New study for us old guys and gals

September 2006By Katharine Greider & Roberta Yared
Gender Gap
The differences between males and females start with the way their genes behave, new research finds. Understanding those genetic variations could explain why the sexes often respond differently to disease and drugs.
Nearly all genes in males and females are identical. But scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed gene expression—activities such as protein production—in mice and discovered more than 25,000 genes in brain, liver, fat and muscle tissue that act very differently according to gender, a far higher number than expected. Fully 70 percent of the genes analyzed in the liver, where drugs are metabolized, showed variations.
The researchers, who reported on the study in the August issue of Genome Research, say such differences are almost certain to occur in humans as well.
"It's pretty startling," Sherry Marts, vice president for scientific affairs of the Society for Women's Health Research, says of the study. It opens up new treatment possibilities. If, for example, scientists knew why women are more susceptible to autoimmune illnesses like lupus, she says, "we might have a better approach to treating or preventing them."
Insulin Influence
New studies are confirming that people with diabetes or obesity are at greater risk for Alzheimer's, researchers reported at an international conference in July.
In an aging country, with an estimated 73 million Americans who have diabetes or prediabetes, the findings could mean a surge in dementia cases. But "changes in diet and exercise and drugs already developed for diabetes may prove useful to better treat and prevent Alzheimer's," says Ronald Petersen, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Center.
Diabetics do not properly produce or use insulin, a hormone that regulates the body's use of sugar. Imaging studies indicate that dementia advances as insulin levels in the brain fall. Imaging also enables doctors to diagnose dementia earlier and learn what drugs and other therapies are effective.
The 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Diseases and Related Disorders (held in Madrid) was sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association.
Juice It Up
Muscles weak and achy after that tough workout? Try cherry juice.
University of Vermont researchers and colleagues gave 24 ounces of the stuff to 14 students for eight days straight; on day four the men performed strenuous biceps curls. On average, those drinking cherry juice had only a 4 percent loss of muscle strength after exercise, as opposed to 22 percent for men getting a placebo.
Carol Torgan, an exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, cautions that the drink "didn't alleviate tenderness and effects on range of motion."
Published in August by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study was paid for by Cherrypharm Inc., maker of a cherry-based sports drink.
July-August 2006By Katharine Greider & Roberta Yared
Snooze to Lose
Skimping on shuteye increases the odds of adding pounds. A 16-year study of nearly 70,000 middle-aged women found that those who slept five hours or less each night were more likely to gain a significant amount of weight than those who slept seven hours.
Sleeping less probably affects the resting metabolic rate (the number of calories burned during sleep), says lead researcher Sanjay Patel, M.D., of Case Western Reserve University. He presented the findings at the May American Thoracic Society International Conference. "Other research suggests similar findings in men," he says.
If it's coffee that keeps you awake, consider switching to decaf instead of going cold turkey. A 15-year study reports fewer deaths from heart disease among 27,000 older women who drank one to three cups of either regular or decaf coffee a day. "Coffee is rich in antioxidants, which may reduce the oxidative stress and inflammation that encourage arteries to narrow," says researcher David R. Jacobs of the University of Minnesota. The findings are likely to apply to men as well. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May.
Signs of Dementia
Wobbly balance and walking problems in people who don't show signs of cognitive impairment may be harbingers of the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Of 2,288 participants in a six-year study in Seattle, those who scored high on physical activity tests at the beginning of the period were three times less likely to develop dementia than those who scored low. None of the participants, all 65 years or older, had dementia or ill health at the start. The 319 participants who developed dementia had scored poorly on the physical tests, which included a 10-foot walk, standing balance, standing up from a chair and hand grip strength.
Researchers say the study suggests that exercising to get in shape may delay the onset of dementia. "Physical and mental performance may go hand in hand, and anything you can do to improve one is likely to improve the other," says Eric B. Larson, M.D., of the University of Washington, co-author of a report in the May 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Shaking Shingles?
Anyone who had chickenpox as a child is a candidate for shingles as an adult. But a new vaccine may prevent or at least lessen the severity of shingles, a painful nerve disease marked by a burning red rash.
