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The Lancet retracts suggested Autism cause
March 2010
LONDON - MedPage Today disclosed editors of The Lancet retracted the 1998 study which first suggested Autism might be caused by the MMR vaccine.
This was after an official rebuke to the study’s author, Andrew Wakefield, and two co-authors.
In a note posted on the journal's Web site, Lancet editors wrote, "It has become clear several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect,contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. ...
Therefore, we fully retract this paper from the published record."
Evidence presented at a Jan. 28 hearing before the U.K. General Medical Council's Fitness to Practise Panel persuaded the journal that the paper had misrepresented how the study was conducted.
The council has no direct U.S. equivalent; it’s an independent, regulatory body that registers doctors and enforces standards of medical practice.
Hospital records and other sources contradicted findings of a 2004 investigation by Wakefield's institution - Royal Free and University College - that the study had been vetted properly by an institutional review board.
WASHINGTON - MedPage Today reported that under a proposed rule from the Obama administration, patients in a group insurance plan treated for mental illness or substance abuse may no longer be charged more than if they were receiving medical or surgical care. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service, U.S. Dept. of Labor, and Internal Revenue Service issued an interim rule containing specific language needed to enforce the bipartisan mental health parity law passed by Congress in 2008. The law - Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act - takes effect April 5. It states that if a group health plan covers the treatment of mental illness or drug or alcohol abuse, the limits and financial requirements for these services can be "no more restrictive" than those that apply to medical and surgical benefits. An insurance plan can’t charge higher copayments, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses for mental health services than for treatment of physical illnesses. Firms with fewer than 50 employees in their group insurance plans are excluded from the law.
CHARLOTTE, NC - Even in the Age of Information, myths and misconceptions abound about HIV/AIDS prevention and transmission. According to University of North Carolina associate sociology professor Diane Zablotsky, the most damaging response to HIV/AIDS is silence. That has contributed to an upsurge of HIV cases among those 50 and older over the course of the epidemic. Today, about 19% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. are 50 and older; this reflects a joining of those over 50 recently diagnosed with HIV, plus those who’ve been living with the virus for decades - as improved treatments help patients live longer.
WASHINGTON - CNN reported a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Ampyra (generic name dalfampridine) - is the first Multiple Sclerosis (MS) therapy taken orally and the first of its kind to get FDA okay. It’s designed to help those with any type of MS improve their walking speed. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society defines MS as a "chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves." Symptoms include extreme fatigue, difficulty walking, problems with memory, and heat sensitivity. The most common form of MS is relapsing-remitting, in which people have acute attacks followed by periods of remission. In secondary progressive, MS worsens steadily and there are no acute flare-ups. People with relapsing-remitting may later develop secondary progressive MS.
DALLAS - Quest Magazine Online reported a molecule called microRNA 206 (mRNA), made by muscle fibers after an injury to nerve cells, helps rebuild crucial nerve-muscle communications, say scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and at Harvard University. They say raising levels of mRNA 206, or amplifying its effects in some way, could become a therapeutic avenue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) didn’t fund this study; three of the investigators have received MDA funding for related work. They found that mice with an ALS-like disease fared worse without mRNA 206 than with it. More proof suggests the ALS problem may not be confined to nerve cells, but to connections between nerve fibers and muscle fibers, cells of the immune system, and other types of cells. MicroRNAs are small strands of RNA that interfere with gene activity. Unlike most RNA, used by cells as an instruction book to make proteins, mRNA molecules stick to pieces of RNA the cell would otherwise use to make protein molecules and interfere with that. Eric Olson, at UT, with colleagues there and at Harvard, had the findings in the journal Science.
