Calcium vitamin D cut stress fractures

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:14:32 GMT
By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer
OMAHA, Neb. - Very active young women who took higher-than-recommended doses of calcium and vitamin D supplements for eight weeks had fewer stress fractures than women who were given dummy pills, a study of Naval recruits showed.
Experts called the results encouraging and of interest to young female athletes as well as women in the military.

"What really surprised us is that calcium/vitamin D supplements made a significant difference in such a short period of time," said lead researcher Joan Lappe of Creighton University. "Frankly, we were not sure we would see any statistically significant results in only eight weeks."

The study, funded by the Department of Defense, was presented recently at the Orthopaedic Research Society's annual meeting in San Diego.

Stress fractures are the most common type of injury seen in military trainees, particularly women, and are also prevalent in some athletes.

The body uses calcium to build and repair bones. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.

The Creighton University study found that women who took 2,000 milligrams of calcium and 800 international units of vitamin D daily had 27 percent fewer stress fractures than those who didn't.

The government recommends 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 200 IUs of vitamin D each day for women ages 19 to 50. However, young women generally don't get enough of these important ingredients.

As many as one in five female military recruits is estimated to suffer from a stress fracture, which forms when the bone doesn't have time to heal from rigorous activity. Some can lead to chronic pain.

Roughly 3,700 women, ages 17 to 35, training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill., participated in the full study. About half were given supplements with the higher amounts of calcium and vitamin D over their eight-week training periods. The other half took placebos. Fewer fractures were reported among the women who took the supplements.

Lappe said 14,441 women trained at the Great Lakes center during the two years the study was conducted. If all of them had been taking the supplements, there would have been about 260 fewer female recruits with stress fractures, she said.

Dr. Murray J. Favus, the director of the University of Chicago's bone program who often sees stress fractures among young, active women, said the findings were the first to show how such injuries can be reduced.

The study "clearly demonstrates that a simple intervention using calcium and vitamin D have significant benefits in reducing the rates of stress fractures. This is very encouraging," he said.

Favus and Lappe both suggested the study would have implications for people outside the military.

Lappe noted that high school athletes, particularly those who participate in track and field, are at high risk for stress fractures. It's likely, she said, that they would suffer fewer of those injuries with higher levels of calcium and vitamin D in their diets.

N.J. legislator seeks action on autism

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:45:26 GMT
By TOM HESTER Jr., Associated Press Writer
TRENTON, N.J. - A week after a new study found New Jersey with the nation's highest childhood autism rate, a top legislator announced plans to try to target the disorder through improved detection, treatment and awareness. The largest U.S. study of childhood autism found that about 1 in 152 have the disorder, while the highest rate — 1 in 94 children — was found in New Jersey.
"While the reasons for New Jersey's high autism rates remain unclear, there is no getting around the fact that these new statistics are a wake-up call for action," said Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr.

He said a seven-bill package he is working on could be ready to advance during the next four months and predicated broad support.

The Camden County Democrat said the bills will deal not only with children. He said the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism since 1991 will soon begin aging out of the educational system.

"An upsurge in adults classified with autism is going to present new challenges for the state and our communities," Roberts said.

He said the bills in the package would:

• Establish a statewide autism registry.

• Train teachers in autism awareness.

• Create a task force on adult autism.

• Require autism awareness training for emergency personnel.

• Provide more money for the Governor's Council on Autism, which spend $4 million per year.

• Instruct doctors in early detection.

• Revise the seven-person Governor's Council on Autism to add two more members and diversify membership.

Autism is a complex disorder usually not diagnosed in children until after age 3. It's characterized by a range of behaviors, including difficulty in expressing needs and inability to socialize. Its cause isn't known.

Researchers have said they don't know why the rate was so high in New Jersey.

