(HealthDay News) -- Few people go through their entire lives without back pain, which can range from mild to severe. But there are steps you can take to help prevent it.

(HealthDay News) -- Seizures occur when normal electrical activity in the brain is disrupted. Depending on the portion of the brain that's affected, seizures can cause different symptoms.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Many women are sent for pricey bladder-function tests before surgery for urinary incontinence. However, a new study suggests that in many cases these tests are not needed.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- A large new study is the first to show a direct link between a high body-mass index and the risk of developing heart disease, British and Danish researchers say.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Not a big fan of bacon or ham? Your genes might be behind it, a new study finds.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The costs of treating and coping with dengue fever in Puerto Rico total nearly $38 million a year, a new study finds.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Chemistry in three areas of the brain may influence your motivation levels, a new, small study says.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- More than 15 million -- or 12 percent -- of U.S. babies are born prematurely each year, according to a report released Wednesday by the March of Dimes and several other organizations.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- New research has uncovered how some cox-2 painkillers increase the risk for both heart attacks and stroke.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Bacteria that live normally in the vagina differ from woman to woman and can even change dramatically in short periods of time in the same woman, a new analysis reveals.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Aspirin is just as effective as the blood-thinner warfarin in preventing stroke and death in heart failure patients with a normal heart rhythm, a landmark study indicates.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- New research shows that gene therapy can have long-lasting effects on the immune cells of HIV patients -- a promising sign -- even though the specific treatment being studied did not eradicate the virus.

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

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The oldest known human blood has been found in the body of the 5,000-year-old Otzi, the "iceman mummy" that was discovered in a glacier in the Alps in 1991.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- For elderly patients with a heart valve disease known as aortic stenosis, a procedure called a transcatheter aortic-valve implantation appears safe and effective, French researchers say.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Data in a formerly banned study detailing how the H5N1 avian (bird) flu virus can morph -- with the possibility that it could spread from person to person and cause a global pandemic -- may help nations prepare for the impending threat.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may guard against Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Finding out who the father is in paternity cases may become easier with the emergence of a simple blood test for women that can be given in the first trimester of pregnancy.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Sports and energy drinks are causing irreversible damage to the teeth of teens and young adults in the United States, the authors of a new study claim.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- People with thyroid cancer are often given a radioactive iodine treatment to wipe out stray cancer cells, a treatment that comes with its own health risks.