Two clones of highly antibiotic-resistant organism strains, which previously had only been identified in the United States, are now causing serious sickness and death in several Colombian cities including the capital Bogotá, say researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The study, done in collaboration with Universidad El Bosque in Bogotá, is presented in a research letter published in the Nov. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
U.S. clones of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF) have emerged in communities across Colombia. The variation of the MRSA clone, referred to as the USA 300, has been previously reported to be the most important cause of severe skin and soft tissue infections in the United States. The VREF clone is genetically related to a strain that hit a Houston hospital in 1994.
Health & Wellness
The Gardasil vaccine has been linked to 78 outbreaks of genital warts, according to an article in The Fiji Times entitled "Are our girls guinea pigs?" by Matelita Ragogo. That's right. In addition to all of the other adverse reactions to this controversial vaccine, children who receive it are subject to outbreaks of genital warts. Unfortunately, not too many doctors take the time to educate parents about some of these possible reactions prior to giving little girls this expensive jab.
A report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission has concluded that prescription drugs have outstripped illegal drugs as a cause of death.
An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in 2007 found that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together. According to state law enforcement officials, this is a sign of a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem.
An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in 2007 found that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together. According to state law enforcement officials, this is a sign of a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem.
In the first of an expected avalanche of post-election regulations, the Bush administration on Friday narrowed the scope of services that can be provided to poor people under Medicaid's outpatient hospital benefit.
Public hospitals and state officials immediately protested the action, saying it would reduce Medicaid payments to many hospitals at a time of growing need.
Public hospitals and state officials immediately protested the action, saying it would reduce Medicaid payments to many hospitals at a time of growing need.
© AFP/Francois Guillot
A young boy in a nutritional reeducation center in 2004. The neck arteries of obese children and teenagers experience similar strain as those of middle-aged adults, US researchers said Tuesday
A young boy in a nutritional reeducation center in 2004. The neck arteries of obese children and teenagers experience similar strain as those of middle-aged adults, US researchers said Tuesday
"As the old saying goes, you're as old as your arteries are," said Dr. Geetha Raghuveer of Children's Hospital in Kansas City, who led one of the studies. "This is a wake-up call."
The studies were reported Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.
© Jessica Kourkounis -- Associated Press
Researcher John O'Reardon adjusts the NeuroStar magnetic stimulation device for Steve Newman, who tried the technique in an effort to combat depression
Researcher John O'Reardon adjusts the NeuroStar magnetic stimulation device for Steve Newman, who tried the technique in an effort to combat depression
One option was shock therapy, formally known as electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT. The controversial technique has been shown to be effective in treating depression, but it involves inducing seizures in patients. Memory loss is a common side effect. Newman was not looking forward to it.
Genetically Engineered grains have been in existence for several years, amidst many concerns from various organizations and individuals. Now, the FDA is set to approve Genetically Engineered Animals to be introduced into the food chain.
Ever since the beginning of Genetically Engineered grains, controversy has surrounded their safety. The Sierra Club initiated a national petition against Monsanto's genetically engineered wheat.
The Organic Consumers organization is equally against genetically engineered grains stating "Campaign activists are also demanding that corporations and governments heed the concerns of consumers, North and South, and remove genetically engineered corn and other foods and crops from the market, unless they can be proven to be safe for human health and the environment. Recently hundreds of US consumers have reported allergic reactions to the FDA after eating Kraft and other brand name products likely containing genetically engineered corn." [Link]
Ever since the beginning of Genetically Engineered grains, controversy has surrounded their safety. The Sierra Club initiated a national petition against Monsanto's genetically engineered wheat.
The Organic Consumers organization is equally against genetically engineered grains stating "Campaign activists are also demanding that corporations and governments heed the concerns of consumers, North and South, and remove genetically engineered corn and other foods and crops from the market, unless they can be proven to be safe for human health and the environment. Recently hundreds of US consumers have reported allergic reactions to the FDA after eating Kraft and other brand name products likely containing genetically engineered corn." [Link]
Pomegranate extract may inhibit the chronic inflammation linked with a variety of health problems such as heart disease and arthritis, according to a study conducted by researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and published in the Journal of Inflammation.
A Michigan State University researcher is studying whether the most popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause muscle problems in users.
A new approach to treating gout - a debilitating form of arthritis - can normalize levels of uric acid in the blood within hours in patients who have failed to respond to any other treatments, and in some patients, eliminate the painful, needle-like crystals of uric acid that clump around fingers, toes and other joints.
Details of the use of the drug, pegloticase, among 212 patients with severe gout enrolled in two, phase III clinical trials, were released today at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
"There hasn't been a new drug for gout in the U.S. for over forty years," says Dr. John Sundy, a rheumatologist at Duke University Medical Center and the lead investigator of the study. "While most gout patients do well with the drug allopurinol, there is a subset of about 50,000 patients in the U.S. who don't respond to it or who can't tolerate it and who have no real alternatives. These are the patients who might benefit from a new therapeutic option."
Details of the use of the drug, pegloticase, among 212 patients with severe gout enrolled in two, phase III clinical trials, were released today at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
"There hasn't been a new drug for gout in the U.S. for over forty years," says Dr. John Sundy, a rheumatologist at Duke University Medical Center and the lead investigator of the study. "While most gout patients do well with the drug allopurinol, there is a subset of about 50,000 patients in the U.S. who don't respond to it or who can't tolerate it and who have no real alternatives. These are the patients who might benefit from a new therapeutic option."
