Health Technology Research Synopsis
24th Issue Date 06 FEB 2008
Compiled By Ralph Turchiano
www.healthresearchreport.me www.vit.bz
www.youtube.com/vhfilm www.facebook.com/vitaminandherbstore
Editors Top Five:
1. Sex hormones unrelated to prostate cancer risk 2. Over-the-counter eardrops may cause hearing loss or damage 3. Researchers investigate links between prostate, cadmium, zinc 4. Supplementary approach to malaria 5. Why serotonin can cause depression and anxiety
In this issue:
1. OTC cough medicine: Not worthwhile for children or adults? 2. Cranberries might help prevent urinary infections in women 3. Herbal remedy useful for heart failure, review finds 4. Heart and stroke death rates steadily decline; risks still too high 5. Modified Atkins diet can cut epileptic seizures in adults 6. Sedentary lifestyles associated with accelerated aging process 7. Study finds increasing rates of diabetes among older Americans 8. Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury 9. Over-the-counter eardrops may cause hearing loss or damage 10. Regular marijuana use increases risk of hepatitis C-related liver damage 11. Huge drop in preterm birth-risk among women taking folic acid 1 year before conception 12. Babies excrete vaccine-mercury quicker than originally thought 13. (An Extremely Flawed Study) 14. Sex hormones unrelated to prostate cancer risk 15. Viruses for a healthy pregnancy– 16. When it comes to Bisphenol A 17. Researchers investigate links between prostate, cadmium, zinc 18. Consumption of Fruits May Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease 19. Sugary soft drinks linked to increased risk of gout in men 20. Study finds widespread vitamin and mineral use among cancer survivors 21. Using flower power to fight foot woes 22. New, non-invasive prostate cancer test beats PSA in detecting prostate cancer, researchers report 23. Are Trans Fat Labels Working? 24. Why serotonin can cause depression and anxiety 25. Iodized table salt may be low in iodine, raising health concerns 26. Folate deficiency associated with tripling of dementia risk 27. Grapefruit compound may help combat hepatitis C infection 28. Supplementary approach to malaria 29. Research shows a daily does of beetroot juice can beat high blood pressure
Public release date: 22-Jan-2008
OTC cough medicine: Not worthwhile for children or adults?
Over-the-counter medicine is commonly and casually used by millions of cold sufferers every year, but there is no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of OTC cough medicines, concludes a new systematic review of studies.
“I do not give my kids over-the-counter cough medicine,” said Thomas Fahey, professor of general practice at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School and review co-author. “I do not advise my patients to do so.”
Another issue concerned the researchers, who wrote, “six out of the nine studies that were supported by the pharmaceutical industry showed positive results compared to three positive studies out of 16 trials that did not report any conflict of interest.”
On the other hand, “Most preparations appear to be safe based on those studies reporting side effects, which only described a low incidence of mainly minor adverse effects,” the researchers found.
The review of the studies appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews like this one draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
The Cochrane review encompassed 25 studies, 17 of which involved 2,876 adults and eight of which involved 616 children.
In the adult studies, six compared antitussives medicines used to relieve coughs, such as Robitussin, with placebo and had variable results. Two studies compared an expectorant such as Mucinex, which promotes the discharge of mucus from the respiratory tract, with placebo; one found benefits. Another two studies focusing on combinations of antihistamine and decongestants, produced conflicting results, while three studies found antihistamines were no more effective than placebo in relieving cough.
Ralph’s Note – The study did not mention the abuse issue with these medications.
Public release date: 22-Jan-2008
Cranberries might help prevent urinary infections in women
The Cochrane reviewers analyzed 10 studies including 1,049 participants of all ages who received either cranberry products (juice or cranberry capsules), placebo juice or water for at least one month.
Of the studies evaluated, there was no consistent dosage or concentration of cranberries given to the participants, but according to Jepson, there was a “typical amount” given daily.
“The most common amount recommended is one glass twice a day,” Jepson said. “Trouble is, there is no general rule as to how long you have to drink that much in order for you to prevent one UTI.”
Jepson and her colleague found that cranberry products significantly reduced UTIs over 12 months compared to the placebo/control groups. The cranberry treatment was more effective for women who suffered from recurrent UTIs. For example, in one study, after six months, eight women in the cranberry group had a least one recurring UTI, compared with 19 women in the lactobacillus group and 18 in the control group.
Public release date: 22-Jan-2008
Herbal remedy useful for heart failure, review finds
Adding another twist to the ongoing debate over the value of an herbal treatment for patients with heart failure, a new review of existing research suggests that hawthorn extract “significantly” improves symptoms.
“If I had chronic heart failure, I certainly would consider (using) it,” said review co-author Dr. Max Pittler, deputy director of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England.
The review of the studies appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews like this one draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
The researchers found 14 studies that met their criteria, several of which looked at the use of hawthorn as an addition to conventional medications.
The review authors combined the results of 10 studies of 855 patients into a meta-analysis. Compared to placebo, hawthorn extract boosted the maximum level of physiological workload — a fact that the review authors described as significant, although they acknowledged they based the finding on small numbers of studies and patients.
The analysis found that hawthorn, as compared to placebo, also decreased the “pressure-heart rate product,” a measurement of how much oxygen is used by the heart. In addition, the analysis reports that two other measurements — exercise tolerance, and shortness of breath and fatigue — improved “significantly” in patients who used hawthorn.
Side effects were reported to be “infrequent, mild and transient,” and included nausea, dizziness and heart and gastrointestinal complaints. The studies reviewed did not examine death rates in detail, however.
Overall, the review showed a “significant benefit in symptom control and physiologic outcomes” in patients who took hawthorn, Pittler said. According to him, the extract appears to boost the strength of heart contractions, increase blood flow through arteries and reduce irregular heartbeats.
There are some caveats, however. Only seven of the 14 trials specified that patients were taking conventional drugs. In addition, patients included in the studies had mild-to-moderate heart failure. Pittler said hawthorn might cause greater side effects in patients who must take drugs that are more powerful to control their disease.
Public release date: 22-Jan-2008
Heart and stroke death rates steadily decline; risks still too high
In an appropriate prelude to American Heart Month, which is just ahead in February, new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively. This means that the American Heart Association’s 2010 strategic goal for reducing deaths from coronary heart disease has been achieved, and for stroke nearly achieved – ahead of time. However, potential problems loom for the future, as all of the major risk factors for these leading causes of death are still too high and several are actually on the rise. If this trend continues, death rates could begin to rise again in years ahead.
