With flu season just around the corner, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is recommending that people with asthma and other chronic health conditions receive a flu vaccination as soon as possible.
Each year, millions of people in the United States get influenza.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
approximately 36,000 people per year in the United States die from
influenza, and over 200,000 people have to be admitted to the hospital as a
result of the flu.
Influenza is typically spread from person to person through coughing
and sneezing via respiratory droplets. If someone with the flu coughs on
you, there is a high chance you will develop flu symptoms within four days
after the initial exposure to that person. Common flu symptoms include:
-- Fever
-- Muscle aches and tenderness
-- Headache
-- Fatigue
-- Dry cough
-- Sore throat
-- Runny nose
"Symptoms of influenza can be especially severe for patients with
respiratory diseases, such as asthma," said Richard A. Nicklas, MD, FAAAAI,
Chair of the AAAAI's Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment Interest Section. "In
severe cases, influenza can cause pneumonia, may require hospitalization
and sometimes can be fatal.
"
Research has found that the flu vaccine decreases the risk of asthma
exacerbations in patients by as much as 22% to 41%. In addition, it can
also protect against acute asthma exacerbations in children. Vaccinating
all children with asthma could prevent up to 78% of asthma hospitalizations
and emergency room visits during influenza seasons.
The flu season usually ranges from November through March, and peaks in
December, January and February. It takes approximately two weeks to develop
immunity from the vaccine so it is important to get vaccinated each fall in
October or November, before the flu season begins.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot get the flu from the flu
vaccine. If you feel sick with flu-like symptoms after being vaccinated,
you may have caught another respiratory virus or already had the flu virus
in your system when you received the vaccine.
Discuss any questions that you may have regarding influenza or the flu
vaccine with your physician. For more information, visit the AAAAI Web
site, aaaai, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site, cdc/nip/flu, or call the CDC Immunization
Hot Line at (800) 232-2522.
The AAAAI's How the Allergist/Immunologist Can Help: Consultation and
Referral Guidelines Citing the Evidence provide information to assist
patients and health care professionals in determining when a patient may
need consultation or ongoing specialty care by the allergist/immunologist.
Patients should see an allergist/immunologist if they:
-- Need to confirm the diagnosis of asthma
-- Need education on asthma and guidance in techniques for
self-management.
-- Need for daily asthma reliever medications
-- Are not using medications as prescribed, and this is limiting their
ability to control their asthma
-- Have potentially fatal asthma, meaning a prior severe, life
threatening episode that included intubation
To find an allergist/immunologist in your area, call the AAAAI
Physician Referral and Information Line at (800) 822-2762 or visit the
AAAAI Web site at aaaai/physref/.
The AAAAI is the largest professional medical specialty organization in
the United States representing allergists, asthma specialists, clinical
immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special
interest in the research and treatment of allergic disease. Established in
1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,000 members in the United States, Canada
and 60 other countries. The AAAAI serves as an advocate to the public by
providing educational information through its Web site at
aaaai.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)
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суббота, 10 сентября 2011 г.
Charles Kennedy, M.D., Vice President For Health Information Technology, WellPoint, Inc., Appointed To National Health I.T. Policy Committee
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced the appointment of Charles Kennedy, M.D., vice president for Health Information Technology, WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, a new advisory body established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, helps meet legislators' needs for timely and reliable information on a wide range of government activities.
The Act, also known as the stimulus legislation, directed the Comptroller General to appoint 13 members to the committee for terms of three years. The committee will make recommendations on creating a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information.
As the only representative of health plans or other third-party payers, Dr. Kennedy will play a vital role in ensuring health care value will be effectively represented in the health I.T. component of health reform and in guiding the development of a new infrastructure for higher quality, more efficient care.
"I welcome the opportunity to help shape the nation's health I.T. infrastructure," said Dr. Kennedy. "From global competitiveness to improving the health of the individual, I can think of no other activity more important than the deployment of health I.T. I expect to focus on tools that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care delivery."
At WellPoint, Dr. Kennedy is responsible for building technical solutions that leverage health plan data sets to help improve patient care. With over 20 years of health care experience, he has deployed several advanced health I.T. tools and was responsible for creating strategic acquisitions and investments in companies that focus on health care technology.
In additional to being a recognized expert in health I.T., Dr. Kennedy has served on multiple boards such as AHIC Successor, Inc, the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT), the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO), and was a founding commissioner of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT).
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint is committed to improving the lives and health of the people and communities we serve by simplifying the connection between health, care and value. Our goal is to help shape the impact each health care decision has on individuals, the health care system at-large, and our communities. WellPoint's more than 42,000 associates work every day to help create the best health care value for our customers. Through collaborations with providers and with innovative programs, WellPoint's affiliated health plans reward healthy lifestyles and quality, safe and effective care. As the nation's largest health benefits company, with more than 35 million members in its affiliated health plans, WellPoint is at the center of the health care system. This position provides us with the relationships and insights needed to help create affordable and actionable solutions that improve health care.
As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at wellpoint.
WellPoint, Inc.
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The Act, also known as the stimulus legislation, directed the Comptroller General to appoint 13 members to the committee for terms of three years. The committee will make recommendations on creating a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information.
As the only representative of health plans or other third-party payers, Dr. Kennedy will play a vital role in ensuring health care value will be effectively represented in the health I.T. component of health reform and in guiding the development of a new infrastructure for higher quality, more efficient care.
