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大健康新闻

    第10条：八胞胎妈妈

    如同医生所说，这是"绝对惊人的"违背医学伦理学或"一次严重畸变"吗？或者如娜达雅。苏利曼（Nadya Suleman）所说，让自己这个33岁、没有工作、已有六个孩子的未婚妈妈顺利产下八胞胎的不孕不育科医生没有过错。图为娜达雅。苏利曼展示八个带有医院ID标记的新生儿手环。

    第9条：AIDS疫苗获微小成功

    在16000名泰国人进行的一项临床试验中，一种HIV疫苗仅显示出轻微的预防AIDS病毒感染的迹象。研究人员希望在此基础上寻找其他疫苗。图为技术人员在泰国曼谷的实验室中检测血液样品。

    第8条：褐色脂肪助你轻松减肥？

    如果激活体内的微量褐色脂肪，无需节食或运动，每年能轻松减掉9磅脂肪。过去认为维持体温是婴儿的本能，成人体内没有褐色脂肪。如今人们竞相寻找激活褐色脂肪的方法。对褐色脂肪细胞进行电子显微镜扫描发现，其被毛细管环绕。

    第7条：扑热息痛事故

    泰诺的活性成分--扑热息痛在2009年带来了许多事故。鉴于每年有56000名患者因扑热息痛服用过量而走进急诊室，FDA专家小组建议降低其成人批准用量。当多种药物同时服用时，很容易过量。许多非处方药及伤风感冒、流感、过敏、头痛及关节炎类处方药中都含有扑热息痛。

    第6条：乳腺X线检查指南引发争议

    美国预防服务工作组建议，女性从50岁开始进行常规的乳腺x线检查。这与之前建议的从40岁开始进行检查的说法不一致，理由是射线暴露、假阳性、治疗过度及心理伤害等风险超过了检查所带来的获益。不过，其他医学组织也迅速掀起了反对之声。

    第5条：名人死于癌症

    2009年，演员法拉。福赛特（Farrah Fawcett）因直肠癌病逝，终年62岁。她曾因主演电视剧"霹雳娇娃"而闻名，并与公众分享自己长期的抗癌经历。同年，胰腺癌带走了帕特里克？斯威兹（Patrick Swayze,曾主演《人鬼情未了》）,终年57岁；他于2008年被诊断出患有胰腺癌，之后又出演了13集的电视剧。参议员特德。肯尼迪（Ted Kennedy 爱德华。肯尼迪）因脑癌病逝，终年77岁。他代表马萨诸塞州出任联邦政府参议员长达46年，术后几周即出席了2008年的美国总统选举。

    图为 法拉。福赛特 摄于1976年7月15日。

    第4条：迈克尔。杰克逊（Michael Jackson）死于异丙酚

    "急性异丙酚中毒"导致迈克尔。杰克逊死亡，终年50岁。据称，杰克逊的私人医生为有助于其睡眠一同应用了镇静剂与异丙酚（麻醉剂）.其死亡被列为谋杀；但尚未提起刑事指控。

    图为迈克尔杰克逊2009年3月5日在伦敦的一次新闻发布会上。

    第3条：沙门氏菌污染的花生酱被召回

    2009年初，明尼苏达州的卫生研究人员将难解的沙门氏菌感染与花生酱产品联系起来。结果很快发现，所有产品（从冰激凌到狗粮）都可能含被沙门氏菌污染的花生酱。最终召回3919件产品，46个州中有714人患病，至少9人死亡。

    第2条：医疗改革

    在美国，医疗改革是最重要的但也是最难令人难解的国内问题。一个原因是：复杂。另一个原因是：易引起误解。对于大部分公民而言，很难理解医疗改革的真实问题。

    第1条：猪流感席卷全球

    本年度头条健康新闻始于4月21日，CDC开始调查两例人感染新流感菌株的病例。不久，H1N1猪流感病毒席卷全球，在夏秋交替之际美国尤其严重。是否还会有新一轮的全球性大爆发？