Archive for November, 2008

Aspirin may cut prostate cancer risk

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found that the use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is significantly associated with lower PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels, especially among men with prostate cancer.

The findings are based on a study, which included 1,277 participants referred to a urologist for a biopsy of their prostate.

Approximately 46 percent of the men reported taking an NSAID, mostly aspirin (37 percent of all men).

After taking into account age, race, family prostate cancer history, obesity, and other variables that have independent effects on the size of the prostate organ, cancer risk, and PSA levels, the researchers found that aspirin use was significantly associated with lower PSA levels.

They found that PSA levels were 9 percent lower in men taking aspirin compared with men who did not use aspirin.

A PSA test is used widely as a method to screen men for the possibility of prostate cancer, with higher blood PSA levels suggesting a greater chance of having prostate cancer.

High PSA levels can also signify benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate organ.

Although decreased PSA levels could have a protective effect, there is an aspect to this finding that could potentially be concerning.

“This analysis raises the concern that aspirin and other NSAIDs may lower PSA levels below the level of clinical suspicion without having any effect on prostate cancer development, and if that is true, use of these agents could be hampering our ability to detect early-stage prostate cancer through PSA screening,” said the study’’s lead author Jay H. Fowke, Ph.D., an assistant professor in medicine at Vanderbilt.

The study will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’’s Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research.

 

 

Add comment November 21st, 2008

Drinking Coffee Can Keep You Alert For Hours

Does coffee keep drowsiness at bay and help one stay alert for hours? The answer is yes, according to tests carried out by a new optical instrument by a team of Swimburne University of Techology (SUT).

Natalie Michael and John Patterson of SUT’s Sensory Neuroscience Lab set out to resolve the question.

“In our project we used the Australian-designed Optalert, which measures drowsiness by observing total duration of eye blinks and the ratio of amplitude and velocity of eye closure during blinking,” said Patterson.

Optalert resembles a set of spectacle frames without lenses. Low intensity infra-red light is directed at the eyes. The infra-red is reflected back and detected by sensors in the frames. The pattern of light reaching the sensors changes as the eyes move and the subject blinks.

The participants were aged between 18 and 29, a primary target age group for road safety authorities because of their over-representation in drowsy driving incidents.

Test subjects were given either a placebo or a capsule containing 200 mg of caffeine, which is roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee, according to a SUT release. The study was published in the October issue of Psychopharmacology.

Those given the caffeine also showed improved reaction times, which like the improved alertness measured by the Optalert, persisted for about three hours.

Over the years recommendations for staying alert on long drives included stopping for a brisk walk, taking a power nap, and drinking coffee.

“However, road safety authorities were faced with conflicting evidence on the benefits of drinking coffee,” Patterson said.

“Some research showed heightened alertness after caffeine administration, whereas other studies did not.”

 

Add comment November 6th, 2008

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