Another difference between women and men surfaces: the agony of the feet

Women won't be surprised to learn that they have more foot problems than men. There is a price to pay for loving your shoes. Years of wearing tight-fitting high heels or sandals, slippers and flip-flops with little support are beginning to take their toll on women's feet. A Boston University study in the journal Arthritis Care and Research examined more than 3300 men and women, finding a direct relationship between bad shoe choices and foot pain, according to a New York Times article. More than 60 percent of women said that in the past they generally wore high heels, pumps, sandals and slippers, all of which researchers rated as higher risk. These women had more pain in the hind foot and around the ankle and the Achilles’ tendon. Those women who made sensible shoe choices, such as sneakers, shoes with support and/or rubber soles had less foot pain than the higher risk group. Men have shown more common sense in the shoe area. The study found that fewer than 2 percent wore bad shoes. The researchers recommend that women buy shoes in the right size and width, instead of squeezing into something that looks good but doesn't fit right. This is easier said than done when you're wearing that little black dress or evening gown...but we can try during the rest of the week!

Diabetes may cause abnormal heart rhythms in women, study says

Are diabetes and atrial fibrillation linked in women? A new report in the October issue of Diabetes Care says women with diabetes may be 26% more likely than other women to develop a heart rhythm problem, according to a WebMed article. The study examined 34,000 adults who received health care through Kaiser Permanente Northwest, including 17,000 diabetes patients. Regardless of factors including age, height, weight, blood pressure and previous history of heart disease, high cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c (shows blood sugar control in recent months), women with diabetes were 26% more likely than other women to develop atrial fibrillation. For men, it was interesting that atrial fibrillation was more common in men with diabetes than in men without diabetes, but that gap disappeared when the researchers controlled for other risk factors. Why the gender gap occurs is not clear from the results of the study, but the researchers from Kaiser Permanente plan additional research to explore why women are more affected than men.

U.S. government will track side effects of swine flu vaccine

In the coming months, if you receive a swine flu vaccination and then experience a health event, such as a heart attack, stroke, fainting, respiratory distress or other similar malady, you might wonder if was related to the vaccine. Well, the U.S. government has decided to carefully track all reported potential side effects/health events that directly follow the immunization process, according to an Associated Press report. The goal is to quickly identify any rare, unusual, or "cluster" events and to explain coincidences that can cause false alarms and public uneasiness. Many of these health events would have happened with or without the swine flu shot, health experts say, especially when you are vaccinating so many people. Because this vaccination is new, there is uncertainty about its safety and side effects, so early monitoring is a good move. The monitoring includes three special programs: At Harvard Medical School, researchers will link large insurance databases that cover up to 50 million people with vaccination registries across the U.S., checking in real time to see whether vaccine recipients see a doctor in the weeks after a flu shot and why. They'll compare rates of complaints among the vaccinated and unvaccinated, said the project leader, Dr. Richard Platt, Harvard's population medicine chief. Johns Hopkins will send e-mails to at least 100,000 vaccine recipients to track how they're feeling, and register any complaints that might not trigger a doctor visit. If anything seems connected, researchers can call to follow up with detailed questions. And he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to give recipientstake-home cards that tell them how to report any suspected side effects to theU.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system. These measures should help identify any adverse effect that is appearing in greater numbers than expected. In the end, however, those that receive the vaccine early are "guinea pigs" for research. Let's hope the benefit outweighs the risk because we know mass vaccinations will ultimately save lives and save serious health consequences.

Surveys indicate American public supports the 'public option' for health insurance

As the debate over a national health care plan continues, there is evidence that the American public may support a government-run insurance plan (public option) more than Congress does. A New York Times/CBS News Poll reports solid support for the public option plan that would compete with private insurers. Other surveys have found similar results, according to a New York Times article. Here's how NYT/CBS phrased the question: Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan — something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get — that would compete with private insurance plans? To that question, a majority -- 65 percent -- answered they would be in favor, while 26 percent opposed and 9 percent offered no position. Yet none of the legislative proposals that include the public option would make it available to everyone. It appears that at the outset it would only be available to those who do not currently have insurance or whose employers do not meet all the criteria for employer-sponsored health plans. Most Republicans in Congress oppose a non-profit government-sponsored health plan, saying it creates "socialized medicine" and would have such an advantage that it would drive most other for-profit insurors out of business. Senator Ron Wyden, (D-0Regon) is fighting for more options that would create competition and drive down prices. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if the nation had a public plan, at least 11 to 12 million people (just under 5 percent of the U.S. population) would sign up for it.