ATLANTA - HealthDay News disclosed scientists notice humans get Alzheimer's disease, but their closest evolutionary cousins - primates -don't. Even more inexplicable is the fact chimpanzee and other non-human primate brains do get clogged with the same protein plaques believed by many to cause the disease in humans. The answer to this puzzle could yield valuable insight into how Alzheimer's develops and progresses. Scientists report they may have a clue, and share findings in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. They found a ‘tag” molecule used to track plaque build-up latches easily onto plaques in human brains but not in those of apes and monkeys, suggesting there’s a basic structural difference between the two types of plaque. Figuring the difference, they said, could lead to ways to render human amyloid plaques as harmless in human brains as they are in brains of other primates. "What this tells us, first of all, is that plaques are structurally distinct in human vs. non-human primates," said study author Rebecca Rosen, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, at Emory University. "Why that is is a huge question [but] now we have a tool we can use to differentiate the structure [of amyloid plaques] between humans and non-human primates."
AARHUS, DENMARK - Danish children who move frequently appear to have a greater risk of attempted/completed suicide ages 11-17, stated a report in Archives of General Psychiatry. Residence changes occur often in modern society, and about half of children move at least once before they’re 10, states article background. Moving often is a burden to most people, including children, who typically move passively due to a parent’s decision. "Whatever inspires the move, such experiences during childhood may be traumatic or psychologically distressing and may affect a child’s physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being," authors write. "Some children have difficulties coping with the change and may exhibit their distress as suicidal behavior, the last-resort response to the hardship and stress." Dr. Ping Qin and colleagues at the University of Aarhus, used data from Danish national registries to identify all children born 1978-1995;11-17 years old, 4,160 of these children attempted suicide based on hospital records, and 79 completed suicide.
SAN FRANCISCO - Not everyone’s cognitive function declines with age. Elderly people who exercise at least once a week, have at least a high school education/ninth grade literacy level, aren’t smokers, are more socially active are more likely to maintain cognitive skills through their 70s and 80s. So asserts research in Neurology. The study followed 2,500 people 70-79 for eight years, testing skills several times. Many participants showed decline in cognitive function: 53% showed normal age-related decline, 16% had major cognitive decline, 30% had no change or gained over the years. Scientists examined what made those whose cognition stayed sharp different. Study author Alexandra Fiocco, of the University of California, said the study revealed a unique profile: people who exercise moderately to vigorously at least once a week are 30% more likely to keep their cognitive function than those who exercise less. Those who have at least a high school education are nearly three times as likely to stay sharp; elderly with a ninth grade literacy level or higher are nearly five times as likely to stay sharp. Non-smokers are nearly twice as likely to stay sharp, and people working/volunteering and people living with someone are 24% more likely to maintain cognitive function in late life.
BOSTON - MedPage Today noted men with restless leg syndrome (RLS) had a much higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) versus men who didn’t have the neurologic ill, data from a large study shows. The likelihood of ED rose with the rate of RLS episodes, hitting an adjusted risk about 80% greater for men with most frequent episodes of RLS versus men who didn’t have RLS, states a report in the journal Sleep. Findings suggest a common etiology for RLS and ED and back preclinical evidence of altered neurotransmitter receptors linking the two. "This finding indirectly supports a role of dopamine in RLS," Dr. Xiang Gao, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University, and his team wrote. "Further studies are warranted to clarify the temporal relationships between RLS and ED and to explore the biological mechanisms underlying this (tie)." The dopamine hypothesis has been backed by studies showing RLS symptoms improve with L-dopa or a dopamine agonist and worsen with use of dopamine antagonists that cross the blood-brain barrier, the authors wrote.
IOANNINA, GREECE - Patients who took cholesterol-lowering statins after ischemic stroke had fewer recurrent strokes than those who didn't take statins, Greek scentists found. Among 682 patients treated for a first stroke in an Athens hospital, post-discharge statin therapy was tied to a 39% lower adjusted risk of recurrent stroke in the next 10 years, noted Dr. Sotirios Giannopoulos, of the University of Ioannina, and colleagues. The raw data showed a recurrent stroke rate of 7.6% in 198 patients treated with statins versus 16.3% among the 596 who didn’t get statin therapy, scientists wrote in the journal Neurology. After adjusting for many other factors – such as age, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, initial stroke site, and other drugs - Dr. Giannopoulos and colleagues calculated a hazard ratio for recurrent stroke tied to post-discharge statin therapy of 0.61. When the data were adjusted for efficacy of blood pressure and lipid control, authors found that 10-year mortality was cut by more than half in statin-treated patients.
