FDA: tobacco companies must report chemicals

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Tobacco companies will be required to report the levels of dangerous chemicals found in cigarettes, chew and other products under the latest rules designed to tighten regulation of the tobacco industry.The preliminary guidance issued Friday by the Food and Drug Administration marks the first time tobacco makers would be required to report quantities of 20 chemicals associated with cancer, lung disease and other health problems. The FDA will release the information in a consumer

April 5, 2012

As more autism reported, doctors say check early

CHICAGO (AP) ― At 18 months, Cristina Astacio spoke only a few words, wouldn’t respond to her name and shunned other kids in her day care group. Last October, her worried parents found out why.She has a mild form of autism, a diagnosis being given to more U.S. children than ever before, largely because of more awareness and better diagnosis.According to new government statistics, the rate is about 1 in 88. That means autism is nearly twice as common as it appeared in data the government gathered

April 5, 2012

FDA approval opens way for H2 Holdings fundraising efforts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved clinical trials of a Korean company’s artificial liver transplant on humans. The approval is expected to help H2 Holdings raise capital to finance research and development.U.S.-based bio-tech firm HepaHope, which will run the trials, is an affiliate of H2 Holdings, a Korea-based company founded by Dr. Park Sung-soo. Park is the majority shareholder of H2 Holdings, which holds a 10 percent stake in HepaHope. H2 Holdings held more than 17 bil

April 5, 2012

Google gives glimpse of Internet glasses

Google on Wednesday gave the world a glimpse of its vision for letting people look at life through Internet-tinted glasses.A video posted at a Project Glass page at Google+ social network confirmed the rumor that the technology titan is working on eyewear that meshes the online world with the real world.“We think technology should work for you -- be there when you need it and get out of your way w

April 5, 2012

U.S. scientists launch personalized robot project

Imagine going to a local store, picking out a design for a robot to help with some household chores, and having the device built within a matter of hours.That is the vision of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where a five-year, $10 million project to bring the power of robots to the average person is just getting started."This research envisions a whole new way of thinking

April 5, 2012

Google to build Taiwan center as demand for Gmail, YouTube rises

Google Inc., owner of the world’s most-popular search engine, will spend more than $300 million building its largest Asian data center in Taiwan to meet the region’s demand for its Gmail and YouTube services. A 15-hectare site in Changhua, central Taiwan, will be five times larger than locations already being developed in Singapore and Hong Kong, and bring total spending on facilities in the region to more than $700 million, the Mountain View, California-based company said in a statement on Tues

April 4, 2012

Kissing on the ear can cause hearing loss

A New York professor of audiology identified more than 30 people who lost hearing after being kissed on the ear and he's searching for more.Dr. Levi Reiter of Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., said a woman came to him five years ago because she had lost hearing immediately after her 5-year-old child kissed her on the ear, MSNBC.com reported.Reiter said he thought at the time the woman's case

April 1, 2012

LG Display begins mass production of e-paper displays

LG Display Co., the world’s No. 2 flat-screen maker, said Thursday that it started mass production of a thinner and lighter electric paper display.The plastic-based E-Ink display maintains a thickness of just 0.7 millimeters and a weight of 14 grams, much thinner and lighter than a conventional glass-based e-paper display, according to LG Display.LG Display said the 6-inch electric paper display will be rolled out in Europe next month.E-paper is hailed as a new form of display for offering vario

March 29, 2012

Panic disorder on the rise

Jeon Jin, a TV celebrity and member of boy band “Shinhwa,” recently made a stunning confession. He said he suffered from panic disorder, which made it almost impossible to live a normal life. “I was always anxious. I was seized by thoughts about things that would not happen to me. I carried a baseball bat or a bamboo stick to protect myself from imaginary attackers. I relied on alcohol for months, rarely going outdoors,” he told a television talk show.Jeon is among an increasing number of panic

March 29, 2012

Drug-resistant TB blamed on Indian treatment flaws

NEW DELHI (AP) ― India’s inadequate government-run tuberculosis treatment programs and a lack of regulation of the sale of drugs that fight the disease are responsible for the spiraling number of drug-resistant cases that are difficult to treat, health activists said Friday.India adds an estimated 99,000 cases of drug-resistant TB every year, but only a tiny fraction of those infected receive the proper drugs to treat the stubborn disease through the government-funded program. Saturday marks Wor

March 29, 2012