Reviewing records of 18 pregnant women hospitalized with H1N1 in Brooklyn between May and June 2009, researchers found three needed intensive care and seven gave birth there, six of those births premature. Two infants died and four were delivered by emergency C-section.
Rachel Stockton
Law & Regulations
Representatives urge Treasury Secretary to Protect Banks Working With Marijuana Dispensaries
Fifteen US representatives wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to assure national banks that serving state-legal medical marijuana dispensaries will not be targeted. They warn that without relief, dispensaries must operate entirely in cash.
Food Safety
Lithium Batteries Pose Hazard to Young Children
A swallowed button battery lodged in a toddler's esophagus can burn through tissue within two hours, and the danger comes from the battery's current rather than leakage. A study led by Toby Litovitz counted 14 deaths since the 1970s, six of them in the last six years.
Environment
Loss of Male Fetuses Higher after 9/11
UC Irvine researchers report in BMC that the male-to-female birth ratio fell significantly after the September 11 attacks, with fewer male live births in December 2001. They attribute it to “communal bereavement,” arguing male fetuses are more susceptible to maternal stress hormones.
Miscellaneous
Study shows that vaccinations do not interfere with brain development
Researchers reviewed health records of more than 1,000 children born between 1993 and 1997 and ran 42 neuropsychological tests. Lead author Dr. Michael J. Smith found delaying shots offered no benefit and said delay leaves children open to the diseases the vaccines prevent.
Lifestyle
Brittney Murphy's husband found dead in home
Simon Monjack was found dead at home five months after his wife Brittney Murphy died; his mother believes he died of natural causes. Murphy's death was attributed to community acquired pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia and multiple drug interactions.
Miscellaneous
Woman loses breast after brown recluse spider bite
Victoria Franklin, 51, of Georgia waited until her breast turned black before seeking care after a brown recluse bite; surgeons removed the breast and the muscle beneath while she lay in an 11-day coma. The venom kills tissue over days, and the U.S. has no antivenom.
Autoimmune Diseases
Female to Male AIDS Transmission Higher in Pregnancy
Researchers at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital studied more than 3,300 couples with one infected partner and found men whose pregnant partners had HIV faced double the infection risk; why remains unclear. The piece also reports rising infections in Uganda.
Miscellaneous
Childhood Mortality Rates on the Decline
Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimate global deaths of children under five fell from 11.9 million in 1990 to 7.7 million in 2010, with 31 of 187 countries on track to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goal 4.
Nutrition
Salmonella Outbreak Spurs Alfalfa Sprout Recall
The CDC reports 22 people in 10 states sickened by salmonella from raw alfalfa sprouts traced to Caldwell Fresh Foods of Maywood, California, prompting a nationwide recall. An infant died. The sprouts reached delis and grocers under several different brand names.
Disease
Dengue Fever Discovered in Key West
The CDC reports dengue cases traced to mosquito bites in Key West, Florida. Unlike earlier U.S. diagnoses, which followed travel to the tropics, this outbreak's source sits on American soil, and the agency stresses diligent vector-borne surveillance in the months ahead.
Avoiding Illness
Many Public Pools Harbor Dangerous Bacteria
CDC data collected across 13 states in 2008 found one in eight public pools carried enough microorganisms to concern health officials, and more than 12 percent had to close for serious code violations. Cryptosporidium, E. coli and Giardia drive most recreational water illness.
Miscellaneous
Small Business Owners Eligible for Tax Break
The IRS says small businesses paying at least half of employees' single health insurance premiums may claim a credit worth up to 35 percent of those premiums, rising to 50 percent in 2014, with up to 25 percent for tax-exempt organizations. The article lists the eligibility steps.
Lifestyle
Biking to Work Produces Myriad of Benefits
May is National Bike Month, and cities from the Bay Area to Fairbanks held rides and festivities. The piece makes the case for pedaling to work: fitness that can reverse problems tied to a sedentary life, and endorphins that lift the morning mood.
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