Medicare Coverage Gap May Cause Seniors to Forgo Antidepressants

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Flesh-Eating Bacteria No Cause for Panic, Experts Say

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Noyade est la principale cause de mort accidentelle des enfants: CDC

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Swaddling Infants Too Tightly May Cause Hip Problems

HealthDay – Fri, May 4, 2012 FRIDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- When swaddling an infant, make sure to leave the blankets loose enough to allow leg and hip movement, experts say.

They warn that wrapping infants too tightly may cause their hip joints to develop abnormally, causing the ball of the thighbone to dislocate from the socket. The condition, called developmental dysplasia of the hip, can lead to limping, differences in limb length, pain and arthritis, according to the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.

"Many cultures, and a growing number of Americans, practice traditional swaddling -- the tight wrapping of infants with their legs together and fully extended," said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Peter Waters, president of the society, in a news release.

"Unfortunately, this practice places infants at a high risk for dysplasia," he said. "Instead, the infant's arms and torso should be snugly wrapped, while the legs are wrapped loosely, ensuring the legs are bent up and out. The legs should be free to move, and, most importantly, the legs should never be wrapped in a straight-down position."

The society joined the American Academy of Pediatrics and the International Hip Dysplasia Institute in recommending an updated method of swaddling that allows more wiggle room for infants.

Animal studies have found that forcing the hip and knee to extend right after birth increases tension in the hamstring and hip muscles, increasing the risk of loose ligaments, instability and dislocation of the thigh bone from the hip socket.

More information

The International Hip Dysplasia Institute provides more information on infant hip dysplasia.

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Genes Might Cause Some to Shun Pork

HealthDay – 3 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Not a big fan of bacon or ham? Your genes might be behind it, a new study finds.

Researchers found that 70 percent of participants had two functional copies of a gene linked to a particular odor receptor in the brain. This cellular receptor is attuned to a compound in male mammals called androstenone, which is also common in pork.

In the study, 23 people were asked to smell pork. Those with either one or no functional copies of the RT gene could tolerate the scent of androstenone much better than those with two copies of the gene -- suggesting a mechanism by which some people find pork more or less appetizing.

The findings appear online May 2 in the PLoS One.

Study author Hiroaki Matsunami, an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University Medical Center, said he wants to do similar research in specific populations, such as people in the Middle East, where eating pork is avoided.

"I would also like to know about odor receptor variants in indigenous populations, such as people who live near the Arctic Circle and who never eat these meats. What is their genotype?" Matsunami said in a Duke news release.

He suggested that vegetarians may have a genetic predisposition against the smell of meat and wondered if meat inspectors with both copies of the RT gene would make different decisions in their jobs.

More information

The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery has more about smell and taste.

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Low water flows cause U.S. avian cholera outbreak

Reuters – 41 mins ago PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - More than 10,000 migrating birds have died from an avian cholera outbreak blamed on reduced water flows through vast marshlands of southern Oregon and northern California known as Western Everglades, federal wildlife officials said.

Avian cholera, which poses virtually no risk to human health, surfaces in the region nearly every year in wetlands of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, but the recent waterfowl die-off there is the worst in over a decade, said Matt Baun, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"We estimate 10,000 to 15,000 birds will die, after everything is said and done," he said, adding that snow geese, American coots, American wigeon ducks, white-fronted geese and Northern pintail ducks have been the hardest hit.

The 53,600-acre (22,900-hectare) refuge encompasses a patchwork of shallow lakes, freshwater marshes and grasslands that serve as key roosting, nesting and feeding grounds for some 2 million birds that pass through the region along the Western migratory corridor called the Pacific Flyway.

The refuge lies at the heart of the larger Klamath River Basin, an area long considered the Everglades of the West and fed mainly by runoff from melting snow in the Cascade mountain range.

Water flow into the basin is controlled through dams and reservoirs operated by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which must balance of needs of birds and other wildlife with endangered fish and the irrigation demands of farmers and Indian tribes.

For the first few months of the 2012 winter-spring migration, the refuge received only enough water to cover about half the 30,000 acres of its wetlands, according to the American Bird Conservancy, an environmental group.

The drier conditions have forced birds to congregate in smaller areas, causing crowded conditions that accelerate the spread of avian cholera.

"We anticipate this continuing to happen until there is better management of the water," said Steve Holmer, senior policy adviser for the conservancy.

The problem was aggravated by below-normal snow pack levels in the Cascades until early March, said Kevin Moore, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said.

The snow pack, however, has rebounded since then, growing from 63 percent of normal in late February to 115 percent of normal today, he said.

As a result, Baun said, federal water managers were able to flood an additional 4,000 acres of the refuge since mid-March. Moreover, many of the birds that had crowded into the area have moved on, easing congestion, said John Beckstrand, a refuge biologist.

In the meantime, wildlife workers and volunteers have been gathering and incinerating the carcasses of dead birds to try to stem the cholera outbreak.

Water remains a highly contentious issue in this area. Several species of fish are listed as endangered or threatened, and the Endangered Species Act makes them a top priority for water management, Baun said.

"We also have legal contracts with agricultural irrigators to supply them with water, when water is available," Moore said.

Still, the American Bird Conservancy says it remains concerned about maintaining adequate water flows through the basin.

"We need to see a more equitable distribution of water and ways of managing this land," Holmer said. "Right now we are not getting it done."

(Editing by Steve Gorman)

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Baldness Drug May Cause Sexual Side Effects: FDA

HealthDay – 43 mins ago THURSDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Two Merck & Co. drugs -- one to treat hair loss in men, the other to treat an enlarged prostate gland -- will get revised labels warning of potential sexual side effects that can last even after patients stop taking the drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The two drugs -- Propecia to combat male pattern baldness, and Proscar, to treat enlarged prostates -- share the same chemical compound, called finasteride. One dose of Propecia contains 1 milligram of finasteride; one dose of Proscar contains 5 milligrams.

The new Propecia label will include a warning of "libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the FDA said in a news release.

The Proscar label will include a warning about "decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the agency said.

The labels of both drugs will also carry about a description of reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that clears up or improves after the drugs are stopped.

Although a cause-and-effect relationship between the drugs and these side effects hasn't been established, case reports suggest there's a potential problem, the FDA said.

The agency added, however, that only a small percentage of men using these drugs have experienced an adverse sexual event.

The FDA said it believes the drugs are safe to take for their approved uses. It recommends that patients and their doctors consider the new information on the revised labels when weighing a best treatment option.

Last year, both drugs' labels were changed to warn of the possibility of erectile dysfunction even after discontinuing the drug, according to the FDA.

Dr. Anthony D'Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said Thursday that the revised labels contain "an important message that people need to hear."

"Particularly because Propecia is used by 20- and 30-year-olds for hair loss and these are people of childbearing age, so if they are getting issues with fertility that a big issue," he said.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Merck said:

"Merck believes that Propecia and Proscar are generally well tolerated and effective for their respective intended uses in accordance with their approved product labeling. In addition, please note that a causal relationship between the use of Propecia or Proscar and continued sexual dysfunction after discontinuation of treatment has not been established."

D'Amico said Thursday's announcement from the FDA "points up the usefulness of post-marketing studies on drugs that have been studied, but not for long enough periods to know what can happen when large numbers of people use them and what happens when they are discontinued."

More information

For more on the label changes, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Most Anal Lesions Don't Cause Cancer in Men, Research Shows

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