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House of Flavors Ice Cream Company has announced an update to its voluntary nationwide recall of select ice cream products containing peanuts. House of Flavors is taking these new measures following an announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it is expanding its investigation of alleged salmonella contamination in peanut ingredient supplier Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) to include products from its Plainview, Texas plant.

Dr. Smoothie Brands of Fullerton, California is recalling Peanut Butter Crunch Bio Bars because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The bars were manufactured using peanut products recalled by Peanut Corporation of America.

Professional Recreation Organization Inc is recalling 20/20 Lifestyles Peanut Toffee Crunch bars with best by dates of February 12th 2009, May 15th 2009 and September 26th 2009 because these bars were manufactured using peanut products recalled by Peanut Corporation of America.

Honey Roasted Peanut ROCA Buttercrunch Toffee was distributed to retail stores nationwide and sold directly to consumers via the internet.

DELUXE ICE CREAM CO. is expanding their recall to include Tin Roof Sundae, Goo Goo Cluster, Candy Bar packaged ice cream products, and QC 24 pack Sundae cone, because they were manufactured with peanuts recalled by Peanut Corporation of America.

Labels: peanut butter, recall

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered a gene which prevents cells with faulty DNA passing on cancer-causing mistakes to new cells, according to a study published in Nature Cell Biology.

Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered how changes to a frog's immune system may be the key to beating a viral infection which is devastating frog populations across the UK.

Communities of common frogs (Rana temporaria) are being struck down by a foreign virus which is estimated to be killing tens of thousands of frogs in the UK each year. When it strikes garden ponds, the surrounding lawn becomes strewn with dead frogs, some with skin ulcers so severe they reduce limbs to stumps, others with internal bleeding. The virus, called Ranavirus, has invaded the home counties around London, and is now spreading north and west.

Writing in the journal PLoS One, Dr Amber Teacher describes how the frogs' immune system has responded to the virus. Working with her fellow scientists at Queen Mary, University of London and experts at the Institute of Zoology, she studied ponds where Ranavirus deaths are occurring year after year, and consistently found changes to a gene called the MHC, which codes for a major part of the frog's immune system.

Dr Teacher explains: "It seems, as Darwin would have predicted, that the plucky surviving frogs have passed on to their descendants an immune system which is better tuned to the new threat."

Teacher also found that the frogs' immune systems are simpler than many other animals, including humans, who have several MHC genes doing a similar job. She adds: "This discovery has helped identify the point in our evolutionary history when this multiplication of genes occurred. With luck, even the frog's simpler system will be sufficient to win their battle".

Labels: frogs, Immune System, virus

I just sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration asking them to increase their efforts to keep food safe from salmonella and other food safety issues. For the second time in as many years, peanut butter contaminated with deadly salmonella has been recalled.


This latest outbreak, tracked back to the now-bankrupt the Peanut Corporation of America, has caused nearly 655 illnesses, and contributed to nine deaths. Parents have suffered through two massive recalls of tainted peanut products in the past two years. That's two recalls too many. We shouldn't have to worry whether what's in our fridge is a healthy snack or dangerous to our children. Act now to demand food safety reforms. All peanut companies-and all food processors in this country -- must use top-notch safety practices to protect our families from food bourne health risks.

Will you send a letter to the FDA urging them to take action to keep our kids safe when eating sandwiches?

This isn't the first time peanut manufacturers have been in trouble. Back in 2007, another salmonella outbreak forced the recall of Peter Pan peanut butter by manufacturer ConAgra. Only after the recall did ConAgra invest $50 million into improving safety standards at their manufacturing plant. But the events of this last month prove we can't trust each individual manufacturer to fix this problem on their own. We need real reform.

Thanks for your help on improving the safety of America's children. Together, we can get this done.

P.S. This FDA website will keep you up to date on which peanut butter and other products are affected by the recall.

P.P.S What they really need to do is break the FDA into two different administrations. One which focuses on drugs and drug devices and the other which focuses on just food. But what do I know.

Labels: FDA, peanut butter

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis.

As we know, Vitamin D is important in the body absorbing calcium. But Vitamin D has other roles in human health, including modulation of neuromuscular and immune function and reduction of inflammation.

Vitamin D may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, report investigators from the University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Children's Hospital Boston.

