WHO says AIDS may infect 10 mln in China by 2010
Some 10 million people in China may be infected with the AIDS virus by 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, as it called for stronger political will by Asian governments to stop the spread of the disease.
About 5 million people worldwide were infected last year, bringing to 45 million the number living with the virus despite measures designed to prevent AIDS from spreading, said Shigeru Omi, WHO director for the Western Pacific region.
Job exposure to pesticide may raise cancer risk
Daily on-the-job exposure to the pesticide diazinon appears to increase the risk of lung cancer and possibly other cancers, according to new findings from the US government-sponsored Agricultural Health Study, a project begun in 1993 to investigate the health effects of pesticides on farm families in Iowa and North Carolina.
By December 2002, 301 of 4,961 men with occupational exposure to diazinon had developed lung cancer compared with 968 of 18,145 with no occupational exposure to diazinon.
Nerve stimulation may relieve fecal incontinence
Sacral nerve stimulation appears to be an effective treatment for fecal incontinence, the leakage of feces from the bowel, and the benefit is apparently not due to a “placebo effect,” according to the results of a study conducted by French researchers.
This is the first study to examine “the effectiveness of sacral nerve stimulation in a significant number of fecally incontinent patients,” lead author Dr. Anne-Marie Leroi, from Hopital Charles Nicolle in Rouen, and colleagues note.
Feverfew extract can reduce migraine frequency
A stable extract of the popular herbal remedy feverfew, called MIG-99, appears to be particularly effective in preventing migraine, German researchers report in the current issue of Cephalagia.
“Feverfew in the form of MIG-99 is an effective and safe prophylactic treatment of frequent migraine attacks,” said lead investigator Dr. Hans-Christoph Diener.
Wrist splint can help rheumatoid arthritis patients
Using a wrist splint can improve performance of some daily activities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to Canadian researchers, but for some tasks splints can be a hindrance.
In a study published in The Journal of Rheumatology, the researchers examined the influence of wearing a wrist splint on performance of daily activities in 30 rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist involvement. The subjects were an average of 57 years old and had rheumatoid arthritis for about 9 years.
Chronic stress induces rapid occlusion of angioplasty
Chronic stress can induce rapid blocking of arteries after a balloon angioplasty procedure, according to research performed in animal studies at Georgetown University Medical Center. Blocked coronary arteries after angioplasty affect 41 percent of patients who undergo the procedure and can lead to death.
But the Georgetown scientists also demonstrated that this stress-induced atherosclerosis could be prevented by blocking a certain neuropeptide in blood vessels. They say the results, published in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, may someday lead to targeted therapy for individuals at risk for the condition.
Stenting of the carotid artery significantly improves cognitive speed
Stenting of the carotid artery significantly improves cognitive speed and may improve memory function in some patients, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
“To my knowledge this is the first study combining neuropsychological testing and perfusion imaging that screens for silent ischemic stroke events that can occur during stenting,” said Iris Q. Grunwald, M.D., consultant at Saarland University Clinic in Homburg, Germany.
Completion of the genetic sequencing of the 1918 influenza A virus
An article by Robert Belshe, M.D., of Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the New England Journal of Medicine reviews recent “spectacular achievements of contemporary molecular biology” that hold great importance as the world prepares for a possible flu pandemic.
These achievements, including a recent genetic sequencing and recreation of the virus from the 1918 flu pandemic, “may enable us to track viruses years before they develop the capacity to replicate with high efficiency in humans,” Belshe writes.
FDA Approves New Higher Dose Formulation of FOSRENOL
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new, higher dose formulation of the chewable(1) non-calcium phosphate binder FOSRENOL(R) (lanthanum carbonate). The new, higher dose strengths of 750 milligrams (mg) and 1.0 gram (g) will be available in the U.S. by year end. This formulation will help to reduce the number of pills end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients must take to achieve target phosphorus levels, thereby helping to simplify the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. FOSRENOL(R) is marketed by Shire Pharmaceuticals.
Even with a low phosphorus diet, 60 percent of ESRD patients on dialysis in the United States may develop hyperphosphatemia (high phosphorus levels in the blood) and up to 70 percent are considered noncompliant when using currently prescribed phosphate binders. Without effective treatment, hyperphosphatemia may lead to increased rates of death, renal bone disease, hyperparathyroidism and calcification of tissues. Also, evidence shows hyperphosphatemia may contribute to cardiovascular disease, which accounts for almost half of all deaths among dialysis patients. FOSRENOL(R) is indicated to reduce serum phosphorus in patients with ESRD.
Low doses of aspirin increase chance of developing ulcers
Aspirin has long been hailed as one of the most effective, low-cost ways to help guard against a heart attack or stroke. However, international medical researchers caution that low doses of aspirin also increase a patient’s chance of developing an ulcer, often without warning signs.
The JUPITER study measured the prevalence and incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers among 187 aspirin therapy patients from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Spain.
Depression treatment in children - poor data
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared in 2004 that certain antidepressants are linked to an increased risk of suicide in adolescents, there was surprisingly little data about how depression was being treated in young patients.
Now new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine provides critical documentation of the potential misuse of these medications in the years leading up to the FDA’s decision to issue the so-called “black-box” warnings.
