Hormone therapy and breast cancer risk news

Earlier Hormone Therapy Elevates Risk of Breast Cancer, Researchers Say - New York Times -

Waiting to take HRT 'lessens breast cancer effect' - Telegraph.co.uk

Starting HRT early raises breast cancer risk: study – Reuters

Hot flashes, night sweats may reduce breast cancer risk - Washington Post

Why Those Agonizing Hot Flashes May Not Be All Bad – TIME

Delaying Hormone Use Cuts Breast Cancer Risk - MedPage Today

Acute adrenal insufficiency: causes, symptoms, signs and treatment

Patients generally have an acute onset of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain along with hypoglycemia and
hypotension. This condition is common after a stressful event like surgery in a patient who is steroid dependent.  Sometimes, exogenous steroids can stop the pituitary-adrenal axis leading to this condition.

Restaurant Menu Labeling, Eating Habits and Obesity

Study Finds Menu Labeling Didn't Change Eating Habits - Wall Street Journal

Study: Calorie Counts in Restaurants May Not Curb Eating Habits – TIME

Nutrition facts label does not help curb obesity epidemic - Food Consumer

Does Calorie-Labeling at Restaurants Lead to Healthier Eating? - Scientific American

Food Allergies, Autism Vaccine, Gum and Heartburn, Fitness Trends, Restart Your Workout Routine!

Have a Food Allergy? It's Time to Recheck - New York Times

BMJ: Study linking vaccines, autism was a fraud - American Medical News

Remedies: Chewing Gum for Heartburn - New York Times

2011 Fitness Trends: What's In, What's Out – US News

How to Restart Your Workout Routine After a Break – US News

What is Medicare Open Enrollment?

What is Medicare Open Enrollment?

Characteristics and causes of Fanconi anemia

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a recessive disease presents with growth retardation, congenital malformations, bone marrow failure, high risk of neoplasia, and premature aging. Genomic instability causing chromosomal breakage, cell cycle disturbance, and increased somatic mutation rates are some molecular causes of the disease. Along with chromosomal fragility, hypersensitivity to DNA cross-link drugs is seen. Patients will have a progressive pancytopenia and macrocytosis. Deformities include, café au lait spots, microcephaly, micropthalmia, short staure, horseshoe kidneys and ABSENT thumb.

Reference:

Genome Dyn.Fanconi anemia: causes and consequences of genetic instability. Kalb R, Neveling K, Nanda I, Schindler D, Hoehn H.

News about Dronedarone (Multaq) and Liver Failure

Health Highlights: BusinessWeek 

Summary Box: liver damage reported with heart drug  - Washington Post

Two Patients On Sanofi's Multaq Have Liver Failure  - Wall Street Journal 

Sanofi to Send Letter on Multaq Liver Failure Cases - Bloomberg 

FDA warns of liver damage reports with Sanofi drug - The Associated Press 

FDA Warns of Possible Liver Injury With Dronedarone - Internal Medicine News Digital Network

Autoantibodies in Parkinson’s disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease showing symptoms of dyskinesia and depression, were found have  autoantibodies  including antineuronal-cells, anti-brain lysate, anti-dsDNA, anti-phosphatidylserine, anti-cardiolipin, anti-serotonin, and anti-melanocytes antibodies.

Reference:

Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Autoantibodies in Parkinson's Disease.Benkler M

Cost of Cancer Care in 2020

Cost of Cancer Care in 2020

Hypertension Guide for Boomers

• High blood pressure levels: normal, less than 120/less than 80 mm Hg; prehypertension, 120-139/80-89 mm Hg; stage 1 hypertension, 140-159/90-99 mm Hg; stage 2 hypertension, at or greater than 160/at or greater than 100 mm Hg.
• Restrict dietary sodium to 1500 mg (65 mmol) per day in adults 50 years of age or younger.
• Perform 30 min to 60 min of moderate aerobic exercise four to seven days per week
• Maintain a healthy body weight (BMI 18.5 kg/m to 24.9 kg/m) and waist circumference (less than 102 cm for men and less than 88 cm for women)
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
• Eat foods rich in dietary and soluble fiber, whole grains and protein from plant sources, and that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol
• Blood pressure should be decreased to less than 140/90 mmHg in all patients, and to less than 130/80 mmHg in patients with diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease.
• Initial therapy should include thiazide diuretics, angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (in patients who are not black), long-acting calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) or beta-blockers (in those younger than 60 years of age).
• A combination of two first-line agents may also be considered as initial treatment of hypertension if systolic blood pressure is 20 mmHg above target or if diastolic blood pressure is 10 mmHg above target.
• The combination of ACE inhibitors and ARBs should not be used
• In patients with coronary artery disease, ACE inhibitors, ARBs or beta blockers are recommended as first-line therapy
• In patients with cerebrovascular disease, an ACE inhibitor/diuretic combination is preferred
• In patients with proteinuric nondiabetic chronic kidney disease, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (if intolerant to ACE inhibitors) are recommended
• In patients with diabetes mellitus, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (or, in patients without albuminuria, thiazides or dihydropyridine CCBs) are appropriate first-line therapies.
• In selected high-risk patients in whom combination therapy is being considered, an ACE inhibitor plus a long-acting dihydropyridine CCB is preferable to an ACE inhibitor plus a thiazide diuretic.
• All hypertensive patients with dyslipidemia should receive statin therapy. Once blood pressure is controlled, low-dose acetylsalicylic acid therapy should be considered.

 

References:

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7)

Can J Cardiol.The 2010 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for the management of hypertension: part 2 - therapy.Hackam DG