Recreational runners aiming for marathon in 2006 should exercise caution: experts

TORONTO (CP) - Audacious would-be athletes who plan to add "complete a marathon" to their list of new year's resolutions should exercise caution and common sense, say running experts....More

Plastic surgery offers hope to mutilation victims in northern Uganda

KITGUM, Uganda (AP) - Sabina Abwo is a victim of one of the most horrifying tactics of Uganda's northern war: her lips and ears were sliced off. Abwo said she believed she then would be killed by rebels, who abducted her when she ventured from a refugee camp to fetch firewood....More

HealthSouth Corp. claims Scrushy seeks to 'pillage' rehab company

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - HealthSouth Corp. accused ousted CEO Richard Scrushy of trying to "pillage" the company of more than $100 million US in court papers filed Wednesday and said he isn't due anything for his firing....More

Hospital overdoses contribute to bleeding problems in heart attack patients

CHICAGO (AP) - Heart attack patients are often given overdoses of powerful blood-thinning drugs in the emergency room, increasing their risk of serious bleeding, a study found. Of the 30,136 heart attack patients studied who were treated last year at 387 U.S....More

Guidant shareholder vote set for Jan. 31 on J&J-Guidant merger

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Guidant Corp. shareholders will vote Jan. 31, four days later than originally planned, on a $21.5 billion US offer by Johnson & Johnson to buy the troubled medical device maker....More

China reports new human fatality from bird flu; no immediate confirmation by UN

BEIJING (AP) - China on Thursday reported its seventh human case of bird flu in a 41-year-old woman who died Dec. 21....More

FDA approves thalidomide-like drug for rare bone marrow disorders

WASHINGTON (CP) - A drug similar to one that causes birth defects has won FDA approval to treat anemia in people who suffer from certain kinds of rare bone-marrow disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. The U.S....More

China says it will soon be able to mass produce human bird flu vaccine

BEIJING (AP) - China is ready and able to mass produce a vaccine - currently undergoing human trials - to protect people from catching the H5N1 flu virus from birds, Xinhua news agency reported....More

Recreational runners aiming for marathon in 2006 should exercise caution: experts

TORONTO (CP) - Audacious would-be athletes who plan to add "complete a marathon" to their list of new year's resolutions should exercise caution and common sense, say running experts....More

Reheating leftovers? Make sure plastic containers are microwave-safe

TORONTO (CP) - Mary Anne McNally has been using a microwave for about a dozen years, mostly for reheating food, but she's picky about the kind of containers she'll put in the oven. Plastic containers, unless they're deemed microwave-safe, are a definite no-no....More

HealthSouth Corp. claims Scrushy seeks to 'pillage' rehab company

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - HealthSouth Corp. accused ousted CEO Richard Scrushy of trying to "pillage" the company of more than $100 million US in court papers filed Wednesday and said he isn't due anything for his firing....More

Hospital overdoses contribute to bleeding problems in heart attack patients

CHICAGO (AP) - Heart attack patients are often given overdoses of powerful blood-thinning drugs in the emergency room, increasing their risk of serious bleeding, a study found. Of the 30,136 heart attack patients studied who were treated last year at 387 U.S....More

Plastic surgery offers hope to mutilation victims in northern Uganda

KITGUM, Uganda (AP) - Sabina Abwo is a victim of one of the most horrifying tactics of Uganda's northern war: her lips and ears were sliced off. Abwo said she believed she then would be killed by rebels, who abducted her when she ventured from a refugee camp to fetch firewood....More

China says it will soon be able to mass produce human bird flu vaccine

BEIJING (AP) - China is ready and able to mass produce a vaccine - currently undergoing human trials - to protect people from catching the H5N1 flu virus from birds, Xinhua news agency reported....More

FDA approves thalidomide-like drug for rare bone marrow disorders

WASHINGTON (CP) - A drug similar to one that causes birth defects has won FDA approval to treat anemia in people who suffer from certain kinds of rare bone-marrow disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. The U.S....More

