Health Headlines - June 10

Excessive Use of Anti-Pain Cream Caused Teen Runner's Death, M.E. Says

One of the most widely used over-the-counter anti-pain creams caused the death of a 17-year-old runner from the New York City borough of Staten Island, according to reports in the Staten Island Advance and the Associated Press.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner, used too much methyl salicylate -- more commonly known as oil of wintergreen -- to ease pain in her legs, the New York City Medical Examiner's office concluded Friday, the wire service reports. Methyl salicylate is found in a variety of anti-pain creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot.

Newman attended Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island and had won many track awards. She died Apr. 13, and the reason for her death had remained a mystery until Friday. The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, told the A.P. that this was the first time her office had ever reported a death caused by excessive anti-pain cream use. Borakove told the wire service that Newman used "topical medication to excess."

Alice Newman, Arielle's mother, told the Advance she couldn't believe what caused her daughter's death. "I am scrupulous about my children's health," she told the newspaper. "I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."

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Malnourishment Still Evident in the United Kingdom

Being overweight doesn't necessarily protect a person from being malnourished.

In fact, the Associated Press reports, at least 2 million Britons residents are malnourished, even if many of them don't look like they are. A recent survey revealed that a typical British diet -- high in fat, salt and calorie content -- doesn't contain the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances required to maintain a nutritious balance.

"People may be eating too much food, but they may not be eating enough fruits and vegetables," the wire service quotes Dr. Marinos Elia, a professor of clinical nutrition and metabolism at Southampton University, as saying.

In fact, the A.P. cites some medical experts praising the rationing system the British used during World War II, when food wasn't so plentiful. "Rationing was a huge success because it ensured that if you got your allotted amounts, you got a nutritionally reasonable diet," Dr. Colin Waine, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, told the wire service. "I'm not advocating a return to rationing, but it was a more balanced diet back then."

Fewer than 20 percent of adults in the United Kingdom eat the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables, the A.P. reports.

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China Orders Companies to Stop Producing, Selling Zelnorm

Officials with China's State Food and Drug Administration on Friday ordered companies in China to halt production and sales of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) drug Zelnorm, and told patients to stop taking the medication.

The Novartis drug was being made by three companies in China and a fourth company was preparing to produce it, the Associated Press reported.

In a statement posted on its Web site, the Chinese drug watchdog warned the "risks of Zelnorm outweigh the possible benefits for some patients based on analyses from home and abroad."

There have been 98 incidents of adverse reactions among users of Zelnorm reported to China's Center for Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring since the drug went on sale in the country in 2003. Diarrhea and nausea were the most commonly reported problems. There was one reported case of low blood pressure and one of abnormally fast heartbeat.

In March, Novartis complied with a U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration request to withdraw Zelnorm from the American market after the drug was linked with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and chest pain that can become a heart attack, the AP reported.

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G8 Leaders Pledge $60 Billion to Fight Disease/Poverty in Africa

G8 leaders promised Friday to provide $60 billion to combat disease and poverty in Africa, CBC News reported.

The money from the world's richest nations would be targeted to fight illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, said Germany's development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who announced the agreement on Berlin television.

She said the United States pledged to donate half the money aimed at increasing African patients' access to drugs and treatment, CBC News reported.

At their 2005 summit, G8 members promised to increase aid to Africa by $50 billion by 2010. That pledge is set to miss its target by $30 billion, according to international aid organizations.

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New Vaccine Could Help Eradicate Meningitis in Africa

A new meningitis vaccine that costs just 40 cents (U.S.) per dose could help wipe out the disease in Africa, says the World Health Organization.

The vaccine, developed in India, proved successful in tests on 12- to 23-month old children in Mali and Gambia. The tests found that the vaccine was safe and produced antibody levels in the children 20 times higher than levels produced by more expensive vaccines currently on the market, Agence France-Presse reported. Further tests are planned.

"When it becomes part of the public health arsenal, this vaccine will make a real difference in Africa," F. Marc LaForce, director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project, said in a prepared statement. The project is a partnership between the WHO and a U.S. non-profit group called PATH.

"The vaccine will allow elimination of the meningococcal epidemics that have afflicted the continent for more than 100 years," said LaForce, who added that the vaccine could be introduced in Burkina Faso by the end of 2008.

He said the vaccine could be used in a mass vaccination campaign that targets 350 million people between 2008 and 2020, AFP reported.

The results of the vaccine tests bring "real hope that the lives of thousands of children, teenagers, and young adults will be saved by immunization and that widespread suffering, sickness and socioeconomic disruption can be avoided," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan.

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Stem Cell Bill Passes Congress, But White House Veto Looms

A bill that would undo federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research passed the House on Thursday, but it did not have the requisite two-thirds majority needed to block a threatened veto by President Bush, the Associated Press reported.

The 264-176 vote (210 House Democrats and 37 Republicans supporting), follows on the Senate's passage of the bill a few weeks ago. The Senate ballot was one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to sidestep a White House veto.

Because they have the power to grow into any type of cell in the body, embryonic stem cells have long been viewed as a potential source of replacement tissue to treat a myriad of diseases. But opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President Bush, object to the destruction of embryos as an assault on the sanctity of human life.

Supporting the bill, paralyzed congressman Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., said that, "My education has filled me with tremendous hope, not only that stem cell research might one day lead to a cure for spinal cord injuries, but that one day ... families will no longer watch in agony as a loved one with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's gradually declines," the AP reported.

But in a statement issued last week, President Bush said that if the bill was ever made law, "American taxpayers would for the first time in our history be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing that line would be a grave mistake."

Bush announced on Aug. 9, 2001, that his administration would only allow federal funding for research involving a limited number of preexisting stem cell lines. Critics charge that those lines cannot supply the demands of U.S. researchers, and that many of the lines are contaminated.

Health Headlines - June 9

China Orders Companies to Stop Producing, Selling Zelnorm

Officials with China's State Food and Drug Administration on Friday ordered companies in China to halt production and sales of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) drug Zelnorm, and told patients to stop taking the medication.

The Novartis drug was being made by three companies in China and a fourth company was preparing to produce it, the Associated Press reported.

In a statement posted on its Web site, the Chinese drug watchdog warned the "risks of Zelnorm outweigh the possible benefits for some patients based on analyses from home and abroad."

There have been 98 incidents of adverse reactions among users of Zelnorm reported to China's Center for Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring since the drug went on sale in the country in 2003. Diarrhea and nausea were the most commonly reported problems. There was one reported case of low blood pressure and one of abnormally fast heartbeat.

In March, Novartis complied with a U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration request to withdraw Zelnorm from the American market after the drug was linked with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and chest pain that can become a heart attack, the AP reported.

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G8 Leaders Pledge $60 Billion to Fight Disease/Poverty in Africa

G8 leaders promised Friday to provide $60 billion to combat disease and poverty in Africa, CBC News reported.

The money from the world's richest nations would be targeted to fight illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, said Germany's development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who announced the agreement on Berlin television.

She said the United States pledged to donate half the money aimed at increasing African patients' access to drugs and treatment, CBC News reported.

At their 2005 summit, G8 members promised to increase aid to Africa by $50 billion by 2010. That pledge is set to miss its target by $30 billion, according to international aid organizations.

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New Vaccine Could Help Eradicate Meningitis in Africa

A new meningitis vaccine that costs just 40 cents (U.S.) per dose could help wipe out the disease in Africa, says the World Health Organization.

The vaccine, developed in India, proved successful in tests on 12- to 23-month old children in Mali and Gambia. The tests found that the vaccine was safe and produced antibody levels in the children 20 times higher than levels produced by more expensive vaccines currently on the market, Agence France-Presse reported. Further tests are planned.

"When it becomes part of the public health arsenal, this vaccine will make a real difference in Africa," F. Marc LaForce, director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project, said in a prepared statement. The project is a partnership between the WHO and a U.S. non-profit group called PATH.

"The vaccine will allow elimination of the meningococcal epidemics that have afflicted the continent for more than 100 years," said LaForce, who added that the vaccine could be introduced in Burkina Faso by the end of 2008.

He said the vaccine could be used in a mass vaccination campaign that targets 350 million people between 2008 and 2020, AFP reported.

The results of the vaccine tests bring "real hope that the lives of thousands of children, teenagers, and young adults will be saved by immunization and that widespread suffering, sickness and socioeconomic disruption can be avoided," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan.

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Stem Cell Bill Passes Congress, But White House Veto Looms

A bill that would undo federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research passed the House on Thursday, but it did not have the requisite two-thirds majority needed to block a threatened veto by President Bush, the Associated Press reported.

The 264-176 vote (210 House Democrats and 37 Republicans supporting), follows on the Senate's passage of the bill a few weeks ago. The Senate ballot was one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to sidestep a White House veto.

Because they have the power to grow into any type of cell in the body, embryonic stem cells have long been viewed as a potential source of replacement tissue to treat a myriad of diseases. But opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President Bush, object to the destruction of embryos as an assault on the sanctity of human life.

Supporting the bill, paralyzed congressman Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., said that, "My education has filled me with tremendous hope, not only that stem cell research might one day lead to a cure for spinal cord injuries, but that one day ... families will no longer watch in agony as a loved one with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's gradually declines," the AP reported.

