Feline Hyperthyroidism and Kidney Disease

Williams T, Elliott J, Syme H: Association of iatrogenic hypothyroidism with azotemia and reduced survival time in cats treated for hyperthyroidism, J Vet Intern Med 24:1086, 2010.

Within 6 months of treatment of hyperthyroidism, 17-49% of cats develop azotemia. Treatment to restore euthyroidism in cats results in a decrease in renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) which can lead to the development of azotemia if underlying chronic renal disease (CRD) is present. Antithyroid treatment could lead to iatrogenic hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism has been correlated with reduced GFR. The authors performed two retrospective studies. The first study was of 12 hyperthyroid cats treated with radioiodine and documented as euthyroid after treatment where changes were assessed in plasma thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration over a 6-month follow-up period. The second study was of 75 hyperthyroid cats, documented as euthyroid, that were monitored 6 months after starting treatment to identify the relationship between thyroid status and the development of azotemia. Plasma TSH concentrations were not suppressed in 7 of 8 cats with hypothyroidism 3 months after radioiodine treatment. The study concluded that cats with iatrogenic hypothyroidism were more likely to develop azotemia within 6 months after treatment for hyperthyroidism than cats defined as euthyroid. Hypothyroid cats with azotemia had shorter survival times than non-azotemic cats.  There was no difference in survival times of euthyroid cats with or without azotemia.  [VT]

Related articles:
Williams TL, Peak KJ, Brodbelt D et al: Survival and the development of azotemia after treatment of hyperthyroid cats, J Vet Intern Med 24:863, 2010.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
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Williams T, Elliott J, Syme H: Association of iatrogenic hypothyroidism with azotemia and reduced survival time in cats treated for hyperthyroidism, J Vet Intern Med 24:1086, 2010.

Within 6 months of treatment of hyperthyroidism, 17-49% of cats develop azotemia. Treatment to restore euthyroidism in cats results in a decrease in renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) which can lead to the development of azotemia if underlying chronic renal disease (CRD) is present. Antithyroid treatment could lead to iatrogenic hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism has been correlated with reduced GFR. The authors performed two retrospective studies. The first study was of 12 hyperthyroid cats treated with radioiodine and documented as euthyroid after treatment where changes were assessed in plasma thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration over a 6-month follow-up period. The second study was of 75 hyperthyroid cats, documented as euthyroid, that were monitored 6 months after starting treatment to identify the relationship between thyroid status and the development of azotemia. Plasma TSH concentrations were not suppressed in 7 of 8 cats with hypothyroidism 3 months after radioiodine treatment. The study concluded that cats with iatrogenic hypothyroidism were more likely to develop azotemia within 6 months after treatment for hyperthyroidism than cats defined as euthyroid. Hypothyroid cats with azotemia had shorter survival times than non-azotemic cats.  There was no difference in survival times of euthyroid cats with or without azotemia.  [VT]

Related articles:
Williams TL, Peak KJ, Brodbelt D et al: Survival and the development of azotemia after treatment of hyperthyroid cats, J Vet Intern Med 24:863, 2010.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

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Alcohol Damages Much More Than The Liver

Newswise — Alcohol does much more harm to the body than just damaging the liver. Drinking also can weaken the immune system, slow healing, impair bone formation, increase the risk of HIV transmission and hinder recovery from burns, trauma, bleeding and surgery.

Researchers will release the latest findings on such negative effects of alcohol during a meeting Nov. 19 of the Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group at Loyola University Medical Center.

At Loyola, about 50 faculty members, technicians, post-doctoral fellows and students are conducting alcohol research. Studies at Loyola and other centers could lead to therapies to boost the immune system or otherwise minimize the effects of alcohol, said Elizabeth J. Kovacs, PhD, director of Loyola's Alcohol Research Program and associate director of Loyola's Burn & Shock Trauma Institute.

