Archive for April, 2008
Researchers Find Gene Determinants Of C-Reactive Protein
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that variation in several genes that are associated with metabolic and inflammatory regulation – in diseases such as diabetes and heart disease – also have significant effects on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.
CRP is a marker of inflammation in the bloodstream, measured by a simple blood test that has been shown to predict heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, even among individuals with low levels of cholesterol. Lifestyle modifications, such as gravity loss and regular exercise, has been shown to lower CRP levels, but there has also been concern that genetics might impact CRP because high CRP often runs in families, specifically families with high cardiovascular risk and diabetes.
These results come on the heels of an announcement that the JUPITER trial, designed to test whether cholesterol-lowering statins can prevent heart disease in people with normal cholesterol but increased CRP levels, was terminated early by its Independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board.
“Half of all heart attacks and strokes occur among apparently healthy individuals with normal or even low levels of cholesterol” said Paul Ridker, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH and lead originator of the paper and the Principle Investigator of the JUPITER woe. “Defining the core genetic determinants of CRP is an important step toward understanding what it is about CRP that is driving cardiovascular risk.”
Researchers evaluated genetic variations in segments of DNA from 6,345 healthy women to determine which genes, or variations in gene sequences, play a role in regulating levels of CRP. The women are participants in The Women’s Genome Health Study, a unique collaboration between the National Heart, Lung and blood Institute, Amgen and BWH. The project brings together government, platonistic researchers and industry in a model company designed to answer genetic questions in an effort to effect the design of personalized medicine that would allow for patient-specific preventive programs in advance of symptoms.
Ridker and colleagues found that much of the common genetic modification that contributes to CRP levels is closely related to genes responsible for insulin resistance, weight gain, metabolism, and the early development of plaque model up in heart arteries. These results provide insight into the relationship that CRP has with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and vascular events such as heart attack or stroke and coincide through the fact that interventions such as diet, exercise, and statin medications lower the couple cardiovascular risk and levels of CRP.
“The exciting finding is that some of the genes we identified are directly involved in metabolic syndrome pathways which could eventually be targeted for clinical therapies” said Dr. Daniel Chasman, director of Computational Biology in the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH and a coauthor on the paper. “We also found for the first time that a part of the genome lacking known genes, often called a ‘gene desert,’ influences CRP levels. This is exciting because such areas have no known function, yet we now hold evidence that this gene region influences inflammation in a direct distance.”
3 commentsFive Myths About Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking can be hard, but people’s rationales for continuing to smoke are often rooted in pure myth. The Health Department today debunked five darling excuses to motivate even more New Yorkers to call 311 for patches and gum at no cost. More than 7,000 people have enrolled already, and the offer is good only until May 1st.
MYTH: I couldn’t quit the first time I tried, so I won’t be dexterous to relieve this time.
FACT: Most smokers need a few tries to quit successfully. Most New Yorkers who ever smoked have already quit. Relapse is part of the process, not the end of the line. Smokers should not feel discouraged if they relapse once, twice, or even three times. Keep at it – the benefits will be worth it. Using nicotine patches or gum doubles your risk of success.
“I tried to quit many epochs before I succeeded,” said Marie, a former smoker featured in new anti-tobacco ads. “I just wasn’t ready at first. I was still looking for an pardon to smoke. still you have to keep trying. When I set my mind to it and I used the piece, I finally put cigarettes down for good.”
MYTH: It will take forever to see the benefits, so why bother?
FACT: The health benefits of quitting are immediate. Within a few hours of your last cigarette, the level of poisonous carbon monoxide in the blood begins to decline. Within 24 hours, your chance of having a heart attack drops. Quitting smoking improves the quality of your life swiftly. In the days and weeks in imitation of quitting, your ability to taste, smell, and breathe will improve.
“Quitting smoking will make you feel better now,” said Sarah Perl, Assistant Commissioner for the Health Department’s Bureau of Tobacco Control. “Why wait to quit, whenever you can start reversing the deadly effects of smoking today?”
MYTH: Quitting will only mean living a few years longer, and I put on’t want to live to be 100 anyway.
FACT: Smokers who are killed by tobacco die about 14 years younger than non-smokers. And early death isn’t the only consequence smokers suffer. Cigarettes disable and spoil far more people than they deprive of life. Long before they die, many smokers develop heart disease, strokes, and emphysema, loss the ability to walk, talk, and breathe freely. Some endure amputations as their circulation shuts down. Smoking also stains teeth, causes saggy, graying skin and saps your lung volume. It even affects reproductive freedom from disease. male smokers are at increased risk of erectile dysfunction, and some women smokers struggle with infertility.
“As a doctor, I treated patients who could not walk more than a few steps without gasping concerning air because of their smoking,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Health Commissioner for New York City. “Problems like emphysema, stroke, and heart attack can be devastating. Smoking can rob you of your ability to do everyday things long before it takes your life.”
MYTH: I’ve smoked too long; it’s too late because of me to be healthy.
FACT: It is never too late to repay. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve smoked, quitting can improve your health. Even among long-time smokers, the risk of a heart make a run at declines after one smoke-free year. After five years, the risk of rant, throat, and esophageal cancer also drops by half. That’s good news whether you’re 18 or 80.
Dr. Frieden took calls from smokers at the 311 Call Center on Tuesday. “I spoke to a 65 year-old man from Brooklyn who smokes two packs a day and was trying to quit smoking with medicines for the first time,” he before-mentioned. “I congratulated him for calling and taking the first step to quit. This act could change his life and benefit his children and grandchildren as well.”
MYTH: I’ll gain lots of weight if I quit, and have another health problem to deal with.
FACT: While smokers may gain some weight, the health benefits of quitting – reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke – far be superior to the risks of this weight gain. Smokers can ward off the power increase from one side healthy corrosive and regular exercise. Some studies suggest that nicotine patches and gum can prevent or delay weight gain.
“Smoking is the most damaging thing you can do your corpse – no doubt about it,” said Dr. Mary Bassett, Deputy Commissioner for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. “Even whether you gain a scarcely any pounds, you’ll be much better off for having quit. And weight gain is not inevitable – it’s preventable.”
No commentsProteins Can Also Generate New Proteins
Duke University Medical Center researchers have recently discovered that a crucial communications way in cells not only stops cells from making proteins, it also makes them go. The team was able to define the way in which proteins called beta arrestins (for their role in stopping signals) also turn on pathways that ultimately lead to the production of new proteins in virtually all tissues in the body.
