Pork & Brain

This is one of the reasons why I want my meat, well done… ;)






Words of the Day: Neurocystercercosis and Taenia Solium

Pain in My Heart

VIOXX- pain killer or heart killer?




The painful saga of the pain medicine continues...





Vioxx's Heart Risk Lingered Long After Use Ended

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- When the pain killer Vioxx was pulled from the market in 2004 over concerns that it increased the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, many assumed that stopping the drug would end the risk.

But a new study finds that "the risk was increased close to twofold, and the risk persisted for approximately a year," said co-author Dr. Robert Bresalier, a professor of medicine at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"The good news is that, after a year, the risk seemed to go back down toward normal," he said.

However, the study's researchers and other experts also believe that long-term use of most non-aspirin painkilling drugs in this class -- called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- also boost users' risks of heart attack, stroke and death to some degree.

NSAIDs include cox-2 inhibitor drugs such as the now-banned Vioxx and Bextra, as well as the remaining cox-2 on the market, Celebrex. Those drugs target the cyclooxygenase 2 (cox-2) enzyme involved in inflammation.

NSAIDs also include less targeted anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).

The report was published online in the Oct. 14 issue of The Lancet.

For the study, Bresalier's group followed people who had participated in the international APPROVe trial, which compared Vioxx to placebo over 3 years in an attempt to see whether the drug could cut the recurrence of cancerous colon polyps. The trial was stopped early in 2004 because of the increased risk for heart attacks and stroke.

The researchers in the new study were able to contact 84 percent of the almost 2,600 people who had participated in the trial.

They found that a year after discontinuing Vioxx, ex-users still had a 79 percent increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death compared with those who had received placebo.

This finding was consistent with the increased risk observed during the trial, where the odds for cardiovascular trouble was more than double for those taking Vioxx. For individual patients, the risk of heart attack or stroke was doubled during the year after stopping the drug. The increased risk of dying was 31 percent compared with those who had taken placebo, the researchers noted.

Bresalier's group did find that Vioxx was able to reduce the recurrence of colon polyps, but this benefit has to be weighed against the increase in cardiovascular risk, they said.

Bresalier suspects that long-term use of all non-aspirin NSAIDs can raise the odds of cardiovascular trouble to some extent.

"Similar data has been evident for some of the other cox-2 inhibitors," he noted. "In fact, it seems to be a class effect for most if not all NSAIDs. There is a dose-dependent risk with Celebrex as well, whose magnitude was not that much different from Vioxx," he said.

Bresalier believes that certain patients should not take high doses of these drugs over a long period. "If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, speak to your doctor to understand the relative risks and benefits. If you're somebody who really needs to take these drugs because of chronic pain or severe arthritis, be aware of the issues. But you shouldn't be afraid to take these drugs if you need them," he said.

For people who take these drugs only intermittently -- for short-term pain relief, for example -- the risk is very small, Bresalier said. "It doesn't mean if you take one or two pills you're going to get a heart attack. For the vast majority of people taking these drugs, these are very good and safe drugs," he said.

Dr. Eric J. Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and Chief Academic Officer of Scripps Health in La Jolla, Calif., was not surprised that the risk for heart attack and stroke continued even after Vioxx was stopped.

"What this does is help further demonstrate not only the risk of Vioxx, but the temporal duration," Topol said. "Now, we have compelling data that the risk extends a year after stopping the drug," he said.

Topol, who was one of the first to sound the alarm about Vioxx, is not sure that this is a class effect of all cox-2 inhibitors, however.

"There was always a signal that it [the risk] was worse for Vioxx that other cox-2 inhibitors. Whether or not other drugs like Celebrex shared that isn't known. That has not been demonstrated in studies of Celebrex. But you have to be suspicious, particularly since high doses of Celebrex have heart attack and stroke risk. But there's never been a study to show that it's a long-lasting liability," he said.

In response to the Lancet study, Vioxx manufacturer Merck issued the following statement: "Merck believes that this post-hoc analysis using limited data from a prematurely terminated study needs to be interpreted very cautiously and in the context of the rest of the data from the extensive clinical development program for Vioxx."

To TPA or not to TPA?

That is the question.




Tissue Plasminogen Activator or more commonly TPA is a genetically- engineered blood clot dissolver that was first used to prevent heart damage after a heart attack since the late 1980s and through the years have been one of the mainstays in the treatment of Stroke because of its ability to reduce the long- term disability that usually result from the disease.

TPA is usually given within three hours of a Stroke which is usually known in legal parlance as the “window- period” or “golden hour” to be effective and beyond that there‘s the clear and present danger of bleeding in the brain which is the TPA’s worst complication .

However recent findings by researchers and scientists in the medical field are now reconsidering that old belief and are now concluding that it is still safe to give TPA beyond the so- called “three- hour” window period.


