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Antioxidants, Flu Vaccine, Viagra, More Health Alerts
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Antioxidant Combo May Prevent Some Migraines Daily doses of antioxidants may reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches for patients who don't response to drug treatment, a small new study suggests. Eleven men and women with a long history of migraine did not respond to several type of drugs, including beta-blockers, antidepressants and anticonvulsants, and had fewer and less severe headaches, on average, after taking capsules containing an extract of pine bark, vitamin C and vitamin E every day for three months, according to a report in the journal Headache. There is evidence that damaging molecules known as free radicals, which are produced by normal metabolism, may contribute to the development of migraine, Dr. Sirichai Chayasirisobhon of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Anaheim, California noted. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and could thus help prevent migraine from occurring. To investigate, he treated 12 patients with 10 capsules containing 120 milligrams pine bark extract, 60 milligrams vitamin C and 30 IU vitamin E every day for three months. Study participants completed a test (known as MIDAS), designed to assess the amount of disability caused by migraine, before and after the three-month treatment period. Eleven patients completed the trial.
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After three months, the patients had an average of 50.6-percent improvement in MIDAS scores. In the three months before the treatment, they reported an average of 44.4 days of headache, compared to 26.0 days during the three-month treatment. Before treatment, participants rated their headache severity, on average, as 7.5 out of 10; this fell to 5.5 out of 10 after treatment. Two patients showed no reduction in disability, headache severity or headache days after treatment. When the analysis was limited to the nine responders, MIDAS scores showed a 67.9 percent reduction. The findings suggest "that this antioxidant supplementation may mitigate some as yet unknown mechanisms involved in a migraine attack," Chayasirisobhon writes. He concludes: "The substantial effect shown by the antioxidant formulation in the present study in lessening the impact of migraine on patients' daily activities warrants further investigation." © Reuters 2006. Editor's Note:
2. Experimental Flu Vaccine Bypasses Needles An experimental flu vaccine that blasts tiny particles into the skin instead of using a needle appears to be safe in people, biotech firm PowderMed Ltd. said on Wednesday. The British-based company said it would move into bigger tests of its vaccine, which uses DNA from the flu virus to stimulate immunity. Writing in the journal Vaccine, PowderMed scientists said the vaccine stimulated an immune response in all 36 volunteers. Based on these results, PowderMed will start Phase II studies using both annual and bird flu strains later this year. A finished product would still be years away. "Recent years have seen a number of new influenza vaccine approaches tested in animal model systems and in the clinic. However, this study is the first successful demonstration of immunogenicity of an influenza DNA vaccine in humans," said Dr. Hansi Dean, formerly with PowderMed and now with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. "DNA vaccines have the potential to significantly limit the burden of disease. The advantage of a DNA-based approach is that the vaccines can be manufactured very rapidly and in large quantities, while yielding an efficacious immune response at low doses," added Dr. Clive Dix, chief executive officer of PowderMed. PowderMed's vaccine is produced by copying a gene from the virus - either the circulating influenza virus or the H5N1 avian flu virus - and enclosing it in tiny gold particles. It is delivered using an injector powered by concentrated helium gas, which pushes the particles into the skin. The privately held firm is counting on some studies that suggest vaccines delivered right under the skin may produce better immunity than injected vaccines. And the company said the vaccine is stable and does not need to be refrigerated, or even administered by medical professionals, as are current vaccines. Several companies make influenza vaccines and are also working on H5N1 vaccines. They include Sanofi Aventis SA, Chiron Corp, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Acambis Plc and the Dutch biotech company Crucell N.V. Current influenza vaccines are based on 50-year-old technology that requires live chicken eggs, six months of brewing time and an uncertain production process. Governments want to encourage companies that can produce cleaner vaccines in less time. They hope an influenza pandemic does not come in the meantime, but fear the H5N1 virus could evolve into a pandemic strain of flu at any time. © Reuters 2006. Editor's Note:
