"Health News - Medicine, Diet and Fitness"

Treating hepatitis B patients with the drug entecavir can cause those who are also infected with HIV to become resistant to two of the most important drugs in the anti-HIV arsenal, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Cross-resistance alarms raised earlier this year by Johns Hopkins researchers about a widely used antiviral therapy for hepatitis B liver infections have prompted swift treatment revisions by the drug’s maker and governmental agencies.

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“Governor Schwarzenegger’s health care proposal has taken several important steps forward by recognizing the need to regulate some of the worst practices of health care insurers.

“We are particularly pleased with the Governor’s proposal to require insurers to offer health insurance to all Californians and to spend a significant amount of premium dollars on actually providing care. The current practice of excluding any individual that might have even the smallest of health problems undermines the very idea of pooling risk through insurance.

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The NBC affiliate KSBW has a brief item on a medical marijuana lawsuit that is interesting just because of the legal angle that is being explored:

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The city and county of Santa Cruz, along with the Women’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, are suing the federal government over the use of pot to help ease chronic pain.

The groups are asking the courts to reconsider an earlier decision denying their motion for a preliminary injunction, Action News reported.

They argue that the 10th Amendment protects a state’s right to govern itself.

The case is expected to be heard by the U.S. District Court as soon as next week.

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 2 — A Men’s healthy cognitive reserve, deposited over a lifetime of learning, appears to protect the better-educated patients from dementia, investigators here suggested. Action Points
Explain to patients that this and several other studies have suggested that keeping the mind active through education and other forms of stimulation appears to reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Among nearly 1,500 adults followed for more than 20 years, those who had at least six years of formal education had a significantly lower risk for any form of dementia and for Alzheimer’s disease than adults who had five years of schooling or less, reported Tiia Ngandu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institute, and colleagues.

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Jordan W. Smoller, M.D.
Mass. General Hospital

BOSTON, Oct. 2 — Panic attacks may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events in older women, researchers said.

Postmenopausal women who reported a panic attack were three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke over the next five years, according to results of a cohort study reported in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. They also had nearly twice the risk of all-cause mortality than other women. Action Points
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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 2 — Many pregnant obese women should gain less weight than currently recommended and women who are severely obese should actually lose weight during pregnancy, researchers here said.

Women with a prepregnancy body mass index of 30 to 34.9 kg/m2 should gain no more than 10 to 25 pounds during pregnancy to minimize the risk of preeclampsia, Caesarean delivery, and an infant who’s large or small for gestational age, according to the findings of a cohort study in the October issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. Action Points
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BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 2 — More than 30% of American children and adolescents take dietary supplements regularly, most often multivitamins and multiminerals, according to an NIH study. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that although 30% of American children regularly take basic dietary supplements, use among young teenagers is low and given their poor diets, nutrient deficiencies may pose a Men’s health risk.

Also note that calcium, vitamin D, and iron are nutrients of most concern for (more…)

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 1, 2007-FDA issued an early communication about the ongoing review of new safety data regarding the association of atrial fibrillation with the use of bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs used primarily to increase bone mass and reduce the risk for fracture in patients with osteoporosis, slow bone turnover in patients with Paget’s disease of the bone, treat bone metastases, and lower elevated levels of blood calcium in patients with cancer.

FDA reviewed spontaneous postmarketing reports of atrial fibrillation reported in association with oral and intravenous bisphosphonates and did not identify a population of bisphosphonate users at increased risk of atrial fibrillation. In addition, as part of the data review for the recent approval of once-yearly Reclast for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, FDA evaluated the possible association between atrial fibrillation and the use of Reclast. Most cases of atrial fibrillation occurred more than a month after drug infusion. Also, in a subset of patients monitored by electrocardiogram up to the 11th day following infusion, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation between patients who received Reclast and patients who received placebo.

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DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 2 — Women at risk of sudden cardiac death are two to three times less likely to receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) than men who are at risk, investigators here have found. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that women are two to three times less likely to receive ICDs than men are for prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Point out that the reasons for the disparity are unclear.

Point out also that the findings were based on retrospective analysis of data, not a randomized, controlled clinical trial.
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TURKU, Finland, Nov. 1 — People who tend to experience daily life as highly stressful may be more likely to develop sleep problems when traumatic events occur, researchers found.

However, the 1.5- to three-fold increased risk may persist only for the first months after a stressful event, such as divorce or family illness, reported Jussi Vahtera, M.D., of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Men’s health here, and colleagues in the November 1 issue of the journal SLEEP. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that their daily experience of anxiety may impact their sleep after a major stressful event.
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