Heart experts, patients to mull US device standards
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U.S. cardiologists, medical device makers, regulators and heart patients gather in Washington D.C. on Friday to discuss how the recall of devices should be handled and when doctors and patients should be told about product malfunctions.
The debate over disclosure was stoked earlier this year following revelations medical device maker Guidant Corp. did not tell doctors or patients about a potential problem in some of its implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for three years. The problem was uncovered last spring after a 21-year-old college student died of cardiac arrest after his ICD short-circuited.
US to pay Katrina evacuees’ healthcare in Texas
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The U.S. government will pick up the full cost of providing healthcare to Hurricane Katrina evacuees who enroll in the Texas Medicaid program, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Thursday.
Texas has taken in as many as 400,000 people who fled the three states stricken by the storm.
Britain to remove mad cow control rule
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Britain’s farm ministry said on Thursday it had accepted a proposal to allow some older cattle to enter the food chain, opening the way for the removal of one of the main measures used to combat the deadly mad cow disease.
The news provided a major boost to Britain’s beef industry that was devastated in 1995 following an outbreak of mad cow in the nation’s herds.
Frozen-thawed ovaries transplanted in sheep
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Israeli scientists have successfully retrieved eggs from ovaries that had been frozen, thawed and transplanted in sheep in a project that could provide new hope for infertile women.
Researchers at the Institute of Animal Science, Agriculture Research Organisation in Bet Dagan, said on Thursday that the research showed it is possible to restore ovarian function following a transplant in a large animal.
Childhood cancer survivors face more social, school difficulties
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Children who survive cancer are more likely than children without cancer to have social and educational problems as they grow up, according to the first large, nation-wide study of the issue published in the October 15 issue of the journal Cancer.
Dr. Maru Barrera of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and her team also found that children with higher self esteem and those with more highly educated parents were less likely to experience such difficulties.
Adults with ADHD often have other mental disorders
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Adults with a history of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often suffer from multiple psychiatric problems during their lives including Depression, anxiety and substance use, according to a study.
Marriage boosts prosperity, helps children
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Stable marriage can increase the financial prosperity of couples and improves the lives of American children, including those being raised by same-sex couples, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The report by the Brookings Institution and Princeton University showed that while the poor see lack of money as a barrier to marriage, even when they have children out of wedlock, healthy marriage actually ensures them healthier finances in the long run.
Computer health records seen saving US $81 billion
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Computerized medical records could save the United States more than $81 billion annually through greater efficiencies and reduced errors, according to a study published on Wednesday.
The RAND study appearing in Health Affairs journal follows a report in the same publication in January that predicted $78 billion in savings by speeding the computer exchange of patient information between health care providers.
Mom’s milk richer in fat, energy after one year
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A new study shows that milk from mothers who have been breastfeeding their infants for more than a year is richer in fat and energy than milk from moms who have been breastfeeding for just a few months.
The study is the first to look at the nutritional value of breast milk after prolonged breastfeeding, said Dr. Dror Mandel of Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Many women fail to get regular mammograms
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More than one-third of New Hampshire women eligible for mammography have either never had the Breast cancer screening test or have not been tested in more than two years, a new study shows.
The findings suggest to investigators that other studies may have overestimated the number of women who get screened for Breast cancer regularly.
Diet and exercise may slow prostate cancer
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Sweeping changes in diet and exercise, as well as the use of stress management techniques, may slow the progression of early Prostate cancer, researchers report in the Journal of Urology.
“The progression of Prostate cancer may be beneficially affected by making comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle,” said Lead investigator Dr. Dean Ornish.
Baby born to brain dead American woman dies
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A baby girl born last month to a brain dead Virginia woman died early on Monday following surgery, according to a statement on a family Web site.
“With great sadness, we are asking for your prayers for the repose of the soul of 5-week-old baby Susan Ann Torres. She passed away last night after surgery for a perforated intestine,” the statement said.
US death rates decline in four of six causes
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Better treatments for chronic illnesses like Heart Disease and cancer have led to a drop in the U.S. death rate since 1970, but Americans face increasing threats from Obesity and smoking, a study said on Tuesday.
An American Cancer Society analysis of annual U.S. mortality rates found deaths from all causes declined from 1,242 deaths per 100,000 in 1970 to 845 per 100,000 people in 2002 - a 32 percent decrease.
Aldara slows return of cold sores
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Aldara cream can delay the return of cold sores, but it can cause severe inflammation, according to a report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Studies in guinea pigs found the cream reduced sore formation during and after treatment, Dr. David I. Bernstein of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and colleagues note. He and his colleagues hypothesized that Aldara (generic name, imiquimod) could boost the body’s defenses against the herpes virus, which causes cold sores, and delay the return of the lesions.
Drugs plug gap as world awaits bird flu vaccine
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Scientists believe they have the know-how to make an effective vaccine against pandemic bird flu; the problem is how to make enough of it.
As avian flu spreads from Asia into Siberia and Kazakhstan, health experts are increasingly focused on the medical challenge of fighting the disease should it “go human” and start to spread easily from person to person.
