The governor of the Lombardy province of northern Italy introduced a policy that would offer pregnant women $5,500 (€4,500) not to end their pregnancies, the BBC reports. Under the policy, established by governor Roberto Formigoni, only pregnant women facing severe economic hardship would be eligible for the payment.
Surviving a heart attack can depend on your neighbors
A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that where you live — and whether neighbors willing to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rush to your aid — can have a significant impact on whether or not you survive a heart attack. The findings, published in the June issue of the Annals of Internal
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Moving toward a breast cancer vaccine?
New research in mice may be a first step toward a breast cancer vaccine for humans. The findings, published online Sunday and scheduled to run in the June 10 issue of the journal Nature Medicine, found that mice who were genetically engineered to be at high risk for breast cancer were effectively immunized against the disease after being
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Cold sores may contribute to schizophrenia symptoms
While schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder that has its roots in genetic changes, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have uncovered a potentially new culprit for some of the condition’s most common symptoms.
Reporting in the journal Schizophrenia Research, the psychiatrists describe a connection between the herpes …
College students short on empathy
Students today seem to care more about things like the environment and animal welfare and poverty around the world, but how much empathy do they really have toward their fellow man?
Surprisingly, not that much, according to a survey by researchers at University of Michigan. In fact, today’s college students, the scientists found, …
Possible criminal investigation for Tylenol maker
Things just seem to be getting worse for Johnson & Johnson and one of its branches, McNeil Consumer Healthcare. After a routine inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a McNeil plant in Pennsylvania found serious lapses in quality control — including bacterial contamination and lack of proper evaluation of a …
CDC confirms effectiveness of HPV vaccine in men
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed its provisional recommendation from 2009 that the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) against human papillomavirus infection is both safe and effective in males in preventing genital warts.
The HPV vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for use in …
Pediatricians group withdraws statement on female circumcision
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has reversed its controversial decision on female genital cutting (FGC). The ritual of female circumcision — practiced in some African and Asian countries — is illegal in the U.S., but the bioethics committee of the national pediatricians group suggested in April that doctors be allowed to …
More women still prefer the Pill over other contraceptives
Fifty years since the introduction of the oral birth control pill, it is still the preferred method of contraception for American women, used by 10.7 million women between the ages of 15 and 44. The second most popular method of contraception is female sterilization, with 10.3 million users.
More women are also using birth control …
Study: Indoor Tanning Increases Skin Cancer Risk
With an international health group declaring indoor tanning booths carcinogenic in 2009, you might think that studies connecting indoor tanning and skin cancer are pretty well established.
How exercise works at the cellular level
We all know that exercise is good for us, but do we know why? How do those hours of sweating it out on a treadmill or pushing yourself in a weight training regimen actually help your cells and tissues to get healthier?
Two papers by separate groups may provide some intriguing answers. One team, led by researchers at the …
Shark cartilage no help against cancer
Despite the fact that sharks do not tend to get cancer, it turns out that their cartilage does not contain any magical cancer-fighting agent that could help patients battling the disease.
That’s the conclusion of the latest research from a government-funded study on the subject. Reporting in the Journal of the National Cancer …
AAA survey: parents unsure of car seat requirements
A new survey released by AAA and Dorel Juvenile Group shows that while most parents acknowledge the importance of car seats in keeping their children safe, most don’t know how to use them properly. (Dorel is the leading manufacturer of child safety seats.)
The report, which includes data from 649 adults living with at least one …