According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 75% of women over the age of 30 are now overweight in countries as diverse as Egypt, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey. Estimates are similar for men, with over 75% now overweight in Argentina, India, China, Kuwait and Greece.

Obesity and sedentary life styles are important risk factors for both diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Once considered a problem only in wealthy countries, WHO estimates show that the prevalence of overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in the low and middle income countries.

WHO predicts the global diabetes population will grow to more than 200 million in 2010 and 330 million in 2025, with developing countries bearing the brunt of this epidemic in the 21st century. Diabetes and its numerous complications are a great burden on the healthcare budgets of countries worldwide. The WHO estimates the prevalence of diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is expected to rise from 15 million to 42 million people in the next 25 years.

“We are witnessing a large scale pandemic in terms of overweight and obesity, and related chronic diseases. Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Over the next ten years, the prevalence of diabetes and consequently hypertension, coronary artery disease and stroke are expected to increase most significantly in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. What is even more disturbing is the fact that type 2 diabetes can be easily prevented by adapting a healthy lifestyle which includes healthy eating and regular physical activity, but unfortunately very little is being done to promote healthy living in the face of aggressive marketing by the processed food industry. This inaction may prove very costly both in terms of health and economics”, elaborates Dr Anil Kapur World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) Managing Director.

Diabetes in the developing world is in focus when European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES) and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) is organising a diabetes symposium at BioVision the 27-29 April at the New Library of Alexandria, Egypt, with the participation of more than 150 participants and world leading experts.

European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES) aims at enhancing the collaboration between European researchers and researchers in the developing world to fight hunger and disease has been launched by the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB). The project is being supported by the European Commission and is a collaboration between EFB and scientific partners in Europe, China, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and the Philippines.

Members of the Steering Committees include prominent scientists from China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Syria and Thailand.

A number of EAGLES conferences and workshops will be organised during the next three years in Europe and various developing countries (DEC). The topics will illustrate the need for much more effective European responses on the use of biology in combating problems in health and food supply in the DECs and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The World Diabetes Foundation is dedicated to supporting prevention and treatment of diabetes in the developing world through funding of sustainable projects in education, capacity building, distribution and procurement of essential drugs and monitoring. The Foundation creates partnerships and acts as a catalyst to help others do more. The World Diabetes Foundation strives to educate and provide advocacy globally in an effort to create awareness, care and relief to those impacted by diabetes. By supporting 67 projects in more than 60 countries in the developing world the Foundation has to date made a direct impact on 27 million people.

worlddiabetesfoundation

bibalex/bioalex2006conf Continue reading →

An international,
multi-center study of 109 patients confirmed Balloon Sinuplasty(TM)
Instruments are safe and effective for opening blocked sinuses. Patients
who participated in the study experienced significant relief from their
symptoms associated with chronic sinusitis. Peer reviewed data published in
the July 2007 issue of the prestigious journal “Otolaryngology-Head and
Neck Surgery” showed 97% of the blocked sinuses were successfully opened
with the technology. There were no adverse events and the treated sinuses
showed remarkable patency throughout the study.

Chronic sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal sinuses that afflicts
an estimated 37 million Americans annually. Symptoms can be debilitating
and include nasal discharge, sleep depravation, fatigue, headaches, facial
pain, and chronic obstruction. Although antibiotics and topical steroids
help most people, approximately 500,000 patients in the U.S. undergo
surgery each year using a procedure called Functional Endoscopic Sinus
Surgery (FESS). In a FESS procedure, a physician uses a small endoscope to
see inside the nasal anatomy, and specialized surgical instruments to
remove bone and tissue to enlarge the sinus openings.

Balloon Sinuplasty(TM) Instruments first received FDA clearance in
December 2004. Unlike standard instruments for sinus surgery, these devices
do not require any cutting or tissue removal. Similar in concept to
catheters used in the heart for balloon angioplasty, Balloon Sinuplasty(TM)
instruments can be threaded into small sinus passageways and then enlarged,
thereby widening the passages to promote drainage and resolution of chronic
sinusitis symptoms. These minimally invasive instruments are custom
designed to work within the intricate sinus anatomy and can be used alone
or in concert with standard surgical instruments during sinus surgery.

Recovery times vary but some patients return to normal activities
within 24 hours of surgery. To date, more than 1,300 sinus surgeons have
completed Acclarent’s training program on the use of this technology and
more than 10,000 patients have been treated across the United States.

