Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from March 2003

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from March 2003

Vaccine shortage study exposes "patchwork" system.(Prevnar)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An ongoing national shortage of a vaccine that prevents meningitis and pneumonia in children has left doctors scrambling to provide even the minimum number of shots and has exposed gaps in the nation's...

Self-reported mammography agrees fairly well with medical records, study finds.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a study examining the validity of women's self-reporting of mammography, cancer prevention specialists with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found "fair agreement beyond chance" in...

HIV-1 subtype B and CRF01_AE variants increasing in Singapore.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The rapid spread of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01_AE throughout Asia demonstrates the dynamic nature of emerging epidemics. To further...

Serum-derived protein S stimulates phagocytosis of apoptotic cells.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Rapid phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is thought to limit the development of inflammation and autoimmune disease. Serum enhances macrophage phagocytosis of...

FDA investigates improper disposal of bioengineered pigs.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that pigs involved in certain bioengineering studies at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign were possibly not properly disposed of, and...

FDA publishes final rule to require labeling.(antibiotic regulations)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that a final rule outlining new labeling regulations designed to help reduce the development of drug-resistant bacterial strains is published in...

Children's use of stimulant medications vary widely by state.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- America's children are getting stimulant medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at rates that vary widely between states, with a fourfold difference between the highest rate, in...

CDC study to survey autism in the Phoenix area.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maricopa County, Arizona, is participating in an autism project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The autism-surveillance study will assess the extent of the...

Gatifloxacin more effective than levofloxacin against Streptococcus pneumoniae.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "The use of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infection is increasing." "Since for Streptococcus pneumoniae a...

Bacterial endotoxins test validated for testing intraspinal drugs.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States, "Development of a validated bacterial endotoxins test (BET) method for screening extemporaneously compounded intraspinal injections was studied. In...

CDC biomonitoring study confirms phthalate exposures are not harmful.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The new and expanded report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on human exposure to environmental chemicals confirms the findings in the first report - median exposures to...

Tunisian traditional earthenware releases dangerously high levels of lead.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Lead and other heavy metals are found to leach from the glazes of some Tunisian glazed earthenware in concentrations high enough to constitute a serious health hazard. When yellow/green and...

FDA encourages NDAs for Prussian blue as treatment for radiation poisoning.(regulations covering ferric hexacyanoferrate)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for manufacturers to submit marketing applications for Prussian blue, a mineral compound known as ferric hexacyanoferrate(II), that has been shown to...

FDA must refocus proposed rules on prior notice, NFPA says.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rules proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for implementation of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 have set forth impractical reporting...

FDA team tests toxicity of several fumonisin derivatives in mice.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Fumonisin mycotoxins are produced by Fusaria fungi that grow worldwide primarily on corn. Fumonisin B[subscript]1 the most predominant form in corn...

Endothelial dysfunction implicated in diverse disease.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent review from Canada, "Endothelial cell dysfunction plays an important role in the development and progression of cardiovascular and other disease. The purpose of this review is to...

SIV macaque model useful for developing treatment strategies for HIV-1 in humans.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States, "Studies in the SIVmac macaque model have demonstrated that the extent of virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses induced by vaccination prior...

Cultural values may explain low vaccination rates for diabetic minorities.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Minorities with diabetes are less likely to be vaccinated for the flu and pneumonia, than whites are - even when they have equal health care access, insurance and socioeconomic status, a new study...

Researchers explore structure and function of the mycobacterial KatG protein.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "In order to probe the structure and function of the mycobacterial catalase-peroxidase enzyme (KatG), we employed a genetic approach using dominant-negative analysis of katG merodiploids....

FDA approves pyridostigmine bromide as pretreatment.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced approval of pyridostigmine bromide to increase survival after exposure to Soman editors from staff and other reports.

Regulatory and reimbursement issues related to IVIg for neuropathies discussed.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Neurologists are prescribing intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) with increasing frequency to treat many neurologic conditions that have a proven or presumed autoimmune or inflammatory pathogenesis....

FDA seizes adulterated honey.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Marshals seized adulterated imported bulk and finished product honey from Hoyts Honey Farm, Inc. in Baytown, Texas. U.S. Marshals...