3. Viagra May Improve Sex Life of Diabetic Women Young women with diabetes with sexual dysfunction may find that Viagra (sildenafil) improves arousal, orgasm and sexual enjoyment and decreases pain during intercourse, results of a small study suggest. Diabetic women may experience sexual dysfunction due to vaginal dryness, discomfort, and other factors, Dr. Salvatore Caruso and associates, from the University of Catania in Italy, note in their paper, published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility. Some of Viagra's physiologic effects, which are beneficial in men, may also be helpful for women, they hypothesized. To test their theory, they recruited 32 women with Type 1 diabetes who in the past had experienced normal sexual desire, but currently experienced sexual dysfunction - for 3.5 years on average. The subjects were randomly assigned to Viagra or inactive "placebo" and then the opposite treatment for eight weeks at a time. The women were instructed to take the medication one hour before sexual intercourse. Viagra use was associated with significantly improved arousal, orgasm, and enjoyment. Only desire and frequency did not change significantly. A special ultrasound test was used to measure blood flow in the clitoris. Viagra, but not placebo, was associated with improved blood flow. © Reuters 2006. Editor's Note:
4. High Doses of Older Painkillers Raise Heart Risk High doses of some older painkillers as well as newer drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors raise the risk of a heart attack, scientists said on Friday. But they said the increased risk was moderate and comparable to what is accepted with other drugs. "COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), particularly ibuprofen and diclofenac increase the risk of heart attacks," said Dr Colin Baigent, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford in England. Baigent and researchers in Italy analyzed previous studies relating to the use of COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs in a meta-analysis, which included data from 138 trials and 140,000 patients. As expected, they found that COX-2 inhibitors were linked with a moderate increase in the risk of heart attacks. But the research also showed that high doses of some NSAIDs carried similar odds. "We have put together all the randomized trials that have been conducted using COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs and come up with a synthesis of the overall evidence - everything that is available," Baigent explained in an interview. "It gives us a uniquely reliable result." The increased risk means that for every 1,000 people taking an NSAID or COX-2 inhibitor about three extra people a year would have a heart attack. Vioxx, a COX-2 inhibitor made by Merck & Co., was pulled from the market in 2004 after research showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in people who took it for at least 18 months. The company is facing more than 11,500 Vioxx lawsuits. Baigent, who reported the findings in the British Medical Journal, said the drugs eased chronic pain in people who cannot manage to go about their daily lives without some relief. Patients with pain from arthritis or other conditions are advised to take the lowest possible dose of the drug that relieves symptoms and take that dose for the shortest possible time. "Our research backs that up. That is the sensible policy given the results," Baigent. NSAIDs relieve pain by blocking the action of enzymes called cyclooxygenases (COX), which control inflammatory responses. Although they are effective, the drugs can cause ulcers and dangerous stomach bleeding. COX-2 inhibitors were designed as a safer long-term alternative to NSAIDs. Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said the research added to the growing body of evidence showing high doses of NAIDS could be dangerous.
"However, the increased risk is small and many patients with chronic debilitating pain may well feel that this small risk is worth taking to relieve their symptoms," he said in a statement.