“The results from this multi-center study indicate that balloon
catheter technology has an excellent safety profile and is an effective
minimally invasive treatment option to relieve sinus ostial obstruction.
Surgeons typically use tissue-cutting forceps and tissue shavers or
microdebriders to open sinuses. Now surgeons have another instrument that
allows them to relieve sinus obstruction by dilating rather than cutting,”
said lead author William Bolger, M.D., of the Maryland Sinus Center in
Baltimore. “An important concern for surgeons trying new technology is the
ability to achieve good results without introducing complications. We know
that complications occur more frequently during the initial adoption
period. However, this investigation indicates that serious complications
related to the devices don’t appear to accompany initial adoption.”

The catheter-based Balloon Sinuplasty(TM) technology, developed and
produced by Acclarent, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, was conceived by
physician, engineer and chronic sinusitis sufferer Joshua Makower, M.D. Dr.
Makower was successfully treated with his invention this May.

“I feel very confident in these data since 90% of the patients enrolled
in the study returned for follow-up and showed significant benefit and
improvement. This is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted
in sinus surgery,” said Fred Kuhn, M.D., founder of the Georgia Nasal &
Sinus Institute in Savannah and past president of the American Rhinologic
Society. “I consider balloon dilation of the sinus openings a major
advancement in the treatment of chronic sinusitis.”

A large percentage of chronic sinusitis is related to obstruction
associated with swollen and inflamed membranes along the sinus passageways.
Normally, the sinuses can produce up to a quart of mucous a day. When the
sinuses are blocked, they can’t drain properly and the retained fluids can
become infected. Balloon Sinuplasty(TM) devices gently restructure the
bones lining the sinus passageways, permanently widening the opening and
allowing for drainage and restoration of normal function.

“I would like to thank all the investigators for their contributions to
this groundbreaking trial,” said Bill Facteau, President and CEO of
Acclarent, Inc. “This is an important study that will be referenced for
many years to come. As excited as we are with these results, even more
gratifying are the outcomes of the now more than 10,000 patients that have
been successfully treated since this watershed study was completed. We
remain excited about the opportunity to bring this and many more innovative
technologies forward to ENT surgeons and their patients in the months and
years ahead.”

About Acclarent

Acclarent, Inc. is a privately held medical device company in Menlo
Park, CA that was established in June of 2004. Its singular focus is
improving patient care in all areas of otolaryngology by developing and
producing medical devices solely for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists
and their patients. Acclarent is demonstrating this by investing in
innovative technologies, clinical studies, and physician training. For more
information, visit acclarent.

Acclarent, Inc.
acclarent Continue reading →

Even at very high doses, gadolinium-based contrast agents alone are not sufficient to cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL. NSF is a rare and serious syndrome that leads to fibrosis of the skin, joints and even internal organs. Some research indicates NSF is caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents that are commonly used today during MR procedures.

The study examined the records of 61 patients. “Our patients had been given high doses – from two to ten times the usual MRI dose. These high doses were used because the patients were undergoing interventional procedures and the procedures were done before there were any reports linking gadolinium to NSF,” said Mellena D. Bridges, MD, lead author of the study. “Fortunately, one of these patients, a 58-year-old diabetic man with end-stage kidney disease and significant blood vessel blockages, developed NSF. Gadolinium seems to be necessary to trigger NSF, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to cause the disease, even at very high doses,” said Dr. Bridges.

This study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Click here for abstract.

Source:
Heather Curry

American Roentgen Ray Society Continue reading →

FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach in a May 5 letter to Congress requested an additional $275 million in funding to ensure the safety of imported food, prescription drugs and medical devices, the New York Times reports.

According to the Times, von Eschenbach was responding to a May 1 letter from Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies, requesting information on the amount of additional funding FDA would need “to protect the public’s health.” In that letter, Specter wrote by hand in the margin, “Andy, I know the situation is extreme. I want to get you financial help now,” the Times reports.

Von Eschenbach wrote that FDA could absorb an additional $275 million within the next few months. Von Eschenbach last month at a Senate hearing said he did not think the agency would in one year be able to absorb $375 million in additional funding included in FDA’s 2009 allocated budget. The letter also outlined the expenses for a number of planned initiatives, such as opening new agency offices abroad, increasing the number of inspections and establishing new databases to track drug hazards.

