Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
2 More Colorectal Cancer Tests Endorsed
Two tests not previously endorsed to prevent or detect colorectal cancer are now being recommended by the American Cancer Society and other groups, The New York Times reported.
The groups said there's evidence that these two tests -- virtual colonoscopy and a DNA test -- are effective enough to recommend for all adults 50 and older and for some younger people with symptoms or risk factors for colorectal cancer. They're now among several testing options available for patients. Experts hope that offering more choices will boost the number of people who get screened for colorectal cancer.
Virtual colonoscopy uses a CT scan to search for abnormal growths. Unlike standard colonoscopy, it doesn't require insertion of a camera-tipped tube into the rectum. The second newly recommended test looks for abnormal DNA associated with cancer. It requires an entire bowel movement to be collected from a patient and sent to a laboratory, the Times reported.
In 2008, it's expected there will be 148,810 new colorectal cancer cases and 49,960 deaths in the United States. It's the second leading cause of cancer death in the country.
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U.S. Men Doing More Housework, Which May Lead to More Sex
While American men still don't do their fair share of household chores, they are getting better, says a report released Thursday by the Council on Contemporary Families. And one expert suggested that men who do help out around the house get more sex.
The authors of the report analyzed several recent studies on family dynamics in the United States. One study said there was a tripling of the amount of time men spent on child care over the past four decades, while another study concluded that the amount of housework done by men doubled over the same period, the Associated Press reported.
"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time, dual-earner couples," the report said. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."
Equitable division of household chores can make for a happier marriage and boost a couple's sex life, said Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families.
"If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her -- he's not treating her like a servant," Coleman told the AP. "And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood."
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Thursday Is World Glaucoma Day
Thursday is the first World Glaucoma Day and experts are urging all people over age 40 and those with other risk factors for the disease to take steps to recognize and understand the potentially devastating consequences of the disease.
In people with glaucoma, a buildup of pressure from fluid inside the eye damages the optic nerve, which carries visual signals from the eye to the brain, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the world, affects at least three million Americans, according to the American Glaucoma Society. But about 50 percent of people with glaucoma don't know they have it, and 50 percent of people diagnosed with the disease don't receive treatment until they've already suffered irreversible vision loss.
World Glaucoma Day is a joint initiative of the World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patient Association.
"World Glaucoma Day offers an opportunity to send a clear message that taking action to diagnose and treat glaucoma may help prevent permanent vision loss in patients with the disease," Dr. Robert Weinreb, president of the American Glaucoma Society, said in a prepared statement. "Individuals over age 40 or those who have other risk factors for glaucoma should have regular, comprehensive eye exams that include evaluation of the optic nerve and measurement of eye pressure."
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U.S. Retiree Couples Need $225,000 for Health Costs: Report
Another report suggesting that Americans need to set aside a large chunk of cash to cover health costs during retirement was released Wednesday by Boston-based Fidelity Investments.
It concluded that a couple (both partners age 65) retiring this year will need about $225,000 in savings to cover medical costs for the remainder of their lives, the Associated Press reported. That's an increase of 4.7 percent from Fidelity's $215,000 estimate for a couple retiring in 2007.
The Fidelity figure is based on the assumption that workers don't have employer-sponsored retiree health coverage. The figure includes Medicare premium payments, co-payments, and deductibles, as well as out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses.
"With health care costs continuing to outpace wage increases and companies trimming retiree health benefits, financing health care has to be central to retirement planning," Brad Kimler, executive vice president of Fidelity's benefits consulting group, said in a prepared statement, the AP reported.
Last month, the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College released a report that estimated a couple retiring this year would need about $206,000 for health care coverage.
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Researchers ID Protein That Stimulates Production of Fat Cells
A protein that stimulates production of fat cells has been identified by Swedish researchers, who say the finding may lead to new treatments for obesity, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Karolinska Institute team made the finding in studies of cell cultures and mice and also found that obese people have excessive levels of the TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) protein.
TRAP "stimulates the formation of new fat cells and can thus precipitate the development of obesity," said a statement released by the institute.
Study leader Professor Goeran Andersson said it may be possible to develop new anti-obesity treatments that inhibit the action of TRAP. He also said the protein "is potentially useful in the treatment of conditions involving morbid cachexia (weight loss), such as cancer diseases," AFP reported.
The research was published online Wednesday in the journal Public Library of Science.
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Tamiflu Gets Stronger Warning Label for Psychiatric Problems
A specific warning of sometimes fatal psychiatric problems in a small number of patients has been added to the label of the prescription influenza drug Tamiflu. Roche, the Swiss company that makes the drug, also said in a letter to doctors that cases of delirium and self-injury have been reported among patients taking the drug, the Associated Press reported.
The letter and the updated labeling were posted Tuesday on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site.
Previously, the Tamiflu label mentioned reports of psychiatric problems among some patients. The new label warning, recommended by FDA advisers at a meeting in November, specifies that these psychiatric troubles sometimes proved to be fatal, the AP reported.
According to the FDA, there have been nearly 600 cases of psychiatric problems reported in people taking Tamiflu. About75 percent of the cases occurred in Japan, where at least five children died after "falling from windows or balconies or running into traffic," the FDA said.
The drug's new label states that "the contribution of Tamiflu to these events has not been established," and it notes that flu -- with or without treatment -- can cause delirium, hallucinations and other behavioral abnormalities.
