Gene Variant That Increases Ovarian Cancer Risk Discovered

By searching millions of DNA variations in the genomes of thousands of women with and without ovarian cancer, scientists have discovered a previously undetected region of DNA which when altered, can increase a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer by 40 per cent. The hope is that this will one day lead to a reliable screening test for a disease that currently has a high mortality rate because it is difficult to detect early.

The study was conducted by an international research team that included UK scientists from University College London (UCL), the Cancer Research UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit, and the University of Cambridge, and is published in the 2 August online issue of Nature Genetics.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK, where around 6,800 new cases are diagnosed every year, which is a rate of about 130 women a week finding out they have the disease.

However, ovarian cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women in the UK, where it kills around 4,300 women every year.

The human genome, the DNA-coded blueprint of how to make a human being, has more than 10 million genetic variants, of which just a small number will increase a woman's chance of getting ovarian cancer.

Scientists already know that variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes significantly increase a woman's chances of getting ovarian cancer, but these are rare and account for less than 5 per cent of ovarian cancers.

Senior author Dr Simon Gayther of UCL said this study identified a significant new variant and there is real hope that as more are found:

"We can start to identify the women at greatest risk and this could help doctors to diagnose the disease earlier when treatment has a better chance of being successful."

Gayther and his gynaecological cancer research team's work is supported by funds from Cancer Research UK and The Eve Appeal charity.

For the study the scientists analysed 2.5 million variations in DNA base pairs from the genomes of 1,810 women with, and 2,535 women without ovarian cancer in the UK.

DNA base pairs are like letters of the words that spell out the genetic code. Strips of DNA base pairs (the "words" if you like) are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Small alterations in the coding of particular SNPs, akin to "spelling errors" in words, link to ovarian cancer risk.

After eight years of searching, Gayther and colleagues found an SNP on chromosome 9 that was uniquely linked to ovarian cancer. Each of us has 23 pairs of chromosomes, each "copy" in the pair comes from one biological parent.

In collaboration with the international Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) they confirmed the finding in another group of 7,000 women with ovarian cancer and 10,000 women without the disease. The samples came from women all over the world.

The scientists estimated that:
Women carrying that particular version of the SNP on both copies of chromosome 9 have a 40 per cent higher lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who do not carry it on either copy of chromosome 9.

The risk for women carrying both copies is 14 in 1,000 compared to 10 in 1,000.

About 15 per cent of women in the UK have both copies of the variant.

Women with only one copy of the variant have a 20 per cent higher lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who have none.

The risk for women carrying only one copy is 12 in 1,000 compared to 10 in 1,000.

About 40 per cent of women in the UK have one copy.
David Lammy, the Member of Parliament for Tottenham and Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, had particular reason to be interested in this research because it included a DNA sample from his mother, Rose Lammy, who died of ovarian cancer last year. She carried both copies of the DNA variant that Gayther and colleagues identified.

Lammy said the study brings us a step closer toward earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer, when treatment is more likely to succeed. He told the media:

"I am pleased that Mum's sample was included in this study."

"We now know the fact that she had this altered DNA meant that her lifetime risk had risen from 10 in 1,000 to 14 in 1,000, an increase of 40 per cent compared to those women who don't carry this DNA variation," he added.

"A genome-wide association study identifies a new ovarian cancer susceptibility locus on 9p22.2."
Honglin Song, Susan J Ramus, Jonathan Tyrer, Kelly L Bolton, Aleksandra Gentry-Maharaj et al.
Nature Genetics, Published online: 2 August 2009.
DOI:10.1038/ng.424

Source: UCL News.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Scientists Find New Human HIV From Gorillas

Scientists who found a new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a Cameroonian woman living in Paris, have discovered it is an unusual variant of HIV-1 that could have come from gorillas.

The research that led to the findings was headed by Dr Jean-Christophe Plantier of the University of Rouen in France and is published in the 2 August online issue of Nature Medicine. Drs David Robertson and Jonathan Dickerson from the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester, UK, were also involved in the study.

