MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 11/19/98
Foods Raise Breast Cancer Risk 400%
Eating well-done meat regularly may increase a woman's risk for breast cancer, according to a new study led by a University of South Carolina cancer researcher. "Our study found that women who consume very well done meat on a consistent basis are at more than four times the risk for developing breast cancer than women who consume meats that are cooked rare or medium," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Wei Zheng, a professor of epidemiology at USC's School of Public Health and a researcher at the S.C. Cancer Center, a research partnership between USC and Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia.
The results of the study, the first ever to examine the link between the degree to which meat is
cooked and breast cancer, are reported in the Nov. 18 issue of the "Journal of the National Cancer
Institute." The culprit may be heterocyclic amines, a compound that has been shown to induce tumors,
including those of the mammary glands and colon. High-temperature cooking changes the amino
acids in meat to heterocyclic amines -- thus possibly increasing a woman's risk for breast cancer,
said Zheng, who conducted the study with colleagues at the University of Minnesota School of
Public Health, the National Cancer Institute and the University of Iowa College of Medicine.
For years, researchers have examined what link, if any, exists between the consumption of meat and
breast cancer. Some believe that the link is caused by the amount of fat in meat, a theory that is
being debated in research circles around the world. The researchers chose hamburger, beef steak and bacon because these meats make up 60 percent of the red meat intake of the participants in the Iowa Women's Health Study. About 10 percent of the women in the study indicated that they preferred very well-done meat. Women who are concerned about what the study means for their consumption of meat may want to limit their meat intake, Zheng said, or scrape off the charred, outer surface of meat that has been cooked. Because heterocyclic amines have been linked to colon cancer, men, too, are advised to limit their intake of red meat and also scrape off the area of meat that has been cooked very well done. "It is important to note that further research needs to be done on the link between the degree to which meat is cooked and cancer," Zheng said. "Our research provides a basis for future studies in this field."
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Can Super-Aspirin Prevent Alzheimers?
Doctors at the University of Rochester and 39 other medical centers around the nation have begun a
research study to see if a drug known as a super-aspirin, an investigational compound made possible by basic medical research during the last decade at the University's Medical Center, helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. Twenty Rochester-area patients will be part of a group of about 1,300 people nationwide who will be treated with the experimental drug, which is similar to ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, and other painkillers. The first of the drugs is currently being reviewed for the treatment of arthritis and may be available next year.
The drugs target cycloxygenase-2 or cox-2, an enzyme in the body first discovered and cloned by a
University team led by Don Young and Kerry O'Banion. Scientists believe the enzyme is at the root of
the pain and inflammation we feel from a variety of ailments, including arthritis. Existing painkillers like
ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit both cox-2 and cox-1, a closely related enzyme. For years physicians
believed that knocking out cox-1 helped patients feel better, but now most doctors believe that cox-2 is
the real pain-causing culprit in many illnesses. Currently drugs targeting cox-2 are being tested as a
way to treat arthritis more aggressively with fewer side effects, and they're being looked at as a
possible way to prevent colon cancer.
This study is one of the first to see whether such drugs might prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease.
During the past few years, O'Banion and others have discovered that cox-2 is active in the brains of
people who have the disease. Though the precise cause of Alzheimer's disease is still a mystery,
scientists believe the enzyme plays some role in the sickness and death of brain cells of patients. Since cox-2 inhibitors muck up the enzyme's activity, they might help protect the brain against injury.
"This is the first study to look at possibly delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease in people who don't have it yet but are at risk. It's remarkable that we can even consider the possibility of prevention; just 10 years ago that thought was preposterous," adds Tariot. For the study, Tariot and Anton Porsteinsson, the other principal investigator at the University, are looking for healthy volunteers age 65 and older who have memory problems that have worsened noticeably in the past year. Those who meet screening criteria will be randomly assigned to receive either the cox-2 inhibitor Vioxx or a placebo for two years, and patients will be evaluated every few months by physicians. Vioxx is manufactured by Merck, which is funding the $6 million nationwide study. If the drug does work, fewer patients will develop the disease than physicians would normally expect.
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New Docs Avoid HMOs Like the Plague
The growth of health maintenance organizations is not only curbing demand for medical services but is leading to a redistribution of newly minted physicians from large metropolitan areas where HMOs dominate the health services landscape to those where HMO penetration is low. That finding is part of a new RAND analysis of all physicians who finished their graduate medical education between 1989 and 1994 and who located in one of the 98 U.S. metropolitan areas with more than 500,000 population. The research project, headed by Dr. Jose J. Escarce of RAND, was conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and the American Medical Association. Their paper appears in the November issue of the journal Medical Care.
During the years 1989 to 1994, HMOs were gaining strength rapidly but, in geographic terms,
spottily. Early in the period, new generalists were more likely to locate in metropolitan areas
with high HMO penetration while new specialists' location choices were unassociated with the
presence of HMOs. By the end of the period, HMO penetration had a negative effect on
practice location for all new physicians. The effect was strongest for specialists.
