Monthly Archives: February 2012

Training parents is good medicine for children with autism behavior problems, study suggests

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) — Children with autism spectrum disorders who also have serious behavioral problems responded better to medication combined with training for their parents than to treatment with medication alone, Yale researchers and their colleagues report in the February issue of Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. "Serious behavioral problems interfere with everyday living for children and their families," said senior author on the study Lawrence Scahill, professor at Yale University School of Nursing and the Child Study Center. "Decreasing these serious behavioral problems results in children who are more able to manage everyday living." Scahill and his team completed a federally funded multi-site trial on 124 children ages 4 to 13 with autism spectrum disorders at three U.S. sites including Yale, Ohio State University, and Indiana University. In addition to autism spectrum disorders, children in the study had serious behavioral problems, including multiple and prolonged tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior on a daily basis. The children in the study were randomly assigned to medication alone for six months or medication plus a structured training program for their parents for six months. Parent training included regular visits to the clinic to teach parents how … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Training parents is good medicine for children with autism behavior problems, study suggests

Tai chi may help Parkinson's patients, study concludes

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

LOS ANGELES — A six-month program of tai chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls. A study released this month in the New England Journal of Medicine compared a six-month tailored tai chi program to resistance training and stretching to see which was most effective at improving functional movement, walking and balance for Parkinson's patients. Researchers randomly assigned 195 men and women ages 40 to 85 who were in stages one to four of Parkinson's disease (on a scale of one to five). Parkinson's is a neurological disorder caused by a loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a chemical involved with muscle function and movement coordination. It can result in tremors, stiffness, poor coordination and more difficulty doing daily activities. It also can lead to a higher risk of falls, which can cause serious injuries. Tai chi, a discipline that incorporates slow, deliberate movements, plus breathing, has health benefits that include reducing stress and improving balance and posture. The study participants were randomly assigned to hourlong, twice-weekly sessions of tai chi, resistance training or stretching, for six months. Researchers assessed their status at the beginning … Continue reading →

Posted in Parkinson's Treatment | Comments Off on Tai chi may help Parkinson's patients, study concludes

While there's no MS cure, new drugs have made the feared disease recede

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

Zach Nielson, 14, a young MS patient, with the help of a new drug is living a very normal life. Zach, an active boy scout, hangs out at home, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, in Arvada. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post) Zach Nielson at age 11 couldn't quite put his finger on the two words his doctors were avoiding using around him. But his mother certainly could. Deb Nielson knew people in wheelchairs, knew what it meant that Zach was waking up numb, knew how scary it was when he staggered stiffly down the hallway like a young drunk. But just over two years later, a new generation of powerful drugs has drained the power of the words "multiple sclerosis" for Zach and thousands of patients like him. The drugs have erased symptoms and reversed nerve scarring in the largest subgroup of MS sufferers, transforming for the first time victims' experience with the disease. Far from a life sentenced to relentless disability, Zach Nielson is among a growing group who feel as if their MS never happened. "When they first told me, I was worried it would get worse and worse, and I wouldn't be able to have my dream job," … Continue reading →

Posted in MS Treatment | Comments Off on While there's no MS cure, new drugs have made the feared disease recede

One Response to “Rescuing the white rhino?”

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

Breakthrough stem cell research at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. has the potential to revive endangered species. Researchers at the Center for Regenerative Medicine are aiming to turn stem cells into gametes. Once new eggs and sperm are created, “test tube babies” can be born, possibly preserving a species. In 1972, researchers preserved skin cells of certain endangered species at the Frozen Zoo, hoping that future technology would help to revive populations, and today Scripps researchers are combining the frozen skin cells with human stem cells to generate stem cells specific to the animal. Stem cells are turned into gametes through re-programming, a process in which retroviruses are used to bring the cells back to earlier stages of development. Last month, scientists created mouse sperm cells through this process. Scientists view this method of species preservation as a last resort when cheaper, simpler means have failed. For instance, the white rhino, whose population is numbered at seven in the world, would benefit immensely since other methods of trying to save the species have failed. Scientists also hope to help the drill, a West African primate threatened by hunting and habitat degradation. —compiled by Michelle Lim Follow this link: … Continue reading →

Posted in Stem Cell Research | Comments Off on One Response to “Rescuing the white rhino?”

Advancing personalized medicine: Tailoring drugs to fit a patient's genetic predisposition

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) — The RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine is examining how drugs can be matched to a patient's genetic information through the study of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Taisei Mushiroda from the Laboratory for Pharmacogenetics explains... Drugs are not equally effective on all patients. A treatment that is dramatically effective on some patients can be ineffective on others. Drugs can also have serious side effects; in the worst case, a drug used to treat a disease can produce a fatal outcome. By examining genetic differences among individuals and administering drugs on the basis of such findings, the impact of side effects can be reduced. Taisei Mushiroda, the Laboratory Head of the Research Group for Pharmacogenomics at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine, is making advances in personalized medicine with research into how drugs can be tailored to a patient's genetic information through the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Identifying the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that plays a key role in drug rash Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that the gout treatment allopurinol, the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine and the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic drug loxoprofen hold the highest incidence of serious drug rash. "The data we … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Advancing personalized medicine: Tailoring drugs to fit a patient's genetic predisposition