In 1999, the American Heart Association set a strategic goal of reducing the death rates from coronary heart disease and stroke, and reducing the risk factors for these diseases by 25 percent by 2010. The new CDC data notes early success in meeting the coronary heart disease death rate goal, and shows that success is near for the 25 percent reduction in stroke. However, American Heart Association president Dan Jones, M.D., said the victory could be short-lived if the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke are not also reduced.
“This progress in the reduction of death rates is a landmark achievement, and has come about as a result of tremendous efforts from many partners in research, healthcare, government, business and communities,” Jones said. “As encouraging as it is, heart disease and stroke remain the No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death in the United States. We still have remaining goals that we haven’t yet met – reductions in the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as eliminating the striking disparities in care for women and minority populations. We must continue to address those concerns at the same time we continue to support the advances that we know are saving lives today.”
Ralph’s Note – I ran this article, because I found it a shameful misrepresentation of data. The CDC change the way it classified some of it’s data on age related deaths. As Stated from it’s report:
Among the 15 leading causes of death, the age-adjusted death rate declined significantly for 3 of the 15 leading causes of death (Table C). Long-term decreasing trends for heart disease, cancer, and stroke (the three leading causes of death) continued in 2005, with decreases relative to 2004 of 2.7 percent, 1.1 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively. Except for a relatively small increase in 1993, mortality from heart disease has steadily declined since 1980 (Figure 5). The age-adjusted death rate for cancer, the second leading cause of death, has shown a gradual but consistent downward trend since 1993 (Figure 5). The rate for stroke, the third leading cause of death, declined 6.8 percent between 2004 and 2005. At least part of this decline (perhaps as much as one-third) is due to changes in coding rules. The change in coding rules was implemented to eliminate conflicting instructions on selecting an underlying cause and prefer the instruction to select Multi-infarct dementia rather than stroke that resulted in Multi-infarct dementia, see “Technical Notes” for more detail. Stroke has generally declined since 1958, with one exception: an increase of 2.6 percent between the years 1992 and 1995 (Figure 5).
And yes, even though there have been age related decline’s in DEATH from cardiovascular disease. The AHA changed the way the percentages are viewed, for propaganda purposes.
Public release date: 27-Jan-2008
Modified Atkins diet can cut epileptic seizures in adults
High-fat, low-carb diet may be an option when other treatments fail
A modified version of a popular high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can significantly cut the number of seizures in adults with epilepsy, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. The Atkins-like diet, which has shown promise for seizure control in children, may offer a new lifeline for patients when drugs and other treatments fail or cause complications.
For almost a century, doctors have prescribed an eating plan called the ketogenic diet to treat children with epilepsy. This diet often consists of a short period of fasting, strictly limits fluids and drastically restricts carbohydrates. It appears to limit or even eliminate seizures, possibly by generating the build-up of ketones, compounds the body produces when it derives calories mostly from fat. Some of the largest studies to scientifically test this diet’s efficacy took place at Johns Hopkins in the mid-1990s, led by pediatric neurologists John Freeman, M.D., and Eileen Vining, M.D.
Why exactly the ketogenic diet works remains unknown, and it is notoriously difficult to follow, relying almost solely on fat and protein for calories. Consequently, doctors typically recommend it only for children, whose parents can strictly monitor their eating habits. The ketogenic diet is almost never prescribed to adults, who generally make their own food choices and often have difficulty complying with the diet’s strict guidelines.
In 2002, Johns Hopkins researchers began testing a modified version of the Atkins diet in children with epilepsy. The modified diet shares the high-fat focus of the ketogenic diet, prompting the body to generate ketones. However, it allows more carbohydrates and protein, doesn’t limit fluids and calories, and has no fasting period. When studies showed that the new diet prevented or curtailed seizures in children, the researchers began testing it for efficacy and ease of use in adults.
Reporting on the results in the February issue of Epilepsia, Eric H. Kossoff, M.D., an assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said 30 adults with epilepsy, ages 18 to 53 years, who had tried at least two anticonvulsant drugs without success and had an average of 10 seizures per week, were placed on the modified Atkins diet. All patients were seen for free in the Johns Hopkins General Clinical Research Center.
The regimen restricted them to 15 grams of carbohydrates a day. “That’s a few strawberries, some vegetables, or a bit of bread,” says Kossoff. The diet offers most of its calories from fat-eggs, meats, oils and heavy cream-with as much protein and no-carb beverages as patients want.
Each day, patients kept diaries of what they ate and how many seizures they had. The researchers evaluated how each patient was doing at one, three and six months after starting the diet.
Results showed that about half the patients had experienced a 50 percent reduction in the frequency of their seizures by the first clinic visit. About a third of the patients halved the frequency of seizures by three months. Side effects linked with the diet, such as a rise in cholesterol or triglycerides, were mild. A third of the patients dropped out by the third month, unable to comply with the restrictions.
Fourteen patients who stuck with the diet until the six-month mark chose to continue, even after the study ended-a testament to how effective the diet worked to treat their epilepsy, Kossoff notes.
Though the modified Atkins diet won’t be a good fit for all patients, says Kossoff, “it opens up another therapeutic option for adults trying to decide between medication, surgery and electrical stimulation to treat intractable seizures.” A second study to examine the diet’s effects on adults with intractable seizures is under way.
Ralph’s Note – It was showed by John Hopkins Researchers prior that those who followed the diet for two years as a child. Would run a 50/50 chance of having the seizure’s reduced for life. What a better option then a life time of medication.
Public release date: 28-Jan-2008
Sedentary lifestyles associated with accelerated aging process
Individuals who are physically active during their leisure time appear to be biologically younger than those with sedentary lifestyles, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Regular exercisers have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity and osteoporosis, according to background information in the article. “A sedentary lifestyle increases the propensity to aging-related disease and premature death,” the authors write. “Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by predisposing to aging-related diseases but also because it may influence the aging process itself.”
Lynn F. Cherkas, Ph.D., of King’s College London, and colleagues studied 2,401 white twins, administering questionnaires on physical activity level, smoking habits and socioeconomic status. The participants also provided a blood sample from which DNA was extracted. The researchers examined the length of telomeres—repeated sequences at the end of chromosomes—in the twins’ white blood cells (leukocytes). Leukocyte telomeres progressively shorten over time and may serve as a marker of biological age.
Telomere length decreased with age, with an average loss of 21 nucleotides (structural units) per year. Men and women who were less physically active in their leisure time had shorter leukocyte telomeres than those who were more active. “Such a relationship between leukocyte telomere length and physical activity level remained significant after adjustment for body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status and physical activity at work,” the authors write. “The mean difference in leukocyte telomere length between the most active [who performed an average of 199 minutes of physical activity per week] and least active [16 minutes of physical activity per week] subjects was 200 nucleotides, which means that the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary individuals up to 10 years younger, on average.” A sub-analysis comparing pairs in which twins had different levels of physical activity showed similar results.
