from, The Year In Medicine From A-Z by TIME
a
AIDS
Hoping to sharply cut HIV/AIDS transmission
rates in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
took the unusual step of recommending that doctors ask all patients
from ages 13 to 64 whether they want to be tested for the virus. One in
four Americans living with HIV don't know they are infected; for them,
early diagnosis could mean early treatment and longer lives.
Antiretroviral drug therapy has already saved nearly 3 million years of
life in the U.S. alone. Meanwhile, the number of people living with
HIV/AIDS around the world continues to grow, to 40 million, according
to estimates released last week by the U.N.
ANOREXIA
When
Madrid barred ultrathin models from the city's fashion week in the
aftermath of a model's death, it was clear acknowledgment that culture
can fuel unhealthy body images. But genes play a role too. Researchers
studying 31,406 identical and fraternal twins born in Sweden from 1935
to 1958 found that if one identical twin suffered from anorexia, the
odds were significantly higher that the other did as well. Just because
someone is genetically predisposed to anorexia, however, doesn't mean
she or he will develop the disorder. The next step will be to figure
out which genes are involved and how they affect the brain.
ANTIBIOTICS
Bacteria
are on the march. Researchers found that nearly 75% of serious skin
infections treated at clinics in Atlanta were resistant to the
antibiotics that are normally used to cure such infections. The
bacteria responsible, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA), used to be seen mostly in hospitals but are now turning
up all across the U.S. MRSA can still be treated with other
antibiotics, but the Infectious Diseases Society of America has called
for Congress to pressure the pharmaceutical industry to develop new,
stronger drugs to fight the superbugs.
ASTHMA
Nearly
5,000 deaths a year in the U.S. are attributed to asthma. But on the
basis of a statistical analysis of 19 trials involving some 35,000
patients, researchers believe that 4,000 of these deaths are actually
being triggered by two drugs found in inhalers sold under the names
Serevent, Advair and Foradil. The drugs relieve symptoms but can,
without warning, increase dangerous bronchial inflammation. Asthma, on
the rise since the 1980s, afflicts more than 20 million Americans.
BACON
Bacon
may be a staple of the American breakfast, but it's probably not a
terrific idea to eat it every day. Or sausage or corned-beef hash, for
that matter. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm
pooled data from 15 studies and found that eating just over an ounce of
these smoked and processed delicacies each day increased the risk of
developing stomach cancer from 15% to 38%. The culprit may be the high
salt content of such meats, which could irritate the lining of the
stomach, or perhaps the nitrate and nitrite additives, which are known
to have cancer-promoting qualities.
BREAST CANCER
Women
who put on pounds as adults have new reason to be worried about breast
cancer. A study of 44,161 postmenopausal women linked adult weight gain
to a higher lifetime risk for all types, stages and grades of breast
cancer, particularly advanced malignancies. The risk for women who
gained more than 60 lbs. was three times as great. Reason:
breast-cancer risk is linked to lifetime levels of the hormone
estrogen. Fat tissue increases circulating estrogen, thereby adding to
the risk.
c
CAVITIES
Cough syrups can
damage children's teeth, and it's not necessarily the sweeteners in
them that do it. Many over-the-counter remedies that contain
antihistamines are slightly acidic in nature, and a new study showed
that this acid can cause cavities in healthy tooth enamel. Fortunately,
fluoride counteracts the problem, so make sure your children brush
their teeth after swallowing cough syrup. Also try giving the
medication with meals, when the body's natural production of saliva
helps protect the teeth.
CELL PHONES
Think you're safer
because you talk on a hands-free cell phone while driving? Think again.
Using either type of phone while trying to drive a car is roughly
equivalent to driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%,
which is high enough to get you arrested in any of the 50 states and
the District of Columbia for driving under the influence. Folks who use
hands-free cell phones in simulation trials also exhibited slower
reaction times and took longer to hit the brakes than drivers who
weren't otherwise distracted. Data from real-life driving tests show
that cell-phone use rivals drowsy driving as a major cause of
accidents. SUV drivers, it turns out, are more likely to talk on a cell
phone--and to resist wearing their seat belt.
