Health Technology Research Synopsis
4th Issue Date 24 JUL 2007
Compiled By Ralph Turchiano
www.healthresearchreport.me www.vit.bz
www.youtube.com/vhfilm www.facebook.com/vitaminandherbstore
* Reconstruction of Original Data…
Public release date: 11-Jul-2007
Organic farming can feed the world, U-M study shows
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing assumption that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods, said Ivette Perfecto, professor at U-M’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and one the study’s principal investigators. Catherine Badgley, research scientist in the Museum of Paleontology, is a co-author of the paper along with several current and former graduate and undergraduate students from U-M.
“My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can’t produce enough food through organic agriculture,” Perfecto said.
“Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies—all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food,” she said.
Public release date: 16-Jul-2007
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals
Agencies worldwide are cracking down on counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and much of the focus has been on China, where an official was recently executed for approving fake medicines. While most of these drugs reach consumers through online or illegal suppliers, there’s a growing threat to outlets considered more safe, like the neighborhood pharmacy, said Temple University pharmacoeconomist, Albert Wertheimer, Ph.D., who will talk about combating counterfeit pharmaceuticals coming out of China at a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seminar on July 23 and 24 in Philadelphia
Internet pharmacies, which are extremely difficult to monitor and regulate, pose the biggest threat, but counterfeits could soon make their way into mainstream channels via sophisticated fakery and old-fashioned bribery.
In general, counterfeit means that a drug can lack an important ingredient, contain a harmful ingredient or be mislabeled. Some of the most commonly counterfeited drugs include those for erectile dysfunction, depression, anxiety and infection. In a recent study, the World Health Organization determined global sales of counterfeit drugs to be $32 billion in 2003 – 10 percent of all medicines sold worldwide.
Public release date: 12-Jul-2007
Adding folic acid to flour significantly reduces congenital malformations
Quebec City, July 12, 2007 – Dr. Philippe De Wals of Université Laval’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine today publishes a study clearly indicating that the addition of folic acid to flours has led to a 46% drop in the incidence of congenital neural tube deformation (mainly anencephaly and spina bifida) in Canada. Such deformations either result in the child’s death or in major health problems, including physical and learning disabilities. Dr. De Wals’s work as head of a team of a dozen Canadian researchers appears today in the New England Journal of Medicine
Public release date: 11-Jul-2007
1/3 of community pharmacists don’t tell parents they are dispensing off-label drugs to children
Forty per cent of community pharmacists have dispensed an off-label drug to a child in the last month, according to research published in the July issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Pharmacists said the most common off-label dispensing of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines involved giving a drug to a child who was younger than the recommended minimum age for the drug or giving them higher than the recommended dose.
“And a third said they didn’t feel they had a responsibility to inform parents of off-label prescribing, possibly because this could suggest criticism of the family doctor who prescribed the drug.”
The researchers also found that most of the 482 randomly-selected pharmacists gained their knowledge of off-label dispensing through work experience rather than education.
Public release date: 17-Jul-2007
Flavonoids in orange juice make it a healthy drink, despite the sugar
Buffalo, N.Y. — Orange juice, despite its high caloric load of sugars, appears to be a healthy food for diabetics due to its mother lode of flavonoids, a study by endocrinologists at the University at Buffalo has shown. The study appeared in the June 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.
Flavonoids suppress destructive oxygen free radicals — also known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS. An overabundance of free radicals can damage all components of the cell, including proteins, fats and DNA, contributing to the development of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and stroke as well as diabetes.
“Many major diseases are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in the arterial wall, so the search for foods that are least likely to cause these conditions must be pursued,” said Paresh Dandona, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York and senior author on the study. “Our previous work has shown that 300 calories of glucose induces ROS and other proinflammatory responses,” said Dandona, who is Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “We hypothesized that 300 calories-worth of orange juice or of fructose would induce less oxidative stress and inflammation than caused by the same amount of calories from glucose.”
An additional round of test on the samples showed that neither fructose nor vitamin C suppressed the oxygen free radicals. However the two types of flavonoids in orange juice — hesperetin and naringenin — inhibited ROS generation by 52 percent and 77 percent, respectively
*Ralph’s Note (Flavonoids are found mainly in the white pulpy stuff, that we filter out)
Public release date: 11-Jul-2007
Plants uptake antibiotics
MADISON, WI, JULY 09, 2007- Scientists at the University of Minnesota have been evaluating the impact of antibiotic feeding in livestock production on the environment. This particular study, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), evaluated whether food crops accumulate antibiotics from soils spread with manure that contains antibiotics. Results from the study are published in the July-August 2007 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality. The research was also presented in Indianapolis, IN at the Annual Soil Science Society of America Meeting in November 2006.
