Health and Medical News Headlines for February 23, 2010

Medical journal bars tobacco-backed research papers

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A leading scientific journal will no longer publish research papers that receive any funding from tobacco companies, its editorial board said on Tuesday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Feb 2010 | 1:50 am

Zimbabwe's white farmers struggle to build city lives

Ten years into Zimbabwe's land reforms, lifelong farmer John Browning has found a job at a food company's factory in Harare, supervising the night shift. "At 73, you should not be...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Feb 2010 | 1:38 am

High blood pressure in U.S. a "neglected disease"

CHICAGO (Reuters) - High blood pressure is a "neglected disease" and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must do more to fight it by helping Americans eat better and...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Feb 2010 | 1:22 am

Findings: When It Comes to Salt, No Rights or Wrongs. Yet.

There’s plenty of menacing talk about the perils of excess sodium. But where’s the evidence?

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Feb 2010 | 12:19 am

A Face-Off on the Safety of a Drug for Diabetes

A cardiologist recorded a meeting with executives from GlaxoSmithKline in 2007 about the drug Avandia.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:57 pm

A Murder Suspect’s Worth to Science

In Web postings, some suggest that Amy Bishop, the suspect in six shootings, three of them fatal, could still contribute to medicine.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:57 pm

Vital Signs: Behavior: Napping Can Prime the Brain for Learning

Young adults who slept for 90 minutes in the afternoon were better able to learn new faces and names, according to a recent study.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:53 pm

Avastin misses target for advanced stomach cancer

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG's cancer drug Avastin missed its main target in a late-stage trial when used with chemotherapy to treat patients with advanced stomach cancer, the Swiss...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:49 pm

Doctor Training Aided by Drug Industry Cash

More than half the nation’s residency programs to train doctors in internal medicine accepted drug industry money, a survey found.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:22 pm

Target Cancer: After Long Fight, Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve

The trial of a melanoma drug offers a glimpse at navigating a medical frontier as more drugs tailored to the genetic profile of a cancer are being tested on humans.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:04 pm

Vital Signs: Children: Rate of Chronic Health Problems Rises

Researchers said rates of problems like obesity and asthma doubled in the past 12 years, but many conditions resolved themselves during childhood.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:58 pm

Books: Doing an About-Face on ‘Overmedicated’ Children

Judith Warner thought she would find pushy parents and irresponsible doctors behind children on drugs like Ritalin and Prozac. She did not.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:58 pm

Personal Health: Medical Paper Trail Takes Electronic Turn

Hospital systems around the country are taking advantage of financial incentives to foster the creation and use of electronic records.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:52 pm

Vital Signs: Pets in Airline Cabins Pose Allergy Risk, Doctors Say

A Canadian editorial called for banning pets in passenger cabins, warning that exposure to animals can set off asthma attacks or life-threatening reactions in some.

Source: NYT > Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:51 pm

Snowboarding dudes ageing disgracefully

Double McTwist 1260. Alley Oop. Bonk. Snowboarding, with is own subculture and language, is no longer the truculent teenager at the Winter Olympics, but is intent on retaining its...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:22 pm

UPDATE 1-Idemitsu sees March crude runs down amid weak demand

* Repeats Jan-March crude runs of 7.9 mln kl, down 2 pct y/y (Adds details)
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:13 pm

Poland's Lotos swings to PLN 224 mln Q4 net profit

WARSAW, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Poland's No. 2 refiner Lotos swung to a net profit of 224 million zlotys in the fourth quarter, beating analysts' expectations, the refiner said on Tuesday.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:09 pm

Pediatricians want hot dogs redesigned to curb choking (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The leading group of pediatricians in the United States is pushing for a redesign of common foods such as hot dogs and candies, along with new warning labels placed on food packaging, to help curb sometimes fatal incidents of child choking.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:49 pm

Clinical Trials Update: Feb. 22, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:49 pm

Testicular Cancer Survivors May Have Hormone Deficiency (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Testosterone deficiency in young male cancer survivors often causes low energy levels and reduced quality of life, and these patients may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy, a new study suggests.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:49 pm

FDA Approved Diabetes Drug Despite Hints at Cancer Risk (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is defending its decision in late January to approve a new diabetes drug, Victoza (liraglutide), even though animal studies suggest it might increase the risk for a rare thyroid cancer.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:49 pm

Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy Raises Gestational Diabetes Risk (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Excessive weight gain during pregnancy, especially the first trimester, may increase a woman's risk of gestational diabetes, say U.S. researchers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:49 pm

FDA: No Decision on Whether to Pull Diabetes Drug Avandia Off the Market (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday said it was still reviewing documents that examine whether the blockbuster type 2 diabetes drug Avandia raises users' odds for heart attack and heart failure and should be removed from the market.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:48 pm

