Emma Teeling: The secret of the bat genome

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Emma Teling: 2012 bat genome review

Preserving eco-diversity and managing climate is definitely top priority and those issues can already be solved with current technology. True, scientific developments will make it easier, but science is not the dominant factor there. Whereas in medicine, science is the only way.

In regards to society, think about what percentage of social issues are caused by health problems. This is very important. People have to take care of their old relatives which can impact their lives very negatively. We are surrounded by death all the time. When we are young, we have to deal with old relatives dying, when we are old, we are afraid of our own death and perhaps even more, we are afraid of becoming useless and a burden to our young relatives.
Defeating aging will eliminate this almost entirely. We will only have to deal with even more rare diseases after that.
Why create a burden for them? Yes to reduce, prevent or treat diseases because they cause sufferings.
We do not need to live longer than what we are now because death should not be seen as suffering. Just like we should not perceive bats as demons.

What do you think about this?

Guidelines for treating psoriasis when pregnant

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Topical treatment with moisturizers and emollients such as petroleum jelly should be the first line of therapy for treating psoriasis in pregnant and breast-feeding women, according to new recommendations from the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board based in Portland, Ore.

These products should be tried first because they cause no known adverse effects.

Psoriasis, a chronic skin disease, affects as many as 7.5 million Americans. It usually appears as red, scaly patches that may itch and bleed.

“Treating psoriasis in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding presents special challenges due to the side effects of certain medications and the ethical concerns of placing this patient population in clinical trials,” Dr. Mark Lebwohl, chair of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board, said in a foundation news release. “It’s important for women to work with their doctor to determine what treatment is appropriate for them during pregnancy and to consider the precautions for each.”

After trying moisturizers and emollients, low to moderate doses of topical steroids may be used, followed by high-potency topical steroids only as needed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the board said.

For pregnant women, narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) light therapy should be the second-line treatment. If narrowband UVB is not available, broadband UVB may be used.

The board also said that a class of immune system-suppressing drugs called TNF inhibitors and the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine may be used with caution in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Certain strategies can be used to minimize risk and exposure.

Women are advised not to breast-feed while taking medications because there is a lack of research on potential effects.

New York City pushes earlier treatment for AIDS

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In an effort to halt the spread of AIDS, health officials in New York City recommended yesterday that treatment with anti-AIDS drugs should begin as soon as an individual is diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, rather than waiting for it to begin harming the immune system.

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley sees the switch as a new way to fight the disease. As he told the Wall Street Journal, “I’m more optimistic now than I’ve ever been about this epidemic that we can drive our new rates down to zero or close to it—eventually.”

As my Harvard Health colleague Peter Wehrwein described in a post on Worlds AIDS Day 2011, drug therapy can help prevent the transmission of HIV. Using it earlier may help protect the immune system.

HIV destroys the type of infection-fighting white blood cells known as CD4 cells. As the number of CD4 cells dwindle, the body becomes more susceptible to infections. These are often infections that people with healthy immune systems fight off easily.

Some AIDS experts question the value of waiting until CD4 counts begin to dip, and recommend—as New York City officials have done—starting anti-HIV therapy as soon as the virus is detected. These drugs can’t totally rid the body of the virus. But they can keep the number of HIV particles low enough to slow down, and perhaps even prevent, destruction of the immune system.

Early treatment is especially important for people with a high number of HIV particles in the bloodstream (called the viral load). A higher viral load increases the chances of a more rapid decline in immune function. It is also a good choice for people who aren’t comfortable waiting to treat a medical problem that could be treated now. For them, early treatment could be an important psychologic boost.

Early treatment may not be the best option for people who aren’t good about taking medications and those with a family history of diabetes or heart disease.

Cost is certain to be an issue, but there are a number of programs available to help people pay for these drugs

As with so many situations in medicine today, the decision to start anti-HIV treatment early—before CD4 counts decline—is a personal one. If you have been infected with HIV, or are worried that you might be, talk with your doctor about testing and the best step forward.

New child-adapted Chagas disease treatment approved for registration

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At the occasion of the 4th DNDi Partners’ Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr Carlos Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Products, Brazilian Ministry of Health, announced that Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) granted registration of a new paediatric dosage form of benznidazole, developed through a partnership between the Pernambuco State Pharmaceutical Laboratory (LAFEPE) of Brazil and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Registration of this child-adapted formulation of benznidazole will be published on 12 December 2011.

