Pioneering heart doctor Michael DeBakey dead at 99

Tacos are a traditional food of Mexico, sure, but they also provide a canvas for endless improvisation. This version is mostly true to its roots until you get to the topping, flavored with North African harissa.

Democrats have made it clear: They don't support recommendations from President Bush that would shave an estimated $77 billion from government health programs for seniors and the poor. But Bush doesn't need lawmakers' support for some of the changes that he wants to make to Medicare and Medicaid. He could get about $23 billion in savings over the next five years by issuing new federal regulations.

The nation's ongoing battle against obesity has a new weapon -- the first government-approved diet pill that can be bought without a prescription.

Unintentional fatal drug overdoses in the United States nearly doubled from 1999 to 2004, overtaking falls to become the nation's second-leading cause of accidental death, behind automobile crashes, the government reported.

Illegal drug use in the United States has dropped sharply since 2001 but abuse of prescription drugs remains a problem, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said Friday.

Babies conceived through fertility treatments have higher rates of birth defects, but the overall risk is so small that it should not keep couples from having children this way, doctors are reporting.

The largest U.S. study of autism has found that the troubling condition is more common than previously understood.

Dr. Mollie Fry never thought telling her patients where to get the medicine she recommended for pain, depression and nausea would be a problem.

Contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants were the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 21 states, health officials said Friday.

A meningitis vaccine shortage is over, and federal health officials are again recommending the shot for preteens as well as college and high school students.

The Netherlands pledged Thursday to invest euro30 million ($38 million) to fight tuberculosis amid concerns about a deadly, drug-resistant new form of the disease, three nonprofit groups said.

Medical schools in several states are boosting programs that teach doctors and students to challenge the sales pitches of drug companies and avoid being dazzled by them.

Several health groups are concerned that babies born to illegal immigrants could be denied essential medical care such as immunizations and physicals because of recent changes to Medicaid.

Doctors are reporting surprising early success with a novel treatment they hope will one day cure congestive heart failure in thousands of dying patients: They shrink the bloated heart with drugs while an artificial pump temporarily takes over the workload.

A comprehensive ban on the sale of junk food in Latvia's state schools went into force Wednesday as part of the country's drive to improve children's diets.

More than 40 women sued the makers of a popular birth-control patch Wednesday, claiming the contraceptive caused serious illnesses and at least one death.

Doctors caring for the elderly and the disabled will see a 5 percent cut in reimbursement rates when they treat Medicare patients next year.

State-of-the-art ventilation systems used to clear cigarette smoke from bars and restaurants don't eliminate dangerous soot and carcinogens and can even push their levels higher in nonsmoking sections than in smoking areas, researchers concluded.

IOC president Jacques Rogge called on health and sports specialists in Cuba to encourage young and older people to be more physically active.

The final stage of a landmark federal study on treating depression suggests that two-thirds of sufferers eventually can be helped if they are patient enough to keep trying medications until they find one that works.

Would you like that burger with a side of guilt?

Prostate cancer is more likely to be life-threatening if the man's PSA level rose rapidly during the years before he was diagnosed, says a new study that may help change how PSA tests are used.

In the first comprehensive global study of sexual behavior, British researchers found that people aren't losing their virginity at ever younger ages, married people have the most sex, and there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases.

In a small study with big implications, researchers found some of the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome -- a medical and sometimes legal mystery once known as crib death -- may be caused by brain stem abnormalities.

More than 500 new energy drinks launched worldwide this year, and coffee fans are probably too old to understand why.

Like most 5-year-olds, Nicholas loves to play. But not every toy is fun for Nicholas, who is autistic.

So what do Americans want when it comes to health care? Two things, according to a citizens group created by Congress: protection for all from high medical expenses and guaranteed coverage for specific checkups and treatments.

Women athletes watching their waistlines could be more susceptible to leg pain and stress fractures, according to a small study.

For Ramatu Garba, the polio vaccine is part of an evil conspiracy hatched in the West to sterilize Nigerian girls.

Cornelia Jefferson vividly recalls the excruciating pain that shingles caused her mother and brother. So when her doctor got a supply of the new shingles vaccine, the retiree jumped at the chance -- without knowing if her insurance would pay or she would be stuck with a bill for more than $150.

Police found 23-year-old Jose Romero in his underwear, screaming gibberish and waving a large kitchen knife from his neighbor's porch.

A team of French doctors will operate on a man under near-weightless conditions on Wednesday -- a world first and what they hope will be a step toward performing surgery in space.

The United States needs to continue taking steps to protect its food supply from terrorism just as it would its buildings, airports and other infrastructure, FBI deputy director John S. Pistole said.

Workers won't find much comfort in the smallest increase in health insurance premiums since 1999. The 7.7 percent increase this year was still more than twice the rate of inflation.