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Aug 15, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- PAINKILLERS PLUS PREGNANCY COULD EQUAL MISCARRIAGE
A study suggests mothers-to-be who take aspirin or some other painkillers during their pregnancy greatly increase their risk of suffering a miscarriage. Such use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin raises the risk of losing the baby by 80 percent, researchers report in the British Medical Journal. The California study of 1,055 pregnant women found the risk was even higher when NSAIDs or aspirin were taken around the time of conception or were used for longer than a week. The drugs work by suppressing the production of prostaglandins, fatty acids needed for successful implantation of an embryo in the womb. No such connection was found in women using paracetamol during pregnancy. Women trying to conceive should keep NSAID use to a minimum, the researchers advised.
TOMATO A DAY KEEPS DISEASE AWAY?
Research indicates tomatoes and tomato products may help women ward off cancer and heart disease. The fruit contains lycopene, beta carotene and antioxidant tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols and the carotenoids phytoene and phytofluene. These may add an extra line of defense against breast, ovarian and endometrial caners and might help cut the risk of heart disuse and high blood pressure, said Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School. In his review of 72 epidemiological studies, he found 52 pointed to the role of tomatoes and tomato products in reducing the risk of a variety of cancers. In particular, lycopene combined with phytoene and phytofluene has been shown to interfere with breast and endometrial cancer cell growth, help prevent tumors, reduce the progression of new ones and decrease the threat of ovarian cancer, Giovannucci said.
DRUG PUNCHES OUT AIDS-RELATED CANCER
Researchers have found the drug endostatin, used to fight tumors, can deliver a one-two punch to the most common AIDS-related cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma. The compound works by preventing existing tumors from growing new blood vessels and by stopping the tumor cells from moving through the body, said lead study author Susan Mallery, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery and pathology at Ohio State University's College of Dentistry. The purple lesions of KS often appear on AIDS patients' palate and skin. Like other malignancies, the cancer relies on the formation of blood vessels to provide it with nourishment so it can thrive. KS is unique in that its cells both produce and respond to substances called growth factors, giving the tumors an added advantage. "A controlled, sustained and local release of endostatin might be a good approach when treating human patients with KS," Mallery said.
ENDOSTATIN EFFECTIVE AGAINST HEAD AND NECK CANCERS
Scientists also say endostatin gives a one-two punch to head and neck cancer cells. The compound prevents the cells from developing new blood vessels and hinders the mechanism cancer cells use to migrate throughout the body and invade other tissues. The cancers originate on the epithelium, the tissue covering skin and other outermost surfaces of the body. Kaposi's sarcoma tumors arise from the endothelium, the cells that line blood vessels. "The vast majority of endostatin studies have concentrated on endostatin's effects against endothelial cells and haven't focused on the drug's anti-tumorigenic possibilities," said Susan Mallery, the study's lead author and a professor oral of maxillofacial surgery and pathology at Ohio State College.
(Editors: For more information about PAINKILLERS, contact Emma Dickinson in the U.K. at +44612-798-7262 or ddavis@mediarelations.com. For AIDS, Susan Mallery at 614-292-5892 or Mallery.1@osu.edu. For NECK, Earle Holland at 614-292-8384 or holland.8@osu.edu)
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