But in a statement issued last week, President Bush said that if the bill was ever made law, "American taxpayers would for the first time in our history be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing that line would be a grave mistake."

Bush announced on Aug. 9, 2001, that his administration would only allow federal funding for research involving a limited number of preexisting stem cell lines. Critics charge that those lines cannot supply the demands of U.S. researchers, and that many of the lines are contaminated.

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New Standards Sought for Ultrasound Check of Carotid Artery

Current standards used to measure narrowing of the carotid artery with ultrasound may be too aggressive and cause some patients to undergo unnecessary follow-up tests and procedures, say University of Chicago Medical Center researchers.

Narrowing of the carotid artery is a risk factor for stroke.

The researchers found that current standards, based on older imaging technology, often underestimate the amount of blood flow in the carotid artery. The researchers developed new standards and found them to be more accurate.

"As a result of this, we've changed the standards in our vascular lab," study author Dr. Hisham Bassiouny, director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Lab and interim chief of the university's Vascular Surgery Section, said in a prepared statement. "Hopefully new standards will be adopted everywhere. Such a move will save money and spare at least some patients from unnecessary procedures and tests."

The study was to be presented Thursday at the Society for Vascular Surgery's annual meeting, in Baltimore.

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Cancer Patients' Pain Often Poorly Managed

More than one in two (57 percent) of cancer patients in Europe suffer moderate to severe levels of daily pain, and one in five of those patients does not receive any treatment for their pain, says a study presented Thursday at the European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC) Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

The results of the European Pain in Cancer survey, which included 4,824 patients in 12 countries, show that pain has a major impact in reducing quality of life for people with cancer and that pain is often inadequately controlled.

The survey included patients with nearly all cancer types, with the exception of skin cancers.

"The findings highlight disappointing trends in cancer pain management; the medical community needs to get better at understanding that people with cancer are not just tumors to be treated in isolation and that the symptoms of cancer need to be managed as proactively as the disease itself. The fact that the majority of patients surveyed were being treated by oncologists, yet were experiencing pain related to their cancer, demonstrates this need clearly," Dr. Franco De Conno, honorary director of EAPC, said in a prepared statement.

Health Tips for June 9

Health Tip: Seniors, Listen to Your Bodies

With a doctor's approval, exercise is a great choice for everyone, including seniors. But older people must listen to what their bodies tell them about how much they can handle.

Here are warning signs that you have done too much and that you should contact your doctor without delay, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Chest pain or pressure in your chest.
* Dizziness or lightheadedness.
* Difficulty breathing, or severe shortness of breath.
* Balance problems.
* Nausea.
* Sore or strained muscles, especially if the pain lasts for several days.

Health Tip: Asthmatics Can Still Play Sports

Kids with asthma don't need to stay on the bench. Under a doctor's care, they can still exercise and play sports, as long as their asthma is under control, the Nemours Foundation says.

To avoid an asthma attack and a possible trip to the emergency room, all medications must be taken as prescribed, the foundation says.

If your child isn't having regular asthma attacks, he should be able to play any sport, although endurance sports like running, biking, basketball and soccer may be more difficult.

Your child should always carry emergency medication and make the coach aware of the child's condition, the foundation says.

Health Headlines - June 8

Stem Cell Bill Passes Congress, But White House Veto Looms

A bill that would undo federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research passed the House on Thursday, but it did not have the requisite two-thirds majority needed to block a threatened veto by President Bush, the Associated Press reported.

The 264-176 vote (210 House Democrats and 37 Republicans supporting), follows on the Senate's passage of the bill a few weeks ago. The Senate ballot was one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to sidestep a White House veto.

Because they have the power to grow into any type of cell in the body, embryonic stem cells have long been viewed as a potential source of replacement tissue to treat a myriad of diseases. But opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President Bush, object to the destruction of embryos as an assault on the sanctity of human life.

Supporting the bill, paralyzed congressman Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., said that, "My education has filled me with tremendous hope, not only that stem cell research might one day lead to a cure for spinal cord injuries, but that one day ... families will no longer watch in agony as a loved one with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's gradually declines," the AP reported.

But in a statement issued last week, President Bush said that if the bill was ever made law, "American taxpayers would for the first time in our history be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing that line would be a grave mistake."

Bush announced on Aug. 9, 2001, that his administration would only allow federal funding for research involving a limited number of preexisting stem cell lines. Critics charge that those lines cannot supply the demands of U.S. researchers, and that many of the lines are contaminated.

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New Standards Sought for Ultrasound Check of Carotid Artery

Current standards used to measure narrowing of the carotid artery with ultrasound may be too aggressive and cause some patients to undergo unnecessary follow-up tests and procedures, say University of Chicago Medical Center researchers.

Narrowing of the carotid artery is a risk factor for stroke.

The researchers found that current standards, based on older imaging technology, often underestimate the amount of blood flow in the carotid artery. The researchers developed new standards and found them to be more accurate.

"As a result of this, we've changed the standards in our vascular lab," study author Dr. Hisham Bassiouny, director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Lab and interim chief of the university's Vascular Surgery Section, said in a prepared statement. "Hopefully new standards will be adopted everywhere. Such a move will save money and spare at least some patients from unnecessary procedures and tests."

The study was to be presented Thursday at the Society for Vascular Surgery's annual meeting, in Baltimore.

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Cancer Patients' Pain Often Poorly Managed

More than one in two (57 percent) of cancer patients in Europe suffer moderate to severe levels of daily pain, and one in five of those patients does not receive any treatment for their pain, says a study presented Thursday at the European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC) Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

The results of the European Pain in Cancer survey, which included 4,824 patients in 12 countries, show that pain has a major impact in reducing quality of life for people with cancer and that pain is often inadequately controlled.

The survey included patients with nearly all cancer types, with the exception of skin cancers.

"The findings highlight disappointing trends in cancer pain management; the medical community needs to get better at understanding that people with cancer are not just tumors to be treated in isolation and that the symptoms of cancer need to be managed as proactively as the disease itself. The fact that the majority of patients surveyed were being treated by oncologists, yet were experiencing pain related to their cancer, demonstrates this need clearly," Dr. Franco De Conno, honorary director of EAPC, said in a prepared statement.

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VA Disability Ratings System Needs Overhaul: Report

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs needs to update the system it uses to determine the degree of disability suffered during military service so that veterans receive appropriate compensation and other benefits, says a report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine.

The report said some parts of the Schedule for Rating Disabilities have not been updated since 1945 and don't adequately reflect types of injuries -- such as traumatic brain injuries -- that are now more common among veterans.

Changes also need to be made so the rating schedule takes into account the impact of veterans' disabilities on their quality of life and all aspects of their daily life. Currently, the ratings program focuses on the ability to work.

"With troops being injured nearly every day, the VA's system for evaluating and rating former service members' disabilities should be as up to date as possible with current medical knowledge of impairment and its effects on a person's functioning and quality of life," report committee chair Dr. Lonnie R. Bristow, former president of the American Medical Association, said in a prepared statement.

"Right now, the Rating Schedule is out of sync with modern medicine and modern concepts of disability," Bristow said.

In 2006, about 2.7 million veterans received $26.5 billion in disability compensation from the VA. In 2007, that's expected to increase to $32.4 billion in payments to 2.9 million veterans.

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Wheeled Shoes Linked to 1,600 ER Visits in U.S. Last Year

Popular wheeled shoes cause more injuries than previously believed and were linked to about 1,600 emergency room visits in the United States last year, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

Most of those injuries occurred to children, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson told the Associated Press.

Last week, the CPSC said it knew of at least 64 wheeled shoe-related injuries and one death in the United States between September 2005 and December 2006. The higher injury figures released Wednesday are based on a more recent and thorough analysis of data by agency statisticians, Wolfson said.

On Tuesday, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons posted new wheeled-shoe safety recommendations on its Web site, the AP reported. The academy recommends the use of helmets, wrist protectors and knee and elbow pads when children wear wheeled shoes.

Doctors worldwide have reported treating numerous kinds of injuries -- such as cracked skulls, broken arms, wrists and ankles, dislocated elbows -- in children who were injured while wearing wheeled shoes.

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Accidental Deaths in U.S. Increased in 2005

There were 113,000 accidental deaths in the United States in 2005, a 1 percent increase from 2004, says a National Safety Council report that examined state data.

The council said the 2005 accidental death rate of 38.1 per 100,000 population was 12 percent higher than the 1992 rate, the lowest on record, the Associated Press reported.

The increased presence of seat belts and air bags in cars, smoke detectors in homes, and more severe drunk driving penalties have reduced accidental deaths in some categories. However, increasing rates of falls among the elderly and accidental overdoses from illegal and legal drugs are helping boost the overall accidental death rate, said National Safety Council CEO Alan McMillan.

The council said that rates of deaths from falls among people 65 and older increased 31 percent from 1999 to 2003. Between 2002 and 2003, the number of deaths caused by falls increased from 16,257 to 17,229, the AP reported.

The number of accidental poisoning deaths (most caused by overdoses of illegal or legal drugs) climbed from 17,550 in 2002 to 19,457 in 2003.