COFFEE
Is
coffee destined to be the next health food? Researchers found more
evidence that drinking coffee--with or without caffeine--decreases the
risk of Type 2 diabetes in those who are prone to develop the
condition, perhaps by boosting the body's metabolism a bit. (Exercise
is, of course, even more effective, but maybe you need that extra jolt
to get yourself moving.) Coffee also seems to decrease slightly the
risk of liver damage in patients with a history of alcoholism, perhaps
because coffee contains lots of antioxidants. But the news isn't all
good. Drinking lots of coffee during pregnancy increases the risk of
having a stillborn child.
COLON CANCER
Nobody looks
forward to a colonoscopy, but there's still no better way to detect and
prevent colon cancer. There may, however, be a less intrusive
alternative to the dreaded test. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of
Medicine in New York City tested a newly improved version of a
noninvasive fecal DNA test to screen for early signs of the deadly
cancer. Fecal samples from 162 patients who had undergone colonoscopies
in the previous 14 days revealed 35 cases of cancer (compared with 40
detected in the colonoscopies). That translates into an impressive 88%
sensitivity rate. The fecal screen, however, also mistakenly indicated
cancer in 22 individuals who had been properly given a clean bill of
health by their colonoscopy. Not perfect yet, but still potentially
lifesaving.
COLORADO
Not only is the
air cleaner in the Centennial State, but the people there also l ive
longer. A Harvard study showed that the seven U.S. counties with the
greatest average life expectancy--81.3 years--were all in Colorado.
(Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Park and Summit, for those
of you thinking about packing a U-Haul.) Exactly what's so special
about Colorado is not entirely clear, since the study authors
controlled for any bias caused by race or income. Perhaps the
residents' good fortune has to do with the fact that they all live in
mountainous areas, where being physically active is easy, as opposed to
more lowland, sedentary portions of the U.S.
d
DDT
Nearly
30 years after phasing out the widespread use of DDT to control
malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reversed itself. But
instead of authorizing indiscriminate spraying of fields and
ponds--which had a disastrous effect on wildlife--the WHO is focusing
this time on spraying DDT on the inside walls of homes once or twice a
year in malaria-prone areas. Why? DDT is particularly effective at
repelling and not just killing mosquitoes, which helps protect enclosed
spaces. Environmental organizations aren't thrilled by the idea, but
two of the largest have endorsed limited spraying, figuring that some
risk to the environment is justified to save human lives.
DEPRESSION
Researchers
still don't understand why severely depressed teenagers are more likely
than adults to commit suicide while taking antidepressant drugs like
Paxil, but a major study out of UCLA concluded that the drugs do more
good than harm. Starting in the early 1960s, the annual U.S. suicide
rate held fairly steady at 12 to 14 instances per 100,000--until 1988,
when the first of a new generation of antidepressants, the selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors, was introduced. The suicide rate has
been falling ever since, to around 10 per 100,000. The investigators
estimate that nearly 34,000 lives have been saved.
DIABETES
Doctors
have long that an active lifestyle and sensible eating habits can help
keep people who are at high risk of Type 2 diabetes from developing the
condition. But taking diabetes medication before you have symptoms also
helps. A study of more than 5,000 prediabetic men and women found that
treatment with rosiglitazone, a drug that controls blood-sugar levels,
decreased their risk of progressing to diabetes 62%. About half the
participants who were given the drug returned to normal blood-sugar
levels, compared with 30% of those who relied on diet and exercise
alone. About 41 million Americans are thought to be prediabetic.
e
ESTROGEN
Things
got even more confusing for women considering hormone-replacement
therapy. Studies had shown that a combination of estrogen and
progesterone increased the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke
and blood clots. A new study found that estrogen-only treatments appear
safer, with no increase in breast-cancer risk but some increased risk
of stroke or clots. A later study found a breast-cancer risk from
estrogen therapy, however, among some postmenopausal women. If you must
have hormone therapy, get it in small doses for short periods.
