KLRT – FOX16.com

AR flu deaths; chemotherapy study; NFL injury study

The number of flu deaths in Arkansas has risen to 22. And state health officials say senior citizens are at a high risk for flu-related complications.

People 65 years and older account for 90 percent of flu-related deaths and for more than 60 percent of flu-related hospitalizations each year, according to Gray Wheeler at the Arkansas Department of Health.

He says seniors’ immune systems are weaker, making it more difficult for their bodies to deal with the virus.

It’s still not too late to get a flu vaccine. The shot is still available at local health units, pharmacies and doctor’s offices.

en and women undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia metabolize the drugs differently.

Cleveland Clinic researchers compared the effects of chemo drugs on 90 leukemia patients.

Results show men and women metabolized the drugs so differently that it impacted how these drugs benefitted the patients.

The team hopes their findings could lead to more precise treatments with better outcomes and less side effects.

Yogen Saunthararajah, M.D. says: “If somebody metabolizes a drug too fast, then the levels of the drug may fall below minimum thresholds required for therapeutic effect for the beneficial effect.

Findings appear in the journal “Clinical Cancer Research.”

The game of football may be changing. The NFL is dealing with serious issues of player safety, especially concussions.

The league is finalizing a deal to fund a $100-million Harvard study to diagnose, treat and prevent injuries and illnesses in players.

Doctors say what distinguishes this study is that it will look at the “whole player across his whole life, not just the brain.”