Bethesda

A high-salt diet may be a risk factor for autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to three papers published in the journal Nature.

The question facing Americans no longer seems to be when or whether the budget ax will fall, but how hard. And in the US capital region, the impact of looming spending cuts will be deepest of all.

Singer Melissa Etheridge has endorsed gay marriage in Maryland. Singer Melissa Etheridge has endorsed gay marriage in Maryland. Etheridge said everyone deserves to be treated equally under the law in an email sent to supporters of Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the group working to uphold a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. ?Two of my dearest friends are Marylanders in a committed relationship without legal protection,? Etheridge said. ?They are not treated with the same basic equality as their next door neighbors. You can help change that in November.? The Baltimore Sun reported that Etheridge was referring to Maryland State Delegate Heather Mizeur and her partner Deborah. Mizieur was among the openly gay lawmakers to call on colleagues to approve marriage equality. Other celebrities rallying in support of the measure include Adam Lambert, Mo'Nique, John Waters, Susan Sarandon and Ed Norton. (Related: Susan Sarandon, John Waters, Ed Norton fundraise for Maryland gay marriage

Apple fans queued in Asia, Europe and North America on Friday for the new iPhone 5, which appeared set to break sales records despite lukewarm reviews and complaints about its mapping system.

The US insurance giant Aetna will acquire managed health care company Coventry in a transaction valued at $7.3 billion, the two companies announced early Monday.

There's nothing like a record-setting heat wave, combined with a third full day without power, to get people to rediscover the joys of their local library.

More than a third of malaria drugs examined by scientists in Southeast Asia were fake, and a similar proportion analysed in Africa were below standard, doctors warned on Tuesday.

Passions ran high Wednesday as swelling crowds for and against Arizona's hotly contested immigration law protested boisterously alongside each other at the steps of the US Supreme Court.

Five members of Anonymous and offshoot computer hacking groups were charged in the United States on Tuesday with involvement in a wave of high-profile cyberattacks.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women, especially younger women, are more likely than men to show up at the hospital with no chest pain or discomfort after having a heart attack, a new study suggests.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks inched higher on Monday as oil prices retreated after recent sharp gains and data showed further improvement in the U.S. housing market.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The benchmark S&P 500 closed at its highest level since mid-2008 on Monday, extending gains for a third session as oil prices retreated after a recent rally and data showed further improvement in the U.S. housing market.

When dead sea mammals started washing ashore on Canada's west coast in greater numbers, marine biologist Andrew Trites was distressed to find that domestic animal diseases were killing them.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study of newly-licensed drivers, the number of sharp turns and screeching halts teens made predicted their chance of having a crash or a near crash a few weeks later.

When dead sea mammals started washing ashore on Canada's west coast in greater numbers, marine biologist Andrew Trites was distressed to find that domestic animal diseases were killing them.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chef, restaurateur and master of Belgian cuisine Robert Wiedmaier likes to say he found his calling as a young man and never deviated from it.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - February is American Heart Month and consumers will be bombarded with advice to keep their ticker healthy -- whether it's from the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women or the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's The Heart Truth.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT.N>, the Pentagon's largest supplier, forecast broadly flat sales and operating profit for 2012, with a record high order backlog helping it to cope with cuts in U.S. defense spending.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Checking for clogged arteries doesn't help inveterate smokers kick the habit if they are already in a quit-smoking program, Swiss researchers have found.

A genetic mutation appears to help survival rates in women who suffer from a common type of ovarian cancer, a new study released Tuesday found.