 | 2008 JULY
July 2, 2008
FDA Expands Search for Source of Salmonella Outbreak
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it still did not know the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 869 people and plans to expand its search beyond tomatoes, the first suspected culprit. A USA Today reporter updates the story.
     
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| July 1, 2008
Study: HIV Mortality Rates Continue to Drop as Treatments Improve
More than a decade after antiretroviral treatments for HIV first debuted, HIV mortality rates have declined dramatically and they continue to drop in countries where patients have access to the drugs.
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| JUNE
June 25, 2008
Transparent Fish Give Cancer Research a Boost
Richard White is an oncologist at Children's Hospital Boston and instructor at Harvard Medical School -- but lately, he's also gained fame as an animal breeder.
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| June 19, 2008
Three Years On, New Orleans Still Struggles With Hurricane Debris
Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the city is still coping with the toxic debris the storm left behind. Betty Ann Bowser reports from New Orleans on the ongoing controversy over the city's landfills.
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| June 17, 2008
In Rwanda, U.S.-Backed Program Improves Access to AIDS Drugs
A U.S. program to curb AIDS in Africa is having success providing antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients in Rwanda -- particularly pregnant women and newborns. Health correspondent Susan Dentzer begins a series of reports examining the impact of the American effort.
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| June 13, 2008
Low Levels of Vitamin D Tied to Numerous Health Ailments, Studies Find
Men with low vitamin D levels are more likely to suffer heart attacks than men with healthy levels of the vitamin, according to a study released this week.
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| June 11, 2008
Protests Against Government, U.S. Imports Sweep South Korea
More than 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Seoul to protest a proposed deal allowing U.S. beef imports and taking to task the teetering government of President Lee Myung-bak. A regional expert explores the core issues behind the protests.
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| June 10, 2008
More Than 25 Million Americans Underinsured, Study Finds
More than 25 million Americans with health insurance did not have sufficient coverage for their medical expenses in 2007, according to a study released Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs.
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| June 10, 2008
Salmonella Concerns Prompt Widespread Tomato Recalls
Concerns over salmonella contamination have led the FDA to issue nationwide health warnings for tomatoes. This in turn has led to many vendors recalling or prohibiting the use of tomatoes in their products. A food safety journalist discusses the tomato health scare.
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| June 10, 2008
Tomatoes Pulled From Shelves Over Salmonella
Federal officials are trying to locate the source of a 17-state salmonella outbreak linked to three types of raw tomatoes while the list of supermarkets and restaurants pulling the affected tomato varieties from shelves and menus continues to grow.
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| June 5, 2008
World Leaders Pledge to Ease Food Crisis After Political Squabbling
World leaders at a United Nations food summit pledged Thursday to reduce trade barriers and boost agricultural production to combat the food crisis that is spreading hunger and violent unrest across the globe.
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| June 2, 2008
Researchers Examine Impact of Exercise on Aging
Scientists have coined a new term -- geroscience -- to describe research that aims to slow down aging and delay the onset of age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Researchers are studying the underlying genetic causes of aging and effects of exercise.
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| June 2, 2008
Doctor: Kennedy Brain Tumor Surgery a Success
Sen. Edward Kennedy underwent surgery to treat a malignant brain tumor Monday, and his doctors said that the surgery was successful, according to a family spokeswoman.
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| MAY
May 29, 2008
Monkeys Learn to Control Robotic Arm With Brainwaves
Advances in brain-controlled prosthetics reached new heights as researchers at the University of Pittsburgh announced the successful use of a prosthetic arm linked directly to the brain of a monkey. Lead researcher Andrew Schwartz discusses the findings.
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| May 29, 2008
Food Prices Will Likely Remain High, Report Warns
Declaring cheap food a thing of the past, officials said in a report released Thursday that world food prices are likely to fall from their current levels in the years ahead but will stay "substantially above" average costs from the past decade.
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| May 28, 2008
Modernizing China Confronts Environmental Woes
Since undertaking market reforms in late 1970s, China has enjoyed an economic boom -- but the economic progress has also produced serious environmental damage and pollution problems. Margaret Warner reports on China's environmental woes and their impact on the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
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| May 27, 2008
Experts Debate Cloned Food
In January, the Food and Drug Administration decided that meat and milk from cloned animals is safe to eat. Two experts on different sides of the issue -- a veterinarian whose company produces cloned animals and an advocate for clone-free food -- answered your questions.
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| May 27, 2008
FDA's Approval of Cloned Beef for Human Consumption Ignites Debate
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved meat and milk from cloned cows as safe for human consumption. However, some observers believe the FDA's decision was hasty and more study of the issue is needed. Tom Bearden reports on the controversy.
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| May 23, 2008
Clinton Gaffe, McCain Health Records Top Campaign News
As Sen. Hillary Clinton apologized for citing the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy as a rationale for staying in the race, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama took harder punches at one another in the presidential contest. Mark Shields and David Brooks consider the news from the trail.
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| May 22, 2008
Fear of Vaccine Dangers Leads Some Families to Opt Out of Routine Care
An increasing fear of alleged dangers from child vaccinations, including autism and allergies, has led to an upsurge in the reported cases of measles this year. Betty Ann Bowser examines why some parents are opting against routine vaccinations for their children.
