Archive for December, 2006
A study of 80 children ages 6 months to 12 years with ear tubes, middle ear infections, and visible drainage in the ear has shown that antibiotic ear drops are more effective than medication taken in oral doses (pill or liquid form). The study, published recently in the journal Pediatrics, involved researchers and children in five states – Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Florida.
Drops placed inside the ear deliver more concentrated doses of antibiotic to the precise spot where needed rather than dispersing it throughout the body. The drops resolved ear drainage three to five days faster, with 85% of children having overall clinical cures. In children taking oral medications, 59% had a similar response to treatment.
Ear tubes provide improved access to the middle ear, located behind the ear drum. The medication is able to reach the infection while avoiding intestinal and blood absorption through oral administration.
Infections of the middle ear are the most common diagnosis for which children are given antibiotics such as amoxicillin. Insertion of ear tubes is the most common surgery performed on children.
Statistics show that 1 in 6 children suffers an acute form of ear infection in the first year of life. In the next 6 years, 1 in 10 develops this medical condition. As a rule, ear tubes are not surgically implanted unless the problem is chronic and carries the potential for some degree of hearing loss. As a child grows, the eustachian tube lengthens and there is less likelihood of developing ear infections.
Antibiotic drops appear to be more tolerable for children, causing fewer gastrointestinal problems, skin reactions or yeast infections than oral antibiotics. For this reason, parental compliance with the prescribed treatment is also better. These pediatric patients are also less likely to develop antibiotic resistance, a concern with overuse of oral antibiotics.
As the lead study researcher points out, middle ear infections are often caused by micro-organisms not responsive to antibiotics approved for pediatric patients. Pediatric patients with ear drainage tubes also may have different micro-organisms than those without tubes and can require a different treatment. These children have been shown to respond well to a broader spectrum of topical antibiotic ear drops.
Source:Â Medical News TODAYÂ
December 27th, 2006
An 18-month study of over 2,000 healthy women ages 18 through 49 who were given continuous-use oral contraceptives to prevent menstruation has been shown to be safe and effective.
Among the study participants, 79% percent had progressively decreasing bleeding days, with an absence of bleeding after one year. In 59%, a complete cessation of menstrual cycles occurred soon after the first month.
Lead investigator David Archer, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, expressed excitement over this “significant improvement in the quality of life for women.†The study can be found in the December issue of Contraception.
Dr. Archer asserts that for the first time, continuous-use oral contraceptives have been shown to safely eliminate menstrual bleeding and the symptoms associated with it — cramping, headaches, bloating, and irritability.
The study was conducted at 92 sites in North America where researchers dispensed to participating women a birth-control pill produced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals under the name Lybrel. The new birth control pill contains 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol and 90 micrograms of levonorgestrel.
Traditional birth control pills contain 21 days of active hormones and 7 days of placebos (no hormones) to provide contraception while the woman continues to have monthly periods. More recently, birth control pills that reduce menstruation to four times a year have been on the market.
Now, women can be free of the monthly “curse,†until they are ready to conceive. As the name Lybrel implies, women can choose to be “liberated†from the discomfort and inconvenience of unwanted menstrual cycles.
Source:Â Medical News TODAY
December 18th, 2006
For the first time in years, breast cancer rates declined by more then 7% in 2003. The decline was greater in women 50 to 69, those most likely to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In those with estrogen-dependent types of tumors, the drop was 12%.
According to presenters at the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, breast cancer was diagnosed in 14,000 fewer women than expected in 2003.
After the Women’s Health Initiative Study was stopped in July 2002 due to evidence of more risk than benefit of long-term HRT, many doctors urged post-menopausal women to go off their hormones. Within a year of this medical news, about half of the U.S. women who had been on HRT stopped their use.
Breast cancer had been steadily rising, about 2% annually, for decades. It is the most common major cancer in American women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. All U.S. cancer registries reporting to the federal government in 2003 showed a decline in their statistical information on this type of female cancer.
Researchers believe it possible that some breast cancers were already present, but that cutting off estrogen stopped their growth or caused them to shrink to an undetectable size. They also postulate that mammogram usage has been leveling off, thus contributing to the decline in cancer detection and smaller statistics. A trend toward lower-dose and shorter duration HRT could also have played a role.
Statistics from one year do not tell the entire story. It will take time to know whether breast cancer is truly on the decline and establishing a definite downward trend. Breast cancer might still be present in some menopausal women who abandoned HRT, but slower growing, taking longer to be detected.
In 2006, some 213,000 cases of breast cancer are expected in U.S. women, with over a million new cases worldwide.
Source:Â CNN.com
December 15th, 2006
When used even the first time in small amount, the drug called “ecstasy†or MDMA can harm the brain through its neurotoxic effects, according to a recent study. Ecstasy has long been used as a recreational drug, but users may not realize the negative effects it can have on them.
Researchers have discovered through neuroimaging studies that blood circulation can become impaired or decreased in some areas of the brain of first-time users of this psychedelic or stimulant drug, illegal in the U.S. Ecstasy targets brain neurons that use serotonin to regulate a number of mental processes, including mood and memory.
Several earlier studies have shown that heavy use of Ecstasy can damage neurons, resulting in depression, anxiety, confusion, difficulty in sleeping and memory loss. However, recent findings presented in November 2006 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America confirm for the first time that small, initial doses can be damaging to the brain.
Medical investigators initially looked at 188 volunteers with no history of ecstasy use. Eighteen months later, they compared 59 of the first-time ecstasy users (who took an average of six tablets initially) with 56 non-users. All were retested with the same psychological tests as administered before the study began. In addition, cellular structure and blood flow measurements in the brain were re-examined.
