| HEALTH NEWS |
| Autism |
| Brain Scans Might Spot Autism as Early as 6 Months of Age |
| In children as young as 6 months old, changes in the brain that can lead to autism spectrum disorder may have already begun, preliminary research suggests. |
| Cardiovascular Disease |
| Treatment Advances Improve the Odds for Heart Failure Patients |
| Although a growing number of Americans now struggle with heart failure, experts say new treatments have dramatically improved both quality of life and life expectancy for these patients. |
| Heart Health is in Your Hands |
| Making the decision to change careers and attend graduate school was not only life changing from an intellectual perspective, but also from a health viewpoint—especially because of my strong family history of heart disease. |
| Heart Valve’s Launch Is Painstaking |
| Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital recently joined an exclusive club: The smattering of hospitals that Edwards Lifesciences Corp. allows to buy its new Sapien heart valve. |
| Neurologic Conditions |
| Weight Training May Help Parkinson’s Patients Retain Function |
| When it comes to helping Parkinson’s disease patients retain vital motor function, weight training may be more effective than stretching or balance exercises, a new study concludes. |
| Post-Stroke Speech Problems Inflate Cost of Treatment |
| Average medical costs for a stroke patient with language impairment (aphasia) are more than $1,700 higher in the first year after stroke than for a patient without aphasia, a new study finds. |
| Psychiatrist: Slow brain Aging with Good Choices |
| If you make good decisions about your physical and your emotional health, you literally can slow down or even reverse the brain’s aging process, according to award-winning psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, author of “Use Your Brain to Change Your Age.” |
| Obesity |
| Vivus Obesity Drug has Safety Risks-US FDA Staff |
| Vivus Inc’s obesity drug Qnexa helped people lose weight but may cause long-term health problems in overweight and obese patients, U.S. drugs reviewers said. |
| Vaccines |
| Some States Weigh Opt-Out Laws for Mandatory Immunizations |
| Lawmakers in seven states are considering legislation that would make it easier for parents to opt out of mandatory immunization requirements for their children, sparking debate among public health experts and some parents. |
| Doctors “Fire” Patients Who Refuse Vaccines for their Children: Ethical? |
| That’s the extreme step some pediatricians are taking when it comes to dealing with parents who won’t get their children vaccinated over concerns the injections cause autism or other side effects. The Wall Street Journal reports that these doctors are fed up and would rather rid the family from their practice than have unvaccinated children risk infecting other infants or sick children in the waiting room. |
| Women’s Health |
| Illicit Drug Use May Be Driving Rise in Ectopic Pregnancies in Florida |
| An alarming increase in ectopic pregnancy-related deaths among Florida women is likely caused by illicit drug use and delays in seeking medical care, a U.S. report released Thursday says. |
| Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Fertility Woes, Miscarriage |
| Women with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus often have fewer children than they’d hoped for, according to a new study. |
| Other News |
| After 37 Years, Washington D.C. Gets Mental Health System |
| The nation’s capital regained control of its mental health system on Thursday when a federal judge approved a settlement in a 37-year-old class-action lawsuit, the mayor’s office said. |
| Jon Secada Joins Hepatitis C Awareness Campaign |
| Three-time Grammy winner Jon Secada wishes his father Jose hadn’t kept his Hepatitis C diagnosis a secret. The Cuban-American singer-songwriter’s father died last year from complications related to the virus and failed to get the help he needed in time. |
| Exercise Can Build Young Adults’ Bones, Study Finds |
| Exercising in young adulthood boosts bone density, new research suggests. Researchers looked at the physical activity levels of over 800 Swedish men aged 19 to 24 and found that those who boosted their physical activity during that period also showed increased bone density in the hips, arms and lower legs and spine. |
| Tasmanian Devil Genome Mapping May Help Humans Too |
| Scientists have mapped the genome of Australia’s endangered Tasmanian devil for the first time and found that deadly facial tumors decimating the species evolve very slowly, making it possible help might be found before the animals vanish forever. |
| Arsenic Found in Infant Formula, Cereal Bars |
| Is arsenic in your breakfast? A new study suggests that might just be what you – or your children – are having each morning. Researchers at Dartmouth College already knew that rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic. This includes rice products, such as organic brown rice syrup, an alternative sweetener to high fructose corn syrup. Exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic over time has been tied to increased risk for cancer. |
| So Long, King-Sized Snickers: Mars to Set Calorie Limit on Chocolate |
| Fans of king-sized Snickers and Twix bars may want to stock up. According to Reuters, the candy maker Mars Inc. plans to impose a 250-calorie limit on its chocolate products by the end of next year. |
| INDUSTRY NEWS |
| EU Agency Says Weight-Loss Drugs Risk Acceptable |
| The European Medicines Agency has decided that the benefits of orlistat-containing weight loss drugs, including GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli and Roche’s Xenical, outweigh the risk of very rare liver-related side effects. |
| Astra Takes Brand Cancer Drug Straight to Patients |
| AstraZeneca Plc is selling breast cancer drug Arimidex directly to U.S. patients, offering an option for people who want to pay for the brand instead of generic versions. |
| Microchip Delivers Drug; Can it Replace Shots? |
| An implantable, wireless microchip delivered osteoporosis medicine to a small group of Danish women, raising hope for a new kind of drug delivery device that might allow patients to skip regular injections, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. |
| System to Catch Fake Drugs has Idled for Years |
| The news this week that a fake version of the cancer medicine Avastin has made its way into the United States highlights a longtime concern: There are few safeguards to make sure fake drugs can be spotted before they make it to your doctor’s office. |
| U.S. to Review Diet Treatment Once Rejected |
| Next week, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will recommend whether the agency should approve the first new prescription diet pill in 13 years. |
| J&J Recalls Infant Tylenol over Dosing System Flaw |
| Johnson & Johnson said it is recalling about 574,000 bottles of its grape-flavored liquid infant Tylenol in the United States after parents complained about problems with the dosing system. |
| Newly-Approved FDA Drug Dramatically Changing Lives of CF Patients |
| On the surface, Lindsay Shipp’s story may sound sad, but it’s a story of hope with a happy ending. All her life, Shipp has been trying to keep up a positive attitude. She knew the disease from which she suffered – cystic fibrosis – could cut her life short, but she tried to play it off like she was fine. |
| Some Electric Toothbrushes Causing Health Problems, FDA Says |
| Your dentist may recommend you use an electric toothbrush, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers of some potential hazards. |
| MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS |
| Google’s iPhone Tracking |
| Google Inc. and other advertising companies have been bypassing the privacy settings of millions of people using Apple Inc.’s Web browser on their iPhones and computers—tracking the Web-browsing habits of people who intended for that kind of monitoring to be blocked. |
| DNA Nano-Robots will Hunt Down and Kill Cancer Cells |
| New nano-robots made from DNA can transport a precise deadly cargo to unhealthy cells. The tiny robots bring closer the long-held nanotech dream of a fleet of small robots that can storm the body and kill diseased cells one by one. |
| Apple’s Mac Makeover |
| CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook wants to make its Mac more like an iPhone. In an interview at the company’s headquarters here, Mr. Cook unveiled a new version of the company’s Mac operating system that incorporates several features from the software that powers Apple’s hit mobile devices. |
