Drug approved to combat major cause of blindness in elderly

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first drug shown to significantly improve the vision of patients threatened by a major cause of blindness in the elderly won U.S. government approval Friday.

Chronic job strain may raise blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Workers who are under constant stress may start to show it in their blood pressure readings, researchers reported Thursday.

Rich get more sleep; blacks and men get less

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- In a study of sleep characteristics in 669 adults in Chicago who were compared by sex and race, investigators found that blacks got less sleep than whites, while men got less sleep than women.

Is a heavier teddy a good idea?

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AP) -- Doctors and health advocates have warned for years that American children are getting fatter. Now even some kids' teddy bears are packing on the pounds.

Panel says HPV shot OK for 11-, 12-year olds

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- An influential government advisory committee Thursday recommended the routine vaccination of 11- and 12-year-old girls against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

Weight loss may reduce arthritis disability

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Overweight adults with osteoarthritis who lose just five percent of their body weight can reduce the amount of physical disability associated with this most common form of inflammatory joint disease, results of several studies suggest.

Baby Noor back in Iraq

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Baby Noor, the 9-month-old Iraqi girl who was brought to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment after being discovered by U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, is back at home.

Study: B vitamin pills don't keep brains sharp

(AP) -- Folate and B vitamin pills failed to help keep elderly people's brains and memories sharp in the longest study yet to test this approach.

Emotional factors may contribute to stuttering

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Preschoolers who stutter may have more difficulty controlling their emotions than other children their age, a study has found -- suggesting that emotional factors contribute to the speech disorder.

Kids' activity levels unaffected by environment

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Children vary in how active they are, but they are consistent in the amount of physical activity they engage in every day, regardless of the amount of school-based physical education they receive, their daily routine, background or culture.

Fewer teens having babies, but more are living in poverty

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer teenagers are having babies or dropping out of high school since the start of the decade, but slightly more live in poverty with parents who don't work year round.

Trafficked women's symptoms akin to torture victims'

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Women and girls trafficked for forced sexual or domestic work suffer post-traumatic stress on a par with torture victims, researchers said on Wednesday.

Study: Sexual orientation of men determined before birth

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A man's sexual orientation appears to be determined in the womb, a new study suggests.

Half-ton man loses 200 pounds

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- Manuel Uribe weighed 1,235 pounds when he made a desperate plea for help on national television in January.

Coffee drinking may lower diabetes risk

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Consumption of coffee, particularly the decaffeinated variety, is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Surgeon General: No safe level of second-hand smoke

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Separate smoking sections don't cut it: Only smoke-free buildings and public places truly protect nonsmokers from the hazards of breathing in other people's tobacco smoke, says a long-awaited surgeon general's report.

Are you fat? Excuses, excuses ...

(AP) -- Why are so many people fat? Scientists have come up with some novel excuses, including air conditioning, lack of sleep, fewer smokers, and more sex among obese people, which can produce chubby kids.

West Nile returns for another summer assault

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pull out the bug spray: West Nile virus is back.

Maybe it IS Alzheimer's

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A study found that in a disturbing number of cases, embarrassing "senior moments" such as forgetting a recent conversation or drawing a blank on someone's name may really be a sign of Alzheimer's after all.

Study correction shows Vioxx risks appeared early

A correction published Monday to a key study on withdrawn painkiller Vioxx reveals the risk of heart problems was elevated throughout the time people were on the drug and did not develop only after 18 months of use as the drug's maker, Merck & Co., has contended.