Overdiagnosis Since Introduction Of Prostate Cancer Screening

The introduction of prostate-antigen screening, or PSA, has resulted in over 1 million additional men over the last 23 years being diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer-most of whom were likely overdiagnosed, researchers reported in a new study published online August 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Overdiagnosis has been associated with early diagnosis in prostate cancer, but there have been no previous national estimates of its magnitude. Using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, H. Gilbert Welch, M.D., MPH, of the White River Junction VA and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice., and Peter C. Albertsen, M.D., of the Universit... More »


Newly Found Stem Cell Causes Prostate Cancer: Mouse Study

Scientists in the United States, working with mice, have found a new type of stem cell in the prostate gland and shown that mutations in it can cause cancer, a study released Wednesday says. The discovery boosts evidence that cancers can be caused by modifications in stem cells, the dynamic precursor cells that develop into and replenish the body's specific tissues, it says. It also appears to resolve a mystery about the origin of prostate cancer, and could open new pathways for treatment of the deadly disease. "This is a new stem cell in the prostate, and our research shows that it can serve as a cell of origin for prostate cancer," said Cory Abate-Shen, a professor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and... More »



Studies From University Of Colorado Describe New Findings In Breast Cancer

"Triple negative (TN) breast cancer is more frequent in women who are obese or have type II diabetes, as well as young women of color. These cancers do not express receptors for the steroid hormones estrogen or progesterone, or the type II receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) Her-2 but do have upregulation of basal cytokeratins and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)," scientists in the United States report. "These data suggest that aberrations of glucose and fatty acid metabolism, signaling through EGFR and genetic factors may promote the development of TN cancers. The anti-type II diabetes drug metformin has been associated with a decreased incidence of breast cancer, although the specific molecular subtypes that may be reduced by me... More »


Prostate Cancer Risks: Age, Race, Family, And Now Weight Gain

Patrick Walsh, M.D., author of Guide To Surviving Prostate Cancer and Distinguished Service Professor of Urology--The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, is the world's foremost authority on prostate cancer. His book provides some striking news for men: --More than 200,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. --27,000 will die in the U.S. from it this year. --Prostate cancer is the most common major cancer in men. --Because prostate cancer is silent, generally without symptoms, early detection is the key. --Men should begin being screened for prostate cancer at age 40. --When prostate cancer is small, it is curable. --More than 95% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are alive ten years later... More »


NHS Foundation Trust: Biomedical Research Centre Developing Enhanced Cells As Therapies

An increased understanding of the role of the body's immune system in the development of diseases such as prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer), type 1 diabetes, autoimmune liver disease, and in the rejection of transplanted organs by some transplant patients, has paved the way for a pioneering research programme which aims to develop 'enhanced' cells as therapies. Researchers hope to find ways to extract specific cells which play a role in these diseases from patients, then activate or modify them in the laboratory and transfer them safely back into patients so that they can fight the diseases from within their own body. The GBP1 million research programme is being carried out at the National Institute for Hea... More »



Surgeon Training Found Effective In Breast Cancer Sentinel Lymph Node Trial

Training methods for surgeons who perform breast cancer sentinel lymph node resection were found to be effective in almost 97% of surgeons assessed, according to a new study published online August 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The randomized National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-32 trial is evaluating whether sentinel lymph node resection can achieve the same outcomes as axillary lymph node resection-the surgical procedure designed to maximize breast cancer survival, provide regional control, and determine cancer stage-but with fewer side effects. In this study, David N. Krag, M.D., of the Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., and colleagues assesse... More »


Studies Conducted At University Of Texas On Breast Cancer Recently Published

According to recent research from the United States, "We found earlier that high-dose chemotherapy with Allo-SCT produced a tumor response in patients with chemorefractory metastatic breast cancer. In this study, we examined the efficacy and toxicity of nonmyeloablative allogeneic PBSC transplantation in patients with chemosensitive metastatic breast cancer." "Twelve patients with metastatic breast carcinoma who had stable disease after standard-dose chemotherapy and six who had a partial response underwent allogeneic transplantation. The conditioning regimen consisted of reduced-intensity fludarabine and melphalan. All patients achieved engraftment and hematopoietic recovery. Nine patients developed grade II or higher acute GVHD; seven... More »




Doubts on suicide-anti-smoking drug Chantix link

Despite earlier health agency warnings, there is no strong evidence that the anti-smoking drug Chantix raises the risk of suicidal thoughts or depression compared to other stop-smoking products, researchers reported Thursday in the British Medical Journal. Back in July of this year, U.S. health officials ordered strong ?black box? warnings be added to Chantix (also called varenicline) as well as anti-smoking drug Zyban, following more than five thousand reports of depression, hostility and other behavioral changes possibly associated with use of these drugs. ?There have been recent concerns that varenicline, a relatively new smoking cessation product, may increase the risk of suicidal behaviour and suicide,? study co-author Dr. David Gunnell of the University of Bristol, UK, explained in an email to Reuters Health. More »


Teen Smoking Linked to Drinking and Drug Use

New research by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers looks at the specific ways parents and peers influence teenagers to smoke, drink and use marijuana in combination. Among their findings: attitudes toward smoking influenced teenagers? use of multiple drugs (smoking, drinking and marijuana), and that this manifested itself differently in boys and girls. For girls, friends were shown to be central. Ambivalent or permissive attitudes within their social group toward smoking were associated with poly-drug use?defined as two or more of the following behaviors: smoking, drinking and marijuana use. This wasn?t the case with boys, whose poly-drug use was instead predicted by the extent to which they perceived smoking to be prevalent in their larger age group?not just among their friends. ?If a teenager feels smoking is socially acceptable and widely practiced, they are much more likely not only to smoke, but to also drink and possibly use marijuana,? says lead author Dr. Jennifer A. Epstein, assistant professor of public health in the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior at Weill Cornell Medical College. ?While the differences between how boys and girls are influenced by these social factors are subtle, they could help us develop new gender-specific educational tactics for preventing these behaviors.? More »


Can Strep Throat Cause OCD, Tourette Syndrome?

