A Kansas State University geography professor is using satellite imagery to research how land use and land cover changes affect human health and food security.
Doug Goodin uses remote sensing, in combination with other types of data, to monitor and forecast the spread of infectious disease. Goodin and other scientists recently discussed this subject at the workshop, "Contributions of Remote Sensing for Decisions about Human Welfare," sponsored by the National Academies of Science in Washington, D.C.
According to Goodin, there is a confluence of change currently taking place across the globe. The world's population is steadily increasing, the global climate is changing and global ecology is being altered. All are thought to be related to the emergence of new diseases or re-emergence of old diseases, he said.
"One of the new paradigms for looking at this kind of thing is that we try to understand the disease as not just something that affects the human being," Goodin said. "We also try to understand its ecological context, its physical context and also its social context because there are certainly social human factors in any kind of disease."
Goodin said one reason for current interest in remote sensing is because it allows researchers to measure or note changes in the delicate balance of ecological systems. He is using the technology to study the re-emergence of hantavirus in the South American country of Paraguay.
The deadly rodent-borne virus is fatal 30 percent to 50 percent of the time in humans.
"By using remote sensing technology, we've been able to understand how human beings have changed the landscape the mice live in," Goodin said. "It forces different kinds of behavior for the mice. It brings them, perhaps, more in contact with each other, so the disease spreads horizontally in the rodent population, and more in contact with people, so there is a greater chance humans can contract this disease."
Goodin said the reoccurrence of the hantavirus, which re-emerged in the 1990s in United States, is evidence of the delicate balance of ecological systems and the possibility of disease to emerge or re-emerge when those systems are altered. He chose Paraguay to conduct his study because it is one place where there has been significant occurrence of the disease and also because there are several hantaviruses circulating there.
"Even though it is a relatively small country, Paraguay is a country with tremendous ecological contrast," Goodin said.
Goodin attributes the rapid deforestation of Paraguay's rain forest, the Atlantic forest, as a cause for the landscape changes. He said the Atlantic forest is more of a biodiversity hot spot than the more famous Amazon forest. He said the forest is rapidly disappearing because people need the land.
According to Goodin, remote sensing technology also can be used to reduce sickness related to poor water quality, such as diarrhea.
"That is something we can observe with remote sensing," Goodin said. "We can actually look at water bodies; we also can look at the context to see where pollutants in water are coming from. Armed with that kind of knowledge, we can actually suggest how try to eliminate these problems."
Goodin's research project is sponsored in part by the National Institutes of Health through the Southern Research Institute for $1.6 million over a four-year period. NASA also has co-sponsored the research for approximately $40,000 through its Space Grant Program.
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
'Tiny Radio Antennas' Under Skin Could Act As Remote Sensors Of Humans' Emotional, Physiological State
Scientists at the department of Applied Physics of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a method for remote sensing of the physiological and emotional state of human beings.
The researchers believe the discovery could theoretically help remotely monitor medical patients, evaluate athletic performance, diagnose disease and remotely sense the level of excitation – which could have significant implications for technology in the biomedical engineering, anti-terror and security technology fields.
The key is in the surprising shape of human sweat ducts. Professors Yuri Feldman and Aharon Agranat together with Dr. Alexander Puzenko, Dr. Andreas Caduff and PhD student Paul Ben-Ishai have discovered that the human skin is structured as an array of minute antennas that operate in the “Sub Terahertz” frequency range.
This discovery is based on investigations of the internal layers of the skin that were undertaken using a new imaging technique called “Optical Coherent Tomography”. Images produced by this technique revealed that the sweat ducts, which are the tubes that lead the sweat from the sweat gland to the surface of the skin, are shaped as tiny coils. Similar helical structures with much larger dimensions have been used widely in as antennas in wireless communication systems. This made the investigators consider the possibility that the sweat ducts could behave like tiny helical antennas as well.
In a series of experiments, the team measured the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the palm skin at the frequency range between 75GHz and 110GHz. It was found that the level of the reflected intensity depends strongly on the level of activity of the perspiration system. In particular, it was found that the reflected signal is very different if measured in a subject that was relaxed, and if measured in a subject following intense physical activity.
In a second set of measurements it was found that during the period of return to the relaxed state, the reflected signal was strongly correlated with changes in the blood pressure and the pulse rate that were measured simultaneously.
The initial results of the research were published last week in the prestigious scientific journal The Physical Review Letters. The publication aroused significant interest among scientists, physicians and science writers.
The researchers emphasize however, that the research is still in its initial stages and as they “sail in unsheltered water” it will take some time before the full significance of the research is understood and its technological potential is fully evaluated.
The invention has been patented and commercialized by Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The researchers believe the discovery could theoretically help remotely monitor medical patients, evaluate athletic performance, diagnose disease and remotely sense the level of excitation – which could have significant implications for technology in the biomedical engineering, anti-terror and security technology fields.
The key is in the surprising shape of human sweat ducts. Professors Yuri Feldman and Aharon Agranat together with Dr. Alexander Puzenko, Dr. Andreas Caduff and PhD student Paul Ben-Ishai have discovered that the human skin is structured as an array of minute antennas that operate in the “Sub Terahertz” frequency range.
This discovery is based on investigations of the internal layers of the skin that were undertaken using a new imaging technique called “Optical Coherent Tomography”. Images produced by this technique revealed that the sweat ducts, which are the tubes that lead the sweat from the sweat gland to the surface of the skin, are shaped as tiny coils. Similar helical structures with much larger dimensions have been used widely in as antennas in wireless communication systems. This made the investigators consider the possibility that the sweat ducts could behave like tiny helical antennas as well.
In a series of experiments, the team measured the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the palm skin at the frequency range between 75GHz and 110GHz. It was found that the level of the reflected intensity depends strongly on the level of activity of the perspiration system. In particular, it was found that the reflected signal is very different if measured in a subject that was relaxed, and if measured in a subject following intense physical activity.
In a second set of measurements it was found that during the period of return to the relaxed state, the reflected signal was strongly correlated with changes in the blood pressure and the pulse rate that were measured simultaneously.
The initial results of the research were published last week in the prestigious scientific journal The Physical Review Letters. The publication aroused significant interest among scientists, physicians and science writers.
The researchers emphasize however, that the research is still in its initial stages and as they “sail in unsheltered water” it will take some time before the full significance of the research is understood and its technological potential is fully evaluated.
The invention has been patented and commercialized by Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Brain Scans Show Early Alzheimer's Disease In People With Memory Problems
Brain scans of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show signs of early Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the May 8, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, PET scans were performed on the brains of 13 elderly men and women with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 14 elderly people without memory problems. The scans were used to measure uptake of PIB, which is an imaging agent that allows doctors to see and measure abnormal protein aggregation growth, otherwise known as amyloid plaque, in the brain. Abnormal protein aggregation growth is a signature of Alzheimer's disease. Until recently, Alzheimer's disease couldn't be officially diagnosed until after death with an autopsy.
The study found people with MCI had as much as 39 percent more PIB uptake in some parts of the brain than people without MCI. And about half of the MCI patients had PIB uptake in the Alzheimer's disease range.
"This pattern of increased PIB in patients with MCI resembles what's seen in Alzheimer's disease and is suggestive of an early Alzheimer's disease process," said study author Juha O. Rinne, MD, PhD, with the University of Turku in Turku, Finland, and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Our findings are similar to what's seen in post-mortem studies in which abnormal protein aggregation growth is found in people who had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease."
Rinne says larger studies and extended follow-up is needed since identifying people with MCI who have abnormal protein aggregation growth will become increasingly important as treatments affecting such plaque amyloid accumulation become available.
The study was supported by Turku University Hospital, the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Research Foundation of Orion Corporation, the Research Council for Health of the Academy of Finland, and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by American Academy
For the study, PET scans were performed on the brains of 13 elderly men and women with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 14 elderly people without memory problems. The scans were used to measure uptake of PIB, which is an imaging agent that allows doctors to see and measure abnormal protein aggregation growth, otherwise known as amyloid plaque, in the brain. Abnormal protein aggregation growth is a signature of Alzheimer's disease. Until recently, Alzheimer's disease couldn't be officially diagnosed until after death with an autopsy.
The study found people with MCI had as much as 39 percent more PIB uptake in some parts of the brain than people without MCI. And about half of the MCI patients had PIB uptake in the Alzheimer's disease range.
"This pattern of increased PIB in patients with MCI resembles what's seen in Alzheimer's disease and is suggestive of an early Alzheimer's disease process," said study author Juha O. Rinne, MD, PhD, with the University of Turku in Turku, Finland, and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Our findings are similar to what's seen in post-mortem studies in which abnormal protein aggregation growth is found in people who had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease."
Rinne says larger studies and extended follow-up is needed since identifying people with MCI who have abnormal protein aggregation growth will become increasingly important as treatments affecting such plaque amyloid accumulation become available.
The study was supported by Turku University Hospital, the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Research Foundation of Orion Corporation, the Research Council for Health of the Academy of Finland, and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by American Academy
Study Confirms Imaging Compound Identifies Amyloid-beta In Human Brain
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has confirmed that the imaging agent Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) binds to the protein in amyloid plaques that characterize Alzheimer's disease in the human brain. Their report in the March Archives of Neurology describes the first postmortem neuropathological study of a dementia patient who had previously participated in a PET imaging study using PiB.
"This report is an essential validation of the use of PET imaging with PiB to identify amyloid-beta deposits in the brain and as a marker of disease progression that could be used to track the benefit of new treatments," says John Growdon, MD, director of the MGH Memory Disorders Unit, the paper's senior author. "It also indicates that the interpretation of PiB PET scanning needs to be done in the context of a patient's clinical symptoms and other diagnostic studies."