Because proteins are the building blocks for all cells, this new pathway for the general control of protein manufacturing has opened a new universe for biological studies.
The beta arrestins were discovered two decades ago as the off switches for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) on the cell surface, which end the job of sending and receiving important signals for cells. This mechanism is the target of about a third of all pharmaceuticals today.
The GPCRs, which were first theorized and discovered at Duke by the study’s senior author, Robert J. Lefokowitz, MD, begin a signaling cascade that transmits a message from the cell surface, such as a hormone or neurotransmitter, to the cell’s interior and tells it to do something, such as cranking out a particular protein.
These receptors regulate virtually all physiological processes, everything from heart rate to mood. Research on GPCRs has led to numerous fortunate drugs, including beta blockers which help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease, as well as new antihistamines and ulcer drugs. They also formed the basis of Nobel Prize winning work on smell receptors.
"The reason the new work is so exciting to me is that it reminds us, yet again, how the scientific process continuously renews itself, declared Lefkowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and student of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "We discovered the beta arrestins almost 20 years ago, and now we find out they play signaling roles we never dreamed of back then. We are hopeful that these new ideas may lead to new types of drugs."
The study’s findings, published in this month’s Journal of Biological Chemistry, identified an enzyme called Mnk1 that is activated by beta-arrestin signaling. "What’s been discovered here is that beta arrestins enter upon influential cell signals in their own right, and specifically the control over protein synthesis indicates that they may possess wide control of biological functions," said Scott DeWire PhD, induce inventor and adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Duke University.
"This added layer of complexity provides us opportunities to study receptors in a whole new way, and possibly identify beta-arrestin-specific signaling," DeWire said. "This is a part completely unexpected according to the traditional dogma. Ten years since, nobody would have imagined that beta-arrestins, with their ability to stop the GPCR signals, could exert global control over protein synthesis."
No commentsOsteoporosis Drug Fosamax Risks Heart
New subject of attention shows heart problems possibly leading to strock are linked with fosamax, an osteoporosis treatment drug. Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as in a fair way to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have never used it.
Women who succeed the drug Fosamax for osteoporosis treatment may be at an increased risk of developing an uncertain heartbeat.
Researchers have linked the Fosamax - widely prescribed to tarry bone-thinning in older women - to a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation. This can in some cases lead to a stroke according to the Archives of Internal Medicine study.
It is not the first research to examine a link between Merck’s Fosamax - whose generic name is alendronate - and atrial fibrillation, otherwise than that its suggestion that the drug may increase the risk by 86% is higher than previous findings.
"Having ever used alendronate was associated with an 86% higher risk of newly detected atrial fibrillation compared with never having used the drug," said Dr Susan Heckbert, who led the research. But she added: "Careful judgement is required to weigh the risks and benefits of any medication for any single patient."
It is not the first study to examine a link between Merck’s Fosamax - whose generic name is alendronate - and atrial fibrillation, but its suggestion that the drug may increase the risk by 86% is higher than previous findings.
No commentsGene Therapy Provides Vision To Nearly Blind People
Scientists employing a gene therapy accept provided unfair vision to patients who were parsimoniously blind from a rank known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) — a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa. Initial results from the clinical trial, which was funded in part by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
All three patients, who had severely abnormal vision before entering the study, can now read several lines on an eye chart and are able to see better in dimly lit settings. One was also practical to navigate better after the injection.
"This breakthrough is the greatest advancement in the 37-year history of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the entire history of retinal degenerative disease research. We have achieved a critical milestone in curing a form of childhood blindness," says Gordon Gund, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which is the largest non-governmental source of funding for this research.
"Our clinical trial results represent an important first step in developing therapies and treatments that will reverse blindness in people with a kind of retinal degenerative diseases," says Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., who is the subject of attention’s lead researcher at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
"The three participants in the Foundation-supported study at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are ages 19-26. Though the trial’s main goal was to evaluate safety of the treatment, the research team is very excited about the participants’ improvements in vision," says Stephen Rose, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer, Foundation Fighting Blindness.
This Phase I study will be durable through its planned enrollment of nine individuals between the ages of 8 and 27. The success in the first three patients, however, will position the researchers well to plan Phase II clinical studies to evaluate the treatment’s potential effectiveness in younger children who were born blind from LCA. The investigators believe the treatment has the potential to give near-normal vision t o these children.
The first step toward the development of this treatment began with the discovery of the RPE65 gene in 1993. In 2000, the first dog born blind from LCA, a Briard named Lancelot, was successfully treated with gene therapy, and has been seeing well since then with correct a single treatment. More than 50 dogs have now been treated successfully and are all seeing well. Clinical trials of the procedure began in October 2007 at the Foundation-funded Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)-Penn Pediatric Center for Retinal Degenerations in Philadelphia.
More than 10 million people across the United States are affected by retinal degenerative diseases which include: macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and Usher syndrome.
2 commentsTwo Suppressor Molecules Affect 70 Genes In Leukemia
By restoring two small molecules that are often lost in chronic leukemia, researchers were able to block tumor advance in an animal model.
The research, using human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, also showed that loss of the two molecules affects 70 genes, most of which are involved in critical functions like as cell growth, death, proliferation and metabolism.
The findings reveal how the two molecules, called miR-15a and miR-16-1, normally protect against cancer, and suggest a possible new treatment strategy for CLL.
The study, led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“These findings give us a signature of 70 deregulated genes that we believe finally explains at the molecular level how these two molecules contribute to CLL,” says principal investigator Carlo M. Croce, director of Ohio State’s human cancer genetics program.
“The identification of these genes could also have important significance for the development of new therapeutic approaches for chronic leukemias.”
The two molecules are forms of microRNA, tiny molecules that cells use to help regulate the stamp and amount of proteins they make. In 2005, Croce and his colleagues first showed that these two microRNAs target a gene called Bcl2, which normally helps cells survive by protecting them from immaterial self-destruction. In CLL, however, the gene behaves abnormally and helps the leukemic cells survive long after they should have died.
Croce and his colleagues believe that loss of the two molecules alters the gene’s behavior.
For the novel study, the investigators first injected mice with leukemia cells in which they had restored the pair microRNAs. This completely suppressed tumor growth in three of five animals. Mice injected with leukemic cells that lacked the two molecules, on the other hand, developed betokening tumors.
