Women With HIV May Not Have Higher Cervical Cancer Risk: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 41 mins ago MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Infection with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- does not appear to increase a woman's risk of cervical cancer, a new study has found.

Researchers looked at more than 400 HIV-infected women and nearly 300 HIV-free women, all of whom had a normal Pap test and a negative result for tumor-inducing human papillomavirus DNA at the start of the study. Several types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are known to cause cervical cancer.

After five years of follow-up, the risk of cervical precancer was similarly low for both groups of women. None of the women developed cervical cancer, Dr. Howard Strickler and colleagues at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City said in a news release.

The study was scheduled for presentation at a Sunday media briefing at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., and appears in the July 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The findings suggest that the five-year risk of cervical cancer in HIV-infected women who have normal Pap tests and do not have tumor-causing HPV is similar to the risk in HIV-free women, the researchers said.

"The current investigation highlights the potential for a new era of molecular testing -- including HPV as well as other biomarkers -- to improve cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected women," the study authors concluded.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cervical cancer.

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Women With HIV May Not Have Higher Cervical Cancer Risk: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 41 mins ago MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Infection with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- does not appear to increase a woman's risk of cervical cancer, a new study has found.

Researchers looked at more than 400 HIV-infected women and nearly 300 HIV-free women, all of whom had a normal Pap test and a negative result for tumor-inducing human papillomavirus DNA at the start of the study. Several types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are known to cause cervical cancer.

After five years of follow-up, the risk of cervical precancer was similarly low for both groups of women. None of the women developed cervical cancer, Dr. Howard Strickler and colleagues at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City said in a news release.

The study was scheduled for presentation at a Sunday media briefing at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., and appears in the July 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The findings suggest that the five-year risk of cervical cancer in HIV-infected women who have normal Pap tests and do not have tumor-causing HPV is similar to the risk in HIV-free women, the researchers said.

"The current investigation highlights the potential for a new era of molecular testing -- including HPV as well as other biomarkers -- to improve cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected women," the study authors concluded.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cervical cancer.

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Serious Mental Illness Tied to Higher Cancer, Injury Risk: Studies

HealthDay – Fri, Jul 20, 2012 FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- People with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have a 2.6 times increased risk of developing cancer, a new study contends.

The findings raise questions about whether people with serious mental illness receive appropriate cancer screenings and preventive care to help them avoid cancer risk factors such as smoking, the researchers said.

"The increased risk is definitely there, but we're not entirely sure why," study leader Dr. Gail Daumit, an associate professor of medicine and psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a Hopkins news release. "Are these people getting screened? Are they being treated? Something's going on."

The researchers analyzed data from more than 3,300 Maryland Medicaid beneficiaries with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to determine how many of them were diagnosed with cancer between 1994 and 2004.

Compared to people in the general population, schizophrenia patients were more than 4.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer, 3.5 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer, and nearly three times more likely to develop breast cancer, the researchers found.

Patients with bipolar disorder had similarly increased risk for the three types of cancer, according to the study published in the July issue of the journal Psychiatric Services.

People with serious mental illness are more likely to smoke, which could explain their elevated risk for lung cancer, Daumit said.

She also noted that women with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are less likely to have children and that childbearing is believed to reduce breast cancer risk. In addition, some drugs used to treat mental illness can increase levels of the hormone prolactin, a factor that has been linked to breast cancer.

The increased risk of colorectal cancer could be due to lifestyle issues such as smoking, lack of exercise and a diet lacking fruits and vegetables, Daumit said.

While the study uncovered a link between mental illness and cancer risk, it did not prove that one causes the other.

In a separate study released last month, Daumit found that people with serious mental illness were nearly twice as likely to require emergency or inpatient department treatment for an injury than people in the general population, and were about 4.5 times more likely to die from their injuries.

The study was published online in the journal Injury Prevention.

About 5 percent of Americans have a serious mental illness and these people are known to have a two to three times increased risk of dying prematurely, Daumit noted.

