Top 10 medical stories of 2007

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jan 6, 2008

1TOYING WITH Children's Health: 2007 was a tough year for children's health. Millions of toys were taken from babies' hands after being found to contain lead paint. Thousands of dolls and play sets were recalled because their defective designs allowed detachable magnets to become swallowing and choking hazards. At least two children suffered comas after swallowing Aqua Dot beads from craft kits that contained a chemical precursor of the date- rape drug GHB. Most cases involved toys imported from overseas, highlighting the failure of current monitoring practices to safeguard children against known hazardous exposures.

2. Drug Safety Concerns: In May, serious safety concerns surfaced about rosiglitazone (Avandia), a commonly used diabetes medication, after Cleveland Clinic researchers re-analyzed data used by the FDA to approve the drug for marketing. The reanalysis suggested Avandia increased the risk of heart attack by 43 percent, a claim disputed by the drug's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline.

A subsequent study yielded inconclusive results about Avandia's heart safety. GlaxoSmithKline hailed that finding as a victory, while critics hailed it as further indictment of the drug and the process by which it was approved. Despite significant lingering concerns, an FDA advisory panel voted to keep Avandia on the market. Finally, in December, Salk Institute researchers reported that Avandia worsened osteoporosis, partially explaining the increased bone fracture risk observed in patients taking Avandia.

The Avandia saga was significant because millions of diabetics used the medication and stood to benefit -- and suffer -- the drug's effects. It also shed light on the sometimes murky process by which clinical trial data are differentially perceived by researchers and drug manufacturers. It reminded us that new drugs are new, and that the test of time often unveils serious side effects. The saga promoted further uncertainty about the FDA's ability to monitor drug safety.

3. Stem Cell Breakthroughs -- Of Mice and Men?: Several scientific discoveries were heralded as "possible breakthroughs" in the quest to advance ethically sound and politically acceptable medical research involving stem cells. Human stem cells, most easily derived from embryos, possess great potential to transform into almost any cell type the body requires -- skin, liver, bones, nerves. They have been touted as potential therapy for a multitude of human diseases, but their derivation from human embryos has been morally problematic. Federal money supporting such research has been severely restricted.

But in November, U.S. and Japanese researchers trying to work around this ethical controversy announced that they had re- programmed human skin cells to act like embryonic stems. As such, they may have discovered a way to develop stem cell treatments without using or destroying human embryos.

Other researchers adopted an analogous tact in successfully alleviating manifestations of sickle cell anemia in mice. In a December issue of Science, they claimed to have re-programmed skin cells from mice to behave like embryonic stem cells which they subsequently transformed into healthy blood cells.

4. Genes that Fit Well: 2007 was a good year for advances in genetic medicine. Most notably, in September the entire genome sequence belonging to one person -- Dr. J. Craig Venter -- was first published. Scientists gleefully predicted a new era of "personalized medicine" that would tailor a patient's health care to fit his genetic makeup.

The ability to determine an individual's unique genomic makeup stoked hopes that doctors someday might be able to identify and manipulate disease-causing genes to prevent illness. It also renewed hope that they may be better guided in choosing medications for patients according to genetic predispositions that incurred drug benefits and avoided side effects.

5. Food for Thought: By all accounts, 2007 was a stomach- churning year. A disturbing number of food safety concerns emerged, serving food for thought about the FDA's regulatory proficiency. In July, expert testimony before a House subcommittee concluded that the FDA possessed neither the inspectors nor the resources to adequately regulate the safety of imported food products.

Suspected or proven bacterial poisoning led to a vast variety and tonnage of food recalls. Salmonella lurked inside jars of Peter Pan peanut butter, chicken pot pies from ConAgra Foods and bags of Metz Fresh spinach and Veggie Booty. Food contamination by E. coli caused the recall of 22 million pounds of ground beef and 5 million frozen pepperoni pizzas. Shigella was detected within bags of ready-to-eat baby carrots, and Listeria was found in salmon cheese spread. Even botulism infiltrated the food supply, inhabiting canned chili sauces produced by Castleberry Foods.

6. Sporting Illness: In December, the Mitchell Report was released, detailing the allegedly extensive abuse of banned, performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. But the revelations did not surprise a weary public accustomed to allegations about athletes using "performance enhancements." In 2007, the Tour de France was riddled by doping scandals. Barry Bonds was indicted on charges of lying to a grand jury about steroid use. Marion Jones was stripped of her Olympic medals after admitting to using banned substances.