Thursday, November 30, 2006

Health Headlines - November 30

FDA Panel Endorses Celebrex for Kids

A bid by Pfizer Inc. to expand U.S. approval of its painkiller Celebrex to include treatment of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) was approved by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Wednesday.

The panel, a committee of doctors and other specialists, voted 15-1 that the benefits of the drug in children outweigh the shortage of sufficient proof on its safety, Bloomberg reported.

The panel, meeting in Gaithersburg, Md., raised concerns related to the risks of longer-term use and said a registry should be established to track patients.

It's estimated that as many as 60,000 children in the United States have JRA, which causes painful joint swelling and can affect growth and development, the Associated Press reported.

Currently, Celebrex is approved to treat adults with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In its application to expand that approval to include treatment of JRA, Pfizer included a study that concluded that Celebrex (also called celecoxib) works as well as naproxen in treating young JRA patients.

However, FDA documents released Tuesday noted that limitations in the study's design "raise questions about whether it provides adequate evidence of efficacy of celecoxib" in treating JRA, the AP reported.

Celebrex is a member of the controversial group of painkillers called Cox-2 inhibitors, which have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Two other Cox-2s, Vioxx and Bextra, have been withdrawn from the market due to heart-risk concerns. Celebrex remains available to consumers, but the FDA required in 2005 that the drug carry a "black box" warning, detailing the possible risk of heart attack or stroke.

Study Looks for Genes That Cause Early Atherosclerosis

A number of U.S. medical centers are taking part in a $10 million multi-year study to identify genes that contribute to early atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Atherosclerosis is the development of fatty deposits in arteries.

"If we can identify people in their teens and early adult life who have a genetic predisposition to develop atherosclerosis, we can manage their risk factors for heart disease and stroke sooner and more aggressively," Dr. David Herrington, professor of cardiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., said in a prepared statement.

The study, called SEA (SNPs and Extent of Atherosclerosis) is being funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

"We hope the SEA study will give us new understanding about the causes of atherosclerosis, including the discovery of new genes and new pathways that could guide the development of new drug treatments that may be more effective in preventing the development of heart disease," Herrington said.

He and his colleagues will analyze data collected in two large, previous studies. It's estimated it will take about five years to complete the SEA study.

Along with Wake Forest, other medical centers taking part in the study include Cedars Sinai Medical Center; Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans; the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; and the University of Washington.

Arby's to Cut Trans Fats

Arby's has joined other major fast-food chains in reducing artery-clogging trans fats in their products.

On Tuesday, Atlanta-based Arby's Restaurant Group said that, as of May 1, 2007, its outlets would no longer serve french fries with trans fats, and that 75 percent of its menu items would contain less than half a gram of trans fats, the Associated Press reported.

Arby's, which has more than 3,500 restaurants worldwide, will stop using the hydrogenated oils that contain trans fats and the company's food suppliers will no longer precook Arby's french fries in oil with trans fats.

Within the past few months a number of major fast-food chains -- such as Wendy's, KFC and Taco Bell -- have announced they're eliminating or reducing trans fats in their food products, the AP reported.

Several U.S. cities are considering banning trans fats, which are believed to increase the risk of heart disease.

Flu Viruses Survive in Ice for Decades

Influenza viruses can remain dormant for long periods of time in ice and potentially cause illness when the ice thaws, says an Ohio State University biologist.

Scott Rogers and his Israeli and Russian colleagues concluded that flu viruses can be preserved in ice for decades and then be released when humans may no longer have a natural immunity against them, United Press International reported.

"We've found viral RNA in the ice in Siberia, and it's along the major flight paths of migrating waterfowl" that travel between North America, Asia and Australia. These paths also interconnect with other migratory paths to Africa and Europe.

The research appears in the December issue of the Journal of Virology.

Medicare Drug Benefit Well Under Budget

The U.S. Medicare drug benefit came in well below budget this year -- $30 billion instead of $43 billion -- according to figures provided to the Associated Press by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

While supporters of the drug benefit may say the lower costs are the result of competition, critics take another view.

"Republicans would have you believe that the drug and insurance companies have sacrificed profits in the name of competition, but nothing could be further from the truth," Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) told the AP. "In fact, the dirty little secret is that costs are lower because of low enrollment and a slowdown in drug spending."

Sources of the savings included: lower than expected enrollment, $7.5 billion; competition between drug plan providers, $6.9 billion; a lower-than-expected increase in drug prices in the two years before the launch of the benefit, $3.7 billion, the AP reported.

Democrats say they can cut costs even more by changing laws that prohibit the government from directly negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

Study Finds Why Cox-2s Increase Heart Attack, Stroke Risk

British researchers say they've discovered why Vioxx and other Cox-2 inhibitor painkillers can cause heart attacks and strokes, BBC News reported.

It's because these drugs -- designed to block the Cox-2 enzyme and halt production of hormones that swell joints and cause pain in people with arthritis -- also stop an enzyme called Cox-1 from producing blood-thinning agents. This results in a greater risk of blood clots.

The study appears in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

The researchers said their findings are significant because they may lead to the development of Cox-2 inhibitors that do not increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, BBC News reported.

"Cox-2 inhibitors can have great benefits for patients suffering from conditions such as arthritis and it would be great if they could remain available," noted study co-author Professor Jane Mitchell of the National Heart and Lung Institute.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Health Headlines - November 29

FDA Has Questions About Celebrex for Kids

A bid by Pfizer Inc. to expand U.S. approval of its painkiller Celebrex to include treatment of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) may fall short, suggest U.S. Food and Drug Administration documents released Tuesday.

It's estimated that as many as 60,000 children in the United States have JRA, which causes painful joint swelling and can affect growth and development, the Associated Press reported.

Currently, Celebrex is approved to treat adults with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In its application to expand that approval to include treatment of JRA, Pfizer included a study that concluded that Celebrex (also called celecoxib) works as well as naproxen in treating young JRA patients.

However, the FDA documents released Tuesday note that limitations in the study's design "raise questions about whether it provides adequate evidence of efficacy of celecoxib" in treating JRA, the AP reported.

There are also questions about the cardiovascular risks of long-term use of Celebrex in children. FDA reviewers suggested that more research is needed to answer those concerns.

A panel of FDA independent advisers will review the matter on Wednesday, the AP reported. The FDA usually follows the panel's advice.

World's 1st Partial Face Transplant a Success: Doctors

One year after she received the world's first partial face transplant, Isabelle Dinoire of France is gaining more facial sensitivity and mobility and her medical team has declared the procedure a success, according to a statement Monday by the doctors.

They also issued a new photo that shows Dinoire almost smiling, the Associated Press reported.

Dinoire's face was severely disfigured by her pet dog in May 2005. During the transplant at the hospital in Amiens, she received the lips, nose and chin of a brain-dead woman.

On two occasions, Dinoire's immune system nearly rejected the transplant but she was given immuno-depressants to overcome the threat, said the statement from the medical team.

The doctors said they've "confirmed the anatomical and functional success of this first partial face transplant."

The statement said that Dinoire has weekly medical consultations but otherwise "leads a normal life" and expects to return to work soon, the AP reported.

Small Amounts of Ecstasy Can Affect Brain

Even small amounts of the drug ecstasy can affect the brains of people who've never used the illegal drug, says a study by researchers at the University of Amsterdam in Holland.

The researchers took brain scans and did memory tests on 188 people with no history of ecstasy use and repeated the tests 18 months later. They found evidence of decreased blood flow and memory loss in the 59 people who had used ecstasy (an average of six tablets) during those 18 months, BBC News reported.

"We do not know if these effects are transient or permanent," noted lead researcher Maartje de Win. "Therefore, we cannot conclude that ecstasy, even in small doses, is safe for the brain, and people should be informed of this risk."

The study, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, is the first to look at the effects of low doses of ecstasy in first-time users. Previous research has found that long-term or heavy ecstasy use can harm the brain and cause problems such as decreased memory, depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties, BBC News reported.

AIDS Projected to be 3rd Leading Cause of Death

Within 25 years, AIDS will become one of the top three causes of death worldwide, says a World Health Organization study published Monday.

AIDS currently accounts for about 2.8 million deaths a year and ranks fourth, behind heart disease, stroke and respiratory infections. The new study says that AIDS could kill at least 117 million people from 2006 to 2030, the Associated Press reported.

However, if the rate of new HIV infections can be reduced and access to life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs increased, the number of people who die of AIDS within the next 25 years could be cut to 89 million, the study said.

"What happens in the future very much depends on what the international community does now," said study co-author Dr. Colin Mathers.

The study also estimated that worldwide cancer deaths will increase from 7.1 million in 2002 to 11.5 million in 2030 and the number of cardiovascular-disease deaths will jump from 16.7 million to 23.3 million, the AP reported.

The report appears in the Public Library of Science's Medicine journal.

