US
Pharm. 2006;5:14.
Smoking Out the Truth
For the last 41
years, the U.S. Surgeon General has been officially warning us that smoking
can be hazardous to our health. While the effects of smoking on the lungs and
heart should be obvious, three recent reports indicate that smoking and
secondhand smoke may also be linked to cervical cancer, impotence, and
diabetes.
Based on a report in the
International Journal of Cancer, data from 23 studies on the effects of
smoking on the risk of cervical cancer indicates that current smokers have a
60% greater risk of cervical cancer, which was related to the age at which a
person started to smoke.
Studies in Tobacco Control
uncovered that men who smoked were 40% more likely to suffer from impotence
than those who do not. According to researcher Dr. Christopher Millett, "It is
not just older men who suffer from impotence; younger men are also affected as
well."
Findings in the British
Medical Journal revealed that while there was a direct relationship
between the number of cigarettes smoked and the incidence of glucose
intolerance, a correlation also existed between secondhand smoke and glucose
intolerance.
Cox-2 Inhibitor Could Lower
Colon Cancer Risk
The risk of serious
cardiac problems has led to the withdrawal of all but one Cox-2 inhibitor from
the market: Pfizer's Celebrex. In an unusual twist of events in 2004, when
researchers had been testing Merck's Cox-2 inhibitor Vioxx for cancer
prevention, the discovery of heart risks surfaced, and it was pulled from the
market (along with Pfizer's Bextra).
A study done by the National
Cancer Institute and Pfizer indicates that Celebrex cut the chances of
developing precancerous growths (polyps) 33% to 45% in people who had already
had such growths removed. The downside of this study is that about 3.4% of
those taking the drug had heart attacks, strokes, or other serious cardiac
events versus 2.5% of those taking placebo.
Midlife Obesity Raises Risk
of AD
Researchers from
the Kaiser Permanente Foundation Research Institute report that being
overweight during one's early 40s increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease
(AD) decades later.
The researchers factored
diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol, and hypertension into their study and
concluded that there was a "strong independent effect for people with high
levels of adiposity." According to researcher Dr. Rachel A. Whitmer, "Subjects
with high levels of fat in the arm and back were nearly three times more
likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those with low levels." The
findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting.
In other AD news, Swedish
researchers are reporting that a drug used to treat mild to moderate AD seems
to reverse some cognitive and functional deterioration in patients with severe
forms of the disease. A research team led by Dr. Bengt Winblad found that
patients receiving Aricept (donepezil) experienced improvements in cognition
and in their ability to perform daily activities. "The drug is effective in
the severe stage of Alzheimer's," Winblad said. The data appeared in the
online version of the Lancet.
ADHD Drug Has Less
Potential for Abuse
Some patients and
caregivers have shied away from using methylphen idate because of its
potential for abuse. According to researcher Dr. Thomas J. Spencer, that abuse
may be lessened if methyl pheni date is given in a delayed-release form.
The abuse potential of
immediate-release methyl phenidate was compared to that of the
controlled-release version in 12 healthy adults. None of the volunteers had
been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyper activity disorder (ADHD) or any
neurologic or psychiatric disorder. Although both formulations led to similar
drug concentrations in the blood, the controlled-release formulation required
a longer time period to reach peak blood and brain levels. The study was
funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and McNeil Consumer and
Specialty Pharmaceuticals.
Kaposi's Sarcoma Human Cell
Surface Molecule Identified
Researchers at the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have identified a
critical human cell surface molecule that is believed to be involved in the
infection Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus, the virus that causes Kaposi's
sarcoma and certain forms of lymphoma. Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common
cancer associated with HIV/AIDS and typically manifests itself as multiple,
purple-hued skin lesions. The finding was reported in Science.
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Published May 15, 2006