CHEMOTHERAPY: MOLECULAR PATHWAY COULD PREDICT WHICH DRUGS BEST FOR LUNG CACNER PATIENTS
A common molecular pathway could help physicians predict which lung cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy drugs, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati. Known as the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor, this fundamental molecule regulates cell proliferation in the body. Research has shown that the pathway is either entirely inactive or altered in most human cancers. Scientists are beginning to use its actions as a biomarker for how tumors will respond to different therapies. The researchers report in the journal Cancer Research that "turning off" the pathway in lung cancer cells resulted in an altered response to chemotherapy agents and more cancer cell death.

GENETICS: FIRST COMMON HEIGHT GENE IDENTIFIED BY RESEARCHER
Scientists at Oxford, Exeter, and Harvard have identified the first gene that directly influences height. The difference in height between a person carrying two copies of a variant of the gene and a person carrying no copies is just under 1 cm in height, so does not on its own explain the range of heights across the population. However, the researchers believe the findings may prove important. Previous studies have suggested that, unlike conditions such as obesity, which is caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors, 90 percent of normal variation in human height is due to genetic factors. However, other than very rare gene variants that affect height in only a small number of people, no common gene variants have until now been identified.

CYSTIC FIBROSIS: IBROPROFEN CAN SLOW THE DISEASE IN CHILDREN
Results from a clinical trial, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, finds that high-dose ibuprofen is safe and effective in slowing down the progression of cystic fibrosis in children with the disease when used as part of routine therapy. The multi-center study monitored 142 children aged six to 18 with mild lung disease over two years. Children given high-dose ibuprofen twice a day showed a significant reduction in the rate of decline in lung function and had fewer and shorter hospital stays. The findings of the study show that through research and innovation, a simple inexpensive treatment can have a profound impact on the lives of children affected by cystic fibrosis.

DIABETES: SUGARY DRINKS, NOT FRUIT JUICE, LINKED TO INSULIN
Researchers at Tufts University have found indications that higher consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, but not 100 percent fruit juice, may be associated with insulin resistance, even in otherwise healthy adults. Study participants who consumed two or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had significantly higher fasting blood levels of insulin as compared to participants who did not report consuming any such beverages, regardless of age, sex, weight, smoking status, or other dietary habits, the researchers report. Higher fasting levels of insulin mean these study participants are more at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. In contrast, they found consumption of 100 percent fruit juice was not significantly related to any of their measures of insulin resistance.

SUPPLEMENTS: ANTI-OXIDANT LINKED TO PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION
N-acetylcysteine, an anti-oxidant commonly used in nutritional and body-building supplements, can form a red blood cell-derived molecule that makes blood vessels think they are not getting enough oxygen, according to researchers at the University of Virginia Health System. This leads to pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious condition characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

FAT: LIPIDS IN STOMACH MAY TURN VITAMIN C INTO CANCER PROMOTER
Fat in the stomach may cause vitamin C to promote, rather than prevent, the formation of certain cancer causing chemicals, according to research published online in the journal Gut. The researchers at Medical Sciences, Western Infirmary, Glasgow Scotland, U.K. analyzed the impact of both fat and vitamin C on nitrite chemistry in the upper stomach, which is especially vulnerable to pre-cancerous changes and tumor growth. Without fat, vitamin C curbed the levels of two cancer causing nitrosamines by a factor of between five and 1000. And it completely eliminated the production of two others. But when 10 percent fat was added, vitamin C actually boosted the production of nitrosamines between 8 and 140-fold. The findings may be relevant to the recent observations that vitamin C supplements fail to reduce cancer risk, say the authors.

DIABETES: IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUGS DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
Type 1 diabetes is caused when immune cells attack and destroy the insulin producing beta-cells of the pancreas. It was hoped that islet transplantation would provide a cure; however, transplant success is short-lived and accompanied by significant side effects. New data from researchers at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, have indicated that the immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection of islet transplants suppress beta-cell regeneration in diabetic mice. This raises the possibility that if immunosuppressive drugs that do not inhibit beta-cell regeneration can be identified, successful regenerative islet transplantation might become a reality.

