BPA Exposure Tied to Undescended Testicles in Boys MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Fetal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to low levels of a key developmental hormone in newborn boys with undescended testicles, according to an early new study. The research adds to the list of growing health concerns related to BPA, which is widely used in food packaging. Government studies have shown that 92 percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies. This study focu...

Gene Variants May Play Role in Obesity MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies offer some solace to those who can't control their weight despite diet and exercise by providing more evidence that genetics may play a role in obesity. One study offers unique insight because it finds genetic mutations in severely obese children that suggest their excess weight may be more connected to their DNA because they put on pounds at such a young age. The other study found that certain genetic traits boos...

Gene Research May Help Spot Baby's Obesity Risk TUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified 45 genetic genetic variants in overweight newborns that are known to occur in obese adults and hope their findings could someday help combat the global obesity epidemic. "Allowing earlier identification of high-risk newborns may allow for earlier interventions to take place to possibly prevent obesity later in life," study lead author Dr. Reeti Chawla, a fellow in pediatric endocrinology at L...

Polluted Air Linked to Autism Risk TUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women who live in smog-filled areas may be twice as likely to have children with autism, a new study suggests. "The study does not prove that pollution increases risk for autism. It found an association," cautioned lead author Andrea Roberts, a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "It adds to the weight of the evidence that there may be something in air pollution that increases risk for autis...

Could 'Moderate' Drinking Be Safe During Pregnancy? TUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- Children of women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol while pregnant don't appear to have any neurodevelopmental problems when it comes to balance, a new British study suggests. Researchers assessed the long-term health impact of drinking while pregnant by testing roughly 7,000 10-year-olds on their balancing abilities, a method that offers a reliable reflection of fetal neurodevelopment. For the study, "moderate"...

Which Women Might Benefit From Drugs to Prevent Breast Cancer? THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Newly identified genetic variations may help predict which women will respond to breast cancer prevention therapy, a new study suggests. By determining who would and would not receive possible benefit from two preventive drugs, women who aren't likely to respond could be spared the treatment and its side effects, the study authors noted. Researchers examined data on women enrolled in two large breast can...

Old Bones Give Clues to Leprosy's Demise in Europe THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- A close look at some very old bones is shedding light on the elimination of leprosy in Europe, where it was a major scourge until medieval times. Leprosy was common across medieval Europe and nearly one in 30 people are thought to have had the disease. However, while it is still endemic in many parts of the world today -- affecting over 200,000 people across the globe -- leprosy all but disappeared in Europe by the ...

Supreme Court Rules That Human Genes Can't Be Patented THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for medicine, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that human genes cannot be patented. The ruling could be a blow to drug companies such as Myriad Genetics, whose effort to patent an isolated form of a gene that might foretell cancer risk was at the center of the case. The high court decided that, unlike drugs or medical devices, human genes are not "c...

Global Population Could Hit 11 Billion by 2100: UN Report THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- The world's population could reach nearly 11 billion by 2100, the United Nations predicts, which is about 800 million (8 percent) more than the previous projection of 10.1 billion issued in 2011. The revised estimate is mostly due to a slower-than-expected decline of birth rates in Africa. The current African population is about 1.1 billion and that is now expected to reach 4.2 billion by the end of the centu...

Did Men's Yen for Younger Women Cause Menopause? THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Can women blame men for menopause? They may have a case, according to new research that suggests it was men's interest in mating with younger females that gave evolutionary rise to menopause by sidelining older women from reproduction. Menopause -- when a woman stops getting menstrual periods and can't become pregnant -- is unique to humans and its cause is still unknown, explained study author and evolutionary biolog...