More information

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has more about mental illness.

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Hepatitis C Virus Levels Higher in Certain Injection Drug Users

HealthDay – Fri, Jul 13, 2012 FRIDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among injection-drug users in the United States infected with hepatitis C, virus levels are highest among blacks, males and those who are also infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a new study finds.

A 2010 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 3.9 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C infection, which is a leading cause of liver cancer, end-stage liver disease and liver transplantation.

The study was published in the July issue of the journal Hepatology.

Previous research indicates that one-third of injection-drug users aged 18 to 30 -- and up to 90 percent of older users -- are infected with the hepatitis C virus. With such high rates, it's important to learn more about the characteristics of infection in this group of people, Dr. Thomas O'Brien, of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said in a journal news release.

O'Brien also noted that hepatitis C virus levels predict treatment response in people with chronic hepatitis C.

O'Brien and colleagues looked at approximately 1,700 black, Hispanic and white injection-drug users in San Francisco. Nearly 75 percent of the participants were men. Their average age was 46 and the average age at which they first used injection drugs was 18.

"We know that the level of

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Weight gain after quitting smoking higher than previously thought

ScienceDaily (July 10, 2012) — Giving up smoking is associated with an average weight gain of 4-5 kg after 12 months, most of which occurs within the first three months of quitting, finds a study published on the British Medical Journal website.

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Although this figure is higher than previously thought, an accompanying editorial argues that the health benefits of quitting far outweigh this modest gain in body weight and should not deter people from quitting.

It is well known that giving up smoking is often followed by an increase in body weight, but estimates vary. Concern about weight gain is also widespread among smokers and it may deter some -- particularly women -- from trying to quit.

So a team of researchers based in France and the UK analysed the results of 62 studies to assess weight change among successful quitters -- with and without the help of nicotine replacement therapy -- after 12 months.

In untreated quitters, the average weight gain was 1.1 kg at one month, 2.3 kg at two months, 2.9 kg at three months, 4.2 kg at six months, and 4.7 kg at 12 months.

This is higher than the typical 2.9 kg often quoted in smoking cessation advice leaflets and more than the 2.3 kg many female smokers report being willing to tolerate, on average, before attempting to quit, say the authors.

However, the changes in body weight varied widely, with around 16% of quitters losing weight and 13% gaining more than 10 kg after 12 months. This, say the authors, indicates that the average value does not reflect the actual weight change of many people who give up smoking.

Estimates of weight gain for people using nicotine replacement therapy were similar, as were estimates from people especially concerned about weight gain.

Previous reports have underestimated the average amount of weight gained when people stop smoking, they conclude. "These data suggest that doctors might usefully give patients a range of expected weight gain."

They suggest that further research is needed to identify the people most at risk of gaining weight and to clarify the best way to prevent continued weight gain after quitting.

In an accompanying editorial, experts from the Catalan Institute of Oncology/University of Barcelona and University of Sydney say that more data is needed to settle this question, and they point out that previous studies have shown that many smokers gain more weight than never smokers for a few years, but then the rate of weight gain falls to that seen in people who have never smoked.

"Although obesity is positively associated with an increased risk of all cause mortality, cohort studies indicate that modest weight gain does not increase the risk of death; smoking does," they conclude.

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Higher Doses of Vitamin D Prevent Fractures in Older Women

HealthDay – 4 mins 43 secs ago WEDNESDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) -- In the latest study to look at the effect of vitamin D on fracture risk, Swiss researchers found that taking more than 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily could reduce the risk of hip fractures in older women by 30 percent.

"Vitamin D supplementation is effective in fracture reduction, including hip fractures," said study author Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, from the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich and Wald City Hospital, also in Zurich.

"However, dose matters, as we saw this benefit only at the highest intake level of greater than 800 IU per day, and no dose below 792 IU per day reduced fracture risk," she said.

