Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from January 2002

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from January 2002

Pentavalent Vaccine Could Weaken Hepatitis B Vaccination Efforts.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new survey of pediatricians in the U.S. suggests efforts to increase compliance with hepatitis B vaccine recommendations could weaken if a pentavalent...

Antibiotic Use May Be Increasing Refractory Baltimore Infections.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Antibiotic overuse may be contributing to the rising incidence of drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in Baltimore, researchers warn. ...

CDC Validates Biothreat Test Kits For Cepheid Smart Cycler.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed and validated test kits for several biothreat agents optimized for use on Cepheid's Smart Cycler DNA detection systems. The...

CDC Acquires Anthrax Vaccine.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Federal health officials have acquired 220,000 doses of anthrax vaccine, previously owned by the Pentagon, holding the inoculations in case the anthrax outbreak worsens and civilians need it. No...

Genetic Anthrax Match Is Inconclusive.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A genetic match between the anthrax spores in the letters mailed to Washington, DC's, Capitol Hill and those in the U.S. Army's stockpile wouldn't necessarily provide clues to who was responsible for...

New Anthrax Problem: What To Do With Harmless Samples Tested?(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Laboratories that were swamped with anthrax testing just weeks ago say they have a new problem - figuring out what to do with the mountains of material that turned out to be harmless. In Georgia...

CDC: 30,00 Babies Born By ART In 1999.(assisted reproductive technology )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 30,000 babies were born as a result of assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures carried out in 1999, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. The CDC's...

BTG Acquires Technology With Potential For Real-Time Anthrax Detection.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BTG (BGC) has acquired a new diagnostic technology that has the potential to offer real-time detection of infectious diseases such as anthrax, smallpox, AIDS and influenza. The primary application...

Chemist Working On Sensors That Could Identify Bioterror Agents.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vincent Rotello, professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, is working on what he calls a "molecular nose" - a way of sensing and identifying particular chemicals. Rotello's...

Institute To Counter Agricultural Terrorism Founded.(Institute for Countermeasures Against Agricultural Bioterrorism )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Texas A&M University has established an institute aimed at protecting the nation's food and water supply against terrorism. Regents approved the Institute for Countermeasures Against Agricultural...

Science Foundation Launches Special Antiterrorism Research Initiative.(U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) has announced a fast track research competition to help in the fight against terrorism. The Competition for Research on Minimizing the...

Stanford University Develops Bioterrorism Plan For Hospitals.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health care organizations around the country racing to develop a plan for treating patients exposed to bioterrorist agents now have a useful tool at their disposal: a comprehensive preparedness plan...

Cryolife, Inc., Aids In Search Of Rare Bacterial Infection.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CryoLife, Inc., a life-science company involved in the development and commercialization of cryopreserved and tissue-engineered implantable heart valves, vascular and orthopedic reconstruction grafts,...

High Blood Pressure Common, Undertreated In Diabetics.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High blood pressure affects 71% of people with diabetes but few of them receive adequate treatment to achieve recommended levels, according to a new study. Of those with diabetes and high blood...

Study Made On How Smallpox Spreads.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amid heightened concern about bioterrorism, a new study offers a rough answer to one question: how many people would a smallpox victim likely infect during an outbreak of the deadly disease? The...

AAMC Issues New Guidelines On Financial Conflicts Of Interest.(Association of American Medical Colleges)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has released the first report of its Task Force on Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Research "Protecting Subjects, Preserving Trust, Promoting...

African Countries Negotiate With Thailand For Generic HIV Drugs.(Zimbabwe, Ghana)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Two African countries are negotiating with Thailand's government to learn how to produce cheap, generic anti-HIV drugs on the continent hardest-hit by AIDS, the World Health Organization says. ...

Mosquito-Borne Malady May Be Made More Deadly.(malaria vaccine)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study claims that some future malaria vaccines that don't entirely wipe out the disease might unintentionally serve to make it more deadly. The study uses mathematical analysis to examine the...

Congress Urged To Preserve Patient Access To Pain Medications.(American Pain Society report)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In testimony before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on December 11, 2001, the American Pain Society (APS) urged the federal government not to infringe on the ability of physicians to prescribe...

