- - European weblog on food, health and environment
News - week 51 - 2007
Artificial skin system can heal
wounds
Description: A new study in Artificial Organs tested the effects of a wound dressing
created with hair follicular cells. The findings reveal that skin substitutes using living
hair cells can increase wound healing.
Certain diseases, birth defects may
be linked to failure of protein recycling system
A group of signaling proteins known as Wnt -- which help build the human body's skin,
bone, muscle and other tissues -- depend on a complex delivery and recycling system to
ensure their transport to tissue-building cell sites. Failure of this system may be a
mechanism of cancer, heart disease or birth defects related to Wnt proteins, according to
researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Simple Push Filling Wins Crown In
Battle Against Tooth Decay
The Hall Technique, which uses preformed metal crowns pushed onto teeth with no dental
injections or drilling, is favoured over traditional “drill and fill” methods by
the majority of children who received it, reveals research published in the online open
access journal BMC Oral Health. Tooth decay can be slowed, or even stopped, when it is
sealed into the tooth by the crown. Dr Nicola Innes, who led the Scottish research team at
Dundee Dental Hospital and School, explained, “There has been a lot of debate in the
UK over the best method to tackle tooth decay in children’s molars. Preformed metal
crowns are not widely used in Scotland as they’re not viewed as a realistic option by
dentists. We found, however, that almost all the patients, parents and dentists in our
study preferred the Hall Technique crowns and also children benefited from them.”
Traditionally, dentists “freeze” a decayed tooth with an injection in the
child’s gum, and then drill away the decay, and fill the cavity with a metal filling.
This method can be uncomfortable for the child. The Hall Technique, however, is simple.
The decay is sealed into the tooth by the crown and, as sugars in the diet are unable to
reach it, the decay slows or even stops. 132 children in Tayside, Scotland, had one
decayed tooth filled traditionally, and another decayed tooth managed with the Hall
Technique. 77% of the children, 83% of carers and 81% of dentists preferred the Hall
Technique to traditional “drill and fill” methods. Dentists reported that 89% of
the children showed no significant signs of discomfort with the Hall Technique, compared
with 78% for the traditional fillings
Plant Constituent with Selective
Effect on Cancer Cells
The substance wogonin triggers the death program apoptosis in tumor cells, while it has
virtually no effect on healthy cells. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center
(Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have discovered the molecular mechanism
underlying this selectivity. Defects in genes that control growth can turn a cell into a
threat for the whole organism. Defective cells that might get out of control are driven
into suicide by a protective mechanism called apoptosis. However, this life saving
mechanism is no longer working in most tumor cells, since numerous molecules regulating
apoptosis are defective.
This is why researchers have been trying for some time to restore the capability of
controlled suicide in tumor cells. However, this is a risky venture, because it involves
the danger of damaging healthy tissue, too, by cell death. Therefore, scientists have
urgently been searching for substances that induce cell death selectively in tumor cells.
The Cause Of Heart Disease - High
Cholesterol or Excess Calcium?
In the past decade, and into the 21st Century, many well known doctors from across the
globe have broken ranks with the conventional “Lipid Theorists” in espousing
what they believe to be a more likely cause of arterial disease, and that is the
accumulation of excess calcium plaque in coronary arteries. One of these renowned doctors,
Arthur Agatston, a Florida cardiologist who is better known as the author of a diet book
“The South Beach Diet”, became well known for his studies into the excess
calcification that was consistently found in his patients with arteriosclerosis and
coronary artery disease. He developed the severity scoring sheet for calcification of the
arteries, now known as the Agatston Score.
Introduction to "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach" (Edited by
Patrick Englebienne Ph.D., Kenny DeMeirleir M.D, Ph.D., CRC Press. Washington D.C. 2002)
by Cort Johnson
Osteoporosis is striking more Americans
than ever before in history, despite dairy intake and calcium supplementation. Bacteria
continue to elude even the best antibiotics, despite the billions of dollars of
pharmaceutical research. Unless the etiology (cause) of a disease is identified, all the
supplements and drugs in the world may be for naught.
