Medical Health Articles

Two New Instances Of Safe Haven Law Involve Children

Todd Landry, director of the Division of Children and Family Services for the Department of Health and Human Services, said two 16-year olds were involved in separate instances of use of the safe haven law over the weekend.

Landry said the mother of a 16-year old girl brought her to Midlands Hospital in Papillion> Child Health and Safety

While in Arizona, the girl was made a ward of the State of Arizona from August 2008 to October 2008. Based on information available so far, DHHS’ understanding is that in October, the Arizona court agreed to dismiss the case at the request of the mother, who desired to return to Nebraska in order to have more support from family and friends located here. The mother and daughter appear to have returned to Nebraska just last week.

The other incident involved a 16-year old boy from Douglas County, whose father brought him to Children’s Hospital in Omaha at approximately 12:10 a.m. on Monday, November 3. The Department is still gathering information on this situation.

These instances of use of LB 157 bring the total number of cases to 18 and the total number of children involved to 26 since September 13, 2008. LB 157 went into effect on July 18.

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Examining HIV At Missouri High School

The New York Times> HIV AIDS

Lawrence said the letter was not meant to “create mass hysteria and panic” or “initiate an environment of fear,” adding that the school district “didn’t have a playbook” for how to address the situation. “Anytime you send 1,300 letters to parents, you can expect there’s going to be a call to the media,” Lawrence said, adding, “There’s been some shameless sensationalism that’s gone with this story, but given the choice between spurious headlines and meeting these kids’ needs, I’m going to try to meet these kids’ needs.”

According to the Times, health department officials have not released information specifying how HIV exposure might have occurred, only that it was not through tattoos. One person has been confirmed to have tested HIV-positive, but officials have not said if that person is a student. Craig LeFebvre, a spokesperson for the county health department, said the department is “very limited on what we can release,” adding, “We don’t feel like we can release anything that would indicate who it was. We don’t want witch hunts going on.” However, despite “efforts to avoid the spread of misinformation, rumors flew through the halls of Normandy High as students awaited their test results and tried to guess how it was that [HIV] intruded on their high school years,” the Times reports (Gay, New York Times, 11/8).

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork.org/email . The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. ? 2007 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Umbilical Cord Blood May Build New Heart Valves

Children with heart defects may someday receive perfectly-matched new heart valves built using stem cells from their umbilical cord blood, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2008.

When infants are born with malfunctioning heart valves that can’t be surgically repaired, they rely> Heart

“In our concept, if prenatal testing shows a heart defect, you could collect blood from the umbilical cord at birth, harvest the stem cells, and fabricate a heart valve that is ready when the baby needs it,” said Ralf Sodian, M.D., lead author of the study and a cardiac surgeon at the University Hospital of Munich.

The tissue engineering of heart valves is still in its infancy, with various researchers investigating the possibility of using cells from blood, bone marrow or amniotic fluid.

In the study, the research team used stem cells (CD133+ cells) derived from umbilical cord blood. The cord blood was frozen to preserve it. After 12 weeks, the cells were seeded onto eight heart valve scaffolds constructed of a biodegradable material and then grown in a laboratory.

Afterwards, examination using electron microscopes revealed that the cells had grown into pores of the scaffolding and formed a tissue layer. Biochemical examination indicated that the cells had not only survived and grown, but had produced important elements of the “extracellular matrix,” the portion of body tissue that functions outside of cells and is essential to tissue function and structure. Compared with human tissue from pulmonary heart valves, the tissue-engineered valves formed:

? 77.9 percent as much collagen (the main protein in connective tissue);
? 85 percent as much glycosaminoglycan, a carbohydrate important in connective tissue); and
? 67 percent as much elastin (a protein in connective tissue)

Furthermore, using antibodies to detect various proteins, the researchers found the valves contained desmin (a protein in muscle cells), laminin (a protein in all internal organs), alpha-actin (a protein that helps muscle cells contract) and CD31, VWF and VE-cadherin (components of blood vessel linings).