NIH Study Initiated To Help Unravel Mysterious Condition.(National Institutes of Health prostatitis research)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced its involvement in the initiation of a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial on prostatitis, a pervasive and painful condition...

Record-Low Measles Transmissions In Pan American.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 13, 2002... 2002 JAN 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A plan developed by the Pan American Health Organization and implemented by all member countries in the region has resulted in record low risk of measles transmission. Member countries of PAHO...

U.S. FDA Approves Wearable Defibrillator For Heart Patients.(new product from Lifecor Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a vest-like medical device that is worn under clothing to monitor and treat abnormal heart rhythms in people at risk of dying from sudden cardiac...

Hepatitis C Virus And Rift Valley Fever Epidemics.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an extremely prevalent infection in the United States population," stated Beth P. Bell, MD, MPH, National Center for Infectious...

Army Anthrax Lab Security Called Lax.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Security has improved at an Army laboratory that works with anthrax since the deadly microbes were mailed to two senators, but during much of the 1990s, it was not stringent enough to prevent a...

Immune System Dysfunction May Play A Key Role.(chronic fatigue syndrome )(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research on the immune system could shed light on the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), including whether a pathogenic agent such as a virus or bacteria is involved. This was one conclusion...

Vaccine May Protect Against Mosquito-borne Disease.(malaria)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A vaccine made from the milk of genetically engineered mice has been shown to prevent monkeys from developing malaria. The same vaccine produced in goat's milk could protect millions from malaria,...

America's Only Manufacturer Seeks FDA Approval To Ship.(BioPort Corp)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The nation's only manufacturer of an anthrax vaccine has expressed confidence it will soon win federal approval to distribute the vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which spent the...

Upper Respiratory Infections May Predispose Patients To Septicemia.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - "My colleagues and I did a study comparing pneumococcal infections that cause septicemia or pneumonia in an elderly population to try to find out what we...

Sengent, Sun Microsystems to Rapidly Develop Drugs Against Biological Weapons.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sengent, Inc., has signed a joint engineering and marketing agreement with Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s, Life Science Group. Engineers from Sun and Sengent will develop strategies to support Sengent's...

Anthrax Again Found On New York Mail Machine.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Traces of anthrax have been found again on a mail sorting machine that tested positive in October (2001), a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service said. The machine, at the Morgan Processing and...

Bush Expected To Seek More Security Funds In 2003.(George W. Bush)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- President Bush is expected to seek at least $15 billion in new spending for domestic security needs in his 2003 budget, to fund everything from local police to baggage screening equipment. The...

Few Takers For Anthrax Vaccine.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fewer than 100 people have opted for the experimental anthrax vaccine out of thousands eligible, although federal health officials say more than 800 are taking additional antibiotics. The count on...

Florida Media Company Employees Offered Anthrax Vaccine; Few Take.(American Media)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- People possibly exposed to anthrax at the Boca Raton, Florida, offices of tabloid publisher American Media, Inc., were offered a vaccine taken from military supplies, but there were few takers. ...

Klausner Accepts Position As National Academies Adviser On Terrorism.(Richard D. Klausner)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Richard D. Klausner has assumed the post of senior fellow and special adviser to the president for counterterrorism at the National Academies. The Academies are actively engaged in facilitating a...

Suddenly, Refrigerators For Vaccines Very Popular.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The same technology that keeps takeout pizza hot is being used to keep vaccines cool, bringing increased demand for the refrigeration units since the East Coast terrorist attacks. "Everybody is...

U.S. FDA Creates New Subcommittee On Drug Safety, Risk Management.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a new Drug Safety and Risk Management Subcommittee to the Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Science. The new subcommittee is comprises...

Keys To A Safer Work Environment: Postexposure Prophylaxis And Prevention.
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - Although accidents happen, those that happen in the healthcare setting can be life threatening. Providing safety devices and knowing what to do and when to...

CDC Wants Specific Definition Of Smallpox To Avoid Confusion.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2002... 2002 JAN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged state health officials to carefully study how to diagnose smallpox so doctors don't start a panic by misidentifying a less dangerous...