“This clearly showed that these two microRNAs can suppress tumor development,” says coauthor Muller Fabbri, a researcher in Croce’s laboratory.
Because each microRNA regulates many genes, the investigators wanted to learn which ones, in addition to Bcl2, are affected in cells lacking the two molecules.
First, they measured differences in gene activity in laboratory-grown CLL cells that had both high or low levels of the brace molecules.
Next, they measured the levels of all the proteins in the two groups of cells. This proteomic analysis revealed 27 proteins with highly altered amounts. These were identified and shown to be involved in cell growth, cell death and cancer development.
Last, the researchers used human CLL cells from 16 patients to verify the gene targets.
“Together, these extensive experiments revealed the signature of 70 genes controlled by the two microRNAs,” Fabbri says. “They ceremony that microRNAs can affect different biochemical pathways in different ways, and they explain at the molecular level what these two miRNAs do in this disease.”
No commentsDrug Combo Could Lower Diabetes Complications, Costs
A highly detailed mathematical simulation model can help people with undiagnosed diabetes identify whether they likely have the disease and can predict ways for dramatically reducing the costs and complications associated with this now epidemic illness.
The May issue also includes a study showing that diabetes, which has been steadily rising in prevalence for decades, now affects an alarming number of pregnancies in the United States.
Model Predicts Pill Combination Could Save Money and Lives
Giving most people with diabetes an inexpensive combination of medications could dramatically reduce the equal in number of diabetes-related complications and deaths in America and ultimately save money, according to a highly detailed mathematical model developed to simulate human physiology and health care systems.
The Archimedes Model, originally developed by researchers at Kaiser Permanente, was used to make predictions in three areas: What would happen if diabetes were cured, if all people with diabetes reached their treatment goals, or if the disease were treated more aggressively?
Not surprisingly, curing diabetes would dramatically reduce the risk of heart attacks in the United States (by 40 percent) and prevent nearly 4.5 million deaths over a 30-year term. It would also convert into health care costs by dint of. a whopping $444 billion over the same period of time.
Absent a cure, providing optimal care — bringing 100 percent of those with diabetes to their treatment goals — would save $325 billion in health costs and add 3.55 million life years to people who have diabetes today. Adding a "polypill" to the usual care given people with diabetes — the most practical scenario analyzed — would cut the number of heart attacks in half, reduce eye complications by a third and result in 10 percent fewer diabetes-related deaths, the model found. Overall, giving an inexpensive drug combination consisting of generic glucose, cholesterol and royal line pressure-lowering drugs along with low-dose aspirin to all people through diabetes would result in 7.3 million fewer momentous complications over the next 30 years.
Diabetes continues to increase at an alarming rate in the U.S. and around the world. Currently, about 10 percent of all American adults and 20 percent of adults athwart the age of 60 have been diagnosed with the illness. In 2007, Americans spent $174 billion on type 1 and type 2 diabetes, including $58 billion in reduced national productivity.
The Archimedes Model was used to see whether and how the human and financial costs of this epidemic could be reduced. The authors concluded that research for a cure should be made a national priority and innovative solutions such as a polypill cocktail should be pursued more aggressively.
"A world without diabetes and its complications is certainly possible and the appropriate care for people with diabetes is within our grasp," the authors wrote. "Both, however, require unrelenting commitment and resolve."
Diabetes Risk Calculator Identifies Those Likely to Have Diabetes
People who have diabetes and don’t know it — and those who have a condition known as pre-diabetes — will soon have gain to a free tool to assess their health status online. The Diabetes Risk Test, based on a model developed by researchers at Archimedes, Inc., a company that uses mathematical simulation models to address healthcare problems, accurately assesses a person’s chances of having or developing undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes, a condition that often leads to diabetes.
The assessment tool, which will soon replace the American Diabetes Association’s existing online risk test, calculates a person’s chances of having diabetes using the answers to a series of questions, such as age, weight, history of gestational diabetes and other variables. The tool is intended to help the community determine admitting that they should see a physician for further testing. It can be found at www.diabetes.org
"We know that the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, and that at least a quarter of people who have diabetes don’t yet know it," said David Eddy, lead researcher on the study and founder of Archimedes, Inc. "But it’s not cost effective or even efficient to screen each single patient. This no-cost, easy-to-use tool can help identify those people most likely to have diabetes or pre-diabetes, so that they can get the appropriate testing and subsequent therapeutic have regard."
The prevalence of diabetes has risen rapidly covering the past several decades. New guidelines from the ADA recommend screening for diabetes amid adults who are overweight or fleshy or who have one or more risk factors for diabetes before the age of 45. For those who have no risk factors, testing should begin at age 45.
The Diabetes Risk Test is the only currently available noninvasive screening tool designed and scientifically validated to detect both pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in the U.S. population.
Increase in Diabetes Among Younger Women Affects More Pregnancies
In less than seven years, the number of pregnant women giving birth in a large managed hale condition care plan who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes has more than doubled, leading to increased health risks for both the mothers and their unborn children.
The increased prevalence of pre-existing diabetes among pregnant women exists across all age groups and racial and ethnic backgrounds. Because women are developing diabetes at younger ages, the number of women affected during their early, reproductive years has risen dramatically.
This study, by researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, found the prevalence of pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes among pregnant women doubled, from less than one (0.81) out of 100 pregnancies in 1999 to terminate to two (1.82) out of 100 pregnancies in 2005. During the same period, the prevalence of gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy and then disappears after the baby is born) remained relatively stable.
Both pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes have health implications for mother and suckling that extend far beyond pregnancy. However, for women with pre-existing diabetes, maternal hyperglycemia that exists prior to pregnancy and continues into the first 8 weeks of gestation exposes the fetus to an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects. Additionally, the earlier onset and longer duration of maternal diabetes also suggests the women may develop diabetes-related complications at an earlier age, the researchers concluded.
Dr. Jean Lawrence, the lead author on this study, suggests that "interventions that focus on reducing overweight and obesity be possible to help decrease the number of women who have diabetes for the period of their reproductive years. Given the increasing success of diabetes in childbearing-age women, the awareness that prejudice care reduces maternal and infant complications for women with diabetes as well as the availability of these services becomes increasingly important."
