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 Back to Medical News Today Archives
Medical News Today: 03-13-2006
A New York University College of Dentistry professor has developed a calcium phosphate-based supplement that, even at low concentrations, significantly improves bone strength and thickness without the side effects of many current drug treatments. Dr. Racquel Z. LeGeros, a Professor of Biomaterials and Biomimetics and of Implant Dentistry, presented her research on the supplement at the American Association for Dental Research annual meeting on March 9, 2006... click link for more info.
Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on Wednesday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing outlined a proposal to reform the U.S. health care system, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. According to O'Neill, Congress should pass legislation that would require all U.S. residents with annual incomes of more than $30,000 to purchase catastrophic health insurance for themselves and their families... click link for more info.
How likely you are to becoming a cocaine addict could well depend on your genetic make up, say researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry. Some people have a gene variation which stops the production of a protein that regulates dopamine in the brain. The researchers said that if you have two copies of this gene variation, your chances of becoming addicted to cocaine are 50% higher... click link for more info.
Do you think using a hands-free device makes it okay to talk on a cell phone while driving? Despite the well-intended laws requiring the use of hands-free devices, a driver's performance is impaired when distracted by even the simplest tasks, whether or not both hands are on the steering wheel.Until now, the slowing of reaction time under multitasking conditions, referred to as the psychological-refractory-period (PRP) effect, has been studied mainly with simple tasks in laboratory settings... click link for more info.
The oral anabolic steroid oxandrolone is effective in restoring muscle and fat tissue that many HIV-positive people lose, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters Health reports (Norton, Reuters Health, 3/8). HIV-related wasting is a complication in which people lose a significant percentage of their normal weight, leaving them at risk for secondary infections... click link for more info.
Traces of drugs which may have neutralised Sloloban Milosevic's heart condition treatment had been found in his blood by Donald Uges, a toxicologist. Confirmation on this is still pending. The question still remains, "What brought on the heart attack that ended his life?" Milosevic was found dead last Saturday in his cell... click link for more info.
Merck, a German multinational pharmaceutical company, has placed a cash bid of 14.6 billion Euros ($17.4 billion) for rival German pharmaceutical multinational, Schering. Merck has offered 77 Euros per share, 15% higher than Schering's share price last Friday. Schering views the offer as too low. If the takeover goes through, the fusion will create Germany's largest pharmaceutical company with sales of 11... click link for more info.
According to researchers at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Congress yesterday, aspirin may help people who have already had a heart attack. However, if you have never had a heart attack, aspirin may not be that useful in preventing one. The researchers had carried out a study on combining aspirin with Plavix, a blood-thinning drug... click link for more info.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- People with diabetes who keep their blood sugar in check today will probably have a far lower chance of developing foot pain or other nerve damage tomorrow, according to new research results from a national study.In fact, the study shows that the positive effects of tight blood glucose control can be seen more than a decade later... click link for more info.
The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues. Regulations on Minors Arizona: The state House on Tuesday voted 39-18 to approve a bill (HB 2666) that would amend the state's existing parental consent law to require consent forms to be notarized, the Associed Press reports (Davenport, Associated Press, 3/7)... click link for more info.
Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon have reported bird flu within their borders, evidence of an acceleration of the virus' spread this year. H5N1 strain has been confirmed for Cameroon. An H5 bird flu virus strain has been detected in Afghanistan and Myanmar (used to be called Burma). Although the cause of this spread is not yet known, bird migration and the bird trade are probably the main culprits, say experts... click link for more info.
Earth history has been punctuated by several mass extinctions rapidly wiping out nearly all life forms on our planet. What causes these catastrophic events? Are they really due to meteorite impacts? Current research suggests that the cause may come from within our own planet â?" the eruption of vast amounts of lava that brings a cocktail of gases from deep inside the Earth and vents them into the atmosphere... click link for more info.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday said that he will not support a proposal by President Bush to expand tax-free health savings accounts this year, USA Today reports (Stone, USA Today, 3/9). According to Grassley, the committee likely will not address the proposal this year because of inadequate support to ensure passage in the Senate (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 3/8)... click link for more info.