Researchers found subtle changes in cell architecture and decreased blood flow in some brain regions, although no severe damage to the serotonergic neurons that affect mood. First-time, low-dose users demonstrated a decrease in verbal memory when compared with nonusers. It is not yet known whether these effects are temporary or permanent changes.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) survey in 2004 found that 450,000 people in the U.S. who are age 12 and over had tried ecstasy in the past 30 days. NIDA estimated in 2005 that 5.4% of American 12th graders had taken Ecstasy at least once.
This research project is part of the Netherlands XTC Toxicity study which also examines high-dose ecstasy users and is attempting to provide information on long-term effects of ecstasy use in the general population.
Source:Â Science Daily
December 12th, 2006
A new mother faces a number of challenges after her baby is born, especially if it is her first child. During the first three months, and especially the first 10 to 19 days, a new mom is particularly vulnerable to mental problems. Not only postpartum depression, but potentially bipolar disorder (experiencing highs and lows), anxiety, adjustment problems, and even schizophrenia can visit her at her most vulnerable time.
Today, a woman may be isolated, away from the support of families that she might have called upon in generations past. Her hormones are fluctuating wildly during those first weeks and months after birth. Sleep deprivation and learning to breastfeed on demand may place additional strains on her ability to function and interact lovingly with her newborn.
When the tremendous responsibility of caring for an infant becomes a daily reality, a new mother may experience unanticipated feelings. She needs a strong support system to help her get past the initial “baby blues.†Her mental health greatly affects her ability to function well, enjoy relationships, cope with the stresses, and appreciate the joys of parenthood that she anticipated.
A Danish study based on medical records of 2.3 million people over a 30-year period revealed that new mothers were seven times more likely to be hospitalized for mental problems shortly after childbirth than women with older infants. Some received outpatient psychiatric treatment.
New fathers are sometimes affected by the mental adjustments in the changed family dynamics, but they are not subjected to the same physical and social changes associated with actually giving birth to a child. The prevalence of mental disorders appeared in about 1 per 1,000 births for women and only .37 per 1000 men in the Danish families studied.
There is no hard data on women in developed countries worldwide affected by postpartum depression, but in the U.S. alone, this condition occurs in about 15% of new mothers. Most had no previous history of mental illness.
Psychiatric screening of new mothers and treatment for those who need it would be highly beneficial. They may initially need antidepressant medications to help them get past the most difficult periods of adjustment. Brooke Shields’ book on the subject can assist depressed new mothers in understanding that they are not alone, and their condition will clear up with time and with treatment when necessary.
Source:Â CNN.ComÂ
December 8th, 2006
When researchers in London studied 600 adult women who had miscarried and 6,000 with successful pregnancies, they discovered that very underweight women were 72% more likely to miscarry during the first three months. Those with a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 were especially prone to miscarry.
The causes of miscarriage are not fully understood. Well-established risk factors include increased maternal age, a history of previous miscarriage, and infertility. Other factors such as alcohol use, smoking, and extreme emotional stress might play a role, as well as excessive caffeine intake. Eating small amounts of chocolate daily may actually be beneficial, according to the study.
In study participants, women who had a previous abortion or those who got pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) were 60% and 40%, respectively, more likely to lose the baby in the first trimester. On the other hand, those who had a “planned†pregnancy increased their chances of carrying the baby to term by 60%. Additional findings were that morning sickness may actually be a good sign, an indication that the pregnancy is progressing well.
 Women who on most days ate fresh fruit and vegetables appeared to have a better outcome than those whose meals did not regularly include them. Of special importance, women who supplemented their diet with folic acid and iron, or vitamins containing them, showed the most pronounced benefits – cutting their risk of miscarriage in half.
In the United Kingdom, about 1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage each year. Researchers intended this study to provide helpful information to the thousands of women who do not understand why they miscarried and to suggest ways to prevent it in the future.
Whenever possible, women who want to become pregnant are encouraged to do pre-pregnancy planning with their doctor. Any existing medical conditions such as excessive thinness, obesity or diabetes should be treated and if possible controlled before conception is attempted. After conceiving, it is important to have the pregnancy followed by a physician.
The findings of this study are published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Source:Â BBC News
December 6th, 2006
Low back pain sufferers can look forward to a potential cure for their damaged disks and resulting pain. A research team at the University of Manchester, England, hopes that the new, patented treatment can be available within three years.
The therapy, developed by Dr. Stephen Richardson, would use injected adult stem cells taken from the patient’s own bone marrow. These mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to differentiate into many different cell types. The extracted stem cells are then embedded in a gel-like material where they are grown in a culture. The gel-like substance is similar to natural collagen already used to treat cartilage defects.
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Dr. Richardson has been successful in turning MSCs into cells that make up the nucleus pulposus (NP) to provide cushioning between vertebrae. Because the stem cells are harvested from the patient’s own body, there is no chance of rejection by the immune system.
The British medical team reintroduces the cultured material into the damaged spinal disks through a tiny incision and using an arthroscope. The patient should be able to return home the same day after the procedure or the following day.
With treatments currently available to treat debilitating low back pain, success may be limited, and the cause of the pain is not completely addressed. This new procedure is expected to correct the root cause of the pain and give welcome relief from symptoms.
Pre-clinical trials will begin next year, after which full patient trials will take place. Although still in the early stages of development, the treatment appears very promising based on initial results.
Source:Â BBC News
December 2nd, 2006
