Saturday, February 11, 2012

News and Events - 10 Feb 2012




NHS Choices
09.02.2012 14:32:00

“Parents who frequently move house put children’s health at risk,” according to the Daily Mail. The newspaper said that research found moving several times can affect children’s health and psychological state, and also increases the likelihood that a child may use illegal drugs.

This Scottish research, which looked at potential links between moving house in childhood and adult health, produced far more mixed results than the Mail implied. However, the press release accompanying the research did not always clearly reflect the findings of the study, which found very few significant links between moving frequently and poor health.

In fact, once the researchers accounted for factors such as social deprivation and moving schools, moving house was only significantly linked to a higher chance of using drugs in later life. Adults who had moved frequently showed no greater risk of being overweight, having high blood pressure, long-term illness, psychological distress, drinking or smoking later in life.

While researchers say the risk of having certain measures of poor health was “elevated” in people who moved house more frequently as a child, the increase in risk was not statistically significant, which means it could have happened by chance.

 

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the Medical Research Council, the University of Stirling, Queen’s University and Scotland’s Chief Scientist Office. It was funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorate. The study was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The study’s findings were overstated by the Daily Mail. The newspaper reported that there were “negative health effects” from frequent moves, whereas the study found that frequent moving was only significantly linked to an increased chance of drug use. This finding on drug use was found to be independent of other variables.

Moving during childhood was not significantly associated with adult measures of physical health, such as weight and blood pressure. The Mail only touched on these elements towards the end of its report.

It’s worth noting that in the press release that accompanied publication of the study, it only the penultimate paragraph stated only illegal drug use was independently associated with frequent moves.

 

What kind of research was this?

This research was part of a large cohort study from the west of Scotland, which has taken place over 20 years. Its aim was to compare the health of people who had been “residentially stable” during childhood with those who had moved house, using a range of health measures.

The authors say previous research suggests that frequent childhood moves may be associated with poorer health outcomes and behaviour in adolescence. The researchers say their present study brings together a wider range of health outcomes than has previously been considered, and also looked at the extent to which associations between childhood mobility and health in adolescence last into adulthood.

 

What did the research involve?

The study was based on a cohort of 1,515 participants who were 15 when it started in 1987 and who were followed up for 20 years. Data from this cohort were collected at five points in time, the final time when the participants were 36. The final sample analysed in the study was 850 participants, so 665 original participants (44%) were not included in the final analysis because they had left the study.

Researchers collected their data through face-to-face interviews conducted by nurses. A parental questionnaire was completed at the start of the study.

The researchers got information about moving house from the number of addresses people had lived at between birth and 18 (they excluded recent moves out of the family home).  They collected information on a range of health measures including:

  • Physical health measures - these were all taken by nurses and included body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, lung function and blood pressure.
  • Overall health - people were asked to report whether they had limiting long-term illness (answering yes or no) and to give their own assessment of their general health, as rated on a four-point scale.
  • Psychological distress - this was assessed using a standard 12-item questionnaire (with a cut-off score of 3 points taken to indicate psychological distress). Whether people had thought about suicide was also examined, with people asked at certain points whether they had thought about taking a drug overdose or deliberate self-injury. The third measure of psychological distress was anxiety, as measured on a standard scale.
  • Health behaviours - the behaviours examined were heavy drinking (defined as exceeding maximum weekly safe limits), illegal drug use and smoking.

Importantly, the researchers also looked at participants’ family and household circumstances based on information provided by the children’s parents at the start. They also looked at other factors such as social deprivation (calculated by postcode and using recognised deprivation categories), housing status (home owner or not), social class, family structure (intact or not) and number of siblings. Also included were data on school mobility, derived from the number of primary and secondary schools attended. The researchers also looked at participants’ social class, education and marital status in adulthood.

The researchers then analysed the relationship between number of house moves in childhood and health at the ages of 18 and 36. They adjusted their findings for possible confounders, such as social class, deprivation and family circumstances.

 

What were the basic results?

