Health Line

Vitamins have no effect on cancer

A recent study revealed that taking large doses of vitamins may not be as beneficial to health as was previously believed. Researchers reported that a trial with 15,000 male doctors who took vitamins C and E for a decade did not show any effect on cancer rates, including prostate cancer.

An earlier trial conducted on 35,000 men taking vitamin E and selenium also revealed similar results. This trial was terminated because the men taking vitamin E and selenium not only showed no benefits, but some began to show an increased risk of cancer and diabetes.

Source: The New York Times

Gum disease may cause heart disease

Reducing the number of inflamed and infected sites in the mouth could lead to a reduction of total inflamed agents in the body, thus lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Although doctors have known for some time that gum disease is linked to heart disease they could not find a certain connection between the two. Now researchers discovered that a high-sensitivity C-reactive-protein (hs-CRP) could play a role in that link.

Acute gum disease has been shown to increase levels of hs-CRP, which is a natural response to inflammation, and may signal an increased risk of heart disease. Although a connection could be plausible, more research has yet to be done to fully prove the relationship between the two diseases.

Source: www.CNN.com

New drug may replace chemo

International studies have shown that Iressa, an expensive pill, may be used to treat cancer patients who have already done a round of chemotherapy. One study analyzed 1433 advanced lung cancer patients, who had already gone through chemotherapy, by giving half the patients Iressa once a day and the other half docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug, intravenously every three weeks. Results showed that patients on Iressa survived an average of 7.6 months, while patients using chemotherapy survived an average of 8 months.

Iressa, made by AstraZeneca PLC, targets specific growth receptors on cancer cells. It also shows fewer adverse effects than chemotherapy, and may prove to be a better choice for cancer patients. This may be especially helpful to advanced lung cancer patients, who do not have many options when it comes to treatments.

Source: Associated Press

New drug may reduce bed-wetting

Studies have shown that using the bladder-control drug tolterodine (Detrol) with the standard drug desmopressin, shows significant decrease in bed-wetting in children who do not show any improvement from just using desmopressin.

Tolterodine is effective as that it increases bladder capacity, which leads to an increased response to desmopressin. The study, involving 41 children, showed that the drug combination led to a 66 percent reduction in bed-wetting.

Source: Reuters