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Lead Exposure Tied to ADHD SymptomsSignificant effect seen in children with particular gene types, study reports By Serena GordonHealthDay Reporter MONDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- It's known that lead exposure poses serious health risks, including cognitive function problems. But new research suggests that certain children are more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when exposed to lead in their environment. The study found that youngsters with a specific genetic variation in a dopamine receptor, dubbed DRD4-7, had more problems with tasks that required

attention and flexibility. The researchers also found that boys exposed to lead were at greater risk of attention problems than girls. http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=532427 Tiny bits a big problemDeadliest pollution still unregulated Andrew Silva, Staff writer A whole new layer of regulations may be needed to deal with the

tiniest and most dangerous bits of air pollution, as scientists released another study Monday showing children who live next to busy roads are twice as likely to have asthma symptoms. "This is a major health issue," said John Froines, director of the Southern California Particle Center, during a conference in Los Angeles on ultrafine particles. Ultrafine particles are unregulated, and are so small they can actually penetrate into cells, carrying toxic compounds right to a person's DNA and other critical areas. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_3773487 Study links diabetes and overweight teens By Warren King Seattle Times medical reporter Nearly 2.8 million teenagers in the U.S. could be on the brink of developing type 2 diabetes — a disease that used to be almost exclusive to adults — and another 39,000 teens may already have the disease, a University of Washington scientist has estimated in a new analysis of the growing prevalence of diabetes. The findings support growing concerns among public-health authorities nationwide over the increasing number of kids who are overweight, a major factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. The disease can eventually lead to kidney failure, limb

amputations, blindness, heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. "What we're seeing is a reduction in physical activity and an increase in the prevalence of overweight kids," said Glen Duncan, the UW assistant professor of nutrition who conducted the study. "These things go hand in hand with diabetes, so this [the findings] is no surprise to me at all." About 18.2 million people in the United States have diabetes, including 210,000 people under 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 1.3 million new cases a year are being diagnosed, and the vast majority are type 2, the agency said. The disease formerly was almost exclusive to people older than 40. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002965970_diabeticteens02m.html British blood products may

pose vCJD risk in 14 countries · UK issues warning on 'mad cow disease'· Documents show Brazil and Turkey are high on list James Meikle and Rob EvansTuesday May 2, 2006The Guardian The government has been forced to warn 14 countries that patients are in danger of developing the human form of mad cow disease as a result of contaminated British blood products sold abroad. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that patients in Brazil and Turkey are most at risk from the products, although it is too early to know how many, if any, foreign patients may develop the incurable variant CJD, as it takes many years to appear. The Turkish authorities said they had traced patients at

risk and were closely monitoring them, while Brazil would not comment. http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1765531,00.html New antipsychotic drugs carry risks for children By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY Nancy Thomas remembers the bad old days when she had to wear long-sleeve clothes to church to cover bite marks all over her arms from her daughter Alexa's rages. At age 8, Alexa was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She was a violent child with sharp mood swings and meltdowns that drove her to tear up the house. Antidepressants and drugs for attention-deficit disorder had only made Alexa more aggressive, Thomas says. A mix of medicines including so-called atypical antipsychotics — drugs

approved only for adults — finally stabilized Alexa's moods. Now at 15, she is able to live a more normal life — as long as she takes the medication. Even so, the Russellville, Mo., teen is paying a price: On one of the atypical antipsychotics, Alexa gained about 100 pounds in a year, putting her at risk for a host of health problems, including diabetes. It has taken her three years to lose a third of that extra weight; she is still struggling with the rest. Atypicals are a new generation of antipsychotic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adult schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). None of the six drugs — Clozaril, Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify and Geodon — is approved for kids, but doctors can prescribe them as "off-label" medications. Psychiatrists say the drugs can be helpful for children with serious mental illnesses and have been

known to save young lives. But diagnosis often is difficult, making appropriate prescribing tricky. And many experts, including behavioral pediatrician Lawrence Diller, author of Should I Medicate My Child?, say there is growing overuse of these powerful antipsychotics. Schizophrenia is rare in children under 18: It strikes about 1 in 40,000, as opposed to 1 in 100 adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Nobody knows exactly how many kids have bipolar disorder; psychiatrists don't even agree on criteria to diagnose the disease in childhood. Research on how the drugs affect children is sparse, and experts increasingly are concerned that the drugs are being prescribed too often for children with behavior problems, such as attention-deficit disorder and aggression. John March, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine,

