JAMA news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm US Central time on the first 4 Tuesdays of each month. The Archives Journals news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm Central time on Mondays. We also provide a list of previous news releases.
THIS WEEK'S CONTENT
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, September 19, 2006)
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
IMPROVEMENT SEEN IN FETAL SURVIVAL FOLLOWING PREECLAMPSIA
EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS OF LIPOPROTEIN(A) IN WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS
FATTY FISH CONSUMPTION ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER RISK OF KIDNEY CANCER IN WOMEN
JAMA REPORT (VIDEO SCRIPT)
VIDEO: Windows Media | Quicktime
EATING SALMON AND OTHER ‘FATTY FISH’ REGULARLY CAN REDUCE KIDNEY CANCER RISK UP TO 70%
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NEWS RELEASES IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. JOURNAL ATTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED.
TV Note: This week's JAMA Report video is on the long-term consumption of fatty fish and the risk of kidney cancer. The report will be fed Tuesday, September 19, from 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. ET and 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET, on Intelsat America 6 (formerly Telstar 6), Transponder 11 (C-Band), Downlink Freq: 3920 MHz Vertical, Audio: 6.20/6.80. For more information, call 312/464-JAMA.
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact Olga Basso, Ph.D., call Robin Mackar at 919-541-0073.
IMPROVEMENT SEEN IN FETAL SURVIVAL FOLLOWING PREECLAMPSIA
CHICAGO—Fetal survival following a preeclamptic pregnancy has improved substantially over the last 35 years in Norway, likely due to a reduction in stillbirths and improvements in clinical management, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA.
Preeclampsia (a potentially dangerous condition that may develop in late pregnancy with symptoms that include high blood pressure, fluid retention, excessive weight gain, and the presence of protein in the urine) is a well-known cause of perinatal (occurring during the period around birth) death. Despite improvements in clinical management, preeclampsia often culminates in the delivery of a very preterm infant following medical intervention. Even mild preterm delivery substantially increases the risk of neonatal death. Preeclampsia can progress rapidly, putting both mother and child at severe risk if no action is taken. Medically indicated preterm delivery may help prevent stillbirth. This practice has increased in recent decades, but its net effect on fetal and infant survival has not been assessed.
Olga Basso, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, N.C., and colleagues examined changes over time in perinatal and early childhood survival in relation to preeclampsia in Norway. The study included data from 804,448 first-born infants with Norwegian-born mothers and registered in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway between 1967 and 2003, including 770,613 pregnancies without preeclampsia and 33,835 pregnancies with preeclampsia.
The researchers found that among preeclamptic pregnancies, inductions before 37 weeks (of gestation) increased from 8 percent in 1967-1978 to nearly 20 percent in 1991-2003. In 1967-1978, more than 25 percent of all infants born before 34 completed weeks died in the neonatal period, as opposed to 5 percent in 1991-2003.
“ … preeclampsia was an important cause of fetal death in Norway during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, but its impact has waned. While risk of stillbirth was 4.2 times higher with preeclampsia, it is now only 1.3 times higher. Preeclampsia still carries a 2-fold increased risk of neonatal death, which has changed little over time. This stability in neonatal risk is remarkable, considering the increasing number of very preterm deliveries in recent years resulting from aggressive obstetric management of preeclampsia. Modern medical management of preeclampsia appears to have been effective in preventing fetal death without causing an increase in infant or maternal death,” the authors conclude.
(JAMA. 2006;296:1357-1362. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact Jacqueline Suk Danik, M.D., M.P.H., call Lori Shanks at 617-534-1604.
EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS OF LIPOPROTEIN(A) IN WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS
CHICAGO—Women with extremely high levels of lipoprotein(a), particularly those with high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, have an increased risk for cardiovascular events, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA.
Lipoprotein(a) is a specific class of lipoprotein particles found in human plasma, and differs from low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), according to background information in the article. Studies of lipoprotein(a) have shown contrasting results, leading to disagreement about the clinical utility of routinely measuring lipoprotein(a). There is also poor agreement among lipoprotein(a) levels obtained by different tests.
Jacqueline Suk Danik, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the association of lipoprotein(a) levels with the incidence of future cardiovascular events, such as nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke, coronary revascularization procedures, and cardiovascular-related death. The study included 27,791 initially healthy women in the Women’s Health Study, enrolled between November 1992 and July 1995 and followed up for 10 years. Lipoprotein(a) level was measured in blood samples obtained at baseline.
During follow-up, there were 899 new cardiovascular events. In analyses controlling for age, smoking, blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, hormone use, C-reactive protein (CRP), and randomization treatment groups, women in the highest quintile of lipoprotein(a) were 1.47 times more likely to develop cardiovascular events than women in the lowest quintile.
“In this large prospective cohort study of initially healthy women, extremely high levels of lipoprotein(a), measured with an assay independent of apolipoprotein(a) isoform [a type of protein] size, were associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, particularly in women with high LDL-C levels. This relationship existed independently of traditional risk markers, and CRP. However, these results were driven almost exclusively by extremely elevated lipoprotein(a) levels among those with above median LDL-C levels, with almost no risk gradient in individuals with lower lipoprotein(a) levels, which constituted the majority of individuals screened,” the authors write.
“While [our results are] of pathophysiological interest, we do not believe our data support generalized screening of lipoprotein(a) in the population as a whole because only extremely high levels were associated with cardiovascular risk. … Determination of lipoprotein(a) levels should thus be reserved for high-risk subsets of the population such as individuals with premature [heart attack] who have otherwise normal risk profiles or are at particularly high risk because of circumstances such as familial hypercholesteremia,” the researchers write.
