All news posts from March 01, 2008 to March 31, 2008

Vytorin, despite a $200 million advertising campaign does nothing to reduce heart disease it was announced at a cardiology conference this weekend.  Meanwhile it has healthy sales of $5 billion for Merck and Schering-Plough.

The family of 18-year old Stephanie Kuleba speaks out on the Today Show about the decision to have plastic surgery and the homework she and her mother did to find just the right doctor.   The family attorney calls them "a couple of auto mechanics."

For the first time in this study, researchers have found those exposed to pesticides and insecticides had a 1.6 times higher risk of developing Parkinson’s when compared to their relatives with no or low exposure.  Also the loss of a sense of smell is a consistent predictor of PD.

New gene-scanning technology is allowing researchers to uncover the underlying biology of mental disorders by pinpointing glitches in individual genes that may lead to schizophrenia.  We all may have gene glitches but how they work together is the key.

Cat allergies are one that Singulair is taken to counteract. the drug by maker Merck is used by millions of Americans who suffer from allergies and asthma but the FDA says there may be a link to suicidal behavior and thoughts. It will investigate. 

Boca Raton police today released the 911 tapes of the emergency call made by the clinic where 18-year old Stephanie Kuleba was having a medical crisis reacting to anesthesia. When minutes count to deliver an antidote, the tapes show there was a time delay.

Just how common is the anesthesia allergy that killed an 18-year old Florida teenager during plastic surgery?  IB News talks to the Ppresident of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of America about the rarity of this genetic disorder.

A new study finds that abdominal fat increases by three times the likelihood that you will develop dementia in your 70s and 80s and is a bigger risk than family history. 

People who spend excessive amounts of time texting or are obsessed with their computer and software, may be showing signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder, an addiction not easily broken. There are four signs to look for. 

18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba was supposed to have routine breast surgery in a plastic surgeon's outpatient clinic. Now following her death from anesthesia, the question is whether prescreening could have found her  genetic condition and whether the clinic had the proper antidote on hand that could have saved her life.

Procter & Gamble knows that its Pro-Health Mouthwash turns the teeth of some users brown. But that is the decay from bacteria just coating your teeth, the company says. Still many users are furious and are venting all over the internet especially since there is no warning label.

It is called comprehensive sex education and it includes information about birth control, condoms, sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy as well as sex in general. This is the first national survey of how this type of education fares compared to the abstinence only approach favored by the federal government in its funding of sex ed.

Promising therapy out of Scripps Florida  - when a phosphoprotein is mutated it disrupts the life cycle of the hepatitis C virus and releases no infectious virus that can be detected. This discovery could lead to the development of new therapies.

A new face was transplanted onto a French man in this unusual and rare operation. The patient was basically a recluse after tumors covered his entire face, distorting his features. This surgical technique will be coming to the U.S. 

So far 59 people have been sickened from 16 states and Canada from melons contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria.  14 had to be hospitalized. The Salmonella Litchfield strain was found to be the likely source of the bacterial contamination from Honduras, which has the president of that country asking for compensation.

Mice with Parkinson's disease showed the greatest improvement when their cloned cells were repaired and put back in the mice.  They returned to normal movement, giving great hope to research that uses repaired cells cloned from the patient's own body to reduce the chance of rejection.

Prosecutors are considering filing criminal charges in the Las Vegas clinic cases if the Court determines the actions of clinic workers who reused syringes were intended to harm. Since insurance coverage exempts intentional acts, millions in jury awards could be lost to the victims of medical malpractice.

As Nevada comes close to completing the inspection of 50 clinics for safety violations that may have put patients in danger—seven clinics have been found to have “major infection control problems, such as the reuse of single dose vials on multiple patients.

Gardasil was approved two years ago for young teens, now maker Merck wants the FDA to fast-track approval for older women ages 27 -45, even though the drug does not protect against existing humanpapillomaviruses.

A published study of more than 6,000 patients, finds that during heart surgery, those who received blood that had been stored the longest had the worst outcomes. Stored blood loses its ability to transport oxygen to cells further complicating the perpetual stored blood shortfall.

