Pets Battling Cancer Can Join Clinical Trials Too

Vets, physicians say a new system may speed up drug discovery for dogs, cats and humans

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- If you hear that a friend's beloved family member has joined a clinical trial for cancer treatment, don't assume the patient is human.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in older dogs and cats, and clinical trials offer hope that effective medications will be developed -- for humans and their four-legged friends, cancer experts say.

The new National Veterinary Cancer Registry, launched last month by a national team of animal and human cancer doctors, will point pet owners toward clinical trials that might benefit their beloved companions and speed up the development of life-saving therapies for humans.

"We will be able to decrease the cost and beat the time involved in drug discovery," said the registry's founder, Dr. Theresa Fossum, a professor of surgery at Texas A&M University's college of veterinary medicine.

Because many similar diseases affect people and their animals, veterinarians and physicians say a lot can be learned from studying how treatments work in cats and dogs.

The drug-assessment process could be accelerated by a simple fact: dogs age many times faster than humans, and their cancers progress more rapidly too. Also, many canine and feline cancers -- including sarcoma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; leukemia; mesothelioma; and bone, ovarian, kidney, uterine and oral cancers -- are virtually the same cancers humans have.

Experts not involved with the registry said the concept of the database looks promising.

"These clinical trials would be more real-world than a lab experiment," said Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, associate professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine and head of the Yale Human Animal Medicine Project, which studies clinical connections between human and animal medicine.

Dogs often are an interesting model for better understanding environmentally induced cancers, Rabinowitz said. "Asbestos causes cancer in humans 35 years [after exposure], but if you're a dog, you get it in four to five years, so we can see how the cancers develop more naturally," he said.

Fossum said she has always been bothered by the slow and cumbersome way drugs are tested. "If it's a cancer drug, they're going to put a human tumor in a mouse ... but it's not very predictive of how drugs will work in people," she said.

Then, after tests to see if the drugs might be toxic in humans, the drugs are evaluated in human clinical trials, which take more than a decade to conduct. "So the drugs that are coming out now were starting [to be evaluated] 12 years ago," she said.

Testing the drugs in pets speeds up the process, allowing researchers to determine if a medication works before taking it to human clinical trials, Fossum said. With a pet owner's informed consent, "we can try a new drug that seems promising a lot sooner," she said.

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Recipe of the Week: Greek Quinoa Salad

What's better than a fresh, flavorful salad in the Spring? A super-refreshing one that isn't the same ole' bowl of lettuce. This quinoa salad that I adapted from the Two Peas and Their Pod is bursting with bright, Greek-style flavors from all the fresh produce and creamy feta cheese. (And you guys know how good the Mediterranean Diet is for you, right?) Enjoy as a side with chicken or fish or enjoy a big bowl all on its own for a light, yet hearty lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

For the salad:

2 cups water1 cup quinoaPinch of salt1 cup grape tomatoes, halved1 cup chopped cucumber1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 cup sliced carrots1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved1/4 cup diced red onion1/3 cup feta cheese1/3 cup chopped walnuts1 small avocado, dicedSalt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil3 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 teaspoon dried oregano1 tsp lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Using a strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold water. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature.

2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, carrots, kalamata olives, red onion, walnuts, avocado and feta cheese.

3. To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serves 6.

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Image Credit: Courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod

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64 years

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Sarah Jessica Parker at the Tiffany & Co Blue Book ball

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sleeping problems

Hi calorie counters, 

so recently my sleeping issues have gotten worse than usual. in the past few months i tend to stay awake till about 12 or 1 and even when i try going to sleep, it takes me half an hour to actually fall asleep and some nights i need to take half a sleeping pill (mercyndol) to fall asleep. im only 17, i don't think that at my age i should be taking something to fall asleep 

i think it was because during the holidays i had a lot of late nights and sleep-ins, but its been a while since then and i just can't get back into the swing of school, its bad as well cos instead of going to some of my early classes at 7:30 i just sleep instead :/ 

so in a nutshell this is getting in the way of my exercise, study and overall well-being, anyone know some techniques i can use to help my sleeps? 

much appreciated, msabulis

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Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr at the Iron Man 3 premiere in London

Erm… Why? Proving once more that the line between the real Robert Downey JR and his showboating superhero alter-ego Tony Stark is blurring more and more each day, we snapped the star indulging in a serious snog-fest with his wife, producer Susan Downey, at the Iron Man 3 premiere in London yesterday. The event was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, but was pushed back to Thursday in order to make way for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's funeral arrangements. The film's other big star, Gwyneth Paltrow, ditched the retimed 'do to attend a glamorous Tiffany's event in New York instead.

THE ROLES THEY DIDN'T GET

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120lb by December!

So I weigh about 330lb and would like to be around 200lb by December, any tips?? Starting with low cal diet and building it up as a start to get more active!

