In a surprising new study that may affect thousands of heart-attack victims, researchers determined that the effectiveness of angioplasty and stenting is greatly diminished if the procedure takes place even a few days after the initial attack. The study, known as the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), was funded by the National Institute of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and is set to appear in the December 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the NIH, “About one-third of heart attack patients do not receive treatment to open blocked arteries within the recommended 12-hour timeframe after a heart attack…. For years it has been thought that late balloon angioplasty of these patients’ arteries, if they are totally blocked, is still beneficial and might prevent future heart failure, another heart attack, or death. However, according to the results of a large international multi-center clinical trial, stable patients who had angioplasty plus stenting three to 28 days after a heart attack did no better than patients on medical therapy (primarily drug treatment) alone.”
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As flu season rapidly approaches, parents and doctors are being urged to closely monitor children who are taking Tamiflu after reports linking the flu-fighting drug to bizarre psychiatric episodes. According to a newly released review by the Food and Drug Administration, there were more than 100 reports of abnormal behavior–including delirium and suicidal tendencies–in Tamiflu patients between August of 2005 and July of this year. The FDA is considering adding new warnings to the Tamiflu label in order to inform patients of the risks involved.

Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) is made by Roche Pharmaceuticals and was approved by the FDA for use in children aged 1 to 12 in December of 2005. The large majority of the reports of adverse psychiatric effects (including three fatalities) came from Japan, where Tamiflu is incredibly popular.
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A new report by the Institute of Medicine highlights a potential connection between military service and the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The nervous system disorder, a progressive and usually fatal condition, affects 20,000 to 30,000 people in the United States, and roughly 5,000 patients are stricken with ALS every year.

According to the IOM report, “Several recent epidemiologic studies have reported an association between development of ALS and prior service in the U.S. military. Because of the findings of those studies, the Department of Veterans Affairs asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct an independent assessment of the potential relationship between military service and ALS.” The report found that there is “limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS…. In addition, research is needed to explore what might be causing ALS among veterans–whether it could be chemicals, involvement in traumatic events, intensive physical activity, or other substances or activities that might be encountered during military service.”
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Spurred by an MSNBC report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has launched an investigation into the case of a 5-year-old boy who nearly strangled himself while playing with a Yo-Yo Water Ball last month. According to MSNBC, the popular toy is responsible for injuring more than 400 children across the United States.

Earlier this week, MSNBC reported the story of 5-year-old Brayden Daher from Bellevue, Wash., who nearly died after the bungee-type cord of a Yo-Yo Ball got wrapped around his neck. “He was purple, almost blue, and his eyes were bloodshot and watering,” Brayden’s mother, Carolyn Daher, told MSNBC. “I could barely get my fingers underneath the cord to pull it. And when you do that, it pulls tighter and tighter, and it was cutting into his neck.”
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A new Harvard study claims that high blood-sugar levels are responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. In a summary of the report, published in this week’s issue of Lancet, researchers from Harvard’s School of Public Health say, “Higher-than-optimum blood glucose is a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality in most world regions. Programs for cardiovascular risk and diabetes management and control at the population level need to be more closely integrated.”

Although increased blood sugar can lead to diabetes, the new study shows that the condition is still potentially fatal even before it reaches the diabetes level. They attribute more than 3,000,000 deaths per year to the condition, which can lead to strokes and heart disease. In other words, high blood sugar is in the same league as smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol in terms of its potential for fatal outcomes.
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Due to a risk of contamination, Boston Salads & Provisions Co. has announced a voluntary recall of certain cole slaw products. The company has acknowledged that there is a potential for contamination by a rare organism known as Listeria monocytogenes, which can have severe if not fatal implications for young children, the elderly, and consumers with weak immune systems. In response, the company is recalling all of its five-pound, 10-pound, and 30-pound bulk containers, along with their one-pound retail containers, with sell by dates of November 9 and November 11, 2006.

Boston Salads sells their cole slaw under three brand names–Boston Salads & Provisions Co. Inc., Dietz and Watson Inc., and Hummel Brothers Inc.–in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. At this point, there have been no reported illnesses related to the product recall. Healthy adults infected with Listeria usually face only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. However, Listeria infection can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
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The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), claiming that HHS has failed to provide documents related to the federal funding of “pregnancy-resource centers” accused of providing false and misleading information to its clients. The action is being taken under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). According to CREW, the organization had requested the relevant documents on August 4 of this year, but to this point HHS has refused to comply with the request.

The genesis of the controversy is a July report prepared for Rep. Henry Waxman by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Government Reform. In the report, titled “False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers,” the researchers found that “the centers provided false and misleading information about a link between abortion and breast cancer…, the effect of abortion on future fertility…, and the mental health effects of abortion.” The CREW suit is seeking access to all documents related to these pregnancy resource centers, their communications with the White House or any other governmental body, their connections to the faith-based initiative program, and the subject of federal funding.
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Michigan-based Perrigo Co. is voluntarily recalling 383 lots of over-the-counter 500-milligram acetaminophen, which will affect roughly 11 million bottles of the popular painkiller. The reason for the recall is the presence of small metal fragments in some of the caplets in question. Perrigo, the world’s largest producer of store-brand drugs and supplements, manufacturers the drug for sale under store brands for more than 100 retailers, including Wal-Mart, Safeway, and CVS.

Perrigo discovered the problem after finding worn-down caplet-making equipment during routine quality-control processes. After discovering the faulty machinery, Perrigo ran 70 million caplets through a metal detector and found that approximately 200 of them contained metal fragments ranging from “microdots” to eight-millimeter lengths of wire.
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A new research report in the British medical journal Lancet found that more than 200 industrial chemicals can have adverse effects on the brain development of fetuses and young children–and that a large majority of them continue to be untested and unregulated. Although regulated substances such as lead, methylmercury, and arsenic have long been known to pose dangers to fetuses and children at even relatively low doses, the new report claims that there is a “silent pandemic” of brain development disorders related to the toxic effects of countless other harmful chemicals in the environment.

Researchers led by Dr. Philippe Grandjean noted in a summary published on the Lancet website: “Another 200 chemicals are known to cause clinical neurotoxic effects in adults. Despite an absence of systematic testing, many additional chemicals have been shown to be neurotoxic in laboratory models. The toxic effects of such chemicals in the developing human brain are not known and they are not regulated to protect children. The two main impediments to prevention of neurodevelopmental deficits of chemical origin are the great gaps in testing chemicals for developmental neurotoxicity and the high level of proof required for regulation.”
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) offered some disheartening and potentially frightening news in its 2006 World Energy Outlook (WEO) report. Among the troublesome predictions: a 53 percent increase in energy consumption and a 55 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the next quarter-century. The IEA also said that they expected the demand for oil to increase from its current 84 million barrels per day to 116 million barrels per day in the same time frame, a nearly 40 percent jump that will push the price of a barrel over $100.

The IEA is urging governments worldwide to modify and update their energy policies in a timely fashion. Their suggestions include an emphasis on greater industrial efficiency, dedication to renewable energy and biofuels, and an increased reliance on nuclear power. They’ve also called for a major commitment to and investment in technological advancement and research, including searching for reliable alternative energy sources and finding ways to curtail demand. However, they also called for a significant investment in global oil and coal facilities as well, in order to head off a potential crisis.
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