WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The first blood test to reliably detect early-stage colorectal cancer and polyps may help identify patients who would gain most from colonoscopy, say Israeli researchers who developed the screen.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Two new drugs -- both oral, rather than injected -- may soon be available to combat multiple sclerosis.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Slashing salt intake by just 3 grams a day -- the equivalent of half a teaspoon -- could dramatically cut the incidence of heart disease and death in U.S. adults, researchers claim.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Heart and lung function appear to be intimately intertwined, so that even mild cases of chronic lung disease affect the heart's ability to pump blood, a new study finds.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A new gene involved in a recessive form of brittle bone disease has been pinpointed by researchers.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Gorillas carry the parasite that causes malignant malaria in humans, a finding that could help in efforts to develop a vaccine for malaria, researchers say.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A device that helps the heart's left ventricle pump blood in people who have severe heart failure but who aren't candidates for heart transplant has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- House and Senate Democrats' ambitious plans to revamp the nation's health-care system were torpedoed Tuesday night in the wake of a Massachusetts special election that delivered the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy to a Republican.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Call it an unwanted gift from overseas: Scientists are reporting that springtime ozone levels above western North America are on the rise, in part because of air heading this way from Asia.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A new class of compounds is able to inhibit replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in laboratory tests, say U.S. scientists.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Common wisdom holds apples to be a healthy snack, and a new study agrees, finding that a component of fruit called pectin boosts levels of friendly germs in the digestive system.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- How adeptly you play a video game may indicate how big some parts of your brain are, the authors of a new study report.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Plasma jets could offer a painless alternative to dentists' drills, say German researchers.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The amount of time American children and teens spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet has increased dramatically, to almost eight hours a day, a new report finds.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Assessing whether you are in poor, moderate or ideal cardiovascular health takes just seconds, thanks to a new American Heart Association measure of health factors and behaviors.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A new national survey finds that most medical students think that knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine could help Western doctors do a better job.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that they've developed a new formula for a disinfectant that's effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi and even prions, the proteins that cause mad cow disease.

(HealthDay News) -- A blister, medically called a vesicle, is a small sac on the skin that's filled with fluid. Blisters can be caused by friction or an underlying health issue.

(HealthDay News) -- Carpal tunnel syndrome includes a number of conditions characterized by swelling, pain, tingling and weakness in the wrists and hands.