Health Tips for June 8

Health Tip: Choosing a Baby Formula

If you're a new mother who decides not to breast feed, you'll need to select a baby formula.

Which one should you choose? Here are options to discuss with your doctor, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Does your baby need an iron-fortified formula, or one that doesn't contain extra iron?
• Cow's milk and soy-based formulas are both options. But your baby could be allergic to either one. Most family doctors recommend cow's milk-based formulas, the academy says.
• Baby formulas are sold in three forms: ready-to-use (no mixing required), concentrated liquid (mixed with water), or powder. Again, discuss these options with your doctor.

Health Tip: Recovering From Root Canal

A root canal is needed when the tissue inside a tooth becomes infected or inflamed. During the procedure, the dentist removes the infected tissue and seals the tooth, protecting it from further infection.

Here's what to expect after the procedure, courtesy of the American Dental Association:

• The tooth probably will be sensitive, sore or painful for a few days. You can take an over-the-counter pain medication for relief.
• Avoid chewing or biting with the damaged tooth until it has been fully restored, usually with a dental crown.
• If you have severe pain or pressure in the tooth, or pain that lasts more than a few days, call your dentist.

Health Headlines - June 7

Alaska Best in Disciplining Docs, Mississippi Worst: Report

Alaska topped the 50 United States in how effectively its medical board disciplined doctors from 2004 to 2006, while Mississippi was at the bottom of the rankings, a consumer advocacy group reported Wednesday.

Public Citizen said its list was based on state-by-state data released by the Federation of State Medical Boards. The group said it calculated the rate of serious disciplinary actions per 1,000 doctors in each state.

Nationwide, there were a total of 2,916 serious disciplinary actions taken by state medical boards in 2006, down 10.4 percent from 2005, the group said in a prepared statement. Such actions included license revocations, surrenders, suspensions and orders of probation.

Individual boards were likely to be more effective if they were adequately funded and staffed, if they were proactive and didn't just respond to complaints, if they were independent from other parts of state government, and if the state had "a reasonable legal framework" in place for disciplining doctors, Public Citizen said.

After Alaska, rounding out the top five states were: Kentucky, Wyoming, Ohio and Oklahoma. Ranking just ahead of Missouri in the bottom five states were: South Carolina, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nevada.

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Teen Smokers Prefer Marketed Brands: Survey

Almost four out of five American youths who smoke cigarettes prefer heavily marketed brands, the American Legacy Foundation said in a report released Wednesday.

A survey of more than 3,500 U.S. teens found that 78 percent of them usually smoked one of the three brands: 50 percent preferred Marlboro, 14 percent Newport, and 14 percent Camel, the foundation said in a prepared statement.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they usually smoked cigarettes labeled as "light," "ultra-light", or "mild." The proportion increased as youth grew older, with 18 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds saying they preferred light brands, compared with 32 percent of smokers aged 16 to 18.

Nearly 37 percent of American youth surveyed said they smoked menthol cigarettes, and about 11 percent said they had tried brands flavored with candy and other non-menthol tastes, the foundation said.

"Every day 4,000 American youth try their first cigarette, and this survey show us that the tobacco industry's effective marketing drives their decisions to smoke specific cigarettes," said the statement from the foundation, which was created as a result of the 1998 settlement between U.S. tobacco firms and the attorneys general of 46 states.

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Drug-Resistant TB Poses Rising Threat: WHO

In the wake of a transatlantic health scare involving an American bridegroom with an extremely drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, the World Health Organization says similar infections could become the norm unless the world community does more to stop the spread of the disease, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The case of Andrew Speaker isn't an isolated one, since the extremely resistant form of TB has been recorded in 37 countries. About 5 percent of the world's almost 9 million new cases of TB are resistant to standard drugs, a WHO official told the newspaper. Moreover, about 30,000 of these cases are considered extremely drug-resistant to first-line and second-line TB medications, the Times said.

Regions of greatest concern include Africa, where immune-compromised people with AIDS often develop TB. Other areas include China, Eastern Europe and India, the newspaper said.

On Tuesday, the WHO called on world nations to provide $1 billion over each of the next two years to fight the disease. The United Nations agency said its plan to help countries better diagnose, treat and prevent TB could save 134,000 lives over the next two years and 1.2 million people by 2015, the Times said.

While most cases of standard TB are easily cured, the cure rate falls to 67 percent for drug-resistant cases and to less than 30 percent for those considered extremely resistant, the newspaper said.

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Atlanta Man's Third TB Test Negative

Andrew Speaker's third-consecutive sputum smear test for tuberculosis has come back negative, confirming results from his previous tests, officials at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colo., said Tuesday.

A person who tests positive is considered infectious, while three consecutive negative sputum smears may be considered non-infectious in most settings. Despite Speaker's third negative test, hospital officials said they haven't determined when the 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer will be allowed to leave his isolation room for exercise and fresh air.

In related news, two U.S. congressional committees heard testimony Wednesday into the health and national security implications of Speaker's wedding-honeymoon travel on international airline flights. Speaker, whose testimony was beamed from the Denver hospital where he remains in government-ordered isolation, repeated his contention that he was told he was not contagious and that he was "not a threat to anyone," the Associated Press reported.

Separately, U.S. border officials testified before a different congressional panel that a lone customs officer unraveled efforts to stop Speaker from re-entering the country, the wire service said.

Even while defending past practices, border officials have changed internal rules to require a supervisor's approval before overriding the kind of warning issued to prevent Speaker from re-entering the United States, the AP reported.

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Groups Seek Ban on Household Detergent Chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should ban the use of chemicals commonly used in household detergents, because the compounds have been linked to gender changes in fish, environmental groups say.

The Sierra Club and five other groups have petitioned the EPA to ban nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates. Some 400 million pounds of the chemicals are produced annually in the United States, much of which ends up in rivers and other waterways, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The chemicals mimic the female hormone estrogen, and exposed laboratory fish, including rainbow trout, have wound up becoming part male and part female, the newspaper said.

The effects on people aren't known, the groups' petition says in calling for more research, notably on workers at dry cleaners and laundries.

A group representing companies that produce or use the chemicals says the compounds have been used for more than 50 years and "are among the most extensively studied compounds in commerce today."

Though use of the chemicals currently is unrestricted in the United States, some companies, including Procter & Gamble and Unilever, have stopped using them, the Times said.

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Chinese Soldier Dies of Bird Flu

A 19-year-old Chinese soldier is the nation's 16th reported human fatality from the virulent strain of bird flu that has global health officials concerned about a future human pandemic, the Associated Press reported.

World Health Organization officials said the soldier died Sunday from the H5N1 strain of avian flu after being hospitalized in mid-May with a fever and cough. He had been stationed in the southern province of Fujian.

The Chinese Health Ministry provided no additional details of the case, including how the virus may have been contracted and if other soldiers might be at risk, the wire service said.

While 25 cases of human H5N1 infection have been reported in China, there have been no reported outbreaks among poultry, sparking concerns of a weak surveillance system in China, the AP said.

Poultry-to-human and human-to-human cases are still considered rare, although experts worry that the virus will mutate into a form that's more easily passed between people.

Health Tips for June 7

Health Tip: When Teens Are Depressed

Every teen has occasional bouts with bad moods.

But when these feelings become debilitating or last for weeks or months, they could be a sign of depression.

Helpguide.org says the most important thing teens can do is talk to others about what they're going through. The group offers these suggestions:

• Talk to friends, school counselors, parents, family, or teachers about your feelings.
• If school, grades, or exams are contributing to depression, talk to your teachers and guidance counselors for support.
• If you're worried about being pregnant, talk to your doctor or a family planning clinic.
• Stay busy, and surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good about yourself. Avoid people involved with drugs and alcohol.
• Talk to your doctor about whether medication and counseling are appropriate options.

Health Tip: Women Have Pattern Baldness, Too

Age, changes in hormone levels, and genetics can contribute to pattern baldness in women, as more frequently occurs in men.

Here are possible treatment options for female pattern baldness, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• Minoxidil, a prescription treatment applied to the scalp, may help restore hair growth.
• Hair transplants (hair plugs) involve implanting hair follicles into the scalp, and may lead to permanent hair growth and restoration.
• Different hairstyles can mask areas of baldness.
• Hairpieces or hair weaves can disguise baldness and improve cosmetic appearance.

Health Headlines - June 6

Atlanta Man's Third TB Test Negative

Andrew Speaker's third-consecutive sputum smear test for tuberculosis has come back negative, confirming results from his previous tests, officials at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colo., said Tuesday.

A person who tests positive is considered infectious, while three consecutive negative sputum smears may be considered non-infectious in most settings. Despite Speaker's third negative test, hospital officials said they haven't determined when the 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer will be allowed to leave his isolation room for exercise and fresh air.

In related news, a U.S. Senate committee wants to know why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn't use one of its emergency jets to bring Speaker home from Europe after it was discovered that he had dangerous drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Instead, Speaker took a public flight from Rome to North America, triggering a trans-Atlantic health scare, ABC News reported. Speaker said he was not told that a private CDC plane was an option.

The Senate committee will hold hearings into the matter on Wednesday.

The CDC has three private jets available for emergencies. The jets, which cost taxpayers $7 million a year, were used nine times in the last year. Until Congress started asking questions, one of the jets was used regularly for political travel by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, ABC News reported.