Idemitsu sees March crude refining down 3 pct y/y

TOKYO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Idemitsu Kosan Co , Japan's third-largest refiner, said on Tuesday that it plans to refine 2.6 million kilolitres of crude oil in March, down 3 percent from a year earlier.
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:32 pm

'Real men' don't watch figure skating

It has prompted endless jokes at the Winter Olympics, but men just don't want to admit that they actually like figure skating. "It's not the sort of thing you'd say: 'hey guys come on...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 8:36 pm

FDA: No new conclusions on Glaxo's Avandia yet

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing data on possible heart risks with GlaxoSmithKline Plc's diabetes drug Avandia but has not reached any new...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsHealth | 22 Feb 2010 | 8:26 pm

'Lame' mosquitoes to stop dengue

Scientists are breeding a new strain of flightless mosquito in an effort to curb the spread of dengue fever.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:15 pm

Obama unveils new healthcare plan

Barack Obama unveils new proposals to overhaul the country's healthcare system, in the face of stiff opposition.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 22 Feb 2010 | 5:26 pm

AMA Urges Medical Board To Recognise Thousands Of Vocationally Registered GPs As 'Specialist GPs', Australia

The AMA is urging the recently established Medical Board of Australia to ensure that the new national registration arrangements for doctors do not discriminate against 11,000 vocationally registered general practitioners. The Board is currently finalising the criteria that will determine which GPs will be included on its specialist register. The AMA has welcomed the decision by the Board to formally recognise GPs as specialists...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pm

Medical pot may help fibromyalgia pain

Lynda, a 48-year-old mother of three who lives in upstate New York, got a diagnosis of fibromyalgia in 2000. While there are prescription medications for fibromyalgia, she's found one unconventional drug -- marijuana -- that really does the trick.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 3:22 pm

Researchers: Most `test tube' kids are healthy (AP)

AP - More than 30 years after the world greeted its first "test-tube" baby with a mixture of awe, elation and concern, researchers say they are finding only a few medical differences between these children and kids conceived in the traditional way.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 2:14 pm

Exercise Reduces Anxiety of Chronic Disease

Exercise may reduce anxiety symptoms in those with chronic diseases, new research suggests.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 2:04 pm

AIDS drugs haven't changed HIV risk with anal sex (Reuters)

Reuters - The introduction of effective drugs against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has not changed gay men's risk of contracting the virus during a single act of anal sex, new research from Australia shows.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Feb 2010 | 1:37 pm

Singing helping stroke patients speak

When mothers speak to children, it's often in a singsong tone. That's no coincidence, scientists say, given that music and language are so intricately linked in the brain.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pm

Green Tea May Protect Against Eye Diseases

New research from Hong Kong suggests that green tea may protect against eye diseases such as glaucoma because the researchers found green tea antioxidants called catechins present in various tissue structures in the eyes of laboratory rats after they had ingested green tea...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Choke-hazard labels urged for foods

It's a silent, often overlooked danger that kills dozens of children every year, and it's easily preventable: choking to death on food.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

Gene Linked To Lone Atrial Fibrillation In Younger Patients

A common gene variant may increase the risk of lone atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of irregular heartbeat that is seen in younger patients who have no other symptoms heart disease, according to a new study from a team of international researchers. A paper on the finding was published in the advance online issue of Nature Genetics on 21 February. The research team comprised members from the US, Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, Estonia and Iceland. The US National Institutes of Health and other public and private sponsors paid for the research...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 11:00 am

Postpartum Zidovudine/didanosine Prevents NNRTI Resistance Mutations in HIV

Intra-partum nevirapine, given to prevent HIV transmission, contributes to HIV resistance mutations to non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) - but a one-month postpartum course of zidovudine plus didanosine helps avoid this problem.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

Mom's Diet During Pregnancy May Alter Infant's Allergies

Eating lots of vegetables and fruits during pregnancy may lower the chance of having a baby with certain allergies, hint study findings from Japan.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

Avoid Diphenhydramine, Ranitidine After Perforated Appendicitis: Study

Giving the antihistamines ranitidine or diphenhydramine to patients with perforated appendicitis dramatically increases their risk of an intra-abdominal abscess, according to a new study.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

New Sphincter for Women With Stress Incontinence Can Be Placed Laparoscopically

An artificial urinary sphincter can be safely implanted via laparoscopy in most women with genuine urinary stress incontinence, French researchers reported online February 2 in BJU International.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

In Vitro Embryo Culture Medium Affects Birthweight

The birthweight of singletons after in vitro fertilization (IVF) appears to be influenced by the culture medium, Dutch researchers reported online January 18th in Human Reproduction.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

