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Each year approximately 10 million Americans are evaluated for swallowing difficulties, and between 300,000 and 600,000 individuals are diagnosed with a swallowing disorder (dysphagia). Swallowing is one of the most complex processes in the human body, and many health disorders can produce dysphagia. To garner data and federal funding to study effective treatments for those suffering from dysphagia, Bonnie Martin-Harris, Ph.D.

Surgeons at UC San Diego Medical Center have reported what is believed to be the world's first hernia repair conducted through one of the body's natural openings. As part of a clinical trial, minimally invasive surgeons Garth Jacobsen, M.D., and Santiago Horgan, M.D., were able to repair a painful weak spot in a patient's abdominal wall using the vagina as the path to the surgical site. "This minimally invasive hernia repair is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Soybeans may drop off the list of musical fruit. Scientists in Singapore are reporting victory over some consumers' No. 1 complaint about soy products - the "flatulence factor" caused by indigestible sugars found in soy.

AspenBio Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPY), an emerging bio-pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel drugs and diagnostics for humans and animals, reported the enrollment level in the ongoing FDA 510(k) clinical trial for AppyScore(TM), the world's first blood-based diagnostic test for human appendicitis, has reached approximately 70%.

CHICAGO (MedPage Today) -- Endoscopic screening cannot be recommended for Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to new guidelines.