Archive for January, 1970
January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Report Says New Drug-Resistant Bacteria Spreading
Greek researchers have recently issued an admonition of sorts that a new type of drug-resistant bacteria called Acinotobacter baumannii is becoming increasingly common in hospitals and other health care facilities.
The Agence France Presse reports that their analysis of data showed that nearly a third of cases involving infection by A. baumannii have shown resistance to frontline antibiotics.
Co-authors Drosos Karageorgopoulos and Matthew Falagas, of the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Athens, wrote in The Lancet: “Institutional outbreaks caused by multidrug-resistant strains are a growing public health problem.”
Reportedly, they cited a 2004 study of 24,000 cases of hospital patients whose bloodstream became infected by A. baumannii. The overall death rate was 34 percent, while the death rate among intensive care patients was 43 percent, AFP reported.
To conclude this report, the study authors said urgent measures must be taken to prevent A. baumannii outbreaks in health care facilities and to identify drugs and drug combinations that are most effective in fighting the bacteria.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
In Lean Cuisine Chicken Meals Plastic Pieces Said To Discovered
The New York Daily News has reported that over a million Lean Cuisine frozen meals are being recalled in the United States after seven customers said they found pieces of hard, bright blue plastic in their chicken meals.
It is said that three varieties of meals are being recalled: Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean, and Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan.
It should be noted in addition that one consumer suffered a minor injury after a piece of plastic poked the person’s gums, said Roz Ahearn, a spokeswoman for Nestle Prepared Foods.
Ahearnn told the Daily News: “A tray may have broken and chip-chopped into the product.”
To conclude this report, for more information about the recall, call (800) 227-6188.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Consumption of Canola Oil During Pregnancy Lowers Breast Cancer Risk for Offspring
A new study has suggested that women whose mothers consumed canola oil during pregnancy and breast-feeding may be less likely to develop breast cancer than those whose mothers consumed corn oil.
Very tellingly, researchers fed pregnant and lactating mice a diet high in either corn oil, which contains 50 percent omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, or canola oil, which contains only 20 percent omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.
Reportedly, the Canola oil also has a much greater percentage of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat — 10 percent compared with 0.5 percent in corn oil.
It is noteworthy of mention that the study, expected to be presented Tuesday at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual conference, found that pregnant and lactating mice fed the corn oil diet gave birth to females with a greater risk of developing breast tumors than those who ate the diet higher in canola oil.
It is said that if further studies corroborate the findings in humans, health officials may advise that pregnant and lactating women substitute corn oil with canola oil.
Perhaps to illustrate this sentiment best, study author Elaine Hardman, an associate professor of biochemistry and microbiology at Marshall University School of Medicine, in Huntington, W.Va says it best: “Physicians started telling us in the ’50s and ’60s to take the saturated fat out of our diet and use unsaturated. The unsaturated fat we went to was mostly corn oil, and that’s about the time some of these hormonally influenced cancers started going up.”
The study could have wide-reaching implications for both men and women. “Most of the time, the same things influence breast and prostate cancer, because they’re both hormonally sensitive, so the same things that impact breast cancer risk also increase prostate cancer risk and the reverse,” Hardman said.
On the other hand, some other experts are not to keen on this, and one such example is Dr. Alan Astrow, director of the division of hematology and medical oncology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. who says: “Is it gestation or is it lactation, because that’s a pretty big difference. Before you make a blanket recommendation that has an impact on the entire population, you have to be on very solid ground.”
Still, some researchers believe that pregnant and lactating women have nothing to lose by switching to canola oil.
To this Hardman concludes this report by saying: “Some populations that eat a lot of fish consume a lot of omega-3, and there doesn’t seem to be any detrimental health impact. It reduces inflammation, which is also beneficial, so there are a number of beneficial things, and we don’t know of anything that’s prohibitive.”
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Reports Says Former Senate Leader Tom Daschle Offered HHS Post
According to recently published reports, it has been stated that President-elect Barack Obama has settled on former Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Background investigation into this report depicts that Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, was an early and close adviser to Obama during the just-concluded presidential campaign.
The Associated Press reports that he recently wrote a book on his ideas to improve health care, and is working with former Senate leaders on recommendations to improve the health-care system.
