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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Many people are fighting the flu with a cocktail.

The Myers Cocktail is an unconventional way to boost your immune system and it's becoming more popular in Las Vegas.

The cocktail consists of a combination of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, vitamins B and C, and then it is slowly pushed into your body by an IV.

RELATED: What to know about the 2019-2020 flu season

This season, Las Vegas Dr. Julio Garcia says they've seen an uptick in the number of patients asking for a Myers Cocktail versus the flu shot because it works faster.

Garcia says the cocktail isn't the answer for every sickness and you should still go see a doctor regularly.

Here's more about the Myer's Cocktail from Trim Body M.D.

MYERS COCKTAIL1. An excellent option for IV hydration2. Contains IV fluid, glutathione, Vitamin C, Magnesium, 6 different B vitamins3. Helps energize the body4. Fights infection, cold, flu and fatigue

The Myers cocktail is a vitamin and mineral cocktail invented by Dr. John Myers, a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, who pioneered the use of intravenous vitamins and minerals as part of the overall treatment of various medical problems. Dr. Myers formula contains the following nutrients: magnesium, calcium B12, B6, B5, B complex and vitamin C. We have found it effective in relieving acute asthmatic attacks, migraines, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, cardiovascular diseases (angina and arrythmias), hay fever symptoms, cold and flu and even narcotic withdrawal. It is administered intravenously and promoted as an alternative treatment for a broad range of conditions. The Cocktail is given by a slow IV push or slow infusion to achieve concentrations of nutrients that are not obtainable with oral administration.

The Myers cocktail, along with IV fluids, is a very fast way to get critical vitamins, minerals, and hydration into your body. Many people live hectic, busy lives and have difficulty getting enough vitamins in their diet. There is no better way to replenish your vitamin stores than the intravenous route.

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Fight the cold with immunity-boosting cocktail - KTNV Las Vegas

Over the past few decades, allergies and asthma have become common childhood diseases, especially in developed countries. Almost 20 percent of Australians experience some kind of allergy, whether it's to food, pollen, dust, housemites, mould or animals.

When people suffer from food allergies, hay fever or asthma, their immune system incorrectly believes the trigger substances are harmful and mounts a defence.

The response can range from mild symptoms, such as sneezing and a blocked nose (in the case of hay fever), to anaphylaxis (from severe food allergies or bee stings) and asthma attacks.

We used to think the rise in allergic conditions was because we weren't exposed to as many early infections as previous generations. But the science suggests that's not the case.

However it seems being out in nature, and exposed to diverse (but not disease-causing) bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms may help protect against asthma and allergies.

In 1989, researcher David Strachan examined allergy patterns in more than 17,000 children in England. He noticed young siblings in large families were less likely to have hay fever than older siblings or children from small families.

He proposed that these younger siblings were exposed to more childhood illness at a younger age, as more bugs were circulating in these large families and the younger children were less likely to wash their hands and practise good hygiene.

Greater exposure to these childhood infections helped "train" their immune systems not to overreact to harmless things like pollen.

Strachan coined the term "hygiene hypothesis" to explain this phenomenon, and the idea has been appealing to our dirty side ever since.

Strachan wasn't the first to notice exposure to "dirty environments" seemed to prevent allergic disease. A century earlier, in 1873, Charles Blackley noted hay fever was a disease of the "educated class", and rarely occurred in farmers or people living in less sanitary conditions.

However, Blackley and Strachan were wrong about one important thing: the association between sanitation and allergies is not due to reduced exposure to early childhood infections (or "pathogens").

Large studies from Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom have found no association between the number of viral infections during childhood and allergic disease. In other words, exposure to disease-causing pathogens doesn't appear to prevent allergies.

In fact, exposure to childhood viral infections, in addition to making a child sick, may contribute to the development of asthma in predisposed children.

Many researchers now argue the term "hygiene hypothesis" is not only inaccurate but potentially dangerous, because it suggests avoiding infection is a bad thing. It's not.

Good hygiene practices, such as hand washing, are critical for reducing the spread of infectious and potentially deadly diseases such as influenza and the Wuhan coronavirus.

For healthy immune function, we need exposure to a diverse range of bacteria, fungi and other bugs known as microbes in the environment that don't make us sick.

Within urban environments, recent research shows people who live closer to green, biodiverse ecosystems tend to be healthier, with less high blood pressure and lower rates of diabetes and premature death, among other things.

More specifically, research has found growing up on a farm or near forests, with exposure to more biodiverse ecosystems, reduces the likelihood of developing asthma and other allergies.

This is potentially because exposure to a diversity of organisms, with a lower proportion of human pathogens, has "trained" the immune system not to overreact to harmless proteins in pollen, peanuts and other allergy triggers.

We can try to expose children to environments more like the ones in which humans, and our immune systems, evolved.

Most obviously, children need to have exposure to green space. Playing outdoors, having a garden, or living near green space (especially near a diverse range of native flowering plants) is likely to expose them to more diverse microbes and provide greater protection from allergic diseases.

Infants who are breastfed tend to have more diverse gut microbiomes (a larger variety of bacteria, fungi and other microscopic organisms that live in the gut), which makes them less likely to develop allergic diseases in childhood.

Having a varied diet that includes fresh and fermented foods can help cultivate a healthy gut microbiome and reduce allergic disease. As can using antibiotics only when necessary, as they kill off good bacteria as well as the bad.

So keep washing your hands, especially in cities and airports, but don't be afraid of getting a little dirty in biodiverse environments.

This article was co-authored by Chris Skelly, International Programme Director, Healthy Urban Microbiomes Initiative and Head of Programmes (Research and Intelligence), Public Health Dorset.

Emily Johnston Flies, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (U.Tasmania), University of Tasmania and Philip Weinstein, Professorial Research Fellow, University of Adelaide.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Early Infections Don't Seem to Prevent Allergies - But Getting Dirty in Nature Might - ScienceAlert

News Release

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Findings suggest drugs targeting immune cells may help treat deadly disease mainly affecting children.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found evidence that specific immune cells may play a key role in the devastating effects of cerebral malaria, a severe form of malaria that mainly affects young children. The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that drugs targeting T cells may be effective in treating the disease. The study was supported by the NIH Intramural Research Program.

This is the first study showing that T cells target blood vessels in brains of children with cerebral malaria, said Dorian McGavern, Ph.D., chief of the Viral Immunology and Intravital Imaging Section at the NIHs National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) who co-directed the study with Susan Pierce, Ph.D., chief of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). These findings build a bridge between mouse and human cerebral malaria studies by implicating T cells in the development of disease pathology in children. It is well established that T cells cause the brain vasculature injury associated with cerebral malaria in mice, but this was not known in humans.

More than 200 million people worldwide are infected annually with mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria. In a subset of those patients, mainly young children, the parasites accumulate in brain blood vessels causing cerebral malaria, which leads to increased brain pressure from swelling. Even with available treatment, cerebral malaria still kills up to 25% of those affected resulting in nearly 400,000 deaths annually. Children who survive the infection will often have long-lasting neurological problems such as cognitive impairment.

The researchers, led by Drs. Pierce and McGavern, examined brain tissue from 23 children who died of cerebral malaria and 11 children who died from other causes. The scientists used state-of-the-art microscopy to explore the presence of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) in the brain tissue samples. CTLs are a type of T cell in our immune system that is responsible for controlling infections throughout the body.

