Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA articles from May 2000

Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA archives from May 2000

New Guidelines Issued for Treatment and Testing of Latent TB.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- New guidelines on the testing and treatment of persons with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) issued in April 2000 by the American Thoracic Society and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Researchers Examine Risk Factors for Farmers.(depression and suicide study)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers recently compared depressive symptoms and risk factors between Colorado and Iowa farmers. The study was designed to help understand the increase of depression and suicide rates for farmers as...

Doctors Misdiagnose Women and Blacks.(emergency units miss heart attacks)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Emergency rooms miss the signs of a heart attack in only about 2% of patients, but much more often in blacks and young or middle-aged women, a study finds. About 1.7 million patients are admitted to U.S....

Airflow Tests Indicate Ineffective Designs, Devices.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using visible smoke is an effective means to evaluate airflow in respiratory isolation rooms (IRs), industrial hygienists report. New York State Health Department investigators also found that a high...

Hospitalized HIV Patients Not on HAART.(some HIV patients not receiving treatment)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Some patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may not be receiving the treatment they need, researchers reported at the 4(th) Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Health-care Associated...

Hospitals Not Prepared to Prevent Transmission.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- In a recent study from the United States, researchers reported that although infectious disease consultants commonly detect influenza, few of the hospitals studied were completely prepared to stop nosocomial...

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Costs Less When Rapid Tests Used.(testing at risk health care workers for HIV)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- The economics of limiting prophylactic treatment of health care workers possibly exposed to HIV was the subject of a conference presentation by researchers at the Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. ...

FDA Approves Third Medication for AD Treatment.(Exelon - alzheimer's treatment)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. government has approved a third medication - Novartis Pharmaceuticals' Exelon - as treatment for Alzheimer's disease, Exelon works in the brain the same way as the other two Alzheimer's drugs,...

FDA Approves Cancer Treatment.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- For the first time in years, the U.S. government has approved a new first-line treatment for patients whose colorectal cancer has spread, saying the newer therapy could prolong survival. The Pharmacia...

Expedited Review Granted for First PCR-Based Tests to Detect Hepatitis C Virus.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its pre-market approval filing and has granted Roche expedited review for two hepatitis C tests designed to...

FDA Approves Antibiotic to Treat Drug-Resistant Infections.(Zyvox)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Physicians are getting an important new weapon in the growing battle against drug-resistant infections: the U.S. government approved a long-awaited drug called Zyvox, described as the world's first entirely...

Government: Overweight Need More Exercise.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- More than half of the Americans who say they're overweight are trying to slim down, but the government says they're not exercising enough. A 1998 national survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Rare Strain of Meningitis Hits U.S.(visitors to Mecca at risk)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- The first U.S. cases in an apparent worldwide outbreak of a rare strain of meningitis have been reported. Government health officials said that at least three New Yorkers have come down with the type of...

CDC Panel Urges More Flu Shots.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- An advisory panel at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people 50 and older, instead of just those 65 and older, receive annual flu shots. The panel said it was...

Organization Praises FDA Approval of Risedronate Therapy.(Actonel)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its approval of Actonel (risedronate), a therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Sandra...

Therapy Proven to Consistently Reduce Vertebral Fracture Risk.
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, New Jersey, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 5 mg Actonel (risedronate sodium tablets) for the...

Epidemics, Biological Attacks Detectable by Simple Electronic Reporting Method.(U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- A pilot program to help doctors identify and contain disease outbreaks has begun at the U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories - a prime developer of technologies intended to mitigate the...

CDC Reports Isolated TB Outbreak.(transsexuals at risk)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2000... 2000 MAY 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- A tuberculosis outbreak in the transgender communities of Baltimore, Maryland, and New York City may be spreading to other cities, the U.S. government said April 20, 2000. The U.S. Centers for Disease...

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance Due to Bacterial Virus.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center have teamed with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine how...

Lack of Health Insurance is Major Barrier to Receiving Medical Care Even for Serious Symptoms.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Uninsured adults in the U.S. are less likely than their insured peers to receive medical care when they develop new symptoms that may represent serious medical conditions, according to an article in the May...

Dialysis Fiber Can Break Down.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- A fiber used in dialysis machines across the country can break down with age, causing such severe reactions in kidney patients as vision and hearing loss, according to a recent study. The discovery came...

Contact with Estrogen Cream Users Leads to Gynecomastia.
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- A recent issue of Pediatrics reports that women's use of topical estrogen cream may cause gynecomastia in boys with whom they have close contact. The study suggests that a different form of estrogen...

Sedation Safer In Hospital Setting.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- A recent study found that when children undergo procedures requiring sedation they are more likely to have adverse outcomes when treated in a non-hospital-based setting. To determine the relationship...

Pharmacies in Minority Neighborhoods Less Likely to Have Sufficient Opioids to Treat Severe Pain.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Pharmacies in neighborhoods with a high proportion of minority residents are much less likely to be able to fill opioid prescriptions for severe pain than pharmacies in predominantly white neighborhoods,...

