Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Prostate Cancer Diagnosis May Increase Risk of Suicide

An alarming study has found that men who receive a prostate cancer diagnosis are at an increased risk of heart failure. Suicide is also more prevalent in these men. The grim diagnosis is believed to increase the stress levels causing men to either give up or stress themselves to the point of a heart attack.

The evaluation included 4 million men over the age of 30, with 160,000 being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The men with prostate cancer had fatal heart problems at a rate of 11 times higher than the healthy men. Suicide was 8 times higher in the first week after diagnoses. These findings also raises the concern about women who have diagnosed with breast cancer.

Prostate cancer treatment has come a long way. Men may not realize that survival rate has dramatically increased in the past several years. Doctors who are informing their patients about prostate cancer need to carefully explain all the options. The study is a wake up call for doctors. A patient should be monitored closely during the first month of the diagnoses. Doctors need to be prepared to answer questions and explain possible outcomes as clearly as possible. The fear of not knowing is too much for some, causing the extreme stress.

Breast Cancer: Facts and Myths

Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women. It is responsible for the second highest cancer related deaths among women compared to only a 1% death rate in men. Research has found that patients with cretin hormonal and genetic factors pose the greatest risk for developing breast cancer. Although women ages 45-55 are commonly targeted by this disease, it is a myth that women of younger ages are not at risk. Heath care professionals recommend self breast exams as an early detection method and advise the patient if any lumps are noticed to promptly follow up with a physician.

Once breast cancer is suspected in a patient test such as a mammogram and biopsy will be preformed to confirm the diagnosis. Staging systems are used to clearly define the extent of the cancer and how aggressive the treatment used should be. Depending upon the location of the cancer and other health factors concerning the patient, treatment options may involve removing the cancer, or removing the area in which the cancer is present (mastectomy), hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.

The cause of breast cancer is unknown and currently unpreventable. It is a myth that one or more risk factors must be present in a patient before they develop cancer, all women are at risk, and the only defence available is early awareness.

Anti-psychotic drugs may cause serious weight gain in kids

Weight gain is a recognized potential side effect of some anti-psychotic drugs that are prescribed for many different behavioral problems. According to new research, older children and teens who take these drugs may be more susceptible to weight gain than adults.

The report was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, which focused  on atypical antipsychotics being linked to weight gain in adults.

“The weight gain is much larger than we thought,” said Christoph Correll, lead author of the study who is a psychiatrist and a scientist at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York.

The four drugs involved in the research, the most popular anti-psychotic medications, are serious industry money earners, with combined sales of $12.7 billion last year. While all four caused weight gain, there were differences in the extent of the side effects. Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) Risperdal or risperidone, Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) Zyprexa or olanzapine, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMY.N) Abilify or aripiprazole and AstraZeneca’s(AZN.L) Seroquel or quetiapine.

Though the evidence from this report needs to be repeated over a longer period, the results still raise disturbing questions about anti-psychotic drugs that often benefit kids who have schizophrenia, autism, tics, severe bipolar disorder or aggressive behavior.

“Finally, in view of poor physical health outcomes and suboptimal metabolic monitoring in the severely mentally ill, the benefits of second-generation antipsychotic medications must be balanced against their cardiometabolic risks through a careful assessment of the indications for their use, consideration of lower-risk alternatives, and proactive adverse effect monitoring and management,” the authors write.

UPDATE: Smoking Bans are Saving Lives

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released new research today that said smoking bans are saving countless lives in the U.S. every year.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered the independent Institute of Medicine to examine research on smoking bans and secondhand smoke since a lot of research indicated that banning smoking could significantly cut down on heart attacks. Smoking bans policies have been shown to lower the danger of heart attack by up to 47 percent and drastically reduce the odds of other heart problems.

“We conclude there is a causal relationship between smoking bans and decreases in acute coronary events,” Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, said during a briefing. “The data showed remarkable consistency and showed decreases in the rate for acute MI’s after implementation of smoking bans.”

There are more than 126 million nonsmoking people in the U.S. who are regularly exposed to others cigarette smoke. The surgeon general in 2006 cited “overwhelming scientific evidence” that tens of thousands die each year as a result, from heart disease, lung cancer and a list of other illnesses.

