Face Transplant Raises Ethical Concerns
While some doctors have welcomed news of the world's first partial face transplant, announced Wednesday in France, others expressed concern about ethical issues and said more research is needed into the long-term risks of such an operation.
Paris-based reconstructive surgeon Dr. Laurent Lantieri said the doctors who performed the transplant on the French woman -- whose face was disfigured by a dog attack in May -- did not first try normal reconstructive surgery, which is a violation of advice from a government ethics panel, the Associated Press reported.
Lantieri also expressed concern that the woman, who was given a new nose, lips and chin, may not be psychologically fit to endure this kind of transplant and the requirement to remain on a life-long drug regimen after the operation.
The women is in excellent condition and her organs looked normal, said a statement from the hospital where doctors performed the transplant.
This case opens up many moral and ethical issues, according to Iain Hutchinson, chief executive of Saving Faces, the Facial Surgery Research Foundation.
"This was a quality-of-life operation rather than a life-saving operation and has many implications for the recipient and donor's families," Hutchinson told CNN.
"The recipient chose to take the risk of the operation failing if the blood vessels become blocked. There's a medium-term risk of the immunosuppressant drugs failing to control rejection of the donor tissue, and a long-term risk of the drugs causing cancers," Hutchinson said. "She could be back to square one without a face, needing further reconstruction operations."
In the United States, only one medical institution -- the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio -- has the approval of its internal review board to perform a full face transplant. No suitable patient has yet been found for a transplant, which would only be conducted on severely disfigured patients, a Cleveland Clinic official told CNN.
ADHD Patch Not Safe: FDA Panel
An experimental skin patch to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children can't be marketed safely, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel.
The patch, which contains the active ingredient methylphenidate, could not be proven safe, according to the clinical review summary posted on the FDA's Web site, the Associated Press reported.
The review found that that the patch, meant for children 6 to 12 years old, caused " a high incidence of insomnia, anorexia or decreased appetite, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms."
The FDA panel also concluded that the patch was associated with a relatively high risk of developing tic disorder, the AP reported. The FDA typically heeds the advice of the panel.
Deadly Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria More Common : CDC
U.S. federal health officials warned Thursday that a deadly bacterial illness that commonly afflicts people on antibiotics seems to becoming more common, even among people not taking antibiotics.
Clostridium difficile is turning into a common threat in nursing homes and hospitals. Last year, the germ was blamed for 100 deaths over 18 months at a hospital in Quebec, Canada, the Associated Press reported.
A report in this week's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 33 recent cases in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and New Hampshire suggest that C-diff is showing up more often in healthy people who haven't taken antibiotics and have not been admitted to medical facilities.
"What exactly has made C-diff act up right now, we don't know," CDC epidemiologist Dr. L. Clifford McDonald told the AP.
C-diff, which is found in the colon, can cause diarrhea and more serious intestinal problems. The bacteria are spread by spores in feces. Conventional household cleaners are often ineffective against these spores.
Drug Discount Card Program Had Numerous Problems: Report
The U.S. government's drug discount card program for Medicare beneficiaries was plagued by a number of serious problems, said a Government Accountability Office (GOA) report released Wednesday.
The discount cards were issued to 6.4 million Medicare users and was a forerunner to the new drug benefit that takes effect next year.
According to the GOA report, the federal government and insurance companies often gave consumers inaccurate and incomplete information about the cards. It also said the discount cards were sometimes used to buy barbiturates and other drugs forbidden under the program, The New York Times reported.
The Bush administration had said prescription drug costs would be cut by 10 percent to 25 percent for card users. However, the GOA investigators noted that Medicare officials couldn't document the savings due to a lack of reliable data on price breaks obtained from drug makers and pharmacies, the newspaper reported.
The GOA study was requested by Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a Democrat from California. He noted there are "fundamental similarities" between the card program and the new drug benefit and said the report may be a sign of possible problems with the new drug benefit.
