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Couch potatoes can get some of the benefits of exercise with a new drug, researchers say. So far, it has been tested only in mice. After four weeks of taking it, they burned more calories and had less fat than other mice. They also could run 44% farther and 23% longer on a treadmill. Mice who also exercised regularly got even more benefit with a second drug that was tested. They could run 68% longer and 70% farther than mice that exercised but didn’t get the drug. The Associated Press wrote about the study July 31. It was published online by the journal Cell.

Alabama will become the first state to charge obese workers for insurance. More than 37,000 state employees have one year to show some progress. If they don’t, they’ll have to pay $25 a month for insurance that is currently free. Other states reward workers who practice good health. Alabama already charges workers who smoke. The Associated Press reported the announcement on August 22.

More than half a million U.S. children each year are treated for bad reactions or side effects to medicines. So says new research published in the journal Pediatrics. The Associated Press wrote about the study September 28. The study was based on national data about visits to clinics and emergency rooms. It focused on reactions to both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The years covered were 1995 through 2005. The numbers remained steady through those years. Nearly half of the children involved were under 5. Many of these were cases of accidental overdose. A frequent cause was that parents did not understand dosing instructions. About 1 out of 20 treated children was sick enough to require a hospital stay.

Pop star Michael Jackson, 50, has died after an apparent cardiac arrest, the Associated Press reported. Cardiac arrest is when the heart goes into an abnormal rhythm and stops. Emergency personnel were called to Jackson’s home June 25, but were unable to revive him. He died at UCLA Medical Center. A friend speculated that prescription pain relievers could be a factor. However, no cause of death is known now. Police are investigating. An autopsy is scheduled.

Simple head and body movements are the best treatment for one type of vertigo, or dizziness, a doctors’ group says. Doctors or therapists perform these movements. They are used to treat benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. This problem is caused by mineral deposits in the inner ear. The movements push these crystals into another part of the ear. There, they can be absorbed by the body. The treatment is recommended in a new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology. It was published May 27 in the journal Neurology.

Vitamin D levels may affect breast cancer survival, a study finds. Researchers measured vitamin D in the blood of 512 women with early-stage breast cancer. Only 1 in 4 women had vitamin D at recommended levels. In the next 10 years, the cancer was nearly twice as likely to come back or spread in women who did not have enough vitamin D. They were 73% more likely to die of cancer. The Associated Press wrote about the study May 16. It was released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Storing contact lens solution in a hot place may have caused an outbreak of eye infections, researchers say. More than 150 cases occurred from 2004 through 2006. A fungus caused the infections. All of those infected had used ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution. A new study has found that the fungus grows well in this solution at 140 degrees. U.S. officials cited the plant in 2006 for lack of temperature control. The study appeared November 11 in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.

The day of cancer treatments tailored to people’s genetic makeup is moving closer, the Associated Press reported February 16. Last month, the nation’s cancer doctors adopted a change in how colon cancer is treated. People with advanced colon cancer now are supposed to get a genetic test. This will show whether they can benefit from two leading treatments. These drugs, Erbitux and Vectibix, are costly. And they don’t work in 4 out of 10 patients. Researchers are targeting breast and lung cancer next. Studies are under way to find out whether genetic tests can help to decide on treatment for these cancers.

High levels of a blood fat called triglycerides greatly increase the risk of stroke, researchers say. They used data from a 31-year study of 14,000 Danish men and women. Triglycerides were measured several times through the years. People with the highest levels were 3 to 4 times as likely to have a stroke as those with the lowest levels. The increase was for ischemic stroke. This type is caused by blockage of a blood vessel in the brain. Researchers also found that triglycerides don’t need to be measured after 8 to 12 hours without food. Tests in the study were done at random times of day. HealthDay News wrote about the study November 11. It was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Two new studies disagree on whether two treatments to prevent strokes are equally safe. Both studies were released February 26. Both compared stenting and surgery to open narrowed carotid arteries. These are the arteries in the neck that lead to the brain. Surgery is the older treatment. Surgeons scrape out and remove the plaque that narrows the artery. Stenting is a newer treatment. A small tube is inserted to open up the narrowed artery. An American study found that the two were equally safe. There were more strokes in the month after surgery with stenting. There were more heart attacks with surgery. The study was presented at a conference, the Associated Press reported. The other study was in the journal Lancet. European researchers found that surgery was better.