http://www.kidney-friends.net/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:09:11 -0700 MyBB http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3211 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:10:41 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3211
At "Kidney Friends" we would like to invite all dialysis patients, transplant recipients, friends and family and anyone who has interests in Kidneys, treatments and transplants and all other interesting topics.

Everyone's experience would be of great value, be it yours, a family member, or friend.

So, come in and get comfortable!

As you can see at Kidney Friend as of Aug 19th 2008 over 25,000 post have been made by 266 members... within almost 3100 informative threads... a virtual library of information...the information that you seek IS within this site ...and if not... Friends here are more than willing to point you in the right direction.
Try not to be invisible ....and fall through the cracks... register :024: tell us a bit about yourself and what you have on your mind, we are only here to help in these trying times....]]>
At "Kidney Friends" we would like to invite all dialysis patients, transplant recipients, friends and family and anyone who has interests in Kidneys, treatments and transplants and all other interesting topics.

Everyone's experience would be of great value, be it yours, a family member, or friend.

So, come in and get comfortable!

As you can see at Kidney Friend as of Aug 19th 2008 over 25,000 post have been made by 266 members... within almost 3100 informative threads... a virtual library of information...the information that you seek IS within this site ...and if not... Friends here are more than willing to point you in the right direction.
Try not to be invisible ....and fall through the cracks... register :024: tell us a bit about yourself and what you have on your mind, we are only here to help in these trying times....]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3210 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:16:48 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3210

Quote:Since Arava can now move around, she's been mating -- though the male tortoises have had some difficulty dealing with the wheel device.
Arava, the disabled tortoise, is using her new set of wheels to get around
in more ways than one.

Keepers at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo say the 10-year-old spurred tortoise has begun mating since being fitted with custom wheels to overcome paralysis of her hind legs.

The 55-pound tortoise is unable to move herself forward with her front legs alone so the zoo's staff built her a metal board with two wheels that can be strapped around her shell.

"We don't really know the reason why the tortoise is paralyzed," zoo curator Shmulik Yedvad says. "We tried to find out the cause, we didn't find it. So instead of just leaving it to move only with front legs we invented wheels, but are attached to real legs, to move almost freely in the enclosure."

Arava arrived in Jerusalem a few months ago from a petting zoo in southern Israel with the unexplained handicap, and found no reptile romance.


Yedvad says it's not that Arava has come out of her shell with her unique new wheelchair, but that a particularly amorous 10-year-old male has been after her.

But despite some improvement, Arava still finds it difficult to get use to the new device.

The handicapped tortoise is not able to turn back over by herself and the employees at the zoo have to do it.

Also some male turtles trying to mate with her have not been able to do so easily because of the device.

"The wheelchair is a little bit heavy, so I hope in the future it will have a lighter one. They will develop better equipment so it will be easier for the turtle," a zoo keeper said.



that's great! glad they could help her
link]]>

Quote:Since Arava can now move around, she's been mating -- though the male tortoises have had some difficulty dealing with the wheel device.
Arava, the disabled tortoise, is using her new set of wheels to get around
in more ways than one.

Keepers at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo say the 10-year-old spurred tortoise has begun mating since being fitted with custom wheels to overcome paralysis of her hind legs.

The 55-pound tortoise is unable to move herself forward with her front legs alone so the zoo's staff built her a metal board with two wheels that can be strapped around her shell.

"We don't really know the reason why the tortoise is paralyzed," zoo curator Shmulik Yedvad says. "We tried to find out the cause, we didn't find it. So instead of just leaving it to move only with front legs we invented wheels, but are attached to real legs, to move almost freely in the enclosure."

Arava arrived in Jerusalem a few months ago from a petting zoo in southern Israel with the unexplained handicap, and found no reptile romance.


Yedvad says it's not that Arava has come out of her shell with her unique new wheelchair, but that a particularly amorous 10-year-old male has been after her.

But despite some improvement, Arava still finds it difficult to get use to the new device.

The handicapped tortoise is not able to turn back over by herself and the employees at the zoo have to do it.

Also some male turtles trying to mate with her have not been able to do so easily because of the device.

"The wheelchair is a little bit heavy, so I hope in the future it will have a lighter one. They will develop better equipment so it will be easier for the turtle," a zoo keeper said.



that's great! glad they could help her
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3209 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:57:56 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3209

Quote:About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.


A sea turtle is fed at the Marine Turtle Rescue Center on Linosa, a small volcanic island south of Sicily

The baby turtles -- which ended up under the tables of startled diners at the beachside restaurant -- were probably thrown off track and lured by the eatery's bright lights, said Antonio Colucci, who was called to help rescue the group.

"They saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route," said Colucci, who works on a turtle monitoring project for the conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

"The diners were at first quite curious and then someone alerted the coastal authorities."

The stranded turtles, which had hatched on a beach in the southern Italian region of Calabria, were released into the sea.

Female sea turtles nest on beaches and their offspring instinctively head to the sea after hatching from their eggs.


lol, poor things, will I'm glad the turtles ended under the tables and
not on top of the dining plates ;)
link]]>

Quote:About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.


A sea turtle is fed at the Marine Turtle Rescue Center on Linosa, a small volcanic island south of Sicily

The baby turtles -- which ended up under the tables of startled diners at the beachside restaurant -- were probably thrown off track and lured by the eatery's bright lights, said Antonio Colucci, who was called to help rescue the group.

"They saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route," said Colucci, who works on a turtle monitoring project for the conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

"The diners were at first quite curious and then someone alerted the coastal authorities."

The stranded turtles, which had hatched on a beach in the southern Italian region of Calabria, were released into the sea.

Female sea turtles nest on beaches and their offspring instinctively head to the sea after hatching from their eggs.


lol, poor things, will I'm glad the turtles ended under the tables and
not on top of the dining plates ;)
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3208 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:30:38 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3208 hope for diabetics


Quote:How the treatment works

Doctors at The Methodist Hospital are experimenting with a new treatment for the diseased or injured pancreas in which they remove the organ and implant its insulin-producing cells in the patient's arm or leg.

The research, conducted on the first patient a month ago, is part of an ongoing inquiry into how best to prevent diabetes in a person whose pancreas has been removed because of pancreatitis, trauma, or benign or early-stage malignant tumors.

The work could also speed up national efforts to use stem cells, the building blocks of tissue, to cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
"We're very early in the process, but I'm confident this work is going to prove effective," said Dr. Craig Fischer, a surgeon at Methodist and leader of the research. "It may sound wild to the layperson, but it's actually very logical."
The patient involved in the transplant research, Wanda Prouty, is the first person in North America to receive islets in an arm or leg, following a small study of such transplants in Sweden. The most conventional technique is to put islets in the liver, though that has limitations.

The procedure involves isolating the removed pancreas' islets, groups of cells that produce the insulin necessary to balance sugar levels in the blood. The islets are enhanced in a laboratory and reimplanted so the patient will continue manufacturing his or her own insulin.
Without the procedure, patients having their pancreases removed become diabetic and require insulin shots. A quarter of such patients die within five years, and the rest usually deal with particularly burdensome diabetes.

Although the research's immediate aim is limited — it would benefit about 30 percent of patients undergoing the roughly 4,000 operations performed yearly to remove the pancreas — it would be huge if it some day can be applied to all of the nearly 24 million people in the United States with some form of diabetes.
Early results promising
Prouty suffered from chronic pancreatitis: long-standing inflammation of the pancreas that causes persistent pain and can be fatal. Although a conclusive verdict can't be made for at least five months, Fischer said blood tests show the islets have lodged in muscle in Prouty's forearm and are producing insulin.
Downplaying the novelty of having the equivalent of a pancreas in her arm, Prouty said last week she never thinks about the location. She said the possibility she might regain a normal life after the past few years of constant, sometimes excruciating, pain is "a miracle."

"If putting it in the arm is what it takes, that's fine with me," said Prouty, a 55-year-old from Texas City. "Chronic pancreatitis is like a death sentence, and there's a lot of stuff I still want to do."

Islet transplantation dates back two decades. In the early 1990s, the procedure involved taking islets from the pancreases of cadavers and transplanting them into the livers of diabetics. Such donor cells get the same reception as any other foreign invader — the immune system attacks them.

That's not the case with islet transfusions from the patient's own pancreas, which have been done for about a decade. So far, islet transplantations seem to work best in the liver — 60 percent to 70 percent of such patients produce all the insulin they need — presumably because the liver is a great source of the blood the islets need.
But the liver isn't necessarily the best host. For one, such a procedure is not recommended for patients with liver function abnormalities or for pancreatic cancer patients.

For another, pancreas removal and liver implantation make for a 12-hour, two-part surgery that is risky and taxing. Serious complications, including death, have occurred.
But the search for alternate sites hasn't been easy. Attempts to implant the islets in the kidney, the lower abdomen and the bloodstream all failed.

However, recent arm implants at the Karolinska Institute just outside Stockholm intrigued Fischer, who wondered why no one had thought of the idea earlier. Nine patients had the islets implanted in their arms, and each ended up producing insulin. If the experiment can be duplicated, Fischer figured, the technique would be safer and simpler than implants in the liver, with the second part of the dual surgery able to be done under local anesthesia.
Not everyone is convinced.

"I'm a little skeptical because in animal models nothing worked as well as the liver," said Dr. David Sutherland, a transplant surgeon at the University of Minnesota and the pioneer of implanting patient islets in the liver. "But it's important to try lots of sites so we have data about exactly what the best options are."

To that end, Methodist's trial calls for the islets to be implanted over the next five years in either the arm or leg of about 30 patients whose livers aren't good candidates.

The effort is possible because of Methodist's recently created Islet Transplantation Laboratory, one of about 10 in the nation. There, following surgery to remove the pancreas, the organ is stripped of its islets — a process hospital transplantation director Dr. Osama Gaber compares to "shaking a tree, then separating the fruit from the leaves and branches."

Obstacles remain

Technicians at the lab then purify and process the islets before transplantation. They are working to address the premature die-off of transplanted islets — about half of the 350,000 to 400,000 transferred in a single procedure don't survive — by encapsulating them with a built-in oxygen supply that'll keep them alive in the body until blood can nourish them.

