June 29, 2009

Dietary supplement use liked with improved survival in patients with solid tumors
Life Extensions  June 29, 2009
In the September 1, 2009 issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Norwegian researchers report that women with solid tumors who used dietary supplements prior to diagnosis had better survival compared to nonusers.
For the current analysis, researchers at the University of Tromso evaluated data from participants in the Norwegian Women and Cancer study, which began in 1991. Dietary questionnaires completed by the participants between 1996 and 1999 provided information on type and frequency of supplement use. The analysis was limited to 4,242 patients diagnosed with their first cancer between the time of completion of the questionnaire and 2007. Participants included those with breast, colorectal, lung and other solid tumors.
Cod liver oil was the most frequently reported dietary supplement used by this Norwegian population, followed by multivitamins and minerals. Women with solid tumors who reported using cod liver oil daily throughout the year had a 23 percent lower risk of dying over the study period compared to nonusers. For those who reported occasional use of other dietary supplements, there was a lower risk of mortality from all solid tumors. A reduction in the risk of dying of lung cancer was particularly associated with supplement use, with whole year daily users of cod liver oil experiencing a 44 percent lower risk, occasional users of other dietary supplements experiencing a 45 percent lower risk, and daily users of other supplements experiencing a 30 percent lower risk.
The authors note that their study is not the first to observe increase survival in lung cancer patients taking dietary supplements. “More research is needed to understand the interplay between nutrients whether in food or supplements, and cancer survival,” they conclude.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_06.htm#dietary-supplement-improved-survival-in-patients-with-solid-tumors

Few see themselves as 'old,' no matter what their age

USA TODAY 06-29-09
If you've been telling yourself you're not old yet, you fit right in.
No matter what their chronological age, most people say that they aren't yet "old" -- and that they feel younger than their birthday count, according to a new nationally representative survey of almost 3,000 adults by the Pew Research Center.
The average age considered "old" by respondents was 68 -- but there were real differences in perception driven by the respondents' own ages:
*More than half of those under 30 say the average person becomes old before 60.
*Middle-aged respondents say it's closer to 70.
*Those ages 65 and older say "old" is not until 75.
"What you find is the older people are, the more people push back the age that is old," says Russell Ward, a sociologist who focuses on aging at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and who was not involved in the survey. "It's more in your future. You're not there yet."
Frederick Augustyn Jr. of Greenbelt, Md., who heads the Aging and Senior Culture area of the Popular Culture Association, says Baby Boomers fuel such resistance because they grew up as a youth culture and don't want to give in to old age.
"Twenty years ago, you would never see advertisements for hair dye for men," he says. "Now, almost all sports programs geared to a large male audience are promoting hair dye to look young. Before, gray hair used to be no big deal."
Even among those considered "seniors" under the law, say for Social Security or Medicare purposes, most in the survey say they don't feel old. Among respondents ages 65 to 74, just 21% say they feel old. And among those 75 and older, just 35% say they feel old.
Overall, 60% of those age 65 and older say they feel younger than their age. Almost half of those age 50 and older say they feel at least 10 years younger than their chronological age; among ages 65 to 74, one-third say they feel 10 to 19 years younger than their age.
Why the focus on age?
"We are becoming an older society, as are most advanced societies around the world, and we are about to hit a big new wave of adults entering older age," says Paul Taylor, who directs Pew's Social and Demographic Trends project.
The study notes that about 39 million Americans, or 13% of the U.S. population, are 65 and older -- a figure that has tripled from 4% in 1900. In two years, the oldest of the nation's 76 million Baby Boomers will turn 65. And by 2050, according to Pew Research projections, about one in five Americans will be over 65, and about 5% will be ages 85 and older, up from 2% now.
Expectations and realities about aging in the survey also differ. Among those age 65 and older, the perceived downsides of aging (such as memory loss, illness, inability to drive or an end to sexual activity) aren't experienced as much as younger people think they'll be.
Also, the perceived benefits of growing older (more time with family, more leisure travel, having more time for hobbies or volunteer work) are less than either age group thought they would be. Experts say the recession has reduced the "fun" part of retirement.
The landline and cellphone survey of 2,969 U.S. adults was completed in March and includes 1,305 people age 65 and older and 1,664 ages 18 to 64.
Pew also asked what age people would like to live to, and the average response was 89. About 20% said they would like to live into their 90s, and 8% said they would want to live past 100.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8448&Section=Aging

BioSante Pharmaceuticals Comments on Study Showing No Increased Risk of Breast Cancer in Women Using Testosterone for Low Libido-Research Published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine

Business Wire 06-29-09
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., Jun 29, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX), which is developing a testosterone gel (LibiGel(R)) to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women, is pleased to comment on results in a paper published in the July issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine showing testosterone has no effect on the incidence of invasive breast cancer among menopausal women who use testosterone to improve sexual function.
The study, led by Susan Davis, M.D. of the Women's Health Program, Department of Medicine at Alfred Hospital in Australia, evaluated 631 women treated with testosterone between January 1989 and December 2007 in a clinical endocrinology practice. In the report the use of testosterone therapy was not associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of breast cancer compared to their control population, and that testosterone exposure did not increase breast cancer risk.
"These findings are another significant and reassuring set of data indicating the safety of testosterone in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder," said Michael C. Snabes, M.D., Ph.D, BioSante's vice president, clinical development. "Recently BioSante reported positive safety data from our Phase III Cardiovascular and Breast Cancer Safety Study showing an exceptionally low number of cardiovascular adverse events. In addition to this safety study, we are conducting two LibiGel Phase III efficacy trials under an FDA agreed SPA. LibiGel is the only pharmaceutical product in the U.S. in active development for the treatment of HSDD in menopausal women. We believe LibiGel can be the first product the FDA approves for this indication. We expect to be able to submit a New Drug Application by the middle of 2011."
The authors of the published paper reviewed medical records of all women in a single practice treated with testosterone for loss of sexual desire over the course of nearly nine years. The mean age of the women at the start of therapy was 49.1. Women used testosterone for a median of 1.3 years, and were followed for an average of 6.7 years, with a total of 4,015 woman-years of follow-up. The incidence rate of invasive breast cancer was 299 cases/100,000 person-years, which is very similar to the rate reported for hormone therapy non-users in the U.S. Nurses Health Study (295/100,000 women-years).
As previously announced by BioSante, treatment with LibiGel in a Phase II clinical trial significantly increased satisfying sexual events in surgically menopausal women suffering from FSD. The Phase II trial results showed LibiGel significantly increased the number of satisfying sexual events by 238 percent versus baseline (p<0.0001); this increase also was significant versus placebo (p<0.05). In this study, the effective dose of LibiGel produced testosterone blood levels within the normal range for pre-menopausal women and had a safety profile similar to that observed in the placebo group. In addition, no serious adverse events and no discontinuations due to adverse events occurred in any subject receiving LibiGel. The Phase II clinical trial was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted in the United States, in surgically menopausal women distressed by their low sexual desire and activity.
About BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
BioSante is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for female sexual health, menopause, contraception and male hypogonadism. BioSante's lead products include LibiGel(R) (transdermal testosterone gel) in Phase III clinical development by BioSante under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) SPA (Special Protocol Assessment) for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), and Elestrin(TM) (estradiol gel) developed through FDA approval by BioSante, indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, currently marketed in the U.S. The gel formulations used in Elestrin and LibiGel are licensed from Antares Pharma, Inc. Also in development are Bio-T-Gel(TM), a testosterone gel for male hypogonadism, and an oral contraceptive in Phase II clinical development using BioSante patented technology. The current market in the U.S. for estrogen and testosterone products is approximately $2.5 billion and for oral contraceptives approximately $3 billion. The company also is developing its calcium phosphate technology (CaP) for aesthetic medicine (BioLook(TM)), novel vaccines and drug delivery. Additional information is available online at: www.biosantepharma.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding BioSante contained in this news release that are not historical in nature, particularly those that utilize terminology such as "will," "potential", "could," "can," "believe," "intends," "continue," "plans," "expects," "estimates" or comparable terminology, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, and entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Important factors known to BioSante that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements include BioSante's need for and ability to obtain additional financing, the difficulty of developing pharmaceutical products, obtaining regulatory and other approvals and achieving market acceptance; the marketing success of BioSante's licensees or sublicensees; the success of clinical testing, and other factors identified and discussed from time to time in BioSante's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed in BioSante's most recent annual report on Form 10-K,which discussions also are incorporated herein by reference. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. BioSante undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8446&Section=Disease

Quercetin may boost exercise endurance
Last Updated: 2009-06-29 15:26:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables rich in the antioxidant quercetin may boost endurance, according to a small study with healthy college students.
The 12 fit college students, who were not regular exercisers, were given quercetin supplements for 7 days, which appeared to boost exercise endurance compared with a similar 7-day period without supplements, researchers report in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Quercetin, a compound abundant in red apples, red onions, berries, cabbages and broccoli, and green and black teas, is believed to have multiple antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and cell-energy activation properties that benefit health.
However, most previous research involved animals, report Dr. J. Mark Davis, at University of South Carolina in Columbia, and colleagues.
To test whether quercetin supplements benefit energy production in humans, Davis' group enlisted 7 men and 5 women, an average of 23 years old, to participate in a crossover study. At the beginning of the study, investigators measured students' maximum oxygen uptake and the number of minutes they could ride a stationary bike.
For 7 days, the participants followed their regular routines and diet, but drank Tang plus placebo, twice daily. For another 7-day period, the participants drank Tang containing 500 milligrams quercetin. The investigators again measured the volunteers' maximum oxygen uptake and exercise endurance. This process was repeated after another 7-day period when volunteers drank similar tasting and colored Tang without quercetin.
Compared with days of no supplementation, the quercetin supplement periods were associated with a modest -- nearly 4 percent -- increase in maximum oxygen uptake. Quercetin was also associated with a 13 percent increase in "ride time" before the volunteers were too fatigued to continue.
These findings suggest quercetin "may be important in relieving fatigue that keeps (people) sedentary," Davis commented in a university press release.
If confirmed in further investigations, quercetin supplementation may become a beneficial endurance booster for regular exercisers and athletes alike, Davis and colleagues surmise.
SOURCE: International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (online), June 24, 2009
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/29/eline/links/20090629elin003.html

HIV-positive men can safely have children
Last Updated: 2009-06-29 11:40:21 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using methods of reproductive technology, pregnancy can be safely achieved in HIV serodiscordant couples -- couples in which one member is HIV-positive and the other is not, according to findings from a study at Columbia University in New York.
For couples having trouble conceiving, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is often undertaken, a process the joins the woman's egg with the man's sperm in a laboratory dish, so that conception is performed "in vitro," or "outside the body." This may include intracytoplasmic sperm infection (ICSI), a process in which the sperm is treated to remove all HIV and then directly injected into a fertilized egg.
"Although sperm washing techniques for assisting HIV serodiscordant couples wishing to have children have been utilized for almost 20 years, the US healthcare system has been slow to embrace the methodology," lead author Dr. Mark V. Sauer told Reuters Health. Sauer directs Columbia's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, whose 12 years of experience providing services for such couples provides the basis for the report.
"Our center uses IVF with ICSI of prepared sperm to separate cellular and fluid components known to harbor virus from the virus-free sperm fraction," Sauer said. "Our findings failed to detect any transmission to patients or their offspring."
The study, reported in the current issue of Fertility and Sterility, included 181 couples in whom the man was HIV-infected and the women was not. The woman underwent 355 fresh IVF-ICSI cycles and 65 frozen-embryo transfer cycles. Sixteen percent of stimulations were canceled due to poor ovarian response.
On average, 15.0 eggs were retrieved from the ovaries, resulting in 12.1 mature eggs suitable for ICSI, yielding 9.0 embryos per couple, the report indicates.
The overall clinical pregnancy rate/embryo transfer was 45 percent and the ongoing/delivery pregnancy rate/embryo transfer was 37 percent, the author's state.
Multiple pregnancies was the most frequent obstetrical complication, at a rate (41 percent) similar to that reported for the general population of patients undergoing IVF-ICSI, and high-order multiple birth was seen in 5 percent. Preterm delivery was also common (43 percent). There was no evidence of maternal or neonatal HIV transmission and no deaths occurred.
"We feel (IVF-ICSI) is a reasonable alternative to insemination methods currently touted in Europe, and at least as safe," Sauer concluded.
"Finally, IVF/ICSI does not specifically violate recommendations against 'insemination' of HIV discordant couples as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many state laws in this country."
SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility, June 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/29/eline/links/20090629elin021.html

