Health Headlines - April 17

Americans Want Stronger Drug Safety Laws: Poll

Most Americans believe the federal government has failed to protect them from dangerous prescription drugs and they support drug safety reforms, says a Consumer Reports poll released Monday.

The survey was released in advance of a U.S. Senate Health Committee vote Wednesday on what Consumer Reports called the most significant prescription drug safety legislation in 45 years.

The telephone survey of 1,026 adults found that 92 percent of respondents agree that all clinical trial results should be made public, and 96 percent said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should have the power to require warning labels and follow-up studies on drugs with safety problems.

Currently, the FDA must negotiate safety warnings with drug makers.

More than 60 percent of the respondents agreed that the FDA and Congress have failed to adequately protect consumers from harmful prescription drugs.

"The message we're hearing from consumers couldn't be clearer -- they want strong laws to ensure our prescription drugs are as safe and effective as possible," Jim Guest, CEO of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, said in a prepared statement.

"Right now drug companies can game the system by touting the positive results from their drug studies, while downplaying information about harmful side effects. Americans are fed up with being kept in the dark about critical health and safety information, and they overwhelmingly want change," Guest said.

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FDA Seeks Reauthorization of Medical Device User Fee Program

A proposal to reauthorize the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act has been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The current law expires Sept. 30, United Press International reported.

The FDA said the act helps ensure that safe and effective medical devices become available to patients in a timely manner. Under the act, medical device makers cover a portion of the costs of the FDA's pre-market review program.

The proposal would provide device makers with predictable fees and improved review times and would also give the FDA a steady source of additional funding for its medical device review program, said Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, the FDA commissioner.

The agency will accept public comments on the proposal for the next 30 days and will hold a public meeting on April 30, UPI reported.

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N.J. Gov. Corzine Has Second Leg Surgery

New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, 60, remained in critical but stable condition Monday after undergoing a second operation to treat the broken leg he suffered last Thursday in a car crash.

He also suffered 12 broken ribs, a broken collarbone and chest bone, and a number of minor injuries. During the surgery Monday at Cooper University Hospital, doctors cleaned out the 6-inch wound inflicted in Corzine's left leg when the femur broke, the Associated Press reported.

The operation was "uneventful," said Andrew Poag, a spokesman for Corzine. Doctors operated Saturday to clean the same leg wound. On Sunday, doctors performed a brief procedure to remove fluid that had collected outside Corzine's left lung.

The governor, who was riding in the passenger's seat, apparently was not wearing his seat belt when the sport utility vehicle crashed on the Garden State Parkway just north of Atlantic City, the AP reported.

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U.S. Screens Only Small Amount of Imported Foods

Food safety experts say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cannot adequately ensure that foods imported from other countries are safe, according to the Associated Press.

"FDA doesn't have enough resources or control over this situation presently," Mike Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, told the AP.

U.S. inspectors check only a small percentage of imported foods and often find products unfit for human consumption. For example, last month the FDA detained nearly 850 shipments of imported foods for problems including unsafe food coloring, filth and contamination with salmonella and pesticides.

Those problems were detected in just 1.3 percent of food imports inspected by U.S. officials. The remaining 98.7 percent of imports, ranging from fresh produce to processed foods, are not inspected, the AP reported.

Each year, the average American eats about 260 pounds of imported foods. That represents about 13 percent of a person's annual diet.

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EPA Increases Scrutiny of Lead in Children's Products

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will increase scrutiny of companies that make or distribute toys, zippers and other children's products that contain lead, which can kill youngsters or harm their brain development.

In response to legal pressure from advocacy groups, the EPA agreed to send letters to as many as 120 manufacturers and importers telling them to provide health and safety studies if there is lead in any products they market to children, the Associated Press reported.

The EPA will also inform the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that an information review by the EPA "raises questions about the adequacy of quality control measures by companies importing and/or distributing children's jewelry."

While the EPA can ban a substance such as lead, only the CPSC can ban a product that contains lead.

Last year, the Sierra Club and another advocacy group, Improving Kids' Environment, sued the EPA to force it to take stronger action to keep lead out of children's products, the AP reported.

In December, the CPSC moved to ban, rather than recall, children's jewelry that contained more than 0.06 percent lead by weight.

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Injured U.S. Soldiers Face Too Much Bureaucracy: Commission

An unacceptable tangle of paperwork and bureaucracy is making it difficult for injured American soldiers to get proper medical treatment, said leaders of a presidential commission on veterans' health care.

The nine-member panel held its first meeting Saturday, where it heard from veterans, spouses and advocacy groups who said the system was failing injured soldiers. The commission members said they wanted to work quickly to find solutions, the Associated Press reported.

The commission will deliver a pragmatic and "solution-driven" report by late July, said member Donna Shalala, who was health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration.

The report will address a number of areas including providing institutional support to family members looking after injured soldiers; reforming a disability benefits system that critics say shortchanges injured soldiers; and improving cooperation between the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Over the next few weeks, the commission plans to hold more than a dozen hearings and site visits to military and VA facilities across the country, the AP reported.

Health Headlines - April 16

Blood Pressure Regulation May Be 'All in Your Head'

Can the brain control Blood pressure?

As improbable as that sounds, BBC News reports that scientists at Bristol University in England say their research on laboratory rats indicates that a protein known as JAM-1 could actually be the substance that determines a person's blood pressure.

JAM-1 appears to trap white blood cells in the brain, obstructing blood flow, which in turn, causes inflammation in the brain, the scientists found. And this condition triggered elevated blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

The researchers don't know why this happens, BBC News reports, but the finding could initiate new methods for treating hypertension.

"We are looking at the possibility of treating those patients that fail to respond to conventional therapy for hypertension with drugs that reduce blood vessel inflammation and increase blood flow within the brain," Bristol University professor Julian Paton is quoted as saying.

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DNA Marker for Early Detection of Liver Cancer Identified

Using a DNA component, Columbia University scientists say they've discovered a new way to detect liver cancer much earlier than before, a finding that may successfully fight what has been considered a death sentence for most people who get the disease.

According to a news release from the university's Mailman School of Public Health, hepatocellular or liver carcinomas (HCC) are usually diagnosed at such an advanced stage that survival is usually not possible. Using blood from 24,000 Taiwanese people from a study begun in 1991, the researchers were able to isolate a DNA biomarker from blood serum.

The researchers then were able to identify the gene changes that identified malignancy in the liver. The change was detected one-to-nine years before actual clinical diagnosis, according to the University news release.

"Having the tools to identify hepatocellular carcinoma at earlier stages, is truly a breakthrough for addressing the challenges that result from this highly lethal form of cancer," the news release quotes Regina Santella, the principal investigator, as saying.

The study results are published in the April 15, 2007 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

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Possibility of Botulism Prompts Imported Italian Olives Recall

The latest U.S. government alert about food that may cause serious illness concerns olives imported from Italy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that olives made by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano and Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy may contain the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum, which causes botulism, a disease that often leads to death. The olives were initially recalled by the maker on March 27. They had been distributed in the United States to both restaurants and retail stores.

Although no illnesses have been reported in the United States, the FDA says the olives should be discarded, even if they appear not to be spoiled. They are sold under the following brands: Borrelli, Bonta di Puglia, Cento, Corrado's, Dal Raccolto, Flora, Roland and Vantia, and have codes that start with the letter "G" and are followed by 3 or 4 digits. All sizes of cans, glass jars and pouches of Cerignola, Nocerella and Castelvetrano type olives are affected, the FDA says.

Botulism symptoms include weakness, dizziness, double vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation.

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Teen Sexual Abstinence Education Program Not Working, Report Says

It doesn't appear that teenagers are getting the message about sexual abstinence.

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. government-funded program, costing about $176 million annually to alert teenagers to the problems of sexual promiscuity, isn't getting the desired results.

Just as many teens who attended one of four abstinence classes surveyed were as likely to have sex as those who didn't attend the program, the wire service reports. The study was ordered by Congress to determine whether the sexual abstinence classes, begun in 1999, were making a difference.

The classes were designed to encourage teens to abstain from having sex until they got married. While acknowledging the report's accuracy, a Bush administration official also says that follow-up is needed to make the program effective.

"This report confirms that these interventions are not like vaccines," Harry Wilson, the commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families, is quoted as saying. "You can't expect one dose in middle school, or a small dose, to be protective all throughout the youth's high school career."

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Court Won't Order FDA to Tighten Rules on Mercury Fillings

A U.S. federal appeals court unanimously ruled Friday that it can't compel the Food and Drug Administration to tighten rules on dental fillings that contain mercury, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that it has no jurisdiction to review the agency's handling of the issue.

Advocacy groups went to court in an attempt to ban mercury fillings and to force the FDA to reclassify the products and impose stricter regulations on them, the AP reported.

The groups argue that mercury vapors from the fillings can harm patients and the dental office employees who handle the fillings.