Oxidative stress—damage caused to cells by exposure to oxygen—and inflammation are likely mechanisms by which sedentary lifestyles shorten telomeres, the authors suggest. In addition, perceived stress levels have been linked to telomere length. Physical activity may reduce psychological stress, thus mitigating its effect on telomeres and the aging process.
Public release date: 28-Jan-2008
Study finds increasing rates of diabetes among older Americans
The annual number of Americans older than 65 newly diagnosed with diabetes increased by 23 percent between 1994 to 1995 and 2003 to 2004, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing, in part because of population aging, but also in younger persons,” according to background information in the article. The high rate of existing diabetes also contributes to a high rate of diabetes-related complications and premature death. “Awareness of the importance of active monitoring and management of diabetes has become more widespread; however, adherence to recommended practices remains low.”
“The annual incidence of diabetes increased by 23 percent between 1994 to 1995 and 2003 to 2004, and prevalence increased by 62 percent,” the authors write. After diagnosis, the death rate in patients having diabetes decreased by 8.3 percent when compared with those who were not diagnosed with the disease.
Most patients with diabetes experienced at least one complication within the next six years; for example, almost half had congestive heart failure. “Complication rates among persons diagnosed as having diabetes generally increased or stayed the same compared with those in the control groups during 1994 to 2004 except for ophthalmic diseases associated with diabetes,” the authors note. “In some cases, most notably renal events, including the most serious complications, there were increases in prevalence in both the diabetes and control groups.”
“Overall, our findings emphasize the overwhelming burden of diabetes, including the near 90 percent prevalence of an adverse outcome and many serious and resource-consuming outcomes such as coronary heart failure, myocardial infarction [heart attack] and stroke,” the authors conclude. “The burden of financing and providing medical care for persons older than 65 in the United States having diagnosed diabetes is growing rapidly as a result of increased incidence and, especially, prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, decreased mortality and overall lack of improvement in rates of complications in persons having diagnosed diabetes.”
Ralph’s Note – The Genetic argument for Diabetes is in question with younger and younger individuals being diagnosed. Second if it is not solely genetic then other factors have to be at play. Whether it be environmental, or lack of personal responsibility, over diagnosing, or other.
Public release date: 28-Jan-2008
Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury
Defense department funds study of nanotube-based drug made at Rice
The Department of Defense has commissioned a nine-month study from Rice University chemists and scientists in the Texas Medical Center to determine whether a new drug based on carbon nanotubes can help prevent people from dying of acute radiation injury following radiation exposure. The new study was commissioned after preliminary tests found the drug was greater than 5,000 times more effective at reducing the effects of acute radiation injury than the most effective drugs currently available.
“More than half of those who suffer acute radiation injury die within 30 days, not from the initial radioactive particles themselves but from the devastation they cause in the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract and other parts of the body,” said James Tour, Rice’s Chao Professor of Chemistry, director of Rice’s Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory (CNL) and principal investigator on the grant. “Ideally, we’d like to develop a drug that can be administered within 12 hours of exposure and prevent deaths from what are currently fatal exposure doses of ionizing radiation.”
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Tour and co-principal investigators J. Conyers and Valerie Moore at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT-Houston) and Luka Milas, Kathy Mason and Jeffrey Myers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center a $540,000 grant for a nine-month study of an experimental drug that the investigators have named Nanovector Trojan Horses (NTH).
NTH is made at Rice’s Chemistry Department and Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory in the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. The drug is based on single-walled carbon nanotubes, hollow cylinders of pure carbon that are about as wide as a strand of DNA. To form NTH, Rice scientists coat nanotubes with two common food preservatives — the antioxidant compounds butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) — and derivatives of those compounds.
“The same properties that make BHA and BHT good food preservatives, namely their ability to scavenge free radicals, also make them good candidates for mitigating the biological affects that are induced through the initial ionizing radiation event,” Tour said.
In preliminary tests at M.D. Anderson in July 2007, mice showed enhanced protection when exposed to lethal doses of ionizing radiation when they were given first-generation NTH drugs prior to exposure.
“Our preliminary results are remarkable, and that’s why DARPA awarded us this grant with a very compressed timeline for delivery: nine months, which is almost unheard of for an academic study of this type,” Tour said. “They are very interested in finding out whether this will work in a post-exposure delivery, and they don’t want to waste any time.”
Ionizing radiation is any form of radioactive particle or energy that converts an atom or molecule into an ion by altering the balance between the number of protons and electrons. In living organisms, ionization often results in the creation of free radicals — highly reactive molecules that can wreak havoc by disrupting healthy physiological processes. These free radicals induce a cascade of deleterious biological events that cause further destruction to the organism in the days and weeks after initial radiation exposure event. NTH is designed to terminate the destructive biological cascade.
Tour said the researchers are also interested in finding out whether the new drugs can prevent the unwanted side effects that cancer patients suffer after undergoing radiation therapy.
Ralph’s Note- That’s just plain cool, if it works at all.
Public release date: 28-Jan-2008
Over-the-counter eardrops may cause hearing loss or damage
The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC recommends these products be used with extreme caution
MONTREAL, Jan 28, 2008 — A new study, led by researchers at The Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) of the MUHC, has revealed that certain over-the-counter earwax softeners can cause severe inflammation and damage to the eardrum and inner ear. The results of the study, recently published in The Laryngoscope, suggest that use of these medications should be discouraged.
“Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use. Our study shows that in a well-established animal model, one such product, Cerumenex, is in fact, toxic to the cells of the ear,” says Dr. Daniel.
Dr. Daniel and his team studied the impact of Cerumenex on hearing. In addition, overall toxicity in the outer ear and changes in the nerve cells of the inner ear were analyzed.
“Harmful effects to many of the cells were observed after only one dose,” says Dr. Melvin Schloss co-author and MCH Director of Otolaryngology. “We observed reduced hearing, severe inflammation, and lesions to the nerve cells.”
“We believe these findings are applicable to humans,” add Dr. Daniel. “The animal model we chose has been widely used to test toxicity. In addition, this model has a very similar hearing mechanism. Overall, our findings suggest that Cerumenex has a toxic potential and it should be used with caution.”
Public Release: 28-Jan-2008
Regular marijuana use increases risk of hepatitis C-related liver damage
Bethesda, MD (Jan. 28, 2008) – Patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection should not use marijuana (cannabis) daily, according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. Researchers found that HCV patients who used cannabis daily were at significantly higher risk of moderate to severe liver fibrosis, or tissue scarring. Additionally, patients with moderate to heavy alcohol use combined with regular cannabis use experienced an even greater risk of liver fibrosis. The recommendation to avoid cannabis is especially important in patients who are coinfected with HCV/HIV since the progression of fibrosis is already greater in these patients.
