There's some good news for couples considering in-vitro fertilization. Scientists in Australia and Greece appear closer to identifying genes that determine which test-tube embryos stand the best chance in the womb. As it stands now, couples routinely opt to have more than one embryo implanted to increase the chance of pregnancy. This can often be dangerous to both mother and babies.

Sitting too long may be dangerous for young infants. Doctors warn that infants younger than 1 month old should not be left in a car seat or other sitting device for more than an hour. New research indicates over 3-percent of sudden infant deaths are linked to sitting up for too long experts think it somehow interferes with their breathing.

The effort to curb the obesity epidemic needs more weight behind it. Researchers say governments need to tackle the issue like they do smoking including restrictions on how companies market junk food and strict requirements for school meals and physical education.

Experts warn the obesity epidemic threatens some hard-won medical advances. America’s 50-year decline in cardiovascular disease is in jeopardy due to rapidly expanding waistlines, and the host of health problems that go along with it. New research shows that obese adults have up to more than double the high blood pressure rates of normal weight adults. And an astounding number of them are diabetic, despite many using costly mediations.

A drink or two a day may make for stronger bones but more than two could lead to a broken hip. A new study’s found people who drank between a half and one alcoholic beverage a day were 20-percent less likely than non-drinkers to suffer hip fractures. But more than two drinks a day raised the risk of such an injury.

Researchers say they’ve found a vital link to explaining how smoking causes lung cancer. They've discovered lung cells exposed to smoke produce less of a protein responsible for repairing damaged D-N-A. The finding could one day lead to better treatments for the disease.

The question of whether childhood vaccines cause autism has moved to a federal courtroom. Lawyers for nearly 5-thousand families argue that a mercury preservative called thimerosal is to blame for the disability and other neurological problems. Government attorneys maintain the scientific community has already rejected any link. For the families to win, attorneys will have to show it's more likely than not the preservative is at fault.

Insomniacs are at increased risk of developing major depression. It was commonly thought that chronic trouble sleeping was just a symptom of poor mental health. But a new study's found the conditions - while frequently linked - are independent of each other and should be treated separately.

Researchers report an impaired sense of smell may be an early warning of Parkinson's disease. This may be a useful screening tool now but it will be even more important when there are better medical interventions to slow or even stop the disease.

The evidence continues to mount that breast-feeding has major health benefits down the road. Researchers say adult women who were breast-fed as infants have an almost 20-percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. But they did NOT find this benefit in first-born children and have no idea why More study is planned.

Diabetics are twice as likely to also suffer from arthritis. The combination can be particularly debilitating as the pain often keeps them from getting the exercise they need to keep both diseases at bay. Experts blame, in part, the common misconception that exercise is bad for arthritis and will damage joints.

Researchers have pinpointed a single protein in the brain that can be used to tell within days if anti-depressant drugs are effective. Right now, patients have to wait weeks before they learn if the drugs they’re taking are really working.

You might hit the gym to shape up your arms or chest but in the process you’re sculpting a much more important muscle. Aerobic exercise can cause structural changes in the heart that make it easier to do its job. More study of how exercise directly affects the organ could point the way to tailored rehab recommendations for cardiac patients.

5-percent of breast tumors appear to double in size in just over a month. Advocates say this is just another reason to encourage more frequent screening. Studies have provided conflicting evidence over whether mammograms save lives, but there’s no question that breast cancer detected earlier is far easier to treat.

The risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease differ between the sexes. New research indicates men at the greatest danger are more likely to be overweight, diabetic, and to have had a stroke. Women at highest risk are more likely to be depressed or dis-abled, and in poorer general health.

An experiment that went wrong 7 years ago may provide a new way to treat multiple sclerosis. 17 patients who got bone marrow stem-cell transplants - like those given to leukemia patients - have had a mysterious remission of their disease. The experiment was meant to destroy the immune system but instead improved the patients’ nerve function. The team says they have to study longer before they understand what’s going on.

