Mayo studies genetic malady

            ROCHESTER , MN - Friedreich’s ataxia usually attacks a child or teenager. Symptoms are mild at first: muscle weakness in the arms and legs, vision impairment, and slurred speech; eventually, most patients become wheelchair-bound and succumb to heart failure later. There’s no cure, but Mayo Clinic scientists identified mutations in an enzyme that may contribute to the disease. Dr. Grazia Isaya, senior study author and Mayo specialist in Friedreich’s ataxia, says, “Their cognitive functions aren’t impaired, so they understand exactly what is happening to them.” Friedreich’s ataxia is inherited, neurodegenerative, and considered an orphan disease by the National Institutes of Health due to its rarity. It’s tied to a deficiency of frataxin, a protein that balances iron in mitochondria, structures that convert nutrients into energy for cells. A Mayo study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows mutations in a moonlighting enzyme, DLD, cut the enzyme’s primary role as a metabolizer while widening its role in breaking down frataxin, its second job.

            SAN FRANCISCO - A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court by injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans accused the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs of denying them disability pay and mental health treatment. The suit charges VA with having failed to provide prompt disability benefits, add staff to cut wait times for medical care, and boost services for post-traumatic stress disorder.

            WASHINGTON - Reuters Health disclosed outdated U.S. policies are keeping many U.S disabled from getting help they need, a panel said in a report faulting government inaction on this growing group’s needs. "Society must do more now before a crisis is upon us," Alan Jette, director of Boston University 's Health and Disability Research Institute and head of the Institute of Medicine panel, wrote. "Far too little progress has been made in the last two decades to prepare for aging of the baby boom generation and remove the obstacles that limit what too many people with physical and cognitive impairments can achieve," Jette added. The report looked at issues affecting the disabled, such as accessibility of buildings and other places, gaps in public programs such as those paying for wheelchairs and scooters, and health insurance coverage. The panel said younger and middle-aged people face increasing risk for future disability due to factors such as diabetes, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. This suggests the coming generation of elderly Americans may have more disabilities than the current one.

            ATLANTA - HealthDay News observed that as U.S. baby boomers go into late middle age, arthritis and other rheumatic conditions take more of healthcare spending. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report spanning 1997-2003, found a 25% jump in U.S. adults with these conditions. More than 46 million people suffer from arthritis versus 36.8 million in 1997. The annual tab to care for them: almost $81 billion, "a startling figure," said Louise Murphy, CDC epidemiologist on the report. "An aging population isn't something we can control. We really have to improve food consumption and ability to exercise," said Edward Yelin, professor of medicine and health at the University of California/San Francisco , and study lead author. Of nine million people newly diagnosed with such conditions in the study, 66% were aged 44-64. CDC stated most of the rise in these conditions were among people with other health worries, such as diabetes or heart conditions.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. disclosed new funding for educational materials about children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and to provide education and intensive training for healthcare professionals, educators, and the general public about Tourette Syndrome is at (www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5104).

            LONDON - Rheumatoid arthritis patients with certain genetic traits may be at higher risk of early death from heart disease or cancer, British scientists stated to HealthDay News. The study in Arthritis & Rheumatism tracked 767 people with rheumatoid arthritis for 18 years; 186 of participants died. The two major causes of death were cardiovascular disease (28.2%) and cancer (24.7%). Of those who died of heart disease or cancer, 32.6% had two gene variants. Researchers found rheumatoid arthritis patients with two variants generally died young than other such patients. This was especially evident among patients who died of ischemic heart disease: average age 67.8 years for those with two such variants. Researchers were surprised to find patients with the two gene types had no clinical evidence of heart disease up to one year before they died of a heart attack. They couldn't explain the link between these two types and higher risk of death from heart disease or cancer in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the Victims with Disabilities: Forensic Interview Techniques for Interviewing Victims with Communication and/or Cognitive Disabilities was released by the U.S. Dept. of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime. The 57-minute DVD has specific guidelines for law officers, prosecutors, interviewers, victim advocates, and others for interviewing adults and children with communication and/or cognitive disabilities. An interactive discussion guide with a complete transcript of the DVD and glossary of terms and concepts used is available. This DVD can be ordered through the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at www.ncjrs.gov/App/shoppingcart/ShopCart.aspx?item=NCJ %20212894&repro=0.

            ST. PAUL, MN - Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) were able to walk themselves longer and reduce scoliosis risk after getting daily steroid treatments for several years, states a Neurology study. DMD occurs in one in 3,500 boys; symptoms in early childhood progress rapidly, with loss of ability to walk between nine and 11. There’s no cure. Scientists reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus . Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years; the other boys hadn’t been treated or received a brief dose of steroids. The study found boys who got daily steroids walked alone 3.3 years more than untreated boys and had a scoliosis rate of 31% versus 91%. "This is the first study to show how treated boys are able to walk longer on their own," said study author Wendy King, physical therapist at OSU Medical Center . Boys with daily steroids had a higher risk of vertebral and leg fractures.

            PORTLAND , ME - U.S. worker disabilities are growing faster, forcing employers to accommodate more workplace maladies, studies show. More often this reflects poor nutrition and lack of exercise, researchers say. An aging workforce and expanding obesity lead to woes such as back pain, knee and hip injuries, and diabetes. Improved treatments for diseases such as cancer and heart disease mean some patients who would have died survive - with disabilities. Working women are becoming disabled faster than men; only 36% of employees have disability insurance. The Council for Disability Awareness, an insurance group, found more than 500,000 people received long-term disability payments from council members in 2006, up 4.4% from 2005, when claims rose 1.4%. Insurers paid $7.5 billion in claims last year, up 7.5% from 2005. Recipients of Social Security Disability Income grew 4.4% last year and grew 51% in 10 years, with women filing claims at nearly twice the rate as men. Such claims will grow due to labor shortages in an aging population as more baby boomers work past 65 or 70.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. disclosed the AARP Policy & Research Update (Vol. 3,Issue 14) covers income sources for people 50-64 unable to work due to disabilities or health conditions. The report highlights the distribution of such individuals and their major income sources by gender and race/ethnic group (www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/dd157_income.html).

            BOSTON - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) risk progression can be cut greatly by putting patients on interferon beta-1b before diagnosis is set, MedPage Today disclosed. For patients with a first demyelinating event pointing to MS, two years of subcutaneous interferon beta-1b cur disability progression risk at three years of additional follow-up by 40% versus patients with placebo, reported Dr. Mark S. Freedman, of the University of Ottawa . Disability progress was measured by the Expanded Disability Scale Score (EDSS), Dr. Freedman said at the American Academy of Neurology meeting. After three years of follow-up, patients who got interferon beta-1b at outset had a 41% lower risk of progression to clinically definite MS versus patients started on the drug later.

            BATON ROUGE, LA  - Research shows statins seem to protect against lung cancer. A large population study done by scientists at Louisiana State University and Overton Brooks VA Medical Center used data from a six-year period from the VA Health Care System. There were 483,733 patients - some with lung cancer and others without. Of the total, 7,280 had lung cancer and 163,662 were on statins. The statin use time was usage before lung cancer diagnosis or usage until data collection was done. Researchers found statin use of six or more months was tied to a lung cancer risk cut of 55%. Statin use of more than six months showed a lowered risk of lung cancer over all age groups, and despite race, smoking status, or body mass index. The study was in CHEST, peer-reviewed by the American College of Chest Physicians.