Science News

HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Aetna plans to become the third large U.S. health insurer to discontinue coverage of the powerful sedative propofol sometimes used during colonoscopies.

TORONTO, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Top biologists in Canada have linked the recent deaths of hundreds of loons to a devastating 8-year-long epidemic.

LONDON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Researchers in London say the use of a snake-like surgical robot will mean smaller scars and shorter recovery times for patients.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests that farm women who have contact with some commonly known pesticides have a greater risk than others of allergic asthma.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A combination of salmeterol and fluticasone may reduce the mortality rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a British study found.

NEW YORK, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A New York heart surgeon is calling for more testing to ensure the cardiovascular safety of drugs developed primarily for non-cardiovascular medical problems.

LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Scientists in England have found a mechanism which controls how cancer cells move around the body.

Health alert issued over stolen beef ... Drug helps boost blood-platelets in Hep C ... Study looks at new way to attack bacteria ... Hollywood squirrels get birth control ... Health/Science news from UPI.

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A report in the New England Journal of Medicine says the drug eltrombopag appears to significantly boost platelet counts in hepatitis C patients.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A public health alert was issued Thursday after 14,800 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E.coli was reported stolen in Texas.

HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Forget killing pesky pests -- Hollywood's feeding birth control kibble to its pigeons.

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say finding new drug targets could provide a better way to attack tuberculosis and other bacterial infections.

NASA to modify shuttle fuel sensors ... Clean coal plants mired by cost and delays ... Beef patties recalled in New Jersey ... EPA plan to cut mercury levels in fish ... Health/Science news from UPI.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Voluven as a treatment for blood loss after surgery.

BOSTON, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a plan to reduce mercury levels in fish throughout New England and New York.