CHICAGO (Reuters) -
U.S. nonprofit hospitals face mounting
pressures that could adversely affect their bottomlines,
according to reports released on Monday by Moody's Investors
Service and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.

The rating agencies cited various factors affecting the
hospitals, including a weaker economy, increased debt issuance
for capital projects, and higher costs associated with the
collapse of the auction-rate securities market.

[...]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Two experimental treatments suggest
new directions for treating diabetes, both using compounds
already made by the body, researchers in the United States
reported on Monday.

One of the two studies suggests that some current
treatments for autoimmune diseases such as the bowel-cramping
Crohn's disease may be taking the wrong approach and doing
active harm in some patients.

The two [...]

Margaret Sova McCabe and her son Tommie pose in her kitchen with some of the foods Tommie can eat, Friday, Aug. 22,2008, in Sanbornton, N.H. It’s one of the biggest frustrations of life with food allergies: Those confusing warnings that say a food might accidentally contain the wrong ingredient. The warnings are voluntary — [...]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
Prescribing instructions for Biogen
Idec and Elan Corp's drug Tysabri should be revised to note
cases of a serious brain disorder in patients who were using it
as their sole treatment for multiple sclerosis, U.S. health
regulators said on Monday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it was working to
amend the Tysabri label after two cases of [...]

A man prays with incense sticks at the more than 300-year-old Yong He Gong, also known as the Tibetan Lama Temple, in Beijing July 7, 2008. (David Gray/Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Burning incense may create a
sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people
at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers
reported Monday.

In [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Teenagers arrested for juvenile
offenses have a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, so
screening these teens soon after arrest may help catch many
cases, a new study suggests.

Past research has found relatively high rates of STDs among
incarcerated adolescents, but little is known about the STD
risk among teens who are arrested and then [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Parents who want their
preschoolers to eat their fruits and vegetables should probably
practice what they preach, a new study suggests.

In a study of more than 1,300 families, researchers found
that when parents boosted their own consumption of fruits and
vegetables, so did their young children.

The findings, reported in the journal Preventive Medicine,
point [...]

Durch eine Radikaldiät wollen viele Übergewichtige ihre Figur in Form bringen. Unter diesen Hauruck-Aktionen leidet neben der Gesundheit auch das Aussehen: Wer in kurzer Zeit mehr als zehn Kilo abnimmt, muss an einigen Körperstellen mit unschön hängenden Hautfalten rechnen. Vor allem an Bauch, Oberarmen und Schenkeln können störende Gewebelappen zurückbleiben. Um die Silhouette wieder zu [...]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Potentially harmful medication
administration errors are very rare in assisted living
settings, the result of a study of 12 facilities in three
states suggests.

Assisted living facilities are a less expensive alternative
to skilled nursing facilities, offering residents more
independence and a homier environment. Medication errors are a
concern in these settings, lead investigator Dr. Heather M.
Young [...]

Im Bad duftet es nach Pfirsichblüten, in der U-Bahn-Station nach Croissants und im Kaufhaus nach frisch gewaschener Wäsche. Was viele nicht wissen: Die Düfte sind nicht echt, sondern es werden gezielt synthetische Duftstoffe eingesetzt, um unangenehme Gerüche zu überlagern oder den Appetit zu wecken. Solche Duftstoffe werden mittlerweile in vielen Produkten eingesetzt, mit denen Verbraucher [...]