Personal Health for the Week of January 3 - 9

PERSONAL HEALTH

 

Friday, January 9, 2004

1. Widespread Genetic Link to Sudden Cardiac Death is Found
2. Chile Salmon Farmers Say U.S.-Bound Fish Safe
3. Toenail Fungus
4. Tiny Markers May Point to Arthritis Progression
5. Sugar Problems During Pregnancy May Up Cancer Risk
6. Lifting Legs While Running Drains More Energy Than Thought
7. Genetic and Environmental Factors Trigger Allergy
8. Study Roasts Medical Meeting Menus
9. Asthma Doesn't Mean Poor Pregnancy Outcomes
10. New Weapon for Diabetic Foot Infections
    
    Thursday, January 8, 2004
    
11. Gene May Be Target for Osteoporosis Treatment
12. Tobacco consumption to increase until year 2010
13. Farmed Salmon Loaded with Chemicals, Study Finds
14. Food Poisoning
15. Study: Low-Tar Cigarettes Do Not Cut Cancer Risk
16. Kids and Computer Strain
17. Protein Level Could Be Clue to Miscarriage –Study
18. Catering to the Atkins Craze
19. Study Shows Handset Radiation Within Limits
20. Depression Common Following Brain Injury
21. Low Blood Pressure Linked to Dementia in Elderly
22. Seeking Sound Slumber for Children
23. Report: Obesity Epidemic Means More Are Disabled
24. Adult Asthma Differs From Childhood Asthma
25. Travelers Urged to Get Vaccinated for Diphtheria
26. The Genetics of Allergies
    
    Wednesday, January 7, 2004
    
27. Cancer at Record High in UK
28. Diet Consumers Boost Designer Eggs Sales
29. Hollywood Special Effects Help Fight Surgery Scars
30. Methadone Overdose Deaths on Rise in Md.
31. Fast Food Tied to Higher Calorie Intake in Kids
32. Gyms Push Nutrition As Weight Loss Aid
33. Nerve Receptor for Pungent Foods Identified
34. Hormone Rates Well Vs. Cardiac Arrest
35. Tap Water Danger for Contact Lens Wearers -Expert
36. Immune System Attack Tied to Birth Defects
37. Bladder Cancer Responds Best to Dual Therapy
38. 'Silent' Heart Arrhythmias More Common Than Thought
39. Eye Injuries Unforeseen Danger of Drinking Alcohol
40. Interferon a No-Go for Pulmonary Fibrosis
41. Second Ectopic Pregnancy Hard to Prevent
42. Strict Blood Sugar Control Key for Diabetic Heart Patients
43. Weight Loss Signals Severe Cystic Fibrosis in Adults
44. Depressed Mind Responds Differently to Different Therapies
45. For-Profit Health Plans Aren't Miserly About Care -Study
46. New Drug Combo Battles Malaria
47. Ask for 'Vasopressin' if Heart Stops
48. Genetic Link Found for Insulin Resistance
49. Safe Water Handling Key in Controlling Cholera
50. Healthy Diets for Diabetics
    
    Tuesday, January 6, 2004
    
51. Child Biting
52. Breast Mutation Not Linked with Colon Cancer-Study
53. Disease Management: The New Face of Managed Care
54. McDonald's Suggests Low-Fat Menu Options
55. Nearly 40,000 chickens killed by mystery virus in Vietnam
56. Smokers Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk - U.S. Study
57. Experts hope new illness etiquette emerges from SARS and nasty flu season
58. Synthetic Venom May Relieve Cancer Pain
59. Hormone Replacement Drug Use Tumbles, Study Says
60. CDC Warns Flu Season Still Hasn't Peaked
61. Research Raises Hope for New Meningitis Vaccine
62. 38 States Get Fs on Tobacco Prevention
63. FDA Warns Campbell Unit on Unsafe Soup Procedures
64. Doctors Do Respond to Latest Info on Drugs
65. Fitness Lowers Overweight Diabetics' Death Risk
66. Pancreatic Cancer Tied to Long-Term Aspirin Use
67. Britain Launches New Antidepressant-Suicide Probe
68. Maternal Smoking Linked to Low Sperm Counts
69. Steroid Use Does Not Affect COPD Outcome
70. Severely Obese Face Major Depression Risk
71. Survey: Most Americans Think Food Is Safe Despite Mad Cow
72. Physician, Heal Thyself
    
    Monday, January 5, 2004
    
73. Pregnancy Alert
74. Study Says U.S. Teens Are Fattest
75. Broken Bone?
76. Deliveries May Be Better Handled by Academic MDs
77. Smart People Need Tougher Alzheimer's Testing
78. Study: Coffee May Lower Diabetes Risk
79. Tiniest Babies Fare Best at Specialty Hospitals
80. Zoloft Eases Depression After Heart Attacks
81. Nasal Flu Vaccine Safe for Kids
82. Leprosy exists in Canada but doctors often fail to spot it, study warns
83. Disease Management: The New Face of Managed Care
84. Paintball: More Dangerous Than Meets the Eye
85. Therapy May Not Help Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
86. Radiation Therapy Can Impair Intelligence
    
    Sunday, January 4, 2004
    
87. Study: Football Hits Similar to Crashes

 

Friday, January 9, 2004

Widespread Genetic Link to Sudden Cardiac Death is Found

HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- Genetic variants associated with instances of sudden cardiac deaths are far more prevalent and diverse than first thought, especially among minorities.The findings could mean physicians need to show greater care in diagnosing patients, taking into account that each of the many genetic variants will require different -- and possibly conflicting -- treatments.Researchers at the Mayo Clinic came to this conclusion while studying long QT syndrome, a specific cardiac disorder that may kill as many as 3,000 teenagers and young adults in the United States each year.During a comprehensive DNA analysis of 744 healthy volunteers from four ethnic groups, the researchers found 49 distinct variants of long QT syndrome. Of those, 36 variants -- 73 percent -- were previously unknown.Further, one in three blacks and one in seven whites studied were found to harbor at least one variant. Previous studies had estimated the syndrome should be expected in only one out of every 10,000 people.Researchers do not yet know whether the higher frequency of variance means an increased risk of heart attack.

The findings are reported in the December issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about long QT syndrome.

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Chile Salmon Farmers Say U.S.-Bound Fish Safe

Reuters
Friday, January 9, 2004

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - Chile's salmon farming industry, the world's second largest, said on Friday its fish were among the safest to eat and increasingly free of potentially harmful chemicals, accusing a U.S. study into the health risks of eating farmed salmon of confusing consumers. A study published in this week's issue of the journal Science found far more toxic chemicals in farmed salmon than in wild salmon, suggesting fish eaters should limit how much they eat. Industry group SalmonChile said Chilean farmed salmon, most of which is consumed in the United States and Japan, had the lowest level of contaminants of all the samples analyzed and contained the least harmful types of toxins of the 13 chemicals researchers looked for. "The Chilean fish contain -- in very reduced quantities -- the least relevant elements of all those considered in the analysis," SalmonChile said in a statement.

The chemicals include polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, dioxins and others, some of which are pesticides, industrial by-products or suspected cancer-causing agents.

The PCBs found in salmon cultivated in North and South America were 80 times lower than the allowable level set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites), SalmonChile said.

Health experts have recommended salmon for its high level of the Omega-3 fatty acids which can reduce the risk of heart attacks, among other benefits. The South American country's salmon exports, which totaled $989 million in January-November 2003, have soared in the past 10 years and now represent 35 percent of the world's total, compared with Norway's 37 percent. Salmon is Chile's fourth largest export after copper, wood pulp and fruit but the product has come under fire in recent months for using more antibiotics than their northern peers and for testing positive for the anti-fungal malachite. SalmonChile said the sample used by researchers at the University of Indiana were obtained two years ago and the industry has improved its feeding methods since then. "The industry has made constant efforts to reduce the presence of PCBs, which is reflected in a reduction, according to the FDA, of 28 percent between 1998 and 2001," it said.

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Toenail Fungus

HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

(HealthDayNews) -- Ugly, discolored toe nails may be a sign of a fungal infection. Besides being embarrassing, untreated fungal infections can spread. Guard yourself against toenail fungus with these foot health tips from the American Podiatric Medical Association:

• Wash your feet regularly with soap and water. Dry them thoroughly. Make sure your shoes fit properly. Wear shower shoes in public areas. Change socks, hosiery, even shoes, daily. Clip toenails straight across so the nail doesn't extend past the tip of the toe. Use a recommended foot powder talcum, not starch.
• Wear socks made of synthetic fiber.

