Previous Medical News
2010/02/27
1. Hospital infections kill 48,000, cost billions (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2/22/10)
Nearly 50,000 US medical patients die every year of blood poisoning or pneumonia they picked up in hospital. Better hygiene is definitely needed.
2. Former vice president Cheney released from hospital after fifth heart attack (AP, 2/25/10)
69-year-old Cheney has been discharged from George Washington University Hospital. He had four prior heart attacks starting at age 37. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 1988, as well as two later angioplasties to clear narrowed coronary arteries. In 2001, he had a special pacemaker implanted in his chest. In addition, doctors in 2008 restored a normal rhythm to his heart with an electric shock. It was the second time in less than a year that Cheney had experienced and been treated for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart.
3. FDA approves new pneumonia vaccine with wider reach: Prevnar 13 (FDA, 2/25/10)
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new pneumococcal vaccine that protects against more strains of bacteria than the existing one and is expected to produce a sharp reduction in the number of cases of bacterial pneumonia and ear infections in children and adolescents. The vaccine is administered in four doses, given at ages 12 to 15 months and 2, 4 and 6 years. The vaccine is available in single-dose, prefilled syringes that do not contain the controversial preservative thimerosal. The CDC committee recommended using Prevnar 13 to immunize infants and toddlers, as well as in 5-year-olds with underlying medical conditions. It also recommended a supplemental dose for children younger than 5 who have completed the four-dose immunization of the original Prevnar.
4. Simple blood test could cut unnecessary antibiotic use (PCT): Which respiratory tract infections need prescriptions? (European Respiratory Journal, 2/10)
Using an existing simple lab test on patients with coughs or flu-like symptoms could help doctors be better able to decide which patients might benefit from antibiotics. These investigators estimate prescriptions of expensive antibiotics for respiratory tract infections could be reduced by more than 40 percent if tests became more commonplace. Testing for a marker of bacterial infection known as procalcitonin (PCT) helped identify patients whose respiratory tract infections would respond to antibiotics avoiding prescribing antibiotics for viral infections.
5. Screening Airline Passengers for TB May Be Inefficient (Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2/10)
Passengers aren't likely to contract tuberculosis when they fly.
6. Two Surgical Methods Equally Successful for Prostate Cancer (Journal of Urology, 2/22/10)
Results are similar for men with prostate cancer whether they have open surgery or laparoscopic surgery.
7. CDC panel recommends annual flu vaccinations for "all" (The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2/25/10)
A government panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, has voted to recommend a seasonal flu vaccination for everyone except babies younger than 6 months and those with egg allergies or other unusual conditions.
8. Afternoon Nap Might Make You Smarter (American Association of the Advancement of Science annual meeting, 2/21/10)
Sleep, specifically a lengthy afternoon nap, prepares the brain to remember things. It’s like rebooting your computer to get it to work more smoothly. 100 minute naps were taken in this study.
9. Single men, unhappily married men may have higher risk of fatal stroke (American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference, 2/25/10)
Single or unhappily married men may have an elevated risk of fatal stroke in the coming decades.
10. Belly Fat Is Culprit in Stroke Gender Gap: High-fat diet hikes women's stroke risk (American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference, 2/25/10)
The midlife gender gap in stroke rates continues to widen, with women aged 45 to 54 now three times more likely than men in that age group to report having had a stroke. Tummy fat appears to be to blame. Abdominal obesity increases the risk of other risk factors -- diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Together, they drive up the risk of stroke.
11. Employees Healthier When Boss Is Flexible (The Cochrane Library, 2/10)
Workers who had more control over their schedules and work days saw improvements in both physical and mental health. Control at work is good for health.
12. Acupuncture Benefit Seen in Pregnancy: Depression (Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2/22/10)
Acupuncture designed to treat depression appears to improve symptoms in pregnant women, suggesting it as an alternative to antidepressant medication during pregnancy.
13. Test Allows Men to Check Their Sperm Count at Home: SpermCheck Fertility test (Human Reproduction, 2/10)
A new device that looks a lot like those home ovulation and home pregnancy tests but checks sperm count will soon be available in Europe, and is undergoing FDA review for sale in the US. The product will retail for about $25.
14. Antidepressant shows benefits for low sex drive: Bupropion (BJU International, 2/10)
The antidepressant bupropion may hold promise for improving symptoms in younger women diagnosed with so-called hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The disorder, called HSDD for short, is diagnosed when a person has a persistently low interest in sex, and that disinterest is causing personal distress or relationship problems.
15. FDA Reportedly Finds Diabetes Drug Avandia Can Hurt Heart (FDA, 2/20/10)
A confidential U.S. government report recommends that GlaxoSmithKline Plc's diabetes drug Avandia be pulled from the market because it can hurt the heart. The report states there is increased risk of heart attacks and heart failure.
16. Extended-Release Mirapex Approved for Parkinson's Disease (FDA, 2/24/10)
Mirapex ER (pramipexole dihydrochloride extended-release) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a once-daily option to treat early Parkinson's disease.
17. Exercise Reduces Anxiety of Chronic Disease (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2/22/10)
Exercise may benefit the mental well-being of those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms.
18. Belief in God Helps Relieve Depression (Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2/10)
A belief in God plays a positive role in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress. The investigators’ research showcase distinct brain differences between believers and nonbelievers.
19. Low-carb diet can increase bad cholesterol levels (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1/27/10)
Cutting down on carbs may help people lose weight, but it may not be so good for lowering cholesterol. People who ate a diet low in carbohydrates but relatively high in fat lost the same amount of weight over six weeks as those who consumed a high-carb diet. But levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol increased significantly in the low-carb group, while they fell in the high-carb group.
20. Mom's antidepressants may delay baby's first steps (Pediatrics, 2/22/10)
When pregnant women take antidepressants, it sometimes causes their babies to hit developmental milestones late. Antidepressant drugs such as prozac, Zoloft or Paxil ratchet up serotonin levels in the brain.
21. Smoke from home fuels tied to emphysema (Chest, 2/5/10)
People who burn wood or other "biofuels" for heat or cooking may have a heightened risk of emphysema and related lung conditions.
22. Pediatricians urge choking warning labels for food (Pediatrics, 2/22/10)
The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for sweeping changes in the way food is designed and labeled to minimize children's chances for choking. Choking kills more than 100 U.S. children 14 years or younger each year and thousands more — 15,000 in 2001 — are treated in emergency rooms. High-risk foods, including hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes and apples — should be cut into pea-sized pieces for small children to reduce chances of choking. Other risky foods, including hard candies, popcorn, peanuts and marshmallows, shouldn't be given to young children at all.
23. Most `test tube' kids are healthy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2/21/10)
More than 30 years after the world greeted its first "test-tube" baby medical researchers say they are finding only a few medical differences between these children and kids conceived in the traditional way. More than 3 million children have been born worldwide as a result of what is called assisted reproductive technology, and injecting sperm into the egg outside the human body now accounts for about 4 percent of live births. Some of these children do face an increased risk of birth defects, such as neural tube defects, and of low birth weight, which is associated with obesity, hypertension and Type 2 diabetes later in life.
24. Recall: Crushed Red Pepper from Wholesome Spice: Salmonella contamination (FDA, 2/25/10)
