Health Headlines - August 17

Autism Affects Brain in Many Ways: Study

Autism affects many areas of the brain and causes a wide range of problems beyond impaired social interaction, concludes a U.S. study in the journal Child Neuropsychology.

U.S. researchers compared 56 children with autism and 56 children without the condition and found that the children with autism had much more difficulty with complex tasks, such as tying their shoelaces, BBC News reported.

Children with autism also had more problems with their handwriting and were less likely to be able to distinguish between similar-looking people. They also found it much harder to understand complex figures of speech.

According to the researchers, the findings suggest that autism affects sensory perception, memory and movement as it hinders the ability of different parts of the brain to work together to achieve complex tasks.

"These findings show that you cannot compartmentalize autism. It's much more complex," said lead researcher Nancy Minshew, a psychiatry and neurology expert at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

She said autism researchers shouldn't restrict their investigations to communication problems, repetitive behavior, or obsessive interests, BBC News reported.

"Our paper strongly suggests that autism is not primarily a disorder of social interaction but a global disorder affecting how the brain processes the information it receives -- especially when the information becomes complicated," Minshew said.

Folding Picnic Tables Recalled

More than 200,000 folding picnic tables are being recalled because they can buckle or break without warning during use, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

The distributor, Atico International USA Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has received 26 reports of the tables collapsing. There have been 18 reports of injuries, including muscle strains and a broken foot.


The tables were made in China. They have a green plastic top, four green plastic seats that are attached to the table, and silver/steel aluminum legs. Affected model numbers are W50B2268 and W50H0284, which are printed on the packaging.

The tables were sold for $20 to $40 nationwide between January 2001 and December 2005.

Consumers with these tables should immediately stop using them and call Atico for return instructions. Contact the company toll-free at 1-877-546-4835 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Average 2007 Medicare Monthly Drug Premium: $24

The average premium for Medicare prescription drug coverage next year will be about $24 a month, U.S. officials said.

That's about the same as this year and about 40 percent lower than first estimated for 2007, The New York Times reported.

Many Medicare drug plans currently charge less than $20 a month, with some as low as $1.87 a month. Others charge higher-than-average premiums, including one plan that costs more than $100 a month.

Beneficiaries favored low-cost plans and their choices, along with competition between the private insurers who deliver the drug benefit, had an effect on the average premium, The Times reported.

One expert noted that companies set their premiums low this year in order to attract large numbers of beneficiaries.

"Some plans decided to operate at cost, or below cost, to get a substantial share of the market. But plans cannot sustain that strategy and still make a profit," Babette Edgar, a consultant at the Gorman Health Group and a former Medicare official, told The Times.

It's not clear whether low premiums actually are a boon, noted a lawyer at the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy, which counsels beneficiaries.

"We do not know enough to determine whether the low premiums in 2007 are good for beneficiaries. Plans may be keeping costs low by unduly restricting access to the drugs they cover," attorney Vicki Gottlich told The Times.

Gerald Ford in Hospital for Tests

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, 93, was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. on Tuesday for unspecified "testing and evaluation," says a statement released by his office.

The statement didn't offer any more information about why Ford is hospitalized, the Associated Press reported.

"No further releases or updates are anticipated prior to early next week," the statement said. A Mayo Clinic spokesman said he couldn't provide additional details.

Last month, shortness of breath led Ford to spend a few days in a Colorado hospital. In January, he was hospitalized for 12 days for pneumonia, the AP reported.

Ford is the oldest living former U.S. president.

Weight Loss Worsens Cellulite in Some Women

Cellulite may actually become worse in some women after they lose weight, a U.S. study concludes.

Researchers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons monitored a group of women who shed pounds in medically-supervised programs and found that slimmer women who lost little weight and had looser skin had worse cellulite at the end of the study, BBC News reported.

The average weight loss among women in the study was 30.5 pounds, ranging from 2.3 pounds to 102 pounds of weight loss.

Of the women, 17 had improvement in the appearance of cellulite, while nine found their cellulite became worse.

Those who showed the most improvement were those who lost the most weight and lowered their percentage of thigh fat, BBC News reported. These women had a higher body mass index (BMI) and more severe cellulite at the start of the study.

Women whose cellulite became worse had a much lower BMI at the start of the study, lost a smaller portion of their weight, had no change in the percentage of thigh fat, and their skin became much looser after they lost weight.

The study was published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

U.S. Caesarean Rates on the Rise

More than a quarter of babies born each year in the United States are delivered by Caesarean section, says a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The analysis of 2003 data found that the use of C-section in the United States rose 38 percent since 1997, when about a fifth of babies were delivered that way.

Other findings:

* There's been a 60 percent decline in the rate of women who give birth vaginally after they've had a previous child delivered via C-section.
* The rate of repeat Caesareans has increased 33 percent.
* In 2003, the total cost for childbirth in the United States was $34 billion. Hospital stays involving C-section delivery accounted for nearly half that amount -- $15 billion.
* Medicaid was billed for 43 percent of childbirths overall and 41 percent of C-section deliveries.

Food Fact:
Sweeter pineapple

Know what kind to buy, and you can triple the vitamin C. Golden Pineapple, a new variety tagged with a Golden label, is making a splash -- it's sweeter, juicier and contains 3 times as much vitamin C as other varieties of the tropical fruit. When choosing a pineapple, look for fresh, green leaves and be certain they are not wilted or brown. The pineapple should smell sweet and be firm with no soft spots. Diced or sliced fresh pineapple is the perfect way to end a meal. Toss it with some chopped candied ginger if you like.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Write it down.

Stuck in a rut? Reached a plateau? Break the logjam with an activity log! Keeping a fitness journal to track your routine will give you insight into your performance, let you measure your progress and help you set goals.

FAQ of the day:
Are dried fruits safe if I'm sensitive to sulfites?

Sulfites that are added to many dried fruits can cause allergy-like reactions in some individuals -- in some cases these can be life-threatening. That's why the FDA now requires that any foods with sulfites say so on the label. If you are sulfite-sensitive, look for "unsulphured" dried fruits, sold in some supermarkets and natural food stores.