The American Voice Institute of Public Policy Presents

Personal Health

Joel P. Rutkowski, Ph.D., Editor
August 5, 2003

 

 

 

Important Medical Disclaimer: The content displayed in Personal Health is designed to educate and inform. Under no circumstances is it meant to replace the expert care and advice of a qualified physician. Rapid advances in medicine may cause information contained here to become outdated, invalid or subject to debate. Accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Personal Health assumes no responsibility for how information presented is used.

Personal Health for the Week of May 24 - 30

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2003

  1. TV May Encourage Teen Smoking: Italian Survey
  2. Menorrhagia: When Your Time of the Month is Too Much
  3. Obesity Drug Cuts Risk Factors for Heart Disease
  4. Treating Minor Burns at Home
  5. Levels of Carcinogen Higher in Marlboro Cigarettes
  6. Vinegar Good Medicine for Some Burns
  7. Sleep Disorder Ups Risk of Heart Problem Recurrence
  8. Staving off a Second Stroke
  9. 'Good' Bacteria May Thwart Allergies in Toddlers
  10. Herb May Help Heal Herpes
  11. Europeans Nations Failing Obese Patients – Survey
  12. How Much Exercise?
  13. Side Effect Risk from Drug Higher in Epileptics
  14. Goodbye, Flu Shots?
  15. Protein Could Slow Degenerative Brain Diseases
  16. Nursing Helps Undo Smoking's Damage to Baby
  17. Mystery Fatigue Often Not Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

    THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2003

  18. Study Questions Popular Fertility Surgery for Men
  19. Cell Phone Speakers in Front of Driver May Be Safer
  20. Childhood Obesity Often Missed
  21. European Initiative Launched to Tackle Obesity
  22. New Ways to Treat Allergies
  23. New Drug Approach to Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  24. Scientists Grow Insulin-Producing Liver Cells
  25. Chronic Headaches May Predict Men's Stroke Risk
  26. Bacteria Beats Eczema
  27. Study: Laziness Makes for Dangerous Fat
  28. Does Adult Diabetes Trace Back to the Womb?
  29. Obesity Epidemic Set to Get Worse
  30. A Dose of Their Own Medicine

  31. WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2003

  32. Smoking Speeds Up Memory Loss in Middle Age
  33. 'Rapid Detox' Breaks Drug Habits Quickly
  34. To Psychopathic Murderers, Violence Is Not So Bad
  35. Laziness Makes for Dangerous Fat - U.S. Study
  36. Angry Children Hurt Their Heart Health
  37. Breast Feeding May Counter Maternal Smoking Harm
  38. No Java Cold Turkey
  39. Heart Effects of Impotence Pill Under U.S. Review
  40. Exercising for Fun Better for the Heart
  41. Blood Doping Rampant Among Top Cross-Country Skiers
  42. Men May Need Second Prostate Cancer Test

  43. TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2003

  44. Sunburn by Gender
  45. Young Children Served Large Portions May Overeat
  46. Fish Oil Prevents Irregular Heartbeats
  47. Hormone-Taking Is Linked to Dementia
  48. Apnea Tied to Atrial Fibrillation
  49. Diabetics' Education Level May Sway Death Risk
  50. Setting an Example by Kicking the Habit
  51. Full-Term Fetus Knows Mom's Voice: Study
  52. Many Prostate Biopsies Unnecessary
  53. Laser Eye Surgery Claims Soaring in UK
  54. Two Clot Busters Boost Stroke Recovery
  55. Families Sought in Hunt for Male Cancer Genes
  56. Testing for Stomach Bacteria Doesn't Help With Peptic Ulcers
  57. Wine Tasting Takes Brains, Italian Study Finds
  58. Surgery Beats Drugs for Fixing Blood Flow to Heart

    MONDAY, MAY 26, 2003

  59. Pamphlet with Your Pasta?
  60. Study: Smallpox May Spur Malaria Defense
  61. Vitamins May Cut Risk of Birth Defects in Diabetics
  62. Trust Your Instincts, Skin Cancer Survivor Urges
  63. Youthful Hostility Linked to Adult Heart Disease
  64. Skin Cancer: More than 1 Million New Cases in U.S. This Year
  65. Coffee Shop Workers Have High Blood Pressure Risk
  66. Handling the Heat When You Have Heart Pain
  67. Demand for Endocrinologists Outstrips Supply
  68. Obesity Surgery Success Depends on Surgeon
  69. For Preservative-Free Flu Shot, Ask in Advance
  70. Weekend Exercise Does a Heart Good - German Study

    SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2003

  71. A Look at Dry Eye
  72. If It's Not Colic, It Might be GERD

    SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2003

  73. Unclogging Your Nose
  74. Ear Pain on Airplanes

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2003

TV May Encourage Teen Smoking: Italian Survey

Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

FLORENCE (Reuters Health) - Italian teenagers may take up smoking to imitate actors and TV stars, according to a survey by the National Health Institute presented in Rome on Friday.

The survey, released at the Fifth Conference on Tobacco and the National Health Service, involved 498 teenagers between 13 and 17 years old. The survey found that 12 percent of the teens were smokers, with 16- and 17-year-olds most likely to smoke.

Teens smoke an average of seven cigarettes per day, and 35 percent buy them at vending machines, the survey found.

At the meeting, public health experts heard that Italian television stations Rai, Mediaset, La7 and MTV show someone smoking every 32 minutes.

In films, cartoons and videos, 62 percent of smoking acts are associated with "winning" personalities and 38 percent with "losers," according to the report. Moreover, 71 percent of smoking took place in "sexy and convivial situations" while 29 percent was associated with anxiety, said the report.

The survey monitored programs between 11:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. during three weeks in October and December 2002 and January 2003.

In a landmark ruling this month, Italy's State Council banned indirect cigarette advertising in films and TV programs.

Also this week, an agency that oversees government industries, the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies, announced that beginning in January 2004 cigarette vending machines will be shut between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in an effort to make cigarettes less accessible to teenagers.

The measure comes five months after Italy passed a milestone law that bans smoking almost anywhere indoors except private homes and specially designated smoking areas.

According to the latest report by the statistics agency Doxa, more than one quarter of Italy's 58 million citizens are smokers.

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Menorrhagia: When Your Time of the Month is Too Much

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthScoutNews Reporter
HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScout News) -- For most women, the average loss of blood during a menstrual period is a little more than one ounce.