SAN FRANCISCO - Medicalnewstoday.com disclosed pre-market okay by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies without adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, states a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Scientists found that of nearly 80 high-risk devices, the majority had go-ahead based on data from one study. "In 2008, at least 350,000 pacemakers, 140,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and 1,230,000 stents were implanted. There has been recent scrutiny of evidence used in FDA drug screening; less attention is paid to the process for medical devices," authors write. "Ideally, evidence should (be) random, double-blinded studies with adequate controls, sufficient duration, and thorough follow-up on pre-specified points without bias." Dr. Sanket S. Dhruva, of the University of California, and his team analyzed the type and quality of study data used by FDA for premarket okay of cardiovascular devices. These types of devices were included in the study because it was expected they would undergo the most stringent process, given increasing usage and potential impact on illness and risk of death.
DAHLONEGA, GA - North Georgia College & State University’s Psychology & Sociology publication noted: having a greater purpose in life is tied to lower mortality rates among older adults. The study by scientists at Rush University Medical Center was in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Patricia A. Boyle and her team at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, studied 1,238 community-dwelling elderly participants from two ongoing studies. None had dementia. Data from baseline evaluation of purpose in life and up to five years of follow-up were used to test this hypothesis: greater purpose is tied to a lower risk of mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Purpose reflects a tendency to derive meaning from experiences and be focused and intentional, states Boyle. A person with high purpose was about half as likely to die over the follow-up period versus someone with low purpose. The purpose/mortality tie didn’t differ among men and women or whites and blacks. The finding persisted after adjusting for depressive symptoms, disability, neuroticism, number of medical ills, and income.
ROCHESTER, MN - ScienceDaily disclosed "pioneering therapeutic trials" to study effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are ongoing at worldwide medical centers. A Mayo Clinic Proceedings review notes, "Deep brain stimulation has long been seen as valuable for controlling movement disorders." The review, written by Drs. Susannah Tye and Mark Frye (Mayo Dept. of Psychiatry/Psychology) and Dr. Kendall Lee (Dept. of Neurosurgery) adds, "Early results indicate the effect on depression and (OCD) is beneficial, but the therapy needs further study." The potential for this breakthrough treatment is enormous in reducing the toll of mental illness on patients, their families, and society, the review states. Unlike electroshock therapy, which stimulates the entire brain, DBS stimulates specific parts of the brain and thought to be functionally equivalent to creating a lesion on the brain, but with the advantage of being adjustable and reversible. "It’s like implanting a pacemaker for the brain," says Dr. Lee.
BOSTON - HealthDay News notes being diabetic and having one episode of low blood sugar during a hospital stay was tied to a much higher risk of dying - in the hospital and up to a year later. In a study with almost 2,600 diabetics hospitalized for various ailments, scientists found low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) occurred in nearly 8% of the patients, and each added day with a hypoglycemic episode was tied to an 85% rise in death risk while hospitalized. The study also found a 66% higher mortality risk for one year after discharge in patients who'd had hypoglycemia. "We think hypoglycemia likely was a marker for severity of illness," says study author Dr. Alexander Turchin, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "A patient gets admitted to the hospital, becomes more ill, and stops eating. If they're using the same anti-diabetes regimen they do at home, they'll develop hypoglycemia." Results of the study were in Diabetes Care.
