GP Journal Focuses On HPV Vaccination, Medicolegal Issues, Management Of Life Threatening Allergies
The January/ February 2009 edition of Australian Family Physician, the flagship journal of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), features a range of articles and research focusing on key issues in general practice today. The January/February 2009 edition includes the following articles:
HPV vaccination catch up program – Utilisation by young Australian women
Edith Weisberg, Deborah Bateson, Kirsten McCaffery, S Rachel Skinner
The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine provides protection against HPV types 6 and 11, and 16 and 18. The Australian Government’s offer of free vaccination to women aged 18-26 years of age through general practitioners ends 30 June 2009. This study’s objective is to determine the percentage of women attending Family Planning New South Wales (FPNSW) clinics aged 26 years or less who were aware of the free HPV vaccination program and had received a full course of the vaccine or had at least one injection. More…
GPs’ concerns about medicolegal issues – How it affects their practice
Louise Nash, Merrilyn Walton, Michele Daly, Maree Johnson
General practitioners’ concerns about medicolegal issues have been shown to influence the practice of medicine. This research looks at GPs’ beliefs about medicolegal issues and how medicolegal concerns affect their practice. More…
New action plans for the management of anaphylaxis
Andrew S Kemp, Wendy Hu
The Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy has developed new anaphylaxis (a sudden life threatening allergic reaction) action plans intended for use across Australasia. These educational tools aim to give patients and carers easily accessible information about key steps in the emergency treatment of acute allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. This article outlines the rationale for these plans, introduces two new action plans and key practice points to consider when providing these plans. More…
Compounded medicines and ‘off label’ prescribing – A case for more guidance
Romano A Fois, Barry T Mewes, Andrew J McLachlan
Interest by prescribers and pharmacists in the provision of individualised pharmaceutical therapy in the form of compounded medicines (for example one-off specially prepared medicines usually prepared by a pharmacist) has grown in recent times. However, there have also been a number of case reports of patient harm associated with these medicines. This study aims to highlight areas for clinicians and pharmacists to consider when prescribing or dispensing compounded medicines, which are consistent with quality use of medicines principles. More…
All articles are available to read online at http://www.racgp.org.au/afp.
Australian Family Physician is the journal of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. It is a peer reviewed journal, publishing original articles and reviews dedicated to meeting the ongoing educational requirements of general practitioners. For more information including subscription to the print version, visit http://www.racgp.org.au/afp.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia and represents the majority of Australia’s general practitioners.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Research Breakthrough Targets Genetic Diseases
A cure for debilitating genetic diseases such as Huntington’s disease, Friedreich’s ataxia and Fragile X syndrome is a step closer to reality, thanks to a recent scientific breakthrough.
The finding, which was published in Science on January 15, is the result of a collaboration between a team led by Dr Sureshkumar Balasubramanian at The University of Queensland’s School of Biological Sciences and Professor Dr Detlef Weigel at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany.
It identifies an expansion of a repeat pattern in the DNA of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana that has striking parallels to the DNA repeat patterns observed in humans suffering from neuronal disorders such as Huntington’s disease and Fredereich’s ataxia.
Lead researcher from UQ, Dr Balasubramanian, said being able to use the plant as a model would pave the way toward better understanding of how these patterns change over multiple generations.
“It opens up a whole new array of possibilities for future research, some of which could have potential implications for humans,” Dr Balasubramanian said.
The types of diseases the research relates to, which are caused by “triplet repeat expansions” in DNA, become more severe through the generations but were difficult to study in humans due to the long timeframes involved.
A plant model with a relatively short lifespan would allow scientists to study DNA mutations over several generations, Dr Balasubramanian said.
The study, called “A genetic defect caused by a triplet repeat expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana”, also had implications beyond human diseases, Dr Balasubramanian said.
While the DNA patterns were previously only seen in humans, current findings have shown the patterns occur in in distant species such as plants, providing new scope for researchers in all disciplines of biology.
The University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia
FDA Issues Complete Response Letter For Iclaprim
Arpida Ltd. (SWX: ARPN) announces that it has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for intravenous iclaprim for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). The FDA indicated in its letter that they cannot approve the application for iclaprim in its current form and that additional clinical data are required to demonstrate efficacy in order to gain approval.
