COUGH REMEDY MAY AID FIBROMYALGIA PATIENTS
Dextromethorphan, an over-the-counter cough medicine, may help fibromyalgia patients quiet over-reacting nerves that bring pain to touch, scientists say. In a University of Florida study, dextromethorphan was shown to temporarily reduce the intensity of the pain response to repetitive physical contact that characterizes the condition, scientists report in The Journal of Pain. Fibromyalgia, an incurable illness, causes muscle aches, stiffness, fatigue and sleep disturbances in an estimated 10 million Americans, most of them women. Current treatments include pain medication, exercise, stretching, sleep management and psychological support. The study suggests dextromethorphan may become an option for treating fibromyalgia and other conditions involving heightened pain sensitivity, says study author Dr. Roland Staud, associate professor of medicine.
OVERWEIGHT PLUS INSULIN RESISTANCE MAY EQUAL EARLY AGING
Tulane University researchers have found a biological link between insulin resistance, weight gain and signs of early aging in the blood. Scientists have associated obesity with early death, but have not fully understood the process of aging at the cellular level. In the new study, published in the journal Circulation, researchers found obese people with insulin resistance have prematurely shortened white blood cell telomeres, a sign of aging. Telomeres, a part of chromosomes, become shorter over time as cells multiply and reproduce. "We know that obesity and insulin resistance place a physical burden on the body, leading to inflammation, the production of more blood to feed the body, and oxidative stress, all of which are important factors in the biology of aging," says study co-author cardiologist Gerald Berenson.
ALLERGIES MAY HIKE RISK IN EYE PROCEDURE
If you have allergies and need a corneal transplant, you may be at higher risk for rejection of the donor tissue, scientists say. "We found that the immune system's response to corneal transplants was profoundly elevated in mice with allergic eye disease, resulting in the rejection of 100 percent of the corneal grafts. This was in sharp contrast to the 50 percent rejection rate that occurred in the mice without allergic eye disease," says Dr. Jerry Niederkorn, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and senior author of the study, reported in the Journal of Immunology. "The allergist and ophthalmologist need to work as partners in managing the allergic patient who is destined to receive a corneal transplant," he says.
DAD PLAYS BIG PART IN CHILD'S SCHOOL SUCCESS
In some ways, a child's success in school can be measured by the dad's involvement, research suggests. "When fathers are involved in their children's education in a positive way ... the children enjoy school more, have a lower drop-out and expulsion rate, get better grades and participate more in extracurricular activities," says Robin Palkovitz, professor of individual and family studies at the University of Delaware. A survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, for example, shows when fathers participate in three or more events at school, from attending a conference to chaperoning a field trip, their children fare better than those whose fathers do not participate, Palkovitz says.
(Editors: For more information about COUGH, contact Melanie Fridl Ross at 352-392-2621 or [email protected]. For INSULIN, Madeline Vann 504-988-6017 or [email protected]. For ALLERGIES, Scott Maier at 214-648-3404. For DAD, Margo McDonough at 302-831-6471 or [email protected].)
