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New Scan May Spot Alzheimer’s
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A small company with a new brain scan for detecting plaque, the hallmark physical sign of Alzheimer’s disease, presented its results on Sunday at an international conference in Hawaii, and experts who attended said the data persuaded them that the method works. Until now, the only definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer’s has been to search for plaque with a brain autopsy after the patient dies. Scientists hope the new scanning technique, described June 24 in The New York Times’s series “The Vanishing Mind,” will allow doctors to see plaque while the patient is still alive, improving diagnosis and aiding research on drugs to slow or stop plaque accumulation.
Neurologists have known about plaques ever since Alzheimer’s disease was first described in 1906. They are microscopic bumps made up of a protein, amyloid beta, appearing on the surface of the brain in areas involved with learning and memory. They are so characteristic of Alzheimer’s that they are required for a definitive diagnosis of the disease.
Of course, doctors do not wait for a brain autopsy to diagnose Alzheimer’s. They use memory tests and evaluations of patients’ reasoning and ability to care for themselves. Yet with autopsy, even doctors at leading medical centers have been wrong as often as 20 percent of the time: people they said had Alzheimer’s did not have plaque.
The scans were developed by a Philadelphia company, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, and, independently, by Bayer and General Electric. They use a radioactive dye that attaches to plaque in the brain, allowing it to be seen with a PET scan.
Although the scans looked promising, the companies needed to show that what they revealed was the same as what a pathologist would see on autopsy.
That was what Avid demonstrated with its study, presented Sunday by its medical director, Dr. Christopher M. Clark.
Dr. P. Murali Doraiswami, a biological psychiatrist at Duke who had helped recruit patients for the study, called the results among “ the most highly anticipated data from the entire meeting.”
To compare the scans with autopsy results, the company scanned the brains of 35 people in hospices who were expected to die within six months. Some had Alzheimer’s and others did not. After the patients died, their brains were shipped to Phoenix, where a pathologist sliced them into about 100 tiny pieces and sent them off for analysis of plaque.
Pathologists in Montreal analyzed the brain slices with a computer that counted plaques. Independently, pathologists in Chicago analyzed them the traditional way — by looking at the brain slices under a microscope and manually counting the microscopic plaques.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, radiologists examined the scans and calculated how much plaque was present in the patients’ brains and, independently, used a computer to analyze the amount of plaque in the scans. Neither the radiologists nor the pathologists knew whether the patients had dementia.
In 34 of the 35 patients, the PET scan, the pathologists’ report and the computerized pathology report agreed. In one patient who had Alzheimer’s, the pathologist and the radiologist analyzing the scan did not see much plaque, but the computerized analysis of the scan and the two autopsy reports did.
And the data showed that the scans were completely accurate in ruling out Alzheimer’s pathology: unlike doctors, they never said people had Alzheimer’s pathology when they did not.
In addition, the company scanned the brains of 76 younger people who would not be expected to have plaque in their brains. None did.
“That was very reassuring,” said Dr. Michael W. Weiner, an Alzheimer’s expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Reisa A. Sperling, an Alzheimer’s expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and co-chairwoman of the session where the results were presented, said, “Personally, I found the data quite convincing.”
Dr. Sperling, an investigator on a different AVID study but who is not paid by the company, said the challenge now will be to see whether the scans can accurately predict whether people are developing Alzheimer’s before they have symptoms.
That is the stage, she said, “where we have the best chance of changing the course of the illness.”
Three New Weight Loss Drugs on the Horizon
Weight Loss
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin reviews this week on a several new weight loss drugs, bringing with it another round of hope for overweight and obese Americans. Trying to find an effective drug therapy for obesity has been more difficult that finding a needle in a haystack, but hope remains that a “magic pill” will pass all the required tests and make its way to market. Now there are three such chances, with three potential new drugs.
FDA guidelines suggest that any weight loss drug must reduce total body weight by at least 5 percent after one year to be called effective. The first drug up for review, Qnexa developed by Vivus Inc., has exceeded that minimum, with test subjects losing 13 percent and 15 percent of their body weight. Qnexa is a mixture of two existing drugs, an anticonvulsant (topiramate) and an amphetamine (phentermine). Topiramate has the effect of leaving the user fuller and more satisfied, while the phentermine curbs appetite. Unfortunately there are side effects with this drug—memory and concentration problems—which caused many to drop out of the study.
