Health-news- at Simplenewz your social news reader

simpleNewz

your social news reader

Find and read news in one place.
Share and comment the news you love.
Travel back in "news time".

Health News
for 01/18/2010

(last updated 7:30am EST 01/18/2010)

Custom Search

• Obesity treatment for kids works, panel ... Obesity treatment for kids works, panel says
01/18/2010
An influential advisory panel says school-aged youngsters and teens should be screened for obesity and sent to intensive behavior treatment if they need to lose weight. (1 h ago)

• Haitian doctor takes 100 patients into h... Haitian doctor takes 100 patients into his home
01/17/2010
It wasn't long after Tuesday's earthquake leveled nearly all of the houses next to Claude Surena's that neighbors started showing up at his doorstep. (6 h ago)

• Doctor disciplined for removing wrong ki... Doctor disciplined for removing wrong kidney
01/17/2010
A urologist has been indefinitely barred from inpatient surgery for removing the wrong kidney of one patient and taking a biopsy from another's patient's pancreas instead of a kidney. (6 h ago)

• Chubby? Blame your kitchen Chubby? Blame your kitchen
01/17/2010
Your plates, pantry, and yes, your lightbulbs, may hurt your efforts to lose weight. (7 h ago)

• Big Tobacco makes secret plea to avoid p... Big Tobacco makes secret plea to avoid payout
01/17/2010
Tobacco industry lawyers met secretly with the solicitor general in an effort to avoid the government's attempt to extract billions over illegal concealment of smoking dangers. (22 h ago)

• A world away, foster parents hold out ho... A world away, foster parents hold out hope
01/16/2010
Families who have helped fragile children from Haiti find medical care are now wondering if the kids they loved are still walking the earth. (1 d ago)

• Next wave of misery? Infection, illness ... Next wave of misery? Infection, illness loom
01/16/2010
In the days and weeks ahead, public health experts say Haiti can expect new rounds of health problems to emerge and worsen, challenging even the best efforts of a global humanitarian response. (1 d ago)

• Md. heart patients may not have needed s... Md. heart patients may not have needed stents
01/16/2010
A Maryland hospital says hundreds of heart patients may have had unnecessary stents implanted in their arteries. (1 d ago)

• Obama, Dems near deal on health care Obama, Dems near deal on health care
01/16/2010
President Barack Obama and top congressional Democrats are closing in on agreement on cost and coverage disputes at the heart of sweeping health care legislation. (1 d ago)

• Swine flu death toll surpasses 11,000 Swine flu death toll surpasses 11,000
01/15/2010
A new government estimate says swine flu has sickened about 55 million Americans and killed about 11,160. (2 d ago)

• Floor caves under Weight Watchers weigh-... Floor caves under Weight Watchers weigh-in
01/15/2010
As a Weight Watchers group gathered for a routine weigh-in, the dieters got an idea of how far they still had to go: The floor underneath them collapsed, a Swedish newspaper reports. (2 d ago)

• Self-control — or lack of it — is contag... Self-control — or lack of it — is contagious
01/15/2010
When you refrain from scarfing down unhealthy foods or hold back on that extra drink, others may deserve some of the credit. Self-control is contagious, a new study suggests. (2 d ago)

• Tylenol expands recall due to moldy smel... Tylenol expands recall due to moldy smell
01/15/2010
Johnson & Johnson expanded a recall of over-the-counter medications Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a month because of a moldy smell that has made users sick. (2 d ago)

• Salmonella warning issued for some dog t... Salmonella warning issued for some dog treats
01/15/2010
Consumers should not use certain beef dog treats distributed by Merrick Pet Care because the pet food might be contaminated with salmonella, health authorities warned on Thursday. (2 d ago)

• Feds vs. states: Who should run health m... Feds vs. states: Who should run health market?
01/15/2010
The fight over whether states or the federal government will have more clout in a proposed health insurance marketplace is escalating – and the outcome has big implications for consumers. (2 d ago)

• Is your junk food habit making you depre... Is your junk food habit making you depressed?
01/15/2010
A study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry makes a strong case that processed junk food can trigger or contribute to depression, while eating whole and healthy food seems protective. (2 d ago)

