High infant mortality seen with elective c-section
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A new study has found a higher risk of infant deaths among infants born by cesarean section to mothers who have no medical need for the procedure.
While c-sections have saved the lives of “countless” women and babies, and the risk of infant death is still very low, it is crucial to determine the reasons for the higher infant mortality seen with c-section, because the rates of this surgery are becoming increasingly common, Dr. Marian F. MacDorman of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control in Hyattsville, Maryland and colleagues conclude.
Rates of cesarean have risen steadily in the US, from 14.6 percent of all first-time births in 1996, to 20.6 percent in 2004, MacDorman’s group notes in the September issue of Birth.
Lung damage from chlorine can persist in children
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Ten children who were accidentally exposed to chlorine at a swimming pool experienced substantial impairment of lung function that was still apparent to some degree several months later, according to a report from Italy.
Chlorine inhalation can cause several types of lung damage, depending on the extent of exposure, ranging from irritation of the mucous membranes to accumulation of fluid in the lungs that can cause respiratory failure. However, little information is available on the underlying process that causes these symptoms, Dr. Eugenio Baraldi, of the University of Padua, Italy, and colleagues report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Although most people do recover from the chlorine exposure, the possibility of long-term damage is still a concern, they add.
Drug may improve bone density in cerebral palsy
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Low doses of pamidronate increase bone mineral density (BMD) in children with spastic cerebral palsy with severe movement impairment, according to results of a preliminary study reported in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology.
All of the children had spastic quadriplegia, a severe form of cerebral palsy characterized by muscle stiffness in all four limbs, the trunk and often the mouth and tongue. These patients often have mental retardation and other problems. The decreased mobility seen in these children leads to bone loss, which puts them at high risk for fractures.
Previous studies have shown that pamidronate, sold in the U.S. and Canada as Aredia, may benefit children with disabilities and bone thinning. However, these children run the risk of developing low calcium levels in the blood, also referred to as hypocalcemia, if dosages are based on the usual adult treatment. In one study, hypocalcemia occurred in 77 percent of the patients.
Molecular Markers Signal Early Metastases from Ocular Melanoma
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Patients with melanoma of the eye are at risk for liver metastases, which are often not detected until they have turned into large, lethal tumors. Now researchers have found molecular markers, including changes in a particular chromosome, that flag the presence of small metastases before they reach life-threatening size.
In a second important finding, the researchers showed that a common procedure, called fine needle biopsy, could be used to accurately detect these molecular signatures.
“The results show that we can pinpoint these molecular markers in the small amount of RNA and DNA obtained from fine needle biopsy,” said principal investigator J. William Harbour, M.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology/Cell Biology/Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Vioxx risks confirmed by new studies
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The use of Vioxx (rofecoxib), the anti-inflammatory drug at the center of many high-profile lawsuits, does, in fact, increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes and may also adversely affect kidney function, according to the results of two studies released early by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Both reports suggest that only Vioxx, not other COX-2 inhibitors, markedly raises the risk of these events.
Dr. Jingjing Zhang, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted an analysis of data from clinical trials to compare the kidney and heart rhythm risks associated with COX-2 inhibitors, including Vioxx, Celebrex (celecoxib), and others. A search of medical databases yielded 114 relevant trials with 116,094 participants.
School involvement may lower kids’ health risks
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Getting teenagers more active in school life may lower the odds that they will smoke, drink, use drugs or have sex, a new study suggests.
Australian researchers found that students at schools that started programs of “social inclusion” were 25 percent less likely than their peers at other schools to report that they got into fights, abused drugs or alcohol, or were sexually active.
The programs were designed to help teenagers feel more connected to their schools by encouraging them to get involved in and out of the classroom. Students also received lessons on managing their emotions and communicating with other people.
Marijuana can help drug addicts stay on medication
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Recovering drug addicts who are infected with hepatitis C virus may stick to their medications better if they are allowed to use marijuana, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
Smoking or eating cannabis may help them tolerate the side effects of the antivirals, which can clear the virus but often cause fevers, chills and muscle and joint aches, the researchers said.
Diana Sylvestre and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco tested 71 recovering substance users given interferon and ribavirin to treat hepatitis C infection—which is common among injecting drug users.
Ignorance promotes leprosy in China
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Despite advances in treatment, China has hundreds of “leper colonies” because of deep-rooted ignorance about the disease, medical experts say.
