Sleep, less or more will hurt you the same!

LONDON (Reuters) - People who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease, according to a study released on Monday.

Although the reasons are unclear, researchers said lack of sleep appeared to be linked to increased blood pressure, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleep from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk of death from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death.

The findings highlight a danger in busy modern lifestyles, Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Warwick's medical school, told the annual conference of the British Sleep Society in Cambridge.

The correlation with cardiovascular risk in those who slept less in the 1990s than in the 1980s was clear but, curiously, there was also a higher mortality rate in people who increased their sleep to more than nine hours.
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Tags: health, sleep, heart disease

Nasal Influenza Vaccine Approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved expanding the population for use of the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist to include children between the ages of 2 and 5.
Approval for the vaccine, which contains a weakened form of the live virus and is sprayed in the nose, was previously limited to healthy children 5 years of age and older and to adults up to age 49.
“The goal of preventing influenza is now more attainable with the availability of FluMist for younger children,” said Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., director, FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “This approval also offers parents and health professionals a needle-free option for squeamish toddlers, who may be reluctant to get a traditional influenza shot.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children age 6 months to 59 months receive a vaccination to protect against influenza. Studies have shown that children younger than 5 years had rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations similar to those among individuals age 50 through 64 years, emphasizing the need for improved influenza prevention efforts for this younger U.S. population.

However, until today, there have been only two vaccines licensed in the U.S. for children under the age of 5. One influenza vaccine, Fluzone, is indicated for people over 6 months of age, while another vaccine, Fluvirin, is available for use in children age 4 and older.

Approximately 6,400 infants and children age 6 months to 59 months received FluMist in three studies to support the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. Two studies compared FluMist to placebo (no vaccine), both of which demonstrated the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing influenza illness. A third study compared FluMist to an inactivated or “killed” seasonal influenza vaccine shot. The results showed that there were 53 cases of influenza disease among 3,900 children who received FluMist compared to 93 cases among the same number of children who received an inactivated or “killed” seasonal influenza vaccine shot. Children under the age of 2 should not receive FluMist because there was an increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing for this age group during the clinical trials.
Commonly observed adverse events from the vaccine were generally mild and most often included runny nose and/or nasal congestion, as well as a slight fever in children 2 to 6 years of age.
FluMist should not be administered to anyone with asthma or to children under the age of 5 years with recurrent wheezing because of the potential for increased wheezing after receiving the vaccine. People who are allergic to any of FluMist’s components, including eggs or egg products, should also not receive the vaccine.FluMist is manufactured by MedImmune Vaccines, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md. Fluvirin is made by Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Ltd, Liverpool, England. Fluzone is manufactured by sanofi pasteur Inc., Swiftwater, Pa.

News release

Tags: FluMist, nasal influenza vaccine, influenza, Fluzone, children, asthma, under the age of, Novartis Vaccines, Fluvirin

Encourage Flu shots, CDC advises

Encourage Flu shots!, national health officials today called on healthcare professionals and the public to improve the "alarmingly low" vaccination rates of recent years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said up to 132 million doses of flu vaccine are expected to be available this year. Last year about 121 million doses were produced, of which 102.5 million were distributed, leaving at least 18 million unused, CDC officials said.

"We expect to have the largest supply we've ever seen," CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said at a news conference today from the National Press Club in Washington. She said the production and distribution delays that hurt vaccination coverage last year are not expected this year.

CDC officials complained of persistently low vaccination coverage rates in many groups who should be immunized. In 2005-06, for example, only 18% of children aged 6 to 23 months received shots, and the immunization rate for health care workers has been stuck at about 40% for the last 10 years.

CDC Flu prevention and Control

Tags: CDC, flu, vaccination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza

CDC Report, The first changes in suicide rates among 10-24 year olds in more than 15 years.

Release of the study, "Suicide Trends Among Youths and Young Adults Aged 10-24 Years - United States, 1990-2004," was published on seventh September in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

I only know too well as I helped a mother who lost a child due to suicide about three years ago, a girl.

