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Happily Married Couples Live Longer than Their Unhappy Counterparts - A Positive Marriage Results in Lower Levels of the Stress Hormone Cortisol Says Ohio State Study

For two decades Ohio State University has been studying 90 couples from the time they were newlyweds to learn about how personal relationships affect health. Specifically, the study has focused on how stress impacts the body’s immune system. The conclusion: Happily Married Couples Live Longer Than Their Unhappy Counterparts

Plymouth, MI (PRWEB) March 7, 2005 -- Not only is a healthy marriage important to your emotional well being but also will likely be a reason why you are going to live a long life.

Recent studies make it clear that finding the right mate will not only boost your mental health but will help men and women live longer.

For two decades Ohio State University has been studying 90 couples from the time they were newlyweds to learn about how personal relationships affect health. Specifically, the study has focused on how stress impacts the body’s immune system.

The major finding is that a positive marriage relationship results in lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The lower the level of cortisol the faster body begins healing. The study has found happily married older couples face less risk of infectious diseases.

Couples living in an unhappy marriage produced higher levels of cortisol and experienced poor health. While men benefit more form a happy marriage an unhappy marriage will take a deeper toll on women.

A related conclusion is that because people can choose to be happily married every married person also can choose whether to be healthy or sick by successfully dealing with marital issues or ignoring them and letting them fester. Advice on how to build a happy marriage, and avoid the stress of a sick relationship, is given by five experts in the recently published book, The Marriage Medics. www.themarriagemedics.com

The Marriage Medics, (ISBN- 0-9760844-0-6) by Cynthia Cooper Ph.D. shares the reasons why some couples fall head-first into divorce and others walk away restored and emotionally healthy. Couples who rescue their relationships seem to do so by using a network of support.

The Marriage Medics collects your ideal relationship support network into a single book. Each of the five experts contributing to the book has seen hundreds of divorces from their unique professional perspective, and each knows exactly what factors can determine success or failure.

Cooper is a clinical psychotherapist who has counseled couples and families for decades on how better to relate to each other. Cooper has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, human science research and education. Other experts cited in The Marriage Medics are:
• Daniel B. Smith, a bank executive.
• Dr, Patti Britton, sex coach, clinical sexologist.
• Commander Bobbitti May, a U.S. Navy chaplain
• John Hunt, Las Vegas attorney specializing in family law

The Marriage Medics can be purchased for $29.95 by credit card or PayPal by going to www.themarriagemedics.com For information on the cortisol study contact Dr. Joyce Glasser, director of the psychiatry department at the University of Ohio.

7 Things to Know About How Stress Affects Your Body
March 5, 2005

1. Fight or flight instance: Rushing to meet deadlines, arguing with your spouse, sitting in traffic jams - all are part of modern life and all are stressful. Your body reacts as if you were facing a physical threat. This "fight-or-flight" reaction helped humans years ago to fight aggressors or run from predators. But the reaction, if constantly activated, can cause you health problems.

2. Pituitary gland: When you experience stress, your pituitary gland (at the base of your brain) releases a burst of hormone that signals your adrenal glands (on top of your kidneys) to release a flood of other hormones into your body. These hormones will focus your concentration, speed up your reactions and increase your strength. When the stressful situation is over, the levels of these hormones decrease. But if you face stress often, your body doesn't have time to recover and affects many of your body's processes.

3. Digestive system: Stress can give you a stomach ache or diarrhea. Hormones can slow the release of stomach acid and the emptying of the stomach, or they can stimulate the colon, which speeds the passage of its contents. Frequent stress also can cause high levels of cortisol, which can increase appetite and cause weight gain.

4. Immune system: You may become more susceptible to colds and other infections. Or sometimes stress causes the opposite reaction. Your immune system may become overactive. That leads to a greater chance of autoimmune diseases in which your immune system attacks your body's own cells.

5. Nervous system: Often experiencing the fight or flight response can give feelings of anxiety and helplessness. Stress has been linked to depression, sleep disturbances, loss of sex drive and loss of appetite.

6. Cardiovascular system: High levels of cortisol can raise your heart rate and blood pressure as well as levels of cholesterol and triglyceride - all risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. Cortisol levels also are linked to people developing abdominal fat, which also leads to a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.

7. So what can you do? Try to eliminate some of the stress from your life, and learn better ways to deal with the stress. Exercising can be helpful. So can getting adequate rest and a healthy diet. Practice this deep-breathing exercise: Inhale through your nose as you count to 10. Then exhale slowly and completely, also to a count of 10. Do this five to 10 times several times a day.

