Investigational Diabetes Drug Linked to Increased Risk of Death, Strokes and Heart Attacks
|
|
Researchers here said today that the use of the investigational diabetes drug Pargluva (muraglitazar) doubles the risk of death, heart attack and stroke, and they asked the FDA to delay approval of the drug.
In an analysis that was released online by the Journal of the American Medical Association, Steven E. Nissen, M.D., and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic said the FDA should not approve Pargluva until its cardiovascular safety can be proven in “a dedicated cardiovascular events trial.”
Low-Dose Radiation Numbs Lengthy Post-Shingles Pain
|
|
Low-dose radiation could help relieve long-lasting post-herpetic neuralgia that often trails a painful herpes zoster outbreak, Swiss researchers reported.
“We think that radiation is at least as good as antiviral drugs in preventing post-herpetic neuralgia,” said Mohammed Suleiman, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Hospital of Sion in Switzerland. “This treatment,” he said, “could be an alternative for people who can’t take antiviral medications,” such as Zovirax (acyclovir) and Valtrex (valacyclovir).
Mortality Risk in Elderly Dementia Patients May Rise With Newer Anti Psychotics
|
|
Elderly patients with dementia who take so-called atypical anti-psychotic drugs have an increased risk of death, according to a meta-analysis of clinical trials.
The increased risk of about 50% compared with placebo was not found for any individual drug and could not have been detected by any of the individual trials included in the analysis, according to a report published in the Oct. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Pregnant women often not vaccinated against flu
|
|
Although most obstetricians recommend that their pregnant and breastfeeding patients be immunized against influenza, only about one third offer immunizations within their own practices, new study findings show.
Despite recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for immunizing pregnant women against influenza, only 13 percent of pregnant women were vaccinated in 2003.
Heart surgery does not induce cognitive decline
|
|
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not a major risk factor for either short- or long-term cognitive decline or dementia, according to two reports in the journal Neurology. The widespread assumption that a decline in cognition occurs after CABG is apparently based on studies that did not include comparable control groups.
To rectify this limitation, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, led by Dr. Guy M. McKhann, prospectively followed patients who had undergone CABG. One hundred forty had conventional bypass surgery, in which the heart is stopped and a heart-lung machine is used to circulate blood during the operation; and 72 patients underwent “off-pump” bypass surgery, during which only a portion of the heart is immobilized.
Hungary bird flu vaccine sparks foreign interest
|
|
The United States, Britain and Russia have expressed interest in an experimental Hungarian vaccine against deadly bird flu after initial human tests proved promising, Hungary’s government said on Thursday.
Other countries interested in buying the vaccine include Indonesia, Ukraine, the Philippines and Mongolia, but concrete talks on purchases had not started yet, government spokesman Andras Batiz said.
Gargling May Prevent Colds; Expert Finds Results Hard to Swallow
|
|
Daily gargling with water appears to ward off colds among healthy people, Japanese researchers report in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. But an American expert is throwing cold water on the study.
“The most important finding in our study is that the common cold could be prevented over 30 percent of the time by daily gargling with water,” said lead author Kazunari Satomura, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Kyoto University. “This simple hygienic habit could contribute to public health and it would have obvious economic benefits,” he added.
Multiple Sclerosis Progression Linked to Immune-Cell Substance
|
|
A new study suggests that a substance made by immune cells plays a key role in the progression of a disease in animals that closely mimics multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings further suggest that blocking the molecule, known as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) might prevent the progression of the disease.
Researchers at The Ohio State University Medical Center conducted the study using mice that develop a disease that mimics MS. They compared these animals to similar mice that lacked MIF, an immune-system signaling molecule.
Indonesia “covered up” bird flu, newspaper reports
|
|
Indonesian officials “covered up and then neglected” an epidemic of avian influenza in poultry for two years, allowing it to spread among flocks and then to people, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The newspaper quoted an Indonesian microbiologist as saying authorities argued about whether the virus killing chickens was in fact H5N1, and then tried to deal with it quietly.
Bleach treatment neutralizes mold allergens
|
|
Treatment with household bleach reduces the allergy-inducing ability of mold spores, a new study shows.
Current efforts to remediate mold-contaminated buildings require replacement of contaminated materials, Dr. John W. Martyny of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver and colleagues note in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical immunology.
Narcotic use common in Crohn’s disease patients
|
|
Chronic narcotic use is common in patients with Crohn’s disease, and is associated with increased disease activity and decreased quality of life.
Dr. Raymond K. Cross, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and colleagues examined the prevalence of narcotic use and contributing factors in a review of 291 patients with Crohn’s disease who were followed for 5 years. The results of the study are published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
HK to close border if H5N1 virus mutates in China
|
|
Hong Kong’s health minister said on Thursday the city would close its border with mainland China if cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus were found to be transmitted person-to-person there.
Many countries have said they would close their borders in such a scenario, but the commitment is remarkable in the case of Hong Kong given that it is part of China.
Fine-tuning freezing improves fertility rate
|
|
By using sodium-deleted, choline-substituted culture medium and a slow-freeze, rapid-thaw protocol, researchers in Los Angeles have achieved pregnancy success rates of 63 percent resulting from the use of frozen eggs (oocytes).
Dr. John K. Jain and his associates at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California reported their institution’s outcomes at the annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine in Montreal.
Marital status doesn’t affect breast cancer outcome
|
|
A woman’s marital status does not affect the outcome after surgery and radiation for breast cancer and should not be a factor in choosing treatment, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Shelly B. Hayes presented results of a study of 2,143 women with early-stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy, which involves surgical removal of the tumor only, and radiation between 1984 and 2003. Women were divided into four groups, according to marital status. Overall, 65 percent were married, 10 percent were single, 10 percent were divorced and 18 percent were widowed.
Risk factors for BC death same for blacks, whites
|
|
African-American women are known to be more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, yet new study findings show that the factors associated with an increased risk of death from the condition are similar in both groups.
“This study found that major known risk factors do not vary considerably between these two groups, so this study underscores the need for all women to follow breast cancer screening guidelines,” said study author Dr. Marjorie L. McCullough, of the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society.