Taking the painkiller ibuprofen for more than 5 years may cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 40-percent. But doctors don’t suggest anyone run out and start popping advil - the drug has its own long-term risks, including ulcers and elevated blood pressure. Still, the findings are useful as they may point researchers in the right direction.

By pin-pointing and blocking a single brain enzyme, scientists have helped mice eat less, lose weight, and have better blood sugar control. While more work lies ahead, they said the discovery could lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes in people.

There's a new warning that our hospitals are unprepared to handle a big event like a disaster or terrorist attack. A government report has found emergency rooms at 34 hospitals including in major cities are already overwhelmed and nowhere near ready to deal with a huge surge of new patients. Several experts told a House committee this is reason alone to oppose President Bush's Medicaid cuts, which would require states to pay more of emergency costs.

Breast-fed children may be smarter. An international study followed almost 15-thousand kids for more than 6 years and found those who were breast-fed scored higher on intelligence tests. Previous studies have noted the many benefits of breast-feeding, including fewer infections and less risk of allergies and high blood pressure.

Low vitamin D levels in the elderly appear to be linked to depression. But scientists are unsure if the low levels or a cause or a result of the mood disorder. New trials are underway to see if supplementation with the vitamin can improve mental health.

There’s more research pointing to an inherited link to autism. A new study’s found that mothers and fathers with schizophrenia are about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with the condition. No one knows what causes autism but experts think it’s likely that both genetics and the environment play a role. Some advocates believe childhood vaccinations are at least partly to blame.

The popular anti-depressant Prozac may slow multiple sclerosis. Researchers found patients who started on the drug had fewer of the brain lesions that are a hallmark of the disease. New trials are planned to figure out which dosage is best.

There could be a peanut allergy solution within 5 years. Scientists are working on a drug therapy designed to change the immune system response from an allergic to a non-allergic one. Many children grow out of their food allergies but only 20-percent lose their sensitivity to peanuts.

A surprising number of parents know far too little about what to expect from their baby. Nearly a third are unsure of when or how to help with development milestones such as talking, potty-training, or telling the difference between right and wrong. Researchers are urging pediatricians to come up with new approaches for educating parents.

A new type of treatment that trains immune system cells to better recognize the AIDS virus may help manage the deadly infection. Animal testing shows the treatment controlled the infection, although it does not cure it. Tests are already planned in people.

More than a quarter of Americans have daily pain, costing the country more than 16-billion-dollars a year in pain remedies and about 60-billion in lost productivity. According to a new survey, the problem is evenly divided between men and women but the poorer you are, the more likely you are to suffer.

In news that could shake up the battle of the sexes, researchers report the need to win is every bit as feminine as it is masculine. Estrogen fuels feeling of power and competition in women in much the same way testosterone does in men. The hormones are often thought of as opposites but they’re actually quite similar.

A daily aspirin may give women some protection against the most common type of breast cancer. So-called estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer accounts for three-quarters of all cases. Now researchers say aspirin can reduce its risk by 16-percent but ONLY if taken everyday.

The U-S breast feeding rate has hit its highest mark in at least 20 years, with more than 75-percent of new moms nursing their infants. Experts attribute the rise to education campaigns and better public accommodations.

If you’re feeling down, look on the bright side you’re probably not TRULY miserable. According to a new survey, only 4-percent of Americans said they were so depressed they had no hope for the future. Nearly half of those polled described themselves as thriving, with few health or money worries.

21-BILLION-dollars That’s how much researchers estimate it will cost for five years of cancer care for America’s elderly. The highest costs come in the first year, when people are undergoing expensive treatments, and in the last year of life, when in-hospital expenses spike. The tab is expected to rise significantly as baby boomers age.

People know they shouldn’t share prescription medications, but they do it anyway. A new study’s found roughly 1 in 4 either borrow or lend medicine ranging from commonplace allergy pills to hard-core pain meds. Researchers expected to find some sharing, but they didn’t expect it to be quite so widespread.