• Surgery Tech Details Stealing Painkiller Surgery Tech Details Stealing Painkiller
01/18/2010
Woman Who Infected Dozens with Hepatitis C, Put Thousands More at Risk Says She Expects No Forgiveness (1 h ago)

• Panel: Obesity Treatment Works for Kids Panel: Obesity Treatment Works for Kids
01/18/2010
Influential Advisory Panel says Children Should be Screened, Sent to Intensive Behavior Treatment (1 h ago)

• Video: Life-Saving Efforts Continue Video: Life-Saving Efforts Continue
01/18/2010
Throughout Haiti's ordeal, there have been remarkable life-saving efforts by medical teams from all over the world. But as Dr. Jennifer Ashton reports from Haiti, each day brings a new medical crisis. (1 h ago)

• Health Overhaul Doesn't Fix Disability G... Health Overhaul Doesn't Fix Disability Gap
01/18/2010
Disabled Face Two-Year Delay in Getting Medicare Coverage; Congress Offers Messy Temporary Fixes (1 h ago)

• Video: Haitian Baby's Struggle Video: Haitian Baby's Struggle
01/17/2010
Dr. Jennifer Ashton tells us about a 2-month-old baby girl from Haiti, who was severly injured during the earthquake in Haiti. (23 h ago)

• Video: Doctors Overwhelmed in Haiti Video: Doctors Overwhelmed in Haiti
01/17/2010
With Haiti's meager health care system overwhelmed, medical teams from overseas are trying to fill the gap. Dr. Jennifer Ashton tells us her story after working overnight in an emergency room. (23 h ago)

• Doc's Dramatic Account of Helping in Hai... Doc's Dramatic Account of Helping in Haiti
01/16/2010
CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton Paints Graphic Picture of Scene at U.N. M.A.S.H. Unit (1 d ago)

• Video: Beat Blues on The Job Video: Beat Blues on The Job
01/16/2010
Sue Morem, author of "Hot to Get a Job and Keep It," tells Chris Wragge about ways to stay happy in the work place and ways to avoid stress and dissatisfaction in your career. (1 d ago)

• J&J Recalls Tylenol, Motrin, St. Joseph'... J&J Recalls Tylenol, Motrin, St. Joseph's
01/16/2010
Johnson & Johnson Issues Massive Recall of OTC Caplets, Geltabs After Moldy Smell Made People Sick (1 d ago)

• Video: Nightmare Moving Supplies Video: Nightmare Moving Supplies
01/16/2010
As U.S. military forces send tons of supplies to the Haiti earthquake disaster area, CBS News' Jeff Glor reports that actually delivering these shipments to survivors has been a logistical nightmare. (1 d ago)

• Video: Quake Victims Fight To Live Video: Quake Victims Fight To Live
01/16/2010
After struggling with unsanitary conditions and a lack of food, water or shelter, survivors of the earthquake in Haiti are growing desperate. Katie Couric reports from Port-au-Prince. (1 d ago)

• Gov't: Johnson & Johnson Paid Kickbacks Gov't: Johnson & Johnson Paid Kickbacks
01/15/2010
U.S. Attorney Accuses Health Care Giant of Using Kickback Scheme to Put More Patients on its Schizophrenia Drugs (2 d ago)

• Tylenol Recall Expanded over Moldy Smell Tylenol Recall Expanded over Moldy Smell
01/15/2010
Second Increase of Recall in Last Three Weeks by Johnson & Johnson (2 d ago)

• Chubby? Blame your kitchen Chubby? Blame your kitchen
01/17/2010
Your plates, pantry, and yes, your lightbulbs, may hurt your efforts to lose weight. Weight loss - Health - diet pill - Shopping - Support Groups (7 h ago)

• Dems look at bypassing Senate health car... Dems look at bypassing Senate health care vote
01/18/2010
A panicky White House and Democratic allies scrambled Sunday for a plan to salvage their hard-fought health care package in case a Republican wins Tuesday's Senate race in Massachusetts, which would enable the GOP to block further Senate action. Massachusetts - Republican - Democratic - Health care - White House (1 h ago)

