Daily News Click : New York Times : NYT Health

New York Times : Health News

Featured Story

More Testing of Seafood to Address Mercury Concerns

A NUMBER of restaurants and retailers in different parts of the country have started testing the fish they sell in response to concerns about the amount of mercury in seafood, and the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to examine the mercury content in fish sold in the New York City region.

The regional office of the federal agency, which began the study because the city found high levels of mercury in the blood of New Yorkers last spring, will examine the 20 most commonly eaten fish in the region, including tuna.

Recent laboratory tests reported last week in The New York Times found so much mercury in some sushi made with tuna, particularly bluefin, that a long-term diet of even two or three pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency. ...

NYT > Health NYT > Health

Recipes for Health: Red Chard, Potato and White Bean Ragout

This comforting stew makes a hearty meal when served with a salad and crusty bread.

Study Warns of Hearing Loss From Music Players

A scientific study for the European Union found that listening to personal music players at high volume can threaten permanent hearing loss.

Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged

To meet the new recommendation of 400 units daily, millions of children will need to take vitamin D supplements each day.

Oklahoma Is Sued Over Required Ultrasounds for Abortions

An advocacy group is suing over an Oklahoma law that prohibits a woman from having an abortion unless she first has an ultrasound and the doctor describes to her what the fetus looks like.

Diagnosis: Dangerous Fruit

Eating a familiar — and favorite — food leads to an unfamiliar reaction.

A Debilitating Disease That Is Often Unknown

Mimi Winsberg, a triathlete who once sustained herself with energy bars and pasta, found she had celiac disease, which can only be treated with a gluten-free diet.

Cancer Vaccine Used by 25% of Girls 13 to 17

The figures represent the government’s first substantial study of vaccination rates for Gardasil, a vaccine against a virus responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers.

George Palade, Nobel Winner for Work Inspiring Modern Cell Biology, Dies at 95

Dr. Palade’s discoveries about the intricate inner workings of cells were useful in understanding protein production, the basis of the modern biotechnology industry.

National Briefing | New England: Massachusetts: Contraceptives at School

The Gloucester school district voted to allow birth control pills and condoms to be made available at the town’s high school, which had at least 18 pregnant students last school year.

F.D.A. Says Cancer Test Failed to Get Its Approval

The F.D.A. told LabCorp that its blood test to detect ovarian cancer, called OvaSure, requires agency approval before it can be marketed.

Infection Control Guidelines Issued

With the aim of improving infection control in hospitals, the nation’s top epidemiological societies issued guidelines to help lower infection rates.

Experts Conclude Pfizer Manipulated Studies

The drug maker manipulated the publication of studies to bolster use of its epilepsy drug Neurontin, according to expert witnesses in a lawsuit against the company.

Circumcision Benefit in AIDS Is Divided

Circumcision does not protect gay and bisexual men from H.I.V., researchers reported.

Ernest Beutler, 80, Dies; Studied Blood Diseases

Dr. Beutler was a leading hematologist whose studies opened an important new window onto the treatment of leukemia.

A Medical Mystery Unfolds in Minnesota

Officials are trying to figure out why workers at a meat plant were stricken with a strange neurological illness.

If you have to come down with a strange disease, this town of 23,000 on the wide-open prairie in southeastern Minnesota is a pretty good place to be. The Mayo Clinic, famous for diagnosing exotic ailments, owns the local medical center and shares some staff with it. Mayo itself is just 40 miles east in Rochester. And when it comes to investigating mysterious outbreaks, Minnesota has one of the strongest health departments and best-equipped laboratories in the country.
Skip to next paragraph T.C. Worley for The New York Times
When some workers at the plant, which kills and butchers 19,000 hogs a day, developed neurological problems, health officials were called in. And the disease that confronted doctors at the Austin Medical Center here last fall was strange indeed. Three patients had the same highly unusual set of symptoms: fatigue, pain, weakness, numbness and tingling in the legs and feet. The patients had something else in common, too: all worked at Quality Pork Processors, a local meatpacking plant. ...