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Nigeria Sues Pfizer Over Drug Trials

The government of Nigeria is suing Pfizer, charging that the world's largest pharmaceutical company conducted improper trials of the anti-meningitis drug Trovan in children.

The Nigerian government wants $7 billion in damages for the families of children who allegedly died or suffered serious side effects after being given the experimental antibiotic, BBC News reported. A few years ago, the Nigerian state of Kano filed a separate lawsuit against Pfizer seeking $2.7 billion in damages. That suit is still working its way through the legal system.

Pfizer tested Trovan in children during a meningitis outbreak in Kano in 1996. About 200 children died and others suffered mental and physical problems. In its lawsuit, the Nigerian government says Trovan caused the deaths and injuries and that the children were injected with the drug without approval from the country's regulatory agencies, BBC News reported.

Pfizer has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and says the trials were conducted with the full knowledge of the Nigerian government, according to Nigerian and international law.

In the United States, Trovan is approved to treat adults, but not children.

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Ritalin User Higher Among Children of Divorced Parents: Study

Children of divorced parents are nearly twice as likely as other children to be prescribed Ritalin, says a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Ritalin is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Researchers found that 6.1 percent of 633 Canadian children of divorced parents were prescribed Ritalin, compared with 3.3 percent of 4,151 children whose parents were still married, the Canadian Press reported.

Study author Lisa Strohschein of the University of Alberta said there may be a number of reasons why Ritalin use is higher among children of divorced parents.

The stress of divorce may aggravate a child's existing ADHD-related behavioral problems to the point where a doctor decides that Ritalin may be helpful. In other cases, children of divorced parents may channel their anger, anxiety and sadness into behavior that's mislabeled as ADHD-like.

In some situations, Strohschein said, parents and doctors may give Ritalin to children in anticipation of behavioral problems that may be caused by the stress of divorce, the CP reported.

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Ecstasy Use Affects Verbal Memory

The popular club drug ecstasy may damage areas of the brain involved with verbal memory, says a study by Dutch researchers.

They found that ecstasy users scored significantly lower than non-users on a test of verbal memory. The test involved memorizing a series of 15 words and repeating them immediately and again 20 minutes later, The Scotsman reported.

The study appears in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

It's believed that ecstasy affects cells in the brain that produce the chemical serotonin, a nerve message transmitter involved with learning and memory, The Scotsman reported.

"Our data indicates that low doses of ecstasy are associated with decreased verbal memory function, which is suggestive for ecstasy-induced neurotoxicity," the study authors wrote. "Further research on the long-term effects of ecstasy, as well as on the possibility of additive effects of ecstasy use on aging of the brain, is needed."

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Medicare Cuts Will Reduce Access to Doctors: AMA Poll

Next year's planned 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians will limit seniors' access to doctors, according to a survey of 9,000 doctors released Monday by the American Medical Association.

"The AMA is deeply concerned by the alarming news that 60 percent of America's physicians will be forced to limit the number of new Medicare patients they will be able to care for next year when Medicare cuts physician payments," AMA Board Chair Dr. Cecil B. Wilson said in a prepared statement.

The AMA wants Congress to stop the payment cut and, instead, increase payments by 1.7 percent in 2008 to keep pace with doctors' cost increases.

Next year's 10 percent cut would be the first in a series of payment reductions. Over nine years, total cuts will amount to about 40 percent, while the cost of caring for patients will increase by about 20 percent, the AMA said.

The survey found that 77 percent of physicians said they'll be forced to limit the number of Medicare patients as a result of the cuts.

Health Tips for June 6

Health Tip: Prevent Drug Reactions

Adverse drug reactions can occur when two or more prescription or over-the-counter drugs interact negatively with each other.

To reduce your risk of drug reactions, follow these guidelines from the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Read labels carefully, and understand the ingredients in each drug and any possible side effects they can cause.
* Before you take a drug, speak with your doctor or pharmacist if you don't understand the drug label. Make sure they are aware of all drugs you are taking.
* Don't mix pills or break capsules into any food or drink unless directed to do so.
* Don't take any medication with alcohol.
* Don't take medication at the same time as vitamins or mineral supplements.

Health Tip: Sensible Ways to Shed Pounds

Losing weight can a daunting task. But there are sensible ways to go about it, AARP says.

Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, the group offers these suggestions:

* Don't skip meals -- eat three a day, especially breakfast. Skipping meals can cause you to overeat later in the day.
* Drink a lot of water, and drink a glass or two before a meal to help you feel more full and eat less.
* To fill you up without extra calories, eat foods that are rich in fiber and water, such as fruits and vegetables.
* Track what and how much you eat by keeping a food journal.
* Don't give up, and remember that every little bit you do helps.

Health Headlines - June 5

Medicare Cuts Will Reduce Access to Doctors: AMA Poll

Next year's planned 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians will limit seniors' access to doctors, according to a survey of 9,000 doctors released Monday by the American Medical Association.

"The AMA is deeply concerned by the alarming news that 60 percent of America's physicians will be forced to limit the number of new Medicare patients they will be able to care for next year when Medicare cuts physician payments," AMA Board Chair Dr. Cecil B. Wilson said in a prepared statement.

The AMA wants Congress to stop the payment cut and, instead, increase payments by 1.7 percent in 2008 to keep pace with doctors' cost increases.

Next year's 10 percent cut would be the first in a series of payment reductions. Over nine years, total cuts will amount to about 40 percent, while the cost of caring for patients will increase by about 20 percent, the AMA said.

The survey found that 77 percent of physicians said they'll be forced to limit the number of Medicare patients as a result of the cuts.

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Seven-Day Glucose Monitoring System Approved

A seven-day glucose monitoring system for people with diabetes has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The STS-7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (STS-7 System) measures glucose levels every five minutes throughout a seven-day period. This information can be used to track patterns and detect trends in glucose levels that can't be identified by a standard fingerstick test alone, the FDA said.

However, even when using the STS-7 System, diabetics must still use a fingerstick test to decide when additional insulin is needed, the agency said.

The new system, made by DexCom Inc. of San Diego, uses a disposable sensor that's placed just below the skin in the abdomen to measure the level of glucose in the fluid found in the body's tissues.

A three-day version of the device was approved by the FDA in March 2006.

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FDA Panel Aims to Improve Product-Safety Communication

A 15-member panel of experts is being formed to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration improve the way it communicates with the public about safety issues involving drugs, food, and other products regulated by the agency, the Associated Press reported.

Creation of this kind of panel was recommended last year in a report by the Institute of Medicine, a nongovernmental advisory group. The report offered suggestions for improving the FDA's drug safety system in the wake of the controversy surrounding the pain drug Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after studies showed it was linked with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

In forming the new panel, the FDA is seeking experts in marketing, communication and other social sciences who are not affiliated with the FDA, the AP reported. Nominations for panel members can be submitted by mail or via the FDA's Web site at www.fda.gov.

While the FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of its advisory panels, it does so in most cases.

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Doctors Alarmed About Wheeled Sneaker Injuries

Doctors say the worldwide craze for wheeled sneakers is leading to a rash of injuries among children, including cracked skulls, dislocated elbows, and broken arms, wrists and ankles, the Associated Press reported.

The sneakers have wheels in their heels that enable wearers to roll through malls, playgrounds and on sidewalks.

But doctors warn that that too many children are being hurt while using the sneakers. For example, an Irish study in the journal Pediatrics said during a 10-week period last summer, 67 children were injured while using shoes with built-in or strap-on wheels, the AP reported.

A spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said from September 2005 to December 2006, the agency received reports of one death and at least 64 injuries related to wheeled sneakers.

This week, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons plans to release safety guidelines that recommend the use of helmets, knee, and elbow pads, and wrist protectors for children who wear wheeled shoes, the AP reported.

The most popular brand of wheeled shoes are made by Texas-based Heelys, Inc. In April, the company said it commissioned a study that found that wheeled shoes are safer than inline skating, skateboarding, and even swimming.

The company said that its shoes are sold with safety information, including a recommendation to wear protective equipment, the AP reported.

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At-Home Fertility Test for Men and Women

The first at-home fertility screening test for men and women goes on sale in the United States Monday.

The test, called Fertell, allows couples to assess key elements of both male and female fertility with 95 percent accuracy, according to maker Genosis, Inc. The test can be purchased over-the-counter at CVS, Longs drug stores, as well as online, the company said.

The male portion of the test measures the concentration of motile sperm, a key indicator of sperm health. Results are available within 80 minutes. The female portion checks follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in a woman's urine on the third day of her menstrual cycle.

FSH is a key indicator of ovarian reserve, a measure of the age of a woman's ovaries and their ability to respond to FSH in order to produce eggs that can be fertilized, Genosis said. The results of the female test can be available in 30 minutes.

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Study Explores How Stroke May Increase Risk of Alzheimer's

A lack of oxygen in the brain experienced by stroke victims, or even people who are heavy snorers, can trigger changes that increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, say British researchers.

They found that reduced oxygen levels can affect brain cells called astrocytes, which normally clean up excess amounts of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. But a lack of oxygen decreases the ability of astrocytes to carry out this task, BBC News reported.

