WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - U.S. drug reviewers said Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc's obesity pill appeared to help people lose weight, but questioned if the company had provided enough data to rule out heart problems with the drug.
The review of the drug lorcaserin from Food and Drug Administration staff, posted online on Tuesday, comes ahead of a meeting of an advisory panel of outside experts, which will review the drug on Thursday. The FDA posted questions to the panel earlier on Tuesday.
The FDA initially rejected lorcaserin in October 2010, citing potential cancer risks. Arena resubmitted its application with more data to show that the previous findings of tumors in rats did not apply to people. (Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; editing by John Wallace)

EXPERTS agree that the best thing business travelers can do to reduce their chances of getting sick is to maximize their use of soap, water and hand sanitizer and minimize the number of times they touch their face. Check out these other tips.

A lot of us are extremely afraid to be without our cell phones, according to the results of a British survey.

A poll of 1,000 people in the UK, sponsored by the digital security company SecurEnvoy, shows that about 66 percent of people are afraid of either losing or being separated from their phones. And 41 percent of people say they have more than one phone.

The study suggests that at least some of these people have what is called "nomophobia," defined as the phobia of being out of contact with someone via mobile phone. The researchers of the newest study reported that four years ago, 53 percent of people said that they are afraid of losing or being without their phones, and now the number has risen to 66 percent.

More women than men -- 70 percent, versus 61 percent -- reported being afraid of losing cell phones, while men are more likely than women -- 47 percent versus 36 percent -- to have two cell phones.

Last year, the Chicago Tribune reported on a survey from mobile app company TeleNav Inc., which showed that 40 percent of people with iPhones said they'd rather give up brushing their teeth for a week than go without their phone.

"I can pull up the map, I use it to pay my bills, I buy Groupons, check my email ... and we've used the Metro map several times today," Abagail Knapp, of Washington, D.C., told WJLA.

Digital Journal reported on another, similar survey by 11Mark, which showed that 75 percent of people use their phones while in the bathroom.

Karla Campos, from Pembroke Pines in Florida, told NBC Miami that she brings her cell phone into the bathroom with her when she showers (leaving it on the dry ledge outside the shower), just in case someone needs her. She also uses her cell phone to talk to her son, who is 10.

"He doesn't talk to me, I see him and pass by and he just says 'Hi Mom,'" Campos told NBC Miami. "But when I have real conversation with him, it's on the phone, through Facebook."

Do you think you are addicted to your cell phone? Would you be comfortable going a day -- a week, a month -- without one? Tell us in the comments, and be sure to take the poll:

Forget focusing on whether or not to add salt to your food, it seems that researchers may have found a link between black pepper and fat cells.

‘Piperine’ gives black pepper its characteristic taste and it’s this substance that a new study suggests could be used in “potential treatments for obesity-related diseases”.

The research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that piperine blocks the formation of new fat cells, according to UPI.com.

Using laboratory studies and computer models, the researchers found piperine interferes with the activity of genes that control the generation of fat cells.

In their latest paper, researchers Soo-Jong Um and Ji-Cheon Jeong also point towards former studies that have indicated the health benefits of piperine, including its role in reducing fat levels in the bloodstream, reports Medical News Today.

Black pepper and the black pepper plant, the paper's authors underline, have been used for centuries in traditional Eastern medicine to treat gastrointestinal distress, pain, inflammation and other disorders.

By Christie Wilcox
(Click here for the original article)

Growing up, I was one of those lucky kids who wasn’t allergic to anything. I felt like I was invincible – while my friends were pestered by pollen or peanuts, I was able to eat and play with reckless abandon. Childhoods like mine, however, are becoming more and more scarce. A recent study found that in 2008, peanut allergies in kids were three and a half times higher than a decade before, with similar trends occurring in a number of food allergies. Similarly, the prevalence of hay fever in developed countries has increased about 100 percent in each of the last three decades. It’s not just allergies – other chronic inflammatory diseases, from arthritis to asthma, continue to rise in our populations. A new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that perhaps the problem isn’t what we’re putting into our environment, but what we’re removing from it: that the loss of biodiversity is negatively impacting our health.

One of the most popular hypotheses to explain the rise in inflammatory conditions is known as the Hygiene Hypothesis, which says that our increasingly sterile lifestyle is to blame for our allergic reactions. We now live in a world of antibacterial soaps, instant hand sanitizer, vaccines, and antibiotics, all of which have taken over the job of protecting our children from dirt and germs. Left with nothing to do, kid’s immune systems get a little stir crazy, and start attacking even minor invaders like pollen with increased zeal. But Ilkka Hanski and her colleagues from the University of Helsinki in Finland suggest the Hygiene Hypothesis extends beyond how clean we keep our house. They put forward a Biodiversity Hypothesis, which suggests that less contact with the nature and biodiversity is adversely affecting the microbes on and in our bodies, leading to increased susceptibility to immune disorders.