Until today, benznidazole was available only as a 100-mg tablet for adults. Treatment for young children required cutting adult pills into tiny slivers – up to 12 pieces depending on the child’s weight – and crushing and mixing them with water or juice, to be administered twice a day for 60 days. This difficult and inefficient method often results in improper dosing, risks of increased side-effects or ineffective treatment, and treatment stoppages.

Chagas disease infects an estimated 8 to 10 million people, mostly in Latin America, and kills some 12,000 people each year, making it the leading parasitic killer in the Americas, where it causes more deaths than malaria. The Chagas parasite is primarily transmitted via the bite of the blood-sucking triatome bug, widely known as the ‘kissing bug’, which is often found in poor housing conditions. In addition to blood transfusion, organ transplant, or ingesting infected food, the parasite is also transmitted during pregnancy from mother to child.

This new dosage form for children represents real progress for several reasons. Children are at especially high risk of infection, with a majority of them born from infected mothers. It is known that early treatment using benznidazole in the first year of life can eliminate the parasite in more than 90% of infected newborns. Thus, babies infected with Chagas disease will benefit the most from this new paediatric tablet.

The new 12.5-mg tablet is easily dispersible (disintegrated) and adapted for babies and children up to two years of age (20 kg body weight). Treatment is designed to use one, two, or three tablets, depending on weight (recommended dosage, 5-10 mg/kg bodyweight/day).

Tools to facilitate implementation of and access to the new treatment include a Demand Forecast, a Procurement Guide, and a Tool Box providing training and educational materials for doctors, other health professionals, mothers, and caregivers regarding appropriate use of the treatment.

The new paediatric dosage form has been granted registration from Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), and DNDi is collaborating with LAFEPE to make the drug widely available, notably by working to register the drug in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Paraguay, priority countries where Chagas disease prevalence is high and treatment is urgently needed.

Annual Holiday Event hosted by Winter Park Laser

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December 07, 2011 – Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center is celebrating the beauty of the holidays and of women with the Orlando & Winter Park community by hosting their annual “Holiday VIP Client Appreciation Bash” on December 14, 2011 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at their office to display their various cosmetic medical spa services open their medical spa for tours and skin consultations. Winter Park Laser welcomes everyone to come and enjoy complimentary hors d’eurves, “poinsettia cocktails,” dessert tree, holiday goodie bags, free skin analyses, consultations and complimentary mini-treatments of Velashape II Cellulite Reduction, plus special pricing and raffle prizes will be given at this event.

Winter Park Laser & Anti-Aging Center is hosting this soiree to celebrate the holidays with their wonderful clients and community who have supported them for over for over eight years of business and also to give members of the community an opportunity to check out the latest in technology and treatments offered such as laser hair removal, laser stretch-mark removal, skin tightening, IPL treatments, and Velashape II cellulite reduction treatments.

NuFace and Perricone MD announced powerful anti-aging solutions

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Beauty Research, a beauty blogging web site, recently discussed new anti-aging solutions from NuFace and Perricone MD. Both brands offer hope to those experiencing the signs of aging skin. NuFace is known for its microcurrent technology which stimulates facial muscles in order to smooth and firm sagging, wrinkled skin. The technology is now available in a hand held device for home use. Perricone MD is a comprehensive skin care brand developed by world renowned dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. The brand specializes in topical treatments and supplements for the purpose of improving the health and beauty of the skin.

Beauty Research covers a variety of topics on the subject of beauty and health. Check out these recent blog postings:

Colorescience PRO…Eyes Wide Open

“Yesterday I wrote about the lovely beauty and health promoting Eye Scrubs Eyelid Cleansing Pads and today I realized that there is such a perfect beauty product to go along with the brilliant little cleansing pads as well. Imagine adding even more luminosity and vitality to your freshly scrubbed little peepers. Colorescience Pro Eyes-Wide Open Eye Brightener is a multi-tasking azulene based eye cream that brightens firms up, reduces puffiness, cools and refreshes and lifts the eye area. It is the perfect cohort to my favorite little eye scrub pads.”

http://www.beautyresearch.com/blogs/beauty-research/archive/2011/12/02/colorescience-pro-eyes-wide-open.aspx

Eyelid Hygiene Promotes Comfort and Beauty

“Daily eye lid care is imperative for a fresh pair of peepers with vibrant vitality. When your eyes feel good, they just look better. For instance, consider for a moment how you look when you’ve been crying or have something irritating your eyes. Your face tends to look asymmetrical with a scowled appearance. Forehead wrinkles are more pronounced and you may look tired and worn. However, when your eyes are in a cleansed and healthy state your facial features and appearance look much more youthful and impart a brighter, happier and lovelier expression.”

http://www.beautyresearch.com/blogs/beauty-research/archive/2011/12/01/eyelid-hygiene-promotes-comfort-and-beauty.aspx

Kingsport – ban on synthetic drugs

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Mayor Dennis Phillips said in about 10 days the Kingsport Police Department is going to be busy in every business in town that sells synthetic marijuana and bath salts, now that a new ban has been approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

The BMA gave final approval Tuesday night on a synthetic drug ban within the city limits. The ban goes into effect in 10 days, with violators facing a $50 fine for the sale, possession, manufacture and transport of such products as synthetic marijuana and bath salts.

