FOXNews.com: Soccer players often recover fully from ACL surgery

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Soccer players often recover fully from ACL surgery Sep 28th 2012, 12:07 Most soccer players are able to return to the field after surgery to repair torn knee ligaments, a new study suggests. But out of 100 athletes who had reconstructive surgery on their anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, researchers found female and older players were less likely than younger men and boys to get back in the game. And by seven years out, 12 of the athletes had undergone a second ACL surgery on the same or opposite knee. "The good news is, you can get back to a sport like soccer after an ACL reconstruction," said Dr. Robert Brophy, an orthopedic surgeon from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who led the study. But athletes who've had an ACL tear, he added, "need to have a sense of the fact that they're going to be at risk for future injury." The ACL, located in the middle of the knee joint, is most commonly injured during sports that require jumping or quick changes in direction, or when the knee gets overextended. Female athletes are known to be at higher risk of ACL tears. Regardless of gender, those are typically thought of as season-ending injuries because rehab takes months of working to regain strength and range of motion. For the new study, Brophy and his colleagues interviewed 100 soccer players who'd undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2002 or 2003. At the time of surgery, those athletes ranged in age from 11 to 53 years and included high school and college players as well as recreational athletes. Forty-five of them were female. After surgery, 72 of the athletes returned to playing soccer, usually after a year or so, with most reaching their pre-injury level of play. That included 42 male athletes and 30 female athletes who said they'd gone back to the sport. People who were younger at the time of injury were more likely to return to the field. Seven years after surgery, 36 out of the 100 initial athletes were still playing soccer, the researchers reported in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. By then, nine female athletes and three males reported having had another ACL surgery. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine estimates there are about 150,000 ACL injuries in the U.S. every year. Brophy said there are many reasons why athletes may never return to their sport of choice after an ACL tear. They may not get their conditioning back to where it once was, or they may feel okay running but have trouble with the type of knee function required for soccer or football. In addition, "they may be afraid of re-injury or feel like it's not worth the risk," he told Reuters Health. That may be especially true for older athletes, he said. "Life demands may make the rehabilitation more challenging and more difficult to get through, as well as make it more difficult to say, ''(It's) worth it to go back and play.'"

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FOXNews.com: FDA approves new colon cancer drug

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FDA approves new colon cancer drug Sep 28th 2012, 12:43 A new drug has received fast-track approval to treat advanced colon cancer, the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. The drug, Stivarga, has been approved to treat patients with colorectal cancer that has progressed after treatment and spread to other parts of the body, the FDA said. The drug, manufactured by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, works by blocking several enzymes that promote cancer growth. The FDA said it received a fast-track review designated for drugs that offer major advances in treatment or that provide treatment when no adequate therapy exists. In a study, patients taking the drug lived about six weeks longer than patients taking a placebo. "Stivarga is the latest colorectal cancer treatment to demonstrate an ability to extend patients' lives and is the second drug approved for patients with colorectal cancer in the past two months," said Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Last month the FDA approved the Sanofi-Regeneron drug Zaltrap for use in combination with a FOLFIRI (folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with metastatic colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and in women and the third leading cause of cancer death in men and in women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 143,400 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 51,690 will die from the disease in 2012, the government estimates. Stivarga was evaluated in a study of 760 patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients were randomly assigned to receive Stivarga or a placebo in addition to the best supportive care, which included treatments to help manage symptoms and side effects of cancer. Patients received treatment until their cancers progressed or side effects became unacceptable. Patients treated with Stivarga and supportive care lived about 6.4 months, compared with five months for patients treated with placebo plus supportive care. Those who received Stivarga experienced a delay in tumor growth for about two months, compared with 1.7 months for patients receiving the placebo. The Stivarga label warns that severe and fatal liver toxicity occurred in patients treated with Stivarga during clinical studies. The most common side effects reported in patients treated with Stivarga included weakness or fatigue, loss of appetite, hand-foot syndrome (also called palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia), diarrhea, mouth sores (mucositis), weight loss, infection, high blood pressure, and changes in voice volume or quality (dysphonia), the FDA said. Pass it on: The FDA has approved a new drug to treat advanced colorectal cancer.   10 Do's and Don'ts to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer 7 Cancers You Can Ward Off with Exercise 8 Tips for Healthy Aging