To test this hypothesis, the research team investigated the relationship between biodiversity, allergen susceptibility, and skin microbial communities in a little over 100 randomly chosen teenagers in Finland. The kids grew up in a variety of settings, from tightly-packed villages to rural farmlands. For each participant, they measured how sensitive their skin was to allergens and what kind of microbes were living on there. Based on their skin’s immune reaction, they classified the students as allergen-sensitive (a condition known as atopy) or not. The researchers also roughly calculated the level of environmental biodiversity where the participants lived by looking at the amount of plant cover of their yards and the major land use types within 3 km of their homes, allowing comparisons between it and the participant’s allergy sensitivity and skin microorganisms.

The team found a strong, significant correlation between the diversity of a particular class of skin bacteria, called gammaproteobacteria, and allergen sensitivity. Though they only represented 3% of the skin bacterial community, gammaproteobacteria were the only class that showed a significant decrease in diversity in the atopic individuals. So, to get a closer look at this phenomenon, directly comparing the presence of different gammaproteobacteria with levels of an anti-inflamatory marker, IL-10, in the subjects’ blood. The presence of one gammaproteobacterial genus, Acinetobacter, was strongly linked to higher levels of IL-10 in healthy individuals but not in the allergen-sensitive ones. As the authors explain, this suggests that these microbes may help teach the immune system to ignore pesky allergens.

“The positive association between the abundance of the gammaproteobacterial genus Acinetobacter and IL-10 expression… in healthy individuals, but not in atopic individuals, is consistent with IL-10’s central role in maintaining immunologic tolerance to harmless substances.” Thus, the authors say, “the lack of association between Acinetobacter and IL-10 expression in atopic individuals in the present study might reflect a breakdown of the regulatory mechanisms.”

How, exactly, Actinetobacter and other gammaproteobacteria influence our immune system has yet to be determined. What the authors did show is that environment a person grows up in has a strong effect on the presence and diversity of this group of bacteria. Since gammaproteobacteria are are commonly found in soil and on plants (including flowering plants and their pollen), it may not seem that surprising to the researchers that the environmental diversity around a subject was strongly correlated to increased diversity of their skin gammaproteobacteria. But what is astounding is that this relationship held even when the researchers stepped back and looked at the overall connection between allergen sensitivity and the surrounding environment; the more natural biodiversity where the kid grew up, the less likely he or she was to be sensitive to allergens.

“The present results demonstrate that biodiversity can be surprisingly strongly associated with atopy.”

This suggests that the urban-dwelling nature of developed countries may be to blame for their increasing problem with inflammatory diseases. If so, conservation of natural spaces, including parks and other green initiatives, may be key to protecting the health of future generations. “Interactions with natural environmental features not only may increase general human well being in urban areas, but also may enrich the commensal microbiota and enhance its interaction with the immune system, with far-reaching consequences for public health.”

Since allergies cost us almost $14.5 billion annually including medical expenses, missed school and work, and over the counter drugs, there may be a strong monetary incentive to conserve our natural areas – if only for the sake of our health. That’s not even considering the other economic incentives for conservation, including water filtration and storm protection, which have been estimated at over $4.4 trillion dollars per year.

What all these studies tell us is that the cost of conservation is strongly outweighed by its benefits. Period.

Reference: Ilkka Hanski, et al. 2012. Environmental biodiversity, human microbiota, and allergy are interrelated. PNAS Early Edition, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1205624109

Your risk for several skin conditions could be linked with your eye color, according to a new study.

Research published in the journal Nature Genetics shows that people with blue eyes are at a decreased risk for the autoimmune skin condition vitiligo, when the pigment in skin and hair is lost, resulting in white patches.

The finding suggests that people with brown eyes are then at a decreased risk for the skin cancer melanoma, said researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

"Genetically, in some ways vitiligo and melanoma are polar opposites. Some of the same genetic variations that make one more likely to have vitiligo make one less likely to have melanoma, and vice-versa," study researcher Dr. Richard Spritz, M.D., of the Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program at CU, said in a statement.

"Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, in which a person's immune system attacks their normal pigment cells," Spritz further explained in the statement. "We think that vitiligo represents over-activity of a normal process by which one's immune system searches out and destroys early cancerous melanoma cells."

The study was based on 3,000 people, and looked specifically at 13 genes that are linked with a predisposition to vitiligo. The researchers found that people with vitiligo were significantly less likely to have blue/gray eyes than people without the disease (27 percent with vitiligo, compared with 52 percent of those without).

Meanwhile, 43 percent of those with vitiligo had tan or brown eyes and 30 percent of them had green or hazel eyes, which is a higher percentage than those without vitiligo (27 percent of them had tan or brown eyes and 22 percent of them had green or hazel eyes).

Vitiligo is relatively common -- affecting one in every 100 people in the U.S. -- and is hard to treat, according to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. It can be linked with other autoimmune diseases like hyperthyroidism, Addison's disease and pernicious anemia.

Melanoma, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous and is the No. 1 cause of skin disease-related death. It's more common in people who have lighter skin, blue or green-colored eyes and hair that is red or blond, according to the National Institutes of Health. (Other risk factors include tanning, having at least one really bad, blistering sunburn as a child, spending a lot of time in the sun, living in a sunny region, having a family history of the cancer, or having a lowered immune system.)

