Health industry breathes easier as post-Obamacare path stabilizes

By Caroline Humer NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hospitals and health insurers are gaining confidence that their nightmare scenario - millions of Americans instantly losing health insurance once President-elect Donald Trump delivers on a promise to "repeal and replace" Obamacare - is looking more like a bad dream than becoming reality. The early view from the healthcare sector still includes an end eventually to President Obama's signature health program. Trump tapped Republican Representative Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon who drafted legislation years ago to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Flu - or flu vaccine - in pregnancy not tied to autism in kids

By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women who get the flu, or a flu vaccine, are not increasing their baby's risk for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data on 196,929 children born from 2000 through 2010 in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California healthcare system after at least 24 weeks gestation. During follow-up periods ranging from two to 15 years, 1.6 percent of the children were diagnosed with ASD.

Britain seeks to curb pollution by small-scale power plants

Britain plans to curb health damaging air pollution with emissions standards for small-scale power plants used to generate back-up electricity at short notice and to stem the rising use of diesel generators. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) suggests plants producing 1-50 megawatts (MW) of electricity should be subject to new rules to cut emissions of harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide. "The combined impact of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in the UK is estimated to lead to the equivalent of approximately 50,000 premature deaths per year, at a cost of around 30 pounds billion per year," DEFRA said as it launched the consultation this week.

'Terrible time'

As figures show dementia is now the leading cause of death in England and Wales, one woman recounts the "distressing" way the condition affected her late mother.

Gut bacteria 'may help drugs fight cancer'

Bacteria living deep inside the digestive system seems to alter how cancer drugs work, a study suggests.

Cancer survivor: 'I was sacked for having lymphoma'

Cancer survivor Terry Foster, 58, says he was sacked after being diagnosed with lymphoma, as his company felt he “wouldn't be able to handle the stress of the job”.

After $195 million in talc verdicts, J&J strives to change court

After a $67.5 million jury verdict against Johnson & Johnson on Oct. 27 marked its third straight trial defeat in an onslaught of lawsuits claiming its talc-based products cause ovarian cancer, the company is hoping to reverse the trend by having the cases heard in a different court. All three awards, totaling around $195 million, were handed down in state court in St. Louis, Missouri, with the same judge presiding. The plaintiffs claim studies show J&J's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products, when used in the vaginal area, increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

U.S. blames American Airlines fire on engine failure

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - A fire on an American Airlines passenger plane as it was taking off from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport last week was sparked when the right engine broke apart, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday. The investigative update shed new light on a rare "uncontained" engine failure, in which pieces escaped the engine housing, that has been the talk of aviation circles since the incident on Oct. 28. The engine failure caused a fuel leak that resulted in a fire under the right wing.

Looking past vote, U.S. coal country sees millennials as key to revival

If recent history holds, over half of them will either not find work or leave the state, contributing to a brain drain of young talent that is pushing the state to try to reinvent its economy and break with a coal industry in long-term decline. "Companies don't come here to invest because they only associate us with coal," said Sellards, a 20-year-old sophomore who addressed the state legislature when she was in high school about the lack of opportunities for young people in a post-coal economy. The often stark choices faced by Sellards and other young, educated West Virginians underline the challenges awaiting Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton here and in other “Rust Belt” states if she wins the Nov. 8 election, as most polls suggest she will.

Industry funded studies don't find sweet drinks linked to obesity, diabetes

By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Do sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and fruit drinks cause obesity and diabetes? An analysis of 60 studies found 26 out of 26 papers that failed to find a link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity or diabetes were funded by industry sources, compared to one industry-funded study out of the 34 that did find a connection. Regulations, taxes and nutrition guidance hinge on whether these drinks cause health problems, but opponents of those initiatives continue to question whether the drinks are to blame, the study team writes in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Ultrasound Helps Diagnose Gout, Rule Out Pseudogout (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Specificity was more than 90% for some individual gout features

