New Jersey Jury Backs Merck in Vioxx Trial
A New Jersey jury said Thursday that drug maker Merck & Co.'s painkiller Vioxx did not cause the heart attack of 68-year-old Elaine Doherty. The decision may be an important legal victory for Merck, which faces more than 13,000 product liability lawsuits.
This case was the first to consider whether Merck failed to warn patients about potential cardiac risks posed by Vioxx, the Associated Press reported. Previous trials considered whether the company failed to warn doctors about those risks.
The jury of five men and two women concluded that Vioxx did not cause Doherty's heart attack. The decision means that Merck will not have to pay compensatory or punitive damages, the AP reported.
The jurors also said that Merck did not violate New Jersey's fraud law. This means they believed the company's marketing of Vioxx met state standards for honesty and good faith and that Merck did not hide information about the drug's cardiovascular risks.
Malnutrition Causes Mental Harm to Children: Report
The mental harm that malnutrition inflicts on millions of children in poor nations is almost as serious as the physical damage, warns a report released Thursday by the United Nation's World Food Program (WFP).
Children plagued by hunger can suffer irreversible mental stunting, lowered IQs, and a reduced ability to learn, the report said. It's estimated that malnourishment is the reason why the average IQs of 60 affected countries are 10 to 15 points lower than they could be, Agence France Presse reported.
It's believed that more than 300 million children worldwide regularly go to bed hungry. Illnesses related to malnutrition kill about 25,000 people a day, the report found. That's more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
The report noted that learning and hunger are linked. So, even if an undernourished child is able to go to school, they're often not able to concentrate on their lessons, AFP reported.
More emphasis on school feeding programs can help improve both nutrition and education, the UN team said.
"Education and learning is about more than just buildings and books. It's also about feeding the mind so that the mind can in fact take advantage," said Sheila Sisulu, deputy head of the WFP.
Maker Recalls Inflatable Watercraft Linked to Deaths
Due to a number of deaths and serious injuries, Sportsstuff, Inc. of Omaha, Neb. is recalling about 19,000 Wego Kite Tube watercraft, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Thursday.
The company has received two reports of deaths and numerous serious injuries. The CPSC said it knows of 39 injury incidents, including a broken neck, punctured lung, chest and back injuries and facial injuries. Sportsstuff said it hasn't been able to determine the cause of the injuries.
The Wego Kite Tube is a 10-foot-wide, circular, yellow inflatable watercraft designed to be towed behind a power boat. A rider in the tube becomes airborne by pulling on handles attached to the floor of the tube. The tubes, which cost $500 to $600, were sold through marine distributors, mail order catalogues, and other retailers from October 1, 2005 to July 11, 2006.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled watercraft and contact Sportsstuff to find out how to obtain free replacement products. Call the company at 1-866-831-5524 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.
FDA: Avoid 'Natural' Impotence Pills Sold on Internet
So-called "natural" alternatives to impotence drugs such as Viagra, sold over the Internet, illegally contain the same active ingredients as the prescription medicines and should be avoided, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
The list of seven dietary supplements includes Zimaxx, which FDA testing shows contains sildenafil, the same active ingredient in Viagra. Viagra, made by Pfizer Inc., is sold only by prescription in the United States, the Associated Press reported.
Other products cited were Libidus, Neophase, Nasutra, Vigor-25, Actra-Rx and 4Everon. Analyses showed the products contain either chemical ingredients that are similar to sildenafil or a second drug called vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra, another impotence drug sold legally by GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Schering-Plough Corp., the FDA said.
The FDA has sent letters to the six companies warning them that they are marketing illegal drugs based on the claims made for the products or their ingredients.
Mom Has Quadruplets 3 Years After Triplets
A Los Angeles woman who had triplets three years ago gave birth to quadruplets earlier this month in what doctors called a rare occurrence of multiple births.
Angela Magdaleno, 40, gave birth to the quadruplets July 6 by Caesarian section. She said had used fertility treatments to conceive the triplets, but not the quads, the Associated Press reported Thursday. The new additions were two boys and two girls. Mother and children were reported to be healthy and resting at home.
Three years ago, Magdaleno gave birth to the triplets after undergoing in vitro fertilization. She said her husband wanted many children, but after the birth of her quadruplets said she thought she was done having babies.
'Doctor Death' Says He Wouldn't Choose Suicide
Jack Kevorkian, known as "Doctor Death" for his role in assisting at least 130 deaths in the 1990s, said he still believes in assisted suicide but would not choose it for himself.
Kevorkian, who is being held at the Lakeland Correctional Facility near Coldwater in southwestern Michigan, is in failing health. He is eligible for parole in June 2007, but his attorney, Mayer Morganroth, has said he doubts the doctor will live that long, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
"Remember that I did not advocate assisted suicide," Kevorkian, 78, said in a written response to questions from The Detroit News published Thursday. "I only advocated that a person should have the right to have the option if he or she, in sound mind, needed and desired it while in irremedial pain and suffering and terminal."
The former pathologist, imprisoned since April 1999, has promised he would not assist in a suicide if he were released from prison. The Michigan Parole Board has rejected four of Kevorkian's requests for early release, the AP reported.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Health Headlines - July 13
Few Patients Taking Heart Drug Designed for Blacks
It's been 13 months since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved BiDil, a drug specifically designed for blacks with heart failure, but only two percent of eligible patients are taking the drug. The situation is causing controversy and anger among some health care workers.
Only a quarter of U.S. insurance plans cover BiDil and plans that do cover the drug categorize it as a low-priority drug with a high co-payment for patients. In addition, the new Medicare drug plan does not cover BiDil as a high-priority drug, Gannett news reported.
In clinical trials, treatment with BiDil reduced the death rate among black patients with heart failure by 43 percent and cut hospitalizations by one-third.
BiDil is the first race-specific drug marketed in the U.S. It's lack of availability angers Renee Beaman, a registered nurse and executive director of the Beautiful Gate Outreach Center in Wilmington, Del.
"I question the overall value people have of African-Americans, and this is a perfect example. You know people are dying every day because they don't have it and communities don't know about it," she told Gannett.
Dr. Theodore Addai, who took part in clinical trials of BiDil, noted that the drug is a combination of two older, cheaper drugs. Some of his colleagues are prescribing those drugs instead of BiDil, Addai said.
Experimental Drug Doesn't Halt Human 'Mad Cow'
A U.K. study says the experimental drug pentosan polysulphate (PPS) does not appear to stop the progression of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow disease.
Researchers with the Medical Research Council monitored the drug's effect on seven people with vCJD or other degenerative prion diseases.
"Loss of brain function continues after treatment has started and, where measured by imaging, loss of brain tissue also continued," noted lead researcher Professor Ian Bone, a consultant neurologist at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
He and his colleagues did find that PPS, which must be surgically administered directly into the ventricles of a patient's brain, appeared to help some of the patients live longer than expected, BBC News reported.
The researchers said there was little evidence of side effects from PPS, but noted that there are risks associated with the surgery required to deliver the drug into the brain.
Despite their findings that the drug did not halt disease progression, the researchers recommended that further large-scale tests of PPS should be conducted on animals in order to better understand how the drug penetrates and spreads through an infected brain, BBC News reported.
Morning Sickness May Guard Against Unhealthy Eating: Study
Morning sickness may be an evolutionary adaptation designed to make sure that pregnant women don't digest too much unhealthy food or other substances, according to a study by researchers at the University of Liverpool in the U.K.
The researchers analyzed data from 56 previous studies in 21 countries and found evidence that nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is associated with high consumption of alcohol, sugar, oils and meat, BBC News reported.
Cereals were least likely to cause nausea and vomiting, the study said. The findings appear in the Royal Society's Biological Journal.
Until recently, it's been believed that morning sickness is caused by hormonal changes during early pregnancy. However, recent research has suggested that morning sickness may offer certain benefits, such as a reduced risk of miscarriage, BBC News reported.
The authors of this study said evolution may have programmed pregnant women's bodies to be averse to foods with high levels of toxins or other unhealthy substances. For example, pregnant women may reject meat because, until recently, there was a high risk that it may contain disease-causing agents.
"I can understand why Mother Nature might do this. Morning sickness is always worse in the first three months, which is when the most important part of a fetus's development is happening," Dr. Maggie Blott, a consultant obstetrician at London's King's College Hospital, told BBC News.
U.S. Senate Moves Closer to Allowing Canada Drug Imports
The U.S. Senate moved closer Tuesday to allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
In a 68-32 vote, senators OK'd a proposal that would create a loophole in the Food and Drug Administration's ban on importing drugs into the United States. The plan was part of a $31.7 billion spending bill for the Homeland Security Department, whose fiscal year begins Oct. 1, the Associated Press reported.
While importing drugs into the United States is illegal, the FDA has generally not stopped small amounts for personal use. Howver, customs and border agents have been aggressively cracking down on larger shipments. Senate aides told the AP Tuesday, however, that the provision was likely to be removed when the legislation moves to a conference committee of the House and the Senate to finalize the bill.
Opposition to the legislation comes from lawmakers in both parties who say that imported drugs might not only be unsafe for consumers but also pose a terrorism risk. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire told the AP, If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, Hey, listen, all Ive got to do is produce a can here that says Lipitor on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isnt too hard to do, fill it with anthrax.
Dioxin Risk Studies Called into Question
The methodology used to calculate just how dangerous dioxin is to humans and the environment was called into question Tuesday in a report by the U.S. National Academies of Science.
Dioxin, a byproduct of certain industries and especially those using chlorine, has been studied for 15 years by several federal agencies to assess its cancer risk. A 2003 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration called dioxin a dangerous carcinogen, but when the agency had outside experts review the report, questions were raised about the methodology used to calculate the extent of the danger, USA Today reported.
Dioxin is "likely to be carcinogenic in humans," but there aren't enough data about dioxin in humans to assess the true risk, according to Thomas McKone, a member of the panel and senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. The EPA has had to rely on animal studies where test animals were exposed to extremely high doses of dioxin, but the doses humans got were up to a thousand times less, McKone told the newspaper.
Environmental groups charged that the report is merely an attempt to stall release of a final EPA risk assessment on dioxin. The EPA estimates that dioxin emissions in the environment have been reduced by 92 percent since 1987 through regulations and industry efforts, USA Today said.
It's been 13 months since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved BiDil, a drug specifically designed for blacks with heart failure, but only two percent of eligible patients are taking the drug. The situation is causing controversy and anger among some health care workers.
Only a quarter of U.S. insurance plans cover BiDil and plans that do cover the drug categorize it as a low-priority drug with a high co-payment for patients. In addition, the new Medicare drug plan does not cover BiDil as a high-priority drug, Gannett news reported.
In clinical trials, treatment with BiDil reduced the death rate among black patients with heart failure by 43 percent and cut hospitalizations by one-third.
BiDil is the first race-specific drug marketed in the U.S. It's lack of availability angers Renee Beaman, a registered nurse and executive director of the Beautiful Gate Outreach Center in Wilmington, Del.
"I question the overall value people have of African-Americans, and this is a perfect example. You know people are dying every day because they don't have it and communities don't know about it," she told Gannett.
Dr. Theodore Addai, who took part in clinical trials of BiDil, noted that the drug is a combination of two older, cheaper drugs. Some of his colleagues are prescribing those drugs instead of BiDil, Addai said.
Experimental Drug Doesn't Halt Human 'Mad Cow'
A U.K. study says the experimental drug pentosan polysulphate (PPS) does not appear to stop the progression of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow disease.
Researchers with the Medical Research Council monitored the drug's effect on seven people with vCJD or other degenerative prion diseases.
"Loss of brain function continues after treatment has started and, where measured by imaging, loss of brain tissue also continued," noted lead researcher Professor Ian Bone, a consultant neurologist at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
He and his colleagues did find that PPS, which must be surgically administered directly into the ventricles of a patient's brain, appeared to help some of the patients live longer than expected, BBC News reported.
The researchers said there was little evidence of side effects from PPS, but noted that there are risks associated with the surgery required to deliver the drug into the brain.
Despite their findings that the drug did not halt disease progression, the researchers recommended that further large-scale tests of PPS should be conducted on animals in order to better understand how the drug penetrates and spreads through an infected brain, BBC News reported.
Morning Sickness May Guard Against Unhealthy Eating: Study
Morning sickness may be an evolutionary adaptation designed to make sure that pregnant women don't digest too much unhealthy food or other substances, according to a study by researchers at the University of Liverpool in the U.K.
The researchers analyzed data from 56 previous studies in 21 countries and found evidence that nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is associated with high consumption of alcohol, sugar, oils and meat, BBC News reported.
Cereals were least likely to cause nausea and vomiting, the study said. The findings appear in the Royal Society's Biological Journal.
Until recently, it's been believed that morning sickness is caused by hormonal changes during early pregnancy. However, recent research has suggested that morning sickness may offer certain benefits, such as a reduced risk of miscarriage, BBC News reported.
The authors of this study said evolution may have programmed pregnant women's bodies to be averse to foods with high levels of toxins or other unhealthy substances. For example, pregnant women may reject meat because, until recently, there was a high risk that it may contain disease-causing agents.
"I can understand why Mother Nature might do this. Morning sickness is always worse in the first three months, which is when the most important part of a fetus's development is happening," Dr. Maggie Blott, a consultant obstetrician at London's King's College Hospital, told BBC News.
U.S. Senate Moves Closer to Allowing Canada Drug Imports
The U.S. Senate moved closer Tuesday to allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
In a 68-32 vote, senators OK'd a proposal that would create a loophole in the Food and Drug Administration's ban on importing drugs into the United States. The plan was part of a $31.7 billion spending bill for the Homeland Security Department, whose fiscal year begins Oct. 1, the Associated Press reported.
While importing drugs into the United States is illegal, the FDA has generally not stopped small amounts for personal use. Howver, customs and border agents have been aggressively cracking down on larger shipments. Senate aides told the AP Tuesday, however, that the provision was likely to be removed when the legislation moves to a conference committee of the House and the Senate to finalize the bill.
Opposition to the legislation comes from lawmakers in both parties who say that imported drugs might not only be unsafe for consumers but also pose a terrorism risk. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire told the AP, If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, Hey, listen, all Ive got to do is produce a can here that says Lipitor on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isnt too hard to do, fill it with anthrax.
Dioxin Risk Studies Called into Question
The methodology used to calculate just how dangerous dioxin is to humans and the environment was called into question Tuesday in a report by the U.S. National Academies of Science.
Dioxin, a byproduct of certain industries and especially those using chlorine, has been studied for 15 years by several federal agencies to assess its cancer risk. A 2003 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration called dioxin a dangerous carcinogen, but when the agency had outside experts review the report, questions were raised about the methodology used to calculate the extent of the danger, USA Today reported.
Dioxin is "likely to be carcinogenic in humans," but there aren't enough data about dioxin in humans to assess the true risk, according to Thomas McKone, a member of the panel and senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. The EPA has had to rely on animal studies where test animals were exposed to extremely high doses of dioxin, but the doses humans got were up to a thousand times less, McKone told the newspaper.
Environmental groups charged that the report is merely an attempt to stall release of a final EPA risk assessment on dioxin. The EPA estimates that dioxin emissions in the environment have been reduced by 92 percent since 1987 through regulations and industry efforts, USA Today said.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Health Headlines - July 12
World's First Test Tube Baby is Pregnant
The world's first test tube baby -- who was born in Great Britain on July 25, 1978 -- is due to deliver her first baby in January.
Louise Joy Brown, who got pregnant the old-fashioned way, has been married for two years to Wesley Mullinder. The couple live outside of Bristol, the Toronto Star reported.
"This is a dream come true for us," Brown told The Daily Mail.
Louise was conceived after her mother Lesley, who had blocked fallopian tubes, underwent experimental in-vitro fertilization (IFV) on Nov. 10, 1977. Louise's birth in 1978 marked the start of a new medical era that offered hope to millions of couples who could not conceive children naturally.
Since then, about three million test tube babies have been born worldwide.
Male Circumcision Could Reduce HIV Infection Rates in Africa
Widespread male circumcision could slash the number of HIV infections and deaths in Africa by millions, says a study in the journal PLoS Medicine.