"I welcome the opportunity to help shape the nation's health I.T. infrastructure," said Dr. Kennedy. "From global competitiveness to improving the health of the individual, I can think of no other activity more important than the deployment of health I.T. I expect to focus on tools that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care delivery."
At WellPoint, Dr. Kennedy is responsible for building technical solutions that leverage health plan data sets to help improve patient care. With over 20 years of health care experience, he has deployed several advanced health I.T. tools and was responsible for creating strategic acquisitions and investments in companies that focus on health care technology.
In additional to being a recognized expert in health I.T., Dr. Kennedy has served on multiple boards such as AHIC Successor, Inc, the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT), the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO), and was a founding commissioner of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT).
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint is committed to improving the lives and health of the people and communities we serve by simplifying the connection between health, care and value. Our goal is to help shape the impact each health care decision has on individuals, the health care system at-large, and our communities. WellPoint's more than 42,000 associates work every day to help create the best health care value for our customers. Through collaborations with providers and with innovative programs, WellPoint's affiliated health plans reward healthy lifestyles and quality, safe and effective care. As the nation's largest health benefits company, with more than 35 million members in its affiliated health plans, WellPoint is at the center of the health care system. This position provides us with the relationships and insights needed to help create affordable and actionable solutions that improve health care.
As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at wellpoint.
WellPoint, Inc.
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Team IDs Weakness In Anthrax Bacteria
MIT and New York University researchers have identified a weakness in the defenses of the anthrax bacterium that could be exploited to produce new antibiotics.
The researchers found that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical part of Bacillus anthracis's defense against the immune response launched by cells infected with the bacterium. Anthrax bacteria that cannot produce NO succumb to the immune system's attack.
Stephen Lippard, the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT and an author of a paper on the work, said antibiotics developed to capitalize on this vulnerability could be effective against other bacteria that employ the same defense system. Those bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus, which commonly causes infections in hospitals and can be extremely drug-resistant.
The paper appears in the Jan. 21 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Anthrax occurs naturally around the world and can infect all warm-blooded animals including humans. Treatment usually includes large doses of intravenous and oral antibiotics, but the disease can often be fatal-especially if treatment is not started right away.
In the human immune system, specialized cells called macrophages are the first line of defense against anthrax infection. Macrophages engulf the bacteria and bombard them with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which create chemical reactions toxic to the bacteria.
The research team found that NO produced by the bacteria preemptively defends against attack by reactive oxygen species produced by the macrophages soon after infection. Twelve hours later, when the macrophages release NO to join in the attack, it is too late-by then the bacteria have taken over and eventually destroy the macrophages.
When the gene for the enzyme that synthesizes NO is knocked out in the bacteria, they cannot defend against early attack by the macrophages, which can then survive the infection.
"With the aid of an intracellular probe developed in our laboratory, which fluoresces in the presence of NO, our collaborators Evgeny Nudler and his group discovered a completely new target for the next generation of antibiotics," said Lippard.
With this knowledge in hand, the researchers are now using the fluorescent probe to screen libraries of chemicals for compounds that could potentially interfere with the bacterium's ability to synthesize NO, said Lippard. Such compounds could eventually be developed into new antibiotics.
Lead author of the paper is Konstantin Shatalin of the New York University School of Medicine. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
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The researchers found that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical part of Bacillus anthracis's defense against the immune response launched by cells infected with the bacterium. Anthrax bacteria that cannot produce NO succumb to the immune system's attack.
Stephen Lippard, the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT and an author of a paper on the work, said antibiotics developed to capitalize on this vulnerability could be effective against other bacteria that employ the same defense system. Those bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus, which commonly causes infections in hospitals and can be extremely drug-resistant.
The paper appears in the Jan. 21 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Anthrax occurs naturally around the world and can infect all warm-blooded animals including humans. Treatment usually includes large doses of intravenous and oral antibiotics, but the disease can often be fatal-especially if treatment is not started right away.
In the human immune system, specialized cells called macrophages are the first line of defense against anthrax infection. Macrophages engulf the bacteria and bombard them with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which create chemical reactions toxic to the bacteria.
The research team found that NO produced by the bacteria preemptively defends against attack by reactive oxygen species produced by the macrophages soon after infection. Twelve hours later, when the macrophages release NO to join in the attack, it is too late-by then the bacteria have taken over and eventually destroy the macrophages.
When the gene for the enzyme that synthesizes NO is knocked out in the bacteria, they cannot defend against early attack by the macrophages, which can then survive the infection.
"With the aid of an intracellular probe developed in our laboratory, which fluoresces in the presence of NO, our collaborators Evgeny Nudler and his group discovered a completely new target for the next generation of antibiotics," said Lippard.
With this knowledge in hand, the researchers are now using the fluorescent probe to screen libraries of chemicals for compounds that could potentially interfere with the bacterium's ability to synthesize NO, said Lippard. Such compounds could eventually be developed into new antibiotics.
Lead author of the paper is Konstantin Shatalin of the New York University School of Medicine. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
mit.edu
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H1N1 Flu Virus: Government Of Canada Provides Travel Guidance
The Government of Canada today provided important guidance on how to reduce the spread of the H1N1 flu virus on planes, trains, ferries and inter-city buses.