Lipid-Lowering Drugs Important For African-Americans On Diabetes Management.(medical research)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Lipid-lowering drugs should be added to the diabetes management regimens of African-Americans, according to a study reported by members of a research...

Immediate Local Action Needed to Prepare for Mass Casualty Incidents.(health care industry associations create action plans)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Representatives of 17 national health and medical organizations have concurred on priority needs for ensuring adequate community readiness for future acts of terrorism. In a meeting jointly...

Los Alamos Lab Considers New Policy On Virulent Anthrax.(Los Alamos National Laboratory, United States)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Los Alamos National Laboratory is rethinking a policy that forbids work on anthrax labeled "virulent'' to help ease a backlog at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta,...

South Korean Military To Buy Anthrax Vaccines.(bioterrorism precaution)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The South Korean military will buy anthrax vaccines for the first time next year as a precaution against possible biological terrorism, a Defense Ministry official said. The ministry will spend 2...

FDA Tries to Stem Drug Mix-Ups.(United States Food and Drug Administration labeling standards)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The epilepsy drug Lamictal looks and sounds too much like the antifungal pill Lamisil. How much? At least 22 times, pharmacies have confused the names and dispensed the wrong drug - causing three...

Lax Health/Fitness Habits In Teens May Lead To Adult Chronic Illnesses.(Cigna HealthCare research)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Are children leading healthy lifestyles? Not always, according to a CIGNA Be Healthy...Be Fit survey released in December 2001. Responses from 7500 school children show that two-thirds of...

Topical Antimicrobial Formula Tests Highly Effective Against Spore Bacteria.(MicrobNZ technology by First Scientific Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- First Scientific, Inc., (FSFI) has completed an initial round of testing against spore-forming bacteria that are similar to Bacillus anthracis, the cause of the acute and often lethal disease anthrax....

Military Immunization Associated With Increased Risk Of Diabetes.(research)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data show that the rate of insulin-dependent diabetes in those entering the U.S. Navy is about the same as controls but reaches up to 5.5 times that of controls in women, and 2.5 times that of controls...

Company Outlines Strategies for Bioweapons Defense.(Hadron Inc./Advanced Biosystems Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hadron, Inc., (HDRN) has announced the biodefense research plans and product development strategies being pursued by its Advanced Biosystems, Inc., subsidiary. This announcement is being made in...

North Shore-LIJ Awarded Defense Contract Worth $1.6 Million.(North Shore - Long Island Jewish Research Institute)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute has received a $1.6 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to research ways to control the damage caused by bioterrorist weapons and...

Portable Endospore Detection System Offers Real-Time Anthrax Screening.(EDS2000)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ocean Optics has developed a low-cost, field-deployable endospore detection system that offers rapid front-end screening to instantly identify potential anthrax contamination. The fully integrated...

DNA Analyses Help Identify World Trade Towers Victims.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The number of identified World Trade Center victims has sharply increased because of the increased use of DNA tests and the finding of more intact bodies, officials said. The city medical...

Dubious Protection Products Being Sold On Internet.(bioterrorism)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Internet sites continue to market dubious devices offering bioterror protection or treatments despite government warnings that the claims are exaggerated or false. After the September 11...

Cepheid Delivers GeneXpert to U.S. Army.(DNA detection system)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cepheid (CPHD) has delivered the first prototype of its GeneXpert DNA detection system to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland. ...

Childrens' DTP Vaccine Is In Short Supply.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The national shortage of the vaccine that protects children against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough will continue through at least the middle of the year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control...

RESOLVE Says Clinics Must Not Withhold Data.(infertility treatment data)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a recently published report, RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, confirmed that 29 infertility clinics did not provide data on their treatment success rates, including information on the...

Vitamin A Intake Levels Reaffirmed As Safe And Beneficial.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), one of the dietary supplement industry's leading trade associations, in consultation with independent osteoporosis and vitamin A experts, responded to the...

Report Says Hawaii's People Healthier Than Those On The Mainland.(Hawaii Health Information Corp. report)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2002... 2002 JAN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hawaii's residents are generally healthier than people on the mainland, according to a new report. But the report, Health Trends in Hawaii, says the state is facing serious challenges, including...