Fischer said the research will culminate in efforts to apply the lessons learned to all diabetics. Because the lab has access to hard-to-come-by human islet cells, it will be in the forefront of national efforts to morph stem cells into islets. Once that is achieved, researchers could clone the islets and doctors could implant them in sites shown to be hospitable, allowing Type 1 diabetics to produce their own insulin and Type 2 diabetics to use theirs properly.
Fischer said he's confident such advances are on the horizon. But he admits there are significant hurdles ahead.

"Just about islet cell transplantation, there's a lot to learn," Fischer said. "What are the optimal ways to grow islets? How can we create a different kind of pancreas in someone's arm? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
"But as we work out these questions in the next few years," he said, "we're going to be a lot closer to routinely preventing diabetes in patients having their pancreas removed. Then, in the next decade, I hope we can close in on cloned islets that can treat or even cure diabetes."
todd.ackerman@chron.com


there certainly is hope for Diabetics, to come for the future.
link]]> hope for diabetics


Quote:How the treatment works

Doctors at The Methodist Hospital are experimenting with a new treatment for the diseased or injured pancreas in which they remove the organ and implant its insulin-producing cells in the patient's arm or leg.

The research, conducted on the first patient a month ago, is part of an ongoing inquiry into how best to prevent diabetes in a person whose pancreas has been removed because of pancreatitis, trauma, or benign or early-stage malignant tumors.

The work could also speed up national efforts to use stem cells, the building blocks of tissue, to cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
"We're very early in the process, but I'm confident this work is going to prove effective," said Dr. Craig Fischer, a surgeon at Methodist and leader of the research. "It may sound wild to the layperson, but it's actually very logical."
The patient involved in the transplant research, Wanda Prouty, is the first person in North America to receive islets in an arm or leg, following a small study of such transplants in Sweden. The most conventional technique is to put islets in the liver, though that has limitations.

The procedure involves isolating the removed pancreas' islets, groups of cells that produce the insulin necessary to balance sugar levels in the blood. The islets are enhanced in a laboratory and reimplanted so the patient will continue manufacturing his or her own insulin.
Without the procedure, patients having their pancreases removed become diabetic and require insulin shots. A quarter of such patients die within five years, and the rest usually deal with particularly burdensome diabetes.

Although the research's immediate aim is limited — it would benefit about 30 percent of patients undergoing the roughly 4,000 operations performed yearly to remove the pancreas — it would be huge if it some day can be applied to all of the nearly 24 million people in the United States with some form of diabetes.
Early results promising
Prouty suffered from chronic pancreatitis: long-standing inflammation of the pancreas that causes persistent pain and can be fatal. Although a conclusive verdict can't be made for at least five months, Fischer said blood tests show the islets have lodged in muscle in Prouty's forearm and are producing insulin.
Downplaying the novelty of having the equivalent of a pancreas in her arm, Prouty said last week she never thinks about the location. She said the possibility she might regain a normal life after the past few years of constant, sometimes excruciating, pain is "a miracle."

"If putting it in the arm is what it takes, that's fine with me," said Prouty, a 55-year-old from Texas City. "Chronic pancreatitis is like a death sentence, and there's a lot of stuff I still want to do."

Islet transplantation dates back two decades. In the early 1990s, the procedure involved taking islets from the pancreases of cadavers and transplanting them into the livers of diabetics. Such donor cells get the same reception as any other foreign invader — the immune system attacks them.

That's not the case with islet transfusions from the patient's own pancreas, which have been done for about a decade. So far, islet transplantations seem to work best in the liver — 60 percent to 70 percent of such patients produce all the insulin they need — presumably because the liver is a great source of the blood the islets need.
But the liver isn't necessarily the best host. For one, such a procedure is not recommended for patients with liver function abnormalities or for pancreatic cancer patients.

For another, pancreas removal and liver implantation make for a 12-hour, two-part surgery that is risky and taxing. Serious complications, including death, have occurred.
But the search for alternate sites hasn't been easy. Attempts to implant the islets in the kidney, the lower abdomen and the bloodstream all failed.

However, recent arm implants at the Karolinska Institute just outside Stockholm intrigued Fischer, who wondered why no one had thought of the idea earlier. Nine patients had the islets implanted in their arms, and each ended up producing insulin. If the experiment can be duplicated, Fischer figured, the technique would be safer and simpler than implants in the liver, with the second part of the dual surgery able to be done under local anesthesia.
Not everyone is convinced.

"I'm a little skeptical because in animal models nothing worked as well as the liver," said Dr. David Sutherland, a transplant surgeon at the University of Minnesota and the pioneer of implanting patient islets in the liver. "But it's important to try lots of sites so we have data about exactly what the best options are."

To that end, Methodist's trial calls for the islets to be implanted over the next five years in either the arm or leg of about 30 patients whose livers aren't good candidates.

The effort is possible because of Methodist's recently created Islet Transplantation Laboratory, one of about 10 in the nation. There, following surgery to remove the pancreas, the organ is stripped of its islets — a process hospital transplantation director Dr. Osama Gaber compares to "shaking a tree, then separating the fruit from the leaves and branches."

Obstacles remain

Technicians at the lab then purify and process the islets before transplantation. They are working to address the premature die-off of transplanted islets — about half of the 350,000 to 400,000 transferred in a single procedure don't survive — by encapsulating them with a built-in oxygen supply that'll keep them alive in the body until blood can nourish them.

Fischer said the research will culminate in efforts to apply the lessons learned to all diabetics. Because the lab has access to hard-to-come-by human islet cells, it will be in the forefront of national efforts to morph stem cells into islets. Once that is achieved, researchers could clone the islets and doctors could implant them in sites shown to be hospitable, allowing Type 1 diabetics to produce their own insulin and Type 2 diabetics to use theirs properly.
Fischer said he's confident such advances are on the horizon. But he admits there are significant hurdles ahead.

"Just about islet cell transplantation, there's a lot to learn," Fischer said. "What are the optimal ways to grow islets? How can we create a different kind of pancreas in someone's arm? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
"But as we work out these questions in the next few years," he said, "we're going to be a lot closer to routinely preventing diabetes in patients having their pancreas removed. Then, in the next decade, I hope we can close in on cloned islets that can treat or even cure diabetes."
todd.ackerman@chron.com


there certainly is hope for Diabetics, to come for the future.
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3207 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:16:37 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3207 drug vials that warn "do not to take with grapefruit or
grapefruit juice" now says people should also avoid taking
their pills with orange and apple juice.


Quote:David Bailey and colleagues announced to a startled, and skeptical medical world nearly 20 years ago that grapefruit juice can dramatically boost the amount of certain drugs absorbed into the bloodstream, turning normal doses into potentially toxic overdoses. Today, 48 medications carry the grapefruit warning.

Now Bailey is reporting that grapefruit juice - as well as orange and apple juice - can do the opposite by substantially decreasing the absorption of other drugs, including certain antibiotics and beta blockers, pills widely prescribed for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, abnormal heart beats and chest pain.

Bailey says people should avoid drinking juices for at least two hours when taking pills, the time it takes most drugs to be absorbed.

"When we use drugs, you have to use it at the right dose. Too low a dose doesn't give you the effect you want, too high a dose has the chance of producing too much of an effect or just basic toxicity," says Bailey, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario in London.

"It's a window you try and stay within. In the first case we were worried about getting too much in. Now, we're worried about not getting enough in."
"If you're talking about substances that you have to have because of critical medical conditions, like cancer, or if you have had a kidney or some kind of transplant, or if you've had a previous heart attack, you have to get enough into the bloodstream to produce an effect."

People often take medications with juice. But drugs are nearly always tested with water, Bailey says. "So if you want to get the most chance of having the most consistent, uniform effect, what you should really do is take your medication with a whole glass of water on an empty stomach."
He says people should avoid drinking juices for at least two hours, the time it takes most drugs to be absorbed.

In research presented Tuesday at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Philadelphia, Bailey and colleagues found that when healthy volunteers took fexofenadine, an antihistamine for allergies, with grapefruit juice, only half the drug was absorbed compared to taking the drug with water alone.
"We had expected that the (drug) levels were going to go up. In actual fact they went down. That was a bit of a surprise to us," says Bailey.

The researchers say naringin, the major ingredient that gives grapefruit its distinctive smell and bitter taste, appears to block proteins that ferry drugs from the gut to the bloodstream.

But they were also startled to find orange juice - "common orange juice, which is probably drunk a lot more than grapefruit juice," Bailey says - did the same thing. So did apple juice. Orange and apple juices appear to contain naringin-like substances.

So far, grapefruit, orange and apple juices have been found to lower the absorption of etoposide, an anti-cancer drug; the beta blockers atenolol, celiprolol and talinolol; cyclosporine, a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection and the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and itraconazole.

"But I'm sure we'll find many other drugs for which this happens," says Bailey.
In the beginning, no one believed that constituents in food could boost the absorption of drugs. After reporting in 1991 that grapefruit juice boosted the levels of a drug used for high blood pressure three-fold, "we had a hard time convincing people it really did exist. The idea that food could produce this kind of effect was totally novel," Bailey says.

"We were kidded about it because grapefruit seems to be a humorous fruit, and most people didn't know what to think."

The research was eventually published in the Lancet, "because they had confidence this was true," and is now in every medical textbook. Bailey also edits a section of the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties, the manual for drug information and safety. "There are almost 50 drugs we have now listed, and that's only the ones that we know about."


link]]> drug vials that warn "do not to take with grapefruit or
grapefruit juice" now says people should also avoid taking
their pills with orange and apple juice.


Quote:David Bailey and colleagues announced to a startled, and skeptical medical world nearly 20 years ago that grapefruit juice can dramatically boost the amount of certain drugs absorbed into the bloodstream, turning normal doses into potentially toxic overdoses. Today, 48 medications carry the grapefruit warning.

Now Bailey is reporting that grapefruit juice - as well as orange and apple juice - can do the opposite by substantially decreasing the absorption of other drugs, including certain antibiotics and beta blockers, pills widely prescribed for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, abnormal heart beats and chest pain.

Bailey says people should avoid drinking juices for at least two hours when taking pills, the time it takes most drugs to be absorbed.

"When we use drugs, you have to use it at the right dose. Too low a dose doesn't give you the effect you want, too high a dose has the chance of producing too much of an effect or just basic toxicity," says Bailey, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario in London.

"It's a window you try and stay within. In the first case we were worried about getting too much in. Now, we're worried about not getting enough in."
"If you're talking about substances that you have to have because of critical medical conditions, like cancer, or if you have had a kidney or some kind of transplant, or if you've had a previous heart attack, you have to get enough into the bloodstream to produce an effect."