This results in a build-up of glutamate, which is toxic and can cause brain cell death if it's allowed to accumulate in large levels. This could eventually lead to the onset of Alzheimer's.

Previous research found that low oxygen levels can cause astrocytes to increase production of beta amyloid, the protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

This study suggests that increased production of beta-amyloid may block the expression of the proteins that astrocytes need in order to remove excess glutamate, BBC News reported.

The study appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Health Tips for June 5

Health Tip: Prepare for a Cardio Stress Test

A cardiovascular stress test is performed to help detect any heart problem during exercise. During the test, a person walks on a treadmill at increasing levels of difficulty while a doctor monitors heart activity.

To help ensure the most accurate results, the University of Michigan Health System suggests:

* The night before the test, be sure to get plenty of rest.
* About two or three hours before the test, eat a light meal.
* Avoid caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea or soda. Drink water or fruit juice instead.
* Unless your doctor says otherwise, take all of your daily medications as prescribed.
* Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and shoes comfortable for walking or running.
* Use the bathroom before the test.

Health Tip: Playground Safety

Before your child visits a new playground, parents should inspect the facility to be sure it's safe.

To help protect your child from injury, the National Program for Playground Safety offers these guidelines:

* Make sure that you or another trusted adult is always supervising your child's play.
* To prevent possible strangulation, don't allow your child to play while he's wearing clothing with drawstrings.
* The playground should have age-appropriate equipment in separate sections, so that younger children can avoid injury from older children's play and equipment.
* Playground surfaces should provide cushion in the event of a fall -- surfaces that are concrete, grass, asphalt, gravel or packed dirt can contribute to injuries. Acceptable surfaces include hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, sand, or rubber mats.
* All equipment should be properly rooted to the ground, with no loose, rusting, or missing parts.

Health Headlines - June 4

China Attacks U.S. Toothpaste Warning

China's main food safety regulator has rejected a U.S. government warning that consumers should avoid toothpaste made in that country because it may contain a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze.

Calling a Friday warning by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "unscientific, irresponsible and contradictory," China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said late Saturday that low levels of the chemical have been deemed safe for consumption.

In a statement posted on its Web site, the China agency added that lists of ingredients of toothpaste exported to the United States, showing the amount of all chemicals including diethylene glycol, are provided to the FDA for inspection and approval, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. warning Friday also included an import ban on all toothpaste made in China, Deborah M. Autor, director of the FDA's Office of Compliance, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told reporters at an afternoon briefing.

"The companies will have to prove that their products don't contain harmful levels of DEG (diethylene glycol) before it is allowed into the United States," she added.

There have been no reports of poisoning from DEG in toothpaste, Autor said. "However, the agency is concerned about chronic exposure to DEG and exposure in children and individuals with kidney or liver disease," she added.

The agency began its investigation after it discovered DEG-contaminated toothpaste from China had been sold in Panama. In addition, DEG in cold medicine killed at least 51 people and sickened 68 others in Panama last year.

The Chinese agency's statement also demanded that "the U.S. clarify the facts in a scientific manner as soon as possible and properly handle the issue."

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Disciplined Docs Run Drug Trials for Pharmacy Companies: Report

Doctors who have been disciplined by medical boards still oversee drug-testing trials and are paid by pharmaceutical companies for their work, a newspaper analysis revealed.

A study of Minnesota state medical board records showed that more than 100 such doctors, at least two of whom have criminal fraud convictions, received a total of $1.7 million from drug makers from 1997 to 2005, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Minnesota is the only state to make its records publicly available, but the newspaper cited experts as saying the problem was national. The Times reports that medical ethicists say doctors who give experimental medicines should be chosen with care. And, it adds, the drug industry's own guidelines for clinical trials state, "Investigators are selected based on qualifications, training, research or clinical expertise in relevant fields."

The sanctions by the Minnesota state medical board ranged from reprimands to demands for retraining to suspension of licenses. Of 103 doctors, 39 had been penalized for inappropriate prescribing practices, 21 for substance abuse, 12 for substandard care and three for mismanagement of drug studies. A few cases received national news media coverage, but drug makers hired the doctors anyway, the analysis showed.

As one example, the newspaper cited Dr. Faruk Abuzzahab, who it said was accused a decade ago by the Minnesota board of a "reckless, if not willful, disregard" for the welfare of 46 patients, five of whom died in his care or shortly afterward. Abuzzahab's license was suspended for seven months and restricted for two years more, but the Minneapolis psychiatrist has been paid by at least a dozen drug companies for clinical trials or marketing since then, the newspaper reported.

In an interview with the newspaper, Abuzzahab dismissed the findings as "without heft" and said drug makers were aware of his record. He said he had helped study many of the most popular drugs in psychiatry, including Paxil, Prozac, Risperdal, Seroquel, Zoloft and Zyprexa.

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Protein May Predict Melanoma's Recurrence

Melanoma patients with higher levels of a protein called S-100 in their blood may run a higher risk of having the potentially deadly skin cancer return, a new study says.

The study tested serum samples from 103 patients who were treated with high-dose interferon, a standard therapy for melanoma; the patients had been treated eight years earlier, on average. The disease recurred in 64 of the patients within an average of 30 months. When the researchers examined levels of S-100 in the serum samples, they found that the higher the level of the protein, the greater likelihood the patient's disease had returned.

"Melanoma patients who initially respond well to treatment with interferon are at high risk of their cancer recurring," said Dr. John Kirkwood, principal investigator of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the school's Melanoma Center. "We know that only 30 percent of these patients benefit from treatment long-term. The goal of our study was to identify better predictors of who will benefit most from treatment with interferon and who is most at risk of their cancer returning."

The study also found that patients who survived longer showed increased evidence of an autoimmune response to treatment with interferon.

The study findings were to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago.

"With further study, we hope to learn more about the role of S-100 in melanoma survival," said Joseph Stuckert, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who was to present the study at the meeting. "S-100 may be an important key to better stratifying patients into those more or less likely to relapse."

The next step in the research, Stuckert said, is to identify factors that may make patients more likely to develop autoimmunity and to further examine the role of S-100 as a potential biomarker for melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. Nearly 60,000 new cases of melanoma are expected in 2007, and 8,100 deaths are expected to occur.

The study was funded by a grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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Assisted-Suicide Advocate Kevorkian Released From Prison

Calling it "wonderful" and "one of the highlights of my life," 79-year-old Jack Kevorkian, the so-called "Dr. Death" who claims to have helped more than 130 terminally ill people commit assisted suicide, was released from a Michigan prison Friday after serving an eight-year sentence for second-degree murder.

Kervorkian, a former doctor and outspoken advocate of assisted suicide for the terminally ill, had been convicted for his role in the death of a terminally ill Waterford Township, Mich., man.

His release drew no protesters. Kevorkian declined to speak to reporters before entering a van and driving away with his lawyer, Mayer Morganroth; CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace; and three supporters, the Detroit News reported.

Kevorkian, who will be on parole for two years, is scheduled to appear on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday night, and CNN's Larry King Live on Monday. He spoke with Wallace on Friday in a Battle Creek hotel, and reiterated his promise not to assist in any more suicides, or advise anyone how to do it, the newspaper said.

During the 1990s, Kevorkian challenged authorities to make his actions on behalf of the terminally ill legal -- or try to stop him. He burned state orders against him and showed up in court in costume, the Associated Press said.

"You think I'm going to obey the law? You're crazy," he said in 1998 shortly before he was accused -- and later convicted -- of murder after injecting lethal drugs into a 52-year-old man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian had videotaped the man's death and sent it to 60 Minutes.

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Dutch Kidney Transplant Show Was a Hoax

A Dutch reality TV show in which a terminally ill woman would choose one of three contestants to receive one of her kidneys was a hoax, the organizers said.

Those responsible for the "Big Donor Show" on the BNN network said they were trying to draw attention to the shortage of organ donors in the Netherlands.

The show was supposed to feature a 37-year-old woman with an inoperable brain tumor. She was to interview the three contestants, along with their families and friends, then decide who would get one of her kidneys before she died, the Associated Press reported.

But shortly before the controversial program was to air, Patrick Lodiers of the "Big Donor Show" said the woman was not actually dying of a brain tumor and the entire exercise was intended to put pressure on the Dutch government and raise awareness of the need for organ donations, the AP said.

Health Tips for June 4

Health Tip: Why Can't I Sleep?

Plenty of sleep is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. But most people have sleep problems at some point in their lives.

Here are common causes of insomnia, courtesy of the National Sleep Foundation:

* Stress, depression or problems in work or personal life.
* Drinking alcohol or caffeine late in the day.
* Exercising too close to bedtime.
* A distracting sleep environment -- one that's too bright, loud, or caused by sleeping near another person.
* Physical conditions, such as arthritis, backache or pregnancy.
* Certain medications, including steroids, decongestants, blood pressure drugs, asthma drugs and antidepressants.

Health Tip: Safe Toys For Your Child

All toys, no matter how safe, may not be appropriate for children of all ages. Other toys may have moving parts or sharp edges that make them inappropriate for children of any age.

