Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Botox ingredient has limited effect on headaches
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The main ingredient in Botox
may be modestly helpful for people with chronic migraines, a
new report suggests — but it doesn’t seem to offer much relief
for those who have less-frequent headaches. Patients who
started out having headaches almost every day reported two
fewer headaches per month when they were given injections of
botulinum toxin A. But they also had more side effects,
including weak muscles and stiff necks.
U.S. cholesterol rate falls, study shows
ATLANTA (Reuters) – Only 13.4 percent of U.S. adults have
high cholesterol, a federal agency said on Tuesday, possibly
reflecting better diet, more exercise and the increased use of
prescription drugs to lower the risk of heart attacks. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2009 and
2010 revealed a 27 percent decline over 10 years in the
percentage of adults with high cholesterol, a major risk factor
for heart disease that is the leading cause of death in the
United States.
Texts prime parents to get kids a flu shot: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Research in New York City
suggests that sending parents educational text messages about
the flu vaccine and where to get it could increase the number
of kids and teens protected during flu season. Researchers
following more than 9,000 mostly low-income kids found that
when parents got a series of text messages starting early in
the 2010-2011 flu season, their kids were more likely to have
gotten a flu shot by the end of that season than children of
parents who didn’t receive the texts.
Mad cow disease found in California; no human threat seen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. authorities reported the
country’s first case of mad cow disease in six years on
Tuesday, swiftly assuring consumers and global importers that
there was no danger of meat from the California dairy cow
entering the food chain. Despite assurances from Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack that the finding posed ”no risk to the
food supply or to human health,” two major South Korean
retailers halted sales of U.S. beef and the government there
said it may suspend quarantine inspections, a move that would
effectively halt imports.
Prescription drug abuse abetted by family, friends: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 70 percent of people who
abuse prescription pain relievers obtain the drugs from friends
or relatives, usually with permission and for free, according
to a government study to be released on Wednesday. The study,
based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health,
underscores the public education challenge that law enforcement
officials face in persuading legitimate prescription drug users
to dispose of their medications properly before they fall into
the wrong hands.
Worm turns sheep clone to ”good” fat: China scientists
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese scientists have cloned a
genetically modified sheep containing a ”good” type of fat
found naturally in nuts, seeds, fish and leafy greens that
helps reduce the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular
disease. ”Peng Peng,” which has a roundworm fat gene, weighed
in at 5.74 kg when it was born on March 26 in a laboratory in
China’s far western region of Xinjiang.
Prevention a low priority in heart docs’ training
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A new survey of training
programs for future cardiologists suggests that only a fraction
are getting the minimum level of education in heart disease
prevention that professional guidelines recommend. ”Prevention
and management of risk factors (for heart disease) is not an
emphasized — and almost neglected — portion of the
curriculum,” said Dr. Quinn Pack, the lead author of the study.
”We don’t know how it affects (doctors’) knowledge.”
Is the obesity tide turning among preschoolers?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In eastern Massachusetts, the
number of kids under age six who are obese declined
significantly in recent years — a trend that might be
happening nationwide as well, according to a new study. On the
down side, obesity rates among lower-income children remain
more stubbornly stable, researchers report in the journal
Pediatrics.
Malaria infections surge in Congo: MSF
DAKAR (Reuters) – Malaria cases treated by Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) more
than tripled to 155,000 last year from two years previous, the
aid agency said on Tuesday. The increase shows an upsurge in
the prevalence of the deadly mosquito-borne parasitic disease,
but it was still unclear what was behind the increase in the
number, MSF said ahead of world malaria day on Wednesday.
India, Africa slow global progress in measles fight
LONDON (Reuters) – Death rates from measles fell 74 percent
between 2000 and 2010, missing an internationally agreed target
for a 90 percent fall mainly because of low vaccine coverage in
India and Africa where the virus kills tens of thousands a
year. A study led by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
published on Tuesday found that despite rapid progress, regular
measles outbreaks in Africa and slow implementation of disease
control in India were major concerns and led to the target
being missed.