The researchers found that approximately one in five people did not move address throughout childhood. Three in ten moved once or twice, and a further one in five had moved at least three times. They also found that children in single-parent households and those with two or three siblings were significantly more likely to have moved home (while those with at least four siblings were more likely to have stayed put).

After they adjusted their findings for both socioeconomic circumstances and the number of school moves, the researchers found that, when the participants were 18:

  • People who had moved at least three times were significantly more likely to have used illegal drugs than those who had never moved (odds ration [OR] 2.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45 to 4.10).
  • Those who moved at least once had a significantly higher chance of scoring 3 or more (indicating distress) on the questionnaire for psychological distress than those who had not moved at all (OR=1.62, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.35).
  • The risk of several outcomes (having a long-term illness, having suicidal thoughts for those who had moved at least once, and heavy drinking and smoking for those who had moved at least three times) were “elevated” compared to those who had not moved at all, but the increased risks were not significant.
  • There was no association between childhood mobility and physical health measures such as blood pressure and weight.

When the participants were aged 36, the researchers found that:

  • Frequent moving in childhood was independently associated with illegal drug use (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.69).
  • The odds of poor health across other measures remained “elevated” but not statistically significant.
  • There was no association between moving address during childhood and physical health measures such as blood pressure and weight.

 

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers concluded that increased residential mobility in childhood is associated with an elevated risk of poor health in adulthood, across a range of measures. This is explained in part, they say, by both social and economic circumstances and the frequency of school moves.

The relationship between childhood residential mobility and poorer health appeared to be stronger in adolescence than adulthood, possibly because people’s own socioeconomic circumstances lessened the effects over time.

 

Conclusion

This study looked at the effect of multiple address moves during childhood on people’s physical and psychological health at the ages of 18 and 36.

The way the authors interpreted the results of their study is confusing. They say that a higher risk of poor health outcomes is associated with frequent moves of home in childhood. However, the only significantly higher risk, once the results were adjusted for various confounders, was illegal drug use. This is important because it means that the other increases in risk identified are more likely to have occurred by chance.

The study examined an important issue, and one strength is the length of time of it covered. Another is its detailed collection of data, which might help explain why frequent moves of house could have an association with poorer health outcomes. For example, this could be because of frequent school moves, family break-up and deprivation.

However, the study has a number of limitations. Its high drop-out rate (around 43%) raises the question of reliability and it is possible that those who dropped out or were lost to follow-up also had the most mobile childhoods. The study’s reliance on the parents to report outcomes, such as overall health, is another limitation as their reports may be subjective or difficult to appraise.

Families move home for a range of different reasons, including improved schooling and employment opportunities, change in financial circumstances or family break-up, and the study did not assess the reasons for the family moves.  It seems obvious that children are more likely to be negatively affected when disruption or financial problems cause a family to move, rather than when the motive is to seek better schools or a better job.

The way children’s wellbeing is affected by frequent moving is an important issue, but it is also a complex one which needs to be examined further.

Links To The Headlines

Parents who frequently move house 'put children's health at risk'. Daily Mail, February 9 2012

Links To Science

Brown D, Benzeval M, Gayle V et al.
Childhood residential mobility and health in late adolescence and adulthood: findings from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Published Online First 6 February 2012


rss@dailykos.com (Craig Hardegree)
08.02.2012 12:03:40

For ten years now, the state of Georgia has been under the exclusive control of Republicans. Republican governor, Republican-controlled house of representatives and a Republican-controlled senate. All statewide offices are filled by Republicans, including the Office of Secretary of State, currently held by Brian Kemp who allowed the recent birther hearing to go forward, previously held by Karen Handel of recent Komen Foundation/Planned Parenthood fame. And to our eternal shame, we birthed Newt Gingrich upon the rest of the country. Our conservative bona fides are unassailable.

Yet, we (quite inconveniently for the current narrative) have this law on the books:

Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 33-24-59.6


Legislative Declaration Regarding Contraception; Coverage for Contraceptives.

