Year: 2012
Jesse Jackson Jr., promising political scion, resigns
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Jesse Jackson Jr. is the namesake son of one of the most prominent black men in the United States, a progressive-minded activist whose ascent into public life prompted talk of a new era of African-American political power. In the early years, speculation swirled around the Democratic representative to the U.S. House and his appetite and ambition, almost all of it positive. Would he be the next mayor of Chicago? The next U.S. …
Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment
Study reignites controversy over mammograms
CHICAGO (Reuters) – As many as a third of cancers detected through routine mammograms may not be life threatening, according to a study published on Wednesday that raises fresh questions about the benefits of breast cancer screening. The study, which looked at three decades of U.S. government data, found more than 1 million women may have been over diagnosed for breast cancer, needlessly exposing them to the anguish of a breast cancer diagnosis and the ordeal of treatment. “It’s a lot of women. It’s a very substantial harm,” said Dr. …
Medication cuts crime rate among ADHD sufferers
LONDON (Reuters) – Criminal behavior in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drops sharply when they take stimulant drugs like Ritalin to help them to control impulses, scientists said on Wednesday. A study of more than 25,000 people with ADHD found the number of crimes committed was about a third or more lower in those taking medication, suggesting that encouraging ADHD patients to stay on the pills could cut the risk of crime. …
Longer waits for breast cancer patients on Medicare
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women with a new diagnosis of breast cancer who are covered by Medicare are waiting longer and longer to get treatment, according to a new nationwide study. Researchers found that between 1992 and 2005, the average waiting time between being diagnosed and having surgery rose from 21 days to 32 days. The delay was especially long for black and Hispanic women, and for those living in large cities. Still, the study team noted, it’s unclear how big a difference the extra week or two would make in women’s long-term health. …
Study: ADHD medicines help curb criminal behavior
Older teens and adults with attention deficit disorder are much less likely to commit a crime while on ADHD medication, a provocative study from Sweden found.
"Irrational" factors may drive end of life access to radiation
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Access to radiation treatments to ease cancer symptoms in the last days of life may be driven by costs and other non-medical considerations, a new U.S. study concludes. Researchers looking at Medicare claims over nearly a decade found that only a small proportion of cancer patients received radiation in their final 30 days of life, but of those who did get the treatment – typically used to ease pain and other symptoms in the terminal stages of the disease – one in five got more than the recommended number of doses. …
Calif. Mushroom Poisoning Claims Third Life
Ob-gynecologists back genetic blood test for at-risk women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – New, non-invasive tests for chromosomal disorders should be reserved for pregnant women with a higher-than-average risk of having a baby with Down syndrome, doctors said this week. The screening tests, which find small amounts of DNA from the fetus in the blood of pregnant women, can help diagnose a few genetic disorders starting late in the first trimester. Women at higher risk include those who are 35 and older, have a family history of genetic disorders or have abnormalities spotted on their ultrasounds. …
Injection Site Infections Join Meningitis, Joint Infections from Tainted Drugs
As if the more than 14,000 people who were potentially exposed to tainted injectable drugs through back or joint injections don’t have enough on their plate, public health officials announced Nov. 20 that they are seeing an increase in serious injection site infections. These injection site infections have been reported both in individuals who have fungal meningitis or peripheral joint infections and in individuals who had neither of the illnesses.