Kyprolis Approved for Multiple Myeloma

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Kyprolis (carfilzomib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat certain people with multiple myeloma who have already been given at least two prior therapies.

Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that arises from blood plasma, usually starting in the bone marrow, the agency said in a news release. More than 21,000 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year, and about 10,700 will die from it, the American Cancer Society estimates.

Kyprolis has been approved for people treated previously with the anti-cancer drug bortezomib, and an immunomodulatory therapy such as thalidomide.

The most common side effects observed during clinical testing of Kyprolis included fatigue, low blood cell counts, low platelet counts, diarrhea and fever. More serious but less common adverse reactions included heart failure and shortness of breath, the FDA said.

Kyprolis is marketed by San Francisco-based Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

More information

Medline Plus has more about multiple myeloma.

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Simple Measures May Curb Excessive Weight Gain in Pregnancy

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Healthy eating and low or moderate levels of exercise during pregnancy can help a woman avoid excessive weight gain and may reduce her infant's risk of being overweight or obese later in life, new research indicates.

The study included 49 women at 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy who were assigned to either a low- or moderate-intensity walking program. Both groups also followed a meal plan based on guidelines given to expectant mothers with gestational diabetes.

The women were compared with another group of pregnant women who were not assigned to any exercise or diet programs (the "control" group).

All the women in the study were deemed to have a normal, healthy weight before their pregnancy, the researchers noted in the report, which was published in the August issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Compared to the women in the control group, those in the two exercise/healthy-eating groups gained less weight during pregnancy and were less likely to gain excessive weight, the investigators found. Within two months of delivery, 28 percent of women in the moderate-intensity exercise program were within about 4.4 pounds of their pre-pregnancy weight, compared with 7 percent of those in the control group.

Babies born to women in all the groups had similar birth weights, which suggests that preventing excessive weight gain during pregnancy does not influence infant birth weight, the study authors noted in a news release from the American College of Sports Medicine.

The researchers pointed out, however, that pregnancy is an important period in determining a child's health later in life and preventing excessive weight gain in pregnancy may reduce a child's long-term risk for obesity.

"Women benefit greatly from being active throughout their pregnancies and physical activity is strongly recommended by professional organizations," lead author Stephanie-May Ruchat, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, said in the news release. "However, most pregnant women remain inactive and this may be contributing to excessive gestational weight gain, which is associated with an increased risk for future obesity in both the mother and offspring."

"Myths about nutrition in pregnancy can also be misleading. For example, mothers-to-be should be warned that 'eating for two' does not mean they need to eat twice as much, but that they should eat twice as healthy," Ruchat noted. "An increase of only 200 to 500 kilocalories per day in the second and third trimester is recommended, depending on the body-mass index of the women prior to pregnancy. The heavier the woman is, the fewer extra calories per day she will need during pregnancy."

Before beginning any new diet or exercise regimen, experts recommend discussing it with your doctor or other health professional.

More information

The Nemours Foundation offers tips for staying healthy during pregnancy.

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Childhood Abuse Linked to Diabetes, Heart Disease in Middle-Aged Women

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged women who suffered physical abuse as children may be at increased risk for diabetes and heart disease, a new study suggests.

Researchers examined nearly 350 black and white women in the Pittsburgh area who were between 42 to 52 years old at the start of the study. About 34 percent of the women said they had been victims of some form of childhood abuse.

Compared to other women in the study, which was published online in the journal Health Psychology, those with a history of childhood physical abuse were about twice as likely to have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, a larger waistline and poor cholesterol levels.

Collectively, these health issues are known as metabolic syndrome. Previous research suggests that people with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The link between childhood physical abuse and metabolic syndrome was separate from traditional risk factors for the syndrome, such as smoking, lack of physical activity, menopause, alcohol use and depression. This persistent association suggests that abuse plays a unique role in women's cardiovascular health, the researchers said.

"Our research shows us that childhood abuse can have long-lasting consequences -- even decades later -- on women's health, and is related to more health problems down the road," study co-author Aimee Midei, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a journal news release.

"It's possible that women with histories of physical abuse engage in unhealthy eating behaviors or have poor stress regulation," Midei said. "It appears that psychology plays a role in physical health even when we're talking about traumatic incidents that happened when these women were children."

Although the study found an association between childhood physical abuse and an increased occurrence of metabolic syndrome later in life, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. The study also found no association between childhood sexual and emotional abuse and metabolic syndrome.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about metabolic syndrome.

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Genes Influence Whether Psych Drugs Lead to Weight Gain

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have discovered two genetic variants associated with substantial, rapid weight gain in people taking antipsychotic medications.

The researchers said the findings could eventually be used by doctors to identify which patients have the variations so they can be treated without the risk of weight gain, which can lead to obesity and health problems including diabetes and heart disease.

