Health Discoveries

By: Source: AARP Bulletin Today Date Posted: 2004-01-16 13:48:00-05:00

December 2004
By Roberta Yared

Stem Cells—A Cure for Blindness?

Stem cells from human retinas could one day conquer eye disease and restore vision in the blind.

Scientists at the University of Toronto and Miami University in Ohio transplanted stem cells from a human retina into the eyes of day-old mice and chick embryos. When the animals’ eyes developed fully, the scientists found that many of the human cells had survived and grown into specialized cells needed for sight.

The researchers examined the eyes, which appeared to be normal. Scientists are now investigating whether the retinal stem cells from healthy mice will continue to develop when transplanted into blind mice.

Iqbal Ahmad, a developmental neurobiologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, says the research is a key advance in the use of stem cells to treat disorders such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nov. 2

Osteoporosis On the Rise

By 2020 half of all Americans over 50—about 34 million—will be at risk of fracturing a bone made fragile by osteoporosis, the U.S. surgeon general warns in a new report.

Women are far more likely than men to be affected by this bone-thinning condition, but osteoporosis affects both sexes and all races.

The report, the first on bone health ever issued by the surgeon general, suggests simple steps—like 30 minutes of physical activity a day—to maintain bone health. For adults over 50, getting the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D from food or supplements is crucial.

Women over 65 and anyone who has even a minor bone fracture after 50 should have a bone density test to check for thinning bones.

"Although bone density is not the only way to describe bone in terms of strength, it’s the best we have at this point," says Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston.

Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General, October

Double Whammy Against Fat

An experimental drug helped obese men and women in a two-year study control their food cravings and lose 10 percent of their weight—and improved their cholesterol levels.

In the test, involving 3,040 Americans and Canadians, participants who used Acomplia lost 19 pounds on average the first year and kept it off the second. The drug—developed by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis—is not intended to replace dieting but to supplement it.

"I think you’re getting a double whammy," says F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, M.D., director of the Columbia University Obesity Research Center in New York, who led the study, paid for by the drug’s maker. He says with the drug, levels of HDL, or "good cholesterol," increased by 24.5 percent and triglycerides decreased by 10 percent—twice what would be expected from weight loss alone.

The drug works by blocking receptors in the brain that trigger cravings. "There is weight loss, but it’s not a huge loss," Pi-Sunyer says. "Clearly, the more exercise and dieting you do, the better the result."

In tests so far, side effects of Acomplia were an increase in irritability, nausea and depression.

Presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, November

Tea and Alzheimer’s

A soothing cup of tea can protect the mind as well as comfort the body.

Researchers at Newcastle University’s Medicinal Plant Research Center in the United Kingdom found that tea, while hardly a cure, may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by inhibiting brain enzymes linked to the disease.

The scientists give green tea the edge because its effect lasts a week, while black tea works for only one day.

Phytotherapy Research Online, October

September 2004
By Roberta Yared

Forget Dentures—Grow Your Own Teeth

Are the days of dentures numbered? Growing new adult teeth to replace lost or diseased ones may become possible in the not-so-distant future.

Scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have used human adult stem cells from extracted molars to grow new tooth buds that are implanted into animals’ jaws and develop into new teeth.

Another research team, directed by Paul Sharpe, head of craniofacial development at King’s College in London, grew new teeth in mice from nondental mouse stem cells. The team will soon begin experiments with human cells, Sharpe said, but the procedure won’t be available to the public for at least five years.

Source: Journal of Dental Research, July

Are You ‘Resistant’ to Aspirin?

Millions of people take aspirin to prevent strokes and heart attacks—but it doesn’t work for everyone.

Aspirin can halt the clumping of platelets that can block blood flow. But studies indicate that up to 40 percent of aspirin users are “resistant” to the drug’s blood-thinning effects.

Nearly half the patients admitted to Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital after a stroke had already been taking aspirin, says Mark J. Alberts, director of the hospital’s stroke program. His team found greater resistance with low-dosage or coated pills.

Until more is known, says cardiologist Richard Stein of the American Heart Association, don’t start (or stop) taking aspirin without a doctor’s advice. A good diet, exercise and not smoking, he says, can protect the heart, too.

Source: Fifth World Stroke Congress, Vancouver, Canada, June

Soy’s Benefit for Women in Doubt

Soy protein, used by many women to replace estrogen, does not appear to lower cholesterol or improve memory or bone density.