American Red Cross Fined $5.7 Million by FDA

The American Red Cross has been fined $5.7 million for continuing to violate blood-safety rules and for its failure to comply with a 2003 agreement to correct blood-safety problems, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration letter posted Monday on the agency's Web site.

This latest fine is the result of a 2005 FDA inspection of a Red Cross facility in West Henrietta, N.Y., that found 207 deviations from the 2003 agreement. FDA inspectors found problems in a number of areas, including quality assurance, inventory management, donor screening, and blood component manufacturing, the Associated Press reported.

In the letter dated Nov. 21, the Red Cross was given until mid-December to comply with FDA requirements. If the Red Cross fails to meet that deadline, it could be slapped with more penalties.

This latest fine comes on top of nearly $10 million in previous fines for blood-safety violations and for failing to meet the terms of the 2003 agreement meant to settle charges that the Red Cross had committed "persistent and serious violations" of blood-safety rules over 17 years, the AP reported.

Slouching May be Better for Back: Study

Slouching while you're sitting may be better for your back than sitting upright and stiff, says a study conducted at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Researchers used a moveable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit to scan 22 healthy volunteers with no history of back pain or surgery. The participants assumed different sitting positions while being scanned, The Times of London reported.

The results suggest that sitting up straight puts unnecessary strain on the spine and could lead to chronic back pain due to trapped nerves or slipped discs. The researchers concluded that a 135-degree body-thigh sitting position was optimal, as opposed to the 90-degree posture that most people believe is ideal.

"Sitting in a sound anatomical position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated muscles and ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness," said study lead author Dr. Waseem Amir Bashir.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

One expert said this kind of research is still very theoretical. Dr. Gordon Waddell, an orthopedic surgeon at Glasgow Nuffield Hospital, said it's "human nature" to develop back pain.

"Like a headache or a cold, it seems we all get back pain and most of the evidence suggests that sitting position does not make a difference," he said.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Health Headlines - November 28

FDA Issues Methadone Health Advisory

Some patients who started methadone treatment for severe pain or who switched to the drug after using other strong narcotic painkillers have overdosed on methadone and suffered life-threatening side effects or died, says a U.S. Food and Drug Administration public health advisory issued Monday.

Overdoses of methadone can cause slow or shallow breathing and dangerous changes in heartbeat that may go unnoticed by patients, the FDA said.

The agency noted that methadone only provides pain relief for four to eight hours, but can linger in the body for eight to 59 hours, the Associated Press reported. If patients take more methadone before previous doses have been eliminated from the body, the drug can build up to toxic levels.

The FDA said doctors should prescribe methadone carefully and closely monitor patients. The advisory also said that doctors must instruct patients not to take more than the prescribed amount of methadone without first checking with the doctor.

The use of methadone is increasing. In 2003, there were more than two million methadone prescriptions dispensed in the United States. With that increased use, there's been a rise in the number of methadone-related deaths, the AP reported.

In 1999, methadone was listed as the cause of 623 unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States. That increased to 2,452 deaths in 2003, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Contraceptive Would Keep Men From Ejaculating Sperm

Scientists in the United Kingdom are working to develop a contraceptive that would prevent men from ejaculating sperm, BBC News reported.

Researchers at King's College London noted that drugs used to treat blood pressure and schizophrenia had this effect, but these drugs cause side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness and couldn't be used as contraceptives.

After further investigation, the researchers identified chemicals that prevent the longitudinal muscle in the vas deferens from contracting and propelling sperm into the penis.

The scientists plan to test this treatment in animals and humans. If those trials are successful, the contraceptive may be available within five years, BBC News reported.

Several other kinds of male contraceptives -- including patches, injections and implants -- are currently under development. However, most of these are designed to trick the brain into switching off hormone production.

Humpback Whales Have Type of Brain Cell Found in Humans

Humpback whales have a type of brain cell called a spindle neuron that's found in the cerebral cortex of large primates such as humans and gorillas, says a study published online Monday in the journal The Anatomical Record.

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City said they found that the whales not only have spindle neurons in the same area of the cortex where these brain cells are found in hominids, but also in other parts of their brain, CBC News reported.

Spindle cells are believed to play a role in cognitive processes such as learning, memory and recognition.

Similar cells have already been identified in toothed whales, such as killer whales, which have been considered to be more intelligent that humpbacks and other baleen whales.

"In spite of the relative scarcity of information on many cetacean species, it is important to note in this context that sperm whales, killer whales, and certainly humpback whales, exhibit complex social patterns that include intricate communication skills, coalition-formation, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage," the study authors wrote.

"It is thus likely that some of these abilities are related to comparable histologic complexity in brain organization in cetaceans and in hominids," the researchers noted.

South Korea Moves to Control New Bird-Flu Outbreak

South Korean officials have ordered the slaughter of tens of thousands of chickens and ducks, along with hundreds of pigs and dogs, to control a new outbreak of the H5N1 bird-flu virus near the southern city of Iksan.

This is the first outbreak in South Korea in three years, Agence France Presse reported. The highly contagious H5N1 strain of avian flu can be fatal to humans. There have been no reports of any people getting sick in this outbreak.

Two other outbreaks caused by a milder strain of bird flu that's not lethal to humans were reported in other areas of South Korea.

In response to the reports of bird flu in South Korea, Japan suspended all poultry imports from that country and North Korea announced new measures to prevent the spread of the virus across its border, AFP reported.

Since 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed more than 150 people worldwide and prompted the slaughter of tens of millions of poultry. Experts fear that if the H5N1 virus mutates into a form that's easily transmitted between humans, it could spark a global pandemic.

China Proposes New Transplant Rules

Proposed new laws governing organ transplants in China are designed to prevent unqualified doctors and hospitals from harming patients, the official state Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.

As a result of a lack of clear organ transplant laws, some transplants are being done by "unqualified doctors with substandard medical equipment," resulting in patient deaths, according to Xinhua.

The news agency also said there's a popular perception that some hospitals in China are sacrificing quality care to perform as many lucrative transplants as possible.

There are also concerns that the organs of executed prisoners are being harvested without consent, the Associated Press reported.

The proposed rules would require a new organization under the Ministry of Health to oversee the registration and allocation of all donated organs. Only a limited number of hospitals would be licensed to conduct transplants and the quality of the surgeries would be monitored by government officials.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Health Headlines - November 27

The More You Smoke, the More You're Likely to Drink, Research Concludes

There is indeed a connection between smoking and alcohol -- a mutually destructive one -- researchers have concluded.

Exploring the popular notion that cigarette smoking prompts more drinking, researchers from Washington University Medical School and the University of Maryland Medical School have concluded that young people who smoke cigarettes are more prone to having their brains "primed" for more susceptibility to alcohol addiction. Smoking may also have the same effect in creating addiction to other drugs, the scientists say.

This tendency is most noticeable in adolescents, according to the research published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. "Ours is the first study to... establish a correlation between adolescent smoking and alcohol-use disorders (AUDs)," said Richard A. Grucza, an epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine and one of the study's authors, in a news release.

"Can this association be explained by the fact that smokers are heavier drinkers, or is there something else going on?," Grucza asked rhetorically. "In other words, do smokers appear to be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol?" Yes, they are, the researchers concluded.

The next step, the scientists said, was to determine what causes the effect and to develop strategies to counteract it.

British Study: Older Anti-Schizophrenia Drugs Just as Effective as More Expensive Newer Ones

Support for the old instead of the new is prompting a debate in the United Kingdom over what type of drug is best for treating schizophrenia.

BBC News reports that researchers from the University of Manchester found that patients with the psychiatric disease respond just as well -- and perhaps better -- to older drugs than the newer ones. The findings are published in the British Archives of General Psychiatry.

One of the motivations in doing the research, the BBC reports, is that the newer drugs known as antipsychotics, such as risperidone, quetiapine, clozapine and olanzapine, cost more than 10 times the older drugs. Yet, in examining 227 patients with schizophrenia, the Manchester researchers found little or no difference in the effectiveness of the new drugs as opposed to older, less expensive ones.

Schizophrenia's symptoms are often severe, including hearing voices, shifting personalities, paranoia and violence.

The study was financed by the United Kingdom's National Health Service. The findings haven't been directly challenged, but BBC News quotes Marjorie Wallace of the mental health charity SANE as saying that those suffering from mental illness shouldn't be denied access to the newer drugs just because they cost more.

Thousands of Pounds of Ham and Turkey Recalled After Listeria Suspected

HoneyBaked Foods Inc., a Toledo, Ohio based food processor and distributor, has recalled almost 47,000 pounds of cooked ham and turkey sold during the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The reason, the company said, is that both the ham and turkey could contain Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause fevers, nausea, headaches and diarrhea. It is particularly dangerous to the elderly and very young. No cases have been reported, but the company voluntarily made the recall as a precaution.

According to HoneyBaked Foods' Web site, the ham and turkey were sold between Sept. 5 and Nov. 13 and have the following label codes: Ham codes include 6261 through 6310 and Sliced and Glazed Turkey Breast Codes include 6248 through 6258. The company says the products were sold in kiosks in the Toledo area, online and through the company catalogue.

