Thursday April 30, 2009

Another Study Links Fluoride to Bone Cancer
PR Newswire 04-29-09
NEW YORK, April 29, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Blood fluoride levels were significantly higher in patients with osteosarcoma than in control groups, according to research published in Biological Trace Element Research (April 2009). Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, occurs mostly in children and young adults.
Randhu and colleagues measured serum fluoride levels in three equal groups of age-matched and sex-matched patients. Group one had osteosarcoma, group two had non-osteosarcoma bone tumors, and group three had musculo-skeletal pain.(1)
"Mean serum fluoride concentration was found to be significantly higher in patients with osteosarcoma as compared to the other two groups," writes Randhu's team. "(T)his report proves a link between raised fluoride levels in serum and osteosarcoma," they write.
This reinforces a 2006 published Harvard study by Bassin showing a link between water fluoridation and osteosarcoma in young boys.(2)
A 1992 New Jersey Department of Health study shows osteosarcoma rates higher among young males in fluoridated vs. unfluoridated regions of New Jersey.(3)
More studies link fluoride to bone and other cancers but are downplayed or ignored by government officials.(4)(5)
Bone defects similar to bone cancer were detected in fluoridated Newburgh, NY children as early as 1955. Newburgh is home of the first human health fluoridation experiment begun in 1945.
According to Christopher Bryson in The Fluoride Deception, "A radiologist, Dr. John Caffey of Columbia University, called the defects 'striking' in their 'similarity' to bone cancer... and seen more than twice as frequently among boys in Newburgh as among boys in nonfluoridated Kingston [the control city]."(6)
In 2006, the prestigious National Research Council review of fluoride/fluoridation toxicology found a fluoride/bone cancer link plausible.
"If governments truly want to save money, stopping fluoridation is a no-brainer. It would save money, preserve health and teeth," says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.
In 2005, 11 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee unions, representing over 7000 environmental and public health professionals called for a moratorium on fluoridation programs across the country and asked EPA management to recognize fluoride as posing a serious risk of causing cancer in people.(7)
In addition, over 2,430 professionals urge the U.S. Congress to stop fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted, citing scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. See statement:
http://www.fluoridealert.org/statement.august.2007.html
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8197&Section=Disease

Benfotiamine may help treat uveitis

LIFE EXTENSIONS, April 29, 2009
The fat soluble form of vitamin B1 known as benfotiamine may help combat uveitis (inflammation of the eye’s uvea), one of the world’s most common causes of blindness, according to research published in the May, 2009 issue of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston injected 12 rats with bacterial toxins that produce a reaction similar to that of human uveitis. Twelve animals served as controls. Half of the animals in the uveitis group were given benfotiamine three hours prior to and immediately following administration of the bacteria. Six animals in the control group also received benfotiamine.
Infiltrating white blood cells, and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were elevated in the aqueous humor of the eyes of the animals in which uveitis was induced, however, these effects were blocked by benfotiamine. The researchers determined that the vitamin suppresses the activation of a signaling molecule known as nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-KB), which is involved in inflammation. Since reactive oxygen species mediate inflammatory signals associated with infectious agents, benfotiamine’s strong antioxidant action may be responsible for the downstream effects observed in this study.
"Benfotiamine strongly suppresses this eye-damaging condition and the biochemical markers we associate with it," senior author and University of Texas Medical Branch associate professor Kota V. Ramana stated. "We're optimistic that this simple supplementation with vitamin B1 has great potential as a new therapy for this widespread eye disease."
"Already, clinical trials have shown that benfotiamine is absorbed better than thiamine [the most common form of vitamin B1] and significantly improved diabetic polyneuropathy in patients, and it's already taken as a supplement for diabetic complications," he added.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_04.htm#benfotiamine-may-help-treat-uveitis

Children exposed to violence have PTSD symptoms
Last Updated: 2009-04-29 14:05:13 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among children showing high levels of stress in reaction to exposure to community violence, researchers found stress hormone responses similar to children diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms include attention or sleep problems, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and other symptoms of psychological distress.
In previous research in children, Dr. Shakira Franco Suglia, at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, identified a disruption of the stress hormone, cortisol, among those with PTSD. Suglia and colleagues have now found "similar effects among children living in urban communities who have not been diagnosed with PTSD," Suglia told Reuters Health.
The study involved 28 girls and 15 boys, 7 to 13 years old. Forty-six percent were Hispanic, 54 percent were white. Forty-two percent of the children had mothers with less than a high-school education, Suglia and colleagues report in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
The researchers assessed mothers' reports of their children's exposures to hearing gunshots or witnessing other forms of community violence, and mother's and children's reports of symptoms typical of PTSD.
Suglia and colleagues found that children with higher stress scores had higher overall cortisol levels in saliva collected over a 3-day period -- after the children awoke in the morning, after lunch, and dinner, and before bedtime.
Moreover, among children with higher stress scores, cortisol levels remained high in the late afternoon and evening -- times when cortisol levels typically decline.
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that can interfere with immune system responses and suppress the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex "natural alarm system" also communicates with regions of the brain that control mood, motivation and fear.
A growing body of evidence suggests "witnessing trauma may have far reaching health consequences for children," Suglia said.
Psychological distress in children may lead to behavioral and emotional problems and sustained high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, may increase lifetime risk for cardiovascular and other health problems.
Besides the need for health care providers and parents to be aware of associations between childhood exposures to violence and stress, Suglia and colleagues call for continued investigations of associations between childhood stress and child health outcomes.
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, April 2009
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/29/eline/links/20090429elin003.html

Littlest couch potatoes face mental health risks
Last Updated: 2009-04-29 13:17:43 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young children who spend lots of time in front of TV and computer screens have high levels of psychological distress, and being physically inactive may make matters worse, new research published in the journal Pediatrics shows.
Most studies of "screen time" and mental health have been in adolescents and teens, Dr. Mark Hamer of University College London, the lead researcher on the current investigation, told Reuters Health. Hamer's group included children as young as 4 years old in their study.
"We replicated the earlier findings in older adolescents that show too much TV and screen-based entertainment is associated with poorer measures of mental health," Hamer said in an interview.
To determine if TV and screen entertainment time and physical inactivity have independent effects on psychological well-being, Hamer and his team evaluated 1,486 boys and girls 4 to 12 years old. The children's parents completed a test called the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire that assesses childhood mental health issues, such as hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems.
About 1 in 4 of the children logged at least 3 hours of screen time daily, while 4.2 percent had abnormally high scores on the questionnaire, indicating high levels of psychological distress. Kids with more than 2.7 hours of screen time daily had 24 percent higher scores on the test, signaling more distress, than kids who had less than 1.6 hours of daily screen time. Heavy TV and computer use plus low physical activity further increased distress scores by 46 percent.
Children started to show worse mental health at the highest screen time level, which was around 3 hours a day, Hamer noted. He and his colleagues point out that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen-based entertainment time to less than 2 hours. Current guidelines generally advise that kids spend at least an hour in active play daily, the researcher added.
"I think it's really a question of sort of limiting screen-based activity and just trying to encourage more physical activity," Hamer said. "That's the key message."
"There's also good evidence to suggest that physical activity levels actually reduce as children go through adolescence," he added, making it even more important for parents to help kids establish healthy habits early in life.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, May 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/29/eline/links/20090429elin005.html

