Hairdressers at an increased risk for cancers

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), hair dyes and other chemicals place hairdressers at an increased risk for cancer.

WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based in Lyon, France, says being a hairdresser or barber exposes people to materials and chemicals which are likely to be carcinogenic.

In study which conducted a review of six large investigations into cancer risk the IARC researchers found that for male hairdressers and barbers, the risk of cancer of the bladder was between 20 and 60 percent higher than the general population.

They say the risk though "small is consistent" and is less visible among women.

The researchers found among both male and female hairdressers, a heightened risk of 30 percent for lung cancer was seen in some research; they say this could be partly explained by a higher incidence of smoking among hairdressers.

The researchers looked at eight hair dyes and only one could be classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans and also at aromatic amines.

Amines are a large group of organic compounds which containing nitrogen and are thought to be derived from ammonia and are used in the manufacture of plastic, dyes, drugs and pesticides.

Many are considered toxic if ingested, inhaled or reach the skin.

Of the four aromatic amines researched for the study three were classified as probably carcinogenic to humans, while one could not be classified.

For women hairdressers some research suggested an increased risk for ovarian cancer and of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but this was not backed up by other research.

New nanoparticles for targeting tumors

As a wide variety of nanoparticles continue to demonstrate their ability to improve the delivery of imaging agents and drugs to tumors, nanoparticle researchers have turned their attention to the challenge of systematically determining how a given nanoparticle's physical and chemical characteristics affect its ability to target tumors. Such data could provide drug developers with guidelines to help them select the most effective type of nanoparticle for a given therapeutic or imaging application.

In a paper published in the PNAS, a team of investigators at the MIT-Harvard Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, led by Omid Farokhzad, Ph.D., at the Harvard Medical School, and Robert Langer, Ph.D., at MIT, describe one such approach to systematizing nanoparticle development. In their research, the investigators created used two self-assembling polymer families to create series of tumor-targeted nanoparticles that varied slightly from one another in terms of their physical characteristics and their biopharmaceutical properties.

By changing the exact composition of each of the two polymers, as well as the ratio of the two polymers, the investigators found that they could fine-tune both the size and drug-releasing properties of the nanoparticles, which were targeted to the prostate-specific membrane antigen found on the surface of prostate cancer cells. The researchers also were able to vary the amount of targeting agent on the nanoparticle surface, as well as the "stealth" characteristics of the nanoparticle, that is, the ability to evade the immune system. By studying the effect of each change on nanoparticle uptake by prostate cancer cells growing in tissue culture, the investigators were able to identify the specific formulation that optimized tumor uptake in vivo.

Investigators at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco, achieved similar results with a different class of polymer nanoparticles known as dendrimers. Jean Fréchet, Ph.D., at UC-Berkeley, and Francis Szoka, at UCSF and a member of the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, led the team of collaborators that created libraries of dendrimers containing a variety of functional groups on their surfaces. These functional groups enable the investigators to attach both PEG and any number of targeting, imaging, and therapeutic agents to the dendrimer surface in a systematic manner.

Experiments using radiolabeled dendrimers demonstrated that these nanoparticle were able to circulate in blood for long periods of time. Subsequent experiments using a dendrimer linked to the antitumor agent doxorubicin showed that drug-loaded carrier accumulated in tumors but far less in healthy tissue compared with liposomal doxorubicin, the first nanoparticle-based drug approved to treat cancer.

The work from Drs. Farokhzad and Langer, which was supported in part by the NCI's Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, is detailed in the paper "Precise engineering of targeted nanoparticles by using self-assembled biointegrated block copolymers." An abstract of this paper is available through PubMed.

View abstract

The work from Drs. Fréchet and Szoka is detailed in the paper "PEGylated dendrimers with core functionality for biological applications." An abstract of this paper is available through PubMed.

View abstract

http://nano.cancer.gov

Next-generation nanomedicine

In an article featured on the cover of the March issue of Nature Nanotechnology, Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, presented a proof-of-concept study on a new multistage delivery system (MDS) for imaging and therapeutic applications. This discovery could go a long way toward making injectable drugs more effective.

"This is next-generation nanomedicine," said Ferrari, who played a critical role in the development of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. "Now we're engineering sophisticated nanostructures to elude the body's natural defenses, locate tumors and other diseased cells, and release a payload of therapeutics, contrasting agents, or both over a controlled period."

Nanotechnology offers new and powerful tools to design and engineer novel drug delivery systems and to predict how they will work once inside the body. "The field of therapeutic nanoparticles began with tiny drug-encapsulated fat bubbles called liposomes, now commonly used in cancer clinics worldwide. Targeting molecules were later added to liposomes and other nanovectors to assist in directing them to diseased cells," Ferrari said.

Getting intravenous agents to their intended targets is no easy task. It is estimated that approximately 1 of every 100,000 molecules of agent reaches its desired destination. Physicians are faced with the quandary of increasing the dosage, which can lead to side effects, or reducing the dosage, which can limit the therapeutic benefits.

The multistage approach, according to Ferrari, is needed to circumvent the body's natural defenses or biobarriers, which act as obstacles to foreign objects injected in the bloodstream. "To overcome this problem, we hypothesized and developed a multifunctional MDS comprising stage 1 mesoporous particles loaded with one or more types of stage 2 nanoparticles, which in turn can carry either active agents or higher stage particles. We have demonstrated the loading, controlled release, and simultaneous in vitro delivery of quantum dots and carbon nanotubes to human vascular cells," said Ferrari.

In addition to circumventing biobarriers, Ferrari's team is working on the biochemical modifications required to efficiently deliver the MDS to a specific cancer lesion. "We have preliminary data that show that we can localize a payload of diagnostic agents, therapeutic agents, or combination of both to target cells. Once on site, the molecules can be released in a controlled way, and then the MDS will degrade in 24 to 48 hours, be transformed into orthosilicic acid, and leave no trace in the body," Ferrari said.

One of Ferrari's coauthors, Ennio Tasciotti, Ph.D., said the proof-of-concept study would not have been possible without a multidisciplinary effort that included contributions from mathematicians, physicists, engineers, chemists, and biologists. "We are dealing with objects that are in the billionth of a meter size range, and to study such objects we used cutting-edge technologies," Tasciotti said. "The characterization of the particles was performed using scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, fluorimetry, and flow cytometry. The interaction of particles with cells was studied using fluorescence and confocal microscopy as well as a series of assays intended to determine cell viability and internalization rate of the nanoparticles."

This work, which was supported in part by the NCI, is detailed the paper "Mesoporous silicon particles as a multistage delivery system for imaging and therapeutic applications." Investigators from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Rice University also participated in this study. An abstract of this paper is available at the journal's Web site.

http://nano.cancer.gov

Red wine antioxidant resveratrol kills cancer

Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function.

