Thursday, February 17, 2005

Health Headlines - February 17

Study: the Pill Changes Women's Taste in Men

Scientists reported on Wednesday a remarkable new side effect of the Pill -- it changes women's preference in men.

FDA Whistleblower to Air New Pain Drug Analysis

A veteran U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientist will unveil new data on Thursday before an expert panel charged with determining whether pain relievers similar to Merck & Co. Inc.'s now-withdrawn Vioxx should remain on the market.

Prostate Cancer Vaccine Helps Patients Live Longer

A prostate cancer "vaccine" made by Dendreon Corp. can help patients with severe, advanced disease live a little bit longer, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

Early Spinal Pain Relief Safe for Delivery

Doctors can safely inject pain-killing drugs into the spines of women who are in the early stages of labor without increasing the risk of Caesarean section, researchers said on Wednesday.

Expedited Treatment Cuts Gonorrhea Recurrence Rate

Doctors can reduce the risk of gonorrhea patients reacquiring the sexually transmitted disease by arranging to provide antibiotics to their sex partners, researchers said on Wednesday.

New Flu Strain Picked for Flu Vaccine Mix

A new strain of flu virus called "A California" will be added to the mix used in the U.S. vaccine for next season, which is already causing anxiety after a shortage in the current season.

Private Plans Should Set Drug Prices -Medicare

As some lawmakers clamor for letting Medicare directly negotiate drug prices, Medicare's chief said on Wednesday that the health program for the elderly could save more money by letting the private sector set prices.

Coffee May Reduce Risk of Liver Cancer

Habitual coffee drinking seems to be associated with a lower risk of developing liver cancer, according to a study conducted in Japan and reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Canadian Beef Entered U.S. Due to Lax Oversight

Lax oversight by the U.S. Agriculture Department and confused food safety inspectors were to blame for imports of 42,000 pounds of Canadian beef products in 2004 that violated a U.S. mad cow disease ban, federal investigators said on Wednesday.

U.S. Court in Louisiana to Handle Vioxx Cases

Merck and Co. Inc. on Wednesday said a New Orleans federal court will handle pretrial matters for federal lawsuits filed by former users of Vioxx, who claim they were harmed by the company's withdrawn arthritis drug.

New Prostate Cancer Treatment Promising

Doctors are reporting their first success at improving survival in men with advanced prostate cancer by using a treatment that trains the immune system to fight tumors.

Early Epidural Won't Raise C-Section Risk

Pregnant women can be given a low-dose epidural early in labor without raising their chances of a Caesarean section, according to a study that could change the way obstetricians practice and make childbirth a lot less painful for many mothers-to-be.

Study: Partner Treatment Works for STDs

People with chlamydia or gonorrhea are supposed to tell past sexual partners about their diagnosis and urge them to get treatment. A new study says giving the patients medicine to pass on to their possibly infected sexual partners works even better.

Protein Level May Predict Heart Trouble

Levels of a stress-related protein in the blood could give doctors a powerful new tool for deciding which patients with clogged heart arteries are most in danger and need aggressive treatment, a study found.

FDA Promises Action on Painkiller Safety

A Merck & Co. official said Wednesday that all painkillers in the same class as the company's Vioxx may cause heart problems or strokes, a change from the drug-maker's earlier position that such health issues appeared limited to its drug.

Transplant Patients Get Rabies From Organs

Three hospital patients in Germany appear to have been infected with rabies through organ transplants and are in critical condition, a medical foundation said Wednesday.

Report Questions Stress Disorder Efforts

Congressional investigators are questioning whether the Veterans Affairs Department can adequately help troops who may return from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Judge OKs Taking Infant Off Life Support

An infant with an often-lethal skeletal disorder can be removed from life support against his mother's wishes, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Managed Care Makes Little Difference in Cancer Care

Increasing the percentage of community residents enrolled in managed care plans has little or no effect on the overall quality of care for cancer patients in that community, a report suggests.

Gene Linked to Heavy Metal Poisoning

A gene responsible for spreading the toxic effects of cadmium, and perhaps other heavy metals, throughout the body has been identified by University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers.

Asthma Pill Cuts Intermittent Flare-ups in Kids

Singulair, an oral asthma drug, can reduce symptoms in youngsters who have intermittent asthma flare-ups linked to infection, a new study reports.

Temporary Rise in HIV Level No Cause for Alarm

Sudden, temporary increases ("blips") in the amount of HIV in the blood generally don't mean the AIDS-causing virus is developing resistance to drugs, says a Johns Hopkins University study.

Antibiotic 'Partner Packets' Cut STD Rates

Giving people diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea free antibiotic "partner packets" works better than simply asking them to warn their partners that they might be infected, new research suggests.

Single Gene Defect Could Drive Some Mental Illness

A subtle imbalance in the activity of a single gene may be responsible for the multiple symptoms experienced by people with complex developmental disorders like schizophrenia, new research suggests.

AIDS activists urge South African government to 'wake up to AIDS'

Some 2,000 AIDS activists marched on the South African parliament to urge the government to "wake up" to the pandemic and provide free anti-retroviral drugs to 200,000 people by 2006.

Ho Chi Minh City bans all poultry raising in bid to fight bird flu

All poultry raising has been banned in Vietnam's southern business capital Ho Chi Minh City this year to limit the risk of bird flu transmitting to humans, officials said.

Organic greens strengthen the immune system: Danish study

Organically grown vegetables strengthen the immune systems and add more vitamin E to the bloodstream in rats, according to a new Danish study.

Kenya to launch anti-polio drive after outbreak in Sudan

Kenya said it will launch an emergency drive to vaccinate nearly 200,000 children against polio in the country's northwest this month after an outbreak in January in neighboring Sudan.

Japanese medical giant to invest in two private Bangladesh hospitals

Japan's largest medical chain will build two new hospitals in Bangladesh to grab a share of the estimated 330 million dollars now spent annually on overseas health care, officials said.

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