MUNICH, Germany – German doctors have succeeded in transplanting two complete arms onto a 54-year old man in what their hospital said was the world's first operation of this kind. During 15 hours of surgery, a team of 40 medics attached the arms to a farmer who lost both his arms in an accident six years ago.
TB treatment inadequate in some “hot zones”
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In certain “hot zones” where multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is prevalent, patients treated with standard TB drugs have high rates of failure and relapse, new research indicates. In countries where “drug sensitivity testing” is not performed routinely, the current standard anti-TB drug regimens “may be contributing to worsening drug resistance levels,” a multinational research team warns in a report published Friday.
CORRECTED:House asks FDA to turn over Vytorin study analysis:WSJ
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The House Energy and Commerce committee wants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to turn over the results of an analysis about the potential links between cancer and cholesterol drug Vytorin, the Wall Street Journal reported. Vytorin is sold jointly by Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) and Schering-Plough Corp (SGP.N).
'Hygiene hypothesis' may be tied to bowel disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children who grow up in a spick-and-span home may have a higher risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, a study suggests. Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, refers to a group of conditions marked by chronic inflammation in the intestines, leading to symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea. It's thought that the conditions arise from an immune system overreaction that injures the body's own intestinal tissue.
Low hep B vaccination rates seen in newborns
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The results of a survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that only about 50 percent of newborns receive a dose of hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge. In 1991, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that all newborns receive the first dose of the vaccine before leaving the hospital or at age 1 to 2 months. In 2002, however, this recommendation was changed to indicate a preference for vaccination prior to hospital discharge. Finally, in 2005, the guidelines were again revised to recommend pre-hospital discharge hepatitis B vaccination for all medically stable infants weighing at least 2000 grams (4 pounds 6.5 ounces).
Exercise in a pill? Researchers find two
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Researchers who genetically engineered “marathon mice” that could run for hours have found two pills that can mimic the effects – and they have already developed a test for the drugs in case athletes try to cheat with them. The drugs reproduce many of the biological benefits of exercise, helping cells burn fat better and boosting endurance, said Ronald Evans, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California.
Terminal cancer patients not given chemo info
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Patients with incurable cancer are often not clearly informed of what they stand to gain from palliative chemotherapy, according to the study results published in BMJ Online First. As a result, British investigators say, patients may lack sufficient knowledge make a decision based on informed consent. Palliative chemotherapy is not intended to cure patients of cancer, only to make their lives more tolerable. Nonetheless, this treatment may slightly improve survival.
Need for hip replacements is high: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Both hip and knee arthritis are common among older adults, but the need for hip replacements seems to far exceed that for knee replacements, new research suggests. In a study of nearly 7,600 Spanish adults age 60 and older, researchers found that 7 percent had hip osteoarthritis, while 12 percent had osteoarthritis of the knee. Osteoarthritis refers to the common “wear-and-tear” form of arthritis, in which cartilage in the joints gradually breaks down, leading to symptoms like pain and stiffness.
What to do when someone is injuring themselves
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Australian researchers have developed the first-ever guidelines for offering “mental health first-aid” to people who engage in “cutting” and other types of non-suicidal self-injury. The guidelines recommend that people seeking to help a self-injurer should try to remain calm and positive, understand that the behavior is a coping mechanism, and focus on ways to help the person relieve their distress rather than “stopping self-injury.”
Wall Street woes boost therapists' business
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street is reeling from losses, and bankers are fearful of losing bonuses at best and jobs at worst. But while New York braces for the economic fallout, one group is benefiting – psychotherapists. Bankers suffering from anxiety or depression and looking for pills or deep therapy are making beelines for the couch. And for some it has gotten so bad they want to
