- FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — High levels of patient
satisfaction and low rates of re-surgery were found in patients with
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who had minimally invasive
laparoscopic fundoplication (anti-reflux surgery) performed by an
experienced surgeon, says a U.S. study.

Studies have shown the short-term effectiveness of laparoscopic
anti-reflux surgery, but the results of longer-term studies [...]

- FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — He's a 15-year veteran of the
National Basketball Association, a four-time NBA All-Star, and head coach
of the Philadelphia 76ers. He's basketball great Maurice Cheeks.

And he's got gout.

“I had no idea what gout was,” Cheeks said, describing his first
encounter — at the age of 46 — with the often-debilitating [...]

- FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) — Children think other
youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those
who don't wear glasses, according to a U.S. study of 80 children.

In addition, the researchers found that children tend not to judge
peers who wear glasses in terms of appearance, potential as a playmate, or
likely [...]

This undated photo provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows Black Stone, one of the names of an illegal substance made from toad venom and sold as an aphrodisiac. Health officials are warning New Yorkers to stay away from the substance, sold at sex shops and neighborhood stores under [...]

A malnurished child lies on a hospital bed in Benguela, Angola.Japan will give 560 million dollars to help fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as it seeks to make aid to Africa a major theme of its chairmanship of the G8 group.(AFP/Alexander Joe)

TOKYO (AFP) -
Japan announced Friday it will give 560 million dollars to help fight [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
The results of a pilot study
suggest that antidepressant therapy with Celexa during
treatment for head and neck cancer reduces the risk of
depression and diminishes the impact of cancer treatment on
quality of life.
Depression has been reported in up to 40 percent of
patients with head and neck cancer “typically within the first
3 months of [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
People who have an underactive
or overactive thyroid without symptoms appear to have a
modestly increased risk of heart disease.
The data suggest that silent or “subclinical” thyroid
dysfunction “might represent a potentially modifiable — albeit
modest — risk factor for coronary heart disease and
mortality,” Dr. Nicholas Rodondi, from the University of
Lausanne in Switzerland, and colleagues [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
The use of Luminol, a
bioluminescent chemical used in crime investigations to detect
trace amounts of blood, might improve infection control in
hospitals, Dutch researchers report.
In a study reported in the Journal of Hospital Infection,
Dr. P. W. M. Bergervoet and colleagues, from Deventer
Ziekenhuis, describe the use of Luminol in their dialysis
units, noting that transmission [...]

Republican White House hopeful John McCain, seen here on May 22, 2008, has rejected the endorsement of a second pastor, this time for reportedly calling Islam “the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil.”(AFP/Getty Images/File/Justin Sullivan)

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. - Three-time melanoma survivor John McCain appears cancer-free, has a strong heart and is in otherwise general [...]

A large order of McDonald’s french fries is shown May 22, 2008. (Sam Mircovich/Reuters)

OAK BROOK, Illinois (Reuters) -
McDonald's Corp has
switched to cooking oils free of trans fats in all of its
restaurants in the United States and Canada, Chief Executive
Jim Skinner said on Thursday.
The restaurants made the switch over the past few months,
he said.
By the end [...]