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High insulin levels increase breast cancer risk

January 10, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, Jan 10 (ANI): An American study has revealed that high levels of insulin increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

Lead researchers Marc Gunter and Howard Strickler, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, revealed that they examined the role of insulin in breast cancer while controlling for oestrogen levels.

This attains significance because, while the proneness to breast cancer has been attributed to high oestrogen levels in many obese postmenopausal women thus far, insulin has never been recognised as an independent risk factor.

During the study, the researchers examined the association between incident breast cancer and baseline fasting insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (a related hormone), and oestradiol levels in 835 women enrolled in the Women””””s Health Initiative Observational Study who developed breast cancer and a randomly-selected sample of 816 women in the study who did not develop breast cancer.

Upon dividing the women into four groups based on their fasting insulin levels, the team found that the subjects with the highest insulin levels had nearly a 1.5-fold higher risk of developing breast cancer than those with the lowest insulin levels.

When the researchers separately analysed women who were not using hormone therapy, they found that individuals with the highest insulin levels had a 2.4-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to those with the lowest levels.

The finding remained unchanged even when the researchers took into account multiple other breast cancer risk factors, including oestrogen levels.

“These data suggest that hyperinsulinemia is an independent risk factor for breast cancer and may have a substantial role in explaining the obesity-breast cancer relationship,” the authors conclude.

The study has been reported in the Journal of National Cancer Institute. (ANI)

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Canada to co-host panel discussion on modern Indian psyche

January 8, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Jan.8 (ANI): The Canadian High Commission in India and Oxford University Press (OUP) will celebrate the publication of the book India Analysed, a compilation of interviews of Sudhir Kakar by Canadian professor Ramin Jahanbegloo.

A panel discussion on the book will be held on Friday at the India Habitat Center with author Ramin Jahanbegloo and the subject of his book, the psychoanalyst Sudir Kakar.

The discussion will be moderated by Pavan Varma, the author of more than a dozen books and a widely admired public speaker.
Canada”s Deputy High Commissioner Ken Macartney will introduce and welcome the panel.

Sudhir Kakar, is a psychoanalyst, novelist, and well-known scholar in the fields of cultural psychology and the psychology of religion. He has taught at several universities in India and abroad, and is currently adjunct professor of leadership at INSEAD, France.

Ramin Jahanbegloo, well-known Iranian-born philosopher, who makes his home in Canada, is associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Talking India: Ashish Nandy in Conversation with Ramin Jahanbegloo (OUP, 2006), and most recently, India Revisited: Conversations on Contemporary India (OUP, 2007).

Pavan Varma is the Director General of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations

India Analysed flows effortlessly from Kakar’s descriptions of his early life in undivided India to discussions on the Indian psyche and sexuality.

The book also highlights Kakar’s views on secularism and modern Indian leaders such as Gandhi and Nehru, and touches a wide range of issues from philosophy and democracy to Indian culture and Partition, a high commission press release said. (ANI)

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Everest climbers’ record low blood oxygen levels offer hope for critically ill

January 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Jan 8 (ANI): British doctors scaling Mount Everest have recorded the lowest levels of blood oxygen in humans, far below those of critically ill patients.

The Caudwell Xtreme Everest team said that the world-first measurements of blood oxygen levels in climbers near the top of Mount Everest could eventually help critical care doctors to re-evaluate treatment strategies in some long-term patients with similarly low levels of blood oxygen.

The study has been published in New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The team of climbing doctors made the measurements by taking blood from leg arteries close to the summit of Mount Everest at 8,400 metres above sea-level.

Scientists climbed with oxygen tanks, then removed their masks 20 minutes prior to testing to equilibrate their lungs with the low-oxygen atmosphere. The team were unable to make the measurement on the summit of Everest as conditions were too severe, with temperatures at minus 25 degrees centrigrade and winds above 20 knots.

After descending a short distance from the summit, the doctors removed their gloves, unzipped their down suits and drew blood from the femoral artery in the groin.

Blood collected from four team members was then carried back down the mountain to be analysed within two hours at a science laboratory set up at the team”s camp at 6,400 metres on Everest.

The basic aim behind the story was to establish what has long been suspected – that high-altitude climbers have incredibly low levels of oxygen in their blood, which at sea-level would only be seen in patients close to death.

The expedition found the average arterial oxygen level to be 3.28 kilopascals or kPa (with the lowest value being 2.55 kPa); the normal value in humans is 12-14 kPa and patients with a level below 8 kPa are considered critically ill.

Caudwell Xtreme Everest expedition leader Dr Mike Grocott, a UCL Senior Lecturer in Critical Care Medicine, said: “By observing healthy individuals at high altitude where oxygen is scarce, we can learn about physiological changes that can improve critical care at the hospital bedside, because low oxygen levels are an almost universal problem in critical care.