Anxiety, depression may increase angina
Last Updated: 2009-06-29 16:02:49 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among patients with a similar degree of inducible chest pain, anxiety and depression are associated with a statistically significant increase in the frequency of angina, a new study shows.
"These results support the study of angina treatment strategies that aim to reduce psychosocial distress" as well as lessen the symptoms, the study team concludes in a report published in the rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Angina is chest pain that typically occurs in response to activity or stress, which may feel like tightness, heavy pressure, squeezing or crushing pain, which usually begins slowly and worsens over the next few minutes before going away. It may quickly go away with medication or rest, but may happen again with additional activity or stress.
Symptoms of angina occur when the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), or by a blood clot. This results in ischemia, as not enough blood reaches the tissues that are starved of oxygen eventually die.
"American cardiology has focused almost exclusively on reducing ischemia in its treatments of angina...but this study suggests that we should also assess and treat depression and anxiety in patients with frequent angina," senior author Dr. Mark Sullivan, of the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, told Reuters Health. "British and European cardiology does more of this."
Sullivan and colleagues studied 191 patients (average age, 63 years) with ischemia on using myocardial stress perfusion imaging studies performed between April 2004 and 2006.
Using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, they determined that 68 patients (36 percent) had no angina in the previous month, 66 (35 percent) had monthly angina symptoms, and 57 (30 percent) had daily or weekly angina.
Sullivan's team also determined that 44 percent of patients with daily or weekly angina had clinically significant anxiety, and 64 percent had clinically significant depression.
After further analysis, increasing angina was significantly associated with a history of coronary surgery (2.24-times the risk), anxiety (4.72-times the risk), and depression (3.12-times the risk).
The results suggest that psychosocial characteristics are related to the frequency of angina, independent of the severity of the angina, the investigators note.
However, "it is unclear whether these psychosocial factors are truly affecting the anginal response to ischemia or if the increased chest pain burden is causing intensification in psychosocial distress," Sullivan added in a statement.
SOURCE: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association Circulation rapid access June 29, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/29/eline/links/20090629elin023.html

Insulin glargine may increase cancer risk
Last Updated: 2009-06-29 14:40:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)
LONDON (Reuters) - Injectable insulin glargine for diabetes, sold under the trade name Lantus by Sanofi-Aventis, may increase the risk of cancer, according to European studies involving some 300,000 insulin-treated patients, prompting a call from experts for more research.
The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), which released details online of four studies from its journal Diabetologia, said they were "far from conclusive but they do indicate the need for further investigation of this issue".
A German study of 127,031 diabetics on insulin found malignancies were more common in patients treated with Lantus, also known as glargine, than in those prescribed a comparable dose of old-style human insulin.
"Our analysis does not provide absolute proof that glargine promotes cancer," said Peter Sawicki, director of Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care and co-author of the study.
"Our study does, however, arouse an urgent suspicion which should have consequences for the treatment of patients."
Following that original German study -- which was presented to the European diabetes journal last year -- further research was carried out using three other large patient databases, or registries, in Sweden, Scotland and the UK.
In the Swedish study, involving 114,841 insulin-treated patients, those on Lantus alone were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 49,197-patient Scottish study also found patients on Lantus were more likely to have cancer, including breast cancer, although the difference did not reach statistical significance.
The UK study -- the smallest of the four, involving 10,067 patients -- found no link.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
The EASD said patients should not stop taking treatment but could consider using a long-acting human insulin or a mixture of long- and short-acting human insulin twice a day instead of once-daily Lantus.
The EASD said it had already communicated the latest study results to the European Medicines Agency and had started discussions with Sanofi as to how further studies might be conducted to get to the bottom of the issue.
"A large combined analysis of the best available databases worldwide is the best way forward," EASD president Ulf Smith said in a statement.
He added there was no evidence that Lantus actually causes cancer, but it might possibly cause any existing cancer cells to grow and divide more rapidly.
Sanofi said late on Friday it had just been made aware of the latest data and it stood by the safety profile of Lantus, given the extensive evidence from past clinical trials and post-marketing surveillance.
Denmark's Novo Nordisk also has a long-acting insulin analogue called Levemir, which is modified in a different way from Lantus. Levemir was launched more recently, however, so was not assessed in the European registry studies.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/29/eline/links/20090629elin027.html

Rat study: Krill beats fish omega-3s in battling metabolic dysfunctions

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Jun-2009

Omega-3s sourced from krill are more effective in combating some metabolic symptoms including raised fat levels in the heart and liver and violent mood swings in obese individuals, according to Italian researchers.
The study, to be published in the August edition of the Journal of Nutrition, is supported by Norwegian krill supplier, Aker Biomarine, and concludes that while both fish-sourced and krill-sourced omega-3 oils are effective in reducing fat levels, krill is more effective.
The researchers, led by Barbara Batetta, said the mechanisms of why this was the case had not been made clear in the study, but suggested long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) may reduce activity in the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system consists of a group of neuromodulatory lipids and receptors that influence appetite, pain sensation, mood and memory.
“Whereas CB1 receptor antagonists dampen the overactivated endocannabionid system by blocking the receptor, dietary (n-3) LCPUFA, and KO in particular, may reduce the
activity of the endocannabinoid system by decreasing the substrate availability for endocannabinoid biosynthesis,” the researchers said.
“Such a nutritional approach, if influencing the endocannabinoid system only peripherally, might avoid the adverse psychiatric effects associated with the use of CB1 antagonists, thus potentially providing a safer alternative for ‘endocannabinoid reequilibration’ in obese individuals.”
The researchers found that, when parameters associated with obesity were considered, Aker Biomarine’s version of krill oil reduced rat heart fat levels by 42 per cent, compared to two per cent for fish oils.
In the liver, a 60 per cent reduction was observed for krill, 38 per cent for fish oil. Fat build up in the liver can lead to insulin insensitivity and cause type 2 diabetes.
While the exact mechanism for change could not be isolated the researchers stated: “It is worth noting that in all tissues exhibiting changes in endocannabinoid concentrations, EPA and DHA concentrations in the PL (phospholipid) fraction were increased and the increase was greater in the KO (krill oil) compared with FO (fish oil)-supplemented rats.”
Method
The four-week-old Zucker rats were for four weeks fed either a diet of krill oil or fish oil balanced for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or a control group with no EPA and DHA but similar contents of oleic, linoleic, and a-linolenic acids. The dosage level was set at 2g of DHA/EPA per day.
Eighteen rats were used.
In designing the study, the researchers speculated that obesity could be linked to visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation and that the metabolic consequences of that could be down to dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system and type 1 cannabinoid receptors.
Source: Journal of Nutrition (August)
Published ahead of print June 23, 2009 as doi: 10.3945/jn.109.104844.
‘Endocannabinoids May Mediate the Ability of (n-3) Fatty Acids to Reduce Ectopic Fat and Inflammatory Mediators in Obese Zucker Rats’
Authors: Barbara Batetta, Mikko Griinari, Gianfranca Carta, Elisabetta Murru, Alessia Ligresti, Lina Cordeddu, Elena Giordano, Francesca Sanna, Tiziana Bisogno, Sabrina Uda, Maria Collu, Inge Bruheim, Vincenzo Di Marzo and Sebastiano Banni.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Rat-study-Krill-beats-fish-omega-3s-in-battling-metabolic-dysfunctions

Red yeast rice demonstrates cholesterol-lowering potential

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Jun-2009

American researchers have found red yeast rice to be effective in treating hyperlipidemia – the elevation of potentially damaging lipids in the blood – but who cannot tolerate statin treatment.
The herbal supplement was found to be effective in reducing the low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level among 62 patients with hyperlipidemia and a history of discontinuation of statin therapy due to myalgias.
“Red yeast rice and therapeutic lifestyle change decrease LDL cholesterol level without increasing CPK or pain levels and may be a treatment option for dyslipidemic patients who cannot tolerate statin therapy,” the researchers concluded.
“Given our positive results, our approach may provide a therapeutic lipid-lowering option for the large cohort of patients with a history of SAM (statin-associated myalgias).”
In the randomized, controlled trial, patients were assigned either 1800 mg of red rice twice daily or placebo for 24 weeks. All patients were concomitantly enrolled in a 12-week therapeutic lifestyle change programme.
LDL cholesterol levels were measured at baseline, week 12, and week 24 and secondary outcomes included total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride, liver enzyme, and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels; weight; and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) score.
Results
For the 31 patients in the red yeast rice group, LDL cholesterol decreased by 1.11 mmol/L (43 mg/dL) from baseline at week 12 and by 0.90 mmol/L (35 mg/dL) at week 24.
In the placebo group, LDL cholesterol decreased by 0.28 mmol/L (11 mg/dL) at week 12 and by 0.39 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) at week 24.
While the researchers acknowledged that the study was small, single-site, short in duration and focused on laboratory measures, they stated the LDL level was significantly in the red rice group.
Levels of HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, liver enzyme, or CPK; weight loss; and BPI did not change significantly.
The researchers called for more study, especially those taking red rice supplements for more than six months, and said many questions remained unanswered.

• Does red yeast rice reduce the incidence of myalgias when directly compared with statin therapy?
• Is red yeast rice effective in patients with previous SAM who are not enrolled in a lifestyle change program?
• Did the therapeutic lifestyle change program alone play a positive role in decreasing the risk for recurrent myalgias in our cohort (for example, through improved mood or the role of exercise and weight loss)?

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
2009;150:830-839.
‘Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients: A Randomized Trial’
Authors: David J. Becker, MD; Ram Y. Gordon, MD; Steven C. Halbert, MD; Benjamin French, PhD; Patti B. Morris, RD; and Daniel J. Rader, MD
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Red-yeast-rice-demonstrates-cholesterol-lowering-potential

Soy linked to lung benefits: Study

Nutraingredients.com, 29-Jun-2009

The consumption of soy products could decrease the risk of lung disease and breathlessness, according to a new study from Japan.
Published in the open access journal Respiratory Research, the study looked at around 300 patients diagnosed with lung disease, and measured their reportedsoy food intake.
“Soy consumption was found to be positively correlated with lung function and inversely associated with the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The epidemiological evidence also indicated an inverse association between total soy intake and breathlessness,” wrote the researchers from Japan and Australia.
Questionnaires
The study was conducted on 278 Japanese patients aged 50-75, who had been diagnosed with COPD within the past four years. Another 340 participants recruited from the general Japanese population were used as a control group.
All participants were tested for respiratory function. Food consumption and lifestyle characteristics were determined based on structured questionnaires.
The researchers identified the self-reporting of dietary intake as a limitation to their study, but said that they also included face-to-face interviews with relatives in order to increase response rate and improve the accuracy of answers. They also said all interviews were conducted by the same investigator to eliminate inter-interviewer bias.
Participants were asked about their soy food consumption for the five years prior to the interview date. For the purposes of the study, soy foods encompassed tofu (boiled or cold, in miso soup, freeze-dried, deepfried), natto, bean sprouts, and soy milk.
Other variables measured were age, gender, body mass index, education level, physical activity, smoking status, and dietary intake of fruit, vegetables, fish, red meat and chicken.
Cautious beenfits
Overall, the researchers found that those participants diagnosed with COPD had“significantly lower” soy intake than controls. Researchers then examined the relationship with lung function, and found that this was positively correlated with total soy consumption.
“A significant reduction in COPD risk was evident for the highest versus lowest quartile of daily total intake of soybean products,” wrote the researchers.
The observed benefits, consistent with findings from previous studies, could be a result of the anti-inflammatory benefits of soyfoods, they said, but added that more research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanism.
“The present case-control study has suggested an inverse association between soy products and COPD risk for Japanese adults,” concluded the researchers.
“More research and/or replications are required to ascertain whether the observed findings can be generalized to other populations, before incorporating these foods into dietary guidelines so as to encourage consumption.”
“Besides experimental studies, long-term prospective cohort studies collecting detailed dietary exposure information are recommended to provide epidemiological evidence on both morbidity and mortality due to COPD.”
Source: Soy consumption and risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms: a case-control study in Japan
Respiratory Research 2009, 10:56
doi:10.1186/1465-9921-10-56
Authors: Fumi Hirayama, Andy H Lee, Colin W Binns, Yun Zhao, Tetsuo 
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Soy-linked-to-lung-benefits-Study

WALL STREET JOURNAL   JUNE 29, 2009

Reform Needs Healthy Life Incentives

Sen. Kennedy doesn't want insurers to reward good behavior.

