Previous Medical News
2009/12/12
1. High-Flow Oxygen Treats Cluster Headaches (Journal of the American Medical Association, 12/9/09)
Cluster headaches affect about 0.3% of the population and are characterized by bouts of excruciating pain, usually near the eye or temple on one side. The attacks can last from 15 minutes to three hours without treatment and may occur several times a day. The most effective treatment for cluster headaches is injection with the triptan drug Imitrex, but use is limited due to potential side effects. Use of the drug is also not recommended in people with medical problems like coronary heart disease. High-flow oxygen treatment is effective for cluster headaches. 78% of people who received oxygen treatment reported being pain-free or having adequate pain relief within 15 minutes of treatment.
2. About 1 in 6 Americans have had swine flu (CDC, 12/10/09)
From April through mid-November swine flu has sickened about 50 million Americans, and killed about 10,000. That means about 1 in 6 Americans have had the illness. Nearly 200,000 people were hospitalized through mid-November — about the same amount that occurs normally in an entire winter flu season.
3. Fewer states seeing widespread swine flu (CDC, 12/11/09)
Winter flu is just starting to show up in the U.S. while swine flu infections continue to wane. Swine flu was widespread in only 14 states last week — mostly in the Northeast.
4. H1N1 Swine Flu Less Severe Than Feared (PLoS Medicine, 12/09)
H1N1 swine flu won't be as severe as was feared. When it’s all over, it will probably have been no more severe than an average flu season.
5. British researchers: little evidence Tamiflu works (BMJ, 12/8/09)
British researchers say there is little evidence Tamiflu stops complications in healthy people who catch the flu, though public health officials contend the swine flu drug reduces flu hospitalizations and deaths. In seasonal flu, there’s insufficient data to prove whether the antiviral reduces complications like pneumonia in otherwise healthy people but they concluded the drug shortens flu symptoms by about a day. Tamiflu can reduce the severity of swine flu symptoms but the drug should be saved for people at risk of complications, like pregnant women, the elderly, children, and those with underlying medical problems.
6. US health care tab to keep growing under overhaul: More health spending with proposed reform (Office of the Actuary at the Health and Human Services Department, 12/11/09)
The nation's $2.5 trillion annual health care tab won't shrink under the Democratic blueprint that senators are debating. The Democrats' plan to squeeze Medicare for $493 billion over 10 years in savings relies on specific policy changes that "may be unrealistic" and could lead to cuts in services. A new long-term care insurance plan included in the legislation could "face a significant risk of failure" because it would attract people in poor health, leading to higher and higher premiums, and eventually triggering an "insurance death spiral."
7. Folic acid may help prevent fetal heart defects (European Heart Journal, 12/1/09)
Here's another reason for pregnant women to take folic acid supplements: they help prevent fetal heart malformations. Folic acid supplements are now recommended for all pregnant women, and women planning on becoming pregnant, in order to prevent birth defects involving the neural tube such as spina bifida. Many countries, including the US, now require bread and other wheat products to be fortified with folic acid for this reason. The recommended dose is 400 micrograms/day.
8. US cancer rate declines (CDC, 12/8/09)
Fewer people are getting cancer and death rates continue to fall. New diagnoses for all types of cancer fell by almost 1 percent per year on average from 1999 to 2006 and deaths fell 1.6 percent per year from 2001 to 2006. Declines in rates of new cases and rates of death for the most common types of cancer -- lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers -- are mostly responsible. The continued decline in death rates from all cancers combined for men and women reflects the impact of increased screening, reduction of risk factors such as smoking and improved treatment.
9. Coffee May Cut Risk of Prostate Cancer (American Association for Cancer Research in Houston, 12/7/09)
Drinking coffee regularly may help lower the risk of advanced prostate cancer. Regular Coffee Drinkers Have 60% Lower Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer.
10. Too Much Drinking, Eating Tied to Breast Cancer Recurrence (San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, 12/10/09)
Overeating and drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol may be bad news for women with breast cancer. Even moderate drinking may increase the odds of breast cancer recurrence. Also, overweight or obese women with breast cancer have a worse prognosis over time than thinner patients.
11. Colon cancer deaths could make big drop (Cancer, 12/09)
Cancers of the colon and rectum together are the third leading cancer killer in the United States. An estimated 50,000 people will die from it this year. Colon cancer deaths could drop dramatically in the next decade because of better screening and treatment. Colon cancer screening and improved chemotherapy treatment will become more and more common, and smoking as well as red meat consumption will also decline.
12. Child cancer survivors have higher heart risk (British Medical Journal, 12/09)
Young people who survive cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as young adults because of the cancer treatment they received. The cancer survivors had been diagnosed below the age of 21 with either leukemia, brain cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, kidney cancer, neuroblastoma, soft tissue sarcoma, or bone cancer between 1970 and 1986. The study found the cancer survivors were significantly more likely than siblings to report heart failure, heart attacks or heart disease. Those who had been treated with chemotherapy had a two to five times higher risk than those who had no chemotherapy. Radiation exposure also increased the risk by two to six times compared to those who had not had radiotherapy.
13. Drunk? Coffee Won't Get You Sober (Behavioral Neuroscience, 12/09)
Gulping down coffee won’t sober you up if you’re drunk, but it may make you awake enough to be dangerous. Caffeine May Boost Alertness, but It Won't Get You Sober.