A team of international researchers collected data on HIV infection rates and the prevalence of male circumcision. They then used mathematical modeling to determine what would happen if, over the next 10 years, all men in sub-Saharan Africa were circumcised, BBC News reported.
The researchers concluded that, over the following 20 years, there would be about six million fewer HIV infections and three million fewer AIDS deaths. Men would experience the greatest reduction in HIV infection.
"The big message from the paper is that there is tremendous potential for male circumcision to have an effect on the HIV epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa," said study co-author Catherine Hankins, chief scientific advisor to the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
However, further research is required, including whether and how to promote male circumcision in order to prevent HIV infection, BBC News reported.
Wal-Mart Recalls Office Chairs
Wal-Mart is recalling about 762,000 office chairs that pose a fall hazard to consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Tuesday.
The legs and backs of the Mainstays Associate Office Chairs can break, and the chairs can easily tip over. So far, Wal-Mart has received nine reports of chairs breaking and two reports of tipping. There have been seven reported injuries, including a broken wrist, the CPSC said.
The chairs, made in China, have a UPC Code Label #9501401610, which is located under the seat. The chair model is #VCR1022. The chairs were sold at Wal-Mart stores from April 2003 through April 2006 for about $36.
Consumers with the chairs should immediately stop using them and return them to Wal-Mart for a full refund. For more information, contact Wal-Mart at 1-800-925-6278 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
Experts Say Tobacco Will Kill 1 Billion This Century
Tobacco will be the biggest killer of this century, taking a billion people worldwide -- 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century -- if current trends continue, public health officials said Monday.
"In all of world history, this is the largest train wreck not waiting to happen," John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said at an International Union Against Cancer conference in Washington, D.C., the Associated Press reported.
Two new reference guides, the newly revised Tobacco Atlas and the new Cancer Atlas, show that tobacco is responsible for one in five cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths a year. Adding in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases related to tobacco use brings the yearly global death toll to nearly 5 million. That number is expected to increase as population rises, the experts said.
The guides project that 1.25 billion people smoke cigarettes and that more than half will die from the habit. Reducing tobacco use would have the single largest effect on worldwide cancer rates, health officials said.
Tests Find Higher Levels of Mercury in Tuna Imports
Lab tests by a company that has been used by the U.S. government show that imported canned tuna often has mercury levels higher than the federal limit.
Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group, found the highest mercury levels in tuna from Ecuador and Mexico -- countries known for setting nets where they see dolphins to catch large tuna swimming below. That practice results in the capture of larger, more mature fish, which have higher mercury levels, the Associated Press reported Monday.
The group tested 164 cans of tuna from Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States. Tests were done by New Age/Landmark laboratory, of Benton Harbor, Mich., AP said. Analysis of the samples found that the average mercury content of U.S. tuna was generally lower than imported tuna and that tuna from Asia had the lowest average levels of mercury. Latin American tuna had the highest mercury levels.
The lab also found high levels of mercury in light tuna, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers to be low in mercury. The FDA says it's safe to eat two meals a week of fish and shellfish low in mercury, such as canned light tuna, shrimp, salmon, pollock and catfish. The agency urges people to limit albacore, or "white," tuna to one meal per week because it contains higher levels of mercury, AP reported.
Researchers Grow Sperm From Stem Cells
Women may one day concieve babies on their own, after British researchers turned stem cells from an embryo into sperm capable of producing offspring.
A Newcastle University team led by Professor Karim Nayernia used embryo cells to produce seven baby mice -- six of which lived to adulthood. The animals were either too small or too large, and they died prematurely, however.
Nayernia said that the advance could help men with certain types of infertility to become fertile or to remain fertile for longer. It might even one day enable a lesbian couple to have children that, at the genetic level, are truly their own, London's Daily Telegraph reported Monday.
In the long term, Nayernia said, cloning methods could be used to turn a skin cell from a man into sperm and it might even be possible to do the same using a cell from a woman. The findings were published in the current issue of the journal Developmental Cell.
The world's first test tube baby -- who was born in Great Britain on July 25, 1978 -- is due to deliver her first baby in January.
Louise Joy Brown, who got pregnant the old-fashioned way, has been married for two years to Wesley Mullinder. The couple live outside of Bristol, the Toronto Star reported.
"This is a dream come true for us," Brown told The Daily Mail.
Louise was conceived after her mother Lesley, who had blocked fallopian tubes, underwent experimental in-vitro fertilization (IFV) on Nov. 10, 1977. Louise's birth in 1978 marked the start of a new medical era that offered hope to millions of couples who could not conceive children naturally.
Since then, about three million test tube babies have been born worldwide.
Male Circumcision Could Reduce HIV Infection Rates in Africa
Widespread male circumcision could slash the number of HIV infections and deaths in Africa by millions, says a study in the journal PLoS Medicine.
A team of international researchers collected data on HIV infection rates and the prevalence of male circumcision. They then used mathematical modeling to determine what would happen if, over the next 10 years, all men in sub-Saharan Africa were circumcised, BBC News reported.
The researchers concluded that, over the following 20 years, there would be about six million fewer HIV infections and three million fewer AIDS deaths. Men would experience the greatest reduction in HIV infection.
"The big message from the paper is that there is tremendous potential for male circumcision to have an effect on the HIV epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa," said study co-author Catherine Hankins, chief scientific advisor to the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
However, further research is required, including whether and how to promote male circumcision in order to prevent HIV infection, BBC News reported.
Wal-Mart Recalls Office Chairs
Wal-Mart is recalling about 762,000 office chairs that pose a fall hazard to consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Tuesday.
The legs and backs of the Mainstays Associate Office Chairs can break, and the chairs can easily tip over. So far, Wal-Mart has received nine reports of chairs breaking and two reports of tipping. There have been seven reported injuries, including a broken wrist, the CPSC said.
The chairs, made in China, have a UPC Code Label #9501401610, which is located under the seat. The chair model is #VCR1022. The chairs were sold at Wal-Mart stores from April 2003 through April 2006 for about $36.
Consumers with the chairs should immediately stop using them and return them to Wal-Mart for a full refund. For more information, contact Wal-Mart at 1-800-925-6278 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
Experts Say Tobacco Will Kill 1 Billion This Century
Tobacco will be the biggest killer of this century, taking a billion people worldwide -- 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century -- if current trends continue, public health officials said Monday.
"In all of world history, this is the largest train wreck not waiting to happen," John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said at an International Union Against Cancer conference in Washington, D.C., the Associated Press reported.
Two new reference guides, the newly revised Tobacco Atlas and the new Cancer Atlas, show that tobacco is responsible for one in five cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths a year. Adding in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases related to tobacco use brings the yearly global death toll to nearly 5 million. That number is expected to increase as population rises, the experts said.
The guides project that 1.25 billion people smoke cigarettes and that more than half will die from the habit. Reducing tobacco use would have the single largest effect on worldwide cancer rates, health officials said.
Tests Find Higher Levels of Mercury in Tuna Imports
Lab tests by a company that has been used by the U.S. government show that imported canned tuna often has mercury levels higher than the federal limit.
Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group, found the highest mercury levels in tuna from Ecuador and Mexico -- countries known for setting nets where they see dolphins to catch large tuna swimming below. That practice results in the capture of larger, more mature fish, which have higher mercury levels, the Associated Press reported Monday.
The group tested 164 cans of tuna from Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States. Tests were done by New Age/Landmark laboratory, of Benton Harbor, Mich., AP said. Analysis of the samples found that the average mercury content of U.S. tuna was generally lower than imported tuna and that tuna from Asia had the lowest average levels of mercury. Latin American tuna had the highest mercury levels.
The lab also found high levels of mercury in light tuna, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers to be low in mercury. The FDA says it's safe to eat two meals a week of fish and shellfish low in mercury, such as canned light tuna, shrimp, salmon, pollock and catfish. The agency urges people to limit albacore, or "white," tuna to one meal per week because it contains higher levels of mercury, AP reported.
Researchers Grow Sperm From Stem Cells
Women may one day concieve babies on their own, after British researchers turned stem cells from an embryo into sperm capable of producing offspring.
A Newcastle University team led by Professor Karim Nayernia used embryo cells to produce seven baby mice -- six of which lived to adulthood. The animals were either too small or too large, and they died prematurely, however.
Nayernia said that the advance could help men with certain types of infertility to become fertile or to remain fertile for longer. It might even one day enable a lesbian couple to have children that, at the genetic level, are truly their own, London's Daily Telegraph reported Monday.
In the long term, Nayernia said, cloning methods could be used to turn a skin cell from a man into sperm and it might even be possible to do the same using a cell from a woman. The findings were published in the current issue of the journal Developmental Cell.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Health Headlines - July 11
Medicare Drug Plan Insurers Don't Offer Accurate Information: GAO Report
Telephone call centers operated by insurers offering prescription drug coverage through the new Medicare drug plan provided complete and accurate answers only a third of the time, says a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Monday.
GAO investigators made 900 calls to 10 of the largest drug plan insurers and found that overall accuracy and completeness rate ranged from 20 percent to 60 percent, the Associated Press reported.
Only one insurer's call center provided proper, full answers more than 50 percent of the time.
There are 43 million people eligible for Medicare drug coverage and many of them rely on insurers' call centers for information about what plan best suits them, the AP reported.
The GAO investigators did find that most of their calls were answered with minimal delay and that the majority of operators were courteous and many offered helpful suggestions. However, operators were unable to answer 15 percent of the questions asked by the GAO investigators and operators at the same call centers sometimes provided inconsistent answers.
The results show that Medicare beneficiaries face challenges in obtaining the information they require in order to make informed choices, the GAO report noted. Officials with the agency that oversee the drug program said the GAO report was based on "inaccurate, incomplete and subjective methods," the AP reported.
Company Seeks Approval to Test Needle-Free Bird Flu Vaccine
A British company called PowderMed has applied for approval to conduct the first trial in Britain of a needle-free bird flu vaccine.
The Oxford-based company has asked for permission to test its H5N1 vaccine on 75 volunteers at a hospital in London, The Times of London, reported.
The vaccine would be administered using a needle-free system. Helium is used to propel particles coated in the section of DNA needed to make haemagglutinin protein (the H5 in H5N1) into the skin. This trial is designed to determine the correct dose to produce an immune response to protect against H5N1.
The company would be able to create a new vaccine in about 10 weeks, which is much quicker than traditional vaccines developed in chicken eggs, said John Beadle, PowderMed's chief medical officer, told The Times.
This new H5 vaccine could be licensed within the next two years, he said.
Class I Recall for External Defibrillators
An alert to emergency services personnel and risk managers about a Class I recall of Welch Allyn PIC 50 Automated External Defibrillators - catalog #97108X- was announced Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The devices, manufactured from March 2002 through October 2004, have an electrical contact problem that may result in failure to provide a defibrillation shock. This could result in delay or failure to resuscitate a patient, the FDA said.
The device's failure to provide a defibrillation shock may be accompanied by various error messages on the display panel, such as the "Defib Comm" error message.
A Class I recall is the most serious type of recall and involves situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the recalled product will cause serious injury or death.
People with questions about the recall can contact the company at (800) 462-0777 or (847) 520-0300.
U.S. to Omit Doctors' Names From Implanted Defibrillator Data
U.S. health officials were expected to publicly release data Monday showing that about 4 percent of patients who underwent heart-defibrillator implants had at least one complication during a 16-month period following the procedure.
But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also decided for legal and policy reasons, including concerns about violating patient confidentiality, to omit data identifying the doctors involved. The agency released the data Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed last year by the New York Times.
In a story published Monday, the newspaper analyzed the statistics and found that about 4 percent of the 45,000 patients who underwent implants reported at least one complication to the agency over a 16-month period ending in April. The two most frequently reported complications were blood clots and displacement of a cable that connects the defibrillator to the heart. The implantable devices interrupt potentially fatal types of heart rhythms.
The complication rate, the Times reported, falls within the general boundaries of previous studies. But those same studies also indicated that complication rates can vary widely among doctors and hospitals based on factors such as the number of implants a doctor performs.
Currently, only New York and a few other states publicly release data comparing complication rates at hospitals in heart procedures involving surgery, the Times said.
Damaged Gene Doubles Breast Cancer Risk: Study
A damaged gene carried by about two percent of families more than doubles the risk for breast cancer by age 70, British scientists said Monday.
Researchers screened 433 patients with a family history of cancer and a control group of 521 healthy women.
A team at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, England, found a correlation between the damaged gene and increased breast cancer risk. The findings could lead to new genetic tests to determine which women are more susceptible to cancer, or which drugs can help certain patients, Bloomberg News reported.
Called ATM, the gene is responsible for repairing DNA in cells. The researchers found that women with a faulty copy of the gene cannot repair damaged DNA correctly, causing the cells to replicate uncontrollably and become malignant.
The findings are published in Monday's issue of Nature Genetics.
Labeling of Antidepressant Used by Yates Criticized
The maker of the antidepressant used by Texas homemaker Andrea Yates before she drowned her five children in 2001 changed the drug's label last year to warn of homicidal thoughts as a rare side effect but failed to notify anyone, the Associated Press reported Monday.
Gwen Fisher, a spokeswoman for Wyeth, said that while Effexor was being studied to treat panic disorder, the company only found one person who reported having homicidal thoughts during its clinical trial. "Homicidal ideation" was added last year as one of the drug's rare side effects, but the company never notified doctors or issued warning labels because it found no clear link between the drug and homicidal thoughts.
"We believe there is no causal link between Effexor and homicidality," Fisher said.
But Dr. Moira Dolan, executive Medical Accountability Network, a watchdog group, criticized Wyeth for not widely publicizing the warning, saying "homicidal ideation" was buried on page 36 of Effexor XR's label. Dolan said she only learned of the label change two weeks ago after stumbling across the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch November newsletter.
The FDA defines "rare" as occurring in less than one in 1,000 people. About 19.2 million prescriptions for Effexor were filled last year in the United States.
Telephone call centers operated by insurers offering prescription drug coverage through the new Medicare drug plan provided complete and accurate answers only a third of the time, says a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Monday.
GAO investigators made 900 calls to 10 of the largest drug plan insurers and found that overall accuracy and completeness rate ranged from 20 percent to 60 percent, the Associated Press reported.
Only one insurer's call center provided proper, full answers more than 50 percent of the time.
There are 43 million people eligible for Medicare drug coverage and many of them rely on insurers' call centers for information about what plan best suits them, the AP reported.
The GAO investigators did find that most of their calls were answered with minimal delay and that the majority of operators were courteous and many offered helpful suggestions. However, operators were unable to answer 15 percent of the questions asked by the GAO investigators and operators at the same call centers sometimes provided inconsistent answers.
The results show that Medicare beneficiaries face challenges in obtaining the information they require in order to make informed choices, the GAO report noted. Officials with the agency that oversee the drug program said the GAO report was based on "inaccurate, incomplete and subjective methods," the AP reported.
Company Seeks Approval to Test Needle-Free Bird Flu Vaccine
A British company called PowderMed has applied for approval to conduct the first trial in Britain of a needle-free bird flu vaccine.
The Oxford-based company has asked for permission to test its H5N1 vaccine on 75 volunteers at a hospital in London, The Times of London, reported.
The vaccine would be administered using a needle-free system. Helium is used to propel particles coated in the section of DNA needed to make haemagglutinin protein (the H5 in H5N1) into the skin. This trial is designed to determine the correct dose to produce an immune response to protect against H5N1.
The company would be able to create a new vaccine in about 10 weeks, which is much quicker than traditional vaccines developed in chicken eggs, said John Beadle, PowderMed's chief medical officer, told The Times.
This new H5 vaccine could be licensed within the next two years, he said.
Class I Recall for External Defibrillators
An alert to emergency services personnel and risk managers about a Class I recall of Welch Allyn PIC 50 Automated External Defibrillators - catalog #97108X- was announced Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The devices, manufactured from March 2002 through October 2004, have an electrical contact problem that may result in failure to provide a defibrillation shock. This could result in delay or failure to resuscitate a patient, the FDA said.
The device's failure to provide a defibrillation shock may be accompanied by various error messages on the display panel, such as the "Defib Comm" error message.
A Class I recall is the most serious type of recall and involves situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the recalled product will cause serious injury or death.
People with questions about the recall can contact the company at (800) 462-0777 or (847) 520-0300.
