Previous Medical News

2010/04/17

1.  Malpractice worries help drive health costs (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 4/13/10)
A substantial number of heart doctors — about one in four — say they order medical tests that might not be needed out of fear of getting sued.

2.  New Alzheimer's Gene Identified (American Academy of Neurology's meeting in Toronto, 4/14/10)
A newly identified gene appears to increase a person’s risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of Alzheimer’s disease. This gene may explain 5% of inherited Alzheimer's disease cases.

3.  Diet can sharply cut Alzheimer's risk (Archives of Neurology, 4/10)
There are no cures for Alzheimer's, prevention is key. 26 million globally have it. A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, crucifererous vegetables such as broccoli and dark and green leafy vegetables), and eating less red meat, organ meat or high-fat dairy products, may have a powerful effect at staving off Alzheimer's disease. People who ate nutrients specifically selected for brain health had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with others. Saturated fatty acids in red meat and butter, need to be avoided. Others nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate, benefit the brain.

4.  Low Vitamin D Level Tied to Cognitive Decline (American Academy of Neurology 62nd Annual Meeting, Toronto, April 10-17, 2010)
Elderly people with higher vitamin D levels performed better on mental tests. Older people with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment.

5.  Doctor shortage? 28 states may expand nurses' role (AP, 4/13/10)
With a looming shortage of primary care doctors, 28 states are considering expanding the authority of nurse practitioners.

6.  Artificial pancreas works in 11 patients (Science Translational Medicine, 4/14/10)
A test run of an "artificial pancreas" that monitors blood sugar and delivers both insulin and regulatory hormone called glucagon helped patients achieve near-normal blood sugar levels for more than 24 hours. The system -- made up of a glucose monitor, two pumps and a laptop -- is designed to better mimic the body's natural mechanism of controlling both high and low blood sugar.

7.  Better Treatment Found for Crohn's Disease (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/15/10)
Combination therapy with two drugs that control an unruly immune system provided the best relief yet seen for Crohn's disease, a condition in which the body mistakenly attacks its own intestinal tissue. The new finding promises to change current treatment of Crohn's disease. Doctors now start treatment of Crohn's disease with steroids. If the steroids do not provide relief from the abdominal pain, nausea, fever, weight loss, diarrhea and other symptoms of the condition, the next step is to use azathioprine, which reduces immune system activity broadly. Only if that fails will they try biologics, newer treatments that include monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab (Remicade). These drugs target a specific part of the immune system. The new trial showed that the azathioprine-alone step should be skipped. This study suggests that the therapy that follows steroids should include a biologic. Therapy with both azathioprine and infliximab (Remicade) appears to be the treatment of choice if steroids are not effective. Combination therapy is better than treatment with azathioprine alone. The safety data aren't fully known and won't be known for a year.

8.  Can You Recognize Symptoms of Minor Stroke? Most People Unaware They've Had a Minor Stroke (Stroke, 4/15/10)
Most people having minor strokes don't recognize the symptoms, and a large percentage fails to seek timely treatment. The symptoms associated with TIAs or minor strokes are the same as for major strokes, but they may last only a few minutes. They include any one or combination of the following:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden trouble speaking or understanding
• Confusion
• Sudden vision problems in one or both eyes
• Dizziness, loss of balance, or sudden trouble walking
• Severe headache with no obvious cause

In an effort to educate the public about stroke symptoms, the National Stroke Association launched the "Act F.A.S.T." campaign early last year. Act F.A.S.T. stands for:

• Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
• Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does he or she have trouble or are the words slurred?
• Time. Time is critical. Call 911 immediately

9.  Desk-bound men target of new male wonder pants (Equmen Inc., 4/14/10)
Men, get ready to upgrade your boxers or cotton briefs. Fitwear for men, or compression wear trims and smoothes those stubborn bulges. Manufacturered in Israel as a high-elasticity blend of fabrics which are seamless and flexible, this high-tech underwear boasts to trim the torso while also benefiting your health.

10.  Dark chocolate may be good for your liver (annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, 4/15/10)
Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future. The flavanols help patients with cirrhosis cap the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.

