Ways to relieve stress Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 28, 2008 Experimental sleep deprivation has been found to alter immune responses and increase inflammation. A study conducted at UCLA in 2006 looked at 30 healthy ... Stress explainedLos Angeles Times all 2 news articles »
The Hidden Connection Between Acne and Gluten Natural News.com, AZ - First let me say acne is a result of blood sugar problems and chronic inflammation. These trigger hormonal reactions that lead to increased sebum production ...
Dr. Barry Sears Blames ?Toxic Fat? On Obesity And Disease CarbWire.com - Dr. Sears shares how to get rid of the toxic fat and inflammation with a unique combination of diet and fish oil supplementation (and NOT the addition of ...
The Mumbai Attacks :: Analysis :: Media Monitors Network, CA - Nov 29, 2008 What we call "collateral damage" and going after the wrong people actually turns moderates into extremists, and that inflammation then gets organized and ...
Study Shows Hypnosis May Benefit Those With Ulcerative Colitis Natural News.com, AZ - Nov 29, 2008 (NaturalNews) Hypnosis therapy can reduce the inflammation that leads to the symptoms of ulcerative colitis, according to a study conducted by researchers ...
Inflammation Implicated in Another Condition findingDulcinea, New York - Nov 26, 2008 ?We found a lot of inflammation in this process in the generation of a new seizure,? Gabriela Constantin, the study?s lead author, told Reuters. ...
Cell Receptor Identified As Target For Anti-inflammatory Immune ... Science Daily (press release) - Nov 29, 2008 The finding opens up new possibilities for developing drugs to suppress the inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and ...
College of Art Buys Area Homes Memphis Daily News, USA - Last month it spent $175000 for the 2040-square-foot home that sits on 0.17 acres at 148 N. Tucker St.; $187000 for the 2232-square-foot home that sits on ...
Actel Announces Second Quarter 2008 Financial Results CNNMoney.com - Jul 29, 2008 A live web cast and replay of the call will be available. Web cast and replay access information as well as financial and other statistical information can ...ACTL
June 2008 Quarterly Activities and Cashflow Report Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - Jul 21, 2008 The results were reported during the June quarter and included the following excellent intersections: BL08-15: 68.60m @ 1.29g/t Pt+Pd, 0.17% Cu & 0.17% Ni ...ASX:MMB
Measuring the Independence of Central Banks and Its Effect on Policy Outcomes - A Cukierman, SB Web, B Neyapti - The World Bank Economic Review, 1992 - World Bank ...0.17... Legal central bank in- depen- dence" (index) of 0.69 0.64 0.61 0.50 0.48 0.45
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[PDF]Phylogenetic constraints and adaptation explain food-web structure - MF Cattin, LF Bersier, C Banasek-Richter, R … - Nature, 2004 - unifr.ch ... by one order of magnitude?in the prediction of these standard food-web descriptors. ...
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Contact Sex Signals on Web and Cuticle of Tegenaria atrica (Araneae, Agelenidae) - O Prouvost, M Trabalon, M Papke, S Schulz - Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, 1999 - doi.wiley.com ... Receptive females Unreceptive females Determination Web Cuticle Web Cuticle Acids
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Spiral geometry in the garden spider's orb web - F Vollrath, W Mohren - Naturwissenschaften, 1985 - Springer ... 2s = 2.54 + sd 1.09 (2r = 0.643 + 0.118) for all joints and 2=0.93+sd 0.17 07r=0.814 ...
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Cost estimation for web applications - M Ruhe, R Jeffery, I Wieczorek - Software Engineering, 2003. Proceedings. 25th International …, 2003 - ieeexplore.ieee.org ... With the growing importance of web applications in general business matters, many
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Web-based telerobotics - K Taylor, B Dalton, J Trevelyan - Robotica, 1999 - Cambridge Univ Press ... Hip locations of the legs in {B} Hip locations Hip 1 (0.287, 0.17, 0) Hip 2 (0.287, 0.17, 0) Hip 3 ( 0.287, 0.17, 0) Hip 4 ( 0.287, 0.17, 0) Gait stability 61 ...
Looking for linking: associative links on the Web - T Miles-Board, L Carr, W Hall - Proceedings of the thirteenth ACM conference on Hypertext …, 2002 - portal.acm.org ... Links Density Mean 27 0.17 Median 14 0.12 Standard Deviation 60.66 0.17... The Internet
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Inflammatory Response To Innocuous Fungi Is Gaining Greater Acceptance As Cause Of Chronic Sinusitis
Article Date: 03 Dec 2006 - 0:00am (PST)
Sinusitis, inflammation of the sinus passages around the nose and throat, is one of the most common illnesses in the United States, affecting between 30 and 40 million people each year, and triggering between 18 and 22 million doctor visits. Among the symptoms are nasal congestion, thick mucus production, headaches, tenderness in the face, and aching behind the eyes. Chronic sinusitis persists for weeks, months, or longer, causing misery for sufferers. In the most severe cases the sinus cavity clogs, preventing drainage of mucous and making it difficult to breathe through the nose.
Prior to the research on fungal etiology, the prevailing opinion among the healthcare community was that upper respiratory infections such as colds and flu caused chronic sinusitis by damaging the upper respiratory epithelium. Within the last decade, physicians at the Mayo Clinic hypothesized that most cases of chronic sinusitis were caused not by epithelial dysfunction, but by an inflammatory reaction to the presence of fungi in the mucus. This novel idea was initially rejected by medical specialists, but in a few short years, evidence in favor of the fungal etiology of chronic sinusitis has accumulated. Surveys of ear, nose, and throat specialists (ENTs, also known as otolaryngologists) and allergists revealed that a large number of the specialists treating this disease have adopted the theory that an inflammatory response to fungus in susceptible patients (almost 10%) is the cause of Chronic Sinusitis.
