of the cases have nothing to do with the vaccines, state news agency Xinhua cited the director of the disease control bureau of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Yu Jingjin, as saying at a press conference. Li Guoqing of the China Food and Drug Administration said at a press conference that no problems had been found with BioKangtai vaccines in production practices or product quality, according to Xinhua. Full Story | Top |
| Drugs seized in raids on southern Chinese village Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:33 PM PST  Police in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have seized nearly three metric tons (3.3 tons) of the drug crystal methamphetamine and arrested 182 people in raids on a village notorious for producing narcotics. With the help of helicopters and speed boats, authorities targeted Boshe village, which has supplied over a third of crystal meth nationwide in the past three years, the provincial public security department said in a statement late on Thursday. More than 20 percent of households in Boshe, which is part of the southeastern city of Lufeng, are directly involved in or have a stake in drug production and trafficking rings, it added. Local media reported that village officials were among those arrested in the dawn raid last Sunday, although the security department statement gave no such details. Full Story | Top |
| General Mills begins selling Cheerios without GM ingredients Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 09:56 PM PST (Reuters) - General Mills Inc said it has stopped using genetically modified ingredients in the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios as the U.S. branded foods manufacturer hopes the move will firm up customer loyalty in the face of growing opposition to such additives. Many activists and critics have cited studies showing that genetically modified (GM) crops are not safe for people and animals who consume them. Some activist groups opposing GM food also say the crops create environmental problems by encouraging more use of certain agro chemicals, and consumers should have the right to know what they are buying. However, General Mills, which also makes Betty Crocker dessert mixes and Yoplait yoghurt, said in a company blog post on Thursday that its decision on ingredients was not driven by safety concerns or pressure from critics. Full Story | Top |
| Former U.S. Defense Secretary Gates recovering from fall Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 09:25 PM PST  Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is recovering after fracturing the first vertebrae in his neck during a fall at his home in Washington state on New Year's Day, according to media reports on Thursday. Gates, 70, who was Pentagon chief from 2006 to 2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, was treated at hospitals in Mount Vernon, Washington, and Seattle, and "is now back at home with his family resting comfortably," according to a statement by his office quoted by Politico. Full Story | Top |
| MPs criticise government's stockpiling of Roche drug Tamiflu Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 06:41 PM PST  By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - MPs on Friday criticised government spending of 424 million pounds ($702 million) to stockpile Roche's medicine Tamiflu, saying doubts about the drug's effectiveness suggest it may not be money well spent. Parliament's influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it was "surprised and concerned" to discover that information on methods and results of clinical trials of such prescribed drugs "is routinely withheld", and said there was a "lack of consensus over how well Tamiflu ... actually works". "The case for stockpiling antiviral medicines at the current level is based on judgment rather than on evidence of their effectiveness during an influenza pandemic," said Richard Bacon, a leading member of the committee. He added that as well as spending more than 420 million pounds on stockpiling Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine, the Department of Health was forced to write off 74 million pounds of that as a result of poor record-keeping by the National Health Service. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. permanently relaxes rules aimed at healthier school meals Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 05:12 PM PST U.S. regulators said on Thursday they were permanently relaxing school meal rules that were designed to combat childhood obesity by reining in calories and portion sizes but aroused complaints the policies caused students to go hungry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had initially loosened the rules in late 2012, suspending daily and weekly maximum amounts for grains and meat or meal alternatives. That allowed school districts to service larger portions without penalty. "Earlier this school year, USDA made a commitment to school nutrition professionals that we would make the meat and grain flexibility permanent and provide needed stability for long-term planning. Full Story | Top |
| UK lawmakers criticize govt's stockpiling of Roche drug Tamiflu Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 04:07 PM PST  By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Friday criticized government spending of 424 million pounds ($702 million) to stockpile Roche's medicine Tamiflu, saying doubts about the drug's effectiveness suggest it may not be money well spent. Parliament's influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it was "surprised and concerned" to discover that information on methods and results of clinical trials of such prescribed drugs "is routinely withheld", and said there was a "lack of consensus over how well Tamiflu ... actually works". "The case for stockpiling antiviral medicines at the current level is based on judgment rather than on evidence of their effectiveness during an influenza pandemic," said Richard Bacon, a leading member of the committee. He added that as well as spending more than 420 million pounds on stockpiling Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine, the Department of Health was forced to write off 74 million pounds of that as a result of poor record-keeping by the National Health Service. Full Story | Top |
| Teen eating disorders may impact weight later: study Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 04:07 PM PST By Kathleen Raven NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young teens who binge eat and those who are fearful of weight gain may be more likely to become overweight later in adolescence, according to a new study from the United Kingdom. Researchers looked for early symptoms of eating disorders among more than 7,000 13-year-olds and found certain symptoms predicted which children would have weight problems at age 15. Both boys and girls who severely restricted their eating at 13 had lower BMIs when they were two years older. "The most important message is that even at this young age, a high percentage of boys and girls have worrying eating disorders symptoms," Dr. Nadia Micali told Reuters Health in an email. Full Story | Top |