* Chain not found to have violated OSHA standards
* Union says workers face possible injury
May 8 (Reuters) - Hyatt Hotels Corp employees could face ergonomic strain as a result of heavy lifting and other tasks involved in housekeeping, a U.S. government agency said.
The finding, contained in an April letter from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to the hotel chain, did not rise to the level of meriting a general duty clause citation, which has been used to flag hazards that could result in serious injury or death. OSHA did not indicate Hyatt violated OSHA standards.
But an OSHA spokesman said on-site inspections at Hyatt "did identify the presence of ergonomic risk factors associated with the housekeeping tasks."
In response to injury complaints filed by union-represented workers, OSHA inspected Hyatt hotels in Illinois and Texas. The federal agency wrote that it found risk factors involved in housekeeping work such as repeated heavy lifting and carrying, bending, twisting and forceful gripping.
Chicago-based Hyatt, which is controlled by the billionaire Pritzker family, said in a statement it agreed there was no basis to issue ergonomic risk citations for housekeeping staff.
"The health and well-being of our association remain one of our top priorities and, as we always have, we will continue to work with our associates to ensure that we provide a safe, healthy workplace," Hyatt's statement said.
The OSHA letter suggested a number of strategies to Hyatt that could reduce the level of potential stressors, including providing workers with long-handled mops, lighter-weight vacuums with a better hand-grip design and knee pads that can be used to perform jobs that require kneeling.
"Employees should be consulted on evaluations of potential risk factors and on interventional strategies," the OSHA letter said.
UniteHere, a union that represents hospitality workers, said the OSHA letter validated reports by Hyatt workers about pain and injuries received while cleaning hotel rooms.
"Over time, lifting heavy mattresses and other cleaning activities can lead to debilitating injuries, surgery and even permanent disability," UniteHere said in a statement.
There has been a long-running dispute between UniteHere and Hyatt over worker safety and other issues. Hyatt has said that UniteHere has distorted the company's safety record.
Shares of Hyatt gained 0.5 percent to $39.21 in afternoon trading on Tuesday.

Pardon? Excuse me? Eh? If you are forever being told to turn the TV down, regularly ask for a question to be repeated three times or more, or struggle to hear in a crowded room - chances are you're losing your hearing... but are yet to admit it.

Despite the fact that deafness is a socially isolating condition that can deeply affect a person's self-confidence, research suggests it can take up to 15 years for some people to seek help.

According to Action on Hearing Loss, around 4 million Brits have undiagnosed hearing problems and maintain 'deafness denial' because of the stigma attached.

So why are Brits so hesitant to take that first step, when the majority wouldn't think twice about booking an eye test?

While hearing loss among older people is relatively common (presbycusis), a recent study by Specsavers discovered that one in three people with hearing difficulties admit to being 'too embarrassed' to wear a hearing aid and refuse to visit an audiologist for advice.

But this reluctance can lead to exacerbated problems down the line. While an early diagnosis can significantly reduce the impact of hearing loss, say experts, 14.5 million people in Britain will have some form of hearing loss by 2013 because they refuse to accept the problem.

To help tackle the stigma, Specsavers have teamed up with Action on Hearing Loss and have pledged to help over one million people by offering free hearing checks at in-store Specsavers Hearing Centres.

"We are calling on the government to commit to a national strategy for dealing with hearing loss and to prioritise it in line with other major health issues, such as dementia," chief executive from Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard, told HuffPost Lifestyle.

"Poor communication is the most serious barrier for people with hearing loss and can have significant personal and social costs, leading to social isolation and mental health issues. Anything we can do to remove the stigma and encourage people to take action and seek help will have a huge impact."

Deafness also affects a large number of number of children, teenagers and young adults.

According to Hearing Direct, 840 babies a year are born with a significant hearing impairment and around 1 in 1,000 children suffer from hearing problems.

Recently, Coldplay's Chris Martin supported the Loud Music campaign, highlighting the damage that prolonged exposure to loud levels of noise and music from MP3 players can have on teens' ears.

Musicians including Plan B and Gary Numan all spoke out about their experiences of loud music-related hearing loss symptoms such as tinnitus (high-pitched ringing in the ear).

For more information about Deafness Awareness Week, take a look here.

Looking for a new way to keep cool this summer? Why not reach for the "Super Cool Bra" by Japanese underwear company Triumph Japan.

At an event yesterday, models showed off the brand's new bra, which features cups filled with a gel that can be frozen (don't worry, gals, the cups remain soft and supple even after they've been stored in a freezer). A traditional Japanese wind chime dangles between the cups -- which is supposed to give wearers added refreshment. The bra even appears to house two small fish tanks (though we're not sure if they're real or fake).

According to one report by the Hindu Times, the company conceived of this product in response to the need to save energy during the summer months.

And while we completely understand -- and agree with -- the need to conserve, we have to wonder if there's an easier way to keep cool as the temperature rises. And we're not so sure how this bra would look under a T-shirt. Would you wear it?

Here are some "more practical" fashion must-haves for summer.

Source: Ross Parry

A teenager suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome has overcome his agoraphobia thanks to his dog, who even dresses up in his school uniform to encourage him to attend.