EYES
Tired of glasses or contact lenses but too nearsighted for laser
surgery? You might--if you dare--consider implanting a contact lens
directly in your eye. Doctors can now surgically place an artificial
lens in front of the eye's natural one. The lens is approved only for
nearsighted people and works best if you're under 40 and don't need
reading glasses. What's more, while 95% of subjects enjoyed improved
vision, the sample group was small--not the best data when you're
making decisions about your eyesight.
f
FATHERS
The
biological clock may tick louder for men than anyone thought.
Researchers at Columbia University found that pregnant woman are as
much as three times as likely to miscarry when the father is over 35 as
when he's 25 or younger. And a very large study of fathers in Israel
found that the risk of autism among children is up to six times as
great when the father is 40 or older, as opposed to when he is 29 or
younger. In both studies, the mother's age was not relevant. The cause
of the problem, researchers say, probably is changes in sperm that
occur as men grow older.
FISH
People seeking
the heart-protective powers of omega-3 fatty acids in fish have been
warned about the mercury, dioxins and PCBs that they might be consuming
with their meal. But a study from the Harvard School of Public Health
showed that while those contaminants pose a danger, particularly for
women of childbearing age, for most people the benefits of fish
outweigh the risks. Eat modest servings of fish each week--particularly
salmon and bluefish--and you may reduce your risk of coronary heart
disease 36%. Elsewhere, researchers at Louisiana State University
reported that omega-3s can help protect cells in the retina, slowing
the damage caused by such blinding diseases as retinitis pigmentosa and
macular degeneration.
g
GUM
Want to get out of the
hospital quicker? Chew gum. People who undergo abdominal surgery often
suffer from post-op ileus, essentially an intestinal shutdown, leading
to pain, vomiting and other problems. The sooner the digestive engine
gets up and running, the sooner patients can go home. Researchers at
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California found that chewing
sugarless gum can help things along, probably by stimulating nerves and
hormones associated with eating. No word on whether any flavor works
better than others.
h
HEART
News from the
frontiers of heart research was mixed. Researchers discovered two genes
that appear to contribute to early heart attacks, in part by causing
blood to clot abnormally. A small emergency-room study found that drugs
used to break up clots may help revive cardiac-arrest patients when
such methods as CPR and electrical shock have failed. There were
murkier findings regarding people with high levels of homocysteine, an
amino acid linked to heart disease. Folic acid and B vitamins help
bring homocysteine down, but one study cast doubt on whether this
actually improves heart health.
i
INFLUENZA
Science
fought back against avian flu with a successful test of a new vaccine.
In a study of 451 subjects, the preparation caused no significant side
effects and produced antibodies at a level that is usually sufficient
to protect against common strains of flu--a good sign that it will work
against the avian variety too. It's the common strains, of course, that
ought to cause us concern, since avian flu has yet to kill anybody in
the U.S. and the common flu kills 36,000 each year. Girding for this
winter's assault, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new
vaccine against several flu strains likely to cause infections in North
America, bringing to five the number of vaccines in this season's
anti-influenza arsenal.
IVF
Would-be mothers who fear
time is running out can take comfort from a Finnish study that showed
that it's the quality of the embryo--not the age of the woman--that
determines the success of in vitro fertilization. The study found that
the pregnancy rate for women in their late 30s who had a single,
top-quality embryo transfer was as good as that of younger women. What
makes a grade-A embryo? Belgian researchers found that the transplant
of a single fresh (not frozen) Day 5 embryo in infertile women under
age 36 led to pregnancy and delivery in 47% more women than with a less
mature, Day 3 embryo
l
LAUGHTER
We've all
shared in the pain of a bad joke, but can a good laugh help the heart?
Watching 15- to 30-min. clips of comedies--one used by researchers was
There's Something About Mary--increased blood flow to the heart up to
50%, compared with, say, the opening battle scene of Saving Private
Ryan. Watching a funny film was like a jolt of aerobic activity; a sad
film triggered the same vascular response as doing a math problem or
remembering an incident that made one angry.
