A dermatologist examines a patient for symptoms of skin cancer due to sun exposure on June 15, 2011 in Miami, Florida

An experimental therapy that helps retrain a patient's own immune system to attack tumors may work in a wide range of common cancers, according to a preliminary U.S. study Friday.

U.S. regulators on Friday approved for market a new kind of prosthetic arm that allows a person to flex certain muscles in order to perform complex tasks.

The development of the DEKA Arm System -- nicknamed the "Luke" arm after Luke Skywalker in Star Wars -- was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The U.S. food industry's responsibility in fueling rising obesity levels is put under the microscope in a documentary released in the United States this weekend. 

"Fed Up" examines why, while there is a boom in gym membership and a surge in shoppers seeking low-fat alternatives on supermarket shelves, two out of three Americans are overweight. 

The World Health Organization said Friday it would hold an emergency meeting next week on the deadly MERS virus, amid concern over the rising number of cases in several countries.

The U.N. health agency will host the emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the worrying spread of the virus, which in less than two years has killed 126 people in Saudi Arabia alone, spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.

Saudi Arabia's death toll from MERS has risen by five to 126 fatalities since the mystery respiratory virus first appeared in the kingdom in 2012, the health ministry said Friday.

Two men, aged 47 and 60, died in the western city of Medina on Wednesday, an 84-year-old man died in Mecca and a fourth died in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

Eight members of the U.S. Senate are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to examine new research suggesting that some electronic cigarettes can produce dangerous carcinogens similar to those from traditional cigarettes.

In a letter sent Thursday, the Democratic lawmakers say that the FDA should work to protect e- cigarette users and those nearby from cancer-causing vapors apparently produced by high-powered nicotine devices, known as tank systems.

U.S. health officials say syphilis has reached its highest level since 1995, with the increase all in men.

Syphilis remains far less common in the U.S. than many other sexually spread diseases. But there has been a steady rise in gay and bisexual men catching the disease. They account for most of the recent infectious cases.

Think again before you pick another fight with your tearaway daughter or go head-to-toe once more with the people next door over their late-night parties.

Danish researchers say people who argue constantly with relatives, friends or neighbours are more than twice as likely to die in middle age.

A handshake can tell a lot about a person. Researchers said Wednesday the strength of someone's grip may reveal how fast they're aging, their education level -- and even their future health.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis researchers reviewed more than 50 published studies from around the world for their article in the journal PLOS ONE.

New Zealand on Thursday banned synthetic drugs after Prime Minister John Key conceded an attempt to regulate the market in so-called "legal highs" had failed.

The sale of products such as synthetic cannabis and legal "party pills", which mimic the effects of drugs like ecstasy, were banned after the government introduced legislation this week following protests from the families of users affected by the substances.