Elderly people with the metabolic syndrome — a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors including excessive fat around the abdomen, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose levels — are at greater risk for cognitive impairment and decline than those without the syndrome, according to a study led by a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).
Elders with both the metabolic syndrome and high levels of infl
Lycopene, an antioxidant commonly found in tomatoes and tomato-based products, is commonly perceived to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
A new study at Northwestern University seeks to determine whether natural tomato oil with a high concentration of lycopene may reverse or delay progression of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), a condition in which abnormal cells form within the prostate and which is the strongest risk factor yet identified fo
Scientists for the first time have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking. The study, by a team at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Nov. 8 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers studied the brain waves of normal and schizophrenic patients as they responded to images. Those with the disorder showed no electrical activ
University of Minnesota cancer researcher says shedding excess pounds may be key in preventing often fatal disease
A study from the University of Minnesota Cancer Center indicates that overweight and obesity could more than double an older woman’s risk of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), an often fatal cancer of the bone marrow and blood. The results of the study are published in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention journal.
Other stud
First-Ever Genetic Study of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in Hispanic Families
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If confirmed, they will be the first genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease since ApoE4 was discovered in 1993. The findings are published in the November issue of Molecular Psychiatry, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group. “We feel confid
Air pollution may trigger and accelerate narrowing of carotid arteries, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.
Researchers found an association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). “We knew that people in more polluted areas die earlier from cardiovascular disease, but it was not clear how early in the disease process air pollution contributes. Our stu
A new study finds surgery to transplant an ovary to the upper arm is feasible and preserves hormonal function in women undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. The report details the technical procedure and outcome of only the second successful human ovarian autotransplantation in the world. The study will be published in the December 15, 2004 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. A free abstract of this study will be available via the CANCER News Room upon o
Reviparin is simple, effective therapy for heart attack patients worldwide
A major Canadian-led global study has found that an inexpensive anti-blood-clotting drug significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke. The study is of significance to patients in all countries, including developing countries where access to high-tech treatments for cardiovascular problems may be limited.
The CREATE randomized trial was initiated and c
A new study shows that an enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules in cells may also help prevent cancer.
The enzyme is known as PTPRO (for “protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O”). When the gene responsible for producing PTPRO is silenced, as can happen in lung cancer, for example, the amount of the enzyme drops, allowing the cells to grow when they shouldn’t.
The research, led by investigators at The Ohio State University Comprehensive
USC study shows brachytherapy holds promise as treatment for once-debilitating cancers
Brachytherapy, the administration of radiation therapy locally through radioactive seeds, holds promise as part of a limb-sparing treatment program for patients with soft-tissue sarcomas, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. After five years, 83 percent of patients in a trial incorporating brachytherapy into the treatment plan had survi
Loyola University Health System begins today the national clinical trial using PolyHeme®, an investigational oxygen-carrying blood substitute designed to increase survival of critically injured and bleeding trauma patients at the scene of injury. Loyola has been involved in extensive public education, staff education and paramedic training since its Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (IRB) approved the clinical trial in May. Loyola is one of 20-25 Level
Results differ from adult patients, underscore need for more research
A new study has shown for the first time that transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from sibling donors may be more harmful than bone marrow in pediatric leukemia patients.
Researchers from the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR) found that patients undergoing PBSC transplants were more likely to die of transplant-related causes than those who underwent bone marrow tr
Risk of dying from experimental cancer treatment drops by 90 percent over 12 years
The chance that patients participating in early-stage cancer research studies will die from the experimental treatments has dropped dramatically over the past decade, according to a study from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In an analysis of more than 200 Phase 1 research trials from 1991 through 2002, the researchers found
A study from the Netherlands suggests that elderly persons who receive a yearly influenza vaccination have reduced risk of death from all causes, according to a study in the November 3 issue of JAMA.
“Influenza-associated morbidity and mortality increase with age, especially for individuals with high-risk conditions,” the authors provide as background information in the article. “The effectiveness of vaccination has been reported to decrease in high-risk persons. Annual influenz
It’s one of the defining tenets of modern biology: The characteristics of a living organism are coded into the organism’s DNA, and only information in the DNA can be passed to the organism’s offspring.
A new study by scientists at The Wistar Institute, however, suggests that this is not the full story. Instructions that control gene activity and are recorded solely in the molecular packaging of the DNA can also be passed to an organism’s progeny, according to th
Adults who dispense eye drops daily to correct a child’s “lazy eye” take note: a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and 29 other centers across North America finds that giving the drops just twice during the weekend is just as effective as administering them every day of the week.
In what is believed to be the first clinical trial comparing treatment regimens of atropine sulfate eye drops for the treatment of amblyopia, the investigators co
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