"Of course, the best way to prevent the damaging effects of alcohol is to not drink in the first place," Kovacs said. "But it is very difficult to get people to do this."

Sessions at the conference include Alcohol and Infection, Alcohol and Oxidative Stress and Alcohol and Organ Inflammation. Findings will be presented by researchers from centers around the country, including Loyola, Cleveland Clinic, University of Iowa, University of Colorado, University of Massachusetts, Mississippi State University, Chicago State University and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The conference is supported by Loyola's Alcohol Research Program and Department of Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, the Society for Leukocyte Biology and the NIAAA.

Newswise — Alcohol does much more harm to the body than just damaging the liver. Drinking also can weaken the immune system, slow healing, impair bone formation, increase the risk of HIV transmission and hinder recovery from burns, trauma, bleeding and surgery.

Researchers will release the latest findings on such negative effects of alcohol during a meeting Nov. 19 of the Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group at Loyola University Medical Center.

At Loyola, about 50 faculty members, technicians, post-doctoral fellows and students are conducting alcohol research. Studies at Loyola and other centers could lead to therapies to boost the immune system or otherwise minimize the effects of alcohol, said Elizabeth J. Kovacs, PhD, director of Loyola's Alcohol Research Program and associate director of Loyola's Burn & Shock Trauma Institute.

"Of course, the best way to prevent the damaging effects of alcohol is to not drink in the first place," Kovacs said. "But it is very difficult to get people to do this."

Sessions at the conference include Alcohol and Infection, Alcohol and Oxidative Stress and Alcohol and Organ Inflammation. Findings will be presented by researchers from centers around the country, including Loyola, Cleveland Clinic, University of Iowa, University of Colorado, University of Massachusetts, Mississippi State University, Chicago State University and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The conference is supported by Loyola's Alcohol Research Program and Department of Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, the Society for Leukocyte Biology and the NIAAA.

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Exercise May Reduce Rick of Edometrial Cancer

Newswise — Women who exercise for 150 minutes a week or more may see a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, despite whether or not they are overweight, according to data presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held here Nov. 7-10, 2010.

“This study is consistent with other studies that strongly support the association between physical activity and lower risk of endometrial cancer,” said Hannah Arem, a doctoral student at Yale School of Public Health.

Arem and colleagues examined data collected from a case-control study led by Herbert Yu, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., associate professor at Yale School of Public Health. The study included 668 women with endometrial cancer and compared them to 665 age-matched control women.

Those who exercised for 150 minutes a week or more had a 34 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer compared with those women who were inactive.

This association was more pronounced among active women with a body mass index (BMI) less than 25, or underweight women, where the reduction in risk was 73 percent compared with inactive women with a BMI more than 25, or what is commonly considered overweight.

Although BMI showed a strong association with endometrial cancer, even women who were overweight, but still active, had a 52 percent lower risk.

“Clearly, programs should be in place to increase the level of physical activity in women,” said Arem.

Newswise — Women who exercise for 150 minutes a week or more may see a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, despite whether or not they are overweight, according to data presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held here Nov. 7-10, 2010.

“This study is consistent with other studies that strongly support the association between physical activity and lower risk of endometrial cancer,” said Hannah Arem, a doctoral student at Yale School of Public Health.

Arem and colleagues examined data collected from a case-control study led by Herbert Yu, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., associate professor at Yale School of Public Health. The study included 668 women with endometrial cancer and compared them to 665 age-matched control women.

Those who exercised for 150 minutes a week or more had a 34 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer compared with those women who were inactive.

This association was more pronounced among active women with a body mass index (BMI) less than 25, or underweight women, where the reduction in risk was 73 percent compared with inactive women with a BMI more than 25, or what is commonly considered overweight.

Although BMI showed a strong association with endometrial cancer, even women who were overweight, but still active, had a 52 percent lower risk.

“Clearly, programs should be in place to increase the level of physical activity in women,” said Arem.