Pneumococcal Vaccine Prompts Lasting Response in Older People

A 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PN23) induces enduring antibody responses in middle-aged and elderly people, researchers report in 2 papers in the February 15th Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am

Hormonal Contraceptives Safe for Women With HIV, But Usage Rates Low

Two new studies resolve doubts about the safety of hormonal contraceptives for HIV-infected women, but these same studies document low rates of use for most types of effective contraception.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:24 am

Obama Healthcare Reform Plan Would Try to Tame Premium Hikes

The president's plan largely resembles legislation passed by Senate Democrats.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:17 am

In Long QT Syndrome, Syncope During Beta-Blockade an Indication for ICD Therapy

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) should be considered when patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) have syncope while on beta-blockers.
Reuters Health Information
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:08 am

Malarial Parasite Study Identifies Genes Associated With Drug Resistance

Genetic analysis of Plasmodium falciparum suggests that drugs should target more slowly evolving regions of the parasite's genome.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Feb 2010 | 10:08 am

Pet vaccinations are no longer one-size-fits-all

When Linda Thomas of Frederick, Maryland, found out her 2-year old beagle, Henry, had Lyme disease, she was pretty upset. Her dog hardly went outside. But after his diagnosis, Henry's vet told Thomas that Lyme disease, which is transferred to pets by deer ticks, is fairly common in Maryland, and Henry probably should have been vaccinated for it.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 22 Feb 2010 | 9:30 am

NHS money 'wasted' on homeopathy

Spending public funds on homeopathy is a waste of NHS money, MPs say.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 22 Feb 2010 | 7:41 am

New Ultrasound Breast Scanner Takes Up Operation In Europe

The first models of the new Siemens ultrasound system Acuson S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS) have taken up operation in European radiological and gynecological clinics and offices. Patients in Switzerland, France, Portugal, Norway and Germany can now be examined with the new system. Thanks to its more accurate, three-dimensional image acquisition, the technology is particularly suitable for the diagnosis of very dense breast tissue. Dr. Frank StÃ¶blen of the Diavero Diagnostic Center in Essen, Germany, is one of the first physicians to use the new ultrasound technology...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Join Industry Leaders As They Gather In Paris For The First Health 2.0 Conference & Exhibition, April 6-7 2010

Health 2.0 Europe is a conference dedicated to how Web 2.0 and Social Media are transforming healthcare systems in Europe. It will be held, for the first time, on April 6-7, 2010 at the Cite Universitaire in Paris, France. Organized by e-health specialists "Health 2.0" of San Francisco and Basil Strategies of Paris, the two-day event will assemble attendees from the converging industries of healthcare, the internet, mobile applications and social media, to network and brainstorm about technologies that are revolutionizing healthcare delivery and treatment...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Closing The Gap - A Step Forward For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health, Australia

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has demonstrated its dedication to closing the gap for Indigenous Peoples by announcing a new faculty representing the health issues of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The launch of the RACGP National Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health follows data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which in 2009 found life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 67.2 years for men and 72.9 years for women...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Have You Kept Your New Years Resolutions? The Market Access Summit, 2-3 June, Philadelphia May Help You Get Back On Track

Apparently this week is the week most people drop the promises they made to their selves just a few weeks ago. Lasting change is difficult to maintain, personally and professionally. Indeed, how long have yours lasted? Now, we can't exactly come to your house and stop you drinking that third glass of red wine of the evening - but we can definitely help with your professional resolutions. Market Access has recently been all over the press and I know that it has definitely come up in your 2010 planning meetings...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

URAC Showcases Performance Measures For Pharmacy Benefit And Drug Therapy Management Programs

URAC, the nation's leading health care accreditation and education organization, will conduct a workshop on "Medication Adherence and Medication Possession Ratio as a Critical Metric" at the 15th Annual Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The session will highlight the organization's revised Performance Measurement Reporting Standards for its Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) and Drug Therapy Management (DTM) Accreditation programs...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Sex Trafficking Surge During Olympics - UNISON Women Delegates Demand Action, England

UNISON is calling for cross-agency action to prevent sex trafficking, prostitution and violence spiralling during the 2012 London Olympics. Hundreds of delegates from across the UK, representing UNISON's one million women members, voted in favour of a motion at UNISON Women's Conference, to put the issue high on the union's agenda. Delegates heard how prostitution has historically surged during large sporting events...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

Government Releases Diabetes National Service Framework Update - Diabetes UK

The Department of Health has released its 'Six Years On: Delivering the Diabetes National Service Framework' report, which updates on the progress made since the National Service Framework (NSF) for Diabetes was developed in 2001, setting out national standards of care for people with diabetes...

Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 22 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

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