U.S. to Omit Doctors' Names From Implanted Defibrillator Data
U.S. health officials were expected to publicly release data Monday showing that about 4 percent of patients who underwent heart-defibrillator implants had at least one complication during a 16-month period following the procedure.
But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also decided for legal and policy reasons, including concerns about violating patient confidentiality, to omit data identifying the doctors involved. The agency released the data Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed last year by the New York Times.
In a story published Monday, the newspaper analyzed the statistics and found that about 4 percent of the 45,000 patients who underwent implants reported at least one complication to the agency over a 16-month period ending in April. The two most frequently reported complications were blood clots and displacement of a cable that connects the defibrillator to the heart. The implantable devices interrupt potentially fatal types of heart rhythms.
The complication rate, the Times reported, falls within the general boundaries of previous studies. But those same studies also indicated that complication rates can vary widely among doctors and hospitals based on factors such as the number of implants a doctor performs.
Currently, only New York and a few other states publicly release data comparing complication rates at hospitals in heart procedures involving surgery, the Times said.
Damaged Gene Doubles Breast Cancer Risk: Study
A damaged gene carried by about two percent of families more than doubles the risk for breast cancer by age 70, British scientists said Monday.
Researchers screened 433 patients with a family history of cancer and a control group of 521 healthy women.
A team at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, England, found a correlation between the damaged gene and increased breast cancer risk. The findings could lead to new genetic tests to determine which women are more susceptible to cancer, or which drugs can help certain patients, Bloomberg News reported.
Called ATM, the gene is responsible for repairing DNA in cells. The researchers found that women with a faulty copy of the gene cannot repair damaged DNA correctly, causing the cells to replicate uncontrollably and become malignant.
The findings are published in Monday's issue of Nature Genetics.
Labeling of Antidepressant Used by Yates Criticized
The maker of the antidepressant used by Texas homemaker Andrea Yates before she drowned her five children in 2001 changed the drug's label last year to warn of homicidal thoughts as a rare side effect but failed to notify anyone, the Associated Press reported Monday.
Gwen Fisher, a spokeswoman for Wyeth, said that while Effexor was being studied to treat panic disorder, the company only found one person who reported having homicidal thoughts during its clinical trial. "Homicidal ideation" was added last year as one of the drug's rare side effects, but the company never notified doctors or issued warning labels because it found no clear link between the drug and homicidal thoughts.
"We believe there is no causal link between Effexor and homicidality," Fisher said.
But Dr. Moira Dolan, executive Medical Accountability Network, a watchdog group, criticized Wyeth for not widely publicizing the warning, saying "homicidal ideation" was buried on page 36 of Effexor XR's label. Dolan said she only learned of the label change two weeks ago after stumbling across the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch November newsletter.
The FDA defines "rare" as occurring in less than one in 1,000 people. About 19.2 million prescriptions for Effexor were filled last year in the United States.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Health Headlines - July 10
Extra Radiation Dose May Arrest Early Stage Breast Cancer
Women with a specific type of breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may benefit from additional radiation therapy after surgery, new research suggests.
The BBC reports that a study published in the latest issue of Lancet Oncology on 373 women below the age of 45 who had early stage DCIS-- a non-invasive breast cancer -- showed that those who took an extra boost of radiotherapy after surgery had the lowest risk in their cancer recurring.
The researchers concluded that a much larger study is needed to confirm the findings. Radiotherapy boosts are often given to women with invasive breast cancer, but had not been used with any consistency on those with DCIS.
About 25 percent of all diagnosed breast cancer cases in the United States are DCIS.
'Videophilia' May Be Causing Decline in National Park Visits
Everyone is aware that more than ever, America is a leader in creating a high-tech environment. Everything from cell phones to i-pods have become part of daily life.
But one of the drawbacks of so much technological advancement may be that Americans would rather see a digital video of Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park than go there themselves.
The Washington Post reports that a survey in this month's edition of the Journal of Environmental Management indicates that visits to U.S. national parks declined steadily at a 25 percent rate between 1987 and 2005. The research was conducted by Oliver R.W. Pergams, a biology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Patricia A. Zaradic, a research associate at Stroud Water Research Center. They determined the culprit was high tech video games, Internet activity and movies being viewed at home.
In fact, the Post reports, Pergams and Zaradic found that Americans spent 327 more hours in 2003 on high tech activity than in 1987. They dubbed this passionate pursuit "videophilia."
"If people are less interested in nature, they're going to become less interested in conservation," the newspaper quotes Pergams as saying. "That's my concern and worry."
Pain Patch Lawsuit Verdict Goes to Plaintiff
Score one defeat and one victory for major pharmaceutical companies within the past few days.
The defeat came for Johnson & Johnson, when a Texas jury ruled July 7 that the company had to pay $772,500 in actual damages to the family of a woman who died because of leakage in a pain relief patch.
The Associated Press reports that a Houston jury found that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the death of Michaelynn Thompson, who had used two patches called Duragesic to manage pain she had suffered after an automobile accident.
The jury didn't award any punitive damages, the wire service reported, and Johnson & Johnson maintains the Duragesic patches are safe. According to the A.P., the company is examining its legal options for an appeal. For the past year The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating a reported 120 deaths tied to pain patches made by Johnson & Johnson and Mylan Laboratories.
Meanwhile, international pharmaceutical giant Roche has been given clearance to continue clinical trials in the United States of an anemia drug known as Cera, or peg-EPO.
The Ventura County Star reports that a challenge by the biotech company Amgen to keep Cera testing out of the United States was denied by an administrative law judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Amgen makes drugs similar to Cera and is currently suing Roche for patent infringement. An Amgen spokesman told the newspaper that the administrative judges ruling would have no impact on the patent lawsuit.
Stopping Pain Meds May Increase Older Farmers' Accident Risk
An unusual relationship may exist between discontinuing pain medications and an increase in accidents among older farmers.
A study from Alberta Canada reveals that farmers over the age of 66 had a higher risk of having an accident after they stopped taking pain or anti-inflammatory drugs.
The research, conducted in part by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, revealed some heretofore "unknown relationships" between discontinuing anti-pain medication and the risk of accidents. For example, they said, when farmers stopped taking medications within the 30 days prior to the date they were injured, there was a higher risk of injuries related to farm work. Injuries included falls, being struck by an object, or wounds inflicted while working with farm machinery or livestock, the researchers said.
More than 8,000 male farmers over age 66 were part of the study. A significant number 282 had farm-related injuries relating to the use of pain medication.
Why is this happening? Three possible reasons, speculated Dr. Don Voaklander, one of the study's authors in a news release, are that "Pain, unmasked when they stop using medication, distracts the farmer when he's doing his work. A second possibility involves limitations on mobility for farmers who are in pain or who are guarding their movements as a result of pain." And the third reason, Voaklander says, is that there may be withdrawal symptoms.
Spain Records 1st Case of Bird Flu
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Women with a specific type of breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may benefit from additional radiation therapy after surgery, new research suggests.
The BBC reports that a study published in the latest issue of Lancet Oncology on 373 women below the age of 45 who had early stage DCIS-- a non-invasive breast cancer -- showed that those who took an extra boost of radiotherapy after surgery had the lowest risk in their cancer recurring.
The researchers concluded that a much larger study is needed to confirm the findings. Radiotherapy boosts are often given to women with invasive breast cancer, but had not been used with any consistency on those with DCIS.
About 25 percent of all diagnosed breast cancer cases in the United States are DCIS.
'Videophilia' May Be Causing Decline in National Park Visits
Everyone is aware that more than ever, America is a leader in creating a high-tech environment. Everything from cell phones to i-pods have become part of daily life.
But one of the drawbacks of so much technological advancement may be that Americans would rather see a digital video of Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park than go there themselves.
The Washington Post reports that a survey in this month's edition of the Journal of Environmental Management indicates that visits to U.S. national parks declined steadily at a 25 percent rate between 1987 and 2005. The research was conducted by Oliver R.W. Pergams, a biology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Patricia A. Zaradic, a research associate at Stroud Water Research Center. They determined the culprit was high tech video games, Internet activity and movies being viewed at home.
In fact, the Post reports, Pergams and Zaradic found that Americans spent 327 more hours in 2003 on high tech activity than in 1987. They dubbed this passionate pursuit "videophilia."
"If people are less interested in nature, they're going to become less interested in conservation," the newspaper quotes Pergams as saying. "That's my concern and worry."
Pain Patch Lawsuit Verdict Goes to Plaintiff
Score one defeat and one victory for major pharmaceutical companies within the past few days.
The defeat came for Johnson & Johnson, when a Texas jury ruled July 7 that the company had to pay $772,500 in actual damages to the family of a woman who died because of leakage in a pain relief patch.
The Associated Press reports that a Houston jury found that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the death of Michaelynn Thompson, who had used two patches called Duragesic to manage pain she had suffered after an automobile accident.
The jury didn't award any punitive damages, the wire service reported, and Johnson & Johnson maintains the Duragesic patches are safe. According to the A.P., the company is examining its legal options for an appeal. For the past year The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating a reported 120 deaths tied to pain patches made by Johnson & Johnson and Mylan Laboratories.
Meanwhile, international pharmaceutical giant Roche has been given clearance to continue clinical trials in the United States of an anemia drug known as Cera, or peg-EPO.
The Ventura County Star reports that a challenge by the biotech company Amgen to keep Cera testing out of the United States was denied by an administrative law judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Amgen makes drugs similar to Cera and is currently suing Roche for patent infringement. An Amgen spokesman told the newspaper that the administrative judges ruling would have no impact on the patent lawsuit.
Stopping Pain Meds May Increase Older Farmers' Accident Risk
An unusual relationship may exist between discontinuing pain medications and an increase in accidents among older farmers.
A study from Alberta Canada reveals that farmers over the age of 66 had a higher risk of having an accident after they stopped taking pain or anti-inflammatory drugs.
The research, conducted in part by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, revealed some heretofore "unknown relationships" between discontinuing anti-pain medication and the risk of accidents. For example, they said, when farmers stopped taking medications within the 30 days prior to the date they were injured, there was a higher risk of injuries related to farm work. Injuries included falls, being struck by an object, or wounds inflicted while working with farm machinery or livestock, the researchers said.
More than 8,000 male farmers over age 66 were part of the study. A significant number 282 had farm-related injuries relating to the use of pain medication.
Why is this happening? Three possible reasons, speculated Dr. Don Voaklander, one of the study's authors in a news release, are that "Pain, unmasked when they stop using medication, distracts the farmer when he's doing his work. A second possibility involves limitations on mobility for farmers who are in pain or who are guarding their movements as a result of pain." And the third reason, Voaklander says, is that there may be withdrawal symptoms.
Spain Records 1st Case of Bird Flu
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Health Headlines - July 9
Pain Patch Lawsuit Verdict Goes to Plaintiff
Score one defeat and one victory for major pharmaceutical companies within the past few days.
The defeat came for Johnson & Johnson, when a Texas jury ruled July 7 that the company had to pay $772,500 in actual damages to the family of a woman who died because of leakage in a pain relief patch.
The Associated Press reports that a Houston jury found that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the death of Michaelynn Thompson, who had used two patches called Duragesic to manage pain she had suffered after an automobile accident.
The jury didn't award any punitive damages, the wire service reported, and Johnson & Johnson maintains the Duragesic patches are safe. According to the A.P., the company is examining its legal options for an appeal. For the past year The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating a reported 120 deaths tied to pain patches made by Johnson & Johnson and Mylan Laboratories.
Meanwhile, international pharmaceutical giant Roche has been given clearance to continue clinical trials in the United States of an anemia drug known as Cera, or peg-EPO.
The Ventura County Star reports that a challenge by the biotech company Amgen to keep Cera testing out of the United States was denied by an administrative law judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Amgen makes drugs similar to Cera and is currently suing Roche for patent infringement. An Amgen spokesman told the newspaper that the administrative judges ruling would have no impact on the patent lawsuit.
Stopping Pain Meds May Increase Older Farmers' Accident Risk
An unusual relationship may exist between discontinuing pain medications and an increase in accidents among older farmers.
A study from Alberta Canada reveals that farmers over the age of 66 had a higher risk of having an accident after they stopped taking pain or anti-inflammatory drugs.
The research, conducted in part by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, revealed some heretofore "unknown relationships" between discontinuing anti-pain medication and the risk of accidents. For example, they said, when farmers stopped taking medications within the 30 days prior to the date they were injured, there was a higher risk of injuries related to farm work. Injuries included falls, being struck by an object, or wounds inflicted while working with farm machinery or livestock, the researchers said.
More than 8,000 male farmers over age 66 were part of the study. A significant number 282 had farm-related injuries relating to the use of pain medication.
Why is this happening? Three possible reasons, speculated Dr. Don Voaklander, one of the study's authors in a news release, are that "Pain, unmasked when they stop using medication, distracts the farmer when he's doing his work. A second possibility involves limitations on mobility for farmers who are in pain or who are guarding their movements as a result of pain." And the third reason, Voaklander says, is that there may be withdrawal symptoms.
Spain Records 1st Case of Bird Flu
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, called the exemptions "a commendable development," but said that the action still will not help beneficiaries such as foster children and the homeless. "This should be corrected," he told the newspaper.
Johns Hopkins Named Best Hospital for 16th Year
Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University Hospital earned top spot for the 16th consecutive year as "Best of the Best" in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey of American hospitals.
Hopkins placed first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties, according to the survey, to appear on newsstands Monday. The survey ranks the top hospitals nationally based on reputation, mortality rates and other care-related factors.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Cleveland Clinic
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York City
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
Magazine Tees Up Top 100 Golfer-Doctors
A Savannah, Ga., pulmonary specialist and a San Francisco hematologist were named top male and female winners in the Golf Digest "Top 100 Golfer-Doctors in America" list, due on newsstands Tuesday.
To make the rankings, doctors were required to have a United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap Index of 6.0 or better.
Ranked highest was Dr. Doug Hanzel, 49, who has qualified eight times for the U.S. Amateur and was a prominent junior and college golfer in his native Ohio and while at Kent State.
Hematologist/oncologist Dr. Patricia Cornett, seventh overall on the list, led the women's field. She played on the Stanford University golf team and has competed in more than 60 USGA events.
Score one defeat and one victory for major pharmaceutical companies within the past few days.
The defeat came for Johnson & Johnson, when a Texas jury ruled July 7 that the company had to pay $772,500 in actual damages to the family of a woman who died because of leakage in a pain relief patch.
The Associated Press reports that a Houston jury found that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the death of Michaelynn Thompson, who had used two patches called Duragesic to manage pain she had suffered after an automobile accident.
The jury didn't award any punitive damages, the wire service reported, and Johnson & Johnson maintains the Duragesic patches are safe. According to the A.P., the company is examining its legal options for an appeal. For the past year The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating a reported 120 deaths tied to pain patches made by Johnson & Johnson and Mylan Laboratories.
Meanwhile, international pharmaceutical giant Roche has been given clearance to continue clinical trials in the United States of an anemia drug known as Cera, or peg-EPO.
The Ventura County Star reports that a challenge by the biotech company Amgen to keep Cera testing out of the United States was denied by an administrative law judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Amgen makes drugs similar to Cera and is currently suing Roche for patent infringement. An Amgen spokesman told the newspaper that the administrative judges ruling would have no impact on the patent lawsuit.
Stopping Pain Meds May Increase Older Farmers' Accident Risk
An unusual relationship may exist between discontinuing pain medications and an increase in accidents among older farmers.
A study from Alberta Canada reveals that farmers over the age of 66 had a higher risk of having an accident after they stopped taking pain or anti-inflammatory drugs.
The research, conducted in part by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, revealed some heretofore "unknown relationships" between discontinuing anti-pain medication and the risk of accidents. For example, they said, when farmers stopped taking medications within the 30 days prior to the date they were injured, there was a higher risk of injuries related to farm work. Injuries included falls, being struck by an object, or wounds inflicted while working with farm machinery or livestock, the researchers said.
More than 8,000 male farmers over age 66 were part of the study. A significant number 282 had farm-related injuries relating to the use of pain medication.