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Eating vegetables, seafood may cut breast cancer risk - study

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month or the pink month, which is October, does not seem over yet. We continue to publish reports on new research to help readers to understand how a healthy diet or lifestyle may modify the risk of breast cancer.

A new study published in the Nov 2010 issue of Nutrition and Cancer suggests eating lots of vegetables and seafood may reduce risk of breast cancer in women.

The study led by Cho Y.A. and colleagues of the National Cancer Center in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea found an inverse association between a vegetable-seafood pattern and breast cancer risk.

The researchers analyzed dietary data from 357 Korean women with breast cancer and 357 age-matched controls to determine the association between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk and the effect of menopause and hormone receptor statuses on the association.

They identified two dietary patterns, vegetable-seafood and meat-starch pattern after analysis of 39 food groups surveyed via a food frequency questionnaire.

Using multivariate logistic regression, Cho et al. found those who ate highest amounts of vegetables and seafood were 86 percent less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, compared with those with the lowest intake.

However, there was no association between meat-starch pattern and breast cancer risk.

The researchers also found the correlation between dietary patterns and beast cancer risk was not affected by the menopausal status and combined hormone receptor status.

They concluded that a diet high in vegetables and seafood is linked with decreased risk of breast cancer in Korean women.

Many other studies have associated intake of vegetables with reduced risk of breast cancer. Although the study results may also be applicable to women in other ethnic groups, the protection may vary.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 175,000 women and kills about 50,000 each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease is expected in one in seven women in their lifetime.

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign organized by interest groups and drug companies to encourage women to receive breast cancer screening.

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month or the pink month, which is October, does not seem over yet. We continue to publish reports on new research to help readers to understand how a healthy diet or lifestyle may modify the risk of breast cancer.

A new study published in the Nov 2010 issue of Nutrition and Cancer suggests eating lots of vegetables and seafood may reduce risk of breast cancer in women.

The study led by Cho Y.A. and colleagues of the National Cancer Center in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea found an inverse association between a vegetable-seafood pattern and breast cancer risk.

The researchers analyzed dietary data from 357 Korean women with breast cancer and 357 age-matched controls to determine the association between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk and the effect of menopause and hormone receptor statuses on the association.

They identified two dietary patterns, vegetable-seafood and meat-starch pattern after analysis of 39 food groups surveyed via a food frequency questionnaire.

Using multivariate logistic regression, Cho et al. found those who ate highest amounts of vegetables and seafood were 86 percent less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, compared with those with the lowest intake.

However, there was no association between meat-starch pattern and breast cancer risk.

The researchers also found the correlation between dietary patterns and beast cancer risk was not affected by the menopausal status and combined hormone receptor status.

They concluded that a diet high in vegetables and seafood is linked with decreased risk of breast cancer in Korean women.

Many other studies have associated intake of vegetables with reduced risk of breast cancer. Although the study results may also be applicable to women in other ethnic groups, the protection may vary.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 175,000 women and kills about 50,000 each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease is expected in one in seven women in their lifetime.

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign organized by interest groups and drug companies to encourage women to receive breast cancer screening.

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Chocolate eaters may have healthier hearts: study

(Reuters Health) - Older women who eat more chocolate are less likely to develop heart problems over a nearly 10-year-period, new study findings report.

The authors found that women older than 70 who ate chocolate at least once per week were 35 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease over the course of the study, and nearly 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart failure.

What's nice, study author Dr. Joshua Lewis told Reuters Health, is that women did not have to eat a ton of chocolate to see benefits.

"We would therefore caution against people eating foods with high sugar and fat regularly and believe our findings support moderate rather than frequent chocolate consumption," said Lewis, based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Australia.

But it is probably too early to begin recommending people eat more chocolate, cautioned Dr. Brian Buijsse at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who did not participate in the study. And even if additional large studies confirmed its benefits, doctors still may not want to prescribe chocolate, he added.

