Previous Medical News
2009/04/18
1. Surgeons Find Tree Growing Inside Man's Lung (Komsomolskaya Pravda Daily, 4/13/09)
Surgeons in Russia thought they were going to remove a cancerous tumor from a 28-year-old patient – but instead they found a 5-centimeter tree growing inside his lung. The spruce, which was touching the man's capillaries and causing severe pain, was removed.
2. Scientists Spot Stroke Genes (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/15/09)
Scientists have identified a chromosomal region that may contain two genetic variants responsible for an increased risk of ischemic stroke. About 20 percent of whites and 10 percent of blacks in the United States and Europe have at least one copy of the genetic variant. Each variant increases the risk of this type of stroke by 30 percent.
3. Stem Cells Promising for Type 1 Diabetes (Journal of the American Medical Association, 4/15/09)
More than half of the newly diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes who got an experimental treatment for the disease did not need insulin injections for at least a year. The patients were the first to receive the novel stem cell transplant therapy to treat their type 1 diabetes. After receiving transplants of their own blood stem cells, about half of the patients in the study became insulin free for an average of two and a half years.
4. Experts say develop eggs using stem cells from mice: Raises hope for female infertility (Nature Cell Biology, 4/09)
Researchers in China say they have managed to generate new eggs using stem cells from the ovaries of young and adult female mice, taking a step toward addressing problems of female infertility.
5. Drop of blood may test for cancer (Nature Medicine, 4/09)
A specialized technique that can detect subtle changes in cancer cells contained in a drop of blood or a tiny piece of tissue may one day be used by doctors to better assess how cancers are responding to treatment.
6. "Silent" heart attacks more common than thought (PLoS Medicine, 0409)
A study using new imaging technology found "silent" heart attacks may be far more common, and more deadly, than suspected. The study used a new type of magnetic resonance imaging technology called delayed enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance, which is especially adept at finding damaged heart tissue.
7. Naltrexone May Ease Fibromyalgia Symptoms (Pain Medicine, 4/17/09)
An inexpensive drug called naltrexone may make a good treatment for fibromyalgia. Naltrexone isn't a new drug; it's been around for more than 30 years and is used to treat opioid addiction. Most of the women -- six out of 10 -- responded to naltrexone. Side effects were mild and brief. Two women reported having more vivid dreams during the study, and one woman reported transient nausea and insomnia during the first few nights of taking the pills.
8. Study gathers best science on heart-healthy foods (Archives of Internal Medicine, 4/13/09)
What we know for sure about diet and what protects the heart is a relatively short list. Analysis of nearly 200 studies involving millions of people demonstrates that vegetables, nuts and the Mediterranean diet made the grocery list of "good" heart foods. On the "bad" list: starchy carbs like white bread and the trans fats in many cookies and french fries. The "question mark" list includes meat, eggs and milk and many other foods where there's not yet strong evidence about whether they're good or bad for the heart.
9. Lack of 'team spirit' at work tied to depression (Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 4/09)
Poor team spirit at the workplace may do more than drag down morale, it can make people depressed.
10. Smile! It could predict success of your marriage (Motivation and Emotion, 4/5/09)
People with big grins in old photos are more likely to stay married. If you want to know whether your marriage will survive, look at your spouse's yearbook photos. Psychologists have found that how much people smile in old photographs can predict their later success in marriage.
11. Healthy men who took Viagra, Cialis see fine (Archives of Ophthalmology, 4/09)
Healthy men who took Cialis or Viagra daily for six months did not develop any significant vision problems. They studied 244 healthy men or those with mild erectile dysfunction aged 30 to 65 who had no vision problems. Of these, 85 took 5 milligrams of Cialis, 77 took 50 milligrams of sildenafil and 82 took a dummy pill daily for six months. The results indicate that there is no cumulative damage or effect of clinical significance for the studied doses of either drug. The study was limited because the doses used were lower than some other studies that did find retinal changes. Also, the results cannot be generalized to men with eye problems, who were excluded from the study.
