Previous Medical News

2010/06/19

1.  US panel approves French morning-after pill: "Ella" (FDA, 6/17/10)
An FDA advisory panel has voted unanimously to allow the sale of a controversial French birth control pill, which can prevent pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected sex. The manufacturers, France's HRA Pharma laboratory, say it delays ovulation, while opponents maintain it works by stopping a fertilized egg from implanting in the walls of a woman's uterus. It would be in competition with Plan B, already available over the counter here, and its generic version, Next Choice. The most common adverse reactions were nausea, headache, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and dizziness.

2.  Proposed Dietary Guidelines Take Aim at Obesity: Strict New USDA Nutrition Guidelines (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 6/15/20)
The newly proposed guidelines suggest reducing sodium intake from 2,300 milligrams to 1,500 milligrams per day and stress a vegetarian-style diet rich in vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds with only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, and eggs. The guidelines also call for cutting back on sugary sodas and beverages and eating less saturated fat. As to what Americans should eat more of, the guidelines suggest seafood and low-fat dairy products.

3.  Scientists Tease Out Links Between Diabetes, Cancer (CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, July/August 2010)
People with diabetes may have something else to be concerned about -- an increased risk of cancer. It is unclear if there is a direct cause or if it is related to obesity or certain insulins.

4.  No Proof Healthy Lifestyle Prevents Alzheimer’s (Annals of Internal Medicine, 6/15/10)
There's no solid scientific proof that lifestyle measures can prevent Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline according to a panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.

5.  Most Doctors Giving Pap Test Too Often: But don't skip gynecological exam (Archives of Internal Medicine, 6/14/10)
Doctors may be giving the Pap test too often to women at low risk of cervical cancer. Guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) now recommend that women over age 30 who’ve had three normal Pap tests wait three years before getting another test. Pap tests, or smears, look for abnormal cells that can be a sign of cervical cancer. But a survey of about 1,200 primary care doctors, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that fewer than one-third of doctors abide by those recommendations and instead are recommending more frequent screening. Here are current Pap test guidelines from ACOG:

Women are advised to get their first test at age 21 and then every two years until age 30. Women over 30 and older who’ve had three normal Pap tests and no abnormal history can be re-screened every three years; this also applies to women who’ve had a normal Pap and a negative HPV test. After no abnormal Pap result for 10 years and three or more negative results consecutively, women can stop the test at age 65 or 70. There are real downsides to over-screening. These include unnecessary cost for the test itself, anxiety, and unnecessary follow-up testing, such as colposcopy.

ACOG revised its cervical cancer screening guidelines in late 2009 after determining that outcomes, including cancer deaths, were not being improved by annual screening and that doctors could safely extend the interval. During their annual exam, women should discuss whether or not they need a Pap smear with their doctor, who will make the call based on age, Pap smear history and HPV status. An annual exam with a gynecologist for a woman should include a breast and pelvic exam, discussion of menstruation, contraceptive needs or menopausal symptoms.

6.  Cord blood transplants a viable option in leukemia (Lancet Oncology, 6/10)
Adult patients with leukemia fare just as well when they get stem cell transplants taken from a cord blood bank as they do from a well-suited adult donor.

7.  Ninety Percent of Stroke Risk Due to 10 Risk Factors (The Lancet, 6/18/10)
10 risk factors account for 90 percent of all the risk of stroke, with high blood pressure playing the most potent role. Of that list, five risk factors usually related to lifestyle -- high blood pressure, smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and physical activity -- are responsible for a full 80 percent of all stroke risk. The 10 factors significantly associated with stroke risk are high blood pressure, smoking, physical activity, waist-to-hip ratio (abdominal obesity), diet, blood lipid (fat) levels, diabetes, alcohol intake, stress and depression, and heart disorders.

8.  Healthy Diet May Lower Cataract Risk for Women (Archives of Ophthalmology, 6/10)
Eating healthfully isn’t just good for your heart, your bones, or keeping your weight down. New research shows good nutrition is also good for your eyes. A healthy diet leading to a reduced risk of cataracts includes high quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein such as beans, fish, eggs, and low quantities of salt and fat. Avoid smoking and obesity.