If everyone took more than 800 IU of vitamin D daily, the impact on public health could be enormous because hip fractures are the most severe and frequent fractures among the elderly, according to Bischoff-Ferrari.

Results of the study are published in the July 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Vitamin D is important for bone health, according to Dr. Anna Lasak, clinical director of the department of rehabilitation and the women's physical medicine and rehabilitation program at Montefiore Medical Center, in New York City. The body makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Sunscreen blocks this effect.

Vitamin D is also found in fatty fish, eggs and some mushrooms, she said. It's also added to dairy products, some cereals and some breads, according to Lasak. But, she said, it can be difficult, especially for elderly people, to get enough vitamin D from these sources. In addition, elderly people may have digestive issues that can cause their bodies to absorb even less vitamin D.

A number of studies have been done looking at vitamin D and bone health, and the studies have often come up with conflicting findings, with some showing benefits, while others found no benefits. In mid-June, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that postmenopausal women should not take low-dose vitamin D supplements (400 IU) because there was no evidence of benefit. The task force, however, said there wasn't yet enough clear evidence on higher doses of vitamin D to make a recommendation one way or the other.

The current study is a pooled analysis of 11 double-blind, randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium compared to a placebo or calcium supplementation alone.

The studies included more than 31,000 people. All of the participants in the studies were over 65, with an average age of 76. Most (91 percent) of the volunteers in the studies were women.

They found that people taking less than 800 IU daily showed no statistically significant drop in fracture risk. However, those taking over 800 IU reduced the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent and the risk of non spine-related fractures by 14 percent, according to the study.

"Our data strongly support a daily vitamin D supplement of 800 IU per day in adults age 65 and older to lower their risk of fracture, including those living at home and those living in nursing homes, including men and women, and the younger and the old," Bischoff-Ferrari said.

Lasak said 800 IU is a safe level of vitamin D intake for just about anyone. But, she said, it's better for older folks to have their vitamin D levels measured first. Some may not need additional vitamin D, but many actually need more than 800 IU a day.

"Most people do have a deficiency," she said. While 800 IU is a safe limit, that may not be enough, she said. No one should exceed levels of 4,000 IU, Lasak added. That's the upper safe limit of this nutrient.

She said it's also important to ensure that you're getting enough calcium. The recommendation is for between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams (mg) a day, with older people needing more, she said. Lasak recommended getting the bulk of your calcium from foods, rather than a supplement, because some studies have suggested possible harm from higher levels of calcium intake from supplements.

Bischoff-Ferrari said the current analysis also suggested that higher levels of calcium supplementation (more than 1,000 mg) may reduce vitamin D's benefit.

More information

Learn more about vitamin D and bone health from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

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Antipsychotic Drugs Linked to Higher Odds for Diabetes in Pregnancy

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Health Tip: Is Your Pregnancy Higher Risk?

HealthDay – Fri, Jun 29, 2012 (HealthDay News) -- If you're pregnant, a series of physical and demographic factors may dictate that your pregnancy is "high-risk" and requires special care.

The Womenshealth.gov website offers these examples of factors that can make a pregnancy high-risk:

Being young or being older than age 35.Being underweight or overweight.Having had complications during a prior pregnancy.Having had at least one chronic health problem before pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, HIV or an autoimmune disorder.Expecting twins or triplets, etc.

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Asthma Rates Higher Near Busy Highway

HealthDay – Fri, Jun 29, 2012 FRIDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Residents of homes that are located near congested highways have higher rates of asthma, new research finds.

Living close to a busy highway was not linked to seasonal allergies, which suggests that emissions from cars could increase the risk for inflammatory lung disease, researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in New York said.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of asthma among 62 Brooklyn residents living close to Interstate 278, also known as the Gowanus Expressway, and those living in the same area but farther from the highway. The researchers found higher rates of asthma among the people living closer to the Interstate.