According to the Times, von Eschenbach’s funding request “mirrors” a measure introduced by appropriations subcommittee chair Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) last week as part of an emergency supplemental spending bill for the Iraq war (Harris, New York Times, 5/14). Kohl’s measure included $275 million for FDA — $125 million for food safety; $100 million for medication and medical device safety; $40 million to modernize FDA science and the agency work force; and $10 million to upgrade FDA facilities and laboratories (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/8).

Letter Details
In his letter, von Eschenbach wrote that he was offering the spending plan “without regard to the competing priorities that the agency, the president and their advisers must consider as budget submissions to the Congress are developed.” According to the Times, the letter request “surprised agency observers” and could be a “sign of the president’s waning influence” in the final months of his term. William Hubbard, a former deputy FDA commissioner, said, “In 30 years at the agency, I never saw anything like this happen before.”

Comments
FDA spokesperson Julie Zawisza said, “These resources will accelerate the changes required for FDA to protect and promote the health of all Americans in a rapidly changing world that poses new, emerging threats to the safety of food and medical products.”

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, “We are one step closer to an FDA that has the resources to serve the needs of American consumers.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.), who has proposed drug safety draft legislation, said he was curious about “why the commissioner is beginning to finally recognize what has been painfully obvious to everyone else” (New York Times, 5/14).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that skin cancer can spread to the lungs when a gene in an important cell communication pathway is blocked. The research is published in Cancer Cell.

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) showed that in human cancer cells and mice, a gene called BRAF – which is damaged in about half of all skin cancer cases – triggers a cell signalling pathway that ultimately ‘blocks the instructions’ from a second gene called PDE5A.

In healthy cells PDE5A acts as a brake to stop cell movement. But in cancer cells, BRAF turns PDE5A’s signals off, removing its ability to block cancer spread.

By blocking the activity of PDE5A, BRAF drives skin cancer cells to invade new tissues and spread further around the body, converting skin cancer into a more aggressive disease.

The team showed that when faulty BRAF blocked PDE5A, the skin cancer cells spread more easily to the lungs.

Lead study author, Professor Richard Marais, said: “This research further puts the focus on BRAF as an important target for therapy to prevent the spread of skin cancer.

“Our findings support recent studies into experimental BRAF-targeting drugs, which are showing great promise in patients with melanoma cells with a damaged BRAF gene, but not in patients whose melanomas do not have this alteration. This highlights the importance of personalising medicine to achieve effective treatments for cancer.”

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “These new findings reveal more of the complex web of signals that drive the development of tumours that have the ability to grow, survive and spread to new locations.

“Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and more than 2,000 people die from the disease each year. Even more worrying is the fact that rates of melanoma are rising.

“There are definite signs when a mole is suspicious and should be seen by a doctor. If you have a mole that is getting bigger, changing shape or colour, is itchy or painful, bleeding or inflamed you should go to the doctor straight away.”

Reference

Arozarena, I., et al. Oncogenic BRAF induces melanoma cell invasion by downregulating the cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase PDE5A (2011) Cancer Cell

Source:

Cancer Research UK Continue reading →

Long believed to be a disease of biblical times, leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, continues to be seen in the United States. “Approximately 150 cases are diagnosed each year with 3,000 people in the U.S. currently being treated for leprosy, says James Krahenbuhl, Ph.D., director of the Health Resources Service Administration’s National Hansen’s Disease Program (NHDP) in Baton Rouge, LA. “We believe there are more cases of leprosy not identified due to the lack of awareness about the disease among physicians in the U.S., which is leading to misdiagnosis and wrong treatments for patients who are left to suffer with the debilitating damage caused by this disease.”

Although researchers do not clearly understand how leprosy is transmitted, they do know that it is a slow, chronic disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system and motor skills often leading to disability and disfigurement. According to the NHDP, the onset of infection and symptoms can take three to 10 years, making it difficult for researchers to find the origin of where or how people acquire the disease. As the disease progresses, patients lose their sense of touch in their fingers and toes leaving them open to repeated burns and cuts which then get infected. The effects of repeated damage will initiate bone absorption and motor nerve deterioration causing fingers to shorten and curve, resulting in a claw-like appearance. Although leprosy can be fully treated with medicine when diagnosed in early stages, once the disease has advanced nerve damage cannot be reversed.