There are three established lineages of HIV-1, known as M, N, and O, which came from chimpanzees, but this new variant appears to be the prototype of a new lineage derived from gorillas and shows no evidence of recombination with the other known lineages, wrote the researchers.

They propose that the new lineage be called HIV-1 group P.

There are 33 million people worldwide living with AIDS which is caused by the HIV-1 virus group M (groups N and O are mainly confined to Cameroon).

HIV is a product of cross-species transmission of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) found in chimpanzees, thought to have crossed to humans from eating infected bush meat.

While first recognized in 1980, HIV is thought to have started some 80 years earlier in and around the African country that is now called the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 62-year old Cameroonian woman at the centre of the study moved to Paris in 2004 and began to have symptoms shortly afterwards. Her blood sample showed discrepancies in her viral load, and further tests revealed she was infected with a new strain of HIV that more closely resembled SIV from gorillas than HIV from humans.

However, before moving to Paris the woman had lived in a semi-urban part of the central west African Republic of Cameroon; she had not come into contact with bush meat or gorillas.

Because of this information and the fact further tests showed that the virus was able to replicate in human cells, the scientists suggest the strain may well appear elsewhere.

Robertson told the media that:

"The discovery of this novel HIV-1 lineage highlights the continuing need to monitor closely for the emergence of new HIV variants."

"This demonstrates that HIV evolution is an ongoing process. The virus can jump from species to species, from primate to primate, and that includes us; pathogens have been with us for millions of years and routinely switch host species," he added.

In the same way as the current swine flu pandemic is showing us, this is another example of how viruses can now move very quickly around the world because nowadays large numbers of humans travel long distances in a short space of time.

Plantier's team in France are part of a network of laboratories that has been monitoring HIV genetic diversity, while the The Manchester Life Sciences team helped with the computer-based evolutionary analysis.

"A new human immunodeficiency virus derived from gorillas."
Jean-Christophe Plantier, Marie Leoz, Jonathan E Dickerson, Fabienne De Oliveira, François Cordonnier, Véronique Lemée, Florence Damond, David L Robertson & François Simon.
Nature Medicine, Published online: 02 August 2009.
DOI:10.1038/nm.2016

Source: University of Manchester.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Aspirin and Colorectal Cancer

A daily dose moderate discharge of the long taken term aspirin can prevent the colorectal cancer, but gastroenterologists is cautious on the recommendation of him, investigating said.

