Richard Knox

Officials Prepare For Another Flu Pandemic — Just In Case

Richard Knox — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:36:25 +0000

There's been a buzz of activity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta since scientists got their first samples of a new bird flu virus from China four weeks ago.

Already they've prepared "seed strains" of the virus, called H7N9, and distributed them to vaccine manufacturers so the companies can grow them up and make them into experimental flu vaccine.

They've also come up

Researchers Find Hormone That Grows Insulin-Producing Cells

Richard Knox — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:09:02 +0000

The work is only in mice so far, but it sure is intriguing.

A newly found hormone revs up production of cells that make insulin — the very kind that people with advanced diabetes lack.

Harvard scientists, reporting the discovery Thursday in Cell, call the hormone betatrophin because it stimulates the production of beta cells in the pancreas. These cells make insulin, which the body needs to control blood sugar.

Scientists Race To Stay Ahead Of New Bird Flu Virus

Richard Knox — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 11:28:31 +0000

A precious package arrived at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last Thursday afternoon.

Inside, packed in dry ice to keep it frozen, was a vial containing millions of viruses derived from a 35-year-old Chinese housewife who died last Tuesday of respiratory and kidney failure.

The package was addressed to the CDC's top flu virologist, Nancy Cox.

As Stroke Risk Rises Among Younger Adults, So Does Early Death

Richard Knox — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:53:42 +0000

Most people (including a lot of doctors) think of a stroke as something that happens to old people. But the rate is increasing among those in their 50s, 40s and even younger.

In one recent 10-year period, the rate of strokes in Americans younger than 55 went up 84 percent among whites and 54 percent among blacks.

Scientists Report First Cure of HIV In A Child, Say It's A Game-Changer

Richard Knox — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:43:31 +0000

Scientists believe a little girl born with HIV has been cured of the infection.

She's the first child and only the second person in the world known to have been cured since the virus touched off a global pandemic nearly 32 years ago.

Doctors aren't releasing the child's name, but we know she was born in Mississippi and is now 2 1/2 years old — and healthy. Scientists presented details of the case Sunday at a scientific conference in Atlanta.

The case has big implications.

Medical Waste: 90 More Don'ts For Your Doctor

Richard Knox — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:49:08 +0000

Doctors do stuff — tests, procedures, drug regimens and operations. It's what they're trained to do, what they're paid to do and often what they fear not doing.

So it's pretty significant that a broad array of medical specialty groups is issuing an expanding list of don'ts for physicians.

Don't induce labor or perform a cesarean section for a baby who's less than full term unless there's a valid medical reason, say the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Female Smokers Face Greater Risk Than Previously Thought

Richard Knox — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:38:44 +0000

There's still more to learn about the risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting.

Studies in this week's New England Journal of Medicine show that the risk for women has been under-appreciated for decades. New data also quantify the surprising payoffs of smoking cessation — especially under the age of 40.

Dr. Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, an author of one study, says before now it hasn't been possible to gauge female smokers' true risks.

Bad Flu Season Overshadows Other Winter Miseries

Richard Knox — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:30:01 +0000

Dr. Beth Zeeman says she can spot a case of influenza from 20 paces. It's not like a common cold.

"People think they've had the flu when they've had colds," Zeeman, an emergency room specialist at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Mass., tells Shots. "People use the word 'flu' for everything. But having influenza is really a different thing.