But an estimated 10 million American women lose much more because they suffer from a condition called menorrhagia. And most don't realize there are treatments that can help ease the problem.

Traditionally, a hysterectomy -- removal of the uterus -- has been the only option available to doctors to treat the condition. But in recent years, researchers have pioneered alternatives so the heavy bleeding can often be eliminated or greatly reduced without radical surgery.

Dr. Philip G. Brooks, a Los Angeles gynecologist and clinical professor at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, says menorrhagia is much more than just an annoying period.

The condition can be disabling, causing women great difficulty working or doing other daily activities because the flow is so great. "They wear towels, not menstrual pads," Brooks says.

About 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), and about one-fifth are done to treat menorrhagia, health experts say.

But in recent years, Brooks and other physicians have turned to less drastic measures. They include various types of ablation, procedures in which the lining of the uterus -- called the endometrium -- is destroyed to control the excessive bleeding.

Even before ablation is recommended, however, there are other steps that can be considered, says Dr. William Parker, a gynecologist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center in California. He often uses a hysteroscope, a tiny telescope-like device, to do a visual inspection of the uterine cavity.

"We look to see if there are any fibroids, polyps and lesions," he says, adding the early stages of pregnancy can also lead to heavy bleeding.

Many women with menorrhagia are in the 40- to 50-year-old age bracket, and lack of ovulation during cycles is a main reason for the bleeding.

If a follow-up test -- such as an ultrasound -- of the uterine lining shows it's normal, Parker might prescribe low-dose birth control pills or other medication to slow the excess bleeding.

If medical treatments fail after three months or so, Parker says he offers the option of ablation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) has approved four methods of ablation in recent years, says Brooks, who lectured on the topic at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Earlier techniques required a doctor to have specialized training. However, the newer treatments are easier for doctors to master, Brooks and Parker agree.

One of the newest, called hydrothermablation, is done on an outpatient basis, and involves the insertion of an hysteroscope to view the cavity during the procedure. A hot saline solution is delivered into the uterus through a tube inserted into the cervix. The water destroys the lining of the uterus, or most of it, in 10 minutes or so. The type of local anesthesia and other pain relief used varies, depending on the woman.

Ablation "destroys the blood vessels and endometrial glands that build up and shed," Brooks says. Basically, it destroys the uterine lining enough to solve the bleeding problem but sometimes not enough to stop periods.

He says about 50 percent of women who undergo ablation no longer have periods; the other 50 percent continue to have periods, but they are much lighter.

The results of hydrothermablation are very effective. "We have a 94 percent success rate -- either no period or scant periods," says Brooks, who teaches courses to train other doctors in the technique.

Women who have ablation should have completed their childbearing because the uterine lining is no longer capable of sustaining a pregnancy, doctors say. But because most women affected by menorrhagia are nearing the end of their reproductive years, motherhood isn't usually a concern.

Yet even with the high success rates of ablation techniques, says Parker, some women say to him, "I don't want a 10 percent risk." And they opt instead for a hysterectomy.

While a traditional hysterectomy requires about four to six weeks recovery time, ablation is usually a day or so, Parker says.

More information

For information on menstruation, see the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. To learn more about menorrhagia, visit the University of California, Davis Medical Center.

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Obesity Drug Cuts Risk Factors for Heart Disease

By Patricia Reaney
Reuters
Friday, May 30, 2003

HELSINKI (Reuters) - An obesity drug is twice as effective as dieting in reducing weight in obese patients and cuts their risk of heart disease, according to new results from a long-running study reported on Friday.

Orlistat (news - web sites), produced by Switzerland's Roche Holding AG under the brand name Xenical, works by hindering the body's ability to absorb fat.

In the longest clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and safety of an obesity drug, patients taking orlistat had fewer symptoms of metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of three or more factors that increase the risk of heart disease.

Those factors include overweight or obesity, high blood pressure, early indications of diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels and high waist measurement -- or typical beer belly.

"We know that we are in the middle of an obesity epidemic. We are definitely in a global epidemic of type 2 diabetes and as a third consequence we are facing an epidemic of patients having multiple risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome," said Dr. Jarl Torgerson, head of the obesity unit at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Xendos study, led by Torgerson, mainly aimed to see if it would be possible to prevent or postpone type 2 diabetes in obese patients. The biggest risk for type 2 diabetes is excess weight.

"We could show that Xenical plus lifestyle treatment had a better diabetes prevention effect than lifestyle alone," Torgerson said in an interview.

Nearly 14 percent of people in the diet group developed type 2 diabetes but only 9.8 percent taking the drug suffered from the disease.

"These study results show that Xenical boosts the beneficial effects of weight loss in people with metabolic syndrome," said Torgerson, who presented the results at the 12th European Congress on Obesity.

In the study of 3,304 patients over four years, people taking the drug lost 14.08 pounds in weight, compared to 6.38 pounds among those who were just dieting.

The drug group also reduced their waistlines by 2.44 inches, compared to 1.52 inches for the dieters, and had a greater reduction in blood pressure.

More than a billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization (news - web sites). It is a serious risk factor for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, muscle and respiratory problems and certain types of cancer.

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Treating Minor Burns at Home

HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- If you're not certain what you need to do to help extinguish the pain of minor burns, here's a refresher from the Mayo Clinic.

Generally, you can provide treatment at home for first-degree burns -- where the skin is reddened -- and small second-degree burns -- where a blistered area is no larger than two inches.

Here's what you need to do:

  • For chemical burns, make sure the chemical and any clothing or jewelry in contact with the chemical are removed.
  • Cool the burn under running water long enough to reduce the pain. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. If you can't use running water, immerse the burn in cold water or cover it with cold compresses. Don't put ice directly on the burn. Ice can cause frostbite and further damage.
  • Once the burn is cooled, apply a lotion or moisturizer to soothe the area and prevent dryness. Don't apply butter because it holds the heat in the tissues and may cause more damage.
  • Cover the burn with a loosely-wrapped sterile gauze bandage. This keeps air off the burn and reduces the pain.
  • Take an over-the-counter pain medication, unless your doctor has told you not to take these kinds of medications.
  • Don't break blisters on burn areas. If a blister does break, wash the area with an antibacterial soap and water, apply an antibiotic ointment and cover it with a bandage.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about burns.

