Month: August 2010

At least 79 people got sick in a two-year salmonella outbreak linked to pet food, researchers report. The new study gives details of the outbreak, which began in 2006. Salmonella bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea and fever. At least 11 people were hospitalized, but no one died. The outbreak was traced to dry dog and cat food. It was made at a Mars Petcare US plant in Pennsylvania. The plant made several brands of food, including Pedigree and Special Kitty. Investigators think food got contaminated when it was sprayed with flavor enhancers. Nearly half of those who got sick were children under age 2. But there’s no evidence that they ate pet food. Researchers said they probably touched pets or their dishes and then put their hands in their mouths. Many families with illness fed their pet in the kitchen, researchers said. The journal Pediatrics published the study online.

Researchers have found 95 sites in the human genetic makeup that appear to affect cholesterol levels. The study was based on information about genes and blood fats for 100,000 people from around the world. About one-third of the gene sites were near areas already linked to cholesterol. But the other two-thirds were not known before. Most of the sites appeared to be valid for people from European, African and Asian origins. The next step, researchers said, is to find out what role these parts of the genome play in regulating blood fats. The journal Nature published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it August 4.

A large study finds that people taking drugs for epilepsy do not have a higher risk of suicide. But risk is higher for people who take these drugs for some other conditions. The study looked at antiepileptic drugs. They are also called anticonvulsants. Researchers used records from more than 5 million patients in the United Kingdom. The study found no increased risk for people who took the drugs for epilepsy or bipolar disorder. But the risk of suicide or attempts was 65% higher for people who took the drugs for depression. The biggest increase was for people who took the drugs for conditions other than epilepsy, depression or bipolar disorder. Their risk more than doubled. The study did not say why this group took the medicines, but many people take them for long-term pain. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it August 5.

Child injuries from home cleaning products have dropped by almost half since 1990, a new study finds. But the injury rate from cleaners in spray bottles has remained steady. Products in spray bottles caused 40% of the injuries, the study found. Researchers used data on 267,000 children ages 5 and under who had these types of injuries. All were treated in emergency rooms between 1990 and 2006. About 72% of the children were 1 to 3 years old. Bleach was the most common chemical linked to an injury. The journal Pediatrics published the study online. USA Today and HealthDay News wrote about it August 2. Safety guidelines include keeping cleaning products locked up. Experts interviewed by HealthDay offered other tips. They said you should always close a container even if you are going to use it again in a minute.

People whose hearts pump less blood may have earlier aging of the brain, new research suggests. Brains tend to shrink as people get older. They shrink especially fast in people with dementia. People with heart disease have a higher risk of dementia. But most of the 1,500 people in the study did not have heart disease. They also did not have a history of stroke, transient ischemic attack or dementia. Doctors calculated the cardiac index for each person. Cardiac index is a measurement of how much blood your heart pumps, compared with your body size (surface area). Researchers also measured brain size. People who had a low or low-normal cardiac index tended to have smaller brains than people with a high index. On average, the difference was equal to about two years of aging. But they did not have brain function problems.

Childbirth options have been in the news often in the last few weeks. CBS News reported this week on a Lancet editorial that called home births riskier for babies. The editorial quoted a recent study on neonatal death rates. Though low, deaths were two to three times as high at home as in the hospital. An August 2 Time magazine article also discussed childbirth issues. It quoted new guidelines from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The guidelines say women who had a prior cesarean section should get the chance to have a vaginal birth next time. Induction of labor may be another cause of C-sections. Time quotes a new study that found C-section rates in first-time births doubled when labor was induced. Guidelines support induction after 41 weeks of pregnancy. But the study found that about 4 out of 10 women who did not meet guidelines had labor induced anyway.