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Cambodian Doctor on Trial for Infecting Patients with HIV

An unlicensed Cambodian doctor who allegedly infected more than 200 people with HIV, including  some who later died, went on trial for murder Tuesday.

The case has shone a spotlight on the chronically underfunded health care system in an impoverished nation where many have to rely on self-taught or unlicensed medics to receive treatment.

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First Fukushima Worker Diagnosed with Radiation-Linked Cancer

A former Fukushima nuclear plant worker has been diagnosed with radiation-linked cancer, Japanese authorities said Tuesday, in the first such confirmation more than four years after the worst atomic accident in a generation.

An official with the health ministry said the ex-employee, who was in his thirties while working at the plant following the 2011 crisis, has developed leukaemia. 

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Study: Arm Mole Count Could Indicate Skin Cancer Risk

Counting the number of moles on a person's right arm could indicate vulnerability to skin cancer, with 11 or more moles being a "strong predictor" of melanoma, research published Monday suggested.

The study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that the number of moles on the right arm was the closest predictor of the number on the entire body.

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Australia Set to Legalize Growing of Medicinal Cannabis

Australia Saturday announced plans to legalize the growing of cannabis for medicinal purposes, saying those suffering debilitating illnesses deserved access to the most effective treatments.

Research, most recently findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June, showed marijuana has some effectiveness in helping treat chronic pain.

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Nestle Says Fresh Tests Show Maggi Noodles are Safe

Nestle said Friday that laboratory tests ordered by an Indian court had found its popular Maggi noodles were safe to eat, paving the way for their return following a government ban.

India's food safety watchdog banned the noodles in June, saying lead levels exceeded statutory limits.

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Study: Antibiotic Resistance Threat to Patients

Spreading antibiotic resistance could have disastrous consequences for patients undergoing surgery or chemotherapy, a study said Thursday.

In the United States, up to half of infections after surgery and over a quarter of infections after chemotherapy are caused by organisms resistant to standard antibiotics, researchers found.

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Supplements Blamed for 23,000 Emergency Visits Each Year

Over the counter supplements, including vitamins, sexual enhancements and weight loss aids, are being blamed for 23,000 visits to U.S. emergency rooms each year, according to a decade-long study this week.

The findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine are based on reports from a nationally representative sample of 63 emergency departments from 2004 through 2013.

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India's Pharmacies Shut down to Protest Online Sales

Around 800,000 Indian pharmacies downed their shutters Wednesday to demand a crackdown on online drug sales, which they say is unregulated and eroding their business.

The one-day strike is aimed at curbing India's burgeoning online drug retail industry, which the All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) says is putting customers at risk by failing to follow existing rules.

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Bangladesh's Illegal Kidney Trade Booms as Donors Turn Brokers

After years of crippling debt, Bangladeshi villager Rawshan Ara decided to follow in her family's footsteps -- and sell a kidney on the black market to raise cash.

Like many of her neighbour in this poor farming area, the 28-year-old easily found a local broker and quickly became a victim of Bangladesh's thriving but illegal organ trade.

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Planned Parenthood Ends Fetal Tissue Donation Reimbursements

Seeking to douse a months-long scandal over providing fetal tissue for research, women's healthcare giant Planned Parenthood said Tuesday it will no longer accept reimbursements for costs of the donations.

The move is aimed at debunking what the group calls a "disingenuous argument" by critics attacking Planned Parenthood over the procedure.

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