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Levels of Carcinogen Higher in Marlboro Cigarettes

By Paul Simao
Reuters
Friday, May 30, 2003

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Marlboro, the world's No. 1 selling brand of cigarettes, contains significantly higher levels of a cancer-causing agent than its rivals when purchased in many of the largest markets overseas, U.S. scientists say.

Tests by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) found that the U.S. brand contained higher amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) than other locally available cigarettes in 11 of 13 countries.

In 10 countries, including Japan and Germany, Marlboro cigarettes purchased locally had at least twice the amount of TSNAs, one of the major classes of carcinogens found in tobacco products, than competitor brands.

The findings, published in the latest edition of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, come at a time when worldwide demand for American-style, blended cigarettes is outpacing demand for other types of cigarettes.

David Ashley, a CDC tobacco expert and the lead author of the article, said it was not known whether higher levels of TSNAs would lead to a greater prevalence of cancer and other smoking-related diseases.

Ashley did, however, note that reducing TSNAs in tobacco products would not make cigarette smoking any safer.

The World Health Organization (news - web sites) has estimated that there are more than 1.2 billion smokers on the planet and that 4 million people die each year from cancer and other smoking-related diseases.

Philip Morris USA, which markets Marlboro cigarettes, said the CDC findings were not surprising since the levels of TSNAs found in American cigarettes were traditionally higher because of differences in curing and processing.

Philip Morris USA is a unit of Altria Group Inc.

"We're aware of these higher TSNAs and have worked to reduce them," Philip Morris USA spokesman Brendan McCormick said. He added that the company had spent $35 million to lower the levels of this type of carcinogen in its products.

But anti-tobacco activists said the tobacco giants had done precious little to strip harmful contaminants from cigarettes.

"Today's study is just the most recent example of the tobacco industry's reckless disregard for the health of smokers and yet another compelling reason why cigarettes need to be regulated by the federal government," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

About 440,000 people in the United States die each year from lung cancer and other diseases caused by smoking, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the nation. There are about 46.5 million smokers in the United States.

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Vinegar Good Medicine for Some Burns

HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- Vinegar can minimize alkaline burn injuries caused by household cleaners, plumbing products and industrial grade solvents.

A study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery says vinegar and other weak acids can neutralize alkaline burns faster than water and significantly reduce damage to skin and tissue.

That's contrary to the common myth that neutralization should be avoided when a person suffers an alkaline burn, study co-author Dr. Stephen Milner says in a news release.

About 15,000 skin burns are caused by alkaline agents each year in the United States. Alkaline agents are found in many common cleaning supplies used in homes.

The first few minutes after the skin comes into contact with an alkaline substance are the most important in managing the burn, Milner says. Once alkalis penetrate the skin, they react with fat in the skin and progressively kill the tissue.

The study found that vinegar and other weak acids neutralized alkalis more than 15 minutes faster than water alone. But Milner says people who suffer alkaline burns do need to wash the area off with water before they apply vinegar.

"I've had patients with such severe alkaline burns that they needed skin grafts to help repair the damage. Unfortunately, these types of burns happen much more often than we think. Through this study, we now know we may be able to reduce the severity, some of the pain and debilitating effects of alkaline burns," Milner says.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about different kinds of burns.

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Sleep Disorder Ups Risk of Heart Problem Recurrence

By Alison McCook
Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who have a common heart-rhythm disorder may be more likely to experience a recurrence after treatment if they also have an untreated sleep disorder known as sleep apnea, new study findings suggest.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that, among people treated for a heart rhythm irregularity known as atrial fibrillation, more than 8 out of 10 patients who also had untreated sleep apnea experienced a return of their atrial fibrillation within one year.

In contrast, only around 4 out of 10 people treated for atrial fibrillation who had sleep apnea but received treatment for the condition saw their heart rhythm problem return.

Atrial fibrillation is a relatively common form of arrhythmia. Although not the most deadly type of irregular heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation puts patients at risk of potentially life-threatening blood clots, due to the pool of blood that slowly gathers in the atria when those chambers become unable to contract regularly.

According to the report published in the American Heart Association (news - web sites)'s journal Circulation, approximately 50 percent of people treated for atrial fibrillation who were sleep apnea-free experienced a recurrence of their heart problem one year after treatment.

"If you've got sleep apnea and you've had atrial fibrillation in the past, chances are your risk of getting it again is higher," study author Dr. Virend K. Somers told Reuters Health.

Somers noted that both sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation can pose problems for the cardiovascular system, and having both conditions may be worse than having each alone.

Although this question has not yet been investigated, "it's likely that when you put them both together, the effects may at least be additive," he said.

Study participants with sleep apnea had the most common form of the condition, known as obstructive sleep apnea. This type of sleep apnea is caused by a collapse of the throat during sleep, leading to an interruption of breathing.

During the study, Somers and his team followed a group of patients who had been treated for atrial fibrillation for one year after treatment to determine if their arrhythmia recurred. Thirty-nine of the patients had obstructive sleep apnea, but only 12 were receiving appropriate treatment for the sleep disorder.

One year after treatment for atrial fibrillation, the researchers found that the heart arrhythmia had returned in 82 percent of patients with untreated sleep apnea, 42 percent of treated sleep apnea patients, and in one-half of a group of 79 patients without sleep apnea.

In an interview, Somers explained that there are many reasons why sleep apnea may increase the risk that atrial fibrillation will occur.

During episodes of sleep apnea, the body may not get enough oxygen, and this situation can stress the heart into developing an arrhythmia, Somers said. In addition, a sleep apnea episode often increases blood pressure and causes the body to release adrenaline-like substances, both of which can lead the heart to adopt an abnormal rhythm, he noted.

Many people have atrial fibrillation, Somers said. While it would be nice to know who among them has sleep apnea, as well, diagnosing the sleep disorder can be very expensive.

However, he suggested that doctors faced with a patient with atrial fibrillation who also has some common risk factors for sleep apnea -- such as obesity, loud snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness -- should consider the possibility of an additional problem.

"These are signs there's a reasonable chance of coexisting sleep apnea," Somers said.

Source: Circulation 2003;107:2589-2594.

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Staving off a Second Stroke

HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of debilitation, but there's a big gap between Americans' understanding of stroke and their efforts to prevent it.

That's the claim of a recent survey by the National Council on the Aging.