Source: The Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com)

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Growth Hormone Treatment Improves Symptoms of Metabolic Disorder in Postmenopausal Women

CHEVY CHASE, Md., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers in Sweden have discovered that growth hormone (GH) treatment may result in the reduction of multiple metabolic disorders associated with abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women. Published today in the March issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, these findings demonstrate the important role growth hormone treatment may play in reducing serious metabolic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Typically, GH is known for its importance in the growth of a child, but it also has powerful metabolic effects in adults. A previous trial of GH treatment in men with abdominal obesity demonstrated reduction in abdominal fat mass and beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and lipids. Many postmenopausal women experience a natural increase in obesity, particularly an increase of intra-abdominal fat, which refers to fat that is stored in and around the internal organs.

Dr. Gudmundur Johannsson and his research team at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden investigated the effect of GH treatment for one year on insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women with abdominal adiposity. They also studied the effects of the hormone on abdominal fat, hepatic fat content and size of the thigh muscle area.

The team discovered that the GH treatment in postmenopausal women significantly reduced their intra-abdominal fat, increased thigh muscle area, reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration, and improved insulin sensitivity. The placebo group did not experience these positive results.

"Previous research has shown that obesity is linked to metabolic syndrome, which has several known risk factors including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, increased levels of fasting glucose and an increase in waist circumference," explains Dr. Johansson. "The results of our study suggest that growth hormone treatment has a favorable effect on multiple metabolic disorders associated with abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women."

This information may offer a treatment option for doctors who treat postmenopausal women and may reduce the metabolic consequences associated with intra-abdominal fat accumulation.

JCE&M is one of four journals published by The Endocrine Society. Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones, and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Endocrinologists are specially trained doctors who diagnose, treat and conduct basic and clinical research on complex hormonal disorders such as diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, obesity, hypertension, cholesterol and reproductive disorders. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 12,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students, in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit the Society's web site at http://www.endo-society.org.

SOURCE The Endocrine Society
03/08/2005 06:00 ET

(Requests for offprints should be addressed to E De Miguel del Campo, Research Unit Cirugía Experimental, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Castellana 261, 28046 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein DNA polymerase that has been associated with cell proliferation, cell survival and apoptosis inhibition. Telomerase is regulated by specific growth factors, cytokines and hormones.

The present study examines the effect of growth hormone (GH) on telomerase activity and identifies the signal transduction pathway involved in this process in CHO4 cells, which express the rat GH receptor (GHR) cDNA. Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP) assays demonstrated that treating CHO4 cells with increasing high doses of GH up-regulated telomerase activity with the maximum activation at 24h. Similarly, GH activated telomerase in another cell system such as primary culture of hepatocytes. The telomerase activation, in CHO4 cells, was produced with an increase in hamster telomerase catalytic subunit (hamTERT) mRNA expression. The telomerase activity induced by GH was specifically blocked by the phosphatidylinositol 3´- kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor, LY294002, but not by the MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, PD98059. These findings suggest that GH could activate telomerase through the direct activation of TERT transcription, as well as through PI3-K signalling pathway.

Journal of Endocrinology. Click here for the whole article

Premature birth lays time bomb for girls
The Sydney Morning Herald, New South Wales, Australia
By Jacqueline Maley
March 5, 2005

Being born prematurely can set off a chain reaction of hormone-related health problems in girls, Sydney doctors have shown for the first time.

Those born weeks before their due date, and who grow into overweight or obese children, are more likely to exhibit the first signs of puberty early, a study of 89 children, mostly girls, treated at Sydney Children's Hospital has found. That in turn can trigger diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome - a hormone imbalance that can cause infertility.

Later, girls and boys will be at increased risk of heart disease, said Dr Kristen Neville, the pediatric endocrinologist who headed the study.

"Prematurity is not as benign as it was thought to be, and not only for the dangers at birth," Dr Neville said. She cautioned parents against building the weight of their premature newborns above normal proportions, saying it could exacerbate their disease risk.

The study, which reviewed the medical history of 79 girls and 10 boys with early onset adrenal puberty - which pertains to the growth of pubic hair and the stimulation of the sweat glands - found 65 per cent were overweight, compared with 19 to 24 per cent of Australian children in the general population.

"Being small at birth, or premature, is thought to put you at risk of excessive insulin production, which is then associated with precocious pubarche [early puberty], cardiovascular disease and overweight," Dr Neville said.

Doctors had previously linked small birth weight to health problems into adulthood, but this is the first time the connection has been made between prematurity at birth and health problems associated with childhood obesity.

It is not known why small and premature babies are at risk of hormonal problems as adults, but one theory is that the stress suffered in the womb by undersized babies triggers a "survival" reaction, which makes the child more likely to have an early puberty and, hence, early first birth.