9.  Eating eggs doesn't seem to up diabetes risk (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 6/9/10)
An egg a day for breakfast probably won't increase your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

10.  Doubts Cast on 'Male Menopause' Criteria (New England Journal of Medicine, 6/16/10)
For many middle-aged and elderly men, low libido, depressed mood and a lack of energy may just be the signs of normal aging -- and not low testosterone levels. Only three symptoms -- fewer morning erections, fewer sexual thoughts, and erectile dysfunction -- were consistently related to low levels of the male sex hormone. Apart from its role in sexual problems low testosterone can be a marker for problems like obesity and diabetes, and is important for overall health.

11.  Why People Get Ear Infections (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 6/16/10)
Possible causes of ear infection include:

• A sinus infection or the common cold.
• Allergies.
• Exposure to tobacco smoke or other irritating substances.
• Infected or overgrown adenoids.
• A side effect of teething among young children.

12.  Cheap drug could save tens of thousands (TXA): Drug Could Be a Lifesaver for Accident Victims (The Lancet, 6/15/10)
TXA is a cheap drug that can stop bleeding in recently injured accident patients. Researchers studied the effects of tranexamic acid, or TXA, in more than 10,000 adult trauma patients in 40 countries who received the drug within 8 hours of being injured. Patients who got TXA had a 15 percent lower chance of dying from a hemorrhage than those who didn't get it.

13.  FDA OKs New Drug for Advanced Prostate Cancer: Jevtana (FDA, 6/17/10)
Jevtana is a new drug treatment for advanced prostate cancer that hasn't responded to other treatments and has been approved by the FDA. Jevtana can be used for treatment when other therapies no longer work. Called Jevtana (cabazitaxel) the chemotherapy drug is used in combination with the steroid prednisone and has been found to lengthen survival by nearly 2 and 1/2 months in men who have run out of treatment options.

14.  Vitamin B6 Linked to Lower Lung Cancer Risk (Journal of the American Medical Association, 6/16/10)
Having higher blood levels of vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine both appear to reduce lung cancer risk in smokers, nonsmokers, and those who quit. Vitamin B6 is found in beans, grains, meat, poultry, fish, and some fruits and vegetables. Methionine is found in animal protein, some nuts, and vegetable seeds.

15.  Vitamin D May Cut Risk of Flu (Plos ONE, 6/16/10)
Vitamin D may reduce the incidence and severity of influenza and other infections of the upper respiratory tract.

16.  Calcium, Vitamin D Supplements OK for Arteries (Menopause, 6/16/10)
Moderate doses of calcium and vitamin D supplements don't raise women's coronary artery calcium (CAC) levels. Researchers used cardiac computed tomography imaging to measure coronary artery calcium (CAC) levels in 754 women who were aged 50 to 59 at the time of enrollment. CAC scores were similar among women who took calcium (1,000 milligrams of elemental calcium daily) plus vitamin D3 (400 International Units daily) for an average of seven years and women who took a placebo. Vitamin D may reduce the incidence and severity of influenza and other infections of the upper respiratory tract. Simple steps such as eating foods rich with vitamin D and getting more sunshine (up to 15 minutes per day unprotected) may help to reduce your chances of contracting flu and other similar illnesses.

17.  Hopes Dashed That Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Risk (American Journal of Epidemiology, 6/18/10)
Researchers found no link between higher blood levels of vitamin D and lower rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma or cancers of the endometrium, esophagus, stomach, kidney, ovary and pancreas.

18.  Healthy Diet May Cut Colorectal Cancer Risk (Journal of Nutrition, 7/10)
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, and fish may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer.

19.  Mediterranean Diet Helps Offset Bad Genes (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 7/10)
Mediterranean-style diet -- one that is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in saturated fats -- promotes heart function even in men who are genetically predisposed to poor heart health.