The second weight loss drug up for review, set for October, is Contrave by Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. Contrave is also a mixture of an anticonvulsant and an amphetamine but in different dosages. In studies it has shown weight loss between 5 percent and 10 percent, with side effects such as nausea.
The third candidate, lorcaserin from Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., is a completely different animal. Set for review in December, this drug acts on serotonin, a brain chemical associated with feelings of well-being and satiation. Lorcaserin has less side effects that the previous two, but weight loss in studies only ranged between 5 and 10 percent, similar to Contrave but not as high as Qnexa.
Will one of these be the long-awaited “magic pill” or will they go the way of previous weight loss drugs who have faltered? We all remember fen-phen and resulting heart damage. More recently Acomplia was pulled for mental health-related issues, and Meridia with increased risk of heart damage. While it is likely that these drugs will pass muster, there will be lingering concerns over side effects that may not be known for several years.
If you are looking for a weight loss plan that does not include prescription weight loss medication, visit the HealthNews diet pages and test out our Individual Diet Selection tool, which can help find the right diet for you lifestyle.
Drinking in Teens and Breast Problems
By Kathleen Doheney
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Frequent alcohol consumption by teenage girls may increase the chances that they will develop non-cancerous breast disease in their 20s and possibly breast cancer later in life.
Research published online April 12 in the journal Pediatrics found that girls who drank the most alcohol during their teen years — daily or nearly every day — were five times more likely to develop benign breast disease as young adults than were their peers who never drank or drank less than once a week.
Benign breast disease (BBD) includes a number of nonmalignant conditions. Fibroadenoma, a noncancerous tumor, is the most common in those aged 30 and younger. Study co-author Catherine Berkey, a biostatistician at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said that benign breast disease is known to boost the risk for breast cancer.
So does that mean that teens who drink alcohol are increasing their breast cancer risk early in life?
"Our study may suggest that teen drinking increases the risk for breast cancer, whether in all females or in those who go on to develop BBD, but longer-term follow-up is certainly required" to confirm it, she said.
A unique aspect of Berkey's study was that the girls assessed their drinking habits while they were teenagers. Other studies have based their conclusions on adult women's recalling their teenage drinking many years later.
"Our new study is the first in which alcohol data were collected during adolescence, with continued follow-up in the females as they develop disease," she said.
The study involved 6,899 women who had become participants in the "Growing Up Today Study" when they were 9 to 15 years old. Information on alcoholic beverage consumption was collected in a follow-up survey when the participants were 16 to 23 years old, and a survey done when they were 18 to 27 years old included questions on breast disease.
In all, 147 participants reported having benign breast disease, with 67 cases having been confirmed by biopsy.
When Berkey and her colleagues looked at the diagnoses of benign breast disease and drinking, they found that risk for benign breast disease rose along with the frequency of alcohol consumption: from a 1.5 increased risk for drinking one or two days per week, to a three times greater risk for those drinking three to five days per week, and to a 5.5 times greater risk for drinking six or seven days per week, when compared with those who never drank or who drank less than once per week.
Even once-a-week drinkers may not be absolutely safe, Berkey noted. "I suspect there may be some small additional BBD risk for even small amounts of alcohol consumed during adolescence," she said.
Teen years are a critical time for potential cancer-producing exposures, she said, because the mammary glands are undergoing rapid growth during that period.
Berkey said she suspects the link is due to alcohol increasing total estrogen levels, raising the likelihood of benign breast disease.
"For me, this is not a surprise," said Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Regular alcohol consumption is known to increase a woman's risk for both breast cancer and benign breast disease, she said, and "certain forms of BBD increase the risk of breast cancer."
And though she described the new study as excellent, she cautioned that the sample size was relatively small.
"I wouldn't scare (teens) and say, 'You are going to get breast cancer if you drink,'" Ganz said. But, on the other hand, she added: "The public health message is, these young girls shouldn't be drinking anyway."
Menopause Problems A Pain You Can Live Without
Finally A New Effective Treatment For Menopause
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(Los Angeles, California) It is estimated that 41 million women in the
United States and 250 million women worldwide experience chronic and
sometimes debilitating symptoms of menopause. Hormone-replacement therapy
(HRT) has been a common pharmaceutical remedy, but a surge of recent studies
has shown HRT increases a woman's risk of elevated blood pressure,
endometrial and breast cancers, stroke, blood clots and gallbladder disease.