NEUROPSYCHIATRY: STUDY FINDS 14 PERCENT OF GLOBAL DISEASE BURDEN DUE TO MENTAL DISORDERS
An estimated 14 percent of the global burden of disease is due to neuropsychiatric disorders, researchers report in The Lancet Series on Global Mental Health. These diseases are the most important contributors among the non-communicable diseases—more than heart disease, stroke, and cancer—mainly due to the chronically disabling nature of depression, alcohol- and substance-use disorders, and psychoses. However, their true burden is likely to have been underestimated because of inadequate appreciation of the connection between mental disorders and other health conditions. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, U.K. in a review of literature provide evidence that mental illnesses increase the risk for developing many physical illnesses, and argue more research is needed into these links, particularly on the potential

BIPOLAR DISORDERS: RAPID INCREASE OF DIAGNOSIS IN YOUTH FOUND
The estimated number of youth with office visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder experienced a 40-fold increase in the United States between 1994 and 2003, while adult visits with a bipolar disorder diagnoses appeared to almost double, according to a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness that typically involves periods of mania and depression. Although bipolar disorder may have its onset during childhood, little is known about national trends in the diagnosis and management of bipolar disorder in young people, researchers at Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon, Servicio de Psiquiatria, Madrid, Spain said. The surge in diagnosis of childhood and adolescent bipolar disorder in U.S. office-based practice indicates a shift in clinical diagnostic practices. The researchers could not say whether it represents a historical under-diagnosis of the disorder or it is or whether the disorder is currently being over-diagnosed.

CANCER: STUDY SAYS CANCER IN U.S. VETS UNDER-REPORTED
Cancer data for U.S. veterans is being under-reported and will make state and national data incomplete and inaccurate, while disrupting U.S. cancer surveillance efforts, according to an article published in The Lancet Oncology. A report obtained by The Lancet Oncology details a precipitous decline in US Veteran Affairs reporting of new cancer cases to California registries beginning in late 2004—from 3000 cases in 2003 to almost none by the end of 2005. Inconsistent and incomplete case reporting by VA Hospitals are also long-standing problems for other U.S. states and could mean that cancer rates appear artificially low across the United States.

ADHD: NEARLY 9 PERCENT OF U.S. KIDS MEET DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
An estimated 8.7 percent of U.S. children age 8 to 15 meet diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but fewer than half receive treatment, according to a report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Despite widespread concern that the rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is on the rise, the researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center said national population-based prevalence of ADHD in U.S. children has not previously been firmly established. ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and an inability to pay attention to tasks; the condition affects social behaviors and achievement at school and work. The study found the poorest one-fifth of children was more likely than the wealthiest one-fifth of children to have ADHD, but they were least likely to receive medications consistently.

RELIGION: PSYCHIATRISTS ARE LEAST RELIGIOUS OF ALL PHYSICIANS
A nationwide survey of the religious beliefs and practices of American physicians has found that the least religious of all medical specialties is psychiatry. Among psychiatrists who have a religion, researchers at the University of Chicago found more than twice as many are Jewish and far fewer are Protestant or Catholic, the two most common religions among physicians overall. The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, also found that religious physicians, especially Protestants, are less likely to refer patients to psychiatrists, and more likely to send them to members of the clergy or to a religious counselor.

MEDICAL EDUCATION: PHYSICIANS WEAK ON COMMUNICATION LIKELY TO GET PATIENT COMPLAINTS
Canadian physicians who score poorly on the patient-physician communication portion of the national licensing examination receive more complaints to regulatory authorities on issues such as communication or quality-of-care problems, according to researchers at McGill University in Montreal. In an article in JAMA, the researchers note that previous research has indicated that poor skills in patient communication are associated with lower levels of patient satisfaction, higher rates of complaints, an increased risk of malpractice claims, and poorer health. Medical schools have responded by incorporating training in patient communication and clinical skills in the curriculum. The researchers said initiatives could include more systematically assessing interpersonal skills during the admissions process, better integrating communication training into internship and residency experiences, and ensuring that clinical skills assessments include a communication component.