“These markers all indicate that human cardiovascular tissue was grown in the lab,” Sodian said.

Several important questions remain to be solved regarding tissue-engineered functional heart valves, including identifying the optimal scaffold material and learning how to condition the valves in the laboratory so they work properly after being implanted, Sodian said.

“Tissue engineering provides the prospect of an ideal heart valve substitute that lasts throughout the patient’s lifetime and has the potential to grow with the recipient and to change shape as needed,” he said.

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Illinois Research Grant To Help Study Alzheimer’s Disease

To aid in the research, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced $190,000 in grants generated by the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund. The fund was created through donations made by Illinois taxpayers> Alzheimer's Disease

Money contributed to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund is used to find a cause, cure and more effective ways to diagnose and treat this debilitating disease, which afflicts more than 200,000 people in Illinois. Victims of this age-related form of dementia suffer a progressive loss of memory, attention span and the ability to learn. Since the fund first appeared on the 1985 state 1040 tax form, taxpayers have contributed more than $3.2 million to support 147 research projects. Alzheimer’s disease is the fifth leading cause of death in Illinois for people 65 and older.

“Research is vital to Alzheimer’s disease because there is no cure. These grants will help researchers come one step closer to finding a cure for this debilitating disease and will help many Illinoisans find hope that there someday may be a cure,” said Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Illinois Department of Public Health Director.

Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable, progressive degenerative disease of the brain. It is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s is not just memory loss, it is also a decline in the ability to think and understand. Consequent changes in personality are accompanied by an inability to function. The type, severity, sequence, and progression of the mental changes vary widely among individuals. While it most frequently affects older individuals, Alzheimer’s disease is not a part of normal aging.

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and more than 210,000 live in Illinois. Unless a cure or prevention for the disease is found, this number is expected to increase as the population ages; an estimated 16 million Americans will be stricken with Alzheimer’s by 2050.

“Alzheimer’s is a debilitating disease that can have a devastating affect on the person affected and their family,” said Illinois Department on Aging Director Charles D. Johnson. “Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments and assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected. Illinois Care Rx is an optional benefit for eligible seniors that helps pay for approved medications to treat Alzheimer’s.”

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Engineered Killer T-Cell Recognizes HIV-1’s Lethal Molecular Disguises

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues in the United Kingdom have engineered T cells able to recognize HIV-1 strains that have evaded the immune system. The findings of the study, published> HIV AIDS

Natural T cells recognize their targets through weak molecular interactions mediated by the T cell receptor. Through a clever molecular process, the investigators were able to isolate a group of T cell receptor encoding genes that bind to HIV-1 about 450-fold more strongly.

“Not only could T cells engineered to express the strongly binding T cell receptor see HIV strains that had escaped detection by natural T cells, but the engineered T cells responded in a much more vigorous fashion so that far fewer T cells were required to control infection,” says co-senior author James Riley, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn.

What’s more, adds first author Angel Varela-Rohena, PhD, who recently completed these studies as part of his PhD dissertation, “With the present availability of potent systems to replicate and deliver high-affinity HIV-1 specific T-cell receptors, billions of these anti-HIV-1 warriors can be generated in two weeks.”

“As soon as we saw over a decade ago how quickly the virus can evade the immune system we knew there would never be a conventional vaccine for HIV,” explains Professor Andy Sewell from Cardiff University, United Kingdom, co-senior author of the study. “In the face of our engineered assassin cells, the virus will either die or be forced to change its disguises again, weakening itself along the way. We’d prefer the first option but I suspect we’ll see the latter.”

“We hope to begin clinical trials using the engineered T cells in patients with advanced HIV infection next year, a group for whom many drug regimens have stopped working” says co-author Carl June, MD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at Penn. “If the therapy in that group proves successful, we will treat patients with early-stage, well-controlled HIV infection. The goal of these studies is to establish whether the engineered killer T cells are safe, and to identify a range of doses of the cells that can be safely administered.”

