Americans Want Better Health Insurance: Survey
Americans want more coverage and choice in their health insurance plans -- as long as they don't have to pick up the cost, according to a national survey published online Tuesday by the journal Health Affairs.
The survey also found that the uninsured are more likely than those with insurance to reject policies that require people to buy health insurance, and that 28 percent of Americans favor charging obese people higher insurance premiums.
The University of Chicago researchers who conducted the survey of 1,517 people said their findings suggest that Americans have difficulty making trade-offs to reform the health system and to make coverage more widely available. Instead, Americans want to put the onus on government and employers.
"Overall, Americans seem to be hoping for a better deal: there is little evidence of self-sacrifice," study co-author Daniel Gaylin said in a prepared statement. "They want employers and the government to do more to help pay for coverage but they still want the right to choose from different policies."
While mandatory health insurance may appeal to some state and federal policymakers, support for such policies varies depending on a person's situation, the survey found. More than 75 percent of respondents without health insurance opposed the idea of mandatory health plans.
This could be because these people feel coverage is too expensive or because they've made a decision to forego coverage and want to reserve the right to make that choice, the researchers said.
The survey also found that most of the respondents believe that people with unhealthy behaviors should have to pay more for health insurance. A majority said that smokers should have to pay more, while 28 percent said obese people should pay more. Californians were especially in favor (43 percent) of charging obese people higher health insurance premiums.
FDA Panel to Review Ketek Antibiotic
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a two-day review of the antibiotic Ketek (telithromycin), which has been linked to reports of serous liver problems, including several deaths.
The review, scheduled for Dec. 14-15, will be conducted by an outside panel of experts and could lead to a recommendation that the FDA add further warnings to the label of the antibiotic, the Associated Press reported.
Currently, the Ketek label carries a bold-type warning about reports of liver failure and severe injury in some patients who've taken the drug, which is used to treat respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, sinusitis and community-acquired pneumonia.
The drug was approved by the FDA in 2004. As of April 2006, there had been at least a dozen reports of acute liver failure in people treated with Ketek. Four of those patients died. The FDA is also aware of at least 23 other incidents where patients who took the antibiotic suffered serious liver injuries, the AP reported.
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is investigating allegations of fraud involving clinical trials of Ketek and is looking into how the FDA handled Ketek-related safety issues.
Online Tools Help U.S. Consumers Assess Nutrition Labels
The U.S. government has introduced two new learning tools to help Americans use the Nutrition Facts label so they can select healthy foods and control their weight.
The tools include an interactive Web-based learning program called Make Your Calories Count that's designed to help consumers understand and use the Nutrition Facts label to plan a healthy diet while managing calorie intake.
There's also a new downloadable Nutrition Facts Label brochure that tells consumers how they can use the Nutrition Facts label as they shop and plan meals.
"By making it easier for consumers to understand the Nutrition Facts label, the FDA is helping them make quick and informed food choices that contribute to lifelong healthy eating habits," Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, acting FDA commissioner, said in a prepared statement.
Number of Uninsured Hispanics in U.S. Increases
Since the early 1990s, there's been a rise in the number of uninsured Hispanic people in the United States, says a study released Tuesday by researchers at Columbia University and Montefiore Medical Center.
The study found a steady increase in the number of uninsured Hispanics between 1993 and 2004, while the number of non-Hispanic whites without health insurance remained about the same. The findings appear in the November issue of the journal Health Affairs.
Between 1993 and 2004, the number of uninsured non-citizen Hispanics increased by 3 million and the number of U.S.-born Hispanics without health insurance increased by 2 million, the study said.
The researchers analyzed federal government data on health insurance coverage for Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, and Dominicans and found some "striking differences" in coverage trends among Hispanic sub-groups.
For example, the researchers concluded that welfare reform in the 1990s had a disproportionate effect on Puerto Ricans, whose rates of Medicaid coverage declined from 35 percent in 1993 to 21 percent in 1999. Among Mexicans, the rates decreased from 19 percent to 14 percent over that same period.
In 2004, one-third of all Mexicans and 25 percent of all Cubans and Dominicans living in the United States had no health insurance. Among immigrant Hispanics who weren't U.S. citizens, 57 percent did not have insurance.
'Relatively' Little Tax Money Spent on Illegal Immigrants
Relatively little public money is spent on health care for illegal immigrants in the United States, says a RAND Corporation study in the November issue of the journal Health Affairs.
The study also found that, overall, immigrants to the United States use relatively few health services, primarily because they tend to be healthier than their U.S.-born counterparts.
The researchers estimated that about $1.1 billion of federal, state and local government money is spent each year on undocumented immigrants aged 18 to 64. That works out to an average of $11 in taxes for each U.S. household.
For comparison, the study authors noted that $88 billion in government money was spent on health care for all non-elderly adults in the United States in 2000. The researchers made their national estimates based on data collected in Los Angeles, which has the largest immigrant community in the country.
"Our findings show a relatively small amount of tax money is spent on health services provided to undocumented immigrants," James P. Smith, the RAND chair in Labor Market and Demographic Studies, said in a prepared statement.
"Costs will be much higher for educating children of undocumented immigrants, so that's where debate should center, not on these relatively small health-care costs," Smith said.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Health Headlines - November 14
Gum Disease May Raise Pancreatic Cancer Risk
Gum disease-related chronic inflammation may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, say Harvard School of Public Health researchers, who analyzed 16 years of health data about more than 52,000 men.
Men who reported having gum disease had a 63 percent greater risk of pancreatic cancer than men without gum disease, the researchers found. This held true even after the scientists adjusted for smoking, diabetes, age, physical activity, and diet.
Men who reported gum disease and tooth loss in the previous four years had a 2.5-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer, compared to those who had no gum disease or tooth loss. However, tooth loss alone was not associated with increased risk for pancreatic cancer.
The study was presented Monday at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Gum disease can cause chronic inflammation, both in the mouth and the entire body, the researchers noted. Previous research has linked inflammation and cancer, including a strong association between inflammation of the pancreas and pancreatic cancer.
Diabetes a Major Threat to Indigenous People
Unless something is done to halt an obesity-related diabetes epidemic, indigenous people around the world may become extinct this century, experts told the International Diabetes Federation meeting in Australia.
People with diabetes are at increased risk for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.
"Without urgent action there certainly is a real risk of a major wipe-out of indigenous communities, if not total extinction, within this century," said Professor Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute.
He said indigenous people are at particular risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to a rapid switch to Western diets and sedentary lifestyles, Agence France Presse reported.
Up to half the adult populations in some indigenous communities have diabetes, noted Canadian diabetes expert Professor Stewart Harris. For example, he said 45 percent of Sioux and Pima Indians in the United States have the disease, AFP reported.
Type 2 diabetes has replaced infectious diseases as the leading threat to the survival of indigenous people, Harris said.
Laser Eye Surgeries Safe and Effective: Study
Both LASIK and PRK laser eye surgeries are safe and effective, according to the findings of a 10-year study of 100 eyes with myopia (nearsightedness) corrected by LASIK and 100 eyes corrected by PRK.
The study measured how well the patients maintained the ability to focus, as well as any changes in visual distortion, 10 years after they had the procedures. On average, the patients in the study maintained 20-25 vision a decade after surgery.
"Our study provides a clear answer to those who doubt LASIK's reliability, showing that both LASIK and PRK are effective for correcting myopia with no long-term complications," study lead investigator Jorge L. Alio, chairman of ophthalmology at the Universidad Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain, said in a prepared statement.
The findings were presented Monday in Las Vegas at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's joint meeting with the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.
LASIK uses a laser to reshape the cornea without working directly on the outer surface of the cornea, while PRK works directly on the outer surface of the cornea.
This study found that LASIK provided slightly better results than PRK for patients with more severe myopia, while PRK was a bit more effective for those with less severe nearsightedness.
Wide Variation in Complication Rates for Bariatric Surgery
In-hospital complication rates for bariatric surgery patients vary widely among U.S. hospitals, says a study released Monday by the health-care ratings company HealthGrades.
Bariatric surgery is also known as gastric-bypass surgery, weight-loss surgery, or obesity surgery.
The analysis of 86,520 bariatric surgeries performed in 17 states from 2002 through 2004 concluded that a patient in a five-star rated hospital would, on average, be 66 percent less likely to suffer one or more major complications -- such as bleeding and respiratory and cardiac problems -- than a patient in a one-star rated hospital.
The study also found that:
* Hospitals that do more bariatric surgeries have better quality. Hospitals that received a five-star HealthGrades rating for bariatric surgery did, on average, twice the number of bariatric procedures during the three-year study compared to hospitals with a one-star rating.
* Hospital stays were shorter for patients at hospitals with high-quality programs. The average hospital stay was 21 percent shorter for patients at five-star hospitals, compared to the national average.
* If all hospitals performed at the same level as five-star hospitals, 3,297 of the 86,520 patients studied could have potentially avoided one or more major in-hospital complications.
* The average death rate for bariatric surgery was 0.19 percent (two patients per 1,000).
"It is predicted that more than 200,000 bariatric surgeries will be performed in 2006, but this study shows very clearly that not all hospitals perform this procedure with the same level of quality," Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades senior vice president of medical affairs, said in a prepared statement.
Gerald Ford Longest-Living U.S. President
Gerald R. Ford is now the longest-living U.S. president. He achieved that milestone when he reached 93 years and 121 days on Sunday.
The distinction was previously held by Ronald Reagan, who was 93 years, 120 days when he died June 5, 2004, the Associated Press reported.
"The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends," Ford said in a statement.
"I thank God for the gift of every sunrise and, even more, for all the years he has blessed me with Betty and the children, with our extended family and the friends of a lifetime," said Ford, who has suffered a number of health problems in recent years.
He was president from Aug. 9, 1974 -- when Richard Nixon resigned -- until January 1977.
Gum disease-related chronic inflammation may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, say Harvard School of Public Health researchers, who analyzed 16 years of health data about more than 52,000 men.
Men who reported having gum disease had a 63 percent greater risk of pancreatic cancer than men without gum disease, the researchers found. This held true even after the scientists adjusted for smoking, diabetes, age, physical activity, and diet.
Men who reported gum disease and tooth loss in the previous four years had a 2.5-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer, compared to those who had no gum disease or tooth loss. However, tooth loss alone was not associated with increased risk for pancreatic cancer.
The study was presented Monday at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Gum disease can cause chronic inflammation, both in the mouth and the entire body, the researchers noted. Previous research has linked inflammation and cancer, including a strong association between inflammation of the pancreas and pancreatic cancer.
Diabetes a Major Threat to Indigenous People
Unless something is done to halt an obesity-related diabetes epidemic, indigenous people around the world may become extinct this century, experts told the International Diabetes Federation meeting in Australia.
People with diabetes are at increased risk for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.
"Without urgent action there certainly is a real risk of a major wipe-out of indigenous communities, if not total extinction, within this century," said Professor Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute.
He said indigenous people are at particular risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to a rapid switch to Western diets and sedentary lifestyles, Agence France Presse reported.
Up to half the adult populations in some indigenous communities have diabetes, noted Canadian diabetes expert Professor Stewart Harris. For example, he said 45 percent of Sioux and Pima Indians in the United States have the disease, AFP reported.
Type 2 diabetes has replaced infectious diseases as the leading threat to the survival of indigenous people, Harris said.
Laser Eye Surgeries Safe and Effective: Study
Both LASIK and PRK laser eye surgeries are safe and effective, according to the findings of a 10-year study of 100 eyes with myopia (nearsightedness) corrected by LASIK and 100 eyes corrected by PRK.
The study measured how well the patients maintained the ability to focus, as well as any changes in visual distortion, 10 years after they had the procedures. On average, the patients in the study maintained 20-25 vision a decade after surgery.
"Our study provides a clear answer to those who doubt LASIK's reliability, showing that both LASIK and PRK are effective for correcting myopia with no long-term complications," study lead investigator Jorge L. Alio, chairman of ophthalmology at the Universidad Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain, said in a prepared statement.
The findings were presented Monday in Las Vegas at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's joint meeting with the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.
LASIK uses a laser to reshape the cornea without working directly on the outer surface of the cornea, while PRK works directly on the outer surface of the cornea.
This study found that LASIK provided slightly better results than PRK for patients with more severe myopia, while PRK was a bit more effective for those with less severe nearsightedness.
Wide Variation in Complication Rates for Bariatric Surgery
In-hospital complication rates for bariatric surgery patients vary widely among U.S. hospitals, says a study released Monday by the health-care ratings company HealthGrades.
Bariatric surgery is also known as gastric-bypass surgery, weight-loss surgery, or obesity surgery.
The analysis of 86,520 bariatric surgeries performed in 17 states from 2002 through 2004 concluded that a patient in a five-star rated hospital would, on average, be 66 percent less likely to suffer one or more major complications -- such as bleeding and respiratory and cardiac problems -- than a patient in a one-star rated hospital.
The study also found that:
* Hospitals that do more bariatric surgeries have better quality. Hospitals that received a five-star HealthGrades rating for bariatric surgery did, on average, twice the number of bariatric procedures during the three-year study compared to hospitals with a one-star rating.
* Hospital stays were shorter for patients at hospitals with high-quality programs. The average hospital stay was 21 percent shorter for patients at five-star hospitals, compared to the national average.
* If all hospitals performed at the same level as five-star hospitals, 3,297 of the 86,520 patients studied could have potentially avoided one or more major in-hospital complications.
* The average death rate for bariatric surgery was 0.19 percent (two patients per 1,000).
"It is predicted that more than 200,000 bariatric surgeries will be performed in 2006, but this study shows very clearly that not all hospitals perform this procedure with the same level of quality," Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades senior vice president of medical affairs, said in a prepared statement.
Gerald Ford Longest-Living U.S. President
Gerald R. Ford is now the longest-living U.S. president. He achieved that milestone when he reached 93 years and 121 days on Sunday.
The distinction was previously held by Ronald Reagan, who was 93 years, 120 days when he died June 5, 2004, the Associated Press reported.
"The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends," Ford said in a statement.
"I thank God for the gift of every sunrise and, even more, for all the years he has blessed me with Betty and the children, with our extended family and the friends of a lifetime," said Ford, who has suffered a number of health problems in recent years.
He was president from Aug. 9, 1974 -- when Richard Nixon resigned -- until January 1977.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Health Headlines - November 13
Progess Made in HIV Vaccine Trials
A combination of two vaccines -- one genetically-derived -- has proved effective against HIV in human clinical trials.