• J&J paid kickbacks to boost sales: prose... J&J paid kickbacks to boost sales: prosecutors
01/15/2010
Federal prosecutors in Boston say health care giant Johnson & Johnson paid millions of dollars in kickbacks so nursing homes would put more patients on its schizophrenia drug. Johnson - Health care - Nursing home - Health - United States (2 d ago)

• Obese may need larger drug doses Obese may need larger drug doses
01/15/2010
“Patients may have to be prescribed higher doses of antibiotics because of rising rates of obesity,” BBC News reported. The story is based on a narrative review in The Lancet. The authors say that drugs for treating infection should be prescribed according to body weight (the process for children). They state that this may be advantageous to the person taking the drugs, the healthcare provider and the fight against disease in general. Microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals are a genuine concern. If dosing that is tailored for individuals helps to prevent resistance, then it should be considered. However, changes to current prescribing would be costly and complex. More research is now needed, investigating if the benefits of tailored dosing are enough to warrant a change to current practice. Where did the story come from? Dr Matthew Falagas and Drosos Karageorgopoulos of the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Science, Athens, Greece, carried out this research. There was no funding provided for this narrative review . The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. This narrative review was accurately reflected in the news reports. What kind of research was this? This narrative review presents the authors’ views and experiences about how adult body weight may need to be taken into consideration when prescribing antimicrobials. It should not, therefore, be interpreted as a systematic review or original research. Whether or not tailored dosing for overweight and obese adults reduces the time it takes to clear infection will need further research and follow-up in a variety of adult populations. What did the research involve? The authors describe how advances in molecular biology and pharmacology have enabled the development of drug treatments that are tailored for individual patients. However although the body size of the patient needs to be taken into account for drug treatments to be of most benefit, they say that, currently, most dosing regimens, across medical specialties, do not consider this. The authors say that body size varies substantially around the world. The ‘modern epidemic’ of obesity, affecting more than 30% of people in the US and 20% of people in several European countries, needs to be taken into account. The main discussion points The authors say that, although pharmacokinetic studies (studies of how drugs are distributed, processed and disposed by the body) consider different ages and diseases, body size and other characteristics also need to be taken into account: Physiological alterations to the body, such as increased adipose (fat) tissue, can affect distribution, metabolism and clearance of drugs from the body. In particular, different considerations need to be given to hydrophilic (‘water-loving’) and lipophilic (‘fat-loving’) drugs, because these have different distributions in obese and lean people. Body size may also have an effect on liver and kidney function, with obesity believed to increase clearance of drugs. Available data support the notion that several antimicrobial drugs that are currently given in standard doses, should be given in higher doses to patients with large body size to help attain target effects on the body. These include β-lactams, vancomycin, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, linezolid, sulphonamides, fluconazole, aminoglycosides, daptomycin, colistin, and amphotericin B, co-trimoxazole, metronidazole and aciclovir. However, the complex interaction between different drugs and body size means that a standard calculation would be difficult to establish. There are many factors that could be relevant, such as body mass index (BMI), total weight, adjusted weight (fraction of excess body weight added to ideal weight), lean body weight and body surface area. For different drugs, different factors may need to be considered to calculate the right dose. This is also the case for underweight people. Based on the class of drug and its weight-dependent body distribution and clearance, some drugs may need to be given at greater or lesser amounts than the standard adult dose. Some drugs may need to have their starting dose adjusted, while others may need to have their maintenance dose changed. Others may benefit from being given at the standard dose but for a shorter or longer duration. Such tailored doses may be beneficial for preventing antimicrobial resistance, and preventing suppression of normal ‘friendly’ bacterial flora in the body, in addition to giving maximum effectiveness and safety for the treated individual. What did the researchers conclude? The researchers suggest that all available published or unpublished pharmacokinetic data should be reassessed with the aim of identifying the most appropriate dosage adjustments for adults depending on their body weight. Further clinical trials would be needed to confirm that these readjusted doses are safe and effective for use. Conclusion This is a valuable discussion, which raises several important issues in the use of drugs to treat infection. The headlines should not be interpreted to mean that obese people are putting extra demand on antimicrobial supplies. The issue is that a dose tailored to body weight may be advantageous to the person, the healthcare provider and the fight against disease in general. The development of microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals is a genuine concern. If individual patient-dosing would help to prevent this resistance, then these suggestions should be considered. Another important issue is the minimisation of side effects. Clearance of infection is obviously an important outcome for the person taking the drugs, but just as important is avoiding any adverse effects or depleting levels of normal bacteria that live in the body, which can, in itself, lead to other infections. This risk can be reduced by not exposing patients to unnecessary drugs, and by ensuring that if antimicrobials are needed, they are not given for prolonged periods of time or in consecutive courses. The researchers suggest that dosage adjustments according to body size and body composition should become “an integral part of the process of new antimicrobial drug development”, and this appears to be a worthy argument. However, as they have discussed, it may not be as easy as making one simple adjustment for body weight, and different methods may be needed for different drugs. In addition, changes to current prescribing would have considerable cost and practice implications that need to be considered. A review of previous study data as well as new clinical trials that dose according to body weight and that follow up effects would be needed to see if the benefits are substantial enough to warrant a change to current practice for all prescribed drugs. Links To The Headlines Rising obesity prompts higher antibiotic doses call. BBC news, January 15 2010 Antibiotic doses should take into account obesity experts warn. The Daily Telegraph , January 15 2010 Links To Science Falagas ME, Karageorgopoulos DE, et al. Adjustment of dosing of antimicrobial agents for bodyweight in adults. The Lancet 2010; 375: 248- 251 Editorial Prescribing medicines: size matters. The Lancet 2010; 375: 172 (2 d ago)