Why is this happening? Three possible reasons, speculated Dr. Don Voaklander, one of the study's authors in a news release, are that "Pain, unmasked when they stop using medication, distracts the farmer when he's doing his work. A second possibility involves limitations on mobility for farmers who are in pain or who are guarding their movements as a result of pain." And the third reason, Voaklander says, is that there may be withdrawal symptoms.
Spain Records 1st Case of Bird Flu
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, called the exemptions "a commendable development," but said that the action still will not help beneficiaries such as foster children and the homeless. "This should be corrected," he told the newspaper.
Johns Hopkins Named Best Hospital for 16th Year
Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University Hospital earned top spot for the 16th consecutive year as "Best of the Best" in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey of American hospitals.
Hopkins placed first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties, according to the survey, to appear on newsstands Monday. The survey ranks the top hospitals nationally based on reputation, mortality rates and other care-related factors.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Cleveland Clinic
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York City
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
Magazine Tees Up Top 100 Golfer-Doctors
A Savannah, Ga., pulmonary specialist and a San Francisco hematologist were named top male and female winners in the Golf Digest "Top 100 Golfer-Doctors in America" list, due on newsstands Tuesday.
To make the rankings, doctors were required to have a United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap Index of 6.0 or better.
Ranked highest was Dr. Doug Hanzel, 49, who has qualified eight times for the U.S. Amateur and was a prominent junior and college golfer in his native Ohio and while at Kent State.
Hematologist/oncologist Dr. Patricia Cornett, seventh overall on the list, led the women's field. She played on the Stanford University golf team and has competed in more than 60 USGA events.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Health Headlines - July 8
Spain Records 1st Case of Bird Flu
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, called the exemptions "a commendable development," but said that the action still will not help beneficiaries such as foster children and the homeless. "This should be corrected," he told the newspaper.
Johns Hopkins Named Best Hospital for 16th Year
Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University Hospital earned top spot for the 16th consecutive year as "Best of the Best" in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey of American hospitals.
Hopkins placed first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties, according to the survey, to appear on newsstands Monday. The survey ranks the top hospitals nationally based on reputation, mortality rates and other care-related factors.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
* Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
* Cleveland Clinic
* Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
* UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
* New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York City
* Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
* Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
* University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
* University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
Magazine Tees Up Top 100 Golfer-Doctors
A Savannah, Ga., pulmonary specialist and a San Francisco hematologist were named top male and female winners in the Golf Digest "Top 100 Golfer-Doctors in America" list, due on newsstands Tuesday.
To make the rankings, doctors were required to have a United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap Index of 6.0 or better.
Ranked highest was Dr. Doug Hanzel, 49, who has qualified eight times for the U.S. Amateur and was a prominent junior and college golfer in his native Ohio and while at Kent State.
Hematologist/oncologist Dr. Patricia Cornett, seventh overall on the list, led the women's field. She played on the Stanford University golf team and has competed in more than 60 USGA events.
Pavarotti Recovering From Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is "recovering well" after surgery for pancreatic cancer, his manager told the Associated Press Friday.
The 70-year-old singer was preparing to leave New York last week to resume his farewell world concert tour in Britain when doctors discovered a malignant tumor, spokeswoman Terri Robson said. He had surgery within the past week at an undisclosed New York hospital and remains hospitalized.
"Mr. Pavarotti is recovering well, and his physicians are encouraged by the physical and emotional resilience of their patient," Robson said in a statement.
Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Less than 4 percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis, and most die within a year, the AP reported.
Spain's Agriculture Ministry said it had recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, found in a migratory water bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.
A two-mile protective zone was declared outside the area where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Spanish officials had said last year that it was only a matter of time before the disease made its way to their country, which is on the route of northern-bound migratory birds from Africa.
Officials have so far banned outdoor poultry farming within a 6-mile radius of marshlands where migratory birds gather, AP said.
Bird flu has killed at least 130 people worldwide since late 2003, and forced the destruction of tens of millions of poultry, many of them in Asian nations, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate, making it more easily transmissible among humans.
Government Eases Citizenship Rules for Medicaid
Federal officials are relaxing a requirement for about 8 million Medicaid recipients to prove they're citizens before they can receive benefits.
The rule, which took effect Saturday, requires Medicaid recipients to prove U.S. citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, or similar record.
It was intended to keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Critics, however, said that many older Americans, the mentally ill and the poor might be unable to produce the paperwork needed. At least two lawsuits have been filed to block the requirement, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Under the newly relaxed rule, citizenship won't have to be proven by Medicare recipients who have already provided documentation to receive Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, called the exemptions "a commendable development," but said that the action still will not help beneficiaries such as foster children and the homeless. "This should be corrected," he told the newspaper.
Johns Hopkins Named Best Hospital for 16th Year
Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University Hospital earned top spot for the 16th consecutive year as "Best of the Best" in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey of American hospitals.
Hopkins placed first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties, according to the survey, to appear on newsstands Monday. The survey ranks the top hospitals nationally based on reputation, mortality rates and other care-related factors.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
* Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
* Cleveland Clinic
* Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
* UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
* New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York City
* Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
* Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
* University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
* University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
Magazine Tees Up Top 100 Golfer-Doctors
A Savannah, Ga., pulmonary specialist and a San Francisco hematologist were named top male and female winners in the Golf Digest "Top 100 Golfer-Doctors in America" list, due on newsstands Tuesday.
To make the rankings, doctors were required to have a United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap Index of 6.0 or better.
Ranked highest was Dr. Doug Hanzel, 49, who has qualified eight times for the U.S. Amateur and was a prominent junior and college golfer in his native Ohio and while at Kent State.
Hematologist/oncologist Dr. Patricia Cornett, seventh overall on the list, led the women's field. She played on the Stanford University golf team and has competed in more than 60 USGA events.
Pavarotti Recovering From Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is "recovering well" after surgery for pancreatic cancer, his manager told the Associated Press Friday.
The 70-year-old singer was preparing to leave New York last week to resume his farewell world concert tour in Britain when doctors discovered a malignant tumor, spokeswoman Terri Robson said. He had surgery within the past week at an undisclosed New York hospital and remains hospitalized.
"Mr. Pavarotti is recovering well, and his physicians are encouraged by the physical and emotional resilience of their patient," Robson said in a statement.
Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Less than 4 percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis, and most die within a year, the AP reported.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Health Headlines - July 7
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Record Tobacco Verdict
Florida's Supreme Court has rejected a $145 billion verdict against tobacco companies -- the most damages ever awarded by an American jury.
Calling the verdict "excessive," the justices approved an appellate court ruling that it had been a mistake to certify a class-action lawsuit representing some 300,000 to 700,000 ill Floridians. Certification led to the award for damages in 2000, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The justices did, however, reinstated damages to two cancer-stricken smokers, $2.85 million to Mary Farnan and $4.023 million to Angie Della Vecchia, who brought the original suit. A third award for $5.8 million to another smoker, Frank Amodeo, was not restored in Thursday's ruling, the AP said.
The lawsuit, accusing the tobacco industry of misleading people about the dangers of smoking, was filed in 1994 and led by a pediatrician, Dr. Howard Engle. The husband-and-wife legal team of Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt, who filed the suit in Miami, declined immediate comment Thursday, according to AP.
John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, called the court's decision a "huge disappointment."
"Despite the legal complexities behind today's ruling, one thing remains certain -- tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in this country and the companies producing these deadly agents continue to do so at the expense of the health and well being of this nation," he said.
Decline in Youth Smoking Stalls: Report
Cigarette use among America's high school students was unchanged from 2003 to 2005, suggesting that the national decline in youth smoking observed in the six years prior might have stalled, according to U.S. figures released Thursday.
In its weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 23 percent of high school students were current smokers, down from 36.4 percent in 1997. The national health objective for 2010 is to reduce current smoking rates among high school students to 16 percent or less.
Factors likely contributing to the lack of continued decline include smaller annual increases in retail cigarette prices during 2003-05; potentially less exposure or availability among youths to mass media smoking-prevention campaigns; less funding for comprehensive statewide tobacco-use prevention programs; and substantial increases in tobacco industry expenditures on advertising and promotion in the United States, from $5.7 billion in 1997 to $15.2 billion in 2003, the report said.
The report also said that after decades of decline, smoking in movies, which has been linked to youth smoking, increased rapidly beginning in the early 1990s and by 2002 was at levels seen back in 1950.
Mental Disorders, Partner Strife Top Causes of Violent Deaths
Mental-health disorders, intimate partner conflicts and felony-related crimes were the leading contributing factors to suicides and homicides in seven U.S. states during 2003 and 2004, a study released Thursday found.
Intimate partner violence and felony-related crimes were key causes of homicides during the period, while mental-health problems and partner conflicts played the largest role in suicides, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
The statistics for suicide and homicide rates showed a decrease of 6.2 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. The causative findings are expected to be used to develop prevention strategies to reduce the number of violent deaths nationwide, the report said.
Pre-Surgery Chemotherapy Helps Stomach Cancer Patients
Stomach cancer patients who receive chemotherapy both before and after surgery live longer, British researchers report.
The study, published in the July 6 New England Journal of Medicine, said the results provide a new treatment option for operable stomach cancer. Chemotherapy cut the risk of death by one-quarter, compared to surgery alone, and also shrank tumors and improved survival without a return of cancer, the Associated Press reported.
Conducted primarily in Britain, the study followed 503 patients who received chemotherapy before and after surgery for stomach cancer or cancer of the esophagus. A five-year follow-up found that 36 percent of those who got chemotherapy were still alive, compared to 23 percent of those who only had surgery.
Surgery is the standard treatment for stomach cancer, with all or part of the stomach removed. In the United States, about 22,300 new cases of stomach cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year, and about 11,400 people will die of the disease, AP said.
Back-Pain Sufferers Would Give Up Sex for Relief: Study
More than half the respondents in a national survey of lower back-pain sufferers said they would abstain from sex for six months if it meant finding relief.
Conducted by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and medical technology manufacturer Smith & Nephew, the survey also found that one-third of those questioned said work, personal relationships and quality of life were severely affected by their back pain.
Among other findings released Thursday by ASIPP:
* 60 percent said lower back pain severely or substantially limited their everyday activities, including picking up their children and grandchildren.
* On average, respondents reported missing more than one day of work per week, or up to nearly two months per year due to back pain.
* 48 percent waited three months or longer to seek medical attention for their lower back pain.
* 65 percent were willing to give up dessert for a year, 54 percent undergo root canal, 41 percent give birth or 37 percent go skydiving if it meant no more back pain.
In addition, many respondents said they had already given up activities because of their back pain, with 72 percent eliminating exercise or sports-related activities, and 46 percent reporting having given up sex.
Florida's Supreme Court has rejected a $145 billion verdict against tobacco companies -- the most damages ever awarded by an American jury.
Calling the verdict "excessive," the justices approved an appellate court ruling that it had been a mistake to certify a class-action lawsuit representing some 300,000 to 700,000 ill Floridians. Certification led to the award for damages in 2000, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The justices did, however, reinstated damages to two cancer-stricken smokers, $2.85 million to Mary Farnan and $4.023 million to Angie Della Vecchia, who brought the original suit. A third award for $5.8 million to another smoker, Frank Amodeo, was not restored in Thursday's ruling, the AP said.
The lawsuit, accusing the tobacco industry of misleading people about the dangers of smoking, was filed in 1994 and led by a pediatrician, Dr. Howard Engle. The husband-and-wife legal team of Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt, who filed the suit in Miami, declined immediate comment Thursday, according to AP.
John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, called the court's decision a "huge disappointment."
"Despite the legal complexities behind today's ruling, one thing remains certain -- tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in this country and the companies producing these deadly agents continue to do so at the expense of the health and well being of this nation," he said.
Decline in Youth Smoking Stalls: Report
Cigarette use among America's high school students was unchanged from 2003 to 2005, suggesting that the national decline in youth smoking observed in the six years prior might have stalled, according to U.S. figures released Thursday.
In its weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 23 percent of high school students were current smokers, down from 36.4 percent in 1997. The national health objective for 2010 is to reduce current smoking rates among high school students to 16 percent or less.
Factors likely contributing to the lack of continued decline include smaller annual increases in retail cigarette prices during 2003-05; potentially less exposure or availability among youths to mass media smoking-prevention campaigns; less funding for comprehensive statewide tobacco-use prevention programs; and substantial increases in tobacco industry expenditures on advertising and promotion in the United States, from $5.7 billion in 1997 to $15.2 billion in 2003, the report said.
The report also said that after decades of decline, smoking in movies, which has been linked to youth smoking, increased rapidly beginning in the early 1990s and by 2002 was at levels seen back in 1950.
Mental Disorders, Partner Strife Top Causes of Violent Deaths
Mental-health disorders, intimate partner conflicts and felony-related crimes were the leading contributing factors to suicides and homicides in seven U.S. states during 2003 and 2004, a study released Thursday found.
Intimate partner violence and felony-related crimes were key causes of homicides during the period, while mental-health problems and partner conflicts played the largest role in suicides, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
The statistics for suicide and homicide rates showed a decrease of 6.2 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. The causative findings are expected to be used to develop prevention strategies to reduce the number of violent deaths nationwide, the report said.
Pre-Surgery Chemotherapy Helps Stomach Cancer Patients
Stomach cancer patients who receive chemotherapy both before and after surgery live longer, British researchers report.
The study, published in the July 6 New England Journal of Medicine, said the results provide a new treatment option for operable stomach cancer. Chemotherapy cut the risk of death by one-quarter, compared to surgery alone, and also shrank tumors and improved survival without a return of cancer, the Associated Press reported.
Conducted primarily in Britain, the study followed 503 patients who received chemotherapy before and after surgery for stomach cancer or cancer of the esophagus. A five-year follow-up found that 36 percent of those who got chemotherapy were still alive, compared to 23 percent of those who only had surgery.
Surgery is the standard treatment for stomach cancer, with all or part of the stomach removed. In the United States, about 22,300 new cases of stomach cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year, and about 11,400 people will die of the disease, AP said.
Back-Pain Sufferers Would Give Up Sex for Relief: Study
More than half the respondents in a national survey of lower back-pain sufferers said they would abstain from sex for six months if it meant finding relief.
Conducted by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and medical technology manufacturer Smith & Nephew, the survey also found that one-third of those questioned said work, personal relationships and quality of life were severely affected by their back pain.
Among other findings released Thursday by ASIPP:
* 60 percent said lower back pain severely or substantially limited their everyday activities, including picking up their children and grandchildren.
* On average, respondents reported missing more than one day of work per week, or up to nearly two months per year due to back pain.
* 48 percent waited three months or longer to seek medical attention for their lower back pain.
* 65 percent were willing to give up dessert for a year, 54 percent undergo root canal, 41 percent give birth or 37 percent go skydiving if it meant no more back pain.
In addition, many respondents said they had already given up activities because of their back pain, with 72 percent eliminating exercise or sports-related activities, and 46 percent reporting having given up sex.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Health Headlines - July 6
Mercury-Based Vaccines Not Linked to Autism: Study
Vaccines that contain mercury do not lead to an increased risk of autism, Canadian researchers have found.
The findings were reported in the journal Pediatrics by McGill University Health Center scientists, who examined patterns between the developmental disorder and vaccines in 28,000 children. They found autism rates were actually higher in children given shots after thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was eliminated from shots. The scientists also found no connection between autism and the combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen, an autism expert at Cambridge University, said more work was needed to explain why autism rates were rising. "There may also be some as yet unidentified environmental factor, but the new study suggests MMR and thimerosal are ruled out," he told BBC News Online.
Before the 1980s, one in 2,500 children was diagnosed with autism, which affects the way a person communicates and interacts with others. Now the figure is closer to one in 250, the scientists said. Concerns surfaced in the late 1990s that the MMR jab might be linked to autism, as some researchers believed the three-in-one vaccine overloaded the immune system. That research has since been discredited, but immunization rates have dropped in recent years, as parents feared for their children's safety.
"We hope this study will finally put to rest the pervasive belief linking vaccines with development diseases like autism," lead researcher Dr. Eric Fombonne said, adding that the rise in autism rates was likely caused by a broader definition of autism and greater awareness of the disorder.
Nevertheless, Jackie Fletcher of Jabs, a support network for parents who believe their children have been injured by vaccines, said the study still did not disprove the thimerosal link. "What we need, and what we have always called for, is a full and open review into the link so we can establish once and for all what the truth is," Fletcher said.