LUNG CANCER
Doctors
diagnose 173,000 cases of lung cancer in patients each year, 95% of
whom will die from it--more than from breast, prostate and colon cancer
combined. But New York--Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical
Center researchers found that low-dose, spiral-computed-tomography (CT)
screening drastically improved the odds. In a study of 31,567 people,
annual CT screening (about 600 images per scan) detected Stage 1 lung
cancer in 412 patients, and when the cancer was surgically removed
within one month of diagnosis, their 10-year survival rate was an
impressive 92%.
LONELINESS
Americans may be meeting more
people online, but the number we count among our closest friends--the
ones with whom we discuss important matters--shrank over the past 20
years, from three friends to two. At the same time, the number of
Americans who have no one at all to confide in more than doubled, to 1
in 4. Sociologists from Duke University and the University of Arizona
report that we increasingly rely solely on family members (80%) and
spouses (9%). There could be health consequences: other studies link
robust social networks to lower blood pressure, reduced risk of
Alzheimer's disease and greater longevity.
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MEDITERRANEAN DIET
The
fact that the diet favored by the Greeks is good for the heart seems as
ancient as Greece itself. But now the Mediterranean diet--high in
fruit, vegetables, cereals, fish, olive oil and topped with a glass or
two of wine daily--has been linked to a lower risk for Alzheimer's,
even in patients with vascular disease. When researchers from Columbia
University Medical Center scored the diets of nearly 2,000 subjects on
a 0-to-9 scale--depending on their adherence to a Mediterranean-style
food plan--each additional point on the scale corresponded to a 19% to
24% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. The one-third of patients
with the best score reduced their risk 68%, compared with the bottom
third.
n
NUTRIENTS
Chocolate
Chocolate in
small quantities is known to be good for the heart and blood vessels,
but in a new biochemical analysis, researchers have identified a
component in cocoa that reduces platelet clumping, helping blood flow
smoothly.
Cinnamon and cloves
Two related studies suggest
cinnamon and cloves can reduce risk factors for diabetes and heart
disease up to 30% by controlling glucose levels in Type 2 diabetics and
reducing inflammation and cholesterol levels.
Fruit juice
Antioxidants
in the skins of fruits and vegetables seem to have reduced risk of
Alzheimer's 76% among Japanese Americans who drank juice more than
three times a week.
Ginger
Known to reduce inflammation
and ease nausea, ginger powder was also found to kill ovarian-cancer
cells in the laboratory at a rate comparable to conventional
chemotherapy drugs.
Turmeric
Turmeric (a spice used in
curry sauces) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (a phytochemical found in
broccoli, kale and cabbage), alone or in combination, significantly
reduced prostate-tumor growth in mice.
o
OBESITY
The
epidemic shows no sign of abatement; in fact, it's spreading. The
Chinese government reports that 60 million Chinese people are
overweight--in a country that never had that problem before. The
culprit: prosperity, which permits Chinese people to eat more fats and
junk food, fewer grains and vegetables. In short, they can now eat just
as irresponsibly as Americans. High blood pressure and diabetes are
also up. In the U.S., the epicenter of the problem, a study in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology offered the disturbing
news that heart problems can be seen in obese teens, in the form of
reduced pumping ability and coronary enlargement. Another study,
meanwhile, in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that being overweight
at age 18 correlates with a higher risk of early death in young and
middle-age women.
OSTEOPOROSIS
Most women know
that osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, is a big risk after
menopause. Probably most don't know that drinking cola increases the
risk. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at
1,125 men and 1,413 women ages 29 to 86. Among the women--but not the
men--there was significant loss of bone density in cola drinkers,
whether they drank diet or regular. It's not the first evidence, but
it's the strongest to date linking cola to bone loss.
p
PARKINSON'S
When
Rush Limbaugh accused Michael J. Fox of going off his Parkinson's meds
to make a political ad in favor of embryonic-stem-cell research--and
against Republican candidates who oppose it--the insult backfired. A
pro-stem-cell law passed in Missouri, and Democrat Claire McCaskill was
elected to the Senate in a tight contest. But it isn't just celebrity
endorsements that make people favor embryonic cells as a possible
treatment for Parkinson's (and a long list of other diseases): clinical
results are starting to come in too, including those from a 10-year
study of implanted embryonic cells in human patients. Preliminary
findings suggest the cells can survive, divide and moderate symptoms,
without rejection--although significant clinical trials have yet to be
done.
