DRUG MAY HELP PREVENT STROKE DAMAGE
A drug used to treat severe sepsis, an overwhelming bacterial infection, might also serve to minimize disability from stroke, researchers report. The study, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, shows the compound, called activated protein C, protects brain cells that normally die as a result of a stroke. It works by interfering with a process the cells use to self-destruct. Until now, studies with APC have focused on the drug's other effects, such as its ability to stop the growth of blood clots and reduce inflammation. The new work is surprising because it points to an unsuspected ability of APC to prevent programmed cell death, doctors said. Increasingly, scientists view this mechanism as a key to curtailing the damaging effects of stroke. "This compound is working in a completely unexpected way -- it gives us a new pathway to consider in assessing the damage done by stroke," said Dr. Berislav Zlokovic, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester who led the research. "Since there is currently really only one effective treatment for stroke which reaches only a small percentage of patients, we're hopeful that this finding will spur further research that could help people who will otherwise have lifelong disability due to a brain attack."
HELP FOR HOT FLASHES
A study indicates the drug gabapentin might provide an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for controlling hot flashes in post-menopausal women. The scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center said millions of women are looking for new ways to reduce symptoms of menopause after two studies last year linked hormone replacement therapy to increased risk of heart disease and breast cancer. Some 40 million American women are at least 51 years old, the average age at which menopause begins, said Dr. Thomas Guttuso Jr., a neurologist at Strong Memorial Hospital. His study showed gabapentin can relieve hot flashes. "It is very exciting to have an effective, non-hormonal hot flash treatment for women who have chosen to discontinue their hormone replacement therapy," Guttuso said.
TREATMENTS FOR ATTENTION DISORDERS VARY WIDELY
There is a wide variation in the way children in different states are treated for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, a report indicates. The researchers found a four-fold difference between the highest rate - in Louisiana -- and the lowest -- in the District of Columbia -- in the use of stimulant medications such as Ritalin. The study also found higher stimulant use among children is primarily concentrated in the South and Midwest and in higher-income communities. The drugs are among the most highly prescribed medications for school-age children and include methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin), amphetamines (Adderall), dextroamphetamine sulfate (Dexedrine) and pemoline (Cylert). The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, come from a study conducted by the Office of Research and Development at Express Scripts, Inc., a large pharmacy benefit management firm. "Numerous factors may play a role in explaining this variation including differences in state controlled substance laws, anti-Ritalin campaigns, direct-to-consumer advertising, physician practice style and the values, beliefs, and expectations of parents, teachers, school counselors and other adult caregivers," said Emily Cox, head of the research team.
PRIMARY CARE NEEDS A BOOST, STUDIES SAY
Primary care medicine in the United States is in a crisis and needs to be revamped to meet the growing needs of an aging American population, studies show. The reports, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, urge a national effort to reconstruct primary care to care for the increasingly older, chronically ill and diverse population. "Primary care is a core component of nearly all modern health care systems in the world -- except in the United States," said Jonathan Showstack, University of California, San Francisco, professor of medicine and health policy and lead author of the report. "If we don't reconstruct the way that primary care is provided, we will inevitably face a very costly medical, financial, and human crisis." The researchers said health care must be organized to primarily serve the needs of patients, rather than to accommodate incentives in the reimbursement system and the preferences of providers.
(EDITORS: For more information about STROKE, contact Tom Rickey at 585-275-7954 or [email protected]; about HOT, contact Leslie Orr at 585-275-5774 or [email protected]; about LEARNING, contact Steve Littlejohn at 314-702-7556 or [email protected]; about PRIMARY, contact Maureen McInaney at 415-476-2557 or [email protected].)
