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New research published this week has put forward a model which may increase the chances of predicting virulent forms of prostate cancer.

Published in the latest edition of BMC Medical Genomics, the model was put together by a research team at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

It combines conventional Gleason score analysis with a series of structured biomarker data assessments, to give a prediction of the likely progress of the disease.

"We believe these findings will be of potential benefit to a substantial portion of the patient population diagnosed with early prostate cancer by providing valuable information regarding the risk of disease progression," said research team leader Dr Timothy McDonnell.

Prostate cancer occurs primarily in men aged over 50 years, but it is one of the forms of cancer that varies most widely in its effects. While for some men it can be fatal, for others it can show few or even no symptoms.

The biomarkers used by the Anderson team are well-known cell life cycle regulators, which are expressed variably by different forms of prostate cancer.

Genomic testing is increasingly being adopted as a means of predicting predispositions to cancer within the research and therapeutic communities.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with prostate cancer.

The number of smokers who kicked the habit last summer hit 165,000 using the NHS’s Stop Smoking Services, according to new research.

A report carried out by the Information Centre for health and social care (The IC) shows that this number was a 28 per cent increase on the same time in 2006.

The IC states that the reduction parallels the smoking ban, which took effect on July 1st.

Commenting on the figures, Tim Straughan, chief executive of The IC, states they show that "more and more smokers are accessing NHS Stop Smoking Services and many of these are successfully kicking the habit".

Other figures in the report included that 4,084 out of the 8,619 pregnant women who set a "quit date" with the service stopped smoking and that a total of 327,800 people quit during the course of the year.

The IC aims to supply research information that aims help the NHS "run effectively" and to help inform decisions on "the quality and efficiency of care".

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

The man who came up with the idea for critical illness cover has pointed out that it gives people a viable alternative to life insurance.

South African surgeon Dr Marius Barnard, who created the first ever critical illness policy in 1983, pointed out that increased life expectancy, improved ability to diagnose illness early and the advent of better treatment have meant that critical illness cover accounts for more eventualities than life insurance.

He noted the difficulties facing individuals who want to take out adequate cover: "If you die at 30, life insurance was more important.

"But if you get a critical illness at 55 or 45 - when you are at the height of your earning ability - and you have an operation and survive another ten to 20 years, then critical illness insurance was more important."

He added that while life insurance is somewhat easier for individuals to understand, critical illness policies often require a financial advisor to explain their finer details.

"When the financial advisor sits down with the client about life insurance, he understands it. But with critical illness cover, this takes time," remarked Dr Barnard.

In its 2006 Statement of Best Practice for critical illness cover, the Association of British Insurers called for "plain English" to be used in product information.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

The roles of different cholesterol types in the development of heart disease have been highlighted by new research.

Scientists at the University of Michigan School of Public Health carried out an international study of 20,000 people to ascertain whether genetic variants influence lipid levels and whether those variants are linked to the decreased or increased risk of heart disease.

In the course of their work, the team discovered seven new genes that influence blood cholesterol levels - a major factor in heart disease.

"It was surprising that while genetic variants that increase your bad cholesterol are also associated with increased risk of heart disease, we did not find that variants influencing your good cholesterol were associated with decreased risk of coronary artery disease," remarked the study’s co-director, Goncalo Abecasis.

"Perhaps that result will lead us to reexamine the roles of good and bad cholesterol in susceptibility to heart disease," he continued.

The team hopes that the identification of new gene regions associated with cholesterol levels could lead to the development of better treatments for people.

Coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease, can cause heart attack, stroke, angina and other heart conditions.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with heart disease

Cheap life insurance could become available to more people if the UK had more efficient cancer screening services, it has emerged.

New research has revealed that deaths from breast cancer in East Anglia were almost halved as a result of such screening.

In their study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, scientists analysed the effect of the national programme in the region and concluded that screening had reduced deaths by 48 per cent.

Lead investigator Professor Stephen Duffy, Cancer Research UK’s professor of cancer screening, pointed out that the results were better than the team had expected.

"This is the strongest evidence yet that screening programmes like this save lives," he remarked.

"We hope to collect data from other regions in the future, allowing us to compare programmes across the UK, bringing the best practices to areas that aren’t performing as well."

This week leaders announced their intentions to extend NHS screening programmes, further fuelling optimism about improved life insurance prospects for people concerned about their likelihood of developing cancer.

The government has already made a commitment to extend breast cancer screening by 2010 so that more women are checked.
The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with cancer

Individuals considering obesity insurance may have extra concerns following the latest research.

Scientists at King’s College Hospital in south London have concluded that obesity has overtaken alcohol as the primary cause of liver disease.