Nick Gilling, 14, has seen his life revolutionised since the arrival of Sally, a Crufts-winning Corgi, 18 months ago.

Sally, whose grandfather was a stud to the Queen’s corgis, is even clever enough to play cards with Nick to help him interact.

The four-and-a-half year old hound lives with Nick, his sister Jenny, 17, mother Tessa, 45 and father Time, 49, in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Tessa said: "Nick had been very badly bullied at school. The other pupils saw him as different. They would kick him in the stomach, leaving him with bruises, and taunt him.

"One day he just took his uniform off and told me: 'That's the last time I'll ever wear a school uniform. You'll never get me back in that'.

"I believed him. I just thought, there is no way he will ever wear a uniform again. He just associated it with horrible memories."

Nick, whose fear of leaving the house and especially attending school meant he was taught by the home/hospital education service for around two years, only went back to school, a special unit at Allerton High School, last April - but wouldn't wear his uniform.

SEE ALSO: Schnauzer Dog Doctor Ralf Is Patients' Best Friend At Royal Children's Hospital In Melbourne

Tessa had been advised by the Dogs for the Disabled charity that Nick may respond with the help of a canine.

She said: "I thought 'there's nothing to lose', so one morning, I got Sally dressed up in Nick's uniform.

"He thought it was hilarious. He burst out laughing at her. But it was literally an instant reaction - he agreed to wear his school uniform that day to school. It was an amazing breakthrough.

"The only thing was - that first day we managed to get him in his uniform, when we got to school it turned out it was non-school uniform day so I had to rush out to get him something else to wear.

"We're also training Sally to play cards with Nick. It's a long process, but dogs generally pick things up quickly, and it's really good in helping Nick interact with people."

Tessa, an Ambassador for the National Autistic Society, said: "Nick was very reluctant to go outside. If I ever tried to get him to go anywhere, it would take hours to get him into the car and he never wanted to go out.

"But once we got Sally, he wanted to go out because it was for Sally. We told him 'Sally needs to go for a walk', or 'Sally needs to go to the toilet', and because he cares about Sally, he does it for her.

"It also helps Nick feel less awkward because when he meets people, the focus isn't on him.

"Sally is also very calm and tolerant. She calms Nick down when he's feeling stressed, and doesn't mind when he wants to give her a bug hug and pull her around - she's perfect."

Tessa first heard about dogs helping autistic children when she read an advert for Parents Autism Workshops and Support (PAWS) - a branch of Dogs for the Disabled. She then went on a PAWS training course where she trained Sally to help Nick.

"It was hard picking a dog," she said. "I read about Corgis, which were used by Vikings as childminders when the parents were out hunting.

"But Corgis are really expensive - about £650 - and we couldn't afford this. I eventually contacted a breeder and said to them: 'Look, eventually you won't be able to use one of your dogs for breeding any more. Can we have one?'

"That's how we ended up with Sally. She was a show dog, she won Crufts in her category as a puppy in 2008. Her grandfather studded for the Queen.

"Because she was a show dog, she's used to being patient with people, which is great for Nick. She's had a really calming effect on the whole family."

The family are now looking to the future following a tough period in Nick's life, which included children's services investigating whether his parents were 'fabricating' Nick's autism.

Tim, who works for a Westminster-based charity campaigning for accountable public services, said: "It was a really difficult time. We were asking health and social care services for help, but instead all we got was condemnation.

"Thankfully, Tessa met a consultant psychologist who agreed to assess Nick, and we finally had our answer - Nick was diagnosed with high functioning autism.

"Looking to the future, what we want is to help Nick into mainstream school, and hopefully Sally can help him achieve this. She often comes in the car to school with him if he needs her. She's a real comfort to him."

Nick said: "Sally makes me feel safe when I'm out and when I talk to the people I meet in the street. We talk about the Royal Wedding and the Queen's Jubilee and all the things Sally did before she was my friend.

"Sometimes Sally comes into school with me and we play cards together. She is great to cuddle when you are nervous.

"She has changed my life and makes me smile every day."

NEW YORK — The claws and teeth of wild things are a near-nightly affair at bedtime for Gregg Svingen's 2-year-old, Tessa. She raises a tiny index finger and issues a clear and forceful "Be still!" to knock Maurice Sendak's monsters into shape.

"This evolved into telling anything scary or threatening a confident `No!', again with an empowered toddler digit," said Svingen, an American living in Brussels who keeps two copies of "Where the Wild Things Are" on hand.

Count Svingen and other grateful parents – and their kids – among those around the world to bid Sendak a fond farewell Tuesday, when he died in Danbury, Conn., at age 83. Many devoured his books as children themselves.

"Sendak reminds adults about the best parts of childhood: the freedom, the boundless energy, the possibilities, the security, the fantasies, a time where the rules can bend any way your imagination desires," said Nicole Forsyth, whose 4-year-old, Audrey, likes "In the Night Kitchen" the best.

"But he also reminds us of the pain of childhood: the frustrations, fear, loneliness and confusion, the unfinished mind in its extremes of pure joy and raw, untempered ego," said Forsyth, in Sacramento, Calif.