It is noteworthy of mention that if his nomination is approved by the Senate, Daschle would lead a department with a budget this year of $707.7 billion, and nearly 65,000 employees spread across 11 divisions. He would be responsible for the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the Food and Drug Administration, public health programs and the National Institutes of Health, the Washington Post reported.
According to the Post, Daschle has emerged as Obama’s main adviser on efforts to expand health-care coverage, while at the same time lowering costs. Furthermore, it is said that in addition to health reform the next HHS secretary will have to manage the growing budgetary problems facing some of the nation’s most important health agencies.
Daschle has already been chosen to head the Obama transition team on health policy, the Post said.
On a concluding note, Ron Pollack, executive director of the health advocacy group Families USA.”Clearly, Daschle getting this appointment means the Obama administration is strongly committed to making health care reform an early and top priority.”
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Survey Nearly Half of Primary-Care Docs Dissatisfied
Recently published reports have stated that a new U.S. survey found that 49 percent of 11,950 primary care physicians said they want to stop practicing or reduce their patient loads during the next three years due to frustration caused by having to deal with non-clinical paperwork, difficulties being reimbursed by insurance companies, and too many government regulations.
Sandra Johnson, a board member of the Physicians’ Foundation, which released the survey is quoted as saying by the United Press International that: “Tens of thousands of primary care doctors face the same problems as millions of ordinary citizens: frustrations in dealing with HMOs and government red tape.”
“The thing we heard over and over again from the physicians was that they’re unhappy they can’t spend more time with their patients, which is why they went into primary care in the first place,” Johnson said in a news release.
On a concluding note, the survey also found that 78 percent of respondents believe there’s an existing shortage of primary care doctors in the United States.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Breast Cancer Metastasis Linked To Protein
According to U.S. researchers who also found that levels of palladin were higher in four invasive breast cancer cell lines than in four non-invasive cell lines, reducing production of a protein called palladin limits the ability of breast cancer cells to spread.
United Press International reported the findings from laboratory tests suggest that palladin plays a crucial role in the spread of cancer cells from breast tumors to other areas of the body.
Researcher Carol Otey, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine most breast cancer patients wouldn’t die if cancer cells couldn’t make their way from the breast tumor to the brain and bone marrow.
For interested persons the study was published in the journal Oncogene.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Report Says G.E. Wall Ovens Pose Fire Hazard
The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission has said that about 244,000 wall ovens are being recalled by General Electric Co. because the ovens could cause a fire or property damage during the self- clean cycle.
It is said that up until recently, there have been 28 cases in which kitchen cabinets have been damaged by escaping heat after oven doors were removed and improperly reattached by installers or consumers.
The Bloomberg news reports that there have been no reports of injuries.
At this stage, it is noteworthy of mention that the recall covers GE, GE Profile, Monogram and Kenmore wall ovens sold from October 2002 to December 2004 for between $900 and $3,600. The CPSC advises consumers to inspect the oven door, which won’t open into the flat position if it’s not properly attached, Bloomberg said.
To conclude this report, consumers are advised that if there’s a problem with the door, consumers should not use the self- clean cycle until a free repair has been completed.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
November 16, 2008 Health News Highlights For 8:35 am
Wall Street Journal Reports That China Is Increasingly Using Condoms In Fight Against HIV/AIDS
It has been recently reported that as of Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal on examined how China is increasingly promoting condoms as a method of HIV prevention.
Very tellingly, it is said that while HIV “has long thrived quietly on the fringes of Chinese society” among injection drug users and tainted blood recipients, there is now a risk of HIV spreading further into the general population.
Reportedly, according to the Journal, one said reason is the “booming ” sex work industry in China which “has helped make sex the most common form of” HIV transmission in the country.
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Reconstruction After Mastectomy Said ToBe Predicted By Community Factors
New details have emerged suggesting that based on new research published in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, women who live in wealthier communities with lower population densities and a larger proportion of college-educated individuals are more likely to have immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
At this stage, it is said annually that in the Unites States, breast cancer affects 134 of every 100,000 women.
Surgical removal of the breast - or mastectomy - is a treatment that many women choose, and it can be followed by reconstructive breast surgery either immediately or after a delay.
