October 12th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
Tags: Animals, Cancer, International, News, Research
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The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is that Tasmanian devils (TDs), those feisty black and white Australian marsupials, are the first to suffer from it. In an enlightening story about the plight of these little guys, I learned that they are prone to a certain type of mouth cancer that they pass to one another through biting. Now, since biting is part of their mating rituals, this cancer has spread through the TD population like wild fire, even putting them at risk for extinction.
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s quite fascinating that cancer can be contagious. Sure we know that the human papillomavirus (HPV), for example, can be spread through sexual contact and may stimulate the body to produce cervical cancer cells eventually, but this is a more direct and faster method of transmission. Researchers have found that cancer cells in the mouth of the animal doing the biting slough off in the wounds on the other animal, and the cells grow into a new cancer in the injured animal.
So you may ask – can I get cancer from a TD? Not unless YOU’RE also a TD. The reason why the cancer cells can survive in the victim is because TDs have become so genetically similar to one another that foreign cells from another animal are not recognized and attacked by their immune systems. Human immune systems would recognize the TD cells as foreign and attack and kill them quite quickly.We humans can’t even accept an organ transplant from a family member without being on strong immunosuppressive medications.
Nonetheless, this case of contagious cancer is interesting – and makes me wonder if immunosuppressed humans could one day be vulnerable to developing cancer from another person’s cells. But that risk seems rather remote. For now, we should just feel sad for our furry friends down under. I know that at least Dr. Rob, the llama lover, will understand the grief.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 9th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
Tags: Hematology, Internal Medicine, News, Research
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I was intrigued by a news story all over the wires today and yesterday – that blood transfusions may do more harm than good. Over 4.5 million Americans receive blood transfusions for one reason or another each year in the US. Two new studies have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggesting that blood can get “stale” much sooner than we think. Although we’ve known for a while that blood transfusions should be given only when critically needed, this news is interesting in that it may explain why blood transfusions are not a panacea.
Blood contains nitric oxide – a gas that is used as a signaling molecule in humans. It can trigger the relaxation of blood vessel walls, which is important in getting blood flow and oxygen to areas of the body that need it. Nitric oxide exists in small amounts in the bloodstream, but it can evaporate rapidly once outside the body (such as in a transfusion bag). So the question is: how critical is it to have nitric oxide dissolved in the blood given via transfusion?
The Red Cross keeps blood for up to 42 days after it is donated (though nitric oxide depletion may occur within hours) and will continue to do so until it is clearly shown that the expiration dates should be shortened. Further research is underway to test whether or not infusing nitric oxide back into blood is a viable option to improve its ability to oxygenate the recipient. It’s not easy to do this, since nitric oxide is a very tricky gas that can become a free radical or an acid in the presence of certain oxygen species. So the exact proportion of nitric oxide is critical – a little does just the right thing, but too much can be harmful or even fatal – which is probably why we haven’t tested this in humans yet, only dogs.
Still, many have high hopes for adding nitric oxide to the blood supply – Dr. Jonathan Stamler of Duke University appears to have applied for more than 50 nitric oxide associated patents and, not surprisingly, is taking the lead on various research studies, including the two new ones mentioned in my first paragraph.
My personal take on this? Blood transfusions are a serious treatment that can save lives, but should not be given willy nilly to “boost” people’s hematocrits. I’ve witnessed physicians giving their patients an extra unit of blood “just to perk them up a bit” prior to discharge from the hospital. That behavior is not safe or appropriate. So before you undergo a blood transfusion, make sure you really need one. Until we figure out how to replace nitric oxide safely in the blood supply, the life-saving potential benefits of a transfusion must outweigh the risks of stroke and heart attack from nitric oxide-depleted blood.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 6th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
Tags: Addictions, News, Parenting, Psychiatry, Relationships, Technology
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Have you ever been singled out in a lecture and picked on? Or maybe at a comedy club? It’s somehow awkward when everyone is looking at you, and you can’t really defend yourself. That happened to me yesterday in a lecture about how email can transform medical practices. My friend Joe Scherger was talking about the beauty of asynchronous communication, and how much time it saves – when out of the blue, he said that Blackberries defeated the whole purpose of emailing, and that people who used them lead unbalanced lives. He then pointed at me and said, “See my friend Val Jones, there? She uses a Blackberry all the time!”
All eyes fixed on me with a sort of half pity, half “tisk, tisk” expression.
“She answers all her emails within minutes… She never unplugs.”
I shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Soon the conversation turned to other subjects, and I resisted the urge to pull my Blackberry out of my bag to check my emails.
Today I heard that Intel instituted email-free Fridays as a means to force their engineers to talk to others face-to-face. Apparently, the company was worried that interpersonal skills were being lost, and that people were not developing normal working relationships because of the artificial distance created by email-only communication.
“Well, at least I’m not alone,” I thought as I read the news story. “This is a serious problem across the country.”
