Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - It was certainly a nightmare for the passengers of the Celebrity Mercury this past week as over 400 people became ill, causing the ship to be held in port for cleaning.

There were over 400 passengers, as well as many members of the crew of the Celebrity Mercury who became sick during the voyage due to an outbreak of a virus onboard. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the big thumbs up to a new drug from Shire Human Genetic Therapies Inc., one that will treat Gaucher disease.

The drug is known as Velaglucerase Alfa for injection or (VPRIV) and will be used to treat the extremely rare and harmful Gaucher disease. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - According to a new trial, stents are as good as surgery when it comes to their ability to unclog carotid arteries.

The trial was conducted for a period of 9 years and is known as the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial or CREST. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - Avastin, a cancer drug from Roche Holding AG, has shown in a trial that it has the ability to beat ovarian cancer.

A late stage trial was conducted on Avastin with the hope that it would yield positive results, and show that it can treat advanced ovarian cancer. Continue Reading

Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - According to a new study released this week, having a mastectomy on a healthy breast only slightly increases your chance of surviving breast cancer.

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and focused on whether or not having a preventive mastectomy would help in terms of surviving cancer. Continue Reading

Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - According to a new report released this week, nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. died from infections that they caught while in hospitals in the year 2006.

The study was reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and was put together thanks to research supported by Resources for the Future. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - According to a new study released this week, kids who have an extreme sweet tooth have an increased risk of having a family history of both alcoholism, as well as depression.

The study was carried out by researchers led by Julie Mennella from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - Researchers are getting closer to discovering the origins of the medical mystery is stuttering.

Researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders have been working to figure out the cause of stuttering for years, just as the entire medical world has done for centuries now. Continue Reading

Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - President Barack Obama and his administration have made the decision to put an end to a long-running program which had the USDA tracking livestock.

The USDA has worked for years now to track cattle, pigs, and other animals. Continue Reading