1st Zika Microcephaly Baby Born in Puerto Rico

1st Zika Microcephaly Baby Born in Puerto Rico

Surge in prescription opioid poisoning among U.S. youth

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - The number of children and teens hospitalized for prescription opioid poisonings has more than doubled in recent years, with both accidental overdoses and suicide attempts on the rise, a U.S. study suggests. Annually, the rate of these opioid poisonings among youth up to 19 years old surged from 1.4 per 100,000 children in 1997 to 3.71 per 100,000 kids by 2012, the study found. “I believe that the two-fold increase in hospitalization rates over time for opioid poisonings in children are a direct consequence of the increasing reliance in the U.S. on opioid analgesics to treat acute and chronic pain,” said lead study author Dr. Julie Gaither, a public health researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

White House condemns Syrian government forces use of toxic gas

The White House on Saturday condemned the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government after an international inquiry found its forces responsible for a third toxic gas attack in Syria's civil war. The fourth report from the 13-month-long inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, blamed Syrian government forces for a toxic gas attack in Qmenas in Idlib governorate on March 16, 2015, according to a text of the report seen by Reuters. In August, the third report by the inquiry blamed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for two chlorine attacks - in Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015 - and said Islamic State fighters had used sulfur mustard gas.

ANA: Brain Features Tied to Personality in Chronic Daily Headache (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Is personality a modifiable risk factor for CDH?

Burning sulfur near Mosul sends hundreds to hospital, U.S. troops don masks

By Babak Dehghanpisheh QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Up to 1,000 people have been treated for breathing problems linked to fumes from a sulfur plant set ablaze during fighting with Islamic State in northern Iraq and U.S. officials say U.S. forces at a nearby airfield are wearing protective masks. A cloud of white smoke blanketed the area around the Mishraq sulfur plant, near Mosul, mingling with black fumes from oil wells that the militants torched to cover their moves. Local residents and the U.S. military said Islamic State militants deliberately set the sulfur plant ablaze as they strive to repel an offensive by Iraqi government forces to drive them from Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

Judge sides with Planned Parenthood over Mississippi abortion law

The decision by U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III is the latest in a string of rulings striking down similar laws elsewhere in the country against the women's health provider. Jordan's two page order noted a ruling from the 5th U.S. District Court of Appeals that rejected a similar law in Louisiana, saying "essentially every court to consider similar laws has found that they violate" federal law. Medicaid is a health insurance program for the poor run jointly by the federal government and individual states.

Trump supporters tricked into buying beers at Mexico City booze-up

By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. Republican candidate Donald Trump unwittingly helped pick up the tab for a booze-up in Mexico City on Thursday, after they were duped into buying cleverly concealed anti-Trump t-shirts designed by a local brewery. Trump, who has labeled Mexicans rapists and drug runners, has caused outrage south of the border with his vow to build a border wall that Mexico will pay for - a pledge that inspired brewer Cerveza Cucapa's ingenious scheme to get Trump supporters to cough up for Mexicans' brews. "It's amazing that we can have a party paid for by Donald Trump!" said 54-year-old Leticia Villanueva, cradling her free beer at the event which had attracted a few hundred people.

In last debate, Trump suggests he may reject election result

By Steve Holland and Amanda Becker LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Republican candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested he might reject the outcome of the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election if he loses, a possibility his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton called "horrifying." In their third and final presidential debate, Trump said he would wait to decide whether the outcome was legitimate. "I will tell you at the time, I will keep you in suspense," Trump said. Clinton said she was "appalled" by Trump's stance.

Eye doctors warn of e-cigarette liquid hazard

Since the bottles looked similar at a glance, and the nicotine-laced liquid carried no warnings about the harm of contact with the eyes, the authors of a case report in JAMA Ophthalmology say e-cigarette users should be aware of this risk. The researchers describe a patient in her 50s who presented to the Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology at Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow with eye irritation. When she mistakenly dripped e-cig liquid in her eye she immediately experienced pain, redness and blurred vision.

