Blocking stomach acid doesn’t raise cancer risk
Overall, the use of drugs that reduce stomach acid, such as H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors, do not increase the risk of cancer of the esophagus or stomach, according to a study reported in the journal Gut.
Common H2 blockers are ranitidine (Zantac) and cimetidine (Tagamet); and a common proton pump inhibitor is omeprazole (Prilosec).
“There have been concerns regarding the safety of long-time gastric acid suppression,” senior investigator Dr. Mats Lindblad told Reuters Health. “I think our large study clearly suggests that long-time gastric acid suppression does not increase the risk” of cancer of the esophagus or stomach.
Depression can be beaten, but it takes time
Depression can be beaten in more than two thirds of patients, but it takes time and trying several combinations of treatments, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
The “real-world” study of 3,671 patients with major depression showed that no one drug or class of drugs works any better, the researchers said. The right combination must be found for each individual patient.
“The good news is that two thirds of people can be relieved of their depression if they can hang in there for up to four treatment steps. That’s pretty significant for a tough illness,” said Dr. A. John Rush, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who led the study.
Teens who read poorly have higher suicide risk
Teenagers who have significant problems reading appear to be much more likely than their peers to contemplate or attempt suicide, researchers reported Wednesday.
In a 3-year study of 188 high school students, researchers found that those with poor reading abilities were nearly four times more likely than average readers to think about or attempt suicide.
Twenty-five percent of teens with reading disabilities said they thought about killing themselves or made a suicide attempt, while these thoughts and behaviors were reported by 9 percent of students with average reading skills, the study authors report in the Journal of Learning Disabilities.
CDC plans to subsidize cervical cancer vaccine
U.S. health authorities added Merck & Co. Inc.’s new vaccine for cervical cancer to a government-subsidized vaccine program for schoolchildren, helping to expand its availability, the company said on Wednesday.
The vaccine Gardasil prevents cervical cancer by protecting against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which can trigger the disease, one of the most common cancers in women.
Merck said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included Gardasil in its Vaccines for Children program, under which the government buys vaccines for uninsured or poor schoolchildren.
PSA changes predict prostate cancer outcome
Watching changes in men’s PSA blood tests may be the best way of predicting which men have life-threatening prostate cancer, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, strengthens the argument that men should have their prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels tested when they are young, so doctors have a point of reference, or “baseline,” for studying future changes.
“We have found that the rate at which a man’s PSA rises may be more important than any absolute level for identifying men who will develop life-threatening cancer while their disease is still curable,” said Dr. H. Ballentine Carter of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Music may ease symptoms of schizophrenia
Music therapy many help to ease the depression, anxiety and emotional withdrawal symptoms of schizophrenia, British scientists said on Wednesday.
In a small study in four hospitals, researchers at Imperial College London found that encouraging patients to express themselves through music seemed to improve their symptoms.
“We have known for some time that psychological treatments can help people with schizophrenia, but these have only been used when people are fairly stable,” said Dr. Mike Crawford, the author of the study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Compound in red wine counters effects of a high-calorie diet
The results of an international study suggests that a compound found in red wine gave mice longer and healthier lives and also countered some of the effects of a high-calorie diet.
The compound resveratrol is found in grapes and other plants and in earlier studies appeared to have life-prolonging qualities.
It seems fish treated with resveratrol lived 60 per cent longer, and fruit flies and worms 30 per cent longer.
Breakthrough in Eye Cancer Treatment
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have demonstrated in a mouse model a new, locally applied treatment for the eye cancer retinoblastoma that not only greatly reduces the size of the tumor, but does so without causing the side effects common with standard chemotherapy. The treatment also appears to be suitable for certain forms of breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer, and is simple enough for widespread use even in countries with limited resources.
A report on this work appears in the Nov. 2 issue of the journal Nature.
Retinoblastoma occurs in about 5,000 young children worldwide each year, arising from the immature retina, which is the part of the eye responsible for detecting light and color. The cancer is fatal if left untreated.
The lifetime cost of current HIV care in the United States
"The Lifetime Cost of Current HIV Care in the United States,” a major study appearing in the November 2006 issue of Medical Care, projects the cost of treatment for HIV-infected adults using current standards of care. The study provides guidance for policy makers so that appropriate funds are allocated for HIV care and prevention.
“Policy makers need accurate and up-to-date predictions of the future expense of HIV treatment if they seek to ensure broad access to high-quality care,” says lead author Dr. Bruce R. Schackman, Chief of the Division of Health Policy in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. “If they rely on outdated cost information, treatment programs will be under-funded and the economic value of HIV prevention will be understated.”
Answers (You May Not Know) About Healthier Cooking
Pass on the salt. Cut back on the sugar. Some easy recipe adjustments may be in order for healthier cooking. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource answers questions about healthier cooking.
Does adding salt to the water when boiling speed up cooking?
Adding salt can increase the temperature at which water boils, but it doesn’t affect cooking times for foods. It adds unneeded sodium, which may contribute to blood pressure concerns. Another reason to pass on the salt: It draws water out of plant cells and can make some vegetables mushy. It can also make beans and peas tough.
New Orleans Doctors Recount Katrina Experiences
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, New Orleans hospitals were on the front lines of the crisis. In November’s special issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), the official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI), physicians from New Orleans hospitals and medical schools relate their experiences in coping with the destruction and loss of Katrina- as well as their determination to overcome those losses by rebuilding the city’s clinical and educational health care infrastructure.
Several articles in the special issue tell stories of doctors stranded along with patients at New Orleans hospitals - their shock as they realized the extent of the disaster, the heartbreaking scenes of loss and despair they witnessed, and the inspiring responses of dedicated health professionals. Other contributions highlight the arduous process of recovery, from initial efforts to save stranded patients and provide immediate care for evacuees, to ongoing plans for restoring New Orleans’ capacity to provide top-quality care for patients and educational experiences for medical students and residents.
