Previous Medical News
2010/01/16
1. Haiti Earthquake Poses Health Crisis for Impoverished Nation: Haiti Faces Serious Health Risks in Quake’s Wake (Red Cross, 1/14/10)
The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster. The population of 9 million already faces high rates of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, viral and respiratory disease. The Haitian Red Cross is overwhelmed. Most hospitals in Haiti are unusable and the injured are being treated at temporary shelters. There are severe traumas, head wounds, crushed limbs. The first priority is always search and rescue, and the focus will be on reaching the injured and saving those who can be saved. In the coming days there will be a great need in Haiti for clean food, clean water, medicine, and improved sanitation. This kind of a crisis can raise the risk of outbreaks of infectious disease, particularly because so many people are left homeless, and refugee camps pose a risk for communicable diseases. The most prevalent infectious diseases are bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria and leptospirosis. Another long-term consequence of this disaster includes the thousands of children who may have lost loved ones and therefore will be displaced without families, unsafe and alone.
2. FDA approves Actemra arthritis drug (Genentech, 1/9/10)
Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 1.3 million people in the U.S. Biotechnology company Genentech Inc. says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Actemra works by blocking the effect of a certain protein associated with inflammation. But because Actemra acts to suppress the immune system, it can also have serious side effects, including severe infections, liver abnormalities and damage to digestive organs.
3. Power Really May Lead to Moral Hypocrisy (Psychological Science, 1/10)
If you wonder why do so many people in top positions fail to follow the ethical rules that they promote? New research suggests that power makes people more strict about other people's actions, but less strict about their own.
4. New Jersey legislature approves medical marijuana bill (New Jersey Legislature, 1/11/10)
The New Jersey Legislature has approved a bill that would make the state the 14th to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine supports the legislation and could sign it before leaving office. The bill allows patients with ailments such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to buy up to 2 ounces of marijuana a month at state-monitored dispensaries.
5. Mark McGwire's Steroid Use Tarnishes Home Run Record (American Journal of Physics, 1/08)
Mark McGwire has admitted that he used steroids and human growth hormone. Tufts University physicist Roger Tobin wrote in a 2007 study that even moderate increases in muscle mass from steroid use can lead to 4 percent increase in batted ball speed which appears to increase the number of home runs hit by a batter dramatically. McGwire states he took steroids for medical reasons.
6. Woman Fitted With New Windpipe (New England Journal of Medicine, 1/14/10)
Belgian doctors have fitted a woman with a new windpipe. The woman, Linda De Croock was living with a severely damaged windpipe following a near fatal car crash up until the successful surgery that is. The procedure was quite complex and involved many steps. First, the windpipe of a dead man was removed and implanted into Linda’s arm so it could grow new cell tissue. Once the sufficient tissue had been grown, the windpipe was inserted into Linda’s throat. The procedure took 10 months to complete, from when the windpipe was installed into Linda’s arm up until it could be implanted into her throat.
7. Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass dies in Pa. at 59 (AP, 1/14/10)
R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who had been one of the most electric and successful figures in music until a car crash 28 years ago left him in a wheelchair, has died of colon cancer. He was 59. Teddy Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury in a 1982 car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has died of colon cancer at the age of 59.
8. Food Makers Quietly Cut Back on Salt (WSJ, 1/11/10)
Food makers are gradually reducing the salt from some of their most popular items—and not making a big fuss about it on the label.
9. Some blood pressure drugs may cut risk of dementia (British Medical Journal, 1/10)
Medicines commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Older people taking a certain type of blood pressure medication known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were significantly less likely to develop the brain-wasting illnesses.
10. Fast-acting impotency drug outpaces rivals: Avanafil (Vivus, 1/11/10)
A recent report by the American College of Physicians published in October found that some 322 million men worldwide will have erectile dysfunction by 202). Biotech firm Vivus has unveiled avanafil a new drug for erectile dysfunction which is effective in just 15 minutes, far faster than rivals Viagra and Cialis. Viagra, acts within 30 minutes to an hour after it is taken. Cialis, starts working from 30 minutes to six hours after ingestion. Levitra, acts starting between 25 and 60 minutes after it is taken. The company is eyeing a market launch in early 2012.
11. Leading COPD Drug Won't Harm Heart (FDA, 1/14/10)
No good evidence that the Spiriva HandiHaler boosts heart risks in patients who use it to help control chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Spiriva is one of the most commonly prescribed daily treatments for COPD, a progressive respiratory illness combining bronchitis and emphysema that is often linked to smoking. COPD is the fourth-largest killer in the United States. The Spiriva HandiHaler consists of a capsule used with an inhaler, to be taken once daily. Spiriva is from the class of drugs known as anticholinergics, which also includes the widely used ipratropium bromide (Atrovent).
12. More Evidence That Statins Cut Stroke Risk (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 1/19/10)
One of the largest analyses of the effect of statin drug therapy on the risk of stroke confirms the benefits of these widely used drugs.
13. Does More Butt And Thigh Fat Make You Healthier? (Journal of Obesity, 1/10)
People who carry their body fat in their thighs and backside aren't just carrying extra weight, but also some extra protection against diabetes, heart disease and other conditions associated with obesity. There is a protective property of lower body fat. Stomach fat is considered more metabolically active than lower body fat. The result is a release of substances called cytokines, which have been linked to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes. Belly fat also boosts inflammation and is linked with hardening of the arteries — known to increase the risk of heart attacks. Lower body fat, like that around the hips and thighs, produces beneficial hormones that protect against these diseases. Lower body fat also traps fatty acids. While this long-term storage can make it tricky to slim down your butt and thighs, it's healthier for you if some fat stays put. If fatty acids are not stored in fat but are stored in other organs like the liver or the arteries this makes you prone to develop diabetes and heart disease.
