It’s the latest weight loss scheme to get Brits chirping: an oral pill that expands into a gastric balloon when ingested, to make patients feel fuller faster.
Launched to much buzz in the U.K. this week, the Obalon balloon has been garnering headlines for serving as a non-invasive, 15-minute version of traditional gastric balloon treatments which require going under the knife.
Here’s how it works: The vitamin-sized capsule is attached to a slender tube. After swallowing the capsule, gas is used to inflate the balloon through the tube. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/114986785812523502052/114986785812523502052/posts
Once inflated, the tube is removed, leaving the balloon in the stomach. No sedation or anesthetic is required, and the whole process is said to take about 15 minutes.
Up to three balloons can be used over the 12-week treatment, which are then removed in a short endoscopic procedure.
The overall outcome is to partially fill the stomach and induce a feeling of fullness so that patients consume less.
According to the U.S. company’s own figures, the Obalon balloon helped clinical participants lose an average of eight percent of their total body weight and 49 percent of their excess body weight.
But if you think the gastric balloons will serve as an eat-free card, think again. On the first day, patients are advised to follow a liquid diet, followed by soft foods until the third day. The program also advises a sensible, healthy eating plan.
The capsule is available for those with a body mass index of 27 or higher and sold privately. The cost of a treatment? About £4,000 ($6,650 USD) for all three balloons.
Side effects can include everything from cramping and abdominal discomfort to nausea and vomiting.
The Obalon is available throughout European countries like Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain. The company is also in talks to enter South Korea.
Meanwhile, another extreme weight loss device that recently made headlines was the AspireAssist Aspiration Therapy System, an at-home stomach pump designed to pump out undigested food out through a hole in the patient’s belly, not unlike a vacuum.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Morning After Pill Doesn't Work in Heavy Women: Study
The European Medicines Agency says it has started a review of emergency contraceptives to see if they work less well in heavy women.
In November, French drug maker HRA Pharma announced its morning-after pill Norvelo was less effective in women weighing more than 75 kilograms (165 pounds) and that it didn't work in women more than 80 kilograms (176 pounds). HRA Pharma changed its labels to warn patients after consulting with European regulators.
In a statement on Friday, the EMA said it would evaluate new data suggesting that a high body weight could compromise the effectiveness of the morning-after pill. https://plus.google.com/b/110558892067998073617/110558892067998073617/posts"
This is an efficacy issue," said Monika Benstetter, an agency spokeswoman. "We need to find out what the association is with (body mass index) and if there is a cut-off threshold for when the medicine becomes less effective."
HRA Pharma's Norlevo contains levonorgestrel, the same active ingredient in other medicines including ellaOne, Levonnelle and Levodonna.
Benstetter said the EMA needed to perform an assessment of all products in the same category as Norlevo to ensure labels across the European Union are consistent. She said there was no timeline on when the review would be completed.
In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was also studying the issue
The morning-after pill can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. It contains a higher dose of the hormone in regular birth control pills and works by preventing ovulation or fertilization of an egg. It has no effect if a woman is already pregnant.
Some doctors have previously advised that heavy women consider alternatives like a copper IUD, a birth control device that can be fitted on the uterus.
In November, French drug maker HRA Pharma announced its morning-after pill Norvelo was less effective in women weighing more than 75 kilograms (165 pounds) and that it didn't work in women more than 80 kilograms (176 pounds). HRA Pharma changed its labels to warn patients after consulting with European regulators.
In a statement on Friday, the EMA said it would evaluate new data suggesting that a high body weight could compromise the effectiveness of the morning-after pill. https://plus.google.com/b/110558892067998073617/110558892067998073617/posts"
This is an efficacy issue," said Monika Benstetter, an agency spokeswoman. "We need to find out what the association is with (body mass index) and if there is a cut-off threshold for when the medicine becomes less effective."
HRA Pharma's Norlevo contains levonorgestrel, the same active ingredient in other medicines including ellaOne, Levonnelle and Levodonna.
Benstetter said the EMA needed to perform an assessment of all products in the same category as Norlevo to ensure labels across the European Union are consistent. She said there was no timeline on when the review would be completed.
In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was also studying the issue
The morning-after pill can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. It contains a higher dose of the hormone in regular birth control pills and works by preventing ovulation or fertilization of an egg. It has no effect if a woman is already pregnant.
Some doctors have previously advised that heavy women consider alternatives like a copper IUD, a birth control device that can be fitted on the uterus.
End of the Stethoscope?
A stethoscope draped across a doctor's chest is as classic an image of medicine as a white coat or a wooden tongue depressor.
But the stethoscope is an old-fashioned device that has outlived its usefulness and should be replaced in the very near future, a pair of prominent New York City cardiologists contends.
Hand-held ultrasound devices are becoming less expensive and soon will offer a viable and preferable alternative to the stethoscope, said Dr. Jagat Narula, associate dean for global affairs at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of the journal Global Heart. His editorial outlining the argument was published recently in the journal.
Special: These 5 Things Flush 40 lbs. of Fat Out of Your Body.
Doctors of the future will tote a small ultrasound device around in their pocket and use it to peek at a person's internal organs, rather than listening to the organs with a stethoscope, Narula wrote with his Mount Sinai colleague Dr. Bret Nelson. https://plus.google.com/b/110558892067998073617/110558892067998073617/posts
"We should be able to replace the stethoscope with ultrasound," Narula said. "Basically the time has come that we need to ascend to a new era. We have this technology available to us, and we need to use it not only as an investigational and diagnostic tool but as a basic patient examination tool."
