A leading association of pediatricians announced that energy drinks should not be regularly drank by children and teenagers. In fact, they want the youth to not take consume the drinks at all.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reported on Monday that consumption of energy drinks by teenagers and young children should be decreased.

Dr. Marcie Beth Schneider, a physician who also co-authored the report, said that there is no place for energy drinks in the lifestyle of the kids. She added that energy drinks have a place somewhere, but not in the diet of young kids.

Energy drinks usually have high levels of caffeine and herbal stimulants like taurine and guarana. The caffeine levels of an energy drink is several time higher than a cup of coffee.

The report authors said that such high levels of caffeine and herbal stimulants are extremely dangerous for kids. Some energy drinks have more than 500 mg of caffeine which is equal to more or less 14 cans of caffeinated drinks. Schneider said that an energy drink is not something a kid should not be taking.

Caffeine in general can increase ones blood pressure, heart rate and insomnia. Schneider, however, refused to point out which energy drinks are better than some. She simply said that when kids are tired, they should get some rest, not drink cans after cans of energy drinks.

A representative of Red Bull, one of the leading energy drinks in the market, defended their product and said that a can of red bull has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. However, they said that energy drinks may be drunk more quickly than a cup of coffee because they are served cold.

A recent study found out that children successfully treated for cancer are at higher risk to develop gastrointestinal problems, ranging from mild to severe cases, in the future.

The study, which was conducted by the University of California researchers in San Francisco, examined the gastrointestinal problems reported by 14,358 patients who lived at least after receiving treatment for different forms of cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma, and bone or brain tumors.

Researchers found out that more than 40 percent suffered from some type of gastrointestinal problem within twenty years of their therapy. These GI issues include indigestion, ulcers, polyps, esophageal disease, colitis, jaundice, chronic diarrhea and gallstones.

Also, people who were diagnosed with cancer later in life and had to go through a more comprehensive treatment, such as radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, were more likely to suffer from long-term gastrointestinal problems, according to the study published in the Gastroenterology, May issue.

The authors of the study noted in a news release that around one in every 500 young adult in the United States is a childhood cancer survivor.

Dr. Robert Goldsby, lead author of the study and pediatric cancer specialist, said that thorough follow-up care should also be provided to pediatric cancer patients to properly address the complications that those children may experience.

He said that physicians should not only focus on the knowledge gathered about the long-term effects of childhood cancer and its treatment. He even added that complications after the therapy are serious concerns that can greatly affect a person’s quality of life.

France appeared set to maintain its strict restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research Thursday after the conservative government won over a parliamentary bid to ease up the country’s law on bioethics.

The National Assembly of France voted 73-33 to retain the curbs on Wednesday night. The Roman Catholic Church, as well as conservative legislators protested after a preliminary vote was carried out in the Senate to approve the research.

Revisions on the country’s bioethics law are currently in progress. A second reading of the new bill will be held before the Senate early in June. A final decision is likely to come out by the end of the year.

If the Senate votes to authorize the research, the bioethics bill will go through a conference committee where a version of the bill by the National Assembly will take place.

When it comes to embryonic stem cell research, France has one of the firmer laws in Europe. It has even banned the research, except when it uses imported embryos not for in vitro fertilization in some other countries.

Individuals who oppose embryonic stem cell research claim that it is morally wrong since it damages or destroys human embryos during manipulation. However, proponents of the research believe that it is a bright opportunity to develop new treatments for several medical conditions.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, France’s head of the Roman Catholic Church, insisted the legislators to oppose the liberalization of the law. He said it would lead to a regression in civilization and state-sponsored eugenics.

An opinion poll revealed that more than 8 out of 10 women perceive the new guidelines that do not recommend routine breast cancer screening for women below the age of 50 as unsafe.

However, University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers in Worcester found out that the majority of the women gravely overestimate their risk to develop the disease.

