Pumping Iron to Prevent Dementia?

Pumping Iron to Prevent Dementia? - Resistance training could be an important part of reversing memory decline in elderly women with mild memory problems, according to a new study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada studied 86 women between the ages of 70 and 80 who had mild cognitive impairment, a condition where people have problems with memory or other brain functions that are noticeable but not severe enough to interfere with daily life. Predictably, this group of people is at increased risk of developing dementia. The women were divided into groups that underwent resistance training, aerobic exercise, or balance and tone training twice a week for six months.

The resistance training group had significant improvements in performance on a common test of executive brain functioning called the Stroop Test. They also had improvements in a separate test of associative memory, which refers to the ability of one thought or memory to trigger another. For example, to most humans, the color green means go. Impairment in associative memory is common in early Alzheimer’s dementia.

Using functional MRI studies among the groups, the researchers demonstrate increased blood flow to key areas of the brain that was associated with the improved performance on the cognitive tests. However, unlike in prior studies, there was no benefit of the aerobic training group on cognitive testing, though their cardiovascular performance was improved.

This is the first study that demonstrates the benefits of resistance exercises in those who already suffer from cognitive impairment. And while this is a small study that provides preliminary evidence of benefit, study author Teresa Liu-Ambrose says, “Exercise is attractive as a prevention strategy for dementia as it is universally accessible and cost-effective.”

Worldwide, one case of dementia is detected every seven seconds, and with the aging of baby boomers, those numbers are on the rise.

So is it time to start recommending strength training to the elderly, especially those with cognitive impairment to try and ward off dementia?

Zaven S. Khachaturian, president of the Campaign to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by 2020, finds the research promising, but thinks not quite yet. He says more research is needed in larger studies to confirm these findings.

Dr. Richard Caselli, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic, agrees.

“When advising patients, I do inform them that physical activity, exercise, and good fitness generally is healthful,” he says. “We have known that for years as regards to cardiovascular health, so even if we turn out to be wrong about possibly preventing or slowing dementia onset, it is still good medical advice.” ( ABC News )

READ MORE - Pumping Iron to Prevent Dementia?

Jude Law and Sienna Miller reunite at funeral of 'inspirational' girl who suffered from premature ageing disease

Jude Law and Sienna Miller reunite at funeral of 'inspirational' girl who suffered from premature ageing disease - Tributes have been paid at the funeral of an 'inspirational' woman who died after suffering an extremely rare genetic condition that caused premature ageing.

Adrienne Greenway, 25, from Dover, passed away earlier this month from pneumonia, with her funeral taking place earlier this week.

Mourners in attendance included Hollywood stars Jude Law and Sienna Miller, who stunned friends and family at St John's Church in Coleford by turning up to say goodbye.

Tribute: Adrienne Greenway, who suffered from a premature ageing disease, has died from pneumonia. She is pictured here with her father Stephen and mother Allison

The stars met Adrienne at a function run by the Make a Wish Foundation, for which she raised thousands of pounds.

Adrienne's mother Allison revealed that Jude even got up and made an impromptu speech about her daughter during the funeral.

She said: 'Jude has been a tower of strength for us, he really has.

'He wasn't due to say anything at the funeral but he did, he said he had to and he remembered all the happy times they had together.

'She just had this way about her and they became really good friends.'

Adrienne suffered from what doctors thought was a premature ageing disease. Sufferers rarely outlive their teens.

The vibrant young woman had won a string of celebrity admirers for her attitude and charity work, including Stella McCartney - who even designed a dress for her.

Friends: Adrienne Greenway met a number of celebrities in her charity work, including Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Mr Law gave an impromptu address at her funeral

Allison, who revealed that doctors were re-assessing Adrienne's medical condition after stating it might not be what they first thought, said: 'She loved the good things in life.

'She always said one of the good things about her condition was that she could buy lovely clothes cheaper because she needed children's sizes.

Incredible: Adrienne's mother spoke of how her daughter travelled the world and always put other people first

'She met Stella at a function once and they swapped numbers. Stella called her up and said she was making a dress for her.'