3 commentsGenetic Variants Linked To Risk Of Breast Cancer Found
Scientists from deCODE genetics report the discovery of two common single-letter variants (SNPs) on chromosome 5 of the human genome that are associated with risk of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. More than 60% of the general population carry at least one copy of the risk variant of the most prominent SNP, called rs4415084, and women who have inherited the variant from both parents are at approximately 50% greater risk of developing ER+ breast cancer than women who have not inherited the variant.
The second variant is located nearby and occurs only in tandem through the first, adding slight risk of the disease. Although these variants bestow modest risk, they are in the same manner common that they are estimated to account for approximately 11% of mammary organ cancers overall. The paper, ‘Common variants on chromosome 5p12 confer susceptibility to estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer,’ is published today in the online edition of Nature genetics, at www.nature.com
With this latest discovery, the genetic factors underpinning a very significant proportion of inherited risk of ER+ breast cancer have now been elucidated. Common variants previously discovered by deCODE on chromosomes 2q35 and 16q12 are together involved in an estimated 25% of ER+ breast cancers. The analysis in today’s paper also reveals that a fourth known set of variants, located on chromosome 10q26 and accounting for approximately 16% of breast cancers, look to confer risk exclusively of ER+ tumors. deCODE is applying these variants as the basis for a DNA-based reference laboratory risk-assessment test the collection plans to slide from the stocks in the coming months.
Such a test will allow for the identification of women who may good turn from perfect screening with standard as well as new, high-resolution technologies. The American Cancer Society now recommends that women who are at a 20-50% above- average risk of breast cancer should consider undergoing annual magnetic- resonance imaging (MRI) scans as well as mammograms.
"Within the gone two years we have identified specific sequence variants that underlie much of the inherited risk of the common forms of breast cancer, the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. And we have now reached a long awaited tipping point in this progress: the ability to identify, through a simple genetic proof, a large proportion of women who are at a clinically- meaningful risk of the disease. The rationale for such testing is all the more compelling in ER+ cancers, since drugs such as tamoxifen have been shown to be successful in preventing as well as treating these cancers, and other drugs now in development may prove to be safe to the degree that long-term synteretic therapy as well. deCODE’s pioneering work in this field has also demonstrated that ER+ and ER- breast cancer appear to have distinct genetic bases, a phenomenon which may open the way to a better understanding of the nature, management and prevention of breast cancer in general. One of the most pressing next steps in this research is to analyze these results in large cohorts of women of non- European descent," uttered Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE.
deCODE made today’s discovery through the analysis of genotypic data from a total of nearly 40,000 patients and control subjects from five countries. The deCODE team analyzed both genome-wide data on some 300,000 SNPs, supplemented by data on a much smaller reckon of SNPs on chromosome 5p12.
2 commentsWomen Should Help Get Men Tested For Osteoporosis
The New Jersey Interagency Council on Osteoporosis has joined with the National Osteoporosis Foundation to raise awareness of osteoporosis and bone health for the time of May, Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month.
The council hopes to raise awareness that osteoporosis, long considered a women’s disease, is also a serious threat to men’s freedom from disease, limiting their mobility, independence and longevity. The council wants men and women to know that osteoporosis is preventable, detectable and treatable.
Through its theme “Care About the Men in Your Life,” the council is focusing its efforts this year on getting men – at the urging of the women in their lives – to recognize their risk and to earn a bone density (DXA) recite metrically. Medicare covers DXA scans for both men and women age 65 and over.
Known as “the silent disease,” osteoporosis is a serious situation in which bones become tenuous, brittle and easily broken. Nearly half of all women and twenty percent of all men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Osteoporosis can impair any individual’s ability to walk unassisted and often results in prolonged or permanent disability, institutionalization or departure.
Osteoporosis is largely preventable for most people through salutary behaviors including a balanced congress rich in calcium and vitamin D, weight bearing exercise, a healthy lifestyle without smoking or excessive highly rectified spirit, and bone density testing and medications when appropriate.
More than 2 million American men have osteoporosis and 3 million more are at risk for the disease. A third of all men who fracture a hip do not survive more than a year after the fracture. Men with hip fractures die at a higher rate than women who break their hips.
A contributing factor to osteoporosis in men is that many medications taken for other terms can cause bone loss. These medications include antiepileptic drugs (used during the term of mood control, migraine, pain address, or epilepsy), chemotherapy drugs, steroid drugs (used for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, or other diseases), testosterone suppressing drugs (used for prostate cancer), and Warfarin (also known under the brand name coumadin – used for heart disease). Even without medication, certain chronic health conditions such as anemia, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, HIV, inflammatory diseases, lung diseases, and liver or kidney distemper can increase bone loss.
The council’s efforts are a companion to the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s public service campaign, “Osteoporosis. It’s Beatable. It’s Treatable.” Its focus is to get totality at-risk groups to take action to protect their bone health.
The New Jersey Interagency Council onward Osteoporosis, established in 1997, is a multidisciplinary coalition comprised of members of the public; state government; and healthcare, academic and corporate communities. It is dedicated to the development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive osteoporosis prevention and education program for the benefit of New Jersey residents.
The council encourages both men and women to get screened for osteoporosis and join a local Project Healthy Bones program to decrease bone loss, increase bone density and improve strength, balance and flexibility. This 24-week peer-led low impact exercise and education program is available in all New Jersey counties. More than 2,000 older adults have participated in Project Healthy Bones annually since its inception in 1997.
No commentsHow Exercise Changes Function Of Heart
For the first time researchers are beginning to understand exactly how various forms of exercise impact the heart. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators, in collaboration with the Harvard University Health Services, have found that 90 days of vigorous athletic training produces significant changes in cardiac structure and execution and that the type of change varies with the image of exercise performed. Their study appears in the April Journal of Applied Physiology.
"Most of what we know about cardiac changes in athletes and other physically active people comes from ’snapshots,’ taken at one specific point in time. What we did in this first-of-a-kind study was to follow athletes over several months to determine to what degree the training process actually causes change to occur," says Aaron Baggish, MD, a fellow in the MGH Cardiology Division and lead author of the study.
To follow up how exercise affects the heart over time, the MGH researchers enrolled two groups of Harvard University student athletes at the beginning of the fall 2006 semester. One group was comprised of endurance athletes - 20 male and 20 female rowers - and the other, strength athletes - 35 male football players. Student athletes were studied while participating their normal team training, with emphasis on how the heart adapts to a typical season of competitive athletics.