The herpes zoster virus that causes chickenpox lies dormant in nerve cells and then can "reawaken" as shingles. The vaccine, Zostavax, a more potent version of the chickenpox vaccine given to children, was approved in May by the federal Food and Drug Administration specifically for people 60 and over, the age group that accounts for about half of the 1 million U.S. shingles cases a year.
In a clinical trial with 38,500 people 60 and older, half the group received the vaccine and the other half a placebo. The vaccinated group had half the number of shingles cases (315) as the placebo group (642 cases), and their symptoms were significantly milder.
The trial was funded by several federal agencies and vaccine manufacturer Merck. A company spokesperson says a shot will cost $152.50. Medicare and other insurers are expected to cover the vaccine.
June 2006By Katharine Greider & Roberta Yared
Bone Drug Alert
People taking Fosamax and similar drugs to enhance bone density may risk a very rare but alarming side effect: "jawbone death."
Medical journals have reported hundreds of cases in which patients taking drugs known as bisphosphonates developed osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Potentially disfiguring and hard to treat, ONJ is characterized by jaw pain and ulcerations in the mouth.
The problem seems to arise mainly after patients—predominantly cancer patients receiving the drugs intravenously—undergo an invasive dental procedure such as tooth extraction.
But some patients with ONJ have taken pills—Fosamax or, less commonly, Actonel—for osteoporosis, the thinning of the bones that can lead to fractures. In April a Florida woman sued Merck, the maker of Fosamax, claiming the drug destroyed her jawbone. Merck added ONJ to the warning label for Fosamax last year.
Susan Ott, M.D., an osteoporosis expert at the University of Washington, says the drug may be overused among women who overestimate their risk for osteoporosis. But she says women with full-blown osteoporosis should not avoid Fosamax because the risk of jawbone problems is very small.
Patients taking bisphosphonates should alert their dental professionals, says Marc Balson, past president of the American Association of Endodontists.
Do Nothing
Suppose you have an implanted cardiac defibrillator and the manufacturer recalls the device?
The best thing to do may be nothing, since replacing an implanted defibrillator has a substantial risk of complications, says Andrew Krahn, M.D., of the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada.
Krahn surveyed reports on 2,915 Canadians with implants who received recall notices during 2004-2005. Eighteen percent (533) had replacement surgery—of those, 43 had complications and two died. Among those who did not replace the device, only three malfunctions occurred—there were no fatalities or serious complications. The study was published April 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A U.S. study, also reported in the Journal, found that of 415,780 patients receiving implants from 1990 to 2002, 31 died due to malfunctioning devices.
Spice of Life?
Ordinary powdered ginger destroyed human ovarian cancer cells in a laboratory experiment at the University of Michigan.
The spice killed the cells in different ways, indicating it may also limit cell resistance to standard treatment, says J. Rebecca Liu, M.D., of the university's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Liu, who reported the findings at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in April, plans to test ginger in animals.
May 2006By Katharine Greider & Roberta Yared
Take a Deep Breath
Start walking. Older adults who don't exercise, when tested against nonexercising younger people in a walk paced at 3.5 miles an hour, used more oxygen. But over time, with regular exercise, their use of oxygen improved more than that of the younger adults.
In a study by the University of Washington in Seattle, healthy but "deconditioned" men and women ages 65 to 79 improved their oxygen efficiency by 30 percent, compared with 2 percent for adults ages 20 to 33. They developed "a much better way of using oxygen," says J. Susie Woo, M.D., lead author of a report in the March 7 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The training course included stretching, walking and biking for 90 minutes three times a week over six months.
It's the regularity of exercise, not the level, Woo explains, that provides the benefits. "So do something you enjoy. But do it regularly, three times a week."
Take a Shot at It
Adults hospitalized for pneumonia are much more likely to survive if they've been vaccinated against a virulent bacterial form of the disease, according to research published April 15 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Researchers from Philadelphia's Drexel University and the hospital system Tenet Healthcare examined the records of 63,000 adults admitted with pneumonia from 1999 to 2003. Those vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia were 50 percent less likely to die—from any cause—than those with no record of vaccination. The shots are recommended for people 65 and older.
Take a Snooze
Skimping on sleep night after night might increase the risk of full-blown hypertension.
Data from a survey of nearly 5,000 people showed that those who said they slept no more than five hours a night were roughly twice as likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure over the next decade. The study, by Columbia University researchers, was published online April 3 in Hypertension.