Health Highlights: Nov. 30, 2005

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

World''s First Partial Face Transplant Performed

The world''s first partial face transplant has been performed by French doctors.

The patient was a 38-year-old woman whose face was disfigured by a dog bite. In the transplant, performed Sunday at a hospital in Amiens in northern France, doctors grafted a nose, lips and chin onto the woman''s face, the Associated Press reported.

The hospital said the woman was in excellent condition after the surgery and that the transplanted organs looked normal. Her surgeons have scheduled a news conference for Friday.

The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, suffered the dog bite injury in May, which made it difficult for her to chew and speak. The grafted parts came from another woman who had been declared brain-dead.

The mouth and nose are the most difficult parts of the face to transplant, according to experts. Scalp and ear transplants have been performed previously by other doctors.

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Early Life Stress Linked to Later Mental Woes

Early-life stress caused by neglect or abuse may be associated with increased risk of behavioral and emotional problems during adolescence, says an Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) study in rhesus monkeys.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that youngsters subject to neglect, abuse or loss of a parent are at heightened risk for such disorders as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug abuse and suicide, the Associated Press reported.

The study was presented this week at a Society for Neuroscience meeting.

"By studying a species that has responses to early-life stresses that are very similar to young children, we can get a developmental picture that is much clearer than in humans," Judy Cameron, senior scientist at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center, told the AP.

She noted that these kinds of studies can be difficult to conduct with human children because they''re often exposed to other factors that can influence their behavior.

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Kids'' Necklaces, Zipper Pulls Recalled

About six million metal necklaces and zipper pulls are being recalled in the United States because they pose a serious lead poisoning risk to young children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

The recalled items were sold in the U.S. by Stravina Operating Co., LLC of Chatsworth, Calif.

The recalled necklaces are silver-colored with individual names painted in a variety of colors. The nameplate on the necklace hangs from a 16-inch black cord. The necklace packages are marked "Personalized Necklace" and "Stravina." The necklace package carries UPC Code 0-35203-00039-7.

The recalled zippers are silver-colored with individual names in various colors. The zipper hangs from a silver-colored metal clip that attaches to backpacks, keyrings and clothing zippers. The zipper packaging is printed with "Personalized Zipper Pull," "Great for Backpacks and Keyrings too" and "Stravina." The zipper pull package carries UPC Code 0-35203-00038-0.

The items were sold at discount, toy, party, grocery and drug stores across the United States from March 2002 through September 2005 for between $2 and $4.

The necklaces and zipper pulls should be immediately taken away from children. Contact Stravina for a free replacement product at 1-800-964-0029 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday.

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Some Health Providers Unable to Get Flu Vaccine

The United States'' supply of flu vaccine will reach 80 million doses by early December, federal experts say. But many health-care providers say they can''t get enough vaccine to meet patient demand -- or can''t get any at all, the Associated Press reported.

Some flu vaccine shortages have occurred because one manufacturer will produce less vaccine than expected. Chiron Corp. was expected to deliver 25 million to 30 million doses of vaccine, but will likely produce fewer than 18 million and may only provide 11 million to 12 million doses, said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention''s Immunization Services Division.

Santoli, who briefed a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory committee on Tuesday, said there was also a delay in distribution of Chiron flu vaccine, the AP reported.

It was expected that the Chiron supplies would be distributed in late September, but they were actually distributed about a month later. By that time, some health-care providers had cancelled flu shot clinics for their patients, the news service reported.

Some members of the advisory committee expressed concern that reports of flu vaccine shortages might discourage some people from getting a flu shot. They noted that getting a shot later in the season was better than not getting one, the AP reported.

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Taking Vioxx for a Month Caused Fatal Heart Attack: Lawyer

Taking Vioxx for a month was enough to cause a Florida man''s fatal heart attack, his widow''s lawyer said in an opening statement Tuesday in a federal liability lawsuit against drug maker Merck.

However, the drug company''s lawyer countered that heart disease, not Vioxx, led to the man''s death. The Merck lawyer said that extensive studies conducted before the drug was introduced in 1999 found no evidence that short-term use of the drug caused heart attacks, the Associated Press reported.

Evelyn Irvin Plunkett''s husband, Richard Irvin Jr., was 53 years old when he died in May 2001. This is the third trial so far over the cardiovascular risks posed by Vioxx. Merck has lost one case and won another. More than 7,000 state and federal lawsuits have been filed over Vioxx, which was pulled from the market last year after studies showed that long-term use of the drug increased the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Plunkett''s lawyer, Andy Birchfield, quoted from internal Merck e-mails to support his contention that the company knew about Vioxx''s safety problems before the drug was introduced to the market in 1999. Birchfield charged that Merck made a "premeditated, financial decision" not to warn patient''s about the risks of taking Vioxx, the AP reported.

Merck lawyer Philip S. Beck countered that Merck acted responsibly in developing and marketing the drug, and said Vioxx did not cause Irvin''s heart attack.

Last Updated: Nov. 30, 2005