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Prescription drug-abuse rising among young people. The AP (7/6, Johnson) reports that "prescription drug abuse among 18- to 25-year-olds rose 17 percent from 2002 to 2005, according to the White House drug policy office. In 2004 and again in 2005, there were more new abusers of prescription drugs than new users of any illicit drug." Physicians say that
"young people mistakenly believe prescription drugs are safer than street drugs. ... But accidental prescription drug deaths are rising and students who abuse pills are more likely to drive fast, binge-drink and engage in other dangerous behaviors." In response, the White House is planning "a national advertising campaign aimed at getting parents to clean out their medicine cabinets and lock up any prescription drugs they need, said deputy drug czar Scott Burns."
The UPI (7/6) adds that a National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse (CASA) report "said that between 1993 and 2005 the percentage of college students abusing Vicodin (hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone and acetaminophen) and other opiates rose 343 percent, or about 240,000 individuals. The numbers increased 450 percent, or by 170,000 students, for tranquilizers such as Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam) -- and 93 percent, or 225,000 students, for stimulants, including Adderall (amphetamine mixed salts)." Joseph A. Califano, Jr., chair and president of CASA, said, "Prescription drugs are very easy for kids to get. They can get them from the Internet. They can get them from their parents' medicine cabinets. They can get them from their friends. Drugmakers, parents and anti-drug campaigns should refocus on prescription drug abuse."
Mexican-run labs replacing U.S. production of illegal methamphetamine. The Chicago Tribune /AP (7/6, Poovey) provides an update on illegal methamphetamine production. As reported in the July 3 briefing, "records provided by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration show there were 7,347 meth lab reports nationwide last year, down from 12,619 in 2005 and 17,834 the year before." However, those labs "have been replaced by superlabs in Mexico and by Mexican-run labs in some American border states," according to DEA spokesperson Rusty Payne. The Mexican-run labs "are supplied with bulk shipments of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine originating mostly in China, India and Germany." Payne added that the "growth of international drug trafficking organizations, specifically meth production, has created a huge amount of supply in the U.S. They have sort of outdone the small toxic labs."
The UPI (7/6) adds that a National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse (CASA) report "said that between 1993 and 2005 the percentage of college students abusing Vicodin (hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone and acetaminophen) and other opiates rose 343 percent, or about 240,000 individuals. The numbers increased 450 percent, or by 170,000 students, for tranquilizers such as Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam) -- and 93 percent, or 225,000 students, for stimulants, including Adderall (amphetamine mixed salts)." Joseph A. Califano, Jr., chair and president of CASA, said, "Prescription drugs are very easy for kids to get. They can get them from the Internet. They can get them from their parents' medicine cabinets. They can get them from their friends. Drugmakers, parents and anti-drug campaigns should refocus on prescription drug abuse."
Mexican-run labs replacing U.S. production of illegal methamphetamine. The Chicago Tribune /AP (7/6, Poovey) provides an update on illegal methamphetamine production. As reported in the July 3 briefing, "records provided by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration show there were 7,347 meth lab reports nationwide last year, down from 12,619 in 2005 and 17,834 the year before." However, those labs "have been replaced by superlabs in Mexico and by Mexican-run labs in some American border states," according to DEA spokesperson Rusty Payne. The Mexican-run labs "are supplied with bulk shipments of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine originating mostly in China, India and Germany." Payne added that the "growth of international drug trafficking organizations, specifically meth production, has created a huge amount of supply in the U.S. They have sort of outdone the small toxic labs."
Study notes neurosyphilis' reemergence among HIV-positive
gay, bisexual men. The Los Angeles Times (7/6, Engel) reports, "The medical community has a new warning for HIV-positive gay and bisexual men. With syphilis rates in that population increasing dramatically, a study has found that, if left untreated, the sexually transmitted disease leads to mental confusion, blurred vision, difficulty walking or other serious neurological complications in about one in 50 HIV-positive men." Moreover, for "about one in 200 of those who develop neural symptoms, the complications persist even six months after treatment," according to a study published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Notably, "neurosyphilis all but
disappeared in the U.S. after the introduction of penicillin in the late 1940s. Previously, it was seen only in the late stages of syphilis, years into the infection." But, experts have "seen signs of neurosyphilis' reemergence since the AIDS epidemic began in the early 1980s."