British researchers identify enzyme that is key to clogged arteries

Have you ever wondered why some people's arteries clog up and what really causes the process? British researchers think they have made an important discovery about the cause, according to a Queen Mary,University of London press release. They have identified an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP8)that they believe plays an important role in raising blood pressure and causing abnormal build-up of cells in the arteries. Of course, both factors increase the risk of heart disease. In addition to animal studies, the researchers also performed coronary angiograms to study 2,000 patients who were being tested for clogs in arteries leading to their hearts. They report that around 25 percent of these patients had a slightly different version of the gene for MMP8 and their arteries were more clogged than other patients. The research team form Queen Mary Hospital, University of London, hope their discovery will lead to new drugs to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.

Researchers are rethinking causes of Alzheimer's disease...moving from amyloid to myelin targets

For decades, many Alzheimer's researchers have targeted the peptide amyloid beta as the toxic culprit that forms sticky plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. But some researchers are now wondering if this is the wrong target. What if the disease starts much earlier, fed by a natural process? George Bartzokis, UCLA professor of psychiatry, said a better working hypothesis of Alzheimer's cause is the "myelin model," a model of the human brain that could lead to new and better therapeutic approaches, according to a UCLA news release. Myelin, the fatty sheath that coats our nerve axons, allows for efficient conduction of nerve impulses and is the key to the fast processing speeds that support our higher cognitive functions, the report says. It also helps to encode our memories.But because the human brain is myelinatd throughout our lives, it is also more vulnerable to damage. In the myelin model of Alzheimer's disease, the normal, routine maintenance and repair of myelin throughout life initiates the mechanisms that produce degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Bartzokis believes the amyloid beta may actually develop (and build up in the brain) as a result of the natural process of the repair and maintenance of myelin. He believes that the breakdown that leads to AD and other age-related brain diseases, such as Parkinson's may begin much earlier, before the formation of the protein deposits that are used to define these diseases. This new approach to studying Alzheimer's may eventually produce treatments that actually prevent AD, rather than treating the symptoms, offering new hope for the next generation that faces these brain-wasting diseases.

The ban on smoking in public places has reduced heart attacks, two studies report

When state and city governments in the U.S., Europe and Canada first proposed bans on smoking in public places, the actions sparked a debate about the rights of individuals. On the one side you had smokers who argued they should have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. On the other side were nonsmokers who proclaimed it wasn't fair to have no control over their exposure to second-hand smoke. Now, we're beginning to see some results from these bans. In addition to making life more bearable for nonsmokers, the ban also appears to have reaped growing health benefits. It has reduced heart attacks and perhaps, saved lives. The results of two newly published studies report that communities that have banned smoking in public places show an average reduction of 17 percent in the number of heart attacks occurring in the first year of the ban, according to a CNN report. The health benefits continued to improve year after year. For each year after the first year implementing smoking bans, smoke-free communities have an average 26 percent decline in heart attacks, compared with those areas that still allow smoking in public places. The studies appear in the journals Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. One of the researchers, Dr. David Meyers of the University of Kansas School of Medicine said a nationwide ban on smoking in public and workplaces could prevent 100,000 to 225,000 heart attacks each year in the U.S. alone. So far 32 states and many cities have laws to ban smoking in public places. These studies provide some hard statistics that other states and communities without bans cannot ignore. Say what you want about individual rights, but I'd like to enjoy my right to be saved from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Another study finds aspirin can help prevent colon cancer; may work on faulty stem cells

Aspirin may truly be the wonder drug of the ages. It reduces fever and pain and is used in small doses as an anti-clotting agent to help prevent risk factors that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Last month a study from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reported that aspirin helped prevent colon cancer. (See my blog entry of August 11, 2009) Now another study appears to confirm those results, according to a Reuters report. British researchers report that a daily dose of aspirin can prevent colon cancer in people with a genetic disorder that increases their risk of developing the disease. One of the researchers notes that the study might also have uncovered a simple way of controlling stems cells that make tumors grow.
"We believe that aspirin may have an effect on the survival of aberrant (faulty) stem cells in the colon," Burn said, presenting his findings at the ECCO-ESMO European cancer congress in Berlin. Colorectal cancer is the second greatest cause of cancer death in the U.S. and Europe, so the findings could be significant. Some studies have suggested aspirin blocks the Cox-2 enzyme to prevent cancer, but Burn thinks aspirin hits faulty stem cells before they mutate into pre-cancerous cells. As expected, the researchers need to do more research to test out their theories about how aspirin is working to affect the stem cells.