“We have managed to engineer a receptor that is able to detect HIV’s key fingerprints and is able to clear HIV infection in the laboratory,” says Bent Jakobsen, PhD, co-lead author and Chief Scientific Officer at Adaptimmune Ltd, the United Kingdom-based company which owns the rights to the technology. “If we can translate those results in the clinic, we could at last have a very powerful therapy on our hands.”

This study was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Immune Diseases and Wellcome Trust, UK.

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Early Heart Attack Prevention Averts Future Heart Attacks, Death

Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients, prevention of recurrent heart attacks continues to be a major clinical challenge. A new study showed that patients who suffered a non-fatal heart attack within the first three months of hospitalization for chest pain had a significantly higher risk for dying or having another heart attack (in the following three months to four years) compared with patients who did not experience a heart attack during the same initial period. The findings from the more-than-15,000- patient study were presented today at the annual meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), November 8-11.

In the study, patients who suffered a heart attack during the first three months after hospital admission for coronary artery disease compared with those who did not experience a heart attack during the same period were 62 percent (p<0.001) more likely to die and 84 percent (p<0.001) more likely to have an additional heart attack or death within four years. The increased rate of heart attack and death among patients who had a heart attack remained similar even when the monitoring was extended from a three-to-six month period. The researchers found that patients who suffered a heart attack within the six month period were 61 percent (p<0.001) more likely to die, and 86 percent (p<0.001) were more likely to suffer a recurrent heart attack or death over a four-year period compared with those who did not experience a heart attack.

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Heart Attack Symptoms and Signs

“This study illustrated that heart attack patients may still suffer severe, life-threatening events over the next several years, even if they appear well,” said study investigator David F. Kong, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Duke University Medical Center & Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, N.C., USA. “Surviving an initial heart attack does not mean that a patient is ‘out of the woods’. Earlier diagnosis and interventions to help prevent heart attacks could improve long-term outcomes for patients.”

About the Study

The study analyzed 15,604 patients with significant coronary heart disease undergoing diagnostic catheterization, a procedure in which a thin plastic tube is inserted into an artery to take pictures of the blood vessels that supply the heart. Patients were classified as having a non-fatal heart attack within three months of their first catheterization in a hospital or as being event-free within the three-month period. The median follow-up time for both groups was 4.2 years.

In the retrospective analysis, patients in the heart attack vs. no heart attack group were similar in age (median of 62 vs. 63), female sex (36 percent vs. 33 percent), history of hypertension (69 percent vs. 68 percent), history of diabetes (36 percent vs. 30 percent) and multi-vessel coronary artery disease (61 percent vs. 58 percent). The median follow-up time for both groups was 4.2 years.

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Triglyceride Levels May Be Linked To Obesity

A new 30-year analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database conducted by the National Lipid Association (NLA) indicates that while Americans are doing a better job of managing LDL or “bad” cholesterol, the percentage of adults with high triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart disease, has doubled, leaving many people at risk for potentially life-threatening events such as heart attack or stroke. Results of the analysis were presented today at the American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

Between 1976 and 2007 the number of Americans with unhealthy isolated LDL levels dropped from 43 percent to 40 percent, an improvement that researchers attribute to more aggressive educational initiatives and treatment. However, far less emphasis has been placed> Obesity Cause and Help

“Studies have shown that unhealthy levels of triglycerides and HDL can lead to heart attack and stroke,” said study author Jerome D. Cohen, M.D., chairman of the National Lipid Association’s consumer affairs committee and professor emeritus of internal medicine and cardiology at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. “As we continue our efforts to reduce the toll of heart disease in America, this study clearly shows the need for increased focus on controlling triglycerides, in addition to the other components of the lipid profile.”