To combat that, Lunada Biomedical has launched a breakthrough natural
treatment that effectively alleviates chronic menopausal symptoms. In the
randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study, Amberen alleviated most
symptoms in menopausal women, including hot flashes, night sweats,
headaches, anxiety, loss of libido, as well as other neuro-vegetative and
psycho-emotional symptoms.
The new treatment works by stimulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian
axis and rejuvenating the body’s own internal hormone balancing capability.
These kinds of therapeutic effects have never been previously achieved with
a non-hormonal treatment. The study results were published in the Bulletin
of Experimental Biology and Medicine, a NY-based peer-reviewed journal, as
well as the peer-reviewed publication, Advances of Gerontology.
In our studies, we successfully tested a non-hormonal compound based on
natural mitochondrial metabolites that essentially mimic the effects of
signaling hormones, but without the dangerous side-effects associated with
HRT, says Dr. Maevsky, MD, Ph.D., who led the research team.
Prior to conducting human clinical trials, Lunada Biomedical researchers
studied the effect of Amberen treatment on mice. In those studies, Amberen
restored estral cycles in old mice and reversed other menopausal symptoms,
including loss of bone tissue, weight and calcium content. It also had a
favorable effect on the appearance and behavior of animals—they became more
active, their lackluster eyes acquired brightness and their pale, yellowish
coat regained white color and shine, resembling the coat of young animals.
Spots of bald skin also grew new hair. "Our approach, which focuses on correcting metabolism and neuroendocrine control by using a signal energy intermediate, SBC, instead of exogenous hormones, is the first of its kind and represents a step forward in metabolic mitochondrial medicine. In addition to safely addressing symptoms of menopause, it offers hope in the development of safer treatments for a wide range of diseases, particularly those associated with aging, stated Dr. Maevsky. Amberen is taken in intermittent three-month courses, during which women take two 200mg capsules a day. For a full 90-day course of Amberen and a 30-day money-back guarantee, Amberen is $99.98. No prescription is required and it is available online at www.myamberen.com and through select health practitioners.
ABOUT LUNADA BIOMEDICAL
Lunada Biomedical is a research-driven company based in Los Angeles, CA. The
company's research activities focus mostly on developing drug-free options
for maintaining optimal health and promoting longevity. Lunada Biomedical
manufactures its own ingredients using a proprietary platform manufacturing
technology. Presently, Lunada Biomedical is the only company in the world
that commercially produces active conformers of succinates and fumarates,
which are intermediary metabolite that power mitochondrial function. All
Lunada Biomedical products are manufactured at a GMP certified plant in
California. www.lunadabiomedical.com
FDA Confirms Bisphenol A Poses Health Risk
Obama Administration To Take A Fresh Look
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Bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic bottles, soda cans, food containers and thousands of consumer goods, is now confirmed to pose a health risk to consumers. FDA reversed its previous position to affirm today that the chemical poses risk. Growing scientific evidence has linked the chemical to a host of problems, including cancer, sexual dysfunction and heart disease. Federal officials said they are particularly concerned about BPA's effect on the development of fetuses, infants and young children.
"We have some concern, which leads us to recommend reasonable steps the public can take to reduce exposure to BPA," said Joshua Sharfstein, FDA's deputy commissioner, in a conference call to reporters Friday. Currently the chemical substance is not banned the compound, but the Obama administration pledged to take a "fresh look" at the chemical. BPA, is used to harden plastics, is so prevalent that more than 90 percent of the U.S. population has traces of it in its urine, and researchers have found that BPA finds its way out of containers into food and beverages, even at cold temperatures. Today's announcement came after extensive talks between federal agencies and the White House about the best approach to an issue that has become a significant issue and of much concern to the public.
How Mango and Mushroom Can Beat Cancer
New Cancer Drug - University of Nottingham, UK
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Scientists employ mango, mushroom to beat cancer
SCIENTISTS have demonstrated how extracts of mango and edible mushroom could be used in making drugs to prevent or stop breast, colon, leukemia and prostate cancers. CHUKWUMA MUANYA reports.
CAN meals rich in mangoes and edible mushroom help to prevent or/and stop the spread of cancers? Mangoes and mushrooms have been discovered to contain ingredients that could be used for the production of new drugs for the treatment of cancers.
Scientists have discovered how a promising cancer drug, first discovered in a wild mushroom, works. The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, team believe their work could help make the drug more effective, and useful for treating a wider range of cancers.
