Previous Medical News
2009/05/16
1. Return of Swine Flu in the Fall Worries Health Officials (CDC, 5/12/09)
Federal health officials are shifting their focus from individual cases of infection to trying to project what is likely to occur with the virus in the fall. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting field studies to learn how this new virus is spreading, who is most at risk for illness, how effective prevention measures are, antiviral treatment and so forth. The CDC is concerned with what will happen as this new virus moves into the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu season is about to start. The CDC is also preparing for the virus' likely return in the fall to the Northern Hemisphere.
2. Pregnant Women Should Take Flu Drugs Promptly (CDC, 5/13/09)
Pregnant women are at higher risk of complications of influenza, whether it's the seasonal influenza or pandemics of the past. Complications can include pneumonia, dehydration and premature birth. Of the three swine-flu related deaths in the United States to date, one involved a 33-year-old pregnant woman from Texas who had other health problems before she was infected with the virus. The benefits of using antiviral drugs (Tamiflu and Relenza) to treat influenza in a pregnant woman outweigh the theoretical concerns about the drugs, according to the CDC.
3. FDA Investigating 2 Heparin Deaths in Delaware (AP, 5/12/09)
Officials at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes said three patients suffered adverse reactions after being given the drug last week. Two of the patients, a 71-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman, died over the weekend. An FDA spokeswoman said the agency is working with the hospital and Baxter Healthcare Corp., provider of the drug, to determine what happened.
4. Heartburn Drug Prevacid Goes Over the Counter (FDA, 5/14/09)
The FDA has approved the heartburn drug Prevacid 24HR for sale without a prescription.
5. Genes Yield Clues to High Blood Pressure (Nature Genetics, 5/10/09)
13 gene regions not previously associated with blood pressure have been identified in two studies. The new findings could lead to better predictions of who is likely to develop hypertension.
6. Virus spurred high blood pressure - in mice: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) (PLos Pathogens, 5/09)
Cytomegalovirus (CMV, a common virus, might play a role in high blood pressure. The work, by Harvard scientists, so far is only in mice — and the usually symptomless infection is so widespread that proving an effect in people will be tough. Still, it's the latest clue that infections may somehow affect a number of the factors that lead to heart disease, from stiffening arteries to obesity.
7. Medicare won't pay for virtual colonoscopy (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 5/12/09)
Medicare won't pay for the so-called virtual colonoscopy procedure, concluding that there's inadequate evidence to support the cheaper, less intrusive alternative to colonoscopy. The American Cancer Society recommends it as an alternative to a regular colonoscopy. Some private insurers cover the virtual procedure but others don't. Colonoscopies cost up to $3,000 while the X-ray test costs $300 to $800.
8. Heart patients told to walk farther, more often: Walk Long, Slow and Often to Help the Heart (Circulation, 5/11/09)
For people in cardiac rehabilitation who are overweight, longer but slower walks are better for losing weight and improving heart health than shorter, brisker walks. Frequent long, slow walks -- 45 minutes to 60 minutes a day at a moderate pace, five to six days a week -- were found to burn more calories, improve cardiac function.
9. Antioxidants Blunt Exercise Benefit (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 5/11/09)
Exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity and ward off diabetes, but taking supplemental antioxidants such as vitamins C and E actually blunts that benefit.
10. Aspirin Lowers Stroke Risk in Peripheral Artery Disease (Journal of the American Medical Association, 5/13/09)
Aspirin does cut the incidence of stroke in people with blocked leg blood vessels called peripheral artery disease.
11. Smoking may boost "fat-depleting" gene (Chest, 5/09)
Smoking enhances the activity of a gene that helps break down body fat.
12. Ginger cuts nausea in chemo patients (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 5/14/09)
Ginger, long used as a folk remedy for soothing tummy aches, helped tame one of the most dreaded side effects of cancer treatment — nausea from chemotherapy.
13. Late childbearing may mean longer family lifespan (Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, 5/4/09)
If having children late in life runs in your family, longevity may as well. Women who bore children in their 40s and 50s lived longer, and so did their brothers. The genes that allow women to continue bearing children relatively late are related to longevity in both sexes.
14. Acupuncture, real or fake, helps aching back (Archives of Internal Medicine, 5/11/09)
Acupuncture eased back pain in people without the needles even penetrating the skin and worked better than standard treatments did and for many patients the relief lasted for as long as a year.
15. Healthy diet may protect aging eyes (Archives of Ophthalmology, 5/09)
Older adults who eat diets rich in citrus fruits, leafy greens and fish oil, but low in "glycemic index," may have a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration.
16. Drinking to up mood tied to alcoholism, depression (Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 8/09)
People who drink to cope with the blues are more prone to becoming depressed and at greater risk of alcohol dependence.
17. Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 5/09)
Obese children and teens are at increased risk for allergies, especially food allergies.
18. Recall: Face paint (yeast and mold): Fun Express Inc. (FDA, 5/12/09)
The FDA has warned consumers to stop using face paints commonly dabbed on children's cheeks at parties, sporting events and other festivities and sold in retail stores. The six face-paint products from Fun Express Inc. are being recalled after reports of rashes and skin irritation. The products were found to have yeast and mold counts above industry guidelines.
