Two drugs commonly diagnosed to treat urinary tract infections in pregnant women have been found to increase the chance of multiple birth defects in their developing fetuses.
In a study recently completed by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sulfonamides (sulfa drugs) and nitrofurantoins are shown to increase the risk of several serious birth defects.
Anencephaly, a fatal condition in which the brain and skull are malformed, was determined to be three times more likely in the child of a woman taking sulfa drugs during gestation); other defects, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome, coarctation of the aorta, diaphragmatic hernia (causing breathing distress), and traverse limb deficiency (shortened limbs) were also identified.
Women who take nitrofurantoins during pregnancy increase the risk of serious birth defects affecting the eyes and heart, as well as cleft palate. The CDC study shows the likelihood of these conditions to be doubled or tripled by gestational use of nitrofurantoins.
Because studies of drug effects in pregnant women are limited by ethical and medical concerns, this CDC study which links two antibiotics to birth defects is an eye-opening, unprecedented warning to the medical community.
While the CDC is quick to point out that, even with a two or three-fold increase, the risk of any of the birth defects pinpointed in the study is minimal, responsible physicians and expecting parents now have the ability to eliminate the use of these two potentially dangerous drugs.
Kirstie Alley has signed a deal to appear in 10 episodes of a reality show based on her life. The shows will run for half hour, starting in 2010 on the A&E network. The show will go inside Alley’s home to show how she is raising two teenagers, trying to work in Hollywood, taking care of a handful of animals and struggling to lose weight. She starred in the semi-reality show “Fat Actress,” in 2005. The show did not last long. Her weight gains and losses have been in the public eye for years.
She was the spoke’s model for Jenny Craig, and managed to drop 83 pounds. She started gaining it back and was let go from her role as a spokes model. In her new reality show, she will once again try and lose weight while in the public eye. Alley who is now 58 years old hopes to lose the weight for good. Alley has always been very candid and frank about her weight issues, which encouraged A&E to seek out the star.
Oscar-nominated actor, Dennis Hopper, announced through his manager, Sam Maydew, yesterday that he is canceling all current and future appearances in order to concentrate on his health. Maydew annouced that Dennis was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but is “hoping for the best” and will be undergoing a course of treatment at the University of Southern California.
Born in Dodge City, Kansas in 1936, Hopper is considered in Hollywood to be one of the most multi-talented, yet unconventional artists around. Known in the past for some wildness, he settled down with his fifth wife, Actress Victoria Duffy, in 1996. They have one son together and he has three other children from previous marriages.
While his name is most closely associated with titles from his career such as “Easy Rider”, “Blue Velvet”, and “Apocalypse Now”, Hopper has a career in cinema that spans five decades. He is known also for his directing, writing, and photography skills.
Last month, Hopper was released from a New York hospital after suffering dehydration and flu-like symptoms while promoting his current series on the Starz network, “Crash”. While he has been on hiattus from production since season two finished shooting, Hopper was scheduled to appear next month at Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image. The Centre is showing ‘Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood’, which is a collection of his artwork and photography.
Actor turned artist, Dennis Hopper, has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is cancelling his upcoming plans to focus on his treatment.
Hopper was scheduled to be flying to Australia next week to appear at his exhibition of art and photography called Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood which is being displayed at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
His manager issued a statement about his condition, simply saying “We’re hoping for the best”. The 73 year-old is being treated through a special treatment program at the University of Southern California.
Hopper recently completed filming the second season of “Crash”, a TV version of the Oscar winning movie.
His exhibition starts on November 12 and continues through to April 25, 2010.
Shiloh Pepin, a girl who was born with a very rare condition called sirenomeila or ‘mermaid syndrome’ died at a hospital in Maine at the age of 10 after being in the hospital since last week.
Shiloh came down with a cold in the beginning of October that turned in pneumonia.
On October 10, she was taken to the hospital for treatment and placed on antibiotics and a ventilator.
Pepin proved predictions the of doctors wrong by living as long as she did.
She was born without genital organs or a lower colon and only one part of a kidney was working. Doctors believed she would only live a few hours, maybe even a few days. She defeated these old by living an entire decade.
There have been children survive this condition with the surgery to separate their legs, but Shiloh’s circulatory system made surgery very challenging.
Shiloh lived every day with great zest; her quality of life was good.
It did not matter to her what she was doing, a big event or staying at home with her dad.
She was only one in a handful of people in history to live longer than a year with her condition.
British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is currently undergoing medical treatment after he was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.
Webber, 61, famous for his musicals, including The Phantom Of The Opera and Evita, is expected to return to work full time before the end of the year, according to his spokesman.
Earlier this month, Webber unveiled details about “Love Never Dies”, a sequel to the “Phantom of the Opera”,
The show is scheduled to open in March.
Eat Cookies to Lose Weight!
The cookie diet by Dr. Sanford Siegal has dieters everywhere pretty excited. Experts are not as thrilled with this latest diet fad, and have called the diet unhealthy. The diet is not exactly like it sounds, though. The cookies, are actually special cookies, that only have 90 calories. They are made up of a combination of amino acids.
Dr. Sanford Siegal is a doctor that has treated 100s of overweight patients. This cookie diet has been around since the 1970s, but was recently featured on a popular morning news show. One woman has gone public with her weight loss results. Josie Rapper has stated she used the cookie diet to drop 120 pounds.
The diet consists of eating a total of six special cookies throughout the day, and then a very low calorie dinner, consisting of only 500 calories. The diet requires a person to drink a lot of water as well. Although a person would be getting a total of 1000 calories a day, they are not exactly healthy calories. Nutritionists are very concerned that somebody that tries this diet, will be missing out on needed fruits and vegetables.
The diet is designed to help a dieter drop calories quickly, in order to keep them encouraged. Eating 1000 calories a day, will certainly do the trick. Most doctors and nutritionists recommend not dropping below 1,200 calories a day.
Obese Middle-Aged Women Face Unhealthy Old Age without a doubt. There are a number of reasons for this. The majority being, smoking, sedentary lifestyles, lack of education. All of these contribute to unhealthy eating and lifestyle choices. Heart attacks, stroke, parkinson’s disease and other problems including mental impairment are all factors of this disease. Although healthy lifesyle changes could poitively impact the prognosis, for some reason these changes are for the most part ignored.
By 50 years old an obese woman can still better her chances of overcoming these obstacles and even increase her lifespan dramatically by cutting back on smoking, eating and 30 minutes of excercise a day. Reports state that the majority of these women had a mental or physical condition which more than likely causes the behaviours. Most of these women had no major defects or chronic illnesses which suggest it is mostly the inability to change.
On a good note women who exercise and maintain a healthy weight or more likely to live past the age of 70 in a healthy state. Those who dont minimize their chances of survival and healthy living. This is common in US mostly because of the sedentary lifestyle we live. Computers are the way the world works now meaning everything is tied to a computer so because of this the motivation to excercise is minimal. If we were to put health and nutrition first instead of money and assets, the world may just be a leaner place, but until then these are hard lessons to learn.