President and CEO Dr Jurgen Raths commented: “After the negative recommendation of the Advisory Committee of last November, the FDA opinion comes as no surprise. We now aim to develop a viable roadmap to approval in close consultation with the FDA. The drastic cost saving measures that we’ve recently implemented should buy us sufficient time to consider and develop strategic options for progressing iclaprim’s development.”
In its letter to Arpida, the FDA stated the Company’s NDA did not demonstrate the efficacy of iclaprim for treatment of cSSSI within an acceptable non-inferiority margin. The FDA requires additional data to assess the benefits and risks of iclaprim for cSSSI.
To address this deficiency, the FDA requests an additional study or studies to demonstrate effectiveness of iclaprim. An additional study showing non-inferiority of iclaprim to an approved comparator may be sufficient to meet this requirement, depending on the study results.
Moreover, the FDA raised questions related to the drug product, which Arpida believes can be rapidly addressed. In addition, the resubmission should provide updated safety data and labelling information.
Arpida also announces that the restructuring that was announced late last year, is progressing as planned. In addition, the Board of Directors has decided to decrease its membership in order to reflect the reduced size of the company. In this context, Dr Khalid Islam tendered his resignation and Prof. Axel Kleemann has announced that he will not stand for re-election at the next shareholders’ meeting. Arpida wishes to thank both Board members for their valuable contributions. Dr Islam will continue to be available to the company as a senior consultant.
This press release contains specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like believe, assume, expect or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The company assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.
This statement was also released in German. The English original is the binding version.
Arpida Ltd.
http://www.arpida.com
Abbott Receives FDA CLIA Waiver For Use Of Five Additional Cartridges On The I-STAT Handheld Blood Analyzer
Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted waived status under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) for five additional test cartridges used by its i-STAT handheld blood analyzer.
Cartridges for E3+, EC4+ and 6+ aid the clinician in assessing a patient’s metabolic state within a few minutes. The glucose cartridge quickly delivers a patient’s diagnostic blood glucose level. Creatinine is a measure and indicator of a patient’s renal function right at the patient’s side. The five are components of the CHEM8+ cartridge, which the FDA waived in 2007. The CHEM8+ cartridge allows a clinician to run a basic chemistry panel on a patient together with hemoglobin and hematocrit tests. Waived status makes these tests more widely available for use beyond the hospital setting, for example in a physician’s office or outpatient clinic.
“These additional CLIA waivers underscore the high quality and reliability of i-STAT cartridge technology and expand its potential beyond the hospital setting,” said Greg Arnsdorff, vice president, point of care diagnostics, Abbott. “As these tests now become increasingly available in physicians’ offices, more physicians will be able to provide their patients with treatment options in one visit, thereby improving the quality of care and eliminating the cost and hassle of a second appointment. “
The CLIA waivers indicate that these test cartridges are simple and accurate and can be made more broadly available to healthcare providers where fast results are needed such as physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics, imaging centers, catheterization labs, as well as emergency departments, intensive care units, operating rooms, and military bases. By providing these critical test results rapidly, health care providers can quickly monitor and effectively manage their patients’ care.
The i-STAT(R) System
The i-STAT System accelerates the availability of critical test information that clinicians require to make rapid triage and treatment decisions when diagnosing a patient’s condition or monitoring a patient’s treatment response. Weighing only 18 ounces, the i-STAT System is an easy-to- use handheld analyzer capable of providing time-sensitive test results at the patient’s side in just minutes. To perform a test, the user places two or three drops of whole blood on the test cartridge, which is then inserted into the analyzer. A new test cartridge is used for each patient. Utilizing test- specific cartridges that are fully self-contained, the i-STAT System delivers lab-accurate testing for blood gases, electrolytes, chemistries, coagulation, hematology, glucose and cardiac markers. i-STAT is at the forefront of expanding the possibilities with the industry’s most comprehensive panel of bedside tests on a single platform. The i-STAT System is currently used in more than 1,800 hospitals where rapid test results are critical for better patient care. The system is used in emergency departments, intensive care units, operating rooms, as well as catheterization laboratories, outpatient clinics and physician offices.
About Abbott Point of Care
Abbott Point of Care, headquartered in Princeton, NJ, develops, manufactures and markets critical medical diagnostic and data management products for rapid blood analysis. The company’s premier product is the i- STAT, a market-leading handheld blood analyzer capable of performing a panel of commonly ordered blood tests on two or three drops of blood at the patient’s side. (http://www.abbottpointofcare.com)
About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 68,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
Abbott’s news releases and other information are available on the company’s Web site at http://www.abbott.com.
