| HEALTH NEWS |
| Cancer |
| FDA panel votes against wider use of Amgen drug |
| An advisory panel on Wednesday recommended that U.S. health regulators reject the use of Amgen Inc’s drug Xgeva to delay the spread of prostate cancer to the bone, dimming the chance of a wider use for one of the company’s key growth drivers. |
| 9/11 First Responders See Cancer Rates Triple |
| New research has revealed that among the 12,000 police officers who responded to September 11th, 297 have been diagnosed with cancer-related disabilities, more than triple the rate before the attack. |
| Neurological Disease |
| Tiny electrical shocks to the brain enhance memory: study |
| Lightly shocking a person’s brain just before they learned a new task appeared to strengthen memory in a handful of patients with epilepsy, a tantalizing result that could have implications for Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. |
| Study: Tai chi helps ease symptoms of Parkinson’s |
| The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson’s disease. |
| A push for family input to detect dementia earlier |
| Alexis McKenzie’s mother had mild dementia, but things sounded OK when she phoned home: Dad was with her, finishing his wife’s sentences as they talked about puttering through the day and a drive to the store. |
| Women’s Health |
| Obama birth-control rule stokes election-year fight |
| The top Republican in the Congress on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama’s new rule on contraceptives as an assault on “religious freedom” and vowed to overturn it, as the White House sought to prevent the issue from becoming an election-year liability. |
| Suit wants “morning-after pill” available to girls |
| Reproductive rights advocates on Wednesday asked a federal judge in Brooklyn to make the “morning-after pill” immediately available to girls of all ages without a prescription. |
| Teen pregnancy, abortion rates at record low, study says |
| Birth and abortion rates among U.S. teens fell to record lows in 2008 as increased use of contraceptives sent the overall teen pregnancy rate to its lowest level since at least 1972, a study showed on Wednesday. |
| Kline slams availability of Plan B pill at Shippensburg University |
| One of Shippensburg University’s most famous alumni on Wednesday blasted the school’s decision to sell the morning-after contraceptive Plan B pill in a campus vending machine. |
Cardiovascular Disease |
| More evidence big football players face heart risks |
| Pro football players may generally enjoy a longer-than-average lifespan — but the biggest players may be more likely than others to die of heart disease, a U.S. study suggests. |
| Male Genes May Explain Higher Heart Disease Risk |
| Although heart disease is the leading killer of women as well as of men, two heart disease patients out of every three are male, and heart disease strikes men 10 to 15 years earlier than it does women. No one really knows why. |
| Foods that are good—and bad—for your heart |
| If you’re trying to eat a heart-healthy diet, figuring out what to believe can be overwhelming. The advice we get on everything from eggs to olive oil is often confusing and maddeningly contradictory. |
| Autism |
| 2 more autism-friendly shows planned for Broadway |
| Two more autism-friendly performances of Broadway musicals will be offered this spring and fall following the success last year of the first showing of a Broadway show specially altered for those diagnosed with the disorder. |
| Obesity |
| New plan to cut the fat of the military |
| Obese Americans in the military are a national security hazard and first lady Michelle Obama wants to see that change. |
| Lap-Band surgeries halted at two L.A. clinics |
| Two Los Angeles-area outpatient clinics affiliated with the 1-800 GET-THIN marketing company have temporarily stopped Lap-Band weight-loss surgeries while they conduct a review of the procedure. |
| Other News |
| Insight: Komen charity under microscope for funding, science |
| The Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity defines its mission as finding a cure for breast cancer. In recent years, however, it has cut by nearly half the proportion of fund-raising dollars it spends on grants to scientists working to understand the causes and develop effective new treatments for the disease. |
| FDA says ulcer drugs may raise diarrhea risk |
| Health regulators said ulcer drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc’s blockbuster Nexium could increase the risk of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). |
| Study finds MDs not always honest with patients |
| Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors aren’t always completely honest with their patients. |
| Does Foot Form Explain Running Injuries? |
| The members of Harvard University’s men’s and women’s distance running squads are young, fast, fit, skinny, bright, disciplined and, without exception, dutiful. Every day during the cross-country and track seasons, they enter their mileage and pace into an online training Web site overseen by the team’s coaches and trainers. |
| INDUSTRY NEWS |
| Bayer expects China approval for stroke drug Xarelto |
| Germany’s largest drugmaker, Bayer AG, expects to obtain approval within two years from China to expand the uses for its anti-clotting drug Xarelto to include stroke prevention. |
| EU wants more medical device controls after PIP scare |
| Commission calls for surprise inspections on manufacturers. EU exec says deep concerns over potential health impacts. |
| Stryker CEO Stephen MacMiller Resigns for Family Reasons; CFO Takes Duties |
| Chief Executive Officer Stephen MacMillan led the company’s expansion efforts and helped the maker of artificial hips and knees navigate an industrywide probe before his resignation yesterday for family reasons. |
| MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS |
| Group urges FTC action on Google privacy |
| An advocacy group went to court on Wednesday to block Google from making a policy change that could lead to the search giant assembling richer behavior profiles of people who use more than one of its popular online services. |
| Apple store protests planned for Thursday |
| Protesters plan to descend on Apple stores around the world, including in Washington, on Thursday to protest labor conditions in the company’s manufacturing facilities in China. |
| Google leads on clean energy ranking of IT companies |
| Internet search engine giant Google takes tops honors among 21 information technology companies for using and advocating clean energy, followed by Cisco and Ericsson, according to a scorecard Thursday by environmental group Greenpeace. |