Marshalltown native develops program to curb ER drug-seeking

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

The number of people who visited the emergency room for pharmaceutical drugs increased 98 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these visits were to fraudulently obtain prescription drugs, usually pain killers. "Doctor shopping" is not an uncommon practice for those hooked on prescription drugs. The principle is simple: users go into the ER and claim to be in pain. With policies in place to ensure patients who have pain management issues are not ignored, many doctors simply want to help someone suffering, so they prescribe the medications. Hecticness is all too common in an ER, and the necessary conduit to get the patient's medical history is often sluggish. Addicts take advantage all these things to get the fix they need. A growing problem Deaths from prescription drug use are now nearly on par with fatalities from car crashes, according to CDC reports. Still, Vickie Lewis, director of Substance Abuse Treatment Unit of Central Iowa, said that alcohol is still, by far, the substance which poses biggest threat to public health. While prescription drug use has certainly seen an steady increase over the last few years, she said, it isn't nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Drug Dependency | Comments Off on Marshalltown native develops program to curb ER drug-seeking

Ministers deny delaying new drugs

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

25 February 2012 Last updated at 09:48 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Sir Andrew Witty from GSK said drugs were being "systematically delayed" from introduction and reimbursement Ministers have rejected claims by the UK's biggest drug firm GlaxoSmithKline that new cancer treatments are being delayed to save money. "Strategic thoughtfulness" was being lost in the "stampede" to cut costs, GSK chief Sir Andrew Witty said. It was a Europe-wide problem as governments coped with austerity and got more anxious about debts, he added. But the Department of Health said the approval process was getting faster and it had increased spending on new drugs. Mr Witty, the head of the pharmaceutical giant, told the BBC: "We're seeing oncology drugs being systematically delayed from introduction and reimbursement. "We're seeing a variety of the more innovative, and yes more expensive medicines, being delayed in a whole series of different diseases across Europe." "Ultimately it's one of those situations where the drift will be imperceptibly happening, but when you look back in five or 10 years, a huge gap will have opened up." He also said the government had cut prices by 5% a year as it got more … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs | Comments Off on Ministers deny delaying new drugs

New cancer drugs being held back to save Government money, says GlaxoSmithKline boss

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

"Cancer in the UK is a good example where we're seeing oncology drugs being systematically delayed from introduction and reimbursement. "We are seeing a variety of the more innovative and more expensive medicines being delayed in a whole series of different diseases across Europe." Sir Andrew accused governments of treating the pharmaceuticals industry as a "simple procurement business" without understanding the wider implications of their decisions. "As governments have got more and more anxious about their debt positions and austerity agendas, what happened is quite predictable," he said. "If you are a minister and you need to cut costs, it is a lot easier to cut drug prices than it is to close a hospital or reduce the size of the Civil Service. I understand that. "The issue here is, of course, if you don't buy the new drug it is going to save you money in the drug bill. But the drug bill is only 8 per cent to 10 per cent of the total health care bill and what is being lost in this stampede for cost cut is any kind of strategic thoughtfulness." Professor Jonathan Waxman, of Imperial College London, said a number of new cancer drugs … Continue reading →

Posted in Drugs | Comments Off on New cancer drugs being held back to save Government money, says GlaxoSmithKline boss

Braves send three to state wrestling finals — Mentat Pills Without A Prescription » Online Pharmacy

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

By Dahl Erickson on Feb 25, 2012 in Featured, News, Sports The Braves had three grapplers who advanced to the finals on Friday night over some stiff competition at the 3A Wyoming State Wrestling championship.  Mitch Heap at 120, Carbon Kennington at 126 and T.J. Guild at 132 earned a trip to their respective finals.  Three other Braves, Gabe Waldron at 106, Devin Semadeni at 145 and Marshall Watkins a 182 advanced to the semi-finals but were defeated and will wrestle Saturday for a medal.  Heap went through the first round via forfeit and then pinned both Connor Warner of Worland and Lance Lucas of Wheatland.  It is the second consecutive final for Heap who lost 4-0 to Cheyenne Central’s Bryce Meredith last season as a junior.   Kennington claimed his second consecutive regional championship last week.  He finished fifth a year ago at state but was able to advance to the 2012 finals with a pin over Jesse Bishop of Pinedale, followed up with a 10-0 major decision over Justin Polkowske of Torrington.   Kennington then knocked off Buffalo’s Taylor Bell by decision to make the championship. For Guild, the trip to his first final has been a culmination of … Continue reading →

Posted in Online Pharmacy | Comments Off on Braves send three to state wrestling finals — Mentat Pills Without A Prescription » Online Pharmacy

First researcher joins The Jackson Lab for Genomic Medicine in Conn.

Posted: Published on February 25th, 2012

Bar Harbor – Yijun Ruan, Ph.D., an American geneticist who has pioneered new techniques to sequence and map DNA to better understand cancer growth and stem cell properties, will be the first scientist to join the new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX Genomic Medicine) in Farmington, Conn. Ruan is currently associate director and senior group leader at the Genome Institute of Singapore and professor of biochemistry at the National University of Singapore. He is also an investigator with the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, an international consortium of research groups funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute. Ruan said he was attracted by The Jackson Laboratory’s famously collaborative research environment, and plans to “take a community approach to tackle genomic questions through intensive collaboration.” Through innovating new technologies and studying how the human and mouse genomes are regulated, he said his goal is to translate research findings into personalized medicine. Ruan has also been appointed director of JAX Genomic Sciences, and will be bringing his current research program and team with him to JAX Genomic Medicine. JAX Genomic Medicine will unite doctors, patients, scientists and industry to find new ways to tailor disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment … Continue reading →

Posted in Mesenchymal Stem Cells | Comments Off on First researcher joins The Jackson Lab for Genomic Medicine in Conn.