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Tiny Markers May Point to Arthritis Progression

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- Finding biomedical markers that indicate progressive arthritis is key to determining which patients need aggressive therapy and which ones don't, says a new study."We still are very poor at profiling who needs aggressive therapy and who is going to have progressive disease and who is not," says Dr. Eric L. Matteson, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.To try to find markers that might indicate progressive arthritis, Matteson's group studied 111 patients who had early-stage rheumatoid arthritis, according to their report in the January issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.All the patients were started on hydroxychloroquine, a mild treatment, and progressed to more dramatic treatment with methotrexate or other drugs, depending on how their symptoms improved, Matteson notes.The researchers took blood tests and X-rays and looked at clinical symptoms to find markers that might indicate the odds for disease progression.The patients were followed for two years. Matteson's team found 52 percent of the patients had their symptoms controlled by methotrexate and NSAIDs and did not need more aggressive therapy. In addition, 48 percent of the patients did not develop progressive disease.Matteson says that clinical markers, such as functional status, the number of joints involved, joint pain and swelling were not helpful in determining disease progression.The things that predicted progression were positive rheumatoid factor -- an antibody found in a blood test -- and some genetic variations, particularly one called HLADRB1*04, he says.They also found some novel markers that were promising in predicting disease progression. These are high levels of CD4 and CD28 null T-cells, which are indicators of premature aging of the immune system, Matteson notes.In addition, Matteson's team discovered a different form of a gene of uteroglobin, a protein, appears to protect against joint damage."There are a lot of people who have mild disease and do well with mild therapy," Matteson says. "There are some genetic markers that are predictive of progressive disease, and maybe we should think about using these markers in clinical practice for guiding our therapy."Right now treatment is guided by clinical presentation, Matteson says. But in the future these markers might be used to identify people who will have good and bad treatment outcomes. "If we knew early which patients were going to have more severe disease, we could treat them more aggressively at the outset."Dr. John Klippel, president and chief executive officer of the Arthritis Foundation, says that "trying to improve our ability to predict the outcome of rheumatoid arthritis is important and the findings of this study are an important step."Klippel says these findings add to the understanding of the basic mechanisms of arthritis. For example, the findings raise the knowledge of the influence of genetics and the aging of the immune system on arthritis."In addition, the understanding of the importance of uteroglobin as a protective pathway in rheumatoid arthritis has the potential for developing therapies," Klippel says.

"These findings will allow rheumatologists to be more accurate in predicting joint damage, and as a consequence it will help in making decisions about appropriate therapy," he says.

More information

To learn more about arthritis, visit the Arthritis Foundation or the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

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Sugar Problems During Pregnancy May Up Cancer Risk

Reuters Health
Friday, January 9, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many women have difficulty maintaining normal blood sugar levels during pregnancy and now new research suggests that this problem may raise their long-term risk of cancer, especially breast cancer. Previous reports have suggested a link between diabetes and cancer risk, study author Dr. Shelagh I. Dawson, from the University of Otago in Christchurch, New Zealand, notes. However, it was unclear if other forms of disease, such as mild sugar problems during pregnancy, were also associated with an elevated risk of cancer. To investigate, Dawson assessed the 20-year cancer outcomes of 753 women who were enrolled in a study looking at the effect of a mother's sugar levels on the developing baby. Various data were analyzed to determine if any of the subjects were admitted to the hospital with a cancer diagnosis during the study period. The researchers' findings are reported in the medical journal Cancer. Thirty-four women--4.5 percent of the entire group--were diagnosed with cancer and in 18 cases this was a breast cancer, Dawson notes. The more impaired women were in controlling sugar levels during pregnancy, the greater their risk of cancer, the findings indicate. In fact, women with the worst control were up to 5- and 11-times more likely to develop any cancer and breast cancer, respectively, than women with the best control.

"These results are in keeping with studies that suggest that many (cancers) are associated with altered (sugar) metabolism," Dawson states. However, as far as she knows, no study published to date has "examined a continuum of risk across the full spectrum of (sugar) tolerance."

Source: Cancer, January 1, 2004.

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Lifting Legs While Running Drains More Energy Than Thought

HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- The movement of your legs in the air when you run may consume more energy than you suspect.Northeastern University researchers say they've demonstrated that, contrary to previous findings, swinging your legs in the air while running requires a significant amount of energy. Previous research concluded the force produced when the foot is on the ground is the only way to determine energy cost when a person runs.However, the Northeastern researchers found significant energy is used to fuel muscles that move the leg while it is off the ground.In their study, the researchers estimated energy use by measuring blood flow to the hind leg muscles of guinea fowl. They concluded that movement muscles consume 26 percent of the energy used by limbs while running. Standing muscles consume the remaining 74 percent of the energy.The study appears in the Jan. 2 issue of Science.

This method of using blood flow to estimate energy consumption offers a technique to provide information about other aspects of energy consumption during running. That could help researchers better understand which specific muscles are used to support weight and how differences in body size and speed affect energy use, which may improve knowledge of rehabilitative medicine.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about physical therapy.

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Genetic and Environmental Factors Trigger Allergy

Reuters Health
Friday, January 9, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The presence of common gene mutations can increase the allergic response in sensitive patients who are exposed to diesel exhaust, investigators in California report in The Lancet. While these findings explain why some individuals are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution, they also suggest that antioxidants, such as vitamins A, E and C, may prevent the effects that air pollution have on allergic inflammation, lead investigator Dr. Frank D. Gilliland told Reuters Health. Gilliland of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and his colleagues examined genes that encode for glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), enzymes that metabolize reactive oxygen species and detoxify chemicals present in diesel exhaust. Mutations of these genes, which occur in up to 20 percent of the general population, are associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and asthma. To investigate the mechanism driving the effects of air pollution on allergic responses, Gilliland's group evaluated GST genes in 19 patients who were allergic to ragweed and had a history of allergic rhinitis. The subjects with GST mutations had significantly higher levels of nasal IgE and histamine--markers of allergic response--to diesel exhaust particles than to the allergen alone. In the subjects with the most GST mutations, "diesel exhaust had a huge adjuvant effect on the allergic response to allergens," increasing response up to 20 times greater than allergen exposure alone, Gilliland said. In the past, the presence of these GST mutations would not have made much difference to human health, he explained. "But now that we have new and increasing levels of pollutants, that's at least partially what is bringing on some of the increases in allergy susceptibility." He noted that in some populations, 50 percent to 60 percent of individuals have allergies, "and that's very different from what it was 50 or 100 years ago." "We now have ways to identify individuals susceptible to air pollution, and, because this sensitivity seems to be regulated by genetic and dietary factors, new approaches are emerging that might help protect these individuals from ambient pollution," Drs. F. J. Kelly and Thomas Sandstrom remark in a related commentary.

Kelly is on staff at King's College in London, and Sandstrom is at University Hospital, Umea, Sweden.

Source: The Lancet, January 10, 2004.

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Study Roasts Medical Meeting Menus

HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- When it comes to medical meetings, doctors don't have to eat their words.An American study in the current issue of Disease Management found the food served to and eaten by doctors at their conferences doesn't reflect their leadership role in teaching patients about good nutrition and may actually impair the doctors' performance at the meetings.The research team was led by Dr. John La Puma of the Santa Barbara Institute for Medical Nutrition and Healthy Weight.The researchers interviewed people planning annual meetings in 2000 for 13 major medical professional societies. The meetings included more than 250,000 doctors and more than 2 million meals and snacks.While 61.5 percent of the meal planners rated nutritional guidelines as "very important," the meals failed to reflect that. The food served at the 13 meetings was rich, sweet and high in calories. Desserts were served at every lunch, and dinner and soda pop was offered at every snack break.None of the meal planners identified any specific nutritional guidelines and no doctors were involved with the planning of any of the menus. None of the meetings included a planned vegetarian meal, and they all included potato chips, snack mixes or candies during breaks."The food served to and consumed by physicians at medical meetings does not appear to meet current nutritional guidelines. We believe that food at medical meetings should be delicious and special, but that special can mean something other than highly caloric and sedating meals," the study authors write.They offer the following suggestions for improving menus at medical meetings:

• Substitute fish for red meat as an entree. Offer olive oil on the table instead of butter. Eliminate sugared soda and energy drinks.
• Eliminate deep fried foods, especially those fried in hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about healthy eating.