By SCOTT E. HARRINGTON

Much of the debate over health-care reform has focused on whether there should be a government insurance plan to compete with private plans. This focus is understandable given the stakes. Because equal competition between a public insurer and private plans is impossible, public coverage would crowd out private coverage and make a public, single-payer system inevitable.
Another important issue is the scope of regulation that will likely apply to private health plans regardless of whether a public plan is created.
Given budgetary and affordability concerns, the insurance market proposals by House Democrats and Sens. Edward Kennedy and Chris Dodd would permit some variation among plan benefits and cost-sharing provisions, such as deductibles and coinsurance percentages. The proposals otherwise would impose a regulatory straightjacket that would put upward pressure on health costs, thus undermining a major reform objective and creating additional pressure for government-mandated cost controls. Whether legislation being developed by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus will go as far isn't clear.
The House Democrat and Kennedy-Dodd proposals do all they can to prevent health-insurance premium rates and coverage terms from reflecting the health status -- and thus health-related behavior -- of any insured person. Health status would not be permitted to affect coverage decisions, terms or pricing. Age-related variation in premium rates would also be significantly constrained in relation to risk.
Benefit design and marketing of coverage would be regulated in an attempt to keep insurers from rewarding healthier people. Retrospective "risk adjustment" would be employed to reallocate funds from insurers that experience lower medical costs to those with higher costs. If an insurer were to attract relatively more healthy people -- or keep more people healthy -- it would run the risk of paying some or all of the gains to competitors.
The proposals' strong aversion to having insurance rates or coverage terms related to health status reflects the view that either the need for health care is immune from individual control, or that a person should not be financially responsible for behavior that contributes to poor health, or both. These views are difficult to reconcile with the consensus that unhealthy behavior contributes significantly to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and thus accounts for a substantial proportion of health-care costs.
Regulation that seeks to divorce insurance rates and coverage terms from health status would deter potential innovation that might provide meaningful financial incentives for healthy behavior and lower costs.
Incentives for healthy behavior have traditionally been weak under employer-sponsored health insurance, in part due to federal and state regulation that constrains the ability to reward healthy behavior. Turnover among employees and policy holders also reduces incentives to make long-term investments to promote healthy behavior.
Health-care reform should seek to encourage rather than discourage private innovation to provide incentives for healthy behavior. Safeway's program offering employee premium discounts related to tobacco use, weight control, blood pressure and cholesterol levels is a good example.
The Democratic proposals would retard or even strangle such innovation. Rather than strengthening incentives to invest in the long-term health of policy holders, they would make it more difficult to earn a reasonable return on such investment. They also send a message that a healthy lifestyle earns no financial reward for reducing medical expenses.
Financial incentives for healthy behavior have the potential to significantly reduce costs without reducing quality. A failure of health-care reform to permit or incorporate such incentives would make coercive government measures to control costs more likely. These controls might include limits on provider reimbursement, comparative-effectiveness or cost-benefit criteria that must be met for care to be reimbursed, or budget caps. The results would be less health -- more obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer -- and eventually less health care.
An aversion to having health-insurance rates and coverage linked to individual behavior may be on the verge of becoming national policy. If that happens, the unintended consequences could be very costly.
Mr. Harrington is professor of health-care management and insurance and risk management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623169143066199.html\

Sprouted Buckwheat is Simple and Delicious
Sheryl Walters, Naturalnews.com  June 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Sprouting takes a nut or seed that is dormant and brings it to life. You can watch as a food that has been sitting in a bag on a shelf for months begins to grow a little sprout and transforms. One of the easiest foods to sprout is buckwheat. Buckwheat becomes packed with live enzymes and vital nutrients when sprouted.

Sprouted buckwheat is an amazing food because it tastes like a grain but is actually gluten and wheat free and not a grain at all. It is one of the most complete sources of protein on the planet, containing all eight essential amino acids. This makes it perfect for diabetics and those who want to cut down on their sugary carbohydrates and to balance their blood sugar levels. It is also known to lower high blood pressure. Sprouted buckwheat also cleanses the colon and alkalizes the body.

Buckwheat is a wonderful super food for people who have varicose veins or hardening of the arteries. One of the reasons is that it is full of rutin, which is a compound that is known as a powerful capillary wall strengthener. When veins become weak, blood and fluids accumulate and leak into nearby tissues, which may cause varicose veins or hemorrhoids.

This healing food is also rich in lecithin, making it a wonderful cholesterol balancer because lecithin soaks up "bad" cholesterol and prevents it from being absorbed. Lecithin neutralizes toxins and purifies the lymphatic system, taking some of the load off of the liver.

Sprouted buckwheat is also a brain boosting super food. 28% of the brain is actually made up of lecithin. Research suggests that regularly consumingfoods rich in lecithin may actually prevent anxiety, depression, brain fog, mental fatigue and generally make the brain sharper and clearer.

Buckwheat is high in iron so it is a good blood builder. It also prevents osteoporosis because of its high boron and calcium levels.

Sprouted buckwheat is high in bioflavonoids, flavonols and co-enzyme Q10. It contains all of the B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, as well as many other health giving compounds.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026521_buckwheat_food_water.html

Daily sex 'best for good sperm'
 
BBC News health reporter in Amsterdam, June 30, 2009
Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research suggests.
In a study of men with fertility problems, daily ejaculation for a week cut the amount of DNA damage seen in sperm samples.
Speaking at a fertility conference, the Australian researcher said general advice for couples had been to have sex every two or three days.
Early results from the trial had already shown promising results.
“ Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there's a contribution from the male because we're not behaving as we should be ” 
Dr David Greening Sydney IVF
But 118 men have now been tested and the benefits for sperm have become clearer.
Dr David Greening, from Sydney IVF, told delegates at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting that eight in ten men taking part showed a 12% drop in sperm DNA damage after the seven days.
Although there was a big drop in sperm numbers from 180 million to 70 million over the week, men were still within the normal "fertile" range.
Sperm also became more active over the seven days with a small rise in motility, he added.
Damage
The theory is that the longer sperm hang around in the testes the more likely they are to accumulate DNA damage and the warm environment could also make them more sluggish after a while.
Sperm come under attack by free radicals - small reactive molecules which can damage DNA and cause cell death - in the tube that stores and carries sperm away from the testes.
Further work is needed to work out if daily sex for men without fertility problems has the same benefits but Dr Greening believes it is likely to be the case.
He warns that having daily sex for too long - say a fortnight - would probably cut sperm numbers too much.
But recommended "lots of sex daily" around the time the woman is ovulating.
He said it was best to "keep the river flowing".
As men age they may not have as much sex as they did when they were younger, adding to the problem of infertility, Dr Greening told delegates.
"We are designed to breed in our youth.
"Perhaps we have been blaming the women as couples get older but perhaps there's a contribution from the male because we're not behaving as we should be."
The findings may also have implications for couples undergoing IVF as men are commonly told to abstain from sex for a couple of days to try and boost sperm numbers.
Dr Alan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said the finding that daily ejaculation improved the chances of conception was interesting, but it would be wrong to apply the results to all men.
"For example, in cases where men have low sperm counts to start with, daily ejaculations may well reduce the sperm count still further and whilst sperm may be more healthy the reduced numbers could impede the chance of natural conception.
"The best general advice is that if couples are attempting to conceive naturally, intercourse every couple of days will make sure the sperm are as healthy as possible on each occasion.
"However, in preparation for IVF or ICSI treatment, this advice may well change in response to medical test results like DNA damage measurements."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8125934.stm

Increased Levels Of Certain Cytokines And Chemokines Predict Onset Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

ScienceDaily (June 30, 2009) — Up-regulation of certain cytokines and chemokines (signaling molecules involved in the functioning of the immune system) can predict the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) three years before the onset of symptoms, according to the results of a new study presented at EULAR 2009, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The results of the study showed that up-regulation of certain cytokines (specifically Th1, Th2 and Treg) involved in the growth and proliferation of various cells integral to the immune system, predicted which individuals go on to develop RA. Interestingly, post-disease onset, chemokines, stromal cell and angiogenic-related markers were important in differentiating up-regulation in those who had developed RA compared to findings in the same individual before symptoms of RA.
Cytokines and chemokines are small signalling molecules which are integral to the immune system, as they mediate and regulate immunity, inflammation, and the development of blood cells (haematopoiesis). In this study, several of these molecules, as well as some cytokine receptors, showed significantly increased levels before disease onset compared with controls (median 3.3 years before symptoms), indicating general immune activation (p<0.05-0.001)* and therefore a progression of disease activity.
The levels were seen to be particularly elevated in individuals identified as being ACPA- (anti-citrullinated peptide antibody) and RF- (rheumatoid factor) positive (both known risk factors for RA), and most of the concentrations increased further after disease onset. Notably, the concentration of interleukin 17 (IL-17, a cytokine which acts as a regulator of multiple immune functions) was found to be significantly higher before onset compared with post-diagnosis (p>0.01).
Prof Solbritt Rantapää Dahlqvist, of the University Hospital Umeå, Sweden, who led the study said: "Our findings add another important piece to the complex puzzle of pathophysiological processes responsible for the occurrence of RA. Understanding more about what happens in the body, to precipitate the onset of RA, could potentially contribute to the development of new strategies for the treatment and even prevention of this debilitating disease."
This nested case-control study (whereby new case controls were applied into a cohort that was defined before the study began, at a rate of 1 case:3 controls) was performed in individuals (n=86, 65 females, 21 males) who had donated blood to the Medical Biobank of Northern Sweden (median 3.3 years) before onset of disease; and matched controls (n=256, 191 females, 61 males) from the same Biobank. At the time of RA diagnosis (using American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria), 69 (52 females and 17 males) individuals donated blood samples.
30 cytokines, cytokine receptors and chemokines** were measured in plasma samples using multiplex detection kits from Bio-Rad analysed by a Bio-Plex Array Reader (Luminex200, Labmap™ system).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615094034.htm