The study is published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

The study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted -- pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated -- the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy.

The research has many implications for patients, said lead author Paul Okunieff, M.D., chief of Radiation Oncology at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Although red wine consumption during chemotherapy or radiation treatment has not been well studied, it is not "contraindicated," Okunieff said. In other words, if a patient already drinks red wine moderately, most physicians would not tell the patient to give it up during treatment. Perhaps a better choice, Okunieff said, would be to drink as much red or purple grape juice as desired.

Yet despite widespread interest in antioxidants, some physicians are concerned antioxidants might end up protecting tumors. Okunieff's study showed there is little evidence to support that fear. In fact, the research suggests resveratrol not only reaches its intended target, injuring the nexus of malignant cells, but at the same time protects normal tissue from the harmful effects of radiation.

"Antioxidant research is very active and very seductive right now," Okunieff said. "The challenge lies in finding the right concentration and how it works inside the cell. In this case, we've discovered an important part of that equation. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive."

Resveratrol is known for its ability to protect plants from bacteria and fungi. Purified versions have been described in scientific journals as potential anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic agents, and for their ability to modulate cell growth. Other well-known antioxidants derived from natural sources include caffeine, melatonin, flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamins C and E.

A flurry of antioxidant studies in recent years has not proven how and why they work at the cellular level. At the suggestion of a young scientist in his lab, Okunieff began studying resveratrol as a tumor sensitizer. That's when they discovered its link to the mitochondria.

The discovery is critical because, like the cell nucleus, the mitochondria contains its own DNA and has the ability to continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning properly. Stopping the energy flow theoretically stops the cancer.

Researchers divided pancreatic cancer cells into two groups: cells treated without resveratrol, or with resveratrol, at a relatively high dose of 50 mg/ml, in combination with ionizing radiation. (The resveratrol concentration in red wine can be as high as 30 mg/ml, the study said, and higher doses are expected to be safe as long as a physician is monitoring.)

They evaluated the mitochondria function of the cells treated with resveratrol, and also measured apoptosis (cell death), the level of reactive oxygen species in the cells, and how the cell membranes responded to the antioxidant.

Laboratory experiments showed that resveratrol:

• Reduced the function of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes that are responsible for pumping chemotherapy out of the cell, making the cells chemo-sensitive.
• Triggered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are substances circulating in the human body that have been implicated in a number of diseases: when ROS is increased, cells burn out and die.
• Caused apoptosis, which is likely the result of increased ROS.
• Depolarized the mitochondrial membranes, which indicates a decrease in the cell's potential to function. Radiation alone does not injure the mitochondrial membrane as much.

The team also wanted to investigate why pancreatic cancer cells seem to be particularly resistant to chemotherapy. The pancreas, a gland located deep in the abdomen, produces insulin and regulates sugar, and pumps or channels powerful digestive enzymes into the duodenum. This natural pumping process, however, ends up ridding the needed chemotherapy from cells in the pancreas. But just as reseveratrol interferes with the cancer cells' energy source, it also may decrease the power available to pump chemotherapy out of the cell.

"While additional studies are needed," Okunieff said, "this research indicates that resveratrol has a promising future as part of the treatment for cancer."

In the same journal, Okunieff and his group also reviewed why resveratrol protects normal tissue, and found that antioxidants can be designed to take advantage of certain biochemical properties or cellular targets, making them more effective.

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/

When your antidepressants don't work

When your antidepressant medication does not work, should you switch to a different medication from the same class or should you try an antidepressant medication that has a different mechanism of action?

This is the question asked by researchers in a new report scheduled for publication in Biological Psychiatry on April 1st.

Papakostas and colleagues compared two strategies for treating symptoms of major depressive disorder that do not respond to treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant: either switching to a second SSRI or to a non-SSRI antidepressant. Some common SSRI antidepressants are fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa) and sertraline (Zoloft), while examples of a few common non-SSRI antidepressants are venlafaxine (Effexor) and buproprion (Wellbutrin, Zyban). The authors combined 4 studies comparing these two types of treatment strategies and performed a meta-analysis on the pooled data.

Dr. George I. Papakostas, corresponding author on this project, explains the results: "Switching from a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to a drug with a different mechanism of action was found to be slightly more effective and slightly less-well tolerated than switching to a non-SSRI drug." Looking at the findings from a clinical perspective, the advantage in effectiveness means that 22 depressed people would need to be switched to treatment with a non-SSRI for one additional person to obtain relief from their symptoms.

John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, adds that this result "may be related to the fact that while somewhat different, the medications evaluated in this report all acted on the monoamine systems of the brain." Because of the particular design of this study, the authors explain that "subsequent studies examining whether differences in efficacy between these two treatments exist for specific subpopulations, symptoms, or symptom clusters are warranted." Dr. Krystal concludes that while this advantage could be important, "there continues to be a pressing need to introduce new antidepressant medications that target novel brain mechanisms."

http://www.Elsevier.com/

Ankle sprain season - tips for prevention

March Madness awakens many amateur Michael Jordans from their winter hibernation, as milder weather beckons them to dribble down driveways and shoot three-pointers in the park.

But as spring ushers in sports such as basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer, it brings a busy time of year for foot and ankle surgeons: ankle sprain season.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries. Among NCAA basketball players, ankle sprains rank as the number one injury suffered by both men and women.

Anyone who injures an ankle requires prompt medical treatment, whether it's the first sprain or the fifth. Rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E.) can reduce swelling and pain until the ankle can be evaluated and treated by a foot and ankle surgeon. A sprain may not always be a sprain; the ankle could be fractured.

Many athletes develop chronic ankle instability from repeated ankle sprains, causing their ankle to frequently "give way." In some cases these players may require surgery. Proper rehabilitation of an ankle sprain reduces the likelihood of developing chronic ankle instability.

Players of all skill levels can reduce the risk for ankle sprains by following three tips from http://FootPhysicians.com, the consumer Web site of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS):

1. Perform warm-up stretches and exercises before playing sports.

2. Wear the right shoes for the sport. For example, don't wear running shoes for sports that involve a lot of side-to-side movement, such as tennis and basketball.

3. Wear an ankle brace if you're recovering from an injury or have repeatedly sprained your ankle.

http://FootPhysicians.com/

Spit in a cup to replace needle pricks

One day soon patients may spit in a cup, instead of bracing for a needle prick, when being tested for cancer, heart disease or diabetes.

A major step in that direction is the cataloguing of the "complete" salivary proteome, a set of proteins in human ductal saliva, identified by a consortium of three research teams, according to an article published today in the Journal of Proteome Research. Replacing blood draws with saliva tests promises to make disease diagnosis, as well as the tracking of treatment efficacy, less invasive and costly.