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Accentia Biopharmaceuticals has conducted three surveys, presented at a recent American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology symposium. The surveys revealed that prevailing perceptions among ENT's regarding the possible fungal cause of chronic sinusitis, especially for patients who do not benefit from surgery to correct chronic sinusitis. This group of patients is classified as "surgery refractory."
The first two surveys suggested that ENTs in the United States saw up to twice as many patients with chronic sinusitis as their counterparts in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Approximately 25% of their chronic sinusitis patients were refractory to surgery, meaning their condition does not improve after an operation to remove sinus tissue. In addition, 90% of US and EU (European Union) specialists expressed dissatisfaction with current treatment options for chronic sinusitis, and acknowledged the significant impact to quality of life associated with this condition.
The third survey polled eighty American ENTs and allergists to determine the physicians' prevalent belief regarding the etiology, or cause of chronic sinusitis. In this survey, three-quarters of physicians (75%) attributed the root cause of chronic sinusitis to a fungal infection, and 84% believed that surgery-refractory patients were more likely to fall into the fungal etiology category. Sixty-nine percent of specialists surveyed considered intranasal antifungal drug therapy to be an appropriate treatment for chronic sinusitis patients, with 74% supporting this approach for surgery-refractory patients.
"Fungal etiology is gaining greater acceptance among U.S. and European physicians," noted Angelos Stergiou, MD, Medical Director at Accentia Biopharmaceuticals. Accentia is currently planning to test the effects of SinuNase™, an intranasal form of Amphotericin B, in patients with chronic sinusitis. SinuNase belongs to a class of medicines known as anti-fungals.
The seriousness of chronic sinusitis, and the potential of SinuNase to become the first approved treatment for treating this condition prompted Accentia to seek "Fast Track" status for this drug. In response to this application, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted "Fast Track" status for SinuNase in April 2006. For more information on the clinical trials and their location, please visit http://www.accentia.net/
Study Of Gene Transfer For Erectile Dysfunction Shows Promise
The first human study using gene transfer to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) shows promising results and suggests the potential for using the technology to treat overactive bladder, irritable bowel syndrome and asthma, according to the researchers.
"In the small pilot study, this new therapy was well tolerated and safe," said George Christ, Ph.D., senior researcher and a professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. "It provides evidence that gene transfer is a viable approach to treating ED and other diseases involving smooth muscle cells."
The results of the study, which included 11 men with ED, are reported online today in Human Gene Therapy. The technology was developed by Christ and Arnold Melman, M.D., when they worked together at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.
Unlike traditional gene therapy, the gene transfer approach being pioneered by Christ and Melman does not change the DNA or genetic code of cells. Instead, small pieces of DNA reach the nuclei of cells and this causes them to increase production of particular proteins. These proteins help relax smooth muscle cells, the type of muscle found in the penis as well as in hollow organs such as the bladder. Relaxing the tissue allows the penis to fill with blood and become erect.
Previous research has shown that more than 50 percent of men between 40 and 70 years old and 70 percent over age 70 may have ED. The new therapy is a potential alternative to oral medications, such as Viagra, which are not effective for an estimated 30 to 40 percent of men with ED.
A possible advantage of gene transfer is that a single treatment could last for months. In the current study, improvements were maintained through the 24 weeks of study.
The study was conducted from May 2004 to May 2006 at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and New York University School of Medicine. Men ranged from 42 to 80 years old with a mean age of 59. Six subjects were white, four were black and one was Hispanic. In half of the subjects, the cause of ED was diabetes or cardiovascular disease - both of which can interfere with the ability of smooth muscle cells to relax.
The primary goal of the study was to determine the safety and tolerability of the new therapy. However, the results also showed that at the highest doses, men reported highly significant improvements in erectile function.
The DNA segments - mixed into plasma - were injected into the corpus cavernosum, expandable tissue along the length of the penis that fills with blood during erection. A variety of clinical and laboratory tests were used to assess safety. In addition, effectiveness was measured using the International Index of Erectile Function scale, a questionnaire that is commonly used to measure ED. Patient responses were validated by their partners.
Researchers identified no safety issues with the treatment. Participants who received the highest two doses had apparent sustained improvements in ED as measured by the questionnaire. The researchers said that a larger study that includes a "control" group treated with a placebo is needed to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
Other researchers on the project were Melman, Natan Bar-Chama, M.D., with Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Andrew McCullough, M.D., with New York University School of Medicine, and Kelvin Davies, Ph.D., with Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The technology is being developed by Ion Channel Innovations (ICI), a development stage biotechnology company, in which Christ and Melman are co-founders and directing members. The therapy is known as ion channel therapy because the proteins it targets are potassium channels, "gates" within cells critical for contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle.
At the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Christ is continuing to pursue the therapy in collaboration with ICI, and is also exploring the potential of combining gene transfer with traditional oral medications to further increase the clinical utility of the technology. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University owns the ICT patents and has granted the company exclusive, worldwide rights.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university's School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest University School of Medicine 18th in family medicine, 20th in geriatrics, 25th in primary care and 41st in research among the nation's medical schools. It ranks 32nd in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150 members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in America.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Medical Center Blvd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1015
United States http://www1.wfubmc.edu
Comment by Elizabeth G. Nabel M.D.