Health Headlines - May 31

Teen Births Decline in U.S.

Between 1997 and 2004, the rate of girls under age 18 giving birth in U.S. hospitals declined by about 25 percent -- from 55 to 41 admissions per 100,000 girls. Even so, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates in the industrialized world, says the latest News and Numbers from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Among the other findings:

• About 148,000 girls under age 18 gave birth in U.S. hospitals in 2004, which represents 3.5 percent of all childbirth-related hospital stays in community hospitals.
• More than 19.2 percent of the girls had Caesarean sections, compared with 30.5 percent of women.
• The highest rate of girls under 18 giving birth was in the South (52 per 100,000 girls) and lowest in the Northeast (27 per 100,000). The rate in the Midwest was 36 per 100,000 and the rate in the West was 42 per 100,000.
• About three of every four teen childbirths was billed to Medicaid, for a total cost of about $348 million. Private insurers paid for 21 percent of such cases; other payers, such as Tricare, paid for 2 percent. In 3 percent of cases, the girls had no health insurance.

-----

New Jersey Creates Anti-Obesity Office

A new Office of Nutrition and Fitness has been created by New Jersey's health department in order to fight obesity. It's believed that New Jersey is the first state to establish such an agency, the Associated Press reported.

The office, scheduled to begin operations next week, will coordinate spending of more than $2 million in fitness and nutrition programs and work with other state agencies, including the agriculture and education departments.

New Jersey has the highest percentage (17.7 percent) of overweight and obese children under age 5 in the United States., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, 37 percent of the Garden State's residents are overweight and 23 percent are obese, the AP reported.

Children will be a special focus for the new agency, because instilling healthy diet and exercise habits in young people in order to prevent obesity is easier than trying to reverse weight problems, said Dr. Fred M. Jacobs, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

-----

Fisher-Price Recalls Infant Swings

About 112,000 Fisher-Price Rainforest Open Top Take-Along Swings sold in the United States have been recalled because infants can get caught between the frame and the seat and suffer injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

An additional 15,000 of the swings were sold worldwide. The swings were made in China.

To date, Fisher-Price has received 60 reports of infants becoming entrapped, resulting in injuries such as cuts, bumps, bruises and red marks on their skin. The recall affects model numbers K7203, K7192 and K7195. The model numbers are located under the right handle on the swing.

Consumers should immediately stop using the swings and contact Fisher-Price (1-888-303-5631) for instructions on how to return the swing and receive a voucher for a free replacement product.

-----

Jury Awards $2.6 Million in Accutane Lawsuit

A New Jersey jury on Tuesday ordered Roche Holding AG to pay $2.5 million in damages and $119,000 for past medical expenses to an Alabama man who suffered inflammatory bowel disease after he took Roche's Accutane acne drug.

The jury said that the drug company failed to warn of the drug's risks. This is the first of 400 such lawsuits faced by Roche, Bloomberg news reported. The company said it will appeal the verdict.

The case involved 36-year-old Andrew McCarrell, who said he suffered severe diarrhea, surgeries and depression after taking Accutane in 1995.

Since Accutane was introduced in 1982, about 13 million people have taken the drug, which has also been associated with birth defects and depression, Bloomberg reported.

-----

Hookahs No Safe Alternative to Cigarettes: WHO

Smoking a water pipe (hookah) may pose the same health risks as puffing on cigarettes, says an advisory note released Tuesday by the World Health Organization, the Associated Press reported.

"Using a water pipe to smoke tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking," according to the WHO document. "Contrary to ancient lore and popular belief, the smoke that emerges from a water pipe contains numerous toxicants known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases."

The U.N. health agency called for more research to examine the association between hookah use and a number of deadly diseases, the AP reported.

The hookah has been used for centuries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Recently, it's become increasingly popular in Europe and the United States, particularly among college students and young adults.

Hookah users aren't the only ones who may be at risk. The WHO said that secondhand smoke from hookahs appears to pose the same health risks as secondhand smoke from cigarettes, the AP reported.

In related news, another WHO report released Tuesday urged all countries to ban smoking at indoor workplaces and in public buildings. Unless governments take action, increasing numbers of nonsmokers will die from illnesses caused by secondhand smoke, the agency warned.

Workplace exposure to secondhand smoke results in the deaths of at least 200,000 people worldwide each year, according to the U.N., the AP reported.

-----

Similac Formula for Premature Infants Recalled

About 5,000 cases of 2-ounce bottles of Similac Special Care 24 Cal/fl. oz. Ready-to-Feed Premature Infant Formula with Iron have been recalled because they don't contain as much iron as indicated on the label, the Associated Press reported.

The formula -- primarily sold through pharmacies at the direction of a health care professional -- is given to premature infants after they're discharged from hospital.

Infants who are fed the recalled formula for more than a month after they're discharged from hospital may be at increased risk of developing anemia due to insufficient iron intake, Abbott Laboratories of Columbus, Ohio said in statement.

The recall includes three lots with stock code number 59582 and lot numbers 46815D5, 47847D5 and 52023D5 printed on the outside carton and case and lot numbers 44427X8, 44427X81 and 50005X8 printed on the bottom of the bottles, the AP reported.

The lots were distributed in the United States between November 2006 and May 2007. For more information, consumers can all Abbott's Ross Products Division at 1-888-899-9182.

Health Headlines - May 30

Game Show Features Kidney Donation

A terminally ill woman on a Dutch reality TV show will choose which of three contestants receives one of her kidneys, the Associated Press reported.

Those responsible for the "Big Donor Show" on the BNN network say they're trying to draw attention to the shortage of organ donors in the country. Critics say the show is tasteless and unethical.

The show will feature a 37-year-old woman with an inoperable brain tumor. She'll interview the three contestants, along with their families and friends. She'll then decide who gets one of her kidneys before she dies, the AP reported.

"We know that this program is super-controversial and some people will think it's tasteless, but we think the reality is even more shocking and tasteless: waiting for an organ is just like playing the lottery," Laurens Drillich, chairman of the BNN network, said in a prepared statement.

Drillich said patients on organ-transplant lists have to wait more than four years and 200 patients die each year due to a lack of donor organs.

-----

Bird Flu Survivors' Antibodies Protect Mice Against H5N1 Virus

Antibodies from human survivors of bird flu protected mice against the H5N1 virus, says a study in the open access journal PLoS Medicine. The research could lead to treatments for people infected with bird flu.

"We are very confident that this data can be reproduced in humans," study co-author Antonio Lanzavecchia, director of the immune regulation laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland, told Agence France-Presse.

Inoculation with antibodies generated from the blood of four people in Vietnam who survived bird flu provided mice with near total protection against the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The antibodies also proved highly effective in neutralizing H5N1 in mice already infected with the virus.

No untreated mice exposed to H5N1 survived, AFP reported.

Unlike a vaccine, an antibody-based drug would offer protection against bird flu for only a few months. But vaccines are ineffective once a patient is already infected. Because antibody-based drugs are effective immediately and relatively easy to produce on a large scale, they could prove vital in the event of a bird flu pandemic, the researchers said.

-----

Secondhand Smoke Kills 100,000 Chinese Each Year

Secondhand smoke kills as many as 100,000 people in China each year and makes nearly half a million more people sick, says a report released Tuesday by the country's health ministry.

The Xinhua news agency said the report also stated that the nation has nearly 350 million smokers and that about one million people are killed by smoking-related diseases each year, Agence France-Presse reported.

China has banned smoking on public transportation, but it is still allowed in many public places, including restaurants.

"We hope the report can prompt authorities to institute and implement laws or regulations to prevent passive smoking inside office buildings," Xinhua quoted an official with China's National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the World Health Organization, China is the world's largest tobacco producer and is home to one in three of the world's smokers, AFP reported.

-----

China to Tighten Food-Safety Rules

In response to a series of safety problems, the Chinese government plans to introduce new rules that would force food companies to take back products that pose a health risk, according to the state-controlled China Daily newspaper, Agence France-Presse reported.

The newspaper said the new rules, which would be in line with international practices and introduced by the end of the year, would apply to both domestic and foreign companies operating in China.

Food producers that break the rules would be blacklisted and serious violators barred from selling their products, an official told the China Daily, AFP reported.

Two recent safety issues related to Chinese products include pet food additives that poisoned thousands of animals in the United States, and the presence of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical sometimes used in antifreeze, in cough syrup and toothpaste in Latin America.

In related news, state media said that the former chief of China's Food and Drug Administration was sentenced to death Tuesday after pleading guilty to corruption and accepting bribes, The New York Times reported.

Zheng Xiaoyu served as the agency's director from its founding in 1998 until mid 2005.

-----

Apple Juice May Reduce Asthma Risk

Apple juice may help prevent asthma in children, says a British study published in the European Respiratory Journal.

