Health News: Intractable pain may find relief in tiny gold rods ♦ Millions of lives blighted by smokeless tobacco ♦ US hospitals flout CDC recommendations that prevent infections

Intractable pain may find relief in tiny gold rods Scientists have developed a technique that could lead to therapies for pain relief in people with intractable pain, potentially including cancer-related pain. The team coated gold nanorods with a special type of protein that transports fat within the body known as a lipoprotein. This allowed the nanorods to bind efficiently to nerve cell membranes bearing a pain receptor. Gold nanorods are tiny rods that are 1-100 nanometers wide and long. In comparison, a human hair is 100,000 nanometers wide.

Something to chew on: Millions of lives blighted by smokeless tobacco More than a quarter of a million people die each year from using smokeless tobacco, researchers have concluded. The study estimates that in 2010 alone smokeless tobacco resulted in more than 62,000 deaths due to cancers of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus and accounted for more than 200,00 deaths from heart disease.

US hospitals flout CDC recommendations that prevent infections There is significant variability regarding how clinicians manage catheters placed in the arteries of patients in intensive care units, research shows. Some practices may increase risk of infection associated with these catheters. Fewer than half of those surveyed complied with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention infection prevention guidelines for arterial catheter insertions.

Influenza vaccines provide moderate protection throughout the entire flu season Individuals who received the flu vaccine were protected for up to 6 months post-vaccination, the duration of most flu seasons.

Send Children Back To School Protected From Serious Diseases

Back-to-school season is here. It’s time for parents to gather school supplies and backpacks. It’s also the perfect time to make sure children are up to date on their vaccines.

To celebrate the importance of immunizations for people of all ages and make sure adolescents are protected with all the vaccines they need; recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.

“Getting children all of the vaccines recommended by CDC’s immunization schedule is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure a healthy future for their child,” said Barbara Philips, nurse educator for the Department of Health immunization program. “If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to check with your doctor to find out what vaccines your child needs.”

Adolescent vaccines protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, including meningitis, septicemia and cancers caused by HPV.

When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk for diseases and can also spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.

Preteens and teens need Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine, meningococcal vaccine, and HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine when they are 11 to 12. In addition, yearly flu vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months or older—not just preteens and teens, but for their parents too.

Parents can find out more about the recommended immunization schedule at

www.cdc.gov/vaccines/teens or http://doh.sd.gov/family/childhood/immunization/

Health Research: High-pressure oxygen can effectively treat fibromyalgia ♦ Could dissolvable microneedles replace injected vaccines? ♦ Human hands more primitive than chimp's

High-pressure oxygen can effectively treat fibromyalgia Women with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, were able to drastically reduce, or even eliminate, their use of pain medication following hyperbaric oxygen treatment, according to new research.. The researchers also believe they have identified the primary factor causing fibromyalgia: the disruption of the brain mechanism for processing pain

Human hands may be more primitive than chimp's Human hands may be more primitive than chimp's. Human hand proportions have changed little from those of the last common ancestor (LCA) of chimpanzees and humans. These findings indicate that the structure of the modern human hand is largely primitive in nature.

Investigational drug prevents life-threatening side effects of kidney disease treatment The investigational drug patiromer quickly reduced elevated blood-potassium levels -- a common life-threatening side effect of treatment for chronic diabetic kidney disease. In this year-long study of more than 300 patients, patiromer kept potassium levels under control for the length of the trial.

Could dissolvable microneedles replace injected vaccines? Flu vaccines delivered using microneedles that dissolve in the skin can protect people against infection even better than the standard needle-delivered vaccine, according to new research. The authors of the study say their dissolvable patch - the only vaccination system of its kind - could make vaccination easier, safer and less painful.

Like sitting, standing in the workplace may have long-term health consequences Recent research has warned of the health detriments associated with sitting for long stretches of time at the office, but what about the nearly half of all employees worldwide who are required to stand for more than 75 percent of their workdays

Health Research: Accelerated brain aging in type 1 diabetes ♦ The dark side of cannabis: Panic attacks, nausea ♦ New leads into nerve regeneration

Accelerated brain aging in type 1 diabetes related to cognitive complications The brains of people with type 1 diabetes show signs of accelerated aging that correlate with slower information processing, according to research. The findings indicate that clinicians should consider screening middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes for cognitive difficulties. If progressive, these changes could influence their ability to manage their diabetes.

The dark side of cannabis: Panic attacks, nausea

Although the use of cannabis as a medical drug is currently booming, we should not forget that leisure time consumption -- for example, smoking weed -- can cause acute and chronic harms. These include panic attacks, impaired coordination of movement, and nausea.

Proteomics provides new leads into nerve regeneration Using proteomics techniques to study injured optic nerves, researchers have identified previously unrecognized proteins and pathways involved in nerve regeneration. Adding back one of these proteins -- the oncogene c-myc -- they achieved unprecedented optic nerve regeneration in mice when combined with two other known strategies.