"Weight gain occurs in up to 40 percent of patients taking medications called second-generation or atypical antipsychotics, which are used because they're effective in controlling the major symptoms of schizophrenia," Dr. James Kennedy, of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, in Toronto, said in a center news release.

Kennedy, senior author of a study published online recently in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, pinpointed a variation near the melanocortin-4 receptor gene, which is known to be linked to obesity.

The study of patients in Europe and the United States being treated with atypical antipsychotics found that those with two copies of the variant gained about three times as much weight as those with one or no copies -- about 13 pounds vs. 4 pounds.

"The weight gain was associated with this genetic variation in all these groups, which included pediatric patients with severe behavior or mood problems, and patients with schizophrenia experiencing a first episode or who did not respond to other antipsychotic treatments," Dr. Daniel Muller, study co-author and Center for Addiction and Mental Health scientist, said in the news release.

"The results from our genetic analysis combined with this diverse set of patients provide compelling evidence for the role of this

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Older Americans See Better Today, Study Finds

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Older Americans see better than their parents did in old age, according to a new study that finds visual impairment among the U.S. elderly has declined 58 percent since the 1980s.

Improved techniques in cataract surgery and lower rates of macular degeneration may be two of the main reasons for the trend, say researchers from Northwestern University.

"From 1984 until 2010, the decrease in visual impairment in those 65 and older was highly statistically significant," said the study's first author, Dr. Angelo Tanna, vice chairman of ophthalmology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

"The findings are exciting, because they suggest that currently used diagnostic and screening tools and therapeutic interventions for various ophthalmic diseases are helping to prolong the vision of elderly Americans," said Tanna in a university news release.

After analyzing national survey data collected from 1984 to 2010, the researchers found that in 1984, poor eyesight caused 23 percent of older adults to have trouble reading or seeing newspaper print. By 2010, however, only 9.7 percent of seniors reported the problem. The researchers also saw a significant drop in eyesight problems that limited the ability of older people to perform normal daily activities, such as dressing and bathing.

Little change in visual impairment was detected among adults younger than 65.

Although the study did not identify the cause of the lower rate of vision problems among older adults, the researchers suggested three likely reasons:

Better techniques in cataract surgeryA decline in smoking, which resulted in reduced rates of macular degenerationImproved treatments for diabetic eye diseases

The study authors said more research is needed to determine which treatment strategies help prevent vision loss in older adults so they can be made more accessible.

The study was recently published online in the journal Ophthalmology.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians provides more information on common causes of vision loss in older people.

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Biology Leaves Gay Men Highly Vulnerable to HIV: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- New research pinpoints a major reason why gay and bisexual men remain so vulnerable to the AIDS epidemic: When it comes to the transmission of HIV, a man who has unprotected anal intercourse is at especially high risk.

In fact, if that kind of intercourse was only as risky as vaginal intercourse, researchers report, HIV cases among gay and bisexual men would shrink dramatically. It would go down even more, they added, if their rates of casual sex declined.

The reality, however, is much different. "Everywhere we looked, HIV is expanding both in high- and low-income countries among men who have sex with men," said study author Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of the Johns Hopkins Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program.

The experts were quick to note that, worldwide, it is heterosexual men and women who are by far the majority of those who are infected with HIV. Still, more than 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, gay and bisexual men remain especially vulnerable to infection despite a heavy emphasis on condoms and HIV testing; these men make up the bulk of HIV cases in the United States and other Western countries.

According to UNAIDS, HIV is more common among gay and bisexual men than adults in general in all areas of the world, even Africa. In North America, an estimated 15 percent of gay and bisexual men are infected with HIV; the rate is the highest, 25 percent, in the Caribbean.

Previous research has shown that being on the receiving end of anal intercourse is equally risky whether you're a man or a woman. The risk was estimated at 1.4 percent per sex act with an infected person -- about 18 times more risky than male-to-female vaginal intercourse.

The study authors estimate that if receptive anal intercourse were only as risky as vaginal intercourse, HIV cases would fall by 80 percent to 98 percent among gay and bisexual men over five years. They also estimate that cases would fall by 29 percent to 51 percent if more gay and bisexual men had sex in long-term relationships instead of casual encounters.

The findings appear in the July 20 issue of The Lancet, along with several other studies that examine the prevalence of HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- in gay and bisexual men and offer suggestions about prevention.

Two studies examined the higher risk of HIV infection among black men.

One study found that black gay and bisexual men outside Africa are much more likely to be HIV-positive than the general population and other blacks. The other found that black gay and bisexual men in the United States were more likely to be infected with HIV than other gay and bisexual men, but less likely to have a history of substance abuse. If infected, they were also less likely to have started to take life-extending drugs that fight HIV.

There were other differences: black men were less likely to have access to medical care and more likely to have sex with other black men.

