Previous Medical News

2009/07/04

1.  Powerful Sedative Diprivan (Propofol) found in Michael Jackson’s home (LAPD, 7/3/09)
The drug Diprivan, an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness, was found in Jackson's residence, according to a law enforcement official. Also known as Propofol, it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.

2.  Did Heart Disease Kill Billy Mays? (HIllsborough County Medical Examiner, 6/29/09)
Billy Mays died of heart attack in his sleep and did not suffer head trauma in a rough airplane a day before his death, according to a medical examiner in Florida.

3.  F.D.A. Approves Sanofi Heart Treatment: Multaq (dronedarone) (FDA, 7/2/09)
The Food and Drug Administration approved Multaq twice-daily 400 mg tablets to reduce the risk of cardiovascular hospitalization in patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter but ordered the drug's label carry a severe caution for its use. Doctors may not prescribe Multaq to patients with severe heart failure, as it may cause critical adverse reactions, including death. The so-called black-box warning is the FDA's strongest warning. Multaq is an alternative to the generic drug amiodarone which can cause damage to the lungs or thyroid gland.

4.  FDA Panel Urges Ban on Vicodin, Percocet: Acetaminophen and Liver Injury (FDA, 6/30/09)
The popular prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, which combine acetaminophen with an opiate narcotic, should be banned, and the maximum dose of over-the-counter painkillers with acetaminophen, like Tylenol or Excedrin, should be lowered, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has urged. Severe liver damage, and even death, can result from a lack of consumer awareness that acetaminophen can cause such injury. Consumers may also not know that acetaminophen is present in many over-the-counter products, including remedies for colds, headaches and fevers, making it possible to exceed the recommended acetaminophen dose. The FDA advisory panel voted 21-16 to lower the maximum daily dose of nonprescription acetaminophen, which is currently 4 grams. They did not recommend a specific new daily maximum.

5.  Dunkin Donuts Suspends Certain Drinks (Dunkin' Brands, Inc., 7/1/09)
Dunkin' Donuts has announced that it is temporarily suspending its hot chocolate and Dunkaccino drinks because of a salmonella problem with the supplier of those drink mixes.

6.  E. coli in beef linked to 12 hospitalizations: JBS Swift Beef Co. (CDC, 7/1/09)
At least 12 people have been hospitalized in connection with a possible E.coli outbreak in beef and two of them suffered kidney failure. At least 23 people in nine states have become ill after eating beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo.

7.  Drug-resistant swine flu seen in Danish patient (CDC, 6/29/09)
For the first time, a case of swine flu has proven resistant to Tamiflu —the leading pharmaceutical weapon against the new virus. The strain developed in a patient who was taking the drug to prevent illness, and it has not spread to others.

8.  Gale Storm, perky star of 1950s TV, dies at 87 (AP, 6/28/09)
Gale Storm who was one of early television's biggest stars on "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show has died at age 87.

9.  Quercetin: Antioxidant may boost exercise endurance (International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 6/09)
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables rich in the antioxidant quercetin may boost endurance. Quercetin, a compound abundant in red apples, red onions, berries, cabbages and broccoli, and green and black teas, is believed to have multiple antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and cell-energy activation properties that benefit health.

10.  Statins Reduce Heart Attacks and Strokes in Patients With Normal Cholesterol (BMJ, 6/30/09)
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs should be expanded to include healthy people without established heart disease. The meta-analysis of 10 trials involving more than 70,000 participants found that statin therapy reduced overall mortality by 12 percent, major coronary events by 30 percent and strokes by 19 percent. The more risk factors you have, the more aggressive you should be, and the lower the cholesterol level you should consider using statins for.

11.  Mississippi's still fattest but Alabama closing in: rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds — the oldest boomers — than among today's 65-and-beyond. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 7/1/09)
In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese. And obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year, and no state experienced a significant decline. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds — the oldest boomers — than among today's 65-and-beyond.

12.  Celiac Disease Much More Common Now Than 50 Years Ago (Gastroenterology, 7/09)
A disease that makes people allergic to gluten in the diet is four times more common today than it was in the 1950s. In people with celiac disease, the protein found in gluten in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune system attack that damages the villi in the small intestines. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, anemia, unexplained infertility, tooth loss and sometimes premature and severe osteoporosis. Celiac disease is inherited.

13.  Recurrent mouth ulcers suggest celiac disease (BMC Gastroenterology 2009)
A minority of patients with recurrent mouth sores (aphthous stomatitis) have gluten-sensitive enteropathy, making evaluation for celiac disease appropriate in this population. In 5 percent of celiac disease patients, aphthous stomatitis may be the sole manifestation of the disease which presents as a canker sore in the mouth that is white or yellow and surrounded by a bright red area. They tend to reappear in times of stress and are associated with viral infections, food allergies and other conditions.

