Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from February 2001

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from February 2001

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Associated with Respiratory Problems for Children.(asthma risk factors)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with negative effects on the respiratory health of children of all ages. David M. Mannino, MD, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Hepatitis B Program in Hawaiian Schools Increases Vaccine Rate.(report results)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the middle and late 1990s, investigators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headed a collaborative vaccination effort that attempted to increase the "catch-up" rate for school...

Biological Warfare a Continuing Threat.(analysis and assessment)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 20 years have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the eradication of smallpox. "Simply put, smallpox represents a direct threat to the entire world," said Block, a...

Fruits and Vegetables Yield Less Vitamin A Than Previously Thought.(carotenes re-examined)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Darkly colored, carotene-rich fruits and vegetables - such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccoli - provide the body with half as much vitamin A as previously thought, said the latest report on...

Obesity Experts Recommend Body Measurements to Predict Chronic Disease.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As part of an effort to address obesity, experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their counterparts in 10 countries are recommending the use of body measurements, such...

Over Two-Thirds of U.S. Adults are Obese or Overweight.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Initial results from the 1999 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 61% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese....

Preclinical Testing of Nigerian Formulation Begins.(HIV-1 vaccine)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research parasitologist Simon Agwale, at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI), reported at a workshop held in Abuja, Nigeria, that he and his colleagues have developed an...

CDC Adds Another Vaccine to Children's Schedule of Shots.
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to its recommended immunization schedule for children. The vaccine protects against infection by...

Organization Uses Different Approach to Increase Hepatitis Vaccine Awareness.(AID Atlanta)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis A virus can be transmitted easily between men having sex with men (MSM). Although public health programs have targeted this at-risk population with vaccine campaigns, the results have been...

CDC Releases Spina Bifida and Anencephalus Data.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study in the January 12, 2001, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates the rate of spina bifida occurrence in the U.S. has declined; the anencephalus rate has remained stable, however. In...

Certification in Western Pacific a Milestone Towards Eradication.(Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization reports no polio cases in almost four years)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization has not experienced a single case of domestic poliomyelitis since March 1997. This was accomplished with high vaccination coverage...

FDA Proposes New Rules for "Good Tissue Practice".(Food and Drug Administration regulations for biomedical facilities)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a new regulation on current good tissue practice (GTP), which includes the methods, facilities, and controls used for the manufacture of human...

Better Contact Investigation Would Help Eliminate TB.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on tuberculosis control)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Based on findings from a sample of 1,080 adults diagnosed with pulmonary sputum positive tuberculosis (TB) and 6,225 of their close contacts, investigators from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

CDC Report Focuses on Carbonless Copy Paper.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has reviewed current scientific information on health effects associated with...

Report Highlights Need for Ways to Minimize Workers' Exposure to Asphalt.(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report on asphalt health risks)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reviews current scientific data on health effects related to...

Strategic Precautions Against Fatal Falls on the Job Recommended.(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report shows falls on the job second leading cause of death)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Once the third leading cause of work-related death across all industries, falls have surpassed workplace homicide to become the second leading cause after motor vehicle crashes. In 2000 alone, some...

More Than 28,000 Babies Born in 1998 as a Result of Technology.(assisted reproductive technology report)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 28,000 babies were born in 1998 in the United States as the result of assisted reproductive technology (ART), according to the latest annual report on fertility clinic success. According...

CDC Wants to Increase Number of Children in Immunization Registries.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunization registries are confidential, population-based computerized information systems that contain data about children's vaccinations and are an important tool to increase and sustain high...

Taking the Practical Approach to Comply with FDA Regulations.(Taratec Development Corp. seminar on compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration)(regulations and computer systems validation)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Taratec Development Corp., Bridgewater, New Jersey, announced its seminar schedule for industry professionals during the first and second quarters of 2001. These two-day seminars are designed to...

HIV Combination Therapy Caution Issued for Pregnant Women.(Videx, Zerit interaction has complications)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2001... 2001 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Bristol Myers Squibb are warning health care professionals that pregnant women may be at increased risk of fatal lactic acidosis when prescribed the...

Nearly Half of All Women 65 and Older Use Herbal Products.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly half of all women over 65 now use herbal therapies to prevent or treat health problems, but they rarely inform their health care providers, according to a University of Florida (UF) study....

HIV Case Rates in the U.K. Reported for 2000.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data published by the U.K.'s Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) on January 25, 2001, indicate that so far, 2,868 new HIV diagnoses have been reported for the year 2000. This number is set...

Mayo Clinic Report Measures Public Health Impact of Hepatitis C.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Recently, a report of the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections on public health was reported in the journal Hepatology. HCV, when undetected...

Tuberculosis Case Rates at Highest Since 1983.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Latest figures from the U.K.'s Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) show that cases of tuberculosis in Britain are at their highest since 1983. The provisional data for the year 2000 show a...

Women in Thailand at High Risk.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Women living in Thailand are at high risk for HIV infection, even those who are in stable and apparently monogamous relationships, AIDS researchers in...

SalEst Test Not Recommended as Screening Tool for Predicting Premature Labor.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is not recommending the use of a new test for screening pregnant women for preterm labor. ACOG says it cannot recommend the...

