Injured newsman aids TBI

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has a partnership with ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and his family to raise awareness of brain injury (TBI) and to administer the newly-created Bob Woodruff Family Fund for TBI to help service men and women and their families affected by the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Woodruff sustained a TBI from an explosive device while on assignment for ABC in Iraq in January 2006. Although he had superior care, Bob, his wife Lee, and their extended family recognize many individuals with brain injury don’t get what they need to regain their independence. They understand the lack of public, private, and military sector funding - and they want to help. Donations will go for grants to nonprofit organizations serving the military who have sustained a TBI. In some cases, funds may be used to provide direct financial aid to military personnel and their families and/or grants for medical research, public education, awareness, and prevention of TBI. For more data, contact: Susan Connors, president/CEO, Brain Injury Association of America, 8201 Greensboro Dr., Suite 611, McLean, VA 22102; 703-761-0750 ext. 627, shconnors@biausa.org.

            ROCKVILLE , MD - MedWatch, the Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), informed healthcare professionals and consumer it ordered 20 firms to stop marketing unapproved drug products with ergotamine tartrate. Such products are used to treat vascular headaches, including migraines. Unapproved drugs pose real risks to the U.S. public because they haven’t been subject toFDA review, and the safety, effectiveness, and quality of such products are unknown. This action doesn’t affect FDA-approved products with ergotamine. Consumers using ergotamine products and have concerns are urged to contact their healthcare provider. Read the complete MedWatch summary at www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Ergotamine.

            FRAMINGAM, MA - The New York Times reported a substance found in fish oil may be tied to a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's and other dementias, scientists said. They found people with the highest blood levels of an omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid or DHA , were about half as likely to develop dementia as those with lower levels. DHA is one of several omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fatty fish and, in small amounts, in some meats. It’s sold in fish oil or DHA supplements. Scientists looked for a reduced risk tied to seven other omega-3 fatty acids, but only DHA had any effect. The study in the Archives of Neurology, used data from the Framingham Heart Study to follow 899 initially healthy people, with a median age of 76, for an average of more than nine years. Scientists assessed DHA and fish intake using a questionnaire and obtained complete dietary data on more than half the subjects.

            CHICAGO - Reuters reported Bausch & Lomb, struggling to recover from a sweeping recall of its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution, said it initiated a recall of certain lots of its ReNu MultiPlus contact lens solution. The solution was made at the plant in Greenville , SC , and contained an elevated level of trace iron, which may discolor the solution in some bottles and shorten the shelf life of the product. The company said it had no reports of serious problems tied to the affected product. It believes virtually all of it, made about a year ago, has been used by consumers. Bausch said the recall involved 12 lots, and about 1 million bottles of solution from nine of the 12 lots originally were distributed in the U.S. Product from the 12 lots was distributed in Canada, Latin America, Korea, and Taiwan, where it is being recalled. Bausch said it notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of its recall, and advises consumers to discard any lens care solution that appears to be discolored. The recalled lots carry the expiration date "2008 - 03" on the bottle.

            PITTSBURGH - The Associated Press reported that in promising new research stem cells worked remarkably well at easing symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy (MD) in dogs, an experiment experts call a significant step toward treating people. "It's a great breakthrough for all of us working on stem cells for [MD]," said researcher Johnny Huard, of the University of Pittsburgh , who wasn't involved in the work. Dr. Sharon Hesterlee, vice president of translational research at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, stressed it isn't yet clear whether such a treatment would work in people, but said she had "cautious optimism" about it. Two dogs severely disabled by the disease were able to walk faster and even jump after the treatments. The journal Nature published the study that used stem cells from the affected dogs or other dogs, rather than from embryos. For human use, using such "adult" stem cells would avoid the controversial method of destroying human embryos to obtain stem cells. The paper focuses on Duchenne type of MD, the most severe and most common childhood form of MD and the best known.

            PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD - The apparently avoidable death of Deamonte Driver, 12, from severe brain infection possibly came from his level of untreated dental disease. This is an extreme example of what then U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called a “silent epidemic” of untreated oral disease in his 2000 report on oral health. Driver’s case is a disgrace in 21st Century America , where millions of children don’t have access to basic preventive and restorative dental care. Thousands of them suffer from profound dental disease; they can’t eat or sleep properly, can’t pay attention in school because they’re suffering from chronic infections, and constant pain that could have been prevented and easily relieved through treatment. Good oral health is about overall health, about preventing and controlling non-oral diseases, about learning and development, self-esteem, and employability.

            DES MOINES , IA - Actuaries are in high demand because new mathematical models are needed to respond to natural disaster trends and growing healthcare insurance complexity. So says Stuart Klugman, actuarial science program chief at Drake University , the only private actuarial science major in the Midwest with full actuarial science courses taught by actuaries only for undergraduates. "Job prospects are very good," he says. "Students who meet employers' expectations will find a job, and multiple job offers are fairly common." Entry level salaries are quite good. Pay acceleration is rapid, as actuaries achieve various levels of certification (employers typically pay for and give time off for necessary course work). An actuarial "fellow," typically achieved by age 30, has a salary range of $100,000 to $125,000, Klugman says. Actuaries also report extremely high job satisfaction versus other jobs. Klugman says actuaries tend to like their jobs because they do meaningful work from the get-go.

            ROCHESTER , MN - A droopy eyelid, blurred or double vision, fatigue, and even difficulty chewing, swallowing, talking, or breathing are signs of Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a treatable muscle disorder. The Mayo Clinic Health Letter states that in MG (mi-uhs-THEEN-e-uh GRA -vis) the immune system makes antibodies that interrupt communication between nerves and muscles. Muscles don’t do what’s expected, particularly eye and facial muscles and those that control movement of the head, arms, and legs. MG can occur at any age but is more common in women under 40 and men past 50. Symptoms worsen with activity and typically improve with rest. For most people, treatment results in significant improvements. Treatment options include: Medication lasting from months to years often is necessary. Surgery to remove the thymus gland. For 40-50% of people with MG, symptoms disappear after a thymectomy.