Guidant shareholder vote set for Jan. 31 on J&J-Guidant merger

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Guidant Corp. shareholders will vote Jan. 31, four days later than originally planned, on a $21.5 billion US offer by Johnson & Johnson to buy the troubled medical device maker....More

Libyan court orders retrial of Bulgarian nurses, Palestinian doctor on AIDS charges

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - The Libyan supreme court on Sunday overturned death sentences for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who have been in jail since 1999 on allegations they purposely infected children with the AIDS virus....More

Bulgaria's president optimistic of solution in nurses' AIDS trial in Libya

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - Bulgaria's president said he was hopeful of a breakthrough in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to die in Libya for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with HIV....More

U.S. FDA approves new nasal flu vaccine plant, MedImmune Inc. says

WASHINGTON (AP) - The American pharmaceutical company MedImmune Inc. expects to ramp up production of FluMist nasal flu vaccine next year after a newly built plant it owns in England received FDA approval, the company said Tuesday. The U.S....More

U.S. medical firm Guidant gets FDA warning letter about its St. Paul facility

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Guidant Corp. said Tuesday it had received a warning letter about unresolved problems at its St. Paul, Minn., facility from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration....More

Kashechewan residents celebrate Christmas as they boil water

(CP) - For the roughly 1,900 residents of a remote northern Ontario reserve, the only gift they wanted for Christmas was fresh drinking water....More

Authorities detect new H5 bird flu case in southeastern Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - A village in southeastern Romania was quarantined Tuesday after five chickens there tested positive for an H5 variant of bird flu, the head of the country's National Animal Health Agency said....More

U.S. drug maker Pfizer Inc. buys stake in genomics company Perlegen

BOSTON (AP) - Pfizer Inc. on Tuesday said it bought a 12 per cent stake in Perlegen Sciences Inc., a closely held biotechnology-research company, continuing a move into the emerging field of personalized medicine....More

Recreational runners aiming for marathon in 2006 should exercise caution: experts

TORONTO (CP) - Audacious would-be athletes who plan to add "complete a marathon" to their list of new year's resolutions should exercise caution and common sense, say running experts....More

Face transplant patient adapting easier than man who received new hands

LYON, France (AP) - The woman who received a new nose, chin and lips last month in France found it much easier to accept and adapt to her new face than did the world's first double hand transplant, a psychiatrist who has treated both patients said Friday....More

Residents of Walkerton hit with holiday boil-water advisory after pipe breaks

WALKERTON, Ont. (CP) - Residents of this southwestern Ontario community where seven people died and thousands were sickened by tainted water five years ago are spending the holidays under a boil-water advisory after a water main broke....More

Canadian Food Inspection Agency says bean sprouts may be linked to salmonella

TORONTO (CP) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is advising the public not to consume mung bean sprouts produced by Toronto Sun Wah and Hollend Enterprises, because they may have been contaminated by salmonella....More

Australian farm quarantined as bird flu precaution after tests inconclusive

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australian authorities have for the first time quarantined a farm for fear of bird flu infection, the government said Friday....More

Recreational runners aiming for marathon in 2006 should exercise caution: experts

TORONTO (CP) - Audacious would-be athletes who plan to add "complete a marathon" to their list of new year's resolutions should exercise caution and common sense, say running experts....More

Kashechewan residents celebrate Christmas as they boil water

(CP) - For the roughly 1,900 residents of a remote northern Ontario reserve, the only gift they wanted for Christmas was fresh drinking water....More

Libyan court orders retrial of Bulgarian nurses, Palestinian doctor on AIDS charges

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - The Libyan supreme court on Sunday overturned death sentences for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who have been in jail since 1999 on allegations they purposely infected children with the AIDS virus....More

Bulgaria's president optimistic of solution in nurses' AIDS trial in Libya

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - Bulgaria's president said he was hopeful of a breakthrough in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to die in Libya for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with HIV....More

Face transplant patient adapting easier than man who received new hands

LYON, France (AP) - The woman who received a new nose, chin and lips last month in France found it much easier to accept and adapt to her new face than did the world's first double hand transplant, a psychiatrist who has treated both patients said Friday....More