Researchers found a significant association between daily versus non-daily cannabis use and moderate to severe fibrosis when reviewing this factor alone. Other factors contributing to increased fibrosis included age at enrollment, lifetime duration of alcohol use, lifetime duration of moderate to heavy alcohol use and necroinflammatory score (stage of fibrosis). In reviewing combined factors, there was a strong (nearly 7-fold higher risk) and independent relationship between daily cannabis use and moderate to severe fibrosis. Gender, race, body mass index, HCV viral load and genotype, HIV coinfection, source of HCV infection, and biopsy length were not significantly associated with moderate to severe fibrosis.
Of the 328 patients screened for the study, 204 patients were included in the analysis. The baseline characteristics of those included in the study were similar to those excluded with the exception of daily cannabis use (13.7 percent of those studied used cannabis daily versus 6.45 percent of those not included). Patients who used cannabis daily had a significantly lower body mass index than non-daily users (25.2 versus 26.4), were more likely to be using medically prescribed cannabis (57.1 percent versus 8.79 percent), and more likely to have HIV coinfection (39.3 percent versus 18.2 percent).
Public release date: 29-Jan-2008
Huge drop in preterm birth-risk among women taking folic acid 1 year before conception
DALLAS, TX (Jan. 31, 2008) – New research suggests that women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant can cut their risk of having a premature baby by half.
Researchers at the 28th Annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) meeting—The Pregnancy Meeting™—today unveiled a study linking pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery rates of 50 to 70 percent, regardless of age, race or other factors. Of particular note is the drop in very early premature births, those babies who are at the greatest risk of complications such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, and blindness.
The study is an observational analysis based on the self-reporting of folate supplementation by 38,033 participants in an earlier trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH.) The current study only examined singleton pregnancies and excluded pregnancies in which there were medical or obstetrical complications such as preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, and congenital or chromosomal abnormalities.
“Thanks to the depth and breadth of the NIH study, which included an early pregnancy ultrasound of each participant, we had highly accurate evidence of the gestational ages of the preterm deliveries,” said Radek Bukowski, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the lead study author and SMFM member. “This evidence enabled us to determine that folate supplementation for at least one year is linked to a 70 percent decrease in very early preterm deliveries (20 to 28 weeks in gestational age) and up to a 50 percent reduction in early preterm deliveries of 28 to 32 weeks.”
“We already knew that folic acid supplementation beginning before pregnancy and continuing into the first trimester helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as spina bifida,” said Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., senior vice president and medical director of the March of Dimes. “Now Dr. Bukowski’s research makes us optimistic that taking folic acid for at least one year before pregnancy also may greatly reduce the risk of premature birth. These findings add even greater weight to March of Dimes support for the U.S. Public Health Service’s long-standing recommendation that every woman of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. We hope this new research also will spur more health care professionals to urge their female patients to make folic acid part of their daily routine as a simple step toward having a healthy baby in the future.”
“In addition to its benefits in preventing pregnancy complications, previous studies have suggested that folic acid may also have beneficial effects in preventing stroke and cardiovascular disease in adults,” said Katharine Wenstrom, M.D., president of the SMFM, “That’s why everyone—men and women—should get into the habit of taking it.”
Today’s abstract, Preconceptional Folate Prevents Preterm Delivery, represents the first and largest U.S. study to look at the effects of pre-conceptional folate supplementation on early preterm delivery. It is the fifth study by SMFM members to be honored by the March of Dimes for honing the tools used in the fight against prematurity. The March of Dimes conducts a National Prematurity Campaign aimed at raising awareness and reducing the growing rate of premature births.
Ralph’s Note- keep in mind this is supplementation not just eating fortified foods. Which then brings up the question. What is the ideal level of folic acid.
Public release date: 29-Jan-2008
Sex hormones unrelated to prostate cancer risk
Sex hormones circulating in the blood do not appear to be associated with prostate cancer risk, according to data from 18 prior studies. The analysis will be published online January 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Having high levels of male sex hormones, known as androgens, has long been hypothesized as a risk factor for prostate cancer. Nearly two dozen prospective studies have examined the relationship between circulating sex hormones and prostate cancer risk, but the results have been inconsistent.
Andrew Roddam, D.Phil., of the University of Oxford in England and colleagues at the Endogenous Hormones and Prostate Cancer Collaborative Group collected the original data from 18 studies and analyzed it to determine the relationship between blood levels of sex hormones and prostate cancer. The pooled data included 3,886 men with prostate cancer and 6,438 controls.
The researchers found no association between prostate cancer risk and blood levels of different forms of testosterone or estrogen.
“The results of this collaborative analysis of the existing worldwide data on the associations between endogenous hormone concentrations and prostate cancer risk indicate that circulating concentrations of androgens and [estrogens] do not appear to be associated with the risk of prostate cancer,” the authors write.
In an accompanying editorial, Paul Godley, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill commend the authors for collaborating on this analysis, and they encourage researchers to use the results as an opportunity to shift the focus of prostate cancer research.
“The study obliges the scientific community to move past a seductive, clinically relevant, and biologically plausible hypothesis and get on with the difficult task of exploring, analyzing, and characterizing modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer,” the editorialists write.
Ralph’s Note- This means that there are thousands of men taking harmful drugs for the prostate, that are useless.
Public release date: 29-Jan-2008
Viruses for a healthy pregnancy–
Microbiology Today: February 2008 issue
Sequences of DNA in the human genome that originated from ancient viral infections have some surprising effects on our bodies and are even essential for a healthy pregnancy, according to an article in the February issue of Microbiology Today.
Retrovirus infections represent the most intimate host-pathogen relationship. The virus inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of the host cell, resulting in an irreversible, stable and sometimes lifelong infection. If a sperm or egg cell is infected, the virus DNA can be passed down generations, permanently fixed in the germ line. As a result, an endogenous retrovirus (ERV) can exist for millions of years.
“Over the course of evolution, retroviruses have invaded the germ-line of our ancestors on numerous occasions. Now, human ERVs (HERVs) make up around 8% of our genome,” say Dr David Griffiths from the Moredun Research Institute and Cécile Voisset from the Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé in France.
Although there are no viruses similar to these ancient pathogens currently infecting humans, there are some related viruses in animals. For a retrovirus to become part of the host genome it is usually inactivated by mutation or silencing so it does not express any proteins. An epidemic of neoplastic disease in Australian koalas is giving researchers the rare opportunity to study this process.
“Recent work has provided some tantalizing evidence supporting the roles of HERVs in normal physiology and also in disease,” says Dr Griffiths, “they can be seen as bona fide human genes.” Some HERVs may be crucial for a healthy pregnancy, whereas others have been linked to diseases like MS and cancer.
