UPI Health Business articles from September 2005

UPI Health Business archives from September 2005

Caregiving: ID and contacting next of kin.
September 1, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Part 2 of 2. It happened during Sept. 11, 2001, and it's happening again in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: family members using photographs pasted on a wall or showing photographs on television in a desperate...

FDA's Plan B decision criticized.
September 1, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- The head of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health resigned Wednesday to protest the delayed over-the-counter approval of the Plan B contraceptive pill, and advocacy...

Health Wrap: Ready for the Big One.
September 2, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED In early 2001 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed what it believed were the three most likely disasters to face the United States in coming years. One was a terrorist attack on New York City. The second...

VaxGen smallpox vaccine promising in mice.
September 2, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- VaxGen Inc. said Friday a new study by Japanese researchers suggested its smallpox vaccine might offer 100-percent protection from the deadly viral illness after only a single shot. ...

Technique enhances collagen's medical uses.
September 2, 2005... Byline: ASTARA MARCH WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A new method of modifying collagen -- a naturally occurring protein in the body -- could make it capable of delivering drugs, preventing clots and scar tissue from forming and controlling...

Caregiving: Surviving disasters.
September 6, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Part 1 of 2. Some have suggested if the Federal Emergency Management Agency had retained its cabinet-level status and not been swept up the Department of Homeland Security, the response to Hurricane Katrina would have...

Inspector to file charges against USDA.
September 6, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The federal meat inspector who was charged with misconduct by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after he claimed mad cow disease safeguards were being violated at slaughterhouses told...

Medical marijuana no influence on teen use.
September 6, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Teens in the handful of states allowing medical marijuana are no more likely to use the drug than those in other states, according to a study released Tuesday. The study shows...

The Driving Doctor: The '2000' approach.
September 6, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI While the whole country struggles with the impact of significant gasoline price hikes and spotty supplies, this is a good time for you and every other driver to make a contribution to the general welfare -- and...

Ped Med: Playing it safe.
September 7, 2005... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ From avoiding tanning salons to washing hands, specialists admonish youngsters to play it safe with their health. As the summer sun and tan begin to fade, the American Medical Association warns against minors...

The Age of Autism: One angry mom.
September 7, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Ginger Taylor of Los Angeles describes herself as "a thirty-something wife of the nicest man alive and mother to the two cutest boys ever. I am a former Johns Hopkins-educated family therapist, and also a Web designer....

WHO advises proper use of malaria drugs.
September 7, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization has warned countries to monitor the use of anti-malarial medications to ensure the malaria parasite does not develop resistance to the drugs. "It is...

Katrina victims must rebuild medical files.
September 7, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Part 11 of a continuing series. The challenge of medically treating hundreds of thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees has been made all the tougher because most patients did not have...

Eat to Live: Why ban foie gras?
September 7, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON Traveling east from Bordeaux in southwest France, on the kinds of roads where it is best not to get stuck behind a tractor, or a countrywoman at the wheel of a Renault as old as herself, you pass meadow after meadow...

Agencies: New Orleans water unsafe.
September 8, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Federal officials said the floodwaters in New Orleans show high levels of bacteria and lead and urged those still remaining in the city to evacuate and avoid drinking or coming into...

Caregiving: The Blizzard of '77.
September 8, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Part 2 of 2. With no warning, a blizzard of mammoth proportions, hurricane-force winds and lasting a week hit Buffalo, N.Y. The date was Jan. 28, 1977. It stranded thousands of workers and children and killed 28. I...

The Driving Doctor: Making a clear zone.
September 8, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI So much of what goes wrong on our streets and highways is due to speeding traffic bunching up too tightly. Bunching up means less and less time to detect hazards and react properly. The tighter the bunching and...

Genomed looks to tackle West Nile virus.
September 8, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The floodwaters left by Hurricane Katrina have raised concerns about an increase in West Nile virus cases, but Genomed, a company in St. Louis, claims its treatment regimen may be...

FDA panel backs inhaled insulin.
September 8, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A government advisory panel backed approval of an insulin inhaler Thursday, for the first time potentially offering adult diabetics an alternative to injections for controlling their blood...

Health Wrap: Of disasters and diseases.
September 9, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED One assumption blown away by Hurricane Katrina is if government does nothing else, at least it protects people's health and safety. That concern was reinforced this week by a couple of reports from medical experts....

Keeping children's school food in check.
September 9, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON Now, as children all over the country are back in school, it might be a good time to make and keep an early New Year's resolution: to pay close attention to what they eat. The Trust for America's Health, a...