After studying adverse effects, doctors recommend restrictions on ephedra.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ephedra, an herb found in weight-loss and bodybuilding supplements, is unsafe even when taken in recommended doses and should be restricted, according to doctors who studied reports of bad reactions to...

Global initiative to fast-track vaccine for leading cause of diarrhea.(joint funding venture between the Vaccine Fund and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization )
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Vaccine Fund have announced the selection of U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)...

Concerns about compensation for injuries hamper inoculation program.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- State health officials say that concerns over compensation for people injured by the smallpox vaccine are hampering the inoculation program. Based on data, a small number of people vaccinated will...

New research examines why African American infants are at greater risk.(sudden infant death syndrome)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Why is sudden infant death syndrome more common among African American infants than in babies of other races? New research suggests the answer might lie in the high prevalence of African American...

Government probes particles in donated blood.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Federal health officials are examining blood bag manufacturing and blood collection sites in an attempt to discover the source of white particles found in donated blood in parts of the Southeast. ...

IND for allogeneic islets of Langerhans for type 1 diabetes discussed.(investigational new drug therapy regulations)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to growing interest in the use of allogeneic islets of Langerhans for treating patients with type 1 diabetes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has outlined the regulations...

Task force issues two recommendations on screening for adults and pregnant women.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that adults with high blood pressure or high cholesterol be screened for type 2 diabetes (insulin-resistant diabetes) as part of an integrated...

Standard definitions for adverse events following immunization being drafted.(Brighton Collaboration)
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - An international coalition is working toward developing a set of standard definitions for adverse events following immunization (AEFI), according to a...

SV40 lytic infection triggers components of a DNA damage checkpoint pathway.
March 2, 2003... 2003 MAR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Lytic infection of African green monkey kidney (CV-1) cells by simian virus 40 (SV40) is characterized by stimulation of DNA synthesis leading to bypass of...

FDA recommends temporary additional blood inspection measures.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued recommendations to the blood industry for additional blood inspection measures and will shortly issue interim guidance recommending enhanced visual...

CDC funds infant brain damage prevention initiatives.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing approximately $1.3 million in funding over the next 3 years for research and the prevention of kernicterus, a serious but...

Mouse lymphoma thymidine kinase gene mutation assay protocol discussed.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The Mouse Lymphoma Assay (MLA) Workgroup of the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Test Procedures held a second harmonization meeting just prior to the U.S. Environmental Mutagen Society Meeting...

Solid-phase extraction method validated for persistent organic pollutants.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is involved in many epidemiological studies regarding the measurement of chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in specimens obtained...

Novel PCR method developed for detection of extrahepatic hepatitis C replication.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "We established a cell culture system for the replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by using human T and B leukemia cell lines," researchers in the United States report. "These 2 cell lines were...

Genetically modified H5N1 influenza A virus vaccine candidate developed.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States and England, "Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses similar to those that infected humans in Hong Kong in 1997 continue to circulate in waterfowl and have...

Some therapeutic classes poised for Rx-to-OTC switches.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Rx-to-OTC switch market is historically cyclical, and many in the pharmaceutical industry believe that, after a recent wave of successful switches, the number of switch candidates in the coming...

Effexor XR gets FDA approval for social anxiety.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Wyeth (WYE) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) for the treatment of patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD), which may affect up to...

More regulation, long-term studies needed, says magazine.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In an article in its March 2003 issue, Popular Science magazine describes the need for long-term studies and more regulation in assisted reproductive technology (ART). The article "Sallie has Two...

Mania indication sought for Seroquel in Europe.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AstraZeneca has submitted an application to the 14 European Member States involved in the Mutual Recognition Procedure for Seroquel (quetiapine) to be granted a license for the treatment of manic...

Potential new brain stimulation therapies in bipolar illness.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "The advances in understanding the functional and structural anatomy of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) outlined in the rest of this volume provide the...

Some anticonvulsants appear promising for treatment of bipolar depression.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "The anticonvulsants carbamazepine and valproate are now widely recognized and used mood stabilizers as adjuncts or alternatives to lithium carbonate. Like...