The study by researchers at the National Heart and Lung Institute found that children ages 5 to 10 who drank apple juice at least once a day were half as likely to experience wheezing as children who drank apple juice less than once a month, BBC News reported.

Eating fresh apples did not appear to offer the same benefits, the study said.

The researchers said they did not establish a link between drinking apple juice and a reduced chance of an actual asthma diagnosis. However, they noted that wheezing is one of the most important signs that a child is at increased risk for asthma, BBC News reported.

Phytochemicals -- such as flavanoids and phenolic acids -- in apples may help reduce airway inflammation that's a key feature in both wheezing and asthma, said researcher Dr. Peter Burney.

A series of studies have found a link between apples and lung health.

-----

Contact Lens Eye Solution Pulled From Market

Increased incidences of a rare but stubborn eye infection have caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to alert the public to discontinue using a solution used to clean contact lenses.

The Associated Press reports that AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, had been immediately and voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Advanced Medical Optics Inc., of Santa Ana Calif.

The infection in question is Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is caused by an amoeba, the A.P. quotes Michael Beach, team leader in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of parasitic diseases, as saying. If left untreated, the infection could cause permanent vision loss or complete blindness.

Neither the FDA nor Advanced Medical Optics said the contact lens solution caused increased cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, the wire service reported. Rather, the solution didn't protect against the infection, which usually comes from swimming or showering.

Because Acanthamoeba keratitis strikes only one or two people per million, the situation came to the government's notice because only because a Chicago ophthalmologist, Dr. Elmer Tu, noticed more than a dozen cases of the infection. He usually saw only saw one or two cases a year, the A.P. reported.

TB case brings warning to air passengers

A man with a rare and dangerous form of tuberculosis ignored doctors' advice and took two trans-Atlantic flights, leading to the first U.S. government-ordered quarantine since 1963, health officials said Tuesday. The man, whom officials did not identify, is at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital in respiratory isolation.

He was potentially infectious at the time of the flights, so officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended medical exams for cabin crew members on those flights, as well as passengers sitting in the same rows or within two rows.

CDC officials did not release row numbers but said the airlines were working with health officials to contact those passengers. Passengers who should be tested will be contacted by health officials from their home countries.

The infected man flew from Atlanta to Paris on May 12 aboard Air France Flight 385. He returned to North America on May 24 aboard Czech Air Flight 0104 from Prague to Montreal. The man then drove into the United States at the Champlain, N.Y., border crossing.

The man told health officials he was not coughing during the flights. Tests indicated the amount of TB bacteria in him was low, so passengers are not considered to be at high risk of infection, said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's division of global migration and quarantine.

The man had been told by health officials in early May that he had a form of TB that was resistant to first-line antibiotics and was advised not to travel to Europe. "He was told traveling is against medical advice," said Dr. Steven Katkowsky, director of the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness.

Health officials said they don't know how the Georgia man was infected.

A CDC official reached the man by phone in Rome and told him not to take commercial flights, but he flew back to North America anyway. "He was told in no uncertain terms not to take a flight back," Cetron said.

Cetron reached the man once he was back in the United States. At that point, he voluntarily went to a New York hospital, then was flown by the CDC to Atlanta, where he was issued the federal quarantine order. He is not facing prosecution, health officials said.

The quarantine order was the first since 1963, when the government quarantined a patient with smallpox, according to the CDC.

The man, who went on the trip with his wife, also traveled within Europe, but CDC officials said they did not have information to release about whether the trips were by plane, train or other public transportation.

His wife tested negative for TB before the trip and is not considered a public health risk, health officials said.

CDC officials said they are concentrating on investigating the trans-Atlantic flights, when possibility of spread of the disease was greatest because he was in a confined space with other people for many hours.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air. It usually affects the lungs and can lead to symptoms such as chest pain and coughing up blood. It kills nearly 2 million people each year worldwide.

Because of antibiotics and other measures, the TB rate in the United States has been falling for years. Last year, it hit an all-time low of 13,767 cases, or about 4.6 cases per 100,000 Americans.

Health officials worry about "multidrug-resistant" TB, which can withstand the mainline antibiotics isoniazid and rifampin. The man was infected with something even worse — "extensively drug-resistant" TB, also called XDR-TB, which resists many drugs used to treat the infection.

There have been 17 U.S. XDR-TB cases since 2000, according to CDC statistics.

Three-quarters were people from foreign countries. One case was a Russian man who arrived in Phoenix last year. He was jailed after he stopped taking medications and went unmasked to a restaurant and other businesses, threatening the health of others.

The CDC's statement that the patient is at the low end of communicability "provides some reassurance," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University.

The highly dangerous form is "expanding around the world," particularly in South Africa, eastern Europe and the former states of the Soviet Union, he said.

Health Headlines - May 29

Contact Lens Eye Solution Pulled from Market; FDA Says to Discontinue Use

Increased incidences of a rare but stubborn eye infection have caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to alert the public to discontinue using a solution used to clean contact lenses.

The Associated Press reports that AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, had been immediately and voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Advanced Medical Optics Inc., of Santa Ana Calif.

The infection in question is Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is caused by an amoeba, the A.P. quotes Michael Beach, team leader in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of parasitic diseases, as saying. If left untreated, the infection could cause permanent vision loss or complete blindness.

Neither the FDA nor Advanced Medical Optics said the contact lens solution caused increased cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, the wire service reported. Rather, the solution didn't protect against the infection, which usually comes from swimming or showering.

Because Acanthamoeba keratitis strikes only one or two people per million, the situation came to the government's notice because only because a Chicago ophthalmologist, Dr. Elmer Tu, noticed more than a dozen cases of the infection. He usually saw only saw one or two cases a year, the A.P. reported.

-----

Healthier Milk Could be Produced by 'Low-Fat' Cows

Got milk? Got low-fat milk? Got skim milk?

New Zealand scientists say they have discovered a gene found in some dairy cows that predisposes them to producing milk with much lower saturated fat content.

Writing in the June issue of the journal Chemistry & Industry, the researchers say it will be possible to selectively breed cattle with this genetic trait, producing milk with much lower fat content directly from the cow.

And that's not all. How about fresh butter that's spreadable right out of the refrigerator? According to a Society of Chemical Industry news release, a New Zealand biotech company discovered a cow named Marge, whose milk was very low in saturated fat. Using Marge as the "earth mother," the researchers say that a herd of low-saturated fat dairy cows could be churning out the spreadable butter by the year 2011.

-----

Smoking 'Quitlines' Can Actually Get Results, Study Says

Can a phone call to get help in quitting smoking actually work?

A study in the May issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) indicates that it can.

Citing research conducted by scientists from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., a news release from the American Dental Association says that eight Minnesota dental practices chosen at random agreed to provide patients who smoked cigarettes with either a brief counseling session on the importance of not smoking or a referral to a telephone "quitline" the researchers had set up.

In all, 60 patients were told about the telephone counseling service; 22 were given only a brief counseling session. Here's the good news:

After six months, both methods appeared to have a positive effect. Twenty-five percent of the patients in the telephone group and more than 27 percent of the patients in the counseling group had "abstained from tobacco use," the news release says.

Another study result was that although more than 60 percent of dentists believe their patients don't expect tobacco-use cessation services from them, about 59 percent of patients believe that dentists should provide such services.

The desire to quit smoking cigarettes among Americans appears to be working, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proportion of American households that forbid smoking increased from 43 percent in 1992-93 to 72 percent in 2003, an April CDC report says.

-----

After 8 Years in Prison, Dr. Kevorkian Scheduled for Release Next Thursday

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, in a Michigan prison for more than eight years, is scheduled to leave June 1, after serving part of a 10-to-25 year sentence based on his conviction in helping a seriously ill man kill himself.

Known as "Dr. Death" for his outspoken advocacy of physician-assisted suicide, Kevorkian, 79, is unlikely to resume the unorthodox methods that attracted so much media attention and may have even led to his arrest and conviction, the Associated Press reports.

But with Oregon being the only state that allows physician-assisted suicide, the wire service says that Kevorkian will probably resume his attempts to get the controversial procedure approved in more states.

"It's got to be legalized," the wire service quotes Kevorkian as saying in a phone interview from prison aired by a Detroit TV station last Monday. "I'll work to have it legalized. But I won't break any laws doing it."

According to the A.P., in the nine years since the Oregon law has been on the books, 292 terminally ill people -- or about 32 a year -- have asked their doctors to prescribe the necessary drugs to make their deaths possible.

-----

Participants Dropping Out of Diabetes Drug's Clinical Trial, Maker Says

The company that makes Avandia, a diabetes drug that came under criticism last week in a published study indicating it could increase heart attack risk, says its large clinical study that might have dispelled those concerns is in jeopardy.