Profiling approach to enable right lung cancer treatment match A new way to genetically profile lung cancer samples has been developed by researchers, potentially allowing doctors to more easily identify the most appropriate treatment for patients.
Breast cancer vaccines may work better with silicon microparticles The effectiveness of cancer vaccines could be dramatically boosted by first loading the cancer antigens into silicon microparticles, report scientists. Model studies showed that microparticles loaded with an antigen, HER2, not only protected the antigen from premature destruction, but also stimulated the immune system to recognize and relentlessly attack cancer cells overexpressing the HER2 antigen.

Cancer Research: Small RNA plays big role suppressing cancer ♦ Personalized melanoma vaccines ♦ New treatment options for colon cancer

Small RNA plays big role suppressing cancer The microRNA miR-22 has long been known for its ability to suppress cancer. However, questions remain about how it achieves this feat. For example, which molecules are regulating miR-22, and which are miR-22 targets? Researchers have unraveled some of these relationships, identifying several interactions that directly impact liver and colon cancer

Personalized melanoma vaccines marshal powerful immune response Personalized melanoma vaccines can be used to marshal a powerful immune response against unique mutations in patients' tumors, according to early data in a first-in-people clinical trial.

Body's cancer defenses hijacked to make pancreatic, lung cancers more aggressive A vital self-destruct switch in cells can be hijacked, making some pancreatic and non small cell lung cancers more aggressive, according to research. Researchers found that mutations in the KRAS gene interferes with protective self-destruct switches, known as TRAIL receptors, which usually help to kill potentially cancerous cells.

Dual therapy's 1-2 punch knocks out drug-resistant lung cancer Capitalizing on a rare opportunity to thoroughly analyze a tumor from a lung cancer patient who had developed resistance to targeted drug treatment, scientists identified a biological escape hatch that explains the resistance, and developed a strategy in mice for shutting it down

New treatment options for colon cancer An existing chemotherapy drug used to treat leukemia could prevent and control the growth of colorectal tumors, scientists have discovered

Ebola test vaccines appear safe in Phase 2 Liberian clinical trial

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe based on evaluation in more than 600 people in Liberia who participated in the first stage of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase 2/3 clinical trial, according to interim findings from an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board review. Based on these findings, the study, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, may now advance to Phase 3 testing.

“We are grateful to the Liberian people who volunteered for this important clinical trial and encouraged by the study results seen with the two investigational Ebola vaccine candidates,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “Now we must move forward to adapt and expand the study so that ultimately we can determine whether these experimental vaccines can protect against Ebola virus disease and therefore be used in future Ebola outbreaks.”

The PREVAIL trial, which began on Feb. 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia, is testing the safety and efficacy of the cAd3-EBOZ candidate vaccine co-developed by NIAID scientists and GlaxoSmithKline, and the VSV-ZEBOV candidate vaccine developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and licensed to NewLink Genetics Corporation and Merck. Volunteers are assigned at random to receive a single injection of the NIAID/GSK (cAd3-EBOZ) vaccine, the VSV-ZEBOV vaccine, or a placebo (saline) injection. The trial is also double-blinded, meaning that neither study subjects nor staff know whether a vaccine or placebo was administered. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is considered the “gold standard” in clinical research.

While the initial enrollment goal in the Phase 2 study has been met and the vaccines proven safe, the researchers are continuing Phase 2 study enrollment at Redemption Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, through late April 2015. This would boost enrollment in the Phase 2 portion of the trial to approximately 1,500 people and would be done, in part, to increase the percentage of women (currently, about 16 percent) in the study for a more robust data set overall. The study follow-up period would be at least one year, and two additional blood samples would be obtained from all volunteers at six and 12 months post-vaccination to determine the durability of the immune responses. These proposed changes will be discussed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are under review by the institutional review boards in Liberia and the United States.

Investigators planned to enroll 27,000 people in Liberia at risk of Ebola infection in the Phase 3 portion of the trial. However, there has been only one new confirmed case of Ebola infection in the country since Feb. 19, 2015. Given this decline in Ebola infection incidence, the trial leaders — H. Clifford Lane, M.D., NIAID deputy director for clinical research, and Liberian co-principal investigators Stephen Kennedy, M.D., and Fatorma Bolay, Ph.D. — have determined that it is scientifically appropriate to expand the trial to additional sites in other West African countries. Discussions are underway to explore that possibility.

The Liberia–U.S. research team also plans to launch a separate natural history study of Ebola survivors to better understand the after-effects of Ebola virus disease. Four sites in Monrovia, Liberia and locations in the United States may begin enrollment into this study in the coming months, pending regulatory review and approval. More information on this study will be provided when the trial launches.