HoneyBaked Foods also as a phone number for more information: 800-461-3998.

Staph Infection Making its Presence Felt in the Locker Room

A serious bacterial infection, once found almost exclusively in hospitals, is making its way into the environment of athletes -- locker rooms, training facilities and gymnasiums -- the Associated Press reports.

The bacterium, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has long been a problem in hospitals and health care facilities, especially for patients recovering from surgery. Staph infection can cause surgical incisions to become infected, bringing about high fevers and sometimes resulting in death.

Health officials aren't certain as to why the germ has begun making its presence felt in the environment of the athlete, the A.P. says. "We don't know why," the wire service quotes Dr. Steve Gordon, the Cleveland Clinic's department chairman of infectious disease, as saying. "It's why we encourage everyone to practice proper hygiene, especially athletes who can be more at higher risk."

According to the A.P., since 2003, at least three NFL teams and one major league baseball team have reported outbreaks of MRSA. The Cleveland Browns, the St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins have documented "multiple cases" of staph, the wire service says, and two members of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays also reported coming down with the infection.

While an investigation is being carried out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, professional athletes are being advised to intensify their personal hygiene, including reporting cuts and lesions to their team trainer or doctor, cleansing and dressing any injured tissue and being careful about using team communal facilities, such as whirlpools.

Unsafe Abortions Take Heavy Toll in Developing World

A team from Guttmacher Institute in New York has found that 68,000 women in developing countries die each year during unsafe abortions, and up to 5 million women wind up in the hospital with infections and other complications from botched procedures.

The study, which was funded by the pro-abortion Hewlett Foundation and published in the Nov. 24 issue of The Lancet, looked at data from 13 countries. The final tally included both "back-street" pregnancy terminations and legal abortions.

"The most effective way of eliminating this highly preventable cause of maternal illness and death would be to make safe and legal abortion services available and accessible," lead researcher Dr. Susheela Singh told the BBC. "A second, more immediately achievable, goal is to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place through improved contraception use."

However, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the findings were guesses at best.

"The burden of the study is clearly to promote the killing of more unborn babies in poorer countries, regardless of the fact that women do not want abortions,: Tully told the BBC.

In the study, the highest annual rate of hospital admissions was in Uganda, with 16.4 per 1,000 women, while the lowest hospitalization rate was in Bangladesh, with 2.8 per 1,000 women. The study noted that complications from abortion procedures in developed countries was rare, while the average range in developing countries was 5 to 7 per 1,000 women.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Health Headlines - November 26

Thousands of Pounds of Ham and Turkey Recalled After Listeria Suspected

HoneyBaked Foods Inc., a Toledo, Ohio based food processor and distributor, has recalled almost 47,000 pounds of cooked ham and turkey sold during the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The reason, the company said, is that both the ham and turkey could contain Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause fevers, nausea, headaches and diarrhea. It is particularly dangerous to the elderly and very young. No cases have been reported, but the company voluntarily made the recall as a precaution.

According to HoneyBaked Foods' Web site, the ham and turkey were sold between Sept. 5 and Nov. 13 and have the following label codes: Ham codes include 6261 through 6310 and Sliced and Glazed Turkey Breast Codes include 6248 through 6258. The company says the products were sold in kiosks in the Toledo area, online and through the company catalogue.

HoneyBaked Foods also as a phone number for more information: 800-461-3998.

Staph Infection Making its Presence Felt in the Locker Room

A serious bacterial infection, once found almost exclusively in hospitals, is making its way into the environment of athletes -- locker rooms, training facilities and gymnasiums -- the Associated Press reports.

The bacterium, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has long been a problem in hospitals and health care facilities, especially for patients recovering from surgery. Staph infection can cause surgical incisions to become infected, bringing about high fevers and sometimes resulting in death.

Health officials aren't certain as to why the germ has begun making its presence felt in the environment of the athlete, the A.P. says. "We don't know why," the wire service quotes Dr. Steve Gordon, the Cleveland Clinic's department chairman of infectious disease, as saying. "It's why we encourage everyone to practice proper hygiene, especially athletes who can be more at higher risk."

According to the A.P., since 2003, at least three NFL teams and one major league baseball team have reported outbreaks of MRSA. The Cleveland Browns, the St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins have documented "multiple cases" of staph, the wire service says, and two members of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays also reported coming down with the infection.

While an investigation is being carried out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, professional athletes are being advised to intensify their personal hygiene, including reporting cuts and lesions to their team trainer or doctor, cleansing and dressing any injured tissue and being careful about using team communal facilities, such as whirlpools.

Unsafe Abortions Take Heavy Toll in Developing World

A team from Guttmacher Institute in New York has found that 68,000 women in developing countries die each year during unsafe abortions, and up to 5 million women wind up in the hospital with infections and other complications from botched procedures.

The study, which was funded by the pro-abortion Hewlett Foundation and published in the Nov. 24 issue of The Lancet, looked at data from 13 countries. The final tally included both "back-street" pregnancy terminations and legal abortions.

"The most effective way of eliminating this highly preventable cause of maternal illness and death would be to make safe and legal abortion services available and accessible," lead researcher Dr. Susheela Singh told the BBC. "A second, more immediately achievable, goal is to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place through improved contraception use."

However, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the findings were guesses at best.

"The burden of the study is clearly to promote the killing of more unborn babies in poorer countries, regardless of the fact that women do not want abortions,: Tully told the BBC.

In the study, the highest annual rate of hospital admissions was in Uganda, with 16.4 per 1,000 women, while the lowest hospitalization rate was in Bangladesh, with 2.8 per 1,000 women. The study noted that complications from abortion procedures in developed countries was rare, while the average range in developing countries was 5 to 7 per 1,000 women.

Obesity Damages Children's Feet: Studies

Two British studies find that obesity causes children's feet to grow both longer and wider, affecting their walking ability, the BBC reported Thursday.

In one study, podiatrists examined the feet of 200 Scottish children aged 9 to 12. Fifty-four were obese, 15 were severely obese, and another 30 were overweight. The researchers found that severely obese kids had feet that were up to 15 millimeters wider and 18 millimeters longer than normal weight children.

A second study, this time of 44 youngsters aged 9 to 11 -- half of whom were obese -- found that the heavier kids spent more time balancing on two feet when walking and less time on one foot compared to normal-weight kids. They also walked slower than normal-weight children.

"The findings are interesting because previous research suggested that foot problems limit obese children's ability to take part in physical activity -- so encouraging them to carry out exercise might not be the best thing," Dr. Stewart Morrison, a lecturer at the University of East London, told the BBC.

Both studies were presented at a meeting of the Society of Podiatrists and Chiropodists.

U.S. EPA to Regulate Germ-Killing Nanotechnology

Extremely small particles of silver used in certain products to kill germs are pesticides, and as such will be regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency announced Wednesday.

Environmentalists are concerned that these "nanotechnology" particles -- which measure one-millionth the head of a pin -- might be released into the environment and kill helpful bacteria or aquatic organisms when products are discarded.

According to the Associated Press, germ-killing nanosilver is already an ingredient in over 200 products marketed to consumers, including shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, washing machines and other products.

The EPA announcement is a reversal of an agency decision last year that washing machines containing nanosilver were not covered by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act because they were devices.

However, the agency reviewed the evidence and has now decided "that the release of silver ions in the washing machines is a pesticide, because it is a substance released into the laundry for the purpose of killing pests," EPA spokeswoman Jennifer Wood told the AP.

Surgery a Success for Baby with External Heart

A nearly month-old boy born with his heart lying outside his chest underwent successful surgery in Miami on Wednesday, with doctors easing the organ inside his body, the Associated Press reported.

Naseem Hasni was born Oct. 31 with a condition called ectopia cordis, where the heart develops on the outside of the chest. The heart has been beating normally and its aorta grew under the skin to deliver blood to the body.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Health Headlines - November 25

Unsafe Abortions Take Heavy Toll in Developing World

A team from Guttmacher Institute in New York has found that 68,000 women in developing countries die each year during unsafe abortions, and up to 5 million women wind up in the hospital with infections and other complications from botched procedures.

The study, which was funded by the pro-abortion Hewlett Foundation and published in the Nov. 24 issue of The Lancet, looked at data from 13 countries. The final tally included both "back-street" pregnancy terminations and legal abortions.

"The most effective way of eliminating this highly preventable cause of maternal illness and death would be to make safe and legal abortion services available and accessible," lead researcher Dr. Susheela Singh told the BBC. "A second, more immediately achievable, goal is to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place through improved contraception use."

However, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the findings were guesses at best.

"The burden of the study is clearly to promote the killing of more unborn babies in poorer countries, regardless of the fact that women do not want abortions,: Tully told the BBC.