Saliva proteomics and diagnostics is part of a nationwide effort to create the first map of every human protein and every protein interaction, as they contribute to health and disease and as they act as markers for disease states. Following instructions encoded by genes, protein "machines" make up the body's organs and regulate its cellular processes. Defining exact protein pathways on a comprehensive scale enables the development of early diagnostic testing and precise drug design. In the current study, researchers sought to determine the "complete" set of proteins secreted by the major salivary glands (parotid, submandibular (SM) and sublingual (SL)). Recent, parallel efforts that mapped the blood (plasma) and tear proteomes allows for useful comparisons of how proteins and potential disease markers are common or unique to different body fluids.

"Past studies established that salivary proteins heal the mouth, amplify the voice, develop the taste buds and kill bacteria and viruses," said James E. Melvin, D.D.S., Ph.D., director of the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and an author on the paper. "Our work, and the work of our partners, has shown that salivary proteins may represent new tools for tracking disease throughout the body-tools that are potentially easier to monitor in saliva than in blood," said Melvin, who conducts his research at the Eastman Dental Center, in collaboration with the research labs of Mark Sullivan, Ph.D., and Fred K. Hagen, Ph.D.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, funded the current study. The saliva proteome study represents a consortium effort with research teams at The Scripps Research Institute (John R. Yates III), University of Rochester, University of Southern California (Paul Denny), The University of California at San Francisco (Susan J. Fisher) and UC Los Angeles (David T. Wong, Joseph A. Loo).

Not Your Parent's Saliva

To describe the results of the current study, it is important to note that the definition of saliva is evolving. Saliva once referred to everything in oral fluid, including: bacterial waste products, dead cells that had shed from mucous membranes and substances oozing from gum crevices. Among researchers today, however, the term saliva is increasingly reserved for just the salivary gland secretions (ductal saliva). The new definition is significant because of the emerging theory that the mix of proteins in ductal saliva tracks closely with that of blood, making saliva a potential diagnostic stand-in for blood.

To construct a credible protein list for saliva, the teams used competing techniques both to capture the greatest number of protein candidates for the list and to lend extra credibility to those found using different methodologies. Each team subjected saliva collected from patients to some form of mass spectrometry, which determines the identity of proteins based on measurements of their mass and charge. Saliva was collected from 23 adults of several races and both sexes. Although small, the set of study subjects was large enough to serve as a baseline list for near-future comparisons between healthy people and individuals with major diseases, researchers said.

Using mass spectrometry techniques, three teams at five institutions identified 1,166 proteins in parotid and submandibular/sublingual saliva. The results indicated that more than a third of saliva proteins were found in the blood proteome, as well. Comparison of these proteins against known protein pathways and other proteomes provided a first glimpse of the function of the core proteins. In addition, a number of the salivary proteins were found to match proteins with known roles in Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases; breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancer; and type I and II diabetes. Specifically, a majority of the proteins were found to be part of signaling pathways, which is central to the body's response to (and thus diagnosic of) system-wide diseases, researchers said.

Determining the salivary proteome is only the first step toward salivary-based diagnosis and treatment. These findings provide crucial protein information that is already being incorporated into microarray technology, a high-speed test that can determine the levels of multiple proteins, during disease progression. Related work is underway under within the NIH-funded Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative to design biochips, nano-scale computer chips packed with salivary protein chains. Protein probes on the chip react with proteins in a saliva sample, say from the mouth of someone with oral cancer, and inform a computer about which proteins are present.

"We believe these projects will dramatically accelerate diagnosis and improve prognosis by treating diseases at the earliest stages," said Mireya González Begné, D.D.S., Ph.D., research assistant professor of Dentistry in the Center for Oral Biology at the Medical Center. "Researchers have already shown that saliva proteins can be used to detect oral cancer and HIV infection. We think this list will soon expand to include leading causes of death like cancer and heart disease, which, if caught early, are much more likely to be successfully treated."

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/

Is The Brain Damaged By Stress?

Individuals who experience military combat obviously endure extreme stress, and this exposure leaves many diagnosed with the psychiatric condition of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is associated with several abnormalities in brain structure and function. However, as researcher Roger Pitman explains, "Although it is tempting to conclude that these abnormalities were caused by the traumatic event, it is also possible that they were pre-existing risk factors that increased the risk of developing PTSD upon the traumatic event's occurrence." Drs. Kasai and Yamasue along with their colleagues sought to examine this association in a new study published in the March 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry.

The authors measured the gray matter density of the brains of combat-exposed Vietnam veterans, some with and some without PTSD, and their combat-unexposed identical twins using a technology called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The detailed images provided by the MRI scans then allowed the investigators to compare specific brain regions of the siblings. They found that the gray matter density of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved in emotional functioning, was reduced in veterans with PTSD, but not in their twins who had not experienced combat. According to Dr. Pitman, "this finding supports the conclusion that the psychological stress resulting from the traumatic stressor may damage this brain region, with deleterious emotional consequences."

John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, discusses the need for this kind of research because of two separate sets of prior findings: "On the one hand, compelling data from animal research indicates that stress can cause brain atrophy and even neural death in some brain regions. On the other hand, the volume of several brain regions are highly heritable and small brain volumes, presumably related to reduced function, in the hippocampus may increase stress reactivity or impair the capacity for resilience." He adds that findings from this study "suggest that volume reductions in [the anterior cingulate cortex] associated with PTSD arise as a consequence of stress exposure rather than emerging as a heritable trait," leaving one to conclude that "the extent to which particular genes and environmental exposures interact to shape the development of the brain thus appears to be complex and region-specific."

Study confirms link between colds and ear infections

A new five-year study at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston confirms the suspected close link between the two most common diseases of young children: colds and ear infections.

The study, which appears in the March 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Disease, confirmed the suspected close link between the two most common diseases of young children, viral colds and ear infections. It also identified the viruses associated with higher rates of ear infections.

"Understanding how viruses and ear infections are linked will definitely help us find new ways to prevent ear infections," said Dr. Tasnee Chronmaitree, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who is the study's principal investigator. "To break the link you must first understand it."

Ear infections are the driving force behind antibiotic resistance, a troubling medical issue, as physicians often administer antibiotics for the painful, persistent ailment.

Chonmaitree has studied otitis media (ear infection) for more than two decades. She said parents could best protect their children by avoiding exposure to sick children and to have their children vaccinated against influenza. She suggested that children in day care might face reduced exposure to viruses if they are enrolled in smaller day care facilities with fewer children.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Chonmaitree and colleagues followed 294 children ages 6 months to 3 years for up to one year each. Researchers documented about 1,300 cold episodes and a 61 percent rate of ear infection complication including asymptomatic fluid in the middle ear, which can cause hearing problems. Researchers also identified the types of cold viruses - adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and coronavirus - that most often resulted in ear infection.

