An analysis of disease control measures used during the 1918 influenza pandemic offers lessons for dealing with the issue of school closures this fall in response to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, say U.S. researchers.

Last spring, school closures were a common and controversial strategy for controlling the spread of the H1N1 virus. Intense debate about this type of action will likely occur again if the swine flu pandemic continues or worsens this fall, according to researchers at the University of Michigan and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wealthy people are twice as likely to suffer retinal detachment as poorer people, according to Scottish researchers who said they couldn't identify the reason for the disparity.

Retinal detachment -- the separation of the retina from its connection at the back of the eye -- usually occurs as a result of a tear in the retina. If patients don't receive immediate treatment, retinal detachment can lead to permanent vision loss.

Just one of every eight strokes is preceded by a milder interruption of blood flow to the brain, called a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a new Canadian study shows.

And because of that, the researchers conclude, such an attack is not the crucial warning sign that physicians need.

For those middle-aged folks who cringe at the memory of their adolescence, new Swedish research suggests that social standing as a teenager has long-term health consequences.

And in a related study, British scientists have found that children whose mothers work outside the home are more likely to engage in unhealthier lifestyles -- including eating less healthy foods and getting less exercise -- than kids whose mothers are at home.

The appetite-regulating hormone leptin may contribute to osteoarthritis in obese people, according to a new study that suggests that skeletal wear and tear caused by excess weight isn't the only cause of the painful and debilitating condition.

Duke University researchers found that extremely obese mice didn't develop osteoarthritis if their bodies didn't have leptin. In fact, joints in obese mice without leptin appeared healthier than those in normal mice.