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Asthma Doesn't Mean Poor Pregnancy Outcomes

Reuters Health
Friday, January 9, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even when asthma patients experience worsening of their disease during pregnancy, they are no more likely than healthy women to have a premature delivery or other poor outcomes, new research shows. Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding asthma's effects on pregnancy, Dr. Mitchell P. Dombrowski, at St. John Hospital in Detroit, and colleagues note in their paper, published in the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. They attribute these contradictory findings to various flaws in each study. The new study involved 873 pregnant women with mild asthma, 866 with moderate-to-severe asthma, and 881 without asthma. Patients were treated using national recommended guidelines. The rate of asthma flare-ups ranged from 13 percent in the mild asthma group to 52 percent in the severe group. The authors observed no significant differences between groups in rates of preterm delivery. However, women in the severe asthma group were more likely than others to develop diabetes during pregnancy and to undergo c-section rather than vaginal delivery. The only difference in newborn outcomes was an increase in severe infection rates in the mild asthma group compared with the healthy group. Still, the real risk of this problem in either group was very low.

Although these outcomes were "excellent," Dombrowski and associates note that "these findings do not contradict the possibility that suboptimal control of asthma during pregnancy is associated with increased risk to the mother or baby."

Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology, January 2004.

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New Weapon for Diabetic Foot Infections

HealthDayNews
Friday, January 9, 2004

FRIDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- The new antibiotic linezolid (Zyvox) is at least as effective as some older therapies for treating diabetic foot infections, says new research. The findings from the study, which included 371 people at 45 centers in eight countries, suggest the new drug may provide an alternative for treating diabetics with antibiotic-resistant foot infections.Foot infections are one of the most serious diabetes-related complications and a leading cause of hospitalization for people with diabetes. Lower limb amputation may be necessary in cases where treatment fails to cure the infection.

"The complication of diabetes that patients fear most is leg amputation, and infection is often the final pathway that leads to this tragic, if often preventable, outcome," study author Benjamin A. Lipsky, director of the General Internal Medicine and Antibiotic Research clinics at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, says in a prepared statement.

Linezolid was approved in 2000 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) to treat a variety of infections.

In this study, published in the Jan. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, linezolid produced a clinical cure for 81 percent of patients, compared with 71 percent for patients taking a current standard combination therapy.The study was funded by VA and Pharmacia, now part of Pfizer Inc., the maker of linezolid. Lipsky has served as a consultant and speaker for Pharmacia and Pfizer.

More information

Here's where people with diabetes can learn more about how to take care of their feet and skin.

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Thursday, January 8, 2004

Gene May Be Target for Osteoporosis Treatment

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- A gene that plays a role in heart disease now appears to be a potential target for treatment of osteoporosis, the bone-thinning condition that affects many older women.The gene, dubbed Alox15, is part of a pathway that determines whether cells in marrow become either bone or fat, explains Dr. Robert F. Klein, lead author of a paper describing the finding in the Jan. 9 issue of Science.The research, which involves mice, already has at least one pharmaceutical company working on drugs aimed at altering activity of the gene to combat osteoporosis.Dr. Gary Peltz is director of genetics at Roche Palo Alto, a division of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., and is also an author of the Science paper. He calls the research a good example of how basic science can point the way to the development of new disease treatments."We developed the technology to analyze this mouse model of human disease," Peltz says. "Then we try to utilize that model for therapeutic purposes."The osteoporosis research started with a genetic analysis of inbred mice, comparing their physical characteristics with their genetic makeup, Klein says. That analysis showed bone density in the mice was related to the activity of the Alox15 gene."Animals that had overexpression of the gene had the lowest bone density," Klein says. "Knockout mice, which do not have the gene, have very high bone mass."In mice, Alox15 lies on chromosome 11. The same gene is found on chromosome 17 in humans, Klein says.At Roche Palo Alto, Peltz and his colleagues are using a two-pronged approach to develop possible osteoporosis treatments. They are reviewing a large library of chemicals to see whether any of them affect activity of the gene. They're also trying to design molecules that might help build bone mass by inhibiting the gene's activity.Klein, who is an associate professor of medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland, is pressing ahead with research aimed at "understanding how this pathway evolved in normal mice.""This is teaching us a lot more about the complexity of bone physiology," he says. "It is pretty much basic science."But that science already is being applied to possible treatments for osteoporosis, and not only by the Roche group, Klein says. "Others are studying human populations, to see whether this genetic pathway in humans is responsible for osteoporosis," he says.

An estimated 10 million Americans -- 80 percent of them women -- have osteoporosis, and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at risk for the disease, U.S. health officials report.

More information

To learn more about osteoporosis, visit the National Library of Medicine or the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

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Tobacco consumption to increase until year 2010

Agence France Presse
Thursday, January 8, 2004

ROME (AFP) - Tobacco consumption will continue to increase worldwide until the year 2010 especially in developing countries, with China topping the list, according to a report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (news - web sites).

"The number of smokers is expected to grow from 1.1 billion in 1998 to around 1.3 billion in 2010," according to the FAO report, which attributes the increase to population and economic growth. The FAO noted, however, that despite the overall increase of tobacco use, consumption per adult should drop by around 10 percent by 2010. The figure could even reach 20 percent if countries adopt aggressive anti-smoking policies, the report said. It said that while tobacco consumption in developed countries was projected to be only 29 percent by 2010 -- as opposed to 34 percent in 1998 --, the share of developing countries will be 71 percent. With its 320 million smokers, China is the biggest consumer with India coming in second, the report said. "The share of China in total world tobacco demand is likely to remain around 37 percent in 2010, the report said. In Latin America, demand is expected to increase modestly until 2010 with Brazil having the largest number of consumers, the report said. In Africa, where total tobacco demand increased in the 1990s to a record 3.5 percent per year, growth was expected to continue at a similar rate until 2010, the report said. "Supply is expected to increase in countries where production costs are low, there are no production restrictions, and good transportation systems and access to international markets are available," it said. With that in mind, it added, cigarette manufacturing could increase in developing countries which are already surpassing the production level of developed countries. About 100 countries produce tobacco with China, India, Brazil, the United States, Turkey, Zimbabwe and Malawi the biggest producers. China alone accounts for over 35 percent of world production. "World tobacco production is projected to reach over 7.1 million tonnes of tobacco leaf in the year 2010, up from 5.9 million tonnes in 1997-1999," the report said. It said the increase was linked to demand and the fight against tobacco consumption should focus on demand rather than supply.

"Reducing demand in the developing countries would be rather difficult given projected population and income growth trends," it said. "Mitigating these trends, however, and reducing consumption per adult using a combination of tax and direct restriction policies, would also be an important achievement."

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Farmed Salmon Loaded with Chemicals, Study Finds

By Maggie Fox
Health and Science Correspondent
Reuters Health
Thursday, January 8, 2004

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Farmed salmon contains far more toxic chemicals than wild salmon -- high enough to suggest that fish-eaters limit how much they eat, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The culprit is "salmon chow" -- the feed given to the captive fish, the researchers report in this week's issue of the journal Science. Many health experts urge people to eat fish such as salmon because it contains healthy fats, especially the omega-3 fatty acids that can lower the risk of heart disease and perhaps have other health benefits, too. But the researchers, as well as environmental groups, said the findings in Science indicate that people should choose their fish carefully. They should also demand that salmon be clearly labeled to indicate whether it is farmed or wild so they can make informed choices about which fish to eat. The team at Indiana University, University at Albany, Cornell University and elsewhere analyzed toxic contaminants in 700 farmed and wild salmon taken from markets in 16 cities in Europe and North America. "We think it's important for people who eat salmon to know that farmed salmon have higher levels of toxins than wild salmon from the open ocean," environmental affairs professor Ronald Hites of Albany, who led the study, said in a statement. They looked for 13 different chemicals known to build up in the flesh of fish, including polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, dioxins, toxaphene, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, lindane, heptachlor epoxide, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, gamma-chlordane, alpha-chlordane, Mirex, endrin and DDT.

Some are pesticides, others are industrial by-products, and many are known or suspected cancer-causing agents.

Eat Once A Month or Less

Farmed salmon taken from markets in Frankfurt, Edinburgh, Paris, London, Oslo, Boston, San Francisco, and Toronto had the highest levels, and the researchers said consumers should eat no more than one-half to one meal of salmon per month. A meal was eight ounces (one-quarter of a kg) of uncooked meat.

