Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Belleville doctors will explain new prostate treatment

Two Belleville doctors will shed new light on treating enlarged prostates during upcoming medical programs in Belleville.

On Tuesday, Dr. Kostantinos Psihramis, of Belleville Urology Associates, will explain GreenLight laser treatment for enlarged prostates at 7 p.m. in the Millennium Room of St. Elizabeth Hospital.

Enlarged prostates -- or benign prostatic hyperplasia -- is a noncancerous growth of the prostate, which presses on the urethra and obstructs the flow of urine. Symptoms include frequent urination, the sudden urge to urinate and weak stream.

GreenLight therapy involves the insertion of a small fiber into the urethra. The fiber delivers high-powered energy that vaporizes the excess prostate tissue. The treatment reopens the urine channel while reducing the risk of side effects associated with more invasive surgical procedures.

A second GreenLight talk, by Dr. Christopher Arett, also of Belleville Urology Associates, will be offered at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 17 during the monthly Lunch with the Doctor Program at Southwestern Illinois College's PSOP Center, 201 N. Church St. Reservations are requested by calling 234-4410, ext. 7015.

In addition, free prostate cancer screenings will be available from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at Belleville Urology Associates, 301 W. Lincoln St. Reservations are required by calling 641-5803.

Weight loss drug risk

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight loss drug the agency has approved.

This week regulators said they have received more than 30 reports of liver damage in patients taking alli and Xenical, the prescription version of the drug. The reports, submitted between 1999 and October 2008, included 27 hospitalized patients and six who suffered liver failure.

The FDA, however, says it has not established a direct link between the weight-loss treatments and liver injury and advised patients to continue using the drugs as directed. However, they should consult their doctor immediately if they experience signs of liver damage: fatigue, fever, nausea and vomiting.

The FDA says it is continuing to investigate the issue.

Pre-term labor red flag

A preliminary study at King's College in London has found that women who go into early pre-term labor have lower-than-normal levels of progesterone in their saliva.

These abnormal levels show up as early as 24 weeks of gestation and do not rise through the rest of the pregnancy as they normally do. The findings offer the possibility of developing a simple, noninvasive test to identify women at increased risk of delivering early.

Progesterone is a hormone that helps regulate the menstrual cycle and is the primary hormone of pregnancy. Normally, it is produced in large amounts from the placenta and acts to stop the womb from contracting.

However, in women who deliver after spontaneous labor before 34 weeks, saliva levels of progesterone were significantly lower than in women who deliver after 37 weeks. The researchers hypothesize that such low levels may contribute to bacterial infection, a cause of pre-term labor.

A larger study is now planned. The current study was published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Stormy football games

Used to be that the one place football "coaches" were safe from the effects of rain and cold was on their computer games.

Not anymore.

EA Sports is teaming with The Weather Channel to add real-time weather to its Madden NFL 10 football videogame. That means if a hurricane hits the United States, gamers will find certain stadiums more challenging to play.

Broadband-connected consoles such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 allow the new Madden game to get constant weather updates.

"Our teams at The Weather Channel provide a data feed that allows EA to pull real-time weather for any location chosen as a venue," said Derek Van Nostran, director of marketing for The Weather Channel Interactive. "We also provided historical data for the past three years, so the EA producers would be able to match realistic weather conditions at every venue for games played at any time of year."

As a result, gamers will see their players more likely to slip, slide, fumble and drop passes if a front moves through. And, that's not all. EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 will allow gamers to play through conditions that would send real pros to the 19th hole.

'Silent' stroke risk

People who don't control their high blood pressure are at increased risk of "silent" strokes that really aren't so silent, according to a new Australian study.

"Silent" strokes are strokes that don't result in any noticeable symptoms but can cause minor brain damage that can build up over time. They are common in people over 60 -- especially in those with high blood pressure, according to a recent article in Neurology.

"These strokes are not truly silent, because they have been linked to memory and thinking problems and are a possible cause of a type of dementia," said Dr. Perminder Sachdev, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney. "High blood pressure is very treatable, so this may be a strong target for preventing vascular disease."

Pesticides take toll on frogs

Pesticides -- particularly endosulfan -- are, in part, responsible for the epidemic of frog deaths around the world, according to a new study by an associate professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

"The amphibians are the 'canaries in the mine,'" said Don Sparling, whose research was published in this month's issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. "This is an early warning signal to human health."

Among the worst offenders is endosulfan, which is sprayed on fruits and vegetables. Just a small amount can be extremely toxic, Sparling said.

"Less than one part per billion is enough to kill all of the frogs of one species that are exposed to it," he said.

He says yellow-legged frogs that spend much of their time in the foothills of California are being harmed by the endosulfan that is sprayed in the valley miles away and carried by the wind.

Frog numbers have been dropping for at least the last 20 years. Europe and Australia have already banned the pesticide; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying the issue.

Exercise and breast cancer

A doctor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a $3.5 million grant to study the relationship between exercise and breast cancer.

Dr. Laura Rogers will try to determine how well a three-month exercise program increases physical activity in breast cancer survivors. It also will look at whether the program improves physical fitness, quality of life, fatigue and joint problems.

Rogers says she hopes the research may improve health benefits for patients while reducing side effects and cancer recurrence. The five-year grant comes from the National Cancer Institute.