*pulled from Yahoo news and written by RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

Microneedles may make getting flu shots easier

One day your annual flu shot could come in the mail.

At least that’s the hope of researchers developing a new method of vaccine delivery that people could even use at home: a patch with microneedles.

Microneedles?

That’s right, tiny little needles so small you don’t even feel them. Attached to a patch like a Band-Aid, the little needles barely penetrate the skin before they dissolve and release their vaccine.

Researchers led by Mark Prausnitz of Georgia Institute of Technology reported their research on microneedles in Sunday’s edition of Nature Medicine.

The business side of the patch feels like fine sandpaper, he said. In tests of microneedles without vaccine, people rated the discomfort at one-tenth to one-twentieth that of getting a standard injection, he said. Nearly everyone said it was painless.

Some medications are already delivered by patches, such as nicotine patches for people trying to quit smoking. That’s simply absorbed through the skin. But attempts to develop patches with the flu vaccine absorbed through the skin have not been successful so far.

In the Georgia Tech work, the vaccine is still injected. But the needles are so small that they don’t hurt and it doesn’t take any special training to use this kind of patch.

So two problems are solved right away — fear of needles, and disposal of leftover hypodermic needles.

“The goal has been a means to administer the vaccine that is patient friendly,” Mark R. Prausnitz of Georgia Tech said in a telephone interview.

That means “not only not hurting or looking scary, but that patients could self-administer,” he said, and people would be more likely to get the flu vaccine.

By developing needles that dissolve, there are no leftover sharp needles, especially important for people who might give themselves the vaccine at home, he said.

The patch, which has been tested on mice, was developed in collaboration by researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Prausnitz said. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers are now seeking funds to begin tests in people and, if all goes well, the patch could be in use in five years, he said.

Flu vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone, every year, and that’s a big burden on the public health network, Prausnitz noted. Many people don’t get the shot because it’s inconvenient, but if they could get in mail or at the pharmacy they might do so, he said.

The patch is placed on the skin and left for 5 minutes to 15 minutes, he said. It can remain longer without doing any damage, he said. In tests on mice, the miocroneedles delivered a correct dose of the flu vaccine.

The little needles are 650 microns (three-hundredths of an inch) in length and there are 100 on the patch used in the mouse study.

Asked if the term “microneedle” might still frighten some folks averse to shots, Prausnitz said he was confident that marketers would come up with a better term before any sales began.

*pulled from Yahoo health news

FDA investigating recall of children’s medicine.

The Food and Drug Administration said Saturday it was investigating a health-care company for possible other problems following its recall of more than 40 over-the-counter infant’s and children’s liquid medications.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, based in Fort Washington, Pa., issued the voluntary recall late Friday in the United States and 11 other countries after consulting with the FDA. The recall involves children’s versions of Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl, because they don’t meet quality standards.

The FDA said it was reviewing procedures at McNeil, which appears to be the sole source of the problems. “We are following through with the facility to make certain that everything has been checked,” said FDA spokeswoman Elaine Gansz Bobo.

According to McNeil and the FDA, some of the products recalled may have a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified on the bottle. Others may contain particles, while still others may contain inactive ingredients that do not meet internal testing requirements.

The FDA called the potential for serious medical problems “remote,” but it advised consumers to stop using the medicine as a precaution. It said a health care professional should be consulted if a child has recently taken any of the recalled products and is exhibiting unexpected symptoms.

The FDA also says parents in the interim should consider substitute child medications, such as generic versions. It does not recommend that children be given adult-strength Tylenol or Motrin because they are not intended for younger age groups.

The medicines were made and distributed in the United States, and exported to Canada, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Kuwait.

Details are available by telephone at 1-888-222-6036 or on the Web at http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com.

10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

1) Save energy to save money.
–Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
–Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
–Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.
–Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
–Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

2) Save water to save money.
–Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
–Install a low-flow showerhead. They don’t cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
–Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
–Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3) Less gas = more money (and better health!).
–Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
–Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
–Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4) Eat smart.
–If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it’s even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
–Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.
–Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.
–Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain [pdf]. This is especially true for seafood.

5) Skip the bottled water.
–Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
–Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
–Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.

6) Think before you buy.
–Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether
you’ve just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
–Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
–When making purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
–Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

7) Borrow instead of buying.
–Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
–Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

8 ) Buy smart.
–Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
–Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
–Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you’ll be happy when you don’t have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

9) Keep electronics out of the trash.
–Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
–Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
–Recycle your cell phone.
–Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.