Multidrug-Resistance On the Rise in the United States.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- According to recent research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multidrug-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae...

Smokers with Psychiatric Illnesses Need More Cessation Counseling.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physicians infrequently counsel smokers with psychiatric illnesses to quit, suggest the results of a study. "Primary care physicians and psychiatrists are missing opportunities to decrease the...

Many Opportunities Missed for Preventing TB in Kids.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- Many opportunities to prevent tuberculosis (TB) in children under five are overlooked in the United States. "Childhood TB is an important...

FDA Approves Treatment for Invasive Fungal Infection.(medication Cancidas)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cancidas (caspofungin acetate) Intravenous Infusion, an anti-fungal medication for patients who are unresponsive to or cannot tolerate...

Mortality Increases in Older Black Women.(breast cancer)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- While black women over age 70 had lower mortality rates for breast cancer than older white women in the 1980s, they started experiencing higher rates in 1993. Trends in risk factors, early...

Study Suggests How Cholera Returned to Latin America After 100-Year Hiatus.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After a century of absence, Vibrio cholerae - the microbe responsible for cholera - invaded the Western Hemisphere by way of Peru in late January 1991. Although a number of theories about the...

CDC Reports Case Rates Rose Another 6% in 1999.(United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diabetes rates rose a striking 6% among adults in 1999 according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Further evidence points to the fact that diabetes...

Cancer Epidemic Caused by Cigarette Smoking.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. "cancer epidemic" was caused solely by cigarette smoking and environmental pollution played little role in it, claim University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers. In an analysis of...

Adrenal Cortex Extract Not Being Recalled.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. has informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it is not recalling vials of injectable Adrenal Cortex Extract (ACE) manufactured by Amram Inc. The FDA...

FDA Issues Urgent Notice of Recalled Injectable Drugs.(United States. Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging individuals, health care organizations, and medical product distributors to stop dispensing and/or distributing certain injectable medications...

Physician/Patient Information Released.(foodborne illness)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Declaring that foodborne illness is a serious public health problem, the American Medical Association (AMA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug...

Poor, Minority Children Less Likely to be Screened.(for blood lead)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2001... 2001 FEB 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- - by Michael Greer, staff medical writer -- Many young children - particularly those who are African American or Medicaid-eligible - have not received blood lead screenings and may be at risk for...

Grants Awarded to Implement Inner-City Intervention.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the awarding of grant funds to 23 sites to improve the health of inner-city children with asthma. These funds will enable...

FDA Announces Test Results from Texas Feed Lot.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the results of tests taken on feed used at a Texas feedlot that was suspected of containing meat and bone meal from other domestic cattle - a...

FDA Issues Letter on Foods Containing Botanical and Other Ingredients.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a letter to the food industry restating the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regarding the marketing of...

Inner City HIV Patients Do Not Receive Specialized Care.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Significant advances in antiretroviral therapy are helping thousands of HIV patients keep the virus at bay, allowing them to live nearly normal lives and avoid progressing to advanced AIDS. In...

Guidelines Updated for Adults and Adolescents.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An updated version of the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV Infected Adults and Adolescents, which includes revised recommendations for when to initiate anti-HIV therapy, was...

Physicians Discuss FDA Approval to Begin Human Implants.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physicians from the University of Louisville in Kentucky and Jewish Hospital gathered to discuss the recent announcement by Abiomed, Inc., that it had received permission from the U.S. Food and...

Internal MRI Coil Receives FDA Clearance to Look Inside Blood Vessels.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surgi-Vision, Inc., Columbia, Maryland, announced that it has received marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Intercept-Vascular guidewire, a tiny magnetic...

Arboviral Illness Transmitted by Aedes aegypti Mosquitos.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical records in five Laredo, Texas, medical facilities revealed that 50% of suspected dengue fever case-patients examined during one month-long period last summer had undiagnosed dengue fever...

Vaccination Protects Adult Community.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, staff medical writer -- Researchers in Sweden conducted a study to see if adult vaccination could be used to help stem the tide of a diphtheria epidemic in the former Soviet...

Booklet Advises Taking Active Role in Health Care Decisions.(Brief Article)(Review)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In connection with National Wise Health Consumer Month, in February 2001, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced the availability of a resource with practical tips on...

Excluding Women From Medical Studies Hinders Progress, Widens Gender Gap.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The exclusion of women from the majority of clinical studies has created gaps in medical knowledge about the effects of disease and treatment of women. The concept of gender-based biology...

Cold Weather Deaths Are Preventable.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hypothermia is an under-reported life-threatening condition in the United States. On average, nearly 700 people die each year due to hypothermia. Of all U.S. hypothermia-related deaths, half...

Pesticides Sold in Developing Countries Pose Serious Health Threat.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Poor-quality pesticides marketed in developing countries are posing a serious threat to human health and the environment, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World...

Testing Cornea Donors for HCV Recommended.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, staff medical writer -- Corneas set aside for transplant harbor hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, research from Canada indicates. Potential corneal transplant donors should...

Unsafe and Overuse of Injections Can Lead to Hepatitis B Infection.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 25, 2001... 2001 FEB 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Most Romanians are aware of the risk for HIV infection associated with the reuse of syringes and needles, but few recognize the potential risk for hepatitis B virus transmission. Romanian...