Medicine.org - Health News

Baby Bottles Made With BPA May Pose Health Risks to Children - Wal-Mart and Toys R Us Stop Selling Bottles with Bisphenol A

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical used to make clear plastic hard and shatterproof, is commonly used in many baby bottles and reusable water bottles. The newest information indicates that the chemical could pose health risks to humans.

The U.S. National Toxicology Program has concluded that "there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures," and that there is "some concern for bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females."

American Heart Association (AHA) Recommends Heart Screening For Children before taking ADHD Drugs like Ritalin

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:09:36 -0400

According to a new recommendation from the American Heart Association, children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram (EKG) before they are prescribed drugs such as Ritalin.

Drugs used to treat ADHD are stimulants, having the potential to increase both heart rate and blood pressure. In children with heart conditions, ADHD drugs could potentially make them more vulnerable to cardiac arrest and other heart problems. A Food and Drug Administration review of its own FDA databases found reports of 19 sudden deaths in children treated with ADHD drugs and 26 reports of other problems including strokes and rapid heart rates between 1999 and 2003.

The Cleveland Clinic estimates that the annual rate of sudden cardiac deaths among the approximately 2.5 million children in the US who take medication for ADHD is approximately one to two children per 100,000.

Prior to prescribing ADHD medication, the AHA now recommends that doctors screen children for any personal or family history of heart problems, and perform a thorough heart exam including an EKG. The AHA also recommends testing for children already taking ADHD drugs. Such testing can help identify any previously undiagnosed heart issues and detect abnormal heart rhythms that may lead to a sudden heart attack.

ADHD medications now have labels to warn patients of the possible risks to individuals who have heart defects or other heart problems.

Questions your doctor should ask in a heart screening exam:

Has your child ever fainted during exercise or similar physical activity?

American Heart Association OKs Compression-Only CPR for Adults

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:32:47 -0400

The American Heart Association has agreed with a recent study that found giving compression-only CPR (without mouth-to-mouth assisted breathing) works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults.

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation which previously included mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in combination with chest compressions. Now, for adults who suddenly collapse, a new study provides evidence that chest compression is just as effective. In fact, interrupting chest compressions to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation may do more harm than good.

Dozens of Different Drugs found in U.S. Drinking Water including Antibiotics, Mood Stabilizers, Sex Hormones and Pain Medicine

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:26:00 -0400

What is in your drinking water? When you think of the possible contaminants that could be in your water, you don’t usually think of pharmaceutical drugs. But an Associated Press investigation has uncovered a disturbing concoction of pharmaceuticals in the municipal drinking water of at least 41 million Americans.

Pollution Taints "Pristine" U.S. Parks

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:27:22 -0500

Hike up to remote areas of snow-covered Crater Lake National Park and you may be miles from civilization, but don't eat the snow because it contains industrial PCBs, the banned pesticide DDT and at least two currently used pesticides.

Go fly-fishing in Golden Lake at Mount Rainier National Park but don't eat the trout because they carry relatively high levels of toxic flame retardant.

Or try fishing Montana's spectacular Glacier National Park but make sure you don't eat them either because the DDT in them is higher than levels found in fish studies from Africa, even though the United States phased out DDT production in 1972 and Africa still uses it for mosquito control.

Humane Society Sues USDA to Close Loophole Leading to the Largest Beef Recall in U.S. History

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:19:49 -0500

The Humane Society of the United States has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to close a dangerous loophole in the agency's regulations that contributed to the recent recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef. The recall was initiated after an HSUS undercover investigation documented shocking acts of animal cruelty to non-ambulatory or "downer" cattle at a slaughterhouse in Chino, California. Watch the undercover video now

40,000 Patients Potentially Exposed to Hepatitis, HIV due to Clinic's Re-Use of Syringes in Unsafe Injection Practices

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:42:26 -0500

About 40,000 patients of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas are being urged to get tested for bloodborne diseases like hepatitis and HIV. It is reported that anesthesiologists exposed patients to infection by using multiple-dose vials of medications and re-using syringes between individuals.

