THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Will the new health-reform legislation mean higher taxes for the middle class? Will panels decide what care very sick, older people should receive?

Not sure? Join the crowd.

A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll shows confusion still reigns when it comes to the health-reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama back in...(click link above to read more)

THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Children adopted by gay or lesbian parents develop as well as those adopted by heterosexual couples, a new study has found.

Researchers looked at 106 adoptive preschool-age children living in different parts of the United States and found that all were developing well, regardless of whether their parents were gay, lesbian or heterosexual. In...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- For the first time, scientists have been able to grow an entire joint from stem cells, albeit in rabbits not humans. And the joints worked.

"The rabbits were able to hop and walk and bear weight, virtually like normal rabbits," said Dr. Jeremy Mao, senior author of a paper published online July 29 in The Lancet. "This was the first...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Enzymes associated with Huntington's disease may offer targets for the development of new drugs to treat the neurodegenerative disease, a new study suggests.

These enzymes, called matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs), play a role in the breakdown of proteins that modify the production of toxic fragments that contribute to Huntington's disease, said...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- People with higher levels of education are better able to cope with dementia-related brain changes, which may explain why better-educated folks have a lower risk of developing dementia, researchers say.

Previous research has shown that each additional year of education is associated with an 11 percent reduced risk of developing dementia. But it...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with early puberty in young girls, according to a researcher who analyzed more than 100 reports on the issue.

Some experts have concluded that early puberty increases the risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes, but these diseases are linked to obesity, not early puberty, according to review author and pediatric...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- American parents are more likely than European parents to have conflicts with their adult children, finds a new study.

Researchers examined parent-adult child relationships in six countries (England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain and the United States) and found that most older parents had relatively conflict-free,...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Infidelity may be a way for some female birds to increase their offspring's chances of survival, the results of a new study suggest.

In many species, females pair up with a specific mate who helps raise their young. But in a wide range of animals, offspring may be sired by males other than the selected 'social' mate. The benefit of this behavior...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking alcohol may help keep rheumatoid arthritis at bay, possibly because it dampens the body's immune response, new research suggests.

Alcohol consumption may also protect people who already have the autoimmune disease from developing a more debilitating form.

"This actually isn't a new concept. There have been other articles [stating]...(click link above to read more)

WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Patients are less likely to develop infections at the sites of total hip or knee replacements if they undergo epidural or spinal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia, a new study reports.

And while the risk of infection is small, the potential for problems is significant.

"However, these infections are extremely serious and difficult...(click link above to read more)