Dr.Dreams A Health,Medical & Wellness Blog » research

Health Journal: Deciphering the Ailments Tied to Gluten

Dr Joe — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:51:20 +0000

Researchers are making slow progress in understanding the numerous ailments that a growing number of people suffer after eating foods with gluten, a protein found in wheat. As the Health Journal column reports , a group of 15 experts from seven countries took a step forward this week, proposing a new classification and diagnosing system to help doctors and patients figure out what’s a wheat allergy, what’s celiac disease and what falls under a new category of ills lumped together as “gluten sensitivity.” Another international team aims to clear up the confusion caused by experts around the world using different terminology for gluten-related problems; celiac disease alone has been called sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy and gluten intolerance. Their consensus paper will be published soon in the journal Gut. A lesser-known disorder is gluten ataxia, in which antibodies to gluten damage parts of the brain that control gait, speech and motor function. Researchers have long wondered whether antibodies to gluten could attack other parts of the brain as well, and some intriguing findings have emerged. For instance, people with schizophrenia have a higher rate of the anti-gluten antibodies and gene variations associated with celiac disease than the general population. And some parents of autistic children say their symptoms improve, sometimes dramatically, on a gluten-free diet, though no link has been firmly established in lab studies. Gluten disorders could play a role in dementia as well. In a 2006 study, physicians at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., identified 13 patients with celiac disease who started showing signs of cognitive decline at the same time gastrointestinal symptoms set in. Some improved and some didn’t on a gluten-free diet, and much more research is needed to explore the connection. But neurologists at the Mayo Clinic now routinely test for celiac disease in patients with early on-set dementia. A more fundamental mystery is why gluten, a staple of most human diets since the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago, is creating more health problems now. Once considered rare, celiac disease is now believed to affect about 1% of the U.S. population, up fourfold over the last 50 years. “Has the staff of life become the stuff of illness for some?” asks Joseph Murray , a celiac expert at the Mayo Clinic. Some experts suspect that genetic changes to raise the protein content of wheat may play a role, as could industrial baking procedures that shorten the time bread is exposed to yeast. Wheat also makes up a larger portion of human diets than in generations past, and wheat consumption is growing in Asia and the Middle East, along with gluten-related disorders. Still another theory holds that the bacteria that inhabit the human body may have evolved to be less hospitable to gluten over time. Whatever the reason, says Alessio Fasano , director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research, “our environment is changing faster than humans can adapt, and some people are paying the price.”

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Health Journal: Deciphering the Ailments Tied to Gluten

A.M. Vitals: Merck Will Apply for Suvorexant Approval This Year

Dr Joe — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:41:26 +0000

Merck’s Plans: Merck said it plans to apply this year for FDA approval of suvorexant, an experimental treatment for insomnia, the WSJ reports . The drug, an orexin receptor antagonist, produced positive results in two later-stage studies that will be presented at scientific meetings this year, Merck said. On-Campus Eating: Research published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds that about half of kids at public and private elementary schools have access to on-campus foods outside of the cafeteria, such as in vending machines and snack bars, the Los Angeles Times’ Booster Shots blog reports . Not surprisingly, more kids had access to sweet foods such as candy than to healthful foods like fruits and veggies. Going to the Dogs: Researchers are studying the genetics of cancer in pet dogs in the hopes of applying what they learn about matching drugs to tumors in humans, the WSJ reports . Dogs get many of the same cancers as people and respond similarly to drugs but because their cancers usually progress more quickly, drug responses can be gauged in a shorter period of time, the paper says. Trial enrollment can also take a much shorter time. Weight-Loss Points: Weight Watchers’ Points Plus program, introduced over a year ago, is producing some complaining by members who say the new system doesn’t produce weight loss like the old system did, the New York Times reports . In December Weight Watchers said participants could reduce their daily points allotment by 10% — fruits and vegetables are still unlimited — in order to help weight loss. The company says research shows the Points Plus system can produce the same weight loss as the previous system. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: Merck Will Apply for Suvorexant Approval This Year

Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:06:32 +0000

The government estimates that more than 15,000 women died last year from ovarian cancer. But routine screening of women with no symptoms isn’t recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force , American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or other professional groups, even for women at high risk for the disease. That’s because the benefits of the available tests — a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test that detects an antigen called CA-125 — haven’t been shown to outweigh their risks (such as complications from unnecessary surgery), or to reduce the number of deaths. Despite that evidence, a new study finds that when presented with a scenario of a woman coming to her annual check-up, a significant percentage of physicians surveyed would screen for ovarian cancer. Some 28.5% of the 1,088 primary-care docs — OB/GYNs, family physicians and general internists — surveyed said they “sometimes” or “almost always” offered or ordered ovarian-cancer screening tests for low-risk women. When the vignette involved a woman at medium risk of the disease, that proportion jumped to 65.4% of physicians. About a third of physicians reported believing that ultrasound or CA-125 blood testing is an effective screening test for ovarian cancer, the study found. It’s unclear why that is, and more research is needed to discover why, says Laura-Mae Baldwin , an author of the study and professor of family medicine at the University of Washington. “We know that in medicine we have an enthusiasm for screening,” she says. “We want to find diseases before they can cause harm.” The study also found that physicians were more likely to say they’d order screening for patients who requested it — even if the doctor herself didn’t believe screening was effective. In that scenario, physicians may be trying to maintain a relationship with the patient, or they “may lack confidence in explaining why the test is more harmful than beneficial,” says Baldwin. She says there’s an important role for clinical tools that could accurately illustrate the level of risk faced by a particular woman and also illustrate the harms and benefits of the test. The study is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. There are limitations to the research: doctors were reporting how they’d react to the scenarios presented to them, not discussing actual patients. And while there was a 62% response rate to the initial questionnaire sent to physicians, the results may not generalize to the doctors who didn’t respond, the authors write. Image: iStockphoto

