The incidence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is raising alarms, not least because of its rapidly increasing rates in affluent Western cities. MDR-TB has been an increasingly serious problem across Asia and Africa for several decades, affecting populations made more susceptible by the greater prevalence of AIDS and poorer health care infrastructure.

In their latest study, published in BMJ, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggest that increased consumption of white rice may be linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. There s just one small caveat: The association was only significant among Asian populations.

It s long been known that various prescription and over-the-counter medications may interact with one another, which is why it s important for doctors to be aware of all the drugs a patient is taking. Yet a study from Medco Health Solutions Inc. finds that a surprising number of patients who take cancer drugs orally are also taking other medications that may either reduce the effectiveness of the cancer treatment or increase its toxicity.

Josh Bloom, The American Spectator 3/16/12
When Is a Drug a Drug?

Yesterday we discussed a New York Times article on the increasingly common parental obsession of chemical-proofing the home. Do they make hazmat onesies? we asked, after reading about the paranoid efforts of some parents to protect their children. So we were glad to hear from a Dispatch reader with a bit more common sense.

There may be an unexpected culprit contributing to the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, suggests new research in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The latest study found that the bacterium H. pylori(Helicobacter pylori) the cause of most stomach ulcers was also linked to higher levels of blood sugar, the diagnostic hallmark of diabetes.

Despite the science showing there to be no health risks to genetically engineered (GE) foods, some members of Congress are pressing the FDA to require that all GE foods be labeled as such. The Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition to the FDA, and now 45 U.S. Representatives and 10 U.S. Senators have thrown their support behind the petition in a letter to the FDA.

According to a paper in yesterday's Journal of Clinical Oncology, the 5 year survival rate of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the most common form) has continued its upward trajectory, and now stands at 90 percent--fairly amazing considering that it was almost always fatal as recently as the 1960s.

In his latest blog post, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom takes a look at what he calls the two faces of cancer that is, the discovery of a few amazing breakthroughs in the treatment of certain cancers, compared to the disappointing reality that the current generation of super drugs has not lived up to expectations. Tumor heterogeneity the wide range of genetic variations among cancer cells is turning out to be a bigger hurdle than expected. At Medical Progress Today, read Dr.

Is It Safe to Play Yet? asks a New York Times feature on the increasing paranoia of a certain demographic of parents when it comes to the perceived threat of household toxins. A photo image of a toddler in a tiny hazmat suit illustrates numerous anecdotes of concerned mothers and fathers, who all but dismantle their homes in an effort to purge the nursery and beyond of anything remotely chemical.