Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging, announces that it has completed patient enrollment of CaRES (Contrast Echocardiography REgistry for Safety Surveillance), the first, multicenter Phase IV observational registry that evaluates the use of ultrasound imaging agents in routine clinical practice. The 1,060 patients who were enrolled at 15 sites in the U.S. were 18 years old or older and required DEFINITY® Vial for (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) injectable suspension-enhanced echocardiography because of a previous suboptimal, unenhanced echocardiogram.

“As the first, multicenter safety registry of its kind to be conducted in the U.S., the results from CaRES will provide important clinical information about the use of DEFINITY® in a range of patient types and clinical settings,” said Mark Hibberd, M.D., senior medical director, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. “We are excited to complete enrollment of this important study and look forward to gaining new insights regarding the use of DEFINITY® in routine clinical practice. We expect these findings to reveal that DEFINITY® is being used in the settings recommended in the recent American Society of Echocardiography Consensus Statement[i], and that these uses are well tolerated. The use of DEFINITY® in appropriate settings, such as in-hospital and intensive care units, can assist physicians in making immediate point-of-care decisions, as recently shown by Kurt et al[ii] and in doing so, can help reduce the use of other more costly tests and direct medical therapy to meet patient needs.”

The CaRES registry was established following discussions with the FDA to further explore the clinical use of DEFINITY®. The prospective, open-label, non-randomized, Phase IV surveillance registry will gather and analyze data on: patient demographics and characteristics, reasons for using DEFINITY, results of safety monitoring, and the nature and frequency of any adverse events.

“Since DEFINITY® received approval for use in the U.S., approximately two million doses have been administered to patients with suboptimal echocardiograms to see the borders of the heart more clearly. Recent articles published in the American Journal of Cardiology[iii] and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology[iv] have highlighted the clinical benefit of DEFINITY® in lowering the risk of short-term mortality and improving diagnostic evaluations for patients receiving contrast-enhanced echocardiograms,” said Don Kiepert, president and CEO of Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. “With the completion of enrollment of the CaRES registry, Lantheus continues our ongoing commitment to providing important clinical information on the use of DEFINITY® to the physician community.”

About Suboptimal Echocardiograms

Up to 20 percent of resting echocardiography studies will result in suboptimal echocardiograms.[v],[vi],[vii] A suboptimal image is one in which at least 2 out of 6 myocardial segments of the left ventricle cannot be visualized appropriately, as defined by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE).[viii],[ix] The use of contrast in suboptimal echocardiograms may help with clinical evaluation of the patient.[x],[xi]

About DEFINITY®

Since its launch in 2001, activated DEFINITY® Vial For (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) Injectable Suspension has been administered to over two million patients.[xii] In patients with suboptimal echocardiograms, DEFINITY® enables physicians to visualize the borders of the heart more clearly.[xiii],[xiv]

Indications

Activated DEFINITY® (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) Injectable Suspension is indicated for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms to opacify the left ventricular chamber and to improve the delineation of the left ventricular endocardial border. The safety and efficacy of DEFINITY® with exercise stress or pharmacologic stress testing have not been established. For full prescribing information, please visit www.lantheus.

Important Safety Information About DEFINITY®

Do not administer DEFINITY® to patients with known or suspected cardiac shunts (right-to-left, bi-directional or transient right-to-left), or hypersensitivity to perflutren. Do not administer DEFINITY® by intra-arterial injection.

In postmarketing use, uncommon but serious reactions observed during or shortly following perflutren-containing microsphere administration included fatal cardiac or respiratory arrest, loss of consciousness, convulsions, symptomatic arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation), hypotension, respiratory distress or cardiac ischemia (see ADVERSE REACTIONS). The risk for these reactions may be increased among patients with pulmonary hypertension or unstable cardiopulmonary conditions (acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary artery syndromes, worsening or unstable congestive heart failure, serious ventricular arrhythmias or respiratory failure, including patients receiving mechanical ventilation). In the absence of these underlying conditions, observe patients closely during and following DEFINITY® administration.

Always have cardiopulmonary resuscitation personnel and equipment readily available prior to DEFINITY® administration and monitor all patients for acute reactions.