AMA adopts nondiscrimination policy to include transgender persons. Chicago's Windy City Times (7/5, Roehr) reported that the American Medical Association
"amended its nondiscrimination policies to include transgender persons at the annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in Chicago, which ended on June 27." The comprehensive change in policy "affects all aspects of the functioning of the AMA, including relations with patients, employment issues and insurance coverage. It also will affect accreditation of medical schools." The report recommending the changes noted that "[t]ransgender individuals face complex medical, psychological and social issues. Within the health-care system issues of discrimination and unique access barriers to important medical and social support services can occur." Joel Ginsberg, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association said, "The AMA has said that it is time for this discrimination to stop."
Study disputes stereotype that women talk more than men. ABC World News (7/5, story 10, 0:40, Gibson) reported that a new study "is about talk. And it will have you talking. It seeks to answer question: Who talks more? Men or women?" The CBS Evening News (7/5, story 12, 0:45, Couric) reported, "At the University of Arizona, they put microphones on about 400 students and counted how many words they use in
the course of a day. The result? Well, women did win, but barely." NBC Nightly News (7/5, story 9, 2:40, Daniels) noted, "For a long time, we women have had a bad rap, that we're gabbers, motor mouths. But a new study turns that on its head."
The AP (7/6) reports, "when you count the words, there isn't much difference between the sexes when it comes to talking," according to findings in today's issue of Science. Researchers "placed microphones on 396 college students for periods ranging from two to 10 days, sampled their conversations and calculated how many words they used in the course of a day. The score: women, 16,215; men, 15,669. The difference: 546 words: 'Not statistically significant,' say the researchers."
HealthDay (7/6, Mundell) adds that although the researchers "found no gender difference whatsoever in the amount of talking done each day by these young men and women," it is still "possible that differences in verbalization between the sexes emerge as people age." According to one of the researchers, James Pennebaker, Ph.D., professor and chair, department of psychology, University of Texas at Austin, "the study's focus on college students might also ignore behavioral differences between men and women based on social class." One difference the researchers did find, however, was in context: Women talked more "about relationships" and men talked more about technology, "sports or finance."
The Los Angeles Times (7/6, Dance) also covers the study, and provides details on the device the researchers used. Dr. Pennebaker developed the EAR -- the electronically activated recorder -- "to unobtrusively record snippets of conversation during someone's daily routine. The cellphone-size device turns on every 12 minutes and records whatever it hears for 30 seconds."
The AP (7/6) reports, "when you count the words, there isn't much difference between the sexes when it comes to talking," according to findings in today's issue of Science. Researchers "placed microphones on 396 college students for periods ranging from two to 10 days, sampled their conversations and calculated how many words they used in the course of a day. The score: women, 16,215; men, 15,669. The difference: 546 words: 'Not statistically significant,' say the researchers."
HealthDay (7/6, Mundell) adds that although the researchers "found no gender difference whatsoever in the amount of talking done each day by these young men and women," it is still "possible that differences in verbalization between the sexes emerge as people age." According to one of the researchers, James Pennebaker, Ph.D., professor and chair, department of psychology, University of Texas at Austin, "the study's focus on college students might also ignore behavioral differences between men and women based on social class." One difference the researchers did find, however, was in context: Women talked more "about relationships" and men talked more about technology, "sports or finance."
The Los Angeles Times (7/6, Dance) also covers the study, and provides details on the device the researchers used. Dr. Pennebaker developed the EAR -- the electronically activated recorder -- "to unobtrusively record snippets of conversation during someone's daily routine. The cellphone-size device turns on every 12 minutes and records whatever it hears for 30 seconds."