Adrienne planned her own funeral, which was held as a celebration of her life. She was buried in Clearwell before relatives held a wake at a nearby pub.

Allison added: 'She was an inspiration. She inspired everyone she met, she was a beautiful girl.

'Time and time again the doctors had said "this is it, it's time to go now" and she had always come through.

'But she knew and we knew that this time was different. She understood she had a better place to go to.

'It was exactly how she wanted it, she put her head down and curled up with her family there with her."

'She had an incredible life, she has travelled the world but she also loved that she had "normal" friends and was able to go to "normal" school.

'She always put other people first and was conscious of those worse off than her.'

Adrienne leaves two sisters, Hayley and Lindsay, mother Allison and stepfather Jim. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Jude Law and Sienna Miller reunite at funeral of 'inspirational' girl who suffered from premature ageing disease

Are You an Enabler?

Are You an Enabler? - One of the most difficult aspects of combating addiction and other pathological behaviors--including violence--is that it is so often fueled by the psychological weaknesses of more than one person.

The individual diagnosed with alcohol dependence or heroin dependence or compulsive gambling or antisocial personality disorder is often consciously or (more often) unconsciously in an unhealthy synergy with someone who is an "enabler" who is co-dependent with that person.

I have treated dozens of alcoholics, for instance, whose spouses lie for them when they are too drunk to make it to work, or cover for them when they can't make it to their kids' performances, or drink "just one glass of wine" with them three weeks after they get home from detox. I have treated women who swear they had no knowledge whatsoever of their husbands' criminal activities, yet have no rational explanation for how their families lived in splendor or for why they never questioned the procuring of their luxury automobiles or estates. I have talked with "friends" of people who have overdosed on heroin who lent them money through the years and who can't fathom, in retrospect, why they would have done so, knowing the way the money would be used.

At the heart of every enabler is secondary gain. Some seemingly well-meaning husbands and wives indulge their spouses' addictions in order to have a more powerful connection with their children (as the only reliable parent in the house). Some people who swear they are friends of gamblers are actually so fearful of rejection that they would never challenge whether an upcoming trip to a casino is a smart choice. Others (and here is the darker dynamic) actually love being close to risk and ruin and are posing as friends (even believing it themselves), when they are really spectators, getting their fill of wins and losses, without wagering a dime. Some businesspeople are psychologically "driven" to team up with weak partners, then undermine them, in order to never feel like they are themselves the barrier to success.

Are you an enabler? Do you know one? Here are some clues that can help you answer those questions:

• Enablers find themselves, of course, in the company of people who are underperforming in life because of bad habits--whether overeating or drinking too much or taking foolish risks.
• Usually, enablers have found themselves more than once in the position of being seen as the stronger person in a relationship or the victim of someone very close to them.
• Enablers often feel and often state that they are powerless to bring about positive change in someone's life or that the attempt to do so (by, say, drawing boundaries and insisting a spouse either not drink or move out) would be cruel or would have disastrous consequences.
• Enablers generally felt weak and vulnerable during early chapters of their life stories and now wish to feel stronger than the person who they are enabling.

If you are an enabler, get help. Psychotherapy is the gold standard. The goal is to find the roots of your own addiction--to abiding or actually accelerating the destruction of others.

If you find yourself in the company of an enabler, create as much distance as you can from that person. Those who would transfuse themselves with the suffering of others, and take no responsibility for it, are very dangerous people, indeed. ( foxnews.com )

READ MORE - Are You an Enabler?

Women happier at work than men

Women happier at work than men. The world of work is a better experience for women than men, according to a survey. Asked to rate their job satisfaction on a scale of one to seven, they scored an average 5.56 while males scored 5.22.

Experts are divided over the reasons why women appear to get more out of their work than men. Professor Andrew Oswald, of the University of Warwick, who carried out the survey, said: 'There is a wide ranging debate on why women enjoy work more.

'Some say they are just cheerier than men. But it could also be that their aspirations are lower.' He pointed out that many women worked part-time and shared jobs, which the survey found increased job satisfaction.