In the largest and most nationally representative study of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections, people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu. The risks were even higher for those with chronic respiratory disorders, such as asthma and emphysema. The report appears in the February 23 Archives of Internal Medicine.

Study participants with the lowest vitamin D blood levels - less than 10 ng per milliliter of blood - were about 40 percent more likely to report having a recent respiratory infection than were those with vitamin D levels of 30 or higher. The association was present in all seasons and even stronger among participants with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema. Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels were five times more likely to have had a recent respiratory infection; while among COPD patients, respiratory infections were twice as common among those with vitamin D deficiency.

"While it's too early to make any definitive recommendations, many Americans also need more vitamin D for its bone and general health benefits. Clinicians and laypeople should stay tuned as this exciting area of research continues to expand."

Media Contacts: Sue McGreevey, 617 724-5377

Labels: cold remedies, flu, vitamin d

The American Nurses Association (ANA) has announced the theme of National Nurses Week 2009, "Nurses: Building a Healthy America." National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

"This year's theme reflects the commitment nurses make every day in building a healthy America for the public we serve," said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. "ANA has long advocated for meaningful health system reform and in 2008 re-released ANA's Health System Reform Agenda, an ANA blueprint for reform that focuses on the basic "core" of essential health care services, which is essential in building a healthy America for everyone."

Suggestions on How to Celebrate National Nurses Week

* Hold a special celebration or reception to recognize a nurse or several nurses in your community. These nurses could be honored for heroic acts, years of service to the community, exemplary courage, or their commitment to the nursing profession over the years.

* Promote a positive, realistic image of registered nurses by sponsoring health fairs, conducting preventive screenings in underserved areas, organizing a walk-a-thon, etc.

* Place an article in your state or local newspaper(s) about National Nurses Week and the value of nurses.

* Invite a politician -- local, state or federal -- to accompany a nurse or several nurses at their place of employment for a day or part of a day. Health care remains an issue of tremendous importance to voters. Politicians should be visible and accountable for their positions on health care. This is a win-win situation and it offers good media coverage potential.

* Ask every nurse in America to wear an "RN Pin" and/or nurse's uniform during National Nurses Week. The official "RN Pin" is available by calling 1-800-445-0445 (credit card orders only).

* Sponsor a community-wide event, such as a coloring contest or poem-writing contest for school children. The children could acknowledge their favorite nurse, a famous nurse, or family member who is a nurse - past or present - in a colorful drawing. The drawings could be displayed in local schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

* Purchase promotional items for National Nurses Week (i.e., RN Pins, key rings, t-shirts, mugs, buttons, etc.). Catalog

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. These permanent dates enhance planning and position National Nurses Week as an established recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.

Labels: national nurses week

Testing of blood specimens may detect abnormal white blood cells in patients years before the chronic form of lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) develops, according to research published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The finding may lead to a better understanding of cellular changes that characterize the earliest stages of the disease and how it progresses.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, led the study, which was co-authored by two researchers with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), Maher Albitar, M.D., Medical Director and Chief of Research and Development, Hematology and Oncology, and Wanlong Ma, M.S., Research and Development Manager, Hematology and Oncology.

For the study, Dr. Albitar and Ms. Ma developed a method to identify abnormal B-cell clones in blood specimens. Quest Diagnostics plans to use a similar approach to develop tests that may one day be used by physicians as an aid in identifying patients who will develop CLL.

"We searched for tumor cells by performing a sophisticated form of flow cytometry as well as molecular testing on frozen samples of whole blood and blood plasma," said Dr. Albitar. "The findings of this study lead to better understanding of biological processes underlying the development of CLL, and give us hope that in the future we will be able to develop new testing techniques to look at blood from patients with abnormal cells and distinguish those who will develop overt cancer from those who will not."

The study, titled "B-Cell Clones as Early Markers for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia," (Vol. 360, No. 7, Feb. 12, 2009) was accompanied by the editorial "The Secret Lives of Monoclonal B Cells."

Labels: leukemia

If you begin smoking at an early age and continue to smoke throughout your life you have tripled the risk of developing a severe progression in multiple sclerosis.