Quick bedside test of eye movements works better than MRI for identifying stroke, new study says

In the category of things we'd like our doctors to know, we offer the following news. Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Illinois report that a cheap, quick bedside check of eye movements in high-risk patients with nausea and dizziness works better than an MRI in identifying those who have had a stroke. The study of 101 patients found the bedside test of eye movements caught more strokes than the gold standard diagnostic tool of a neuroimaging MRI. The researchers want to try to repeat the results in a larger population to determine whether the bedside test can save considerable costs by eliminating the need for MRIs for many patients. Previous research had indicated that people having a stroke showed eye-movement alterations that correlate with stroke-damage to various brain areas and that these are distinct from eye-movement alterations seen with benign ear diseases. Based on those earlier results, the Johns Hopkins/Illinois research team decided to test eye movements in patients experiencing weakness and dizziness to determine whether there was any link and whether they could differentiate the stroke patients from those having other problems. Their hunch paid off with results that may save lives and significantly reduce diagnostic costs.

Alert: Spinach is in trouble again: California company recalls product due to Salmonella

ALERT/RECALL: Popeye is cringing as spinach lovers face another challnege to food safety...Ippolito International, a California distributor, is recalling two brands of bunched spinach after routine testing showed the products were contaminated with salmonella, according to an Associated Press report. Most of the cartons were packed under the "Queen Victoria" label and shipped to the following states: California, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba in Canada. The other brand is called "Tubby" and was sold in California and New York. If you have these products in your refrigerator, toss them or return them to the store where you bought them. Let's hope early detection and notification about food contamination will help prevent illness.

New model helps predict women's postnatal depression

Early diagnosis of depression, especially for mothers who have just had babies, can often save pain, suffering, and family disruption. Now Spanish researchers have developed a model to diagnose postnatal depression, claiming the new method can predict 80% of the cases - the best result to date for this particular disorder, according to the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology. Early diagnosis would allow professional intervention to prevent postnatal depression from developing among women at risk, said Salvador Tortajada, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), tells SINC. The researchers identified a set of risk factors including: the extent of social support for the mother, prior psychiatric problems in the family, emotional changes during the birth, neuroticism and polymorphisms in the serotonin transport gene. These are genes with high levels of expression, which can lead to an increased risk of developing the illness.

Ice cream and other fatty foods may target your brain before your hips

If you are feeling hungrier on Monday after a weekend of binging on ice cream, burgers and cheese fondues, you may want to blame your brain for sabotaging your efforts to get back on the right diet track, according to new research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. As a result of animal studies, the researchers theorize that fat from certain foods we eat makes its way to the brain, affecting brain messages. The fat molecules cause the brain to send messages to the body’s cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation, the researchers say. The study said one particular type of fat, palmitic acid, which is found in butter, milk, cheese and beef, was particularly effective at jumpstarting this mechanism. The researchers said palmitic acid reduced the ability of leptin and insulin to activate their intracellular signaling cascades, so that the animals became insulin-resistant. Oleic acid, a common unsaturated fatty acid, did not show this effect. The researchers suggest that, even though these results are in animals, we limit our intake of saturated fats because it's possible that they are make us feel hungrier and eat more.

Researcher campaigns to remove trans fats from the American diet, citing health risks

A nonagenarian researcher is waging a campaign to ban trans fats from foods sold in the United States, according to a news release from the University of Illinois. Fred Kummerow, an active 94-year-old University of Illinois veterinary biosciences professor emeritus and researcher on the health effects of trans fats in the diet, filed a 3000-word petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, requesting the ban. Research has reported that =trans fats displace essential fatty acids linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3), substances the body requires for various functions.Kummerow's recent research, published last month in the journal Atherosclerosis, found that trans fats also interfere with the function of a key enzyme essential to blood flow regulation. Kummerow takes issue with current food labels. He believes the FDA's requirement that trans fats be included on food labels is inadequate and misleading because anything less than one-half gram of trans fats per serving can be listed as zero grams. This means that Americans are getting the mistaken impression that their food is trans fat-free, Kummerow said. Click here to see Kummerow's full petition to the U.S. FDA.

