A startling nine out of 10 teenage girls between the ages of 12-19 do not get enough calcium from diet alone1. Since nearly half of all bone mass is formed during teenage years, it is important these girls supplement their diet with calcium to support growth of healthy bones. Today, McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, introduces VIACTIV® for Teens Calcium Soft Chews, a new portable, great tasting, chewable calcium supplement that provides needed calcium and suits the active lifestyle of pre-teen and teenage girls.
The National Academy of Sciences recommends girls ages nine to 18 consume 1,300 mg of calcium per day2. To aid in calcium absorption, these girls also need adequate Vitamin D daily. These nutrients are readily found in four eight-ounces servings of milk, but milk consumption, much like calcium intake, is at its lowest during the teenage years3.
"Getting recommended amounts of calcium is a critical health need for teenage girls in order to reduce their risk of developing bone-specific diseases, such as osteoporosis, later in life," said registered dietitian Maureen Conway, director of Nutrition Services, McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. "VIACTIV® for Teens Calcium Soft Chews helps to address this critical need by providing a great tasting option that helps teenage girls obtain their recommended daily intake of calcium and Vitamin D."
Each VIACTIV® for Teens Calcium Soft Chew contains:
-- 500 mg of calcium
-- 200 IU of Vitamin D to aid in calcium absorption and bone metabolism
-- 40 mcg of Vitamin K for help in the body's formation of bone proteins
-- 20 calories and 0.5 grams of fat
VIACTIV® for Teens Calcium Soft Chews, in Fudge Brownie flavor, are now available in the vitamin/mineral supplement sections at food, drug and mass retail outlets nationwide. Each canister contains 60 individually-wrapped soft chews.
About VIACTIV®
VIACTIV® Calcium Soft Chews and VIACTIV® Multi-Vitamin Soft Chews are marketed by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. VIACTIV® products are a key part of a woman's active lifestyle. VIACTIV® Calcium and Multi-Vitamin Soft Chews provide convenient, great-tasting ways for women to supplement a healthy diet and help them obtain the recommended amount of key vitamins and calcium each day. More information is available at viactiv.
About McNeil Nutritionals, LLC
McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, is a global marketer of innovative nutritional products. The company's mission is to give people the ability to actively manage their own health. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, markets SPLENDA® (sucralose) No Calorie Sweetener, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, SPLENDA® QUICK PACK™ No Calorie Sweetener Pouches, SPLENDA® Flavor Blends for Coffee, VIACTIV® Calcium Soft Chews, VIACTIV® Multi-Vitamin Soft Chews, VIACTIV® for Teens Calcium Soft Chews, LACTAID® Milk and Dietary Supplements and BENECOL® Spreads. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, is headquartered in Fort Washington, PA.
1 2004 National Dairy Council; eatsmart/client_images/gd20052171417501.pdf
2 "Vitamin D and calcium: strong bones for life through better nutrition," Contemporary Pediatrics, March 2003.
3 Greer FR, Krebs NF. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. Optimizing bone health and calcium intake of infants, children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2006 Feb;117(2):578-85.
VIACTIV®
viactiv
четверг, 29 сентября 2011 г.
понедельник, 26 сентября 2011 г.
Scoliosis, What Every Parent Needs To Know
Scoliosis may sound like a frightening diagnosis, but proper treatment enables children with the condition to lead normal, active lives.
Scoliosis refers to an abnormal curvature of the spine. Small curves are a normal part of spine anatomy and are not cause for concern, according to Dr. Daniel Green, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. But when the curvature exceeds a certain range, children require medical attention.
"Many cases of scoliosis are mild, and periodic checkups may be all a child needs," Dr. Green says. "But youngsters with a curve that continues to increase may need treatment."
Scoliosis tends to run in families. The most common type is called "idiopathic scoliosis," which means the cause is not known. However, studies show that scoliosis is not caused by poor posture, the use of backpacks or any type of exercise. It affects girls ten times more often than boys.
Scoliosis is often first detected during a routine visit to the pediatrician or during a school screening. "Screenings at school are an important safeguard for many children, especially those who may not have a regular healthcare provider," says Dr. Green. He worked with the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons to advocate for the continuation of scoliosis screenings in New York schools
The development of scoliosis is usually gradual and painless. A curve can develop without a parent or child knowing it, until it becomes more pronounced. Viewed from behind, a normal spine appears as a straight line from the base of the neck to the tailbone.
Signs of scoliosis:
-- one shoulder appears higher than the other
-- the waist appears uneven
-- one hip looks higher than the other
-- the ribs appear to protrude on one side
-- the child seems to be leaning to one side when standing
Parents who notice any sign of scoliosis, however subtle, should take the child to the doctor for an evaluation, according to Dr. Green. If a child does have scoliosis, early diagnosis and treatment lead to a better outcome. Although rare, severe cases of scoliosis with a large curve magnitude can cause back pain, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and can affect the heart and lungs.
The diagnosis is based on a physical examination and x-rays. A curve of greater than 10 degrees on an x-ray is considered to be scoliosis. "Treatment depends on the age of the child, the degree of the curve and how much the child will continue to grow. The goal is to slow or prevent progression of the curve and to improve the way it looks," Dr. Green explains.
For patients with smaller curves, the pediatric orthopedist may recommend continued observation. For more significant curves, the best treatment may be a brace to correct the condition, according to Dr. Green. Some braces are worn throughout the day and evening, and other braces are worn only for sleep. It's important for the child to wear the brace as instructed. Most children get used to their brace after a short time.
For children with more advanced scoliosis -- those with a curve of 45 degrees or more -- surgery may be recommended. Scoliosis surgery is a complicated operation that takes several hours. When choosing a surgeon and hospital, parents should make sure the physician specializes in this type of surgery and is highly experienced in the procedure, according to Dr. Green. Parents and children should also feel comfortable with the doctor and make sure he or she takes the time to answer all of their questions.
"Performed by an experienced surgeon, the operation generally results in an excellent correction of the curve and significant improvement in spinal alignment," Dr. Green says. "Left untreated, a curve that continues to progress may eventually affect heart and lung function. Done later in adult life, surgeries are lengthier and tend to have a less satisfactory result."
Source: Hospital for Special Surgery
Scoliosis refers to an abnormal curvature of the spine. Small curves are a normal part of spine anatomy and are not cause for concern, according to Dr. Daniel Green, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. But when the curvature exceeds a certain range, children require medical attention.