Investigation continues into particulates found in blood pack units.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Baxter Health Care Corporation announced results of its preliminary investigation into particulate or cellular matter reportedly found in approximately 100 blood pack units in some areas of the...

Mystery of white clumps in donated blood partially explained.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The mysterious white globules found in bags of donated blood in the South were identified by the American Red Cross as clumps of normal blood components. But why the clumps are forming in such large...

Iodine deficiency in the Russian Federation followed the Chernobyl disaster.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States, "The Chernobyl nuclear disaster of April 26, 1986, triggered a chain of devastating events that later included an unexpected increase in childhood...

Fallout from nuclear tests killed 11,000, CDC concludes.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A draft report that estimated 11,000 people died from cancers related to nuclear testing during the Cold War was well done and should be published, the U.S. National Research Council says. The...

Consumer groups accuse makers of Neurontin of "corrupt behavior".
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A broad coalition of consumer and public interest groups announced that they have filed a lawsuit against Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its subsidiary, Parke-Davis, accusing them of circumventing U.S. Food and...

E. coli O157:H7 isolated from dung beetles in China.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the Peoples Republic of China, "In an epidemiological survey, Escherichia coli 0157:117 was isolated from the intestine of 4 of 113 dung beetles Catharsius molossus captured...

After anthrax, states point to "known problem" in bioterror war: their labs.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Months after the 2001 anthrax attacks, a major problem in the war against bioterror still has not been resolved: the ability of state labs to electronically communicate with the U.S. Centers for Disease...

New representative pushes for money for CDC.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave is pushing for more money for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado. As lawmakers begin forming a...

Group says stringent biopharma regs needed to maintain food supply purity.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In comments filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) said plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) require stringent new regulations to ensure continued...

Lawmakers seek tougher meat safety requirements.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. government still isn't protecting consumers from contaminated meat a decade after four children died and 700 people were sickened in an E. coli outbreak linked to hamburgers sold by the...

Pittsburgh company settles suit over hepatitis C drug.(Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals)(Schering-Plough Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Generic drug maker Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals says it has settled a patent battle over a hepatitis C drug with Schering-Plough Corp. As part of the settlement, Kenilworth, New Jersey-based...

Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine-artesunate therapy planned for malaria in Peru.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States and Peru, "As part of an effort to assess antimalarial drug resistance in Peru, we carried out 14-day in vivo efficacy trials of chloroquine (CQ; 25...

Antibody subclasses in malaria-immune individuals improve vaccine design.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from France, Senegal, and the United States, "Immunity against the blood stage of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is associated with protective-type antibodies of certain classes and...

Protective efficacy of the RTS,S/AS02 malaria vaccine is not strain specific.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from England, "RTS,S/AS02 is a recombinant protein malaria vaccine that contains a large portion of the C-terminal of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) sequence of the NF54...

Can skipping a cookie help avoid pounds?
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Could eating a mere 100 fewer calories a day improve Americans' health by fighting the weight creep that adds up to, on average, 2 pounds a year? That's the argument of a well-known obesity...

Georgia partnership to address antibiotic misuse.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Findings of a new survey show that one out of three Americans mistakenly believes antibiotics are effective in treating viruses like cold and flu and takes these drugs to fight them. Along with the...

Enhanced role of healthcare providers needed in national effort to fight HIV.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Citing new data on risk behavior, HIV testing, and HIV diagnoses in the United States, Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPH, deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)...

Pleural mesothelioma incidence not related to SV40-contaminated polio vaccine.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - People vaccinated against polio with vaccines contaminated with simian virus 40 do not appear to have an increased risk of pleural mesothelioma,...

Officials gather in St. Louis to improve survey of Americans' health status.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Public health scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and each of the state health departments gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, in February to update a system of...

Environmental pH influences G[subscript]2-phase arrest caused by ionizing radiation.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "We investigated the effects of an acidic environment on the G[subscript]2/M-phase arrest, apoptosis, clonogenic death, and changes in cyclin B1-CDC2 kinase activity caused by a 4-Gy irradiation in...

Poll finds 54% of Americans would take vaccination.(smallpox vaccine)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Michaele Tharett represents the majority view when she said she would probably get smallpox vaccinations for herself and her child if the vaccine were to become available. More than half of U.S....