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Gorging at the Buffet Table? Tactics May Help You Eat Less

Study reveals how people stay in control when faced with endless portions, many choices

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Few situations can trip up someone who is watching their weight like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But a new research letter published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests two strategies that may help dieters survive a smorgasbord: Picking up a smaller plate and circling the buffet before choosing what to eat.

Buffets have two things that raise nutritionists' eyebrows -- unlimited portions and tons of choices. Both can crank up the calorie count of a meal.

"Research shows that when faced with a variety of food at one sitting, people tend to eat more. It is the temptation of wanting to try a variety of foods that makes it particularly hard not to overeat at a buffet," says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was not involved with the new study.

Still, some people don't overeat at buffets, and that made study author Brian Wansink, director of the food and brand lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., wonder how they restrain themselves.

"People often say that the only way not to overeat at a buffet is not to go to a buffet," said Wansink, a psychologist who studies the environmental cues linked to overeating. "But there are a ton of people at buffets who are really skinny. We wondered: What is it that skinny people do at buffets that heavy people don't?"

Wansink deployed a team of 30 trained observers who painstakingly collected information about the eating habits of more than 300 people who visited 22 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurants in six states.

Tucked away in corners where they could watch unobtrusively, the observers checked 103 different things about the way people behaved around the buffet. They logged information about whom diners were with and where they sat -- close or far from the buffet, in a table or booth, facing toward or away from the buffet. Observers also noted what kind of utensils diners used -- forks or chopsticks -- whether they placed a napkin in their laps, and even how many times they chewed a single mouthful of food.

They also were taught to estimate a person's body-mass index, or BMI, on sight. Body-mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to their height, and doctors use it to gauge whether a person is overweight.

The results of the study revealed key differences in how thinner and heavier people approached a buffet.

"Skinny people are more likely to scout out the food. They're more likely to look at the different alternatives before they pounce on something," Wansink said. "Heavy people just tend to pick up a plate and look at each item and say, 'Do I want it? Yes or no.'"

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Comments about post-ED weight gain

Hi. For those of you who have successfully gained weight after having an ED, how did you cope with comments about your weight gain?

I know that most of the time the comments are just observations made innocently. But how did comments about your weight gain make you feel? How did you deal with it?

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People Happier When They Get More Sex Than Their Friends: Study

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- A hefty chunk of your happiness may depend on whether you believe you're having as much sex as your peers are, new research suggests.

The findings raise the possibility that conversations with friends about sex -- plus reading all those sexual surveys in popular magazines -- create a perception about how much sex you should be having. If you have more, the study's theory goes, you are more likely to be happier. If you have less, the reverse holds true.

However, the researcher pointed out that perceptions about sex vary, and so do reactions to it. "Obviously, we're dealing with statistical averages here," said study author Tim Wadsworth, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "I'm sure there are lots of people who aren't having any sex, and are leading incredibly happy lives."

And it's possible, although Wadsworth discounts the idea, that some other factor better explains the differences in happiness that seem to be linked to perceptions of keeping up with everyone else in the bedroom.

The study doesn't closely track people over a period of time, nor is it based on extensive personal details about their lives. Instead, it relies entirely on surveys of English-speaking adults in the United States from 1993 to 2006. The responses of more than 15,000 people were studied.

At issue: Do people's perceptions of their happiness as judged by survey responses (happy, pretty happy, not too happy) differ, depending on whether they're having as much sex as people similar to them do?

Wadsworth said he decided to study the question because previous research has indicated that getting richer doesn't contribute as much to happiness as people might think. Instead, as people get wealthier, they simply compare themselves to a wealthier group of peers and may still feel like they don't measure up.

The study found that the same thing happens with sex. The more sex people have, the happier they are. And if they think they're having more sex than people in their peer group are having -- even if they don't actually know how much sex their friends and colleagues are having -- their happiness goes up even more.

The study design relies on a complicated statistical analysis and doesn't allow the amount of differences in happiness to be expressed in simple terms. But the findings told the story: People who were having sex at least once a week were 44 percent more likely to report a higher level of happiness than those who had not had sex for a year. However, people who were having sex two to three times a month but believed their peers were doing it once a week were 14 percent less likely to report a higher level of happiness.

Is it possible that happy people just have more sex than their peers? That the happiness comes first and then (not surprisingly) more sex? Wadsworth believes his study debunks that possibility.

And how would you even know how much sex your peers are having, to develop more or less happiness by comparing yourself to them? Wadsworth said conversations about sex (especially among women) and certain magazines like Men's Health and Cosmopolitan give ideas.

Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom who studies happiness, called the study interesting. "We know that humans care deeply about things like their relative income and relative body weight. Apparently those concerns extend to the bedroom as well," he said. "You just can't take the human out of humans."

However, he cautioned, "in all statistical studies of this kind, it is difficult to reach the standards of causal proof that would be produced by proper randomized controlled trials. I imagine that one day investigators will try to run such experiments, even in the sensitive area of sexual behavior and human happiness, and it will be sensible for society to think through the ethical requirements for such research."