Feds to ease Medicaid for Katrina victims.
September 9, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The federal government is relaxing Medicaid rules in an effort to spread medical coverage to low-income evacuees who have fled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, officials announced...

FDA panel backs drug for Type 2 diabetes.
September 12, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A government advisory panel has backed approval of a new drug for Type 2 diabetics, despite concerns the drug may cause dangerous or fatal cardiovascular side effects in some patients....

Intradigm's siRNA agents may ward off SARS.
September 12, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Intradigm Corp. said its small interfering RNA agents protected Rhesus monkeys from the SARS virus in a study that appears in Nature Medicine. Intradigm, based in Rockville, Md., and...

Eat to Live: Dining well in flight.
September 12, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON On the journey back from Europe by plane (not possessing the travel self-sufficiency of Icarus), I was part of a reluctant act of self-sacrifice. At the seat-slump hour of in-flight dinner, the air steward plonked down...

Sens. back full Katrina medical payments.
September 12, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Two key federal lawmakers said the government will pay all short-term medical costs for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Sens. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Max Baucus, D-Mont., told...

Study: The 'pill' reduces risk of MS.
September 13, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Scientists said Monday that oral contraceptives can significantly reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, a finding that may allow for a better understanding of what causes the...

Caregiving: Buffalo's snow learning curve.
September 13, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN After the Blizzard of 1977 resulted in 28 dead, many in the Buffalo, N.Y., area called for better planning for the big snowstorms -- but those calls echoed for a considerable time thereafter. There were more calls,...

Polio fears prompt vaccinations in Africa.
September 13, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Health officials have detected a case of polio in Somalia, raising concerns that the polio outbreak in neighboring Ethiopia and Yemen could be spreading and prompting international...

The Age of Autism: Videos.
September 13, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Do parents know what they're talking about? That has turned out to be a key question in the debate over autism and its possible causes and cures. The most recent case in point: a study last month from the...

The Driving Doctor: Needless horsepower.
September 13, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI If there is one thing the automakers have been pushing big over the past few years, it's the bigger and bigger horsepower ratings of their engines. There has scarcely been a magazine ad or TV commercial that doesn't...

Ped Med: Sleep as a school aid.
September 14, 2005... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ Lack of sleep may be the root of many school-time ills, the latest research suggests. Preschoolers who are causing nightmares for their parents, peers and teachers may be slumber-deprived, said John Bates,...

Eat to Live: Family dinners = safer teens.
September 14, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON I have a fantasy about family suppers. We're all at the table, which has been cheerfully laid by the teenager, chatting merrily about the day's events or the political state of the universe. In reality, the...

Katrina proves all should have PHR.
September 14, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Part 12 of a continuing series. Of the more than 1 million people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, only a small percentage have access to their personal health records -- some 50,000 U.S....

Healthcare cost rises ease but still hurt.
September 14, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The rise in health-insurance costs in the United States slowed for the second straight year in 2005, though fewer and fewer employers are offering coverage because of the burden on their...

Health officials urge flu vaccination.
September 14, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The flu season will soon be here, and federal health officials Wednesday urged those most at risk of complications -- the elderly and the infirm -- to get vaccinated immediately. ...

BMS' Orencia effective in new study.
September 14, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A major study released Wednesday indicates Bristol-Myers Squibb's rheumatoid-arthritis drug Orencia is effective in patients who do not experience relief with standard therapy. ...

Senate pushes Katrina Medicaid aid bill.
September 15, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- A bipartisan group of Senate lawmakers has unveiled a measure to provide emergency medical insurance to victims displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The senators said they expect the...

More employees expected to drop insurance.
September 15, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- More than one-third of U.S. businesses expect at least some of their employees to drop their health insurance because of rapidly rising costs, a new survey by the Robert Wood Johnson...

Caregiving: Pets are evacuee concerns.
September 15, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Most U.S. families consider their pets family members and this is the main reason why some won't evacuate disaster areas, a new survey has found. "Almost 100 percent of people who have pets describe them as family...

SARS vaccine appears to be safe.
September 15, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- A SARS vaccine being developed by the National Institutes of Health appears to be safe, according to early data, but moving the vaccine forward may require the government designating it...

Feds buy vaccine, drugs to stop bird flu.
September 15, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Federal officials said Thursday they have purchased a supply of vaccine and anti-viral medications thought to be effective against a deadly strain of bird flu circulating in Asia to help...

The Driving Doctor: A sideways perspective.
September 15, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI I first noticed the sideways maneuver in the early 1990s, in a commercial break during one of my favorite television programs. A Mitsubishi Mirage sports car appeared in slow motion, kicking up lots of dust,...