People often take medications with juice. But drugs are nearly always tested with water, Bailey says. "So if you want to get the most chance of having the most consistent, uniform effect, what you should really do is take your medication with a whole glass of water on an empty stomach."
He says people should avoid drinking juices for at least two hours, the time it takes most drugs to be absorbed.

In research presented Tuesday at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Philadelphia, Bailey and colleagues found that when healthy volunteers took fexofenadine, an antihistamine for allergies, with grapefruit juice, only half the drug was absorbed compared to taking the drug with water alone.
"We had expected that the (drug) levels were going to go up. In actual fact they went down. That was a bit of a surprise to us," says Bailey.

The researchers say naringin, the major ingredient that gives grapefruit its distinctive smell and bitter taste, appears to block proteins that ferry drugs from the gut to the bloodstream.

But they were also startled to find orange juice - "common orange juice, which is probably drunk a lot more than grapefruit juice," Bailey says - did the same thing. So did apple juice. Orange and apple juices appear to contain naringin-like substances.

So far, grapefruit, orange and apple juices have been found to lower the absorption of etoposide, an anti-cancer drug; the beta blockers atenolol, celiprolol and talinolol; cyclosporine, a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection and the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and itraconazole.

"But I'm sure we'll find many other drugs for which this happens," says Bailey.
In the beginning, no one believed that constituents in food could boost the absorption of drugs. After reporting in 1991 that grapefruit juice boosted the levels of a drug used for high blood pressure three-fold, "we had a hard time convincing people it really did exist. The idea that food could produce this kind of effect was totally novel," Bailey says.

"We were kidded about it because grapefruit seems to be a humorous fruit, and most people didn't know what to think."

The research was eventually published in the Lancet, "because they had confidence this was true," and is now in every medical textbook. Bailey also edits a section of the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties, the manual for drug information and safety. "There are almost 50 drugs we have now listed, and that's only the ones that we know about."


link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3206 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:42:47 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3206 Quote:A convincing twin of Darth Vader stalks the beige cubicles of a Silicon Valley office, complete with ominous black mask, cape and light saber. But this is no chintzy Halloween costume. It's a prototype, years in the making, of a toy that incorporates brain wave-reading technology.

Behind the mask is a sensor that touches the user's forehead and reads the brain's electrical signals, then sends them to a wireless receiver inside the saber, which lights up when the user is concentrating. The player maintains focus by channeling thoughts on any fixed mental image, or thinking specifically about keeping the light sword on. When the mind wanders, the wand goes dark.

Engineers at NeuroSky Inc. have big plans for brain wave-reading toys and video games. They say the simple Darth Vader game — a relatively crude biofeedback device cloaked in gimmicky garb — portends the coming of more sophisticated devices that could revolutionize the way people play.

Technology from NeuroSky and other startups could make video games more mentally stimulating and realistic. It could even enable players to control video game characters or avatars in virtual worlds with nothing but their thoughts.

Adding biofeedback to "Tiger Woods PGA Tour," for instance, could mean that only those players who muster Zen-like concentration could nail a put. In the popular action game "Grand Theft Auto," players who become nervous or frightened would have worse aim than those who remain relaxed and focused.

NeuroSky's prototype measures a person's baseline brain-wave activity, including signals that relate to concentration, relaxation and anxiety. The technology ranks performance in each category on a scale of 1 to 100, and the numbers change as a person thinks about relaxing images, focuses intently, or gets kicked, interrupted or otherwise distracted.

The technology is similar to more sensitive, expensive equipment that athletes use to achieve peak performance. Koo Hyoung Lee, a NeuroSky co-founder from South Korea, used biofeedback to improve concentration and relaxation techniques for members of his country's Olympic archery team.

"Most physical games are really mental games," said Lee, also chief technology officer at San Jose-based NeuroSky, a 12-employee company founded in 1999. "You must maintain attention at very high levels to succeed. This technology makes toys and video games more lifelike."

Boosters say toys with even the most basic brain wave-reading technology — scheduled to debut later this year — could boost mental focus and help kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and mood disorders.

But scientific research is scant. Even if the devices work as promised, some question whether people who use biofeedback devices will be able to replicate their relaxed or focused states in real life, when they're not attached to equipment in front of their television or computer.

Elkhonon Goldberg, clinical professor of neurology at New York University, said the toys might catch on in a society obsessed with optimizing performance — but he was skeptical they'd reduce the severity of major behavioral disorders.

"These techniques are used usually in clinical contexts. The gaming companies are trying to push the envelope," said Goldberg, author of "The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older." "You can use computers to improve the cognitive abilities, but it's an art."

It's also unclear whether consumers, particularly American kids, want mentally taxing games.

"It's hard to tell whether playing games with biofeedback is more fun — the company executives say that, but I don't know if I believe them," said Ben Sawyer, director of the Games for Health Project, a division of the Serious Games Initiative. The think tank focuses in part on how to make computer games more educational, not merely pastimes for kids with dexterous thumbs.

The basis of many brain wave-reading games is electroencephalography, or EEG, the measurement of the brain's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. EEG has been a mainstay of psychiatry for decades.

An EEG headset in a research hospital may have 100 or more electrodes that attach to the scalp with a conductive gel. It could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

But the price and size of EEG hardware is shrinking. NeuroSky's "dry-active" sensors don't require gel, are the size of a thumbnail, and could be put into a headset that retails for as little as $20, said NeuroSky CEO Stanley Yang.

Yang is secretive about his company's product lineup because of a nondisclosure agreement with the manufacturer. But he said an international toy manufacturer plans to unveil an inexpensive gizmo with an embedded NeuroSky biosensor at the Japan Toy Association's trade show in late June. A U.S. version is scheduled to debut at the American International Fall Toy Show in October.

"Whatever we sell, it will work on 100 percent or almost 100 percent of people out there, no matter what the condition, temperature, indoor or outdoors," Yang said. "We aim for wearable technology that everyone can put on and go without failure, as easy as the iPod."

Researchers at NeuroSky and other startups are also building prototypes of toys that use electromyography (EMG), which records twitches and other muscular movements, and electrooculography (EOG), which measures changes in the retina.

While NeuroSky's headset has one electrode, Emotiv Systems Inc. has developed a gel-free headset with 18 sensors. Besides monitoring basic changes in mood and focus, Emotiv's bulkier headset detects brain waves indicating smiles, blinks, laughter, even conscious thoughts and unconscious emotions. Players could kick or punch their video game opponent — without a joystick or mouse.

"It fulfills the fantasy of telekinesis," said Tan Le, co-founder and president of San Francisco-based Emotiv.

The 30-person company hopes to begin selling a consumer headset next year, but executives would not speculate on price. A prototype hooks up to gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.

Le, a 29-year-old Australian woman, said the company decided in 2004 to target gamers because they would generate the most revenue — but eventually Emotive will build equipment for clinical use. The technology could enable paralyzed people to "move" in virtual realty; people with obsessive-compulsive disorders could measure their anxiety levels, then adjust medication accordingly.

The husband-and-wife team behind CyberLearning Technology LLC took the opposite approach. The San Marcos-based startup targets doctors, therapists and parents of adolescents with autism, impulse control problems and other pervasive developmental disorders.

CyberLearning is already selling the SmartBrain Technologies system for the original PlayStation, PS2 and original Xbox, and it will soon work with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The EEG- and EMG-based biofeedback system costs about $600, not including the game console or video games.

Kids who play the race car video game "Gran Turismo" with the SmartBrain system can only reach maximum speed when they're focused. If attention wanes or players become impulsive or anxious, cars slow to a chug.

CyberLearning has sold more than 1,500 systems since early 2005. The company hopes to reach adolescents already being treated for behavior disorders. But co-founder Lindsay Greco said the budding niche is unpredictable.

"Our biggest struggle is to find the target market," said Greco, who has run treatment programs for children with attention difficulties since the 1980s. "We're finding that parents are using this to improve their own recall and focus. We have executives who use it to improve their memory, even their golf."


I think this will be very beneficial used in medical treatment.
wearable technology seems to be popping up left right and center
these days.
link]]> Quote:A convincing twin of Darth Vader stalks the beige cubicles of a Silicon Valley office, complete with ominous black mask, cape and light saber. But this is no chintzy Halloween costume. It's a prototype, years in the making, of a toy that incorporates brain wave-reading technology.

Behind the mask is a sensor that touches the user's forehead and reads the brain's electrical signals, then sends them to a wireless receiver inside the saber, which lights up when the user is concentrating. The player maintains focus by channeling thoughts on any fixed mental image, or thinking specifically about keeping the light sword on. When the mind wanders, the wand goes dark.

Engineers at NeuroSky Inc. have big plans for brain wave-reading toys and video games. They say the simple Darth Vader game — a relatively crude biofeedback device cloaked in gimmicky garb — portends the coming of more sophisticated devices that could revolutionize the way people play.

Technology from NeuroSky and other startups could make video games more mentally stimulating and realistic. It could even enable players to control video game characters or avatars in virtual worlds with nothing but their thoughts.

Adding biofeedback to "Tiger Woods PGA Tour," for instance, could mean that only those players who muster Zen-like concentration could nail a put. In the popular action game "Grand Theft Auto," players who become nervous or frightened would have worse aim than those who remain relaxed and focused.

NeuroSky's prototype measures a person's baseline brain-wave activity, including signals that relate to concentration, relaxation and anxiety. The technology ranks performance in each category on a scale of 1 to 100, and the numbers change as a person thinks about relaxing images, focuses intently, or gets kicked, interrupted or otherwise distracted.

The technology is similar to more sensitive, expensive equipment that athletes use to achieve peak performance. Koo Hyoung Lee, a NeuroSky co-founder from South Korea, used biofeedback to improve concentration and relaxation techniques for members of his country's Olympic archery team.

"Most physical games are really mental games," said Lee, also chief technology officer at San Jose-based NeuroSky, a 12-employee company founded in 1999. "You must maintain attention at very high levels to succeed. This technology makes toys and video games more lifelike."

Boosters say toys with even the most basic brain wave-reading technology — scheduled to debut later this year — could boost mental focus and help kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and mood disorders.

But scientific research is scant. Even if the devices work as promised, some question whether people who use biofeedback devices will be able to replicate their relaxed or focused states in real life, when they're not attached to equipment in front of their television or computer.

