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Health News Online - Medical and health information and tools from AMNews[CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Unable to create/open RSS cache file. Medical and health information and tools from Armenian Medical Network Never Marrieds Run Highest Risk of Early Death People who never marry have the greatest chance of an earlier death, reveals a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The findings are based on national census and death certification data, involving almost 67,000 adults in the USA between 1989 and 1997. In 1989, almost one in two of the sample were married, and almost one in 10 were widowed. Around 12% were divorced and 3% were separated. Of the remainder, 5% were cohabiting, and one in five had never been married. Naturopathic Care and Low Back Pain The Canada Post Corporation, comprised of Canada’s postal service and several joint ventures, has the nation’s sixth largest workforce, the majority of who are represented by a postal workers’ union. Being a postal worker entails not only the typical workforce challenges, but like nurses and mechanics, they are at higher risk for lower back pain. Canada Post reported that diagnosed musculoskeletal complaints rose from 53 percent in 2001 to 59 percent in 2003, with sharp increases in physiotherapy, chiropractic and massage care. In an effort to establish whether naturopathic medical treatment might be of benefit to postal workers with low back pain, Canada Post and the 55,000-member Canadian Union of Postal Workers funded a joint study to be conducted by the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM). The purpose of the study was to establish what, if any, effect existed between naturopathic medical treatment (using a combination of acupuncture, mind-body therapy, lifestyle and dietary counseling) and pain management and quality of life for employees with lower back pain. Neither organization had a role in the conduct or analysis of the investigation. Formation of an internal FDA Nanotechnology Task Force Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., today announced the formation of an internal FDA Nanotechnology Task Force. The new task force is charged with determining regulatory approaches that encourage the continued development of innovative, safe and effective FDA-regulated products that use nanotechnology materials. The task force will identify and recommend ways to address any knowledge or policy gaps that exist so as to better enable the agency to evaluate possible adverse health effects from FDA-regulated products that use nanotechnology materials. FDA will continue to address product-specific nanotechnology-related issues on an ongoing basis. FDA approves generic version of Effexor (venlafaxine) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic version of Effexor (venlafaxine), an important step in the agency’s effort to increase the availability of lower-cost generic medications. Venlafaxine is indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). “This approval is another example of our agency’s efforts to increase access to safe and effective generic alternatives as soon as the law permits,” said Gary J. Buehler, Director, Office of Generic Drugs. “Venlafaxine is a widely used antidepressant, and its generic version can bring significant savings to the millions of Americans diagnosed with MDD.” Statin helps prevent repeat strokes Treatment with high doses of Lipitor (also called atorvastatin) reduces the overall risk of stroke and cardiovascular events in patients who have experienced a recent stroke or “mini-stroke,” new research shows. While Lipitor was associated with a reduced risk of ischemic strokes—the type caused by a blood clot—it was also associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic strokes—the type caused by bleeding in the brain. Still, there was an overall benefit, and the drug did not seem to increase the risk of fatal hemorrhagic strokes. Kids with arthritis at increased risk of fracture Children with arthritis have a significantly increased risk of fracture in childhood, adolescence, and possibly adulthood, a study shows. “Prior to the publication of our study, it was unknown whether these kids were at increased risk for fracture during childhood, adulthood, or both,” Dr. Jon Michael (Sandy) Burnham, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania told Reuters Health. “The findings suggest that we need to intervene to at least preserve and, more likely, to augment skeletal health during childhood and maximize peak bone mass accrual,” he added. China comes clean on bird flu According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the two latest suspected cases of the human form of the bird flu virus in Indonesia and Thailand have been confirmed as the H5N1 strain of the disease. Meanwhile China has admitted that the first case of the disease in humans there was in fact two years earlier than they originally said and a 24-year-old soldier who died in December 2003, died from the virus. China had initially said it’s first human case was in 2005. The admission has come about as a result of a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June this year, by Chinese doctors, who