Abbott
http://www.abbott.com
Wrist Access Safer, Easier For Many Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Treatment Of Blocked Heart Arteries
A new approach to unblocking heart arteries minimally invasively will mean less bleeding, less down time, lower costs and less risk overall, particularly for obese patients, according to data being presented at the 21st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).
Every year, about one million Americans opt for angioplasty over bypass surgery to open their blocked arteries. New data suggests that beginning the angioplasty procedure by entering through the wrist – rather than through the groin – will make it safer and easier on patients.
To access the arteries, an interventional physician makes a small incision in the groin at the top of the leg and advances a thin tube (catheter) through the femoral artery to the site of the blockage. A tiny balloon is then inflated to open up the artery, and often a small cage-like tube called a stent is left behind to keep it open. But there is a risk of bleeding and nerve damage at the femoral artery access site. To reduce the risk, patients must lie down for two to six hours after treatment. Also, accessing the femoral artery in the groin is particularly challenging and risky in obese people.
Accessing the blocked blood vessels through the wrist (radial) artery, rather than the femoral artery significantly reduces the risk of bleeding and nerve damage, suggests data on more than 5,000 procedures performed at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami. The radial approach also is easier on patients because they can sit up after the procedure and walk away almost immediately.
Currently, only about two percent of all minimally invasive heart treatments are performed through the wrist.
“I believe 75 percent of patients would be candidates for the radial approach if it were an option,” said Ramon Quesada, M.D., medical director of interventional cardiology at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, and ISET course director. “The radial approach is a bit more technically challenging for physicians, but once they master it, I think most would prefer it. One of the main barriers is a lack of training opportunities.”
When the femoral access approach is used, there is a 2.8 percent risk of bleeding or nerve damage, according to studies. Most patients spend at least one night in the hospital after the procedure. Although rare, the bleeding can lead to kidney failure, blood infection and death. At Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, the complication rates for the radial approach are extremely low; only 0.3 percent had bleeding complications. None suffered nerve damage. An overnight stay may be advisable, depending on the complexity of the intervention performed, not because of the access approach.
The radial approach isn’t appropriate for all patients, including those who have very small or twisted arteries or are extremely thin, said Dr. Quesada.
“Using the radial approach results in lower cost, less time before the patient can get up and walk around and fewer complications,” said Dr. Quesada. “Patients who are ideal candidates for the radial approach are those who are obese or have severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD).”
Considered to be the premier meeting on endovascular therapy, the International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) is attended by more than 1,200 physicians, scientists, allied professionals and industry professionals from around the world. The meeting pioneered the use of live cases to promote the multidisciplinary treatment of cardiac and vascular disease by endovascular means. ISET is presented by the Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami. ISET 2009 is taking place Jan. 18-22 near Miami Beach, Fla. For more information, visit http://www.ISET.org.
International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy
http://www.ISET.org
Clostridium Difficile Infection In Long-Term Care: Tailored Approaches To Management
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is increasingly being seen in older adults, especially among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). This is further complicated by the emergence of a virulent strain of C. difficile associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality.
Implementing strategies for prevention and control, early diagnosis and prompt aggressive treatment is critical in managing CDI.
To address the need for current education on CDI, especially among healthcare professionals working in LTCFs, Robert Michael Educational Institute LLC (RMEI) and Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) are jointly sponsoring a complimentary continuing education Medscape virtual lecture entitled, “Clostridium difficile Infection in Long-Term Care: Tailored Approaches to Management.” This virtual lecture offers continuing education credit for physicians, pharmacists and registered nurses and is supported by an educational grant from ViroPharma Incorporated.
Donald Kaye, MD, MACP, Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Kurt B. Stevenson, MD, MPH, Associate Professor in Internal Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Epidemiology at Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio will serve as faculty for this activity.
Healthcare professionals can access the virtual lecture at http://cme.medscape.com/viewprogram /18692.
Healthcare professionals working in LTCFs should take advantage of this opportunity to learn important insights and guidelines for managing this rapidly changing disease.
“Robert Michael Educational Institute LLC recognizes that continuing education plays a crucial role in the provision of quality health care and is dedicated to offering professionals meaningful opportunities for lifelong learning,” says President and CEO, Robert M. Colleluori.