Purple Sweet Potato Means Increased Amount Of Anti-cancer Components

ScienceDaily (June 30, 2009) — A Kansas State University researcher is studying the potential health benefits of a specially bred purple sweet potato because its dominant purple color results in an increased amount of anti-cancer components.
K-State's Soyoung Lim, doctoral student in human nutrition, Manhattan, is working with George Wang, associate professor of human nutrition at K-State, to understand the pigment effects of a Kansas-bred purple sweet potato on cancer prevention.
Lim said purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin, which is a pigment that presents the purple color in the vegetable. The pigment can produce red, blue and purple colors depending on the source's chemical structure, such as in foods like blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage.
She said anthocyanins have been epidemiologically associated with a reduced cancer risk, but the anti-cancer ability of the purple sweet potato has not been well investigated.
Lim used a sweet potato with pronounced purple flesh and skin that was developed by K-State's Ted Carey, professor of horticulture, at K-State's John C. Pair Horticultural Center in Haysville.
"Sometimes we can find purple sweet potatoes in the grocery store, but they don't have this purple color on the skin and inside," Lim said.
Three different purple sweet potatoes were used that had varying amounts of anthocyanin for the project. To quantify the amount in each potato, Lim extracted pigments from the vegetables and injected them into an HPLC-MS Analysis, which she said is a method that separates components.
The potatoes were segregated by multiple traits based on flesh pigmentation and fiber contents. The analysis determined that the Kansas-bred potato had significantly higher anthocyanin contents compared to the other potatoes. The analysis also found two derivatives of anthocyanin that were dominant: cyanidin and peonidin, Lim said.
Lim also measured the potatoes' total phenolic content. Lim said phenols are chemical compounds that have been found to have anti-aging and antioxidant components. The specially bred purple sweet potato had a much higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity than the other regularly occurring purple sweet potatoes, she said.
The K-State researchers also wanted to see the specific effects of cyanidin and peonidin. Lim treated human colon cancer cells with low concentrations of the pigment derivatives and also studied the effects on the cell cycles.
Cyanidin and peonidin showed significant cell growth inhibition for the cancer cells, but there were no significant changes in the cell cycle. Lim said a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms in the Kansas-bred potato could provide scientific evidence of its health benefits.
Lim presented the research at the Experimental Biology Meeting in New Orleans in April. She is doing a follow-up study this summer that will involve treating animal cancer cells with the pigments.
Other contributors to the project include Takeo Iwamoto, research assistant professor of biochemistry at K-State; and K-State students Genna Gehrt, Alma, and Kacey Provenzano, Derby, both May 2009 bachelor's graduates in nutritional sciences.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629132250.htm

Placebo Effects In Caregivers May Change Behavior Of Children With ADHD
ScienceDaily (June 30, 2009) — Stimulant medications, such as Ritalin and Adderall, are the accepted treatment to stem hyperactivity in children with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and improve their behavior.
Now a recent review of research by University at Buffalo pediatric psychologists suggests that such medication, or the assumption of medication, may produce a placebo effect -- not in the children, but in their teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate them.
A placebo effect is a positive change in symptoms or behavior after a patient receives a "fake" medication or procedure; in other words, the belief can become the medicine. In this case, the review suggested that when caregivers believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication, they tended to view those children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether or not medication was actually involved.
"The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD," said UB researcher Daniel A. Waschbusch, Ph.D., lead author of the review.
"We speculate that the perception that a child is receiving ADHD medication may bring about a shift in attitude in a teacher or caregiver. They may have a more positive view of the child, which could create a better relationship. They may praise the child more, which may induce better behavior."
Such a placebo effect in caregivers could have both good and not-so-good results, Waschbusch added. "If teachers treat children more positively if they think they are on medication, that is a good thing. But if the child's medication is increased because caregivers think it is effective, that may not be a good thing."
Waschbusch is an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at UB and conducts his research in UB's Center for Children and Families. The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Development & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Waschbusch and colleagues reviewed existing studies that evaluated whether placebos produce significant changes in children with ADHD and assessed four possible ways placebos could have an effect:

• Through the child's expectations of a change -- The analysis showed that any change in children's behavior was a direct result of the medication, not the expectation.
• By producing changes in how caregivers perceive children with ADHD when they think they are on medication -- The researchers determined the studies suggested that this may be a viable mechanism for the placebo effect.
• By producing changes in how caregivers behave toward children with ADHD who they think are on medication, which in turn, could produce changes in the child -- The analysis supported this hypothesis.
• Placebos may operate through classical conditioning. "For example," explained Waschbusch, "if a parent routinely gives their child active medication in pill form and then sees their child's behavior immediately improve, they will likely learn to connect administering a pill with improved child behavior. This learned connection could then be generalized to administering a placebo pill."

Waschbusch said the next step in this investigation could be a study that observes parents and children interacting under three different conditions: after children received a pill with real medication, after children received a pill with fake medication (a placebo) and after children didn't receive any pill.
"Comparing these conditions would provide information about the effects of actual medication relative to just getting a placebo," he said.
William E. Pelham, Jr., Ph.D., and James Waxmonsky, M.D., from UB, and Charlotte Johnston, Ph.D., from the University of British Columbia, are co-authors on the study.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165611.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4720216,prtpage-1.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4712020,prtpage-1.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4705302,prtpage-1.cms

Soy intake associated with greater lung protection
LIFE EXTENTIONS  June 26, 2009
In an article published online on June 26, 2009 in the journal Respiratory Research, scientists from Australia and Japan report that increased intake of soy foods is associated with improved lung function and a reduction in the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older men and women. The disease, which occurs mainly in smokers, is characterized by coughing, increased sputum production and shortness of breath, and is a leading cause of death and illness worldwide.
Dr Fumi Hirayama and Professor Andy Lee of Curtin University of Technology, Australia compared 278 Japanese men and women between the ages of 50 and 75 years with COPD to 340 individuals without the disease. Questionnaires were administered to obtain demographic and dietary information, including type and frequency of soy food consumption 5 years prior to the interview.
Patients without COPD were found to have a greater intake of fruit, vegetables, chicken and fish than those with the disease. Soy consumption was significantly higher in the control group compared to COPD patients, with those whose soy intake was among the top one-fourth of participants having a 61 percent lower risk of COPD than those whose intake was among the lowest fourth. A similar reduction in COPD risk was associated with tofu and soybean sprouts. Additionally, such symptoms as cough and breathlessness were associated with eating less soy than the amount consumed by those who did not have the symptoms.
"Soy consumption was found to be positively correlated with lung function and inversely associated with the risk of COPD,” Dr. Hirayama stated. “It has been suggested that flavonoids from soy foods act as an anti-inflammatory agent in the lung, and can protect against tobacco carcinogens for smokers. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanism".
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_06.htm#soy-intake-associated-greater-lung-protection

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY A NOVEL MECHANISM THAT COULD BE TARGETED TO PREVENT CANCER SPREAD

Content Works 06-26-09
Jun 26, 2009 (National Institutes of Health Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News National Cancer Institute (NCI) Embargoed for Release: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Researchers have discovered a key to the function of a specific protein that helps control the levels of other critical proteins within cells, including a protein that suppresses the spread of cancer. The new information about the mechanism of action of the protein, called gp78, may enable researchers to explore new types of therapies to prevent the spread of cancer. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the June 26, 2009, issue of Molecular Cell.
In all human cells, damaged or unnecessary proteins are destroyed through a complex process that involves their being tagged with chains of a small protein called ubiquitin. The ubiquitin-tagged proteins are then directed to a sophisticated cellular structure known as the proteasome, which degrades the proteins.
The addition of ubiquitin to targeted proteins, a process called ubiquitylation, takes place in a multistep process in which several types of proteins, or enzymes, function in a sequential, bucket brigade-like manner. First, ubiquitin is activated by an enzyme known as E1. The activated ubiquitin is then transferred to E2, another enzyme. The E2 binds in turn to another protein known as E3, or ubiquitin protein ligase, which is critical for the transfer of ubiquitin to the targeted protein. This process occurs in a highly regulated manner that allows the recognition and targeting of specific proteins. To achieve the necessary specificity, human cells have about 40 different types of E2 enzymes and more than 500 E3 proteins.
A majority of E3s have an internal structural component, or domain, known as a RING finger, which binds weakly to E2s and allows ubiquitylation to proceed. An earlier study by one of the lead authors of the current report, Allan M. Weissman, M.D., of NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR), discovered that a RING finger E3, known as gp78, has a unique region called G2BR that strongly binds to its E2. Weissman and other NCI scientists previously showed that higher levels of gp78 promote the spread of cancer by tagging a protein for degradation that suppresses metastasis and that the ubiquitin ligase activity of gp78 was required for this degradation. Other targets of gp78 include proteins that are involved in cystic fibrosis and in the regulation of lipid metabolism.
In this new work, a team of CCR researchers, led by R. Andrew Byrd, Ph.D., Xinhua Ji, Ph.D., and Weissman, used advanced structural techniques to study the structure of gp78 and its associated E2 enzyme to gain insight into how the complex functions in cells. The researchers determined the structural basis for the interaction between gp78 and its E2 and uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which ubiquitylation can be regulated. They found that the gp78 G2BR binds its E2 in an area that is distinct from the sites where the gp78 RING finger domain binds to the E2. This binding causes subtle changes in the shape of the E2 that allow the gp78 RING finger domain and the E2 to join together 50 times more tightly than they otherwise would. Further research showed that this increased binding strength enhances ubiquitylation of target proteins by gp78.
This discovery may allow researchers to consider possible approaches to blocking the function of gp78 in cancer cells, leading to new types of treatment for cancer and other diseases. "Our study provides a previously unappreciated mechanism by which ubiquitylation can be regulated," said Weissman. "It is likely that other pairs of E2s and E3s interact through domains, which have yet to be characterized, that are similar to the gp78 G2BR and its corresponding binding site on its E2. This introduces the possibility of entirely new therapeutic avenues in cancer and other diseases.&quot
This team is currently working to further define the interactions of E2s and RING finger domains. They also are collaborating with other NCI scientists to design and construct potential inhibitors of gp78, based on their discovery, for testing in animal models.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8440&Section=Disease

Diet may lower breast cancer risk before menopause
Last Updated: 2009-06-26 15:36:51 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who want to protect themselves from developing breast cancer before menopause should be sure to eat their carrots, the results of new research suggest.
Dr. Laura I. Mignone of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that the more servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables premenopausal women ate every day, the lower was their risk of developing the disease.
Carotenoids are plant pigments with powerful antioxidant properties. They are found in "carrots, kales, green leafy vegetables, the things that your mom always told you to eat," Mignone said in an interview with Reuters Health.
Most breast cancer risk factors are hormone dependent, for example, the age at which a woman begins menstruating or how old she was when she had her first child, Mignone noted. "These are things that women aren't able to change."
But, she added, diet could be a modifiable risk factor. She and her colleagues examined the relationship between levels of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables in the diet and breast cancer risk by comparing the diets of 5,707 women with invasive breast cancer and 6,389 healthy controls.
Higher levels of the carotenoids vitamin A, beta carotene, alpha carotene, and lutein/zeaxanthin reduced breast cancer risk among premenopausal women, but not postmenopausal women. Eating at least two servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables each day reduced the risk by 17 percent, Mignone explained.
Carotenoids have been shown to interfere with estrogen signaling, the researcher noted, which she and her colleagues believe might explain why their cancer-preventing effects would be limited to premenopausal women.
And, she added, the pigments' antioxidant effects are also likely a factor. "They are very strong antioxidants in the body, and they can be absorbing a lot of the carcinogens that people are exposed to."
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 15, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/26/eline/links/20090626elin002.html

White House: 7 years enough to shield biotech drugs
Last Updated: 2009-06-26 11:00:20 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seven years is an appropriate time period to protect brand-name biotechnology medicines from cheaper generic rivals, White House officials said in a letter released on Thursday.
The amount of protection for brand-name companies is a sticking point among lawmakers working to set up a legal pathway for approval of generic forms of biotech drugs. The brand-name versions can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year.
Industry groups representing brand-name makers are lobbying for 12 to 14 years, saying it is crucial for encouraging companies to invest in development of new medicines.
White House officials, in a letter to Representative Henry Waxman, said seven years "strikes the appropriate balance between innovation and competition by providing for seven years of exclusivity."
"Innovation is driven by appropriate competition, and the administration's policy will spur that competition," said the letter from Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag and Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the Office of Health Reform.
Biologics are man-made forms of human proteins that are tougher to produce than traditional, chemical-based medicines. The drugs treat conditions ranging from anemia and rheumatoid arthritis to cancer.
Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, has written legislation providing up to five years of protection from rivals for brand-name drugs.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization, which represents brand-name companies, "is extremely concerned" that seven years would be a "risky short cut," BIO President Jim Greenwood said in a statement.
"We believe this abbreviated period will undermine the incentives necessary for continued biotech research into breakthrough medicines and cures for diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and HIV/AIDS as well as unmet medical needs," Greenwood said.
Waxman, in a statement, said the Obama administration "has made clear that the president does not support the lengthy monopoly periods sought by the drug industry and instead wants a bill, as I do, that will bring real competition and will not unduly prolong the monopolies on biotech drugs."
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/26/eline/links/20090626elin008.html