Early in the year 2000, researchers discovered that the density of the bones of laboratory
mice improved up to 50 percent when they were given cholesterol-lowering drugs. It is even
more important to note that cholesterol-lowering drugs are antifungal medications. That
brings us full circle.
We are living in the midst of a
breakthrough period in the understanding of health and disease and the IMVA is eager to
communicate exciting new discoveries that quite literally can save your life or that of a
loved one. What the IMVA has done is stolen the best medicines you will find in the
emergency room and applied them to chronic diseases. What will come as a surprise to most
allopathic physicians is that these safe and most effective medicines are not
pharmaceutical medicines but highly concentrated nutritional substances. We are talking
about things like magnesium chloride, iodine and sodium bicarbonate.
It is very difficult to accept the
devastating reality about what dentists have done to humanity, and what they intend to
continue to do. Even though the evaporation of mercury from dental amalgam was known as
early as 1882 by Talbot[i] and by Stock in 1926[ii] dentists have, decade by decade,
continued to expand the use of mercury amalgam cavity fillings. It is well known that the
American Dental Association[iii] (ADA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) were
founded to defend their respective professions use of mercury, which was under attack in
the 1800s. What is very clearly evident about these organizations is the fact that they
have resisted, to their utmost ability, any suggestion that mercury in medical and dental
products is dangerous. In the case of dentistry there is no doubt who won the
“amalgam wars,” though the losers are each and every person who ended up with a
mouth full of materials that wreck havoc with ones health.
Dr. Karin B. Nelson speculated that
magnesium may play a role in brain development and possibly prevent cerebral hemorrhage in
preterm infants. In animal models, magnesium has been associated with decreased brain
injury after the brain has been deprived of oxygen. This is especially important for
humans because doctors and nurses tend to cut the cord much too quickly after birth,
simultaneously reducing blood volume, pressure and oxygen to the brain. According to
researchers who recently performed the first high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging
studies on healthy newborns[1] one quarter of babies born vaginally suffer small
hemorrhages in their brains, perhaps from compression of the head during delivery. Most of
this is probably due to the unnatural position women in hospitals are forced to assume
during labor and delivery. Women on their backs and sacrum force the birth canal to
constrict, closing the vagina by as much as thirty percent. Naturally this would put a big
squeeze on infants’ brains as they come through the birth canal.
iNOS expression may links
chronic biliary inflammation to malignant transformation
A study by Dr. Kitasato and colleagues
demonstrated that cytokine stimulation induced iNOS expression and NO generation, which
was sufficient to cause DNA damage in normal hamster gallbladder epithelial cells. These
findings suggest that NO-mediated oxidative DNA damage produced by inflammatory cytokines
through iNOS expression is involved in an initiation process that links chronic biliary
inflammation to malignant transformation.
Breath test can discriminate
between a bacterial overgrowth and IBS
An overgrowth of intestinal bacteria is
often present in adult population of Westernized countries, because of poor daily intake
of fibres and faecal stasis; such an overgrowth contributes to a chronic inflammation on
intestinal mucosa and development of symptoms that look like those of inflammatory bowel
diseases (IBS). However, a modern test can now discriminate between a bacterial overgrowth
and an IBS and, therefore, addresses the patients towards an appropriate treatment with
antibiotics.
RNA interference therapy
heals growth deficiency disorder in a live animal
A team of Vanderbilt researchers have
demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference,
can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.
Researchers train the immune
system to deliver virus that destroys cancer in lab models
An international team of researchers led by
Mayo Clinic have designed a technique that uses the body's own cells and a virus to
destroy cancer cells that spread from primary tumors to other parts of the body through
the lymphatic system.
McGill researchers report
breakthrough in rapid malaria detection
A research team led by Dr. Paul Wiseman of
the departments of physics and chemistry at McGill University has developed a radically
new technique that uses lasers and non-linear optical effects to detect malaria infection
in human blood, according to a study published in the Biophysical Journal. The researchers
say the new technique holds the promise of simpler, faster and far less labour-intensive
detection of the malaria parasite in blood samples.