A group of independent experts funded by the government decided to change its recommendations in late 2009. This flared up the controversy over breast cancer screening through mammography.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advised that women should only get routine breast cancer screening when they reach the age of 50 and not 40. The group also recommended that women between the age of 50 and 74 should only get mammograms every other year.

But, the group did not say that no women below 50 years old should be screened for breast cancer. They said the decision would be left to the woman and her doctor, based on the individual’s risk factors and preferences. Still, the recommendations faced staunch resistance from medical and advocacy groups, as well as from news organizations.

The opinion poll was carried out by Autumn Davidson and her colleagues to find out what women really think about it. They gave answer forms to 247 women in their 40s, who also came to the hospital for their yearly well-woman health screening.

The survey showed that 8 out of 10 women felt that the new guidelines were not safe and wanted annual mammograms. They said they would not delay the screening until the age of 50.

Roche Holding AG gave an upbeat statement about the possibility of Avastin getting an approval to be a key drug for ovarian cancer.

Pascal Soriot, the company’s pharma head, said that they are absolutely confident that Avastin will be approved in Europe and they are also positive that it will be approved for the US market.

The sales of Avastin have fallen dramatically over the past few months since healthcare authorities that its use in breast cancer be curbed. Avastin is currently used to cure a range of tumors.

Now, Roche is banking on the use of Avastin – their multibillion dollar seller drug – to focus on the treatment of ovarian cancer. They are hoping that the shift in drug use will drive massive sales for their company in the future. The company has already filed for approval in Europe and as soon as they get an overall survival data, they will also seek approval in the US.

Moreover, Roche will also present partial data on MetMab in the treatment of lung cancer. They are also trying to develop the drug to treat other diseases like breast cancer.

Physicians and other investors are also looking in to studying vemurafenib to treat skin cancer. Soriot admitted that the commercial possibilities for the drug are still low because of the limited cases of skin cancer. However, should the drug be developed for treating other kinds of cancer the sales may also go up.

A new research suggests that the growing trend in sedentary jobs is one of the major factors in the increase of obesity cases in the United States. Sitting in front of the computer for eight hours a day rather than working on the field means that American workers are burning 140 fewer calories per day than they did decades ago.

According to a research study posted online on PLos One, we should put greater emphasis on promoting physical activities if we want to win the war against weight. Dr. Robert Graham said that the key in weight loss is monitoring the calories that come in and those that come out; and right now, Americans are taking in more calories than it is burning.

Although both exercise patterns and eating habits affect we either gain or lose weight, a contradicting study suggests that our caloric intake is still the major reason why one third of our population is either overweight or obese. This is because the study has noted that our leisure-time physical activities have not really changed over the past years.

Many, however, do not agree because based on a statistics report by the US Bureau of Labor, more and more active jobs (like farming and mining) have been replaced with sedentary jobs like office works and stay-at-home jobs.

The authors of the study stated that only a quarter of Americans are performing the prescribed level of exercise. Keri Gans of the American Dietetic Association said that the growing demands of our everyday life are eating our time for exercise. However, she said that it is necessary that we make time for it to fight obesity.

Planned Parenthood challenged South Dakota in federal court on Friday over an abortion law that would entail women seeking abortions to a 72-hour waiting period and counseling at crisis pregnancy centers.

The lawsuit seeks to block the law up to the time a final verdict is announced as to whether it goes against the women’s legal rights to abortion founded under the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade.

Sarah Stoesz, Planned Parenthood president and chief executive in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, said that the law intrudes a doctor-patient relationship and puts women and families in jeopardy.

The organization provides reproductive health services, as well as child and maternal health care. One of the services it offers includes abortions. According to Planned Parenthood, 3 days will be the longest waiting period in the country.

Anti-abortion laws have been submitted since 2010 elections in states with conservative legislative majority. Legislators from the Republican Party are likely to approve on abortion restrictions.

The South Dakota law is expected to take effect on July 1. Proponents of the bill say the law protects women from being forced into getting abortions. Also, they say the state will likely win the legal battle.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office in South Dakota was not instantly available for comment. However, Joe Kafka, Daugaard spokesman, said the restriction offers women additional time to think about its option to get abortion.