U.S. cancer diagnoses will jump 45 percent by 2030
Last Updated: 2009-04-29 16:42:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The number of new cancer cases diagnosed each year will jump 45 percent in the next two decades to 2.3 million up from 1.6 million in 2010, affecting many more older adults and minorities, U.S. researchers predicted on Wednesday.
Using demographic trends, researchers at the University of Texas project a 67 percent increase in the number of adults 65 and older will be diagnosed with cancer in 2030, rising to 1.6 million in 2030 from 1 million in 2010.
And they foresee a doubling in the number of non-whites who will be diagnosed with cancer by then, rising to 660,000 cases a year from 330,000.
The data assume that rates of cancer would remain about the same. "This is basically saying how will our population changes impact the number of people getting cancer," Dr. Ben Smith of the university's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said in a telephone interview.
"In 2030, 70 percent of all cancers will be diagnosed in the elderly and 28 percent in minorities, and the number of older adults diagnosed with cancer will be the same as the total number of Americans diagnosed with cancer in 2010," he said.
Smith said that the number and types of cancers expected to increase -- such as liver, stomach and pancreas -- are especially deadly.
"Currently, we don't have the health care infrastructure to be able to accommodate the expected surge in cancer diagnoses," Smith, whose findings appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said in a telephone interview.
He pointed to data from the American Society of Clinical Oncology that suggests 40 percent of cancer specialists in the United States are 55 and older and many will retire in the next decade or so.
"The rate of new oncologists is not sufficient to keep pace with the rate of retirement," Smith said, adding that by 2030, there will be a shortage of 3,800 oncologists. "That is a great concern."
SHIFT IN DISEASE
For the study, Smith and his team used current the United States Census Bureau statistics and cancer incidence rates to look at how changes in the population will affect the number of people getting cancer.
He found a major shift in new cancers being diagnosed in older adults and minorities -- segments of the population projected to grow rapidly.
"Both older adults and minorities are segments of the patient population that are particularly vulnerable to receiving sub-optimal medical care," Smith said.
He said minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage, and death rates, especially for black Americans, are significantly higher compared to white Americans.
Given these statistics, Smith said, screening and prevention become all the more vital.
Cancer remains the No. 2 killer of Americans, with about 560,000 deaths annually, topped only by heart disease.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/29/eline/links/20090429elin029.html

Kids who die from cold meds often very young
Last Updated: 2009-04-29 16:48:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If used as prescribed, over-the-counter cough and cold medications are very safe for use in children. The deaths that do occur typically involve children younger than 2 years of age who have received an overdose, according to findings reported in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
"Cough and cold products have been sporadically associated with severe toxicity and death in children," Dr. Richard C. Dart, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and colleagues write. In 2005, a total of 64,658 poisonings related to these drugs were reported, including 28 that were serious or fatal.
An expert panel was convened to examine factors contributing fatalities associated with cough or cold remedies involving child younger than 12 years old.
Of 178 fatal cases studied, the panel concluded that a relationship between the cough and cold ingredient and the fatality was at least possible in 118 cases. Overall, 82 cases involved a non-prescription drug alone, 21 cases involved exposure to both a nonprescription and prescription medication, and 15 cases involved only a prescription medication.
The team reports that in the 103 cases that involved non-prescription drugs, ingredients most often mentioned were pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine, and dextromethorphan. Of these cases, 88 were judged to have involved an overdose.
"The intent of caregivers appears to be therapeutic to relieve symptoms in some cases and nontherapeutic to induce sedation or to facilitate child maltreatment in other cases," the investigators report.
A number of contributing factors were identified, including age younger than 2 years, use of the medication for sedation, use in a daycare setting or babysitter's home, use of two medicines with the same ingredient, failure to use a measuring device, product misidentification, and use of a product intended for adults.
"Many of the factors related to inadvertent overdose identified by the expert panel are preventable and interventions could potentially reduce the deaths associated with cough and cold products substantially," Dart's team explains.
"A successful public health intervention requires clear identification of contributing factors, implementation of effective tools to address each factor, and ongoing active surveillance to document the effect of interventions and to detect new developments."
SOURCE: Annals of Emergency Medicine, April 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/04/29/eline/links/20090429elin033.html

Low vitamin D causes problems for acutely ill patients

Research Australia Journal, April 30, 2009
A group of endocrinologists in Sydney have observed that very sick patients tend to have very low levels of Vitamin D. The sicker they are, the lower the levels.
Dr Paul Lee, Professor John Eisman and Associate Professor Jackie Center, researchers at Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, examined a cohort of 42 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. Forty-five percent turned out to be Vitamin D deficient.
These findings will be published as a letter in the April 30, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Until now, the medical community has thought of Vitamin D deficiency as a chronic condition," said Dr Lee. "Little is known about its acute complications."
"Last year, we published several cases showing that Vitamin D deficiency can cause acute complications in the intensive care unit."
"Recently, Vitamin D has been recognised for its many roles beyond the musculoskeletal system. It has been implicated in diabetes, in the immune system, in cancers, in heart disease and in metabolic syndrome."
"Vitamin D appears to have roles in controlling sugar, calcium, heart function, gut integrity, immunity and defence against infection. Patients in ICU suffer from different degrees of inflammation, infection, heart dysfunction, diarrhoea and metabolic dysregulation – so vitamin D deficiency may play a role in each of these common ICU conditions."
"So we did a preliminary study and found that 45% of people in our ICU were Vitamin D deficient. There may be a bias, in that all patients were referred to endocrinology, so the numbers may not reflect the prevalence in a standard ICU cohort. However 45% is still a significant proportion.
When the team correlated the Vitamin D levels with a disease severity score, there was a direct correspondence between sickness and Vitamin D deficiency. In other words, the sicker someone was, the lower the levels of Vitamin D. Out of the 42 patients studied, there were 3 deaths. The 3 patients who died all had the lowest level of Vitamin D in the cohort.
"Perhaps when we are well, we have ways to compensate for organ dysfunction if we run low on Vitamin D," said Lee.
"But when we are very sick, the "sick organs" draw upon any vitamin D available to function properly, therefore we may need extra Vitamin D to maintain organ function during critical illness. However, at this stage, we don't know whether Vitamin D deficiency is just a marker of ill health, or whether it contributes to disease severity."
Lee believes that the study, while preliminary, is important because it highlights the fact that Vitamin D deficiency is common in intensive care units and is associated with disease severity.
The next step will be a randomised control study to investigate whether Vitamin D has benefits in critically ill patients. In simple terms, two groups of patients (who are evenly matched) will be treated, with Vitamin D added to the treatment of one group, but not the other. The outcomes will then be compared.
So should doctors be trying to raise the Vitamin D levels of their patients in the meantime?
Dr Lee hopes the randomised study may provide a more definitive answer to the question. "However, Vitamin D is very safe. It's inexpensive and has a very large safety window, making toxicity unlikely, unless there are underlying diseases causing high calcium. Giving vitamin D to severely deficient patients is very unlikely to cause harm. In addition, ICU patients are lying in bed for a long time, and are at risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. So if nothing else, Vitamin D will help protect their bones."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/ra-lvd042909.php