"Canadians want to know how the H1N1 flu virus affects their regular travel " said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. These guidelines help clarify how passengers, crews, travel agencies and operators can help reduce the spread of infection on planes, trains, ferries and buses ."
The guidance document primarily targets travellers undertaking longer trips, particularly those traveling between cities, provinces or countries. Canadians who are feeling healthy are encouraged to continue their regular use of public transit.
"Everyone has a role to play in reducing the spread of the H1N1 flu virus," said Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones. "If you are sick you should postpone your travel plans until you feel well enough to participate fully in all regular activities."
Guideline recommendations include:
passengers and crew members staying home if they are sick;
travel companies, airlines, bus lines and others who operate public conveyances allowing Canadians to easily rebook their travel plans if they get sick;
operators posting preventive measure signs advising travellers to wash their hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer, and to cough and sneeze into arms, and not their hands;
travel companies ensuring that facilities for hand washing are readily available for passengers;
regular cleaning of common surfaces in transportation vehicles according to cleaning and disinfection procedures developed by Health Canada; and
crew members avoiding using gloves, masks, facemasks, and eye protection in most situations.
The guidance document also provides advice on how to deal with sick passengers on board planes, trains, ferries and buses, and outlines the responsibilities of conveyance operators for notifying public health or other appropriate authorities about sick passengers (see backgrounder ). The first priority is to arrange for immediate medical attention of a passenger, if required.
The guidance document has been distributed to all conveyance operators, and is available on the website of the Public Heath Agency of Canada.
Source
Health Canada
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"Canadians want to know how the H1N1 flu virus affects their regular travel " said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. These guidelines help clarify how passengers, crews, travel agencies and operators can help reduce the spread of infection on planes, trains, ferries and buses ."
The guidance document primarily targets travellers undertaking longer trips, particularly those traveling between cities, provinces or countries. Canadians who are feeling healthy are encouraged to continue their regular use of public transit.
"Everyone has a role to play in reducing the spread of the H1N1 flu virus," said Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones. "If you are sick you should postpone your travel plans until you feel well enough to participate fully in all regular activities."
Guideline recommendations include:
passengers and crew members staying home if they are sick;
travel companies, airlines, bus lines and others who operate public conveyances allowing Canadians to easily rebook their travel plans if they get sick;
operators posting preventive measure signs advising travellers to wash their hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer, and to cough and sneeze into arms, and not their hands;
travel companies ensuring that facilities for hand washing are readily available for passengers;
regular cleaning of common surfaces in transportation vehicles according to cleaning and disinfection procedures developed by Health Canada; and
crew members avoiding using gloves, masks, facemasks, and eye protection in most situations.
The guidance document also provides advice on how to deal with sick passengers on board planes, trains, ferries and buses, and outlines the responsibilities of conveyance operators for notifying public health or other appropriate authorities about sick passengers (see backgrounder ). The first priority is to arrange for immediate medical attention of a passenger, if required.
The guidance document has been distributed to all conveyance operators, and is available on the website of the Public Heath Agency of Canada.
Source
Health Canada
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Prevention Guidelines Help Predict Women's Cardiovascular Risk
A simplified strategy for assessing cardiovascular disease risk can predict women's odds of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular events in the following 10 years, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.
The strategy, outlined in the 2007 update to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women, was tested using the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. In the WHI, researchers followed an ethnically diverse population of 161,808 women, ages 50 to 79, for nearly eight years. Using known cardiovascular risk factors as recommended in the 2007 association guidelines, researchers classified 11 percent as high risk, 72 percent as at risk and 4 percent as optimal (low) risk.
An additional 13 percent didn't fit into any of the categories - they lacked risk factors but didn't have the good health habits required for the optimal category. These women warrant further consideration and future versions of the guidelines will need to address them, said Judith Hsia, M.D., a cardiologist who led the research.
The researchers found that the higher the risk categorization, the higher the odds of a cardiovascular event in the subsequent decade in both white and non-white populations. Among the high-risk women, the chance of heart attack or coronary death over 10 years was 12.5 percent, compared with 3.1 percent among the at-risk women and 1.1 percent among the optimal-risk group.
The association's guidelines may provide a way for physicians to assess risk and for patients to grasp how to improve their health that's easier than a commonly used approach from the Framingham Heart Study, Hsia said. That approach incorporates seven variables - such as age, smoking status and cholesterol levels - into a formula to derive a risk score, a process Hsia said can be time-consuming for doctors and confusing to patients.
In contrast, using the American Heart Association's strategy, researchers labeled those with diabetes or known cardiovascular disease as high risk. They determined the next two levels of risk by number of risk factors, diet and physical activity level. People with one or more major risk factors - including smoking, hypertension, obesity, cholesterol problems, physical inactivity and/or a diet high in saturated fats - were at risk. People with optimal risk had no risk factors and prudent lifestyle, defined in this analysis as eating less than 7 percent of their calories in saturated fats, and exercising the equivalent of 30 minutes of brisk walking six times a week.
Because it pinpoints the most relevant risk factors, the association's strategy "intrinsically conveys to patients why they are at risk, so what they have to do to reduce their risk is clearer," said Hsia, who began the study as a professor of medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is now with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
This analysis simplified the assessment of diet by using only the saturated fat standard of less than 7 percent of daily calories - "which saves having to also track daily cholesterol, sodium, trans fat and other nutrient intake," Hsia said. WHI researchers have previously found that consumption of a diet with less than 6.1 percent of daily calories from saturated fats correlated with lower cardiovascular risk, and people consuming this low saturated fat diet were likely to meet other specific dietary guidelines.
