Previous Medical News
2009/10/03
1. Nearly 6,000 deaths from driver distraction (Transportation Department, 9/30/09)
Avoid texting while driving. Nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a striking indication of the dangers of talking on cell phones and texting while driving.
2. H1N1 Flu Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Multiple Sources)
The new vaccine should be in some doctors' offices as early as 10/6/09. Flu Mist, the nasal spray, is for healthy individuals, ages 2 to 49. People with chronic underlying health conditions and pregnant women can’t get this vaccine. Live H1N1 vaccine can be administered at the same visit as any other live or inactivated vaccine except seasonal live attenuated influenza vaccine. The injectable vaccine will be available in a few weeks. It can be given at the same time as the seasonal flu vaccine.
Indications:
- Pregnant women who are considered 4-times more likely than the general population to experience complications from the H1N1 flu.
- People who live with and/or care for infants under the age of 6 months and children, i.e. parents, siblings, daycare providers, teachers.
- Health care and emergency medical providers.
- Children age 6 months to adults up to the age of 24. The attack rate for children between the ages of 5 and 14 is 14 times higher than that for adults over the age of 50.
- People age 25 to 64 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at high risk for influenza complications
Children under the age of 10, who have never been vaccinated, need two shots of seasonal vaccine, and will likely need two H1N1 shots as well. People who are severely allergic to eggs should not get either vaccine because the vaccines are made from embryonated eggs. It will take about a week to 10 days for the shots to provide protection. Protection will last for the entire flu season, until March or April.
3. 28 Pregnant Women Dead From H1N1 Swine Flu in U.S. (CDC, 10/1/09)
H1N1 swine flu has killed 28 pregnant women in the U.S. among about 100 pregnant women who have required intensive care because of severe H1N1 swine flu disease.
4. U.S. Swine Flu Vaccinations Start Oct. 6 (CDC, 9/25/09)
Vaccinations against H1N1 swine flu will start on Oct. 6. Nearly all of the first 6 million doses of swine flu vaccine are the FluMist nasal spray vaccine. The vaccine is likely to be effective after a single dose for those over 10. Because the FluMist vaccine cannot be given to pregnant women, kids under age 2, or to those with underlying health problems, the first vaccine doses will go to health care workers and to people caring for or living with infants under 6 months of age. As flu shots arrive, priority vaccinations will go to pregnant women and to school-age kids.
5. No Increased Risk for H1N1 Virus Following Last Year's Seasonal Flu Shot (CDC, 9/26/09)
Unpublished Canadian research suggests that the seasonal flu vaccination may increase the risk of catching the H1N1 pandemic strain, but CDC officials say such a pattern has not been found in the U.S. The unpublished work appears to suggest that people who had been vaccinated against last year's seasonal flu were about twice as likely as others to catch the pandemic strain when it appeared this spring. But statistics from the CDC do not show a similar risk.
6. Only 1/3 in U.S. Plan to Get Swine Flu Vaccine (Consumer Reports, 9/30/09)
Only a third of Americans plan to get the H1N1 swine flu vaccine, a Consumer Reports poll shows. One reason might be that 57% of adults with conditions that put them at risk of severe flu complications aren't aware of their risk of severe swine flu. People are also concerned about the safety of the vaccine.
7. Bacteria Have Role in Swine Flu Deaths (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 9/29/09)
Bacterial infections play a major role in H1N1 swine flu deaths.
8. Pre-Birth Exposure to 1918 Flu Raised Heart Risks (Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 10/1/09)
People exposed to the deadly 1918 Spanish flu pandemic while still in their mother's womb were about 20 percent more likely to have heart disease 60 years later. Whether same will hold true for current H1N1 strain remains a mystery.
9. Where the Worst Germs Lurk (University of Arizona, 9/28/09)
They lurk on the kitchen sponge and cutting board, your computer keyboard and the dirty laundry. Flush the toilet and they become airborne. Strangers leave them behind on airplanes, gas pumps, shopping carts, coffee shop counters, gym equipment and elevator buttons. Your desktop, office microwave handles, and the exercise bike at the gym are covered with them. Don't even think about the toys at day-care centers or the kids' playground equipment.
10. Breast Cancer Death Rates Continue to Drop 2% Annually (American Cancer Society, 9/30/09)
Fewer women in the United States are dying from breast cancer. Deaths from breast cancer have dropped more than 2 percent each year since 1990 because of improved treatments and increased mammography screening rates.
11. Chantix Has Little or No Suicide Risk (British Medical Journal, 10/2/09)
The antismoking drug Chantix has been linked to suicide and suicidal thoughts, but a new study shows that if such a risk exists it is likely to be very small.
12. Diabetes: An independent risk factor for Atrial Fibrillation (Diabetes Care, 10/09)
Diabetes is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation in women. The disease is also associated with atrial fibrillation in men, but in adjusted analyses the increased risk was not statistically significant.
13. Jackson autopsy could pose problems for his doctor (Multiple Sources, 10/2/09)
Michael Jackson's autopsy report was surprising as much for what it didn't contain as for what it did: The singer was in relatively good health for a man his age and no illegal drugs were detected in his system. Jackson's physical condition could be a useful tool for prosecutors as they weigh charges against his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who told police he administered a powerful anesthetic to the singer shortly before he died. The coroner has ruled Jackson's death at age 50 a homicide with his death caused by acute intoxication of the anesthetic propofol with other sedatives a contributing factor. The coroner found the propofol was administered without any medical need and that recommended resuscitation equipment was missing. The autopsy findings block a potential defense for Murray — that Jackson hid serious pre-existing conditions that increased the risk of death from the drugs he willingly took. His lungs were noted be chronically inflamed and had reduced capacity that might have left him short of breath. But the report noted the condition of his lungs would not have been a direct or contributing cause of death.