“It is only recently that the abundance of HERVs has been recognised and we are learning that they can have significant functions,” says Dr Griffiths.
Ralph’s Note- Yep, just keep on vaccinating. Eventually they may vaccinate against a virus that encoded some of our DNA. Unraveling the mysteries of life.
Public release date: 30-Jan-2008
When it comes to Bisphenol A
CINCINNATI—When it comes to Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it’s not whether the container is new or old but the liquid’s temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released, according to University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists.
Scott Belcher, PhD, and his team found when the same new and used polycarbonate drinking bottles were exposed to boiling hot water, BPA, an environmental estrogen, was released 55 times more rapidly than before exposure to hot water.
“Inspired by questions from the climbing community, we went directly to tests based on how consumers use these plastic water bottles and showed that the only big difference in exposure levels revolved around liquid temperature: Bottles used for up to nine years released the same amount of BPA as new bottles.”
The UC team reports its findings in the Jan. 30, 2008 issue of the journal Toxicology Letters.
BPA is one of many man-made chemicals classified as endocrine disruptors, which alter the function of the endocrine system by mimicking the role of the body’s natural hormones. Hormones are secreted through endocrine glands and serve different functions throughout the body.
The chemical—which is widely used in products such as reusable water bottles, food can linings, water pipes and dental sealants—has been shown to affect reproduction and brain development in animal studies.
“There is a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating the harmful effects of very small amounts of BPA in laboratory and animal studies, but little clinical evidence related to humans,” explains Belcher. “There is a very strong suspicion in the scientific community, however, that this chemical has harmful effects on humans.”
Belcher’s team analyzed used polycarbonate water bottles from a local climbing gym and purchased new bottles of the same brand from an outdoor retail supplier.
All bottles were subjected to seven days of testing designed to simulate normal usage during backpacking, mountaineering and other outdoor adventure activities.
The UC researchers found that the amount of BPA released from new and used polycarbonate drinking bottles was the same—both in quantity and speed of release—into cool or temperate water.
However, drastically higher levels of BPA were released once the bottles were briefly exposed to boiling water.
“Compared to the rate of release from the same bottle, the speed of release was 15 to 55 times faster,” explains Belcher.
Prior to boiling water exposure, the rate of release from individual bottles ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 nanograms per hour. After exposure, rates increased to 8 to 32 nanograms per hour.
Belcher stresses that it is still unclear what level of BPA is harmful to humans. He urges consumers to think about how cumulative environmental exposures might harm their health.
Ralph’s Note- Might be harmful ????? Ask the European’s.
Public release date: 30-Jan-2008
Babies excrete vaccine-mercury quicker than originally thought
(An Extremely Flawed Study)
February’s issue of Pediatrics offers another reason to rethink blaming the spike in autism diagnoses on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative routinely used in several childhood vaccines until the late ‘90s.
New research from the University of Rochester suggests that infants’ bodies expel the thimerosal mercury much faster than originally thought – thereby leaving little chance for a progressive building up of the toxic metal. This debunks the great myth, believed by both parents and some pediatricians, that the gauntlet of thimerosal-containing shots many infants received in the 1990s – when the average number of vaccines kids received increased sharply – had put them at risk for developmental disorders.
“Thimerosal has been used for decades, but the surge in vaccinations caused fear that possible accumulations of ethyl mercury, the kind in thimerosal, might exceed safe levels – at least, when based on the stringent risk guidelines applied to its better-understood chemical cousin, methyl mercury, which is associated with eating fish,” said Michael Pichichero, M.D., professor of Microbiology/Immunology, Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Rochester and the study’s main author.
But scientists are learning that the two mercury species actually behave quite differently; in fact, the body rids the kind found in thimerosal more that 10 times faster than it removes the kind one might encounter in a Friday night fish fry.
In the Rochester study, 216 infants from R. Gutierrez Children’s Hospital (in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where thimerosal is still routinely used in vaccines) were divided into three age groups to have their blood-mercury levels tested both before and after shots were administered at either their newborn, 2- or 6-month checkup. Researchers learned that, in all three age groups, the half-life of ethyl mercury in the blood – or, the time it takes for the body to dispose of half the mercury, and then another half, and so on – was measured to be 3.7 days. That’s a far cry from the blood half-life of methyl mercury, which is 44 days.
“Until recently, that longer half-life was assumed to be the rule for both types of mercury. Now it’s obvious that ethyl mercury’s short half-life prevents toxic build-up from occurring. It’s just gone too fast,” Pichichero said.
“Though it’s reassuring to affirm that these immunizations have always been safe, our findings really have greater implications for world health,” Pichichero said. “Replacing the thimerosal in vaccines globally would put these vaccines beyond what the world community could afford for its children. It’s a relief we haven’t cause to do that.”
Ralph’s Note – Hmmm. Here all this time, I thought mercury migrated to the soft tissues and bone in the body not the blood. Maybe this doctor should take some thimersol himself and test it’s excretion rate over time. After all if its safe to give to infants. I am sure he won’t mind proving Thimersols safety to us personally.
Public release date: 30-Jan-2008
Researchers investigate links between prostate, cadmium, zinc
Cadmium exposure is a known risk factor for prostate cancer, and a new University of Rochester study suggests that zinc may offer protection against cadmium.
In an article published in the February 2008 journal, The Prostate, epidemiologist Edwin van Wijngaarden, Ph.D., reports that PSA levels were 22 percent higher among American men who had zinc levels below the median (less than 12.67 mg/daily) and cadmium levels above the median. (PSA is a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland. The higher a man’s PSA level, the more likely cancer is present.)
In contrast, among men with a greater than median zinc intake, little evidence of an association between cadmium and PSA was found.
The way zinc and cadmium interact within human organs is significant and provides interesting leads for study, van Wijngaarden said. Zinc stimulates production of a protein that binds cadmium thereby taking it out of circulation and reducing its toxic effects.
However, it is too early to recommend zinc supplements for those who’re worried about prostate damage, he added.
“Your health is based on the complex interplay of many factors,” said Van Wijngaarden, an assistant professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Environmental exposures play out differently in people. It’s important to identify those subpopulations that may be more sensitive to toxicities.”
The study was based on data from a sample of 1,320 men registered in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2002, which was the first time PSA levels were available. In men over age 40, urinary cadmium levels were measured in about one-third of the sample and dietary zinc intake was reported based on 24-hour recall. Information on all three variables was available for a total of 422 men.