The findings emerged from a yearlong Dutch study of 175 women 60 to 75. Researchers said it’s possible that soy might be effective in younger women who are in early menopause.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, July 7

Unnecessary Pap Tests

Ten million American women still have Pap smears to test for cervical cancer even though their cervixes were removed during hysterectomies.

Pap screening rates have not declined since 1996, when guidelines declared the tests unnecessary for women who’d had complete hysterectomies. Such women may not realize they’re no longer at risk, or are "so enthusiastic" about cancer screening that they continue to have Pap smears, say researchers Brenda E. Sirovich and H. Gilbert Welch of the Department of Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group in Vermont.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, June 23/30

July/August 2004
By Nissa Simon

Aspirin May Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Aspirin may protect against the most common type of breast cancer that affects post-menopausal women.

Led by researchers at Columbia University in New York, a new study found that women who took aspirin every day cut their risk for this cancer by 28 percent, while those who used it at least once a week for six months or longer cut their risk by 20 percent. The study did not report on dosage sizes.

Ibuprofen's protections proved to be weaker than aspirin's; acetaminophen showed no effect.

While the new findings are important, more research is needed to confirm aspirin's benefits, says Barbara Rimer, a cancer researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The data are very encouraging, however."

Aspirin has side effects, so women who are not taking it for other reasons are advised to consult their doctors before doing so.

The results were reported in the May 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

'Normal' PSA Scores Could Be Misleading

In screening tests for prostate cancer, a PSA level of 4.0 or higher triggers a recommendation for a biopsy, while a lower score has been thought to indicate a clean bill of prostate health. But a new study recently found the disease in 15 percent of a group of 3,000 men with normal PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels.

Even so, the lead researchers, based at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, don't recommend lowering the cutoff point for suggesting a biopsy.

H. Gilbert Welch, a Dartmouth Medical School researcher on early detection of disease, agrees. In PSA tests, he says, it's not unusual to find many cancerous cells that don't amount to much. You "end up unnecessarily treating many men who otherwise would never be bothered by these abnormal cells."

The findings were reported in the May 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Is Your Doctor's Necktie Contaminated?

If your doctor's tie is making you sick, the problem might be more than his affinity for paisley.

Doctors are likely to acquire disease-causing bacteria on their neckties as they move from patient to patient.

Researchers at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens swabbed 42 ties worn by medical personnel and 10 ties worn by security guards who had little contact with patients. They grew microorganisms from each tie. Almost half the ties of the medical staff carried several strains of bacteria that could cause infection; the tie of only one security guard was contaminated.

Although there's no real danger, says Stuart Levy, president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, "maybe we should all wear bow ties. I do."

In May the General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology shared this information.

June 2004
By Roberta Yared

Cholesterol Levels Snowball in Winter

Changes in cholesterol levels appear to be linked to the seasons, dipping in summer and rising in winter.

One explanation: In cold weather the volume of blood tends to shrink, so cholesterol levels are proportionately higher.

Women and those with high cholesterol are the most susceptible to seasonal variations, say researchers led by Ira Ockene, a cardiologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. The team's findings could affect guidelines for cholesterol screening.

The results emerged from a yearlong survey of 517 people ages 20 to 70 who did not take cholesterol-lowering medicine. Their cholesterol levels were measured every three months. The participants made no significant weight or lifestyle changes during the study.

The Archives of Internal Medicine reported these findings on April 26.

Excellent Marks for Prostate Treatments

Men with prostate cancer often struggle over which treatment to choose: surgery to remove the gland, external beam radiation or the implantation of radioactive seeds.

But a recent study brings upbeat news: "Outcomes are generally excellent, regardless of treatment choice" for patients with cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate.

In a seven-year study of more than 1,800 patients in New York and Ohio, results for the three main treatments were the same.

Louis Potters, director of the New York Prostate Institute in Oceanside and lead author of the study, says selecting the most appropriate treatment is a matter of personal preference and circumstances.

The findings were originally published in the April edition of Radiotherapy & Oncology.

Caffeine Effects: A Mystery of the Sexes

Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure, but it may do so for different—and unexplained—reasons in men and women.

In a study at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, healthy, coffee-drinking men and women with normal blood pressure took either a placebo or a caffeine equivalent of two to three cups of coffee.

Their blood pressure was measured at rest and under the stress of public speaking.