Farmed salmon from supermarkets in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Chicago, New York and Vancouver had toxins high enough to suggest that people eat no more than two salmon meals a month, based on Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) standards.

In contrast, it would be safe to eat up to eight meals a month of wild salmon, they said. Other groups note that walnuts, flaxseeds and other non-fish sources are rich in omega-3s. Many chemicals can build up in the body, staying for years or even a lifetime. But the body also processes some out, so experts can figure out a safe or acceptable level of intake. The study fits in with other research on chemicals in salmon. Two studies published in the journal Chemosphere last year found elevated levels of PCBs, certain pesticides, and flame retardants in farmed salmon. And last year the Environmental Working Group said it found elevated PCB levels in farmed salmon filets taken from 10 U.S. grocery stores. "This unquestionably large, new study strongly confirms earlier research, and it leaves little room for the farmed fish industry to argue away the problems of polluted farmed seafood," the Environmental Working Group's Jane Houlihan said.

But Charles Santerre, a food and nutrition expert at Indiana's Purdue University, said the study in fact showed that farmed salmon is safe.

"The study demonstrates that farmed salmon is very low in contaminants and meets or exceeds standards established by the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) and the World Health Organization (news - web sites)," Santerre said in a statement.

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Food Poisoning

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

(HealthDayNews) -- You usually know when you've eaten contaminated food because the vomiting and diarrhea that follow seem relentless.In most cases, once the vomiting and diarrhea subside, you can stop worrying. But sometimes medical attention is necessary.The University of California, Davis, advises you see a doctor if there is:

• Diarrhea lasting longer than 24 hours. Vomiting lasting longer than 12 hours. Blood in the stool. Fever. Vomiting and diarrhea that are so intense severe muscle cramping occurs.
• An inability to keep down any liquids for 12 hours.

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Study: Low-Tar Cigarettes Do Not Cut Cancer Risk

By Patricia Reaney
Reuters
Thursday, January 8, 2004

LONDON (Reuters) - Low-tar cigarettes do not reduce a smoker's risk of developing lung cancer and are as deadly as regular brands, researchers said Friday. In the first study to compare the odds of developing cancer between smokers of low, ultra-low and conventional cigarettes, scientists in the United States found a similar raised risk in all groups.

People who smoked non-filter cigarettes had the highest rate of the deadly disease.

"Our study is the strongest evidence yet that the design changes in cigarettes marketed as light and ultra-light have not made them less deadly," said Dr Michael Thun, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society (news - web sites).

"The only approach that reliably reduces risk is to quit -- and to quit as soon as possible." There are about 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, over 50 of which are proven carcinogens. The majority of them are in tar. Cigarettes described as light, mild, ultra and low tar produce low tar readings on machines that measure smoke intake because filters on the cigarettes dilute the damaging toxins. But health experts and anti-smoking groups have always maintained they are no safer than regular cigarettes because smokers compensate by either taking bigger or more frequent puffs or inhaling more strongly. Tim Lord, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers Association in London, said low-tar cigarettes were never advertised or promoted as healthier. "At the end of the day the only safe cigarette is no cigarette," he told Reuters.

But Amanda Sandford of the anti-smoking group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health (news - web sites)) said the promotion of low-tar cigarettes, particularly to women, had health implications even if it was not overtly saying they were safer.

"The level of tar in a cigarette doesn't matter. It is still going to cause cancer if you continue to smoke for many years," she added. Thun and Dr Jeffrey Harris, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and their colleagues, studied the relation between tar ratings of cigarettes smoked in 1982 and deaths from lung cancer over six years in more than one million men and women. "The increase in lung cancer risk is similar in people who smoke medium tar cigarettes (15-21 mg), low tar (8-14 mg), or very low tar cigarettes (less than seven mg)," the scientists said in a report in The British Medical Journal. All the people in the study who smoked, regardless of the tar level of the cigarettes, had a substantially higher chance of suffering from lung cancer than people in the study who had quit or had never smoked.

Non-filter cigarettes, which have the highest cancer risk, comprised about one percent of cigarettes sold in the United States but 20 percent in China, 15 percent in France and six-20 percent in Eastern Europe in 1996.

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Kids and Computer Strain

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

(HealthDayNews) -- When kids spend hours in front of computer screens, it can cause physical problems.Help your kids avoid computer-related woes with these tips from the American Physical Therapy Association:

• Feet must touch the ground or rest on a stool when sitting. Keep an upright posture. Hold eyes level with the screen. Forearms should be parallel to the floor. Relax shoulder blades. Rest the eyes by looking away from the screen as often as possible. Take a break at least every 20 minutes. Stretch and move in the seat, or preferably, when standing.
• Watch for warning signs, such as headaches, fatigue, muscle pain or cramping.

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Protein Level Could Be Clue to Miscarriage –Study

Reuters
Thursday, January 8, 2004

LONDON (Reuters) - A protein involved in immune response could be a possible marker to identify women at high risk of having a miscarriage, Australian scientists said on Friday. Miscarriage occurs in about 10-15 percent of pregnancies, usually in the first 12 weeks. There is no treatment to prevent it or to predict if it will occur. But researchers at Monash University, Victoria, Australia think levels of a protein known as MIC 1 could hold clues about predicting and possibly preventing miscarriage. "If a causal link between low MIC 1 and miscarriage is confirmed, then MIC 1, or its synthetic analog, might be useful in prevention of miscarriage," said Stephen Tong, the author of the study published in The Lancet medical journal. Tong and his colleagues noticed that levels of MIC 1 were about a third lower in pregnant women who later had a miscarriage, compared to women who did not. In most cases, low concentrations of the protein in blood samples taken during the first 6-12 weeks of the pregnancy were followed by a miscarriage several weeks later. But the scientists said more research was needed to confirm MIC 1 as a marker for miscarriage. In a commentary on the study, Galit Sarig and Benjamin Brenner of the Ramban Medical Center in Haifa, Israel said the research suggested the protein could be a possible predictor of early miscarriage. "If Tong and colleagues' results can be confirmed, the way is open to develop novel therapies to prevent pregnancy loss," they added.

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Catering to the Atkins Craze

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- There once was a time -- say 2002 -- when cheeseburger fans who were trying to shed a few pounds would order their burger without cheese. Or mayonnaise. Or both.These days, they have another option: Hold the bun, but pile on the mayo and cheese.And remember when party guests would ask, "May I bring something, perhaps an appetizer?" Now they're likely to say, "I'll bring something with protein in it. Got to balance out all those carbs."All of that was "B.A." -- or Before Atkins -- the hugely popular weight-loss plan popularized by the late Dr. Robert Atkins, who encouraged people to go very light on the carbs, and heavier on the proteins and fats, to lose weight.If you've shopped or eaten out anytime in the past six months, you've probably noticed how the food industry is now catering to the Atkins crowd in a big way.Many restaurants have created "low-carb" corners of their menus. Predictably, they include endless offerings of meat, although it's too soon to say if the mad cow scare will deflate that demand. But there are also bun-less burgers, pizzas made from whole wheat crusts, even low-carb cheesecakes.Meanwhile, such high-carb staples as pasta and breads have become forgotten culinary cousins.Even fast-food chains are catering to the high-protein, low-carb movement.Carl's Jr., with outlets throughout the western United States, has just unveiled what it calls "The Low-Carb Six Dollar Burger." It's a bundle of beef wrapped in lettuce, with just six grams of carbohydrates, 55 fewer than the original "Six Dollar Burger," the company says.Subway Restaurants has just introduced two low-carb wrap sandwiches. And some McDonald's outlets are promoting salads and low-fat sandwiches -- and exercise suggestions, to boot.But will the trend last?

The Atkins diet -- and related high protein, low-carbohydrate plans -- has won unexpected respect in medical circles in recent months.

In May, the New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites) published two studies suggesting the Atkins diet is more effective than a traditional low-fat approach at helping people drop unwanted weight.

