Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from June 2001

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from June 2001

More WIC Interventions Could Remedy Shortfall In Vaccination Coverage.(Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Children who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are less likely than their affluent counterparts to...

Drug Treatment Does Not Improve IQ Scores Of Exposed Children.(succimer)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Using a lead-lowering drug to reverse the IQ damage associated with the lead exposure has proved ineffective, the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports. Walter...

"Rare" Infection Found To Be Common In City Kids.(Cryptococcus neoformans)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is an important cause of central nervous system infections in adults with HIV/AIDS. Now, in a surprising finding published in journal Pediatrics, researchers...

Arthritis Prevalence Continues To Increase In U.S.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Arthritis has increased by almost three-quarters of a million persons every year since 1990; by 2020, 11.6 million Americans are expected to be limited by arthritis, the agency said in a report in...

Exclusion Policies Are Probably Unnecessarily Restrictive.(head lice infestations in school)(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A common school policy for preventing head lice infestations is probably too restrictive, needlessly excluding many non-contagious children from class, U.S. government research suggests. At...

African-American Children More Likely Not To Get All Vaccines.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Further research confirms that African-American children across the U.S. are at significant risk of being under-immunized. National Immunization Survey data were reported in the May 2001 issue...

Thin-Layer Chromatography Detects Substandard TB Drugs Worldwide.(tuberculosis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A substantial number of tuberculosis drugs may not be delivering what they promise, a quality assurance shortfall that could contribute to the worldwide...

Nutrient Restriction During Puberty May Cause Diabetes In Later Life.
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Puberty is apparently a critical time for pancreatic cell maturation and diets that restrict calories or nutrients during this time may later affect the...

Major New Cholesterol Guidelines Issued.(National Cholesterol Education Program)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued major new clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and management of high cholesterol in adults on May 15, 2001. The...

Study Finds Protective Effects Of Alcohol Marginal And Only In Over 55s.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The protective effects of alcohol are marginal, and mostly in men over 55 and women over 65, shows a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers from the London School of...

The 'Better Than Nothing' Theory: A Little Exercise Does Make A Difference.(finds researcher in Kuwait)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - "Weekend warriors" who harbor nagging suspicions that their efforts are in vain may be reassured by a new study from Kuwait that suggests a little...

Diet And Disease In Cattle: High-Grain Feed May Promote Illness And Harmful Bacteria.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Grain-fed cattle provide nicely marbled beef. Yet, low-fiber diets can make cattle sick, while allowing harmful bacteria to proliferate, a paper in the May 11, 2001, issue of Science reports. ...

Health, Agriculture Ministers to Meet in Brazil To Discuss FMD, Zoonoses.(food and mouth disease)(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Experts and authorities from 32 countries met May 2-4, 2001, in Brazil to discuss policies to prevent and control foot-and-mouth disease, zoonoses such as mad cow disease, and food safety. The...

Water Rinses As Effective As Bleach In Eliminating Virus From Needles.(intravenus drug use)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Injecting drug users who can't use new, sterile syringes should at least try to reduce the chance of HIV transmission by cleaning shared needles with water and/or bleach. This doesn't...

U.S. Federal Guidelines For Ideal Weight May Be Overly Restrictive For The Elderly.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Evidence does not support mild-to-moderate overweight, defined by U.S. federal guidelines, as a risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular death among elderly persons, according to an article in...

Blood Lead Level Trends Reported For Boston, Massachusetts.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Boston, Massachusetts, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program performed a yearly analysis of blood lead levels (BLLs) among...

FDA Clears First External Defibrillator For Use On Young Children.(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing the first automatic external defibrillator (AED) system for use on infants and young children who experience cardiac arrest....

Many Parents Don't Recognize Obesity In Their Children.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study presented at the 2001 Pediatric Academic Societies conference, half of the parents asked to classify their child's weight failed to recognize the child was obese. ...

Study Highlights Need To Study Drug Effects Specifically On Children.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The over-the-counter antihistamine diphenhydramine, commonly sold under the trade name Benadryl, has such potent sedative effects in adults that it is marketed as a sleep aid as well as an...

IM Preimmunization With PVRV Confers Best Antibody Protection In Travelers.(intramuscular application of rabies vaccine)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Rabies vaccination can be given before or after exposure, but even people with adequate immunity to rabies need two follow-up boosters if exposed. ...

Rise In Cases Suggests Safe-Sex Practices Are Ignored.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A rise in the number of new syphilis cases in Massachusetts during 2000, particularly among gay men, has state health officials worried that safe sex practices are slipping. Last year's 43%...

Nanobacteria Are Present In Vaccines, But Any Health Risks Remain Unknown.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2001... 2001 JUN 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vaccines are an indispensable weapon in the battle to prevent disease, both in humans and animals. Provision and protection of the vaccine supply is so essential that no possible pathogen is beyond...

