Just hours apart, 2 brothers undergo robotic prostate cancer surgery
“We are blessed to have each other to depend on. If you have to go through something bad like cancer, you’re glad to have a friend to go through it with,” said one of two brothers from Savannah, Georgia recovering from robotic prostate cancer surgery. The two siblings flew to The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York to have lifesaving surgery on the same day this week. Dr. David B. Samadi, M.D., Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Urology at Mount Sinai successfully performed the robotic prostate cancer surgeries on the siblings one after another on Monday, January 14th, 2008.
“The brothers have benefited physically and even emotionally as a result of having their prostatectomy with the da Vinci robotic technology at Mount Sinai together,” said Dr. Samadi. “Each minimally invasive surgery was an hour and twenty minutes which included only a few tiny incisions, limited blood loss (50 CC), no need for blood transfusions, less pain, and a faster recovery which included each of the patients walking the next day and were released from the hospital two days after surgery.”
Evidence Found for Genes That Affect Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
Through one of the largest studies yet of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and their brothers, sisters, and children, researchers at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville have found strong evidence that genes other than the well-known susceptibility risk factor APOE4 influence who is at risk for developing the neurodegenerative disease later in life.
Studying 25 multigenerational families of individuals diagnosed with late onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), the most common form of the disorder, as well as hundreds of other participants, the research team found that blood levels of amyloid beta (Aß) proteins associated with AD were significantly elevated compared to protein found in non-blood relatives, such as spouses.
These first-degree relatives were cognitively normal and age 65 or less — many of them too young for symptoms of LOAD to show up.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Morning Cortisol Response
People who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) often endure months of persistent fatigue, muscle pain, and impaired memory and concentration. Understanding the physiological changes that accompany CFS, however, has been difficult, but a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) reveals that abnormally low morning concentrations of the hormone cortisol may be correlated with more severe fatigue in CFS patients, especially in women.
“We’re learning more and more about the complexities of the illness that is chronic fatigue syndrome,” said William C. Reeves, M.D., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., and lead author of the study. “This research helps us draw a clearer picture in regards to how CFS affects people, which ultimately will lead to more effective management of patients with CFS.”
For their study, the researchers screened 19,381 residents of Georgia, selecting 292 people who had CFS, 268 who were considered chronically unwell, and 163 who were considered well to participate. The researchers then measured free cortisol concentrations in saliva, which was collected on regular workdays, immediately upon awaking and 30 minutes and 60 minutes after awakening. The data indicated different profiles of cortisol concentrations over time among the groups, with the CFS group showing an attenuated morning cortisol profile.
Calcium may increase heart attack risk
Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack in healthy post-menopausal women, a University of Auckland study found.
First author Mark J. Bolland said while calcium supplementation is commonly prescribed to post-menopausal women to maintain bone health, there is little research on calcium and vascular disease.
The study involved 1,471 healthy post-menopausal women age 55 years or older who had previously taken part in a study to assess the effects of calcium on bone density and fracture rates.
Genes, parenting linked to teen depression
U.S. researchers are using a new design that allows them to test the interaction of genetic and environmental liabilities concerning depression.
University of Notre Dame psychologist Gerald Haeffel and colleagues investigated whether a gene associated with dopamine interacted with maternal parenting style to predict episodes of depression.