Elkhonon Goldberg, clinical professor of neurology at New York University, said the toys might catch on in a society obsessed with optimizing performance — but he was skeptical they'd reduce the severity of major behavioral disorders.

"These techniques are used usually in clinical contexts. The gaming companies are trying to push the envelope," said Goldberg, author of "The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older." "You can use computers to improve the cognitive abilities, but it's an art."

It's also unclear whether consumers, particularly American kids, want mentally taxing games.

"It's hard to tell whether playing games with biofeedback is more fun — the company executives say that, but I don't know if I believe them," said Ben Sawyer, director of the Games for Health Project, a division of the Serious Games Initiative. The think tank focuses in part on how to make computer games more educational, not merely pastimes for kids with dexterous thumbs.

The basis of many brain wave-reading games is electroencephalography, or EEG, the measurement of the brain's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. EEG has been a mainstay of psychiatry for decades.

An EEG headset in a research hospital may have 100 or more electrodes that attach to the scalp with a conductive gel. It could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

But the price and size of EEG hardware is shrinking. NeuroSky's "dry-active" sensors don't require gel, are the size of a thumbnail, and could be put into a headset that retails for as little as $20, said NeuroSky CEO Stanley Yang.

Yang is secretive about his company's product lineup because of a nondisclosure agreement with the manufacturer. But he said an international toy manufacturer plans to unveil an inexpensive gizmo with an embedded NeuroSky biosensor at the Japan Toy Association's trade show in late June. A U.S. version is scheduled to debut at the American International Fall Toy Show in October.

"Whatever we sell, it will work on 100 percent or almost 100 percent of people out there, no matter what the condition, temperature, indoor or outdoors," Yang said. "We aim for wearable technology that everyone can put on and go without failure, as easy as the iPod."

Researchers at NeuroSky and other startups are also building prototypes of toys that use electromyography (EMG), which records twitches and other muscular movements, and electrooculography (EOG), which measures changes in the retina.

While NeuroSky's headset has one electrode, Emotiv Systems Inc. has developed a gel-free headset with 18 sensors. Besides monitoring basic changes in mood and focus, Emotiv's bulkier headset detects brain waves indicating smiles, blinks, laughter, even conscious thoughts and unconscious emotions. Players could kick or punch their video game opponent — without a joystick or mouse.

"It fulfills the fantasy of telekinesis," said Tan Le, co-founder and president of San Francisco-based Emotiv.

The 30-person company hopes to begin selling a consumer headset next year, but executives would not speculate on price. A prototype hooks up to gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.

Le, a 29-year-old Australian woman, said the company decided in 2004 to target gamers because they would generate the most revenue — but eventually Emotive will build equipment for clinical use. The technology could enable paralyzed people to "move" in virtual realty; people with obsessive-compulsive disorders could measure their anxiety levels, then adjust medication accordingly.

The husband-and-wife team behind CyberLearning Technology LLC took the opposite approach. The San Marcos-based startup targets doctors, therapists and parents of adolescents with autism, impulse control problems and other pervasive developmental disorders.

CyberLearning is already selling the SmartBrain Technologies system for the original PlayStation, PS2 and original Xbox, and it will soon work with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The EEG- and EMG-based biofeedback system costs about $600, not including the game console or video games.

Kids who play the race car video game "Gran Turismo" with the SmartBrain system can only reach maximum speed when they're focused. If attention wanes or players become impulsive or anxious, cars slow to a chug.

CyberLearning has sold more than 1,500 systems since early 2005. The company hopes to reach adolescents already being treated for behavior disorders. But co-founder Lindsay Greco said the budding niche is unpredictable.

"Our biggest struggle is to find the target market," said Greco, who has run treatment programs for children with attention difficulties since the 1980s. "We're finding that parents are using this to improve their own recall and focus. We have executives who use it to improve their memory, even their golf."


I think this will be very beneficial used in medical treatment.
wearable technology seems to be popping up left right and center
these days.
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3205 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:24:16 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3205

Quote:German police have confiscated what may be the world's fastest office chair.

Police say officers happened on the contraption - the work of two inventive 17-year-olds - in the western town of Gross-Zimmern on Saturday.

The pair had added a lawnmower engine, bicycle brakes and a metal frame to the revolving chair - making it into a go-kart-like vehicle.

Police say the inventors insisted they had only tested it over a few metres, but witnesses reported seeing it on several streets.

They are being investigated over a variety of possible offences, including defying insurance regulations, driving without a licence and violating registration requirements.

Police did not say what top speed the chair could reach.


sounds like something my boys would love to make :giggle:
link]]>

Quote:German police have confiscated what may be the world's fastest office chair.

Police say officers happened on the contraption - the work of two inventive 17-year-olds - in the western town of Gross-Zimmern on Saturday.

The pair had added a lawnmower engine, bicycle brakes and a metal frame to the revolving chair - making it into a go-kart-like vehicle.

Police say the inventors insisted they had only tested it over a few metres, but witnesses reported seeing it on several streets.

They are being investigated over a variety of possible offences, including defying insurance regulations, driving without a licence and violating registration requirements.

Police did not say what top speed the chair could reach.


sounds like something my boys would love to make :giggle:
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3204 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:22:43 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3204

Quote:German police have confiscated what may be the world's fastest office chair.

Police say officers happened on the contraption - the work of two inventive 17-year-olds - in the western town of Gross-Zimmern on Saturday.

The pair had added a lawnmower engine, bicycle brakes and a metal frame to the revolving chair - making it into a go-kart-like vehicle.

Police say the inventors insisted they had only tested it over a few metres, but witnesses reported seeing it on several streets.

They are being investigated over a variety of possible offences, including defying insurance regulations, driving without a licence and violating registration requirements.

Police did not say what top speed the chair could reach.


sounds like something my boys would love to make :giggle:
link]]>

Quote:German police have confiscated what may be the world's fastest office chair.

Police say officers happened on the contraption - the work of two inventive 17-year-olds - in the western town of Gross-Zimmern on Saturday.

The pair had added a lawnmower engine, bicycle brakes and a metal frame to the revolving chair - making it into a go-kart-like vehicle.

Police say the inventors insisted they had only tested it over a few metres, but witnesses reported seeing it on several streets.

They are being investigated over a variety of possible offences, including defying insurance regulations, driving without a licence and violating registration requirements.

Police did not say what top speed the chair could reach.


sounds like something my boys would love to make :giggle:
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3203 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:51:29 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3203 Quote:California's high court on Monday barred doctors from withholding medical care to gays and lesbians based on religious beliefs, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extends to the medical profession.

Justice Joyce Kennard wrote in the unanimous ruling that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state's law, which "imposes on business establishments certain anti-discrimination obligations."

In the lawsuit that led to the ruling, Guadalupe Benitez, 36, of Oceanside said that the doctors treated her with fertility drugs and instructed her how to inseminate herself at home but told her their beliefs prevented them from assisting her further.

The case drew the attention of religious organizations, medical groups and gay civil rights organizations.

The American Civil Rights Union supported the Christian doctors, siding with the Islamic Medical Association of North America, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations and anti-abortion groups.

The California Medical Association reversed its early support of the Christian doctors after receiving a barrage of criticism from the gay rights community, joining health care provider Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to oppose the Christian doctors.

The American Civil Liberties Union, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the National Health Law Program and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association all filed papers backing Benitez.

Monday's ruling came after the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in May to legalize gay marriage.


Geez I am surprised this happened in this day and age. Doesn't this go against the doctors oath?

Link]]> Quote:California's high court on Monday barred doctors from withholding medical care to gays and lesbians based on religious beliefs, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extends to the medical profession.

Justice Joyce Kennard wrote in the unanimous ruling that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state's law, which "imposes on business establishments certain anti-discrimination obligations."

In the lawsuit that led to the ruling, Guadalupe Benitez, 36, of Oceanside said that the doctors treated her with fertility drugs and instructed her how to inseminate herself at home but told her their beliefs prevented them from assisting her further.

The case drew the attention of religious organizations, medical groups and gay civil rights organizations.

The American Civil Rights Union supported the Christian doctors, siding with the Islamic Medical Association of North America, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations and anti-abortion groups.

The California Medical Association reversed its early support of the Christian doctors after receiving a barrage of criticism from the gay rights community, joining health care provider Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to oppose the Christian doctors.

The American Civil Liberties Union, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the National Health Law Program and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association all filed papers backing Benitez.

Monday's ruling came after the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in May to legalize gay marriage.


Geez I am surprised this happened in this day and age. Doesn't this go against the doctors oath?

Link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3202 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:14:02 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3202 Trials on Children Have no Safety Checks


Quote:Fewer than 2 percent of drug trials conducted on children have independent safety advisory boards, a review published in the journal Acta Paediatrica has found.

Researchers from Nottingham University reviewed reports on 739 international drug trials that had been published between 1996 and 2002. They found that although 74 percent of studies described their safety monitoring procedures, less than 2 percent included an independent safety review committee.

Such committees are composed of independent health experts who can review the study data as it comes out and warn if the drug appears to be placing study participants at risk.

"It is invaluable to have an independent monitor who can swiftly question any adverse drug reactions or differences in illness and death rates between groups taking part in the clinical trials," said lead researcher Helen Sammons. "Parents also need to be made aware of the risks of adverse drug reactions when a child takes any medicine so that they can make informed decisions that balance those risks against the possible benefits the drug may provide their child."

The Nottingham University review also suggests that independent committees lead to more rigorous safety standards. Of the 13 studies with independent review committees, six were halted early due to highly toxic drug effects.

None of the studies without independent committees were stopped early.

Although the researchers looked only at studies conducted on children, they said the statistics for adult trials are probably similar.

"There is general agreement by pediatric health professionals, regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as politicians and parents, that drug trials are essential in order to improve drug therapies," Sammons said. "We are calling for all pediatric drug trials to include independent safety monitoring committees to ensure that this vital work is carried out in a way that minimizes risks and maximizes benefits for the children taking part."

Adverse health effects were reported in the majority of drug trials, although not all of them were thought to be related to the drugs. A total of 70 percent of drug trials reviewed reported adverse effects, and 20 percent reported serious adverse effects. Almost 37 percent of drug trials reported side effects attributed to the drugs; 11 percent of trials reported moderate, severe or life-threatening side effects.

Adverse effects reported included bleeding, high blood pressure, seizures, psychosis, acute renal failure and suicide.