Here are suggestions on how to choose safe toys for your child, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Don't give your child toys with small parts that can be easily removed or broken.
* Follow safety information and age guidelines listed on toys.
* Look for toys that say "non-toxic," or "washable/hygienic materials" on stuffed animals that can be washed.
* Make sure your child only has access to toys that are appropriate for her age.
* To prevent choking, don't allow young children to play with marbles, or other small toys less than 1 3/4 inches diameter or 2 inches long.

Health Headlines - June 3

Protein May Predict Melanoma's Recurrence

Melanoma patients with higher levels of a protein called S-100 in their blood may run a higher risk of having the potentially deadly skin cancer return, a new study says.

The study tested serum samples from 103 patients who were treated with high-dose interferon, a standard therapy for melanoma; the patients had been treated eight years earlier, on average. The disease recurred in 64 of the patients within an average of 30 months. When the researchers examined levels of S-100 in the serum samples, they found that the higher the level of the protein, the greater likelihood the patient's disease had returned.

"Melanoma patients who initially respond well to treatment with interferon are at high risk of their cancer recurring," said Dr. John Kirkwood, principal investigator of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the school's Melanoma Center. "We know that only 30 percent of these patients benefit from treatment long-term. The goal of our study was to identify better predictors of who will benefit most from treatment with interferon and who is most at risk of their cancer returning."

The study also found that patients who survived longer showed increased evidence of an autoimmune response to treatment with interferon.

The study findings were to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago.

"With further study, we hope to learn more about the role of S-100 in melanoma survival," said Joseph Stuckert, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who was to present the study at the meeting. "S-100 may be an important key to better stratifying patients into those more or less likely to relapse."

The next step in the research, Stuckert said, is to identify factors that may make patients more likely to develop autoimmunity and to further examine the role of S-100 as a potential biomarker for melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. Nearly 60,000 new cases of melanoma are expected in 2007, and 8,100 deaths are expected to occur.

The study was funded by a grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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Assisted-Suicide Advocate Jack Kevorkian Released From Prison

Calling it "wonderful" and "one of the highlights of my life," 79-year-old Jack Kevorkian, the so-called "Dr. Death" who claims to have helped more than 130 terminally ill people commit assisted suicide, was released from a Michigan prison Friday after serving an eight-year sentence for second-degree murder.

Kervorkian, a former doctor and outspoken advocate of assisted suicide for the terminally ill, had been convicted for his role in the death of a terminally ill Waterford Township, Mich., man.

His release drew no protesters. Kevorkian declined to speak to reporters before entering a van and driving away with his lawyer, Mayer Morganroth; CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace; and three supporters, the Detroit News reported.

Kevorkian, who will be on parole for two years, is scheduled to appear on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday night, and CNN's Larry King Live on Monday. He spoke with Wallace on Friday in a Battle Creek hotel, and reiterated his promise not to assist in any more suicides, or advise anyone how to do it, the newspaper said.

During the 1990s, Kevorkian challenged authorities to make his actions on behalf of the terminally ill legal -- or try to stop him. He burned state orders against him and showed up in court in costume, the Associated Press said.

"You think I'm going to obey the law? You're crazy," he said in 1998 shortly before he was accused -- and later convicted -- of murder after injecting lethal drugs into a 52-year-old man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian had videotaped the man's death and sent it to 60 Minutes.

-----

Dutch Kidney Transplant Show Was a Hoax

A Dutch reality TV show in which a terminally ill woman would choose one of three contestants to receive one of her kidneys was a hoax, the organizers said.

Those responsible for the "Big Donor Show" on the BNN network said they were trying to draw attention to the shortage of organ donors in the Netherlands.

The show was supposed to feature a 37-year-old woman with an inoperable brain tumor. She was to interview the three contestants, along with their families and friends, then decide who would get one of her kidneys before she died, the Associated Press reported.

But shortly before the controversial program was to air, Patrick Lodiers of the "Big Donor Show" said the woman was not actually dying of a brain tumor and the entire exercise was intended to put pressure on the Dutch government and raise awareness of the need for organ donations, the AP said.

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CDC Offers Severe Weather Safety Tips

Extreme summer weather can pose a threat to health and safety, warned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an advisory issued Friday. Soaring temperatures, summer storms, and drought can lead to illness, injury and death, the agency said.

The CDC noted that June 1 marks the start of the hurricane season, and that National Hurricane Center experts predict higher-than-average hurricane activity this year in the Atlantic region.

If your area is under a hurricane watch or warning, you should:

• Learn about your community's emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes, and emergency shelters.
• Make plans to protect people with special needs, older adults, and pets.
• Stock your home and vehicle with emergency supplies, including medications.
• Secure or protect potential home hazards.
• Stay tuned to your radio or television for the latest information.

Extreme heat is another summer health hazard. The CDC said people should take appropriate measures, including: drinking more water and other nonalcoholic fluids; staying indoors, preferably in a location with air conditioning; and wearing lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

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Diet Rich in B6, B12, and Folate May Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Eating a diet that contains high levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate may help reduce the risk of deadly pancreatic cancer, says a study in the June 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

Researchers analyzed data from four large studies and concluded that people with normal or below-normal body weight decreased their risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 81 percent if they consumed high levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate, compared to people who did not eat high levels of these nutrients or were overweight.

"All we can say is that a person who has reason to be concerned about the risk of developing this cancer, which is relatively rare but quite deadly, should maintain a normal weight and eat their fruit and vegetables," lead investigator Dr. Eva Schernhammer, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a prepared statement.

Oddly, Schernhammer and her colleagues also found that people who got these same nutrients from multivitamins (not from foods directly), and whose blood showed traces of the nutrients, were 139 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

"This is a preliminary, but intriguing, finding because it suggests that something in the vitamins may fuel pancreatic cancer growth," she said.

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Outlining Delivery Options May Cut Caesarean Rates

Providing pregnant women with more information about their delivery options may reduce Caesarean section rates, says a U.K. study in the British Medical Journal.

The study included 742 women who were divided into three groups: traditional care; those who used a computer program that outlined the risks and likely outcomes of different delivery methods; and those who used a computerized decisions-analysis system.

That system asked the women to determine what value they placed to the possible outcomes of the different delivery methods and then provided them with a "preferred option" that was based on their responses. The women then discussed the recommended option with a health professional, BBC News reported.

The study found that 37 percent of the women who used the decisions-analysis system opted for vaginal birth, compared to 30 percent who received traditional care, and 29 percent of those who used the other computer information program.

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Nursing Home Accelerates Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's: Study

Moving to a nursing home speeds up cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients, say researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

They followed 432 Alzheimer's patients who lived in the community at the start of the four-year study. During the study, 155 of the participants were placed in nursing homes.

All participants showed a gradual cognitive decline, but many who were placed in a nursing home showed a more rapid decline. Conversely, people who had day care for three-to-four days a week at the beginning of the study did not show the same levels of decline.

"The findings suggest that the transition from the community to a nursing home is particularly difficult for people with Alzheimer's disease and that those planning for their care should consider the possibility that experience in adult day care programs may help prepare affected persons for institutional living," study author Robert S. Wilson, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, said in a statement.

The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Health Tips for June 3

Health Tip: Leaving Your Child Home Alone

Knowing when your child is old enough to be left alone can be a daunting decision.

The Nemours Foundation says your child probably is ready if:

* She is responsible with her homework, household chores, and following general instructions.
* She stays calm and handles unexpected situations in a mature manner.
* She understands and is able to follow your rules and safety instructions.
* She makes good judgments overall, and does not put herself in risky situations.
* She follows instructions about staying away from strangers.

Health Tip: Sick After Swimming

Recreational water illness (RWI) is contracted by breathing, swallowing or having contact with water that has been contaminated with germs. The most common RWIs may cause diarrhea, skin, eye, ear and gastrointestinal illnesses.

Here are suggestions on how to prevent and avoid RWIs, courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

* Don't swim when you have diarrhea, and don't allow children in diapers to swim when they have diarrhea.
* Practice good hygiene before swimming. Shower before entering the water, make sure children are properly washed, and always wash hands after using the bathroom.
* Make sure your child leaves the water and uses the bathroom frequently.
* Don't change diapers at or near the pool, lake or beach.
* To help reduce the risk of contracting an RWI, never swallow water while swimming.

Health Headlines - June 2

CDC Offers Severe Weather Safety Tips

Extreme summer weather can pose a threat to health and safety, warned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an advisory issued Friday. Soaring temperatures, summer storms, and drought can lead to illness, injury and death, the agency said.

The CDC noted that June 1 marks the start of the hurricane season, and that National Hurricane Center experts predict higher-than-average hurricane activity this year in the Atlantic region.

If your area is under a hurricane watch or warning, you should:

• Learn about your community's emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes, and emergency shelters.
• Make plans to protect people with special needs, older adults, and pets.
• Stock your home and vehicle with emergency supplies, including medications.
• Secure or protect potential home hazards.
• Stay tuned to your radio or television for the latest information.

Extreme heat is another summer health hazard. The CDC said people should take appropriate measures, including: drinking more water and other nonalcoholic fluids; staying indoors, preferably in a location with air conditioning; and wearing lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

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Diet Rich in B6, B12, and Folate May Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Eating a diet that contains high levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate may help reduce the risk of deadly pancreatic cancer, says a study in the June 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

Researchers analyzed data from four large studies and concluded that people with normal or below-normal body weight decreased their risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 81 percent if they consumed high levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate, compared to people who did not eat high levels of these nutrients or were overweight.

