Scientists smoke out genes behind lung cancer
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Scientists have found important genetic differences between people that may help explain why some smokers get lung cancer and others do not.
Three teams from France, Iceland and the United States said on Wednesday they had pinpointed a region of the genome containing genes that can put smokers at even greater risk of contracting the killer disease.
In all three studies, nicotine appears a major culprit.
Insomnia may boost future depression risk
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Insomniacs are at increased risk of developing major depression, results of a 20-year study demonstrate.
The findings also suggest that while insomnia frequently accompanies depression, it may not be just a symptom of depression as is commonly thought, but a separate condition, Dr. Dr. Daniel J. Buysse of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues say.
Depression is a well known risk factor for insomnia, and people with depression often report difficulty sleeping, Buysse and his team point out in the journal Sleep. And while some investigators have suggested that insomnia could, conversely, increase depression risk, few studies have looked at this issue over time.
Increased risk of myocardial infarction and diabetes in East Germany
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More people suffer from overweight, high blood pressure and metabolic disturbances in East Germany than in West Germany. This is the result of a study with almost 36 000 patients, published in the current edition of the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[12]: 207-13).
Physically Active Smokers More Likely to Kick the Habit
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Physically active smokers might have greater success quitting smoking than those who are more sedentary, according to a new study from the University of Toronto in Canada.
The study, which appears in the May issue of American Journal of Public Health, looked at the demographics of nearly 23,000 Canadian smokers. Physically active men were 36 percent more likely to have tried to quit smoking within the past year and women were 37 percent more likely to do so than their less-active peers were.
“Previous studies have suggested that participating in one healthy behavior, such as physical activity, may lead to the adoption or maintenance of another positive behavior, such as smoking cessation,” said lead author Wayne deRuiter.
Anemia increases risk of breast cancer recurrence
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Women with breast cancer who developed anemia during chemotherapy had nearly three times the risk of local recurrence as those who did not develop anemia, according to a study published this week.
“We speculate that there may be an interaction between chemotherapy/radiotherapy and anemia,” study chief Dr. Peter Dubsky, from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, said in a statement.
“Both treatment modalities have been shown to be less effective in anemia patients. Since we do not see the effect in terms of relapse-free survival, the interaction with local adjuvant treatment may play a more important role,” Dubsky added.
Sleeping too much, too little speeds weight gain
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People who sleep less than 7 hours or more than 9 hours a night gain more weight over time than individuals who log 8 hours every night, and are also more likely to become obese, research confirms.
People who want to lose weight or prevent weight gain must exercise and eat well, but
“we have to realize that sleep habits are also important,” Dr. Angelo Tremblay, of Laval University in Quebec City, who led the study, told Reuters Health.
Proper Seatbelt Use by Pregnant Women Would Save 200 Fetuses/Year
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A new study could have a profound effect on fetal deaths and injuries caused by car accidents.
The study, by researchers at the University of Michigan, found that about 200 fetuses each year would not be lost if pregnant women properly buckled their seatbelts every time they were in an automobile.
“It’s very clear, based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single time they’re in a vehicle,” says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D., vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U-M Health System. “Our study strongly suggests that about 200 fetuses each year would not lose their lives if women simply buckled up each time.” An estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes each year in the United States.
Mom’s fish intake may boost child’s brain power
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Preschoolers whose mothers regularly ate low-mercury fish during pregnancy may have sharper minds than their peers, a study suggests.
Researchers found that among 341 3-year-olds, those whose mothers ate more than two servings of fish per week during pregnancy generally performed better on tests of verbal, visual and motor development.
On the other hand, tests scores were lower among preschoolers whose mothers had relatively high mercury levels in their blood during pregnancy.
New Species of Infectious Disease Found in Amazon
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While investigating the tropical disease leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon, an infectious disease specialist from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has uncovered new, emerging bacteria that may be responsible for up to 40 percent of cases of the disease. Patients with severe forms of leptospirosis have jaundice, renal failure and lung hemorrhage, with high fatality rates.
Joseph Vinetz, M.D., professor of medicine in UC San Diego’s Division of Infectious Diseases – working in collaboration with colleagues from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, and others – headed the study that led to discovery of the new species in the family of pathogens, Leptospira, which is spread from animals to humans. The findings will be published in the April 1 issue of the Public Library of Science (PLoS) journal Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Leptospirosis is a severe, water-borne disease transmitted from animals to humans, with tens of millions of human cases worldwide each year. Fatality rates can range as high as 20 to 25 percent in some regions, and it is particularly prevalent in tropical countries where poor people live under highly crowded condition, or in rural areas where people are exposed to water contaminated by the urine of Leptospira-infected animals such as rats.