Because many of the population in the U.S. affected by leprosy are immigrants in poor communities who primarily seek treatment in free clinics or emergency rooms, the NHDP says that many of those physicians are not familiar with the disease to make an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, many physicians mistake the skin lesions of leprosy for a fungus or ringworm and treat it with a topical cream. And, because leprosy is a slow-progressing disease, it can take months, if not longer, before the doctor or the patient realizes that the treatment isn’t working – giving the disease enough time to start destroying the nervous system.

Leprosy is most prevalent in the tropics and third world countries where there are poor living conditions and limited access to medical care. Due to changes in immigrant relocation, leprosy is now being diagnosed throughout the U.S. The NHDP sees approximately 30 cases each year among residents in southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast of Texas who were born in the U.S. and who have never visited an endemic country. “As we see leprosy move toward internal regions of the States, it becomes more urgent to reach those physicians to let them know about the symptoms of this disease,” explains Dr. Krahenbuhl. Dr. James Krahenbuhl will lead a symposium at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting to raise awareness among physicians that leprosy is in the U.S. and assistance and treatments are available.

###

Nearly 2,800 physicians and scientists from institutions around the world, plan to meet at the ASTMH meeting, which will be held Dec. 7-11 at the Sheraton New Orleans, to discuss the latest research on infectious diseases and global health threats.

Source: Rosalind D’Eugenio

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Continue reading →

Latest research on proton therapy highlights medical physics meeting next week in Anaheim

Proton therapy — which uses beams of the subatomic particles to treat cancer — is a hot topic at this year’s American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) meeting, which takes place from July 26 – 30 in Anaheim, CA. Ways to make the technology more effective, cheaper, and smaller will be discussed, and news of research on proton computed tomography (proton CT) — which uses protons to image the body’s interior — will be unveiled to a wide audience for the first time.

The reason proton beams are better for some types of cancer than other therapeutic forms of radiation, such as X-rays, is that well-aimed energetic protons deposit more of their energy inside cancerous tissue and less in neighboring healthy tissue. This happens because protons, unlike X-rays, surrender much of their energy near the place where they come to rest, which can be deliberately aimed to fall within a tumor.

Included below are highlights of a few of the presentations related to proton therapy.

PROTON FACILITIES ARE EXPANDING

X-rays continue to be the main method of treating tumors with beams of energy. But proton facilities are becoming more common. Worldwide, says Alfred R. Smith of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, there are more than 25 medical institutions with proton machines, and 25 more are in the planning or construction stages. More than 55,000 people have been treated with protons so far.

Smith will provide an overview of the current status of proton therapy. He will also discuss the use of beams of carbon ions, parcels consisting of 16 protons and neutrons bound together, which might be even more effective in killing cancer cells than individual protons — though the apparatus needed is more elaborate and expensive than for protons. The talk “Proton Physics and Technology” is at 8:05 a.m. on Monday, July 27 in Ballroom B). More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=11866.

LASER DRIVEN PROTONS

In general, machines that accelerate protons for cancer therapy are larger and much more costly than X-ray machines. For some cases, such as treatment for children, in which the collateral damage caused by X-rays would be unacceptable, the higher cost of protons is justifiable. Still, researchers have tried to invent new, more economical means of producing proton beams, either by streamlining the traditional method of accelerating protons using high voltage or by using laser light.

Dale Litzenberg, a scientist who studies radiation oncology at the University of Michigan, will report on his group’s efforts to accelerate protons by bombarding a thin foil with light from a 300-terawatt laser. The electric fields within the short laser pulses cause a “coulomb explosion” in the foil, liberating protons and other particles. Litzenberg will describe efforts to sculpt the laser pulse to generate protons useful for cancer therapy. The goal is to obtain a tenfold reduction in the cost of delivering therapeutic protons. The poster “Experimental Implementation of the Directed Coulomb Explosion Regime of Laser-Proton Acceleration” is at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 27 in Exhibit Hall – Area 2. More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=11748

In a separate talk on a related subject, Charlie Ma from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia will discuss “Laser-Driven Targetry: The Road to Clinical Applications” at 2:10 p.m. on Monday, July 27 in Ballroom D. More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=11988

COMPACT MACHINES

George Caporaso and his colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are attempting to bring down the cost of proton therapy by bringing down the size of the apparatus. They hope to produce a proton source for treatment that could fit in a single X-ray machine-sized vault. The talk “Dielectric Wall Accelerators for Proton Therapy” is at 1:50 p.m. on Monday, July 27 in Ballroom D. More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=11987.