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Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines

Live Chat: Are You Less Intelligent in a Group?

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:09:05 +0000

Ever clam up at a meeting even though you knew a lot and wanted to contribute? Have you tripped over yourself as you tried to explain a complex subject? Have you felt tongue-tied when the spotlight turns to you at a party? You’re not alone. WSJ’s Bonds columnist Elizabeth Bernstein writes this week about research which shows that some people become, in effect, less intelligent when in professional or social gatherings . Elizabeth will take reader questions in a live chat on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. ET. The chat will be moderated by Personal Journal news editor Laura Bird. Ask your questions now.

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Live Chat: Are You Less Intelligent in a Group?

Online Dating Isn’t the Likely Route to Mr. or Ms. Right: Study

Dr Joe — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:37:59 +0000

Does online dating work? Well, it’s a great way to meet people, but not for leading you to the partner of your dreams, according to a comprehensive new review published in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The authors, all academic researchers without any financial ties to dating services, combed through the literature on relationships (those begun both on- and offline) and other areas of psychology to take a stab at answering the question. Using an internet dating site has the advantage over in-person dating in expanding one’s access to the dating pool. That’s especially helpful for people who tend to face more limited opportunities, such as working, single parents without much free time or those with a minority sexual orientation, says study author Eli Finkel , a psychology professor at Northwestern University. In addition, users know immediately that their matches are available and interested in a romantic relationship, in contrast to the uncertainties surrounding meeting someone in, say, a bar. But, the typical online dating site — where individuals view profiles of those to whom they are matched based on certain characteristics or values — doesn’t improve one’s chance of meeting a compatible mate, according to Finkel. That’s because it’s really hard to judge chemistry or rapport — so-called “experiential” information — from searchable information, like height, age and education. And, people may not even make decisions based on the characteristics they say are important — they might say kindness is important, for example, but then not go for the super-kind people any more frequently than someone who says intelligence is really important. Ultimately, this means that online services are matching people based on characteristics that haven’t been shown to predict relationship success, says Finkel. A prime example is similarity, which some dating sites say is the key to finding a suitable mate and serves as the basis for complicated matching algorithms. In relationship research, similarity between couples doesn’t well predict the long-term success of the relationship. Rather, people simply perceive that they are more similar to people they like, says Finkel. The take-home message isn’t that people should stop on-line dating, says Finkel. Rather they should “use the online dating site to get off-line,” he says. Don’t spend extensive periods of time scouring profiles and interacting electronically. Instead, use the profiles to find people who look interesting or appealing, then relatively quickly try to meet that person — in a public setting, for safety’s sake — to assess whether that spark is there in-person, he says. Those who like to go out and are willing to be spontaneous may find more success using new “mobile” dating options where users are see via smartphone who else signed up for the service is near where they are, and can immediately meet up for coffee to assess whether there’s chemistry, says Finkel. “There’s no substitute for face-to-face communication,” says Finkel. Bonus: The Psychology of Online Dating Image: iStockphoto

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Online Dating Isn’t the Likely Route to Mr. or Ms. Right: Study

ASCO: Why Cancer Care and Palliative Care Should Be Combined

Dr Dreams — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:06:05 +0000

Cancer patients with advanced disease should have access to palliative care early on in their illness, according to new guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. That doesn’t mean oncologists are being encouraged to give up on extending the lives of those patients, says Thomas Smith, an author of the guidance and director of palliative care for Johns Hopkins Medicine and a professor of palliative care in the Hopkins School of Medicine’s oncology department. Rather, the guidelines recommend combining palliative care — open and honest communication about the progress of the disease and the patient’s wishes, medical appropriate goal-setting and careful attention to symptom management — with standard oncology care, says Smith. (The “provisional clinical opinion” is published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology.) Practically, that would mean patients would still receive whatever treatments were likely to help fight their disease. But they’d also get help from a palliative care team trained in having tough conversations about prognosis, quality of life and death. “It’s not hard for oncologists to tell who can be cured and who can’t,” says Smith. “But it’s hard to sit down and explain to people what will happen to them, and to have a discussion about how that person wants to spend their last weeks, months and years of life,” he says. There aren’t a huge number of large randomized clinical trials on which to base recommendations for palliative care, says Smith; the area is not particularly well funded. But one study that did get a lot of attention, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, found that advanced lung-cancer patients who were randomly assigned to receiving early palliative care in conjunction with standard care not only reported better quality of life, but lived a few months longer than patients receiving only standard care. What comes through “loud and clear” from the available research is that there’s no harm in incorporating palliative care early on with patients with metastatic disease, says Smith. Patients tend to have their pain and symptoms better managed, to have a better understanding of their illness, and to receive more medically appropriate care, he says. Research also shows they and their family members are less likely to be depressed. The statement from ASCO says that more research is necessary to figure out the best timing and venue for providing palliative care, to evaluate reimbursement models and to gauge the effectiveness of various components, among other things. Bonus: ASCO: How to Talk About End-of-Life-Care With Cancer Patients

