Breast cancer rates stop rising
BETHESDA, Md., -- The National Cancer Institute in Bethesda,
Md., said the breast cancer rate in the United States stop-
ped rising in 2001 and may have begun to fall in 2003. The
institute said the data represent an end to the rise of
breast cancer rates, which had been on a steady incline
since the 1980s. However, the organization's report said it
will take years to find out if the trend is lasting or a
temporary reprieve, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
"I think we're finally beginning to see a change -- that it's
leveling off -- and we may even be seeing the start of a
decline," said the institute's Brenda Edwards, who led the
team that compiled the report. "We have to be cautious. But
I think it's real." About 137.3 breast cancer cases were re-
ported for every 100,000 women in 2001. That number dropped
to 133.8 in 2002 and to 124.2 in 2003. Edwards and her team
speculated the change may have been influenced by a peak in
the use of mammography, a plateau in the number of women
delaying childbirth and a drop in the number of women using
hormones after menopause.
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Boston Scientific admits stent risks
NATICK, Mass., -- The U.S.-based Boston Scientific Corp.
has admitted there is an increased risk of blood clots
caused by use of its drug-coated cardiac stent. The com-
pany -- the leading stent seller in the nation -- says
an analysis of clinical data reveals the increased risk
of blood clots months after a stent is implanted, The
Wall Street Journal reported, noting the announcement
marks the first time any stent maker has acknowledged
the heightened risk of side effects from using drug-
coated stents. Stents are small, wire-mesh tubes that
are inserted into a blood vessel or other body structure
to provide support and keep the structure open. The drugs
used to coat some stents are designed to prevent growth
of tissue after implantation. The Journal said stent sales
exceed $5 billion annually in a market dominated by Boston
Scientific and Johnson & Johnson. Boston Scientific, which
has its headquarters in Natick, Mass., claims recent stud-
ies suggest both its Taxus brand of stent and J&J's Cypher
stent present similar risks of late-occurring blood clots.
J&J company officials, however, told the Journal they see
no statistically significant risk of late thrombosis
caused by their Cypher stents.
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Brain protein implicated in memory loss
DURHAM, N.C., -- A U.S.-led study suggests defects in a
crucial brain protein level is involved in memory loss,
similar to the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The Duke
University Medical Center research shows the ability to
recognize familiar objects is lost when levels of the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine are reduced. Mice genet-
ically engineered to have modest defects in acetylcholine
display symptoms resembling those of Alzheimer's, such as
the inability to remember familiar faces, according to
the team of international researchers. "By using these
genetically engineered mice as models of Alzheimer's, we
can learn more about the neuronal circuitry of the brain
and perhaps even discover new ways to alleviate the
symptoms of this devastating disease," said senior study
investigator Marc Caron, a professor of cell biology.
"Acetylcholine is important for every function in the body
-- breathing, eating, walking, practically everything,"
Caron said. "If we (eliminated) the protein completely,
then the mice would die. So instead, we just knocked its
function down to a low level." The U.S.-Brazilian team
reports its findings in the Sept. 7 issue of the journal
Neuron.
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