In a King's College London study, 127 severely addicted patients were randomly assigned heroin injections, methadone injections or methadone pills. More than 66 percent of those given heroin had no street heroin in their urine at least half the time, after daily use beforehand.
Rachel Stockton
Miscellaneous
Gary Coleman on Life Support
Gary Coleman, 42, remains in critical condition at a Utah hospital. His manager said the actor fell into a coma and is on life support; his wife cited a serious medical condition without detail, and TMZ reported his brother attributing the hospitalization to head injuries from a fall.
Nutrition
Adjuvanted Shots FareWell
A British study found children given adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine mounted stronger immune responses than those given unadjuvanted shots, with 98.2% responding to Pandemrix versus 80.1% to Celvapan among children under 3. Reactions to Pandemrix were more common but minor.
Avoiding Illness
Oral Hygeine is Good for the Heart
A survey of 11,000 people in Scotland found those who brushed their teeth less than twice a day were 70 percent more likely to have had a heart attack, and more often tested positive for inflammatory markers. Researchers adjusted for obesity, family history, smoking and social class.
Miscellaneous
Gene Linked to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
A team led by Mario Capecchi cured mice of compulsive hair-pulling with bone marrow transplants, and produced the symptoms by transplanting in reverse, tracing the behaviour to the bone-marrow gene Hoxb8. The Cell paper points to a causal link between the immune system and psychiatric illness.
Miscellaneous
Stenting and Surgery Produce Similar Results
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that Minerals Management Service director Elizabeth Birnbaum resigned amid the Gulf oil spill controversy. Critics in both parties had questioned her fitness for the job since 2009. Salazar also said the agency will be split into three parts.
Politics
Elizabeth Birnbaum Resigns Amid Pressure
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that Minerals Management Service director Elizabeth Birnbaum resigned amid pressure over the Gulf oil spill. Critics faulted her for not fixing longstanding agency problems; the agency will be split into three parts.
Nutrition
50 cent's weight loss shocks fans
Rapper Curtis James dropped 54 pounds in nine weeks on a liquid diet and three hours a day on the treadmill to play a dying football player. Food Consumer urges a more balanced approach, noting rapid loss strains the body and often comes back as fast as it went.
Nutrition
Diet Drug Linked to Liver Damage
The FDA reported 13 cases of liver damage it could tie to orlistat, sold as prescription Xenical and over-the-counter Alli, down from 32 cases first flagged in August 2009. Only two were in the US, against 40 million users worldwide.
Legal Actions
Hearing Scheduled for McNeil Plant
A hearing will examine the Pennsylvania McNeil plant behind the April 30 recall of Children's Tylenol and other Johnson & Johnson liquids. The FDA cited filthy equipment, bacterial contamination and untrained staff, and is reviewing 700 adverse-event reports, including seven deaths.
Lifestyle
Tanning Beds Increase Melanoma Risk
A University of Minnesota study interviewed 1,167 people aged 25 to 59 diagnosed with invasive melanoma and found tanning bed use tied to a 74 percent higher risk, accounting for exposure length, starting age and years of use. Which ultraviolet wavelength does the damage remains unsettled.
Miscellaneous
Cow Beating Video Ignites Fury
Hidden-camera footage that Mercy for Animals shot at Conklin Dairy Farm in Ohio shows workers hitting cows with crowbars, punching calves and stabbing animals with a pitchfork. Owner Gary Conklin fired the workers and said he would cooperate with investigators.
Other Diseases
FDA Issues Warning About PPIs
The FDA warned doctors and patients that proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, Aciphex and Prevacid carry a raised risk of hip, spine and wrist fractures, and said packaging will now carry a warning. It urged weighing benefits case by case or shortening treatment.
Disease
Olfactory Reference Syndrome Discussed at Convention
Katherine Phillips told an American Psychiatric Association convention about olfactory reference syndrome, in which patients believe part of them smells badly enough that people reject them. In her 20-patient study, three-quarters were convinced they had bad breath.
Drug
Recalled Tylenol Still Scrutinized
A House Oversight Committee report says federal regulators found no link between the 775 adverse events reported to the FDA and the April 30 recall of Johnson & Johnson's children's liquid medicines. Inspectors found bacterial contamination and dirty equipment at the Fort Washington plant.
Drug
Hepatitis C Drug Promising
In a clinical trial, 75% of patients who took Vertex's telaprivar with interferon and ribavirin for 24 weeks were essentially cured, against 44% on interferon and ribavirin alone. Side effects included fatigue, itching and rash; two more trials are due before an FDA filing.
Dining
Xtreme List Targets Restaurants
The Center for Science in the Public Interest named the most calorie-dense chain restaurant dishes, among them a 2,500-calorie Cheesecake Factory pasta carbonara and 1,820-calorie PF Chang's noodles. Its nutrition director says splitting them barely helps.
Miscellaneous
Lindsey Lohan Demonstrates Classic Behavior of an Addict/Alcoholic
After a judge ordered Lohan to wear an alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet, the writer argues her case matches that of any alcoholic: the incidents will keep repeating until she gives up the hope of drinking socially, because one or two drinks do not get her where she wants to go.
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