HIV Drug Abacavir Doesn't Increase Heart Attack Risk: Study
The HIV drug abacavir doesn't increase the risk of heart attack, according to an analysis of data from more than 14,600 patients in 54 clinical trials. The review was conducted by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline after a previous analysis suggested a potential association between highly active retroviral therapy (HAART) regimens containing abacavir and increased risk of heart attack.
The new analysis from GSK, the drug's manufacturer, included 9,639 patients on abacavir-containing HAART and 5,044 patients on non-abacavir HAART. Overall, there were fewer than 30 heart attacks in both groups and no increased risk of heart attack was observed in the abacavir group, according to a GSK news release.
The frequency of heart attacks was 1.1 per 1,000 people in the abacavir group and 1.4 per 1,000 in the non-abacavir group. The frequency of coronary artery disorders was 2.5 per 1,000 people in the abacavir group and 4 per 1,000 in the non-abacavir group.
The results were presented Wednesday at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Enzyme Overproduction May Cause Endometriosis
Overproduction of an enzyme called telomerase may be a cause of the painful womb condition endometriosis, say researchers at the University of Liverpool in the U.K.
Telomerase plays a role in cell division. In endometriosis, patches of the womb's inner lining grow into other parts of the body. The researchers said their findings may lead to new ways to diagnose and treat the condition, BBC News reported.
Normally, cells in the inner lining of the womb begin producing telomerase at the start of a woman's menstrual cycle, with production of the enzyme slowing at the end of the cycle.
"Women who have endometriosis express this enzyme in both the early and late stages of the menstrual cycle, which means that the cells will continue to divide and lose their 'focus' in supporting the establishment of a pregnancy," said lead researcher Dr. Dharani Hapangama, BBC News reported. "As a result, the lining of the womb may be more hostile to an early pregnancy, and the cells that are shed at this late stage in the menstrual cycle may be more 'aggressive' and more able to survive and implant outside the uterus, causing pain in the pelvic or abdomen area."
The study appears in the journal Human Reproduction.
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New Parkinson's Test Shows Promise
A minimally invasive method of diagnosing Parkinson's disease shows promise, according to American and Canadian researchers. Currently, there is no definitive laboratory diagnosis for the condition.
The researchers used spectroscopy to develop a metabolic profile (chemical signatures) of biological markers for Parkinson's. They tested their method in a study that included 52 patients with mild or moderate Parkinson's and 32 age-matched volunteers in a control group, United Press International reported.
Blood samples from all participants were analyzed using near-infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy methods. The two methods yielded similar and consistent results.
In differentiating the Parkinson's patients from control group volunteers, Raman spectroscopy achieved a sensitivity of 74 percent and a specificity of 72 percent, with eight false positives and four false negatives, the study found. Near-infrared spectroscopy achieved a sensitivity of 74 percent and a specificity of 76 percent, with four false positives and five false negatives, UPI reported.
The study appears in the journal Biomarkers in Medicine.
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Combining Prevention Methods May Dramatically Reduce HIV Infections
Half of the 7 million to 16 million new HIV infections projected worldwide over the next seven years may be prevented by combining prevention methods such as condoms, circumcision and current treatment drugs, according to experts.
Preventing the spread of HIV could save $24 billion in treatment costs by 2015, says Michael Merson, a researcher at the Duke University Global Health Institute, the Bloomberg news service reported.
Merson led one of six studies published in a special issue of the The Lancet. He and his colleagues noted that no effective HIV vaccine will be available in the near future, and preventive microbicide gels designed to protect women against HIV infection have proven a disappointment.
Thomas Coates, a University of California, Los Angeles, AIDS researcher who wrote one of the studies, said the use of antiretroviral drugs and other experimental strategies to prevent the spread of HIV may change approaches for fighting the disease, Bloomberg reported.
"We may have to think about how to spend HIV prevention dollars if these trials are as effective as we all think they should be," Coates told reporters at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
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Broccoli May Benefit Diabetics
Broccoli may help reverse diabetes-related damage to heart blood vessels, according to U.K. researchers, who believe a compound called sulforaphane is responsible for this benefit. The compound encourages production of enzymes that protect blood vessels and also reduces high levels of molecules that cause major cell damage.
In their study, the University of Warwick team tested sulforaphane on blood vessels damaged by high glucose levels and found a 73 percent reduction of molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS), BBC News reported.
In addition, sulforaphane activated a protein called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.
"Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes," said lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley, BBC News reported. "In future, it will be important to test if eating a diet rich in brassica vegetables (such as broccoli) has health benefits for diabetic patients. We expect that it will."
The study appears in the journal Diabetes.
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High Lead Levels Prompt Recall of Candy
A worldwide recall of a Malaysian-made brand of candy was announced Wednesday after California health officials found the candy contained high levels of lead.
The Ego Hao Jin Bang candy may have been contaminated during production, according to Lina Gan, a manager at Kee Wee Hup Kee Food Manufacture in southern Johor state, the Associated Press reported. The company is investigating the source of the contamination.
On Tuesday, California's Department of Public Health said it found the candy contained up to 0.73 parts per million of lead, much higher than the state's limit of 0.10 parts per million.
As soon as California officials alerted the company about the problem, the firm recalled the candy from domestic and global markets, Gan said. She noted production of the candy was halted a few months ago due to poor sales, the AP reported.
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