Salmonella outbreak due to peanut butter

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:10:08 GMT
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
ATLANTA - A salmonella outbreak that has slowly grown to nearly 300 cases in 39 states since August has been linked to tainted peanut butter, federal health officials said Wednesday.
It is believed to be the first salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter in U.S. history, said officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 20 percent of the 288 infected people have been hospitalized, but none has died, said Dr. Mike Lynch, a CDC epidemiologist.

About 85 percent of the infected people said they ate peanut butter, CDC officials said.

How salmonella got into peanut butter is still under investigation, Lynch said.

The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter because of the risk of contamination.

The affected jars have a product code on the lid that begins with the number "2111." The affected jars are made by ConAgra in a single facility in Sylvester, Ga., the FDA said.

Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected, the agency said.

ConAgra said it is recalling all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111.

"Although none of our extensive product tests have indicated the presence of salmonella, we are taking this precautionary measure because consumer health and safety is out top priority," spokesman Chris Kircher said. "We are working closely with the FDA to better understand its concerns, and we will take whatever additional measures are needed to ensure the safety, quality and wholesomeness of our products."

The largest number of salmonella cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.

Salmonella infection is known each year to sicken about 40,000 people in the United States, according to the CDC. Salmonellosis, as the infection is known, kills about 600 people annually.

Symptoms of salmonella can include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

The new outbreak began in August, but just two or fewer cases have been reported each day, CDC officials said.

It was only in the past few days that investigators were able to hone in on a particular food, Lynch said.

ConAgra is destroying all affected products the company still has, the FDA said.

The company will cease production until the exact cause of contamination can be identified and eliminated. Meanwhile, ConAgra advised consumers to destroy any Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111.

The FDA sent investigators to ConAgra's processing plant in Sylvester where the products were made to review records, collect product samples and conduct tests for salmonella.
___
Associated Press writer Andrew Bridges in Washington contributed to this report.

Report Teens using prescription drugs

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:20:48 GMT
By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - Junior's been helping himself to Mother's little helper.
That's the conclusion of a report released Wednesday by White House drug czar John Walters that found while U.S. teenagers' use of marijuana is declining, their abuse of prescription drugs is holding steady or in some cases increasing.

"The drug dealer is us," said Walters, the national drug policy director.

Walters said that many teenagers are obtaining drugs over the Internet, getting them free from friends or taking them from someone's medicine cabinet.

According to an analysis of national surveys prepared by Walters' office, 2.1 million teenagers abused prescription drugs in 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available.

While their use of marijuana declined from 30.1 percent to 25.8 percent from 2002 to 2005, use of OxyContin, a painkiller, increased from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent over the same period. Use of Vicodin, another painkiller, increased slightly from 6 percent to 6.3 percent.

Teens are also abusing stimulants like Adderall and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax because they are readily available and perceived as safer than street drugs, Walters said.

Walters said adults should keep track of prescription drugs and throw them out when they expire.

"People just aren't aware that they need to be careful, and so they leave prescriptions in the medicine cabinet and they don't think anything about it," he said.

The report is based on the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a survey of 68,308 families, and the 2005 Monitoring the Future Survey of 50,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders conducted by the University of Michigan.

Dr. Terry Horton, the medical director of Phoenix House, which operates nearly 100 substance abuse programs in nine states, said the belief that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs is false.

"These medicines cause dependence and addiction when misused and have the potential to cause death," he said. "We're talking about medicines that are related, pharmacologically, to heroin and have very similar effects."

U.S. offers drugmakers advice on obesity drugs

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:03:44 GMT
By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON - As more Americans struggle with growing waistlines, U.S. health officials on Wednesday set out their own tips for drugmakers seeking to develop products for people trying to shed pounds.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidelines -- more than 10 years in the making -- aim to help companies develop and test new drugs and devices for treating obesity.

About a third of U.S. adults, or more than 60 million people, are obese and another third are overweight, government statistics show. Nearly a fifth of U.S. children also weigh too much.