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by plaques within the brain of amyloid-beta protein, which is toxic to brain cells. Previous studies have shown that PiB, invented by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, binds to amyloid-beta in the brains of mice and can be detected by PET scan in the brains of human patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease. But since a definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis can be made only on autopsy, there had been no confirmation that PiB in human brains was detecting amyloid-beta deposits.
The Archives of Neurology report describes the case of an elderly man with symptoms that could indicate several neurological disorders. He was evaluated numerous times over a period of three years, including a standard PET scan that produced results suggesting Alzheimer's disease. His eventual diagnosis was dementia with Lewy bodies, a condition that can exist along with Alzheimer's. He also enrolled in a research study involving PiB imaging, and the results of his scan showed the imaging compound had been taken up throughout the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain. Three months after participating in the imaging study, the patient died at the age of 76 following a head injury, and an autopsy was performed.
The autopsy confirmed the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies and had several findings characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. While some plaques that typify Alzheimer's were seen, most amyloid-beta was found in the walls of blood vessels, a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
"The distribution of amyloid seen at autopsy matched the overall distribution seen in the PiB imaging study; levels were higher in the cerebral cortex than in other areas of the brain," says Matthew Frosch, MD, PhD, of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (MGH-MIND), a study co-author. "Features of Alzheimer's pathology, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, were observed, but not at a level that would support a separate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease."
The researchers note that, while their results confirm that uptake of PiB indicates the presence of amyloid in the brain, a positive PiB PET scan cannot be equated with a definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis. "About 15 percent of control participants in previous PiB studies, people with no cognitive impairment, had some level of PiB uptake," says Brian Bacskai, PhD, of MGH-MIND, the paper's lead author. "Some participants who probably had Alzheimer's had low uptake, and uptake levels varied for those with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Once a safe and effective drug for removing amyloid from the brain or preventing its accumulation is developed, it will be important to see how closely PiB PET scans can track those effects."
Additional co-authors of the Archives of Neurology report are Stefanie Freeman, MD, Scott Raymond, Jean Augustinack, PhD, Keith Johnson, MD, Michael Irizarry, MD, and Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD, of the MGH; William Klunk, MD, PhD, and Chester Mathis, PhD, of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the co-inventors of PiB; and Steven DeKosky, MD, also of the University of Pittsburgh. The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Reseach Center, and the MGH/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research
"This report is an essential validation of the use of PET imaging with PiB to identify amyloid-beta deposits in the brain and as a marker of disease progression that could be used to track the benefit of new treatments," says John Growdon, MD, director of the MGH Memory Disorders Unit, the paper's senior author. "It also indicates that the interpretation of PiB PET scanning needs to be done in the context of a patient's clinical symptoms and other diagnostic studies."
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by plaques within the brain of amyloid-beta protein, which is toxic to brain cells. Previous studies have shown that PiB, invented by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, binds to amyloid-beta in the brains of mice and can be detected by PET scan in the brains of human patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease. But since a definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis can be made only on autopsy, there had been no confirmation that PiB in human brains was detecting amyloid-beta deposits.
The Archives of Neurology report describes the case of an elderly man with symptoms that could indicate several neurological disorders. He was evaluated numerous times over a period of three years, including a standard PET scan that produced results suggesting Alzheimer's disease. His eventual diagnosis was dementia with Lewy bodies, a condition that can exist along with Alzheimer's. He also enrolled in a research study involving PiB imaging, and the results of his scan showed the imaging compound had been taken up throughout the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain. Three months after participating in the imaging study, the patient died at the age of 76 following a head injury, and an autopsy was performed.
The autopsy confirmed the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies and had several findings characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. While some plaques that typify Alzheimer's were seen, most amyloid-beta was found in the walls of blood vessels, a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
"The distribution of amyloid seen at autopsy matched the overall distribution seen in the PiB imaging study; levels were higher in the cerebral cortex than in other areas of the brain," says Matthew Frosch, MD, PhD, of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (MGH-MIND), a study co-author. "Features of Alzheimer's pathology, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, were observed, but not at a level that would support a separate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease."
The researchers note that, while their results confirm that uptake of PiB indicates the presence of amyloid in the brain, a positive PiB PET scan cannot be equated with a definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis. "About 15 percent of control participants in previous PiB studies, people with no cognitive impairment, had some level of PiB uptake," says Brian Bacskai, PhD, of MGH-MIND, the paper's lead author. "Some participants who probably had Alzheimer's had low uptake, and uptake levels varied for those with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Once a safe and effective drug for removing amyloid from the brain or preventing its accumulation is developed, it will be important to see how closely PiB PET scans can track those effects."
Additional co-authors of the Archives of Neurology report are Stefanie Freeman, MD, Scott Raymond, Jean Augustinack, PhD, Keith Johnson, MD, Michael Irizarry, MD, and Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD, of the MGH; William Klunk, MD, PhD, and Chester Mathis, PhD, of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the co-inventors of PiB; and Steven DeKosky, MD, also of the University of Pittsburgh. The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Reseach Center, and the MGH/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research
New Compound Identifies Alzheimer's Disease Brain Toxins, Study Shows
A groundbreaking study conducted by University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's disease researchers reported in the journal Brain confirms that Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB) binds to the telltale beta-amyloid deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The finding is a significant step toward enabling clinicians to provide a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in living patients.
Until now, the beta-amyloid deposits to which PiB binds have been confirmed, without question, only in the autopsied brains of patients afflicted with Alzheimer's. The new findings, which correlate PiB-identified beta-amyloid deposits from living patients to their post-mortem autopsy results, will ultimately aid in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, help clinicians monitor the progression of the disease and further the development of potential treatments.
"This is final confirmation of what we have believed all along -- that Pittsburgh Compound-B allows us to accurately assess the amount of beta-amyloid plaques in brains of people afflicted with Alzheimer's," said senior author Steven DeKosky, M.D., professor of neurology, psychiatry, neurobiology and human genetics and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
Invented and developed by Pitt researchers Chester Mathis, Ph.D., professor of radiology and pharmaceutical sciences, and William Klunk, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neurology, PiB is a radioactive compound that, when coupled with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, can be injected into the bloodstream to enable researchers to visualize the brains of people with the memory-stealing illness and see the location and distribution of the beta-amyloid plaque deposits associated with Alzheimer's. The distinguishing factor between Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is the presence of these amyloid plaques, which are thought to kill brain cells.
In the study, a 63-year-old woman with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's underwent PiB PET imaging. The PET scan showed significant retention of PiB in distinct regions of her brain. Upon her death 10 months later, her autopsied brain was analyzed using histological and biochemical assays to detect a variety of amyloid deposits, including the beta-amyloid plaques. The regions of her brain where the PET scans had identified the highest PiB levels before death correlated precisely with the regions of high beta-amyloid plaque concentrations in her autopsied brain.
Beta-amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, are just one type of amyloid structure that can be found in diseased brains. However, other forms of amyloid are not thought to be specific for Alzheimer's, or they have significantly different roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. To further validate the binding properties of PiB to beta-amyloid and the presence of Alzheimer's disease, sophisticated laboratory studies were performed on the autopsied brains of 27 other patients with confirmed Alzheimer's disease.
"In every subject, and with each test that we performed, our results supported the idea that PiB binds almost exclusively to beta-amyloid, which means that we can, with confidence, look to PiB to indicate the troublesome beta-amyloid deposits in brains of living patients," said the lead author Milos Ikonomovic, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.
"This patient who selflessly and generously agreed to PiB PET scanning and who gave us the gift of her brain has enabled us to compare what we detected during her life to what we confirmed after her death. The findings from our study of her brain, coupled with the further confirmation of the other 27 brains, tell us without a doubt that PiB binds to beta-amyloid and that it is a reliable indicator of the presence of Alzheimer's disease in those who are suffering its cruel effects," said Dr. Klunk.
"This work is an important step forward in the development of new tools for both research and clinical care," noted Neil Buckholtz, Ph.D., chief of the Dementias of Aging Branch of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, which supported the study. "It provides additional evidence validating the use of PiB to identify beta-amyloid deposits in living individuals and advancing the potential use of PiB as an outcome measure in clinical trials of anti-beta-amyloid therapeutics."
It is estimated that up to 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's, including 50 percent of those older than age 85 and 10 percent of those over age 65. The number of those affected is expected to triple over the next 50 years.
Journal reference: Post-mortem correlates of in vivo PiB-PET amyloid imaging in a typical case of Alzheimer's disease. Brain. Advance Access published online on March 12, 2008 Brain, doi:10.1093/brain/awn016
In addition to Drs. DeKosky, Ikonomovic, Klunk and Mathis, the research team included Eric Abrahamson, Ph.D., Julie Price, Ph.D., Nicholas Tsopelas, M.D., Brian Lopresti, B.S., Scott Ziolko, B.S., Wenzhu Bi, B.S., William Paljug, M.Sc., Manik Debnath, M.S., Caroline Hope, M.Sc., Barbara Isanski, M.Sc., and Ronald Hamilton, M.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer's Association, The U.S. Department of Energy and the Dana Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences.
New Anti-cancer Agent Can Overcome Resistance To Drugs, Says Study
A new anti-cancer agent that targets breast cancer can overcome resistance to cancer drugs, according to a new study. Many tumours that are initially responsive to chemotherapy can develop resistance to it, allowing the cancer to progress. Studies have shown that one of the key reasons for the development of resistance is a protein pump called P-glycoprotein. Resistant cancer cells express P-glycoprotein and this removes anti-cancer drugs from the cell before they are able to kill the cell.
The new study shows that P-glycoprotein is not able to remove a recently identified anti-cancer agent known as STX140 from cancer cells. STX140 works by stimulating a natural cell suicide process and is able to kill cancer cells which express the P-glycoprotein pump.
For the new study, mice with drug-resistant tumours were given either STX140 or a currently used clinical drug, Taxol, for 28 days. The drug-resistant tumours shrank in size in response to STX140 whereas the drug-resistant tumours treated with Taxol continued to increase in size.