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FOXNews.com: Diagnosis of rare brain disorder may take months

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Diagnosis of rare brain disorder may take months Sep 28th 2012, 12:48 Doctors often initially misdiagnose people with Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease, a rare brain disorder caused by misfolded, infectious prion proteins, according to new research. Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease, or CJD, is marked by rapid brain wasting and dementia and typically kills patients within a year after symptoms appear. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are about 200 cases each year in the United States. In the new study, researchers found 97 people with CJD received an average of almost four different diagnoses each before doctors made the correct call. Those alternate diagnoses included autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer's and depression. Researchers said the early symptoms of CJD can vary widely, depending on where in the brain infected proteins accumulate. "There's a lot of other things it could be, literally any disease that could affect the brain in a relatively rapid way," said Dr. Richard Caselli, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale, who wrote a commentary accompanying the study in the Archives of Neurology. He said the search for a correct diagnosis, with multiple failed attempts along the way, is "obviously a very traumatic thing for families to endure." It can also be expensive. CJD is not treatable, so although catching it early prevents patients from having to undergo more tests, it won't change the course of the disease. On the other hand, Caselli said a number of other conditions that may come with similar symptoms, such as infectious meningitis, can be treated if they're diagnosed quickly. That's why neurologists try to exhaust every possible curable option before landing on a diagnosis of CJD. Dr. Michael Geschwind of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues found it took CJD patients almost eight months from the onset of symptoms until they were correctly diagnosed, on average. By then, most only had a few months left to live. The study included 97 people, age 26 to 83, referred to the UCSF Memory and Aging Center between 2001 and 2007. Seventeen of them had been correctly diagnosed with CJD at their first assessment - but it took much longer for others. Caselli said that because symptoms of different brain-related disorders often overlap, magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is typically the best way to see what's going on in the brain and make a diagnosis. But even so, that doesn't always work. "The challenge comes when the MRI findings are not as definitive as you'd like them to be," he told Reuters Health. Some other invasive tests, such as spinal taps, can differentiate meningitis from CJD. Geschwind said he often tests for infections such as syphilis and HIV in people with early symptoms similar to CJD. Dementia that comes on quickly can also be caused by cancer antibodies that attack the nervous system, he said. A small fraction of CJD cases are passed down in families and the disease can be transmitted through infected brain tissue. But most cases occur when normal proteins in the brain spontaneously become infectious, for no clear reason. "Any time there's a patient with a rapidly progressing dementia, I mean going from completely normal function to not being able to function in a few months to less than a year, I think CJD should be (considered)," Geschwind told Reuters Health. "But so should many of these other conditions, some of which are treatable." "It still is true that one should not accept the diagnosis without being sure that one has had a thorough evaluation," Caselli said. "The more definitive one can be, the more one can save the patient who's pretty oblivious through all this from getting dragged from one doctor to another," he added. "Once the diagnosis is credibly established, it really probably is best to start thinking about palliative care hospice, the comfort of the patient and the family so that people can start to deal with this diagnosis and the time they have left."

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FOXNews.com: Progesterone test could reveal miscarriage risk

