New research suggests women who have migraine or have had them in the past are at an increased risk for developing depression compared to women who have never had migraine. The study was released on February 22, 2012 and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.

For the study, researchers classified 36,154 women without depression who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Study and had provided information about migraine. Women were classified as either having active migraine with aura, active migraine without aura, past history of migraine (but not within the last year) or no history of migraine. Women also provided information about diagnoses of depression.

A total of 6,456 women had current or past migraine. During an average 14 years of follow-up, 3,971 of the women developed depression. Women with any history of migraine were about 40 percent more likely to develop depression than women without a history of migraine. The results were the same regardless if a woman had migraine with aura, which involves visual disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zigzag lines or a temporary loss of vision.

“This is one of the first large studies to examine the association between migraine and the development of depression over time,” said Tobias Kurth, MD, Sc.D., with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Inserm in France and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “We hope our findings will encourage doctors to speak to their migraine patients about the risk of depression and potential ways to prevent depression.”

The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

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Remedy Informatics, the leading provider of integrated research management systems for Life Science and Translational research, announced that its Founder and CEO, Gary Kennedy, will participate as a speaker in the Integrated R&D Informatics and Knowledge Management Track on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and as an expert panelist on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Molecular Med TRI-CON Feb. 19-23, 2012, in San Francisco, Calif. (Booth #604).

Mr. Kennedy’s presentation on Tuesday, titled, “Aggregating & Harmonizing Disparate Data Sources: The Key to Pattern Recognition,” will address the fundamental data problems faced by life science and translational researchers – integrating research systems and breaking down silos, generating complete and accurate data sets, and making data accessible with easy-to-use pattern recognition tools. He will also describe how modern ontology-based informatics systems hosted in the cloud can provide a competitive advantage via predictive informatics.

The plenary keynote panel on February 15, titled, “Emerging Technologies & Industry Perspectives,” will offer conference attendees a look at “emerging and hot technologies in diagnostics, drug discovery and development, informatics, and oncology.” A Q&A discussion will also provide attendees an opportunity to interact with panel members.

More information regarding Mr. Kennedy’s talk or the expert panel discussion is available on the Molecular Med TRI-CON website, www.triconference.com.

Remedy will also demo Investigate, the world’s first integrated translational research management system at the conference. The product will be featured in the New Product Pavilion at Molecular Med TRI-CON.

“Investigate is designed to improve research efficiencies, facilitate pattern recognition and accelerate discoveries in translational research settings,” said Hank Wu, Director of Translational Informatics and Investigate product manager for Remedy.

Investigate is a unique tool available to translational researchers because it integrates next-generation sequencing systems with patient and disease registries and biospecimen management. Researchers benefit from:

• Aggregation of disparate data types from bench to bedside data sources with an intelligent ontology that harmonizes biospecimen, registry and outcomes data
• 360 degrees perspective of phenotypic and genotypic data for subjects, patients, diseases
• Configurability that keeps up with the pace of research, without waiting for software coding or database administration
• Multi-site, cross disease research collaboration without the cost and complexity of infrastructure building and maintenance
• A suite of reporting, analysis, and data visualization tools that enable drag-and-drop reporting by researchers, scientists, and clinicians without writing SQL

Investigate was recently selected by SAIC-Frederick, the operations contractor for the National Cancer Institute’s Frederick, Md. campus, as the research informatics platform for ten high profile cancer research laboratories to integrate lab information management systems (LIMS), study design and tracking, patient registries, and data mining and visualization.

Remedy will demonstrate Investigate at BOOTH #604 at the Molecular Med TRI-CON 2012 conference in San Francisco, Calif. beginning Feb. 21 – Feb. 23.

Image Courtesy of   Dikiiy / Shutterstock.com

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Have you dyed or relaxed your hair? Do you put on lipstick before you head out to work? Do you paint your nails? Many women have a beauty routine or beauty products that they regularly use. Have you ever worried that yours might increase your risk for cancer? Before you panic and cancel your appointment at the salon, read on—it’s time to break down some beauty-related cancer fact and fiction.

