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 Back to Medical News Today Archives
Medical News Today: 03-06-2006
Was that Xanex or Xanax? Or maybe Zantac? If you're a health care professional you'd better know the difference--mistakes can be fatal.An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States alone are injured each year from medication errors, and the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has been working to reduce the possibilities of these errors, such as a documented case in which a patient needed an injection of Narcan but received Norcuron and went into cardiac arrest... click link for more info.
The Bush administration has sought to increase the number and capacity of community health centers, which often serve low-income and uninsured residents of rural and urban areas, but a shortage of primary care physicians and the reduction in funds for physician training programs might limit the proposed expansion, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, NPR's "Morning Edition" reports (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 3/1)... click link for more info.
In 1870 the German scientist Ernst Haeckel mapped the evolutionary relationships of plants and animals in the first 'tree of life'. Since then scientists have continuously redrawn and expanded the tree adding microorganisms and using modern molecular data, yet, many parts of the tree have remained unclear... click link for more info.
The Washington Post on Thursday examined the "ideological disagreement" between the Brazilian and U.S. governments over HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment policies. The U.S. government has "officially adopted" abstinence messages as the "basis" for prevention programs, while Brazil emphasizes condom distribution, especially among commercial sex workers, for its prevention programs, the Post reports (Reel, Washington Post, 3/2)... click link for more info.
Bird flu started to establish itself in south east Asia in 2003, firstly in Vietnam. It then spread to some of its neighbours. Over the last few months the H5N1 bird flu virus strain has been spreading at a much faster speed. It has now reached Western Europe (France) and West Africa (Nigeria, Niger)... click link for more info.
Poland has joined the rapidly growing list of countries confirming bird flu infection. Two dead swans, found in the north of the country, died of H5N1 infection, Polish authorities have confirmed. Polish authorities have imposed emergency measure in and around the area where the dead birds were found... click link for more info.
A spokeswoman for the Austrian's Regional Government Minister of Agriculture in Styria has confirmed that several cats are infected with the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus strain. Styria is in the south of Austria. Last week a cat died of bird flu infection in Germany. Cat protection organisations in France and Germany have expressed concern after people started abandoning their cats... click link for more info.
The fastest ever observations of protons moving within a molecule open a new window on fundamental processes in chemistry and biology, researchers report today in the journal Science.Their capturing of the movements of the lightest and therefore speediest components of a molecule will allow scientists to study molecular behaviour previously too fast to be detected... click link for more info.
The Washington Post on Thursday profiled the Hinxton Group, a group of 60 bioethicists and stem cell researchers from 14 countries that released ethical guidelines for stem cell research in order to clarify conflicting international policies on the subject (Weiss, Washington Post, 3/2). The policies, which the group released Friday at Cambridge University in Britain, include asking journals to require that researchers confirm that their findings correspond with national guidelines, establishing a public Web site for researchers to share findings and building an ethical consensus between nations on new areas of research... click link for more info.
Children worldwide are getting fatter at an alarming rate. In North and South America it is predicted that by 2010 over half of all children will be overweight, says a report in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. The report was written by Dr. Philip James, Chairman of the International Obesity Task Force... click link for more info.
KINGSTON, Ont. â?" The circumstances around their dying â?" and not the location â?" are what matter most to terminally ill Canadians, says Queen's University Professor of Medicine Daren Heyland.A national study on end-of-life care led by Dr. Heyland, research director in the Department of Medicine at Kingston General Hospital, shows that patients rated dying at home as less important than having confidence and trust in the doctors looking after them... click link for more info.
State mental health care systems nationwide received an average grade of D in a report released on Wednesday by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, CQ HealthBeat reports. For the report, NAMI evaluated states on 39 different criteria, including mental health care infrastructure, information accessibility, services and recovery support... click link for more info.
A scientific study reported in two related articles in the Journal of Drug Issues raises serious doubts about the nation's illegal drug use surveillance programs. Scientists, policy makers, and the media depend on surveys to identify the extent of drug use nationwide. The study documented how drug use surveys may not accurately reflect changes in drug use, but be more related to how willing a respondent is to disclose the extent and type of drug use... click link for more info.
