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Health Highlights: March 6, 2003

Posted on: Thursday, 6 March 2003, 06:00 CST

Health Highlights: March 6, 2003

Source: HealthScoutNews

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of The HealthScout News Service:

Special Vegetarian Diet Cuts Cholesterol by One-Third

It may not tickle the taste buds, but a vegetarian diet that includes generous amounts of soy and fiber can cut cholesterol levels by a third, a Canadian study found.

Okra, eggplant, almonds, soy and Metamucil are among the menu items in this low-fat approach, called the Portfolio diet, which emphasizes foods shown individually to be beneficial, the Associated Press reports.

After a month, volunteers who ate the Portfolio diet had a 35 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol, compared to a 12 percent reduction for people who ate a standard low-fat diet.

LDL cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease.

The study was presented today at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Miami.

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Sun Dried Tomatoes Recalled

Galil Importing Corp. is recalling sun dried tomatoes in oil sold in the United States because the product contains undeclared sulfites and could pose a serious health threat to some people.

Anyone who is allergic to sulfites or has a severe sensitivity to them could suffer a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they eat this food.

The recall affects 14.4-ounce jars of Galil-brand Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil (product of Turkey) that are labeled with container code L33713/Use By 12/3/2003.

Anyone who bought jars with this container code should return the jars to the place of purchase for a refund.

The jars were distributed to retailers and food wholesalers nationwide. There have been no illnesses reported to date, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Anyone with questions about the recall can phone Galil Importing Corp. at 516-496-7400.

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New 'Superbug' Strains Infect Healthy People

New strains of a superbug are moving from hospitals and infecting healthy people in the United States and other countries.

The super germ is called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In hospitals and nursing homes, it spreads between people who are weakened by illness.

But different MRSA strains are now spreading among healthy people, with outbreaks in the United States and Europe, BBC News Online reports.

These new MRSA strains spread via skin-to-skin contact and produce sores that look like insect bites. If these sores aren't treated, they can develop into abscesses and boils.

While they may be unpleasant, these new strains are not life-threatening, health experts say.

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Stem Cells Help Teen's Heart Heal

Michigan doctors say they're the first in the world to use stem cells from a person's own blood to repair a seriously damaged heart.

Dimitri Bonnville, 16, was shot in the heart Feb. 1 by a co-worker wielding a nail gun and 3-inch finishing nails, reports the Detroit Free Press. While the single nail stayed in the heart and prevented the teen from bleeding to death, he suffered a near-fatal heart attack caused by the tissue damage.

By mid-February, Bonnville's heart was pumping at less than 40 percent capacity, and doctors at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak worried that he would die of congestive heart failure. So on Feb. 17, they decided to begin the experimental treatment by implanting stem cells harvested from the blood in his leg.

Saying it's too early to call the procedure a success, the doctors hope the cells will regenerate the damaged heart tissue and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.

By Feb. 24, Bonnville's heart had returned to pumping at about 70 percent of its normal capacity, the Free Press reports. The teen, who also had a defibrillator implanted in his chest to guard against irregular heart beats, is now recovering at his home in rural Lapeer County.

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Feds Reveal Smallpox Compensation Plan

The Bush Administration has proposed a plan to compensate members of public health and medical response teams who are injured by the smallpox vaccine.

The plan is based on a similar compensation package that is already available to police officers and firefighters who are hurt on the job, says U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in a press release.

The proposed program, which would require Congressional approval, includes:

A $262,100 benefit for people whose death is caused by the vaccine. In most cases, the benefit would be paid regardless of any other death benefits available to the person.

A temporary or partial disability benefit of up to $50,000 for wages lost after the fifth day of work.

A health care benefit that would compensate for "reasonable out-of-pocket medical expenses." It would be secondary to the person's own health insurance.

Because the smallpox vaccine is made from a live virus, it could cause serious injury in about 15 of every 1 million people who receive it, government analysts have estimated. One or two of those injuries could be fatal, they say.

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New York County Bans Ephedra

It's now illegal to sell any diet supplement containing the amphetamine-like herb ephedra in New York's Suffolk County.

Under legislation signed yesterday by County Executive Robert Gaffney, first-time violators will receive a warning, and continued sale could lead to fines of up to $5,000, reports the Associated Press. Gaffney says the new law is the first of its kind in the United States.

The bill's passage follows the February death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, who had been taking an ephedra-based diet product. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that every bottle of ephedra must soon carry warning labels that the herb can cause heart attacks, strokes and death.

The Ephedra Education Council, an industry group based in Washington, D.C., had no immediate comment, the AP says.

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