Current treatment strategies for cerebral malaria focus on red blood cells, which are thought to clog blood vessels and create potentially fatal blockages leading to extreme pressure in the brain. However, findings in the mouse model demonstrated that CTLs damage blood vessels, leading to brain swelling and death. The role of CTLs in cerebral malaria in children hasnt been thoroughly investigated prior to this study.

The results of the current study demonstrate an increased accumulation of CTLs along the walls of brain blood vessel in the cerebral malaria tissue samples compared to non-cerebral malaria cases. In addition, the CTLs were shown to contain and release effector molecules, which damage cells, suggesting that CTLs play a critical role in cerebral malaria by damaging the walls of brain blood vessels.

The disease appears to be an immunological accident in which the CTLs are trying to control a parasitic infection but end up injuring brain blood vessels in the process, said Dr. McGavern.

In separate studies we discovered that treatment of mice with a drug that targets T cells rescued over 60% of otherwise fatal cases of experimental cerebral malaria, said Dr. Pierce. Given our findings of T cells in the brain vasculature of children who died of the disease, we are excited by the possibility that this drug may be the first therapy for cerebral malaria.

The impact of HIV coinfection on the risk of developing cerebral malaria is not known. The NIH researchers compared CTL patterns in the cerebral malaria cases that were co-infected with HIV and those that were HIV negative. In the HIV-negative cases, the CTLs were seen lining up against the inside wall of brain blood vessels. In the HIV-positive cases, the CTLs had migrated across the surface to the outside of the vessels. There were also significantly more CTLs present in the HIV-positive cases.

Together these findings suggest that CTLs may play an important role in cerebral malaria and that HIV infection may worsen the disease.

Additional research is needed to uncover the role of T cells in human cerebral malaria. Future studies will also investigate how targeting T cells may help treat the disease. Plans for a clinical trial are underway to test the effects of a specific T cell blocker in cerebral malaria patients in Malawi.

The NINDSis the nations leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system.The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Riggle et al. CD8+T cells target cerebrovasculature in children with cerebral malaria. Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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NIH study supports new approach for treating cerebral malaria - National Institutes of Health

During this time of year, we get our flu shots, but we also look for ways to improve our immune system. A healthy, natural option to improve your immune system are elderberries.

Valrico resident and mom of two little girls Laura DiSalvo believes in the health benefits of elderberries so much that she created a line of organic elderberry syrups and gummies.

I have a degree in biology and a Master in Biotechnology Business Management, DiSalvo said. In the beginning of my working years, before I stopped to stay at home with my girls, I worked in a military lab, working on various contracts. Ive been making elderberry syrup and gummies for over four years now after trying the store-made ones from different stores. We were hooked on elderberries, but the price for such a small bottle for all of us and how thick it was, I found myself looking for other options. I found a few people who sold it homemade, but I was not impressed. One was either too watery or another didnt taste right, so I decided I was going to make my own, and here we are.

And so, Lauras Organic Elderberry and Gummies was born.

According to WebMD, The berries and flowers of elderberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. They can help tame inflammation, lessen stress and help protect your heart too. They can also be a treatment for constipation, joint and muscle aches, headaches, kidney problems, minor skin conditions, stress and fevers.

What makes DiSalvos elderberry syrup and gummies different from store-bought versions is that she makes each batch small enough that she can monitor the temperature so she never overcooks or de-natures her berries.

The inside of the berries is the true medicine, DiSalvo said. If youre getting elderberry from someone and they are not squishing the berries after cooking, youre not getting the true benefit. Its a long process, time-consuming and messy, so most other makers may skip this part. I love it, though. I strain two times with cheesecloths to ensure it is smooth. I add local raw honey only when it is cooled down to ensure I will not denature my honey. I also only use organic, pesticide-free elderberry.

Her local raw honey comes from Andersens Apiary in Riverview.

To learn more about Lauras Organic Elderberry and Gummies, visit http://www.facebook.com/LaurasElderberry or email lauraselderberry@yahoo.com. Her elderberry syrup costs $20 for a 12 oz. jar and her gummies cost $20 for 120 gummies.

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Laura's Organic Elderberry And Gummies Are A Natural Way To Improve Health - Osprey Observer

If you deal with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), youre not alone. This common condition causes bloating, gas, stomach pain, constipation, and diarrhea.

To manage IBS, your healthcare provider may recommend that you change your diet, improve your lifestyle quality, and limit your intake of certain fermentable carbs called FODMAPs.

You may have also heard that the high fat, very low carb ketogenic helps treat IBS symptoms.

Yet, you may wonder whether this claim is backed by scientific evidence and whether you should try out keto if you have IBS.

This article examines how the keto diet affects IBS symptoms.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 14% percent of the worlds population. Its symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea (1, 2).

Theres no one identifiable cause of IBS. Instead, it likely involves a number of processes that may be unique to each individual (1).

Possible causes include increased digestive sensitivity, chemical signals from your gut to your nervous system, psychological and social stress, immune system activity, changes in your gut bacteria, genetics, diet, infections, certain drugs, and antibiotic use (1, 3).

IBS treatment focuses on managing symptoms via medications, diet, and lifestyle adjustments (1, 4).

Many individuals find that food is a trigger for specific symptoms, so 7090% of people with IBS limit certain foods to try to decrease negative effects (1, 5).

Experts often recommend a diet that includes regular meals, as well as adequate fiber and fluids. You should limit alcohol, caffeine, and spicy or fatty foods if they trigger symptoms (5).

Currently, a common treatment for IBS is a low FODMAP diet, which limits short-chain, fermentable carbs that are poorly absorbed by your body. FODMAPs are found in wheat, onions, some dairy, and some fruits and vegetables (1, 6).

These carbs cause increased water secretion and fermentation in your gut, which produces gas. Although this doesnt negatively affect healthy people, it may trigger symptoms in people with IBS (1).

Diets low in FODMAPs have been shown to reduce the severity of IBS symptoms, particularly pain and bloating (2, 5, 7).

Very low carb, gluten-free, paleo, and immune-modulating diets are likewise used to treat IBS, though evidence on their effectiveness is mixed (2).

IBS is a chronic condition characterized by stomach pain, bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea. Its commonly treated by restricting certain foods, eating a low FODMAP diet, and adopting other dietary and lifestyle changes.

The ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb eating pattern thats similar to the Atkins diet. Originally developed in the 1920s to treat children with severe epilepsy, its commonly used for weight loss and other health conditions like blood sugar control (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

Its exact macronutrient ratio may differ based on individual needs, but its usually 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs (6, 13).

Keto limits bread, pasta, grains, beans, legumes, alcohol, sugar, and starchy fruits and vegetables while increasing your intake of high fat foods like nuts, seeds, oils, cream, cheese, meat, fatty fish, eggs, and avocados (6).

By restricting carbs to 50 grams or fewer per day, you enter a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs. This is known as ketosis (13, 14).

The keto diet is a low carb, high fat eating pattern that shifts your bodys metabolism away from carbs. Its long been used to treat epilepsy and other ailments.

Despite ketos popularity, very few studies investigate its effectiveness for treating IBS.

A 4-week study in 13 people with diarrhea-predominant IBS found that the keto diet helped reduce pain and improve the frequency and consistency of stools (15).

This may be due to the diets influences on your gut microbiome, or the collection of bacteria in your gut. Interestingly, people with IBS often have an imbalance in their types and numbers of gut bacteria, which may contribute to symptoms (16, 17).

Furthermore, animal and human studies reveal that very low carb diets deplete the bacteria in your gut that produce energy from carbs while boosting the number of beneficial bacteria (16, 18).