Twelve countries on Wednesday agreed to join France in imposing a tax on airline tickets to fund HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs, Reuters reports. At the end of a two-day international conference of 95 countries in Paris, an additional 25 countries declined to impose the tax but pledged to contribute funds to a central account created by the 13 countries from the tax (Heritage, Reuters, 3/1)... click link for more info.
COLUMBUS , Ohio â?" One of the most powerful antioxidants is truly a double-edged sword, say researchers at Ohio State University who studied how two forms of vitamin E act once they are inside animal cells.In the past couple of decades, a slough of studies has looked at the benefits of vitamin E and other antioxidants... click link for more info.
The New York Times on Thursday examined the practice in many states of restraining pregnant inmates during labor. According to an Amnesty International U.S.A. report published on Wednesday, 23 state corrections departments and the federal Bureau of Prisons currently enforce policies that allow pregnant inmates to be restrained during labor... click link for more info.
Penn State researchers have shown that a simple saliva test may offer a new way to probe the physical consequences of caffeine coupled with stress.Dr. Laura Klein, associate professor of biobehavioral health, who led the study, explains that our fight or flight response produces not only the familiar dry mouth, pounding heart and sweaty palms that accompany a stressful experience but also body chemistry changes that could result in health consequences... click link for more info.
U.S. immigrants in general are healthier than native-born residents -- as well as less likely to smoke, become obese or have heart disease -- despite less access to health care, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics at CDC, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports... click link for more info.
In an article published in the Journal of Correctional Health Care, researchers from the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI) reported on an evaluation of an intervention program within a prison system addressing Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Findings include recommendations for increasing Hepatitis C education and staff training, and expanding peer educators programming... click link for more info.
"The World" -- a production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston -- on Wednesday reported on how HIV/AIDS is affecting marriage customs in India. Suniti Solomon -- founder of the not-for-profit YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, which provides HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and education programs -- said that for approximately 80% of her HIV-positive female patients, their only sexual partner is their spouse... click link for more info.
Thousands of years ago, humans began scrubbing off and discarding the outer layer of long-grain rice, preferring the polished white kernel beneath. Now, for the first time, scientists in Japan have shown that this waste product of rice processing, called rice bran, significantly lowers blood pressure in rats whose hypertension resembles that of humans... click link for more info.
The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues. Abortion Regulations Kentucky: The state Senate on Tuesday voted 34-3 to approve a bill (SB 125) that would require that women seeking abortion receive counseling "orally" and "in-person" prior to undergoing the procedure, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports (Loftus, Louisville Courier-Journal, 3/1)... click link for more info.
Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Columbus Children's Hospital have shown that mobile infant walker-related injuries decreased 76% between 1990 and 2001, thanks to the use of passive injury prevention strategies, such as baby walker redesign and the development of stationary activity centers... click link for more info.
A novel vaccine could help prevent middle ear infection in children under two years of age, according to a paper in this week's issue of The Lancet.Otitis media (middle ear infection) accounts for nearly 20 million visits to a paediatrician every year in the USA. The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae are the leading causes of infection... click link for more info.
Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.) on Thursday plans to introduce a bill that would promote the use of electronic health records in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the Washington Post reports. Under the legislation, which Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.) has agreed to co-sponsor, health insurers that participate in FEHBP could use a small percentage of the financial reserves of the program to cover the cost of EHR implementation without an increase in premiums... click link for more info.
The dismissal of two of the Canadian Medical Association Journal's editors seems to be an attempt to deprive the journal of its capacity for investigative journalism, states an editorial in this week's issue of The Lancet.On Feb 20, 2006, John Hoey and Anne Marie Todkill, the Editor-in-Chief and Senior Deputy Editor, respectively, of the CMAJ were dismissed by the company that manages the journal on behalf of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA)... click link for more info.
Brochures produced by pharmaceutical companies to promote drugs to doctors don't always present accurate data. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Family Practice found that three out of twenty promotional brochures studied contained data that was different from the original study on the effects of the drug... click link for more info.