Should Children Be Labeled Obese?
Should a person under age 18 be called overweight or obese? U.S. government experts are studying a proposal to replace the diplomatic language that now labels kids who are too heavy as "at risk of overweight."
Instead, like their adult brethren, children would simply be called overweight or obese, the Associated Press reports.
The current language, adopted in 1998, avoids "obese" when describing children because of the word's stigma. But people in favor of changing the language, now backed by the government and used by many doctors, say the soft approach encourages denial of a growing problem, the AP said.
The proposal to change the language is being studied by the American Medical Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the wire service said.
Calling a child obese "may run the risk of making them angry," but it addresses a serious issue, noted Dr. Reginald Washington, who co-chairs the AAP's obesity task force. "There are a thousand reasons why this obesity epidemic is so out-of-control, and one of them is that no one wants to talk about it," he told the wire service.
Final recommendations on the proposal are expected in September, the AP said, and participating institutions will decide individually whether to adopt them.
Candles Sold at Pier 1 Pose Fire Hazard
Some 413,000 candles sold at Pier 1 Imports stores are being recalled because they pose a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
The candles, made in Guatemala, can flare unexpectedly. Buyers should stop using them and return them to any Pier 1 store for a refund.
The candles include cylindrical pillars measuring 3"(d) x 4" (h), 3"(d) x 6"(h), and 4"(d) x 6"(h) with a sand layer base. The recalled models are the Cement Aspen Flower (White), SKUs 2115564, 2115577, 2115592; Cement Downpour (Grey), SKUs 2118150, 2118176, 2118189; Cement Biscotti (Khaki), SKUs 2115523, 2115536, 2115549; and Cement Citrus Cilantro (Green), SKUs 2115499, 2115508, 2115510.
To learn more, contact Pier 1 at 800-245-4595.
Grandma Was Right: Heat Relieves Pain
There's a molecular explanation for Grandma's old remedy for aches and pain: heat, British researchers found.
Applying heat of at least 104 degrees provided pain relief to the skin for up to an hour, much the way that common painkillers do, according to a University College London study reported by the Bloomberg news service.
The study clarified how heat soothed pain. Heat apparently causes the body to switch on receptors that block the chemical messengers that allow it to detect pain, the scientists said.
For hundreds of years, heat has been used to relieve back aches, muscle strains, menstrual cramps, and colic. Results of the year-long study were presented Wednesday at the Physiological Society's annual conference in London.
Canada Confirms 6th Case of Mad Cow Disease
Canada has confirmed the country's sixth case of mad cow disease, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The government said it would find out where the cow was born and whether other animals had eaten the same feed. The animal was at least 15 years old, and was born before Canada enacted strict regulations on potentially contaminated feed in 1997. Mad cow disease is believed to spread through feed because cows can ingest the tissues of other cattle.
Humans can get a related disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by eating contaminated meat. More than 150 humans have died this way, the AP said.
Two of the six mad cow cases in Canada occurred in animals born after 1997, but the government says the food supply is safe and the actual occurrence of the disease among cows is very low, given that there are 17 million cattle in that country.
In 2003, shipments of Canadian cattle to the United States were halted when the first case of mad cow disease was reported. Last year, trade in young animals resumed, although it is not clear when trade in older animals might resume. Last week, U.S. Agriculture Department spokesman Ed Loyd told the AP that U.S. officials have a "high degree of confidence in the safeguards and mitigating measures in place in the U.S. and Canada."
Vaccines that contain mercury do not lead to an increased risk of autism, Canadian researchers have found.
The findings were reported in the journal Pediatrics by McGill University Health Center scientists, who examined patterns between the developmental disorder and vaccines in 28,000 children. They found autism rates were actually higher in children given shots after thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was eliminated from shots. The scientists also found no connection between autism and the combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen, an autism expert at Cambridge University, said more work was needed to explain why autism rates were rising. "There may also be some as yet unidentified environmental factor, but the new study suggests MMR and thimerosal are ruled out," he told BBC News Online.
Before the 1980s, one in 2,500 children was diagnosed with autism, which affects the way a person communicates and interacts with others. Now the figure is closer to one in 250, the scientists said. Concerns surfaced in the late 1990s that the MMR jab might be linked to autism, as some researchers believed the three-in-one vaccine overloaded the immune system. That research has since been discredited, but immunization rates have dropped in recent years, as parents feared for their children's safety.
"We hope this study will finally put to rest the pervasive belief linking vaccines with development diseases like autism," lead researcher Dr. Eric Fombonne said, adding that the rise in autism rates was likely caused by a broader definition of autism and greater awareness of the disorder.
Nevertheless, Jackie Fletcher of Jabs, a support network for parents who believe their children have been injured by vaccines, said the study still did not disprove the thimerosal link. "What we need, and what we have always called for, is a full and open review into the link so we can establish once and for all what the truth is," Fletcher said.
Should Children Be Labeled Obese?
Should a person under age 18 be called overweight or obese? U.S. government experts are studying a proposal to replace the diplomatic language that now labels kids who are too heavy as "at risk of overweight."
Instead, like their adult brethren, children would simply be called overweight or obese, the Associated Press reports.
The current language, adopted in 1998, avoids "obese" when describing children because of the word's stigma. But people in favor of changing the language, now backed by the government and used by many doctors, say the soft approach encourages denial of a growing problem, the AP said.
The proposal to change the language is being studied by the American Medical Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the wire service said.
Calling a child obese "may run the risk of making them angry," but it addresses a serious issue, noted Dr. Reginald Washington, who co-chairs the AAP's obesity task force. "There are a thousand reasons why this obesity epidemic is so out-of-control, and one of them is that no one wants to talk about it," he told the wire service.
Final recommendations on the proposal are expected in September, the AP said, and participating institutions will decide individually whether to adopt them.
Candles Sold at Pier 1 Pose Fire Hazard
Some 413,000 candles sold at Pier 1 Imports stores are being recalled because they pose a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
The candles, made in Guatemala, can flare unexpectedly. Buyers should stop using them and return them to any Pier 1 store for a refund.
The candles include cylindrical pillars measuring 3"(d) x 4" (h), 3"(d) x 6"(h), and 4"(d) x 6"(h) with a sand layer base. The recalled models are the Cement Aspen Flower (White), SKUs 2115564, 2115577, 2115592; Cement Downpour (Grey), SKUs 2118150, 2118176, 2118189; Cement Biscotti (Khaki), SKUs 2115523, 2115536, 2115549; and Cement Citrus Cilantro (Green), SKUs 2115499, 2115508, 2115510.
To learn more, contact Pier 1 at 800-245-4595.
Grandma Was Right: Heat Relieves Pain
There's a molecular explanation for Grandma's old remedy for aches and pain: heat, British researchers found.
Applying heat of at least 104 degrees provided pain relief to the skin for up to an hour, much the way that common painkillers do, according to a University College London study reported by the Bloomberg news service.
The study clarified how heat soothed pain. Heat apparently causes the body to switch on receptors that block the chemical messengers that allow it to detect pain, the scientists said.
For hundreds of years, heat has been used to relieve back aches, muscle strains, menstrual cramps, and colic. Results of the year-long study were presented Wednesday at the Physiological Society's annual conference in London.
Canada Confirms 6th Case of Mad Cow Disease
Canada has confirmed the country's sixth case of mad cow disease, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The government said it would find out where the cow was born and whether other animals had eaten the same feed. The animal was at least 15 years old, and was born before Canada enacted strict regulations on potentially contaminated feed in 1997. Mad cow disease is believed to spread through feed because cows can ingest the tissues of other cattle.
Humans can get a related disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by eating contaminated meat. More than 150 humans have died this way, the AP said.
Two of the six mad cow cases in Canada occurred in animals born after 1997, but the government says the food supply is safe and the actual occurrence of the disease among cows is very low, given that there are 17 million cattle in that country.
In 2003, shipments of Canadian cattle to the United States were halted when the first case of mad cow disease was reported. Last year, trade in young animals resumed, although it is not clear when trade in older animals might resume. Last week, U.S. Agriculture Department spokesman Ed Loyd told the AP that U.S. officials have a "high degree of confidence in the safeguards and mitigating measures in place in the U.S. and Canada."
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Health Headlines - July 5
Canada Confirms 6th Case of Mad Cow Disease
Canada has confirmed the country's sixth case of mad cow disease, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The government said it would find out where the cow was born and whether other animals had eaten the same feed. The animal was at least 15 years old, and was born before Canada enacted strict regulations on potentially contaminated feed in 1997. Mad cow disease is believed to spread through feed because cows can ingest the tissues of other cattle.
Humans can get a related disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by eating contaminated meat. More than 150 humans have died this way, the AP said.
Two of the six mad cow cases in Canada occurred in animals born after 1997, but the government says the food supply is safe and the actual occurrence of the disease among cows is very low, given that there are 17 million cattle in that country.
In 2003, shipments of Canadian cattle to the United States were halted when the first case of mad cow disease was reported. Last year, trade in young animals resumed, although it is not clear when trade in older animals might resume. Last week, U.S. Agriculture Department spokesman Ed Loyd told the AP that U.S. officials have a "high degree of confidence in the safeguards and mitigating measures in place in the U.S. and Canada."
First Face Transplant Called a Success
French doctors say that the world's first face transplant has been a triumph, the BBC reported Monday.
The physicians report in the July 3 issue of The Lancet that the 38-year-old woman whose face was mauled by her pet Labrador recovered sensation in her face only four months after the procedure was completed.
The French surgical team made history when it transplanted tissues, muscles, arteries and veins from a brain-dead donor onto Isabelle Dinoire's lower face in November 2005. A week later, she was able to eat and drink normally, although she is receiving physical therapy to recover full movement around her lips. Dinoire did experience a slight rejection of the new tissue, but immunosuppressant drugs were able to quell the reaction, the report said.
"The four-month outcome demonstrates the feasibility of this procedure," said Dr. Bernard Devauchelle, who led the surgical team that performed the operation. "The functional result will be assessed in the future, but this graft can already be deemed successful with respect to appearance, sensitivity, and acceptance by the patient."
Young Drinkers More Likely to Have Alcohol Dependence Problems Later
Teenagers who start drinking before the age of 14 face a much higher risk of alcohol dependence during their lifetime, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Boston University, who report their findings in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, analyzed a national survey of more than 43,000 adults aged 18 and older.
Overall, 12.5 percent of all those surveyed and 19 percent of those had had ever drank alcohol experienced alcohol dependence at some point in their lifetime. However, 47 percent of those who began drinking before the age of 14 experienced alcohol dependence later, compared to 9 percent of those who did not drink until 21. The younger drinkers also were three times more likely to experience two or more episodes of alcohol dependence in their lifetime.
"Usually, each additional year earlier than age 21 years that a respondent begins to drink, the greater the odds that he or she would develop the alcohol dependence outcomes examined," the researchers wrote.
Obesity Increases Risk of Mood Disorders
People who are obese are 25 percent more likely to have a mood disorder, but they are also 25 percent less likely to have substance abuse problems, a new study finds.
The research, published in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at more than 9,000 adults who were interviewed as part of a large, national survey on mental disorders. Of those questioned, 2,330 were considered obese because they had a body-mass index of 30 or higher. The findings were similar for both genders, although the link between obesity and mood disorders was strongest among non-Hispanic whites and those with higher levels of education.
"This calculation illustrates the public health importance of the association but does not indicate a direction for the causal relationship," the Seattle researchers wrote. "It is equally correct to state that more than one-fifth of cases of mood disorder in the general population are attributable to the association with obesity."
About 31 percent of all U.S. adults were obese in 2000, the study showed, which was an increase of 23 percent from 1990. Previous studies have indicated a risk between obesity and depression, and other research has repeatedly shown that obese adults are at a higher risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other harmful conditions.
Flu Vaccine Maker Warned by FDA
Drug maker Sanofi Pasteur was issued a warning letter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday following concerns that arose after some batches of the company's influenza vaccine failed sterility tests this spring.
According to the Associated Press, the FDA has inspected the company's Swiftwater, Pa.-based plant and none of the affected material was used in any vaccines. No further problems have occurred since then, the wire service reported.
However, the warning letter was issued because the source of the contamination has not been found, the FDA said.
Since the letter is only an advisory, Sanofi Pasteur can continue to make vaccine at the Pennsylvania plant, Dr. Karen Midthun, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the wire service. The company said in a statement that it is working closely with the government to address any concerns, and it is still confident it can manufacture roughly 50 million doses of flu vaccine for the upcoming flu season.
Acetaminophen Use Could Trigger Liver Damage
In a new study, people who repeatedly took the maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen developed abnormalities in blood tests that can be a signal for liver damage.
The study researchers said they first noted the potential for liver toxicity in patients treated for pain with a combination of the opioid hydrocodone plus acetaminophen. But, before this study, the scientists had assumed the threat came from the hydrocodone.
So, the new findings came as a somewhat of a shock, the researchers said.
"This clearly showed, much to our jaw-dropping surprise, that it had nothing to do with the opiate," said Dr. Paul Watkins, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "It was a previously unrecognized but pretty remarkable effect of acetaminophen alone when taken as directed for four days."
Still, acetaminophen, which is most commonly marketed as Tylenol, has been on the market for 20 years and has a clear safety record, Watkins said, and consumers should not stop taking the drug if they really need it.
"No one should ever take a drug they don't need," he said. "But this study is not a reason to stop taking acetaminophen if you need it."
"There is concern, but this is not black or white," added Dr. Eugene Schiff, M.D., chief of the division of hepatology and professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He pointed out that acetaminophen has been known to elevate liver enzymes in people who are regular drinkers or who have been fasting.
However, Schiff said, "This paper is important, because they're showing that what we thought was the upper limit of safety in people who are not regular drinkers or fasting -- that it's too high. To me, the critical factor is, 'What is the upper limit that's safe?' "
Millions of people take acetaminophen for pain relief. Some of these people can't take aspirin because of its gastrointestinal effects, or can't take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen (Aleve). Use of Celebrex, one of a newer class of NSAIDs called cox-2 inhibitors, is also controversial because of cardiovascular problems linked to two recalled cox-2s, Vioxx and Bextra.
The current findings came about by accident. In the process of conducting a trial on a combination acetaminophen/narcotic drug, Purdue Pharma discovered that a number of healthy volunteers had a high incidence of abnormalities in blood aminotransferase (ALT and AST) tests used to measure levels of specific liver enzymes. Those results "would normally be considered very alarming," Watkins said.
The initial concern was that it was the narcotic, hydrocodone, that was responsible for the increase.
That trial was halted, and the company called in Watkins and another expert to design the current study, published in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Watkins and two other authors reported having served as paid consultants to Purdue during the planning and execution of the study but not during preparation of the article.
For this study, 145 healthy adults each received either a placebo, one of three acetaminophen/opioid combinations, or acetaminophen alone for 14 days. Each active treatment included 4 grams of acetaminophen daily, the maximum recommended daily dosage.
None of the patients in the placebo group had a maximum ALT measurement of more than 3 times the upper limit of normal.
However, in the four treatment groups, 31 percent to 44 percent of patients had a maximum ALT of more than three times the upper limits of normal. Those in the acetaminophen-alone group had a similar elevation, suggesting that the opioid had nothing to do with the effect.
"It was so unbelievable that I am conducting an ongoing study with 50 people," Watkins added. "That's not in the JAMA paper, but we're finding that it verifies the findings."
The authors suspect, however, that ALT elevations should go down, even after continued use of acetaminophen. "I'm quite convinced that if we continue to treat people, they would come back to normal, so that about after a month, I believe liver chemistries would be normal, even continuing," Watkins said.
One question raised by the paper is whether aminotransferase elevations are even accurate in predicting the potential for liver damage.
"In the past, when we've seen liver enzyme abnormalities to this extent, it has indicated to us physicians that there is significant liver injury or damage occurring," Watkins said. "Since we have decades of experience and know the safety of acetaminophen, are the tests as good as we thought they were? Maybe they're not good predictors as to which drugs are going to have liver problems," he added.
It's also possible that a number of past tests have been misread, incorrectly attributing elevations to a drug other than acetaminophen.