Lower salt consumption could save US $18 billion annually in health costs, study finds

We all know that too much salt is bad for our health because it raises blood pressure, but it's also bad for our wallets. Now a new study from the RAND Corporation says lowering sodium consumption among Americans could save the country up to $18 billion annually in health costs and improve quality of life for millions of people. The study, published in the September/October edition of the Journal of Health Promotion, says meeting national sodium guidelines could reduce the number of high blood pressure cases by 11 million across the nation and extend the lives of thousands of people each year. That equates to an estimated monetary value $32 billion annually in improved quality of life. Controlling sodium intake is a small measure that individuals can take to improve their health, but it has a big impact, both physically and economically.

Diabetes Breakthrough? Researchers discover gene that is resistant to insulin

There is good news for the millions of people suffering from type 2 diabetes around the world. An international research team has discovered a new gene that could lead to better treatment of the disease, along with a better understanding of how diabetes develops, according to a news release from McGill University in Montreal. The new gene is different from other genes associated with diabetes. Called Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (IRS1), it doesn’t affect how insulin is created in the pancreas, but rather, how the body responds to insulin already in the bloodstream, the researchers from Canada, France, the UK and Denmark said. Their fundings will be published in the journal Nature Genetics Sept. 6.

Can't Sleep? Get help now because it can damage your heart

If you are suffering from chronic insomnia, it might be a good time to see your doctor for help. Canadian researchers report that insomnia contributes to elevated blood pressure at night, which over time can damage the heart and circulatory system. Researchers in Montreal compared the 24-hour blood pressure of insomniacs compared to sound sleepers.

"Whereas blood pressure decreases in regular sleepers and gives their heart a rest, insomnia provokes higher nighttime blood pressure that can cause long-term cardiovascular risks and damage the heart," says Paula LaFranchi Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal Sleep Disorders Centre. The researchers caution that since blood pressure is elevated among people with insomnia, those with overt cardiac disease are particularly at risk for progression of the disease." The study appears in the current issue of the journal Sleep.

Experimental cancer pill from Roche offers new hope

Researchers reported today that an experimental cancer pill from Roche's Genentech shrank tumors in patients whose basal cell skin cancer had spread to other organs, according to a Reuters report. The results from an early stage study suggested that a new class of drugs may also have an effect on other cancers. The drug,developed in partnership with Curis Inc), shrank tumors in half of a small group of patients. The only potential problem is that at least one person has developed resistance to the drug-- known as GDC-0449-- after it helped shrink tumors from an aggressive type of childhood brain cancer called medulloblastoma. The studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the journal Science, offer a first look a promising new class of drugs that block the Hedgehog signaling pathway, which involves several proteins that play a role in cell growth.

After a death in the family

Last Friday, the phone rang and a doctor told me my mom "had decided to leave us." Even though she was 95, her health in recent weeks seemed to be holding steady and she had participated in the normal activities of the day, before climbing into bed. Then a sudden wave of pain overcame her and within minutes her life ended...It's a stark reality of our journeys...that death comes in all forms. For some it is quick and peaceful...for others, long and painful. During the same week in the same funeral home, there was a 25 year- old girl who died of an infection that was a complication of a brain operation. And of course, Sen. Ted Kennedy lost his brave 15-month battle with brain cancer. Death remains a mystery to all of us here on earth...Where do we go...is our energy reused? Do we dance in clouds or float through walls or inhabit the spiritual essence of others? What is "heaven"? We grieve our loved ones, theorize about what they are doing or how they are watching over us and, somehow, the survivors gain strength from sharing the pain with others. It's an important part of our physical and spiritual health to participate in some form of remembrance of those lost. Families gather together to mourn the young or celebrate the lives of those who have been blessed with longevity...Like fragile flowers that struggle to survive a storm, we are watered with the hope that perhaps we'll meet our loved ones again somewhere beyond time and space.