What to do? Another study suggests the greater use of prevention approaches -- such as condoms, more medical treatment for those who are already infected and use of medication that prevent infection -- could shrink new HIV cases among gay and bisexual men by one-fourth over the next decade. "But it's not simple as choosing the best ones. There are existing technologies, but we need to put them together" and expand them, said Dr. Patrick S. Sullivan, an associate professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.

It's also important, he said, to change societies that stigmatize homosexuality and turn it into a criminal offense.

More information

For more about AIDS, try the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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Health Tip: Check Yourself for Ticks

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- Ticks can harbor a number of disease-causing germs, including bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you should frequently check yourself, your children and pets for ticks, particularly if you live near an infested area.

The CDC offers this advice:

Take a bath or shower as soon as you come inside, preferably within two hours.Use a handheld mirror to check your body from head to toe.Carefully inspect children after they've played outdoors, paying attention to the underarms, belly button, ears, hair, behind the knees and between the legs.Inspect clothing and gear before you bring it into the home.Check pets for ticks when they've come inside.Put clothing in a dryer and tumble dry on high heat for an hour to kill any ticks that may linger.

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Work-Linked Sleep Loss May Harm Police Officers' Health

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Many Medicaid Patients Skip Drugs That Could Prevent Heart Trouble

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Many Medicaid recipients with chronic health conditions that can lead to heart disease -- diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol -- do not take their prescribed medications, a new study has found.

The researchers said failure to take medications leads to higher costs of care and an increased risk of hospitalization and even death.

They looked at 2008 and 2009 data from more than 150,000 Medicaid patients in New York City, aged 20 to 64, and found that only 63 percent of those with the three chronic conditions took their prescribed medications. Older patients and white and Asian patients were most likely to take their medications, while black and Hispanic patients were least likely.

"The outcome of this study is concerning, as it shows a large number of people with chronic conditions that lead to cardiovascular disease aren't taking prescribed medications, which could prevent a potential stroke or heart attack," lead author Dr. Kelly Kyanko, an instructor in the department of population health at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said in a center news release.

"We hope these findings will help local health authorities in the New York City area address this problem by creating programs to increase adherence rates, specifically in patient populations most at risk," Kyanko added.

The study was published online recently in the Journal of Urban Health.

"We believe that patients and their doctors can work to improve medication adherence through simple measures such as switching to once-a-day or combination pills, keeping a pill box and obtaining 90-day refills instead of 30-day refills for medications they take on a regular basis," Kyanko said.

High-risk patients may require more intensive interventions, such as working with a nurse or pharmacist to ensure they take their prescribed medications, she added.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death both in New York and in the United States, according to the release.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines ways to prevent heart disease.

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Alcohol Poses Serious Risks for Those With Diabetes

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- People who have certain chronic medical conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, are even more susceptible than most to the ill effects of alcohol, though they may not be aware of how potentially dangerous alcohol can be.

That was the case for Cynthia Zuber when she first went away to college. Although Zuber had type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, she didn't know at the time that mixing an alcohol binge and insulin use might have deadly consequences.

Zuber was just 18 when she went to a fraternity party.

"It was a party of upperclassmen, and my friend and I, both freshmen, felt very young and out of place," she recalled. "To deal with the discomfort, I started drinking beer."

Throughout the evening, she said, she went back for refills on her own, and people also repeatedly brought her refills. "I had no idea how many beers I had," she said, nor did she know her blood sugar levels because she didn't test them during the party.

Alcohol can cause blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low for people on blood sugar-lowering medications for as long as 12 hours after their last drink, according to the American Diabetes Association.

"Things got out of control quickly, and when we went to leave I had to be carried to the car and into my dorm," she explained.

Zuber said she vomited throughout the night, probably from the beer, but she doesn't know for sure because she didn't test her blood sugar levels before going to bed, either. At some point during the night, she passed out, and when she woke in the morning, she was still vomiting.

When she tested her blood sugar, it was low enough that she knew she'd have to eat something or she would quickly be in serious trouble. The problem was, she couldn't keep food down. She even tried drinking water, but threw that up, too. Someone in her dorm drove her to the emergency department.

"I was so oblivious to the danger I'd put myself in," Zuber recalled. "The doctor, who was wearing Birkenstock sandals and an earring, actually slapped me across the face -- not hard, but to get my attention." The doctor then explained to her a number of ways that alcohol could cause serious problems, or even death, for someone with type 1 diabetes.

Zuber said she didn't give up drinking entirely after that incident, but did cut way back and never again drank enough to have to go to the hospital. Now 36, Zuber recently gave up alcohol entirely because, she said, she just feels better if she doesn't drink.

For anyone with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends having a snack at the same time you're consuming an alcoholic beverage, and to not have more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men. But most important, the association says, is to check your blood sugar before going to sleep after drinking alcohol -- striving for a level between 100 and 140 milligrams per deciliter.