Residents of Walkerton hit with holiday boil-water advisory after pipe breaks

WALKERTON, Ont. (CP) - Residents of this southwestern Ontario community where seven people died and thousands were sickened by tainted water five years ago are spending the holidays under a boil-water advisory after a water main broke....More

Recreational runners aiming for marathon in 2006 should exercise caution: experts

TORONTO (CP) - Audacious would-be athletes who plan to add "complete a marathon" to their list of new year's resolutions should exercise caution and common sense, say running experts....More

Canadian Food Inspection Agency says bean sprouts may be linked to salmonella

TORONTO (CP) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is advising the public not to consume mung bean sprouts produced by Toronto Sun Wah and Hollend Enterprises, because they may have been contaminated by salmonella....More

Australian farm quarantined as bird flu precaution after tests inconclusive

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australian authorities have for the first time quarantined a farm for fear of bird flu infection, the government said Friday....More

Libyan court orders retrial of Bulgarian nurses, Palestinian doctor on AIDS charges

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - The Libyan supreme court on Sunday overturned death sentences for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who have been in jail since 1999 on allegations they purposely infected children with the AIDS virus....More

Bulgaria's president optimistic of solution in nurses' AIDS trial in Libya

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - Bulgaria's president said he was hopeful of a breakthrough in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to die in Libya for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with HIV....More

Kashechewan residents celebrate Christmas as they boil water

(CP) - For the roughly 1,900 residents of a remote northern Ontario reserve, the only gift they wanted for Christmas was fresh drinking water....More

Vasogen files plan to raise US$100 million over next two years

TORONTO (CP) - Drug developer Vasogen Inc. plans to raise up to $100 million US through issues of its stock over the next two years, the company said Thursday....More

Patheon says OSC has ended probe into insider trading by execs

TORONTO (CP) - Pharmaceutical company Patheon Inc. said Thursday it has been told an Ontario Securities Commission probe into share trading by its CEO and chief operating officer is over. The company said it was informed by the OSC in a letter dated Dec....More

CVS confirms talks to buy Albertson's drugstores, says no deal reached

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - Drugstore chain CVS Corp. said Thursday it has been in discussions with Albertson's Inc. regarding the purchase of the supermarket chain's Sav-on and Osco drugstores....More

Andromed Inc. completes sale of its assets for $4 million

MONTREAL (CP) - Andromed Inc. has sold the bulk of its medical technology assets to an unnamed U.S. company for $4 million....More

French doctors successfully separate twins joined at the spine

MARSEILLES, France (AP) - French doctors have successfully separated twins joined at the spine, the first operation of its kind in France, hospital officials said. Fifteen-month-olds named Mohamed and Souleymane were successfully separated on Dec. 15....More

Australian farm quarantined as bird flu precaution after tests inconclusive

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australian authorities have for the first time quarantined a farm for fear of bird flu infection, the government said Friday....More

Roche grants sublicence to Indian company for production of Tamiflu

GENEVA (AP) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said Friday it has granted a sublicence to an Indian drugmaker to produce the antiviral drug Tamiflu, which is believed to be the most efficient treatment for the human version of the bird-flu virus....More

WHO Asia Pacific head calls on China to release bird flu samples

BEIJING (AP) - A senior United Nations health official Friday called on China to provide the world body with samples of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying that the country was the key to the global war against the disease....More

Journal investigating dog-cloning claim by embattled researcher

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A second scientific journal is investigating research by an embattled stem cell scientist - this time his claim that he cloned a dog....More

British authorities find 18 websites selling questionable Tamiflu; 2 Canadian

TORONTO (CP) - British authorities have identified 18 websites, including two in Canada, selling what they believe are questionable products claimed to be the antiviral drug Tamiflu....More

WHO confirms two more human bird flu deaths in Indonesia, raising toll to 11

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The World Health Organization confirmed that a 39-year-old man and an 8-year-old boy died earlier this month of bird flu, raising Indonesia's toll to 11, an official said Thursday. The victims, who were not related, both died in the capital, Jakarta....More

