FDA approves Xtoro to treat swimmer’s ear

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xtoro (finafloxacin otic suspension), a new drug used to treat acute otitis externa, commonly known as swimmer’s ear.

Shift workers more likely to report poor health

NHS. UK: "Higher rates of obesity and ill-health have been found in shift workers than the general population," BBC News reports. These are the key findings of a survey into health trends among shift workers; defined as any working pattern outside of the normal fixed eight-hour working day (though start and finish times may vary).
According to the survey (The Health Survey for England 2013), shift workers were more likely to report general ill-health, have a higher body mass index (BMI) and increased incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Electromagnetic smog unlikely to harm humans

NHS. UK: Are mobile phones likely to harm human health? Is there a potential health impact of environmental exposure to what some commentators have called “electromagnetic smog”? This is a term used to refer to a mix of low-level magnetic fields that exist in the modern environment. This "smog" is not just generated by mobile phones, but also by Wi-Fi routers, tablets, laptops, power lines and cell towers. In the modern world, you are never far away from a magnetic field.

Fathers-to-be experience hormone changes

NHS. UK: “Men suffer pregnancy symptoms too: Fluctuating hormones make fathers-to-be … more caring,” the Mail Online reports. A small US study found evidence of changes in hormonal levels that may make fathers-to-be more able to cope with the demands of fatherhood. The story comes from a study that looked at whether expectant fathers and their partners experience any changes in their hormone levels during pregnancy. It found that, as expected, women experienced a large increase in four hormones associated with pregnancy. Their male partners also experienced small changes in the hormones testosterone and oestradiol.
The researchers, as well as the media, speculate that these small changes in hormone levels could lead to men becoming less aggressive, less interested in sex, and more caring. Though whether such changes are linked to subsequent changes in their behaviour is unproven.

Fragile X syndrome

Orphanet: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a rare genetic disease associated with mild to severe intellectual deficit that may be associated with behavioral disorders and characteristic physical features.

Frequency is estimated at approximately 1/4000-1/5000 although it may vary depending on where the screening was carried out in the world.

Primary ovarian insufficiency

NIH. US: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the term used to describe when a woman’s ovaries stop working normally before she reaches the age of 40. POI is not the same as early or premature menopause. Many women with POI do not get monthly menstrual periods, or they have them irregularly. Problems with ovulation may make it difficult for women with POI to get pregnant. In addition, women with POI are at higher risk for certain health conditions, such as osteoporosis, than are women who do not have POI.

Study finds genetic clue to menopause-like condition in young women

NIH. US: Six young women with a disorder that mimics menopause have gene alterations that hamper the repair of damaged DNA, report researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The mutations, occurring in women with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), are in genes that repair damaged DNA in cells of the ovary that eventually become egg cells. It may also contribute to understanding normal menopause.

Blood group O associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes

INSERM: Is there a relationship between blood group and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes? This is the question studied by Guy Fagherazzi and his collaborators from Joint Research Unit 1018, “Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health” (Inserm/University Paris-Sud) at Gustave Roussy Institute. The analysis, carried out on 82,104 women from the E3N cohort who were monitored for 18 years, suggests for the first time that the risk of type 2 diabetes may be lower for individuals with blood group O than for those with blood groups A, B or AB.

Trulicity

EMEA: Trulicity can be used on its own in patients whose blood glucose levels are not satisfactorily controlled on diet and exercise alone and who cannot take metformin (another diabetes medicine).
It can also be used as an ‘add-on’ to other diabetes medicines, including insulin, when these medicines together with exercise and diet are not providing adequate control of blood glucose.
Trulicity contains the active substance dulaglutide.

Mysimba recommended for approval in weight management in adults

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended granting a marketing authorisation for Mysimba (naltrexone / bupropion) for weight management of overweight or obese adults. The medicine is recommended for use in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity.

FDA approves Gardasil 9 for prevention of certain cancers caused by five additional types of HPV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Gardasil 9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant) for the prevention of certain diseases caused by nine types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Covering nine HPV types, five more HPV types than Gardasil (previously approved by the FDA), Gardasil 9 has the potential to prevent approximately 90 percent of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers.

Cervical cancer

IQWiG, Germany: Cervical cancer is the term used to describe tumors that can grow at the lower end of the womb. As far back as the 1960s it was discovered that cervical cancer is nearly always caused by a long-term infection with particular viruses. Cervical screening has been shown to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.

More than 16 million children live in states where they can buy e-cigarettes legally

CDC. US: More than 300 million Americans live in states without protection against indoor e-cigarette aerosol exposure

Forty states have enacted laws prohibiting the sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, to minors, but 10 states and the District of Columbia still permit such sales, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

National mass media anti-smoking campaign exceptionally cost-effective

CDC. US: The 2012 Tips From Former Smokers campaign spent only $480 per smoker who quit and $393 per year of life saved, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results of the study were published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

E-cigarettes could help some smokers quit

NHS. UK: “E-cigarettes can help smokers quit or cut down heavily,” The Guardian reports. An international review of the evidence, carried out by the well-respected Cochrane Collaboration, found evidence that they can help some smokers quit.However, the available body of evidence was slim – just two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), involving around 950 participants.

Chronic high blood sugar may be detrimental to the developing brain of young children

NIH. US: Study shows young children with type 1 diabetes have significant difference in brain developmentYoung children who have long-term high blood sugar levels are more likely to have slower brain growth, according to researchers at centers including the National Institutes of Health.

Gene therapy could help with inherited blindness (retinitis pigmentosa)

NHS.UK: "Procedure to restore sight in dogs gives hope for future blindness cure," The Independent reports. Researchers have restored some modest degree of light sensitivity (though not full vision) in animals who have a similar condition to retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa is an umbrella term for a group of human inherited eye conditions, affecting around 1 in 4,000 people, in which the normal light-sensing cells contained in the retina become damaged or die.

Retinitis pigmentosa

Orphanet. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal dystrophy leading to progressive loss of the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium and resulting in blindness usually after several decades.

Frequency of RP is reported to be 1/3,000 to 1/5,000. No ethnic specificities have been reported although founder effects are possible.

Feeling 'young at heart' may increase lifespan

NHS. UK: “Feeling young at heart wards off death, scientists find,” The Daily Telegraph reports. A UK study found that people who reported feeling younger than their actual age were less likely to die than those who reported feeling their actual age or older.

Teen prescription opioid abuse, cigarette, and alcohol use trends down

NIH. US: Use of cigarettes, alcohol, and abuse of prescription pain relievers among teens has declined since 2013 while marijuana use rates were stable, according to the 2014 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, released today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). However, use of e-cigarettes, measured in the report for the first time, is high.