In the United States, South Dakota has one of the lowest rates in abortion. South Dakota Campaign for Health Families said abortions in South Dakota only represent 0.1 percent of the abortions in the entire United States.

U.S researchers say that Hispanic women who experience domestic abuse during pregnancy or shortly before getting pregnant have five times increased risk to acquire postpartum depression.

The results of the study imply that violence received from intimate partners is a stronger precursor of postpartum depression instead of prenatal depression. Previously, depression occurring before pregnancy is often considered as the most remarkable risk factor to postpartum depression.

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. They selected 210 women from Los Angeles to participate in the study. The respondents were aged 18-years and older, Hispanic in race.

In the study, the researchers found out that those women who underwent domestic violence at some point in their pregnancy or within a year before their pregnancy were 5.4 times more prone to experience postpartum depression. This is in comparison to those who have not experienced recent abuse from intimate partners.

Also, the study revealed that women who have suffered from prenatal depression have 3.5 times increased possibility to get postpartum depression compared to those who have not suffered from prenatal depression.

Postpartum depression, also referred to as postnatal depression, is a type of depression which usually affects woman after childbirth. According to studies report, prevalence rates among women range from 5% to 25%. It often occurs in the first few months and may even last up to a year. Symptoms include fatigue, sadness, anxiety and irritability.

The findings of the study suggest that pregnant woman should be screened for both intimate partner violence and prenatal depression, the researchers said.

A clinical trial on adult stem cell therapy for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS has been approved by the Health Ministry of Israel. It will be launched by the clinical-stage biotechnological company, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics.

Adrian Harel, acting chief executive officer of BrainStorm, said that the clinical trial signifies a remarkable advancement in their goal to utilize stem cells with self renewal capabilities to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

ALS is a progressive neurological disease that causes wide range of disabilities. It affects all muscles under a person’s voluntary control. Patients eventually lose their ability and strength to move their body. Often, most people affected with the disease die from respiratory failure.

In the United States, about 5,600 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. Based on the derived data from the ALS Association, as many as 30,000 Americans are estimated to get the disease at any specified time.

In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration designated an orphan drug to NurOwn, BrainStorm’s adult stem product for the treatment of ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The preliminary phase of the study is intended to certify the safety of NurOwn. Later on, it will be expanded to determine its efficacy. It will utilize and transplant stem cells, treated with BrainStorm’s NurOwn technology, from the patients’ own bone marrow.

The clinical trial will include 12 patients in an early stage and 12 patients in an advanced stage- 24 patients in all. The patients will be assessed at regular intervals and will be followed for a period of six months after the stem cell transplantation.

Republican leaders on Sunday said that they would be receptive on possible negotiations regarding healthcare costs- one of the main obstacles to realize a deal that would likely cut the financial debt in the United States.

The chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, said that he would be very willing to talk with the Democrats who have criticized his healthcare plans for the elderly and poor citizens in the state. Ryan said it is already time to discuss matters that would help control U.S. debts.

Health reform has been the main subject on both parties as they try to come up with a budget deal that would offer lawmakers a political cover to support a raise in the United States’ borrowing ability. Also, it appears to be one of the main campaign issues as the 2012 elections draws nearer.

Last week, the United States already reached its debt limit worth $14.3 trillion. The U.S. Department of the Treasury said it can evade a default only until early August. According to experts, non-payment of debts can bring the country back into the state of recession and stir the markets around the globe.

However, Ryan’s plan to scale back Medicaid for the elderly and poor could possibly save $2.2 trillion. It would also annul President Obama’s health reform program, which is known as the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

President Obama then proposed to save $480 billion worth of money through hastening improvements in the program. Yet, Republicans urge the government to repeal the reforms.

Chris Van Hollen, Democratic representative, said Washington might be able to find savings through cutting the costs that the government pays for prescribed medications instead of weighing back patients’ benefits.