- MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — The risk of rheumatoid arthritis is
twice as high in women who had a heavy birth weight (more than 10 pounds)
than those with an average birth weight (7 to 8.5 lbs), a new study
finds.

Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City,
analyzed data from more than 87,000 [...]

- MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — A clinical trial will examine
whether a new cancer treatment is as effective in humans as it's proven to
be in mice, say researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical
Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The treatment involves transfusing white blood cells called
granulocytes from healthy young donors — whose immune systems [...]

- MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — Healthy people with elevated
levels of albumin in their urine, even within the range considered normal,
are at increased risk for high blood pressure, say researchers at Brigham
and Women's Hospital in Boston.

To help prevent cardiovascular disease, the researchers suggested the
definition of normal urinary albumin excretion should be reconsidered.

Previous research [...]

- MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — A punishing run in the summer
sun deserves an ice cold beer, right?

And the just reward for a strenuous afternoon whipping your garden into
postcard perfection — how about a slightly chilled chardonnay?

Well, before you pop that top or twist off that cork you might want to
consult a new [...]

- MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — More than 6 million children
in the United States have a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD), which can boost their odds for heart disease, researchers
report.

NAFLD results from oily droplets of triglycerides forming in liver
cells. In some children, this can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure and
the [...]

These undated three-picture combo handout photos provided by the Mayo Clinic show the work of researchers trying to improve breast cancer screening in women with dense breasts, which mammograms don’t penetrate well. The left image is a 50-year-old’s digital mammogram, showing no problems. The right image is that same woman’s MRI, showing what turned out [...]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
People who take part in weight-loss
programs set up by their employers manage to lose at least
modest amounts of weight compared to co-workers who do not take
part, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

But their review of 11 studies published from 1995 to 2006
of such workplace programs in the United States, Britain,
Japan, Sweden, New Zealand [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
African-American women taking a
low-dose oral contraceptive may see an increase in markers of
increased risk for developing heart disease or diabetes, a
study shows.

In white women, oral contraceptives promote resistance to
the effects of insulin, reduced ability to process glucose, and
high levels of triglyceride fats in the blood, Dr. Anne E.
Summer and colleagues [...]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
The U.S. government proposed payment
changes in the Medicare health insurance program on Monday that
could impact reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic
testing and dialysis providers.

The wide-ranging, 834-page proposal is an annual update of
how Medicare pays for the treatment of 44 million elderly and
disabled individuals in the federal health plan.

Among the changes proposed are [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
In overweight or obese
children, fatty liver disease appears to be a specific risk
factor for the metabolic syndrome, a precursor of heart disease
and diabetes, according to a study appearing in the American
Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, at the University of California,
San Diego, and his associates studied 150 boys and [...]