The survey found that although many Americans know people who have had a stroke are at increased risk of suffering another one, stroke survivors don't take all the possible steps to protect their health.

A third of all strokes are recurrent ones. Lifestyle changes and medications can help reduce the risk of recurrent strokes.

The telephone survey of 992 people found that 88 percent of respondents said they knew that someone who has had a stroke has an increased risk of having another one.

However, the survey found that many stroke survivors were not exercising regularly (32 percent), quitting smoking (19 percent) or watching their diet (18 percent), even though these simple steps are known to prevent a future stroke.

Medications can also reduce the risk of recurrent stroke. For example, some stroke patients are put on medications that prevent clotting. That helps reduce the risk of stroke.

After surviving a stroke, men have a 42 percent chance of having another one within five years. Women stroke survivors have a 24 percent chance of recurrent stroke over the same time period.

The survey also found many respondents incorrectly identified excessive stress (87 percent), overexertion while exercising (56 percent), dehydration (38 percent), asthma attacks (24 percent) and wearing constrictive clothing (16 percent) as risk factors for stroke.

Many also mistakenly said shortness of breath (53 percent) and heart palpitations (50 percent) were symptoms of stroke. Nearly two-thirds of the survey respondents couldn't identify the age range (age 65 and older) of those most affected by stroke.

More than 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. That's one person every 45 seconds. About 168,000 Americans die from strokes each year.

More information

The National Council on Aging offers a stroke tip sheet.

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'Good' Bacteria May Thwart Allergies in Toddlers

By Keith Mulvihill
Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving soon-to-be mothers and newborns doses of "good" bacteria may help prevent childhood allergies up to age four, continuing research suggests.

The findings, a follow-up from a study that initially looked at allergies in newborns up to age two, may offer evidence that harmless bacteria can train infants' immune systems to resist allergic reactions, according to the report in the journal The Lancet.

In the ongoing study, researchers in Finland used a type of bacteria found naturally in the gut -- called Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG -- to try to prevent allergy development in at-risk infants.

Lactobacillus bacteria have long been used in food fermentation and are commonly found in items such as yogurt. Some forms of the bacterium dwell normally in the human intestines. Lactobacillus-laden foods and supplements -- commonly referred to as "probiotics" -- have grown increasingly popular because they are believed to promote good gastrointestinal health.

In the original study, Dr. Marko Kalliomaki and colleagues at Turku University Hospital gave a group of pregnant women either probiotic capsules or placebo capsules every day for a few weeks before their due dates. For 6 months after delivery, women who breast-fed continued on the probiotics or placebo, while bottle-fed infants were given probiotics or placebo directly. All of the babies were considered to be at high risk of developing allergies because a parent or sibling was affected.

Kalliomaki's team originally published results of the study when the children were two years old. Now, the researchers report that the youngsters in the probiotic supplement group were less likely at age 4 to have developed an allergic skin condition called atopic eczema.

"The main finding is that administration of probiotics (shortly before and after birth) may prevent the development of atopic eczema during the first 4 years of life in high-risk children," Kalliomaki told Reuters Health. Children at high risk, he said, are those whose mother, father or older sibling has asthma, atopic eczema or allergic rhinitis.

"The new finding is that the preventive potential of Lactobacillus GG may extend beyond infancy ... to the age of 4 years," the researcher added.

Probiotics have been shown to have favorable effects on the gut, according to Kalliomaki. Moreover these agents have clear effects on the developing immune system, he explained.

By the age of four years, 25 of 54 children in the placebo group had developed allergic eczema, a condition in which the skin becomes irritated, red and itchy. But just 14 of the 53 children who had received probiotics developed the skin condition -- a 43-percent reduction, according to report.

The study was funded by the Academy of Finland and Turku University Hospital.

Source: The Lancet 2003;361:1869-1870.

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Herb May Help Heal Herpes

HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- A cream derived from the common herb called self-heal helps prevents herpes in laboratory animals, says a study by researchers at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

The researchers extracted a lignin-carbohydrate compound from the self-heal plant (Prunella vulgaris) and put it in a cream they tested on mice and guinea pigs with experimental herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2).

The guinea pigs receiving the cream had a significant reduction in the number of skin lesions compared to guinea pigs that received no treatment. Mice receiving the cream also had a much better survival rate than mice that didn't get the cream treatment.

"The anti-HSV compound form P. vulgaris is a novel lignin-carbohydrate complex with potent activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 and has a different anti-herpes mechanism than acyclovir, the current clinical anti-herpes drug," researcher Song Lee says in a news release.

"Given the high incidence of herpes infection and the emergence of acyclovir-resistant strains of herpes viruses, the Prunella lignin-carbohydrate complex may prove to be a useful new anti-herpes drug," Lee says.

Self-heal is commonly found in North American, China, Europe and the British Isles.

The study was presented at the recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Washington, D.C.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about herpes.

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Europeans Nations Failing Obese Patients – Survey

By Patricia Reaney
Reuters  
Friday, May 30, 2003

HELSINKI (Reuters) - No country in Europe is providing a satisfactory level of care for obese patients, although an estimated 135 million people may need professional advice on how to lose weight, doctors said on Friday.

A survey of medical professionals in 24 countries presented at the 12th European Congress on Obesity revealed a lack of specialists to treat the growing number of obese patients in Europe and wide variations in the facilities provided for them.

The number of patients per obesity specialist ranged from 9,000 to 100,000 patients depending on the country.

"This is a massive problem throughout Europe," said Professor Vojtech Hainer of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO).

Although family doctors, or general practitioners, are the first medical professionals people with weight problems usually consult, the survey said most of them had poor knowledge of obesity and some failed to recognize it as a disease.

"The care of obese patients is not very good in any country. There is a lack of knowledge about obesity among GPs, dietitians and psychologists and there are only minor reimbursements by insurance companies," Hainer said in an interview.

Only five European countries reimburse patients for weight-reducing drugs, which could cost 70 percent of a mean monthly salary in poorer countries like Romania and Bulgaria.

Hainer said that although the survey was conducted in Europe, he believes the situation is the same around the globe.

"There are no unique differences," he said. "We need educational systems in every country and for the long-term."

More than a billion adults worldwide are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization (news - web sites). About 10-20 percent of men and 10-25 percent of women in Europe are obese.

Being overweight increases the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and certain types of cancer. In some developed countries, where the problem is most serious, obesity accounts for an estimated seven percent of total health care costs.