'This is one of the interesting findings of the report. The score difference may seem slight but it represents a strong finding,' he added.

Ruth Lea, head of policy at the Institute of Directors, said: 'Part of the problem for men is that expectations are higher for them. When women succeed it is seen as a victory, but for men it is expected. This puts pressure on them.

'Add to this that they are the major breadwinner and stick with many jobs because they have to for their family, then the pressure is even more.'

Overall, older workers get the greatest satisfaction from their jobs while university graduates are the most dissatisfied of all, according to a survey of 30,000 employees.

The survey found employees generally enjoyed their first years at work. Job satisfaction then dipped between the ages of 30 and 40. But employees over 60 years of age gained greatest satisfaction from their work.

Professor Oswald said: 'The young are happy to have a job. But as they grow older they realise ambitions may not be fulfilled so easily. 'We all start off thinking we will be captain of England or a Nobel prize winner but we adjust. The older we get, the more settled and content with our role at work we get.'

Graduates often felt frustrated that they were overqualified for the job they were doing, the survey found.

Many were forced to take lowskilled jobs to pay off debts from their university days. Others found the competition for the best jobs was greater than they expected.

The survey also revealed that Britain's culture of working long hours had not turned people off their jobs. Most British employees were satisfied at work even though they were under more pressure than ten years ago.

The survey found 80 per cent felt satisfied, very satisfied or completely happy at work. Just one in 50 employees said they were not satisfied at all with their job.

This enjoyment of work apparently over-rode an increase in stress levels at work over the last ten years, measured by mental distress and psychological ill health.

There were other checkpoints for a happy working life. Those working in the public sector, for example the NHS, were more dissatisfied with their jobs than those in the private sector.

Employees of small businesses and non-profit making organisations, such as charities, were happier at work than those working for big companies.

A third of Britain's employees, or six million people, work in small firms. Nine in ten employers have fewer than ten staff.

David Hands, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'There is a greater camaraderie in small firms than in big companies where people may feel at risk of being stabbed in the back.

'It is more relaxed in small firms and people enjoy it more. Many also get more responsibility which adds to their satisfaction.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Women happier at work than men

The economic impact of Aids

The economic impact of Aids. An economic collapse in South Africa is predicted within four generations, if more isn't done to stem the epidemic here, a recent World Bank study forewarns.

More than 20 percent of the country's citizens in the 15-49-age group are currently infected and it is estimated that the rainbow nation could lose half of its per capita income in the next few generations if drastic measures aren't taken.

South Africa has the world's highest number of HIV infections, namely 5,3 million.

The effect of high adult mortality rates

In the latest World Bank study it was demonstrated that Aids not only destroys existing human capital, but that the disease also weakens the way in which knowledge and experiences are transmitted from one generation to the next, since children of HIV/Aids victims are often left without role models to educate them.

A rise in premature adult mortality also lowers investments in education and the proportion of households that can afford to send children off to school, and orphans are instantly subjected to a life of poverty.

This situation could have a dramatic impact on future productivity, researchers reckon.

The study was led by Prof Clive Bell, professor of economics at Heidelberg University, Mr Shanta Devarajan, chief economist of the World Bank's Human Development Network, and Prof Hans Gersbach, also of Heidelberg University.

An even clearer picture

Previous studies and preliminary assessments pointed to several features of the Aids epidemic that are likely to have severe economic implications.

In another World Bank study on the macro implications of HIV/Aids in South Africa (2000), three characteristics of the epidemic were highlighted for their potential impact on the country's economic activity:

• Aids tends to strike young adults. This means that Aids reduces life expectancy and the rate of population growth, increasing the burden on the working age population – the same population that also needs to look after sick relatives and orphaned children.
• Aids is very slow moving. The time span between infection and death is generally in the range of eight to ten years. Initially, the productivity of the HIV-infected individual will not be significantly affected, but as the infection progresses into full-blown Aids, labour productivity will decline. This has implications for supply of goods and services, while a subsequent increase in medical costs will have implications for demand.
• Infection rates differ by skill class. Previous research indicated that semi-skilled and unskilled workers are more frequently affected than highly skilled workers. This could mean that the average productivity of unskilled labour would decrease and that overall demand for unskilled labour could take a similar plunge as machinery replaces manual labour - a situation that could exacerbate unemployment.