Synthetic marijuana, marketed as “K2” or “Spice”, is a chemical that is applied to herbal substances, incense or potpourri and smoked to mimic marijuana, but with a stronger hallucinogenic reaction. Some users have experienced strokes and seizures.

Law enforcement and the medical community say the substances are dangerous, and Phillips has vowed to drive the “head shops” selling the products out of business, even saying he would welcome a lawsuit challenging the new ordinance.

During Tuesday’s BMA meeting, Josh Stanton of Kingsport, co-owner of a smoke shop, asked city leaders how to identify and dispose of banned products properly. Stanton has attended two previous BMA meetings and spoken out against the ban, calling it vague and difficult to enforce.

The penalty for violating the ban is a $50 civil penalty — not a criminal one — and is the maximum amount allowed under state law. Phillips said Kingsport is going to do its best to make every separate package be a separate offense.

Barbara Brown of Kingsport, who routinely attends the BMA meetings, offered a heart-felt plea to Stanton and the six other young men sitting with him in the audience. The BMA approved the ban with a 6-0 vote. Alderwoman Valerie Joh was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting.

During a public forum on synthetic drugs Monday evening, Staubus said a movement is afoot for Tennessee to adopt a statute similar to that in Virginia, banning and criminalizing all substances intended to imitate or mimic the affects of an illegal drug.

Tennessee attempted to ban synthetic drugs earlier this year, prohibiting certain ingredients used in their production. Manufacturers then simply tweaked the chemical makeup to skirt around legislation, keeping their products on store shelves.

The number of specialty shops and convenience stores selling synthetic drugs in Sullivan County is not known. New sellers are popping up, expanding or relocating on a regular basis.

In other business Tuesday night, the BMA recognized the Sullivan North High School football team and Coach Robbie Norris for the team’s undefeated 2011 regular season. North finished the season 12 and 1. Phillips congratulated the team and declared today as Sullivan North Golden Raider Day in Kingsport.

New program in Oklahoma methamphetamine battle

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It looked like a meth cook’s dream. Seven average-looking white plastic buckets were stacked in a white shed. Inside the buckets were ingredients such as cold tablets, alcohol and rock salt used in making the street drug methamphetamine.

Darrell Weaver, director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, stood before the shed marked “Flammable” on Tuesday to unveil a new statewide program designed to save money and time in the battle against methamphetamine. The methamphetamine ingredient drop-off program is designed for securing meth labs until disposal crews can haul away the ingredients. “It’s a good versus evil thing,” Weaver said.

Initially, the sheds will be placed at undisclosed sites in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, McAlester, Ponca City and Duncan. The agency is working to determine what other communities would benefit from having the sheds.

The meth lab problem has been exploding in the state and hit 819 as of Dec. 1. But discovering the labs is just the first step. Disposing of the contents will take about a $1.4 million bite out of the bureau’s budget this year.

“When local law enforcement officers seize a meth lab, they often wait several hours for a disposal crew to arrive at the site to haul off the materials,” agency spokesman Mark Woodward said.

The agency is scrimping money from other areas of the budget to devote nearly $800,000 to the new program, Woodward said. “The bad guys are changing every day. So we’re changing,” Weaver said

About 1,200 meth labs were discovered in 2003 but the number of meth labs declined after a 2004 law passed that regulated pseudoephedrine sales. Over the last few years, the quicker “one pot” or “shake and bake” labs, requiring less pseudoephedrine and other chemicals, have increased substantially. Last year, 818 meth labs were discovered in Oklahoma.

Weaver said only four other states have anything like Oklahoma’s new drop-off program, with its video cameras, scanners and remote monitoring.

“There’s more security here than probably anywhere in the state, except maybe the Governor’s Mansion,” he said.

Ice is new hot drug for youth here

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On Dec 3, two Malaysian women were caught trying to smuggle drugs in via the Woodlands Checkpoint. One of them was carrying heroin and the other, Ice. While heroin addiction has been a scourge here for more than 50 years, Ice or methamphetamine abuse is a more recent entry.

