827 Health News Update

There’s no doubt that exercise can benefit heart health and may even provide a psychological boost. But new research shows how exercise can help protect the brain from chemical injury. Run, run, run!
Doctors’ white coats give an image of being spotless and uncontaminated by germs. Israeli scientists tested that assumption by doing bacteriological sampling of white coats, nurses’ uniforms and scrubs. They found that three-fifths of these garments carried bacteria. Some of the bacteria identified can cause disease, and a fraction of these are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. The Israeli physicians recommend daily uniform changes, strict hand hygiene, use of plastic aprons when health care workers are exposed to bodily fluids, and more stringent guidelines for laundering.
FDA has asked its advisory panels on reproductive health and drug safety to meet jointly. The experts will be considering questions that have arisen regarding the safety of long-term use of osteoporosis drugs such as Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax and Reclast. These medications are prescribed to reduce the risk of hip and spine fractures, but they have also been linked to unusual fractures of the upper thigh and jawbone death.
Explore the stories behind the health headlines.
Guest: Jean Harry, PhD, is head of the Neurotoxicology Group of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. The group studies inflammation, injury, the immune system and neuroprotection as they affect the brain. Her website is http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/ntp/nt/index.cfm The photo is of Dr. Harry.
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