"Many cases of scoliosis are mild, and periodic checkups may be all a child needs," Dr. Green says. "But youngsters with a curve that continues to increase may need treatment."
Scoliosis tends to run in families. The most common type is called "idiopathic scoliosis," which means the cause is not known. However, studies show that scoliosis is not caused by poor posture, the use of backpacks or any type of exercise. It affects girls ten times more often than boys.
Scoliosis is often first detected during a routine visit to the pediatrician or during a school screening. "Screenings at school are an important safeguard for many children, especially those who may not have a regular healthcare provider," says Dr. Green. He worked with the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons to advocate for the continuation of scoliosis screenings in New York schools
The development of scoliosis is usually gradual and painless. A curve can develop without a parent or child knowing it, until it becomes more pronounced. Viewed from behind, a normal spine appears as a straight line from the base of the neck to the tailbone.
Signs of scoliosis:
-- one shoulder appears higher than the other
-- the waist appears uneven
-- one hip looks higher than the other
-- the ribs appear to protrude on one side
-- the child seems to be leaning to one side when standing
Parents who notice any sign of scoliosis, however subtle, should take the child to the doctor for an evaluation, according to Dr. Green. If a child does have scoliosis, early diagnosis and treatment lead to a better outcome. Although rare, severe cases of scoliosis with a large curve magnitude can cause back pain, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and can affect the heart and lungs.
The diagnosis is based on a physical examination and x-rays. A curve of greater than 10 degrees on an x-ray is considered to be scoliosis. "Treatment depends on the age of the child, the degree of the curve and how much the child will continue to grow. The goal is to slow or prevent progression of the curve and to improve the way it looks," Dr. Green explains.
For patients with smaller curves, the pediatric orthopedist may recommend continued observation. For more significant curves, the best treatment may be a brace to correct the condition, according to Dr. Green. Some braces are worn throughout the day and evening, and other braces are worn only for sleep. It's important for the child to wear the brace as instructed. Most children get used to their brace after a short time.
For children with more advanced scoliosis -- those with a curve of 45 degrees or more -- surgery may be recommended. Scoliosis surgery is a complicated operation that takes several hours. When choosing a surgeon and hospital, parents should make sure the physician specializes in this type of surgery and is highly experienced in the procedure, according to Dr. Green. Parents and children should also feel comfortable with the doctor and make sure he or she takes the time to answer all of their questions.
"Performed by an experienced surgeon, the operation generally results in an excellent correction of the curve and significant improvement in spinal alignment," Dr. Green says. "Left untreated, a curve that continues to progress may eventually affect heart and lung function. Done later in adult life, surgeries are lengthier and tend to have a less satisfactory result."
Source: Hospital for Special Surgery
пятница, 23 сентября 2011 г.
Antidepressant Use May Boost Fracture Risk, From Harvard Women's Health Watch
Evidence is accumulating that
depression is a risk factor for osteoporosis, reports the June 2007 issue
of Harvard Women's Health Watch. A recent study found that people ages 50
and over who regularly took antidepressants called selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had double the rate of fractures as people not
using such medications. Other research points to depression itself as a
source of endocrine changes that can damage bone.
Whether the danger comes from depression, the drugs used to treat it,
or something else, doctors are paying more attention to this association.
During the 1990s, depression began to emerge as a possible cause of bone
loss, rather than a result. Scientists studied women who didn't have
osteoporosis symptoms or even know they had the condition. They found lower
bone mineral density in those who were depressed. Moreover, the link was
found in both younger women and women past menopause. Other studies have
found a similar relationship, so investigators have been looking at
hormones and brain chemicals potentially involved in both depression and
bone loss.
Researchers working with an animal model found that depression triggers
the release of noradrenaline, which interferes with bone-building cells.
Moreover, they found that imipramine-a member of an older class of drugs
called tricyclic antidepressants-reversed both depression and depression-
induced bone loss.
It may be a long time before the depression-osteoporosis connection is
fully clarified. In the meantime, Harvard Women's Health Watch suggests
that you continue taking an antidepressant if you already use one;
depression is a serious illness that can have profound consequences. You
may also want to talk to your doctor about getting a bone density test, and
make sure you get adequate calcium.
Harvard Health Publications
health.harvard/women
depression is a risk factor for osteoporosis, reports the June 2007 issue
of Harvard Women's Health Watch. A recent study found that people ages 50
and over who regularly took antidepressants called selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had double the rate of fractures as people not
using such medications. Other research points to depression itself as a
source of endocrine changes that can damage bone.
Whether the danger comes from depression, the drugs used to treat it,
or something else, doctors are paying more attention to this association.
During the 1990s, depression began to emerge as a possible cause of bone
loss, rather than a result. Scientists studied women who didn't have
osteoporosis symptoms or even know they had the condition. They found lower
bone mineral density in those who were depressed. Moreover, the link was
found in both younger women and women past menopause. Other studies have
found a similar relationship, so investigators have been looking at
hormones and brain chemicals potentially involved in both depression and
bone loss.
Researchers working with an animal model found that depression triggers
the release of noradrenaline, which interferes with bone-building cells.
Moreover, they found that imipramine-a member of an older class of drugs
called tricyclic antidepressants-reversed both depression and depression-
induced bone loss.
It may be a long time before the depression-osteoporosis connection is
fully clarified. In the meantime, Harvard Women's Health Watch suggests
that you continue taking an antidepressant if you already use one;
depression is a serious illness that can have profound consequences. You
may also want to talk to your doctor about getting a bone density test, and
make sure you get adequate calcium.
Harvard Health Publications
health.harvard/women
вторник, 20 сентября 2011 г.
Knee Replacement Boosts Mobility, Physical Ability In Patients
A study published in a recent issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism found that knee replacement is effective at restoring the mobility and physical functioning of the knee and relieving patients of the irrepressible pain and significant restrictions on quality of life caused by osteoarthritis.
South Nassau Communities Hospital's Center for Advanced Orthopedics offers a comprehensive line of advanced knee replacement treatment options that are tailored to address the specific needs of the patients and repairing the damage caused by osteoarthritis.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Duke University, is based on data culled from Medicare Current Beneficiary Surveys from 1992-2003 that focused on the outcomes of 259 patients who received knee replacements and 1,816 patients with osteoarthritis who did not receive a knee replacement.