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Study Finds That Black, Less-Educated Women Less Likely To Undergo Breast Reconstruction Surgery After Mastectomy
According to a study published in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report, African-American Women are 47% less likely than other women to undergo breast reconstruction after having a mastectomy.
In addition, based on the Johns Hopkins University researchers who conducted the study, undergoing breast reconstruction surgery immediately after having a mastectomy has several advantages, including aesthetic, psychosocial well-being and cost-effectiveness.
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University Of Central Florida Researchers Say Two New Compounds Show Promise For Destroying Breast Cancer Tumors
Recent reports have emerged indicating that two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise for destroying breast cancer tumors.
It is said that Associate Professor James Turkson’s compounds disrupt the formation and spread of breast cancer tumors in tests on mice. The compounds, S3I-201 and S3I-M2001, break up a cancer-causing protein called STAT3, and researchers have observed no negative side effects so far.
At this stage, Turkson is quoted as saying: “The compounds are very promising. They’ve worked very well in mice, and now we’re looking for partners to help us take these compounds to the next level of trials.”
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Alzheimer’s Said To Not Be Effectively Treated By Gingko Biloba
New details have emerged that a randomized clinical trial involving over 3,000 elderly people in the US discovered that the popular herbal supplement Gingko biloba fared no better than placebo at preventing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
It is said that the research was the work of the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators who are based at centers throughout the US, including the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where lead author Dr Steven T DeKosky, was working at the time of the investigation.
For interested persons, the findings are published in the 19 November issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA.
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Among Patients of Different Ethnicities No Differences Are Said To Be Found In Trauma Patient Care
It has been made public knowledge that drawing from a study published in the November issue of Archives of Surgery , that non-Hispanic white patients and patients from minority ethnic groups in the US receive a similar level of trauma care. Shahid Shafi, M.D., M.P.H., and Larry M. Gentilello, M.D. (University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas) find no significant disparities in initial evaluations or injury management between the groups.
The authors of the study write: “Ethnic disparities in our health care system have been well documented in treatment of several diseases, such as coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, renal failure, acute appendicitis and organ transplant. These disparities range from limited access to health care to lower use of evidence-based therapies and a lower rate of invasive procedures.”
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Adolescent Bone Development Said To Be Impaired By Anorexia
According to a new study appearing in the December issue of Radiology and presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), it has been stated that children and teenagers with even mild cases of anorexia exhibit abnormal bone structure.
Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., musculoskeletal radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston is quoted as saying: “Adolescence is the most critical period for growth of bone mass, and the onset of anorexia interferes with that process. Impairment of bone development may permanently alter bone structure and increase the risk of fractures and osteoporosis in adult life.”
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Persons With Eating Disorders Need Not Have It Hard For Holidays Says Study
Based on findings issued by related studies, it has been said that although several of us attach the holidays with food big meals for the 9 million men, women or young people who have an eating disorder, the holidays, without proper planning, can feel like nightmares.
Very tellingly, Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., the William and Jeanne Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of psychiatry and director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program says: three out of four American women have “disordered eating” behavior, and 10 percent have an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder,
To best illustrate this, her latest book, “Crave: Why you binge eat and how to stop,” is due out in early 2009.
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Controversy Over Proposed HHS Conscience Rule Examined By New York Times
The New York Times has reported that a rule proposed by HHS that would allow health care providers who receive federal grants to opt out of care based on their moral or religious beliefs “has provoked a torrent of objections,” including a “strenuous protest” from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Very tellingly, this is said to enforce job discrimination laws.
Based on the Times, three EEOC officials — including its legal counsel, whom President Bush appointed — said the proposal would upend four decades of civil rights law prohibiting job discrimination based on religion.
It is said that the proposed rule states that providers could not require employees with moral or religious objections to “assist in the performance of any part of a health service program or research activity” financed by HHS.
To conclude this report, it is said that the rule also would prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against health care workers who refuse to take part in abortion or sterilization procedures because of “religious belief or moral convictions.”
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Study Says Cancer Drug Avastin Raised Risk Of Blood Clots
It has been recently reported that a new analysis of randomized controlled trials of the widely used new generation cancer drug bevacizumab (marketed by Roche and Genentech as Avastin) found it was linked to an increased risk of deep vein blood clots or venous thromboembolism in the legs or lungs compared with treatments that did not use it.
