Nonlatex Condoms Have Higher Breakage Rates, Review Finds
While nonlatex polyurethane condoms have higher breakage rates than latex condoms, they provide an “acceptable alternative” for persons who cannot or will not use latex condoms, researchers conclude in a review of clinical studies.
“Even though the eZ.on condom did not perform as well as its comparison latex condom in terms of preventing pregnancy, the Avanti and the Standard Tactylon had pregnancy rates similar to their latex comparisons (and) substantial proportions of study participants reported preferences for the nonlatex condoms,” said Maria F. Gallo, Ph.D., lead study author.
Glaucoma eye pressure higher in sleep: study
Some patients with glaucoma may have greater pressure in their eyes during sleep, meaning that the severity of the disease can go unrecognized during exams that only involve daytime office visits, a study said on Monday.
Higher intraocular pressure, the force within the eyeball, and greater daily fluctuation in pressure may increase the risk that glaucoma will develop or worsen, according to the report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
WHO urges international action against fake drugs
The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed on Tuesday for international action against fake and mislabelled medicines, estimated to account for 10 percent of drugs sold worldwide.
In a statement issued ahead of a high-level meeting of regulatory, pharmaceutical industry and consumer representatives in Rome, the United Nations health agency said that a global task force ought to be set up to fight drug counterfeits.
Fit teens less apt to have chronic pain later on
Good flexibility in the teen years for boys can lower the risk of tension neck in adulthood, while good endurance strength may do the same for girls, Finnish researchers report.
Little is known about how physical fitness in adolescence contributes to the likelihood of common muscle and bone problems later on, such as lower back pain and knee injuries, Dr. Lasse O. Mikkelsson of the Pajulahti Sports Centre in Nastola and colleagues note.
UK cancer sufferer to appeal in Herceptin case
A British woman with early-stage breast cancer lost a test case legal bid on Wednesday to force her health authority to pay for the potentially life-saving drug Herceptin, but vowed on Wednesday to continue her battle.
High Court judge Justice Bean ruled that Swindon Primary Care Trust in Wiltshire, which had refused Ann Marie Rogers, 54, the costly drug treatment, need not pay for Herceptin, made by Switzerland’s Roche.
New Compound May Protect Against Liver Cancer
Researchers have identified a new compound called CDDO-Im that protects against the development of liver cancer in laboratory animals. The compound appears to stimulate the enzymes that remove toxic substances from the cells, thereby increasing the cells’ resistance to cancer-causing toxins. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, agencies of the federal National Institutes of Health, provided funding to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the two-year study.
The compound’s effectiveness at very low doses suggests it may have similar cancer-fighting properties in humans. Researchers believe it may be particularly effective in preventing cancers with a strong inflammatory component, such as liver, colon, prostate and gastric cancers. The compound could eventually play a preventive role in a wide range of other illnesses such as neurodegenerative disease, asthma and emphysema.