Known as crystal meth in the US, Ice has wreaked havoc on abusers. But in Singapore, users think it is a soft drug that they cannot get addicted to. What is alarming is that the number of people caught abusing Ice is steadily increasing, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (Sana) is concerned by another sobering number, abusers tend to be young, aged between 20 and 29. And the situation will only get worse. Syndicates that produce and import not just heroin but Ice in neighbouring countries are buoyed by growing demand. Some of the drugs will end up trickling in here.

A CNB spokesman said: “CNB expects the numbers to continue to rise, given the worsening regional situation.

We have intensified our enforcement efforts on the ground and will continue to do so.

On Oct 28, CNB seized about 1kg of Ice from a 49-year-old Singaporean at Woodlands Checkpoint, the largest seizure of the drug to date in Singapore.

The demand for ice is high, former abuser Helen (not her real name) told The New Paper. She said that many users seem to think the drug “is cool thing to take”. The 26-year-old, who works at a nightclub here, first took Ice two years ago. “My friends told me it was not addictive, but it would make me very active. I took it because it was something we shared when we were out having fun,” she told The New Paper.

She would typically smoke the drug using a home-made device fashioned out of plastic bottles. The drug also comes in pill form.

A CNB spokesman told The New Paper that of the 702 methamphetamine abusers caught in 2010, 531 or 76 per cent were new abusers.

Ice is believed to have made its way here in the early 1990s. Since then, it has become the drug of choice for many in this part of the world, replacing traditional narcotics like heroin,opium and cannabis.

The young abusers “have been influenced by their peers or by lifestyle choices like clubbing”, said Sana executive director Lim Poh Quee.

A new task force, headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, was set up in September to look at ways to tackle Singapore’s drug problem anew. One of its target areas: the popularity of Ice among drug users.

The Ice trade is a lucrative one and the drug is increasingly popular in Asia.

The ingredients are taken from a variety of materials, including batteries, bringing huge profits for little investment, a recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC)report indicated.

According to the UNODC World Drug Report 2011, regional seizures for methamphetamine accounts for 64 per cent of global seizures in 2009.

The report indicated that international drug gangs from Africa and Iran are aiming to ramp up the region’s escalating ice demand. They have switched from cocaine and heroin and are now moving into the trafficking of amphetamine- type stimulants, a category to which Ice belongs.

There are no meth labs here, but supplies are believed to come mainly from Myanmar and Thailand.

Malaysia is already badly hit. The authorities there arrested 228 Iranian couriers between 2009 and last year for smuggling methamphetamine.

In Singapore, the punishment for taking or being found with methamphetamine is up to 10 years in jail or a $20,000 fine, or both.

Those caught trafficking in more than 250g of the drug face the death penalty.

New Drug Application

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Cell Therapeutics Inc. and MTA announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Division of Oncology Products 1 has notified CTI that their October 2011 resubmitted New Drug Application is considered a complete, Class 2 response to the FDA’s April 2010 complete response letter.

Pixantrone is a novel aza-anthracenedione that has structural and physio-chemical properties. Similar to anthracyclines, pixantrone inhibits Topo-isomerase 2 but unlike anthracyclines—rather than intercalation with DNA—pixantrone alkylates DNA—forming stable DNA adducts with particular specificity for CpG-rich, hyper-methylated sites.

The structural differences resulted in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity compared to doxorubicin in preclinical models. In addition, the structural motifs on anthracycline-like agents that are responsible for the generation of oxygen free radicals and the formation of toxic drug-metal complexes have also been modified in pixantrone in an effort to prevent the binding of iron and perpetuation of superoxide production—both of which are the putative mechanism for anthracycline induced acute cardiotoxicity. The pharmacologic differences may allow re-introduction of anthracycline-like potency in the treatment of relapsed/refractory diffuse large lymphoma without unacceptable rates of cardiotoxicity.

The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of April 24, 2012 for a decision on the NDA.  The NDA seeks accelerated approval of pixantrone to treat relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in patients who failed two or more lines of prior therapy.

Pixantrone is also under review for marketing approval in Europe with the Human Medicinal Products committee’s opinion on the application tentatively scheduled on January 19, 2012.

CTI appealed the CRL for the pixantrone NDA based on the results of the PIX301 clinical trial. The FDA’s Office of New Drugs responded to CTI’s appeal by providing CTI with an opportunity to resubmit the NDA with additional information, but without conducting an additional clinical trial.

In June 2011, CTI met with the DOP1 to review CTI’s plans for responding to the items noted in the CRL including CTI’s plans for addressing the items noted by the OND in response to the appeal.