From the naughty Max of "Wild Things" to the foul-tempered Pierre from Sendak's bite-size Nutshell Library, parents said Sendak understood the inner world of childhood like few other writers for kids. It's a world, Forsyth said, that "I created, that I had control over, that somehow made more sense than the world seems today."

Anna Patterson's journey of mischief-making began 15 years ago in Tupelo, Miss., when she first fell in love with the wild boy Max, who returns home in the end, his supper still warm.

"He wasn't your typical knight in shining armor or dragon-slaying prince," said Patterson, now a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

"It was a different kind of main character, someone with real fears and a real imagination I could relate to. That one book was enough to start a love of reading that's lasted a lifetime," she said.

Kate Shamon Rushford's 11-year-old Matthew is an avid reader in Wellesley, Mass., and has loved "Wild Things" since he was 3. Now, he's old enough to reflect himself on the passing of one of his favorite book creators.

"He let kids know that it's OK to sometimes be a wild thing," the boy said. "A lot of kids want to escape when they're in trouble. My favorite part was how Max grows up after his adventure and returns home to find his dinner waiting for him."

One of the great pleasures of having children, said dad William Webb in Memphis, Tenn., is happily losing yourself in the books you loved while also discovering new nuggets, like Sendak's "Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue."

That's a long title for a tiny book included in Sendak's Nutshell box set and also published as a standalone. No matter what his parents say, sour-faced Pierre just "doesn't care," not even when a lion gobbles him up, then falls ill for his trouble only to spit him out in one piece at the end.

"It makes us laugh," said Webb, who has two boys ages 4 and 2. "That's my older son's favorite part, when he comes out of the lion and learns that he really does care after all."

Joshua Steen in Corinth, Miss., has a fan in 2-year-old daughter, Lucy. "She especially loves the `Wild Things,' and she'll growl and howl at the moon. Sendak's illustrations really have a life of their own. He makes learning to use your imagination so much easier."

Chris McLeod is all grown up at 28 and living in Quincy, Mass., away from his mom, Joan Gaylord in Bedford, N.Y. His memories of "Wild Things," a childhood favorite, are muted now, though his mother hasn't forgotten her years of reading it aloud.

"At this point, I remember only one line: `We'll eat you up – we love you so!' The funny thing is that, in my mind, the wild things aren't saying it. My mom is," McLeod said. "I vividly recall my mom reading that line aloud, adopting her best husky monster howl."

David Caughran, 45, has a 7-year-old son who has sadly already moved on from Sendak, a writer dad has never forgotten.

"My favorite growing up was `In the Night Kitchen,'" said Caughran, in Vancouver, British Columbia. "I can still recite lines."

He fears that Sendak, a lush illustrator, might already be lost like other picture book creators to children reading e-books exclusively. "I truly hope that real books don't get supplanted," for when it comes to writers like Sendak, "There's something about the experience of holding and reading a true paper book."

WASHINGTON — The government is taking steps to help ensure that children who need CT scans and other X-ray-based tests don't get an adult-sized dose of radiation.

Too much radiation from medical testing is a growing concern, especially for children, because it may increase the risk of cancer later in life.

Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration proposed guidelines urging manufacturers to design new scanners to be safer for the youngest, smallest patients – and put new advice on its website to teach parents what to ask about these increasingly common tests.

"We are trying to ensure that patients get the right dose at the right time, and the right exam," FDA physicist Thalia Mills told The Associated Press.

The use of CT scans, which show more detail than standard X-rays but entail far more radiation, and other medical imaging has soared in recent years. The tests can be lifesaving, and specialists say people who really need one shouldn't avoid it for fear of future risk from radiation.

But research shows too often the scans are unnecessary – they're given too frequently, for example, or in place of other tests that don't emit radiation. Children are of particular concern because their rapidly growing tissues are more sensitive to radiation. Plus, they have more years ahead of them for radiation-triggered cancers to develop.

One recent study concluded the average child will receive more than seven radiation-emitting scans by age 18.

And while pediatric hospitals routinely adjust scanner doses for youngsters' smaller sizes, 90 percent of child imaging is performed in general hospitals – and the FDA said no one knows how many make those adjustments.

The goal of Wednesday's guidelines: "Regardless if my child is imaged at a pediatric hospital or a local community hospital, they get the same basic care," said FDA biomedical engineer Jana Delfino. "Everybody should be able to do it."

Dr. Marilyn Goske of Cincinnati Children's Hospital praised the long-awaited move, saying, "It puts the spotlight on children."

Goske chairs the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, which runs the "Image Gently" campaign, a voluntary program that in the past few years has helped teach health providers how to use these tests more safely in children, with child-size dosing and other steps such as shielding vulnerable organs from the beam. But she says further improvements are needed.

While the guidelines wouldn't require changes to existing scanners, those eventually would be upgraded and fall under the same standards. The guidelines are open for public comment for four months before the agency will finalize them.

Doctors don't keep track of how much radiation their patients receive from testing. They just order a scan, and how much radiation results can vary widely by the age and brand of machine. It also depends on the possible diagnosis. An average CT of the head for an adult is equal to about 100 chest X-rays, the FDA says, while a CT of the abdomen brings even more.

