Previous Medical News
2010/04/10
1. Pollen at its worst in years in many areas (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 4/9/10) and (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 4/10)
2010 is shaping up to be a monster of an allergy season. This year is especially bad in the Southeast, likely due to this winter's unseasonably cold weather.
2. FDA Approves New Formulation of Controlled-Release Oxycodone (FDA, 4/7/10)
The FDA has approved a new formulation of controlled-release oxycodone HCl (Oxyontin, Purdue Pharmaceuticals) designed to discourage misuse and abuse of the medication, which is indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain when a continuous, around-the-clock analgesic is required for an extended period of time. Controlled-release oxycodone tablets contain a large quantity of the drug, allowing extension of the dosing interval. Individuals seeking to abuse oxycodone have been able to release high levels of the opioid medication from the previously approved formulation, potentially resulting in overdose.
3. Herbal Medicines a Mystery to Most Doctors (Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin, 4/10)
Physicians don't know much more about complementary and alternative medicine than their patients do, according to a new survey. Physicians often don't ask because they don't know enough to respond. 89% of those surveyed said their knowledge of herbal medicines was "much poorer" than their knowledge of prescribed medicines. One reason for healthcare professionals' lack of information on herbal medicines may be that they feel it's a step backward.
4. Cancer Linked to Other Chronic Illnesses (Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index, 4/2/10)
Having a heart attack or a chronic illness such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, may raise the risk of being diagnosed with cancer. Smoking is a common ingredient, and cholesterol can enhance the effects of other carcinogens in the body.
5. FDA approves first combined ECG Holter and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring System (Vasomedical, 4/9/10)
Save on the cost of medicine by preventing making a wrong diagnosis of high blood pressure.
6. Exercise During Pregnancy for Smaller Baby (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 5/10)
Women who exercise moderately during pregnancy give birth to somewhat smaller babies which may reduce the infants' obesity risk later. The average birth weight of babies born to exercising mothers was lower but still very healthy. The average birth weight of babies born to mothers who exercised was 7.5 pounds, compared to 7.8 pounds for mothers who did not exercise. Babies born weighing 8.8 pounds or more are defined as high birth weight. Current recommendation is 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily and probably more.
7. Women May Prevent Stroke by Walking: Brisk Walking Reduces Stroke Risk (Stroke, 4/10)
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. Women who walk two or more hours per week or who walk at a brisk pace can significantly reduce their risk of suffering a stroke. Risk factors for women include smoking, obesity, migraine headaches, postmenopausal hormone use, and taking oral contraceptives, and now inactivity.
8. New Drug Cures Hard-to-Treat Hepatitis C: Telaprevir (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/8/10)
Patients who fail current hepatitis C virus treatments have few other options except trying the same drugs again, but an experimental antiviral drug is poised to change that. When the drug telaprevir was added to standard treatment with peginterferon alfa and rIbavirin, which are also antivirals, about half of patients who had failed previous treatment with the two drugs cleared the virus.
9. Breast-feeding would save lives, money (Pediatrics, 4/10)
Breast-feeding makes a big difference. The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life. Breast-feeding may help prevent stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and even childhood leukemia. Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity. Babies should be given a chance to start breast-feeding immediately after birth. At many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed.
10. Flu shot safe for most egg allergic kids (Pediatrics, 5/10)
The flu shot is safe for most kids with egg allergies. Because all flu vaccine is made in chicken eggs, there are concerns about giving the flu shot to kids with egg allergies. About one in 60 U.S. children has such allergies. The researchers did not include any children in the study who'd suffered recent serious allergic reactions to eggs, such as anaphylaxis.
11. Words Really Do Hurt (Pain, 4/10)
Words Alone May Activate Pain Response in the Brain. Hearing words that describe pain -- such as "excruciating" or "grueling" -- activated the areas of the brain that process the corresponding sensation. “This may hurt a bit," before receiving a shot may be enough to trigger a pain response in the brain long before any actual pain is felt.
12. For Many Couples, Toll of Miscarriage Lingers (Pediatrics, 5/10)
Couples who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth are more likely to break up even years after the loss than couples whose pregnancy ended with the birth of a child. The rate of splitting up peaks between 18 months and three years afterward, before falling back to rates similar to that of other couples.
13. Blondes Earn More Money, Marry Richer Husbands (Economics Letters, 4/10)
Blonde-haired women earn 7 percent more on average than women with other hair colors. They also marry wealthier men, who earn 6 percent more than the husbands of other women.
14. Smoking May Boost MS Risk in Some (Neurology, 4/7/10)
Smoking appears to enhance the link between an existing risk factor and multiple sclerosis, nearly doubling the chances of getting the disabling neurologic disease. The existing risk factor is having high levels of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common herpes virus that infects most people but is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small fraction of those who have it.
15. "Fat dissolving" spa treatment no such thing: FDA Cracks Down on Lipodissolve Hype (FDA, 4/7/10)
The procedures, called by names such as lipodissolve, mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, or injection lipolysis all involve unproven injections of drugs. The products used to perform lipodissolve procedures are not approved by the FDA for fat removal. The treatments usually consist of injections of two drugs called phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate.
16. Blame dogs, not cats, for kids’ asthma (Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 4/10)
For children at higher-than-average risk of asthma due to family history, having a dog around the house may increase the chances of developing the lung disease. Those exposed to relatively high levels of dog allergen at the age of 7 were more likely to have asthma. In contrast, there was no relationship between cat-allergen exposure and a child's risk of asthma.