While not claiming complete success, National Institute of Health researchers says the vaccines, administered in combination, produced good results, especially the one that was DNA-based. It was found to be "safe and well-tolerated," according to a news release from the Infectious Disease Society of America.
Two problem still exist, the scientists say. The DNA-based vaccine is less potent than other anti-AIDS immunizations, and the other vaccine may be subject to some outside influence.
The findings are published online in the Dec. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Lifespan for AIDS Patients After Diagnosis Estimated at 24 Years
Americans diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live almost a quarter century, according to new research, and the healthcare costs are almost $25,000 annually.
The Associated Press reports that the study, appearing in the November issue of the journal Medical Care, indicates that both the survival rate and the health care costs are more than earlier estimates. Bruce Schackman, an assistant professor of public health at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, said the new information updates a 1993 report that put life expectancy for someone infected with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- at 10 years.
"They're [government officials] going to have to take into account medical advances that have extended people's lives," the wire service quotes Schackman as saying in reference to the amount of money allocated for caring for someone with AIDS.
The research was based on the medical records of about 7,000 patients being treated in 18 medical practices across the United States, the A.P. reports.
Simple Answer to Worldwide Infectious Disease: More Toilets
One of the simplest methods to fight infectious disease is being greatly underused, a new United Nations report says.
The New York Times reports that the report concludes that if $10 billion were spent to build many more toilets or latrines in all the developing countries, the amount of safe, public drinking water would double and infectious disease risk would be greatly reduced.
Most of these countries pay little or no attention to providing their citizens with toilet facilities, the newspaper cites the report as finding. For example, in a slum of Mumbai, India, there is only one toilet per 1,440 people, the study found.
As a result, 2.6 billion people -- one third of the world's population -- are at high risk for contracting a variety of diseases and infections associated with bad public sanitation: diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, trachoma and parasitic worms, the Times reports.
Companies May Face Claims Over PDA-Related Worker Injuries
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
A combination of two vaccines -- one genetically-derived -- has proved effective against HIV in human clinical trials.
While not claiming complete success, National Institute of Health researchers says the vaccines, administered in combination, produced good results, especially the one that was DNA-based. It was found to be "safe and well-tolerated," according to a news release from the Infectious Disease Society of America.
Two problem still exist, the scientists say. The DNA-based vaccine is less potent than other anti-AIDS immunizations, and the other vaccine may be subject to some outside influence.
The findings are published online in the Dec. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Lifespan for AIDS Patients After Diagnosis Estimated at 24 Years
Americans diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live almost a quarter century, according to new research, and the healthcare costs are almost $25,000 annually.
The Associated Press reports that the study, appearing in the November issue of the journal Medical Care, indicates that both the survival rate and the health care costs are more than earlier estimates. Bruce Schackman, an assistant professor of public health at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, said the new information updates a 1993 report that put life expectancy for someone infected with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- at 10 years.
"They're [government officials] going to have to take into account medical advances that have extended people's lives," the wire service quotes Schackman as saying in reference to the amount of money allocated for caring for someone with AIDS.
The research was based on the medical records of about 7,000 patients being treated in 18 medical practices across the United States, the A.P. reports.
Simple Answer to Worldwide Infectious Disease: More Toilets
One of the simplest methods to fight infectious disease is being greatly underused, a new United Nations report says.
The New York Times reports that the report concludes that if $10 billion were spent to build many more toilets or latrines in all the developing countries, the amount of safe, public drinking water would double and infectious disease risk would be greatly reduced.
Most of these countries pay little or no attention to providing their citizens with toilet facilities, the newspaper cites the report as finding. For example, in a slum of Mumbai, India, there is only one toilet per 1,440 people, the study found.
As a result, 2.6 billion people -- one third of the world's population -- are at high risk for contracting a variety of diseases and infections associated with bad public sanitation: diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, trachoma and parasitic worms, the Times reports.
Companies May Face Claims Over PDA-Related Worker Injuries
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Health Headlines - November 12
Lifespan for AIDS Patients After Diagnosis Estimated at 24 Years
Americans diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live almost a quarter century, according to new research, and the healthcare costs are almost $25,000 annually.
The Associated Press reports that the study, appearing in the November issue of the journal Medical Care, indicates that both the survival rate and the health care costs are more than earlier estimates. Bruce Schackman, an assistant professor of public health at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, said the new information updates a 1993 report that put life expectancy for someone infected with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- at 10 years.
"They're [government officials] going to have to take into account medical advances that have extended people's lives," the wire service quotes Schackman as saying in reference to the amount of money allocated for caring for someone with AIDS.
The research was based on the medical records of about 7,000 patients being treated in 18 medical practices across the United States, the A.P. reports.
Simple Answer to Worldwide Infectious Disease: More Toilets
One of the simplest methods to fight infectious disease is being greatly underused, a new United Nations report says.
The New York Times reports that the report concludes that if $10 billion were spent to build many more toilets or latrines in all the developing countries, the amount of safe, public drinking water would double and infectious disease risk would be greatly reduced.
Most of these countries pay little or no attention to providing their citizens with toilet facilities, the newspaper cites the report as finding. For example, in a slum of Mumbai, India, there is only one toilet per 1,440 people, the study found.
As a result, 2.6 billion people -- one third of the world's population -- are at high risk for contracting a variety of diseases and infections associated with bad public sanitation: diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, trachoma and parasitic worms, the Times reports.
Companies May Face Claims Over PDA-Related Worker Injuries
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
Asian Diabetes Epidemic Could Overwhelm Health Services
A worsening diabetes epidemic in Asia could overwhelm health services in the region, says a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
In 2003, 194 million people in Asia had diabetes, but that figure could reach 333 million by 2025, said the study. It was published ahead of World Diabetes Day next Tuesday, Agence France Presse reported.
"Childhood obesity has increased substantially and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in Asia. The health consequences of this epidemic threaten to overwhelm health-care systems in the region," the study authors wrote.
"Urgent action is needed, and advocacy for lifestyle changes is the first step," they said.
The study said the diabetes epidemic in Asia is the result of increased consumption of energy-dense diets heavy in fat and sugar, along with a sedentary lifestyle, AFP reported.
Americans diagnosed with the AIDS virus can expect to live almost a quarter century, according to new research, and the healthcare costs are almost $25,000 annually.
The Associated Press reports that the study, appearing in the November issue of the journal Medical Care, indicates that both the survival rate and the health care costs are more than earlier estimates. Bruce Schackman, an assistant professor of public health at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, said the new information updates a 1993 report that put life expectancy for someone infected with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- at 10 years.
"They're [government officials] going to have to take into account medical advances that have extended people's lives," the wire service quotes Schackman as saying in reference to the amount of money allocated for caring for someone with AIDS.
The research was based on the medical records of about 7,000 patients being treated in 18 medical practices across the United States, the A.P. reports.
Simple Answer to Worldwide Infectious Disease: More Toilets
One of the simplest methods to fight infectious disease is being greatly underused, a new United Nations report says.
The New York Times reports that the report concludes that if $10 billion were spent to build many more toilets or latrines in all the developing countries, the amount of safe, public drinking water would double and infectious disease risk would be greatly reduced.
Most of these countries pay little or no attention to providing their citizens with toilet facilities, the newspaper cites the report as finding. For example, in a slum of Mumbai, India, there is only one toilet per 1,440 people, the study found.
As a result, 2.6 billion people -- one third of the world's population -- are at high risk for contracting a variety of diseases and infections associated with bad public sanitation: diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, trachoma and parasitic worms, the Times reports.
Companies May Face Claims Over PDA-Related Worker Injuries
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
Asian Diabetes Epidemic Could Overwhelm Health Services
A worsening diabetes epidemic in Asia could overwhelm health services in the region, says a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
In 2003, 194 million people in Asia had diabetes, but that figure could reach 333 million by 2025, said the study. It was published ahead of World Diabetes Day next Tuesday, Agence France Presse reported.
"Childhood obesity has increased substantially and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in Asia. The health consequences of this epidemic threaten to overwhelm health-care systems in the region," the study authors wrote.
"Urgent action is needed, and advocacy for lifestyle changes is the first step," they said.
The study said the diabetes epidemic in Asia is the result of increased consumption of energy-dense diets heavy in fat and sugar, along with a sedentary lifestyle, AFP reported.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Health Headlines - November 11
Companies May Face Claims Over PDA-Related Worker Injuries
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
Poor Water, Sanitation Kill Millions of Children Annually
A lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation causes the deaths of more than 2 million young children -- nearly 5,000 deaths a day -- worldwide each year, says a report released Thursday by the U.N. Development Program.
Most of those deaths -- often the result of diarrhea -- are preventable, the Associated Press reported.
"No access to sanitation is a polite way of saying that people draw water for drinking, cooking and washing from rivers, lakes, ditches and drains fouled with human and animal excrement," said the report's main author, Kevin Watkins.
The report detailed global imbalances in terms of clean water and noted that safe drinking water and sanitation are a low political priority, the AP reported.
"Dripping taps in rich countries lose more water than is available each day to more than 1 billion people," the report said.
The authors called for a global campaign -- similar to the kind used to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- to improve access to clean water and sanitation around the world.
Asian Diabetes Epidemic Could Overwhelm Health Services
A worsening diabetes epidemic in Asia could overwhelm health services in the region, says a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
In 2003, 194 million people in Asia had diabetes, but that figure could reach 333 million by 2025, said the study. It was published ahead of World Diabetes Day next Tuesday, Agence France Presse reported.
"Childhood obesity has increased substantially and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in Asia. The health consequences of this epidemic threaten to overwhelm health-care systems in the region," the study authors wrote.
"Urgent action is needed, and advocacy for lifestyle changes is the first step," they said.
The study said the diabetes epidemic in Asia is the result of increased consumption of energy-dense diets heavy in fat and sugar, along with a sedentary lifestyle, AFP reported.
U.S. companies could face liability or workers' compensation claims over injuries caused by personal digital assistants (PDAs), and need to develop policies on use of the handheld devices, employment lawyers say.
Lawyer Frank Morris of Washington, D.C., also said employees could argue that they're entitled to overtime if they're expected to use a company-provided PDA outside of normal work hours, USA Today reported.
"If you develop full-blown symptoms, it's pretty severe. Employers can train people how to correctly hold and use the handheld device to write brief e-mails," Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, told USA Today.
Treatment for PDA-related injuries -- such as hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling -- can involve surgery, physical therapy, or halting use of the devices, said Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the American Society of Hand Therapists.
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers. In the workplace, you should dock them into a regular-size keyboard and monitor," Doyon said.
PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers, even pocket computers.
Scientists Create Artificial Stomach
An artificial stomach that can be fed real food and simulates human digestion has been created by a team at the Institute of Food Research in England.
The scientists say the device, made from special plastics and metals, will help them better understand digestion and may prove valuable in the development of healthier foods, BBC News reported.
This model mimics both the physical and chemical reactions that take place during digestion. Previous attempts to create artificial stomachs focused solely on the chemistry of digestion, said chief designer Dr. Martin Wickham.
This new device is even able to imitate the stomach contractions that help break up food and move it along the alimentary canal, BBC News reported.
"Our knowledge of what actually happens in the gut is still very rudimentary, but we hope that this model can help fill in some of the blanks," Wickham said.
Massage Good for Babies
Giving babies massages helps them sleep better, cry less, and lowers their levels of stress hormones, say researchers who reviewed nine studies involving more than 600 infants younger than 6 months of age.
The review authors, from the University of Warwick in England, also found that massages help create a closer bond between babies and their mothers, The Age of Australia reported.
Most of the studies included parents who'd been trained in the correct techniques for massaging their babies. One of the studies found that massage affected the release of melatonin, a hormone known to help sleep patterns. Another study suggested that massage could help form stronger bonds between women with postnatal depression and their infants, The Age reported.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.
Doctors Planning Human Womb Transplant
Doctors at Manhattan's New York Downtown Hospital are planning to perform the world's first successful human womb transplant, the New York Post reported.
If this kind of surgery proves successful, it could help thousands of women who are infertile because they were born without a uterus.
The surgery was recently approved by the hospital's ethics board. Potential donors have been identified (a healthy uterus would be removed from a donor after she died) and the surgical team is interviewing women who want a donated uterus, the Post reported.
Recipients would have to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplanted womb.
The surgical team is led by gynecologist Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, who has conducted a womb transplant on a Rhesus monkey.
Poor Water, Sanitation Kill Millions of Children Annually
A lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation causes the deaths of more than 2 million young children -- nearly 5,000 deaths a day -- worldwide each year, says a report released Thursday by the U.N. Development Program.
Most of those deaths -- often the result of diarrhea -- are preventable, the Associated Press reported.
"No access to sanitation is a polite way of saying that people draw water for drinking, cooking and washing from rivers, lakes, ditches and drains fouled with human and animal excrement," said the report's main author, Kevin Watkins.
The report detailed global imbalances in terms of clean water and noted that safe drinking water and sanitation are a low political priority, the AP reported.
"Dripping taps in rich countries lose more water than is available each day to more than 1 billion people," the report said.
The authors called for a global campaign -- similar to the kind used to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- to improve access to clean water and sanitation around the world.
Asian Diabetes Epidemic Could Overwhelm Health Services
A worsening diabetes epidemic in Asia could overwhelm health services in the region, says a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
In 2003, 194 million people in Asia had diabetes, but that figure could reach 333 million by 2025, said the study. It was published ahead of World Diabetes Day next Tuesday, Agence France Presse reported.
"Childhood obesity has increased substantially and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in Asia. The health consequences of this epidemic threaten to overwhelm health-care systems in the region," the study authors wrote.
"Urgent action is needed, and advocacy for lifestyle changes is the first step," they said.
The study said the diabetes epidemic in Asia is the result of increased consumption of energy-dense diets heavy in fat and sugar, along with a sedentary lifestyle, AFP reported.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Health Headlines - November 10
Abuse of Cough Medicine Ingredient Sending Kids to Hospital
Over 12,500 Americans were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments after taking dextromethorphan (DXM), an ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines, experts from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported Thursday.
Nearly half (5,581) of cases were attributed to nonmedical use, and of those cases, 48 percent occurred in patients between 12 and 20 years of age, the SAMHSA report found. This group had more than double the rate of DXM-related hospital visits as people in other age groups (7.1 vs. 2.6 visits per 100,000 people, respectively).
"This report shows that there can be severe, even life-threatening consequences associated with the misuse of some over-the-counter medicines," SAMHSA Acting Deputy Administrator Dr. Eric Broderick said in a statement.