Along with LDL and HDL, triglycerides are the third component of the lipid profile and are an independent and compounding risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Studies have shown that the risk of developing heart disease doubles when triglyceride levels are above 200 mg/dL. When triglycerides are above 200 mg/dL and HDL is below 40 mg/dL, a person is at four times the risk of developing heart disease. Other studies have shown that low HDL is predictive of cardiovascular events even when LDL is at goal.

While the percentage of the population with unhealthy HDL levels has remained relatively consistent over the past 30 years, the percentage of adults with a combination of high triglycerides and low levels of HDL doubled from two to four percent, further highlighting the need to simultaneously treat multiple lipids.

Obesity, Age and Triglycerides

The analysis cited dramatic increases in the number of obese Americans as one possible explanation for the spike in triglycerides over the last three decades. Data indicate a strong correlation between obesity (defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2) and high triglycerides. Rates of obesity more than doubled from 15 percent in 1976 to 33.7 percent in 2007, while the percentage of Americans with isolated high triglycerides also doubled from 2.4 to 5.5 percent.

The study also revealed a strong increase in elevated triglyceride levels among people over the age of 60, with the likelihood of having unhealthy triglycerides increasing nearly five-fold from 1.8 percent in 1976 to 8.7 percent in 2007. This extensive analysis provides strong evidence of the connections between age, weight and lipid levels over the last 30 years.

“As Americans age and rates of obesity continue to grow exponentially, it is becoming more important to monitor and manage HDL and triglycerides, along with LDL,” said Thomas Bersot, M.D., president of the National Lipid Association. “By elevating the need to address all three lipids, we hope to improve heart health in America.”

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November: Celebrate National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

The statistics are staggering when considering what an impact Alzheimer’s disease has> Alzheimer's Disease

“We are constantly seeking new and better ways to make life better for our residents who have Alzheimer’s disease. We edge closer to this accomplishment everyday by being more creative, compassionate and flexible, giving us the ability to move beyond traditional care and find breakthrough treatments,” said Dwayne Clark, Chairman and CEO of AegisLiving. “Everyone at Aegis has special training in dementia and age sensitivity, understanding it is best to live in the resident’s moment. While there is no cure, significant strides have been made to better understand the disease and identify new programs and care options that make a real difference.”

To deal with Alzheimer’s, AegisLiving has developed innovative communities designed specifically for people with memory loss. In Life’s Neighborhood, AegisLiving offers an innovative program that is nationally recognized for its ability to enhance the quality of life and increase enjoyment for residents dealing with memory loss issues. Often in Life’s Neighborhood, a smaller more intimate setting represents a large family home of the 1940s to encourage socializing and is a setting they feel comfortable in. Special “Life Skills” stations and Snoezelen techniques are used to help combat the affects of this the disease.

AegisLiving incorporates the Snoezelen (pronounced “snoozlin”) philosophy of care into its memory care communities. Snoezelen techniques encourage stimulation as a method of relaxation and redirection allowing for communities to reduce the use of medication to soothe residents. In a Life’s Haven room or mobile cart, light, shapes, textures, aromas, music and colors are used to gently stimulate the senses, calming residents into a place they feel secure.

Safety and security are extremely important. At AegisLiving, apartments are designed with systems that ensure residents safety. Communities are designed so residents can enjoy the outdoors and the community but not wander outside of a secure area.

Caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s can be extremely difficult. The increased responsibility and emotional burden can easily cause stress and anxiety. This is why AegisLiving takes a neighborhood approach. The tasks of caring for a loved one are shared by a number of dedicated individuals trained in caring for Alzheimer’s and dementia. With the knowledge that a loved one is well cared for, a caregiver can enjoy more fulfilling time together and less stress.

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Seasonal Stomach Virus Is Circulating In NYC

The highly contagious stomach illness that typically turns up in each fall is circulating in New York City, the Health Department reported today. According to the department’s surveillance system, visits to the city’s emergency departments for vomiting and diarrhea have increased 19% in the past two weeks, to about 400 per day. New Yorkers can take basic steps to prevent the illness, such as washing hands thoroughly and regularly.

