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Sleeper
trend not validated
WINSTON-SALEM,
NC — Dr Vaughn McCall, a US sleep expert,
was intrigued by the widespread off-label use of various
antidepressants. At a special panel at the National
Institutes of Health, Dr McCall reported that trazadone,
a sedating antidepressant, was particularly popular
among psychs treating insomnia (78% make it their first
choice). Convinced there must be substantial evidence
to support this practice, Dr McCall did a search of
the literature, but found only one study that showed
trazadone to be superior to placebo in the first week
of treatment. One disturbing reason for the trend could
be that many of the approved hypnotics are controlled
substances and have firm limits on duration of use,
forcing MDs to find something else to give patients.
Red
meat is murder — for the colon
LYON —
Claims that red meat increases colon cancer have been
confirmed, according to a study published in the June
15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study included data from 500,000 people over a five-year
period. Researchers looked at the diets of participants
and found that those who ate more than two portions
(or 160g) of red meat were at a 35% higher risk of developing
colon cancer. Interestingly, the colon cancer rates
of participants who ate more than three portions of
fish dropped.
Rein
in knee-jerk epilepsy reaction
LIVERPOOL —
Although experiencing a seizure is enough to scare most
patients into early treatment, a study in the June 28
edition of The Lancet advises MDs to delay prescribing
antiepileptics. A team of researchers from the University
of Liverpool reached this conclusion after studying
the longterm effects of both strategies in 1,400 epilepsy
patients. Patients who were fast-tracked to receive
treatment fared better in year one but the unwanted
side effects of drug therapy, like dizzy spells, headache
and nausea, soon caught up with them at the two-year
mark. On the other hand, those left untreated managed
to dodge the harsh longterm effects and seemed to enjoy
the same quality of life.
Blame
it on mum, Kojak
BONN, GERMANY
— Young men fretting over their hairlines
have long been told to take a look at their maternal
grandfather if they dare peer into their hair future.
Now German researchers have taken our knowledge a step
further by pinpointing one of the genes responsible
for male-pattern baldness. The gene, an androgen receptor
located on the X chromosome, indeed comes from mum.
Researchers looked at 95 German families that had at
least two brothers who had begun to lose their hair
before 40. Through blood tests they found a particular
variant in the androgen receptor that occurred more
often in the balding men. The results of the study are
in the July issue of the American Journal of Human
Genetics.
Calcium,
vitamin D break 'the curse'
AMHERST, MA —
Researchers may have stumbled upon a simple way to quell
premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The findings, published
in the June 13 Archives of Internal Medicine,
show that a high intake of calcium and vitamin D reduce
the symptoms of PMS. Researchers compared 1,057 women
(a cohort of the Nurses's Health Study) who developed
PMS over a 10-year period to 1,968 women with no or
minimal PMS. Intake of calcium and vitamin D was measured
by a food questionnaire. The women with the highest
intake — about four servings daily — had the
lowest risk of PMS.
Thyroid-bipolar
genetic link uncovered
PITTSBURG —
New research presented at the sixth International Conference
on Bipolar Disorder is zeroing in on the gene (or genes)
responsible for bipolar disorder. One study looked at
87 bipolar siblings and identified eight regions of
genetic linkage of the disorder and may have pinpointed
the specific genes that predispose folks to the disease.
Another set of studies presenting data suggested a link
between autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) and bipolar disorder.
Bipolar patients are twice as likely to develop AT.
Children of bipolar parents also have an increased prevalence
of developing the mood disorder and AT — regardless
of their own diagnosis.
Cali
docs to make the grade
SACRAMENTO —
Starting next year California MDs will have report cards
rating their job performance published for all to see
on the internet. But if Golden State patients are hoping
this will lead to better care they may be in for a broken
heart. A study in the latest Journal of the American
College of Cardiology looking at the effect of publicly
viewable doctor report cards in New York State suggests
the extra scrutiny causes docs to seriously err on the
side of caution — an approach that looks good on
the report cards but tends to give very sick patients
short shrift.
Another
Tx bites the dust?
NOTTINGHAM —
Arthritis sufferers and other patients dependent
on painkillers have been dealt another blow. New research
published in the June 11 BMJ is suggesting that
NSAIDs also increase the risk of heart attack. This
data comes in the wake of last year's COX-2 scandal,
which found that that popular class of drugs caused
similar damage to the heart. This latest research, although
in the preliminary stages, had some startling findings.
Data from 9,218 first-time heart attack patients were
compared with 86,349 controls. The study reports that
ibuprofen ups heart attack risk by 24%, diclofenac by
55%, naproxen, however only caused a slight increase
in MI risk.
More
COX-2 news
MONTREAL —
Another study published alongside the NSAID research
in the June 11 BMJ shows that of the COX-2s,
celecoxib is the safest. The research, by McGill University
rheumatologist Dr Marie Hudson, looked at data from
more than 2,200 patients over the age of 66 with congestive
heart failure; all the participants needed some sort
of painkiller. Although heart patients are traditionally
not prescribed COX-2s or NSAIDs, sometimes their pain
calls for these types of drugs. This study found that
in such cases celecoxib was a slightly safer choice
of painkiller than rofecoxib.
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