But radiologists don't always need the crispest image. Often it's possible to diagnose fine while using a fraction of the typical radiation dose, said Dr. Marta Hernanz-Schulman of Vanderbilt University, who chairs the American College of Radiology's pediatric imaging commission.

While there's no generally accepted safe lifetime radiation dose for children, Schulman tells parents to keep a list of their child's medical scans – and pull it out every time a doctor considers ordering another one. That's especially helpful for children with chronic diseases who truly need more medical scans than the average youngster.

Consider 4-year-old Sarhea (Sa-RAY-ah) Kaupp of Cincinnati, who has cystic fibrosis and serious intestinal complications. By her mother's count, she's had more than 100 X-rays, three CT scans and multiple fluoroscopies, like an X-ray movie.

"The risk of radiation in our experience, it has to happen. It's the lesser of two evils," says her mother, Sarah Kaupp. But she lists all her daughter's latest scans at every doctor visit to avoid any unnecessary repeats.

And now she only gets them at a pediatric hospital, after X-rays from a stand-alone facility had to be repeated twice because the technicians aimed wrong and took blurry shots. Until then, "I thought an X-ray was an X-ray," Kaupp said.

Under the FDA's proposed guidelines, manufacturers of new medical imaging devices would have to provide specific information on how to minimize radiation exposure for children of different ages and sizes – or label their scanner not for pediatric use. The guidelines also encourage push-of-a-button dose adjustments and software to remind the medical technician to make them.

For parents, the FDA is publishing advice that includes a list of questions to ask to make sure your child is getting the best test. The recommendations:

_Ask the doctor who orders a scan how it will improve the child's care and whether there are alternatives that don't use radiation.

_Ask the imaging facility whether it uses reduced radiation techniques for children.

The FDA also is urging doctors to consider how many scans the child already has had and the possibility of alternatives before ordering another test. MRI scans and ultrasound, for example, don't emit radiation.

"It's something you need to use conscientiously," Schulman said of the scans. "Any radiation you don't need is radiation you shouldn't get."

___

Online:

FDA info: http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/MedicalImaging/ucm298899.htm

By Jaclyn Bertner, HellaWella.com

You may already have a house full of kids or you may still be in the planning stages of starting your family. Either way, if you hope to add some four-legged friends to your home, it’s essential to know what kind of pet will play the best with your children. And petMD has got you covered with its top five dog and cat breeds that will be your kids’ new best friend.

Bulldog
If your kids fancy themselves WWF wrestlers, the bulldog could be a good choice. Thanks to its sturdy build, this breed is docile, friendly and loyal and won't retaliate when poked and prodded. Since bulldogs aren't overly active, they are suitable for both houses with a backyard and small apartments.

Vizsla
The Vizsla is gentle, loyal, quiet, affectionate and obedient, and picks up on tricks and commands quickly.

Golden Retriever
One of the most popular breeds, golden retrievers are smart, loyal and kind. They also need a lot of exercise, so they're best suited for active families.

Bull Terrier
Bred to be a companion dog, the friendly bull terrier is great for a child's first dog. And even though we don't condone dog bullying, the bull terrier does have a high threshold for pain -- perfect for children with a propensity for tail tugging.

Newfoundland
Weighing in at 100-plus pounds, the Newfoundland is known to love and protect the children in the family, according to petMD. Active and easy to train, this breed is gentle, kind, intelligent and patient.

Birman
Very much the social cat, the birman will run up and greet guests rather than hiding in a corner. But if you're looking for an active breed, the birman, which would rather lounge around the house, may not be right for your family.

Ragdoll
Aptly named for the limp, ragdoll position it takes when you pick it up, this breed is gentle, likes playing games and relaxing afterward.

Himalayan
An indoor breed that will bond with its family, the Himalayan is quiet and active, but also enjoys a little relaxation.

Maine Coon
One of the oldest companion cat breeds, according to petMD, this patient breed is calm around rambunctious children. Maine coons are also "naturally familiar" with human temperaments and will adapt to their owners' needs.

Exotic Shorthair
Easygoing and laid-back, exotic shorthairs are quiet and will lovingly greet you and your family at the door -- just show them plenty of affection.

Britain is facing a "tsunami" of pain as the number of osteoarthritis cases soars in the future, a leading expert has warned.

Increased life expectancy and rising levels of obesity mean osteoarthritis cases are set to double to more than 17 million by 2030, the charity Arthritis Care has predicted.

The warning was made after a survey commissioned by the charity showed 71% of the UK's 8.5 million osteoarthritis (OA) sufferers are in some form of constant pain and one in eight describes the pain as often "unbearable".

Philip Conaghan, professor of musculoskeletal medicine at the University of Leeds, predicted that millions more people would soon be affected by the joint-related illness because of an ageing population and a growing obesity problem.

"Britain is facing a tsunami of pain due to osteoarthritis as the number of people over 50 increases dramatically and obesity levels continue to rise," he said.

"Action is needed immediately - we have to bust this myth that painful joints are an inevitable part of getting older that we have to put up with."

