Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Human Gene Patents Overturned by U.S. Supreme Court
Human genes cannot be patented, the U.S. Supreme Court said
Monday as it overturned a lower court ruling allowing a company to
hold patents on two genes linked to increased risk of breast and
ovarian cancer.
Myriad Genetics Inc. of Salt Lake City developed a test that
looks for mutations in the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes, the
Associated Press reported.
The company's patents on the genes were challenged by the
American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a number of groups,
including patients and geneticists.
In another case last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the laws
of nature are unpatentable, the
AP reported.
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Deal Reached on Medical Isotopes
An agreement to maintain the supply of medical isotopes without
the use of highly enriched uranium has been reached by the United
States and several European countries, President Barack Obama
announced Monday.
Medical isotopes are used worldwide to treat cancer and heart
disease. Scientists have been working on creating medical isotopes
using low enriched uranium instead of highly enriched uranium,
which can be used to create nuclear weapons, the
Associated Press reported.
The U.S. deal with Belgium, France and the Netherlands was
reached during a nuclear security summit in Seoul, South Korea.
World leaders at the summit are trying to find ways to improve
nuclear security, the
AP reported.
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Former Vice President Dick Cheney Undergoes Heart Transplant
Former Vice President Dick Cheney received a heart transplant at
a Virginia hospital Saturday.
Cheney, 71, has suffered five heart attacks since his 30s, the
Washington Post reported. He underwent quadruple-bypass
surgery in 1988, then two angioplasties as well as the implantation
of a heart-monitoring device, which was removed in 2007.
According to the
Post, Cheney, who was vice president under President George W. Bush, had been on the heart transplant waiting list for 20 months. He was recovering Saturday in the intensive care unit of Inova Fairfax Hospital near Falls Church, Va., Cheney aide Kara Aherm said in a statement released late Saturday.
"Although the former Vice President and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift," Ahern said. She added that Cheney "is thankful to the teams of doctors and other medical professionals at Inova Fairfax and George Washington University Hospital for their continued outstanding care."
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Blood Thinner Drug Increases Bleeding Risk: Study
An experimental blood thinner called vorapaxar slightly reduced
the risk of heart attack and stroke but raised the risk of major
bleeding, according to a new study.
The drug was created by Merck & Co. to prevent repeat heart
attacks and strokes in patients who had already suffered one or
were at increased risk due to hardened arteries in their legs, the
Associated Press reported.
The study included more than 26,000 patients in 32 countries.
After three years, about 9 percent of patients who received
vorapaxar had suffered a heart attack or stroke, compared with more
than 10 percent of patients who weren't given the drug.
Moderate or severe bleeding occurred in about 4 percent of
patients taking the drug and about 2 percent of those who didn't
take the drug. Part of the study had to be halted early due to an
increased risk of bleeding in the head in patients with a history
of stroke who were taking voraparax, the
AP reported.
The findings were presented Saturday at the American College of
Cardiology's annual meeting and published in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
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Genetic Variant Linked to More Severe Flu Symptoms: Study
A genetic flaw that may explain why the flu strikes some people
harder than others has been identified by U.S. and U.K.
scientists.
They found that a certain variant of the IFITM3 gene was much
more common in people hospitalized for flu than in the general
population. The variant controls a malformed protein, which makes
cells more susceptible to viral infection,
BBC News reported.
Overall, the flawed version of the gene is present in about 1 in
400 people, according to the study in the journal
Nature.
"Our research is important for people who have this variant as we predict their immune defences could be weakened to some virus infections," said study co-leader Professor Paul Kellam of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, BBC News reported.
"Ultimately as we learn more about the genetics of susceptibility to viruses, then people can take informed precautions, such as vaccination to prevent infection," he noted.
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Beef Patties Recalled Due to E. Coli Fears
About 17,000 pounds of beef patties distributed in the western
United States have been recalled due to concerns about
contamination with the potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7.
The meat was imported from Canada and shipped to restaurants in
Washington, Arizona, Texas and Colorado, according to Sysco
Seattle,
Fox News reported.
The recall is for 10-pound (4.5-kilogram) boxes of prime rib
beef patties with the product codes 55391 and 55317 and production
codes 11 NO 22, 11 SE 01 and 12 JA 04.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and
kidney failure,
Fox News reported.
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