Minorities made up about 20 percent of the study population. As with the overall population, minorities classified at higher risk were more likely than others to have cardiovascular troubles in the next decade. But actual rates of cardiovascular events for each group varied. For instance, in subjects with optimal risk, Asians had the lowest risk, with a 1 percent rate of cardiovascular events, compared with 4 percent for blacks, 3.6 percent for whites and 2.2 percent for Hispanics.
One limitation of the study is that it included only women ages 50 to 79, Hsia said; however, cardiovascular events are infrequent in younger women.
Noting that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide for women and men, Hsia urges doctors and patients to focus on treating risk factors, improving exercise levels and diet and addressing obesity.
Co-authors are Rebecca J. Rodabough, M.S.; JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H.; Simin Liu, M.D., Sc.D.; Matthew S. Freiberg, M.D., M.Sc.; William Graettinger, M.D.; Milagros C. Rosal, Ph.D.; Barb Cochrane, Ph.D.; Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Dr.P.H.; Jennifer G. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H.; and Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
Source
American Heart Association
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The strategy, outlined in the 2007 update to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women, was tested using the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. In the WHI, researchers followed an ethnically diverse population of 161,808 women, ages 50 to 79, for nearly eight years. Using known cardiovascular risk factors as recommended in the 2007 association guidelines, researchers classified 11 percent as high risk, 72 percent as at risk and 4 percent as optimal (low) risk.
An additional 13 percent didn't fit into any of the categories - they lacked risk factors but didn't have the good health habits required for the optimal category. These women warrant further consideration and future versions of the guidelines will need to address them, said Judith Hsia, M.D., a cardiologist who led the research.
The researchers found that the higher the risk categorization, the higher the odds of a cardiovascular event in the subsequent decade in both white and non-white populations. Among the high-risk women, the chance of heart attack or coronary death over 10 years was 12.5 percent, compared with 3.1 percent among the at-risk women and 1.1 percent among the optimal-risk group.
The association's guidelines may provide a way for physicians to assess risk and for patients to grasp how to improve their health that's easier than a commonly used approach from the Framingham Heart Study, Hsia said. That approach incorporates seven variables - such as age, smoking status and cholesterol levels - into a formula to derive a risk score, a process Hsia said can be time-consuming for doctors and confusing to patients.
In contrast, using the American Heart Association's strategy, researchers labeled those with diabetes or known cardiovascular disease as high risk. They determined the next two levels of risk by number of risk factors, diet and physical activity level. People with one or more major risk factors - including smoking, hypertension, obesity, cholesterol problems, physical inactivity and/or a diet high in saturated fats - were at risk. People with optimal risk had no risk factors and prudent lifestyle, defined in this analysis as eating less than 7 percent of their calories in saturated fats, and exercising the equivalent of 30 minutes of brisk walking six times a week.
Because it pinpoints the most relevant risk factors, the association's strategy "intrinsically conveys to patients why they are at risk, so what they have to do to reduce their risk is clearer," said Hsia, who began the study as a professor of medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is now with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
This analysis simplified the assessment of diet by using only the saturated fat standard of less than 7 percent of daily calories - "which saves having to also track daily cholesterol, sodium, trans fat and other nutrient intake," Hsia said. WHI researchers have previously found that consumption of a diet with less than 6.1 percent of daily calories from saturated fats correlated with lower cardiovascular risk, and people consuming this low saturated fat diet were likely to meet other specific dietary guidelines.
Minorities made up about 20 percent of the study population. As with the overall population, minorities classified at higher risk were more likely than others to have cardiovascular troubles in the next decade. But actual rates of cardiovascular events for each group varied. For instance, in subjects with optimal risk, Asians had the lowest risk, with a 1 percent rate of cardiovascular events, compared with 4 percent for blacks, 3.6 percent for whites and 2.2 percent for Hispanics.
One limitation of the study is that it included only women ages 50 to 79, Hsia said; however, cardiovascular events are infrequent in younger women.
Noting that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide for women and men, Hsia urges doctors and patients to focus on treating risk factors, improving exercise levels and diet and addressing obesity.
Co-authors are Rebecca J. Rodabough, M.S.; JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H.; Simin Liu, M.D., Sc.D.; Matthew S. Freiberg, M.D., M.Sc.; William Graettinger, M.D.; Milagros C. Rosal, Ph.D.; Barb Cochrane, Ph.D.; Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Dr.P.H.; Jennifer G. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H.; and Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
Source
American Heart Association
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Anti-obesity Vaccine Tested By Scripps Research Scientists
The study is being published in an advanced, online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of July 31 to August 4.
In the new study, mature male rats immunized with specific types of the active vaccine ate normally yet gained less weight and had less body fat, indicating that the vaccine directly affects the body's metabolism and energy use. This finding may be especially important to stop what is commonly known as "yo-yo dieting," the cycle of repeated loss and regain of weight experienced by many dieters. The new vaccine, which is directed against the hormone ghrelin (pronounced "grell-in"), a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate energy balance in the body, has shown the potential, in animal models at least, to put an end to that risky and often futile struggle.
