News in brief - Oct. 15, 2007

Breath test has potential for monitoring diabetes - Merck ends HIV vaccine trial - Colorectal cancer screening gets boost - Exercise important factor in changing obesity levels

Breath test has potential for monitoring diabetes

Measuring levels of methyl nitrate and other gases in exhaled breath holds promise as a needle-free way of assessing blood sugar levels in those with diabetes, according to a paper in the Oct. 2 Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

Scientists have long been looking for ways to reduce the number of needle-sticks diabetic patients have to carry out per day either in monitoring their disease or administering insulin. To that end, researchers conducted 18 experiments on 10 children who had type 1 diabetes. Exhaled air was analyzed when their blood sugar was normal and when it was high and slowly being lowered. Out of the more than 100 gases detected by volatile organic compound analysis, levels of methyl nitrate most closely paralleled the amount of sugar in the blood.

"While no clinical breath test yet exists for diabetes, this study shows the possibility of noninvasive methods that can help the millions who have this chronic disease," said Pietro Galassetti, MD, PhD, senior author and a researcher with the General Clinical Research Center at the University of California, Irvine.

Merck ends HIV vaccine trial

A phase II study of an HIV vaccine has been halted because an interim analysis revealed that it did not work, said Merck & Co., one of the project's sponsors.

The vaccine, comprised of three synthetically produced HIV genes carried by a modified adenovirus, was being tested in approximately 3,000 volunteers at high risk of infection. A review by the trial's independent data safety monitoring board showed that this immunization neither prevented infection nor reduced the amount of virus circulating in the blood of those who contracted it.

"Sadly, developing an effective AIDS vaccine remains one of the most challenging tasks facing modern medicine," said Peter S. Kim, PhD, president of Merck Research Laboratories.

The trial was co-sponsored by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, which is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Colorectal cancer screening gets boost

A personalized mailing from primary care physicians to patients who are not up to date on their colorectal cancer screenings significantly improved screening rates, according to a new study in the Nov. 1 Cancer, an American Cancer Society journal.

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia determined that after two years, screening rates reached 48% among the 386 patients who got the most intensive intervention -- screening and educational materials as well as a phone follow-up -- compared with 33% of the 387 patients who served as controls and got no information. Mailings that were not personalized and were not accompanied by a phone call also resulted in screening boosts.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States. Since most patients do not become symptomatic until the disease is advanced, early screening is thought to be critical for saving lives.

Exercise important factor in changing obesity levels

If it isn't already clear that weight loss and exercise are beneficial to health, a natural, and probably unique, population-wide experiment provides additional evidence.

A study in the Sept. 19 American Journal of Epidemiology reported on the health impact of population-wide weight loss that took place in Cuba from 1989 to 2000 as a result of an economic crisis in that nation. The drop in available food resulted in substantial declines in daily energy intake. Physical activity, however, continued at a high level, since bicycles and walking were the primary means of transportation.

During that period, obesity levels dropped in Cuba from 14.3% in 1991 to 7.2% in 1995. There were also substantial declines in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and all-cause mortality, the researchers reported.

Vote refines AMA stance on health reform
The AMA House of Delegates rejected attempts to rescind support of a U.S. House health reform bill and any new government-sponsored health insurance plan during the 2009 Interim Meeting.
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