According to the agency, DXM is considered safe at recommended doses, but in large amounts it can produce a hallucinatory high similar to psychotropic drugs. Adverse effects include blurred vision, poor coordination, abdominal pain and rapid heartbeat.
In May 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on DXM abuse following the death of 5 teenagers who may have consumed pure DXM in powdered, capsule form.
-----
FDA to Change Handling of Medical Device Safety Issues
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking at ways to change how it responds to safety issues involving medical devices such as pacemakers and stents.
Proposals include steps to improve the agency's sharing of safety information, along with streamlining and enhancing the way the FDA collects reports of possible medical device problems from doctors, manufacturers and other sources, the Associated Press reported.
The agency also wants all medical devices to be marked with numbers that would make it easier to track them in the event of a recall.
The FDA's handling of safety issues surrounding drugs and medical devices has been under scrutiny, which is likely to intensify now that Democrats have won control of Congress, the AP reported.
Last year, there was widespread criticism of the agency's handling of medical device safety issues after a number of high-profile recalls and safety warnings that affected more than 200,000 implantable heart defibrillators.
In related news, medical device companies said Wednesday they wanted a cut in the fees they pay the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when they submit their products for government approval.
FDA officials and medical device industry representatives are holding closed-door talks on the user-fee program, which was created to bring in more money to hire additional FDA staff to speed the approval process for medical devices, the Associated Press reported.
-----
Medicaid Coverage of Anti-Smoking Therapies Must Rise: Experts
Dramatic increases in state Medicaid coverage for tobacco-dependence treatments are needed if the United States wants to achieve the 2010 objective of providing such coverage in all 51 state Medicaid programs, says an article in the current Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The article said that in 2005, 38 Medicaid programs covered some tobacco-dependence counseling or medication for all recipients, compared with 37 in 2003. An additional four states offered coverage only for pregnant women and only one state (Oregon) offered coverage for all medication and counseling treatments recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service guidelines.
Of the 41 million Americans enrolled in state Medicaid programs in 2004, about 29 percent were current smokers, the article said.
An editorial in the same issue of the MMWR recognizes the American Cancer Society's sponsorship of the Great American Smokeout since 1977. The event, held on the third Thursday in November, is meant to encourage people to quit smoking.
-----
'60 Minutes' Reporter Ed Bradley Dies of Leukemia
CBS correspondent Ed Bradley, a 26-year veteran of the news magazine "60 Minutes," died Thursday of leukemia, the network announced.
Bradley was 65. CBS provided no other details of his illness, but the Washington Post reported that he had been ill for some time and had heart surgery about a year ago.
His coverage of stories ranging from brain cancer to the high school shootings at Columbine earned him many of television journalism's highest forms of recognition, including 19 Emmys, the George Foster Peabody Award, and the Alfred I. duPont Award, CBS said.
-----
Early Exposure to Smoking Increases Bladder Cancer Risk: Study
People who start smoking at a young age or who are exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood have an increased risk of bladder cancer later in life, says a study funded by Cancer Research UK.
Researchers analyzed data on about 430,000 people in Europe and found that those who smoked before age 15 were three times more likely to develop bladder cancer later in life, while those who started smoking between the ages of 15 and 19 had a 1.5-fold greater risk, BBC News reported.
People exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood had about a 40 percent increased risk of bladder cancer. The study appears in the International Journal of Cancer.
"The indication in our study that early exposure to tobacco smoke might increase the risk of bladder cancer calls for further research and adds to the body of evidence suggesting that children are more sensitive to carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) than adults," the study authors wrote.
Professor John Toy, Cancer UK's medical director, said the findings show the value of bans on smoking in public places, BBC News reported.
-----
Scientists Prompt Immune System to Fight Skin Cancer
Papers outlining two methods of spurring the immune system to fight melanoma were presented this week at a European cancer research meeting in Prague, the Associated Press reported.
The papers, both by U.S. researchers, describe the first attempts to suppress the body's T-regulatory cells, which normally keep the immune system under control. Some experts believe that unleashing the immune system may benefit cancer patients.
In one study, researchers used a drug to knock out T-regulator cells in seven patients with advanced skin cancer and found that their immune systems mounted continuous attacks against the cancer. In five of the patients, tumors remained stable or shrank, the AP reported.
"It's like having permanent chemotherapy. You're inducing your own immune system to stick around and keep this cancer from growing," said researcher Dr. Jason Chesney of the J.G. Brown Cancer Center in Kentucky.
The second study by researchers in California described how blocking a protein on T-regulatory cells inhibited those cells enough for patients' immune systems to attack skin cancer. Of the 25 patients tested, 24 were alive after 17 months, and three were cancer-free, the AP reported.
Over 12,500 Americans were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments after taking dextromethorphan (DXM), an ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines, experts from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported Thursday.
Nearly half (5,581) of cases were attributed to nonmedical use, and of those cases, 48 percent occurred in patients between 12 and 20 years of age, the SAMHSA report found. This group had more than double the rate of DXM-related hospital visits as people in other age groups (7.1 vs. 2.6 visits per 100,000 people, respectively).
"This report shows that there can be severe, even life-threatening consequences associated with the misuse of some over-the-counter medicines," SAMHSA Acting Deputy Administrator Dr. Eric Broderick said in a statement.
According to the agency, DXM is considered safe at recommended doses, but in large amounts it can produce a hallucinatory high similar to psychotropic drugs. Adverse effects include blurred vision, poor coordination, abdominal pain and rapid heartbeat.
In May 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on DXM abuse following the death of 5 teenagers who may have consumed pure DXM in powdered, capsule form.
-----
FDA to Change Handling of Medical Device Safety Issues
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking at ways to change how it responds to safety issues involving medical devices such as pacemakers and stents.
Proposals include steps to improve the agency's sharing of safety information, along with streamlining and enhancing the way the FDA collects reports of possible medical device problems from doctors, manufacturers and other sources, the Associated Press reported.
The agency also wants all medical devices to be marked with numbers that would make it easier to track them in the event of a recall.
The FDA's handling of safety issues surrounding drugs and medical devices has been under scrutiny, which is likely to intensify now that Democrats have won control of Congress, the AP reported.
Last year, there was widespread criticism of the agency's handling of medical device safety issues after a number of high-profile recalls and safety warnings that affected more than 200,000 implantable heart defibrillators.
In related news, medical device companies said Wednesday they wanted a cut in the fees they pay the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when they submit their products for government approval.
FDA officials and medical device industry representatives are holding closed-door talks on the user-fee program, which was created to bring in more money to hire additional FDA staff to speed the approval process for medical devices, the Associated Press reported.
-----
Medicaid Coverage of Anti-Smoking Therapies Must Rise: Experts
Dramatic increases in state Medicaid coverage for tobacco-dependence treatments are needed if the United States wants to achieve the 2010 objective of providing such coverage in all 51 state Medicaid programs, says an article in the current Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The article said that in 2005, 38 Medicaid programs covered some tobacco-dependence counseling or medication for all recipients, compared with 37 in 2003. An additional four states offered coverage only for pregnant women and only one state (Oregon) offered coverage for all medication and counseling treatments recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service guidelines.
Of the 41 million Americans enrolled in state Medicaid programs in 2004, about 29 percent were current smokers, the article said.
An editorial in the same issue of the MMWR recognizes the American Cancer Society's sponsorship of the Great American Smokeout since 1977. The event, held on the third Thursday in November, is meant to encourage people to quit smoking.
-----
'60 Minutes' Reporter Ed Bradley Dies of Leukemia
CBS correspondent Ed Bradley, a 26-year veteran of the news magazine "60 Minutes," died Thursday of leukemia, the network announced.
Bradley was 65. CBS provided no other details of his illness, but the Washington Post reported that he had been ill for some time and had heart surgery about a year ago.
His coverage of stories ranging from brain cancer to the high school shootings at Columbine earned him many of television journalism's highest forms of recognition, including 19 Emmys, the George Foster Peabody Award, and the Alfred I. duPont Award, CBS said.
-----
Early Exposure to Smoking Increases Bladder Cancer Risk: Study
People who start smoking at a young age or who are exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood have an increased risk of bladder cancer later in life, says a study funded by Cancer Research UK.
Researchers analyzed data on about 430,000 people in Europe and found that those who smoked before age 15 were three times more likely to develop bladder cancer later in life, while those who started smoking between the ages of 15 and 19 had a 1.5-fold greater risk, BBC News reported.
People exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood had about a 40 percent increased risk of bladder cancer. The study appears in the International Journal of Cancer.
"The indication in our study that early exposure to tobacco smoke might increase the risk of bladder cancer calls for further research and adds to the body of evidence suggesting that children are more sensitive to carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) than adults," the study authors wrote.
Professor John Toy, Cancer UK's medical director, said the findings show the value of bans on smoking in public places, BBC News reported.
-----
Scientists Prompt Immune System to Fight Skin Cancer
Papers outlining two methods of spurring the immune system to fight melanoma were presented this week at a European cancer research meeting in Prague, the Associated Press reported.
The papers, both by U.S. researchers, describe the first attempts to suppress the body's T-regulatory cells, which normally keep the immune system under control. Some experts believe that unleashing the immune system may benefit cancer patients.
In one study, researchers used a drug to knock out T-regulator cells in seven patients with advanced skin cancer and found that their immune systems mounted continuous attacks against the cancer. In five of the patients, tumors remained stable or shrank, the AP reported.
"It's like having permanent chemotherapy. You're inducing your own immune system to stick around and keep this cancer from growing," said researcher Dr. Jason Chesney of the J.G. Brown Cancer Center in Kentucky.
The second study by researchers in California described how blocking a protein on T-regulatory cells inhibited those cells enough for patients' immune systems to attack skin cancer. Of the 25 patients tested, 24 were alive after 17 months, and three were cancer-free, the AP reported.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Health Headlines - November 9
CDC Urges Child-Care Providers to Monitor Emotional Development
A U.S. public awareness campaign about childhood development is being expanded to target more than 400,000 child-care facilities across the nation, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign is designed to increase awareness about the importance of monitoring a child's social and emotional development, including looking for early warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities. The expanded program will offer free materials to help child-care providers and preschool teachers educate parents about child development, the CDC said.
"More than 8.7 million children younger than 5 years of age in the United States are in some type of child-care arrangement," Alison Johnson, acting director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said in a prepared statement.
"Child-care providers and preschool teachers are in a special position to watch for (developmental) delays and to promote early identification and action when a delay is suspected. In fact, because they see children interact in peer groups, child-care providers can be the first to observe early warning signs of a developmental delay such as autism," Johnson said.
The CDC campaign also encourages parents to talk to their child's doctor about any concerns they may have regarding their child's social and emotional development.
Bird-Flu Expert Is New WHO Director-General
A Chinese bird-flu expert has been chosen as the new director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO's executive board on Wednesday selected Dr. Margaret Chan from a field of five candidates. The post became vacant when former director-general Lee Jong-wook died in May. Chan is the first Chinese national to be appointed to such a high-ranking U.N. position, the Associated Press reported.
She still has to be approved by a two-thirds majority at a special session Thursday of the 193-member World Health Assembly, which governs the WHO. In the past, the assembly has voted in favor of the WHO executive board's choices for director-general.
Chan was appointed Hong Kong's director of public health in 1994 and had to deal with bird flu and SARS outbreaks there. In recent years, Chan has been the WHO's influenza pandemic chief and assistant director-general, the AP reported.
Sugary Foods and Drinks Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
People who consume a lot of sugary food and drinks have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, says a study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
Between 1997 and 2005, the researchers surveyed the eating and drinking habits of 80,000 healthy men and women. Of those, 131 developed pancreatic cancer, Agence France Presse reported.
People who drank fizzy or syrup-based products two times a day or more were 90 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who never drank those types of beverages, the study found.
The researchers also concluded that people who added sugar to food or drinks at least five times a day had a 70 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed in the late stages and is difficult to treat, AFP reported.
The study was published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
U.S. Supreme Court to Review Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
The White House is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a controversial nationwide ban on so-called partial-birth abortions, the Associated Press reported.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to meet Wednesday to hear arguments for and against the Partial-Birth Abortion Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2003.
Six federal courts in different regions of the U.S. have ruled that the law is an impermissible restriction on a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, as established by the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, the AP reported.
Partial-birth abortion usually takes place in the middle third of pregnancy. It's estimated that a few thousand such procedures are done each year in the U.S., out of a total of more than 1.25 million abortions. Ninety percent of all abortions in the U.S. take place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the AP reported.
Industrial Chemicals Pose Threat to Children's Brains
Exposure to hundreds of industrial chemicals could be damaging the developing brains of children worldwide and may be linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says a study published online Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.
Two environmental medicine specialists from Denmark and the United States compiled a list of 201 industrial chemicals -- including arsenic, benzene and phenol -- that could cause irreparable damage to youngsters' developing brains, the Canadian Press reported.
The researchers also noted that many of these potentially toxic chemicals are not regulated because too little is known about their effects on human health. They said this lack of regulation is a "silent epidemic" that's putting children around the world at risk.
Governments need to immediately start placing strict controls on these chemicals, instead of waiting for years of research to determine whether the chemicals are dangerous or not.
"What we are saying is we cannot afford to wait decades because that way we will expose another generation of children to toxic chemicals that will affect their brains permanently," study lead author Philippe Grandjean, chair of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, told the CP.
Study Tests Stem Cell Treatment in Heart Attack Patients
A study to determine if heart attack patients can be treated with injections of their own bone marrow stem cells is being conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom.
The trial of 100 people will assess the effects of injecting the stem cells within five hours of a heart attack, BBC News reported.
There is evidence to suggest that bone marrow stem cells can help repair heart muscle damage caused by a heart attack. This kind of repair could help prevent subsequent heart failure in heart attack patients.
Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into any kind of tissue.
The study, funded by the U.K. Stem Cell Foundation, will be run by Barts Hospital in London. Patients in the study will receive both the stem cell injections and angioplasty, a procedure to clear blocked arteries, BBC News reported.
"If we can demonstrate improvement in quality of life of patients then this will be a significant step forward in the treatment of heart disease," said researcher Dr. Anthony Mathur. "Because the stem cells are taken from the patient themselves there are minimal ethical issues surrounding this procedure. There is also less likelihood of rejection complications."
A U.S. public awareness campaign about childhood development is being expanded to target more than 400,000 child-care facilities across the nation, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign is designed to increase awareness about the importance of monitoring a child's social and emotional development, including looking for early warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities. The expanded program will offer free materials to help child-care providers and preschool teachers educate parents about child development, the CDC said.