The study grouped patients according to baseline level of functioning (the joint's normal level of functioning prior to medical treatment, therapy, and/or surgery), demographics, and co-morbidities and used the Nagi Disability Scale (a widely accepted permutation of the World Health Organization's approach to classifying disabilities), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), and the Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) to assess their physical ability. Nagi Scale is based on the performance of tasks deemed the highest level of physical functioning, such as walking and strength training. IADL tasks, such as shopping, cooking, housework, are at the intermediate level of difficulty. The ADL gauges the ability to do basic level tasks, such as getting dressed or showering.
Knee replacement patients showed improvement in one basic function of self care (bathing), three intermediate tasks (light housework, heavy housework, and shopping), and two high level tasks (walking 2-3 blocks and lifting weights at least 10 pounds). The patients who did not receive a knee replacement continued to decline in overall physical functioning.
"Our approach is to provide the most effective and efficient options that will allow patients to return to the lifestyle and activities or their choice," said Craig Levitz, MD, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery and Director of the Center of Advanced Orthopedics .
Whether 35, 45, 55, 65 or older, osteoarthritis of the knee is a debilitating, painful disease that can bring life to a literal standstill. Osteoarthritis affects more than 21 million individuals in the United States . When it takes hold in the knee, the disease causes deterioration of cartilage between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). Without cartilage, which covers the ends of the each bone and acts like a cushion or shock absorber, the femur and tibia rub and grind against each other, causing steady decay, chipping and jagged surfaces.
South Nassau is one of just a handful of hospitals in the United States to combine minimally-invasive knee replacement with a revolutionary image guided medical technology system. This combination simplifies total knee replacement surgery and significantly improves the short- and long-term patient benefits of the operation.
Image guided surgical technology is used to determine the precise alignment of the replacement parts, improves the surgeon's view of and feel for the surgical field and reduces the size of the incisions to perform a replacement. By integrating multiple medical technologies and computerization, image-guided surgery outlines the precise alignment of the replacement components. It combines digital images of the shin bone and thigh bone with knee replacement-specific computer programming. The system puts together all of the information coming in from the patient and the instruments and tells the surgeon where the cuts should be made.
In standard knee replacement surgery, the surgeon must implant the replacement components - a metal and plastic platform atop the shinbone and a metal surface on the bottom of the thighbone - so that they rub together at precise angles to prevent premature or excessive wear of the implant. Surgical cutting blocks and acumen are used to determine where best to remove bone for the implant. Once the cut is made, the natural bone cannot be replaced.
The Mobile-Bearing Knee System is another proven knee replacement treatment provided by the Center. The system is one of the devices with the longest history in total knee replacement. Since 1977, more than 400,000 mobile-bearing knees have been implanted in the US and internationally. "A host of studies on the long-term clinical success of the system has demonstrated that average lifespan of the system is approximately 20 years in more than 96% of the patients," said Bradley Gerber, MD, Chief of Joint Replacement.
In the late 1990s, the Mobile-Bearing Knee System was updated to include additional primary and revision implant options as well as new instrumentation. "Benefits of the system include minimal incidence of patellar-femur complications (a common cause for revisions to a knee replacement) and consistent maximum contact while diffusing torsional and shear forces that can lead to implant loosening," said Dr. Gerber.
Under the direction of Dr. Levitz and Dr. Gerber South Nassau was one of the first hospitals in New York to introduce the minimally-invasive Uni-Knee® System. The Uni-Knee is a partial knee replacement that requires a two- or three-inch incision and uses precision surgical instrumentation and guides to remove the damaged bone and cartilage. Implants, which are shaped and sized to mimic and function exactly as the bone and cartilage that has been removed, are then inserted. They are secured to the bones using a solution known as bone cement.
"Benefits of the Uni-Knee System are recognized almost immediately," said Dr. Gerber. "The minimally invasive approach generally results in a shorter hospital stay (24 hours or fewer on the average), minimal blood loss, a smaller incision and, in some instances, an increase in range of motion."
Completing the prescribed rehabilitation following surgery is vital to the success of the knee replacement or transplant surgery. "This is not a stopgap, short-term solution," said Dr. Levitz. "Knee replacement is a long-term solution to restore the knee's functions. That can be achieved as long as the patient makes an inviolable commitment to physical rehabilitation."
South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region's largest hospitals, with 441 beds, more than 875 physicians and 2,600 employees. Located in Oceanside , NY , the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center , boasts Long Island 's first Gamma KnifeГў and provides angioplasty in an emergency or as an elective procedure. South Nassau is designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery.
South Nassau Communities Hospital
South Nassau Communities Hospital's Center for Advanced Orthopedics offers a comprehensive line of advanced knee replacement treatment options that are tailored to address the specific needs of the patients and repairing the damage caused by osteoarthritis.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Duke University, is based on data culled from Medicare Current Beneficiary Surveys from 1992-2003 that focused on the outcomes of 259 patients who received knee replacements and 1,816 patients with osteoarthritis who did not receive a knee replacement.
The study grouped patients according to baseline level of functioning (the joint's normal level of functioning prior to medical treatment, therapy, and/or surgery), demographics, and co-morbidities and used the Nagi Disability Scale (a widely accepted permutation of the World Health Organization's approach to classifying disabilities), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), and the Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) to assess their physical ability. Nagi Scale is based on the performance of tasks deemed the highest level of physical functioning, such as walking and strength training. IADL tasks, such as shopping, cooking, housework, are at the intermediate level of difficulty. The ADL gauges the ability to do basic level tasks, such as getting dressed or showering.
Knee replacement patients showed improvement in one basic function of self care (bathing), three intermediate tasks (light housework, heavy housework, and shopping), and two high level tasks (walking 2-3 blocks and lifting weights at least 10 pounds). The patients who did not receive a knee replacement continued to decline in overall physical functioning.
"Our approach is to provide the most effective and efficient options that will allow patients to return to the lifestyle and activities or their choice," said Craig Levitz, MD, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery and Director of the Center of Advanced Orthopedics .
Whether 35, 45, 55, 65 or older, osteoarthritis of the knee is a debilitating, painful disease that can bring life to a literal standstill. Osteoarthritis affects more than 21 million individuals in the United States . When it takes hold in the knee, the disease causes deterioration of cartilage between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). Without cartilage, which covers the ends of the each bone and acts like a cushion or shock absorber, the femur and tibia rub and grind against each other, causing steady decay, chipping and jagged surfaces.
