ADHD Drugs save for adult’s heart

Ritalin and other drugs used to treat attention deficit disorder are safe for adults’ hearts, even though they can increase blood pressure and heart rate, according to the largest study of these medicines in adults. The results echo findings in a study of children with ADHD, by the same researchers, published last month. The review of health records for more than 440,000 adults aged 25 to 64 showed those taking ADHD drugs had about the same number of heart attacks , strokes and sudden heart-related deaths as adults who didn’t use those drugs.

Although attention deficit disorder is usually thought of as a condition in childhood, many continue to have symptoms as adults, including impulsive, fidgety behavior and difficulty focusing or paying attention. ADHD affects about 4 percent of U.S. adults, roughly 9 million. About 8 percent of U.S. children aged 3 to 17, or 5 million kids, have ever been diagnosed with the disorder, government statistics show. More than 1.5 million U.S. adults were taking stimulants used for ADHD in 2005, and use of ADHD drugs increased more rapidly in adults than in kids over the past decade, the study said. More than 150,000 ADHD medication users were involved in several states. Their health records over up to 20 years were compared with similar adults who did not use those drugs. Overall, there were 1,357 heart attacks, 575 strokes and 296 sudden cardiac deaths. Roughly equal numbers occurred in ADHD drug users and nonusers.

Study participants used the drugs for an average of less than a year, which is short, but the upper range of use was almost 14 years, and there was no sign of increasing risk with longer use, the authors said, led by Laurel Habel of the research division at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland. The findings support the Food and Drug Administration’s decision in 2006 against putting a black box warning about serious heart events on ADHD drugs labels. But despite the results, medical histories and exams should still be performed for all patients before starting ADHD drugs, and periodic evaluations should be done during drug treatment, said editorial author Dr. Philip Shaw of the National Human Genome Research Institute.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_ADHD_DRUGS_ADULTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-12-11-36-34

Blink may provide new knowledge to understand more...

When and why children blink may provide researchers some important clues about how children with autism process and take in information. Although it may not feel like it, blinking interrupts what we are watching. If a story or scene is engrossing, we can keep our eyes peeled. This is called blink inhibition. There are key differences between toddlers with and without autism spectrum disorder and when they blink their eyes.
The new finding appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The CDC states that one in 110 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder. This is a range of developmental disorders that affect the ability to communicate and relate to others. In the new study, 2-year-olds with or without autism watched a video of a boy and girl playing. The video included physical movements as well as children interacting with each other. For the typical children, the rate of blinking decreased more when watching the emotional part than during physical movements. This pattern was reversed among children with autism .

Warren Jones, PhD say when we blink and when we don’t can actually index how engaged people are with what we’re looking at, and how important they perceive that thing to be. He is the director of research at the Marcus Autism Center at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Children without autism seem to be able to anticipate what is coming next based on facial expressions and wordplay. This is not the case among children with autism. Without understanding the social context in which actions happen, children with autism may often be reacting, after the fact, to physical events that have already happened.

The findings give researchers a new tool for trying to understand how children with autism look at, engage with, and learn from what they see. This might give us more information about cues that are distracting to children with autism, and it might also give us information about cues that are naturally engaging to [these] children.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20111212/blinking-may-help-researchers-understand-autism-better

FDA wants more prominent label warning in Yasmin

An FDA panel has voted 15-11 that the benefits of newer oral contraceptives outweigh their risks of dangerous blood clots. But the panel voted 21-5 that the contraceptives’ labels don’t adequately reflect that risk/benefit profile. The newer oral contraceptives, which contain the man-made hormone drospirenone, include Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceutical’s Beyaz, Safyral, Yasmin, and Yaz brands, as well as several other brands (Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Syeda, and Zarah).

They’ve been marketed as having extra benefits such as treating acne and severe premenstrual symptoms. All oral contraceptives carry a potential risk of blood clots, but publicly funded studies, including one of 800,000 women by the FDA, have linked the drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives to a higher risk of clots compared to the older contraceptives, which contain the hormone levonorgestrel. The research shows that about 10 in 10,000 women taking the newer pills would get a blood clot per year, compared to 6 in 10,000 women taking the older pills. However, research funded by Bayer has not shown an increased risk of clots in women who took Yasmin, an earlier version of Yaz. Almost all of the studies have focused on Yasmin, which in 2001 was the first pill containing drospirenone to earn FDA approval. There is no research to suggest that pills containing drospirenone are more effective at preventing pregnancy than other birth control pills . And most of the older oral contraceptives treat acne just as well, Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, an associate professor in family medicine at Georgetown University, told the advisory panel.