Echocardiography studies - ultrasound scrutiny of the heart’s structure and function - were taken at the beginning and end of the 90-day study period. Participants followed the normal training regimens developed by their coaches and trainers, and weekly training activity was recorded. Endurance training included one- to three-hour sessions of on-water practice or use of indoor rowing equipment. The strength athletes took part in skill-focused drills, exercises designed to improve muscle strength and reaction time, and supervised power training. Participants also were questioned confidentially about the use of steroids, and any who reported such use were excluded from the study.
At the end of the 90-day study period, the one and the other groups had significant overall increases in the size of their hearts. For endurance athletes, the left and right ventricles - the chambers that send blood into the aorta and to the lungs, respectively - expanded. In show difference, the heart muscle of the strength athletes tended to thicken, a manifestation that appeared to be confined to the left ventricle. The most significant functional differences related to the relaxation of the heart muscle between beats - which increased in the suffering athletes but decreased in strength athletes, while still remaining within normal ranges.
"We were very surprised by both the magnitude of changes over a relatively short period and by how great the differences were between the two groups of athletes," Baggish says. "The functional differences raise questions about the potential impact of long-term training, which should be followed up in future studies."
While this study looks at young athletes with healthy hearts, the information it provides may someday benefit heart disease patients. "The take-home message is that, just as not all heart disease is equal, not all exercise prescriptions are equal," Baggish explains. "This should shoot us thinking about whether we should tailor the type of exercise patients should do to their specific type of heart disease. The concept will need to be studied in heart disease patients in advance of we be able to make a single one definitive recommendations."
1 commentAerobic Exercise Boosts Older Bodies, Minds
Aerobic exercise could give older adults a boost in brainpower, according to a recent review of studies from the Netherlands.
"Aerobic physical exercises that improve cardiovascular fitness likewise help boost cognitive processing speed, motor function and visual and auditory attention in healthy older people," said lead review author Maaike Angevaren.
Around age 50, even healthy older adults arise to experience mild declines in cognition, such as occasional memory lapses and reduced ability to pay attention. Convincing evidence shows that regular exercise contributes to wholesome aging, but could the types of exercise a person does influence his or her cognitive fitness?
Angevaren and her colleagues at the University of Applied Sciences, in Utrecht, evaluated 11 randomized controlled trials, comprising about 670 adults ages 55 and older, which examined the effects of aerobic busy on areas of cognition including cognitive processing speed, memory and attention.
Nine studies took place in the United States; one occurred in France and a different in Sweden.
Aerobic exercise involves continuous, rhythmic activity that strengthens the heart and lungs and improves respiratory endurance. In the studies included in this review, participants exercised aerobically between two and seven days a week for several weeks - three months on average - and underwent fitness and cognitive function tests.
The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions approximately medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
Not surprisingly, eight of the 11 included studies found that participation in aerobic exercise programs increased participants’ VO2 max, an indicator of respiratory endurance, by 14 percent.
Improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness coincided with improvements in cognitive function - especially motor function, cognitive speed and auditory and visual attention - when participants were compared to a group of non-exercising adults or adults in a yoga- or strength-based program.
So how does sweating to the oldies affect brain function?
"Improvements in cognition as a result of improvements in cardiovascular fitness are being explained by improvements in cerebral mettle flow, leading to increased brain metabolism which, in terminate, stimulates the production of neurotransmitters and formation of of the present day synapses," Angevaren aid.
"At the same period, improved cardiovascular fitness could lead to a decline in cardiovascular disease [which is] proven to negatively affect cognition," she said.
Despite the unconditional mental health benefits that seem to be associated with aerobic activity, researchers could not confirm that aerobic activity specifically is necessary during cognitive improvement, Angevaren said.
For example, when researchers left non-exercisers out of the equation and examined test scores of adults who did any type of exercise - including aerobic activity, strength training or flexibility programs - they found no significant differences for nine of the 11 cognitive functions moderated.
"It needs to be established whether the same furniture can be achieved with any type of physical exercise," including exercise bouts of greater extreme degree or longer duration, Angevaren reported.
Based on the individual studies and their overall analysis, the authors have made a clear case in concluding that physical activities benefit cognitive function in older adults, said Sarah Laditka, associate professor in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. She was not affiliated with the review.
"At the same time, they pointed out a number of considerations that readers need to sustain in thought," Laditka said. For example, in many of the studies, the sample size was small, and the cognitive tests used to assess participants varied widely from study to study.
In addition, "it’s clear that the longer-term effects of aerobic physical activity on cognition are not known and that needs to be studied," Laditka said.
However, although relatively few randomized controlled trials exist that investigate the cognitive affects of aerobic activity on cognition, "there are some increasing number of epidemiological studies which indicate very positive benefits of regular physical activity on cognitive health," Laditka said.
"The takeaway message to me as a gerontologist is that increasingly there is an society betwixt physical action - broadly defined - and cognitive hale condition. That would speak in favor of encouraging older people and people of all ages to engage in regular physical activity," Laditka said.
9 commentsPerrigo FDA Approved To Market Nicotine Gum
The Perrigo Company has received approval from FDA to market over-the-counter (OTC) Nicotine Polacrilex Gum USP, 2 mg (base) and 4 mg (base) (Orange, Coated).
The FDA has determined the product to be bioequivalent to the reference listed drug, GlaxoSmithKline’s Nicorette Gum, 2 mg (base) and 4 mg (abject), which is an aid to smoking cessation.
"This approval of orange-flavored, coated nicotine gum extends our leading store brand position. Our expanded range of smoking cessation products also includes coated mint-flavored gum, coated fruit-flavored gum, uncoated gum and lozenges," said Joseph C. Papa, Perrigo’s Chairman and CEO.
The overall market for OTC nicotine gum and lozenge products is estimated at approximately $750 million annually at all retail outlets.
No commentsElevated Urate Levels May Slow Progression Of Parkinson’s Disease
Naturally elevated levels of the antioxidant urate may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in men. Researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) examined data from an earlier study and found that, among recently diagnosed Parkinson’s patients, those with the highest urate levels had a significantly slower rate of sickness progression during the two-year study period. The report appears in the April 14, 2008 online edition and the June 2008 print edition of Archives of Neurology and may direction to urate-based therapies for the disorder.