South Nassau is one of just a handful of hospitals in the United States to combine minimally-invasive knee replacement with a revolutionary image guided medical technology system. This combination simplifies total knee replacement surgery and significantly improves the short- and long-term patient benefits of the operation.
Image guided surgical technology is used to determine the precise alignment of the replacement parts, improves the surgeon's view of and feel for the surgical field and reduces the size of the incisions to perform a replacement. By integrating multiple medical technologies and computerization, image-guided surgery outlines the precise alignment of the replacement components. It combines digital images of the shin bone and thigh bone with knee replacement-specific computer programming. The system puts together all of the information coming in from the patient and the instruments and tells the surgeon where the cuts should be made.
In standard knee replacement surgery, the surgeon must implant the replacement components - a metal and plastic platform atop the shinbone and a metal surface on the bottom of the thighbone - so that they rub together at precise angles to prevent premature or excessive wear of the implant. Surgical cutting blocks and acumen are used to determine where best to remove bone for the implant. Once the cut is made, the natural bone cannot be replaced.
The Mobile-Bearing Knee System is another proven knee replacement treatment provided by the Center. The system is one of the devices with the longest history in total knee replacement. Since 1977, more than 400,000 mobile-bearing knees have been implanted in the US and internationally. "A host of studies on the long-term clinical success of the system has demonstrated that average lifespan of the system is approximately 20 years in more than 96% of the patients," said Bradley Gerber, MD, Chief of Joint Replacement.
In the late 1990s, the Mobile-Bearing Knee System was updated to include additional primary and revision implant options as well as new instrumentation. "Benefits of the system include minimal incidence of patellar-femur complications (a common cause for revisions to a knee replacement) and consistent maximum contact while diffusing torsional and shear forces that can lead to implant loosening," said Dr. Gerber.
Under the direction of Dr. Levitz and Dr. Gerber South Nassau was one of the first hospitals in New York to introduce the minimally-invasive Uni-Knee® System. The Uni-Knee is a partial knee replacement that requires a two- or three-inch incision and uses precision surgical instrumentation and guides to remove the damaged bone and cartilage. Implants, which are shaped and sized to mimic and function exactly as the bone and cartilage that has been removed, are then inserted. They are secured to the bones using a solution known as bone cement.
"Benefits of the Uni-Knee System are recognized almost immediately," said Dr. Gerber. "The minimally invasive approach generally results in a shorter hospital stay (24 hours or fewer on the average), minimal blood loss, a smaller incision and, in some instances, an increase in range of motion."
Completing the prescribed rehabilitation following surgery is vital to the success of the knee replacement or transplant surgery. "This is not a stopgap, short-term solution," said Dr. Levitz. "Knee replacement is a long-term solution to restore the knee's functions. That can be achieved as long as the patient makes an inviolable commitment to physical rehabilitation."
South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region's largest hospitals, with 441 beds, more than 875 physicians and 2,600 employees. Located in Oceanside , NY , the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center , boasts Long Island 's first Gamma KnifeГў and provides angioplasty in an emergency or as an elective procedure. South Nassau is designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery.
South Nassau Communities Hospital
суббота, 17 сентября 2011 г.
Preliminary Draft Guidance Recommends New Osteoporosis Treatment For Women At Increased Risk Of Fractures
Postmenopausal women who are at increased risk[1] of osteoporotic fractures should be treated with denosumab if treatment with currently available oral bisphosphonates is unsuitable, according to draft guidance published today (Friday 18 June) by NICE.
Denosumab (Prolia, Amgen) is a newly-licensed treatment for women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, given by injection twice a year. It works by reducing bone breakdown and increases bone mass and strength.
Most postmenopausal women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures are treated with oral bisphosphonates, but for some women these drugs may be unsuitable. Reasons for unsuitability are that a woman is unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates (for instance she may not be able to remain standing or sitting upright for half an hour after taking the drugs), or has a contraindication to or is intolerant of bisphosphonates. Denosumab should be an option for these women if they are judged to be at increased risk of fractures, according to the NICE draft guidance.
Dr Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at NICE said: "Our independent Appraisal Committee felt that there was good quality evidence to show that denosumab is a useful addition to the treatment options available to prevent a first fracture in women at increased risk and also at preventing further fractures in women who have already experienced one. We hope that older women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures who cannot take oral bisphosphonates will be considered for this drug in order to help prevent the misery of breaking a bone, and we are now opening a consultation on this preliminary decision."
This is not final NICE guidance. Draft guidance has been issued for consultationments received during the consultation will be considered by the Committee and following this meeting the next draft guidance will be issued. Until NICE issues final guidance, NHS bodies should make decisions locally on the funding of specific treatments.
About the guidance
- The appraisal consultation document (ACD) will be available at guidance.nice.uk/TA/Wave20/75 from Friday 18 June 2010. Consultation will take place between 18 June and 9 July 2010. The next committee meeting will be held on 27 July. NICE expects to publish final guidance on denosumab later this year.
- The appraisal consultation document published today (18 June) states:
1.1 Denosumab is recommended as a treatment option for the primary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures only in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures:
- who are unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates, are intolerant of oral bisphosphonates or for whom treatment with oral bisphosphonates is contraindicated and
- who also have a combination of T-score[2], age and number of independent clinical risk factors for fracture (see section 1.3)
1.2 Denosumab is recommended as a treatment option for the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures only in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures:
- who are unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates, are intolerant of oral bisphosphonates or for whom treatment with oral bisphosphonates is contraindicated
1.3 For the purposes of this guidance, independent clinical risk factors for fracture are parental history of hip fracture, alcohol intake of 4 or more units per day, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Denosumab is administered as a single subcutaneous injection into the thigh, abdomen or the back of the arm. The recommended dosage is 60mg once every six months.
- Each dose costs ВЈ183, which means that the annual cost of treatment with denosumab is ВЈ366. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.
[1] 'Increased risk' is defined by a combination of low bone mineral density, age and a number of other clinical risk factors such as parental history of hip fracture, high alcohol intake and rheumatoid arthritis.
[2] T-score relates to the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using central (hip and/or spine) DXA scanning, and is expressed as the number of standard deviations (SD) below peak BMD.
Source:
NICE
View drug information on Prolia.
Denosumab (Prolia, Amgen) is a newly-licensed treatment for women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, given by injection twice a year. It works by reducing bone breakdown and increases bone mass and strength.
