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May 23
Premenstrual syndrome may not lead to hot flashes
Researchers have said that having premenstrual syndrome (PMS) before menopause does not mean women will be troubled by hot flashes afterward.

However, they said that the women may face more menopause complaints other than hot flashes, such as trouble with memory and concentration.

The research team at the Helsinki University Central Hospital and Folkhalsan Research Institute in Helsinki, Finland, are the first to show a link between PMS and a worse quality of life after menopause.

They uncovered the link by asking 120 healthy postmenopausal women who had not taken hormones to answer standard questionnaires about the premenstrual symptoms they had had and about their current health. The investigators also had the volunteers keep a diary of their hot flashes, recording how many they had and the severity of each.

Nearly 90 per cent of the women recalled having PMS. For half of these women, the symptoms interfered with work, home or social life, and about 40 per cent of these women rated their PMS as moderate or severe.

But the analysis showed that hot flashes and their severity had no significant relationship to PMS. The symptoms were, however, linked with depression, poor sleep, feeling less attractive, and especially with memory and concentration problems after menopause.

Whether these results mean that PMS and menopause complaints other than hot flashes have a common cause, such as a similar change in regulation of the autonomic nervous system or genes that predispose to both, are topics for future research.

The study has been published online in the journal Menopause .

May 23
Drink red wine to ward off cavities
Here is some good news for wine lovers as new studies suggest that drinking wine can help you avoid a visit to your dentist as it is believed to fight cavities.

Researchers had previously discovered that red wine is also very beneficial for health as it contains resveratrol which is associated with beneficial health effects in ageing, inflammation and metabolism.

To prove this point, researchers grew cultures of bacteria responsible for dental diseases as a biofilm.

They dipped the biofilms for a couple of minutes in different liquids -- red wine, red wine without the alcohol, red wine spiked with grape seed extract, and water and 12 percent ethanol -- for comparison.

Cavities, periodontal disease and tooth loss affect an estimated 60 to 90 percent of the global population.

The problems start when certain bacteria in the mouth get together and form biofilms, which are communities of bacteria that are difficult to kill.

Research has suggested that polyphenols, grape seed extract and wine can slow bacterial growth, said the study that appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

May 22
Physical activity could help overweight women avoid heart diseases
Researchers have suggested that for otherwise healthy middle-aged women who are overweight or obese, physical activity may be their best option for avoiding heart disease.

These findings were reported in a paper led by authors at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein.

Lead author Unab Khan, M.B.B.S.,M.S., assistant professor of pediatrics and of family and social medicine at Einstein and attending physician, pediatrics at Montefiore, said being overweight or obese increases a person's risk for developing conditions such as hypertension, elevated triglyceride levels and elevated fasting glucose levels-all of them risk factors for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US.

The authors identified 866 overweight and obese women, aged 42 to 52 who were enrolled in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation/, or SWAN, a multicenter, multiethnic study designed to examine the health of women during their middle years.

The women studied were categorized as "metabolically benign overweight/obese."

Throughout the seven-year study, the women were tested annually for heart disease risk factors. They also completed an annual survey describing their physical activity for the prior 12 months, which ranged from active living, caregiving and doing household chores to exercise and sports.

During the seven years, 373 of the participants-43 percent of the total-had progressed from having at most a single risk factor for heart disease (i.e., metabolically benign overweight/obese) to at-risk overweight/obese, meaning they had developed two or more of the following five heart-disease risk factors: hypertension; low blood level of HDL ("good") cholesterol; elevated blood levels of triglycerides, elevated fasting glucose level (indicating pre-diabetes or diabetes); and elevated levels of C-reactive protein ( indicating inflammation).

Low-to-moderate physical activity-at the start of the study and during it-was the only lifestyle factor found to protect overweight/obese women from becoming at-risk for heart disease. More specifically, women who participated in physical activity during the study were 16 percent less likely to become at-risk for heart disease compared with women who were not physically active.

The study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

May 22
Bacteria can linger on planes for a week: Study
Dangerous bacteria -- the kind that cause vomiting and potent infections -- may be able to survive on airplane surfaces for up to a week, researchers said Tuesday.

Researchers at Auburn University tested the ability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and E. coli O157:H7 to survive on surfaces commonly found in airplanes.

These disease-causing bugs made their homes on armrests, seat back pockets and other common surfaces, said the research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.



For their study, scientists applied the pathogens to an armrest, plastic tray table, metal toilet button, window shade, seat pocket cloth, and leather obtained from a major airline.

Then they exposed the surfaces to "typical airplane conditions," and discovered that MRSA lasted the longest -- a total of 168 hours, or seven days -- on a seat-back pocket.

