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Amino Acid May Help Treat Patients With Hair-Pulling Condition
The amino acid N-acetylcysteine appears to reduce symptoms of compulsive hair-pulling in patients with a condition known as trichotillomania, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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Genetic Factors Implicated In Survival Gap For Breast, Ovarian Or Prostate Cancer
A new finding reveals that African-American patients with breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer tend to die earlier than patients of other races with these cancers, even when they receive identical medical treatment and when socioeconomic factors are controlled for. The finding, an analysis of almost 20,000 patient records from 35 clinical trials, points to biological or genetic factors as the potential of the survival gap. Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., a Columbia University Medical Center oncologist whose research is dedicated to examining racial and ethnic disparities in cancer outcome and in cancer survivorship, was the senior author of the research published online by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI).
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Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Announces Final Lomitapide (AEGR-733) Phase II Data
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, announced final data from three separate Phase II trials involving its lead cholesterol management compound, lomitapide (AEGR-733), which is a microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor (MTP-I) small molecule drug. The final data was recently presented at the American Diabetes Association"s "69th Scientific Sessions" in New Orleans, LA on June 7, 2009 and the International Symposium on Atherosclerosis (ISA) in Boston, MA on June 15, 2009.
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Heart Electrical Conduction Abnormality Believed Not To Be Serious May Pose Cardiovascular Risks

New research indicates that a finding on a routine electrocardiogram that signals a disorder of the electrical conducting system in one part of the heart and previously believed to be benign is associated with an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, the implantation of a pacemaker or death, according to a study in the June 24 issue of JAMA. Prolongation of the electrocardiographic PR interval, also known as first-degree atrioventricular block (AVB) when the PR interval exceeds 200 milliseconds, represents delayed conduction of electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles. It is frequently encountered in clinical practice. For patients who are not hospitalized, first-degree AVB typically occurs in the absence of cardiovascular disease. "The clinical significance of first-degree AVB in this setting is unclear. Several prior studies suggest that first-degree AVB has a benign prognosis, although these studies were based on young, healthy men in the military," the authors write. Susan Cheng, M.D., of the Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Mass., and colleagues examined the prognosis associated with first-degree AVB. The study included 7,575 individuals (average age, 47 years; 54 percent women) from the community-based Framingham Heart Study who underwent electrocardiography between 1968-1974, with follow-up through 2007. During the follow-up period, 481 participants developed atrial fibrillation (AF), 124 required implantation of a pacemaker, and 1,739 died. The researchers found that individuals with first-degree AVB had an increased risk of future AF (approximately 2-fold), pacemaker implantation (approximately 3-fold) and moderately (1.4-fold) increased risk of all-cause death, compared with individuals without first-degree AVB. After adjustment for conventional risk factors, the PR interval was a significant predictor of all 3 outcomes. Each 20-millisecond increment in the PR interval was associated with an increased risk for AF, pacemaker implantation, and all-cause death. "The validity of these findings is supported by the large, community-based sample, the routine surveillance of all participants for cardiovascular outcomes, and the long period of follow-up," the authors write. "These results suggest that the natural history of first-degree AVB is not as benign as previously believed. Additional studies are needed to determine appropriate follow-up for individuals found to have prolongation of the PR interval on a routine electrocardiogram." (JAMA 2009;301[24]:2571-2577.) JAMA


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