Insufficient vitamin D may boost asthma risk

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Apr-2009

Children with insufficient vitamin D levels may be at higher risk of developing asthma, suggests a new study from equatorial Costa Rica.
Vitamin D levels were also associated with increased frequency of hospitalization, according to a study with 616 Costa Rican children with asthma published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers, led by John Brehm from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School concluded: “In these children, lower vitamin D levels are associated with increased markers of allergy and asthma severity.”
According to the European Federation of Allergy and Airway Diseases Patients Association (EFA), over 30m Europeans suffer from asthma, costing Europe €17.7bn every year. The cost due to lost productivity is estimated to be around €9.8bn.
Brehm and his co-workers sought to build on previous evidence that low maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy may adversely affect the respiratory health of their children and increase the prevalence of asthma symptoms in early childhood.
“No study has examined the relationship between measured vitamin D levels and markers of asthma severity in childhood,” they said.
Vitamin D levels, calculated using serum concentrations of 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin in the body, were measured in 616 asthmatic children in Costa Rica aged between 6 and 14.
Vitamin D insufficiency, quantified as 25(OH)D levels below 30 ng/ml (or 75 nmol/L), was documented in 175 children. Vitamin D deficiency is when 25(OH)D levels are below 15 ng/ml (37.5 nmol/L).
25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), the predominant antibody associated with an allergic response, said the researchers.
Furthermore, “a log10 unit increase in vitamin D levels was associated with reduced odds of any hospitalization in the previous year, any use of anti-inflammatory medications in the previous year, and increased airway responsiveness,” wrote the researchers.
Our results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency is relatively frequent in an equatorial population of children with asthma
The details on D
The study adds to an ever growing body of science supporting the benefits of maintaining healthy vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors - D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320 nm), is said to be more bioactive.
While our bodies do manufacture vitamin D on exposure to sunshine, the levels in some northern countries are so weak during the winter months that our body makes no vitamin D at all, meaning that dietary supplements and fortified foods are seen by many as the best way to boost intakes of vitamin D.
In adults, it is said vitamin D deficiency may precipitate or exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. There is also some evidence that the vitamin may reduce the incidence of several types of cancer and type-1 diabetes.
Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Volume 179, Pages 765-771, doi: 10.1164/rccm.200808-1361OC
“Serum Vitamin D Levels and Markers of Severity of Childhood Asthma in Costa Rica”
Authors: J.M. Brehm, J.C. Celedon, M.E. Soto-Quiros, L. Avila, G.M. Hunninghake, E. Forno, D. Laskey, J.S. Sylvia, B.W. Hollis, S.T. Weiss, A.A. Litonjua
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Insufficient-vitamin-D-may-boost-asthma-risk

Celery flavonoid may cut ovarian cancer risk

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Apr-2009

Increased intake of the flavonoid apigenin, found in celery, parsley, and tomato sauce, may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 20 per cent, suggests a new study from Harvard.
Other common dietary flavonoids, like myricetin, kaempferol, quercetin, and luteolin, had no effects on the risk of ovarian cancer, according to findings published in the International Journal of Cancer.
“Although none of the individual foods contributing to apigenin intake in this study population were significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk, there was a suggestion of an inverse association with increasing consumption of cauliflower, raisins, tomato sauce, and several other flavonoid-rich foods,” wrote lead author Margaret Gates.
Of all the cancers of the female reproductive system, ovarian cancer has the highest mortality.
In the UK, ovarian cancer causes more than 4,000 deaths per year, according to Cancer Research UK. While in 2003 in the US, a total of 14,657 women died from ovarian cancer, said the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA).
According to OCNA figures, one in 69 women will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime and another one in 95 women will die from the disease.
Study data
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health examined if flavonoids offered a protective effect against ovarian cancer in a large, population-based study involving 1,141 cases and 1,183 matched controls. The average age of all the participants was 51.
Intakes of myricetin, kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin were calculated using a 126-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and from data from the USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods.
Although no statistically significant differences were observed between the highest and lowest average intakes of all flavonoids, analyses of each individual flavonoid, showed that apigenin was associated with a significant 28 per cent decrease in risk, after adjusting for the other 4 individual flavonoids.
Mechanism?
Several mechanisms have been proposed by which apigenin and other flavonoids may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, said the researchers. These include an inhibitory effect on endogenous oestrogen activity or a reduction on circulating oestrogen levels via competition for oestrogen receptors or suppression of oestrogen biosynthesis.
 “These mechanisms could be important in inhibiting ovarian carcinogenesis, due to the oestrogen-rich environment within the ovaries and the proliferative effect of oestrogen on ovarian epithelial cells,” wrote the researchers in the journal.
The antioxidant activity of the flavonoids may also be behind the potential benefits, said Gates and her co-workers, since DNA damage would be reduced via the scavenging of free radicals or upregulating of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase
The need for confirmations
“Overall, the results of this large case-control study provide limited support for an association between flavonoid intake and risk of ovarian cancer,” said the researchers. “However, given the promising findings from other studies, as well as the evidence of an inverse association with apigenin intake in this analysis, additional studies of flavonoid intake and ovarian cancer risk are warranted.
“Prospective studies that are able to examine flavonoid intake over time and different latency periods between exposure and diagnosis would be particularly informative, as would studies of potential mechanisms of action.
“If confirmed, an inverse association with intake of apigenin or other flavonoids would provide an important and modifiable means of ovarian cancer prevention,” they concluded.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
Source: International Journal of Cancer
Volume 124, Issue 8, Pages 1918-1925
"Flavonoid intake and ovarian cancer risk in a population-based case-control study"
Authors: M.A. Gates, A.F. Vitonis, S.S. Tworoger, B. Rosner, L. Titus-Ernstoff, S.E. Hankinson, D.W. Cramer
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Celery-flavonoid-may-cut-ovarian-cancer-risk