Patients were exposed to these unsafe injections between March 2004 and January 2008. So far, doctors have found six acute cases of hepatitis C in patients from the center.

HealthGrades Names America’s 50 Best Hospitals based on independent analysis of 27 different procedures and diagnoses

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:11:25 -0500

HealthGrades has released its 2008 rankings of America’s 50 Best Hospitals -- hospitals that have demonstrated superior clinical outcomes for the most consecutive years. Hospitals cannot apply for this independent analysis, and they cannot opt-in or out of being rated.

To identify the top hospitals for 2008, HealthGrades researchers analyzed approximately 100 million hospitalization records from nearly 5,000 hospitals, from the years 1999 to 2006.

EPA Seeks Public Comment on Possible Drinking Water Contaminants

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:34:17 -0500

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking for public comment on a list of 104 possible drinking water contaminants that may need to be regulated in the future to ensure the continued protection of drinking water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA includes on the draft Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) currently unregulated contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and which may require regulation. This draft CCL, which is the third such listing, lists 93 chemical contaminants or groups and 11 microbes, and describes the process and basis for selecting these contaminants.

Google Will Start Storing Medical Records Online, Allowing Private Web Access to Patient Records and Prescription Info

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:34:19 -0500

Google Inc. has announced it will start storing medical records online. The search giant will begin testing the new program by storing medical records from several thousand Cleveland Clinic patients who volunteered for an electronic transfer of their personal health records to Google. The new medical records service won't be open to the general public.

Fentanyl Patch Recall – Overdose Danger Prompts Second Recall in a Week for Patches Containing Painkiller Fentanyl

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:18:31 -0500

Patches sold by Actavis South Atlantic are being recalled because of a defect that could cause them to leak, putting patients or caregivers at risk of overdose.

The recalled patches have the company's name on the outer carton, and the company's old name, Abrika Pharmaceuticals, is printed on the pouches containing the patches. Damaged patches should not be handled.

This is the second recall involving fentanyl patches within a week. On February 12, PriCara recalled patches made by its affiliate, ALZA Corporation.

Actavis Announces Recall of Pain Patches containing Fentanyl

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:05:57 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Morristown, NJ -- February 17, 2008 -- Actavis Inc., the United States manufacturing and marketing division of the international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis Group hf, today announced that 14 lots of Fentanyl transdermal system CII patches sold in the United States by Actavis' subsidiary Actavis South Atlantic LLC are being voluntarily recalled from wholesalers and pharmacies as a precaution.

PRICARA™ RECALLS 25 mcg/hr DURAGESIC® (fentanyl transdermal system) CII PAIN PATCHES

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:15:54 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Raritan, NJ – February 12, 2008 – PriCara, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said today that all lots of 25 microgram/hour (mcg/hr) DURAGESIC® (fentanyl transdermal system) CII patches sold by PriCara in the United States and all 25 mcg/hr fentanyl patches sold by Sandoz Inc. in the United States are being voluntarily recalled as a precaution from wholesalers and pharmacies. The recalled patches all have expiration dates on or before December 2009, and all are manufactured by ALZA Corporation, an affiliate of PriCara. The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All 25 mcg/hr fentanyl patches manufactured by ALZA and sold in Canada also are being recalled.

Heath Ledger: Toxicology Results Reveal Accidental Death from ‘Acute Intoxication’ of Prescription Medications

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:33:25 -0500

After an initial autopsy proved inconclusive as to cause of death, toxicology tests released today revealed Heath Ledger died from "acute intoxication" due to prescription medications. The following statement was released from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York:

"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications."

Caffeine During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Miscarriage, New Study Says

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:21:33 -0500

High doses of daily caffeine during pregnancy -- whether from coffee, tea, caffeinated soda or hot chocolate -- cause an increased risk of miscarriage, according a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study controlled, for the first time, pregnancy-related symptoms of nausea, vomiting and caffeine aversion that tended to interfere with the determination of caffeine's true effect on miscarriage risk. The research appears in the current online issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.