However, some research also suggests that low carb diets like keto decrease the overall diversity of gut bacteria and increase the number of inflammatory bacteria, which may have negative effects (18).

Currently, theres not enough information to conclude whether the keto diet can benefit people with IBS. Further studies are necessary.

Some research indicates that the keto diet may reduce symptoms of diarrhea-predominant IBS and improve aspects of your gut microbiome. Still, results are mixed and more research is needed.

Despite some promising results, evidence for using keto to treat IBS remains limited.

Its unclear whether positive effects can be attributed to the diet itself or rather the incidental elimination of trigger foods, such as FODMAPs or gluten (19).

Therefore, people with IBS shouldnt use the keto diet as a primary treatment for IBS.

Many people may find keto too restrictive in nature, as it eliminates food groups like grains, beans, and legumes.

That said, if this diet can fit into your lifestyle, and you are interested in how it could change your symptoms, please talk to a medical professional to learn more.

The keto diet isnt currently recommended as a standard treatment for IBS due to a lack of scientific evidence. Yet, if it fits your lifestyle, it may reduce some symptoms and provide other benefits. Speak to a medical professional if you want to learn more.

Its important to remember that the keto diet may have a few downsides.

For example, fatty foods trigger symptoms in some people with IBS. Because the keto diet is very high in fat, it may worsen symptoms instead of improving them (5).

Furthermore, the keto diet can be low in soluble fiber, a nutrient that may alleviate some IBS symptoms (20).

Thus, its important to eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and seeds to boost your intake of soluble fiber if you have IBS and decide to try keto. Alternatively, you can take a fiber supplement (5).

Finally, people with diabetes should consult a health professional before starting keto, as the low carb intake could cause dangerously low blood sugar levels (13).

The keto diets high fat levels may trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Furthermore, this eating pattern can be low in soluble fiber, a nutrient that may ease IBS-related complaints.

Studies on the ketogenic diet and IBS are limited and provide mixed results.

On the one hand, research demonstrates an improvement in diarrhea symptoms in people with IBS, as well as some positive changes to the gut microbiome.

On the other hand, keto may have several negative effects on your gut microbiome and is more restrictive than other dietary treatments.

Although the keto diet isnt currently recommended to treat IBS, some people may find it advantageous for symptom management or other benefits, such as weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

If youre curious about trying keto to help treat your IBS symptoms, its best to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider first.

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Keto Diet and IBS: Can This Diet Help Treat Symptoms? - Healthline

It is largely accepted that the dinosaurs were killed off due to an asteroid impact on the planets surface that created a chain reaction of climactic calamities at least, thats the primary theory. And while all that is left of dinosaurs are their bones, those fossilized pieces can still provide us with important scientific resources, including perhaps a key to at least one rare disease.

Researchers have discovered the remains of a dinosaur from what is now modern Alberta, Canada that contains evidence of having suffered a condition similar to a rare cancer of the bone marrow. In bone remains from a hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur, researchers found lesions in tail vertebrae bones that are similar to the rare disease Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow. Details of the study were published in Nature.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, LCH, previously known as histiocytosis X, is characterized by abnormal increases in white blood cells called histiocytes. The histiocyte cells help the bodys immune system fight infection and destroy foreign materials. The extra immune cells produced by this condition may form tumors, which can affect parts of the body like the bones and possibly spread to other areas, the clinic said on its website. It typically affects children between the ages of five and 10 years. There are less than 200,000 diagnoses annually. The most common form of LCH is eosinophilic granuloma. Most patients afflicted with LCH tend to recover, but the condition can cause pain and swelling.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis historically was thought of as a cancer-like condition, but more recently researchers have begun to consider it an autoimmune phenomenon in which immune cells begin to overproduce and attack the body instead of fighting infection. In most cases it is not known why the disorder appears, although there may be a genetic link, the Cleveland Clinic said on its website.

Reimar / Shutterstock

Because of the different ways in which LCH can affect the body, there are different treatment options for people diagnosed with the disorder. In addition to steroid treatments, surgery and anti-inflammatory treatments can be recommended. Radiation treatment and chemotherapy can be used in some patients, the Histiocytosis Association noted on its website.

After a detailed study of the lesions in the hadrosaurs bones, the researchers confirmed that the issue afflicting the dinosaur was LCH. The researchers confirmed the diagnosis through macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the hadrosaur vertebrae and then compared to human LCH, as well as other pathologies. The hadrosaur pathology findings were indistinguishable from those of humans with LCH, supporting that diagnosis, the researchers said in their study abstract. The disease has been found in other animals, but this was the first time it was seen in a creature that died out millions of years ago.

Knowing that the disease has been discovered in dinosaurs could help lead to breakthroughs in potential treatments for the disease. Israel Hershkovitz, a palaeopathologist from Tel Aviv University who assisted in the study, told Science Alert that the goal of these kinds of studies, looking at disease states in long-dead creatures, could lead to an understanding of the causes of LCH and other diseases.

Ultimately, the goal of such studies is to understand the real cause of these illnesses and what evolutionary mechanisms allowed them to develop and survive, Hershkovitz told the publication. Perhaps if we understand a diseases underlying mechanisms we can treat its causes more effectively, instead of focusing on the symptoms, as modern medicine tends to do.

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A Rare Human Disease Has Been Found in Dinosaur Bones, Could it Lead to a Treatment? - PharmaLive

Feb. 18, 2020 19:00 UTC

- First results from ocular injury program to treat damage from sulfur mustard gas -

- Announces $1 million funding from the National Eye Institute for continuation of program development -

CLAREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synedgen, a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system, today announced a poster presentation at the upcoming National Institutes of Health (NIH)-organized scientific meeting, Developing Medical Countermeasures To Treat the Acute and Chronic Effects of Ocular Chemical Toxicity. The meeting will take place in Rockville, Maryland, on February 25-26, 2020.

Poster Presentation:

Title: Improving Corneal Wound Healing After Chemical Injury With Novel Therapeutic Glycopolymers

Presenter: Shenda Baker, Ph.D.

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET

Location: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH) Conference Center, 5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852

Were excited to share this promising data from Synedgens ophthalmic glycopolymer candidates, given the lack of effective drugs for this type of damage to the eye, said Dr. Brian Gilger, study lead and Professor of Ophthalmology at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Importantly, the new molecules from Synedgens glycopolymer platform have the potential not only to provide a powerful countermeasures solution, but also to be applied in the civilian market where corneal damage is a frequent cause of vision loss.

Sulfur Mustard (SM) is employed as a chemical weapon, and its increasing production and use in unstable regions throughout the world heightens the risk that it could be used in a terrorist attack against U.S. civilians or armed forces, potentially causing severe burns to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. The ocular surface is uniquely susceptible to SM, resulting in corneal lesions, edema, ulceration, neovascularization and vision loss. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs for SM-induced ocular injuries to improve healing and reduce vision loss.

Synedgen has developed a class of glycopolymers with the ability to suppress inflammation, reduce infection, and improve healing at mucosal surfaces. One such glycopolymer reduces epithelial damage and inflammation in an animal model of potassium hydroxide (KOH)-induced ocular injury. This glycopolymer was well-tolerated, with reduced initial ocular inflammation (measured by Hackett-McDonald ocular scores) at 12 hours, and lower subsequent cumulative ocular inflammation. Furthermore, relative to control, the treatment prevented significant secondary ulceration, improved the healing rate and reduced corneal fibrosis. Given these results, preliminary optimization of five related compounds has been initiated in order to optimize the therapeutic efficacy of lead molecules against SM burns. This program is being funded by a three-year $970,000 award from the National Eye Institute (NEI/NIH) and the NIH Office of the Director (OD). The award is specifically earmarked for the Identification of lead compounds to topically treat sulfur mustard injury to reduce ocular damage and improve vision.