Deaths were reported in 11 percent of drug trials, particularly in those involving premature babies. A total of 56 percent of studies involving newborns involved deaths. Deaths were also reported in trials for drugs meant to treat infectious diseases and problems with the nervous system, respiratory system and kidneys.

Most cases of death were not thought to be caused by the drugs.

According to Sammons, the practice of conducting clinical drug trials on children is fairly new. In the past, drug companies only conducted safety tests on adults and doctors were left to guess at what drugs would work for children, and in what doses.

Five years ago, the United States began providing longer exclusive drug licenses to pharmaceutical companies that carry out drug trials on children as well as adults. In reaction to this incentive, the number of trials including children has increased. A similar incentive system is about to go into effect in the European Union.

It is important to conduct these trials, Sammons said, to decide if the benefits of drugs outweigh the risks.

"We need to test drugs on children, as the only other options are to use unlicensed drugs or prescribe drugs that have been licensed for adults," Sammons said. "But we feel that the small number of studies that reported having safety monitoring committees was unacceptable."


more here]]> Trials on Children Have no Safety Checks


Quote:Fewer than 2 percent of drug trials conducted on children have independent safety advisory boards, a review published in the journal Acta Paediatrica has found.

Researchers from Nottingham University reviewed reports on 739 international drug trials that had been published between 1996 and 2002. They found that although 74 percent of studies described their safety monitoring procedures, less than 2 percent included an independent safety review committee.

Such committees are composed of independent health experts who can review the study data as it comes out and warn if the drug appears to be placing study participants at risk.

"It is invaluable to have an independent monitor who can swiftly question any adverse drug reactions or differences in illness and death rates between groups taking part in the clinical trials," said lead researcher Helen Sammons. "Parents also need to be made aware of the risks of adverse drug reactions when a child takes any medicine so that they can make informed decisions that balance those risks against the possible benefits the drug may provide their child."

The Nottingham University review also suggests that independent committees lead to more rigorous safety standards. Of the 13 studies with independent review committees, six were halted early due to highly toxic drug effects.

None of the studies without independent committees were stopped early.

Although the researchers looked only at studies conducted on children, they said the statistics for adult trials are probably similar.

"There is general agreement by pediatric health professionals, regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as politicians and parents, that drug trials are essential in order to improve drug therapies," Sammons said. "We are calling for all pediatric drug trials to include independent safety monitoring committees to ensure that this vital work is carried out in a way that minimizes risks and maximizes benefits for the children taking part."

Adverse health effects were reported in the majority of drug trials, although not all of them were thought to be related to the drugs. A total of 70 percent of drug trials reviewed reported adverse effects, and 20 percent reported serious adverse effects. Almost 37 percent of drug trials reported side effects attributed to the drugs; 11 percent of trials reported moderate, severe or life-threatening side effects.

Adverse effects reported included bleeding, high blood pressure, seizures, psychosis, acute renal failure and suicide.

Deaths were reported in 11 percent of drug trials, particularly in those involving premature babies. A total of 56 percent of studies involving newborns involved deaths. Deaths were also reported in trials for drugs meant to treat infectious diseases and problems with the nervous system, respiratory system and kidneys.

Most cases of death were not thought to be caused by the drugs.

According to Sammons, the practice of conducting clinical drug trials on children is fairly new. In the past, drug companies only conducted safety tests on adults and doctors were left to guess at what drugs would work for children, and in what doses.

Five years ago, the United States began providing longer exclusive drug licenses to pharmaceutical companies that carry out drug trials on children as well as adults. In reaction to this incentive, the number of trials including children has increased. A similar incentive system is about to go into effect in the European Union.

It is important to conduct these trials, Sammons said, to decide if the benefits of drugs outweigh the risks.

"We need to test drugs on children, as the only other options are to use unlicensed drugs or prescribe drugs that have been licensed for adults," Sammons said. "But we feel that the small number of studies that reported having safety monitoring committees was unacceptable."


more here]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3201 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:38:55 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3201 Quote:Nearly one in two Canadians believes mental illness isn't always "real" but a cop-out for bad behaviour and personal weakness, a new national survey shows.

And attitudes toward people with addictions border almost on religious judgment, the study found.

One in four Canadians is afraid to be around someone with a serious mental illness, and about half of the 2,024 people surveyed online said they would avoid socializing with, or marrying someone with a mental illness.

The Ipsos-Reid survey, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, "shines a harsh, and frankly unflattering light on the attitudes we Canadians have concerning mental health," CMA president Dr. Brian Day said in a release.

"In some ways, mental illness is the final frontier of socially-acceptable discrimination."

The irony is that 15 per cent of adults polled reported having been diagnosed by a doctor as being clinically depressed; another 23 per cent reported feelings of worthlessness and helplessness. Meanwhile, the number of prescriptions dispensed for antidepressants in the country is approaching one prescription per Canadian per year.

"If somebody said to you they had a pain in their stomach, you wouldn't assume it was fake; you would assume they had a problem and had to get it looked at," says Canada's mental health commissioner, Michael Kirby.

"People aren't willing to recognize that mental illness is a genuine illness."

Fewer than half of Canadians think alcohol and drug addiction is a mental illness and only one in five would socialize with someone struggling with substance abuse, according to the survey.

The attitudes reflect "an almost religious judgment of people involved with alcohol or drugs as sinners," says Dr. David Goldbloom, vice-chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.


I am rather surprised by that.

Link]]> Quote:Nearly one in two Canadians believes mental illness isn't always "real" but a cop-out for bad behaviour and personal weakness, a new national survey shows.

And attitudes toward people with addictions border almost on religious judgment, the study found.

One in four Canadians is afraid to be around someone with a serious mental illness, and about half of the 2,024 people surveyed online said they would avoid socializing with, or marrying someone with a mental illness.

The Ipsos-Reid survey, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, "shines a harsh, and frankly unflattering light on the attitudes we Canadians have concerning mental health," CMA president Dr. Brian Day said in a release.

"In some ways, mental illness is the final frontier of socially-acceptable discrimination."

The irony is that 15 per cent of adults polled reported having been diagnosed by a doctor as being clinically depressed; another 23 per cent reported feelings of worthlessness and helplessness. Meanwhile, the number of prescriptions dispensed for antidepressants in the country is approaching one prescription per Canadian per year.

"If somebody said to you they had a pain in their stomach, you wouldn't assume it was fake; you would assume they had a problem and had to get it looked at," says Canada's mental health commissioner, Michael Kirby.

"People aren't willing to recognize that mental illness is a genuine illness."

Fewer than half of Canadians think alcohol and drug addiction is a mental illness and only one in five would socialize with someone struggling with substance abuse, according to the survey.

The attitudes reflect "an almost religious judgment of people involved with alcohol or drugs as sinners," says Dr. David Goldbloom, vice-chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.


I am rather surprised by that.

Link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3200 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:19:28 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3200 are overweight or obese...


Quote:The incidence of obesity in children and adults has doubled in the last 10 years, but parents are at a loss as to the cause of this problem in their children.

New research has found evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to the development of diabetes and obesity, especially in children.

Scientists found that drinks with corn syrup have high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels. The findings were reported at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society last August.

According to Meira Field of the U.S Department of Agriculture, most processed foods contain corn syrup. The sweetener is found in many foods and beverages, from soda, baked goods and condiments to so-called health foods. It has become manufacturers' sweetener of choice because it is cheaper, sweeter and more easily blended than granulated white sugar.

The food industry disputes the findings, but some researchers suggest that high fructose sweeteners increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. In a current study, a scientist conducted chemical tests on 11 different soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup, and he found ”astonishingly high“ levels of reactive carbonyls in those drinks.

Such high levels of these highly reactive compounds associated with ”unbound“ fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, said Chi-Tang Ho, a professor of food science at Rutger's University.

Re-active carbonyls are also elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and are linked to complications from the disease. He estimates that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls that is found in an adult person with diabetes.

”People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country,“ Ho said. ”It is in far too many food and drink products, and there is growing evidence that it is bad for you.“

Science Daily states these facts from University of Florida: Many dieters are cutting out the wrong foods. Dieters should focus on lowering their intake of fructose rather than cutting carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes, researchers report.

Eating too much fructose causes uric acid levels to spike causing gout and blocking the ability of insulin to regulate how body cells store sugar and other nutrients for energy.

This leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, said Dr. Richard J. Johnson, the division chief of nephrology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

”Certainly we don't think fructose is the only cause of the obesity epidemic that may eventually result in diabetes ... but we think fructose may have a unique ability to trigger insulin resistance and features of metabolic syndrome more so than other foods,“ Johnson said.


time to regulate the quantity of sweeteners added in
foods and drinks just like what they are doing with trans fats nowadays.
link]]> are overweight or obese...


Quote:The incidence of obesity in children and adults has doubled in the last 10 years, but parents are at a loss as to the cause of this problem in their children.

New research has found evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to the development of diabetes and obesity, especially in children.

Scientists found that drinks with corn syrup have high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels. The findings were reported at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society last August.

According to Meira Field of the U.S Department of Agriculture, most processed foods contain corn syrup. The sweetener is found in many foods and beverages, from soda, baked goods and condiments to so-called health foods. It has become manufacturers' sweetener of choice because it is cheaper, sweeter and more easily blended than granulated white sugar.

The food industry disputes the findings, but some researchers suggest that high fructose sweeteners increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. In a current study, a scientist conducted chemical tests on 11 different soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup, and he found ”astonishingly high“ levels of reactive carbonyls in those drinks.

Such high levels of these highly reactive compounds associated with ”unbound“ fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, said Chi-Tang Ho, a professor of food science at Rutger's University.

Re-active carbonyls are also elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and are linked to complications from the disease. He estimates that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls that is found in an adult person with diabetes.

”People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country,“ Ho said. ”It is in far too many food and drink products, and there is growing evidence that it is bad for you.“

Science Daily states these facts from University of Florida: Many dieters are cutting out the wrong foods. Dieters should focus on lowering their intake of fructose rather than cutting carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes, researchers report.

Eating too much fructose causes uric acid levels to spike causing gout and blocking the ability of insulin to regulate how body cells store sugar and other nutrients for energy.

This leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, said Dr. Richard J. Johnson, the division chief of nephrology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

”Certainly we don't think fructose is the only cause of the obesity epidemic that may eventually result in diabetes ... but we think fructose may have a unique ability to trigger insulin resistance and features of metabolic syndrome more so than other foods,“ Johnson said.


time to regulate the quantity of sweeteners added in
foods and drinks just like what they are doing with trans fats nowadays.
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3199 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:53:35 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3199 all the research in the world can't help children from becoming obese,
it can hold great hope for others with life-threatening medical conditions.


Quote:Scientists in Melbourne say a drug they've developed has the potential to stop
a condition which causes heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes and some lung and liver problems.

The drug is said to stop the spread of fibrosis which causes irreversible damage to vital organs.

Scientists at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital and Melbourne University say if human trials are as successful as their trials on rats, the drug has the potential to save millions of lives.

Prof Darren Kelly led the research project and he's speaking here with Simon Lauder.

DARREN KELLY: It has been estimated that 40 to 45 per cent of diseases in the developed world
could be associated with some sort of pathological fibrosis.

Our initial indication is looking at diabetic kidney disease but this could also have implications
in heart failure, liver fibrosis, lung fibrosis and also other complications.

SIMON LAUDER: And you've developed a drug that you say can stop that kind of fibrosis?

DARREN KELLY: Well, we know at the moment in rat studies that our compounds inhibited the
development of fibrosis and the interesting thing in the future would be to see whether we can
actually reverse fibrosis but currently we have quite strong data showing that our compound
prevents fibrosis from occurring.

SIMON LAUDER: And what evidence have you got for that at the moment?

DARREN KELLY: Well, we have looked at it in a series of animal models that are very predictive
of clinical outcomes and hence the reason that we are quite confident that our data is robust.

SIMON LAUDER: Could this mean an end one day to kidney dialysis?

DARREN KELLY: Well, that is always what you would hope for. That is certainly our aim and our
group is to at least delay the onset of dialysis but the ultimate aim would be certainly to prevent
dialysis.

SIMON LAUDER: And what other problems do you think you could prevent?

DARREN KELLY: Well, it could be a treatment after people have heart attacks. A lot of the
remodelling or the fibrosis that occurs in patients with heart attacks causes the heart to fail
over the short term so it could be used to treat heart failure.

Also patients with liver cirrhosis and fibrosis and some of the lung conditions as well.

SIMON LAUDER: I understand this could be the first drug of its type in the world so what are the implications?

DARREN KELLY: Well, the implications are enormous actually. If it was the first of its kind
on the market, it would be a huge step forward because there are currently no available
antifibrotics on the market.

You know, it would be up there with some of the blockbuster drugs like the blood pressure
lowering compounds. It would be a huge advance in medical knowledge.

SIMON LAUDER: It is still a way off though isn't it? You haven't done any human trials yet?

DARREN KELLY: Correct. We have just received a grant from the US Government to accelerate
our development program and we are hoping to get into patients within the next 12 months or
so.

TONY EASTLEY: Prof Darren Kelly from St Vincent's Hospital at the University of Melbourne
speaking there with our reporter Simon Lauder.


very exciting study and I do hope we hear more about the
drug in the near future.
link]]> all the research in the world can't help children from becoming obese,
it can hold great hope for others with life-threatening medical conditions.


Quote:Scientists in Melbourne say a drug they've developed has the potential to stop
a condition which causes heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes and some lung and liver problems.

The drug is said to stop the spread of fibrosis which causes irreversible damage to vital organs.

Scientists at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital and Melbourne University say if human trials are as successful as their trials on rats, the drug has the potential to save millions of lives.

Prof Darren Kelly led the research project and he's speaking here with Simon Lauder.

DARREN KELLY: It has been estimated that 40 to 45 per cent of diseases in the developed world
could be associated with some sort of pathological fibrosis.

Our initial indication is looking at diabetic kidney disease but this could also have implications
in heart failure, liver fibrosis, lung fibrosis and also other complications.

SIMON LAUDER: And you've developed a drug that you say can stop that kind of fibrosis?

DARREN KELLY: Well, we know at the moment in rat studies that our compounds inhibited the
development of fibrosis and the interesting thing in the future would be to see whether we can
actually reverse fibrosis but currently we have quite strong data showing that our compound
prevents fibrosis from occurring.

SIMON LAUDER: And what evidence have you got for that at the moment?

DARREN KELLY: Well, we have looked at it in a series of animal models that are very predictive
of clinical outcomes and hence the reason that we are quite confident that our data is robust.

SIMON LAUDER: Could this mean an end one day to kidney dialysis?

DARREN KELLY: Well, that is always what you would hope for. That is certainly our aim and our
group is to at least delay the onset of dialysis but the ultimate aim would be certainly to prevent
dialysis.

SIMON LAUDER: And what other problems do you think you could prevent?

DARREN KELLY: Well, it could be a treatment after people have heart attacks. A lot of the
remodelling or the fibrosis that occurs in patients with heart attacks causes the heart to fail
over the short term so it could be used to treat heart failure.

Also patients with liver cirrhosis and fibrosis and some of the lung conditions as well.

SIMON LAUDER: I understand this could be the first drug of its type in the world so what are the implications?

DARREN KELLY: Well, the implications are enormous actually. If it was the first of its kind
on the market, it would be a huge step forward because there are currently no available
antifibrotics on the market.

You know, it would be up there with some of the blockbuster drugs like the blood pressure
lowering compounds. It would be a huge advance in medical knowledge.

SIMON LAUDER: It is still a way off though isn't it? You haven't done any human trials yet?

DARREN KELLY: Correct. We have just received a grant from the US Government to accelerate
our development program and we are hoping to get into patients within the next 12 months or
so.

TONY EASTLEY: Prof Darren Kelly from St Vincent's Hospital at the University of Melbourne
speaking there with our reporter Simon Lauder.


very exciting study and I do hope we hear more about the
drug in the near future.
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3198 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:04:07 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3198

Quote:VANCOUVER — The hot, sunny weather in Vancouver didn't keep hundreds of normally nocturnal zombies from parading through the city.
A crowd of people covered in fake blood and guts - many yelling for brains - met at the city's art gallery and did a loop through the busy downtown, acquiring many puzzled looks along the way.

Part art project, part meaningless fun, the so-called ZombieWalk has been going on for several years.
Participants are encouraged to act as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombie behaviour
Similar events have taken place in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto.
Eilene Sabouran says she came out because she finds that Vancouver doesn't have many fun things to do.

There were several zombie-themed after parties planned after the parade, which ended at a popular beach.


strange, but hey if it brings people together for some good fun
I say go for it :giggle:
link]]>

Quote:VANCOUVER — The hot, sunny weather in Vancouver didn't keep hundreds of normally nocturnal zombies from parading through the city.
A crowd of people covered in fake blood and guts - many yelling for brains - met at the city's art gallery and did a loop through the busy downtown, acquiring many puzzled looks along the way.

Part art project, part meaningless fun, the so-called ZombieWalk has been going on for several years.
Participants are encouraged to act as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombie behaviour
Similar events have taken place in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto.
Eilene Sabouran says she came out because she finds that Vancouver doesn't have many fun things to do.

There were several zombie-themed after parties planned after the parade, which ended at a popular beach.


strange, but hey if it brings people together for some good fun
I say go for it :giggle:
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3197 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:50:30 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3197

Quote:No doubt you have heard that yogurt is teeming with bacteria and no doubt you try not to think about that as you dig into a cup of the stuff. Yes, they're supposed to be good bacteria, ones that not only don't make you sick but actually improve your health. Still, a spoonful of critters with unlovely names like Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidus regularis will never sound like a palate pleaser to even the most dedicated health nut.

Whether or not you've ever developed a taste or even a tolerance for living things in your lunch, more are on the way. Food companies have been coming to the conclusion that if a few of these superstar bacteria are good for you, then more will be even better. This is giving rise to a small but growing product line called probiotics, in which the bacteria population is boosted, sometimes considerably. For consumers, of course, the question is, Do these products work?

Probiotics have been around for a long time, mostly in the form of dietary supplements. They're also found naturally in foods like yogurt, buttermilk, sauerkraut and tofu. Recently, however, the Dannon Co. has been making a marketing splash with a yogurt line named Activia, which is fortified with extra bacteria. So far, this bet seems to be paying off, with more than $100 million in sales in the product's first year in the U.S. alone. Other companies are coming forward with probiotic yogurt drinks and fortified beverages, which are also finding a market. There is a fair body of science suggesting that some consumers are spending their dollars wisely.

"The superstar bacteria stick around in your intestines a lot longer," says Dr. Gary Huffnagle, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and co-author of The Probiotics Revolution. In the digestive tract, the bacteria help regulate and restore peristalsis, the rhythmic motion of the intestine that pushes digested food through. There's a reason one of the bugs has the word regularis as its second name, and this intestinal toning is it. "Doesn't matter if you are constipated or the opposite," Huffnagle says. "These bacteria can help make you, um, regular."

Huffnagle's research also suggests that the bacteria can battle numerous kinds of allergies—and not just food allergies. This is a somewhat harder scientific case to make, but Huffnagle's belief is that since anything you breathe you may also swallow in at least some quantity, the good bacteria in your gut could help control allergens.

Not everyone is sold on probiotics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is relatively neutral, using the growing popularity of the products as an opportunity to caution manufacturers not to pitch the foods as some sort of panacea for any specific disease. More important, some people should avoid the products altogether. Those with weakened immune systems or who are critically ill would be well advised to stay away from eating live bacteria. Certainly anyone in the hospital would also count. Furthermore, the products can take a little getting used to, even for the otherwise healthy. If you are new to the world of probiotics and you suddenly start eating a lot, there is a good chance you could experience uncomfortable bloating.

"You have just started a civil war in your intestines between good bacteria and bad bacteria," Huffnagle says. Fortunately, the war is usually over in one or two weeks, and, stresses Huffnagle, "the good guys win."

Expect to see lots of those good guys on store shelves soon. At least five companies in the U.S. either are in the probiotic game or are planning to enter. Plain yogurt remains the best product for added bacteria because it has three things the bugs absolutely love: lactose (or naturally occurring sugar), fat and water. Another food out there with both sugar and fat is chocolate, and—you guessed it—the company Attune already has a probiotic chocolate bar. That's something that may prompt me to give the superstar bacteria a try after all.


