AP - Health care continued to take up a greater share of the economy in 2007, as spending on hospitals, doctors and other services increased 6.1 percent to $2.2 trillion.

Reuters - New research indicates that drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity or throat, at least in the general population of Japan.

HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of teens who use the social networking site MySpace have posted information about sexual behavior, substance abuse or violence, new research shows.

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- If you have a long-term illness, improving your appearance can help you feel better, the American Cancer Society says.

Although the "thought of yet another pro-choice Kennedy positioned to campaign for the unlimited right to abortion is discouraging" for "faithful" Roman Catholics, abortion-rights advocates "will have just such a champion" if Caroline Kennedy is appointed to fill the Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.

1. Outbreaks of Viral Hepatitis Linked to Lapses in Infection Control Practices in Health Care Settings While transmission of Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) virus in health care settings is considered rare, recent reports of outbreaks indicate a growing problem. Over the past decade, there have been 33 outbreaks in nonhospital health care settings in the United States.

Akorn-Strides, LLC announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approvals for two Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) for Sterile Vancomycin HCl USP, 500 mg/vial, 1 g/vial and Sterile Vancomycin HCl USP, 5 g/vial Pharmacy Bulk Package. Akorn-Strides, LLC is a Joint Venture that was formed in 2004 by Akorn, Inc.

Yet another study published online by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute confirmed that vitamin supplementation provided no statistically significant value in cancer prevention among women. This study comes on the heels of numerous studies which all draw the same conclusion: vitamin supplementation among a normally well nourished population has no positive effect on cancer prevention.

Childhood trauma is a potent risk factor for development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), according to a study by researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study is published in the Jan. 5, 2009Archives of General Psychiatry.

Keeping the toughest New Year's resolution of them all could be made a little easier for Facebook users this year thanks to a new application - the Bupa 'QuitClock'. Bupa has exclusively designed this new application to both help and encourage any potential ex-smoker to give up cigarettes.

Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought processes.

The International Medical Interpreters Association, IMIA, announced its intention to disseminate the IMIA Code of Ethics worldwide, and to that end the first code of ethics for medical interpreters has now been translated into eleven languages: Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Sim

Mutations in the nuclear intermediate filament lamin A/C (LMNA) gene are associated with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, but cause the disease by unknown mechanisms. Méjat et al. show that one mechanism involves the disruption of neuromuscular junctions. The study appeared online on Monday, January 5, 2009 (http://www.jcb.

An article published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British Volume demonstrates that in cases where resources are limited and there is a delay from injury to treatment, femoral fractures can heal successfully without stabilisation by external or internal fixation.

Can The US Really Cut Health Care Spending? A new study suggests that while health care is one of the strongest sectors of the ailing US economy, achieving a substantial, sustainable reduction is US health care spending is not probable.

There is growing concern that military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing a range of difficulties, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse.

An international team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers has identified genetic markers associated with risk for ulcerative colitis. The findings, which appear today as an advance online publication of the journal Nature GeneticsUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center U.S. Steel Tower 600 Grant St., 57th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 United States http://www.upmc.

Experts from the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine urge over-40 men and women to enroll in Start, a lifestyle-changing fitness program that will help participants realistically incorporate exercise into their presently inactive lifestyles. Beginning Jan.

Susan Lark, MD, noted medical researcher and women's health practitioner, is urging women to continue waging a battle against the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) steps to limit their access to bioidentical hormones.

If you're an asthma sufferer, make sure the medical history at your doctor's office includes your employment and recreation plans. A new screening tool developed by Tel Aviv University researchers may save you a trip to the emergency room later on.