12. Statins cut stroke risk by a fifth (Lancet Neurology, 4/09)
Cholesterol-lowering drugs cut the risk of strokes by about a fifth. Statins slow the movement of blockages in the carotid artery carrying blood to the brain.
13. Lifetime exercise may cut breast cancer death risk (International Journal of Cancer, 4/09)
Women who participate in recreational exercise and sports over their lifetime may be lowering their risk of death from breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence.
14. Epilepsy drug in pregnancy may lower child's IQ: Valproate (Depakote) (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/16/09)
Toddlers of moms who took the epilepsy drug valproate during pregnancy had lower IQs than the children of women who used other anti-seizure medicines.
15. Marijuana plus cigarettes boosts lung disease risk: COPD (Canadian Medical Association Journal, 4/14/09)
People who smoke both tobacco and marijuana may have a particularly high risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
16. Birth Control Pills May Raise Lupus Risk (Arthritis & Rheumatism, 4/15/09)
Women who take birth control pills, especially higher-dose versions, may have an increased risk of getting lupus, an autoimmune disease. Women who take oral contraceptives have a 50% higher risk of having lupus than women who don't take them. The overall risk is still small. The risk is higher in women who take the higher dose pills -- those with 50 micrograms of estrogen or more -- and in women currently taking them who have just taken the pills for a few months.
17. Vitamin D deficiency may raise cesarean risk (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 4/09)
Women with insufficient vitamin D intake during pregnancy may be at increased risk for birth by cesarean section.
18. Surgery Patients Unaware of Herbal Risk (Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 4/09)
Herbal supplements to stop taking two weeks before surgery:
Supplements that are known or suspected to increase bleeding risk include:
- Gingko biloba
- Garlic
- Ginseng
- Fish oil
- Dong quai
- Feverfew
Supplements associated with cardiovascular risk include:
Supplements with sedating effects that may prolong the effects of anesthesia include:
- Kava
- St. John's wort
- Valerian root
Supplements can also interact with other drugs. Some herbal medications that pose such a risk:
- Licorice
- St John's wort
- Kava
- Valerian
- Echinacea
- Goldenseal
In addition, St. John's wort and dong quai increase photosensitivity, which can be especially problematic for patients having laser skin procedures.
19. The pill may impair muscle gains in young women (American Physiological Society meeting, 4/17/09)
Young women who use oral contraceptives may not get as much out of their weight-lifting routine as women who are not on the pill. Oral contraceptive use impairs muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.
20. Depression raises heart failure risks (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 4/13/09)
Heart patients who become depressed have a higher risk of developing heart failure, regardless of whether they take antidepressants.
21. Parkinson's drugs may trigger pathologic behavior: compulsive gambling or hypersexuality (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 4/09)
About one in five patients taking a therapeutic dose of a dopamine agonist, a class of drugs used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, may develop compulsive gambling or hypersexuality.
22. Snoring: a sign of trouble in preschoolers? (The Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 4/09)
Three- to six-year-old children who snore have more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as attention and language problems, than their age-matched counterparts who do not snore.
23. Symptoms of Celiac Disease (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 4/17/09)
Celiac disease makes your body intolerant to a protein called gluten, which is found in foods including wheat, rye and barley products. It can also be found in some vitamins, lip balms and medications.
These symptoms may be warning signs of celiac disease in adults:
- Digestive problems including chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating and pain. Digestive symptoms, however, are less likely to affect adults than children
- Feeling tired, anxious or depressed
- Arthritis or osteoporosis
- Unexplained anemia
- Feelings of numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
- Seizures
- Irregular menstrual periods, multiple miscarriages or infertility
- Canker sores
- An itchy skin rash
24. Recall: All Lian How brand and Uncle Chen brand sauces, oil and oil blends-Salmonella contamination (Union International Food Co., 4/16/09)
