Marriage keeps your heart healthy after surgery

Marriage is good for your heart – in more ways than one, according to a new study that shows married adults who undergo heart surgery are over three times more likely to survive the first three months after the operation.

The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, also found that the likelihood of dying in the five years after surgery is nearly doubled for single people.

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"We found that marriage boosted survival whether the patient was a man or a woman," says Ellen Idler, a lead author of the study.

More than 500 patients in the study underwent either emergency or elective coronary bypass surgery. The study subjects were interviewed prior to surgery, and data on survival were obtained from the National Death Index.

"The findings underscore the important role of spouses as caregivers during health crises," Idler says. The higher long-term death rate for singles was linked to higher smoking rates -- but spouses may also play a role in discouraging smoking, the researchers say.

While marriage may have medical powers for healing hearts, it's becoming more common to remain unwed. Less than half of U.S. adults are currently married, the lowest percentage ever, according to the Pew Research Center.

Pink slime burgers, Army suicides, facing Alzheimer's alone

• Pink slime burgers: McDonald's is no longer using beef scraps treated with ammonia -- so-called 'pink slime' - but the burger-filler will keep showing up in the nation's school cafeterias, a report says. The U.S. government labels the product "generally recognized as safe," but celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and others have raised concerns.
• Military suicides: Suicides among U.S. soldiers rose 80 percent between 2004 and 2008. Many of the suicides can be linked to stresses associated with combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army researchers say.
• Facing Alzheimer's alone: One in seven people with Alzheimer's disease lives alone and half of those people don't have a caregiver, says a new report. These isolated individuals are at increased risk for falls, wandering and death.
• Circumcision death: Prosecutors are investigating the death of a New York City baby who developed herpes after a "ritual circumcision with oral suction." The ritual, practiced in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, involves sucking the blood from the wound after a newborn boy's foreskin is removed.

Today's talker: Is the prospect of living longer not enough to make you eat your fruits and veggies? Then consider this: Consuming produce might actually make you more attractive. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables seem to change (white) skin color in a way that fellow humans consider pleasing, scientists report. They say they'll have to do more research to see if non-Caucasians get similar results.

FDA links once-promising pain drugs to bone decay

The Food and Drug Administration says there is a clear association between the nerve-blocking medications and incidences of joint failure that led the agency to halt studies of the drugs in 2010. However, the agency also notes that those side effects were less common when the drugs were used at lower doses, potentially leaving the door open for future use. The agency released its safety analysis ahead of a public meeting next week where outside experts will discuss the drugs' safety.

On Monday, Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will make their case to continue studies of the drugs, with safety precautions to protect patients.

The request to restart testing is unusual, since drugmakers often abandon research on experimental drugs that appear to have safety issues. However, with more than 50 million U.S. adults diagnosed with arthritis — one in five — the potential multibillion dollar market opportunity may be too big to ignore.

If the drugs eventually win FDA approval though, they may be used for much narrower indications than initially envisioned. The FDA's proposed questions to its experts appear designed to limit any future testing of the drugs.

"Considering what is known thus far about the risks and benefit associated with this class of biologic agents, are there any populations for which further clinical development would be acceptable?" asks one agency discussion question.

Drugmakers once touted the drugs, known as nerve growth factor inhibitors, as a potential breakthrough for treating osteoarthritis, back pain and other chronic pain conditions. For more than a century doctors have treated pain with familiar painkillers like aspirin and Advil, or powerful opiate-based drugs. Both approaches can be problematic. Anti-inflammatory painkillers like Advil can cause stomach bleeding, while opiates carry a high risk of addiction

The injectable nerve-silencing drugs offered a new approach, by blocking proteins that control pain sensations throughout the body.

But problems with the drugs began to emerge in the summer of 2010. Beginning in June, Pfizer halted studies of its experimental injection tanezumab in patients with osteoarthritis, low back pain and diabetic nerve pain. The action was requested by the Food and Drug Administration, after researchers reported that osteoarthritis actually worsened in some patients, causing joint failure in some cases.

In December the FDA put a research hold on all drugs in the class after similar problems emerged, halting studies by Johnson & Johnson and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Regeneron was developing a compound called REGN475 in cooperation with Sanofi-Aventis. Johnson & Johnson was testing its drug fulranumab in several pain conditions. The FDA lifted its hold on a trial of the drug for cancer pain last summer, though studies for osteoarthritis remain on hold.

The drugmakers are expected to argue Monday that the joint deterioration was caused by a rare drug side effect caused by patients taking multiple painkillers simultaneously. According to briefing materials, Pfizer and J&J both found that the bone problems almost exclusively occurred in patients taking the experimental drugs along with traditional anti-inflammatory painkillers like aspirin and Advil.