Although previous studies have found a link between cigarette smoking and an increased risk of MS, there has been no research to date on the association between smoking and the clinical course of the disease. Using the British General Practice Research Database (GPRD), Hernán and a team of investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston University, and the University of California School of Medicine at Irvine found that cigarette smoking, one of the most important modifiable risk factors for MS, may more than triple the risk of disease progression.

Overall, the risk of developing secondary progressive MS was more than 3 times higher in smokers than in nonsmokers with RRMS. "This finding suggests that cigarette smoking may transform, or hasten the transformation of, relapsing-remitting forms of the disease into progressive forms," Hernán and colleagues said. The study also confirmed the results of previous investigations showing that smoking moderately increases the risk of developing MS.

While the presence of other lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity, could possibly have affected the outcome of this study, those factors were unlikely to have altered the strong association between smoking and the MS clinical course, the authors added.

SOURCE

Labels: multiple sclerosis, smoking

A new website has been launched which allows scientists everywhere to collaborate on the identification of bacterial strains. This new resource, described in the open access journal BMC Biology, provides a portal for electronic bacterial taxonomy.

It is surprising to me that something like this is only just happening. Why would scientists want to be doing the same research when they could all be collaborating together which would benefit not only them but everyone else in the world? It's not to say we should start some sort of medical wiki where just anyone can post, but you know the saying "two heads are better than one".

The approach being used is called multilocus sequence analysis; MLSA. A strain database can be produced and combined with software that allows query strains to be assigned to species via the internet.

The authors point out that the assignment of strains to known species and the identification and acceptance of new species cannot be completely automated, as it requires the experience, knowledge and judgment of taxonomists. They say, "We hope that those interested in a particular taxonomic group can share their experience and knowledge to provide a consensual approach to deciding whether new sequence clusters should be assigned as new species."

BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.

SOURCE

Labels: bacteria, collaboration, research

This morning I am snacking on Mom's Best Naturals, Sweetened Wheat-fuls.

They are comparable to Frosted Mini Wheats in taste. Except there's nothing artificial, no added saturated fat or hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup. They are low in sodium and cholesterol-free. They have 44g of whole grain per serving. The USDA food pyramid recommends 48g of whole grain per day. And over 90% daily value of fiber in one bowl.

You can get a $1 coupon at their website.

In addition their delicious, good for your cereal, they also do a great deal for the environment. Each year they host an Energy Fair to inform, educate and inspire our employees and business community.

They support renewable energy development by purchasing 100% of the electricity consumed by the production of our natural cereals from Windsource (R).

All the more reason to feel good about eating healthier.

Labels: Moms Best Naturals

Curing Kids' Cancer today awarded the annual Killian Owen Research Grant to the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

$80,000 was donated to the Aflac Cancer Center's Clinical Research office in memory of Killian Owen, who lost his battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2003 at the age of nine after a four year battle with the disease. Killian is the inspiration for the charity Curing Kids' Cancer.

"It is virtually impossible to explain how valuable Curing Kids' Cancer is to the children of Atlanta and the surrounding southeastern region," states Dr. William G. Woods, Director of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "Philanthropic entities like Curing Kids' Cancer make it possible for our staff of physicians and nurses to fight pediatric cancer and get kids back to being kids."

Curing Kids' Cancer has two national grassroots fundraising programs -- Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer and Teachers Curing Kids' Cancer. Both programs urge parents and children to donate money to pediatric cancer research in the name of their coach or teacher rather than buying them traditional gifts.

Inspired by nine-year-old Killian Owen's battle with leukemia, Curing Kids' Cancer Inc. is a unique, national grassroots movement which aims to raise both awareness and money to find cures for all types of childhood cancer.

Labels: cancer, children, cure, funding

Pomegranate Extract contain high levels of antioxidant polyphenols called punicosides, compounds that scavenge free radicals in the blood, capillaries and heart, promoting new cell growth and helping to maximize immune function.

Oral ingestion of pomegranate extract reduces the production of chemicals that cause inflammation suggests a study published in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Inflammation. The findings indicate that pomegranate extract may provide humans with relief of chronic inflammatory conditions.

Researchers explained that pomegranate extracts, which incorporate the major antioxidants found in pomegranates, namely, ellagitannins, have been developed as botanical dietary supplements to provide an alternative convenient form for consuming the bioactive polyphenols found in pomegranate juice.