Most postmenopausal women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures are treated with oral bisphosphonates, but for some women these drugs may be unsuitable. Reasons for unsuitability are that a woman is unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates (for instance she may not be able to remain standing or sitting upright for half an hour after taking the drugs), or has a contraindication to or is intolerant of bisphosphonates. Denosumab should be an option for these women if they are judged to be at increased risk of fractures, according to the NICE draft guidance.
Dr Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at NICE said: "Our independent Appraisal Committee felt that there was good quality evidence to show that denosumab is a useful addition to the treatment options available to prevent a first fracture in women at increased risk and also at preventing further fractures in women who have already experienced one. We hope that older women at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures who cannot take oral bisphosphonates will be considered for this drug in order to help prevent the misery of breaking a bone, and we are now opening a consultation on this preliminary decision."
This is not final NICE guidance. Draft guidance has been issued for consultationments received during the consultation will be considered by the Committee and following this meeting the next draft guidance will be issued. Until NICE issues final guidance, NHS bodies should make decisions locally on the funding of specific treatments.
About the guidance
- The appraisal consultation document (ACD) will be available at guidance.nice.uk/TA/Wave20/75 from Friday 18 June 2010. Consultation will take place between 18 June and 9 July 2010. The next committee meeting will be held on 27 July. NICE expects to publish final guidance on denosumab later this year.
- The appraisal consultation document published today (18 June) states:
1.1 Denosumab is recommended as a treatment option for the primary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures only in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures:
- who are unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates, are intolerant of oral bisphosphonates or for whom treatment with oral bisphosphonates is contraindicated and
- who also have a combination of T-score[2], age and number of independent clinical risk factors for fracture (see section 1.3)
1.2 Denosumab is recommended as a treatment option for the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures only in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures:
- who are unable to comply with the special instructions for the administration of oral bisphosphonates, are intolerant of oral bisphosphonates or for whom treatment with oral bisphosphonates is contraindicated
1.3 For the purposes of this guidance, independent clinical risk factors for fracture are parental history of hip fracture, alcohol intake of 4 or more units per day, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Denosumab is administered as a single subcutaneous injection into the thigh, abdomen or the back of the arm. The recommended dosage is 60mg once every six months.
- Each dose costs ВЈ183, which means that the annual cost of treatment with denosumab is ВЈ366. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.
[1] 'Increased risk' is defined by a combination of low bone mineral density, age and a number of other clinical risk factors such as parental history of hip fracture, high alcohol intake and rheumatoid arthritis.
[2] T-score relates to the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using central (hip and/or spine) DXA scanning, and is expressed as the number of standard deviations (SD) below peak BMD.
Source:
NICE
View drug information on Prolia.
среда, 14 сентября 2011 г.
Chronic Back Pain Linked To Changes In The Brain
A German research team using a specialized imaging technique revealed that individuals suffering from chronic low back pain also had microstructural changes in their brains. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The researchers, led by Jurgen Lutz, M.D., a radiology resident at University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to track the movement of water molecules in the brain's gray and white matter.
"A major problem for patients with chronic pain is making their condition believable to doctors, relatives and insurance carriers. DTI could play an important role in this regard," Dr. Lutz said. "With these objective and reproducible correlates in brain imaging, chronic pain may no longer be a subjective experience. For pain diagnosis and treatment, the consequences could be enormous."
Individual water molecules are constantly in motion, colliding with each other and other nearby molecules, causing them to spread out, or diffuse. DTI allows scientists to analyze water diffusion in the tissues of the brain that indicate changes in brain cell organization.
"In normal white matter, water diffuses in one main direction," Dr. Lutz explained. "But when fiber pathways are developing during childhood or are extensively used, their microstructural organization becomes more organized and complex with measurable changes in diffusion."
Dr. Lutz and colleagues studied 20 patients experiencing chronic back pain with no precisely identifiable cause and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy control patients. DTI was performed to measure the diffusion in several areas of each patient's brain.
Compared to the healthy volunteers, the patients with chronic low back pain had a significantly more directed diffusion in the three pain-processing regions of the brain, including the cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus and superior frontal gyrus.
"Our results reveal that in chronic pain sufferers, the organization of cerebral microstructure is much more complex and active in the areas of the brain involved in pain processing, emotion and the stress response," said co-author Gustav Schelling, M.D., Ph.D. from the Department of Anaesthesiology at Munich University.
The researchers said the findings may help explain the extreme resistance to treatment for chronic low back pain and provide much-needed evidence for individual sufferers. However, it is unclear which occurs first, the chronic back pain or the microstructural changes in the brain.
"It's difficult to know whether these are pre-existing changes in the brain that predispose an individual to developing chronic pain, whether ongoing pain creates the hyperactivity that actually changes the brain organization, or if it is some mixture of both," Dr. Schelling said. "DTI may help explain what's happening for some of these patients, and direct therapeutic attention from the spine to the brain," he added.
Co-authors are Maximilian F. Reiser, M.D., Olaf Dietrich, Ph.D., Lorenz Jaeger, M.D. and Robert Stahl, M.D.
RSNA is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
The data in these releases may differ from those in the printed abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting.
Contact: Maureen Morley
Radiological Society of North America
The researchers, led by Jurgen Lutz, M.D., a radiology resident at University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to track the movement of water molecules in the brain's gray and white matter.
"A major problem for patients with chronic pain is making their condition believable to doctors, relatives and insurance carriers. DTI could play an important role in this regard," Dr. Lutz said. "With these objective and reproducible correlates in brain imaging, chronic pain may no longer be a subjective experience. For pain diagnosis and treatment, the consequences could be enormous."
Individual water molecules are constantly in motion, colliding with each other and other nearby molecules, causing them to spread out, or diffuse. DTI allows scientists to analyze water diffusion in the tissues of the brain that indicate changes in brain cell organization.
"In normal white matter, water diffuses in one main direction," Dr. Lutz explained. "But when fiber pathways are developing during childhood or are extensively used, their microstructural organization becomes more organized and complex with measurable changes in diffusion."
Dr. Lutz and colleagues studied 20 patients experiencing chronic back pain with no precisely identifiable cause and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy control patients. DTI was performed to measure the diffusion in several areas of each patient's brain.
Compared to the healthy volunteers, the patients with chronic low back pain had a significantly more directed diffusion in the three pain-processing regions of the brain, including the cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus and superior frontal gyrus.