Lack Of Access To Food Linked To Increased Medical Utilization Among Diabetics.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diabetics who do not have enough money to maintain their special dietary needs are less healthy and require more medical attention than well-fed diabetics, potentially increasing costs to the...

Health Care Coalition Successful In Controlling Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A coalition of health care facilities; state and local health departments in the Siouxland Region of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota; the Indian Health Service; and the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Organization Launches National HIV Prevention Project.(AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & and Families has announced a new approach to HIV prevention in the wake of alarming new epidemiologic statistics on HIV infection among young, gay men,...

Lotronex: Editorial Calls FDA "Servant Of Industry".(United States. Food and Drug Administration.)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An editorial in the May 19, 2001, issue of the Lancet focused on controversy surrounding the licensing of Lotronex (a drug for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)) and the U.S. Food and Drug...

Patients May Be Most Infectious During Primary HIV Infection.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have discovered high levels of HIV in the saliva, spinal fluid, semen and vaginal fluid, as well as in the blood, of patients newly infected by the virus. They believe their work...

Preteen Girls Who Become Overweight Very Likely To Develop New Asthma Symptoms.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Females who become overweight or obese between the ages of six and 11 are seven times more likely to develop new asthma symptoms at age 11 and 13 than girls who don't become heavier. ...

Anti-HBV Programs For Injection Drug Users Are Being Implemented Effectively In Community Settings.(Hepatitis B vaccine)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis B vaccination programs for injection drug users can be successfully implemented in community settings such as syringe exchange programs and jails. Hepatitis B vaccination has been...

Low Socioeconomic Status Seriously Affects Outcome.(cystic fibrosis in children)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medically indigent children with cystic fibrosis (CF), although they have as many visits to the doctor as the non-indigent, suffer more serious consequences from their disease than does the general...

African-American Women's Diets Lack Calcium.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recent survey uncovered new facts about the lack of calcium in African-American women's diets. The survey was conducted to learn more about the attitudes and behavior of African-American...

Race, Ethnicity May Be Indicators Of Risk Factors For Pregnancy-Related Mortality.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study on pregnancy-related deaths among specific racial and ethnic groups in the United States reports that Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American-Indian/Alaska-Native women had a...

Paradoxical Finding Raises Hope For Pharmaceutical Intervention.(fetal alcohol syndrome found to be treatable)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers report that, paradoxically, the long-chain alcohol 1-octanol successfully blocks a mechanism leading to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Viewed as paradoxical because it is the...

ACOG Says "Buyer Beware" With Alternative Botanical Treatments.(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warns against hormone therapy alternatives)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to the ever-increasing number of women using herbal or other alternatives to conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists...

Getting More Companies To Produce Flu Vaccine May Head Off Delays.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. will continue to risk flu vaccine shortages as long as only a handful of companies produce the vaccine, health officials said May 31, 2001. Last year's shortage occurred after the...

Add 'Infotherapy' To Your List Of Medical Terms.(NewsRx Network coins new medical term)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx Network, Atlanta, Georgia, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, now has coined a new medical word: "infotherapy." The new word is the...

Strategy Is Becoming More Common For Preventing HIV Transmission.(syringe exchange programs)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A survey has found that syringe exchange programs are an increasingly common HIV prevention approach that offer a range of public health services in addition to syringe exchange. According to...

Awareness Of Folate Benefits Increased 15% In Two Years.(folic acid, awareness of benefits)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, overall, awareness of the benefits of dietary folic acid among women who had recently given birth has increased. Each...

More Women Than Previously Assumed Need Leave During Pregnancy.(prenatal medical leave)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite the common perception that pregnant career women stay on the job until they go into labor, a study in the June 2001 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology reports that a sizable minority of...

CDC Reports on Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak Among Automotive Plant Workers.(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pneumonia tests)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health care providers should perform appropriate diagnostic tests for patients with pneumonia who also work in settings where Legionnaires' disease transmission has been known to occur, recommends...

Vaccine Coverage Unimpaired by New Policy Recommending Inactivated Virus Formulation.(inactivated polio vaccine)(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Fears that a change in the recommended vaccination schedule to include inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) would alarm parents sufficiently to lower vaccine...

Biomarkers In Adolescents Could Provide Measurement For Environmental Pollution.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biological markers in adolescents could be a reliable measure of exposure to environmental pollutants, according to a study highlighting how increased exposure among adolescents slows sexual...

Cell Phone Use In Motor Vehicles "Distinctly More Risky" Than Other Distractions.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In 1997, Drs. Donald Redelmeier and Robert Tibshirani published what has become the most widely cited scientific study on the link between cellular telephones and motor vehicle collisions. ...

Recommendations Issued For Preventing Motor Vehicle-Related Deaths.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an independent panel of 15 community health experts, has released its findings about effective ways of preventing motor vehicle injuries. The...