Over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate mimics the action of blood-thinner heparin and has been identified as the contaminant found in a large percentages of recalled vials. Whether it caused the 19 deaths and hundred of allergic reactions remains a mystery.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is deflecting charges that he did a soft-sell on the public health outbreak in Las Vegas saying there would be more cases of hepatitis C if "gross negligence" had actually taken place at the Endocsopy Center.   And in an act of defiance, the three medical examiners board members he's asked to resign, have refuse to do so. 

Another man has joined the ranks of six confirmed cases of hepatitis C contracted at a Las Vegas area outpatient clinic. This clinic is also co-owned by Dr. Dipak Desai and his wife.

Robyn O'Brien is looking for the cause of pediatric allergies after her kids were stricken. Her theories point squarely to what is served on your plate. 

Gene research is being called a major breakthrough in stopping the leaking blood vessels behind the eye that contribute to macular degeneration and diabetic blindness.

Stanford University researchers wanted to know if taking human growth hormone or HGH translates into building a better athlete. Basically the answer is no, the muscle doesn't necessarily perform better, but there is more lean body mass. 

Baby boomers constitute the largest population demographic ever and as a group have established social trends, advanced scientific inquiry and reversed what we once thought of as old age. Now theier biggest challenge- stopping Alzheimer's before 10 million boomers are stricken. 

Merck is hoping that its DNA research into the causes of obesity will help it develop a pill for those who have a tendancy to put on weight and don't want to hit the gym. Obviously the rewards for the drug company could be in the billions.

Resarchers find that women who are obese and overweight do not have as long a survival rate generally as women who are normal weight with breast cancer. Doctors are cautioned who give drugs for breast cancer that increase weight.

Nevada’s Governor Jim Gibbons has asked for the resignation of three doctors on the state’s Board of Medical Examiners who are charged with investigating physician involvement into the hepatitis C outbreak in his state.   That as conflicts of interest among board members who are longtime friends and associates with Dr. Desai are being uncovered.  

Inhalants are the drug of choice among young pre-teen and teenagers says a study from The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition presented Thursday. And 12-year-old girls outnumber boys for hospitalizations from inhalant abuse.

Speaking beyond his own family’s ordeal with the blood thinning drug heparin that nearly killed his newborn twins, actor Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly will tell 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft on Sunday March 16,  that medical errors kill as many as 100,000 a year. These are largely avoidable mistakes, he says. The Quaids have filed a lawsuit against Baxter International.

If you are overwhelmed by your January resolutions to hit the gym -  relax. As little as ten minutes a day can deliver vitality, uplifted mood and strength to postmenopausal women according to an ongoing American Heart Association study. 

It’s an important question and one many parents are asking --just who should be teaching our teenage girls about sexually transmitted infections following the release of a CDC survey that shows more than three million teenage girls have a sexually transmitted disease. 

An expert FDA panel looking at whether the risks of anemia drugs taken during chemotherapy outweigh the benefit, Thursday voted to keep them on the market with some restrictions. That is good news  for Amgen and Johnson & Johnson.  

Hepatitis C, B and HIV are the fears of most people who have ever visited the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. But the case of Las Vegas pharmacist Kevin Rexford raises the question of just how well did the clinic check for colon cancer? In the case of Rexford, not very well.  

iPod nanos are a hot commodity- literally. A number of reports of fires and melting batteries are coming to light. The latest in Japan has the Trade Minister there launching an investigation. The likely source - the lithium-ion battery.

A five-month Associated Press investigation that found pharmaceuticals in 24 municipal area's tap water reveals that no one is even checking for them because there are no federal requirements to do so. Senators have expressed shock at the findings and will convene in April to try and address the oversight. 

A Swiss study looked at whether pre-testing hospital patients for MRSA and then isolating them would cut down on infection. Surprisingly, that didn't have any impact on the number of MRSA infections which kill about 19,000 annually in the U.S.

About one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease according to data collected by the CDC. The rates among African-Americans jump to almost one in two- 50 percent of girls had at least one STD. Human papillomavirus (HPV) was found in 18 percent of girls.

Timing is everything. March is colon cancer awareness month. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. and the third most common cancer in men and women.  Hopes are that the practices seen in Nevada won't cast a negative light on all clinics.

Speaking to reporters Monday on the question of whether more state outpatient clinic inspectors might have found problems in public health safety procedures sooner, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons defended his decision to cut inspectors during the 2007 legislature. 