That said, many doctors will not throw away their stethoscopes without a fight.
"I disagree with the author's premise. The stethoscope is as important as it ever has been," said Dr. Charles Cutler, chairman of the American College of Physicians' Board of Regents. "I understand where the author is coming from, and as a world we are going more and more toward technology. But I think in medicine, more is not always better."
The stethoscope dates back to 1816, when it was invented in Paris by the French physician Rene Laennec. Laennec pioneered its use in diagnosing chest conditions, and it has since become a standard piece of equipment in basic patient examinations.
Ultrasound technology came along in the 1950s, and has gotten more portable and more accurate over time, Narula pointed out. Doctors can now purchase a device not much larger than a deck of cards, with the technology and screen of modern smartphones, for between $8,000 and $10,000.
"As competition arises, I believe this will be between $1,000 and $2,000 within a year or two," Narula said. "Once it is at that cost, it will be used much more commonly than it is used today."
Ultrasound allows a doctor to actually see a patient's organs, rather than listening to them for clues of illness, he explained. This will reduce the need for unnecessary testing, he argued, as doctors will be able to see for themselves rather than sending a patient for a follow-up CT scan or MRI.
"You can look at almost everything, right there at the bedside or examination room," Narula said. "Most of the time, the technology takes you away from the patient. By doing this, we will be bringing back the relationship between the doctor and the patient."
But Cutler believes the opposite will occur, and more unnecessary tests will take place because doctors will see many things they can't interpret.
"An ultrasound will turn up things that may not be there," Cutler said, providing the example of a heart valve that looks a little different on an ultrasound, leading the doctor to call for a CT scan. "It may be a false alarm, but now you have ordered the test and you have worried the patient," he explained.
Another expert pointed out another downside with ultrasound technology.
Adopting ultrasound will also place a huge burden on medical students, who will have to learn how to properly read ultrasound results on top of their already packed curriculum, said Dr. Robert Bonow, a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
But Narula believes ultrasound will become more ubiquitous as medical schools begin teaching use of the technology as a common examination tool.
"I think it has to be a part of culture, and it will become part of culture when we begin using it in medical school," Narula said.
However, cost will be a deciding factor that keeps ultrasound technology from replacing the stethoscope anytime soon, Cutler said.
"A stethoscope costs $25," he said. "Why should the medical system spend millions of dollars on equipment when they don't have to? They could spend a fraction of the cost on stethoscopes."
Bonow shares Cutler's concerns. He likens ultrasound to the hand-held medical device used in "Star Trek" that doctors waved over patients.
"I believe that's not going to be science fiction in 30 to 50 years, but going from here to there is going to take several steps we're going to have to explore," Bonow said. "Maybe we should give 50 percent of the medical students training in this device and see how well they perform relative to the others. But I don't think we're ready to throw away the stethoscope."
But the stethoscope is an old-fashioned device that has outlived its usefulness and should be replaced in the very near future, a pair of prominent New York City cardiologists contends.
Hand-held ultrasound devices are becoming less expensive and soon will offer a viable and preferable alternative to the stethoscope, said Dr. Jagat Narula, associate dean for global affairs at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of the journal Global Heart. His editorial outlining the argument was published recently in the journal.
Special: These 5 Things Flush 40 lbs. of Fat Out of Your Body.
Doctors of the future will tote a small ultrasound device around in their pocket and use it to peek at a person's internal organs, rather than listening to the organs with a stethoscope, Narula wrote with his Mount Sinai colleague Dr. Bret Nelson. https://plus.google.com/b/110558892067998073617/110558892067998073617/posts
"We should be able to replace the stethoscope with ultrasound," Narula said. "Basically the time has come that we need to ascend to a new era. We have this technology available to us, and we need to use it not only as an investigational and diagnostic tool but as a basic patient examination tool."
That said, many doctors will not throw away their stethoscopes without a fight.
"I disagree with the author's premise. The stethoscope is as important as it ever has been," said Dr. Charles Cutler, chairman of the American College of Physicians' Board of Regents. "I understand where the author is coming from, and as a world we are going more and more toward technology. But I think in medicine, more is not always better."
The stethoscope dates back to 1816, when it was invented in Paris by the French physician Rene Laennec. Laennec pioneered its use in diagnosing chest conditions, and it has since become a standard piece of equipment in basic patient examinations.
Ultrasound technology came along in the 1950s, and has gotten more portable and more accurate over time, Narula pointed out. Doctors can now purchase a device not much larger than a deck of cards, with the technology and screen of modern smartphones, for between $8,000 and $10,000.
"As competition arises, I believe this will be between $1,000 and $2,000 within a year or two," Narula said. "Once it is at that cost, it will be used much more commonly than it is used today."
Ultrasound allows a doctor to actually see a patient's organs, rather than listening to them for clues of illness, he explained. This will reduce the need for unnecessary testing, he argued, as doctors will be able to see for themselves rather than sending a patient for a follow-up CT scan or MRI.
"You can look at almost everything, right there at the bedside or examination room," Narula said. "Most of the time, the technology takes you away from the patient. By doing this, we will be bringing back the relationship between the doctor and the patient."
But Cutler believes the opposite will occur, and more unnecessary tests will take place because doctors will see many things they can't interpret.
"An ultrasound will turn up things that may not be there," Cutler said, providing the example of a heart valve that looks a little different on an ultrasound, leading the doctor to call for a CT scan. "It may be a false alarm, but now you have ordered the test and you have worried the patient," he explained.
Another expert pointed out another downside with ultrasound technology.