RMEI is a medical education company that specializes in independent, accredited, and non-accredited education. The goal of all accredited RMEI educational offerings is to promote a spirit of lifelong learning and continuous professional development. RMEI works closely with medical experts to design activities that improve diagnosis and treatment. These activities include national and international symposia, teleconferences, live meetings, enduring print materials, and interactive Internet programs.
For other educational opportunities, please visit http://www.RMEI.com.
Robert Michael Educational Institute LLC
http://www.RMEI.com
Remuda Ranch Reports More Women Seek To Be Thin During Pregnancy
Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders (http://www.remudaranch.com), the nation’s leading eating disorder treatment center, reports there’s a new pressure to look perfect while pregnant.
“With the media giving so much focus to pregnant celebrities, there’s an increased pressure to look perfect and thin during pregnancy,” said Brenda Woods, MD, director of medical services at Remuda Ranch. “Our society’s ‘thin’ ideal has crossed over to pregnant women. Many women are feeling the pressure to not gain too much weight during pregnancy and to lose their pregnancy weight very quickly. Also, it’s important to note that adolescents with eating disorder histories are in their reproductive years.”
Remuda Ranch reports some of the warning signs that a woman is suffering from an eating disorder while pregnant include:
– Failure to gain weight while pregnant
– Poor fetal growth
– Exercise beyond what is healthy while pregnant
If a woman is suffering from an eating disorder while pregnant, she faces many medical complications including: low birth weight in the infant; possible neurological damage to the baby; increased caesarean section rate; and increased miscarriage early in pregnancy.
“A woman with a history of an eating disorder may be more vulnerable during pregnancy,” adds Dr. Woods. “The emotional stressors of facing parenthood may push a woman with a history of an eating disorder back into those behaviors.”
Normal weight gain is 25 to 40 pounds during pregnancy for a woman who is already at a healthy weight. The numbers range from 35 to 50 pounds for an underweight woman. These numbers can cause extreme anxiety for women with eating disorders.
“Women need to be educated about what’s normal when pregnant,” said Dr. Woods. “Doctors need to screen pregnant women for eating disorder beliefs and practices. Pregnancy is a great time to make changes that will not only help you, but also guarantee a better future for your child.”
About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Remuda Ranch offers Christian inpatient and residential programs for individuals of all faiths suffering from eating or anxiety disorders. Each patient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse
Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
http://www.remudaranch.com
A Stage IV Malignant Melanoma Drug That Increases Overall Survival Would Earn A Higher Patient Share In The U.S. Than In Europe
Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that a drug for treating stage IV malignant melanoma that can increase median overall survival when compared with standard of care dacarbazine (Bedford Laboratories’ DTIC-Dome, generics) would earn a higher patient share in the U.S. (60 percent) than in Europe (40 percent), according to surveyed U.S. and European oncologists.
The new report entitled Malignant Melanoma (Stage IV): Emerging Therapies Must Increase Overall Survival over Dacarbazine to Attain High Patient Share finds that clinical data and the opinions of interviewed thought leaders indicate that Bristol-Myers Squibb/Medarex’s ipilimumab has advantages over dacarbazine in the attribute of median overall survival. Following its approval in 2010 for the indication, ipilimumab will earn Decision Resources’ proprietary clinical gold standard for stage IV malignant melanoma from 2012 to 2017.
“Ipilimumab has competitive advantages in efficacy and has been shown, in combination with dacarbazine, to almost double median overall survival when compared to Schering-Plough’s Temodar, our clinical gold standard in 2008 for stage IV malignant melanoma,” said Decision Resources Analyst Karen Pomeranz, Ph.D. “According to oncologists we surveyed, overall survival is the highest-weighted end point for stage IV malignant melanoma, which further stresses the significance of ipilimumab’s achievement in increasing overall survival.”
About the Report
Malignant Melanoma (Stage IV): Emerging Therapies Must Increase Overall Survival over Dacarbazine to Attain High Patient Share is a DecisionBase 2009 report. DecisionBase 2009 is a decision-support tool that provides in-depth analysis of unmet need, physician expectations of new therapies and commercial dynamics to help pharmaceutical companies optimize their investments in drug development.
The report can be purchased by contacting Decision Resources. Members of the media may request an interview with an analyst.
About Decision Resources
Decision Resources (http://www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.
About Decision Resources, Inc.
Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at http://www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.
All company, brand or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Decision Resources
http://www.decisionresources.com
Breast Cancer Survivors Call For More “Survivorship Care” From Primary Care Physicians
As the nation’s growing population of breast cancer survivors ages, many patients will likely develop common chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and they’ll need specialized care to balance those problems with the late effects of cancer therapies they received. They’ll also need screenings and advice about new strategies for preventing recurrences of their disease.