Incidence on the Rise in Non-Whites in Alabama.(of tuberculosis)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Tuberculosis rates are rising for non-white residents in Alabama And since 1990, the overall TB rate in children has increased while the adult rate has declined. M.E. Kimerling and colleagues examined...

Immunity Lacking in Young Adults.(to measles)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a recent study, measles immunity is low among young adults now entering the health care field compared to those hired between 1983 and 1988. "Due to concern about sub-optimal vaccine-induced...

Protecting Children from Skin Cancer.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Picnics, baseball games, and days at the beach are common recreational activities that many families enjoy during the summer. But are parents taking the appropriate actions during these activities to protect...

Infants Receiving Hepatitis A Passive Immunity from Mothers Fall Short on Protection.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported research findings showing that infants who have the presence of passively transferred maternal anti-hepatitis A virus (PMA)...

New Antibiotics Must Be Used Wisely.(American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) reacted to the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of two new antibiotic drugs with both praise and caution....

OSHA Issues Warning, Urges Preventive Measures.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration report)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a warning on the danger that occupational exposure to Lyme disease poses to outdoor workers in the United States. The warning was...

Coral Study Marks First Worldwide Trial for Oral Therapy.(multiple sclerosis)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- The first global study for an oral multiple sclerosis (MS) drug therapy has been launched at universities and medical centers worldwide to determine if an oral formulation of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate for...

Americans Are Overweight Yet Undernourished: How Can Medical Schools Help?(nutrition)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Over half of American adults are overweight and one in five is obese. In addition to eating too much food, nutrition experts say that Americans are making the wrong choices: too many calories, not enough...

Maine and Georgia Governors Sign Mandatory Safety Needle Legislation.(occupational safety)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Med-Design Corp. (MEDC), Ventura, California, reported that on April 14, 2000, Maine's Governor, Angus S. King, Jr., and on April 20, Georgia's Governor, Roy E. Barnes, signed into law legislation...

Clinical Trials Advanced for Orthopedic Shock Wave Therapy.(Siemens Medical Systems)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Siemens Medical Systems, Inc., Iselin, New Jersey, received conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continue clinical testing of the Siemens Sonocur, a sound wave therapy device...

Mississippi Prepares for Possible Arrival of West Nile Virus.(encephalitis prevention)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- A virus that drew national attention to the northeast portion of the United States in Summer 1999 now interests public health officials in Mississippi and other Southeastern states. "Nationwide concern...

Black Girls Are Not Heavier than White Girls Until Adolescence.(weight research)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- The findings of a recent study show that although black women are more likely to be overweight than white women, this weight discrepancy doesn't develop until adolescence. To study the differences in...

Screening-Based Prevention Policy Successful.(streptoccocal prevention)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from the United States recently reported the implementation of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) screening-based guidelines for the prevention of early-onset group B...

eHealthcare Regulations Featured in Free Newsletter.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2000... 2000 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- A free weekly newsletter is available from the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN) detailing critical issues in the healthcare industry. The HIN weekly e-mail update provides current headlines and news...

Adnexal Masses Seen on Sonograms in HIV Positive Women.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers suggest that women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have more sonographically...

Health-Related Quality of Life Among Adults Studied.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Because arthritis and other rheumatic conditions seldom cause death but have a significant impact on health, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures are a better indicator of their impact than related...

Reactions to Monosodium Glutamate Unfounded.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a recent study, ingesting monosodium glutamate (MSG) with food does not have an adverse effect among the general population. According to R.S. Geha and colleagues with Harvard University's...

Psychologically Abused Women Experience Significant Physical and Mental Health Problems.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Women experiencing psychological intimate partner violence were more likely to report poor physical and mental health than women who were not abused, according to an article in the May 2000 issue of the...

Going Door-to-Door with Public Health Messages.(New Zealand effort results encouraging)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Public health messages delivered door-to-door can be an effective way to educate at-risk populations, suggest the results of such an effort in New Zealand. Lay educators visited more than 11,000 homes in...

Genome Differences Suggest Genetic Complexity of Virus.(relationship between TT virus and liver disease)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- TT virus remains a mystery to the world of science. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that genetic complexity suggesting similar but different TT virus species is one...

On-the-Job Lead Exposure Could Increase Risk.(Alzheimer's study presented at American Academy of Neurology's 52nd Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Occupational lead exposure may have long-term effects and dramatically increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in later years, according to research presented during the American Academy of...

Investigators Study Death Trends in Patients with Hepatitis and HIV.(10(th) International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease, Atlanta, Georgia)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators outlined the trends for liver disease and death in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the 10(th) International Symposium on...

The Makings of a Public Health Epidemic: Drug Abuse, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- The confluence of HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and hepatitis C is becoming a public health nightmare. HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C are moving at an alarming rate into the minority community, where the poorest and...