About Award

Research reported was supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI/NIH) and the NIH Office of the Director (OD) under Award Number U01EY030406. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About Synedgen

Synedgen is a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system. The companys lead development candidate is SYGN305 for gastrointestinal mucositis, where a large unmet need exists to prevent intestinal radiation injury, the single most important dose-limiting factor in cancer radiotherapy. Synedgens glycochemistry platform has already generated five FDA 510(k)-cleared therapeutics, one OTC drug, one veterinary indexed drug, and an out-licensed Phase 2 program, to Synspira, for the potential treatment of pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis. Synedgen has research and manufacturing facilities in Claremont, California. For more information please visit http://www.synedgen.com.

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Synedgen to Present Data on Therapeutic for Ocular Mustard Gas Injury at NIH-Organized Medical Countermeasures Meeting - BioSpace

MADISON, Wis. (AP) A bipartisan, $10 million package of more than a dozen bills designed to combat groundwater contamination in Wisconsin is slated for approval in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

The bills contain the recommendations from a water quality task force called by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to address growing concerns about groundwater contamination in the state. There is increased tension between environmentalists and farmers over the contamination of wells, the spreading of manure, the growth of large animal confinement facilities and the use of fertilizers.

The measures up for approval Tuesday tackle the issue from several angles, including expanding conservation efforts, bolstering research and education efforts, and improving state laws and regulations.

Democrats generally support the plan, but argue Republicans arent doing enough to stop the groundwater pollution. More needs to be done to prevent contamination as well as cleaning up pollution, said Democratic state Rep. Chris Taylor, of Madison, during debate of the bills in the Legislatures budget committee last week.

We have got to be much more aggressive, Taylor said. Weve got to stop the manure from running into peoples water in the first place and that is where (Republicans) have failed.

She called the proposals little baby steps.

Republican Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, of Clinton, said the bills are a good start and more would be coming.

The proposals would create a new water policy office; increase the number of county conservation workers; increase grants for owners of wells contaminated with manure or fertilizer to rebuild or replace them; increase money to study water quality issues; add a state agriculture staff member focused on grazing techniques for livestock to allow grasses to replenish; and make grants available for farmers who grow crops that require less fertilizer.

Once approved by the Assembly, the bills will go to the Senate where its unclear how much support there is. Time is running out for the Senate to act. It was expected to be in session Wednesday and then just one day in March before adjourning for the session.

Any measures that pass both houses must be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has made improving water quality a priority.

Under Evers, the state Department of Natural Resources has started studying water quality in southwestern Wisconsin, educating residents about the dangers of lead poisoning, creating restrictions on manure and fertilizer in areas prone to groundwater pollution and is developing standards for pollutants found in industrial products known as PFAS.

They are also known as forever chemicals because they dont break down naturally and can accumulate in the body. Studies have shown the chemicals can increase the risk of cancer, weaken the immune system and affect cholesterol levels, childhood behavior and the ability to get pregnant.

One bill up for passage creates a state-run program to more quickly collect and dispose of firefighting foam, one of the sources of PFAS.

Excerpt from:
Wisconsin Assembly to vote on bills fighting water pollution - WSAW

Despite public mistrust, most scientists claim that people's refusal to be vaccinated or have their children vaccinated poses an increasing threat to the population's resistance to disease.

Speaking on anti-vaccination tendencies, Infectious Diseases Association Chairman Mehmet Ceyhan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that "vaccine hesitancy" reluctance or refusal to use vaccinations is on the increase around the world and in Turkey.

Vaccine hesitant individuals hold varying degrees of indecision about specific vaccines or vaccinations in general.

Vaccine hesitancy is influenced by several factors, mainly from social pressure from society, which includes the spread of misinformation on social media, influential leaders' discourses on vaccine doubt and competence of health professionals and services, social groups and others, Ceyhan said. Anti-vaccination is one of the many factors causing vaccine hesitancy, he said, adding that vaccine rejection is among the consequences of vaccine hesitancy.

Vaccine hesitancy in Turkey

Commenting on increasing vaccine hesitancy in Turkey, Ceyhan said some people claim the substances in vaccines can lead to autism and infertility or cause permanent damage to the body.

Vaccines are much more reliable than medications, he said, noting that vaccines do not cause autism, nor have an impact on children's ability to walk.

The doctor underlined that vaccines cause "no serious" side effects.

Touching on substances like aluminum or mercury in vaccines, he said: "A sum of mercury compounds used to be added to the vaccines to ensure that vaccines were free from bacterial contamination when vaccines were produced in multi-dose bottles."

"But, nowadays, no vaccine contains mercury. Since all vaccines are now in single-dose packages, it is no longer necessary to add a mercury compound," he stressed.

On the other hand, speaking on the allegation that flu vaccines contain aluminum, which causes Alzheimer's, he said: "Aluminum in the vaccine is thousands of times less than the risk level."

He said aluminum in vaccines is low and not hazardous, adding that the total amount of aluminum in all the vaccinations is 5 milligrams.

"However, with drinking water, people consume hundreds of times more aluminum than that," he said. Although vaccination is not compulsory in Turkey, the need for it is strong he added.

Herd immunity

To maintain herd protection against disease within a population, 95% of people must be vaccinated. Turkey's rate of vaccination in 2018 was 96%, while it rose to 98% in 2019, according to Turkey's health ministry.

"No vaccine alone provides a person with full protection from the disease. However, if the majority of society is vaccinated, the vaccine prevents the spreading of diseases," the doctor said.

In this case, he said, the risk of transmission of the disease to the 1-3% of unvaccinated people will be eliminated.

Ceyhan went on to say that once herd immunity is achieved, infection risk is greatly reduced.

"However, if more than 5% of children are not vaccinated, the proportion of unprotected people reaches 6-8%, together with 1-3% of unvaccinated people. In this case, unvaccinated children would be at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases."

For this reason, many countries had to enact laws on vaccination to prevent measles outbreaks, he underlined.

Vaccine rejection threatens public health

The vaccination resistance poses an "increasing threat" in terms of public health, and families should be informed and conscious about this issue, Emine elik, a pediatrician at a training and research hospital in Ankara, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"Unfortunately, some families do not want to get vaccinated due to hearsay information and thoughts that do not have a scientific basis," she said.

elik feels sorry that some of her colleagues "misled society" with uncertain information.

"Because, if families realize the importance of vaccination for their children, this negative situation will disappear by itself," she underlined.

The pediatrician stressed that vaccination resistance has become a "serious problem" not only in Turkey but all over the globe, noting that an increase in measles cases in the U.S., European countries and Turkey last year was a result of avoiding vaccination.

"Although adverse outcomes that may occur as a result of vaccination are very rare, they are at a level that should be ignored besides the benefits of vaccination," she warned.

Importance of child vaccination

In the past, when people were not vaccinated, there were mass child deaths, and society struggled with outbreaks, the doctor said.

elik highlighted that common childhood diseases in unvaccinated societies have mostly resulted in deaths or severe sequelae and disabilities.

She underlined that the frequency of many diseases can be reduced by vaccinating children.

