Record new HIV cases in 2005
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Almost 5 million people were infected by HIV globally in 2005—the highest jump since the first reported case in 1981—taking the number living with the virus to a record 40.3 million, the United Nations announced on Monday.
The 4.9 million new infections were fueled by the epidemic’s continuing rampage in sub-Saharan Africa and a spike in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and East Asia, the UNAIDS body said in its annual report.
Evidence Supports First Non-Injectable Insulin as Alternative Treatment for Diabetes
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There is clear evidence from clinical trials that a new inhaled formulation of insulin, Exubera®, is as effective as traditional subcutaneous injections in controlling blood glucose in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The new formulation, which is likely to be the first non-injectable insulin on the market, was preferred by a majority of patients due to ease of use.
Clinical trials with Exubera are reviewed in the journal Core Evidence, the first international peer-reviewed publication to assess medications by critically evaluating evidence on clinical effectiveness and outcomes.
Spanking children fuels aggression, anxiety
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Children who are spanked when they misbehave are more likely to be anxious and aggressive than children who are disciplined in nonphysical ways, research shows. This is true even if spanking is the “cultural norm.”
Whether parents should spank their children or use other forms of physical discipline is controversial. Some experts argue that children should not be spanked when they act out citing evidence that it leads to more, rather than fewer, behavior problems and it could escalate into physical abuse. There are data to support this argument.
Depressed diabetics have higher mortality risk
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Both minor and major depression are strongly associated with increased mortality in diabetic patients, according to results of a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers in Seattle examined whether patients with minor or major depression and type 2 diabetes have a higher mortality rate compared with patients with diabetes alone. They surveyed 4,154 diabetic patients in a large health maintenance organization and followed them for up to 3 years.
Viagra may be useful for serious lung disease
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Treatment with Viagra (sildenafil) can improve exercise capacity and functional ability in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious disease involving high pressure in the blood vessels that enter the lungs, new research suggests.
The findings, which appear in The New England Journal of Medicine, are based on a study of 278 patients who were randomly selected to receive Viagra, at one of three doses, or inactive “placebo” three times daily for 12 weeks.
Hormone level linked to colorectal cancer risk
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Low levels of a hormone secreted by fat cells, independent of body mass index (BMI)—a measure of obesity—are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in men, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Previous reports have linked body fat and insulin resistance with colorectal cancer risk. Since adiponectin, an insulin-related hormone secreted by fat cells, is inversely associated with both these factors, Dr. Esther K. Wei, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues hypothesized that it too would be tied to the risk of this malignancy.
Pregnancy problem linked to heart disease risk
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Women who suffer certain complications during pregnancy are more likely to develop premature cardiovascular disease, according to a study published on Friday.
Scientists at the University of Toronto in Canada said expectant mothers with maternal placental syndrome, which includes pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy, had double the risk of developing early cardiovascular disease.
Exposure to High Levels of Noise Increases Blood Pressure
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A new study by University of Michigan researchers suggests working in loud places can raise blood pressure levels.
Sally Lusk, professor emerita of the University of Michigan School of Nursing who has studied noise’s effects on hearing loss for years, said her latest project gives one more reason for concern.
New Drug Target Identified for Fighting Parkinson’s Disease
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Researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) have discovered a protein that could be the best new target in the fight against Parkinson’s disease since the brain-damaging condition was first tied to loss of the brain chemical dopamine.
Over the past year, the gene for this protein, called LRRK2 (pronounced “lark-2”), had emerged as perhaps the most common genetic cause of both familial and unpredictable cases of Parkinson’s disease. Until now, however, no one knew for sure what the LRRK2 protein did in brain cells or whether interfering with it would be possible.
Malaria may raise mother-child HIV infection rate
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Women who are HIV positive may be more likely to pass the virus to their children during pregnancy if they are also infected with malaria, scientists in Cameroon said on Friday.
Tests carried out in Yaounde showed that malaria, which kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds, boosts production of a substance that could increase HIV replication in the placenta and prevent it fully protecting the fetus from infections.
No evidence Tamiflu caused deaths: FDA
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U.S. regulators so far have found no evidence Roche AG’s antiflu drug Tamiflu caused the deaths of children in Japan, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said on Friday.
The FDA has been studying reports of the deaths of 12 children in Japan as well as other cases of possible side effects in children who had taken Roche’s flu-fighting drug, which is in high demand as a defense against a possible avian flu pandemic in people.
National Flu Expert Available
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Dr. Brian Currie, Senior Medical Director at Montefiore Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is a specialist in epidemiology and infectious diseases, and is an exceptionally informed and articulate spokesperson on all aspects of flu viruses and can speak with you about H5N1. He has been quoted frequently by national print and electronic media over the past few months.
Aside from memberships in most of the important national and state infectious disease professional societies, he is a Sentinel (one of 900 worldwide) in the Emerging Infections Network, sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a fellow and consultant for domestic and international field operations for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Thyroid Dysfunction Linked to Heart Failure in New Research Study
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A new study in rats is giving researchers hope that more aggressive treatment of hypothyroidism and borderline hypothyroidism will result in a reduction of heart disease in human beings. Because roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from hypothyroidism or borderline hypothyroidism, the insufficient production of thyroid hormones, the team’s discovery could potentially lead to improvement in patients with heart disease.
While further research is needed, results from a recent study entitled, “Low Thyroid Function Leads to Cardiac Atrophy with Chamber Dilation, Impaired Myocardial Blood Flow, Loss of Arterioles, and Severe Systolic Dysfunction,” suggest that low thyroid function has the potential to cause heart failure. The study was conducted by the Cardiovascular Research Institute-South Dakota Health Research Foundation, Sioux Valley Health System and The University of South Dakota School of Medicine.
Kids in car crashes may suffer traumatic stress
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Children involved in motor vehicle crashes may show signs of acute stress disorder, even if they experienced only minor cuts and scratches, new research shows.
“Traffic crashes cause more than injuries for many children and their parents,” study author Dr. Flaura K. Winston, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, told Reuters Health.
U.S. probes deaths of children who took Tamiflu
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U.S. regulators are studying the deaths of 12 children in Japan who took Roche AG’s flu-fighting drug Tamiflu, officials said on Thursday, but they said it was difficult to tell whether the drug played a role in any of the cases.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was “concerning” that 32 psychiatric events, such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, also had been reported in children who took Tamiflu, which is in high demand because it is considered to be one of the best defenses against avian flu in people.