(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that:

(1) Maternal and infant health are greatly improved when women have access to contraceptive supplies to prevent unintended pregnancies;

(2) Because many Americans hope to complete their families with two or three children, many women spend the majority of their reproductive lives trying to prevent pregnancy;

(3) Research has shown that 49 percent of all large group insurance plans do not routinely provide coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices. While virtually all health care plans cover prescription drugs generally, the absence of prescription contraceptive coverage is largely responsible for the fact that women spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket expenses for health care than men; and

(4) Requiring insurance coverage for prescription drugs and devices for contraception is in the public interest in improving the health of mothers, children, and families and in providing for health insurance coverage which is fairer and more equitable.

(b) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) "Health benefit policy" means any individual or group plan, policy, or contract for health care services issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state, including those contracts executed by the State of Georgia on behalf of state employees under Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45, by a health care corporation, health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, accident and sickness insurer, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, provider sponsored health care corporation, or other insurer or similar entity.

(2) "Insurer" means an accident and sickness insurer, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care corporation, health maintenance organization, or any similar entity authorized to issue contracts under this title.

(c) EVERY HEALTH BENEFIT POLICY THAT IS DELIVERED, ISSUED, EXECUTED, OR RENEWED IN THIS STATE or approved for issuance or renewal in this state by the Commissioner on or after July 1, 1999, WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON AN OUTPATIENT BASIS SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR ANY PRESCRIBED DRUG OR DEVICE APPROVED BY THE UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION FOR USE AS A CONTRACEPTIVE. This Code section shall not apply to limited benefit policies described in paragraph (4) of subsection (e) of Code Section 33-30-12. Likewise, nothing contained in this Code section shall be construed to require any insurance company to provide coverage for abortion.

(d) No insurer shall impose upon any person receiving prescription contraceptive benefits pursuant to this Code section any:

(1) Copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category, class, coinsurance level or copayment level, receiving benefits for prescription drugs; or

(2) Reduction in allowable reimbursement for prescription drug benefits.

(e) This Code section shall not be construed to:

(1) Require coverage for prescription coverage benefits in any contract, policy, or plan that does not otherwise provide coverage for prescription drugs; or

(2) Preclude the use of closed formularies; provided, however, that such formularies shall include oral, implant, and injectable contraceptive drugs, intrauterine devices, and prescription barrier methods.

Well now, isn’t that just so very special?

Continue reading below the fold.




08.02.2012 3:00:00

In a large analysis of men participating in a prostate drug trial, researchers at the
Duke Cancer Institute found a significant correlation between
coronary artery disease and
prostate cancer, suggesting the two conditions may have shared causes.

If confirmed that heart disease is a risk factor for prostate cancer, the malignancy might be combated in part by lifestyle changes such as weight loss, exercise and a healthy diet, which are known to prevent heart disease.

"What's good for the heart may be good for the prostate," said Jean-Alfred Thomas II, MD, a post-doctoral fellow in the
Division of Urology at Duke and lead author of the study, which appears online this month in the journal
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Coronary artery disease kills more adults in the United States than any other cause, accounting for one in four deaths. Risk factors include inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and diabetes.

Similarly, prostate cancer is a common killer. It's the second-most lethal cancer for U.S. men, behind lung cancer, with about 240,000 new cases diagnosed a year, and 34,000 deaths. Previous studies exploring the relationship between coronary artery disease and prostate cancer risk have found conflicting results, making it difficult to determine whether the malignancy is fueled by poor lifestyle choices.

In the current study, the Duke team used data from 6,390 men enrolled in a large study called REDUCE, a four-year, randomized trial to test the prostate cancer risk reduction benefits of a drug called dutasteride. All the study participants had a prostate biopsy at the two- and four-year marks, regardless of their PSA levels. They also provided a detailed medical history that included their weight, incidence of heart disease, alcohol intake, medication use, and other factors.

Among the men in the study, 547 reported a pre-enrollment history of coronary artery disease. This group of men tended to be older, heavier and less healthy, with higher baseline PSA levels, plus more diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. The men were also much more likely to develop prostate cancer, even after accounting for all the baseline differences.

