Blue Mountain School, an alternative education school in Floyd County, Virginia, is learning about public health the hard way as at least 30 people, including 23 of its 45 students, have been diagnosed with pertussis, better known as whooping cough. After the devastating outbreak in California last year that claimed the lives of ten infants, you would think parents in Virginia would know better, but according to Dr.
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A new vaginal gel, containing the hormone progesterone and manufactured by Columbia Laboratories Inc. and Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., reduces the rate of premature delivery in women with a short cervix by 45 percent.
While certain newer approaches to prostate cancer treatment, such as less invasive surgery and advanced radiation therapy, may be “doctor recommended and patient preferred,” are they worth the additional price tag? That’s what Dr. Paul Nguyen of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital set out to discover in his study comparing the type and cost of prostate cancer treatments administered between 2002 and 2005.
After growing weary of reading headlines announcing vaccine-preventable outbreaks, we decided to research which states permit parents to forgo vaccinating their kids due to so-called “philosophical exemptions” — which allow opting out of required immunizations for no reason whatsoever. One of these states — Minnesota — allows these exemptions, and is now experiencing a measles outbreak.
A new study would have you believe that hospital errors are ten times the rate that was once reported. Researchers from the University of Utah tested a new hospital error detection protocol developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Massachusetts against an already-established method developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHR) and a voluntary reporting system.
Patients with locally advanced prostate cancer may benefit from a six month hormone treatment, according to a new Lancet Oncology study.
For those over the age of 50 taking prescription proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the FDA warns that using these medications for over a year increases the risk of bone fractures. New labels will be issued for drugs like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid that include new safety information about the increased risk of bone fractures of the hip, wrist and spine associated with the long-term use of PPIs. Short-term, low-dose use of the drugs, used to treat ulcers, acid reflux or other conditions, is not likely to pose a risk for fracture.
Known to invoke feelings of ecstasy, the eponymous illicit party drug, also known as MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), is the cause of an increasing number of medical emergencies, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2008, 17,865 patients were treated for problems related to Ecstasy, a figure that spiked by 75 percent compared to 10,220 cases treated in 2004.
In March 23 article for WebMD, Denise Mann quotes ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross in his response to the proposed ban on menthol cigarettes:
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, an FDA advisory panel recommended the approval of Optimer Pharmaceuticals’ fidaxomycin (Difficid) as a safe and effective treatment for diarrhea caused by the bacterium C. dificile. However, the panel is divided as to whether the oral antibiotic is safe for pregnant women and children and whether it can prevent the recurrence of the bacterial infection.
The Linn County, Iowa Board of Supervisors will vote next month on whether to ban the sale of dissolvable tobacco products. They allege that such a ban will “protect children,” claiming that some of the tobacco products’ packaging resembles candy or breath mints. We beg to differ.
Twenty-five years ago today, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian SSR in the former Soviet Union near the Polish border exploded, causing a global frenzy of fear and panic. It was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history at the time. The incident raised concerns over the safety of the nuclear power industry and the potentially adverse health effects associated with it, and now the world faces similar questions in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.
In a comprehensive review of bisphenol A (BPA) published in the journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology, the German Society of Toxicology (GST) analyzed about 5,000 studies and concluded that, “[BPA] exposure represents no noteworthy risk to the health of the human population, including newborns and babies.” But this report may come as some surprise to the (unfortunately) very few readers who will learn of it, consider
According to a new study published in the journal Cancer, patients with early stage, low-risk thyroid cancers should think twice before allowing their doctors to prescribe standard radioactive iodine-131 (RAI) treatment.
Diplomats from the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Saturday that the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has officially committed to providing sufficient and affordable supplies of flu vaccine to developing countries in exchange for the global sharing of virus samples with WHO’s laboratories in order to make the most effective, targeted vaccine possible. The deal is an effort to improve future flu pandemic preparedness.
All the common misconceptions about stem cell research have reared their ugly heads in an ongoing dispute in Minnesota that pits businesses against a so-called anti-cloning proposal that we thought had died an ignominious demise when we last skewered it. But no, it’s alive! And it’s even being advanced in the state Legislature as part of an omnibus education bill.
An article in today’s Los Angeles Times reports that women who begin to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at the onset of menopause (often called peri-menopause), around age 50 or so, and take it for five years or less, run fewer risks than benefits, including relief from hot flashes and pain during sex, as well as reduced bone fractures.
A headline in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times titled “Psoriasis linked to heart disease, diabetes, other cardiovascular conditions” had ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross grumbling. “Psoriasis is associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity, according to the reported study results, but isn’t directly linked to adverse cardiovascular events,” he clarifies.
In a classic example of mixing up cause and effect, Harvard University researchers exonerated diet sodas and other artificially-sweetened beverages from previous studies linking their consumption to diabetes.
The results of two recent surveys conclude the same thing: people have many misconceptions about the risks associated with smoking.
A new Swedish study confirms the efficacy of current medical interventions for the emergency treatment of symptoms and signs of acute coronary occlusion (i.e. heart attack).
As most virology experts predicted (including ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom), an FDA advisory panel voted to recommend that Victrelis (boceprivir), the first specific antiviral drug for hepatitis C, be approved by the FDA. The vote was unanimous, which is unusual. This reflects the urgent need for the drug, which has excellent efficacy, a good safety profile, and fills an unmet medical need.
President Obama claimed Tuesday that air pollution from coal can cause asthma in children. Speaking at a town hall event in Annandale, Virginia, the President said that while coal is ”very cheap, it’s also dirty.
The most recent trend in sleep aids comes not in capsule form but in the crumbs of a baked good. Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland near the brain, is involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. It is now being folded into batches of pre-packaged brownies and cookies marketed as Lazy Cakes and Lulla Pies in a variety of convenience stores and online.
African farmers face great hardship as they must choose between protecting their agrarian livelihood or protecting themselves and their children against malaria, according to an article in yesterday's The New York Times.
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