With vaccinations, she said, it can be ensured that permanent or temporary additional disease complications would occur less frequently.

elik said even if vaccinated children get a disease, the vaccination helps to overcome illness in a more "smooth" way.

Noting that vaccinations do not contain substances harmful to children's health, elik said: "On the contrary, vaccines are made to strengthen the immune system and to increase the body's resistance to common and serious diseases."

The doctor urged that the vaccinated child develops immunity during a certain period and after encountering the disease factor, "gives a quick and strong response" and gets rid of being sick or suffering from the disease.

"We also question (parents) whether the child's vaccinations are complete while prescribing some treatments, and unfortunately, we have to apply heavier treatments to unvaccinated children while we can treat the vaccinated children more moderately."

Additionally, stressing the necessity and importance of following the immunization or vaccination schedule, elik said the schedules are being prepared specifically for each community in line with statistical data and by considering diseases that are common in that community.

She noted that the schedule is subject to changes in line with the needs and scientific data of the society over time.

Modern medicine's greatest success stories

The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to immunization as "one of modern medicine's greatest success stories" and a process whereby a person is made "immune or resistant" to an infectious disease, typically by the use of a vaccine.

The U.N. agency estimated around 19.4 million children globally under the age of 1 did not receive basic vaccines as of December.

"Vaccines stimulate the body's immune system to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease," it says.

The WHO said immunization is a "proven tool" for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases, while the organization estimates immunization is estimated to avert between 2 million and 3 million deaths each year, adding that vaccines have prevented at least 10 million deaths between 2010 and 2015.

"It is one of the most cost-effective health investments, with proven strategies that make it accessible to even the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations," it said.

Besides preventing sickness and death associated with infectious diseases such as diarrhea, measles, pneumonia, polio and whooping cough, vaccinations hold up broader gains in education and economic development, according to the WHO.

"An additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided, however, if global vaccination coverage improves," it said.

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Vaccine hesitancy in Turkey: An increasing threat to herd immunity - Daily Sabah

MEN are more likely to catch coronavirus because they may have a weaker immune response, experts fear.

Scientists found men made up 68 per cent of patients with the deadly illness at Wuhan University hospital last month.

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The figures from a Lancet paper are based on the details of the 99 coronavirus patients admitted to the hospital in January.

They also revealed that the average age of patients was 55.5 years, including 67 men and 32 women.

Science writer Anjana Ahuja, in her column for the Financial Times, said: It is an eye-catching discrepancy.

A picture is emerging of 2019-nCoV [now COVID-19] as a novel pathogen that disproportionately affects older men, particularly those with existing illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

She said possible reasons for the differences between men and women could be smoking, a variation of hospital treatment and hormonal differences which could impact males immune system response.

Women are prone to autoimmune diseases, which causes parts of their immune system to become stronger to compensate, resulting in a possible stronger response to the coronavirus.

Also, females routinely outlive men by six to eight years and are more likely to reach their first birthday, according to the World Health Organization.

Stanley Perlman, an immunologist at the University of Iowa and his colleagues suggested that hormones, including Oestrogen, could be a possible defence against the virus.

Prof Perlman studied how SARS a sister disease of the new coronavirus called Covid-19 impacts male and female mice.

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What to do if you're worried you've got coronavirus

BRITISH health chiefs have raised the coronavirus risk to the public from low to moderate.

Health professionals are working to contact anyone who has been in close contact with people who have coronavirus.

The majority of those who have been infected with the virus so far have either visited China or been in close contact with someone who has.

But if you are concerned known the signs is one of the best ways to protect yourself from 2019-nCoV.

Symptoms usually include:

In most cases, you won't know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus.

But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.

It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes.

The best way to prevent catching any form of coronavirus is to practice good hygiene.

If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with others.

You should also cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze then throw it away and wash your hands.

Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces which you may have touched is also important.

If you have returned from Wuhan in the last 14 days:

If you are in Northern Ireland, call your GP.

Please follow this advice even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.

Meanwhile, leading symptom-checking provider to the NHS Doctorlink has been updated to help identify patients' risk of having coronavirus.

Source: NHS

He concluded that male mice were affected in greater number, while adding that his study was consistent across coronaviruses as well.

Two studies on SARS and MERS patients found that males had a higher death rate for both diseases.

One study showed that out of 1,800 SARS patients men had a nine per cent higher date rate.

Some scientists are now convinced that these sex differences in clinical data reflect a genuine male vulnerability to coronavirus

A 2019 study of 229 Mers patients showed found that males had a six per cent higher death rate over females.

Anjana said:Some scientists are now convinced that these sex differences in clinical data reflect a genuine male vulnerability to coronavirus, rather than a bias in exposure.

The observations add to growing evidence that immunologically speaking, men are the weaker sex.

Thekiller bughas now claimed at least 1,367 lives and infected more than 60,000 people worldwide since the outbreak began two months ago.

Nine people have been confirmed as having the bug in the UK, while 14 people have tested positive in the US.

It comes as a new diagnostic method has led the Chinese province at the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak to report a record rise in deaths and thousands more cases today.

The central province of Hubei had previously only allowed infections to be confirmed by RNA tests, which can take days to process.

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RNA, or ribonucleic acid, carries genetic information that enables identification of organisms such as viruses.

But it has begun using quicker computerised tomography (CT) scans, which reveal lung infections, to confirm virus cases, health officials said.

Meanwhile, top officials in Hubei province - where the outbreak began in the capital city of Wuhan - were replaced.

Former Shanghai mayor Ying Yong is to replace Jiang Chaoliang as party chief in central Hubei, while two other senior officials have been removed.

Continued here:
Coronavirus Men more likely to catch deadly bug thanks to weaker immune systems, experts fear - The Sun

Feb 18, 2020 7:00 AM

More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes. About seven million of those people dont know they have it. Symptoms of untreated diabetes include:

Believe it or not, erectile dysfunction (ED) can also be a symptom of diabetes. In fact, half of men diagnosed with diabetes experience ED within ten years of their diagnosis.

We see quite a few men for erectile dysfunction that end up being diagnosed with diabetes after their visit with us. Most people dont think about the penis being an indicator of other, underlying health issues, but it really is a good barometer.

In order to get an erection, men need healthy blood vessels and nerves. High blood sugar levels, a symptom of diabetes, can damage blood vessels as well as the nerves that control sexual stimulation. Because diabetes can cause the inner lining of blood vessels to function abnormally, it can affect blood flow to the penis, which is how you get and maintain an erection.

Managing your diabetes can stop the progression of ED, but sometimes symptoms dont improve because of nerve damage. There are many treatment options for ED if you dont see an improvement after getting your diabetes under control.

Oral medications typically work about 50 percent of the time for men with diabetes. Penile pumps are also good options, if medications dont work. Other men may choose injection therapy, which is a treatment where you inject the penis with a small needle when you want an erection.

Penile implants are another ED treatment. Implants last 1215 years on average.

All of these treatment options have pros and cons. Men should consider what works best for their lifestyles when chatting with their provider about the best choice for them.

Erectile dysfunction is frustrating and stressful for men and their partners. Its not something people should just live with, Dr. Hotaling said. If youre struggling with ED, talk to your health care provider. Sometimes its an unrelated problem. Other times, its linked to something more serious, like diabetes or heart disease. Regardless, its worth getting treated.