Chronic fatigue syndrome may have genetic link. Bloomberg (7/6, Bennett) reports that "scientists in Australia identified 35 genes linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, helping narrow the focus of research on a little-understood condition affecting more than a million people in the U.S. alone," according to findings published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The researchers "screened 30,000 genes in blood samples from 15 people known to have had infectious mononucleosis, which can lead to chronic fatigue. Thirty-five of those genes were expressed differently in those who recovered promptly from the illness to those who went on to suffer months of physical and or mental weakness." Some of the 35 identified genes were "linked to
specific symptoms, including fatigue and pain." Other symptoms, "including concentration lapses, memory loss and sullenness, didn't appear to be linked to a specific gene."
Autism can be diagnosed as early as one year of age, research suggests. The UPI (7/6) reports that "autism can be diagnosed at about one year of age -- the earliest the disorder has ever been diagnosed," according findings published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The researchers "evaluated social and
communication development in autism spectrum disorders from 14 to 36 months of age and found that approximately half of all children with autism can be diagnosed around their first birthday." They also "identified the following signs of developmental disruptions for which parents and pediatricians should watch for: Abnormalities in initiating communication with others. Compromised ability to initiate and respond to opportunities to share experiences with others -- children with autism spectrum disorders infrequently monitor other people's focus of attention. Irregularities when playing with toys. And, Significantly reduced variety of sounds, words and gestures used to communicate." MedPage Today (7/6, Phend) and WebMD (7/6, Warner) also report the study.
Contractors suffering from war-related PTSD are not getting needed treatment. The New York Times (7/5, Risen) reports that "contractors who have worked in Iraq are returning home with the same kinds of combat-related, mental-health problems that afflict U.S. military personnel , according to contractors, industry officials and mental-health experts. But, they say, the private workers are largely left on their own to find care, and their problems often go ignored or are inadequately treated." A vast "second army, one of contractors -- up to 126,000 Americans, Iraqis and other foreigners -- is working for the U.S. government in Iraq. Many work side-by-side with soldiers and are exposed to the same dangers, but they mostly must fend for themselves in navigating the civilian health-care system" when they come back to the U.S.
Notably, the federal government, "which has paid billions of dollars to corporations for services in Iraq since the war began, has not examined the issue of mental-health problems among private workers, according to Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs officials. 'To my knowledge, it has not been looked at systematically,' said Dr. Matthew J. Friedman, a VA official who directs the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
Illinois to become first state to routinely screen for traumatic brain injuries. The New York Times (7/4, Sander) reported that "frustrated with the federal government's response to the mental-health needs of soldiers, Illinois officials announced on Tuesday that members of the state's National Guard would be routinely screened for traumatic brain injuries after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan." The mandatory program, "which appears to be the first in the nation, will also offer the screening to other veterans in the state and will include a 24-hour hotline providing psychological counseling to veterans of all military branches. The program is expected to cost $10.5 million a year."
New wounded solider hotline receiving thousands of calls. Meanwhile, the AP (7/4) noted that the "Army's new Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline -- 1-800-984-8523 -- has logged more than 3,500 calls since it was set up three months ago." The hotline "follows revelations that Walter Reed Army Medical Center's outpatients were suffering bureaucratic delays in getting additional care, evaluations and compensation for wounds."
Illinois to become first state to routinely screen for traumatic brain injuries. The New York Times (7/4, Sander) reported that "frustrated with the federal government's response to the mental-health needs of soldiers, Illinois officials announced on Tuesday that members of the state's National Guard would be routinely screened for traumatic brain injuries after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan." The mandatory program, "which appears to be the first in the nation, will also offer the screening to other veterans in the state and will include a 24-hour hotline providing psychological counseling to veterans of all military branches. The program is expected to cost $10.5 million a year."
New wounded solider hotline receiving thousands of calls. Meanwhile, the AP (7/4) noted that the "Army's new Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline -- 1-800-984-8523 -- has logged more than 3,500 calls since it was set up three months ago." The hotline "follows revelations that Walter Reed Army Medical Center's outpatients were suffering bureaucratic delays in getting additional care, evaluations and compensation for wounds."
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