MEDICAL EDUCATION: RESIDENTS LACK BIOSTATISTICS KNOWLEDGE
Internal medicine residents had low scores in a test of biostatistics knowledge, and about three-fourths of the residents surveyed indicated they have low confidence in understanding the statistics they encounter in medical literature, according to an article in JAMA. Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine found the overall average percentage correct on statistical knowledge and interpretation of results was 41.4 percent—starkly lower than the 71.5 percent for fellows and general medicine faculty with research training. The poor knowledge in biostatistics and interpretation of study results among residents in the study likely reflects insufficient training, the researchers said. Nearly one-third of trainees indicated that they never received biostatistics teaching at any point in their career. The results, they said, suggest the need for more effective training in biostatistics in residency education.

PREVENTION: FLU SHOTS CUT DOCTOR VISITS, HOSPITALIZATION OF KIDS
Children under the age of 5 who receive an annual flu shot have a greatly reduced risk of needing to see their doctor or be admitted to the hospital because of flu-related illness. A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds that vaccinating only half of children in the United States could eliminate as many as 650,000 doctor's office visits and 2,250 hospitalizations in a year. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years receive an annual flu shot.

CPR: DEVELOPER SAYS NEW METHOD SAFER AND MORE EFFECTIVE
A biomedical engineer at Purdue University has developed a new method to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation that promises to be more effective than standard CPR because it increases nourishing blood flow through the heart by 25 percent over the current method. A new technique is needed because conventional CPR has a success rate of only 5 percent to 10 percent, depending on how fast rescuers are able to respond and how well the procedure is performed. For every one minute of delay, the resuscitation rate decreases by 10 percent. The CPR alternative, called "only rhythmic abdominal compression," works by pushing on the abdomen instead of the chest. The procedure eliminates the risk of breaking ribs or transferring infection since it eliminates the need for mouth-to-mouth breathing. Findings will be detailed in a research paper in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. Instead of two breaths for every 30 chest compressions, the new procedure provides a breath for every abdominal compression because pushing on the abdomen depresses the diaphragm toward the head, expelling air from the lungs. The release of force causes inhalation.

AMGEN: SENATORS ASKS MEDICARE TO RECONSIDER RESTRICTIONS ON ANEMIA DRUGS
A nonbinding U.S. Senate resolution criticized Medicare's decision in July to restrict coverage for Amgen's anemia drugs Epogen and Aranesp and asked regulators to reconsider its decision, The Los Angeles Times reported. Amgen has been lobbying heavily in Washington to get the decision reversed. The Thousand Oaks, California-based company has criticized Medicare's decision as "incompatible with good clinical practice and is appealing it. The decision has already hurt Amgen's sales and contributed to the company's plans announced in August to layoff as many as 2,600 workers.

PATENTS: BUSH ADMINSTRATION CRITICIZED PROVISION IN LEGISLATION
The Bush administration said a provision that will change how damages are determined in patent infringement cases is flawed because it limits the discretion of courts, Reuters reported. The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to vote on the legislation Sept. 7. The White House called the changes "unwarranted" and said they risks reducing the rewards from innovation. The administration said it would oppose the legislation unless lawmakers address its concerns. The provision has been a subject of a contentious dispute between the high-tech and pharmaceutical industries. The pharmaceutical industry has been complained that the legislation would go too far in weakening important protections.

GENERIC BIOLOGICS: PROVISION NOT EXPECTED IN FDA BILL
Congress is not expected to include language that would create a pathway for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve copycat versions of biologics in an FDA bill expected to be approved this month, Reuters reported. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, told a meeting of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association that it was unlikely such language would be added to the FDA bill, which will provide for the continuing collection of user fees by the agency and include safety reforms and other measures. A Senate committee has passed a biogenerics measure, but Rep. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, told Reuters it was unlikely the House and Senate could reach an agreement on an approach to generic biologics in time to pass the FDA legislation this month, but said he expects the issue to be tackled this year.