prescribes the drugs to kids in some cases of serious illness when he thinks the benefits outweigh the risks. But he says prescribing them for behavior problems alone may be a mistake. "We have no evidence about the safety of these agents or their effectiveness in controlling aggression," he says. "Why are we doing this?" http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-atypical-drugs_x.htm Glamour at a price in Asia By Thomas Fuller International Herald TribuneTUESDAY, MAY 2, 2006 MAKHAM KHU, Thailand Neighbors gawk and children yell, "ghost!" The manager of the restaurant where Panya Boonchun worked simply told her she was fired. The cream that she applied to her face and neck was supposed to transform her into a white-skinned beauty, the kind she saw on page after page in women's magazines and on television. But rather than lighten her complexion, the illegally produced lotion she bought in a local grocery store near this village in southeastern Thailand disfigured her skin into an unsightly patchwork of albino pink and dark brown, a condition that doctors say might be irreversible. At a time when whiter skin is being aggressively marketed across Asia as beautiful and healthy, Panya's case illustrates the lengths that some women will go to change their complexions - and the dangers that this sometimes entails. The vast selections of skin-whitening creams on supermarket and pharmacy shelves are testament to an industry

that has flourished over the past decade, with 4 out of 10 women in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan now using a skin-whitening cream, a survey conducted by Synovate, a market research company, found. The skin-whitening craze, which runs parallel to the global trend of cosmetic surgery and botox injections, is not just for the face. It includes creams that whiten darker patches of skin in armpits and "pink nipple" lotions that bleach away brown-colored pigment. Women buy sunscreen creams to wear to the office in case they are struck by stray rays while commuting, the modern equivalent of the huge parasols that servants once carried to shield their masters from the intense Asian sun. And while many if not most skin-whitening creams are safe, doctors, consumer groups and government officials are reporting

dangerous consequences of the white-is- beautiful trend: Instead of treating blemishes, women are applying potent creams in large and harmful doses. Inexpensive black-market products with powerful but illegal bleaching agents are also selling briskly throughout the poorer parts of south and Southeast Asia. "I have a lot of complaints - with photographs - which show that before the cream is used the face is fine and then after it looks like it's been roasted in the oven," said Darshan Singh, the manager for Malaysia's National Consumer Complaints Center, a nonprofit group in Kuala Lumpur. Thailand's Food and Drug Administration has published a list of 70 skin- whitening creams circulating illegally around the country. Indonesian officials have identified more than 50 banned cosmetics. But

there are also questions about legitimate creams. Some doctors say that hydroquinone, prescribed for years by dermatologists around the world to remove blemishes, may be cancerous, especially if used over an extended period of time in large doses. Hydroquinone, which is also used in photo processing materials, has been shown to cause leukemia in mice and other animals. The European Union banned the ingredient from cosmetics in 2001 but it remains widely available in prescription drugs or in bootleg creams in many parts of the developing world. It is also sold in the United States as an over-the-counter drug with potency of less than 2 percent. Two doctors recently published an article in a European medical journal last year calling the long-term side effects of hydroquinone-based creams a "potential time bomb." Sociologists have long

debated why Asians, who are divided by everything from language to religion to ethnicity, share a deeply held cultural belief that lighter skin is more attractive. One commonly repeated rationale is that a lighter complexion is associated with wealth and higher education levels because those from lower social classes, laborers and farmers, are exposed to the sun and thus have darker complexions. Another theory is linked to the waves of lighter-skinned conquerors, the Moguls from Central Asia or the colonizers from Europe, whose complexions became the standard for attractiveness. "The success of the skin whiteners signifies that the Western concept of beauty in terms of skin color has finally seeped down to the lower classes," said Randy David, a sociologist at the University of the Philippines. Nithiwadi Phuchareuyot, a doctor at a skin clinic in Bangkok who dispenses products and treatments to lighten skin, said: "Every Thai girl thinks that if she has white skin the money will come and the men will come. The movie stars are all white-skinned, and everyone wants to look like a superstar." In Thailand, as in other countries in the region, the stigma of darker skin is rooted in language. One common insult is "tua dam," or black body, a rude term to degrade someone of lower social standing. Along the same lines are "e dam" (black girl) or "dam tap pet" (black like a duck's liver). Films and advertising also clearly have a role in promoting the idea that whiter skin is more beautiful. The runaway success of South Korean soap operas across the region has made its lighter- skinned stars emblems of Asian beauty. Advertisements for skin-whitening products promote whiter skin as glowing and healthier. Olay, a popular brand, has a product called "white radiance." L'Oréal markets products called "white perfect." In a survey carried out in June 2004 by Synovate, 61 percent of respondents in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan said they felt they looked younger with a fair complexion. Half of Filipino women, 45 percent of Hong Kong women and 41 percent of Malaysian women said they were currently using a skin-whitening product. There are small groups of people in Asia who seem to prefer tanned skin. In Japan, young women commonly referred to as "Shibuya girls," after the Tokyo neighborhood they hang out in, have been regular patrons of tanning salons for a decade. But they are an asterisk in Japanese society