In the study, the highest annual rate of hospital admissions was in Uganda, with 16.4 per 1,000 women, while the lowest hospitalization rate was in Bangladesh, with 2.8 per 1,000 women. The study noted that complications from abortion procedures in developed countries was rare, while the average range in developing countries was 5 to 7 per 1,000 women.

Obesity Damages Children's Feet: Studies

Two British studies find that obesity causes children's feet to grow both longer and wider, affecting their walking ability, the BBC reported Thursday.

In one study, podiatrists examined the feet of 200 Scottish children aged 9 to 12. Fifty-four were obese, 15 were severely obese, and another 30 were overweight. The researchers found that severely obese kids had feet that were up to 15 millimeters wider and 18 millimeters longer than normal weight children.

A second study, this time of 44 youngsters aged 9 to 11 -- half of whom were obese -- found that the heavier kids spent more time balancing on two feet when walking and less time on one foot compared to normal-weight kids. They also walked slower than normal-weight children.

"The findings are interesting because previous research suggested that foot problems limit obese children's ability to take part in physical activity -- so encouraging them to carry out exercise might not be the best thing," Dr. Stewart Morrison, a lecturer at the University of East London, told the BBC.

Both studies were presented at a meeting of the Society of Podiatrists and Chiropodists.

U.S. EPA to Regulate Germ-Killing Nanotechnology

Extremely small particles of silver used in certain products to kill germs are pesticides, and as such will be regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency announced Wednesday.

Environmentalists are concerned that these "nanotechnology" particles -- which measure one-millionth the head of a pin -- might be released into the environment and kill helpful bacteria or aquatic organisms when products are discarded.

According to the Associated Press, germ-killing nanosilver is already an ingredient in over 200 products marketed to consumers, including shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, washing machines and other products.

The EPA announcement is a reversal of an agency decision last year that washing machines containing nanosilver were not covered by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act because they were devices.

However, the agency reviewed the evidence and has now decided "that the release of silver ions in the washing machines is a pesticide, because it is a substance released into the laundry for the purpose of killing pests," EPA spokeswoman Jennifer Wood told the AP.

Surgery a Success for Baby with External Heart

A nearly month-old boy born with his heart lying outside his chest underwent successful surgery in Miami on Wednesday, with doctors easing the organ inside his body, the Associated Press reported.

Naseem Hasni was born Oct. 31 with a condition called ectopia cordis, where the heart develops on the outside of the chest. The heart has been beating normally and its aorta grew under the skin to deliver blood to the body.

In the six-hour operation, surgeons at Holtz Children's Hospital wrapped the boy's heart in Gore-Tex fabric, then added layer of his own skin to replicate the missing pericardium, the sac that normally develops around the heart. They then eased the heart within the boy's chest.

Naseem remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday, doctors said. "He's not going to be able to play certain kinds of sports where a blow to the sternum to you and me wouldn't be a problem, but in him it would be. So I think some competitive sports are going to be out," cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Eliot Rosenkranz told the AP. "But he's going to be able to participate in other sorts of activities."

Ectopia cordis occurs in up to 7.9 per 1 million live births and has a post-surgery survival rate of 50 percent, the boy's doctors said.

U.S. Judge Rules Out Class Action for Vioxx Claims

A U.S. judge ruled Wednesday that thousands of federal lawsuits involving Merck and Co.'s painkiller Vioxx cannot be grouped into a single national class action, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon rejected a proposal by plaintiffs' lawyers to try all the cases under the laws in New Jersey, where drug company Merck has its headquarters.

Fallon said that it makes more sense to apply the law of each plaintiff's home state to the claims, the AP reported.

He did not rule on the issue of separate class-action lawsuits for each state and the District of Columbia.

Fallon has been assigned to handle all pretrial matters for all federal lawsuits involving Vioxx, the AP reported.

New Prostate Cancer Test Available in Europe

A new prostate cancer test that looks for high levels of the biomarker PCA3 mRNA in urine has been launched in the European Union. The test has not been approved in the United States.

Research has shown that, in more than 95 percent of prostate cancer cases, PCA3 is 60- to 100-fold over-expressed in prostate cancer cells.

Preliminary data indicate the PCA3 test may be more specific to prostate cancer than the traditional serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which means the PCA3 test would be less likely to give false positive results.

"Only 25 to 30 percent of men who have a biopsy due to elevated PSA levels actually have prostate cancer; therefore, the majority of elevated PSA tests are the result of noncancerous conditions," Dr. Mark Emberton, senior lecturer in oncological urology at University College Hospital in London, said in a prepared statement.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Health Headlines - November 24

U.S. EPA to Regulate Germ-Killing Nanotechnology

Extremely small particles of silver used in certain products to kill germs are pesticides, and as such will be regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency announced Wednesday.

Environmentalists are concerned that these "nanotechnology" particles -- which measure one-millionth the head of a pin -- might be released into the environment and kill helpful bacteria or aquatic organisms when products are discarded.

According to the Associated Press, germ-killing nanosilver is already an ingredient in over 200 products marketed to consumers, including shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, washing machines and other products.

The EPA announcement is a reversal of an agency decision last year that washing machines containing nanosilver were not covered by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act because they were devices.

However, the agency reviewed the evidence and has now decided "that the release of silver ions in the washing machines is a pesticide, because it is a substance released into the laundry for the purpose of killing pests," EPA spokeswoman Jennifer Wood told the AP.

Surgery a Success for Baby with External Heart

A nearly month-old boy born with his heart lying outside his chest underwent successful surgery in Miami on Wednesday, with doctors easing the organ inside his body, the Associated Press reported.

Naseem Hasni was born Oct. 31 with a condition called ectopia cordis, where the heart develops on the outside of the chest. The heart has been beating normally and its aorta grew under the skin to deliver blood to the body.

In the six-hour operation, surgeons at Holtz Children's Hospital wrapped the boy's heart in Gore-Tex fabric, then added layer of his own skin to replicate the missing pericardium, the sac that normally develops around the heart. They then eased the heart within the boy's chest.

Naseem remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday, doctors said. "He's not going to be able to play certain kinds of sports where a blow to the sternum to you and me wouldn't be a problem, but in him it would be. So I think some competitive sports are going to be out," cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Eliot Rosenkranz told the AP. "But he's going to be able to participate in other sorts of activities."

Ectopia cordis occurs in up to 7.9 per 1 million live births and has a post-surgery survival rate of 50 percent, the boy's doctors said.

U.S. Judge Rules Out Class Action for Vioxx Claims

A U.S. judge ruled Wednesday that thousands of federal lawsuits involving Merck and Co.'s painkiller Vioxx cannot be grouped into a single national class action, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon rejected a proposal by plaintiffs' lawyers to try all the cases under the laws in New Jersey, where drug company Merck has its headquarters.

Fallon said that it makes more sense to apply the law of each plaintiff's home state to the claims, the AP reported.

He did not rule on the issue of separate class-action lawsuits for each state and the District of Columbia.

Fallon has been assigned to handle all pretrial matters for all federal lawsuits involving Vioxx, the AP reported.

New Prostate Cancer Test Available in Europe

A new prostate cancer test that looks for high levels of the biomarker PCA3 mRNA in urine has been launched in the European Union. The test has not been approved in the United States.

Research has shown that, in more than 95 percent of prostate cancer cases, PCA3 is 60- to 100-fold over-expressed in prostate cancer cells, compared to normal cells.

Preliminary data indicate the PCA3 test may be more specific to prostate cancer than the traditional serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which means the PCA3 test would be less likely to give false positive results.

"Only 25 to 30 percent of men who have a biopsy due to elevated PSA levels actually have prostate cancer; therefore, the majority of elevated PSA tests are the result of non-cancerous conditions," Dr. Mark Emberton, senior lecturer in oncological urology at University College Hospital in London, said in a prepared statement.

"Unnecessary biopsies contribute to patient anxiety and are a burden on the healthcare system. We are optimistic that the Gen-Probe PCA3 test, used in combination with serum PSA, will further identify appropriate biopsy patients and that this will result in better detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer," Emberton added.

Mothers with Sick/Disabled Children Report More Health Problems

Mothers who take care of children with disabilities or chronic health problems are more likely to report poor health than mothers of healthy children, says a Canadian study.

Researchers looked at the parents of children ages 6 to 15 and found that 11 percent of mothers caring for a chronically sick/disabled child said they were in poor or fair health, compared with just over 5 percent of mothers of healthy children, CBC News reported.

However, no differences were noted among fathers in the study.

"We think that it might be the nature of the responsibilities that the mother has that's stressful for her and leads to lower health," study lead author Shelly Phipps, an economics professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, told CBC News.

The findings suggest that more needs to be done to provide support to parents, especially mothers, who take care of sick/disabled children. This would benefit both the parents and the children.

Contact-Lens Solution Recalled for Bacterial Contamination

A California-based optical company is recalling 2.9 million bottles of contact-lens cleaner following reports some bottles sold in Japan had bacterial contamination.