What to do with the findings?

"We tend to compare ourselves to people who are more successful than we are," Wadsworth said. "They tend to have a drain on people's sense of well-being. If we're aware of that process, it gives us some control over the emotional content of our lives."

The study appeared recently in the journal Social Indicators Research.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Tim Wadsworth, Ph.D., associate professor, sociology, University of Colorado at Boulder; Andrew Oswald, Ph.D., professor, economics, University of Warwick, U.K.; February 2013, Social Indicators Research

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Hard Physical Labor May Boost Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke: Studies

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Demanding physical work may boost a person's risk of heart disease, two new studies suggest.

"Physicians know that high stress can be associated with increased risk of heart disease," said one expert not connected to the study, Dr. Lawrence Phillips, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "These two studies suggest that, in addition to normal life stressors, the physical demands a person experiences in the workplace can independently increase their risk as well."

"The reason for this [labor-linked risk] is unclear, but might be related to higher stress levels," Phillips said.

In one study, researchers looked at 250 patients who had suffered a first stroke and 250 who had suffered a first heart attack or other type of heart event. They were compared to a control group of 500 healthy people.

Stroke and heart patients were more likely to have physically demanding jobs than those in the control group, researchers found. After adjusting for age, sex and a number of lifestyle and health factors, they concluded that having a less physically demanding job was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of a heart event or stroke.

The findings suggest that people with physically demanding jobs should be considered an important target group for prevention of cardiovascular disease, said study author Dr. Demosthenes Panagiotakos, an associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece.

The results seem to conflict with recommendations that people should exercise to reduce their risk of heart trouble. But Panagiotakos said the increased risk of stroke and heart events among people with physically demanding jobs may be due to mental stress, while exercise helps reduce stress. He also said people with physically demanding jobs tend to have lower incomes, which might limit their access to health care.

The study suggests that leisure-time exercise might be important to "balance out" the physical stress encountered in laborious jobs, said Dr. Tara Narula, associate director of the cardiac care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She was not connected to the study.

"This delicate interaction between work and leisure-time activity warrants further research in order to appropriately guide public health," she said.

The study was presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, taking place this week in Rome.

In a second study presented at the same meeting, researchers looked at more than 14,000 middle-aged men who did not have heart disease and were followed for about three years on average. The investigators found that physically demanding work was a risk factor for developing coronary heart disease.

They also found that men with physically demanding jobs who also did moderate to high levels of exercise during their leisure time had an even greater risk (more than four-fold higher) of developing coronary heart disease.

Phillips, who also is an assistant professor in the department of medicine at NYU Langone, said the finding was a bit surprising. "This is a new finding that was not previously seen," he said. "Further studies to support this finding will be needed. As with many areas of medicine, a one-size-fits-all approach to leisure exercise might not work."

Study author Dr. Els Clays, of the department of public health at the University of Ghent, in Belgium, weighed in on the study in a society news release.

"From a public health perspective, it is very important to know whether people with physically demanding jobs should be advised to engage in leisure-time activity," Clays said.

"The results of this study suggest that additional physical activity during leisure time in those who are already physically exhausted from their daily occupation does not induce a 'training' effect but rather an overloading effect on the cardiovascular system," Clays said.

On the other hand, the study did find that men with less physically demanding jobs were 60 percent less likely to develop heart disease if they exercised during their leisure time.

"Further studies will be needed to find out the cause of increased heart disease in those people who have high physical job demands," Phillips said.

Both studies could point only to an association between hard physical labor and increased heart risk, not a cause-and-effect. Studies presented at a medical meetings typically are viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Lawrence Phillips, M.D., assistant professor, department of medicine, Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Tara Narula, associate director, cardiac care unit, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; European Society of Cardiology, news release, April 18, 2013

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day off binge how do i stop?

Guys, i work long hours as im a nurse so days im wrkin im doin great but on m day off wen im cooking for family i just binge as once food passez m lips i cnt stop! Any tips or encouragement would help!!

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5 Resume Updates to Make Right Now

So, you're interested in getting a new gig. Bully for you! Now: Where to start?

Well, there's always your resume. Before you get totally overwhelmed by advice (often conflicting) on networking, applying, interviewing and all the rest, take a good hard look at your resume -- it's the very first impression of you a future employer will get, and it's one of the few things YOU control. So are you making any mistakes?

To find out, we asked the experts to weigh in on easy updates you can make right now to that little (but so important) piece of paper.

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Image Credit: Thayer Allison Gowdy

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How can I suppress my appetite ? Would you suggests app outré suppressant pills, and if so which ones ?

Im always hungry and wanting to munch on something. I heard about the green tea pill for weight loss, I just can't find the gamcimia ones anywhere other then online. Any suggestions on appetite suppressants ?

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