The FDA's analysis published Thursday supports that theory, noting that the side effects were worst among patients taking both nerve-blocking drugs and older painkillers. However, the agency notes that Pfizer's tanezumab was associated with significant bone problems even when used alone. The FDA analyzed nearly 500 cases of bone damage reported by all three drugmakers studying the medications.

Pfizer executives are expected to argue for continued testing of the newer drugs, with restrictions on combining them with older painkillers. Additionally, if patients do not improve after taking a few doses, the drugs would be discontinued.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Maker of Fender guitars files for $200M IPO

NEW YORK (AP) – An instrumental piece of rock and roll history is going public.

Fender Musical Instruments, maker of legendary guitars strummed by the likes of Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, filed papers Thursday for a $200 million initial public offering.

Founded in 1946 by Leo Fender, the company created the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars in the 1950s.

The "Strat," a favorite of Hendrix and scores of others, went on sale in 1954. It had a sturdy, all-wood body that could stand up to repeated abuse, making it popular in the rock and roll world.

"The Fender brand in particular is closely associated with the birth of rock 'n roll and has a strong legacy in music and in popular culture," the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In its filing with the SEC, Fender said it's the country's biggest seller of electric, acoustic and bass guitars. It also makes amplifiers and other instruments including banjos, ukuleles and mandolins, and sells instruments under other brands such as Squier, Jackson, Guild, Ovation and Latin Percussion.

The classic Strat and Telecaster models are still made today, with prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars for a basic model to several thousand dollars for high-end and custom versions.

Fender went through several owners before making its push to the public markets. In 1965, Leo Fender sold the company to broadcaster CBS, which sold it to an investor group 20 years later.

Private equity firm Weston Presidio now owns 43% of Fender. Fender's distributor in Japan, Yamano Music, holds the No. 2 stake with 14% of the company.

Launching the IPO will help Fender pay down its debt load of $246.2 million. Fender said it plans to use about $100 million of the IPO's proceeds to repay debt, with money left over for working capital.

With sales in 85 countries, Fender said revenue could get a boost from growing interest in guitar-based music from emerging markets like China, India and Indonesia. But it warned that increasing popularity of other types of music, such as rap or house, could hurt demand for its guitars.

Guitars and amps make up nearly three-quarters of its sales.

In recent years, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company's guitars have been used by musicians from Bruno Mars to Shakira.

The company plans to trade the shares under the (FNDR) symbol on the Nasdaq, but didn't say when. It did not lay out how many shares the company and its shareholders intend to sell or set a price target on its stock. The final offering may differ from the $200 million in Thursday's filing as the IPO's bankers gauge investor demand for Fender shares.

With the overall stock market now trending up, the conditions for an IPO are improving and investors are looking upon the offerings more favorably. In recent weeks, several companies, mostly in the technology and Internet sector, have made splashes in their Wall Street debuts.

Fender said it posted net income attributable to common stockholders of $3.2 million in 2011, from a net loss of $17.3 million the year before. Revenue grew 13% to $700.6 million from $617.8 million.

J.P. Morgan and William Blair are managing the IPO.

Average rate on 30-year mortgage dips to 3.88%

Fixed mortgage remain a bargain at the start of the spring-buying season: The average rate on the 30-year mortgage dipped this week, while the 15-year loan fell to a new record low.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan ticked down to 3.88%, from 3.90% the previous week. That's slightly above the 3.87% average rate hit three weeks ago, which was the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.13%, from 3.17% a week ago.

Rates on the 30-year loan have been below 4% for three months. That has made home-buying and refinancing more attractive for those who can qualify.

The super-low rates are helping the housing market recover, albeit slowly. Home sales have been rising and the four-week average of home purchase applications was up in January and February, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

In recent months, other signs have emerged that suggest the troubled housing market could start to turn around this year.

Builders are more optimistic after seeing more people express interest in buying a home. Construction has picked up and builders are requesting more permits to build single-family homes. And the supply of homes on the market is falling, which could send home prices higher.

A key reason for the optimism is the improving jobs market. Employers have added an average 200,000 net jobs per month from November through January. That has helped lower the unemployment rate for five straight months to 8.3%, the lowest level in nearly three years.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said a typical U.S. family now has more than double the income needed to purchase a median-priced home. That's the first time that's happened since records on home affordability were first recorded in the 1970s.

Still, home prices continue to fall. Millions of foreclosures and short sales — when a lender accepts less than what is owed on a mortgage — remain on the market. And the housing crisis and recession have also persuaded many Americans to rent instead of buy, which has led to a drop in homeownership.

Economists say housing is years away from returning to full health.

To calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week.

The average rates don't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1% of the loan amount.

The average fees for the 30-year and 15-year fixed loans were unchanged at 0.8.

For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate fell to 2.81% from 2.83%, and the average fee was unchanged at 0.7.

The average on the one-year adjustable loan ticked up to 2.73% from 2.72%, and the average fee was unchanged at 0.6.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.