Today's Medical News from WebMD.com

Today's top medical news and analysis from WebMD.com. WebMD is a leading provider of online information, educational services and communities for physicians and consumers.

WebMD Health
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

• Platelet-Rich Plasma Helps Tennis Elbow Platelet-rich plasma -- injections of a patient's own blood platelets -- heals of tennis elbow better than cortisone shots, a study finds.
• CDC: Genital Herpes Rates Still High One in six Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 have genital herpes and close to 1 in 2 black women are infected, new figures from the CDC reveal.
• Good Health Boosts Sexual Life Expectancy Good health may not only help you live longer, it could help you enjoy a longer, more satisfying sex life as well, a study shows.
• Melanoma Cases on the Rise While some researchers suggest the rising rates of melanoma may simply reflect a change in how doctors diagnose melanoma and the increased availability of skin cancer screenings, a leading dermatologist says the increase is real.
• Companies Get Poor Grades for Kids' Food Ads Most companies lack meaningful policies to curb the marketing of high-fat and high-sugar junk food to children, according to a report by a consumer watchdog group.
• Vaccinate Kids to Stop Flu in Community New research confirms that giving flu shots to large numbers of school-age children can protect the community at large.
• Long-Term Health Risks Low for Kidney Donors Kidney donors fare just as well as non-donors over the long term, according to a new study.
• 'Curry' Cream May Fade Wrinkles A moisturizing cream whose active ingredient is the extract that gives Indian curry its distinctive flavor, smel,l and deep orange color may help fade fine facial lines, wrinkles, and aging spots.
• Tumor-Melting Virus vs. Prostate Cancer Reovirus is harmless to normal cells -- but it destroys many kinds of cancer cells. A new study in patients with prostate cancer takes the virus closer to being a new cancer treatment.
• Sleep Habits Vary by Ethnicity Sleep problems and sleep habits vary among different ethnic groups, according to a new national survey. But among all ethnicities, there remains a common denominator: Many of us simply don't get enough sleep.
• Treating Psoriasis If Enbrel Fails If the drug Enbrel stops working, people with psoriasis have two effective options, new research suggests.
• New Drug Relieves Hand Eczema A new drug called alitretinoin can help relieve cracked, itchy, irritated hands in people with severe hand eczema, researchers report.
• Moderate Drinking Linked to Weight Control Normal-weight women who drink alcohol in moderation are less likely than women who don't drink at all to become overweight or obese, a study shows.
• Cholesterol Drugs May Treat Psoriasis A study shows cholesterol-lowering statins may help treat psoriasis.
• DASH Diet Fuels the Brain Following the DASH diet may boost brainpower in overweight adults as well as lower blood pressure.
• Parents' Strokes Raise Risks for Offspring Odds of having a stroke are higher for people whose fathers or mothers suffered one by the age of 65, a new study suggests.
• Chemical in Furniture Linked to Skin Rashes Doctors say a chemical added to furniture shipments from China to prevent the growth of mold has been linked to severe rashes.
• Colorado, California Cities Dominate Slimmest Cities List A new ranking of America's least obese cities shows healthy habits make for skinnier residents in several Colorado and California cities, which dominate the top 10.
• Worst Cities for People With Asthma Richmond ranks No. 1 as the asthma capital of the country in the latest ranking by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the nonprofit group says.
• Zarontin Gets High Marks for Kids' Epilepsy Zarontin, one of the oldest drugs used to treat the most common form of pediatric epilepsy, is also the most effective, a study shows.
• New Guidelines for Prostate Cancer Screening The American Cancer Society says men should talk to their doctors about the benefits and limitations of prostate cancer screening before deciding whether to be tested.
• Good Diet May Aid Ovarian Cancer Survival Women who eat a healthy diet in the years before their ovarian cancer diagnosis may live longer than those who don't, according to a new study.
• Kitchens, Bathrooms No Place for Vitamins The kitchen and bathroom may be the worst rooms in the house to store your vitamins thanks to high humidity levels and temperatures.
• Blood Test May Predict Colon Cancer Spread A blood test may soon be able to predict which colon cancers are likely to spread to other parts of the body, according to a new study.
• Test May Cut Unneeded Prostate Biopsies An experimental urine test accurately predicts whether a biopsy will reveal prostate cancer.