PLAN B
After years of back-and-forth deliberations,
the FDA finally approved over-the-counter sales of Plan B, a
contraceptive that can be taken after sex to prevent a fertilized egg
from implanting in the uterus. The drug has been available by
prescription since 1999. In a 2003 ruling, the agency refused to change
the drug's status, over the objections of its own scientific advisory
committee. That ruling angered pro-choice groups. The reversal
predictably infuriated right-to-lifers, but those who favor
reproductive rights weren't thrilled either: the FDA allowed
over-the-counter sales only to women over 18. Anyone younger will still
need a prescription. Barr Pharmaceuticals, which makes Plan B, had
proposed prescription-free purchases for girls over 16, and will
challenge the latest ruling.
POLLUTION
You might think
riding in a taxi would expose you to less air pollution than you would
get walking down a city sidewalk, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Researchers at Imperial College London gave volunteers particulate
detectors and had them walk, bike, drive, bus or taxi their way up and
down streets in central London, taking a total of 584 individual trips.
To everyone's surprise, riding in a taxi resulted in the worst
exposure--nearly twice as much as walking. The suggested explanation:
taxis tend to get stuck in traffic surrounded by other
pollution-belching vehicles; pedestrians are a little farther from the
exhaust pipes.
PRAYER
In an attempt to nail down the
question of whether prayer really can heal, six hospitals had strangers
say prayers for 1,800 coronary-bypass patients and then studied the
postoperative complications. Patients who were told they might or might
not be prayed for had roughly the same complication rate, whatever
their prayer status turned out to be. But those who were told for
certain that they were in someone's prayers actually did worse. The
doctors' tentative explanation: people who knew they were being prayed
for might have thought they were sicker than they realized, which could
have made their outcomes worse. But anyone tempted to think this study
disproves the power of prayer should think again. The doctors and
clergy who ran the study had no control over whether friends and family
were also praying for the patients--and they certainly couldn't have
forbidden personal prayers even if they knew about them. Beyond that,
the prayers said by strangers were provided by the clergy and were all
identical. Maybe that prevented them from being truly heartfelt. In
short, the possible confounding factors in this study made it
extraordinarily limited.
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RESVERATROL
Studies
have suggested that drinking modest amounts of red wine can help the
heart. The key appears to be an antioxidant called resveratrol found in
grape skins (and, in fact, grape juice seems to be just as effective if
not as much fun). Now researchers at Harvard Medical School and the
National Institute on Aging say that high doses of resveratrol fed to
obese mice seemed to prevent problems usually seen in chubby rodents
(and people), including diabetes, liver damage and premature death. But
you would need more than 100 glasses of wine a day to get that much
resveratrol. And even if you took it in supplement form, there's no
proof it would work as well in humans as in mice.
s
SIDS
Nobody
has ever fully explained what used to be called crib death and is now
known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but a report in the
Journal of the American Medical Association may point to at least part
of the answer. In a study of 31 babies who died of SIDS and 10 who died
from other causes, the SIDS babies had many more abnormalities among
the neurons in their brain stem than did the other infants. The defects
involved the processing of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that, among
other things, controls arousal from sleep. When SIDS babies get into a
position in which their access to fresh air is blocked, they can fail
to wake up and move.
SMELL
That morning cup of
coffee might smell better after you get up from bed. It has been shown
that lying down can dampen such senses as hearing and spatial
perception, and now researchers have found that reclining can also
smother your ability to pick up odors. More than 60% of test subjects
sniffing rose odor had decreased sensitivity to the smell when
recumbent. The phenomenon could be the body's way of turning off
potential distractions while you're trying to fall asleep, or it might
be the result of fluids that rush through the brain while you're
supine. Either way, the stifling effect may be an important
consideration for reading MRI or PET scans, which take images of the
body while you're lying down.
