Previous Medical News
2009/03/28
1. FDA Approves Symbyax(R) as First Medication for Treatment-Resistant Depression (FDA, 3/23/09)
The FDA has approved a new indication for Symbyax (olanzapine and fluoxetine HCl capsules). Symbyax is now the first drug approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of treatment-resistant depression. These are patients whose symptoms continue despite treatment.
2. Some China-Made Drywall Causing a Stink (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 3/24/09)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating whether drywall made in China may be emitting toxic gases. Knauf brand drywall is now at the center of several lawsuits alleging that it emits gases that harm household systems and may be dangerous to your health. Enough Chinese drywall entered U.S. ports during the housing boom of 2004 to 2006 to build at least 50,000 homes. Homeowners Have Complained of Sulfur Smells and Corroding Metals.
3. FDA told to reconsider morning-after pill access (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 3/24/09)
The FDA must reconsider its decision to limit access to emergency contraception, a U.S. court has ruled. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, in a 52-page ruling, also ordered the FDA to allow 17-year-olds to buy the drug, called Plan B, without a prescription.
4. Fido and Fluffy behind 86,000 falls a year (CDC, 3/26/09)
Cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 serious falls each year. Cats mainly caused injuries by tripping people. Dogs tripped people, startled them and pushed or pulled them off balance during a walk. Or they ran away and their owners toppled chasing after them. Their dog toys also caused tumbles.
5. Brain differences mark those with depression risk (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 3/23/09)
People who have a high family risk of developing depression had less brain matter on the right side of their brains on par with losses seen in Alzheimer's disease. Brain scans showed a 28-percent thinning in the right cortex -- the outer layer of the brain -- in people who had a family history of depression compared with people who did not.
6. Male circumcision helps prevent 2 STDs (New England Journal of Medicine, 3/26/09)
Circumcision not only protects against HIV in heterosexual men, but it also helps prevent two other sexually transmitted infections. Circumcised males reduced their risk of infection with HPV, or human papillomavirus, by 35 percent and herpes by 28 percent. However, researchers found circumcision had no effect on the transmission of syphilis.
7. Hot tea linked with throat cancer (British Medical Journal, 3/27/09)
People who drink their tea piping hot run a higher risk of throat cancer.
8. Stretching device adds an inch to penis length (BJU International, 3/09)
A device that claims to lengthen the penis by exerting increasingly powerful traction on the organ seems to work. In a small pilot study, men who used the device for six months saw an average increase of 2.3 centimeters in penis length. Just two men withdrew from the study, due to pain and bruising of the penis.
9. Lowest Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Levels the Best (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 3/31/09)
The tightest control of the major risk factors for heart disease seems to provide the greatest protection against cardiovascular trouble. The least amount of growth of fatty deposits in the linings of the blood vessels, was seen in those men who had the lowest levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" kind that contributes to the fatty deposits, and the lowest levels of blood pressure. Specifically, the least growth was seen in men with blood cholesterol readings under 70 milligrams per deciliter and systolic blood pressure (the higher of the 120/80 reading) under 120.
10. Younger women more apt to have breast cancer recur (International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, 3/01/09)
Women with breast cancer who are 35 years old or younger are more likely than older women to have their cancer come back after treatment. Also, the breast cancer was less apt to recur in young women who had mastectomy plus radiation than in young women who had mastectomy alone or breast-conserving therapy.
11. Early soy diet may protect against breast cancer (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 3/09)
Asian-American women who ate a lot of soy as children had a 58 percent reduced risk of developing breast cancer, a finding that suggests soy may have a protective effect. Historically, breast cancer rates among white women in the United States are four to seven times higher than in women in China or Japan. But when Asian women immigrate to the United States, their risk for breast cancer rises over several generations, suggesting something other than genetics was at play.
12. Consuming Mushrooms Can Help Cut Breast Cancer Risk (International Journal of Cancer, 3/09)
Women consuming at least a third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms every day were 64 per cent less likely to develop a tumor. Dried mushrooms had a slightly less protective effect, reducing the risk by around half.
13. Vitamin D Pills Cut Bone Fracture Risk (Archives of Internal Medicine, 3/23/09)
A daily dose of vitamin D supplements may cut the chance of bone fractures in people 65 and older.
14. Fatty Fish May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk (Clinical Cancer Research, 4/09)
Men who eat salmon and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids on a regular basis have a decreased risk for developing advanced prostate cancer.
15. Sun exposure slashes risk of blood clots (Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 3/09)
While sun exposure has long been linked to skin cancer, it also dramatically reduces the risk of suffering blood clots.
16. Lots of red meat increases mortality risk (Archives of Internal Medicine, 3/23/09)
Eating large amounts of red meat and processed meats increases the risk of death from heart disease and cancer. Limit red meat like hamburger and processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week. Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less.
17. Loneliness tied to poorer health in old age (Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 3/09)
Older adults who lack family and friends, or who feel lonely despite having others around them, tend to be in poorer physical and mental health. This was a study of 3,000 U.S. adults ages 57 to 85.
18. Alcohol's Red Face Linked to Cancer Risk (PLos Medicine, 3/09)
A red face after drinking alcohol may be a warning sign of esophageal cancer risk.
19. Carotenoid supplements tied to lung cancer risk (American Journal of Epidemiology, 4/1/09)
People who take higher than recommended doses of carotenoid supplements hoping to keep from getting sick, may actually be doing themselves harm. The long-term use of beta-carotene, retinol, and lutein supplements at doses higher than in multivitamins, increases lung cancer risk, especially in smokers and former smokers.
20. Naltrexone improves smoking quit rates among heavy social drinkers (Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 6/09)
Naltrexone, approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence, also helps heavy social drinkers who aren't alcoholics to quit smoking, as well as to reduce the amount of alcohol they drink.
21. Kidney stones in kids are on the rise (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3/26/09)
At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the number of children treated for kidney stones since 2005 has climbed from about 10 a year to five patients a week now. Johns Hopkins Children Center in Baltimore, a referral center for children with stones, used to treat one or two youngsters a year 15 or so years ago. Now it gets calls about new cases every week. Eating too much salt can result in excess calcium in the urine. In children, most stones are calcium-based. A diet high in salt, plus drinking too little water, puts them at risk. Plenty of water is generally recommended to help prevent kidney stones.
22. Dog-bite injuries in children peak in warm weather (Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 3/09)
Young children appear to be at particular risk of dog-bite injuries to the head and neck, with most incidents happening during warmer weather. The incidence of head and neck dog-bite injuries peaked in the summer. This may have to do with the fact that children are outdoors more in good weather, and that dogs tend to be more irritable in hot temperatures.
23. Recall: Fall Risk Prompts High Chair Recall (Fisher-Price, 3/25/09)
Fisher-Price is recalling about 24,000 of its 3-in-1 High Chair to Boosters, which convert from a high chair to a toddler booster seat, because of a fall risk.
24. Recall: Pistachios Recalled on Salmonella Fears (Georgia Nut Company and Back to Nature Foods Company, 3/25/09)
Two U.S. companies recalled pistachio products because of the risk of contamination with salmonella bacteria. Those companies are the Georgia Nut Company, which is based in Skokie, Ill., and Back to Nature Foods Company of Madison, Wis.
25. Recall: Propafenone HCL Tablets Due to Oversized Tablets (Watson Laboratories, Inc., 3/23/09)
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc has recalled one lot of Propafenone HCL 225 mg Tablets because some of them may be oversized. According to the recall notice, oversized Propafenone HCL 225 Tablets may contain higher levels of the active ingredient than specified.