Hair Dye: It is estimated that more than one-third of women over age 18 and about 10 percent of men over age 40 use some type of hair dye.  Hair dyes are full of chemicals—5,000, to be precise—and that hasn’t escaped the notice of cancer researchers. Decades ago, researchers began studying chemicals used in hair dye.

They found that early dye formulations contained chemicals that could cause cancer in animals. Not surprisingly, manufacturers changed the formulas and eliminated some of these chemicals in the United States around 1980. Because so many people use hair dyes, researchers continue to monitor whether chemicals in hair coloring products can increase risk for cancer in humans.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the evidence for increased risks for cancer from modern hair dyes use is limited and inconsistent. Some studies have indicated that people who used hair dyes had an increased risk for bladder and breast cancer, as well as cancers of the blood and bone marrow (such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia), while other studies have not.

Based on its review of the evidence, the Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that personal use of hair dyes is “not classifiable” as cancer-causing to humans. So it is still unclear if personal use of hair dyes can increase your risk for cancer.

If you would like to learn more about hair dye and health risks, the Outreach and Information Center of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has information about hair dyes and how they are regulated.

Hair Straightening: If you or your stylist uses hair smoothing or straightening products keep in mind that some of these products contain formaldehyde. Although formaldehyde is naturally occurring and is also used widely in many consumer products, this chemical is a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) and can also cause skin irritation and sensitization. 

People can be exposed to formaldehyde in the workplace and in their home environment, but the highest levels are found in work settings where formaldehyde is produced or used. In a salon, formaldehyde levels are elevated when formaldehyde-containing products are being applied, but they quickly return to a lower level.

Remember that although your cancer risk from these hair products may be low, both hair dyes and straightening products contain chemicals that can hurt your skin, hair, and eyes especially if you are not careful or do not use them as intended.

Nail Products: When you head in for a manicure and you see the manicurist wearing a dust mask, you may have wondered about your own safety too. Nail salon workers wear dust masks to minimize breathing in dust particles when filing or shaping artificial nail enhancements.  Dust masks are intended to prevent inhalation of dust, but they do not protect against inhalation of chemicals.

Professional nail care products are typically formulated to minimize exposure to hazardous chemicals that may cause adverse health effects.  However, overexposure may occur and could result in skin irritation, allergic reaction, or serious eye injury. If you work at a nail salon, own a salon, or just want to learn more, check out the publication Protecting the Health of Nail Salon Workers by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The publication helps workers understand product ingredients and how to prevent overexposure to those that present potential health risks. As with any cosmetic product that may be hazardous if misused, you should read labels of nail products carefully and heed any warnings. But as far as cancer is concerned, there is no known risk associated with using nail products.

Lipstick: Some of the natural colors used in lipstick contain trace amounts of lead.  The National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health says that lead and lead products are “reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens.”

However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead and determined that there is no safety concern because lipstick is intended for topical use and is only ingested incidentally and in small quantities. Always use your lipstick only as directed and keep the products away from children.

With all the news coverage out there claiming this product or that product may cause cancer, it sometimes may be hard to figure out what’s safe, what’s hazardous, and what’s plain, old sensationalized.

One way to minimize the damage and fear caused by misinformation is to identify respected sources—such as the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) or Food and Drug Administration—and use them as primary resources for your health information.   Knowing the facts is one way to keep your beauty routine good-looking inside and out.

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“Now that the lead National Cancer Institute researcher on the abortion/cancer link has reversed herself and warned of abortion as a significant risk factor for breast cancer,” says Lolita Hanks, nurse practitioner and president of American Right To Life, “the pro-life pressure on Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen is increasing.”

“Louise A. Brinton was largely responsible for getting the government-funded NCI to deny the abortion-breast cancer link,” said Darrell Birkey, research director for ARTL, “and she has now reversed herself and co-authored a study which includes ‘induced abortion’ as a significant breast cancer risk factor.”

