Previous Medical News
2010/03/13
1. FDA warning: some patients cannot process Plavix (FDA, 3/12/10)
Certain patients with a genetic variation cannot metabolize the drug, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Patients can determine if they are "poor metabolizers" by taking a genetic test. The FDA recommends these patients use other blood thinners, such as aspirin. In order to work effectively, Plavix must be broken down by a particular liver enzyme. But FDA says 2 to 14 percent of people in the U.S. have low levels of the enzyme, preventing them from successfully processing Plavix. The patients who are designated as poor metabolizers represent about 2 percent of whites, 4 percent of blacks and 14 percent of Chinese. In total, poor metabolizers account for 3 percent of the population.
2. US court rules again against vaccine-autism claims (U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 3/12/10)
Court says mercury preservative did NOT cause autism. This is the fourth ruling against autism claims. Vaccines that contain a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal cannot cause autism on their own, a special U.S. court ruled on 3/12/10.
3. Infant Deaths Spur Baby Sling Warning (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 3/12/10)
Don't Put Infants Under 4 Months in Baby Slings. After a spate of infant suffocation deaths, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents not to put infants under 4 months of age into the trendy baby carriers know as baby slings.
4. End Bans on Vaginal Birth After C-Section (National Institutes of Health, 3/10/10)
Women who have had a C-section should be allowed natural births in later pregnancies, according to an NIH advisory panel. About 75% of women succeed in having a vaginal delivery after previous cesarean delivery, assuming that it's not a multiple birth, that the baby is in the normal position, and that their previous C-section required only a single incision.
5. Researchers back cancer-fighting properties of papaya (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2/10)
Papaya leaf extract and its tea have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumors. Papaya's anticancer effect was demonstrated against tumors of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.
6. Chemical in Furniture Linked to Skin Rashes: DMF (Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 5-9, 2010.)
A chemical added into furniture shipments from China to prevent the growth of mold has been linked to severe rashes. The chemical, dimethylfumate (DMF), can penetrate the fabric and subsequently clothing when a person sits on the furniture.
7. Variable Blood Pressure a New Stroke Risk Factor (The Lancet Neurology, 3/13/10)
Extremely variable blood pressure, and not just high blood pressure, can greatly increase a person's risk of stroke.
8. 'Pill' Won't Shorten Your Life: Women on the pill may live longer (BMJ, 3/12/10)
A long-term study finds that those who took oral contraceptives at some point in their lives have a lower risk of death than women who never took the "Pill". In the long term, women who took birth-control pills had a significantly lower risk of death from causes like heart disease and cancers -- even cancers of the uterus and ovary -- compared to other women. However, those who took oral contraceptives are at higher risk of violent or accidental death.
9. Processed (but not unprocessed) Meat May Harm the Heart (American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention annual conference, 3/5/10)
It's eating processed meat -- not unprocessed red meat -- that increases the risk for heart disease and even diabetes. The term "processed meat" refers to any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting or with the addition of chemical preservatives. In this study they defined "red meat" as unprocessed meats such as beef, hamburger, lamb and pork. To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should avoid eating too much processed meats -- for example, hot dogs, bacon, sausage or processed deli meats. They contained similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times higher amounts of sodium and two times higher amounts of nitrate preservatives. Salt and other preservatives, rather than fats, probably explain the higher risk for heart attacks and diabetes seen with processed meats. Although unprocessed red meat might not increase the risk for heart disease or diabetes, it might increase the risk for some cancers.
10. Men Outlive Women Sexually (British Medical Journal, 3/9/10)
Men have shorter life spans than women on average, but when it comes to sexual life expectancy, the guys have the advantage. At age 55, men have an average of 15 years of sexual activity ahead of them, while women average just 10. Men have shorter life spans than women on average, but when it comes to sexual life expectancy, the guys have the advantage. At age 55, men have an average of 15 years of sexual activity ahead of them, while women average just 10.
11. A tipple a day keeps obesity at bay (Archives of Internal Medicine, 3/8/10)
Women who drink a couple of glasses of red wine, beer or spirits a day are better at keeping the pounds off than women who do not drink at all. A single drink is defined as either: 5 ounces wine, 12 ounces beer, or 1 ½ ounces spirits.
12. Herpes Infects One in Six Americans (CDC, 3/11/10)
About 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases.
13. Sunscreen with high SPF needed at high altitudes (annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, 3/8/10)
Golfers playing in Vail, Colorado, at 2500 meters (roughly 8200 feet) above sea level, got significantly more burn protection from sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 70+ compared to one with an SPF of 15. The SPF 70+ formulation was very effective in protecting skin from sunburns under extreme ultraviolet light and real sporting conditions.