These findings may mark a turning point in the treatment of obesity by confirming the effectiveness of immunopharmacotherapy to combat this serious and growing global problem. Immunopharmacotherapy engages the immune system, specifically antibodies, to bind to selected targets, directing the body's own immune response against them. This approach is being tested in a number of other areas including drug addiction, especially addiction to cocaine and nicotine.
"The study shows our vaccine slows weight gain and decreases stored fat in rats," said a senior author of the paper Kim Janda, Ph.D., who is Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research, a member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, and director of the Worm Institute of Research and Medicine. "While food intake was unchanged in all testing groups, those who were given the most effective vaccines gained the least amount of weight. To have an impact on appetite and weight gain, ghrelin first has to move from the bloodstream into the brain-where, over long periods, it stimulates the retention of a level of stored energy as fat. Our study is the first published evidence proving that preventing ghrelin from reaching the central nervous system can produce a desired reduction in weight gain."
Ghrelin, a gastric endocrine hormone produced primarily in the stomach, plays a physiological role in energy homeostasis, although the full extent of that role remains unknown. It was first identified in 1999 as a naturally occurring ligand-a molecule that binds to another to form a larger molecular complex-for a growth hormone secretagogue receptor. What is known is that ghrelin promotes weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions, decreasing the breakdown of stored fat for energy as well as curbing energy expenditure itself. During periods of weight loss, such as dieting, the body produces high levels of ghrelin to slow down fat metabolism, encourage eating, and promote fat retention, changes which normally make it difficult to lose weight and keep it off.
"We're not claiming that our study answers the question of obesity treatment once and for all," Janda said. "What we are saying-and what our study confirms-is that this looks like a serious workable solution to the problem. And while much more research is needed to understand the full therapeutic potential of immunopharmacotherapy in combating obesity, these initial results are extremely positive. Right now it appears that active vaccination against ghrelin is one avenue that can slow weight gain and fat build-up in the body."
Producing an Active Vaccine
"Through our work in the development of immunopharmacotherapy-based vaccines against drug addiction, we became interested in the problem of obesity," Janda said. "While there were numerous possible hormones involved in obesity that could be targeted, we decided that ghrelin would be a good starting point to examine such a hypothesis."
The researchers developed three active vaccines (labeled Ghr1-2-3) to immunize adult male rats. Those animals immunized with Ghr1 or Ghr3 showed greater and more selective plasma-binding capacity for the active form of ghrelin-keeping the hormone in the blood and away from the brain and the central nervous system-as compared to Ghr2 or control models.
During the study, the rats immunized with Ghr1 and Ghr3 ate normally but, once antibody levels increased, accrued less body weight and fat, indicating an increase in the body's use of energy, a finding supported by studies of genetically altered mice. For example, the authors of the study write, "mice deficient for ghrelin or its receptor store less of their consumed food and resist accumulating body weight and fat on energy dense diets. [Ghrelin-deficient mice] also expend more energy and [are more active], [while] ghrelin receptor deficient mice show increased [utilization of fat as a key energy source]."
The study did note, however, that the immunized rats were fed low-energy, low-fat, and relatively less palatable chow diets and were comparatively lean. "Whether active immunization against ghrelin would help prevent the development of obesity caused by… high-fat 'Western' diets or would facilitate weight loss once obesity is established" remains uncertain, the study added.
Eric Zorrilla, Ph.D., a Scripps Research assistant professor, member of the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Institute, and a lead author of the study, said, "The rats who received the most effective vaccines didn't eat differently than the others, including the control models. That makes our findings exciting therapeutically-the vaccine slows the rate of weight gain, while still allowing for normal eating habits. A vaccine against ghrelin also is particularly compelling in terms of the well-documented problems of human dieting. When you diet, the body responds as if it was starving and produces ghrelin to slow down fat metabolism and stimulate eating, changes meant to help retain and regain body fat. As a result, many people end up regaining the weight they lost and more once they go off their diets. This vaccine may have the real potential to prevent or seriously reduce yo-yo dieting, the repetitive cycle of weight loss and gain, because it interferes with ghrelin's ability to promote weight gain and fat accumulation."
There is broad speculation that ghrelin evolved as a response to the feast or famine conditions of early humans. Those who were genetically predisposed to eat heartily and store fat efficiently during periods of plenty were more likely to survive the next round of scarcity and passed this trait onto the next generation. In recent years, however, that powerful genetic legacy has come in direct conflict with the dangerous phenomenon of overeating in the developed world.
The Worldwide Threat of Obesity
Obesity remains a serious and growing problem for millions of people worldwide and is a contributing risk factor for a number of other diseases including heart disease, various cancers, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and depression. Although a number of pharmaceutical approaches have been taken to try to help people better control their body weight, few if any have been successful and several, including the drugs fenfluamine (a component of "Fen-Phen") and ephedrine, have been pulled from the market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to recent reports from the World Health Organization, about 1 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, most of them in the developed world. In the United States, for example, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that, in 2003 to 2004, approximately 66 percent of all American adults 20 years of age or older were overweight or obese. Almost four out of every five American men aged 40 to 59 were classified as overweight, according to a 2006 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Even Japan, long a dietary exception, has experienced a rise in obesity and diabetes as Western-style eating habits continue to take hold in that country.