Psychiatric symptoms can be first sign of cancer
Last Updated: 2009-06-26 13:40:51 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that for some patients with cancer, especially brain tumors and small-cell-lung cancer, the first manifestation is a psychiatric symptom.
The results indicate that in the month after a first evaluation for a psychiatric symptom, the odds of being diagnosed with any malignancy increased by 2.61-fold, according to the report in the International Journal of Cancer. For brain tumors, however, the likelihood of cancer diagnosis was much higher: 18.85-fold.
"We studied the occurrence of cancer in persons with newly diagnosed mental illness to investigate whether a group of patients exists in which the symptoms of the psychiatric disease are associated with cancer or a paraneoplastic syndrome," Dr. Michael E. Benros, from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and colleagues note.
Using data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Cancer Registry, Benros' team assessed the occurrence of psychiatric symptoms and cancer in more than 4 million subjects who were followed from 1994 to 2003.
During the study period, 202,144 subjects had a first-time psychiatric contact and 208,995 were diagnosed with cancer. One of every 63 subjects over 50 years of age was diagnosed with cancer within 1 year of a first-time psychiatric contact.
As noted, the strongest association was with brain tumors, although a high risk of small-cell lung cancer was also noted with an incidence rate ratio of 6.13.
In general, beyond 3 months, the association between psychiatric symptoms and cancer diagnosis disappeared. The exception was brain tumors for which an elevated risk was still apparent within 9 months of first-time psychiatric contact.
"Clinicians should be aware that in patients, particularly older patients with first-onset psychiatric disorders, the psychiatric symptoms could be a sign of a yet undetected cancer," the authors conclude.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 15, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/26/eline/links/20090626elin022.html

REM sleep-related OSA linked with diabetes
Last Updated: 2009-06-26 17:07:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is a statistically significant association between type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during REM sleep, results of a study indicate.
In comments to Reuters Health, principal investigator Dr. Kamran Mahmood said, "Type 2 diabetes is a multifactorial disorder. REM-related OSA and its metabolic effects need to be investigated in more depth, and this can provide another unique avenue for intervention and control of type 2 diabetes."
Mahmood from the University of Illinois in Chicago and colleagues evaluated a multi-ethnic sample of 1008 patients -- including Caucasians (16.9 percent), African Americans (66.9 percent) and Hispanics (14.9 percent) -- for OSA using polysomnography, an evaluation of brain waves and other body functions during sleep.
OSA occurs when the soft palate narrows during sleep closing off the airways causing breathing to stop for a few seconds or more. Normal breaths resume with a snort or choking sound and the sleeper temporarily wakes up. These continuous interruptions throughout the night cause drowsiness during the day. Among other effects, OSA increases the risk of heart disease.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, one of the two major phases of sleep, is when dreaming occurs. As the name implies, it is characterized by rapid eye movement, but other than lung movements, no other body muscles move during this phase of sleep. It is thought to be necessary for memory consolidation.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 30.1 percent in patients with OSA compared to 18.6 percent in patients without OSA, the investigators report in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
According to the study team, patients with OSA - defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of 5 or more per hour (measurement of OSA severity) -- had a significantly increased unadjusted odds ratio for type 2 diabetes but this association became non-significant in analyses controlled for BMI, age, and other variables.
Middle-aged participants with OSA had 2.8-times higher odds for type 2 diabetes compared to younger or middle-aged participants without OSA, after controlling for variables.
Additionally, the adjusted odds ratio for type 2 diabetes was 2.0 in patients with REM sleep-related OSA, defined as a REM apnea-hypopnea index of 10 or more per hour, compared to patients without OSA.
"We believe that REM-related OSA is a marker of early OSA, especially in women and patients younger than 55 years," Mahmood noted in a prepared statement. "Generally, OSA is worse in REM sleep compared to non-REM sleep because of neurologically mediated impairment of skeletal muscles of upper airway and ventilation. This may be the reason for closer association of REM-related OSA and type 2 diabetes."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, June 15, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/06/26/eline/links/20090626elin025.html

No additional weight loss with CLA, arginine combo: Rat study

Nutraingredients.com, 25-Jun-2009

Conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) and L-arginine consumed together have separate but not additive effects on weight loss, according to a study conducted on rats.
Published in the July issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the study aimed to test the hypothesis that the two compounds – both independently linked to a reduction in fat mass – could also have combined effects.
However, the researchers from Korea and Texas found that although CLA andarginine had many independent effects on adipose tissue – such as on lipid syntheses from the fatty acid palmitate – there were no significant interactions between the two.
Separate benefits combined?
L-arginine is a common amino acid found in dairy foods, meat, seafood, nuts, and seeds. CLA is found naturally in beef and dairy foods.
Previous studies have shown that increased consumption of L-arginine stimulates the breakdown of stored fat in laboratory animals. In addition, consumption of various forms of CLA is thought to decrease adiposity by preventing lipids from accumulating in fat cells.
In the current study, the researchers from Texas A&M University’s Intercollegiate Faculty of Nutrition and Department of Animal Science and South Korea’s National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration studied the separate and combined effects of the compounds on fat mass and lean body mass in 24 male rats.
Experimental diets
The rats were randomly assigned to consume one of four experimental diets that varied in their L-arginine and CLA combinations and doses, up to a maximum of 1.25 per cent L-arginine and 1.5 per cent CLA. The diets were adjusted to all contain similar amounts of overall protein, lipid, and energy.
L-arginine was delivered via drinking water, while mixed isomers of CLA were included into a casein-based semipurified diet.
Each group, consisting of six rats, consumed their assigned diet for five weeks. Liver, adipose, and muscle tissues were measured, as well as the ability of liver and adipose tissues to use the fatty acid palmitate for energy. Lipid production was also assessed, and circulating and tissue contents of fatty acids and amino acids were determined.
The results revealed that animals consuming CLA ate more food and gained more weight than those not consuming CLA, regardless of their arginine intake.
In addition, regardless of CLA intake, rats consuming arginine-fortified diets ate more and tended to gain more than those consuming less arginine.
As such, the effects of CLA and arginine intake on food consumption and weight gain appeared to be acting independently of each other, said the researchers.
Hypothesis incorrect
“Compared to those eating CLA-free diets, animals consuming CLA had reduced retroperitoneal adipose tissue when adjusted for body weight. There were no effects of arginine or CLA on glucose or palmitate oxidation or incorporation into lipids in the liver. Glucose oxidation in epididymal adipose tissue tended to increase with CLA, whereas both CLA and arginine enhanced palmitate oxidation in adipose tissue.Neither dietary intervention affected adipocyte volume or number,” they wrote.
“Interestingly, both CLA and argenine depressed serum concentrations of several amino acids, and when CLA was consumed with arginine, circulating concentrations of lysine and arginine were further lowered.”
“These data suggest that CLA and arginine modulate adipose tissue metabolism by separate, but not additive effects. Further, these dietary components may depress muscle protein turnover – an effect that might spare muscle loss so common to weight-loss diets. Additional research will be required to test whether these effects are similar in humans.”
Source: Dietary supplementation of L-arginine and conjugated linoleic acid reduces retroperitoneal fat mass and increases lean body mass in rats.
Journal of Nutrition, 139:1279-1285, 2009.
Authors: Nall JL, Wu G, Kim KH, Choi CW, Smith SB.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/No-additional-weight-loss-with-CLA-arginine-combo-Rat-study

Elite cyclists 'risk infertility'
BBC News  June 29, 2009 
Professional cyclists should consider freezing their sperm before embarking on their careers, say researchers.
They found sperm quality drops dramatically with rigorous training.
The Spanish study of top triathletes found those who cover more than 186 miles (300km) a week on their bikes have less than 4% normal looking sperm.
At such levels, men would have "significant fertility problems", the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard.
“ Men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social cycler or someone who might cycle to and from work ” 
Dr Allan Pacey University of Sheffield
However, a UK expert said the average man cycling to work would be unlikely to suffer fertility problems because of their time in the saddle.
Study leader Professor Diana Vaamonde, from University of Cordoba Medical School in Spain said other studies had shown very high levels of exercise affected fertility in both men and women.
In the latest study, 15 triathletes with an average age of 33, were asked not to have sex for three days before giving a sperm sample.
When the results were compared with their training routines, only cycling - not swimming or running - was linked with sperm quality.
All of the men - who had been training for an average of nine times a week for eight years - had less than 10% of normal looking sperm, compared with the 15-20% seen in the most fertile men.
In those who managed more than 186 miles a week on their bikes, the proportion of sperm that was the correct size and shape had fallen to 4%, the point at which men may struggle to conceive without fertility treatment.
Abnormalities
Heat from wearing tight clothing, friction of the testes against the saddle and stresses on the body from the sheer amounts of energy needed to do such rigorous exercise, could all contribute to poor sperm quality, said Professor Vaamonde.
The team are doing further research work in how cycling may effect metabolic processes in the body which lead to the development of abnormal sperm.
She added it was unclear whether sperm quality would improve if men retired from the sport but that after years of wear and tear this was unlikely.
"Something which could be done would be to have their sperm frozen but when they start training they do not realise what damage can be done to their sperm."
Ways of protecting cyclists against fertility problems should also be researched she said.
"Depending on the mechanism leading to creation of abnormal sperm, these could include giving antioxidants and modifying training regimes to all for recovery."
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said there had been a lot of interest in cycling and male fertility but results had been mixed.
"It is important to stress that even if the association between cycling and poor sperm morphology is correct, men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social cycler or someone who might cycle to and from work."
He added that 40 years ago cycling was much more common but there is no evidence men then were less fertile.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8124458.stm

One in Seven U.S. Teens Deficient in Vitamin D, Say Researchers
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  June 29, 2009 

(NaturalNews) A full one in seven U.S. teenagers are deficient in vitamin D, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers from Cornell University, published in the journal Pediatrics and presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society.

"These are alarming findings," researcher Sandy Saintonge said. "We need to do a better job of educating the public on the importance of vitamin D, and the best ways to get it."

Researchers looked at 2,955 U.S. residents between the ages of 12 and 19 who were included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, which was designed to be nationally representative. They used the new definition of vitamin D deficiency -- blood levels lowe r than 20 nanograms per milliliter -- adopted at the 13th Workshop Consensus for Vitamin D Nutritional Guidelines in 2007.

The researchers found that one in seven teenagers were vitamin D deficient, including 50 percent of black teenagers. Overweight teenagers were twice as likely to be deficient as teenagers of healthy weight, and girls had twice the risk of boys.

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of the bone-softening disease rickets in children, and the risk of weak bones and fractures in adults. It has also been linked to higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders.

The study authors expressed particular concern over the high rates of deficiency in girls, since teenage girls are physically capable of becoming pregnant. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can increase the risk of gestational high blood pressure and diabetes in mothers, and weakened bones in their children.

Approximately 75.4 of every 1,000 teenage girls in the United States becomes pregnant each year. Eighty percent of these pregnancies are unplanned.

The researchers noted that the link between vitamin D deficiency and obesity poses its own challenges

"Because vitamin D is stored in body fat, simply increasing the dosage of vitamin D may not be effective in overweight adolescents," senior author Linda M. Gerber said. "As the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, vitamin D deficiency may increase as well. In this group, appropriate nutritioncould solve both problems."
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026515_Vitamin_D_teens_teenagers.html

Natural Aromatase Inhibitors are Best Prevention of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com  June 29, 2009 

(NaturalNews) One of the answers to breast cancer prevention has been right under our noses all along. When diets high in natural foods that inhibit the aromatase enzyme are eaten, breast cancers in postmenopausal women don't get a chance to start, according to research from the University of Munster in Germany. Scientists there have found that aromatase inhibitors are what keep normal cells from developing to the point where they can be classified as Grade 1 cancer.