SMOKING
First, the bad
news. After dropping over the past eight years, rates of smoking in the
U.S. leveled off in 2005 at 1 in 5 adults, according to the CDC. The
good news is that the FDA has approved a new drug--only the second to
get its O.K.--to help smokers quit. This one, Chantix, was designed
specifically to address nicotine cravings that make the habit so hard
to break. Chantix mimics the active ingredient in nicotine and can fool
the brain into thinking it has had its nicotine fix--without nicotine's
addictive qualities or all the damage smoking does to the heart and
lungs. But don't assume that simply popping a few pills will make you
kick the habit; the most successful long-term quitters also
participated in counseling and cognitive behavior therapy.
SPORTS INJURIES
Staying
physically active is a good idea, especially for kids, but too much
exercise can be harmful to young joints and tender muscles,
particularly at the team-sports level. In the first Internet survey of
injuries, sponsored by the CDC, researchers recorded 2.4 injuries for
every 1,000 practices or competitions. That's why Little League
Baseball, for one, instituted new pitching rules for the 2007 season.
Kids 10 years or younger have to stop after 75 pitches, and anytime a
Little Leaguer throws more than 21 times, he has to give his arm at
least one day to recover.
SPINACH
Arnold Schwarzenegger
may soon have a new role on TV and print ads: pitchman for Popeye's
favorite power food. It's part of an effort to bolster the sagging
spinach industry, which got bruised this fall when bags of the leafy
green were found contaminated with E. coli 0157 bacteria. Nearly 200
people became ill-- and three died--after eating the tainted spinach,
which was traced to California-based Natural Selection Foods. The
company is now testing its produce for bacteria, and kids will just
have to start eating their greens again.
STATINS
Statins
have earned a reputation lately as a wonder drug. Not only do they
protect against heart disease by controlling the amount of cholesterol
the liver churns out, but they can also dampen the inflammatory
flare-ups that contribute to everything from arthritis to heart
attacks. Early studies even hint that statins may also work on the
plaques and tangles that cause Alzheimer's disease. But all drugs have
their limits. An analysis of 12 trials found that patients who had
taken statins within two weeks of having a heart attack or angina did
not reduce their risk of dying or having another heart attack or stroke
in the following four months.
STEM CELLS
Using his
first veto since he entered office, President George W. Bush rejected a
bill that would have partially lifted his 2001 ban on the use of
federal funds for human embryonic-stem-cell research. The measure would
have allowed government-funded scientists to use embryos left over from
IVF procedures to generate stem cells, a potential source of new
treatments for everything from diabetes to Parkinson's. At a press
conference this summer, Bush surrounded himself with "snowflake
babies," born after couples adopted frozen embryos, and argued that
such research was morally questionable. Still, U.S. scientists are
pushing ahead, thanks to private funding. Those at Harvard's Stem Cell
Institute began recruiting egg donors for studies that could generate
customized stem cells from individual patients, while Advanced Cell
Technology reported some success in creating stem cells without
destroying embryos.
STENTS
In recent
years, the use of stents has allowed millions of heart patients to put
off open-heart surgery and buy a few more years of life. But reports on
patients outfitted with the latest form of stents, which are coated
with a drug that fights scar formation, show that the tiny pieces of
metal scaffolding may increase the risk of potentially deadly blood
clots in the heart. For now, doctors still believe that the benefits of
the stents outweigh the small chance of clot formation, especially for
patients who have just had a heart attack. Stents inserted in the first
12 hours after an attack (preferably within the first 90 minutes) had
the best chance of restoring blood flow and preserving heart muscle.
