Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Action taken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) toward the th erapeutic use of estrogens is reported. The FDA has 1st ordered revision of physician-labeling for estrogens, and 2nd has prepared a brochure explaining the advantages and disadvantages of estrogen therapy to patients. Some of the points made in the new labeling and brochure are: 1) the risk of cancer of the uterus increases with duration of use and dosage; 2) users of estrogens should be examined by their physicians at least every 6 months; 3) estrogens should never be given to pregnant women; 4) estrogens should not be given in cases of breast or uterine cancer, undiagnosed abnormal vaginal bleeding, clotting in the legs and lungs, or previous heart disease, angina, or stroke; and 5) estrogens should not be used to treat menopausal nervousness, as they have proved ineffective, or for improving the complexion. There is also no evidence that estrogens are effective in preventing threatened or habitual abortion. It is recommended that estrogens be administered cyclically (3 of 4 weeks), and that the dosage be reduced or discontinued every 3-6 months to assess the need for their continued use.
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PMID:Informing patients about estrogens. 82 30

In patients with terminal cancer, there is a need for a psychosomatic approach in which both the patient's psychological state, including QOL, and physical condition are considered. We studied patients with gynecologic cancer with the following practical objectives: 1. To evaluate the effect of a psychosomatic approach to patients with terminal gynecologic cancer; 2. Using psychological tests and interviews, to clarify the character tendencies of cancer patients, which are often reported in other countries; and 3. To discuss the benefits in the patient's attitude toward living with cancer. In case studies, separation anxiety of terminal cancer patients is increased due to impending death, and often patients cannot deal with these feelings. When the medical staff accepts these emotions, the patients' feelings even in the face of death often change to positive feelings of gratitude to the people around them. All of the results of psychological testing showed model answers, close to the mean of the normal range. This suggests that the patients were suppressing emotions behind their standard responses. Patients with uterine cancer showed a type C or cancer character, while those with ovarian cancer showed type A or heart disease character. Results indicated different attitudes between patients with uterine cancer and those with ovarian cancer. Cancer patients with a vigorous attitude (high POMS-V score pattern behavior) tended to have a good prognosis. This investigation represents a pilot study of a psychosomatic approach to cancer patients. However, recent psychoneuroimmunologic studies have reported the influence of emotion on cancer. Further studies of this kind are needed.
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PMID:Psychosomatic approach to patients with gynecologic cancer. 174 65

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between life style factors and adult diseases among three ethnic groups, Chinese living in Japan, Koreans living in Japan and Japanese. The mortalities of major cancers and other adult diseases of Chinese and Koreans in Japan were compared with those of Japanese by calculating Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) of the two groups using death rates in the Japanese population as the standard. Life style data on smoking, drinking and dietary habits of the three groups were collected by self-administered questionnaire surveys, and age-adjusted proportions were calculated with the truncated world population as the standard. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The mortality rates for liver cancer, lung cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertensive disease, cerebrovascular disease and liver cirrhosis for Koreans of both sexes in Japan were significantly higher than those for Japanese, but the mortality rates of stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer for Korean females were lower than those for Japanese females. 2. The mortality rates for heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disease, liver cirrhosis, rectum cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer (females), breast cancer (females) and cerebrovascular disease (females) for Chinese in Japan were higher than those for Japanese, but the rates for stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer (both sexes), uterus cancer (females) and cerebrovascular disease (males) were lower than those for Japanese. 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[A socio-medical study of adult diseases related to life style--comparison of foreigners living in Japan and Japanese]. 213 88

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between life style factors and adult disease for Chinese living in Japan. The mortalities of major cancers and other major diseases of Chinese in Japan were compared with those of Japanese by calculating Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) for the Chinese using death rates in the Japanese population the standard. The life style data on smoking, drinking and dietary habits for Chinese in Japan were collected by self-administered questionnaire surveys, and age-adjusted proportions were calculated with the truncated world population as the standard. Then the corrected indexes on life style for Chinese in Japan were compared with those of Japanese. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The mortality rates of heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disease, liver cirrhosis, rectum cancer, liver cancer (both sexes), lung cancer (females), breast cancer and cerebrovascular disease (females) for Chinese in Japan were higher than those for Japanese, but the rates of stomach cancer, pancreas cancer (both sexes), uterus cancer (females) and cerebrovascular disease (males) were lower than those for Japanese. 2. The prevalence of current smokers for Chinese males in Japan was lower than that of Japanese, and that of females was higher than that of Japanese. The prevalence of non-smokers for Chinese males was higher than that of Japanese, and that of females was lower than that of Japanese. 3. Although the prevalence of regular drinkers for Chinese of both sexes in Japan were lower than that of Japanese, the prevalence of heavy drinkers who drank over 80 ml of ethanol every day for Chinese males was higher than that of Japanese males. 4. Significant differences were not found in the prevalences of frequent consumers of meat, milk, eggs, fish, other vegetables and food using oil between cooks and non-cooks of Chinese of both sexes in Japan. 5. The age-adjusted prevalences of frequent meat and milk consumers for Chinese in Japan were higher than those of Japanese in both sexes, but those of frequent pickled vegetable and MISO soup consumers were lower than those of Japanese. The dietary pattern of Chinese in Japan was different from that of Japanese with intakes of much fat and less salt. 6. It is assumed that the mortalities due to adult disease for Chinese in Japan are related to their heavy drinking and to their dietary habits.
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PMID:[A socio-medical study of adult diseases related to the life style of Chinese in Japan]. 263 81