Cordycepin, commonly used in Chinese medicine, was originally extracted from a rare kind of parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars. The study appeared in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Also, mango has been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. A new study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, United States, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.- Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden- found some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers but was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.
The Obama Democrats Health Care Victory
A Perfect Storm For The Republican If The Bill Deliver's Its Promise
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Washington DC - The huge Health care victory for President Obama and the Democrats can not be spoken lightly. Indeed its a big victory. If all goes well and the reform works as intended by expanding health insurance to an additional 30 million Americans and reducing the national debt, the Democrats will pillory the Republicans for the indefinite future. The GOP's uniform opposition—only one congressman and no Republican senators supported the bill. Pefect storm for the opposition, who will remain vulnerable to charges of wrong-minded thinking about the suffering of fellow citizens on a scale with Herbert Hoover's failed response to the Great Depression. That cost his party five presidential elections.
On the other hand, should the bill fall short of promised gains, it will reinforce national prejudices against big government and facilitate another round of conservative Republican dominance of national politics.
For now, the Democrats will continue to enjoy their standing as the more compassionate advocates of needy Americans. FDR successfully drove 15 major bills through the Congress, and won passage of Social Security. Mr. Obama had a much more difficult task in national health insurance.
True, he won a convincing majority in 2008, and his party has a solid majority in the House and the 60 Senate votes needed to defeat any Republican filibuster. But these are pseudo-advantages: The conservative House Democrats and his dependence on unreliable Senate allies like Connecticut's Joe Lieberman and Nebraska's Ben Nelson forced compromises on the public option and abortion that made his liberal backers grudging supporters. But his success with the keynote domestic initiative of his presidency guarantees some muscle going forward on other domestic and foreign policy matters. This is a minor miracle, if there is anything like that and much needed victory with confidence building space going forward.
Rush Limbaugh Rushed To Honolulu Hospital
Treated For Chest Pains
HONOLULU - Conservative U.S. radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was rushed to a hospital in Hawaii with chest pains, a local television station reported.KITV television station said Limbaugh was in serious condition at Honolulu's Queen's Medical Center after being treated at a hotel by paramedics, citing unnamed sources.
Reports Queen's Medical Center told local media the the conservative radio talk show host, a popular but controversial voice in American politics, who was vacationing in Hawaii at the same time as President Barack Obama was receiving treatment for chest pain.
Ovarian Cancer A Silent Women Killer
Early Diagnosis is Key To Survival
Ovarian Cancer Silent Killer
THAT the disease is rising in profile is no longer news. What is perhaps worrisome is that most patients are not diagnosed of the disease before the damage is grave.
It is bad enough that cancer is a terminal disease. It is, however, made worse by the fact that most hospitals and medical center are unable to diagnose early detection and treatment of cancer infections,.
Giving statistics of the havoc the disease has wreaked on women the numbers has, unfortunately, grown with the years. It is feared today, no less than a million more are probably suffering from the scourge," At the global level, over seven million people lost their lives to cancer in 2007 alone, while it is expected that by 2020, the death rate will rise more than five times in low- and middle-income countries.
57 Percent Rise in US Hyperactivity Disorder Cases
About One Percent of US Population Children Now Have This Disorder
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The Centers of Disease and Prevention (CDC) disclosed a dramatic increase in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by 57 percent reflects the disturbing trend the disorder has acquired in the short space of four years. The new estimates shows records of 307,790 children aged eight years, from 11 communities comprising 8 percent of the U.S. population. One in every 110 children or about 1 percent are afflicted with the disorder. Reoprt also shows increase in Adult Hyperactivity Disoder.
The new figures also indicate autism occurs more frequently in boys than girls, as the increase shot up by 60 percent in boys as opposed to 48 percent in girls since 2002. Hispanic children rose 90 percent, among white youths 55 percent, and among black children 41 percent. Premature births, infections the mother may have incurred during pregnancy, childbirth complications, prenatal exposure to environmental toxins and dietary factors are major suspect causes. Other factors could include increase average age at which women conceive or certain behavioral exposures she or her newborn baby may experience. The increase is also shown in rates among adults, many of the children are growing up adult years with the disorder, a trend that has become more apparent in recent years. Many personalities today are known diagnosed Hyperactivity Celebrities, most famous is multiple Gold winning Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps.
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