Archive for April 4th, 2012
Study connects antibiotics to retinal detachment risk
April 4th, 2012 | 
Author: Canadian researchers found that use of fluoroquinolones slightly increases a person's risk of retinal detachment, which could lead to blindness. They examined the records of nearly 1 million patients and found that 3.3% of those with a retinal detachment were taking the antibiotics compared with 0.6% of those without the eye condition. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Some commonly used U.S. brand names of fluoroquinolones include:
Avelox
Cipro
Floxin
Levaquin
Maxaquin
Noroxin
Tequin
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New Lupus Genes Identified – Still unknown is how they contribute to SLE
Three new genes linked to the chronic autoimmune disease lupus have been identified by an international team of researchers.
The analysis of more than 17,000 genetic samples from people of several ethnic groups also pinpointed another 11 genetic regions that may be related to lupus and require further study.
The researchers found that the genes IRF8 and TMEM39a are associated with lupus in European-American, African-American, Gullah (a distinctive group of African-Americans in Georgia and South Carolina) and Asian patients. The gene IKZF3 is only significantly associated with lupus in African-Americans and European-Americans.
The researchers said their findings, which appear in the April 6 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, show that the genes that cause lupus aren't always universal.
Doctor Panels Recommend Fewer Tests for Patients
In a move likely to alter treatment standards in hospitals and doctors’ offices nationwide, a group of nine medical specialty boards plans to recommend on Wednesday that doctors perform 45 common tests and procedures less often, and to urge patients to question these services if they are offered. Eight other specialty boards are preparing to follow suit with additional lists of procedures their members should perform far less often …
The list of tests and procedures they advise against includes EKGs done routinely during a physical, even when there is no sign of heart trouble, M.R.I.’s ordered whenever a patient complains of back pain, and antibiotics prescribed for mild sinusitis — all quite common.
First-generation Mexican-Americans thinner
First-generation Mexican-American children of immigrant parents weigh less than second- and third-generation Mexican-American kids, U.S. researchers said … many Mexican-Americans have grown away from their dietary roots in traditional Mexican food, which favors items such as fruit and vegetables, and meat and beans.
Eco-friendly Grocery Totes Can Increase Risk for Food Poisoning
Reusable grocery totes are a popular, eco-friendly choice to transport groceries, but only 15 percent of Americans regularly wash their bags. Most users are inadvertently creating a breeding zone for harmful bacteria, according to a new survey by the Home Food Safety program, a collaboration between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) and ConAgra Foods.
Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat Isn’t Just a White Coat
If you wear a white coat that you believe belongs to a doctor, your ability to pay attention increases sharply. But if you wear the same white coat believing it belongs to a painter, you will show no such improvement.
So scientists report after studying a phenomenon they call enclothed cognition: the effects of clothing on cognitive processes.
Women having more drunken-driving crashes
Underage U.S. female drinkers have caught up with men in being involved in drunken-driving crashes, researchers said.