Chemotherapy resistance fueled by nearby cells?
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(CBS News) Treating cancer patients with chemotherapy may eventually lead to worse cancers coming back once people become resistant to treatment, and scientists now think they've discovered why.
Almost all patients develop resistance to chemotherapy, according to the authors behind the new research, and it's ultimately a deadly consequence for people with cancer that has spread, including those with metastatic breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
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Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle set out to discover mechanism of how resistance to chemotherapy occurs, in the hopes that discovering it could open opportunities for more effective treatments.
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Lying less may boost physical and mental health
Reducing the number of lies -big or small - you tell may boost health, new research suggests.
/ istockphotoA new study suggests that liars may be unhealthier than their truthful counterparts.
Is your doctor lying to you? New study says it's likely
Failure to spot lies, sarcasm linked to dementia
For the research, psychologists from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., performed polygraph tests on 110 people over 10 weeks. The majority of participants - 66 percent - were college students and the rest were adults who lived near the university, with an average age of 31.
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Swapping out violent TV may improve kids' sleep
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New research from the August 6 issue of Pediatrics shows that if parents were to swap their child's media viewing habits for positive-minded, age-appropriate TV, he or she may experience a better night's sleep.
Snoring, mouth-breathing tots more likely to develop behavioral problems
Children never sleep as much as experts suggest, study shows
Profanity-laced TV, video games tied to cursing, aggression
For the study, investigators at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute studied the sleep schedules of 565 local kids who were between 3 and 5 years old. Half of families were randomly assigned to receive a home visit and several phone calls and letters from a case manager, whose role was to help the family replace violent and age-inappropriate viewing content with more educational or "prosocial" programming. Prosocial programming includes shows that teach a positive message of friendliness, sharing, cooperation and empathy.
Breast Cancer Awareness month tactics questioned
The White House in Washington is bathed in pink light Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month.
/ APIn a commentary published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) called "How a charity oversells mammography," two professors at Dartmouth Medical School say breast cancer awareness month, "otherwise known as 'October'" is the most prominent of the 175 officially designated national health observances in the United States.
Pictures: "The Tutu Project" aims for breast cancer awareness
Pictures: Breast cancer campaign turns planet pink: Too much?
Homesick cancer patient immersed in virtual cats
Seattle Children's Hospital asks its Facebook fans to submit pictures of cats for 16-year-old Maga Barzallo Sockemtickem in this July 19 post.
/ Seattle Children's Hospital/FacebookSeattle Children's Hospital's cancer unit shows they are "Stronger"
On July 19, Seattle Children's Hospital posted on its Facebook page asking for help with a special project for Maga Barzallo Sockemtickem, a 16-year-old who has cancer. Maga can't leave her hospital room because of her compromised immune system and what she misses most is her cat, Merry.
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Listeria concerns cited in 7-ton salad recall
A microscopic image of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
/ CDC(CBS News) Garden Fresh Foods is recalling nearly seven tons of its pre-made meat salads over possible Listeria contamination.
325,000 pounds frozen meat recalled over Listeria
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services said Wednesday that the Milwaukee, Wis.-based company is voluntarily recalling 13,600 pounds of its products - which include pasta, chicken and ham salads - in light of an ongoing onion recall. The salads contain diced onions made by Gills Onions, LLC of Oxnard, Calif., which were recalled last month over Listeria.
Consumer Reports: 10 hidden dangers of vitamins
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In its latest investigation, the consumer advocacy magazine conducted interviews, reviewed research and analyzed side effect reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's adverse event reporting program it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Are supplements as "natural" as the label says? Are claims of cancer prevention all they're cracked up to be? From Consumer Reports, here are 10 surprising dangers you - and the more than half of Americans who take supplements - may want to keep in mind next time you pop open that bottle...
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Boston mayor has surgery on drooping eyelids
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (center) prepares to throw out the first pitch during 100 Years of Fenway Park on April 20, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts.
/ Photo by Jim Rogash/GettyPICTURES: Top 10 most popular cosmetic procedures in U.S.
The Boston Globe reports that Menino, 69, underwent the hour-long outpatient procedure on Wednesday at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). It was performed by Dr. Mami A. Iwamoto, a specialist in cosmetic and reconstructive eye plastic surgery at the hospital.
