Health and Medical News Headlines for November 15, 2008

Pew Latin American Fellows In Biomedical Sciences Award Received By Graduate Research Scientist At Rutgers University

Neuroscientist Dr. Mariano Belluscio of Rutgers University is one of 10 2008 Pew Latin American Fellows in Biomedical Sciences awarded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 10:00 am

C. Harmon Brown, Pioneer Sports Doctor, Is Dead at 78

Dr. Brown helped develop the field of sports medicine, including doing influential research on the effects of strenuous exercise on the female body.

Source: NYT > Health | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:35 am

Sites Of Pain From Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome

UroToday.com - Pain is the major symptom of BPS/IC. Multiple pain sites are common. There is a dearth of information in the literature with regard to characterization of this pain. Suprapubic pain is prominent and some believe that it is necessary to make the diagnosis. Many patients report different and/or additional sites, particularly in the urethra, genitalia, and lower back. Dr.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Perioperative Outcomes Of 1500 Cases

UroToday.com - Consistent with a previous series of robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RALP) in over 2,500 patients, reported by Menon, et al., Dr. Vipul Patel presented his group's data on 1,500 RALP patients and confirmed the high-quality outcomes of this procedure. In the online version of the Journal of Endourology, Dr.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

Obama And Health: Change Can Happen, The Lancet

Health, currently one of the most divisive of political issues in the US, could become a symbolic uniting force for President-elect Barack Obama's new administration, says the lead Editorial in this week's edition of the Lancet. It says: "Health system strengthening must be a top priority for the new administration if 46 million uninsured US residents are to have access to health care.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

GSK And Xenoport Announce Plans To Withdraw And Resubmit New Drug Application Requesting Approval Of Solzira™ For Restless Legs Syndrome

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq: XNPT) announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for Solzira™ (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) has been withdrawn. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested that the data in a single study be reformatted.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

FDA Approves Low-dose Regimen Of Premarin Vaginal Cream To Treat Moderate To Severe Postmenopausal Dyspareunia Painful Sexual Intercourse

PREMARIN® (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream 0.5 g has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new indication and a new less frequent twice-weekly dosing regimen to treat moderate to severe postmenopausal dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) announced Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE).
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

Statement By Merck & Co., Inc., In Response To The FDA's Update Regarding A Safety Review On Bisphosphonates Including FOSAMAX®

The FDA announced its update on the safety review of bisphosphonates, including FOSAMAX®, that found no clear association between overall bisphosphonate exposure and the rate of serious or non serious atrial fibrillation. Increasing dose or duration of bisphosphonate therapy was also not associated with an increased rate of atrial fibrillation.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

The Morally Bankrupt UK Government Divides The NHS - An Undignified And Divisive Decision, The Lancet

An Editorial in this week's Lancet criticises the recent decision to allow patients in the UK to 'top-up' their free NHS treatment with other treatments not currently approved on the NHS, calling the move 'undignified' and 'divisive'. The Editorial says: The existing system allows patients to pay for extra treatment (top-ups) but then they lose all NHS care.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center Scientists Identify Signaling Pathway Driving A Deadly Sub-Type Of Breast Cancer

An intra cellular pathway not previously linked to breast cancer is driving a sub-type of the disease that is highly lethal and disproportionately over-represented in African American women. The pathway regulates how cells identify and destroy proteins and represents a class of genes called proteasome targeting complexes.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

Entrepreneurialism Requires Risky Decision-Making

Whether someone will become the next Richard Branson, Steve Jobs or Henry Ford may be down to whether they make risky decisions, scientists at the University of Cambridge have concluded. The article, published in the journal Nature, asserts that entrepreneurs are riskier decision-makers than their managerial counterparts.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 15 Nov 2008 | 9:00 am

Hospital Flooded in Storm to Cut Its Staff by a Third

The University of Texas will lay off 3,800 people next week from its medical center on Galveston Island, another severe blow to the island’s battered economy.

Source: NYT > Health | 15 Nov 2008 | 6:36 am

Bad Health and a Thief Put a Woman in Crisis

Lucy Rodriguez was left with no cash, no MetroCard and no way to renew her prescriptions after a mugger robbed her of her Social Security check and identification.

Source: NYT > Health | 15 Nov 2008 | 6:29 am

Employers Offer Workers Fewer Health Care Plans

Many workers are finding that the buffet of options in their medical plans has been trimmed to a very short menu.

Source: NYT > Health | 15 Nov 2008 | 5:51 am

Saturated Fats Linked to Cancer of Small Intestine (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Eating foods high in saturated fats -- such as red and processed meats -- may be a risk factor for cancer of the small intestine.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 15 Nov 2008 | 4:47 am

Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 14, 2008 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 15 Nov 2008 | 4:47 am

High-Fat Diet While Pregnant May Produce Obese Kids (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a high-fat diet during pregnancy causes permanent changes in the fetal brain that can result in overeating and obesity early in life, according to a study with rats.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 15 Nov 2008 | 4:47 am

Enrollment for Medicare Drug Plans Begins Again (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- With the enrollment period for Medicare's Part D prescription drug coverage program for 2009 kicking off Nov. 15, experts are advising seniors to choose a plan carefully because premiums and covered medications can vary from plan to plan.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 15 Nov 2008 | 4:47 am

Unique Bone Marrow Transplant Said to Cure Sickle Cell (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A unique form of bone marrow transplantation is the only safe and effective cure for sickle cell disease, researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh report.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 15 Nov 2008 | 4:47 am

Foreigners benefit if Singapore changes organ law-paper

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Foreigners who donate their organs in Singapore may be compensated under planned changes to the country's organ transplant law, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:48 am

