Arsenic in water tied to breathing issues

By Genevra Pittman, NEW YORK | Fri Dec 2, 2011 5:20pm EST

(Reuters Health) - People in Bangladesh exposed to high levels of arsenic in drinking water were more likely to report shortness of breath in a new study than those who drank water with safer arsenic concentrations.

Though researchers didn't try to diagnose the study subjects with any specific illnesses, they noted in the European Respiratory Journal that diseases of the heart and lungs are common reasons people have trouble breathing.

Walgreen, others sue Pfizer over depression drug

By Jonathan Stempel, Thu Dec 1, 2011 6:39pm EST

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Teva Pharmceutical Industries Ltd were sued by Walgreen Co and four other large retailers, accused of violating U.S. antitrust law by conspiring to keep generic versions of a popular antidepressant off the shelves.

Walgreen, Kroger Co, Safeway Inc, Supervalu Inc and HEB Grocery Co accused Pfizer's Wyeth unit of conducting an "overarching anticompetitive scheme" to prevent and delay the approval and marketing of generic versions of the prescription drug Effexor XR, causing them to overpay.

Behavioral therapy may ease kids' fibromyalgia

By Linda Thrasybule, NEW YORK | Fri Dec 2, 2011 5:19pm EST

(Reuters Health) - Teaching teens coping skills to deal with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia may provide them some relief, a small study suggests.

When researchers divided 114 teenagers with the condition into two groups -- one that received behavioral therapy for six months and one that just got information about the condition -- the behavioral therapy group emerged with much lower levels of disability at the end of the study.

I had an orgasm in an MRI scanner ...

Kayt Sukel went to extraordinary lengths to help researchers learn more about the neuroscience of the female orgasm

The first question, invariably, is, "Excuse me? You had a what where?" It's not a surprise, really. People may not be shocked if you tell them you managed a wank on, say, the train or even in a public restroom. But when you announce that you took part in an orgasm study and managed to reach climax in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner as it recorded the blood flow in your brain? Well, that's not something one hears every day.

Gender inequality persists in multitasking: study

By Patricia Reaney, NEW YORK | Fri Dec 2, 2011 8:07am EST

(Reuters) - Men may be helping more in the home but working women still do more multitasking in U.S. families than their partners and are finding it stressful, according to a new study.

Lifestyle, genetics and faith on the road to 100

By Patricia Reaney, NEW YORK | Tue Nov 8, 2011 10:11am EST

(Reuters) - They are among the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population and by 2050 their numbers could reach 601,000 but most centenarians never expected to reach 100 and many say lifestyle is the secret to longevity.

Microscopic worms may hold key to living on Mars

LONDON | Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:08pm GMT

(Reuters) - British scientists believe microscopic worms which are biologically very similar to humans may be the key to helping humans colonize other planets like Mars by giving clues on coping with long-term space living.