Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Metal Tissue Holders May be Radioactive
Federal officials say metal tissue holders with low levels of
radioactive material may have been shipped to Bed, Bath &
Beyond stores in more than 20 states.
The Dual Ridge Metal boutique tissue holders have been carried
in about 200 of the stores since July. The holders have been pulled
from the stores and customers who bought them should return them
for a full refund, the company said in a statement Thursday, the
Associated Press reported.
The products pose little to no risk to humans, but it's better
for people to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation, said Nuclear
Regulatory Commission spokesman David McIntyre.
He said a person who spent about 30 minutes a day near one of
the tissue holders would receive the equivalent of a couple of
x-rays, the
AP reported.
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Lymphoma Drug Adcetris Gets New Warning About Brain
Infection
Two additional cases of a rare but serious brain infection have
led to a new boxed warning on the lymphoma drug Adcetris
(brentuximab vedotin), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said
Friday.
Adcetris is used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma and a rare lymphoma
called systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. When the FDA
approved Adcetris in August 2011, one case of the potentially
deadly brain infection progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
(PML) was described in the Warnings and Precautions section of the
drug's label.
Along with the new boxed warning about the risks of PML, the
drug will also carry a new contraindication warning against the use
of Adcetris with the cancer drug bleomycin due to increased risk of
pulmonary (lung) toxicity, the FDA said.
Signs and symptoms of PML can develop over several weeks or
months and may include mood changes, unusual behavior, confusion,
memory loss, thinking problems, weakness on one side of the body,
and changes in vision, speech or walking.
Patients who develop any signs or symptoms of PML should
immediately notify their doctor, the FDA said.
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U.S. Man Receives Synthetic Windpipe
An American man is doing well after receiving a synthetic
windpipe (trachea) that was created in a laboratory.
Christopher Lyles, 30, of Baltimore had a type of tracheal
cancer that is normally considered inoperable,
The New York Times reported.
In November, Swedish surgeons removed the tumor and replaced
Lyles' trachea with the new one made from nano-sized plastic fibers
and covered in stem cells taken from his bone marrow. Lyles arrived
back home Wednesday.
"He went home in very good shape," said Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, director of the Advanced Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, The Times reported.
Lyles is only the second person, and the first American, to
undergo this kind of procedure.
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State Governors Urged to Support Concussion Laws
The governors of Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and 16 other states
are being urged by NFL and NCAA leaders to support legislation
meant to reduce concussions in young football players.
In letters sent Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and
NCAA President Mark Emmert urged the governors to follow the
example of a Washington state law that requires a player who shows
signs of a concussion to be removed from a game or practice, the
Associated Press reported.
The law also forbids players from competing again until they're
cleared by a licensed health care professional trained in
concussion assessment and management.
Currently, 31 states and Washington, D.C. have such laws, the
AP reported.
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Study Links Processed Meat With Increased Risk of Pancreatic
Cancer
Eating processed meat such as sausages or bacon increases the
risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.
Swedish researchers analyzed data from 11 clinical trials and
6,643 pancreatic cancer patients,
BBC News reported.
They concluded that the risk of pancreatic cancer increases by
19 percent for every 50 grams of processed meat a person adds to
their daily diet. Consuming an extra 100 grams per day would boost
the risk by 38 percent.
The study appears in the
British Journal of Cancer.
Previous research has linked consumption of red and processed
meat with colorectal cancer.
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