Coffee Consumption Linked to Heart Attack for Persons With Gene Variation
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Individuals who have a genetic variation associated with slower caffeine metabolism appear to have an increased risk of non-fatal heart attack associated with higher amounts of coffee intake, according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA.
Studies examining the association between coffee consumption and risk of myocardial infarction (MI - heart attack) have been inconclusive. Coffee is a major source of caffeine, which is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, according to background information in the article. However, coffee contains a number of other chemicals that have variable effects on the cardiovascular system. It is not clear whether caffeine alone affects the risk of heart attack or whether other chemicals found in coffee may be responsible. Caffeine is metabolized primarily by the enzyme cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) in the liver.
Fine Particle Air Pollution Associated With Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases
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Being exposed to fine particle matter air pollution increases a person’s risk for hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA.
Numerous studies have shown associations of chronic exposure to airborne particles and increased health risks. Recent evidence on adverse effects of particulate air pollution on public health has motivated the development of more stringent standards for levels of particulate matter in outdoor air in the United States and in other countries, according to background information in the article. In 1997, the standard for airborne particulate matter was revised, maintaining the previous indicator of particulate matter of less than or equal to 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and creating a new indicator for fine particulate matter of less than or equal to 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5). Particles in this size range have a much greater probability of reaching the small airways and the alveoli (air sacs) of the lung than do larger particles. Evidence is limited on the health risks of this size range of particulate matter.
Scientists create new type of ‘bio-gel’
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Scientists at The University of Manchester have created a new type of ‘bio-gel’ which provides a pH neutral environment for culturing cells in 3D, as published in the journal Advanced Materials.
The gel is the first pH neutral material made from combinations of dipeptides (pairs of amino acids) to provide an environment in which cells can be cultured under physiological conditions.
Uniquely, the gel mimics the properties of cell scaffolds which naturally occur in the body and has potential applications for wound healing and tissue engineering.
Pakistani woman dies after forceps removed
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A Pakistani woman who had a pair of forceps removed from her abdomen after they were left there in an operation a year ago died from multiple complications on Tuesday, a hospital official said.
Shehzadi Shahidi Sultana, 30, had the forceps removed last month when it was discovered one year after she underwent a caesarean operation at a hospital in Jamshoro town, near the southern city of Hyderabad, to give birth to a baby girl.
As a result of the operation to remove the forceps on February 22nd at the same hospital, she developed an infection in her stomach and later died of heart failure from multiple complications, said medical superintendent Khalid Qureshi.
Genes play a key role in stress response
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Both nature and nurture - genetic makeup and the environment experienced through life - combine to influence health and well-being, Duke University Medical Center researchers and their colleagues have determined in four new studies.
The researchers showed that people’s genes play a key role in how they respond both biologically and psychologically to stress in their environment.
Maternal asthma tied to prematurity, lower weight
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Pregnant women with asthma are at heightened risk for delivering prematurely and of having a low-birthweight infant, according to a Canadian study discussed at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Miami Beach, Florida.
The researchers investigated ties between maternal asthma and prematurity and low birthweight using the 1995 Manitoba birth data consisting of all 13,980 children born that year in the province.
Small suicidal behavior risk linked to drug therapy
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During the early phase of antidepressant treatment of pediatric patients, there is a slight increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, the results of several studies suggest.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration research team that conducted the study review does not discourage the use of antidepressant drugs for children. Instead, they advise “close monitoring of patients as a way of managing the risk of suicidality,” according to their report in the Archives of General Psychiatry for March.
Dr. Thomas Laughren and his colleagues in Rockville, Maryland, analyzed data from 24 studies ranging from 4 to 16 weeks in length that included 4,582 patients. The drugs tested were Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Celexa (citalopram), Wellbutrin (bupropion), Effexor (venlafaxine), Serzone (nefazodone) and Remeron (mirtazapine).
Merck cutting AIDS drug price in poor countries
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Merck & Co. Inc. is cutting the price charged for its brand-name version of efavirenz (sold as Sustiva in the U.S. and Stocrin in Europe) for HIV infection by 20 percent in poor countries, bringing it within “pennies” of the cost of generics, the U.S. drug maker said on Tuesday.
The lower price reflects new efficiencies and cost savings resulting from improved manufacturing processes at a new factory for making the drug in Australia, the company said.
Emergency Departments Score Poorly in Child-Saving Drills
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A mock-drill study conducted in a third of North Carolina’s hospital emergency departments (EDs) revealed that nearly all failed to properly stabilize seriously injured children during trauma simulations, according to a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke University Medical Center. Simulations were conducted in 35 of North Carolina’s 106 EDs. Of the 35 EDs in the study, five were designated trauma centers (out of a total of 11 in the State of North Carolina), and 30 were located in community hospitals. A report on the work by the research team stating the results probably apply to hospitals nationwide is published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
Although researchers caution that observations during mock codes do not necessarily represent performance in an actual health emergency, the study’s results do suggest that hospital EDs are not fully prepared to deal with pediatric emergencies, according to lead author Elizabeth A. Hunt, M. D., M. P. H., assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins.
Reducing Teens’ Intake of Sugary Drinks
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Children’s intake of sugar-sweetened drinks - sodas, sports drinks, “juice drinks,” iced teas, lemonades and punches - has surged in recent decades, in step with the rise in childhood obesity. Now, in the March issue of Pediatrics, researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston report that a novel intervention to limit consumption of sugary drinks -home deliveries of noncaloric beverages - had a beneficial effect on weight loss.
The randomized, controlled trial, led by Cara Ebbeling, PhD, and David Ludwig, MD, PhD, in the hospital’s Division of Endocrinology, enrolled 103 children aged 13 to 18 through a Boston area high school. The teens were offered a $100 mall gift certificate if they stuck with the six-month study, and all did.
Half the teens, picked at random, received weekly deliveries of noncaloric beverages of their own choosing - bottled waters and artificially-sweetened drinks. They were instructed to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and advised on how to choose noncaloric drinks outside the home. Monthly phone calls and refrigerator magnets (“Think Before You Drink”) provided reminders. The remaining teens, serving as a control group, were asked to continue their usual eating and drinking patterns.
Many parents don’t admit their child is overweight
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Many parents do not identify their child as “overweight,” but will select a sketch of a heavier model when asked to choose one representative of their child, new study findings show.
“Comparisons between images and sketches showed that parents’ visual perceptions of their children more clearly reflect their child’s physical appearance than words they might use to classify the child’s weight,” study author Dr. Helen J. Binns, of Northwestern University in Chicago told Reuters Health.
“So parents have a correct visual perception, but don’t consider that to fit in the medical ‘diagnostic categories,’” she added.
Study shows new atopic dermatitis therapy significantly delays onset of flares
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Stiefel Laboratories, the world’s largest independent pharmaceutical company specializing in dermatology, announced that a recent study shows MimyX Cream extends the remission period of atopic dermatitis (AD) by 48 percent when used in conjunction with an emollient compared to emollient alone.
MimyX Cream, Stiefel’s new product for managing the signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis, is a steroid-free, topical Rx therapy for the management of the disease, commonly referred to as eczema.
Viagra plus cholesterol drug improves impotence
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Lipitor, a commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug, may have extra benefits for men with impotence. Specifically, investigators have found that in men who are not initially helped by Viagra (sildenafil), treatment with Lipitor (atorvastatin) seems to improve sexual response, according to the results of a small study.
Impotence, also referred to as erectile dysfunction, may involve a generalized disturbance of the lining of the blood vessels (endothelium), lead author Dr. Howard C. Herrmann said in a statement. His group therefore theorized that if the endothelium could be made healthier through cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins—“Viagra would work better for the patient.”
Saudi wants to trim waists of overweight population
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Saudi Arabia has launched a battle to trim waistlines in its overweight population, which has become one of the world’s foremost “obese societies,” according to an announcement at a conference this weekend.
American-style fast-food restaurants are part of the fabric of modern life in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter with a mostly affluent population of around 24 million. Statistics released at a Health Ministry conference on Saturday showed that obesity affected 51 percent of Saudi women and 45 percent of men, as well as 29 percent of teenage girls and 36 percent of boys.
“There are specific social practices which cause certain illnesses,” television presenter Abdullah al-Fozan told the meeting, describing Saudi Arabia as an “obese society.”
Court says California oral sex law violates rights
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A 22-year-old Californian man who received oral sex from a sixteen-year-old girl should not be forced to register for life as a sex offender, the California Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
The state’s top court found that California denied Vincent Hofsheier equal protection under the law because those having intercourse in such circumstances would not be forced to register as lifetime sex offenders.
Hofsheier appealed after being ordered to register his name on the list, which is shared with the public and carries significant stigma.
