Archive for December 2009

Another year, another medication recall. Johnson & Johnson has voluntarily recalled all product lots of their Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-Open Cap after consumers complained of a musty, mildew-like odor which has caused nausea, vomiting, upset stomach and diarrhea. Johnson & Johnson states the odor originates from trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, which is believed to result from the breakdown of another chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging material. The company says the side effects have all been “temporary and non-serious.” The health effects of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is currently unclear. If you have any bottles of the medication, it’s advised that you do not take it. Those who are seeking a refund or replacement can call J&J at 1-888-222-6036. [Associated Press via Yahoo! News]

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Due to the recent bombing attempt of a U.S.-bound airplane, questions are being asked, again, about whether full-body scanners pose any significant health risks. The two types of full-body scanners either use high frequency radio waves (Millimeter Wave Scanners) or low-level x-rays (Backscatter Scanners). According to the U.S. Transportation Security Agency, the radiation emitted by a millimeter wave scanner is less than the amount emitted by a cell phone. Backscatter scanners, unlike X-rays which penetrate objects, use rays that scatter when they hit materials, allowing computers to render a detailed image of an object. The amount of radiation delivered by a backscatter scanner is less than 2% of the daily background radiation we receive as we go about our daily lives. Therefore, as of now, it would appear that full-body scanners are relatively safe for their intent and purpose. Aside from the controversy regarding potential health risks, there are privacy concerns since they do produce essentially naked images of passengers. Full-body scanners are currently used at Manchester Airport in England and Tokyo’s Narita Airport in Japan. Fifteen of them will soon be put to use in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. [via CNN Travel]

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Using surface disinfectants may contribute to bacterial antibiotic resistance, according to new research in January’s issue of Microbiology. We already know that the use of consumer-grade antimicrobial hand soaps contribute to the rise of antibiotic resistance. Similarly, the study demonstrated that when non-lethal amounts of disinfectant were added to bacteria in culture, the adapted bacteria were more likely to survive compared to the non-adapted bacteria. “In principle this means that residue from incorrectly diluted disinfectants left on hospital surfaces could promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Dr. Gerard Fleming who led the study. Bacteria that can resist both surface disinfectants and antibiotics could pose a very serious health concern to not only hospitalized patients, but the general public as well. [via Science Daily]

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Health experts are looking to establish new organ transplantation guidelines after two U.S. transplant recipients developed brain infections from their new organs. The University of Mississippi Medical Center recently revealed that one child donor had a rare, often fatal infection that was not diagnosed until after organ transplantation had occurred. “This is a difficult topic, because organs are really scarce and patients who need a transplant are typically quite ill and need a transplant quickly, and sometimes it’s hard to do all the testing that one could possibly think of for all the infections out there,” said Dr. Eileen Farnon, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which coordinates U.S. organ transplantations, in 1% of cases organ donors can transmit diseases, including West Nile virus, rabies, HIV, tuberculosis and even cancer. [HealthDay via Businessweek]

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This week the British Medical Journal is warning physicians regarding high blood pressure (hypertension) treatment in people over 80 years of age. Despite limited evidence about treatment of hypertension in this age group, UK and US guidelines continue to recommend applying the same target blood pressures to people over 80 as to any other age group (the current target blood pressure for uncomplicated hypertension is 140/90). However, based on some new reviews of up-to-date data, there is evidence that mortality may likely be decreased by being more conservative with the number of drugs and the dosages of medications used in this group, in addition to allowing a higher target systolic blood pressure of 150. Trials are now needed to compare this conservative approach with the more aggressive treatment strategies currently in use. [via Medical News Today]

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The Procter & Gamble Company announced a voluntary recall of 700,000 units of Vicks Dayquil cold medicine today due to the lack of child-proof packaging. The product (which is not recommended for children under 12 years of age) is advertised as being contained in child-resistant packaging, but no child-proof backing was applied to the blister packs. The recall affects all DayQuil Cold & Flu 24-Count LiquiCaps Bonus Packs containing the UPC code 3 23900 01087 1. These packages can be identified by the by the yellow flag located in the top right corner of the box that advertises a “Bonus of 20 Percent More”. No other DayQuil or Vicks products are affected. Those who purchased these items can contact Procter and Gamble Company for either a refund or replacement coupon by calling 1-800-251-3374. Information is also available at www.vicks.com. [via HealthNews]

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The big news in U.S. health care came early Monday morning (1 am to be exact) as a 60-Senator majority  agreed upon their plan for health care reform. The Senate bill would make health insurance mandatory for almost all citizens of the union, covering nearly 30 million currently uninsured Americans. But, if there is any indication as to whether this most recent bill favors the American individual or the private, for-profit insurance companies all one needs to do is to look towards the ticker. Shares of major U.S. health insurance companies rose Monday, including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, United Health and Wellpoint – all hitting 52-week highs. According to Businessweek, “Investors have been worried for months that a public option would provide unfair competition to private insurers in part because it would receive government financial backing and could set reimbursement at artificially low levels.” But, worry no more since the lobbying efforts of these companies continue to pay off as lawmakers continue to pass bills that put our money into the pockets of insurers rather than spending the majority of it on caring for our health. [via Businessweek]

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The latest pediatric HIV study shows that children with HIV are living much longer than in the 1990s when doctors started prescribing antiretroviral drugs. However, young people with HIV continue to die at 30 times the rate of youth of similar age who do not have HIV. Multi-organ failure and kidney disease continue to be the major causes of death, along with infections. But, the types of infections have changed, from infections traditionally associated with AIDS to infections that are more common among children without HIV. This demonstrates that antiretroviral therapy is working and helping most HIV-infected children live into adulthood. “Will these children have a normal lifespan? Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers yet. Currently, we don’t have the means to prevent all the complications of HIV infection.” said Lynne Mofenson, M.D., chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). [via NIH News]

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The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) announced last month a new program called Corporate Alliance, in which the AAFP partners with interested companies to produce educational material for the general public. The first of these companies to sign on is Coca-Cola, who has donated $500,000 to the AAFP which will be used to develop consumer education content related to beverages and sweeteners. Not surprisingly, many physician-members of the AAFP have voiced strong opposition to such an alliance, especially in light of the current obesity epidemic. AAFP President-elect, Lori Heim, M.D., states the partnerships will not include an AAFP endorsement of any brand, product or service, and the Academy will maintain editorial control of all materials related to the partnerships. However, this partnership of irony calls into question the integrity of AAFP leadership, who’s efforts should be devoted to primary care and prevention, not sleeping with the enemy. [via AAFP]

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Scientists report today in the journal Nature that the genetic codes of two of the most commons cancers – skin and lung – have been sequenced in their entirety. It was found that melanoma skin cancer contains more than 30,000 DNA errors, mostly due to sun exposure. Lung cancer contains more than 23,000 gene errors largely as a result of cigarette smoking. The identification of these genetic errors will allow us to develop new drugs which can potentially target each of these site specifically. As well it’s conceivable that blood tests can be developed to detect DNA patterns which are unique to each type of cancer. This landmark accomplishment is the first step in the effort lead by the International Cancer Genome Consortium to catalogue all the major cancer types. Scientists in Japan are working on decoding the sequence for liver cancer, India on mouth, UK on breast, China on stomach, and the US on brain, ovary, and pancreas. [via BBC]

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