"Because recommended doses of acetaminophen have not been previously recognized to cause liver enzyme elevations, physicians may have embarked on costly liver evaluations unnecessarily," Watkins said. "Also, treatment with other drugs suspected to cause liver problems, such as lipid-lowering medicines, may have been stopped unnecessarily."
The message to consumers is to pay attention to dosing and duration of use when taking acetaminophen (and other drugs). In particular, pay attention to "hidden" acetaminophen in other drug products.
"There are a lot of combination drugs that include acetaminophen that people aren't aware," Schiff said. "That's been a problem."
Canada has confirmed the country's sixth case of mad cow disease, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The government said it would find out where the cow was born and whether other animals had eaten the same feed. The animal was at least 15 years old, and was born before Canada enacted strict regulations on potentially contaminated feed in 1997. Mad cow disease is believed to spread through feed because cows can ingest the tissues of other cattle.
Humans can get a related disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by eating contaminated meat. More than 150 humans have died this way, the AP said.
Two of the six mad cow cases in Canada occurred in animals born after 1997, but the government says the food supply is safe and the actual occurrence of the disease among cows is very low, given that there are 17 million cattle in that country.
In 2003, shipments of Canadian cattle to the United States were halted when the first case of mad cow disease was reported. Last year, trade in young animals resumed, although it is not clear when trade in older animals might resume. Last week, U.S. Agriculture Department spokesman Ed Loyd told the AP that U.S. officials have a "high degree of confidence in the safeguards and mitigating measures in place in the U.S. and Canada."
First Face Transplant Called a Success
French doctors say that the world's first face transplant has been a triumph, the BBC reported Monday.
The physicians report in the July 3 issue of The Lancet that the 38-year-old woman whose face was mauled by her pet Labrador recovered sensation in her face only four months after the procedure was completed.
The French surgical team made history when it transplanted tissues, muscles, arteries and veins from a brain-dead donor onto Isabelle Dinoire's lower face in November 2005. A week later, she was able to eat and drink normally, although she is receiving physical therapy to recover full movement around her lips. Dinoire did experience a slight rejection of the new tissue, but immunosuppressant drugs were able to quell the reaction, the report said.
"The four-month outcome demonstrates the feasibility of this procedure," said Dr. Bernard Devauchelle, who led the surgical team that performed the operation. "The functional result will be assessed in the future, but this graft can already be deemed successful with respect to appearance, sensitivity, and acceptance by the patient."
Young Drinkers More Likely to Have Alcohol Dependence Problems Later
Teenagers who start drinking before the age of 14 face a much higher risk of alcohol dependence during their lifetime, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Boston University, who report their findings in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, analyzed a national survey of more than 43,000 adults aged 18 and older.
Overall, 12.5 percent of all those surveyed and 19 percent of those had had ever drank alcohol experienced alcohol dependence at some point in their lifetime. However, 47 percent of those who began drinking before the age of 14 experienced alcohol dependence later, compared to 9 percent of those who did not drink until 21. The younger drinkers also were three times more likely to experience two or more episodes of alcohol dependence in their lifetime.
"Usually, each additional year earlier than age 21 years that a respondent begins to drink, the greater the odds that he or she would develop the alcohol dependence outcomes examined," the researchers wrote.
Obesity Increases Risk of Mood Disorders
People who are obese are 25 percent more likely to have a mood disorder, but they are also 25 percent less likely to have substance abuse problems, a new study finds.
The research, published in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at more than 9,000 adults who were interviewed as part of a large, national survey on mental disorders. Of those questioned, 2,330 were considered obese because they had a body-mass index of 30 or higher. The findings were similar for both genders, although the link between obesity and mood disorders was strongest among non-Hispanic whites and those with higher levels of education.
"This calculation illustrates the public health importance of the association but does not indicate a direction for the causal relationship," the Seattle researchers wrote. "It is equally correct to state that more than one-fifth of cases of mood disorder in the general population are attributable to the association with obesity."
About 31 percent of all U.S. adults were obese in 2000, the study showed, which was an increase of 23 percent from 1990. Previous studies have indicated a risk between obesity and depression, and other research has repeatedly shown that obese adults are at a higher risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other harmful conditions.
Flu Vaccine Maker Warned by FDA
Drug maker Sanofi Pasteur was issued a warning letter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday following concerns that arose after some batches of the company's influenza vaccine failed sterility tests this spring.
According to the Associated Press, the FDA has inspected the company's Swiftwater, Pa.-based plant and none of the affected material was used in any vaccines. No further problems have occurred since then, the wire service reported.
However, the warning letter was issued because the source of the contamination has not been found, the FDA said.
Since the letter is only an advisory, Sanofi Pasteur can continue to make vaccine at the Pennsylvania plant, Dr. Karen Midthun, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the wire service. The company said in a statement that it is working closely with the government to address any concerns, and it is still confident it can manufacture roughly 50 million doses of flu vaccine for the upcoming flu season.
Acetaminophen Use Could Trigger Liver Damage
In a new study, people who repeatedly took the maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen developed abnormalities in blood tests that can be a signal for liver damage.
The study researchers said they first noted the potential for liver toxicity in patients treated for pain with a combination of the opioid hydrocodone plus acetaminophen. But, before this study, the scientists had assumed the threat came from the hydrocodone.
So, the new findings came as a somewhat of a shock, the researchers said.
"This clearly showed, much to our jaw-dropping surprise, that it had nothing to do with the opiate," said Dr. Paul Watkins, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "It was a previously unrecognized but pretty remarkable effect of acetaminophen alone when taken as directed for four days."
Still, acetaminophen, which is most commonly marketed as Tylenol, has been on the market for 20 years and has a clear safety record, Watkins said, and consumers should not stop taking the drug if they really need it.
"No one should ever take a drug they don't need," he said. "But this study is not a reason to stop taking acetaminophen if you need it."
"There is concern, but this is not black or white," added Dr. Eugene Schiff, M.D., chief of the division of hepatology and professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He pointed out that acetaminophen has been known to elevate liver enzymes in people who are regular drinkers or who have been fasting.
However, Schiff said, "This paper is important, because they're showing that what we thought was the upper limit of safety in people who are not regular drinkers or fasting -- that it's too high. To me, the critical factor is, 'What is the upper limit that's safe?' "
Millions of people take acetaminophen for pain relief. Some of these people can't take aspirin because of its gastrointestinal effects, or can't take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen (Aleve). Use of Celebrex, one of a newer class of NSAIDs called cox-2 inhibitors, is also controversial because of cardiovascular problems linked to two recalled cox-2s, Vioxx and Bextra.
The current findings came about by accident. In the process of conducting a trial on a combination acetaminophen/narcotic drug, Purdue Pharma discovered that a number of healthy volunteers had a high incidence of abnormalities in blood aminotransferase (ALT and AST) tests used to measure levels of specific liver enzymes. Those results "would normally be considered very alarming," Watkins said.
The initial concern was that it was the narcotic, hydrocodone, that was responsible for the increase.
That trial was halted, and the company called in Watkins and another expert to design the current study, published in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Watkins and two other authors reported having served as paid consultants to Purdue during the planning and execution of the study but not during preparation of the article.
For this study, 145 healthy adults each received either a placebo, one of three acetaminophen/opioid combinations, or acetaminophen alone for 14 days. Each active treatment included 4 grams of acetaminophen daily, the maximum recommended daily dosage.
None of the patients in the placebo group had a maximum ALT measurement of more than 3 times the upper limit of normal.
However, in the four treatment groups, 31 percent to 44 percent of patients had a maximum ALT of more than three times the upper limits of normal. Those in the acetaminophen-alone group had a similar elevation, suggesting that the opioid had nothing to do with the effect.
"It was so unbelievable that I am conducting an ongoing study with 50 people," Watkins added. "That's not in the JAMA paper, but we're finding that it verifies the findings."
The authors suspect, however, that ALT elevations should go down, even after continued use of acetaminophen. "I'm quite convinced that if we continue to treat people, they would come back to normal, so that about after a month, I believe liver chemistries would be normal, even continuing," Watkins said.
One question raised by the paper is whether aminotransferase elevations are even accurate in predicting the potential for liver damage.
"In the past, when we've seen liver enzyme abnormalities to this extent, it has indicated to us physicians that there is significant liver injury or damage occurring," Watkins said. "Since we have decades of experience and know the safety of acetaminophen, are the tests as good as we thought they were? Maybe they're not good predictors as to which drugs are going to have liver problems," he added.
It's also possible that a number of past tests have been misread, incorrectly attributing elevations to a drug other than acetaminophen.
"Because recommended doses of acetaminophen have not been previously recognized to cause liver enzyme elevations, physicians may have embarked on costly liver evaluations unnecessarily," Watkins said. "Also, treatment with other drugs suspected to cause liver problems, such as lipid-lowering medicines, may have been stopped unnecessarily."
The message to consumers is to pay attention to dosing and duration of use when taking acetaminophen (and other drugs). In particular, pay attention to "hidden" acetaminophen in other drug products.
"There are a lot of combination drugs that include acetaminophen that people aren't aware," Schiff said. "That's been a problem."
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Health Tip: Fireworks Safety
Although fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate the July 4th holiday, they can also lead to serious injuries if proper precautions aren't followed. If you decide to set off your own fireworks this holiday, here are a few safety tips, courtesy of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
Pay attention to the instructions and warnings.
Be prepared with a bucket of water nearby in case of a malfunctioning firework.
Be sure to set off the fireworks in an area clear of people.
Fireworks should only be lit away from homes and other buildings, trees and cars. Never light fireworks in the grass, but always on a smooth, flat surface like concrete or pavement.
If a firework does not ignite, do not attempt to re-light it.
Never allow children to touch, handle or light fireworks.
Pay attention to the instructions and warnings.
Be prepared with a bucket of water nearby in case of a malfunctioning firework.
Be sure to set off the fireworks in an area clear of people.
Fireworks should only be lit away from homes and other buildings, trees and cars. Never light fireworks in the grass, but always on a smooth, flat surface like concrete or pavement.
If a firework does not ignite, do not attempt to re-light it.
Never allow children to touch, handle or light fireworks.
Health Headlines - July 4
New Guide May Help Lower Blood Pressure
There are 65 million American adults with high blood pressure. If you're one of them, you can lower your blood pressure by following the step-by-step dietary and physical activity advice offered in an updated guide from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
The updated version of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan recommends limiting salt (sodium), saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. It also urges people to increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk products, whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts.
It offers new information on potassium, weight loss, and physical activity, and includes a week's worth of menus, easy-to-prepare recipes and a diary to record what you eat and your exercise. There are also tips about heart-healthy food choices and ways to be more physically active.
"NHLBI studies have shown that the DASH eating plan can significantly lower high blood pressure, even within the first few weeks," Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, NHLBI director, said in a prepared statement. "They demonstrate that be making healthy choices in diet and physical activity, you can get on track to a healthier life," she said.
Here are some examples of the advice and suggestions contained in the guide:
If you eat only one or two servings of vegetables a day, try adding one serving at lunch and another at dinner.
Gradually switch to fat-free or low-fat milk and reduce your intake of soda or other sweetened beverages.
Choose whole grain foods, such as whole wheat bread or whole grain cereals. This will provide with added nutrients and fiber.
Select food items with the lowest levels of salt or sodium.
Start exercising by taking a 15-minute walk each day and slowly build from there.
Doctors Probe 'Miracle' Rebirth of a Long-Dormant Mind
Almost 20 years after suffering a severe brain injury in a truck accident, Terry Wallis uttered an astounding word.
"Mom."
It was the first word Wallis, of Mountain View, Ark., had been able to speak since sinking into a "minimally conscious state" (MCS) after the pick-up he and friends were riding in went over a cliff.
And while there have been sporadic reports of other "miracle" recoveries following years of a vegetative state, few, if any, of those have lasted more than a day or so. Wallis's recovery, widely reported in the media when it happened, has gone on for almost three years now.
"This is the only patient who was known to emerge after such a long time from such a state," said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. "This particular story of a man 20 years out recovering and sustaining the recovery and moving on is certainly, to my knowledge, unique and never studied."
Schiff, senior author of a study on Wallis and his brain in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, first saw Wallis eight months after he started speaking. That was in April 2004.
"We saw a man with very severe brain injury with a lot of motor impairment. He had a very inarticulate speech pattern but was fluent in language and had recovered a good deal of what appeared to be his baseline personality," Schiff recalled. "We were told that prior to that event he could look at you, follow you around room, nod his head or grunt inconsistently but not communicate."
More than two years after that breakthrough, Wallis has become more alert, recovered more speech and motor control and, most remarkably, has recovered motor function in his lower extremities.
"That was surprising to us, because we had definitely predicted that he wouldn't recover any function in his limb movements and strengths," Schiff said.
"He still can't walk, but he can move his legs and a little bit also his hands, and he can talk," explained Henning Voss, lead author of the study and assistant professor of physics and radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "You can't understand him very well, but he is able to reliably communicate."
The question now is, "What went right?"
In an effort to find the answer, Schiff and his colleagues used state-of-the-art structural and functional neuroimaging techniques to examine Wallis' brain as well as those of 20 healthy individuals and another patient who had been in an MCS for six years with no sign of recovery.
Imaging revealed that neuronal cells in the relatively undamaged areas of Wallis' brain have grown new, significant connections over years. The process is called "axonal re-growth."
"We think that there was some axon reorganization," Voss said. "I think that it was just a very, very slow remodeling of the brain, which takes years."
"The data is compelling to us to consider the hypothesis that what we're looking at here is some form of reconnection among existing neurons," Schiff added.
And medications may have played a role. About two years before he emerged from his minimally conscious state, Wallis started taking the anti-depressant Paxil.
"I have become more willing to believe over time that that might have played a role," Schiff said. "I kind of doubt that axonal regrowth is the whole story."
Whatever happened to Wallis could be of huge import to other patients in similar situations, another expert said.
"Are there ways in which we can use this information to help us find therapies for those who don't recover? The brain has its own mechanisms of self repair," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, in Tampa.
"This is an important finding," he added.
Voss agreed: "The first thing is that we have to better understand the self-healing processes and, once we know more about it, then we can think about how to support this process."
Many more patients need to be studied in order to validate the hypothesis, Schiff said.
But, he added, medicine needs to accept that what happened to Wallis is real.
"This happened, and we should adapt to that as a medical reality and rethink the way we are tracking patients and what kind of access patients with severe brain injury have to basic clinical follow up," Schiff said.
Scientists Turn Stem Cells Into Disease-Fighting T-Cells
U.S. researchers have found a way to genetically manipulate human embryonic stem cells so they grow into mature disease-fighting T-cells -- a discovery they say might help in the development of gene therapy against AIDS.
T-cells are one the of the body's main defenses against disease. In this study, researchers demonstrated that it is possible to convert embryonic stem cells into blood-forming stem cells that, in turn, can turn into the helper T-cells. These are the T-cells that are specifically targeted by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The study was conducted by a team from the University of California, Los Angeles, AIDS Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine.
The findings, published this week in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark the first time scientists have been able to derive T-cells out of human embryonic stem cells.
"This tells you that you may be able to use human embryonic stem cells to treat T-cell and other blood diseases," lead researcher Zoran Galic, an assistant research biologist, said in a prepared statement. "This could be a very important weapon in the fight against AIDS."
The human embryonic stem cells were incubated on mouse bone marrow support cells, which converted the embryonic stem cells into blood-forming cells. These blood-forming cells were then injected into a human thymus gland that had been implanted in a mouse. The thymus gland converted the blood-forming cells into T-cells.
The thymus, located just above the heart in humans, is where T-cells develop.
The study results suggest it's possible to decipher the signals that control the development of embryonic stem cells into T-cells, noted study co-author Jerome Zack, associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute.
"That way we can eventually repopulate the immune system in patients needing T-cells," Zack said in a prepared statement.
There are 65 million American adults with high blood pressure. If you're one of them, you can lower your blood pressure by following the step-by-step dietary and physical activity advice offered in an updated guide from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
The updated version of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan recommends limiting salt (sodium), saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. It also urges people to increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk products, whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts.
It offers new information on potassium, weight loss, and physical activity, and includes a week's worth of menus, easy-to-prepare recipes and a diary to record what you eat and your exercise. There are also tips about heart-healthy food choices and ways to be more physically active.