Outbreaks of drug-resistant staph infections hitting prisons across nation.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug-resistant bacteria that cause painful and potentially dangerous skin infections are gaining a foothold in the nation's prisons, health officials say. Jails in at least six states have reported...

Half of adults in U.S. unprotected.
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Home improvement expert Bob Vila, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), and the National Coalition for Adult Immunization (NCAI) have teamed up to challenge adults across America to...

Antigen 85A expression enhances immunogenicity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "The immunogenicity of a plasmid DNA vaccine incorporating Sindbis virus RNA replicase functions (pSINCP) and expressing antigen 85A (Ag85A) from...

Cholera toxin induces migration of dendritic cells.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States, "Intestinal M cells deliver macromolecules, particles, and pathogens into the subepithelial dome (SED) region of Peyer's patch mucosa, an area rich...

Researchers review metabolic effects of infection on protein and energy status.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "A review of some of the seminal studies of metabolism during various infections indicates that similar patterns of metabolic alterations occur during these illnesses. This patterned metabolic array...

Cytokine involvement with memory T cells during viral infection reviewed.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Much progress has been made in understanding the relationship between cytokines, T cell development, and the maintenance of memory T cells by examining the immune response to respiratory viral...

A waterborne outbreak of Norwalk-like virus occurs among in Wyoming.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2003... 2003 MAR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a recent report from the United States, "In February 2001, episodes of acute gastroenteritis were reported to the Wyoming Department of Health from persons who had recently vacationed at a...

FDA seizes dietary supplements.(false health claims)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Marshals have seized dietary supplement products from Global Source Management and Consulting, Inc., in Sunrise, Florida. U.S....

Major disparities seen in stroke death rates.(demographic aspects)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- African Americans are 1.4 times more likely to die of a stroke than whites, and more than twice as likely as Hispanics and Native Americans to die of stroke, according to a new report released by the...

IL-23 plays unique role in promoting cellular immunity.(interleukin-23)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IL-23 plays a unique role in promoting cellular immunity. According to a study from the United States, "Recent discoveries of interleukin (IL)-23, its receptor, and its signal-transduction pathway...

New information makes differentiation between Neisseria strains difficult.(amylopectin production)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nonencapsulated Neisseria meningitidis strain produces amylopectin from sucrose, which alters the concept for differentiation between N. meningitidis and N. polysaccharea. According to recent...

More than 20% of Los Angeles County public school children overweight.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After analyzing body mass index (BMI) data from 280,630 students in the 5th, 7th, and 9th grades of the Los Angeles County (LAC) public school system, researchers reported an overall prevalence of...

U.S. vaccines could protect against group A streptococcal Mexican strains.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- M protein gene type distribution among group A streptococcal clinical isolates recovered in Mexico overlaps with type distribution within the United States. According to a study from the United...

White House hopes to restrict AIDS money for foreign family planning groups.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- By restricting the use of federal AIDS-fighting money by organizations that promote or perform abortions overseas, President Bush is trying to balance his firm antiabortion policies with his new...

Risk of AIDS and death still falling for people with HIV.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Seven years into the modern era of AIDS treatment, the outlook for people with HIV infections continues to improve. Encouraging new European data show that the risk of developing full-blown AIDS...

CDC: Senior population to double by 2030.(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- America's senior population is expected to double between 2000 and 2030, and officials should begin preparing for their pending health concerns, the government says. Between 2000 and 2030, the...

Macrolide-resistant pneumococcal endocarditis found during erythromycin therapy.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Macrolide-resistant pneumococcal endocarditis and epidural abscess developed during erythromycin therapy. According to recent research from the United States, "Suppurative complications of...

Other tests needed to confirm susceptibility testing of carbapenems.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of carbapenems can pose problems as shown by a multicenter validity testing and accuracy study of five antimicrobial test methods for detecting resistance in...

Blood supply increasing, but still below safe levels.(blood shortage)
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The blood supply for parts of Illinois and three other states involved in a quarantine is recovering but still below safe levels, Red Cross officials say. "We're meeting the hospital orders and are...

Researcher outlines treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
March 16, 2003... 2003 MAR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researcher outlines the treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a recent review. According to research from England, "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the...