Although he has been quiet so far, the doctor at the center of a major public health outbreak in Las Vegas issued a statement on Monday. Dr. Desai could face criminal charges as well as is facing a class action lawsuit. He says he will not practice medicine for the meantime. 

The drinking water of 41 million Americans has been found to contain a variety of medications from anti-psychotics to hormones to Ibupropen. Meanwhile consumers can learn how to properly dispose of medications.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn have been ordered to pay an Arkansas woman more than $27 million dollars after a jury linked her breast cancer to hormone replacement therapy. Some of the HRT drugs are made from a pregnant mare's urine. 

Dr. Dipak Desai owner of the now closed Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada may soon be able to tell his side of the story to criminal investigators. The Nevada Attorney General’s office is investigating whether overbilling the government and insurance companies was also part of the shoddy practices at the medical clinic.

Both Senates in Missouri and Minnesota have passed bills that would required sixth-grade girls and their families receive information about cervical cancer and the only drug approved to fight it, Merck's Gardasil. No everyone is going to vote for the bills.

The heparin recall has expanded to Germany after 80 people were sickened there. That country uses a different manufacturer but likely the same supplier of raw heparin material, China. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversaw more than 400 product recalls last year, is on the road to a major overhaul making it more effective and able to circumvent dangerous products before they make it into the marketplace and have to be recalled. 

For the first time, federal health officials concede that a childhood vaccines worsened a girls rare disorder which led to autism symptoms. While many are calling this an unprecedented admission, the CDC gathered reporters to say it hasn't changed its position. 

It may not come as a surprise, but a new study estimates that U.S. pharmaceutical companies spend twice as much marketing drugs as they spend in research and development of new drugs.  The research comes out of York University in Toronto and doesn't even take into account the cost of off-label promotions and the 300,000 conferences a year where doctors are compensated. 

An endorsement of a cancer detection technology that is non invasive has not only booster shares for Exact Sciences Corporation but may ultimately encourage more Amerians to be tested for colon cancer, which is 90 percent treatable if caught early. 

Over the last year we’ve seen pet food contaminated with ingredients from China, tainted cold medications and faulty medical devices and now the FDA says that recalled lots of the blood thinner heparin also contain an unidentified contaminant. Whether it's accidental or intentional is unknown.

Airborne Health has lost a class action lawsuit filed because the company put claims on its box that it cures colds. Lawyers say the company couldn't verify that claim even though the ingredients are known to support health and fight disease. 

It is winter. You get a cold. In fact often any change of season triggers the uncomfortable symptoms of a cold or the flu.  Now scientists believe they know why.  Flu viruses tend to strike in cold weather because they have a protective gel coating that allows them to survive and invade a live host where the coating dissolves.

As a followup to the landmark Women's Health Initiative, that overnight changed attitudes toward hormone replacement, researchers continued to follow women who stopped the drug after more than five years. While the risks of heart attack and stroke diminished, the risk of breast cancer did not.  

Criminal charges are being considered against the Las Vegas Clinic that infected five with hepatitis C as the call goes out to find up to 40,000 other patients of the Endoscopy Center. Meanwhile the licenses of four clinics have been suspended.

As flu season winds down, the  makers of Tamiflu  have been forced to put stronger language on its label warning of the potential for psychiatric problems. Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has sent letters to doctors that hundreds of cases of delirium and some self-injury has been seen among people taking the prescription medication. 

In this study, kids who had their tv and computer time cut in half with the help of an electronic device lost weight. Children ages two and up should have no more than two hours a day in front of a screen. This device may help parents raise their children.  

Six western states are on the alert after a Salmonella outbreak in alfalfa sprouts. The recall has been issued in California, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona and Washington state. Salmonella comes from fecal material and since sprouts are eaten raw, they can be a likely way to deliver the bacteria.

Teens who eat breakfast are more likely to weigh less and have healthier habits overall than the 25 percent or so who do not. This is important news as the rates of childhood obesity have doubled in recent decades setting children up for weight related ailments such as diabetes and heart disease. 

With  thousands of former patients of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada anxious about whether they contracted an infectious disease, Las Vegas city officials have shut down the center and revoked its license. So far