Afferent Pharmaceuticals Presents Data Supporting Use Of P2X3 Antagonists In Reducing Bone Cancer Pain
Afferent Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class, small molecules that target P2X3 receptors, announced preclinical in vivo results demonstrating that an investigational P2X3 receptor antagonist significantly prevented and reversed bone cancer pain behavior in comparison to vehicle controls. These data expand on earlier findings and reveal that a marked reduction in apparent bone cancer pain occurs following oral administration of the proprietary P2X3 antagonist...
Study Confirms Link Between Migraines and Stroke
A review in the American Journal of Medicine analyzing the results of 21 previous studies found that those who regularly suffer from migraine headaches are more likely to experience ischemic stroke, in which a blockage prevents bloodflow to a part of the brain, often causing permanent damage. The risk of stroke is about twice as likely for migraine sufferers than it is for people who do not get migraines, but those with headaches should remember that the overall risk of stroke remains low.
Doctors haven't determined the reason for the connection, but nonetheless migraine patients can take action to prevent stroke by doing such things as quitting smoking and lowering cholesterol. Experts also recommend extra precautions to control diabetes and high blood pressure.
Study Confirms Link Between Migraines and Stroke originally appeared on About.com Headaches / Migraine on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 15:39:37. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Race, Insurance Status Cited In Uneven Death Rates Among Pedestrians Hit By Cars
Uninsured minority pedestrians hit by cars are at a significantly higher risk of death than their insured white counterparts, even if the injuries sustained are similar, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests. The death rate disparity is compounded by the fact that minority pedestrians are far more likely than white pedestrians to be struck by motor vehicles, according to a study published in the August issue of the journal Surgery. "It's a double whammy," says Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H...
Cycling for World Alzheimer's Day
Observed every year on September 21st, World Alzheimer's Day raises awareness of the public, people with dementia, their family and friends, medical professionals, and researchers about Alzheimer's Disease. Having a globally coordinated awareness day sends a strong message to governments and policymakers that dementia is fast becoming a public health crisis as the world's population grows older. The day can also be used to educate and challenge people's misconceptions as well as the stigma of dementia.
In an exciting event leading up to World Alzheimer's Day this year, Alzheimer's researchers will leave the lab and take to the road beginning this Saturday July 17th in the First Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride. More than 55 researchers will cycle cross-country segments from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., collecting signatures along the way to support Alzheimer's research funding. The goal is to secure 50,000 petition signatures and present them to Congress on World Alzheimer's Day. Originally conceived by Bruce Lamb, Ph.D., whose current research analyzes the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, the Breakthrough Ride's petition supports the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act and other legislation to increase funding and focus attention on Alzheimer's research, care, and support. According to the Alzheimer's Association, for every $25000 the federal government spends on care for people living with Alzheimer's disease, it spends only $100 on Alzheimer's research.
In addition to the annual Memory Walk sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, this seems like a terrific opportunity to get involved and show your enthusiasm and support for Alzheimer's disease. Click here to find an event in your area, follow the riders, and sign the online petition. Cycling for World Alzheimer's Day originally appeared on About.com Alzheimers Disease on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 12:07:15. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Back to School With Asthma Mom
Earlier this week I asked how asthma friendly your school was. As you go back to school, there are number of things you can do to make sure your child's asthma is well controlled. Check out these suggestions from Asthma Mom. She provides a number of practical tips from an experienced Mom with asthma kids to make sure your child's return to school is safe and smooth.
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Back to School With Asthma Mom originally appeared on About.com Asthma on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 06:00:56. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Sirtuins and Alzheimer's Disease
Just when I thought I at least knew the major theories about what causes Alzheimer's and what are the most promising avenues for treatments, the New York Times succeeds in humbling me and my ignorance. In an article published Saturday July 24th, it was reported that researchers from MIT found that by activating a protein called sirtuin, the decline in memory typical of Alzheimer's was "clearly suppressed" in the Alzheimer's-prone mice with abundant sirtuin. In other words, if drugs that boost the activity of these enzymes can be developed that are safe and cross the blood-brain barrier, they may help prevent the formation of amyloid plaques and protect the brain against stress.
Sirtuin seems to play a key role in extending life spans: it has similar anti-aging effects as drastic reductions in calories. One of the researchers involved in the present study, Dr. Leonard Guarente, believes that sirtuin helps regulate the aging process. In the brains of the mice that were studied, sirtuin was protective in two ways: it activated a system called the notch pathway, which protects brain cells against stress, and it enhanced an enzyme that avoid production of the toxic A-beta peptide.
Of course, while sirtuin research is an active field that may ultimately help people with not only Alzheimer's disease but also with other brain disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, it is far too early to get too excited. As summed up nicely in the article by Dennis Selkoe, and Alzheimer's expert at Harvard, "We think it is a scientifically compelling story that ties the sirtuins to the biology of Alzheimer's disease, but the therapeutic implications remain quite up in the air." Sirtuins and Alzheimer's Disease originally appeared on About.com Alzheimers Disease on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 11:30:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Molecular Imaging's Benefits In The Evaluation And Successful Treatment Planning For A Wide Spectrum Of Diseases
A series of studies published in the September Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) show that molecular imaging plays a critical role in the evaluation and treatment planning for a broad spectrum of cancers, including thyroid cancer and lymphoma. According to researchers, molecular imaging allows physicians to identify the severity and extent of disease and, in turn, provide patients with personalized care. In addition, molecular imaging allows doctors to see how effective a treatment is early in the process so that changes can be made to ensure the best treatment for each individual patient...
Poll: Have You Talked to the Teacher About Your Child's ADHD?
A new school year is beginning. Have you had any communication with your child's new teacher? Do you plan to talk with the teacher about your son's or daughter's ADHD? Please take the poll below and let us know.
Feel free to share more about your reasons for talking or not talking in the comments section below. Poll: Have You Talked to the Teacher About Your Child's ADHD? originally appeared on About.com ADD / ADHD on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 18:10:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Knee Arthritis - Hydrogen Sulfide Is Present in Joint Fluid
 Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas easily recognized by its rotten egg smell. It has now been shown to reside naturally in our bodies, specifically, in knee joint synovial fluid. Acting as a protective fluid, synovial fluid is found in joint cavities and reduces friction between cartilage during movement of joints.
The study, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, compared H2S in blood samples and knee joint synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients, osteoarthritis patients, and healthy people. Rheumatoid arthritis patients had higher concentrations of H2S in their synovial fluid compared to controls. Higher levels were linked to disease activity and lowered counts of inflammatory cells. This suggests H2S may play a role in controlling inflammation -- and this opens the door to further research and potential development of H2S-based treatments.
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Photo by Eraxion (stockexpert) Knee Arthritis - Hydrogen Sulfide Is Present in Joint Fluid originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 at 23:14:25. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Asthma Pet Peeves
I ran across Sarah's asthma blog and I thought her list of pet peeves is very interesting. Do you have asthma pet peeves? Why not let us know what yours are?
Leave a comment here or join the discussion in the forum.
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Asthma Pet Peeves originally appeared on About.com Asthma on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 06:00:29. Permalink | Comment | Email this
New Guidelines for Alzheimer's Diagnosis Proposed
It seems that hardly a week goes by these days without a front page article in the New York Times about Alzheimer's Disease. Today's piece addresses a proposed revamping of the way Alzheimer's is diagnosed: specifically, it would reflect advances in brain imaging that can now be used to detect brain evidence of dementia years before actual clinical evidence. Dr. Paul Aisen, a well-known Alzheimer's researcher who is working on the proposed guidelines, observed that "we now view dementia as a late stage in the process." He predicts that people in their 50's without any evidence of memory loss or other cognitive problems will routinely have tests such as MRI scans or spinal taps that will predict their likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease: by then we will hopefully have medications that can be administered to prevent or delay its onset.
The success of this strategy really hinges on having medications available that alter the course of the disease. Although no drugs have yet been shown to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's, there are other advantages of early diagnosis. People have more time to put into place financial plans, health care proxies, and living wills. Families may be more vigilant about identifying signs of depression or anxiety that often accompany early dementia and may be treated. Some people may of course not want to know whether they will develop dementia down the road, and what good is it really to tell someone they're going to get dementia but not having anything substantive to offer to manage it?
While I'm amazed at how good these imaging studies are and how our thinking about diagnosis is evolving, I'm not convinced we're prepared to implement these changes. Possible ripple effects mentioned in the article include unintended consequences for lawyers, insurance companies and workers' compensation programs. And having more reasons for expensive brain scans and tests is not exactly what our health care system needs at this point. Please share your comments.
New Guidelines for Alzheimer's Diagnosis Proposed originally appeared on About.com Alzheimers Disease on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 21:26:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Statins Do Not Increase Cancer Risk
Statins affect all aspects of your lipid profile and can even help prevent another heart attack in someone with already-established heart disease. However, statins have also gotten a bad reputation over the years. Muscle pain, muscle weakness -- although these side effects are rare, they can be very frightening to those individuals who have experienced it.
Cancer was another adverse event that was noted in some studies, even those this information was somewhat conflicting. However, recently-presented research at the European Society of 2010 Cardiology Congress states that there is no risk associated with developing cancer while taking statins.
The meta-a
nalysis pooled information together from 26 research studies in over 150,000 individuals taking different doses of statins. The researchers found individuals taking statins or placebo developed cancer at an equal rate. Additionally, those indviduals taking a high-dose statin also did not appear to be at an increased risk of developing cancer. Unfortunately, the time frame examined in most studies was about 5 years, so it is unknown if this risk incre
ases if you are taking a statin for a longer period of time. In any case, this meta-analysis of multiple studies in individuals taking statins did not identify a clear-cut relationship between the development of cancer and statin use.
More About Statins:
Statins Do Not Increase Cancer Risk originally appeared on About.com Cholesterol on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 12:44:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this
"Heart Scans" - Cardiac Calcium Scans
Cardiac calcium scans can identify and quantify the amount of calcium deposits in your coronary arteries. Calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, of course, indicate the presence of coronary artery disease.
Over the years, these scans have been controversial among physicians. But the medical science behind them, and the appropriate ways of interpreting them, now have become much clearer.
Here's what you need to know about calcium scans - what they are, what they are good for, and whether you ought to consider having one. "Heart Scans" - Cardiac Calcium Scans originally appeared on About.com Heart Disease on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 07:13:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality News And Numbers: Oregon And Vermont Show Fewest Hospitalizations For Children With Asthma
Oregon and Vermont reported the nation's lowest rates of avoidable hospitalizations for asthma in children ages 2 to 17 in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Oregon reported the lowest rate of potentially avoidable hospitalizations, at 44 per 100,000 children. Vermont followed closely, with 46 admissions of children with asthma...
How Asthma Freindly Is Your School?
How asthma friendly is your or your child's school? With schools getting started over the country is time to think about your school year asthma plan.
I thought I would take a poll to see how asthma friendly your school is?
Do you think your school is asthma friendly?
Take the poll, leave a comment, and go to the forum to join the discussion.
Learn More
- Ten Tips To Help Your Child Cope With Asthma At School
- Color Code Your Child's Inhalers
- Right to Carry Medications in School for Asthma & Allergies
- Talking About School Asthma With Your Child's Teacher
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How Asthma Freindly Is Your School? originally appeared on About.com Asthma on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 06:00:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Millions of Doses of H1N1 Vaccine Destroyed
40 million doses of H1N1 pandemic flu vaccine expired on Wednesday and had to be destroyed, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Millions more are still in storage and will expire at various times next year.
About 162 millions doses of the vaccine were available to Americans, but only about 25 percent of us were actually vaccinated.
Next flu season, the pandemic H1N1 strain of influenza will be included in the seasonal flu vaccine. Last year - because the pandemic was declared in late Spring - there was not enough time to include it in the seasonal flu vaccine.
While it does bother me that 25% of the H1N1 vaccine that was available in this country was just destroyed, I still believe it was beneficial to produce so much of it. The pandemic could have turned out a lot worse than it has been so far. And there is no way to know if it is actually over yet. Although levels of illness are low right now, it could return and cause more serious disease if it mutates. Only time will tell. Millions of Doses of H1N1 Vaccine Destroyed originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 09:20:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Itchy, Itchy ChickenPox
When I was a kid, chickenpox was sort of a right of passage. Pretty much everyone got it and it was no big deal - other than the unbearable itching of course. So why do we now have a vaccine to prevent this seemingly mild disease?
Well, the truth is that it's not always a mild disease. Some kids and adults get really sick when they get the chickenpox. They have to be hospitalized and between 100 and 150 people died in the US each year from the chickenpox before the vaccine was developed. Unfortunately there is no way to know how the disease will affect you or your child.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent the serious complications from happening. So don't skip the vaccine just because the disease is "no big deal" - because it can be. Itchy, Itchy ChickenPox originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 00:34:15. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Parents and Physicians Warned of "Alternative" Food Allergy Tests
Approximately 8% of all children suffer from food allergies -- and even more experience various symptoms after eating certain foods that may or may not represent food allergies. Parents of these children want answers, and when they don't get the answers they want from their regular doctors, they may turn to "alternative practitioners" for answers. These practitioners may order a multiple of "alternative" tests to evaluate for "food allergies", including IgG RAST, provocation-neutralization, applied kinesiology, and body chemical analysis.
Unfortunately, none of these tests are valid for the diagnosis of food allergies, and more often than not lead to inappropriate elimination diets resulting in possible nutritional deficiencies. This has become such a problem in the United Kingdom that the National Health Service issued a warning about these useless tests, and initiated an education program to teach doctors and parents about the appropriate evaluation for food allergies.
In my opinion, only board-certified allergists are truly qualified to evaluate, diagnose and treat food allergies, particularly in young children.
Read more:
Parents and Physicians Warned of "Alternative" Food Allergy Tests originally appeared on About.com Allergies on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 00:48:20. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Latest Alzheimer's Drug to Have Development Halted
The bad news continued today for Alzheimer's drugs that many scientists and researchers once held great promise for. The latest failure, a gamma-secretase inhibitor known as Semagacestat, was announced today by the drug company Eli Lilly after preliminary results from 2 large studies showed worsening of cognitive function and functional abilities when compared with placebo. In addition, the data showed that people in the studies who took the drug had a higher rate of skin cancer compared with those who received placebo.
According to the President of Eli Lilly Research Laboratories, Jan M. Lundberg, PhD., "This is disappointing news for the millions of Alzheimer's patients and their families wordwide who anxiously await a successful treatment for this devastating illness."
Unlike the currently approved medications for Alzheimer's disease that are primarily symptomatic treatments, Semagacestat and dozens of other drugs in the Alzheimer's research pipeline attempt to alter the course of the disease by targeting the beta-amyloid proteins that are believed to play a role in causing Alzheimer's. Gamma-secretases are known as the "molecular scissors" that cut the larger amyloid precursor protein into smaller A beta peptides. A beta 42 is the most toxic, as it is very sticky and clumps together to form toxic compounds called oligomers. Gamma secretase inhibitors such as Semagacestat turn off these cuts so that the A beta peptides don't form. In June of 2008 another gamma secretase inhibitor called tarenflurbil also saw its development halted for Alzheimer's disease because of failed research studies.
This recent setback shouldn't negate some of the exciting progress recently made in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the use of brain imaging and spinal taps to confirm the diagnosis months or even years earlier than signs and symptoms begin. Latest Alzheimer's Drug to Have Development Halted originally appeared on About.com Alzheimers Disease on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 18:47:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Near Infrared Light May Open New Frontier In Fighting Cancer, Tay-Sachs
A "game-changing" technique using near infrared light enables scientists to look deeper into the guts of cells, potentially opening up a new frontier in the fights against cancer and many other diseases. University of Central Florida chemists, led by Professor Kevin Belfield, used near infrared light and fluorescent dye to take pictures of cells and tumors deep within tissue. The probes specifically target lysosomes, which act as cells' thermostats and waste processors and which have been linked to a variety of diseases, including types of mental illnesses and cancers...
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