7 million U.S. teens would flunk treadmill tests, study says

CHICAGO (AP) - About a third of U.S. teens would flunk a treadmill fitness test, a new study shows, meaning that more than seven million youngsters could face higher risks for heart disease later in life....More

Biovail receives FDA approval for antidepressant citalopram tablet

TORONTO (CP) - Biovail Corp. has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration to sell its a formulation of the antidepressant citalopram....More

CVS confirms talks to buy Albertson's drugstores, says no deal reached

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - Drugstore chain CVS Corp. said Thursday it has been in discussions with Albertson's Inc. regarding the purchase of the supermarket chain's Sav-on and Osco drugstores....More

French doctors successfully separate twins joined at the spine

MARSEILLES, France (AP) - French doctors have successfully separated twins joined at the spine, the first operation of its kind in France, hospital officials said. Fifteen-month-olds named Mohamed and Souleymane were successfully separated on Dec. 15....More

Visudyne firm QLT announces departure of chief business officer Bill Newell

VANCOUVER (CP) - QLT Inc., which recently lowered its sales expectations for its eye drug Visudyne and said it will slash about 100 jobs, said Thursday that Bill Newell will step down as senior vice-president and chief business officer on Jan. 1....More

Quest for better artificial arms spurred on by losses in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) - Bend your elbow for a drink and your hand squeezes instead, crushing the cup: It's a frustration common with artificial arms. Charles Wayne Briggs got tired of forgetting if he'd left his arm in the elbow or hand position, and asked its inventors for a fix....More

Smoking down, prescription-drug abuse up among U.S. teens, survey shows

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cigarette smoking is at its lowest level in a survey of teenagers and use of illicit drugs has been declining, but continuing high rates of abuse for prescription painkillers remain a worry, the U.S. government reported Monday....More

Health Canada warns antibiotic linked to fluctuations in blood sugar levels

TORONTO (CP) - An antibiotic used to treat certain lung, sinus or urinary tract infections and certain sexually transmitted diseases has been linked to occasional but potentially serious fluctuations in blood sugar levels, Health Canada and the drug's manufacturer warned Tuesday....More

FDA warns Calif. maker of popular blood-sugar monitors for diabetics

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FDA has warned a California company over problems with its blood-sugar monitors, used by million of diabetics around the world. The Food and Drug Administration said LifeScan Inc....More

North Korean firm says it has developed anti-smoking candy

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A North Korean drug firm claims to have developed a candy that suppresses the desire to smoke cigarettes and heals smoking-related diseases....More

Complications common for mastectomy patients who get breast implants

CHICAGO (AP) - Breast implants in women who have undergone mastectomies often result in complications that require more surgery, a study in Denmark found....More

Edge Wang named president and CEO of pain drug maker Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc.

VANCOUVER (CP) - Edge Wang has been named president and CEO of Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc. as the pain drug developer makes a number of managerial changes. Wang was elected to the company's board in August and became interim CEO shortly afterwards....More

Avian influenza tops WHO poll of health issues; tobacco most neglected issue

GENEVA (CP) - Avian influenza ranked as the top health concern of 2005 while tobacco was seen as the most neglected health issue of the year, an informal poll conducted by the World Health Organization suggests....More

Bird flu outbreak could cost economy up to $14 billion, say Finance officials

OTTAWA (CP) - If an avian flu pandemic spreads to Canada, it could carve as much as $14 billion off the country's economy, say senior federal Finance Department officials....More

Swiss hospital agrees to allow assisted suicides of terminally ill

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - A Swiss hospital has agreed to let assisted-suicide organization help terminally ill patients take their own lives on its premises....More

Pilot project reduces wait times for hip and knee replacements

CALGARY (CP) - A pilot project that has drastically reduced waiting times for hip and knee replacements in Alberta's public health-care system could work nationally, says one of the program's architects....More