Read the original here:
Diabetes and ED: Symptoms, Treatment - University of Utah Health Care

Positive results have been announced from part 2 of the phase 2 Simplici-T1 trial assessing TTP399 as an oral adjunctive therapy to insulin in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

TTP399 is a novel, once-daily, liver-selective glucokinase activator. Simplici-T1, a multi-center, randomized, 12-week trial, investigated the efficacy and safety of 800 mg of TTP399 compared with placebo in 85 patients with T1D on optimized insulin therapy.

The trial successfully achieved its primary objective, which was analyzed using 2 statistical approaches to evaluating the effect of TTP399. The primary statistical analysis evaluated the effect on long-term blood sugar (HbA1c) regardless of treatment adherence or notable change in insulin administration.

Under the primary statistical analysis, the trial achieved its primary objective by demonstrating statistically significant improvements in HbA1c for TTP399 compared with placebo at week 12.

TTP399 was well tolerated with similar incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) overall and by system organ class in both treatment groups. The study had no report of diabetic ketoacidosis in either treatment group. There was no incidence of severe hypoglycemia in the treated group and 1 incident in the placebo group.

Patients taking TTP399 experienced fewer symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes: 2 subjects taking TTP399 reported at least 1 AE compared with 8 subjects taking placebo.

In order to rule out that the reduction of HbA1c was driven by the administration of excess insulin (3 or more units per day), a second statistical analysis was performed. Based on this analysis, patients treated with TTP399 achieved a statistically-significant, placebo-subtracted reduction in HbA1c. Patients taking placebo experienced a 0.11% increase in HbA1c from a mean study baseline HbA1c of 7.6% following a multi-week insulin optimization period prior to the administration of study treatment.

Daily time in range was improved by approximately 2 hours in patients treated with TTP399 relative to placebo (p=0.03). TTP399 treatment reduced the total daily meantime bolus insulin dose by 11% relative to baseline (p=0.02), whereas the placebo-treated group experienced a 3% decrease relative to baseline.

TTP399 selectively activates glucokinase (GK), a key regulator of glucose metabolism in the liver. This activation has been shown to increase glucose utilization, which in turn lowers blood glucose. Simplici-T1 is the first study to test activation of GK in patients with T1D, evaluating daily oral TTP399 as an adjunct to insulin therapy.

Reference

See original here:
Oral Adjunctive Therapy Yields Positive Results for Adults with Type 1 Diabetes - Pharmacy Times

Diabetes is one of the largest, most expensive problems facing America's veterans, and the US government is staking its hopes for a solution on an unconventional treatment: the popular keto diet.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) has launched a partnership with a digital therapeutics startup Virta Health to treat diabetic veterans using the low-carb, high-fat keto diet, at no cost to the vets or the VA.

The partnership, first announced in May 2019, has enrolled 400 veterans into Virta's program, which includes personalized nutrition plans and online access to health coaches and physicians.

So far, the results have been promising, according to the company's data. A pilot program with the VA found that half of the participating veterans achieved blood sugar levels below the threshold for diabetes after three months on Virta's program. And the treatment successfully reduced medications, including insulin, by 53% across the entire group.

But some experts have raised concerns that there may be unforeseen health consequences following this kind of treatment, and that the VA's buy-in will lend legitimacy to what is still an experimental treatment.

Prior to working with the VA, Virta had been studying keto as a treatment for diabetes for over two years.

Diabetes is an inability to balance blood sugar.Reducing carbs manages the problem at the source by preventing blood sugar from rising in the first place, according to Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, a professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine, a US Air Force Reservist, and a marathon runner who has published several studies on keto and diabetes.

Hollis Johnson/INSIDER "The most impactful thing on your blood glucose is the amount of carbs in your diet. The low-carb diet is effective because it lowers the insulin load," Cucuzzella, whois not affiliated with Virta, told Insider in an interview. "Insulin is the master switch."

Medications like insulin can mitigate diabetes symptoms by managing blood sugar levels. But keto can help patients reduce medications, said Dr. Sarah Hallberg, medical director for Virta.

Eating carbohydrates causes blood sugar to rise, but eating fats does not. It means diabetic patients can get their daily calories without needing to use insulin to balance out spiking blood sugar levels.

"Standard treatment puts people on a one-way street of progression for diabetes, with temporary pharmaceutical treatment that will have to be added on to," Hallberg told Insider. "We're able to give people another lane going the other way by bringing blood sugar into non-diabetic range while reducing and eliminating medication."

That doesn't mean keto can cure diabetes.

Virta refers to its treatment as a "reversal" of diabetes. In layman's terms, this means the disease is in remission. The treatment only works as long as the low-carb diet is maintained. As soon as carbs are re-introduced, the same problems with blood sugar and insulin emerge.

A keto diet is any eating plan that pushes the body into a state of ketosis when it begins producing substances called ketones, explained Dr. Ethan Weiss, a cardiologist and founder of a ketone-detecting device. (Weiss previously served as a medical advisor for Virta.)

"Keto" typically refers to eating plans in which a majority of daily calories come from fat, along with some protein and minimal carbs.People with diabetes could cut their carb intake to as low as 30 grams a day and still be healthy.

But the key to medical keto is going beyond counting macronutrients. Instead, it's important to focus onwhole-food sources of fats, cutting carbs without completely eliminating nutrient-rich foods like veggies.

Vietnam war veterans among other guests listen to U.S. President Barack Obama at the Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., May 30, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

It's not clear what long-term health effects the keto diet might have.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group of medical experts who advocate a plant-based diet, sent a letter to VA officials asking them to reconsider the partnership, and keto treatment, based on evidence that a high-fat, low-carb diet could potentially increase risks of diabetes, particularly diets high in saturated fat.

Skeptics have also noted that most of the data showing keto can treat diabetes is based on studies led and funded by Virta itself. There is barely any hard data on keto's health effects beyond two years on the diet.

Hallberg acknowledged the lack of long-term evidence, but said the same problem has plagued nearly every other type of therapeutic diet (with the exception of the Mediterranean diet).

"There's needs to be a hard outcome, long-term trial looking at a variety of eating patterns, no question," she said.

But in the meantime, diabetes continues to be diagnosed in record numbers, particularly among military veterans.

"Do we have 10-20 years to wait for that?We're in the midst of an unprecedented diabetes and obesity epidemic," she said. "We have to do something now."

Read more:

Nutrition experts react to the keto diet's new ranking as one of the worst diets of 2020

There's a Mediterranean version of the keto diet that restricts red meat and trades butter for olive oil

The keto diet makes mice better at fighting the flu another clue about how the high-fat, low-carb plan changes the body

View original post here:
Keto diet is being used by government to treat veterans' diabetes - Insider - INSIDER

Submitted Published 5:02 a.m. ET Feb. 17, 2020

Afterschool children promote the Y's upcoming participation in the major countywide fundraiser, Give Where You Live Collier.(Photo: Photo provided)

As fundraisers go, this one is a biggie for the YMCA of South Collier (Marco Y).

In a nutshell, the Y collects money for a Countywide drive called Give Where You Live Collier, and then gets it back (and then some) by way of matching funds.

The major fundraiser serves 40 pre-selected non-profits (of which the Marco Y is one) that will benefit from the 24-hour fundraiser taking place noon Feb. 19 to 11:59 a.m. Feb. 20.

Aquatics, sports and specialty camps director Morgan Joseph instills the importance of physical activities to some of the Y's early learners (pre-school).(Photo: Photo provided)

The participating organizations do their own fundraising, and money raised is swelled with matching funds from the Community Foundation of Collier County and Richard M. Schultze Family Foundation.