Stanford scientists turn adult skin cells into muscle and vice versa

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, April 20, 2009

New study in the FASEB Journal shows how the genetic program of one cell type can be changed to that of another

In a study featured on the cover of the May issue of The FASEB Journal, researchers describe how they are able to reprogram human adult skin cells into other cell types in order to decipher the elusive mechanisms underlying reprogramming. To demonstrate their point, they transformed human skin cells into mouse muscle cells and vice versa. This research shows that by understanding the regulation of cell specialization it may be possible to convert one cell type into another, eventually bypassing stem cells.
"Regenerative medicine provides hope of novel and powerful treatments for many diseases, but depends on the availability of cells with specific characteristics to replace those that are lost or dysfunctional," said Helen M. Blau, Ph.D., the senior scientist involved in the study, Associate Editor of The FASEB Journal, Member of the Stem Cell Institute, and Director of the Baxter Laboratory in Genetic Pharmacology at Stanford. "We show here that mature cells can be directly reprogrammed to generate those necessary cells, providing another way besides embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells of overcoming this important bottleneck to restoring tissue function."
The Stanford scientists sought to transform one specialized adult cell from one species into a different specialized adult cell of another species. To do this, they first used a chemical treatment to fuse skin and muscle cells together, producing cells that had nuclei from human skin cells and mouse muscle cells. By being encapsulated within the same cell wall, the human skin cells and mouse muscle nuclei could now "talk" to one another via chemical signals. Then, the scientists looked at the genes expressed from the human skin nuclei and mouse muscle nuclei. (This was possible because one cell type was human and the other was mouse, so the genes could be distinguished based on species differences.) After several experiments, they were able to induce the human skin nuclei to produce mouse muscle genes and induce the muscle nuclei to produce human skin genes—effectively transforming the cell from one type to the other.
"Reprogramming mature cells will likely complement the use of embryonic stem cells in regenerating tissues," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "By elucidating the regulators of reprogramming, as the Stanford group is doing, it may be possible to generate replacement cells in cases where stem cells are not present or not appropriate."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/foas-sst043009.php

Hopkins Children's study: Folic acid may help treat allergies, asthma

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, April 30, 2009
Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
In what is believed to be the first study in humans examining the link between blood levels of folate – the naturally occurring form of folic acid — and allergies, the Hopkins scientists say results add to mounting evidence that folate can help regulate inflammation. Recent studies, including research from Hopkins, have found a link between folate levels and inflammation-mediated diseases, including heart disease. A report on the Hopkins Children's findings appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
Cautioning that it's far too soon to recommend folic acid supplements to prevent or treat people with asthma and allergies, the researchers emphasize that more research needs to be done to confirm their results, and to establish safe doses and risks.
Reviewing the medical records of more than 8,000 people ages 2 to 85 the investigators tracked the effect of folate levels on respiratory and allergic symptoms and on levels of IgE antibodies, immune system markers that rise in response to an allergen. People with higher blood levels of folate had fewer IgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and lower likelihood of asthma, researchers report.
"Our findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms," says lead investigator Elizabeth Matsui, M.D. M.H.S., pediatric allergist at Hopkins Children's. "But we still need to figure out the exact mechanism behind it, and to do so we need studies that follow people receiving treatment with folic acid, before we even consider supplementation with folic acid to treat or prevent allergies and asthma."
The current recommendation for daily dietary intake of folic acid is 400 micrograms for healthy men and non-pregnant women. Many cereals and grain products are already fortified with folate, and folate is found naturally in green, leafy vegetables, beans and nuts.
Other findings of the study:

• People with the lowest folate levels (below 8 nanograms per milliliter) had 40 percent higher risk of wheezing than people with the highest folate levels (above 18 ng/ml).
• People with the lowest folate levels had a 30 percent higher risk than those with the highest folate levels of having elevated IgE antibodies, markers of allergy predisposition.
• Those with the lowest folate levels had 31 percent higher risk of atopy (allergic symptoms) than people with the highest folate levels.
• Those with lowest folate levels had 16 percent higher risk of having asthma than people with the highest folate levels.

Blacks and Hispanics had lower blood folate levels — 12 and 12.5 nanograms per milliliter, respectively — than whites (15 ng/ml), but the differences were not due to income and socio-economic status.
The Hopkins team is planning a study comparing the effects of folic acid and placebo in people with allergies and asthma.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/jhmi-hcs042709.php

New therapy based on magnetic stimulation shows promise for nondrug treatment for migraine

University of California – San Francisco.  April 29, 2009
A new UCSF study examining the mechanism of a novel therapy that uses magnetic pulses to treat chronic migraine sufferers showed the treatment to be a promising alternative to medication.
The therapy is called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. Study findings were presented today (April 29, 2009) during the annual American Academy of Neurology scientific meeting in Seattle.
In a previous randomized controlled clinical study by Ohio State University Medical Center, TMS was used to treat patients who suffer from migraine with aura, a condition in which a variety of mostly visual sensations come before or accompany the pain of a migraine attack. The study showed that TMS treatment was superior to the placebo given to the control group. Patients were pain-free at follow-up intervals of 2, 24 and 48 hours.
In the new study, conducted in rats, UCSF researchers focused on understanding the mechanism of action of TMS therapy -- how the treatment interacted with the brain to produce the pain-free outcomes of patients in the previous study.
The UCSF research identified potential opportunities to enhance treatment strategies in patients. One example, the study team noted, was that factors such as time and peak intensity of stimulation may be important components in the brain's response to TMS.
"The data demonstrate a biological rationale for the use of TMS to treat migraine aura," said Peter Goadsby, MD, PhD, lead investigator of the study, professor and director of the UCSF Headache Center. "We found that cortical spreading depression, known as CSD and the animal correlate of migraine aura, was susceptible to TMS therapy, with the wave of neuronal excitation blocked on over 50 percent of occasions."
The study findings showed that migraine aura responds to magnetic stimulation because TMS therapy blocks the wave of neuronal excitation, which is a biological system through which neurons become stimulated to fire. TMS creates a focused magnetic pulse that passes noninvasively through the skull, inducing an electric current to disrupt the abnormal brain waves believed to be associated with migraine, including CSD. CSD in humans precedes migraine with aura.
The American Academy of Neurology estimates that over 30 million Americans suffer from migraine, a syndrome characterized by recurrent, often excruciating headaches. The National Headache Foundation estimates that migraine causes 157 million lost workdays each year due to pain and associated migraine symptoms, resulting in a $13 billion burden to American employers.
Further research is needed, the UCSF team said, but the findings give neurologists a potential new treatment option for migraine sufferers unable to tolerate medication, which can cause stomach bleeding and other painful side effects.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/uoc--ntb042909.php