"NHLBI studies have shown that the DASH eating plan can significantly lower high blood pressure, even within the first few weeks," Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, NHLBI director, said in a prepared statement. "They demonstrate that be making healthy choices in diet and physical activity, you can get on track to a healthier life," she said.
Here are some examples of the advice and suggestions contained in the guide:
If you eat only one or two servings of vegetables a day, try adding one serving at lunch and another at dinner.
Gradually switch to fat-free or low-fat milk and reduce your intake of soda or other sweetened beverages.
Choose whole grain foods, such as whole wheat bread or whole grain cereals. This will provide with added nutrients and fiber.
Select food items with the lowest levels of salt or sodium.
Start exercising by taking a 15-minute walk each day and slowly build from there.
Doctors Probe 'Miracle' Rebirth of a Long-Dormant Mind
Almost 20 years after suffering a severe brain injury in a truck accident, Terry Wallis uttered an astounding word.
"Mom."
It was the first word Wallis, of Mountain View, Ark., had been able to speak since sinking into a "minimally conscious state" (MCS) after the pick-up he and friends were riding in went over a cliff.
And while there have been sporadic reports of other "miracle" recoveries following years of a vegetative state, few, if any, of those have lasted more than a day or so. Wallis's recovery, widely reported in the media when it happened, has gone on for almost three years now.
"This is the only patient who was known to emerge after such a long time from such a state," said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. "This particular story of a man 20 years out recovering and sustaining the recovery and moving on is certainly, to my knowledge, unique and never studied."
Schiff, senior author of a study on Wallis and his brain in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, first saw Wallis eight months after he started speaking. That was in April 2004.
"We saw a man with very severe brain injury with a lot of motor impairment. He had a very inarticulate speech pattern but was fluent in language and had recovered a good deal of what appeared to be his baseline personality," Schiff recalled. "We were told that prior to that event he could look at you, follow you around room, nod his head or grunt inconsistently but not communicate."
More than two years after that breakthrough, Wallis has become more alert, recovered more speech and motor control and, most remarkably, has recovered motor function in his lower extremities.
"That was surprising to us, because we had definitely predicted that he wouldn't recover any function in his limb movements and strengths," Schiff said.
"He still can't walk, but he can move his legs and a little bit also his hands, and he can talk," explained Henning Voss, lead author of the study and assistant professor of physics and radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "You can't understand him very well, but he is able to reliably communicate."
The question now is, "What went right?"
In an effort to find the answer, Schiff and his colleagues used state-of-the-art structural and functional neuroimaging techniques to examine Wallis' brain as well as those of 20 healthy individuals and another patient who had been in an MCS for six years with no sign of recovery.
Imaging revealed that neuronal cells in the relatively undamaged areas of Wallis' brain have grown new, significant connections over years. The process is called "axonal re-growth."
"We think that there was some axon reorganization," Voss said. "I think that it was just a very, very slow remodeling of the brain, which takes years."
"The data is compelling to us to consider the hypothesis that what we're looking at here is some form of reconnection among existing neurons," Schiff added.
And medications may have played a role. About two years before he emerged from his minimally conscious state, Wallis started taking the anti-depressant Paxil.
"I have become more willing to believe over time that that might have played a role," Schiff said. "I kind of doubt that axonal regrowth is the whole story."
Whatever happened to Wallis could be of huge import to other patients in similar situations, another expert said.
"Are there ways in which we can use this information to help us find therapies for those who don't recover? The brain has its own mechanisms of self repair," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, in Tampa.
"This is an important finding," he added.
Voss agreed: "The first thing is that we have to better understand the self-healing processes and, once we know more about it, then we can think about how to support this process."
Many more patients need to be studied in order to validate the hypothesis, Schiff said.
But, he added, medicine needs to accept that what happened to Wallis is real.
"This happened, and we should adapt to that as a medical reality and rethink the way we are tracking patients and what kind of access patients with severe brain injury have to basic clinical follow up," Schiff said.
Scientists Turn Stem Cells Into Disease-Fighting T-Cells
U.S. researchers have found a way to genetically manipulate human embryonic stem cells so they grow into mature disease-fighting T-cells -- a discovery they say might help in the development of gene therapy against AIDS.
T-cells are one the of the body's main defenses against disease. In this study, researchers demonstrated that it is possible to convert embryonic stem cells into blood-forming stem cells that, in turn, can turn into the helper T-cells. These are the T-cells that are specifically targeted by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The study was conducted by a team from the University of California, Los Angeles, AIDS Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine.
The findings, published this week in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark the first time scientists have been able to derive T-cells out of human embryonic stem cells.
"This tells you that you may be able to use human embryonic stem cells to treat T-cell and other blood diseases," lead researcher Zoran Galic, an assistant research biologist, said in a prepared statement. "This could be a very important weapon in the fight against AIDS."
The human embryonic stem cells were incubated on mouse bone marrow support cells, which converted the embryonic stem cells into blood-forming cells. These blood-forming cells were then injected into a human thymus gland that had been implanted in a mouse. The thymus gland converted the blood-forming cells into T-cells.
The thymus, located just above the heart in humans, is where T-cells develop.
The study results suggest it's possible to decipher the signals that control the development of embryonic stem cells into T-cells, noted study co-author Jerome Zack, associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute.
"That way we can eventually repopulate the immune system in patients needing T-cells," Zack said in a prepared statement.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Health Headlines - July 3
Poll: Most Americans Check Food Labels
A new Associated Press poll finds that nearly 80 percent of Americans check for nutrition information on food labels before they make their purchases.
Trouble is, another 44 percent said they often toss the food item in their cart even if the label says it's high in fat or sugar.
"We can't assume that better packaged food labels are going to solve our problems," Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University, told the AP.
The survey of 1,003 adults, conducted from May 30 to June 1, also found that women were more likely than men to check labels (65 percent vs. 51 percent), and that married men were more likely to read the nutrition info than single guys (76 percent vs. 65 percent).
And while 39 percent of young people between 18 and 39 years of age said they checked labels, 60 percent said they still might buy an item even if it looked bad for them. "I want to see what I'm getting myself into," explained Loren Cook, 39, of Marysville, Wash. "[The label] doesn't make my buying decisions for me."
Scientists Develop Artificial Limbs That Fasten to Skeleton
In a breakthrough that could help amputees worldwide, researchers at University College of London say they have found a way to allow a prosthesis to breach human skin and attach directly to bone.
The development could pave the way for bionic limbs that could be controlled by the central nervous system, the BBC reported Monday. Until now, the risk of infection passing from the external prosthesis directly into the bone has meant that amputees now have to strap an artificial limb to what is left of the arm or leg. The results of preliminary trials, conducted on patients who had lost thumbs or fingers, will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Anatomy.
The British team that developed the technique, called Intraosseoius Transcutaneoius Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), noted that the risk of infection is lowered because a titanium rod is implanted in the bone and skin tissue then grows around the rod and forms a seal. To figure out how to attach living tissue to metal, the scientists studied how deer antlers burst through skin without infection.
Zafar Khan, chairman of the Limbless Association, told the BBC that, "As an amputee, residual limbs are currently inserted into a socket, to which a prosthetic limb is attached. And when you walk or use the limb there is a movement and that causes rubbing and pressure sores. The real benefit is that this would not happen with the new technique. But on the downside, I would still be worried about infection."
Canada May Have Sixth Case of Mad Cow Disease
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that a mature cross-bred cow in Manitoba may be the country's sixth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called "mad cow disease."
Agency experts expect the finding to be confirmed later this week, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported Saturday. No part of the animal has ended up in the human food system, they added, and the cow was born "well before" the 1997 ban on feed products containing (potentially contaminated) ruminant feed parts.
It's that type of contamination that is thought to have led to Canada's five previous cases of BSE. Canadian government officials last week announced tighter restrictions on animal feed to eliminate the disease from the national herd.
Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer
A daily eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice may help put the brakes on prostate cancer, according to a new study involving 50 patients.
Studies in mice had already suggested that the juice, which is rich in antioxidants, might help slow the disease. For this study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles gave the beverage to 50 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, but had shown signs of relapse.
The investigators intermittently measured the patients' blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common indicator of the presence of prostate cancer cells.
Reporting in Clinical Cancer Research, the researchers say it took 54 months for a doubling of PSA levels in men who drank the juice -- a much slower progression than the average 15-month doubling time usually seen in these patients. Some of the men continued to show PSA suppression for more than three years, despite receiving no treatment other than the juice.
"I was surprised when I saw such an improvement in PSA numbers," lead researcher Dr. Allan Pawtuck told the BBC. He said pomegranate juice "may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population, such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy."
The UCLA team aren't sure which ingredients in the juice help slow cancer progression. The juice is known to have anti-inflammatory compounds, cancer cell-killing isoflavones and antioxidants.
Experts: Bird Flu Vaccine 10 Years Away
Experts meeting at a bird flu summit in Paris said that the H5N1 virus is proving a difficult target for vaccine research, and that a viable vaccine could be 10 years away.
Vaccine researcher Dr. David Fedson, a former professor of medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said H5N1 was proving very difficult to grow in culture, according to a BBC report. Researchers were also finding it tough to stimulate an immune system response in humans that would be strong enough to defend against the virus, he said.
"H5N1 is so poorly immunogenic and replicates so poorly that we could immunize globally, with six months of production, about 100 million people," Fedson told the BBC. Compared to the 300 million doses of seasonal flu manufactured each year, the number would be far too small. "From a public health point of view, this is catastrophic," he said.
In related news, a report issued Friday by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu.
As reported by the Associated Press, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The H5N1 avian flu virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
A new Associated Press poll finds that nearly 80 percent of Americans check for nutrition information on food labels before they make their purchases.
Trouble is, another 44 percent said they often toss the food item in their cart even if the label says it's high in fat or sugar.
"We can't assume that better packaged food labels are going to solve our problems," Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University, told the AP.
The survey of 1,003 adults, conducted from May 30 to June 1, also found that women were more likely than men to check labels (65 percent vs. 51 percent), and that married men were more likely to read the nutrition info than single guys (76 percent vs. 65 percent).
And while 39 percent of young people between 18 and 39 years of age said they checked labels, 60 percent said they still might buy an item even if it looked bad for them. "I want to see what I'm getting myself into," explained Loren Cook, 39, of Marysville, Wash. "[The label] doesn't make my buying decisions for me."
Scientists Develop Artificial Limbs That Fasten to Skeleton
In a breakthrough that could help amputees worldwide, researchers at University College of London say they have found a way to allow a prosthesis to breach human skin and attach directly to bone.
The development could pave the way for bionic limbs that could be controlled by the central nervous system, the BBC reported Monday. Until now, the risk of infection passing from the external prosthesis directly into the bone has meant that amputees now have to strap an artificial limb to what is left of the arm or leg. The results of preliminary trials, conducted on patients who had lost thumbs or fingers, will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Anatomy.
The British team that developed the technique, called Intraosseoius Transcutaneoius Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), noted that the risk of infection is lowered because a titanium rod is implanted in the bone and skin tissue then grows around the rod and forms a seal. To figure out how to attach living tissue to metal, the scientists studied how deer antlers burst through skin without infection.
Zafar Khan, chairman of the Limbless Association, told the BBC that, "As an amputee, residual limbs are currently inserted into a socket, to which a prosthetic limb is attached. And when you walk or use the limb there is a movement and that causes rubbing and pressure sores. The real benefit is that this would not happen with the new technique. But on the downside, I would still be worried about infection."
Canada May Have Sixth Case of Mad Cow Disease
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that a mature cross-bred cow in Manitoba may be the country's sixth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called "mad cow disease."
Agency experts expect the finding to be confirmed later this week, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported Saturday. No part of the animal has ended up in the human food system, they added, and the cow was born "well before" the 1997 ban on feed products containing (potentially contaminated) ruminant feed parts.
It's that type of contamination that is thought to have led to Canada's five previous cases of BSE. Canadian government officials last week announced tighter restrictions on animal feed to eliminate the disease from the national herd.
Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer
A daily eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice may help put the brakes on prostate cancer, according to a new study involving 50 patients.
Studies in mice had already suggested that the juice, which is rich in antioxidants, might help slow the disease. For this study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles gave the beverage to 50 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, but had shown signs of relapse.
The investigators intermittently measured the patients' blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common indicator of the presence of prostate cancer cells.
Reporting in Clinical Cancer Research, the researchers say it took 54 months for a doubling of PSA levels in men who drank the juice -- a much slower progression than the average 15-month doubling time usually seen in these patients. Some of the men continued to show PSA suppression for more than three years, despite receiving no treatment other than the juice.
"I was surprised when I saw such an improvement in PSA numbers," lead researcher Dr. Allan Pawtuck told the BBC. He said pomegranate juice "may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population, such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy."
The UCLA team aren't sure which ingredients in the juice help slow cancer progression. The juice is known to have anti-inflammatory compounds, cancer cell-killing isoflavones and antioxidants.
Experts: Bird Flu Vaccine 10 Years Away
Experts meeting at a bird flu summit in Paris said that the H5N1 virus is proving a difficult target for vaccine research, and that a viable vaccine could be 10 years away.
Vaccine researcher Dr. David Fedson, a former professor of medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said H5N1 was proving very difficult to grow in culture, according to a BBC report. Researchers were also finding it tough to stimulate an immune system response in humans that would be strong enough to defend against the virus, he said.
"H5N1 is so poorly immunogenic and replicates so poorly that we could immunize globally, with six months of production, about 100 million people," Fedson told the BBC. Compared to the 300 million doses of seasonal flu manufactured each year, the number would be far too small. "From a public health point of view, this is catastrophic," he said.
In related news, a report issued Friday by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu.
As reported by the Associated Press, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The H5N1 avian flu virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Health Headlines - July 2
Cheney Found Heart-Fit in Annual Physical
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney got good health news Saturday when he was pronounced in stable cardiac health after a routine annual physical examination.
Tests at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., showed that Cheney's cardiac pacemaker was working properly and had not been activated by an irregular heartbeat and that stent-grafts implanted in arteries behind his knees last year were "wide open," according to his spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride.
Cheney, 65, has had four heart attacks, quadruple heart bypass surgery and two angioplasties, procedures to clear blockages in the arteries. And last year he underwent surgery to repair aneurysms in arteries behind his knees, The New York Times reported.
The physical on Saturday consisted of several tests, including an electrocardiogram, follow-up imaging of the repaired aneurysms and a check of Cheney's implantable cardioverter defibrillator, also known as a pacemaker, that he has had since 2001. A stress test on a treadmill is scheduled for the fall, McBride said.
Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer
A daily eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice may help put the brakes on prostate cancer, according to a new study involving 50 patients.
Studies in mice had already suggested that the juice, which is rich in antioxidants, might help slow the disease. For this study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles gave the beverage to 50 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, but had shown signs of relapse.
The investigators intermittently measured the patients' blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common indicator of the presence of prostate cancer cells.
Reporting in Clinical Cancer Research, the researchers say it took 54 months for a doubling of PSA levels in men who drank the juice -- a much slower progression than the average 15-month doubling time usually seen in these patients. Some of the men continued to show PSA suppression for more than 3 years, despite receiving no treatment other than the juice.
"I was surprised when I saw such an improvement in PSA numbers," lead researcher Dr. Allan Pawtuck told the BBC. He said pomegranate juice "may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population, such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy."
The UCLA team aren't sure which ingredients in the juice help slow cancer progression, The juice is known to have anti-inflammatory compounds, cancer cell-killing isoflavones, plus antioxidants.
Experts: Bird Flu Vaccine 10 Years Away
Experts meeting at a bird flu summit in Paris said that the H5N1 virus is proving a difficult target for vaccine research, and that a viable vaccine could be 10 years away.
Vaccine researcher Dr. David Fedson, a former professor of medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said H5N1 was proving very difficult to grow in culture, according to a BBC report. Researchers were also finding it tough to stimulate an immune system response in humans that would be strong enough to defend against the virus, he said.
"H5N1 is so poorly immunogenic and replicates so poorly that we could immunize globally, with six months of production, about 100 million people," Fedson told the BBC. Compared to the 300 million doses of seasonal flu manufactured each year, the number would be far too small. "From a public health point of view this is catastrophic," he said.
