February 6: Debate Grows Over Female Thyroid Testing, CBSnews
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
(AP) Even a slightly underactive thyroid – too mild for symptoms – during pregnancy might trigger premature birth and babies born with lower IQs. But doctors don’t know if treating a symptom–free mother would help.
Now the National Institutes of Health is beginning a major study of pregnant women to find out, a key question amid growing debate about whether more mothers–to–be should get their glands checked.
"It’s all up in the air," cautions Dr. Catherine Spong, pregnancy chief at the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "We don’t know that treatment is going to improve the outcome."
About 27 million Americans have either an overactive or underactive thyroid, the bow tie–shaped gland in the neck that produces hormones that regulate metabolism and stimulate almost every type of tissue. Only about half have been diagnosed, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
An overactive thyroid increases heart rate and blood pressure, and can cause weight loss, depression, confusion and vision problems.
An underactive thyroid, called hypothyroidism, is far more common, with even harder–to–recognize symptoms: fatigue, constipation, weight gain, forgetfulness, a hoarse voice, dry skin. A thyroid sluggish enough to cause symptoms is called "overt hypothyroidism," and it increases the risk of heart disease, bone–thinning osteoporosis and infertility unless treated with a once–a–day hormone pill.
During pregnancy, having enough thyroid hormones is important for fetal brain development – especially during the first trimester, when the fetus depends solely on the mother for them – and for avoiding a miscarriage or premature birth. So mothers–to–be with overt hypothyroidism are supposed to be treated.
Here’s the pregnancy wrinkle: Mildly underactive thyroids may not provide fetuses enough of the hormones even if the mothers report no symptoms. And when thyroid hormone levels are normal, mothers’ bodies still may harbor immune system cells called antibodies that subtly attack the gland – antibodies also linked to prematurity and pregnancy loss, and that are more common in women with other autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes.
Among the worrisome evidence, a 1999 study found that untreated hypothyroidism increases the risk of having children with lowered IQs, whether the mother had thyroid symptoms or not. And in 2005, Texas researchers who tested more than 17,000 pregnant women found those with asymptomatic hypothyroidism had almost twice the risk of a premature baby as did women with normal thyroids.
But other studies have raised questions about the links, and no one yet knows if treatment would help, have no effect or, possible but unlikely, do harm. So while obstetricians are under increasing pressure to check thyroids, they’re reluctant to routinely test the nation's 4 million–plus pregnant women to find the ones – up to one in 50 – who may have asymptomatic hypothyroidism.
Enter the NIH study. Hospitals in 11 states are beginning to screen thousands of otherwise healthy pregnant women to find 1,000 with asymptomatic thyroid problems. Half will get thyroid medication. Scientists will track their children»s brain development through age 5.
A similar study in Britain, which screened 22,000 pregnant women, is under way.
Last summer, Italian researchers reported the first hint that treatment might help. They tested 984 pregnant women, finding 12 percent who bore thyroid antibodies despite normal hormone levels. The half who received thyroid medication had no more miscarriages or premature deliveries than normal women – while those who weren’t treated had roughly triple the risk.
"This was the first really powerful piece of data showing that it (treatment) makes a difference," says Dr. Alex Stagnaro–Green of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, an endocrinologist who specializes in pregnancy thyroid problems. "Everyone is waiting for the next study to confirm or refute."
One study isn’t proof, agrees Dr. Diane Ashton of the March of Dimes, which is monitoring the research as part of its campaign to lower the nation’s half a million premature births each year.
So until the issue is settled, what’s the advice?
- All sides agree that anyone with thyroid disease’s vague symptoms should be tested, and treated if they have overt disease.
- An international endocrinology panel soon will issue guidelines expected also to urge testing for pregnant women at high risk because of thyroid disease in the family, or if they have Type 1 diabetes or other autoimmune diseases. Stagnaro–Green adds testing of both hormone levels and antibodies for women who already have had a miscarriage or premature baby.
- Women already diagnosed with hypothyroidism probably will need a significantly higher dose of thyroid hormone during pregnancy.
- Use prenatal vitamins containing iodine, important for proper thyroid function.
