Venus Williams Diagnosed with (Formerly Obscure) Sjögren's Syndrome

Sjögren's Syndrome: Tennis star Venus Williams has been diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease, Karen Crouse reports for the New York Times. The disease affects about three million Americans, primarily women, yet has been surprisingly obscure – until now, perhaps.

Health Insurance: A controversial bill allowing California officials to regulate health insurance rates has been shelved until 2012 because its sponsor could not find enough state Senate votes to push it through, Duke Helfand reports for the Los Angeles Times.

9/11: As the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, U.S. records show that more than 18,000 people still suffer illnesses traced to the toxic dust from the attacks on New York's World Trade Center, David Shukman reports for BBC News .

Irene: Health officials are concerned that the widespread flooding from the hurricane-turned-tropical storm Irene could draw large numbers of mosquitoes that spread West Nile disease, CBSNewYork.com reports. So far this year, the CDC has documented 104 human cases of West Nile virus infection, four of them fatal.

Nutrition: About half of all Americans consume sugary drinks such as soda or sports drinks every day, new research suggests, intensifying concerns about the role these drinks play in obesity and diabetes, Angela Haupt reports for U.S. News and World Report.

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Photo credit: Justin Smith via Flickr