"Because we now know that the common cold is the precursor to an ear infection, it is important for parents to make extra efforts to prevent their children from catching colds," Chonmaitree said. "It's important to avoid exposure to sick children or adults, to avoid day care attendance, if possible, and if that's not an option, to choose a smaller group day care."

Chonmaitree also recommended the use of influenza vaccine, the only vaccine available to prevent respiratory viral infection, which is now available for children older than 6 months. The antiviral drug has also been shown to prevent ear infections associated with influenza, she said.

Chonmaitree and colleagues will continue to study the role of viruses in ear infection aiming to find a way to prevent the disease. Continued funding from the NIH will allow them to study children born with genetic variations who are prone to having ear infections and at the interactions between genes and the environment.

http://www.utmb.edu/

Weight training might soothe your aching neck

New research suggests that strength training may ease chronic neck and shoulder pain, a problem that has grown increasingly common as people spend more time on computers.

Neck and shoulder pain commonly stems from the upper trapezius muscle, which spans the upper back and shoulders, and helps move the neck. Repeatedly performing “monotonous” tasks, such as computer operations or assembly-line work, can cause the muscle to become tight and tender.

The current study included 48 Danish women with chronic trapezius pain, most of whom spent much of their workday in front of a computer. Researchers randomly assigned the women to either perform supervised strengthening exercises or aerobic exercise, or to get general health counseling.

Is deep-vein thrombosis lurking in your legs?

They kill 300,000 people a year - but most of them could be prevented. They strike more than a million people every year, most of them out of the blue - and half without causing symptoms.

They target the bedridden, the hospitalized - and even some generally healthy people too. But most Americans have no idea what they are, who gets them, or how to avoid them.

"They" are blood clots that form in the veins of the lower body, and sometimes break off and travel to the lungs, where they can be deadly. In the legs and pelvis, they're called DVTs, short for deep-vein thrombosis. If they break off and travel to the lungs they're called PEs, for pulmonary embolisms.

And they're just starting to get the kind of respect they've deserved all along. Finally, after killing millions of people and causing symptoms in millions of others, DVTs and PEs have made it onto the radar screen of hospitals, government agencies and insurance companies that want to prevent as many of them as possible.

But ultimately, everyone needs to learn more about these clots, so more of them can be caught early before they become dangerous, say University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center experts who study and treat DVTs and PEs. This is especially true for people who are planning to have surgery or other treatments that will keep them off their feet for days or weeks - making their legs more prone to vein clots.

"DVTs have been overlooked as a public health threat for many decades, but they're taking center stage now in the health care community, and we hope individuals will also become more aware," says Thomas Wakefield, M.D., chief of the Section of Vascular Surgery at the U-M Medical School and a member of the U-M Cardiovascular Center. "At the same time, laboratory research is revealing more and more about these clots, and how they could be targeted by new treatments."

Doctors at the Cardiovascular Center are preparing to launch a new specialized Venous Disease Clinic for people with DVTs, or vein problems that might make them prone to DVTs. They're also holding a free screening on March 28 for anyone who suspects they might have vein-related problems.

At the same time, the U-M Health System is leading the way in preventing DVTs and PEs in all hospitalized patients. At the end of April, a new computerized tool will make it even easier for doctors, nurses and physician assistants throughout U-M's three hospitals to evaluate patients for their risk of clots, and provide preventive care.

This tool, which grew out of a successful effort in the U-M Department of Surgery that was spearheaded by the Office of Clinical Affairs, will likely raise UMHS even further above the national average for clot prevention.

Already, more than 91 percent of Medicare patients hospitalized for surgery at UMHS receive appropriate DVT prevention within 24 hours of their operation - much higher than the national average of 75 percent, among hospitals listed in the federal Hospital Compare database that tracks hospital quality. In all, 97 percent of U-M surgical patients receive doctor's orders for appropriate anti-clot care. (Learn more, and find data on other hospitals, at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.)

Who's at risk?

Hospitalized patients are one of the highest-risk groups for DVTs and PEs, as are those who have a spinal cord injury or other paralysis, says Wakefield. A hospital patient's risk varies depending on the reason for the hospitalization, the seriousness of the illness and any surgery he or she might have had. For example, as many as half of all hip-replacement patients may develop a DVT or PE if they do not receive appropriate preventive therapy. Cancer patients may also have a high risk due to their underlying malignancy, along with the medications they take.

But leg clots affect many other people, and can happen outside the hospital too. One of the most publicized risk factors for DVTs in relatively healthy people is long airplane flights, especially trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific flights where a passenger might be sitting for many hours. Travelers on long car, bus or train rides also face risk if they don't get up and move around regularly, Wakefield notes.

Young, otherwise healthy people are also more likely to develop a DVT if they're dehydrated, pregnant (especially women on bed rest), new mothers, or are significantly overweight. Other at-risk people include members of families that have a genetic predisposition to abnormal clotting - a condition called thrombophilia. And women who take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy also have a somewhat higher risk.

What are the signs? What can be done?

About half the time, DVTs announce their presence by causing swelling, pain, redness and tenderness in a leg or other area of the lower body near a "deep vein." DVTs are not the same thing as varicose veins or spider veins, though those two conditions can mean that a person is at risk of a DVT or PE because of chronically poor circulation in the legs.

But many DVTs go unnoticed until they break off and cause a PE. When that happens, a person might experience sudden shortness of breath or chest pain that gets worse with a deep breath or coughing. They may even cough up blood. No matter what the symptoms, PE patients must get treatment immediately, or risk dying from the effects of the clot.

To keep a PE from happening once a DVT is found, doctors will often prescribe one of several blood-thinning drugs that encourage the body to break down the DVT clot and keep more clots from forming. Compression stockings can also be worn, to help blood move out of the legs.

In some patients, a DVT is large and dangerous enough that doctors may try to remove it by threading a tiny catheter into the vein, use a device to mechanically disrupt the clot, and infuse specialized medications to help dissolve the clot. A new clinical trial comparing this approach to blood-thinning drugs will soon begin nationally and U-M will be a site for this trial.

And in patients who have a high risk of PE and can't take blood-thinning medicines, a wire filter device to catch clots might be implanted in the vena cava, the large vein that leads from the lower body. In 1973, the first such filter was co-developed by Lazar Greenfield, M.D., who is now an emeritus professor of surgery at U-M. The "Greenfield filter" has been improved many times since then, and is still used.

