Health
Antibody clues to AIDS vaccine success
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 5, 2012
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The success of an AIDS vaccine trial that in 2009 was shown to protect 31 percent of people studied may have been due to varying levels of antibody responses in the patients, researchers said Thursday.
Different types of antibody responses were associated with who became infected and who did not, according to an analysis of the results published in the April 5 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
For instance, a type of antibody produced by the body to ward off infection, known as IgG, could attach itself to the surface of the HIV protein and appeared to help prevent infection in some people.
People received the vaccine and whose IgG antibodies were able to bind to this region, called V1V2, showed lower infection rates than the placebo group.
On the other hand, patients whose blood tests showed the highest levels of a different antibody, IgA, appeared to have less protection against HIV than people with lower levels, leading scientists to think it may have actually interfered with the vaccine and made it less effective.
“This analysis has produced some intriguing hints about what types of human immune responses a preventive HIV vaccine may need to induce,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci.
“With further exploration, this new knowledge may bring us a step closer to developing a broadly protective HIV vaccine,” said Fauci, whose NIAID co-funded the research along with the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The latest analysis could help inform future vaccine trials by creating more effective vaccines and possibly figuring out how to make variations that work best in different patients.
“Different HIV vaccines may protect against HIV in different ways,” said co-author Nelson Michael, Military HIV Research Program director at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
“More research is needed to fully understand these results, and to determine if they can be generalized to other types of HIV vaccines or similar vaccines tested against other regional types of HIV or via different routes of exposure.”
The trial data, based on results from 16,395 HIV-negative volunteers in Thailand and first published in 2009, was viewed as a pioneering achievement even though it provided only a partial shield against HIV.
A vaccine would have to offer 50 percent protection in order to be offered to the public.
AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives since 1981 and left more than 30 million people infected.
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Baldness, prostate drugs get sexual side effects warnings
Reuters
Warning labels for Merck & Co.’s drugs for baldness and enlarged prostate will add notices of sexual side effects that continued after use of the medicines was stopped, U.S. health regulators said.
Labels will be revised for Proscar, which treats symptoms of enlarged prostate, and hair-loss treatment Propecia, the Food and Drug Administration
said. The active ingredient in both drugs is finasteride.
The Propecia label will now include notification of problems with libido, ejaculation and orgasms that continued after use of the drug was ended. Proscar’s label will include notification of decreased libido.
The labels of both drugs will also include a description of reports of male infertility and poor semen quality that normalized or improved after use of the drugs was stopped…..
Doctors routinely order needless tests and procedures
By Elizabeth Walling,
(NaturalNews) Do you ever go to the doctor and feel their poking and prodding is just a little over the top? Patients often wonder if they really need to be bombarded with a slew of tests at the doctor’s office, and a panel of medical professionals says they are absolutely right: many tests are unnecessary and may actually put you at risk. Nine medical specialty groups (including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Cardiology) identified a total of 45 procedures…
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Holistic Health
Discover a common hidden cause of eczema
By Kelly Pepper, D.C.,
(NaturalNews) If you or a loved one have been affected by eczema, you understand the frustration and discomfort associated with this annoying irritation of the skin. There are numerous types and classifications of eczema, with the most common being referred to as atopic dermatitis. Eczema affects people on a wide spectrum of frequency and intensity. Some people have a mild itch and rash for a few hours, which doesn’t return for weeks or months. Other people experience intense itching for long periods…
Berries enhance brain signaling to prevent neurodegeneration and cognitive decline
By John Phillip,
(NaturalNews) Berry fruits including blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are not only refreshing and tasty, but they also provide a wide variety of phytonutrients that cross the blood-brain barrier to enhance neural communications and prevent oxidation and inflammation. This has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes that alter behavior and cause normal thought processes to run askew. Researchers reporting the result of a study in…
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Pet Health
Are we really a nation of animal lovers?
by Staff Writers
Bristol UK (SPX) Apr 05, 2012
 From the responses received it was estimated that 131,070 cats and 129,743 dogs entered the care of UK welfare organisations during 2009. In addition, 66 per cent of responding organisations that cared for cats and 47 per cent of those caring for dogs were full to capacity for 12 months of the year. |
A new study has estimated that over 260,000 cats and dogs entered the care of UK rescue organizations during 2009, the first full year since the onset of the UK recession.
The aim of the research was to estimate the number of cats and dogs, currently being cared for by UK welfare organizations, the proportion of time that these organizations were full to capacity and the number entering these organizations during a 12-month period. The University of Bristol study by Dr Corinna Clark and colleagues in the School of Veterinary Sciences is published in the Veterinary Record.
