ST. JOHN'S WORT INTERFERES WITH DRUGS
Researchers in the Netherlands have found the herbal dietary supplement St. John's wort interferes with the effectiveness of irinotecan, an important cancer drug. St. John's wort is widely used to treat mild to moderate forms of depression. Past studies have suggested that the compound increases levels of an enzyme involved in drug metabolism. The enzyme inactivates the colorectal cancer chemotherapy drug irinotecan. Researchers treated five patients with irinotecan alone or in combination with St. John's wort. "Our findings suggest that irinotecan metabolism and toxicity are altered by (St. John's wort) and that the two agents cannot be given safely in combination without compromising overall antitumor activity," researchers said, adding the results may have implications for other anticancer drugs affected by the enzyme. "Until specific dosing guidelines are available, it is strongly recommended that patients receiving chemotherapeutic treatments with such agents refrain from taking (St. John's wort)."
GINKGO FLUNKS MEMORY TESTS
Ginkgo biloba has no beneficial effect on memory and related mental functions of healthy older adults when taken following manufacturer's instructions, researchers at Williams College have found. Researchers identified 230 volunteers over the age of 60 who were physically and mentally healthy. They gave them 14 tests of learning, memory, and attention and concentration, and had them and their spouses or partners rate their mental functions on subjective scales. Volunteers then were divided randomly into two groups: one to take gingko and one placebo. The study was double-blind -- neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was taking ginkgo and who was taking placebo. The manufacturer claims beneficial effects can be noticed after four weeks. After six weeks, participants in the study retook the 14 standardized tests and they and their companions re-rated participants' mental functions. There were no significant differences between those taking ginkgo and those taking placebo on any of the objective or subjective measures.
MOST INFANT SEIZURES NOT LINKED TO BIRTH
Contrary to common perceptions, most brain damage in babies is due to factors other than the birthing process, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found. Researchers studied of nearly 22,000 infants born over an 11-year period and discovered only one of 12 babies born with seizures was linked to the birthing process. They also found 70 percent of newborns with seizures showed no evidence of acidity in the umbilical cord, a finding that argues against the birthing process as the cause of neurological problems. Seizures, the most common and distinctive signal of neurologic problems in the first month of life, affect as many as 6 percent of babies born weighing less than 3.3 pounds, and 0.2 percent of babies weighing 5.5 to 8.8 pounds.
SPORTS WIVES COPE BY CONTROLLING
The wives of many professional athletes develop a variety of ways to cope with the stress of their husbands' careers, and gaining control over the family, parenting and other domestic issues is one of the most common, Oregon State University researchers have found. "To feel empowered, to be in control, that becomes an important way for wives to survive the pressures and demands in a marriage for which many women are unprepared," researchers said. To help them cope, many sports wives have learned to rely on what researchers call "control work," a process of exercising power. "In some circumstances, an athlete's wife may herself depend on her husband's dependency on his career -- by his fulfillment from that career, or by her husband's uncertainties and insecurities, or by what may turn into a self-absorbing pursuit of athletic excellence or stardom. It may help the wife feel loved, needed or validated."
(Editors: For more information on ST. JOHNS WORT, contact Linda Wang at 301-841-1287 or [email protected]. For GINKGO, Paul Solomon at 413-281-0576 or [email protected]. For NEWBORNS, Karen Blum at 410-955-1534 or [email protected]. For WIVES, Steven Ortiz at 541-737-8920 or [email protected])