A pomegranate ellagitannin-enriched polyphenol extract was prepared for dietary supplement use and evaluated in two pilot clinical studies. Study 1 was designed for safety assessment in 64 overweight individuals with increased waist size. The subjects consumed either one or two pomegranate ellagitannin-enriched polyphenol extract capsules per day providing 710 milligrams or 1,420 milligrams of extracts, respectively, and placebo.

There was evidence of antioxidant activity through a significant reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances linked with cardiovascular disease risk.

A seperate, 4-week study on 32 healthy volunteers, performed at The Ohio State University, showed that a mouthwash containing 33 mg of POMELLA used thrice daily significantly benefited measures related to saliva bacterial growth, cell injury, and antioxidant status. A placebo rinse did not significantly affect any of these markers.

"The study indicates that the antibacterial, antioxidant, and cell-protective effects of POMELLA(R) Extract shown in previous clinical research may have significant potential for natural oral care applications," said Blake Ebersole, Technical Director of Verdure Sciences.

So weighing all that in, it sounds like there are indeed many benefits to having a bit of pomegranate extract in your daily diet. And, if you're like me, it tastes very yummy so what's the harm?

SOURCE

Labels: Inflammation, pomegranate, vitamins

Last night the Foundation Fighting Blindness honored two outstanding individuals, Jennifer Rothschild and Dr. Stephen J. Ryan, for their contributions to the vision impaired community at the 7th Annual "For the Love of Sight" Valentines Party. Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Cokie Roberts and her husband, George Washington University professor and fellow journalist Steve Roberts, served as the evening's emcees.

Jennifer Rothschild, author, songwriter and mother who suffers from a rare degenerative eye disease that has rendered her blind, was thrilled to receive the Foundation's Hope and Spirit Award and said, "It is a great honor to be recognized by such a distinguished group. The Foundation's successful efforts towards funding new and critical research will help me and the more than 10 million Americans who struggle with vision loss eventually regain our sight. I am proud to be part of this exciting and important group, as well as tonight's event."

The Foundation's Visionary Award was presented to Dr. Stephen J. Ryan, founding President of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and an internationally recognized expert in the field of retinal diseases and ocular trauma. "I want to thank the Foundation Fighting Blindness for the critical funding they provide to doctors and researchers. Through their continued efforts, I am hopeful that we will be capable of finding a cure for these devastating diseases in the near future," said Dr. Ryan.

The "For the Love of Sight" Valentine's Party benefits the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national non-profit organization and the largest source of non-governmental funding for retinal degenerative disease research in the world.

Over 10 million Americans of every age and race suffer vision loss from blinding diseases. With the aging population, that number is expected to increase 50% by 2020.

Labels: blindness, eyesight

Peanut Corp. of America, the company at the heart of the salmonella outbreak, filed for bankruptcy Friday. Meanwhile, Texas health authorities closed the company's plant in Plainview after finding filthy conditions. The company must now recall all products ever shipped from the plant.

The company said in the filing that its debt and assets both ranged between $1 million and $10 million.

The salmonella outbreak was traced to one of the company's plants in Blakely, Ga., where inspectors found roaches, mold and a leaking roof. A second plant in Texas was shuttered this week. The outbreak has resulted in more than 500 illnesses, led to one of the nation's biggest recalls and may have caused as many as nine deaths.

Jarred peanut butter sales were down significantly last month compared to the previous year, suggesting that many children are going without their favorite sandwiches even though leading brands of jarred peanut butter have not been recalled.

Other parents are taking a more moderate approach, sticking with the jarred stuff and avoiding everything else, or carefully combing through the recall lists before shopping.

It's a dilemma even President Barack Obama has faced: Earlier this month, he said his younger daughter eats peanut butter sandwiches several times a week. "And you know, I don't want to have to worry about whether she's going to get sick as a consequence to having her lunch," he said. A White House spokesman said Sasha is still eating peanut butter.

Click here for a complete list from the FDA of recalled products containing peanuts >>

Labels: peanut butter, recall, salmonella

A growing number of New York parents are scheduling chicken pox play dates where kids share lollipops and trade germy pajamas to spread the disease and avoid vaccinations.