The voluntary recall of the 12-ounce COMPLETE MoisturePLUS solution is mainly in Asia, but it does cover 183,000 units in the United States, which is a fraction of what is distributed, according to a spokeswoman for Advanced Medical Optics Inc., in Santa Ana. The spokeswoman told Bloomberg that there had been fewer than 10 complaints in Japan about the non-sterile solution and no problems reported in the United States.

The company said that it had traced the contaminated units to its plant in China and found that the waterborne Ralstonia bacteria had compromised the disinfectant in the solution and were eating away at the oxygen in the bottles.

The company's plant in Spain, which makes most of the solutions sold in Europe and the United States, will remain open while the plant in China is closed for sterilization and upgrades, the company said.

Bacterial infections are the most common type of infection associated with contact lenses and are usually easily cured with eye drops, according to experts. Fungal infections, such as the one linked to the major recall in May of Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc lens cleaner, are more difficult to treat.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Health Headlines - November 23

Happy Thanksgiving!

U.S. Judge Rules Out Class Action for Vioxx Claims

A U.S. judge ruled Wednesday that thousands of federal lawsuits involving Merck and Co.'s painkiller Vioxx cannot be grouped into a single national class action, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon rejected a proposal by plaintiffs' lawyers to try all the cases under the laws in New Jersey, where drug company Merck has its headquarters.

Fallon said that it makes more sense to apply the law of each plaintiff's home state to the claims, the AP reported.

He did not rule on the issue of separate class-action lawsuits for each state and the District of Columbia.

Fallon has been assigned to handle all pretrial matters for all federal lawsuits involving Vioxx, the AP reported.

New Prostate Cancer Test Available in Europe

A new prostate cancer test that looks for high levels of the biomarker PCA3 mRNA in urine has been launched in the European Union. The test has not been approved in the United States.

Research has shown that, in more than 95 percent of prostate cancer cases, PCA3 is 60- to 100-fold over-expressed in prostate cancer cells, compared to normal cells.

Preliminary data indicate the PCA3 test may be more specific to prostate cancer than the traditional serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which means the PCA3 test would be less likely to give false positive results.

"Only 25 to 30 percent of men who have a biopsy due to elevated PSA levels actually have prostate cancer; therefore, the majority of elevated PSA tests are the result of non-cancerous conditions," Dr. Mark Emberton, senior lecturer in oncological urology at University College Hospital in London, said in a prepared statement.

"Unnecessary biopsies contribute to patient anxiety and are a burden on the healthcare system. We are optimistic that the Gen-Probe PCA3 test, used in combination with serum PSA, will further identify appropriate biopsy patients and that this will result in better detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer," Emberton added.

Mothers with Sick/Disabled Children Report More Health Problems

Mothers who take care of children with disabilities or chronic health problems are more likely to report poor health than mothers of healthy children, says a Canadian study.

Researchers looked at the parents of children ages 6 to 15 and found that 11 percent of mothers caring for a chronically sick/disabled child said they were in poor or fair health, compared with just over 5 percent of mothers of healthy children, CBC News reported.

However, no differences were noted among fathers in the study.

"We think that it might be the nature of the responsibilities that the mother has that's stressful for her and leads to lower health," study lead author Shelly Phipps, an economics professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, told CBC News.

The findings suggest that more needs to be done to provide support to parents, especially mothers, who take care of sick/disabled children. This would benefit both the parents and the children.

Contact-Lens Solution Recalled for Bacterial Contamination

A California-based optical company is recalling 2.9 million bottles of contact-lens cleaner following reports some bottles sold in Japan had bacterial contamination.

The voluntary recall of the 12-ounce COMPLETE MoisturePLUS solution is mainly in Asia, but it does cover 183,000 units in the United States, which is a fraction of what is distributed, according to a spokeswoman for Advanced Medical Optics Inc., in Santa Ana. The spokeswoman told Bloomberg that there had been fewer than 10 complaints in Japan about the non-sterile solution and no problems reported in the United States.

The company said that it had traced the contaminated units to its plant in China and found that the waterborne Ralstonia bacteria had compromised the disinfectant in the solution and were eating away at the oxygen in the bottles.

The company's plant in Spain, which makes most of the solutions sold in Europe and the United States, will remain open while the plant in China is closed for sterilization and upgrades, the company said.

Bacterial infections are the most common type of infection associated with contact lenses and are usually easily cured with eye drops, according to experts. Fungal infections, such as the one linked to the major recall in May of Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc lens cleaner, are more difficult to treat.

China Reports 30 Percent Increase in HIV/AIDS Cases

Reported cases of HIV/AIDS in China increased 30 percent this year, according to government officials and state media. So far in 2007, 183,733 people are confirmed to have HIV/AIDS, an increase of 39,644 from last year.

However, it's believed that the actual number of total infections, including unreported cases, is about 650,000, BBC News reported.

Chinese health officials also said that it appears that HIV/AIDS is starting to spread from high-risk groups, such as injection drug users and prostitutes, into the general population.

China has the world's largest sex trade industry. About 10 million young women work in brothels, but less than half of them tell their clients to use condoms.

After years of denying that HIV/AIDS was a serious problem in China, officials in that country have recently boosted efforts to combat the virus, including promises of free treatment for poor people, prevention programs, and a ban on discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, BBC News reported.

1.1 Million African Newborns Die Yearly: Report

Each year in Africa, about 500,000 children die within 24 hours after being born and about 1.1 million die within a month of their birth, according to a report released Wednesday by international health groups.

The report said that simple health measures -- such as tetanus immunization and malaria control, clean and safe childbirth with a skilled midwife, and breastfeeding support for mothers -- could save the lives of about 800,000 babies each year, Agence France Presse reported.

Infant death rates are highest in countries scarred by conflict. Liberia had the highest infant mortality rate (66 deaths per 1,000 births), followed by Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.

Just five countries, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, account for 50 percent of all newborn deaths in Africa, the report said.

Nigeria alone has more than 250,000 newborn deaths a year and is not making much progress in reducing that toll, Joy Lawn of Save the Children told AFP.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Health Headlines - November 22

U.S. Teen Births Drop to Record Low Level in 2005

The teen birth rate in the United States reached its lowest level ever in 2005, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between 2004 and 2005, the birth rate for teens aged 15 to 19 fell 2 percent, to 40.4 births per 1,000. That's a 35 percent decrease from the peak teen birth rate of 61.8 births per 1,000 in 1991.

In total, there were 421,123 births to females under age 20 in 2005.

Non-Hispanic black teen girls had the sharpest birth rate decline, 6 percent from 2004 to 2005, which marks a decline of 59 percent since 1991.

The report, Births: Preliminary Data for 2005, also found:

* The number of births to unmarried mothers of all ages increased 4 percent from 2004 to 2005, from 1.47 million to 1.52 million.
* The total number of U.S. birth increased by 1 percent in 2005, to 4,140,419.
* But the Caesarean delivery rate rose 4 percent to reach a record high in 2005, accounting for 30.2 percent of all births. The C-section rate has risen 46 percent since 1996.

HIV/AIDS Epidemic Growing: UN Report

The worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to worsen and about 39.5 million people are currently infected with HIV, says a United Nations report released Tuesday.

This year, an additional 4.3 million people were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and about 2.9 million people died of AIDS.

The joint UNAIDS/World Health Organization report said 63 percent (24.7 million) of people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa, the Associated Press reported.

However, the virus is spreading most rapidly in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The rates of new infections in those areas have increased by nearly 70 percent over the past two years.

The number of new HIV infections in South and Southeast Asia increased by 15 percent since 2004 and by 12 percent in North Africa and the Middle East, the AP reported.

Mattel Recalls Millions of Polly Pocket Dolls

About 2.4 million Polly Pocket dolls and accessories with tiny magnets are being recalled because the magnets pose a danger to young children, U.S.-based Mattel Inc. said Tuesday.

The tiny magnets can fall out of the dolls and accessories and be swallowed by children. If a child swallows more than one magnet, the magnets can attract one another and cause intestinal blockage, infection or perforation, United Press International reported.

There's also a risk that the magnets may be aspirated by children or that they will place the magnets in their ears or nose.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it knows of 170 reports of the magnets falling out of the dolls or accessories. There have been three reports of children who suffered serious injuries after swallowing more than one magnet. All three children required surgery to treat intestinal perforations, UPI reported.

Consumers should take these toys away from children and contact Mattel at 888-597-6597 to arrange for return of the recalled items and to receive a voucher for a replacement toy.

10 Companies Have 72% of Medicare Drug Plan Enrollment

Ten companies have 72 percent of those enrolled in the U.S. Medicare drug plans and just two stand-alone drug plans account for 23 percent of the enrollment, says a Kaiser Family Foundation article published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs.

The analysis of enrollment data also found that about 4 percent (800,000) of the 22.5 million people who signed up for the Medicare drug benefit in 2006 are in plans that provide coverage for both brand-name and generic drugs in the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap.

