Allina in the News

Here's recent news featuring Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a not-for-profit family of hospitals, clinics and other care services dedicated to meeting the health care needs of communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
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Mondale and Jones: Heart Series Part 1

[WCCO 830 AM Radio, March 12, 2008] Radio talk show host Susie Jones talks with Frazier Eales, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, about surgical advancements. Doctors from the Minneapolis Heart Institute will be featured each day this week from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on WCCO 830 AM Radio's Mondale and Jones Show. Read the full story on 830wcco.com...

Area health news

This summary of health news throughout the areas Allina serves includes links to the full articles on different Web sites. Read more headlines and news stories on Allina.com.

Health Care Bill Clears Legislature; will Pawlenty Sign It?

[Star Tribune, May 13, 2008] Fifteen months in the making, a bill changing how health care in Minnesota is provided and paid for was approved late Monday by the Legislature. However, the bill faces a possible veto when it reaches Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has expressed misgivings.

The bill would start a statewide campaign to reduce smoking and obesity and offer public data on the quality and costs of doctor and hospital services. Read the full story on startribune.com...

Medtronic to Test Stent against Rival

[Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, May 12, 2008] Medtronic Inc. plans to begin a global study comparing its Endeavor drug-eluting stent against Abbott Laboratory's Xience V drug-eluting stent. The study will enroll 2,300 patients, and hopes to look into several factors that lead to cardiac death, the company detailed. Read the full story on bizjournals.com...

Berglin, DFL Push for Constitutional Amendment to Stop Raids on State Health Care Fund

[Twin Cities Daily Planet, May 12, 2008] Tired of watching Governor Tim Pawlenty try to raid Health Care Access Fund (HCAF) dollars to balance deficits in the general fund, DFL leaders are attempting to put the matter in the hands of the voters. Senate Health and Human Services Budget committee chair Linda Berglin (DFL-Minneapolis) brought forth a bill for a constitutional amendment that would mandate that HCAF monies go to Minnesota Care, the state-supported health insurance plan. Read the full story on tcdailyplanet.net...

Editorial: Three Must-do Items on Capitol Docket

[Star Tribune, May 12, 2008] Editors list health-care reform that puts into law many of the ideas advanced earlier this year by two bipartisan study groups among the three top tasks the Minnesota Legislature must complete before it adjourns. Read the full story on startribune.com...

Ramsey County Aims to Limit Outdoor Smoking

[Star Tribune, May 10, 2008] In an effort to rid its playgrounds and beaches of cigarette butts and secondhand smoke, Ramsey County is considering making many of its recreation areas tobacco-free zones. The County Board is expected to vote on a policy to prohibit tobacco use within 50 feet of county recreation areas. Read the full story on startribune.com...

Have Your Day in the Sun, but Be Sun-wise with Your Eyes

[Owatonna People’s Press, May 8, 2008] The same sun rays that lead to skin cancer and premature aging of the skin are just as bad for your eyes, according to local and national eye care experts. Read the full story on owatonna.com...

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL HEALTH NEWS

Read more headlines and news stories on Allina.com.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

'CFC-Free' Asthma Inhalers Proving Difficult for Millions

The U.S. government-mandated switch to CFC-free inhalers is causing problems for millions of people with asthma and other lung diseases, according to The New York Times. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), used as propellants in the inhalers, damage the Earth's ozone layer.

As of Jan. 1, 2009, CFC inhalers will have to be replaced with inhalers that use propellants called HFAs (hydrofluoroalkanes). But HFA inhalers cost much more than CRC inhalers and the new and old inhalers differ in feel, force and taste, and in how they're primed and cleaned, the Times said.

Many asthma patients and doctors haven't been educated about the changes, which has resulted in ungrounded fears about the new inhalers, preventable trips to emergency rooms, and even hoarding of CFC inhalers, the newspaper reported.

"What the government failed to do is to mandate anyone to tell patients and physicians this transition was happening. There is no education, no monitoring of patients, no financial assistance to patients who have to pay higher prices for the new drugs," said Nancy Sander, president of the Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics.