Cadmium exposure occurs mostly through smoking and diet, the latter as a result of fertilizer-soaked soil used for growing crops. Cadmium is also a byproduct of the industrial process used for making fungicides, batteries, pigments and coatings that protect metals from corrosion. Workers in those areas are at risk for much higher exposures. When ingested or inhaled, cadmium collects in the liver, kidneys and prostate.
Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin malignancy in the United States. Nearly 219,000 new cases and 27,000 deaths were expected in 2007.
Zinc is an important nutrient to maintain health. However, the jury is still out on the benefits of large quantities zinc and van Wijngaarden cautioned that some studies show it may do more harm than good when taken as a dietary supplement. Zinc toxicity can harm the immune system, reduce beneficial cholesterol, and alter iron function.
“This type of inconsistency may be explained by variability in certain populations,” he said. “Epidemiologists often focus on single exposures, but biology is not that simple. The latest research suggests we should be studying the interplay of exposures on certain subgroups of people and how they vary.”
Public release date: 30-Jan-2008
Consumption of Fruits May Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
Geneva, N.Y. – January 30, 2008 – Apples, bananas, and oranges are the most common fruits in both Western and Asian diets, and are important sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A new study in the Journal of Food Science explores the additional health benefits of these fruits and reveals they also protect against neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease.
Researchers at Cornell University investigated the effects of apple, banana, and orange extracts on neuron cells and found that the phenolic phytochemicals of the fruits prevented neurotoxicity on the cells.
Among the three fruits, apples contained the highest content of protective antioxidants, followed by bananas then oranges.
The authors concluded “[their] study demonstrated that antioxidants in the major fresh fruits consumed in the United States and Korea protected neuronal cells from oxidative stress….Additional consumption of fresh fruits such as apple, banana, and orange may be beneficial to improve effects in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.”
Public release date: 31-Jan-2008
Sugary soft drinks linked to increased risk of gout in men
Consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men, finds a study published on bmj.com today.
Gout is a joint disease which causes extreme pain and swelling. It is most common in men aged 40 and older. It is caused by excess uric acid in the blood (hyperuricaemia) which leads to uric acid crystals collecting around the joints.
In the United States, levels of gout have doubled over the last few decades, which coincided with a substantial increase in the consumption of soft drinks and fructose (a simple sugar and the only carbohydrate known to increase uric acid levels).
Conventional dietary recommendations for gout have focused on the restriction of purines (found in high levels in meat and meat products, especially liver and kidney) and alcohol but with no restriction of sugar sweetened soft drinks.
So researchers in the US and Canada examined the relation between intake of sugar sweetened soft drinks and fructose and the risk of gout.
They followed over 46,000 men aged 40 years and over with no history of gout. The men completed regular questionnaires on their intake of more than 130 foods and beverages, including sugar sweetened soft drinks and diet soft drinks, over a period of 12 years. Different types of fruits and fruit juices (high in natural fructose) were also assessed.
At the start of the study, and every two years thereafter, information on weight, regular use of medications and medical conditions were also recorded. Gout was diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology criteria.
During 12 years of follow-up, the researchers documented 755 newly diagnosed cases of gout.
The risk of gout increased with increasing intake of sugar sweetened soft drinks. The risk was significantly increased with an intake level of 5-6 servings per week and the risk was 85% higher among men who consumed two or more servings of sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day compared to those who consumed less than one serving per month.
Public release date: 31-Jan-2008
Study finds widespread vitamin and mineral use among cancer survivors
SEATTLE – Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, despite inconclusive evidence that such use is beneficial, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“Can vitamin and herbal supplements reduce the adverse effects of cancer treatment, decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or improve a patient’s chances of survival? We don’t really know. Research into these matters has been minimal,” said senior author Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, Ph.D., an associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division. “While supplement use may be beneficial for some patients, such as those who cannot eat a balanced diet, research suggests that certain supplements may actually interfere with treatment or even accelerate cancer growth,” she said.
In reviewing 32 studies conducted between 1999 and 2006, Ulrich and co-author Christine Velicer, Ph.D., formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Hutchinson Center (now an epidemiologist at Merck Research Laboratory in North Wales, Pa.), found that many of the nation’s 10 million adult cancer survivors use nutritional supplements.
They found 64 percent to 81 percent of cancer survivors overall reported using vitamins or minerals (excluding multivitamins), whereas in the general population only 50 percent of adults reported taking dietary supplements.
Survivors of breast cancer reported the highest use (75 percent to 87 percent), whereas prostate-cancer survivors reported the least (26 percent to 35 percent). Factors associated with the highest level of supplement use overall included a higher level of education and being female.
The researchers also found that many people initiate the use of vitamins and supplements after cancer diagnosis; between 14 percent and 32 percent start taking them after learning they have cancer.
“Cancer survivors report that they hope to strengthen their immune system with supplement use or gain a sense of control and empowerment,” Ulrich said. However, many cancer survivors who use supplements do not let their doctors know; 31 percent to 68 percent of cancer patients and survivors who use supplements may not disclose this information or their doctors may fail to record it in their charts.
“This is disconcerting and suggests that many physicians may not recognize the importance of understanding whether their patients are taking supplements,” Ulrich said.
Knowing about supplement use is crucial, she continues, because of potential adverse effects. “Evidence clearly suggests the need for caution,” Ulrich said. “Some vitamins, such as folic acid, may be involved in cancer progression while others, such as St. John’s wort, can interfere with chemotherapy. However, we really need more research to understand whether use of these supplements can be beneficial or do more harm than good.”
Until research clarifies the effects of vitamin use in cancer survivors, the authors urge health care professionals to communicate openly with their patients about supplement use. “A simple explanation that medical studies show supplement use may not always be beneficial may help cancer survivors make well-informed decisions,” the authors wrote.
Ralph’s Note- That last statement pretty much explains why patients who study medical literature don’t discuss it with their health care professional. I guess there are no studies showing that they are?
Public release date: 1-Feb-2008
Using flower power to fight foot woes
A common flower that helps wipe out garden insects has also shown promise in eradicating stubborn warts, according to preliminary research presented by podiatrist Tracey Vlahovic at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Annual Meeting on Feb. 1. Vlahovic is assistant professor at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
Marigold Therapy, a line of creams, ointments, tinctures and oils developed and patented by chiropodist M. Taufiq Khan, contain extracts of several types of the marigold plant. Marigold has been used for nearly 30 years in the United Kingdom to treat a variety of foot issues, including bunions, tendonitis, plantar faciitis, fungal infections and verrucae, commonly known as plantar warts.
Vlahovic, who has a professional interest in phytotherapy — the use of plants for medicinal purposes — offers Marigold Therapy to her patients, and specifically investigated its use in three of her patients who had HIV as an alternative treatment for the small skin lesions called verrucae. She found that the treatments either cleared or greatly reduced the number and size of the warts in four to six sessions, after other treatments had failed to do so.
