Health - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There is not enough evidence to say circumcision protects men from getting the AIDS virus during sex with other men even as studies show it protects them when having sex with women, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Adults should aim to get in 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week and children should run and play for at least an hour a day, according to new exercise guidelines issued by the U.S. government on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talking about death may be upsetting but a doctor's frank discussion with a terminally ill person does no harm and provides numerous benefits for patients and those close to them, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered a gene mutation linked to the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, holding out the prospect of better treatments and perhaps eventually a cure.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The director of the White House war on drugs said on Monday that Internet videos that show people getting high pose a dangerous threat to teenagers by encouraging them to use drugs and alcohol.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two television commercials for Bayer AG's birth control product Yaz are misleading, U.S. health regulators warned the company in a letter released on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Early data from a 4-year clinical trial show no increased risk of stroke in patients given Pfizer Inc's lung drug Spiriva compared with placebo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adolescent immunization rates are far from optimal, and many opportunities to make sure that teenagers receive recommended immunizations are being missed, according to a new study.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Chewing nicotine gum may not help pregnant women stop smoking, but it may help them cut back on the number of cigarettes they smoke each day and this may cut their risk of having a premature baby or a low-birthweight baby, US researchers report.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Nine Chinese hospital officials have been fired, including the president and a vice president, after eight newborn babies died from infection, state media said on Tuesday in the latest health scandal to hit the country.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A mystery disease that has killed three people in South Africa and put medical authorities on high alert may be Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a health official said on Tuesday.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan legislators wearing surgical masks and displaying skull-and-crossbones banners took over parliament's floor on Tuesday after the island's security chief accused China of starting the global SARS epidemic six years ago as part of a biological warfare campaign.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A prenatal blood test can be used to determine if an unborn baby has Down's syndrome without the small risk to the fetus posed by invasive testing methods such as amniocentesis, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Girls who take stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are less likely than others with the condition to start smoking or to abuse alcohol or drugs, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - While letting infants sleep on their backs has cut the danger of sudden infant death syndrome, measures as simple as using a fan or opening a window could further reduce it, according to a study published on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Microwave ovens pose a serious safety hazard to young children, a new study of scald burn injuries demonstrates.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Reptiles, monkeys, rodents and other exotic pets are growing in popularity but should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, according to a report published on Monday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's dairy industry suffers from chaotic production and lax oversight, the government said on Monday, announcing toughened rules after tainted milk products left thousands ill and shook confidence in "made-in-China."

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two French scientists who discovered the AIDS virus and a German who bucked conventional wisdom to find a virus that causes cervical cancer were awarded the 2008 Nobel prize for medicine on Monday.