FDA Approves BANZEL(TM) (rufinamide) as Adjunctive Treatment for Severe Epilepsy Disorder

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:26 am

Prevention clinics help control heart fatal

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In 1999, UK researchers reported that patients with coronary heart disease who attended nurse-led prevention clinics had reductions in death and heart disease...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:14 am

Low vitamin D linked with high blood pressure

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Lower blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a protein that provides an acquire measure of vitamin D in the blood, are independently associated with an increased...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:13 am

Diagnosis of parkinsonian syndrome often changes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The cause of a parkinsonian syndrome is not always clear when the symptoms first appear, and the diagnosis often changes over time, according to a paper in the...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:12 am

Aggressive bone care could prevent hip fractures

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If the US health care system "started to take osteoporosis seriously," it could slash the number of Americans who suffer hip fractures by at least 25 percent,...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:12 am

Liver cancer patients have high diabetes prevalence

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a significantly higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) compared to the general population,...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:11 am

Cigarette smoking may worsen premenstrual woes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Here's another reason not to smoke, if you're a woman: PMS.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 3:09 am

UPDATE 1-Obama urged to review use of private firms in war

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The Obama administration should move away from using private contractors in active battle areas in Iraq and Afghanistan and dramatically step up oversight, a Washington think...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 1:06 am

Alberta contacts more than 1,000 people who may be infected by dirty syringes

EDMONTON - Alberta Health says it has contacted more than 1,000 people who may have been infected by the re-use of single-use syringes in the High Prairie area. The province says 954...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 15 Nov 2008 | 12:59 am

Fuzzy brain? Improve your attention span

Feeling razor-sharp -- ready to solve all the world's problems? Or perhaps today your attention wandered aimlessly and resisted all attempts to bring it into focus. Here's a look at the biology behind concentration, and what you can do to improve it.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:40 pm

Study ID's effective irritable bowel therapies

Peppermint oil, soluble fiber, and antispasmodic drugs can indeed help people with irritable bowel syndrome, according to an analysis of 25 years of research on the condition, which is characterized by bouts of diarrhea and constipation.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:27 pm

Cardiovascular Effects of Air Pollution, Even in the Comfort of Home

Researchers who fitted study subjects with "air-pollution vests" to continuously monitor exposure to both indoor and outdoor air pollutants say that people are probably exposed to much higher levels of pollutants than community monitoring stations typically indicate and that this exposure affects both endothelial function and systolic blood pressure.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:01 pm

ASN 2008: Stents Provide No Benefit in Renal Artery Revascularization

Stenting was ineffective in oepning narrow kidney arteries in patients with atherosclerotic renovascular disease.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:00 pm

Ultra-Low-Dose Estradiol Vaginal Tablet May Be Helpful for Vaginal Atrophy

A multicenter, double-blind study shows that an ultra-low-dose estradiol vaginal tablet reduces symptoms of vaginal atrophy after 12 weeks of treatment.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:00 pm

Short Sleep Duration Linked to Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Hypertension

A study shows that short duration of sleep is associated with incident cardiovascular risk and that the combination of the riser pattern and short duration of sleep predicts cardiovascular disease.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:00 pm

Irritable Bowel Syndrome May Respond to Fiber, Peppermint Oil, Antispasmodics

A systematic review and meta-analysis show that fiber, peppermint oil, and antispasmodic medications are effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:00 pm

Gestational Diabetes and Excessive Pregnancy Weight Gain a Harmful Combination

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus who gain more than the Institute of Medicinerecommended amount of weight during pregnancy are at increased risk for undesirable perinatal outcomes.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 10:00 pm

Increased Leptin Levels Linked to Asthma

Patients with moderately persistent asthma had higher leptin levels, while those with intermittent asthma or mild persistent asthma had lower leptin levels.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 9:57 pm

Recommendations Issued on Ancestry Testing

The American Society of Human Genetics statement recognizes complex consequences and recommends counseling, consultation, and greater accountability in direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry analysis.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 9:35 pm

Gene Variants May Help Identify African Americans at Risk for Kidney Disease

New research suggests that common gene variations on the MYH9 gene is linked to an elevated risk for kidney disease in African Americans, and the data may provide a key to early screening and potential disease prevention.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 8:57 pm

APPROACH: Rosiglitazone Doesn't Affect Atherosclerosis Progression in Diabetics With CV Disease

The thiazolidinedione, given for 18 months, didn't appear to reverse or slow disease progression compared with the same duration of treatment with a sulfonylurea, according to the IVUS-based study. Investigators point to hints that that rosiglitazone may have slowed atherosclerosis in such patients with longer-established diabetes.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 14 Nov 2008 | 8:22 pm

F.D.A. Detains Chinese Imports for Testing

Products from China that contain milk will be held at the border until tests prove that they are not contaminated.

Source: NYT > Health | 14 Nov 2008 | 7:27 pm

Rare Treatment Is Reported to Cure AIDS Patient

Doctors reported curing a man of AIDS by giving him blood stem cells from a person resistant to the virus.

Source: NYT > Health | 14 Nov 2008 | 6:29 pm

Life sentence

Mother's anguish at being locked up - for having TB
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 14 Nov 2008 | 5:52 pm

Recipes for Health: Wild Rice Salad With Celery and Walnuts

A lemony salad that works as a main dish salad or as a welcome addition to a Thanksgiving table.

Source: NYT > Health | 14 Nov 2008 | 5:49 pm

Belly fat raises death risk, even for the slender

Everyone knows that being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer, but new research reveals that even normal-weight people aren't scot-free. A European study suggests that people with belly fat -- even if they're at a healthy weight -- have a higher risk of dying during a 10-year period than their same-weight peers without a spare tire. The report was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.