Half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by 5 years

British Medical Journal.  April 29, 2009

Long-term wine consumption is related to cardiovascular mortality and life expectancy independently of moderate alcohol intake

Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years—at least in men—suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The Dutch authors base their findings on a total of 1,373 randomly selected men whose cardiovascular health and life expectancy at age 50 were repeatedly monitored between 1960 and 2000.
The researchers looked into how much alcohol the men drank, what type it was, and over what period, in a bid to assess whether this had any impact on the risks of their dying from cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and from all causes.
They also tracked weight and diet, whether the men smoked, and for how long, and checked for the presence of serious illness.
During the 40 years of monitoring, 1,130 of the men died. Over half the deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease.
The proportion of men who drank alcohol almost doubled from 45% in 1960 to 86% in 2000, with the proportion of those drinking wine soaring from 2% to 44% during that period.
The researchers found that light long term alcohol consumption of all types—up to 20 g a day— extended life by around two extra years compared with no alcohol at all. Extended life expectancy was slightly less for those who drank more than 20 g.
And men who drank only wine, and less than half a glass of it a day, lived around 2.5 years longer than those who drank beer and spirits, and almost five years longer than those who drank no alcohol at all.
Drinking wine was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes.
These results held true, irrespective of socioeconomic status, dietary and other lifestyle habits, factors long thought to influence the association between wine drinking and better health.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/bmj-hag042909.php

BBC NEWS
'Bleach bath' benefit for eczema
Adding bleach to the bath may be an effective treatment for chronic eczema, US researchers say.
In a study of 31 children, there was significant improvement in eczema in those who had diluted bleach baths compared with normal baths.
The Pediatrics study also showed improvements were only on parts of the body submerged in the bath.
UK experts stressed the treatment could be extremely dangerous and should only be done under the care of a specialist.
Children with bad eczema suffer from chronic skin infections, most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, which worsen the eczema that can be difficult to treat.
Some children get resistant MRSA infections.
“ Bleach used incorrectly could cause enormous harm to a child with atopic eczema while in the hands of an expert it can, as this trial indicates, lead to benefit ”
Professor Mike Cork, Sheffield Children's Hospital
Studies have shown a direct correlation between the number of bacteria on the skin and the severity of the eczema.
It has been shown that bacteria cause inflammation and further weaken the skin barrier.
In the study, researchers randomly assigned patients who had infection with Staphylococcus aureus to baths with half a cup of sodium hypochlorite per full tub or normal water baths for five to 10 minutes twice a week for three months.
They also prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment or dummy ointment for them to put into their nose - a key site for growth of the bacteria.
Eczema severity in patients reduced five times as much as those on placebo.
But there was no improvement in eczema on the head and neck - areas not submerged in the bath.
Rapid improvement
"We've long struggled with staphylococcal infections in patients with eczema," said study leader Dr Amy Paller, from Northwestern University in Chicago.
She added they saw such rapid improvement in the children having bleach baths that they stopped the study early.
"The eczema kept getting better and better with the bleach baths and these baths prevented it from flaring again, which is an ongoing problem for these kids.
"We presume the bleach has antibacterial properties and decreased the number of bacteria on the skin, which is one of the drivers of flares."
Professor Mike Cork, head of dermatology research and a consultant at Sheffield Children's Hospital, said antiseptic baths had been used as a treatment for eczema for quite a while but the trial was important because it highlights the benefits from reducing bacteria.
"But people should not start putting bleach in their children's bath.
"Bleach used incorrectly could cause enormous harm to a child with atopic eczema while, in the hands of an expert, it can as this trial indicates lead to benefit."
He added the trial highlighted the need for children with uncontrolled eczema to be referred to a specialist for treatment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8015995.stm

Thirty-Six Thousand People Do Not Die Each Year from "Regular Flu" (Confirmed)

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) Read just about any news report on swine flu deaths, and you'll come across a line that claims "36,000 people die each year from flu-related causes." It sounds authoritative. It's even a nice, round number. But where is this number coming from? And is it based on any actual science?

This statistic is being paraded around by almost everybody, as if to say that swine flu isn't so bad because regular flu kills so many people each year anyway. The truth is that the only standard by which the CDC and WHO are quoting deaths from swine flu is if they are confirmed deaths from a particular viral strain. To them, if a death has not been confirmed in their labs, it does not count as a death from that flu.

Got that? Only "confirmed" deaths count. And they must be confirmed in a laboratory using a rigorous method of comparing samples taken from the deceased with a known database of viral patterns.

As it turns out, virtually none of the 36,000 people said to die from regular flu each year have been confirmed in any lab whatsoever.

Thus, according to the guidelines of the CDC and WHO, they don't count. Based on their own rules, it is technically accurate to say that regular flu kills virtually no one. It's not true, of course, because people do die from the "regular flu" each year, but it is technically accurate according to the CDC and WHO rules for scientific evidence.

Again, that's because nearly all of these "regular flu" deaths aren't confirmed by a CDC or WHO-recognized lab. Thus, they have no scientific standing.

Infectious disease double standard

I find it interesting that when talking about swine flu, the criteria for inclusion in statistics is positive identification in a rigorous laboratory. But when talking about regular flu, the criteria for inclusion is -- technically speaking -- anybody's wild guess.

The 36,000 number, it turns out, was pulled out of thin air. It has no scientific validity whatsoever, even according to the CDC's own standards.

I tracked down the origins of this number on CDC.gov, by the way. Turns out it was an estimate derived by the CDC in 2003 (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pres...).

It's an estimate, mind you, not a "confirmed" number of deaths. And that estimate has stayed exactly the same through 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Not a budge. Before the number was 36,000, it was 20,000 for many years. That tells you right off the bat this isn't some confirmed laboratory number -- it's a guesstimate!

I'm not disagreeing with the number. It's probably a fairly accurate guess (the CDC folks are a smart bunch). But it doesn't meet the criteria by which these infectious disease organizations report influenza deaths.