Parkinson’s disease - characterized by tremors, strictness, difficulty walking and other symptoms - is caused by the destruction of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. Several epidemiologic studies, including the HSPH-based Health Professionals Follow-up Study, have found that healthy people with elevated levels of urate, a normal component of the blood, may have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
"Because the neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson’s disease starts years in the sight of the onset of symptoms and progresses throughout the disease course, we reasoned that blood urate could be slowing the rate of neurodegeneration and hypothesized that urate’s beneficial effect might extend beyond the time of diagnosis," says Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH, of HSPH, the study’s senior author.
To investigate this hypothesis, the MGH/HSPH team analyzed information from the PRECEPT trial conducted by the Parkinson Study Group, based at the University of Rochester. That study followed a group of recently diagnosed Parkinson’s patients to see if an experimental medication could delay disease progression, measured by the need to begin standard drug therapy and by imaging of the brain structures that produce dopamine. blood samples from about 800 PRECEPT trial participants were analyzed for urate levels, which were compared to information about symptom progression of the trial participants and the imaging study results.
The results showed that participants with the highest urate levels at the initiation of the study had about half the risk of needing to deviate Parkinson’s treatment drugs as did those with the lowest levels. The brain scans indicated that participants with higher urate levels also lost the fewest dopamine-producing neurons. The association of urate levels with risk of progression was seen both in those receiving the drug studied in the PRECEPT trial - which did not have significant results - and in the placebo group. Men are known to have higher urate levels, and since there were only a few women among those with elevated urate, results of the current analysis were not significant for women. The potential of urate to treat female Parkinson’s patients indispensably to be investigated in future studies, the researchers comment.
"These findings, combined with prior knowledge of urate’s protective properties in laboratory studies, raise the possibility that urate-elevating strategies could be used to slow the neurodegeneration of Parkinson’s disease," says Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, of MGH-MIND, the study’s lead maker. "Potential benefits of urate have to be tempered against the known risks of elevated urate levels, which include gout and kidney stones. From the kind of we know now, urate elevation should only be attempted in the context of a closely monitored clinical trial, in which potential benefits and risks are carefully balanced."
2 commentsPoor Sexual Health Must Be Addressed
Helping people making informed choices from one place to another their sexual health and reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases will be the key focus of a new strategy.
Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, said that the draft Sexual Health Promotion Strategy, which was presented to the Assembly Health Committee today, pointed to the stand in want of for everyone in society to play their part in promoting good sexual health. The strategy will be published shortly.
He aforesaid: “Our sexual health is very poor. We are seeing increasing numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and high rates of teenage pregnancies – some 147 births to teenagers under 17 years of time in 2006 alone.
“Teenage pregnancies are costing the economy more than ?28million each year when you take into account healthcare costs, lost tax revenue, and benefits. This is not good about economic costs, there is an emotional price which cannot be costed but can have a significant impact on the well-being of those affected.
“This strategy focuses on four areas: prevention, training, services and research. It recognises the need for positive and precise information about sexual health and emphasises the importance of respect and responsibility.
“Young people in particular, cannot make informed choices about their sexual health unless they have knowledge. Parents and carers must also have the skills to educate and inform young people.
“This is not about encouraging youthful people to have sex, rather it is about all of us being able to have open and thoughtful discussions about sexual health to help us make the right, and the superlatively good choices.”
Research into the sexual behaviour of the population will be another key element of the strategy, said Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride.
Dr McBride reported: “At the moment we only have limited information about the sexual behaviour of our population, which makes it difficult in developing strategies and services to improve our sexual health.
“Of course, one of the main challenges is attitudes to sexual behaviour. Sexual health is a controversial subject in Northern Ireland. Many people have deeply-held opinions about the best approaches, others are simply too embarrassed to discuss it openly. This has to change. We cannot ignore the rising rates of STIs – this is a major healthcare issue.
“In 2006 there were 9,590 STIs diagnosed, of which around 7,100 were new diagnoses. STIs can get long-term movables on people’s lives, with possible complications such viewed like infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer and other genital cancers.
“There are strong links between social deprivation and sexual ill-health. This must be addressed. Harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation must also get being addressed.
“I have spent a considerable part of my professional career working on these issues and know only too well the physical and mental harm which poor sexual health can cause. To rectify our sexual health will require a concerted effort by government, community groups, school, youth services and the health and social feel interested sector. We must make secure everyone has the fit skills and knowledge to help them make the best choices.”
1 commentPledge Catches Culprits In Dust That Cause Allergies
Sneezing, sniffling, coughing and wheezing — bound allergy season has arrived. With asthma and allergies extraordinary one in four Americans, now is the time to start dodging those allergy triggers lurking around your domicile. Now, condign in time for warmer weather, SC Johnson reveals research that shows dusting with Pledge Furniture Polish and a cloth removes up to 84 percent of allergens from dust mites and pet dander found in dust.
Dust often includes triggers such as pet dander, dust mites, cockroach droppings, molds, and pollen. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 72 trillion allergens make their way into the home eddish. day.(2) In recent studies, Pledge Furniture Polish was proven more effective than dry dusting to pick up the allergens in dust without sending them into the air.
"House dust is one of the utmost prevalent — and unavoidable — allergy triggers in any home," said Dr. William E. Berger, originator of Allergies and Asthma for Dummies. "Allergy-proofing inside your home is one of the most beneficial ways to depress allergy symptoms since you can’t control the allergens outside your home."
Dr. Berger offers tips to help allergy-proof your home to help attenuate allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses.
Clean Home, Clear leader strong
Go from room to room and identify spaces that be possible to be breeding grounds for allergens:
– Beds - Wash all bed linens in hot water (at least 130 degrees) every two weeks. Only use pillows, blankets, quilts, and bedspreads made of synthetic materials. Avoid down (species) filled comforters and pillows.
– Climate control - Don’t locate your bedroom in a humid area such because the basement. Likewise, use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep the humidity in your home below 50 percent.
– Carpets and drapes - Pet dander is more easily collected in carpeting and thick rugs. To help make allergy-proofing easier, choose bare floors over carpeting where you can use cleaning products to pick-up and remove allergens from pet dander.
– Decorations and furnishings - Use furniture made of wood, vinyl, plastic, and leather throughout your home instead of embellishments made from upholstery. Use products to clean that are proven to remove allergens, such as Pledge Furniture Polish which removes allergens from dust mites and pet dander found in dust.
– Ventilation - Use HEPA air cleaners to keep the indoor air throughout your home as pure as possible. Cover heating vents with special vent filters to clean the air before it enters your rooms.
