Association of C-peptide concentration with prostate cancer incidence in a prospective cohort
|
|
While studies have consistently shown that men with diabetes are at a decreased risk for prostate cancer, the reasons have been unclear. By evaluating prostate cancer data from a large, long-term cohort study, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shown that those with high concentrations of C-peptide – a marker of high insulin secretion that is a hallmark of diabetes – had a measurable decrease in prostate cancer risk.
“Metabolic perturbations influence cancer risk, that much is becoming clear to us, and we are learning more about the fundamental issues in biology that guide prostate cancer development,” said Gabriel Lai, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “One interesting possibility is that, over time, diabetics generally have less testosterone in their bloodstream than non-diabetics, which might lower risk of prostate cancer.”
Public health and cancer prevention: Success and future challenges in cancer policy
|
|
Medical research has revealed much about cancer prevention, but is the information reaching all Americans, and are they acting on it” Today, at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, being held from December 5 to 8 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, researchers explore the question of how best to translate cancer prevention science into public health policy.
Quitting smoking and inoculation with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are two ways that major segments of the general population can drastically lower their risk of developing certain cancers, yet researchers have found that these messages are not necessarily translating into action by the public. Likewise, researchers found that minority women fare worse between time of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, then do Caucasian women, highlighting a worrisome gap in health care among racial and ethnic minorities.
Sugary Beverages May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk
|
|
Excess drinking of sugary beverages like soda may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests new research in mice. Although the exact mechanisms aren’t known, obesity and diabetes are both associated with higher incidences of Alzheimer’s. Ling Li and her colleagues tested whether high sugar consumption in an otherwise normal diet would affect Alzheimer’s progression.
They used a genetic mouse model that develops Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in adulthood, and over a 25 week period supplemented the regular, balanced diet of half the animals with 10% sugar water. Afterwards, they compared the metabolism, memory skills (by means of various mazes) and brain composition of the regular and sugar-fed mice.
Essential adolescent psychiatry
|
|
General practitioners and paediatricians increasingly undertake the assessment and management of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems. Non-psychiatrists want to know what they are dealing with (the diagnostic criteria), what conditions to exclude (with laboratory and other tests), what to expect over time (natural history and prognosis) and the latest and best non-medical and medical treatment approaches.
This authoritative American textbook by well respected authors and editors (Professor Dulcan is the former editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) appears to fill the gap between shorter textbooks such as Barker’s Basic child psychiatry — designed more for allied health professionals or medical students — and the complex longer texts, such as those by Rutter and Hersov.
Common Foot Problems—And What Can Be Done For Relief
|
|
Human feet are amazing. The feet contain a quarter of the bones in the body. Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons. But like the rest of the body, feet eventually begin to feel the effects of daily wear and tear.
Foot problems are common in women, particularly with advancing age. Years of frequent high-heel wear can permanently damage tendons in the heel. Shoes that fit too tightly can cause problems. The December issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource covers common concerns about feet and what might help:
Some Common Treatments for Sinus Infections May Not Be Effective
|
|
A comparison of common treatments for acute sinusitis that included an antibiotic and a topical steroid found neither more effective than placebo, according to a study in the December 5 issue of JAMA.
Acute sinusitis (sinus infection) is a common clinical problem with symptoms similar to other illnesses, and is often diagnosed and treated without clinical confirmation. Despite the clinical uncertainty as to a bacterial cause, antibiotic prescribing rates remain as high as 92 percent in the United Kingdom and 85 percent to 98 percent in the United States, according to background information in the article.
Relatives of patients with Parkinson’s disease face increased risk of depression/anxiety disorders
|
|
Immediate relatives (brother, sister, mother, father, son or daughter) of people who have Parkinson’s disease are at increased risk for developing depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic. The risk is particularly increased in families of patients who develop Parkinson’s disease before age 75. The Mayo Clinic report appears in the December 2007 issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry (archpsyc.ama-assn.org/).
“Studies by our group and others have shown that relatives of patients with Parkinson’s disease have an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease,” explains Walter Rocca, M.D., senior author of the study and a Mayo Clinic neurologist and epidemiologist. “Recently, we showed they also have increased risk of essential tremor and of cognitive impairment or dementia. However, their risk of psychiatric disorders was unknown.
Researchers present unique program aimed at HIV prevention in runaway youth
|
|
Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center are the first in the U.S. to develop an HIV prevention and intervention program for adolescent runaways that focuses on their strengths.
Liz Arnold, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine, presented the details of this 15-month pilot program at the National HIV Prevention Conference today in Atlanta.
FDA retains trial protocols for atrial fibrillation devices
|
|
The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel turned down proposed alternatives to the randomized clinical trial process for ablation devices for refractory atrial fibrillation.
“As we see the technology evolve for device-based therapy for atrial fibrillation and transition from medical therapies to interventional therapies, it is important that we discover and develop methods to adjudicate the techniques and the devices so that we can be certain of the risk-benefit ratios, and we can be certain of the real evidence of efficacy and safety,” Panel Chairman Clyde W. Yancy, MD, medical director of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute, said in an interview. “Our intent is to promote the development of intervention and promote the development of devices, but to do so responsibly and to do so in a manner that we can be reasonably confident that the benefits will be realized as they are intended.”
1 in 10 patients comes to harm while in hospital
|
|
One in 10 NHS patients comes to harm while in hospital as a result of their clinical care, suggests a study in Quality and Safety in Health Care.
The findings are based on a review of the case notes of a random sample of just over 1000 patients admitted to one large teaching hospital in the north of England during the first six months of 2004.