(JAMA. 2006;296:1363-1370. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc., email:alicja.wolk{at}ki.se.
FATTY FISH CONSUMPTION ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER RISK OF KIDNEY CANCER IN WOMEN
CHICAGO—Preliminary research suggests that higher consumption of fatty fish in women is linked with a lower risk of renal cell carcinoma, a common form of kidney cancer, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involving the renal parenchyma (the functional tissue of the kidney) accounts for more than 80 percent of all kidney cancers. Renal cell carcinoma incidence rates in the United States had been increasing in 1970-1990s, especially among black women and men; more recent data suggest a leveling off in this trend for most racial groups. The evidence that fish consumption, especially fatty fish, may be associated with lower risk of several cancers has not been consistent, according to background information in the article.
Previous studies have analyzed total fish consumption and have not taken into account that there are large differences between fatty fish and lean fish in the content of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaneoic acid, which are present in significant amounts in fatty cold-water fish (up to 20-30 times higher content than in lean fish), have been reported to slow the development of cancer. Fatty fish has 3 to 5 times higher content of vitamin D than lean fish, and lower serum vitamin D levels have been associated with development and progression of RCC.
Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and colleagues investigated the association between fatty fish and lean fish consumption and the risk for development of RCC in a population with a relatively high consumption of fatty fish. The participants, from the Swedish Mammography Cohort, included 61,433 women age 40 to 76 years without previous diagnosis of cancer at baseline (March 1987 to December 1990). Participants filled in a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and in September 1997. The researchers considered fatty fish to include salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel; lean fish included cod, tuna, and sweet water fish; and other seafood included shrimp, lobster, and crayfish.
During an average of 15.3 years of follow-up between 1987 and 2004, 150 RCC cases were diagnosed. After adjustment for potential confounders, an inverse association of fatty fish consumption with the risk of RCC was found, while no association was found with the consumption of lean fish or other seafood.
“In this large population-based cohort with data on long-term diet, we found that women who consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week had a statistically significant 44 percent decreased risk of RCC compared with women who did not consume any fish. Women who reported consistent long-term consumption of fatty fish at baseline and 10 years later had a statistically significant 74 percent lower risk,” the authors write.
“Our results support the hypothesis that frequent consumption of fatty fish may lower the risk of RCC possibly due to increased intake of fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaneoic acid as well as vitamin D,” they write. “Our results, however, require confirmation because this is the first epidemiological study addressing this issue.”
(JAMA. 2006;296:1371-1376. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Foundation, the Swedish Research Council/Longitudinal Studies, and Västmanland County Research Fund Against Cancer. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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JAMA REPORTS
VIDEO: Windows Media | Quicktime
EATING SALMON AND OTHER ‘FATTY FISH’ REGULARLY CAN REDUCE KIDNEY CANCER RISK UP TO 70%
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Woman taking bite of salmon
Dr. Wolk walking down hall
Man slicing salmon in fish market
AUDIO:
IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT A DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO EAT MORE FAT, BUT THAT’S WHAT DR. ALICJA (ah-LEE-see-ah) WOLK (volk) IS DOING WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT FATTY FISH.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
@ :11
Super: Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc.
Karolinska Institutet
Runs :15
AUDIO:
“The name fatty fish may frighten some people but this kind of fat is healthy so I would recommend to eat fatty fish, not lean, because you can get much more benefits.”
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Pan of many kinds of fish in case, including salmon
Pan of cans of tuna on store shelf
GFX/JAMA COVER
Women buying fish at market
AUDIO:
FATTY FISH INCLUDES SALMON, HERRING, SARDINES AND MACKEREL. LEAN FISH INCLUDES TUNA, COD AND FRESH WATER FISH. DR. WOLK’S NEW STUDY IN JAMA, THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, TRACKED MORE THAN SIXTY-THOUSAND SWEDISH WOMEN FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN YEARS.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc.
Karolinska Institutet
Runs :13
AUDIO:
“Women who developed kidney cancer, they were eating, they were eating much less fatty fish but there was no difference in consumption of lean fish.”
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Women eating salmon in restaurant
Cutaways to women eating/chewing
Salmon in baking pan
Chef preparing salmon
AUDIO:
IN FACT, COMPARED TO WOMEN WHO ATE LITTLE OR NO FATTY FISH, WOMEN WHO ATE FATTY FISH AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK FOR TEN YEARS HAD A SEVENTY-PERCENT LOWER RISK OF GETTING THE MOST COMMON KIND OF KIDNEY CANCER. DR. WOLK SAYS FATTY FISH IS HIGH IN OMEGA THREE ACIDS AND VITAMIN D, EACH OF WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE CANCER RISK.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc.
Karolinska Institutet
Runs :11
AUDIO:
“Maybe this combination of both omega 3 and vitamin D, maybe this is especially good combination.”
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Women buying fish
AUDIO:
EATING FISH IS ALREADY POPULAR IN SWEDEN.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Super: Sandra Ceccatelli
Eats a lot of fish
Runs :06
AUDIO:
“I like eating fish. I eat fish quite often, at least three times a week.”
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Pan of salmon in case (skin on)
AUDIO:
BUT THE STUDY MAY MAKE PEOPLE THINK MORE ABOUT THE KIND OF FISH THEY EAT.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
@ 1:40
Super: Marie Vahter
Eats a lot of fish
Runs :05
AUDIO:
“Maybe I’ll think of it a little and eat more fatty fish.”
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Close up of salmon on fork going into Marie’s mouth
AUDIO:
AFTER ALL, THIS KIND OF FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU. THIS IS MAVIS PRALL WITH THE JAMA REPORT.