Popular heartburn drugs appear to raise risk of acquiring C. difficile

CHICAGO (AP) - Holiday revelers beware: Seasonal indulgences like eggnog and fruitcake might give you heartburn, but the acid-fighting medicine you take for relief might lead to something worse, researchers believe....More

SKorean university closes scientist Hwang's stem-cell lab amid investigation

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's top university closed off its stem-cell research lab and seized the computers of researchers as it stepped up investigation into allegations that scientist Hwang Woo-suk falsified research results, officials said Monday....More

Cross-border gender selection: Cdns travel south for service banned here

(CP) - Melissa Vatkin is seven months pregnant, happily awaiting the birth of a baby girl. But unlike expectant parents who find out the gender of their child part-way through a pregnancy, after amniocentesis or ultrasound, Vatkin has known from the beginning....More

Alberta pilot project reduces wait times for hip and knee replacements

CALGARY (CP) - An architect of a pilot project that has drastically reduced wait times for hip and knee replacements in Alberta says it could work at a national level. The Alberta government contributed $20 million to the trial project last April....More

Diesel exhaust may impair blood vessel function, lead to heart attack: study

TORONTO (CP) - Breathing in diesel exhaust fumes at levels typically found in large cities disrupts important blood vessel functions, new research has shown, suggesting a potential mechanism linking increased heart attack rates during periods of high air pollution....More

China reports 6th human case of bird flu, new poultry outbreak

BEIJING (AP) - China has reported its sixth human case of bird flu and a new outbreak in a flock of ducks....More

CDC reports West Nile cases up, especially along the Gulf Coast

ATLANTA (AP) - West Nile virus cases in the U.S. rose more than 16 per cent this year, with a marked increase - as feared - along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, the government reported Thursday....More

Alcohol-hormone mix associated with higher breast cancer risk

TORONTO (MRI) - Drinking alcohol and using hormone therapy may be a dangerous combination, according to the results of a new study....More

Birth control pills safe for women with lupus, say researchers

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Upending the conventional medical wisdom, two studies found that birth control pills do not worsen lupus and appear to be safe for the tens of thousands of women with the crippling immune disorder. "For 30 years, we were all wrong," said Dr....More

Antibiotics overprescribed for kids' sore throats, study finds

TORONTO (MRI) - Your child's doctor should do more than just make them say "Ah" before prescribing antibiotics to treat a sore throat, says a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association....More

Novartis halts development of cholesterol drug, will post US$266M charge

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Swiss drug company Novartis AG said Friday it has halted development of cholesterol drug pitavastatin and will post a charge of $266 million US in the fourth quarter as a result....More

Self affirmation helps buffer stress, study finds

TORONTO (MRI) - Before you face a stressful situation, reflecting on some of your personal values may help loosen the knots in your stomach....More

Alberta restricts access to some cold remedies used to make crystal meth

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta will follow the lead of the other Prairie provinces by limiting access to a group of cold remedies used to make crystal meth. Effectively immediately, pharmacists must restrict the sale of products made primarily with pseudoephedrine by moving them behind the counter....More

Antibiotics overprescribed for kids' sore throats, study finds

TORONTO (MRI) - Your child's doctor should do more than just make them say "Ah" before prescribing antibiotics to treat a sore throat, says a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association....More

Alcohol use survey by B.C. group shows Canadians are drinking more

VANCOUVER (CP) - There's more than money separating the rich and the poor - they also drink differently, the co-author of an addiction research survey said Thursday....More

Alcohol-hormone mix associated with higher breast cancer risk

TORONTO (MRI) - Drinking alcohol and using hormone therapy may be a dangerous combination, according to the results of a new study....More

Alberta restricts access to some cold remedies used to make crystal meth

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta will follow the lead of the other Prairie provinces by limiting access to a group of cold remedies used to make crystal meth. Effectively immediately, pharmacists must restrict the sale of products made primarily with pseudoephedrine by moving them behind the counter....More

Novartis halts development of cholesterol drug, will post US$266M charge

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Swiss drug company Novartis AG said Friday it has halted development of cholesterol drug pitavastatin and will post a charge of $266 million US in the fourth quarter as a result....More