Cats and dogs are popular pets in the UK, with two of the authors of this study, Dr Jane Murray (funded by Cats Protection) and Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones, having previously estimated the owned cat and dog populations at approximately 10.3 and 10.5 million respectively.
Over 1,550 welfare organizations were contacted by post, email or telephone between November 2010 and June 2011. The UK welfare organizations that participated in the study were the Blue Cross, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, RSPCA, USPCA, SSPCA, as well as independent organizations, including breed-specific rescues.
They were asked to provide details including the number of cats and dogs currently being cared for, whether they were operating at full capacity and for how much of the year they were full and how many cats and dogs entered their care during a full year (2009).
From the responses received it was estimated that 131,070 cats and 129,743 dogs entered the care of UK welfare organisations during 2009. In addition, 66 per cent of responding organisations that cared for cats and 47 per cent of those caring for dogs were full to capacity for 12 months of the year.
It is therefore likely that the actual numbers of cats and dogs needing assistance far exceeds the estimated figures because for the organisations that are full the intake rate will be regulated by the rehoming rate, rather than by the need for places.
Dr Corinna Clark, a researcher in the Animal Welfare and Behaviour research group, commenting on the research, said: “As well as highlighting the enormity of this issue, the study demonstrates the substantial efforts of welfare organisations in caring for and rehoming unwanted animals annually, many of which rely on unpaid help from volunteers.
“We will continue to support the amazing work these organisations do through our collaboration with them, for example, by studying the best ways to care for these animals and how to increase homing rates.
“I adopted a rescue puppy as a result of my involvement in this study and I hope that by raising awareness we might encourage more people to adopt from rescues. But we also urgently need to address the reasons why so many animals are ending up in rescue or being abandoned in the first place.”
One of the questions asked on the survey was why people relinquished their pets. The researchers found answers were not always recorded by the organisations and there was also some suggestion that responses given by relinquishing owners may not always be accurate. Although from the responses received it became apparent that changes in household circumstances and behaviour problems were particular concerns.
This study highlights the considerable size of the rescue cat and dog populations and the need for further investment in areas such as improving neutering rates, decreasing behavioural problems (in dogs in particular), and better education of potential pet owners about responsible ownership and the long-term commitment that is needed.
This is the first time that the rescue population has been surveyed and so the figures will also be useful to the animal health and welfare professions, including the animal welfare organisations, to assess trends in the number of cats and dogs that need a home.
Paper: Number of cats and dogs in UK Welfare organisations, C C Clark, T Gruffydd-Jones, J K Murray, Veterinary Record, published online first: 28 March 2012.
Toxic Chicken Jerky Treats: Pet Owners Square Off Against FDA
By Dr. Becker
While the FDA continues to dilly-dally — searching endlessly for the precise mechanism in chicken jerky treats from China that is causing illness and death in thousands of pets in the U.S. and elsewhere – pet owners are starting to demand action.
And it’s no wonder, since the first FDA warning on these popular but potentially deadly treats was issued a very long four and a half years ago, in September 2007.
Pet Owners Have Had Enough
Earlier this year, pet owners and a U.S. Senator from Ohio urged the FDA to show a sense of urgency in investigating the treats at issue, and getting them pulled from store shelves.
In a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret H. Hamburg, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown made this appeal:
“I urge you to promptly pursue efforts to find the contaminant in these pet foods, alert customers of the dangers of these products, and make sure the products found harmful are pulled from the retail market.”
A U.S. Representative from Ohio sent his own letter to Hamburg:
“The FDA must not wait to issue a voluntary recall until it is able to definitively identify a causal agent,” said Kucinich’s letter.
“The FDA has clearly established an association between consumption of the chicken jerky and illness and death. It is simply not feasible to expect every dog owner to be aware of a modestly publicized warning from the FDA.”…….
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Positivity Mind and Body
Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain
Uploaded by GoogleTechTalks on Sep 28, 2009
Google Tech Talk
ABSTRACT
Presented by Richard J. Davidson
In this talk, Richard J. Davidson will explore recent scientific research on the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice. Distinctions among different forms of contemplative practices will be introduced and they will be shown to have different neural and behavioral consequences, as well as important consequences for physical health in both long-term and novice practitioners. New research also shows that meditation-based interventions delivered online can produce behavioral and neural changes. Collectively, this body of research indicates that we can cultivate adaptive neural changes and strengthen positive human qualities through systematic mental practice.