Adopting ultrasound will also place a huge burden on medical students, who will have to learn how to properly read ultrasound results on top of their already packed curriculum, said Dr. Robert Bonow, a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
But Narula believes ultrasound will become more ubiquitous as medical schools begin teaching use of the technology as a common examination tool.
"I think it has to be a part of culture, and it will become part of culture when we begin using it in medical school," Narula said.
However, cost will be a deciding factor that keeps ultrasound technology from replacing the stethoscope anytime soon, Cutler said.
"A stethoscope costs $25," he said. "Why should the medical system spend millions of dollars on equipment when they don't have to? They could spend a fraction of the cost on stethoscopes."
Bonow shares Cutler's concerns. He likens ultrasound to the hand-held medical device used in "Star Trek" that doctors waved over patients.
"I believe that's not going to be science fiction in 30 to 50 years, but going from here to there is going to take several steps we're going to have to explore," Bonow said. "Maybe we should give 50 percent of the medical students training in this device and see how well they perform relative to the others. But I don't think we're ready to throw away the stethoscope."
Social Media Robs Kids of Sleep: Study
Kids who regularly plugged into social networking sites before bedtime reported sleeping nearly an hour less on school nights than those who rarely connected online, a new study shows.
"Using technology in the bedroom may result in sleep loss, delays in initiating sleep, daytime sleepiness and more," the study's lead author, Teresa Arora, told Reuters Health in an email.
"In turn, this may affect daytime performance, particularly at school," Arora, from Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha, Qatar, said.
The researchers found kids ages 11 to 13 slept significantly less when they frequently communicated on a cell phone, surfed the Internet, played video games, watched television, listened to music and even if they used a computer to study before hitting the sack. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106965269134143776146/106965269134143776146/posts
Social networking was associated with the biggest loss of sleep. Those who said they usually connected to friends online before getting into bed reported sleeping the least - an average of 8 hours and 10 minutes a night - compared with 9 hours and 2 minutes among those who never connected.
Earlier studies have linked sleep deprivation to obesity, depression, difficulty regulating emotions and lower grades. A Chinese study published last month found staying up late may raise teens' blood pressure.
For the current study, the researchers analyzed surveys on sleep and technology habits completed by 738 students at seven randomly selected schools in the Midlands region of England in 2010.
Kids who frequently viewed TV before bed were four times more likely to report waking up several times during the night than non-viewers, and frequent social networkers were three times more likely to wake up a lot. Kids who regularly played video games or listened to music at bedtime had significantly more difficulty falling asleep, the researchers reported in Sleep Medicine.
Teenagers' sleep schedules naturally tend to shift as a result of feeling alert later at night and having trouble falling asleep. But technology may worsen the tendency to burn the midnight oil, Arora and her colleagues wrote.
The findings came as no surprise to Dr. Nanci Yuan, medical director of the Sleep Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California. She was not involved in the new study.
"The advent of technology has made every age group, but especially teenagers, have difficulties with their sleep," Yuan, who also studies sleep disorders at Stanford University, told Reuters Health.
"We're seeing more sleep-deprivation problems in society as a whole, and we're seeing it more in teenagers."
Children from 11 to 13 years old need between 10 and 11 hours of continuous sleep a night for optimal health, she said. She recommended adolescents shut down all electronics, ideally removing them from the bedroom, at least one hour, and preferably two, before turning in.
"We have to make sleep a priority as important as good nutrition and exercise," she said.
Christina Calamaro similarly stressed the need to unplug at least an hour before lights out. She has studied the effect of technology on adolescent sleep at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware but was not involved in the current study.
Calamaro called on healthcare professionals to do more to educate parents about children's need for uninterrupted sleep.
"We need to teach adolescents boundaries with technology," she told Reuters Health. "We need to really drive home that message to parents about modeling sleep behavior in their home."
"Using technology in the bedroom may result in sleep loss, delays in initiating sleep, daytime sleepiness and more," the study's lead author, Teresa Arora, told Reuters Health in an email.
"In turn, this may affect daytime performance, particularly at school," Arora, from Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha, Qatar, said.
The researchers found kids ages 11 to 13 slept significantly less when they frequently communicated on a cell phone, surfed the Internet, played video games, watched television, listened to music and even if they used a computer to study before hitting the sack. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106965269134143776146/106965269134143776146/posts
Social networking was associated with the biggest loss of sleep. Those who said they usually connected to friends online before getting into bed reported sleeping the least - an average of 8 hours and 10 minutes a night - compared with 9 hours and 2 minutes among those who never connected.
Earlier studies have linked sleep deprivation to obesity, depression, difficulty regulating emotions and lower grades. A Chinese study published last month found staying up late may raise teens' blood pressure.
For the current study, the researchers analyzed surveys on sleep and technology habits completed by 738 students at seven randomly selected schools in the Midlands region of England in 2010.
Kids who frequently viewed TV before bed were four times more likely to report waking up several times during the night than non-viewers, and frequent social networkers were three times more likely to wake up a lot. Kids who regularly played video games or listened to music at bedtime had significantly more difficulty falling asleep, the researchers reported in Sleep Medicine.
Teenagers' sleep schedules naturally tend to shift as a result of feeling alert later at night and having trouble falling asleep. But technology may worsen the tendency to burn the midnight oil, Arora and her colleagues wrote.
The findings came as no surprise to Dr. Nanci Yuan, medical director of the Sleep Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California. She was not involved in the new study.
"The advent of technology has made every age group, but especially teenagers, have difficulties with their sleep," Yuan, who also studies sleep disorders at Stanford University, told Reuters Health.