11.  B-Vitamins Help Protect Against Stroke, Heart Disease (Stroke, 4/15/10)
People who eat a diet high in B-vitamins are less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Women who ate more foods with the B-vitamins folate and B-6 were less likely to die from stroke and heart disease, while men who ate a diet high in these B-vitamins were less likely to die of heart failure. Vitamin B-12 intake was not associated with reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Fish, liver, meats, whole grains and fortified cereals are sources of vitamin B-6, while vegetables and fruits, whole or enriched grains, fortified cereals, beans and legumes are sources of folate. Obtaining B-vitamins from supplements has not demonstrated the same effect.

12.  Weight-Loss Surgery May Ease Childbirth Risks (BMJ, 4/14/10)
Undergoing weight-loss surgery before having a baby greatly lowers the risk that obese women will develop major health problems during pregnancy. Obese women, particularly those who are extremely so, face higher risks for blood pressure disorders such as preeclampsia during pregnancy. These types of disorders, also called hypertensive disorders, can cause complications and may result in infant death. Preeclampsia occurs in about 7 percent of pregnancies in the United States.

13.  Circumcision may lower risk of genital wart virus (Journal of Infectious Diseases, 5/15/10)
Circumcision has been found to lower men's risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex, and now new findings suggest that it also cuts the risk of infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative men.

14.  Study Suggests Why All Women Worry About Getting Fat (Personality and Individual Differences, 5/10)
Even the most seemingly well-adjusted women still have issues with their body image. The results of this study show women who have a normal perception of body image based on psychological screening tests still have brain scans that reveal they are concerned about getting fat. Even though they claim they don't care about body issues their brains are showing that it really bugs them to think about the prospect of being overweight.

15.  People get hungrier when they're starved for sleep (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 3/31/10)
Normal-weight young men ate a Big Mac's-worth of extra calories when they'd gotten four hours of sleep the night before compared to when they slept for eight hours. Men took in 22 percent more calories, on average, than when they were allowed to sleep for eight hours than four hours. They ate more at breakfast and dinner, but not at lunch. The average calorie increase was about 560. People need to do their best to get an adequate amount of sleep so their bodies can function properly.

16.  Teen Drinking Linked to Benign Breast Disease (Pediatrics, 5/10)
Teenage and adolescent girls who regularly consume alcohol may be at greater risk for developing benign breast disease in their 20s than their teetotaling counterparts. Benign breast disease or noncancerous lumps, bumps or cysts in the breast are known risk factors for breast cancer.

17.  Simple Carbs Pose Heart Risk for Women (Archives of Internal Medicine, 4/12/10)
A diet rich in carbohydrates that are quickly transformed into sugar in the blood raises the risk of heart disease for women. The same effect, however, is not seen in men. Bad carbs include: corn flakes, white bread, and white rice. Good carbs include: wheat products and sweet potatoes.

18.  Jealousy really can blind you (Emotion, 4/10)
Catching a partner checking out a hot guy or gal can do a number on even the most confident person. New research suggests the resulting jealousy can actually distract a person so much they miss what's right in front of their eyes.

19.  Smoking May Erase Heart Benefits of Light Drinking (American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, 4/12/10)
Light drinking's benefit in lowering stroke risk does not apply to smokers. Any potential beneficial effect of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol on stroke may be counteracted by cigarette smoking.

20.  Depression and Smoking Go Hand in Hand in U.S. (CDC, 4/14/10)
Adults are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit if depressed.

21.  Spanking Kids Leads to More Aggressive Behavior (Pediatrics, 4/10)
Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.

22.  Play Creatively as a Kid, Be a Healthier Adult (British Psychological Society annual conference, 4/14/10)
Children who engage in creative and active play may grow up to be healthier adults. Higher levels of creative play in childhood predicted good adult health habits, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. More active play in childhood was associated with better overall health and more exercise in adulthood.

23.  Recall: Exploding Breast Implants Recalled : Poly Implant Prothese (Daily Express, 4/12/10)
Some breast implants manufactured in France and sold worldwide are twice as likely to explode as standard implants and could affect 45,000 women worldwide who boast the breasts made in the now-closed French factory.