Healthwrap: Better luck this time.
September 16, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED An unanticipated catastrophe. Inadequate supplies. Government confusion. Children, the old and the infirm waiting in long lines for promised care. No, we're not talking about New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina....

Analysis: Now, 'new' managed care?
September 16, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Remember managed care? It rose to prominence in the 1980s as a possible remedy for constantly rising healthcare costs. Managed care even had a revolution named after it in the '90s,...

Digital mammography better for some women.
September 16, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Digital mammography detects breast cancers in certain women that would be missed by standard film mammography, researchers have concluded based on the results of one of the largest...

Defibrillator malfunctions on the rise.
September 16, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A study released by the Food and Drug Administration Friday found the number of malfunctioning implantable cardioverter defibrillators has increased in recent years. The FDA said the...

Analysis: Blood-pressure guideline blurred.
September 16, 2005... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 16 (UPI) -- European researchers have kicked over the neat bottle that contained U.S. government guidelines for the treatment of high blood pressure. The inexpensive drugs suggested by the...

Neuropathic pain a lucrative drug target.
September 19, 2005... Byline: ASTARA MARCH WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The company that can develop an effective, easy-to-use drug specifically for neuropathic pain should enjoy outstanding revenues, industry analysts predict. Datamonitor PLC, a business...

Differences seen in anti-psychotic drugs.
September 19, 2005... Byline: ED SUSMAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said Monday they have found significant differences in the efficacy of five drugs used to combat the baffling disorder known as schizophrenia, as well as...

Eat To Live: New report on mercury in fish.
September 19, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON Sitting in Martha's Vineyard staring at a sea whose summer blues are gently giving way to autumnal slate grays, the thoughts turn to the next meal. Lobster? Grilled bluefish? Rockfish? Which fish? Because fish it will...

WHO official warns to prepare for bird flu.
September 19, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A World Health Organization official is urging nations around the world to prepare for a pandemic of bird flu, and he also warned of the threat posed by new emerging diseases. "While...

The Age of Autism: Research reversal.
September 19, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED As public funding all but dries up for research into a possible link between vaccines and autism, advocates are trying to tap new sources, but it's too early to tell if they will find any. "It's just appalling,"...

Most doctors do not measure patient waists.
September 20, 2005... Byline: ANDREW DAMSTEDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Most U.S. doctors do not measure their patients' waist circumferences to monitor for heart-disease risk, a new survey reveals. In addition, the survey -- a joint effort between the...

Caregiving: Katrina spotlight on caregiver.
September 20, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN The TV news coverage of Hurricane Katrina not only shined a spotlight on the poor and sick, who we normally don't see on television -- it shined a spotlight on caregivers, too. We live in a youth-oriented culture...

Doctors call for healthier hospital food.
September 20, 2005... Byline: RYAN HOLEYWELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A physicians' organization is calling on U.S. hospitals to offer healthier dining options for patients, visitors and employees, because many do not provide enough low-fat,...

Research struggles despite funding boost.
September 20, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Biomedical research funding in the United States has doubled since 1994, but growth in the federal sector is declining and placing academic research centers in a bind, two new studies...

The Driving Doctor: Think 'ice cream'.
September 20, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI Want an easy to remember formula for detecting hazards on the highway? Think "ice cream." Let's back up a minute. A number of highway safety organizations recommend that drivers use a method called an "active...

White House rebuffs Medicare benefit delay.
September 21, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The Bush administration opposes reducing the forthcoming Medicare prescription-drug benefit as a way to help pay for rebuilding Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. In...

The Age of Autism: Adverse events.
September 21, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Years before the alarm sounded nationwide about a possible link between vaccines and autism, some doctors were making that connection themselves. The evidence: 83 reports filed with the Vaccine Adverse Event...

Inamed's silicone implants get FDA nod.
September 21, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration Wednesday went against the advice of its advisory committee and issued an approvable letter to Inamed Corp. for its silicone breast implants. The...

Eat To Live: Healthy breakfasts are simple.
September 21, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON It's tough to know what position to take about breakfast. Nutritionists tell you it is the most important meal of the day, jump-starting the metabolism into action and propelling the body into energetic activity. ...

Oil exposure increases arthritis risk.
September 21, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Scientists said Wednesday the results of a new study indicate occupational exposure to motor oil significantly increases the chances a person will develop rheumatoid arthritis. ...

Ped Med: Lesson plan for parents.
September 22, 2005... Byline: LIDIA WASOWICZ Now that school is back in session, those in the know have prepared a lesson plan for parents to help their children enjoy a safe and smart academic season. Communication and participation top their list of...