"We're seeing more sleep-deprivation problems in society as a whole, and we're seeing it more in teenagers."
Children from 11 to 13 years old need between 10 and 11 hours of continuous sleep a night for optimal health, she said. She recommended adolescents shut down all electronics, ideally removing them from the bedroom, at least one hour, and preferably two, before turning in.
"We have to make sleep a priority as important as good nutrition and exercise," she said.
Christina Calamaro similarly stressed the need to unplug at least an hour before lights out. She has studied the effect of technology on adolescent sleep at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware but was not involved in the current study.
Calamaro called on healthcare professionals to do more to educate parents about children's need for uninterrupted sleep.
"We need to teach adolescents boundaries with technology," she told Reuters Health. "We need to really drive home that message to parents about modeling sleep behavior in their home."
Glaucoma Blindness Cut in Half
Better eye care seems to have brightened the long-term outlook for people with glaucoma. The likelihood of blindness in glaucoma patients 20 years after diagnosis has fallen by at least half in the last generation, according to a new study.
Researchers analyzed the medical records of all the people 40 and older in Olmsted County, Minn., who were diagnosed with the eye disease between 1981 and 2000. The investigators compared these people to patients diagnosed with glaucoma between 1965 and 1980.
The incidence of glaucoma did not change, but the risk of going blind in at least one eye fell from about 26 percent in the earlier group of patients to less than 14 percent in the newer group. The researchers also found that the annual incidence of glaucoma-caused blindness dropped by more than half.
Special: These 5 Things Flush 40 lbs. of Fat Out of Your Body. https://plus.google.com/b/107702847333617161236/107702847333617161236/posts
The results were published online in the January issue of the journal Ophthalmology.
"This is a testament to the skill and effort of the researchers, physicians and other care providers working in eye care over that period," study senior author Dr. Arthur Sit, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, said in a Mayo news release.
"Our improved understanding of glaucoma, along with better treatment and management of patients seem to have had this impact. Still, much research and public education remains to be performed," said Sit. "A 14 percent blindness rate from a common eye disease is hardly ideal."
Sit said early diagnosis was not a factor in the decreased risk of blindness from glaucoma, noting that the age of first diagnosis did not change.
The only early warning sign of glaucoma is a loss of peripheral vision, but most people fail to notice this change. Regular eye exams are the best way to diagnose the condition, Sit said.
Researchers analyzed the medical records of all the people 40 and older in Olmsted County, Minn., who were diagnosed with the eye disease between 1981 and 2000. The investigators compared these people to patients diagnosed with glaucoma between 1965 and 1980.
The incidence of glaucoma did not change, but the risk of going blind in at least one eye fell from about 26 percent in the earlier group of patients to less than 14 percent in the newer group. The researchers also found that the annual incidence of glaucoma-caused blindness dropped by more than half.
Special: These 5 Things Flush 40 lbs. of Fat Out of Your Body. https://plus.google.com/b/107702847333617161236/107702847333617161236/posts
The results were published online in the January issue of the journal Ophthalmology.
"This is a testament to the skill and effort of the researchers, physicians and other care providers working in eye care over that period," study senior author Dr. Arthur Sit, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, said in a Mayo news release.
"Our improved understanding of glaucoma, along with better treatment and management of patients seem to have had this impact. Still, much research and public education remains to be performed," said Sit. "A 14 percent blindness rate from a common eye disease is hardly ideal."
Sit said early diagnosis was not a factor in the decreased risk of blindness from glaucoma, noting that the age of first diagnosis did not change.
The only early warning sign of glaucoma is a loss of peripheral vision, but most people fail to notice this change. Regular eye exams are the best way to diagnose the condition, Sit said.
Mother Seeks Medical Marijuana for 3-Year-Old Twins
A Maryland mother is working with state lawmakers to clear the way to give her 3-year-old twin boys medical marijuana to help ease their severe seizures, Fox News reports.
Nicolas and Byron Deliyannis were born with a rare disorder called Miller-Dieker syndrome that causes almost daily seizures. Their mother, Shannon Moore, says nothing doctors has helped them.
"The medicines that they're on, in addition to having really negative side effects, have really stopped working for them," she says. https://plus.google.com/104211263857537740470/posts
Special: Chocolate's 700 Year History of Healing
Moore wants to give her kids medical marijuana to help calm their seizures, after learning about the therapy from a news report. But marijuana isn't legal in Maryland.
"Medical marijuana is helping to save lives of children with catastrophic epilepsy in other states where it's legal, and I want it to be legal here," Moore says.
Last year, the state legislature passed a bill making medical marijuana available through academic medical centers, but none has stepped forward to do so.
Now, Moore is working with local and state lawmakers, including Frederick County Delegate Patrick Hogan, to expand on that law. A bill is being introduced next week to make medical marijuana legal in Maryland.
"We took a step as a state last year to move forward with medical marijuana, and I feel like if we're going to do that, then we should make it available to those who can benefit from that," says Hogan.
Nicolas and Byron Deliyannis were born with a rare disorder called Miller-Dieker syndrome that causes almost daily seizures. Their mother, Shannon Moore, says nothing doctors has helped them.
"The medicines that they're on, in addition to having really negative side effects, have really stopped working for them," she says. https://plus.google.com/104211263857537740470/posts
Special: Chocolate's 700 Year History of Healing
Moore wants to give her kids medical marijuana to help calm their seizures, after learning about the therapy from a news report. But marijuana isn't legal in Maryland.
"Medical marijuana is helping to save lives of children with catastrophic epilepsy in other states where it's legal, and I want it to be legal here," Moore says.
