Tweaking Memories could help Drug Addicts avoid Relapsing

Manipulating memories of drug use may help reformed addicts avoid a return to a life of drug abuse, according to scientists in China.

They said memories linking “cues” – such as needles or cigarettes – and the pleasurable effects of drugs caused cravings and relapsing.

Tweaking Memories could help Drug Addicts avoid Relapsing

Authors of the study, published in the journal Science, “rewrote” those memories to reduce cravings.  Experts said targeting memories could become a new avenue for treatment.

Repeatedly showing people drug cues without actually giving patients the drug is a part of some therapies for addicts. It can break the link between cue and craving in the clinic. But this does not always translate to real life.

The researchers at Peking University tried to rewrite the original memory so that it would be as if the link between cue and the craving never existed.

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Flexible Memories

The work relies on the idea that a memory can become malleable after it is accessed, creating a brief window during which the memory can be “rewritten”.

Twenty-two heroin addicts who had not taken the drug for – on average – 11 years, took part in the study.

They were initially shown a brief video to remind them of taking drugs – opening the memory window. Ten minutes later they watched more videos and looked at pictures of heroin drug use.

Other addicts were shown an initial video of the countryside, which would not open the window.

Tests 180 days later showed that levels of cravings were lower in those treated during the ‘memory window’ than in the other groups. These experiments were backed up by further tests on “addicted” rats.

The authors wrote: “The [memory] procedure decreased cue-induced drug craving and perhaps could reduce the likelihood of cue-induced relapse during prolonged abstinence periods.”

Dr Amy Milton, who researches memory and addiction at the University of Cambridge, said: “I’m quite excited by this research.”

She said it was “such a minor” difference from current therapies which “tapped into an entirely different memory process” and the reconstruction of the original memory. Full clinical studies are needed, but it could be really important for treatment of addiction,” she said.

Dr Milton added: “There is no theoretical reason it couldn’t apply to other addictions such as alcohol. That’s obviously very exciting.”

Source: BBC News UK

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US Face Transplant gives Man new Jaw, Teeth and Tongue

US doctors have carried out what they say is the most extensive face transplant ever performed.

The operation at the University of Maryland gave Richard Norris a new face, including jaw, teeth and tongue.

US Face Transplant gives Man new Jaw, Teeth and Tongue

The 37-year-old has lived as a recluse for 15 years after being severely injured in a gun accident, and wore a mask whenever he went outside.

The surgery was funded by the US Navy, which hopes the techniques will help casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Surgeons who carried out the 36-hour operation say it was part of a series of transplant operations lasting 72 hours, using organs from one donor in five patients including Mr Norris.

He lost his lips and nose in the accident, and only had limited movement of his mouth.

The lead surgeon says Mr Norris will now get his life back.

“Our goal is to restore function as well as have aesthetically pleasing results,” said Eduardo Rodriguez.

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The team at the University of Maryland say Mr Norris is now brushing his teeth and shaving, and has regained his sense of smell.

The US government estimates that 200 wounded troops might be eligible for face transplants.

The first face transplant was performed in France in 2005, on a woman who was mauled by her dog.

In 2010 surgeons in Spain carried out the world’s first full face transplant.

Source: BBC News UK

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Diet Linked to Low Sperm Counts

A diet high in saturated fat has been linked with a reduced sperm count.

A study of 99 men attending a US fertility clinic found those eating junk food diets had poorer sperm quality. High intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, were associated with higher sperm concentration.

More work is needed to confirm the findings, the researchers report in the journal Human Reproduction.

Diet Linked to Low Sperm Counts

The team, led by Prof Jill Attaman from Harvard Medical School in Boston, questioned men about their diet and analysed sperm samples over the course of four years.

Compared with those eating the least fat, men with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration (number of sperm per unit volume of semen).

Men consuming the most omega-3 fatty acids had sperm with a more normal structure than men with the lowest intake.

Prof Attaman said: “The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease.”

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However, 71% of participants were overweight or obese, which could have had an impact on sperm quality. Furthermore, none of the men had sperm counts or concentrations below the “normal” levels defined by the World Health Organization of at least 39 million and 15 million per millilitre.

Commenting on the research, British fertility expert Dr Allan Pacey, of the University of Sheffield, said: “This is a relatively small study showing an association between dietary intake of saturated fats and semen quality.  Perhaps unsurprisingly there appeared to be a reasonable association between the two, with men who ate the highest levels of saturated fats having the lowest sperm counts and those eating the most omega-3 polyunsaturated fats having the highest. Importantly, the study does not show that one causes the other and further work needs to be carried out to clarify this. But it does add weight to the argument that having a good healthy diet may benefit male fertility as well as being good general health advice.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Red Meat Increases Death, Cancer and Heart Risk

A diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School.