EDITOR’S NOTE – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
 |
February 6: Sense of smell often impaired after larynx removal, Reuters Health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who undergo total removal of the larynx, most often because of cancer, frequently find their sense of smell is diminished, according to an evaluation of 36 patients who underwent the procedure 6 months to 25 years earlier.
Dr. John W. Werning and colleagues from the University of Florida, Gainesville, measured the patients’ olfactory function and compared it to their subjective assessment of taste and smell.
Objective olfactory abilities after laryngectomy were significantly decreased compared with a comparison group of healthy individuals matched for age, sex, and smoking history, the investigators report in the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
The average self–rated score of smell ability in the total laryngectomy group was less than half that in the comparison group, whereas the self–rating of taste ability was only slightly lower.
The team thinks the problem is unlikely to be related to damage caused by the surgery "since 5 of 36 subjects in the total laryngectomy group achieved scores within the normal range" for smell performance. Rather, it may have to do with airflow and how smells are brought to receptors in the nose.
"Speech pathologists have developed a ‘nasal airflow–inducing maneuver’ that can be taught to patients after laryngectomy," the researchers explain. "Regular use of the nasal airflow–inducing maneuver has been shown to improve both subjective and objective measures of olfactory function."
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, January 2007.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 6: War on drugs forcing cold medications to change, WCNC
By MARK BOONE / WCNC
Some popular over–the–counter cold remedies are now missing a key ingredient used to treat congestion.
Pseudoephedrine, a drug which had been considered an effective treatment for nasal and sinus congestion, has been dropped in response to a new federal law.
The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act requires pseudoephedrine to be kept behind the counter at pharmacies. Customers who purchase a product containing the decongestant must show identification, sign a log and provide an address.
The federal law, which went into effect in September 2006, follows similar restrictions which had already been imposed by several states, including North Carolina. The restrictions on pseudoephedrine are in response to the drug’s role in the illegal production of methamphetamine.
"It pretty well has killed that product’s use for most of the mass manufacturers," Charlotte pharmacist Jessie Pike told WCNC.
Drug manufacturers are now using another decongestant, phenylephrine, in an effort to keep over–the–counter cold remedies on store shelves. The products are commonly labeled ‘PE’. The substitute is getting mixed reviews.
"I just saw Sudafed, so I grabbed it and I took it and then nothing happened, and I was kind of perplexed," consumer Lauren Shaftel said.
Pike said most customers probably do not realize the formulas for over–the–counter remedies have changed.
"You’re going to find that the product probably doesn’t work the way you remembered it did," he said. "We can, I think, truthfully say that the pseudoephedrine was a better decongestant."
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 7: Is Snoring Ruining Your Relationship?, nbc4.com
Snoring Creates Frustration, Resentment
Snoring has a simple definition: During sleep, the muscles of the tongue and throat relax, narrowing the airway, and the vibration of air through this constricted passage creates hoarse or harsh sounds.
Much more complicated is the effect snoring has on relationships, and how to cure it.
Snoring is a "big relationship divider," said Dr. Laura Berman, a relationship and sex therapist in Chicago. She said snoring creates frustration and resentment on both sides: the snorers, who can’t help it, and those suffering next to them.
Complications include "low energy from not getting enough revitalizing sleep, making you grumpy, less communicative and with less sexual energy," she said.
Nearly half of adults snore occasionally, and a quarter are habitual snorers, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, whose physician members specialize in ear, nose and throat care. Snoring increases with age and weight, and happens most often when the guilty party is asleep on his or her back.
Pat and David Auerbach of Swarthmore, Penn., have been married more than 20 years, about half of them sleeping in separate bedrooms. She moved down the hall after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, caused both by his loud snoring and by her job as an airline ticketing agent, which required her to get up at dawn.
Although they have made peace with separate bedrooms at home, "it makes it very difficult to go on vacation," Pat said.
For many couples, time spent chatting in bed is the best chance to talk with each other all day, and can be crucial to the relationship, according to University of Minnesota social science professor Paul Rosenblatt, author of "Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing" (State University of New York, 2006).
"Keep in the same bedroom at all costs," advises Berman, "and if not, take time to cuddle and interact before going to separate bedrooms. That should be seen as a temporary situation, and couples should have a clear plan for getting back together."