The finding has long-reaching consequences for fertility, especially as more and more babies survive prematurity, said Martha Hickey, an associate professor from the School of Women's and Infants' Health at the University of Western Australia.

"The constellation of events, that might include being small at birth, being premature and having rapid catch-up growth, could now be associated ... with risks to the whole new area of reproductive health," she said.

An early first period, which follows the premature onset of puberty, was a risk factor for breast cancer, depression and heart disease, Professor Hickey said. Since early puberty is linked with menstrual problems, and infertility, the size of the problems caused by prematurity is not yet known.

"Potentially by triggering the reproductive clock at an early age, you may be adding to the current large burden of infertility in Australia," Professor Hickey said.

Ask the Doctor
Fat in liver can cause major problems
BY PAUL G. DONOHUE, M.D.
Mar 3, 2005

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been told I have a fatty liver. I have elevated liver enzymes in my blood. Can this lead to other problems? It is very hard to get any information on treatment and causes of fatty liver disease. -- C.K.

ANSWER: For many, an immoderate use of alcohol causes fat to infiltrate the liver. Stopping its use can usually siphon fat out of the liver.

There is another fatty liver condition that is not related to any alcohol use and is quite common. It is appropriately called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Most often, people who have it are completely unaware that it is present, since it seldom produces any symptoms. The condition is picked up incidentally when blood tests are ordered for reasons unrelated to anything that has to do with the liver. Liver enzymes are found to be elevated. A liver scan can suggest it, and a liver biopsy proves it.

Diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, medicines such as the cortisone drugs, and even large doses of vitamin A can bring it about. Metabolic syndrome -- a prevalent condition affecting as many as 20 percent of adults -- sows the seeds for it.

If liver fat simply sits in the liver, not a lot of harm is done. If it inflames liver cells and kills them, as it can do, then the process can proceed to extensive liver scarring -- cirrhosis -- so a fatty liver can be a signal to make serious life changes.

One change is weight loss. Another imperative for people with a fatty liver is to completely abstain from alcohol. People with metabolic syndrome (abnormal blood sugar, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides and obesity) have to adapt a diet that lowers both the blood sugar and blood triglycerides. A diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits and grains can usually bring that about. Exercise, the universal panacea, works for fatty liver too. It goes without saying that if a causative condition like diabetes is found, then its treatment is the treatment of choice.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter was diagnosed with acromegaly, which my friends and I have never heard of. Her symptoms included enlargement of her forehead, hands and feet. Her nose enlarged too. Her shoe size went from 9 to 11. After seeing many doctors, she insisted on a brain scan, which showed a pituitary tumor. She has just had surgery. I hope you will tell this to your readers so they can know its symptoms. -- R.A.

ANSWER: Acromegaly results from an overproduction of growth hormone caused by a pituitary tumor. Growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. In adults, growth hormone causes enlargement of soft tissues throughout the body. The forehead bulges, so hat size increases, as do shoe and glove sizes. The jaw can jut forward, and spaces between the teeth appear. The nose often grows bigger.

Internal organs, including the heart, can also increase in size, and that presents a grave health danger.

Treatment entails removing the pituitary tumor.

Neurocrine Biosciences Announces Positive Phase I Results With Its Orally Active GnRH Receptor Antagonist
Wednesday March 2, 7:00 am ET
Phase II Studies to Be Initiated in Second Quarter 2005

SAN DIEGO, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX - News) announced positive results from the Company's Phase I clinical trial with its proprietary, orally active small molecule Gonadotropin- Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist. The trial was designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of two dose levels of NBI-56418 given once daily for 6 weeks in 60 healthy pre- menopausal women. The study demonstrated that NBI-56418 was safe and well tolerated. NBI-56418 demonstrated a dose-dependent suppression of estradiol that was observed throughout the duration of dosing.

The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 60 healthy pre-menopausal women randomized equally to one of three treatment groups: placebo, 50mg of NBI-56418, or 150mg of NBI-56418 each administered for 42 days. Dosing started on Day 2 to Day 7 following the onset of the menstrual cycle.

On day 42 of the study there were reductions of 40% and 79% in mean estradiol concentration in the 50mg and 150mg dose groups respectively compared with that in the placebo group. At times prior to day 42 of the study, the data showed early achievement of estradiol suppression. There was markedly less variability in estradiol concentration in treated subjects, particularly those in the 150 mg group. The estradiol concentrations achieved in this study are comparable with those associated with efficacy of other agents known to be effective in endometriosis. Additionally, because estradiol suppression is not complete, the data suggest that it may be possible to achieve efficacy and avoid the adverse impact of other hormonal treatments for the condition.