The New York Times reports that the medical director of Avandia's maker GlaxoSmithKline, said that after the report about Avandia's increased coronary risk appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, some of the 4,450 patients dropped out of a major study designed to test the drug's safety.

Dr. Ronald L. Krall told the newspaper he didn't know how many study subjects had withdrawn, but he was concerned as to whether the trial, scheduled to run through next year, would be completed. About seven million people currently use Avandia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration responded to the study findings by issuing a safety alert May 21 but stopped short of a stronger warning label, saying more analysis was needed. "At this point, we have not reached a definitive conclusion on the data," Dr. Robert J. Meyer, director of FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation II, said at the time. "We don't feel there is consistent enough data to make a decision from a regulatory standpoint. We are not ready to make an action."

-----

Medicare Won't Cover Artificial Disc Implants in Older Americans

Older Americans won't receive Medicare coverage for artificial disc implants in the lower spine, according to the a report in the New York Times

The newspaper reports that the decision is preliminary and affects people over the age of 60 who are eligible for the U.S. government's Medicare health insurance. The decision is expected to become final in August, the Times said.

The reason given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for denying coverage was that none of the clinical trials conducted on whether the artificial discs were effective included people over age 60.

Therefore, the agency said it had no basis for approving artificial disc surgery for older Americans. At least three companies are affected by the decision: Johnson & Johnson, Synthes and Medtronic. About 43 million Americans -- most of them over 60 -- use the Medicare health program.

Younger patients, most of them disabled, will continue to be eligible for Medicare coverage for artificial disc implantation, the newspaper reported.

-----

Imported Monkfish May Actually be Poisonous Puffer Fish: FDA

Americans should not buy or eat imported fish labeled as monkfish that may actually be puffer fish containing a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency said that 282 22-pound boxes of the fish were imported from China and distributed by Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in September 2006.

Two people in Chicago became ill after they ate soup made with the fish and one of them had to be hospitalized. Initial symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include tingling of lips, tongue, face and extremities. Subsequent symptoms may include headache, balance problems, excessive salvation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care, the FDA said.

Severe cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning can cause muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory muscle paralysis.

The boxes containing the fish are white, with one label that reads "FROZEN MONKFISH GUTTED AND HEAD-OFF" and "PRODUCT OF CHINA." A second label includes nutritional facts and the following information: "Ingredients: Monk fish; Imported by Hong Chang Corp, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670; Product of China (P.R.C.)" A third label has a checkbox indicating the size as either "0.5-1" or "1-2" and show the net weight as 22 pounds.

There are no manufacturing codes on the boxes. The fish are individually wrapped in plastic bags with no labeling.

Health Headlines - May 28

Happy Memorial Day!

Contact Lens Eye Solution Pulled from Market; FDA Says to Discontinue Use

Increased incidences of a rare but stubborn eye infection have caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to alert the public to discontinue using a solution used to clean contact lenses.

The Associated Press reports that AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, had been immediately and voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Advanced Medical Optics Inc., of Santa Ana Calif.

The infection in question is Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is caused by an amoeba, the A.P. quotes Michael Beach, team leader in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of parasitic diseases, as saying. If left untreated, the infection could cause permanent vision loss or complete blindness.

Neither the FDA nor Advanced Medical Optics said the contact lens solution caused increased cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, the wire service reported. Rather, the solution didn't protect against the infection, which usually comes from swimming or showering.

Because Acanthamoeba keratitis strikes only one or two people per million, the situation came to the government's notice because only because a Chicago ophthalmologist, Dr. Elmer Tu, noticed more than a dozen cases of the infection. He usually saw only saw one or two cases a year, the A.P. reported.

-----

After 8 Years in Prison, Dr. Kevorkian Scheduled for Release Next Thursday

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, in a Michigan prison for more than eight years, is scheduled to leave June 1, after serving part of a 10-to-25 year sentence based on his conviction in helping a seriously ill man kill himself.

Known as "Dr. Death" for his outspoken advocacy of physician-assisted suicide, Kevorkian, 79, is unlikely to resume the unorthodox methods that attracted so much media attention and may have even led to his arrest and conviction, the Associated Press reports.

But with Oregon being the only state that allows physician-assisted suicide, the wire service says that Kevorkian will probably resume his attempts to get the controversial procedure approved in more states.

"It's got to be legalized," the wire service quotes Kevorkian as saying in a phone interview from prison aired by a Detroit TV station last Monday. "I'll work to have it legalized. But I won't break any laws doing it."

According to the A.P., in the nine years since the Oregon law has been on the books, 292 terminally ill people -- or about 32 a year -- have asked their doctors to prescribe the necessary drugs to make their deaths possible.

-----

Participants Dropping Out of Diabetes Drug's Clinical Trial, Maker Says

The company that makes Avandia, a diabetes drug that came under criticism last week in a published study indicating it could increase heart attack risk, says its large clinical study that might have dispelled those concerns is in jeopardy.

The New York Times reports that the medical director of Avandia's maker GlaxoSmithKline, said that after the report about Avandia's increased coronary risk appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, some of the 4,450 patients dropped out of a major study designed to test the drug's safety.

Dr. Ronald L. Krall told the newspaper he didn't know how many study subjects had withdrawn, but he was concerned as to whether the trial, scheduled to run through next year, would be completed. About seven million people currently use Avandia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration responded to the study findings by issuing a safety alert May 21 but stopped short of a stronger warning label, saying more analysis was needed. "At this point, we have not reached a definitive conclusion on the data," Dr. Robert J. Meyer, director of FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation II, said at the time. "We don't feel there is consistent enough data to make a decision from a regulatory standpoint. We are not ready to make an action."

-----

Medicare Won't Cover Artificial Disc Implants in Older Americans

Older Americans won't receive Medicare coverage for artificial disc implants in the lower spine, according to the a report in the New York Times

The newspaper reports that the decision is preliminary and affects people over the age of 60 who are eligible for the U.S. government's Medicare health insurance. The decision is expected to become final in August, the Times said.

The reason given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for denying coverage was that none of the clinical trials conducted on whether the artificial discs were effective included people over age 60.

Therefore, the agency said it had no basis for approving artificial disc surgery for older Americans. At least three companies are affected by the decision: Johnson & Johnson, Synthes and Medtronic. About 43 million Americans -- most of them over 60 -- use the Medicare health program.

Younger patients, most of them disabled, will continue to be eligible for Medicare coverage for artificial disc implantation, the newspaper reported.

-----

Imported Monkfish May Actually be Poisonous Puffer Fish: FDA

Americans should not buy or eat imported fish labeled as monkfish that may actually be puffer fish containing a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency said that 282 22-pound boxes of the fish were imported from China and distributed by Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in September 2006.

Two people in Chicago became ill after they ate soup made with the fish and one of them had to be hospitalized. Initial symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include tingling of lips, tongue, face and extremities. Subsequent symptoms may include headache, balance problems, excessive salvation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care, the FDA said.

Severe cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning can cause muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory muscle paralysis.

The boxes containing the fish are white, with one label that reads "FROZEN MONKFISH GUTTED AND HEAD-OFF" and "PRODUCT OF CHINA." A second label includes nutritional facts and the following information: "Ingredients: Monk fish; Imported by Hong Chang Corp, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670; Product of China (P.R.C.)" A third label has a checkbox indicating the size as either "0.5-1" or "1-2" and show the net weight as 22 pounds.

There are no manufacturing codes on the boxes. The fish are individually wrapped in plastic bags with no labeling.

-----

Kentucky Cardiologist Nominated as Next U.S. Surgeon General

Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. has been nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush to be the country's next surgeon general.

Holsinger, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Kentucky, has held numerous academic and administrative positions. He served as Kentucky's secretary for health and family services, chancellor of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and has taught at several U.S. medical schools. He also served more than three decades in the United Stares Army Reserve before retiring in 1993 as a major general, the Associated Press reported.

Bush said that, as the 18th surgeon general, Holsinger would focus his efforts on fighting childhood obesity. The Senate should quickly confirm Holsinger, urged Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.

The term of the previous surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona, was allowed to expire last summer, the AP reported. He was best known for a major report condemning secondhand smoke.

Health Headlines - May 27

Contact Lens Eye Solution Pulled from Market; FDA Says to Discontinue Use

Increased incidences of a rare but stubborn eye infection have caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to alert the public to discontinue using a solution used to clean contact lenses.

The Associated Press reports that AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, had been immediately and voluntarily recalled by its manufacturer, Advanced Medical Optics Inc., of Santa Ana Calif.

The infection in question is Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is caused by an amoeba, the A.P. quotes Michael Beach, team leader in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of parasitic diseases, as saying. If left untreated, the infection could cause permanent vision loss or complete blindness.