"The danger is that many people will start eating more of it than is necessary, without cutting back in calories from other snacks, which will result in weight gain and will counteract any beneficial effects of chocolate," Buijsse said.

This is not the first study to tout chocolate's potential benefits: in 2008, Italian researchers found that eating dark chocolate regularly may help lower levels of inflammation, which is strongly associated with heart and blood vessel disease.

The previous year, another study showed that foods rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids - including dark chocolate and apples and red wine -- may help shield postmenopausal women from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Flavonoids are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries, by helping to increase nitric oxide, which in turn helps boost the functioning of blood vessels and lower blood pressure.

To investigate further, the authors reviewed data collected from 1216 older women, who estimated how often they ate chocolate, and the amount. One serving consisted of the equivalent amount of cocoa in 1 cup of hot cocoa. The authors tracked the women for almost a decade, noting who was hospitalized or died from heart disease.

Roughly half of the women said they ate less than one serving of chocolate per week. Nearly 90 of those who ate chocolate rarely were hospitalized or died from heart disease during the study period, versus 65 women who ate chocolate more frequently.

Another 35 of the infrequent consumers experienced heart failure, while only 18 women who reported eating chocolate at least once per week were hospitalized or died from the same condition, the authors report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Although they grouped women who ate chocolate daily and weekly together, the authors also looked at each separately, and found that both appeared to fare equally well, suggesting that only one serving per week might suffice to get heart benefits.

The study's nature means researchers can't prove any cause-effect relationship. Given the growing body of evidence suggesting the benefits of chocolate, the next step should be a large clinical trial that vigorously tests chocolate's benefits, Lewis said in an e-mail.

Buijsse agreed that more research is needed, in part because other factors in the current study may explain its results. For instance, he said in an e-mail, elderly women with early signs of heart disease may have reduced their chocolate intake, perhaps because their doctors told them to adopt a healthy diet.

"For now, I would say that if people want to eat chocolate to improve their health, they should keep it to low amounts and replace it for other energy-dense snacks," Buijsse said

(Reuters Health) - Older women who eat more chocolate are less likely to develop heart problems over a nearly 10-year-period, new study findings report.

The authors found that women older than 70 who ate chocolate at least once per week were 35 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease over the course of the study, and nearly 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart failure.

What's nice, study author Dr. Joshua Lewis told Reuters Health, is that women did not have to eat a ton of chocolate to see benefits.

"We would therefore caution against people eating foods with high sugar and fat regularly and believe our findings support moderate rather than frequent chocolate consumption," said Lewis, based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Australia.

But it is probably too early to begin recommending people eat more chocolate, cautioned Dr. Brian Buijsse at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who did not participate in the study. And even if additional large studies confirmed its benefits, doctors still may not want to prescribe chocolate, he added.

"The danger is that many people will start eating more of it than is necessary, without cutting back in calories from other snacks, which will result in weight gain and will counteract any beneficial effects of chocolate," Buijsse said.

This is not the first study to tout chocolate's potential benefits: in 2008, Italian researchers found that eating dark chocolate regularly may help lower levels of inflammation, which is strongly associated with heart and blood vessel disease.

The previous year, another study showed that foods rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids - including dark chocolate and apples and red wine -- may help shield postmenopausal women from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Flavonoids are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries, by helping to increase nitric oxide, which in turn helps boost the functioning of blood vessels and lower blood pressure.

To investigate further, the authors reviewed data collected from 1216 older women, who estimated how often they ate chocolate, and the amount. One serving consisted of the equivalent amount of cocoa in 1 cup of hot cocoa. The authors tracked the women for almost a decade, noting who was hospitalized or died from heart disease.

Roughly half of the women said they ate less than one serving of chocolate per week. Nearly 90 of those who ate chocolate rarely were hospitalized or died from heart disease during the study period, versus 65 women who ate chocolate more frequently.

