Health and Medical News Headlines for March 31, 2009

Wyeth seeking approval for advanced infant vaccine (AP)

AP - Drugmaker Wyeth is seeking U.S. approval to sell a new version of its blockbuster infant vaccine Prevnar that protects against more strains of a germ that causes pneumonia.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:32 pm

Study: Plavix plus aspirin helps prevent strokes (AP)

AP - Taking the blood thinner Plavix along with aspirin helped prevent strokes and heart attacks in people with a common heartbeat abnormality that puts them at high risk of these problems, doctors reported Tuesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:27 pm

Health Tip: Managing the Teen Years (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- The teen years can be difficult for parents and their children, who are undergoing countless physical and emotional changes.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:03 pm

As CT Radiation Accumulates, Cancer Risk May Rise (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- Cumulative exposure to radiation from CT scans can increase the risk for cancer by as much as 12 percent, Harvard University researchers report.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:02 pm

Walgreen giving free care to jobless and uninsured (AP)

AP - Drugstore operator Walgreen will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics though patients will still pay for precriptions.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 12:57 pm

Old age diets

Donkey milk and nine other food tips to live to 100
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 31 Mar 2009 | 12:57 pm

Test May Predict Breast Cancer Metastasis

Better methodologies are needed to predict the risk of developing metastatic breast cancer. A marker that evaluates the microenvironment of tumors might be such a method.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 31 Mar 2009 | 12:02 pm

FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare (AP)

AP - In another food scare sure to rattle consumers who watched the national salmonella outbreak in peanuts unfold, federal food officials are now warning people not to eat any food containing pistachios, which could carry contamination from the same bacteria.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 11:28 am

Massive chemo dose targets cancerous liver (AP)

AP - Bill Darker grinned as he headed into the operating room for a dramatic experiment: A super-high dose of chemotherapy dripped directly into his cancer-ridden liver, 10 times more than patients normally can tolerate.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:22 am

Systems Biology Provides First Global Analysis Of Prion Disease In A Mouse Model

Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle and the McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls, Montana, published in Molecular Systems Biology a ground-breaking study which modeled the progression of degenerative brain diseases, one of which is "mad cow disease," that are caused by misfolded proteins called "prions". The paper can be accessed at http://www.nature.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Intestinal Parasites Alter Immunity In Cholera Patients

Cholera patients also infected with parasitic intestinal worms have a significantly reduced immune response to the cholera toxin, according to a report published March 31st in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Biodel To Submit New Drug Application For VIAject(R) To FDA

Biodel Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOD) announced its plan to submit a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the second half of this year for approval to market VIAject® for the treatment of diabetes. VIAject® is Biodel's investigational ultra-rapid-acting injectable human insulin intended for meal-time use by people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

New Lantheus Study Finds Significant Survival Benefit For Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Contrast-Enhanced Echocardiography

Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging, announces new data regarding the use of DEFINITY® Vial For (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) Injectable Suspension. A large, retrospective study (abstract number 1027-265) presented by Dr.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Circulating Prostate Tumor Cells Detected By Reverse Transcription-PCR In Men With Localized Or Castration-Refractory Prostate Cancer

UroToday.com - In the journal Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Pauliina Helo and the group of Dr. Hans Lilja at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center measured circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in prostate cancer patients by the commercially available CellSearch;Veridex assay and compared it to a RT-PCR methodology from their laboratory.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

FABLYN(R) Approved In Europe For The Treatment Of Osteoporosis

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) announced that its partner, Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has received approval from the European Commission(EC) for FABLYN® (lasofoxifene) Tablets, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women at increased risk of fracture. FABLYN was submitted for approval in Europe in January 2008.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Simulation, Situated Conceptualization, And Prediction

Based on accumulating evidence, simulation appears to be a basic computational mechanism in the brain that supports a broad spectrum of processes from perception to social cognition. Further evidence suggests that simulation is typically situated, with the situated character of experience in the environment being reflected in the situated character of the representations that underlie simulation.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

1.7M People Visit Webpage Urging Gov. Schwarzenegger To Save California AIDS Care Plan

More than 1.7 million people have visited a multi-media webpage urging California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to 'Have a Heart' and save 'Positive Healthcare,' a California primary care case management health care plan caring for low income people living with AIDS. The webpage (http://ga1.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Face Recognition: The Eyes Have It

Our brain extracts important information for face recognition principally from the eyes, and secondly from the mouth and nose, according to a new study from a researcher at the University of Barcelona. This result, published March 27th in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, was obtained by analyzing several hundred face images in a way similar to that of the brain.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

A Milestone Toward Ending River Blindness In The Western Hemisphere By 2012: Escuintla, Guatemala Biggest Endemic Area Yet To Stop Transmission

An international team of researchers led by Rodrigo Gonzalez of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala reports that the transmission of onchocerciasis or river blindness has been broken in Escuintla, Guatemala, one of the largest endemic areas in the Western Hemisphere to date to stop the transmission of the parasitic disease.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 31 Mar 2009 | 10:00 am

Flu epidemic hits Pacific island

The tiny South Pacific paradise of Tokelau is hit by a flu outbreak, New Zealand health authorities say.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 31 Mar 2009 | 8:55 am

Full house

Mental health clinic picking up pieces from Congo conflict
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 31 Mar 2009 | 8:25 am

Vital Signs: Regimens: Creepy, Maybe, but It Seems to Work

Leg ulcers are notoriously difficult to treat, but a new study suggests that patients may benefit from live maggots.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 7:39 am

Vital Signs: Prevention: One Drink a Day Tied to Lower Death Risk

For people over 55, there may be benefits in a daily cocktail.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 7:39 am