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Articles of Interest
First Targeted Nano-Medicine To Enter Human Clinical Studies
by Staff Writers
Boston, MA (SPX) Apr 05, 2012
 Illustration only. |
A team of scientists, engineers and physicians from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Harvard Medical School (HMS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), BIND Biosciences, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Wayne State University Karmanos Cancer Institute, and Weill Cornell Medical College have found promising effects of a first-in-class targeted cancer drug called BIND-014 in treating solid tumors.
BIND-014 is the first targeted and programmed nanomedicine to enter human clinical studies. The study will be electronically published in Science Translational Medicine on April 4, 2012.
In the study, the researchers demonstrate BIND-014′s ability to effectively target a receptor expressed in tumors to achieve high tumor drug concentrations, as well as show remarkable efficacy, safety and pharmacological properties compared to the parent chemotherapeutic drug, docetaxel (Taxotere).
“BIND-014 demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to generate medicines with both targeted and programmable properties that can concentrate the therapeutic effect directly at the site of disease, potentially revolutionizing how complex diseases such as cancer are treated,” said Omid Farokhzad, MD, a physician-scientist in the BWH Department of Anesthesiology, associate professor at HMS, and study co- senior author.
“Previous attempts to develop targeted nanoparticles have not successfully translated into human clinical studies because of the inherent difficulty of designing and scaling up a particle capable of targeting, long-circulation via immune-response evasion, and controlled drug release,” said Robert Langer, ScD, David H. Koch Institute Professor, MIT and study co-senior author.
According to the researchers, the drug is the first of its kind to reach clinical evaluation and demonstrates a differentially high drug concentration in tumors by targeting drug encapsulated nanoparticles directly to the site of tumors. This leads to substantially better efficacy and safety.
In the study, the researchers produced data that include pharmacokinetic characteristics consistent with prolonged circulation and controlled drug release with plasma concentrations remaining up to at least 100-fold higher than conventional docetaxel for over 24 hours, as well as up to a 10-fold increase in intratumoral drug concentrations with prolonged and enhanced tumor growth suppression in multiple tumor models compared with conventional docetaxel.
Moreover, initial clinical data in a heavily pretreated patient population with 17 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumor cancers indicated that BIND-014 displays pharmacological characteristics consistent with preclinical findings of differentiated pharmacokinetics and accumulation at tumor sites with clinical effects seen at doses as low as 20 percent of the normally prescribed docetaxel dose and in cancers in which docetaxel has minimal activity (e.g., cervical cancer).
“The development of BIND-014 demonstrates that drug properties such as solubility, metabolism, plasma binding, biodistribution and target tissue accumulation will no longer be constrained to the same extent by the drug chemical composition. It will also become the function of the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles. This will allow for an unprecedented ability to make better medicines for our patients as demonstrated by our emerging clinical data.” said Farokhzad.
The researchers note that while the science and technology of BIND-014 builds upon docetaxel’s mechanism of action, the emerging evidence is that BIND-014 significantly changes the biological effects of docetaxel by virtue of fundamental changes in pharmacology including major increases in tumor concentration.
To date, the researchers note that BIND-014 has been administered at doses of up to 75 mg/m2 and dose escalation is ongoing. It has been well-tolerated with no new toxicities observed.
“It has been a privilege to be a part of the team that developed this technology at its conception through its clinical translation. The emerging BIND-014 clinical data showing signals of efficacy even at relatively low doses validates the potential for the revolutionary impact of nanomedicines and is a paradigm shift for the treatment of cancer.” said Philip W. Kantoff, MD, Chief Clinical Research Officer at DFCI, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and study co-author.
“It is wonderful to witness a world-class team of scientists, engineers, physicians, for-profit and non-project organizations converge to develop this potentially revolutionary technology for treatment of cancers. The effectiveness of this team has been remarkable and serves as model for translational research” said Edward J. Benz, Jr. MD, President of DFCI, Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Bat on a plane! Rabies scare prompts health warning
By Karen Rowan
MyHealthNewsDaily
On an August morning last year, 53 people aboard a commercial airplane from Wisconsin were potentially exposed to the rabies virus when a bat flew through the cabin soon after takeoff, according to a government report of the incident released today.
After the plane returned to the airport the bat escaped, so officials could not be determine whether it was carrying the deadly virus, but health officials found no infected passengers.
Still, in the wake of the incident, the researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say health officials should be prepared to deal with such events.
“Although a bat, or any wildlife, aboard a commercial airliner is unlikely, public health practitioners should be prepared to respond to potential exposures to rabies and other infectious agents, including during air travel,” the researchers wrote…..
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