All is not lost

If projections are made from current data to 2010, it looks as if mortality rates will rise to 36 percent for males and 54 percent for females within the next six years. Only 29 percent of children would not experience parental loss, the latest research indicates.

However, all is not lost, experts reckon. If the South African government acts quickly and effectively, economic growth can still be maintained – although to a much lesser degree than would have been the case in the absence of Aids.

World Bank researchers call for a more aggressive approach to combating the epidemic.

Possible solutions

The experts involved in the 2003-released World Bank study suggested the following courses of action:

• Spending on measures to contain the disease and treating the infected with anti-retrovirals in order to prolong lives;
• Aiding orphans, either by providing income support or by subsidising households that send children to school;
• Claiming tax to finance expenditures.

One of the researchers, Clive Bell, also noted that targeting prostitutes and their clients by providing free condoms could be an important avenue in the fight against the disease. – ( health24.com )

READ MORE - The economic impact of Aids

In search of an Aids vaccine

In search of an Aids vaccine. After a disappointing year of research findings, scientists are little closer to developing the Holy Grail of Aids prevention - a successful vaccine. But researchers, doctors and activists still hope to find success by the end of the decade

Carefully optimistic

At stake is a way to stop the transmission of Aids without relying on humans to reduce their tendencies toward risky sexual behaviour. If scientists are successful, the disease could head toward decline.

All of us are cautiously optimistic, says Wayne Koff, senior vice president of research and development at the International Aids Vaccine Initiative, an advocacy organisation.

The epidemic, which began more than two decades ago, has killed an estimated 23 million to 25 million people worldwide so far.

Surprising findings

Researchers earlier this year reached the end of the most extensive vaccine study to date - the so-called AIDSVAX vaccine that was administered to people in the United States.

To the astonishment of experts, the vaccine failed to protect against Aids infection among whites and Latinos, but worked quite well for blacks and Asians. Many critics quickly discounted the study, saying it was too small because only a few hundred non-whites were included among the 5 400 subjects. Others wondered if some genetic difference between the races could account for the discrepancy.

In November, researchers released the results of another study that examined a variation on the AIDSVAX vaccine geared toward Aids strains that are common in Asia. The vaccine, given to half of a group of 2 546 intravenous drug users in Thailand, failed to do any better than a placebo given to the other half.

Vaccines, of course, are available to combat a variety of diseases, from mumps and measles to smallpox and polio. Even chicken pox, the usually mild but sometimes disfiguring perennial disease of childhood, has given up the ghost to a vaccine.

Why the challenge?

Considering the record of vaccine success, why is Aids such a challenge?

There are two hurdles, says Dr Steve Black, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in California. One is that the virus itself is attacking the immune system. It's attacking your body's main defense against the disease. Even if you have a vaccine that generates an appropriate immune response, there's no way to make sure the infection itself won't undermine that.

The other challenge lies in the ability of HIV - the Aids virus - to morph into different forms. Other diseases simply don't do that, Black says. Measles is measles, pretty much. If you vaccinate people, they're protected.

Aids, on the other hand, is more like the influenza virus, which changes so often that pharmaceutical companies must tinker with the formulation of flu vaccines each year. HIV does that at even a faster clip, Black says.

A live attenuated vaccine

One possible solution for the first part of the challenge would be to use what's called a live attenuated vaccine - a harmless, weakened form of the Aids virus that would force the immune system to permanently create antibodies, the microscopic soldiers permanently on guard against a specific germ.

The polio vaccine, among others, works in that way. When the body sees the polio virus, it can attack and neutralise it, you don't get the disease, Koff says.

