19 November, 2012 Clippings

Daily aspirin dose cuts cancer risk

In a new study, researchers from Harvard University and Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston, the US, have found that taking aspirin every other day lowers the risk of certain cancers by more than 40 per cent.

They found that even a very low dose of the painkiller drastically reduces the odds of bowel and stomach cancers, the Daily Mail reported.  In the study, women who took one 100mg tablet every other day were 43 per cent less likely to get bowel cancer and 36 per cent less at risk of stomach cancer, after a period of 20 years.

Although aspirin has been dubbed the wonder drug as it protects against heart attacks, strokes and cancer, it also causes stomach bleeds and ulcers in some patients.

So, taking a low dose of the drug every other day may protect patients from these side effects.

The researchers looked at the records of 39,876 women over 45. Half were told to take one 100mg aspirin tablet every other day for ten years while the remainder were given a placebo - a dummy drug.  At the end of the study the researchers compared how many women from each group had developed cancer and found no difference.

But when they looked at them again eight years later - 18 years after the study had started - they found the odds of developing bowel or stomach cancer amongst those on aspirin were significantly lower.

They think it may take several years for aspirin's beneficial effects to 'kick-in.'

Although experts are unsure exactly how it protects against cancer, they think it may stop certain harmful chemicals or enzymes in the body from working.

In particular they believe it blocks the Cox-2 enzyme - which exists on all our cells and is known to trigger cancer.  But lead researcher Professor Nancy Cook said patients should not start taking aspirin every day or every other day.

Addressing the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Liverpool, she said: "There are side effects. They are rarely fatal but they do cause the need for hospitalisation. The side effects do depend on the dose which is one reason we were testing taking 100mg every other day."

Although this research only involved women, Professor Cook said similar effects would be seen in men who took aspirin every other day.

The study only found that aspirin only protected against bowel and stomach cancer, it did not reduce the risk of breast and lung cancer.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

19.11.2012

Protein in blood indicates diabetes risk

Researchers from Sweden have identified a protein in blood that can indicate who is at risk of diabetes at an early stage, thereby reducing the chances of the disease to damage areas like blood vessels and eyes because of late diagnosis.

It is the first time a link has been established between the protein SFRP4, which plays a role in inflammatory processes in the body, and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Studies at LUDC, in which donated insulin-producing beta cells from diabetic individuals and non-diabetic individuals have been compared, show that cells from diabetics have significantly higher levels of the protein.

It is also the first time the link between inflammation in beta cells and diabetes has been proven.

"The theory has been that low-grade chronic inflammation weakens the beta cells so that they are no longer able to secrete sufficient insulin. There are no doubt multiple reasons for the weakness, but the SFRP4 protein is one of them," Taman Mahdi, main author of the study and one of the researchers in Rosengren's group, said.

The level of the protein SFRP4 in the blood of non-diabetics was measured three times at intervals of three years.

Thirty-seven per cent of those who had higher than average levels developed diabetes during the period of the study. Among those with a lower than average level, only nine per cent developed the condition.

"This makes it a strong risk marker that is present several years before diagnosis. We have also identified the mechanism for how SFRP4 impairs the secretion of insulin. The marker therefore reflects not only an increased risk, but also an ongoing disease process," Rosengren said.

The marker works independently of other known risk factors for type 2 diabetes, for example obesity and age. "If we can point to an increased risk of diabetes in a middle-aged individual of normal weight using a simple blood test, up to ten years before the disease develops, this could provide strong motivation to them to improve their lifestyle to reduce the risk," Rosengren said.

"In the long term, our findings could also lead to new methods of treating type 2 diabetes by developing ways of blocking the protein SFRP4 in the insulin-producing beta cells and reducing inflammation, thereby protecting the cells," he said.

The findings have been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

19.11.2012

They are able because they think they are able

Virgil