14. Your sexual life indicative of your heart health (American Journal of Cardiology, 1/10)
Making love twice a week or more often helps reduce risk of heart disease in men. The researchers followed up 1,000 men aged 40 to 70 who participated in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, which began in 1987, for 16 years to examine the correlation between sexual activity and heart health. They found men engaged in regular lovemaking were up to 45 percent less likely to develop life-threatening heart disease compared to those had sex once a month or less.
15. 'Test Drive' a New Pair of Breasts Before Going Under the Knife (Biodynamics Breast Analysis, 1/13/10)
Women who want bigger breasts can now "test drive" a new pair before going under the knife. First they get to choose the shape, size and feel of their new bust from a range of 500 styles. Then they wear their made-to-measure implants in a special vest for the day to make sure they are the perfect fit. Sizes range from an A cup to an F. The system, called Biodynamics Breast Analysis, uses a new type of implant called Natrelle.
16. Healthy diet may benefit women's mental health (American Journal of Psychiatry, 1/4/10)
Women who suffer from depression and anxiety may want to take a look at their diet as possible contributors to these conditions. Eating a diet mainly of vegetables, fruit, whole grain foods, low fat dairy products, and lean meat, and reserving processed and sweet treats to "sometimes foods," will aid physical health and may also support mental well-being.
17. Exercise May Stave Off Mental Decline (Archives of Neurology, 1/10)
Mild cognitive impairment is an in-between state between the normal changes in thinking, learning and memory changes that come with age and dementia. Exercise appears to help prevent and improve mild cognitive impairment. People who did moderate physical activity in midlife or later/ had a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment /and that six months of high-intensity aerobic exercise /improved cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment.
18. Too much sitting in front of TV may cut life short (Circulation, 1/10)
Sitting in front of a television set for hour after hour day after day may raise the risk of death from heart disease and other causes - even in people who do not weigh too much. Compared with adults who watched less than two hours of TV a day, those who watched more than four hours had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death during the six-year study period. Prolonged periods of sitting have an unhealthy influence on blood sugar and blood fat levels.
19. Loss of Smell Could Be Early Sign of Alzheimer's (Journal of Neuroscience, 1/13/10)
Loss of smell could serve as an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease. There is a direct link between the development of amyloid plaques -- the bits of gunk in the brain that cause Alzheimer's disease -- and a worsening sense of smell.
20. Raising kids may lower blood pressure (Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1/10)
Parenthood is associated with lower blood pressure, particularly so among women. Parents seem to derive a sense of meaning and purpose from other life’s stresses. This doesn't mean the more kids you have, the better your blood pressure. The effect was more pronounced among women, with motherhood corresponding to a 12-point difference in systolic blood pressure and a 7-point difference in diastolic blood pressure.
21. Breast feeding for over six months could aid mental health (The Journal of Pediatrics, 1/10)
Children who are breastfed for longer than six months could be at lower risk of mental health problems later in life. Breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress and may signal a stronger mother-child attachment which could provide lasting benefits.
22. Deadly 'Choking Game' Still Common Among Kids (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 1/15/10)
As many as 6 percent of Oregon eighth-graders have tried the potentially lethal “choking game.” Also known as the "blackout game," "pass-out game," "scarf game" and "space monkey," among other names, the activity involves intentionally trying to strangle oneself or another by using the hands or some sort of noose to briefly achieve a euphoric state. But the "game" can also cause seizures, headaches, bone breaks and brain injury -- and death.
23. Feds probe cadmium in kids' jewelry from China (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1/11/10)
The toxic metal cadmium has been found in children's jewelry imported from China. Some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting cadmium for lead in cheap charm bracelets and pendants being sold throughout the United States. Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young. Children don't have to swallow an item to be exposed — they can get persistent, low-level doses by regularly sucking or biting jewelry with a high cadmium content.
24. Recall: J&J expands Tylenol recall after FDA warning (FDA, 1/13/10)
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a unit of J&J, said it was voluntarily recalling about 500 lots of the products, which include pain relievers Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph, a children's aspirin. The company already had recalled in December all lots of a type of Tylenol product in response to consumer complaints of a foul odor that in some cases had prompted "non-serious" gastrointestinal disorders including vomiting and diarrhea. McNeil said an investigation had shown the "unusual moldy" odor is caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA). This can result from the breakdown of a chemical that is sometimes applied to wood that is used to build wood pallets that transport and store product packaging materials. The health effects of this chemical have not been well studied but no serious events have been documented in the medical literature.
25. Recall: Food Recall Hits Big Chain Stores: Parker Farm Inc. (FDA, 1/11/10)
Listeria contamination has led Parkers Farm Inc. to recall peanut butter, cheese, salsa, and other foods from a long list of major food retailers. Listeria is a bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in small children and older people. The contamination was detected in Parkers products tested by health departments in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Customers who purchased the recalled products may return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you have questions call Parkers Farm at (800) 869-6685.
26. FDA Warns Dog Treats May be Contaminated With Salmonella: Merrick Pet Care (FDA, 1/15/10)
Consumers should not use beef dog treats called Merrick Beef Filet Squares, distributed by Merrick Pet Care, because they may be contaminated with salmonella.