Public Release: 1-Feb-2008
New, non-invasive prostate cancer test beats PSA in detecting prostate cancer, researchers report
Simple urine test leads to more accurate diagnoses, fewer false-positive results
PHILADELPHIA – An experimental biomarker test developed by researchers at the University of Michigan more accurately detects prostate cancer than any other screening method currently in use, according to a study published in the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The researchers say a simple urine test that screens for the presence of four different RNA molecules accurately identified 80 percent of patients in a study who were later found to have prostate cancer, and was 61 percent effective in ruling out disease in other study participants.
This is far more accurate than the PSA blood test currently in use worldwide, which can accurately detect prostate cancer in men with the disease but which also identifies many men with enlarged prostate glands who do not develop cancer, researchers say. Even the newer PCA3 test, which screens for a molecule specific to prostate cancer and which is now in use both in the U.S. and Europe is less precise, they say.
“Relative to what is out there, this is the best test so far,” said the study’s lead author, Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology at the University of Michigan.
He also says that this “first generation multiplex” biomarker test will likely be improved upon as researchers continue to uncover the molecular underpinnings of prostate cancer.
“We want to develop a test to allow physicians to predict whether their patients have prostate cancer that is so accurate a biopsy won’t be needed to rule cancer out,” Chinnaiyan said. “No test can do that now.”
Chinnaiyan and the Michigan researchers developed the test based on their recent finding that gene fusions – pieces of chromosomes that trade places with each other, causing two genes to stick together – are common in prostate cancer, and that by overriding molecular switches that turn off excess growth, they may be the causative factor in some forms of the disease. In 2005 they identified a prostate-specific gene called TMPRSS2 which fuses with either ERG or ETV1, two genes known to be involved in several types of cancer. In 2007, they identified another five genes that fuse on to ERG or ETV1 to cause prostate cancer.
In the current study, researchers built upon the PCA3 test by screening for six additional biomarkers, including TMPRSS2:ERG as well as some molecules generally over-expressed in prostate cancer, and some which are over-expressed in specific cancer subtypes.
Researchers collected urine samples from 234 men with rising PSA levels before they underwent prostate biopsy at a University of Michigan urology clinic. Among this group, biopsy results confirmed a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 138 patients; 96 patients were cancer-free.
Correlating the urine biomarker test results with the biopsy data, researchers found that, in combination, four of the seven biomarkers were significant predictors of prostate cancer: GOLPH2, which is generally over-expressed in prostate cancer; SPINK1, over-expressed in a subset of these cancers; the PCA3 transcript expression; and TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status. Of the seven markers, only PCA3 had been previously reported as a diagnostic biomarker.
When tested as individual biomarkers, GOLPH2, PCA3, and SPINK1 each outperformed PSA, which had identified all of the men in the study as potentially positive for prostate cancer. “PSA was not predictive at all,” Chinnaiyan said. “You might as well have flipped a coin.”
The combination of the four biomarkers achieved a specificity and positive predictive value of greater than 75 percent, which they found to be five percent better than use of a PCA3 test alone, he says. Specificity is the probability that a test indicates a negative result if a person does not have a disease, and the positive predictive value is the proportion of patients with positive test results who are correctly diagnosed.
Chinnaiyan believes that any tests that are developed and widely tested would first be used to supplement a PSA blood screen.
The study was funded by the Early Detection Research Network, Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Gen-Probe Incorporated of San Diego. The gene fusion technology has been patented by the University of Michigan and licensed to Gen-Probe Inc, which is also developing the PCA3 screening test. Chinnaiyan is a paid consultant to Gen-Probe.
Public release date: 1-Feb-2008
Are Trans Fat Labels Working?
According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, the food industry has made progress in reducing the trans fat content in its products since a 2003 labeling mandate by the Food and Drug Administration, but consumers should still read labels to be certain the products are trans fat-free.
The researchers sampled products at Minneapolis-area supermarket to assess levels of trans fat and saturated fat in margarines and butters; cookies and snack cakes; and savory snacks. The researchers also examined the cost of these now trans fat-free foods, because technologies to reduce or eliminate trans fat are costly and create challenges for food manufacturers that may be passed on to the consumer.
Most margarines and butters (21 of 29), cookies and snack cakes (34 of 44) and savory snacks (31 of 40) were labeled as containing zero grams of trans fat. However, some of the products contained significant amounts of trans fat.
The researchers conclude: “Consumers need to read product labels because the trans fat content of individual products can vary significantly. Products that are lower in trans and saturated fat tend to cost more, which may be a barrier to their purchase for price-conscious consumers.”
Public release date: 1-Feb-2008
Why serotonin can cause depression and anxiety
Mood disorders could be caused by a loss of our inherent, reflexive avoidance of aversive events, according to a study published in PLoS Computational Biology. Researchers from UCL in London and Columbia University in New York used computational modeling techniques to integrate what appeared to be blatant contradictions between serotonin’s roles in different states of health.
Serotonin appears to be one of the major players in mood and a variety of other disorders. But exactly how remains an open question. Imagine walking past a dark alleyway in a dangerous part of some city; although it might be a shortcut, most people wouldn’t consider taking it. In healthy subjects, serotonin appears important for this automatic avoidance.
It has long been suggested that over-activity of the serotonin system may relate to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, as these seem characterized by too much withdrawal and avoidance. However, the new modeling study simply suggests that we think about what happens when these reflexes fail—suddenly you have to think hard to avoid things that used to be avoided reflexively You might for example consider walking down the dangerous alley, be robbed and thus be reminded and taught by additional experience that dark alleys are to be avoided.
In this study Prof. Peter Dayan and Dr. Quentin Huys built a reinforcement learning model of reflexive choices. Agents take actions and as a result of these move through a set of states, some of which are rewarded or punished. As agents progress through this space, they learn the value of each state—how much punishment or reward is to be expected from this state onwards.
It turns out that adding to the agent’s behavioural repertoire a simple reflex, which guides the agent away from an action with potential for poor consequences, does two things: it increases the rewards reaped overall, but, because bad states are now not explored any more, it also prevents them from learning exactly how bad these bad states are. When serotonin drops, say in depression or anxiety, agents have no more recourse to the reflexive avoidance and have to rely on what they learned. Because they have not learned how bad the bad states are, they start exploring states that don’t look too bad to them, but in reality are much worse. Serotonin enhancing drugs, such as Prozac, are then suggested to reinstate the reflexive avoidance, and thus to redress the balance.
