Major discovery made in prostate cancer
PARIS, June 9 (UPI) -- A French-led international team of scientists says it has discovered how polyphenols in red wine and green tea inhibit prostate cancer growth.
The scientists -- who say their findings might lead to a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer -- said they discovered antioxidants in red wine and green tea disrupt an important cell-signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth.
The researchers, led by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, said their findings that appear in the early online edition of The FASEB Journal, might lead to the development of drugs that could stop or slow cancer progression, or improve current treatments.
"Not only does (the) signaling pathway play a role in prostate cancer, but it also plays a role in other cancers, such as colon cancer, breast cancer and gastric cancers," said Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal.
In the experiment, three groups of mice were given drinking water, drinking water with a green tea compound known as EGCg, or drinking water with a different green tea compound, polyphenon E. Then human prostate cancer cells were implanted in the mice. The results showed a dramatic decrease in tumor size in the mice drinking the green tea mixtures.
"The profound impact the antioxidants in red wine and green tea have on our bodies is more than anyone would have dreamt just 25 years ago," Weissmann said. "As long as they are taken in moderation, all signs show that red wine and green tea may be ranked among the most potent 'health foods' we know."
One-tenth of U.S. Iraq vets may have PTSD
SILVER SPRING, Md., June 9 (UPI) -- Between 8.5 percent and 14 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq report either post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, researchers found.
Jeffrey L. Thomas of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., and colleagues analyzed anonymous mental health surveys of 18,305 U.S. Army soldiers -- reserve and non-reserve -- three to 12 months after deployment.
The soldiers were screened for PTSD, depression, alcohol misuse and aggressive behaviors.
"Using the least stringent definition, we observed PTSD rates across Active Component and National Guard study groups, study time points ranging from 20.7 percent to 30.5 percent, and depression rates ranging from 11.5 percent to 16 percent," the study authors said in a statement. "Using the strictest definitions with high symptom rates and serious functional impairment, PTSD prevalence ranged from 5.6 percent to 11.3 percent and depression prevalence from 5 percent to 8.5 percent."
The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, shows that at 12 months after combat, mental health problems among veterans do not abate, and in many cases, increase, Thomas said.
"If soldiers who are struggling with serious functional impairment as the result of a previous deployment are deployed again, there is potential that this could impair their performance in combat," the study said. "This has implications for the safety of unit members and mission success."
Some snake species declining in numbers
WALLINGFORD, England, June 9 (UPI) -- British-led scientists say they have determined several global snake species have experienced a significant decline in populations.
The researchers, led by Chris Reading from Britain's Center for Ecology & Hydrology, said they examined long-term data collected between 1987 and 2009 in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Nigeria and Australia involving 17 snake populations in tropical and temperate climates and discovered declines in eight of 11 species.
The scientists noted snakes are top predators and any decline in their numbers might have serious consequences for many ecosystems.
"This is the first documented evidence from anywhere in the world that snake populations may be declining," Reading said. "Although we do not know the cause of these observed declines, we wish to alert snake ecologists to what appears to be happening and to stimulate further research."
The study is reported in the journal Biology Letters.
Women often ignored in research trials
CHICAGO, June 9 (UPI) -- Medical researchers say U.S. women remain vastly underrepresented in biomedical research compared with men.
Scientists from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine say despite significant differences in the way females experience many diseases, medications and therapies -- and despite federal mandates to include women in studies -- there is much that still needs to be done.
"It's time for the sex bias in basic research and clinical medicine to end," said Professor Teresa Woodruff, director of the university's Institute for Women's Health Research. She said gender bias has an enormous effect on women's health, resulting, for example, in delayed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, the leading killer of women, and in adverse reactions to medication.
Woodruff says women need to be adequately represented in studies, and results need to be specifically designed and analyzed to determine sex differences in order for both men and women to receive more tailored care.
The research commentary that included postdoctoral fellows Alison Kim and Candace Tingen appears in the journal Nature.