"More than 8.7 million children younger than 5 years of age in the United States are in some type of child-care arrangement," Alison Johnson, acting director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said in a prepared statement.
"Child-care providers and preschool teachers are in a special position to watch for (developmental) delays and to promote early identification and action when a delay is suspected. In fact, because they see children interact in peer groups, child-care providers can be the first to observe early warning signs of a developmental delay such as autism," Johnson said.
The CDC campaign also encourages parents to talk to their child's doctor about any concerns they may have regarding their child's social and emotional development.
Bird-Flu Expert Is New WHO Director-General
A Chinese bird-flu expert has been chosen as the new director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO's executive board on Wednesday selected Dr. Margaret Chan from a field of five candidates. The post became vacant when former director-general Lee Jong-wook died in May. Chan is the first Chinese national to be appointed to such a high-ranking U.N. position, the Associated Press reported.
She still has to be approved by a two-thirds majority at a special session Thursday of the 193-member World Health Assembly, which governs the WHO. In the past, the assembly has voted in favor of the WHO executive board's choices for director-general.
Chan was appointed Hong Kong's director of public health in 1994 and had to deal with bird flu and SARS outbreaks there. In recent years, Chan has been the WHO's influenza pandemic chief and assistant director-general, the AP reported.
Sugary Foods and Drinks Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
People who consume a lot of sugary food and drinks have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, says a study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
Between 1997 and 2005, the researchers surveyed the eating and drinking habits of 80,000 healthy men and women. Of those, 131 developed pancreatic cancer, Agence France Presse reported.
People who drank fizzy or syrup-based products two times a day or more were 90 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who never drank those types of beverages, the study found.
The researchers also concluded that people who added sugar to food or drinks at least five times a day had a 70 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed in the late stages and is difficult to treat, AFP reported.
The study was published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
U.S. Supreme Court to Review Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
The White House is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a controversial nationwide ban on so-called partial-birth abortions, the Associated Press reported.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to meet Wednesday to hear arguments for and against the Partial-Birth Abortion Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2003.
Six federal courts in different regions of the U.S. have ruled that the law is an impermissible restriction on a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, as established by the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, the AP reported.
Partial-birth abortion usually takes place in the middle third of pregnancy. It's estimated that a few thousand such procedures are done each year in the U.S., out of a total of more than 1.25 million abortions. Ninety percent of all abortions in the U.S. take place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the AP reported.
Industrial Chemicals Pose Threat to Children's Brains
Exposure to hundreds of industrial chemicals could be damaging the developing brains of children worldwide and may be linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says a study published online Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.
Two environmental medicine specialists from Denmark and the United States compiled a list of 201 industrial chemicals -- including arsenic, benzene and phenol -- that could cause irreparable damage to youngsters' developing brains, the Canadian Press reported.
The researchers also noted that many of these potentially toxic chemicals are not regulated because too little is known about their effects on human health. They said this lack of regulation is a "silent epidemic" that's putting children around the world at risk.
Governments need to immediately start placing strict controls on these chemicals, instead of waiting for years of research to determine whether the chemicals are dangerous or not.
"What we are saying is we cannot afford to wait decades because that way we will expose another generation of children to toxic chemicals that will affect their brains permanently," study lead author Philippe Grandjean, chair of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, told the CP.
Study Tests Stem Cell Treatment in Heart Attack Patients
A study to determine if heart attack patients can be treated with injections of their own bone marrow stem cells is being conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom.
The trial of 100 people will assess the effects of injecting the stem cells within five hours of a heart attack, BBC News reported.
There is evidence to suggest that bone marrow stem cells can help repair heart muscle damage caused by a heart attack. This kind of repair could help prevent subsequent heart failure in heart attack patients.
Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into any kind of tissue.
The study, funded by the U.K. Stem Cell Foundation, will be run by Barts Hospital in London. Patients in the study will receive both the stem cell injections and angioplasty, a procedure to clear blocked arteries, BBC News reported.
"If we can demonstrate improvement in quality of life of patients then this will be a significant step forward in the treatment of heart disease," said researcher Dr. Anthony Mathur. "Because the stem cells are taken from the patient themselves there are minimal ethical issues surrounding this procedure. There is also less likelihood of rejection complications."
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Health Headlines - November 8
Study Links Brain Chemical Imbalance and Depression
Canadian researchers say they've discovered important new information about the cause of brain chemical imbalances associated with depression. Their research could lead to new, more effective drugs to treat depression.
The scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto found that depressed people had 34 percent higher-than-normal levels of a protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in the brain, the Toronto Star reported.
MAO-A breaks down neurotransmitters called monoamines (such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) that play a critical role in governing emotions. It was already known that people with depression have significantly lower monoamine levels than normal. This study points to a likely cause, the Star reported.
"This is a very crisp, clean explanation," said study lead author Dr. Jeffrey Meyer, head of neurochemical imaging at CAMH. "This is an explanation that makes sense and that fits with the literature."
Creating drugs that target MAO-A could improve treatment of depression, he said.
The study was published Tuesday in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Male Circumcision Reduces STD Risk
Circumcised males are much less likely to catch or spread sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), New Zealand researchers say.
Their study included 356 uncircumcised males and 154 circumcised males who filled out a questionnaire about the presence of STDs when they were between 18 and 25 years old, reported China's Xinhua news agency.
Compared to the circumcised men, the uncircumcised men had a 2.66-fold increased risk of STD infection, the study found. This elevated risk remained largely unchanged even after the researchers accounted for other risk factors, such as unprotected sex and number of sexual partners.
The study appears in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers said their findings suggest that routine neonatal circumcision offers "substantial benefits," Xinhua reported.
"The public health issues raised by these findings clearly involve weighing the longer-term benefits of routine neonatal circumcision in terms of reducing the risks of infection within the population, against the perceived costs of the procedure," the study authors wrote.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that current evidence is insufficient to support routine neonatal circumcision, Xinhua reported.
Childhood Ear Infections Caused by Both Bacteria and Viruses
While they're generally considered to be caused by bacteria, childhood ear infections are often caused by both viruses and bacteria -- and that can lead to treatment complications, says a Finnish study.
Researchers analyzed samples from 79 children with acute otitis media and found that bacteria was present in 92 percent of the cases, viruses in 70 percent, and both bacteria and viruses in 66 percent, CBC News reported.
The researchers said the results were logical since acute otitis media is almost always associated with viral respiratory infection. The study appears in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Antibiotics are the current standard treatment for ear infections. This finding suggests that antibiotics are at best only partially effective in most cases, CBC News reported.
The researchers said the good news is that their findings suggest that many children will recover from ear infections on their own without antibiotic treatment.
Firefighting Foam OK to Kill Chickens in Bird-Flu Outbreak: USDA
The U.S. government will allow the use of water-based firefighting foam to kill chickens if there's a bird flu outbreak in commercial poultry, but animal rights advocates oppose the use of the foam because it suffocates the chickens.
Traditionally, carbon dioxide has been used to quickly kill large numbers of poultry. However, this method has drawbacks, the Associated Press reported.
Gassing requires more workers, who are exposed to potentially infected birds. It can also be difficult to maintain a high enough concentration of carbon dioxide to kill the birds, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.
The USDA decided that foam can be used to suffocate floor-reared flocks as an alternative to killing them with carbon dioxide.
The use of foam to kill chickens quickly was tested by animal health officials in North Carolina and Delaware, the AP reported.
Duct Tape Not Effective Wart Treatment: Study
If you have warts, don't bother reaching for the duct tape.
A new Dutch study discounts the popular notion that duct tape is a quick and easy way to remove warts. Researchers at Maastricht University found that duct tape does not work any better than doing nothing to treat warts in schoolchildren, reported China's Xinhua news agency.
The findings appear in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Warts can be frozen off (cryotherapy) or burned off using a special formulation of salicylic acid. In 2002, U.S. researchers published a study that said duct tape worked better than cryotherapy in removing warts. This new study disputes that finding.
The Dutch researchers studied 103 children, ages 4 to 12, and found that duct tape worked only slightly better than a corn pad, which was used as a placebo in the study, Xinhua reported.
"After 6 weeks, the warts of eight children (16 percent) in the duct tape group and the warts of three children (6 percent) in the placebo group had disappeared," the study authors wrote.
They said they were disappointed by their findings.
"Considering the serious discomfort of cryotherapy and the awkwardness of applying salicylic acid for a long time, simply applying tape would be a cheap and helpful alternative, especially in children," the researchers noted.
Australia May Allow Cloning Human Embryos for Stem Cells
The Australian Senate voted Tuesday in favor of a bill to abolish the country's ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research. The bill still has to be passed by the House of Representatives before it becomes law.
The Senate voted 34-32 in favor of the bill, which would ease restrictions on stem cell research and permit therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research, the Associated Press reported.
Under the bill, all cloned embryos would have to be destroyed within 14 days and no cloned embryos could be implanted in women.
The bill also includes a 15-year prison sentence for people who disregard measures designed to prevent abuse of embryonic cloning, and prohibits human-animal hybrid embryos, the AP reported.
Canadian researchers say they've discovered important new information about the cause of brain chemical imbalances associated with depression. Their research could lead to new, more effective drugs to treat depression.
The scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto found that depressed people had 34 percent higher-than-normal levels of a protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in the brain, the Toronto Star reported.
MAO-A breaks down neurotransmitters called monoamines (such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) that play a critical role in governing emotions. It was already known that people with depression have significantly lower monoamine levels than normal. This study points to a likely cause, the Star reported.
"This is a very crisp, clean explanation," said study lead author Dr. Jeffrey Meyer, head of neurochemical imaging at CAMH. "This is an explanation that makes sense and that fits with the literature."
Creating drugs that target MAO-A could improve treatment of depression, he said.
The study was published Tuesday in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Male Circumcision Reduces STD Risk
Circumcised males are much less likely to catch or spread sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), New Zealand researchers say.
Their study included 356 uncircumcised males and 154 circumcised males who filled out a questionnaire about the presence of STDs when they were between 18 and 25 years old, reported China's Xinhua news agency.
Compared to the circumcised men, the uncircumcised men had a 2.66-fold increased risk of STD infection, the study found. This elevated risk remained largely unchanged even after the researchers accounted for other risk factors, such as unprotected sex and number of sexual partners.
The study appears in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers said their findings suggest that routine neonatal circumcision offers "substantial benefits," Xinhua reported.
"The public health issues raised by these findings clearly involve weighing the longer-term benefits of routine neonatal circumcision in terms of reducing the risks of infection within the population, against the perceived costs of the procedure," the study authors wrote.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that current evidence is insufficient to support routine neonatal circumcision, Xinhua reported.
Childhood Ear Infections Caused by Both Bacteria and Viruses
While they're generally considered to be caused by bacteria, childhood ear infections are often caused by both viruses and bacteria -- and that can lead to treatment complications, says a Finnish study.
Researchers analyzed samples from 79 children with acute otitis media and found that bacteria was present in 92 percent of the cases, viruses in 70 percent, and both bacteria and viruses in 66 percent, CBC News reported.
The researchers said the results were logical since acute otitis media is almost always associated with viral respiratory infection. The study appears in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Antibiotics are the current standard treatment for ear infections. This finding suggests that antibiotics are at best only partially effective in most cases, CBC News reported.
The researchers said the good news is that their findings suggest that many children will recover from ear infections on their own without antibiotic treatment.
Firefighting Foam OK to Kill Chickens in Bird-Flu Outbreak: USDA
The U.S. government will allow the use of water-based firefighting foam to kill chickens if there's a bird flu outbreak in commercial poultry, but animal rights advocates oppose the use of the foam because it suffocates the chickens.
Traditionally, carbon dioxide has been used to quickly kill large numbers of poultry. However, this method has drawbacks, the Associated Press reported.
Gassing requires more workers, who are exposed to potentially infected birds. It can also be difficult to maintain a high enough concentration of carbon dioxide to kill the birds, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.
The USDA decided that foam can be used to suffocate floor-reared flocks as an alternative to killing them with carbon dioxide.
The use of foam to kill chickens quickly was tested by animal health officials in North Carolina and Delaware, the AP reported.
Duct Tape Not Effective Wart Treatment: Study
If you have warts, don't bother reaching for the duct tape.
A new Dutch study discounts the popular notion that duct tape is a quick and easy way to remove warts. Researchers at Maastricht University found that duct tape does not work any better than doing nothing to treat warts in schoolchildren, reported China's Xinhua news agency.
The findings appear in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Warts can be frozen off (cryotherapy) or burned off using a special formulation of salicylic acid. In 2002, U.S. researchers published a study that said duct tape worked better than cryotherapy in removing warts. This new study disputes that finding.
The Dutch researchers studied 103 children, ages 4 to 12, and found that duct tape worked only slightly better than a corn pad, which was used as a placebo in the study, Xinhua reported.
"After 6 weeks, the warts of eight children (16 percent) in the duct tape group and the warts of three children (6 percent) in the placebo group had disappeared," the study authors wrote.
They said they were disappointed by their findings.
"Considering the serious discomfort of cryotherapy and the awkwardness of applying salicylic acid for a long time, simply applying tape would be a cheap and helpful alternative, especially in children," the researchers noted.
Australia May Allow Cloning Human Embryos for Stem Cells
The Australian Senate voted Tuesday in favor of a bill to abolish the country's ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research. The bill still has to be passed by the House of Representatives before it becomes law.
The Senate voted 34-32 in favor of the bill, which would ease restrictions on stem cell research and permit therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research, the Associated Press reported.
Under the bill, all cloned embryos would have to be destroyed within 14 days and no cloned embryos could be implanted in women.
The bill also includes a 15-year prison sentence for people who disregard measures designed to prevent abuse of embryonic cloning, and prohibits human-animal hybrid embryos, the AP reported.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Health Headlines - November 7
Most Dieting Americans Don't Bother to Consult Doctor
About 70 percent of Americans who are trying to shed some pounds are using their own diet plans and feel they don't need a doctor's guidance, says a University of Connecticut nationwide survey of 3,500 adults.
Of the 1,679 respondents who said they were overweight, only about 30 percent said they'd consult with a doctor about losing weight. The survey also found that 40 percent of obese people and 72 percent of those who were overweight said their doctors had not advised them to lose weight.
Of the 1,444 respondents who said they'd made a serious attempt at weight loss for at least three days, 34 percent said they'd used dietary supplements and 15 percent had used prescription drugs, the Associated Press reported.