To help people with DVTs, PEs and other vein-related conditions, the U-M Cardiovascular Center will soon launch a multidisciplinary clinic for venous disease. There, patients will be able to get coordinated, specialized care from vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, vascular medicine specialists, hematologists and the U-M Anticoagulation Service, which specializes in optimizing the care of patients who need long-term blood thinning treatment with the drug warfarin or other drugs.

New clues through research

Although prevention and treatment for DVTs and PEs has come a long way in recent years, scientists and doctors still have a lot to learn about why they happen, and what the long-term risks are for someone who has already had a DVT or PE.

The U-M has a large team of researchers who study clot formation, vein wall damage caused by DVTs, and possible new treatments for DVTs and PEs. They pursue their basic-research studies in the Conrad Jobst Vascular Surgery Research Laboratory, named for a pioneer in the field of compression garments, and endowed by a gift from his wife Caroline before her death.

This month, U-M researchers led by Peter Henke, M.D., published a paper in the Journal of Vascular Surgery on the effect of low-molecular weight heparin on DVT clots and vein wall recovery, based on research in mice. That study may have direct implications for clinical use of the drug.

Also this month, Wakefield, Henke and their colleague Daniel Myers, DVM, published a major review article on the mechanisms of vein clot formation and resolution in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. That paper provides evidence that inflammation plays a role in the formation of DVTs - a finding that challenges previous thinking about their origin.

http://www.umcvc.org/

Next emerging disease will come from tropics, say scientists

Scientists from four well-known institutions say the next major disease like HIV/AIDS or SARS could occur in any of a number of developing countries concentrated along the equator.

They encourage increased surveillance to prevent the spread of a potential outbreak.

Using global databases and sophisticated computer models to analyze patterns of emerging diseases, the researchers -- from the Consortium for Conservation Medicine (CCM) at Wildlife Trust, N.Y., the Institute of Zoology, London, U.K., Columbia University, N.Y., and the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. -- are able for the first time to plot, map and predict where the next pandemic might occur.

Funded through a Human and Social Dynamics Exploratory Research award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Arlington, Va., the research represents a major breakthrough in understanding where and why pandemic diseases emerge and provides a key tool for preventing them in the future.

"This is an important area of research," said Rita Teutonico, advisor for integrative activities in NSF's Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. "After years of debate, the scientific community is now able to offer a convincing, predictive tool to help policy professionals and resource managers better allocate global resources in the fight against emerging diseases."

By analyzing global patterns in human population density, population changes, latitude, rainfall and wildlife biodiversity in correlation with patterns of emerging diseases, the researchers were able to show for the first time definitive proof that the number of emerging diseases is increasing.

They cite zoonoses -- diseases that originate in animals -- as the primary problem and conclude these are the most current and important threat to humans. The research shows "that the key threat to public health is where human population growth and wildlife diversity clash," said Peter Daszak, executive director of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust.

The scientists analyzed 335 incidents of previous disease emergence and were able to identify the regions where future diseases were most likely to occur. They plotted the results on a global, "Emerging Disease Hotspots" map.

"Our hotspots map shows that the next new important zoonotic disease is likely to originate in the Tropics, a region rich in wildlife species and under increasing pressure from people," Daszak said.

This is the first time researchers are able to provide a scientific prediction of where the next major disease like HIV or SARS could emerge. During the last three decades, researchers have spent billions of research dollars to deal with the seemingly random emergence of dozens of pandemics. None of their efforts to understand patterns of emergence were successful.

This new research, published in the February 21 edition of the leading scientific journal Nature, successfully examined over 50 years of disease emergence patterns using a specially designed computer database to pinpoint regions of the world that need more monitoring.

"This is a seminal moment in how we study emerging diseases," said Professor John Gittleman, dean in the University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology, who developed the team's approach to analyzing global databases."Our study has shown that bringing ecological sciences and public health together can advance the field in a dramatic way."

But in light of this new information, the researchers note that additional resources need to be properly directed to safeguard public health.

"Most of our resources are focused on the richer countries in the North that can afford surveillance," said Daszak. "This is basically a misallocation of global health funding, and our priority should be to set up 'smart surveillance' measures in the hotspots, most of which are in developing countries."

"If we continue to ignore this important preventative measure, then human populations will continue to be at risk from pandemic diseases," he said.

http://www.nsf.gov/

Blood Pressure and Diabetes: Ayurvedic Natural Remedies

The risk of diabetic persons developing high blood pressure is two times higher. Left untreated, diabetes increases the right of heart diseases and stroke. When a person has diabetes and high blood pressure, the chances of heart failure increase by four times. It is therefore essential for diabetic patients find ways to control hypertension or high blood pressure.

Lowering blood pressure can be attained by opting a vegetarian diet, daily physical exercise, losing weight if over weight, quitting smoking and alcohol and practicing of yoga and meditation can help lower blood pressure.

When to take meditation for high blood pressure –
If you are diabetic and your blood pressure reaches 140/90 Hg, you will need to take active measures to lower blood pressure. Remember this is only for diabetic patients and people without diabetes are not generally advised to take medicines if their BP is below 160/100.

Being diabetic increases the risk of heart failure, nervous system damages, kidney failure, liver damages and several other complications including lack of nutrient supply to arms and legs.

Ayurvedic control methods to lower blood pressure levels are mainly centered around dietary controls. Lower intake of sea salt, inclusion of bitter melon in diet, controlling intake of sugar and fat, taking herbal tea, etc are the prime directions. Lifestyle adjustments like taking 7-8 hours of daily sleep, practicing yoga and meditation, leading an active life, dealing only with people you like, etc keep you control blood pressure.

Bitter gourd (bitter melon) juice is beneficial in managing diabetes. Take more than half a glass of bitter gourd juice two times a day.

Salacia oblonga is an Ayurvedic herb useful in lowering blood sugar levels, blood insulin levels and normalizing blood pressure levels. Salacia oblonga thus is beneficial in treating both diabetes and high blood pressure.

Sarpagandhi (Rowolfia serpentina), is another Ayurvedic herb effective in bringing down blood pressure levels.

Shilajith, though usually termed as an aphrodisiac, is beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels. Pure shilajit can be taken as a preventive and curative Ayurvedic medicine against diabetes.

Specific Ayurvedic therapies like dhara, kizhi, nasyam, etc are treatments for diabetes. The treatments are equally beneficial in normalizing blood pressure too.

Diabetic patients who also have high blood pressure must regularly check their blood pressure levels. They also must take directed hours of daily rest and do moderate exercises on a regular basis.

Heavier alcohol consumption increases the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Heavier alcohol consumption increases the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). There are synergetic interactions among alcohol drinking and ALDH2, ADH1B, CYP2E1 genotypes.

