Previous Medical News
2010/03/06
1. Should men be tested for prostate cancer? (The American Cancer Society, 3/3/10)
The American Cancer Society revised its guidelines for prostate cancer screening. Routine screening isn't recommended for most men: According to the American Cancer Society there’s little actual proof early detection of prostate cancer saves lives. The tests can lead to over diagnosis and overtreatment of slow-growing tumors that might not have caused any problems. Over diagnosis can occur because PSA levels can be high for many reasons, including a benign enlarged prostate or infections, and a biopsy is needed to confirm a tumor. Overtreatment can occur because even if cancer is found, there's no agreement on the best treatment approach — "watchful waiting," surgery, hormone therapy or radiation. The treatments can lead to impotence and incontinence.
When should men talk to their doctor about the benefits and risks of screening for prostate cancer? Starting at age 50 for men at average risk; at 45 for those at higher risk, including African-Americans and men with a close relative with prostate cancer before 65; and at 40 for those with more relatives with prostate cancer before 65.
2. Shire Wins FDA Approval For Gaucher Drug: Vpriv (FDA, 2/26/10)
Gaucher disease is a rare genetic condition that causes fats to build up in bones and organs, causing liver problems, skeletal disorders and sometimes death.
3. 1 in 4 parents buys unproven vaccine-autism link (Pediatrics, 4/10)
Fear of a vaccine-autism connection stems from a flawed and speculative 1998 study that recently was retracted by a British medical journal. The retraction came after a council that regulates Britain's doctors ruled the study's author acted dishonestly and unethically. One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated. Nine out of 10 parents believe that vaccination is a good way to prevent diseases for their children.
4. Stents as Good as Surgery at Preventing Stroke (American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2010, San Antonio, Feb. 24-26, 2010.)
A less invasive approach for clearing clogged neck arteries proved just as effective and safe as surgical treatment for preventing strokes in high-risk patients. About 2% of patients in both groups suffered a heart attack or stroke or died -- the lowest rates of adverse events ever seen in a stroke trial pitting stenting against surgery.
5. Travelers from Haiti bringing malaria to U.S. (CDC, 3/4/10)
Health experts watching for signs of a malaria outbreak have noticed several cases of the mosquito-borne disease among people traveling back from Haiti.
6. Test May Cut Unneeded Prostate Biopsies: Urine PCA3 Test (2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, March 5-7, 2010.)
A new urine test may reduce unnecessary biopsies for prostate cancer. The test, which is approved in some European countries but not in the U.S., detects genetic material -- RNA -- from prostate cancer gene 3 or PCA3.
7. Egg Allergy No Bar to Flu Shot (annual meeting of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, 2/28/10)
Most children with egg protein allergies who received influenza vaccinations had no adverse reactions. Even children with a history of anaphylaxis appeared to have no problem with flu vaccines. According to this study, Children with egg allergy can safely receive the seasonal influenza vaccine.
8. Newer Blood Test Predicts Diabetes, Heart Disease (New England Journal of Medicine, 3/4/10)
The hemoglobin A1C test measures your average blood sugar levels for the past two to three months. The newer hemoglobin A1C test predicts diabetes as well as the traditional fasting blood sugar test, but it beats that old standard in predicting a patient's future risk of heart disease and stroke. The ADA set the level for diagnosis of diabetes at 6.5 percent or higher, and the diagnosis of pre-diabetes for levels of 5.7 to 6.4 percent.
9. Industry crackdown on salt could save U.S. billions (Annals of Internal Medicine, 3/10)
Working with the food industry to cut salt intake by nearly 10 percent could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes over several decades and save the U.S. government $32 billion in healthcare costs.
10. Screening athletes could prevent sudden deaths (Annals of Internal Medicine, 3/2/10)
Several of the nearly 100 young U.S. athletes who die suddenly and unexpectedly during sports every year could be saved through more effective screening for heart problems. The measures, according to another study, will cost less than $100 per athlete. While current guidelines recommend a physical exam and a medical history before participating in college sports, some doctors believe measurements of the heart's electrical activity -- known as an electrocardiogram, or ECG -- should also be required. Two independent U.S. studies, both published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, now show that this extra measure allows doctors to identify twice as many at-risk athletes in a cost-effective way.
11. Sleep habits linked to fat gain in younger adults (Sleep, 3/1/10)
Younger adults who get either little sleep or a lot of it may see a greater expansion in their waistlines over time. Adults younger than 40 who typically slept for five hours or less each night had a greater accumulation of belly fat over the next five years, versus those who averaged six or seven hours. Those who logged eight hours or more in bed each night also showed a bigger fat gain -- but it was less substantial than that seen in "short sleepers.
