THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 — Adults with diabetes die earlier and suffer longer with disabilities than men and women without the blood-sugar disease, researchers are reporting. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes will shorten the lives of 50-year-old men and women by more than three years. And only about 13 ... Read More »

LOS ANGELES, April 15  — Researchers found a combination of chemotherapy and a protein inhibitor improves the outcome of children with retinoblastoma, according to a recent study. Inhibiting the protein YM155, which prevents the process of cell death, made chemotherapy more effective against cancer cells in the lab and when ... Read More »

WASHINGTON, April 15  — Mars Food, which makes some of the most popular rices, candy bars and jarred sauces, among other foods, has announced plans to improve the nutritional content of their products and add labels warning about health dangers from consuming too much of the less healthy products. Mars ... Read More »

FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 — Despite the increasing use of a standard therapy for rectal cancer in the United States, only slightly more than half of patients receive it, a new study finds. Chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery is recognized as the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer ... Read More »

FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 — Metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug, may reduce the risk of dying from some cancers for postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. The study found that for women with type 2 diabetes and cancer, the odds of dying from cancer appeared ... Read More »

FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 — Early stage breast cancers known as DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) should be treated with surgery, not a “wait-and-watch” approach, according to new research. Experts have debated whether to treat early DCIS or simply monitor it to see if it progresses. The new study suggests ... Read More »

WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 — A surgeon’s skill level does not seem to have a big impact on long-term outcomes for weight-loss surgery patients, a new study suggests. However, one weight-loss surgeon disagreed with the study’s conclusion. Prior research had found an association between surgical skill level and short-term outcomes ... Read More »

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 13  — There is no definitive test for asthma, with most diagnoses based on history and breathing tests, both of which researchers say lack definition and depend on patients having attacks before any type of treatment. Researchers at Penn State University found microRNAs, or miRNAs, in ... Read More »

WASHINGTON, April 13  — Blood thinners like warfarin have long been used to lower the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, but require continuous monitoring and dietary restriction to be sure blood has not been thinned too much. Researchers at Loyola University found, however, that newer blood thinning ... Read More »

WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 — Bedbugs may be developing thicker “skins” that help them resist common pesticides, a new study suggests. This might explain why bedbug populations are increasing worldwide, the researchers added. “If we understand the biological mechanisms bedbugs use to beat insecticides, we may be able to spot ... Read More »

ATLANTA, April 13  — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday the Zika virus can cause birth defects like very small heads and other neurological damage in the fetuses of infected mothers. CDC officials said they had gathered enough data to make the announcement, putting to rest ... Read More »

WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 — Alcohol sales fell in Maryland following an increase in the sales tax, according to a finding that suggests the tactic could work in other U.S. states. The alcohol tax rose from 6 percent to 9 percent in 2011, and liquor sales subsequently fell 5 percent, ... Read More »