Physician Assistant - News & Articles

Statins do not increase risk of malignant melanoma in postmenopausal women

In a study headed by researchers at Wayne State University involving 119,726 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, there were 1099 incident cases of malignant melanoma over an average follow-up of 11.6 y. At the time of enrollment, 7.4% of the participants used statins. The annualized rate of malignant melanoma in the statin users and non-users was 0.09% (HR=1.14). Thus, statin use does not increase the risk of malignant melanoma in postmenopausal women.

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Simple, safe, effective, low-cost treatment for cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome

A phase III trial conducted at the University of Cagliari showed that either of two regimens were effective in the treatment of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome (CACS). Sixty patients were randomized to receive one of the following treatment interventions for 4 months: 1) L-carnitine (4 g/d) + celecoxib (300 mg/d); or 2) L-carnitine + celecoxib + megestrol acetate (320 mg/d). All patients also received polyphenols (300 mg/d), lipoic acid (300 mg/d), carbocysteine (2.7 g/d), and vitamins A, C, and E. Lean body mass (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and L3 computed tomography) and physical activity (6-min walk test) increased in both groups.

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HPA axis, metabolic impairment, and pediatric obesity

As published in BMC Medicine, elevated ACTH levels are associated with hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia, and elevated cortisol levels are associated with hypertension and high LDL-C in obese children and adolescents (n=450).

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