The illnesses have been attributed to norovirus, often called ’stomach flu’ but unrelated to influenza. The virus becomes more prevalent in the late fall and winter. Norovirus infections are usually not serious and most people get better within a few days. People with norovirus generally experience vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms may include nausea, stomach cramping, fever, chills, aches and tiredness.

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Disease

“Norovirus infection is a miserable experience, and can be serious if you become dehydrated,” said Dr. Sharon Balter, a medical epidemiologist at the Health Department. “Thorough hand-washing with soap and warm water - especially before eating and after using the bathroom - is the best way to avoid it”

Because stomach viruses can spread quickly in group settings, school children and parents should be especially careful. So should people who visit or work in nursing homes or child care centers. “If you get sick with diarrhea or vomiting, stay home so that you don’t spread the infection to others,” said Balter. “Keeping sick kids home from school or day care is especially important.”

There are no specific treatments for stomach viruses; people typically recover on their own within a day or two. But anyone with diarrhea or vomiting, particularly young children, should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, the most worrisome consequence of stomach viruses. If you are concerned about becoming dehydrated, go to a health care provider or hospital immediately.

People can become sick with this stomach virus in several ways, including:

* Eating food or drinking liquids that have been contaminated by a person with norovirus

* Coming into contact with vomit from an infected person or a recently contaminated surface

* Having direct contact with another person who is sick

* Sharing foods or eating utensils with someone who is sick

* Changing a diaper of a sick child

How to prevent stomach viruses:

* Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers, and before touching food. Remind children to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating. Always wash hands with warm water for at least 20 seconds or use a commercial hand sanitizer product.

* If you have a stomach virus, stay at home until you are no longer experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. Be sure to keep children at home if they are ill.

* If someone is sick, clean and disinfect surfaces that may have become dirty with vomit or stool as soon as possible with a germ-killing cleanser (i.e. a cleanser that contains bleach). Throw out any vomit or stool you clean up in sealed plastic bags. Remember to wear gloves and wash your hands after cleaning.

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Walgreens In Indianapolis Offers Specialized HIV/AIDS Care

A Walgreens pharmacy in Indianapolis is reaching out to HIV-positive people by offering specialized services and care, the Indianapolis Star reports. The store is staffed with a pharmacist trained in HIV/AIDS care and reflects Walgreen’s “new strategy of providing customized services to those with certain diseases,” according to the Star. In addition, all of the pharmacists at the store have received HIV/AIDS training.

Noelle Redmond, the pharmacist at the Indianapolis store, has been based there since September and has specialized knowledge of many HIV/AIDS medications. In addition, Redmond can help patients “navigate the complicated system of care, including how to pay for a regimen of medications that can cost $3,000 a month,” the Star reports. Both of these components can help ensure that HIV-positive people adhere to their drug regimens.

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HIV AIDS

“Compliance is extremely important for the disease,” Redmond said, adding, “If they miss just one dose a month, they risk having their HIV become resistant to therapy.” According to Redmond, guidelines for HIV/AIDS drugs “change every six months. If you don’t specialize in it, it’s very, very difficult for an everyday pharmacist to keep up accurately.” Redmond travels around Indiana a few days each week to train other pharmacists and speak with case managers and physicians.

The pharmacy BioScrip has been providing specialized HIV/AIDS care in Indianapolis for 11 years and works with several local organizations. About 8,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Indiana, according to the state Department of Health. Stephen Everett, director of the Indiana AIDS Fund, said that there is a need for two specialist pharmacies in the city. “The HIV problem has not gone away,” he said, adding, “It will continue to expand. … Certainly people with HIV will be better served because there are more options” (Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, 11/7).

