Depressed diabetics have higher mortality risk
Both minor and major depression are strongly associated with increased mortality in diabetic patients, according to results of a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers in Seattle examined whether patients with minor or major depression and type 2 diabetes have a higher mortality rate compared with patients with diabetes alone. They surveyed 4,154 diabetic patients in a large health maintenance organization and followed them for up to 3 years.
Viagra may be useful for serious lung disease
Treatment with Viagra (sildenafil) can improve exercise capacity and functional ability in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious disease involving high pressure in the blood vessels that enter the lungs, new research suggests.
The findings, which appear in The New England Journal of Medicine, are based on a study of 278 patients who were randomly selected to receive Viagra, at one of three doses, or inactive “placebo” three times daily for 12 weeks.
Hormone level linked to colorectal cancer risk
Low levels of a hormone secreted by fat cells, independent of body mass index (BMI)—a measure of obesity—are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in men, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Previous reports have linked body fat and insulin resistance with colorectal cancer risk. Since adiponectin, an insulin-related hormone secreted by fat cells, is inversely associated with both these factors, Dr. Esther K. Wei, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues hypothesized that it too would be tied to the risk of this malignancy.
Pregnancy problem linked to heart disease risk
Women who suffer certain complications during pregnancy are more likely to develop premature cardiovascular disease, according to a study published on Friday.
Scientists at the University of Toronto in Canada said expectant mothers with maternal placental syndrome, which includes pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy, had double the risk of developing early cardiovascular disease.
Exposure to High Levels of Noise Increases Blood Pressure
A new study by University of Michigan researchers suggests working in loud places can raise blood pressure levels.
Sally Lusk, professor emerita of the University of Michigan School of Nursing who has studied noise’s effects on hearing loss for years, said her latest project gives one more reason for concern.
New Drug Target Identified for Fighting Parkinson’s Disease
Researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) have discovered a protein that could be the best new target in the fight against Parkinson’s disease since the brain-damaging condition was first tied to loss of the brain chemical dopamine.
Over the past year, the gene for this protein, called LRRK2 (pronounced “lark-2"), had emerged as perhaps the most common genetic cause of both familial and unpredictable cases of Parkinson’s disease. Until now, however, no one knew for sure what the LRRK2 protein did in brain cells or whether interfering with it would be possible.