10) Make your own cleaning supplies.
–The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
–Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

WEDNESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News/Yahoo news) — Researchers say they’ve gained new insight into a link at the cellular level between alcohol consumption, aging and cancer.

The key appears to lie in telomeres, structures at the end of chromosomes that shorten as people get older. Telomeres are also thought to shorten because of excessive drinking.

Researchers thought that people with shorter telomeres due to heavy drinking would face a higher risk of cancer.

“Heavy alcohol users tend to look haggard, and it is commonly thought heavy drinking leads to premature aging and earlier onset of diseases of aging. In particular, heavy alcohol drinking has been associated with cancer at multiple sites,” lead researcher Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, head of a research center at the University of Milan, said in a statement.

In the study, researchers analyzed DNA in 59 people who drank heavily (nearly one in four consumed at least four alcoholic drinks a day) and 197 people who drank at various levels.

Researchers found that telomere lengths were much shorter in those who drank a lot of alcohol.

“The decrease we found in telomere length is very sharp, and we were surprised to find such a strong effect at the cellular level,” Baccarelli said.

The study was to be presented Wednesday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, in Washington, D.C.

**Pulled from Yahoo news and written by Maria Cheng - AP Medical Writer

Lithium doesn’t slow Lou Gehrig’s disease.

LONDON – Lithium doesn’t help patients with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, contrary to previous study results, new research says.

Results from a small study published two years ago suggested the drug, often used for depression, could slow the fatal neurological disorder. Many ALS sufferers and their families rushed to try it, spearheading a patient-led effort to test lithium without doctors.

In the first trial to scientifically assess whether lithium works for Lou Gehrig’s disease, doctors found it had no effect — and stopped the study early because it seemed futile. The results were published online Tuesday in the medical journal, Lancet Neurology.

American and Canadian doctors enrolled 84 patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease into their study across both countries. About half the patients got lithium and riluzole, the standard drug used for the disease. The other half got riluzole plus placebo pills.

After nearly six months, researchers didn’t see any difference: 22 of the 40 patients in the lithium group had gotten worse versus 20 of 44 patients in the placebo group. Patients on lithium were more likely to have fallen and suffer back pain. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the ALS Association and the ALS Society of Canada.

“There’s no rush for patients to take lithium,” said Dr. Swati Aggarwal, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and the study’s lead researcher. “It clearly does not have a big effect.”

Lou Gehrig’s disease attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects about 30,000 Americans, many of whom have trouble walking, talking and eating. Riluzole is the only drug approved for the disease, and can sometimes slow progression by a few months. Most patients live only a few years after being diagnosed.

Michael Swash, a neurologist from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, said it was time to close the door on lithium. “The problem with a disease like ALS is that everyone wants to treat it and people are grasping at straws,” he said. Swash was not linked to the research and authored an accompanying commentary in Lancet Neurology.

He said specialized care and nutrition worked better than current drugs and could extend ALS patients’ lives by a couple of years.

Scientists don’t completely understand the cause of ALS, and Swash said more research is needed on how it evolves. “The chance of finding a treatment without understanding the disease is very small,” he said.

Britain’s Motor Neurone Association is funding another lithium study. They insisted the drug might still be worthwhile. “To stop our UK trial at this stage would throw away the real possibility that lithium might still have a significant benefit,” Brian Dickie, the association’s director of research development, said in a statement.

Aggarwal was unconvinced lithium might prove to have a major benefit on ALS, but said it was possible the drug could be combined with other therapies. “We have to look for small gains with ALS,” she said. “But at this point there is no reason for patients to take lithium.”

Origin of The Nurse’s Cap by Katie

As a pioneer of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale felt nurses should put forth a clean, professional image. The nurse’s cap is representative of this ideal. Not only did the cap keep the nurse’s hair tidy and out of the way, it was usually made of bleached white fabric and starched to maintain its shape while the nurse performed her duties.

Traditionally, a nurse was presented with her cap in a “capping” ceremony when she had completed her training. This indicated that she was capable of the job, and could be relied upon to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor during any medical crisis.

The nurse’s cap has become a symbol of prestige, representative of the honor and dignity found among all professional nurses.