Dr Simon Newman, lead author of the paper* from the Oncology Drug Discovery and Women's Health Group at Imperial College London, said: "Whilst the research is still at a very early stage the results of our studies show that STX140 may, in the future, have a role to play in difficult to treat advanced drug-resistant breast cancer.
"STX140 is potentially a very exciting new drug as it may be given by the oral route at regular intervals, and, as this new study has shown, it can target tumours which are resistant to many currently used anti-cancer drugs. However, before STX140 can progress to the clinic numerous further studies will have to be undertaken to ensure the safety of this exciting compound," Added Dr Newman.
*Journal reference: Clinical Cancer Research 2008 Jan 15; 14(2): 597-606.
The new study shows that P-glycoprotein is not able to remove a recently identified anti-cancer agent known as STX140 from cancer cells. STX140 works by stimulating a natural cell suicide process and is able to kill cancer cells which express the P-glycoprotein pump.
For the new study, mice with drug-resistant tumours were given either STX140 or a currently used clinical drug, Taxol, for 28 days. The drug-resistant tumours shrank in size in response to STX140 whereas the drug-resistant tumours treated with Taxol continued to increase in size.
Dr Simon Newman, lead author of the paper* from the Oncology Drug Discovery and Women's Health Group at Imperial College London, said: "Whilst the research is still at a very early stage the results of our studies show that STX140 may, in the future, have a role to play in difficult to treat advanced drug-resistant breast cancer.
"STX140 is potentially a very exciting new drug as it may be given by the oral route at regular intervals, and, as this new study has shown, it can target tumours which are resistant to many currently used anti-cancer drugs. However, before STX140 can progress to the clinic numerous further studies will have to be undertaken to ensure the safety of this exciting compound," Added Dr Newman.
*Journal reference: Clinical Cancer Research 2008 Jan 15; 14(2): 597-606.
Treatment Gives Lung Cancer Patients With Inoperable Tumors Two Years Or More, Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2008) — Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)—an interventional treatment that “cooks” and kills lung cancer tumors with heat—greatly improves survival time from primary or metastatic inoperable lung tumors, according to a new study. Of the 244 patients suffering from lung metastases (195 patients) or primary non-small cell lung cancer (49 patients), 70 percent were still alive at two years, including 72 percent for lung metastases and 64 percent for primary lung cancer.
These survival results are similar to surgical results from other studies, but the interventional treatment is less invasive and has far fewer side effects and less recovery time. The researchers found that RFA often can completely destroy the primary tumor and, therefore, extend a patient’s survival and greatly improve his or her quality of life. Survival thus becomes dependent on the extent of disease elsewhere in the body.
Of the 49 patients (ages 27–85) with non-small cell primary lung cancer who were treated with RFA, 85 percent had no viable lung tumors after one year on imaging, and 77 percent had no viable lung tumors after two years, which indicates a cure. This study was conducted in tumors four centimeters in diameter or smaller, and even better results were obtained for tumors smaller than two centimeters.
“About two-thirds of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer are ineligible for surgery and typically have less than 12 months to live. A subset of these patients ineligible for surgery can be treated with RFA with the intention of curing the primary tumor. Thus, 70 percent of my patients gained at least another two years. This new outpatient treatment is effective, allowing us to treat patients who historically have only palliative options, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” said Thierry de Baere, M.D., interventional radiologist with the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France.
These results are similar to studies in the United States and add to the growing body of evidence for RFA in extending survival time.
RFA is effective for local control of lung cancer, providing an attractive option for patients who may not be ideal surgical candidates, who wish to avoid conventional surgery or who have failed conventional treatments. A trial is needed to define if RFA can replace surgery in a subset of patients.
By the time lung cancer becomes symptomatic, 85 percent of patients are incurable, often due to serious coexisting health conditions or poor respiratory function. Most patients who are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer are not surgical candidates at the time of diagnosis. For these patients, minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures can improve survival, reduce pain and improve quality of life. Interventional radiologists are uniquely skilled in using imaging guidance to deliver targeted cancer treatments throughout the body.
Radiofrequency energy can be given without affecting a patient’s overall health, and most people can resume their usual activities in a few days. It is a safe, minimally invasive tool for local pulmonary tumor control with negligible mortality, little morbidity, short hospital stay and positive gain in quality of life. Lung function is generally better preserved after RFA than after surgical removal of a tumor. This is especially important for those whose ability to breathe is impaired, such as current or former cigarette smokers. It can also be repeated if necessary or combined with other treatment options.
Interventional radiologists work closely with the oncology and surgical specialists to plan the best treatment plan for cancer patients. The treatment is widely available in the United States at all major institutions and some smaller institutions as well. It is usually covered by health insurance.
About Lung Cancer
The lung is the most common site for primary cancer worldwide, and smoking tobacco is the leading risk factor. Last year, the American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 213,380 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed, accounting for 15 percent of all new cancer cases. More Americans die each year from lung cancer than from breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined.
About Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
During the procedure, an interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumor, generally by computed tomography (CT). Radiofrequency (electrical) energy is transmitted to the tip of the needle where it produces heat in the tissues. The dead tumor tissue shrinks and slowly forms a scar. At the same time, heat from radiofrequency energy closes small blood vessels and lessens the risk of bleeding. RFA usually causes little discomfort.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RFA for the treatment of tumors in soft tissue that includes the lung.
About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-rays, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology.
Today many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery.
The study “Long-term Follow-up After Percutaneous Pulmonary Radiofrequency Ablation” was presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting on March 17, 2008.
Adapted from materials provided by Society of Interventional Radiology.
These survival results are similar to surgical results from other studies, but the interventional treatment is less invasive and has far fewer side effects and less recovery time. The researchers found that RFA often can completely destroy the primary tumor and, therefore, extend a patient’s survival and greatly improve his or her quality of life. Survival thus becomes dependent on the extent of disease elsewhere in the body.
Of the 49 patients (ages 27–85) with non-small cell primary lung cancer who were treated with RFA, 85 percent had no viable lung tumors after one year on imaging, and 77 percent had no viable lung tumors after two years, which indicates a cure. This study was conducted in tumors four centimeters in diameter or smaller, and even better results were obtained for tumors smaller than two centimeters.
“About two-thirds of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer are ineligible for surgery and typically have less than 12 months to live. A subset of these patients ineligible for surgery can be treated with RFA with the intention of curing the primary tumor. Thus, 70 percent of my patients gained at least another two years. This new outpatient treatment is effective, allowing us to treat patients who historically have only palliative options, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” said Thierry de Baere, M.D., interventional radiologist with the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France.
These results are similar to studies in the United States and add to the growing body of evidence for RFA in extending survival time.
RFA is effective for local control of lung cancer, providing an attractive option for patients who may not be ideal surgical candidates, who wish to avoid conventional surgery or who have failed conventional treatments. A trial is needed to define if RFA can replace surgery in a subset of patients.
By the time lung cancer becomes symptomatic, 85 percent of patients are incurable, often due to serious coexisting health conditions or poor respiratory function. Most patients who are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer are not surgical candidates at the time of diagnosis. For these patients, minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures can improve survival, reduce pain and improve quality of life. Interventional radiologists are uniquely skilled in using imaging guidance to deliver targeted cancer treatments throughout the body.
Radiofrequency energy can be given without affecting a patient’s overall health, and most people can resume their usual activities in a few days. It is a safe, minimally invasive tool for local pulmonary tumor control with negligible mortality, little morbidity, short hospital stay and positive gain in quality of life. Lung function is generally better preserved after RFA than after surgical removal of a tumor. This is especially important for those whose ability to breathe is impaired, such as current or former cigarette smokers. It can also be repeated if necessary or combined with other treatment options.
Interventional radiologists work closely with the oncology and surgical specialists to plan the best treatment plan for cancer patients. The treatment is widely available in the United States at all major institutions and some smaller institutions as well. It is usually covered by health insurance.
About Lung Cancer
The lung is the most common site for primary cancer worldwide, and smoking tobacco is the leading risk factor. Last year, the American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 213,380 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed, accounting for 15 percent of all new cancer cases. More Americans die each year from lung cancer than from breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined.
About Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
During the procedure, an interventional radiologist guides a small needle through the skin into the tumor, generally by computed tomography (CT). Radiofrequency (electrical) energy is transmitted to the tip of the needle where it produces heat in the tissues. The dead tumor tissue shrinks and slowly forms a scar. At the same time, heat from radiofrequency energy closes small blood vessels and lessens the risk of bleeding. RFA usually causes little discomfort.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RFA for the treatment of tumors in soft tissue that includes the lung.
About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-rays, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology.
Today many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery.
The study “Long-term Follow-up After Percutaneous Pulmonary Radiofrequency Ablation” was presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting on March 17, 2008.
Adapted from materials provided by Society of Interventional Radiology.
A MicroRNA Molecule Can Reduce Lung Cancer Growth, Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Mar. 23, 2008) — A small RNA molecule, known as let-7 microRNA (miRNA), substantially reduced cancer growth in multiple mouse models of lung cancer, according to work by researchers at Yale University and Asuragen, Inc., published in the journal Cell Cycle.
Cancer afflicts 1.5 million people a year in the United States alone, and lung cancer is the most common and deadly form of cancer worldwide. This study indicates a direct role for a miRNA in cancer progression and introduces a new paradigm of using miRNAs as effective therapeutic agents to treat human cancer.
"We believe this is the first report of a miRNA being used to a beneficial effect on any cancer, let alone lung cancers, the deadliest of all cancers worldwide," said senior author Frank Slack, associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale.
Slack's research group initially discovered the let-7 miRNA in C. elegans, a tiny worm used as a model system for studying how organisms develop, grow and age. They went on to show that in humans, let-7 negatively regulates a well-known determinant of human lung cancers, the RAS oncogene.
