Watch a live webcast of laparoscopic hysterectomy on May 6 at 6:00 p.m. EDT, and check out the hysterectomy health topic page on MedlinePlus.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

The May issue of NIH News in Health is now available. Featured stories cover quitting smoking and eye health. Also, check out the health capsules and the featured Web site.

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on statins and blood clots. The transcript is also available.

A prescription statin (originally intended to slow the body's production of harmful cholesterol) also may deter blood clots in veins, according to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study's findings suggest a daily medication may thwart the development of blood clots sometimes found in the legs and lungs, or other areas, which is called venous thromboembolism...

May is Healthy Vision Month. Visit the National Eye Institute to learn more. Also, check out the eyes and vision topics on MedlinePlus.

Watch a live webcast of parathyroid surgery on April 30 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and check out the parathyroid disorders health topic page on MedlinePlus.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on swine flu. The transcript is also available.

While swine flu is now a pressing public health issue in the U.S. and many other nations, the number of cases, severity, and public health responses vary globally. As of this writing U.S. officials have encouraged Americans to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico and declared a public health emergency (which is a preparatory response)...

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on climate change.

Weather can be hot or cold, dry or wet, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Climate is the average weather in a place over a long period of time. Changes in climate may be due to natural forces or from human activities. Today climate changes are happening at an increasingly rapid rate...

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on swine flu.

Swine flu is a type of virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue...

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on health journalism's decline. The transcript is also available.

A report recently released by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation suggests medical writers believe the quality of health journalism is declining in the U.S. The study (co-sponsored by the member-supported Association of Health Care Journalists) reveals an apparently deep-rooted, new, professional concern about the health of the news media, the practice of thoughtful journalism, and the extent of self-criticism among the U.S.'s medical journalists...

Check out the new search cloud on MedlinePlus!

The search cloud displays the top 100 search terms typed into the MedlinePlus search box. The bigger the term, the more often it is searched by people who visit MedlinePlus.

Every 9 1/2 minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV. Get the facts and learn how you can prevent HIV infection by visiting the new Nine and a Half Minutes site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also, check out the AIDS topic page on MedlinePlus.

Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on Native Hawaiian health. The transcript is also available.

The health status of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is a major challenge for the physicians and traditional healers who serve the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, and other Pacific Islands. However, the efforts to improve health care are fostering some imaginative, culturally appropriate approaches in Hawaii, including a network of clinics that combine western medicine with native healing, plus an interest in community outreach within the state's medical school and other health care organizations...

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on cold sores.

Cold sores are caused by a contagious virus called herpes simplex. There are two types of herpes simplex virus. Type 1 usually causes oral herpes, or cold sores. Type 1 herpes virus infects more than half of the U.S. population by the time they reach their 20s. Type 2 usually affects the genital area. Some people have no symptoms from the infection. But others develop painful and unsightly cold sores that last for a week or more...

Watch a live webcast of awake craniotomy on April 21at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

Watch a live webcast of total shoulder replacement on April 21at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and check out the shoulder injuries and disorders health topic page on MedlinePlus.

Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Visit the MedlinePlus health topic pages on alcohol, alcoholism, and underage drinking. Also, check out the latest news on alcohol.

Visit the new MedlinePlus Health Topic page on drugs and young people.

Drug abuse is a serious public health problem that affects almost every community and family in some way. Drug abuse in children and teenagers may pose a greater hazard than in older people. This is because their brains are not yet fully developed. As a result, the brains of young people may be more susceptible to drug abuse and addiction than adult brains...