Baxter’s multiple-dose vial Heparin causing allergy

Baxter’s Multiple-dose Vial Heparin Linked to Severe Allergic Reactions. FDA advises health care practitioners to switch suppliers and limit use of drug until problem identified. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that Baxter Healthcare Corporation has temporarily stopped manufacturing multiple-dose vials of the injectable blood-thinning drug heparin due to reports of serious allergic reactions and hypotension (low blood pressure) in patients who receive high “bolus” doses of the drug.

DNA sequencing found virus killing transplant recipients in Australia

DNA sequencing establishes high throughput genetic sequencing as powerful tool for pathogen discovery; technology enables improvements in screening for transplant safety. – In the first application of high throughput DNA sequencing technology to investigate an infectious disease outbreak, link the discovery of a new arenavirus to the deaths of three transplant recipients who received organs from a single donor in Victoria, Australia in April 2007.

Babies excrete vaccine-mercury quicker

Infants? bodies expel the thimerosal mercury much faster than once thought ? thereby leaving little chance for a progressive building up of the toxic metal. – February’s issue of Pediatrics offers another reason to rethink blaming the spike in autism diagnoses on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative routinely used in several childhood vaccines until the late ?90s.

Research suggests why scratching is so relieving

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have uncovered new clues about why scratching may be so relieving ? and why it can be hard to stop. – Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have uncovered new clues about why scratching may be so relieving ? and why it can be hard to stop. This is the first study to use imaging technology to see what goes on in the brain when we scratch.

Sugary soft drinks linked to gout in men

Consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men, finds a study published on bmj.com. – Consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men. Gout is a joint disease which causes extreme pain and swelling. It is most common in men aged 40 and older. It is caused by excess uric acid in the blood (hyperuricaemia) which leads to uric acid crystals collecting around the joints.

Diabetes increasing among older Americans

Diabetes increasing among older Americans

The burden of financing and providing medical care for persons older than 65 in the United States having diagnosed diabetes is growing rapidly as a result of increased incidence and, especially, prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, decreased mortality, and overall lack of improvement in rates of complications in persons having diagnosed diabetes. – The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is growing worldwide. Consequently, there has been increased emphasis on primary and secondary prevention of diabetes. The annual number of Americans older than 65 newly diagnosed with diabetes increased by 23 percent between 1994 to 1995 and 2003 to 2004, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Cutting caffeine, coffee, tea may help control diabetes

Daily consumption of caffeine in coffee, tea or soft drinks increases blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes, research suggests. – Daily consumption of caffeine in coffee, tea or soft drinks increases blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes and may undermine efforts to control their disease, say scientists at Duke University Medical Center.

Genes linked with lupus giving hope for new treatments

Researchers have made a number of important new discoveries into the mysterious autoimmune disease lupus. A consortium of international researchers has located new regions of the human genome associated with an increased risk for the disease. – Scientists have identified a number of genes involved in Lupus, a devastating autoimmune disease, in new research published today in the journal Nature Genetics. In an international genetic study of more than 3,000 women, researchers found evidence of an association between Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) and mutations in several different genes.

Ebola virus disarmed by excising a single gene

Ebola virus disarmed by excising a single gene

Ebola virus ranks among the most feared of exotic pathogens, due to its virulent nature, and because no vaccines or treatments are available. – The deadly Ebola virus, an emerging public health concern in Africa and a potential biological weapon, ranks among the most feared of exotic pathogens. Due to its virulent nature, and because no vaccines or treatments are available, scientists studying the agent have had to work under the most stringent biocontainment protocols, limiting research to a few highly specialized labs and hampering the ability of scientists to develop countermeasures.

Fifty per cent increase in organ donation possible in 5 years

Donating an organ is the greatest gift anyone can bestow. Last year around 2,400 people in the UK benefited from an organ transplant, but more than 1000 people die every year waiting for a transplant. – The UK Department of Health announced it would back the recommendations of the Organ Donation Taskforce, which could see a 50 per cent increase in organ donation in the UK within five years – resulting in an additional 1,200 transplants a year and saving thousands of lives.

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