More Study Needed On Effectiveness Of Widely-Used Statins
June 29, 2010
A meta-analysis of previously published studies finds no evidence that statins are associated with a reduced risk of death among individuals at risk for but with no history of cardiovascular disease, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Lee A. Green, M.D., M.P.H, professor in the Department of Family Medicine, wrote a commentary published today in the Journal examining the findings of the meta-analysis.
“The meta-analysis makes it clear that in the short term, for true primary prevention, the benefit , if any, is very small,” says Green. “In the long term, we really must admit that we do not know.”
Statins are now one of the most widely used drugs for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease both among individuals with established disease and among high-risk healthy individuals who are at elevated risk of incident [new-onset] cardiovascular disease, according to the study’s authors.
Combination MMRV Vaccine Associated with Two-Fold Risk of Febrile Seizures Compared with Separate MMR & Varicella Vaccines
June 29, 2010
The combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1- to 2-year-old children compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study appearing online in the journal Pediatrics.A febrile seizure is a brief, fever-related convulsion but it does not lead to epilepsy or seizure disorders, researchers explained.
Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the study analyzed 459,000 children 12 to 23 months old from numerous health systems across the United States receiving their first dose of measles-containing vaccine and found MMRV to be associated with a two-fold increased risk of fever and febrile seizures 7-10 days after vaccination compared with same-day administration of a separate shot for MMR and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. This study found that the risk for a febrile seizure after the first dose of MMRV vaccine is low, although it is higher than after MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine administered as separate injections.
The study found no evidence of an increased febrile seizure risk after any measles vaccine beyond 7-10 days post vaccination.
Statins Associated with Lower Cancer Recurrence Following Prostatectomy
June 28, 2010
Men who use statins to lower their cholesterol are 30 percent less likely to see their prostate cancer come back after surgery compared to men who do not use the drugs, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Researchers also found that higher doses of the drugs were associated with lower risk of recurrence.
The findings are published in the journal CANCER.
“The findings add another layer of evidence suggesting that statins may have an important role in slowing the growth and progression of prostate cancer,” says Stephen Freedland, MD, a member of the Duke Prostate Center and the Urology Section at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the senior author of the study. “Previous studies have shown that statins have anti-cancer properties, but it’s not entirely clear when it’s best to use them — or even how they work.”
Researchers examined the records of 1319 men who underwent radical prostatectomy included in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database. They found that 18 percent of the men -– 236 -– were taking statins at the time of surgery.
When Patients Don’t Take Their Prescription Drugs
June 28, 2010
One of my favorite patients in residency was a lady in her seventies who had longstanding high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Each time she visited the office, I would recommend that we start multiple medications to control these conditions, and every time she would politely decline. Her previous physicians had left frustrated notes in her chart littered with terms such as “non-compliant,” “against medical advice” and expressing wonderment why she even bothered to show up.
I wondered, too — for show up she did, never missing an appointment but always turning down every drug we offered.
Ingredient In Red Wine May Prevent Some Blinding Diseases
June 27, 2010
On the left, abnormal blood vessels are seen in bright green underneath the mouse retina, but in the image on the right after resveratrol treatment, few abnormal vessels are present.
Resveratrol — found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants — stops out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye, according to vision researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The discovery has implications for preserving vision in blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 50.
The formation of new blood vessels, called angiogenesis, also plays a key role in certain cancers and in atherosclerosis. Conducting experiments in mouse retinas, the researchers found that resveratrol can inhibit angiogenesis. Another surprise was the pathway through which resveratrol blocked angiogenesis. The findings are reported in the July issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
Media Coverage Responsible for Growth in Vaccination Rates
June 24, 2010
Mass media coverage of flu-related topics such as vaccine shortages and delays appears to boost overall vaccination rates and prompt people to get their shots earlier in the flu season. A study published online today in the journal Health Service Research shows that, on average, national news reports involving the flu are estimated to increase annual vaccination rates by as many an 8 percentage points.
“There is a strong correlation between media coverage and the timing and annual receipt of influenza vaccine among the elderly,” said Byung-Kwang Yoo, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and lead author of the study. “We know that mass media can substantially influence health knowledge and the use of health services. In this instance, it is also clear that the media play a significant role in public health.”
The study focused on vaccination trends over three flu “seasons” from 1999 to 2001, a period that included 2 years with a vaccine supply shortage and/or delay in delivery (2000 and 2001.)
10 Prescription Drugs Pulled From the Shelves and Why
June 24, 2010
Prescription drugs have done wonders for the field of medicine. They’ve healed suffering patients and relieved chronic pain, in addition to causing serious health risks and side effects that inevitably caused them to be pulled from the market. Many of the so-called “miracle drugs” of our lifetime proved to be more dangerous than the original condition itself. Here are 10 prescription drugs pulled from the shelves and why:
Injectable Heroin Or Methadone For Addiction Treatment
June 24, 2010
Heroin addicts had almost a threefold increase in negative urine specimens when treated with supervised heroin injection rather than with oral methadone, data from a British study showed.
Overall, 72% of patients had negative specimens at least 50% of the time compared with 27% of patients assigned to oral methadone, according to the report published in the May 29 issue of The Lancet.
Treatment with injectable heroin almost doubled the success rate compared with injectable methadone, although the trial lacked statistical power for that comparison.
Seeking to Illuminate the Mysterious Placebo Effect
June 24, 2010
The phrase “mind-body connection” has many connotations. For some, it’s shorthand for New Age quackery. For others, it’s a source of hope and a way to reconcile their spiritual life with modern science.
For Tor D. Wager, it’s just another day at the office.
Dr. Wager (pronounced WAY-gur) is a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado. His specialty is neuroscience and brain imaging, but his passion is the placebo effect — a phenomenon that has undergone a resurgence in recent years and is now being studied by researchers in many corners of science.
Much of this attention is a result of the kind of brain imaging Dr. Wager does, and he is a leading figure in the new generation of placebo researchers.
Botox May Temporarily Paralyze Emotions, Too
June 22, 2010
A woman gets a Botox injection in Arlington, Va., last June. A new study suggests that facial expressions may affect the feelings you have, not just what others’ see, so paralyzing them with Botox could make you feel them less.
For Botox users concerned that the muscle-paralyzing injections will rob their face of its ability to show emotion, a new study suggests that people injected with the toxin might end up with less strong emotion to display in the first place.
Researchers at Barnard College in New York City found that facial expressions appear to play a role in how your emotions develop, not just in how you display them for others to see.
The study suggests that facial expressions themselves may influence emotional experiences through a kind of feedback loop. In short, Botox — a toxin that weakens or paralyzes muscles — not only changes one’s appearance, but also appears to deaden real emotions.