In The News This Week … June 8–14, 2008: Stem Cells, Smoking, Dementia, Men's Health, & Cell Phones

Adding Another Complexity to Stem Cells

A letter published online on June 8 in Nature Genetics reports that different stem cells may be working together within one organ, a finding which complicates prospects for using the cells to replace damaged tissue as a treatment for disease. When researchers used the gene Bmi1 to mark the presence of adult stem cells in the intestines of mice, they found that the specific cells were mostly in the upper third of the intestine, which means that at least one or two other types of adult stem cells must exist to maintain and repair the middle and lower thirds of the intestines. Researcher and Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Mario Capecchi said in a June 8 news release that it wouldn't be surprising to see that such complexity holds true for other organs as well, and, "People always thought about a uniform stem cell population in each organ, but now we are saying there are multiple stem cell populations in a given organ, so if you're going to do therapy, you have to recognize this complexity."

Smoking & the Mind

An investigation published in the June 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine looked at 4,659 participants in the UK's Whitehall II Study, who were aged 35 to 55 at baseline and followed for almost 20 years. Researchers found that not only was smoking associated with greater risk of poor memory, but that smokers were harder than nonsmokers to follow up for two reasons: One, that some were not able to or refused to take the cognitive tests again, and two, that "Middle-aged smokers are more likely to be lost to follow-up by death …." (Our italics.)

Charting Smoking's Risks for Patients

An article published online on June 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute describes how researchers created simple one-page charts to present the 10-year chance of dying from various causes according to age, sex, and smoking status. The charts, which present 10-year risks of dying from heart disease; stroke; lung, colon, breast, cervical, ovarian, and prostate cancer; pneumonia; influenza; AIDS; COPD; accidents; and all causes, were created using National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause of Death Public Use File for 2004 and data from the 2004 US Census. The charts show that at all ages, the 10-year risk of death from all causes combined is higher for men than women, and that the effect of smoking on the chance of dying is similar to the effect of adding five to 10 years of age, e.g., a 55-year-old man who smokes has about the same 10-year risk of death from all causes as a 65-year-old man who has never smoked. Researchers hope the charts may facilitate discussion about disease risk between doctors and patients and help highlight the dangers of smoking.

Light to Help Dementia

A contribution published in the June 11 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that exposure to bright light during daytime, whether by means of sunlight through large windows or added fluorescent lights, decreases mental deterioration in elderly patients with dementia by 5% compared to those not exposed. They also saw a 19% reduction in depressive symptoms among those exposed to more light. The findings were based on 189 residents of 12 group care facilities in the Netherlands, with an average age of 85.8 years (90% were female and 87% had dementia).

Vitamin D & Men's Health

A prospective study published in the June 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine concludes that low levels of vitamin D in men "… are associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction in a graded manner, even after controlling for factors known to be associated with coronary artery disease." The study involved a group of men aged 40 to 75, who were participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease at blood collection.

Cell Phone Use & Teens' Sleep

A paper presented at SLEEP 2008, the Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, looked at the effects of cell phone use on teens. Researchers followed 21 people between the ages of 14 and 20, who had regular schedules and no history of sleep problems, and who were divided into two groups: those who made less than five calls per day and/or sent less than five texts per day (the control group), and those who made more than 15 calls and/or 15 text messages per day (the experimental group). They found that the experimental group teens – those who excessively using their cell phone – seem to be more prone to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, and fatigue. Interestingly, researchers also found only one subject turned off the cell phone at night, and that while all controls had breakfast daily, 33% of the experimental group did not, and that those in the experimental group also spent more time on computers, and drank cola and alcohol more often.

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