claimed that a 24-year-old soldier, who was admitted to hospital in November 2003 for respiratory distress and pneumonia and later died, had been infected with the H5N1 strain. FDA investigates use of identifier system for medical devices The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking information on how the use of a unique identifier system for medical devices may reduce medical errors, facilitate device recalls and improve medical device adverse event reporting. A notice will appear in Friday’s Federal Register (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/ohrms/advdisplay.cfm). The agency is seeking public comment for the next 90 days. A public meeting is planned in the fall; FDA will provide details when they become available. The comments will be used to help the agency determine what next steps the agency should take related to a unique device identifier (UDI) system for medical devices. “Much like the bar code rule for drugs and biological products, unique identifiers for medical devices could have many potential benefits for improving the quality of care for patients,” said Daniel Schultz, M.D., Director, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA. “A unique device identifier system could have broad applications in reducing medical errors, facilitating device recalls, improving medical device adverse event reporting and encouraging cost effectiveness by improving delivery and supply chain efficiency.” Evidence of a genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease A Mayo Clinic-led international research collaboration - one of the largest studies of its kind - provides strong evidence that a genetic risk factor may account for 3 percent of the cause of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurological disease that affects about 1 million people in the United States. Little is known about its causes and hence there is no cure. “This is an important step forward because the contribution of common genetic risk factors to the development of Parkinson’s has long been suspected, but the high quality of data needed to make such discoveries has been missing,” says Demetrius Maraganore, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist and lead study investigator. “This well-designed and large study provides evidence that common genetic variants contribute to the cause of Parkinson’s.” The collaboration included researchers from 11 countries. Their findings will be published in the Aug. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. 8 ways to avoid the flu naturally Couple the recent media predictions of a pandemic-proportion flu season with talk of more vaccination shortages, and the spread of panic isn’t far behind. However, the flu does not have to be inevitable for you or your family and can be avoided naturally by strengthening your immune system. Taste the rainbow Eating a wide variety of fresh, wholesome foods packed with powerful vitamins and minerals is the first step to ensuring a strong immune system. Vitamins A, B6, C and E and the minerals zinc, iron, copper and selenium are critical for maintaining strength and immunity. Make sure that your diet consists of a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to ensure that you are getting all of the necessary nutrients. Supplementing your diet with a daily multivitamin will fill the gaps where your diet falls short and should be an essential part of your health regime. During cold and flu season, increase your dosage of vitamin C for added virus fighting benefits. Should you still become sick, studies have shown that the powerful antioxidants in vitamin C can reduce both the symptoms and duration of the flu. Rett syndrome can also strike males Report co-author Dr Helen Leonard, who heads the Australian Rett Syndrome Study at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, says the finding means that testing for the genetic disorder should be considered in some baby boys who develop progressive serious neurological problems. “The common thinking in the past had been that Rett syndrome only affects girls, and that the genetic flaw would be so serious in boys that they would die before birth,” Dr Leonard said. “Worldwide there have only been 11 previously established cases in boys who have presented early in life with a severe clinical picture of progressive neurological decline and breathing abnormalities starting soon after birth. All but two had a family history of a girl in the family with Rett syndrome. This study has confirmed a further four cases with no family history.” Stopping overused pain drugs may improve migraine Patients with transformed migraine, also known as chronic daily headache, may revert back to the more tolerable, common type if they stop taking overused pain medications, Korean researchers report. Exercise and taking medications to prevent, rather than treat, headaches may also help. Dr. Chin-Sang Chung and colleagues at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul followed 136 patients diagnosed with transformed migraine for a year. Each patient had been experiencing more than 15 headaches per month for over 6 months when the study began. Chronic cigarette smoking is associated with diminished folate status Every year, nearly 300,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with oral cancer. This type of cancer has the highest incidence in people who use tobacco, including cigarettes, but the means by which tobacco promotes the development of oral cancer is unknown. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University are investigating whether nutritional factors may be involved. A causal link has not been established, but their results provide early insights into the complex relationships among oral cancer, smoking, and two groups of nutrients: folates and select antioxidants. Folate levels are different in smokers and non-smokers, according to Joel Mason, MD, director of the USDA HNRCA’s Vitamins and Carcinogenesis Laboratory and assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. Mason and colleagues, who reported their results in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analyzed the diets and studied blood and cheek cells of 56 men and women between 30 and 80 years of age. Approximately half of these were chronic smokers, defined by a history of smoking at least 10 cigarettes daily for at least the past year. Preterm births explain cerebral palsy risk after IVF Research confirms that the reason more children born after in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a higher than average risk of cerebral palsy is largely due to the association between IVF and preterm delivery. In a study that included all live, single infants and twins born in Denmark within a 6-year period, preterm birth was “the most powerful predictor of cerebral palsy,” report investigators in the medical journal Pediatrics. Preterm birth is “a major step on the causal path to cerebral palsy among IVF children, for single infants as well as twins,” Dr. Dorte Hvidtjorn from the University of Aarhus and colleagues note. Glaxo warns of birth defect from antiepileptic drug Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc. warned on Tuesday that there is an increased risk of cleft lip or cleft palate when the company’s antiepileptic drug Lamictal is used during early pregnancy. The company, following discussions with Health Canada, said cleft palate deformity was detected at “an elevated rate” in infants whose mothers used the treatment during the first three months of pregnancy, compared with those who weren’t exposed to the drug. Antiepileptic drugs have been associated with oral clefts, while other factors including smoking, heavy alcohol intake, various infections, folic acid deficiency, and vitamin A intoxication, have also contributed. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies and Equipment[CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Unable to create/open RSS cache file. Industrial Newsroom - Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment ThomasNet Industrial Newsroom is a service of Product News Network Oxygen Delivery System includes integrated valve/regulator. Manufactured in clean room, portable ProPod2 is 100% helium leak tested and FDA Class 1 registered. Integrated cylinder valve/regulator eliminates need to connect regulator to high-pressure valve. All components are within cylinder footprint and protected by shroud. Detents on flow selector prevent inadvertent flow changes. Adaptable to all styles of medical cylinders, system features non-magnetic construction suited for MRI applications. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Microinjection System penetrates suspended cells. CELLINJECTOR(TM) v2.0 achieves microinjection at 0.8 sec per cell, and can automatically line up 1,000 suspended cells and inject within 30 min. System is comprised of glass capillary, moving X-Y platform, perforated silicon chip (for suspended cells), 35 mm Petri dish holder (for adherent cells), digital camera, microscope, and computer controller. Fluorescent microscope option allows injectate amount control and post-injection observation. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Needle enables safe drug reconstitution and transfer. Measuring 4 mm long, CyTwo-Fer(TM) Needle has hub design that allows for vented vial access and non-vented IV bag access. It is designed for use with smaller vials, permitting users to draw up reconstituted drug trapped in vial neck. Without changing needles, product allows bag and vial access in one procedure. It features 16G stainless steel cannula with tapered Huber point. Also included, 0.2 micron vent filter helps prevent contamination during hazardous drug reconstitution. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC External Switching Power Adapters suit medical applications. Approved to cUL and EN medical standards, desktop MPU30 series offers single, dual, and triple outputs in voltages from 2.5-48 Vdc for use with hospital instrumentation, desktop peripherals, printers, and test equipment. Products have 90-264 Vac auto-switching universal input, provide 4,000 Vac I/O isolation, and operate at 83% typ efficiency. Rated 12-30 W, splash-proof units are protected against overvoltage and overcurrent and provide Line/Load regulation of ±3-7%. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Screening Platform measures stem-cell hemotoxicity. HALO(TM)-384HT Predictive Hemotoxicity Platform is an ATP-based in vitro luminescence assay system designed to determine effects of drugs on stem cells of the blood-forming system. System detects and measures toxicity to more than 50 cell types from 14 different cell systems. Using 384-well plate format for screening, system provides biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with platform for screening large numbers of compounds during drug discovery screening stage. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Metal-Clad Cable features built-in armor ground. By eliminating need to make up grounds, metal-clad all-purpose (MC<sup>AP</sup>) and HCF (health care facilities) MC<sup>AP</sup> cables reduce branch circuit makeup and cable installation time. Interlocked armor and aluminum-grounding conductor are in direct contact throughout entire cable length. Available in 14-10 AWG conductor sizes, UL®-Listed and NEC®-compliant products are offered with solid or stranded conductors and come in 120 and 277 V conductor colors. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Medicine Dispenser prevents improper administration of drugs. Designed for medication and feeding applications, 35 mL Exacta-Med Oral Dispenser bridges gap between 20 and 60 mL dispensers. Preventing errors and wrong-route administration of non-IV fluid drugs, dispenser features tip that cannot connect to luer needle hub or needleless IV system. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Stent enables efficient bile duct treatment. PALMAZ® BLUE(TM) .014 Transhepatic Biliary Stent features cobalt chromium alloy enhanced with tungsten. Balloon-expandable device offers strength, visibility or radiopacity, flexibility, and deliverability for treating bile duct blockages with reduced procedure times. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC AC/DC Switchers come in 200 W and 300 W versions. Featuring full medical agency safety approvals, 200 W Series PBM200 and 300 W Series PBM300 combine up to 4 outputs with MTBF of over 300,000 hours. Output voltages range from 3.3-48 Vdc in single, dual, triple, and quad output versions. Equipped with dual input fusing, power supplies feature universal AC inputs of 90-264 Vac, power density up to 4.76 W/in.³, and up to 80% efficiency. All include over-temperature, overload, overvoltage, and short circuit protection. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Information Exchange Platform meets healthcare needs. Service-oriented business process application, Smart Gateway for Healthcare, solves high-priority healthcare transaction problems from enrollment to claims and billing. Offering phased approach to clinical interoperability, IT service delivery infrastructure provides information exchange between organizations across healthcare value chain. Software establishes end-to-end visibility and control of transaction processing between payers, providers, and external constituents. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Balloon Catheters address peripheral intervention needs. Sterling(TM) Monorail® and Over-the-Wire Balloon Dilatation Catheters are engineered for use in renal and lower extremity arteries, as well as in dialysis fistula. Sterling Monorail is also suited for use in carotid arteries as both pre- and post-dilatation balloon. It includes laser-formed, tapered tip that facilitates crossing through challenging lesions, including tight stenosis and near occlusions. Balanced shaft provides seamless transition for optimized trackability. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Transcription System is suited for hospitals and clinics, OmniMD transcription system manages entire transcription cycle by integrating voice recording, digital scripting, delivery to transcription service, and final transcript receipt. Compliant with OmniMD Web, program eliminates loss of information due to misplaced or defective tapes. Search interface enables viewing of transcribed reports online or via PDA, and client data is safeguarded with HIPAA-compliant communication protocols, 128-bit encryption, and public key authentication. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC EMS Cases organize first responder supplies. Incorporating dual band design with cell-core polymer construction to protect sensitive equipment, EMS Cases feature medical supply organization system that includes lid organizer with clear pockets and customizable, hook-and-loop, padded divider set. Features include lid with polymer O-ring for dust and waterproof seal, rubberized all-weather sure-grip handle, stainless steel reinforced padlock protectors, and double-throw latches that tolerate up to 400 lb of pressure. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Single-Use Bougie assists difficult intubations. Featuring disposable design, Single-Use Tracheal Tube Introducer helps minimize risk of cross contamination. It includes graduated markings that help identify landmarks, and is manufactured in Portex® Ivory color to distinguish it from re-usable bougie. To help healthcare professionals optimize patient outcomes, unit also has atraumatic coude tip that assists in identifying tracheal rings while minimizing potential risk of trauma. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC Catheter offers 360° of encased needle tip protection. ADVANTIV® Safety I.V. Catheter tip protector moves with catheter hub during placement and features internal locking mechanism to minimize accidental injury. Catheter has low profile and electropolished V-point needle to make insertion smooth. Flexible OCRILON® Polyurethane catheter remains firm for insertion, softens in vein, and resists kinking. Health, Medical and Dental Supplies & Equipment Sponsored by: Nook Industries Inc - Health Medical & Dental Supplies CC The Nubella Health and Nutrition Site[CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Unable to create/open RSS cache file. Nubella News Headlines Health & nutrition news headlines from Nubella News To Shrink Belly Fat, Do More Than Just Diet Getting rid of your belly fat and reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes will take more than just dieting. Think exercise.Dr. Tongjian You, a geriatric medicine expert at Wake Forest University, says your waistline may shrink when you diet, but you'll need to exercise to reduce the size of your abdominal fat cells just under the skin. Weight of Evidence: Sodas at Fault for Obesity? That one can of soda you drink a day can pile on 15 pounds in one year. And some health experts now blame this very kind of sugary consumption over the past 40 years for America's expanding waistlines.Sodas clearly have no vitamins, no minerals, no phytochemicals, so they're basically empty calories, says Frank Hu, nutrition researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health. Summer Eating in Color You couldn't pick a better time of year to eat in color. The summer season's fruits and vegetables are at their peak. Markets display ripe nectarines, plums, tomatoes and peppers. So the summer plate should resemble a colorful explosion of all kinds of colors, from the brightest of pinks to the darkest of reds. Getting Physical for Your Heart's Sake Need help staying active and exercising? Curious about how all this activity keeps your heart healthy? Or do you wonder if you're wasting your time.Find out all you need to know in the new Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart, which presents easy-to-understand information on how getting off the couch and exercising affects your heart and overall health. Just One High-Fat Meal Can Cause Trouble Here's something to chew on: eating just one meal high in saturated fat could impair your good cholesterol's ability to keep your arteries from getting clogged.However, American and Australian cardiologists say meals high in polyunsaturated fat give your HDL good cholesterol that extra firepower in its fight against heart disease and strokes. WebMD Health Headlines[CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Unable to create/open RSS cache file. WebMD Health Headlines WebMD Health - Trustworthy, Credible, and Timely Health Information Stroke Patients Benefit From Lipitor Stroke patients can reduce their risk of having a second stroke by taking high doses of a widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug, even if they don't have heart disease, according to a new study. African HIV Drug Adherence Beats U.S. Sub-Saharan Africans with HIV are more likely to take their drugs as directed than are North Americans, according to a new study. Many Teens Use Condoms Incorrectly Many teens put condoms on after starting sex or take them off before it's over -- thus risking sexually transmitted diseases. Never-Married Penalty: Early Death? People who have never married are more likely to die -- at all ages -- than people who are married and live together, U.S. data show. Flossing Needed to Fight Gum Disease A study of twins shows flossing twice a day in addition to brushing reduced gum bleeding --a sign of gum disease -- by about 40% more than brushing alone in just two weeks. Meditation May Help Brain Handle Pain Five months of daily meditation may help your brain stay calm during sudden pain. Too Much Baby Fat? America's babies are chubbier than they used to be, according to a new study. FDA OKs Generic Antidepressant Effexor The FDA has approved the first generic version of Effexor (venlafaxine), a widely used prescription drug for major depression. Heart-Shock Machines: High Recall Rate You now see automated heart-shock machines in all kinds of public places. But one in five such devices are hit by product recalls, a U.S. study finds. Parkinson's Gene Boosts Risk 50% A specific genetic mutation makes a person 50% more susceptible to Parkinson's disease, an 18-nation study shows. Mild High Blood Pressure: Exercise OK? New research from Johns Hopkins University shows that six months of moderate exercise didn't strain heart health in 104 adults with mild, untreated high blood pressure. Even One Fatty Meal Affects Arteries Eating just one fatty meal can have a major impact on your arteries, for worse OR for better. Lawn Mower Injuries Common in Kids More than 9,000 children and teenagers are injured by lawn mowers each year in the U.S., according to a new study. Ultrasound Affects Fetal Brain in Mice Studies in mice suggest ultrasound exposure in the womb can cause brain abnormalities in the developing fetus. Shopping Dangers Lurk for Kids Shopping carts and escalators are significant hazards for children, two new studies show. |
