AIDS prevention pill study halted; no benefit seen

Researchers are stopping a study that tests a daily pill to prevent infection with the AIDS virus in thousands of African women because partial results show no signs that the drug is doing any good.Women taking Truvada (true-VAH'-duh), made by Gilead Sciences Inc., are just as likely to get HIV as other women who have been given dummy pills, an interim analysis of the study found. Even if the study were to continue, it would not be able to determine whether the pills help prevent infection, since the results are even this far along, researchers said.The finding is disappointing because another study last fall concluded that Truvada did help prevent infections in gay and bisexual men when given with condoms, counseling and other prevention services. Many AIDS experts view that as a breakthrough that might help slow the epidemic.Family Health International, a nonprofit involved in AIDS research, announced the new results on Monday. The group launched the study two years ago and had enrolled about half of the 3,900 women intended in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. As of last week, 56 new HIV infections had occurred, half in each group.No safety problems were seen with Truvada. However, women taking it were more likely to become pregnant than those on dummy pills."That's both a surprising finding and one that we can't readily explain" by what is known so far about Truvada's effects on women using hormonal contraceptives, said Dr. Timothy Mastro of Family Health International. The study was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gilead provided the drugs for the study.Truvada already is sold for treating HIV. It's a combination of two drugs, tenofovir and emtricitabine, or FTC, made by California-based Gilead Sciences Inc.Using it or its components for prevention is still "very promising," Mastro said, although benefits and risks may vary by gender and by the way the virus is spread — sex between men and women or riskier anal sex among men, for example.Last year, a study in South Africa found that a vaginal gel spiked with tenofovir cut in half a woman's chances of getting HIV from an infected partner. Protection was greater for those who used it most faithfully.A similar effect was seen in the study of Truvada in gay men. The drug lowered the chances of infection by 44 percent, and by 73 percent or more among men who took their pills most faithfully. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently gave advice to doctors on prescribing Truvada along with other prevention services for gay men, based on those encouraging results.In the new study, "it's difficult to understand why they did not see protection," but blood samples may tell more about whether it's related to how faithfully women took the pills, said Dr. Robert M. Grant of the Gladstone Institutes, a private foundation affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.He led the study of Truvada in gay men and said, "we are very confident that this approach is useful" for them.The new study's result "must be seen as what it is — the closure of a single trial in a field that has generated exciting results in the recent past," said Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group that works on HIV prevention research.Two other large studies testing AIDS drugs for prevention are under way in Africa, in heterosexual women and in couples where one has the virus and the other does not. Results are expected within two years. The studies have mostly been in countries with high rates of new infections because that makes it easier to see whether a prevention measure is having an impact.Truvada costs $5,000 to $14,000 a year in the United States, but as little as $140 a year in some poor countries where it's available in generic form.

Source:Associated Press

Medical tourism in the superbug age

In India, medical tourism is a sunrise sector valued at more than $310 million. Currently, India receives more than 100,000 foreign patients a year. The Confederation of Indian Industry expects the sector to grow to $2 billion by 2012. But might the NDM-1gene cause a thriving growth industry to sicken and die? Doctors and those who administer India's leading private hospitals say the sector is stronger than that. "We have proven our clinical excellence," says Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director of the Apollo Hospitals Group. "Our hospitals have excellent infection control protocols and infection rates are comparable to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) of Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US government public health agency."
He might be right. Hina Khan, 33, came from Vancouver to Max Healthcare in Delhi to sort out a respiratory problem. She says the bug is not an issue and "India has all kinds of bugs. This is just another one of them. I will come again if needed".
Some like 15-year-old Jenan from Iraq, who is at Artemis Hospital for brain tumour surgery, aren't aware of the superbug as yet. But it doesn't matter to Jenan's family. Her father Haithan says, "Iraq has hospitals and doctors, but it doesn't have advanced equipment. Health is our priority and India is a good destination for it."
In fact, NDM-1 would have to get a lot more scary before it could challenge India's biggest selling point —low-cost medical care. Dr Pradeep Chowbey, one of India's leading weight-loss surgeons, points out that his speciality "costs between $500-800 here while in the US it's as high as $25,000-30,000." Liver transplants cost about $1.5 lakh in Europe but just $45,000 here and heart surgery would be $45,000 in the US and $just 4,500 here. "Where else will they get the best hospitals, doctors and facilities, plus get a chance to see Taj Mahal at such low costs?" he asks.
Chowbey is one of many who believe in the conspiracy theory rationale of NDM-1. "Naturally, the west is worried. This can be seen in the aggressive body language of doctors there." Dr Devi Prasad Shetty of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore has been shouting the loudest about controversies. "The entire study was conducted by sponsorship from companies which make antibiotics for the superbug. They have got the most extensive free publicity for their antibiotics. Secondly, many western countries are unhappy with our medical tourism and that's why they have named a bacteria after an Indian city," he says. Shetty concludes by asking why HIV, which was identified in the US, was not named after an American city.
Perhaps the conspiracy theorists have a point. Perhaps the numbers do tell a growth story and the west is right to be worried. Over the past two years, Delhi's Apollo Hospital catered to more than 10,600 foreign patients; Max Healthcare treated 9,000 foreigners, most of them from the SAARC countries, West Asia, Africa, US, the UK and Europe. 
Source:TNN

Most 40-year-old Women Suffer from 'Mid-Life Mirror Angst Syndrome'

A recent survey which sought the views of 1200 middle aged women in their 40s and 50s found that 90% of them are victims of “mid-life mirror angst syndrome”.

They are dissatisfied and feel awful about their looks and bodies.
Such women have not come to terms with aging , which causes a change in the way they look. The survey revealed that most of them would do anything for a lean body.