A 2006 study conducted by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF INVOLUNTARY EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE, stated that exposure to secondhand smoke causes heart disease and indicated that smoking ban policies are the most economical and effective way to reduce exposure.

UPDATE: Woman Gets Pregnant Twice in Two and a Half Weeks

In an extremely rare case, Todd and Julia Grovenburg’s obstetrician confirmed that the couple will have two babies after “an ultrasound revealed that a male fetus was conceived a full two-and-a-half weeks after the woman became pregnant with a baby girl.”

The soon to be mother of two described her ultrasound as an “absolutely shocking experience” when it showed that one baby was eight-and-a-half weeks old and the other was 11 weeks old.

This is an extremely uncommon occurrence. Typically, a woman after getting pregnant cannot be impregnated against during pregnancy because there are no eggs available for fertilization. This incredibly natural event is called superfoetation, meaning two separate instances of fertilization during the same cycle. Superfetation is so rare that there are only 10 reported cases on record. Superfetation can only be confirmed after both babies are born - when chromosomal and metabolic tests can be performed on the newborns. The younger baby can face serious complications including being born prematurely, lung development problems, among other health risks.

The older baby has already been given the name Jillian and her younger brother has been named Hudson.

Doctors have warned the parents that both babies will likely be born together some time in early December in which case Hudson is expected to be born first because of his position.

A Protein Found That Predicts Survival from Prostate Cancer

A team of researchers has found a protein that predicts survival from prostate cancer at diagnosis.

The study at the University of Liverpool involved more than 500 prostate cancer patients and revealed two thirds of cases did not require urgent treatment, due to the absence of a protein (Hsp-27) that indicates progressive disease.

This new research could pave the way for a blood test that could allow doctors to more accurately distinguish between the more common, slow-growing forms of the disease and the more dangerous, faster-growing varieties.

Men who tested positive for Hsp-27 at diagnosis were nearly twice as likely to die from the disease in the next 15 years as those who did not.

Lead author Chris Foster, a Cancer Research UK-funded scientist at Liverpool’s school of cancer studies, said: “Our study shows that this protein marker - currently found in tissue samples - can give us a reliable and accurate indication of whether individual cancers will become aggressive.

“The intent of what we do is rather than try to kill a prostate cancer, as you would a weed with weed killer, to develop therapeutic approaches to alter the behavior of the aggressive cancer cells,” Foster said. The aim would be to move the men with aggressive cancer into the same state as those with non-aggressive cancers. The same approach might be possible with other cancers, such as breast cancer.

Hsp-27 is an important factor of signaling pathways that control the movement of cells around the body. The research also indicates that new drugs could be created to block these signals and halt the spread of prostate cancer cells.

New Test Gives Earlier Detection of Mesothelioma

A research team out of Oxford University says they have created a test that could allow earlier detection of mesothelioma in patients, giving their doctors useful time to treat the rare asbestos-related cancer.

By looking at the pleural fluid samples from more than 200 patients of a respiratory clinic, the research team discovered that mesothelioma patients had meothelin levels that were six times higher than patients with secondary lung cancers and 10 times higher than patients with benign conditions. Presently, doctors use a diagnostic test known as pleural fluid cytology, a lab test that looks for cancer cells; however, the test is not very sensitive.

According to a report issued in the American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, the test examines amounts of a protein closely associated to mesothlelioma that is found in fluid around the lungs. Several conditions could cause extra fluid in the lining of the lungs. However, nine out of 10 people with mesothelioma suffer from the condition, which cause difficult breathing as well as chest pain.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos and breathing asbestos fibers. It is a very dangerous disease, which is frequently at a very advanced stage when a mesothelioma diagnosis is made. Early symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest wall pain or significant weight loss. Since the mesothelioma symptoms are not always realized, by the time the cancer is diagnosed, the average survival time is often under a year.

Yoga: Alternative Treatment For Back Pain

According to new research out of West Virginia University, the benefits of yoga, instead of conventional medicine to treat low back pain, are significant. The study showed that yoga is a proven “treatment” not only as a preventive measure, but also as a treatment for pain after injury has occurred.