This is repulsively disgusting to me. Do you have any idea how many other germs those kids are picking up? And look at what you are teaching your child about their hygiene and health, so gross.

"It's 2 p.m. on a Saturday and Angie Smith*, a 36-year-old graphic designer, is sitting at a Princeton, N.J., kitchen table with four other parents, eating tea sandwiches and discussing the difficulty of getting their children into competitive kindergartens. Meanwhile, in the living room, six kids huddle on the couch, watching Finding Nemo. Samantha*, Angie's 3-year-old daughter, is still wearing a frilly pink dress from an earlier game of dress-up and laughing with her pal, John, 4. Their parents pass around Blow Pops and encourage the kids to share them. Indeed, this is not a normal play date-John has a fever and his face is a constellation of red dots smothered in calamine lotion. Welcome to a chicken pox party."

Dr. Lauri Grossman, a professor at the American Medical College of Homeopathy, says the varicella vaccine can be skipped. "For eons, people have had chicken pox and survived. The immune system gets stronger by having had the virus and establishing a response to it," she explains.

One of the recent debates has been whether or not the chicken pox vaccine has been related to stroke in children.

But a recent study says, children who have received the chickenpox vaccine are not at risk of stroke or brain inflammation, according to researched published in the February 2009 issue of Pediatrics. Researchers note, "the existence and magnitude of any vaccine-associated risk has not been determined."

Lead author James G. Donahue, DVM, PhD, MPH, and colleagues analyzed data from 1991 to 2004 from the Vaccine Safety DataLink on 3.2 million children; 35.3% of the children had the varicella vaccine. The study identified 203 new stroke cases, 8 of which happened within 12 months of varicella vaccination. Of note, there was no clear linkage that the vaccination caused the strokes.

People should not get chickenpox vaccine if they have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or (for those needing a second dose) a previous dose of chickenpox vaccine.

People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting chickenpox vaccine.

A child who has a suppressed immune system, either because of a disease such as cancer or HIV infection, or a medication such as steroids, should be evaluated by a doctor before getting varicella vaccine.

I for one do not think this particular vaccination is necessary. I had chicken pox, it wasn't fun, but it's nothing I look back at with fear or angst either. The risk of chickenpox vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. I feel if a complication arises from the virus then your immune system is having issues it would have had with or without the vaccine and with or without the virus which go deeper than just chicken pox.

Not sure if that makes sense, but it's how I feel.

Labels: chicken pox, vaccines

Our current epidemic of diseases seems to be targeted to children; we do not see the rise in, for example, autism in adults as we do in children, what are the children doing that the adults are not? Ten years ago when Nancy O'Hara MD was teaching students with autism, the numbers were 1 in 10,000, now the numbers are 1 in 94 to 1 in 150 - that is not purely a genetic problem, we do not have genetic epidemics. There is something that has changed in these two last decades that has caused this tremendous rise. The medical doctors are not any better in identifying this disease, or any other, than they were twenty years ago - just in case that was a thought, and it's not just autism, but all other diseases have the same issue.

Watch the documentary titled, "Vaccine Nation." It is the most recent documentary alerting the world of the dangers of vaccinations.

Vaccine Nation states, "In the United States the mandatory vaccine injections has risen to 36 per child each of these injections contains neurotoxins such as aluminum, formaldehyde, aborted fetal tissue, animal byproducts, heavy metals, and many others. What happens to a child's fragile immune system when it is over loaded with these toxins?"

In terms of one vaccination tragedy, we have Gardasil. The tragic story of Gardasil vaccine is one that is playing out real time in the homes of trusting parents, who thought they were doing the right thing to try to make their daughters "one less," and in the 21st century cyberspace forum of public opinion as well as on television. On Feb. 6, CBS-TV Evening News released NVIC's new report on Gardasil vaccine risks.

A 15-year old gymnast, cheerleader and honor roll student in Kansas has been diagnosed with Gardasil vaccine-related brain inflammation after receiving three Gardasil shots. Her first symptoms included muscle and joint weakness and pain, numbness and tingling in her hands and feet, severe headaches excessive fatigue, rash, dizziness, and loss of concentration after the first shot. After the second and third shots she began losing her hair and developed seizures, bouts of paralysis, mini-strokes, partial loss of vision, and severe chest pain, memory and speech loss.

