Smoking may boost teens’ asthma risk
Teenagers who smoke are more likely than their peers to develop asthma, a finding that highlights the immediate danger of the habit, researchers reported Wednesday.
Experts have suspected that smoking is a risk factor for asthma, but studies have been inconclusive.
One of the problems is that most studies have looked at adults. It’s difficult, for instance, to separate asthma symptoms from emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are common in older smokers.
Very obese fare worse after colon cancer diagnosis
Obese patients are more likely to have a recurrence of colon cancer than their normal-weight counterparts and face an increased risk of dying from the disease, a new study shows.
While it’s not clear that losing weight would improve their prognosis, Dr. James J. Dignam of the University of Chicago and colleagues note, healthy lifestyle changes would probably have other beneficial effects for obese colon cancer patients.
There is strong evidence that being obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, both increases the likelihood of developing colon cancer and worsens prognosis for individuals diagnosed with the disease, Dignam and his team report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Hormones linked with breast cancer risk in blacks
Overall breast cancer rates have fallen among US women in recent years, but haven’t significantly changed among young African-American women. The researchers suggest this might be partially explained by cosmetic products containing estrogens and placenta, which are more widely used by African Americans.
Steps must be taken to understand this racial disparity so it can be rectified, co-author Dr. Devra L. Davis, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Epidemiology said in a press release accompanying the study.
A More Convenient HIV Treatment Is as Effective as More Complex Regimens
Regimens to treat HIV infection that are based on a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) are at least as effective as treatment with a protease inhibitor but require patients to take fewer pills each day, according to a new study funded in part by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The study, published in the October 28 online issue of the Lancet, found that disease progression was similar for both regimens, but NNRTI-based treatment appeared more effective at decreasing the amount of virus in the blood. The number of patients who stopped treatment because of adverse events was similar for both medications.
The new study is the first to review all published research that directly compares the two classes of antiretroviral drugs used in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). NNRTI-based regimens were found to be up to 60 percent more likely to suppress the amount of virus in patients’ blood than protease inhibitor-based regimens. The percentage of patients who died or experienced disease progression were similar between the two treatments, and the number of patients who stopped taking the medications because of side effects or adverse events was also similar.
Stronger Leg Muscles Can Protect Against Knee Osteoarthritis
Stronger quadriceps muscles in the legs can help protect against cartilage loss behind the kneecap, according to Mayo Clinic researchers presenting preliminary study data at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting on Nov. 15.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the knee joint deteriorates over time. As this cushion wears down, the joint doesn’t function as well and may be painful.