Five years of a daily dose of aspirin of magnesium 300 or the colorectal occurrence above reduced to 63% to 74% of the cancer, disclosed Peter M. Rothwell, M.D., Ph.D., of the infirmary of Radcliffe here, and colleagues the results of its 10 - to the recordativa letter of 14 years of two great British tests to support the studies of short term observation that measure risk of the adenoma, they wrote in the application of the 12 of May the Lancet. But, the results contradict those of great, long term studies of aspirin under the dose, such as the study of the health of the doctors and the study of the health of the women. The difference is probable because one more a higher dose is necessary to affect the formation of the adenoma via the way cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), wrote to Andrew T. Chan, M.D., M.P.H., of the general hospital of Massachusetts in Boston, in a support editorial. “Nevertheless, with the preoccupations by the potential risks of the long term use of aspirin and the availability of the alternative strategies of the prevention (eg., defending), these results are not sufficient to authorize a recommendation for the population in general to use aspirin for the prevention of the cancer,” the Dr noticed Chan. The Dr Rothwell and colleagues followed in two British tests that began in early years 80. British doctors Aspirin Trial originally included 5,139 masculine doctors at random selected to aspirin of 500 magnesium or to no aspirin by five to six years. They did not blind to the participants to the treatment. The isquémico attack transitory Aspirin BRITON of test (UK-TIA) included 2,449 patients who who'd had a recent AUNT or a isquémico movement of smaller importance. They at random selected to the patients aspirin of magnesium 300 to magnesium or 1,200 to the day or placebo by an a seven years depending on the date of randomization. The investigators used national registries of the cancer to follow the colorectal occurrence of the cancer for a midpoint of 23 years in both tests. Altogether, there were 215 boxes colorectal of the cancer. Between the reunited results of the analysis: Any use of aspirin of the duration in the tests reduced the colorectal occurrence of the cancer (quotient of the danger interval 0,56 to 0,97 of the 0,74 confidence, of 95%, P=0.02). Five or more years of use of aspirin reduced occurrence still more (hour ci 0,47 to 0,85 of 0,63, of 95%, P=0.002). The effect only appeared after 10 years (hour 0,92 by the first nine years, P=0.73, against 0,60 by 19 years 10 to, P=0.007). The greatest advantage was considered after five or more years of aspirin it uses 10 to 14 years after randomization (hour ci 0,20 to 0,70 of 0,37, of 95%, P=0.002), particularly for which they were obedient (hour ci 0,12 to 0,56 of 0,26, of 95%, P=0.0002). There was no effect on the non-colorectal occurrence of the cancer (hour ci 0,88 to 1,16 of 1,01, of 95%, P=0.87). They designed the known investigators, nevertheless, who were no data on use of aspirin after the tests finished and no test to study the colorectal cancer. The investigators also made a systematic revision of studies of observation in the risk of the colorectal cancer with aspirin or other antiinflammatory drugs nonsteroidal (NSAIDs). Between the 19 studies of the marry-control of the independent one including, the majority found less aspirin or use of NSAID between the patients who developed the colorectal cancer (reunited quotient of probabilities ci 0,73 to 0,87 of 0,80, of 95%, P<0.0001). Like in at random selected tests, the revision of Literature demonstrated the advantage of increase for a longer and more frequent use. Aspirin irregular or occasional or the NSAID use conferred no advantage (Or ci 0,93 to 1,09 of 1,01, of 95%, P=0.87). The quotients of the probabilities were 0,79 for the short term use of aspirin defined like less than five or 10 years, 0,69 by five or more or 10 or more years of the therapy, and 0,60 by 10 or more years of regular use. Together, the results suggest aspirin is effective in the primary prevention of the colorectal cancer, the concluded investigators. The “use of magnesium 300 or more of aspirin than to the day by near five years is effective in the primary prevention of the colorectal cancer, with a latency of near 10 years, that are constant with results of observation studies,” wrote. If the high oral doses of aspirin are necessary for this advantage, the “additional investigation on the direct local effects of the low dose colonic-sends preparations could be of merit,” the Dr Rothwell wrote. Whereas the cardiovascular advantages and colorectal of the cancer of aspirin can compensate the risk of bleeding the complications for certain groups of elevated risk, they said, the doctors will need to load this decision for the peace ientes individualmente. “Sin embargo, antes de que el chemoprevention pueda ser práctico, más trabajo es necesario caracterizar los para quién las ventajas potenciales del aspirin compensan los peligros,” el editorialista que el Dr. Chan escribió.

The mercury in silver fillings can harm children, pregnant women

The Government warns that amalgam dental fillings color containing mercury may pose a safety concern for pregnant women and young children. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this caution on its website earlier this month after settling a lawsuit. The warning is directed at two groups, which are already urged to limit mercury seafood over concerns that too much mercury can damage the developing brain. The FDA said that publish dental amalgam, "containing mercury, which can have neurotoxic effects on the developing nervous system of children and fetuses." The FDA is also determine whether the mercury vapor released when chewing and brushing can also cause neurological disorders or other problems in children.

This spring, the FDA alerted dentists who is considering additional controls, which include requiring warnings to alert consumers of mercury in amalgam before having cavities or restriction filling containing mercury in amalgam fillings young children and some other patients. The FDA is accepting public comment until July 28 with a final ruling expected a year later, on July 28, 2009, all imposed as part of the legal settlement. "It's an open question what we are going to do," FDA Deputy Commissioner Randall Lutter told the Associated Press, but "what this says is there is a clear intention on our part in the labelling of sensitive subpopulations." "This is a watershed moment," said Michael Bender of the Mercury Policy Project, which, with other advocacy groups-sued the FDA in hopes of forcing restrictions on amalgam.

