New Inhaler for Kids

Children as young as 4 now have a new option to prevent asthma attacks. The Food and Drug Administration this week approved the Asmanex Twisthaler,a once-daily inhaled corticosteroid treatment. The dosage approved for children aged 4 to 11 is 110 micrograms, half the dose for adults. The inhaler is activated when patients put the end in their mouths and take a breath. In a small study, the drug reduced day and nighttime symptoms of asthma and significantly reduced emergency medical visits, missing school and other such interruptions to daily life compared to a placebo inhaler, The Associated Press reports. Possible side effects include slowing of a child's growth rate, yeast infections of the mouth, and a higher risk of glaucoma and cataracts, as well as milder side effects such as headaches, sore throat, respiratory infection, upset stomach and muscle, bone and back pain, the AP says.

***

Vacuuming Clots Helps Heart Attack Survival: "Vacuuming" out arterial blockages before placing stents can improve heart attack patients' chance of survival. That's the finding of a Dutch study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study looked at over 1,000 people hospitalized for a heart attack who needed emergency angioplasty. Half the patients were given conventional treatment in which a balloon inserted into the artery compresses the blockage before a stent is placed. For the other half of the patients, the researchers sucked out the clot with a syringe before placing the stent. The researchers were able to reverse EKG signs of heart attack in 57% of the vacuum group and 44% of the standard group. Patients whose clots were suctioned out were more likely to show better blood flow to the heart tissue. Those with the best flow to the heart tissue had a fivefold greater chance of survival 30 days after their heart attack compared to those with poor blood flow. Those with poor flow also had more serious complications, The Associated Press reports.

***

Men, HPV and Oral Cancer: Human papillomavirus is becoming one of the main causes of oral cancer in men. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that HPV causes as many cases of upper throat cancer as tobacco and alcohol. The researchers attribute this to an increase in oral sex and a decline in smoking. The study looked at more than 30 years of data on oral cancer from the National Cancer Institute. It categorized about 46,000 cases of cancer, based on the cause, and determined that the incidence of HPV-related oral cancers had been rising steadily in men between 1973 and 2004. Within 10 years, HPV could cause more oral cancers than tobacco or alcohol, they say. On the more positive side, the tumors caused by HPV respond better to chemotherapy and radiation than others, The Associated Press reports. The findings could give a boost to efforts to make the Gardasil vaccine against HPV available to boys. Currently, it is only approved for use in girls and young women.

***

Psychiatric Risks From Chantix: The stop-smoking drug Chantix may come with serious psychiatric risks. The Food and Drug Administration said this week that it had received reports of 37 suicides and more than 400 reports of suicidal behavior linked to Chantix. The drug's manufacturer had recently added stronger warnings to the drug, The Associated Press reports. The FDA could not attribute the psychiatric problems to nicotine withdrawal, since the association was seen in patients who were still smoking while taking Chantix, the AP says. The agency warns that those taking Chantix should tell their doctors about any history of depression or other mental illness.

For more health, fitness and nutrition information, go to www.intelihealth.com