I do want to stress that I am not against giving vaccines and I believe we have all seen how beneficial they can be. However, I do think children are given too many too quickly. And I do believe each child should be treated differently, because their chemical makeup and physical sensitivities are unique. As wonderful as the benefits may be, the risks for some children are just too great.

Labels: gardasil, toxicity, vaccines

New genetic variants that increase the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease and heart attacks are published in three studies in Nature Genetics today.

Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of preventive cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the leader of a group that has identified three new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

The study led by Kathiresan, done by a group of six organizations called the Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium, is the largest of the five. It compared the genomes of about 3,000 people who had suffered heart attacks relatively early in life -- under 50 in men, under 60 in women -- with those of 3,000 people who hadn't had a heart attack.

It's known that heart disease tends to cluster in families, Kathiresan said, in part because family members tend to share bad habits, such as smoking. The aim of the study was to single out the role of genes in increased familial risk.

In response to the studies involving British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professors Nilesh Samani and Stephen Ball and part-funded by the charity, Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the BHF, said:

"These studies demonstrate the power of big international collaborations to unearth new clues on the causes of heart attacks. Our scientists are making excellent progress in this field but genetic testing to predict heart attack risk is still a long way off.

"Vital research is now trying to get to grips with how and why these genetic traits increase heart attack risk and whether new treatments can be devised to counteract them.

"Our thanks go to the thousands of heart patients who provided samples of their DNA for the BHF's Family Heart Study, which contributed to these studies."

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease.

Also, to urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month."

SOURCE

Labels: genetics, heart disease

A University of Iowa study is apparently the first to make a connection between a rare, hereditary premature aging disease and cell damage that comes from smoking. The study results point to possible therapeutic targets for smoking-related diseases.

The findings appear in the Feb. 6 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

While people know that smoking is bad for health, not all the mechanisms by which smoke damages the body are fully understood, said Toru Nyunoya, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and a pulmonologist with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

"Smoking can accelerate the aging process and shorten the lifespan by an average of more than 10 years. We focused on what happens within the lungs because of the similar aging effects, including atherosclerotic diseases and cancer, seen in people with Werner's syndrome and people who smoke," said Nyunoya, whose study was based in the lab of senior author Gary Hunninghake, M.D., University of Iowa professor of internal medicine and a researcher with the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Werner's syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes premature aging due to loss-of-function mutations in a gene encoding a member of the RecQ helicase family. Both Werner's syndrome and cigarette smoking accelerate aging.

Labels: aging, smoking

The National Center for Health Statistics reported recently that the number of children diagnosed with food allergies has spiked eighteen percent in the last ten years.

Braeden is one of those children, at age 5, we're having him tested for a lactose intolerance as per a script his GI Specialist gave us on Wednesday. But we're also taking him to an amazing allergist next week who will be able to test for actual allergies as opposed to an intolerance of lactose.

Symptoms associated with an allergic reaction include:

-hives
-wheezing and other lower respiratory problems
-vomiting
-nausea
-stomach cramps

Dr. Armen Ketchedjian, author of the book Will It Hurt? A Parent's Practical Guide to Children's Surgery, advises that most allergic reactions will express themselves in anywhere from the first minute following a meal to a few hours afterward.

It is estimated that between 6 and 7 million Americans suffer from food allergies, and the number of affected individuals is rising.

Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnut, etc.), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat are the most common allergens. Allergies to other foods are less common, but can be equally as serious.

There are approximately 30,000 emergency room visits and 150-200 deaths per year in the U.S. from severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to food alone.

Of course there are times when there will be false alarms and children CAN outgrow food allergies. So this is not something to panic about, it's just something to think about if your child is having trouble with upset stomachs and bowel issues and/or respiratory problems frequently. After all, there is no harm in paying attention to your child's diet and nutrition. Just always remember to deal with a trained doctor before restricting a ton of potential allergy foods.

The Food Allergy Initiative (www.faiusa.org)

Labels: diet, food allergies

Nevada Cancer Institute researcher and oncologist Kenneth A. Foon, M.D., had a paper published in the Feb. 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology regarding a new, highly effective novel therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Granted this therapy is cancer specific, but I think it is a great starting point for finding other methods for a wider variety of cancers to be treated with less strain on the body.