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The online survey of 2,001 people with osteoarthritis, conducted between November and December last year, found the average age of diagnosis was 57 but as many as one in five are now being diagnosed aged younger than 45.

People with osteoarthritis - which most commonly affects the hips, knees and hands - face £2.6 billion in extra costs a year as a result of paying for medical prescriptions, heating bills and transport costs, the research found. One in five have had to give up work or retire early because of their symptoms.

Just over half of those questioned - 52% - said they had given up or reduced walking since being diagnosed with the condition and 44% said they did no exercise at all, in spite of expert advice that exercise is one of the best treatments for the illness.

Professor Conaghan said: "It's frustrating that this survey reveals many people become less active when diagnosed with OA, when all the clinical evidence available suggests this is the worst thing you can do because keeping moving can actually strengthen joints and improve symptoms.

"We have to make sure that patients get better information and advice about this."

He added: "There are so many ways to help with osteoarthritis pain including taking pain relief medication, strengthening muscles, taking aerobic exercise, losing weight if appropriate and, in the worst case scenario, joint replacement surgery - so it's by no means all doom and gloom."

Liam O'Toole, chief executive of Arthritis Research UK, said: "We welcome this report.

"The increasing burden of osteoarthritis is exactly the reason we have continued to increase our research funding into this disease over the last few years.

"An ageing and obese population will have an increasingly dramatic effect on the levels of osteoarthritis but as the UK's biggest funder of research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritis, we know that the real difference will come from scientific breakthroughs."

It’s a Saturday night at approximately 11pm… and if you’re a woman you're most likely feeling frisky. Well, according to a recent sex survey that is.

Recent research conducted by Women’s Health discovered the truth behind women’s sex lives in the UK and the geographical differences in sexual appetite and satisfaction between the sheets.

Women from Scotland and the South West are most sexually satisfied (82%), closely followed by the North West (81%), with the majority stating that their sexiest time was on a Saturday night after they’ve let their hair down.

Sadly for Irish ladies their sex lives were cited as the least satisfying, with a mere 30% claiming that they were happy with their action in bed.

But Irish women can't be accused of 'not trying', as they also have the most sex, with 42% indulging in bedtime passion more than three times a week.

Londoners and Welsh women closely follow, with 33% admitting they have sex more than three times a week.

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The study also discovered where UK women get passionate, with 40% of adventurous Brits admitting to having al fresco sex.

Regular lovemaking outdoors was labelled the ‘most exciting’ way to get hot and steamy, followed by sex at work (5%) and on the beach (9%).

But not all of the 1,000 women polled seek their sexual thrills outdoors, as 28% of Scottish women revealed that the only place they had sex was at home.

“It is great to see that the majority of British women are satisfied between the sheets, or outside, as our Women’s Health sex survey reveals,” says Women’s Health editor Farrah Storr.

Here's one reason to move closer to work.

New research shows that people who spend more time commuting to work are also more likely to weigh more, have decreased cardiorespiratory fitness, and have metabolic risk factors.

Scientists from Washington University in St. Louis found that people who have to travel more than 15 miles to go to work every day are also less likely to fulfill exercise recommendations, and are more likely to be obese. Meanwhile, hypertension is linked with having to travel more than 10 miles to work.

Study researcher Christine M. Hoehner, Ph.D., MSPH, speculated that the reason for this finding is that people might exercise less because of their long commutes.

"It could just be a function of having less discretionary time to be physically active," Hoehner told ABC News. "Or it could be related to people burning fewer calories because they're sitting longer."

The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, included 4,297 people who both live and work in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin metro areas in Texas. Their cardiorespiratory fitness, BMI and metabolic risk (waist circumference, cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar levels and fasting triglyceride levels), were all measured, as well as the distance between home and work.

Researchers added that more investigation is needed to see how other sedentary activities -- like TV watching -- could also factor with commute to influence health.

Last year, a study in the journal BMC Public Health showed that driving a car to work -- versus riding a bicycle or walking to work -- is linked with more stress, exhaustion, poor sleep and possibly even more missed workdays.

In the United States, the average daily work commute is 25.1 minutes, according to 2009 government census data. Just over 86 percent of Americans drive a car, truck or van to work, while 5 percent of Americans reported that they take public transportation. A little over 13 percent of Americans have a less-than-10-minute commute, while 15 percent of Americans have a 15 to 19-minute commute, and 7.1 percent have a 45 to 59-minute commute.

Each week, the Huffington Post Canada's Living team will try out something that has sparked our curiosity, and as long as we live to tell the tale, we'll let you know all about it.

Test Drive Subject: Asian Tofu by Andrea Nguyen

Price: $34.00

What It Is: The latest cookbook by Andrea Nguyen is a collection of 85 recipes featuring, yes, you guessed it, tofu. But make no mistake; this book isn't strictly for the hardcore vegan or even a vegetarian audience. Rather, it's an informative read on everything you want to know about tofu, from its history, to the varieties out on the market, to how to make your own tofu at home.