14. Fat in diet won't affect weight gain over time (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 12/09)
The percentage of calories that a person got from fat, as opposed to protein or carbohydrates, has nothing to do with how much weight they gain in the coming years. You should maintain a fat intake that is 20 percent to 35 percent of total calories, and eat "healthy" fats from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils instead of "unhealthy" saturated and trans fats. Avoid saturated or trans-fats for heart health.
15. FDA confirms benefits of Crestor in more patients (FDA, 12/11/09)
Half of all heart problems occur in patients with normal cholesterol levels. People with lower cholesterol and few heart risks could still benefit from taking Crestor. AstraZeneca's Jupiter study focused on patients with lower cholesterol and elevated C-reactive protein, a key indicator of inflammation that can lead to clogged arteries. Under current guidelines, those patients are not recommended for treatment with statins. Patients taking Crestor experienced a 44 percent reduction in major heart problems, including heart attack, stroke and death.
The Jupiter Study (NEJM, 11/20/08) randomly assigned 17,802 apparently healthy men and women with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of less than 130 mg per deciliter (3.4 mmol per liter) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels of 2.0 mg per liter or higher to Crestor, 20 mg daily, or placebo and followed them for the occurrence of the combined primary end point of myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from cardiovascular causes.
16. New Blood Thinner Could Replace Warfarin to Fight Venous Clots: Dabigatran (New England Journal of Medicine, 12/6/09)
A new blood thinner called dabigatran etexilate may be just as effective in preventing dangerous venous clots as an old standby, warfarin, but much easier for doctors and patients to manage.
17. Antidepressant Paxil Also May Affect Personality (Archives of General Psychiatry, 12/09)
Besides treating depression, the antidepressant Paxil may affect personality traits in positive ways. Paxil and likely other antidepressants in the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may improve higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of extraversion that are commonly seen with depression. Neuroticism is characterized as being inclined to have negative emotions such as anxiety, hostility, self-consciousness, impulsivity, and sensitivity to stress. Extraversion refers to being inclined to have positive emotions, assertiveness, and gregariousness. SSRIs include: Paxil, Celexa,Lexapro, Zoloft, Luvox,and Prozac.
18. Study finds benefits of soy after breast cancer (Journal of the American Medical Association, 12/9/09)
Breast cancer survivors may benefit from eating moderate amounts of soy products. A higher intake of soy food -- up to 11 grams daily -- was associated with a lower risk of death or recurrence of breast cancer during follow up. A moderate amount of soy food intake is safe and may reduce risk of mortality and recurrence among women with breast cancer.
19. Discovery of 'Curly Hair Gene' Could Lead to Pill That Fixes Bad Hair Days (Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 12/10/09)
Australian Scientists have discovered a "curly hair gene," which could lead to new hair treatments that don't involve using damaging hot irons.
20. Bad Boys Make Sick Adults (Journal of Public Health, 12/09)
Bad boys grow up to be sick men. Juvenile delinquency in boys, death and disability at age 48 were strongly linked to antisocial behavior in youth.
21. Blaming Others Is Contagious (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1/10)
Blaming someone else for one's mistakes is a socially contagious condition—the behavior literally spreads from one person to the next.
22. Loneliness raises breast cancer risk (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 12/09)
People who live isolated lives, and endure the stress that creates, may be more susceptible to breast cancer. The cause may be due to decreased immunity, increased stress, and/or changes in hormones.
23. Menopause Often Means Worsening Cholesterol (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 12/15&22/09)
Women going through menopause need to check their cholesterol profile even if they have had normal values in the past.
24. Smoking kills 5 million every year (WHO, 12/09)
Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year. Secondhand smoking kills about 600,000 people every year.
25. Parents' Sex Talks With Kids Happening Too Late (Pediatrics, 12/09)
More than 40% of adolescents had had intercourse before talking to their parents about safe sex, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases. Teens who talk to their parents about sex are more likely to delay their first sexual encounter and to practice safe sex when they do become sexually active. Kids really do want to learn about sex from their parents.
26. Half of teen girls have STIs by 2 years of first sex (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 12/09)
Within 2 years of having sex for the first time, half of teenage girls are infected with at least one of three common sexually transmitted infections (STIs): Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, or Trichomonas vaginalis.
27. Obesity in some children tied to DNA (Nature, 12/6/09)
Some children get severely obese because they lack particular chunks of DNA, which kicks their hunger into overdrive. Several rare DNA deletions may promote obesity.
28. Not All Parents Put Babies to Sleep on Back (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 12/09)
Despite warnings that it is safest to place a baby to sleep on his or her back, the number of caregivers doing so has not increased in recent years.
29. Germ-free kids may risk more adult illnesses (Proceedings of the Royal Society, 12/09)
Ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
30. Recall: 22,000 Pounds of Beef Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns: Beef Packers Inc. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, 12/7/09)
31. Recall: Baby Beds Recalled After 2 Deaths: Amby Baby Recalls 24,000 Hammock Beds (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 12/09)
Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis, announced the voluntary recall of about 24,000 of its China-made Amby Baby Motion Beds /after two infant deaths. There have been two infant suffocation deaths in the Amby Baby hammock. The beds shift from side to side and can cause babies to roll over and become entrapped or wedged against the hammock’s fabric or mattress pad.