References

[i] Mulvagh SL et al. American Society of Echocardiography consensus statement on the clinical applications of ultrasonic contrast agents in echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2008; vol. 21 no. 11: 1179-1201

[ii] Kurt M et al. Impact of contrast echocardiography on evaluation of ventricular function and clinical management in a large prospect cohort. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009; 53: 802-810

[iii]Main ML et al. Acute mortality in hospitalized patients undergoing echocardiography with and without an ultrasound contrast agent (multicenter registry results in 4,300,966 consecutive patients). Am J Cardiol. 2008; vol. 102, issue 12: 1742-1746

[iv] Kurt M et al. Impact of contrast echocardiography on evaluation of ventricular function and clinical management in a large prospect cohort. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009; 53: 802-810

[v] Mulvagh SL et al. Contrast echocardiography: current and future applications. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2000; 13: 331-42

[vi] Waggoner AD et al. Guidelines for the cardiac sonographer in the performance of contrast echocardiography: recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography Council on Cardiac Sonography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2001; 14: 417-420

[vii] Solomon S, Essential echocardiography, a practical handbook with DVD. Humana Press; 2007: chapter 5: ventricular systolic function, p 113

[viii] Mulvagh SL et al. Contrast echocardiography: current and future applications. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2000; 13: 331-42

[ix] Waggoner AD et al. Guidelines for the cardiac sonographer in the performance of contrast echocardiography: recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography Council on Cardiac Sonography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2001; 14: 417-420

[x] Mulvagh SL et al. Contrast echocardiography: current and future applications. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2000; 13: 331-42

[xi] Kitzman DW et al. Efficacy and safety of the novel ultrasound contrast agent perflutren (Definity) in patients with suboptimal baseline left ventricular echocardiographic images. Am J Cardiol. 2000; 86: 669-674

[xii] Source:The Echocardiography Monthly Monitor: United States, October 2001-September 2007, Arlington Medical Resources, Inc., Malvern, PA.

[xiii] Kitzman DW et al. Efficacy and safety of the novel ultrasound contrast agent perflutren (Definity) in patients with suboptimal baseline left ventricular echocardiographic images. Am J Cardiol. 2000; 86: 669-674

[xiv] Data on file, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.

Source
Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. Continue reading →

Drinking cranberry juice has been recommended to decrease the incidence of urinary tract infections, based on observational studies and a few small clinical trials. However, a new study published in the January 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, and now available online, suggests otherwise.

College-aged women who tested positive for having a urinary tract infection were assigned to drink eight ounces of cranberry juice or a placebo twice a day for either six months or until a recurrence of a urinary tract infection, whichever happened first. Of the participants who suffered a second urinary tract infection, the cranberry juice drinkers had a recurrence rate of almost 20 percent, while those who drank the placebo suffered only a 14 percent recurrence.

“We assumed that we would observe a 30 percent recurrence rate among the placebo group. It is possible that the placebo juice inadvertently contained the active ingredients that reduce urinary tract infection risk, since both juices contained Vitamin C,” explained study author Betsy Foxman, PhD, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor. She added, “Another possibility is that the study protocol kept participants better hydrated, leading them to urinate more frequently, therefore decreasing bacterial growth and reducing urinary tract infection symptoms.”

Source:
John Heys
Infectious Diseases Society of America Continue reading →

Ovarian cancer is not the symptom free disease that many medical textbooks have been
claiming for years, says an Editorial in this week’s edition of The Lancet.

The Editorial says: “Far from its historic portrayal as a silent killer, ovarian cancer is preceded
by symptoms, as recent evidence shows. Women who are ultimately diagnosed with the
disease, and usually at a late stage, say that they did have symptoms, primarily gastrointestinal
or urinary, for three to four months on average before diagnosis.”

Because of these delays in diagnosis, patient groups have pressed for education about early
symptoms among women and doctors. Several US organisations have released a consensus
statement, urging women to seek medical attention if they have new and persistent
symptoms of bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or early satiety, and urinary
urgency or frequency.

The Editorial accepts that such symptoms can be vague and related to other conditions, but
adds that anything which leads to greater awareness of ovarian cancer is commendable. It
says: “On the other hand, the [consensus] statement provides no specific guidance about
what to do when such women present to them; the need for the challenging art of clinical
judgement remains acute.”