• FDA: Labels Misleading on Major Food Brands The FDA today warned 17 food makers -- including POM, Gerber, and Nestle -- that their "misleading" product labels violate federal law. It's a new get-tough policy, FDA tells the food industry.
• Portable Device May Relieve Migraine Pain A handheld device that magnetically zaps pain may be a promising new treatment for patients with a common type of migraine.
• New Drug Fights Advanced Prostate Cancer A new drug, cabazitaxel, shows promise for extending the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer who have run out of treatment options.
• A1c Test Identifies Diabetes, Heart Risk You don't have to fast before taking the newly recommended A1c test to screen for diabetes -- and it spots early diabetes and heart disease better than the older test.
• Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Asthma Many children with asthma have low blood levels of vitamin D -- and the insufficiency seems to place them at risk for more severe disease, a study shows.
• America's Most Obese Metropolitan Areas Montgomery, Ala., and Stockton, Calif., are the most obese metro areas in the U.S., according a survey by Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
• Cholesterol Drugs May Fight Asthma, Too A study shows statin drugs -- used to lower cholesterol -- may also improve lung function in asthma patients.
• Can Meditation Reverse Memory Loss? Meditation can increase blood flow in the brain and improve memory, according to researchers who tested a specific kind of meditation and found the improvement after just eight weeks.
• Kids With Food Allergies Need Medicine Nearby Some children with peanut allergies are at risk of potentially fatal allergic reactions because they don't have their lifesaving epinephrine medication on them at school, Canadian researchers report.
• Food Poisoning Costs U.S. $152 Billion a Year Food poisoning costs the U.S. $152 billion, kills 5,000 people, and sends 325,000 to the hospital each year, new calculations suggest.
• Generic Drug for Enlarged Prostate Approved The first generic version of Flomax, a medication to treat the signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland, has won the approval of the FDA.
• Coffee May Cut Risk of Heart Rhythm Problems A new study shows that moderate coffee drinking reduces the risk of being hospitalized for heart rhythm problems.
• Which Marriages Last 10 Years? Being young, being childless, and, for women, not living with two parents at age 14 all predict lower odds of a marriage surviving 10 years, the CDC reports.
• Big Rise in Kids' Junk Food Snacking Kids in the U.S. are gobbling down more unhealthy snacks daily than ever before, a new study shows.
• Longtime Pot Smoking May Raise Psychosis Risk Young adults who are longtime pot smokers are more likely to display signs of psychosis than short-term smokers or people who've never smoked marijuana.
• Prediabetes Precautions Often Ignored People with prediabetes aren't taking simple precautions that could prevent the potentially deadly disease of type 2 diabetes from taking hold, a study shows.
• U.S. Has Racial Gap in Stroke Rate New research on racial disparity in stroke statistics between African-Americans and whites in the U.S.
• Low-Fat Diet Tops Low-Carb in Long Run A low-carb diet may offer quick results, but a new study suggests that a low-fat diet may be best for long-term weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Survey Shows Parents Worry About Vaccines How parents view children's vaccines
• Panel Critical of FDA's Asthma Drug Ruling A leading panel of asthma experts today criticized a new FDA ruling that long-acting asthma drugs should be used only for the shortest period of time required to achieve control of asthma symptoms and then discontinued.
• Vitamin D Supplements May Cut Heart Disease Risk Vitamin D supplements may cut heart disease risk.
• Heart Disease Warning Signs Seen in 3-Year-Olds Obese children as young as age 3 show signs of inflammation similar to that linked to heart disease in adults, according to a new study.
• Immune Therapy Cracks Egg, Peanut Allergies An experimental treatment in which children with food allergies are fed tiny amounts of the very food to which they're allergic is allowing some kids with peanut allergies to enjoy peanut butter and some with egg allergies to eat scrambled eggs.
• How to Avoid Food Allergies in Babies If one child has food allergies, how can a pregnant woman help ensure her next kid won't be affected too? By avoiding exposure to the food her child is allergic is to -- starting in the third trimester and continuing into the second year of life, say researchers from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, Australia.
• Eczema, Peanut Allergy May Be Linked Infants with eczema are at high risk of having peanut and other food allergies too, British researchers report.

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