Here's the news from the Associated Press- Study: Extending time of stroke drug treatment OK



And here's the article of the study from the New England Journal of Medicine - Thrombolysis with Alteplase 3 to 4.5 Hours after Acute Ischemic Stroke

Feetish

Many men don't bother to see a doctor when they have foot troubles, but there are five foot problems they should never ignore, says the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons:

* Heel pain. This is often caused by tissue inflammation but can also result from a broken bone, a tight Achilles tendon, a pinched nerve, or other problem.

* Ankle sprains. They always require prompt medical attention. Skipping medical care increases the likelihood of repeated ankle sprains and the development of chronic ankle instability.

* Big toe stiffness and pain. This usually develops over time, as cartilage in the big toe joint wears down and eventually leads to arthritis. The sooner it's diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

* Achilles tendonitis. This causes pain and tenderness at the back of the foot or heel. This is usually the result of a sudden increase in physical activity. The risk of an Achilles tendon rupture can be reduced by treating the symptoms of Achilles tendonitis.

* Ingrown toenails. These can pierce the skin, allowing bacteria to enter the body. Men shouldn't try to perform dangerous "bathroom surgery" in such cases. A doctor can perform a quick procedure that will stop the pain and permanently cure an ingrown toenail.

Source: HealthDay News

Time Bomb

Here's an article from TIME Magazine written by Laura Blue that according to a new study, researchers have found a link between Anxiety and Heart Attack.

This is study is not really new but just a re- affirmation of that age- old belief with regards to the relationship between a person's frame of mind and disease.

So, to all of you out there, Relax and Enjoy Life. . :)

Read on...

It's no secret that men with angry, explosive personalities are at a higher risk of a heart attack. But they're not alone: Nervous, withdrawn and chronically worried people are courting coronary problems, too, according to a new long-term study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Of 735 American middle-aged or elderly men who had good cardiovascular health in 1986, those who scored highest on four different scales of anxiety were far more likely to suffer heart attacks later in life. Men in the top 15% on any of the four scales, or on a combined scale of all four, had a 30% to 40% greater chance of heart attack than their less anxious peers.

Researchers have long known that problems of the mind can affect health. Other studies have looked at the relationships between heart-attack risk and factors like "Type A" personality, anger or depression. But "very few studies look at many psychological factors at one time," says Biing-Jiun Shen, lead author on the anxiety paper and an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. "I think that's a unique part of this study."

Using data from the U.S. Normative Aging Study, Shen reviewed the men's responses to a series of questions on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (a commonly administered personality test), and pulled out their scores on four separate anxiety scales that measured obsessive or compulsive thoughts; introversion and social exclusion; phobias; and a predisposition to become tense or have a physical reaction, like nausea or hyperventilation, to stressful situations. Even after accounting for other mood problems, like depression or anger, and for a whole host of physiological and demographic indicators — including age, body mass index, education, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and smoking and drinking habits — the effect of chronic anxiety was clear. It was also a stronger risk factor for heart attack than any of the other psychological problems in the study.

What's not so clear is why that might be. The relationship between stress, psychological problems and coronary disease or other physical woes is still not well understood. But it is the subject of intense scientific scrutiny. Many other researchers are trying to understand the interaction between mood disturbances like anxiety or depression and other health problems.

Shen notes the results of his study may not be universally applicable across populations. "We only looked at men who are older, around 60," he says. While men may suffer more heart attacks than women, women are far more likely to suffer from anxiety, just as they're more likely to suffer from depression. Gender aside, there's no reason to believe that the link between anxiety and heart attacks is straightforward. "We're not saying depression's not important. We're not saying anger's not important," Shen says. "Different factors can be essentially different for different groups." Still, psychological problems are often related, which means that different problems can affect the body in the same ways. The bottom line is that more study will be needed before we know how much sway our brains have over our heart function — and how much we can control what happens in the mind to prevent a heart attack.

Worm study shows antidepressant may lengthen life

This article from Reuters looks promising for the millions who are suffering from cases of Depression worldwide.

But it is still a big but like the other experimental drugs. This is certainly worth the wait if ever it will be successful in the future.

Anyway, read on...


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An antidepressant may help worms live longer by tricking the brain into thinking the body is starving, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

The drug, called mianserin, extended the life span of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by about 30 percent, the researchers reported in the journal Nature. They hope to find out if the same mechanism can help people live longer.

Three other compounds, including another antidepressant, have similar effects, said Michael Petrascheck of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. But the life-extending benefits come at a cost.

"Weight gain and increased appetite seems to be one of the side effects. It is one of the reasons these are not such popular antidepressants," Petrascheck said in a telephone interview.