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork.org/email . The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. ? 2007 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Morocco To Expand HIV/AIDS Plan

Moroccan Health Minister Yasmina Baddou> HIV AIDS

Since launching the plan, the health ministry has collaborated with several partners to focus on prevention and educational activities targeted at populations in highly affected areas, Baddou announced. She said that Morocco has made progress in terms of its HIV testing programs, generalizing drug therapy, conducting epidemiology checks and developing a system for monitoring sexually transmitted infections (Maghreb Arab Presse, 11/6).

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork.org/email . The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. ? 2007 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Removing soda from school diet doesn't affect consumption

With childhood obesity increasing, school administrators and public health officials are reducing availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in schools. In a study published in the November/December 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, researchers found that reduction or elimination of sugar-sweetened beverages from school menus has little effect> Child Health and Safety, Diet and Weight Loss

Writing in the article, Janet E. Whatley Blum, states, “This study suggests that successful reduction of the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages can occur in public high schools. However, these data suggest the effect of reduced availability of school sugar-sweetened beverages on consumption of SSB by high school students may be limited.”

Commenting on the lack of an effect of removing soda and soft drinks from school diets, she continues, “A better understanding of beverage consumption patterns may be needed to determine the efficacy of school food policies on those youth susceptible to obesity.”

The article is “Reduced Availability of Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Diet Soda Has a Limited Impact on Beverage Consumption Patterns in Maine High School Youth” by Janet E. Whatley Blum, ScD; Anne-Marie Davee, MS, RD; Christina M. Beaudoin, PhD; Paul L. Jenkins, PhD; Lori A. Kaley, MS, MSB; and Debra A. Wigand, MEd, CHES. It appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 40, Issue 6 (November/December 2008).

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Body Fat Analyzers: How Much Of Your Weight Is Fat

In determining> Diet and Weight Loss, Health Gadgets

Body fat analyzer scales use the BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) technique. By sending a low, harmless electrical current through the body, body composition is measured. The electrical current freely passes through the fluids contained in muscle tissue but encounters resistance when it passes through fat tissue. This resistance of the fat tissue to the electrical current is called “bioelectrical impedance” and is accurately measured by body fat analyzer scales. When set against a person’s height and weight, the body fat analyzers can then compute body fat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the proportion of fat in a person’s body. Therefore, if someone weighs 150 pounds and is 10% fat,
this means this person has 15 pounds of fatty tissue on their body. Excess body fat has previously been determined by measuring weight against height, but body fat is not always visible and can only be measured with special equipment such as body fat analyzers; it cannot be measured using ordinary medical scales. It is generally accepted that men should have less than 18% total body fat and women 23% or less. However, experts suggest that an excess is not particularly hazardous to one’s health until an individual accumulates 35% and 40% total body fat respectively. Such fat percentages definitely constitute obesity and can have traumatic health effects. Obesity has been linked to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, respiratory problems, and other debilitating health conditions, not to mention the need for bariatric equipment and other special living accommodations.

Its one thing to use body fat analyzers to tell you how much fat is in your body, but initially it’s key to understand a few fat essentials. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines fats in this way:

Fats serve as a source of energy. Subcutaneous fats form an insulating layer which prevents loss of heat. Fat acts to
support and protect certain organs such as the eyes and kidneys; provides a concentrated reserve of food; provides essential fatty acids necessary for normal growth and development; and is a vehicle for natural fat-soluble vitamins. In conjunction with carbohydrates, fats serve as protein sparers. They are in important constituent of cell structure, forming an integral part of the cell membrane.

Even though fats are essential to proper health, excess fat is not. Excess fat is produced when an excess intake of calories in the form of food or drink takes place. When the body is given more calories than necessary for standard maintenance and physical activity, this excess energy is stored in the form of body fat. The only way to lose this excess fat is to burn more calories than calories consumed. This usually means a change in lifestyle (i.e. exercise and diet regimen). The use of a body fat analyzer will keep you on track as you pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Reported by the Medical Supplies & Equipment Company.