Soft Drink Sales Decline at U.S. Schools: Report
The amount of non-diet soft drinks sold in American schools declined more than 24 percent between 2002 and 2004, according to an American Beverage Association report released Thursday.
Over that same two-year period, the amount of sports drinks sold increased nearly 70 percent, while bottled water, diet soda, and fruit juice increased by 23 percent, 22 percent and 15 percent, respectively, the Associated Press reported.
Even with the decline, regular soft drinks still have the highest sales in U.S. schools, accounting for 45 percent of beverages sold in 2005, compared to 57 percent in 2002, the beverage industry said.
From 2002 to 2005, the amount of sports drinks sold increased from nearly 7 percent to more than 14 percent, and water jumped from 9 percent to nearly 13 percent, the AP reported.
The report is seen as an effort to ease lawsuit threats against soft-drink companies. In addition, many schools have limited or banned soda sales in response to mounting concerns about childhood obesity, the AP account said.
Fruit Bats May Harbor Ebola Virus
Three species of African fruit bats carry the deadly Ebola virus and may be the reservoir where the virus resides between outbreaks in humans and primates, says an international team of scientists.
The researchers found fragments of the Ebola virus or evidence of immune response to it in three species of fruit bats in Gabon and Congo. These bats are eaten by people in central Africa, where Ebola outbreaks have occurred, The New York Times reported.
The findings appear in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Nature.
While this study suggests that the bats may play a role in transmitting the Ebola virus to people and primates, "there is still insufficient evidence to conclude that they are the natural reservoir of the disease," Marian Cheng, a World Health Organization spokeswoman, told the Times.
Health Tip: Using a Nasal Spray
Cold season is here, stuffy nose symptoms and all. A nasal spray can be an effective remedy, but it must be used properly.
Here are some suggestions, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
Blow your nose.
Shake the canister or pump several times before using it.
Close the nostril on the side not receiving the medication.
Press down on the canister or squeeze the pump bottle as you begin to breathe in slowly through your nose. Repeat these steps for the other nostril.
Try not to sneeze or blow your nose just after using the spray.
Don't use the spray beyond the limit suggested by the manufacturer without consulting your doctor.
Health Tip: Skateboard Safely
Skateboarding is as popular as ever, especially among younger children and teens.
To keep them safe, here's a list of suggestions to prevent skateboard injuries, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:
Use a quality skateboard, and keep it in working order.
Learn the basic skills of the sport.
Wear protective equipment, including a helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and proper shoes.
Be careful with tricks and jumps.
Stay in shape.
Don't use headphones while skateboarding.
Know what to do in an emergency.
Food Fact:
Billions and billions served.
We're not talking about Big Macs; it's the number of people around the world who eat tofu every day. Tofu is an excellent source of protein and health-supportive soy isoflavones. It's also an excellent starting point for culinary creativity. Tofu comes in a range of densities: silken, soft, firm and extra firm. Firm or extra-firm tofu holds its shape when sliced. Use it for stir-fries, stews and braises. Soft and silken tofu is creamier. When pureed, tofu adds richness to dips and dressings like hummus and baba ghanoush. Smoked pressed tofu is very convenient -- it can be sliced and eaten as is in salads or sandwiches, or cooked in stir-fries and braises, and it comes in several flavors. Look for plain smoked, Thai seasoning, barbecue or lemon-garlic at your supermarket or whole-foods store.
Fitness Tip of the day:
On-the-job training.
Make your workstation a "workout station" -- our tips show you how. Simple objects such as staplers and tape dispensers can be used as weights to perform simple exercises at your desk. Perform curling and pressing movements while seated in your chair. Make sure to get up every 30 minutes or so to stretch your legs and back.
FAQ of the day:
What's the best breakfast cereal?
Oddly enough, not necessarily the one with the most fiber. Breakfast cereals range from 0 to 14 grams of fiber. But you'll want one that not only contains whole grains, but has little sugar; is fat-free or low in fat; and is moderate in sodium.
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