Estrogen receptors (ER) alpha and beta are proteins found inside certain healthy cells of breast tissue. Estrogen binds with these receptors to stimulate tissue growth in young women during normal breast development. As women age these receptors play an important role in the development of breast cancer because they can continue to bind with excessive estrogen produced in breast tissue through the aromatization process, even after the ovaries no longer produce much estrogen. This can lead to the rapid growth and proliferation of mutated breast cells. If the process of aromatization is inhibited, excess estrogen will not be present in breast tissue to stimulate the growth of a cancer.

In a study designed to determine the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors compared with anti-estrogen drugs, the German scientists analyzed 21 human breast cancer tissue samples for a change in the ER alpha /ER beta ratio during the malignant progression of breast cancers. They found that the transition from normal breast cells to grade 1 tumors was characterized by the down-regulation of ER beta, while the transition from grade 1 to grade 3 tumors was associated with the decrease in ER alpha expression. In stimulation assays they found that anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen increased ER alpha expression and left ER beta unchanged. In contrast, aromatase inhibitors up regulated ER beta, and by doing so, blocked the initiation of cancer. (Anticancer Research, June)

Nature has provided an abundance of aromatase inhibitors

You don't have to take drugs to inhibit aromatase. Nature has provided plants that will get the job done without harmful side effects. In April, Natural News ran an article about the powerful aromatase inhibiting ability of chrysin (http://www.naturalnews.com/026086.html), a flavonoid from the passion flower plant. Research showed that chrysin worked as well to inhibit the aromatase enzyme as a drug designed for that purpose. Chrysin is normally taken as a supplement along with piperine which greatly enhances its bioavailability.

For those who would rather get their aromatase inhibiting flavonoids from whole foods, there are several good tasting choices. Beneficial compounds gotten from food have the added benefits of the perfect synergy found in a whole food as well as the other nutrients and compounds it contains.

Quercetin, naringenin, resveratrol, apigenin, genistein, and oleuropein are all powerful flavonoids from whole foods that inhibit aromatase while at the same time offering a treasure chest of other health benefits. When these foods are organically grown, they are higher in these flavonoids than produce grown conventionally.

Quercetin is the main reason an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It is a major antioxidant with important anti-aging benefits. It fights inflammationand reduces the cellular damage inflammation causes. By fighting inflammation, it also helps decrease swelling and pain, and keeps the circulatory system healthy. Quercetin helps prevent fatigue by helping to decrease damage from heavy exercise, and increase endurance. It is an anti-viral, and an immune system supporter and liver protector. Research has suggested that quercetin has other anti-cancer benefits aside from inhibiting aromatase in breasts and prostates. Cabbage, onions and garlic are other good sources of this powerful flavonoid.

Apigenin is a non-mutigenic flavonoid that has significant chemoprotective action against UV radiation. Research has shown apigenin reduces oxidative damage of DNA, inhibits the growth and induces differentiation in human leukemia cells, inhibits cancer cell transduction, and induces appropriate cell death. Like quercetin, apigenin acts as an anti-inflammatory and as an antispasmodic. Apigenin is found in good supply in celery, parsley, artichokes, basil, and chamomile.

Naringenin, is an antioxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, and immune system modulator. It has been shown to promote proper metabolism of carbohydrates. It was shown to reduce hepatitis C virus production by infected liver cells in cell culture and to inhibit the secretion of very low density lipoprotein by cells. As a cancer fighter, it reduces oxidative damage to DNA. Naringenin is found in all citrus and may be the reason that diets high in citrus are negatively correlated with heart disease. However, naringenin should not be obtained from grapefruit or grapefruit juice, which has an inhibitory effect on the human cytochrome P450 isofrom, another enzyme in the same complex as the aromatase enzyme. This enzyme is involved in breaking down and metabolizing sex hormones and preventing their excess accumulation in the body, so inhibiting it is not a good idea.

Resveratrol is a flavonoid gaining wide respect for its multitude of health benefits. Several recent research studies have revealed that resveratrol is highly effective against breast cancer by inhibiting ER positive and negative cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and primary breast tumor growth. Resveratrol is protective of the liver even against alcohol. It also keeps the central nervous system strong by protecting neurons from oxidative stress. Resveratrol is found to some degree in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Muscadine grapes have the largest content and are often used to make red wine. Although supplements of resveratrol are popular and widely available, getting resveratrol from red wine allows you to get the entire grape polyphenol group of nutrients, a group that has been shown to work much better synergistically. Breast tumor growth and metastasis to bone and liver were shown to be better inhibited by the complete grape polyphenol complex.

Oleuropein gives olive oil its distinctive flavor and is found in abundance in the leaves of the olive tree. It is one of the reasons olive leaf is such a powerful tool for wellness. Oleuropein helps the body fight off viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It is contained in every part of the olive tree and is the basis of its defense from insects. Oleuropein has been shown to boost the immune defense of people too, as well as fostering a healthy balance between friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract. In animal research, oleuropein was shown to enhance nitric oxide production. It is also a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

All these foods are prominent features of the Mediterranean diet

Fresh fruits, vegetables, olive oil and red wine are components of the Mediterranean diet, the one and only diet that has consistently correlated with lower death rates from all causes. Flavonoids from each of these foods inhibit aromatase activity to reduce incidence of breast cancer. And when you chose a diet that features these foods on a regular basis, what you are really getting is the best all around prevention plan on earth.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026514_cancer_brst_cancer_food.html

Medical Madness: More Women Scared Into Double Mastectomy as Way to "Prevent" Cancer
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  June 29, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Increasing numbers of women are choosing to have both breasts removed in order to avoid breast cancer -- but doctors warn that many of these procedures may expose women to serious risk without providing the promised benefit.

In general, two kinds of women use double mastectomy as a preemptive breast cancer treatment. One group consists of women who have been diagnosed with cancer in one breast and choose to have both breasts completely removed in order to avoid the risk of developing cancer in the healthy breast. This procedure is called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. Another group, the so-called "pre-vivors," are women who have not received a cancer diagnosis at all but believe they have a high enough cancer risk to justify the measure.

Performing mastectomies as prophylaxis was uncommon just a few decades ago, but the popularity of the practice has risen sharply in recent years.

"For the past 20 years we have moved toward less invasive surgery with lumpectomy and radiation instead of total mastectomy," said surgeon Walter "Bo" Blessing of Surgical Associates in Charleston, S.C. "However, in the last three to five years, with the advent of new reconstructive techniques and breast MRI, more women are choosing mastectomy."

Most insurers will pay for either single or double mastectomy, even without a cancer diagnosis in both breasts. 

According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology< in 2007, contralateral prophylactic mastectomy rates in the United States increased 150 percent between 1998 and 2003. The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn., reports a fivefold increase in the practice in recent years.

Statistics from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database reveal that it is mostly younger women choosing prophylactic mastectomies. As new diagnostic techniques continue to detect cancers earlier, the rates of preventive mastectomy are only inspected to grow.

"Women today are more educated about their risk factors, and we understand genetics better," said Valerie Gorman, a breast surgeon at Baylor Medical Center in Waxahachie, Texas, who reports increasing numbers of women coming to her for preventive mastectomies. "Plus, genetic testing is easier than in the past, and plastic surgery reconstructive procedures are more accessible."

The genetic tests that Gorman references screen mostly for mutations in the tumor-suppressing BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes; having a mutation in either gene can increase a woman's breast cancer risk by 80 percent. In other words, an otherwise healthy woman with such a mutation would have a breast cancer risk of 22 percent, rather than the average of 12.5 percent. Bilateral mastectomy can cut this risk by about 90 percent -- bringing it, in the case of the "average" woman cited above, to about 2 percent.

In the case of "pre-vivors," the presence of these mutations alone may be enough to convince some women to choose double mastectomy. Women with a cancer diagnosis in one breast may also choose mastectomy if they have genetic or other risk factors, or if they are concerned about the elevated risk that comes from already having had cancer once.
"Most of my patients that proceed with bilateral mastectomy tell me that they did not want to have to worry about further monitoring of the opposite breast," said surgeon Gretchen A. Meyer.
Another commonly cited reason for a double mastectomy is the desire for breast symmetry, which may be easier to achieve if both breasts are removed and reconstructed at the same time.

But some doctors warn that many of the procedures are unnecessary, that their risks are downplayed and their benefits are exaggerated.

The contribution of the BRCA genes to cancer risk may have been blown out of proportion, for example: only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are attributed to genetic causes. Likewise, the risk of cancer recurrence in an opposite breast normally comes to only 0.5 to 1 percent per year. Cancer cells typically spread through the circulatory or lymph systems, meaning that cancer is more likely to recur in a different body part than in the contralateral breast.

According to Ingrid Meszoely, clinical director of the Vanderbilt Breast Center, new screening techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are detecting small abnormalities that might not actually be cancerous or have anything to do with cancer risk. This, she suspects, has led more women to turn to aggressive treatments.

The benefits of the procedure have likewise been exaggerated, doctors say: double mastectomies cannot prevent cancer.

"Some people think, 'If I do [bilateral] mastectomies, I'll never have to worry about breast cancer again,'" Meszoely said. "Just because you do a mastectomy doesn't mean your risk of developing breast cancer is zero. You can't remove all the breast tissue from the chest wall."

Perhaps most fundamentally, there is no evidence that double mastectomy increases women's survival rates.
"The survival in national trials is exactly the same for people who have a lumpectomy followed by radiation as opposed to a mastectomy," Meszoely said.
Finally, the procedure carries definite risks: Beyond its effects on self-image or sexual intimacy, the removal of even one breast can lead to chronic pain and decreased upper body mobility. This risk roughly doubles when both breasts are removed.

Eric Winer, director of the Breast Oncology Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said that given the pace at which medical knowledge changes, he does not advise people to take extreme, irreversible measures to try and avoid all risk of disease. 

"But we have no idea where we're going to be in terms of medical science," Winer said. "I don't think when people are contemplating decisions they should think about lifetime risk. I think they should think about their risk over the next decade.''
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026510_cancer_double_mastectomy_breast_cancer.html

Discover the Amazing Benefits of the Olive Leaf
Sheryl Walters, NaturalNews.com  June 26, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Our bodies and immune systems are constantly fighting off foreign things such as pollution, bacteria and viruses. Stress from our fast paced lives is a leading cause of the further weakening of our body's ability to combat illnesses. Using drug substances, that act as an antibiotic, can actually weaken our immune systems and it is predicted by medical experts, that super viruses will soon occur for which there will be no drug cure. Because we want to do what's best for our body, we desire to put only natural substances into it. Drugs can cause harmful effects! That is why it is essential that we human beings look to natural health for our health answers. Olive leaf is one such remedy.

Olive leaf dates back to around 1000 B.C. It has been known to work as a powerful antioxidant. The leaves of both the Mission and Manzanillo Olive trees have been used for thousands of years, and were first known in the Mediterranean area of the world for their ability to promote good health and wellness. In the past decade, it has also become a well know herb in the United States and other places of the world.

The extract derived from these powerful olive leaves can provide a natural way to produce energy, fight infection, help with managing chronic fatigue syndrome, and work with controlling your cholesterol. It is said that the olive leaf also boosts our immune systems, helps with viruses, shingles and herpes and increases skin health, and it is a wonderful aid in detoxifying our bodies. It's the toxic build up of radicals that makes our bodies sick.