"Our participants were randomly recruited and we observed that the patients who reported asthma live significantly closer to the Gowanus Expressway, compared to the healthy controls who live in the same area, but at a longer distance from the Gowanus," Dr. Maria-Anna Vastardi, of SUNY Downstate, said in a university news release.

The study was to be presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting in Orlando. The research was also published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on asthma.

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Phthalate, environmental chemical is linked to higher rates of childhood obesity

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) — Obese children show greater exposure than nonobese children to a phthalate, a chemical used to soften plastics in some children's toys and many household products, according to a new study, which found that the obesity risk increases according to the level of the chemical found in the bloodstream.

See Also:Health & MedicineObesityDiet and Weight LossPlants & AnimalsMiceExtinctionEarth & ClimateGeochemistryOceanographyReferenceBody mass indexOverweightGrowth hormone deficiencyGeneral fitness training

The study will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

The chemical, di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is a common type of phthalate, a group of industrial chemicals that are suspected endocrine disruptors, or hormone-altering agents.

In the study, children with the highest DEHP levels had nearly five times the odds of being obese compared with children who had the lowest DEHP levels, study co-author Mi Jung Park, MD, PhD, said.

"Although this study cannot prove causality between childhood obesity and phthalate exposure, it alerts the public to recognize the possible harm and make efforts to reduce this exposure, especially in children," said Park, a pediatric endocrinologist in Seoul, Korea, at Sanggye Paik Hospital and professor at Inje University College of Medicine.

Phthalates are found in some pacifiers, plastic food packages, medical equipment and building materials such as vinyl flooring, and even in nonplastic personal care products, including soap, shampoo and nail polish.

Prior research has shown that phthalates may change gene expression associated with fat metabolism, according to Dr. Park. Because past research suggested a link between concentrations of phthalate metabolites and increased waist size in adults, her group studied a possible connection with childhood obesity.

Dr.Park and colleagues measured serum levels of DEHP in 204 children: 105 obese and 99 healthy-weight youth ages 6 to 13 years. The researchers divided these DEHP measurements into four groups from the lowest detectable level (40.2 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/mL) to the highest (69.7 to 177.1 ng/mL).

They found that the obese children had a significantly higher average DEHP level than did the nonobese controls (107 versus 53.8 ng/mL, respectively). In particular, a high DEHP level correlated with body mass index and percentage of fat mass. This increased risk of obesity with elevation of DEHP levels was independent of factors such as physical activity and daily calorie intake, according to the authors.

"More research in people is needed to determine whether DEHP exposure contributes to childhood obesity," Dr.Park said.

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No link seen between contraceptives and higher HIV risk: CDC

Reuters – 6 hrs ago ATLANTA (Reuters) - There is no clear link between the use of contraceptives such as the birth control pill or Depo-Provera shots and an increased risk that a woman will contract HIV, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

But the CDC also said it was "strongly" encouraging the use of condoms as a precaution against the virus that causes AIDS.

Recent studies have suggested that the use of hormonal contraceptives could increase the risk of women contracting HIV. But after reviewing the studies, the Atlanta-based CDC said, "the evidence does not suggest" a link between oral contraceptives such as the birth control pill and increased HIV risk.

For injectable forms of birth control such as Depo-Provera the evidence is inconclusive, but in the absence of more definitive research it too is considered safe, CDC officials said.

Women at risk for HIV infection or who already have the virus "can continue to use all hormonal contraceptive methods without restriction," the CDC said.

The World Health Organization reached a similar conclusion last February.

"It's hard to conclusively say whether or not there is an increased risk," from hormonal contraceptives, Dr. Naomi Tepper, a CDC medical officer, told Reuters.

"Because we can't say from the evidence that there is an increased risk, they are all still considered safe, including the injectables."

The studies are particularly confusing with women who use progesterone-only injectables, which in the United States is sold under the brand named Depo-Provera, Tepper said.