The FDA proposed that companies should prove their products can help people lose weight and keep it off for at least a year. It also urged them to study people with a body mass index of at least 30 or those with a BMI of at least 27 with diabetes, heart disease or other weight-related conditions.

BMI is determined by dividing weight by height. People with a score of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight and those at 30 or higher are considered obese.

"In general, patients should have or be at significant risk for weight-related morbidity and mortality," the FDA said.

The proposed guidelines come as more companies look to enter the U.S. weight-loss sector, which some analysts have said remains untapped.

Overweight individuals are at risk for other, potentially life-threatening problems. In addition to diabetes, high-blood pressure and certain cancers are also possible.

Drugs usually aim to help people lose weight by curbing their appetite or preventing fat absorption. Some devices, such as Allergan Inc.'s Lab-Band, are used in surgical procedures to limit stomach size.

Last week, GlaxoSmithKline Plc won U.S. approval to sell an over-the-counter version of Roche AG's prescription obesity drug, Xenical, called Alli.

Sanofi-Aventis is also awaiting the FDA's ruling on its Acomplia drug, which the agency earlier this week postponed until July.

Although the guidelines are non-binding, drugmakers often rely on them when developing products. Companies may take other approaches as long as they meet legal standards, the FDA said.

They could also help prompt more manufacturers to develop weight-loss solutions.

"There clearly are not enough effective drugs" for overweight patients, Dr. Richard Kahn, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association, told Reuters.

In a recent research note, Susquehanna Financial Group analysts said they were "shocked" that just 17 companies with weight-loss products on the market or in advanced development, despite "the large market opportunity the health consequences of no therapy."

FDA officials first proposed the guidelines in 1996, but they lingered until 2004, when the FDA sought public comments.

The revised version, now on the FDA's Web site, includes advice on products for children, as well as those combining two or more drugs. It also offers guidance for products aimed at patients whose extra pounds result from other medications.

"The use of weight-management products in pediatric patients, as in adults, should be contemplated only after a sufficient trial of lifestyle modification has failed," the FDA said.
The proposal calls for studies to include a wide variety of patients from different regions and racial backgrounds.
The FDA gave no deadline for public comment on the proposal. An agency spokeswoman said the timing for the final guidelines would depend in part on the comments received.
The guidelines are posted at http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/07d-0040-gdl0001.pdf

New York rolls out nations first citybranded condom

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:06:21 GMT

NEW YORK - New York authorities unveiled the country's first city-themed condom to mark Valentine's Day and National Condom Day, in a bid to reduce sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
The subway-themed condoms, which are being promoted with the slogans &;New York we've got you covered,&; and the provocative &;NYC condoms. Get some,&; are part of a drive by the city's health department to increase condom use.

The one-size-fits-all condoms come in black packaging featuring colored circles that spell out &;NYC Condom&; in the style of the city's subway. Other suggested designs had featured city skycrapers.

&;Not enough condoms are being used,&; Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said, unveiling the design. &;This is about brands. Brands work, they increase use, they increase distribution,&; he added.

The condoms even have their own website, with a .org address. &;You can decide what the org stands for,&; Frieden said.

The health department, which already provides 18 million free condoms a year, was to hand out 150,000 free condoms in the city on Wednesday alone.

Reaction to the new branding was mixed. &;I think it's a great idea,&; said one 48-year-old man picking up a free sample on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, while another dismissed it as &;kind of silly. It doesn't take safe sex seriously.&;

Both asked not to be named.

&;It's unbelievable. I think whoever thought this up has a great sense of humor,&; said an anonymous 76-year-old man, pocketing a handful.

Methamphetamine use linked to heart condition

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:55:58 GMT
By Martha Kerr
NEW YORK - Research suggests a link between a disease of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy and use of methamphetamine -- a powerfully addictive illegal stimulant drug, also known as meth, crank, crystal, and speed.
A chart review of patients aged 45 and younger discharged from a medical center in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy or heart failure revealed a high prevalence of methamphetamine abuse in this population.