"The reason we looked at immunopharmacotherapy vaccines to treat obesity," Janda said, "was because drugs seeking to modulate obesity-driven receptors via agonist or antagonist effects have been remarkably unsuccessful. They are effective only while treatment is maintained and when treatment stops, weight returns. For obesity treatments to work, they must affect energy intake, absorption, expenditure, or storage. Our new vaccine works by changing expenditure or storage."
The ghrelin vaccine produced by Scripps Research scientists is not the only one being tested. Cytos, a Swiss-based biotechnology company, is currently testing a ghrelin-based vaccine in a combined phase I/II study with 112 obese patients. Like the Scripps Research vaccine, the Cytos vaccine produces antibodies that inhibit the uptake of ghrelin by the brain. However, Janda and Zorrilla noted, there are significant differences between the two vaccines.
"Compared to other ghrelin-based vaccines being studied," Zorrilla said, "our vaccine was designed to raise antibodies against the active form of ghrelin, which, we believe, makes it distinctive. "In addition," Janda stated, "the most effective forms of the vaccine contained an unnatural ester functionality-this not only increases water solubility, but minimizes aggregation and micelle formation, which provides an additional, little-known therapeutic window for the success of a productive immune response. Simply stated, this translates into a better obesity vaccine."
In addition, Janda said, the Scripps Research vaccine did not produce a systemic inflammatory response. General inflammatory responses can occur with fevers or even cancers, causing lack of food intake and weight loss. That was not the case with the new vaccine.
Other authors of the study, titled "Vaccination against weight gain," include Shinichi Iwasaki, Jason A. Moss, Jason Chang, Jonathan Otsuji, and Michael M. Meijler of The Scripps Research Institute and its Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, as well as Koki Inoue of Osaka City University.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disorders and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology.
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, non-profit biomedical research organizations, at the forefront of basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine development. Established in its current configuration in 1961, it employs approximately 3,000 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, scientific and other technicians, doctoral degree graduate students, and administrative and technical support personnel. Scripps Research is headquartered in La Jolla, California. It also includes Scripps Florida, whose researchers focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development. Currently operating from temporary facilities in Jupiter, Scripps Florida will move to its permanent campus in 2009.
IMAGE OF THE FIRST 10 N-TERMINAL AMINO ACIDS OF GHRELIN AT: scripps.edu/news/press/image/ghrelin/
For information contact:
Keith McKeown
kmckeownscripps.edu
Scripps Research Institute
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In the new study, mature male rats immunized with specific types of the active vaccine ate normally yet gained less weight and had less body fat, indicating that the vaccine directly affects the body's metabolism and energy use. This finding may be especially important to stop what is commonly known as "yo-yo dieting," the cycle of repeated loss and regain of weight experienced by many dieters. The new vaccine, which is directed against the hormone ghrelin (pronounced "grell-in"), a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate energy balance in the body, has shown the potential, in animal models at least, to put an end to that risky and often futile struggle.
These findings may mark a turning point in the treatment of obesity by confirming the effectiveness of immunopharmacotherapy to combat this serious and growing global problem. Immunopharmacotherapy engages the immune system, specifically antibodies, to bind to selected targets, directing the body's own immune response against them. This approach is being tested in a number of other areas including drug addiction, especially addiction to cocaine and nicotine.
"The study shows our vaccine slows weight gain and decreases stored fat in rats," said a senior author of the paper Kim Janda, Ph.D., who is Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research, a member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, and director of the Worm Institute of Research and Medicine. "While food intake was unchanged in all testing groups, those who were given the most effective vaccines gained the least amount of weight. To have an impact on appetite and weight gain, ghrelin first has to move from the bloodstream into the brain-where, over long periods, it stimulates the retention of a level of stored energy as fat. Our study is the first published evidence proving that preventing ghrelin from reaching the central nervous system can produce a desired reduction in weight gain."
Ghrelin, a gastric endocrine hormone produced primarily in the stomach, plays a physiological role in energy homeostasis, although the full extent of that role remains unknown. It was first identified in 1999 as a naturally occurring ligand-a molecule that binds to another to form a larger molecular complex-for a growth hormone secretagogue receptor. What is known is that ghrelin promotes weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions, decreasing the breakdown of stored fat for energy as well as curbing energy expenditure itself. During periods of weight loss, such as dieting, the body produces high levels of ghrelin to slow down fat metabolism, encourage eating, and promote fat retention, changes which normally make it difficult to lose weight and keep it off.
"We're not claiming that our study answers the question of obesity treatment once and for all," Janda said. "What we are saying-and what our study confirms-is that this looks like a serious workable solution to the problem. And while much more research is needed to understand the full therapeutic potential of immunopharmacotherapy in combating obesity, these initial results are extremely positive. Right now it appears that active vaccination against ghrelin is one avenue that can slow weight gain and fat build-up in the body."
Producing an Active Vaccine
"Through our work in the development of immunopharmacotherapy-based vaccines against drug addiction, we became interested in the problem of obesity," Janda said. "While there were numerous possible hormones involved in obesity that could be targeted, we decided that ghrelin would be a good starting point to examine such a hypothesis."
The researchers developed three active vaccines (labeled Ghr1-2-3) to immunize adult male rats. Those animals immunized with Ghr1 or Ghr3 showed greater and more selective plasma-binding capacity for the active form of ghrelin-keeping the hormone in the blood and away from the brain and the central nervous system-as compared to Ghr2 or control models.