To conclude this highlight, it is noteworthy of mention that the research was the work of Dr Shobha Rani Nalluri of Stony Brook University, New York and colleagues and was published in the 19 November issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Study Says Breast Reconstruction Could Only Be Common To The Wealthy
A recent John Hopkins University researchers report has stated that after a mastectomy, wealthier women are more likely to have immediate breast reconstruction than their poorer counterparts.
In addition, this is said to be applicable for more educated women and women who don’t live in inner cities.
Overall, black women and those who live in predominantly black neighborhoods are less likely to undergo breast reconstruction.
Related lead researcher Dr. Gedge D. Rosson, an assistant professor of plastic surgery is quoted as saying: “The community a patient lives in actually does influence, in some way, the access they have to breast reconstruction. We need to learn more about why that is.”
It is noteworthy of mention that Rosson isn’t sure why these disparities exist. “There must be bias in some way,” he said.
He adds: “People have noticed that African-Americans have fewer referrals to plastic surgeons, and if they do have a referral, they have a lower rate of going to those referrals. Strangely, even once they see the plastic surgeon, reconstruction seems to be offered with less frequency.”
Perhaps, as Rosson puts it, another reason these women may not opt for breast reconstruction is the belief that it is cosmetic surgery. “Maybe they have an unconscious aversion to it or something like that,” he said.
Rosson noted that this is a community effect, so that even a white patient living in a poor black neighborhood is less likely to undergo immediate breast reconstruction.
For interested persons, the report is published in the November issue of the Archives of Surgery.
At this stage, it should be pointed out that the researchers think educational programs should be developed to let these women know the benefits of breast reconstruction.
Said researchers conclude this report by stating that: “Prospective public health measures, including educational and informative programs, can be developed and implemented in the community to address these inequalities [particularly racial/ethnic disparities based on neighborhood] and to increase the likelihood that patients with breast cancer and mastectomy obtain immediate reconstruction.”
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Healthiest U.S. City Said To Be Burlington, Vt.
According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, it has been stated that the healthiest city in the United States is Burlington, Vt., while the unhealthiest is Huntington, W. Va.
The Associated Press reports that the report found that Burlington (population 40,000) had the highest proportion of people (92 percent) who said they’re in good or great health.
The AP says that Vermont’s largest city is also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measures of poor health.
It is illustrated by the Census Bureau data that the average age in Burlington is 37, compared to 40 in Huntington. Eight percent of Burlington residents live at the federal poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington. Nearly 40 percent of Burlington area residents have at least a college degree, compared to 15 percent in the Huntington area, the CDC said.
To conclude this report, the AP states that hiking, cycling, skiing and other types of physical activity are common in Burlington, which also offers a good selection of healthy foods in its restaurants and grocery stores.
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January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am · Filed under
Brain of Premature Babies May Be Harmed By Drugs to Treat Lung Damage
According to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Glucocorticoid drugs used to treat chronic lung damage in premature infants caused brain injury in mice and may cause cognitive and motor control problems even when they’re given before birth.
To reach this conclusion, they examined the effects of the synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone and betamethasone, which are given to premature babies to aid lung development.
Very tellingly, the drugs caused brain cell death when given to mice four and 10 days after birth. The damage occurred in the cerebellum, the brain structure that controls movement and other functions.
Study first author Kevin K. Noguchi, a scientist in the department of psychiatry, said in a university news release: “The cells that are damaged are called neural progenitor cells, which are responsible for producing new neurons. So you can imagine that if you kill the cells responsible for producing new neurons, you can cause severe neurodevelopmental effects.”
“The cerebellum connects to other brain structures, so when granule cells in the cerebellum are lost, you also have detrimental effects on cognitive function in non-motor regions of the brain. Other researchers have found IQ declines in children who have received these drugs early in life, and our findings may help explain why,” senior investigator Dr. Nuri B. Farber, an associate professor of psychiatry, said in the news release.
The researchers said that if synthetic glucocorticoid drugs can be replaced with hormones made naturally in the body, it may be possible to avoid damage to brain cells while still promoting development of lungs in premature babies.
For interested persons, the study was expected to be presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, in Washington, D.C.
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