Research in Medicine

Statins proved to be best for treating cataracts

Statins are among the most commonly prescribed medications for cataracts, which is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide affecting more than 20 million people, according to research.

In the USA they are prescribed to 1 in 3 people over 45 years of age at a cost of 35 billion dollars annually.

“There is persistent concern among physicians and other health care providers about the possible cataractogenicity of statins.1 We therefore investigated the relationship of statins and cataracts in a meta-analysis of 14 studies selected after detailed review of the medical literature. To our knowledge this is the first meta-analysis on the topic,” Professor Kostis said.

The meta-analysis included 2,399,200 persons and 25,618 cataracts. The average duration of treatment was 54 months and average age was 61.

Using random effects meta-analysis, a statistically significant decrease in cataracts with statins was observed.

“This corresponds to an approximately 20 percent lower rate of cataracts with statin use compared to no statin use,” professor Kostis said.

Meta-regression showed that younger people were more likely to benefit.

 

Overuse of painkillers leads to more headaches

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Overuse of painkillers leads to more headaches

Health experts have warned that taking too many painkillers and other treatments for migraine attacks can lead to more headaches.

According to Professor Gillian Leng , from medicines watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), headaches and migraine can have a very significant, negative impact on sufferers, therefore people should understand that different headaches require different treatments, the Daily Express reported.

Leng said that overusing some types of medication for treating tension-type headaches or migraines can actually make things worse, thus causing further pain.

Meanwhile, a consultant neurologist said that the effective management of headaches, which depends on making a correct diagnosis and agreeing on an appropriate treatment plan, should be taken into consideration.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/overuse-of-painkillers-leads-to-more-headaches_23611.html

New technology makes breast cancer surgery more precise

FDA approved MarginProbe in December 2012, and UC Irvine Medical Centre is the first hospital in the US to employ the system

Any breast cancer surgeon who regularly performs lumpectomies confronts the question “Did I get it all?” Thirty to 60 per cent of the time in the US, the answer is “no,” requiring the patient to undergo a second surgery to remove the remaining tumor.

Surgeons at UC Irvine Medical Centre are the first in the country to use a device that reduces by half the need to re operate and cut out breast cancer cells missed during an initial lumpectomy. The Margin Probe System lets the surgeon immediately assess whether cancer cells remain on the margins of excised tissue. Currently, patients have to wait days for a pathologist to determine this.

“All of my patients know someone who has had to go back into surgery because their doctor didn’t get the entire tumor out,” said UC Irvine Health surgical oncologist Dr Alice Police. “The ability to check tissue in the operating room is a game changer in surgery for early-stage breast cancer.”

The goal in a lumpectomy is to completely remove the cancer while preserving as much normal breast tissue as possible. If a pathologist finds cancer cells on the edges of the tissue taken out, surgeons must assume the lumpectomy didn’t get the entire tumor.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MarginProbe in December 2012, and UC Irvine Medical Centre is the first hospital in the US to employ the system, according to manufacturer Dune Medical Devices.

Dr Police, assistant professor of surgery at UC Irvine and medical director of Pacific Breast Care in Costa Mesa, and Dr Karen Lane, associate professor of surgery and clinical director of the UC Irvine Health Breast Health Centre in Orange, began operating with MarginProbe in early March.

They had participated in an FDA trial that included more than 660 women across the US. In the prospective, multicentre, randomized, double-arm study, surgeons applied the device to breast tissue removed during in-progress initial lumpectomies and, if indicated, shaved additional tissue on the spot. This was found to reduce by 56 per cent the need for repeat surgeries.

“It will save you a lot of anxiety,” said Jane Madigan, a Costa Mesa resident who underwent the procedure with Dr Police as part of the MarginProbe trial. “You will come out of that surgery knowing you are cancer-free.”

The system comprises a sterile handheld probe and a portable console. When the probe tip touches an excised lumpectomy specimen, radio-frequency signals are transmitted into the tissue and reflected back to the console, where they are analyzed using a specialized algorithm to determine tissue status.

Source: http://www.indiamedicaltimes.com/2013/06/06/new-technology-makes-breast-cancer-surgery-more-precise/