E. coli lived for 96 hours, or four days, on an armrest.

"Our data show that both of these bacteria can survive for days on the selected types of surfaces independent of the type of simulated body fluid present," said lead researcher Kiril Vaglenov.

That means they "pose a risk of transmission via skin contact," Vaglenov added.Researchers are also testing other bacteria, such as the kind causes tuberculosis,along with cleaning strategies and antimicrobialsurfaces that might help fight them.

May 21
5.5 million newborn and stillborn babies die every year
New data on global newborn deaths and stillbirths show 5.5 million "invisible deaths" every year.

A major new Series of papers, published in The Lancet, presents the clearest picture to date of progress and challenges in improving newborn survival around the world, and sets targets that must be achieved by 2030 in order to ensure every newborn has a healthy start.

The research is led by Professor Joy Lawn, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Save the Children, UK, with Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta at the Hospital for Sick Children, Canada, and the Aga Khan University, Pakistan, in collaboration with more than 54 experts from 28 institutions in 17 countries, and provides the evidence base and foundation for the forthcoming Every Newborn Action Plan, an evidence-based roadmap towards care for every woman, and a healthy start for every newborn baby, which will be launched in June 2014.

The Series shows that almost all of the 5.5 million newborn and stillborn babies who die every year enter and leave the world without a piece of paper; this lack of registration and official recognition reflects acceptance of these deaths as inevitable.

Preterm babies are less likely to be counted, even in rich countries, especially where they are not expected to survive.

The lack of registration is a key reason for slower progress in recent decades for newborn deaths compared to maternal and child mortality reduction - progress which can, and must, be accelerated if international child mortality targets are to be met.

"Throughout the Series, evidence and experience from some of the most improved, as well as the worst affected, countries shows that newborn and maternal deaths are preventable," Professor Bhutta said.

"Our research shows that three million lives can be saved by 2025 if achievable interventions are scaled up to nearly universal coverage, and improving care at the time of birth gives a triple return on investment saving mothers, newborns and stillbirths. Care of small and sick newborns is the next highest impact package, yet this has received little attention up to now, despite extremely cost effective solutions such as antenatal steroids and kangaroo mother care," he added.

May 21
Stressed social relationships can lead to early death: Study
According to a new study, troubled relationships and frequent arguments with friends/family puts one's health at a great risk and can induce early death.

A person prone to constant fighting,nagging, bickering over things with people around can seriously affect one's mental health.

This study took in consideration the amount of stress people undergoe in their social interactions and whether they think that their friends, neighbours, partners, extended family or children ask too much of them.

After ascertaining the deaths through the findings, the researchers suggested that men and women who fought a lot, regardless of who they fight with were more likely to die prematurely, especially unemployed people. Dealing with worries, expectations and demands from close family was also linked to a higher mortality risk, the study said.

Men who frequently deal with complaining partners and children, are more likely to feel risk of early death by 50 to 100 percent. The study said: "Men respond to stressors with increased levels of cortisol, which may increase their risk of adverse health outcomes."

The study is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

May 20
Vitamin D has limited benefits in asthma treatment
A study has revealed that adding vitamin D to asthma treatment to improve breathing only appears to benefit patients who achieve sufficient levels of the supplement in the blood.

According to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, overall, the ability to control asthma did not differ between a study group that received vitamin D supplements and a group that received placebo.

In the study, all patients took an inhaled steroid daily to control their asthma, and all had rescue inhalers in the event of an asthma attack.

The patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The treatment group received a loading dose of 100,000 international units of vitamin D3 followed by daily doses of 4,000 units, and the placebo group received identical looking but inactive capsules.

The investigators found no differences between the two groups in all major measures of asthma control. The groups showed no significant differences in the number of treatment failures requiring patients to take more medication, no difference in the number of asthma attacks and no difference in their need for emergency care. Patients taking vitamin D did not report improved quality of life, based on questionnaires.

One way the groups differed, however, was in how successfully they were able to reduce their daily dosages of inhaled steroids. After the first 12 weeks of the study, if the patient's asthma was well-controlled, the investigators cut in half the daily dose of inhaled steroid, reducing it from 320 micrograms per day to 160. Then, after eight more weeks, if the disease remained controlled, they cut the dose in half again. While both groups were able to taper off their doses of inhaled steroid, the vitamin D group was able to reduce its medication more.

By the end of the 28-week study, the vitamin D group was taking an average of 111 micrograms per day, and the placebo group was taking an average of 126.

Compared with placebo, the patients in the treatment group that achieved vitamin D sufficiency in the blood (with an average of 42 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter) did show improved asthma control. They had 40 percent fewer treatment failures that required more medication and half the number of asthma attacks.

The study has been published online in JAMA.

May 20
Male infertility linked to 'high death risk'
Researchers have said that men, who are infertile because of defects in their semen, appear to be at higher death risk compared to men with normal semen.