"All we can say is that a person who has reason to be concerned about the risk of developing this cancer, which is relatively rare but quite deadly, should maintain a normal weight and eat their fruit and vegetables," lead investigator Dr. Eva Schernhammer, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a prepared statement.

Oddly, Schernhammer and her colleagues also found that people who got these same nutrients from multivitamins (not from foods directly), and whose blood showed traces of the nutrients, were 139 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

"This is a preliminary, but intriguing, finding because it suggests that something in the vitamins may fuel pancreatic cancer growth," she said.

-----

Outlining Delivery Options May Cut Caesarean Rates

Providing pregnant women with more information about their delivery options may reduce Caesarean section rates, says a U.K. study in the British Medical Journal.

The study included 742 women who were divided into three groups: traditional care; those who used a computer program that outlined the risks and likely outcomes of different delivery methods; and those who used a computerized decisions-analysis system.

That system asked the women to determine what value they placed to the possible outcomes of the different delivery methods and then provided them with a "preferred option" that was based on their responses. The women then discussed the recommended option with a health professional, BBC News reported.

The study found that 37 percent of the women who used the decisions-analysis system opted for vaginal birth, compared to 30 percent who received traditional care, and 29 percent of those who used the other computer information program.

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Nursing Home Accelerates Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's: Study

Moving to a nursing home speeds up cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients, say researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

They followed 432 Alzheimer's patients who lived in the community at the start of the four-year study. During the study, 155 of the participants were placed in nursing homes.

All participants showed a gradual cognitive decline, but many who were placed in a nursing home showed a more rapid decline. Conversely, people who had day care for three-to-four days a week at the beginning of the study did not show the same levels of decline.

"The findings suggest that the transition from the community to a nursing home is particularly difficult for people with Alzheimer's disease and that those planning for their care should consider the possibility that experience in adult day care programs may help prepare affected persons for institutional living," study author Robert S. Wilson, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, said in a statement.

The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

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More Illnesses Reported From Tainted Peanut Butter: CDC

More than 200 new cases of people becoming ill from tainted peanut butter in the United States have been recorded since the last figures were released three months ago, the Associated Press reported.

In March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 425 cases of illness in 44 states had been linked to Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter tainted with salmonella. On Thursday, the CDC said there have now been 628 cases in 47 states since last August.

The tainted peanut butter was made by Omaha-based ConAgra Foods at its Sylvester, Ga. plant. Company officials said moisture in the plant probably helped promote the growth of the bacteria, which later tainted the peanut butter, the AP reported.

Consumers should throw out Great Value or Peter Pan peanut butter with a product code on the lid that begins with "2111." The lids or jars can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

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FDA Issues Flu Vaccine Approval Guidelines

Final guidelines for the rapid development and approval of pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines have been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The documents recommend using recent technologies such as cell culture and recombinant manufacturing to enhance the development and evaluation of vaccines. They also recommend adding substances (novel adjuvants) that improve human immune response to vaccines.

Further, the documents outline conventional and accelerated processes for vaccine approval. The conventional approach requires companies to provide clinical evidence that a vaccine actually prevents influenza.

Clinical trial data also are required for accelerated approvals, but companies may use a biological indictor -- such as immune response to a vaccine -- to predict effectiveness. Additional clinical trials must then be conducted to verify the vaccine's effectiveness, the FDA said.

Health Tips for June 2

Health Tip: Lather up With Sunscreen

It's important to apply sunscreen year-round, whenever you're out in the sun. Sunscreen helps protect your skin from harmful UV rays, which can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these guidelines:

* Apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before you head out, so your skin has time to absorb it.
* Reapply sunscreen after swimming or excessive sweating.
* Reapply the product regularly if you're in the sun all day. For added safety, wear protective clothing and a hat.
* Apply sunscreen generously and rub it in thoroughly. Use roughly a handful to cover your entire body.
* Apply to all areas that will be exposed to the sun. Don't forget places like the tops of the ears, nose, eyelids (use caution around the eyes), lips, back, hands, feet, shoulders and backs of the thighs.

Health Tip: Prevent a 'Charley Horse'

A 'charley horse' is a painful muscle spasm that occurs most often in the legs. It begins suddenly and may cause severe pain when the muscle won't relax.

Proper preparation before exercise can help prevent charley horses. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions:

* Stretch properly and thoroughly before any exercise.
* Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids before and after exercise.
* Include plenty of potassium in your diet. Orange juice and bananas are excellent sources.
* Don't overexert yourself and strain your muscles, which could cause spasms.

Health Toll of 9/11 Still Unclear

Toxic plume has officially claimed one, but many more may be at risk, experts say

It was a disaster that defied all imagination.

And now, more than five years after two jetliners plunged into New York City's twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, there is much experts don't know and may never know about the health consequences of that unforgettable day.

"The real issue is the uncertainty of what we don't know," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "And when you look at what we do know, the question arises as to whether we're looking at tip of the iceberg or the iceberg itself."

The disaster has been associated with a prolonged hacking known as "World Trade Center Cough" and with sarcoidosis, a disease that causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs.

Just this week, the New York City Chief Medical Examiner added the name of Felicia Dunn-Jones to the list of attack victims. Dunn-Jones, a 42-year-old attorney at the time of the attacks, died of sarcoidosis five months after the attacks. This marked the first time the city had officially linked a 9/11 death to the toxic plume.

According to a perspective piece in the May 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, some responders have already received compensation and litigation is ongoing for thousands of people who allegedly fell ill after inhaling World Trade Center dust.

The article, by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, outlined what is known and unknown about the medical fall-out of 9/11.

"We know that people were exposed to a very large, high-concentration cloud of dust which would be particles and gases in the air, especially on Day One right after the disaster," said Alison Geyh, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Scientists even have some insight into the composition of that dust, although this comes from an analyses of samples collected on the ground, which may or may not be the same as what was hovering in the air. Air was not sampled immediately after the disaster, for obvious reasons.

Generally, the range of contaminants in those samples was not surprising and included combustion-related carcinogens, building materials and some asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Samples collected the month after the disaster found high concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter. Size is a key component of risk, with smaller particles more able to penetrate the lungs. Samples that were taken from the sputum of firefighters who responded to the emergency showed gold, tin and titanium.

"It's the particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers that are inhaled and really get deep into the lungs," Horovitz explained. "When that happens, there are a bunch of consequences."

But there's more that experts just don't know.

"The big, big, big question is how concentrated was that mixture in the air on the day the buildings fell down," Geyh said. "It would be really helpful to us to know what the concentrations were that day but nothing was working, obviously, that day so we'll never know that. We will never exactly know what airborne concentrations were directly on the site across the entire time period people were there."

Researchers will also never know how many people were exposed. "We're never going to know how many people were exposed and that makes it difficult to quantify the extent of the potential health problems," Geyh said.

Nevertheless, the people who definitely were exposed need to be followed for the next decade or even two decades, Geyh said. "We need to follow them into the future to document what happens to their health," she said. "We're not saying that there is a problem or isn't a problem. We just need to make sure we know what is happening with these people and if we understand what is happening with this well-defined group, it will make it easier for other people who feel like they're having problems related to exposure."

Quarantined TB patient: 'I hope they forgive me'

DENVER — While authorities try to determine how an Atlanta lawyer was able to avoid detection while traveling to Europe with a highly drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, the man apologized to his fellow plane passengers in an interview broadcast Friday.

"I've lived in this state of constant fear and anxiety and exhaustion for a week now, and to think that someone else is now feeling that, I wouldn't want anyone to feel that way. It's awful," Andrew Speaker told ABC's Good Morning America from his hospital room in Denver.

Wearing a face mask, Speaker repeatedly apologized to the dozens of airline passengers and crewmembers now anxiously awaiting their own test results because of the exposure to him.

"I don't expect for people to ever forgive me. I just hope that they understand that I truly never meant to put them in harm," he said, his voice cracking.

He insisted that he was told he wasn't contagious or a threat to anyone.

The 31-year-old personal injury lawyer is "doing extremely well, in very good spirits," said infectious disease specialist Gwen Huitt, treating him in Denver at National Jewish Medical Research Center.

Doctors hope to determine where he contracted the disease, which has been found around the world and exists in pockets in Russia and Asia. The tuberculosis was discovered by accident when Speaker had a chest X-ray in January for a rib injury, Huitt said.

Huitt said he may have carried the disease in a "latent, dormant" state for years.

She said Speaker is expected to remain in the hospital in isolation and taking multiple antibiotics for two to six months, at a cost of up to $350,000.

Speaker said he, his doctors and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all knew he had TB before he flew to Europe for his wedding and honeymoon last month. But he said he was advised that he wasn't contagious or a danger to anyone. Officials said they would rather he didn't fly but no one ordered him not to, he said.

He said his father, also a lawyer, taped that meeting.

"My father said, 'OK, now are you saying, prefer not to go on the trip because he's a risk to anybody, or are you simply saying that to cover yourself?' And they said, we have to tell you that to cover ourself, but he's not a risk."