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How Much Exercise?

HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

(HealthScoutNews) -- Ever wondered what the bare minimum is for exercising to stay healthy?

The Danish-language journal Ugeskrift For Laeger includes a report from Kobenhavns Universitet in Denmark, which recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. The researchers note that the exercise can be in the form of routine activities -- such as walking, cycling and gardening.

Not only that, but you don't have to exert yourself all at once. The 30-minutes a day can be divided into 5- to 10-minute segments, the report says.

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Side Effect Risk from Drug Higher in Epileptics

By Alison McCook
Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that people with epilepsy who receive an anti-seizure drug may be more likely to experience certain side effects than patients with anxiety and dementia who are sometimes treated with the same medication.

The investigators found that, among people who received the drug levetiracetam (Keppra), feelings of depression, hostility, anxiety and nervousness appeared more commonly in people with epilepsy than in people with dementia or anxiety.

This finding "suggests that people with epilepsy have a higher rate of side effects than patients with disorders that you would expect to have these problems," study author Joyce A. Cramer of Yale University in Connecticut told Reuters Health.

Cramer noted that research suggests other anti-epilepsy drugs besides levetiracetam can also produce similar side effects in people with epilepsy.

She cautioned, however, that the rate of anxiety, depression and other similar side effects was very low, even in epileptics. Furthermore, for anyone who experiences these side effects, their doctor can often change the dose or tell them to stop taking the drug, she noted.

She said that any doctor who treats a patient with epilepsy is likely very careful, and probably needs to take no extra precautions when prescribing anti-seizure drugs to a patient with epilepsy than when offering the medications to other patients.

"What the data showed is that these things are very rare," Cramer said in an interview.

"I think the vast, vast majority of (epileptics) have no trouble starting any drug," Cramer said.

To obtain their findings, Cramer and her colleagues reviewed past studies that compared the effects of levetiracetam to a placebo in patients with epilepsy, anxiety and cognitive disorders -- primarily, dementia.

The current report, published in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior, includes information collected from 2,416 epilepsy patients, 1,510 people with an anxiety disorder and 719 people with cognitive disorders.

Pooling this data, Cramer and her team saw that between two and four percent of people with epilepsy reported feelings of depression, nervousness, hostility and anxiety, rates that exceeded those found in placebo-treated patients and patients with anxiety or cognitive disorders who received levetiracetam.

Cramer said that levetiracetam-treated epileptic patients also showed a slightly higher risk of psychotic or suicidal behaviors, but that the rates of these behaviors were very low.

In terms of why epileptics might experience more side effects, Cramer suggested that the brains of people with epilepsy might contain differences that allow medications to bring out certain side effects more strongly.

Epileptics "seem to be more sensitive to these drugs," she said.

The study was supported by UCB Pharma, which makes Keppra.

Source: Epilepsy and Behavior 2003.

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Goodbye, Flu Shots?

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthScoutNews Reporter
HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- For all you needle phobics who hate to get your annual flu vaccine, how does the prospect of a once-in-a-lifetime shot sound?

A prototype vaccine developed by researchers at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, delivered not by injection but by nasal spray, worked well in animal studies. The researchers suspect it may prove effective for several flu seasons.

If further research bears fruit, there's a chance for the same kind of vaccine for humans, the scientists say.

Their approach was to target a protein within the flu virus that doesn't mutate as often as others.

"Current vaccines target two proteins [within the flu virus] that mutate frequently," says Laszlo Otvos Jr., an associate professor of chemistry at the Wistar Institute and a co-author of the report, published in the June 2 issue of Vaccine.

For that reason, public health officials are always faced with the problem of updating the vaccine so it will protect against the virus that's expected to be prevalent in an upcoming flu season.

But the Wistar researchers focused instead on the M2 protein, which is a more stable protein portion of influenza viruses that mutates less frequently.

The experimental vaccine includes an engineered peptide built by Otvos that mimics this M2 protein. The vaccine, in nasal spray form, was given to the mice twice. After they received it, a steep rise in antibodies to M2 was found in blood samples, and the mice resisted replication of the virus in their respiratory tracts.

Those mice that got the M2 protein had much less virus in their respiratory tracts than those who didn't get it, Otvos says.

The mice also had a more powerful antibody response to the engineered vaccine than to infections by the flu virus itself, the researchers found.

Every year, about 114,000 people in the United States are hospitalized with influenza, a viral respiratory infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC). About 20,000 people die because of it, most of them elderly. While the flu vaccine is not 100 percent effective, if you get a flu shot you're likely to be far less sick than without it, the CDC says.

Of the new vaccine, Dr. James C. King, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says, "The idea is wonderful." His research focuses on live, intranasal vaccines.

"People have been talking for years about using some of the internal proteins [such as the M2] within the virus that don't mutate as fast" to make a vaccine, he says.

What makes the Wistar research exciting, King adds, is the scientists were not only able to make the mice's immune systems recognize the M2 protein pieces, but "the mice made antibodies and it also protected them from symptoms."

As exciting as the research is, King offers a caveat: "It's a good five to 10 years -- minimum -- before we'll see this in humans."

Otvos agrees it will take time to answer some important questions, such as: Are antibodies against M2 enough to protect you from the flu? Is the response long-term? Will subsequent flu strains have a mutated M2 structure?

If it all bears out, he says, the flu vaccine may become a once-in-a-lifetime preventive measure.

More information

For myths and facts on flu shots, see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program. For information on the flu virus vaccine, check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Protein Could Slow Degenerative Brain Diseases

By Stephen Pincock
Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

LONDON (Reuters Health) - A type of protein that helps cells respond to heat, cold and other environmental stresses could one day be used to slow down degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, British researchers said on Friday.

Early research suggests that so-called heat shock proteins could also help against conditions such as motor neurone disease and stroke damage, said Professor Jacqueline de Belleroche from Imperial College London.

"At present, there is no cure for neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, but the discovery of the beneficial effects of this protein in the brain may provide us with a way to at least slow down the disease process," she said.

In the Journal of Biological Chemistry, de Belleroche and colleagues report that the naturally occurring heat shock protein Hsp27 was able to reduce brain cell death in animal experiments.

Mice engineered to have high levels of the protein throughout the brain, spinal cord and other tissues had lower rates of death and brain cell death after they were injected with a toxic substance that damages cells. The protective effect was seen in the hippocampus, a part of the brain affected by neurological diseases.

