Previous Medical News
2010/02/06
1. Breakthrough in Creating Artificial Pancreas (The Lancet, 2/5/09)
Medical researchers have been able to coordinate the actions of a commercially available continuous glucose monitoring device and an insulin pump to allow automatic insulin delivery in response to real-time glucose readings. The system proved better than a conventional insulin pump for maintaining optimal blood sugar levels during the night.
2. Low serotonin linked to infants' sudden cot death: new clue to infant death (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2/2/10)
Serotonin deficiency is a key culprit in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or cot death. Infants who died of cot death, which is the leading cause of death in babies under the age of one in the United States, had significantly lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and the enzyme that helps make it in their brainstems. Brainstem serotonin controls involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and breathing. When the baby is asleep, the higher functions in the brain switch off, so the brainstem system itself is solely responsible for controlling all these functions. The next step would be to devise a test to identify infants with a serotonin brainstem defect and develop treatments to correct serotonin deficiency. Until 12 months of age, babies should sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm mattress, and without toys, soft pillows, excessive blanketing or excessive clothing.
3. Tests Show Top Tuna Brands Have High Mercury Levels (Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, 2/10)
Tests on more than 300 samples of canned tuna from the top three brands in the United States revealed that more than half contained mercury levels above what's considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. The health effects of mercury poisoning include central nervous system damage, hearing loss and vision problems. Pregnant women and children are the most susceptible to mercury poisoning. White tuna from all three brands had the highest concentrations of mercury. White tuna comes from albacore, a different species of fish than "light" tuna. Canned tuna producers need to provide detailed information to consumers about the mercury content of each product and to disclose tuna harvest locations. In addition, the EPA and FDA need to have similar tuna consumption guidelines to lessen consumer confusion. An average child should consume only one can of tuna roughly every two weeks to ensure an acceptable level of mercury exposure.
4. Study links infections in womb to asthma (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2/1/10)
Researchers have linked mothers' infection during pregnancy to asthma, the most common chronic disease among American children, in their offspring. A number of bacterial infections of the vagina, including E. coli and group B streptococci, can cause chorioamnionitis.
5. UK medical journal retracts flawed vaccine study; Doctor in MMR-Autism Scare Ruled Unethica (Lancet , 2/10; Time, 1/29/10)
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist at London's Royal Free Hospital, published a study in the prestigious medical journal Lancet that linked the triple Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism and bowel disorders in children. Wakefield's study has since been discredited, and the MMR vaccine deemed to be safe. But now medical authorities in the U.K. have also ruled that the manner in which Wakefield carried out his research was unethical. In a ruling on Jan. 28, The General Medical Council, which registers and regulates doctors in the U.K., ruled that Wakefield acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly” during his research and with "callous disregard" for the children involved in his study. The General Medical Council criticized Wakefield for carrying out invasive tests, such as colonoscopies and spinal taps, without due regard for how the children involved might be affected. It also cited Wakefield's method of gathering blood samples - he paid children at his son's birthday party $8 to give blood - and said that Wakefield displayed a "callous disregard for the distress and pain the children might suffer." The panel also criticized Wakefield for failing to disclose that, while carrying out the research, he was being paid by lawyers acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by the MMR jab. Lancet, a major British medical journal, has retracted the flawed study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and bowel disease. Subsequent studies have found no proof that the vaccine is connected to autism, though some parents are still wary of the shot. Ten of Wakefield's 13 co-authors renounced the study's conclusions several years ago.
6. 40 percent of cancers could be prevented (International Union Against Cancer, 2/2/10)
Nine infections can lead to cancer: Cervical (human papilloma virus, HPV) and liver cancer are both caused by infections and can be prevented with vaccines. Other cancer-causing infections include hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and invasive cervical cancer) and Epstein Barr, a herpes-type virus transmitted by saliva (invasive breast cancer, lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma). Lifestyle changes in fighting cancer: quitting smoking, eating healthily, limiting alcohol intake and reducing sun exposure.
7. Fish Oil May Fight Psychosis (Archives of General Psychiatry, 2/10)
Twelve weeks of fish oil pills made teens at high risk of psychosis much less likely to become psychotic for at least one year. Antipsychotic drugs tend to have serious side effects, including weight gain and sexual dysfunction. Fish oil pills have no serious side effect.
8. FDA Liver Risk Warning for Bristol-Myers Squibb HIV Drug: Videx (FDA, 2/1/10)
Patients taking a Bristol-Myers Squibb drug for HIV are at risk of a rare, but potentially fatal, liver disorder known as non-cirrhotic portal hypertension.
9. Drinking Tea May Trim Men's Waistlines (First International Congress on Abdominal Obesity, Jan. 28-30, 2010)
Men who drink more than two cups of tea a day have trimmer waistlines than men who drink coffee or nothing at all. But the same doesn't hold true for women.
10. Antidepressants After Stroke May Boost Mental Ability: Lexapro Helps Improve Memory and Learning Skills (Archives of General Psychiatry, 2/10)
Taking antidepressants after a stroke may help repair the damaged brain and improve mental functioning. Patients taking Lexapro had better thinking, learning and memory skills after 12 weeks of treatment.
11. Internet Surfing Linked to Depression (Psychopathology journal, 2/10)
Psychologists have found evidence of a strong link between time spent surfing the web and depression. The longer people spend on the internet, the less likely they are to be happy.
12. Brain Damage Seen in People With Severe Sleep Apnea (Sleep, 2/1/10)
People with severe obstructive sleep apnea have reduced concentrations of gray matter in multiple areas of the brain. Gray matter refers to the brain's cerebral cortex, where the majority of information processing takes place. These changes in brain structure may help explain the memory, cardiovascular and other problems experienced by people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These findings also show the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep apnea.
13. Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Raises Suicide Risk (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2/2/10)
A diagnosis of prostate cancer can be unnerving enough to up a man's odds for either suicide or fatal heart attack. Men diagnosed with prostate cancer had an overall 40 percent higher risk of suicide in the year after the diagnosis was made, and a 90 percent higher incidence over the first three months post-diagnosis. And while the risk of death from heart attacks and other problems was only 9 percent higher in the first year for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, it more than doubles during the first month after diagnosis.
14. 'Prewashed' Salads May Need Another Rinse: Bacteria Found in Packaged Green Salads (Consumer Reports, 3/10)
Those "prewashed" and "triple-washed" bagged salad greens in the produce section of the supermarket may not be as clean as you think. High levels of bacteria commonly linked to poor sanitation and fecal contamination were found in many of the sampled packaged salads. Salad mixes that included spinach tended to have higher bacteria levels than those without spinach. Packaged produce tested at least six days from their use-by date tended to have lower levels of the bacteria than produce tested within five days of the use-by date. Even if you buy pre-washed or triple washed salads, you need to wash them again.
15. Recall: 'Princess and Frog’ items recalled for cadmium (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1/29/10)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of "The Princess and The Frog" pendants sold at Walmart stores because of high levels of the toxic metal cadmium. The action was taken voluntarily by Rhode Island-based jewelry company FAF Inc.
16. Recall: 2 stores pull necklaces on toxic cadmium concern (AP, 2/4/10)
For the first time a company has said it is effectively banning cadmium in jewelry. The teen fashion chain Aeropostale and outlet stores of upscale Saks Fifth Avenue have pulled from shelves necklaces that tests showed have high levels of the toxic metal cadmium. No amount of cadmium will be acceptable in the jewelry and suppliers will have to prove products are clean with independent lab testing. Cadmium is a known carcinogen that also can harm bones and kidneys.