Significant levels of mercury exposure can damage the kidneys and brain. But the FDA has steadfastly insisted that mercury fillings pose no threat to patients, except in rare cases when patients have allergic reactions, the AP reported.

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New HIV Drug Shows Promise

A new drug called raltegravir shows promise in combatting drug-resistant HIV, concludes an international study in The Lancet medical journal. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Raltegravir belongs to a new class of drugs called integrase-inhibitors, which block an enzyme essential for HIV to replicate itself, BBC News reported.

The study included 178 patients with advanced HIV who failed to respond to the antiretroviral drugs they'd been taking for about 10 years. The patients were assigned to take their usual drugs plus either raltegravir or a non-medicinal placebo.

After 24 weeks, patients taking raltegravir showed a 98 percent drop in the amount of HIV genetic material in their blood, compared to a 45 percent drop among the placebo group. Those taking raltegravir also showed a significant boost in the number of CD4 cells, an indication of immune response, BBC News reported.

"This drug has the potential to become an important component of combination treatment regimens...for patients failing current therapies with multidrug-resistant virus and limited treatment options," wrote the study's authors at Merck Research Laboratories in Pennsylvania.

Health Headlines - April 15

Possibility of Botulism Prompts Imported Italian Olives Recall

The latest U.S. government alert about food that may cause serious illness concerns olives imported from Italy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that olives made by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano and Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy may contain the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum, which causes botulism, a disease that often leads to death. The olives were initially recalled by the maker on March 27. They had been distributed in the United States to both restaurants and retail stores.

Although no illnesses have been reported in the United States, the FDA says the olives should be discarded, even if they appear not to be spoiled. They are sold under the following brands: Borrelli, Bonta di Puglia, Cento, Corrado's, Dal Raccolto, Flora, Roland and Vantia, and have codes that start with the letter "G" and are followed by 3 or 4 digits. All sizes of cans, glass jars and pouches of Cerignola, Nocerella and Castelvetrano type olives are affected, the FDA says.

Botulism symptoms include weakness, dizziness, double vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation.

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Teen Sexual Abstinence Education Program Not Working, Report Says

It doesn't appear that teenagers are getting the message about sexual abstinence.

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. government-funded program, costing about $176 million annually to alert teenagers to the problems of sexual promiscuity, isn't getting the desired results.

Just as many teens who attended one of four abstinence classes surveyed were as likely to have sex as those who didn't attend the program, the wire service reports. The study was ordered by Congress to determine whether the sexual abstinence classes, begun in 1999, were making a difference.

The classes were designed to encourage teens to abstain from having sex until they got married. While acknowledging the report's accuracy, a Bush administration official also says that follow-up is needed to make the program effective.

"This report confirms that these interventions are not like vaccines," Harry Wilson, the commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families, is quoted as saying. "You can't expect one dose in middle school, or a small dose, to be protective all throughout the youth's high school career."

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Court Won't Order FDA to Tighten Rules on Mercury Fillings

A U.S. federal appeals court unanimously ruled Friday that it can't compel the Food and Drug Administration to tighten rules on dental fillings that contain mercury, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that it has no jurisdiction to review the agency's handling of the issue.

Advocacy groups went to court in an attempt to ban mercury fillings and to force the FDA to reclassify the products and impose stricter regulations on them, the AP reported.

The groups argue that mercury vapors from the fillings can harm patients and the dental office employees who handle the fillings.

Significant levels of mercury exposure can damage the kidneys and brain. But the FDA has steadfastly insisted that mercury fillings pose no threat to patients, except in rare cases when patients have allergic reactions, the AP reported.

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New HIV Drug Shows Promise

A new drug called raltegravir shows promise in combatting drug-resistant HIV, concludes an international study in The Lancet medical journal. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Raltegravir belongs to a new class of drugs called integrase-inhibitors, which block an enzyme essential for HIV to replicate itself, BBC News reported.

The study included 178 patients with advanced HIV who failed to respond to the antiretroviral drugs they'd been taking for about 10 years. The patients were assigned to take their usual drugs plus either raltegravir or a non-medicinal placebo.

After 24 weeks, patients taking raltegravir showed a 98 percent drop in the amount of HIV genetic material in their blood, compared to a 45 percent drop among the placebo group. Those taking raltegravir also showed a significant boost in the number of CD4 cells, an indication of immune response, BBC News reported.

"This drug has the potential to become an important component of combination treatment regimens...for patients failing current therapies with multidrug-resistant virus and limited treatment options," wrote the study's authors at Merck Research Laboratories in Pennsylvania.

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U.S. Woman Has Baby Conceived with Frozen Egg and Sperm

A 36-year-old California woman has given birth to the first baby in the United States to be conceived using a frozen egg and frozen sperm.

Adrienne Domasin gave birth to Noah Peter Domasin (8 pounds, 4 ounces) at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Calif., the Associated Press reported.

While there have been about 200 documented births from frozen eggs worldwide, the only other birth from a frozen egg and frozen sperm took place in Australia. That birth was reported last year in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

Domasin decided to take part in the California study after she learned two years ago that her fallopian tubes were blocked. She was unable to afford in-vitro fertilization but was determined to have a baby, the AP reported.

After eggs were harvested from Domasin, they were frozen for four months, then injected with thawed donor sperm. A fertilized egg was then placed inside Domasin.

The freezing of sperm has been done for decades but attempts to use frozen eggs have a low success rate, the AP reported.

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Senate Panel OKs Bill to Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has approved legislation to permit Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, the Associated Press reported.

The bill, approved Thursday by a vote of 13-8, eliminates a clause that forbids the secretary of Health and Human Services from taking part in negotiations between drug companies, insurers, and pharmacies, the AP reported. The bill is expected to go before the full Senate next week.

While the Bush administration opposes the measure, supporters said the ban on federal government negotiations with drug makers goes too far.

"When you're negotiating on behalf of 43 million people, that's leverage," Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) told the wire service.

Health Headlines - April 14

Court Won't Order FDA to Tighten Rules on Mercury Fillings

A U.S. federal appeals court unanimously ruled Friday that it can't compel the Food and Drug Administration to tighten rules on dental fillings that contain mercury, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that it has no jurisdiction to review the agency's handling of the issue.

Advocacy groups went to court in an attempt to ban mercury fillings and to force the FDA to reclassify the products and impose stricter regulations on them, the AP reported.

The groups argue that mercury vapors from the fillings can harm patients and the dental office employees who handle the fillings.

Significant levels of mercury exposure can damage the kidneys and brain. But the FDA has steadfastly insisted that mercury fillings pose no threat to patients, except in rare cases when patients have allergic reactions, the AP reported.

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New HIV Drug Shows Promise

A new drug called raltegravir shows promise in combatting drug-resistant HIV, concludes an international study in The Lancet medical journal. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Raltegravir belongs to a new class of drugs called integrase-inhibitors, which block an enzyme essential for HIV to replicate itself, BBC News reported.

The study included 178 patients with advanced HIV who failed to respond to the antiretroviral drugs they'd been taking for about 10 years. The patients were assigned to take their usual drugs plus either raltegravir or a non-medicinal placebo.

After 24 weeks, patients taking raltegravir showed a 98 percent drop in the amount of HIV genetic material in their blood, compared to a 45 percent drop among the placebo group. Those taking raltegravir also showed a significant boost in the number of CD4 cells, an indication of immune response, BBC News reported.

"This drug has the potential to become an important component of combination treatment regimens...for patients failing current therapies with multidrug-resistant virus and limited treatment options," wrote the study's authors at Merck Research Laboratories in Pennsylvania.

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U.S. Woman Has Baby Conceived with Frozen Egg and Sperm

A 36-year-old California woman has given birth to the first baby in the United States to be conceived using a frozen egg and frozen sperm.

Adrienne Domasin gave birth to Noah Peter Domasin (8 pounds, 4 ounces) at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Calif., the Associated Press reported.

While there have been about 200 documented births from frozen eggs worldwide, the only other birth from a frozen egg and frozen sperm took place in Australia. That birth was reported last year in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

Domasin decided to take part in the California study after she learned two years ago that her fallopian tubes were blocked. She was unable to afford in-vitro fertilization but was determined to have a baby, the AP reported.

After eggs were harvested from Domasin, they were frozen for four months, then injected with thawed donor sperm. A fertilized egg was then placed inside Domasin.

The freezing of sperm has been done for decades but attempts to use frozen eggs have a low success rate, the AP reported.

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Senate Panel OKs Bill to Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has approved legislation to permit Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, the Associated Press reported.

The bill, approved Thursday by a vote of 13-8, eliminates a clause that forbids the secretary of Health and Human Services from taking part in negotiations between drug companies, insurers, and pharmacies, the AP reported. The bill is expected to go before the full Senate next week.

While the Bush administration opposes the measure, supporters said the ban on federal government negotiations with drug makers goes too far.

