Seven Cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Associated with Transplanted Human Tissue
Seven cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) associated with transplanted human tissue have occurred in the UK over a period of 33 years, reveals a study published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The seven cases of the fatal neurodegenerative disease were reported to the UK CJD surveillance system.
This monitors all cases of CJD arising sporadically, genetically, and as a result of infection from contaminated food products (variant form) or surgery (iatrogenic).
Drowsy driving risks surprise US researchers
Drowsiness behind the wheel is a more significant safety problem on U.S. roads than previously thought, although cell phone use is the most common distraction for drivers, new research showed on Thursday.
Driver distraction was the cause of most auto crashes and near crashes in a year-long study of 241 drivers in the Washington, D.C., area conducted for federal safety regulators by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
The most surprising finding, researchers said, was the accident rate among drowsy drivers. They were at least four times more likely to crash or narrowly escape an accident than rested motorists, the data showed.
China confirms 12th human bird flu death
A man in central China has died of bird flu, the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, reporting the country’s twelfth H5N1 virus death since November.
There have been more than 30 outbreaks in poultry in a dozen provinces over the past year in China, making it one of the countries worst-hit by a virus that has spread with surprising speed this year, with outbreaks in more than 30 countries.
Epidemiologists fear that bird flu could mutate to a form where it could pass easily among humans, potentially triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.
Alzheimer’s up on 2004 list of US death causes
Americans are living longer, healthier lives and only the mortality rate from Alzheimer’s disease is increasing among the top 10 causes of death, the U.S. federal government reported on Wednesday.
Alzheimer’s disease moved to seventh place from eighth place among the leading causes of death in 2004, passing influenza and pneumonia, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.
“The life expectancy of Americans in 2004—77.9 years—is the highest it has ever been,” the NCHS said in a statement.
Multifaceted quit-smoking program works well
A comprehensive smoking cessation program involving counseling, support and a tailored medication regimen can help even highly stressed individuals quit, new study findings show.
The program, the New York City Fire Department’s “Tobacco Free with FDNY,” was offered free-of-charge to FDNY rescue workers and family members in the aftermath of the 2001 World Trade Center collapse.
Its effectiveness suggests that “medication alone is not as effective as medication with a social support mechanism,” study author Dr. David J. Prezant, chief medical officer of the New York City Fire Department’s Office of Medical Affairs, told Reuters Health.
Many people with arthritis skip exercise
People with arthritis are even less likely than the average American to get enough—or any --exercise, a large U.S. study shows.
Among more than 27,000 adults in a national health survey, those with arthritis were less likely to be exercising at levels recommended by health experts: at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, like brisk walking, or 20 minutes of more vigorous exercise, on most days of the week.
“People with arthritis are not meeting physical activity recommendations made at the federal level and by experts in the arthritis field,” study co-author Dr. Jennifer Hootman, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said in a statement.
