Dr. Maria Siemionow, head of plastic surgery at the famed Cleveland Clinic, led a surgical team that recently performed the first face transplant in the United States.
Siemionow and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta talked with CNN’s Larry King about the reconstructive procedure and the prognosis for the patient. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
Larry King: Dr. Siemionow, what caused the patient to need a new face?
The FDA today announced that it will require makers of epilepsy drugs to add a warning about increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors to the products’ prescribing information or labeling.
The warning — which won’t be a “black box” warning — applies to all antiepileptic medications, including those used to treat psychiatric disorders, migraines, and other conditions, as well as epilepsy.
Adding to the long list of cancers caused by smoking, Italian researchers report that the risk of getting colorectal cancer is higher in smokers, as is the risk of dying from that disease.
Smoking increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer by about 18 percent and the risk of dying from the malignancy by about 25 percent, according to the study, which was published in the Dec. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Those reports that Patrick Swayze’s health is failing? Consider them false. In a statement to ABC News, the “Dirty Dancing” actor, currently working on the new A&E series “The Beast,” said he’s waging his almost-year-long battle with pancreatic cancer and plans to win.
“I’m very proud of the work I’ve done on my new series ‘The Beast,’ and I am happy to be back home for the holidays.”
LONDON – Common antidepressant drugs may reduce some men’s fertility by damaging the DNA in their sperm, according to scientists.
A study of 35 healthy men given paroxetine — sold as Paxil or Seroxat by GlaxoSmithKline — found that, on average, the proportion of sperm cells with fragmented DNA rose from 13.8 percent before treatment to 30.3 percent after just four weeks.
Similar levels of sperm DNA damage have been linked to problems with embryo viability in couples trying to have children.
LONDON – Doctors baffled by an unexplained rash on people’s ears or cheeks should be on alert for a skin allergy caused by too much mobile phone use, the British Association of Dermatologists said on Thursday.
Citing published studies, the group said a red or itchy rash, known as “mobile phone dermatitis,” affects people who develop an allergic reaction to the nickel surface on mobile phones after spending long periods of time on the devices.
“It is worth doctors bearing this condition in mind if they see a patient with a rash on the cheek or ear that cannot otherwise be explained,” it said.
The human brain is a truly amazing organ. Roughly the size of a small head of cauliflower, the brain contains all our thoughts, actions, emotions, perceptions, desires and dreams. Although housed inside the skull for protection, the brain is extremely vulnerable to damage and degeneration from poor nutrition, lack of oxygen, toxic overload and chemical deposits, including drugs. Both smoking and drinking has been shown to affect the brain, damaging cells and synapses (neural connections) and high alcohol consumption is known to result in shrinking of the brain and cognitive deficit. However, researchers have discovered that even modest amounts of alcohol have the same negative effect.
Hospital sources confirm that Desperate Housewives star Gale Harold is in the neurosurgical intensive care unit at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.
According to a representative for the actor, “We can confirm that Gale Harold was in a motorcycle accident yesterday, Oct 14. He has fractured his shoulder and is under observation to assess any possible further injuries. Everyone is hopeful for a full recovery. No one else was injured in the accident.”
Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group.
The findings challenge the popular impression — and marketing pitch — that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say.
However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. Two violated a California state standard, the study said.
Golf legend Seve Ballesteros has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and will undergo a biopsy on Tuesday.
The Spaniard was admitted to Madrid’s La Paz hospital on 6 October after briefly losing consciousness.
The hospital said on Friday he had left intensive care, having been “admitted because of a partial epileptic fit”.
But on Sunday, Ballesteros, 51, said: “I inform you that after an exhaustive check that was realised at Hospital La Paz, a brain tumour has been detected.”