The risk of ESCC in moderate-to-heavy drinkers, ALDH2 (1/2) combined with the ADH1B (1/1) genotype; ALDH2 (1/2) combined with the CYP2E1 (c1/c1) genotype; leads to synergetic interactions, higher than drinkers with ALDH2 (1/1) + ADH1B (1/2 + 2/2); ALDH2 (1/1) + CYP2E1 (c1/c2 + c2/c2).

This study, performed by a team led by Dr. Yan-Mei Guo, is described in a research article published in the March 7, 2008 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

ESCC is the seventh leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that drinking alcoholic beverages is causally related to the development of ESCC. The genetic polymorphisms of Cytochromes P4502E1 (CYP2E1), aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (ADH1B; previously called ADH2) affect the metabolism of alcohol. There were some other studies examining the roles of alcohol, CYP2E1, ALDH2 and ADH2 in ESCC. Their findings, however, were contradictory.

In the view of the authors, no clear explanation has, to date, existed to elucidate the susceptibility conferred by CYP2E1, ALDH2 and ADH1B genetic polymorphisms on ESCC. Neither have a definition and evaluation been found to explain the individual and combined roles of these genes and alcohol consumption.

The innovative aspect of this study was the way it looked at the interaction between the CYP2E1, ALDH2 genotype and heavy alcohol drinking, with case-control designs. Previous studies have not examined this issue in detail and to our knowledge this is the first study to show a significant interaction between the CYP2E1, ALDH2 genotype and alcohol drinking. We found there was synergetic interaction with polymorphisms of CYP2E1, ALDH2 genotype and heavy alcohol drinking. Individuals with combined ALDH2 (1/2) and CYP2E1 (c1/c1) genotype showed a dramatically increased risk of ESCC, which is higher than that due to the respective genotypes.

The susceptibility of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase genotypes on ESCC became evident in 2003 when it became widely accepted that alcoholic beverages are causally related to cancer of the esophagus. A review of case-control studies of the effects of ALDH2 and ADH2 genotypes shows consistently positive associations between inactive heterozygous ALDH2 and the risk for esophageal cancer in East Asian heavy drinkers. Only the ALDH2 genotype has been demonstrated to have a critical role in the development of ESCC.

Using an elegant study design, including 80 male patients with esophageal cancer and 480 controls (age and sex matched), the consumption of alcohol and the genetic polymorphism of enzymes involved in the metabolism of ethanol was examined. This research was performed by doctors from the Laboratory of Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China and from the Laboratory of First hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

http://www.wjgnet.com/

Chronic sleep disruption can cause heart and kidney disease

Chronic sleep disruption can cause heart and kidney disease, researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital have discovered.

"Disrupted circadian rhythms have a devastating effect on the heart, kidney and possibly other organs," says Dr. Michael Sole, Cardiologist and founding director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Toronto. "This is the first study of its kind to demonstrate that sleep cycle disruption actually causes heart and kidney disease."

In the study entitled, "Circadian rhythm disorganization produces profound cardiovascular and renal disease in hamsters," published in the April edition of the American Journal of Physiology- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, researchers found when internal biological clocks in hamsters are out of sync with external rhythm regulators (i.e. light/dark), the heart becomes damaged and enlarged (cardiomyopathy), and the kidney tubules sustain significant scarring.

The importance of circadian rhythms - the body's "hard-wired" 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, is well understood in the regulation of cardiovascular physiology. Earlier studies by Dr. Sole and his colleagues suggested that renewal of cardiovascular tissues predominantly occur during sleep; therefore sleep interruption can directly damage organs.

Trans-meridian flight crews, truck drivers and shift workers often suffer from sleep cycle disruption due to the nature of their jobs. Although the medical focus has largely been on neuropsychological factors such as task performance and memory, these groups are known to have a higher than average prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

"Shift workers and flight-crews might want to consider these findings when scheduling work time," suggests Dr. Sole, adding that these workers could try to maintain a constant working schedule for one month or more, allowing the body to readjust its clock to external cues. Dr. Sole also notes that some hospitals, particularly in intensive care units, still use multi-bedded rooms, continually disrupting sleep-wake cycles in the critically ill.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the A. Ephraim and Shirley Diamond Cardiomyopathy Research Fund funded this study.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

http://www.uhn.ca/

Artificial butter chemical acetyl harmful to lungs

A new study shows that exposure to a chemical called diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, can be harmful to the nose and airways of mice.

Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the study because diacetyl has been implicated in causing obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) in humans. OB is a debilitating but rare lung disease, which has been detected recently in workers who inhale significant concentrations of the flavoring in microwave popcorn packaging plants.

When laboratory mice inhaled diacetyl vapors for three months, they developed lymphocytic bronchiolitis - a potential precursor of OB. None of the mice, however, were diagnosed with OB.

"This is one of the first studies to evaluate the respiratory toxicity of diacetyl at levels relevant to human health. Mice were exposed to diacetyl at concentrations and durations comparable to what may be inhaled at some microwave popcorn packaging plants," said Daniel L. Morgan, Ph.D., head of the Respiratory Toxicology Group at the NIEHS and co-author on the paper that appears online in the journal, Toxicological Sciences . The study was done in collaboration with Duke University researchers.

The authors conclude that these findings suggest that workplace exposure to diacetyl contributes to the development of OB in humans, but more research is needed.

Although exposure of laboratory animals by inhalation closely duplicates the way humans are exposed to airborne toxicants, the study points out that some anatomical differences between the mice and humans may account for why the nasal cavity of mice is more susceptible to reactive vapors than that of humans. Another reason may be that mice breathe exclusively through their noses.

The researchers also speculate that the extensive reaction of diacetyl vapors in the nose and upper airways of mice may have prevented toxic concentrations from penetrating deeper in the lung to the bronchioles or tiny airways where obstruction occurs in humans.

When the mice were exposed to high concentrations of diacetyl using a method that bypasses the nose, the researchers found lesions partially obstructing the small airways. More studies are under way to determine if these lesions progress to OB in mice.

The National Toxicology Program, headquartered at the NIEHS, plans to do a larger set of studies to provide inhalation toxicity data on artificial butter flavoring and the two major components, diacetyl and another compound called acetoin. The NTP studies will help pinpoint more definitively the toxic components of artificial butter flavoring and potentially help identify biomarkers for early detection. The NTP data will then be shared with public health and regulatory agencies so they can set safe exposure levels for these compounds and develop guidance to protect the health of workers in occupations where these chemicals are used.

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/

Exercise makes you feel better

If you take a brisk walk for as little as 20 to 30 minutes three times a week, you'll feel more energetic, happier and calmer, says a study presented Thursday at an American Heart Association meeting in Colorado Springs.

This adds to the growing body of evidence on the benefits of even small amounts of physical activity for improving quality of life.

"Exercise makes you feel better," says Timothy Church, director of preventive medicine research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. The more you do, the more you benefit, he says.

