Orange County Register

Weight problems, paternity tests, the dangers of stents, and breast cancer are part of today’s buzz from the biomedical world. This sampling comes from blogs and Web sites nationwide that comment on medicine and medical devices:

WEIGHT, WEIGHT, DON’T TELL ME

Three new posts about fat-related medical issues:

1. FAT AND DEMENTIA

Is Belly Fat Bad for Your Brain? asks the Health blog at the Wall Street Journal.

People who have a big belly during middle age are more likely to develop dementia in old age, researchers are reporting. It’s another sign that the belly is an especially bad place to be fat. Scientists at Kaiser looked at measurements taken from more than 6,500 people.

2. SKIP BREAKFAST? GAIN WEIGHT

Skipping Breakfast Counterproductive for Teens Concerned about Weight, says MedPageToday

Teenagers who start the day with breakfast may be less likely to gain weight than those who skip the meal, researchers found.

3. LATEST FAD: ADDERALL

Kevin, M.D., spotlights Adderall, the new weight loss fad

ABC News : “According to a report in the New York Daily News on Monday, a number of female celebrities have used prescription Adderall, even if they have not been diagnosed with ADHD. And reports also suggest that some of these starlets have resorted to crushing and snorting these pills as a way to deliver a quicker effect.”

WARNING ABOUT 2 ERECTILE DRUGS

FDA Issues Alert on Risks with Supplements Marketed for Erectile Dysfunction, reports MedPageToday:

Two dietary supplements marketed over the Internet as purported erectile dysfunction treatments may contain ingredients that can cause dangerous hypotension, the FDA has warned.

The two products, Blue Steel and Hero, are “considered unapproved drugs and have not been proven to be safe or effective,” the FDA said.

The products may contain ingredients that could interact with nitroglycerin and other nitrate products to “lower blood pressure to dangerous levels,” the FDA said.

TWO REPORTS ON STENT SAFETY

The Food and Drug Administration is making progress on figuring out how to evaluate the safety of drug-eluting stents, which help cardiac patients but can also cause blood clots.

Medgadget’s take on the FDA’s new guidance for drug-eluting stents is:

Following up on the recent regulatory storm regarding drug eluting coronary stents, the FDA has issued guidance notes for the industry for the development, testing, clinical studies, and manufacture of the devices. From the FDA: This draft guidance, announced in today’s Federal Register discusses the development pathway for new drug-eluting stents and provides recommendations on information necessary for a complete marketing submission. It also provides guidance on assessing the toxicity of the drug.

FDA Wants Longer Studies and Harder Endpoints for Drug-Eluting Stent Approvals, says MedPageToday:

The FDA proposed today that new drug-eluting stents accumulate at least 12 months of data, with twice that experience for a substantial number of patients, before the devices are submitted for approval.

83% WOMEN SCARED BY FALSE REPORTS

A specificity problem with breast MRIs? Asks Kevin, M.D.

BBC : “About 83% of the MRI scans which appeared to detect a tumour were later found to be so-called ‘false positives’.” Update: Dr. Crippen calls the report scare-mongering .

DAD-FINDER AT DRUGSTORE

The Health blog at the Wall Street Journal reports on Drugstore Shopping List: Aspirin, Shampoo, Paternity Test

Through the miracle of DNA technology, a trip to the drugstore can sort out those nagging paternity questions that bubble up at the family picnic. A company called Identigene said today that its paternity test is now available over the counter at Rite Aid and Meijer drugstores around the country. The test, which costs $29.99 …

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