Health Headlines - February 25

Powder Found In College Dorm Laundry Confirmed as Deadly Poison Ricin

A roll of quarters being used by a University of Texas student in Austin to do her laundry Friday was found to contain ricin, a deadly chemical for which there is no known antidote.

The student and her roommate were being treated Saturday for exposure to the substance, which is a by-product of castor beans, the Associated Press reported, although neither person has yet exhibited any symptoms of being affected by the chunky powder found in the roll of quarters.

"We were very concerned as soon as we heard about the positive testing late this evening," Dr. Theresa Spalding of UT Student Health Services, told the wire service Friday night. She added that the roll of quarters had been in the students' room at the Moore-Hill dormitory for several months.

As law enforcement official continue their investigation, the A.P. reports that the dorm was fumigated and students had been told they can return to the building.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ricin is a poison that can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid. It is not affected much by extreme conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.

Ricin may have some potential medical uses, the CDC says, such as bone marrow transplants and cancer treatment (to kill cancer cells). Unlike anthrax, ricin poisoning is not contagious. It cannot be spread from person to person through casual contact, according to the CDC.

Sheryl Crow Recovering From Breast Cancer Surgery

Speaking through her publicist, singer Sheryl Crow says she is recuperating from breast cancer surgery and that her doctors tell her she should recovery fully.

The Associated Press reports that Crow, 44, says she underwent minimally invasive surgery for breast cancer in a Los Angeles hospital Feb. 22 and will have follow-up radiation treatment. "Her doctors think her prognosis is excellent," Crow's publicist Dave Tomberlin told the wire service.

The singer, who recently amicably ended her engagement to champion bicyclist Lance Armstrong -- himself a cancer survivor -- also posted a statement on her Web site, emphasizing that she benefited from early detection and urged women to have regularly scheduled mammograms.

The A.P. quotes Armstrong as saying he was "devastated" by the news of Crow's illness. "Once again I'm reminded of just how pervasive this illness is, as it has now touched someone I love deeply," he said.

On her Web site Crow cited a cancer survivor group founded by Armstrong -- the LIVESTRONG Survivor Care group -- as a good source for information about the disease.

Glaxo Blocks Generic Nasal Spray Sales

GlaxoSmithKline has obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the shipment and sales of the just-approved generic competitor to its Flonase nasal spray for allergies.

A federal judge in Baltimore granted the 10-day order late Thursday, GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Mary Anne Rhyne said Friday, according to an Associated Press report.

The order covers Roxane Laboratories Inc.'s Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray, which the Food and Drug Administration approved Wednesday, as well as Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc.'s own generic version of Flonase, which GlaxoSmithKline authorized.

Par said in a statement that it would comply with the order. Roxane Laboratories spokeswoman Dawn Plante said her company also ceased shipments, which had begun the day it received FDA approval.

But Plante said she expected that the restraining order would be lifted following a March 6 hearing.

"The FDA determined that Fluticasone is bioequivalent to Flonase, and we're confident that once the court has the opportunity to review the facts, the suspension will be lifted," Plante said.

The court order, which expires March 6, comes one day after GlaxoSmithKline sued the FDA alleging the agency failed to follow its own regulations in approving the Flonase generic and failed to apply the same quality standards, Rhyne said. The company made the same arguments in petitions it filed with the FDA, which the FDA rejected.

French Officials Awaiting Results of Turkey Bird Flu Tests

Bird flu has been found on a turkey farm in France, but officials said Friday that they're still awaiting test results to confirm whether it's the deadly H5N1 strain, Agence France Presse reported.

If confirmed, it would be the first outbreak of the virus in poultry stocks in France, which is the largest poultry producerer in the European Union (EU). The H5N1 virus has been found in wild birds in France.

So far, the virus has been confirmed in 10 European countries.

EU health ministers were scheduled to meet Friday with international health experts on how to deal with large-scale outbreaks of H5N1. It's expected the EU ministers will agree to launch a public education campaign to raise awareness about bird flu, AFP reported.

Since it first appeared in 2003, the H5N1 virus has devastated poultry flocks and killed 92 people. Experts fear it may mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a pandemic.

Meanwhile, a new poll shows that about 60 percent of Americans are concerned about bird flu, but fewer than a third believe it will show up in the United States this year. The poll of 1,043 adults also found that blacks are more worried about bird flu than whites, the Associated Press reported.

The poll also found that only 2 percent of the respondents had talked to their doctor about Tamiflu or other antiretroviral drugs that might be used to treat bird flu in humans. Even fewer reported that they'd obtained a prescription, the AP reported.

That seems to contradict reports that many Americans are trying to stockpile Tamiflu.

Three More People Placed on Antibiotics in Anthrax Case

As officials widened their investigation into an anthrax case in New York City, three people at a Brooklyn residence were placed under medical observation and put on antibiotics, Newsday reported.

In total, seven people in New York exposed to raw animal hides being used to make drums have been placed on antibiotics, the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in statement.

A 44-year-old Greenwich Village man with inhalation anthrax is listed in stable condition in a hospital in Pennsylvania. It's believed that Vado Diomande, a dancer and drummer, contracted the potentially fatal bacteria from untreated goat hides he got in West Africa two months ago, Newsday reported.

He was diagnosed with anthrax after he collapsed following a performance he gave in Sayre, Pennsylvania.

This is an isolated incident that does not pose a threat to public health or safety and there's not a shred of evidence suggesting criminal or terrorist activity, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg emphasized.

Food Fact:
Sounds shellfishy...

Think you should avoid shrimp because it's high in cholesterol? Think again... All shellfish are low in fat, have almost no saturated fat, and fit squarely into a heart-healthy diet when boiled, steamed, grilled or pan-seared. The one no-no is ordering it fried, which boosts the fat totals way higher than they need to be.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Home sweat home.

A home gym can remake your body and save money -- if you know how to use it. For home exercise programs to succeed, you need to treat a room in your home like your own private health club. When you enter the room you have entered the gym. Be sure to establish a training time that you will stick to keep all other activities OUT of the room.

FAQ of the day:
What are the most cancer-protective vegetables?

In population surveys, the following categories seem to be the the most cancer-protective: Raw vegetables, alliums (onions, garlic), carrots, green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and tomatoes.