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Aug. 18, 2006 -- Swans with bird flu, MRSA in American cities, and the world's largest AIDS conference, topped off the week's biggest stories in medical news.
Bird Flu Found in Michigan Swans Two swans with bird flu caused a flurry of concern earlier this week, but don't start worrying just yet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the two wild Michigan swans, which were healthy when captured, had a version of the H5N1 bird flu virus that is not harmful to humans. Read more.
A Skin Test for Alzheimer's Researchers have developed a skin test that detects Alzheimer's-specific signals in skin cells. That means the skin could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease ? especially in its early stages. Read more.
Coffee May Trigger Heart Attack A new study adds a spoonful of doubt to the claims that coffee is good for you. Coffee may trigger a heart attack within an hour in some people. And those most at risk aren't java junkies. They're folks who may indulge in no more than one cup of coffee a day, researchers suggest. Couch potatoes and those with other risk factors for heart disease are most at risk. Read more.
Chemo Complications Underreported Younger breast cancer patients who receive chemotherapy may have more serious side effects and higher health care costs than previously reported, a new study shows. The findings could be used to help breast cancer patients and doctors assess the risks and the benefits of chemotherapy. Read more.
Drug-Resistant Staph Invading U.S. It may look like a spider bite, but that red, puss-filled abscess that just won't go away could be something contagious. It's drug-resistant staph infection -- also known as MRSA -- and it's now the most common skin infection in city emergency rooms, a nationwide study shows. Read more.
TV: A Painkiller for Kids Parents have suspected it for years, but now researchers have found that watching television may act as an effective painkiller for children. According to an Italian study, children who had blood drawn while watching cartoons felt less pain than children who were distracted by their mothers or were offered no distractions. Read more.
'BMI' a Bust for Predicting Heart Risk Obesity is a strong predictor of heart disease, but the test most often used to calculate it may not be as reliable. Body mass index (BMI) proved to be a bust for predicting death in an analysis of 40 previously reported studies involving 250,000 patients with heart disease. Two alternative tests -- measuring waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio -- may be better at distinguishing between the fit and the fat. Read more.
All Forms of Tobacco Harmful Smoked, chewed, or inhaled secondhand -- all forms of tobacco cause heart attacks, a huge new international study shows. Smokers triple their heart attack risk while people who chew tobacco double theirs. As for secondhand smoke, it may be even more dangerous than previously thought. Read more.
Prevention Key to Controlling AIDS Prevention was the buzz word at this week's XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. The convention, which drew thousands of researchers, activists and people living with HIV/AIDS along with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton, focused on the latest research in prevention and treatment. But one method of prevention has been around for centuries. Male circumcision, several researchers reported, could end up becoming a powerful weapon against AIDS. Read more.