The Medical Caduceus - Jewelry and Origins of the Symbol
By Janet Ashby

Caduceus jewelry is a popular gift for graduating nurses, physicians and veterinary students but do you know how this symbol came to be used by medical personnel? The Rod of Asclepius is a more appropriate symbol for medicine and medical organisations but the caduceus is also used, although, unlike the Rod, it has no medical significance. In fact, just the opposite as the symbol is associated with Hermes, god of the market place and travel, of the cunning of thieves and liars, who was a patron of commerce and generally associated with mischief as a deified trickster. He was also the conductor of souls to the underworld so the use of his symbol for medicine is particularly inappropriate.

The Rod of Asclepius
The more correct symbol is the Rod of Asclepius which is a walking stick or staff entwined by a serpent. Asclepius is the god of medicine in the Greek mythology and his daughters were Hygieia, Aceso, Aglea, Meditrina, Iaso, and Panacea who symbolise medicine, cleanliness, and healing. Panacea means literally ‘all healing’ and is a familiar word in modern English. Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Coronis and was raised by a centaur called Chiron after his mother was killed for unfaithfulness. Chiron taught Asclepius the art of medicine.
In Ancient Greece, around 300BC the cult of Asclepius was popular and his healing temples were called Asclepieia. Snakes were used in the healing rituals and non poisonous snakes freely crawled around the temples. The Oath of Hippocrates originally began with the words ‘I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods …”

The Caduceus
The caduceus is usually depicted as a herald’s staff with two entwined serpents and very often a pair of wings. Originally the staff was carried by Iris who was the messenger of Hera. Only in later myths was it borne by Hermes. It may be the basis for the astrological symbol for Mercury, who was the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hermes. It is often used as a symbol for medicine especially in the United States. Why is there confusion between the Rod of Asclepius, an appropriate symbol for medicine and the caduceus which is inappropriate, associated as it is with Hermes, patron of thieves and tricksters and conductor of the dead to the underworld?

The Use of the Caduceus by Medical Personnel
It appears that it was used mistakenly instead of the Rod of Asclepius in the nineteenth century. It was first used as a medicine symbol around 1856 in the US on the uniforms of army hospital workers and was worn by medical officers from about 1902. The Surgeon General noticed the error a few years later but did not change it. The name is thought to come from a Periodical of military medicine called La Caducée and it was used by the Navy Hospital Corps and the Army Medical Department after the first world war. Although the American Medical Association used the caduceus for a time it was replaced by more correct symbol for medicine, the Rod of Asclepius, in 1912.

Modern Use of the Caduceus in Jewelry
Nowadays caduceus jewelry is popular especially among nurses and it is available as a charm for bracelets or a pendant or necklace. A medical caduceus is a popular gift for graduating students whether nurses, physicians or veterinary personnel. One theory of why the caduceus, rather than the Rod of Asclepius, is more popular is because it simply looks better!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Ashby

**pulled from thetowntalk.com and written by Karina Donica

‘N’ is for nurse: Local nurses use profession to teach students the alphabet

Four-year old Katie Smith from Alexandria Country Day had a good experience at the nurse’s station Thursday.

She was having so much fun in fact that now she believes she would like to be a nurse when she grows up — after all, it was a nurse who saved her stuffed bunny’s life.

“She got bitten by a shark,” Katie said with a smile holding her bunny’s leg, where a nurse had just put a large Band-aid to help the stuffed bunny heal.

The nurse was part of a team of registered nurses from Rapides Regional Medical Center, who came to the school as part of a unique educational activity to help the children learn about the letter N.

Since the year began, Katie and some 55 other pre-kindergarteners from the school have been learning about the alphabet.

All last week was dedicated to the letter N, such as “N for nurse,” explained Stephanie Neal, a pre-k teacher at the school.

Neal said that pre-k level children retain information better by actively engaging in the learning process. Having nurses visiting them not only put a smile on the children’s face but it is the type of activity they will remember, she said.

The nurses gave the children nurse hats and coloring books.

“We’ll do a little first aid on the bears and teach the kids about what it is to be a nurse,” said Karen Hathorn, Rapides Regional education director, as the children sat in holding their teddy bears, dolls and other stuffed animals.

“Who are they?” a teacher asked the children during the introduction. “Nurses,” the children said in unison. “And what do nurses do?” she asked. “Take care of patients!” the children answered.