Having coronary artery disease increased the men's risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent, with the risk rising over time. The group was 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer within the first two years of the study than men who reported no heart disease, and by four years into the study, this group's prostate cancer risk was 74 percent higher.

"We controlled for a number of risk factors, including hypertension, taking statins, or aspirin," Thomas said. "We don't have a good grasp on what's causing the link, but we are observing this association."

Stephen Freedland, MD, associate professor of surgery and pathology in the Division of Urology at Duke and senior author of the paper, said the study had some shortcomings. Notably, it relied on data from a previous trial that didn't account for factors such as diet, physical activity and severity of heart disease that may have influenced the results.

But Freedland said the study eliminated a screening bias common in previous findings that correlated prostate cancer and heart disease using men with high PSA levels.

"This is giving us a lot of good ideas for what to look at next," Freedland said, noting that the overlap between prostate cancer and other diseases associated with poor health habits is a focus of his research group.

In addition to Thomas and Freedland, study authors from Duke include Leah Gerber; Lionel L. Banez; and Daniel M. Moreira. The Duke authors also hold positions in the surgery section of the Durham VA Medical Center. Study author Roger S. Rittmaster is from GlaxoSmithKline; Gerald L. Andriole is from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Freedland and Andriole are paid consultants to GSK and have research support from the company.

The study was supported by GSK; the Department of Veterans Affairs; Duke University Department of Surgery and Division of Urology; Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program; and the American Urological Association Foundation/Astellas Rising Star in Urology Award.


Pharma International's News Correspondent
08.02.2012 12:51:06

US-based scientists have managed to create artificial brain cells that perfectly replicate those naturally found in Parkinson's patients. Their work could become a platform on which future Parkinson's drugs are based and, according to those involved, it could change the shape of present-day approaches to the condition's treatment.

The scientist's research allows them to study precisely how mutations in the gene responsible for Parkinson's - the parkin gene - bring on the condition.

"This is the first time that human dopamine neurons have ever been generated from Parkinson's disease patients with parkin mutations", head researcher Doctor Jian Feng explained. "Before this, we didn't even think about being able to study the disease in human neurons.

"It's impossible to obtain live human neurons to study", Feng added - so deeply submerged are they in the brain. But modern-day stem cell technology has now made it possible to replicate these neurons under lab conditions.

Parkinson's Cell Research

The Parkinson's cell research saw Feng and his colleagues draw on a process already trialled by others, with successful results. Four skin samples were collected - two from perfectly healthy volunteers and the other two from those with this parkin gene - and transformed into brain tissue.

No drug treatment capable of curing Parkinson's currently exists but, given the number of people the condition affects, such a product is ranked by scientists among the world's most important medical needs.

New Parkinson's Drugs

Therefore, next on the US team's agenda is putting these neurons through trials, in a bid to discover new Parkinson's drugs.

"New stem cell technology which allows nerve cells to be made from adult skin cells is opening doors for research into Parkinson's", charity group Parkinson's UK's research development manager, Doctor Michelle Gardner, said in a statement.

"This study is particularly exciting because it describes for the first time how researchers have successfully generated nerve cells from people with a rare genetic form of Parkinson, linked to the parkin gene."

Pharma News will revisit this Parkinson's drug research in future News Items.

See also:

Drug Delivery Past The Brain Barrier


07.02.2012 23:35:00



The one-time vice president of a health care company has pleaded guilty to charges of misbranding and altering drugs and to committing health care fraud.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office says 62-year-old Johnny Perry of Mount Washington entered the plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Louisville. Perry served as an executive with National Respiratory Services.

A grand jury charged Perry in August with altering medications that were not FDA approved, but billing them as approved. Perry was also charged with submitting false claims to Medicare for the cost of FDA approved drugs. Prosecutors say Medicare paid the company $2,030,343 from November 2006 through June 2008.

Perry also faced charges of misbranding and altering inhalation drugs.

A sentencing date has not been set.