Amalgamas cost around $ 100 versus about $ 150 or more for teeth colored compounds. Amalgam fillings are about 50 percent mercury and is alloyed with silver, copper and tin and are made by mixing liquid mercury powder ingredients. All this requires security measures and filters to limit waste seeping back into the environment. Used since 1800, amalgams popularity is declining, partly due to concerns about mercury, which represents about 30 percent of U.S. fillings. Several other countries restrict amalgam, either as a precautionary measure in pregnant women and small children or because of environmental concern.

As part of the solution with several advocacy groups of consumers, the FDA agreed to alert consumers about potential risks on its website and issuing a specific rule over the next year for fillings that contain mercury, FDA spokesman said Peper Long. This rule could affect those responsible for the metal fillings, which include DENTSPLY International Inc. and Danaher Corp. unit Kerr. The new rule allows the FDA to use "special checks (which) can provide reasonable assurance of safety and efficacy of the product," added Long.

Although various FDA said earlier studies showed any damage mercury fillings, some consumer groups argue fillings can trigger a series of health problems such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. In 2006, an FDA panel of outside experts for advice said most people would not be harmed by them, but said that the FDA requires more information.

Mercury has long been linked to and kidney damage brain certain levels.

Why Men Die Early Than Women

Popular culture can paint men as the stronger sex, but from the moment a child is born, her life is more likely that her sister which was cut short. Across borders and cultural, men die an average of seven years earlier than women, the disparity in the United States is approximately five years. In a new book, Why Men Die First, Marianne Legato, a specialist in gender-specific medicine at Columbia University, explains: They are genetically and biologically fragile to begin with, he says, and social norms that encourage demand and even risky behavior of men put at risk. Still, he told U.S. News Legato, men and their families can turn back. He highlighted seven reasons why men die prematurely-and seven actions they can take to prolong their time.

1. Men charged with natural genetic deficits.

While every cell in the body of a woman has two large X chromosomes, men have one X and one Y chromosome smallest; And it is half the size. The "replacement" X chromosomes allow the bodies of women compared to compensate for the damage so that men can not cells. In addition, the mutations are of three to six times more likely in a Y chromosome that a chromosome X. This genetic deficit could be part of the reason why miscarriages, infections, birth defects, cancer and many other health problems strike men especially hard.

2. The uterus is more treacherous for children.

Baby and Children are one-half to two times more likely to die at birth than girls. A weak immune system, a tendency for the development of immature lungs, insufficient blood flow to the male fetuses, and high vulnerability to motherhood stresses seem to be the culprits. Bleeding in the brain, birth defects, pneumonia and urinary tract infections are more common among male newborns.

3. Men are more likely to have disorders of development.

An article published in the British Medical Journal notes that a variety of disorders, including reading delays, deafness, autism, ADHD, blindness, seizures, hyperactivity disorder, clumsiness, stammering, and Tourette's syndrome is between three and four times more common in boys than girls. There are 10 men for every woman with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism.

4. They are biologically more prone to risky behaviors.

More slow development in the area of the brain that governs judgement men-especially adolescents-more likely than girls to die in accidents. According to a National Safety Council statistics, men were involved in 82 percent of accidental deaths related to firearms, 87 percent of bicycle-related fatalities, almost twice the number of deaths by poisoning, and almost four times more homicides in 2004. Similarly, in 2006 they were in 81 percent of fatal accidents involving drunk driving.

5. A "suck-it-up" culture of men usually means languish with depression.

Although women are more likely to make suicide attempts, the ratio of men to women who commit suicide is actually almost 4 to 1. For men, ages 20 to 24, fully 15 percent of all deaths are suicides.

6. Men choose most hazardous occupations.

Most of the sailors, firemen, policemen, construction workers, and farmers are men. Of the 5734 deaths that occurred on the job in 2005, men were the victims in the vast majority-5328. And men remain the vast majority of the fighting during military conflicts.

7. Heart disease strikes men early.

Estrogen seems to protect women from heart disease until well into adulthood, but it is common for symptoms start in the men's age 35. Making matters worse, men have naturally low levels of protective HDL cholesterol. The result: between 70 percent and 89 percent of all sudden cardiac events occur in men, and men three times more often die of coronary artery disease than women.