Integrating Genetic Information With Breast Cancer Risks May Refine Prognosis
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Incorporating genetic information known as gene expression signatures with clinical and other risk factors for breast cancer may help refine estimates of relapse-free survival and predicted response to chemotherapy, according to a study in the April 2 issue of JAMA.
“The advent of genomic technology for the analysis of human tumor samples has now added an additional source of information to aid prognosis and clinical decisions. In particular, the development of genomic profiles that accurately assess risk of recurrence offers the hope that this information will more precisely define clinical outcomes in breast cancer. The dimension and complexity of such data provide an opportunity to uncover clinically valid trends that can distinguish subtle phenotypes [physical manifestations] in ways that traditional methods cannot,” the authors write. Few studies have examined the value in integrating genomic information with the traditional clinical risk factors to provide a more detailed assessment of clinical risk and an improved prediction of response to therapy.
Chaitanya R. Acharya, M.S., of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, Durham, N.C., and colleagues conducted a study to determine the value in incorporating genomic information with clinical and pathological risk factors to refine prognosis and to improve therapeutic strategies for early stage breast cancer.
Catheter repair of mitral valve improves heart size, symptoms
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A catheter-mounted device that acts like a clothespin to clip together the flaps of a leaky heart valve is not only reducing the abnormal backflow of blood from the left ventricle to the left atrium, it is helping to shrink the enlarged, overworked heart and relieving symptoms of fluid overload—all without open-chest surgery. These are the one-year findings in a small group of patients enrolled in the Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Study (EVEREST), which is evaluating the use of the MitraClip for the treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR).
The sub-analysis is being reported today in a Late-Breaking Clinical Trials session at the SCAI Annual Scientific Sessions in Partnership with ACC i2 Summit (SCAI-ACCi2) in Chicago. SCAI-ACCi2 is a scientific meeting for practicing cardiovascular interventionalists sponsored by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in partnership with the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
“One trouble with mitral regurgitation is that the heart has to work harder, and over time, it dilates and enlarges,” said James Hermiller, MD, director of the interventional fellowship at St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana in Indianapolis. “Demonstrating that the left ventricular enlargement is actually reversing itself is important objective evidence that the heart is responding favorably. It confirms that there’s something real here.”
Drug does not appear to reduce risk of heart attack or death following CABG surgery
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Use of MC-1 (a naturally occurring metabolite of vitamin B6) before and for 30 days after coronary artery bypass graft surgery did not reduce the risk of heart attack or cardiovascular death, according to a JAMA study being released early online April 1 to coincide with its presentation at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology. The study will be published in the April 16 issue of JAMA.
“Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is one of the most important therapeutic options for relieving angina and improving survival and quality of life in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. It is the most commonly performed cardiac surgical procedure in the world, and in 2005, more than 250,000 CABG procedures were performed in the United States,” the authors write. Serious complications can include heart attack, recurrent angina, kidney insufficiency, stroke, and death. Phase 2 trial data suggest that MC-1 may reduce death or heart attack in high-risk patients undergoing CABG surgery.
Mixed results for weight loss drug on slowing progression of coronary disease
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The anti-obesity medication rimonabant showed mixed results in slowing progression of coronary artery disease in patients with abdominal obesity and pre-existing coronary disease, according to a new study in the April 2 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online April 1 to coincide with its presentation at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology.
“Abdominal obesity, even in the absence of type 2 diabetes, is associated with a constellation of metabolic and physiological abnormalities that amplify the risk for atheroslcerotic cardiovascular disease,” the authors write in background information for the article. Atherosclerotic disease, often commonly known as “hardening” of the arteries, occurs when deposits of plaques accumulate in the inner lining of the arteries. The researchers write that there are few treatment options to address the underlying cause of the metabolic syndrome – abdominal obesity. One promising approach is the use of the selective cannabinoid type 1 receptor antagonist rimonabant. Rimonabant has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but is available in several other countries. Metabolic syndrome includes high triglyceride levels, a low HDL (good) cholesterol level, high blood pressure, and a high level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