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ASCO: Why Cancer Care and Palliative Care Should Be Combined

Brain’s Reluctance To Function With Age

Dr Joe — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:58:21 +0000

New findings have revealed a new mechanism by which the brain of individuals might become reluctant to function as they grow older. This research was led by leading neuroscientists from the University of Bristol and it also got printed in the periodical of Neurobiology of Aging. It is still not absolutely understood as to why Related posts: Study Shows Possibility of Smell Function To Get Better Distortion in the sense of smell is a factor that… Brain foods: Best to choose and indicated to avoid The brain is one of our most precious organs as… Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) Linked to Lower Sexual Function Scores Using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men scale, research, presented…

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Brain’s Reluctance To Function With Age

A.M. Vitals: Social Media Helped Fuel Protests Against Komen

Martin Neumann — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:08:32 +0000

Social Media and Funding Brouhaha: Social media helped galvanize supporters of Planned Parenthood last week after Susan G. Komen for the Cure said it would cut off funding for the women’s health nonprofit — and then reversed its stance, the WSJ reports . According to social-media monitor NetBase Solutions, Komen-related chatter rose 80% from last Monday to Tuesday, when the story broke, with 66% of online conversations against the breast-cancer advocacy group. The Toll of Child Abuse: Research published in Pediatrics finds that more children under one year of age are admitted to hospitals for child abuse than for reasons related to sudden infant death syndrome, Time’s Healthland blog reports . Researchers found the death rate from child abuse was 6% in 2006, with 300 deaths of 4,569 hospitalizations. Under Observation: Medicare beneficiaries not officially admitted to the hospital but who spend time there under “observation care” may be surprised that they owe for hospital co-pays and any subsequent nursing-home care , the WSJ reports . The number of observation hours — considered outpatient care by Medicare — rose to 36 million in 2009 from 23 million in 2006, including a rising number of visits lasting longer than 48 hours, the paper says. Public-Health Debate: What’s a better way to convey public-health messages about diet, smoking and other lifestyle choices — stark, if harrowing, ads about the consequences of obesity, diabetes and lung cancer, or more positive, empowering messages? As the New York Times reports , there’s a debate about whether some of New York City’s ad campaigns will make an impact, with critics saying the harsher messages won’t resonate with the people who need to hear them most. NYC’s health department says the campaigns reflect the true consequences of diseases. Image: iStockphoto

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A.M. Vitals: Social Media Helped Fuel Protests Against Komen

Mechanism Behind Aging Revealed by Identical Twins

Dr Joe — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:20:11 +0000

A recent study which was led by researchers of Uppsala University, evaluate the DNA of identical twins who were of different ages. The findings showed that DNA’s structural modifications, where the small and large DNA segments alter directions, are duplicated or absolutely lost. This is most common in the individuals of older age. The findings Related posts: The Mechanism Behind Cancer Metastasis, Unraveled There is now a great chance for the spread of… Mental Decline Initiates at 45 Years of age: Revealed through Researches The researches had revealed that lack in memory or reasoning… PET May Detect Dementia: Revealed Through Decade Long Research The decade long researches conducted by the scientists had revealed…

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Mechanism Behind Aging Revealed by Identical Twins

Health Blog Video: How Serious a Party Foul is Double Dipping?

Sean Duffy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:32:20 +0000

As we all gather ’round the Super Bowl snack spread this Sunday, how worried should we be about the health consequences of the party foul known as double dipping? We tackled that question as part of our “Is It True?” video series here at the Health Blog — you can see the video below. The WSJ’s Christina Tsuei set out to find if, as Seinfeld’s George Costanza was told by a horrified party guest, that re-dipping a chip after you’ve already taken a bite is “like putting your whole mouth right in the dip.” The answer is probably not — but it could be compared to sharing a kiss with your fellow dippers, according to an expert she spoke with. (The Health Blog has written about of the research discussed in the video.) Watch the video and tell us your best strategies for avoiding the double dip. And look here , here , here , here , here and here for our previous videos, on weight-loss and sleep, giving and health, Thanksgiving dinner and tiredness, smiling and mood, the freshman 15 and melatonin’s effects on sleep. Have a suggestion for a future video topic? Please email us at healthblog@wsj.com or leave a comment below. Image: iStockphoto

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Health Blog Video: How Serious a Party Foul is Double Dipping?