"When you're negotiating on behalf of 43 million people, that's leverage," Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) told the wire service.

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FDA Approves Ointment to Treat Impetigo

An antibiotic ointment called Altabax (retapamulin) has been approved to treat children and adults with a bacterial skin infection called impetigo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The drug, a new molecular entity not previously approved in the United States, can be used on people aged nine months or older, the FDA said.

The approval was based on a study of about 3,000 people who received either Altabax, different antibiotics, or a non-medicinal placebo. The most common side effect among those using Altabax was irritation at the site where it was applied. This occurred in less than two percent of people who used the ointment, the FDA said.

Altabax, which will be available by prescription, is made by North Carolina-based GlaxoSmithKline.

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Scientists Identify Genetic Mutations Linked to ADHD

Three gene mutations may be associated with cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), say German researchers.

They studied 329 families in which one child had ADHD, finding that about 70 percent of the children had a combination of three mutations in the gene for a dopamine transporter linked to hyperactivity, Agence France Presse reported.

"People who have this combination in both copies of the gene have a 2.5 increased ADHD risk. People with only one copy of this variant still have almost twice the risk," team leader Dr. Johannes Hebebrand of the University of Duisburg-Essen said in a prepared statement.

"Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone who has the genetic variants will automatically get the disease," he added.

Hebebrand said this is the strongest genetic evidence found to date linking the dopamine transporter to hyperactivity, AFP reported.

Stroke Guidelines Focus on Critical First Hours

Intravenous delivery of the clot-busting drug tPA is still the best treatment for patients in the crucial first few hours after an ischemic stroke, say new guidelines released by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Ischemic strokes, the most common kind of stroke, are caused by a clot that blocks blood flow in an artery in the brain.

"We are pushing for the fastest possible treatment, because 'time is brain.' For every minute that goes by, the likelihood of a poorer outcome increases," Dr. Harold P. Adams Jr., chairman of the guidelines' writing group, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues noted that intravenous delivery of the clot-busting drug tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) is only approved to be used within three hours of the onset of ischemic stroke symptoms.

Other techniques, such as mechanical devices to remove blood clots and intra-arterial administration of tPA, show promise and should be considered for patients with moderate-to-severe ischemic stroke who arrive too late at the hospital to receive intravenous tPA treatment, the writing group said. They also noted that information on these techniques is limited, and more research is needed.

The guidelines also recommend that emergency medical personnel do a quick stroke assessment, draw blood and alert the hospital about the impending arrival of a patient with a suspected stroke. Stroke patients should be transported to the nearest "appropriate" hospital for emergency stroke care, even if this means bypassing the nearest medical center or calling for air evacuation.

Among the new or revised recommendations in the guidelines:

• Hospitals should develop emergency stroke protocols so that patients can be assessed and treated within 60 minutes of arrival.
• More medical centers should seek certification as primary or comprehensive stroke centers.
• Patients should receive early and carefully chosen treatments for abnormal blood pressure, fever or abnormal blood sugar levels, which can have a negative effect on a stroke patient's outcome.

Health Headlines - April 13

Gleevec Prevents Gastro Tumor Recurrence: Study

People who took the drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) after having a particular type of gastrointestinal tumor removed were significantly less likely to have the cancer recur than people who didn't take the drug, the U.S. National Institutes of Health said Thursday in announcing results of a new study.

Some 97 percent of people who took Gleevec after removal of a primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) did not have a recurrence of their cancer, versus 83 percent of GIST patients who took a placebo for one year, the NIH said in a statement. The five-year trial was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, and conducted by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group.

The drug was generally well tolerated, and side effects were similar to those observed in prior trials of the drug for other uses. The side effects included nausea, diarrhea, and swelling.

Experts said the results had major implications for people with this type of cancer. "Conventional chemotherapy agents have been notoriously ineffective in GIST," said Dr. Ronald DeMatteo at New York City's Memorial Sloan-Ketting Cancer Center. "This study for the first time demonstrated that targeted molecular therapy reduces the rate of recurrence after complete removal of a primary GIST."

Gleevec belongs to a class of drugs that block cellular communication, preventing tumor growth. It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002 to treat GIST tumors that couldn't be removed by surgery or had spread to other parts of the body.

Gleevec has earned a reputation as a cancer "wonder drug," for its ability to beat back leukemia and certain types of stomach tumors. It also shows promise against autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

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U.S. Soldiers Said to be 'Shortchanged' by Disability Ratings System

There are inconsistencies in the way the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs rate military service members' disabilities, and injured U.S. Army soldiers may be getting shortchanged on retirement and health care benefits, says the chairman of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission.

Testifying before a Senate panel on Thursday, retired Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott outlined problems in the ratings systems, the Associated Press reported.

"It is apparent that service members are not well-served," Scott told the joint hearing of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees. The hearing was scheduled to look at problems in the system.

Critics charge that the ratings can be easily manipulated to limit disability payments to service members and create unnecessary confusion in a system already under tremendous stain, the AP reported.

The Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission conducted a preliminary review of VA and Pentagon data and found that the Army was most likely to give an injured service member a disability rating of less than 30 -- the cutoff point for lifetime retirement payments and health care. Disability ratings assigned by the VA tended to be higher.

Different standards may explain some differences in ratings, but, Scott said, "It is also apparent that DOD (Department of Defense) has strong incentive to assign ratings less than 30 percent so that only separation pay is required."

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U.S. Senate Passes Stem Cell Research Bill

Ignoring President George W. Bush's threat of a veto, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to ease restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the Associated Press reported.

The bill would provide federal funding for research on stem cells from unused embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics that would otherwise be destroyed. Currently, federal money is limited to research on 21 embryonic stem cell lines that existed as of August 2001. However, scientists say most of these lines have been contaminated and are useless for research.

In a statement released after the Senate vote, Bush said the bill "crosses a moral line that I and many others find troubling. If it advances all the way through Congress to me desk, I will veto it." Bush vetoed a similar bill last year, the AP reported.

Bush and other opponents of embryonic stem cell research liken it to abortion because embryos have to be destroyed to harvest the stem cells.

The Senate also voted 70-28 to pass a measure that supports research in adult stem cells, the AP reported.

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Pollutants May Be Linked to Diabetes: Study

There may be a link between pollutants called persistent organic pesticides (POPs) and type 2 diabetes, says an international study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

The study found high levels of POPs in the blood were associated with insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. The study authors noted that POPs are stored in fatty tissues and suggested that this may be why obese people have an increased risk of developing diabetes, BBC News reported.

People with insulin resistance are unable to remove excess glucose from their blood. This is often a major step in the development of type 2 diabetes.

However, some experts said this study does not offer conclusive evidence of a link between POPs and the development of diabetes, BBC News reported. It may be that insulin resistance may hinder a person's ability to clear POPs from the body.

Matt Hunt, head of science information at Diabetes UK, said this is a complex area of research and this study and others have offered no details of a mechanism by which POPs could cause insulin resistance, BBC News reported.

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Too Many Spanish Doctors and Nurses Drink and Drive: Study

Spanish doctors and nurses admit to disturbingly high levels of drinking and driving, says a study in the current issue of the journal BMC Public Health.

The study of 16,171 Spanish university graduates found that female nurses and doctors and male nurses were all 1.2 times more likely to drink and drive than university graduates who did not work in the health field. Male doctors were even worse -- they were twice as likely to drink and drive.

"The role of these health professionals in educating the population regarding the health consequences of drinking and of drinking and driving has long been advocated. Yet their capability to do so may be impaired due to their own lifestyles," wrote the study authors from the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona.

Overall, 30 percent of the 16,171 university graduates reported that they "sometimes" drove after drinking. The study also found that drinking and driving was associated with other unsafe behaviors, such as binge drinking, drinking daily, not wearing seat belts, and being a former smoker.

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Groups Demand End to Two-Year Medicare Wait for Disabled People

The U.S. Congress must eliminate the current two-year wait for Medicare coverage for people whose severe and debilitating disabilities prevent them from working, dozens of patient advocacy groups contend.

The groups' position came in response to a report released Wednesday that found 600,000 disabled people go without health care or go into debt while waiting for Medicare coverage.

"Congress must eliminate the cruel and arbitrary two-year wait for Medicare, which punishes Americans who are hit by severe illness or injuries that make it impossible to keep working," report co-author Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, said in a prepared statement. The Medicare Rights Center is a national consumer service organization.

People who are deemed unable to work due to incapacitating health problems are not eligible for Medicare until two years after they receive their first Social Security Disability Income benefit. Currently, about 1.5 million Americans with severe and permanent disabilities are in the Medicare waiting period. Each year, about 12 percent of disabled people die before their Medicare coverage begins.

"The report chronicles the devastating health and financial toll that the waiting period takes on the lives of hard-working Americans who are stranded without health coverage after they become disabled," Hayes said.