2/26/15 Health News: Salmonella Outbreak Grows to 59 Cases ♦ E. coli Vaccine Effective ♦ 120 treated after meningitis death ♦ Treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis discovered

TEXAS SALMONELLA OUTBREAK GROWS TO 59 CASES   At least 59 people have been found ill in a Salmonella outbreak connected in part to the Ten in Texas steakhouse in Dalhart, TX. One of the restaurant’s customers who was sickened, Frances Childers, is filing a lawsuit against the restaurant. Her attorneys say that she suffered from kidney failure alongside abdominal pains, nausea and muscle aches. Childers Continue Reading

STUDY: E. COLI VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE BUT ECONOMIC INCENTIVE NEEDED Despite the proven effectiveness of vaccines designed to decrease the presence of E. coli bacteria in cattle by as much as 98 percent, beef producers are not likely to widely adopt the practice of vaccinating their herds until there is a clear economic incentive,Continue Reading

120 treated after meningitis death in Brevard jail. The Florida Department of Health in Brevard County confirmed the week of February 16 that a teenager died from meningitis at the Brevard Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Cocoa prompting health officials to treat 120 potentially exposed children and staff for the disease February 21. Continue Reading

Tissue engineering: Scientists grow leg muscle from cells in a dish  Scientists have generated mature, functional skeletal muscles in mice using a new approach for tissue engineering. The scientists grew a leg muscle starting from engineered cells cultured in a dish to produce a graft. The subsequent graft was implanted close to a normal, contracting skeletal muscle where the new muscle was nurtured and grown  Continue Reading

Potential treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis discovered  A new small molecule drug has been discovered that may serve as a treatment against multidrug resistant tuberculosis, a form of the disease that cannot be cured with conventional therapies. While standard anti-tuberculosis drugs can cure most people of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, improper use of antibiotics has led to new strains of the bacterium resistant to the two most powerful medications, isoniazid and rifampicin. Continue Reading

11/25/14 Health News: Drink will reduce your cancer risk ♦ Untapped source of antibiotic drugs ♦ Personalized vaccines ♦ Longer work hours for moms means obesity for preschoolers

This drink will substantially reduce your cancer risk

Attention, ladies: Science says it’s time to put the kettle on. A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consumed the most flavonoids, a type of antioxidant abundant in tea, were significantly less likely to develop endothelial ovarian cancer—the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women.  Continue Reading

Life's extremists may be an untapped source of antibacterial drugs

Life's extremists, a family of microbes called Archaea, may be an untapped source of new antibacterial drugs. That conclusion arises from the discovery of the first antibacterial gene in this ancient lineage  Continue Reading

Possibilities for personalized vaccines

Medical researchers are considering the possibilities for personalized vaccines in all types of cancer. The first vaccine will be prepared from a warehouse of 72 targets previously identified by the researchers as relevant for treatment in glioblastoma Continue Reading

Longer work hours for moms mean less sleep, higher BMIs for preschoolers

A link between moms' employment and overweight/obesity in preschoolers has been found by researchers. The study investigated links between mothers' employment status and their children's weight over time, exploring the impact of potential mediators, such as children's sleep and dietary habits, the amount of time they spent watching TV and family mealtime routines  Continue Reading

Edible Vaccines - No More Shots

Can You imagination, going to the doctor but instead of giving you a shot he hands you a banana? Researchers report that a vaccine built into an ordinary potato can trigger an immune response against a virus that causes food poisoning. The study has encouraged scientists hoping to produce vaccines in edible form for a host of infectious diseases

Currently, there are no good vaccines for the world's most devastating diseases, such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. But if they should become available, immunizing entire populations is often difficult. Vaccine injections are expensive; they require syringes, needles, and usually refrigeration; and they must be delivered by trained health care professionals. That's why researchers are engineering plants to produce key parts of viruses and bacteria, in the hope that the human body will take them for invaders and start producing antibodies against the organisms. But until now, no one has produced an edible vaccine that prompts such a response in humans.

A team, led by Charles Arntzen, president of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in Ithaca, New York, engineered potatoes to produce a protein that makes up the structural shell of the Norwalk virus, a common cause of gastroenteritis. After being fed the modified potatoes, all but one of the 20 healthy adult volunteers had an increase in the number of antibody-secreting cells, and six of them had started secreting into the digestive system more antibodies that recognize the Norwalk virus structure.

The vaccine clearly triggered the immune system, says Arntzen, "but we need more vaccine per potato" to protect against an infection. And potatoes, while a convenient starting point, are not the vehicles of choice for future vaccines; they have to be eaten raw, which causes indigestion. Currently, most researchers are betting on bananas, which are easily grown in many developing countries, are commonly eaten raw, and can be fed to young children when immunization is most desired.

For now, all such clinical trials will involve modified potatoes or tomatoes. Both products can be easily freeze-dried, transported, and reconstituted. Since many target countries have a long history of herbal medicine, Arntzen is interested in working within already-existing ideas. "Our goal is not to make the decision for how we want (the freeze-dried dose) introduced," he said. "We want to work with them."

As of now commercial companies are only working on vaccines for animals. Because of the GMO controversy they are not interested in investing money for human vaccines.