Super Panel Examines Errors and Omissions.(study on medical errors discussed at eHealthcareWorld conference)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- A panel of leading industry experts, analysts, and executives in the medical and healthcare arenas discussed at eHealthcareWorld 2000 the escalating rise of errors and omissions in the healthcare industry -...

Study Indicates ThinPrep Pap Test May Provide Platform for Routine Screening.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cytyc Corp., Boxborough, Massachusetts, announced that a study presented at the recent joint meeting of the Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Diseases and the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases...

FDA Approves Two Companies' Saline Implants.(breast implants leak)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Even though saline-filled breast implants break open at "alarmingly high" rates, two U.S. manufacturers will be allowed to continue selling the devices as long as women are informed that many of them will...

Survey Reports Latest in Pharmaceuticals for Children.(medicines and vaccines for children's diseases)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) found 217 medicines and vaccines in development for children. The survey also found that 25 medicines for children have...

New USGS Map Shows Arsenic in U.S. Ground Water.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new U.S. Geological Survey national map shows where and to what extent arsenic occurs in ground water across the nation. Highest concentrations were found in samples analyzed throughout the West and in...

Woman Hospitalized with Deadly Viral Infection.(hantavirus)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- A 29-year-old Montana woman was hospitalized with hantavirus, a deadly viral infection carried by rodents, state health officials reported May 8, 2000. She is the 13th Montanan stricken with the disease...

Changes in Vaccine Recommended for New Season.(flu vaccine)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. government is recommending a change in flu vaccines this coming season to fight off different virus strains likely to strike. The Type A Sydney virus has been the most common in the last three...

Alaska Proposes Boosting Number of Immunizations for Children.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Children in Alaska day care centers and schools would be required to have as many as five more immunizations under regulations proposed by the state. The new requirement would mean a few more shots for some...

Ethnic Disparities Still Persist, CDC Officials Report.(Black and Hispanic women usage of health services during pregnancy)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- Though more women are seeking early prenatal care, a new study shows that black women and Hispanic women are less likely to see a doctor in the early stages of pregnancy, leading to more health problems for...

Outbreak Continues to Spread in Arkansas.(tuberculosis)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2000... 2000 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com) -- The spread of tuberculosis is continuing in Arkansas as more students in Forrest City and Van Buren have tested positive for the infection. Also, a student at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway has...

Millions of American Children and Teens Affected.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Millions more children and adolescents in the United States than previously thought endure the detrimental effects of exposure to lead, according to a new Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati,...

USA-Mexico System Identifies Factors Helping, Hindering Migrant Workers' Health Care.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- A two-year collaborative project between Mexico and the United States has demonstrated that a health information system linking interior states of two countries is feasible. The Binational Health...

Magnetic Pads May Affect Pacemakers.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- People with pacemakers or implanted defibrillators should never use those new magnet-laced mattress pads touted to ease back pain because the magnets could temporarily shut off the heart devices, scientists...

U.S. Lawmakers Question FDA Decision.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Members of the U.S. Congress on May 11, 2000, questioned health officials' decision to allow saline-filled breast implants to remain on the market after studies found they carried risks of health...

Saccharin Dropped from Cancer List; Tobacco, Alcohol, Sunlamps Added.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Saccharin has been dropped from the U.S. federal list of cancer-causing chemicals, but tobacco, both smoked and dipped, have been added, along with alcoholic drinks and sunlamps. The release May 15, 2000,...

Report Finds Cancer Rates Declining.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Progress is being made in the war against cancer with fewer Americans getting or dying from the disease, in part because of reduced smoking and early detection, according to a new study. Researchers found...

FDA Clears New Sexual Therapy Device.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently cleared for marketing a new medical device to aid in female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). The product is the Eros Clitoral Therapy Device,...

FDA Approves New Oxygen Saturation Monitor.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new type of fetal monitor that measures oxygen saturation in the baby's blood as a sign of fetal health during labor and delivery. Conventional...

Threat Lingers in Spring High-Tick Season.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Every spring, Rich Staffon spends the majority of his workweek outdoors, wading into the tall grass and forested undergrowth where deer ticks hide. He is well aware that his work as area wildlife manager...

United Nations' Campaign Suffers Setbacks.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Wars, a vaccine shortage, and logistical problems have set back a campaign to eradicate polio, but the dreaded disease should be wiped out by 2005, the World Health Organization announced on May 15, 2000. ...

FDA Prepares to Overhaul Warnings.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- It's one of medicine's thorniest issues: how to teach doctors the pros and cons of the dozens of new drugs that hit the market each year. A drug that's safe for one person can kill the next; it largely...

Diet, Dioxin Risk May Be Linked.
May 30, 2000... 2000 MAY 30 - (NewsRx.com) -- Consider it a possible additional reason to eat a lowfat diet. A draft report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests the cancer risk from dioxins may be greater than previously thought,...