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Getting Caffeine Fix as Easy as Taking Deep Breath

Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.

The product, called AeroShot, went on the market late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. A single unit costs $2.99 at convenience, mom-and-pop, liquor and online stores.

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Venezuela Investigates 11 Baby Deaths at Hospital

Venezuelan prosecutors announced Tuesday they would investigate the deaths of 11 prematurely born infants in four days at a public hospital in the northern state of Aragua.

Bacterial contamination is suspected in the deaths.

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The Heroes of India's Quest to Wipe out Polio

Later this month, India will be removed from a dwindling list of countries where polio is considered endemic, a huge achievement made possible by people like Madara, a 76-year-old street hawker.

At a temporary immunization camp in a slum in the northern district of Ghaziabad, 23 kilometers (14 miles) from New Delhi, he is busy at work shepherding boisterous children into queues.

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U.S. Begins Stem Cell Trial for Hearing Loss

U.S. researchers have begun a groundbreaking trial to test the potential of umbilical cord blood transplants, a kind of stem cell therapy, to treat and possibly reverse hearing loss in infants.

The phase I trial follows promising studies on mice showing that such transplants were able to rebuild the structures of the inner ear, and some anecdotal evidence from humans, sparking hope of a cure for some forms of deafness.

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HRW: Nigeria Lead Poisoning 'Worst in Modern History'

A lead poisoning epidemic in Nigeria's north that has killed 400 children and affected thousands is the worst in modern history, but cleanup has not even begun in many areas, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

"Thousands of children in northern Nigeria need immediate medical treatment and dozens of villages remain contaminated two years into the worst lead poisoning epidemic in modern history," the US-based group said in a statement.

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Study Shows Smoking Linked to Mental Decline in Men

Men who smoke experience greater mental declines over time than men who never smoked, but the same link does not appear among women, said a British study published in the United States on Monday.

The research suggested that the effects of long-term cigarette smoking show up terms of memory loss, inability to connect past experience with actions in the present, and a drop in overall cognition skills.

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Anti-Cancer Drug for Women Weakens Bone Density

A drug tipped for widespread use to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women also accelerates loss of bone density, thus potentially boosting the risk of fractures, a study published on Tuesday said.

Exemestane -- brand name Aromasin -- is part of a drug class called aromatase inhibitors, which lower levels of the estrogen that some breast cancers need in order to grow.

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Study Says Solid 'Finger Food' May Help Babies Avoid Obesity

Infants outgrowing a liquid diet who give themselves finger food rather than being spoon-fed puree are likelier to eat healthily and avoid getting fat during weaning, reports a study released Tuesday.

Researchers found that the technique, known as "baby-led weaning," led to a child expressing a clear preference for pasta, rice and other carbohydrates over sweets, thus helping to cement a foundation for eating the right foods.

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Too Many Kids Breathe Others' Smoke in Cars

Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren't all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.

In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from government researchers says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking.

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Proposed Autism Diagnostic Criteria Roils Medical Community

A proposal to use new diagnostic criteria for autism has roiled the U.S. medical community, with many experts concerned that the move could exclude children affected by some forms of the disorder.

The American Psychiatric Association recommended last month that a new category called "autism spectrum disorder" be established to incorporate several forms of autism which were previously considered separately.

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