Methamphetamine use more than triples the risk of cardiomyopathy, report Dr. Khung-Keong Yeo of the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and colleagues in The American Journal of Medicine.

Yeo's team conducted a case-control study of all patients aged 45 and younger discharged with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy between January 2001 and June 2003. There were 107 patients. These were compared with 114 controls matched for age but discharged without evidence of heart trouble.

After adjusting for age, body weight and renal failure, Yeo and colleagues report that the odds of cardiomyopathy was 3.7-fold higher in methamphetamine users compared with non-users.

"There are many speculated causes" of methamphetamine-related cardiomyopathy, Yeo told Reuters Health. "These include spasm of the arteries, direct toxicity, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and enhanced atherosclerosis .

SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, February 2007.

Needlefree FluMist protects kids better

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:01:47 GMT
By Gene Emery
BOSTON - A new version of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist is better at preventing influenza than traditional flu shots in older babies and children, according to a study sponsored by its maker, MedImmune.
The spray also dramatically reduced the risk of flu-related ear and lower respiratory tract infections, said the report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

But for infants age 6 to 12 months, or older children who sometimes wheeze when they breathe, old-fashioned shots are safer, the researchers found.

Results of the worldwide test on 8,400 preschoolers, conducted during the 2004-2005 flu season, are being released as health officials encourage flu vaccinations for those aged 6 months to 5 years to prevent the spread of the virus.

But old-fashioned shots, which use killed virus particles, provide less protection to children under 5 than to adults, and may cause more side effects. The spray uses live weakened viruses.

Robert Belshe of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri and colleagues found both treatments reduced children's flu rate, but half as many of those who got nasal spray became ill as those who received flu shots.

While 8.6 percent of children getting injections developed flu, the rate was 3.9 percent for kids given the spray.

Regular influenza kills an average of 36,000 Americans every year, and up to 500,000 people globally. While most victims are elderly, more than 100 U.S. children, many of them previously healthy, can die in an average flu season.

GETTING INTO THE NOSE

FluMist is squirted up the nose using a special device.

"The big difference is the induction of antibodies in the nose, which is important because this is where the flu virus usually enters the body. The nasal spray flu vaccine appears to induce a more complete immune response," Belshe said.

The study used a new version of FluMist that does not need to be kept frozen, only refrigerated. U.S. regulators approved it last month for healthy children and adults age 5 to 49.

Researchers also discovered the spray worked against strains that had mutated slightly over time drift.

"That translates into very high protection even when the circulating strains don't precisely match the vaccine strains," Belshe said in a telephone interview.

But the spray vaccine may carry special risks for recipients younger than 1. Those babies were more likely to develop wheezing and 2.3 times more likely to be hospitalized for any cause if they received FluMist instead of the shots.

Youngsters who had a history of wheezing before receiving the shots were excluded from the test.

So for children less than one year old or older children with a history of wheezing, "the flu shot remains the vaccine of choice because of the safety issues," Belshe said.

"For children over 12 months of age who do not have a history of wheezing, and that's approximately 80 percent of children, it looks like the intranasal vaccine is the better choice," he said.
MedImmune hopes to expand its market by showing that the spray, first licensed in the United States in 2003, is safe and effective for preschoolers, who are particularly vulnerable to flu. A decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected by the end of May.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine February 15, 2007.

Fed chief U.S. needs to deal with aging population

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:20:28 GMT

WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday warned lawmakers that as the country's baby boomer generation ages, funding shortfalls to government programs such as Medicare and Social Security will create an unsustainable fiscal situation.
"If we don't take some measure to address how we're going to deal with the fiscal implications of an aging society, the debt deficits are going to grow," Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee in answering questions after testifying about the health of the economy. "It will be an unsustainable fiscal situation."

The Fed chairman also said that there is no specific level of employment that acts as a trigger for inflation.

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