Another 8 percent (1.5 million enrollees) have coverage in the gap for generic drugs only, while 9.3 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries qualify for subsidized coverage in the gap.

For 2007, as in 2006, most of the drug plan options for Medicare beneficiaries include a coverage gap, the article said.

Salmonella Being Found in Chicken Meat: USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that a form of salmonella found in eggs is increasingly being found in chicken meat.

In a study published in the December issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the agriculture department said that positive test results for salmonella enteritidis on chicken carcasses increased fourfold from 2000 through 2005, the Associated Press reported.

The study also found that the percentage of processing plants that tested positive for salmonella enteritidis increased threefold from 2000 to 2005, and the number of states with positive tests for that type of salmonella increased from 14 to 24 during that time.

Salmonella enteritidis is one of the most common kinds of salmonella bacteria that can make people sick.

Male Chimps Prefer Older Females

For male chimpanzees, age equals beauty.

Male chimps prefer older females with bald patches, sagging skin and wrinkles over younger females with full fur and well-toned bodies, according to new research in the journal Current Biology.

In fact, the desire for older, more experienced females is so strong that it's common for male chimps to fight over who gets to woo the oldest female in the tribe, The Times of London reported.

The researchers, led by Martin Muller of Boston University, studied chimps in Uganda's Kibale National Park. They concluded that male chimps prefer older females because their experience will benefit the pair's offspring. Unlike humans, female chimps do not go through menopause.

In addition, chimps are not monogamous. Male chimps only need to select females who are likely to survive and breed in the short term, The Times reported.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Health Headlines - November 21

U.S. Doctors Conduct Quintuple Kidney Transplant

U.S. surgeons last week performed what's believed to be the first-ever simultaneous quintuple kidney transplant, the Associated Press reported.

The five transplants last Tuesday required six operation rooms, 12 surgeons, 11 anesthesiologists and 18 nurses, said officials at Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center in Baltimore said Monday in detailing the procedures.

Recipients and donors were from Florida, Maine, Maryland, Ontario and West Virginia, hospital officials said.

Johns Hopkins surgeons have previously done a number of simultaneous triple kidney transplants.

U.S. Adds to Bird Flu Vaccine Stockpile

The U.S. government is spending nearly $200 million to buy 5.3 million more doses of influenza vaccine designed to protect against the H5N1 avian flu virus. The doses will be added to the existing stockpile of 5.9 million doses.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department said Monday that it awarded three contracts to vaccine makers: $117.9 million to Sanofi Pasteur for 3.7 million doses; $40.95 million to Novartis for 800,000 doses; and $40.6 million to GlaxoSmithKline for 800,000 doses.

Each dose is 90 micrograms and two doses are required per person. That means the three contracts will provide enough vaccine to protect 2.7 million people.

"Having a stockpile of influenza vaccine that may offer protection against the H5N1 virus is an important part of our pandemic influenza preparedness plan," Mike Leavitt, HHS secretary, said in a prepared statement.

Many Heart Attack Patients Slow to Call for Help: U.K. Study

Britons' stiff upper lips may be costing lives, suggests a study by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) that asked people what they would do if they experienced chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack.

It found that 42 percent of people would prefer to "wait and see" before they called an ambulance, BBC News reported. On average, people with heart attack symptoms wait 90 minutes before calling an ambulance.

"These statistics portray a very worrying, and perhaps very British, reluctance to call 999 (emergency number) even in the most serious of emergencies," said Prof. Peter Weissberg, BHF medical director. "Maybe it is our natural reserve and stoicism, but it is costing lives."

Study to Assess Oxygen Therapy for Moderate COPD

A six-year, $28-million study to examine the safety and effectiveness of home oxygen therapy for patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been launched by the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

COPD, a lung disease that causes breathing problems, is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

The study will be conducted at 14 centers across the country and will include about 3,500 patients with moderate COPD. Researchers will investigate whether home oxygen therapy helps these patients live longer, be more active, and have a better quality of life.

The findings will help Medicare decided whether to extend coverage for home oxygen therapy to patients with moderate COPD. Currently, coverage is limited to patients with severe COPD.

"COPD is a devastating, highly disabling disease. The prospect that home oxygen therapy could lessen the disability of COPD, and perhaps even prolong life when given earlier during the course of the disease, is enticing, but we need more information to determine the risks and benefits," Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, NHLBI director, said in a prepared statement.

Cancer 'Stem Cells' Drive Colon Tumor Formation

A Canadian study in the current issue of the journal Nature may help advance efforts to learn how cancers begin.

Researchers in Toronto said they found strong evidence that only a small percentage of cells drive the formation of colon cancer tumors. This is the fourth type of cancer in which such "stem cells" have been pinpointed as the cause of the cancer, and the finding reinforces the premise that these stem cells may be the source of all cancers, the Toronto Star reported.

This line of research may lead to more effective cancer treatments, said lead author John Dick, a senior scientist at University Health Network who holds a Canada Research Chair in stem cell biology.

He said targeting cancer stem cells within a tumor, rather than every cell, may offer a more effective way of treating cancer. He explained this by comparing cancer to a weed.

"You can keep cutting the leaves off the weed, but the weed will regrow. But if you cut the tap roots, the leaves will whither away. Killing the cancer stem cells is the equivalent of killing the root of the weed," Dick told the Star.

Crews Scrub Cruise Ship for Norovirus

Cleaning crews started scouring the Carnival Liberty Sunday after the ship docked at Port Everglades, Fla., following a trans-Atlantic cruise in which about 530 passengers and 140 crew were made sick by a virus.

When the ship arrived in port, 14 passengers and five crew were still ill. Some passengers were taken off the ship in wheelchairs, the Associated Press reported.

Results from preliminary tests indicate that the outbreak was caused by the highly contagious norovirus that infected several passengers before they boarded the ship Nov. 3 in Rome, said a statement released by the cruise line. Norovirus can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps.

The Liberty had been scheduled to set sail again Sunday to begin a six-day Caribbean cruise. But that departure was delayed until Tuesday in order to give cleaning crews extra time to disinfect the ship, the AP reported.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Health Headlines - November 20

Hemophilia Drug Linked to Blood Clots in Wounded U.S. Iraq Soldiers

A drug used to stop bleeding from hemophilia has been injected in more than 1,000 wounded soldiers in Iraq, and medical evidence shows that this procedure has created life-threatening blood clots, the Baltimore Sun reports.

In a detailed investigative report, the newspaper documents the link between the use of the drug, Recombinant Activated Factor VII, and a number of incidents of sometimes fatal blood clots appearing in the lungs, hearts and brains of U.S. soldiers who had undergone surgery in Iraq. While not being able to get military doctors to acknowledge that any specific case of blood clotting was caused by using Factor VII, the Sun reports that the U.S. military command in Iraq has recommended the drug's use to stem heavy bleeding in wounded soldiers.

"When it works, it's amazing," the newspaper quotes Col. John B. Holcomb, an Army trauma surgeon and the service's top adviser on combat medical care, as saying. "It's one of the most useful new tools we have."

This decision apparently was made despite many scientific reports warning that using the drug in people with normal blood could cause blood clots and strokes. Researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported last January that 43 blood clot deaths had resulted from injections of Factor VII.

Device Detects Those Most Susceptible to Post-Surgical Infection

A "completely non-invasive" scanner may hold the answer to reducing the number of infections that occur in post-surgical patients while they're recovering in the hospital.

BBC News reports that doctors at University Hospital in North Durham, England, have developed a hand-held device that uses an infra-red light to detect whether the blood going to the incision in a patient recovering from an operation has enough oxygen. Lack of oxygen in the blood is a key contributing factor to infection, the BBC reports, and this can lead to a particularly nasty invasion, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most persistent bacterial hospital infections.

The BBC cites a study done by the hospital in which the scanner detected poor oxygen supply in the blood of 17 out of 59 post-surgical patients. All 17 subsequently developed infections, the BBC reports.

Lead researcher Dr. David Harrison is quoted as saying, "To be able to identify those patients most at risk of infection at just 12 hours after surgery gives you the opportunity to actually do something about it."

Potency of U.S. Avian Flu Vaccine Supply is Deteriorating

Not that there is all that much vaccine to protect against a major outbreak of avian flu, but the U.S. supply of about 3.75 million doses is losing its potency.

Bloomberg News reports U.S. government officials saying the original batch of 3.75 million doses against H5N1 avian influenza has started to deteriorate. The revelation came after the vaccine's maker, Sanofi-Aventis SA, discovered the reduction in strength after routine testing.

There are now fewer than 3 million full strength doses, Bloomberg News quotes Bill Hall, an HHS spokesman, as saying. Nevertheless, if a major outbreak of avian flu were to occur in the U.S., the wire service quotes Hall as saying, it "would still most likely be used if we needed it tomorrow or next week. We would use the full- potency vaccine first."