What's more, the Atkins plan doesn't boost cholesterol levels, as might be expected, the studies found."The results are very surprising and at the same time very preliminary," Gary Foster, clinical director of the University of Pennsylvania's Weight and Eating Disorders Program and leader of one of the studies, told HealthDay. "The take-home message is that this diet deserves further study."Such findings are cold comfort to groups like the National Bread Leadership Council, which says 40 percent of Americans are eating less bread than a year ago.But the industry group has just released some new research that should reassure members that things aren't as bad as they might fear. The research found that 54 percent of Americans haven't changed their bread-consumption habits during the past year, and 6 percent are actually eating more bread. The survey also revealed that 41 percent of those questioned quit the Atkins diet because they missed their carbs too much to continue.Shelby Weeda, president of King's Hawaiian Baking Company in Torrance, Calif., isn't prepared to surrender to the low-carb trend. "It's a passing fancy," says the food industry veteran, who adds that he has seen many popular diets come and go.Besides, he says, his Hawaiian sweet breads are "an indulgent product" that people won't want to give up.Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, a dietitian and weight loss expert from Skokie, Ill., calls the food industry's budding alliance with the Atkins camp "marketing at its best."In her review of the medical literature studies, Moag-Stahlberg says the majority of the research shows "no huge weight loss advantage long term" with a low-carb, high-protein plan.Weight loss, she adds, is inextricably tied to caloric intake and expenditure -- an old refrain that many people trying to shed pounds are tired of hearing."Some people do have greater satiation on the high-protein diets and can stick to them," she says." But there is nothing magic about the protein."Too many people, she adds, are looking for a magic weight-loss bullet.So, when faced with the low-carb, high-protein blitz at supermarkets, fast food outlets, and restaurants, what should a consumer with weight to spare do?"If you are going to go the high-protein route, be sure you are being careful about your protein choices," suggests Anne M. Fletcher, a Minnesota dietitian and author of the book Thin for Life.That means not overloading on bacon and high-fat cheese, for instance, but healthier protein choices. Some veggie burgers, for instance, have 10 grams or more of protein per patty but are low in fat, she says.Fletcher also recommends these other ways to control weight:

• Eat a well-balanced diet. Pick whole-grain breads. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. You need them for fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Consider upping your water intake. "There's no scientific evidence that water is of value in weight loss," Fletcher says. "However, when you talk to people who have lost weight and kept it off, they will tell you they drink a lot of water."

More information

For nutrition tips, see the American Dietetic Association and the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

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Study Shows Handset Radiation Within Limits

By Brett Young
Reuters
Thursday, January 8, 2004

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A survey of some of the world's most popular cell phones found they emit radiation well below agreed limits and largely in line with the data published by manufacturers, a Finnish regulator's study showed Thursday.

The survey by Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland (STUK) covered 12 models made by the world's top handset makers, including Finland's Nokia (news - web sites), Motorola of the U.S. and South Korea (news - web sites)'s Samsung.

The publication comes at a time that global demand for mobile phones is booming but concern also is rising among consumers and some in the scientific community that mobile phone use can lead to problems ranging from headaches to tumors. Nokia, the world's top player, has forecast 2003 global industry sales of 460 million handsets alone, and some of its rivals expect an even higher number. It foresees 1.6 billion mobile subscribers by 2005. All models tested showed the radiation emitted, or the specific absorption rate (SAR), was well below the agreed level in Europe of two watts per kilogram. Mobile phones are essentially tiny radios that send and receive signals over the airwaves. "What is encouraging is that our tests and those of the manufacturers are largely in line with each other," said Kari Jokela, a researcher at STUK, which sets and verifies radiation safety standards. "All levels are below two watts per kilogram, and that is very important." The study did not look at possible harmful effects of the radiation. Despite worries about possible negative health effects of mobile phone use, various studies over the past few years have proved inconclusive. There is no scientific evidence that second-generation mobile phones cause brain tumors, while a long-term study by the International Agency on Research on Cancer is still underway. A Dutch study released in September did show that radio signals emitted from third-generation mobile base stations can cause headaches and nausea. These base stations, which are the high radio towers that connect to the handsets on the ground, were also associated with boosts cognitive functions, such as memory and response times. "There are scattered results of some tests showing effects on cells and so on, but we still don't have any good evidence that would give cause for worry," Jokela said. Jokela said STUK aims to test 20 more models this year and by end-2004 will have tested over half of all phones commonly used in Finland, one of the world's most mature mobile markets. He said STUK could start testing high-speed 3G phones next year.

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Depression Common Following Brain Injury

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- Many people who suffer a traumatic brain injury experience major depression or other psychiatric illnesses within a year afterward, say two articles in the January issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry.Researchers at the University of Iowa studied 91 patients who had experienced traumatic brain injury, evaluating their condition at three, six and 12 months after the injury.They found 33 percent of the patients suffered major depression during the first year after their injury. Researchers also found the patients who suffered from depression were more likely to have a history of mood and anxiety disorders.Of those with depression, about 76 percent also had anxiety and 56 percent exhibited aggressive behavior.In a related study, researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, studied 939 members of a health maintenance organization who had suffered a traumatic brain injury.

They found psychiatric illness in about 49 percent of patients who suffered moderate to severe injuries, 34 percent of patients who suffered mild injuries and 18 percent of the control group.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about traumatic brain injury.

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Low Blood Pressure Linked to Dementia in Elderly

Reuters Health
Thursday, January 8, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of dementia in people over 75 years of age, according to a new report. This risk seems to pertain only to Alzheimer's type dementia and is highest in subjects with persistently low pressures. The findings, which are reported in the medical journal Neurology, are based on a study of 406 community-dwelling elderly subjects who were dementia-free at study entry and were followed for up to 21 years. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, the first and second numbers, respectively, in a blood pressure measurement, were determined in all subjects. During the study, 122 subjects developed dementia, lead author Dr. J. Verghese and colleagues, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, note. The authors found that a diastolic blood pressure below 70 raised the risk of dementia. Specifically, for each 10-point drop in pressure, the risk of dementia increased by 20 percent. Low pressures were only linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's type dementia, not the type that occurs as a result of blocked blood vessels in the brain. Further analysis revealed a decreased risk of Alzheimer's type dementia for patients with moderately high systolic pressures. However, this association was not very strong. Compared with other subjects, people with consistently low blood pressures throughout the first two years of the study were twice as likely to develop dementia.

"Our results suggest that low blood pressure may be both the cause and the consequence of dementia," the researchers state. "If our results are replicated, intervention studies are required to study whether maintaining blood pressure at optimal levels reduces the risk of dementia in elderly individuals."

Source: Neurology, December 23, 2003.

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Seeking Sound Slumber for Children

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- A new way to identify obstructive sleep apnea in children has been developed by researchers at McGill University Health Centre.The Canadian scientists report on their work in the January issue of Pediatrics.The test uses dips in blood oxygen levels associated with sleep-related airway blockage to detect the worst cases of sleep apnea. Those children can then be fast-tracked for surgery to correct the condition."This new method of diagnosing sleep apnea and of prioritizing treatment schedules is a significant advance. Now we can detect, treat and cure the worst cases of sleep apnea in just a few days where previously children had to wait months, if diagnostic facilities were even available," Dr. Robert Brouillette, a professor of pediatrics at McGill, says in a prepared statement.

About 1 percent to 3 percent of children have sleep apnea, which can cause growth problems and delay development. Once diagnosed, it can be usually be treated by removal of the tonsils and adenoids. Diagnosis usually requires a detailed evaluation and considerable waiting time.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about sleep apnea.

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Report: Obesity Epidemic Means More Are Disabled

By Maggie Fox
Health and Science Correspondent
Reuters
Thursday, January 8, 2004

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. obesity epidemic may be causing another, quieter epidemic of disability, including back trouble and diabetes, health experts reported on Thursday. Younger Americans are becoming disabled more often, many with back pain, according to the study, published in the journal Health Affairs. Although there was no direct proof, the researcher believed obesity was mostly to blame. "Obesity is the only trend that is commensurate in size with what we found happening with disability," said Darius Lakdawalla, an economist at the RAND research institute who helped write the study. "It's the only suspect. We found that there is something going on with people's health and that the increase is not just a case of people dropping out of the workforce and going on the public dole," the economist said. More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. In 2000, 38.8 million Americans or 31 percent of the adult population were classified as obese, meaning their health was seriously at risk. Obese people are more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, several forms of cancer and less-deadly disability such as back ache. Lakdawalla and colleagues at RAND and at Stanford University in California analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey, an annual nationwide government survey of about 36,000 households. They looked for disability trends among people aged 18 to 69 between 1984 and 2000. They found substantial growth in reported disability rates among those under 50 but not among the elderly. Among those aged 50 to 59, disability rose only among those who were obese, the study found. "Obesity accounts for about half the increased disability among those ages 18 to 29," they wrote in their report. Much of the time, diabetes and back pain was to blame and the researchers said the links with obesity were clear. This will end up costing money, the researchers said. "People who are disabled generally use a lot more medical services so in the long run this trend could add a lot of costs to the nation's health care bill," said Dana Goldman, director of health economics at RAND Health, who worked on the study. The federal government reported, also on Thursday in Health Affairs, that the country's health spending bill rose to $1.6 trillion in 2002. In addition to obesity, some of the increase in disability rates may be explained by disability insurance incentives and new medical technology that saves the lives of people who would have died even a few years ago, the researchers said.