CFC-free inhalers have been available for more than a decade but four to five million inhaler users have yet to switch to them, the group said.

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Sleep Problems Plague Many U.S. College Students

Many American college students have sleep patterns that may harm their education, driving abilities and health, according to researchers who also found that white noise may help improve students' sleep.

The researchers surveyed more than 300 college students and found that one-third took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep and 43 percent woke more than once per night, United Press International reported.

The findings are published in the Journal of American College Health.

In another study, the same researchers concluded that the use of continuous white noise may help improve college students' sleep. White noise decreased difficulty falling asleep and reduced night wakings in students who'd reported sleep problems, UPI reported.

That study was published in the journal Sleep and Hypnosis.

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Minority-Tailored Asthma Education Programs Benefit Patients

Tailoring asthma education programs to minorities can improve patients' quality of life, according to Australian researchers who reviewed three studies that included 396 asthma patients, ages 7 to 59, from ethnic minority groups.

All the studies compared the use of culture-specific asthma education programs to general education programs or usual care, United Press International reported.

Culture-specific programs were more effective in improving asthma quality of life scores in adults than general programs or usual care, the review authors concluded. But there wasn't enough data to determine whether the culture-specific programs had any effect on asthma-related hospitalizations.

The review was published in The Cochrane Library journal.

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Scientists Closer to Developing Botulinum Toxin Antidote

U.S. scientists say they've made a breakthrough in efforts to develop an effective antidote for botulinum toxin, which is a common cause of food poisoning and a potentially devastating biological weapon. One gram of the poison can kill hundreds of thousands of people, according to defense experts, BBC News reported.

The Clostridium botulinum bacterium produces seven different neurotoxins that can block the chemicals nerve cells use to communicate with each other and with muscles. This can paralyze the breathing muscles and cause suffocation.

The researchers developed a protein that blocks the effects of the most powerful of these toxins by fooling it into not attacking cells in the body, BBC News reported. It will take at least four to five years before this finding results in an approved drug, said the researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

The findings are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Currently, there are vaccines for botulinum toxin designed to be given before an attack. This research could produce as drug that would work after exposure.

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Munchkin Baby Bottle and Food Warmers Recalled

About 5,000 Munchkin Inc. baby bottle and food warmers are being recalled because they can overheat and pose a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

So far, the North Hills, Calif.-based company has received nine reports of units overheating, including several that ignited and caused damage to countertops. No injuries have been reported.

The recall involves the Munchkin Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmer with Pacifier Cleaning Basket 2-in-1 Design, model # 13301 and lot number TP-1487. The Chinese-made warmers were sold at various retailers across the United States and through the Munchkin's catalogue from June 2007 through April 2008 for about $20.

Consumers should stop using the warmers and contact the company (866-619-8673) for a free replacement, the CPSC said.

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Nickel in Cheap Earrings Common Cause of Earlobe Dermatitis

Cheap earrings that contain nickel are a common cause of earlobe dermatitis, say U.S. researchers who analyzed 277 inexpensive earrings (under $50) purchased from 34 different stores and artists in San Francisco. The study authors noted that repeated exposure to nickel can make it difficult to treat earlobe dermatitis.

The tests revealed that 30.7 percent of the earrings contained at least some nickel. The highest proportion of earrings with nickel came from local artists (69 percent) and from those purchased in China Town (43 percent), United Press International reported.

The researchers also found nickel in 24 percent of earrings bought at stores targeting young women, compared to 1.7 percent of earrings from stores targeting women over age 40.

Price wasn't a good indicator of whether earrings contained nickel. For example, none of the 44 earrings that cost $5 and $8 at one store had nickel, while many earrings that cost $15 and $25 at another store did contain nickel, UPI reported.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

Published on: 05/13/2008

TODAY'S HEALTH NEWS, a compilation of local, national and international health news, comes courtesy of Allina.com.

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