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Progesterone test could reveal miscarriage risk Sep 28th 2012, 11:29 In early pregnancy, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding may be signs of a miscarriage, but current tests cannot always tell. A new study finds a single test of progesterone levels in women with these symptoms could help discriminate between a viable and nonviable pregnancy. In the vast majority of cases in the study, women with low progesterone levels had nonviable pregnancies, the researchers said. The progesterone test was most accurate when performed in conjunction with a transvaginal ultrasound, according to the study, which was published today (Sept. 27) in the British Medical Journal. Further trials should be conducted to examine whether adding this test to the existing protocol for assessing the possibility of miscarriage improves upon current practices, the researchers said. About a third of pregnant women have abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding during the first trimester. An ultrasound can suggest whether the pregnancy is viable, but in up to 30 percent of cases, the results are inconclusive. Doctors also can test for the hormone HCG, which is produced in pregnancy, but these tests often need to be performed more than once to be useful in diagnosing nonviable pregnancies, the researchers said. Progesterone is a female hormone that increases in concentration during pregnancy. Studies have suggested a single progesterone measurement in early pregnancy can distinguish a viable pregnancy from a nonviable one, but results are conflicting.  In the new study, Ioannis Gallos of the University of Birmingham in England and colleagues analyzed information from 26 previous studies involving 9,436 women who were less than 14 weeks pregnant and had experienced abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding. About 2,300 women had an inconclusive ultrasound, while the rest had not undergone an ultrasound. Among women who had an ultrasound, 73 percent had nonviable pregnancies. But among women with progesterone levels below 3 to 6 nanograms per milliliter, the probability of a nonviable pregnancy rose to more than 99 percent. Among women who did not have ultrasounds, 96 percent of those with progesterone levels below 10 ng/mL had a nonviable pregnancy, while the same was true of 37 percent of those with higher progesterone levels. The researchers noted they also found that the progesterone test could not distinguish between women who had ectopic pregnancies (which occur outside the uterus, and are nonviable) and those who had miscarriages or normal pregnancies, and so should not be used for this purpose.   Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+. 11 Big Fat Pregnancy Myths 7 Facts About Home Births 5 Signs of Gynecological Cancer Women Ignore Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FOXNews.com: Donating organs for cash sparks controversy

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Donating organs for cash sparks controversy Sep 28th 2012, 11:38 Would you donate a kidney for cash? In a new survey from Canada, 45 percent of people said that money is an acceptable incentive for organ donations from living donors, while 70 percent of survey respondents said that cash is an acceptable enticement for people to donate their organs after death. "We do need to consider a system where we compensate people for their giving," said study researcher Dr. Braden Manns, professor of nephrology at the University of Calgary in Canada. The idea of paying organ donors is not new. "We have more patients on dialysis, but we don't have more donors; so we're looking at other ways to motivate people to donate," Manns said. However, while the survey found that many people's think cash incentives are acceptable, people's answers may be different than their opinions when faced with the grueling realities of donations. "Surveys are quick measures of people's feelings that may be relatively uninformed," said Peter H. Schwartz, a faculty investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics who had no role in the new study. Cash for kidneys? In North America, "opt-in" organ donation programs are common; people must actively to choose to donate. In Europe, it's more common for countries to have "opt-out" programs, in which people become organ donors unless they expressely state they wish otherwise. "Every option raises at least some concerns," Schwartz said. In opt-in programs, relatives can still control whether a person's organs are actually donated after their death. "We need to do better at encouraging organ donations," he said. While selling organs is illegal, financial incentives are common in Canada and the U.S; these typically take the form of reimbursements from foundations for funeral expenses for deceased donors, and tax breaks from the government on expenses incurred during recovery for living donors, according to policy researchers. Manns and colleagues looked at whether people would find it acceptable for additional incentives, to compensate living donors for the time and inconvenience involved in having surgery. They conducted their web-based survey in October 2011, and included 2,004 people in the general public — a nationally representative sample from Canada — along with 339 health professionals and 268 people affected by kidney disease. Results showed that health care workers were least likely to support the idea of financial incentives for donors. Just 14 percent said it was a good idea, whereas 45 percent of the general public said so. The kidney disease patients fell in the middle range, with 27 percent saying paying for organs should be allowed. "Very often, the reason health professionals give for their opposition to financial incentives is that the public would find them to be objectionable, but as this study and others suggest, the greatest source of concern is the health professionals themselves," said Robert Truog, director of clinical ethics at Harvard Medical School. Though health care professionals may find financial incentives unpalatable, a regulated system would work, Truog said. What kind of system would work? One problem with offering financial incentives is that the organ transplant communitiy is deeply committed to the view that organs are always "gifts," and never "commodities." This view has always been problematic, but has become increasingly so as the shortage of organs has become more pronounced, and in the face of compelling arguments for the ethical use of financial incentives," Truog said. Public support for financial incentives does not mean that they would work to increase organ transplants, he said. "It's the physicians who actually perform the transplants; if they're not behind (financial incentives), they're not going to take part in it," George Annas, a bioethicist at Boston University School of Public Health, told MyHealthNewsDaily. "People need to stop looking at just the supply side, but look at the demand side," Annas said, including preventative and less invasive medical interventions along with figuring out the underlying causes of the diseases. "People can't let go of the notion of this as a cash-and-carry type of business," he said. The survey results are detailed Sept. 27 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.   The 9 Most Interesting Transplants 10 Medical Myths that Just Won't Go Away New Kidney Donation System Could Change Who Gets Best Organs Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FOXNews.com: Is becoming a 'bagel head' dangerous?