As the CDC even says on their own website, "This estimate came from a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), which looked at the 1990-91 through the 1998-99 flu seasons [10]. Statistical modeling was used to estimate how many flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate was listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease. During these years, the number of estimated deaths ranged from 17,000 to 52,000."

In other words, they took a look at how many people died from respiratory or circulatory disease, and from that they extrapolated "flu-related deaths."

This is all accomplished through "statistical modeling," which is the equivalent of statisticians waving magic wands to create new numbers where none exist. Based on the sample size, it can be quite accurate (plus or minus a few percentage points), or it can be way off base depending on the accuracy of the statistical sample.

Notably, if the same methodology were used to calculate swine flu deaths, it might currently show 300 or more deaths (and such methodologies would be widely criticized, of course, for being "just wild guesses," which they are).

As the CDC admits itself, "CDC does not know exactly how many people die from flu each year."

And... "It has been recognized for many years that influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates [12] and testing for influenza infections usually not done, particularly among the elderly who are at greatest risk of influenza complications and death. Some deaths – particularly in the elderly – are associated with secondary complications of influenza (including bacterial pneumonias)." (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/diseas...)

In other words: Influenza isn't listed on death certificates and influenza testing isn't even done on most patients! Thus, it is not possible for these 36,000 influenza deaths to be confirmed at all.

Swine flu may escape detection, too

What else is interesting in all this is when the CDC explains that viral strains aren't even detectable in patients after the first few days of infection:

"Influenza virus infection may not be identified in many instances because influenza virus is only detectable for a short period of time and many people don't seek medical care until after the first few days of acute illness." - The CDC

If this is true, then isn't it also true that most swine flu patients can NEVER be confirmed in a lab?

I find this quite curious, because according to what the CDC is saying here, it is impossible to ever get an accurate "confirmed" count of swine flu patients because the influenza virus isn't detectable after a "short period of time." Thus, by limiting swine flu death reports to only those patients who have been confirmed in a laboratory, the CDC is essentially eliminating the very possibility that many swine flu patients will ever be tested and identified as carrying the strain.

Put another way, the criteria for identifying and reporting swine flu deaths is, itself, limiting the number of swine flu deaths that will ever be counted. Essentially, the system is rigged to under-report swine flu deaths by eliminating anyone who wasn't tested in time to identify the strain.

This, I believe, is why the swine flu death count remains magically low even as doctors on the ground in Mexico City are reporting much larger numbers of real-world swine flu deaths.

Different strains

The other important thing to realize here is that the 36,000 figure is not talking about just one strain of influenza: It's a cumulative figure from ALL the other strains of influenza combined!

"Regular flu," you see, isn't just one flu. It's a collection of potentially hundreds of different flu strains. So assigning the 36,000 deaths a year figure to "regular flu" is misleading because it makes it sound like a single strain of influenza.

The truth is that nobody really knows how many deaths each year occur from the different strains of flu circulating in the wild. Some top-notch CDC officials can probably take a pretty good guess at it, but it's still just that: A guess. The real numbers are, frankly, unknown.

It's also unknown how many people die from the viral load vs. how many die from secondary infections (such as bacterial pneumonia) that often follow viral infections. Technically, a lot of those 36,000 people (or so) might have been killed by various strains of common bacteria, not by the viruses.

Yesterday morning, Mexico was reporting 159 deaths from swine flu. According to the WHO, that number is not only 7. How does 159 magically become 7? By including the word "confirmed" in front of it.

Fine. Let's all go with the "confirmed" modifier. All infectious disease deaths must now be confirmed in a CDC or WHO laboratory in order to count. So that means the 36,000 number needs to be revised down to however many have been "confirmed" in that group.

And how many is that? Only the CDC knows. I'm guessing it's a two-digit number.

So much for the myth of "36,000 flu-related deaths a year." If you believe that number, I'm sure there's a job waiting for you at the U.S. Treasury Dept., too, where numbers are materialized out of thin air on a daily basis in order to finance the national debt.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026169.html

Fish Oils Boost Intelligence Scores of Teenage Boys

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com April 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Teenage boys who eat fish regularly score higher on intelligence tests than those who eat fish less often, according to a study conducted by researchers from Goteborg University in Sweden and published in the journal Ars Pediatrica.

"A number of studies have already shown that fish can help neurodevelopment in infants, reduce the risk of impaired cognitive function from middle age onwards and benefit babies born to women who ate fish during pregnancy" researcher Kjell Toren said. "However, we believe that this is the first large-scale study to explore the effect on adolescents."

Researchers collected detailed dietary questionnaires from 4,792 15-year old boys, then compared this information with intelligence scores from tests that all the participants took three years later, upon registering with the Swedish military.

On average, those who ate fish once per week had combined intelligence scores 7 percent higher than those who ate fish less than once a week, while those who ate fish twice or more a week scored 12 percent higher. Those in the once-a-week group also scored 7 percent higher on visuospatial intelligence and 4 percent higher on verbal intelligence, while those who ate fish more than once a week scored 11 percent and 9 percent higher, respectively.

The average increase in all scores was 6 percent for those who ate fish once a week and 11 percent for those who ate it more frequently.

According to lead researcher Maria Aberg, the current study is particularly important because it focuses on the effect of fish consumption during adolescence, when the brain is developing much of its plasticity, or its ability to adapt to everything from new experiences to injuries.

While it may be too early to make specific dietary recommendations, she said, "for the time being it appears that including fish in a diet can make a valuable contribution to cognitive performance in male teenagers."
http://www.naturalnews.com/026167.html

Sunflower Seeds are Answer from Nature to Antidepressant Drugs

by Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com April 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Sunflowers are the earthly representation of the sun. They have such an affinity for the life giving force that they twist on their stems so their faces can bask in sunlight all through the day. Photons from the sun are stored in the DNA of the sunflower, making its seed resonate with the photons in human cells. This resonance is good for mind as well as body, and makes sunflowers one of the top foods for fighting depression.

Key nutrients raise serotonin levels and boost nerve function naturally

If we believe that we are what we eat, it is clear that nerves depend on what they are fed. While all of the wealth of nutrients found in sunflower seeds contributes to nerve health, sunflower seeds are particularly rich in key nutrients that have a direct impact on alleviating depression. Their high levels of magnesium counterbalance calcium, helping to regulate nerve function. And the substantial content of the amino acid, tryptophan, enhances serotonin production and thus improves mood.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that pass messages between nerve cells in the brain. They have a tremendous impact on overall mood and feelings of well being. Serotonin is one of the body's most important neurotransmitters. When released, serotonin gives a relaxing, content feeling that relieves emotional tension. This feeling is often described as mellowness. It is serotonin's profound effect on the mind that makes Prozac, Paxil, and other antidepressants such popular drugs. These drugs act by artificially keeping serotonin levels high. Higher serotonin can be naturally achieved by eating sunflower seeds, and there are no side effects.

