Beijing Olympics: Reuters Health Report

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Good evening Srini,

MON 29 Dec 2008

today's headlines

Key gene linked to high blood pressure identified

Dual HIV/TB infection common in S. African infants

Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic

Teens may not know risk factors for infertility

MRIs may damage cochlear implants

Liver transplants from elderly donors are safe

Processed food may fuel lung tumors: Korean study

Most families want doctors to be candid

Doctors don't talk enough to teens at office visits

Highly resistant bacteria common in ER workers

more details

Key gene linked to high blood pressure identified

December 29, 2008 05:01 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gene that affects how the kidneys process salt may help determine a person's risk of high blood pressure, a discovery that could lead to better ways to treat the condition, researchers said on Monday.

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Dual HIV/TB infection common in S. African infants

December 29, 2008 05:27 PM ET

CHENNAI, India (Reuters Health) - HIV-positive infants are over 20 times more likely to develop tuberculosis than their HIV-negative counterparts, researchers from South Africa report in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic

December 29, 2008 05:06 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly -- a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia.

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Teens may not know risk factors for infertility

December 29, 2008 05:17 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Canadian high school students may lack important knowledge about risk factors for infertility, survey findings suggest. For example, most students were unaware that some sexually transmitted infections can cause infertility.

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MRIs may damage cochlear implants

December 29, 2008 05:16 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Tests show that certain MRI machines may demagnetize the magnets used in cochlear implants to couple external and implanted components of these hearing devices, according to a report in the December issue of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery.

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Liver transplants from elderly donors are safe

December 29, 2008 05:16 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Advanced donor age, per se, does not adversely affect the transplant recipient or the survival of the organ after liver transplantation, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

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Processed food may fuel lung tumors: Korean study

December 29, 2008 02:20 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Common food additives known as phosphates may help lung cancer tumors grow faster, at least in mice, South Korean researchers reported on Monday.

Full Article

Most families want doctors to be candid

December 29, 2008 02:22 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors are often reluctant to discuss a seriously ill patients' uncertain prognosis with family members, but a new study suggests that most families want doctors to address the patients' uncertain outlook openly and candidly.

Full Article

Doctors don't talk enough to teens at office visits

December 29, 2008 03:16 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physicians are not engaging in conversations with adolescents about health behaviors as often as recommended, according to results of a study published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health.

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Highly resistant bacteria common in ER workers

December 29, 2008 02:23 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Health care workers in emergency departments are often carriers of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or (MRSA), potentially putting patients at risk, according to two reports in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.