This study gives insight into some puzzling findings—for example, it argues that the association of depression with aggression may have to do with a lack of reflexive avoidance of it. In addition, stress not only causes depression, but people with depression experience more stressors. Again, this may be related to a dysfunctional reflexive avoidance system. The study, however, vastly oversimplifies a number of issues, such as the flexibility of reflexive actions, and the effect of non-reflexive action choice. These provide interesting avenues for further research, and may in fact give some insight into the co-morbidity of different mood disorders.
Public release date: 1-Feb-2008
Iodized table salt may be low in iodine, raising health concerns
Amid concern that people in the United States are consuming inadequate amounts of iodine, scientists in Texas have found that 53 percent of iodized salt samples contained less than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended level of this key nutrient. Iodized table salt is the main source of iodine for most individuals, they note in a study scheduled for the Feb. 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.
Purnendu K. Dasgupta and colleagues point out that iodine intake has been decreasing in the United States for decades. The reasons include reduced use of iodine-based additives in livestock feed and bread, and public health warnings about salt’s role in high blood pressure. Iodine is especially important for normal brain development in newborn infants and children, they state, noting a link between iodine deficiency and attention deficit disorder or ADD that has been suggested by other researchers.
To assess the adequacy of iodine nutrition, the researchers tested 88 samples of iodized salt and found that 47 did not meet the FDA’s recommended level. In addition, amount of iodine varied in individual packages and brands of salt. The researchers expressed particular concern about the adequacy of iodine nutrition in women who are pregnant or nursing. “If salt does supply a significant portion of the iodine intake of a pregnant/lactating woman in the United States (note that a large fraction of postnatal vitamins contain no iodine), and she is unfortunate enough to pick a can of salt that is low in iodine or in which distribution is greatly uneven, there is a potential for serious harm,” the study states. — JS
Public release date: 4-Feb-2008
Folate deficiency associated with tripling of dementia risk
Folate deficiency is associated with a tripling in the risk of developing dementia among elderly people, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The onset of dementia was significantly more likely in those whose folate levels then fell further over the two years, while their homocysteine levels rose.
People who were folate deficient to begin with, were almost 3.5 times more likely to develop dementia.
The authors suggest that changes in micronutrients could be linked with the other typical signs that precede dementia, including weight loss and low blood pressure.
While weight loss is unlikely to alter micronutrients levels in the blood, it may indicate dietary changes in the quality of quantity of food intake.
Public release date: 4-Feb-2008
Grapefruit compound may help combat hepatitis C infection
A compound that naturally occurs in grapefruit and other citrus fruits may be able to block the secretion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from infected cells, a process required to maintain chronic infection. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) report that HCV is bound to very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL, a so-called “bad” cholesterol) when it is secreted from liver cells and that the viral secretion required to pass infection to other cells may be blocked by the common flavonoid naringenin.
If the results of this study extend to human patients, a combination of naringenin and antiviral medication might allow patient to clear the virus from their livers. The report will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Hepatology and has been released online.
“By finding that HCV is secreted from infected cells by latching onto vLDL, we have identified a key pathway in the viral lifecycle,” says Yaakov Nahmias, PhD, of the MGH-CEM, the paper’s lead author. “These results suggest that lipid-lowering drugs, as well as supplements, such as naringenin, may be combined with traditional antiviral therapies to reduce or even eliminate HCV from infected patients”
Grapefruit’s bitter taste is caused the presence of the flavonoid naringin, which is metabolized into naringenin, an antioxidant previously reported to help lower cholesterol levels. Considerable research has suggested that HCV infects liver cells by, in essence, “hitching a ride” onto the natural lipoprotein-cholesterol metabolic pathway. Since earlier evidence has shown that naringenin can reduce secretion of vLDL from liver cells, the researchers examined whether the compound might also lower HCV secretion from infected cells. Their experiments confirmed that naringenin does reduce the secretion of HCV from infected cell lines and showed that the compound inhibits the mechanism for secreting a specific lipoprotein that binds HCV.
“This work presents the possibility that non-toxic levels of a dietary supplement, such as naringenin, could effectively block HCV secretion,” says Raymond Chung, MD, MGH director of Hepatology and one of the study authors, “This approach might eventually be used to treat patients who do not respond to or cannot take traditional interferon-based treatment or be used in combination with other agents to boost success rates.”
Public release date: 5-Feb-2008
Supplementary approach to malaria
Could a simple vitamin A and zinc supplement help protect young children from malaria” A randomized double blind trial reported in the open access publication, Nutrition Journal, would suggest the answer is yes.
Jean-Bosco Ouedraogo of the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS) in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and colleagues explain that vitamin A and zinc play a critical role in the normal function of the immune system, and may even play a synergistic role for reducing the risk of infection including malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.
There are approximately 300 to 500 million new cases of malaria each year across the globe, primarily due to P. falciparum.,The vast majority of cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa and lead to the death o f about one million children each year. Emerging drug resistance and ineffective insecticides used in malaria control have hampered efforts to reduce these figures. Moreover, people living in malaria-endemic areas often suffer from malnutrition and deficiencies of micronutrients such as vitamin A and zinc, which have serious health consequences.
In order to understand how reducing micronutrient deficiencies might influence malaria incidence, the researchers undertook a trial with a single dose of 200,000 IU of vitamin A and daily 10 mg of zinc supplementation in children aged 6 to 72 months in the village of Sourkoudougou in Burkina Faso. Half were given placebo. They evaluated the children daily for signs of fever and analyzed blood samples for the presence of the malaria parasite in those children with fever.
The researchers found a significant effect of vitamin A and zinc supplementation on malaria incidence. “At the end of the study we observed a significant decrease in the prevalence malaria in the supplemented group (34%) compared to the placebo group (3.5%),” they explained. Supplementation also increased the time to onset of malarial symptoms and reduced the frequency of episodes. “Supplementation thus may play a key role in malaria control strategies for children in Africa,” they added.
Ralph’s Note – These results were just from one dose…Just One
Public release date: 5-Feb-2008
Research shows a daily does of beetroot juice can beat high blood pressure
Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published online today in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Lead by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia of the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine, and Professor Ben Benjamin of Peninsula Medical School, the research reveals that it is the ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice – and similarly in green, leafy vegetables – which results ultimately in decreased blood pressure. Previously the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets had been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content.
Professor Ahluwalia and her team found that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within just 1 hour of ingesting beetroot juice, with a peak drop occurring 3-4 hours after ingestion. Some degree of reduction continued to be observed until up to 24 hours after ingestion. Researchers showed that the decrease in blood pressure was due to the chemical formation of nitrite from the dietary nitrate in the juice. The nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva, by bacteria on the tongue, into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed, and in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite. The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation, an effect that was absent in a second group of volunteers who refrained from swallowing their saliva during, and for 3 hours following, beetroot ingestion.
Professor Ahluwalia said: ” Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure’.