U.N. chief Ban arrives in Haiti after looting near U.N. base

By Makini Brice LES CAYES (Reuters) - Desperate Haitians pummeled by Hurricane Matthew looted United Nations trucks on Saturday shortly before U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived for a visit. The Category 4 hurricane tore through Haiti on Oct. 4, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 1.4 million in need of humanitarian aid, including 175,000 made homeless. "We will mobilize all the resources to help you," Ban told a handful of residents gathered at a local school being used as a shelter for hurricane victims.

Philippines set to roll out tough no-smoking law

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to sign a regulation this month banning smoking in public across Southeast Asia's second-most populous country, rolling out among the toughest anti-tobacco laws in the region.

Thai king's medical condition has 'overall not yet stabilized': palace

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and and Aukkarapon Niyomyat BANGKOK (Reuters) - The health of Thailand's 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, has "overall not yet stabilized", the palace said in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier, the government, in a clear reference to the king's health, urged people not to listen to rumors on social media about "situations", saying they should await official announcements. The statement from the palace follows one on Sunday in which it said the king was in an unstable condition after receiving haemodialysis treatment, which is used to cleanse the blood of toxins, extra salts and fluids.

Battery Problems in St. Jude Medical Defibrillators

Battery Problems in St. Jude Medical Defibrillators

Mylan to pay $465 million over EpiPen Medicaid rebate dispute

(Reuters) - Mylan NV on Friday said it will pay $465 million to settle the question of whether it underpaid U.S. government healthcare programs by misclassifying its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment.

Fitful Sleep May Take Toll on Older Women's Hearts

Before and after menopause, less sleep linked to plaque buildup in blood vessels, study found

Alnylam ends development of drug due to patient deaths in trial

(Reuters) - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Wednesday it would halt development of an experimental therapy for a rare genetic condition that can cause heart failure, after a late-stage study showed that patients given the drug were more likely to die than patients treated with a placebo.

Exclusive: GE wins $1.9 billion order from UK's Hinkley Point nuclear plant

General Electric Co said it will receive $1.9 billion for a contract to supply steam turbines, generators and other equipment to the Hinkley Point C project, the United Kingdom's first new nuclear power plant in decades. By approving Hinkley Point on Thursday, the UK government cleared the way for GE to begin building two 1,770-megawatt Arabelle steam turbines and generators capable of powering six million homes and supplying about 7 percent of the UK's power generation needs for 60 years, GE said.

Study confirms Zika causes brain birth defects, questions remain

LONDON (Reuters) - Early results from a crucial case-control study in Brazil have confirmed a direct causal link between Zika virus infection in pregnant women and the brain damaging birth defect microcephaly in their babies, scientists said on Thursday.

Clinton campaign says it could have better handled health scare

By Alana Wise and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign acknowledged on Monday that it mishandled a health scare for the Democratic candidate that revived concerns about a tendency toward secrecy that has dogged her run for the White House. Clinton, 68, and Republican rival Donald Trump, 70, both intend to release more medical details in the coming days after the former secretary of state came down with pneumonia, highlighting a focus on their health in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election. Clinton canceled a trip to California to recuperate.

Disability rights groups seek intervention on Wisconsin teen's plans to die

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Disability rights groups said on Thursday they have asked child protective services to intervene in the case of a severely disabled Wisconsin teenager who suffers chronic pain from her disease and wants to die.

In older age, sex may be good for women, less so for men

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) - Among people in their mid-50s or older who report having frequent, enjoyable sex, women are likely to have better than average heart health while men are more likely to have heart attacks and other problems, a U.S. study suggests. “The results for women are consistent with our expectation, but the results for men were surprising,” said lead author Hui Liu, an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Older men may have more difficulties reaching an orgasm for medical or emotional reasons and may exert themselves to a greater degree of exhaustion and create relatively more stress on their cardiovascular system in order to achieve climax, Liu told Reuters Health by email.

GMC says patients will suffer if junior doctors' strikes go ahead

The body that regulates the medical profession warns that patients will suffer if junior doctors in England go ahead with a series of five one-day strikes next week.