Supplements are pills or powders marketed to consumers as a way to boost metabolism, burn fat, and lose weight without the need for exercise or dieting. However, experts say there is no proof that these products are effective.
The survey found that supplement users were more likely to be women (45 percent vs. 20 percent of men), to be obese rather than overweight, and to have a household income of less than $40,000, the AP reported.
About half of the respondents incorrectly believe that supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
American Children Packing on Dangerous Abdominal Fat
In recent years, there's been a steady, rapid rise in the amount of dangerous abdominal fat on U.S. children, says a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
The study authors said their findings are cause for concern because abdominal fat is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk for type 2 diabetes, ABC News reported.
The researchers analyzed data on thousands of children ages 2 to 19 collected as part of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The analysis showed that between 1988 and 2004, abdominal obesity increased by 65 percent to 70 percent in both boys and girls.
The study noted that in 1999, 10.5 percent of American children had too much abdominal fat, as measured by waist circumference. By 2004, 17.4 percent of boys and 17.8 percent of girls had too much fat around the middle.
Scientists Want to Mix Human DNA, Cow Eggs to Create Embryos
Scientists in the United Kingdom have applied for permission to combine human DNA with cow eggs in order to create embryos for stem cell research.
These hybrid human-cow embryos would not be allowed to develop for more than a few days before they would be destroyed, say the researchers from Newcastle University and Kings College, London, BBC News reported.
The scientists said this method would help boost the number of embryos available for use in stem cell research. They plan to insert human DNA into cows' eggs that have had the genetic material removed. The resulting embryo would be 99.9 percent human. The only bovine component would be DNA outside the nucleus of the egg cell.
The stem cells would be extracted from the embryos when they were 6 days old. The embryos would then be destroyed, BBC News reported.
The scientists have applied to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority for a three-year license. Critics said this kind of research is unethical and potentially dangerous, BBC News reported.
Prosperity, Western Foods Linked to Obesity Crisis in China
Rising prosperity and a flood of fatty Western foods are among the reasons why obesity and related health problems are becoming serious issues in China.
About 60 million people in China (that's roughly equal to France's population) are obese, 160 million have high blood pressure, and 20 million have diabetes, said the Xinhua news agency.
"An increasing number of Chinese are eating more fat and junk food but less grains and vegetables, leading to a high number of cases of high blood pressure and diabetes," Pan Beilei, deputy director of the State Food and Nutrition Consultant Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Pan, who spoke Monday at a Beijing conference on food and health, said government and academic organizations in China need to provide more dietary guidelines for citizens.
In August, state media reported that Chinese boys living in cities were now 100 times more likely to be obese than 20 years ago, Agence France Presse reported.
Other factors that have been cited in the rise of obesity in China include a sharp increase in the use of motor vehicles and other machinery and a highly competitive school system that favors studying over exercise.
Pregnancy Complications Kill Half a Million Women a Year: Report
Each year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die of pregnancy-related problems but nearly 75 percent of those deaths could be prevented through better health care, including access to contraception and safe abortions, says a report by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Poor women in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are most likely to suffer pregnancy-related deaths, said the report, which was released Monday at a meeting of 8,000 maternal health experts from 130 countries, the Associated Press reported.
"The global record in preventing these deaths is a disaster," Dorothy Shaw, the federation's president elect, said at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur. "One woman somewhere in the world dies every minute from a cause related to pregnancy and childbirth, mostly in developing countries."
The report said excessive postpartum bleeding is the most common cause of pregnancy-related death, the AP reported. This type of bleeding occurs in up to 20 percent of all deliveries. Unhealthy, undernourished women who can't afford to go to well-equipped hospitals are most likely to die from this complication.
Unsafe abortions are another major cause of death (nearly 70,000 women a year) and injury, the report said. Hemorrhage, infections and poisoning from substances used to induce abortions are common causes of these deaths and injuries, the AP reported.
About 70 percent of Americans who are trying to shed some pounds are using their own diet plans and feel they don't need a doctor's guidance, says a University of Connecticut nationwide survey of 3,500 adults.
Of the 1,679 respondents who said they were overweight, only about 30 percent said they'd consult with a doctor about losing weight. The survey also found that 40 percent of obese people and 72 percent of those who were overweight said their doctors had not advised them to lose weight.
Of the 1,444 respondents who said they'd made a serious attempt at weight loss for at least three days, 34 percent said they'd used dietary supplements and 15 percent had used prescription drugs, the Associated Press reported.
Supplements are pills or powders marketed to consumers as a way to boost metabolism, burn fat, and lose weight without the need for exercise or dieting. However, experts say there is no proof that these products are effective.
The survey found that supplement users were more likely to be women (45 percent vs. 20 percent of men), to be obese rather than overweight, and to have a household income of less than $40,000, the AP reported.
About half of the respondents incorrectly believe that supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
American Children Packing on Dangerous Abdominal Fat
In recent years, there's been a steady, rapid rise in the amount of dangerous abdominal fat on U.S. children, says a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
The study authors said their findings are cause for concern because abdominal fat is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk for type 2 diabetes, ABC News reported.
The researchers analyzed data on thousands of children ages 2 to 19 collected as part of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The analysis showed that between 1988 and 2004, abdominal obesity increased by 65 percent to 70 percent in both boys and girls.
The study noted that in 1999, 10.5 percent of American children had too much abdominal fat, as measured by waist circumference. By 2004, 17.4 percent of boys and 17.8 percent of girls had too much fat around the middle.
Scientists Want to Mix Human DNA, Cow Eggs to Create Embryos
Scientists in the United Kingdom have applied for permission to combine human DNA with cow eggs in order to create embryos for stem cell research.
These hybrid human-cow embryos would not be allowed to develop for more than a few days before they would be destroyed, say the researchers from Newcastle University and Kings College, London, BBC News reported.
The scientists said this method would help boost the number of embryos available for use in stem cell research. They plan to insert human DNA into cows' eggs that have had the genetic material removed. The resulting embryo would be 99.9 percent human. The only bovine component would be DNA outside the nucleus of the egg cell.
The stem cells would be extracted from the embryos when they were 6 days old. The embryos would then be destroyed, BBC News reported.
The scientists have applied to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority for a three-year license. Critics said this kind of research is unethical and potentially dangerous, BBC News reported.
Prosperity, Western Foods Linked to Obesity Crisis in China
Rising prosperity and a flood of fatty Western foods are among the reasons why obesity and related health problems are becoming serious issues in China.
About 60 million people in China (that's roughly equal to France's population) are obese, 160 million have high blood pressure, and 20 million have diabetes, said the Xinhua news agency.
"An increasing number of Chinese are eating more fat and junk food but less grains and vegetables, leading to a high number of cases of high blood pressure and diabetes," Pan Beilei, deputy director of the State Food and Nutrition Consultant Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Pan, who spoke Monday at a Beijing conference on food and health, said government and academic organizations in China need to provide more dietary guidelines for citizens.
In August, state media reported that Chinese boys living in cities were now 100 times more likely to be obese than 20 years ago, Agence France Presse reported.
Other factors that have been cited in the rise of obesity in China include a sharp increase in the use of motor vehicles and other machinery and a highly competitive school system that favors studying over exercise.
Pregnancy Complications Kill Half a Million Women a Year: Report
Each year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die of pregnancy-related problems but nearly 75 percent of those deaths could be prevented through better health care, including access to contraception and safe abortions, says a report by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Poor women in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are most likely to suffer pregnancy-related deaths, said the report, which was released Monday at a meeting of 8,000 maternal health experts from 130 countries, the Associated Press reported.
"The global record in preventing these deaths is a disaster," Dorothy Shaw, the federation's president elect, said at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur. "One woman somewhere in the world dies every minute from a cause related to pregnancy and childbirth, mostly in developing countries."
The report said excessive postpartum bleeding is the most common cause of pregnancy-related death, the AP reported. This type of bleeding occurs in up to 20 percent of all deliveries. Unhealthy, undernourished women who can't afford to go to well-equipped hospitals are most likely to die from this complication.
Unsafe abortions are another major cause of death (nearly 70,000 women a year) and injury, the report said. Hemorrhage, infections and poisoning from substances used to induce abortions are common causes of these deaths and injuries, the AP reported.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Health Headlines - November 6
Hormone/Radiation Prostate Therapy Survival as Successful After 6 Months as it is Longer Term
The effectiveness of hormone and/or radiation therapy on prostate cancer patients has nothing to do with how long it's used after six months, a new study says.
Research presented Nov. 5 at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 48th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia revealed that patients with prostate cancer who used hormone and/or radiation therapy for no more than six months had just as good a survival rate as those whose therapy lasted as long as two years.
"Our study's findings suggest that treating current patients with shorter-term hormone therapy may not only be equally effective, but also improve their quality of life, due to a lesser degree of treatment side effects," said Dr. Cliff Robinson, a radiation oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic and the study's lead author in a news release.
But the researchers can't explain why longer term therapy isn't more effective. "A number of factors could complicate the issue, and this area needs further investigation before any conclusions can be drawn," Robinson said. The hormone therapy lowers the male hormone androgen, and in combination with radiation therapy, shrinks or slows the growth of the prostate malignancy.
TB Cases in United Kingdom Rise 10.8 % in One Year
A significant increase in the number of reported tuberculosis cases has United Kingdom health officials alarmed, BBC News reports.
The number of cases between 2004 and 2005 rose by almost 11 percent, from 7,321 to 8,113. If there is a silver lining in this, it is that the reason for the increase has been identified.
According to BBC News, 38 percent of the cases were among people from South Asian ethnic background -- India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But only 22 percent of the TB cases were found in people who had come to England, Wales or Northern Ireland during the past two years, Dr. John Watson, head of the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) Respiratory Diseases Department, told the BBC.
Nevertheless, the preponderant number of TB cases in the UK -- 5,310 -- came from people born outside the country.
Health officials said the government needed to intensify its efforts to screen the population for early detection of TB, which still can be fatal.
Houston Ends Flu Shot Program for Early Voters
Flu vaccinations have entered the sometimes ugly world of politics.
The Associated Press reports that the city of Houston has stopped what at first seemed to be an excellent campaign to promote getting a flu shot, especially for those who need one the most. Mayor Bill White had offered free flu vaccinations to anyone over the age of 50 at early voting sites around the city.
But, says the wire service, Republican politicians objected because the neighborhoods where the vaccinations were offered were primarily black and Hispanic, which the GOP leaders claimed contained mostly Democrat voters. Houston health officials denied the charge, the AP reported, saying the selected neighborhoods were the ones that needed the vaccine the most.
White, who ended the program after about 1,300 shots had been administered, is former head of the Texas Democratic Party. But he told the wire service that politics was not behind the flu shot program. "There was no political motive whatsoever to do it," the AP quotes White as saying.
Factors for a "Healthy Community" Identified
Is your town a healthy town?
Researchers at Saint Louis University say they've identified certain characteristics that encourage both physical activity and esthetic satisfaction in a community environment.
One of the lead researchers, Laura Brennan Ramirez, an adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release, "We haven't really designed our communities well for older adults, particularly once they get to the point that they can't drive." And, Ramirez adds, constantly using a car "detracts from our physical, social and mental health."
Among the common factors the scientists determined were needed to maintain healthy communities were more use of hiking and biking trails and crosswalks; construction of sidewalks and mass transit to support physical activity; the use of monuments and historic attractions to encourage walking; creation of interconnecting physical education programs in schools and on the job.
The findings are published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
WHO Calls Chinese Bird-Flu Situation 'Confusing'
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
The effectiveness of hormone and/or radiation therapy on prostate cancer patients has nothing to do with how long it's used after six months, a new study says.
Research presented Nov. 5 at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 48th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia revealed that patients with prostate cancer who used hormone and/or radiation therapy for no more than six months had just as good a survival rate as those whose therapy lasted as long as two years.
"Our study's findings suggest that treating current patients with shorter-term hormone therapy may not only be equally effective, but also improve their quality of life, due to a lesser degree of treatment side effects," said Dr. Cliff Robinson, a radiation oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic and the study's lead author in a news release.
But the researchers can't explain why longer term therapy isn't more effective. "A number of factors could complicate the issue, and this area needs further investigation before any conclusions can be drawn," Robinson said. The hormone therapy lowers the male hormone androgen, and in combination with radiation therapy, shrinks or slows the growth of the prostate malignancy.
TB Cases in United Kingdom Rise 10.8 % in One Year
A significant increase in the number of reported tuberculosis cases has United Kingdom health officials alarmed, BBC News reports.
The number of cases between 2004 and 2005 rose by almost 11 percent, from 7,321 to 8,113. If there is a silver lining in this, it is that the reason for the increase has been identified.
According to BBC News, 38 percent of the cases were among people from South Asian ethnic background -- India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But only 22 percent of the TB cases were found in people who had come to England, Wales or Northern Ireland during the past two years, Dr. John Watson, head of the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) Respiratory Diseases Department, told the BBC.
Nevertheless, the preponderant number of TB cases in the UK -- 5,310 -- came from people born outside the country.
Health officials said the government needed to intensify its efforts to screen the population for early detection of TB, which still can be fatal.
Houston Ends Flu Shot Program for Early Voters
Flu vaccinations have entered the sometimes ugly world of politics.
The Associated Press reports that the city of Houston has stopped what at first seemed to be an excellent campaign to promote getting a flu shot, especially for those who need one the most. Mayor Bill White had offered free flu vaccinations to anyone over the age of 50 at early voting sites around the city.
But, says the wire service, Republican politicians objected because the neighborhoods where the vaccinations were offered were primarily black and Hispanic, which the GOP leaders claimed contained mostly Democrat voters. Houston health officials denied the charge, the AP reported, saying the selected neighborhoods were the ones that needed the vaccine the most.
White, who ended the program after about 1,300 shots had been administered, is former head of the Texas Democratic Party. But he told the wire service that politics was not behind the flu shot program. "There was no political motive whatsoever to do it," the AP quotes White as saying.
Factors for a "Healthy Community" Identified
Is your town a healthy town?
Researchers at Saint Louis University say they've identified certain characteristics that encourage both physical activity and esthetic satisfaction in a community environment.
One of the lead researchers, Laura Brennan Ramirez, an adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release, "We haven't really designed our communities well for older adults, particularly once they get to the point that they can't drive." And, Ramirez adds, constantly using a car "detracts from our physical, social and mental health."