It adds: “There is no evidence whatever that detection based on these factors will substantially
shift diagnosis early enough to affect mortality.”

Despite its considerable limitations, the Editorial supports the consensus statement. It
concludes: “The statement is a move in the right direction. Its chief contribution might be
to improve communication between women and their doctors. To maximise its chance of
success, it ought to be combined with other efforts, especially increased funding for ovarian
cancer research, which has been declining for the past several years; large prospective trials
of early detection methods; ongoing education and awareness campaigns for the public and
professionals; and development of standardised diagnostic algorithms for the disease.”

The Lancet Continue reading →

Plant-based omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may have a protective effect on bone health, according to a team of Penn State researchers who carried out the first controlled diet study of these fatty acids contained in such foods as flaxseed and walnuts.

Normally, most of the omega-3 fatty acids in the diet are plant-derived and come mainly from soybean and canola oil. Other sources are flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts and walnut oil. Smaller amounts also come from marine sources, mainly fish, but also algae. Omega-3s are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect and may play an important part in heart and bone health.

“The unique thing about this study is that we know exactly what the participants ate because we closely controlled their food,” says Dr. Rebecca Corwin, associate professor of nutrition. “These people are really dedicated to spend a total of 24 weeks in the study with 18 weeks eating only what was supplied to them.”

Previous studies of omega-3s on bone health used oil supplements rather than whole food sources. The researchers note in a recent issue of Nutrition Journal, that “supplement studies typically do not involve control of the background diet, and it is possible that differences across studies could be explained by failure to control for other nutrients that affect bones.”

The researchers developed three diets that they fed sequentially to the 23 participants. Twenty of the subjects were men and three were postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy for six months. This study was part of a larger one investigating the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular health. For six weeks the subjects ate either the control diet, dubbed average American diet or two other diets high in PUFA. After six weeks the group had three weeks off to resume their typical eating pattern and then for the next six weeks they ate one of the other diets. This continued for 24 weeks until all participants consumed six weeks of all the diets.

Monday through Friday the participants ate either breakfast or dinner in the diet center and packed the remaining meals, including weekend meals and snacks home. The researchers designed the diets so that individual body weight remained unchanged; participants carried out their normal activities and exercise levels. Blood tests showed that all subjects ate their supplied food and did not cheat on their regimens.

The two high PUFA diets had different amounts of linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid and alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid. Walnuts, which are high in omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, supplied half the total fat in both diets. They appeared in walnut granola, honey walnut butter, walnut pesto and as snacks. The ALA diet also contained flaxseed oil to increase the ALA content of the diet. Other sources of ALA, such as canola oil, were not used in this study.

Blood tests screened for two biological markers of bone health, one that indicates bone formation and one that indicates bone resorption or breakdown. Throughout life, two different types of cells – osteoblasts and osteoclasts – constantly build and break down bone. In this process they produce chemicals that researchers can measure in the blood. This process allows broken bones to heal, and bones to remain strong, but if more bone is lost than is rebuilt, osteoporosis occurs.

The biomarker for bone resorption, N-telopeptides, decreased significantly during the ALA diet and marginally during the LA diet compared to the average American diet. Levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatases, a measure of bone building, were unaffected by the diets.

“If less bone is being resorbed and the same amount of bone is being created, then there is a positive balance for bone health,” says Corwin.

Some scientists believe that the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is the important factor. The ratio of these fatty acids in the average American diet was about 9.5, while in the LA and ALA diets it was 3.5 and 1.6 respectively.

The researchers caution that it is unknown if the observed effects are due to increased ALA or conversion of ALA to eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA. Fish oils in fish, are the main source of EPA in the American diet.

The researchers note that “recent epidemiologic data suggest that the effects of dietary fats on bone health may be particularly strong in men.” So, while middle-aged men are often overlooked in studies of bone health, incorporating plant sources of omega-3 PUFA into the diet may not only improve cardiovascular health, but also enhance bone health.

The team included Corwin; Amy E. Griel, recent doctoral recipient and dietetic intern, Penn State dietetic internship; Penny M. Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn Stsate; Kirsten Hilper, previous doctoral recipient, registered dietitian, Sodoexho USA; Guixiang Zhao, previous doctoral recipient, senior service fellow, Centers for Disease Control; and Sheila G. West, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State.

