Archive for October 2009

The current issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery reports on a study of bone mineral density in men who used cell phones for extended periods of time. It was noted that men who carried their cell phones on their hips for an average of 15 hours a day had decreased bone mineral density in their hip bone on the side where they carried their phones. The study only included young males (average age 32) so the decrease in bone density wasn’t at the same level as someone with osteoporosis. But, it is an interesting finding which will no doubt continue the ongoing debate on the safety of cell phones. [via Medline Plus]

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Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of US-based non-profit health and environmental groups just released a report regarding contamination of Halloween face paints by heavy metals. Although the CDC recommends against using cosmetics which contain lead on children, there’s no way of telling whether the paints contain toxic metals since they are not required to be listed on product labels (there is no legal requirement to list them because they’re considered contaminants, not  ingredients). The group looked at 10 children’s face paint brands and found:

• 10 out of 10 children’s face paints contained lead at levels between 0.05 and 0.65 parts per million (ppm).
• 6 out of 10 children’s face paints contained nickel, cobalt and/or chromium at levels between 1.6 to 120 ppm (this is much higher than the industry safety standard of 1 ppm said the report). These metals can be allergens in children.
• Snazaroo Face Paint contained some of the highest levels of lead, nickel and cobalt found in the study. This product carries the words “non-toxic” and “hypoallergenic” on its label.

Continue reading at Medical News Today.

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Research from Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity shows that cereals which are most aggressively marketed to children are also the least healthy, as measured by an Oxford University nutrition scoring system. The researchers also found that none of the cereals targeted to children in the US meets the nutrition standards required to advertise to children in the UK. Among other findings, cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed to adults. Even more shocking, (but perhaps should not be a surprise) is that all cereals marketed directly to U.S. children meet the cereal industry’s own nutrition standard for “better-for-you” foods. These include: Cocoa Puffs (44% sugar), Cap’n Crunch (44% sugar), Froot Loops (41% sugar), Lucky Charms (41% sugar) and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (32% sugar). Cereal companies spend nearly $156 million dollars annually on marketing their cereals to children on television. [via Medical News Today]

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Did you know that carbonation has a distinct taste? According to new research from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research scientists have elucidated the fine intricacies of fizziness. When consuming a carbonated beverage the sensation of tiny bubbles bursting on your tongue is, in fact, misleading. If one were to drink a soda in a pressure chamber (thus preventing the bubbles from bursting) the sensation would actually be the same. What gives? The “taste” of carbonation involves the interaction of an enzyme, carbonic anhydrase 4, with the sour-sensing cells in your taste buds. This interaction sends signals to the brain where carbonation is perceived as the familiar fizz, followed by a sensation of tartness. [via NIH News]

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Dr. Bahman Guyuron, Chair of Plastic Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine noted a decade ago that many patients who underwent forehead rejuvenation saw a disappearance in migraine symptoms after surgery. It was this astute observation which gave him the idea to use surgery as a means to alleviate the pain of migraines. By detecting superficial trigger sites on the muscles of the head and then removing or diminishing their affects on nerves, Dr. Guyuron has shown strong evidence that surgical manipulation of one or more migraine trigger sites can successfully eliminate or reduce the frequency, duration, and/or intensity of migraine headaches with lasting results. [via Science Daily]

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Last month researchers from the US Army and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced the successful trial of a new HIV vaccine. However, because the study was based on very few cases, skeptics argued whether the vaccine had any effect after all. Fast forward to this week’s AIDS Vaccine 2009 meeting in Paris where researchers reviewed more data from the trial and found the claims in which the vaccine reduced HIV infection rates by 31% were sound. Additionally, it appears that the vaccine actually was even more effective during the first year of immunization, reducing infection rates by as high as 60%. “It looked like there’s an early effect that wanes with time,” said Seth Berkley, chief executive of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. “It may be that the vaccine generates only weak antibodies against HIV, and these are only effective early on.” Although this vaccine isn’t ready for public use, the knowledge we gained from this research will certainly help in the production of new and improved HIV vaccines. [NEJM via New Scientist]

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The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has expelled Dr. Michael Kamrava, the physician famous for transferring numerous embryos via in vitro fertilization to Nadya Suleman, who later went on to give birth to octuplets. Dr. Kamrava of the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, California transferred six embryos into Ms. Suleman’s uterus – it’s believed that two of those embryos split into twins, leading to the birth of eight infants. In patient younger than 35 years of age, ASRM guidelines say that only one or two embryos can be transferred to reduce the risk of multiple births. Provider tracking data apparently shows that Dr. Kamrava transferred, on average, 4.1 embryos to patients under 35. [via Medical News Today]

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Research presented this week at the Neuroscience 2009 meeting in Chicago revealed an interesting side effect of internet use on older brains. Researchers from University of California, Los Angeles found that frequent internet use among the elderly – even those who only recently started using the web – increased brain functioning beyond their baseline. By comparing novice users to seasoned internet veterans the researchers found that even after just one week of using the internet, the novice users’ brains showed activity in areas important for working memory and decision making – activity that wasn’t apparent on brain scans prior to engagement with the web. [via Medical News Today]

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Magnetic and copper bracelets have been popular for quite sometime now. They have become alternative therapies used by many people to treat pain caused by various musculoskeletal diseases, such as arthritis. But do they actually work? Researchers from the UK have shown in the first randomized placebo-controlled trial that these metallic objects are, in fact, ineffective in treating pain. They say that any benefit derived from them can be attributed to psychological placebo effects. “…our findings suggest that such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper,” said Stewart Richmond, the lead author of the study. However, he emphasizes that although these products don’t necessarily cause harm, people should be careful about spending a lot of money on products that claim to cure your ailments with magnetic therapy. The study was published in the current issue of Complementary Therapies In Medicine. [via Medical News Today]

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The FDA recently announced the approval of a second HPV vaccine for the U.S. market. Cervarix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is the sole competitor to rival vaccine Gardasil, produced by Merck & Co. The vaccines differ in the strains of HPV they guard against, but both will fight the two most common strains that cause 70% of cervical cancers. At the same time, however, the FDA also granted approval for Merck’s Gardasil to be used in preventing genital warts (not genital cancer) in boys and men ages 9 through 26. But, do our children need yet another vaccine? You be the judge. Both vaccines are expected to net their respective companies over $1 billion per year in the coming years. [via ABC News]

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