Previous Medical News

2009/04/25

1.  FDA to allow 'morning-after' pill for 17-year-olds (FDA, 4/23/09)
Seventeen-year-old women should be able to buy the "morning-after pill" without a prescription within a few weeks.

2.  New View in Debate on Breast Self-Exams (American Society of Breast Surgeons, 4/22/09)
Women at high risk for breast cancer can benefit from performing regular breast self-exams. Self-exams were as good as mammograms and MRI in detecting new breast cancers. The American Cancer Society considers breast self-exam an option in breast cancer screening; the organization changed its recommendation of breast self-exam in 2003.

3.  South Dakota Scientists Invent Germ-Killing Wall Paint (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 4/09)
Someday soon, the paint on your wall may be able to kill disease-causing bacteria, as well as mold, fungi, viruses, and other harmful organisms. Scientists at the University of South Dakota have invented a new germ-killing molecule that can be added to commercial brands of paint to give the paint long-lasting antimicrobial properties. The molecule includes a bleach-like substance called an N-halamine. N-halamines are already used widely, but the South Dakota researchers were able to develop a new type known as Cl-TM.

4.  U.S. Life Expectancy Rises to Record Level (CDC, 4/22/09)
Declines in death rates from most major causes — including heart disease and cancer — have pushed Americans' life expectancy to a record 77.6 years. Women are still living longer than men, but the gap is narrowing.

5.  New anti-cancer foods added to patients' diet (American Association for Cancer Research, 4/22/09)
Cancer patients had their diet expanded by three menu items this week, with new studies extolling the disease-fighting properties of grapefruit juice, walnuts and wine.

6.  WHO concerned at new swine flu in U.S. (World Health Organization, 4/24/09)
Mexico's deadly swine flu outbreak is caused by the same virus identified in the U.S. Sixty people in Mexico have died of the flu -- and so far, 16 of the deaths are confirmed cases of swine flu. The new swine flu virus infecting humans is very unusual. It's somehow acquired genes from swine, bird, and human flu bugs. The virus is sensitive to the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.

7.  Plant-based flavonoid may cut ovarian cancer risk (International Journal of Cancer, 4/09)
Women who eat greater amounts of plant-based foods and drinks with the naturally occurring flavonoid, apigenin, may have a decreased risk for ovarian cancer. Apigenin, found in celery, parsley, red wine, tomato sauce, and other plant-based foods may be particularly beneficial.

8.  Blood vessels made from patients' cells (Lancet, 4/24/09)
Scientists have grown blood vessels for kidney patients from their own cells, making it easier and safer for them to use dialysis machines.

9.  Burned meat linked to pancreatic cancer (American Association of Cancer, 4/22/09)
People who regularly eat burned or charred red meat, like that cooked on a grill, have a 60 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

10.  Obesity clouds pregnancy sonogram picture (Obstetrics & Gynecology, 5/09)
If pregnant women are obese, the ability of ultrasound to identify major fetal abnormalities is reduced.

11.  Blueberries May Banish Belly Fat (Experimental Biology 2009, New Orleans, 4/19/09)
Rats who ate a diet rich in blueberries lost abdominal fat -- the kind of fat linked to heart disease and diabetes -- as well as experienced other health benefits like lowered cholesterol and improved glucose control even if their diet wasn’t otherwise heart-healthy. Antioxidant-rich blueberries may change how the body stores and processes glucose or sugar for energy.

12.  Drinking Vegetable Juice Boosts Weight Loss (Experimental Biology, 4/23/09)
Adults who drank at least 8 ounces of vegetable juice as part of a calorie-controlled heart-healthy diet lost 4 pounds over 12 weeks, while those who followed the same diet but did not drink the veggie juice lost only 1 pound.

13.  Is There a Longevity Personality: Outgoing Nature Could Get You to 100 (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 4/09)
Those who live the longest are more outgoing, more active and less neurotic than other people. Long-living women are also more likely to be empathetic and cooperative than women with a normal life span. Want to live to 100 or beyond? Be very outgoing and know how to manage your stress. Those were the traits found in the children of people who lived to 100, and longevity is thought to run in families.

14.  'But she looked older!' -- booze no excuse, says study (British Journal of Psychology, 4/09)
Getting drunk, even rip-roaring drunk, is no excuse for a man mistaking an underage girl for an adult. Alcohol consumption and make-up use do not interfere with how old we perceive someone to be. Peering through a drunken haze does not enhance the attractiveness of the person one is looking at.