Dr. Steven Katkowsky, director of the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness, said Speaker was told in early May not to travel to Europe: "He was told traveling is against medical advice."

Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's division of global migration and quarantine, said once Speaker was already in Europe, "He was told in no uncertain terms not to take a flight back."

Speaker, his new wife and her 8-year-old daughter were already in Europe when the CDC contacted him and told him to turn himself in immediately at a clinic there and not take another commercial flight.

Speaker said he felt as if the CDC had suddenly "abandoned him." He said he believed if he didn't get to the specialized clinic in Denver, he would die.

"Before I left, I knew that it was made clear to me, that in order to fight this, I had one shot, and that was going to be in Denver," he said. If doctors in Europe tried to treat him and it went wrong, he said, "it's very real that I could have died there."

Speaker's ability to re-enter the United States through Canada to avoid detection despite having his passport flagged has raised the ire of some members of Congress.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called for an investigation of staffing at border crossings. In a statement, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the incident "highlights how vulnerable our security remains … and raises considerable doubts about the nation's preparedness for pandemic influenza and other biological incidents."

Even though U.S. officials had put Speaker on a warning list, he caught a flight to Montreal and then drove across the U.S. border on May 24 at Champlain, N.Y. A border inspector who checked him disregarded a computer warning to stop Speaker, officials said Thursday.

The unidentified inspector later said the infected man seemed perfectly healthy and that he thought the warning was merely "discretionary," officials briefed on the case told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still under investigation.

The inspector ran Speaker's passport through a computer, and a warning — including instructions to hold the traveler, don a protective mask in dealing with him, and telephone health authorities — popped up, officials said. About a minute later, Speaker was instead cleared to continue on his journey, according to officials familiar with the records. The inspector has since been removed from border duty.

Colleen Kelley, president of the union that represents customs and border agents, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said "public health issues were not receiving adequate attention and training" within the agency.

The next day, Speaker became the first infected person to be quarantined by the U.S. government since 1963. He was flown by medical transport to Denver on Thursday.

In perhaps the most curious twist, Speaker's father-in-law, Robert C. Cooksey, is a microbiologist who does research on tuberculosis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cooksey said, in a statement released by the CDC, that he is tested regularly for TB, has never had it, and could not have been the source of Speaker's infection.

Cooksey said he had no part in Speaker's decisions to travel to Greece to be married, which included a flight from Atlanta to Paris on May 12-13 on Air France. CDC officials became aware of Speaker's infection with the highly drug-resistant form of TB on May 22, and told him to remain in his Rome hotel, but instead, he flew to Prague, boarded a plane for Montreal and then drove back to the USA with his new bride.

Some travelers who flew on the same planes with Speaker angrily accused him of selfishly putting hundreds of people's lives in danger.

"It's still very scary," 21-year-old Laney Wiggins, one of more than two dozen University of South Carolina-Aiken students who are getting skin tests for TB. "That is an outrageous number of people that he was very reckless with their health. It's not fair. It's selfish."

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency has contacted 50 of the more than 400 passengers on the Air France flight, but called it a "labor intensive process."

Speaker's new wife, Sarah, fought back tears as she told ABC about the horrible things said about her husband: that he was a terrorist, that he should have been eradicated.

"Imagine sitting in a foreign country with your husband and your government saying they were going to leave you there," she said through tears.

She said she has tested negative for TB, despite being closer to him over the past month than anyone, and she is praying that no one they came in contact with would test positive for the disease.

Both Speaker and his father-in-law said they didn't believe he was a danger when he left for Europe.

"I never would have put my family at risk, and my daughter at risk. I repeatedly asked my doctors, 'Is my family at risk? Is anybody at risk of this?'" Speaker said. "They told me I wasn't contagious and I wasn't dangerous."

Speaker said he and his wife were "scared out of our minds" at the prospect of being indefinitely placed in an Italian hospital and dying there.

"I know people will judge it, it's natural human instinct to judge what other people do," Speaker said. "Truly, in our minds, we were told we were not a threat to the people around us and we wanted to get home."

"I just hope they can forgive me," he said.

Dr. Charles Daley, chief of the National Jewish Hospital's infectious-disease division, said he is optimistic Speaker can be cured because he is appears to be in the early stages of the disease.

He is "a young, healthy individual" who is "doing extremely well," Dr. Gwen Huitt said Thursday.

"By conventional methods that we traditionally use in the public health arena ... he would be considered low infectivity at this point in time," she said. "He is not coughing, he is healthy, he does not have a fever."

Health Headlines - June 1

Novartis Told to Stop Selling IBS Drug in Switzerland

Drug maker Novartis AG was told Thursday to withdraw a drug for irritable bowel syndrome from the market in Switzerland, the Associated Press reported.

Swissmedic, the agency that regulates pharmaceuticals, said Thursday it ordered the drug Zelmac off the market after a new analysis of data from clinical trials showed the drug was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, such as angina and heart attack.

A statement released by Novartis said the company was surprised and disappointed by Swissmedic's decision, the AP reported.

Novartis withdrew the same drug, sold under the name Zelnorm, from the U.S market in March at the request of the Food and Drug Administration.

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Chocolate, Berry Chemical Boosts Memory

The chemical epicatechin -- found in foods such as grapes, chocolate, blueberries and tea -- helped boost the memory of mice, according to a Salk Institute study in the Journal of Neuroscience.

The researchers also found that mice who were fed a diet supplemented with epicatechin appeared to have greater blood vessel growth in certain parts of their brain. The findings suggest that epicatechin improves blood flow in the brain, especially when combined with exercise, BBC News reported.

"A logical next step will be to study the effects of epicatechin on memory and brain blood flow in aged animals -- and then humans, combined with mild exercise," said study leader Dr. Henriette van Praag.

"This is an important advance because it identifies a single natural chemical with memory-enhancing effects, suggesting it may be possible to optimize brain function by combining exercise and dietary supplementation," said Dr. Mark Mattson of the U.S. National Institute on Aging, BBC News reported.

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Experts Offer Tips on Preventing Eye Infections

In response to a recent outbreak of serious eye infections in contact lens wearers, the American Academy of Ophthalmology is offering advice on how to prevent eye infections.

The tips include:

• Stop using the product -- Complete MoisturePlus by Advanced Medical Optics -- implicated in the recent eye infection cases. Discard contact lenses that have been stored in the solution and the cases used to store those lenses.
• Consult your eye care professional to discuss the use of an appropriate alternative contact lens solution.
• Wash hands with soap and water and dry your hands before handling contact lenses.
• Don't use tap water to rinse contact lenses.
• Each time you clean your lenses, fill the contact case with fresh solution. Never reuse old solution or top off old solution in the storage case.
• Don't transfer contact lens solution from its original container to anything other than storage cases.
• Remove your lenses and consult with an eye professional if you experience symptoms such as redness, pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision, discharge, or swelling.

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Concussions Linked to Depression in Retired Pro Football Players

There's a strong association between depression in former National Football League players and the number of concussions they suffered while playing, say University of North Carolina researchers who surveyed 2,552 retired NFL players.

They found that of the 595 players who reported sustaining three more football-related concussions, 20.2 percent had been diagnosed with depression. That's three times the rate of players who did not suffer a concussion, The New York Times reported.

The findings, by researchers at the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, will be published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The authors said their study "calls into question how effectively retired professional football players with a history of three or more concussions are able to meet the mental and physical demands of life after playing football."

The NFL has consistently denied that football-related concussion have any long-term effects. However, the league last week announced new guidelines regarding concussions, The Times reported.

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Cancers May be Third Wave of 9/11-Linked Illnesses

A "third wave" of serious illnesses such as blood and lymphatic cancers caused by exposure to asbestos, dioxins and other carcinogens may strike responders to the World Trade Center terror attacks, say Mount Sinai Medical Center doctors.

Dr. Robin Herbert said she and her colleagues at Sinai's World Trade Center medical monitoring program are now seeing unusual cases of plasma-cell cancers in Ground Zero workers, the New York Daily News reported.

"We know we have a handful of cases of multiple myeloma in very young individuals, and multiple myeloma is a condition that almost always presents later in life, so that's the kind of odd, unusual and troubling finding that we're seeing already," Herbert said in an online audio interview conducted in advance of today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the journal, Herbert outlines three waves of post 9/11 health problems in responders, the Daily News reported.

The first was the persistent, dry "World Trade Center cough" caused by exposure to pulverized cement. It appeared in the months after the terror attacks. The second wave involves chronic respiratory diseases that result in lung inflammation and scarring. Cancers may be the third wave.

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FDA Denies Fast-Track Status for Cervarix HPV Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not grant a priority review to the experimental cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix, drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Thursday.

As a result of being denied fast-track status that would have sped up the approval and marketing of Cervarix in the U.S., the vaccine will have to go through a standard 10-month review, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA decision means that Cervarix will likely be available in the U.S. sometime in 2008, Glaxo said. The vaccine, which protects against strains of the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV), was approved in Australia earlier this month and Glaxo expects to introduce the vaccine in Europe and several other markets later this year.

The FDA grants a priority review to medicines considered to be a significant improvement compared to existing treatments, the AP reported.