In collaboration with scientists at Asuragen, the Slack lab has studied the tumor suppressor activity of this small RNA. Their work revealed that let-7 is commonly present at substantially reduced levels in lung tumors -- and that reduced levels of let-7 likely contribute to the development of the tumors. These discoveries focused public attention and research efforts to understand the potential use of naturally occurring microRNAs like let-7 to combat cancer.
This new work demonstrates that let-7 inhibits the growth of lung cancer cells in culture and in lung tumors in mice. They also showed that let-7 can be applied as an intranasal drug to reduce tumor formation in a RAS mouse model lung cancer.
"We believe that our studies provide the first direct evidence in mammals, that let-7 functions as a tumor suppressor gene," said Slack. "Because multiple cell lines and mouse models of lung cancer were used, it appears that therapeutic application of let-7 may provide benefits to a broad group of lung cancer patients."
"This has been a very productive industry-academic collaboration between Yale and Asuragen scientists" commented Matt Winkler CEO of Asuragen. "This work provides further evidence of the importance of miRNAs in the development of cancer and provides additional support for miRNA replacement therapy as an important component of effective cancer treatment regimens of the future."
Other authors on the paper were Aurora Esquela-Kerscher, Phong Trang and Joanne Weidhaas at Yale; Jason Wiggins, Lubna Patrawala, David Brown and Andreas Bader at Asuragen, Inc.; Angie Cheng and Lance Ford at Ambion, Inc. The work was funded by a grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health and fellowships from the National Institutes of Health.
Citation: Cell Cycle (March 15, 2008).
Adapted from materials provided by Yale University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Important Markers Of High Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Identified
Doctors are aware of a range of risk factors, mostly related to the patients’ family history, overweight, and lifestyle, that contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now researchers at the University of Warwick have found markers that indicate endothelial dysfunction (changes in the cells which line the blood vessels) and sub-clinical systemic inflammation can also help identify a far greater number of people at high risk for future development of type 2 diabetes.
In a study led by Dr Saverio Stranges, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, the team looked at a protein called E-selectin, whose presence is an indication of endothelial dysfunction, white blood cell count and levels of albumin, which are marker for sub-clinical systemic inflammation.
They found high levels of E-selectin and white blood cell count with low levels of serum albumin were clear predictors of high risk for type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that traditional risk factors such as obesity or family history helped identify 65% of all patients who were at high risk of developing type 2diabetes. But when the information from these three markers was added this increased from 65% to 73% which means doctors could be able to spot a greater number of people at risk of type 2 diabetes at an early stage.
The research used data taken from the Western New York Health Study. This was a six-year longitudinal study of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors among residents of Erie and Niagara Counties, New York.
Dr Stranges said: "High levels of E-selectin and white blood cells with low levels of serum albumin can indicate endothelial dysfunction and sub-clinical systemic inflammation. These findings corroborate the notion that both these conditions play an important role in the development of the disease. Endothelial dysfunction is also regarded as a key event in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Finding new markers for type 2 diabetes will help us gain a greater understanding of the condition and possibly open up new possibilities for the way we prevent and treat it."
Additional contributors to the study were Professor Richard Donahue (Principal Investigator of the Study) and Drs Lisa Rafalson and Karol Rejman, from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA; Dr Jacek Dmochowski from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC, USA; Professor Maurizio Trevisan from the University of Nevada Health Sciences System, Las Vegas, NV, USA; and Professor Russell Tracy, from the Department of Pathology and Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
This study is available online. It will also be published in the June issue of Obesity, Nature Publishing Group.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Warwick.
Diabetes Drugs May Be Related To Fracture Risk
A widely used class of diabetes medications appears to be associated with an increased risk for fractures, according to a new article."The insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinediones are a relatively new and effective class of oral antidiabetic agents that have gained wide use in clinical conditions characterized by insulin resistance," the authors write as background information in the article. Two drugs in this category, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, account for 21 percent of oral diabetes medications prescribed in the United States and 5 percent of those in Europe. Recent studies have suggested that these therapies may have unfavorable effects on bone, resulting in slower bone formation and faster bone loss.
Christian Meier, M.D., of University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues studied 1,020 patients with diabetes who had fractures diagnosed at British general practitioners' offices between 1994 and 2005. For each of those patients, up to four control patients with diabetes who were the same age and sex and had the same physician but did not have fractures were selected, for a total of 3,728 matched controls.
After adjusting for other risk factors, individuals who were currently taking rosiglitazone and pioglitazone had approximately double or triple the odds of hip and other non-spine fractures than those who did not take these drugs. The odds for fracture were increased among patients who took the drugs for approximately 12 to 18 months and the risk was highest for those with two or more years of therapy.
"This analysis provides further evidence of a possible association between long-term use of thiazolidinediones and fractures, particularly of the hip and wrist, in patients with diabetes mellitus," the authors conclude. "No such effect was seen for other antidiabetic drugs in this study population. These findings, although they are consistent with recently reported data from a randomized trial, are based on relatively few thiazolidinedione-exposed patients and need to be confirmed by additional observational studies and by controlled clinical trials."
Journal reference: Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[8]:820-825.
Christian Meier, M.D., of University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues studied 1,020 patients with diabetes who had fractures diagnosed at British general practitioners' offices between 1994 and 2005. For each of those patients, up to four control patients with diabetes who were the same age and sex and had the same physician but did not have fractures were selected, for a total of 3,728 matched controls.
After adjusting for other risk factors, individuals who were currently taking rosiglitazone and pioglitazone had approximately double or triple the odds of hip and other non-spine fractures than those who did not take these drugs. The odds for fracture were increased among patients who took the drugs for approximately 12 to 18 months and the risk was highest for those with two or more years of therapy.
"This analysis provides further evidence of a possible association between long-term use of thiazolidinediones and fractures, particularly of the hip and wrist, in patients with diabetes mellitus," the authors conclude. "No such effect was seen for other antidiabetic drugs in this study population. These findings, although they are consistent with recently reported data from a randomized trial, are based on relatively few thiazolidinedione-exposed patients and need to be confirmed by additional observational studies and by controlled clinical trials."
Journal reference: Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[8]:820-825.
Monday, 28 April 2008
Lipoic acid
Powerful antioxidant, soluble in both water and lipid.
Alpha Lipoic Acid is called the Universal Antioxidant because of its dual solubility.
Alpha Lipoic Acid is called the Metabolic Antioxidant because it plays a vital role in the energy production of the cells.
Characteristics:
Gentle yet powerful -- Alpha Lipoic Acid is 400 times more potent an antioxidant than Vitamins C or E.
Present naturally in the skin.
Promotes optimum efficiency for production of energy and aids in exfoliation.
Benefits:
Alpha Lipoic Acid is able to reach and protect both water and lipid portions of skin with potent antioxidant benefits.
"Spares" levels of other antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and E, which are naturally, present in cells, thus working to increase their levels.
Dual solubility enables Alpha Lipoic Acid to be rapidly available to the skin.
Skin develops a healthy youthful glowing appearance.
Anti-Aging Skin Care Research
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Ref: http://www.skindna.com/anti-aging/index.shtml
Ref: http://www.skindna.com/anti-aging/index.shtml
Rijkaard calls for Barça bravehearts
FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard called on his side "to be brave" as they look to overcome Manchester United FC and advance to the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Initiative
Europe has been Barcelona's salvation in an otherwise disappointing season, and a goalless draw in the first leg at the Camp Nou last week has put the 2006 champions within sight of a return to the showpiece. Barcelona dominated at home and Rijkaard is hoping they can keep the initiative at Old Trafford where an away goal could tip the tie decisively their way.
'Be brave'
"We have to score at the very least and it is important also to impose our own game, to be brave and get hold of the ball, not let them impose their game and take the chances that come our away," Rijkaard said. "It will take a big effort to get through. That's what we've been preparing for. We want to show some style and we will fight hard to achieve our objective – to get to the final.
'Belief'
"Occasions like this are what footballers dream of," he added. "That's why you become a footballer. United are a great side, but you have to believe in yourselves and believe you can go out and get a result by fighting hard and working hard and showing our quality out on the field. We are playing a great team but we have to believe it is possible."
'Dizzy'
Belief has appeared to be in short supply in recent weeks. Barcelona have not scored in more than five hours and a run of three wins from 12 games has dented morale. Despite that, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson cannot envisage Barcelona coming to Old Trafford to defend. "I don't think Barcelona can change," he said. "They play the same system, they play the same way. They try to get you on that passing carousel and try to get you dizzy. You have to be patient."
'Very interesting'
In contrast, Rijkaard predicts a tight encounter, not dissimilar to two years ago when a solitary Ludovic Giuly strike proved the difference against AC Milan over two legs at this stage. "Usually they are very tight matches between good teams, which means the game will be decided by details, by only one goal," Rijkaard said. "The main thing is to keep our organisation and keep on playing the way we want. It will be very interesting."
Important game
While Sir Alex seemed relaxed and jovial, Rijkaard was again on the defensive. Saturday's 2-0 loss at RC Deportivo La Coruña has deepened the gloom surrounding his side, whose campaign has long hinged on this match. "We've talked long and hard already about this season and what's happened and what's not gone well. I prefer to concentrate on the present and on the immediate future. We have a very important game, we will be fighting our hardest to make sure things go well and we can draw a conclusion on the season at a later date."
United bullish about Barcelona test
Sir Alex Ferguson has called on his Manchester United FC side to seize a "marvellous chance" to reach the UEFA Champions League final in the deciding leg of their semi-final against FC Barcelona.