New cancer book that helps children understand the effects of cancer treatment

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“Mommy is Still Mommy: Cancer Can’t Change That” is the latest children’s book quickly becoming a favorite among cancer patients, hospitals and treatment centers. This vividly captivating children’s book simplifies the effects of cancer treatment and changes the way it impacts your family. It will touch the hearts of your children as it cleverly tackles the topic of cancer treatment effects. “Mommy is Still Mommy” written by Andrea Nugent, a single mom and Stage 3 Breast Cancer Survivor, is a must-have for all families dealing with cancer.

Whether newly diagnosed, or facing a reoccurrence, parenting through a diagnosis can prove quite challenging. It is important to open up healthy lines of communication with young children when dealing with cancer. Nugent states, “Not only is this book a conversation starter, it also empowers mothers and helps to remind them that no matter what, they are still the same person, still mom, still strong, and still beautiful.”

According to statistics taken from www.abcnews.go.com, cancer is often thought of as a disease that strikes later in life, new research shows that 18 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients are parents to one or more minor children. Of these patients, nearly a third of them are caring for children under the age of six. This means that 2.85 million children in the United States are living with a parent who is battling or has survived cancer.

Dog cancer study might find cure for human cancer

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Who says dogs are not our best friends? Researchers from the North Carolina State University have found evidence that shows evolutionary breakpoints on canine chromosomes that are associated with dog cancer. The study shows how much our lives depend on the gift of life from our dog, especially those who are dying of cancer themselves.

Cancer in dogs is the leading cause of death for dogs who are over ten years of age. In fact, over fifty percent of older dogs will develop cancer. What makes it so frustrating is that over half of these cases could have been cured if they were diagnosed early enough.

Here is a short list of the more common types of cancer in dogs:

- Malignant lymphoma, tumor of the lymph nodes

- Mast cell tumors, a form of skin cancer

- Mammary gland tumors, or breast cancer

- Soft tissue sarcomas

- Osteosarcoma, or bone cancer

It is hoped, and planned, that this new cancer study in dogs will have huge implications for the advanced study, discovery, and treatment of both dog and human cancers.

The breakpoint regions that are so important in this new scientific study of dogs are “sites on the genome where chromosomes broke during speciation (when new species of dogs developed).”

The professor of genomics at NC State, Dr. Matthew Breen, and his graduate assistance, Shannon Becker, examined the breakpoint and compared it to wild canine species by overlaying both genomes. What they found were shared breakpoints amidst 11 different species when they differentiated during evolution. These new findings were recently publishing in Chromosome Research.

Dr. Breen goes on to say that the presence of cancer-associated gene clusters of canid B chromosomes suggests that they are not as inert as previously thought. Instead, they may play a part in sequestering excess gene copies that had been generated during speciation, the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. Further testing will be needed to determine whether or not the genes are active or inert, in order to offer scientists new tools for cancer detection and treatment for dogs and humans alike.

With cancer a common canine ailment, there are certain dog breeds that are susceptible to dog cancer over others. Dogs have a chance of having a 30% malignant rate in diagnosed cancers.  The problem is with the inbred population and the popular designer-hybrid dogs, as the vet does not know what is being medically inherited, other than the cute little smushed-up nose and buggy little eyes that tear your heart out.

Research shows us that size over breed makes a certain dog more of a risk factor for cancer. Also, gender plays a role in what type of cancer will develop. The female dog tends more to have the mammary gland tumors, while intact males will develop testicular tumor (neutering a male dog will eliminate the cancer risk).

Large purebred dogs that have a higher tendency to carry cancer are the Bernese Mountain, Boxers, Flat-coated Retrievers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, and Irish Setters. Houston Pet Talk discusses a Swedish dog study done with over 222,000 dogs, searching for the mortality rate in dogs with cancer with interesting results.

In a 1997 Swedish study involving 222,000 dogs, the proportional mortality rate for cancer was 18.6 percent of the recorded deaths in 1993. These high-risk breeds (more than 10 percent dying of cancer) are: Boxer (36.9 percent), Giant Schnauzer (36.9 percent), Bernese Mountain Dog (32.7 percent), Irish Wolfhound (24.8 percent), Cocker Spaniel (22.2 percent), Doberman Pinscher (22.2 percent), Pomeranian (19.0 percent), Newfoundland (16.8 percent), German Shepherd Dog (14.8 percent), Saint Bernard (13.1 percent), Great Dane (12.3 percent), Greyhound (12.3 percent) and Basset Hound (percentage unknown, but the breed does have a genetic predisposition to lymphomas).