Last year, the state legislature passed a bill making medical marijuana available through academic medical centers, but none has stepped forward to do so.
Now, Moore is working with local and state lawmakers, including Frederick County Delegate Patrick Hogan, to expand on that law. A bill is being introduced next week to make medical marijuana legal in Maryland.
"We took a step as a state last year to move forward with medical marijuana, and I feel like if we're going to do that, then we should make it available to those who can benefit from that," says Hogan.
Pill 'Melts Away' Leukemia, Scientists Report
A pill taken twice a day could turn a common and deadly form of leukemia into a manageable disease that is treated as easily as high blood pressure, a new international suggests.
In research published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, scientists led by Weill Cornell Medical College determined the drug idelalisib can "melt away" chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), allowing patients to avoid having to take debilitating chemotherapy.
Editor's Note: Knowing these 5 cancer-causing signs is crucial to remaining cancer-free for life https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106965269134143776146/106965269134143776146/posts
CLL is the most common form of the blood cancer, striking 16,000 Americans each year and killing 5,000 annually. Current treatment involves chemotherapy, but it is highly toxic and carries significant side effects.
"The treatment today for CLL can be worse than the disease, leading to a great deal of side effects and death. This study, and others we have conducted on idelalisib, demonstrates that we may no longer need to use chemotherapy in CLL," said lead investigator Richard R. Furman, M.D., a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and an oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "Even if this cancer remains incurable, it now can be treated as if it was a chronic disease with a pill, in the same way that high blood pressure is treated."
For the study, researchers from 19 medical centers in five countries tested a combination of two targeted drugs — comparing rituximab and idelalisib against rituximab and a placebo pill in 220 patients.
They found that those who received the combination of idelalsib and rituximab fared better than those who received only rituximab. Six months into the study, cancers in 93 percent of participants in the combination therapy group had not worsened, compared to 46 percent of those in the rituximab plus placebo group.
What's more, just 13 percent of patients treated with rituximab alone responded to the therapy, compared to 81 percent of the participants in the idelalisib treatment group. A higher percentage of patients who received both drugs – some 92 percent – were still alive a year after the study began, compared to 80 percent of those who only received rituximab.
"We saw incredible responses in patients who used idelalisib. Their cancer quickly melted away," said Dr. Furman. "These types of responses were even seen in patients who didn't respond to chemotherapy."
In research published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, scientists led by Weill Cornell Medical College determined the drug idelalisib can "melt away" chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), allowing patients to avoid having to take debilitating chemotherapy.
Editor's Note: Knowing these 5 cancer-causing signs is crucial to remaining cancer-free for life https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106965269134143776146/106965269134143776146/posts
CLL is the most common form of the blood cancer, striking 16,000 Americans each year and killing 5,000 annually. Current treatment involves chemotherapy, but it is highly toxic and carries significant side effects.
"The treatment today for CLL can be worse than the disease, leading to a great deal of side effects and death. This study, and others we have conducted on idelalisib, demonstrates that we may no longer need to use chemotherapy in CLL," said lead investigator Richard R. Furman, M.D., a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and an oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "Even if this cancer remains incurable, it now can be treated as if it was a chronic disease with a pill, in the same way that high blood pressure is treated."
For the study, researchers from 19 medical centers in five countries tested a combination of two targeted drugs — comparing rituximab and idelalisib against rituximab and a placebo pill in 220 patients.
They found that those who received the combination of idelalsib and rituximab fared better than those who received only rituximab. Six months into the study, cancers in 93 percent of participants in the combination therapy group had not worsened, compared to 46 percent of those in the rituximab plus placebo group.
What's more, just 13 percent of patients treated with rituximab alone responded to the therapy, compared to 81 percent of the participants in the idelalisib treatment group. A higher percentage of patients who received both drugs – some 92 percent – were still alive a year after the study began, compared to 80 percent of those who only received rituximab.
"We saw incredible responses in patients who used idelalisib. Their cancer quickly melted away," said Dr. Furman. "These types of responses were even seen in patients who didn't respond to chemotherapy."
Can You Get Diabetes From Your Spouse?
Diabetes is not contagious, but sharing a household with someone who has the metabolic disorder can greatly increase the risk of developing the condition, a new study shows.
Researchers from the McGill University Health Centre who analyzed several studies determined that spousal diabetes is a risk factor. The findings, published in the British Medical Journal BMC Medicine, may help improve diabetes detection and motivate couples to work together to reduce the risk of developing the condition.
Latest: Odd Discovery Helps Doctor Lose 40 Pounds at Age 54 https://plus.google.com/b/109940977223208492773/109940977223208492773/posts
"We found a 26 percent increase in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes if your spouse also has Type 2 diabetes," said Kaberi Dasgupta, M.D., with the Research Institute of the MUHC and an associate professor of medicine at McGill University. "This may be a platform to assist clinicians to develop strategies to involve both partners. Changing health behavior is challenging and if you have the collaboration of your partner it's likely to be easier."
Dr. Dasgupta's said the team undertook the analysis to determine if diabetes in one partner could lead to diabetes in the other, noting many of the risk behaviors that lead to diabetes — such as poor eating habits and low physical activity — could be common in a household.
The researchers' conclusions were based on an analysis of six studies conducted in different parts of the world that examined diabetes diagnoses involving 75,498 couples.
"The results of our review suggest that diabetes diagnosis in one spouse may warrant increased surveillance in the other," Dr. Dasgupta said, noting doctors typically track family history of diabetes in patients, but not spousal diabetes.