ROCHESTER, MN - The pain reliever acetaminophen is one of the safest and most effective drugs on sale. It’s often advised instead of aspirin as a daily pain reliever since it’s much easier on the stomach than other over-the-counter options and is thought safe when taken properly. Taken in too high a dose, it can damage the liver and perhaps cause liver failure. Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource asserts acetaminophen often is tied to Tylenol; it’s also present in products to treat headaches, cold/flu symptoms, sinus woes, sleeplessness, arthritis, and menstrual cramps. Acetaminophen is an active ingredient in some prescription pain meds including some preparations of Percocet and Vicodin. On prescription products, acetaminophen often is abbreviated as "APAP." It’s easy to take too much without realizing it, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is mulling changes that would help reduce the risk of overdoses, which cause 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths each year in the U.S.
WASHINGTON - MedPage Today reported that under a proposed rule from the Obama administration, patients in a group insurance plan treated for mental illness or substance abuse may no longer be charged more than if they were receiving medical or surgical care. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service, U.S. Dept. of Labor, and Internal Revenue Service issued an interim rule containing specific language needed to enforce the bipartisan mental health parity law passed by Congress in 2008. The law - Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act - takes effect April 5. It states that if a group health plan covers the treatment of mental illness or drug or alcohol abuse, the limits and financial requirements for these services can be "no more restrictive" than those that apply to medical and surgical benefits. An insurance plan can’t charge higher copayments, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses for mental health services than for treatment of physical illnesses. Firms with fewer than 50 employees in their group insurance plans are excluded from the law.
CHARLOTTE, NC - Even in the Age of Information, myths and misconceptions abound about HIV/AIDS prevention and transmission. According to University of North Carolina associate sociology professor Diane Zablotsky, the most damaging response to HIV/AIDS is silence. That has contributed to an upsurge of HIV cases among those 50 and older over the course of the epidemic. Today, about 19% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. are 50 and older; this reflects a joining of those over 50 recently diagnosed with HIV, plus those who’ve been living with the virus for decades - as improved treatments help patients live longer.
WASHINGTON - CNN reported a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Ampyra (generic name dalfampridine) - is the first Multiple Sclerosis (MS) therapy taken orally and the first of its kind to get FDA okay. It’s designed to help those with any type of MS improve their walking speed. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society defines MS as a "chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves." Symptoms include extreme fatigue, difficulty walking, problems with memory, and heat sensitivity. The most common form of MS is relapsing-remitting, in which people have acute attacks followed by periods of remission. In secondary progressive, MS worsens steadily and there are no acute flare-ups. People with relapsing-remitting may later develop secondary progressive MS.
DALLAS - Quest Magazine Online reported a molecule called microRNA 206 (mRNA), made by muscle fibers after an injury to nerve cells, helps rebuild crucial nerve-muscle communications, say scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and at Harvard University. They say raising levels of mRNA 206, or amplifying its effects in some way, could become a therapeutic avenue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) didn’t fund this study; three of the investigators have received MDA funding for related work. They found that mice with an ALS-like disease fared worse without mRNA 206 than with it. More proof suggests the ALS problem may not be confined to nerve cells, but to connections between nerve fibers and muscle fibers, cells of the immune system, and other types of cells. MicroRNAs are small strands of RNA that interfere with gene activity. Unlike most RNA, used by cells as an instruction book to make proteins, mRNA molecules stick to pieces of RNA the cell would otherwise use to make protein molecules and interfere with that. Eric Olson, at UT, with colleagues there and at Harvard, had the findings in the journal Science.
ATLANTA - HealthDay News disclosed scientists notice humans get Alzheimer's disease, but their closest evolutionary cousins - primates -don't. Even more inexplicable is the fact chimpanzee and other non-human primate brains do get clogged with the same protein plaques believed by many to cause the disease in humans. The answer to this puzzle could yield valuable insight into how Alzheimer's develops and progresses. Scientists report they may have a clue, and share findings in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. They found a ‘tag” molecule used to track plaque build-up latches easily onto plaques in human brains but not in those of apes and monkeys, suggesting there’s a basic structural difference between the two types of plaque. Figuring the difference, they said, could lead to ways to render human amyloid plaques as harmless in human brains as they are in brains of other primates. "What this tells us, first of all, is that plaques are structurally distinct in human vs. non-human primates," said study author Rebecca Rosen, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, at Emory University. "Why that is is a huge question [but] now we have a tool we can use to differentiate the structure [of amyloid plaques] between humans and non-human primates."