and indeed in Asia over all. "Everybody else basically wants white skin," said Leeyong Soo, the international fashion coordinator at Vogue Nippon, the Japanese edition of the fashion magazine. "People might say to you when you come back from a holiday, 'Oh you have a tan.' But it's not necessarily complimentary." Last year 62 new skin-whitening products were introduced in supermarkets or pharmacies across the Asia-Pacific region, according to Datamonitor, a market research firm, accelerating a trend that has seen an average of 56 new products introduced annually over the past four years. These products work in various ways. Some are based on active ingredients like hydroquinone, mulberry extract, licorice extract, kojic acid or arbutin, and they inhibit the formation of melanin, or skin pigment. Others are acids that remove old skin and

reveal the newer, lighter skin underneath. One problem, say doctors, is that the most effective but risky skin-bleaching agents are often the least expensive, like mercury-based ingredients or hydroquinone, which in Thailand sells for about $20 per kilogram, compared to highly concentrated licorice extract, which sells for about $20,000 a kilo. Last year, Wiete Westerhof, a dermatologist who founded the Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders in Amsterdam, and T.J. Kooyers, a Dutch chemist, wrote a commentary in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology calling for more research into the hazardous side effects of hydroquinone. "All recent evidence from the literature indicates that the use of hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent should be stopped completely," Westerhof and Kooyers wrote. "We are of the opinion that it is a potential

time bomb." Doctors, some of whom have stopped prescribing hydroquinone, say it remains one of the most widely used chemicals to bleach skin. "It's very, very commonly used," said Anil Ganjoo, a dermatologist in New Delhi and the president of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists. "Almost every anti-pigment treatment uses hydroquinone." Thada Piamphongsant, the president of the Thai Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Surgery, said he believed that about half of all Thai dermatologists prescribe creams with hydroquinone. He stopped prescribing it a decade ago when he noticed patients with redness and itching and with more serious side effects like ochronosis, the appearance of very dark patches of skin that are difficult to remove. Some patients also

develop leukoderma, where the skin loses the ability to produce pigment, resulting in patches of pink like those on Panya's face and neck. When Panya first began using the cream, which was packaged under the name "3 Days" and cost the equivalent of $1, she said she was very happy with the results. Her skin started itching, but she tolerated it because her complexion lightened considerably. Customers in the restaurant where she sang Thai folk songs gave her bigger tips, she said. But when her face became blotchy, two months after she began using the cream, her life fell apart. Her boss told her she could no longer sing at the restaurant because she was unsightly. Today she is broke and broken- hearted. "I never look in the mirror anymore," she

said, sobbing during an interview. Last month, she told her story on a Thai television program, breaking down as she described how she lost her job and ruined her face. Just before she was introduced, the announcer on the program ran through a list of the show's sponsors, including a cream called "White Beauty." "Use this cream," the announcer said. "It gives you expert treatment." http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/01/news/skin.php May 2, 2006 The Doctor's World For Science's Gatekeepers, a Credibility Gap

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D. Recent disclosures of fraudulent or flawed studies in medical and scientific journals have called into question as never before the merits of their peer-review system. The system is based on journals inviting independent experts to critique submitted manuscripts. The stated aim is to weed out sloppy and bad research, ensuring the integrity of the what it has published. Because findings published in peer-reviewed journals affect patient care, public policy and the authors' academic promotions, journal editors contend that new scientific information should be published in a peer-reviewed journal before it is

presented to doctors and the public. That message, however, has created a widespread misimpression that passing peer review is the scientific equivalent of the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Virtually every major scientific and medical journal has been humbled recently by publishing findings that are later discredited. The flurry of episodes has led many people to ask why authors, editors and independent expert reviewers all failed to detect the problems before publication. The publication process is complex. Many factors can allow error, even fraud, to slip through. They include economic pressures for journals to avoid investigating suspected errors; the desire to avoid displeasing the authors and the experts who review manuscripts; and the fear that angry scientists will withhold the manuscripts that are the lifeline of the journals, putting them out of business.By promoting the sanctity of peer review and using it to justify a

number of their actions in recent years, journals have added to their enormous power. The release of news about scientific and medical findings is among the most tightly managed in country. Journals control when the public learns about findings from taxpayer-supported research by setting dates when the research can be published. They also impose severe restrictions on what authors can say publicly, even before they submit a manuscript, and they have penalized authors for infractions by refusing to publish their papers. Exceptions are made for scientific meetings and health emergencies. But many authors have still withheld information for fear that journals would pull their papers for an infraction. Increasingly, journals and authors' institutions also send out news releases ahead of time about a peer-reviewed discovery so that reports from news organizations coincide with a journal's date of issue. A barrage of news reports can follow.