Singapore PM Lee says he is 'alright' after fainting on stage two weeks ago

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a televised interview broadcast on Sunday that he was "alright", after he took ill two weeks ago during a national day rally speech. In his first televised appearance since the incident, Lee told local television Channel 5 that doctors concluded that he had suffered "vasovagal syncope", which is the most common type of fainting. Doctors went over me very thoroughly the same night and after that night and they went through all the possible causes on why it could have happened," Lee said.

Rugby-Cancer patient Lealiifano awarded top Brumbies prize

Wallabies back Christian Lealiifano was awarded the ACT Brumbies' top prize at an emotional club function on Friday as he continues his battle against leukaemia. Lealiifano's diagnosis was announced by the Canberra-based Super Rugby team a month ago, prompting an outpouring of global support for the 28-year-old playmaker. Named the Brett Robinson Players' Player of the Year and also Best Brumbies Back, co-captain Lealiifano was released from hospital this week after a first round of chemotherapy.

Study: Ohio's abortion pill law led to worse health outcomes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's restrictions on the so-called abortion pill led to a higher rate of side effects, more doctor visits and additional medical treatment for patients, according to a new study.

Many factors influence parental decisions about throat surgery

(Reuters Health) - Better communication from doctors may help parents struggling with the decision to have their child undergo throat surgery for sleep disordered-breathing conditions, a small study suggests.

FDA approves Novartis biosimilar to Amgen's Enbrel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novartis AG's biosimilar version of Amgen Inc's arthritis drug Enbrel.

Rotavirus infections 'greatly reduced' since vaccine

Rotavirus infections have fallen by 84% in England since a vaccine has been offered to young babies, figures from Public Health England suggest.

UN says it was involved in introducing cholera to Haiti

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations is saying for the first time that it was involved in the introduction of cholera to Haiti and needs to do "much more" to end the suffering of those affected, estimated at more than 800,000 people.

Weightlifting: Vegan lifter is full of beans

By Brian Oliver RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - You might think weightlifting is a red meat kind of sport. Not so for the United States' Kendrick Farris, who competed in his third Olympics on Saturday - the first time as a vegan. Farris, 30, made the switch two years ago after the birth of his second son.

Venezuelans cross reopened border to Colombia for food, medicine

By Anggy Polanco SAN ANTONIO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Thousands of Venezuelans were welcomed to Colombia by a military band early on Saturday morning as the two countries' borders were officially reopened after being closed by Venezuela a year ago. Some people had traveled across Venezuela to queue overnight hoping to cross to buy food and other basics that are in short supply in Venezuela, which is steeped in an economic crisis. "I came with my family to do some shopping because we can't find anything to eat," said Wilmary Salcedo, a 17-year-old engineering student who had traveled some 500 miles (800 km) from the central city of Maracay hoping for rice, sugar and cooking oil.

Baby in Texas dies from Zika

A baby born with brain defects caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus has died in Texas, marking the southern state's first Zika-related death, officials said Tuesday. The mother had become infected with Zika while traveling in Latin America, and gave birth to the baby in Harris County near Houston, according to the state health department. "The baby passed away shortly after birth and is the first Zika-related death reported in Texas," said a statement.

Florida governor criticizes Washington for lagging in Zika fight

(Reuters) - Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott on Sunday accused the federal government of lagging in providing assistance to combat the spread of the Zika virus in a Miami-area neighborhood, the site of the first U.S. transmission of the virus.

Track star Pistorius treated for minor wrist injuries -prison service

South African track star Oscar Pistorius, serving six years in jail for murdering his girlfriend, was treated in hospital for minor wrist injuries on Saturday before being returned to custody, a prison service spokesman said. The Paralympic gold medallist, who had his term for the Valentine's Day 2013 killing of Reeva Steenkamp increased to six years in July, denied he had tried to kill himself, the spokesman for the department of correctional services said on Sunday. South African prosecutors have said they will appeal against the six-year term, which they called "shockingly lenient".