• Eye scan could detect Alzheimer's Eye scan could detect Alzheimer's
01/15/2010
The Daily Mirror says there could be a “high street eye test for Alzheimer's” within five years. The newspaper says that new research in mice has shown that placing a harmless fluorescent dye into the retina of the eye could identify dying nerve cells, which are an early sign of Alzheimer's. The model developed in this study is a novel way of studying the death of eye nerve cells in living animals. This research mainly tested whether the technique could detect cell death in the retinas of rodents, including in animals with rodent versions of the human diseases glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it did not test whether the technique could effectively distinguish between different diseases in animals or what the results can tell us about the health of nerve cells in the brain. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is complicated, and additional tests to help identify the condition would be useful. While this technique merits further research, it is too soon to say that the test might be successful in humans or can be used to single out Alzheimer’s disease as a cause of someone’s symptoms. Where did the story come from? This research was conducted by Professor Francesca Cordeiro and colleagues from University College London and other research centres in the US and Italy. The study was funded by The Wellcome Trust and The Foundation Fighting Blindness. Some of the study’s authors are named as inventors on a patent application covering the technology described in the study. The study was published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal Cell Death and Disease. The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror and BBC news all report on this story. They all state that the research is in mice, and that human trials will follow. Their coverage is generally accurate. The Mirror and BBC News suggest that the test could be available in five years, while The Telegraph suggests it could be as soon as two years. However, it is too early to predict how soon this test might be available, as it is not yet clear whether this test would be useful, safe or even possible in humans. What kind of research was this? This was animal research looking at whether researchers could detect the death of nerve cells in living rats and mice as it happened. Nerve-cell death is a key feature of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma. It is not yet possible to detect nerve-cell death in the brain while it is occurring. In this study the researchers tested a system for looking at nerve-cell death in the retina of the eye. Because of similarities between nerve-cell death in the eye and in the brain, they hoped that this technique might give insight into brain nerve-cell death. This initial stage of experimentation could not be performed in humans, but it can provide a clearer picture of whether this new technique might work in humans. However, it will take much further research to determine how the technique might be successfully used in humans. Although the newspapers have highlighted the technique’s potential for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, nerve-cell death occurs in the brain in various neurological and eye diseases, including Parkinson’s and glaucoma. In its current form, this technique would only be useful in detecting neurological diseases where there is nerve-cell death in the eye. Another challenge for the researchers developing this technique would be ensuring that this test would be able to distinguish between different conditions causing nerve cell death in the eye. What did the research involve? The researchers have developed a technique for identifying dying nerve cells in the retinas of live anaesthetised rodents over hours, days and weeks. They used fluorescent dyes that will only attach to cells that are dying, making them glow when exposed to certain wavelengths of light. These dyes can also distinguish between different ways in which cell death can occur, and whether a cell is in the early or late stages of dying. They then used this technique to look at the way eye nerve cells were affected by different chemicals that either cause or prevent the death of nerve cells. They first injected the eyes of rats with a chemical called staurosporine that is known to cause nerve-cell death. This injection also included the fluorescent dyes that