Women With Certain Types Of Migraines Have Higher Risk Of Heart Disease; Many Study Authors Did Not Report Ties To Pharmaceutical Companies

Women who have migraines with visual problems have increased risk for heart disease, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Long Island Newsday reports. For the study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital analyzed the records of 27,800 women older than age 45 who participated in the Women's Health Initiative. None of the women had heart disease when they entered the study between 1992 and 1995. Researchers focused on the records of 5,125 women who had a history of migraines. According to the study, participants who had migraines with migraine aura had more than twice the normal risk for major cardiovascular events. Migraine aura "is a visual sensation -- like lights flashing or lines zigzagging, with some reports of temporary blindness" -- that often lasts for 20 minutes to one hour before migraines begin, Newsday reports. Women who had migraines without migraine aura did not have an increased risk for major cardiovascular events, the study finds. Lead study author Tobias Kurth said that researchers did not determine the cause of the link between migraine aura and heart disease and that the increased risk was small, with about 18 additional cases of heart disease per 10,000 women with migraine aura. Mark Gudesblatt, a neurologist at South Shore Neurologic Associates, said, "It's an important study because it tells you not to take these things lightly" (Talan, Long Island Newsday, 7/19).

Study Authors Did Not Report Financial Ties
The six authors of the study did not disclose to JAMA that they have consulted for, or received research funds from, pharmaceutical companies that manufacture treatments for heart disease or migraines, the AP/Miami Herald reports. JAMA in January implemented a policy that requires financial disclosures from researchers before acceptance of studies for publication, and an editorial published in the journal last week indicated that "JAMA was getting tougher as a result of ... recent breaches" of the policy, the AP/Herald reports. JAMA Editor in Chief Catherine DeAngelis said that journal editors were not aware of the financial ties until the Associated Press informed her about them last week. The authors said they did not report the financial ties because the study does not promote a treatment. JAMA on Tuesday published online a letter from the authors of the study to explain their failure to disclose the financial ties, as well as a response from DeAngelis and a correction. DeAngelis said that the letter, her response and the correction will appear in a future print edition of JAMA. "Let me decide what's pertinent or not," DeAngelis said, adding, "Authors should always err on the side of full disclosure." Kurth in an interview said that the financial ties "do not represent a conflict of interest" (Tanner, AP/Miami Herald, 7/19).

WSJ Examines Issue
In related news, the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how a "spate of recent lapses" from several medical journals has prompted "calls for more journals to ban offending authors from publication." In addition, "medical schools are being urged to regulate relationships between their researchers and industry more closely," the Journal reports. Sheldon Krimsky, a professor at Tufts University who has studied the issue, said, "If journals are going to have ethical standards and if those ethical standards are going to mean anything, there has to be sanctions associated with them." However, many journal editors "are reluctant to ban authors, partly out of concern these researchers will shop their work to a different publication," the Journal reports. DeAngelis has asked medical schools to investigate potential conflicts of interests among their researchers and issue sanctions when appropriate. She said that sanctions have resulted each time she has asked medical schools to investigate their researchers. Jerome Kassirer, a former New England Journal of Medicine editor, said that medical schools require "more stringent policies" because "faculty members are just up to their ears in financial conflicts and academic medical centers are just not doing anything about it" (Armstrong, Wall Street Journal, 7/19).















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In Inaugural Address, Obama Vows To 'Restore Science' To 'Rightful Place'

President Obama on Tuesday in his inaugural address pledged that the U.S. "will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost," the New York Times reports. As one of his first steps, Obama is expected to rescind former President George W. Bush's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research next week, in contrast to the Bush administration which, according to the Times, "sought to tame, and in some cases suppress the findings of many of the government's scientific agencies" on issues such as stem cells, sex education and contraceptives.

According to Raynard Kington, acting director of NIH, during the Bush administration "there was a fair degree of discussion and one might even say tension between the views of the agency" and those of the administration regarding stem cell research. Kington said NIH is "prepared to respond quickly" to implement stem cell research policy changes, adding that the process could take months. According to Obama transition officials, the new administration also plans to loosen existing regulations regarding oversight on federal scientific agencies. Although reversing the current policies could take time, "[i]f you look at the science world, you see a lot of happy faces," Frank Press, former president of the National Academy of Sciences and former science adviser to former President Carter, said. Press added that scientists are hopeful because of Obama's "recognition of what science can do to bring this country back in an innovative way."

According to some analysts, the biggest challenges for the new administration might involve funding priorities, particularly during the current economic downturn. However, Obama's proposed stimulus package already contains funding provisions for several scientific agencies, Ken Koizumi, senior budget analyst at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said. According to Koizumi, this proposal is "an early indication that the administration will go for more science funding in priority areas, even at a time of big deficits" (Harris/Broad, New York Times, 1/21).


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Women With MS Need Individual Support

The women who I asked would like to have time and opportunity to express grief and vulnerability in contact with health services. They also expect a response based on their individual situation and needs, "said Malin Olsson, Ph.D. at Lule?? University of Technology.


The purpose of Malin Olsson's research is to describe women's experience of living with MS: She has interviewed 25 women with MS, focusing on their daily lives, experiences of extreme tiredness, treatment and their experiences of feeling well. The illness MS means a big change for the women affected, according to Malin Olsson,


-- It's about to go from being healthy and independent to being dependent on others to meet the basic needs of daily life, "she says.


The study shows that woman's experiences of changing relationships between one's own body, self and the outside world is the knowledge needed to identify the individual experiences of women living with MS. This in turn is a precondition for the health care system to be able to communicate on the conditions of women and understand their situation.


Malin Olsson also shows in her research that women living with MS in today's individualistic society are more likely than before at greater risk to be discriminated in their everyday lives.


-- To not feel equal and involved in a community with others is in itself exclusion, "she says.


Source: Lulea University of Technology

Young Women Prefer Individually Tailored Weight Loss Advice

The word is out - young women want
personally tailored nutrition advice and information when it comes to weight loss.
Over 80% of young women are trying to lose weight but are confused about the best way
to achieve this a study published by Wiley-Blackwell in the June 2007 issue of Nutrition
& Dietetics - the official Journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, including
the Journal of the New Zealand Dietetic Association - has found.



The study is the first in Australia to examine women's views on different approaches to
weight loss, their preferences on how the program are delivered (e.g. individual versus
group sessions), and likelihood of participation.



Lead author Dr. David Crawford, Associate Head at the School of Exercise and Nutrition
Services at Deakin University, said, "Our study suggests young women are moving away
from weight loss groups and classes, with 58% preferring to receive individual face-toface
advice on weight loss from a health professional. They want information on a range
of topics including meal planning, cooking, low-fat recipes and how to better manage
stress."



Co-author Dr. Kylie Ball, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Physical Activity and
Nutrition Research, Deakin University added, "This request for information also suggests
they don't currently have access to good quality information about healthy eating and
being physically active, or that the abundance of information that is currently available
simple serves to confuse them. They would also be more likely to participate in a weight
loss program if it was tailored to their needs".



Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of
Australia, Tara Diversi, sees many women in her practice who want to lose weight and
says the study findings confirm what many dietitians already know. "Many of the women lots of different weight loss programs that haven't worked. The key to success is giving
people the information they want and the confidence to eat in a way that is right for them.
APDs work out an eating plan that meets each person's specific needs and fits with their
lifestyle so they can stick with it for life" Ms Diversi said.



This paper is published in the June 2007 issue of