Carbohydrates are needed to help tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier and get to where it can work its wonders. Sunflower seeds offer the perfect blend of tryptophan and carbohydrates making them an ideal functional food to fight depression. Dark meat from poultry is also high in tryptophan, but needs carbohydrates added to be effective. Increased serotonin is why a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, potatoes and stuffing provides such a relaxing sense of well being that the diner is soon asleep on the couch. Sunflower seeds are the perfect vegetarian alternative to such a food orgy.

Vitamin B-6 is also necessary to fuel the body's normal depression-fighting chemical reactions. B-6 deficiency is common in Americans, particularly when considered in light of the absurdly low RDA of two milligrams. Sunflower seeds are a good source of B-6, giving them a three way punch against depression.

Sunflower seeds have a long history of benefiting people

Sunflower seeds are one of the first plants to be cultivated in the U.S. They have been used by Native Americans for more than 5,000 years as a food source and for their oil. Parts of the flowers, roots and stems have been used for varied purposes including pigment dye, but the bright yellow petals of the sunflower are considered poisonous to humans.

Health benefits of sunflower seeds are extensive

Some people think sunflower seeds are for the birds. They can be seen picking through all the other seeds in the feeder to get to the prized sunflower seeds. Birds are smart enough to go for the finest in nutrition. Sunflower seeds also supply all the nutrients needed by the human body with the exception of vitamin D. They are extremely rich in vitamin E, the primary fat-soluble antioxidant in the human body. Vitamin E roams the body looking for free radicals to put out of business. This action keeps fat-containing molecules from being damaged and leading to early aging. Vitamin E protects against inflammation too, making it a potent fighter of arthritis, cancer and diabetes.

One-quarter cup of sunflower seeds contains over 90% of the daily value of vitamin E. This makes sunflower seeds extremely helpful in protecting cardiovascular health by preventing free radicals from damaging cholesterol. Only after being damaged can cholesterol stick to blood vessel walls and begin the process of atherosclerosis which leads to clogged arteries, heart attack, and stroke. People with a high intake of vitamin E are at much lower risk of dying from a heart attack than are people whose vitamin E intake is inadequate.

Sunflower seeds are loaded with potassium, so needed in the American diet to balance the effects of sodium. Potassium controls the pressure inside cells while sodium controls the pressure outside cells. Sodium concentrations are more than ten times lower inside than outside cells, and potassium concentrations are about 30 times higher inside than outside cells. The concentration differences between potassium and sodium across cell membranes create an electrochemical gradient known as the membrane potential.

A large amount of energy in the body is dedicated to maintaining the sodium/potassium concentration gradients, underscoring the importance of the balance between sodium and potassium in sustaining life. Tight control of cell membrane potential is critical for heart function, nerve impulse transmission, and muscle contraction. This dedication of body energy to maintaining sodium/potassium balance is what makes fatigue the most obvious symptom of potassium deficiency. Heart rhythm irregularities also signify the need for more potassium.

One-quarter cup of sunflower seeds contains more than 30% of the daily value for selenium in a form with much greater bioavailability than can be obtained from selenium supplements. Selenium has been shown to protect against cancers by inducing DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells, by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, and by inducing cancer cells to die. Selenium is incorporated at the active site of many compounds, including cancer fighting glutathione peroxidase, one of the most powerful antioxidant enzymes found naturally in the body. When glutathione peroxidase levels are too low, toxic molecules are not able to be disarmed, and are left to create havoc in the body damaging DNA and promoting cancer.

That same quarter-cup of sunflower seeds also contains more than 32% of the daily value of magnesium, a mineral that does a lot more than keep people in a good mood. Magnesium is natures channel blocker, preventing calcium from overly activating nerves, sending too many messages, and causing excessive muscle contractions. Magnesium deficiency contributes to high blood pressure, muscle spasms that include the heart muscle, and spasms of the airways that characterize asthma. Migraines, muscle cramps, tension, soreness and fatigue are also symptomatic of magnesium deficiency.

A quarter-cup of sunflower seeds is a rich source of manganese, containing 37% of the daily value. Manganese is critical in the activation of enzymes without which many key nutrients will remain unused by the body. Some of these enzymes are necessary for bone formation and may be needed for thyroid hormone production. Manganese is a component of nerve health and is another player against depression. It is a catalyst in the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, and facilitates protein and carbohydrate metabolism.

Many physiological processes are impacted by manganese deficiency. Some of the symptoms of shortage are loss of hair color, hearing loss, dizziness, skin rash, bone loss and osteoporosis, excessively low cholesterol levels, and reproductive health issues.

Sunflower seeds act as a natural pH buffer because of their high mineral content. Keeping the body at optimal pH, which is slightly to the alkaline side, has been recommended as one the best means for protecting the body against the ravages of Morgellons disease, cancer, and other degenerative diseases.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026165.html

Insurance Companies Refuse to Insure "Genetically Inferior" Customers

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com April 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Insurance companies have already begun using genetic tests as a basis for discrimination, researchers have revealed, in the first study providing conclusive evidence of genetic discrimination.

"Previous to this paper, only anecdotal reports of genetic discrimination have been available, with some commentators questioning whether or not the phenomenon actually existed," researcher Kristine Barlow-Stewart said.

Researchers from the Center for Genetics Education at Royal North Shore Hospital in Australia surveyed more than 1,000 people who had taken advantage of clinical genetic services about any experiences that might have been related to discrimination. Following up on the self-reports with their own investigations, the researchers were able to confirm 11 cases of genetic discrimination.

Yet "85 percent of the people in the study didn't know where to go to seek assistance if they had been discriminated against," Barlow-Stewart said.

Forty-two percent of the instances of discrimination related to life insurance, 22 percent were in a family context, 20 percent related to health services, 11 percent were related to social life and 5 percent concerned employment. The findings are published in the journal Genetics in Medicine.

In one case, a man with a gene believed to predispose people to breast and prostate cancer was denied insurance coverage for all forms of cancer. He was eventually able to get this decision overturned when a panel of genetic experts ruled that his exclusion was too broad.

Under current Australian law, insurance companies may only use genetics as the basis for coverage decisions if they can justify that decision.