The California Walnut Commission supported this research and partial support was provided by Penn State’s General Clinical Research Center NIH grant.

###

Contact: A’ndrea Elyse Messer

Penn State Continue reading →

“We figured out how obesity occurs,” says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics in the department of internal medicine and professor of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “The next step is coming up with the solution.”

Saint Louis University researchers believe they’ve won a major skirmish in the battle of the bulge, and their findings are published in the May issue of Diabetes.

The scientists used mice to look at how leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells that tells us to stop eating, gets into the brain. They found that in obese mice, high triglycerides, a type of fat in the bloodstream, prevents leptin from getting into the brain, where it can do its work in turning off feeding and burning calories.

“High triglycerides are blocking the leptin from getting into the brain. If leptin can’t get into the brain, it can’t tell you to stop eating,” says Banks, who is principal investigator and a staff physician at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis.

“This is a big deal. We now know what is keeping leptin from getting to where it needs to do its work.”

Paradoxically high triglycerides occur in both fat and starving animals and make the brain think the body’s starving so the animal keeps eating, which makes it gain more weight.

“We figured out why the troops aren’t getting to the front. There is all of this leptin in the blood but it isn’t getting to the brain because triglyerides are impairing the transportation system.

“We feel that we now understand what part of the system is broken – why leptin isn’t working. We have a better understanding of why people are becoming obese,” Banks says.

The research points scientists to a new direction in solving the obesity epidemic.

“Lowering triglyceride levels may very well be a big part of the answer,” Banks says. “This is a reasonable deduction that should be tested.”

John Morley, M.D. director of the division of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University and a co-investigator, agreed.

“If you lower triglycerides, you should theoretically help the body’s own leptin to work better so people can get skinnier,” Dr. Morley says.

Effective medications to lower triglyceride levels now are available, as is leptin, which can be injected into the body. Banks cautioned that the theory needs more testing before it is put into practice.

“All the bits and pieces are there but we have to be extra cautious,” Banks says.

Solving the obesity problem has huge health implications for Americans. The nation’s weight problem is fast overtaking tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death. Obesity is linked to many chronic diseases including heart problems, several kinds of cancer and diabetes.

During the last decade, the obesity rate in America has doubled. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese and 15 percent of young people between 6 and 19 are overweight.

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first M.D. degree west of the Mississippi River. Saint Louis University School of Medicine is a pioneer in geriatric medicine, organ transplantation, chronic disease prevention, cardiovascular disease, neurosciences and vaccine research, among others. The School of Medicine trains physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health services on a local, national and international level. The division of geriatric medicine recently was listed among the top 10 programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Contact: Nancy Solomon
solomonnslu.edu
314-977-8017
Saint Louis University Continue reading →

Genta
Incorporated (Nasdaq: GNTA) announced that presentations related to
Genasense(R) (oblimersen sodium) Injection, the Company’s lead anticancer
compound will be featured at the annual meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research (AACR). The meeting will be held in San Diego, CA from
April 12-16, 2008. The subject matter of several abstracts, which are
relevant to both the Company’s ongoing randomized Phase 3 trial of
Genasense in patients with advanced melanoma, and also to any subsequent
regulatory filings that may ensue from that trial, include the following:

Pharmacokinetics (PK) of oblimersen in subjects with mild and moderate
renal impairment. Authors: Quereshi A, et al.

Summary: Describes the PK of Genasense in patients with impaired kidney
function that may be relevant for prescribers.

Population pharmacokinetics (PK) of dacarbazine and Genasense in adult
patients with advanced melanoma. Authors: Rezai K, et al.

Summary: Describes the PK of both Genasense and dacarbazine (the
chemotherapy drug given to all patients in the Phase 3 melanoma study) and
how these drugs interact when co-administered in human subjects.

About Genasense

Genasense inhibits production of Bcl-2, a protein made by cancer cells
that is thought to block chemotherapy-induced apoptosis (programmed cell
death). By reducing the amount of Bcl-2 in cancer cells, Genasense may
enhance the effectiveness of current anticancer treatment. Genta is
pursuing a broad clinical development program with Genasense evaluating its
potential to treat various forms of cancer.