 

This is perhaps why there is a growing demand for cosmetic procedures.

Source-Medindia
  

Study doubts anti-aging claims for DHEA

The hormone supplement DHEA may be promoted as a fountain of youth, but there is no good evidence that it boosts older women's memory, sexual function or general well-being, a new research review concludes.

DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is converted into other steroid hormones, including testosterone and estrogen. People's levels of DHEA naturally peak during their 20s, then taper off as they age. Because of this, over-the-counter synthetic DHEA supplements are marketed as an anti-aging weapon.

The supplement is claimed to sharpen memory and other cognitive skills, boost libido and sexual function, and enhance overall feelings of "well-being." It's also said to help protect against heart disease by improving cholesterol levels, and against diabetes by improving the body's use of the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

But none of those claims hold up in longer-term studies, according to the new review, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"In the 1990s, DHEA was considered to be the elixir of youth, with preliminary studies suggesting benefits," said Dr. Susan R. Davis, the lead researcher on the review and director of the women's health research program at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.

But more recently, she told Reuters Health in an email, some larger, longer-term trials have found no benefits.

A few earlier studies found, for example, that DHEA might boost older women's memory. But they included only a small number of women, and lasted only 2 to 4 weeks.

The largest study to look at the question -- a 2008 trial that followed 115 women for 1 year -- found no evidence that DHEA benefitted women's memory or other cognitive abilities.

Similarly, Davis and her colleagues found, the bulk of the evidence was negative when it came to DHEA for managing sexual dysfunction, mood, cholesterol and insulin levels.

"Our data would suggest that there is basically no benefit for postmenopausal women to use DHEA supplements to improve sexual function, well-being, cognitive performance, or for prevention of diabetes/insulin resistance or to lower cholesterol levels," Davis said.

On the other hand, she noted, some trials have suggested that DHEA might help slow the loss of bone density after menopause. The researchers looked at 10 studies that have looked at the effects of DHEA on bone density over 6 months to 2 years, and the majority showed some positive effects on women's bone mass.

However, Davis said, it's not known whether DHEA can lower older women's risk of bone fractures.

DHEA capsules are widely sold with vitamins and supplements, costing about $6 for a month's supply.

The most common side effects of DHEA appear to be acne and excess hair growth on the face and body, Davis said. Researchers do not yet know what negative health effects, if any, might come from long-term 

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, online March 16, 2011

A Good Diet Includes Many Cancer-Fighting Foods: Expert

Losing weight can help reduce your risk of cancer if you're overweight or obese, but not all diet plans are effective in lowering that risk, an expert says.

Diets that help protect against cancer are those that encourage long-term changes in eating habits and also provide a variety of options from all food groups, explained Daxaben Amin, a senior clinical dietitian in the clinical nutrition department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The Mediterranean-style diet promotes a life-long commitment to good nutrition and also meets many of the dietary guidelines for preventing cancer and heart disease, including:

• Plenty of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods.
• Using herbs and spices to flavor foods instead of salt.
• Limiting consumption of red meat and alcohol.
• Using healthy fats such as olive and canola oils instead of butter.
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week.

Another good diet is the whole-body type of diet, which involves eating six to seven small meals a day instead of the usual three large meals. It offers the following cancer prevention benefits:

• Fruits, vegetables and whole grains in at least half your daily meals.
• Limiting foods high in fats.
• Eating lean protein.
• Daily physical activity.

"Diet plans that encourage short-term change usually don't provide the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis. These diets make our 'bad' list," Amin said in a cancer center news release.

Gluten-free diets are becoming popular but people shouldn't go gluten-free unless they have celiac disease, Amin advised. Going gluten-free means avoiding foods with whole grains, which are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals -- all of which protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer.

Carbohydrate-free diets are another bad choice. Completely eliminating carbohydrates deprives the body of its primary source of energy and of some important cancer-fighting foods -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.

"Instead of going carb-free, choose your carbohydrates wisely. Pick whole grains rather than cakes, cookies and other foods made with processed or refined grains and sugars," Amin suggested.

Source:HealthDayNews

Health Tip: Call Your Doctor Before You Take Antacids...

Antacids are medications that counteract acids in the stomach, to help ease heartburn discomfort.

Many of these drugs are sold over-the-counter. But not everyone should take antacids, despite their wide availability, the American Academy of Family Physicians says.

The academy mentions these people who shouldn't take antacids without first consulting a physician:

• People who are passing bloody stools.
• People who are vomiting blood.
• People who have heartburn that doesn't get better after two weeks of treatment.
• People who have painful or difficulty swallowing.
• People who are losing weight for no apparent reason.
•  Source: Healthday News

Self-Medication More Common in Women

Approximately 20% of Spaniards take non-prescribed medication and women are the group most inclined towards this practice. This is the conclusion of a research carried out by experts from the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, which also links this habit to nationality, income level and alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst the population."In spite of the negative connotations generally associated with the idea of self-medication, it is actually the most significant method of self-care for the population", explains Pilar Carrasco, main author of the study  and head of the department of Preventative Medicine  Public Health, Immunology and Microbiology at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. 
According to the research, published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 20.17% of Spaniards use medication without a medical prescription. Of those, it is the women that self-medicate more than the men (with a prevalence of 16.93% compared to 14.46%). 
This gender-based difference can be explained by referring to the exposure to the consumption of medication, which is higher in women than in men. This is due to the fact that "women are more likely to suffer from emotional disorders and are more vulnerable in our society", says Carrasco. She adds: "This may be due to a greater disposition among women to acknowledge and voice theirsymptoms".
To carry out the study, scientists used data gathered between 2006 and 2007 from 20,738 people through the National Health System. Age, sex, nationality, marital status, level of education and occupational status were the independent variables analysed.