Neither the FDA nor Advanced Medical Optics said the contact lens solution caused increased cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, the wire service reported. Rather, the solution didn't protect against the infection, which usually comes from swimming or showering.

Because Acanthamoeba keratitis strikes only one or two people per million, the situation came to the government's notice because only because a Chicago ophthalmologist, Dr. Elmer Tu, noticed more than a dozen cases of the infection. He usually saw only saw one or two cases a year, the A.P. reported.

-----

Medicare Won't Cover Artificial Disc Implants in Older Americans

Older Americans won't receive Medicare coverage for artificial disc implants in the lower spine, according to the a report in the New York Times

The newspaper reports that the decision is preliminary and affects people over the age of 60 who are eligible for the U.S. government's Medicare health insurance. The decision is expected to become final in August, the Times said.

The reason given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for denying coverage was that none of the clinical trials conducted on whether the artificial discs were effective included people over age 60.

Therefore, the agency said it had no basis for approving artificial disc surgery for older Americans. At least three companies are affected by the decision: Johnson & Johnson, Synthes and Medtronic. About 43 million Americans -- most of them over 60 -- use the Medicare health program.

Younger patients, most of them disabled, will continue to be eligible for Medicare coverage for artificial disc implantation, the newspaper reported.

-----

Imported Monkfish May Actually be Poisonous Puffer Fish: FDA

Americans should not buy or eat imported fish labeled as monkfish that may actually be puffer fish containing a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency said that 282 22-pound boxes of the fish were imported from China and distributed by Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in September 2006.

Two people in Chicago became ill after they ate soup made with the fish and one of them had to be hospitalized. Initial symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include tingling of lips, tongue, face and extremities. Subsequent symptoms may include headache, balance problems, excessive salvation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care, the FDA said.

Severe cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning can cause muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory muscle paralysis.

The boxes containing the fish are white, with one label that reads "FROZEN MONKFISH GUTTED AND HEAD-OFF" and "PRODUCT OF CHINA." A second label includes nutritional facts and the following information: "Ingredients: Monk fish; Imported by Hong Chang Corp, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670; Product of China (P.R.C.)" A third label has a checkbox indicating the size as either "0.5-1" or "1-2" and show the net weight as 22 pounds.

There are no manufacturing codes on the boxes. The fish are individually wrapped in plastic bags with no labeling.

-----

Kentucky Cardiologist Nominated as Next U.S. Surgeon General

Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. has been nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush to be the country's next surgeon general.

Holsinger, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Kentucky, has held numerous academic and administrative positions. He served as Kentucky's secretary for health and family services, chancellor of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and has taught at several U.S. medical schools. He also served more than three decades in the United Stares Army Reserve before retiring in 1993 as a major general, the Associated Press reported.

Bush said that, as the 18th surgeon general, Holsinger would focus his efforts on fighting childhood obesity. The Senate should quickly confirm Holsinger, urged Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.

The term of the previous surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona, was allowed to expire last summer, the AP reported. He was best known for a major report condemning secondhand smoke.

-----

TV Viewing Tied to Higher Blood Sugar in Diabetic Kids

The more time they spend in front of the television, the more difficult it is for diabetic children to control their blood sugar levels, concludes a Norwegian study in the June issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The three-month study of 538 children with type 1 diabetes found that blood sugar levels increased with every hour of TV viewing. The highest blood sugar levels were in children who watched at least four hours of TV a day, the Associated Press reported.

The study authors said the findings "suggest that encouraging children with type 1 diabetes to watch less television may be important for improved blood glucose control and better health outcomes."

Snacking and overeating can increase blood sugar levels, while physical activity can help lower them. This study focused only on TV viewing. It didn't examine the children's diet or physical activity.

One expert said the study results may suggest that children with type 1 diabetes who already have consistently high blood sugar levels may feel too unwell to do anything but watch TV, the AP reported.

"It's very clear that there's a relationship. Now the question is what underlies that relationship," said Jill Weissburg-Benchell, a psychologist and diabetes educator at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

-----

FDA Approves New Drug for Bacterial Vaginosis

Tindamax, the first new oral treatment for bacterial vaginosis in a decade, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Mission Pharmacal of San Antonio, Texas announced Tuesday.

The new drug provides a shorter course of treatment, with fewer doses per day, than metronidazole, the current standard of care, the company said. Patients take two tablets (a total of one gram) of Tindamax once a day for five days or four tablets (two grams) once daily for two days. Metronidazole is taken twice-daily for seven days.

The FDA approval is supported by a study of 235 women with bacterial vaginosis that reported a cure rate of 27.4 percent for women who took two grams daily for two days and a cure rate of 36.8 percent for women who took one gram daily for five days. Women who took a placebo had a cure rate of 5.1 percent.

Side effects included nausea, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, weakness/fatigue, dizziness and headache.

Bacterial vaginosis, which affects about a third of women in the United States, is the most common vaginal infection among women of childbearing age. The infection often causes no symptoms. Left untreated, it can increase a woman's susceptibility to other sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and cervicitis.

Tindamax is also approved to treat trichomoniasis, the most common curable sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

Health Headlines - May 26

Imported Monkfish May Actually be Poisonous Puffer Fish: FDA

Americans should not buy or eat imported fish labeled as monkfish that may actually be puffer fish containing a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency said that 282 22-pound boxes of the fish were imported from China and distributed by Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in September 2006.

Two people in Chicago became ill after they ate soup made with the fish and one of them had to be hospitalized. Initial symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include tingling of lips, tongue, face and extremities. Subsequent symptoms may include headache, balance problems, excessive salvation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care, the FDA said.

Severe cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning can cause muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory muscle paralysis.

The boxes containing the fish are white, with one label that reads "FROZEN MONKFISH GUTTED AND HEAD-OFF" and "PRODUCT OF CHINA." A second label includes nutritional facts and the following information: "Ingredients: Monk fish; Imported by Hong Chang Corp, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670; Product of China (P.R.C.)" A third label has a checkbox indicating the size as either "0.5-1" or "1-2" and show the net weight as 22 pounds.

There are no manufacturing codes on the boxes. The fish are individually wrapped in plastic bags with no labeling.

-----

Kentucky Cardiologist Nominated as Next U.S. Surgeon General

Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. has been nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush to be the country's next surgeon general.

Holsinger, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Kentucky, has held numerous academic and administrative positions. He served as Kentucky's secretary for health and family services, chancellor of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and has taught at several U.S. medical schools. He also served more than three decades in the United Stares Army Reserve before retiring in 1993 as a major general, the Associated Press reported.

Bush said that, as the 18th surgeon general, Holsinger would focus his efforts on fighting childhood obesity. The Senate should quickly confirm Holsinger, urged Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.

The term of the previous surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona, was allowed to expire last summer, the AP reported. He was best known for a major report condemning secondhand smoke.

-----

TV Viewing Tied to Higher Blood Sugar in Diabetic Kids

The more time they spend in front of the television, the more difficult it is for diabetic children to control their blood sugar levels, concludes a Norwegian study in the June issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The three-month study of 538 children with type 1 diabetes found that blood sugar levels increased with every hour of TV viewing. The highest blood sugar levels were in children who watched at least four hours of TV a day, the Associated Press reported.

The study authors said the findings "suggest that encouraging children with type 1 diabetes to watch less television may be important for improved blood glucose control and better health outcomes."

Snacking and overeating can increase blood sugar levels, while physical activity can help lower them. This study focused only on TV viewing. It didn't examine the children's diet or physical activity.

One expert said the study results may suggest that children with type 1 diabetes who already have consistently high blood sugar levels may feel too unwell to do anything but watch TV, the AP reported.

"It's very clear that there's a relationship. Now the question is what underlies that relationship," said Jill Weissburg-Benchell, a psychologist and diabetes educator at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

-----

FDA Approves New Drug for Bacterial Vaginosis

Tindamax, the first new oral treatment for bacterial vaginosis in a decade, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Mission Pharmacal of San Antonio, Texas announced Tuesday.

The new drug provides a shorter course of treatment, with fewer doses per day, than metronidazole, the current standard of care, the company said. Patients take two tablets (a total of one gram) of Tindamax once a day for five days or four tablets (two grams) once daily for two days. Metronidazole is taken twice-daily for seven days.

The FDA approval is supported by a study of 235 women with bacterial vaginosis that reported a cure rate of 27.4 percent for women who took two grams daily for two days and a cure rate of 36.8 percent for women who took one gram daily for five days. Women who took a placebo had a cure rate of 5.1 percent.

Side effects included nausea, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, weakness/fatigue, dizziness and headache.

Bacterial vaginosis, which affects about a third of women in the United States, is the most common vaginal infection among women of childbearing age. The infection often causes no symptoms. Left untreated, it can increase a woman's susceptibility to other sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and cervicitis.

