- Jamie Sheller | January 27, 2007 6:15 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsA recent study of teen driving habits was conducted by the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Co. Though teenagers may be heeding warnings about drinking and driving, every year thousands of fatal car accidents are caused, in whole or in part, by teens driving with distractions. The distractions include cell phones, hand-held games and other passengers. The risk of a...
- Jamie Sheller | January 25, 2007 1:20 PM |
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MiscellaneousFive infants became sick, and two infants died in December after an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the neonatal ICU of White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital closed the unit after the outbreak. In a recently released report, the California Department of Health Services linked the bacterial outbreak to improperly cleaned medical instruments. According to the health...
- Jamie Sheller | January 24, 2007 6:21 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsA Canadian research study looking at antidepressants has demonstrated that during five years of follow-up, "people aged 50 and older who took antidepressants, including Zoloft, Prozac and other top-sellers, faced double the risk of broken bones . . . compared with those who didn't use the drugs." According to the researchers, animal studies indicate that antidepressants may possibly directly...
- Jamie Sheller | January 20, 2007 3:30 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsPatients with chronic back pain may get short-term relief from opiods. However, according to a new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, opiods are not very effective for long-term use. In addition, opiods carry a significant risk of addiction. A quarter of the patients studied who were taking opiods, displayed substance abuse behavior. After analyzing several studies looking at...
- Jamie Sheller | January 18, 2007 11:54 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsA combination of physician groups, including the American Heart Association, American Dental Association, American College of Cardiology, American College of Surgeons, Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, has issued a new advisory that heart patients with drug-coated stents should stay on anti-clotting drugs for at least one year. Stents are used to prop open arteries. ...
- Jamie Sheller | January 11, 2007 11:52 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsA report in the most recent issue of Neurology, found that in the 1990's, the rate of cerebral hemorrhage associated with Coumadin use quintupled. During the same time, there was in increased use of Coumadin, an anticoagulant. Coumadin, also known as warfarin, is used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. The researchers stressed that Coumadin should still be used when...
- Jamie Sheller | January 09, 2007 9:46 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsDue to the high risk of teen car accidents, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised parents to be cautious about handing over the car keys to their teen children. Many parents are excited about the new convenience of having a teen licensed to drive, but Dr. Dennis Durbin of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia states that "This supposed rite of passage is fraught with danger." Dr. Durbin...
- Jamie Sheller | January 05, 2007 12:34 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsFour makers of over-the-counter weight-loss products have been fined by the FTC for false advertising. The fines totaled $25 million, with Bayer, the maker of One-A-Day Weight Smart, receiving the largest civil penalty ever given out by the agency, at $3.2 million. None of the four products involved, TrimSpa, One-A-Day Weight Smart, Cortislim and Xenadrine, were removed from store shelves,...
- Jamie Sheller | January 04, 2007 12:21 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsAccording to two reports in the New England Journal of Medicine, a link has been found between heart valve disease and two Parkinson's disease drugs, Permax and Dostinex. Other Parkinson's drugs were not linked to an increased incidence of heart valve disease in the studies. According to one of the studies, "treatment with either Permax or Dostinex, particularly at daily doses greater than 3...