AARHUS, DENMARK - Danish children who move frequently appear to have a greater risk of attempted/completed suicide ages 11-17, stated a report in Archives of General Psychiatry. Residence changes occur often in modern society, and about half of children move at least once before they’re 10, states article background. Moving often is a burden to most people, including children, who typically move passively due to a parent’s decision. "Whatever inspires the move, such experiences during childhood may be traumatic or psychologically distressing and may affect a child’s physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being," authors write. "Some children have difficulties coping with the change and may exhibit their distress as suicidal behavior, the last-resort response to the hardship and stress." Dr. Ping Qin and colleagues at the University of Aarhus, used data from Danish national registries to identify all children born 1978-1995;11-17 years old, 4,160 of these children attempted suicide based on hospital records, and 79 completed suicide.
SAN FRANCISCO - Not everyone’s cognitive function declines with age. Elderly people who exercise at least once a week, have at least a high school education/ninth grade literacy level, aren’t smokers, are more socially active are more likely to maintain cognitive skills through their 70s and 80s. So asserts research in Neurology. The study followed 2,500 people 70-79 for eight years, testing skills several times. Many participants showed decline in cognitive function: 53% showed normal age-related decline, 16% had major cognitive decline, 30% had no change or gained over the years. Scientists examined what made those whose cognition stayed sharp different. Study author Alexandra Fiocco, of the University of California, said the study revealed a unique profile: people who exercise moderately to vigorously at least once a week are 30% more likely to keep their cognitive function than those who exercise less. Those who have at least a high school education are nearly three times as likely to stay sharp; elderly with a ninth grade literacy level or higher are nearly five times as likely to stay sharp. Non-smokers are nearly twice as likely to stay sharp, and people working/volunteering and people living with someone are 24% more likely to maintain cognitive function in late life.
BOSTON - MedPage Today noted men with restless leg syndrome (RLS) had a much higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) versus men who didn’t have the neurologic ill, data from a large study shows. The likelihood of ED rose with the rate of RLS episodes, hitting an adjusted risk about 80% greater for men with most frequent episodes of RLS versus men who didn’t have RLS, states a report in the journal Sleep. Findings suggest a common etiology for RLS and ED and back preclinical evidence of altered neurotransmitter receptors linking the two. "This finding indirectly supports a role of dopamine in RLS," Dr. Xiang Gao, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University, and his team wrote. "Further studies are warranted to clarify the temporal relationships between RLS and ED and to explore the biological mechanisms underlying this (tie)." The dopamine hypothesis has been backed by studies showing RLS symptoms improve with L-dopa or a dopamine agonist and worsen with use of dopamine antagonists that cross the blood-brain barrier, the authors wrote.
IOANNINA, GREECE - Patients who took cholesterol-lowering statins after ischemic stroke had fewer recurrent strokes than those who didn't take statins, Greek scentists found. Among 682 patients treated for a first stroke in an Athens hospital, post-discharge statin therapy was tied to a 39% lower adjusted risk of recurrent stroke in the next 10 years, noted Dr. Sotirios Giannopoulos, of the University of Ioannina, and colleagues. The raw data showed a recurrent stroke rate of 7.6% in 198 patients treated with statins versus 16.3% among the 596 who didn’t get statin therapy, scientists wrote in the journal Neurology. After adjusting for many other factors – such as age, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, initial stroke site, and other drugs - Dr. Giannopoulos and colleagues calculated a hazard ratio for recurrent stroke tied to post-discharge statin therapy of 0.61. When the data were adjusted for efficacy of blood pressure and lipid control, authors found that 10-year mortality was cut by more than half in statin-treated patients.
