Bipolar disorder
Breast cancer drug helps control manic phase
A study published in the September 2007 online edition of Bipolar Disorder found that tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a drug normally used to treat breast cancer, helps control the manic phase of bipolar disorder and works faster than many medications currently prescribed to treat the mental disorder. Bipolar disorder affects almost 6 million American adults.
During the study, eight patients who were experiencing manic episodes were given tamoxifen, and another eight were given a placebo. Those given tamoxifen responded in 5 days. After 3 weeks, 63% of the patients who were given tamoxifen had reduced symptoms of mania, compared with 13% of those taking the placebo.
Tamoxifen was chosen for the study because it blocks protein kinase C (PKC), an enzyme that regulates activities in the brain. Most medications used to treat mania also lower the activity of PKC. If additional studies come up with the same results, a new drug that mimics what tamoxifen does could be developed to help treat the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Such a drug would take at least 5 years to develop.
Alzheimer's disease
Specific diet helps extend the life of Alzheimer's patients
A group of researchers at Columbia University have shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease who followed a Mediterranean-style diet-consisting of lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals; unsaturated fatty acids (mostly olive oil); few dairy products, meat, or poultry; a "moderately high" amount of fish; and wine during meals-lived nearly 4 years longer than those not eating this type of diet.
The study, which has been published in the September 11, 2007 issue of Neurology, looked at 192 people who were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and divided into three groups based on how closely their diet matched the Mediterranean-style one. After 4.4 years, people in the middle group of Mediterranean diet adherence were 35% less likely to die during follow-up than those in the bottom group, translating into 1.33 more years of life. Those in the highest group, who followed the Mediterranean diet the closest, were at 73% lower risk of death and lived nearly 4 years longer. Additional studies are being done to determine if eating a Mediterranean diet can help patients with Alzheimer's disease slow their rates of cognitive decline and maintain a better quality of life.
Fighting cancer
HIV drugs may help
A new study published in Clinical Cancer Research shows that three protease inhibitors, which are usually used to treat HIV infection, slow growth in various cancer cell types. Six protease inhibitors were tested, and nelfinavir (Viracept) was shown to have the most dramatic effect, especially against breast cancer cells that are resistant to standard cancer drugs such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) and tamoxifen (Nolvadex).
How nelfinavir acts against cancer cells isn't clear, but protease inhibitors do interfere with a protein pathway that helps cancer cells survive. In the study, only three protease inhibitors-nelfinavir, ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Invirase)-worked against the cancer cells. The studies were done in the laboratory and on animals, and researchers are now testing nelfinavir in a Phase 1 trial by recruiting 45 people who have tumors (any type except leukemia) that haven't responded to treatment with the goal of finding out how large a dose can be safely administered.
Did you know?
Heavy drinking may raise the risk of endometrial cancer. According to a report in the August 31, 2007 online edition of The International Journal of Cancer, women who have more than two alcoholic drinks per day double their risk of endometrial cancer.
A multiethnic group of 41,574 postmenopausal women was followed for 8 years with questionnaires regarding their diet and drinking habits. Over that time, 324 cases of the type of endometrial cancer that forms in the tissue that lines the uterus were found. The researchers found that women who had less than two drinks a day had no increased risk of endometrial cancer, but those who had more than two drinks a day had slightly more than twice the risk. The type of alcohol (beer, wine, hard liquor) made no difference. While the exact mechanism is unknown, it's well established that alcohol raises estrogen levels and prolonged exposure to estrogen increases DNA mutations, which may lead to cancer.