15.  Anti-inflammatory drugs don't cut dementia risk, they raise it (Neurology, 4/09)
Millions of people who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen, shouldn't bank on the drugs helping them ward off dementia. NSAID users do not have lower rates of dementia and increased use of the pain relievers may actually raise the risk of cognitive decline.

16.  Light or Dark Hair, Melanoma Still a Risk (American Association for Cancer Research, 4/22/09)
Light-complexioned people with red hair have a proclivity to burn in the sun and are at high risk of melanoma. New genetic research suggests that dark-haired people who do not sunburn easily may be at risk for potentially deadly skin cancer, too.

17.  Cancer "culprits" in tobacco smoke revealed (American Association for Cancer Research, 4/19/09)
Scientists have detected two substances in tobacco smoke that directly cause lung cancer. The finding may help one day predict which smokers will develop the disease. People with high concentrations in their urine of a nicotine byproduct called NNAL had double the risk of developing lung cancer compared to smokers with lower NNAL concentrations in their urine. And smokers who had high urine levels of both NNAL and another nicotine byproduct called cotinine had more than eight times the risk of lung cancer compared to smokers with the lowest concentrations in their urine.

18.  Math+Chewing Gum=Better Grades? (American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2009, 4/23/09)
Chewing sugarless gum during class and while doing homework may improve academic performance of adolescents.

19.  Low vitamin D may make kids' asthma worse (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 5/1/09)
Vitamin D deficiency, which can occur even in "sun-replete" areas of the world, may lead to more severe asthma and allergies in childhood.

20.  Breast-feeding may protect mom's heart after menopause (Obstetrics and Gynecology, 5/09)
Women who breastfeed their babies may be lowering their own risk of a heart attack, heart disease or stroke. Even breastfeeding for at least a month may cut the mother’s risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

21.  Recall: 34 Weight Loss Products Recalled (Universal ABC Beauty Supply International Inc. of Brooklyn, N.Y, 4/22/09)
Universal ABC Beauty Supply International Inc. of Brooklyn, N.Y., is recalling 34 weight loss products because FDA tests show they contain sibutramine, the active ingredient in the appetite suppressant Meridia. Meridia, which is FDA approved, isn't being recalled.

The recalled weight loss products aren't FDA approved and their labels don't note that they contain sibutramine. Sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke.

Here is the list of products that are being recalled:

1. ProSlim Plus, 60 capsules, bottle in box
2. 3 DAYS fit, 60 capsules, bottle in box
3. EIGHT FACTOR DIET, 60 capsules, 3 pouches/box
4. 24hours Diet, 60 capsules
5. Slim 3in1 M-18 ROYAL DIET, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
6. 3X SLIMMING POWER, 60 capsules, bottle in box
7. Extrim Plus 24 Hours RE-BURN Formula, 60 capsules
8. Slim 3in1 EXTRA SLIM FORMULA, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
9. Slim 3in1 EXTRA SLIM WAIST FORMULA, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
10. SLIM EXPRESS 360º C
11. SLIM EXPRESS 4in1, 60 capsules, bottle in box
12. ROYAL SLIMMING FORMULA, 60 capsules, bottle/box
13. BODY CREATOR, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
14. Slim Waistline (labeling written in Chinese)
15. BODY SHAPING, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
16. PERFECT SLIM, 90 capsules, 3 pouches/box
17. Perfect Slim 100% Natural Herbal Essence
18. IMELDA Perfect Slim
19. Slim Waist Formula, 32 capsules, 2 pouches/box
20. Super Slimming, 60 capsules, bottle in box
21. 2 DAY DIET
22. Powerful Slim
23. BODY SHAPING
24. SUPER FAT BURNER, 60 capsules, bottle in box
25. SLIMMING FORMULA
26. SLIM FAST 2, 32 capsules, 2 pouches/box
27. SLIM FAST, 60 capsules, 3 pouches/box
28. Slim up, 120 capsules, bottle in box
29. 7 DAYS DIET, 60 capsules, 3 pouches/box
30. Perfect Slim Up, 60 capsules, bottle in box
31. JM Fat Reducer
32. SlimBurn
33. 21 Double SLIM
34. TRIM PLUS 2

22.  FDA OKs Simponi for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The FDA has approved Simponi (golimumab), a monthly treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. All three conditions are chronic disorders in which the immune system attacks multiple joints, causing stiffness, pain, and restricted motion. Simponi is in a class of drugs that target and neutralize tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a protein that, when overproduced in the body due to chronic inflammatory diseases, can cause inflammation and damage to bones, cartilage, and tissue.