"Moreover, it has been observed that men are less likely than women to undergo regular medical evaluation after childhood and that can result in delayed diabetes detection. As a result, men living with a spouse with diabetes history may particularly benefit from being followed more closely."
Diabetics Face Greater Flu Danger: Study
Adults with diabetes are vulnerable to flu and its complications, experts say. Now a large new study finds they're also at higher risk of being hospitalized for flu.
The study, which focused on people aged 18 to 64, provides support for guidelines advising people with diabetes to get a flu shot, the Canadian researchers said.
"Working-age adults with diabetes appear to have an increased risk of being hospitalized associated with influenza compared to similar-aged adults without diabetes," said lead researcher Jeffrey Johnson.
"This increased risk is small (6 percent), but nonetheless is justification for targeting adults with diabetes to get vaccinated," said Johnson, director of the Alliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes at the University of Alberta. https://plus.google.com/b/107702847333617161236/107702847333617161236/posts
The American Diabetes Association, the Canadian Diabetes Association and government agencies in both countries recommend flu shots for people with diabetes, Johnson said.
To look at the effect of flu shots, Johnson and his colleagues used data on more than 160,000 men and women in Manitoba province from 2000 to 2008. Their average age was about 51.
People with diabetes tended to have more health problems than people without diabetes, the researchers found.
People with diabetes were more likely to get flu shots than people without the disease, the study showed. Even so, people with diabetes had 6 percent greater odds of being hospitalized for flu than those without diabetes.
For Johnson, one important question remains unanswered: Just how effective is the vaccine in preventing people with diabetes from getting the flu?
"That piece of evidence is still not clear, and was not part of this study," he said. "The current evidence of this is very weak [and has] many limitations, so we actually don't know how well these vaccinations work."
Nonetheless, there is relatively little harm in getting vaccinated, Johnson said. These findings provide support for the current guidelines and for getting an annual influenza vaccination, especially for adults living with diabetes, he said.
The report was published Jan. 24 in the journal Diabetologia.
Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said people with diabetes have weakened immune systems. "Diabetics are not as strong in defending themselves against disease, and that's why they need to get the flu vaccine," he said.
Flu shots are recommended for the general public as well, another expert said.
The recommendation in the United States is that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
This is especially important for people at risk for complications from flu, including people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart or lung disease, and pregnant women, he said.
These complications include pneumonia, hospitalization, and dying of the disease or its complications, Schaffner said.
"This study reaffirms what we should be doing and are not doing optimally yet," Schaffner said. "We are not vaccinating the majority of people with diabetes."
Based on their findings, Johnson's team calculated that even if only 20 percent of people with diabetes were vaccinated, it would still be cost-effective in terms of fewer hospitalizations for flu. They cautioned, however, that this cost benefit might only apply in Canada and may differ in other areas.
Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said, "Not only should a person with diabetes get a flu shot, but people who live with that person should also be vaccinated."
"This prevents the possibility of infecting that individual, and surrounds a vulnerable person with additional protection," he said.
The study, which focused on people aged 18 to 64, provides support for guidelines advising people with diabetes to get a flu shot, the Canadian researchers said.
"Working-age adults with diabetes appear to have an increased risk of being hospitalized associated with influenza compared to similar-aged adults without diabetes," said lead researcher Jeffrey Johnson.
"This increased risk is small (6 percent), but nonetheless is justification for targeting adults with diabetes to get vaccinated," said Johnson, director of the Alliance for Canadian Health Outcomes Research in Diabetes at the University of Alberta. https://plus.google.com/b/107702847333617161236/107702847333617161236/posts
The American Diabetes Association, the Canadian Diabetes Association and government agencies in both countries recommend flu shots for people with diabetes, Johnson said.
To look at the effect of flu shots, Johnson and his colleagues used data on more than 160,000 men and women in Manitoba province from 2000 to 2008. Their average age was about 51.
People with diabetes tended to have more health problems than people without diabetes, the researchers found.
People with diabetes were more likely to get flu shots than people without the disease, the study showed. Even so, people with diabetes had 6 percent greater odds of being hospitalized for flu than those without diabetes.
For Johnson, one important question remains unanswered: Just how effective is the vaccine in preventing people with diabetes from getting the flu?
"That piece of evidence is still not clear, and was not part of this study," he said. "The current evidence of this is very weak [and has] many limitations, so we actually don't know how well these vaccinations work."
Nonetheless, there is relatively little harm in getting vaccinated, Johnson said. These findings provide support for the current guidelines and for getting an annual influenza vaccination, especially for adults living with diabetes, he said.
The report was published Jan. 24 in the journal Diabetologia.
Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said people with diabetes have weakened immune systems. "Diabetics are not as strong in defending themselves against disease, and that's why they need to get the flu vaccine," he said.
Flu shots are recommended for the general public as well, another expert said.
The recommendation in the United States is that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
This is especially important for people at risk for complications from flu, including people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart or lung disease, and pregnant women, he said.
These complications include pneumonia, hospitalization, and dying of the disease or its complications, Schaffner said.
"This study reaffirms what we should be doing and are not doing optimally yet," Schaffner said. "We are not vaccinating the majority of people with diabetes."
Based on their findings, Johnson's team calculated that even if only 20 percent of people with diabetes were vaccinated, it would still be cost-effective in terms of fewer hospitalizations for flu. They cautioned, however, that this cost benefit might only apply in Canada and may differ in other areas.
Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said, "Not only should a person with diabetes get a flu shot, but people who live with that person should also be vaccinated."