About Genta

Genta Incorporated is a biopharmaceutical company with a diversified
product portfolio that is focused on delivering innovative products for the
treatment of patients with cancer. Two major programs anchor the Company’s
research platform: DNA/RNA-based Medicines and Small Molecules.
Genasense(R) (oblimersen sodium) Injection is the Company’s lead compound
from its DNA/RNA Medicines program. Genta is currently recruiting patients
to the AGENDA Trial, a global Phase 3 trial of Genasense in patients with
advanced melanoma. The leading drug in Genta’s Small Molecule program is
Ganite(R) (gallium nitrate injection), which the Company is exclusively
marketing in the U.S. for treatment of symptomatic patients with cancer
related hypercalcemia that is resistant to hydration. The Company has
developed G4544, an oral formulation of the active ingredient in Ganite,
that has recently entered clinical trials as a potential treatment for
diseases associated with accelerated bone loss. The Company is also
developing tesetaxel, a novel, orally absorbed, semi- synthetic taxane that
is in the same class of drugs as paclitaxel and docetaxel. Ganite and
Genasense are available on a “named-patient” basis in countries outside the
United States. For more information about Genta, please visit our website
at: genta.

Safe Harbor

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect
to business conducted by Genta Incorporated. By their nature,
forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties
because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur
in the future. Forward- looking statements include, without limitation,
statements about:

— the Company’s ability to obtain necessary regulatory approval for
Genasense(R) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or
European Medicines Agency (“EMEA”);

— the safety and efficacy of the Company’s products or product
candidates;

— the Company’s assessment of its clinical trials;

— the commencement and completion of clinical trials;

— the Company’s ability to develop, manufacture, license and sell its
products or product candidates;

— the Company’s ability to enter into and successfully execute license
and collaborative agreements, if any;

— the adequacy of the Company’s capital resources and cash flow
projections, and the Company’s ability to obtain sufficient financing
to maintain the Company’s planned operations;

— the adequacy of the Company’s patents and proprietary rights;

— the impact of litigation that has been brought against the Company and
its officers and directors and any proposed settlement of such
litigation;

— the Company’s ability to retain compliance with the NASDAQ’s listing
qualifications; and

— the other risks described under Certain Risks and Uncertainties Related
to the Company’s Business, as contained in the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking
statements. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results
and developments to differ materially. For a discussion of those risks and
uncertainties, please see the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2007
and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

Genta Incorporated
genta Continue reading →

“The lack of healthy [food] alternatives, coupled with the disproportionate variety of fried and fatty foods in the area, certainly contributes to the obesity rate” of residents in predominately black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., Malcolm Woodland, a researcher and NIH LRP health disparities fellow, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece (Woodland, Washington Post, 11/18).

Earlier this month, Vanderbilt University researchers presented a study finding that the obesity gap between blacks and whites in Washington, D.C., is the widest of 164 jurisdictions nationwide. The data, from 2001 through 2005, included information on more than 367,000 people. Researchers found that in Washington, D.C., the obesity rate for blacks was 31%, compared with 8% for whites. Researcher David Schlundt said education, income, culture and the urban environment might be factors behind the gap (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 11/6).

Woodland writes that in some black neighborhoods in the district, “healthy food options are rare,” yet research conducted at the Mount Sinai Medical Center “revealed that when blacks have healthy neighborhood food choices, their fruit and vegetable consumption increases more than that of any other racial group.” That same research “concluded that for every full-service supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood, fruit and vegetable consumption among blacks in the surrounding area increased by 32%,” Woodland adds.

“For varying reasons, such as wealth disparities and access to personal transportation, other researchers have also pointed out that the local food environment tends to influence the food choices of blacks and other people of color more than whites,” Woodland writes. He concludes, “Until the unequal access to not only healthful food but also health insurance, medical practitioners and health facilities is truly addressed, the fat gap will continue to grow” (Washington Post, 11/18).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

Using ice cream, candy bars and energy drinks to help volunteers gain weight, Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered the mechanisms of how body fat grows. Increased abdominal fat seems to heighten risk for metabolic disease, while fat expansion in the lower body — as in the thighs — seems to lower the risk. The findings, appearing in today’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), help explain why.