New research shows that streptococcal infection does not appear to cause or trigger Tourette syndrome or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The research is published in the September 30, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ?These results do not confirm other, smaller studies done in the US, which found an association between strep infection and these brain disorders,? said study author Anette Schrag, MD, of the University College London in the United Kingdom. ?Streptococcal infection has previously also been linked to other, much rarer neuropsychiatric disorders.? OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted thoughts or obsessions and repetitive behaviors. Tourette syndrome is a neurologic disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary sounds and movements called tics. More »




Positive trend for diabetic eye health; AMD may predict heart disease; vision impacts life success

Highlights of October?s Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, include good news on preserving vision in people with type 1 diabetes, a warning from the Cardiovascular Health Study for macular degeneration patients, and a report on how vision impacts well-being across the lifespan. Today?s Type 1 Diabetes Patients Enjoy Better Vision than Those in Decades Past People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in recent years are less likely to develop diabetes-related vision loss than those diagnosed in earlier years, says a new study funded by the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Forecasts of visual impairment prevalence in T1D patients may need to be amended, the researchers suggest, since current predictions assume that the earlier incidence rates will continue. Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences assessed visual acuity over 25 years in 955 people diagnosed with T1D in one of four time periods, with the earliest defined as ?before 1960? and the latest as ?1975 through 1979.? More »



Paradoxically, food insecurity may be underlying contributor to overweight

Both household food insecurity (HFInsec) and childhood overweight are significant problems in the United States. Paradoxically, being food-insecure may be an underlying contributor to being overweight. A study of almost 8,500 low-income children ages 1 month to 5 years, published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, suggests an association between household food insecurity and overweight prevalence in this low-income population. However, sex and age appear to modify both the magnitude and direction of the association. Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, which results from limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate and safe foods in socially acceptable ways. In 2004, 11% of households in the United States reported household food insecurity, and households with children younger than 6 years old and black and Hispanic households experienced higher rates of household food insecurity and hunger. Prevalence of household food insecurity and overweight has increased over time and are more prevalent in low-income families. This cross-sectional study is based on demographic, anthropometric, food security and other health-related data collected from November 1998 through December 1999, on a sample of children and mothers from low income families participating in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health?s WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for the Women, Infants, and Children) Program. Data on the children?s age, sex, parental/caretaker report of child race/ethnicity and maternal education were also collected. More »


Severe stress can cause stroke

Many patients urgently admitted to hospital with cerebral infarction state that they were under great stress over a prolonged period prior to suffering their stroke, is shown in a unique patient study conducted in cooperation between the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. The study is published in the scientific journal BMC Medicine. ?There appears to be a correlation between stress and stroke, but this needs to be interpreted with great caution. We asked about self-perceived stress among the stroke patients, and there is, of course, a risk of patients who have just had a cerebral infarction remembering incorrectly or over-interpreting with regard to their level of stress, says Katarina Jood, who is a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy and a neurologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. More »


Blood diagnosis ? chip-based and mobile

The analysis takes just a few minutes and the doctor knows straight-away whether there are any pathogens in the blood. An improved marker-free technique provides the basis for faster analysis, whether in a hospital or for mobile blood donations. If a person loses a large amount of blood the consequences can be critical. That?s why adequate quantities of donated blood have to be kept available in hospitals and blood banks. In Egypt doctors collect blood by traveling to towns and villages and conducting blood donation sessions in a laboratory bus. The problem is that 25 per cent of the samples taken contain pathogens, including HIV, hepatitis and syphilis. As these diseases can be passed on in transfusions, the contaminated blood cannot be used. Conventional fast tests are not suitable in most cases for mobile use. In future a rapid and robust analysis technique could help. A few drops of blood could be tested in the bus to check whether it can be used. Only if the result is positive will the doctors take a larger quantity from the donor. More »




Protect Children First with H1N1 Flu Vaccine, Says National Pediatric Disease Expert

The optimal way to control swine flu, the new H1N1 virus that emerged as a global threat in 2009, is to vaccinate children with the planned H1N1 flu shot, says the co-director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. ?Children are the highest-risk group for spreading the virus among themselves, and as a consequence, spreading it around their community,? says UAB?s David Kimberlin, M.D., one of four U.S. physicians serving on the federal Safety Monitoring Committee reviewing clinical trials of H1N1 vaccines. The committee is a part of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. ?Like a bull?s-eye, the middle of the target is what you vaccinate so you don?t see infections in the concentric rings around the center,? Kimberlin says. ?The center of the protection bull?s-eye should be children.? More »