South Korea stem cell researcher apologizes for research controversy

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk on Friday stood by his purported breakthroughs in stem cell research despite accusations he falsified key evidence, saying his work would be authenticated after tests performed within days....More

Alberta restricts access to cold remedies used to make crystal meth

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta will follow the lead of the other Prairie provinces by limiting access to cold remedies that are used to make crystal meth....More

Birth control pills safe for women with lupus, say researchers

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Upending the conventional medical wisdom, two studies found that birth control pills do not worsen lupus and appear to be safe for the tens of thousands of women with the crippling immune disorder. "For 30 years, we were all wrong," said Dr....More

Tests on high-tech pandemic flu vaccine prototype look promising

LONDON (AP) - Preliminary tests on a prototype pandemic flu vaccine based on the H5N1 strain of bird flu circulating in Asia have shown promise in achieving a practical injection....More

WorldHeart ex-chief financial officer quits, board to slash Cdn residency quota

OAKLAND, Calif. (CP) - WorldHeart Corp., a maker of mechanical blood circulation equipment, has reincorporated under federal rules to reduce the Canadian residency quota for directors to 25 per cent....More

Bedwetting is not a big deal; children will outgrow it, pediatricians advise

TORONTO (CP) - Children who wet the bed will outgrow it, and treatment probably isn't necessary, the Canadian Paediatric Society says in recommendations to doctors published in Paediatrics & Child Health....More

Blacks, poor more likely to breathe most unhealthy air, data indicate

CHICAGO (AP) - Kevin Brown's most feared opponent on the sandlot or basketball court while he was growing up wasn't another kid. It was the polluted air he breathed....More

Canada's first prescription drug atlas maps billions in spending

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canada's $20-billion drug spending has been mapped in an atlas that shows which provinces pop lots of pills and which provinces buy the most expensive new drugs....More

Consistent condom use lowers genital herpes risk

TORONTO (MRI) - In addition to lowering your risk of a number of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, new research shows consistent condom use can also protect against the virus that causes genital herpes....More

FDA in the U.S. considers vaccine against dangerous diarrheal infection

WASHINGTON (AP) - A new vaccine against a sometimes deadly diarrheal infection does not appear to cause the problems associated with an earlier vaccine, but the Food and Drug Administration said it needs more information to fully gauge its effectiveness....More

Mice grow human brain cells after stem cell injections: published study

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Add another creation to the strange scientific menagerie where animal species are being mixed together in ever more exotic combinations....More

Pioneering first gene-therapy attempts to rescue brain cells from Parkinson's

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mike Castle lay motionless as surgeons drilled two holes into his skull and injected a virus deep into his brain. The virus carries a gene and a tantalizing hope: that just maybe it could stall the Parkinson's disease slowly crippling him....More

Confirmed 9th human death from bird flu in Indonesia, more Japanese culls

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia confirmed its ninth human death from bird flu Tuesday and Japan said it will kill 90,000 more chickens after an outbreak at a farm north of Tokyo....More

Face transplant of French woman gives hope to other disfigured patients

CHICAGO (AP) - In some circles, the partial face transplant performed on a woman in France is more than a medical oddity. It is an exciting new source of hope to burn victims like Bernhard Heitz....More

High-tech for seniors includes phones with visual identification

WASHINGTON (AP) - One day, people with Alzheimer's disease could have telephones that show them a picture of the caller and remind them who it is and when they last talked. They might walk across a floor with sensors that check their gait and sound an alarm if they fall....More

HIV-positive man found guilty of knowingly spreading HIV to sexual partners

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - A B.C. jury has decided an HIV-positive man knowingly spread the virus to his sexual partners....More

Canadian laws seen as favouring hypocritical two-tier sex trade

OTTAWA (CP) - It may not rank with two-tier health care as an election issue, but Canada's two-tier sex trade poses an even greater affront to Canadian values, critics say....More

Victhom shares rise nearly 11% after company issues statement saying finances strong

