- Recent winners of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, and their research, according to the Nobel Foundation:
• 2007: Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies of the United States and Martin J. Evans of the United Kingdom, for their discoveries leading to a powerful technique for manipulating mouse genes.
• 2006: Andrew Z. Fire [...]

CHICAGO - Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday.
Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death. Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys [...]

- SUNDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) — Men who are overweight and who have
high insulin levels when they are diagnosed with prostate cancer may be
more likely to die from the disease, research shows.

This striking finding, published early online and expected to be in the
November issue of The Lancet Oncology, is yet more reason to
continue [...]

- (HealthDay News) — Proper supervision and wearing protective
gear, especially a helmet, are critical to biking safely.

The Nemours Foundation offers these safety tips for children to prevent
biking accidents:

Wear fluorescent, brightly-colored or reflective clothing when biking,
especially at night or in the evening. Avoid dark clothes.
Wear lightweight clothing to keep cool.
Wear pants with tight-fitting legs — [...]

- MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) — Free prescription drug samples
distributed to pediatric patients may be unsafe, research suggests.

The study, published in the October 2008 issue of Pediatrics,
examined data on 10,295 children and adolescents from the 2004 Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey.

The researchers found that one in 20 American children received free
drug samples in 2004. And [...]

- MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) — Exposing your children to the
joys of pet ownership may, in some cases, also mean exposing them to
infections and injuries.

Parents need to be aware of the dangers — including salmonella
infection and even monkey pox — of owning such nontraditional pets as
rodents, reptiles, monkeys and more, says a report [...]

- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,
compiled by editors of HealthDay:

One-Quarter of Mammals Face Extinction:
Report

About 25 percent of the Earth's mammal species are at risk of
extinction, says a report compiled over five years by 1,700 experts in 130
countries. That figure could be as high as 36 percent because data [...]

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

Healthy Patient Studies

If you are aged 18 to 65, healthy, a non-smoker, and
able to stay at the clinic and make outpatient visits, you may qualify for
this study. Women must be surgically sterile or postmenopausal.

The
research site is in Evansville, Ind.

More information

Please see [...]

- MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) — A new technique may help doctors
diagnose a rare form of leukemia in a matter of hours instead of weeks,
researchers say.

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) occurs in children; symptoms
include fevers, poor growth, and infections.

Early diagnosis of JMML is important, since the only cure is a bone
marrow transplant. But JMML [...]

- MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) — Although most people think of
young children when they hear about childhood vaccinations, adolescents
need certain booster shots as well as new immunizations.

However, a recent study has found that not all teens are getting these
necessary vaccinations.

The study, published in the October issue of Pediatrics, found
that nearly one-third of teens [...]