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Cancer gene mutation
AUSTRALIAN scientists have found a genetic mutation that makes some people more susceptible to colorectal and other cancers, ABC News reports. The study, published in Cancer Cell, found that a family with a history of colorectal cancer did not have the genetic mutations normally linked with the cancer but had a biochemical tag that switches off an anti-cancer gene called MLH1. This DNA change was passed to the next generation.
Obesity causes AF
ADELAIDE researchers have proved that obesity is a direct cause of electrical abnormalities of the heart, the The Advertiser reports. Growing evidence shows that obesity changes the structure and size of the heart and its electrical function, leading to atrial fibrillation (AF). Early study results at the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders show that losing weight can reduce the risk of AF.
Most US doctors sued
MOST doctors in America will be sued at some point during their career, the Boston Globe reports. Physicians who perform high-risk procedures, including neurosurgeons and obstetricians, face a near certainty of being named in a malpractice case before they reach age 65 years, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. Even doctors in “low-risk” areas of practice, such as family medicine, had a 75% chance of being sued. However, only about 22% of claims resulted in payments to patients or their families. The study authors, who examined 15 years of data, said the results highlighted the need for changes in malpractice law.
Ovarian cancer marker
A CHEMICAL in the blood could one day help detect early signs of ovarian cancer, BBC News reports. The study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, tested women for antibodies to mesothelin. The antibodies were found in the bloodstream of most women with ovarian cancer and women with infertility due to ovary problems. The marker antibodies were not present in healthy women or women with non-cancerous ovarian tumours.
Square eyes, short life
AUSTRALIAN research has found that people who watch an average 6 hours of television a day over the course of their life could expect to die 5 years earlier than those who watch no TV, The Australian reports. The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, used a previously published analysis from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) on the link between TV viewing and death to construct a life table model which estimated the impact of TV viewing on life expectancy at birth.
Posted 22 August 2011