would attach to dying nerve cells. They then shone specific wavelengths of light into the eye and used time-lapse video to watch what happened in the retina. The researchers then repeated their experiment using an injection of amyloid beta, instead of staurosporine, into the eyes of mice. Amyloid beta is a protein that builds up in the brain cells in people with Alzheimer’s disease and in the retinas of people with glaucoma. When injected in the eyes of rodents, it causes nerve-cell death in the retina. Research has also shown that amyloid beta accumulates in the retinas of mice genetically engineered to have a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans. The researchers also tested whether they could detect a reduction in nerve-cell death when they injected the eyes with a nerve-protecting chemical called MK801 at the same time as the amyloid beta. Finally, the researchers used their technique to look at eye nerve-cell death in rodent models of chronic disease. They used a rat model of glaucoma and a genetically engineered mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. What were the basic results? The researchers tested their technique and found that they could detect individual nerve cells dying in the retinas of rats and mice whose eyes had been injected with staurosporine or amyloid beta. The level of detail observable also meant that they could identify the type and pattern of cell death occurring. They also showed that they could detect a reduction in cell death when a nerve-protecting chemical was injected into the eye at the same time as amyloid beta. Nerve-cell death could also be detected in the retinas of a rat model of glaucoma and the genetically engineered mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. A reduction in cell death was again observed when a nerve-protecting chemical was injected into the eye of the rat glaucoma model. Slightly different patterns of cell death could be seen in the models of glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease compared to the ‘acute models’, which had been produced by injecting staurosporine or amyloid beta. These acute models featured fewer cells in the late stages of death than the chronic models. How did the researchers interpret the results? The researchers concluded that the retina is an “ideal experimental model” that allows “monitoring of disease mechanisms and dynamics in experimental neurodegeneration”. They say that the equipment they used is “essentially the same” as equipment already used by hospitals and eye clinics, and that its availability raises the possibility that, in the near future, clinicians may be able to assess retinal-nerve-cell death in patients to monitor the progression of their disease and treatment. Conclusion The model developed in this study is a novel way of studying cell death in the retinas of living animal models and, as such, is likely to be a useful research tool. This study mainly tested whether the technique could detect cell death in the retinas of rodents, including in animal models of the human diseases glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease. It did not focus on how well the technique could distinguish between different diseases in animals, or what the results of the test can tell us about the health of nerve cells in the brain. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is complicated, with diagnoses currently made on the basis of exclusion of other causes, characteristic clinical symptoms and brain-scan images that correspond to Alzheimer’s. Additional tests that can help with this diagnosis would be useful, but, given the experimental nature of this technique, it is too early as yet to say whether it will become useful in routine medical practice. Although it seems likely that this test could identify nerve-cell death in human eyes, we do not yet know whether it would be able to differentiate between healthy adults and people with Alzheimer’s disease, or other neurological or eye diseases. Links To The Headlines Eye test could diagnose Alzheimer's Disease . The Daily Telegraph , January 14 2010 High street eye test for Alzheimer's . Daily Mirror , January 14 2010 Alzheimer's disease 'could be detected by eye test' . BBC News, January 14 2010 Links To Science Cordeiro MF, Guo L, Coxon KM et al . Imaging multiple phases of neurodegeneration: a novel approach to assessing cell death in vivo . Cell Death and Disease (2010) (2 d ago)