"Our results reveal that in chronic pain sufferers, the organization of cerebral microstructure is much more complex and active in the areas of the brain involved in pain processing, emotion and the stress response," said co-author Gustav Schelling, M.D., Ph.D. from the Department of Anaesthesiology at Munich University.
The researchers said the findings may help explain the extreme resistance to treatment for chronic low back pain and provide much-needed evidence for individual sufferers. However, it is unclear which occurs first, the chronic back pain or the microstructural changes in the brain.
"It's difficult to know whether these are pre-existing changes in the brain that predispose an individual to developing chronic pain, whether ongoing pain creates the hyperactivity that actually changes the brain organization, or if it is some mixture of both," Dr. Schelling said. "DTI may help explain what's happening for some of these patients, and direct therapeutic attention from the spine to the brain," he added.
Co-authors are Maximilian F. Reiser, M.D., Olaf Dietrich, Ph.D., Lorenz Jaeger, M.D. and Robert Stahl, M.D.
RSNA is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
The data in these releases may differ from those in the printed abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting.
Contact: Maureen Morley
Radiological Society of North America
воскресенье, 11 сентября 2011 г.
New MRI Signaling Method Could Picture Disease Metabolism In Action
Duke University chemists are using modified magnetic resonance imaging to see molecular changes inside people's bodies that could signal health problems such as cancer.
Their new method, reported in the March 27 issue of the research journal Science, makes more of the body's chemistry visible by MRI, said Warren Warren, James B. Duke Professor of chemistry at Duke.
Standard MRI and the functional MRI used for brain imaging enlist the hydrogen atoms in water to create a graphic display in response to magnetic pulses and radio waves. But a huge array of water molecules are needed to pull that off.
"Only one out of every 100,000 water molecules in the body will actually contribute any useful signal to build that image," Warren said. "The water signal is not much different between tumors and normal tissue, but the other internal chemistry is different. So detecting other molecules, and how they change, would aid diagnosis."
The Duke team has been able to see these other molecules with MRI by "hyperpolarizing" some atoms in a sample, adjusting the spins of their nuclei to drastically increase their signal. This creates large imbalances among the populations of those spin states, making the molecules into more powerful magnets.
Unlike normal MRI, hyperpolarization and a technique called "dynamic nuclear polarization" (DNP) which was used for this research, can produce strong MRI signals from a variety of other kinds of atoms besides water. Without hyperpolarization, detecting signals from atoms besides water is exceedingly difficult because the signal size is so small. But "these signals are strong enough to see, even though the molecules are much more complex than water," Warren said.
Warren's group uses what he calls the "first DNP hyperpolarizer in the South," which is installed in his laboratory. It also uses Duke's Small Molecule Synthesis Facility to create custom molecular architectures.
"You thus have a signal that, at least transiently, can be thousands or ten thousands times stronger than regular hydrogen in an MRI," Warren said. "It lets you turn molecules you are interested in into MRI lightbulbs."
Duke's hyperpolarizer includes a superconducting magnet, a cryogenic cooling system that initially plunges temperatures to a scant 1.4 Kelvin degrees while microwave radiation transfers spin polarization from electrons to nuclei, and a heating system to rapidly warm the molecules back up.
Hyperpolarized spin states don't last for long inside the body, but ways have been found to lengthen them. Several years ago, another group discovered a method to make DNP work at room temperature in some biological molecules by substituting carbon-13 atoms for some of those molecules' normal carbon-12s. Unlike carbon-12, carbon-13 emits an NMR signal like hydrogen atoms do.
Using this room-temperature DNP, the biological molecule pyruvate can retain its MRI signal for as long as 40 seconds -- long enough to observe it undergoing rapid chemical change. "So you can watch pyruvate metabolize to produce lactate, acetic acid and bicarbonate -- all breakdown products that might correlate with cancer," Warren said. But most biological processes are much slower, and thus can't be seen with this method.
In its Science report, the Duke team describes a new method that can further extend the signals of molecules carrying swapped carbon-13s. It works by temporarily bottling-up the hyperpolarization in the longest-lived spin states -- called "singlet eigenstates" -- within specially designed molecular architectures. "You can actually use their own chemistries to get the molecules in and out of those protected states," Warren said.
For example, hyperpolarized populations locked within a specially prepared form of diacetyl -- a bacterially-made chemical that imparts buttery flavoring to foods -- can be stored using this method, according to the report. Once triggered, the MRI signal can be extended over many minutes before the spin states decay.
Thus bottled-up, the signals could be kept in temporary isolation. By dehydrating and shielding them from water within microscopic capsules, for example, these "signaling" molecules could be transported through the bloodstream to a potential disease site, Warren said.
Once at that site, a focused burst of ultrasound or heat could restore the molecules' missing water. That would cause a telltale signal to be released just as a rapidly progressing metabolic event was unfolding.
The Duke group is evaluating the potentials for a number of other possible signaling molecules, such as those involved in Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis and bladder control, said Warren, who has filed for a provisional patent.
Notes:
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Other authors of the Science report were graduate student Elizabeth Jenista, and Duke assistant research professors Rosa Tamara Branca and Xin Chen.
Source:
Monte Basgall
Duke University
Their new method, reported in the March 27 issue of the research journal Science, makes more of the body's chemistry visible by MRI, said Warren Warren, James B. Duke Professor of chemistry at Duke.
Standard MRI and the functional MRI used for brain imaging enlist the hydrogen atoms in water to create a graphic display in response to magnetic pulses and radio waves. But a huge array of water molecules are needed to pull that off.
"Only one out of every 100,000 water molecules in the body will actually contribute any useful signal to build that image," Warren said. "The water signal is not much different between tumors and normal tissue, but the other internal chemistry is different. So detecting other molecules, and how they change, would aid diagnosis."
The Duke team has been able to see these other molecules with MRI by "hyperpolarizing" some atoms in a sample, adjusting the spins of their nuclei to drastically increase their signal. This creates large imbalances among the populations of those spin states, making the molecules into more powerful magnets.
Unlike normal MRI, hyperpolarization and a technique called "dynamic nuclear polarization" (DNP) which was used for this research, can produce strong MRI signals from a variety of other kinds of atoms besides water. Without hyperpolarization, detecting signals from atoms besides water is exceedingly difficult because the signal size is so small. But "these signals are strong enough to see, even though the molecules are much more complex than water," Warren said.
Warren's group uses what he calls the "first DNP hyperpolarizer in the South," which is installed in his laboratory. It also uses Duke's Small Molecule Synthesis Facility to create custom molecular architectures.