14.  More sex may help damaged sperm: Daily Sex May Help Men's Fertility (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam, 6/30/09)
For men with fertility problems the solution for some is to have more sex. Having sex every day for a week significantly reduced the amount of DNA damage in their sperm. Previous studies have linked better sperm quality to higher pregnancy rates.

15.  Having a glass of skim milk instead of fruit juice at breakfast may help people feel more full all the way up to lunch (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 7/09)
Having a glass of skim milk instead of fruit juice at breakfast may help people feel more full all the way up to lunch. Proteins in milk are more effective in satisfying people’s appetites than are the sugars in fruit juice.

16.  Surprising number of teens think they'll die young: Teen Fatalism Linked to Risky Behavior (Pediatrics, 6/29/09)
A surprising number of teenagers — nearly 15 percent — think they're going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior. This study challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they're invulnerable to harm.

17.  TV Ads Trigger Mindless Eating (Health Psychology, 7/09)
Watching food ads on TV leads to a boost in snacking among children and adults increasing the risk of weight gain.

18.  Bedwetting, being overweight linked to sleep apnea (Pediatrics, 7/09)
Children who are overweight and wet the bed at night may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Both being overweight and wetting the bed are associated with the nighttime breathing disorder. However, overweight and bedwetting are not associated with each other.

19.  Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia (BMJ, 7/2/09)
Middle-aged adults who live alone are twice as likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease later in life compared to those who are married or live with a partner. And the risk is three times higher among those who are divorced or widowed.

20.  Suicide Warnings for 2 Anti-Smoking Drugs: Chantix and Zyban (FDA, 7/1/09)
The FDA has ordered Pfizer Inc and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to add strong "black box" warnings on their anti-smoking drugs to highlight the risk of serious mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts. The warnings, which must be added to Pfizer's Chantix and Glaxo's Zyban, follow more than five thousand reports of depression, hostility and other behavioral changes.

21.  Vegetarian diet 'weakens bones' (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 7/2/09)
People who live on vegetarian diets have slightly weaker bones than their meat-eating counterparts. Vegetarians have bones five percent less dense than meat-eaters. Eating eggs and dairy products almost compensated if meat and seafood was excluded.

22.  "Boomeritis" hits aging athletes (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 6/22/09)
Middle-aged people today are a lot more active than their parents were. Orthopedic surgeons are seeing a "tidal wave" of 45- to 64-year-olds suffering from exercise-related injuries they've dubbed "boomeritis. Exercise- and exercise equipment-related injuries sent more than 166,000 people in this age group to the emergency room, clinic or doctor's office in 2008. These injuries are largely due to people not giving themselves enough time to rest up after tough workouts. Older athletes need to take a few precautions to protect themselves from injuries like rotator cuff tears, tendonitis and stress fractures. Check with your physician before starting any type of exercise program. This is especially important if you've sustained athletic injuries in the past. Your doctor can make sure your heart is healthy, and offer advice on sports and activities that fit your fitness level. Mix it up. Don't do the same workout day after day. The problem is doing everything every day.

23.  White-Coat Hypertension Not Benign: Doubles Risk for Sustained High Blood Pressure (Hypertension, 8/09)
One in six adults exhibit "white-coat" hypertension, meaning that their blood pressure is high when their doctor checks it, but normal the rest of the time. Additionally, close to one in 10 people have a less well understood condition known as "masked" hypertension, in which blood pressure readings are normal in the medical setting but sporadically high in real life. Participants with white-coat hypertension at the start of the study had more than double the risk of having sustained hypertension a decade later, compared to those with normal blood pressures. Those with masked hypertension had a 78% higher chance of developing sustained high blood pressure readings over time.

24.  Maternal diet affects infant's long-term bone health (National Osteoporosis Society Conference in Manchester, UK, 7/1/09)
Women who maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet during pregnancy have children with bigger and stronger bones than women with poorer quality diets.

25.  Sad Dads May Lead to Crying Infants (Pediatrics, 7/09)
Depression among fathers, not only mothers, can be related to excessive crying or colic in newborns.

26.  Recall: Kroger recalls popcorn mix on food poison fear (Kroger, 7/1/09)
Grocer Kroger Co has recalled three types of popcorn seasonings due to concerns that the products may have been contaminated with the salmonella bacteria. The three brands affected by the recall are: Kroger Popcorn Seasoning Movie theater Butter Flavor, Kroger Popcorn Seasoning White Cheddar Flavored and Kroger Fat Free Butter Flavored Sprinkles.

27.  Recall: 400,000 Cribs from Simplicity Inc. Recalled Due to Suffocation Risk (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 7/2/09)
Simplicity Inc. is recalling about 400,000 cribs that put babies at risk of death by suffocation. Consumers should stop using the cribs immediately. Plastic hardware on the crib can break or deform causing the drop side to detach and creating a gap where babies can fall in.