12. Kitchens, Bathrooms No Place for Vitamins (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 3/2/10)
The kitchen or bathroom may be the worst place in the house to store your vitamins. High humidity and temperatures, such as those found in the bathroom and kitchen, can quickly degrade the potency of vitamin C and shorten the shelf life of vitamin supplements -- even if the bottle cap is on tightly. The most common types of vitamin C used in vitamin supplements and other fortified products are prone to a process called deliquescence, in which humidity causes a water-soluble substance to dissolve. Keeping vitamin supplements away from warm, humid environments is the first step to maintaining their effectiveness. The first signs of nutrient degradation are usually brown spots, especially on children's vitamins. Discard any vitamin supplement that is showing signs of moisture in the container or browning.
13. Teen Use of Marijuana, Alcohol on the Rise (The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 3/2/10)
Alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise, ending a decade-long decline.
14. Good Diet May Aid Ovarian Cancer Survival (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 3/10)
Women who eat a healthy diet in the years before their ovarian cancer diagnosis may live longer than those who don't.
15. Could germs be making you fat? (Science, 3/4/10)
Why are some people eating more than others? It is possible that certain bacteria cause inflammation that can affect appetite as well as inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn's disease and colitis.
16. Generic Flomax Approved for Enlarged Prostate (FDA, 3/2/10)
The first generic version of Flomax, a medication to treat the signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland, has won the approval of the FDA.
17. Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Asthma (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting 2010, Feb. 26-March 2, 2010)
Many children with asthma have low blood levels of vitamin D, and the insufficiency seems to place them at risk for more severe disease.
18. Cholesterol Drugs May Fight Asthma, Too (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting 2010, Feb. 26-March 2, 2010)
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs have already been linked to a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and cancer, and now statins also may help people with asthma breathe easier.
19. Whole Grains Take a Bite Out of Type 2 Diabetes Risk (American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Conference, 3/3/10.)
Brown rice is better than white rice at reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but whole grains are the most effective at lowering the risk.
20. Coffee May Cut Risk of Heart Rhythm Problems (American Heart Association's 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, 3/2/10)
People with disturbances in their heart rhythms are often advised to avoid caffeinated coffee, but a new study shows that moderate coffee drinking actually reduces the risk of being hospitalized for heart rhythm problems. If you already have an arrhythmia coffee will not help. One weakness of the study is that the researchers totaled the diagnoses of heart rhythm problems by hospital codes, and these sometimes can be incorrect.
21. New Nicotine Inhaler May Help Smokers Quit (Society for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 2/27/10)
A new type of smoke-free inhaler gives would-be quitters a vapor with nearly as much nicotine as a cigarette. Vapor puffs from the new device carry nicotine deep into the lung. Nicotine replacement is one of the most effective tools for helping smokers quit. There is the patch, gum, lozenges, and the current inhaler. The device would be commercially available in three to five years.
22. Long-term cannabis use can double risk of psychosis (Archives of General Psychiatry, 3/10)
Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug.
23. Obese Children as Young as 3 Showing Signs of Heart Disease (Pediatrics, 3/10)
Obese children as young as age 3 show signs of inflammation similar to that linked to heart disease in adults. Researchers found much higher than expected levels of the inflammation indicator C-reactive protein, and two other inflammation markers, in obese children enrolled in a nationwide health study.
24. Baby Einstein DVDs Don't Help Tots Learn Words (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 3/2/10)
Do instructional DVDs actually help babies learn? No. The study used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth (part of the Baby Einstein series), which is aimed at teaching babies new vocabulary words, and assigned a group of 12-to-24-month-olds to watch it daily for six weeks.
25. Recall: Salmonella Found in Crushed Red Pepper: Wholesale Red Pepper Recalled (FDA, 2/26/10)
A New York spice distributor is recalling 25-pound boxes of crushed red pepper linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak. The pepper was used in salami products made by Daniele Inc. of Burrillville, which a week ago recalled 115,000 pounds of salami wrapped in cheese that had been sprinkled with red pepper from Wholesome Spice of Brooklyn, N.Y.
26. Recall: Salmonella found in food additive (flavor enhancer) sparks recall (FDA, 3/5/10)
Grocery stores are pulling items that could contain tainted hydrolyzed vegetable protein. There’s a massive recall of salad dressing, chip dip, soup mixes and other foods made with this commonly used food additive that may be contaminated with salmonella. To check whether a food item has been recalled, go to www.foodsafety.gov. The vegetable protein was made at a plant operated by Basic Food Flavors Inc. of Las Vegas and discovered when a company customer tested a batch of the additive and reported finding salmonella. Salmonella causes infections marked by diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. Healthy people generally recover without treatment, but salmonella can kill the very young, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.