Test of nerve
After eight months and 990 minutes of on-field endeavour, it all boils down to who holds their nerve at Old Trafford. United fell at this stage to AC Milan last spring, a third loss in four previous semi-finals under Sir Alex, but the Scot believes they have what it takes to prevail after last Wednesday's 0-0 draw in Spain. "We've got big-game players, we've got players who can win matches," said Sir Alex, who has overseen eleven straight home wins in Europe. United's manager rated their first-leg display as "probably our poorest in Europe this season" but, after another cautious showing in Saturday's 2-1 reverse at Chelsea FC, United will surely revert to attacking type. "I think it'll be more open than it was at the Nou Camp and it could go either way, but I think we are going into the game with a marvellous chance. It will be tactical at times but there will be times when there will be the explosions of play that we expect from our team."
Domestic strife
Defeat by Chelsea has given the Premier League leaders their worst sequence since August – three matches without victory – but Sir Alex responded bullishly to suggestions their fortunes were waning. "We are sitting here right now with two [league] games left, we've a semi-final, a home game on Saturday and a game against Wigan away – disaster," he smiled. Certainly, his Barcelona counterpart Frank Rijkaard would gladly trade places. Saturday's 2-0 loss at RC Deportivo La Coruña was Barcelona's third goalless game and left them with just one win in eleven domestic outings. "I prefer to concentrate on the present – we have a very important game, we will be fighting our hardest to make sure things go well and we can draw a conclusion on the season later," said the Dutchman.
Puyol returns
Rijkaard guided the Blaugrana to a 2006 final victory over Arsenal FC but his two other UEFA Champions League campaigns with Barcelona ended on English soil, against Chelsea FC (2005) and Liverpool FC (2007). Predicting a tight contest, he added: "We have to score at the very least and it is important to impose our own game – to be brave and get hold of the ball and not let them impose their game." It waits to be seen whether Rijkaard, who welcomes back Carles Puyol in place of the suspended Rafael Márquez, will retain Andrés Iniesta on the left or give Thierry Henry the chance to renew his rivalry with United.
Opportunity knocks
If Europe presents Rijkaard and Barcelona with a path to redemption after a difficult season, Sir Alex will know that, at 66, opportunities like this may not knock too many more times for him. He is convinced his reign should have brought "more success in Europe" – specifically, the UEFA Champions League – than that solitary 1999 triumph. Twelve months ago United hit the wall in Milan. Twice before, meanwhile, they slipped up at home after first-leg stalemates – in quarter-finals against AS Monaco FC (1997) and Real Madrid CF (2000). Against this backdrop of past disappointments, he could have done without concerns over the fitness of Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidić, who missed training on Monday with respective hip and mouth injuries sustained at Chelsea. "Both could make it but I can't be certain about that," he said.
Ref: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=15108/match=301914/report=pr.html
Austrian 'admits daughter abuse'
A 73-year-old Austrian man has confessed to imprisoning his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathering her seven children, police have said.
Police said Josef Fritzl also admitted burning the body of a baby that died at the house in Amstetten, Lower Austria.
Mr Fritzl has been taken to court while authorities are caring for the woman, now 42, and her six surviving children.
Photos of the man's basement show a concealed network of tiny windowless chambers which were soundproofed.
Prosecutors say Mr Fritzl is expected to be taken into protective custody after appearing before a magistrate.
The woman, Elisabeth, disappeared aged 18 on 28 August 1984 when, according to her testimony to police, her father lured her into the cellar, drugging and handcuffing her before locking her up.
She is reported to have been made to write a letter which made it look as if she had run away.
The head of the criminal affairs bureau in Lower Austria, Franz Polzer, said Mr Fritzl had admitted sexually abusing his daughter repeatedly during the time he imprisoned her.
Mr Polzer said Mr Fritzl told investigators Elisabeth had given birth to seven children, including twins in 1996, but one died shortly after being born and that he had thrown the body into an incinerator in the building.
The surviving children are now aged between five and 19 years.
The cellar rooms, covering an area of approximately 60 sq m (650 sq ft), were equipped for sleeping and cooking, and with sanitary facilities.
A reinforced concrete door was built into the wall that separated the "dungeon" from the house and electronically locked - the code known only to the suspect, who provided his captives with food and necessities, police said.
KEY FACTS IN CASE
Elisabeth reappeared at home after disappearing 24 years ago
Six children she says are hers have been found and placed in care
One of the children, aged 19, is seriously ill in hospital
Elisabeth's father Josef Fritzl, 73, has been arrested on suspicion of incest and abduction
Police say Mr Fritzl confesses to imprisoning Elisabeth and fathering her seven children
Profile: Josef Fritzl
In pictures: Abuse scandal
Q&A: Austrian abuse case
Three of the children were kept in the cellar with their mother and had never seen daylight, police told a news conference.
The other three children were adopted or fostered by the suspect, after he forced Elisabeth to write a letter saying she could not look after the baby, according to police.
His wife, Rosemarie, with whom he had seven of their own children, appears to have been unaware of the alleged crimes.
The security chief for Lower Austria, Franz Prucher, said he had been down into the cellar where it was easy to understand how the abuse was not discovered.
"The cellar is very deep," he said. "There you can cry and nobody will hear, nobody. There you can cry as loud as you can, you can hear nothing."
The alleged abuse and Mr Fritzl's apparent double life came to light when the eldest of the children in the cellar, 19-year-old Kerstin, became seriously ill earlier this month and had to be taken to hospital.
A television appeal by medical staff for the patient's mother was seen by Elisabeth on a TV set in the cellar and she urged her father to let her go to hospital.
Police arrested Mr Fritzl shortly afterwards and took all the children into care.
"If you look at him today, you would hardly believe he was capable of doing these things. This man led a double life for 24 years," said Mr Polzer.
He said it was incredible that it had been kept secret for all that time.
Both the father and Elisabeth say no one else had access to the cellar, according to police, who are appealing to anyone with information about Mr Fritzl to contact them.
Asked why the captives had not tried to escape before, Mr Polzer said one had to consider the fact that the woman was small and weak and even the eldest boy, now 18, was "a small boy, a weak boy".
"You have to put yourself into the situation of these people," he said. "They led a completely different life to ours, they do not know what we know. These children were born into the jail, they knew nothing else."
Illness
Kerstin is said to be in a coma in hospital.
The head of the intensive care unit at the Amstetten hospital, Albert Reiter, said the impact of her experiences would eventually become clearer.
Elisabeth had not been seen in public since August 1984
"The connection between the effects of 20 years without daylight, the incest and other illnesses, we will research in the coming hours and days," he said.
The media were told the other children who had been kept in the cellar were in surprising physical health, but very pale.
The region's district governor, Hans-Heinz Lenze, said he had spoken to the five-year-old boy.
"He even told me how happy he was and how fantastic it was to ride in a real car," he said.
Help offer
Journalist Andreas Wetz, of the daily newspaper Die Presse, told the BBC the suspect's neighbours in Amstetten, a small town about 130km (80 miles) west of Vienna, were in shock at the revelations.
"The man who is said to have done this, they said he was funny, he talked to neighbours, he might be a little introverted, but they had no idea that this person could do this," he said.
The BBC's Bethany Bell says the case is reminiscent of that of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian teenager held captive in a cellar in a house in a Vienna suburb for eight years, who ran to freedom in 2006.
While police are not connecting the two cases, many Austrians are asking how such matters went undiscovered, she says.
Miss Kampusch, now 20, has offered to help the victims. She told Austria's ORF radio: "I can imagine that it is very difficult both for the mother of the children as well as for the wife of the perpetrator to get through this."
Ref: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7371043.stm
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Kháng sinh và Đông dược hay bị làm giả nhất
Tỷ lệ thuốc giả được phát hiện ở Việt Nam không ngừng tăng trong những năm qua. Nhiều loại giống thuốc thật đến nỗi ngay nhà sản xuất cũng không phân biệt được.
Tại hội nghị ngành dược ngày 25/4, Viện Kiểm nghiệm thuốc Trung ương cho biết, tỷ lệ thuốc giả năm 2007 đã lên đến 0,17%, cao gấp 3 lần so với năm 2004 và 6 lần so với 2002. Tiến sĩ Trịnh Văn Lẩu, Viện trưởng Viện kiểm nghiệm thuốc Trung ương trao đổi với báo chí về vấn đề này bên lề hội nghị ngành dược ngày 25/4:
- Ông đánh giá như thế nào về thực trạng thuốc giả hiện nay?
- Tỷ lệ thuốc giả ở Việt Nam tuy vẫn còn thấp so với các nước trong khu vực nhưng đang có xu hướng ngày càng tăng; kể từ 2001 đến nay, con số năm sau luôn cao hơn năm trước. Điều đáng nói là từ chỗ chỉ lưu hành ở vùng sâu, nông thôn, nay thuốc giả đã xuất hiện ở các thành phố, thậm chí chui vào được bệnh viện, điển hình như vụ Quách Thị Lành, sản xuất thuốc giả cung cấp cho bệnh viện ở Hải Phòng.
Sở dĩ thuốc giả có thể "chui sâu" như vậy vì chúng được sản xuất ngày một tinh vi hơn, gần như không thể phân biệt được bằng mắt thường. Nhiều mẫu được Viện Kiểm nghiệm phát hiện là giả, nhưng khi đưa cho nhà sản xuất thì họ cũng không thể nhận ra đâu là sản phẩm của mình.
- Những thuốc nào hay bị làm giả nhất?
- Đó là các loại thuốc bán chạy trên thị trường, nhất là kháng sinh. Đặc biệt, Đông dược cũng rất hay bị làm giả, thường được bán theo lối trao tay hay tiêu thụ ở những điểm bán không hợp pháp. Nhiều loại Đông dược giả bị trộn tân dược để tạo ra tác dụng giả hiệu, chẳng hạn thuốc trị phong thấp bị cho corticoid vào, khi mới dùng thấy hiệu quả giảm sưng đau rõ rệt nhưng về lâu dài rất nguy hiểm.
- Ông có thể khuyên người dân làm gì để tránh mua phải thuốc giả?
