News Briefs Across the Nation

by Susan Williams

FDA Issues Warning About Rotavirus Vaccine

The FDA issued a public health warning in February about the rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq. The agency has received 28 reports on infants getting intussusception after being vaccinated with RotaTeq since the vaccine was licensed in February last year.

The vaccine prevents rotavirus gastroenteritis, the major cause of diarrhea and vomiting in young children worldwide. The infection is highly contagious and can cause severe dehydration and even death.

Intussusception is a rare but serious life-threatening condition in which part of the intestine collapses into another part of the intestine. This "telescoping" often blocks or twists the intestine, preventing food or fluid from passing through. Intussusception also cuts off the blood supply to the affected part of the intestine.

The FDA says it is issuing the notice to remind people that intussusception is a potential complication of the RotaTeq vaccine, and to encourage them to report cases of intussusception so that the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can assess the risks associated with the vaccine. It is still not known whether any of the reported cases were caused by RotaTeq or were just coincidence. Of the 28 cases reported so far, about half occurred within 21 days of vaccination and 16 of the infants had to have surgery. The other children were treated without surgery, using enemas. No deaths were reported.

Parents are advised to contact their healthcare professional immediately if their child develops potential signs of the condition at any time after vaccination, including stomach pain, abdominal swelling or distension, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the stool, or other changes in bowel movements.

Study Finds That Drinking Cola May Harm Bones

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, roughly 55% of Americans, mostly women, are at risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease which leaves bones weak and more likely to fracture. Complications from hip fractures are a common cause of disability and even death in women as they age. Now, a recent study reported in the October 2006 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that drinking regular, diet, and decaffeinated cola drinks - such as Pepsi-Cola or Coca-Cola - on a regular basis may contribute to lower bone density and put women at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Researchers at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University analyzed data from 2,500 men and women who were part of the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. The average age of those studied was just under 60. In women, cola consumption was associated with lower bone mineral density at three different areas of the hip, regardless of factors such as age, menopausal status, total calcium and vitamin D intake, or use of cigarettes or alcohol. However, cola consumption was not associated with lower bone mineral density for men at the hip sites, or the spine for either men or women. The results were similar for diet cola and, although weaker, for decaffeinated cola as well.

"The more cola that women drank, the lower their bone mineral density was," said Katherine Tucker, PhD. study author and director of the Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program at Tufts University, in a press release. "However, we did not see an association with bone mineral density loss for women who drank carbonated beverages that were not cola." Some research suggests that the phosphoric acid contained in colas may block calcium absorption. Another contributing factor may be that drinking colas is replacing low fat milk and other healthier beverages.

"There is no concrete evidence that an occasional cola will harm the bones," says Tucker. "However, women concerned about osteoporosis may want to steer away from frequent consumption of cola until further studies are conducted."

Parkinson's Drugs Riskier Than Believed

New research suggests that two drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease can cause serious heart valve damage. One study found that approximately 23% of Parkinson's patients taking pergolide (sold as Permax and other brands), and nearly 29% of patients taking cabergoline (sold as Dostinex, Cabaser, and other brands), had moderate to severe heart valve problems. Another study found that users of either drug were five to seven times more likely to have leaky heart valves than those on other types of Parkinson's medications. Both studies were reported in the January 2007 New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors have stated that there are no medications that can reverse the damage, and valve replacement surgery is the only solution. About 1.5 million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, which results in tremors, stiffness, loss of muscle control and sometimes death. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of dopamine production in the brain. The medicines most commonly used in treatment, such as levodopa (also known as L-dopa), attempt to either replace or mimic dopamine. Pergolide and cabergoline often are given in addition to levadopa or in place of it, especially if symptoms worsen over time.

Autism More Prevalent Than Thought

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently found that 6.7 in 1,000, or one in 150 children, has autism or a related autismspectrum disorder, such as Asperger’s syndrome. The news validates what many health activists have been saying for quite some time - that the numbers of those with autism have been under-reported.

In the 1980s, autism was classified as a psychiatric illness and was thought to be rare. Now, it is accepted as a neurological condition, a developmental problem that causes significant delays in many basic skills such as communication and social interactions. Its cause is still unknown. For decades, the government estimated that only 4 to 5 children in 10,000 had autism.

The CDC conducted a comprehensive review of the medical and school records of children in 14 states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Officials cautioned against using the results as a national average, as the study doesn't include some of the most populous states like California, Texas and Florida.

Researchers looked specifically at children who were 8 years old, as most children with autism are identified for medical or educational services by that age. The prevalence varied from 3.3 per 1,000 in Alabama to 9.9 to 10.6 per 1,000 in New Jersey. Researchers believe that the Alabama rate was low at least partly because they had limited access to special education records there. Researchers also suggested that the higher rates in New Jersey may reflect other differences, such as a higher level of awareness and wider availability of services.

Researchers Using Gene Therapy To Fight AIDS Virus

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Family Cancer Research Institute have developed a type of gene therapy that shows promise in the fight against the AIDS virus.

Scientists removed some infection-fighting CD4+ T cells from five HIV patients. The T cells were altered to function as a genetic Trojan horse, carrying a manipulated version of HIV that impairs replication of the virus, and were then infused back into the HIV patients.

Although the study involved only five people, researchers reported that the therapy worked better than expected. The researchers found that viral loads stabilized or decreased over the course of the trial, and T-cell counts remained steady or increased in four of the five participants. Researchers also recorded a significant, continuous drop in viral load in one participant. The five patients involved in the study were in advanced stages of AIDS and were unresponsive to at least two drug treatments.

While gene therapy has, for now, shown to be promising in only a small number of patients, the results were encouraging enough for researchers to begin more extensive clinical trials.

The results of the study were published in the November online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Doctors Reconsider Risks of Stents

Emerging evidence indicates that drug-eluting stents, the most common type, can potentially cause fatal blood clots long after being implanted. Stents - tiny metal tubes that hold arteries open to help keep blood flowing - are a common procedure for clogged coronaries. Americans will receive over 1.5 million stents this year alone. Many of these stents contain drugs that are slowly released over time, and are intended to help prevent the artery from reclosing and becoming blocked again.

New evidence now suggests that overuse of these drug-eluting stents may be leading to thousands of deaths each year. Although stents have saved many lives in the short term, neither type of stent has been clinically shown to improve long-term survival when compared to other forms of treatment, such as drugs or bypass surgery.

The FDA plans to hold hearings in early December to consider issuing new stent safety guidelines.