"This prevents the possibility of infecting that individual, and surrounds a vulnerable person with additional protection," he said.
Study Volunteers Paid $3,000 to Get Flu
Forget being sneezed on: Government scientists are deliberately giving dozens of volunteers the flu by squirting the live virus straight up their noses.
It may sound bizarre, but the rare type of research aims to show how the body fights off influenza. Scientists hope to use the research to improve flu vaccines. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
Editor's note: 3 Signs You’re Close to a Heart Attack
Only healthy adults need apply. Doctors at the National Institutes of Health spray millions of microscopic particles of flu virus up each nostril. The dose is intended to cause mild to moderate symptoms.
Then the volunteers spend nine days quarantined inside a special isolation ward at the NIH hospital so they don't spread the germs and can be closely monitored.
The incentive is about $3,000 to compensate for their time.
It may sound bizarre, but the rare type of research aims to show how the body fights off influenza. Scientists hope to use the research to improve flu vaccines. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
Editor's note: 3 Signs You’re Close to a Heart Attack
Only healthy adults need apply. Doctors at the National Institutes of Health spray millions of microscopic particles of flu virus up each nostril. The dose is intended to cause mild to moderate symptoms.
Then the volunteers spend nine days quarantined inside a special isolation ward at the NIH hospital so they don't spread the germs and can be closely monitored.
The incentive is about $3,000 to compensate for their time.
Cheesecake with lemon cream
MATERIALS BASE:
- 250 g. Papadopoulos Digestive biscuits
- 120 g. LURPAK butter For the filling: - 240 g. caster sugar - 40g. Flour MILLS AG.GEORGIOU - 800 gr.tyri Buko cream - four whole eggs GOLDEN EGGS - 2 egg yolks GOLDEN EGGS - 55 g. cream 36% fat ARLA LEMON CREAM INGREDIENTS: - 170 g. sugar - 10 g. Flour MILLS AG.GEORGIOU - GOLDEN EGGS 3 eggs - 250 g. fresh lemon juice - 250 g. butter LURPAK
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE BASE:
Grind cookies in blender to a powder and mix with the butter have melted in the microwave. Spread this mixture into a hoop diameter 24 cm and height 5 cm by pushing it with our hand. https://plus.google.com/b/114637313191042642470/114637313191042642470/posts
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE FILLING:
In a bowl or mixer, beat cheese with sugar and flour. Once softened, add one to one of the eggs and cream and continue beating until they form a well-homogenized cream. Pour this mixture over the biscuits and bake at 180 ยบ C for 40-50 minutes until they get golden color. Allow to cool.
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE LEMON CREAM
In a saucepan add the lemon juice drained and then placed in the fire. In a bowl mix the sugar, flour and eggs. The pour in saucepan and stir constantly over high heat until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow the temperature to drop to 50-60oC. Add the butter cut into small pieces. Homogenized with a hand blender, let cool and cover with the lemon cream on the surface of the cheesecake.
- 250 g. Papadopoulos Digestive biscuits
- 120 g. LURPAK butter For the filling: - 240 g. caster sugar - 40g. Flour MILLS AG.GEORGIOU - 800 gr.tyri Buko cream - four whole eggs GOLDEN EGGS - 2 egg yolks GOLDEN EGGS - 55 g. cream 36% fat ARLA LEMON CREAM INGREDIENTS: - 170 g. sugar - 10 g. Flour MILLS AG.GEORGIOU - GOLDEN EGGS 3 eggs - 250 g. fresh lemon juice - 250 g. butter LURPAK
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE BASE:
Grind cookies in blender to a powder and mix with the butter have melted in the microwave. Spread this mixture into a hoop diameter 24 cm and height 5 cm by pushing it with our hand. https://plus.google.com/b/114637313191042642470/114637313191042642470/posts
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE FILLING:
In a bowl or mixer, beat cheese with sugar and flour. Once softened, add one to one of the eggs and cream and continue beating until they form a well-homogenized cream. Pour this mixture over the biscuits and bake at 180 ยบ C for 40-50 minutes until they get golden color. Allow to cool.
IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE LEMON CREAM
In a saucepan add the lemon juice drained and then placed in the fire. In a bowl mix the sugar, flour and eggs. The pour in saucepan and stir constantly over high heat until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow the temperature to drop to 50-60oC. Add the butter cut into small pieces. Homogenized with a hand blender, let cool and cover with the lemon cream on the surface of the cheesecake.
Branch in Athens, Plaka tidbits!
The name is "Flower flavors" and the kitchen is the George Gerardos. The menu has a modern style and is also offered brunch, and not just on weekends. https://plus.google.com/b/114637313191042642470/114637313191042642470/posts
Main dishes you will not find, because logic is a variety of appetizers: fried meatballs, squash, pies, pork fried with mushrooms, spicy pastourmadopita, smoky eggplant salad, all made with care and responsibility.
Main dishes you will not find, because logic is a variety of appetizers: fried meatballs, squash, pies, pork fried with mushrooms, spicy pastourmadopita, smoky eggplant salad, all made with care and responsibility.
Shockingly Giaourtlou kebabs with perfect sauce ezme
1kg lamb mince last once the machine or mixed minced lamb and calf
2 cooked peppers (commercial or homemade)
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons full of sweet paprika
1 Tbsp Cement (mixture of spices) salt freshly ground pepper
pies for barbecue
yoghurt
For the sauce ezme
olive oil
garlic
tomatoes
green pepper
onion
parsley
paprika salt pepper
Execution
Minced meat must have enough fat. That's why we prefer lamb has plenty. Put the mince in the mixer (you knead with the hook kneading). Peel the peppers and remove seeds, finely chop and add. Add the yogurt, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper cements. https://plus.google.com/b/102034633390759433578/102034633390759433578/posts
Knead some time until the mince changes color and becomes white. Minced meat is ready when holding it with fingers started sticking (about 10 kneading). Cover the meat and leave in the refrigerator to freeze to molding.