QUEBEC (CP) - Shares of Victhom Human Bionics Inc. rose nearly 11 per cent Monday after the medical devices maker issued a statement saying its finances are strong. Victhom stock rose nine cents to 94 cents, a gain of 10.59 per cent, on the Toronto Stock Exchange....More

Ukraine's bird flu outbreak expands to at least 12 Crimean villages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The outbreak of bird flu in Ukraine has expanded to at least 12 villages on the Crimean peninsula, the country's top emergency official said Monday, while nine other places have reported mass bird deaths....More

Judge declares mistrial in first U.S. federal lawsuit over painkiller Vioxx

HOUSTON (AP) - The first U.S. federal Vioxx trial ended Monday with a hung jury, but the case involving the 2001 death of a Florida man who took the once-popular painkiller for a month will be retried, a judge said. The mistrial leaves Vioxx's maker Merck & Co....More

Medical journal charges medical association with editorial interference

TORONTO (CP) - The Canadian Medical Association Journal has accused its owner, the Canadian Medical Association, of infringing on the journal's editorial independence by demanding changes to an article questioning the way pharmacists were handling sales of the morning-after birth control...More

Roche chooses potential partners for Tamiflu, grants one sublicence

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said Monday it has chosen 12 potential partners for the production of Tamiflu and granted one sublicence for the antiviral drug to Shanghai Pharmaceutical....More

Health ministers set wait time benchmarks for medical procedures

TORONTO (CP) - Canadians in dire need of open-heart surgery could expect treatment within two weeks while hip fractures would demand medical attention within two days under new national benchmarks targeting the thorny issue of patient wait times....More

Could tea help fight ovarian cancer? Swedish study says it might

CHICAGO (AP) - Swedish researchers have found tantalizing but far-from-conclusive evidence that drinking a couple of cups of tea every day might help reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer....More

In Appalachia, senior citizens charged with selling their prescription drugs

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (AP) - Dottie Neeley, 87, was fingerprinted, photographed and thrown in jail, imprisoned as much by the tubing from her oxygen tank as by the concrete and steel around her....More

Report: Face transplant patient was amazed to see her new face

LONDON (AP) - The French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant says she was amazed to see her new face in the mirror and has no regrets about the operation, a British newspaper reported Saturday....More

Poultry farms in B.C.'s Fraser Valley declared free of bird flu

VANCOUVER (CP) - A quarantine on dozens of poultry farms in British Columbia's Fraser Valley was lifted Saturday after they were found free of avian influenza....More

CFIA declares poultry farms in B.C.'s Fraser Valley free of bird flu

ABBOTSFORD (CP) - A quarantine on dozens of poultry farms in B.C.'s Fraser Valley has been lifted after they were found free of avian influenza. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the surveillance zones affecting 80 premises have been removed....More

Showdown over private health care expected this week in Manitoba

WINNIPEG (CP) - When Louise McDonald needed a magnetic resonance imaging scan for her troublesome knee, she faced two options, both of which had drawbacks....More

Hong Kong stocks up on herbs in case of flu outbreak

HONG KONG (AP) - Tamiflu is the vaccine governments are stocking up on in case of deadly super-flu outbreak. But herbalist Wong Chi-sun is putting his trust in what looks like a plastic zip-lock bag full of some really bad weed....More

Drug boosts stem cells in cord blood for transfusing cancer patients: study

TORONTO (CP) - An experimental drug already being tested in patients with diabetes and Alzheimer's disease has been found to boost the number of stem cells from umbilical cord blood, allowing them to more quickly regenerate the blood system, Canadian researchers have found....More

Roche chooses potential partners for Tamiflu, grants one sublicence

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said Monday it has chosen 12 potential partners for the production of Tamiflu and granted one sublicence for the antiviral drug to Shanghai Pharmaceutical....More

A decade later, Lasik still a luxury procedure

CHICAGO (AP) - Christopher Tomes, 43, opened his eyes one morning, looked out the window and could read the licence plate of a parked car - without his glasses....More