But many patients give low marks to the post-cancer care they receive from their primary care physicians, who generally serve as a patient’s main health care provider after they’re released from active treatment with their oncologists, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“Getting primary care physicians involved in a comprehensive survivorship care plan is critical to delivering high quality, accessible care to diverse groups of cancer survivors,” says Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of Family Medicine and Community Health who leads integrative medicine efforts at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. “Currently, however, lack of communication between oncologists and primary care physicians is felt by survivors to be a major limitation of our existing system, so treatment summaries or survivorship plans may serve as important tools to bridge the communication gap and improve care delivery by primary care physicians.”
In a study of 300 breast cancer survivors cared for at the Abramson Cancer Center’s Rowan Breast Center, the Penn researchers found that patients offered mixed reviews of the survivorship care they received from their primary care physicians. While most patients said they were happy with the general care, psychosocial support and health promotion information they received, they reported being less satisfied by their physicians’ knowledge of late effects of cancer therapies and ways to treat symptoms related to their disease or its treatment. Only 28 percent of patients felt that their primary care physicians and oncologists communicated well together a partnership that the Penn researchers say will be a key way to create survivorship plans in the future.
Most patients surveyed felt that educational interventions to strengthen survivorship care in the primary care setting would be valuable, with 72 percent saying they felt it was important to teach themselves in order to create a cohesive care plan with both types of doctors. Seventy percent of patients endorsed the idea of developing a primary care clinic specifically for breast cancer survivors a group that is two million strong, the largest group of all cancer survivors in the United States.
Penn’s “Living Well After Cancer” Program Offers Model for Primary Care Involvement in Survivorship
As a nationally recognized leader in the field of cancer survivorship, the Abramson Cancer Center is uniquely positioned to create models of survivorship care and tools to help cancer survivors of all kinds. Penn’s Living Well After Cancer Program, for adult and childhood cancer survivors, is a LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence. This designation, awarded by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, reflects excellence in clinical care, research and education. Within the Living Well After Cancer Program, the same nurse practitioners who care for patients during their diagnosis and treatment help them develop an individualized survivorship care plan at the end of their treatment that guides patients if and when they transition back to their primary care or specialty provider for follow-up care.
And through the Abramson Cancer Center’s OncoLink (http://www.oncolink.org), the Internet’s first multimedia cancer information resource, individual survivorship care plans are now available in both English and Spanish — to millions of cancer survivors worldwide. The Penn researchers say that expanding programs like these to more cancer patients may help boost their satisfaction with survivorship care delivered via primary care physicians.
“Our goal is to provide optimal care and guidance to patients from diagnosis through the post-treatment survivorship period. Providers at Penn recognize that cancer patients require specialized care even as they begin new lives as survivors,” says study co-author Linda A. Jacobs, PhD, RN, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center’s LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence. “Developing treatment summaries and care plans for all patients at the end of cancer treatment will guide patients and providers in appropriate surveillance and follow-up care throughout their lives.”
PENN Medicine is a $3.6 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn’s School of Medicine is currently ranked #4 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report’s survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to most recent data from the National Institutes of Health, received over $379 million in NIH research funds in the 2006 fiscal year. Supporting 1,700 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) includes its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation’s top ten “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation’s first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition UPHS includes a primary-care provider network; a faculty practice plan; home care, hospice, and nursing home; three multispecialty satellite facilities; as well as the Penn Medicine at Rittenhouse campus, which offers comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient services in multiple specialties.
The Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania is a national leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. The pre-eminent position of the Cancer Center is reflected in its continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute for 30 years, one of 39 such Centers in the United States. The ACC is dedicated to innovative and compassionate cancer care. The clinical program, composed of a dedicated staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists and patient support specialists, currently sees over 50,000 outpatient visits, 3400 inpatient admissions, and provides over 25,000 chemotherapy treatments, and more than 65,000 radiation treatments annually. Not only is the ACC dedicated to providing state-of-the-art cancer care, the latest forms of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are available to our patients through clinical themes that developed in the relentless pursuit to eliminate the pain and suffering from cancer. In addition, the ACC is home to the 400 research scientists who work relentlessly to determine the pathogenesis of cancer. Together, the faculty is committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
3535 Market St., Mezzanine
Philadelphia
PA 19104
United States
http:// www.med.upenn.edu
Women’s Brains Less Able To Control Hunger Urges
When it comes to controlling hunger urges, a groundbreaking brain-imaging study from the US suggests that men’s brains are better able to do so, possibly explaining gender differences in rates of binge eating and obesity and why women find it harder to lose weight.