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Adult Asthma Differs From Childhood Asthma

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- People who develop asthma as adults may have a different disease than those who develop asthma as children, says a study in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.The study of 80 people with severe asthma also found the presence of inflammatory cells called eosinophils helps distinguish differences between asthma patients.This new research adds to the growing body of evidence that, instead of single disease, asthma is a group of syndromes with different origins and biological characteristics. This information could lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment of people with asthma."We found that patients whose asthma began in childhood were more frequently allergic than those whose asthma began as adults, while adult-onset asthma was associated with more rapid loss of lung function," research team leader Dr. Sally Wenzel, a pulmonologist at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, says in a prepared statement."We were surprised to find that many patients showed no signs of inflammation, generally considered a hallmark of asthma, yet they still had severe airflow limitation and many asthma symptoms," Wenzel says.

This is the first time that researchers have combined biological data with detailed questionnaires to define subsets of asthma patients.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about asthma.

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Travelers Urged to Get Vaccinated for Diphtheria

By Paul Simao
Reuters
Thursday, January 8, 2004

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania man who died of diphtheria last year likely contracted the disease in Haiti, according to U.S. health officials, who urged American travelers on Thursday to stay vaccinated against the disease. Diphtheria, which typically causes soreness in the throat and difficulty breathing but in serious cases paralysis, coma and heart failure, was common in the United States until the advent of mass vaccination programs in the 1940s.

The disease is still active in more than 80 countries, mostly in the developing world, where it kills up to 20 percent of its victims.

The unidentified 63-year-old Pennsylvania man died of cardiac complications about three weeks after first complaining of a sore throat during a volunteer mission to Haiti in October, 2003, according to an investigation published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites).

U.S. lab tests eventually confirmed the presence of diphtheria-causing bacteria in the man, the CDC report said. The man had not been vaccinated against the disease when he traveled with seven others to help build a church in the Caribbean nation. None of the others in the group have developed the disease. "The case highlights the need for all international travelers to be up-to-date with all recommended vaccinations, including a primary series of diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine," the CDC said. The United States recommends that all travelers, regardless of age or destination, receive a primary series of three or more doses of the diphtheria vaccine, including a booster within the preceding 10 years before going abroad. Most Americans are vaccinated against tetanus and diphtheria as children. Protection against the diseases, however, drops to less than 50 percent by the age of 20, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, a nonprofit group that promotes infectious diseases research.

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The Genetics of Allergies

HealthDayNews
Thursday, January 8, 2004

THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- Allergy sufferers with certain genetic traits may suffer significantly worse symptoms when they're exposed to diesel engine air pollution.That's the finding of a new study from the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles. Their report appears in the Jan. 10 issue of The Lancet."We've known that diesel exhaust particles worsen symptoms in individuals who respond to allergens, such as pollen, but this study suggests a direct way that pollution could be triggering allergies and asthma in a large number of susceptible individuals, and perhaps a new route of intervention," study author Dr. Frank D. Gilliland, a professor of preventive medicine at USC's Keck School of Medicine, says in a prepared statement.The study included 19 people who were allergic to ragweed. Their DNA was tested to determine which forms of the GSTM1 and GSTP1 genes they had. These genes are responsible for producing enzymes that help the lungs detoxify pollutants and defuse oxidants before they can cause damage.The GSTM1 gene occurs in two common forms -- present and null. The null form of the gene can't produce the protective enzymes. About 50 percent of people have the null form of the gene.The GSTP1 gene can occur with a variation that causes it to produce a less effective enzyme. This gene variation occurs in about 40 percent of people.It's estimated that 15 percent to 20 percent of people have both the null form of the GSTM1 gene and the GSTP1 gene variation.Over a few months, the study subjects were twice given two treatments: nose spray with either a dose of ragweed allergen and diesel exhaust particles or spray with ragweed allergen and a placebo. The amount of diesel particles given was equal to the amount a person would inhale during a period of 40 hours in southern California.

The study found people who had the null form of GSTM1 had a larger allergic response to the diesel particles than others in the study. An even greater allergic response was observed in those who had both the null form of GSTM1 and the GSTP1 gene variation.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about air pollution and your health.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2004

Cancer at Record High in UK

By Richard Woodman
Reuters Health
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

LONDON (Reuters Health) - The number of cancer cases has hit a new high in Britain, with particularly big increases skin, uterine and prostate cancers, according to figures released on Wednesday. Cancer Research UK said more than 270,000 cases were diagnosed in the UK in 2000, 3,000 more than the previous year and 14,800 more than five years previously. "Cancer mainly affects older people and as our population ages, we are inevitably seeing more cases," said Professor David Forman, chairman of the UK Association of Cancer Registries which compiled the figures. Only Scotland, which has higher rates of cancer than the rest of the UK, bucked the trend with a fall in cases, thanks to success in curbing high smoking rates, the charity added in a statement. However across the UK, cases of malignant melanoma leapt to 7,000, up 16 percent in a year and 24 percent over five years, providing a stark warning of the dangers of over-exposure to the sun. Cancer of the uterus increased to 5,600 cases, up 8 percent in a year and 22 percent over five years, possibly linked to rising rates of obesity and use of hormone treatments like tamoxifen by women with breast cancer.

Cases of breast cancer increased by 12 percent over the five years to 40,700, although between 1999 and 2000 there was actually a fall of 600 cases.

Prostate cancer (news - web sites) increased by 25 percent cases over five years to 27,200, reflecting increased use of the PSA blood test, which often picks up cancers that are not life-threatening.

The charity said the big increases in malignant melanoma, uterine cancer and prostate cancer were partly offset by falls in the numbers of stomach and cervical cancers. Stomach cancer has been decreasing for the past 30 years, as improved hygiene has reduced infection with Helicobacter pylori, one of the main causes of the disease. Screening has cut the incidence of cervical cancer, by picking up and treating precancerous conditions. There were 2,991 cases of the disease in 2000, a fall of 13 percent in five years.

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Diet Consumers Boost Designer Eggs Sales

By Daisy Nguyen
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

LOS ANGELES - In their relentless pursuit of a healthy diet, many consumers are turning to a new breed of egg. Produced by chickens fed with sea kelp, flax seed and other nutritious ingredients, the designer eggs are finding their way to more and more markets and menus. Sales are booming as health-conscious shoppers opt for their increased nutrients and lower saturated fat. Some say they taste better. "It's like the kind of eggs I had when I was a kid," shopper Liz Sigel, 56, said while buying a dozen large Organic Omega-3 eggs at a Santa Monica market. "It's more dense than regular eggs." The trend is due in part to the popularity of low-carb regimens like the Atkins or South Beach diets and also to recent studies that suggest eggs are healthier than previously thought when it comes to cholesterol. Eggland's Best Eggs, the nation's largest producer of designer eggs, saw a 25 percent jump in those sales in 2003, compared to 2002, said Laura Finlayson, a spokeswoman for the company. In the past 18 months, the Pennsylvania-based company sold over a billion specialty eggs nationwide, with many coming from its two farms in California, she said. Chino Valley Ranchers Farms, based in Arcadia, doubled its production of low-fat eggs in 2003, said David Will, general manager of the company. "A lot of what's pushing the sales is the protein diets, and people are more health conscious," he said. Designer eggs now comprise nearly 5 percent of the $3 billion national egg market. The increased sales come at a time when overall egg prices are at an all-time high. In November, the average price of a dozen large eggs was $1.44, said Don Bell, a consultant for the United Egg Producers, a national cooperative. On average, designer eggs cost about $1 more per dozen than regular eggs. The price surge came after Exotic Newcastle Disease thinned chicken flocks last year and lowered production. Along with kelp and flax seed, chickens that lay low-fat eggs are fed canola oil or other types of non-animal fats. Hens raised on the special diet produce eggs with lower saturated fat that are fortified with omega-3 fatty acid, iodine and vitamin E. If marigold extract is added to their diet, they lay eggs high in lutein, a nutrient that helps maintain the health of the eye. The higher prices don't discourage buyers like Sigel, who paid $3.49 for a dozen of designer eggs. She has been on the Atkins diet for five months and tries to eat as many organic products as possible. "Food quality is not based upon price, it's based upon quality," she said.