Receptor protein appears to
be key in breakdown of kidney filtration
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers
have identified a new molecular pathway that appears to be involved in urinary protein
loss, an early-stage kidney disease thet affects 100 million people around the world, and
is caused by a breakdown in the kidney's filtering structures.
Microchip-based device can
detect rare tumor cells in bloodstream
A team of investigators from the MGH
BioMEMS Resource Center and the MGH Cancer Center has developed a microchip-based device
that can isolate, enumerate and analyze circulating tumor cells from a blood sample.
If you don't want to fall
ill this Christmas, then share a festive kiss but don't shake hands
We've all heard people say 'I won't kiss
you, I've got a cold'. But a report just published warns that we may be far more at risk
of passing on an infection by shaking someone's hand than in sharing a kiss.
Researchers discover protein that controls bone growth
A research team led by Dr. Pierre Moffatt
of the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal and McGill University's Department of
Human Genetics has uncovered the molecular mechanism by which the protein osteocrin
controls bone growth -- a discovery that may have important implications for people
suffering from bone diseases affecting skeletal growth. The team's findings appear in the
Dec. 14 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Domestic violence identified
as stressor associated with smoking
Using a large population survey in India, a
new study from Harvard School of Public Health researchers has found an association
between domestic violence and adult smoking.
Yale Scientist Will Target Cancer
Protein to Cell’s “Recycling System”
Tim Corson, a Yale postdoctoral fellow in
the Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, received two top
fellowship honors from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in Ottawa on
November 20 for his proposal of a research project to target and destroy a protein
commonly active in cancer.
Cancer and Arthritis Therapy May Be
Promising Treatment for Diabetes
An antibody used to treat certain cancers
and rheumatoid arthritis appears to greatly delay type 1 diabetes in mice, Yale School of
Medicine researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
“Even better, the beneficial effects of the antibody continue to be observed long
after the antibody is no longer administered,” the researchers said.
Mutant Gene Identified as Villain
in Hardening of the Arteries
A genetic mutation expands lesions in the
aorta and promotes coronary atherosclerosis, more commonly known as hardening of the
arteries, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine in Cell Metabolism.
The researchers found that mice engineered without the Akt1 gene and fed a high
cholesterol diet had many more signs of aortic atherosclerosis compared to their
littermates. And, surprisingly, their coronary lesions were similar to humans, say the
scientists.
Researchers hope to provide chronic
fatigue syndrome answers
University of Calgary researchers have
launched a study into the physiological basis of chronic fatigue syndrome in hopes of
creating conclusive tests to aid in diagnosis of the condition.
Link between chronic kidney disease
and oxygen-deprived tissue
Researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how low-oxygen conditions can worsen
chronic kidney disease. The key player is a protein called hypoxia-inducible-factor that,
as its name suggests, is active when the kidney does not get enough oxygen, a condition
known as hypoxia.
Vitamin B12 function may be
diminished by excessive folate
In a study of adults aged 20 and over,
researchers at Tufts University showed that homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are at
much higher levels in individuals who have a combination of vitamin B-12 deficiency and
high blood folate levels than in individuals who are also vitamin B12 deficient but have
normal folate levels.
Rutgers neuroscience may hold key
to hearing loss remedy
A Rutgers University team is opening new
doors to improved hearing for the congenitally or profoundly deaf. They researchers found
that two neurotrophin proteins in the cochlea -- brain-derived neurotrophic factor and
neurotrophin-3 -- figure prominently in the relay of sound messages to the brain. The
research is showing precisely how these multidimensional proteins operate in the cochlea.
Their findings could lead to a new generation of cochlear implants.
The blood-brain barrier - A
misunderstood key to finding life-saving cures to brain disease
An international team of scientists that
includes a Saint Louis University researcher suggest several strategies to propel research
for treatments of brain diseases that include multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s
disease, obesity and stroke in the January issue of the Lancet Neurology.