Blood pressure rose about the same amount in men and women who had caffeine. The hearts of the women pumped faster, but their blood vessels didn't constrict. Men's blood vessels constricted, but their hearts did not pump faster. The blood pressure of those taking placebos rose less than it did among those who had caffeine.

The upshot for both genders is to avoid caffeine if you have high blood pressure—especially in high-anxiety situations.

The American Journal of Cardiology published the results on April 15.

May 2004
By Roberta Yared

Painkilling Patch Impresses Patients

An adhesive patch that delivers painkillers to patients recovering from surgery appears to be as effective as an intravenous drip.

The patch, the size of a credit card, uses a slight electric current to deliver medication through the skin of the arm or chest. A patch, unlike some IVs, lets the patient move around and control dosages with the push of a button.

In a survey of 474 post-surgical patients, 77 percent of those who got medication intravenously rated it good to excellent for relieving pain. The patch scored nearly as well, with 74 percent of patients giving it high marks.

Journal of the American Medical Association, Mar. 17

So Eat Your Spinach Already

"To get the most bang for your buck" in protecting against serious disease, eat "powerhouse" fruits and vegetables packed with the most nutrients and antioxidants, says researcher Marilyn S. Nanney of the St. Louis University School of Public Health.

Generally, the more intense the color, the better. Dark salad greens, broccoli and spinach, for instance, provide more benefits than iceberg lettuce or celery.

The nutrients in carrots, winter squash, cantaloupe and oranges trump those in corn; cauliflower is a tougher disease-fighter than onion; and tomatoes, red peppers and strawberries are more potent than apples.

Nanney says while nutrition guidelines suggest eating five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, they don’t say which ones are best in preventing disease.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March

Decoding Medical Mumbo-Jumbo

Nearly half of American adults are jeopardizing their health because they have trouble deciphering directions on drug labels, doctors’ orders and consent forms.

Poor reading skills, poor vision and limited proficiency in English hamper the ability of at least 90 million adults to use the health system effectively for themselves and their families, according to Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, an extensive new report.

Among its recommendations, the report urges health professionals and insurers to find better ways to communicate with their patients.

Even the most educated patients have trouble decoding medical language cited in the report, such as "patients should be monitored for extraocular CMV infections and retinitis in the opposite eye." Then there’s the mother who poured a liquid antibiotic into her toddler’s infected ear because the prescription label didn’t specify that the drug should be taken by mouth.

Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Sciences, April

March 2004
By Roberta Yared

‘To Sleep; Perchance to Dream’—Or to Find the Answer

Your mom’s advice to sleep on it when you have a problem to solve turns out to have scientific merit.

An experiment designed by German scientists shows that a good night’s sleep improves insight and problem solving.

The researchers set up number puzzles and taught volunteers two rules they could use to solve the problems. One group of volunteers was allowed to sleep for eight hours after instruction; another group was kept awake; a third was instructed in the morning and then stayed awake for a normal day.

More than twice as many sleepers as volunteers in the other groups came up with a third rule to solve the problems more quickly.

Ullrich Wagner of Lübeck University and colleagues, reporting in the Jan. 22 issue of Nature, say that during a good night’s sleep the brain rearranges recent memories, a process that can lead to insight and new knowledge.

New Clues to Chronic Fatigue

Researchers in France have found a probable cause for two painful conditions that have long puzzled medical science.

They discovered traces of a virus in skeletal muscles of people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia—but none in healthy volunteers.

The virus, known as enterovirus, also turned up in people with inflammatory muscle diseases, says Fatima Douche-Aourik of the medical school at the University Hospital Center in Saint-Etienne.

The researchers believe a persistent infection caused by the virus may explain these conditions, according to their report in Vol. 71, Issue 4 of the Journal of Medical Virology.

Good for the Head and the Heart

A new study shows that risk factors that apply to stroke also apply to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

You can reduce risk, say Merrill F. Elias of Boston University, lead author of the study, by maintaining proper weight, exercising, not smoking and controlling blood pressure.

The more than 2,000 people who participated in the 10-year study ranged in age from 33 to 89 and initially had no signs or cognitive problems. They are the children of participants in the original Framingham (Mass.) Heart Study, which determined risk factors for heart disease.

Researchers found that a high risk for having a stroke within 10 years is associated with a poor ability to think and reason. Their report is in the February Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

February 2004
By Roberta Yared

Knee Replacements Get Government Seal of Approval

Replacing arthritis-damaged knees with man-made implants is a safe and cost-effective therapy that eases pain and improves mobility for 90 percent of those who have the surgery, a new study concludes.