A study published last October in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal suggested that hormonal contraceptives, primarily the injectable forms, could double the risk of women contracting HIV.

For women who already have the disease, hormonal contraceptives could double the risk of transmitting the virus to a partner, according to the study. But Tepper said it was unclear why the contraceptives could increase risk of HIV infection.

The CDC said Thursday that all women at risk of contracting HIV and particularly those using the injectable forms of hormonal birth control, should make sure their partners use condoms as a safeguard against HIV infection.

"All women, if they don't want to become pregnant should be using an effective method of contraception," Tepper said. "And they also should be using something to protect against HIV or sexually-transmitted infections."

In 2010, 10,000 women in the United States were infected with HIV, the CDC said.

Pregnancy can also be medically risky for women with HIV and the disease can be transmitted to the unborn child, the CDC said.

(Editing by Tom Brown and Paul Simao)

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Contraceptive pill, ring tied to higher stroke risk

Reuters – 6 hrs ago NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The largest study to examine the risks of hormone-based birth control has concluded the contraceptives carry a small risk of stroke and heart attack, depending on the method and type of hormone used.

But the risk for individual women remains extremely low, particularly in younger women.

Danish researchers wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine that the findings suggest a higher risk of stroke in particular for women using vaginal rings, and possibly hormonal skin patches -- though the second finding was based on a smaller group of women and could have been due to chance.

Dr. James Simon, a women's health researcher at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. told Reuters Health other factors -- such as the belief that a patch or a ring might be safer for women thought to be at risk -- may explain the higher rate of stroke in that group.

Simon, who wasn't involved in the new research, said the findings probably shouldn't change how doctors prescribe birth control. The risks seen in the study, he said, pale in comparison to the risks of stroke, heart attack or death faced by women who get pregnant.

"None of the hormonal contraceptives studied

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Fertility Treatment Tied to Higher Relapse Rate in Women With MS

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Sleep Apnea Linked to Higher Cancer Death Risk

HealthDay – 1 hr 30 mins ago SUNDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep apnea has already been linked to a host of adverse health problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Now, new research suggests that in people who already have cancer, the sleep disorder may raise their risk of dying from cancer.

People with the most severe sleep apnea -- those who have 30 or more episodes of low or no oxygen in an hour of sleep -- had almost five times the risk of cancer death compared to someone without sleep apnea.

"Sleep apnea is the periodic pausing of breathing during sleep that results in drops in oxygen levels in your blood. It causes snoring and sleepiness during the day," explained study author Dr. Javier Nieto, chair of the department of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, in Madison.

"Aside from being an annoyance to your spouse, family members and maybe even your neighbors depending on how loud your snoring is, sleep apnea is a severe problem. Drowsiness and sleepiness during the day increase the risk of accidents, and sleep apnea is associated with cardiovascular disease, heart disease, strokes, hypertension and cardiovascular mortality. Now, we see this new angle: an increase in cancer mortality," said Nieto.

Nieto is scheduled to present the study Sunday at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, in San Francisco.

Nieto said the new study was suggested by researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain who found that when mice were deprived of oxygen periodically, skin cancer tumors grew faster in the mice. And, cancer cells in the lab that are deprived of oxygen produce molecules that stimulate the growth of blood vessels in an attempt to get more oxygen, he said.

Nieto and the Spanish researchers wondered if this effect was the same in humans. To test that theory, they reviewed data from more than 1,500 people included in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort. This study included 22 years of mortality data, as well as information from sleep studies.

The researchers adjusted the data to account for age, sex, body mass, smoking and other factors that might affect the risk of cancer death, and they found that sleep apnea increased the risk of cancer death. They also found that the more severe the sleep apnea, the more likely someone was to die from cancer.

People with mild sleep apnea -- five to 14.9 episodes of low or no oxygen in an hour -- had a 10 percent increased risk of cancer death, while those with moderate sleep apnea -- 15 to 29.9 episodes of low or no oxygen in an hour -- had double the risk of cancer death. Those with severe sleep apnea -- more than 30 episodes of low or no oxygen in an hour -- had a 4.8 times higher risk of cancer death.

