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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Use of diagnostic imaging tests in the United States has increased across the board in recent years, with more patients getting the tests and more tests being ordered per patient, researchers said on Monday.

People with low cholesterol and no big risk for heart disease dramatically lowered their chances of dying or having a heart attack if they took the cholesterol pill Crestor, a large study found.

The physical effort involved in breastfeeding may leave babies with stronger lungs, research suggests.

A technique which literally places a window in a mouse's chest could help scientists unlock cancer's most deadly process.

WEIGHING 18 stone and a little over 5ft tall, Suba Rohrman took painkillers every day to combat the agony in her knees.

ONE of the largest trials of a cholesterol-lowering drug ever conducted has been halted early after dramatic reductions in illness and death were seen in treated patients.

RESEARCHERS have developed a system that could halve the number of people dying from a diabetes-related condition.

(American Academy of Ophthalmology) Today's scientific program at the 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and European Society of Ophthalmology includes presentations of broad public interest: contamination of contact lens storage cases among refractive surgery candidates; and evolving physician practices regarding LASIK and other refractive surgery for people with HIV/AIDS.

(Elsevier health Sciences) With childhood obesity increasing, School administrators and public health officials are reducing availability of sugar-sweetened beverages in schools. In a study published in the November/December 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, researchers found that reduction or elimination of SSB from school menus has little effect on total consumption by adolescents.

Leading medical experts warn patients against using untested remedies advertised on the internet which, they say, sell "false hope".