Previous Medical News
2010/05/01
1. Many in U.S. Have at Least 1 Heart Risk Factor: Nearly Half of Adults Have High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol or Diabetes (CDC, 4/26/10)
Nearly half of the U.S. population has at least one of three diagnosed or undiagnosed chronic conditions -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes -- all major risk factors for heart disease, the leading cause of death among Americans.
2. FDA Approves New Device for Asthma Relief: Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System (FDA, 4/29/10)
The FDA has approved the first non-drug, device-based treatment for adults with severe asthma whose medications aren't providing enough relief. The device, called an Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System, uses a catheter with a tip that delivers a form of thermal energy to the airways. The catheter delivers radiofrequency energy directly to the airways, heating lung tissue and reducing the thickness of smooth muscle, thus improving the ability of asthmatics to breathe.
3. Airborne Fungus Expected to Spread in U.S.: Deadly Airborne Fungus Spreading in Northwest (PLoS Pathogens, 4/22/10)
A potentially deadly airborne fungus has infected more than 50 people in the U.S. and is expected to spread from the Pacific Northwest where it first surfaced. The fungus species triggering the infection is Cryptococcus gattii, which can cause pneumonia or meningitis. Fortunately, it’s still very rare. Of the 50-plus cases, around 10 of them have died. The fungus originates in soil and is associated with certain tree species, and becomes airborne. The airborne fungus is inhaled. It's not spread from person to person. Four symptoms are typical of infection with C. gattii. They include:
- Severe headache
- Fever
- Chills
- Shortness of breath
Infections can be treated with antifungal agents, but no vaccine is available for C. gattii.
4. Mediterranean Diet Helps Protect Aging Brain (Experimental Biology 2010 meeting, 4/26/10)
Eating a Mediterranean diet may help keep your brain healthy as you age. This diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil, lower meat consumption, and moderate wine and non-refined grain intake. Adults over age 65 should look to include more olive oil, legumes, nuts, and seeds in their diet in order to improve their recall times and other cognitive skills, such as identifying symbols and numbers.
5. More Chocolate Means More Depression, or Vice Versa (Archives of Internal Medicine, 4/26/10)
Indulging in chocolate may help lift one’s mood, but people who eat the most chocolate have a greater likelihood of depression. In this study, people who ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month tested positive for possible depression, while people who ate only 5.4 servings per month did not test positive. They defined a medium-sized serving as one small bar or 28 grams (1 ounce) of chocolate candy.
6. College students are 'addicted' to social media and even experience withdrawal symptoms from it (LiveScience.com, 4/10)
American college students are hooked on cellphones, social media and the Internet and showing symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addiction. Many college students asked to give up all media for one full day showed signs of withdrawal, craving and anxiety along with an inability to function well without their media and social links.
7. Obesity and Inactivity Up Risk for Fibromyalgia (Arthritis Care & Research, 5/10)
Being overweight or obese is a strong and independent risk factor for the future development of fibromyalgia in women, particularly for those who are inactive.
8. Genes influence smoking addiction (Nature Genetics, 4/25/10)
Starting smoking and addiction to it could be driven to a large degree by your genes.
9. FDA OKs Provenge for Prostate Cancer: Immune Therapy 'Vaccine' (American Cancer Society, 4/27/10)
The prostate cancer vaccine, called Provenge, appears to extend survival in men with advanced prostate cancer, and it does so without the serious side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy. Provenge is a therapeutic (not preventative) vaccine that is made from the patient's own white blood cells. Once removed from the patient, the cells are treated with the drug and placed back into the patient. These treated cells then cause an immune response, which in turn kills cancer cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed.
10. Pill to Stop Premature Ejaculation Goes on Sale in U.K.: Priligy (The Sun, 4/26/10)
As many as one out of three men may be affected by premature ejaculation at some point. The first pill to prevent premature ejaculation called Priligy launched in the U.K. The drug is taken one to three hours before sex, and makes a man last three times as long. It works by altering levels of a chemical in the brain called serotonin, which helps a man to have more control over his moment of climax. But it is costly — at $116 for a pack of three Priligy 30 mg tablets. Side effects include: fits or seizures, feeling faint or light headed when standing up, mood changes, and suicidal thoughts. Priligy is not yet available in the U.S. but we will keep you updated.
11. Drug Reverses Diabetes-Related Vision Loss: Lucentis (Ophthalmology, 4/27/10)
A new treatment can reverse vision loss in many patients with diabetic macular edema, a leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes.
12. Higher Vitamin D, Better Golden Years? (Experimental Biology 2010 meeting, 4/25/20)
Vitamin D, already considered a way to help fight colds, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other ills may also keep people mobile in their golden years. Older adults with higher vitamin D levels have improved mobility.
13. Vitamin D in pill form may cut breast cancer risk (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 4/4/10)
Women's dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium doesn't seem to influence their risk of breast cancer, before or after menopause. But taking vitamin D in supplement form may be protective against the disease.
14. Vitamin E shows promise for treating liver disease (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/28/10)
People with a common, obesity-related liver disease, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, that has no known treatment got a surprising benefit from vitamin E pills. It appears to be the first time that a vitamin supplement has been shown to help treat a major ailment not caused by a nutrient deficiency. However, this does not mean you should automatically take vitamin E since some research suggests it might raise the risk of other problems such as bleeding strokes and heart failure.
15. Laughter Can Stimulate a Dull Appetite (annual Experimental Biology meeting, 4/24-28/10)
Laughing can boost the appetite in the same way that exercise does, a finding that could help people eat more when they're sick or depressed.
16. 1976 Shot May Protect Against Modern H1N1 (Clinical Infectious Diseases, 4/10)
People who got immunized against the 1976 "swine flu" epidemic that never happened may have benefited from the shots after all -- they may have been protected from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu strain.
17. Feel down? It may be better to talk to the dog (Petside.com, 4/28/210)
A third of pet-owning married women said their pets are better listeners than their husbands. Eighteen percent of pet-owning married men said their pets are better listeners than their wives.
18. Bad habits can age you by 12 years (Archives of Internal Medicine, 4/26/1)
Four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years. The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
19. What You Eat Affects You, Your Kids and Your Grandkids (American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting, 4/22/10)
Eating poorly during pregnancy can increase your children's and your grandchildren's risk of cancer, even if they themselves eat healthily. The risk associated with high-fat diets, especially those high in omega-6 fatty acids, can be passed from one generation to another without any further exposure.
20. Sun-shy mothers may raise MS risk in babies (British Medical Journal, 4/30/10)
Children whose mothers had low exposure to sunlight during their first three months of pregnancy may have a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life.
21. Pre-term babies face lifetime lung trouble (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 4/22/10)
Children born extremely early -- at 25 weeks or before -- may risk a lifetime of lung problems, including asthma. They seem to have decreased lung function.
22. Mothers' obesity tied to newborn heart defects (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 4/10)
The more obese a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the likelihood that her baby will be born with a heart defect.
23. Recall: Simplicity, Graco Cribs Recalled: Thousands of Cribs Recalled After 1-Year-Old Boy Suffocates (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4/29/10)
The government has recalled thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs, warning that babies could suffocate or strangle in them. The problem with both types of cribs stems from hardware failures.