Modern contraceptive methods are discussed, with special emphasis on oral contraceptives, which are regarded as the most effective. They are also regarded as generally safe, although there are contraindications and the drugs should only be prescribed after careful examination. The need for selecting the drug most suitable for the individual patients, mainly on the basis of the characteristics of the menstrual cycle (suggesting a predominance of estrogen or progestin, within safety limits, such as 50 mcg of estrogen), is emphasized. The examinations required include a general clinical, gynecological, and breast examination, cytology tests, evaluation of the menstrual flow pattern, measurements of arterial pressure, weight, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and urine tests. They should be repeated at 6-month intervals, or 3-month intervals in the case of high-risk patients (varicose veins, obesity, heavy smokers, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, history of jaundice, slight heart condition, clinical or potential diabetes, porphyria or predisposition to uterine myoma). Oral contraceptives are contraindicated in cases presenting a history of thromboembolism, phlebitis, cerebral apoplexy; sickle cell anemia, which indicates a predisposition to thromboembolic accidents; serious liver disease or recent hepatitis; serious heart disease; hormone-dependent neoplasia (breast cancer); predisposition to uterine cancer; erythematous lupus; metorrhagia of unknown origin; psychic disorders, especially of a depressive type. They should also be avoided for 3-4 years after puberty, in order to avoid interfering with the development of the hypothalamus and with growth. A carcinogenic effect of the pill and an increase in the risk of giving birth to abnormal children can be ruled out, although the incidence of abortions due to chromosome anomalies after suspending treatment is rather high (due to the previous inhibition of ovulation, a situation similar to repeated pregnancies at short intervals, which involve the same risk).
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PMID:[Current clinical problems of contraception]. 502 53

Mrs. S's case demonstrates the dilemmas that many women face at menopause regarding HRT. No clear answer to her question exists. Oncology nurses need to help women understand that taking HRT is a decision that is best made after carefully weighing the risks and benefits of therapy. Mrs. S needs to realize that she has some risk factors for heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer, and uterine cancer. Depending on her motivation, Mrs. S can modify some of the risk factors (e.g., reducing her weight and cholesterol). Smoking cessation also would reduce her risk for heart disease and, to a lesser extent, osteoporosis. Although her risk for developing breast cancer is higher than for a woman without a family history of breast cancer, she only has one relative who was older when she developed breast cancer. This risk factor in itself probably would not be enough to advise her against taking HRT. Additional testing may offer some clarification. If her breasts are difficult to examine or her mammograms are difficult to interpret, Mrs. S may feel that the risk of missing breast cancer early is too high to justify taking HRT. An abnormal endometrial biopsy also may make Mrs. S decide against taking HRT. BMD testing might help to better assess her risk for osteoporosis. If some bone loss has occurred before menopause, she may want to give more consideration to taking HRT or medications such as alendronate sodium to reduce her risk for an osteoporotic fracture. Women need to understand that, often, no best answer is available to the question of whether or not to take HRT. With every decision comes some consequences. An understanding of risk factors and ways to maximize cardiovascular, breast, endometrial, and bone health are important factors to consider when making an informed decision. Clearly, this is an area where oncology nurses can provide tremendous patient education and support to women making decisions about HRT.
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PMID:Case in point. Counseling about hormone replacement therapy. 959 44

1. Oestrogen deficiency causes progressive reduction in endothelial function. Despite the benefits of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) evident in earlier epidemiological studies, recent randomized trials of HRT for the prevention of heart disease found no overall benefit. Instead, HRT users had higher incidences of stroke and heart attack. Most women discontinue HRT because of its many side-effects and/or the increased risk of breast and uterine cancer. This has contributed to the development of selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as tamoxifen and raloxifene, as alternative oestrogenic agents. 2. A SERM is a molecule that binds with high affinity to oestrogen receptors but has tissue-specific effects distinct from oestrogen, acting as an oestrogen agonist in some tissues and as an antagonist in others. Clinical and animal studies suggest multiple cardiovascular effects of SERMs. For example, raloxifene lowers serum levels of cholesterol and homocysteine, attenuates oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, inhibits endothelial-leucocyte interaction, improves endothelial function and reduces vascular smooth muscle tone. 3. Available evidence suggests that raloxifene and tamoxifen are capable of acting directly on both endothelial cells and the underlying vascular smooth muscle cells and cause a multitude of favourable modifications of the vascular wall, which jointly contribute to improved local blood flow. The outcome of the Raloxifene Use for the Heart (RUTH) trial will determine whether raloxifene, currently approved for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis, could substitute for HRT in alleviating cardiovascular symptoms in post-menopausal women.
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PMID:Raloxifene, tamoxifen and vascular tone. 1760 May 63