New research at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that on a biochemical level, hormone-like molecules in tiny worms called nematodes work similarly to the way in which certain hormones work in humans â?" findings that one day may help eradicate worm infections that afflict a third of the world's population... click link for more info.
The recent increase in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among blacks coincides with an increase in the proportion of black men who are incarcerated, according to a study released last year, the Washington Post reports. Rucker Johnson and Steven Raphael from the University of California-Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy examined U... click link for more info.
Obesity is due to a mismatch between the number of calories we consume and the amount of physical activity we undertake. In the brain, a region called the hypothalamus controls our eating behavior through its metabolism of fat molecules called fatty acids. Interestingly, eating too much in the short-term can result in a severe drop in the ability of the body (and brain) to be satisfied by fat and to control blood sugar levels... click link for more info.
Abortion rates decreased among minors ages 15 to 17 in Texas since a parental notification law went into effect in 2000, but second-trimester abortions have increased among 17-year-olds, according to a study published in the March edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Dallas Morning News reports (Beil, Dallas Morning News, 3/9)... click link for more info.
HIV-infected patients starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in developing countries have increased mortality rates in the first months on therapy compared with those in developed countries, according to a paper in this week's issue of The Lancet. The authors state that early diagnosis and assessment of treatment eligibility, coupled with free provision of HAART, might reduce this excess mortality... click link for more info.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday postponed until March 15 further consideration of a bill (S 1955) that would allow small businesses to form association health plans under certain conditions, CongressDaily reports. The committee also voted against four amendments proposed by Democrats (Povich, CongressDaily, 3/9)... click link for more info.
263 doctors from 7 different countries (UK, USA, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Italy & the Netherlands) are calling for the US government to abandon forcefeeding and the use of restraint chairs in accordance with internationally agreed standards in this week's issue of The Lancet.The World Medical Association specifically prohibits forcefeeding in the Declarations of Tokyo and Malta, to which the American Medical Association is a signatory... click link for more info.
Taiwan's Department of Health on Tuesday said it plans to expand a needle-exchange pilot program -- which aims to curb the spread of HIV among injection drug users -- to every city and county in Taiwan, Taiwan's Central News Agency reports. The health department in July 2005 allocated about $922,000 for the program -- which has distributed 15,625 sets of needles and syringes to 1,925 IDUs in Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County and Tainan County to date -- according to Yang Shih-yang, director of Taiwan's Center for Disease Control... click link for more info.
The low pressure and low oxygen environment during air travel may contribute to the development of deep vein thrombosis in some susceptible individuals, suggests a paper published in this week's issue of The Lancet.Previous studies have found a 2-4-fold increased risk of thrombosis after air travel; with a greater risk after longer flights than after shorter ones... click link for more info.
Connecticut Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan (D) on Tuesday called for the resignation of James Papillo, the state victims' advocate, after Papillo publicly declared opposition to a bill (SB 445) that would require all hospitals to offer EC to rape and sexual assault survivors upon request, the Hartford Courant reports (Waldman, Hartford Courant, 3/8)... click link for more info.
Adding thalidomide to the standard combination of drugs used to treat multiple myeloma in elderly patients could improve event-free survival, according to a randomised trial in this week's issue of The Lancet.Multiple myeloma is a cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow called plasma cells... click link for more info.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) on Wednesday proposed a fiscal year 2007 budget resolution that "essentially ignores President Bush's proposals to find a net $65 billion in savings from entitlement programs such as Medicare over the next five years," CQ Today reports (Dennis, CQ Today, 3/8)... click link for more info.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) should be revised to prevent cases being missed, according to the authors of a case report in this week's issue of The Lancet.In their report, Masahito Yamada (Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine Science, Kanazawa, Japan) and colleagues detail the first Japanese case of definitive vCJD... click link for more info.