According to a study led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine, men with two or more abnormalities in their semen were more than twice as likely to die over a roughly eight-year period as men who had normal semen, the study found.

In the new study, Michael Eisenberg, MD, PhD, assistant professor of urology and Stanford's director of male reproductive medicine and surgery, and his colleagues examined records of men ages 20 to 50 who had visited one of two centers to be evaluated for possible infertility. In all, about 12,000 men fitting this description were seen between 1994 and 2011 at Stanford Hospital and Clinics or between 1989 and 2009 at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

At both clinics, data were available for several aspects of a patient's semen quality, such as total semen volume and sperm counts, motility and shape. (Dolores Lamb, PhD, and Larry Lipshultz, MD, of Baylor were senior authors of the study.)

By keying identifiers for the patients to data in the National Death Index and the Social Security Death index, the investigators were able to monitor these men's mortality for a median of about eight years.

While no single semen abnormality in itself predicted mortality, men with two or more such abnormalities had more than double the risk of death over the eight-year period following their initial fertility examination compared with those with no semen abnormalities. The greater the number of abnormalities, the higher the mortality rate, the study found.

Of the 11,935 men who were followed, 69 died during the follow-up period - a seemingly small number. This reflects, first and foremost, the patients' relative youth: Their median age was 36.6 years. But it also reflects the fact that men who get evaluated for infertility tend to have a higher-than-average socio-economic status and have accordingly better diets, education and access to health care.

The new study has been published online in the journal Human Reproduction.

May 19
Vitamin C supplements may improve lung function in newborns of smoking women
Researchers have suggested that supplemental vitamin C taken by pregnant smokers improved measures of lung function for newborns and decreased the incidence of wheezing for infants through 1 year.

Cindy T. McEvoy, M.D., M.C.R., of Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, and colleagues randomly assigned pregnant smokers to receive vitamin C (500 mg/d) (n = 89) or placebo (n = 90).

One hundred fifty-nine newborns of pregnant smokers (76 vitamin C treated and 83 placebo treated) and 76 newborns (reference group) of pregnant nonsmokers were studied with newborn PFTs (performed within 72 hours of age).

The researchers found that newborns of women randomized to vitamin C, compared with those randomized to placebo, had improved measures of pulmonary function.

Offspring of women randomized to vitamin C had significantly decreased wheezing through age 1 year (15/70 [21 percent] vs 31/77 [40 percent]. There were no significant differences in the 1-year PFT results between the vitamin C and placebo groups.

"Although smoking cessation is the foremost goal, most pregnant smokers continue to smoke, supporting the need for a pharmacologic intervention," the authors write. Other studies have demonstrated that reduced pulmonary function in offspring of smokers continues into childhood and up to age 21 years. "This emphasizes the important opportunity of in-utero intervention.Individuals who begin life with decreased PFT measures may be at increased risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

" Vitamin C supplementation in pregnant smokers may be an inexpensive and simple approach (with continued smoking cessation counseling) to decrease some of the effects of smoking in pregnancy on newborn pulmonary function and ultimately infant respiratory morbidities, but further study is required," the researchers conclude.

The study has been published in JAMA.

May 19
New breakthrough to help in fight against 'aggressive' breast cancer
Researchers have reported a discovery that they hope would lead to the development of a powerful new way of treating an aggressive form of breast cancer.

The breast cancer subtype in question is commonly called "HER2-positive"; it's a subset of the disease affecting about one patient in four, in which tumor cells overexpress a signaling protein called HER2.

The blockbuster drug Herceptin is a treatment of choice for many women with HER2-positive breast cancer, but in most cases, resistance to the treatment develops within several years. The prognosis for HER2-positive breast cancer patients is worse than for those with other subtypes of the illness.

A multi-institution team led by CSHL Professor Nicholas Tonks reported that it has found a means of inhibiting another protein, called PTP1B, whose expression is also upregulated in HER2-positive breast cancer.

PTP1B has been shown to play a critical role in the development of tumors in which HER2 signaling is aberrant.

When they treated mice modeling HER2-positive breast cancer with a PTP1B inhibitor called MSI-1436 (also called trodusquemine), Tonks and colleagues inhibited signaling by HER2 proteins.

Dr. Tonks discovered PTP1B some 25 years ago. It is an enzyme - one in a "superfamily" of 105 called protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) -- that perform the essential biochemical task of removing phosphate groups from amino acids called tyrosines in other proteins. Adding and removing phosphate groups is one of the means by which signals are sent among proteins.

The new paper by Tonks and collaborators importantly reveals an alternative binding site, called an allosteric site, that does not present the biochemical difficulties that the active, or "catalytic," binding site does. This allosteric site is a target of the candidate drug trodusquemine.

The paper has been published online in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

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