Plant uptake was evaluated in a greenhouse study involving three food crops: corn, lettuce, and potato. Plants were grown on soil modified with liquid hog manure containing Sulfamethazine, a commonly used veterinary antibiotic. This antibiotic was taken up by all three crops. Concentrations of antibiotics were found in the plant leaves. Concentrations in plant tissue also increased as the amount of antibiotics present in the manure increased. It also diffused into potato tubers, which suggests that root crops, such as potatoes, carrots, and radishes, that directly come in contact with soil may be particularly vulnerable to antibiotic contamination.
The ability of plants to absorb antibiotics raises the potential for contamination of human food supply. However, Satish Gupta, group leader notes “The adverse impacts of consuming plants that contain small quantities of antibiotics are largely unknown”. Consumption of antibiotics in plants may cause allergic reactions in sensitive populations, such as young children. There is also concern that consuming antibiotics may lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which can render antibiotics ineffective.
Public Release: 16-Jul-2007
Scientists isolate chemical in curry that may help immune system clear plaques found in Alzheimer’s
FINDINGS: Researchers isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin, the active ingredient of curcuminoids – a natural substance found in turmeric root – that may help boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta, a peptide that forms the plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease. Using blood samples from Alzheimer’s disease patients, researchers found that bisdemethoxycurcumin boosted immune cells called macrophages to clear amyloid beta. In addition, researchers identified the immune genes associated with this activity.
AUTHORS: Dr. Milan Fiala, a researcher with the David Geffen School of Medicine and the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and Dr. John Cashman, director of the Human BioMolecular Research Institute (HBRI) in San Diego are available for interviews
Public release date: 17-Jul-2007
Vitamin C offers little protection against colds
(Don’t be fooled by the title)
However, they found that people exposed to periods of high stress — such as marathon runners, skiers and soldiers on sub-arctic exercises — were 50 percent less likely to catch a cold if they took a daily dose of vitamin C.
Conducted over several decades and including more than 11,000 people who took daily doses of at least 200 milligrams, the review also shows that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) does little to reduce the length or severity of a cold, according to the researchers at the Australian National University and the University of Helsinki.
Since the discovery of vitamin C in the 1930s, controversy regarding its efficacy in treating ailments from lung infections to colds has surrounded it. In the 1970s, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling popularized its regular use. His book, “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” encouraged people to take 1,000 milligrams of the vitamin daily.
Ralph’s Note ( Most positive studies are on 1,000mg Vitamin C plus. The debate is over how much Vitamin C is required for an individual. Not whether it works.)
Public release date: 17-Jul-2007
Rosiglitazone (Avandia) for type 2 diabetes — concern over side effects
This Cochrane Systematic Review analysed data from 18 trials that involved a total of 8432 people and found no evidence that rosiglitazone led to better patient outcomes when compared with other therapies. Diabetic control (as measured by levels of HbA1c) was no better in patients given rosiglitazone when compared to other antidiabetic drugs. Patient oriented outcomes such as mortality, diabetes related morbidity, or quality of life were not addressed in most studies
In addition to confirming the known risk of edema (people taking the treatment are at twice the risk of developing this condition) and an increase in body weight up to 5.0 kg, the authors found evidence from one large study indicating increased cardiovascular risk and an enhanced risk in women of having broken bones.
Avandia, known generically as rosiglitazone, has been under a cloud since May, when top U.S. cardiologist Dr Steven Nissen published a pooled, or meta, analysis of 42 previous trials that showed it increased the risk of heart attack by 43 percent.
Ralph’s Note ( The FDA approved this drug knowing it was a bad ineffective drug, the drug is still on the market being prescribed by doctors. Even though there are better studied, and effective medications.)
Public release date: 17-Jul-2007
Chronic rhinosinusitis — washing nasal passages with saline can help
Spraying salty water (saline) into your nose can help reduce the symptoms of pain and congestion that accompany long-term infections of the nasal passages, a Cochrane Systematic Review has concluded.
Between 5% and 15% of people experience persistent infection of the nasal passages (chronic rhinosinusitis). Many homoeopathic and yogic forms of healthcare recommend spraying saline into the nose to relieve symptoms, and it is now often recommended as part of a programme of treatment in conventional medicine.
A team of Cochrane Researchers considered the data presented in eight separate randomised trials and 16 other studies, involving a total of 1659 patients, that examined the potential benefits of saline irrigation.
