Health & WellnessS


Bulb

New York, New York: Study determines difference between abstract and concrete jungle

The Big Apple, a densely populated metropolis of more than 8.2 million people in the 332 square miles of blocks, boroughs and buildings, could have been named metaphorically by outsiders as a fertile land of opportunity. New York City, in other words, can be considered concretely as a geographical location with a large population, but it also can be viewed symbolically as the gateway to America.

Health

Doctor who? Are patients making clinical decisions?

Changes in society and technology are influencing how patients see their physicians.

Doctors are adjusting their bedside manner as better informed patients make ever-increasing demands and expect to be listened to, and fully involved, in clinical decisions that directly affect their care. In a study just published in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Dr. J. Bohannon Mason of the Orthocarolina Hip and Knee Center in Charlotte, NC, USA, looks at the changes in society, the population and technology that are influencing the way patients view their orthopaedic surgeons. As patients gain knowledge, their attitude to medicine changes: They no longer show their doctors absolute and unquestionable respect.

Health

Artificial sweeteners linked to weight gain

Want to lose weight" It might help to pour that diet soda down the drain. Researchers have laboratory evidence that the widespread use of no-calorie sweeteners may actually make it harder for people to control their intake and body weight. The findings appear in the February issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Alarm Clock

Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda

Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome - the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure.

Comment: He can't be serious, or his level of ignorance is shocking for an associate professor. Here's a hint for him: The name of the chemical begins with "A". It is a deadly poison and was banned as a food additive for many years before Rumsfeld forced its approval in 1981.


Ambulance

Botox Linked To Respiratory Failure And Death, FDA Advises

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified the public that Botox and Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum toxin Type A) and Myobloc (Botulinum toxin Type B) have been linked in some cases to adverse reactions, including respiratory failure and death, following treatment of a variety of conditions using a wide range of doses.

In an early communication based on the FDA's ongoing safety review, the agency said the reactions may be related to overdosing. There is no evidence that these reactions are related to any defect in the products.

The adverse effects were found in FDA-approved and nonapproved usages. The most severe adverse effects were found in children treated for spasticity in their limbs associated with cerebral palsy. Treatment of spasticity is not an FDA-approved use of botulism toxins in children or adults.

Syringe

Surprise! Flu vaccine may not provide 'enough' protection

Officials question influenza shot as number of U.S. flu cases increase.

The influenza vaccine given to Americans may not protect as well as expected, U.S. health officials said on Friday as the number of flu cases increased nationwide.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said slightly more than half of the influenza virus strains reported to its surveillance system are not good matches against the strains included in this flu season's vaccine.

The number of states reporting widespread flu activity jumped to 31 this week compared with 11 a week ago, the CDC said. But Dr. Joe Bresee of the CDC's influenza division said there are no indications this flu season is worse than usual.

Comment: read here for the bigger picture: Signs Supplement: The Flu Threat


X

France Halts Genetically Modified Corn

Paris - The French government on Saturday suspended the use of genetically modified corn crops in France while it awaits EU approval for a full ban.

Beer

A Dangerous Transition: High School to the First Year of College

Increases in young women's drinking during the transition from high school through the first year of college can have dangerous physical, sexual and psychological implications, according to a report out of the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.

Pills

UK Antidepressant Use Soars 'Out Of Control'

Britain has become a "Prozac nation", with the use of antidepressants spiralling out of control amid a crisis in mental health care, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, will warn today.

In a speech to the Guardian public services summit, Clegg will commit his party to a maximum 13-week wait for NHS treatment for mental health problems. If the NHS misses the target, the patient will be entitled to go private and make the health service pick up the bill, he will say.

Health

H1N1 Tamiflu Resistance Rises in US

Today's CDC media update raised issues for all three seasonal flu serotypes. 93% of influenza B isolates was B/Yamagata/26/88, which doesn't match the vaccine strain (B/Victoria02/87). 87% of the H3N2 was A/Brisbane/10/2007, which doesn't match the vaccine strain (A/Wisconsin/67/2005). H1N1 did match the vaccine strain (Solomon Island/3/2006), but 8.1% was Tamiflu resistant in the United States. Moreover the incidence of flu positives was above the epidemic threshold for the four week in a row. Last week it rose dramatically above the threshold.