While I am blessed to have never personally dealt with cancer, I have witnessed several family members and many other people go through treatments. Battling cancer is scary enough and then to see all they go through in an effort be treated and cured is heartbreaking.

The trial designed by Dr. Foon whose purpose was to maintain the high responses but reduce the toxicity of the popular treatment FCR (a combination of two toxic chemotherapy agents, fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, with the less toxic monoclonal antibody rituximab), by decreasing the fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, which Dr. Foon dubbed "FCR-Lite."

"The study was designed to develop a low toxicity highly effective therapy for this very common disease of an elderly population," Dr. Foon said.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia accounts for about one third of all leukemias and is the most common leukemia in adults. The American Cancer Society estimates that 15,110 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia were diagnosed in the United States during 2008. About 4,390 people in the United States died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia during 2008.

Abstract of source

Labels: breast cancer, leukemia

Human adenovirus type-3 is known as the "uncommon cold" because the infection's symptoms-runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever-are eerily similar to those of the common cold which is caused by the rhinovirus. The difference is that, unlike the common cold, the symptoms of the uncommon cold are typically much more severe and can even be fatal.

Researchers from George Mason University, the University of Hong Kong, Guangzhou Children's Hospital, the South China Institute of Technology and the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a DNA-based vaccine that has effectively protected mice from the infection.

"The immediate impact is the production and distribution of a low-cost, stable vaccine for adenovirus-3," says Donald Seto, associate professor in George Mason University's Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. "The outstanding question is, if all of the strains are so similar, why are they restricted to certain tissues, like only the eyes or the respiratory tract? That's what we'll try to figure out next."

Their findings will appear in the February 18, 2009 print edition of the journal Vaccine and are currently available online.

I'll definitely be looking forward to reading their findings. And I certainly hope this vaccination does NOT come into play. I highly doubt this so-called uncommon cold is actually fatal. More likely any fatalities would stem from a cold which has very much evolved. If you wear your body out and don't get proper nutrition or sleep while your body is fighting a virus than it's going to get worse. Especially in children and the elderly. And children these days have so much going on in terms of unhealthy food, an unhealthy environment and a katrillion immunizations... I would think it would be more important to figure out how to help their immune systems becomes naturally stronger.

Also, in response to Seto's comment. My guess is that this particular uncommon cold attacks the eyes and respiratory tract only, because your mucous membranes are most susceptible to fighting themselves while trying to fight a virus. And of all the immune deficiencies in the world the most common is the IgA deficiency which is specific and selective to JUST the immunoglobulins which are meant to protect the mucous membranes!

If we start vaccinating for colds we'll never actually build up our immune system with real antibodies. Why can't researches understand that sometimes our bodies need to do the work on their own. Otherwise they forget how to do the job well!

Plus Lord knows what is actually going to be in this vaccination.

Labels: cold remedies, vaccines

Tobacco marketing in South Korea has been deliberately aimed at girls and young women. Research published in the open access journal Globalization and Health has shown that transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) are using tactics long used with devastating effect in Western countries to snare new female smokers in Asia.

Of course they are. I cannot tell you how many young girls got into bad smoking habits because they wanted to maintain a slender figure or lose weight. One of the side effects of nicotine is that it is an appetite suppressant. So it's only natural that tobacco companies would use that to their sick advantage.

The tactics used recall advertising campaigns carried out in the United States and Europe since the 1920s that link smoking with feminism and the liberation of women. According to Kelley Lee from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, "Product design associating smoking with body image and female emancipation, familiarly deployed elsewhere, have been extensively used in South Korea to appeal to female smokers. So-called "ultra light", "low tar" and "superslim" cigarettes have been particularly effective, falsely suggesting certain brands offer a healthier or safer option, as well as appealing to female concerns about weight gain. Tighter restrictions on the use of such descriptors, alongside public education on the fallacy of such claims, are badly needed in South Korea".

Lee concludes, "The implementation of comprehensive tobacco control measures in South Korea, as set out under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is urgently needed to protect and promote the health of Korean women and girls".

SOURCE: Globalization and Health

Globalization and Health is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that provides an international forum for high quality original research, knowledge sharing and debate on the topic of globalization and its effects on health, both positive and negative.

Labels: smoking, tobacco, women