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U.S.
Poultry Industry Eyes Bird Flu Impact
The
recent spread of avian flu in Asia and Europe has rattled consumers
and battered poultry producers in those parts of the world. So far,
the U.S. poultry industry has been spared -- in part, say industry
experts, because differences in U.S. production methods make an
outbreak less likely here. But analysts say the multi-billion
industry remains vulnerable to further global spread of the disease
-– and to public fears that could reduce Americans' appetite for
poultry in the coming months.
Find
out the latest at the MSNBC
website.
New
Diabetes Pill Deemed Dangerous
 A
new diabetes pill that was headed for government approval has been
linked to deaths, heart attacks and strokes, a medical journal
reported Thursday in an analysis it said was rushed online to head
off a Vioxx-like fiasco.
The
study by leading heart researchers found twice as many deaths and
cardiovascular problems in diabetic adults taking the drug Pargluva
as those on dummy pills or a competing drug.
Developed
by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co., the drug, known
generically as muraglitazar, was endorsed by a Food and Drug
Administration panel last month. It is a treatment for Type 2
diabetes, the most common form of the condition and one that occurs
most often in people who are overweight.
Get
complete coverage concerning the potentially fatal side effects of
Pargluva at ABC
News.
Adult
Flu Vaccination Rates Low According to CDC
Not
enough American adults are getting vaccinated against the flu, and
the nation will probably fall short of the immunization-rate goals
it set for the year 2010, federal health officials said Thursday.
The
reasons include recurring vaccine shortages and a failure to educate
older Hispanics about the importance of vaccinations, said Gary
Euler, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Learn
more about this alarming trend by reading CNN's
complete coverage.
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FDA
Approves First Brain Stem Cell Transplant 
Federal
regulators on Thursday approved what would be the first transplant of
fetal stem cells into human brains, a procedure that if successful
could open the door to treating a host of neural disorders.
The
transplant recipients will be children who suffer from a rare, fatal
genetic disorder.
The
Food and Drug Administration said that doctors at Stanford University
Medical Center can begin the testing on six children afflicted with
Batten disease, a degenerative malady that renders its young victims
blind, speechless and paralyzed before it kills them.
Learn
when the first transplant could take place and what this means for
other potential stem cell treatments at CNN's
online site and the FDA.
Drug
Found Effective Against Early Breast Cancer
 Many
doctors and patients are embracing a drug described as perhaps the
most powerful cancer medicine in a decade, taking their cue from
recent studies showing it can halve the risk of relapse for a very
aggressive form of breast cancer.
Several
experts used words like “revolutionary,” “stunning” and
“jaw-dropping” to describe the findings on the impact of Genentech
Inc.’s drug Herceptin. Some even talked of a “cure” for a
considerable number of women.
Get
specifics on effectiveness results, as well as how the drug works and
when it might be made available in wider use at the MSNBC
site.
Does
Gargling Prevent Colds
 Can
something as simple as gargling with water help keep you from catching
a cold? Japanese researchers say yes, but a U.S. expert tells WebMD
that the idea sounds all wet.
In a newly published study, people who gargled every day with water
had fewer colds than those who didn't gargle or those who gargled with
an antiseptic mouth rinse containing iodine.
Find
out more about what skeptics and supporters have to say about this
theory at CBS
News.
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