Many studies have shown that slightly starving certain animals -- reducing how much they eat by about 30 percent -- can cause them to live longer.

It is not entirely clear if this occurs in humans, but researchers are keen to duplicate the beneficial effects of calorie restriction without the misery of going hungry.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher Linda Buck and colleagues were looking for drugs that might do this.

C. elegans is a roundworm, or nematode, much studied because despite its tiny size, its biology is similar to that of humans and other animals.

Buck's team did a random search through 88,000 different drug compounds to see if any of them happened to make C. elegans live longer.

They found four drugs that extended life span by 20 percent to 30 percent. The drug with the strongest effect was mianserin, in a class of drugs known as tetracyclic antidepressants.

It blocks brain cell signaling by the neurotransmitter or message-carrying chemical serotonin, which is linked with mood and appetite.

The drug is used in Europe under several brand names, including Bolvidon, Norval and Tolvon but not usually in the United States. It can cause aplastic anemia and other effects on immune system cells.

Buck's team found that in addition to interfering with serotonin in the worm, it also blocked receptors for another neurotransmitter, octopamine.

They said some other research suggests that serotonin and octopamine may complement one another -- with serotonin signaling the presence of food and octopamine signaling starvation.

Buck said it is possible that mianserin drug tips the balance in the direction of octopamine, tricking the brain into thinking it has been starved.

Petrascheck said another antidepressant, mirtazapine, had similar effects. An antihistamine and migraine drug called cyproheptadine, as well as a compound not used in people called methiothepin also affected serotonin and extended worm life span.
They tested other popular antidepressants that affect serotonin and found they did not make the worms live longer.

He is worried that people will rush to take the drugs in the hope of living longer.
"It is a stretch from a worm to a human being," Petrascheck said.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Will Dunham and David Wiessler)

New Guideline to Treat Unprovoked Seizure

A guideline developed by the American Academy of Neurology recommends a routine electroencephalogram (EEG) and brain scans be considered when diagnosing and treating adults who experience their first unprovoked seizure. Evidence shows such tools often detect brain abnormalities that caused the seizure and predict seizure recurrence. The guideline is published in the November 20, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The guideline recommends a routine EEG be considered as part of the diagnosis of a person with a first unprovoked seizure. “Evidence shows an EEG revealed abnormalities indicating epilepsy in about one in four patients and was predictive of seizure recurrence,” said Krumholz, who is also a professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The guideline also recommends CT or MRI brain scans be routinely considered since the scans are significantly abnormal in one of 10 patients, helping to indicate the cause of their seizure. “A CT scan or MRI may lead to the diagnosis of disorders such as a brain tumor, stroke, an infection, or other structural lesions and may help determine a person’s risk for a second seizure,” said Krumholz.

For adults who experience their first unprovoked seizure, Krumholz says the results of an EEG, CT or MRI will influence aspects of patient care and management, including drug treatment, patient and family counseling, and the need for immediate hospitalization and subsequent follow-up.

Seizures are among the most common serious neurological disorders cared for by neurologists. Annually approximately 150,000 adults will have a first seizure in the United States. It is estimated that in 40 to 50 percent of these people, seizures recur and are classified as epilepsy.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

Health Bits

Pediatricians to FDA: No cold meds to children under 6 (CNN)---Cold and cough medicines given to infants and toddlers work no better than dummy pills and can be dangerous, pediatricians seeking to curb their use told government health advisers Thursday.

The doctors told the Food and Drug Administration advisers that the over-the-counter medicines shouldn't be given to children younger than 6 because they don't help them and aren't safe. Such a prohibition would go beyond last week's drug industry move to eliminate sales of the nonprescription drugs targeted at children under 2.

The group petitioned the FDA...


Wyeth Philippines, Inc.(ABS- CBNNews) on Thursday filed a formal notice and voluntary product withdrawal plan with the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) and Department of Health (DOH), saying it will voluntarily withdraw Dimetapp Oral Drops, the company's medicine for treatment of colds in infants. Click here for
more


Experts: Drug-resistant staph deaths may surpass AIDS toll(AP)

More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported Tuesday in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.

Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.

The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study.

Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections --click here




Study shows no language effects from vaccines (Reuters)--
A mercury-based vaccine preservative did not appear to affect language or other similar brain functions in children, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in the first of a series of studies meant to lay to rest the controversy over thimerosal. More on this story


Landmark malaria vaccine clears another hurdle in tests on infants (AFP)--The most ambitious attempt to engineer a vaccine against malaria has cleared another key hurdle, with tests among African babies showing the prototype to be safe and highly protective, a study released on Wednesday said.

Known by its lab name of RTS,S the prototype is raising high hopes of the first vaccine shield against a disease that claims more than a million lives a year -- 800,000 of them African children aged under five -- and sickens hundreds of millions more.More..