Public Health
US FDA head gives up cancer duties after criticism
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National Cancer Institute Director Andrew von Eschenbach will give up his daily duties there to focus on his new job as acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner, he told FDA staff on Friday.
Von Eschenbach also said he will recuse himself from certain FDA business that involves NCI research.
Medical assistant charged with fraud, bilking boss’ practice
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A doctor’s medical assistant faces federal charges of fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs and bilking her boss’ practice of about $32,000 over the past two years.
An indictment accuses Tracy Florez, 40, of paying 74 personal debts using the doctor’s signature stamp on checks drawn on the medical practice’s bank accounts.
PDAs expected to change healthcare in future
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Personal digital assistants (PDAs) could change the way healthcare is delivered in the future by providing doctors with easy access to patient data and the latest information on treatment.
Palm pilots and other hand-held computers were originally designed as personal organizers but they are becoming increasingly popular with doctors, medical students and even patients to improve the quality of care and safety.
Indonesia mulls final anti-polio drive in November
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Indonesia hopes to hold another polio immunization drive in November to stamp out the disease, an official said on Wednesday, a day after launching a program to vaccinate millions of children for the second time this year.
There have been 240 polio cases in Indonesia since May, when the crippling disease re-emerged after being eradicated from the world’s fourth most populous country a decade ago.
LA hospital suspends liver transplants in scandal
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A Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday suspended its liver transplant program after allowing a Saudi patient to jump to the top of the waiting list and falsifying data to cover it up.
St. Vincent Medical Center said that two of its chief liver transplant surgeons had been fired and that it had launched a thorough investigation.
Surprise vacancy at FDA worries US senators
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The abrupt resignation of U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Lester Crawford last week—and the news that the man appointed to replace him temporarily plans to also keep his job as head of the National Cancer Institute—has lawmakers who were already unhappy with the agency alarmed.
Crawford, who was confirmed by the Senate only two months ago after a bruising, 5-month process, resigned Friday. In an e-mail to FDA staff, Crawford cited only his age—67—as his reason, although speculation suggests the actual reason is more likely some type of professional misconduct.
Indonesian children targeted in anti-polio drive
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Indonesia on Tuesday kicked off the final round of a massive campaign to immunise more than 24 million children against polio in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in the world’s fourth most populous country.
Unlike a previous immunisation round where the government employed dozens of pop stars and celebrities to lure fearful mothers and their howling infants, the latest was more subdued.
Los Angeles study finds higher pollution death risk
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The risk of dying in parts of traffic-clogged, polluted Los Angeles appears sharply higher than previously believed, according to a study comparing the risks of living in affluent, beachfront neighborhoods to the hazy and fast-growing inland area.
The study was a first to attempt to look at how chronic health problems are linked to the degree of pollution across the neighborhoods of a major U.S. city, lead author, Michael Jerrett said.
Welsh E. coli cases expected to rise
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The number of people hit by an outbreak of potentially fatal E. coli food poisoning in Wales is likely to rise on Monday from the 115 already reported to have been affected, health officials have warned.
So far 25 people have had hospital treatment since the outbreak was first detected on September 16, with cases reported in 32 schools in South Wales.
Scientists implant human chromosome in mice
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Scientists have transplanted a nearly entire human chromosome in mice in a medical and technical breakthrough that could reveal new insights into Down’s syndrome and other disorders.
The genetically engineered mice carry a copy of the human chromosome 21. It is the smallest of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes with about 225 genes.
Report says global warming could spark conflict
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Rising world temperatures could cause a significant increase in disease across Asia and Pacific Island nations, leading to conflict and leaving hundreds of millions of people displaced, a new report said on Thursday.
Global warming by the year 2100 could also lead to more droughts, floods and typhoons, and increase the incidence of malaria, dengue fever and cholera, the report on the health impact of rising temperatures found.
US board urges cell-phone ban for new teen drivers
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Banning teen-agers from using cell phones or other wireless devices while learning to drive should be a national auto safety priority, U.S. transportation safety officials said on Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board put the proposed restriction on its “most wanted” list of safety improvements for the upcoming year, which also includes older appeals for more states to impose limits on teens’ night driving and carrying passengers.
Drivers Ed: Keep Your Eyes on the Road!
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Chatting on a cell phone while driving may have gotten a bad rap in recent years as a common cause of car crashes, but a new study shows cell phones can’t hold a candle to good, old-fashioned rubbernecking when it comes to causing a highway pile up.
With data collected by Virginia state troopers, researchers conducted one of the largest studies to date on crashes involving distracted drivers.
The results: looking at other accidents, traffic, or roadside incidents caused the largest number of accidents, while cell phone use ranked only sixth.
India’s encephalitis toll 850, worst may be over
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India’s deadliest encephalitis outbreak in almost three decades, which has killed 850 people in a northern state, has started to wane with fewer deaths being reported, a health official said on Tuesday.
“We can now safely assume that the worst is over,” said Uttar Pradesh health services chief O.P. Singh.
Anti-malarial drugs sent to save children in Niger
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The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that it was sending 100,000 anti-malarial drugs to Niger to save malnourished children from the deadly mosquito-borne infection now in its peak season.
“For Niger’s children, malaria represents just as big a threat as hunger at present,” said Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, director of WHO’s Roll Back Malaria Department.
