Month: July 2012

Some children with egg allergies can build a tolerance for this food over time by eating carefully controlled daily doses, a new study concludes. The study included 55 children, ages 5 through 18. Forty were given very small doses of powdered egg white each day. The other 15 received cornstarch powder. The amount was increased slowly, every 2 weeks, to a maximum of 2 grams (about one-third of an egg). After 10 months, the 35 children who were still receiving egg doses took a “challenge” test in the doctor’s office. This involved eating a larger amount of egg white powder, about 5 grams. Of this group, 22 passed the test. The others had allergic reactions. After 22 months, 30 passed a second challenge. They ate no egg for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Then they were given another challenge with egg white powder and cooked egg white. Eleven passed.

U.S. drug regulators approved another new weight-loss pill July 17. It’s the second approval in the last month, and may be the more effective of the two. Together, they are the first new prescription weight-loss drugs in the last 13 years. The newest drug, called Qsymia, is made by Vivus Inc. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first approval in late June. That drug, Belviq, is made by Arena Pharmaceuticals. Qsymia is a combination of 2 drugs already on the market. Phentermine suppresses the appetite. Topirimate makes people feel satisfied and full longer. In the 1990s, doctors often prescribed phentermine along with a different drug, fenfluramine, for weight loss. But in 1997 the combination was linked to heart-valve problems. Fenfluramine was withdrawn from the market. The FDA is requiring further safety testing of Qsymia after approval.

Frail older adults may live longer if they have high blood pressure, a new study suggests. The study included 2,340 people who took part in 2 national health surveys. All were age 65 and older. They were given a simple test to see how fast they could walk 20 feet. Those who took more than 8 seconds were considered “slow walkers.” Faster walkers had lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. People in a third group were unable to complete the walk. They were classified as frail. In the next 7 years, 589 people in the study died. Among faster walkers, those with high blood pressure were 35 percent more likely to die than those with normal blood pressure. But among the frail group, the death rate was 62% lower for those with high blood pressure. Researchers said blood pressure goals may need to be adjusted for frail elderly people.

A new study of men with early prostate cancer found no difference in death rates whether they received surgery or no treatment. The study adds to recent evidence that prostate cancer may be overtreated in the United States. The study included 731 men with early prostate cancer. Their average age was 67. They were randomly assigned to have immediate surgery or no treatment. People in each group lived an average of about 13 years after the study began. Nearly 6% of men in the surgery group and just over 8% in the no-treatment group died of prostate cancer. That difference was small enough that it could have been caused by chance. But there was some evidence of benefit for men with a score of 10 or higher on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Prostate cancer deaths were 33% lower for men with these higher scores who had surgery rather than no treatment.

The herbal treatment milk thistle does not help people with hepatitis C infection, a new study finds. The study included 154 people with hepatitis C who had not responded well to standard treatments. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. Two of the groups took milk thistle extract, in 2 different doses. The other group took placebo (fake) pills. After 6 months, 2 people in each group showed signs of improvement. Those taking milk thistle did no better than those taking the placebo. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it July 17.