The team of nurses, from Rapides Regional’s education resources, took the opportunity to teach children about their job.

They sat on the floor with the children and gave them a small demonstration on some of their routine work tools including stethoscopes, thermometers, and plenty of Band-aids.

“Can I use it, too?” Connor Noland asked Vanessa Graves, one of the nurses, as she helped Jack Melton, another pupil, listen to her heart using the stethoscope.

Hathorn said many children are afraid of nurses because they quickly relate them to getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Some of them are more afraid of a nurse than of a doctor, she said.

“So we want to help them realize that nurses are there to help them feel a little better,” Hathorn said, who has been a nurse for 34 years. “It’s just a good community awareness activity.”

At the end of the activity, the children got some candy for being N-ice

Tylenol Arthritis Caplet voluntary recall expanded

Pulled from Yahoo health news

NEW YORK – Johnson & Johnson is expanding a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Caplets due to consumer reports of a moldy smell that can cause nausea and sickness.

According to a statement posted to the Food and Drug Administration Web site late Monday, the New Brunswick, N.J., company is now recalling all product lots of the Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-Open Cap.

Johnson & Johnson had recalled five lots of the product last month after consumers complained of a musty, mildew-like odor that triggered nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

The health care company said the odor results from trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6 tribromoanisole. That chemical is believed to result from the breakdown of another chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging materials.

To date, the side effects, which also include vomiting and diarrhea, have been “temporary and non-serious,” although the health effects of the compound have not been studied.

The recall only affects the specific lots cited. All other Tylenol Arthritis pain products remain available.

The company will reintroduce Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets 100 count by January after moving production to a new facility.

J&J’s McNeil consumer health care division sells a range of over-the-counter medicines, including cold reliever Sudafed and the antacid Mylanta. The unit posted $16 billion in sales in 2008, according to J&J’s annual report.

Consumers seeking a refund or replacement can call J&J at 1-888-222-6036.

Company shares rose 38 cents to $65.32 in morning trading Tuesday

What does teamwork mean to you?

To me, teamwork has always meant that everyone should be working together to achieve the same goal. In nursing there are not only other nurses that are part of the team but also ancillary staff, doctors, social workers, and dieticians.

The hospital that I am working at now has a big problem with teamwork. It is particularly a problem for the nurses and the nursing attendants. The nursing attendants do not take the initiative at all. They have to be asked to do things that should be just part of their routine. Examples of this are setting up rooms for admissions and assisting transport in getting the patient into the bed.

At this particular institute, the nursing attendants will set up the rooms if you ask them. On occasion they will set up the room if the unit secretary asks them. However, once they know a patient is coming they seem to disappear so they are not available to get the patient in the bed. Patients end up waiting in the hallway sometimes while the unit secretary is trying to locate the nurse (who is usually busy in another patient’s room).

Since I am a travel nurse at this location I speak up very frequently to the charge nurse or the manager (who is new). I have asked the unit secretary on numerous occasions why she didn’t call the nursing attendant to get the patient settled in bed. The response I usually get is that they don’t want to get into a fight with the nursing attendant. There is such a poor work ethic among the ancillary staff that it makes it very unbearable for the nurses.

I have seen on many occasions nurses asking nursing attendants to do a task and they either don’t respond, don’t get up, or give the nurse an attitude. The next thing I have witnessed after that is the nurse going to do the task herself. I try very hard not to do the task myself unless I have nothing else to do.

My feeling is that if you keep doing things for everyone they will never change and do what they are asked to do. I have spoken to the manager and supervisor on several occasions and they both have told me that the nurses need to write these incidents down and submit them to the manager or nothing will ever get done to change anything. When I have spoken to the nurses about it some of them say that they don’t want to do that because it will only make their lives worse at work. My response to that is how much worse can it get. This is absolutely the worst hospital I have ever worked at as far as a lack of teamwork.

I think that many of the members of the ancillary staff think that when they see nurses charting they think we are not doing anything. They don’t realize that we have a lot of documentation to do in addition to the patient care that they see us doing. Several of the nursing attendants and unit secretaries are in nursing school and will therefore have a rude awakening if they encounter ancillary staff with the work ethics that they have here. Please remember that it takes more than one person to make any necessary changes.