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08.02.2012 8:00:00
The cost of medications through Medicare's subsidized prescription drug program varies from region to region across the United States largely due to the use of more expensive brand-name drugs and not because of the amount of drugs prescribed, according to a study led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). The authors said that more efficient prescribing practices could have saved the Medicare program and its beneficiaries $4.5 billion.

mrothschild@foodsafetynews.com (Mary Rothschild)
08.02.2012 12:59:03
Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates blood levels of trans fatty acids in U.S. white adults dropped by 58 percent from 2000 to 2009 -- a decrease being hailed as huge public health progress.
The
CDC study, published as
a letter Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at trans fat levels in people before and after the
2006 Food and Drug Administration mandate requiring trans fat amounts to be listed on Nutrition Facts food labels.
Even before that rule was imposed, the prospect of FDA action and heightened publicity about the risk of heart disease from trans fat spurred a switch to healthier oils.  The CDC study sought to determine the effect of government regulation and those other moves.
Christopher Portier, director of CDC?s National Center for Environmental Health said all the efforts were effective "in reducing blood TFAs (trans fatty acids) and highlight that further reductions in the levels of trans fats must remain an important public health goal."
"Credit for the reductions in trans fat is shared by many parties," noted a news release from Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. CSPI has petitioned the FDA over trans fat, and also sued restaurants chains that were frying foods in partially hydrogenated oil.  "New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, California, Montgomery County, MD, and other jurisdictions banned most artificial trans fat from restaurant food.
"The FDA helped greatly by requiring that trans fat be listed on Nutrition Facts labels.  And oil processors, seed developers, and farmers worked hard to produce and market healthier oils for restaurants and food manufacturers to use," said Jacobson, adding that the dramatic drop  in trans fat levels in people "represents enormous public health progress and is almost certainly preventing thousands of heart attacks and premature deaths each year."
CSPI says more must be done. In urging the FDA to ban partially hydrogenated oil -- a major source of trans fat -- it has
highlighted the foods still loaded with trans fat. It observes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has jurisdiction over foods with meat or poultry such as pot pies, has not adopted the FDA's trans fat labeling rule.
Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats are not essential to human health and do not promote good health. High consumption of trans-fatty acids is linked to cardiovascular disease in part because TFAs increase LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol), the CDC says. Changing to a diet low in TFAs may lower LDL cholesterol levels, thus decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.
To avoid trans fat in one's diet, the CDC recommends:
- Looking for the trans fat listing on the Nutrition Facts label. Comparing brands and choosing the one lowest in trans fat, preferably with no trans fat. - Replacing margarine containing trans fat with unsaturated vegetable oil. - If you use margarine, choose a soft margarine spread instead of stick margarine. Check your labels to be sure the soft margarine does contain less trans fat. If possible, find one that says zero grams of trans fat.
While the current study looked only at white adults, CDC researchers are also looking at blood TFAs in other adult race/ethnic groups, children and adolescents, Portier said. The trans fat research is a part of a larger
National Biomonitoring program, which measures more than 450 environmental chemicals and nutritional indicators in people.