Nieto said the study didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but the association was quite strong. And, he noted that the findings were consistent in humans, animals and in cells.

He added that there is also a plausible mechanism for this association. When you have cancer and you repeatedly have episodes of low or no oxygen, the cancer cells "try to compensate for the lack of oxygen by growing additional blood vessels to get more oxygen. It's a defense mechanism," Nieto said. And, as those blood vessels keep growing, it helps the tumor to spread, he explained.

Dr. Steven Park, a sleep medicine specialist and otorhinolaryngologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said he wasn't surprised by the findings.

"This goes along with the link between sleep apnea and pretty much every chronic medical condition out there," Park said. But, he added that this study's findings need to be confirmed in other studies, and ideally be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

"Anyone with snoring, severe daytime fatigue, lack of memory or focus, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even someone who has to get up to go to the bathroom at night should be screened for sleep apnea," Park said. He added that it's possible to have sleep apnea without snoring, especially for women. So, if you're getting enough sleep at night, yet still feel tired during the day, it's important to bring this up to your doctor.

Park said there are home-monitoring devices that can be used to screen people at home initially.

Nieto said that treating sleep apnea will improve your quality of life, as well as reduce your risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. And, if you have cancer, he said, treating sleep apnea may help increase your odds of surviving cancer.

More information

Learn more about sleep apnea from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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Higher Protein Intake Lowers Blood Pressure in Overweight Adults

Once individuals begin to gain weight then their cardiovascular system is placed into a situation of ongoing inflammatory distress that eventually results in blood pressure elevating.  A new study makes it clear that an increase in dietary protein can have a huge benefit on reversing this trend, helping to lower blood pressure.

Many overweight people actually eat plenty of protein along with a lot of other junk calories, which will obviously not lower blood pressure due to the excess consumption of calories in general.  In this randomized, double-blind study participants consumed 60 grams of protein shakes compared to 60 grams of carbohydrate shakes per day as part of their diet.  The participants were all overweight and had untreated elevated blood pressure.  4 weeks of the additional protein enabled participants to lower their blood pressure significantly, which did not happen in the carbohydrate group.

All calories are not the same.  Adequate protein without other junk in the diet is vital for metabolism to work properly, especially getting higher protein intake at breakfast.  I have previously reviewed the science on this issue in my in depth article, Dairy, and Especially Whey, are Cardio Friendly Foods.  Whey protein has been shown to lower inflammation, boost adiponectin Protein hormone that modulates metabolism including glucose and fatty acid catabolism. High levels are associated with low body fat. (reducing insulin resistance), help weight loss, and lower blood pressure.

Our government insists that all calories are the same and bases public health policy on a flagrant lack of understanding of metabolic efficiency.  It is little wonder that the obesity epidemic has occurred on the watch of federal officials telling people to eat like a pyramid, apparently so they could also look that way. 

If you want to start your metabolic engines, have a high protein breakfast.

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Heroin Addicts Have Higher Pain Sensitivity, Even During Treatment

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China study finds mine workers at higher risk of cancer, heart disease

Reuters – 40 mins ago HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese workers who are exposed to silica dust in mines, and pottery and gemstone factories suffer not only from respiratory illnesses, but are at higher risk of contracting heart and infectious diseases and cancer, researchers in China have found.

Silica is a compound found in sand and rock. When rocks are drilled or broken, fine silica dust particles are produced that lodge deep in the lungs and can lead to scarring, severe respiratory problems and death.

Researchers monitoring the health of 74,040 mine and pottery workers over an average of 33 years found that they suffered a far higher risk of contracting a range of diseases compared with people who were not exposed.

"In addition to a higher risk of respiratory disease, we see a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in exposed workers. This is a new discovery," said Professor Weihong Chen at the School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province.