• American Red Cross Among the Many Provid... American Red Cross Among the Many Providing Assistance in Haiti
01/17/2010
Across the world, millions of dollars are being raised to help the people of Haiti receive much needed medical attention and supplies since the earthquake destroyed the capital city five days ago. Across the world, millions of dollars are being raised to help the people of Haiti receive much needed medical attention and supplies since the earthquake destroyed the capital city five days ago. Source: PR Newswire and the American Red Cross (8 h ago)

• Tylenol Problems Expand and Affected Ext... Tylenol Problems Expand and Affected Extra Strength and Rolaids
01/15/2010
More Tylenol products being voluntarily recalled due to consumer reports of a moldy smell that can cause nausea and sickness. In December the makers of Tylenol voluntary recalled Tylenol Arthritis Relief Caplets afte Source: Associated Press, Wall Street Journal (2 d ago)

• Locum Leaders Matches Hospitalists, Othe... Locum Leaders Matches Hospitalists, Other Specialists to Government Locum Tenens Jobs
01/18/2010
National healthcare recruiting firm awarded multi-year federal supply schedule contract (1 h ago)

• OccuMed Recognizes National Influenza Va... OccuMed Recognizes National Influenza Vaccination Week
01/16/2010
The freezing cold temperatures last week reminded us that we are right in the middle of winter, and that also means we're in the middle of flu season. (1 d ago)

• Sponsored By: Sponsored By:
01/16/2010
(1 d ago)

Business

Technology

Sports

Entertainment

Road to the Truth can be found at the following ad...
humanetiggor :: 10/04/2011

VIAGRA is prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction...
JoquErm :: 09/30/2011

buy clomid 100mg in usa without prescription ferti...
clomidnow :: 09/24/2011

I was looking for this wonderful forum, and found ...
joncooperst :: 09/22/2011

Hi every one, only just assumed I would tell you h...
Juanktg :: 09/20/2011

Hello every one, just assumed I would say hi there...
Bellaywe :: 08/24/2011

coach outlet coach factory outlet coach online...
carpinteyroklx :: 07/28/2011

With havin so much content and articles do you eve...
Nana Poyser :: 07/22/2011

big like! - thanks .
השלמת בג :: 05/22/2011

• Genomics of Sunflower Genomics of Sunflower
01/17/2010
© Esdras CalderanGenome Canada, Genome BC, US Departments of Energy and Agriculture, and France's INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) has undertaken a US$10.5 million research project that will create a reference genome for the sunflower family - currently the world's largest plant family, containing 24,000 species of plants, including many crops, medicinal plants, horticulture plants and noxious weeds. Th project, titled Genomics of Sunflower, will use next-generation genotyping and sequencing technologies to sequence, assemble and annotate the sunflower genome and to locate the ... (8 h ago)

• Seen that? - Snack Time Seen that? - Snack Time
01/17/2010
Snack Time Daily Power Walk It's afternoon, 3pm and you are feeling that well known sensation that you have to eat something. Something sweet, a sandwich, an ice-cream, anything really. You just don't know where to start and what to eat. ... (21 h ago)

• Seen that? - Minimizing Seasonal Allergi... Seen that? - Minimizing Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms
01/16/2010
Minimizing Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms Allergies Are you one of the 20% in the United States suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis? Here are some tips from the American Academy of allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) to help allergy sufferers find some ... (1 d ago)

• Seen that? - American Veterans Face New ... Seen that? - American Veterans Face New War: Diabetes
01/17/2010
American Veterans Face New War: Diabetes Daily Diabetic Obesity and diabetes rates have soared among veterans. Though skilled in survival, they still need all the help they can get to combat this enemy. The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of ... (21 h ago)

• Seen that? - On the horizon: A portable ... Seen that? - On the horizon: A portable CPR machine
01/17/2010
On the horizon: A portable CPR machine Straightfromthedoc A portable chest compressor does CPR better than paramedics: "We're probably not compressing hard enough," said Dr. Paul Pepe, chair of Emergency medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "We're probably ... (21 h ago)

<	January 2010					>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31