But often the news release is sent without the full paper, so reports may be based only on the spin created by a journal or an institution. Journal editors say publicity about corrections and retractions distorts and erodes confidence in science, which is an honorable business. Editors also say they are gatekeepers, not detectives, and that even though peer review is not intended to detect fraud, it catches flawed research and improves the quality of the thousands of published papers. However, even the system's most ardent supporters acknowledge that peer review does not eliminate mediocre and inferior papers and has never passed the very test for which it is used. Studies have found that journals publish findings based on sloppy statistics. If peer review were a drug, it would never be marketed, say critics, including journal editors. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/health/02docs.html?_r=1 & pagewanted=all & oref=slogin CHICAGO - Middle-aged, white Americans are much sicker than their counterparts in England, startling new research shows, despite U.S. health care spending per person that’s more than double what Britain spends. A higher rate of Americans tested positive for diabetes and heart disease than the British. Americans also self-reported more diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and cancer. The gap between the countries holds true for educated and uneducated, rich and poor. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12595624/ To Quit Smoking, Just Stop. Written by:Eric Sabo - Published on: January 27, 2006 One day, a man who smoked for several years looked out of the window and saw that it was raining. Rather than go to the store to pick up another pack, he decided enough was enough. Another man

accidentally dropped his cigarette in his drink at a party, much to the disgust of his host. He thought, "These damn things." and has never smoked since. Stories like these were repeated to a Canadian researcher, Dr. Lynne Larabie, who was surprised to find that so many could seemingly break the habit at the drop of a hat. Hearing of the study, Dr. Robert West of the University College London wondered if health officials were going about it all wrong. The public service announcements and "Great American Smoke-out" events, where smokers try their hand at quitting for at least the day, certainly have a place. But they have not made a huge dent in ending smoking overall. Could stopping cold turkey prove better than motivational tapes and a lifetime of broken New Year’s resolutions? To find out, West and his colleague, Dr. Taj Sohal, interviewed nearly 1,000 ex-smokers and a similar number of current smokers who had tried to quit at least once. The researchers

asked them if they had planned to quit in advance or whether they just decided to all of a sudden kick the habit one day. The results, published in the British Medical Journal, suggest that there are plenty of smokers who just need one final kick in the pants to realize that the dangers of cigarettes or tobacco should be taken seriously. Out of those who had quit for at least six months, West found that the unplanned attempts were more than twice as likely to succeed as planned ones. "It’s like an earthquake." West explains. "One small crack can lead to a giant shift." The tipping point, he says, is when smokers have some sort of epiphany in which they realize that the costs of smoking, for whatever reason, are just not worth it. For some, this may be a storm that keeps them from going out to get a pack of cigarettes. Others may wake up one day, see a dirty ashtray in a different light and decide that smoking is disgusting. "Something may

catch them off guard and all of sudden they think, ’That’s it, this is stupid,’" he says. Such subtle clues may not work for everyone, nor does it mean that planning for your last tobacco day is a bad idea, West says. "Some people may need to step back, take a deep breath and really plan to quit." He says that public health campaigns should adopt a three "T" approach to kicking the habit: showcasing the tension on the dangers of smoking, recognizing the triggers that can cause change and then offering immediate treatment to those who need extra help. "When you’re near that cusp, it may take only a little thing to change." says West. "If you have an epiphany to quit." he adds, "go with that." © 2006 Healthology, Inc. French Fries, Potato Chips Contain Cancer-Causing Substance: Report By Kim RahnStaff Reporter French fries and potato chip products on the market in South Korea contain a great deal of acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance, according to an environmental group. The claim was made in a report released Tuesday by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement after it conducted research on the quantity of acrylamide in french fries from five, major fast food restaurants, and five potato chip products from five local confectionary firms. The amount has even

increased since 2002 when Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) research indicated the same fact. Acrylamide is a chemical substance used in glue and paint. It is formed when foods containing starch, including potatoes, are processed in cooking oil at more than 120 degrees. Govt Doctors Get Whistleblower Protection By JOHN SOLOMONAssociated Press WriterMay 2, 2006, 3:52 AM EDT WASHINGTON -- Thousands of federal doctors and medical researchers who receive higher-than-normal salaries are finally getting the same protection to blow the whistle on wrongdoing as other civil servants. The decision by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board supersedes an earlier ruling that had denied National Institutes of

Health safety expert Jonathan Fishbein protection from firing under the Whistleblower Protection Act. http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-research-whistleblowers,0,6185142.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines "Our ideal

is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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