UVA reports surprising findings
related to myotonic muscular dystrophy
New research from the University of
Virginia Health System shows that, in cases of type 1 myotonic muscular dystrophy, a well
known heart protein does several surprising things. The protein, NKX2-5, is a biomarker
for heart stem cells. It is also very important for the normal development of the heart.
The researchers were surprised to find that mice and individuals with DM1 actually
overproduce NKX2-5, yet experience the same kind of heart problems associated with too
little of it.
Constipation most common cause of
children's abdominal pain
Acute and chronic constipation together
accounted for nearly half of all cases of acute abdominal pain in children treated at one
hospital. The study also suggests that physicians should do a simple rectal examination
for constipation when trying to determine the cause of abdominal pain in children.
Hunter researchers have shown that a
commonly available antibiotic can improve the quality of life of patients with difficult
asthma, and may also generate significant health care savings.
Three-drug combination
"extremely promising" as first-line therapy for multiple myeloma, researchers
say
A new combination of bortezomib (Velcade)
and two other drugs is showing a very high response rate in patients newly diagnosed with
multiple myeloma, a team headed by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators reported at
the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.
Colon cancer screenings may not pay
off and could pose harm to some
Even though current guidelines advocate
colorectal cancer screenings for those with severe illnesses, they may bring little
benefit and may actually pose harm, according to a recent study by Yale School of Medicine
researchers published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
CSHL scientists identify and
repress breast cancer stem cells in mouse tissue
By manipulating highly specific
gene-regulating molecules called microRNAs, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
report that they have succeeded in singling out and repressing stem-like cells in mouse
breast tissue -- cells that are widely thought to give rise to cancer.
A Northwestern University study reports
that a mutation in a transcription factor that controls a neurotransmitter in the nematode
C. elegans causes an imbalance in neuronal signaling that results in protein damage in
target cells. Similar results and consequences on protein folding were found to occur upon
exposure to the common toxins nicotine and lindane (a pesticide). Neurons become
overexcited and fire incorrect signals too rapidly, resulting in proteins in target muscle
cells becoming stressed, misfolding and becoming nonfunctional.
Bacteria that cause urinary tract
infections invade bladder cells
Scientists at Washington University School
of Medicine in St. Louis have found definitive proof that some of the bacteria that plague
women with urinary tract infections are entrenched inside human bladder cells. The finding
confirms a controversial revision of scientists' model of how bacteria cause UTIs.
Previously, most researchers assumed that the bacteria responsible for infections get into
the bladder but do not invade the individual cells that line the interior of the bladder.
OHSU research suggests new strategy
for protecting aging Americans against infectious disease
OHSU researchers have uncovered new
information about the body's immune system in a study that suggests new strategies may be
in order for protecting the country's aging population against disease. The scientists
discovered an actual process by which naïve T cells are lost later in life.
Biochip mimics the body to reveal
toxicity of industrial compounds
A new biochip technology could eliminate
animal testing in the chemicals and cosmetics industries, and drastically curtail its use
in the development of new pharmaceuticals, according to new findings from a team of
researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of California at Berkeley,
and Solidus Biosciences Inc.
foie gras which is achieved by force
feeding geese and ducks ...
Demo on Dutch television with TV
presentator
Medical Treatments Toxic to the
Heart
High cholesterol, diabetes, and cancer all
have one thing in common - their medical treatments often rob the body of the very
nutrient it needs to maintain heart and brain health, Coenzyme Q10. In the fifty years
since its discovery, CoQ10 has been clinically shown to play a vital role in the
mitochondria, the body's cell production powerhouse, but it is QuTen Research Institute's
recent technological breakthrough that has allowed the large molecular weight of CoQ10 to
be formulated in a daily dietary supplement, Qunol Ultra CoQ10, that may actually help
prevent cell damage and improve health in just weeks.
Potential Drugs for Improving
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
We suggest that these drugs, which are
approved by FDA for some of the aforementioned diseases, can be useful in treating
patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Even modest improvement in symptoms can make an
important difference in the patient’s degree of self-sufficiency and ability to
appreciate life’s pleasures.5 Surely, clinical trials should be done to assess the
efficacy versus side effects of these drugs on affected patients.