Tindamax is also approved to treat trichomoniasis, the most common curable sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

-----

High-Fat, High-Fructose Diet Can Spur Fatty Liver Disease

Mice that ate a high-fat, high-fructose diet -- similar to what many Americans eat -- quickly developed fatty liver disease and signs of diabetes, according to a Saint Louis University study presented at the Digestive Diseases Week meeting in Washington, D.C.

Fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis and death.

The diet offered to the mice contained 40 percent fat (about what would be found in a typical McDonald's meal) and plenty of high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener used in sodas and some fruit drinks. The researchers also restricted the rodent's amount of activity.

"We had a feeling we'd see evidence of fatty liver disease by the end of the (16-week) study," study author Dr. Brent Tetri, associate professor of internal medicine at the university's Liver Center, said in a prepared statement. "But we were surprised to find how severe the damage was and how quickly it occurred. It took only four weeks for liver enzymes to increase and for glucose intolerance -- the beginning of type 2 diabetes -- to begin."

These findings in mice are a warning for humans, he said.

"A high-fat and sugar sweetened diet compounded by sedentary lifestyle will have severe repercussions for your liver and other vital organs," Tetri said. "Fatty liver disease now affects about one of every eight children in this country. The good news is that it is somewhat reversible -- but for some it will take major changes in diet and lifestyle."

-----

NIH Ends Chimpanzee Breeding

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced this week that it is permanently ending the breeding of government-owned chimpanzees for research.

The move was applauded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

"This decision is a huge step towards a day when chimpanzees are no longer used in invasive biomedical research and testing," Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for animal research issues for the society, said in a prepared statement. "This will spare some chimpanzees a life of up to 60 years in a laboratory. While it doesn't help chimpanzees already living in laboratories, it is a monumental decision."

The NIH's National Center for Research Resources said that a lack of money to support the breeding of more chimpanzees was the reason for the decision. Currently, the U.S. government spends $20 million to $25 million a year on the care of chimpanzees in laboratories. A lifetime of care for one chimpanzee costs $300,000 to $500,000.

Of the estimated 1,200 chimpanzees in nine laboratories throughout the U.S., about 500 are government owned or supported. About 90 chimpanzees formerly used in research are now retired and live in a federal sanctuary.

Health Headlines - May 25

FDA Approves New Drug for Bacterial Vaginosis

Tindamax, the first new oral treatment for bacterial vaginosis in a decade, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Mission Pharmacal of San Antonio, Texas announced Tuesday.

The new drug provides a shorter course of treatment, with fewer doses per day, than metronidazole, the current standard of care, the company said. Patients take two tablets (a total of one gram) of Tindamax once a day for five days or four tablets (two grams) once daily for two days. Metronidazole is taken twice-daily for seven days.

The FDA approval is supported by a study of 235 women with bacterial vaginosis that reported a cure rate of 27.4 percent for women who took two grams daily for two days and a cure rate of 36.8 percent for women who took one gram daily for five days. Women who took a placebo had a cure rate of 5.1 percent.

Side effects included nausea, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, weakness/fatigue, dizziness and headache.

Bacterial vaginosis, which affects about a third of women in the United States, is the most common vaginal infection among women of childbearing age. The infection often causes no symptoms. Left untreated, it can increase a woman's susceptibility to other sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and cervicitis.

Tindamax is also approved to treat trichomoniasis, the most common curable sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

-----

High-Fat, High-Fructose Diet Can Spur Fatty Liver Disease

Mice that ate a high-fat, high-fructose diet -- similar to what many Americans eat -- quickly developed fatty liver disease and signs of diabetes, according to a Saint Louis University study presented at the Digestive Diseases Week meeting in Washington, D.C.

Fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis and death.

The diet offered to the mice contained 40 percent fat (about what would be found in a typical McDonald's meal) and plenty of high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener used in sodas and some fruit drinks. The researchers also restricted the rodent's amount of activity.

"We had a feeling we'd see evidence of fatty liver disease by the end of the (16-week) study," study author Dr. Brent Tetri, associate professor of internal medicine at the university's Liver Center, said in a prepared statement. "But we were surprised to find how severe the damage was and how quickly it occurred. It took only four weeks for liver enzymes to increase and for glucose intolerance -- the beginning of type 2 diabetes -- to begin."

These findings in mice are a warning for humans, he said.

"A high-fat and sugar sweetened diet compounded by sedentary lifestyle will have severe repercussions for your liver and other vital organs," Tetri said. "Fatty liver disease now affects about one of every eight children in this country. The good news is that it is somewhat reversible -- but for some it will take major changes in diet and lifestyle."

-----

NIH Ends Chimpanzee Breeding

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced this week that it is permanently ending the breeding of government-owned chimpanzees for research.

The move was applauded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

"This decision is a huge step towards a day when chimpanzees are no longer used in invasive biomedical research and testing," Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for animal research issues for the society, said in a prepared statement. "This will spare some chimpanzees a life of up to 60 years in a laboratory. While it doesn't help chimpanzees already living in laboratories, it is a monumental decision."

The NIH's National Center for Research Resources said that a lack of money to support the breeding of more chimpanzees was the reason for the decision. Currently, the U.S. government spends $20 million to $25 million a year on the care of chimpanzees in laboratories. A lifetime of care for one chimpanzee costs $300,000 to $500,000.

Of the estimated 1,200 chimpanzees in nine laboratories throughout the U.S., about 500 are government owned or supported. About 90 chimpanzees formerly used in research are now retired and live in a federal sanctuary.

------

FDA Orders Testing of Chinese-Made Toothpaste

Testing will be done on samples of all Chinese-made toothpaste imported into the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

The FDA's move comes in response to news that some brands of Chinese-made toothpaste sold in Panama, the Dominican Republic and Australia may contain diethylene glycol, a poisonous ingredient used in antifreeze, The New York Times reported. Some of the toothpaste was marketed for children.

Tens of thousands of tubes of toothpaste have been seized by health officials in the Dominican Republic and Panama. Tainted toothpaste in Panama contained diethylene glycol concentrations of 1.7 percent to 4.6 percent.

FDA spokesman Doug Arbesfeld said there is no evidence that any tainted toothpaste is in the United States, but the FDA decided to order testing of Chinese-made toothpaste as a precaution, The Times reported.

-----

Gay Men Still Banned for Life from Donating Blood: FDA

Even though it's been criticized as "medically and scientifically unwarranted," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will continue its policy of banning gay men for life from donating blood.

The policy -- first introduced in 1983 as a way to prevent the spread of HIV through transfusions -- was reiterated on the FDA Web site Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

The policy restatement comes more than a year after the American Red Cross and two other blood groups -- America's Blood Centers and the international blood association AABB -- criticized the ban and suggested it be replaced with a one-year deferral after a man has sexual contact with another man.

The groups pointed out to the FDA that new and improved tests can detect HIV-positive blood donors within 10 to 21 days of infection, which means the lifetime ban on gay men isn't necessary, the AP reported.

However, the FDA contends that current HIV tests may be highly accurate, but cannot detect HIV 100 percent of the time. In the document posted Wednesday, the agency said it would change the policy if it receives data showing that doing so wouldn't pose a "significant and preventable risk" to blood recipients.

-----

NIH Study Will Compare Children's Seizure Drugs

A study to determine which drug -- Valium or Ativan -- is best to treat children with life-threatening status epilepticus seizures was announced Wednesday by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Associated Press reported.

If not treated properly, status epilepticus (a series of continuous, severe seizures) can lead to brain damage or death. These events occur in about 60,000 people in the U.S. each year, mostly children. Head injury, a central nervous system infection, high fever, and low blood sugar are among the risk factors for status epilepticus.

This study, funded by the NIH and to be conducted in 11 hospitals across the country, is unusual in that children with status epilepticus will be automatically enrolled in the trial when they're brought to the hospitals' emergency rooms. Doctors will not seek parents' permission at that point, the AP reported.

This is because time is critical when treating these patients. A computer will randomly assign the children to receive either Valium or Ativan within five minutes after they arrive in the emergency room.

Only after children's seizures have been brought under control will parents be told about the study and asked if they'll permit their child to remain in the study and receive additional medical monitoring, the AP reported.

Health Headlines - May 24

FDA Wants Warning Boxes on MRI Contrast Agents

Companies that make gadolinium-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents have been asked to put boxed warnings on the products' labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

The contrast agents are used to enhance the quality of MRI images. The boxed warning would caution that patients with severe kidney insufficiency who receive the contrast agents are at risk of developing a potentially deadly disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), United Press International reported.

The boxed warnings would also state that patients with chronic liver disease, and those who are about to have or have just undergone a liver transplant, are also at risk.