Produced from the olive leaf, are products such as herb tea, powdered capsules, soap, extracts and lotions, which we can use for their health enhancing properties. The olive leaf produces what is called oleuropein. It has been proven to fight colds and flu. The leaves of the olive tree are thought to contain more antioxidants than green tea! When brewed as a hot tea, it offers a rich unique flavor without caffeine. The soap can help to give you clear skin. There are so many benefits from this simple leaf. Be sure you shop for these olive leaf products at a reputable health food store. Try it and watch your world become better, as you not only nurture your body, but your mind and spirit as well.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026506_olive_leaf_health_viruses.html

Partner Relationship As A Buffer Against Stress

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2009) — A good partner relationship can act as a buffer for those exposed to work-related stress.
"The relationship reduces the negative effects of this kind of stress on our health. But poor relationships will amplify the negative effects," say Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén in a new doctoral dissertation from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
"A positive approach and successful stress-management techniques also help to reduce the negative effects of work-related stress," explains Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén, who will be presenting her  dissertation in psychology.
But when there are stressful experiences both at work and in the relationship, the risk of burn-out and poor health increases dramatically.
About 900 persons took part in her survey. Those who felt they had a good relationship experienced that they enjoyed better health than those who had a more problematic relationship. Women with a poorly-functioning relationship experienced more anxiety, mental stress reactions and sleeping difficulties than women who had a good relationship. Men who had a mediocre relationship had a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, psychological and somatic stress reactions than men with worse or better relationships.
One explanation can be that people living with a mediocre relationship take more responsibility to improve the relationship, while those with poor relationships just admit it, and don't feel they can do anything about it.
The body needs to recover
Although the study shows some gender differences, differences amongst individuals belonging to a gender were much greater than the difference between the genders.
After having been exposed to stress, the body must recover and recharge itself. If there is no opportunity to recover because the work doesn't allow for breaks and lunches, the body's reserves are emptied, and poor health ensues. The same principle applies when a person takes work home, frequently works overtime or has recurring quarrels and problems in his or her relationship.
The effects of the sometimes small but recurring stress situations of everyday life sneak up on a person, who at first does not even notice them. The person under stress adapts and tries to accommodate the demands and changes he or she face, until one day, there is such a great imbalance, that massive efforts are needed just to manage everyday life.
"The risk is that we don't realize things are not right until we get to that point. Our work and required social interactions demand much too much of us. Our relationship is strained to the breaking point, and we've used the last drop of the energy reserves we once had." According to Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén, not taking time to recover can lead to impaired physical and mental health and cognitive and concentration problems, which reduce performance and problem-solving ability.
"And this leads to consequences both at home and at work," says Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623090711.htm

C-section Births Cause Genetic Changes That May Increase Odds For Developing Diseases In Later Life
ScienceDaily (June 29, 2009) — Swedish researchers have discovered that babies born by Caesarean section experience changes to the DNA pool in their white blood cells, which could be connected to altered stress levels during this method of delivery, according to the July issue of Acta Paediatrica.  
It is thought that these genetic changes, which differ from normal vaginal deliveries, could explain why people delivered by C-section are more susceptible to immunological diseases such as diabetes and asthma in later life, when those genetic changes combine with environmental triggers.
Blood was sampled from the umbilical cords of 37 newborn infants just after delivery and then three to five days after the birth. It was analysed to see the degree of DNA-methylation in the white blood cells - a vital part of the immune system.
This showed that the 16 babies born by C-section exhibited higher DNA-methylation rates immediately after delivery than the 21 born by vaginal delivery. Three to five days after birth, DNA-methylation levels had dropped in infants delivered by C-section so that there were no longer significant differences between the two groups.
“Delivery by C-section has been associated with increased allergy, diabetes and leukaemia risks” says Professor Mikael Norman, who specialises in paediatrics at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. “Although the underlying cause is unknown, our theory is that altered birth conditions could cause a genetic imprint in the immune cells that could play a role later in life.
“That is why we were keen to look at DNA-methylation, which is an important biological mechanism in which the DNA is chemically modified to activate or shut down genes in response to changes in the external environment. As the diseases that tend to be more common in people delivered by C-section are connected with the immune system, we decided to focus our research on early DNA changes to the white blood cells.”
The authors point out that the reason why DNA-methylation is higher after C-section deliveries is still unclear and further research is needed.
“Animal studies have shown that negative stress around birth affects methylation of the genes and therefore it is reasonable to believe that the differences in DNA-methylation that we found in human infants are linked to differences in birth stress.
“We know that the stress of being born is fundamentally different after planned C-section compared to normal vaginal delivery. When babies are delivered by C-section, they are unprepared for the birth and can become more stressed after  delivery than before. This is different to a normal vaginal delivery, where the stress gradually builds up before the actual birth, helping the baby to start breathing and quickly adapt to the new environment outside the womb.”
The authors point out that the surgical procedure itself may play a role in DNA-methylation and that factors other than the delivery method need to be explored in more detail.
“In our study, neonatal DNA-methylation did not correlate to the age of the mother, length of labour, birth weight and neonatal CPR levels - proteins that provide a key marker for inflammation” says Professor Norman. “However, although there was no relation between DNA-methylation and these factors, larger studies are needed to clarify these issues.”
Professor Norman states that the Karolinska study clearly shows that gene-environment interaction through DNA-methylation is more dynamic around birth than previously known.
“The full significance of higher DNA-methylation levels after C-section is not yet understood, but it may have important clinical implications” he says.
“C-section delivery is rapidly increasing worldwide and is currently the most common surgical procedure among women of child-bearing age. Until recently, the long-term consequences of this mode of delivery had not been studied. However, reports that link C-section deliveries with increased risk for different diseases in later life are now emerging. Our results provide the first pieces of evidence that early ‘epigenetic’ programming of the immune system may have a role to play.”
The authors feel that their discovery could make a significant contribution to the ongoing debate about the health issues around C-section deliveries.
  “Although we do not know yet how specific gene expression is affected after C-section deliveries, or to what extent these genetic differences related to the mode of delivery are long-lasting, we believe that our findings open up a new area of important clinical research” concludes lead author Titus Schlinzig, a research fellow at the Karolinska Institutet.
Schlinzig et al. Epigenetic modulation at birth - altered DNA-methylation in white blood cells after Caesarean section. Acta Paediatrica, 2009; 98 (7): 1096 DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01371.x
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629081443.htm

Gastrin Plays Significant Role In Helicobacter-induced Stomach Cancer
ScienceDaily (June 28, 2009) — A group led by Columbia University Medical Center's Timothy Wang, M.D., has studied the role of Helicobacter infection in the development of stomach cancer and found that the hormone gastrin, which stimulates secretion of gastric acid, plays a key role in the development of Helicobacter-induced stomach cancer, and may have distinct effects on carcinogenesis in different parts of the stomach.
More than 50 percent of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter, which causes chronic inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of gastric ulcers and stomach cancer. Stomach cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
Helicobacter infection results in increased expression of gastrin, although its role in cancer development has been unclear. High levels of gastrin lead to the development of stomach cancer, but absence of gastrin has been shown to increase the numbers of tumors in the gastric antrum, the lower section of the stomach that empties into the small intestine.
To reconcile this apparent incongruity, a group led by Dr. Wang studied Helicobacter infection and stomach cancer in animal models with either high expression of gastrin or no gastrin at all. They found that Helicobacter infection in mice with high levels of gastrin resulted in cancer of the gastric corpus (main body of the stomach), whereas infection in gastrin-deficient mice developed cancer in the gastric antrum.
Dr. Wang, with CUMC's Dr. Shigeo Takaishi, and their colleagues, argue that gastrin may serve as a "rheostat" for the stomach. Gastrin likely plays a central role in the safety network for the protection from mucosal damage caused by gastric acid secretion induced by gastrin itself, and thus either too much or too little gastrin could predispose a person to stomach cancer. Therefore, clinicians in the future may need to be more careful about prescribing acid-suppressive drugs for long-term use in patients infected with Helicobacter, Dr. Wang says.
In future studies, Dr. Wang and colleagues plan to study "host factors other than gastrin that are also important for Helicobacter-associated gastric carcinogenesis." These include specific cytokines and chemokines induced by Helicobacter infection and modulated by gastrin, that link inflammation and cancer. In addition, they plan to study the role of other non-Helicobacter bacteria that colonize the stomach when acid secretion is suppressed, since bacterial overgrowth likely contributes to gastric carcinogenesis.
The work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Medical Research Council, the Welcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
Takaishi S, Tu S, Dubeykovskaya ZA, Whary MT, Muthupalani S, Rickman BH, Rogers AB, Lertkowit N, Varro A, Fox JG, Wang TC. Gastrin is an essential cofactor for Helicobacter-associated gastric corpus carcinogenesis in C57BL/6 mice. Am J Pathol, 2009 175: 2775-2786
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624161624.htm

Dietary Fat Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
ScienceDaily (June 27, 2009) — High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
This study was undertaken because research relating fat intake to pancreatic cancer was inconclusive.
To examine the association, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon, Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues analyzed a cohort of over 500,000 people from the National Institutes of Health – AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1995 and 1996 and were followed prospectively for an average of 6 years to track a variety of health outcomes, including pancreatic cancer.
Men and women who consumed high amounts of total fats had 53% and 23% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared with men and women who had the lowest fat consumption. Participants who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts.
"[W]e observed positive associations between pancreatic cancer and intakes of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat overall, particularly from red meat and dairy food sources. We did not observe any consistent association with polyunsaturated or fat from plant food sources," the authors write. "Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis."
In an accompanying editorial, Brian M. Wolpin, M.D., MPH, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., DrPH, of the Harvard School of Public Health, call the study well-performed and a good addition to the understanding of pancreatic cancer.
They do note, however, that there is insufficient epidemiological and laboratory evidence to confirm the importance of animal fats or even that meat is the important factor, as opposed to other dietary or lifestyle preferences associated with meat consumption.
"[W]ith further investigation, this work has the potential to provide interesting clues to the mechanisms underlying pancreatic tumorigenesis," the editorialists write.
Theibaut et al. Dietary Fatty Acids and Pancreatic Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst, 2009, 101: 1001-1011
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626163115.htm

Selenium Intake May Worsen Prostate Cancer In Some, Study Reports

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2009) — Higher selenium levels in the blood may worsen prostate cancer in some men who already have the disease, according to a study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute the University of California, San Francisco.
A higher risk of more-aggressive prostate cancer was seen in men with a certain genetic variant found in about 75 percent of the prostate cancer patients in the study. In those subjects, having a high level of selenium in the blood was associated with a two-fold greater risk of poorer outcomes than men with the lowest amounts of selenium. By contrast, the 25 percent of men with a different variant of the same gene and who had high selenium levels were at 40 percent lower risk of aggressive disease. The variants are slightly different forms of a gene that instructs cells to make manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2), an enzyme that protects the body against harmful oxygen compounds.
The research findings suggest that "if you already have prostate cancer, it may be a bad thing to take selenium," says Philip Kantoff, MD, director of Dana-Farber's Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology and senior author of the study that is published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology on its website now and later will be in a print journal. The lead author is June Chan, ScD, of the University of California, San Francisco.
The unexpected results are the first to raise concern about this potentially harmful consequence of taking supplemental selenium. Kantoff says, "These findings are interesting particularly in light of the recent negative results from the SELECT prevention study, which asked if selenium could protect against prostate cancer."
The new study reveals the strong interaction between selenium and SOD2 to influence the biology of prostate cancer, a finding that these investigators had shown in a previous study. The authors say the current research demonstrated that variations in the make up of the SOD2 gene dramatically alter the effects of selenium on the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
Selenium is a mineral found widely in rocks and dirt. Small amounts of selenium are essential for health: 40 to 70 micrograms is the recommended daily intake. In recent years, supplemental selenium has been sold and promoted as a means of preventing prostate cancer, largely based on observational studies that found higher risk of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in areas of the country that are naturally low in selenium.
However, research aimed at confirming the benefits of selenium supplementation have been mixed. Recently, the SELECT study, which involved 35,000 men, was halted early when, after more than five years, it showed that the supplements didn't affect the incidence of prostate cancer.
Previous studies had found that the risk of developing prostate cancer was modified by a strong interaction between SOD2 and selenium. The new research was designed to look at the effect of this interaction on men already diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Scientists examined banked blood samples, DNA, and medical records of 489 male Dana-Farber patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2001 with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. Their mean age was 62, and their mean PSA (prostate-specific antigen) measurement was 6.0 ng/mL. About half the men were assessed as having a good disease risk, one-third had an intermediate risk, and the remaining one-sixth were at poor risk. The researchers measured the level of selenium in the blood and, using the stored DNA, they determined the SOD2 genotype -- the specific form of the SOD2 gene carried by each patient.
Simply having a high level of selenium was associated with a slightly elevated risk of aggressive prostate cancer. But the risk was much more strongly affected by the interaction of selenium levels and whether the patient had a certain variant of the SOD2 gene. Men with the highest selenium levels and the "AA" form of the SOD2 gene were 40 percent less likely to have been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer than the men with same gene form but low levels of selenium.
But for men carrying the "V" form of the gene, selenium had the opposite effect. In these men, those with the highest levels of selenium in their blood were about twice as likely to have an aggressive type of prostate cancer as their counterparts with low selenium levels, says Kantoff, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The study couldn't determine whether any of the men had been taking selenium supplements or not. But the researchers noted that men in the large SELECT prevention trial had a much higher average selenium level than those in the current study.
"Among the 25 percent of men with the AA genotype, having greater selenium levels may protect against aggressive disease," the authors concluded. "However, for the 75 percent of men who carry a V allele, higher selenium levels might increase the likelihood of having worse characteristics."
Therefore, they add, it is important to know which type of SOD2 gene a man has when considering the risks and potential benefits of taking selenium supplements. Additionally, the authors say the effects of the interaction between the SOD2 genotype and selenium may help explain apparently conflicting results of previous studies.
The results may seem counterintuitive to the public, who have been told for years that antioxidants can help people live longer, healthier lives with a lowered risk of cancer. However, Kantoff says, "There is some precedent to this – research has suggested that antioxidants could be protective if you don't have cancer, but once you do, then antioxidants may be a bad thing."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625201820.htm