“While there is no evidence that saline is a replacement for standard therapies, spraying or irrigating saline into the nose is likely to improve symptoms for people with persistent infections,” says lead researcher Dr Richard Harvey who works at the University of Oxford and Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London.
No one is really sure why saline reduces symptoms, but it could be because it softens mucus, making it easier to remove. The tiny hair-like process (cilia) that cover the surfaces of cells in the nose often fail to function properly and can’t beat to remove mucus, so the saline may help these cilia to work more efficiently. In addition, saline may simply help wash bacteria, viruses and allergic materials out of the nose.
“Doctors should consider recommending saline therapy as an adjunct for managing the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis,” says Harvey
Public release date: 18-Jul-2007
Vitamin D deficiency: Common and problematic yet preventable
According to Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics, and director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University School of Medicine and Director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic at Boston Medical Center, it has been estimated that 1 billion people world-wide are vitamin D deficient or insufficient.
Without vitamin D only about 10-15 percent of dietary calcium and about 60 percent of phosphorus is absorbed by the body. This is directly related to bone mineral density which is responsible for osteoporosis and fractures, as well as muscle strength and falls in adults. In utero and childhood, calcium and vitamin D deficiency prevents the maximum deposition of calcium in the skeleton
Holick believes the current recommended Adequate Intakes for vitamin D need to be increased to 800 – 1000 IU vitaminD3/d. “However, one can not obtain these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish frequently,” says Holick. “Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB irradiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body’s vitamin D requirement,” he adds.
Pediatric Ritalin Use May Affect Developing Brain, New Study Suggests
NEW YORK (July 17, 2007) — Use of the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Ritalin by young children may cause long-term changes in the developing brain, suggests a new study in an animal model by a research team at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
The study is among the first to probe the effects of Ritalin (methylphenidate) on the neurochemistry of the developing brain. Between 2 to18 percent of American children are thought to be affected by ADHD, and Ritalin, a stimulant similar to amphetamine and cocaine, remains one of the most prescribed drugs for the behavioral disorder.
“These brain tissue findings revealed Ritalin-associated changes in four main areas,” Dr. Milner says. “First, we noticed alterations in brain chemicals such as catecholamines and norepinephrine in the rats’ prefrontal cortex — a part of the mammalian brain responsible for higher executive thinking and decision-making. There were also significant changes in catecholamine function in the hippocampus, a center for memory and learning.”
Treatment-linked alterations were also noted in the striatum — a brain region known to be key to motor function — and in the hypothalamus, a center for appetite, arousal and addictive behaviors.
Dr. Milner stressed that, at this point in their research, it’s just too early to say whether the changes noted in the Ritalin-exposed brain would be of either benefit or harm to humans.
Public release date: 23-Jul-2007
Childhood sun exposure may lower risk of MS
ST. PAUL, MN — People who spent more time in the sun as children may have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) than people who had less sun exposure during childhood, according to a study published in the July 24, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study found the twin with MS spent less time in the sun as a child than the twin who did not have MS. Depending on the activity, the twin who spent more hours outdoors had a 25 to 57 percent reduced risk of developing MS. For example, the risk of developing MS was 49 percent lower for twins who spent more time sun tanning than their siblings
“Sun exposure appears to have a protective effect against MS,” said study authors Talat Islam, MBBS, PhD, and Thomas Mack, MD, MPH, with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “Exposure to ultra violet rays may induce protection against MS by alternative mechanisms, either directly by altering the cellular immune response or indirectly by producing immunoactive vitamin D.”
Public release date: 23-Jul-2007
Study finds association between low cholesterol levels and cancer
The authors of the study, published in the July 31, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), set out to understand how and why statins cause side effects, particularly damage to the liver and muscle cells. The study findings support taking multiple medications rather than high-dose statins to minimize those side effects. The researchers did not expect to find the increased cancer risk (one additional incident per 1,000 patients) from low LDL levels, and additional studies have already begun to investigate this potential risk further. A key component in future studies will be to confirm the risk and to identify whether the risk may be a side effect of statins or just low LDL.
Although the cancer risk was surprising, the researchers primarily sought to determine how and why statins cause side effects, particularly damage to the liver and muscle cells. For this portion of the study, researchers analyzed 23 statin treatment arms that included 75,317 patients with a combined 309,506 years of follow up. A link between LDL lowering and liver or muscle irritation was not found. However, liver toxicity levels increased with higher statin dosage. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that moderate-dose therapy with multiple medications including statins may prove to be preferable to high-dose therapy with statins alone. Dr. Karas emphasized that patients are advised to continue their statin treatments and, as always, consult their doctor before discontinuing use of any medication