How Pledge Fights Allergens
Pledge Furniture Polish features Allergen Trappers to help families keep their homes cleaner and healthier. This sole formula:
– Traps and removes dust and dust mites, pet dander and pollen form in a mould in dust
– Attracts and picks up dust so you don’t shift it from place to place
– Contains gentle cleansing conditioners that remove dust, fingerprints, smudges and dirt Helps protect against water spills, stains and everyday wear
– Leaves no residue buildup behind
No commentsConsidering Mistletoe As Cancer Treatment
For many people, mistletoe conjures up images of Christmas holidays, but in parts of Europe, mistletoe extract is widely used as a therapy for cancer patients. However, a new review of studies finds only weak evidence that the treatment provides some benefit.
Mistletoe proponents believe it strengthens the immune system while minimizing the oblique effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, thereby improving survival and increasing quality of life during treatment. In 2002, mistletoe cite was the most frequently prescribed therapy in German outpatient cancer clinics, outstripping tamoxifen.
The compound is not approved because of use in the United States to treat any medical condition, including cancer.
While the plant contains several biologically active substances that could kill cancer cells, fight viruses and tune the immune combination of parts to form a whole, how these substances work is still not clearly understood and there is much debate about whether they work at all in oncology therapy, according to Dr. Markus Horneber, lead review author. Horneber is a member of the Work Group for Biological Cancer Treatment based in Nuremberg, Germany.
The researchers looked at whether mistletoe extract could increase survival times, enhance the response of tumors to therapy, make use of quality of life and alleviate the adverse effects of anti-cancer drugs. The team also evaluated the safety of mistletoe extracts.
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a divulgation of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all aspects of freedom from disease care. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about healing practice after considering both the content and quality of existing trials on a topic.
The review included 21 randomized clinical trials that used the extract either as the sole therapy or as an adjunct to chemotherapy or radiation. The studies comprised 3,484 cancer patients from Austria, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Italy, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
There was little standardization in procedure, patient groups, outcome measures or the mistletoe compounds or doses used, the reviewers found. "The general reporting of [randomly controlled trials] was poor," they wrote.
It is particularly challenging to standardize pertaining medicine studies, according to Eric Manheimer, a research associate for the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine.
"Mistletoe grows on a tree, so the exact components of the medication might depend on the species of tree it’s grown on, or the growing season," said Manheimer, who was not associated with the review.
Other factors can complicate herbal medicine studies, the reviewers noted. Because consumers can purchase herbal remedies over the counter, it might be unpleasant to find study participants with no previous exposing. to the substance. Moreover, the dose and frequency of mistletoe extract, which is injected in a state of being liable to the skin, depends on the contented’s initial reciprocal action.
In the 13 studies that investigated how long patients survived, six showed some benefit; but again, the authors noted that the methodology of all of these studies was of low quality. Of the 16 studies that looked at quality of life, reduction of symptoms or reduced side effects from chemotherapy, 14 showed some benefit, but the authors found only two of these studies to have higher-quality methodology.
There was no evidence of side effects or adverse reactions to the mistletoe extract.
Manheimer said that dull, nontraditional journals - many of which are not peer-reviewed - published chiefly of the studies, so they are not comparable to major clinical trials. It can be difficult to get funding for trials of herbal preparations, he said. "In general, companies dress in’t have the same profit motive with herbal medicine as they do with proprietary chemicals." He noted that companies selling mistletoe extract supported most of the studies in the re-survey.
While the data supporting mistletoe’s benefits are weak, "nevertheless, there is some evidence that mistletoe extracts may offer benefits on measures of [quality of life] during chemotherapy for breast cancer, but these results need replication," the reviewers concluded.
Because there is no firm prove of the efficacy of mistletoe therapy, said Manheimer, "its application would depend on the expert judgment of the clinician and other practical considerations, and the preferences of the patient."
No commentsMRSA Bloodstream Infections Plateau
The Health Protection Agency has published its latest quarterly report on MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) bloodstream infections and C. difficile (Clostridium difficile) infection figures.
The latest figures on MRSA bloodstream infections show that there were 1,087 cases reported in England during the October to December quarter of 2007. This represents a 0.6% increase on the anterior allot (July to September) when 1,080 reports were received.
Dr Georgia Duckworth, head strong of the Agency’s Healthcare-Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Department, said: “Over the last year cases of MRSA bloodstream infection have been steadily falling. We would obviously like to have seen the trend continued in this quarter and hope that ongoing surveillance will show that this table-land is not indicative of a levelling trend, but we need to see next specific place’s figures.
“The NHS has faced a great exception in turning around the seemingly unstoppable rise in MRSA bloodstream infections that we saw quite through the 1990s. The substantial decreases seen in recent quarters clearly demonstrate the huge efforts made by our NHS colleagues to combat these infections. Although the current figures indicate a plateau, variations in the rate of decrease over regulate are not unexpected and are not indispensably a cause for alarum.”
The latest C. difficile figures, moreover published today, show that there were 9,872 cases reported in patients aged 65 years and over between October and December 2007. This represents each 8% reduction in reported cases in this age group from the previous quarter (July to September).
There are however some limitations to this quarter’s C. difficile figures owing to recent changes to the way in which Trusts are required to report cases of C. difficile and as these figures were collected during the transition term we cannot be confident that the apparent reduction is an accurate reflection of the current situation as the figures for some Trusts may not be complete.
Dr Duckworth continued: “Although the C. difficile figures this quarter may not be as accurate as we would like because of these changes, it was influential not to disrupt the publication cycle and we strongly uphold the refinements to the data collection because these will make the surveillance more robust.”
Professor Peter Borriello, Director of the Agency’s Centre for Infections, said: “The reduction of health care associated infections is a big challenge throughout the world. The Agency continues to support the hard moil of our NHS colleagues in combating these infections and the never-ending battle to fight all types of infection.”
No commentsNovel Drug To Protect Brains From Ischemic Stroke Damage
Most strokes result from a stop up. of blood flow to the brain, producing what is known as an ischemic stroke. When a clot lodges in undivided of the human brain’s arteries, the results can be devastating, if not fatal. The only FDA-approved treatment for this type of stroke is to disrupt the clot, but unfortunately this therapy is hampered by the short time frame in which it can be used.
by dint of. blocking the artery, the clot deprives the brain cells of much-needed oxygen and glucose and the nerve cells can be damaged or die, depending on the rigor of the blockage and if it can be removed in time.