Beyond a regular nudge in the ribs to make the snorer roll over and stop snoring, that plan can be anything from earplugs for the sleep–deprived to surgery for the snorer.
Not everybody is a candidate for surgery, however, said Dr. Lois Krahn, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Surgery can fix snoring caused by a deviated septum, a crooked partition between the nostrils, and widen the throat passage by trimming away loose skin. Sometimes, removing the tonsils is enough to quiet a noisy sleeper.
More than 300 devices are patented as snoring cures, although few are recommended by physicians.
Krahn favors a device similar to a dental night guard, with clips that help "stretch the muscles of the neck" to prevent tissue from vibrating. Another option is the Controlled Positive Airway Pressure device, better known as a "C–Pap", which delivers air through a specially designed mask; the airflow creates enough pressure to keep the airway open and reduce loud vibrations. The mask is not exactly romantic, but, then, neither is losing sleep over a partner’s snoring.
Sometimes, the length and volume of snoring can be reduced by some simple behavior modification, such as, "no alcohol before bedtime, and lose weight," recommends Krahn.
Diabetes and high blood pressure also contribute to snoring.
Serious snorers should be evaluated by an otolaryngologist, an accredited sleep clinic or both.
Heavy snoring also can lead to sleep apnea, a potentially life–threatening condition in which throat tissues obstruct the airway enough to prevent proper breathing. Sleep apnea is characterized by loud snoring followed by periods of silence that can last 10 seconds or more, a cycle of oxygen deprivation followed by an increase in carbon dioxide that will wake you up. Left untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.
Tips To Help Stop Snoring:
- Avoid alcohol and cigarettes before bedtime. They can create nasal congestion and muscle vibrations.
- Lose weight. Fat deposits in the throat can trigger noisy vibrations.
- Prop pillows to prevent the snorer from rolling onto his or her back.
- Use a humidifier to keep nasal pasages lubricated.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 9: Exposure to antibiotics linked to resistance, Reuters
LONDON – Exposure to common antibiotics used to treat respiratory infections can increase resistance to the drugs, Belgian scientists said on Friday.
The emergence of bacteria that do not respond to antibiotics is a major health problem. Overuse of the drugs has been blamed for the development of so–called superbugs which are resistant to the most powerful antibiotics.
But trying to prove it has been difficult.
In a study that looked at the impact of the drugs on individuals, Professor Herman Goossens of University Hospital in Antwerp showed a single course of a drug can lead to a build–up in resistance.
"Exposure to the antibiotics was the strongest variable and this was independently associated with resistance," said Goossens, a microbiologist.
He and his team analyzed the use of macrolide antibiotics, widely used drugs in primary care to treat ear, throat and lung infections.
The scientists, who reported the findings in The Lancet medical journal, compared two macrolide antibiotics – clarithromycin and azithromycin – against a placebo, or dummy pill, on more than 200 healthy volunteers.
They took several samples of bacteria from the volunteers before and up to six months after giving them antibiotics. The levels of resistant bacteria rose following the drug treatment.
"We have clearly defined, at the individual level, the direct effect of antibiotic use in selecting resistant organisms," Goossens told Reuters.
Stephanie Dancer of Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, said the scientists should be commended for their careful approach.
"We now have strengthened evidence for the links between antibiotic use and resistance," she said in a commentary in the journal.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 9: Valentine's a good time to address snoring, United Press International
ALEXANDRIA, Va., (UPI) – – The American Academy of Otolaryngology – – Head and Neck Surgery advises U.S. couples that Valentine’s Day is a good time to address snoring.
Studies show that snoring can have a profound impact on relationships – – removing intimacy, disrupting sex lives, and in some cases, leading to divorce among married couples, according to the medical association. Forty–five percent of adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers.
To prevent snoring from wreaking havoc in a relationship, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – – Head and Neck Surgery advises to:
- Adopt a healthy and athletic lifestyle to develop good muscle tone and lose weight.
- Avoid tranquilizers, sleeping pills and antihistamines before bedtime.
- Avoid alcohol for at least four hours and heavy meals or snacks for three hours before retiring.
- Establish regular sleeping patterns.
