WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With President Barack Obama urging them on, congressional Democratic leaders met for eight hours at the White House on Wednesday and reported significant progress on finding a final healthcare compromise. Join discussion...

A new evidence review suggests that using a pump to deliver insulin continuously instead of taking three or more daily injections might result in better control of blood sugar for people with type 1 diabetes. "The findings of this review tell us that both continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple injections correct blood glucose levels... Join discussion...

The world's smallest flexible microscope is diagnosing some big diseases and allowing physicians to treat patients on the spot. Dr. Michel Kahaleh, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia Health System, is the only physician in Virginia currently using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE)... Join discussion...

The widespread use of so-called fertility drugs, not just high-tech laboratory procedures, likely plays a larger role than previously realized in the growing problem of premature births in the United States, because these drugs cause a high percentage of multiple births, the March of Dimes said today... Join discussion...

Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Bayer is providing immediate relief in the form of medicines worth around EUR 90,000. The company will make the medicines available to the Red Cross in the Dominican Republic to enable it to be distributed quickly from there to neighboring country Haiti. Bayer also calls on its employees worldwide to make donations through the Bayer Cares Foundation... Join discussion...

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) announced that it has achieved its protocol specified objective of enrolling 100 late-stage patients (Stage IIB to IVA) in its pivotal study for forodesine in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Top-line data is expected in the second half of 2010. Additionally, BioCryst's exploratory Phase... Join discussion...

GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC) announced that 184 events (deaths) have occurred in its ongoing Phase III Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trial with TNFerade™ (PACT) in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. This event, which represents two-thirds of the total events expected in the trial, triggers the next interim analysis of overall survival in the trial... Join discussion...

With Avatar now heading into its fifth week as a box office hit, many people are headed to movie theaters to see what the excitement over 3-D is all about. Unfortunately, many of them may be disappointed because they didn't know they can't see 3-D. While the concept of being "3-D ready" means that the new 3-D TVs, showcased at the Consumer... Join discussion...

San Francisco Chronicle (blog)Bay Area volunteers step up to help HaitiSan Jose Mercury NewsVolunteer Lorenzo Benedicty packs up medical supplies to be sent to Haiti at MedShare in San Leandro, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. The non-profit will be collecting and processing medical supplies rom Bay Area hospitals that will ...Local groups doing what... Join discussion...

Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is a disease caused by a toxin (erythrogenic exotoxin) released by Streptococcus pyogenes or group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus - the disease occurs in a small percentage of patients with strep infections, such as strep throat or impetigo. Although scarlatina may be used interchangeably with scarlet fever,... Join discussion...