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Drugmakers stop studies on two diet pills

The possibility of psychiatric side effects may be to blame for the demise of two diet drugs designed for obesity treatment. French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis said it’s stopping all research> Diet and Weight Loss, Obesity Cause and Help

“This will significantly affect the perception of their (future) revenues,” but the companies could overcome that with replacement drugs down the road, said analyst Steve Brozak of WBB Securities.

Just four years ago, scientists were touting obesity treatment drug Acomplia as a Holy Grail of medical research, saying it showed promise in helping people lose weight, control blood sugar and other aspects of diabetes, lower cholesterol, quit smoking and stop abusing alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.

Some researchers predicted that once Acomplia got approval for weight loss or smoking cessation, research would ramp up in those other areas. But that early promise didn’t materialize, it didn’t win approval for smoking cessation and problems began piling up as psychiatric side effects - now a huge red flag for regulators - emerged in various studies of Acomplia as a diet drug.

Sanofi-Aventis said in a brief statement it was stopping ongoing human testing of Acomplia, known chemically as rimonabant, for all uses, “in light of recent demands by certain national health authorities.”

Two weeks ago, Sanofi-Aventis temporarily stopped sales of Accomplia in Europe after reports that the drug’s risks - depression, anxiety and stress disorders - outweighed its benefits.

Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis are not the only pharma companies that has recently canceled the same class of obesity drugs. Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) stopped development of a similar drug candidate called Taranabant a few weeks ago. Those companies all had high hopes the drug could be used for smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol along with obesity. According to Bloomberg, only Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) is still developing a similar medicine.

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SRT1720 Red Wine Drug May Help To Lose Weight Without Effort

SRT1720 is a sirt1 activator and the new hope for a calorie restriction mimicker, which may lead to an increase in human lifespan.

Resveratrol (which I have written about several times, here, here and here) is also a sirt1 activator, which is found (in very small quantity) in red wine, is also a sirt1 activator and has been tested multiple times to see what it can do for animal’s health and survival (see below). The interesting thing about SRT1720 is that it works at a 1,000 times lower dose than resveratrol.

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Weight Loss Program

A new paper examining SRT1720 was published in cell metabolism and covered at eurakalert and wired.

In mice fed a high fat diet (very similar to the resveratrol study) SRT1720 spared the animals from gaining as much weight (even though they ate the same amount) and becoming insulin resistant. Additionally, the animals fed SRT1720 had greater running endurance (no great surprise since they were not overweight). Overall, the authors providing supporting data for the mechanism behind these affects is due to increased fatty acid oxidation (which should help endurance beyond just being a lighter weight) (the same thing exercise does).

Hmmm this sounds just like the recent paper I did on human exercise. Exercise in humans leads them to become less energy efficient at rest - as there was a decoupling of food intake and energy output (occurs in the mitochondria) and hence the extra energy is burnt off as heat. That is why you can eat more if you are on an exercise program and not gain weight (compared to your twin that is not exercising). This goes beyond just the extra calories you are burning while actually exercising. Your entire muscle metabolism becomes less efficient and you need more food to get the same amount of ATP. And while this sounds bad - there are obvious benefits once your muscles have to start working.

Back to RST1720 you must remember the results reported are for mice on a high fat diet. Resveratrol when tested on mice on a high fat diet improved health and survival (meaning the mice on this diet lived longer). When resveratrol was tested for its effect on lifespan on mice fed a ‘normal’ diet there was no effect (but the diet was not started until 12 months of age - it would be interesting to see if it would work when started earlier).

Take home message about SRT 1720 and burning fat:

SRT1720 holds promise as it did prevent excessive weight gain and improved endurance, and appears to be an advance over resveratrol as it is 1,000 times more potent (hence I am guessing would be more economically viable). And combined with previous resveratrol studies is likely to increase the lifespan of animals on a high fat diet. The big question is will SRT1720 extend the lifespan of animals on a ‘normal diet’? This is the holy grail of calorie restriction mimickers. Time will tell.

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