Medical breakthroughs 2009: What's new, what's next

This year’s biggest medical advances are changing the face and future of your health. Here’s what you need to know now.

Anti-Aging Techniques Really Work

A landmark review by doctors at the University of Michigan Medical School published in the prestigious Archives of Dermatology verified that three leading treatments are all, indeed, medically effective. Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing? Check. Topical retinol products? Check (at concentrations between 0.2 and 0.6 percent). Injections of hyaluronic acid? Check. Each of these three anti-aging treatments can improve skin by strengthening what’s called its “dermal collagen matrix.” The biggest surprise that Gary Fisher, PhD and his colleagues found? The filler — hyaluronic acid — can also boost the creation of collagen when delivered by syringe; docs had previously thought its value was strictly cosmetic, not medical.

Brain Scans Reveal Anorexia Clues

Docs have long been stumped: Why is it so difficult for patients with eating disorders to learn and to “reprogram” healthy eating behavior? In a surprising study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, researchers used MRI scans to track the brain activity of recovered anorexia patients and found that the reward centers of their brains were damaged — they couldn’t decipher much of a difference between pleasure or reward, at least. (Past anti-MRSA drugs focused on preventing bacteria from spreading or stunting the bacteria’s growth.) Also, surgeons began experimenting on animals this year with MRSA-fighting stitches coated with a virus that fights the MRSA bug but doesn’t affect humans. Each tiny hole for stitches is a potential entry point for MRSA or other stubborn infections, so the idea of fortifying dozens of these sites to prevent chances of future infection is brilliant.

Controlling Appetite With Leptin

The hot word in obesity this year is leptin. When a connection between this hormone and weight loss was first discovered in 1994, researchers helped fat, overfed lab mice stay slim. And they believed they could do with people what they did with mice: Inject some leptin, and kiss those excess pounds goodbye. Humans, it turned out, were more complicated. When they lost weight, their bodies become stingier with calories consumed and more efficient in retaining existing weight. Not willing to give up on leptin, scientists at Columbia University Medical Center in New York started looking at the hormone as possible weight-loss-maintenance drug. They discovered through scans that brain activity in areas connected to restraint and control declines after weight loss. Hike leptin levels, however, and the areas become more active. Michael Rosenbaum, PhD and his colleagues now see possibilities for leptin in long-term weight control.

A Gentler Way To Tackle Tumors

It’s not always the medicine that counts, but how it gets delivered. For David Cheresh, PhD and his cancer-fighting colleagues at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), that led to thinking small — really small. They’ve come up with the first nanoparticle delivery system for pancreatic and kidney cancer chemotherapies. By targeting the chemo, Cheresh, a professor of pathology at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, was able to use far smaller doses to halt tumor growth. If you can starve the tumors by cutting off blood supply, there’s much more precision and markedly less collateral damage, the researchers say. That’s good news for the future of all cancer treatments.

How Too Little Sleep Hurts Hearts

Talk about alarm clocks: After studying people who have trouble sleeping, Duke University Medical Center researchers discovered new links between sleep deprivation and the risk of heart attack. In the sleep trials, lead researcher Edward Suarez, PhD and his colleagues found higher levels of three important signals in the bloodstreams of poor sleepers: C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, both of which are associated with inflammation in numerous tissues, and fibrinogen, a protein that’s associated with heart disease. The study is preliminary, but notable because it focused on sleep, disease triggers, and heart disease.

More Reasons To Eat Chocolate

We know that dark chocolate powder has up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea, plus twice the antioxidants in red wine; that’s good for your heart. And studies have shown that dark chocolate’s polyphenols affect serotonin levels in the brain; that’ll boost your mood. But this year, dark chocolate has gained even more favor in medical circles. In one study, heart-transplant patients showed a decreased risk of clogged arteries two hours after consuming 40 gms. of dark chocolate. In another, researchers from the University of Illinois found that subjects who ate a 22-gm. CocoaVia dark chocolate bar daily for two months lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And investigation is underway to see if dark chocolate can be used to decrease PMS symptoms. Sweet news for all.

Reduce Stress To Live Longer

Can we relax our very DNA? For years, scientists have studied telomeres — tiny caps at the ends of chromosomes that shrink, shorten, and weaken with stress. Over time, shortened telomeres dampen immunity, experts say, giving conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease, HIV, and AIDS a better chance of taking hold. In fact, in animal studies, shortened telomeres were linked to a shortened life span.

Now, researchers believe emotional stress can take its toll on telomeres, too. Pathology professor Rita Effros, PhD and her colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, bathed donated immune cells of adults aged 25 to 55 in cortisol, a stress hormone, and found that emotional stresses like abuse, marital strife, or anxiety can affect both short-term immune function and long-term aging prospects of individuals. While preliminary, the study may lead to the development of drugs that could prevent damage to the immune systems of people dealing with prolonged stress.

More Clear Skin Ahead

For years, oral tetracycline and erythromycin have been the standard for treating acne. Now, there’s another option: a prescription topical gel called Aczone, which has antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects. It was approved in 2005 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but came with all sorts of restrictions for use, including blood monitoring, because of potential side effects. This year, after reviewing the results of trials with 3,000-plus patients, the FDA lifted the restrictions. The manufacturer, Allergan, hopes to have the gel on the market soon.

Resveratrol Gets The Nod

You may have heard the good-for-your-heart news about resveratrol, the anti-inflammatory compound found in grapes and wine: Studies in mice have shown that it fights diabetes and can extend life span. Recently, it got an even bigger endorsement when the US federal government decided to invest big bucks in grapes-against-cancer research. Teaming with a leading biotech firm, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, the National Cancer Institute is trying to determine how derivatives of resveratrol can affect cancer-cell development. Human studies just started about a year ago, so it’ll be a while before scientists know the impact it has on larger mammals. In the meantime, get your daily dose of resveratrol from a glass of grape juice or a nice cabernet and join me in a toast to a happy and healthy new year!