| Birth control type tied to time between pregnancies Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 04:05 PM PST By Kathleen Raven NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women using intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other types of long-term reversible birth control after having a baby are less likely to get pregnant again quickly, a new study suggests. Women who used those methods were four times more likely to wait more than 18 months between pregnancies compared to those relying on condoms, researchers found. The World Health Organization endorses a two-year period between birth and a woman's next conception. Still, one third of all repeat pregnancies in the U.S. occur within 18 months of the previous child's birth. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. House to mull proposals to make Obamacare website more secure Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:44 PM PST  The U.S. House of Representatives plans to consider legislation to make data on the Obamacare website more secure when lawmakers return to Washington next week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said on Thursday. In a memo to his fellow House Republicans, Cantor said he would schedule floor action next week on proposals to make the healthcare website safer as well as notify consumers when their personal information has been compromised. Cantor noted that several bills on the topic of the website's security had already been introduced by Republicans. The website HealthCare.gov allows consumers to shop for insurance plans under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, which passed in 2010 and mandated that Americans have health insurance. Full Story | Top |
| Having U.S. Medicaid insurance may increase ER use: study Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:33 PM PST  By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Expanding access to Medicaid, a major plank of President Barack Obama's health reform law, could increase emergency room visits by people on the healthcare program for the poor rather than decrease them, results of a study published on Thursday suggest. A unique experiment in Oregon in which residents were randomly given Medicaid insurance cards, showed their visits to the emergency room increased by 40 percent, a sobering statistic as many states face an influx of new Medicaid patients under the new law. The study, published in the journal Science, suggests simply providing insurance coverage to low-income Americans will not be enough to curb their use of emergency rooms, which for many has been the only place they can turn when health problems become acute and more costly to treat. The research, based on records from thousands of emergency room visits, did not shed light on why ER visits increased. Full Story | Top |
| As Obamacare begins, critics launch a new assault in ads Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:08 PM PST  By Gabriel Debenedetti WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative activists opposed to President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul started a new assault on the Affordable Care Act as more than 2 million people began new health coverage under the law on Thursday. One group, which is backed by the libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, launched a $2.5 million television ad campaign that targets three Democratic senators who support the law and could face stiff challenges from Republicans in November elections. The group, Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, spent more than $36 million on the 2012 elections, largely for ads that bashed the law known as Obamacare and Democrats who supported it. The ads by AFP are aimed at North Carolina's Kay Hagan, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu and New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen. Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street starts 2014 with drop as investors take profits Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:55 PM PST  All 10 S&P 500 sectors were lower, with tech among the biggest drags after Wells Fargo downgraded Apple Inc to "market perform" from "outperform," saying the company's market cap had limited upside potential without material market share gains. Apple fell 1.4 percent to $553.13 and was the biggest drag on both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes. "People are taking profits and seeking bargains." Almost two-thirds of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange closed lower while 61 percent of Nasdaq-listed shares closed down. Full Story | Top |
| Former first lady Barbara Bush in 'good spirits' in hospital Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:12 PM PST  Former first lady Barbara Bush was in good spirits and doing well after being admitted to a Houston hospital earlier this week with a respiratory ailment, a family spokesman said on Thursday. "She's definitely keen to get home to her dogs and her husband, and not in that order," said Jim McGrath, a spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush. Barbara Bush, 88, was being evaluated by doctors day-to-day, and no time has been set for her discharge, McGrath said. Former President Bush took to social media and sent a message on behalf of his wife to President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton in appreciation of their concern. Full Story | Top |
| Parents may want to limit electronic media at mealtime Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 11:40 AM PST By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Parents who let their teens use electronic devices or watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, a new study suggests. Experts have suggested turning the TV off at mealtime for years. "The findings of this most recent paper showed that mealtime media use is common among families with adolescents but that setting rules around media use at meals may reduce media use among teens and have other positive benefits as well," lead author Jayne A. Fulkerson told Reuters Health in an email. Fulkerson is the director of the Center for Child and Family Health Promotion Research at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in Minneapolis. Full Story | Top |
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