Among the common factors the scientists determined were needed to maintain healthy communities were more use of hiking and biking trails and crosswalks; construction of sidewalks and mass transit to support physical activity; the use of monuments and historic attractions to encourage walking; creation of interconnecting physical education programs in schools and on the job.
The findings are published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
WHO Calls Chinese Bird-Flu Situation 'Confusing'
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Health Headlines - November 5
Houston Ends Flu Shot Progam for Early Voters
Flu vaccinations have entered the sometimes ugly world of politics.
The Associated Press reports that the city of Houston has stopped what at first seemed to be an excellent campaign to promote getting a flu shot, especially for those who need one the most. Mayor Bill White had offered free flu vaccinations to anyone over the age of 50 at early voting sites around the city.
But, says the wire service, Republican politicians objected because the neighborhoods where the vaccinations were offered were primarily black and Hispanic, which the GOP leaders claimed contained mostly Democrat voters. Houston health officials denied the charge, the A.P. reported, saying the selected neighborhoods were the ones that needed the vaccine the most.
White, who ended the program after about 1,300 shots had been administered, is former head of the Texas Democratic Party. But he told the wire service that politics was not behind the flu shot program. "There was no political motive whatsoever to do it," the A.P. quotes White as saying.
Factors for a "Healthy Community" Identified
Is your town a healthy town?
Researchers at Saint Louis University say they've identified certain characteristics that encourage both physical activity and esthetic satisfaction in a community environment.
One of the lead researchers, Laura Brennan Ramirez, an adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release, "We haven't really designed our communities well for older adults, particularly once they get to the point that they can't drive." And, Ramirez adds, constantly using a car "detracts from our physical, social and mental health."
Among the common factors the scientists determined were needed to maintain healthy communities were more use of hiking and biking trails and crosswalks; construction of sidewalks and mass transit to support physical activity; the use of monuments and historic attractions to encourage walking; creation of interconnecting physical education programs in schools and on the job.
The findings are published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
WHO Calls Chinese Bird-Flu Situation 'Confusing'
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
Sharon Moved to Intensive Care
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was moved to an intensive care unit Friday after a deterioration in his heart function and overall condition, according to a spokesman for the Sheba Medical Center outside of Tel Aviv.
Sharon, who contracted a new infection that affected his heart, was in stable condition, hospital spokesman David Weinberg said on Friday.
The former prime minister, 78, has been in a coma since he suffered a major stroke in January. Due to the severity of the stroke, experts believe he will not recover, the Associated Press reported.
Sharon has had several operations to stop bleeding in his brain, along with a number of other minor procedures. He had an initial minor stroke in December 2005 and was put on blood thinners before he suffered the major stroke on January 4.
He spent months in a Jerusalem hospital before he was transferred in May to the long-term care facility at Sheba Medical Center. In July, Sharon was moved to intensive care for dialysis when his kidneys began to fail. He was transferred back to the respiratory rehabilitation department after his condition improved, the AP reported.
U.S. Med Schools Urge Students to Resist Drug Company Pressure
Some U.S. medical schools have introduced new programs to teach students and doctors how to challenge drug company sales pitches that critics say can influence doctors' drug prescribing habits, the Associated Press reported.
The drug industry spends billions of dollars a year on marketing directed at doctors. To counter that, some medical schools now offer lectures and continuing education courses that encourage doctors to challenge claims made during drug company sales presentations.
While that's a start, there are still too few medical schools willing to deal with the issue in a significant way, Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, told the AP.
Part of the problem is doctors' attitudes. For example, she got a hostile response last year when she lectured fourth-year medical students about drug industry influence on doctors.
"Physicians do not believe that they are affected by pharma," she told the AP. "(Doctors) all say the same thing: 'We are too smart to be bought by a slice of pizza.'"
Drug makers claim there is nothing underhanded about their sales representatives meeting with doctors to discuss the proper use, benefits and side effects of a new drug. And many doctors feel there is nothing wrong with having dinner with a drug company sales representative to talk about a new drug, the AP reported.
Flu vaccinations have entered the sometimes ugly world of politics.
The Associated Press reports that the city of Houston has stopped what at first seemed to be an excellent campaign to promote getting a flu shot, especially for those who need one the most. Mayor Bill White had offered free flu vaccinations to anyone over the age of 50 at early voting sites around the city.
But, says the wire service, Republican politicians objected because the neighborhoods where the vaccinations were offered were primarily black and Hispanic, which the GOP leaders claimed contained mostly Democrat voters. Houston health officials denied the charge, the A.P. reported, saying the selected neighborhoods were the ones that needed the vaccine the most.
White, who ended the program after about 1,300 shots had been administered, is former head of the Texas Democratic Party. But he told the wire service that politics was not behind the flu shot program. "There was no political motive whatsoever to do it," the A.P. quotes White as saying.
Factors for a "Healthy Community" Identified
Is your town a healthy town?
Researchers at Saint Louis University say they've identified certain characteristics that encourage both physical activity and esthetic satisfaction in a community environment.
One of the lead researchers, Laura Brennan Ramirez, an adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, said in a news release, "We haven't really designed our communities well for older adults, particularly once they get to the point that they can't drive." And, Ramirez adds, constantly using a car "detracts from our physical, social and mental health."
Among the common factors the scientists determined were needed to maintain healthy communities were more use of hiking and biking trails and crosswalks; construction of sidewalks and mass transit to support physical activity; the use of monuments and historic attractions to encourage walking; creation of interconnecting physical education programs in schools and on the job.
The findings are published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
WHO Calls Chinese Bird-Flu Situation 'Confusing'
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
Sharon Moved to Intensive Care
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was moved to an intensive care unit Friday after a deterioration in his heart function and overall condition, according to a spokesman for the Sheba Medical Center outside of Tel Aviv.
Sharon, who contracted a new infection that affected his heart, was in stable condition, hospital spokesman David Weinberg said on Friday.
The former prime minister, 78, has been in a coma since he suffered a major stroke in January. Due to the severity of the stroke, experts believe he will not recover, the Associated Press reported.
Sharon has had several operations to stop bleeding in his brain, along with a number of other minor procedures. He had an initial minor stroke in December 2005 and was put on blood thinners before he suffered the major stroke on January 4.
He spent months in a Jerusalem hospital before he was transferred in May to the long-term care facility at Sheba Medical Center. In July, Sharon was moved to intensive care for dialysis when his kidneys began to fail. He was transferred back to the respiratory rehabilitation department after his condition improved, the AP reported.
U.S. Med Schools Urge Students to Resist Drug Company Pressure
Some U.S. medical schools have introduced new programs to teach students and doctors how to challenge drug company sales pitches that critics say can influence doctors' drug prescribing habits, the Associated Press reported.
The drug industry spends billions of dollars a year on marketing directed at doctors. To counter that, some medical schools now offer lectures and continuing education courses that encourage doctors to challenge claims made during drug company sales presentations.
While that's a start, there are still too few medical schools willing to deal with the issue in a significant way, Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, told the AP.
Part of the problem is doctors' attitudes. For example, she got a hostile response last year when she lectured fourth-year medical students about drug industry influence on doctors.
"Physicians do not believe that they are affected by pharma," she told the AP. "(Doctors) all say the same thing: 'We are too smart to be bought by a slice of pizza.'"
Drug makers claim there is nothing underhanded about their sales representatives meeting with doctors to discuss the proper use, benefits and side effects of a new drug. And many doctors feel there is nothing wrong with having dinner with a drug company sales representative to talk about a new drug, the AP reported.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Health Headlines - November 4
WHO Calls Chinese Bird-Flu Situation 'Confusing'
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
Sharon Moved to Intensive Care
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was moved to an intensive care unit Friday after a deterioration in his heart function and overall condition, according to a spokesman for the Sheba Medical Center outside of Tel Aviv.
Sharon, who contracted a new infection that affected his heart, was in stable condition, hospital spokesman David Weinberg said on Friday.
The former prime minister, 78, has been in a coma since he suffered a major stroke in January. Due to the severity of the stroke, experts believe he will not recover, the Associated Press reported.
Sharon has had several operations to stop bleeding in his brain, along with a number of other minor procedures. He had an initial minor stroke in December 2005 and was put on blood thinners before he suffered the major stroke on January 4.
He spent months in a Jerusalem hospital before he was transferred in May to the long-term care facility at Sheba Medical Center. In July, Sharon was moved to intensive care for dialysis when his kidneys began to fail. He was transferred back to the respiratory rehabilitation department after his condition improved, the AP reported.
U.S. Med Schools Urge Students to Resist Drug Company Pressure
Some U.S. medical schools have introduced new programs to teach students and doctors how to challenge drug company sales pitches that critics say can influence doctors' drug prescribing habits, the Associated Press reported.
The drug industry spends billions of dollars a year on marketing directed at doctors. To counter that, some medical schools now offer lectures and continuing education courses that encourage doctors to challenge claims made during drug company sales presentations.
While that's a start, there are still too few medical schools willing to deal with the issue in a significant way, Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, told the AP.
Part of the problem is doctors' attitudes. For example, she got a hostile response last year when she lectured fourth-year medical students about drug industry influence on doctors.
"Physicians do not believe that they are affected by pharma," she told the AP. "(Doctors) all say the same thing: 'We are too smart to be bought by a slice of pizza.'"
Drug makers claim there is nothing underhanded about their sales representatives meeting with doctors to discuss the proper use, benefits and side effects of a new drug. And many doctors feel there is nothing wrong with having dinner with a drug company sales representative to talk about a new drug, the AP reported.
New Medicaid Rules Tougher on Babies of Illegal Immigrants
U.S. officials said Friday that, under new rules, babies born to illegal immigrants with low incomes will no longer be automatically entitled to health insurance through Medicaid, The New York Times reported.
The policy change will make it more difficult for these infants, who are U.S. citizens, to get the healthcare they need in the first year of life, say doctors and hospital officials.
Under the old policy, states had to cover these infants for a year from their date of birth. The new policy requires that an application be filed for the child and the parents must provide documents to prove the child is a U.S. citizen, the Times reported.
In some states, it can take week or months to obtain these citizenship documents, doctors noted. They also said that illegal immigrant parents may be reluctant to go to a state welfare office to file applications for health coverage for their children because the parents may be afraid that they'll be reported to immigration officials.
The new policy took effect in July but many states have been slow to enforce them and many doctors are only now realizing how the changes are affecting newborns, the Times reported.
China's lack of openness about its handling of bird-flu cases makes it difficult for experts to determine if the dangerous H5N1 virus is mutating and spreading, a World Health Organization official told Agence France Presse Friday.
"The situation in China is quite confusing and there is some conflicting information," said Julie Hall, the WHO's coordinator of epidemic alert and response in China.
"We really don't know how many strains of bird flu there are in China because we have limited amounts of information shared with us by the Ministry of Agriculture and the virus samples we have asked for have not been shared," Hall told AFP.
She made her remarks after Chinese officials discounted claims by U.S. and Hong Kong scientists that a new strain of bird flu -- called the "Fujian-like" strain -- had appeared in southern China.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu that's emerged in southern China is consistent with earlier strains, AFP reported.
Expert worry that the H5N1 bird-flu virus could mutate into a form that's easily transmitted between humans and spark a global pandemic.
Fish and Seafood Species Could Collapse by 2048: Report
Populations of fish and seafood species in the world's oceans could collapse by 2048 if current overfishing and pollution trends continue, says a report published Friday in the journal Science.
The team of international experts that wrote the report spent four years analyzing data from a variety of sources, the Associated Press reported.
"At this point, 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed -- that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent. It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. "If the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048."
He added that it's not too late to turn things around as long as action is taken soon, the AP reported.
"We need a shift from single species management to ecosystem management. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it," Worm said.
Sharon Moved to Intensive Care
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was moved to an intensive care unit Friday after a deterioration in his heart function and overall condition, according to a spokesman for the Sheba Medical Center outside of Tel Aviv.
Sharon, who contracted a new infection that affected his heart, was in stable condition, hospital spokesman David Weinberg said on Friday.
The former prime minister, 78, has been in a coma since he suffered a major stroke in January. Due to the severity of the stroke, experts believe he will not recover, the Associated Press reported.
Sharon has had several operations to stop bleeding in his brain, along with a number of other minor procedures. He had an initial minor stroke in December 2005 and was put on blood thinners before he suffered the major stroke on January 4.
He spent months in a Jerusalem hospital before he was transferred in May to the long-term care facility at Sheba Medical Center. In July, Sharon was moved to intensive care for dialysis when his kidneys began to fail. He was transferred back to the respiratory rehabilitation department after his condition improved, the AP reported.
U.S. Med Schools Urge Students to Resist Drug Company Pressure
Some U.S. medical schools have introduced new programs to teach students and doctors how to challenge drug company sales pitches that critics say can influence doctors' drug prescribing habits, the Associated Press reported.
The drug industry spends billions of dollars a year on marketing directed at doctors. To counter that, some medical schools now offer lectures and continuing education courses that encourage doctors to challenge claims made during drug company sales presentations.
While that's a start, there are still too few medical schools willing to deal with the issue in a significant way, Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, told the AP.
Part of the problem is doctors' attitudes. For example, she got a hostile response last year when she lectured fourth-year medical students about drug industry influence on doctors.
"Physicians do not believe that they are affected by pharma," she told the AP. "(Doctors) all say the same thing: 'We are too smart to be bought by a slice of pizza.'"
Drug makers claim there is nothing underhanded about their sales representatives meeting with doctors to discuss the proper use, benefits and side effects of a new drug. And many doctors feel there is nothing wrong with having dinner with a drug company sales representative to talk about a new drug, the AP reported.
New Medicaid Rules Tougher on Babies of Illegal Immigrants
U.S. officials said Friday that, under new rules, babies born to illegal immigrants with low incomes will no longer be automatically entitled to health insurance through Medicaid, The New York Times reported.
The policy change will make it more difficult for these infants, who are U.S. citizens, to get the healthcare they need in the first year of life, say doctors and hospital officials.
Under the old policy, states had to cover these infants for a year from their date of birth. The new policy requires that an application be filed for the child and the parents must provide documents to prove the child is a U.S. citizen, the Times reported.
In some states, it can take week or months to obtain these citizenship documents, doctors noted. They also said that illegal immigrant parents may be reluctant to go to a state welfare office to file applications for health coverage for their children because the parents may be afraid that they'll be reported to immigration officials.
The new policy took effect in July but many states have been slow to enforce them and many doctors are only now realizing how the changes are affecting newborns, the Times reported.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Health Headlines - November 3
Preteens Should Get Meningitis Shots: U.S. Health Officials
U.S. health officials said Thursday that a meningitis vaccine shortage is over and they have put preteens back on the priority list for vaccination, the Associated Press reported.