I for one love yogurt and can eat it everyday. In fact I make about
4 different dishes which yogurt is used as the main ingredient.
and they are not sweet dishes either, just good healthy Mediterranean
meals.
link]]>

Quote:No doubt you have heard that yogurt is teeming with bacteria and no doubt you try not to think about that as you dig into a cup of the stuff. Yes, they're supposed to be good bacteria, ones that not only don't make you sick but actually improve your health. Still, a spoonful of critters with unlovely names like Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidus regularis will never sound like a palate pleaser to even the most dedicated health nut.

Whether or not you've ever developed a taste or even a tolerance for living things in your lunch, more are on the way. Food companies have been coming to the conclusion that if a few of these superstar bacteria are good for you, then more will be even better. This is giving rise to a small but growing product line called probiotics, in which the bacteria population is boosted, sometimes considerably. For consumers, of course, the question is, Do these products work?

Probiotics have been around for a long time, mostly in the form of dietary supplements. They're also found naturally in foods like yogurt, buttermilk, sauerkraut and tofu. Recently, however, the Dannon Co. has been making a marketing splash with a yogurt line named Activia, which is fortified with extra bacteria. So far, this bet seems to be paying off, with more than $100 million in sales in the product's first year in the U.S. alone. Other companies are coming forward with probiotic yogurt drinks and fortified beverages, which are also finding a market. There is a fair body of science suggesting that some consumers are spending their dollars wisely.

"The superstar bacteria stick around in your intestines a lot longer," says Dr. Gary Huffnagle, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and co-author of The Probiotics Revolution. In the digestive tract, the bacteria help regulate and restore peristalsis, the rhythmic motion of the intestine that pushes digested food through. There's a reason one of the bugs has the word regularis as its second name, and this intestinal toning is it. "Doesn't matter if you are constipated or the opposite," Huffnagle says. "These bacteria can help make you, um, regular."

Huffnagle's research also suggests that the bacteria can battle numerous kinds of allergies—and not just food allergies. This is a somewhat harder scientific case to make, but Huffnagle's belief is that since anything you breathe you may also swallow in at least some quantity, the good bacteria in your gut could help control allergens.

Not everyone is sold on probiotics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is relatively neutral, using the growing popularity of the products as an opportunity to caution manufacturers not to pitch the foods as some sort of panacea for any specific disease. More important, some people should avoid the products altogether. Those with weakened immune systems or who are critically ill would be well advised to stay away from eating live bacteria. Certainly anyone in the hospital would also count. Furthermore, the products can take a little getting used to, even for the otherwise healthy. If you are new to the world of probiotics and you suddenly start eating a lot, there is a good chance you could experience uncomfortable bloating.

"You have just started a civil war in your intestines between good bacteria and bad bacteria," Huffnagle says. Fortunately, the war is usually over in one or two weeks, and, stresses Huffnagle, "the good guys win."

Expect to see lots of those good guys on store shelves soon. At least five companies in the U.S. either are in the probiotic game or are planning to enter. Plain yogurt remains the best product for added bacteria because it has three things the bugs absolutely love: lactose (or naturally occurring sugar), fat and water. Another food out there with both sugar and fat is chocolate, and—you guessed it—the company Attune already has a probiotic chocolate bar. That's something that may prompt me to give the superstar bacteria a try after all.


I for one love yogurt and can eat it everyday. In fact I make about
4 different dishes which yogurt is used as the main ingredient.
and they are not sweet dishes either, just good healthy Mediterranean
meals.
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3196 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:28:14 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3196

Quote:NON-SMOKERS are often envious of friends or work colleagues sneaking off for their cigarette break and seemingly returning to the workplace relaxed and ready to go.

So, do cigarettes really relieve stress and is there any basis for smoker envy?

The reasons why many smokers are loathe to quit is that they believe it calms them down when stress levels are high.

■ Nicotine is a stimulant and acts as a pick-me-up.

■ It releases chemicals in your brain, called neurotransmitters, and it's thought that these improve your mood and make you feel better.

But the reality is:

■ These feelings usually only last for a short period of time because withdrawal from nicotine gradually makes you feel worse.

■ Your good mood is only restored when the craving is satisfied with another cigarette.

■ Smoking can increase anxiety.

■ Smoking increases stress levels due to the constant need to top up nicotine levels.

■ Relief is only temporary — stress will return and you'll soon need to smoke another cigarette.

■ Smoking does not solve your problems — it only hides them.

■ The cause of the problem remains, and smoking actually causes more stress than it relieves.

Scientific studies show that after giving up smoking, stress levels decrease. Your anxiety may be increased if you're worrying about trying to give up smoking.

You may feel irritable and stressed when you quit smoking, but it's important to remember that this is a sign that your body is repairing itself from the effects of nicotine.

If smoking was your main way of coping with stress, after quitting you'll need to find new, better ways of stress relief. Exercise, reading and relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, are good alternatives and will help you to take your mind off a stressful situation and improve your mood.


link]]>

Quote:NON-SMOKERS are often envious of friends or work colleagues sneaking off for their cigarette break and seemingly returning to the workplace relaxed and ready to go.

So, do cigarettes really relieve stress and is there any basis for smoker envy?

The reasons why many smokers are loathe to quit is that they believe it calms them down when stress levels are high.

■ Nicotine is a stimulant and acts as a pick-me-up.

■ It releases chemicals in your brain, called neurotransmitters, and it's thought that these improve your mood and make you feel better.

But the reality is:

■ These feelings usually only last for a short period of time because withdrawal from nicotine gradually makes you feel worse.

■ Your good mood is only restored when the craving is satisfied with another cigarette.

■ Smoking can increase anxiety.

■ Smoking increases stress levels due to the constant need to top up nicotine levels.

■ Relief is only temporary — stress will return and you'll soon need to smoke another cigarette.

■ Smoking does not solve your problems — it only hides them.

■ The cause of the problem remains, and smoking actually causes more stress than it relieves.

Scientific studies show that after giving up smoking, stress levels decrease. Your anxiety may be increased if you're worrying about trying to give up smoking.

You may feel irritable and stressed when you quit smoking, but it's important to remember that this is a sign that your body is repairing itself from the effects of nicotine.

If smoking was your main way of coping with stress, after quitting you'll need to find new, better ways of stress relief. Exercise, reading and relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, are good alternatives and will help you to take your mind off a stressful situation and improve your mood.


link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3195 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:11:31 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3195

Quote:Precisely targeted radiation therapy can eradicate tumors that have spread to other parts of the body, offering more months or years of life to patients who have no other options,
They said new radiation techniques can attack metastases tumors that have spread one by one.

Experiments in 29 patients showed the radiation stopped all the tumors in six, or 21 percent, of the patients, for anywhere between 10 months and more than two years.

"This was proof of principle in patients who had failed the standard therapies and had few, if any, remaining options," said Dr. Ralph Weichselbaum of the University of Chicago Medical Center, who led the study.

But the results were inconsistent in another six patients, only the treated tumors grew, while in yet another six, untreated tumors remained and grew, the team at the University of Chicago Medical Center reported in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

In eight of the patients, new tumors appeared but the treated tumors were stopped.

Higher doses of radiation have been shown to be safe for many places on the body and might work better, Weichselbaum said in a telephone interview.

He said more patients with a variety of cancers, including lung, head and neck, breast, colon and ovarian, are being treated now with higher doses and are surviving longer.

All have stage IV cancer, meaning it has spread to more than one place throughout the body. Almost all patients with stage IV cancer die, even with chemotherapy, except for patients with testicular cancer and some blood cancers.

FEW OPTIONS

"These patients had been through experimental treatments, so it is not like we got anybody who had standard of care left, Weichselbaum said.

Each volunteer got three doses of precisely targeted radiation to their tumors. New guided radiation techniques can limit the amount of damage to healthy tissue and new imaging techniques, such as CT and PET scans, can help doctors find tumors they previously might have missed.

All the patients had some fatigue but few had serious side effects. One developed severe vomiting and another had internal bleeding that required a blood transfusion.

"Although our radiation wasn't able to control the disease in everybody, if we had treated where they had recurred with further radiation, surgery or other types of ablation, they could have been rendered disease-free," Dr. Joseph Salama, who worked on the study, said in a telephone interview.

"Not all metastatic cancer is the same. In some people, more aggressive therapy can potentially be beneficial," Salama added.

Ten patients out of the original 29 remain alive, Salama said, and nine lived more than 20 months. They are treating more patients with higher doses of radiation now and of 51 patients treated so far, 15 are alive.

The researchers hope to find a genetic signature or some other way of identifying the patients who may hope to benefit from this radiation.

One key question is whether chemotherapy must first get rid of the tiny tumor seeds that spread and grow into metastases, Weichselbaum said.

"Most likely this will be used with the targeted therapies," he said.

New targeted drugs go straight for the mutation that causes the cancer, as opposed to traditional chemotherapy and radiation approaches that kill quick-growing cells, which include tumors but also healthy tissue.


One day there will be an answer to Cancer, but in the meantime, I wonder
as many others do, does medicine already know there is a cure and is
holding back or is finding treatment truly a battle as along side cancer?
link]]>

Quote:Precisely targeted radiation therapy can eradicate tumors that have spread to other parts of the body, offering more months or years of life to patients who have no other options,
They said new radiation techniques can attack metastases tumors that have spread one by one.

Experiments in 29 patients showed the radiation stopped all the tumors in six, or 21 percent, of the patients, for anywhere between 10 months and more than two years.

"This was proof of principle in patients who had failed the standard therapies and had few, if any, remaining options," said Dr. Ralph Weichselbaum of the University of Chicago Medical Center, who led the study.

But the results were inconsistent in another six patients, only the treated tumors grew, while in yet another six, untreated tumors remained and grew, the team at the University of Chicago Medical Center reported in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

In eight of the patients, new tumors appeared but the treated tumors were stopped.

Higher doses of radiation have been shown to be safe for many places on the body and might work better, Weichselbaum said in a telephone interview.

He said more patients with a variety of cancers, including lung, head and neck, breast, colon and ovarian, are being treated now with higher doses and are surviving longer.

All have stage IV cancer, meaning it has spread to more than one place throughout the body. Almost all patients with stage IV cancer die, even with chemotherapy, except for patients with testicular cancer and some blood cancers.

FEW OPTIONS

"These patients had been through experimental treatments, so it is not like we got anybody who had standard of care left, Weichselbaum said.

Each volunteer got three doses of precisely targeted radiation to their tumors. New guided radiation techniques can limit the amount of damage to healthy tissue and new imaging techniques, such as CT and PET scans, can help doctors find tumors they previously might have missed.