We take flat skewers for kebabs and "dress" with the mixture. Cook on grill for 7-8 on each side. Arrange the kebabs on the cake, put it over the sauce and yogurt and serve.
2 cooked peppers (commercial or homemade)
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons full of sweet paprika
1 Tbsp Cement (mixture of spices) salt freshly ground pepper
pies for barbecue
yoghurt
For the sauce ezme
olive oil
garlic
tomatoes
green pepper
onion
parsley
paprika salt pepper
Execution
Minced meat must have enough fat. That's why we prefer lamb has plenty. Put the mince in the mixer (you knead with the hook kneading). Peel the peppers and remove seeds, finely chop and add. Add the yogurt, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper cements. https://plus.google.com/b/102034633390759433578/102034633390759433578/posts
Knead some time until the mince changes color and becomes white. Minced meat is ready when holding it with fingers started sticking (about 10 kneading). Cover the meat and leave in the refrigerator to freeze to molding.
We take flat skewers for kebabs and "dress" with the mixture. Cook on grill for 7-8 on each side. Arrange the kebabs on the cake, put it over the sauce and yogurt and serve.
Trends: A gourmet santouitsadiko in the heart of Athens
The place: The road Pericles, ie the extension of Karagiorgi Serbia, right descending, then the street Leka, tucked away in a corner, 20 meters before the parking lot.
The atmosphere: The definition of cosiness. The owner Nikos Voglis and his wife Helen Kardampiki greet the world with a casual and warm smile, the conversation starts easily and can be embraced with comfort and kindness many issues. Customers are mainly employees of downtown businesses, so come by waves with clear objectives and flavoring pareistiki mood, which helps to create enthusiasm in the moment.
The food: It is rather unusual to talk about gourmet santouitsadiko but his obsession with Nick quality raw material and experience in the management of restaurants in America and the fast-food chain Burger King in Europe make a difference. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
What does this mean in practice? principle that most materials are handmade. This applies both to the elaborate salad with BBQ chicken and tomato, and sauce for blue cheese, sauce vinaigrette, the salad cream, sauce 1000 islands naturally Trends sauce and mix it with extra virgin olive oil, mustard and herbs that adds some sandwiches. Also, the chicken, as if the taste is fillet cooked by themselves, the tuna salad their own manufacturing, croutons itself, while still bake baguettes and to always have fresh bread.
The good thing about these meals is that any combination and try to stay with nice flavors on the palate with a light stomach, as Nick avoids fats (uses only extra virgin olive oil, never butter), and instead of salt, sprinkling the dishes with "snow" grated parmesan. Also knows how to bake bread to remain crispy without losing moisture.
The bill: The small sandwich from 1,55 € (the vegetarian) to 3,80 € (one with salmon) but most range
The atmosphere: The definition of cosiness. The owner Nikos Voglis and his wife Helen Kardampiki greet the world with a casual and warm smile, the conversation starts easily and can be embraced with comfort and kindness many issues. Customers are mainly employees of downtown businesses, so come by waves with clear objectives and flavoring pareistiki mood, which helps to create enthusiasm in the moment.
The food: It is rather unusual to talk about gourmet santouitsadiko but his obsession with Nick quality raw material and experience in the management of restaurants in America and the fast-food chain Burger King in Europe make a difference. https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
What does this mean in practice? principle that most materials are handmade. This applies both to the elaborate salad with BBQ chicken and tomato, and sauce for blue cheese, sauce vinaigrette, the salad cream, sauce 1000 islands naturally Trends sauce and mix it with extra virgin olive oil, mustard and herbs that adds some sandwiches. Also, the chicken, as if the taste is fillet cooked by themselves, the tuna salad their own manufacturing, croutons itself, while still bake baguettes and to always have fresh bread.
The good thing about these meals is that any combination and try to stay with nice flavors on the palate with a light stomach, as Nick avoids fats (uses only extra virgin olive oil, never butter), and instead of salt, sprinkling the dishes with "snow" grated parmesan. Also knows how to bake bread to remain crispy without losing moisture.
The bill: The small sandwich from 1,55 € (the vegetarian) to 3,80 € (one with salmon) but most range
Sweet and sour chicken with basmati rice
1 onion
2 colored peppers
10 small corn
1 carrot
Pineapple 1 package (400 g.)
400 gr. tomatoes koskase
1 ½ cups. sugar
1 ½ cups. white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 Tbsp cornflour
3 chicken breast fillets
½ cup. flour
½ cup. cornflour
1 tsp beikink powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 cup. cold water basmati rice for serving
Heat the oil and brown the onion coarsely. Add the peppers, cut into bite size, and all vegetables. Drain the pineapple and cut into bite-sized pieces. He added along with the tomatoes. Add the sugar, vinegar, soy and ginger. Simmer for 25 minutes.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102913432323563044867/102913432323563044867/posts
Dissolve the cornstarch in pineapple juice. Add them to boil for Gherkins and 2'-3 'to thicken slightly. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir with whisk all the ingredients for the batter is smooth. (If you put it 30 'in the fridge is ideal).
Dip the chicken, drain and fry in oil 4'-5 'on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately with basmati rice and sweet and sour.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)