PROTON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Protons can also be used for tomographic imaging — visualizing the inside of the body by piecing together cross-sectional images. Reinhard W. Schulte of the Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California will describe proton computed tomography, or pCT for short, a process in which a beam of protons is passed through the body. By comparing the energy of each proton going in to its energy coming out, Schulte can reconstruct an accurate map of the body’s interior that includes tumors.

The technology is similar to current CT scanners that use X-rays. However, while X-ray CT measures the attenuation of multiple photons, pCT detects energy loss from single protons, so a lower dose of energy could achieve the desired effect. Computer studies suggest that pCT scanning would require from 2 times to 10 times less dose to produce an image of similar resolution. Sub-millimeter resolution can be attained for head-sized objects, and millimeter resolution can be attained in other parts of the body. The pCT enterprise is still at an early stage of development and involves not only building the machines and detectors but also developing advanced computer algorithms for extracting images from the measured data. Some first experimental pCT images as well as simulated images will be shown at the meeting. The talk “A Status Update On the Development of Proton CT at Loma Linda University Medical Center” is at 2:06 p.m. on Thursday, July 30 in Ballroom C). More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=10533.

ANTIPROTON THERAPY

Benjamin Fahimian of John DeMarco’s lab at the University of California, Los Angeles will talk about the possible use of anti-protons — the antimatter counterparts of protons — in cancer therapy. Why go to the trouble of producing beams of antiprotons, created in high-energy collisions of protons with a special target? Because, says co-author Michael Holzscheiter, the antiprotons might deposit as much as four times more dose per particle than protons. The team will be reporting on the development of a new treatment planning system for antiproton therapy and the study of collateral energy deposited around the antiproton trajectory. So far only cell cultures have been targeted, and the advantages of antiprotons have yet to be verified with actual tumors.

The talk, “Antiproton Radiotherapy: Development of Physically and Biologically Optimized Monte Carlo Treatment Planning Systems for Intensity and Energy Modulated Delivery” is at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29 in Ballroom B. More information: aapm/meetings/09AM/PRAbs.asp?mid=42&aid=11422.

RELATED LINKS

Main Meeting Web site:
aapm/meetings/09AM/.

Search Meeting Abstracts:
aapm/meetings/09AM/prsearch.asp?mid=42.

Meeting program:
aapm/meetings/09AM/MeetingProgram.asp.

Source:
Jason Bardi

American Institute of Physics Continue reading →

A strain of MRSA that causes bloodstream infections is five times more lethal than other strains and has shown to have some resistance to the potent antibiotic drug vancomycin used to treat MRSA, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

The study found that 50 percent of the patients infected with the strain died within 30 days compared to 11 percent of patients infected with other MRSA strains.

The average 30-day mortality rate for MRSA bloodstream infections ranges from 10 percent to 30 percent.

Researchers say the strain USA600 contains unique characteristics that may be linked to the high mortality rate. But they say it is unclear whether other factors like the patients’ older age, diseases or the spread of infection contributed to the poor outcomes collectively or with other factors. The average age of patients with the USA600 strain was 64; the average age of patients with other MRSA strains was 52.

The study was presented at the 47th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Oct. 29-Nov.1 in Philadelphia.

“While many MRSA strains are associated with poor outcomes, the USA600 strain has shown to be more lethal and cause high mortality rates,” says Carol Moore, PharmD., a research investigator in Henry Ford’s Division of Infectious Diseases and lead author of the study.

“In light of the potential for the spread of this virulent and resistant strain and its associated mortality, it is essential that more effort be directed to better understanding this strain to develop measures for managing it.”

MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that is resistant to common antibiotics like penicillin. It can cause skin, bloodstream and surgical wound infections and pneumonia. The majority of infections occur among patients in hospitals or other health care settings, though a growing number of infections are being acquired by otherwise healthy people outside those settings.

MRSA strains can be resistant to many drugs, though they are typically susceptible to the antibiotic vancomycin. MRSA infections are often treated with vancomycin administered intravenously. The USA600 strain in this study was shown to be more resistant to vancomycin.

The study was funded by Henry Ford Hospital.

Source: David Olejarz

Henry Ford Health System Continue reading →

About 10 percent of fathers experience prenatal or postpartum depression, with rates being highest in the 3 to 6 month postpartum period, according to an analysis of previous research appearing in the May 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on mental health.

James F. Paulson, Ph.D., of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Va., presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing on mental health.