Recovering Gulf Coast medical records.
September 22, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Part 13 of a continuing series. The Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, which includes the Charity and University Hospitals -- two large teaching hospitals and the only Level 1...

Caregiving: There's no shortage of advice.
September 22, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN The good news is that there is lots of advice for the caregiver on the Internet. The bad news is that much of it is annoying. Unfortunately, for people new to caregiving and feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility,...

U.N. concerned about bird flu in Indonesia.
September 22, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The United Nations said Thursday it is concerned about the spread of bird flu in Indonesia, where four people have died from the disease, and the organization is working with the...

The Driving Doctor: Your right foot.
September 22, 2005... Byline: PHIL BERARDELLI One of the worst -- and most common -- driving habits today involves people who use their right foot as if it were a lead weight. That's the impression I get when I see so many vehicles start off like...

Dems take aim at GOP spending-cut plan.
September 22, 2005... Byline: TODD ZWILLICH WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- House Democrats on Thursday blasted a Republican spending cut plan designed to help pay for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, calling the proposed reductions in health programs...

New drug poised for Parkinson's treatment.
September 23, 2005... Byline: BRUCE SYLVESTER WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Two new studies suggest that rotigotine, an anti-Parkinson's medication now under review by the Food and Drug Administration, could be added to the standard treatment for the...

Eat to Live: Europe goes ethnic.
September 23, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON Flamboyant French (but Washington-based) chef Michel Richard of Citronelle recently informed The New York Times with the greatest of pleasure that "Americans will eat anything." "If you go to France they will only...

Health Wrap: Fading flu fighters.
September 23, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Bad news, fellow flu phobics: Neither the shot to ward off the annual ailment, nor anti-virals that would be the first line of defense against an avian-flu pandemic, work as well as believed. That's the bottom line...

AstraZeneca files NDA for Symbicort.
September 23, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- AstraZeneca said Friday it had filed a new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration for Symbicort seeking approval for the treatment of asthma. Symbicort is a...

Stem-cell controversy brewing in Florida.
September 23, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL A Florida group calling itself Citizens for Science and Ethics said Friday it has filed a petition to amend the state's constitution to ban the use of state funds for embryonic stem-cell research. If approved --...

Eat To Live: Drinks and kids' health.
September 26, 2005... Byline: JULIA WATSON The battle for healthy living, particularly among the young, is like a game of Grandmother's Footsteps. You make several moves in the right direction before Grandma suddenly swings round and you find yourself back at...

Fit File: A governor loses -- and loves it.
September 26, 2005... Byline: LIZZIE WOZOBSKI WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Two years ago Mike Huckabee, Arkansas governor and current chair of the National Governors Association, was 100 pounds overweight and diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. On Friday at a...

The Age of Autism: Case Number 88924.
September 26, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Mary Jo Silva was reading last week's column about reports from the 1990s linking autism and immunizations when she came to this paragraph about a vaccine reaction in August 1994: "Low fever, much discomfort....

Dog flu traced to horses.
September 26, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- An influenza outbreak that has infected racing greyhounds and pet dogs in several states appears to have originated from horses and may pose a threat to humans, new research has...

Statins may lower fracture risk in men.
September 26, 2005... Byline: STEVE MITCHELL WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- One of the largest studies of its kind has revealed that a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins appears to reduce the risk of bone fractures significantly in elderly men....

Reading mammogram 'batches' better.
September 26, 2005... Byline: ASTARA MARCH WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Reading mammograms in batches rather than individually increases the number of cancers detected and lowers the number of people recalled for second studies, University of Wisconsin...

Caregiving: Many can't afford to get sick.
September 27, 2005... Byline: ALEX CUKAN Part 1 of 2. Some U.S. workers can't afford to get sick -- 59 million to be exact, or 46 percent of the private-sector workforce, do not have any paid sick days, while 86 million cannot get a paid sick day for a sick...

D.C. looks to rein in drug prices.
September 27, 2005... Byline: ASTARA MARCH WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- New and potentially groundbreaking legislation has been approved by the Washington, D.C., City Council that would prohibit drug companies from selling prescription medications to the...

The Age of Autism: Regression.
September 27, 2005... Byline: DAN OLMSTED Regression, regression, regression. That's the theme of much of the e-mail this column has received, sparked by two recent installments. The first reported confirmation by a University of Washington study that...

Brand-name drug prices far outpacing generics.
September 27, 2005... Byline: STOKELY BAKSH WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A new federal report has found that brand-name drug prices have increased three times as fast as generic-drug prices over the past four years, and healthcare-reform advocates said this...