There has been recent debate in the psychiatric community about whether or not video games could be considered an addiction (just as drugs and alcohol can be). Some have proposed that it be added to the DSM-V due out in 2012, others have said that compulsive video game playing is a sign of other underlying pathology (such as depression or social anxiety) but not a true addiction.
But the bottom line is that overuse of the Internet can disrupt a person’s time available for meaningful interpersonal relationships, be they with a spouse, a parent, a relative, or a friend. When your husband is sitting in the same room with you and has to get your attention by IM-ing or emailing you, you know there’s a problem.
And there doesn’t seem to be much of a break in sight – with Facebook, MySpace, Linked-In, YouTube, Pownce, Twitter, GTalk, blogs, podcasts, discussion boards, chat rooms, forums, etc. available as 24-7 forms of entertainment and communication, and companies like Intel trying to forbid this kind of stuff at least 1 day per week, Blackberries are the least of our worries. I wonder if these programs are like junk food for the brain? Will we soon suffer from cerebral obesity?
I’m afraid that I recognize that there is a problem, but I’m not sure what the solution is. “Just say no” to email doesn’t work for me… I like the fast-paced interactivity and connection I get from these activities. Maybe there’s a positive feedback loop at work, though – we spend a lot of time involved in online activities and become more isolated and lonely in our personal lives. In the end we become more and more engaged with the Internet to fill the emotional gap that we’re actually creating by overusing it.
I’ll ask my husband what he thinks… perhaps I’ll send him an email about it tonight.
What do you think?This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
September 27th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips, News
Tags: Cardiology, Endocrinology, News, Research
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Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, and high cholesterol levels are a primary contributor to heart disease. But the cholesterol story is a bit complicated – some of it is damaging to blood vessels (Low Density Lipoproteins or LDL is considered “bad” cholesterol) and some of it is restorative (High Density Lipoproteins or HDL is “good” cholesterol). Most medications are aimed at lowering the “bad” cholesterol, and this strategy has been very helpful in reducing heart disease and atherosclerosis. But what about raising the good cholesterol as part of a heart healthy strategy?
A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that having low levels of HDL can put people at risk for heart disease and heart attacks, even if the LDL is well controlled. This is the first study to show that low LDL does not erase heart disease risk if the individual’s HDL is also low. In fact, each increase of 1 mg in HDL cholesterol is associated with a decrease of 2 to 3% in the risk of future coronary heart disease. So lowering LDL with statins (if lifestyle measures fail) is only half the battle for those who also have low HDL.So how do you increase your HDL levels?The most effective medicine for raising HDL is a type of Vitamin B called niacin. Taken in the quantities required to have an effect on HDL, though, there are usually unpleasant side effects: flushing (redness or warmth of the face), itching, stomach upset, mild dizziness, and headache.
Perhaps the best way to increase HDL is to lose weight and exercise regularly.? In fact, the list of HDL-raising “to do’s” reads like a healthy living manual:
1. Avoid trans fats
2. Drink alcohol in moderation
3. Add fiber to your diet
4. Use monounsaturated fats like olive oil where possible
5. Stop smoking
6. Lose weight
7. Engage in regular aerobic exercise
So next time you see your doctor, make sure you review your cholesterol levels, and discuss some strategies to get your levels of HDL and LDL in the optimal zones for a healthy heart.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
September 24th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
Tags: Cancer, News, Oncology
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The oncology community bid farewell to one of its greatest leaders last week, Dr. Marty Abeloff. Marty was a dear colleague of Dr. Avrum Bluming (a guest blogger and friend of Dr. Val & The Voice of Reason) and Av was kind enough to write this obituary to honor him:
On September 14, 2007, Marty Abeloff died.
An intelligent, gracious, caring and supportive human being, he brought all those qualities to his roles as physician, mentor, educator, administrator, and friend.
He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins and an Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical School. He did his house staff/fellowship training at the University of Chicago, the National Cancer Institute, Harvard, the New England Medical Center, and Johns Hopkins. At the time of his death, he was Professor of Medicine and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. He was a past President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, past Chairman of the Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration, past Chairman of the Board of Scientific Counselors to the National Cancer Institute’s intramural division of clinical sciences, and past Chairman of the Breast Cancer Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. He was the lead Editor of Clinical Oncology, a comprehensive textbook, now in its third printing, Editor of Current Opinion in Oncology, former Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and founding Editor in Chief of Oncology News International, a wonderfully informative periodical, a position he established and occupied since 1992.
He was held in high esteem by his peers, and beloved by his colleagues, co-workers, patients, students, family members and friends. Patients held on to his phone number long after they finished treatment, and those of us seeking advise in the management of our own patients never hesitated to call upon his help. He was always available and always helpful.
Any individual looking to fashion a life and career distinguished by accomplishment and filled with love could find no finer role model.
Avrum Z. Bluming, MD, MACP
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Southern California
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
