- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Babies born prematurely to women
who smoked during their pregnancy may be at higher risk of sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) than premature infants born to nonsmoking moms, new
research suggests.

The Canadian study is the first to compare the breathing reflexes of
“preemies” born to smokers versus nonsmokers. The researchers found [...]

- (HealthDay News) — Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy
of CenterWatch:

Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial

If you are 12 or older, have had seasonal allergic
rhinitis for at least two years, have symptoms at the time of screening,
and are in general good health, you may qualify for this study.

The
research site is in Waco, Texas.

More information

Please [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — When it comes to ear wax, it's best
to leave it alone, new national guidelines state.

While many people feel they need to remove ear wax — technically
called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin — it is
actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties,
said [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Canadian researchers are
challenging the widely held belief that flu shots help protect older
people from potentially deadly diseases such as pneumonia.

While the researchers say the vaccine does protect against certain
strains of influenza, its overall benefit seems to have been exaggerated
by so-called observational studies that found a big reduction [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Just a few glasses of wine
over a short period in early pregnancy may cause fetal problems, suggest
researchers from the Medical College of Georgia.

The initial signs of fetal alcohol syndrome, which affects one in 1,000
babies, include facial malformations such as a flat and high upper lip,
small eye openings, [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Some Japanese survivors of
the World War II atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced
key genetic changes that may have sparked the onset of a form of thyroid
cancer, new research indicates.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is typically linked to a particular
genetic mutation involving the so-called BRAF gene. But [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Cataracts — the leading cause of
vision loss and blindness in the United States and the world — affect
more than 22 million Americans aged 40 and older, says Prevent Blindness
America.

Each year in the United States, about $6.8 billion is spent on direct
medical costs for outpatient, inpatient and prescription [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Immunization shots used to be
the realm of the young.

Babies would go through series after series of vaccinations. And
toddlers would take their shots before entering preschool.

And they still do. But vaccines are now expanding to include all age
ranges, in an attempt to ward off disease from the cradle [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — The majority of youths who
are tried in criminal courts as adults have a psychiatric disorder,
researchers report.

Juveniles who are transferred to adult court, known as “transferred
youths,” are a growing population. Between 1983 and 1998, the number of
transferred youths in the United States almost quadrupled.

In a study in the [...]

- FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) — Eating plenty of
antioxidant-rich food such as blueberries, artichokes and pecans may help
protect against macular degeneration, the leading cause of age-related
blindness in the United States and other developed countries.

U.S. researchers found that antioxidants disrupt a link between two
processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to macular
degeneration. [...]