Disabilities-R-Us News

Disability related news from around the world courtesy of The New York Times.

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• Judge to Unseal Documents on the Eli Lilly Drug Zyprexa

  A federal judge in Brooklyn decided to unseal confidential materials about Eli Lilly?s top-selling antipsychotic drug, citing questions about the way drugs are approved for new uses.
  
  

• Paralympic Athletes Add Equality to Their Goals

  Many Paralympians criticize the U.S. Olympic program for giving them fewer benefits than Olympians receive.
  
  

• For the Brain, Remembering Is Like Reliving

  For the first time, scientists have recorded individual brain cells fetching a spontaneous memory.
  
  

• Vaccinations of Toddlers Set a Record

  Toddlers received the recommended vaccinations against childhood diseases at record levels in 2007, federal health officials said.
  
  

• Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection

  Federal officials ordered stronger warnings on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.
  
  

• Personal Best: When Training Backfires: Hard Work That?s Too Hard

  Overtraining is rare. But when it occurs, it's a long road back.
  
  

• Living Together: In Studies of Virtual Twins, Nature Wins Again

  When parents pursue several ways to have a child, the stage is set for virtual twins, genetic strangers who share an environment from an early point in life.
  
  

• Researchers See Promise in New Test for Tumors

  A radioactive tracer that ?lights up? cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms.
  
  

• Pfizer Acquires Rights to Alzheimer?s Drug

  Pfizer said that it was acquiring the rights to Dimebon, a promising experimental drug for Alzheimer?s disease, from Medivation for as much as $725 million.
  
  

• A Regeneron Drug Minimized Recurrence of Gout in Clinical Trial

  Results about the promising gout treatment Arcalyst come from a midstage trial involving a limited number of patients, but a larger study is planned for next year.
  
  

• Doubts Grow Over Flu Vaccine in Elderly

  The influenza vaccine is quickly losing its reputation as an effective way to ward off the virus in the elderly. But should seniors skip it?
  
  

• Mind: Spot on Popularity Scale Speaks to the Future; Middle Has Its Rewards

  High school students know that popularity is far more than a temporary competition, and in recent years psychologists have confirmed that intuition.
  
  

• Vital Statistics: The Odds It Will Kill You? See New Charts

  New risk charts provide a broader perspective on the risks associated with 10 different causes of death.
  
  

• Teen Suicides Dip, but Rate Remains High

  The rate of teen suicide remains disturbingly high, researchers said, possibly fueled by drug warnings that have scared many from using antidepressants.
  
  

• The Evidence Gap: For Widely Used Drug, Question of Usefulness Is Still Lingering

  Zetia and Vytorin are heavily prescribed despite a lack of proof the cholesterol drugs help to prolong life or prevent heart attacks.