- Sleep on your side rather than your back.
- Tilt the head of your bed upwards four inches.
Sometimes snoring can indicate a more serious medical problem, such as obstructive sleep apnea; patients should seek an otolaryngologist or an ear, nose and throat physician.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 12: FDA: Antibiotic too risky to use for sinusitis, bronchitis, USA Today
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced labeling changes intended to minimize use of the controversial antibiotic Ketek.
Ketek, approved by the FDA in April 2004 for the treatment of sinusitis, bronchitis and community–acquired pneumonia, is sold in more than 50 countries and has been used to treat an estimated 28 million patients worldwide, according to its Paris–based maker, Sanofi Aventis.
The labeling changes reflect recommendations from two FDA advisory panels that met jointly in December to discuss what the agency called Ketek’s "overall benefit–to–risk considerations."
Committee members voted 17–2 against the continued use of Ketek for the treatment of sinusitis and bronchitis. But they voted 16–3 in favor of continuing to use Ketek for the treatment of community–acquired pneumonia – pneumonia contracted outside a hospital or nursing home – as long as a "black box" warning about potential side effects, which include liver injury, rare neuromuscular problems and vision disturbances, was added to its label.
These are the new label changes:
- Ketek is no longer approved to treat sinusitis and bronchitis, which are "generally non–serious and often self–limiting illnesses," John Jenkins, director of the FDA’s Office of New Drugs, said at a press conference. The drug is still approved for the treatment of mild to moderate community–acquired pneumonia.
- A new black box warning states that no one with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular condition, should take Ketek, because it "can lead to potentially life–threatening exacerbations of their disease," Jenkins said.
- Stronger warnings for liver injury, fainting and visual disturbances.
In addition, the FDA has developed a consumer–friendly "Medication Guide" about Ketek that pharmacists will give patients.
The FDA’s Ketek announcement came the day before a House subcommittee hearing about drug safety.
One of the witnesses scheduled to testify at today’s hearing is longtime FDA critic Sen. Chuck Grassley, R’Iowa. In December, Grassley tried unsuccessfully to block the confirmation of Andrew von Eschenbach as the agency’s commissioner, partly because of what the senator viewed as FDA efforts to hinder his investigation of Ketek.
"The FDA’s action today shows what transparency can do," Grassley said Monday in a statement. "Now the uses for Ketek are limited, and the public is safer and better informed."
John Powers, former lead medical officer for the FDA’s anti–microbial drug development and resistance initiative, said he worries about dozens of other antibiotics for sinusitis and bronchitis. While they may appear safe, said Powers, who is also to speak at today’s hearing, they lack evidence of effectiveness.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 13: Study looks at benefits of 2 cochlear implants in deaf children, eMaxHealth
Nature has outfitted us with a pair of ears for good reason: having two ears enhances hearing. University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists are now examining whether this is also true for the growing numbers of deaf children who’ve received not one, but two, cochlear implants to help them hear.
Led by Ruth Litovsky, an investigator in the UW–Madison Waisman Center, the team’s research suggests that deaf children who have a cochlear implant in each ear more accurately locate sounds when they use both implants instead of one. Children with two implants also become more skilled at localizing sound over time.
The results were presented today (Feb. 13) at the Annual Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology.
Information like this can be useful, says Litovsky, when doctors and parents are deciding whether a child should get one or two of the electronic devices, which allow deaf people to hear by bypassing the damaged inner ear, or cochlea, to stimulate the auditory nerve directly.
It’s not a simple choice. A single implant and the required surgery can cost $50,000. The device also permanently damages the cochlea, which might prevent recipients from taking advantage of potentially superior treatments for deafness down the road.
Patients never received more than one implant until about ten years ago. Then, doctors began to fit people with two, hoping this would assist them in understanding speech, especially in "cocktail party" environments with lots of competing sounds. "But there are still many remaining questions about the actual extent of the benefits of having two cochlear implants," Litovsky says.
Only about three percent of the 100,000 people worldwide who currently wear implants have received two, she estimates.
Litovsky is an expert in binaural hearing, or hearing with two ears. "We try to understand how having two ears is helpful," she says. One main benefit: two ears make it easier to locate sounds. "If you close an ear, walk around and try to identify where sounds are coming from, it’s very, very hard," she says.