Polypill 'could become a reality'

A cheap five-in-one pill can guard against heart attacks and stroke, research conducted in India suggests.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 31 Mar 2009 | 6:39 am

Really?: The Claim: Heart Attack Symptoms Differ According to Sex

Is one gender more likely to suffer from the classic symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath prior to a heart attack?
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 6:39 am

Obesity Drug Clears Trial, Arena Says

Producing results it said would be good enough for regulatory approval, Arena Pharmaceuticals said its experimental obesity drug had succeeded in its first late-stage clinical trial.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 5:54 am

Vital Signs: Vitamin D Pills May Prevent Fractures in Older Adults

In a pooled analysis, researchers found that one type of vitamin D accounts for most of the reduction in fracture risk.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 5:11 am

Reshaping the Heart Is No Help

A procedure for heart failure had once seemed promising, but does not seem to help patients, doctors report.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 4:31 am

Personal Health: A Dip in the Sex Drive, Tied to Menopause

What’s a woman to do when her libido drops?
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 4:31 am

Global Update: Tuberculosis: Infection With AIDS Sharply Raises Risk of Developing TB, Report Says

One-quarter of all deaths from tuberculosis are in patients also infected with the AIDS virus, a new report says.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 4:29 am

Benefits of Mammogram Under Debate in Britain

The conventional wisdom about breast cancer screening is coming under sharp attack in Britain.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 4:23 am

Books: Afflictions of the Brain, Cured or Not

Two books that delve into the realm of awful headaches, sometimes with no escape.
Source: NYT > Health | 31 Mar 2009 | 4:21 am

Rapid Infant Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who gain weight quickly during the first six months of life may be more prone to obesity as toddlers, Harvard researchers report.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 3:48 am

Clinical Trials Update: March 30, 2009 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 31 Mar 2009 | 3:48 am

M.Stanley to complete $6 bln property fund-sources

HONG KONG/NEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley is close to raising $6 billion for a new global property fund, falling short of its earlier target of $10 billion, sources with direct knowledge...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 3:40 am

M.Stanley to complete $6 bln property fund-sources

China Coal Group says to invest $15 bln in Xinjiang

SHANGHAI, March 31 (Reuters) - China National Coal Group Corp said it plans to invest more than 100 billion yuan ($14.6 billion) in China's far northwestern Xinjiang region over the next five years.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 3:02 am

SNAPSHOT - Financial Crisis - 0235 GMT

- Obama tries to sway skeptical Democrats in the US House of Representatives to back an expensive budget plan for 2010 by arguing it was needed to reverse economy's downward spiral
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 2:37 am

ACC 2009: ABOARD: Immediate Cath No Better Than Next-Day Intervention for NSTE-ACS Patients

There was no benefit of immediate over next-day catheterization on the primary end point of MI, defined as troponin peaks, or on secondary clinical end points in non-ST-elevation ACS patients.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 31 Mar 2009 | 2:24 am

Share information and stop disease outbreaks: study

LONDON (Reuters) - Posting notices on pre-school doors, texting friends and other ways of sharing information locally can stop outbreaks of infectious diseases, according to findings from a
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 2:21 am

DEALTALK-Chrysler, Fiat tie-up faces tough road to reality

MILAN/DETROIT, March 30 (Reuters) - Fiat SpA and Chrysler have a framework for an alliance and a U.S. government blessing and now must race to tie up crucial agreements with debt holders and unions to...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:56 am

Eating Lightly During Labor May Not Affect Obstetric or Neonatal Outcomes

In a randomized controlled trial, consuming a light diet during labor did not affect obstetric or neonatal outcomes or increase the incidence of vomiting vs in women allowed water only.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:48 am

UPDATE 2-Disney to launch ad-supported channels on YouTube

* ESPN player to be integrated into YouTube (Adds comments from YouTube and analyst, share price)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:45 am

CDC, HICPAC Issue Guidelines to Treat Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Acute Care Facilities

The CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee released guidelines to identify carbapenem-resistant or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in acute care hospitals.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:41 am

Smoking Linked to Risk for Pancreatitis

An observational, population-based cohort study shows that smoking appears to be associated with an increased risk for acute and chronic pancreatitis.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:29 am

Indonesia's Adaro says 2008 net profit up ten-fold

JAKARTA, March 31 (Reuters) - Indonesia's second-largest coal producer, PT Adaro Energy Tbk , on Tuesday reported a ten-fold increase in net profit in 2008 to 887.2 billion rupiah ($77 million), beating...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:24 am

Volcano forces officials to consider oil removal

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 30 (Reuters) - Chevron said on Monday it has trimmed Cook Inlet oil production as Alaskan and U.S. officials debated whether crude oil stored at a terminal near the base of erupting...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 1:13 am

All-out effort stops river blindness in Guatemala

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - Dogged education and distribution of an anti-parasitic drug have virtually eradicated river blindness in badly affected parts of Guatemala, researchers reported on Monday...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 31 Mar 2009 | 12:47 am

Eating-Disorders Experts Challenge Economists' Conclusions About Bulimia

Researchers doubt economists' claims that bulimia is an addiction and is more common among blacks than whites.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Mar 2009 | 11:37 pm

Combo Pill Could Cut Heart Disease Risk

A new pill combines aspirin, cholesterol medicine and blood pressure drugs.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 30 Mar 2009 | 11:33 pm

ACC 2009: Rheos Hypertension System Demonstrates Feasibility; Phase 3 Trial Under Way

Results of a small feasibility study with the Rheos hypertension system, a new implantable device that activates the baroreceptors of the carotid sinus, show that it produces significant reductions in blood pressure in patients with refractory hypertension.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 30 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

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