14. DASH Diet Fuels the Brain (Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, 3/8/10)
A diet designed to help lower blood pressure may also boost brainpower. The DASH diet in combination with regular exercise/ improved mental activity by 30% in overweight adults compared with those who didn’t diet or exercise. The DASH diet stresses: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, beans seed and nuts. The participants completed a series of tests to assess their brainpower and mental skills, including manipulation of ideas and concepts and planning, at the beginning and end of the study.
15. Is Kindness Contagious? (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 3/10)
Acts of kindness spread rapidly, and it takes only a few people acting cooperatively to influence dozens of others.
16. Calcium may help you live longer (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2/19/10)
Men who consumed the most calcium in food were 25 percent less likely to die over the next decade than their peers who took in the least calcium from food. None of the men took calcium supplements. Men in the top third based on their calcium intake were getting nearly 2,000 milligrams a day, on average, compared to about 1,000 milligrams for men in the bottom third.
17. Breast-Feeding Helps Mom Stay Slimmer Later in Life (American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Annual Conference, 3/5/10)
Women who breast-feed have reduced amounts of abdominal fat, even decades later.
18. Platelet-Rich Plasma Helps Tennis Elbow (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, New Orleans, March 9-13, 2010)
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) heals tennis elbow better than corticosteroid shots. Because they get very little blood, injured tendons heal notoriously slowly. Blood platelets attract healing growth factors, so the idea of PRP is to inject a patient's own platelets at the site of a tendon injury.
19. New Drug Relieves Hand Eczema: Alitretinoin (American Academy of Dermatology, March 5-9, 2010)
A new drug called alitretinoin can help relieve cracked, itchy, irritated hands in people with severe hand eczema.
20. Treating Psoriasis When Enbrel Fails: Stelara and Remicade (Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 5-9, 2010)
If the drug Enbrel stops working, people with psoriasis have two effective options. The recently approved drug Stelara can help treat moderate to severe psoriasis if Enbrel fails. Remicade is also effective for people with psoriasis who are no longer helped by Enbrel.
21. Pill Kills Hard-to-Treat Head Lice: Stromectal (New England Journal of Medicine, 3/11/10)
Stromectal -- a pill containing ivermectin, a drug used to prevent heartworms in dogs -- kills head lice that are resistant to first-line treatment better than malathion-based lotion. When children bring home head lice, doctors usually recommend treatment with one of several brands of pyrethroid-based products, such as Elimite, Acticin, Nix, A-200, Licide, Pronto, Pyrinyl Plus, Rid, and Tisit. But pyrethroid treatment fails if the head lice have become resistant to the pesticide. The Merck trial pitted Stromectal against an alcohol-based product containing the powerful pesticide malathion.
22. Medication fears lead to worse side effects (Arthritis Care & Research, 2/26/10)
Now there is proof: patients who are worried about their medications are more likely to have side effects from them. Doctors would help by talking to their patients about their concerns before prescribing a new medication, and helping them to get a more realistic view about the drugs.
23. Grinding Teeth at Night May Be a Sign of Daytime Stress (Head & Face Medicine, 3/5/10)
People who grind their teeth at night appear to be more likely to suffer from stress and also likely to use escapism to cope when things become difficult.
24. Stroke Risk Runs in the Family (Circulation, 3/8/10)
This study discovered that if a parent had a brain attack by 65, chances of the same quadrupled for their children.
25. Obstructive Disease Not Found on Most Cardiac Angiograms (New England Journal of Medicine, 3/11/10)
For patients without known heart disease, the diagnostic yield of coronary angiography appears to be low. Only about 38% of those referred to the cath lab for the elective procedure had obstructive coronary artery disease. Nearly 30% of patients with no symptoms and negative results on the noninvasive stress tests still had coronary disease that would not have been found without the angiography (or a CT scan).
26. U.S. children turn to inhaling to get high (Department of Health and Human Services, 3/11/10)
More 12-year-olds in the United States admit to using potentially deadly inhalants to get high than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined. Among this age group, alcohol was the only intoxicating substance used more than inhalants. Sniffing common household products, such as gasoline, nail polish, bleach, paint solvents and cleaning spray is like taking poison and many people do not understand the risks or consequences. Inhaling vapors to get high, or "huffing," can cause cardiac arrest. It can lead to brain, heart, liver and kidney damage and can be addictive.
27. Recall: Cadmium Probe Causes Jewelry Recall (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 3/11/10)
A charm bracelets with a "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" theme sold at dollar-type stores is being recalled due to high levels of the toxic metal cadmium. Cadmium is a carcinogen that also can damage kidneys and bones.
28. Recall: Pringles Recalled for Fear of Salmonella: Contains flavor-enhancing hydrolyzed vegetable protein made by Basic Food Flavors Inc. (Procter & Gamble, 3/9/10)