In related news, a report issued Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu.
As reported by the Associated Press, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The H5N1 avian flu virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
NSAIDs Won't Lower Colon Cancer Risk in Smokers
A new study finds that although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen do lower risks for colon cancer, they may not do so for long-term smokers.
The study, which is published in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, included nearly 3,300 Seattle adults averaging 60 years of age, half of whom had a history of colon cancer.
Compared to nonsmokers, people who had smoked for 20 years or longer, and had never used NSAIDs regularly were at highest risk for colon cancer. But researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, found that the risk for colon cancer was also 30 percent higher in long-term smokers who also used NSAIDs on a regular basis.
"Given the damage that smokers receive over their lifetime, even strong anti-progression agents, like NSAIDs, may be ineffective," the study authors wrote.
Norway Cancer Researcher Guilty of Fraud
A commission set up by the hospital employing a disgraced Norwegian cancer researcher announced Friday that it has invalidated most of his work because he manipulated or fabricated data.
Jon Sudbo, 44, has already admitted to fabricating data for studies published in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Sudbo resigned from his post at the University of Oslo and is on sick leave from the National Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to the Associated Press, Sudbo has blamed his misdeeds on a psychological problems and academic pressures to publish.
In their report, the national hospital's commission said "The errors and gaps that have been discovered are too many, too big, and too obvious that they can be blamed on coincidental errors, incompetence or such like."
The report's authors added that Subo's actions may have harmed patients, although they failed to give details. The commission also criticized the university and hospital for not properly reviewing the researcher's work.
In one of the most egregious examples of fraudulent research, Sudbo published a paper in The Lancet last October that claimed that popular over-the-counter painkillers such as Motrin, Advil and Aleve lowered risks for oral cancer but boosted cardiovascular risk. The journal later retracted the article.
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney got good health news Saturday when he was pronounced in stable cardiac health after a routine annual physical examination.
Tests at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., showed that Cheney's cardiac pacemaker was working properly and had not been activated by an irregular heartbeat and that stent-grafts implanted in arteries behind his knees last year were "wide open," according to his spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride.
Cheney, 65, has had four heart attacks, quadruple heart bypass surgery and two angioplasties, procedures to clear blockages in the arteries. And last year he underwent surgery to repair aneurysms in arteries behind his knees, The New York Times reported.
The physical on Saturday consisted of several tests, including an electrocardiogram, follow-up imaging of the repaired aneurysms and a check of Cheney's implantable cardioverter defibrillator, also known as a pacemaker, that he has had since 2001. A stress test on a treadmill is scheduled for the fall, McBride said.
Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer
A daily eight-ounce glass of pomegranate juice may help put the brakes on prostate cancer, according to a new study involving 50 patients.
Studies in mice had already suggested that the juice, which is rich in antioxidants, might help slow the disease. For this study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles gave the beverage to 50 men who had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, but had shown signs of relapse.
The investigators intermittently measured the patients' blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common indicator of the presence of prostate cancer cells.
Reporting in Clinical Cancer Research, the researchers say it took 54 months for a doubling of PSA levels in men who drank the juice -- a much slower progression than the average 15-month doubling time usually seen in these patients. Some of the men continued to show PSA suppression for more than 3 years, despite receiving no treatment other than the juice.
"I was surprised when I saw such an improvement in PSA numbers," lead researcher Dr. Allan Pawtuck told the BBC. He said pomegranate juice "may be able to prevent or delay the need for other therapies usually used in this population, such as hormone treatment or chemotherapy."
The UCLA team aren't sure which ingredients in the juice help slow cancer progression, The juice is known to have anti-inflammatory compounds, cancer cell-killing isoflavones, plus antioxidants.
Experts: Bird Flu Vaccine 10 Years Away
Experts meeting at a bird flu summit in Paris said that the H5N1 virus is proving a difficult target for vaccine research, and that a viable vaccine could be 10 years away.
Vaccine researcher Dr. David Fedson, a former professor of medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said H5N1 was proving very difficult to grow in culture, according to a BBC report. Researchers were also finding it tough to stimulate an immune system response in humans that would be strong enough to defend against the virus, he said.
"H5N1 is so poorly immunogenic and replicates so poorly that we could immunize globally, with six months of production, about 100 million people," Fedson told the BBC. Compared to the 300 million doses of seasonal flu manufactured each year, the number would be far too small. "From a public health point of view this is catastrophic," he said.
In related news, a report issued Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu.
As reported by the Associated Press, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The H5N1 avian flu virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
NSAIDs Won't Lower Colon Cancer Risk in Smokers
A new study finds that although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen do lower risks for colon cancer, they may not do so for long-term smokers.
The study, which is published in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, included nearly 3,300 Seattle adults averaging 60 years of age, half of whom had a history of colon cancer.
Compared to nonsmokers, people who had smoked for 20 years or longer, and had never used NSAIDs regularly were at highest risk for colon cancer. But researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, found that the risk for colon cancer was also 30 percent higher in long-term smokers who also used NSAIDs on a regular basis.
"Given the damage that smokers receive over their lifetime, even strong anti-progression agents, like NSAIDs, may be ineffective," the study authors wrote.
Norway Cancer Researcher Guilty of Fraud
A commission set up by the hospital employing a disgraced Norwegian cancer researcher announced Friday that it has invalidated most of his work because he manipulated or fabricated data.
Jon Sudbo, 44, has already admitted to fabricating data for studies published in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Sudbo resigned from his post at the University of Oslo and is on sick leave from the National Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to the Associated Press, Sudbo has blamed his misdeeds on a psychological problems and academic pressures to publish.
In their report, the national hospital's commission said "The errors and gaps that have been discovered are too many, too big, and too obvious that they can be blamed on coincidental errors, incompetence or such like."
The report's authors added that Subo's actions may have harmed patients, although they failed to give details. The commission also criticized the university and hospital for not properly reviewing the researcher's work.
In one of the most egregious examples of fraudulent research, Sudbo published a paper in The Lancet last October that claimed that popular over-the-counter painkillers such as Motrin, Advil and Aleve lowered risks for oral cancer but boosted cardiovascular risk. The journal later retracted the article.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Health Headlines - July 1
Norway Cancer Researcher Found Guilty of Fraud
A commission set up by the hospital employing a disgraced Norwegian cancer researcher announced Friday that it has invalidated most of his work because he manipulated or fabricated data.
Jon Sudbo, 44, has already admitted to fabricating data for studies published in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Sudbo resigned from his post at the University of Oslo and is on sick leave from the National Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to the Associated Press, Sudbo has blamed his misdeeds on a psychological problems and academic pressures to publish.
In their report, the national hospital's commission said "The errors and gaps that have been discovered are too many, too big, and too obvious that they can be blamed on coincidental errors, incompetence or such like."
The report's authors added that Subo's actions may have harmed patients, although they failed to give details. The commission also criticized the university and hospital for not properly reviewing the researcher's work.
In one of the most egregious examples of fraudulent research, Sudbo published a paper in The Lancet last October that claimed that popular over-the-counter painkillers such as Motrin, Advil and Aleve lowered risks for oral cancer but boosted cardiovascular risk. The journal later retracted the article.
U.S. Dispatches Antiviral Drugs to Asia
The United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu, according to a report from Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.
As reported by the Associated Press on Friday, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The 12-page report from the HHS provides an update on U.S preparations in the event of an epidemic of H5N1 avian flu. The virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
According to Leavitt's report, the U.S. National Strategic Stockpile now contains enough doses of antiviral drugs to treat about 7 million people, with that capacity expected to swell to 26 million treatment courses by the end of the year. The stockpile also contains 12.3 million surgical masks and 20.2 million N2 respirators.
HHS also plans to stage a mock pandemic exercise involving health officials and the media, Levitt said.
In a related story, China's Health Ministry announced Friday it was investigating whether a 24-year-old man who died in a Beijing military hospital in 2003 had bird flu instead of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as initially thought, according to the World Health Organization.
According to the AP China reported its first official case of death from H5N1 avian flu in 2005. However, questions about the 2003 fatality were brought to light in a recent letter from eight Chinese scientists to the New England Journal of Medicine. In the letter, the scientists said tests performed at the time did not turn up SARS, but did reveal the presence of a flu virus with genes similar to bird flu.
Adding 3rd Drug Rarely Helps Ease Serious Depression
Just 16 percent of patients whose depression is not helped by two medications will benefit from the addition of a third drug, a new report finds.
The finding comes from one of the largest U.S. studies ever of depression, a six-year, $35 million project whose latest findings are published in the July American Journal of Psychiatry.
Lead author Dr. Maurizio Fava of Massachusetts General Hospital told the Associated Press that about 30 to 50 percent of depressed patients do not get relief from one or two drugs. For those that try a third medication, the 16 percent success rate is modest, but "you still have a chance," he said.
The study followed 235 people whose depressive symptoms had not eased after first using the antidepressant Celexa (one of the family of SSRI medications that includes Prozac and Zoloft). They next tried another antidepressant instead of, or alongside, Celexa. When that failed doctors prescribed them a third, older medication, either mirtazapine or nortriptyline.
Fourteen weeks into that therapy, depressive symptoms disappeared in 12 percent of mirtazapine users and 20 percent of those taking nortriptyline.
The overall 16 percent success rate is "pretty consistent with what we've believed before," Dr. Matthew Menza, of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, told the AP. Menza, who was not involved in the study, said the findings highlight the need for "new and more effective antidepressants."
Bird Flu Victims Are Mainly Young, WHO Reports
The average age of bird flu victims is 20, making the current outbreak similar in that respect to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.
The current death rate among people with bird flu ages 10 to 19 is 73 percent -- highest of any age group, according to the WHO report cited by the Bloomberg news service. By contrast, most victims of seasonal flu are older than age 65.
Overall, the lethal HN51 strain of bird flu has killed more than half of its victims, according to the WHO report published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record. Since 2003, 228 cases of human bird flu have been reported, including 130 deaths, Bloomberg said.
While the HN51 strain hasn't been detected in the United States, officials say they're taking no chances, according to the Associated Press. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Friday that it was removing all chickens and ducks from its children's petting farm as a precaution. None of the birds is believed infected, a zoo spokesman said.
New Treatment Approved to Prevent Elderly Blindness
A new drug that's been shown to prevent a major form of blindness among the elderly was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Genentech's Lucentis (ranibizumab), dosed monthly, was approved to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. Wet AMD, a retinal disease that causes irreversible vision loss, affects about 155,000 Americans annually, the FDA said in a statement.
In clinical testing of Lucentis, nearly 95 percent of users maintained vision after 12 months, compared with 60 percent of participants who did not take Lucentis.
Another Genentech medication, the cancer drug Avastin, is increasingly prescribed "off-label" to treat AMD, the Associated Press reported. While both inhibit the protein that's believed responsible for the disease, Avastin costs about $17 a dose, while Lucentis is likely to cost upwards of $2,000 a dose, the wire service said.
At least 10,000 people with macular degeneration have been legally prescribed Avastin off-label, meaning that the FDA hasn't sanctioned the drug for that purpose, the AP reported.
A commission set up by the hospital employing a disgraced Norwegian cancer researcher announced Friday that it has invalidated most of his work because he manipulated or fabricated data.
Jon Sudbo, 44, has already admitted to fabricating data for studies published in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Sudbo resigned from his post at the University of Oslo and is on sick leave from the National Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to the Associated Press, Sudbo has blamed his misdeeds on a psychological problems and academic pressures to publish.
In their report, the national hospital's commission said "The errors and gaps that have been discovered are too many, too big, and too obvious that they can be blamed on coincidental errors, incompetence or such like."
The report's authors added that Subo's actions may have harmed patients, although they failed to give details. The commission also criticized the university and hospital for not properly reviewing the researcher's work.
In one of the most egregious examples of fraudulent research, Sudbo published a paper in The Lancet last October that claimed that popular over-the-counter painkillers such as Motrin, Advil and Aleve lowered risks for oral cancer but boosted cardiovascular risk. The journal later retracted the article.
U.S. Dispatches Antiviral Drugs to Asia
The United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu, according to a report from Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.
As reported by the Associated Press on Friday, Levitt said the Tamiflu "could be used as part of the international community's efforts to contain a pandemic. However, if containment was not possible, the Tamilu could be sent back to the U.S. stockpile of antiviral influenza medications."
The 12-page report from the HHS provides an update on U.S preparations in the event of an epidemic of H5N1 avian flu. The virus -- which has so far failed to mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans -- has infected 228 people in 53 countries so far, mostly from bird-to-human contact. Half of those infected have died.
According to Leavitt's report, the U.S. National Strategic Stockpile now contains enough doses of antiviral drugs to treat about 7 million people, with that capacity expected to swell to 26 million treatment courses by the end of the year. The stockpile also contains 12.3 million surgical masks and 20.2 million N2 respirators.
HHS also plans to stage a mock pandemic exercise involving health officials and the media, Levitt said.
In a related story, China's Health Ministry announced Friday it was investigating whether a 24-year-old man who died in a Beijing military hospital in 2003 had bird flu instead of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as initially thought, according to the World Health Organization.
According to the AP China reported its first official case of death from H5N1 avian flu in 2005. However, questions about the 2003 fatality were brought to light in a recent letter from eight Chinese scientists to the New England Journal of Medicine. In the letter, the scientists said tests performed at the time did not turn up SARS, but did reveal the presence of a flu virus with genes similar to bird flu.
Adding 3rd Drug Rarely Helps Ease Serious Depression
Just 16 percent of patients whose depression is not helped by two medications will benefit from the addition of a third drug, a new report finds.
The finding comes from one of the largest U.S. studies ever of depression, a six-year, $35 million project whose latest findings are published in the July American Journal of Psychiatry.
Lead author Dr. Maurizio Fava of Massachusetts General Hospital told the Associated Press that about 30 to 50 percent of depressed patients do not get relief from one or two drugs. For those that try a third medication, the 16 percent success rate is modest, but "you still have a chance," he said.
The study followed 235 people whose depressive symptoms had not eased after first using the antidepressant Celexa (one of the family of SSRI medications that includes Prozac and Zoloft). They next tried another antidepressant instead of, or alongside, Celexa. When that failed doctors prescribed them a third, older medication, either mirtazapine or nortriptyline.
Fourteen weeks into that therapy, depressive symptoms disappeared in 12 percent of mirtazapine users and 20 percent of those taking nortriptyline.
The overall 16 percent success rate is "pretty consistent with what we've believed before," Dr. Matthew Menza, of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, told the AP. Menza, who was not involved in the study, said the findings highlight the need for "new and more effective antidepressants."
Bird Flu Victims Are Mainly Young, WHO Reports
The average age of bird flu victims is 20, making the current outbreak similar in that respect to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.
The current death rate among people with bird flu ages 10 to 19 is 73 percent -- highest of any age group, according to the WHO report cited by the Bloomberg news service. By contrast, most victims of seasonal flu are older than age 65.
Overall, the lethal HN51 strain of bird flu has killed more than half of its victims, according to the WHO report published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record. Since 2003, 228 cases of human bird flu have been reported, including 130 deaths, Bloomberg said.
While the HN51 strain hasn't been detected in the United States, officials say they're taking no chances, according to the Associated Press. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Friday that it was removing all chickens and ducks from its children's petting farm as a precaution. None of the birds is believed infected, a zoo spokesman said.
New Treatment Approved to Prevent Elderly Blindness
A new drug that's been shown to prevent a major form of blindness among the elderly was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Genentech's Lucentis (ranibizumab), dosed monthly, was approved to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. Wet AMD, a retinal disease that causes irreversible vision loss, affects about 155,000 Americans annually, the FDA said in a statement.
In clinical testing of Lucentis, nearly 95 percent of users maintained vision after 12 months, compared with 60 percent of participants who did not take Lucentis.
Another Genentech medication, the cancer drug Avastin, is increasingly prescribed "off-label" to treat AMD, the Associated Press reported. While both inhibit the protein that's believed responsible for the disease, Avastin costs about $17 a dose, while Lucentis is likely to cost upwards of $2,000 a dose, the wire service said.
At least 10,000 people with macular degeneration have been legally prescribed Avastin off-label, meaning that the FDA hasn't sanctioned the drug for that purpose, the AP reported.
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