Based at one of the country’s leading liver transplant centres, the experts found that for some people the damage is so severe they need a liver transplant.

Dr Varuna Aluvihare, a consultant hepatologist at King’s, told the BBC that fat-induced liver disease has also overtaken viral infections as the most common cause of liver disease in Europe and the US.

"If we extrapolate from the US experience its quite likely, unless we change things soon, in the next 20 or 30 years obesity will be the commonest cause of cirrhosis - that’s irreversible scarring, and may be the commonest cause of indication for transplantation," he warned.

Doctors point out that as the liver is the body’s largest internal organ, carrying out hundreds of functions, it is often unable to cope with large fat levels.

People who are overweight are also at risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with obesity

Individuals exploring the possibility of Parkinson’s disease insurance may be interested in the latest research into the condition.

Scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University believe that a problem with the way the body’s cells recycle damaged components may trigger the disease.

The results of their study have the potential to lead to new strategies for treating Parkinson’s and other neuro-degenerative diseases.

While previous studies suggested that mutant forms of a protein called alpha-synuclein are poorly digested in the body’s recycling scheme – known as autophagy – in some people with Parkinson’s, the latest work looked into how several different modified forms of alpha-synuclein affected autophagy in laboratory tests.

Dr Ana Maria Cuervo and her colleagues concluded that the compound created by the interaction of alpha-synuclein with dopamine - the main neurotransmitter produced by the nerve cells damaged in Parkinson’s disease - interfered with autophagy.

"By devising strategies for boosting autophagy in nerve cells or suppressing the chemical reactions that interfere with the autophagy, we may be able to treat patients afflicted with these conditions," remarked Dr Cuervo in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Society, approximately 120,000 individuals in the UK currently have the condition, with a further 10,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions

US scientists believe they have discovered a link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to researchers based at Northwestern University, when the human brain prevents insulin from acting properly, the consequent chemical imbalance could help trigger the brain disorder.

Convinced of the link’s strength, they have even dubbed Alzheimer’s "type-three diabetes".

"There have been studies which suggest there is a link between Alzheimer’s and diabetes," admitted Libby Dowling, a Diabetes UK care advisor.

She added that more research is necessary before any definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Hinting that type-two diabetes treatments may be used to treat Alzheimer’s, the US research team explained that a protein present in the brain of people with dementia binds to the tips of nerve endings.

This makes them resistant to insulin, which is crucial to the brain’s ability to learn and store and recall memories.

A separate study of dementia this week concluded that walking regularly and taking other forms of moderate exercise could reduce the risk of vascular dementia by more than a quarter.

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of the condition after Alzheimer’s disease.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to life insurance and other cover if they suffer with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Scientists in Japan have found that many females who experience the condition have permanently depressed nervous systems.

They noted that although PMS affects most women to some extent, science has not yet offered a biological explanation for it.

In the latest issue of the BioPsychoSocial Medicine journal, the team of researchers link the condition to decreased nerve activity each month – with those who suffer extreme symptoms facing the affliction permanently.

"Our findings indicate that the occurrence of premenstrual symptomatology could be attributable to an altered functioning of the autonomic nervous system in the symptomatic late luteal phase [the phase that precedes menstruation]," confirmed lead researcher Tamaki Matsumoto.

He explained that PMS consists of non-specific physical, emotional, behavioural and cognitive symptoms in the days prior to menstruation, including irritability, anxiety, abdominal bloating and breast swelling.

Females investigated by his team who experienced the most marked symptoms – known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) - had lower rates of nerve activity than the other groups during the entire menstrual cycle.

Increased instances of depression have also been recorded during scientific studies of premenstrual women.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions

Walking regularly and taking other forms of moderate exercise could improve older people’s chances of affordable life insurance, it has emerged.

A new study of Italian individuals aged 65 and older - without memory problems - revealed that those who exerted the most energy while walking reduced their risk of vascular dementia by more than a quarter.

While vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers did not conclude that exercise reduces the risk of the latter.

"Our findings show moderate physical activity lowered the risk of vascular dementia in the elderly, independent of several socio-demographic, genetic and medical factors," confirmed study author Dr Giovanni Ravaglia.

He pointed out that by the end of his team’s investigation into 749 people, 54 participants had developed Alzheimer’s disease and 27 developed vascular dementia.

Scientists speculated that physical activity improves cerebral blood flow and lowers the risk of cerebro-vascular disease, a risk factor for vascular dementia.

Representatives of the Alzheimer’s Society have emphasised that "a healthy heart leads to a healthy brain", with the latest study adding to evidence that keeping fit can help reduce the risk of dementia.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with medical conditions