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Hollywood Special Effects Help Fight Surgery Scars

Reuters
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

LONDON (Reuters) - American computer technicians have developed software to improve facial surgery and minimize scarring using techniques designed for special effects in Hollywood studios. The software uses a three-dimensional scan of the patient's face to determine what will happen to the skin when it is cut by a surgeon's scalpel, a science magazine reported. It is designed to help minimize the disfigurement some patients suffer after a major operation as skin can bunch up or stretch unpredictably after an incision is made. "The system allows the user to see the results of a particular wound closure and edit the cutting path to explore different options," Steve Pieper, a computer scientist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital's Surgical Planning Laboratory in Boston, told the magazine New Scientist. The software can be used to map out how to re-attach skin flaps during surgery to minimize scarring, the magazine said in its latest issue. Pieper, who had been working on the problem for 10 years, developed the software with Digital Elite, a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in facial modeling for the film industry, New Scientist said. There are still a few hitches. Pieper told the magazine the technique does not yet account for the differing elasticity of old and young skin, nor for such after-effects as the impact of sagging skin on scarring.

Those complications will be factored into future versions of the software, the magazine reported.

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Methadone Overdose Deaths on Rise in Md.

The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

BALTIMORE - Methadone overdose deaths have shot up dramatically in Maryland over the past six years, the state medical examiner's office said. Methadone is used to alleviate heroin addiction and is a powerful painkiller. In Maryland, 29 people have died from methadone intoxication through November 2003, according to figures from the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. That's compared to three deaths in 1998. While the deaths represent 4 percent of the 662 deaths caused by illegal and abused prescription drugs during the period, officials said they are concerned by the emerging trend. "We're paying attention to it," said Peter Luongo, director of the state's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. Clinics that distribute methadone to drug addicts have been a source of dispute, often igniting fierce opposition from communities. But health care officials say they doubt such clinics are the source of the abused methadone. The distribution of methadone is subject to tight controls at the 45 drug treatment clinics in Maryland, said Luongo and other state and local officials. "We have had no diversion from any methadone clinics that would cause us to have any concerns that drug treatment is a source" of these deaths, Luongo said. Health officials and researchers concede that more research must be been done to determine whether those who died in Maryland were enrolled in addiction treatment programs, used methadone legitimately for pain treatment or illicitly obtained and abused the drug. In addition to Maryland, Maine, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida have also dealt with rising cases of methadone-related overdose deaths. The trend is part of a nationwide increase in the abuse of powerful painkillers over the past decade, statistics show. From 1994 to 2001, the number of emergency department visits involving abuse of narcotic painkillers more than doubled, from nearly 42,000 to more than 90,000, according to the federal Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitors emerging drug threats.

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Fast Food Tied to Higher Calorie Intake in Kids

By Amy Norton
Reuters Health
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Almost one third of U.S. kids eat fast food on any given day, downing extra calories, sugar and fat in the process, a national study shows. Researchers say their findings give weight to the notion that Americans' love of fast food has contributed to the nation's obesity epidemic. "This supports a possible link between the two," said Dr. Cara B. Ebbeling, a research associate at Children's Hospital Boston and co-author of the study. The study, based on national nutrition surveys from the 1990s, found that on a typical day, more than 30 percent of U.S. kids ages 4 to 19 ate burgers, fries and other fast-food fare. "That's a really large percentage," Ebbeling said. On any given day, children who ate fast food consumed an average of 187 more calories than did those who didn't eat such food. And, on average, a child ate 126 extra calories on the days he ate fast food, compared with fast food-free days. These extra calories could translate into an additional 6 pounds of weight gain in a year, the study authors estimate. The findings are published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. The study included a nationally representative sample of 6,212 children and teens. It found that boys, older kids and children who were black, of higher-income families, or from the South were most likely to eat fast food. However, children of all races, incomes and U.S. regions commonly had fast-food meals. Overall, children who ate fast food ingested more calories, added sugars, "bad" fats, and carbohydrates, while getting less fiber, fruits and vegetables, and milk than other children. According to Ebbeling, researchers have known that excess weight and obesity in the U.S. have risen in parallel with consumption of fast food. For example, in the late 1970s, children got about two percent of their overall calories from fast food; by the mid-1990s, that figure had jumped to 10 percent. But, she said, there's been surprisingly little hard data tying fast-food consumption to the nation's weight problem.

Her advice to parents is to emphasize fruits and vegetables in their children's diets and to limit sugary beverages, a major source of empty calories. If the family does go on a fast-food outing, she said, parents should limit portion sizes--no "super-sizing"--or choose salads or more healthful fare over burgers and fries.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Kelly D. Brownell of Yale University points out that last July, the U.S. National Chamber of Commerce (news - web sites), a group that includes fast-food and soft-drink companies, released a study that found "fast food restaurants are not a chief culprit in the fattening of America."

But, Brownell writes, "mounting science" is making such a stance ever harder to defend.

Source: Pediatrics, January 2004.

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Gyms Push Nutrition As Weight Loss Aid

By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

ATLANTA - Nothing against juice and granola bars, but health clubs across the country are hiring chefs, giving cooking classes and teaching nutrition to help their clients drop the weight and keep it off. Herbed salmon, anyone? "People want to see results when they join, and we have to teach them they're not going to get results if they don't have an eating strategy," said Nanette Pattee Francini, co-founder of The Sports Club/LA chain. The Sports Club hands out nutrition books to all new members. "Fully 50 percent of fitness is how you eat," said Francini. A gym in downtown Atlanta has added a teaching kitchen, complete with subzero freezer and overhead TV monitors. And it's passing out more than smoothie recipes — visiting local chefs whip up citrus herb salmon and seared foie gras right alongside the freeweights and spinning classes. A few gyms will even cook for you when you're not working out. Some health clubs in New York are delivering low-cal meals to well-heeled clients. Two-thirds of health clubs nationwide now offer some sort of nutrition guidance, industry experts say, with nutrition lessons thought to help members make sense of confusing diet news. Low carb? Low fat? Gym dietitians are stepping in to answer the questions. In the crowded health club market, nutrition classes can give gyms a membership edge. About 36.3 million Americans belonged to health clubs last year, up from 17.3 million in 1987, according to International Health, Racquetball and Sportsclub Association. Gym owners say innovative lifestyle classes — from cooking to smoking cessation — can bring in new clients when the traditional gym market is just about saturated. "There are only so many memberships you can sell, so this is where the market is going," said David Jamison, general manager of HFC Health Fitness Centers in Atlanta, which holds $35 cooking classes twice a month in its show kitchen. People who don't want to join the gym can come just for the cooking lessons. Another gym in Atlanta, this one for Emory University employees, pairs up club members with students studying to be dietitians. They dine out and go grocery shopping. The students-in-training show their partners how to read nutrition labels and answer common questions about food: Are fresh vegetables healthier than frozen ones? What's the leanest cut of meat? For a restaurant primer, students take members to a tough assignment — a Mexican restaurant — where they point out the healthiest menu options. "Everybody's interested in food. It's becoming more and more recognized that what you eat really does have an impact on performance. But the nutrition component can be so confusing in the real world," said Liz Kustin, a clinical nutrition specialist who oversees the Emory students. "There is so much misinformation out there." The investment in nutrition also can pay off with higher fitness club retention rates. At Flagship Athletic Club in Eden Prairie, Minn., employees say an in-house restaurant and varied nutrition classes keep members coming back. There are wine tastings, classes by cookbook authors, even a call-ahead service where clients can order hot, healthy meals to carry home after working out. "If they're not eating right, they're sabotaging all that exercise," said Sue Masemer, director of Flagship's Lifestyle Department. "You can put 'em with a personal trainer, but it's like, two steps forward, one step back." It's a lesson Natalia D'Angelo knows well. A native of Russia, the Atlanta telecom analyst knew she needed to change her homeland cooking habits — lots of sour cream and pancakes. So D'Angelo joined the HFC club, took a class on making paella and a tutorial about easy ways to prepare chicken breasts. She's so happy with the cooking classes she plans to sign up for more. "I loved to cook, but not when I'm tired because I just got home from work," D'Angelo said. "Now I have learned it's not so hard to cook healthy. And it's important. You can't rely on working out only — you have to eat healthy, too."