2012-02-08 12:11:24
The student health center at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania installed a vending machine where students can get the “morning-after” pill for $25, reports Daily Mail’s Jill Reilly. It doesn’t appear that any other vending machine in the US dispenses the contraceptive, which can prevent pregnancy if taken soon after sexual intercourse. Shippensburg, a secluded public institution of 8,300 students in the Cumberland Valley, provides the Plan B One Step emergency contraceptive in the vending machine along with condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests. On average, one dose is sold every day from the machine. “I think it’s great that the school is giving us this option,” junior Chelsea Wehking told the Associated Press (AP). “I’ve heard some kids say they’d be too embarrassed” to go into Shippensburg, a small town with a permanent population of about 6,000, to buy Plan B. Federal law makes the pill available without a prescription to anyone 17 or older, and the school checked records and found that all current students are that age or older, a spokesman said. The vending machine has been in place for about two years, and its existence wasn’t widely known until recently. Doctor Roger Serr, university vice president for student affairs said the idea for the vending machine was from the University’s Student Association. “We went out and did a survey of the student body, and we got an 85 percent response rate that students would be supportive of having Plan B in the health center,” he said to Ship News Now. “The vending machine is just a way to dispense it. It’s provided, it’s not necessarily promoted on a large scale,” he added. The medical vending machine is in the school’s Health Center, which is accessible only by students and university employees, school spokesman Gigliotti said in a statement. In addition, “no one can walk in off the street and go into the health center,” he said; students must check in at a lobby desk. Plan B must be taken within 72 hours of rape, condom failure or just forgetting regular contraception and can cut the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. It works best if taken within 24 hours. Some religious conservatives consider the emergency contraceptive tantamount to an abortion drug. History professor Alexandra Stern, from the University of Michigan, questions whether making it so easily available is a good idea. “Perhaps it is personalized medicine taken too far. It’s part of the general trend that drugs are available for consumers without interface with a pharmacist or doctors. This trend has serious pitfalls.” Other universities in the state system such as Millersville University require students have an appointment with campus medical staff before the pill is made available. --- On the Net:

09.02.2012 3:28:05
Researchers from Boston University and Harvard University found more than 100 different prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements contain phthalates as inactive ingredients. That is, the chemicals do not act as medicines but instead carry and deliver the medicinal ingredients. It's no secret that pharmaceuticals contain phthalates. The chemicals are sometimes listed as ingredients, and they have been measured in urine in people with chronic diseases - such as cystic fibrosis - who take a lot of medications. What's surprising is the extent of their use in such different types of products, including nutritional supplements. The exposures and possible health risks from the widespread sources remain unknown. However, any increase in exposure levels to these chemicals from dietary and medicinal sources is concerning because of health effects associated with certain phthalates.

07.02.2012 22:04:28

As a result of increasing concerns associated with the
use of Actos® medication, manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals has been forced to cut its work force. The company announced on January 18, 2011 that 2,800 jobs within the United States and in Europe will be cut as the result of decreasing sales. The company has also purchased Swiss drug company, Nycomed.

The company expects that sales will continue to drop as concerns with Actos increase and the introduction of generic versions of Actos enter the market. They have made plans to cut jobs slowly over the course of four years.

This reduction in Takeda’s workforce will represent about 9% of the company but is expected to help the company save $1.7 billion by March of 2016.

The FDA approved Actos for the treatment of type II diabetes in July of 1999. This once a day pill was designed to aid the body’s sensitivity to insulin and accrued sales of $4.3 billion for Takeda Pharmaceuticals in 2010. However, these sales quickly dropped after concerns associated with Actos were actively reported to the FDA.

Generic versions of Actos medication are expected to be released by August of 2013, further reducing sales dollars for Takeda.

Victims who have taken Actos claim that Actos causes bladder cancer and allege that Takeda failed to properly issue sufficient warnings to patients and the medical community.

In September of 2010, the FDA began to review safety concerns of Actos due to interim data from an ongoing ten year study that revealed a link between
Actos and bladder cancer. The agency mandated updated warning labels for Actos in the U.S. and the health regulating agency in Europe also mandated new warning labels as well.

Actos lawyers continue to pursue compensation for individuals who have suffered bladder cancer injuries after taking Actos.

Tags: 
http://consumer-drug-report.com/content/takeda-pharmaceuticals-cuts-work-force-0#comments

09.02.2012 17:46:34
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: Americans Need to Reduce Salt Intake: CDC Americans eat too much salt and it's a serious public health issue, according to the U.S. Centers for...

09.02.2012 22:01:42
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who suffer a rare type of fracture of the thigh bone while taking bone-building drugs known as bisphosphonates can cut the risk of a second fracture by discontinuing the medication, a new study says.

09.02.2012 16:42:07
Sildigra is a trustworthy drug, and one of the best medications to treat ED.
Sildigra is a sildenafil citrate rich drug that works miraculously if taken in right amount. Sildigra are manufactured in three different strengths such as; 25mg, 50mg and 100mg.