- Người dân cần mua thuốc ở các cửa hàng có phép, không mua thuốc ở những điểm "buôn thúng bán mẹt" hay mua theo kiểu trao tay vì không biết được xuất xứ của nó. Tuy nhiên, như tôi đã nói, nhiều loại thuốc giả rất giống thật đã được trà trộn vào cả các hiệu thuốc và bệnh viện nên cần có sự can thiệp từ các cơ quan chức năng. Ngoài việc lấy mẫu kiểm nghiệm, cần tăng cường giám sát hóa đơn chứng từ của các cơ sở kinh doanh thuốc để có thể truy tận gốc nếu phát hiện thuốc giả. Không chỉ ngành y tế mà cả hải quan, quản lý thị trường, công an phải kết hợp chặt chẽ mới chống được nạn này.
Các kết quả kiểm nghiệm cho thấy tỷ lệ thuốc kém chất lượng cũng có xu hướng tăng. Giải thích điều này, Cục trưởng Cục Quản lý dược Trương Quốc Cường cho rằng đó là do gần đây, tỷ lệ Đông dược trong số mẫu kiểm nghiệm tăng lên, mà tình trạng kém chất lượng ở loại thuốc này lại rất phổ biến. Trong số mẫu Đông dược được kiểm nghiệm năm 2007, gần 11% không đạt tiêu chuẩn chất lượng.
Theo ông Trịnh Văn Lẩu, Đông dược ở Việt Nam thường được sản xuất ở những cơ sở chưa đạt chứng chỉ GMP nên dễ nhiễm khuẩn
http://vnexpress.net/Vietnam/Doi-song/2008/04/3BA01A50/
Friday, 25 April 2008
Học trên… xác người
Học trên… xác người
10 chiếc quạt trần, 2 chiếc quạt cây bật hết công suất, cửa sổ mở toang vẫn không xua được mùi formon. Sau mỗi giờ thực hành "giải phẫu", mắt sinh viên trường Y lại đỏ hoe, cay xè.
Trong khi tân sinh viên của nhiều trường đang học các môn cơ sở thì “lính mới” Y1 (ĐH Y Hà Nội) đã bắt đầu môn “Giải phẫu”.
Đối diện với vườn hoa Paster, Hà Nội, Viện Giải phẫu luôn là tâm điểm của đám sinh viên hiếu kỳ. Cuối góc hành lang khá tối trong Viện là phòng giải phẫu với nhiều giai thoại được lưu truyền. Đối lập với không gian sầm uất bên ngoài, cách thiết kế đặc biệt làm phân tán âm thanh, khiến không gian vắng lạnh làm không ít sinh viên yếu bóng vía “sởn da gà”.
Học xong lý thuyết với đủ mô hình, tranh vẽ, các cô cậu sinh viên đã sẵn sàng "phi" thẳng lên tầng 2 để học thực hành. Vừa bước vào phòng, xông thẳng lên mũi là một mùi formon nồng nặc khiến không ít tân sinh viên phải nhăn mặt, nhíu mày thậm chí ho khan vì sốc.
Sinh viên đang thực hành giải phẫu trên xác người. Ảnh: Hoàng Lan.
Nhưng mùi formon vẫn chưa là gì so với cảm giác "chạm tận tay, sát tận mặt" với xác chết và nhìn các bể kính đựng đầy đủ bộ phận cơ thể người. Thảo Miên (sinh viên năm 2) nhớ lại: “Chợt lợm giọng, nghẹt thở như có luồng khí lạnh chạy dọc sống lưng khi thấy cái xác to, chít bông kín mặt như xác ướp trên bàn”.
Choáng, mắt nhắm mắt mở, không kịp nghĩ gì, phản ứng đầu tiên là Miên chạy ra xa, ngờ đâu va ngay vào cái xác bên cạnh khiến Miên "hồn xiêu phách lạc". Ngay với những tân sinh viên "vía" mạnh hơn, sau khi thấy hai cái xác thâm đen với các nội tạng phơi bày trên bàn phẫu tích thì “cứ nhìn thấy các món như thịt bò hay tim, gan, lòng lợn là thấy kinh. Mất một tháng trời, thực đơn của em chỉ toàn rau và các loại củ quả”, Đức Linh, một sinh viên thổ lộ.
Đó là thời kỳ đầu, còn đến khi quen dần với môn học, để "nhìn cho rõ, nghe cho thủng" những lời thầy giảng, đám sinh viên lại tranh nhau đứng... gần xác. Đến đoạn cao trào, sinh viên chen chúc nhau đến mức... đè cả lên bàn phẫu tích xác là chuyện "thường ngày ở viện". Khi lật tìm động mạch gan chung, động mạch vị trái, động mạch tá tụy... các cô cậu sinh viên phải rất nhẹ tay vì sợ "đứt mất mạch thì lúc thi không biết tìm đâu ra".
Học cùng các lớp khác nên không có đủ phương tiện, Hồng Thắm tiện tay vơ luôn cái bút làm panh phẫu tích. Chọc chán chê, gạt lên gạt xuống rồi lớ ngớ thế nào, tiện tay, cô sinh viên... ngậm luôn chiếc bút vào miệng. Đến khi giật mình hiểu ra sự tình, Thắm tức tốc mua ngay bàn chải đánh răng để cải thiện tình hình mà vẫn thấy ghê.
Hết chi trên, chi dưới, đầu mặt cổ rồi lại học đến ổ bụng, tạng và hệ thần kinh... đám sinh viên Y1 ngay từ đầu đã xác định đây là một môn khó “xơi”. Gần sát ngày thi, mới có chuyện các thầy cô giáo thấy đám xương vơi đi dần. Đốt xương tay rồi xương sọ đã không cánh mà bay.
Giáo viên đâu ngờ đám sinh viên vẫn còn chưa qua tuổi “nhất quỷ nhì ma” mắt trước, mắt sau thừa lúc thầy sơ ý đã “chôm” luôn về nhà. Chờ đến đêm khuya thanh vắng khi mọi người ngủ hết mới dám ngồi ôm chiếc sọ, vừa “tụng” các khe, rãnh, lỗ vừa cầu nguyện "ngày mai thi đúng cái xác đẹp", Thành Trung, sinh viên năm 3 kể lại.
Hình thức thi theo kiểu "chạy bàn" trong vòng 9 phút làm sinh viên …méo mặt. Đúng như tên gọi, vào giờ thi, sinh viên phải chạy hết tốc lực qua 3 bàn xương, mô hình và xác. Cứ 3 phút, nghe khẩu lệnh "chuyển bàn" là sinh viên phải ... co giò chạy. Trả lời đúng 10 chi tiết trong một khoảng thời gian eo hẹp không phải đơn giản.
Sau một thời gian được đào tạo trong môi trường “thiết quân luật” quen dần với xương, với xác, chuyện các sinh viên nữ ngồi ôm chậu xương, giành giật nhau từng đốt xương bé tẹo đến đoạn xương to đùng, tỷ mẩn với vùng xương phức tạp không còn là điều khiến các nam sinh viên “mắt tròn, mắt dẹt” nữa.
Đối với dân Y, môn giải phẫu luôn là niềm tự hào và được sinh viên dành cho nhiều sự ưu ái. "Học xong môn này thấy mình hiểu chính cơ thể mình và... anh hùng hơn. Không còn khóc thét khi thấy xác người nữa", một nữ sinh Y chia sẻ.
http://vnexpress.net/Vietnam/Xa-hoi/2008/04/3BA013B8/
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Triterpene saponins from Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis) and their hepatocytoprotective activity
The methanol extract of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis) was found to possess hepatocytoprotective effects on D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-induced cell death in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes. Further chemical investigation of the extract afforded two new dammarane-type triterpene saponins, ginsenoside Rh5 (1) and vina-ginsenoside R25 (2), as well as eight known dammarane-type triterpene saponins, majonoside R2 (3), pseudo-ginsenoside RT4 (4), vinaginsenosides R1 (5), R2 (6), and R10 (7), ginsenosides Rg1 (8), Rh1 (9), and Rh4 (10), and a known sapogenin protopanaxatriol oxide II (11). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis. In addition, by the using LC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS method, five known saponins, ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, and Re (12-16), were also identified in the extract. Among the compounds isolated, majonoside R2 (3), the main saponin in Vietnamese ginseng, showed strong protective activity against D-GalN/TNF-α-induced cell death in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes. This demonstrates that the hepatocytoprotective effect of Vietnamese ginseng is due to dammarane-type triterpene saponins that have an ocotillol-type side chain, a characteristic constituent of Vietnamese ginseng.
Ref: QUAN LE TRAN
Ref: QUAN LE TRAN
BIOACTIVE SAPONINS IN VIETNAMESE GINSENG, PANAX VIETNAMENSIS
Vietnamese ginseng was found at highland of Central Vietnam in 1973, and was regarded as a new species as Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv (1985). This is the most southern distribution of Panax genus (Araliaceae).
It is a secret medicine of the Sedang ethnic group as a miraculous, life-saving plant drug used for the treatment of many serious diseases and for enhancing body strength in long journeys in high mountains.
Chemical study on the constituents of the plants clarified 23 saponins including 14 new compounds. Some of them are common to Panax ginseng, such as protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol saponins but with higher contents in this species. In addition, extremely high yield of ocotillol saponins, i.e. majonoside-R2 (5.3% of the dried rhizome) were identified.
We have studied the pharmacological activity of this plant drug in two ways, 1. anti-stress effects and 2. anti-tumor promoting activities, both of which can be attributed to the main saponin, majonoside R2.
Vietnamese ginseng extract attenuated psychological stress-induced antinociception, produced the protective effect against psychological stress-induced gastric lesions, and restored the stress-induced decrease in pentobarbital sleep to the normal level. This action was not observed on Panax ginseng extract. Cumulative findings strongly indicate that majonoside-R2 plays an important role in this effect. The effects of Vietnamese ginseng extract and majonoside-R2 may be mediated by opioid and GABAA receptor mechanisms.
