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Statistics posted online yesterday by the CDC indicate that the number of H1N1 infections seems to have peaked for the fall flu season. The number of children and teenagers dying from H1N1 continues to rise, however. According to the New York Times, "An additional twenty-seven deaths in lab-confirmed cases of it were reported among children and teenagers in the week ended Nov. 21, raising the total to 234 since April. In a typical flu season, there are fewer than 100 deaths among that segment of the population."

Drug Interaction

Medical Journal Gives Up on Evaluating Science

Mice Soy Bomb
A study published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology concluded that soy-rich diets can lead to infertility in mice.

Vaccine Court Rules in Favor of Science
Three cases were chosen from a pool of over 5,300 parents who had filed claims with the vaccines court, a branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, seeking damages because they believed their children had developed autism as a result of vaccinations. The cases were used to test the claim that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal causes autism, and they were all denied.

Notes From Dr. Miller

Dr. Whelan in Medical Progress Today

Reuters reports, “Despite an overall slight decline in head and neck cancers in recent years, cases of a particular form called oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have increased sharply, particularly in the developed world. This growth seems to be linked to cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), scientists said in a report in the British Medical Journal.”

NYT on FDA on BPA

Seductive additive boosting addiction or harmless flavoring? ACSH examines the evidence on and complexities regarding menthol as an ingredient in tobacco products, an ingredient whose banning is often debated.

The New York Times chronicles the development of widespread and baseless distrust of high-fructose corn syrup: “What started as a narrow movement by proponents of natural and organic foods has morphed into a swell of mainstream opposition, thanks in large part to tools of modern activism like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter … This is happening even though many scientists say that high-fructose corn syrup is no worse for people than sugar, which costs some 40 percent more.”

The President s Cancer Panel has caused quite a stir with its release of a report imputing cancer to environmental chemicals. The report practically plagiarizes the work of anti-chemical activist groups, including the Environmental Working Group s catchphrase that babies are pre-polluted with chemicals, and in its frequent homage to the precautionary principle.

Investor’s Business Daily’s Investors.com features an article by Professor Jaap Hanekamp of Utrecht University's Roosevelt Academy in the Netherlands warning that the European Union’s restrictive policy for chemicals sets a dangerous example for the rest of the world:

The Wall Street Journal’s “Numbers Guy” took a look at the arguments for and against smokeless tobacco as harm reduction for addicted smokers over the weekend. He mentions dangers often cited by critics of smokeless tobacco, writing, “All of these risks appear to be overblown, particularly compared with smoking, which is far more likely to kill than smokeless alternatives.

At a recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, a Duke University oncologist warned that emphasis on comparative effectiveness research for new drugs may impede cancer research.

PBS s Frontline last night examined vaccines and the increasingly bitter debate between the public health establishment and a formidable populist coalition of parents, celebrities, politicians and activists who are ¦ determined to resist pressure from the medical and public health establishments to vaccinate, despite established scientific consensus about vaccine safety.

Ms. Magazine highlights a report on women and lung cancer from the Mary Horrigan Connors Center For Women's Health and Gender Biology, noting, Currently, lung cancer kills more women than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers combined. Lung cancer first surpassed breast cancer to become the single largest cause of cancer deaths in American women in 1987.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by cigarette giant Philip Morris USA to remove four members of a key tobacco-products advisory panel that the company said had extensive conflicts of interest.” The panel is intended to assess the role of smokeless tobacco products as a means of harm reduction for addicted smokers.

Liz Szabo of USA Today reports, The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first vaccine to treat prostate cancer or any cancer the culmination of decades of research into harnessing the immune system to fight tumors.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the University of Utah developed a genetic test to identify which cigarette smokers have the highest risk of developing lung cancer.

Federal District Judge Robert Sweet ruled that human genes cannot be patented, calling into question decades of precedent and thousands of biotechnology patents.

The FDA announced yesterday that it will review the safety of triclosan, a widely used antibacterial agent found in soap, much to the gratification of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which has been urging the FDA to review triclosan on the basis of its hormonal effects on lab rodents.

Yesterday s issue of the New York Times Magazine featured a paean to Dr. Mehmet Oz of "Oprah" fame for the enthusiasm with which he weighs in on various medical topics, often far afield from his specialty as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

A study published in today's Annals of Internal Medicine finds that patients who underwent computed tomography (CT) screenings were twice as likely to have a false positive diagnosis as patients who had a standard chest X-ray. About one in five patients who underwent a CT scan were erroneously diagnosed with lung cancer, compared to one in 10 who had a chest X-ray.