Beijing Olympics: Reuters Health Report

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Good evening Srini,

MON 17 Nov 2008

today's headlines

Gulf War illness is real, report finds

Family history key in figuring breast cancer risk

Medicare eyes limits for weight loss surgery

Scientists find prehistoric "nuclear family"

Indigo plant may treat chronic skin disease

Birth defect risk raised by in vitro fertilization

Cancer drugs halt type 1 diabetes in mice

Smoking, drinking linked to throat, stomach cancer

Half of adults refuse flu shot: survey

Children with cancer at risk of drug interactions

more details

Gulf War illness is real, report finds

November 17, 2008 05:35 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A report released on Monday concluded that Gulf War syndrome is a legitimate illness suffered by more than 175,000 U.S. war veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins in the 1991 Gulf War.

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Family history key in figuring breast cancer risk

November 17, 2008 03:12 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women with a family history of breast cancer but who test negative for two genetic mutations commonly linked to it still have a very high risk of developing the disease, Canadian researchers said on Monday.

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Medicare eyes limits for weight loss surgery

November 17, 2008 04:58 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government's largest payer of health care said on Monday it does not plan to cover bariatric weight loss surgery in diabetic patients who are not dangerously overweight, saying there is not enough evidence to show it can improve their health.

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Scientists find prehistoric "nuclear family"

November 17, 2008 05:08 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A 4,600-year-old grave in Germany containing the remains of two adults and their children provides the earliest evidence that even prehistoric tribes attached importance to the family unit, researchers said on Monday.

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Indigo plant may treat chronic skin disease

November 17, 2008 04:05 PM ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Indigo naturalis, a dark blue plant used in traditional Chinese medicine, appears to be effective in treating psoriasis, a study in Taiwan has found.

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Birth defect risk raised by in vitro fertilization

November 17, 2008 03:55 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Babies conceived using in vitro fertilization are two to four times as likely to have certain birth defects than those conceived naturally, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

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Cancer drugs halt type 1 diabetes in mice

November 17, 2008 05:33 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two popular leukemia drugs, Gleevec and Sutent, kept lab mice from developing type 1 diabetes and put 80 percent of diabetic mice in remission, an international team said on Monday.

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Smoking, drinking linked to throat, stomach cancer

November 17, 2008 12:53 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes appear to increase the risk of certain common throat and stomach cancers, Dutch researchers reported on Monday.

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Half of adults refuse flu shot: survey

November 17, 2008 01:49 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half of U.S. adults plan on skipping their flu shot this year, often for dubious reasons, according to a new survey.

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Children with cancer at risk of drug interactions

November 17, 2008 03:02 PM ET

GRAMADO, Brazil (Reuters Health) - Potentially harmful drug interactions among children being treated for cancer might be far more prevalent than previously thought, new research suggests.