To test whether a pair of cochlear implants aids this ability, Litovsky’s team has, to date, studied 55 deaf children who received a second implant one to seven years after being fitted with their first.
When the research began, it appeared the group of 5 to 14 year–olds couldn’t localize sounds at all, Litovsky says. The result prompted her to launch a longitudinal study designed not only to test their prowess at this task, but also how it changed over time.
In the "listening game" she has devised with her team, children face a semicircle of loudspeakers arranged at regular intervals, each with a picture attached. When speech or other kinds of sounds emit from a speaker, the children are scored on their ability to identify the correct one by pointing to its picture.
In addition to completing the task while wearing both implants, the children were asked to remove the microphone and other external parts of one, rendering them deaf again in that ear.
"That turns out to be an interesting experience, because they don’t like to remove an implant," says Litovsky. "We have to barter for that, with M&Ms or something else that motivates them."
Although variability existed among the children, the study indicates that most did develop the ability to locate speech and other sounds more accurately when using two cochlear implants versus one. This capability also increased with experience. "We’re now seeing that the ability to localize sounds takes time to emerge," says Litovsky. "What seems to get better is the integration of the information from the two ears in the brain."
Another crucial question is whether children should receive both implants simultaneously, at the same time, or sequentially, at different times, she says. The study’s results have implications here, as well.
"The children we’re looking at received their implants sequentially," says Litovsky, "and we think that their brains took a very long time to combine the inputs from the two ears." Yet, the fact they learned to do so points to the brain’s adaptability, or "plasticity," she adds. "It reveals that the brain is still open to input from an ear that was deaf for a very long time."
Litovsky emphasizes that her goal is not to tell parents or doctors whether two implants are better for children, but to work with families who have made that choice and study the outcomes.
"I think so far our work has helped inform clinicians about these decisions," she says. "So I hope in the future we’ll be able to continue to do that." Litovsky’s research is funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 16: Airbag Deployment Could Cause Permanent Hearing Loss: Study, HealthCentral.com
17% face increased risk, especially with windows rolled down, researchers find
Permanent hearing loss will occur in 17 percent of people exposed to airbag deployment in cars sold in the United States, new research suggests.
Dr. G. Richard Price, a consultant at Auditory Hazard Analysis in Charlestown, Md., only looked at cars with front and side airbags sold in the United States, which are required to have larger, more powerful airbags than cars sold in Europe and other parts of the world. Cars with smaller airbags likely pose less of a hearing threat, Price said.
He also found that, contrary to widespread belief, car occupants are more likely to suffer hearing damage when the windows are rolled down.
Experts had believed that having the windows rolled up was more dangerous to hearing, because there’d be more pressure inside the car. Price said he found that the higher pressure caused by airbag deployment in cars with rolled up windows actually prevents greater damage to the ear.
The increased pressure with the windows rolled up actually causes a displacement in the middle ear that stiffens the stapes, which is a small bone outside the inner ear, according to Price. The stiffening of the stapes limits transmission of energy to the inner ear, where hearing damage occurs.
In fact, experiments showed that hearing damage is further reduced when a passenger cabin is completely sealed, resulting in even higher pressure when airbags deploy, Price said.
In a presentation scheduled to be made Friday in Savannah, Ga., at the National Hearing Conservation Association’s (NHCA) annual meeting, Price is also expected to discuss the danger to hearing posed by everyday "impulse" noises – – brief bursts of sound such as a hammer hitting a nail or even the sound of a baby’s rattle.
Price’s work offers a glimpse at an aspect of new technologies people rarely think about, said NHCA Director of Education Brian Fligor.
"We often consider only the benefits of safety technology, rather than the unfortunate potential side effects. This type of study highlights how common everyday occurrences present a very real hazard to our hearing," Fligor said in a prepared statement.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 17: U.S. study finds clues to mystery dizziness, Reuters
Chronic dizziness that is not due to vertigo, a problem that has puzzled doctors for years, may have a variety of causes including anxiety disorders and brain injury, according to a study published on Monday.