14. Want To Lose Weight? Avoid Skinny Overeaters: Skinny friends may make you eat more (Journal of Consumer Research, 4/10)
Both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. You should steer clear of eating with heavier people who order large portions, but it's the beanpoles with the big appetites who you really need to avoid.
15. IUD Mirena OK'd to Treat Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (FDA, 10/1/09)
The FDA has approved the intrauterine device Mirena to treat heavy menstrual bleeding in women who use intrauterine contraception as their main form of pregnancy prevention. Mirena is a small, flexible, hormone-releasing device inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
16. Women may adapt to pain faster than men (Pain, 10/09)
Women are more sensitive to pain than men are, but women actually get over their discomfort more quickly. Researchers found that when they exposed 32 adults to a moderately painful stimulus -- a heat-producing probe placed on the skin -- women were initially more sensitive to the pain than men. But after the first 20 seconds, women reported a decline in both the intensity of the pain and their "annoyance" with it -- until they were actually less bothered than men. Men, in contrast, showed no similar adaptation.
17. Women's Weight Tied to Healthy Aging (BMJ, 9/30/09)
For women, the odds of being healthy at age 70 are best for those who don't gain a lot of weight between ages 18 and 50 and who aren't obese at 50.
18. Women's Poor Shoe Choices Lead to Foot Pain Later in Life (Arthritis Care & Research, 10/15/09)
Women who make poor shoe choices early in life suffer with foot pain in later years. Shoewear was classified as good (low risk shoes including athletic and casual sneakers), average (mid risk shoes such as hard- or rubber-soled shoes, special shoes and work boots), and poor shoes (high-risk shoewear that lack support and sound structure, including high-heeled shoes, sandals, and slippers).
19. Kids May Be Less Healthy if Mom Works (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 10/09)
Children of working mothers may be less likely to lead a healthy lifestyle. British children whose mothers worked part- or full-time were more likely to have bad diet and exercise habits than those whose moms stayed at home.
20. Heart Defects, Mom's Weight May Be Linked (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 10/09)
Women who are overweight or obese before getting pregnant may be more likely than leaner women to have babies born with heart defects. Women who are obese and who are planning a pregnancy could benefit by working with their physicians to achieve a healthy weight before pregnancy.
21. Treating mild diabetes during pregnancy beneficial (New England Journal of Medicine, 10/1/09)
Treating even mild diabetes that develops during pregnancy helps keep moms and babies from gaining too much weight and makes for easier deliveries.
22. Daily sweets 'linked to violence:’ Eating Candy in Childhood Linked to Adult Crime (British Journal of Psychiatry, 10/09)
Children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to be violent as adults. 10-year-olds who ate sweets daily were significantly more likely to have a violence conviction by age 34.
23. Scientists find path to fountain of youth: Gene Linked to Longer, Skinnier Life-S6K1 (Science, 10/2/09)
Scientists have discovered a gene that may affect longevity and leanness. That gene is called S6K1. In lab tests, the typical life span of mice lacking the S6K1 gene was 9% longer and the maximum life span was 10% longer than mice with that gene intact. Knocking out the S6K1 gene only affected longevity in female mice; the reasons for that aren't clear. Female mice without the S6K1 gene also were leaner than female mice that have that gene, regardless of how much they ate.
24. When Pounds Go, Sleep Apnea May Improve: Weight Loss Helps Sleep Apnea (Archives of Internal Medicine, 9/28/09)
People with sleep apnea who are also obese may triple the chances of eliminating their sleep problems by losing weight.
25. Recessions may be good for your health (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 9/28/09)
The study spanned 1920-1940. During economic growth there was: Increased stress from overtime, leading to increased drinking and smoking; increased road traffic which led to increased traffic deaths and air pollution; less time to sleep and more money to buy cigarettes and alcohol. The only common cause of death which increased in bad economic times was suicide.
26. Few Eating Enough Fruits, Veggies (CDC, 9/29/09)
Only 14% of U.S. adults and 9.5% of U.S. teens meet the government's goals for eating enough fruits and vegetables. The key goals are to eat at least two daily servings of fruit and at least three daily servings of vegetables.
27. High tech healthcare isn't foolproof: Docs Miss Test Results -- Even With Alerts (Archives of Internal Medicine, 9/28/09)
Doctors using a state-of-the-art electronic medical records system still often miss abnormal patient test results, despite an alert system designed to catch their attention. People who don't hear back about the results of a test should give their physician a call. No news is not necessarily good news from your doctor.
28. More than half million kids get bad drug reactions (Pediatrics, 10/09)
More than half a million American children yearly have bad reactions or side effects from widely used medicines that require medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization. Children younger than age 5 are most commonly affected. Penicillin and other prescription antibiotics are among drugs causing the most problems, including rashes, stomachaches and diarrhea. Parents should pay close attention when their children are started on medicines since first-time medication exposures may reveal an allergic reaction. Doctors also should tell parents about possible symptoms for a new medication.
29. Half of U.S. Babies Living Today May Reach 100 (The Lancet, 10/1/09)
If current life expectancy trends continue, more than half of babies born in rich nations since 2000 will live to 100 years of age, and they'll have less disability than elderly people in previous generations. The obesity epidemic is the big challenge to this trend.
30. Recall: Nationwide Voluntary Product Recall of Neocate® Infant Specialized Formula Lot P91877 (FDA, 9/28/09)
The affected product from Lot # P91877 has a reduced protein level.
