Previous Medical News
2009/09/26
1. Justice Ginsburg Hospitalized After Iron Infusion. (U.S. Supreme Court, 9/24/09)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 76-year-old Supreme Court justice who underwent pancreatic cancer surgery earlier this year, fell ill at work after a treatment for anemia and was hospitalized overnight. Earlier in the day, Ginsburg had received an iron sucrose infusion to treat an iron deficiency anemia that had been discovered in July. About an hour later, she developed lightheadedness and fatigue and was found to have a slightly low blood pressure.
2. First swine flu vaccines may be nasal spray (CDC, 9/18/09)
The first doses of swine flu vaccine may all be the nasal spray version that is approved only for healthy people ages 2 to 49. The nasal spray, called FluMist, is not recommended for some of the people most in danger of severe swine flu complications. That includes pregnant women, children younger than 2, and people with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.
3. First swine flu vaccine to arrive Oct. 6 (CDC, 9/25/09)
The first swine flu vaccine should be in some doctors' offices as early as Oct. 6.
4. Flu Shot Beats Flu Spray for Young Adults (New England Journal of Medicine, 9/24/09)
Adults 18-49 who got the shot were half as likely to get flu.
5. Kids Need 2 Swine Flu Shots (CDC, 9/21/09)
Kids under age 10 will need two doses of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine, given three weeks apart.
6. Flu causes heart attacks but vaccine protects (Lancet: Infectious Disease, 10/09)
Vaccination for influenza likely protects against heart attack in people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, although more research is needed to establish whether vaccines also help prevent heart attack in people without vascular disease.
7. Could Swine Flu Panic Be Worse Than Outbreak Itself? (South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness, 9/22/09)
Get a reality check: the vast majority are not dying and are not getting severely ill.
Act sensibly to cut your risk: Here is the powerful preventive medicine- wash your hands frequently, keep your hands out of your nose, ears and mouth, and stay away from people who are sick.
Remember that fear is unhealthy- All that anxiety does is weaken your immune system, which puts you at greater risk for catching this virus or any other virus.
8. A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection (U. S. Army, 9/24/09)
For the first time, .an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus. The vaccine - a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines - cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand. The U.S. Army, sponsored the study with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Every day, 7,500 people worldwide are newly infected with HIV; 2 million died of AIDS in 2007.
9. Aspirin cuts colon cancer risk (European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology, 9/21/09)
People with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer could cut their chances of developing the disease in half by taking a daily dose of aspirin.
10. FDA OKs New Psoriasis Drug: Stelara (FDA, 9/25/09)
The FDA has approved a new biologic drug called Stelara for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Plaque psoriasis is an immune system disorder that results in the rapid overproduction of skin cells. About 6 million people in the U.S. have plaque psoriasis, which is characterized by thickened patches of inflamed, red skin, often covered with silvery scales. Stelara is given by injection. After the first shot, patients get another shot four weeks later, and then a shot every 12 weeks.
11. Does Vitamin D Protect Against High BP? (American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference, 9/24/09)
Women who do not have enough vitamin D before menopause may have an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure years later.
12. Prostate cancer treatment may spark heart problems (joint meeting of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology, 9/22/09)
Hormone treatment for prostate cancer may slightly increase a patients’ risk of heart problems. The findings could make doctors think twice before prescribing the standard hormone treatment (such as Zoladex) to men with prostate cancer, particularly if they are at risk of heart disease.
13. Teens with own cars have more crashes (Pediatrics, 10/09)
Teenagers with their own cars or free use of one are much more likely to get in crashes than those who share a car. And crashes are much less common among teens whose parents set clear driving safety rules.
14. HRT Is Linked to Deaths From Lung Cancer (The lancet, 9/20/09)
Hormone replacement therapy may raise women's risk of dying from lung cancer. Women who took estrogen-plus-progesterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were 71% more likely to die from lung cancer than those who took a placebo.
15. Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer (Journal of Urology, 9/22/09)
Regular exercise may help protect men from prostate cancer. This is a study of 190 men who had a prostate biopsy and found that those who were moderately active -- anything equivalent to walking at a moderate pace for several hours a week -- were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The study also found that exercise was associated with less aggressive disease in men who did develop prostate cancer.