But there's a problem. In HIV, you can elicit a lot of antibodies and they can bind to HIV, but most of them are not effective in neutralising HIV in the right way, Koff says.

Combination vaccine

Koff and other experts suspect that the most feasible approach may be to design a combination vaccine that both primes the immune system and arms cells themselves against the bits of virus that make it past the first wall of defense. The second part of the vaccine would stimulate the immune system to produce cells that are capable of killing the virally infected cells, Koff says. It's not the first line of defense. It's the next line of defense.

For now, a useable vaccine appears to be years off. While about 20 vaccines are in or near the stage of studies in humans, only the AIDSVAX vaccines and one more vaccine have reached the final phases of research, Koff says. Results of the study of the latter vaccine, derived from a canary virus, are pending.

It's conceivable to have a partially effective vaccine by the end of the decade, Koff says. It can have significant benefit on the public health. Remember that 15 000 people a day are becoming infected with HIV. Even if you have a vaccine that's 40 to 50 percent effective, you can make a significant amount of impact. - ( health24.com )

READ MORE - In search of an Aids vaccine

The most effective HIV drugs

The most effective HIV drugs. Researchers have identified a specific combination of three drugs that seems to be the best starting point for attacking HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

Delay of additional drug combos

Patients who were started on this particular regimen of zidovudine (ZDV or AZT), lamivudine (3TC) and efavirenz (EFV) delayed having to move on to additional drug combinations, a new study says.

A second report from the same study found that four-drug regimens were better than most three-drug regimens - except for this particular combination of zidovudine/lamivudine/efavirenz - in providing prolonged protection against the virus.

Chess game analogy

Dr Charles Gonzalez, a specialist in infectious diseases and immunology at New York University Medical Center's Aids Clinical Trial Center, compares the design of the study, and the treatment of HIV, to a three-dimensional chess game.

A doctor plays with the virus every day when he has to decide what set of moves he makes, Gonzalez says. If I make this, this and this move, what is the first best move? Then, after I've made that move, which first move allows me to make a second move if there's any problem. This study really does answer that question.

Gonzalez's centre had 20 patients involved in the trial.

Both reports appear in the Dec. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The preliminary findings were presented at the 2002 International Aids Conference in Barcelona, Spain, and have already been incorporated into HIV/Aids treatment guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Not a dramatic change in practice

This will probably not change practice terribly much because some of the preliminary data was infused into the (HHS) guidelines that just came out, Gonzalez says. This article essentially says the experts are right, in terms of what to start with.

Combination therapy has been the treatment of choice for HIV/Aids since the 1990s and has essentially transformed a sure killer into a disease that can be managed - at least in the developed world where patients can gain access to the medicines. When one drug combination stops working, as it often does, doctors switch the patient to another.

Many unanswered questions

Still, several questions remained unanswered, including what is the better regimen to start with and what is the better order to give the drugs in.

The clinical goal is to pick a regimen that patients tolerate and that provides a durable response and also keeps options open for the future knowing many patients are ultimately going to fail the first or second regimen, says study leader Dr Gregory Robbins, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

First part of the study

The first part of the study compared four different three-drug regimens in 620 patients at 79 sites in the United States and Italy. The participants, none of whom had been previously treated, were followed for a median of 2,3 years, much longer than previous studies.

Although all drug regimens helped to control HIV infection, when it came to preventing Aids progression and death, the three-drug combination of efavirenz, zidovudine and lamivudine outperformed the other three drug regimens in preventing the initial failure, Robbins says. After 48 weeks on this regimen, about 10 percent of patients' drug therapies had failed, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent in the other three-drug groups.

There was something about the actual combination that appeared to make the regimen more effective, Robbins says. That's an area of active research for us to understand - the potential synergy of this combination.

Individuals receiving this combination also experienced fewer toxic side effects than those receiving the combination of didanosine and stavudine. Experts are now concluding this latter combination should be avoided when possible.

Second part of the study

The second part of the study compared a four-drug regimen with two consecutive three-drug combinations. Three hundred sixty people received one of two four-drug treatments: efavirenz and nelfinavir in combination with either didanosine and stavudine or zidovudine and lamivudine.