The study of more than 120,000 people suggested red meat increased the risk of death from cancer and heart problems. Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the authors said.

Red Meat Increases Death, Cancer and Heart Risk

The British Heart Foundation said red meat could still be eaten as part of a balanced diet. The researchers analysed data from 37,698 men between 1986 and 2008 and 83,644 women between 1980 and 2008.

They said adding an extra portion of unprocessed red meat to someone’s daily diet would increase the risk of death by 13%, of fatal cardiovascular disease by 18% and of cancer mortality by 10%. The figures for processed meat were higher, 20% for overall mortality, 21% for death from heart problems and 16% for cancer mortality.

The study said: “We found that a higher intake of red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of total, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality.

“This association was observed for unprocessed and processed red meat with a relatively greater risk for processed red meat.”

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The researchers suggested that saturated fat from red meat may be behind the increased heart risk and the sodium used in processed meats may “increase cardiovascular disease risk through its effect on blood pressure”.

Victoria Taylor, a dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Red meat can still be eaten as part of a balanced diet, but go for the leaner cuts and use healthier cooking methods such as grilling.

“If you eat processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages or burgers several times a week, add variation to your diet by substituting these for other protein sources such as fish, poultry, beans or lentils.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Surgeons Call for End to Metal Hip Replacements

Expert surgeons in the UK say patients should no longer be given all-metal hip replacements, despite assurances from regulators amid safety concerns.

Large head metal-on-metal implants can cause serious side effects with wear. The BBC’s Newsnight and the British Medical Journal recently discovered the problems were known about for decades.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) insists the implants can still be used but the British Hip Society disagrees.

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Its surgeons say the operations should no longer be performed.  But patients with joints measuring less than 36mm (1.4in) and those who have had only hip resurfacing are not affected.

The MHRA said last week that patients who have already undergone large head metal-on-metal hip replacements – 49,000 patients in all – should be monitored annually for life.

The regulator said that they should have blood tests to check for minute metal debris from the joints, and magnetic resonance imaging scans if they have raised metal levels or show adverse symptoms.

According to latest figures from the National Joint Registry for England and Wales, about 1,400 patients had a large head metal-on-metal hip replacement in 2010.

Surgeons: ‘Don’t use metal hips’

The British Hip Society says patients like these should not receive such implants because there is not enough evidence to show any benefits outweigh the risks.

But Dr Susanne Ludgate, clinical director of the MHRA, said the implants were justified in some instances.

“We recognise that there is emerging evidence of increased revision rates associated with large head metal-on-metal hip replacements. But the clinical evidence is mixed and this does not support their removal from the market. Metal-on-metal resurfacing hip implants enable young patients to lead pain-free, independent lives. The percentage of patients implanted with these large head metal-on-metal hip implants dropped to 2% in 2010 and is continuing to decrease.  There are alternative hip replacements available that are proven to produce good clinical outcomes for patients. The MHRA, in combination with our expert advisory group, is continuing to monitor closely all the latest evidence about these devices. We will take quick action if we need to and, if patients have any questions, they should speak to their orthopaedic surgeon or doctor.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Antipsychotics Death Risk Charted in Dementia Patients

Some antipsychotic medication may increase the risk of death in patients with dementia more than others, according to US research.

The drugs have a powerful sedative effect so are often used when dementia patients become aggressive or distressed.

A study, published on the BMJ website, argued that antipsychotics should not be used “in the absence of clear need”.

Experts said better alternatives were needed to antipsychotics. A study in 2009, suggested 180,000 people with dementia were taking antipsychotic medication in the UK and said the drugs resulted in 1,800 additional deaths.

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Data differences

Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed 75,445 people in nursing homes who had dementia and were prescribed antipsychotics.

The researchers said some drugs were associated with more than twice the risk of death than risperidone, another antipsychotic which was used as a benchmark to compare the other drugs.

The study concluded: “The data suggest that the risk of mortality with these drugs is generally increased with higher doses and seems to be highest for haloperidol and least for quetiapine.”

However, the way the study was conducted meant it could not say definitively that certain drugs actually caused more deaths, merely that there was a link between the two.

The Department of Health said antipsychotic use was “resulting in as many as 1,800 unnecessary deaths per year. This is simply unacceptable. That’s why reducing the level of antipsychotics prescribing for people with dementia by two-thirds is one the key priorities in the National Dementia Strategy.”

The Dementia Action Alliance – which includes the Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK and the Department of Health – has called for all prescriptions for antipsychotics to be reviewed by the end of March 2012.

