Health Highlights: Nov. 3, 2008
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Researchers Study Lithium Treatment for Neuron Disease
A major study to assess the use of the mood stabilizer lithium as a treatment for motor neuron disease is being launched by British researchers. The 18-month study will include 220 patients who've had motor neuron disease (MND) for between six months and three years.
There is no effective treatment or cure for MND, a rapidly progressive condition that can strike adults of any age and is usually fatal within two to five years. Recent laboratory and animal tests have suggested that lithium -- long used as a treatment for some forms of depression, such as bipolar disorder -- may be effective against the MND, BBC News reported.
Many MND patients have heard about these findings and are asking if they should be taking lithium, said Professor Nigel Leigh, director of the MND Care and Research Centre at King's College London. However, only a small number of patients are taking lithium because it can cause potentially dangerous side effects, such as tremors, stiffness, confusion, kidney damage and harm to the thyroid.
Leigh urged doctors and MND patients to wait for the results of the study before making any decisions about taking lithium, BBC News reported.
-----
Blood Test Could Identify Obesity Risk
It may be possible to identify people at risk for obesity by using a blood test that measures how blood triglycerides react to a high-fat meal, says a U.S. study. Triglycerides are a form of fat transported in the blood and stored in the body's fat tissues.
Mark Friedman, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined rats' vulnerability to diet-induced obesity, United Press International reported.
First, the researchers measured increases in the animals' blood triglyceride levels after the rats ate a high-fat meal. The rats were then fed a fatty diet for four weeks.
Based on the findings from the initial test, the researchers were able to predict which rats would become obese during those four weeks. The smaller the triglyceride change in the initial test, the greater the weight gain, UPI reported.
The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.
-----
Tests for Dangerous Gut Bug Unreliable: Study
Screening tests currently used by hospitals to detect C. difficile, a potentially lethal gut infection, are unreliable, according to a study by researchers in the United Kingdom.
C. difficile is a hospital-acquired infection that can lead to severe inflammation of the bowel, as well as diarrhea; it is fatal in up to 15 percent of cases. The bacteria is especially dangerous in patients receiving antibiotics, because these drugs upset the gut's normal balance, allowing the bug to thrive.
Reporting early online and in the December print issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers led by Sanjeev Krishna, of St. George's University of London and St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust, reviewed the accuracy of currently available test kits used to spot C. difficile.
They found that the tests had a rate of false-positive results ranging from 3 percent to 45 percent, while the rate for missing a true positive ranged from 5 percent to 24 percent. Misdiagnosis can have severe consequences for patients, the researchers noted, including the inappropriate cessation of antibiotics in patients fighting other illnesses, or inappropriate treatment for C. difficile.
To remedy the situation, the researchers propose a new two-stage testing system: First, a highly sensitive stool sample would quickly identify nearly all positives, and then a second test would be conducted to rule out any false-positive result. "We are currently evaluating such a testing scheme in our department," the scientists said.
-----
FDA OKs New Drug for Overactive Bladder
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new drug to help people who struggle with an overactive bladder.
The drug, Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate), made by German manufacturer Schwarz Pharma, works by relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the bladder, reducing frequent urination, the urge to urinate, and sudden urinary incontinence, the Associated Press reported.
"Patients who suffer from overactive bladder face quality of life issues that can hamper their ability to enjoy life to its fullest," Dr. George Benson, deputy director of the FDA's Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products, said in a news release. "This new drug will provide an additional treatment option to help them manage problems with an overactive bladder."
Toviaz, to be taken once a day by adults only, will be available by prescription only.
The FDA said it approved Toviaz based on the results of two studies involving more than 1,000 people with the disorder. Common side effects were dry mouth and constipation; less frequently reported side effects were dry eyes and trouble emptying the bladder, the AP said.
Posted: November 2008