During the study, the rats immunized with Ghr1 and Ghr3 ate normally but, once antibody levels increased, accrued less body weight and fat, indicating an increase in the body's use of energy, a finding supported by studies of genetically altered mice. For example, the authors of the study write, "mice deficient for ghrelin or its receptor store less of their consumed food and resist accumulating body weight and fat on energy dense diets. [Ghrelin-deficient mice] also expend more energy and [are more active], [while] ghrelin receptor deficient mice show increased [utilization of fat as a key energy source]."
The study did note, however, that the immunized rats were fed low-energy, low-fat, and relatively less palatable chow diets and were comparatively lean. "Whether active immunization against ghrelin would help prevent the development of obesity caused by… high-fat 'Western' diets or would facilitate weight loss once obesity is established" remains uncertain, the study added.
Eric Zorrilla, Ph.D., a Scripps Research assistant professor, member of the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Institute, and a lead author of the study, said, "The rats who received the most effective vaccines didn't eat differently than the others, including the control models. That makes our findings exciting therapeutically-the vaccine slows the rate of weight gain, while still allowing for normal eating habits. A vaccine against ghrelin also is particularly compelling in terms of the well-documented problems of human dieting. When you diet, the body responds as if it was starving and produces ghrelin to slow down fat metabolism and stimulate eating, changes meant to help retain and regain body fat. As a result, many people end up regaining the weight they lost and more once they go off their diets. This vaccine may have the real potential to prevent or seriously reduce yo-yo dieting, the repetitive cycle of weight loss and gain, because it interferes with ghrelin's ability to promote weight gain and fat accumulation."
There is broad speculation that ghrelin evolved as a response to the feast or famine conditions of early humans. Those who were genetically predisposed to eat heartily and store fat efficiently during periods of plenty were more likely to survive the next round of scarcity and passed this trait onto the next generation. In recent years, however, that powerful genetic legacy has come in direct conflict with the dangerous phenomenon of overeating in the developed world.
The Worldwide Threat of Obesity
Obesity remains a serious and growing problem for millions of people worldwide and is a contributing risk factor for a number of other diseases including heart disease, various cancers, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and depression. Although a number of pharmaceutical approaches have been taken to try to help people better control their body weight, few if any have been successful and several, including the drugs fenfluamine (a component of "Fen-Phen") and ephedrine, have been pulled from the market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to recent reports from the World Health Organization, about 1 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, most of them in the developed world. In the United States, for example, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that, in 2003 to 2004, approximately 66 percent of all American adults 20 years of age or older were overweight or obese. Almost four out of every five American men aged 40 to 59 were classified as overweight, according to a 2006 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Even Japan, long a dietary exception, has experienced a rise in obesity and diabetes as Western-style eating habits continue to take hold in that country.
"The reason we looked at immunopharmacotherapy vaccines to treat obesity," Janda said, "was because drugs seeking to modulate obesity-driven receptors via agonist or antagonist effects have been remarkably unsuccessful. They are effective only while treatment is maintained and when treatment stops, weight returns. For obesity treatments to work, they must affect energy intake, absorption, expenditure, or storage. Our new vaccine works by changing expenditure or storage."
The ghrelin vaccine produced by Scripps Research scientists is not the only one being tested. Cytos, a Swiss-based biotechnology company, is currently testing a ghrelin-based vaccine in a combined phase I/II study with 112 obese patients. Like the Scripps Research vaccine, the Cytos vaccine produces antibodies that inhibit the uptake of ghrelin by the brain. However, Janda and Zorrilla noted, there are significant differences between the two vaccines.
"Compared to other ghrelin-based vaccines being studied," Zorrilla said, "our vaccine was designed to raise antibodies against the active form of ghrelin, which, we believe, makes it distinctive. "In addition," Janda stated, "the most effective forms of the vaccine contained an unnatural ester functionality-this not only increases water solubility, but minimizes aggregation and micelle formation, which provides an additional, little-known therapeutic window for the success of a productive immune response. Simply stated, this translates into a better obesity vaccine."
In addition, Janda said, the Scripps Research vaccine did not produce a systemic inflammatory response. General inflammatory responses can occur with fevers or even cancers, causing lack of food intake and weight loss. That was not the case with the new vaccine.
Other authors of the study, titled "Vaccination against weight gain," include Shinichi Iwasaki, Jason A. Moss, Jason Chang, Jonathan Otsuji, and Michael M. Meijler of The Scripps Research Institute and its Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, as well as Koki Inoue of Osaka City University.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disorders and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology.
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, non-profit biomedical research organizations, at the forefront of basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine development. Established in its current configuration in 1961, it employs approximately 3,000 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, scientific and other technicians, doctoral degree graduate students, and administrative and technical support personnel. Scripps Research is headquartered in La Jolla, California. It also includes Scripps Florida, whose researchers focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development. Currently operating from temporary facilities in Jupiter, Scripps Florida will move to its permanent campus in 2009.
IMAGE OF THE FIRST 10 N-TERMINAL AMINO ACIDS OF GHRELIN AT: scripps.edu/news/press/image/ghrelin/
For information contact:
Keith McKeown
kmckeownscripps.edu
Scripps Research Institute
Buy Adefovir Without Prescription
Advanced Biomaterials To Make More Reliable And Hardwearing Medical Implants Investigated By TECNALIA
The TECNALIA Technological Corporation is taking part in the CГ©nit Intelimplant project, the goal of which is to develop advanced biomaterials based on innovative technologies (microtechnologies, nanotechnologies, tissue and surface engineering) for the manufacture of a new generation of implants which have greater durability and reliability, need less recuperation time and that provide data on their state and progress.