Smoking And Blood Pressure Are Deadly

Smoking and high blood pressure are a deadly combination that dramatically increase the risk of a blood vessel bursting inside the brain, Australian research shows.

High blood pressure and smoking are known to increase the risk of heart diseases, but Sydney researchers have shown that the two have a stronger "synergistic effect" when both are present.

A study by the George Institute for International Health in Sydney found that smokers with high blood pressure are significantly more likely to suffer from a hemorrhagic stroke, a type of "bleeding" stroke where a blood vessel bursts and bleeds in the brain, than non-smokers with blood pressure problems.

Lead researcher Professor Koshi Nakamura said the revelation should encourage smokers to quit and deal with their blood pressure as well. "Since we found that these two risk factors have a synergistic effect, quitting smoking and lowering blood pressure will contribute more to preventing stroke than if this previously unreported interaction is ignored," Prof Nakamura said.

A hemorrhagic stroke is especially debilitating as about half of sufferers die as a result of it, while many survivors are left with paralysis or other crippling effects.

It was the only type of cardiovascular problem where researchers found this heightened risk. Smoking did not appear to exacerbate the impact of blood pressure on the risk of coronary heart disease or ischemic stroke, which was caused by a blood clot.

The researchers believe smoking may damage blood vessels in the brain that are already weakened by high blood pressure. Weakened blood vessels are prone to rupture and bleeding and are therefore particularly susceptible to hemorrhagic stroke, Prof Nakamura said.

The research, published by the American Heart Association, involved 563,144 people of mostly Asian descent.

About 40% of all deaths in Australia each year are caused be heart, stroke and vascular diseases, which is more than any other disease group.

End Neck Pain By Improving Posture - How Proper Posture Improves Your Spine Relieving Nerve Pressure

How does posture have anything to do with neck pain?--Neck pain comes from pressure on the nerves. How does this happen?--Usually pressure from a misaligned neck spine. When your spine is misaligned (some call that subluxated) it does not move like it should and in turn creates inflammation in that area. Either out-of-alignment spinal vertebrae (spinal bones) put direst pressure on nerves or the inflammation, or built up degeneration causes the pressure.

The most common misaligned postural pattern in the neck that will result in neck pain, stiffness and lack of mobility is forward head carriage. This is when the head posture is forward of the shoulders and almost always reveals loss of the normal neck alignment or curvature.

In the neck spine we should have a well defined neck C-curve of approximately 40-60 degrees. Anything less and there is unwanted pressure on the nerves. Pain is often a sign that there is pressure on the nervous system but not all of that system is designed to feel pain so you may be pain free yet still have improper alignment.

With people today, more than ever we are seeing a misaligned neck posture of the neck curve flattening or straightening and protruding out forward. One of the reasons is that more and more people these days are on computers for long hours. Many jobs now require you to be on a computer continually, and even the people without a desk job are on the computer for hours on end; nights, weekends, mornings, you name it.

Also, more people are on the road driving. When driving, the majority of people’s heads, over the time traveling, drift forward. Some people are affected worse than others. Just recently I looked to my left while at a light and the woman next to me had both hands on the wheel with what looked like a death grip, and she just looked like her muscles were extremely tense and her head was about 6 inches forward of her shoulders. These are just a couple examples, others are: Poor sleeping habits, holding a phone on your shoulder for long periods, reading or studying with your head down often, etc...

Guilty of some of these examples or often suffer from neck pain?

Here's how to improve your neck posture-

Postural exercises for the neck Eliminating bad posture as much as possible A good support neck pillow for sleeping. These to do's all help correct and maintain the proper alignment of the spine. Our spines are ergonomically built to withstand the forces of gravity. When looking at an individual from the front or back, the spine is straight should be up and down. From the side however we have distinct curvatures that are there for a reason – so our spinal cord is relaxed with no tension and our nerve roots coming off the spinal cord have no pressure and interference. Our spine is at it’s strongest position with this alignment as well. And don’t forget, why is it important we are in optimal alignment? Not only because it is the most beneficial for strength of our spine but because it is the healthiest position as well. Putting any pressure on nerves will decrease the bodies ability to perform at it’s maximum. Any pressure on nerves decreases your body's function and therefore health. The best postural exercise to eliminate forward head posture are Head Retractions. Pretend your head is on a sliding track and pull your head back keeping it level. For example sit fully back against a wall or chair pull your head straight back without tilting or extending your head until you touch the wall, top of chair or headrest in your car. Eliminate forward head posture as much as possible. Notice if your head is drifting forward; usually you may feel strain in the muscles of the back of your neck. Read with books propped up against something, take periodic breaks when working on the computer or driving for long periods. Sit up staighter, and keep your head up-right. At night, you can not only protect yourself from poor posture but also can literally improve it as well, while you sleep. If you use a good support pillow like the Cervical Linear Traction Neck Pillow you can correct neck posture while resting comfortably. Sleeping on your back or side is perfectly fine. Stomach sleeping is not good because you have to crank your head to on side or another to breathe. Individuals who commonly sleep on their stomachs will find themselves waking up often with a sore, stiff, painful neck.

A Better Life Ahead - Panic Disorder Treatment

You can have a better tomorrow. Effective Panic Disorder Treatment is available. The use of medication is the first choice for many, but not for me. After spending time researching this topic (someone I love and care for suffers with Panic Disorder) I have found out that medication and cognitive therapy are both effective but cognitive therapy has no ugly side effects (it rebuilds instead of covering). It seems logical to me that the way I think and perceive things creates a physical and chemical response in my body. I would rather attempt to correct the problem at the source. I am not a doctor; this is strictly my own opinion and observation. First Observation

Now what I have noticed is that Panic Disorder and the Panic Attacks associated are a direct response to what we think. If I think angry thoughts, I usually respond with anger. If I think fearful thoughts I am experiencing fear. My mind doesn’t know if what I am thinking is the correct, true, or really going to happen. It just says “Richard is going to cross that bridge ahead and its old, weak and traffic is heavy. There is a good chance I won’t make it across alive. “I’m getting out of here, Now!!!” The Panic Response is triggered. An unnecessary physical and chemical reaction has occurred.

Second Observation

Repetition of any function becomes automatic over a relatively short period of time. It is just like any other function we expose ourselves to, we become better at it. When I first started typing, I was really bad but it didn’t take long to pick it up by repetitive use. Now I am fairly good at it and don’t have to think where the keys are positioned (I just type). Like most examples, they fall short of reality. The typing example shows how repetition creates the desired response but in the “Failing Bridge” example there is the thinking habit and also a sort of chemical habit developed. By daily repeating the same thoughts I can unknowingly create a reflex reaction in my brain. I can have myself a Panic Attack every day on autopilot. All this on a perfectly good bridge.