Another case concerned two separate women with the same genetic trait who, three years apart, received different decisions from the same life insurance company. The first woman was denied any coverage, while the second was only denied coverage for breast cancer. The insurer justified these decisions by saying that scientific knowledge had progressed in the intervening years.

"But I don't believe consumers should be penalized while the insurance companies are learning," Barlow-Stewart said.

Industry guidelines say that insurers cannot require a prospective client to undergo a genetic test, but that they can demand the results of any tests already performed.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026164.html

Over half in U.S. live with dangerous air pollution

Reuters.  Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:57pm BST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six in 10 U.S. residents -- more than 186 million people -- live in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, the American Lung Association reported on Wednesday.
The air in many U.S. cities became dirtier last year, the association said in its annual "State of the Air" report.
"Despite almost 40 years since the Clean Air Act passed in 1970, six in 10 Americans still live in dirty air areas, areas where the air is unhealthful to breathe," the group's Paul Billings said in a telephone interview.
Los Angeles was ranked as the U.S. city with the worst ozone pollution, also known as smog, a position it has held for nine of the past 10 years. Bakersfield, California, was worst for year-round particle pollution and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was worst for short-term particle pollution.
Many major cities -- including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore -- have improved air quality over the last decade. But even with these improvements, residents of some of these cities are breathing dirtier air than in previous years, the lung association said.
This year's air pollution numbers were far higher than in last year's report, which found 125 million people, or about 42 percent of U.S. residents, living with unhealthy air pollution.
WORSE THAN LAST YEAR
Particle pollution is composed of tiny bits of soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols. These pollutants are measured both by the year-round levels in the air and by periodic spikes in their levels that can last for hours or days.
Both kinds of particle pollution, if inhaled, can increase the risk or early death, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits for asthma and cardiovascular disease, the lung association reported.
Ozone -- a gas that forms when sunlight reacts with emissions from motor vehicles, factories and power plants -- is the most widespread form of air pollution and can immediately effect health if inhaled, irritating the lungs and causing wheezing, coughing and asthma attacks.
Almost all residents face some kind of elevated risk from air pollution, Billings said. Most vulnerable are children, the elderly, people with lung diseases like asthma, diabetics or otherwise healthy adults who exercise or work outdoors.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency raised standards for particle pollution in 2008, and the report based its findings on these elevated standards. Billings said even tougher standards are needed to protect human health.
The report noted that some of the biggest sources of air pollution, such as power plants, diesel engines and ocean-going vessels, also worsen global warming.
"As America faces the challenges of air pollution, global warming and energy, the American Lung Association urges Congress, the EPA and individuals to choose solutions that help solve all three challenges together," the association said in a statement.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKTRE53S7M920090429

Why Anti-HIV Antibodies Are Ineffective At Blocking Infection

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2009) — Some 25 years after the AIDS epidemic spawned a worldwide search for an effective vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), progress in the field seems to have effectively become stalled. The reason? According to new findings from a team of researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), it's at least partly due to the fact that our body's natural HIV antibodies simply don't have a long enough reach to effectively neutralize the viruses they are meant to target.
"This study helps to clarify the obstacles that antibodies face in blocking infection," says Pamela Bjorkman, the Max Delbrück Professor of Biology at Caltech and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, "and will hopefully shed more light on why developing an effective vaccine for HIV has proven so elusive."
Y-shaped antibodies are best at neutralizing viruses--i.e., blocking their entry into cells and preventing infection--when both arms of the Y are able to reach out and bind to their target proteins at more or less the same time. In the case of HIV, antibodies that can block infection target the proteins that stud the surface of the virus, which stick out like spikes from the viral membrane. But an antibody can only bind to two spikes at the same time if those spikes fall within its span--the distance the antibody's structure allows it to stretch its two arms.
"When both arms of an antibody are able to bind to a virus at the same time," says Joshua Klein, a Caltech graduate student in biochemistry and molecular biophysics and the PNAS paper's first author, "there can be a hundred- to thousandfold increase in the strength of the interaction, which can sometimes translate into an equally dramatic increase in its ability to neutralize a virus. Having antibodies with two arms is nature's way of ensuring a strong binding interaction."
As it turns out, this sort of double-armed binding is easier said than done--at least in the case of HIV.
In their PNAS paper, Bjorkman and Klein looked at the neutralization capabilities of two different monoclonal antibodies isolated from HIV-infected individuals. One, called b12, binds a protein known as gp120, which forms the upper portion of an HIV's protein spike. The other, 4E10, binds to gp41, which is found on a lower portion of the spike known as the stalk.
The researchers broke each of the antibodies down into their component parts and compared their abilities to bind and neutralize the virus. They found, as expected, that one-armed versions of the b12 antibody were less effective at neutralizing HIV than two-armed versions. When they looked at the 4E10 antibody, by comparison, they found that having two arms conferred almost no advantage over having only one arm. In addition, they found that larger versions of 4E10 were less effective than smaller ones. These results highlight potential obstacles that vaccines designed to elicit antibodies similar to 4E10 might face.
But b12 has its own obstacles to overcome as well. In fact, when the researchers looked more closely at their data, they realized that the benefits of having two arms--even for b12--were much smaller than those seen for antibodies against viruses like influenza. In other words, the body's natural anti-HIV antibodies are much less effective at neutralizing HIV than they should be.
But why?
"The story really starts to get interesting when we think about what the human immunodeficiency virus actually looks like," says Klein. Whereas a single influenza virus's surface is studded with approximately 450 spikes, he explains, the similarly sized HIV may have fewer than 15 spikes.
With spikes so few and far between, finding two that both fall within the reach of a b12 or 4E10 antibody--the spans of which generally measure between 12 and 15 nanometers--becomes much more of a challenge.
"HIV may have evolved a way to escape one of the main strategies our immune system uses to defeat infections," says Klein. "Based on these data, it seems that the virus is circumventing the bivalent effect that is so key to the potency of antibodies."
"I consider this a very important paper because it changes the focus of the discussion about why anti-HIV antibodies are so poor," adds virologist David Baltimore, the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology and a Nobel Prize winner. "It brings attention to a long-recognized but often forgotten aspect of antibody attack--that they attack with two heads. What this paper shows is that anti-HIV antibodies are restricted to using one head at a time and that makes them bind much less well. Responding to this newly recognized challenge will be difficult because it identifies an intrinsic limitation on the effectiveness of almost any natural anti-HIV antibodies."
The work described in the paper was supported by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant through the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative and the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery.
Klein et al. Examination of the contributions of size and avidity to the neutralization mechanisms of the anti-HIV antibodies b12 and 4E10. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0811427106