Boost for breast cancer drugs?

Source:  BBC Health; Journal Cancer Research

Tamoxifen (an estrogen blocker) is currently the most prescribed drug to fight breast cancer recurrence.  However up to 1/3 of women do not respond to Tamoxifen.  The reasons for this are not completely known as of this post but are believed to lie in a gene -FGFR1.

Researchers are now working [...]

Pediatric Emergencies -a remote interview re-blogged.

Source:  Medscape Medical News

Pediatric respiratory emergencies result from a variety of causes, including chronic medical conditions, infections, allergic reactions, and obstruction from foreign bodies. At the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, held February 15 to 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada, management of the pediatric patient with a respiratory emergency and [...]

Declare your almonds Turkey Hill!

Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Turkey Hill Dairy of Conestoga, Pa., is recalling its 1.5 qt. (48 oz./1.42L) packages of Chocolate Marshmallow Premium Ice Cream because the product may contain almonds that were inadvertently added during production. (Inadvertently added almonds?)

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue, [...]

Say it ain’t so Joe! FDA Alert Friday.

Source:  U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Trader Joe’s Company of Monrovia, California is voluntarily recalling Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars, UPC 82818, Use by Dates/Lot Codes 16JUL10H2 and 17JUL10H1, manufactured by Bloomfield Bakery, a subsidiary of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, [...]

FDA New Push to avoid injury from over-radiation with CT

Source:  U.S. Food & Drug Administration Press Release

The FDA is taking initiative to reduce the risks of injury associated with “unnecessary” radiation exposure from CT (Computed Tomography), nuclear medicine and fluoroscopy.

Unlike traditional x-rays and mammography for which radiation doses have decreased over the years, the amount of radiation from medical imaging from the above has [...]

Nursing Home Care and Pressure (bed) Sores

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In 2004 a National Survey was conducted of Nursing homes in the U.S.  Unfortunately this is the most recent comprehensive study of its type.  Among the Data from the National Nursing Home Survey, 2004 was the following:

In 2004, about 159,000 current U.S. nursing home residents (11%) had [...]

Twins and Older Moms

Source:  Journal of Human Reproduction;  BBC Health

Must be the wooden shoes.  Researchers from Vrije University (between Amstelveenseweg and De Boelelaan Streets in Amsterdam –Look it it up if you don’t believe me), have studied the development of eggs in over 500 Dutch women to determine why women over age 35 have twins more frequently than [...]

Second hand smoke? I give you third hand smoke.

Source:  BBC Health; PNAS (no laughing) Journal

The Journal for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science has published a study on lingering tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs).  Researchers in Berkeley, California (say no more Berkeley) have found “substantial” concentrations of toxins upon substances exposed to tobacco products.

What sort of substances? Clothing, furniture and wallpaper for starters.   [...]

Men, soy and lung cancer.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

What do these three things have in common?  Well, men who are non-smokers and who eat more soy MAY have a lower risk of getting lung cancer than other men.  Okay, the non-smoking part may be an obvious one, but the soy?

Soybeans contain natural compounds called isoflavanones.  Isoflavanones mimic estrogen, [...]

Mental wellness and hysterectomy for fibroids.

Source: Reuters; British Journal of Gynecology, Jan. 14, 2010.

Partial hysterectomies (where the cervix and lower portion of the uterus are left intact) have been on the increase since 1991. The majority of these surgeries are performed for non-cancerous conditions such as uterine fibroids whcih can cause bleeding and chronic pelvic pain.  Total hysterectomy is [...]