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Mesothelioma: A Killer
Lurks in the Lungs |
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Arsenic may have role in leukaemia treatment
Last Updated: 2004-09-29 11:43:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)
LONDON (Reuters) - It's best known as a weed-killer or a favourite weapon of murderous old ladies, but arsenic could find a new role as a mainstream treatment for leukaemia, Iranian researchers said on Wednesday.
They were so impressed with trials involving patients with a rare type of leukaemia that they have suggested it could be used as an initial treatment.
"There have been a few studies done using arsenic...but we are the first group to suggest that it is acceptable as a first-line treatment," Dr. Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh of Tehran University of Medical Sciences said in a statement.
In a study reported at a European oncology meeting in Geneva, the researchers said arsenic was effective against acute promyeloctytic leukaemia, or APL, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects myeloid blood cells.
APL, which affects 20,000 people worldwide, is most common in the elderly. It is a subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia, the most common form of adult leukaemia.
Ninety percent of 63 patients who had not been previously treated for the illness had complete remission after two courses of the arsenic treatment. More than 88 percent were still alive with a mean survival time of nearly 34 months.
"What this means is that we now have the possibility of offering APL patients a new first-line treatment that avoids conventional chemotherapy," said Ghavamzadeh.
Arsenic compounds have been used in medicine for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Chinese and Romans. In the 1980s, Chinese researchers first tried it in leukaemia after discovering it was an active ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicines, according to the researchers.
The poison was made famous in the 1944 film "Arsenic and Old Lace" staring Cary Grant. It was based on a stage play of the same name.
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Helping Alzheimer's Patients Eat More |
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September 28, 2004 04:01:46 PM PDT , HealthDay |
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TUESDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDayNews) -- Brightly colored cups and plates seem to help people with advanced Alzheimer's disease consume food and beverages, says a Boston University study in a recent issue of Clinical Nutrition.
Boldly colored tableware helped Alzheimer's' patients overcome a diminished sensitivity to visual contrast and increased the amount they ate and drank by 25 percent or more.
These findings suggest this approach may be a way to improve nutrition among people with advanced Alzheimer's disease.
About 40 percent of people with severe Alzheimer's suffer health-damaging weight loss. Depression, an inability to focus on more than one food at a time, and an inability to eat independently are among the reasons cited for this weight loss.
The University of Boston team wondered if this weight loss may be caused by visual problems that made it difficult for patients with severe Alzheimer's to distinguish a plate from a table, food from a plate, or liquid from its container.
They found that food intake increased 24.6 percent and liquid intake increased 83.7 percent when the patients were switched from white to bright red tableware.
And food intake increased 25.1 percent and liquid intake increased 29.8 percent when the patients were switched from white to bright blue tableware.
More information
The Family Caregiver Alliance has more about Alzheimer's disease. |
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