The FDA said there have been reports of NSF in patients who've received single and multiple administrations of gadolinium-based contrast agents, the news service reported.

Patients with NSF develop thickening of the skin and connective tissues. This impairs their ability to move and may result in broken bones. Other organs can also experience thickening. The cause of NSF is unknown and there is no consistently effective treatment for it, the FDA said.

-----

Brain Tumors Cause Financial Hardship: Report

A brain tumor is not just a medical crisis, it can also be a financial calamity, according to a National Brain Tumor Foundation survey released Wednesday.

The survey of 277 brain tumor patients and 214 caregivers found that 91 percent of the patients were working and had health insurance prior to their diagnosis. Despite that, many had to borrow money from friends and family, sell their homes and cars, max out their credit cards, or declare bankruptcy because they couldn't pay their bills. Some patients even became homeless.

Only 33 percent of the patients had jobs post-diagnosis and 62 percent were not receiving any disability benefits.

"The high cost of treatment, even for insured individuals, coupled with their inability to work and obtain disability income leaves people financially strapped. And that debt continues not only during the treatment period, but for those unable to go back to work, throughout the rest of their lives," Harriet Patterson, director of patient services for the National Brain Tumor Foundation, said in a prepared statement.

-----

Gene Therapy Effective in Mice With Hereditary Blindness

Using gene therapy, American researchers were able to restore sight in mice with a form of hereditary blindness that also affects humans, the Associated Press reported.

The mice had achromatopsia, which silences cone photoreceptors in the retina, resulting in extremely poor central vision and near-total color blindness. The condition affects about one in every 30,000 Americans.

In this study, researchers at the University of Florida and The Jackson Laboratory in Maine used a harmless virus to deliver corrective genes to the mice with achromatopsia. Within two months, 19 of the 21 treated eyes in the mice showed a positive response to the therapy, the AP reported.

The findings demonstrate that it's possible to target and rescue cone cells, which play a crucial role in visual sharpness and color vision. The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Nature Medicine.

-----

Deal Reached on Bird Flu Sample Sharing

A deal that ensures that all countries will share samples of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, and that developing countries will have access to newly developed bird flu vaccines, was announced Wednesday by the World Health Organization.

China and Indonesia have been reluctant to supply H5N1 samples to the WHO because of concerns that they'd be used to produce vaccines that the countries could not afford, BBC News reported.

The new agreement is a "big step forward in virus sharing," said a WHO official.

Currently, there are experimental vaccines based on the H5N1 virus. However, an effective vaccine would have to be based on the latest strain of the virus, BBC News reported.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt hailed the agreement.

"The open and rapid sharing of influenza samples ensures that the global public health community maintains critical pandemic influenza preparedness and response activities, including the development and production of pandemic influenza vaccines," Leavitt said in a prepared statement.

-----

Vietnam Reports Suspected Human Bird Flu Case

A suspected human case of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Vietnam and, if confirmed, it would be the first human infection in that country in one-and-a-half years, Agence France-Presse reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the case, which involves a 30-year-old farmer from the northern province of Vinh Phuc. He is in critical condition in a Hanoi hospital.

About a month ago, the man helped slaughter chickens from a neighboring farm, where several birds in the flock later got sick and died. This week, a veterinary team was sent to inspect the farm, AFP reported.

Between 2003 and late 2005, 42 people in Vietnam were killed by the H5N1 virus. There have been no reported human infections in the country since November 2005.

In related news, Indonesian officials reported Wednesday that a 5-year-old girl in Central Java province had died of bird flu. The girl had experienced bird flu symptoms for more than a week. It's believed she was infected by sick chickens around her home, the Associated Press reported.

-----

Climate Change Will Boost Infectious Diseases: Experts

Global climate change will trigger a major increase in the number of emerging infectious diseases, a panel of experts said during a news conference Tuesday at the American Society of Microbiology's annual general meeting in Toronto, Canada.

The experts added that rising temperatures will alter the way that dozens of infectious diseases -- such as lyme disease, malaria and currently unknown viruses -- affect human health, the Toronto Star reported.

They also said that diseases currently found in tropical areas will spread into more temperate regions. In addition, there will be more hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and other extreme weather events that will result in more public health emergencies.

One expert said that increased travel will contribute to an increase in rates of infectious disease around the world, the Star reported. Rita Colwell, a professor at the University of Maryland, noted that millions of people travel each year.

"You just one cough away from an infectious disease you would not have been exposed to 50 years ago," she said.

Health Headlines - May 23

Chinese-Made Toothpaste May Contain Industrial Solvent

Chinese officials are investigating two companies suspected of exporting toothpaste that may contain the industrial solvent diethylene glycol, commonly used in antifreeze. Some of the suspect toothpaste was made for children.

Tainted toothpaste believed to be from China has been found in Australia, the Dominican Republic and Panama, but has not been found in the United States, The New York Times reported.

Diethylene glycol in cold medicine killed at least 100 people in Panama last year. There have been no reports of deaths linked to the tainted toothpaste.

Chinese authorities have closed the factory of the Danyang City Success Household Chemical Company and have questioned the manager of the another toothpaste maker called Goldcredit International Trading, the Times reported.

-----

Naprapathy Eases Back and Neck Pain

A therapy called naprapathy -- which involves massage, stretching and manipulation of the spine and other joints -- is more effective at treating neck and back pain than some conventional methods, according to a Swedish study of 409 patients.

The patients were divided into two groups. One group received naprapathy while the other group received support and advice from doctors, which included the common approach of encouraging patients to move and live normally despite their back and neck pain, Agence France-Presse reported.

After 12 weeks, 57 percent of the patients who received naprapathy said they felt much better, compared with 13 percent of patients in the other group. The study also found that 69 percent of those in the naprapathy group said they had noticeably less pain, compared with 42 percent in the control group.

By the end of the study, 19 percent of naprapathy patients had totally recovered from their back and neck pain, compared with seven percent of those in the control group, AFP reported.

The findings were published in the Clinical Journal of Pain.

-----

Divorced/Separated Men at Higher Risk for Depression: Study

Divorced and separated men may be much more likely to suffer depression than people who stay together or women who divorce or separate, says a Statistics Canada study released Tuesday.

The study authors analyzed data from the National Public Health Survey and found that depression occurred in about 12 percent of all people involved in the breakdown of a marriage or common-law relationship, compared with three percent of people who stayed together, CBC News reported.

But men were hit much harder than women when a domestic relationship ended.

The study found that men, ages 20 to 64, who had divorced or separated were six times more likely to report depression than married men, while divorced or separated women were 3.5 times more likely to report depression than married women, CBC News reported.

The study authors said men may be especially vulnerable to the loss of social support after a breakup. While women tend to have social networks, many men rely solely on their partner for support.

-----

Companies Seek to Launch Advanced Trials of Alzheimer's Drug

Two drug companies are seeking approval to launch advanced Phase III trials of a drug to fight Alzheimer's disease. Elan Corp. PLC of Ireland and Wyeth of the United States hope the drug bapineuzumab will prove successful at halting Alzheimer's-related memory loss and dementia.

The companies said they'd like to begin the trials in the second half of this year, several months earlier than previously planned, the Associated Press reported. Even though the companies want to start the trials this year, they don't expect to announce the results of their current Phase II trials until 2008.

The Phase II studies include 270 American and European patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's receiving 18 months of treatment with bapineuzumab.

A number of companies are vying to develop the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug to prevent or remove the amyloid plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's, the AP reported. Current drugs only help control symptoms of the disease.

Myriad Genetics Inc. has already started Phase III trials of its drug Flurizan, and Medivation Inc. expects to begin Phase III trials of its Dimebon drug in 2008. Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. expects to release Phase II results of its drug MEM 1003 later this year.

-----

Synthetic Estrogen Turns Male Fish Into Females

After traces of the synthetic estrogen that's used in birth control pills were put in a lake, male minnows started turning into females, according to an American/Canadian study published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For this study, extremely low concentrations of synthetic estrogen were introduced into a northern Ontario lake over three years. The researchers then continued to monitor the impact over the following two years, the Globe and Mail reported.

Instead of sperm, the male fish started to develop eggs and eventually became indistinguishable from females. Within a year of exposure to the synthetic estrogen, the minnow population began to decline. Within a few years, the minnows had practically vanished.

The findings are likely to increase concerns about the effect that estrogen and other drug residues in waterways may have on humans and wildlife. Estrogen and other drugs can be passed in urine and eventually end up in surface waters.

"What's sobering for me is that we've shown such a dramatic response in fish population at these low concentrations," lead researcher Karen Kidd, a biologist at the University of New Brunswick, told the Globe and Mail. She was with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans when she conducted the study.