The report, which includes the experiences of 21 disabled people while waiting for Medicare coverage, was published by The Commonwealth Fund.

Health Headlines - April 12

Groups Demand End to Two-Year Medicare Wait for Disabled People

The U.S. Congress must eliminate the current two-year wait for Medicare coverage for people whose severe and debilitating disabilities prevent them from working, dozens of patient advocacy groups contend.

The groups' position came in response to a report released Wednesday that found 600,000 disabled people go without health care or go into debt while waiting for Medicare coverage.

"Congress must eliminate the cruel and arbitrary two-year wait for Medicare, which punishes Americans who are hit by severe illness or injuries that make it impossible to keep working," report co-author Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, said in a prepared statement. The Medicare Rights Center is a national consumer service organization.

People who are deemed unable to work due to incapacitating health problems are not eligible for Medicare until two years after they receive their first Social Security Disability Income benefit. Currently, about 1.5 million Americans with severe and permanent disabilities are in the Medicare waiting period. Each year, about 12 percent of disabled people die before their Medicare coverage begins.

"The report chronicles the devastating health and financial toll that the waiting period takes on the lives of hard-working Americans who are stranded without health coverage after they become disabled," Hayes said.

The report, which includes the experiences of 21 disabled people while waiting for Medicare coverage, was published by The Commonwealth Fund.

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New York City Produces 1% of U.S. Greenhouse Gases

New York City produces almost 1 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to a just-release report by the mayor's Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability.

That means that the city pumps out the same amount of emissions as some small countries, such as Ireland and Portugal, the Associated Press reported.

New York, the largest city in the United States and home to 2.7 percent of the nation's population, produced 58.3 million metric tons of the 7.26 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted in the country in 2005, the report said.

Buildings, subways, buses, cars and the decomposition of waste are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, the AP reported.

But the report also noted that the average New York City resident actually produces less than a third of the greenhouse emissions generated by their fellow average Americans. That's largely because the city's mass transit system enables many residents to get around without cars.

The report was ordered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to provide a benchmark for his goal of reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

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Actor, Politician Fred Thompson Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Actor and former U.S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, widely believed to be considering running for the Republican presidential nomination, revealed Wednesday that he was diagnosed with lymphoma more than two years ago, Bloomberg News reported.

The indolent lymphoma is in remission and Thompson, 64, says he has had no symptoms or illness from the cancer. His office released a statement from his physician, Dr. Bruce Cheson, head of hematology at Georgetown University Hospital. Cheson said that Thompson's form of lymphoma is so slow-growing that people with the disease often die "from natural causes associated with old age."

On an Internet site popular with conservative Republicans, Thompson wrote: "My life expectancy should not be affected. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future -- and with no debilitating side effects."

Thompson was first elected to the Senate in 1994 in a special election in Tennessee to replace Al Gore, who'd been elected vice-president. Thompson then won a full six-year term in 1996 but did not seek re-election after that, Bloomberg reported.

As an actor, Thompson has appeared in dozens of movies and has a major role in the television series "Law and Order."

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U.S. Diabetes-Related Costs Hit $22.9 Billion

About three of five people (57.9 percent) in the United States with type 2 diabetes have serious health problems associated with the disease, and those complications amounted to $22.9 billion in direct medical costs in 2006, says a new report made public by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) at its annual meeting in Seattle.

Heart disease, stroke, eye damage, chronic kidney disease, and serious foot problems were among the complications mentioned in the report.

The analysis, based on data from two large national studies, also found that annual healthcare costs for people with type 2 diabetes and its complications were about three times more than those of the average person without diabetes.

These complication can cost almost $10,000 a year, and the average person with type 2 diabetes paid nearly $1,600 in out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-payments.

The report said one-third of people with type 2 diabetes had one other serious health problem, 10.3 percent had two others, 6.7 percent had three others, and 7.6 percent had four or more other serious health problems.

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Glass Fragments Prompt Grifulvin Recall

Reports of glass fragments in Grifulvin -- a medication used to treat ringworm and other fungal infections -- have prompted a recall by U.S. manufacturer Ortho-McNeil.

The recall involves lots of the liquid formulation of Grifulvin and griseofulvin oral suspension, which has a Patriot Pharmaceuticals label, distributed between Aug. 23, 2005 and March 14, 2007, United Press International reported.

Ortho-McNeil said the recall is a precaution and that there have been no reports of anyone being harmed by the glass fragments. The company said it has two reports of glass fragments in Grifulvin bottles, which Ortho-McNeil believes were caused by bottles breaking during shipment, UPI reported.

Specific lot numbers included in the recall are listed at http://www.aboutgrifulvin.com/recall.asp.

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Journal Removes Wolf-Cloning Study From Web Site

A South Korean research report on wolf cloning has been pulled from the Web site of the international journal Cloning and Stem Cells, pending an investigation into incorrect data, Agence France Presse reported.

In a message posted on its Web site, the journal said the study's authors had requested corrections and that the journal was awaiting results of a Seoul National University (SNU) investigation into the research.

On March 26, an SNU team led by Lee Byung-Chun and Shin Nam-Shik announced that it had created the world's first two cloned wolves in October 2005. However, it's been revealed that the researchers provided incorrect data in a table analyzing the mitochondrial DNA sequence of the two wolves and their surrogate mother dogs.

Another error describing the team's past attempts to clone dogs appeared to make its progress more impressive than it actually was, AFP reported.

Researcher Lee said both errors were inadvertent.

Health Headlines - April 11

30 Percent Hike in Kidney Failure Among Cats Recorded in Pet Food Recall

During the three months that contaminated pet food was sold in the United States, there was a 30 percent increase in kidney failure among cats, the Associated Press reported.

The finding was reported Monday by Banfield, The Pet Hospital, a large veterinary hospital chain, from data out of more than 615 of its clinics. The chain's analysis showed that 3 out of every 10,000 cats and dogs seen at the clinics developed kidney disease during the time that more than 100 brands of pet food contaminated with the chemical melamine were on the market.

The Canadian pet food company, Menu Foods, initiated a massive, nationwide recall March 16 after finding that imported wheat gluten, used to make gravy in its moist pet foods, was tainted with melamine, a toxin used in plastic kitchenware. That recall was followed by others, including 20 brands of popular dog biscuits, as more pet food companies tracked their own batches of wheat gluten back to one single company in China.

During the period when the now-recalled pet food was being sold, Banfield clinics saw an extra 284 cases of kidney failure among cats, about 30 percent higher than normal. But it's not clear whether those cats actually ate the contaminated pet food, the AP reported.

Since the first pet food recall was announced three weeks ago, Banfield clinics have seen 1,605 cats and dogs reported to have eaten the recalled food. Five of the cats and one dog died, the clinic reported.

In related news, the founder of the Veterinary Information Network said Monday that 5,000 to 10,000 pets may have fallen ill after eating the contaminated food, and 1,000 to 2,000 pets may have died, the AP reported. The estimate is based on a survey of 1,400 members of the network.

The Web site petconnection.com, meanwhile, said that it has received reports of 3,5987 pet deaths linked to the contaminated food, but noted that those numbers have not been confirmed.

As of last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still did not have an official tally of pet deaths, beyond the 16 confirmed in the initial days of the recall. But officials said, the agency had received more than 12,000 complaints that it was investigating.

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FDA Memo Warns on Vioxx Successor

If safer alternatives are available, U.S. regulators should not approve new painkiller drugs in the same class as Vioxx that boost the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a Food and Drug Administration document.

The March 21 memorandum was released Tuesday, ahead of an FDA advisory panel meeting Thursday to consider a new painkiller called Arcoxia, which is the successor to Merck now-withdrawn blockbuster Vioxx, the Associated Press reported.

Vioxx, a Cox-2 inhibitor, was pulled from the market in 2004 after it was linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Arcoxia is also a Cox-2 inhibitor. Merck, which wants FDA approval to sell Arcoxia to treat the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, already sells the drug in 60 other countries.

Cox-2 inhibitors are a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In the March 21 memorandum, the FDA said NSAIDS should only be approved if they fill an unmet need for a particular group of patients for whom there are no safer treatment options, the AP reported.

The FDA said potential risks to the cardiovascular system will be the focus on any evaluation of Arcoxia and similar drugs.

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Canadians Consume Too Much Salt: Report

A new report says that 85 percent of adult males and 60 percent of adult females in Canada eat too much salt, which increases their risk for health problems such as high blood pressure.

The new issue of Statistics Canada's Health Reports said that average daily salt intake in 2004 for Canadians ages 19 to 70 was 3,093 mg. Males ages 14 to 30 consumed more than 4,000 mg a day.

The maximum daily intake for people aged 9 to 50 should be 1,500 mg, and less for younger and older people, the National Post reported.

People in Quebec and British Columbia had the highest salt consumption (more than 3,300 mg per day), while people in Ontario had the lowest (2,871 mg).

