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June 17, 2013 Scientists and parents have long been baffled by the fact that children with autism often don't pay attention to human voices. Researchers say that may be because speech doesn't activate a reward system in the brain for those children the way it does for typical children.

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June 17, 2013 Children who are the target of physical aggression or verbal abuse from siblings are more depressed and anxious than children who aren't victimized. Parents tend to consider sibling conflict normal, researchers say, but they should teach children how to fight fair to reduce psychological distress.

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June 16, 2013 Teens who've lost a dad to cancer are a lonely bunch on Father's Day. But when some of these teenagers bare their souls, it turns out they have learned lessons that make them wise beyond their years.

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June 14, 2013 Cheerleading has become a competitive activity in its own right, and it carries a considerable risk of serious injury, including concussion, spinal damage and broken bones. American Medical Association delegates meeting in Chicago will consider a resolution to support the designation of cheerleading as a sport.

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June 14, 2013 An extract from raw, green coffee beans has been called a "miracle" weight-loss aid. But a study in mice casts doubt on the supplement's fat-burning effects — and even offers preliminary evidence that it could be harmful.

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June 13, 2013 Women and teenagers should soon be able to buy emergency contraception with no age restrictions, according to a federal district judge's memorandum. But the Obama administration's plan will put just one brand-name formulation of the "morning after" pill on store shelves.

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June 13, 2013 Treating depression is a hit-or-miss process; the first treatment works less than half the time. Scientists say they may be able to use PET brain scans to tell whether antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy will work best. But tailored treatments are still far off.

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June 12, 2013 Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, one of President Obama's staunchest critics, has confounded conservatives in her own party by pushing for an extension of Medicaid coverage in the state.

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June 12, 2013 While there's been quite a debate lately about whether salt in the modern American diet is risky, there's no question that a massive amount of salt ingested quickly can lead to death. A young man in Virginia who chugged a bottle of soy sauce survived after prompt, aggressive medical treatment.

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June 12, 2013 Systems that turn a driver's speech into text are the most distracting. Drivers in a University of Utah test experienced a kind of inattention blindness that mean they sometimes overlooked potential hazards.

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June 11, 2013 The mechanical process the meat industry uses to tenderize tough muscle fibers can also introduce dangerous pathogens into beef cuts. The thinking behind the proposed new labels: If you know your cut of meat has been mechanically tenderized, you'll be inclined to cook it a little longer.

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June 11, 2013 Gonorrhea cases resistant to one of the last effective drugs increased by nearly six times from 2004 to 2011 in Great Britain. Hard-to-treat gonorrhea is a growing trend worldwide, as the bacterium begins to thwart our last defenses.

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June 11, 2013 The Obama administration's move to drop opposition to over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception is pleasing no one. It proposes making just one brand-name form available to all ages without a prescription.

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June 11, 2013 Children are getting too many CT scans, a study says, and that's boosting their risk of cancer later on. Parents can ask for alternatives like ultrasound and MRI or ask for CT scans that use less radiation.

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June 11, 2013 KHNThe Affordable Care Act sets annual limits on the amount that people will owe out of pocket for prescription drugs starting in 2014. But sick people in some plans won't get relief until the following year because the federal government is giving certain health plans extra time to comply.

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