So strong is the stigma that children have been abandoned, while others are deprived of proper care because their parents are concerned their extended family may be ostracized.
“One recovered leper I know was sent away by his parents for medical help. When he recovered, he wanted to go home but his family wouldn’t take him back and told him to remain in his village,” said Michael Chen of Handa, a non-governmental group that looks after people who have recovered from leprosy.
Vitamin D halves pancreatic cancer risk
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People who take vitamin D tablets are half as likely to get deadly pancreatic cancer as people who do not, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
Now they are checking to see if getting the vitamin from food or sunlight also cuts the risk.
The study suggests one easy way to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. This year the American Cancer Society estimates that 32,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and only 5 percent of patients will survive more than 5 years.
Delay of ear infection therapy avoids drug overuse
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Telling parents to wait 48 hours before filling a prescription for antibiotics, so they can see if their child’s ear infection clears up on its own, can help reduce the overuse of these drugs and consequently lower rates of drug resistance, researchers said on Tuesday.
U.S. doctors write 15 million antibiotic prescriptions a year for children’s ear infections, though there is increasing evidence the drugs may not be necessary. Excessive antibiotic use could lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cause drug reactions such as vomiting and diarrhea.
By taking a “wait-and-see” approach where the parent is given a prescription but told to wait 48 hours to fill it, researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, found fewer prescriptions were filled.
New method of developing antibiotics
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University of Minnesota and University of Michigan researchers have discovered a new method of developing antibiotics, an important step in fighting the growing number of drug-resistant infections.
In two articles published in the current online issue of Nature Chemical Biology, researchers describe an approach that is more efficient—and environmentally friendly—in developing new antibiotics, those needed to kill the increasing number of infections resistant to multiple drugs.
“We’re striving to create new drugs that can have a positive impact on the growing threat of infectious diseases,” says Robert Fecik, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and one of the lead authors of the study. “This type of research can help us make new antibiotic molecules.”
A Protective Mechanism Against Neuronal Death in Alzheimer’s
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UCLA researchers have uncovered what appears to be a natural protective mechanism against a central cause of neuronal death in Alzheimer’s and similar neurodegenerative diseases. They discovered that a particular enzyme snips apart the abnormal tangles of protein called tau that are associated with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s and similar diseases.
Updated Sleep Apnea Screening Recommended for Commercial Drivers
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New recommendations released today by a joint task force of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) offer an updated and consistent approach to the screening and management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators. Published as a supplement to the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, these recommendations include a more thorough screening and evaluation process, modified criteria for returning to work after treatment, and provide follow-up and recertification recommendations.
“Sleepiness and inattention contribute to a significant number of CMV crashes each year and OSA has been shown to significantly increase a driver’s risk of driving drowsy. Yet, current CMV screening and treatment procedures for OSA are ambiguous and not reflective of the latest advancements in the diagnosis and management of OSA,” said Nancy Collop, MD, FCCP, Sleep Institute, American College of Chest Physicians. “Conflicting approaches to screening and management of OSA have left drivers undiagnosed, which puts the driver and general public at risk. We hope our joint recommendations will assist the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and states to update screening and treatment guidelines for sleep apnea which, in turn, may help identify and treat more CMV drivers who suffer from this serious condition.”
Health advisors improve mammography usage
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Women who receive visits from a lay health advisor are more likely to undergo the recommended mammography screening for breast cancer, a new study conducted in a poor, rural population shows.
“Lay health advisors provide a personalized intervention, as well as navigation through the health care system, social networking, and social support, and serve as a link between community members and the medical care system through outreach, education (and) information dissemination,” Dr. Electra Paskett of Ohio State University in Columbus and her colleagues write.
Many women don’t get regular mammograms, while poor and minority women, as well as those living in rural areas, have particularly low rates of breast cancer screening, Paskett and her team point out in the September 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Women’s family choices have impact on later health
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Not having children, having five or more children, giving birth in adolescence, and spacing pregnancies less than 18 months apart could be detrimental to a woman’s health later in life, researchers said on Tuesday.
In addition, though women have a harder time conceiving after 40, those who do seem to have fewer medical problems as they age.
“We have shown that partnership and parenting histories are important influences on later life health and, in many cases, are as influential as the effects of a person’s socioeconomic status,” said Professor Emily Grundy of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