While concern about an worldwide human pandemic of bird flu -- which has infected tens of millions of fowl -- has eased somewhat, World Health Organization statistics show that H5N1 has killed 153 people and infected a total of 258. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of avian flu being transmitted from human to human.

M.D. Affiliated With Anti-Contraception Group Named to Head U.S. Family Planning Agency

A Massachusetts doctor who is the medical director of an organization that opposes abortion, contraception and most family planning methods is President Bush's choice to head the federal department that finances most of the programs the doctor's organization opposes.

The appointment of Dr. Eric Keroack to head the U.S. Office of Population Affairs, whose annual $283 million budget is used to fund family planning programs, met with Congressional criticism and angered one of the nation's largest family planning groups. Keroack is affiliated with A Woman's Concern, a Marblehead, Mass. Organization that the Associated Press quotes from its statement of faith as designed "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion." The organization also opposes contraception, according to the wire service.

The Office of Family Planning, one of the Office of Population Affairs' divisions, "is designed to provide access to contraceptive supplies and information to all who want and need them," according to its statement of purpose.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-Mass.) and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America have called for the President to withdraw Keroack's appointment, which does not need Congressional approval.

Dioxin May Affect Male Reproductive System

Exposure to TCDD, the most toxic dioxin in the herbicide Agent Orange, may disrupt the male reproductive system in a number of ways, says a study of 2,000 U.S. Air Force veterans who served in the Vietnam War.

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found evidence that TCDD may lower testosterone levels and limit the growth of the prostate gland. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Environmental Health.

"Until now, we did not have very good evidence whether or not dioxins affect the human reproductive system," urologist and lead author Dr. Amit Gupta said in a statement. "Now we know that there is a link between dioxins and the human prostate leading us to speculate that dioxins might be decreasing growth of the prostate in humans like they do in animals."

The study found that veterans exposed to TCDD had lower rates of an enlarged prostate disorder called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

"It may be construed that a decrease in the risk of BPH is not a harmful effect, but the larger picture is that dioxins are affecting the normal growth and development of the reproductive system. Moreover, several effective treatments are available for BPH and thus reduction of BPH by a toxic compound is not a desirable effect," Gupta said.

Chocolate Milk May Boost Exercise Stamina

Chocolate milk may boost athletic endurance, suggests an Indiana University study that was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Researchers had a small group of fit athletes do hard workouts on a stationary bike, then drink either low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid replacement drink (Gatorade), or a carbohydrate replacement drink (Endurox R4). A few hours later, the athletes were told to ride the bike again until they were exhausted, the Associated Press reported.

The test was repeated three times, once with each type of beverage. The study found participants exercised up to 54 percent longer after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. There was no significant difference between the milk and the fluid-replacement drink.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Health Headlines - November 19

Potency of U.S. Avian Flu Vaccine Supply is Deteriorating

Not that there is all that much vaccine to protect against a major outbreak of avian flu, but the U.S. supply of about 3.75 million doses is losing its potency.

Bloomberg News reports U.S. government officials saying the original batch of 3.75 million doses against H5N1 avian influenza has started to deteriorate. The revelation came after the vaccine's maker, Sanofi-Aventis SA, discovered the reduction in strength after routine testing.

There are now fewer than 3 million full strength doses, Bloomberg News quotes Bill Hall, an HHS spokesman, as saying. Nevertheless, if a major outbreak of avian flu were to occur in the U.S., the wire service quotes Hall as saying, it "would still most likely be used if we needed it tomorrow or next week. We would use the full- potency vaccine first."

While concern about an worldwide human pandemic of bird flu -- which has infected tens of millions of fowl -- has eased somewhat, World Health Organization statistics show that H5N1 has killed 153 people and infected a total of 258. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of avian flu being transmitted from human to human.

M.D. Affiliated With Anti-Contraception Group Named to Head U.S. Family Planning Agency

A Massachusetts doctor who is the medical director of an organization that opposes abortion, contraception and most family planning methods is President Bush's choice to head the federal department that finances most of the programs the doctor's organization opposes.

The appointment of Dr. Eric Keroack to head the U.S. Office of Population Affairs, whose annual $283 million budget is used to fund family planning programs, met with Congressional criticism and angered one of the nation's largest family planning groups. Keroack is affiliated with A Woman's Concern, a Marblehead, Mass. Organization that the Associated Press quotes from its statement of faith as designed "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion." The organization also opposes contraception, according to the wire service.

The Office of Family Planning, one of the Office of Population Affairs' divisions, "is designed to provide access to contraceptive supplies and information to all who want and need them," according to its statement of purpose.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-Mass.) and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America have called for the President to withdraw Keroack's appointment, which does not need Congressional approval.

Dioxin May Affect Male Reproductive System

Exposure to TCDD, the most toxic dioxin in the herbicide Agent Orange, may disrupt the male reproductive system in a number of ways, says a study of 2,000 U.S. Air Force veterans who served in the Vietnam War.

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found evidence that TCDD may lower testosterone levels and limit the growth of the prostate gland. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Environmental Health.

"Until now, we did not have very good evidence whether or not dioxins affect the human reproductive system," urologist and lead author Dr. Amit Gupta said in a statement. "Now we know that there is a link between dioxins and the human prostate leading us to speculate that dioxins might be decreasing growth of the prostate in humans like they do in animals."

The study found that veterans exposed to TCDD had lower rates of an enlarged prostate disorder called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

"It may be construed that a decrease in the risk of BPH is not a harmful effect, but the larger picture is that dioxins are affecting the normal growth and development of the reproductive system. Moreover, several effective treatments are available for BPH and thus reduction of BPH by a toxic compound is not a desirable effect," Gupta said.

Chocolate Milk May Boost Exercise Stamina

Chocolate milk may boost athletic endurance, suggests an Indiana University study that was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Researchers had a small group of fit athletes do hard workouts on a stationary bike, then drink either low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid replacement drink (Gatorade), or a carbohydrate replacement drink (Endurox R4). A few hours later, the athletes were told to ride the bike again until they were exhausted, the Associated Press reported.

The test was repeated three times, once with each type of beverage. The study found participants exercised up to 54 percent longer after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. There was no significant difference between the milk and the fluid-replacement drink.

The findings that chocolate milk may help boost endurance are not conclusive, but do suggest that it's worth doing a larger study, dietician Mary Lee Chin (who does public relations work for the Western Dairy Council) told the AP.

U.K. Bans Junk Food Ads on Kids' TV Shows

In an effort to fight childhood obesity, officials in the United Kingdom have announced a ban on all junk food advertising on children's television programs.

The Ofcom broadcasting regulator said Friday that no ads for foods and beverages with high fat, salt, or sugar content will be shown during shows aimed at children younger than 16, Agence France Presse reported.

Some health and consumer groups said the measures didn't go far enough. Junk food ads should be prohibited from all television shows before 9 p.m., whether the programs are for children or adults, the groups said, noting that many children watch adult programs.

FDA Expands Use of Herceptin for Breast Cancer

The approved use of the cancer drug Herceptin has been expanded to include treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer along with chemotherapy after a woman has a lumpectomy or mastectomy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.

Herceptin was first approved by the FDA in 1998 to treat metastatic breast cancer (cancer that's spread to other areas of the body). This latest approval means it can also be used to treat women with cancer that was detected only in the breast or lymph nodes and was surgically removed. The drug should only be given to women with HER2-positive breast cancer, the FDA said.

This expanded use is based on the findings of two studies sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The studies, which included nearly 4,000 women, found that 87 percent of women who received the drug and chemotherapy after surgery were cancer-free after three years, compared to 75 percent of those who received chemotherapy alone.

It's too early to determine whether Herceptin combined with chemotherapy will increase the cure rate or lower the risk of death from breast cancer, the FDA said.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Health Headlines - November 18

Dioxin May Affect Male Reproductive System

Exposure to TCDD, the most toxic dioxin in the herbicide Agent Orange, may disrupt the male reproductive system in a number of ways, says a study of 2,000 U.S. Air Force veterans who served in the Vietnam War.

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found evidence that TCDD may lower testosterone levels and limit the growth of the prostate gland. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Environmental Health.

"Until now, we did not have very good evidence whether or not dioxins affect the human reproductive system," urologist and lead author Dr. Amit Gupta said in a statement. "Now we know that there is a link between dioxins and the human prostate leading us to speculate that dioxins might be decreasing growth of the prostate in humans like they do in animals."

The study found that veterans exposed to TCDD had lower rates of an enlarged prostate disorder called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

"It may be construed that a decrease in the risk of BPH is not a harmful effect, but the larger picture is that dioxins are affecting the normal growth and development of the reproductive system. Moreover, several effective treatments are available for BPH and thus reduction of BPH by a toxic compound is not a desirable effect," Gupta said.

Chocolate Milk May Boost Exercise Stamina

Chocolate milk may boost athletic endurance, suggests an Indiana University study that was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Researchers had a small group of fit athletes do hard workouts on a stationary bike, then drink either low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid replacement drink (Gatorade), or a carbohydrate replacement drink (Endurox R4). A few hours later, the athletes were told to ride the bike again until they were exhausted, the Associated Press reported.

