America’s ‘anti-prostitution pledge’ is hindering global HIV control efforts
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In order to receive US funding for HIV prevention or control projects, recipient organizations must take a pledge that explicitly condemns prostitution. But such condemnation is not effective at helping to control the global HIV epidemic, say researchers in this week’s PLoS Medicine.
Nicole Franck Masenior and Chris Beyrer (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) reviewed the existing scientific evidence on strategies that effectively reduce rates of HIV among sex workers.
Sleep pattern linked with teen’s behavior
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New study findings suggest that a preference for nighttime over daytime activities may be associated with antisocial behavior in adolescences, even in children as young as 8 years old.
Those who prefer later bedtimes appear to exhibit more antisocial behavior than those who like to wake early and participate in daytime recreational activities, researchers report.
Common gene mutations affect heart disease
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Researchers say they have pinpointed six common genetic variations that may cause heart disease and the discovery may help to predict who is at greatest risk.
A study published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine said changes in the DNA on the chromosomes were associated with increased risk of developing coronary artery disease and heart attacks.
Chinese “elephant man” to go under the knife
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A Chinese “elephant man” with a crippling 15 kg (33 lb) tumour drooping from his head and face—the biggest on record—undergoes life-threatening surgery on Tuesday to have it removed.
Huang Chuncai, 31, from the southern province of Hunan, can hardly speak because the mass is so huge, he has to cradle it when he stands. His left eye is totally covered, his left ear hangs to his shoulder, and his right ear and jaw have been engulfed.
Women with HIV fight fear and stigma
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When Papua New Guinea’s Maura Elaripe was diagnosed with HIV she thought it was a death sentence, but 10 years later she is still fighting the disease and the fear and stigma associated with it in her homeland.
The 31-year-old former nurse said many afflicted with the disease are left untreated to die in Papua New Guinea, a developing nation where black magic still rules many people’s lives.
Menstruation key to bone rebuilding in anorexics
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Adequate nutrition can rebuild bone mass in women with anorexia, but the restoration of normal menstrual periods appears to be necessary for fully normal bone metabolism to be recovered, a new study shows.
“Our observations may be important to an understanding of the mechanism of possible reversal of osteoporosis in anorexia nervosa, for which there is as yet no effective treatment,” Dr. Jennifer Dominguez of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City and her colleagues conclude.
Latest drugs improve survival for metastatic breast cancer
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Newer drug therapies available since the 1990s, in particular aromatase inhibitors, improve the survival of women with metastatic breast cancer in the general population, according to a new study. Published in the September 1, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study is the first to demonstrate that drugs made available to the general public in the 1990s have had a significant impact on population-based metastatic breast cancer survival rates, confirming findings from earlier clinical trials. Survival improved by approximately 30 percent as systemic therapy, in particular aromatase inhibitors, became more widely used.
Currently, women with metastatic breast cancer survive an average of approximately 24 months.
Prostate drug doesn’t limit sexual function in most men
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Men and their physicians need not hesitate to use a drug proven effective in preventing prostate cancer out of concern that it is likely to cause sexual dysfunction, say authors of a study conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group.
The authors, who surveyed more than 17,000 men 55 and older for seven years, reported their results in the July 4 Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study found that men given finasteride reported on average more dysfunction than did men given a placebo. That small effect diminished over the seven years.
Protecting HIV Patients from Hepatitis B Virus
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Since the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) are so similar, individuals infected with one of these viruses are at a significantly increased risk for contracting the other. As it is not quite clear how patients that don’t respond to the HBV vaccine should be managed, new research from the University of Alberta has evaluated the immune response of HBV vaccine given intradermally (into the skin) in HIV-infected individuals who failed to respond to two cycles of HBV vaccine given intramuscularly (into the muscle).
“Because those infected with HIV are at a greater risk for contracting HBV, it is crucial we promote HBV immunizations and continue to put our research efforts into why some HIV patients fail to respond to the vaccine,” said Dr. Stephen Shafran, Professor and Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Alberta.
New Therapy is Effective for Patients with Crohnэs Disease
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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that certolizumab pegol is an effective treatment for adults with Crohn’s disease, according to two new studies. These findings were published in today’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Certolizumab pegol blocks tumor necrosis factor, an important cause of inflammation in Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States. Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and diarrhea. Crohn’s disease has no known medical cure. Currently approved therapies that also block tumor necrosis factor include intravenous infusions of infliximab or subcutaneous injections of adalimumab.
New Approach Shows Promise as Lung Cancer Treatment
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A novel radiotherapy approach has shown promise as a treatment option, and may possibly increase the cure rate, for people with early stage lung cancer who are unable to tolerate surgery, according to findings from a five-year study led by SUNY Upstate Medical University.
SUNY Upstate was among 10 institutions nationwide participating in this first prospective radiotherapy study specific to high-risk patients with early stage lung cancer. The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting June 4 in Chicago.
Vitamin D deficiency: Common and problematic yet preventable
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In a review article to appear in the July 19th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Michael Holick, an internationally recognized expert in vitamin D, provides an overview of his pioneering work that expounds on the important role vitamin D plays in a wide variety of chronic health conditions, as well as suggesting strategies for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.
Humans attain vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, diet and supplements. Vitamin D deficiency is common in children and adults. In utero and childhood, vitamin D deficiency may cause growth retardation, skeletal deformities and increase risk of hip fractures later in life.
Genes help determine amount of lean body mass
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How much lean body mass a woman has appears to have a lot to do with her genes, according to a new twin study published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Lean body mass, fat mass and bone mass are the three major components of body composition, Dr. Gregory Livshits of Tel Aviv University in Israel and colleagues note. But while much is known about the genetics of fat mass and bone mass, as well as their effects on health and fitness, less data are available on lean mass.
Older Diabetes Drugs Safe to Use
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Older, cheaper diabetes drugs are as safe and effective as newer ones, concludes an analysis that is good news for diabetics and may further hurt sales of Avandia, a blockbuster pill recently tied to heart problems.
The clear winner: metformin, sold as Glucophage and generically for about $100 a year. It works as well as other diabetes pills but does not cause weight gain or too-low blood sugar, the analysis found. It also lowers LDL or bad cholesterol.
Eating Nutritional Foods Can Help Children Be at Their Best Academically
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The start of the school year also means the return of school lunches, and the choice of brown-bagging or eating in the cafeteria. A nutritionist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center says that it may seem contrary to perception, but a lunch from home may be the better choice, nutritionally.
“Lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best choice and I recommend that sometimes lunches need to be packed,” says Mary Pat Alfaro, MS, RD, CNSD, education coordinator in Nutrition Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s. “Although The Healthy School Lunch Campaign is urging schools to serve more balanced, lower fat meals, a packed lunch means the parents are in control of what children eat, including their portion size.”