Media Campaign Encourages Young People To "Choose Your Cover".(protection from sun)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As summer approaches, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds Americans that protecting their skin from the sun's damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays can help reduce the risk...

Study Suggests Increased Likelihood That Heroin Users Will Inject The Drug.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Addiction treatment data from New Jersey suggest a substantial increase in the likelihood that young heroin users will inject the drug. This apparent increase reverses a 15-year decline in...

Education And Prevention Program Helps Reduce Smoking Prevalence.(Brief Article)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smoking prevalence among adults in Arizona dropped significantly from 1996 to 1999 following implementation of the Arizona Tobacco Education and Prevention Program. In 1994, Arizona passed...

Robotic System Allows Large-Scale Viral RNA Surveillance.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 17, 2001... 2001 JUN 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Researchers with the New York State Department of Health have developed an automated system with a turnaround time of just 4.5 hours for large-scale...

Vaccines Against Mosquito Midgut Receptors May Limit Transmission.(malaria research)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - By preventing development of Plasmodium species in mosquitoes, antibodies targeting the mosquito midgut could eventually halt the global transmission of...

In-House Molecular Typing Lowers Rate of Hospital-Acquired Infection.(laboratory at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A new on-site molecular typing laboratory that has been incorporated into the infection control program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago,...

Experimental Treatment Shows Promise.(Ebola virus, immune serum research)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An experimental treatment for Ebola virus infection using immune serum from survivors is effective in protecting mice from the disease, say researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Annual Report Shows Overall Decline in U.S. Cancer Incidence and Death Rates.(United States)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The rates for new cancer cases and deaths for all cancers combined continued to decline in the United States, according to a report that includes new data for the period between 1992 to 1998. ...

Nearly One In Five U.S. Gay Men Infected With Hepatitis B Virus By Age 22.(United States, health statistics)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite the availability of an effective vaccine for nearly two decades, few adolescent and young adult men who have sex with men (MSM) are vaccinated against hepatitis B. As a consequence,...

Health Of Drug Industry Depends On Reducing Patent Litigation.(Gerald F. Meyer)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "We need to find a way to better use the energy and funds now being directed at gimmicks and litigation," says Gerald F. Meyer, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deputy director of the...

Elimination Of Household Allergens And Pets Could Reduce Asthma Nearly 45% Among Older Children, Adolescents.(residential risk factors)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than two million children and adolescents in the United States between the ages of six and 16 with asthma might not have the disease if risk factors were removed from the home, according to a...

New Study Sees HIV Rates Jump.(gay, bisexual youth not getting the message)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Social worker Anthony McWilliams says he sees it every day - a new generation of gays and bisexuals numb from years of endless AIDS statistics and warnings about the epidemic. "It becomes...

Rates Increasing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men.(gonorrhea infections research)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that rates of gonorrhea infection increased three-fold in the period from 1992 to 1999 among men who have sex with men. Using...

U.S. Government Approves Six State Plans To Insure Women With Breast Or Cervical Cancer.(United States, Medicaid health insurance)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Tommy G. Thompson has approved six new states' applications for a new federal program that allows them to offer Medicaid benefits to uninsured women...

FDA Approves Combination Vaccine Against Hepatitis A And B.(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new combination vaccine that protects individuals 18 years of age or older against diseases caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV) and the...

Young Adults Could Benefit From HPV Education.(human papillomavirus)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A brief educational intervention in the family practice setting could go a long way toward removing misconceptions about human papillomavirus (HPV), the...

Global Target Attained, Remaining Endemic Countries Pose Greatest Challenge.(leprosy)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The overall target, set 10 years ago, for the global elimination of leprosy as a public health problem has been attained, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners announced during May...

FDA Approves Implanted Stomach Band To Treat Severe Obesity.(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new surgically implanted device to help severely obese people lose weight. The product, the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, made...

Public Safety Workers May Face More Risk Of Hepatitis B Than C.(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Data collected by scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University suggest public safety workers may face more risk for contracting hepatitis B virus...

Physiologists Claim 'SeDS' Is Second Greatest Threat To U.S. Public Health.(Sedentary Death Syndrome)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The following was issued by Frank Booth, PhD, FACSM: [helv] Chronic diseases have increased dramatically because of physical inactivity. In the United States, obesity has doubled since 1980,...

FDA Clears Device That Prevents Blood Clots From Traveling To Bloodstream.(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing a new medical device for coronary procedures performed on diseased bypass grafts. Thousands of heart patients each year may...

Popular Drug Faces Deadline.(Synthroid)(Brief Article)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A widely used thyroid drug that has been sold for decades in the U.S. is facing an August 2001 deadline to get government approval. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) turned down a...

Direct Supervision Best Way To Ensure Compliance Among Drug Users.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 24, 2001... 2001 JUN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Injection drug users are more likely to comply with preventive therapy for tuberculosis if their medication regimen is directly supervised, according to a...