Kidd said that it's not known what impact exposure to estrogen in drinking water might have in humans, but added that it's an area that should be a research priority. She noted that there's been an increase in male reproductive problems over the past few decades and the causes aren't known.

"When we see these kinds of responses in fish, it raises a red flag for what these compounds are doing to humans," Kidd said.

-----

Most Nations Have Quelled H5N1 Outbreaks in Birds

Most countries have been able to suppress outbreaks of the H5N1 avian flu virus among birds, the director general of the World Organization for Animal Health said in a statement issued Monday.

Bernard Vallat noted that, so far in 2007, countries have reported fewer H5N1-related deaths among wild and migratory birds, which "could indicate the disease is coming closer to the end of a cycle," Agence France-Presse reported.

But he added that poultry outbreaks continue in some countries, which means the international community should maintain rigorous H5N1 prevention and control measures.

Since 2003, H5N1 outbreaks have been reported in 59 countries. Most of these have been successfully eradicated, Vallat noted. However, he said H5N1 remains endemic in at least three countries -- Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria, AFP reported.

Preventing the spread of H5N1 among poultry is the best way to keep the dangerous virus from infecting people, Vallat said. So far, the virus has killed 185 people worldwide, mostly in Southeast Asia.

Experts fear a deadly human pandemic if H5N1 mutates into a form that's easily transmitted between people.

Health Headlines - May 22

Most Nations Have Quelled H5N1 Outbreaks in Birds

Most countries have been able to suppress outbreaks of the H5N1 avian flu virus among birds, the director general of the World Organization for Animal Health said in a statement issued Monday.

Bernard Vallat noted that, so far in 2007, countries have reported fewer H5N1-related deaths among wild and migratory birds, which "could indicate the disease is coming closer to the end of a cycle," Agence France-Presse reported.

But he added that poultry outbreaks continue in some countries, which means the international community should maintain rigorous H5N1 prevention and control measures.

Since 2003, H5N1 outbreaks have been reported in 59 countries. Most of these have been successfully eradicated, Vallat noted. However, he said H5N1 remains endemic in at least three countries -- Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria, AFP reported.

Preventing the spread of H5N1 among poultry is the best way to keep the dangerous virus from infecting people, Vallat said. So far, the virus has killed 185 people worldwide, mostly in Southeast Asia.

Experts fear a deadly human pandemic if H5N1 mutates into a form that's easily transmitted between people.

-----

Pollution Boosting Cancer Rates in China

Soaring cancer rates in China are being fuelled by pollution and the overuse of chemicals in food production, according to an article in Monday's edition of the China Daily, Agence France-Presse reported.

The article said health ministry survey statistics show that cancer death rates have increased 23 percent in rural areas and by 19 percent in urban areas. No time frame was provided for the survey, conducted in 78 counties and 30 cities, AFP reported.

Cancer has been the leading cause of death in China since 2002.

The China Daily article quoted Chen Zhizhou, a cancer expert at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, as saying: "The main reason behind the rising number of cancer cases is that pollution of the environment, water and air is getting worse by day."

He noted that many "chemical and industrial enterprises are built along rivers so they can dump waste into water easily ... the contaminated water has directly affected soil, crops and food."

The paper also quoted Zhizhou as saying that underground water is being polluted by excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and farmers are using additives to make crops, poultry and pigs grow faster, AFP said.

-----

Magazine Lists Top 10 U.S. Food Trends

More Americans are cooking and eating meals at home, and locally produced foods are becoming more popular, according to a list of 2007's top 10 food trends in the current issue of Food Technology magazine.

Among the trends:

• Economic pressures are among the factors pushing Americans to prepare and eat more meals at home.
• Word-of-mouth is a key factor in the success of new food products and celebrity chefs are encouraging more adventuresome cooking.
• Reducing the number of steps in food preparation is a major way to increase sales of food products.
• Texture, crispness and crunch are important.
• Products free of undesirable ingredients are viewed favorably by consumers.
• Fresh is the most desirable attribute in food and foods marketed as local, seasonal, hand-made, and natural are increasingly popular.
• Food purchases are greatly influenced by shoppers' desire to lower their risk of developing health problems.

-----

FDA Delays Approval of New Anemia Drug

In the wake of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's concern about the safety of anemia treatment drugs, the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche has announced the federal agency has delayed approving its drug, Mircera.

The Associated Press reports that Roche won't say specifically what questions the FDA wants answered about Mircera, but a company spokesperson said it has received an FDA draft for the drug's labeling. She added that no approval would be given until the FDA met in the fall to discuss the safety of drugs used to combat anemia in patients with kidney disease, for which Mircera was designed.

If approved, Mircera would compete with Amgen's Aranesp and Epogen and Johnson and Johnson's Procrit. An FDA advisory panel last week recommended warning labels for Aranesp and Epogen when they are used in treating anemia in cancer patients.

And the agency has already ordered increased warnings for all of the drugs, emphasizing increased risk of blood clots and heat attack when they are taken in high doses, the wire service said.

-----

Scientists 'Add' an Hour to the 24-Hour Day

If you've ever complained that there weren't enough hours in the day to get things done, be patient. It may not be long before you get some extra time.

According to BBC News, researchers from the United States and France have conducted an experiment that suggests it might be possible to "stretch" our day beyond 24 hours.

The research, which was published in the May 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, had 12 volunteers who were subjected to bright, pulsing light in a controlled environment that blocked out any difference between night and day.

This, in turn, adjusted the natural human circadian rhythm, programmed in many species to match the 24-hour cycle that makes up one day.

According to BBC, using the pulses of bright light, the scientists were able to reprogram the study subjects, "adding" an average of an extra hour to their day.

Why would this be necessary? "Jet-lag, shift work and circadian disorders such as advanced and delayed sleep phase syndromes are all associated, to different extents, with a condition where the circadian system is out of synchrony with the light/dark cycle," the BBC quotes the scientists as saying.

-----

Where Do People Live the Longest?

If you want your son to have a long life -- in fact, statistically the longest life expectancy on earth -- move to San Marino, a small republic on a hill near the Adriatic sea, surrounded by Italy.

And if you have a daughter and want her lifespan to be longest, you can move across to the Mediterranean to Monaco, or across the sea to Japan.

According to the Associated Press, these countries rank among the best for a person's longevity. The annual list was issued Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). San Marino's male life expectancy is 80, and Japan and Monaco's (among others) female life expectancy is 86, the wire service reports.

The lowest life expectancy for both males and females is in Africa, the AP reports. Males in Sierra Leone, on the continent's west coast, have an average lifespan of only 37, which is the same for females in Swaziland, in the southern part of Africa.

The United States is on the high side in average lifespan, the AP reports, although not a leader in either category. U.S. males reach an average age of 75 and women can be expected to live to be 80.

Health Headlines - May 21

FDA Delays Approval of New Anemia Drug

In the wake of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's concern about the safety of anemia treatment drugs, the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche has announced the federal agency has delayed approving its drug, Mircera.

The Associated Press reports that Roche won't say specifically what questions the FDA wants answered about Mircera, but a company spokesperson said it has received an FDA draft for the drug's labeling. She added that no approval would be given until the FDA met in the fall to discuss the safety of drugs used to combat anemia in patients with kidney disease, for which Mircera was designed.

If approved, Mircera would compete with Amgen's Aranesp and Epogen and Johnson and Johnson's Procrit. An FDA advisory panel last week recommended warning labels for Aranesp and Epogen when they are used in treating anemia in cancer patients.

And the agency has already ordered increased warnings for all of the drugs, emphasizing increased risk of blood clots and heat attack when they are taken in high doses, the wire service said.

-----

Scientists 'Add' an Hour to the 24-Hour Day

If you've ever complained that there weren't enough hours in the day to get things done, be patient. It may not be long before you get some extra time.

According to BBC News, researchers from the United States and France have conducted an experiment that suggests it might be possible to "stretch" our day beyond 24 hours.

The research, which was published in the May 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, had 12 volunteers who were subjected to bright, pulsing light in a controlled environment that blocked out any difference between night and day.

This, in turn, adjusted the natural human circadian rhythm, programmed in many species to match the 24-hour cycle that makes up one day.

According to BBC using the pulses of bright light, the scientists were able to reprogram the study subjects, "adding" an average of an extra hour to their day.

Why would this be necessary? "Jet-lag, shift work and circadian disorders such as advanced and delayed sleep phase syndromes are all associated, to different extents, with a condition where the circadian system is out of synchrony with the light/dark cycle," the BBC quotes the scientists as saying.

-----

Where Do People Live the Longest?

If you want your son to have a long life -- in fact, statistically the longest life expectancy on earth -- move to San Marino, a small republic on a hill near the Adriatic sea, surrounded by Italy.

And if you have a daughter and want her lifespan to be the longest, you can move across to the Mediterranean to Monaco, or across the sea to Japan.