The test was repeated three times, once with each type of beverage. The study found participants exercised up to 54 percent longer after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. There was no significant difference between the milk and the fluid-replacement drink.

The findings that chocolate milk may help boost endurance are not conclusive, but do suggest that it's worth doing a larger study, dietician Mary Lee Chin (who does public relations work for the Western Dairy Council) told the AP.

U.K. Bans Junk Food Ads on Kids' TV Shows

In an effort to fight childhood obesity, officials in the United Kingdom have announced a ban on all junk food advertising on children's television programs.

The Ofcom broadcasting regulator said Friday that no ads for foods and beverages with high fat, salt, or sugar content will be shown during shows aimed at children younger than 16, Agence France Presse reported.

Some health and consumer groups said the measures didn't go far enough. Junk food ads should be prohibited from all television shows before 9 p.m., whether the programs are for children or adults, the groups said, noting that many children watch adult programs.

FDA Expands Use of Herceptin for Breast Cancer

The approved use of the cancer drug Herceptin has been expanded to include treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer along with chemotherapy after a woman has a lumpectomy or mastectomy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.

Herceptin was first approved by the FDA in 1998 to treat metastatic breast cancer (cancer that's spread to other areas of the body). This latest approval means it can also be used to treat women with cancer that was detected only in the breast or lymph nodes and was surgically removed. The drug should only be given to women with HER2-positive breast cancer, the FDA said.

This expanded use is based on the findings of two studies sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The studies, which included nearly 4,000 women, found that 87 percent of women who received the drug and chemotherapy after surgery were cancer-free after three years, compared to 75 percent of those who received chemotherapy alone.

It's too early to determine whether Herceptin combined with chemotherapy will increase the cure rate or lower the risk of death from breast cancer, the FDA said.

Taco Bell Switching to Trans Fat-Free Cooking Oil

Taco Bell is the latest U.S. fast-food giant to announce that it's switching to trans fat-free cooking oil, which is used to fry a number of items including nachos, chalupa shells, potatoes, and taco salad shells.

The company said that by April 2007, all of its single-brand restaurants in the United States will be using trans fat-free canola cooking oil, instead of the current partially hydrogenated soybean oil, the Associated Press reported.

Taco Bell restaurants that share space with KFC or other restaurants owned by the same company will start using trans fat-free soybean oil.

Despite the switch to trans fat-free cooking oil, some Taco Bell products will still contain some artery-clogging trans fats, the AP reported.

EPA Phasing Out AZM Insecticide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced its final decision to phase out the 10 remaining approved uses for the organophosphate insecticide azinphos-methyl (AZM) over the next five years.

The use of AZM on brussels sprouts and nursery stock will end in September 2007; on almonds, pistachios and walnuts by October 2009; and on apples, blueberries, cherries, parsley and pears by September 2012.

During the phase out period, the EPA said it is decreasing AZM application rates.

All other uses of the insecticide have been voluntarily discontinued by the registrants, the EPA said. In addition, AZM manufacturers have agreed to develop training materials to instruct farm workers and others on how to avoid unnecessary exposure.

Brain Tumor Vaccine Shows Promise

A vaccine for glioma brain tumors is showing promising results, according to preliminary data from a clinical trial at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

These early findings from the first group of six patients showed that the vaccine vitespen (trademark name Oncophage) was associated with tumor-specific immune responses in patients with recurrent, high-grade glioma.

The vaccine is derived from each patient's own tumor.

"This is the first documentation of a glioma-specific immune response after vaccination with vitespen," and further research is warranted, principal investigator Dr. Andrew T. Parsa, assistant professor in the department of neurological surgery, said in a prepared statement.

The findings were presented Thursday at a meeting of the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Health Headlines - November 17

EPA Phasing Out AZM Insecticide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced its final decision to phase out the 10 remaining approved uses for the organophosphate insecticide azinphos-methyl (AZM) over the next five years.

The use of AZM on brussels sprouts and nursery stock will end in September 2007; on almonds, pistachios and walnuts by October 2009; and on apples, blueberries, cherries, parsley and pears by September 2012.

During the phase out period, the EPA said it is decreasing AZM application rates.

All other uses of the insecticide have been voluntarily discontinued by the registrants, the EPA said. In addition, AZM manufacturers have agreed to develop training materials to instruct farm workers and others on how to avoid unnecessary exposure.

Brain Tumor Vaccine Shows Promise

A vaccine for glioma brain tumors is showing promising results, according to preliminary data from a clinical trial at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

These early findings from the first group of six patients showed that the vaccine vitespen (trademark name Oncophage) was associated with tumor-specific immune responses in patients with recurrent, high-grade glioma.

The vaccine is derived from each patient's own tumor.

"This is the first documentation of a glioma-specific immune response after vaccination with vitespen," and further research is warranted, principal investigator Dr. Andrew T. Parsa, assistant professor in the department of neurological surgery, said in a prepared statement.

The findings were presented Thursday at a meeting of the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

Virus Sickens 700 on Cruise Ship

A highly-contagious stomach virus sickened more than 700 passengers and crew during a trans-Atlantic cruise from Rome to Florida.

The Carnival Cruise Lines ship Liberty, carrying 2,804 passengers and 1,166 crew members, began its 16-day voyage on Nov. 3. Carnival officials said the number of new cases has dropped significantly in the last few days and the ship will complete its cruise, The New York Times reported.

"The majority of affected guests have already recovered," the cruise line said a statement. It offered a hint about a possible cause of the outbreak.

"After the start of the voyage, it was determined that at least two guests were sick with gastrointestinal illness just prior to the cruise and sought medical treatment in Rome before boarding the ship," Carnival said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will send three environmental health experts to the Liberty. The specialists will oversee cleaning of the ship and help pinpoint the outbreak's cause, The Times said.

Bill Would Improve U.S. Drug Safety

U.S. lawmakers are being urged to support a bipartisan bill to improve drug safety, the Associated Press reported.

The bill's provisions include: a temporary ban on consumer advertising of drugs newly approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; drug company-devised safety plans for new drugs; more disclosure of the results of human drug trials; and giving the FDA the power to order drugmakers to conduct safety studies of drugs after they're on the market.

The bill, which also calls for the drug industry to pay higher user fees to the FDA, was introduced in August by Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in the wake of a number of drug recalls and safety alerts.

Witnesses in Congressional hearings testified that the bill would improve safety and boost public confidence, the AP reported.

"The initiative now before you represents the best opportunity in many years to fix these chronic [drug safety] problems," Dr. Steve Nissen told lawmakers. Nissen was a member of an FDA advisory panel that in 2001 recommended new warnings be added to the now recalled painkiller Vioxx.

Survey Queries Smokers on Why They Should Quit

Health concerns and the welfare of a child or grandchild are key motivators for people to quit smoking, says an American Cancer Society survey released Thursday.

The survey of 454 former smokers and 281 current smokers who have tried to quit at least once also cited not smelling like smoke as a key reason to kick the habit.

Among the survey's findings:

* 86 percent of former smokers and 70 percent of current smokers cited health concerns as the most important reason for quitting, while 55 percent in each group said the welfare of a child or grandchild was the second most important reason.
* More than a third of former smokers and 43 percent of current smokers said the cost of cigarettes also was a key reason to quit.
* Respondents cited other reasons to stop smoking, including reducing the risk of cancer, feeling a sense of accomplishment, being able to exercise more, and improving relationships with family and friends.

The survey was released on the 30th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout, when people are encouraged to give up cigarettes for at least a day.

Falls Leading Cause of Fatal Injuries Among Elderly

Fall-related deaths among people 65 and older in the United States rose by more than 55 percent from 1993 to 2003, says a report released Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Falls are now the leading cause of injury deaths for elderly Americans, the report said.

In 2003, more than 13,700 older adults died from falls, nearly 1.8 million seniors were treated in hospital emergency departments for nonfatal fall-related injuries, and more than 460,000 elderly people were hospitalized for injuries caused by falls.

The report also said that, in 2000, direct medical costs for falls among seniors totaled some $19 billion.

Between 1993 and 2003, fatal falls increased for all races and both sexes, but men were more likely than women to die from falls. Women, however, averaged 48 percent more non-fatal fall injuries than men.

Wal-Mart Expands Discount Drug Program

Wal-Mart is adding 17 more medications to its list of $4 generic prescription drugs and is expanding the program to 502 more stores in 11 additional states, the Associated Press reported. Once implemented, the program will involve 3,009 stores in 38 states.

Consumers will be able to pay $4 for a 30-day supply of any of 331 drugs, the company said Thursday.

New states added to the program are: Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia, the AP reported.

Wal-Mart started the discount generic drug program in Florida in September and had planned to expand it early next year. However, the company said it decided to move up its timetable and expand the program as soon as possible.