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Is becoming a 'bagel head' dangerous? Sep 28th 2012, 11:50 If you thought Japan's extreme fad culture would stop short of people injecting saline into their foreheads to make it look like they have bagels implanted under their skin, you were wrong. Being a "bagel head" is, indeed, currently in vogue in Tokyo. The bizarre body modification procedure, which was highlighted in a Sept. 23 episode of "Taboo," a show on the National Geographic Channel, involves injecting about 13.5 ounces (400 milliliters) of saline into a person's forehead to form a huge welt, then pressing a thumb into the welt to create an indent. The process takes two hours, and the trendy swelling goes down in under a day. Related: Bagel head trend on the rise in Japan Questions about what is going through these people's bagel-shaped heads aside, is this fad dangerous? Potentially, says Omar Ibrahimi, a dermatologist at the Connecticut Skin Institute and visiting assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, who has had experience injecting saline solution into bodies during cosmetic procedures. The risks of bagel-heading are threefold, Ibrahimi said. First, the body can safely absorb normal saline solution injected under the skin, and doctors sometimes use it as a form of local anesthesia; however, "saline solution that is too concentrated can overload the body's capacity to process salt," Ibrahimi told Life's Little Mysteries. If a naive bagel head were to accidentally use highly-concentrated hypertonic saline solution instead of the normal kind, for example, he or she could experience extreme dehydration of the kind that happens when you drink salt water. Secondly, if the saline solution isn't sterile, there's "a lot of risk of bacterial or fungal infection," Ibrahimi said. Most of the pathogens commonly found in unsterilized water can be killed off by the immune system when ingested into the digestive tract; however, the pathogens have a higher chance of gaining a foothold when escorted directly beneath the skin, such as during bagel-head surgery. Water contamination is also one of the lesser-known risks of getting a tattoo. Just last month, the use of unsterile water as a diluting agent in tattoo ink resulted in a spate of bacterial infections across four U.S. states. Such infections cause painful rashes that can last months, requiring strong antibiotic regimens and sometimes surgery to eradicate. But even perfectly sterilized saline solution of the ideal concentration could leave bagel heads deeply regretting their ultra-fashionableness. And considering that this last risk is aesthetic, it might make more headway in putting an end to the trend. "I'd be worried that if people did this repeatedly you might actually, indeed, stretch the skin beyond its normal elasticity, and this could cause permanent laxity," Ibrahimi said. In other words, bagel heads could become deflated-bagel heads: A fashion mishap in anybody's book.   15 Weird Things Humans Do Every Day, and Why The Freakiest Medical Conditions Why We Are All Insane Copyright 2012 Lifes Little Mysteries, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FOXNews.com: The many types of yoga

