| HEALTH NEWS |
| Cancer |
| Breast cancer kills older women more often |
| Breast cancer is often considered more deadly among younger women, but a new study shows older women are actually more likely to die of the disease. |
| Neurological Disease |
| Obama boosts funds for Alzheimer’s research |
| The Obama administration plans to spend an additional $156 million over the next two years to help find an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, a fatal brain-wasting disease that affects more than 5 million Americans. |
| Gene Research Offers Clues to Parkinson’s Disease |
| In certain people with Parkinson’s disease, mutations in the parkin gene disrupt the proper function of dopamine, the brain chemical that controls body movement. |
| Surgery Effective for Tough-to-Treat Epilepsy |
| Surgery can significantly improve seizure control and quality of life among people with epilepsy, according to a study stretching over 26 years. |
| Diabetes |
| To stay healthy, eat an onion a day |
| The famous chef Julia Child once remarked “I cannot imagine a world without onions.” The use of onions for food goes back at least 3,500 years, and the vegetable is one of the oldest of cultivated plants. |
| Women’s Health |
| Pa. vending machine dispenses ‘morning-after’ pill |
| Students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the “morning-after” pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine, an idea that has drawn the attention of federal regulators and raised questions about how accessible emergency contraception should be. |
| Other News |
| Komen VP steps down after Planned Parenthood flap |
| A senior executive of breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure resigned on Tuesday, a week after the group became the target of a public furor for cutting funding to women’s health organization, Planned Parenthood. |
| Getting caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath |
| Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks. |
| CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source |
| Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips. |
| Obama Tries to Ease Ire on Contraception Rule |
| Facing vocal opposition from religious leaders and an escalating political fight, the White House sought on Tuesday to ease mounting objections to a new administration rule that would require health insurance plans — including those offered by Catholic universities and charities — to offer birth control to women free of charge. |
| CDC: Fewer smokers go to the dentist |
| Smokers not only have more problems with their teeth than non-smokers, they also go to the dentist less often. |
| US adults’ trans fat levels drop |
| Americans have less trans fat floating around in their blood today than they did 10 years ago, a new study finds. |
| Faulty hip implants may cause long-term health, joint damage |
| Faulty hip joints implanted in tens of thousands of Americans pose adverse health effects in some patients even after removal, according to new research. |
| US begins stem cell trial for hearing loss |
| US researchers have begun a groundbreaking trial to test the potential of umbilical cord blood transplants, a kind of stem cell therapy, to treat and possibly reverse hearing loss in infants. |
| INDUSTRY NEWS |
| Roche digs in for long fight for Illumina |
| Swiss drugmaker Roche is digging in for a long fight after gene sequencing company Illumina rejected its $5.7 billion hostile takeover bid as inadequate and said it would be more successful on its own. |
| Sanofi profit faces 15 percent hit from cheap drug copies |
| French drugmaker Sanofi said on Wednesday that its earnings could drop by up to 15 percent this year as top-selling drugs previously protected by patents are hit by competition from cheap copies. |
| Merck to File Insomnia Drug Application |
| Merck & Co. said Monday that it plans to apply this year for U.S. regulatory approval to market a potential new treatment for insomnia, based on positive clinical-trial results. |
| Roche breast cancer drug gets FDA priority review |
| Health regulators granted a priority review for an experimental Roche breast cancer drug that in clinical trials added six months to the time before the disease worsened. |
| MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS |
| Social and online games drive growth in audience |
| Online social games and free-to-play games, especially those such as FarmVille on Facebook, have helped the number of people who play video games to more than double to 135 million from 56 million in 2008, according to a new report from Parks Associates. |
| Google releases Chrome for Android |
| Google announced Tuesday that it’s releasing a version of Chrome for its Android smartphone operating system, after three years. |
| The iPhone is a nightmare for carriers |
| The iPhone may be great for consumers, but takes a nasty toll on wireless carriers’ bottom line. |