Although four-drug combinations were no more effective than sequential three-drug regimens, four-drug regimens delayed drug failure longer, except when compared with the efavirenz-zidovudine-lamivudine combination.

Since four-drug regimens may be more toxic, more expensive, more complicated and may limit future treatment options, the three-drug regimen emerged as the best option for initial therapy in this study.

Is four better than three?

The obvious question that we've all been asking in clinic is whether four is better than three and what this study showed is that they aren't any different than the sequential threes, but it is better for delaying the first failure, Robbins says. As a result, we don't need to use four drugs and expose people to additional toxicity, additional costs and potentially taking away that option in the future.

As a result of this and other studies, the guidelines for treating HIV/Aids are much more specific. The efavirenz-zidovudine-lamivudine combination is one of the three preferred initial regimens outlined by the HHS.

We now know that just selecting or substituting drugs as part of a regimen might change their potency, Robbins says. We don't understand that interaction. We need to explore that. - (health24.com)

READ MORE - The most effective HIV drugs

HIV-positive: what now?

HIV-positive: what now?. When you test positive for HIV, the news will usually come from a doctor or a health professional. What is the next step and what should you do next?

1. Medical history and physical evaluation

You should give a complete medical history to the doctor. You should be honest about your past sexual practices and drug habits and undergo a thorough physical examination, including oral and eye examinations. Find out which doctors in your area specialise in the treatment of HIV.

2. T-cell count

A T-cell count is a measurement of special white blood cells that help the body fight infection. HIV attacks the T-cells. Your doctor will monitor the number of T-cells you have to assess how healthy your immune system is. The lower the number of T-cells, the more susceptible your body becomes to opportunistic infections.

3. Screening Tests

HIV-infected people should undergo tests for other medical conditions, such as syphilis or tuberculosis. A pap smear is recommended for HIV-infected women in order to rule out cervical abnormalities. It is important to stick to all prescribed medication.

4. Viral load

Viral load refers to the amount of HIV circulating in the blood. It is used to predict the speed of disease progression. The higher the viral load, the greater the likelihood of Aids developing.

5. Psychological counselling

The mental health needs of all people with HIV must be assessed as soon as possible, and treatment such as crisis management may be recommended. Both you and your loved ones may benefit from psychological or psychiatric support. Phone the Aids Helpline on 0800 0123 22 24 hours a day for support and advice.

General tips

• Tell people who will give you love and support, but you don’t have to tell everyone else, except people with whom you have had sexual contact.
• Look after your health. Get exercise, take vitamins, eat regularly and make sure you get enough rest.
• See a counsellor to help you come to terms with your HIV status.
• Find out if there is a support group of some sorts in your area. Sometimes sharing things with people in the same situation can be very meaningful.
• Get more than one opinion on medication. There are some widely differing views regarding HIV and Aids medication.

( health24.com )

READ MORE - HIV-positive: what now?

Kids should get moving to avoid obesity

Kids should get moving to avoid obesity – Vigorous exercise may be an especially good way to keep kids lean, but sitting around, in and of itself, doesn't appear to have a major role in making them fat, new research shows.

Nevertheless, there are still plenty of reasons to avoid too much sedentary "screen time," Dr. Ulf Ekelund of the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, UK and colleagues say, given potential negatives including "violence and aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, and poor body image."

To help tease out the role of time spent in different types of activity in making children fat, independent of screen time and otherwise being a couch potato, Ekelund and his team looked at 1,862 children 9 to 10 years old, 23 percent of whom were overweight or obese.

Using a wristwatch-like device to measure the amount and intensity of activity children got throughout the day, the researchers looked for associations between this activity and children's waist size, amount of body fat, and body mass index (BMI). Kids also reported how much time they spent watching TV or using a computer.

Sixty-nine percent of the children were getting at least an hour of moderate physical activity a day, while 58 percent reported having less than two hours of screen time daily.