STRESS
When
you take your work home with you, the whole family feels the
effects--especially your kids. A Canadian study analyzed the employment
history and psychosocial work conditions of nearly 30,000 sawmill
workers and found that there was a direct correlation between the
stress fathers felt on the job and their children's mental health. The
most striking result: 252 of the approximately 20,000 children in the
survey whose fathers had stressful jobs attempted or committed suicide
from 1985 to 2001. Girls were more likely to attempt suicide when their
fathers had little control over their work; boys when fathers had jobs
that didn't last long and demanded a lot of them psychologically. 252
OF 20,000
Number of children in a survey whose fathers had a stressful job who attempted or committed suicide between 1985 and 2001
SUDAFED
If
you have tried browsing your local drugstore shelf for a box of Sudafed
to clear up those autumn sniffles, you may have discovered that it's
MIA. One of its active ingredients is pseudoephedrine, widely used in
backyard labs to make methamphetamine. Several states had already
ordered pseudoephedrine off pharmacy shelves, but in October the
Federal Government expanded those rules and put them into effect across
the country. Now allergy suffers looking for relief have to ask a
pharmacist or salesclerk for their Sudafed, show photo ID and sign a
logbook. Unfortunately, the most common alternative, phenylephrine,
isn't as effective.
v
VACCINE
In June the FDA
approved a vaccine to protect against cervical cancer, the second most
common cancer in women. The vaccine, called Gardasil, immunizes against
four of the most prevalent strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV),
the most common sexually transmitted infection and the cause of 70% of
cervical-cancer cases. Because the vaccine is most effective when
administered before girls become sexually active, a government
committee recommended that it be given routinely to girls ages 11 and
12--which immediately triggered cries of alarm from pro-abstinence
groups that feared doing so would encourage promiscuity. Some health
advocates were also worried that women might see the vaccine as a
substitute for yearly screenings like Pap smears.
VIRGINITY
Teenagers
aren't exactly forthcoming when it comes to talking about sex--or very
good at avoiding temptation. More than half of adolescents who sign a
virginity pledge--vowing not to engage in premarital sex--recant within
a year, according to a survey of nearly 14,000 adolescents by the
Harvard School of Public Health. Nearly three-fourths of adolescents
who broke their vow denied ever pledging to remain abstinent. But
progress is still being made. Last week the CDC reported that the
teenage birthrate in the U.S. has fallen to the lowest level ever
recorded.
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WITHDRAWAL
Do babies
feel antidepressant-withdrawal symptoms? Researchers at the Rabin
Medical Center in Israel think they do. A study of 120 newborns found
that among those whose mothers took the antidepressants known as
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), nearly one-third
experienced neonatal-abstinence syndrome--drug withdrawal characterized
by such symptoms as tremors, gastrointestinal distress and sleep
disturbances. Depression will affect between one-tenth and one-fourth
of women and is often exacerbated by pregnancy. Doctors aren't telling
severely depressed mothers-to-be to stop taking antidepressants, but
they should be aware that doing so poses certain risks for newborns.
The researchers recommend that newborns exposed to SSRIs in utero be
monitored for at least 48 hours.
WEALTH
Money can't buy
happiness, but it can buy health. A Princeton University study found
that Americans who make the most money are no happier than those who
make less, but a survey of 335,000 Americans published in the New
England Journal of Medicine reported that the rich are healthier.
Seniors ages 55 to 64 who live below the poverty line were six times as
likely to have a long-term condition that severely limits their
activity as wealthy Americans of the same age whose earnings were at
least seven times as high as the poverty line. In another study, nearly
16% of low-income families included individuals with high levels of an
inflammation marker linked to an increased risk of heart attack,
compared with only 9% of families living above the poverty line.
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ZZZZZZZZZZZ
Nothing
is more refreshing than a good night's sleep. But what really goes on
when our head hits the pillow? New studies provide several clues.
We
exaggerate Most of us think we are getting more sleep than we actually
are. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed
that while participants spent an average of 7.5 hr. in bed, they really
slept for only 6.1 hr.
We get depressed A study in the Archives
of Internal Medicine showed a causal relationship between depression
and sleep-related breathing disorders like sleep apnea. Patients with
moderate to severe breathing disorders are 2.6 times as likely to
become clinically depressed as normal sleepers.
Waking up is
hazardous The morning haze you experience when the alarm clock goes off
is known as sleep inertia, and it clouds your brain more than sleep
deprivation. The impairment is most severe in the first 10 minutes but
can linger for up to two hours.
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