The strength of Sildigra can be increased or decreased as per the severity of the disorder. Always seek for an advice from your physician before making any changes in the dosing. There are a number of factors that needs to be considered while making changes in the dosing of Sildigra e.g. age, physical condition, current medication, medical history, cause of ED, etc.

Sildigra should not be taken with nitrates drugs as they may have adverse effects. Other health condition that needs to be taken care of while consuming Sildigra are- Sildigra should be taken after a light meal, avoid intake of fatty food for better result, avoid consumption of alcohol and smoking, sexual stimulation is necessary for Sildigra to starting acting. Take a single dose of Sildigra, an hour before indulging in sexual acts. Maintain a gap of 24 hrs between two successive doses. Taking extra dose or overdose of Sildigra for better result can be harmful and hence, must be avoided.


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hbottemiller@foodsafetynews.com (Helena Bottemiller)
08.02.2012 12:59:02
Consumer groups formally petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to switch gears and evaluate genetically engineered (GE) salmon as a food additive, not a veterinary drug, as the agency has been for several years.

Though the political fight over GE salmon has primarily focused on the potential environmental impact of the technology--a fight fueled by environmental groups and lawmakers with constituent salmon interests--the petition, brought by Consumers Union, Food & Water Watch and the Center for Food Safety is focused primarily on food safety concerns.

Developed by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, the engineered AquAdvantage Salmon are essentially Atlantic salmon with an inserted growth gene from a Chinook salmon and an antifreeze gene from an ocean pout. They grow twice as fast as typical Atlantic salmon and require approximately 10 percent less feed to achieve the same weight.

If cleared by FDA, the fish would be the first GE animal approved for human consumption.

"Atlantic salmon is a substance traditionally regarded as safe. [AquaBounty's] GE process significantly alters the salmon's composition, however, in a way that is reasonably expected to alter its nutritive value or concentration of constituents, and the new substance raises safety concerns," reads the petition. "Under the Agency's regulations and guidelines, such a substance must be treated as a food additive and the Agency must make a closer inquiry into the safety of its consumption, including, but not limited to, subjecting it to extensive pre-market testing."

The petition also asks that the agency not designate the GE salmon as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). As the petition notes, food additives are presumed to be unsafe, and therefore the company seeking approval for an additive "carries the burden to prove that a food additive is GRAS.

The groups blasted the data supplied by the company to FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine and said it "cannot be relied upon to show that AquAdvantage salmon is safe to consume."

"The data FDA has on GE salmon, which were supplied by Aquabounty, are incomplete, biased, and cannot be relied upon to show that the GE salmon is safe to consume," said Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter. "Aquabounty's own study showed that GE salmon may contain increased levels of IGF-1, a hormone that helps accelerate the growth of the transgenic fish and is linked to breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer."

In the petition, consumer groups warn that the potential health risks of GE salmon are no "different from a number of food additives the FDA has banned in the past, including those that are cancer causing."

"FDA's choice to allow the first proposed transgenic animal for food to somehow only be review as a drug is contrary to law, science and common sense," said George Kimbrell, senior attorney for the Center for Food Safety. "Public health and transparency should be championed, not skirted, particularly when contemplating such an unprecedented approval."

Aquabounty did not respond to requests for comment on the petition.

The company maintains that the GE salmon are biologically and nutritionally identical to non-GE salmon and pose no threat to human health.
 