How High Carbohydrate Foods Can Raise Risk For Heart Problems
ScienceDaily (June 27, 2009) — Doctors have known for decades that too much carbohydrate-laden foods like white bread and corn flakes can be detrimental to cardiac health. In a landmark study, new research from Tel Aviv University now shows exactly how these high carb foods increase the risk for heart problems.
"Looking inside" the arteries of students eating a variety of foods, Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center — with collaboration of the Endocrinology Institute — visualized exactly what happens inside the body when the wrong foods for a healthy heart are eaten. He found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours.
Elasticity of arteries anywhere in the body can be a measure of heart health. But when aggravated over time, a sudden expansion of the artery wall can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity, which can cause heart disease or sudden death.
Using a clinical and research technique pioneered by his laboratory in Israel, Dr. Shechter was able to visualize what happens inside our arteries before, during and after eating high carb foods. It is a first in medical history. The results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Time to skip the wedding cake?
"It's very hard to predict heart disease," says Dr. Shechter, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. "But doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what's happening in real time in the arteries."
Like the uncomfortable medical warnings on packets of cigarettes, this new research could lead to a whole new way to show patients the effects of a poor diet on our body.
Using 56 healthy volunteers, the researchers looked at four groups. One group ate a cornflake mush mixed with milk, a second a pure sugar mixture, the third bran flakes, while the last group was given a placebo (water). Over four weeks, Dr. Shechter applied his method of "brachial reactive testing" to each group. The test uses a cuff on the arm, like those used to measure blood pressure, which can visualize arterial function in real time.
The results were dramatic. Before any of the patients ate, arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group, all had reduced functioning.
All roads lead to the endothelium
Enormous peaks indicating arterial stress were found in the high glycemic index groups: the cornflakes and sugar group. "We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Dr. Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, french fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease." During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries.
Endothelial health can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors," says Dr. Shechter, who practices at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center — Tel Hashomer Hospital. There he offers a treatment that can show patients — in real time — if they have a high risk for heart attacks. "Medical tourists" from America regularly visit to take the heart test.
The take-away message? Dr. Shechter says to stick to foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. Exercising every day for at least 30 minutes, he adds, is an extra heart-smart action to take.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625133215.htm

Diabetes Is Significant Economic Burden For US Health-care System

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2009) — Excess medical expenses and reduced productivity due to diabetes costs the U.S. economy more than $174 billion annually, a figure that could be reduced by lifestyle modifications and preventive care and by pay-for-performance incentives that reward improved disease management, as supported by three articles in the recent issue of Population Health Management.
Three timely articles examine the challenges presented by the rising number of Americans with diabetes. The reports estimate the national medical costs associated with caring for adults with prediabetes or gestational diabetes and present a critical analysis of a pay-for-performance incentive to improve the care of patients with diabetes.
"This research adds significant new information to our understanding of the total burden diabetes mellitus puts on our society," says Journal Editor-in-Chief David B. Nash, MD, MBA, Dean, and Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor, Jefferson School of Population Health (Philadelphia, PA).
The article entitled "Medical Cost Associated with Prediabetes" showed that in 2007, care for these patients was more than $25 billion, or an additional $443 for each adult compared to individuals with normal blood sugar levels, according to a study by Yiduo Zhang, PhD, and colleagues from the Lewin Group (Falls Church, VA) and Ingenix/i3research (Basking Ridge, NJ and Nanterre, France). The authors conclude that these findings "strengthen the business case for lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes by adding additional economic benefits that potentially can be achieved by preventing or delaying PD."
Excessive use of medical services by adults with diabetes could be reduced by better adherence by physicians to evidence-based clinical guidelines intended to improve diabetes care. Thomas Foels, MD, and Sharon Hewner, RN, PhD, from Independent Health Association (Buffalo, NY), report on a study targeting adult primary care physicians and encouraging consistent adherence to guidelines, a critical review of practice patterns related to care of diabetic patients, and changes in office systems to improve care. In "Integrating Pay for Performance with Educational Strategies to Improve Diabetes Care," the authors demonstrate that participation- and performance-based economic incentives can yield significant improvements in adherence to diabetes clinical guidelines, office-based education, and overall disease management.
Yaozhu Chen, MPA, and co-authors from The Lewin Group (Falls Church, VA), Ingenix/i3research (Basking Ridge, NJ), and Ingenix/i3 Pharmainformatics (Cary, NC), estimate the "Cost of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the United States in 2007" at an additional $3,305 per pregnancy, plus $209 during an infant's first year of life. In 2007, for the estimated 180,000 pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes, the total national medical costs were $636 million.

Anxiety’s Hidden Cost In Academic Performance

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2009) — The effect of anxiety on academic performance is not always obvious but new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests that there may be hidden costs. The research found that anxious individuals find it harder to avoid distractions and take more time to turn their attention from one task to the next than their less anxious peers.
The researchers, Professor Michael Eysenck and Dr Nazanin Derkshan, designed several experiments to explore the effects of anxiety on our ability to perform tasks such as avoiding distractions on a computer screen, when reading a story, or solving a series of simple mathematics problems.
According to Professor Eysenck, these findings have clear practical implications in the classroom:
 “A lot of the negative effects of anxiety appear to be caused by difficulties with controlling attention. This suggests that training techniques designed to enhance attentional control - the ability to ignore distractions and to switch attention from one task to another - could help anxious students to achieve their academic potential,” he explains.
In addition, the study showed that anxious individuals often perform at a comparable level to non-anxious ones but only do so at a greater cost in terms of effort or perhaps long term stress.
“This shows that it is important that teachers focus not only on whether a student’s academic performance seems to be OK but also on how much effort the student had to put in to achieve that level. Anxious students may be trying desperately hard just to keep up and this could be at great psychological cost,” says Professor Eysenck.
In one of these experiments, participants’ eye movements were recorded as they read a story that included a few ‘distracter’ words that were unrelated to the story. The researchers found that anxious participants took longer to read the story because they tended to dwell on the irrelevant words, particularly when they thought that their comprehension would be evaluated by others
In another experiment, participants performed two arithmetical tasks such as multiplication and division either in separate blocks (all the problems requiring multiplication grouped together and kept separate from the division problems) or with one task alternating with the other.
In this experiment, anxiety levels did not appear to affect the number of correct answers given but anxious participants took longer to complete the task, particularly when they had to keep switching from one type of mathematical calculation to another.
Overall, the experiments showed that anxiety had more effect on how much effort it took to perform a task than on how well the task was actually performed.  In other words, anxiety often produced “hidden costs” that were not apparent in performance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623090713.htm

For Women With PCOS, Acupuncture And Exercise May Bring Relief, Reduce Risks
Study finds acupuncture and exercise decrease a key marker for disease
BETHESDA, Md. (June 29, 2009) Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments can reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a new study. The finding is important because women with PCOS often have elevated sympathetic nerve activity, which plays a role in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease  
The study also found that the electro-acupuncture treatments led to more regular menstrual cycles, reduced testosterone levels and reduced waist circumference.
Exercise had no effect on the irregular or non-existent menstrual cycles that are common among women with PCOS, nor did it reduce waist circumference. However, exercise did lead to reductions in weight and body mass index.
“The findings that low-frequency electro-acupuncture and exercise decrease sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS indicates a possible alternative non-pharmacologic approach to reduce cardiovascular risk in these patients,” said one of the researchers, Dr. Elisabet Stener-Victorin of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The findings regarding menstrual cycles and decrease in testosterone levels in the low-frequency electro-acupuncture are also of interest, according to the researcher.
The study, “Low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical exercise decrease high muscle sympathetic nerve activity in polycystic ovary syndrome” was conducted by Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Elizabeth Jedel, Per Olof Janson and Vrsa Bergmann Sverrisdottir, all of the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. The study is in the online edition of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, published by The American Physiological Society.
Common endocrine disorder
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders, affecting an estimated 10% of women of reproductive age. Among the problems associated with the condition are elevated levels of androgens (such as testosterone, the ‘male’ hormone found in both sexes), ovarian cysts, irregular menstrual cycles and infertility.
PCOS is associated with increased sympathetic nerve activity in the blood vessels, part of the ‘fight or flight’ response that results in blood vessel constriction. Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The Swedish researchers had previously found that PCOS is associated with increased sympathetic nerve activity and said it may arise from the elevated testosterone level that is characteristic of PCOS.
Three groups
The researchers wanted to find a long-lasting treatment for PCOS that would have no adverse side effects, and so they looked at whether acupuncture or exercise could decrease the sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS. The study included 20 women, average age of 30 years, divided into the following groups:

• low-frequency electro-acupuncture (9)
• exercise (5)
• untreated controls, (6)

The acupuncture group underwent 14 treatments during the 16-week study. Acupuncture points were located in abdominal muscles and back of the knee, points thought to be associated with the ovaries. The needles in the abdomen and leg were stimulated with a low-frequency electrical charge, enough to produce muscle contraction but not enough to produce pain or discomfort.
The exercise group received pulse watches and were told to take up regular exercise: brisk walking, cycling or any other aerobic exercise that was faster than walking but that they could sustain for at least 30 minutes. They exercised at least three days per week for 30-45 minutes, maintaining a pulse frequency above 120 beats per minute.
The researchers instructed the control group in the importance of exercise and a healthy diet, the same instructions the experimental groups received, but were not specifically assigned to do anything differently.
Key Findings
The researchers measured the muscle sympathetic nerve activity before and after the 16-week study. Following treatment, the study found the following:

• Both the acupuncture and exercise groups significantly decreased muscle sympathetic nerve activity compared to the control group.

• The acupuncture group experienced a drop in waist size, but not a drop in body mass index or weight.
• The exercise group experienced a drop in weight and body mass index but not in waist size.
• The acupuncture group experienced fewer menstrual irregularities but the exercise group’s irregularities did not change.
• In the acupuncture group, there was a significant drop in testosterone. This is an important indicator because the strongest independent predictor of high sympathetic nerve activity in women is the level of testosterone.

“This is the first study to demonstrate that repeated low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical exercise can reduce high sympathetic nerve activity seen in women with PCOS,” according to the authors. “Furthermore, both therapies decreased measures of obesity while only low-frequency electro-acupuncture improved menstrual bleeding pattern.”
http://www.the-aps.org/press/releases/09/29.htm