On the Net:

American Dietetic Association: http://www.eatright.org

International Health, Racquetball and Sportsclub Association:

http://www.ihrsa.org

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Nerve Receptor for Pungent Foods Identified

By Amy Norton
Reuters Health
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It's hard to miss the distinctive taste of horseradish, mustard and Brussels sprouts, and now scientists know why. They've pinpointed the nerve receptor that allows us to taste these pungent foods. The discovery could eventually aid in the treatment of certain types of pain, the study's lead author, Dr. David Julius of the University of California San Francisco, told Reuters Health. The journal Nature published the findings Wednesday on its Web site. Condiments like mustard and wasabi, as well as cabbage, Brussels sprouts and other strong-tasting vegetables long shunned by children, all owe their pungency to compounds called isothiocyanates. In the new study, researchers identified the receptor on sensory nerve cells that is activated by these compounds. The receptor, called ANKTM1, is a member of a family of cellular channels known as the transient receptor potential (TRP) family. Past research has shown that another member of this family is a receptor for both capsaicin--the chemical that puts the "hot" in chili peppers--and heat. Last year, scientists found that still another TRP family member helps us detect cold temperature, as well as menthol--the ingredient that puts "coolness" into a range of products, from topical anesthetics to mint candy. Researchers believe that the identification of these receptors will allow a better understanding of how the body senses thermal sensations and sends the information to the brain. This could be useful in finding ways to treat conditions marked by nerve damage, such as diabetic neuropathy. Similarly, Julius said there is evidence that ANKTM1 is involved in activating pain-sensing nerve cells in response to inflammatory agents. Knowing that isothiocyanates send ANKTM1 into action, he explained, could give a "starting point" from which to develop drugs for inflammatory pain, which marks conditions such as arthritis. "Of course, this is still speculative," Julius added. In another finding, the researcher and his colleagues found that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, also activates ANKTM1. The significance of this is not yet clear, according to Julius. But he said the finding broadens the "classical view" of how THC and cannabis-like compounds act on the nervous system.

Julius noted that two other known receptors for cannabinoids are still clearly the most important "sites of action," especially in the brain.

Source: Nature, online January 7, 2004.

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Hormone Rates Well Vs. Cardiac Arrest

By Linda A. Johnson
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

A hormone called vasopressin is clearly better at saving the lives of patients whose hearts have stopped than the drug doctors have been using for the past 100 years, according to a study that could transform the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. For a century, cardiac arrest victims have been given epinephrine, a synthetic adrenaline that constricts blood vessels and boosts blood pressure. It is often administered when shocking the heart with a defibrillator fails to revive the patient.

Using vasopressin instead improved the chances of reaching a hospital alive by about 40 percent, and tripled the chances of going home from the hospital, in patients with the most deadly type of cardiac arrest, asystole, where all heart activity has stopped. Still, only 5 percent who got vasopressin made it home.

The large European study was reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).

The finding should soon change international guidelines for treating people in cardiac arrest outside a hospital, predicted lead researcher Dr. Volker Wenzel, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Leopold-Franzens University in Innsbruck, Austria.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Kevin M. McIntyre of Harvard Medical School (news - web sites) and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston called the findings "an important breakthrough." He noted that vasopressin does not appear to have the risks of epinephrine.

"These advances should be translated into a new standard of care immediately," he said. Vasopressin, a synthetic hormone that narrows blood vessels, has been around for decades. A few years ago, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation revised its guidelines to add vasopressin as an alternative first drug. That was partly because epinephrine sometimes increases irregular rhythms and decreases oxygen supply to the brain after resuscitation. Each year, more than 600,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest in North America and Europe, usually because of a heart attack or a heart rhythm disturbance. When medical personnel arrive, nearly 70 percent of victims have ventricular fibrillation, in which the heart's main pumping chambers flutter wildly and pump little blood. Less than 20 percent of these patients survive to go home. About 30 percent of victims, usually patients who have been down longer, have asystole, and nearly all die. The study involved 1,186 cardiac arrest patients treated in 33 communities in Austria, Germany and Switzerland from 1999 to 2002. After ambulance crews tried defibrillation, half the patients not resuscitated then got one or more injections of vasopressin and the other half got epinephrine. Patients in asystole did much better with vasopressin, but among other victims, outcomes were similar for the two drugs. Wenzel, co-chairman of the advanced cardiac life support committee of the European Resuscitation Council, said he expects that group and its counterparts in several nations to issue a joint position paper in several months recommending vasopressin as the first drug for patients in asystole. Wenzel will try to persuade his colleagues to go one step further and recommend injecting both vasopressin and epinephrine, because that showed the most benefit and saved eight crucial minutes. "If truly confirmed by another study it would be a major advancement in the treatment of asystole," said Dr. Muhamed Saric, director of echocardiography and cardiac stress testing at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. One possible drawback, Saric noted, was that vasopressin patients might have been more likely to end up in a coma or vegetative state, because their brains were deprived of oxygen for too long before they were resuscitated.

On the Net: http://www.nejm.org

http://www.americanheart.org

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Tap Water Danger for Contact Lens Wearers -Expert

Reuters
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

LONDON (Reuters) - Contact lens wearers risk their sight by washing their faces in tap water, with people in Britain in greatest danger, a leading eye specialist said on Wednesday. People who wear lenses are most susceptible to a rare and painful condition caused by an amoeba that lives in tap water. The condition -- Acanthamoeba keratitis -- causes ulcers to form on the cornea and can lead to blindness. "It's a ghastly disease. It's very resistant to treatment and difficult to eradicate," John Dart, a specialist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London told New Scientist magazine. Rates of infection in the UK are only around one in 30,000, but this is 15 times higher than in the U.S. and seven times as high as in the Netherlands. Until recently all homes in the UK had to have a cold-water storage tank and the stagnant water in them provides an ideal breeding ground for the amoeba.

Dart said he believes the greatest risk comes from washing while wearing lenses and handling lenses with wet hands. He recommended people keep tap water away from their eyes when they are wearing lenses.

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Immune System Attack Tied to Birth Defects

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
HealthDayNews
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDayNews) -- A misguided immune system attack that prevents the activity of a chemical required for normal development of a fetus could be one cause of the birth malformations called neural tube defects, researchers say.

Antibodies that prevent the chemical, folic acid, from reaching cells in the developing fetus have been found in 75 percent of women with current or past pregnancies affected by neural tube defects, a team at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn reports in the Jan. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).

The finding reinforces the standing advice that women who might become pregnant should take folic acid supplements, experts say. A neural tube defect prevents the brain or spinal cord from developing normally. Defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly occur in about one of every 1,000 pregnancies in the United States.More than a decade ago, a number of studies showed folic acid is needed for proper development of the central nervous system. Flour and other grain products have been fortified with folic acid in the United States since 1998, and women of childbearing age are advised to take folic acid supplements.The SUNY researchers say they began looking for immune system molecules called antibodies that could block the receptors for folic acid in fetal tissue because many women with pregnancies affected by neural tube defects have normal blood levels of folic acid.They found such antibodies in nine of 12 women with affected pregnancies, compared to only two of 20 women with current or earlier normal pregnancies, the researchers say. "The good thing is that we have developed something that can help women avoid neural tube defects," says Dr. Sheldon P. Rothenberg, a professor of medicine and biochemistry at SUNY and leader of the research team.The finding could lead to a test for the antibodies, to help identify women at high risk of neural tube defects. "Companies may well want to develop such a test for clinical use," he says.But the journal paper cautiously adds that more studies are needed to be sure the activity of these antibodies does in fact cause the birth defects.Dr. Nancy Green, medical director of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, has a less cautious interpretation."What this paper does is add to the list of conditions for which women need more than the standard amount of folic acid," Green says. "The list is growing."A supplement containing at least 400 micrograms of folic acid should be taken every day by any woman who has had a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect, Green says. Other conditions calling for supplementation include diabetes and obesity, she says.Women of childbearing age who take medications for seizures should also be taking the supplements, Green adds.Indeed, it does no harm if "any woman who is pregnant or trying to become pregnant takes folic acid," she says.An accompanying editorial by Dr. Nicholas J. Wald of the University of London notes that about 250,000 pregnancies with neural tube defects occur worldwide every year."Half of these cases could be prevented simply and safely through adequate fortification, and 85 percent of them could be prevented if all women took a 500-microgram folic acid supplement before pregnancy and during the first trimester," Wald writes.

More information

An overview of neural tube defects and folic acid can be found at the National Library of Medicine and the