Ovarian cancers may begin in the fallopian tube

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that fallopian tube cells rather than ovarian surface cells are the probable site of origin of most cases of ovarian serous carcinoma, the most common type of ovarian cancer.

This finding may lead to earlier detection, as well as better treatment and perhaps prevention, of ovarian cancer, Dr. Keren Levanon of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston told the annual gathering of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego.

As there is no early diagnostic test for ovarian cancer, roughly 80 percent of cases are diagnosed at a very late stage. "One fascinating fact," Levanon highlighted, "is that when you diagnose ovarian cancer you find massive invasive tumors on the surface of the ovary -- usually the tumor does not invade the ovary -- but you never find early pre-invasive in situ tumors."

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The oldest Americans are also the happiest, research finds

CHICAGO - It turns out the golden years really are golden. Eye-opening new research finds the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests. The two go hand-in-hand: Being social can help keep away the blues.

"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches and pains and the deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.

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CDC: Flu season worst in 3 years; vaccine didn't work well

 ATLANTA (AP) - This year's flu season has shaped up to be the worst in three years, partly because the vaccine didn't work well against the viruses that made most people sick, health officials said Thursday.

The 2007-2008 season started slowly, peaked in mid-February and seems to be declining, although cases are still being reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Based on adult deaths from flu and pneumonia, this season is the worst since 2003-2004 - another time when the vaccine did not include the exact flu strain responsible for most illnesses.

Each year, health officials - making essentially an educated guess - formulate a vaccine against three viruses they think will be circulating. They guess well most of the time, and the vaccine is often between 70 and 90 percent effective.

But this year, two of the three strains were not good matches and the vaccine was only 44 percent effective, according to a study done in Marshfield, Wis.

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Sickened pork workers have new nerve disorder

 

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eighteen pork plant workers in Minnesota, at least five in Indiana and one in Nebraska have come down with a mysterious neurological condition they appear to have contracted while removing brains from slaughtered pigs, U.S. researchers and health officials said on Wednesday.

They said the illness is a new disorder that causes a range of symptoms, from inflammation of the spinal cord to mild weakness, fatigue, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs.

"As far as we are aware it is a brand new disorder," said Dr. Daniel Lachance of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who presented his findings at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago.

Lachance has been following the 18 Minnesota patients, all of whom have evidence of nerve involvement, typically affecting the legs.

He said tests showed patients had damage to the nerves at the root level near the spinal cord, and at the far reaches of their motor nerves, where the nerves connect with muscle.

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U.S. questions plastic baby bottle safety

WASHINGTON - A chemical used to make baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic containers could be linked to a range of hormonal problems, a preliminary government report has found.

The report was greeted by some environmental groups as confirmation of their concerns, while chemical makers latched on to the report’s preliminary nature and its authors’ warning against drawing overly worrisome conclusions.

The federal National Toxicology Program said Tuesday that experiments on rats found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early puberty when the animals were fed or injected with low doses of the plastics chemical bisphenol A.

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Vitamins A, C and E are 'a waste of time and may even shorten your life'

Claims: Are vitamins and supplements doing more harm than good? (Posed by a model)

Vitamins taken by around a third of the population do not extend life and may even cause premature death, according to a respected group of international scientists.

After reviewing 67 studies involving more than 230,000 men and women, the experts say there is no convincing evidence that taking supplements of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E can make you healthier.

The alarming findings, published today, will shock Britons who spend £333million a year on supplements.

Forty per cent of women and 30 per cent of men take a vitamin pill each day.

The review involved trials on beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium.

It says in-depth analysis of the different trials does not support the idea that vitamins extend lifespan.

'Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality,' says the review.

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Delaying pregnancy can carry consequences

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Kelli Heath just turned 30 and she's spending more and more time deflecting questions from family and friends about when she plans to get pregnant. Scott and Kelli Heath, married two years, are delaying having children so they can have "us" time.

A lot of women have timelines," Heath said. "I don't."

Heath, a full-time event planner in Atlanta, Georgia, married her husband, Scott, two years ago. They want to have children one day, but not right away. "Our priority as a couple is 'us' right now," she said.

More and more couples like the Heaths are waiting to expand their families until the woman is well into her 30s or older. Work, travel and the desire to save money are some of the reasons cited for the delay in having a baby.

Obstetrician and gynecologist Michael Randell cautioned that such delays may come with consequences. "There is a lot of anxiety among patients," Randell said. "I have 20-year-olds coming to me concerned whether or not they can get pregnant."

In reality, experts say, women over 35 struggle the most to get pregnant. As a woman ages, the quality of her eggs tends to decline and she may not ovulate as frequently.

Statistics are against you," Randell said. "You only have a 15 percent chance of conceiving each month. About 85 percent of people will conceive in the first year of trying."

The reason why it is more difficult to get pregnant these days is more people are waiting longer."

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FDA sees possible fraud behind tainted heparin

Contamination of blood thinner done for economic reasons, officials says

updated 12:58 p.m. ET, Tues., April. 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - The contamination of Baxter International Inc.'s recalled blood thinner heparin likely was done for economic reasons, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday.

"It was apparently, we suspect, done by virtue of economic fraud," FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach told a Senate hearing.

Baxter recalled most of its heparin products in February after reports of allergic reactions and deaths. An FDA investigation later uncovered a heparin-like substance in some batches of the drug's active ingredient, which is made in China.

The contamiant was identified last month as a modified form of chondroitin sulfate, a chemical FDA officials have said is likely cheaper to make than real heparin, which is derived from pig intestines.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, von Eschenbach said the altered chemical would not have occurred during any normal processing. While the agency has no specific evidence of fraud, "the concern is that it had to be by design," he said.

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Editorial: Nicotine's Nice Side

By Abigail Trafford Tuesday, April 22, 1997; Page Z06 Now that the tobacco industry has blinked, agreeing that cigarettes are a health hazard and discussing a $250 billion fund to pay for smoking-related illness, perhaps it's time to think about the unthinkable: Suppose nicotine were good for you? Behind the headlines is growing evidence that nicotine, the substance that makes tobacco addictive, may have some therapeutic effects. It's conceivable that future physicians might well prescribe nicotine -- as a drug, not a cigarette -- to relieve symptoms for a variety of diseases from schizophrenia and Alzheimer's to attention deficit disorder and colitis.

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Rare genetic disease yields clues on iron deficiency: study

PARIS (AFP) - The discovery of the gene behind a rare form of inherited iron deficiency may provide clues for new treatments of poor iron absorption in the general population, according to a study released Sunday.

Lack of iron is the most common of all nutritional deficiencies and the leading cause of anemia, which affects nearly a third of the world's population, according the World Health Organisation.

This undated illustration shows the DNA double helix. The discovery of the gene behind a rare form of inherited iron deficiency may provide clues for new treatments of poor iron absorption in the general population, according to a study released Sunday.(AFP/HO/File)

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