Seven things that men can do to lengthen your life

1. Know your blood pressure no matter what their age; exercise vigorously every day to enhance their naturally low levels of HDL cholesterol, and begins to receive evidence of coronary artery disease in their twenties.

2. Go to the doctor and tell him or her if you have a health problem whatsoever. Our culture can reward stoicism behavior of men; disease. This is especially true for men who feel sad or depressed for long periods. It is very common for men to internalize and ignoring their problems. Seek help.

3. Monitor your behavior and to minimize the tendency to act in a manner boneheaded. You know better than to drive recklessly, ignoring the security protocols at work, or operate machinery while intoxicated.

4. Keep overweight to avoid a phalanx of chronic diseases that will affect their quality of life long before they actually kill you. Heart disease, diabetes and prostate cancer are some very common risks associated with being overweight that often have a toll on his welfare, including the ability to have an erection-long before life is really short. In some cases, is itself the disease that causes sexual problems and other medications or surgery are used to treat the disease to take the toll.

5. Do not smoke. According to the American Cancer Society, smokers who quit smoking 35 years can expect to live up to eight and a half years rather than continuing smokers. Risk begins to diminish within months and falls in levels of non-smokers in three to five years.

6. Not afraid of digital rectal exams. PSA screening for prostate cancer is controversial because it could pick up tiny cancers that are not clinically important, but there is little doubt that digital examinations reveal dangerous cancer that must be addressed. The same goes for colonoscopies. They are uncomfortable, yes, but much less than malignant colon cancer and chemotherapy.

7. Protect your head and tell your doctor if you are being especially hard Ding. A CT scan may be necessary. Conclusions may seem harmless but can cause long-term brain hemorrhage that lead to memory problems, interrupted sleep, and personality changes that last a lifetime.

http://www.thehealthnews.org/news/08/06/15/men.early.die.html

Heart disease also kills women

The Heart Foundation has launched a new campaign to dispel the myth that heart disease is a medical condition that affects only men.

The disease was the cause of death in 34 percent of Australians in 2006, and more than half of them are women.

Tony Stubbs, the ACT Heart Foundation, said that the Go Red for Women campaign is also promoting a healthier lifestyle.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women is a fact that only three out of every 10 women are aware that came from an investigation of recent Newspoll," he said.

"So we are really trying to promote the message that heart disease is a major problem for women and that is also largely preventable."

Body piercing brings health risks

Body piercing in places other than the ear often leads to complications such as infections, inflammation and bleeding, a new study shows.

The data, collected in the UK by the Agency for Health Protection and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, showed that 25 percent of body piercing in areas other than the earlobe lead to complications, with one of every 100 piercing resulting in a hospital admission. More than 10000 people aged 16 and older participated in the survey, which was published on the Internet today by the British Medical Journal. A 2002 study for students of americas also reported a high rate of complications, with 17 percent of students complained of problems, including bleeding and infection. Piercing the nipple appears to be the most risky, with a 21 percent rate of bleeding or injury.

About 10 percent of the adult population of Great Britain has a non-earlobe body piercing. Estimates of prevalence in the United States are harder to find, but the 2002 report, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that 51 percent of college students surveyed had some kind of piercing, not counting pierced earlobes among women .

In this study, 38 percent of male students had pierced ears, whether in the lobe or elsewhere, while 4 percent had crossed the languages and 3 percent had pierced nipples. Among female students, pierced earlobes were not counted, but 29 percent had piercings elsewhere in their ears. Another 16 percent has crossed the languages, 6 percent had pierced nipples and 32 percent had pierced navels.

In the British study, 16 years old with piercing were also more likely to suffer complications, with almost one third reporting problems and 15 percent seeking professional help. While most piercings are performed in specialty shops piercing researchers noted that a "worrying" 9 per cent of tongue piercing were made by those who do not. In each anatomical site, including the tongue and genital areas, the study's authors said they found a number of people who had carried out drilling or what it had done for a friend or relative.

The most common problems with piercings are swelling, infection and bleeding. Nearly half of the tongue piercing led to complications in the British poll.

The growing popularity of body piercing could "place a significant burden on health services for many years," he told investigators.