Post-Delivery Discharge Debated

Two new studies provide conflicting views on the hazards of early hospital discharge for mothers and their newborns. The first found the risk for one-week hospital readmissions of newborns climbed 28% if those infants were sent home less than 30 hours after birth. Another study found no such differences in risk, at least in terms of readmission involving problems linked to infant feeding. Both studies appear in the current issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fetal Tissue Fixes Birth Defect

Scientists have achieved the first successful repair of a birth defect in lambs by growing fetal tissue in the laboratory and then implanting it in the newborn. The innovative procedure, which combines minimally invasive fetal surgery with tissue engineering, may someday help repair birth defects in human infants.

Cholesterol Drugs Cut Stroke Risk

The newest cholesterol-lowering drugs can do more than help prevent heart disease -- they also may reduce the risk of stroke, researchers say. A new review of published studies of cholesterol drugs called statins (Pravastatin, Simvastatin, Lovastatin) shows a 29% reduction in stroke risk among people taking them. The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was also significantly reduced.

Health Insurance: Covering Kids

There are more than 10 million youngsters who don't have health insurance in the U.S. The federal government is poised to pass legislation to get more children insured, but there may be ways to get more bang for the federal buck than the proposed plan, according to Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe, director of the Institute for Health Services Research at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. This week's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association carries an article by Thorpe on possible alternatives.

TB Eradication in U.S. Looks Abroad

Most cases of tuberculosis (TB) among foreign-born individuals living in the U.S. are acquired before the patients arrive in this country, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials at the government agency conclude that the only way to completely eliminate the disease from the U.S. is to encourage "better TB prevention and control activities" in countries where the disease is highly prevalent.

Vitamins Slow Arthritis Progression

People taking middling to high doses of vitamin C had a threefold reduction in risk for osteoarthritis (OA) progression, according to research published Tuesday in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Those taking the highest doses of the vitamin also had a reduced risk of developing knee pain. A reduction in the risk of progression was also seen for beta carotene -- although this effect was less strong that that for vitamin C -- and for vitamin E, but only in men.

HRT Cuts Knee Osteoarthritis Risk

Continuous use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduces the risk of knee osteoarthritis in women by threefold, and also causes a modest decrease in the risk of distal interphalangeal (finger joint) osteoarthritis, according to results of The Chingford Study, which appear in the current issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Researchers at St. Thomas' Hospital in London found that continuous use of hormone replacement therapy for more than 12 months provided a "significant protective effect" against osteoarthritis of the knee in HRT users compared with never users.

Oxygen Drinkers Run Faster?

Can adding oxygen to your sports drink help improve your athletic performance? A new study suggests that the answer is -- yes, drinking bottled water with extra oxygen can shave about 15 seconds off the time it takes to run a 5K race (about 3.1 miles). The research was funded by a Florida-based company that owns the patented technology to enrich water with 10 times the normal amount of oxygen.

When Take-Out Food Goes Bad

Too many Americans have misguided notions about the storage and consumption of take-out foods, according to a new poll. "There are just some basic rules that people need to know and be aware of, if they aren't going to take a chance with take-out," said Holly McCord, a registered dietitian and nutrition editor for Prevention magazine.

Vitamin A Not Linked to Birth Defects

Women who take more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A during pregnancy most likely do not have an increased risk of having a child with birth defects -- despite some health experts' fears to the contrary. Vitamin A is structurally similar to the acne-fighting drug Accutane, or isotretinoin, which is known to increase the risk of birth defects. At least some vitamin A is converted into isotretinoin in the body, raising the specter that very large doses of the vitamin could cause birth defects.

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