According to the Associated Press, these countries rank among the best for a person's longevity. The annual list was issued Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). San Marino's male life expectancy is 80, and Japan and Monaco's (among others) female life expectancy is 86, the wire service reports.

The lowest life expectancy for both males and females is in Africa, the A.P. reports. Males in Sierra Leone, on the continent's west coast, have an average lifespan of only 37, which is the same for females in Swaziland, in the southern part of Africa.

The United States is on the high side in average lifespan, the A.P. reports, although not a leader in either category. U.S. males reach an average age of 75 and women can be expected to live to be 80.

-----

Son Gets Near-Fatal Infection from Father's Smallpox Vaccination

In some rare cases, getting a smallpox vaccination can cause serious consequences.

The New York Times reports the case of a 2-year-old boy who nearly died and spent almost two months in the hospital after suffering from a viral infection attributable to the smallpox vaccination his father, who was in the military, received before leaving for Iraq.

The incident occurred in March, the Times reports and occurred probably because the boy's constant exposure to his father before he left caused a condition known as eczema vaccinatum to incubate and become active.

A government investigation into the incident found that the father had suffered from the skin condition eczema as a child and should never have been given a smallpox shot, the newspaper said. Military procedures require health officials to take a full medical history of a soldier before administering vaccinations.

The son, too, suffered from eczema, and contact with his father caused him to contract eczema vaccinatum, which resulted in kidney failure and the loss of most of his skin, according to the Times. He spent seven weeks in the hospital, the newspaper reports.

Even though smallpox has officially been declared eradicated, U.S. military personnel and certain health workers get the vaccine, the Times reported. About 1.2 million vaccines were given to Americans last year, the newspaper said.

-----

Pill That Would End Periods to Get FDA Blessing

A birth control pill that would eliminate periods completely for women is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Lybrel, which is made by Wyeth, would be the fourth oral contraceptive that doesn't mirror a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. Seasonique, an updated version of Seasonale, limits menstrual periods to four a year, the AP reported.

Almost 50 percent of women surveyed have indicated a desire to eliminate monthly periods, and most would rather have periods less often, the wire service said.

I think it's the beginning of it being very common," Dr. Leslie Miller, a University of Washington-Seattle obstetrician/gynecologist told the AP. "Lybrel says, 'You don't need a period.'"

Lybrel should hit the U.S. market in July, and analysts have predicted that sales could reach $40 million this year and $235 million by 2010, the AP reported.

-----

Boiling 'Cabbage Family' Veggies Cuts Anti-Cancer Properties

Boiling broccoli and related kinds of vegetables -- including cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts -- reduces their anti-cancer properties, according to a U.K. study in the journal Food Chemistry and Toxicology.

Researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School found that boiling these vegetables causes the loss of a substance called glucosinolate. When consumed, glucosinolate changes into another compound called isothiocyanate, which fights the effects of carcinogens and hastens their removal from the body, Agence France-Presse reported.

The study found that boiling reduced glucosinolate content by 77 percent in broccoli, 58 percent in Brussels sprouts, 75 percent in cauliflower, and 65 percent in green cabbage.

Steaming, stir-frying or microwaving had little effect on these vegetables, however, AFP reported.

There are a number of other related vegetables with anti-cancer properties, including collards, kale, horseradish, radish, watercress, boy choy, rutabaga, kohlrabi, turnips, and Chinese cabbage.

Health Headlines - May 20

Where Do People Live the Longest?

If you want your son to have a long life -- in fact, statistically the longest life expectancy on earth -- move to San Marino, a small republic on a hill near the Adriatic sea, surrounded by Italy.

And if you have a daughter and want her lifespan to be the longest, you can move across to the Mediterranean to Monaco, or across the sea to Japan.

According to the Associated Press, these countries rank among the best for a person's longevity. The annual list was issued Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). San Marino's male life expectancy is 80, and Japan and Monaco's (among others) female life expectancy is 86, the wire service reports.

The lowest life expectancy for both males and females is in Africa, the A.P. reports. Males in Sierra Leone, on the continent's west coast, have an average lifespan of only 37, which is the same for females in Swaziland, in the southern part of Africa.

The United States is on the high side in average lifespan, the A.P. reports, although not a leader in either category. U.S. males reach an average age of 75 and women can be expected to live to be 80.

-----

Son Gets Near-Fatal Infection from Father's Smallpox Vaccination

In some rare cases, getting a smallpox vaccination can cause serious consequences.

The New York Times reports the case of a 2-year-old boy who nearly died and spent almost two months in the hospital after suffering from a viral infection attributable to the smallpox vaccination his father, who was in the military, received before leaving for Iraq.

The incident occurred in March, the Times reports and occurred probably because the boy's constant exposure to his father before he left caused a condition known as eczema vaccinatum to incubate and become active.

A government investigation into the incident found that the father had suffered from the skin condition eczema as a child and should never have been given a smallpox shot, the newspaper said. Military procedures require health officials to take a full medical history of a soldier before administering vaccinations.

The son, too, suffered from eczema, and contact with his father caused him to contract eczema vaccinatum, which resulted in kidney failure and the loss of most of his skin, according to the Times. He spent seven weeks in the hospital, the newspaper reports.

Even though smallpox has officially been declared eradicated, U.S. military personnel and certain health workers get the vaccine, the Times reported. About 1.2 million vaccines were given to Americans last year, the newspaper said.

-----

Pill That Would End Periods to Get FDA Blessing

A birth control pill that would eliminate periods completely for women is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Lybrel, which is made by Wyeth, would be the fourth oral contraceptive that doesn't mirror a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. Seasonique, an updated version of Seasonale, limits menstrual periods to four a year, the AP reported.

Almost 50 percent of women surveyed have indicated a desire to eliminate monthly periods, and most would rather have periods less often, the wire service said.

I think it's the beginning of it being very common," Dr. Leslie Miller, a University of Washington-Seattle obstetrician/gynecologist told the AP. "Lybrel says, 'You don't need a period.'"

Lybrel should hit the U.S. market in July, and analysts have predicted that sales could reach $40 million this year and $235 million by 2010, the AP reported.

-----

Boiling 'Cabbage Family' Veggies Cuts Anti-Cancer Properties

Boiling broccoli and related kinds of vegetables -- including cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts -- reduces their anti-cancer properties, according to a U.K. study in the journal Food Chemistry and Toxicology.

Researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School found that boiling these vegetables causes the loss of a substance called glucosinolate. When consumed, glucosinolate changes into another compound called isothiocyanate, which fights the effects of carcinogens and hastens their removal from the body, Agence France-Presse reported.

The study found that boiling reduced glucosinolate content by 77 percent in broccoli, 58 percent in Brussels sprouts, 75 percent in cauliflower, and 65 percent in green cabbage.

Steaming, stir-frying or microwaving had little effect on these vegetables, however, AFP reported.

There are a number of other related vegetables with anti-cancer properties, including collards, kale, horseradish, radish, watercress, boy choy, rutabaga, kohlrabi, turnips, and Chinese cabbage.

-----

5% Reduction in Smoking Could Save 100 Million Lives

A 5 percent worldwide reduction in the number of smokers by 2020 would save at least 100 million lives, according to a study by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden.

Currently, about 25 percent of adults (one billion people) in the world are smokers. Reducing that to 20 percent can be achieved by increasing tobacco taxes, expanding smoke-free zones, banning tobacco advertising, and helping people kick the habit, said the study. It noted that a number of countries have already cut adult smoking levels to less than 20 percent, Agence France-Presse reported.

Special focus must be made on educating smokers and would-be smokers in developing nations about the dangers of tobacco, Bloomberg and Frieden said. They pointed out that two-thirds of smokers live in 15 low- or middle-income nations and that 50 percent live in just five countries -- China, India, Russia, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

"Keeping rates low is especially important for the large population of young women in Asia and elsewhere who do not currently smoke but are targeted by the tobacco industry," according to the study, which was published Friday in The Lancet medical journal.

Bloomberg is an ex-smoker who spent $125 million of his own money to start a Worldwide Stop Smoking Initiative last year, AFP reported.

-----

Blood from Donors With Undiagnosed Cancer No Threat

European researchers say that blood from donors with undiagnosed cancers does not appear to increase the risk of cancer in people who receive it, CBC News reported.

Danish and Swedish researchers analyzed data from a computerized blood bank on 350,000 people who received blood transfusions. Of those, 12,000 received blood products from donors with undiagnosed cancers at the time they gave blood. The recipients were followed for up to 34 years.

"Our data provide no evidence that blood transfusions from precancerous blood donors are associated with increased risk of cancer among recipients compared with transfusions from non-cancerous donors," the study authors wrote.

The study was published this week in The Lancet medical journal.