While children who spent more time not moving had bigger waists and a larger percentage of body fat, much of this relationship could be attributed to the fact that they spent less time engaging in moderate physical activity.

But the time children spent engaging in vigorous activity, and their combined moderate activity-vigorous activity time, had the strongest ties to waist circumference and fat mass.

For instance, every 6.5 minutes a child spent doing vigorous activity like playing ball, bicycling, or running around outside was associated with a 1.32-centimeter reduction in waist size, the researchers found. But 13.6 minutes of moderate physical activity only reduced waist size by half a centimeter.

Based on the findings, the researchers say, children should still be encouraged to limit their sedentary time, but this alone won't be enough to tackle childhood obesity.

"Interventions may therefore need to incorporate higher intensity-based activities to curb the growing obesity epidemic," they conclude.

Boys in the study got an average of a half-hour of vigorous activity each day, while girls got 22 minutes. "There is no clear cut answer" as to how much vigorous activity is optimal, Ekelund noted in an email to Reuters Health.

"For most health outcomes, the more activity you do the better." But, he added, people who do lots of strenuous activity may still put on too much weight if they take in too many calories.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2009.

( Reuters )

READ MORE - Kids should get moving to avoid obesity

New lung cancer wonder drug offers cure hope for deadliest form of disease

New lung cancer wonder drug offers cure hope for deadliest form of disease. A new lung cancer drug that can cure the deadliest form of the disease is being developed by scientists.

The treatment, which appears to have no side affects, killed all traces of the 'small cell' version of the cancer in more than 50 per cent of the British trials on laboratory mice. It also blocked the cells' ability to resist standard chemotherapy treatment.

A fifth of lung cancer patients have the 'small cell' form, in which the tumours spread so quickly they can rarely be removed. Only 3 per cent of sufferers can expect to survive five years after diagnosis.

Professor Michael Seckl, head of Molecular Oncology and Lung Cancer Research at Imperial College, which led the research, said he hoped to start clinical trials with human patients as early as next year.

Breakthrough: Scientists hope to test the new drug on humans next year

'Lung cancer is the most common cancer killer in the world and over 100 people in the UK are diagnosed with the disease every day,' he said.

'Around one in five of those people will have small cell lung cancer. Although it responds to chemotherapy initially, the tumours soon become resistant to treatment and sadly nearly all people with the disease do not survive.'

The drug, currently known by the codename PD173074, wiped out 50 per cent of 'small cell' lung cancer tumours in one strain of laboratory mice. In other animals it slowed the growth of tumours and prevented them becoming resistant to chemotherapy treatment.

Professor Seckl said: 'We urgently need to develop new treatments for this disease.

'Our new research in mice suggests that it may be possible to develop the drug PD173074 into a new targeted therapy for small cell lung cancer.

'An added bonus of this drug is that it could be taken orally, which would make it less invasive than some other forms of cancer therapy.'

Each year around 39,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK and 34,500 die from the disease.

It is the most common cause of lost lives due to cancer in the UK, accounting for nearly a quarter of deaths in men and a fifth in women, and the second most common cancer in men after prostate cancer.

Smoking is responsible for 90 per cent of the cases of lung cancer in men and more than 80 per cent of the cases in women.

Standard treatment for 'small cell' lung cancer is chemotherapy, sometimes accompanied by radiotherapy, which has harsh side effects.

Although the treatment often starts to work, the cancer usually grows back rapidly and becomes resistant.

The new research focused on blocking the activity of a growth hormone called FGF-2 which spurs on the proliferation of small cell lung tumours.

As well as adding fuel to the cancer fire, the hormone also triggers a survival mechanism in tumour cells that makes them immune to chemotherapy drugs.

The research was partly funded by the Department of Health, together with the charities Cancer Research UK and the Cancer Treatment and Research Trust.

Dr Joanna Owens, from Cancer Research UK, said: 'The early results from this study are impressive but we'll need to wait for the results of clinical trials before we'll know if the drugs could work for patients.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - New lung cancer wonder drug offers cure hope for deadliest form of disease