“These extraordinary low levels of oxygen found in high-altitude climbers may cause doctors looking after critically ill patients to revaluate treatment goals in some patients who have been ill for some time and might have adapted to low levels of oxygen in the blood. However, our findings will need further careful evaluation before they can be translated into clinical practice.

“We hope that ongoing research will eventually lead to better treatments for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cystic fibrosis, emphysema, septic shock, ”blue baby” syndrome and other critical illnesses.” (ANI)

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Scientists provide new insights into aggressive childhood cancer

January 7, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta 1 Comment

Washington, Jan 6 (ANI): A new study from University of Wurzburg in Germany has found vital clues that may lead to development of new treatments for aggressive childhood cancer.

Previous studies have shown that amplification of the MYCN gene, which disrupts control of cell division and differentiation, is a strong predictor of poor prognosis in neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in young children.

“We speculated that genes that are expressed in a MYCN-dependent manner might be required specifically for the growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas and that MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas might depend not only on N-Myc itself, but also on upstream regulatory factors or downstream target genes,” said senior study author, Dr. Martin Eilers, from the University of Wurzburg in Germany.

During the study, the research team led by Eilers analysed almost 200 genes that interact with MYCN.

They found a gene called AURKA responsible for the growth of deadly MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells.

AURKA encodes the enzyme Aurora A, which is dysregulated in cancer cells like neuroblastoma cells.

“Our results show that stabilization of N-Myc is a critical oncogenic function of Aurora A in childhood neuroblastoma; the challenge will now be to find ways to interfere with this function in order to find new approaches for the therapy of these tumours,” said Eilers.

The research is published journal Cancer Cell. (ANI)

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Understanding extinct microbes has significant implications for modern human health

January 6, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, January 6 (ANI): University of Oklahoma researchers in the U.S. say that researching into extinct microbes may have significant implications for the state of modern human health, for such studies raise questions about the microbes living on and within people.

Within the gut, microbes are known to assist in human digestion, improve energy intake, produce vitamins and even help in the development of a healthy immune system.

Cecil Lewis, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, says that ancient DNA research can be helpful in determining whether there are certain aspects of the ecology that all humans share.

“We’ve introduced bacteria into our system through foods from around the world. Fruits imported from various parts of the world contribute to the global microbiomes that now inhabit our bodies,” says the researcher, adding that ancient microbiome studies provide a view of these ecosystems prior to the modern world economy.

Given that the gut microbiome in living people is frequently studied using faecal samples, Lewis and his colleagues would compare two ancient coprolites, which are old dry or fossilized faeces, to understand the state of microbiomes before the global world economy.

The researchers say that the coprolites were 1,300 years old from Central Mexico, and that genetic testing determined that they were from two different people.

The team analysed the microbiomes within the coprolites.

They claim that they have retrieved ancient DNA evidence for bacteria species similar to that seen in human microbiomes today, and characterized the functional aspects of these extinct microbiomes.

According to the group, a comparison between the two ancient samples showed them to be very similar to one another.

Lewis and his colleagues also found that the two ancient microbiomes were more similar to each other functionally than a sample of modern microbiomes.

They proposed that prehistoric microbiomes were more geographically structured than those found today, a discovery that may change the way scientists look at human microbiomes if it is proved to be true.

The researchers say that geographically structured microbiomes have ramifications for human health, for pioneering work on modern microbiomes has shown that certain bacteria can impact disease and health states, including diabetes and immune systems disorders.

Lewis says that understanding ancient microbiomes provides a better picture of microbiomes as they coadapted with our ancestors.

He admits that his findings are preliminary and that many new challenges are ahead, but insists that his research will be of interest to many, including medical professionals and biologists and the public.

“We should be thinking of ourselves as ‘superorganisms’ harbouring microbes from around the world. This is much more complicated than just the cells that make up the body. We have more than just our body to nurture to be in good health,” says Lewis.

His publication on ancient human microbiomes is available from one of the Public of Library of Science journals, PLoS ONE. (ANI)

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Longer maternity leave results in fewer C-sections and increased breastfeeding

January 5, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta 2 Comments

Washington, Jan 5 (ANI): In two new studies, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that taking maternity leave before and after the birth of a baby is beneficial both for the health of mothers and newborns.

While one study found that women who started their leave in the last month of pregnancy were less likely to have caesarean deliveries, the second one discovered that new mothers were more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delayed their return to work.

Led by Sylvia Guendelman, professor of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley”s School of Public Health, the study focuses on whether taking maternity leave can affect health outcomes in the United States.

“In the public health field, we”d like to decrease the rate of C-sections (caesarean deliveries) and increase the rate of breastfeeding. C-sections are really a costly procedure, leading to extended hospital stays and increased risks of complications from surgery, as well as longer recovery times for the mother. For babies, it is known that breastfeeding protects them from infection and may decrease the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), allergies and obesity. What we”re trying to say here is that taking maternity leave may make good health sense, as well as good economic sense,” said Guendelman.

