Health and Medicine
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'Gluten-free' Omission beer to go nationwide
First oral agent to quell invasive macular degeneration, restore lost vision
Public release date: 6-May-2012
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Share ] Contact: Stuart Richer OD, Ph.D.
stuartricher1@comcast.net
847-409-4131
Resveratrol Partners LLC, dba LONGEVINEX
First oral agent to quell invasive macular degeneration, restore lost vision
Nutriceutical offers hope to those facing blindness
IMAGE: View left to right shows cases 1, 2 & 3 described above. Ocular Coherence Tomography digital images reveal rapid restoration of normal or more youthful retinal architecture accompanied by... | ||||
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (May 6, 2012) – There may be new found hope for patients whose vision is threatened when medicine injected directly into the eyes fails to cause abnormal blood vessels to recede. While injectable drugs called angiogenesis (an-gee-oh-jen-esis) inhibitors are considered a modern miracle and have become the standard of care for patients with the fast-progressive form of macular degeneration, they are not foolproof. For the first time researchers report that an oral nutriceutical, used on a last resort basis, rapidly restores vision to otherwise hopeless patients who face permanent loss.
Stuart Richer OD, PhD, Director, Ocular Preventative Medicine-Eye Clinic, James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, Illinois, says all other therapies were exhausted before employing the oral nutriceutical under compassionate-use protocols on a case-by-case basis. Usually most patients respond to medicine injected directly into the eyes, he says, but about one in three patients recover driving vision and one in six patients go on to experience permanent vision loss and others may refuse needle injections directly into the eyes, making them candidates for this rescue medicine.
Three successfully treated cases were presented at the annual Association For Research In Vision & Ophthalmology meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
One striking case is an 88-year old woman whom retinal specialists said was beyond any help offered by conventional medicines or surgery. The nutriceutical helped this hospitalized woman regain her ability to see faces, read a menu and visualize her handwriting in just four days. “As she was an inpatient were also able to observe that her 40-year history of low-blood pressure and migraines improved after months of use,” said Dr. Richer.
In another case a 75-year old man with failing vision experienced recovery of vision in 5 days and was able to renew his driver’s license after taking just 7 nutriceutical capsules.
Dr. Richer says 16 of the first 17 cases responded positively to nutriceutical medicine. There were no side effects reported. Because these patients faced impending loss of vision, for ethical reasons no patients received inactive placebo pills. He says it is unknown whether this nutriceutical produces such positive results in the more common dry form of macular degeneration, but the benefit to vision is typically observed in both eyes and is self-evident.
Dr. Richer says in these first cases he has monitored, blind spots (called scotomas) disappear, time to recover from bright light (glare recovery) is reduced, and contrast vision (shades of grey) as well as visual acuity (ability to see letters on a chart) generally improve within 3-6 weeks with the nutriceutical. “With our instruments we documented a more youthful appearance of retinal tissues as well as improved underlying circulation. There were also other improvements in health observed or measured outside of the eyes that were unanticipated,” notes Dr. Richer.
Only in recent years has there been a reliable way to treat wet macular degeneration, a disorder where abnormal blood vessels invade the visual center (macula) of the eyes. Any of three FDA-approved drugs, Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea, are needle-injected into the white of the eye to diminish the formation of these abnormal blood vessels. These are considered miracle drugs. Re-treatment is usually necessary every six to eight weeks. However, since these drugs are not foolproof, oral antioxidant therapy was employed with measurable success.
Dr. Richer selected a particular nutriceutical mixture of vitamins and small herbal molecules (Longevinex®) because of its extensive testing and proven ability to favorably alter genes in a superior manner to other available nutriceuticals. Dr. Richer cautions that other similar store-bought products are not likely to produce the same rapid results seen among his patients. He advises patients not to risk their vision with unproven products. Nor should patients consider this oral medicine supplants injected medicine.
While the nutriceutical used in this report is non-prescription and directly available to patients and could be used alongside injected drugs, Dr. Richer advises physician consultation prior to its use. It still remains unproven until it is evaluated in broader studies, says Richer, who adds: “this oral nutriceutical taps into the newly appreciated science of epigenetics, where gene protein-making switches are favorably turned on and off, and suggests that age-related eye problems may not be inevitably progressive and biological age is not necessarily cast in stone.” There is new-found hope for recovery of lost vision, regardless of the patient’s image.
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Dr. Richer has no financial interest in the products used in his investigations. To learn more or make a donation to further Dr. Richer’s research, visit Dr. Richer’s website at www.eyedoctorricher.com
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Some HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, may not protect against heart disease
Public release date: 7-May-2012
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Share ] Contact: Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-8413
Harvard School of Public Health
Some HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, may not protect against heart disease
Boston, MA – A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that a subclass of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so-called "good" cholesterol, may not protect against coronary heart disease (CHD) and in fact may be harmful.
This is the first study to show that a small protein, apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III), that sometimes resides on the surface of HDL cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease and that HDL cholesterol without this protein may be especially heart protective.
The study was published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
"This finding, if confirmed in ongoing studies, could lead to better evaluation of risk of heart disease in individuals and to more precise targeting of treatments to raise the protective HDL or lower the unfavorable HDL with apoC-III," said Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at HSPH and senior author of the study.
A high level of HDL cholesterol is strongly predictive of a low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). But trials of drugs that increase HDL cholesterol have not consistently shown decreases in CHD, leading to the hypothesis that HDL cholesterol may contain both protective and non-protective components.
ApoC-III, a proinflammatory protein, resides on the surface of some lipoproteins—both HDL and low-density lipoproteins, or LDL ("bad") cholesterol. The researchers, led by Sacks and Majken Jensen, research associate in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH, examined whether the existence or absence of apoC-III on HDL cholesterol affected the "good" cholesterol's heart-protective qualities, and whether its existence could differentiate HDL cholesterol into two subclasses—those which protect against the risk of future heart disease and those which do not.
Blood samples collected in 1989 and 1990 from 32,826 women in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses' Health Study were examined, along with blood samples collected from 1993 to 1995 from 18,225 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During 10 to 14 years of follow-up, 634 cases of coronary heart disease were documented and matched with controls for age, smoking, and date of blood drawing.
The researchers compared plasma concentrations of total HDL, HDL that has apoC-III, and HDL without apoC-III as predictors of the risk of CHD.
After adjusting for age, smoking status and other dietary and lifestyle cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that two different subclasses of HDL have opposite associations with the risk of CHD in apparently healthy men and women. The major HDL type, which lacks apoC-III, had the expected heart-protective association with CHD. But the small fraction (13%) of HDL cholesterol that has apoC-III present on its surface was paradoxically associated with a higher, not lower, risk of future CHD. Those men and women who had HDL apoC-III in the highest 20% of the population had a 60% increased risk of CHD.
The results suggest that measuring HDL apoC-III and HDL without apoC-III rather than the simpler measure of total HDL may be a better gauge of heart disease risk (or of HDL's protective capacity). "Reduction in HDL-apoC-III by diet or drug treatments may become an indicator of efficacy," said Jensen.
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The study was supported by The National Institutes of Health and the Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation (Denmark).
"Apolipoprotein C-III as a Potential Modulator of the Association Between HDL-Cholesterol and Incident Coronary Heart Disease," Majken K. Jensen, Eric B. Rimm, Jeremy D. Furtado, Frank M. Sacks, Journal of the American Heart Association, April 2012.
Harvard School of Public Health is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit www.hsph.harvard.edu.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Migraine prevalence up in celiac disease, IBD patients
A new drug to manage resistant chronic pain
Public release date: 30-Apr-2012
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Share ] Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
A new drug to manage resistant chronic pain
Tel Aviv University develops BL-7050 to ease the neuropathic pain of millions of sufferers
Neuropathic pain, caused by nerve or tissue damage, is the culprit behind many cases of chronic pain. It can be the result of an accident or caused by a variety of medical conditions and diseases such as tumors, lupus, and diabetes. Typically resistant to common types of pain management including ibuprofen and even morphine, neuropathic pain can lead to lifelong disability for many sufferers.
Now a drug developed by Tel Aviv University researchers, known as BL-7050, is offering new hope to patients with neuropathic pain. Developed by Prof. Bernard Attali and Dr. Asher Peretz of TAU's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the medication inhibits the transmission of pain signals throughout the body. In both in-vitro and in-vivo experiments measuring electrical activity of neurons, the compound has been shown to prevent the hyper-excitability of neurons — protecting not only against neuropathic pain, but epileptic seizures as well.
The medication has been licensed by Ramot, TAU's technology transfer company, for development and commercialization by BioLineRx, an Israeli biopharmaceutical development company.
Targeting potassium for pain control
According to Prof. Attali, the medication works by targeting a group of proteins which act as a channel for potassium. Potassium has a crucial role in the excitability of cells, specifically those in the nervous system and the heart. When potassium channels don't function properly, cells are prone to hyper-excitability, leading to neurological and cardiovascular disorders such as epilepsy and arrhythmias. These are also the channels that convey pain signals caused by nerve or tissue damage, known as neuropathic pain.
With few treatment options available for neuropathic pain, Prof. Attali set out to develop a medication that could bind to and stabilize the body's potassium channels, controlling their hyper-excitability and preventing the occurrence of pain by keeping the channels open for the outflow of potassium. This novel targeting approach has been recently reported in the journal PNAS.
Inducing calm in the neurons
Understanding the mechanism that controls these channels has been crucial to the development of the drug. By successfully controlling the excitability of the neurons, Prof. Attali believes that BL-7050 could bring relief to hundreds of millions of patients around the world who suffer from neuropathic pain. The medication will reach the first phase of clinical trials in the near future.
In pre-clinical trials, BL-7050 was tested in rats experiencing both epilepsy and neuropathic pain and was found to be efficient in protecting against both when taken as a pill. While on the medication, rats were no longer affected by stimuli that had previously caused pain. Measures in the electrical activities of neurons also revealed that the medication was able to induce "calm" in the neurons, inhibiting pain pathways.
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American Friends of Tel Aviv University (www.aftau.org) supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning. Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities.
Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Obstructive sleep apnea's damage evident after 1 month
Public release date: 23-Apr-2012
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Share ] Contact: Donna Krupa
media@faseb.org
619-525-6213
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Obstructive sleep apnea's damage evident after 1 month
SAN DIEGO—Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which there are recurring episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep with ongoing effort to breathe. OSA is estimated to affect 1 in 5 adults in America. The serious nature of the problem was captured in a landmark study which found that middle-age and older men with even mild levels of OSA were in danger of increased risk of stroke and death. While a link between OSA and stroke is clear, OSA's effect on the cerebral (brain) vessels is not. In an effort to shed light on this relationship, researchers in Texas have developed a novel model that mimics OSA in humans. Their model has found that after just 30 days of OSA exposure cerebral vessel function is altered, which could lead to stroke.
The model and its findings are the result of efforts undertaken by Randy F. Crossland, David J. Durgan, Eric E. Lloyd, Sharon C. Phillips, Sean P. Marrelli and Robert M. Bryan, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex. An abstract of their study entitled, "Cerebrovascular Consequences of Obstructive Sleep Apnea," will be discussed at the meeting Experimental Biology 2012 being held April 21-25 at the San Diego Convention Center. The abstract is sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS), one of six scientific societies sponsoring the conference which last year attracted some 14,000 attendees.
New Model, New Findings
The most common animal model used to study OSA today is intermittent hypoxia (IH) which relies solely on exposing animals to a decrease in blood oxygen levels. The new model incorporates all physiological consequences involved in OSA by inducing true apnea (closure of the airway). The revised model creates a more complete picture of the apnea process and one that more accurately mimics how OSA unfolds in humans.
Using their model the researchers induced 30 apneas (10 seconds duration) per hour in animals for 8-hours during the sleep cycle for up to one month. After one month of apnea, cerebral vessel dilatory function was reduced by up to 22 percent. This finding correlates with studies that show similar cell dysfunction in arteries and an increased risk of stroke in OSA patients. Damage to the vascular wall in brain arteries could be a factor predisposing an individual with OSA to stroke.
"There are two important findings in these results," according to researcher Randy Crossland. "The first is the model itself. The new model allows us to study the complete disease and better understand how repetitive exposure to apnea affects the body. The second is that only one month of moderate OSA produces altered cerebrovascular function which could result in a stroke. A finding that highlights the detrimental impact OSA can have on the body."
OSA Prevalence Expected to Rise
According to Mr. Crossland, some researchers estimate that up to 85 percent of patients with clinically significant sleep apnea have not been diagnosed. Obesity and aging are strongly associated with OSA. "As the prevalence of obesity is rising, and the population continues aging, we expect the rates of OSA to rise. It should also be noted that non-obese individuals and even children can have OSA," he said. And while OSA is seen more often in men than in women for unknown reasons some researchers believe that the true rate in females has been underestimated.
The common signs and symptoms of OSA include: habitual snoring, daytime sleepiness, enlarged neck size, morning headache, sexual dysfunction, and mood and behavioral changes. "OSA can have a detrimental impact on a person's body and their life. It is a serious, yet treatable, disorder that should not be taken lightly," according to Mr. Crossland.
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About Experimental Biology 2012
Six scientific societies will hold their joint scientific sessions and annual meetings, known as Experimental Biology, from April 21-25, 2012 in San Diego. This meeting brings together the leading researchers from a broad array of life science disciplines. The societies include the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). More information about the meeting can be found online at http://bit.ly/ymb7av.
About the American Physiological Society (APS)
The American Physiological Society (APS) is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences. The Society was founded in 1887 and today has more than 10,500 members. APS publishes 13 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering specialized aspects of physiology. Eleven of the journals are published monthly.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Big doses of vitamin C may lower blood pressure
Public release date: 19-Apr-2012
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Share ] Contact: Stephanie Desmon
sdesmon1@jhmi.edu
410-955-8665
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Big doses of vitamin C may lower blood pressure
But hold the supplements, for now, researchers say
Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of years of research by Johns Hopkins scientists. But the researchers stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.
"Our research suggests a modest blood pressure lowering effect with vitamin C supplementation, but before we can recommend supplements as a treatment for high blood pressure, we really need more research to understand the implications of taking them," says Edgar "Pete" R. Miller III, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the division of general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Roughly 30 percent of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, or hypertension, an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Successful treatment may include drugs, exercise, weight loss, and dietary changes such as reducing salt intake. Some experts believe that large amounts of vitamin C, an essential micronutrient found primarily in fruits and vegetables, could lower pressure as well, but randomized, controlled dietary intervention studies — the gold standard of nutrition research — have produced mixed results.
Miller and his colleagues reviewed and analyzed data from 29 randomized, controlled, previously published clinical trials that reported systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure values and also compared vitamin C intake to a placebo. What they found is that taking an average of 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily — about five times the recommended daily requirement — reduced blood pressure by 3.84 millimeters of mercury in the short term. Among those diagnosed with hypertension, the drop was nearly 5 millimeters of mercury.
By comparison, Miller says, patients who take blood pressure medication such as ACE inhibitors or diuretics (so-called "water pills") can expect a roughly 10 millimeter of mercury reduction in blood pressure.
Five hundred milligrams of vitamin C is the amount in about six cups of orange juice. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 90 milligrams.
"Although our review found only a moderate impact on blood pressure, if the entire U.S. population lowered blood pressure by 3 milliliters of mercury, there would be a lot fewer strokes," Miller says. Miller cautions, however, that none of the studies his team reviewed show that vitamin C directly prevents or reduces rates of cardiovascular disease, including stroke.
Scientists have focused on vitamin C's potential role in blood pressure reduction because of the nutrient's biological and physiological effects. For example, vitamin C may act as a diuretic, causing the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body, which helps to relax the blood vessel walls, thereby lowering blood pressure.
Nutritional supplements are a $28 billion-a-year industry, and marketing claims, newspaper stories and testimonials often make them hard to resist, Miller says. People often view supplements as a "natural alternative" and preferable to drugs for high blood pressure or other ailments, he adds, despite mounting evidence that many supplements don't work and in some cases may cause harm.
"People love to take vitamins regardless of the evidence or lack of it," Miller says. "We're trying to raise the bar and provide evidence-based guidance about whether supplements help or actually do harm." With respect to vitamin C, he says, the jury is still out.
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Other study authors from Johns Hopkins include Stephen P. Juraschek, an M.D., Ph.D. candidate; Eliseo Guallar, M.D., Dr.Ph.; and Lawrence J. Appel, M.D., M.P.H.
For more information: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gim/faculty/miller_p.html
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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A friend I played hockey with for many years, experienced a tragedy. I share this for his family so u can learn about SMA.
Dear family and friends,
What if you were suddenly faced with a diagnosis of a severe, genetic disease of your new born child? On February 17, 2012, Jenni and Steve Losacco had to face this question with their second daughter, McKenzie Rainn Losacco. At just two months old, Jenni and Steve we...re told their daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). And then at the very young age of 4 months and 29 days, McKenzie Rainn sadly passed away and said good bye due to complications from having SMA!
McKenzie Rainn Losacco is our neice, and we can't help but think of her each and every day. It has been a very rough time for Jenni and Steve. Please visit the website below and help us raise money for Families of SMA. A very good friend of ours, Jolie Farrell, has started a team for this walk. Our team name is McKenzie's Smile. This walk/run is in Libertyville, please join us and if you cannot, please donate to a great cause. http://www.fsma.org/LWC/ScottLefko
If you have any questions please reach out to me. We will also be holding a golf outing and a dinner later this year.
And if possible please visit my sisters website which is dedicated to McKenzie Rainn. www.mckenzierainn.com
There will be some changes to this website over the next few days. We are hoping that we will be able to have evereything you will need to know about all of the events and ways to donate on this one page shortly.
Thank you very much!
Love,
Scott and Jill Lefko