This year, Marco's Y is focusing its campaign on diabetes prevention and supporting its specialty summer camps for diabetic children.

On-site nurse Monica Ramos delights an early learning (pre-school) student by letting her hear heartbeats.(Photo: Photo provided)

Described as a "growing epidemic," diabetes cases (including types 1 and 11) have risen more than 30 percent since 2000, with many more going undiagnosed until a medical crisis occurs.

The Y's development director, Charlie Vickaryous, notes that 2020 will mark the third year that the organization has partnered with Help a Diabetic Child and Core Health Partners to provide the camp.

Depending on money raised, a second camp is envisaged. In addition, the Y will incorporate an extensive diabetes prevention and intervention program into all summer camp sessions, which serve more than 600 children throughout southern Collier County.

The YMCA of South Collier is a major human service organization providing support for all ages and all income levels throughout Southern Collier County, including Marco, Goodland, East Naples, Everglades City and surrounding areas. More than 10,000 people 2,000 of whom are children benefit each year.

For more information, contact Vickaryous at commdev@marcoy.org - or call 394-9622.

Read or Share this story: https://www.marconews.com/story/news/2020/02/17/funds-help-y-focus-diabetes/4771791002/

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Funds will help Y to focus on diabetes - Marco News

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

At the Mississippi Gulf Coast YMCA in Ocean Springs, they are trying to lower that number with their Diabetes Prevention Program.

This program provides a supportive environment where participants work together in a small group to learn about healthier eating and increasing their physical activity in order to reduce their risk for developing diabetes. Community Impact Director Jodi Ryder said, You know, we have such a high incidence of type two diabetes and type two diabetes is preventable. The biggest cause of type two diabetes seems to be linked to lifestyle, not making the right food choices, not getting enough activity, and carrying excess weight.

If you are interested in participating in this class contact the YMCA at 228-875-5050 for more information.

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Diabetes Prevention Program at the Gulf Coast YMCA - WXXV News 25

Women who survive domestic abuse are more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality, which refers to death from any cause, a study has revealed. Researchers found that women in the U.K. who lived through domestic abuse were 31 percent more likely to develop heart disease, and had a 51 percent higher chance of having type 2 diabetes. The participants also had a 44 percent higher risk of dying from any cause. The authors of the study examined data from the medical records of tens of thousands of women in the U.K. who visited doctors between Jan. 1, 1995 and Dec. 1, 2017. They matched the data of 18,547 women who had experienced domestic abuse by age and lifestyle with women who had not suffered from domestic violence.

Domestic abuse was defined as any incident or patterns of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behavior, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. Domestic abuse victims were more likely to drink, at 10.1 percent compared to 3.5 percent in the other group.

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Women Who Survive Domestic Abuse at Higher Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes: Study - The Daily Beast

Is Type 1 diabetes dramatically more common than is widely understood? Thats the contention of Dr. David Leslie, Professor of Diabetes and Immunology at London Universitys Blizard Institute.

In the United States, about 30 million people are said to have diabetes. Of those, about 1 million are diagnosed with Type 1, and the other 29 million are diagnosed with (or suspected of having) Type 2. But is that ratio accurate? Or does it reflect a misunderstanding of the nature of Type 1 diabetes?

Dr. Leslie thinks the real numbers will definitely be different:

The number of people with Type 1 is probably much higher than weve accounted for. That 29 million something like 2 million of them may have undiagnosed Type 1.

The misdiagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is already a known problem. Its easy for doctors to confuse Type 1 with Type 2, especially among adult patients and those displaying some of the indicators of the latter condition, such as obesity. A recent study from the University of Exeter last year showed that 38% of patients with Type 1 diabetes occurring after age 30 were initially treated as Type 2 diabetes, and, even more strikingly, that half of those misdiagnosed were still diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes 13 years later.

According to Dr. Leslie, even these numbers may underreport the problem: In our research, of those adults who presented with [Type 1] diabetes, the ratio of those that did not require insulin, compared to those who did, was about 3:1.

Dr. Leslie is a recognized leader in the world of diabetes research, having served as principal investigator on several major European trials. We were first alerted to his work when a fascinating paper that he authored came across the ASweetLife desk: C-peptide persistence in type 1 diabetes: not drowning, but waving?

The paper, published in the journal BMC Medicine, discusses surprising amount of variance in C-peptide persistence in people with Type 1 diabetes. While it was once thought that everyone with T1D rapidly declined towards zero insulin production, what we now know is that C-peptide persistence varies widely across a spectrum. Most people with T1D retain at least some ability to produce insulin, even after many years, and many retain so much that they havent even been identified as having T1D.

And so the old image of T1D as a disease of the young is gradually getting turned on its head. Various studies have shown that among T1D patients requiring insulin immediately, just as many were diagnosed in adulthood as in childhood. Thats without counting the unknown millions that have a mild or slow-developing form of the disease and have yet to be identified.

Dr. Leslie told me, I see patients every week who are diagnosed in adulthood and are told, Thats it, Type 2, end of story. They dont get the antibodies test. Every week I see people like that. When Dr. Leslie tests them, he will often learn that they do have the autoantibodies that define Type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Leslie explained that it only became evident as late as the 1970s that adults were developing variants of Type 1 diabetes that did not require insulin. In the years since, researchers have begun to identify a bewildering diversity of specific types of Type 1 diabetes, each with their own unique criteria, such as LADA, MODY and SPIDDM. But even while awareness of adult-onset diabetes and these associated conditions has grown, many experts still tend to view Type 1 diabetes through the prism of our old understanding of it as a juvenile or insulin-dependent disease. It was only within the last decade, for example, that the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation officially changed its name to JDRF.

The old stereotypes are still strong. When I was diagnosed (as an adult) I had more than a few people express surprise that it was even possible for an adult to develop T1D. One too-confident acquaintance told me that I was in error, and that I had Type 2. Unfortunately, many on the front lines of diabetes, such as the primary care providers and family doctors that are often the first to see a patient with the symptoms of hyperglycemia, still cling to these old assumptions.

Dr. Leslies contention reminds us that proper diabetes management requires self-examination and self-advocacy. Diabetes is not a disease that allows one to simply accept a doctors prescription uncritically. Patients themselves have the primary responsibility of monitoring their own blood sugar levels and evaluating the success of their medicine, diet, lifestyle and exercise choices.

Sometimes, unfortunately, the need for self-advocacy extends even to question of the diagnosis itself.

Read more from the original source:
Is Type 1 Diabetes Much More Common than We Think? - A Sweet Life

Women who survive domestic abuse are more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, and die of any cause, a study has revealed.

Researchers found women in the U.K. who experienced domestic abuse were 31 percent more likely to develop heart disease, and had a 51 percent higher chance of having type 2 diabetes. The participants were also 44 percent higher risk of what is known as all-cause mortality.

Lead author of the study Dr. Joht Singh Chandan, public health doctor at the University of Warwick and University of Birmingham, told Newsweek "all-cause mortality" refers to death from any cause.

He explained: "So in these records we can't discern the exact cause, we just know the patient had died."

The authors of the paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at data from the medical records of tens of thousands of women in the U.K. who visited doctors between January 1, 1995 and December 1, 2017.

A total of 18,547 women had experienced domestic abuse, and their data was matched by age and lifestyle with four women (72,231 in total) who hadn't experienced domestic violence, to compare their health. The participants were aged 37 on average.

Domestic abuse was defined as "any incident or patterns of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behavior, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality."