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| May 20, 2008
BPA Dropped From Some Plastics Amid Health Concerns
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a chemical commonly found in hard plastic bottles such as Nalgenes and other everyday plastic products. However, increasing concerns about BPA's alleged toxicity has caused Nalgene to stop using it to make bottles.
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| May 20, 2008
Kennedy May Face Lengthy Treatment for Brain Tumor
Sen. Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, his doctors said Tuesday. Malignant gliomas, like Kennedy's, are the most common type of adult brain cancers, inflicting some 9,000 Americans a year. A medical expert discusses treatment for brain tumors.
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| May 20, 2008
Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor
Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor, his doctors said Tuesday, a challenging health diagnosis for the iconic American political figure and the last surviving of the four famed Kennedy brothers.
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| May 13, 2008
Q & A With Dr. Asis Min of Doctors Without Borders
Dr. Asis Min of Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is working in the aid group's operations base in Bassein in the southwestern Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar -- the area hit hardest by the cyclone.
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| May 6, 2008
Little-known Drug Draws New Scientific, Legislative Attention
Most of what the public knows about the hallucinogenic drug salvia divinorum comes in disturbing snippets from a growing collection of online videos.
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| May 5, 2008
Relief for World Food Crisis Made More Difficult by Cyclones, Riots
In the wake of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar and widespread rioting in Somalia, the international community continues to try and respond with food relief programs to confront the rising need. World Food Program's head Josette Sheeran discusses the relief efforts.
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| May 1, 2008
New Policy Urges Soldiers to Seek Mental Health Care
In a bid to encourage veterans to get needed counseling, the Pentagon said Thursday that most military and civilian employees will no longer be required to disclose mental health treatment when applying for government jobs. Experts examine the impact of the new rule.
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| APRIL
April 28, 2008
Mass. Health Care Plan Praised, But Struggles With Cost
Massachusetts' universal coverage plan has helped thousands of the state's residents gain health care -- but critics remain wary of the high costs of the program, both expected and unexpected. Susan Dentzer reports on how the Bay State is faring in its reform efforts.
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| April 25, 2008
Senate Votes to Prevent Genetic Discrimination in the Workplace
As research of preventative genetic testing increases, many fear the impact this information can have on employment and health-insurance practices -- leading the Senate to vote Thursday to ban genetic-based discrimination. An expert on genetics examines the issue.
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| April 25, 2008
Social Status is Hard-Wired into the Brain, Study Shows
Our world is defined by social hierarchies: parent and child, teacher and student, employee and boss. From the playground to the office, our place in the pecking order helps us decide how to behave.
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| April 22, 2008
FDA Links Heparin Deaths to Contaminated Chinese Supply
The Food and Drug Administration announced new evidence this week that links a contaminated blood thinner from China to 81 deaths in the United States.
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| April 18, 2008
Wal-Mart, Nalgene Pull BPA Items After Report Sparks Concerns
Retail giant Wal-Mart and water bottle maker Nalgene are taking steps to phase out the use of the plasticizer Bisphenol A, only days after a major report linked the omnipresent chemical to a range of possible hormonal and other health problems.
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| April 16, 2008
Researchers Track Global Flu Travel Patterns
If you live in North America, the flu strain that laid you low last winter likely originated in East or Southeast Asia six to nine months before you caught it, according to a new study of the worldwide circulation of the flu virus.
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| April 15, 2008
Merck Faces New Questions Over Vioxx Risks, Research
Pharmaceutical company Merck knew in 2001 that its arthritis drug Vioxx could harm patients and used staffers to "ghostwrite" favorable research on the drug, articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association report. Susan Dentzer examines the charges.
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| April 8, 2008
After 25 Years, AIDS Vaccine Research Makes Mid-course Correction
It took 47 years to develop a polio vaccine, 42 to develop a measles vaccine and 105 for typhoid. So historically speaking, at 24 years in, research on the AIDS vaccine is still young.
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| MARCH
March 31, 2008
Researchers Examine Impact of Exercise on Aging
Scientists have coined a new term -- geroscience -- to describe research that aims to slow down aging and delay the onset of age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Researchers are studying the underlying genetic causes of aging and effects of exercise.
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| March 28, 2008
After Major Cyclone, Bangladesh Worries About Climate Change
Months after Cyclone Sidr killed 3,200 people along the Bangladesh coast, the devastated country turns its attention to climate change. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on recovery efforts and worries about the long-term future of the country.
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| March 27, 2008
Volunteers Shape Frontlines of TB Fight in Bangladesh
Tuberculosis -- a potentially fatal but treatable lung disease -- infects 300,000 people in Bangladesh every year. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on a success story in the country's fight against TB, which relies on local women trained to spot and treat infected patients.
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| March 26, 2008
U.S. Seeks AIDS Vaccine Research Overhaul
The head of the federal government's AIDS vaccine research program said Tuesday that the focus should shift from large-scale human vaccine trials back to basic research.
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| March 24, 2008
Water Recycling Efforts Spark Policy Debate in California
In water-strapped southern California local authorities are exploring new approaches to water usage, launching new programs that send highly treated wastewater back into the groundwater supply to serve as drinking water.
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| March 24, 2008
Digital Files Put Medical Records at Doctors' Fingertips
New technologies now allow doctors and hospitals to keep electronic health records, but the U.S. has been slow to switch formats. Susan Dentzer reports on the advantages and difficulties that some hospitals are facing in their efforts to digitize medical records.
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HEALTH