Vietnamese ginseng extract showed significant inhibitory activity on Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation induced by TPA. This activity was concentrated to the saponin fraction and especially, major saponin, majonoside R2 exhibited the strongest activity. Flow cytometric study suggested that the activity is ascribable with influencing the cell cycle. The effect of majonoside R2 was confirmed with in vivo test. Two-stage carcinogenesis test of mouse skin tumor caused by DMBA as an initiator indicated the significant decrease of papilloma production prompted by TPA. Also, remarkable inhibitory effect of majonoside R2 on hepatic tumorigenesis initiated with DEN and promoted with phenobarbital was observed.
Vietnamese Gingseng
Ngoc Linh ginseng or Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv) is a specialty of Quang Nam province, which grows on Ngoc Linh Mountain. At present one kilo of fresh Ngoc Linh ginseng is priced at VND12-15 million (US$750-930). Sometimes the price may rise to VND25-30 million ($1,500-1,850) per kilo while a kilo of Korean ginseng is just VND4 million ($250).
Since 1976, Quang Nam province has carried out several Ngoc Linh ginseng research and production projects. However, those projects just focus on the preservation and development of seedlings of this variety of tree.
In 2004, the province implemented a VND2 billion project to develop Ngoc Linh ginseng on Ngoc Linh Mountain. The province now has nearly one million Ngoc Linh ginseng trees on 20ha, mainly in Tra Linh commune in Nam Tra My district.
Ngoc Linh ginseng or Vietnamese ginseng has only been discovered on Ngoc Linh Mountain in the two central provinces of Vietnam, Quang Nam and Kon Tum. Though there has been no dispute of brand of this kind of ginseng so far, Quang Nam province has asked competent bodies to make field trips as foundation to grant a certificate of geographical distinction to Quang Nam or Kon Tum province to help these provinces to develop this rare medical tree.
ref: english.vietnamnet.vn/ tech/2007/09/744863/
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
BANNED SKIN BLEACHING PRODUCTS CONTAINING HARMFUL SUBSTANCES
SKIN LIGHTENING CREAMS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE:
JARIBU CREAM
MEKAKO CREAM
AMIRA CREAM
TURA SKIN TONING CREAM
YESAKO MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
RICO COMPLEXION CREAM
MADONNA MEDICATED CREAM
MREMBO MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
SHIRLEY CREAM
KISS -MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
UNO21 CREAM
PRINCESS PATRA LUXURY COMPLEXION CREAM
ZARINA MEDICATED SKIN LIGHTENER CREAM
ENVI SKIN TONER
VIVA SUPER LEMON
AMBI SPECIAL COMPLEXION CREAM
LOLANE CREAM
NADINOLA CREAM
GLOTONE COMPLEXION CREAM
NINDOLA CREAM
CLAIRE CREME
MIC SKIN LIGHTENER CREAM
TONIGHT NIGHT BEAUTY CREAM
FULANI CREME ECLAIRCISSANTE
CLERE LEMON CREAM
CLERE EXTRA CREAM
BINTI JAMBO CREAM
BUTONE CREAM
MALAIKA MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
DEAR HEART WITH HYDROQUINONE CREAM
MIKI BEAUTY CREAM
CRUSADER SKIN TONING CREAM
NISH MEDICATED CREAM
ISLAND BEAUTY SKIN FADE CREAM
MALIBU MEDICATED CREAM
PALMER'S SKIN SUCCESS FADE CREAM
CARE PLUS FAIRNESS CREAM
TOPICLEAR CREAM
CAREKAKO MEDICATED CREAM
BODY CLEAR CREAM
A3 SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
AMBI AMERICAN FORMULA
DREAM SUCCESSFUL
SYMBA CREME SKIN LITE 'N' SMOOTH
Ikb MEDICATED CREAM
CLEARTONE SKIN TONING CREAM
CLEAR ESSENCE MEDICATED FADE CREAM
AMBI EXTRA COMPLEXION CREAM FOR MEN
CLEARTONE EXTRA SKIN TONING CREAM
O'NYIA SKIN CRÈME
A3 TRIPPLE ACTION CREAM PEARL LIGHT
ELEGANCE SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
MR. CLERE CREAM
FAIRLADY SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
FADE OUT CREAM
TOP LEMON PLUS CREAM
CLEAR TOUCH CREAM
CRUSADER ULTRA BRAND CREAM
ULTIME SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
RICO SKIN TONE CRÈME
BARAKA SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
PEAU CLAIRE CRÈME ECLAIRCISSANTE
PRINCESS MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
IMMEDIAT CLAIRE LIGHTENING BODY CREAM
SKIN LIGHTENING LOTIONS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE:
JARIBU SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
AMIRA SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
A3 CLEARTOUCH COMPLEXION LOTION
A3 LEMON SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
KISS LOTION
RICO SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
PRINCESS LOTION
PEAU CLAIRE BEAUTY BODY LOTION
CLEAR TOUCH LOTION
FAIR & WHITE BODY CLEARING MILK
SIVOCLAIR LIGHTENING BODY LOTION
EXTRA CLAIR LIGHTENING BODY LOTION
PRECIEUX TREATMENT BEAUTY LOTION
CLEAR ESSENCE SKIN BEAUTYFYING MILK
SKIN LIGHTENING GELS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE
ULTRA CLEAR
TOPICLEAR
BODY CLEAR
SKIN LIGHTENING BODY OILS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE:
PEAU CLAIRE LIGHTENING BODY OIL
SOAPS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE
M.G.C. EXTRA CLEAR
TOPICLEAR BEAUTY COMPLEXION SOAP
LADY CLAIRE
BLACKSTAR
AMIRA
ULTRA CLEAR
BODY CLEAR MEDICATED ANTISEPTIC SOAP
IMMEDIATE CLAIRE LIGHTENING BEAUTY SOAP
CHERIE CLAIRE BODY BEAUTY LIGHTENING & TREATING SOAP
SOAPS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS:
MOVATE
MEKAKO
JARIBU
TURA
ACURA
RICO
FAIR LADY
ELEGANCE
MIKI
JAMBO
SKIN LIGHTENING CREAMS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS:
PIMPLEX MEDICATED CREAM
NEW SHIRLEY MEDICATED CREAM
CREAM PREPARATIONS CONTAINING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE(H2O2):
JOLEN CREAM
SKIN PREPARATIONS CONTAINING STEROIDS:
MOVATE CREAM
SKIN SUCCESS GEL
HOT MOVATE GEL
AMIRA -C
NEU CLEAR GEL
TENOVATE
BODY CLEAR CREAM SPOT REMOVER
TOP GEL PLUS
SOFT AND BEAUTIFUL CREAM
LEMONVATE CREAM
SECRET GEL
TCB GEL PLUS
UNIC CLEAR SUPER CREAM
TOPIFRAM CREAM
SKIN BALANCE LEMON CREAM
PEAU CLAIRE GEL PLUS
DARK & LOVELY GEL
DERMO -GEL PLUS
PEAU CLAIRE CREAM
FASHION FAIR GEL PLUS
HOT PROSONE GEL
SKIN BALANCE CREAM WRINKLE REMOVER
DARK & LOVELY CREAM
VISIBLE DIFFERENCE GEL
SIVOCLAIR CREAM
ACTION DEMOVATE CREAM
REGGE LEMON GEL
ULTIMATE LADY GEL
TOPIFRAM GEL PLUS
AGE RENEWAL CREAM
FAIR & WHITE GEL PLUS
PEAU CLAIR GEL PLUS
FASHION FAIR CREAM
FIRST CLASS LADY CREAM
SKIN SUCCESS CREAM
NEU CLEAR CREAM PLUS
JARIBU BETA - β CREAM
BODY TREAT CREAM SPOT REMOVER
CLAIR & LOVELY GEL
PEAU CLAIR CREAM
SOFT & BEAUTIFUL GEL
ACTION DEMOVATE GEL PLUS
PROSONE GEL
SKIN BALANCE GEL WRINKLE REMOVER
ULTRA-GEL PLUS
PRO-ONE GEL MCA
BETALEMON CREAM
This information is referenced from www.kebs.org
Click here for original article.