"You thus have a signal that, at least transiently, can be thousands or ten thousands times stronger than regular hydrogen in an MRI," Warren said. "It lets you turn molecules you are interested in into MRI lightbulbs."
Duke's hyperpolarizer includes a superconducting magnet, a cryogenic cooling system that initially plunges temperatures to a scant 1.4 Kelvin degrees while microwave radiation transfers spin polarization from electrons to nuclei, and a heating system to rapidly warm the molecules back up.
Hyperpolarized spin states don't last for long inside the body, but ways have been found to lengthen them. Several years ago, another group discovered a method to make DNP work at room temperature in some biological molecules by substituting carbon-13 atoms for some of those molecules' normal carbon-12s. Unlike carbon-12, carbon-13 emits an NMR signal like hydrogen atoms do.
Using this room-temperature DNP, the biological molecule pyruvate can retain its MRI signal for as long as 40 seconds -- long enough to observe it undergoing rapid chemical change. "So you can watch pyruvate metabolize to produce lactate, acetic acid and bicarbonate -- all breakdown products that might correlate with cancer," Warren said. But most biological processes are much slower, and thus can't be seen with this method.
In its Science report, the Duke team describes a new method that can further extend the signals of molecules carrying swapped carbon-13s. It works by temporarily bottling-up the hyperpolarization in the longest-lived spin states -- called "singlet eigenstates" -- within specially designed molecular architectures. "You can actually use their own chemistries to get the molecules in and out of those protected states," Warren said.
For example, hyperpolarized populations locked within a specially prepared form of diacetyl -- a bacterially-made chemical that imparts buttery flavoring to foods -- can be stored using this method, according to the report. Once triggered, the MRI signal can be extended over many minutes before the spin states decay.
Thus bottled-up, the signals could be kept in temporary isolation. By dehydrating and shielding them from water within microscopic capsules, for example, these "signaling" molecules could be transported through the bloodstream to a potential disease site, Warren said.
Once at that site, a focused burst of ultrasound or heat could restore the molecules' missing water. That would cause a telltale signal to be released just as a rapidly progressing metabolic event was unfolding.
The Duke group is evaluating the potentials for a number of other possible signaling molecules, such as those involved in Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis and bladder control, said Warren, who has filed for a provisional patent.
Notes:
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Other authors of the Science report were graduate student Elizabeth Jenista, and Duke assistant research professors Rosa Tamara Branca and Xin Chen.
Source:
Monte Basgall
Duke University
четверг, 8 сентября 2011 г.
Many teenage girls lacking in vitamin D
A University of Maine (USA) researcher has found evidence that many girls in Maine are not getting enough vitamin D, either from their diets or sun exposure. Lack of the critical nutrient could lead to health risks later in life, especially for osteoporosis. Vitamin D is necessary for the growth of healthy bones and may be critical in other bodily processes as well.
Over the last three years, Susan Sullivan of the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition has monitored sun exposure, diet and blood levels of vitamin D in 23 girls from ages 10 to 13 years old. All of her subjects live in the Bangor, Maine area.
She conducted the study with Dr. Cliff Rosen of the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education, St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor. In her research and previous experience as a clinical dietitian at Massachusetts General Hospital, Sullivan has focused on the medical consequences of dietary habits.
For her 1995 doctoral degree at Boston University, she studied the relationship between fat intake and blood cholesterol levels in kidney transplant recipients.
Vitamin D is an emerging area of medical research, says Sullivan. Medical scientists have yet to understand the whole story about vitamin D and the body. 'We've known for a long time that vitamin D has a role in getting calcium into bones.
Researchers are now finding evidence that vitamin D could play other roles in health such as cancer prevention and controlling blood pressure. There are vitamin D receptors in lots of tissues in the body that aren't related to bone,' she explains.
The largest single source of vitamin D is the skin, which makes the nutrient when it is exposed to sunlight. Diet plays a less important role but, for people at high northern latitudes, helps to supplement the body's vitamin D store during the winter months when sunlight is less intense.
Since having adequate levels of vitamin D supports bone growth, Sullivan monitored bone density in her subjects. She confirmed that as they go through puberty, girls rapidly add calcium to their bones.
'Puberty is a very critical time when up to half of a person's adult bone mass is being deposited. If you think about life span, peak bone mass occurs at about the age of 30. This is such an important time when girls are growing their bones.'
Sullivan's results were presented in 2003 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Almost half of the Bangor area girls in her study had insufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood in March, a time of the year when the nutrient usually falls to its lowest level over the course of the year. In September, when the nutrient is usually at its highest level, 17 percent also fell below the standard, currently 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood.
As scientists uncover more details about the role that vitamin D plays in the body, they have begun to suggest that the standard be raised to about 30 nanograms per milliliter, Sullivan adds. 'How much vitamin D is necessary for optimal health? We don't really know. There's a real need for more research on that question,' she adds.
To generate vitamin D, Sullivan and other nutritionists recommend getting five to ten minutes of sun exposure between roughly 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily in the summer. Sunscreen lotions should be used after the first five or ten minutes.
Vitamin D fortified foods such as milk, some varieties of orange juice, yogurt, margarine and cereals are helpful. Fatty fish such as salmon also provide a vitamin D boost. Eating three servings per day of dairy products fortified with vitamin D will provide both the vitamin D and calcium to build strong bones.
'People who practice sun avoidance, who never go out in the sun without covering up completely, run a real risk of insufficient vitamin D levels,' Sullivan adds. Sullivan has received support for her study from the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council. Dr. Michael F. Holick of the Boston University School of Medicine also contributed to the study by conducting laboratory analyses and assisting with the interpretation of the data.
Contact: Susan Sullivan, Ph.D.
susan_sullivanumenfa.maine
207-581-3031
University of Maine
Over the last three years, Susan Sullivan of the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition has monitored sun exposure, diet and blood levels of vitamin D in 23 girls from ages 10 to 13 years old. All of her subjects live in the Bangor, Maine area.
She conducted the study with Dr. Cliff Rosen of the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education, St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor. In her research and previous experience as a clinical dietitian at Massachusetts General Hospital, Sullivan has focused on the medical consequences of dietary habits.
For her 1995 doctoral degree at Boston University, she studied the relationship between fat intake and blood cholesterol levels in kidney transplant recipients.