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine led by Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience, are testing a new manipulation which bypasses the clot, by delivering needed oxygen and glucose to the cells in the brain. By using the compound Trans-sodium crocetinate (TSC) in preclinical studies, Lee has been able to establish "metabolic reflow" in part of the brain suffering from stroke.
"blow is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. We are hopeful that our ongoing studies will facilitate the development of this new therapy for protecting the brain during stroke," Lee says.
Lee recently received an $890,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for characterizing the protective effects TSC in preclinical studies of blow. Lee says the goals of the study are to determine the window of opportunity for administering TSC treatment, define the proper dosage, and determine whether TSC might extend the period physicians have with respect to reperfusion therapy.
TSC is being developed for clinical use through Diffusion Pharmaceuticals, which is a local Charlottesville company that originated as a spin done of UVA research. Lee says that, "the progress that Diffusion Pharmaceuticals has already made in its early clinical studies characterizing TSC will help considerably when the efficacy of this drug has been established for treating stroke".
No commentsLumbar Supports Not Particularly Effective For Low Back Pain
Lumbar or lower back supports - those large belts that people wear around their waists when they lift or carry heavy objects - are not very useful for preventing low back pain, according to a unaccustomed systematic review.
Although many people use lumbar supports to bolster the back muscles, they are no more effective than lifting education - or no treatment whatever - in preventing related pain or reducing disability in those who suffer from the condition, reviewers found.
"We recommend the general population and workers not wear lumbar supports to prevent bellow back pain or for the treatment of low back pain," said lead author Ingrid van Duijvenbode, a teacher and member of the research group at the Amsterdam School for Health Professionals in the Netherlands.
"Low back pain is to a high degree common and a major health problem in industrialized countries," she said. "stoppage and treatment are important both to [sufferers] and to society, which bears the expense of sick leave due to low back pain manipulation."
She and her colleagues looked at 15 studies - seven prevention and eight treatment studies - that included more than 15,000 people. When measuring pain prevention or lowering in number of sick at the stomach days used, the researchers found little or no contest between people who used supports and their peers who did not.
"There is moderate evidence that lumbar supports do not prevent low back pain or sick leave more effectively than no intervention or education on lifting techniques in preventing long-term unmanly back pain," van Duijvenbode said. "There is conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of lumbar supports as treatment compared to not at all intervention or other interventions."
The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medicinal practice after considering both the easy in mind and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
"This continues the line of research that shows lumbar supports make no difference in treating or preventing low back pain," said Joel Press, M.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. "Looking at the literature on lumbar supports, it is difficult to make any one conclusions for these studies are using supports for many different causes of low back pain. It would exist hard to prove any one treatment is effective for every type of back incommode, just like it would be arduous to examine that any one heart medication would be good for every type of heart problem."
Press said that lumbar supports are useful only as an additional treatment to employ and other interventions. He said that the bracing makes it more comfortable for some people to move around.
"I usually tell my patients asking about lumbar supports that space of time there is not a lot of prove that it is useful overall, there are still individuals who might benefit from their use," Press said. "But it should subsist used as an adjunct management if it helps to activate patients to be augmented their activity and exercise."
No commentsDiabetes Before Pregnancy Is On The Rise
Study of 175,000 teenage girls and adult women finds that diabetes is shift before pregnancy.
Diabetes in advance of pregnancy more than doubled in six years among teenage and grown-up person women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care journal.
While previous studies have looked exclusively at gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops for the time of pregnancy, then usually disappears after the baby is born), this is the largest and most diverse study to examine pre-pregnancy type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which is more dangerous than gestational diabetes and potentially harder to treat, as well as gestational diabetes.
Researchers at Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena looked at 175,249 women who gave birth in 11 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California between 1999 and 2005. Researchers found that there were twice as many births to women with diabetes in 2005 as there were in 1999. Fifty-two percent of the women in the study were Hispanic, 26 percent were White, 11 percent were Asian/Pacific Islanders and 10 percent were African-American.
This study found significant jumps in pre-pregnancy diabetes in every age, racial and ethnic group:
- Diabetes increased fivefold among 13- to 19-year-olds giving birth
- Diabetes doubled among women 20- and 39-year-olds giving birth
- Diabetes increased by 40 percent among women 40 and older giving birth
- African-American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women were more likely to have diabetes before pregnancy than White women.
“greater degree of young women are entering their reproductive years through diabetes, in part due to the fact that our society has become more overweight and obese,” before-mentioned lead author Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Research & Evaluation. “While we currently don’t know how to prevent type 1 diabetes, the steps to reducing risk of type 2 diabetes must start before childbearing years: healthy eating, active living and maintaining a healthy weight. These habits should begin in childhood and continue end adulthood.”
Given that two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and nearly 15 million children are overweight or obese, these study findings are especially relevant.
The health risks of having diabetes before becoming pregnant are greater to mother and baby than gestational diabetes, which occurs in 8 percent of pregnancies. Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnancy triggers insulin resistance in the second trimester and raises a woman’s blood glucose level and is associated with larger babies, childhood obesity, and increased maternal risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Women with pre-existing diabetes are more likely to have miscarriages, stillbirths, and babies with birth defects because they may have elevated blood sugar during the critical chief trimester of pregnancy when the infants’ organs are developing.
“My advice to women who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and are thinking about becoming pregnant is: work with your health care professional to get your blood sugar in good direction. If you are pre-anti-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, work on reducing your weight by a few pounds before becoming pregnant,” Lawrence said. “And women with gestational diabetes should have their blood sugar level tested after they’ve given birth to make sure it returns to normal.”
Limiting obesity is the best usage to reduce the rising incidence of type 2 diabetes in young women, says study co-author David Sacks, MD, a Kaiser Permanente perinatologist who specializes in maternal fetal medicine and treats up to 50 diabetic moms-to-be a year. “We’ve become a more sedentary and obese society so naturally type 2 diabetes has risen too. For Latina women, the risk is even higher for developing type 2 diabetes, so it’s really important to defy family history and work on achieving a well weight.”
Sacks said Kaiser Permanente’s electronic health record, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect™, makes it easier for physicians to monitor and treat their patients’ diabetes.
“KP HealthConnect™ gives me an immediate record of my patient’s pre-pregnancy performance, and how compliant she has been with her diabetes protocol and follow-up,” Sacks said.
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