Previous Medical News
2009/03/07
1. Researchers find safer way to make stem cells (Nature, 3/1/09)
Doctors hope one day to use stem cells to treat diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer and spinal cord injuries. Researchers say they have found a safer way to transform ordinary skin cells into powerful stem cells in a move that could eventually remove the need to use human embryos. It is the first time that scientists have turned skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells -- which look and act like embryonic stem cells -- without having to use viruses in the process. The new method also allows for genes that are inserted to trigger cell reprogramming to be removed afterwards. Stem cells are the body's master cells, producing all the body's tissues and organs. Embryonic stem cells are the most powerful kind, as they have the potential to give rise to any tissue type.
2. Plavix, heartburn drugs combined raise heart risk (Journal of the American Medical Association, 3/3/09)
People who suffer a heart attack nearly double the risk of having another if they are taking the widely used blood thinner Plavix together with a heartburn drug like Prilosec.
3. FDA lacks authority over supplements (Government Accountability Office, 3/4/09)
The Food and Drug Administration does not have the information, resources or recall ability necessary to adequately regulate dietary supplements, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
4. Middle Age Is Not Too Late to Start Exercising to Prolong Your Life (BMJ, 3/09)
In terms of your life span, it really does matter that you start exercising, quit the couch-potato habit, and give up smoking. Men who reported high levels of physical activity from age 50 on were expected to live 2.3 years longer than the sedentary individuals, and 1.1 years longer than the men who'd originally reported medium physical activity. Increased physical activity prolongs life in middle-aged men after "an induction period" of up to 10 years.
5. Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 3/2/09)
Working the night shift might lead to hormonal and metabolic changes that raise risks for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The physiological impact of shift work on several markers involved in the regulation of body weight -- leptin, insulin, cortisol -- seems to contribute to the increased risk for the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
6. Study finds belly fat makes breathing harder (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 3/09)
Carrying excess weight around the middle can impair lung function.
7. Pollyanna Will Outlive Everyone: Optimism is key to longevity (American Psychosomatic Society, 3/5/09)
A study of 100,000 women presented at the American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting found a strong correlation between optimism and a person's risk for cancer-related death, heart disease and early death.
8. Religious People Less Anxious (Psychological Science, 3/09)
Comparisons of brain scans of religious people and non-believers, or the not-so religious, showed the faithful to be generally less anxious than their co-participants.
9. Don't wear medication patches during MRI (FDA, 3/5/09)
Need an MRI scan? Tell the doctor if you use any kind of medication patch — from nicotine patches to hormone-releasing ones — or you risk a burn during the MRI. Some drug patches contain aluminum or other metals in their backing, the part that makes them stick to the skin. It's just enough metal to conduct electricity, burning the skin.
10. Are Hospital Mobile Phones Dialing Up Superbugs? (Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, 3/09)
A new culprit has emerged in the spread of the tough-to-kill "superbug" bacteria and other infections in hospitals -- mobile phone headsets. Turkish researchers testing the phones of doctors and nurses working in hospitals found that 95 percent were contaminated with bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can cause serious staph infections and is resistant to certain common antibiotics. The team from the Faculty of Medicine at the Ondokuz Mayis University also found that only 10 percent of the staff regularly cleaned their phones.
11. Doodling May Boost Memory (Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2/27/09)
The next time you're stuck on hold or zoning out during a dull meeting, you might want to reach for a pen and doodle -- and not just to ease your boredom. Doodling might help you remember snippets of key information that's mentioned in those conversations.
12. Yogurt-type probiotic eases digestive discomfort (Journal of Digestive Diseases, 2/09)
Regular consumption of a yogurt-like fermented milk product containing the digestion boosting probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis appears to ease digestive discomfort.
13. Hostile men more prone to weight gain (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2/1/09)
Prior studies have linked hostility to heart disease, high blood pressure, and a greater overall mortality risk. Hostile men may pack on more pounds over time than their less hostile, more laid-back peers. Hostile people may be less likely to follow health guidelines on diet and exercise, or be more likely to be depressed.
14. Men's Sex Lives May Suffer as Waistlines Expand (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 3/09)
The more obese a man, the greater his hormonal changes and the worse his sex life.
15. Company-listed size for kid's shoes seldom correct (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons annual meeting, 2/2709)
When it comes to children's shoes, the size listed by the manufacturer is rarely the true size. In nearly all cases, the manufacturers overstate the size. The majority of outdoor shoes and slippers of children were too small. Parents should measure their children's feet every time they purchase new footwear. Parents should check for shoe fit every month or so, especially during times of a growth spurt. Many children will often outgrow their shoes well before the shoes are worn out.
16. Kids of bipolar parents at risk for psych ills (Archives of General Psychiatry, 3.09)
When parents have bipolar disorder, their children are at increased risk for psychiatric disorders themselves. Children of parents with bipolar disorder are 13 times more likely to develop a bipolar-like disorder than those of parents without bipolar disorder. Similarly, having a bipolar parent increases the odds of having any mood disorder 5-fold.
17. Flat feet don't impair kids' motor skills (Pediatrics, 3/09)
Flat feet have no effect on a child's athletic ability.
18. Couch potato kids risk developing asthma (Thorax, 3/3/09)
Young children who watch TV for more than 2 hours a day run the risk of developing asthma before their 12th birthday.
19. Viruses may cause juvenile diabetes (Science, 3/5/09)
Common viruses may cause childhood diabetes, paving the way for potential vaccines against the life-threatening condition.
