Researchers say that heart transplant patients’ survival chances improve if the sex of the donor and patient is the same. The study, presented at a New Orleans meeting of the American Heart Assn. articulates that the survival rate goes up by as much as 25 % if the sex of both the donor and the recipient is the same. Although men and women's hearts are anatomically identical, researchers feel it could be due to differences in size or immune systems between the sexes.

China's drug regulator, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), ordered the withdrawal of a hemorrhoid medicine over concerns that it might cause liver problems.

The Sichuan-based Vital Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd. was ordered by the SFDA to stop producing and selling Zhixue capsules and asked to begin a nationwide recall Xinhua news agency reported. The recall came after 21 people around the country developed liver problems and 14 others reported adverse reactions to the medication in recent months, the agency reported.

The researchers at the University of North Carolina articulate that cell phone text messaging could be used to reduce kids' chances of becoming fat later in life. Their study suggests that helping kids self monitor their calorie intake and modify it themselves could be important for the long-term success of weight loss and weight control.

Researchers have found that belly fat, which has earlier been linked to increasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease, also increases the risk of early death. In the study, one of the largest, longest health studies in the world researchers found waist size to be a "powerful indicator" of risk.

The study found that people with the most belly fat had double the risk of dying prematurely as compared to people with less belly fat. This risk held even if the overall body weight was normal.

A study has stated that a common bacterium that causes diarrhea is commonly found in U.S. hospitals and better hygiene and a judicious use of antibiotics would help.