The study, which was led by researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US Department of Energy, is to be published later this week as
an early online issue in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lead author of the study, Gene-Jack Wang, a Nuclear Medicine PET Medical Imaging scientist at Brookhaven Lab, said:
“Our findings may help us understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the ability to control food intake, and suggest new pharmacological
methods or other interventions to help people regulate eating behavior and maintain a healthy weight.”
“The surprising finding of a difference between genders in the ability to inhibit the brain’s response to food and hunger will certainly merit further
study,” he added.
Paul A M Smeets, who works at the Image Sciences Institute at the University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands, said:
“Something happens in the brains of men which does not happen in the brains of women. It’s quite amazing.”
According to CNN, Smeets, who uses brain imaging techniques to study the effects of hunger and fulness but was not involved in this study, told the
press that these findings:
“Suggest that in real life there might be a difference in how good men and women are at suppressing this kind of desire.”
For the study, Wang and colleagues observed brain activity in 13 female and 10 male volunteers using PET (positron emission tomography) scans
where glucose tagged with a radioactive tracer was injected into their bloodstream while they lay in the scanner. The brain feeds on glucose so the
reserachers were able to observe the uptake by different regions of the brain in each of the subjects.
Each volunteer was asked to pick their favorite food from a list (eg bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches, pizza, cinnamon buns, barbecued ribs,
chocolate), and then they underwent three scans at separate times. Before each scan they fasted for up to 20 hours.
During two of the scans, they were given food stimulation, where they could see and smell their stated favourite food and were given a taste of it on a
swab. For one scan they were given no instructions on how to react. For the other, they were instructed beforehand to suppress their response to the
food when it appeared. They also underwent a third scan where they were not presented with any food at all. The scans were done in random
order.
The participants were also asked to rate the foods and describe their hunger sensations and desire to eat during food stimulation. Their responses to
these questions were then compared to the brain activity observed on the PET scanner.
The results showed that for both men and women, various regions of the brain associated with controlling emotions, conditioning, and motivation “lit
up” more in those scans where they had food stimulation compared to scans where they were not presented with any food. (When a brain region
“lights up” during a PET scan it means that part of the brain is active because the radioactively tagged glucose is being metabolized). This confirmed
earlier findings in another study at the Brookhaven Lab.
When they were asked to suppress their desire for the food, both men and women reported feeling less hungry and less interested in the food, compared
to when they were not told to inhibit their response. But only the activity in the men’s brains reduced when they were asked to keep their desire for
food in check, matching what they said about feeling less hungry. This was not so for the women.
As Wang explained:
“Even though the women said they were less hungry when trying to inhibit their response to the food, their brains were still firing away in the regions
that control the drive to eat.”
Wang and colleagues think this is the firt time that such a gender difference has been shown in subjective reports versus observed brain activity of
emotional and motivational states.
Perhaps this reflects a difference between men and women in the way they perceive and respond to internal body signals, said Wang.
“The finding of a lack of response to inhibition in women is consistent with behavioral studies showing that women have a higher tendency than men
to overeat when presented with palatable food or under emotional distress,.” he added, suggesting that:
“This decreased inhibitory control in women could be a major factor contributing to the observed differences in the prevalence rates of obesity and
eating disorders such as binge eating between the genders, and may also underlie women’s lower success in losing weight while dieting when
compared with men.”
Speculating on what mechanisms might underpin such a difference, the researchers suggested estrogen might hold a key and warrants further
exploration. Other studies have shown sex hormones help to regulate food intake, body weight and fat distribution, and they also exchange signals
with molecules that regulate eating behaviour, they explained.
The study did not take into account possible influences from the women’s menstrual cycle, a factor that ought to be studied further, as co-investigator
Nora Volkow, who is Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), explained:
“A woman’s menstrual cycle can be an important factor in responsiveness to reward and in successful quit attempts for smoking.”
“Its role in inhibiting food-related brain activation will be important to address in future studies,” she added.
The study was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the General Clinical
Research Center at Stony Brook University.
Click here for Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Sources: Brookhaven National Laboratory News, CNN.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
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