Ghost Writing and the Human Cost of Hype
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The commercial world of pharmaceuticals contains many bright and highly motivated scientists who genuinely want to develop or extend human knowledge to assist with the management or eradication of disease. As with all sectors of society there are those who are more diligent about their work than others, and there are those who seek to make a financial return regardless of the risks involved. A recent article in PLOS exposes the dramatic use of ghost writers and nefarious activities of Wyeth in their promotion of the menopausal hormone therapy Prempro (conjugated equine oestrogens [CEEs] and medroxyprogesterone acetate [MPA]).[1]
Resveratrol Acts as Potential HRT Alternative
Treatment based on resveratrol could be a safer alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women and could help prevent breast cancer, according to a new study.
The findings of the study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry indicate that resveratrol is the most likely candidate of the phytoestrogens to offer safer HRT and chemoprevention of breast cancer due to its oestrogenic activity and high antitumour activity.
Phytoestrogens are natural plant substances found in food that exert weak oestrogen-like activity toward mammals, such as daidzein, genistein and glycitein found in soybeans and soy products, coumestrol in mung bean and alfalfa sprouts and resveratrol in grape skins and red wine.
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Cancer Statistics, 2009. Breast Cancer rates down due to reduced risk of HRT?
Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the United States in the current year and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival based on incidence data from the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data from the National Centre for Health Statistics. Incidence and death rates are standardized by age to the 2000 United States standard million population.
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The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