All the patients had some fatigue but few had serious side effects. One developed severe vomiting and another had internal bleeding that required a blood transfusion.

"Although our radiation wasn't able to control the disease in everybody, if we had treated where they had recurred with further radiation, surgery or other types of ablation, they could have been rendered disease-free," Dr. Joseph Salama, who worked on the study, said in a telephone interview.

"Not all metastatic cancer is the same. In some people, more aggressive therapy can potentially be beneficial," Salama added.

Ten patients out of the original 29 remain alive, Salama said, and nine lived more than 20 months. They are treating more patients with higher doses of radiation now and of 51 patients treated so far, 15 are alive.

The researchers hope to find a genetic signature or some other way of identifying the patients who may hope to benefit from this radiation.

One key question is whether chemotherapy must first get rid of the tiny tumor seeds that spread and grow into metastases, Weichselbaum said.

"Most likely this will be used with the targeted therapies," he said.

New targeted drugs go straight for the mutation that causes the cancer, as opposed to traditional chemotherapy and radiation approaches that kill quick-growing cells, which include tumors but also healthy tissue.


One day there will be an answer to Cancer, but in the meantime, I wonder
as many others do, does medicine already know there is a cure and is
holding back or is finding treatment truly a battle as along side cancer?
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3194 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:18:40 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3194

Quote:DOZENS of strangers helped lift a 4.5-tonne bus off a pregnant woman in New York - a heroic effort that saved the life of her child but was too late for her.

Seven months pregnant, Donnette Sanz was crossing a busy intersection in the Bronx on Thursday when she was struck by a van whose brakes failed. The impact sent the 33-year-old police department worker into the path of a yellow school bus and pinned her underneath.

About 30 people helped lift the bus, before Ms Sanz was rushed to St Barnabas Hospital, where doctors delivered her baby by caesarean section. Ms Sanz survived the delivery but died about an hour later.

The 1.5-kilogram boy, named Sean Michael, was in a critical condition yesterday, but showing signs of improvement.

Mourners and local residents gathered outside the hospital to pray for Ms Sanz and her child.

The 72-year-old van driver, Walter Walker, pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent homicide and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. He was being held on $115,000 bail.

Police said in court papers that the brakes on Walker's van had deteriorated so badly that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Walker's licence has been suspended 20 times, most recently for failure to pay parking fines.

"We was riding along, coming down the hill," John Dargan, a passenger in Walker's van, told the Daily News . "He said, 'Oh, my Lord, I don't have no brakes.' It happened so quick."

Walker told the New York Post : "The light turned red, and I couldn't stop. I tried to miss her."

Bystanders, including Gary Burgess, lifted the bus from Ms Sanz. "It was the human thing to do," said Mr Burgess, 50.

There were no children on the bus.


what on earth is the driver doing driving a "School bus"
with faulty brakes???
link]]>

Quote:DOZENS of strangers helped lift a 4.5-tonne bus off a pregnant woman in New York - a heroic effort that saved the life of her child but was too late for her.

Seven months pregnant, Donnette Sanz was crossing a busy intersection in the Bronx on Thursday when she was struck by a van whose brakes failed. The impact sent the 33-year-old police department worker into the path of a yellow school bus and pinned her underneath.

About 30 people helped lift the bus, before Ms Sanz was rushed to St Barnabas Hospital, where doctors delivered her baby by caesarean section. Ms Sanz survived the delivery but died about an hour later.

The 1.5-kilogram boy, named Sean Michael, was in a critical condition yesterday, but showing signs of improvement.

Mourners and local residents gathered outside the hospital to pray for Ms Sanz and her child.

The 72-year-old van driver, Walter Walker, pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent homicide and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. He was being held on $115,000 bail.

Police said in court papers that the brakes on Walker's van had deteriorated so badly that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Walker's licence has been suspended 20 times, most recently for failure to pay parking fines.

"We was riding along, coming down the hill," John Dargan, a passenger in Walker's van, told the Daily News . "He said, 'Oh, my Lord, I don't have no brakes.' It happened so quick."

Walker told the New York Post : "The light turned red, and I couldn't stop. I tried to miss her."

Bystanders, including Gary Burgess, lifted the bus from Ms Sanz. "It was the human thing to do," said Mr Burgess, 50.

There were no children on the bus.


what on earth is the driver doing driving a "School bus"
with faulty brakes???
link]]> http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3193 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:26:18 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3193 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3190 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:44:11 -0700 http://www.kidney-friends.net/showthread.php?tid=3190 to the body


Quote:We've all heard about herbal supplements that have worked for someone we know. People swear by them: echinacea for a cold, ginkgo biloba for memory or the peppermint in the salve your aunt believes can ease chest congestion. Over the past decade, use of herbal supplements has jumped 83%, going from $12.2 billion in U.S. sales in 1996 to a whopping $22.3 billion last year. While many of those users may be skeptical, they figure, Hey, these things are natural; what harm could they do?

As it turns out, in some cases they can do a lot of harm, and a surprising number of people are putting themselves at risk by using herbal supplements without being informed about their actual benefits and potential dangers. A new study conducted at the University of Iowa and published in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings reveals just how widespread the problem has become.

Researchers found that the most common mistake users of herbal remedies make is believing that the substances they take actually work. An earlier National Institutes of Health study showed that about 19% of Americans take herbal supplements and more than half the time they're using the substances to treat a specific health condition instead of just for general well-being. That's fine, provided the supplements treat those conditions, but in more than two-thirds of cases, the preparations have never been clinically proved to be effective for those uses. And as any scientist will tell you, clinical proof— a randomized, controlled trial— is the gold standard for establishing a drug's usefulness and safety. So a lot of dollars— not to mention medical faith— are being spent on potentially useless treatments.

Aside from making you think you're doing something to alleviate your health problem (and not really treating the ailment at all), herbal supplements present other possible pitfalls. "If a supplement is not effective and not harmful, most physicians probably won't have a problem with it," says Aditya Bardia, an internist at the Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "It's when it's not effective and also harmful that it's going to be a cause of concern."

Certain supplements can have adverse effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to life-threatening conditions like liver or kidney dysfunction. For example, in 2002 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about potential liver damage from kava root, then one of the 10 most popular herbal supplements sold in the U.S. And in 2004 the FDA banned ephedra, a Chinese weight-loss herb, after it was linked to more than 100 deaths. Equally troubling, some Ayurvedic supplements, medications based on Indian and South Asian practices, may be adulterated and thus could be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals, including lead and mercury.

Perhaps the greatest potential risk, however, lies in possible interaction with pharmaceutical drugs you are already taking. Saint-John's-wort, which has been shown to help in treating mild to moderate depression, is also known to reduce the effectiveness of some HIV medications and heart drugs such as digoxin and warfarin— life-and-death meds that it doesn't pay to fool with.

To avoid such complications, ask your doctor before you decide to try an herbal supplement, and be sure to disclose any supplements you're taking even if you're not asked. That can be particularly important when you're being prescribed a new medication. The message here is not to avoid all herbal supplements. Increasingly, Western medicine is improving because of discoveries about these alternative treatments. However, it's important to remember that they are essentially drugs, and the best way to use them is to separate fact from fiction first.


It's so important to avoid the use of any herbal remedies with out the
consultation of your family doctor and specialist, especially when dealing
with health issues and on prescription medicine, like the article mentions,
just because something may work for one person does not mean it's safe
or that it will work the same for you.

link]]> to the body


Quote:We've all heard about herbal supplements that have worked for someone we know. People swear by them: echinacea for a cold, ginkgo biloba for memory or the peppermint in the salve your aunt believes can ease chest congestion. Over the past decade, use of herbal supplements has jumped 83%, going from $12.2 billion in U.S. sales in 1996 to a whopping $22.3 billion last year. While many of those users may be skeptical, they figure, Hey, these things are natural; what harm could they do?

As it turns out, in some cases they can do a lot of harm, and a surprising number of people are putting themselves at risk by using herbal supplements without being informed about their actual benefits and potential dangers. A new study conducted at the University of Iowa and published in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings reveals just how widespread the problem has become.

Researchers found that the most common mistake users of herbal remedies make is believing that the substances they take actually work. An earlier National Institutes of Health study showed that about 19% of Americans take herbal supplements and more than half the time they're using the substances to treat a specific health condition instead of just for general well-being. That's fine, provided the supplements treat those conditions, but in more than two-thirds of cases, the preparations have never been clinically proved to be effective for those uses. And as any scientist will tell you, clinical proof— a randomized, controlled trial— is the gold standard for establishing a drug's usefulness and safety. So a lot of dollars— not to mention medical faith— are being spent on potentially useless treatments.

Aside from making you think you're doing something to alleviate your health problem (and not really treating the ailment at all), herbal supplements present other possible pitfalls. "If a supplement is not effective and not harmful, most physicians probably won't have a problem with it," says Aditya Bardia, an internist at the Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "It's when it's not effective and also harmful that it's going to be a cause of concern."

Certain supplements can have adverse effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to life-threatening conditions like liver or kidney dysfunction. For example, in 2002 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about potential liver damage from kava root, then one of the 10 most popular herbal supplements sold in the U.S. And in 2004 the FDA banned ephedra, a Chinese weight-loss herb, after it was linked to more than 100 deaths. Equally troubling, some Ayurvedic supplements, medications based on Indian and South Asian practices, may be adulterated and thus could be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals, including lead and mercury.

Perhaps the greatest potential risk, however, lies in possible interaction with pharmaceutical drugs you are already taking. Saint-John's-wort, which has been shown to help in treating mild to moderate depression, is also known to reduce the effectiveness of some HIV medications and heart drugs such as digoxin and warfarin— life-and-death meds that it doesn't pay to fool with.

To avoid such complications, ask your doctor before you decide to try an herbal supplement, and be sure to disclose any supplements you're taking even if you're not asked. That can be particularly important when you're being prescribed a new medication. The message here is not to avoid all herbal supplements. Increasingly, Western medicine is improving because of discoveries about these alternative treatments. However, it's important to remember that they are essentially drugs, and the best way to use them is to separate fact from fiction first.


It's so important to avoid the use of any herbal remedies with out the
consultation of your family doctor and specialist, especially when dealing
with health issues and on prescription medicine, like the article mentions,
just because something may work for one person does not mean it's safe
or that it will work the same for you.

link]]>