Putting It To Use: Tofu may be soft and fragile, but the hard-cover edition of this book is anything but. Part of that may have something to do with its size and heft; flip open to a recipe and the book eats up more space than your conventional toaster oven.

But that size isn't always a bad thing, especially since you'll probably never lose track of where you are in the recipe when cooking. It's a small detail but worth noting because a) it makes referencing recipes a breeze and b) nobody likes mucking up a brand new cookbook with grimy hands. And if you're working with tofu, chances are your hands will get a little wet at the very least.

SEE: A step-by-step photo gallery of how to prepare Hakka-style stuffed tofu. Story continues below:

Most of the recipes are broken up into four or five steps -- with more complicated dishes going up to eight steps, like the Hakka-style stuffed tofu. Next to making your own tofu, this dish was probably one of the tougher ones, since it required stuffing, frying and braising. From start to finish, the entire dish took about an hour to make, but to this book's credit, the recipe was easy to follow and the results were delicious.

Our Thoughts: When one of my colleagues came across this book in the office, she jokingly asked, "Asian tofu? Is there any other?" And according to this book's introduction, the answer is no. The book succeeds, however, in showing how tofu can become a staple in any kitchen and part of that has to do with the diversity of the recipes. From soups, salads, to mock meats and mains to even sweets and dessert (like this recipe for tofu pudding), I found Asian Tofu showed off the ingredient's strong suits -- versatility and adaptable flavour.

Anyone hoping to convert friends or family to a tofu-based diet may, however, be disappointed. Despite the number of different recipes, I'd be hard-pressed seeing this book convincing anyone to hop on the tofu bandwagon -- though I give points for including recipes that use meat and seafood to show tofu dishes aren't only for environmentally friendly hippies.

The Warning: This book does require a a trip or two to an Asian supermarket, or at the very least, a well-equipped supermarket to pick up items like mirin, fermented black beans or Sichuan peppercorns. The back end of the book does offer substitutes for some ingredients but not all.

Tips: Do invest in a cookbook stand or make sure you've cleared off plenty of counter space. Also, it's not a bad idea to plan ahead and find recipes that use similar ingredients if you're not the type to try Shaoxing cooking wine, or dried shrimp or oyster sauce on a regular basis.

Have a suggestion for a Test Drive? Tried something you loved or hated? Let us know on Twitter at @HuffPostCaLiv, or in the comments below.

SEE: The products we've tried out in the past:

By: Christina Heiser

Celebrities spend their lives posing for photos. The result? They know how to accentuate their best features on camera. Some celebrities even stick to the same tried-and-true poses time and time again, once they find something that works for them. Now you can learn how to pose for pictures just like the sexiest A-list stars. Follow our guide to the best celebrity poses and you'll be a posing pro in no time.

By Zelie Pollon
SANTA FE, N.M., May 8 (Reuters) - Ultramarathon runner Micah True died from heart disease while on a run last March in the rugged wilderness of southwestern New Mexico, an autopsy report revealed Tuesday.
True, 58, was found to have idiopathic cardiomyopathy, heart disease with an unknown cause, the state's Office of the Medical Investigator found.
The coroner found numerous abrasions on True's extremities but no sign of internal injuries, though the left side of his heart was found to be enlarged. Chemical tests revealed the presence of caffeine and mild dehydration. The report said True's manner of death was "natural."
True, a legend among dedicated marathoners, was found dead on March 31 after leaving days earlier on a 12-mile run. His body was found on the banks of a small stream with just his legs covered by water, the report said.
The area where the marathoner was running was so extreme, search crews at the time had to have a fixed-wing airplane hover above searchers to communicate with the search and rescue office, said Steve Riley, the superintendent for Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Friends followed footprints and found True 2 miles off the trail, near a stream. Because of the challenging terrain his body had to be carried a mile by hand before being attached to a mule for the final mile to the trail head, Riley said.
Nicknamed "Caballo Blanco," or White Horse, True became a celebrity after he was featured in the best-selling book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.
True served as race director for the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a roughly 50-mile race that drew a dedicated group of runners to northern Mexico. (Reporting by Zelie Pollon; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Lisa Shumaker)

When patients and staff at Seattle Children's Hospital decided to make their own version of Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger', they might have hoped it would go viral.

After all, these kids deserve to be in the limelight.

According to MSNBC, the video was made by 22-year-old Chris Rumble of Kent, Washington, to repay his teammates on the Wenatchee Wild hockey team, who had sent him a video when they learned of his illness.

“It was kind of like a party ... It wasn't a typical day at all," Rumble told MSNBC, who spent the day filming fellow patients, doctors and nurses, before editing it on Saturday night, and uploading the film the following morning.

Following his recent diagnosis, doctors said they are confident Rumble (who appears in the video bald, singing and wearing an orange T-shirt) can beat his leukemia with several rounds of chemotherapy, KOMO News reports.

The Washington native plans to attend Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., on a hockey scholarship, reports The Huffington Post.

According to MSNBC, Singer Kelly Clarkson gushed her approval of the video on Twitter, stating on her @Kelly_Clarkson Twitter account - "Oh my goodness y'all have to see this! It's beautiful! I can't wait to visit these kids and nurses!"