Some cosmetic surgery clinics are putting sales before patient safety, warns a consumer watchdog.

Tiny genetic mutations were enough to create an aggressive new form of chlamydia, research finds.

Experts on MRSA say that up to a third of people with the bug could be treated at home and not in hospital.

Hundreds of people in central China are expelled from the Communist Party for violating the one-child policy.

Scientists have identified a key factor that determines the ability of influenza viruses to infect cells of the human upper respiratory tract a necessary step for sustaining spread between people. The research, described in the January 6 online edition of Nature Biotechnology and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offers new insights into how the H5N1 avian flu virus currently circulating in birds would have to change in order to gain a foothold in human populations.

FDA on Thursday said it will review new data that show Amgen and Johnson & Johnson's anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit can increase the risk of death and tumor growth in women with breast or cervical cancers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Older female heart patients benefit from educational programs as a supplement to clinical care to help significantly lower cardiac symptoms, lose weight and increase physical activity, a new study shows.Different program formats produce different results for this notoriously difficult to treat patient population.

MIT researchers have uncovered a critical difference between flu viruses that infect birds and humans, a discovery that could help scientists monitor the evolution of avian flu strains and aid in the development of vaccines against a deadly flu pandemic. The researchers found that a virus's ability to infect humans depends on whether it can bind to one specific shape of receptor on the surface of human respiratory cells.

Los Angeles-California state health officials commemorates the ten-year anniversary of smoke-free bars in California and highlighted a new law that protects Californians against the danger of secondhand smoke. The "Smoke-free Cars with Minors" law, which took effect January 1, bans smoking in a car carrying a minor.

E Canada Now Singer Bif Naked diagnosed with breast cancer

Plastic surgeons are re-evaluating past scientific findings and developing new knowledge about the effects of silicone breast implants. A recent supplement to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® (PRS), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), sheds new light on the psychological impact and health concerns of silicone breast implants.

GeneNews appoints three leading cancer screening experts to its ...

At-risk patients in England are to be offered screening for heart disease and strokes, Gordon Brown announces.

A study finds circumcision does not reduce enjoyment of sex - a fear that has limited its use in tackling HIV.

Three-year data from the largest, multi-center, prospective voluntary registry on any procedure for benign uterine fibroids showed that 90 percent of the women participating avoided a hysterectomy and of these, 85 percent had a substantial improvement in symptoms and quality of life.

The UK needs a new system to pay for long-term care for older people, which combines a clear-cut entitlement to care and support with a sharing of costs between individuals and the state. This was the conclusion, published recently (The Future of Care Funding: Time for a change1), of a nine-month consultation initiative involving over 700 people with experience of the long-term care system as users, carers, providers or researchers.

Xeloda(R) Combination Therapy in Esophagogastric Cancer ... Reuters - 5 hours ago

Lawsuit linking Burlington Northern to cancer , birth defects going ...

Have you started replacing your old incandescent lightbulbs with those expensive, energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps? They're supposed to save energy, reduce environmental carbon dioxide, and pay for themselves within a year (unless you are clumsy like me and you drop one!) America has been relatively slow to adapt. Kinda reminds me of those telemarketing charities that pester us nightly:

According to the January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, Aristotle and Hippocrates had it right all along in their belief of employing images in the brain to enliven the heart and body. Today, guided imagery is helping patients use the full range of the body's healing capacity: Guided imagery is more than listening to relaxing sounds. It's a learning process to listen to someone's voice, relax the breathing and consciously direct the ability to imagine. The effect of guided vivid imagery sends a message to the emotional control center of the brain.