Brinton and her co-authors wrote in the peer-reviewed Cancer Epidemiology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, “Specifically, older age, family history of breast cancer, earlier menarche age, induced abortion, and oral contraceptive use were associated with an increased risk for breast cancer.”

Endocrinologist Joel Brind, Ph.D. of Baruch College in New York City, dissented at the NCI’s conference that rejected the abortion link to breast cancer, a conference organized by Brinton. Professor Brind says, “The 2003 conference of the National Cancer Institute which denied abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer refused to allow attending scientists to present the opposing position of the scientific research establishing the link, showing that abortion was declassified as a cancer risk for political and not scientific reasons.”

“Following that political correctness,” says Hanks, “Komen is claiming they have halted funding to Planned Parenthood because a Republican chairman of a House sub-committee has inquired into their financial practices. We suspect the real reason is the growing evidence that abortion significantly increases the incidence of breast cancer.”

“The NCI’s own statistics show that breast cancer has increased, and only in women who were of child-bearing age when abortion was legalized in 1973,” said Brind, “so much so that nationally, cancer would have steadily declined, except it has held steady at the expense of women getting breast cancer.”

And Prof. Brind suggests that Komen now correct a factual error on their website which claims that, “the breast is mature after puberty.” Actually, “third trimester pregnancy hormones begin the final maturation process and the differentiation of mammary gland cells,” said Brind, a recognized expert in the field. “Abortion prevents this, leaving the woman with more undifferentiated cells vulnerable to carcinogens, increasing her risk of breast cancer.”

An ARTL state chapter, Colorado Right To Life, has protested Komen’s Race for the Cure for a decade, and met with Komen officials in Denver. As transcribed from a recording of the meeting, Komen’s public relations representative, Dana Brandorff was asked by CRTL’s Leslie Hanks, “Why aren’t women being told that abortion is the most preventable risk factor?” to which Brandorff answered, “We tend to focus on the cure… we’re focusing our energies on that, rather than the preventative.”

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New anti-tumor compounds produced by Dr.Aleem Gangjee, Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Pharmacy at Duquesne University’s Mylan Schoolof Pharmacy, show such promise for fighting hard-to-treat tumors that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has placed them on its fast track for development.

These agents fight breast and other cancers that become resistant to Taxol and other medications. Preliminary data show that the compounds kill tumor cells without toxicity to normal cells—avoiding the sickness that accompanies most existing cancer-fighters.

“One of the limitations of current cancer treatment is drug toxicity; it necessitates discontinuation of the drug, even if it is effective,” Gangjee said. “Because our compounds are not expected to sicken patients and normal cells, it could be continued without toxicity.”

The NIH’s National Cancer Institute checks hundreds of promising compounds and those showing the greatest potential are fast tracked. Three compounds from Gangjee are in this category.

These water-soluble compounds are easy to make and inhibit tumor cells at low concentrations. The agents are like Trojan horses, effective at tricking cancer cells into accepting them as a building block used to feed tumors.

With more than 1.5 million new cases of cancer diagnosed a year, Gangjee’s compounds could positively impact many lives.

Gangjee, who holds four concurrent NIH grants, has received more than 25 patents in 20 years of research at Duquesne, including a recent patent for treatment of ovarian cancer. Ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancers are difficult to detect until later stages—and this drug works particularly well in late-stage treatment, unlike many current therapies.

During the past 40 years, Gangjee’s research has sprung from the inspiration of his family’s own experience. When Gangjee was 20 years old, his grandmother died from breast cancer. The loss turned Gangjee away from a corporate future as an industrial chemist and propelled him into medicinal chemistry and a career focused on fighting cancer.

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Kick off 2012 in style with ShoeDazzle and the newest member of the fast-growing ‘Celebrity Shoe Design Program for Charity,’ actress, model and mother of three – Denise Richards. Joining forces with ShoeDazzle designers, Richards has created a light pink and gold embellished peep-toe sling-back pump, with a gold metallic pin-heel in honor of her mom, who passed away from kidney cancer. The shoe will be available in ShoeDazzle showrooms on January 16th.

