Previous Medical News
2009/10/24
1. Nearly 5,000 swine flu deaths worldwide (WHO, 10/23/09)
Nearly 5,000 people have reportedly died from swine flu since it emerged this year and developed into a global epidemic. Since most countries have stopped counting individual swine flu cases, the figure is considered an underestimate.
2. 1 in 5 kids had flu-like illness this month (CDC, 10/22/09)
About 1 in 5 U.S. children had a flu-like illness earlier this month — and most of those cases likely were swine flu. About 7 percent of surveyed adults said they'd had a flu-like illness. The information comes from a household survey of more than 14,000 adults done in the first 11 days of October.
3. CDC concedes vaccine production behind schedule (CDC, 10/21/09)
Production of a vaccine for swine flu virus is way behind schedule. The federal government originally promised 120 million doses of swine flu vaccine by now. Only 13 million have come through. Health officials blame the pressure on pharmaceutical companies to crank it out along with the ordinary flu vaccine, and a slow and antiquated process that relies on millions of chicken eggs (injecting the virus into eggs and allowing it to feed on the nutrients in the egg white). Since April, swine flu has killed more than 800 people in the U.S., including 86 children, 39 of them in the past month and a half.
4. Hospitals restricting visitors to stop swine flu (AP, 10/19/09)
Hospitals around the country are turning away visiting children and tightening restrictions on adults, too, in hopes of limiting spread of swine flu in the hallways.
5. NY officials rescind mandatory H1N1 flu shot order (AP, 10/23/09)
New York state health officials have suspended a ruling that would have forced health care workers across the state to get vaccinated against the swine flu by the end of November or risk losing their job.
6. New info shows swine flu still hardest on young (CDC, 10/20/09)
Swine flu continues to be most dangerous to kids and younger adults and is largely bypassing the elderly. Figures for swine flu hospitalizations and deaths for the seven weeks since the beginning of September from 28 states reveals that more than half of all hospitalizations were people 24 and younger; more than a quarter were ages 5 to 18 years. Swine flu deaths were concentrated in young and middle-aged adults. A third of all deaths were people ages 25 through 49; another third were 50 to 64. Only 12 percent of deaths occurred in elderly. That's a stark contrast to the roughly 90 percent of deaths in the elderly from seasonal flu. The figures are similar to what the CDC saw in the spring.
7. Swine flu scams lurk on the Internet (FDA, 10/22/09)
Federal officials have sent warning letters to promoters of more than 140 swine flu-related products. Consumer Reports also has warned subscribers to be wary.
8. Feds to issue new medical marijuana policy (AP, 10/19/09)
Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration. Agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes. Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
9. Medications for RA Linked to Skin Cancer (American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, Oct. 17-21, 2009)
People who take immune-disease drugs called TNF blockers for rheumatoid arthritis should check their bodies regularly for abnormal growths that can signal skin cancer. TNF blockers include Remicade, Enbrel, Humira, Cimzia, and Simponi. They neutralize a protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha, that is overproduced in inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
10. Largest turtle-linked salmonella outbreak detailed (Pediatrics, 10/09)
Two girls who swam with pet turtles in a backyard pool were among 107 people sickened in the largest salmonella outbreak blamed on turtles nationwide. The 2007-08 outbreak involved mostly children in 34 states; one-third of all patients had to be hospitalized. In many cases, parents didn't know that turtles can carry salmonella. Despite a 1975 ban on selling small turtles as pets, they continue to be sold illegally.
11. Mercury Levels Same in Autistic, Other Children (Environmental Health Perspectives, 10/19/09)
Blood levels of mercury are similar in children with autism, those with other developmental problems, and those who are developing typically. This study does not examine whether mercury plays a role in causing autism. The investigators looked at a variety of sources of mercury in the environment, including consumption of fish, use of personal care products that contain mercury such as nasal sprays and earwax removal products, and vaccinations. They also looked at whether children had mercury-based dental amalgam fillings. Fish consumption predicted levels best.
12. Womb Transplants Could Happen in Two Years (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 10/22/09)
London-based surgeons and vets, working with medical teams in New York and Budapest, have performed the first long-term transplants of a uterus with a reliable blood supply in rabbits. If trials on larger animals are successful, the first woman could receive a viable uterus transplant from a deceased human donor within two years.
13. Meat, dairy and breast cancer: new findings (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009)
Cutting down on processed meats and red meat cooked at high temperatures as well as high-fat dairy products may help reduce a woman's risk of risk of developing breast cancer.
14. Constant Light Linked to Symptoms of Depression (Behavioral Brain Research, 12/28/09)
Exposure to too much light at night may cause depression. Constant light with no chance of escape increased depressive symptoms.
15. Soy foods may curb hip fracture risk in older women (American Journal of Epidemiology, 10/1/09)
Postmenopausal women may lessen their chances of fracturing a hip by adding soy based foods to their diet. Women in the study were 21 to 36 percent less likely to fracture a hip when they reported eating a moderate amount of soy. Daily moderate soy intake was at least 2.7 grams of soy protein, 5.8 milligrams of soy isoflavones per 1000 calories, or the equivalent of 49.4 grams of tofu.
16. Motorcycle deaths rise as gas prices go up (American Journal of Public Health, 10/09)
As gas prices rise, more people switch to motorcycles -- and more people die in motorcycle accidents. Many of the people riding motorcycles don't take classes in how to ride a motorcycle, often they've learned from their friends and family. Formal training certainly would help.
17. Obese Women Retain More Pregnancy Weight (Obstetrics and Gynecology, 11/09)
Gaining no weight during pregnancy or even losing a little weight may be healthier for obese women and their babies /than gaining too much weight. Obese women who gain more weight than they should during pregnancy are more likely to keep the weight on. Obesity during pregnancy increases the risk for complications like hypertension, diabetes, preeclampsia, C-sections, and birth injuries.
18. Cocoa in Chocolate May Be Good for the Heart: reduces inflammation associated with heart disease (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 11/09)
Spanish researchers put 42 men and women on a diet that included 40 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1.4 ounces) mixed with skim milk daily, or plain skim milk. After one month, those who drank the cocoa-flavored milk had lower levels of inflammatory markers associated with heart disease than those drinking the milk alone. The inflammatory markers, called adhesion molecules, are proteins that cause white blood cells to stick to the walls of the arteries, which can lead to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
19. Polluted air may give you a headache (American Journal of Epidemiology, 10/15/09)
Have a headache and don't know why? It could be high levels of air pollution. There were increased hospital admissions for migraines and other headaches on days of elevated air pollution readings.
20. Want to get pregnant? Just relax (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 10/19/09)
Old-fashioned, common-sense advice to just relax may actually work to help some women get pregnant. Women who took part in a stress management program while having a second round of assisted fertility treatment had a 160 percent greater pregnancy rate than women getting IVF alone.
21. Web Surf to Save Your Aging Brain (Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, 10/19/09)
Surfing the Internet just might be a way to preserve your mental skills as you age. Older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.
22. Video Games May Cause Kids Pain (American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, Oct. 17-21, 200)
If your child suffers from unexplained finger or wrist pain, video games could be to blame. 12% of young players have finger pain severe enough to limit their gaming time. Ten percent report wrist pain curtails their playing time.
23. Car seats, out of cars, injured 43,000 U.S. kids (American Academy of Pediatrics, 10/19/09)
Parents and caregivers who place car seats on beds, kitchen counters and other places outside the car injured 43,000 U.S. children over five years.