"Before we were mostly concerned about respiratory diseases ... as to whether it raises the risk of cancer, we can give a definite answer: We see a heightened risk of lung cancer in workers exposed to silica."

Compared with people operating in cleaner environments, workers exposed to silica were nearly seven times more likely to contract infectious diseases, nearly five times more susceptible to respiratory tuberculosis and nearly twice as vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, Chen and colleagues said in a paper published this week in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

Exposed workers who have spent at least a year in either metal mines or pottery factories were found to be nearly twice as susceptible to cancers of the nose and throat.

More than 23 million workers in China and more than 10 million in India are exposed to silica dust. This occupational health hazard is also present in the developed world, with 1.7 million people in the United States and 3 million in Europe similarly exposed.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 24,000 workers in China die each year from silicosis - a disease caused by silica penetrating deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and scarring. Many victims die relatively young, in their mid-40s, according to social workers.

Medical research has also estimated that one in two former gold miners has silicosis in South Africa, where gold mines employed as many as 500,000 people in the 1980s.

Chen said she hoped the study would help lead to work place interventions.

"We recommend that worksites control levels of such pollutants; it's a public health problem. Through changes in the work environment, we can reduce the risk of disease and (early) death," she said. "Factories can use stronger ventilators, and more effective masks for workers will reduce silica exposure."

The full paper is available at: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001206

(Editing by Chris Lewis)

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Mental Illness Tied to Higher Rates of Physical Problems: Report

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Less sleep, disrupted internal 24-hour clock means higher risk of diabetes and obesity

ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2012) — A study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) reinforces the finding that too little sleep or sleep patterns that are inconsistent with our body's "internal biological clock" may lead to increased risk of diabetes and obesity. This finding has been seen in short-term lab studies and when observing human subjects via epidemiological studies. However, unlike epidemiological studies, this new study provides support by examining humans in a controlled lab environment over a prolonged period, and altering the timing of sleep, mimicking shift work or recurrent jet lag.

See Also:Health & MedicineSleep Disorder ResearchInsomnia ResearchDiabetesMind & BrainSleep DisordersInsomniaObstructive Sleep ApneaReferenceCircadian rhythm sleep disorderJet lagCircadian rhythmSleep deprivation

The study will be electronically published on April 11, 2012 in Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers hosted 21 healthy participants in a completely controlled environment for nearly six weeks. The researchers controlled how many hours of sleep participants got, as well as when they slept, and other factors such as activities and diet. Participants started with getting optimal sleep (approximately 10 hours per night). This was followed by three weeks of 5.6 hours of sleep per 24-hour period and with sleep occurring at all times of day and night, thereby simulating the schedule of rotating shift workers. Thus, during this period, there were many days when participants were trying to sleep at unusual times within their internal circadian cycle-the body's "internal biological clock" that regulates sleep-wake and many other processes within our bodies. The study closed with the participants having nine nights of recovery sleep at the usual time.

The researchers saw that prolonged sleep restriction with simultaneous circadian disruption decreased the participants' resting metabolic rate. Moreover, during this period, glucose concentrations in the blood increased after meals, because of poor insulin secretion by the pancreas.

According to the researchers, a decreased resting metabolic rate could translate into a yearly weight gain of over 10 pounds if diet and activity are unchanged. Increased glucose concentration and poor insulin secretion could lead to an increased risk for diabetes.

"We think these results support the findings from studies showing that, in people with a pre-diabetic condition, shift workers who stay awake at night are much more likely to progress to full-on diabetes than day workers," said Orfeu M. Buxton, PhD, BWH neuroscientist and lead study author. "Since night workers often have a hard time sleeping during the day, they can face both circadian disruption working at night and insufficient sleep during the day. The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect."

This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Center for Research Resources; Center for Clinical Investigation of the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center; Joslin Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center Service Specialized Assay Core; the National Space Biomedical Research Institute; and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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