Vitamin D is an emerging area of medical research, says Sullivan. Medical scientists have yet to understand the whole story about vitamin D and the body. 'We've known for a long time that vitamin D has a role in getting calcium into bones.
Researchers are now finding evidence that vitamin D could play other roles in health such as cancer prevention and controlling blood pressure. There are vitamin D receptors in lots of tissues in the body that aren't related to bone,' she explains.
The largest single source of vitamin D is the skin, which makes the nutrient when it is exposed to sunlight. Diet plays a less important role but, for people at high northern latitudes, helps to supplement the body's vitamin D store during the winter months when sunlight is less intense.
Since having adequate levels of vitamin D supports bone growth, Sullivan monitored bone density in her subjects. She confirmed that as they go through puberty, girls rapidly add calcium to their bones.
'Puberty is a very critical time when up to half of a person's adult bone mass is being deposited. If you think about life span, peak bone mass occurs at about the age of 30. This is such an important time when girls are growing their bones.'
Sullivan's results were presented in 2003 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Almost half of the Bangor area girls in her study had insufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood in March, a time of the year when the nutrient usually falls to its lowest level over the course of the year. In September, when the nutrient is usually at its highest level, 17 percent also fell below the standard, currently 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood.
As scientists uncover more details about the role that vitamin D plays in the body, they have begun to suggest that the standard be raised to about 30 nanograms per milliliter, Sullivan adds. 'How much vitamin D is necessary for optimal health? We don't really know. There's a real need for more research on that question,' she adds.
To generate vitamin D, Sullivan and other nutritionists recommend getting five to ten minutes of sun exposure between roughly 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily in the summer. Sunscreen lotions should be used after the first five or ten minutes.
Vitamin D fortified foods such as milk, some varieties of orange juice, yogurt, margarine and cereals are helpful. Fatty fish such as salmon also provide a vitamin D boost. Eating three servings per day of dairy products fortified with vitamin D will provide both the vitamin D and calcium to build strong bones.
'People who practice sun avoidance, who never go out in the sun without covering up completely, run a real risk of insufficient vitamin D levels,' Sullivan adds. Sullivan has received support for her study from the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council. Dr. Michael F. Holick of the Boston University School of Medicine also contributed to the study by conducting laboratory analyses and assisting with the interpretation of the data.
Contact: Susan Sullivan, Ph.D.
susan_sullivanumenfa.maine
207-581-3031
University of Maine
понедельник, 5 сентября 2011 г.
Potential Treatment For Osteoporosis In Fabled 'Vegetable Lamb' Plant
The "vegetable lamb" plant - once believed to bear fruit that ripened into a living baby sheep - produces substances that show promise in laboratory experiments as new treatments for osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease. That's the conclusion of a new study in ACS' monthly Journal of Natural Products.
Young Ho Kim and colleagues point out that osteoporosis is a global health problem, affecting up to 6 million women and 2 million men in the United States alone. Doctors know that the secret to strong bones involves a delicate balance between two types of bone cells: Osteoblasts, which build up bone, and osteoclasts, which break down bone.
Seeking potential medications that might tip the balance in favor of bone building, the researchers turned to the "vegetable lamb" plant as part of a larger study plants used in folk medicine in Vietnam. In the 16th and 17th centuries, some of the world's most celebrated scientists believed the plant (Cibotium barmoetz) fruited into a newly born lamb, which then grazed on nearby grass and weeds. Kim's group isolated compounds from C. barmoetz and showed that they blocked formation of bone-destroying osteoclasts formation in up to 97 percent of the cells in laboratory cultures without harmful effects on other cells. The substances "could be used in the development of therapeutic targets for osteoporosis," the article notes.
ARTICLE: "Inhibitors of Osteoclast Formation from Rhizomes of Cibotium barometz" pubs.acs/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/np9004097
Source:
Michael Woods
American Chemical Society
Young Ho Kim and colleagues point out that osteoporosis is a global health problem, affecting up to 6 million women and 2 million men in the United States alone. Doctors know that the secret to strong bones involves a delicate balance between two types of bone cells: Osteoblasts, which build up bone, and osteoclasts, which break down bone.
Seeking potential medications that might tip the balance in favor of bone building, the researchers turned to the "vegetable lamb" plant as part of a larger study plants used in folk medicine in Vietnam. In the 16th and 17th centuries, some of the world's most celebrated scientists believed the plant (Cibotium barmoetz) fruited into a newly born lamb, which then grazed on nearby grass and weeds. Kim's group isolated compounds from C. barmoetz and showed that they blocked formation of bone-destroying osteoclasts formation in up to 97 percent of the cells in laboratory cultures without harmful effects on other cells. The substances "could be used in the development of therapeutic targets for osteoporosis," the article notes.
ARTICLE: "Inhibitors of Osteoclast Formation from Rhizomes of Cibotium barometz" pubs.acs/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/np9004097
Source:
Michael Woods
American Chemical Society
пятница, 2 сентября 2011 г.
Managing MicroRNAs
Two independent, upcoming G and D papers lend new insight into the expression of microRNAs and their targets during vertebrate development.
Dr. David Bartel and colleagues describe a novel experimental system for genome-wide quantitative analysis of miRNA target expression in miRNA-expressing cells. They found that in the developing zebrafish embryo, miRNA targets are commonly expressed at lower levels in miRNA-expressing cells, suggesting that miRNAs work in concert with other regulatory processes to dampen target gene expression in specific miRNA-expressing cells.
Separately, Dr. Antonio Giraldez and clleagues detail their identification of the muscle-specific miRNA targets in the zebrafish embryo. They report that miR-1 and miR-133 are they key muscle regulatory miRNAs, and that they function by mediating actin organization in the developing muscle.
Source: Heather Cosel-Pieper
Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryCold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dr. David Bartel and colleagues describe a novel experimental system for genome-wide quantitative analysis of miRNA target expression in miRNA-expressing cells. They found that in the developing zebrafish embryo, miRNA targets are commonly expressed at lower levels in miRNA-expressing cells, suggesting that miRNAs work in concert with other regulatory processes to dampen target gene expression in specific miRNA-expressing cells.
Separately, Dr. Antonio Giraldez and clleagues detail their identification of the muscle-specific miRNA targets in the zebrafish embryo. They report that miR-1 and miR-133 are they key muscle regulatory miRNAs, and that they function by mediating actin organization in the developing muscle.
Source: Heather Cosel-Pieper
Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryCold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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