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The Health Benefits, and Risks, of Alcohol

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Mirroring so much of life, alcohol consumption comes with plusses and minuses.

A lot of recent research has highlighted the potentially beneficial effects on the heart and other parts of the body of drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages. But risks to health exist, too, as well as the more well-known and potentially life-threatening effects of alcohol, including drunken driving and addiction.

The Good

Alcohol consumption in moderation has been linked to a host of good outcomes. Studies have suggested that drinking alcohol, wine in particular, may reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, gallstone formation, type 2 diabetes and dementia. It may also give your metabolism a slight boost.

"Alcohol, especially red wine, has resveratrol and antioxidants and bioflavonoids and polyphenols, and all of these wonderful things that dilate the arteries and reduce inflammation," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

"Alcohol can definitely be part of a heart-healthy diet if you're drinking responsibly," she said.

"Drinking responsibly," though, might very well mean drinking less than you think, another expert noted.

"Moderate alcohol consumption for women is up to one drink a day, and for men it's two drinks a day," explained Elizabeth Kovacs, director of the alcohol research program at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. "One drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor."

Steinbaum pointed out that people should be especially careful when ordering a glass or two of wine at a restaurant because they're often far larger than one serving size.

Kovacs added that "the benefits of alcohol are pretty restricted, and it's only beneficial if you drink at a low level, you don't take certain medications, you don't have liver or pancreas disease and you're not pregnant."

And, the experts agreed, none of the benefits of alcohol are reason enough to start drinking.

"If you don't already drink, don't start drinking for its health benefits," Steinbaum said. "You can eat a heart-healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and get a benefit, too. You don't have to have alcohol to protect your heart."

The Bad

Though a small amount of alcohol can help the heart, more is not better, Steinbaum stressed. Alcohol can raise the levels of triglyceride, a harmful fat found in the blood, she said, and it can also lead to higher blood pressure.

Some people also are prone to a condition called holiday heart syndrome, which causes irregular heartbeats when they drink alcohol, though some of them can drink a little without triggering the condition. Steinbaum said she had one patient who knew he couldn't have more than two martinis or he would have an irregular heartbeat.

Excess alcohol consumption can also lead to weight gain, Steinbaum noted, and alcohol can be detrimental to the kidneys and liver as well, particularly for people taking certain medications, such as statins to lower cholesterol or even over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve pain.

In addition, recent studies have linked alcohol consumption to an increased risk for certain cancers, asthma and allergies. Alcohol can also be a problem for people who take blood sugar-lowering medications, such as insulin, because it can cause blood sugar levels to drop unpredictably, and to potentially dangerously low levels.

The Ugly

Some of the worst outcomes from alcohol consumption, however, include abuse and addiction, binge drinking, drinking while pregnant, alcohol poisoning, brain damage, increased violent behavior and driving under the influence.

"Alcohol increases the chance of a motor vehicle accident, violence against others, inadvertent violence against oneself, spread of sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and becoming dependent on alcohol," Kovacs said.

She noted that alcohol plays a role in one-third of all car crashes and, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's a factor in two-thirds of the incidents of intimate-partner violence.

"It's important that people are informed about the effects of alcohol on their body so they can be prepared to not drink, or to drink responsibly," said Kovacs. "The benefits of alcohol consumption are very minimal compared to the risks."

More information

The American Heart Association has more on the cardiovascular effects of alcohol consumption.

To read about the risks that alcohol can pose to people with diabetes click here.

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HPV Might Raise Risk of Form of Skin Cancer

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Infection with cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to a type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma, according to a new study.

Risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma include exposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, older age, light skin and a suppressed immune system. The international group of researchers found that having antibodies to certain types of cutaneous HPV may be an additional risk factor for this common form of skin cancer.

"Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is the second most frequently occurring cancer among Caucasians in the United States, and the numbers of cases continue to rise," study author Dana Rollison, vice president and chief health information officer at Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa, Fla., said in a Moffitt news release.

Cutaneous (skin) HPV infection is different from the HPV infection associated with cervical cancer, the release pointed out.

The study investigated the links between cutaneous HPV antibodies in the blood and HPV infection in skin tumors.

The researchers tested 159 tissue samples with squamous cell carcinoma for the presence of cutaneous HPV infection. They found the skin cancer was significantly associated with antibodies to three different types of cutaneous HPV.

Additional links were found between antibodies to two other types of cutaneous HPV when compared to blood samples from people without skin cancer, according to the researchers.

Some experts argue that infection with a certain form of cutaneous HPV interferes with the repair of DNA in sun-damaged skin and could predispose people to squamous cell cancer, the release noted.

"We hope that this study, aimed at identifying the role of cutaneous HPV infection in

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