The Menactra vaccine -- made by Sanofi Pasteur -- was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended it for children aged 11 to 12, teens entering high school, and college freshmen.
However, in May, it appeared that demand for the vaccine was exceeding supply. To deal with that situation, U.S. health officials took preteens off the priority list. They said that college freshmen living in dorms were at higher risk for the infectious disease, the AP reported.
CDC officials said doctors who deferred vaccinations for 11- and 12-year-olds in the spring and summer can now call them back in for the shots.
U.S. Primary-Care Doctors Lag Behind Colleagues Abroad: Report
Primary-care doctors in the United States are less likely than their counterparts in several countries to offer patients access to care outside of regular office hours or to have systems that alert the doctors to potentially harmful drug interactions, says a report released Thursday.
The Commonwealth Fund 2006 International Health Policy Survey of more than 6,000 primary-care doctors in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States also found that the U.S. doctors are less likely to receive financial incentives for improving patient care.
The report authors said their findings reveal that U.S. primary-care doctors don't have the tools or support they need to provide the best possible care to patients. The U.S. primary-care system trails other countries in several ways, the authors contended:
* Only 28 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors use electronic medical records, compared with 98 percent in the Netherlands, 92 percent in New Zealand, 89 percent in the United Kingdom, and 79 percent in Australia. Canada was at 23 percent.
* Just 23 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors receive computerized alerts about potentially harmful drug doses or interactions, compared to 93 percent in the Netherlands, 91 percent in the United Kingdom, 87 percent in New Zealand, 80 percent in Australia, and 40 percent in Germany. Canada had the lowest rate at 10 percent.
* Only 40 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors offer care to patients outside of regular office hours, compared to 95 percent in the Netherlands and 87 percent in the United Kingdom.
"In era of advanced computer systems, it's disturbing that the vast majority of primary-care doctors in the U.S. don't have the tools to electronically prescribe medications, access patients' test results, or know when patients are overdue for essential care," report lead author Cathy Schoen, Commonwealth Fund senior vice president, said in a prepared statement.
"The data show that U.S. primary-care doctors find it difficult or impossible to perform tasks that doctors in other countries find easy; they also practice without basic decision supports that could improve health outcomes and reduce costs," Schoen said.
The report was published online by the journal Health Affairs.
NYC Residents Warned About Illegal Rat Poison
New York City health officials on Thursday warned residents not to use the illegal rat poison Tres Pasitos, which has poisoned a number of people.
So far this year, 15 people, including three children, have been poisoned. Most of the cases occurred in Washington Heights in Manhattan. In 2005, there were five cases of poisoning linked to Tres Pasitos, which can easily be mistaken for food because it's made of small brown grains.
The highly toxic rat poison is made in the Dominican Republic and Mexico and sold illegally in New York City. It's sold in unlabeled containers or clear plastic bags.
Tres Pasitos (Three Little Steps) is often made with the chemical aldicarb, a potent pesticide that is not approved for use in the United States because of its potentially toxic effects on people and pets.
Low Folic Acid Intake Linked to Colorectal Cancer in Mice
People who don't get enough folic acid in their diet may be at increased risk for colorectal cancer, a Canadian study of mice suggests.
The one-year study of 137 mice found that those fed a diet deficient in folic acid -- a B vitamin that's also called folate -- were more likely to develop colorectal cancer than mice fed a balanced diet that included adequate amounts of folate, the Canadian Press reported.
About 25 percent of the mice fed the low-folate diet developed intestinal tumors.
The study authors suggested there's a link between a lack of folic acid and DNA damage, which can lead to cancer. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Cancer Research.
The recommended daily amount of folate is 400 micrograms a day. Folate is found in leafy, green vegetables; citrus fruits; and in multivitamins.
Medicare Payments to Doctors Cut by 5 Percent for 2007
There will be a 5 percent cut next year in reimbursement rates for doctors who treat Medicare patients, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Wednesday.
The 5 percent figure is an average for the 7,000 services that doctors are paid for, the Associated Press reported. Payments for some services will be reduced more than 5 percent while payments for other services will be increased.
For example, doctors will get an increase in pay for counseling Medicare patients on how to improve their health.
Doctors were not happy about the announcement and warned that lower rates could mean that fewer doctors would be willing to treat Medicare patients, the AP reported.
Federal officials also said hospitals will get a 3 percent increase next year in reimbursement rates for outpatient care, and home-health agencies will get a 3.3 percent increase.
Lawsuits Allege Birth-Control Patch Caused Health Problems
Two lawsuits filed in the United States Wednesday allege that the popular birth-control patch Ortho Evra caused serious illnesses and at least one death.
The skin patch is one of the fastest-growing types of contraception in the United States.
One lawsuit charges that 43 women experienced blood clots and other health problems after using the patch, the Associated Press reported. A second lawsuit alleges that a 25-year-old Maryland woman died of blood clots in her legs and lungs after she began using the patch.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
The lawsuits were filed in San Francisco Superior Court. The defendants named in the lawsuits are: patch maker Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Co., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson; and distributor McKesson Corp. of San Francisco, the AP reported.
Ortho Evra was approved in 2001 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The patch delivers the hormones estrogen and progestin through the skin directly into the bloodstream.
U.S. health officials said Thursday that a meningitis vaccine shortage is over and they have put preteens back on the priority list for vaccination, the Associated Press reported.
The Menactra vaccine -- made by Sanofi Pasteur -- was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended it for children aged 11 to 12, teens entering high school, and college freshmen.
However, in May, it appeared that demand for the vaccine was exceeding supply. To deal with that situation, U.S. health officials took preteens off the priority list. They said that college freshmen living in dorms were at higher risk for the infectious disease, the AP reported.
CDC officials said doctors who deferred vaccinations for 11- and 12-year-olds in the spring and summer can now call them back in for the shots.
U.S. Primary-Care Doctors Lag Behind Colleagues Abroad: Report
Primary-care doctors in the United States are less likely than their counterparts in several countries to offer patients access to care outside of regular office hours or to have systems that alert the doctors to potentially harmful drug interactions, says a report released Thursday.
The Commonwealth Fund 2006 International Health Policy Survey of more than 6,000 primary-care doctors in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States also found that the U.S. doctors are less likely to receive financial incentives for improving patient care.
The report authors said their findings reveal that U.S. primary-care doctors don't have the tools or support they need to provide the best possible care to patients. The U.S. primary-care system trails other countries in several ways, the authors contended:
* Only 28 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors use electronic medical records, compared with 98 percent in the Netherlands, 92 percent in New Zealand, 89 percent in the United Kingdom, and 79 percent in Australia. Canada was at 23 percent.
* Just 23 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors receive computerized alerts about potentially harmful drug doses or interactions, compared to 93 percent in the Netherlands, 91 percent in the United Kingdom, 87 percent in New Zealand, 80 percent in Australia, and 40 percent in Germany. Canada had the lowest rate at 10 percent.
* Only 40 percent of U.S. primary-care doctors offer care to patients outside of regular office hours, compared to 95 percent in the Netherlands and 87 percent in the United Kingdom.
"In era of advanced computer systems, it's disturbing that the vast majority of primary-care doctors in the U.S. don't have the tools to electronically prescribe medications, access patients' test results, or know when patients are overdue for essential care," report lead author Cathy Schoen, Commonwealth Fund senior vice president, said in a prepared statement.
"The data show that U.S. primary-care doctors find it difficult or impossible to perform tasks that doctors in other countries find easy; they also practice without basic decision supports that could improve health outcomes and reduce costs," Schoen said.
The report was published online by the journal Health Affairs.
NYC Residents Warned About Illegal Rat Poison
New York City health officials on Thursday warned residents not to use the illegal rat poison Tres Pasitos, which has poisoned a number of people.
So far this year, 15 people, including three children, have been poisoned. Most of the cases occurred in Washington Heights in Manhattan. In 2005, there were five cases of poisoning linked to Tres Pasitos, which can easily be mistaken for food because it's made of small brown grains.
The highly toxic rat poison is made in the Dominican Republic and Mexico and sold illegally in New York City. It's sold in unlabeled containers or clear plastic bags.
Tres Pasitos (Three Little Steps) is often made with the chemical aldicarb, a potent pesticide that is not approved for use in the United States because of its potentially toxic effects on people and pets.
Low Folic Acid Intake Linked to Colorectal Cancer in Mice
People who don't get enough folic acid in their diet may be at increased risk for colorectal cancer, a Canadian study of mice suggests.
The one-year study of 137 mice found that those fed a diet deficient in folic acid -- a B vitamin that's also called folate -- were more likely to develop colorectal cancer than mice fed a balanced diet that included adequate amounts of folate, the Canadian Press reported.
About 25 percent of the mice fed the low-folate diet developed intestinal tumors.
The study authors suggested there's a link between a lack of folic acid and DNA damage, which can lead to cancer. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Cancer Research.
The recommended daily amount of folate is 400 micrograms a day. Folate is found in leafy, green vegetables; citrus fruits; and in multivitamins.
Medicare Payments to Doctors Cut by 5 Percent for 2007
There will be a 5 percent cut next year in reimbursement rates for doctors who treat Medicare patients, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Wednesday.
The 5 percent figure is an average for the 7,000 services that doctors are paid for, the Associated Press reported. Payments for some services will be reduced more than 5 percent while payments for other services will be increased.
For example, doctors will get an increase in pay for counseling Medicare patients on how to improve their health.
Doctors were not happy about the announcement and warned that lower rates could mean that fewer doctors would be willing to treat Medicare patients, the AP reported.
Federal officials also said hospitals will get a 3 percent increase next year in reimbursement rates for outpatient care, and home-health agencies will get a 3.3 percent increase.
Lawsuits Allege Birth-Control Patch Caused Health Problems
Two lawsuits filed in the United States Wednesday allege that the popular birth-control patch Ortho Evra caused serious illnesses and at least one death.
The skin patch is one of the fastest-growing types of contraception in the United States.
One lawsuit charges that 43 women experienced blood clots and other health problems after using the patch, the Associated Press reported. A second lawsuit alleges that a 25-year-old Maryland woman died of blood clots in her legs and lungs after she began using the patch.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
The lawsuits were filed in San Francisco Superior Court. The defendants named in the lawsuits are: patch maker Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Co., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson; and distributor McKesson Corp. of San Francisco, the AP reported.
Ortho Evra was approved in 2001 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The patch delivers the hormones estrogen and progestin through the skin directly into the bloodstream.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Health Headlines - November 2
Drug Company Agrees to Settlement in Paxil Lawsuit
Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay $63.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its antidepressant drug Paxil, the Associated Press reported.
The lawsuit alleged that the company promoted Paxil for use in children and adolescents but withheld negative information about the drug's safety and effectiveness. The lawsuit also claimed that consumers paid too much for Paxil.
As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline denies all of the lawsuit's claims.
People who bought Paxil or Paxil CR (a controlled-release version of the drug) for their children could get full refunds if they have records of their purchases. People without any purchase records could get $15, the AP reported.
The settlement with GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest pharmaceutical company, was approved Oct. 6 by Madison County, Ill., Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn and unsealed by him on Oct. 27. He'll hold a hearing March 9 on whether the settlement is fair.
Music Therapy May Ease Schizophrenia Symptoms
Music therapy may help improve some symptoms of schizophrenia, according to preliminary findings of a British study that's the first to evaluate how this treatment affects people with acute schizophrenia.
The Imperial College London study included 81 psychiatric in-patients who received either music therapy or standard care. The patients in the music-therapy group had between eight and 12 sessions, once a week, for up to 45 minutes.
During these sessions, the patients were given access to different kinds of musical instruments and encouraged to use the instruments to express themselves. Therapists worked with and observed the patients while they made music.
Compared to patients who received standard care, those in the music-therapy group showed greater reductions in schizophrenia symptoms such as depression, anxiety and emotional withdrawal, the study found.
The researchers noted that this was a small study and it's possible that other factors, such as the severity of illness, may have influenced the findings. However, they said their findings provide sufficient evidence to justify larger studies of music therapy for schizophrenia patients.
The study appears in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Espresso Makers Recalled for Burn Hazard
About 54,000 Espresso Express espresso makers sold in the United States are being recalled because they have heating elements that can "forcefully separate" from the base during the brewing cycle, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
If this occurs, people who are nearby could suffer burn and/or impact injuries. So far, there have been 42 reports of heating elements "forcefully separating" from the base, resulting in nine reports of minor scald burns and seven reports of people being hit by flying parts of the espresso maker.
The espresso makers were made in China and distributed by Atico International USA Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The recalled units have the item number W14A7166 located underneath the base.
They were sold for between $15 and $30 at CVS Pharmacy, Farmacias El Amal, Happy Harry's, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Kerr Drug, Bartell Drug, and Lewis Drug, the CPSC said.
Consumers with these espresso makers should stop using them and contact Atico for information on how to return them for a refund. Contact Atico at 877-546-4835 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or go to the company's Web site at www.aticousa.com/recalls.html.
Heart Drug Raises Blood Pressure
Clinical trials of the heart drug torcetrapib, which is designed to increase levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, have shown that the medication raises blood pressure, according to the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer.
Experts say this potentially serious side effect could discourage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from approving the drug, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Despite the findings that torcetrapib raises blood pressure, Pfizer said it still plans to submit the drug for FDA approval sometime in the second half of 2007. The company said it hopes to get the drug approved by showing that a combination of torcetrapib and Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor help reduce plaque buildup in arteries.
However, experts say that the link between torcetrapib and increased blood pressure means that Pfizer will have to do more than just prove that the drug reduces plaque. In order to get FDA approval, the company will have to show that torcetrapib actually lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke, the Times reported.
Currently, Pfizer is conducting a 25,000-patient trial to determine whether the drug does reduce the risk of heart attack and death. However, full data from the trial isn't expected until 2009.
The findings that torcetrapib raises blood pressure were preliminary results from more than 4,000 patients already enrolled in that ongoing study, the Times reported.
Married People Have Most Sex: Study
Married people have the most sex and teens are not losing their virginity at ever-younger ages, say British researchers who conducted the first comprehensive global study of sexual behavior.
Among the other findings from the study of data from 59 countries: people in western countries tend to have more sex partners than people in the developing world; there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases; developing countries have higher rates of HIV and sexually diseases than richer nations.
The study was published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.
"We did have some of our preconceptions dashed," Professor Kaye Wellings of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines told the Associated Press.