Vertigo, a feeling of turning or whirling usually involving inner ear problems, is well recognized, according to the report from the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.
But so–called chronic nonspecific dizziness where victims also suffer imbalance and are super–sensitive to some motions such as walking in a busy store or driving in the rain is more complex, it added.
The study, published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, tracked 345 men and women age 15 to 89 who had dizziness for three months or longer due to unknown causes.
"All but six patients were diagnosed as having psychiatric or neurologic conditions, including primary or secondary anxiety disorders, migraine, traumatic brain injury" and abnormalities in the body system which controls involuntary actions, the study said.
"The results of this investigation provide some insight into ... mechanisms that may precipitate and perpetuate chronic dizziness," the study added.
"Two–thirds of patients had medical conditions associated with the onset of dizziness, whereas one–third had anxiety disorders as the initial cause," it said.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 19: Aging nation faces growing hearing loss, CNN.com
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- An aging U.S. population faces a looming crisis in hearing loss, researchers said Saturday. Some research holds promise, but much is in the early stages.
By 2050, there could be as many as 50 million people in the United States with impaired hearing, Steven Greenberg of Silicon Speech in Santa Venetia, Calif., told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Hearing loss results in social and psychological isolation, "which makes their life hell," Greenberg said.
Thanks to loud music and a generally noisy environment, young people have a rate of impaired hearing 2 1/2 times that of their parents and grandparents, he said.
Stefan Heller of Stanford University said research in restoring damaged hearing cells "is very much at the beginning and it’s still a long, long road."
Inner and outer hair cells in the ear pick up sound vibrations and send them to the brain. Damage to outer cells causes hearing impairment which can be helped by hearing aides, he said. Damage to the inner cells cannot be repaired and causes deafness.
Heller said ear stem cells have been isolated in laboratory work and grown into cells that resembled hair cells.
"They’re not perfect," he said. When placed in the ear of chicken embryos, most of the cells died. A few survived and were implanted into the inner ear. The next step, he said, is to try the experiment in mice.
Gene therapy is being tested in an effort to produce more hair cells in the ear. The result so far has been a type of hybrid cells and researchers are unsure whether they can get these cells to survive.
Heller said scientists in Japan are experimenting with drugs that seem to help spur the growth of hearing cells in young mice. The results in older mice are far less promising.
There seems to be something not yet understood that prevents new cell development in the inner ear. This is an area where cancer is not known to occur, he said, and an indication that something prevents cell development.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 19: Study: Surgeons who play video games more skilled, CNN.com
CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) – – Playing video games appears to help surgeons with skills that truly count: how well they operate using a precise technique, a study said Monday.
There was a strong correlation between video game skills and a surgeon’s capabilities performing laparoscopic surgery in the study published in the February issue of Archives of Surgery.
Laparoscopy and related surgeries involve manipulating instruments through a small incision or body opening where the surgeon’s movements are guided by watching a television screen.
Video game skills translated into higher scores on a day–and–half–long surgical skills test, and the correlation was much higher than the surgeon’s length of training or prior experience in laparoscopic surgery, the study said.
Out of 33 surgeons from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York that participated in the study, the nine doctors who had at some point played video games at least three hours per week made 37 percent fewer errors, performed 27 percent faster, and scored 42 percent better in the test of surgical skills than the 15 surgeons who had never played video games before.
"It was surprising that past commercial video game play was such a strong predictor of advanced surgical skills," said Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile, one of the study's authors.
It supports previous research that video games can improve "fine motor skills, eye–hand coordination, visual attention, depth perception and computer competency," the study said.
"Video games may be a practical teaching tool to help train surgeons," senior author Dr. James Rosser of Beth Israel said.
While surgeons may benefit from playing video games, the study did not give parents a pass if their children play the games for hours on end.
A 2004 survey by Gentile found 94 percent of adolescents play video games for an average of nine hours a week. Game–playing has been linked to aggressiveness, poor school grades and can become a substitute for exercise.
"Parents should not see this study as beneficial if their child is playing video games for over an hour a day," Gentile said. "Spending that much time playing video games is not going to help their child’s chances of getting into medical school."
