Exercise can prevent the onset of weakness in ICU patients

Actually, ICU patients are especially in need of exercise - albeit in modified, mild forms - because long periods of bed rest lead to muscle wasting and weakness, which can delay recovery, according to critical care experts at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In combating the problem, the researchers have used neuromuscular electrical stimulation to strengthen patients' leg muscles; a cycle that attaches to the end of the bed; and portable ventilators to enable ventilator-dependent patients to walk as soon as possible.

Based on their work with more than 400 patients, the researchers conclude that the technologies "may play an important role in preventing and treating" ICU-related neuromuscular complications. Their report appeared online last week in Critical Care Medicine.

- Marie McCullough

Young people oblivious to the peril of loud music

That's the conclusion of a study in next month's Journal of Pediatrics, in which researchers analyzed responses from 2,500 visitors to mtv.com.

Nearly half said that after exposure to loud music, they had experienced ear problems such as hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing or other noises in the ear). Yet three-quarters said they did not think hearing loss was a personal concern, and just 15 percent had used earplugs at a concert or club.

One promising sign: If they were given additional information, most survey-takers would be more willing to try protective measures such as wearing earplugs or turning down the volume on their MP3 players. The information included learning that even limited loud-music exposure can cause permanent damage, or discovering that musicians or peers use ear protection.

- Tom Avril

Older cancer patients often cease radiation therapy

Researchers led by Magen Dann Fesinmeyer of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle tracked the treatments of 5,086 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed between 1997 and 2003 with tumors of the sinus, lip, mouth, larynx, and other cancers. Nearly 40 percent of them had interrupted or completely stopped their radiotherapy despite strong evidence that the treatments can control or reverse tumor growth.

Patients who also underwent surgery were less likely to interrupt their radiation treatments compared with patients who got chemotherapy or radiotherapy alone, the researchers reported. Patients with significant illnesses in addition to cancer and those whose cancer had spread were more likely to discontinue radiation.

"Because chemotherapy appears to reduce the likelihood of completing radiotherapy, future research is needed to identify specific agents, doses and schedules" that have a significant impact, they wrote.

- Josh Goldstein

Tanning salons ignore suggestions on teens' exposure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends, but does not require, no more than three visits during the first week of tanning. With UV radiation from indoor tanning lamps linked to melanoma and squamous cell cancer, researchers decided to check facilities' policies for teenage girls, who seek copper-colored skin in droves. Callers posing as 15-year-old girls with fair skin contacted more than 3,600 indoor practices in 116 cities nationwide.

They found that 89 percent would not adhere to the three-session recommendation; 71 percent would allow a teen to tan seven days a week. Most did require parental consent, although that apparently made little difference in policies limiting exposure, the researchers reported in the current Archives of Dermatology.

Enacting state laws with total bans for minors, they concluded, "may both reduce youth access in a direct way and more forcefully educate parents about the real dangers of indoor tanning."

No state has gone that far, they wrote, and a 2007 study found that Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware had among the weakest regulations.

- Don Sapatkin