In earlier studies, the researchers achieved similar results when they injected Hsp27 directly into the brain.

"Although this is unlikely to provide a cure for neuro-degenerative disorders, it could be vital in slowing their progress," de Belleroche said. "Eventually it may be possible to use a drug to increase levels of Hsp27 in the brain which could be given to those suffering from neuro-degenerative diseases."

All cells contain a range of heat shock proteins and the proteins are produced in response to environmental stresses like heat, cold and low oxygen levels. Under normal conditions they act like "chaperones" to make sure a cell's proteins are in the right place and shape at the right time.

"It's one of the systems we think is a natural defense system," de Belleroche told Reuters Health. "We're looking at trying to boost the natural system and hopefully translate it into treatment."

The heat shock proteins might achieve their effects by stopping the buildup of solid structures or aggregates within brain cells, a process that characteristically triggers cell death in neuro-degenerative diseases, she said.

"What this and other heat shock proteins do ... is stop those insoluble aggregates (from) forming, and they help to re-fold the protein so it can arrest the process."

The next step is to pin-point exactly when the heat shock protein acts in the chain-reaction of events leading to cell death, and develop drugs to affect that process, she said.

"It's a line that we're hoping to pursue," de Belleroche said. "We're testing out a few compounds but we haven't got any results yet."

Source: Journal of Biological Chemistry 2003;278.

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Nursing Helps Undo Smoking's Damage to Baby

By K.L. Capozza
HealthScoutNews Reporter
HealthScoutNews
Friday, May 30, 2003

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthScoutNews) -- Smoking during pregnancy has been shown to cause learning deficits in developing babies, but a new study suggests that breast-feeding may cancel out the negative impact of the mother's cigarette habit.

By age 9, children of smoking mothers perform at par with their classmates if they are breast-fed, according to the study by Dutch researchers at the University Hospital Groningen. However, babies of cigarette-smoking mothers tend to score poorly on standardized tests if they are bottle-fed.

"Babies are already being put in a compromised position when the mother smokes, and then to bottle-feed on top of that is like a double negative for the child," says Carol Huotari, manager of the Center for Breast-Feeding Information at La Leche League International.

Data for the study were culled from the experiences of 570 children born at one Dutch hospital between 1975 and 1978. Nine years after their birth, the children's scores on math, spelling and reading tests were collected by researchers and compared with information on the smoking and breast-feeding habits of their mothers.

To ensure that the mothers' self-reported feeding method was accurate, the team interviewed them at their time of discharge from the hospital, when their children were 9, and again when their children were 25.

The results support the new recommendations adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2001, which advise that smoking mothers should breast-feed because the benefit of nursing their child far outweighs the potential negative health effects of nicotine exposure through breast milk.

Nicotine is easily absorbed through lungs but is actually poorly transferred through the digestive system and mouth, causing babies to be only minimally exposed to the drug through breast milk, says Dr. Beth Lawrence, a professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

The Dutch findings, published in the June issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, do not provide any answers on how breast-feeding might protect infants from the cigarettes' impact.

One theory is that the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in breast milk promote brain development, say the authors.

"It's the fatty acids in human milk that enhance the brain development," agrees Huotari, which is why formula companies are now trying to harness the benefits of these unique fats by putting them in baby formula to make them more like mother's milk.

Another way that mother's milk might help an infant's cognitive development is through the nurturing act of breast-feeding itself, which may offer psychological benefits to the child, hypothesize the researchers.

But whatever the mechanism, one message is clear from the findings: Pregnant women who smoke should be encouraged to breast-feed their infants, says Lawrence.

"This suggests that for mothers who continue to smoke, it's better to breast-feed than not, and this study further confirms that," she says.

More information

Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics or the La Leche League International to get more information on breast-feeding.

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Mystery Fatigue Often Not Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Reuters Health
Friday, May 30, 2003

LONDON (Reuters Health) - Two out of three people presenting to British family doctors with unexplained fatigue do not meet the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, but the condition still significantly affects their life, researchers said on Friday.

Medical researcher Lucy Darbishire and colleagues from Guy's, King's and St. Thomas's School of Medicine in London collected data from 22 general practices in and around London on patients with unexplained fatigue lasting more than six months.

Applying the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, the researchers found that 69 percent of patients did not have the condition.

Several symptoms, including fatigue and distress, were higher in the chronic fatigue syndrome group. People with the condition were also more likely to be depressed and more than twice as likely to be unemployed, Darbishire and colleagues write in the June issue of the British Journal of General Practice.

Nevertheless, 11 out of 12 symptoms assessed by the researchers were reported by more than 60 percent of the patients who did not have chronic fatigue syndrome, although those symptoms were less severe, the researcher told Reuters Health.

"I don't think we really found a characteristic difference. It really looked as if everything was just more severe in the CFS group. It supports that theory, really, that it's just another end of the spectrum," she said.

"I think the take home message is to remember that there are these two-thirds of patients that present with fatigue that don't meet criteria for CFS because they don't seem as severe, but they do actually have quite distinct illness."

Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by a range of symptoms including fatigue, headache, sleep problems, muscle pain and difficulty concentrating.

Patients with the condition, which can strike suddenly, often experience a marked increase in symptoms after only minor bouts of exertion.

The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is uncertain.

Source: British Journal of General Practice 2003;53:441-445.

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THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2003

Study Questions Popular Fertility Surgery for Men

By Adam Marcus
HealthScoutNews Reporter
HealthScoutNews
Thursday, May 29, 2003

THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthScoutNews) -- A much performed surgery to relieve tangled blood vessels in the testes isn't the fertility fix it's intended to be, new research shows.

The problem can raise the temperature of the scrotum by a couple of degrees, impairing normal sperm function. The procedure, called varicocele repair, is designed to restore healthy blood flow to the organs and bring their temperature down into the normal range. But the latest findings suggest that the operation doesn't deliver.

However, some experts say the latest research focused on versions of the technique -- the most common fertility operation among men in the United States -- that are now obsolete and which may in fact lower the odds of conception.

"I would expect many of these operations to make the patient worse," says Dr. Marc Goldstein, a urologist in New York City and an expert in varicocele repair.

Goldstein, a professor of reproductive medicine and urology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, helped pioneer a less-invasive form of the surgery in the 1980s that he says has much better outcomes than the conventional approach.