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 26: Inner–ear Volume Study at WVU Leads to Higher Surgery Success Rates, HealthNewsDigest.com
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Children suffering from holes in their eardrums could have better success rates following surgery, thanks to findings from doctors at West Virginia University.
The "American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation" has published results from a study conducted by doctors in the Department of Otolaryngology. The study measured success rates of patching eardrum holes based on volume or space measurements in the ear.
Holes result from either injury or prior ear problems, such as ear tubes. Perforated eardrums can predispose the ear to infection or result in hearing loss.
"Until this study, there were no clear guidelines as to when kids should have surgery to patch the holes," Hassan Ramadan, M.D., principal investigator on the study, said.
Dr. Ramadan and his co–investigators, Daniel Merenda, M.D.; Kazunari Koike, M.D. and Majid Shafiei have published findings that use a common test involving an audiologist’s probe tool, called a tympanometry, to measure the volume of ear space.
The doctors found that having higher tympanogram volumes could result in a nearly 90 percent success rate for patching the perforation.
The typmanometry probe is commonly used by ear specialists and consists of a loudspeaker emitting a low frequency tone, a microphone measuring sound pressure levels in the ear canal and a manometer, that also measures pressure.
Patients whose volume does not meet doctors’ measurement specifications should wait to have an ear operation. Dr. Ramadan warns that patching too early can either lead to a fluid build up or not fully close the hole.
"Prior to this research, doctors typically looked at age and the child’s history of infections to decide when to patch," Dr. Ramadan said. "Our research proves that testing inner ear volumes allows specialists to be more scientific and accurate in their decisions of whether to operate."
For more information on the use of tympanometric volume tests at WVU or for more information on the Department of Otolaryngology contact (304) 293-3457.
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 27: Genetic Hearing Loss May Be Reversible Without Gene Therapy, Medical News Today
A large proportion of genetically caused deafness in humans may be reversible by compensating for a missing protein, based on discoveries in mice.
Emory University researchers have found that in mice, increasing the amount of the protein connexin26 in the ear’s cochlea compensates for an absence of another protein, connexin30. The findings come 10 years after scientists first discovered that connexin26 mutations cause much of the deafness diagnosed at birth.
Xi (Erick) Lin, PhD, associate professor of otolaryngology and cell biology at Emory University School of Medicine, was lead author of the study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"There are millions of deaf people affected by mutations in this one gene, connexin26," he says. "Congenital hearing loss is one of the most common human genetic birth defects, and that is why in almost all the states universal newborn hearing screening is mandated by law [including Georgia]."
In people without congenital hearing loss, connexin26 and connexin30 work together to form the cochlea’s hybrid junction gaps, which facilitate intercellular communication. But when one of the proteins is missing, the hybrid junction gaps fail to work, and the cochlea’s hair cells die off, leaving the body incapable of translating sounds into nerve impulses.
Even though scientists knew connexin26 was implicated in congenital deafness, they did not know precisely why. Working with Emory colleagues and scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany, Dr. Lin developed contrasting hypotheses.
"The deafness could have two very different explanations," he says. "Either hybrid gap junctions have special biophysical properties that cannot be replaced by gap junctions built with only one type of connexin, or mutations in one of the two connexins just cut the supply for making the gap junctions in half."
By adding extra connexin26 to mice that were missing connexin30, Dr. Lin and his team proved the latter hypothesis. With the additional connexin26, hearing sensitivity was restored and the expected hair cell death never occurred. Those positive findings led Dr. Lin to conclude, "The problem is simply caused by not having enough protein remaining in the ear of these mutant mice to assemble gap junctions."
Dr. Lin and his colleagues are now working to see if connexin–related deafness can be reversed in a mouse model, or if increasing connexin30 may help when connexin26 is absent.
As the research picks up momentum, these results– –and future findings– –may mean big changes for how congenital deafness is approached. Up to now, says Dr. Lin, scientists working on hearing loss had placed all their bets on gene therapy. That may no longer make sense. "Gene therapy, which has very few successful cases so far, may not be necessary," explains Dr. Lin.
Instead, Dr. Lin’s findings indicate that a drug to boost connexin26 may be all that is needed. "Our work predicts that a drug should be sufficient to cure connexin30 deletion–caused deafness," he says.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Deafness, the Woodruff Foundation, the Deafness Research Foundation and the National Organization for Hearing Research.
