(HealthDay News) -- Sometimes the foods you eat and the meds you take don't mix.

(HealthDay News) -- Eating lots of sugary foods and snacks can lead to tooth decay.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new vaccine to protect against meningococcus B, a common cause of bacterial meningitis, shows promise in clinical trials, researchers in Chile report.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified a DNA sequence that appears to speed up the progression of lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissues.

TUESDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- There's more evidence that use of the oral contraceptive pill can help ease the cramps, bloating and other pain some women experience during their period.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Your emotional response to a disturbing image or traumatic event is weaker if you remain awake afterward, while sleep reinforces unpleasant emotional memories, according to new research.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking activates certain genes and portions of the immune system, which in turn causes inflammation that leads to emphysema.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Could this be the flu season that wasn't?

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are associated with an increased risk of falls in nursing home residents with dementia, a new study finds.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Many people regard gossip as idle chatter that can harm people's reputations, but it may have some benefits, such as reducing stress, discouraging bad behavior and preventing exploitation.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Most people have met some 65-year-olds who aren't as "with it" as they once were, and some 90-year-olds who are still sharp as a whip.

TUESDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The experimental cancer drug regorafenib appears to extend survival slightly in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, a new trial indicates.

TUESDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A new blood test may hold promise as a means of early detection and diagnosis for often deadly pancreatic cancers.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- With the Alzheimer's epidemic predicted to reach crisis proportions as the U.S. population ages, a panel of experts is meeting for two days to draft a plan to combat a disease that is fast emerging as one of the nation's biggest -- and costliest -- health threats.

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

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new cocktail of two investigational drugs appears to have successfully cleared the hepatitis C virus in people who don't respond to standard treatment.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The recently approved drug vemurafenib (Zelboraf) has been hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. But roughly one-quarter of patients who take the medication develop a troublesome side effect: secondary skin cancers called squamous cell carcinomas.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that older women who've had a normal result on a bone density scan -- a test that helps measure the strength of their bones -- may be able to wait as long as 15 years before getting another scan.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Voraxaze (glucarpidase) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat high blood levels of methotrexate, a common chemotherapy drug.