20.  Common blood pressure drugs may raise cancer risk (Lancet Oncology, 6/10)
Use of a popular class of drugs for high blood pressure and heart failure is associated with a slight boost in cancer risk. An analysis of available data on drugs in the class known as angiotensin-receptor blockers showed patients were 1.2 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a new cancer over four years than others who did not take the drugs. Most patients in the trials (86 percent) took telmisartan, sold as Micardis. There were not enough data in the studies to say if individual drugs in the class raise the risk or if it is a so-called class effect shared by all such drugs. Regulators need to look more closely at the risk of cancer with ARB use and doctors should be more cautious about prescribing ARBs, and especially Micardis. Boehringer Ingelheim defended the safety of its drug, saying in a statement its own "internal safety data analysis of primary data contradicts the conclusions" of an increased cancer risk. Angiotensin-receptor blockers or ARBs work by blocking receptors for angiotensin II, a hormone that increases blood pressure. They are used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. Other drugs in the class, and their generic include: Cozaar (losartan), Diovan (valsartan), Avapro (irbesartan), Benicar (olmesartan) and Teveten (eprosartan). Overall, they found that patients taking the drugs had 7.2 percent risk of having a new cancer diagnosis, compared with 6 percent risk for patients in the control groups.

21.  Abuse of Meds Sends as Many to ER as Illegal Drugs (CDC, 6/17/10)
For the first time, emergency room visits from the abuse of medicines have become as common as those from illegal drugs. ERs in 2008 saw about 1 million visits from the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter medicines — mostly painkillers and sedatives. That was about the same number of visits from people overdosing on heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

22.  Being obese raises the risk of sexual problems (BMJ, 6/15/10)
Being fat can be bad for the bedroom, especially if you're a woman. Obese women had more trouble finding a sexual partner than their normal-weight counterparts, though the same wasn't true for obese men, and were four times as likely to have an unplanned pregnancy. Fat men also reported a higher rate of erectile dysfunction.

23.  'Good' HDL Cholesterol Now Tied to Lower Cancer Risk (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 6/22/10)
Higher blood levels of HDL cholesterol, the "good" kind that protects against heart disease, are also strongly associated with a lower risk of cancer. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, don’t smoking and consume alcohol in moderation.

24.  White rice linked to higher diabetes risk (Archives of Internal Medicine, 6/14/10)
This is a new study that has linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety. People who ate at least five servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed less than one serving per month.

25.  Sugary foods linked to pancreatic cancer risk (Annals of Epidemiology, 6/10)
People with diets high in sweets and other foods that cause rapid blood-sugar spikes may have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who eat less of those foods. High intake of sugar, candy, honey, jam and white flour products was linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

26.  Quitting smoking may stub out stress (Addiction, 6/10)
Smokers often say they need a cigarette to calm their nerves, but a new study suggests that after a person kicks the habit, chronic stress levels may go down.

27.  Limiting TV Time Makes Kids Active (Pediatrics, 7/10)
Children whose parents set limits on the time their kids are allowed to watch television or spend on a computer are more likely to engage in physical activity than youngsters who are glued to screens without restriction.

28.  Babies May Get Too Much Vitamin D From Droppers (FDA, 6/15/10)
The FDA is warning parents and caregivers of infants that some liquid vitamin D supplement products sold with droppers could allow excessive doses to be given to babies, which could be harmful. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children older than 2 should be allowed no more than one to two hours of “quality entertainment media” per day.

29.  Prognosis Good for Most Children With Epilepsy (Epilepsia, 6/14/10)
Children with new-onset epilepsy of unknown origin have a much higher rate of remission than those with symptomatic epilepsy, caused by underlying brain damage or disease.

30.  Recall: J&J recalls Benadryl, Tylenol overlooked in January: Recall tied to moldy-smelling Tylenol expands (Johnson & Johnson, 6/15/10)
Johnson and Johnson has recalled four additional lots of Benadryl allergy tablets and one lot of Extra Strength Tylenol gels. The latest action is a "follow-up" to the recall in January. On that occasion, 53 million bottles of a range of products were recalled after consumers complained of musty or moldy odors. The brands included Tylenol and Motrin painkillers, Rolaids, Benadryl and St. Joseph's Aspirin.

31.  Recall: Campbell Soup recalls 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs: SpaghettiOs Recalled Over Meatball Concerns (Campbell Soup Co., 6/18/10)
Campbell Soup Co. is recalling 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with meatballs after a cooker malfunctioned at one of the company's plants in Texas and left the meat undercooked. The recall includes SpaghettiOs with Meatballs, SpaghettiOs A to Z with Meatballs, and SpaghettiOs Fun Shapes with Meatballs (Cars).