Contact: Holly Korschun
Emory University
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 27: Genetic Clue to Children’s Risk of Ear Infection Triggered by Common Cold, HeatlhNewsDigest.com
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 27 – – Gamma interferon, a chemical naturally made by the body in response to infection, may be key to predicting which children will be more susceptible to developing an ear infection following a bout with the common cold, according to physicians in the Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh. The results of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Heath, are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Diego.
"Ear infections are the number one reason children visit the doctor," said David Skoner, MD, study lead investigator and director, AGH Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. "Because ear infections are frequently triggered by the common cold and occur in only a subset of children, developing a method to identify those patients at ‘high risk’ of ear infections following a cold would result in a significant advantage in the evaluation and management of the illness."
Dr. Skoner and his colleagues studied 140 children, age 18 months to 3, for three years, following them for the development of an ear infection after a cold. The participants had their ears checked every two weeks, and a DNA sample for gene testing was collected from all children by gently brushing the inside of their mouths with a soft brush.
"We found that children who had a particular type of gene associated with high levels of gamma interferon developed 30 percent fewer ear infections following a cold than those who had lower levels of gamma interferon," Dr. Skoner explained. "These results suggest a role of gamma interferon in the development of an ear infection following an upper respiratory virus in some children."
According to Dr. Skoner, future studies are planned and if they yield similar results, genetic testing may become a tool for identifying "at risk" children who may benefit from the selective use of preventive or early intervention treatment of ear infections.
Source: Allegheny General Hospital
CONTACT: Heather Holtschlag of Allegheny General Hospital, +1–412–359–8604
|
Return to 2007 News Article Index
|
February 27: Trial Investigating A Promising New Treatment For Head And Neck Cancer Has Begun, Medical News Today
The treatment, lapatinib (Tykerb®, GSK) is being tested in 680 patients in the advanced stages of the disease. Lapatinib has already been investigated in breast cancer treatment. The drug works like no other current cancer treatment. It blocks two proteins on the surface of cancer cells that are involved in cancer growth. These proteins, called ErbB1 and ErbB2, are involved in normal cell growth but are over–active in head and neck cancer. Lapatinib reduces their activity.
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide. Around 600,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year. Around two–thirds are diagnosed with advanced disease.
The new trial, including centres in the US and the European Union, will investigate the effectiveness of oral lapatinib in high–risk patients who have had surgery and are being treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Results are expected in 2008.
The trial’s principal investigator Professor Jean Bourhis, Head of Radiation–Oncology Department at the Institute Gustave Roussy in France, said: "There is a clear need for new treatments in this disease area as around 50% of advanced cases relapse in a few years following classical treatments."
The trial start was announced this week at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO)’s 1st International Meeting on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, where the results from a Phase I dose–escalation study (500– 1,500 mg/day) in 31 head and neck cancer patients were presented. The trial identified the 1,500 mg/day dose of lapatinib with chemotherapy and radiotherapy as the optimal dose in the adjuvant setting. The Phase I trial showed that 89% of patients had a response to this combination at this dose1. The most common side effects in the Phase I study were mouth ulcers (87%), radiation skin injury (65%), nausea (61%), swallowing difficulties (52%) and vomiting (52%).
Paolo Paoletti, Senior Vice–President, Oncology Medicine Development Centre, GSK, said: "Lapatinib may represent a new treatment approach to difficult–to–treat tumour types such as head and neck cancer, offering hope to patients in need of a further treatment option."
Lapatinib was discovered and developed by GSK. It has proven effective in advanced breast cancer. The drug has yet to be approved for marketing by regulatory authorities, though marketing approval has been submitted in the US, European Union and Switzerland for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.
1. El-Hariry I, Harrington K, et al. A phase I, open–label study (EGF 100262) of lapatinib plus chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Oral presentation, 1st International Meeting on Innovative Approaches in Head and Neck Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, 22nd–24th February, 2007
Written by: Rhonda Siddall
Freelance Medical Journalist
+44 (0)208 567 3977
+44 (0)7711 007408
rhonda.siddall@btinternet.com
|
|