To find a connection between yoga and reduced functional disability, pain and depression, Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., of West Virginia University in Morgantown, and colleagues conducted a study of 90 people with chronic back pain, who were randomly assigned to the yoga group or the group that received standard medical care.

There have been numerous studies on the connection between back pain and depression. The studies showed that depression and anxiety occur in as many as half of the patients with chronic back pain.

Those who were assigned to take yoga for two months experienced a 29 percent reduction in functional disability and a 42 percent reduction in pain, the researchers reported in the September 1 edition of the journal Spine. The yoga group also experienced a 45.7 percent decrease in symptoms of depression over standard therapy alone.

“Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with [chronic lower back pain],” Dr. Kimberly Williams of West Virginia University and colleagues concluded. “There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group.”

A certified Iyengar yoga instructor instructed the yoga sessions. A popular form
of yoga in the U.S., Iyengar yoga focuses good postures that promotes strength, flexibility and balance.

In the U.S., low-back pain is the largest category of medical reimbursements, with $34 billion in direct medical costs reported each year.

Is there a place for Randy Couture in the UFC?

Just hours before going to war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Saturday night, Randy Couture allegedly signed a new six fight contract with the UFC. Given that he’s 46 years of age already, this is largely a job ending contract, and he’s not that sure to fight 6 more times before retiring.

Though details weren’t released, Couture’s agent Matt Walker called the new deal “a great showing of respect to an icon of the sport.” Couture said he would let the dust settle before he would make a choice on his next adversary in the heavyweight division, but also hinted he could probably return to light heavyweight. It’s safe to presume that unless Couture scores a dominant knockout or submission victories in a row over 2 credible opponents, he will not be wearing the title belt around his waist any time soon. But that does not imply he will not take good fights, take home a ton of money, and help the UFC keep growing.

Make no mistake about it, Couture is still a great fighter at 46 years old. the UFC light heavyweight division is full of younger “Chuck Liddell’s”, the previous UFC light heavyweight champ that brutally KO’ed Couture twice. Couture was dropped twice by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a fighter that isn’t famous for giant power in his hands. Couture also wasn’t able to implement much of his Greco-Roman wrestling against Nogueira, nor did his cardiovascular seem to be nearly as good as it once was. Granted, his fight against Nogueira was fought at a particularly high pace for heavyweights. In all possibility, we can expect Couture to return as a light heavyweight since he lost his last two fights as a heavyweight.

Prader-Willi Syndrome: The feeling of never being full

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder that causes the sensation of never being full. The area of the brain that holds feelings of fullness or hunger does not function normally in people with PWS.
Prader-Willi syndrome affects an approximated 1 in 10,000 to 25,000 people.

Prader-Willi syndrome is caused by a gene missing on part of chromosome 15. Generally, your parents each pass down a copy of this chromosome. A large number of patients with Prader-Willi syndrome are missing the genetic material on part of the father’s chromosome. The remaining patients often have two copies of the mother’s chromosome 15.

The symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome are caused by dysfunction of a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a small endocrine organ at the base of the brain that runs a important role in a large number of bodily functions, including hunger and satiety, temperature and pain regulation, fluid balance, puberty, emotions, and fertility.

Currently here is no cure for Prader-Willi syndrome. Early diagnosis, early multidisciplinary care has greatly improved the quality of life of affected children.  Administering human growth hormone (Genotropin, Humatrope, Norditropin) improves muscle mass and growth. There are currently no long-term data on the effect of GH treatment in adults, particularly concerning its effect on the behavioral problems and degree of autonomy obtained. In adults, complications linked to obesity and the issue of autonomy continue to pose important problems.*Authors: Drs G. Diene, A. Postel-Vinay, G. Pinto, M. Polak and M. Tauber (June 2007)*.

The most common symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome are:

* Frail muscle tone in newborns
* Slow motor development
* Delayed mental development
* Little hands and feet in comparison to body
* Fast weight gain with marked obesity
* Unsatisfied appetite, food craving
* Almond-shaped eyes
* Skeletal (limb) abnormalities