"As in our previous Phase I studies, we have once again shown that our GnRH antagonist can modulate estradiol levels. Since the effects of reduction in estradiol have been well correlated with a reduction of pain and other symptoms of endometriosis, we believe our GnRH antagonist will have significant therapeutic application in endometriosis," said Dr.Wendell Wierenga, Executive Vice President of Research and Development for Neurocrine Biosciences. "Based on these data, doses have been selected for a 3-month Phase II study evaluating NBI-56418 in patients with endometriosis, which is expected to be initiated in the 2nd Quarter of 2005," added Wierenga.

Background

GnRH is a neuroendocrine peptide which stimulates the secretion of the pituitary LH, which in turn stimulates the production of estrogen by the ovary or testosterone by the testes. The most widely prescribed drugs which modulate the GnRH receptor are peptide agonists, such as, Lupron(R) and Zoladex(R), with estimated combined sales in excess of $2.5 billion worldwide (2003). These compounds are administered as injectable depots which act by first stimulating then eventually inhibiting the secretion of pituitary LH and consequently, estrogen or testosterone production. GnRH peptide agonists have proven clinically useful in the treatment hormone dependent diseases such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, prostate cancer and breast cancer, as well as being used for assisted-reproductive therapy. Despite a multitude of potential applications, deleterious consequences of GnRH agonist therapy, especially permanent bone loss in women's health diseases, have limited the useful duration of treatment.

NBI-56418, discovered and developed within Neurocrine, is a specific highly potent non-peptide, orally active antagonist of the GnRH receptor. This compound inhibits pituitary LH secretion directly, potentially preventing the several week delay and flare associated with peptide agonist therapy. It is anticipated that an orally administered non-peptide small molecule GnRH antagonist would have distinct advantages over peptide agonists with respect to the degree of down-regulation of GnRH receptors that can be readily adjusted by dose. This level of flexibility should permit modest rather than profound down-regulation of the sex hormones. This, in turn, would allow for a moderate amount of circulating estrogen, e.g., in endometriosis, to mitigate long-term bone demineralization. Neurocrine believes that orally active, non-peptide GnRH antagonists should provide the potential to eliminate hormone add-back therapy, a rapid onset of action, an increased dosing flexibility, and a greater patient acceptability over currently available treatments.

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a product-based biopharmaceutical company focused on neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders. Our product candidates address some of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world including insomnia, anxiety, depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, pain, and autoimmunity. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. news releases are available through the Company's website via the Internet at http://www.neurocrine.com

In addition to historical facts, this press release may contain forward- looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with Neurocrine's business and finances in general including the risks and uncertainties associated with, or arising out of, drug discovery, pre-clinical and clinical development of pharmaceutical products. Specifically, the Company faces risks and uncertainties arising out of it GnRH research and development program including risk that the GnRH receptor antagonist lead clinical candidate will not proceed to later stage clinical trials; risk that should the lead GnRH antagonist candidate prove unsuitable for continued development, the Company will not be successful in identifying alternative GnRH antagonist products that are safe and effective; risk relating to the Company's dependence on contract manufacturers for GnRH antagonist product clinical drug supply and compliance with regulatory requirements for marketing approval; risks that the Company may be dependent on corporate collaborators for commercial manufacturing and marketing and sales activities for its GnRH antagonist products; uncertainties relating to patent protection for the Company's GnRH antagonist products and intellectual property rights of third parties; risks and uncertainties relating to competitive products and technological changes that may limit demand for the Company's GnRH antagonist products; risk that the Company will be unable to raise additional funding required to complete development of its GnRH antagonist product candidates; and the other risks described in the Company's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Neurocrine undertakes no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release after the date hereof.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to some previous reports, a new study suggests that people who suffer with severe, disabling ringing in the ears known as tinnitus are unlikely to find relief with steroid injections in the ringing ear. The authors of the study think drug therapies directed to the central nervous system, retraining therapy, and masking strategies may be more promising avenues of treatment for troubling tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a common disorder, estimated to affect 36 million Americans. It can arise from a number of causes, from ear wax build-up to medication side effects to hearing loss. For some people, the noise is persistent and bothersome enough to interfere with daily life.

In their study, researchers from Brazil randomly assigned 36 individuals with disabling tinnitus to receive middle-ear injections of either dexamethasone solution or inactive saline once a week for 4 weeks.

Steroid injections were no better than saline injections in relieving tinnitus, Dr. Mercedes F. S. Araujo and colleagues at the Brasilia University Medical School report in the medical journal Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

Twenty-nine percent of ears in the saline group and 33 percent of ears in the steroid group improved with treatment.

Moreover, the ringing in the ears that had initially improved eventually returned to the same intensity as before treatment over the next month.

SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, February 2005.