Health

Researchers have identified a chemical in urine that is closely associated with appendicitis in children and are working to develop a simple test that could be used to diagnose the condition -- a test that would both increase the likelihood of performing surgery before the appendix bursts and prevent unnecessary surgery.

Some Apple Inc. investors are advocating the unthinkable: Apple Inc. without Steve Jobs running it. The charismatic chief executive, they said, should take on a new role when he returns in a week or two from a six-month medical leave -- as an advisor, thus removing himself from the rigors of overseeing day-to-day operations. His impending return spurred fresh speculation about his health and the future of the Cupertino, Calif., computer, iPod and iPhone maker.

"Nip/Tuck" FX, season premiere: Jan. 6 and 13, 10 p.m. The premise Plastic surgeon Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) takes his associate Dr. Liz Cruz (Roma Maffia) for a mammogram because he thinks he felt a lump in her breast. The test is negative but, while at the radiologist's office, Troy admits that he himself has felt a lump in his own chest.

Many years ago, a dear relative of mine had a medical condition that snowballed: It started as serious but not critical, yet with every visit to the doctor, the news got worse -- and got worse faster and faster. It's still too early to know if that's the pattern we're seeing with Apple Inc. and Steve Jobs, who announced Wednesday that he would take a six-month medical leave from his CEO post.

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the body. But there is a growing awareness among researchers and fitness professionals that working out in groups can provide additional benefits for some. A March 2008 study in the journal Birth by University of Taiwan researchers reported that Taiwanese women taking part in an exercise support program were less likely to have postpartum depression than those who did not.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is battling brain cancer, was stricken by a seizure at a post-inaugural lunch with President Obama and members of Congress on Tuesday, adding a somber note to a day of celebration in the Capitol. Kennedy, 76, was taken by ambulance to the Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Edward F.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro looks healthy, and he praised U.S. President Obama, visiting Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Wednesday. Her comments came after recent speculation that the 82-year-old former president was near death. He hasn't appeared publicly since he had major intestinal surgery in July 2006, and rumors intensified after he suspended his newspaper columns last month.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is recuperating after arm surgery, and a deputy is temporarily in charge, a spokesman said Friday. Gates underwent an operation to repair a damaged tendon in his left arm. The procedure was done under general anesthesia and lasted less than two hours, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. Gates was at home Friday afternoon and expected to resume his duties today, Morrell said. He was not expected back in the office until Monday, however.

Gene therapy seems to have cured eight of 10 children who had the potentially fatal "bubble boy disease," according to a study that followed their progress for about four years after treatment. The eight patients were no longer on medication for the rare disease, which cripples the body's defenses against infection. The successful treatment is reported in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and offers hope for treating other diseases with gene therapy.

Back in 1973, the country was in the grip of economic woes. A beleaguered Republican president was overseeing an unpopular war abroad and gradually had lost the support of the American people. The musical response from Merle Haggard at the time was "If We Make It Through December," a sobering song that spent a month at No. 1 on the country chart and became one of the singer-songwriter's signature compositions for its compassionate look at the plight of working people across the land.