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday examined the "rampan[t]" increase in the number of HIV cases and the amount of heroin trafficking in Ruili, China, which lies on the country's border with Myanmar. According to the Inquirer, Ruili is a stop on illicit drug-smuggling routes to Southeast Asia, Australia and North America... click link for more info.
Chronic kidney disease is rising rapidly worldwide and is becoming a global healthcare problem, warn experts in this week's BMJ.In the United Kingdom, the annual incidence of end stage renal disease is around 100 per 1,000,000 population. This figure has doubled over the past decade and is expected to continue to rise by 5-8% annually, but it still remains well below the European average (around 135/1,000,000) and that of the United States (336/1,000,000)... click link for more info.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday examined how some state officials who oppose abortion rights "are emboldened by a rightward shift throughout the federal bench during the Bush administration." If Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that effectively barred state abortion bans -- were overturned, the "battle over whether, and under what circumstances," abortion would be legal would be decided on a state-by-state basis, the Journal reports... click link for more info.
Scientists have made nisin, a natural antibiotic used for more than 40 years to preserve food, in a test tube for the first time using nature's toolbox. They also identified the structure of the enzyme that makes nisin and gives it its unique biological power.The work -- published in the March 10 issue of Science -- sheds light on the almost magical manner in which nisin is made in nature and moves researchers closer to producing new antibiotics that would preclude the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, said Wilfred A... click link for more info.
The Bush administration will seek legislation to require hospitals and other health care providers to disclose price information in the event providers do not take such action voluntarily, Allan Hubbard, assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council, said on Tuesday at a Federation of American Hospitals meeting, CQ HealthBeat reports... click link for more info.
Athletes could soon have their training program and diet optimised for peak performance and minimal injuries based on their individual genetics, says Professor Mark Hargreaves, from the Physiology Department at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Hargreaves is chair of the Sports Meets Science Forum, to be held at the Bio21 Institute on Monday evening... click link for more info.
Blood pressure lowering drugs were not responsible for the population decline in blood pressure seen in many countries in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, concludes a study published online by the BMJ.Blood pressure is a key risk factor for coronary heart disease. Levels are declining in many industrialised countries, but the mechanism is not known... click link for more info.
Bulgarian Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov on Tuesday told reporters that officials have dismissed Egyptian lawyer Emin ad Dib, who was part of a team defending health workers who were sentenced to death for allegedly infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV, the Bulgarian News Agency reports (Bulgarian News Agency, 3/7)... click link for more info.
NHS surgeons are being left to "pick up the pieces" after poor surgery at private treatment centres, warns a senior doctor in this week's BMJ."The number of patients we are seeing with problems resulting from poor surgery is too great," argues Angus Wallace, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Nottingham... click link for more info.
Kathleen Troia McFarland (R), who is seeking the Republican nomination to run against incumbent Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y), in a recent interview said she supports abortion rights but also supports laws that require parental notification and a ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortion, the White Plains Journal-News reports... click link for more info.
Thiazolidinediones (TZD's) are drugs commonly prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved agents are known as Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone). These oral agents improve blood glucose levels in people with diabetes by improving insulin action in the body... click link for more info.
Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies at a hearing on Wednesday praised and criticized HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on the launch of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, CQ HealthBeat reports. Leavitt appeared at the hearing to address the fiscal year 2007 budget proposed by President Bush, but "much of the discussion centered on the drug benefit," CQ HealthBeat reports... click link for more info.
Poor clinical handover in hospitals is rendering the system prone to misses and near misses, warn doctors in a letter to this week's BMJ.The introduction of the European Working Time Directive has led many UK hospitals to move to full or partial shift systems. The feasibility of shift systems hinges on safe and effective clinical handover... click link for more info.
Lawmakers representing rural and urban states are debating whether proposed new HIV/AIDS funding calculations under the Ryan White CARE Act would favor one region over another, The Hill reports (Sheffield, The Hill, 3/7). Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) last week introduced a bill (SB 2339) that would reauthorize and amend the act, which expired on Sept... click link for more info.
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