A University of Gothenburg study followed 20,000 men for 14 years and found prostate cancer deaths were half as high among those offered PSA screening. Critics point to overdiagnosis: one US study found that for every 20 men treated, only one benefits from early screening.
Rachel Stockton
Lifestyle
Teenage Girls are in Drug Dependency Crisis
A Partnership for a Drug Free America survey found 70% of teenage girls thought drugs and alcohol could help them cope with problems at home, while boys more often drank to loosen up socially. From 2008 to 2009 girls' alcohol use rose 11% and marijuana use 29%, against 2% and 15% for boys.
Food Chemicals
FDA: Too Many Antibiotics
In a draft guidance, the FDA asked farmers to give food animals antibiotics only when the animal's health is at stake, not to promote growth, warning that overuse breeds resistant bacteria. Pork producers called it burdensome; scientists' groups said the agency moved too slowly.
Other Diseases
Vets in MO may be at Risk for Hepatitis, HIV
The St. Louis VA says 1,800 veterans who had dental work between February 2009 and March 2010 may have been exposed to hepatitis B and C and HIV, after a March inspection found technicians hand washing instruments before machine cleaning. Free screening is being offered.
Obesity
Biking/Brisk Walking Deal Blows to Obesity
A state-by-state report found adults heavier than a year earlier in more than half of states. The Harvard Nurses' Health Study, which followed over 116,000 women for 16 years, found those doing the equivalent of 30 minutes of biking or brisk walking a day held their weight or lost a few pounds.
Obesity
Obesity Statistics by State are Revealed
A report by two advocacy groups finds Americans grew heavier in 28 states over the past year, with 10 of the 11 highest-obesity states in the South and Mississippi first for the sixth year running. More than a quarter of the population is obese in 38 states.
Other Diseases
Whooping Cough Epidemic Deadly
California's health department is supplying free pertussis vaccine to hospitals and urging residents to be vaccinated, warning the state is on pace for the most whooping cough illnesses and deaths in 50 years. The piece explains how the bacteria spread.
Other Diseases
Greg Allman Still Recovering
Gregg Allman, co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, received a liver transplant in Jacksonville, Florida on June 23 after years of hepatitis C treatment and irreversible liver damage. He says doctors expect him well enough for his daughter's July 26 wedding.
Miscellaneous
Febrile Seizures More Likely After MMRV Vaccine
A CDC-funded study of 459,000 children found toddlers given the combined MMRV shot were twice as likely to have a febrile seizure as those given the vaccines separately, about one extra seizure per 2,300 doses, 7 to 10 days after. The CDC now advises giving the first doses separately.
Diabetes
Avandia Coming Under Fire
Research in the Archives of Internal Medicine covering more than a quarter of a million Medicare patients found Avandia carried a 28 to 39 percent higher risk of major cardiovascular events, which researchers put at roughly one event per 60 patients treated for a year.
Food
Good News for Starbucks?
Pooling nine studies that compared 5,139 people with head and neck cancer to 9,028 without, University of Milan researchers found drinking four or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day was linked to 39 percent lower risk. No protection appeared for laryngeal cancer, and none for tea drinkers.
Nutrition
McDonald's Threatened with Lawsuit
The Center for Science in the Public Interest warned McDonald's it may sue unless the chain drops toys from Happy Meals, arguing they undermine parents and push children toward salty, fatty food. McDonald's cited smaller portions and an apple-slice option. CDC tips for parents follow.
Autoimmune Diseases
Texas Offers Free HIV Testing
Texas cities including Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio offer free testing on National HIV Testing Day, June 27. NAPWA started the day in 1995; the CDC estimates 250,000 of the million Americans living with HIV/AIDS do not know their status.
Disease
Menopause and Heart Disease: What are the Risks?
In an analysis of 2,509 women from the MESA study, those who reported menopause before 46 were twice as likely to have a cardiovascular event, across all ethnicities. Lead author Melissa Wellons stresses the observational design cannot establish cause.
Cancer
HRT Under Scrutiny
The US Supreme Court let a new trial proceed for Donna Scroggin, who developed breast cancer after 11 years on Provera, Premarin and Prempro. A 2008 jury awarded her $27 million in punitive and $2.7 million in compensatory damages; Wyeth faces more than 8,000 suits.
Chemical
Study: PBDEs Affect Hormone Critical to Fetal Development
Among 270 pregnant women, those with higher blood levels of PBDE flame retardants more often showed subclinical hyperthyroidism, Berkeley researchers found. Co-author Brenda Eskenazi links the resulting higher T4 to miscarriage, premature birth and restricted growth in the womb.
Nutrition
Study: Kids Prefer Cartoon Packaging
Yale researchers watched 40 preschoolers taste graham crackers, gummy fruit snacks and baby carrots from plain packaging and from packaging bearing Dora, Shrek or Scooby Doo. The children preferred the character versions, which author Christina Roberto says makes packaging a maker's responsibility.
Advisories
FDA Issues Warning Re Magic Power Coffee
The FDA warns that Magic Power Coffee, sold as an all-natural aphrodisiac supplement, contains hydroxythiohomosildenafil, a chemical similar to Viagra's active ingredient that can sharply lower blood pressure in men taking nitrate medications such as nitroglycerin.
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