Dr Chris Fox, who researches dementia at the University of East Anglia, said: “This study provides an interesting insight into the differential harm of these medicines. More work is needed on alternatives to these medicines in dementia with behavioural problems. In addition, there is a need to consider duration of use in more acute situations such as severe distress. Is six or 12-week use safe in people with dementia?”

Alzheimer’s Research UK’s chief executive Rebecca Wood said the risks of antipsychotics were “well-established” yet “progress has been frustratingly slow” in reducing their use.  She said the drugs “should only be used for people with dementia where there is no alternative for dealing with challenging behaviour”.

Dr Anne Corbett, research manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “For a minority of people with dementia antipsychotics should be used, but then only for up to 12 weeks, and under the correct circumstances. For the majority, they do far more harm than good.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Diabetes Quadruples Birth Defects Risk, say Researchers

The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, analysed data from more than 400,000 pregnancies in the north-east of England. The risk of defects such as congenital heart disease and spina bifida were increased.

National guidelines already recommend having good control over blood sugar levels before trying to conceive.

Both Type 1 diabetes, which tends to appear in childhood, and Type 2 diabetes, largely as a result of diet, lead to problems controlling the amount of sugar in the blood.  This is known to cause problems in pregnancy, such as birth defects, miscarriage and the baby being overweight due to too much sugar.

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There is concern that rising levels of diabetes, particularly Type 2, could make the issue worse. Researchers at Newcastle University analysed data from 401,149 pregnancies between 1996 and 2008 – 1,677 women had diabetes.

The risk of birth defects went from 19 in every 1,000 births for women without pre-existing diabetes to 72 in every 1,000 births for women with diabetes. Their report said that sugar levels in the run-up to conception were the “most important” risk factor which could be controlled.

The lead researcher, Dr Ruth Bell from Newcastle University, told the BBC: “Many of these anomalies happen in the first four to six weeks.”

She said the number of pregnancies with poor sugar control were “more than we would like”. “It is a problem when the pregnancy is not intended or when people are not aware they need to talk to their doctors before pregnancy,” she said.

Guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence say women should reduce their blood sugar levels to below 6.1% before trying to have a baby.

Diabetes Quadruples Birth Defects Risk, say Researchers

Dr Bell said: “The good news is that, with expert help before and during pregnancy, most women with diabetes will have a healthy baby. The risk of problems can be reduced by taking extra care to have the best possible glucose control before becoming pregnant.”

The charity Diabetes UK funded the study. Its director of research, Dr Iain Frame, said: “We need to get the message out to women with diabetes that if they are considering becoming pregnant, then they should tell their diabetes healthcare team, who will make sure they are aware of planning and what next steps they should be taking.It also highlights the importance of using contraception if you are a woman with diabetes who is sexually active but not planning to become pregnant.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Nicotine May aid Memory for in Early Dementia

Nicotine patches may improve the memory of elderly people experiencing the earliest symptoms of dementia, researchers suspect. The patches appear to give a cognitive boost to people with mild memory impairment.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, come from a small study of 67 people over a period of six months.

Experts say the results are not conclusive, merely hinting of a benefit and do not mean people should smoke. The health risks of smoking massively outweigh any potential nicotine benefits. And nicotine is known to be addictive.

Longer and larger studies are now needed to fully assess nicotine’s effect on memory and whether it might point the way to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, they say.

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Early promise

There are some 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia. Although some drugs are already available that can lessen some of the symptoms of the disease, there is no cure for this progressive disorder.

Memory and cognition are some of the first functions that begin to fail in a person with dementia. They may find it difficult to recall recent events or facts or become increasingly confused, even when in familiar surroundings, for example.

Scientists have known for some time that the brain contains receptors that respond to nicotine and that a number of these are lost in Alzheimer’s.

The latest work found that six months of treatment with nicotine patches appeared to improve how well individuals with “pre-dementia” or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) performed on tests designed to assess memory, attention and response times.

After six months of treatment, the nicotine-treated group regained 46% of normal performance for age on long-term memory, whereas the placebo group worsened by 26% over the same time period. However, the findings were not statistically significant – a measure investigators need results to meet in order to rule out any chance findings.

The scientists say more studies are now needed to confirm their preliminary findings.

Lead author Dr Paul Newhouse, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said: “This study provides strong justification for further research into the use of nicotine for people with early signs of memory loss. We do not know whether benefits persist over long periods of time and provide meaningful improvement.”

Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging science at University College London, said the study gave some exciting evidence that mild memory problems might be treatable before they develop into full blown dementia.

But he added: “Nicotine is just one of the existing or experimental drugs that could prove beneficial for this patient group. It should encourage more investment into research into possible treatments.  It is quite likely that no treatment will help everyone – and so new diagnostic tests to match patients to treatments may be also needed to tackle dementia.”

Source: BBC News UK

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