Much of the discussion at the day-long advisory committee meeting focused on whether Yasmin might have a higher or lower risk of blood clots compared to the older birth control pills. In the FDA study, women on Yasmin were twice as likely to have acne, which can be a characteristic of PCOS, than those on older birth control pills, Ouellett-Hellstrom said. PCOS alone puts women at a higher risk of blood clots.

http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/news/20111209/fda-stronger-labeling-needed-newer-contraceptives

FDA want more warning in Yaz label

Federal health experts said that drug labeling for Yaz and other widely-used birth control pills should be updated to emphasize recent data suggesting a higher risk of blood clots with the drugs than older contraceptive pills. The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of experts voted 21-5 Thursday that labeling on the popular drugs made by Bayer is inadequate and needs more information about the potential risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs.

Yaz, its predecessor Yasmin and related prescriptions use a manmade hormone called drospirenone, which mimics the naturally occurring female hormone progesterone. Approved in 2006, Yaz grew into the best-selling birth control pill in the U.S. by 2008, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in TV and magazine advertising that emphasized its ability to clear up acne and other hormonal side effects. But prescriptions have fallen more than 80 percent in the last two years amid safety concerns. Panelists spent more than nine hours discussing often conflicting data on the blood clot risk of drospirenone-containing drugs compared with older medications. While the group disagreed on the quality of the evidence, the overwhelming majority said it should be clearly stated in the label, including the potentially fatal nature of blood clots.

In an earlier vote, panelists voted 15-11 that the pills remain a beneficial option for preventing pregnancy. The majority ruling amounts to a vote of confidence for keeping the drugs on the market, though well over a third of panelists voted against the drug’s overall benefit, citing numerous alternatives available. Two large studies conducted by German drugmaker Bayer have shown no difference in blood clots between patients taking the company’s drugs and patients taking older medications. But since 2009, five large studies have suggested drospirenone-containing pills carry a slightly higher risk of blood clots than older birth control pills, though events in both groups are very rare. Even a slightly higher risk can be critical because blood clots can trigger heart attacks, strokes and blockages in lungs or blood vessels. The most recent study by the FDA found women taking Yasmin had a 75 percent higher chance of suffering a blood clot than patients taking a combination of older drugs. The absolute risk of a blood clot is still far less than a fraction of a percent.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BIRTH_CONTROL_SAFETY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-08-20-39-16

Many Contact Lens wearer not care with proper Lens...

More than 80% of contact lens wearers surveyed prior to an eye exam believed they followed good lens wear and care practices, but just 2% actually complied with most recommended lens hygiene steps. And less than 1% were found to be fully compliant with recommendations such as washing their hands before handling lenses, using fresh lens solution every time instead of topping off old solution, and replacing lens cases frequently. Most people who wear contact lenses say they know about the wear and care recommendations, but almost none actually comply with them, a new study shows.

The new survey included patients undergoing eye exams in private practice or university-affiliated optometry settings. Overall, 85% of the patients perceived themselves as compliant with all lens-wearing practices, but only 0.4% was considered fully compliant. The study also showed that while most of the contact wearers knew what they needed to do to avoid complications, few actually followed all the recommendations. The researchers concluded that patient awareness was not the problem. The most frequent complications reported by the surveyed contact lens wearers were discomfort (72%) and infection (47%).

When wearers use lenses longer than recommended or don’t follow proper handling and storage practices, there is a greater likelihood of deposit buildup that can lead to chronic eye redness or infection. Among the other AOA recommendations: Always wash and dry your hands before handling contact lenses. Clean lenses often, as recommended by your eye doctor. Rub the lenses with your fingers and rinse thoroughly before soaking lenses overnight in sufficient multi-purpose solution to completely cover the lenses. Use only fresh solution every time to clean and store contacts. Never top off old solution with new because the active ingredient in some solutions can break down over time. This is also why contact lens solutions should never be used after the discard date on the bottle has passed. Never use tap water in any area of lens care, including rinsing the lens and lens case. Tap water may contain microorganisms that can cause eye infection. Store lenses in the proper lens storage case and replace your case at least every three months. Clean the case after each use and keep it open and dry between cleaning. Never swim in lenses or wear them in a hot tub.

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20111209/most-contact-lens-users-do-not-follow-safety-steps