Study results show the largest increase in youth and young adult suicide rates in 15 years. The most noted change occurred in hanging/suffocation suicides among 10-14 year old girls.

From 1990 through 2003, the total suicide rate for 10 to 24 year olds declined by 28.5 percent (9.48 to 6.78 deaths per 100,000), however, between 2003 and 2004, the overall rate of suicide climbed among this age group by 8 percent (6.78 to 7.32 deaths per 100,000), the largest single-year rise in 15 years. It is important for parents, health care professionals, and educators to recognize the warning signs of suicide in youth such as talking about taking one’s life, feeling sad or hopeless about the future. Parents should also look for changes in eating or sleeping habits and even losing the desire to take part in favorite activities.

Between 1990 and 2003, the overall suicide rate for 10-24 year olds declined by 28 percent. Between 2003 and 2004, however, the rate climbed by 8 percent, the largest single-year climb in 15 years. The rate of hanging/suffocation suicides among 10-14 year old girls more than doubled between 2003 and 2004, increasing by 119 percent. In 2004, approximately 161,000 youth and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 received medical care for self-inflicted injuries at Emergency Departments across the United States.

Tags: CDC, MMWR, teen suicide, teen suicide prevention, suffocation suicides, hanging, suicides

What you should know about Bioterrorism

Spurred by the horrendous events of September 11, 2001, the Food and Drug Administration has worked to prevent and mitigate the effects of bioterrorism, and to be prepared if a bioterrorist attack should ever occur.

"We've made very important contributions toward protecting the nation against its enemies," says Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, FDA's Assistant Commissioner for Counterterrorism Policy.
Bioterrorism refers to a deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, fungi or toxins from living organisms to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. Harmful agents can be spread through the air, water, or in our food.
In the event that a biological agent is released in the United States, FDA would work closely with federal, state, and local authorities to investigate the problem and get contaminated products off the market quickly.
"FDA's role is very challenging," says Lushniak, who leads FDA's Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats (OCET). "We need to balance public health needs, regulatory requirements, and science, as we assist with defense of the nation."

Above is an extract from a larger collection of articles and information ad FDA. You can learn more by following the links provided below;

A Stronger Defense Against Bioterrorism

FDA's Counterterrorism Web page
www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bioterrorism.html

CARVER + Shock
www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/carvershock061107.html

Tags: Counterterrorism, OCET, FDA, public health, Bioterrorism

FDA approves, Evista for breast cancer prevention

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug raloxifene to reduce breast cancer risk in two groups of post menopausal women: those with the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis and those at high risk for invasive breast cancer.

More than 500,000 women in the United States already take the drug, whose brand name is Evista, manufactured by Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly. The FDA approved its use years ago to prevent or treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

In a statement yesterday, Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the expanded use of Evista "provides an important new option for women at heightened risk of breast cancer."

"Because Evista can cause serious side effects, the benefits and risks of taking Evista should be carefully evaluated," he said. "Women should talk with their health care provider about whether the drug is right for them."

Dr. Lawrence Wickerham, chief of medical genetics and cancer prevention at Allegheny General Hospital's breast cancer center, called the announcement "extraordinarily good news for postmenopausal women at increased risk for future breast cancer."

source

FDA Approves New Uses for Evista

Tags: FDA, Food and Drug Administration, post menopausal, raloxifene, breast cancer, Evista, Eli Lilly

Toys "R" Us offers a safty notification site

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailer Toys "R" Us said on Wednesday that it is expanding its efforts to inform shoppers of the latest toy recalls after a slew of Chinese-made toys were pulled from store shelves this summer due to unsafe levels of lead paint.

The retailer said it has launched a toy safety Web site -- www.Toysrus.com/Safety -- that includes information about its safety procedures and specific recall information. Toys "R" Us also said it is introducing an e-mail notification system for recalls and adding bilingual recall notices.

"We are also moving to require that our vendors submit to us certification of testing for each batch coming to Toys "R" Us," Chief Executive Jerry Storch said in prepared remarks to be given to a Senate subcommittee.

Tags: toy recall, child safty, toysrus, toys r us, lead paint