Some 27.1 percent of women in the U.K. on average suffer domestic abuse at some point in their lives. In the U.S., one in four women and one in nine men experience some form of intimate partner violence or stalking, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The participants were more likely to come from deprived areas compared with the national U.K. average, and 44.7 percent smoked. Women who experienced domestic abuse were more likely to drink than the other group, at 10.1 percent versus. 3.5 percent.

But domestic abuse survivors were still more likely to have conditions like heart disease and diabetes even when researchers accounted for these variables, suggesting their lifestyles were not the only explanation for higher risk, the team said. More research is needed to understand how to help these women and pinpoint what might explain the link, the authors said.

However, Chandan said the study was limited because cases might not be accurately recorded.

"It is clear that domestic abuse is heavily under-recorded in GP [family doctor] records and so there may be individuals in the control group who have experienced abuse but are miscoded as not experiencing abuse. However, in reality this may mean we are under-estimating the findings," he explained.

Chandan said he wanted to conduct the study because he is both a medical doctor and a volunteer detective for West Midlands Police force in the U.K. "I see lots of survivors of abuse with poor health and wanted to understand why as well as how we can best support them," he said.

Read more:
Women Who Survive Domestic Abuse More Likely to Develop Heart Disease, Diabetes, Die of Any Cause - Newsweek

Grace Lieberman, Cronkite News

Originally Published: February 18, 2020 11:54 a.m.

PHOENIX Cooking equipment at the ready, Mallory Smith stands before a table loaded with fresh greens, nuts and fruit.

Has anyone used the apple slicer before? she asks the dozen people gathered this weekday morning at Native Health. Might take a little bit of practice.

Over the next hour, Smith chopped, mixed and scooped as she demonstrated how to make a chicken Waldorf salad as part of a new class to encourage diabetes-friendly cooking to help diabetics manage their blood sugar.

A lot of people in the Native American community and in the Phoenix community, they get diagnosed with diabetes but arent necessarily educated on it, Smith said. Having this class helps them find out what diabetes is, what kind of foods they can eat with diabetes, what can help them for their overall health.

The 20-week course, which is free and open to anyone, is held morning and evening every Thursday through June 4. Each week, Smith demonstrates a new recipe, and participants go home with free groceries to replicate the dishes at home.

Food for Thought is part of Native Healths diabetes management program for the Native American community. Michelle Hill, a certified diabetes educator at Native Health, said the goal is to show patients that eating properly can be easy, accessible and economical.

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. That includes 695,000 Arizonans or 12.5 percent of the adult population.

Both nationally and in Arizona, Native Americans have the highest rates of the disease, followed by blacks and Hispanics. More than 19 percent of adult Native Americans in the state have been diagnosed, the Arizona Department of Health Services reports.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce any insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In the more common type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. Some people only need to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen to manage the disease, while others might need insulin injections or other medicines.

In order to properly regulate their blood sugar, diabetics are cautioned against eating foods high in processed sugar, such as white bread, sugary cereals and flavored yogurt and drinks. Hill told participants they should not be afraid to eat natural sugar found in whole fruits.

Glorene Barton learned about Food for Thought from her health care providers during a recent appointment at Native Health.

I was asking about snacks, because Im a diabetic and I forgot to bring a snack with me. So she told me about this class that might be interesting for me, Barton said. I learned a few different things about eating and grams and carbs and things of that nature. It was interesting.

Another participant, Marla Wilson, said her son motivates her to keep up with a healthy diet. She thought this program was a great opportunity to learn how.

I have a son whos very health-conscious. So Im sure hell like it, too, because we were just talking about eating more salads and the health benefit, Wilson said.

Participants learned they can test their bodies reaction to new foods by trying them over a few days, then checking their blood sugar levels two hours later each time.

Where it was time to get cooking, with Smith guided the group through the process.

The ingredient that surprised people the most was nonfat yogurt, which was used along with lemon juice to dress the salad. Smith said yogurt is an excellent substitute for less healthful ingredients, such as sour cream.

At the end, participants were able to take home both dry goods and fresh produce funded by the Mobilize AZ project from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

Being diabetic is a very expensive way of being, and so this is a plus, Wilson said. We get what we need to make our dinner tonight.

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Health provider offers cooking classes to address high rates of Native diabetes - Navajo-Hopi Observer

SEATTLE , Feb. 18, 2020 /CNW/ --LumiThera Inc., a commercial stage medical device company delivering photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment for ocular disorders and diseases, today announced it has initiated further studies with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to establish the use of their Photobiomodulation platform in Diabetic Retinopathy (DR).

"Recent research in our labs in both preclinical and clinical areas have indicated potential in treating diabetic edema with PBM," stated Janis Eells , Ph.D., Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee . "Our work shows that early PBM benefits in reducing the detrimental effects of high glucose on retinal cells and early human data is now starting to show benefits in the clinical setting."

DR is the leading cause of blindness in the world. The International Diabetes Foundation 2019 Fact Sheet estimated that globally 463 million people have diabetes now, and future estimates suggest that this number will increase to 578 million by the year 2030.

"We have been working with Dr. Eells and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on our dry AMD research and the work in DR and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a logical extension of our PBM platform," stated Clark E. Tedford , Ph.D., President and CEO of LumiThera, Inc. "The results from Dr. Eell's lab point to the multiple cellular benefits of treating the disease early and PBM would be an alternative approach for treatment of early disease."

LumiThera was granted a CE mark to commercialize the Valeda System in European Union for the treatment of ocular diseases including dry AMD.The company previously announced that the National Institutes of Health and division of the National Eye Institute have provided a $2.5M grant to support the LIGHTSITE II multi-center clinical trial to lead to U.S. approval for dry AMD.The Company is enrolling two multi-center trials, one in European Union and one in the US for dry AMD. The entry into DME provides a second major ocular disease platform for the Valeda system.

"We are excited to be involved in the development of Valeda for both non-neovascular (dry) AMD and DME. We are currently enrolling patients in the LIGHTSITE III study and believe that PBM could be an even bigger platform for DME," remarked Quan Dong Nguyen , M.D., M.Sc. and Diana V. Do, M.D., Professors of Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University . "DME is the leading cause of functional vision loss among working adults worldwide. Treatments with intravitreal injections of pharmacologic agents are effective but can be costly and invasive. PBM could provide a significant improvement to the current practices with its non-invasive approach."

"I am continually impressed with the scientific foundation that LumiThera is building for PBM with collaborations in both preclinical and clinical research," stated David Boyer , M.D., Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group. "The benefits for PBM on multiple critical cellular pathways involved in the disease etiology in preclinical work is now being evaluated in the clinical setting and could change the way we address chronic disease that leads to blindness."

Visit the Company's website at http://www.lumithera.com.

About LumiThera Inc.LumiThera is a commercial-stage medical device company focused on treating people affected by ocular disorders and diseases including dry AMD, a leading cause of blindness in adults over 65 and DR, the leading cause of blindness in the world. The company is a leader in the use of PBM for treatment of acute and chronic ocular diseases and disorders. The company is developing the office-based Valeda Light Delivery System to be used by eye care specialists for medical treatment.

The Valeda Light Delivery System has been granted authorization to use the CE Mark by an EU Notified Body as required for commercial use in the European Economic Area only. Valeda is not approved for use by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA .

2020 LumiThera, Inc., All rights reserved.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lumithera-to-expand-research-into-diabetic-retinopathy-for-valeda-light-delivery-system-301006356.html

SOURCE LumiThera Inc.

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2020/18/c7986.html

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