WEIGHT LOSS MAY HELP DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE
Researchers have found losing extra pounds decreases the activity of a key enzyme known to play a central role in high blood pressure. Dr. Joyce Harp, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at theUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, says less body weight means lower blood pressure. And that means lower risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease and other health problems, according to the study published in the journal Obesity Research. "We intensively studied 16 obese but otherwise healthy, non-diabetic adults on the clinical research unit," Harp said. "Our goal was to determine if blood pressure regulating enzymes and hormones that are produced in fatty tissue are lowered by modest dietary weight loss." Researchers found that in addition to significant decreases in blood pressure, angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was suppressed most dramatically with weight loss, she said. The results are relevant to patients because ACE-inhibiting drugs already are among the most often prescribed medications in the world for controlling blood pressure and treating both coronary artery disease and diabetic kidney disease, the scientist said. Future studies may determine that modest weight loss and the associated decrease in ACE produce the same health benefits as ACE inhibiter drug treatment.
RARE DISEASE MORE COMMON AMONG KIDS OF OLDER DADS
Scientists have discovered why a rare genetic disease occurs more often in children of older fathers. The so-called Apert syndrome leads ot webbed fingers and early fusion of the skull bones. It must be corrected with surgery. The disorder affects 1 in 160,000 births, but the findings have implications for many of the 20 or so other genetic conditions similarly linked to older dads, said the researchers from the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. "It makes sense that the mutations causing these diseases would occur more frequently in older men, and indeed that's what we saw for Apert syndrome," said Dr. Ethylin Jabs, director of the Center for Craniofacial Development and Disorders. Disorders linked to advancing paternal age begin to increase rapidly at about the same time as maternal risks increase -- age 33 to 35. The scientists studied sperm from 60 men, looking for two genetic changes responsible for 99 percent of the cases of Apert syndrome. They found that men over 50 were, on average, three times as likely as men under 30 to have sperm with at least one of the changes.
OSTEOPOROSIS DRUG DOESN'T HURT G-I TRACT
Researchers have found a common osteoporosis drug does not increase upper gastrointenstial tract problems. The study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows patients taking bisphosphonate suffered no more G-I disorders than those taking sugar pill-like placebos. The findings are important because many women with osteoporosis take medications to increase or maintain bone density, the researchers said. In the new study, the researchers found that esophagitis associated with bisphosphonate use appears to decrease when doctors are instructed in proper administration of the medicine. Bisphosphonates are effective for reducing the risk of fractures, including hip breaks. The researchers said early reports of esophagitis during bisphosphonate use were a result of capsules or pills becoming stuck in the esophagus or esophageal reflux. Since then, dosing instructions for oral bisphosphonates have been developed to minimize contact with the esophagus and ensure adequate absorption of the medicine into the body. "The highest level of evidence comes from randomized controlled trials, and these data suggest that the risk of upper gastrointestinal tract problems can be minimized if bisphosphonates are administered properly," said Dr. Byron Cryer of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, principal author of the study.
ADVANCES IN IMMUNE DISEASE TREATMENT
Centocor, Inc. is developing therapies to treat Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disorders, suffered by some 50 million Americans, 75 percent of them women. "The impact of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders on the national healthcare system is immense, especially when you consider as many as one in four patients admitted to hospitals in the U.S. suffers from an IMID," said Ted Torphy, senior vice president of discovery and preclinical development. Scientists will explore common immune pathways shared by seemingly unrelated diseases in hopes of developing therapies for a number of disorders. The company markets REMICADE® (infliximab), the only biologic drug approved to treat both rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Since its introduction in 1998, thousands of patients have been treated with the drug. "Given the recent advancements in understanding how dysregulation of the immune system contributes to the pathophysiology of a broad spectrum of diseases, we believe that new therapeutics will cut across the traditional specialties of clinical practice," Torphy said. "One of the long-term goals of our research and development efforts is to foster opportunities for cross-specialty collaboration that may ultimately change how patients are treated and by whom."
(EDITORS: For more information about WEIGHT, contact Joyce Harp at 919-966-5445 or [email protected]; about DADS, contact Joanna Downer at 410-614-5105 or [email protected]; about DRUG, contact John Murphy at 507-284-5005 or [email protected]; about IMMUNE, call 610-651-6042.)