Varicoceles (pronounced vahr-ih-co-seals) are the same as varicose veins in the legs. They occur in about 15 percent of men. Many have no fertility problems as a result, but the swollen veins are believed to play a role in as many as 40 percent of cases of impaired fertility (also known as subfertility). Some men with the problem have slower sperm with abnormal shapes that may have trouble fertilizing an egg.

Removing the offending vessels can correct these problems -- or so the theory goes.

In the new work, appearing in the May 31 issue of The Lancet, researchers in Holland and Canada analyzed seven earlier studies on varicocele repair conducted between 1979 and 2002. Compared with untreated men, those who had the operation were no more likely to conceive.

The researchers say the limited number of patients might have obscured small effects in various sub-groups of men. Still, they say, "varicocele repair does not seem to be an effective treatment for male or unexplained subfertility."

Dr. Joel Marmar, who invented the microsurgery form of varicocele repair, says the new study has deep flaws. Some included men whose varicoceles didn't meet more recent criteria for who is most eligible for the procedure, he says. And almost none of the previous trials had any information about the woman's age or the nature of her fertility problems, if any -- information that's vital when pregnancy is the desired outcome.

"With pregnancy you're introducing a totally different variable: the wife," says Marmar, a professor of urology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, N.J.

More information

To find out about varicocele repair, try the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine or LaGrange Memorial Hospital.

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Cell Phone Speakers in Front of Driver May Be Safer

By Keith Mulvihill
Reuters Health
Thursday, May 29, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although chatting on a cell phone while driving ups the risk of an accident, new research suggests that cell phone speakers mounted in front of drivers may help them stay better focused.

That's because it's easier for people to look and listen at the same time when all the information is coming from the same direction, UK researchers say.

Recent concerns about the safety of driving while dialing and talking into hand-held cell phones have led some U.S. states to ban their use in moving vehicles. In response, millions of cellular users have made the switch to hands-free devices.

But studies also suggest that such hands-free technology may not reduce the risk of car accidents among chatty drivers -- suggesting that a driver's attention, rather than problems with physically handling a cell phone, is the more important factor in safe driving, according to the new report, published in the journal Psychological Science.

In the study, Drs. Charles Spence and Liliana Read had eight people "drive" in a simulator that mimicked driving on suburban and city roads. While they drove, they listened to a person's voice broadcast alternately from one of two loudspeakers placed in different positions -- in front of them and off to their side.

Participants were asked to repeat the words spoken to them.

The researchers found that overall, participants were able to repeat more words correctly when they were listening to the audio and not driving -- 77 percent versus 56 percent when driving.

But when the researchers compared the two different driving conditions, they found that participants correctly repeated 85 percent of the words when the speaker was in front of them, compared with 49 percent when the speaker was placed to the side.

According to the researchers, the brain might be better able to process visual and auditory information when both come from the same direction.

"By presenting the speaker from the direction in which drivers typically look -- straight ahead -- they will find it easier to combine talking and driving," Spence, a researcher at Oxford University, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

"This could be achieved most simply by mounting the loudspeaker on top of the dashboard in front of driver, or else by use of transparent loudspeaker mounted on the (windshield) of the car," he said.

Still, Spence pointed out that "it is best not to use a mobile phone while driving."

"However," he added, "if you are going to use one, you can combine driving with talking on the mobile phone more safely if the person you are listening to speaks from directly in front of you --where you tend to look while driving-- and not from the side."

Source: Psychological Science 2003;14:251-256.

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Childhood Obesity Often Missed

HealthScoutNews
Thursday, May 29, 2003

THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthScoutNews) -- Despite the increased focus on childhood obesity in the United States, few doctors or other health-care professionals are diagnosing obesity and related health problems in young patients.

A Michigan State University study found that between 1997 and 2000, obesity was identified in fewer than 1 percent of children visiting a doctor's office or an urgent care center.

That's despite the fact that about 15 percent of American children aged 6 to 19, and almost 11 percent of preschool children, are considered obese. A child is defined as obese when her body mass index (BMI) is at the 95th percentile or above.

The study also found that only about 7 percent of obese children actually received a diagnosis of obesity. It also revealed that almost 20 percent of the children diagnosed as obese were younger than 5.

The findings were presented at the recent annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

For their study, the researchers analyzed more than 45,000 ambulatory care visits by children aged 17 and under between 1997 and 2000. The data was provided by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Lack of time was the main reason that doctors and other health providers failed to diagnosis obesity in children, the researchers say.

"To address obesity in the office setting takes a little more time. In addition, we found that if a child was obese, the visit took longer than if the child was not," researcher Ihuoma U. Eneli, an assistant professor of pediatrics and human development, says in a news release.

Childhood obesity can lead to a number of health problems such as diabetes. And children who are obese tend to grow into obese adults. That's why it's important that obesity be diagnosed as early as possible.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about childhood obesity.

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European Initiative Launched to Tackle Obesity

By Patricia Reaney
Reuters
Thursday, May 29, 2003

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Medical experts launched a new initiative on Thursday to train doctors and nurses in Europe to cope with obesity, which afflicts at least 20 percent of adults.

Rates of obesity in Europe have doubled or tripled in some countries in recent years creating a serious public health problem because excess weight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers.

Obesity and related conditions are second only to smoking as a cause of preventable death.

"Wherever we go in Europe patients and people are desperate for help and it has become very clear that they have been missing out because doctors in Europe do not know how to tackle obesity," said Professor Philip James, the chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce (IOTF).

"We have decided to take a radical new step to try to cope with this problem," he told a medical conference in Finland.

The IOTF and the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) are collaborating on a program called SCOPE which will identify obesity experts in Europe and provide training programs for doctors, nurses and pharmacists to improve treatments for obese patients.

"Most doctors are poorly prepared to manage obesity," said Professor Peter Kopelman of EASO.

SCOPE, or Specialist Certification of Obesity Professionals in Europe, will also provide guidelines on obesity management.

Obesity is measured by using body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

The first pilot program to train family doctors in weight management will be held at the 12th European Congress on Obesity under way in Helsinki. About 1,700 doctors, nutritionists and researchers are attending the four-day meeting.

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New Ways to Treat Allergies

HealthScoutNews
Thursday, May 29, 2003

THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthScoutNews) -- Doctors need to educate patients about dangerous side effects such as sedation and impairment that can be caused by first-generation antihistamines, say new recommendations from an expert panel.