100% of the profits from sales of her shoe will be donated to the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA), a charitable organization which helps fund, promote and collaborate with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Urological Association (AUA), and other institutions, on research projects.

In addition, one lucky fan will have lunch with Denise Richards. Four runners-up in this special contest will receive an iPod Shuffle. To be eligible to win the luncheon, contestants must upload a short video explaining why they want to win and must join the new KidneyCancer.me (http://kidneycancer.me) website. Contest details are available online at LunchWithDenise.com.

“Fashion has always been a passion of mine and I especially love shoes. What woman doesn’t love a feminine, yet sexy pump in her collection? Teaming up with ShoeDazzle to help a charity I admire and a cause that is particularly dear to me because of my mother provided an amazing opportunity to combine my passions,” said Richards. ”I decided to name the shoe after my baby Eloise because she has been such a blessing in my life.”

“It has been such a pleasure working with Denise as she helps to create awareness of kidney cancer and the need for a cure,” commented the Kidney Cancer Association vice president, Carrie Konosky. ”Despite being busy with her role on Spike TV’s hit series, ‘Blue Mountain State,’ while taking care of three children, Denise has always been incredibly generous about making time to help us.”

Prior to Denise’s shoe release, ShoeDazzle partnered with Perez Hilton, Carson Kressley, LaLa Anthony, Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra, singer Mel B and actresses Kristin Cavallari, Kristen Bell and Kristin Chenoweth for the ‘Celebrity Shoe Design Program for Charity.’

Image Courtesy of  worldswildlifewonders / Shutterstock.com

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On December 19, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) praised Senator Scott Brown for his support for the first comprehensive lung cancer legislation now pending action in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, S. 752 and H.R. 1394, is a bicameral, bipartisan call to action on the leading cause of cancer death.  Senator John Kerry is one of the primary sponsors of the Senate bill that was introduced earlier this year. Other supporters from the Massachusetts congressional delegation include Congressman Barney Frank, Stephen Lynch, John Olver and John Tierney.

Lung Cancer Alliance’s President & CEO Laurie Fenton-Ambrose said, “We are thrilled to see this strong bi-partisan recognition of the urgent need to have a better plan of action to address all aspects of lung cancer which we hope will continue to grow and include all members of the Massachusetts delegation.”

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, nationally and in every ethnic group. According the National Cancer Institute estimates, this year, in Massachusetts more people will die of lung cancer – 3,490 – more than the combined total of deaths due to breast cancer (760), colon cancer (980) and prostate cancer (640).

Diane Legg, LCA-New England Co-Director said, “As a seven year survivor of lung cancer, it is reassuring to know that our elected leaders have heard our stories, have become better educated about the disease and have become proponents of a call to action that would put life-saving, cost-saving, cancer reducing benefits in motion.”

Rich Monopoli, LCA-New England Co-Director said, “Sadly, the impact of lung cancer goes beyond epidemic yet few people even know that today 80% of lung cancer patients have never smoked or had already quit, often decades ago.  That is why support for a more coordinated and comprehensive plan for this disease is so important – as it will help reduce lung cancer’s stigma and reverse decades of neglect.

The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act is win-win for all and I am hopeful that the entire Massachusettsdelegation and their New England colleagues will join our call to action.” LCA has been building a network of support for the call to action which includes leading research, veterans, and minority health and labor organizations.

The legislation, H.R. 1394 in the House and S. 752 in the Senate, calls for the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense and Affairs to develop a coordinated research, prevention, early detection and treatment effort with the specific goal of cutting lung cancer mortality in half by the end of the decade.

Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit dedicated to providing support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer.  LCA is committed to reversing decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for lung cancer, elevating awareness and changing health policy at both the federal and state level. For more information visit: www.lungcanceralliance.org.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/massgovernor/

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