Being an Optimist may Protect against Heart Problems

Being cheerful may protect against heart problems, say US experts.

Happy, optimistic people have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, a Harvard School of Public Health review of more than 200 studies – reported in Psychological Bulletin – suggests.

While such people may be generally healthier, scientists think a sense of well-being may lower risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Being an Optimist may Protect against Heart Problems

Stress and depression have already been linked to heart disease.

The researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health trawled medical trial databases to find studies that had recorded psychological well-being and cardiovascular health.

This revealed that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness appeared to be linked associated with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases, regardless of a person’s age, socio-economic status, smoking status or body weight.

Disease risk was 50% lower among the most optimistic individuals.

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Not Proof

Dr Julia Boehm and colleagues stress that their work only suggests a link and is not proof that well-being buffers against heart disease.

And not only is it difficult to objectively measure well-being, other heart risk factors like cholesterol and diabetes are more important when it comes to reducing disease.

The people in the study who were more optimistic also engaged in healthier behaviours such as getting more exercising and eating a balanced diet, which will have some influence.

But even when they controlled for these factors and others, like sleep quality, the link between optimism and better heart health remained.

Although they looked at 200 studies, the researchers say this number is still not enough to draw firm conclusions and recommend more research.

Much of the past work on mood and heart disease has looked at stress and anxiety rather than happiness.

Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The association between heart disease and mental health is very complex and still not fully understood.

“Although this study didn’t look at the effects of stress, it does confirm what we already know which is psychological well-being is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, just like staying active and eating healthily. It also highlights the need for healthcare professionals to provide a holistic approach to care, taking into account the state of someone’s mental health and monitoring its effect on their physical health.”

Source: BBC News UK

Glasgow University leads Biggest Study into Parkinson’s Disease

A Glasgow-based doctor is to lead the world’s biggest research study into the cause of Parkinson’s disease.

The brain condition affects almost 130,000 people in the UK.

Dr Donald Grosset, a neurologist at Glasgow University, said he hoped to find better ways of both diagnosing and treating the disease.

Charity Parkinson’s UK is looking for 3,000 volunteers with the condition – and their siblings – to take part in the study.

Glasgow University leads Biggest Study into Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s is a debilitating condition with symptoms which include tremors, mood changes, movement difficulties, loss of smell and speech problems.

The charity said it was investing more than £1.6m in the Tracking Parkinson’s study with the long-term aim of boosting the chances of finding a cure.

The study will follow 3,000 volunteers – people recently diagnosed with the disease, people diagnosed aged under 50 and their brothers and sisters.

The aim is to identify markers in the blood which could be used to create a simple diagnostic test for the disease, something which does not yet exist.

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Parkinson’s UK said early diagnosis is crucial if doctors are to be able to prescribe the right drugs for people with the condition.

The responses to various treatments of those taking part in the study will be closely monitored for up to five years.

Eventually the project will link up to 40 research centres across the UK.

Dr Grosset said: “The cure for Parkinson’s is a global challenge and all the samples gathered from our thousands of volunteers will be available for analysis by researchers the world over.

“This, in itself, will speed up our ultimate goal – to develop a cure for Parkinson’s.  I am very excited to be leading this cutting edge research collaborating with top researchers from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and innovation at Parkinson’s UK, added: “Finding a cure for Parkinson’s is like building a gigantic jigsaw, but we still have a number of the pieces missing. This vital new study will help us fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge.”

Source: BBC News UK

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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Obesity and Diabetes Link to Child Disorders

Obese women and those with Type 2 diabetes could be increasing their chances of having a child with autism or another development disorder, a US study suggests.

Researchers at the University of California Davis said that high glucose levels during pregnancy could affect brain development in the foetus.

The Paediatrics study looked at 1,000 children and mothers over seven years. Diabetes UK said further research was needed.

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In California, where the study was carried out, 1.3% of women have Type 2 diabetes and 7.4% have diabetes which developed during pregnancy.

The children in the study were aged between two and five years old and were enrolled between 2003 and 2010.

Obesity and Diabetes Link to Child Disorders

Among children whose mothers had Type 2 diabetes during their pregnancies, the study found that 9.3% of those children had autism. And 11.6% of that group of children showed evidence of a developmental disability.

This was nearly twice as high as the 6.4% of children with these problems born to women with no metabolic conditions.

Over 20% of the mothers of children with autism or other developmental disability were obese, compared with 14% of the mothers of normally developing children.

Communication skills

In the US, the study noted that 34% of women of child-bearing age are obese and nearly 9% are diabetic.

Around 29% of the children with autism had mothers with a metabolic condition during pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Nearly 35% of the children with another developmental disorder had mothers with metabolic conditions, compared to 19% of children in the control group.

The study also examined the link between hypertension and autism or developmental disorder.

The prevalence of high blood pressure was low for all groups, but more common among mothers of children with autism or developmental disorder, although it was not statistically significant.

When analysing children’s cognitive abilities, the study found that among the children with autism, children of mothers with diabetes did not perform as well as children of non-diabetic mothers in tests of expressive language and communication skills.

And the presence of any metabolic condition was linked to lower scores on all of the tests among children without autism.

The authors say that obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes and hypertension, and is characterized by increased insulin resistance.

Paula Krakowiak, from the MIND Institute at the University of California Davis, said: “Our finding that these maternal conditions may be linked with neurodevelopmental problems in children raises concerns and therefore may have serious public-health implications.”

Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said more research was needed to answer questions not investigated in the study.

“It is important to note that while it does show an association, it does not show that diabetes causes developmental problems. We continue to advise that women with diabetes should tell their diabetes health care team if they are planning to become pregnant. They can then work together to make sure they are aware of the steps they should take to help them have a healthy pregnancy. “

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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LSD helps Alcoholics to Give up Drinking

One dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s.

A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients.

LSD helps Alcoholics to Give up Drinking

It said there was a “significant beneficial effect” on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

An expert said this was “as good as anything we’ve got”. LSD is a class A drug in the UK and is one of the most powerful hallucinogens ever identified. It appears to work by blocking a chemical in the brain, serotonin, which controls functions including perception, behaviour, hunger and mood.

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Benefit

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analysed earlier studies on the drug between 1966 and 1970.

Patients were all taking part in alcohol treatment programmes, but some were given a single dose of LSD of between 210 and 800 micrograms. For the group of patients taking LSD, 59% showed reduced levels of alcohol misuse compared with 38% in the other group.

This effect was maintained six months after taking the hallucinogen, but it disappeared after a year. Those taking LSD also reported higher levels of abstinence.

The report’s authors, Teri Krebs and Pal-Orjan Johansen, said: “A single dose of LSD has a significant beneficial effect on alcohol misuse.”

They suggested that more regular doses might lead to a sustained benefit. “Given the evidence for a beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism, it is puzzling why this treatment approach has been largely overlooked,” they added.

Prof David Nutt, who was sacked as the UK government’s drugs adviser, has previously called for the laws around illegal drugs to be relaxed to enable more research.

He said: “Curing alcohol dependency requires huge changes in the way you see yourself. That’s what LSD does. Overall there is a big effect, show me another treatment with results as good; we’ve missed a trick here. This is probably as good as anything we’ve got [for treating alcoholism].”

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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