16. 76% marry just once (American Community Survey, 9/21/09)
Most Americans marry for keeps or, if it doesn't last, don't want to repeat the same mistake, according to new Census data that show 76% of those who have ever been married have married just once.
17. Binge Drinking May Encourage Infection (BMC Immunology, 9/17/09)
Binge drinking can weaken the body's ability to fight infections for at least 24 hours. Binge drinking is defined as consuming large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time to deliberately get drunk.
18. FDA Bans Flavored Cigarettes (FDA, 9/22/09)
It's now illegal in the U.S. to buy or sell most flavored cigarettes. However, the FDA ban does not include the most popular cigarette flavor: menthol. It does cover every other conceivable flavor, including candy, spice, herb, cola, fruit, and coffee flavors.
19. Beer for brain injury? Maybe (Archives of Surgery, 9/09)
People who suffer a traumatic brain injury from a car crash or other mishap are more apt to survive if they had been drinking at the time of the injury. Exactly how alcohol may protect the brain after trauma is unknown. One thought is that alcohol may lessen the body's inflammatory response to the injury. Alcohol and driving is and will always continue to be bad -- it contributes to over 40 percent of traffic-related fatalities.
20. Problems managing money may foreshadow Alzheimer's (Neurology, 9/22/09)
Problems with basic money management may serve as a sign that an older adult with mild memory impairment will soon progress to Alzheimer's disease.
21. Alzheimer's Linked to Lack of Sleep (Science, 9/24/09)
Losing sleep could lead to losing brain cells. Levels of a protein that forms the hallmark plaques of Alzheimer’s disease increase in the brains of mice and in the spinal fluid of people during wakefulness and fall during sleep.
22. For a healthy-sized baby, stay active in pregnancy (Obstetrics & Gynecology, 10/09)
Women pregnant with their first children who exercise regularly trim their risk of having a too-heavy baby. Please discuss with your physician the appropriate exercise program.
23. Flying OK for Most Pregnant Women (Obstetrics & Gynecology, 10/09)
Pregnant women can fly with no worries, as long as they don't have any complications. Most commercial airlines allow pregnant women to fly up to 36 weeks of gestation.
24. Sex With New Partners Raises Widowers' Disease Risk (American Journal of Public Health, 9/17/09)
Older widowers who recently lost their wives are more likely to have a sexually transmitted disease than their counterparts who are still married.
25. Obesity could become top cancer cause (joint meeting of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology, 9/24/09)
Being fat could become the leading cause of cancer in women in the coming years as major causes of cancer, such as smoking and hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women, drop dramatically. Being overweight or obese accounts for up to 8 percent of cancers in Europe. It is not clear why being fat boosts your cancer risk, but it is probably connected to hormones. As people become fatter, they produce more hormones like estrogen that help tumors grow. People with big bellies also have more acid in their stomachs, which can lead to stomach, intestinal or esophageal cancer.
26. Smoking bans cut heart attacks by a third (Circulation, 9/09)
Smoking bans in public places can reduce the number of heart attacks by as much as 36 percent, offering fresh proof that the restrictions work.
27. Children who are spanked have lower IQs (International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego, 9/24/09)
Spanking can do more harm than good to the brain. This study, involving hundreds of U.S. children, showed the more a child was spanked the lower his or her IQ compared with others.
28. Recall: Some Lots Of Children's Tylenol Being Recalled (FDA, 9/24/09)
Johnson & Johnson's McNeil unit has voluntarily recalled 57 lots of infants' and children's liquid Tylenol products because of possible bacterial contamination. The products being recalled were made between April and June and include nearly two dozen varieties, including Children's Tylenol Suspension 4 oz. Grape, Infants' Tylenol Grape Suspension Drops 1/4 oz. and Children's Tylenol Plus Cold/Allergy 4 oz. Bubble Gum. Johnson & Johnson said it has contacted wholesalers and retailers about the recall. An inactive ingredient didn't meet internal testing requirements, the company said, and B. cepacia bacteria were detected in a portion of raw material that went unused in the finished product. Consumers with questions should call McNeil's consumer call center at 1-800-962-5357. A full list of the 21 recalled products and their lot numbers can be seen at: http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?idtylenol/news/subpchildinfantnews.inc