Burning carbohydrate-rich foods
could cause some cancers
Dutch scientists have said in a study that
burning your food may lead to certain types of cancer, particularly in women. Scientists
also say that more research is needed to make a definite determination and that there are
other factors that could be to blame.
Now researchers claim today in the journal
Nature Genetics that they have solved this puzzle. Their finding sheds new light on the
cause of a particularly aggressive kind of breast cancer, which may represent a target for
a new generation of treatments focused on holding the growth of tumour cells in check.
CCN Reveals How The Statin Scam
Marches On in the American Battle Against Cholesterol
In the new study researchers found that
statins activate a gene signal in muscles called atrogen-1. When this gene activates it
targets key muscle proteins for destruction. The activation of this gene drives the
process of muscle atrophy and muscle wasting. It is induced in cardiac muscle in failing
hearts. Why on earth would any person want this gene activated by a drug?
Banned pesticides and other toxic chemicals
that continue to linger in the environment create an increased risk of non-Hodgkin
lymphoma in humans, according to a study funded by the B.C. Cancer Agency.
Considering that tens of millions of
Americans now take statins to lower cholesterol, the following headline was conspicuously
absent from the major media this month: "Statins Found To Turn On Gene That Causes
Muscle Damage." It's now a fact of science; a new study shows that taking statins
destroys your muscle to a greater or lesser degree. And let's not forget that the heart is
a muscle.
What I have done is read all 68 pages of
this document. What I am going to show you is that the FDA knew back in 2003 that a HPV is
not the actual cause of cervical cancer. The actual cause is a "persistent HPV
infection that may act as a tumor promoter in cancer induction
Lack of Stomach Acid -
Hypochlorhydria - Can Cause Lots of Problems
When any of the above problems go wrong, it
can result in symptoms of Accelerated ageing because of malabsorption, Wind, gas and
bloating as foods are fermented instead of being digested, i.e. irritable bowel syndrome.
A tendency to allergies. The reason for this is that if foods are poorly digested then
large antigenically interesting molecules get into the lower gut, where if the immune
system reacts against them, that can switch on allergy. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease
(GERD). [See also "Acid Stomach - or Not Enough Stomach Acid? The Symptoms are
Similar, but For CFS and FMS Patients It's Often the Latter."]
Iron deficiency (anemia). B12 deficiency. A tendency to Candida dysbiosis or bacterial
dysbiosis [imbalance in the natural flora of the gut].
Health officials across the country are
being told to stop using a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that is now being
investigated for possible links to six cases of serious allergic reactions in patients in
Alberta.
Meat consumption in relation to cancer risk
has been reported in over a hundred epidemiological studies from many countries with
diverse diets. The association between meat intake and cancer risk has been evaluated by
looking both at broad groupings of total meat intake, and also at finer categorizations,
particularly intakes of red meat, which includes beef, lamb, pork, and veal, and also more
specifically processed meats, which includes meats preserved by salting, smoking, or
curing
A Prospective Study of Red and
Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk
Red meat and processed meat have been
associated with carcinogenesis at several anatomic sites, but no prospective study has
examined meat intake in relation to a range of malignancies. We investigated whether red
or processed meat intake increases cancer risk at a variety of sites.
Smoking strongly linked to higher
risk for Type 2 diabetes, study finds
Smokers appear to have a significantly
higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to non-smokers - and that risk
increases the more one lights up, an analysis of numerous international studies suggests.
In a review of 25 studies that pooled data from 1.2 million subjects from around the
world, Canadian and Swiss researchers found that on average, tobacco users have a 44 per
cent higher chance of developing the metabolic condition, which can lead to such
complications as heart disease and kidney failure.
Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in
fruit, vegetables, olive oil and fish, may reduce the risk of dying from cancer and
cardiovascular disease, says a new US study.
Sugary beverages increase risk of
Alzheimer's disease
Drinking sugary beverages like soda may
increase risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the Dec. 14,
2007 issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry.