The panel recommendations conclude that allergies, including seasonal ones, should be treated with second-generation, non-impairing antihistamines instead of over-the-counter, first-generation antihistamines such as Benadryl.

Those older generation antihistamines are often dosed and selected inappropriately. That can lead to dangerous side effects such as sedation and impairment, which can increase the risk of injury, as well as reduced quality of life.

The panel's recommendations were developed at a recent consensus conference and appear in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Even though these first-generation antihistamines can cause impairment and sedation, the panel says that 47 percent of people with allergies take them. The panel says people with allergies need to avoid these first-generation medications and discuss the use of non-impairing antihistamines with their doctor.

More than 40 million Americans have allergies, but only 20 percent see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment of their symptoms. Allergy symptoms, if left untreated, can mask more serious chronic conditions such as asthma or sinusitis.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about allergies.

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New Drug Approach to Irritable Bowel Syndrome

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
Reuters
Thursday, May 29, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug currently used to treat alcoholics and drug overdoses may also offer relief in a surprising quarter -- people with irritable bowel syndrome, corporate researchers said on Thursday.

A small trial of 50 patients with the painful disorder showed that three-quarters of them got relief from the drug, known best as naltrexone, the company said.

South San Francisco-based Pain Therapeutics Inc. said tiny doses of naltrexone, which is available generically, eased the bloating, pain, constipation and diarrhea that mark irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in both men and women.

"Seventy-six percent of patients on our drug had a positive response," Remi Barbier, president and chief executive officer of Pain Therapeutics, said in a telephone interview.

One in five Americans has IBS, making it one of the most common disorders diagnosed, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. More common in women than in men, it is not a true disease and does not cause disease, but creates a great deal of discomfort and distress.

Barbier said judging the effectiveness of the drug is subjective. "It's like antidepression drugs or pain drugs -- yes, it is subjective, but believe me, the symptoms of IBS are so severe that if you are better, you know it," he said.

Two drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) (FDA) to treat IBS -- GlaxoSmithKline's Lotronex and Novartis AG's Zelnorm. But they are only approved for women and for short-term use.

Experts also recommend stress-reduction and relaxation measures, such as meditation, walking, yoga and getting enough sleep, as IBS seems to be aggravated by stress.

Naltrexone, which Pain Therapeutics is testing under the name PTI-901, takes a new approach to treating IBS.

"The traditional view of IBS is that the flusher is broken -- it is either flushing too quickly or not quickly enough, causing diarrhea or constipation," Barbier said.

"We disagree with that point of view. We don't think the flusher is the problem. We think it is an imbalance of opioids in the gut. We provide the patient with an external source of opioid antagonists to restore bowel function."

The current, Phase II study was designed mostly to assess safety, and the company now plans to start a larger, Phase III efficacy trial -- the last step before seeking FDA approval.

"We believe a safe and effective drug to treat both men and women who suffer from IBS represents a $1 billion market opportunity in the United States alone," Barbier said.

Barbier said scientists working with his company stumbled on the opioid-IBS connection when they compared notes on patients who had overdosed on morphine or heroin, both opiate drugs.

"Patients who overdose on morphine lean over and hang on to their stomach," Barbier said. "The light bulb went on. Maybe opioid withdrawal and IBS are one and the same symptoms, which is an imbalance of opioids in the gut."

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Scientists Grow Insulin-Producing Liver Cells

By Amanda Gardner
HealthScoutNews Reporter
HealthScoutNews
Thursday, May 29, 2003

THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthScoutNews) -- Scientists have managed to "grow" insulin-producing cells from human liver cells, a feat that holds promise for treating -- or perhaps curing -- type 1 diabetes.

"For me, this is one of the most exciting things to come across in terms of a cure," says Dr. Henry Anhalt, director of the division of pediatric endocrinology at Infants and Children's Hospital of Brooklyn at Maimonides Medical Center.

"Taking care of kids with diabetes is all about the cure. No matter how good we do managing them, ultimately we can't do as good a job as a cell that is capable of sensing glucose and responding," adds Anhalt, who was not involved with the new research.

Those with type 1 diabetes -- formerly called juvenile-onset diabetes -- have an autoimmune disorder that destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. As a result, the body's ability to produce insulin, which is essential for transporting and storing glucose, or blood sugar, is shut down. There's no cure for the disease and patients have to manage their condition by injecting insulin before they eat.

For a longer-term solution, researchers are pursuing ways to get the body to start producing insulin again. One approach would be to transplant healthy beta cells, a nice idea but one that is hampered by the severe shortage of donated pancreases. As a substitute, scientists are looking for ways to actually create their own cells through, for example, genetic manipulation.

Scientists have already shown that inserting certain genes into liver cells prompted those cells to produce insulin. The liver and pancreas are closely related organs and come from the same type of cell during embryonic development.

In the new study, the researchers used fetal human progenitor liver cells (FH), a type of stem cell obtained from fetuses that had been aborted due to medical necessity. The cells were "precursor" cells, meaning they were on their way to becoming a specific type of cell -- in this case liver cells -- but had not fully developed yet.

The researchers first added a gene called pdx-1, which is essential for beta cell development. Once the gene was inserted into the liver cells, it caused the cells to switch on other genes that are normally found in pancreatic beta cells. The gene then prompted the liver cells to secrete insulin in response to glucose.

To produce large quantities of the cells, the researchers "immortalized" them by inserting a gene for telomerase, which repairs the ends of chromosomes and prevents chromosomes from shortening and being unable to divide.

When the cells were transplanted into diabetic mice, the cells brought blood-sugar levels down within the normal range and kept them there for several months.

"There's been a lot of interest in trying to use stem cells to make a variety of mature products, one of which is insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes," says the study's co-author, Dr. Norman Fleischer, director of endocrinology and co-director of the Diabetes Research Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

"Here we are taking cells that are much further along. They're already differentiated and are on their way to becoming [liver cells]," he says.

"Other people have shown that you could get some expression of insulin in [liver cells]... but what's new here is combining a developing cell line which, because it has been expressing two genes, made it develop into a functional cell line," Fleischer adds. "It took on a number of characteristics of beta cells, including the production of insulin."

Part of the excitement surrounding the discovery, which appeared in a recent online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (news -