Diet, Exercise Linked to Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes Prevention
|
|
Coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes may be preventable for most people, according to the results of a 25-year study to be presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 38th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
More than 80% of coronary heart disease cases and 90% of type 2 diabetes cases could potentially be prevented with modest lifestyle changes, especially by becoming more aware of one’s diet, according to Dr. Walter Willett, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. The best diets are the ones that focus on types of carbohydrates and fats, rather than the amount of intake.
Cord Blood Cells May Widen Treatment Window for Stroke
|
|
An experimental treatment that spares disability from acute stroke may be delivered much later than the current three-hour treatment standard – a potential advance needed to benefit more stroke victims.
Researchers at the University of South Florida found that human umbilical cord blood cells administered to rats two days following a stroke greatly curbed the brain’s inflammatory response, reducing the size of the stroke and resulting in greatly improved recovery. The rats’ inflammatory response to injury from stroke peaked 48 hours after the brain attack, which was when intravenous delivery of the cells appeared most beneficial.
Renal Week Debates on Drugs and the Kidney
|
|
The kidney plays a key role in the metabolism and excretion of drugs and is quite vulnerable to damage from many classes of therapeutic agents. At the American Society of Nephrology’s Renal Week 2005, a two-day course has been developed to explore these issues. During this course, the renal interactions of acetaminophen (Tylenol®) and rosuvastatin (Crestor®) will be discussed and debated. Internationally renowned experts will review these drugs and their potential to compromise renal function.
Crestor®, rosuvastatin calcium, arrived on the U.S. market on August 13, 2003, after obtaining approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce LDL cholesterol. At that time, Crestor® joined five other statins on the market.
Test predicts effective brain cancer treatment
|
|
California researchers say they can now identify the 800 to 2,000 people in the United States who will respond to treatment against an aggressive form of brain cancer, a study released on Wednesday showed.
The tumor, glioblastoma, typically kills its victims in less than a year and only 10 percent to 20 percent of sufferers respond to drugs that block a key protein called EGFR in the cancer cells.
Psychological distress tied to bullying
|
|
Elementary school children who are psychologically distressed—they feel sad most days and feel as if they do not belong at school—are more likely to be involved in some form of bullying, investigators have found
Such children are prone to be a victim of bullying, a bully themselves, or a bully-victim—someone who is both victimized and bullied others.
Possible Role for Dentists in the Fight Against Heart Disease
|
|
A new study published in the November issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) says dentists have a “unique opportunity” to help in the fight against heart attack, one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
Health care utilization patterns indicate that individuals may be more likely to see their dentist regularly than they are to see their physician, the JADA report says.
“This could place dentists in the frontlines for identifying patients at risk of coronary heart disease,” says Michael Glick, D.M.D., who co-authored the study with Barbara L. Greenberg, Ph.D.
Moms’ low-allergen diet may ease infants’ colic
|
|
For breast-fed babies who have colic, having mothers switch to a low-allergen diet seems to reduce the amount of time the infants spend crying and fussing, an Australian research team reports.
Previously, investigators have found that substituting a hydrolyzed casein- and whey-based preparation for regular formula appears to improve colic symptoms, as does elimination of some proteins from the breast-feeding mother’s diet. Results have not been conclusive, however.
Research Helps Identify Precursors to Foot Disease in Diabetes Patients
|
|
Foot ulcerations are one of the most serious complications of diabetes, resulting in more than 80,000 lower-leg amputations each year in the U.S. alone. A new study led by researchers at the Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and Microcirculation Laboratory finds that early changes in the oxygenation of the skin could help foretell the development of ulcerations and enable doctors to treat patients at an earlier stage, before the onset of serious complications.
Reported in the Nov. 12 issue of the medical journal The Lancet, the study is part of a special issue devoted to diabetic foot disease to coincide with World Diabetes Day, also Nov.12th.
Risks of Taking Sedatives for Insomnia in Older People
|
|
For older people, the risks outweigh the benefits of taking sleeping pills and other sedatives, say researchers in this week’s BMJ.
Insomnia can often affect the quality of life for older people and between 5% and 33% of older people in the UK are prescribed sleeping pills such as benzodiazepine.
Traction Not Beneficial for Low Back Pain
|
|
The use of traction to help treat low back pain has no benefit, despite its widespread use, a new review of studies has found.
“Traction was introduced before it was properly evaluated in high-quality randomized trials, and as an intervention is already part of usual practice,” said lead author Judy M.A. Clarke, M.D. “It is hard to convince health care providers not to use it.”
Neurologists Refine Multiple Sclerosis Diagnostic Criteria
|
|
An international panel of neurologists has updated the current guidelines for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), strengthening the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The guidelines, published online November 10, 2005 in the Annals of Neurology, update the “McDonald criteria,” created five years ago and named after the chair of the previous panel, Prof W. Ian McDonald of the Institute of Neurology in London.
“We hope, and trust, that these revisions will allow an even earlier diagnosis of MS, without any loss of diagnostic accuracy,” said Chris H. Polman, M.D., of the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and chair of the current panel, which was organized and supported by the US National MS Society.
Doctors Need to Better Educate Pregnant Patients to Exercise
|
|
Obstetricians and gynecologists need to do a better job of encouraging women with uncomplicated pregnancies to exercise, a Saint Louis University School of Public Health study concludes.
“The message is not getting out that women should continue to exercise during pregnancy, at least at moderate intensity,” said Terry Leet, Ph.D., a study author and associate professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.
Pregnant Women Are Not Sweating Enough
|
|
The exercise message is apparently not getting through to expectant mothers.
Just 6% of pregnant women work out for at least 30 minutes several times a week and only one in 10 pregnant women engage in moderate exercise weekly, according to survey results reported in the November issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Sleep Disorder Increases Risk of Mortality
|
|
Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of death from stroke or other causes, whether the sleeper has hypertension or not, according to research reported today.
Equally disquieting was the news that in patients with both central sleep apnea and heart failure, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves both sleep and cardiovascular function, but does not improve survival.
Sleep apnea Rx may not eliminate heart risk
|
|
Treatment of long-standing or severe sleep-disordered breathing, also known as sleep apnea, cannot always eliminate the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and death, according to two studies in The New England Journal of Medicine this week.
People with sleep apnea involuntarily stop breathing dozens of times each night, causing them to gasp for breath. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the airway becomes blocked by tissue such as the tonsils or base of the tongue, whereas central sleep apnea occurs when the respiratory system stops working in the absence of a blockage.