The Tulua, Colombia, Town Council voted 10-6 to reject a proposal that would have required that men and boys over age 14 carry condoms, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 2/28). Anyone not complying with the requirement would have been required to pay a $180 fine or attend a three-hour HIV/AIDS-prevention course (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/13)... click link for more info.
Screening women for breast cancer could result in a 10% rate of over-diagnosis, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.Although it is widely agreed that breast screening can reduce deaths, more discussion around this negative side effect of screening is needed, say the authors.Researchers analysed the rate of over-diagnosis of breast cancer using data from a large breast screening trial conducted in Sweden between 1976 and 1986... click link for more info.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously upheld a state law (HB 156) that would require women seeking abortion to sign a state-approved informed-consent form 24 hours before obtaining a medical or surgical abortion, the AP/Kansas City Star reports (Lieb, AP/Kansas City Star, 3/1). The law was enacted in September 2003 after the state Legislature overrode former Gov... click link for more info.
The information sent to women about breast screening needs to be more balanced to ensure women are adequately informed about the benefits and harms, say researchers in this week's BMJ.Invitations to screening mammography play a central part in the process of obtaining informed consent, but conflict of interest exists for publicly funded screening, since organisers want a high uptake... click link for more info.
Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would alter the Medicare prescription drug benefit to allow Medicare beneficiaries to obtain drug coverage directly from Medicare itself, the Springfield Republican reports. The legislation also would eliminate the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap -- or the gap in coverage under which Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for annual drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100... click link for more info.
Better procedures and training are needed to improve the care of prisoners in general hospitals, argue doctors in a letter to this week's BMJ.They surveyed 76 consultants and 139 junior doctors at a hospital near a large prison in Dublin to assess practices towards prisoners.Guidelines from the BMA recommend examination and treatment without constraints, and without prison officers present, unless the risk of escape is high or the prisoner is a threat to himself or herself, the healthcare team, or others... click link for more info.
London's Guardian on Wednesday profiled a program that uses taxis to distribute condoms to passengers in several British towns in an effort to stem the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. In Brighton, England, where the Safe Ride Home program was launched, Radio Cabs taxi drivers can choose whether to participate... click link for more info.
Family support and better home-based care are two of the key priorities needed to enable terminally ill cancer patients to die at home, say researchers in this week's BMJ.The study, by a team at King's College London, follows the recent announcement by the UK government to shift the emphasis of care from acute hospitals to primary care... click link for more info.
Newsweek in its March 6 issue examines the state of the abortion-rights debate and its effect on Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court decision that effectively outlawed state abortion bans. "The question of abortion is much more ambiguous than the louder voices on either side of the pro-life/pro-choice divide are willing to admit," Newsweek reports... click link for more info.
A new European directive is threatening the future of cancer research in Europe, warn experts in this week's BMJ.The EU clinical trials directive, implemented in 2004, was intended to protect patients and improve research standards. But many investigators were worried that the labour intensive, bureaucratic, and expensive endeavour of running a clinical trial would become worse under the new rules... click link for more info.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on Wednesday released to Congress a report that recommends CMS revise the system used to determine Medicare reimbursements for different forms of medical services, CQ HealthBeat reports. Under the current system, CMS assigns "Relative Value Units" to different forms of medical services based on the amount of resources required to provide the services, with higher reimbursements provided for services with higher RVU values... click link for more info.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced an increase of nearly $3 million in HIV/AIDS federal funding for New York City and Long Island, Newsday reports. According to Newsday, New York City is expected to receive an additional $2.5 million in fiscal year 2006, which begins next month, and Long Island is expected to receive an additional $300,000... click link for more info.
Journal of Clinical Investigation, table of contents: March, 2006EDITOR'S PICKAntibody therapy reduces asthma in miceAsthma rates are rapidly increasing, particularly in children. Although asthma is mediated in part by activation of special immune cells called Th2 cells, the precise causes are unclear... click link for more info.
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