But it could be worse. A similar study in the United States found that Americans consume an average of about 200 mg more salt a day than Canadians, the Post reported.

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Most Dieters Gain More Weight Than They Lose: Report

People who diet can end up gaining back more weight than they originally lost, a new U.S. study reports.

University of California, Los Angeles researchers reviewed 31 previous studies and found that people typically lose between 5 percent and 10 percent of their weight during the first six months of a diet. But within five years, two-thirds of dieters had put on more weight than they lost, BBC News reported.

This is potentially dangerous, because losing and gaining weight is associated with heart disease and stroke, the researchers said. Their findings appear in the April issue of the journal American Psychologist.

"Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people," said lead researcher Traci Mann. "We concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would have been pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear of losing weight and gaining it all back."

Too many people approach dieting as a short-term measure, Dr. Ian Campbell, medical director of Weight Concern in the U.K., told BBC News. He was not involved in the study.

"Keeping weight off is a lifelong challenge. It is just like heart disease or mental health problems, if you stop taking your medicine you can get worse," Campbell said.

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U.S. Senate Set to Pass Stem Cell Research Bill

The U.S. Senate this week is expected to pass another stem cell research bill, which will be vetoed by President George Bush, the St. Petersburg Times in Florida reported.

The bill would permit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund research on stem cells harvested from unused embryos that would otherwise be discarded at in-vitro fertilization clinics. Currently, federal funding is limited to research on 21 lines of embryonic stem cells, all created before Aug. 9, 2001. Those stem cell lines are limited in number and quality.

The House passed the bill in January. Bush vetoed the same bill last year and said he will veto this one, even though polls show that more than 60 percent of Americans support the proposal, the Times reported. Bush and other opponents of this approach liken it to abortion because the embryo has to be destroyed in order to collect the stem cells.

Another stem cell bill proposed by conservatives is also expected to be passed by the Senate this week. The bill instructs the NIH to gather stem cells from other sources, including amniotic fluid and embryos that are no longer viable, the Times reported.

Health Headlines - April 10

Advocacy Group Attacks New Celebrex TV Ad

A new television commercial for the painkiller Celebrex was launched last week, two years after ads for the drug were pulled off the air at the request of U.S. regulators because the drug was linked to increased heart attack and stroke risk.

But at least one group is demanding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration order the manufacturer, Pfizer, to pull the new ad as well.

New York-based Pfizer Inc. spent more than a year discussing the content of the new commercial with the FDA, according to Bloomberg News. The company decided to launch a new ad campaign after internal research showed that 40 percent of U.S. consumers thought Celebrex was no longer on the market.

The 2 1/2 minute ad begins with a warning that Celebrex and competing drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen all may cause heart attack, stroke and death. The ad then lists the benefits of Celebrex, including the claim that the drug causes less indigestion, abdominal pain and nausea than naproxen and ibuprofen, Bloomberg reported.

The nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen on Monday sent a letter to the FDA demanding that the agency order Pfizer to immediately stop airing the ad.

"The overall purpose of the ad is to make it appear, contrary to scientific evidence, that the cardiovascular dangers of Celebrex are not greater than those of any of the other NSAID painkillers. Further, it asserts that certain gastrointestinal problems are, if anything, less frequent with Celebrex than with two popular over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers," wrote Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group.

"The ad violates FDA law and regulations because it contains several false or misleading statements that will lead many viewers to underestimate the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks of Celebrex and use it in preference to equally effective, safer alternatives such as OTC naproxen," Wolfe wrote.

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Alcohol Consumption in Russia Triples Since 1990

Average annual alcohol consumption in Russia nearly tripled between 1990 and 2006, from 5.4 liters to 15 liters per person, according to the country's consumer protection agency.

The agency, called Rospotrebnadzor, noted that the 2006 average was far higher than the 2005 average of 9.7 liters per person, Agence France Presse reported. In 2005, about 2.3 million of Russia's 142 million people were considered alcoholics.

In total, 12 billion liters of alcohol were sold in Russia in 2006. Of that, 75 percent was beer, 16 percent vodka and other hard liquor, 8t percent wine, and 1 percent cognac.

The agency said that while alcohol-related deaths actually declined to 28,386 in 2006 from 40,877 in 2005, alcohol was still a factor in 12 percent of all deaths in Russia last year, AFP reported.

Home-brewed alcohol killed 1,074 people in 2006, and 5 percent of alcohol sold in 2006 didn't meet sanitary standards, up from 2.6 percent in 2005.

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Fat Impairs Cancer-Fighting Effects of Vitamin C: Study

The cancer-fighting effects of vitamin C may be nullified when fat is present in the stomach, suggests a study by researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

In laboratory experiments, the scientists found that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) clears away potential cancer-causing compounds that are created when food and saliva mix with stomach acid, BBC News reported.

However, when fat is present in the stomach, vitamin C is no longer able to prevent the formation of such hazardous compounds. The findings show how diet may be associated with certain stomach cancers, the researchers said.

"These results show that the presence of lipid can markedly alter the protective effects of antioxidants, and how a diet rich in fat can directly influence gastric biochemistry," said study lead author Emilie Combet.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Experimental Biology.

Bridget Aisbitt, a nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation, told BBC News that this was interesting research but no one factor can cause cancer, which is a complex disease the develops over many years due to a number of genetic and environmental factors.

She said the study does help "underline the importance of a healthy balanced diet where meals high in fat should not be frequent and five portions of fruit and vegetables -- our main source of vitamin C -- are eaten each day."

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PTSD Patients Less Sensitive to Pain: Study

People with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to be less sensitive to pain than those without the condition, says a Dutch study in the journal Archives of General Pyshiatry.

The study included 24 military veterans -- half with PTSD and half without -- who were given hot objects to hold while their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), BBC News reported.

Compared to those without PTSD, the veterans with PTSD said the objects felt less hot and reported significantly less pain. The fMRI scans showed that those with PTSD had much less activity in parts of the brain that process pain while they were holding the hot objects.

The researchers did not offer any explanations for the differences in pain regulation between the veterans with PTSD and those without the condition, BBC News reported. Some previous studies have suggested that PTSD patients may have differences in the structure of certain parts of the brain.

People with PTSD suffer flashbacks, panic attacks, anxiety and depression following a traumatic event.

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Baby Turtles Pose Serious Health Risk: FDA

In response to the recent death of 4-week-old infant in Florida, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a reminder that baby turtles can pose a serious health risk to infants, small children and adults with impaired immune systems.

Baby turtles can carry salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause severe illness and death, the FDA said. Salmonella can be found on the outer skin and shell surfaces of the turtles and can infect people who do not properly wash their hands after handling the animals.

The FDA said that parents and others who care for children need to remember that:

• Salmonella infection can be caused by contact with turtles in petting zoos, parks, day-care facilities and other locations.
• It's important to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling or touching turtles and their housing.
• The sale of turtles with a shell less than 4 inches long is illegal. Exceptions include sales of turtles intended for export only, or for bona fide scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.

Each year in the United States, there are an estimated 74,000 cases of turtle-associated salmonellosis in humans, the FDA said. Gastrointestinal symptoms caused by salmonella bacteria usually begin 12 to 36 hours after exposure and generally last for two to seven days.

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Asian Herb May Help Fight Urinary Infections

An Asian herb often identified as a weight loss aid may be beneficial in reducing urinary tract infections even after antibiotic treatment, a Duke University study has found.

One of the problems with treating urinary tract infections is that colonies of E. coli bacteria can "hide" in cells lining the bladder even after antibiotics have killed 90 percent of them, a Duke University Medical Center news release says. But the use of forskolin, an extract from the Indian coleus plant, flushes out hiding colonies of bacteria, and then antibiotics can finish them off.

The research was conducted on laboratory mice, and "... there are small numbers of bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment because they sneak into the lining of the bladder, waiting for the opportunity, after antibiotic treatment, to come out and start multiplying again," Duke microbiologist Soman Abraham, who led the research, said in the news release.

"This herb has been used in Asia for centuries for a wide variety of ailments," Abraham said. "However, one of its constant uses has been for treating painful urination."

Forskolin is a popular supplement for weight loss and body building and is available in most stores selling herbal products. Abraham said that a person with a urinary tract infection who wants to try forskolin should first consult a physician.

Health Headlines - April 9

Asian Herb May Help in Fighting Urinary Infections

An Asian herb often identified as a weight loss aid may be beneficial in reducing urinary tract infections even after antibiotic treatment, a Duke University study has found.

One of the problems with treating urinary tract infections is that colonies of E. coli bacteria can "hide" in cells lining the bladder even after antibiotics have killed 90 percent of them, a Duke University Medical Center news release says. But the use of forskolin, an extract from the Indian coleus plant, flushes out hiding colonies of bacteria, and then antibiotics can finish them off.