JARIBU CREAM
MEKAKO CREAM
AMIRA CREAM
TURA SKIN TONING CREAM
YESAKO MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
RICO COMPLEXION CREAM
MADONNA MEDICATED CREAM
MREMBO MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
SHIRLEY CREAM
KISS -MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
UNO21 CREAM
PRINCESS PATRA LUXURY COMPLEXION CREAM
ZARINA MEDICATED SKIN LIGHTENER CREAM
ENVI SKIN TONER
VIVA SUPER LEMON
AMBI SPECIAL COMPLEXION CREAM
LOLANE CREAM
NADINOLA CREAM
GLOTONE COMPLEXION CREAM
NINDOLA CREAM
CLAIRE CREME
MIC SKIN LIGHTENER CREAM
TONIGHT NIGHT BEAUTY CREAM
FULANI CREME ECLAIRCISSANTE
CLERE LEMON CREAM
CLERE EXTRA CREAM
BINTI JAMBO CREAM
BUTONE CREAM
MALAIKA MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
DEAR HEART WITH HYDROQUINONE CREAM
MIKI BEAUTY CREAM
CRUSADER SKIN TONING CREAM
NISH MEDICATED CREAM
ISLAND BEAUTY SKIN FADE CREAM
MALIBU MEDICATED CREAM
PALMER'S SKIN SUCCESS FADE CREAM
CARE PLUS FAIRNESS CREAM
TOPICLEAR CREAM
CAREKAKO MEDICATED CREAM
BODY CLEAR CREAM
A3 SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
AMBI AMERICAN FORMULA
DREAM SUCCESSFUL
SYMBA CREME SKIN LITE 'N' SMOOTH
Ikb MEDICATED CREAM
CLEARTONE SKIN TONING CREAM
CLEAR ESSENCE MEDICATED FADE CREAM
AMBI EXTRA COMPLEXION CREAM FOR MEN
CLEARTONE EXTRA SKIN TONING CREAM
O'NYIA SKIN CRÈME
A3 TRIPPLE ACTION CREAM PEARL LIGHT
ELEGANCE SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
MR. CLERE CREAM
FAIRLADY SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
FADE OUT CREAM
TOP LEMON PLUS CREAM
CLEAR TOUCH CREAM
CRUSADER ULTRA BRAND CREAM
ULTIME SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
RICO SKIN TONE CRÈME
BARAKA SKIN LIGHTENING CREAM
PEAU CLAIRE CRÈME ECLAIRCISSANTE
PRINCESS MEDICATED BEAUTY CREAM
IMMEDIAT CLAIRE LIGHTENING BODY CREAM
SKIN LIGHTENING LOTIONS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE:
JARIBU SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
AMIRA SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
A3 CLEARTOUCH COMPLEXION LOTION
A3 LEMON SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
KISS LOTION
RICO SKIN LIGHTENING LOTION
PRINCESS LOTION
PEAU CLAIRE BEAUTY BODY LOTION
CLEAR TOUCH LOTION
FAIR & WHITE BODY CLEARING MILK
SIVOCLAIR LIGHTENING BODY LOTION
EXTRA CLAIR LIGHTENING BODY LOTION
PRECIEUX TREATMENT BEAUTY LOTION
CLEAR ESSENCE SKIN BEAUTYFYING MILK
SKIN LIGHTENING GELS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE
ULTRA CLEAR
TOPICLEAR
BODY CLEAR
SKIN LIGHTENING BODY OILS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE:
PEAU CLAIRE LIGHTENING BODY OIL
SOAPS CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE
M.G.C. EXTRA CLEAR
TOPICLEAR BEAUTY COMPLEXION SOAP
LADY CLAIRE
BLACKSTAR
AMIRA
ULTRA CLEAR
BODY CLEAR MEDICATED ANTISEPTIC SOAP
IMMEDIATE CLAIRE LIGHTENING BEAUTY SOAP
CHERIE CLAIRE BODY BEAUTY LIGHTENING & TREATING SOAP
SOAPS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS:
MOVATE
MEKAKO
JARIBU
TURA
ACURA
RICO
FAIR LADY
ELEGANCE
MIKI
JAMBO
SKIN LIGHTENING CREAMS CONTAINING MERCURY AND ITS COMPOUNDS:
PIMPLEX MEDICATED CREAM
NEW SHIRLEY MEDICATED CREAM
CREAM PREPARATIONS CONTAINING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE(H2O2):
JOLEN CREAM
SKIN PREPARATIONS CONTAINING STEROIDS:
MOVATE CREAM
SKIN SUCCESS GEL
HOT MOVATE GEL
AMIRA -C
NEU CLEAR GEL
TENOVATE
BODY CLEAR CREAM SPOT REMOVER
TOP GEL PLUS
SOFT AND BEAUTIFUL CREAM
LEMONVATE CREAM
SECRET GEL
TCB GEL PLUS
UNIC CLEAR SUPER CREAM
TOPIFRAM CREAM
SKIN BALANCE LEMON CREAM
PEAU CLAIRE GEL PLUS
DARK & LOVELY GEL
DERMO -GEL PLUS
PEAU CLAIRE CREAM
FASHION FAIR GEL PLUS
HOT PROSONE GEL
SKIN BALANCE CREAM WRINKLE REMOVER
DARK & LOVELY CREAM
VISIBLE DIFFERENCE GEL
SIVOCLAIR CREAM
ACTION DEMOVATE CREAM
REGGE LEMON GEL
ULTIMATE LADY GEL
TOPIFRAM GEL PLUS
AGE RENEWAL CREAM
FAIR & WHITE GEL PLUS
PEAU CLAIR GEL PLUS
FASHION FAIR CREAM
FIRST CLASS LADY CREAM
SKIN SUCCESS CREAM
NEU CLEAR CREAM PLUS
JARIBU BETA - β CREAM
BODY TREAT CREAM SPOT REMOVER
CLAIR & LOVELY GEL
PEAU CLAIR CREAM
SOFT & BEAUTIFUL GEL
ACTION DEMOVATE GEL PLUS
PROSONE GEL
SKIN BALANCE GEL WRINKLE REMOVER
ULTRA-GEL PLUS
PRO-ONE GEL MCA
BETALEMON CREAM
This information is referenced from www.kebs.org
Click here for original article.
Pharmacists Journals
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Selected Articles, August, 2003 to Present
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
Selected Articles, May, 2000 to Present
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, January, 2006 to Present
Clinical Drug Investigation™
Selected Articles, January, 2000 to Present
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Selected Articles, July, 2007 to Present
Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research
Selected Articles, October, 2007 to Present
Future Lipidology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Future Oncology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Future Virology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Harm Reduction Journal
Selected Articles, February, 2006 to Present
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Selected Articles, September, 2003 to Present
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
Selected Articles, July, 1999 to Present
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Pediatric Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, January, 1998 to Present
Personalized Medicine
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Pharmacogenomics
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, 1999 to Present
Psychopharmacology Bulletin
Selected Articles, May, 2007 to Present
U.S. Pharmacist
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Ref. http://www.medscape.com/pharmacists/journals
Selected Articles, August, 2003 to Present
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
Selected Articles, May, 2000 to Present
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, January, 2006 to Present
Clinical Drug Investigation™
Selected Articles, January, 2000 to Present
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Selected Articles, July, 2007 to Present
Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research
Selected Articles, October, 2007 to Present
Future Lipidology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Future Oncology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Future Virology
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Harm Reduction Journal
Selected Articles, February, 2006 to Present
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Selected Articles, September, 2003 to Present
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
Selected Articles, July, 1999 to Present
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Pediatric Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, January, 1998 to Present
Personalized Medicine
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Pharmacogenomics
Selected Articles, August, 2007 to Present
Pharmacotherapy
Selected Articles, 1999 to Present
Psychopharmacology Bulletin
Selected Articles, May, 2007 to Present
U.S. Pharmacist
Selected Articles, 1998 to Present
Ref. http://www.medscape.com/pharmacists/journals
Natural Skin Care
Healthy skin is the result of several factors: a healthy diet, right amount of exercise, good skin care practices, a positive outlook, and a relaxed mind. Lots of people at present are conscious of their health and are deciding on using the natural, or organic approach in dealing with their health issues. They are now making their own personalized products to treat and take care of their skin. They make use of organic materials to mix their own skin solutions. Actually, it is to their advantage that they are the ones to make them because at least they know what goes in it and how their skin reacts to those ingredients. There are several products in the market that causes an allergic reaction on the skin, and even costs really high. By creating your own product, you lessen the risk of allergy formation as well as save money.
Eating a healthy diet is also vital to having radiant skin. You should at least eat five servings of fruit and vegetable everyday to cleanse the body of toxins that may affect your metabolism. There are a lot of fruits and vegetables to choose from, each with their own contribution. If you are not used to eating these kinds of food, you can try to look for one that appeals to your palate.
Drinking water is also important to keep the skin healthy, supple and soft. Almost all natural skin care recipes require water for externally cleaning the skin and for regular consumption. It helps a lot when the required amount of water, about eight glasses a day, is followed. After using this therapy for several days, you will be noticing differences in the way your skin feels and how your body functions.
Drinking an herb based tea can help hydrate the skin and at the same time get your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals. There are several examples of teas that greatly promote healthy skin and body function. The examples are black alder, used for skin eruptions, bergamot tea which cleanses the body system, burdock, dandelion, horsetail, nettles, oat straw, sarsaparilla, stevia, and yellow dock.
Herbs for the Skin and Hair:
Black alder (for skin eruptions)
Bergamot tea ( cleanses the system)
Burdock
Dandelion
Horsetail
Nettles
Oat straw
Sarsaparilla
Stevia
Yellow dock
Regular exercise enhances blood circulation necessary to maintain healthy skin. Most people find exercise to be a burden. Try to look for a type of exercise that you can enjoy doing since it will be easier for you to do it regularly. Exercise also relieves stress and helps in having a healthy mental disposition. These are the all ingredients you need for better looking skin.
Eating a healthy diet is also vital to having radiant skin. You should at least eat five servings of fruit and vegetable everyday to cleanse the body of toxins that may affect your metabolism. There are a lot of fruits and vegetables to choose from, each with their own contribution. If you are not used to eating these kinds of food, you can try to look for one that appeals to your palate.
Drinking water is also important to keep the skin healthy, supple and soft. Almost all natural skin care recipes require water for externally cleaning the skin and for regular consumption. It helps a lot when the required amount of water, about eight glasses a day, is followed. After using this therapy for several days, you will be noticing differences in the way your skin feels and how your body functions.
Drinking an herb based tea can help hydrate the skin and at the same time get your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals. There are several examples of teas that greatly promote healthy skin and body function. The examples are black alder, used for skin eruptions, bergamot tea which cleanses the body system, burdock, dandelion, horsetail, nettles, oat straw, sarsaparilla, stevia, and yellow dock.
Herbs for the Skin and Hair:
Black alder (for skin eruptions)
Bergamot tea ( cleanses the system)
Burdock
Dandelion
Horsetail
Nettles
Oat straw
Sarsaparilla
Stevia
Yellow dock
Regular exercise enhances blood circulation necessary to maintain healthy skin. Most people find exercise to be a burden. Try to look for a type of exercise that you can enjoy doing since it will be easier for you to do it regularly. Exercise also relieves stress and helps in having a healthy mental disposition. These are the all ingredients you need for better looking skin.
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