In the first study, the researchers analysed data from 447 women who worked full-time in the Southern California counties of Imperial, Orange and San Diego, comparing those who took leave after the 35th week of pregnancy with those who worked throughout the pregnancy to delivery.

By conducting post-delivery telephone interviews and analysing prenatal and birth records, the researchers found that women who took leave before they gave birth were almost four times less likely to have a primary C-section as women who worked through to delivery.

Figures from the U.S. Census, among working women who had their first birth between 2001 and 2003, revealed that only 28 percent took leave from their jobs before giving birth while an additional 22 percent quit their jobs. Twenty-six percent of women took no leave before birth.

“We don”t have a culture in the United States of taking rest before the birth of a child because there is an assumption that the real work comes after the baby is born. People forget that mothers need restoration before delivery. In other cultures, including Latino and Asian societies, women are really expected to rest in preparation for this major life event,” said Guendelman.

For the second study, the researchers used data from 770 full-time working mothers in Southern California, and assessed whether maternity leave predicted breastfeeding establishment. Phone interviews were conducted 4.5 months, on average, after delivery.

Overall, the study found that returning to work within 12 weeks of delivery had a greater impact on breastfeeding establishment for women in non-managerial positions, with inflexible jobs or who reported high psychosocial distress, including serious arguments with a spouse or partner and unusual money problems.

“The findings suggest that if a woman postpones her return to work, she”ll increase her chances of breastfeeding success, especially if she”s got a job where she”s on the clock and has less discretion with her time. Also, women who are in jobs where they have more authority may feel more empowered with how they use their time,” said Guendelman.

The researchers stressed that just having maternity leave benefits offered by an employer was not helpful in breastfeeding establishment unless the leave was actually used.

The authors encouraged the use of maternity leave and making it economically feasible to take it.

“These new studies suggest that making it feasible for more working mothers to take maternity leave both before and after birth is a smart investment,” said Guendelman.

Both the studies were part of the Juggling Work and Life During Pregnancy study and will appear in the January/February print edition of the journal Women”s Health Issues and the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. (ANI)

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Frozen embryos may address long-term IVF health issues

January 4, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

London, Jan 3 (ANI): Women opting for IVF treatment would soon get rid of the traumatic drug therapy, for the researchers from Oxford Fertility Unit have found that freezing the embryos can significantly reduce long-term health risks.

The researchers found a drastic improvement in the success rate of fertility treatment using frozen embryos.

The procedure reduces the need for repeated cycles of hormone therapy and egg extraction, which can be traumatic and result in serious side effects such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

The researchers found that woman have 50 per cent increase chances of becoming pregnant from a single IVF cycle, if she stored any spare embryos that doctors deemed suitable for freezing.

During the study, the researchers analysed the pregnancy rates among 1,290 couples having IVF treatment at the clinic, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington.

The findings revealed that overall pregnancy rate increased from 40 per cent to 59 per cent among women under 39, receiving IVF with frozen eggs and from 31 per cent to 49 per cent among women over 39.

“The worst part of IVF for a couple is going through a fresh treatment with all the drugs, injections, costs and risk this entails,” the Independent quoted Dr. Tim Child, a fertility specialist at the clinic as saying.

“By looking at the success rate per egg collection, including the use of all spare frozen embryos created, we can clearly demonstrate the significant benefits for couples and clinics on focusing on running a good freezing programme,” he added.

Women having IVF treatment should be offered the chance to freeze their “spare” embryos instead of discarding them because it was safer and more cost effective than repeatedly using fresh embryos, said Dr Child.

It might avoid the expense and the risks of over-stimulating the production of further eggs by hormones, which can lead to fertility complications. (ANI)

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Frequent urination helps protect against bladder cancer

November 3, 2008 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, Frequent urination at night can help protect against bladder cancer, says a new study.

A team of Spanish and American scientists suggests direct association between the number of times people get up at night to urinate and protection against bladder cancer.

Juan Alguacil, a researcher from the University of Huelva and one of the authors, suggest that night-time is usually the period during which there is the longest time interval between urination.

“The length of time carcinogenic agents, such as those from tobacco for example, are present in the urine, constitutes an important factor towards the likelihood of developing bladder cancer,” Science Daily quoted Alguacil as saying.

During the study, the researchers analysed the urinary frequency in 884 recently diagnosed bladder cancer cases and in 996 non-cancer ‘control patients’

They found that those people who usually get up at night at least twice to pass urine reduced their risk of suffering from bladder cancer by 40-59 pct.

This “protective effect” was found in both men and women and did not relate to the consumption of tobacco or the quantity of water they drank.

The research is published in International Journal of Cancer. (ANI)

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