The research was conducted on laboratory mice, and "... there are small numbers of bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment because they sneak into the lining of the bladder, waiting for the opportunity, after antibiotic treatment, to come out and start multiplying again," Duke microbiologist Soman Abraham, who led the research, said in the news release.

"This herb has been used in Asia for centuries for a wide variety of ailments," Abraham said. "However, one of its constant uses has been for treating painful urination."

Forskolin is a popular supplement for weight loss and body building and is available in most stores selling herbal products. Abraham says that a person with a urinary tract infection who wants to try forskolin should first consult a physician.

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Fat Cell Hormone May Cause Increase in Colon Cancer Risk in Obese People

Leptin, a chemical produced by fat cells, may be the cause for accelerating the growth of cancer in the colon, according to a new study.

BBC News reports that research conducted by scientists at the University of California at San Diego and published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Surgery, gives indications as to why overweight people seem to be more susceptible to getting colon cancer.

Previous studies indicated that the hormone leptin appears to accelerate the activity of colorectal cancer cells, the BBC reports, and the University of California researchers conducted laboratory experiments to confirm original findings.

The results showed that leptin appeared to impede the way the body replaces normal cells, allowing malignant cells to form. Lead researcher Dr. Kim Barrett is quoted as saying, "These results may explain why obesity increases a person's risk of colonic cancer."

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Partners of Cancer Survivors May Have Even More Emotional Suffering, Study Says

As if cancer weren't difficult enough for the patient, its psychological fallout may be even more devastating for the partner, a new study says.

University of Florida researchers found that partners of cancer survivors can suffer even greater quality of life problems than the victims themselves. The study is being published online April 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a press release from the journal says.

The study centered around cancer patients who had undergone blood and marrow transplant. Researchers examined the psychological effects of this treatment on partners of the cancer patients.

According to the news release, the study found "... while partners of cancer survivors reported better physical health, less fatigue, and less cognitive dysfunction than cancer survivors, they experienced equal levels of mental health impairment. The study further found that while similar numbers of partners and survivors suffered from clinical depression (20 percent vs. 22 percent), depressed partners were less likely than depressed survivors to receive mental health treatment."

The partners also said they received less "social support, spiritual well-being, marital satisfaction, and more loneliness than survivors," the report concluded. "These findings highlight the importance of addressing the needs of family members who care for cancer patients, and who may be suffering in silence," the news release quotes lead researcher Michelle M. Bishop as saying.

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New FDA Web Page Gives Update on Medical Devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's image is so tied to the drug approval process that one of its other duties -- the approval and monitoring of medical devices -- is often forgotten or misunderstood.

In order to let the public know more about how it approves medical devices and monitors clinical trials on their effectiveness, the FDA has announced a new link on its Web site where the public can keep updated.

The site, called Post Approval Studies, is designed specifically to monitor how well medical devices are performing since their approval, the FDA said in a news release.

"Electronic access will give the public an opportunity to see progress being made on a company's post-market commitments," Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the news release.

The idea for the Web site came in 2005 when the FDA issued a series of reports on post-pediatric medical devices. According to the news release, "Each listing includes the company's name, the product's name, the approval number and date, and describes the study and whether it is meeting its reporting deadlines. No information on clinical data is available because the studies may be ongoing and include personal and confidential information."

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High-Deductible Health Plans Increase Women's Costs: Study

Because of the kinds of routine medical exams they require, women face much higher costs than men in high-deductible health insurance plans that are increasingly popular with American employers, says a Harvard Medical School study.

The researchers noted that women need services such as birth control, Pap tests, mammograms, cervical cancer vaccine, and pregnancy-related care, the Associated Press reported.

The study of nearly 33,000 people found that the median expense for men ages 18-45 in high-deductible plans was $463, compared to $1,266 for women. A third of men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, compared to 55 percent of women in the same age group.

The median cost for women ages 45-64 was $2,871, compared with $1,849 for men. The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"High deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," study lead author Dr. Steffie Woolhandler told the AP. "When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it's the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men."

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Dire Forecast in Climate Change Report

Massive floods and avalanches in Asia, along with increased hunger and water shortages in the world's poorest nations are among the major threats facing the Earth unless action is taken to adapt to climate change and stop it from worsening, says a report released Friday by delegates at an international conference.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report also warned that up to 30 percent of species worldwide face an increased risk of extinction if global temperatures increase 3.6 degrees above the average temperatures of the 1980s and 1990s, the Associated Press reported.

The environmental group Greenpeace said the document was "a glimpse into an apocalyptic future."

The final report was released after five days of intense negotiations, in which government delegates from the United States, China and Saudi Arabia often sought to tone down some of the more ominous projections about the impact of climate change, the AP reported.

"The poorest of the poor in the world -- and this includes poor people in prosperous societies -- are going to be the worst hit. People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change," said IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

Health Headlines - April 8

Happy Easter!

Partners of Cancer Survivors May Have Even More Emotional Suffering, Study Says

As if cancer weren't difficult enough for the patient, its psychological fallout may be even more devastating for the partner, a new study says.

University of Florida researchers found that partners of cancer survivors can suffer even greater quality of life problems than the victims themselves. The study is being published online April 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a press release from the journal says.

The study centered around cancer patients who had undergone blood and marrow transplant. Researchers examined the psychological effects of this treatment on partners of the cancer patients.

According to the news release, the study found "... while partners of cancer survivors reported better physical health, less fatigue, and less cognitive dysfunction than cancer survivors, they experienced equal levels of mental health impairment. The study further found that while similar numbers of partners and survivors suffered from clinical depression (20 percent vs. 22 percent), depressed partners were less likely than depressed survivors to receive mental health treatment."

The partners also said they received less "social support, spiritual well-being, marital satisfaction, and more loneliness than survivors," the report concluded. "These findings highlight the importance of addressing the needs of family members who care for cancer patients, and who may be suffering in silence," the news release quotes lead researcher Michelle M. Bishop as saying.

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New FDA Web Page Gives Update on Medical Devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's image is so tied to the drug approval process that one of its other duties -- the approval and monitoring of medical devices -- is often forgotten or misunderstood.

In order to let the public know more about how it approves medical devices and monitors clinical trials on their effectiveness, the FDA has announced a new link on its Web site where the public can keep updated.

The site, called Post Approval Studies, is designed specifically to monitor how well medical devices are performing since their approval, the FDA said in a news release.

"Electronic access will give the public an opportunity to see progress being made on a company's post-market commitments," Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the news release.

The idea for the Web site came in 2005 when the FDA issued a series of reports on post-pediatric medical devices. According to the news release, "Each listing includes the company's name, the product's name, the approval number and date, and describes the study and whether it is meeting its reporting deadlines. No information on clinical data is available because the studies may be ongoing and include personal and confidential information."

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High-Deductible Health Plans Increase Women's Costs: Study

Because of the kinds of routine medical exams they require, women face much higher costs than men in high-deductible health insurance plans that are increasingly popular with American employers, says a Harvard Medical School study.

The researchers noted that women need services such as birth control, Pap tests, mammograms, cervical cancer vaccine, and pregnancy-related care, the Associated Press reported.

The study of nearly 33,000 people found that the median expense for men ages 18-45 in high-deductible plans was $463, compared to $1,266 for women. A third of men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, compared to 55 percent of women in the same age group.

The median cost for women ages 45-64 was $2,871, compared with $1,849 for men. The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"High deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," study lead author Dr. Steffie Woolhandler told the AP. "When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it's the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men."

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Dire Forecast in Climate Change Report

Massive floods and avalanches in Asia, along with increased hunger and water shortages in the world's poorest nations are among the major threats facing the Earth unless action is taken to adapt to climate change and stop it from worsening, says a report released Friday by delegates at an international conference.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report also warned that up to 30 percent of species worldwide face an increased risk of extinction if global temperatures increase 3.6 degrees above the average temperatures of the 1980s and 1990s, the Associated Press reported.

The environmental group Greenpeace said the document was "a glimpse into an apocalyptic future."

The final report was released after five days of intense negotiations, in which government delegates from the United States, China and Saudi Arabia often sought to tone down some of the more ominous projections about the impact of climate change, the AP reported.

"The poorest of the poor in the world -- and this includes poor people in prosperous societies -- are going to be the worst hit. People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change," said IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

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New Epilepsy Drug Shows Promise

A new drug called eslicarbazepine (ESL) shows promise in treating epilepsy patients whose symptoms aren't controlled by existing medications, says a study in the latest issue of the journal Epilepsia.

The study, conducted at 19 sites in five European countries, found that a daily dose of the drug fully eliminated seizures in 24 percent of patients with at least four partial-onset seizures per month who did not respond to other treatments.

There were no gender- or age-related differences noted in the drug's effectiveness. The daily doses tested in the study ranged from 400 milligrams to 1,200 milligrams.

