Saturday, February 05, 2005

Health Headlines - February 5

Constant Worry May Increase Alzheimer's Risk

People who have a tendency to worry or feel very stressed out may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life, new research reports.

FDA Staff Questions Heart Risks of Merck's Arcoxia

Merck & Co. Inc.'s painkiller Arcoxia offers a "marginal" advantage in gastrointestinal safety but seems "worse than" other pain drugs in terms of deaths and serious cardiovascular problems, U.S. regulatory staff said in documents released on Friday.

Court Blocks Rule Easing Retiree Healthcare Coverage

An advocacy group for U.S. retirees said on Friday that it won a court order barring the government from allowing companies to drop older retirees from health care coverage while retaining coverage for younger retired workers.

UN Treaty Writers Weigh Abortion Ban for Disabled

U.N. diplomats drafting an international treaty on the rights of the disabled debated a possible ban on the abortion of fetuses with disabilities in an emotional negotiating session that ended on Friday.

Bat Saliva Drug May Improve Stroke Outcome

The results of a small study suggest that desmoteplase, an investigational clot-busting drug derived from vampire bat saliva, safely restores blood supply to the brain when administered up to 9 hours after a stroke occurs.

Supplement May Slow Marker of Prostate Cancer

A mix of dietary supplements including antioxidants and plant-based estrogens may slow the rise of a biomarker for prostate cancer progression in some men, preliminary research suggests.

Steroid Therapy Impairs Long-Term Memory

Treatment with high-dose steroids for multiple sclerosis and other disorders may impair long-term memory, according to a report in the medical journal Neurology.

Novartis Drug Risk Seen Similar to Vioxx

A clinical trial for Novartis AG's experimental painkiller Prexige showed the risk of heart attack, stroke and death was "similar" to Merck & Co. Inc.'s now withdrawn Vioxx, U.S. regulatory staff said in documents released on Friday.

Japan Has First Death from Human Mad Cow Disease

Japan confirmed Friday its first case of the human variant of mad cow disease after the death of a man believed to have contracted the fatal brain-wasting illness from eating infected beef in Britain.

Lithium May Curb Gambling in Manic-Depressives

Sustained-release lithium may be an effective treatment for pathological gambling in patients with bipolar spectrum disorder, also referred to as manic depression, the results of a small study suggest.

Doctor Diagnosed With Disease He Fought

The shocking self-diagnosis dawned slowly but inevitably on Dr. Richard Olney, a top neurologist who dedicated his career to helping those afflicted with the fatal "Lou Gehrig's disease."

Study Probes Many Uses for Stimulants

About 1.2 million people age 12 and older used the brain-damaging drug methamphetamine or prescription stimulants for non-medical reasons in 2003, unchanged from the year before, the government's substance abuse prevention agency reported Friday.

Pfizer: Celebrex Causes No Increased Risk

Pfizer Inc. said Friday its pain reliever Celebrex showed no increased overall risk of cardiovascular problems in a massive analysis of 41 completed studies involving 44,000 patients.

UC Considers Using Barcodes for Cadavers

Shaken by scandals involving the black-market sale of body parts, University of California officials are considering inserting supermarket-style barcodes or radio frequency devices in cadavers to keep track of them.

Medical Journal Details Rams Infections

Five St. Louis Rams developed infections after sustaining turf burns in 2003, and a few members of the San Francisco 49ers developed infections after playing the Rams early that season, a medical researcher said Friday.

Radiology Society Issues Guidelines

Overseas radiologists should be licensed by states and credentialed by the U.S. hospitals that contract their services, according to new guidelines from the American College of Radiology published Friday.

WHO: Efforts to Eradicate Polio on Track

The number of polio cases reported in Asia fell by almost half last year, meaning that efforts to eradicate the disease on the continent by the end of 2005 are on course, the World Health Organization said Friday. Africa, however, remains a problem.

Experts Give Pope's Parkinson's Grim View

While the Vatican expresses optimism Pope John Paul II will rebound from his latest health crisis, outside medical experts give a grimmer longterm view, saying the pontiff's Parkinson's disease puts him on a deadly path.

Cameroon Suspends Anti-AIDS Drug Tests

Cameroon suspended controversial tests of a U.S.-manufactured anti-AIDS drug Friday amid complaints that prostitutes were encouraged to have unprotected sex under the trials with no guarantee of medical care if they became infected.

Seizures After Epilepsy Surgery Indicate Continuing Risk

Early seizures following epilepsy surgery indicate that a patient is at high risk to continue having seizures, say Australian researchers.

Put Your Heart on That To-Do List

After sending the kids off to school, putting in a full day's work and tending to household chores, most women find there's precious little time to exercise, meditate or prepare luscious, heart-healthy meals.

Genes May Drive Child Obesity

A mother's love may be unconditional, but her genes can be a burden for some children, research suggests.

Japan OKs Enbrel For Rheumatoid Arthritis

The drug Enbrel (etanercept) has been by approved for use in Japan to treat people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who've had an inadequate response to existing therapies.

Menstrual Cycle Affects Depression Symptoms

A new finding that the menstrual cycle can affect depressive symptoms could aid doctors in evaluating and treating women suffering from depression.

Study: Mammograms Painless for Most Women

A new study suggests most women do not experience undue pain or anxiety during mammography screening, challenging a common belief that mammograms are painful.

Migraine With Vision Loss Ups Stroke Risk

Women who have migraines that include a loss of vision have a 70 percent higher risk of a stroke compared with women who don't, government researchers report.

New Scan Spots Drugs' Effects on Fetus

Scientists say they've developed a sophisticated, non-invasive new imaging tool to determine the effects of prenatal drug exposure on a fetus.

Test results on Cambodian bird flu victim expected by Monday

The results of tests carried out on a young Cambodian woman suspected of having died of bird flu are expected to be released sometime before Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Polio cases slashed in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan

The number of cases of polio has dropped by 45 percent in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, the three countries on the Asian continent that still have the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said here.

Dengue fever hits record highs in Singapore

Singapore last year experienced its worst outbreak of dengue fever in a decade, with the number of cases in the final three months tripling compared with the same period in 2003.

Vietnam suspends duck and quail breeding to fight bird flu spread

Vietnam said it had suspended the breeding of ducks and quails to combat the deadly bird flu outbreak which has spread to 33 of the country's 64 cities and provinces.

Experimental Portuguese stem cell procedure offers hope to paralyzed

An experimental stem cell treatment, currently only performed at an aging public hospital in Portugal, is raising hopes that thousands left paralyzed by accidents will once again be able to walk.

New case of mad cow disease in Poland

A new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, has been detected in Poland.

Djibouti conference issues declaration against female circumcision

A conference of about 300 experts mainly from Horn of Africa nations has issued a "Djibouti Declaration" against the practice of female circumcision, considered "a violation of human rights".

EU commissioner backs tougher smoking restrictions across Europe

EU Health Commissioner Marcos Kyprianou said that he would like to see continent-wide introduction of tough restrictions on smoking like those in force in Ireland and Italy but admitted he lacked the powers.

Adolescents smoking less in the Philippines

Smoking among young Filipinos has fallen by about a third in the three years to 2003, the Word Health Organisation said in a report.

Indonesian capital bans smoking in public places

Legislators in the Indonesian capital passed a law banning smoking in public places as part of efforts to combat pollution in one of the world's most polluted cities.

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