Top 10 Health News Stories of 2009

    No. 10: Octomom

    Was it an "absolutely staggering" breach of medical ethics or "a gross aberration," as doctors suggested to WebMD? Or is Nadya Suleman right that it was "absolutely appropriate" for her fertility doctor to enable the unmarried, unemployed 33-year-old mother of six to give birth to octuplets?

    Nadya Suleman shows the hospital ID bracelets for her eight newborn babies.

    No. 9: AIDS Vaccine's 'Modest' Success

    In a trial of 16,000 Thai men and women, an HIV vaccine showed only very slight signs of success in protecting against infection with the AIDS virus. Researchers hope to build on that success -- with other vaccines.

    Technician examines blood samples at lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

    No. 8: Brown Fat for Easy Weight Loss?

    You could lose 9 pounds of fat every year -- without having to diet or exercise -- if the tiny amount of brown fat in your body were activated. Once thought to be nature's way of keeping babies warm, adults weren't believed to have brown fat. Now the race is on to find a way to make brown fat more active.

    Scanning electron micrograph of a brown fat cell surrounded by capillaries.

    No. 7: Acetaminophen Trouble

    2009 brought troubling news about acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Citing 56,000 emergency room visits each year for overdoses, an FDA panel recommended lowering the approved dose for adults. It's easy to take too much by mixing medicines. Dozens of over-the-counter and prescription cold, flu, allergy, headache, and arthritis remedies contain acetaminophen.

    No. 6: Mammogram Guidelines Controversy

    The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that routine screening mammograms start at age 50 for women at average risk. It reversed a previous recommendation to start at age 40, explaining that harms such as radiation exposure, false positives, overtreatment, and psychological harm outweigh the benefit. Backlash was quick and sharp from other medical groups.

    No. 5: Celebrity Cancer Deaths

    Actor Farrah Fawcett, died at age 62 of anal cancer. She gained fame in TV's Charlie's Angels and shared her long cancer fight with the public. Pancreatic cancer took Patrick Swayze in 2009 at age 57; after being diagnosed in 2008 he was able to shoot 13 new episodes of his TV series. Senator Ted Kennedy died of brain cancer at age 77. He represented Massachusetts for 46 years and appeared for a key vote just a few weeks after surgery.

    Farrah Fawcett, June 15, 1976

    No. 4: Michael Jackson Propofol Death

    "Acute propofol intoxication" killed Michael Jackson, age 50. The anesthetic, along with sedatives, allegedly was administered by Jackson's doctor to help him sleep. The death was ruled a homicide; criminal charges have not yet been filed.

    Michael Jackson at a news conference on March 5, 2009 in London.

    No. 3: Salmonella Peanut Recall

    In early 2009, Minnesota health investigators linked mysterious salmonella infections to peanut products. Soon it became clear that all kinds of products, from ice cream to dog food, might carry salmonella-contaminated peanuts. The final count: 3,919 recalled products, 714 illnesses in 46 states, and at least nine deaths.

    No. 2: Health Reform

    Health care reform is the most important yet least understood domestic issue in the U.S. One reason: It's complicated. Another reason: misinformation abounds. Keeping up with the real issues in health care reform remains a daunting task for most citizens.

    No. 1: Swine Flu Sweeps World

    This year's top health news story started on April 21, when WebMD learned that the CDC was investigating two human cases of a new strain of flu. Soon the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus circled the globe, striking the U.S. hard in late summer and early fall. Will there be another pandemic wave?

    2009年度的10大健康新聞

    第10條：八胞胎媽媽

    如同醫生所說，這是"絕對驚人的"違背醫學倫理學或"一次嚴重畸變"嗎？或者如娜達雅。蘇利曼（Nadya Suleman）所說，讓自己這個33歲、沒有工作、已有六個孩子的未婚媽媽順利產下八胞胎的不孕不育科醫生沒有過錯。圖為娜達雅。蘇利曼展示八個帶有醫院ID標記的新生兒手環。

    第9條：AIDS疫苗獲微小成功

    在16000名泰國人進行的一項臨床試驗中，一種HIV疫苗僅顯示出輕微的預防AIDS病毒感染的跡象。研究人員希望在此基礎上尋找其他疫苗。圖為技術人員在泰國曼谷的實驗室中檢測血液樣品。

    第8條：褐色脂肪助你輕松減肥？

    如果激活體內的微量褐色脂肪，無需節食或運動，每年能輕松減掉9磅脂肪。過去認為維持體溫是嬰兒的本能，成人體內沒有褐色脂肪。如今人們競相尋找激活褐色脂肪的方法。對褐色脂肪細胞進行電子顯微鏡掃描發現，其被毛細管環繞。

    第7條：撲熱息痛事故

    泰諾的活性成分--撲熱息痛在2009年帶來了許多事故。鑒于每年有56000名患者因撲熱息痛服用過量而走進急診室，FDA專家小組建議降低其成人批準用量。當多種藥物同時服用時，很容易過量。許多非處方藥及傷風感冒、流感、過敏、頭痛及關節炎類處方藥中都含有撲熱息痛。

    第6條：乳腺X線檢查指南引發爭議

    美國預防服務工作組建議，女性從50歲開始進行常規的乳腺x線檢查。這與之前建議的從40歲開始進行檢查的說法不一致，理由是射線暴露、假陽性、治療過度及心理傷害等風險超過了檢查所帶來的獲益。不過，其他醫學組織也迅速掀起了反對之聲。

    第5條：名人死于癌癥

    2009年，演員法拉。福賽特（Farrah Fawcett）因直腸癌病逝，終年62歲。她曾因主演電視劇"霹靂嬌娃"而聞名，并與公眾分享自己長期的抗癌經歷。同年，胰腺癌帶走了帕特里克？斯威茲（Patrick Swayze,曾主演《人鬼情未了》）,終年57歲；他于2008年被診斷出患有胰腺癌，之后又出演了13集的電視劇。參議員特德。肯尼迪（Ted Kennedy 愛德華。肯尼迪）因腦癌病逝，終年77歲。他代表馬薩諸塞州出任聯邦政府參議員長達46年，術后幾周即出席了2008年的美國總統選舉。

    圖為 法拉。福賽特 攝于1976年7月15日。

    第4條：邁克爾。杰克遜（Michael Jackson）死于異丙酚

    "急性異丙酚中毒"導致邁克爾。杰克遜死亡，終年50歲。據稱，杰克遜的私人醫生為有助于其睡眠一同應用了鎮靜劑與異丙酚（麻醉劑）.其死亡被列為謀殺；但尚未提起刑事指控。

    圖為邁克爾杰克遜2009年3月5日在倫敦的一次新聞發布會上。

    第3條：沙門氏菌污染的花生醬被召回

    2009年初，明尼蘇達州的衛生研究人員將難解的沙門氏菌感染與花生醬產品聯系起來。結果很快發現，所有產品（從冰激凌到狗糧）都可能含被沙門氏菌污染的花生醬。最終召回3919件產品，46個州中有714人患病，至少9人死亡。

    第2條：醫療改革

    在美國，醫療改革是最重要的但也是最難令人難解的國內問題。一個原因是：復雜。另一個原因是：易引起誤解。對于大部分公民而言，很難理解醫療改革的真實問題。

    第1條：豬流感席卷全球

    本年度頭條健康新聞始于4月21日，CDC開始調查兩例人感染新流感菌株的病例。不久，H1N1豬流感病毒席卷全球，在夏秋交替之際美國尤其嚴重。是否還會有新一輪的全球性大爆發？