5. Teachers to Parents: Your Child Is Fat It's been two years since Arkansas schools started sending letters home to parents with their kids' report cards - letters telling them if their children were fat. Plenty of parents weren't happy. But a lot of them did something about it. Suddenly there were more visits to the pediatrician for talks about weight problems. Fitness class attendance is up. Diet pill use by high schoolers is down. And more states are following Arkansas' lead, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania, which have adopted similar programs. Dr. Karen Young, medical director for the pediatric fitness clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital, told of a mother upset when she got word from school that her child was overweight. The mother wanted a second opinion from Young, but in the meantime, she cut sweets from the family diet and slimmed the child down before the appointment. "Even though she was upset with the letter and felt it was wrong, she still changed the family's lifestyle," Young said. "A lot of positive things have come out of those letters." The letters record each child's body-mass index, the same weight-height formula used to calculate adult obesity. The first batch went out in the 2003-04 school year. Across the state 57 percent of doctors said they had at least one parent bring in their child's letter from the school for discussion during the last school year. Young said she's had more visits from parents seeking help for the entire family. "I don't care what size their siblings are or their parents, everyone in the family should eat healthy and exercise," she said. "What's good for them is good for everybody." A local TV news report on Young's clinic led Marsha Simon-Younger to enroll her 11-year-old daughter Nasirah in fitness classes. Since Nasirah joined this spring, she's felt better and is eating healthier, her mother said. "At first, my daughter was really reluctant to go because she thought of it as a fat camp," said Simon-Younger. But once Nasirah arrived, she saw a friend from church and Girl Scouts and felt at ease. "She has more self-esteem," and she tries different foods, the mother said. "Sometimes we might fall off the wagon, but we get right back on." It's still a little early to see big results from the state's weigh-in program. After the first year, the percentage of overweight schoolchildren remained where it was at the start - 38 percent. "We think probably, since there's been no change, that's probably good news," said Jim Raczynski, dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. "We may have stopped the increase." And the state has found that most parents and children are comfortable with the weigh-in program - 71 percent of parents and 61 percent of adolescents, according to a survey. "Once they realized we didn't hand [the letters] to kids to wave around the schoolyard ... a lot of the original concerns were alleviated," said Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has championed healthy diets after dropping more than 100 pounds himself. "This was not an invasive procedure where a child is asked to lift a shirt and be pinched with calipers." Raczynski noted that only a tiny percentage of parents - 6 percent - have put their overweight children on diets that aren't medically supervised. Schools are reacting, too. Following state Board of Education guidelines, schools in the last two years have banned using food as a reward, are offering more fruits and vegetables on lunch menus, have removed deep fryers and increased low-fat and low-sugar drinks and snacks.
Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton - known for his Big Mac excursions while Arkansas governor - helped announce this year that soft drink manufacturers had voluntarily agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. Childhood obesity, Huckabee said, is "a real serious health and economic issue." Arkansas' effort provides a scientific baseline to look for progress. Over time, "we'll honestly be able to know if this is something that has lasting value." © 2006 Associated Press. Editor's Note:
6. Moderate Alcohol Intake Associated With Better Mental Function in Older Women Research involving more than 7,000 older women found that those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol have slightly higher levels of mental function than non-drinkers, particularly in verbal abilities, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. "Our research confirms other studies suggesting that for older women who choose to drink - and are not restricted from drinking for medical reasons - moderate alcohol intake is not harmful for cognition and may provide some mental benefits," said Mark Espeland, Ph.D., lead author. The study, available online in the journal Neuroepidemiology, found that compared to non-drinkers, women who reported drinking up to two or three drinks per day performed better on measure of global cognitive function, which includes concentration, language, memory and abstract reasoning. The women were strongest in verbal skills. Those who reported having at least one drink a day did better on vocabulary tests and on a word fluency test asking them to generate a list of words beginning with a specific letter. Espeland, a professor of public health sciences and chairman of the Department of Biostatistical Sciences, said understanding whether alcohol affects specific areas of cognition may shed light on the mechanisms that make it protective. Possible mechanisms include that alcohol increases levels of "good" cholesterol and lowers the risk of stroke, that it may decrease the formation of plaque that is associated with Alzheimer's disease and that it may increase the release of brain chemicals that affect learning and memory. He said that until scientists know more, women shouldn't change their drinking patterns. "Until we better understand the reasons why alcohol consumption is associated with better cognitive functioning, these results on their own are not a reason for people who don't drink to start or for those who drink to increase their intake." The researchers used data from the 7,460 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), a large national study to assess the effects of hormone therapy on dementia and cognitive function. They also used data from 2,299 of these women who were also enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA), which involved annual standardized testing of specific areas of cognitive performance. All women in the studies were 65 and older. "Findings from this large and diverse group of older women suggest that moderate levels of alcohol intake are associated with some benefit to overall cognition and that the benefit appears strongest in areas of verbal function," said Espeland. The study received support from the National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Editor's Notes:
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