SAN FRANCISCO - Medicalnewstoday.com disclosed pre-market okay by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies without adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, states a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Scientists found that of nearly 80 high-risk devices, the majority had go-ahead based on data from one study. "In 2008, at least 350,000 pacemakers, 140,000 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and 1,230,000 stents were implanted. There has been recent scrutiny of evidence used in FDA drug screening; less attention is paid to the process for medical devices," authors write. "Ideally, evidence should (be) random, double-blinded studies with adequate controls, sufficient duration, and thorough follow-up on pre-specified points without bias." Dr. Sanket S. Dhruva, of the University of California, and his team analyzed the type and quality of study data used by FDA for premarket okay of cardiovascular devices. These types of devices were included in the study because it was expected they would undergo the most stringent process, given increasing usage and potential impact on illness and risk of death.
DAHLONEGA, GA - North Georgia College & State University’s Psychology & Sociology publication noted: having a greater purpose in life is tied to lower mortality rates among older adults. The study by scientists at Rush University Medical Center was in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Patricia A. Boyle and her team at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, studied 1,238 community-dwelling elderly participants from two ongoing studies. None had dementia. Data from baseline evaluation of purpose in life and up to five years of follow-up were used to test this hypothesis: greater purpose is tied to a lower risk of mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Purpose reflects a tendency to derive meaning from experiences and be focused and intentional, states Boyle. A person with high purpose was about half as likely to die over the follow-up period versus someone with low purpose. The purpose/mortality tie didn’t differ among men and women or whites and blacks. The finding persisted after adjusting for depressive symptoms, disability, neuroticism, number of medical ills, and income.
ROCHESTER, MN - ScienceDaily disclosed "pioneering therapeutic trials" to study effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are ongoing at worldwide medical centers. A Mayo Clinic Proceedings review notes, "Deep brain stimulation has long been seen as valuable for controlling movement disorders." The review, written by Drs. Susannah Tye and Mark Frye (Mayo Dept. of Psychiatry/Psychology) and Dr. Kendall Lee (Dept. of Neurosurgery) adds, "Early results indicate the effect on depression and (OCD) is beneficial, but the therapy needs further study." The potential for this breakthrough treatment is enormous in reducing the toll of mental illness on patients, their families, and society, the review states. Unlike electroshock therapy, which stimulates the entire brain, DBS stimulates specific parts of the brain and thought to be functionally equivalent to creating a lesion on the brain, but with the advantage of being adjustable and reversible. "It’s like implanting a pacemaker for the brain," says Dr. Lee.
BOSTON - HealthDay News notes being diabetic and having one episode of low blood sugar during a hospital stay was tied to a much higher risk of dying - in the hospital and up to a year later. In a study with almost 2,600 diabetics hospitalized for various ailments, scientists found low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) occurred in nearly 8% of the patients, and each added day with a hypoglycemic episode was tied to an 85% rise in death risk while hospitalized. The study also found a 66% higher mortality risk for one year after discharge in patients who'd had hypoglycemia. "We think hypoglycemia likely was a marker for severity of illness," says study author Dr. Alexander Turchin, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "A patient gets admitted to the hospital, becomes more ill, and stops eating. If they're using the same anti-diabetes regimen they do at home, they'll develop hypoglycemia." Results of the study were in Diabetes Care.
ROCHESTER, MN - The pain reliever acetaminophen is one of the safest and most effective drugs on sale. It’s often advised instead of aspirin as a daily pain reliever since it’s much easier on the stomach than other over-the-counter options and is thought safe when taken properly. Taken in too high a dose, it can damage the liver and perhaps cause liver failure. Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource asserts acetaminophen often is tied to Tylenol; it’s also present in products to treat headaches, cold/flu symptoms, sinus woes, sleeplessness, arthritis, and menstrual cramps. Acetaminophen is an active ingredient in some prescription pain meds including some preparations of Percocet and Vicodin. On prescription products, acetaminophen often is abbreviated as "APAP." It’s easy to take too much without realizing it, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is mulling changes that would help reduce the risk of overdoses, which cause 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths each year in the U.S.