"Our study shows that ESL was safe and well tolerated," study co-author Patricio Soares-da-Silva said in a prepared statement. "We believe that ESL may have the potential to become an important new central nervous system drug not only for the treatment of epilepsy, but also for patients suffering from bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain."

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Betty Ford Recovering From Surgery

Former U.S. first lady Betty Ford, 88, is recovering at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. after she had unspecified surgery earlier this week, the Associated Press reported.

Mrs. Ford, wife of the late president Gerald Ford, was "recovering well," said a statement from the office of the late president. No other information will be released for several days.

After Gerald Ford died on Dec. 26, 2006, Mrs. Ford traveled across the country with her husband's body for services in California, Washington, D.C., and to his final resting place in Michigan.

Mrs. Ford, whose birthday is Sunday, was first lady from 1974 to 1977. She garnered wide respect for her openness about her struggles with breast cancer, arthritis and addictions to drugs and alcohol, the AP reported.

Health Headlines - April 7

High-Deductible Health Plans Increase Women's Costs: Study

Because of the kinds of routine medical exams they require, women face much higher costs than men in high-deductible health insurance plans that are increasingly popular with American employers, says a Harvard Medical School study.

The researchers noted that women need services such as birth control, Pap tests, mammograms, cervical cancer vaccine, and pregnancy-related care, the Associated Press reported.

The study of nearly 33,000 people found that the median expense for men ages 18-45 in high-deductible plans was $463, compared to $1,266 for women. A third of men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, compared to 55 percent of women in the same age group.

The median cost for women ages 45-64 was $2,871, compared with $1,849 for men. The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"High deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," study lead author Dr. Steffie Woolhandler told the AP. "When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it's the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men."

-----

Dire Forecast in Climate Change Report

Massive floods and avalanches in Asia, along with increased hunger and water shortages in the world's poorest nations are among the major threats facing the Earth unless action is taken to adapt to climate change and stop it from worsening, says a report released Friday by delegates at an international conference.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report also warned that up to 30 percent of species worldwide face an increased risk of extinction if global temperatures increase 3.6 degrees above the average temperatures of the 1980s and 1990s, the Associated Press reported.

The environmental group Greenpeace said the document was "a glimpse into an apocalyptic future."

The final report was released after five days of intense negotiations, in which government delegates from the United States, China and Saudi Arabia often sought to tone down some of the more ominous projections about the impact of climate change, the AP reported.

"The poorest of the poor in the world -- and this includes poor people in prosperous societies -- are going to be the worst hit. People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change," said IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

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New Epilepsy Drug Shows Promise

A new drug called eslicarbazepine (ESL) shows promise in treating epilepsy patients whose symptoms aren't controlled by existing medications, says a study in the latest issue of the journal Epilepsia.

The study, conducted at 19 sites in five European countries, found that a daily dose of the drug fully eliminated seizures in 24 percent of patients with at least four partial-onset seizures per month who did not respond to other treatments.

There were no gender- or age-related differences noted in the drug's effectiveness. The daily doses tested in the study ranged from 400 milligrams to 1,200 milligrams.

"Our study shows that ESL was safe and well tolerated," study co-author Patricio Soares-da-Silva said in a prepared statement. "We believe that ESL may have the potential to become an important new central nervous system drug not only for the treatment of epilepsy, but also for patients suffering from bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain."

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Betty Ford Recovering From Surgery

Former U.S. first lady Betty Ford, 88, is recovering at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. after she had unspecified surgery earlier this week, the Associated Press reported.

Mrs. Ford, wife of the late president Gerald Ford, was "recovering well," said a statement from the office of the late president. No other information will be released for several days.

After Gerald Ford died on Dec. 26, 2006, Mrs. Ford traveled across the country with her husband's body for services in California, Washington, D.C., and to his final resting place in Michigan.

Mrs. Ford, whose birthday is Sunday, was first lady from 1974 to 1977. She garnered wide respect for her openness about her struggles with breast cancer, arthritis and addictions to drugs and alcohol, the AP reported.

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Genetic Disease May Have Fueled Hatfield-McCoy Feud

A rare, inherited disease that can cause sudden rage and violence may have helped fuel the famous long-running feud between the Hatfields and McCoys in the hill country of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.

Dozens of McCoy descendents have Von Hippel-Lindau disease, which can cause high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and high levels of adrenaline and other "fight or flight" stress hormones, the Associated Press reported.

While the disease may not be the sole factor for the feud, which lasted for decades and left at least a dozen people dead, it could help explain some of the aggressive behavior exhibited by the McCoy clan, according to doctors.

"This condition can certainly make anybody short-tempered, and if they are prone because of their personality, it can add fuel to the fire," Dr. Revi Mathew, a Vanderbilt endocrinologist treating a McCoy descendent, told the AP.

However, other experts said they're skeptical that the disease played much of a role in the Hatfield-McCoy feud. They noted that there were many feuds between different clans in other places.

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Maker Reveals Source of Peanut Butter Contamination

A leaky roof and faulty sprinkler system at a Georgia plant owned by ConAgra Foods led to last year's outbreak of salmonella bacteria in peanut butter that caused more than 400 people across the United States to become sick, the company said Thursday.

ConAgra said it was now confident of the safety of its Peter Pan peanut butter, which is slated to return to stores in mid-July, the Associated Press reported.

The company said a nearly two-month investigation concluded that moisture from the leaky roof and faulty sprinkler system allowed bacteria-laden moisture to gather at the Sylvester, Ga., plant last summer.

A spokeswoman said although the plant had been cleaned after the roof and sprinkler system were repaired, salmonella remained and wound up contaminating the peanut butter, the AP reported.

In February, ConAgra recalled all supplies of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter made at the Georgia plant. The salmonella outbreak sickened at least 425 people in 44 states, the wire service said.

Health Headlines - April 6

Maker Reveals Source of Peanut Butter Contamination

A leaky roof and faulty sprinkler system at a Georgia plant owned by ConAgra Foods led to last year's outbreak of salmonella bacteria in peanut butter that caused more than 400 people across the United States to become sick, the company said Thursday.

ConAgra said it was now confident of the safety of its Peter Pan peanut butter, which is slated to return to stores in mid-July, the Associated Press reported.

The company said a nearly two-month investigation concluded that moisture from the leaky roof and faulty sprinkler system allowed bacteria-laden moisture to gather at the Sylvester, Ga., plant last summer.

A spokeswoman said although the plant had been cleaned after the roof and sprinkler system were repaired, salmonella remained and wound up contaminating the peanut butter, the AP reported.

In February, ConAgra recalled all supplies of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter made at the Georgia plant. The salmonella outbreak sickened at least 425 people in 44 states, the wire service said.

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Arsenic Found in Herbal Kelp Supplements

People who use herbal kelp supplements are at risk of arsenic poisoning, California researchers concluded from a new study.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, said their research was prompted by the case of a 54-year-old woman who had a two-year history of hair loss, fatigue, and memory loss. School doctors had traced the woman from relatively minor symptoms that got progressively worse as she began to use a variety of herbal therapies, including a kelp supplement.

In a statement, the scientists noted that over a period of several months, the woman's memory problems became so bad that she could no longer remember her home address. Other symptoms included rash, nausea, and vomiting. The woman actually increased her use of the kelp supplements from two to four pills daily as doctors continued to search for a diagnosis.

Subsequent tests revealed arsenic in the woman's blood and urine. When the woman stopped the kelp supplements, her symptoms cleared within weeks, the researchers said.

The study is published in the April issue of the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives.

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Eating and Exercise Habits Vary by Race: Report

Getting enough exercise and eating enough fruits and vegetables -- habits that can shield people from chronic disease -- vary significantly depending on a person's racial/ethnic background, a new U.S. government report found.

Only one in seven American adults who participated in a 2005 survey said they practiced both habits consistently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Among men, those classified as multi-racial or of races that were not Caucasian, African American, Hispanic or Asian were significantly more likely (16.5 percent) to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day and get regular physical exercise than were white men (12.6 percent).

Among women, significantly more whites (17.4 percent) got more regular exercise and ate fruits and vegetables than did black women (12.6 percent) or Hispanic women (14.8 percent), the agency report said.

Respondents were asked questions including, "How often do you drink fruit juices such as orange, grapefruit, or tomato?" and "Not counting juice, how often do you eat fruit?" To measure physical activity, respondents were asked how often they engaged in moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking, bicycling, vacuuming, or gardening for at least 10 minutes at a time in a usual week.

Last month, HealthDay reported the results of two studies, which concluded that despite public campaigns urging Americans to eat a healthier diet, most still aren't eating the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables.

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Japanese Confirm Abnormal Behavior in People Taking Tamiflu

Abnormal behavior occurred in 128 Japanese people who took the flu drug Tamiflu, says a report submitted Wednesday to a national health ministry panel investigating the matter.