It is well established that maternal prenatal and postpartum depression is prevalent and has negative personal, family, and child developmental outcomes, but the prevalence, risk factors and effects of depression among new fathers is not well understood, and has received little attention from researchers and clinicians, according to background information in the article.

Dr. Paulson and co-author Sharnail D. Bazemore, M.S., of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, conducted a meta-analysis to determine estimates and variability in rates of paternal prenatal and postpartum depression and its association with maternal depression. The authors included studies that documented depression in fathers between the first trimester and the first postpartum year, and identified 43 studies involving 28,004 participants for inclusion in the analysis.

Among the findings of the researchers:

- The overall estimate of paternal depression was 10.4 percent (estimated 12-month prevalence of depression among men in the general population is 4.8 percent).

- There was considerable variability between different time periods, with the 3- to 6-month postpartum period showing the highest rate (25.6 percent) and the first 3 postpartum months showing the lowest rate (7.7 percent).

- Differences were observed across study locations, with higher rates of prenatal and postpartum depression reported in the United States (14.1 percent vs. 8.2 percent internationally).

- There is a moderate correlation between depression in fathers and mothers.

“There are many implications of these findings. The observation that expecting and new fathers disproportionately experience depression suggests that more efforts should be made to improve screening and referral, particularly in light of the mounting evidence that early paternal depression may have substantial emotional, behavioral, and developmental effects on children. The correlation between paternal and maternal depression also suggests a screening rubric depression in one parent should prompt clinical attention to the other. Likewise, prevention and intervention efforts for depression in parents might be focused on the couple and family rather than the individual,” the authors write.

“Future research in this area should focus on parents together to examine the onset and joint course of depression in new parents. This may increase our capacity for early identification of parental depression, add leverage for prevention and treatment, and increase the understanding of how parental depression conveys risk to infants and young children.”

JAMA. 2010;303[19]:1961-1969.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association Continue reading →

A new study finds that many women with breast cancer take antioxidant supplements while undergoing cancer treatment, even though the consequences of doing so are unknown. Published in the July 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that additional research should be undertaken to determine the effects of antioxidant supplementation on the health and survival of breast cancer patients.

Antioxidant supplements include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. They are found in individual supplements as well as in many multivitamins. Many breast cancer patients believe that antioxidant supplements will protect them from the side effects of breast cancer treatment, help prevent breast cancer recurrence, and improve their overall health. However, the actual effects of taking antioxidants during cancer treatment are poorly understood and the findings to date are mixed. Some physicians believe antioxidants may in fact interfere with radiation and some types of chemotherapy, which often attacks tumor cells by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), very small molecules that play a role in cell development.

Researchers led by Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Oncology (in Medicine) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, investigated the prevalence of antioxidant use in women with breast cancer who participated in the population-based Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP). LIBCSP, which included more than 1,500 breast cancer patients, began as a federally mandated study that investigated whether breast cancer risk was associated with environmental exposures among women in Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York State. Dr. Greenlee’s study is based on the 764 patients who completed a follow-up interview and provided information on antioxidant supplement use.

Among the 764 patients studied, 663 women (86.8 percent) reported receiving chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy for breast cancer. Of these 663 women, six in ten (60.5 percent) reported using antioxidants during breast cancer treatment, which included chemotherapy, radiation, and tamoxifen (anti-estrogen) therapy.

About seven in ten antioxidant users (69.3 percent) used high doses, defined as higher than the dose contained in a Centrum multivitamin. Women who took high doses of antioxidants during treatment were more likely to be using tamoxifen and to have a history of eating more fruits and vegetables, using herbal products, and engaging in mind-body practices.

“Given the common use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment, often at high doses and in conjunction with other complementary therapies, future research should address the effects of antioxidant supplementation on breast cancer outcomes,” including whether antioxidants affect treatment toxicities, treatment efficacy, cancer recurrence, and survival, say the authors.

Notes:
Article: “Prevalence and predictors of antioxidant supplement use during breast cancer treatment: The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project.” Heather Greenlee, Marilie D. Gammon, Page E. Abrahamson, Mia M. Gaudet, Mary Beth Terry, Dawn L. Hershman, Manisha Desai, Susan L. Teitelbaum Alfred I. Neugut, and Judith S. Jacobson. CANCER; Published Online: June 08, 2009 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24378); Print Issue Date: July 15, 2009.

Source:
David Sampson

American Cancer Society Continue reading →