Three infections found in Colo. dentist needle probe
drstephenstein.com
HIV fears over Colo. dentist reusing needles for 11 years
Report: Ex-employee blew whistle on Colo. dentist
In a statement on Wednesday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said from its testing it has identified three former patients with infections. It would not identify which diseases the patients had contracted to protect patient confidentiality.
The health department had previously sent letters to 8,000 of Stein's former patients urging them to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C in addition to informing the media of the potential risk to cast a wider net on Stein's former patients.
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Caffeine may help people with Parkinson's disease
photo courtesy flickr user chichacha
(CBS News) Should doctors start prescribing coffee?
In the latest study to tie coffee to health benefits, new research finds a daily caffeine boost may ease symptoms of Parkinson's disease in sufferers.
Why am I so awake? 12 surprising sources of caffeine
Study: Drinking coffee reduces overall death risk
Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disease that causes tremors, difficulty with walking, movement and coordination. The condition most commonly develops in adults over 50, and occurs when nerve cells in the brain that make the muscle-controlling neurotransmitter dopamine are slowly destroyed, leading to loss in muscle function. The cause of the disease remains unknown.
Mild psychological distress may lead to an early death
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The study, published July 31 online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), looked at death risk in 68,000 adults over 35 who were involved in previous studies from 1994 to 2004. Reviewing mental health surveys given to the study participants along with mortality data, the researchers and found those with mental health issues were more likely to die than their stress-free counterparts.
Video: Higher risk of heart problems for women with stressful jobs
Even a fake grin may help lower heart rate in stressful situations
Stressed? 7 steps to instant calm
The greater the level of psychological distress, the more likely a person was to die of heart disease, cancer or even external causes of death like accidents and injuries.
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Women eligible for free care under health care law
(CBS News) Beginning today, up to 47 million women may be eligible to get free access to preventive health care services as that provision of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act goes into effect.
As contraception mandate goes into effect, opponents continue to fight
"Women deserve to have control over their health care," wrote Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on a blog post on Healthcare.gov. "Too often, they have gone without preventive services, worrying about what even a $20 insurance co-pay would mean to their families' budgets and choosing to pay for groceries or rent instead. But now, thanks to the health care law, many women won't have to make that choice."
Continue »Devices that warn of kids left in cars questioned
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Heat stroke, or hyperthermia, is the leading cause of non-crash vehicular deaths in children under the age of 14, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since 1998, 527 kids have died from heat stroke after being left in a hot vehicle, an average of 38 each year. A recent study from San Francisco State University's department of geosciences found 33 kids died of hyperthermia in 2011, down from 49 deaths the previous year.
"With summer temperatures hitting record highs around the country, child heatstroke is clearly an issue of national concern," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a press release.
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Avian flu jumps from birds to seals: Humans next?
In this Sept. 29, 2011 photo, Kathy Elliot walks her dog Callie along Jenness State Beach in Rye, N.H., where several dead seals had washed ashore.
/ Rich Beauchesne,AP Photo/Portsmouth HeraldBird flu, or avian influenza, typically is only spread between birds, however people who come into close contact with infected poultry may develop the disease. Farmers who work with poultry, people who eat meat, eggs or blood from infected birds and people who touch an infected bird may develop the disease. The first case of avian flu found in humans occurred in 1997 in Hong Kong, which was found to be the H5N1 strain.
First of controversial bird flu papers published
Second of controversial bird flu studies published after terrorism debate
Following the deaths of 162 seals off the coast from southern Maine to northern Mass., over a three-month period beginning in September 2011, scientists identified a new strain of avian H3N8 virus as the culprit. Their findings are published in the July 31 issue of the American Society for Microbiology's journal, mBio.
U.S. panel: EKG tests won't benefit healthy people
A man is given an exercise electrocardiogram (EKG) at a doctor's surgical office in Stuttgart, Germany in this Feb. 6, 2009 file photo.
/ File,AP Photo/Thomas KienzleAn EKG, or ECG, is a simple, non-invasive test that measures electrical activity from the heart. Information picked up from an EKG may determine how fast a heart beat is, or whether it has a steady or problematic rhythm. An irregular EKG could detect a major heart problem, including heart attacks, arrhythmias and heart failure.
9 common medical procedures you may not need
While the panel recommends against giving EKGs to healthy people, some physicians believe they're important in order to establish baseline measures when people are healthy in case things later go awry, in order to compare the results.
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