‘Heading the ball’ riskier for female players

India bans vaccine imports from tainted China company

This picture taken on July 31, 2018 shows a pregnant woman being wheeled on a stretcher at a hospital in Beijing. (AFP)

TAMPA, Aug 1, (Agencies): Brain damage from heading a football may be five times more extensive in women than men, said a US study Tuesday based on nearly 100 amateur players.

The report in the journal Radiology suggested that sex-specific guidelines may be needed to guard against head injuries in football, or soccer as it is widely called in the United States.

“Researchers and clinicians have long noticed that women fare worse following head injury than men, but some have said that’s only because women are more willing to report symptoms,” said lead author Michael Lipton, professor of radiology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

“Based on our study, which measured objective changes in brain tissue rather than self-reported symptoms, women do seem more likely than men to suffer brain trauma from heading soccer balls.”

For the study, 49 male and 49 female players were given a form of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which analyzes the health of the brain’s white matter by looking at water balance in the tissue.

Players’ ages ranged from 18-50, and both groups reported a similar number of headings over the previous year. Men reported an average of 487 headings and women 469.

The scans showed that “the volume of damaged white matter in women soccer players was five times greater than for male players,” according to the report.

The women had eight brain regions where white matter — which involves communication between different parts of the brain — were affected, compared to three in men.

Researchers said the brain changes were “subclinical,” meaning the players did not report any altered thinking ability.

But the changes remain a concern because they could be a precursor to further injury and brain damage, including cognitive decline and behavioral changes.

“Before serious dysfunction occurs, it’s wise to identify risk factors for cumulative brain injury — such as heading if you’re female — so that people can act to prevent further damage and maximize recovery,” said Lipton.

The study gave no formal reasons for the differences, but some experts suggest that neck strength, sex hormones or genetics could be to blame.

About 30 million women and girls play soccer worldwide, according to the International Federation of Association Football, known as FIFA.

NEW DELHI:

Also:

India has banned the import of a rabies vaccine from a Chinese manufacturer embroiled in a safety scandal, the head of India’s drug regulator told a newspaper in comments published Wednesday.

“The vaccine is being used in India, but we don’t have the exact details of the total number of units imported or where they have been distributed,” S. Eswara Reddy told the Hindustan Times daily.

“I have asked my staff to prepare a detailed information report on its import and distribution,” he was quoted as saying in the interview.

“Once we get the information, we will ask for a recall of the vaccine from market. But until then, there is a blanket ban on its import.”

Rabies kills an estimated 20,000 people in India every year, according to the government’s National Rabies Control Programme.

China’s latest product-safety scare emerged more than a week ago with news that Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology had fabricated records and was ordered to cease production of rabies vaccines.

The Chinese government, which has also announced nationwide inspections of vaccine production sites, has said the problematic vaccine did not leave Changsheng’s factory and was not put up for sale.

Changsheng’s vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) had also failed to meet quality standards, but 250,000 doses were nonetheless sold last year.

China is regularly hit by scandals involving unsafe food, drugs or other products despite repeated official promises to root out the corruption and shoddy manufacturing

that is usually blamed.

NEW YORK:

Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co and Biogen Inc said that the final analysis of a mid-stage trial of their Alzheimer’s drug showed positive results for patients who received the highest dose.

The companies have recently said in a statement the highest dose of the drug, BAN2401, showed a statistically significant slowing of disease progression at the end of 18 months as compared to a placebo. The trial, which involved 856 patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, involved five dose regimens.

NEW YORK:

CTI Biopharma Corp said on Monday its treatment for a type of blood cancer did not meet the main goal of a late-stage trial, sending its shares down 17 percent. The drug, Pixuvri, did not show improvement in the length of time patients survived without any progression in the disease.

CTI’s treatment was being tested in combination with Roche Holding’s Rituxan in patients with aggressive Bcell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma affects network of vessels and glands that run throughout the body and about 168,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States and Europe every year, according to the company.