The Cénit Intelimplant project (Development of Advanced Biomaterials for a New Generation of Implants), led by the Biotechnology Institute (BTI), was one of the 16 projects approved by the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) for the third CÉNIT programme announcement or call, within the Spanish Government INGENIO 2010 initiative.
The end goal of the project is the development of novel biomaterials which enable an extension of the functions of the implant throughout the whole life of the patient, in such a way that repeat surgical operations are avoided; the reliability and the integration of the implants are enhanced and tissue rejection avoided; the recuperation times for patients are significantly cut and the implants are operational in a minimum time; the state and progress of the implant monitored, both in the short term and in the long term after the surgical operation; the new materials will indicate any anomaly and enable the application of preventative therapies; and finally, they will simplify surgical practice, progressing to minimally invasive surgery and the automation of stages during an operation.
The project will be undertaken by a consortium made up of 15 companies, including state-of-the-art Spanish enterprises in the field of implants, BTI Biotechnology Institute, SURGIVAL, LAFITT, SOCINSER and IHT, as well as the most important ones in the value chain of their manufacture: KERAMAT, Laboratories INIBSA, BIOKER Research, METAL-ESTALKI, BIOVAC, DMP, i2m-DESIGN, ANГЃLISIS & SIMULACION (AyS), IHS WEIGLING and GEM-IMAGING.
The Intelimplant project involves groups belonging to 16 public and private research bodies: TECNALIA, the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia-IBV, the Institute of Polymers Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), the University of LeГіn, the University of Vigo, the University of MГЎlaga, the National Microelectronics Centre (CNM-CSIC), the Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC-CSIC), the Institute of Ceramica Galicia, the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC), PRODINTEC, INCAR, ICMM-CSIC, the University of Barcelona, the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation and the Chemical Institute of SarriГЎ (IQS).
Carrying out this project will also enable fomenting synergies and reducing project development times through drawing up a joint-working framework between the various multidisciplinary players within the Science-Technology-Enterprise network. These players have knowledge and experience that complement each other and which are present throughout the whole value chain of the sector and, as a consequence, will give rise to enhanced competitiveness amongst the participating companies, thus reducing excessive external dependence, readdressing the unfavourable situation of our country as regards the transfer of research results by OPIs and CITs to companies in this field of advanced biomaterials, and improving the scientific-technical level of the enterprises taking part in the project. All this with the target of being in a more advantageous position to participate in international programmes of cooperation in scientific research and technological development, such as the FP VII.
Source: Irati Kortabitarte
Elhuyar Fundazioa
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The Cénit Intelimplant project (Development of Advanced Biomaterials for a New Generation of Implants), led by the Biotechnology Institute (BTI), was one of the 16 projects approved by the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) for the third CÉNIT programme announcement or call, within the Spanish Government INGENIO 2010 initiative.
The end goal of the project is the development of novel biomaterials which enable an extension of the functions of the implant throughout the whole life of the patient, in such a way that repeat surgical operations are avoided; the reliability and the integration of the implants are enhanced and tissue rejection avoided; the recuperation times for patients are significantly cut and the implants are operational in a minimum time; the state and progress of the implant monitored, both in the short term and in the long term after the surgical operation; the new materials will indicate any anomaly and enable the application of preventative therapies; and finally, they will simplify surgical practice, progressing to minimally invasive surgery and the automation of stages during an operation.
The project will be undertaken by a consortium made up of 15 companies, including state-of-the-art Spanish enterprises in the field of implants, BTI Biotechnology Institute, SURGIVAL, LAFITT, SOCINSER and IHT, as well as the most important ones in the value chain of their manufacture: KERAMAT, Laboratories INIBSA, BIOKER Research, METAL-ESTALKI, BIOVAC, DMP, i2m-DESIGN, ANГЃLISIS & SIMULACION (AyS), IHS WEIGLING and GEM-IMAGING.
The Intelimplant project involves groups belonging to 16 public and private research bodies: TECNALIA, the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia-IBV, the Institute of Polymers Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), the University of LeГіn, the University of Vigo, the University of MГЎlaga, the National Microelectronics Centre (CNM-CSIC), the Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC-CSIC), the Institute of Ceramica Galicia, the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC), PRODINTEC, INCAR, ICMM-CSIC, the University of Barcelona, the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation and the Chemical Institute of SarriГЎ (IQS).
Carrying out this project will also enable fomenting synergies and reducing project development times through drawing up a joint-working framework between the various multidisciplinary players within the Science-Technology-Enterprise network. These players have knowledge and experience that complement each other and which are present throughout the whole value chain of the sector and, as a consequence, will give rise to enhanced competitiveness amongst the participating companies, thus reducing excessive external dependence, readdressing the unfavourable situation of our country as regards the transfer of research results by OPIs and CITs to companies in this field of advanced biomaterials, and improving the scientific-technical level of the enterprises taking part in the project. All this with the target of being in a more advantageous position to participate in international programmes of cooperation in scientific research and technological development, such as the FP VII.
Source: Irati Kortabitarte
Elhuyar Fundazioa
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