The findings suggests that promiscuity may have less impact on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases than other factors such as poverty and education, especially knowledge about condom use, Wellings said.
New York City Program Tracks Diabetics
Diabetes patients in New York City will be tracked through their blood sugar tests in an unprecedented program designed to ensure they get proper care in order to prevent diabetes-related health problems.
This type of tracking program is usually limited to people with infectious diseases that pose a threat to other people.
Under this program, labs must send blood sugar test results to a central database that's monitored by city health officials. If a patient's blood sugar levels get too high, officials may contact the patient and encourage them to better control their diabetes, CBC News reported.
The percentage of people with diabetes in New York City is a third higher than in the rest of the United States.
Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay $63.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its antidepressant drug Paxil, the Associated Press reported.
The lawsuit alleged that the company promoted Paxil for use in children and adolescents but withheld negative information about the drug's safety and effectiveness. The lawsuit also claimed that consumers paid too much for Paxil.
As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline denies all of the lawsuit's claims.
People who bought Paxil or Paxil CR (a controlled-release version of the drug) for their children could get full refunds if they have records of their purchases. People without any purchase records could get $15, the AP reported.
The settlement with GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest pharmaceutical company, was approved Oct. 6 by Madison County, Ill., Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn and unsealed by him on Oct. 27. He'll hold a hearing March 9 on whether the settlement is fair.
Music Therapy May Ease Schizophrenia Symptoms
Music therapy may help improve some symptoms of schizophrenia, according to preliminary findings of a British study that's the first to evaluate how this treatment affects people with acute schizophrenia.
The Imperial College London study included 81 psychiatric in-patients who received either music therapy or standard care. The patients in the music-therapy group had between eight and 12 sessions, once a week, for up to 45 minutes.
During these sessions, the patients were given access to different kinds of musical instruments and encouraged to use the instruments to express themselves. Therapists worked with and observed the patients while they made music.
Compared to patients who received standard care, those in the music-therapy group showed greater reductions in schizophrenia symptoms such as depression, anxiety and emotional withdrawal, the study found.
The researchers noted that this was a small study and it's possible that other factors, such as the severity of illness, may have influenced the findings. However, they said their findings provide sufficient evidence to justify larger studies of music therapy for schizophrenia patients.
The study appears in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Espresso Makers Recalled for Burn Hazard
About 54,000 Espresso Express espresso makers sold in the United States are being recalled because they have heating elements that can "forcefully separate" from the base during the brewing cycle, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
If this occurs, people who are nearby could suffer burn and/or impact injuries. So far, there have been 42 reports of heating elements "forcefully separating" from the base, resulting in nine reports of minor scald burns and seven reports of people being hit by flying parts of the espresso maker.
The espresso makers were made in China and distributed by Atico International USA Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The recalled units have the item number W14A7166 located underneath the base.
They were sold for between $15 and $30 at CVS Pharmacy, Farmacias El Amal, Happy Harry's, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Kerr Drug, Bartell Drug, and Lewis Drug, the CPSC said.
Consumers with these espresso makers should stop using them and contact Atico for information on how to return them for a refund. Contact Atico at 877-546-4835 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or go to the company's Web site at www.aticousa.com/recalls.html.
Heart Drug Raises Blood Pressure
Clinical trials of the heart drug torcetrapib, which is designed to increase levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, have shown that the medication raises blood pressure, according to the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer.
Experts say this potentially serious side effect could discourage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from approving the drug, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Despite the findings that torcetrapib raises blood pressure, Pfizer said it still plans to submit the drug for FDA approval sometime in the second half of 2007. The company said it hopes to get the drug approved by showing that a combination of torcetrapib and Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor help reduce plaque buildup in arteries.
However, experts say that the link between torcetrapib and increased blood pressure means that Pfizer will have to do more than just prove that the drug reduces plaque. In order to get FDA approval, the company will have to show that torcetrapib actually lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke, the Times reported.
Currently, Pfizer is conducting a 25,000-patient trial to determine whether the drug does reduce the risk of heart attack and death. However, full data from the trial isn't expected until 2009.
The findings that torcetrapib raises blood pressure were preliminary results from more than 4,000 patients already enrolled in that ongoing study, the Times reported.
Married People Have Most Sex: Study
Married people have the most sex and teens are not losing their virginity at ever-younger ages, say British researchers who conducted the first comprehensive global study of sexual behavior.
Among the other findings from the study of data from 59 countries: people in western countries tend to have more sex partners than people in the developing world; there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases; developing countries have higher rates of HIV and sexually diseases than richer nations.
The study was published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.
"We did have some of our preconceptions dashed," Professor Kaye Wellings of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines told the Associated Press.
The findings suggests that promiscuity may have less impact on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases than other factors such as poverty and education, especially knowledge about condom use, Wellings said.
New York City Program Tracks Diabetics
Diabetes patients in New York City will be tracked through their blood sugar tests in an unprecedented program designed to ensure they get proper care in order to prevent diabetes-related health problems.
This type of tracking program is usually limited to people with infectious diseases that pose a threat to other people.
Under this program, labs must send blood sugar test results to a central database that's monitored by city health officials. If a patient's blood sugar levels get too high, officials may contact the patient and encourage them to better control their diabetes, CBC News reported.
The percentage of people with diabetes in New York City is a third higher than in the rest of the United States.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Health Headlines - November 1
Americans' Spending on Rx Drugs Doubles: Report
The amount that Americans spend on outpatient prescription drugs almost doubled between 1999 and 2003, from $94 billion to $178 billion a year, according to statistics released Tuesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The overall $178 billion spent in 2003 was boosted in part by the increased percentage of Americans buying brand-name prescription drugs, the federal government report said. In 1999, 47.5 percent of Americans bought brand-name drugs, compared to about 53 percent in 2003.
Over the same period, there was little change in the proportion of Americans buying generic prescription drugs.
Between 1999 and 2003, purchases of brand-name prescription drugs increased from $75.5 billion to $141 billion, while spending on generic drugs rose from $19 billion to $37 billion.
The report also noted an increase between 1999 and 2003 in the average amount per prescription drug purchase: from $59.49 to $82.53 (39 percent increase) for brand-name drugs; and from $23.48 to $33.53 (43 percent increase) for generic drugs.
Divorce Affects Rural Women's Health
Divorce can have a negative long-term impact on rural women's health, says an Iowa State University study.
The 10-year study included 416 rural Iowa women, including 102 who were recently divorced when the study began in the early 1990s.
"What we found was that the act of getting a divorce produced no immediate effects on (physical health), but it did have effects on mental health," study co-author Fred Lorenz told the Associated Press. "Ten years later, those effects on mental health led to effects in physical health."
In the years immediately after divorce, the divorced women reported 7 percent higher levels of psychological distress than married women, but did not report any higher levels of physical health problems at that time.
However, a decade later, the divorced women reported 37 percent more physical health problems -- ranging from colds and sore throats to cancer and heart conditions -- than the married women, the AP reported.
The findings suggest a connection between physical illness and divorce-associated stresses such as financial and parenting problems, Lorenz said. The study was published last summer in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Canadian Female-Male MS Ratio Widens
There's a growing gap in the ratio of Canadian women and men being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and environmental factors may be the reason, says a study in the November issue of The Lancet Neurology journal.
Among Canadians born in the 1930s, the ratio of women to men developing MS was about 2:1, the study said. For those born around 1980, there were more than three women with MS for every man, CBC News reported.
"This rapid change must have environmental origins, even if it is associated with a gene-environment interaction, and implies that a large proportion of multiple sclerosis cases may be preventable," the study authors wrote.
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS. About 1,000 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year and more than 75,000 are living with the disease, CBC News reported.
Levels of Hormone Cortisol Can Affect Morning Mood
If you go to bed feeling lonely and sad but wake up the next morning full of positive energy, it could be due to hormonal changes in your body while you sleep, say researchers at Northwestern University.
They studied levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 156 people, ages 54 to 71. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure in response to stress and can also cause changes in mood and memory.
The study found that cortisol levels tend to fall at bedtime but are usually high when people wake up and increase during the first 30 minutes after getting out of bed, BBC News reported.
"You've gone to bed with loneliness, sadness, feelings of being overwhelmed, then along comes a boost of hormones in the morning to give you the energy you need to meet the demands of the day," said lead researcher Emma Adam.
The findings appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists Use Stem Cells to Grow Tiny Livers in Lab
British scientists used umbilical-cord stem cells to grow small artificial livers in the laboratory, a breakthrough that could be the first step in being able to grow full-sized livers for human transplants.
These tiny livers -- smaller than a penny -- can already be used for drug testing, reducing the need to conduct such tests on humans and animals, The Times of London reported.
The Newcastle University scientists placed the umbilical-cord stem cells in a bioreactor, a device developed by NASA to mimic the effects of weightlessness. In this gravity-free environment, the stem cells were able to multiple more quickly than normal. The scientists added hormones and chemicals to instruct the stem cells to turn into liver tissue.
"We cannot build a full-sized [liver] yet -- that will take about 10 years -- but this is the first important step," researcher Nico Forraz told The Times. "And we have excellent facilities... to be able to make this happen. We expect this to really take off within the next 18 months or so."
Vaccine Protects Mice Against 'Superbug'
A vaccine being developed to guard against the dangerous hospital "superbug" MRSA shows promise, U.S. researchers say.
They found that the vaccine protected mice against four potentially lethal strains of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The vaccine provided between 60 percent and 100 percent immunity, depending on the strain of MRSA, BBC News reported.
The results appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers said this success could lead to a human vaccine against MRSA, but added that more work is needed before that happens, BBC News reported.
MRSA outbreaks often occur in hospitals because many patients have weakened immune systems. The superbug is difficult to fight because it has developed a resistance to a number of antibiotics.
This experimental vaccine uses four MRSA proteins that prompt a strong immune response from the body. More research needs to be done to better understand the mechanism of the vaccine and to determine if it would be effective in humans, BBC News reported.
The amount that Americans spend on outpatient prescription drugs almost doubled between 1999 and 2003, from $94 billion to $178 billion a year, according to statistics released Tuesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The overall $178 billion spent in 2003 was boosted in part by the increased percentage of Americans buying brand-name prescription drugs, the federal government report said. In 1999, 47.5 percent of Americans bought brand-name drugs, compared to about 53 percent in 2003.
Over the same period, there was little change in the proportion of Americans buying generic prescription drugs.
Between 1999 and 2003, purchases of brand-name prescription drugs increased from $75.5 billion to $141 billion, while spending on generic drugs rose from $19 billion to $37 billion.
The report also noted an increase between 1999 and 2003 in the average amount per prescription drug purchase: from $59.49 to $82.53 (39 percent increase) for brand-name drugs; and from $23.48 to $33.53 (43 percent increase) for generic drugs.
Divorce Affects Rural Women's Health
Divorce can have a negative long-term impact on rural women's health, says an Iowa State University study.
The 10-year study included 416 rural Iowa women, including 102 who were recently divorced when the study began in the early 1990s.
"What we found was that the act of getting a divorce produced no immediate effects on (physical health), but it did have effects on mental health," study co-author Fred Lorenz told the Associated Press. "Ten years later, those effects on mental health led to effects in physical health."
In the years immediately after divorce, the divorced women reported 7 percent higher levels of psychological distress than married women, but did not report any higher levels of physical health problems at that time.
However, a decade later, the divorced women reported 37 percent more physical health problems -- ranging from colds and sore throats to cancer and heart conditions -- than the married women, the AP reported.
The findings suggest a connection between physical illness and divorce-associated stresses such as financial and parenting problems, Lorenz said. The study was published last summer in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Canadian Female-Male MS Ratio Widens
There's a growing gap in the ratio of Canadian women and men being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and environmental factors may be the reason, says a study in the November issue of The Lancet Neurology journal.
Among Canadians born in the 1930s, the ratio of women to men developing MS was about 2:1, the study said. For those born around 1980, there were more than three women with MS for every man, CBC News reported.
"This rapid change must have environmental origins, even if it is associated with a gene-environment interaction, and implies that a large proportion of multiple sclerosis cases may be preventable," the study authors wrote.
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS. About 1,000 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year and more than 75,000 are living with the disease, CBC News reported.
Levels of Hormone Cortisol Can Affect Morning Mood
If you go to bed feeling lonely and sad but wake up the next morning full of positive energy, it could be due to hormonal changes in your body while you sleep, say researchers at Northwestern University.
They studied levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 156 people, ages 54 to 71. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure in response to stress and can also cause changes in mood and memory.
The study found that cortisol levels tend to fall at bedtime but are usually high when people wake up and increase during the first 30 minutes after getting out of bed, BBC News reported.
"You've gone to bed with loneliness, sadness, feelings of being overwhelmed, then along comes a boost of hormones in the morning to give you the energy you need to meet the demands of the day," said lead researcher Emma Adam.
The findings appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists Use Stem Cells to Grow Tiny Livers in Lab
British scientists used umbilical-cord stem cells to grow small artificial livers in the laboratory, a breakthrough that could be the first step in being able to grow full-sized livers for human transplants.
These tiny livers -- smaller than a penny -- can already be used for drug testing, reducing the need to conduct such tests on humans and animals, The Times of London reported.
The Newcastle University scientists placed the umbilical-cord stem cells in a bioreactor, a device developed by NASA to mimic the effects of weightlessness. In this gravity-free environment, the stem cells were able to multiple more quickly than normal. The scientists added hormones and chemicals to instruct the stem cells to turn into liver tissue.
"We cannot build a full-sized [liver] yet -- that will take about 10 years -- but this is the first important step," researcher Nico Forraz told The Times. "And we have excellent facilities... to be able to make this happen. We expect this to really take off within the next 18 months or so."
Vaccine Protects Mice Against 'Superbug'
A vaccine being developed to guard against the dangerous hospital "superbug" MRSA shows promise, U.S. researchers say.
They found that the vaccine protected mice against four potentially lethal strains of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The vaccine provided between 60 percent and 100 percent immunity, depending on the strain of MRSA, BBC News reported.
The results appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers said this success could lead to a human vaccine against MRSA, but added that more work is needed before that happens, BBC News reported.
MRSA outbreaks often occur in hospitals because many patients have weakened immune systems. The superbug is difficult to fight because it has developed a resistance to a number of antibiotics.
This experimental vaccine uses four MRSA proteins that prompt a strong immune response from the body. More research needs to be done to better understand the mechanism of the vaccine and to determine if it would be effective in humans, BBC News reported.
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