Each year about 300,000 Americans get new knees—a number that's expected to increase as the U.S. population ages.

"Total knee replacement often offers dramatic relief, and is a very successful, relatively low-risk therapy," says E. Anthony Rankin, M.D., chief of orthopedic surgery at Providence Hospital in Washington. He led a panel of specialists convened by the National Institutes of Health to review the treatment.

Thanks to advances in materials and techniques, the panel found, only 1 percent of the artificial joints fail each year.

The panel also found "clear evidence" of racial, ethnic and gender disparities in prescribing the surgery and called for more research into the causes.

A Better Drug for Saving People With Sudden Cardiac Arrest

People whose hearts suddenly stop should be given the synthetic hormone vasopressin instead of the drug that's been the standard treatment for nearly a century, a new European study urges.

The findings have already led some doctors and emergency teams to use vasopressin instead of epinephrine in cases where all heart activity has stopped—a condition known as asystole.

The study of 1,186 people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland with sudden cardiac arrest found that those given vasopressin were 40 percent likelier to reach a hospital alive than those given epinephrine, the more usual treatment.

The results were reported in the Jan. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Taking Humor Seriously

Why does humor make us feel good?

A team at the Stanford University School of Medicine, led by Allan Reiss, M.D., found that humor triggers the part of the brain that rewards you by making you feel good. Brain scans of volunteers looking at cartoons—some funny, some not—showed increased blood flow in the part of the brain responding to the funny ones.

"Humor," Reiss says, "has significant ramifications for our psychological and physical health."

The researchers report in the Dec. 4 issue of Neuron that their goal is to better understand the "benefits of a good sense of humor."

January 2004
By Roberta Yared

He-Man Hormones to Go on Trial

The party may be over for now. A new study finds no scientific proof—so far—that the testosterone products popular among many men will keep them young and boost their sex drive.

The National Institute on Aging says that until it completes clinical trials on safety and effectiveness, "testosterone therapy is not deemed appropriate for most men at this time."

The Institute of Medicine, a federal health advisory group, recommended the trials, in part to avoid a repeat of the recent controversy over hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and progestin.

In that case, large-scale trials were not conducted until more than 35 years after women first started taking hormones. The studies showed that the risks outweighed the benefits, alarming millions of women then on HRT.

For more information, see Experts Divided on Value of Testosterone Therapy for Men from our July-August 2003 issue.

Picture This: a Colon Exam With a CT Scan

If you've been avoiding screening for colon cancer because the idea of an invasive exam turns you off, then this test may be for you.

Authors of a new study have given their blessing to "virtual" CT (computer tomography) scans of the colon. Unlike regular colonoscopies that use a fiberoptic probe in the lower intestine, the scan isn't invasive and doesn't require sedation. It is faster and as effective in finding the polyps that can grow into cancers.

"Colon cancer is a largely preventable disease—we just have to get people through the door to get screened," says Perry Pickhardt, M.D., of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, who led the research team. Results were reported in the Dec. 4 New England Journal of Medicine.

In the study, more than 1,200 people, ages 50 to 79, had a "real" and a "virtual" test the same day. The CT scans and the colonoscopies both found at least 90 percent of polyps 8 millimeters and larger.

Screening is recommended for people over 50 or with a family history of colon cancer.

Is Cocoa the New Red Wine?

Chocolate lovers can take heart in new research showing that cocoa has more health-protecting antioxidants than wine or green or black tea.

"On a per-serving basis, the antioxidant capacity in cocoa was almost two times stronger than red wine, two to three times stronger than green tea and four to five times stronger than black tea," scientist Chang Yong Lee told the AARP Bulletin. Lee and colleagues at Cornell University in New York and Seoul National University in Korea tested cocoa powder that did not contain sugar and other ingredients.

Lee suggests "a cup of hot cocoa in the morning, a cup of green tea in the afternoon and a glass of red wine in the evening [as] a good combination for the daily antioxidant intake."

Findings were reported in the December Issue 25 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

CDC Seeks More Flu Vaccine Supplies

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking new sources of flu vaccine to make up for shortages.

Health officials are working to redistribute supplies to those most at risk, including people 50 and older, people with chronic illnesses and children from 6 to 23 months. Vaccine manufacturers say producing more would take four months.

People ages 5 to 49 can use the new vaccine nasal spray, FluMist.

Check with your doctor or health plan about the vaccine.

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