Sunday as a major breakthrough that could eliminate the need for open heart surgery in some patients, U.S. doctors said Sunday.

The method is aimed at high-risk patients who suffer from severe aortic stenosis, a clogged valve that impedes the pathway of oxygen-rich blood by making the heart work harder to pump blood through a narrowing opening.

For a man whose view of the world has slowly faded to black over 30 years, a device that allows him to see flashes of light has enkindled his hope of one day gazing upon his grandson's face.

A career electrician who grew up in Greece and came to the United States as a young man, Elias Konstantopoulos first noticed his vision getting poorer when at age 43 he absentmindedly tried on a relative's eyeglasses and found he could see more clearly with them than without.

It could get harder to indulge in a double cheeseburger and fries without feeling guilty.

Menu labeling requirements proposed Friday by the Food and Drug Administration will require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations, along with bakeries, grocery stores, convenience stores and coffee chains, to clearly post the calorie count for each item on their menus.

Researchers have identified compounds in maple syrup with similar anti-inflammatory or anti-oxidant properties as blueberries, green tea and other "superfoods," they said Friday.

"In our laboratory research we found that several of these compounds possess anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to fight cancer, diabetes and bacterial illnesses," said lead researcher Navindra Seeram, assistant professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Rhode Island.

A cocktail of three drugs, including a new class of antiviral agent, has shown encouraging results in treating hepatitis C, a disease which attacks the liver, a study said Wednesday.

"This study represents a remarkable advance and a potential cure for people with hepatitis C who have not responded to previous therapy," said co-author Stuart Gordon, from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

With the war on AIDS nearing its 30th anniversary, the U.N. on Thursday declared "a moment of truth" had come for new strategies to address the campaign's failures and brake costs that were now unsustainable.

"We have a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress and to critically and honestly assess the

The Japanese nuclear crisis has reignited a debate in the U.S. over the government's role in distributing a cheap anti-cancer drug to people living around nuclear power plants.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently makes the drug, potassium iodide, available to states for distribution within a 10-mile radius of nuclear power plants. Some House members from both parties want that expanded to 20 miles. And the American Thyroid Association, whose mission is to promote thyroid health, wants to go further — urging that potassium iodide be made available within 200 miles of a nuclear plant.

The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday urged doctors to ask parents about their kids' use of social media, texting and the Internet, including Facebook.

"Pediatricians are in a unique position to educate families," said the AAP which pointed to high rates of Internet use among children and teenagers, with research showing 22 percent of youths go online more than 10 times a day.

A study of Alaska's Yup'ik Eskimos, who consume 20 times more omega-3 fats from fish than most Americans, suggests these oils can prevent obesity-related illness such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said Friday.

The researchers analyzed data from 330 people living in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region of southwest Alaska.

A Thailand trip normally means cold cocktails on the beach and spicy pad thai noodles, but for growing numbers of "detox" tourists, the menu calls for clay shakes and shots of wheatgrass.

At a "wellness center" on Koh Phangan island in the Gulf of Thailand, travelers pay hundreds of dollars to abstain from food, coffee and alcohol and receive daily colonic flushes.