The report's authors checked 1,079 potential cases reported since 2001 and confirmed that 128 people, mostly young children and teenagers, behaved abnormally after taking Tamiflu, Agence France Presse reported. Of those 128 people, five teens and three adults died after falling from buildings or exhibiting extreme behavior such as dashing in front of cars.

Japan, the largest importer of Tamiflu, buys 60 percent of the world's supply of the drug, which is made by Switzerland-based Roche. After a previous probe, Japanese officials said taking Tamiflu posed no danger. U.S. officials came to the same conclusion.

But the Japanese government decided to launch a new investigation after a recent wave of deaths among people taking Tamiflu that led officials to issue an emergency order suspending prescriptions of the drug to young people, AFP reported.

Roche denies that Tamiflu causes any dangerous side effects.

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Elizabeth Edwards Says She Let Family and Country Down by Not Getting Mammograms

Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, told an audience in Iowa that she feels she let down her family and the country by not getting mammogram screenings that could have detected her cancer at an early stage.

Mrs. Edwards, who urged women to get mammograms, said that by the time she noticed a lump in her breast in 2004 and had it removed, the lump was nine centimeters in size and the cancer had spread to other areas in her body, the Associated Press reported.

She announced two weeks ago that her breast cancer had returned and spread to her rib bones.

"I do not have to be in this situation. I am responsible for putting myself, this man, my family and, frankly, putting you all at risk, too, because I think you deserve the chance to vote for this man," Mrs. Edwards told about 500 people in Davenport, the AP reported.

"(The cancer) had the chance to migrate because I sat at home doing whatever I thought was important and didn't get mammograms," she said. "It wasn't that I didn't know. There are women in this audience who know perfectly well whether or not they're doing what they need to do and get mammograms. If you are one of the people who knew but aren't doing it, obviously you need a new strategy."

"Women often put themselves at the bottom (of the) list of things to do. When I put my health at the bottom of the list, I was putting (Mr. Edwards) at the bottom of the list, my children at the bottom of the list, the country at the bottom of the list," Mrs. Edwards said.

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Indonesia Confirms Another Human Case of Bird Flu

A second test has confirmed that a 15-year-old Indonesian girl was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, making her the 93rd case in the country, a health ministry official said Thursday. Of the 93 people who've been infected, 72 have died.

The girl, from central Jakarta, had a high fever and was admitted to a hospital in the city on March 30, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. On April 2, the girl was transferred to a designated bird flu hospital in Jakarta.

The health ministry official said the girl had looked after chickens and other birds.

After a few months of calm, Indonesia has recently reported a number of new cases of bird flu infection in humans, Xinhua reported. Five people died of bird flu in Indonesia in March and one died early this month. More people have died of bird flu in Indonesia than in any other country.

Health Headlines - April 5

Foundation Pledges $500 Million to Fight Childhood Obesity

Over the next five years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation plans to spend more than $500 million to reverse the alarming increase in childhood obesity in the United States, making it one of the largest public health efforts ever launched by a private philanthropy.

The foundation will fund a number of initiatives, including: programs to improve access to healthy food and to encourage the development of safe play spaces; obesity research; and efforts to push governments to address the problem, The New York Times reported.

"This is an epidemic that is going to cost the country in terms of morbidity and mortality and economically. The younger generation is going to live sicker and die younger than their parents because of obesity," said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the foundation's president and chief executive.

She noted that many obese children are poor. They have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables and live in neighborhoods where it's not safe to play outside, the Times reported.

"In many cases, the environment makes it almost impossible for them to choose healthy lifestyles. We're going to try to change that," Lavizzo-Mourey said.

In the United States, about one-third (25 million) of all children 17 and younger are obese or overweight, according to Census Bureau data and a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Low-Dose Steroid Helps Prolong Multiple Myeloma Survival: Study

Preliminary results from a large U.S. study of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma found that a low dose of the steroid dexamethasone (brand named Decadron), in combination with lenalidomide (brand name Revlimid), improved survival when compared to a treatment regimen with lenalidomide and a higher, standard dose of dexamethasone.

Researchers reported Wednesday that patients in the study who received low-dose dexamethasone and lenalidomide had a one-year survival of 96 percent, compared to 86 percent for patients treated with the standard-dose of dexamethasone and lenalidomide. Also, there were fewer side effects associated with the low-dose dexamethasone and lenalidomide, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Lenalidomide, a derivative of thalidomide, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 to be used in tandem with dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who had received at least one prior therapy for their disease. Dexamethasone is a steroid that acts as an anti-inflammatory and as an immunosuppressant.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells that are found in blood and bone marrow. In 2007, an estimated 19,900 people in the United States will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and an estimated 10,790 people will die of the disease.

Results of the new study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, will be presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. But the researchers released the findings early because they were so promising.

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Wal-Mart Ensures Access to Birth Control

Wal-Mart has revised its U.S. corporate policy to ensure that customers receive emergency contraception and other forms of birth control without discrimination, delay or judgment, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).

The group said Wal-Mart's assurances, contained in a survey the company returned to PPFA on Wednesday, were in response to PPFA's grassroots advocacy campaign "Fill My Pills Now."

"This is a huge victory for women's health and for Planned Parenthood's campaign for accessible birth control," PPFA President Cecile Richards said in a prepared statement. "We're pleased that Wal-Mart has changed its policy to meet the real-life health-care needs of women and families."

"With its new and improved policy, Wal-Mart joins other women-friendly pharmacy chains like CVS, Eckerd and Medicine Shoppe, RiteAid and Walgreens," Richards said. "Our Planned Parenthood Pill Patrol will continue to focus on getting more major retailers to follow in Wal-Mart's footsteps -- including Target, Giant, Safeway and Winn Dixie, which have a long way to go."

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Joan of Arc's Bone Actually From Egyptian Mummy

A rib bone purported to be from Joan of Arc is actually from an Egyptian mummy, say scientists who used high-tech tests to learn the truth about the fake relic, the Associated Press reported.

The rib bone was dated to between the seventh and third centuries B.C. The scientists also found pine pollen, likely from resin used in Egyptian embalming. In medieval times, powdered mummy remains were used as medicine.

The bone was purported to have been recovered after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, in 1431. In 1909, some scientists declared that it was "highly probable" that the rib bone came from Joan of Arc, who was beatified that same year and canonized as a saint in 1920 by the Roman Catholic Church, the AP reported.

It's possible that the rib bone was touted as coming from Joan of Arc to boost her recognition by the church, suggested research team leader Philippe Charlier. The finding that the bone was a fake was first reported in the journal Nature.

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Test Can Help Verify Organic Foods

A test that could help verify whether food that's labeled organic is authentic has been developed by British researchers.

The test checks for differences in the nitrogen isotope composition of foods. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is widely used in conventional agriculture but forbidden in organic agriculture.

The researchers said their test detected differences in organically and conventionally grown tomatoes, lettuce and carrots. The results appear in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Currently, authentication of organic foods relies on enforcement of production standards through certification and inspection, which involves a paper trail from the farm to the plate, the researchers noted. This new test could be used to provide additional confirmation that products are organic in order to protect consumers and honest growers.

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New Cancer Cases to Double by 2030: Report

Between 2000 and 2030, the number of cancer cases diagnosed worldwide each year will more than double, and most of the increase will occur in developing nations, says the director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

In 2000, the agency estimated 11 million newly diagnosed cancer cases worldwide, seven million cancer deaths, and 25 million people living with cancer. By 2030, the agency estimates there will be 27 million newly diagnosed cancer cases, 17 million cancer deaths, and 75 million people living with cancer, the Associated Press reported.

Population growth, longer life expectancies, and increased prevalence of cancer risk factors such as smoking and alcohol in developing countries are among the reasons for the expected increase in cancer cases, said Dr. Peter Boyle, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

"We've been concentrating on cancer in high-resource countries and until essentially AIDS came along, we haven't looked too closely at what's going on in low-resource countries," Boyle said at a news conference Tuesday.

He said research has shown an increasing shift of cancer to poor countries, the AP reported.

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Depression During Pregnancy May Increase Risk for Early Birth

Women who suffer depression during pregnancy may be more likely to give birth early, says a British study presented at an Institute of Psychiatry meeting.

The small study compared 25 pregnant women with major depression (but not on medication) to a control group of 35 women without depression. On average, the mothers with depression gave birth two days earlier than the mothers without depression. The study also said that three of the mothers with depression had a premature birth (under 37 weeks gestation). None of the mothers in the control group had a premature birth, BBC News reported.

The study also found that the depressed mothers had much higher levels of the stress hormone corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is known to initiate birth. CRH is also naturally secreted by the placenta during pregnancy.

When the researchers checked the women's babies eight weeks after birth, they found that the babies born to mothers who were depressed during pregnancy had elevated levels of another stress hormone called cortisol, BBC News reported.

Experts noted that depression is common during pregnancy and that a possible link between depression during pregnancy and early birth needs to be examined in a larger study.