Why is this happening? Escarce and his colleagues suggest answers that stem from the
tight labor market for generalists relative to specialists. The generalists, capitalizing on the
fact that they are in high demand throughout the country, are seeking to avoid HMOs and the
cost control pressures they impose on primary care physicians. The specialists, finding few
practice opportunities within HMOs and their catchment areas, are locating elsewhere out of
necessity. "If our findings regarding HMO penetration are generalizable to other community sizes,
continued HMO growth in large metropolitan areas may result in more new physicians
locating in smaller cities or nonmetropolitan areas," the authors observe.
This is the first systematic national study examining the effect of HMOs on young physicians'
practice opportunities. Previous discussion has been confined to anecdotal evidence.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through
research and analysis. This research was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation under the Health Care Financing and Organization initiative.
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Computer Eyestrain Creates Cursor Cursers
Age-related changes in vision can make seeing the computer screen clearly and comfortably a challenge but there are some simple solutions. "When you are working at the computer, it's difficult to know when your eyes are exerting extra effort or when you are making small but awkward changes in head or body position to see your computer screen clearly," says Kent Daum, O.D., who teaches at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and serves on the American Optometric Association's Environmental/Occupational Vision Committee.
There are, however, symptoms that may occur, such as headaches; blurry or double vision; tired, irritated or burning eyes; and stiff, aching or tired neck and shoulder muscles. Computer users of any age can experience these but the solutions are often different for older adults. Dr. Daum recommends that people over age 50 get prescription glasses designed specifically for computer use because "it is hard to get a pair of glasses to work well for your computer and for everything else." The glasses or contact lenses most older adults have are designed for seeing clearly at near and far distances. But computer monitors are at different distances and angles than reading tasks.
For those who log many hours on the computer, Dr. Daum says glasses focused for intermediate and near distances work best. For heavy computer users who wear monovision contact lenses (one lens focused for near vision and the other for distance vision), he recommends half glasses that are focused for an intermediate distance and can be worn over the contact lenses. Monovision contact lenses "can work well if your task is not excessively intense," Dr. Daum said. Options for light
computer users who wear glasses are wide-band trifocals and special design progressive lenses, which gradually change power from top to bottom. Both, however, restrict the area viewed and progressive lenses may cause wearers to tilt their head back to see the screen. He advised against using tinted lenses.
Because people tend to blink less when using a computer, older computer users may also be bothered by a dry eye condition, Dr. Daum said. This can be compounded by aging changes that tend to make eyes drier. Artificial tears, ranging from the simple to the exotic, may help, Dr. Daum said. For severe dry eye conditions, tear drainage ducts can be plugged. Other things computer users can do for their eyes, Dr. Daum said, are:
- Invest in a quality monitor with a good image and opt for a 17-inch monitor.
- Try increasing your font size, if you find the type on the screen so small that it is difficult to read.
- Eliminate glare from windows and lights. Use cardboard to shield your monitor from the top and the sides. If you notice a difference on the monitor, there is a glare problem. Some solutions: use drapes or shades on windows; reduce overhead lighting; turn lamps down or off; use a glare reduction filter. Look for one with the American Optometric Association's Seal of Acceptance.
- Reduce room lighting to about half of normal. Incandescent lights are more flexible. Dimmer switches also help. In offices, sometimes it is better to turn off the fluorescent lights and bring in your own lamps. Or try taking half the fluorescent bulbs out. Use desk lamps for close work.
- Adjust screen brightness and contrast for comfort. Generally, screen brightness should be closely matched to the level of room lighting. Too much brightness reduces contrast.
- Set up your work environment so that your computer screen is slightly below eye level. Monitors today have adjustable bases. Adjustable chairs are also useful.
Dr. Daum said older computer users should discuss their computer use and any vision-related difficulties they are experiencing with their optometrist, who can help them find solutions.
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Sources of Stress Vary for Men and Women
Different kinds of stressful events send men's and women's blood pressure and heart rates soaring, new research suggests in a release from the Center for the Advancement of Health. In an experiment with 60 married couples, husbands displayed greater cardiovascular reaction when they thought their skills were being challenged, while the wives had greater reactions when they disagreed with their husbands. The study was conducted by Timothy Smith, PhD, of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and colleagues.
Researchers have long known that people whose blood pressure and heart rates increase dramatically in response to stress are at higher risk of developing heart disease. "The specificity in effects on husbands' and wives' cardiovascular reactivity suggests that if cardiovascular reactivity influences subsequent health, then there may indeed be important sex differences in the types of stressors that threaten health," Smith and collegaues write in the November issue of Health Psychology.
The researchers brought the couples to their laboratory to discuss two controversial issues. The spouses were randomly assigned to take the same or opposite sides of the controversy. Some were told their verbal abilities would be taped and judged afterwards, while the others were told their speech content was not important. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded throughout. The investigators found that the husbands displayed greater cardiovascular reaction when they thought their verbal abilities were being judged, but not when they disagreed with their wives. The wives showed the opposite pattern: disagreement with their husbands produced greater cardiovascular reaction, but having the quality of their speech judged did not. "Wives were responsive to a potential threat to the quality of the interaction while husbands were responsive to a possible threat to competence or dominance," the researchers say.
The results are consistent with previous research on traditional sex roles, the researcher say, which predicts that husbands would respond more strongly to challenges of their achievements, status, and power, whereas wives would respond more strongly to challenges involving their interpersonal relations, friendships, and level of caring. The research was supported by the University Research Committee, University of Utah.
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