Final Observation

This is the foundation for Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks but this foundation can be rebuilt. An easy, inexpensive Panic Disorder Treatment is available to everyone. The same process that got you sick can be utilized to start over and can be done in a relatively short period of time. Here is where we all (I mean All) have trouble with in our daily lives. We all tend to be reinforced with negative destructive thinking. It is everywhere today, and it is so easy to pick it up. This is where we can dig down and deny those harmful thoughts and responses access to our daily lives one by one. We can replace them with true, optimistic, hopeful and life-giving thoughts. Over time the old mental and chemical reflex is replaced with a new one. You will now have full power to be free from anything that is working against you in life. Fear, panic, depression, anger, low self esteem will diminish and loose its life-draining power forever.

If feeding your mind with good mental thoughts to retrain mind and body for anything life throws at you are your determined goal. You can begin with a “Success Conditioning Audio Program” tailored to you.

Effective Anxiety Treatment

Treating the symptoms

When considering an effective anxiety treatment, you can find many different treatments and combinations of treatments. Addressing all aspects of treating anxiety disorders is a difficult and complex task. In most people’s research they never get past treating the symptoms with medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and herbal remedies. Although some have achieved positive results with these treatments, knowing more about the cause of the disorder will be of greater help to accomplishing an effective anxiety treatment. One that is complete and long lasting.

Get to the Source

The source of anxiety disorders has been linked to a specific portion of the brain called the “amygdala”. This walnut sized portion of the brain plays an important role in anxiety and fear. It is also the place where we can begin our recovery. It is found in the anterior portion of the temporal lobes of our brain. The “amygdala” is a part of the brain that specializes in reacting to stimuli and triggering a response. The unscientific name for the response would be described as the “emotion of fear”. Having this organ and the ability for this type of response is very important to everyone. It is letting us know to flee from danger. It is there for our survival and protection.

How the Problems Begin

It is believed that hyperactivity of the “amygdala” can cause the debilitating problems associated with anxiety disorders (Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Agoraphobia and others). Simply put, it is like a switch that is turned on so much that the organ is taught a new behavior. Over time, it causes us to live in a persistent heightened state of anxiety.

Your Best Life Yet

To achieve an effective anxiety treatment, we have to begin at the source. Science suggests that the source is the “amygdala”. There are new treatments available that don’t require medication to reverse the activity of this organ. With implementation and determination you can quickly and permanently eliminate the hyperactive condition of the “amygdala”.

We Are What We Eat: Lowering Cholesterol The Old-Fashioned Way

Recent results from a small clinical trial raised confusing questions about the value of several widely used cholesterol medicines such as Zetia and its sister drug, Vytorin. The future of these drugs now depend on three large clinical trials that may show conclusively if the drugs reduce heart attacks and strokes. Currently underway, these trials are not expected to be completed until 2011. Yet, according to nutrition experts, diet still remains key to lowering cholesterol levels. "There are two root causes of high cholesterol-heredity and diet," says Dr. Richard M. Goldfarb, a medical director of the Bucks County Clinical Research Center who is working with eFoodSafety.com, an Arizona-based biotech company developing nutraceutical and whole food products. "Millions of Americans have dangerously elevated levels of LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol, due primarily to unhealthy diets and lack of exercise. While patients cannot control their genetics, they can certainly make choices about their diets." The American Heart Association recommends that the average person has no more than 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol; for individuals with a history of heart disease, the AHA recommends less than 200 milligrams. "If patients still have elevated LDL cholesterol levels after adjusting their diet," says Dr. Goldfarb, "one suggestion is trying all-natural whole food products." According to Dr. Goldfarb, important elements to look for when choosing dietary supplements include checking for natural ingredients with no fillers or artificial additives. He also suggests checking for high customer satisfaction ratings online, looking for negative side effects, and researching whether the item was produced at an FDA-approved manufacturing facility. One option, Cinnechol™, an all-natural nutritional supplement, is designed to promote normal total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels without adverse side effects. The supplement also aims to promote normal triglyceride levels and support overall circulatory health. The ingredients in Cinnechol have also been shown to naturally improve levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, by working synergistically to decrease the viscosity, or thickness of the blood, allowing for better circulation, and assist in fighting inflammation which is vital to the health of the heart and blood vessels. "The controversy surrounding certain cholesterol medications should only encourage individuals to examine their nutritional habits more closely and work to lower cholesterol levels the old-fashioned way, via healthy eating," says Dr. Goldfarb.

Discovery Of 'Rain-Making' Bacteria Could Have Implications For Climate

Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France, recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming. Christner and his colleagues will publish their results in the prestigious journal Science on Feb. 29.

Christner's team examined precipitation from global locations and demonstrated that the most active ice nuclei - a substrate that enhances the formation of ice - are biological in origin. This is important because the formation of ice in clouds is required for snow and most rainfall. Dust and soot particles can serve as ice nuclei, but biological ice nuclei are capable of catalyzing freezing at much warmer temperatures. If present in clouds, biological ice nuclei may affect the processes that trigger precipitation.

The concept of rain-making bacteria isn't far-fetched. Cloud seeding with silver iodide or dry ice has been done for more than 60 years. Many ski resorts use a commercially available freeze-dried preparation of ice-nucleating bacteria to make snow when the temperature is just a few degrees below freezing.

"My colleague David Sands from Montana State University proposed the concept of 'bioprecipitation' over 25 years ago and few scientists took it seriously, but evidence is beginning to accumulate that supports this idea," said Christner.

But, what makes this research more complicated is that most known ice-nucleating bacteria are plant pathogens. These pathogens, which are basically germs, can cause freezing injury in plants, resulting in devastating economic effects on agricultural crop yields.

"As is often the case with bacterial pathogens, other phases of their life cycle are frequently ignored because of the focused interest in their role in plant or animal health," said Christner. "Transport through the atmosphere is a very efficient dissemination strategy, so the ability of a pathogen to affect its precipitation from the atmosphere would be advantageous in finding new hosts."

It is possible that the atmosphere represents one facet of the infection cycle, whereby the bacteria infects a plant, multiplies, is aerosolized into the atmosphere and then delivered to a new plant through atmospheric precipitation.

"The role that biological particles play in atmospheric processes has been largely overlooked. However, we have found biological ice nuclei in precipitation samples from Antarctica to Louisiana - they're ubiquitous. Our results provide an impetus for atmospheric scientists to start thinking about the role these particles play in precipitation," said Christner. "This work is truly multi-disciplinary, bridging the disciplines of ecology, microbiology, plant pathology and climatology. It represents a completely new avenue of research and clearly demonstrates that we are just beginning to understand the intricate interplay between the planet's climate and biosphere."