Reuter's - Health

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Expensive advertising of prescription drugs directly to consumers may do little to encourage sales, U.S. and Canadian researchers reported on Monday.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - An experimental bird flu vaccine that uses DNA from various strains of the H5N1 virus appears to trigger a strong immune response in mice after it is injected straight into the muscles, a study has shown.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Young women in Australia who got a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer were five to 20 times more likely to have a rare but severe allergic reaction than girls who got other vaccines in comparable school-based vaccination programs, researchers said on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Children born to fathers older than 30 are more likely to develop bipolar disorder, a common condition sometimes known as manic depression, researchers reported on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who don't think life is worth living are more likely to die within the next few years, research from Japan shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The fast-paced game of soccer is characterized by intense running and repeated changes in direction, and study findings suggest soccer players may benefit from training that mimics these movements.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving school children very high doses of vitamin D is safe, and may be necessary to bring their blood levels of the nutrient up to the amount necessary for optimum bone growth and health, a new study shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies who are heavy at birth -- weighing more than 4000 grams (8.8 pounds) -- may have an increased risk for two of the most common types of brain tumors among children, German researchers report.

GENEVA (Reuters) - African health workers need more training and better tools to circumcise men and boys safely for HIV prevention, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) study chronicling "shocking" rates of complications.

MUNICH (Reuters) - Patients with difficult-to-treat clogged arteries are better off getting bypass surgery rather than drug stents, according to results of a major clinical study on Monday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Cancer specialists set a plan on Sunday to stem the rise in deaths from cancer by 2020 and ensure that all patients suffering in the late stages of the disease can access painkillers.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Mature brains need a continuous supply of new nerve cells to sustain functions like smelling and memory, an experiment with mice in Japan has shown.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - High child mortality rates in conservative Afghanistan are linked not just to war but to mothers being uneducated and having little or no say when their children need medical help, a study has found.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co may shift billions of dollars of health care obligations for retired hourly workers to a trust fund overseen by the United Auto Workers union in 2010, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who stay active after being diagnosed with breast cancer -- and even those who take up exercise for the first time after diagnosis -- have a better chance of surviving the disease, a new study shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenomas -- growths or polyps that can become cancerous -- but weight loss might reduce the risk, a study hints.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many physically-active people will return to recreational sports after having shoulder replacement surgery, research shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high intake of trans fats could increase colon cancer risk, according to new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While influenza vaccination does provide protection against catching the flu, it does not have a major impact on death in the elderly, contrary to what some studies have suggested, a new study suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who go through a traumatic event during or soon before pregnancy may be at increased risk of having an underweight baby, a large study suggests.