Another 35 of the infrequent consumers experienced heart failure, while only 18 women who reported eating chocolate at least once per week were hospitalized or died from the same condition, the authors report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Although they grouped women who ate chocolate daily and weekly together, the authors also looked at each separately, and found that both appeared to fare equally well, suggesting that only one serving per week might suffice to get heart benefits.

The study's nature means researchers can't prove any cause-effect relationship. Given the growing body of evidence suggesting the benefits of chocolate, the next step should be a large clinical trial that vigorously tests chocolate's benefits, Lewis said in an e-mail.

Buijsse agreed that more research is needed, in part because other factors in the current study may explain its results. For instance, he said in an e-mail, elderly women with early signs of heart disease may have reduced their chocolate intake, perhaps because their doctors told them to adopt a healthy diet.

"For now, I would say that if people want to eat chocolate to improve their health, they should keep it to low amounts and replace it for other energy-dense snacks," Buijsse said

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Dr Kevin Lau in November issue of Shape Magazine

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Health In Your Hands - Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment

The central premise of my book is how to diagnosis and correct scoliosis non- invasively at any stage in order to arrest it progress before it’s too late.

Scoliosis, is a widespread condition in the world. According to available statistics, the spinal disorder, that leads to an curvature of the spine, strikes nearly two to three percent of all adolescents and becomes noticeable between the age of 10 and 15, when an adolescent is very image conscious.

Nearly, one in 10 Singaporeans suffers from lumbar scoliosis, according to a recent study conducted by a team of spine surgeons led by Professor Wong Hee Kit, chairman of the Orthopedics and Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery Cluster at the National University Health System (NUHS). Worse, the study also revealed that the condition is 1.6 times more prevalent in women and that it occurs twice more often in Chinese and Malays than in Indians.
Conventional scoliosis treatment involves braces that patients have to wear passively through the day; while surgical procedures carry significant, other risks. My book in contrast draws heavily upon my own experiences as a Chiropractor and Nutritionist, and how I have helped hundreds of scoliosis patients with nothing more elaborate than a highly customized nutritional plan and a structured exercise/stretch program that I’ve explained at length with illustrations in this book.

Among other things, the book explains in simple, layman's language the anatomy and functioning of of the human spine and its relationship to food and exercise. The book is based is painstaking research collected over years of practice with scoliosis patients of all demographics. Testimonials of some of these patients are also appended in the book.

It's my firm conviction that this book will prove a valuable informational resource to the parents, who have children afflicted with scoliosis, as well as adults who suffer from the condition.

The central premise of my book is how to diagnosis and correct scoliosis non- invasively at any stage in order to arrest it progress before it’s too late.

Scoliosis, is a widespread condition in the world. According to available statistics, the spinal disorder, that leads to an curvature of the spine, strikes nearly two to three percent of all adolescents and becomes noticeable between the age of 10 and 15, when an adolescent is very image conscious.

Nearly, one in 10 Singaporeans suffers from lumbar scoliosis, according to a recent study conducted by a team of spine surgeons led by Professor Wong Hee Kit, chairman of the Orthopedics and Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery Cluster at the National University Health System (NUHS). Worse, the study also revealed that the condition is 1.6 times more prevalent in women and that it occurs twice more often in Chinese and Malays than in Indians.
Conventional scoliosis treatment involves braces that patients have to wear passively through the day; while surgical procedures carry significant, other risks. My book in contrast draws heavily upon my own experiences as a Chiropractor and Nutritionist, and how I have helped hundreds of scoliosis patients with nothing more elaborate than a highly customized nutritional plan and a structured exercise/stretch program that I’ve explained at length with illustrations in this book.

Among other things, the book explains in simple, layman's language the anatomy and functioning of of the human spine and its relationship to food and exercise. The book is based is painstaking research collected over years of practice with scoliosis patients of all demographics. Testimonials of some of these patients are also appended in the book.

It's my firm conviction that this book will prove a valuable informational resource to the parents, who have children afflicted with scoliosis, as well as adults who suffer from the condition.

Read More