“The cellular mechanisms are different,” explains Michael Jensen, M.D., Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and lead author of the study. “The accumulation of abdominal fat happens largely by individual cells expanding in size, while with fat gain in the femoral or lower body, it’s the number of fat cells that increases. So, different mechanism, different impact.”

Researchers recruited 28 volunteers to the research study. They were overfed for eight weeks, consuming giant candy bars, ice cream shakes, high-calorie drinks and almost anything else they wanted to eat. On average, participants put on 2.5 kilograms (kg) or 5.5 pounds (lbs) of upper body fat and 1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs of lower body fat. Even prior to fat gain, the preadipocytes (cells with the ability to become mature fat cells) in the upper body showed an increase in RNA messages which prompt proteins to synthesize fat.

Fifteen men and 13 women participated in the study. Researchers measured body fat and fat cell size before and after the eight weeks of overeating. Researchers say their findings challenge the concept that the number of fat cells in the body remains stable in adults. It also supports the idea that increased capacity to produce lower-body fat cells creates some form of protection to the upper body and potentially helps prevent metabolic disease which can lead to diabetes and other complications.

Others on the study include first author Yourka Tchoukalova, Ph.D.; Susanne Votruba, Ph.D.; Tamar Tchkonia, Ph.D.; Nino Giorgadze; and James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D.; of Mayo Clinic. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, The Noaber Foundation and Mayo Clinic, including the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging.

Source: Mayo Clinic Continue reading →

Mayo Clinic researchers found that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment decreased with an increase in the consumption of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids are commonly found in olive oil and canola oils, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as Omega 3 or Omega 6 fatty acids, are commonly found in most varieties of nuts, seeds and fish. This study was published in the September issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Mild cognitive impairment is an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment can function reasonably well in everyday activities, but may have difficulty remembering details of recent conversations, events and upcoming appointments, or in planning and making decisions. Most (but not all) patients with mild cognitive impairment develop a progressive decline in their thinking abilities over time. Alzheimer’s disease is usually the underlying cause, but some patients may progress to other types of dementias.

“It is important that we understand the link between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and its effect on mild cognitive impairment,” says Rosebud Roberts, M.B.Ch.B., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist. “Our findings suggest that the higher intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in contrast to saturated fatty acids may have a role in reducing the risk of mild cognitive impairment and, ultimately, of dementia.”

This research is part of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a study of over 2,000 participants from Olmsted County, Minn., who were 70 to 89 years old on Oct. 1, 2004. Over 1,200 participants completed a 128-item food frequency questionnaire and reported their food intake within the last year. According to Dr. Roberts, they were specifically asked about fats used in cooking, bread and potatoes, and their milk fat preference, in addition to other dietary intakes.

“The association of these fatty acids with mild cognitive impairment in the present study is not definitive. However, additional studies with these individuals will provide more definitive evidence on the role of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in reducing the risk of mild cognitive impairment and the implications for reducing the risk of dementia,” says Dr. Roberts.

Other members of the Mayo Clinic research team include James Cerhan, M.D., Ph.D., Yonas Geda, M.D., David Knopman, M.D., Ruth H. Cha, Teresa Christianson, V. Shane Pankratz, Ph.D., Robert Ivnik, Ph.D., Helen O’Connor, and Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Continue reading →

“Choosing a Medicare Part D Plan: Are Medicare Beneficiaries Choosing Low-Cost Plans?” Kaiser Family Foundation: The study, Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Jonathan Gruber for the Foundation, finds that most Medicare Part D beneficiaries did not choose one of the lowest-cost drug plans in their area in 2006. The study found that 6% of beneficiaries in 2006 opted for the lowest-cost plan available and that those who did not choose the lowest-cost plans could have saved an average of $520 that year if they had opted for a less costly plan. The study also found that 10% of beneficiaries chose one of the lowest-cost plans available — defined as the 5% of plans that would have resulted in the lowest costs — and that others would have saved an average of $400 if they had chosen those plans. Fifty-three percent of beneficiaries enrolled in one of the lowest-cost 25% of the plans, and had others opted for those plans, they would have saved $220 on average (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 3/9).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →