September 18, 2006, 9:46 PM CT

CAM For Insomnia

A new study reveals that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping* as per researchers at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health. The data came from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2002 the NHIS, an in-person, annual health survey, included over 31,000 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older. A CAM supplement to the survey asked about the use of 27 types of CAM therapies, as well as a variety of medical conditions for which CAM may be used, including insomnia or trouble sleeping. Survey results show that over 17 percent of adults reported trouble sleeping or insomnia in the past 12 months. Of those with insomnia or trouble sleeping, 4.5 percent--more than 1.6 million people--used some form of CAM to treat their condition.

"These data offer some new insights regarding the prevalence of insomnia or trouble sleeping in the United States and the types of CAM therapies people use to treat these conditions," said Dr. Margaret A. Chesney, Acting Director of NCCAM. "They will help us develop new research questions regarding the safety and efficacy of the CAM therapies being used".........

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September 18, 2006, 7:05 PM CT

Dear Cancer

DEAR CANCER is a book of inspiration and comfort that will make the reader laugh, cry, and see adversity in a new light.

The author shares her true story of living with stage IV breast cancer from the shock of diagnosis to the rigors of chemotherapy and other therapys.

Written with honesty, sensitivity and humor, DEAR CANCER will support and encourage anyone who is confronted by cancer, or any life-changing illness, or event.

DEAR CANCER touches EVERY emotion from extreme sadness and rage, to joy and gratitude.

It is a gift you must give to your body, mind and soul.

About the Author

Laura Parisi King is a Licensed Master Social Worker. She is the author of GRANDA, a young adult novel about stereotypes and self-discovery. Her short stories have appeared in LISTEN Magazine. Laura has been a contributor to COPING Magazine, a creative writing instructor, and a columnist for the newsletter TAKING THE FEAR OUT OF CANCER. She has been interviewed on radio and television, and she has been the guest speaker in schools in New York and Florida.........

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September 17, 2006, 10:22 PM CT

Prozac Interferes With Reproduction

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and North Carolina State University (NCSW) have demonstrated that a commonly prescribed antidepressant can interfere with the reproductive cycle of freshwater mussels--at least in a controlled setting. The research, presented this week at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society*, was conducted to better understand the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals in waste water.

More and more studies are turning up evidence of common drugs and their breakdown products in the nation's waterways (see NIST Tech Beat, www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2005_1222.htm#drugs, raising concerns about potential health impacts for both humans and animals from low-level but continuous exposure to the chemicals. NIST and NCSU researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (Charleston, S.C.) examined the effect of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on a native freshwater mussel (Elliptio complanata). Fluoxetine, sold under the trade name ProzacTM, is one of the most heavily prescribed antidepressants in the United States. In humans, it acts to increase the levels of serotonin at nerve synapses, relieving depression and associated illnesses. But for a number of aquatic species, serotonin moderates the reproductive system--and has been used to artificially induce spawning in bivalves.........

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September 15, 2006, 2:01 PM CT

Guidelines For Heart Transplant Candidates

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) announces the release of the first international guidelines for heart failure patient management, particularly prior to heart transplantation, published in this month's edition of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation (September 2006). For the first time, comprehensive international guidelines will help bridge the gap where current principles fall short and provide guidance to practicing physicians and cardiologists around the world.

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood through the body. Based on statistical data from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute and other sources, it is estimated that at least 100 million people around the world suffer with heart failure with about 12 million new cases each year.

Over the past decade, advancements in patient care with ventricular assist and other implantable devices, stem cell implants, biomedical developments and improved pharmaceutical management, have had a dramatic impact on care for heart failure patients. Taking these and other advancements into consideration, the new guidelines underscore the optimal process for managing heart failure patients prior to considering transplantation.........

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September 15, 2006, 1:38 PM CT

Genetic Susceptibility For Viral Encephalitis

The study is being published September 14 in Science X-Press, an advanced, online edition of the journal Science.

In the study, the researchers suggest that herpes simplex encephalitis may reflect a single gene immunodeficiency that confers susceptibility to herpes simplex virus, an idea that contrasts with the prevailing scientific theory of how genes work to make people vulnerable to infections. These new findings, the study added, may apply to other infectious diseases as well.

In the study, scientists focused on blood cells from two French children with a deficiency for UNC-93B, an endoplasmic reticulum protein involved in the recognition of pathogens. When infected with herpes simplex virus-1, the UNC-93B-deficient cells were unable to produce natural interferons alpha, beta, and gamma (IFNs -?/? and -?). Interferons are produced by the immune system to fight infections and tumors.

This deficiency resulted in high rates of herpes simplex virus-1 proliferation and cell death. Assuming these findings extend to neurons, they provide a plausible mechanism for herpes simplex encephalitis.

"We and our colleagues have identified recessive UNC-93B deficiency as a genetic etiology of herpes simplex encephalitis in otherwise healthy patients," said Professor Bruce Beutler, M.D., one of three Scripps Research scientists who contributed to the study. "The discovery of this genetic cause for herpes simplex encephalitis not only broadens our understanding of these types of immunodeficiencies, but also has important therapeutic implications-some of these patients could benefit from recombinant interferon alpha (IFN-?) treatment, just as patients with low levels of naturally occurring interferon gamma (IFN-?) benefit from a similar life-saving approach".........

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September 14, 2006, 8:29 PM CT

Can Handle Flu Pandemic

The most cost effective and quickest way to respond to a flu pandemic within the next five years is to use existing facilities to make vaccines from cell cultures, new research suggests.

In a study led by University of Michigan professor of chemical and biomedical engineering Henry Wang and doctoral student Lyle Lash, scientists examined the economics of producing egg versus cell culture vaccines in the event of a flu pandemic. They observed that training personnel to make cell culture vaccines in existing facilities is the only way to make enough doses to cover the United States in a short time without requiring huge capital investments to build new dedicated flu vaccine cell culture facilities.

The study builds upon research presented last year at the American Chemical Society National Meeting. This research will be also be presented at ACS in the "Economics of Biopharmaceutical Processes" session at 2 p.m. on Sept. 14. The research presented last year focused on how the use of existing cell culture facilities and other vaccine development and manufacturing changes can cut down the time to respond to a pandemic.

Currently, flu vaccines are made from hen eggs, but in light of a possible pandemic and ongoing shortages even during normal flu season, the government and private corporations have been scrambling for new and faster ways to make a flu vaccine. Some options include building new and bigger facilities or to retrofit existing facilities.........

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September 13, 2006, 9:39 PM CT

Diabetics And Lower Limb Amputations

Many people suffering foot and leg pain falsely attribute their aches to temporary discomfort or simply "growing old," when something far more serious and often preventable is frequently taking place.

People that neglect foot and leg pain particularly the 20.8 million people in the U.S. with diabetes can be at risk for amputation. This neglect has contributed to a sharp rise in amputations, with the Centers for Disease Control finding the number of diabetes-related lower limb amputations to have increased by 227 percent between 1980 (33,000) and 2003 (75,000).

Diabetics are prone to amputation as the condition often causes blood vessels in the foot and leg to narrow, causing poor circulation. This makes diabetics susceptible to infection, making it difficult for these wounds to heal. In fact, nine out of 10 non-traumatic lower extremity amputations are instigated by an infection, according to a study led by Texas A&M University. The American Diabetes Association says that diabetes is the most frequent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations.

The unfortunate result of these trends is that each year, 75,000 people lose their foot, leg or toe due to diabetes, and 85 percent of these losses could have been avoided, according to the International Diabetes Federation.........

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September 12, 2006, 4:58 AM CT

Parkinson's Gene And The Disease

A group of Parkinson's disease researchers concluded there are no observable differences between those who have two copies of the most common mutation of the recently discovered LRRK2 gene and those who have only one copy. Their study would be published in the September edition of the Archives of Neurology.

In most diseases with a genetic cause or component, two copies of a bad gene lead to more severe visible manifestation of the disease. Researchers expected to see worse symptoms, the disease start earlier in life and a shorter life span for those with two copies of the LRRK2 gene with the G2019S mutation. "That proved not to be the case," says Mayo Clinic neurologist Zbigniew Wszolek, M.D.

Wszolek formed an international consortium that compared the clinical features of Parkinson's disease in the two groups. "It's puzzling," he says. "More studies are needed. More patients need to be identified and, hopefully, more basic science research is going to be performed to find out why".

The G2019S mutation is the most common of the 20 identified LRRK2 diseasecausing mutations. There are six known genes that cause familial Parkinson's disease, but only one, the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene, has been associated with previously unexplained cases of Parkinson's disease. Wszolek and his colleagues hope that studying the ways in which these genes cause disease, especially the G2019S mutation, will lead to improved treatments and even a cure. "We are all united by the common drive to learn more about this disease, to help the people with this illness and to bring us closer to curative treatments," Wszolek says. "And this may be a step in that direction".........

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September 11, 2006, 9:45 PM CT

Action To Avoid Heart Attack

Researchers working to decode chemical SOS signals sent out by disease-damaged hearts believe they now know better when to aggressively clear clogged arteries and when medical procedures may be unnecessary and even harmful.

The research, led by Uppsala University in Sweden, appears in the Sept. 19 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

According to the research, high levels of two proteins in the bloodstream indicate that patients with acute coronary syndromes chest pain caused by lack of blood to the heart are at high risk of having potentially fatal heart attacks. Taking aggressive action to treat their blocked arteries will reduce their risk of dying within one year.

On the other hand, patients with low levels of these proteins, also called biomarkers, are not at high risk for deadly heart attacks and may even be harmed by having angioplasty or bypass surgery to treat blocked arteries.

The proteins troponin-T (TnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are just two of the biomarkers being studied by physicians and scientists around the world in an effort to improve treatment for a wide range of illnesses.

"Biomarkers are analyzed in blood samples taken from patients when they are admitted to the hospital," said Stefan James, MD, PhD, senior consultant cardiologist and catheterization laboratory director for Uppsala University Academic Hospital's Department of Cardiology. "With a better understanding of these markers, we will be able to assess risk for individual patients more accurately.........

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September 11, 2006, 9:31 PM CT

Enzyme Builds Neurotransmitters

The study, which was directed by Scripps Research Professor Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D., is being published in the September 8 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The new study describes a pathway-different than the one previously suggested-for the biosynthesis of neurotransmitter lipids, N-acyl ethanolamines (NAEs), which include the endogenous cannabinoid ("endocannabinoid") anandamide. The high activity of the enzyme a/b hydrolase4 (Abh4) in areas such as the central nervous system suggests that the pathway makes a "potentially major contribution" to endocannabinoid signaling.

Endocannabinoids are naturally produced substances similar to the active ingredient D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana. Cannabinoid receptors were first discovered in 1988; the first endocannabinoid, anandamide, which shares some of the pharmacologic properties of THC, was identified in 1992.

Other research has shown that the endogenous cannabinoid system helps control food intake, among other critical processes, by acting on cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system. The system drives consumption of fat and calorie-rich foods and the amount of fat stored or expended and plays a significant role in energy homeostasis.

"At least one cannabinoid receptor antagonist is on the verge of approval for the treatment of obesity-metabolic disorders," said Cravatt. "Enzymes involved in endocannabinoid biosynthesis, such as the one highlighted in our study, can be viewed as complementary drug targets. One potential advantage of this approach is that it may prove more selective than a receptor antagonist. By inhibiting enzymes such as Abh4, we may be able to disrupt the activity of a single class of endocannabinoids, rather than all of them".........

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