WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vaccines that contain a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal cannot cause autism on their own, a special U.S. court ruled on Friday, dealing one more blow to parents seeking to blame vaccines for their children's illness.

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the world's largest studies of the contraceptive pill has found that women who have taken it can expect longer lives and are less likely to die from any cause, including cancer and heart disease.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People in Portland are more likely than those in Iceland to be sensitive to certain foods, but reactions to fish, eggs and cow's milk appear rare in both places, new research suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most youngsters grow out of having otherwise unexplained bone and muscle aches known as growing pains, researchers from Israel report.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday will consider a reconciliation bill that Democrats hope clears the way for final congressional approval of an overhaul of U.S. healthcare, House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said on Friday.