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The many types of yoga Sep 28th 2012, 11:00 Iyengar, Vinyasa, Kundalini...huh? Find the yoga class or style that fits you best Ashtanga What it is: Ashtanga is one of the more physically challenging forms of yoga. Classes go through a sequence of as few as 25 poses (also called asanas) that include back bends, inversions (think headstands and handstands), balances, and twists. Degree of difficulty: Expect an invigorating work-out. This style of yoga builds strength, stamina, and flexibility. Even beginner classes can be challenging. Who it's best for: Athletic types who want a high-energy workout, as well as those who appreciate predictability and order. Keep in mind: Most classes follow the same prescribed order of poses, so you can expect an the same experience, whether you're in a studio in Peoria or Portland. A boon if you like to take a yoga class when you're on the road, but a bore if you thrive on variety. _______________________________________________ More From Real Simple: Ideal Walking Workout Fun Hula-Hoop Exercise Routine   Tighten Your Glutes in 15 Minutes _______________________________________________ Bikram (a.k.a. Hot Yoga) What it is: Bikram started becoming popular in America in the late 1970s. Classes are held in a room heated to about 105 degrees, which helps loosen muscles and joints. The 26-pose series is designed to stretch and strengthen your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Degree of difficulty: Classes are demanding, since you cycle through the 26-pose series twice. The biggest challenge, however, may be coping with the intense heat. Some say it's like exercising in a sauna. Who it's best for: Devoted yogis who are looking for a new challenge or people who are very fit and want a hard and limbering workout. Before taking a Bikram class, check with your doctor if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure. Keep in mind: Be prepared to sweat―a lot. Bring an oversize bottle of water to class, and don't forget a towel. After class, continue to drink water or have a fruit shake or a sports drink to help replenish electrolytes. Hatha What it is: This is an umbrella term for all the poses involved in yoga, but in the United States, Hatha is associated with a slower-paced class that includes simple breathing and meditation exercises.   Degree of difficulty: Hatha classes are typically mellow, with an emphasis on balancing strength and flexibility. That said, if your studio or gym rates its class levels from 1 to 3, expect the third level to be fast paced and therefore more strenuous. Who it's best for: Those who are new to yoga or people who want a relaxing, meditative experience. Keep in mind: This is a good place to learn basic asanas, relaxation techniques, and the ways to move from pose to pose. But if the pace of a Hatha class puts you to sleep, don't give up. Move on to Vinyasa, which is more athletic and rigorous. Iyengar What it is: This style is known as the yoga of alignment, since the emphasis is on sustaining precise poses. Students use props, such as straps, blankets, wooden blocks, and chairs, to help them attain the ideal positions. Degree of difficulty: Classes are intense but not as grueling as, say, Ashtanga. You hold the poses for 30 seconds to two minutes (much longer than in many other yoga classes). You'll strengthen and stretch your muscles, but you probably won't be huffing and puffing. Who it's best for: People who would rather focus on the subtleties of alignment than a revved-up heart rate. Keep in mind: Iyengar teachers go through an intense, multiyear training program (compared with as little as a few months for many other styles). The experience of the teachers might be why this is one of the most popular forms of yoga in America. Kundalini What it is: Prepare to chant. A typical class starts with a series of breathing exercises and chants, then segues into practicing poses. The classes are designed to release a form of energy (called Kundalini) that is believed by practitioners to be stored at the base of the spine. Degree of difficulty: Kundalini is less athletic than some of the other styles, but that doesn't mean it's easy. The poses are performed in tandem with specific breathing patterns, which can be tricky to master Who it's best for: Those who are up for both a mental and physical workout. You'll focus almost as much on your thoughts and energy as you will on the poses. Keep in mind: Kundalini is one of the more spiritual and enigmatic forms of yoga. Practitioners believe that by releasing Kundalini energy, you will awaken intuition and gain mental clarity over time. Vinyasa (a.k.a. Flow Yoga) What it is: Vinyasa uses breathing as an integral part of movement and is close to Ashtanga in style. But whereas Ashtanga follows a set sequence, here the instructor selects the poses and pace. Degree of difficulty: The difficulty depends on the sequences chosen by the teacher. You'll be "flowing" (moving) from one pose to the next with only short breaks. As with Hatha, many classes are rated from 1 to 3. Who it's best for: Those who like the moves of Ashtanga but not the repetition of following a set sequence. Vinyasa can easily be adapted to any fitness level. Keep in mind: Vinyasa classes may feel more westernized than Kundalini or Iyengar. Some teachers play pop music and use the colloquial names for asanas, like Mountain pose or Chair pose, rather than the Sanskrit ones (Tadasana and Utkatasana, respectively).

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