2012-02-09 09:20:51
For those who want their daily dose of caffeine without having to drink a cup of coffee or eat a chocolate bar, now you can buy a lipstick-sized tube and inhale it, which has some officials worried that the product could become the next abused club drug by young adults. The product, called AeroShot, was developed by biomedical engineering professor David Edwards of Harvard University. AeroShot comes in a single gray and yellow canister, sold online and at most convenient stores for $2.99. It contains 100 milligrams of caffeine powder plus B-vitamins, and each container has up to six uses. Once a user puffs the AeroShot into his or her mouth, the powder, which is flavored, begins to dissolve almost immediately. The product hit store shelves late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. Edwards said AeroShot is safe and has no common additives, like taurine, which is commonly used to enhance the caffeine effect in many energy drinks. He also said the product is calorie-free. He told the
Associated Press (AP) that when people use it for the first time, it sort of surprises them and often makes them laugh. He said about 24 cases have been sold since stocking shelves late last month. But at least one storeowner said he sent a case back to the distributor because it wasn’t selling. “It’s garbage,” the Parsley & Sage storekeeper, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bill Hutchinson of the
New York Daily News. Democratic US Senator Charles Schumer of New York said he wants the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review AeroShot, fearing it will be abused, and users will party until they drop dead. Edwards said despite the fears that young adults will abuse it, it is no different than the many caffeine-packed drinks that are on the market, often dubbed as “blackout in a can” because of their potency. He explained that AeroShot is not targeting anyone under 18 and it safely delivers caffeine into the mouth, just like coffee does. “Even with coffee — if you look at the reaction in Europe to coffee when it first appeared — there was quite a bit of hysteria,” Edwards told the AP. “So anything new, there's always some knee-jerk reaction that makes us believe 'Well, maybe it's not safe.” Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York, said people need to be aware of how much caffeine they are ingesting. “You want those 10 cups of coffee, it will probably take you a couple hours to get through all that coffee with all that volume that you are drinking,” Ganjhu told the AP and New York Daily News. “With these inhale caffeine canisters you can get that in 10 of those little canisters -- so you just puff away and you could be getting all of that within the hour.” Edwards said the product packaging warns people not to consume more than three AeroShots per day. The makers of AeroShot state they are not trying to replace coffee, but are offering an alternative for people to get their caffeine fix on the go. “AeroShot can be used in a variety of settings inconvenient for liquids, such as when you study in the library, board an airplane or get into the car for a long drive,” the company says on its website. “It’s easy to take AeroShot with you when you go biking, skiing, curling, or any other activity that consumes energy.” AeroShot is manufactured in France and is the primary product of Cambridge-based Breathable Foods Inc. Edwards had the pleasure of discussing the potential for breathable foods with celebrity chef Thierry Marks in 2007. “We were discussing what interesting culinary art experiments we might do together and I had the idea that we might breathe foods since I’ve done a lot of work over the last 10 or 15 years on medical aerosols,” Edwards said. Edwards’ first venture was to create breathable chocolate, called Le Whif. Now he is preparing to promote a product called Le Whaf, which involves food and drinks being placed in futuristic-looking glass bowls that offer low-calorie clouds of flavor. You can see more AeroShots by visiting the website at:
http://www.aeroshots.com/

08.02.2012 14:19:53

I have a love/hate relationship with my health insurance provider. When they cover my medications and tests, I am thrilled. But, when I get a letter saying they do not cover a procedure, medication, or test that my doctor believes I need, I feel deflated. Every day, cancer patients receive these denial of coverage letters and phone calls -- even for vital medications like chemotherapy drugs. So, what's a cancer patient to do?
What to do when you insurance won't pay...


09.02.2012 18:55:00

65,000: Average number of children under the age of 5 admitted to emergency rooms annually for accidental ingestion of medications,
according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in September. Researchers drew on patient records of 453,559 children, collected by poison control centers in the United States between 2001 and 2008. Over that time, the number of er visits due to the swallowing of painkillers jumped 101 percent.
Randall Bond, an er?doctor and pediatrician at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who led the study, says the uptick coincides with a dramatic boost in sales of opioid drugs...


09.02.2012 12:00:00
How can insurers justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient per year on "orphan drugs" - extremely expensive medications for rare conditions that are mostly chronic and life-threatening - when this money could provide greater overall health benefit if spread out among many other patients? Those spending decisions reflect the "rule of rescue," the value that o...

08.02.2012 10:00:00
Title: Breast Cancer Drug May Weaken Bones, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 2/7/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/8/2012

08.02.2012 13:19:13
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