Breast cancer survivor Jessica Sidener is adamant that her illness brought real benefits to her life. “I am incredibly grateful for all of the hardships I’ve gone through in my young life, including my cancer journey,” said Sidener, 39, of Parker, Colo. “It makes you appreciate that life is short.” But Nancy Stordahl is just as convinced that her bout with breast cancer shouldn’t be viewed as an opportunity for personal growth. In fact, her cancer memoir is titled Cancer Was Not a Gift & It Didn’t Make Me a Better Person. “Cancer is a horrible disease, not an enlightenment program,” said Stordahl, who lives in Wisconsin and maintains a popular blog about breast cancer called Nancy’s Point. Both women have a legitimate viewpoint, based on new data from a long-term clinical trial. In the trial, breast cancer patients who underwent an intensive psychological program to help them better deal with their disease came away more likely to view their post-cancer life as positive, researchers found. After the program, these survivors had four times more positive than negative thoughts about changes they experienced because of their illness, the study found. The women typically felt better about their close relationships, they traveled more and took part in more spiritual activities, and felt that they’d gained a new sense of altruism and balance in life. “It’s a…  read on >

Rates of prostate cancer cases and deaths have declined or stabilized in many countries. And the United States had the largest recent decrease in disease incidence, a new study says. “Previous studies have indicated significant variation in prostate cancer rates, due to factors including detection practices, availability of treatment, and genetic factors,” said study author MaryBeth Freeman. She’s a senior associate scientist for surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “By comparing rates from different countries, we can assess differences in detection practices and improvements in treatment,” Freeman said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Researchers examined long-term and short-term data from 44 countries with incidence data and 71 countries with prostate cancer death data. Of the 44 countries assessed for incidence, prostate cancer rates rose in four countries and fell in seven, with the United States with the biggest decrease. Rates remained stable in the other 33 countries. Of the 71 countries assessed for prostate cancer death rates, there were decreases in 14, increases in three, and no change in 54. As of 2012, prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in 96 countries and the leading cause of death in 51 countries, according to the study. Freeman said the findings confirm the benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. She noted that in the United…  read on >

Scientists are looking to an unexpected source in the battle against drug-resistant bacteria: fish slime. The researchers said that microbes in the protective mucus that coats young fish holds promise in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria. These include the so-called “superbug” microbes that cause methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The slime protects fish from bacteria, fungi and viruses, trapping them before they can cause infections. It is also rich in compounds known to have antibacterial activity, the study authors said. The study was presented Sunday at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) meeting, in Orlando, Fla. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. “For us, any microbe in the marine environment that could provide a new compound is worth exploring,” principal investigator Sandra Loesgen said in an ACS news release. Loesgen is an assistant professor of chemistry at Oregon State University, in Corvallis. Molly Austin, an undergraduate chemistry student in Loesgen’s laboratory, said that the mucus is fascinating because the environment in which fish live is complex. “They are in contact with their environment all the time with many pathogenic viruses,” Austin explained. The researchers are trying to determine if anything in the fish mucus could help protect people. The slime the investigators are studying is from juvenile deep-sea and surface-dwelling fish caught off the Southern California coast. Young fish…  read on >

Men often have a hard time acknowledging erectile dysfunction, or ED. But it can leave their partner feeling confused or even blaming themselves for something not within their control. First, know that while the odds of ED rise after age 50, many men experience normal physical changes that are not ED. Erections may not be as firm as they once were, and it may take more foreplay to get one. It may help to have sex in the morning, when both partners are full of energy. True ED is not being able to get or maintain an erection, though this may not happen every time. It can be related to lifestyle habits such as smoking, heavy drinking or being overweight. Stopping harmful habits, losing weight and getting into a regular exercise program can be helpful. In middle age, ED can often be connected to a medical condition — such as diabetes, heart disease or Parkinson’s — and new or worsening ED may signal that the condition is getting worse. Erectile dysfunction can also be a side effect of some medications and cancer treatments. It’s also important to know that up to 25 percent men under 40 experience ED, often from a psychological issue, like performance anxiety or depression. But for some, it’s an early warning sign of heart disease. For all of these reasons, encourage…  read on >

Add one more issue to the growing list of harms from opioid abuse: Long-term use may lead to hormone deficiencies that affect a man’s health. Researchers reviewed the latest medical evidence and found that about two-thirds of men using opioids for more than six months develop hypogonadism, which is insufficient testosterone production. The review also found that about one in every five long-term opioid users also winds up suffering from low levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is best known as a stress hormone because of its role in the “fight-or-flight response,” but it also helps regulate the body’s metabolism. Men with hypogonadism might suffer symptoms such as muscle weakness and a lowered sex drive, said lead researcher Amir Zamanipoor Najafabadi. He is a medical student at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. “This information can be used to maybe discourage people who are using opioids to get into a euphoric state, because it happens at the expense of their sexual function,” Najafabadi said. People with low levels of cortisol might experience fatigue, mood swings, muscle loss and weight loss, he added. Misuse of and addiction to opioids — which include prescription painkillers (such as OxyContin), heroin and synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) — has led to an epidemic in the United States, with 47,000 overdose deaths reported in 2017, according to U.S. government…  read on >