Potential Herpes Vaccine Disappoints Researchers

(Extraído de MedLinePlus.gov)

Only partially effective against one type of virus, ineffective against second type, study found

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A potential vaccine for genital herpes has shown only limited effectiveness in thwarting one type of the sexually transmitted virus and no ability to stop a second type from spreading, a new study shows.

A group of American and Canadian researchers conducted a randomized trial on more than 8,300 women aged 18 to 30 who tested negative for both forms of the herpes simplex virus, known as HSV-1 and HSV-2. Half of the women were given the experimental vaccine while the other half were given the hepatitis A vaccine.

The experimental vaccine was 58 percent effective at preventing genital disease stemming from HSV-1, but completely ineffective against HSV-2.

"We were disappointed it did not meet the primary [goal], which was protection against all types of genital herpes," said study author Dr. Robert B. Belshe, a professor of medicine, pediatrics and molecular microbiology at Saint Louis University. "Herpes is a complex organism and has ways of escaping the immune system, so we have to figure out a way of overcoming those mechanisms."

The study is published Jan. 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Genital herpes affects about 16 percent of Americans aged 14 to 49, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both types of the virus are released from their resulting sores but can also be transmitted between outbreaks, and the infection is potentially fatal in newborns who acquire it from their mothers during birth.

Fifty clinical sites in both the United States and Canada followed the women -- who reported their own sexual risk behaviors -- between 2003 and 2007. A heightened risk for HSV-1 infection was associated with six or more lifetime sexual partners and more than one partner in the previous 12 months, while those who were 23 or older were less likely to contract HSV-1 than those between 18 and 22.

Factors not associated with an increased likelihood of HSV-1 included race, condom use, oral sex, a history of any sexually transmitted infection or ever having a partner with herpes. Men weren't tested in this study, though prior research showed investigational herpes vaccines to be ineffective in men and HSV-1 positive women.

"I was very disappointed there wasn't more of a benefit," said Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an attending physician in infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., who wasn't involved in the study. "I think we're asking that a vaccine provide better immunity than an actual infection provides. I'm concerned if we'll ever find a vaccine effective for HSV-2."

"I think what we tell patients is ... there are antiviral medications that can make a difference and can give people comfort, and the availability of treatment is encouraging," he added.

While other potential vaccines are in the pipeline, Belshe said, the one that works probably needs to be "more complex" than the one recently studied, which contained a single surface protein of the herpes virus. The chicken pox vaccine, which has been widely used in the past decade, is a good example of a herpes-related virus that has been brought under control, he said.

"Something like that is what we need to come up with for HSV," he said. "I think this is a very important study, and the result is an incredibly important step in figuring out what will work."

SOURCES: Robert B. Belshe, M.D., professor, medicine, pediatrics and molecular microbiology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis; Bruce Hirsch, M.D., attending physician, infectious diseases, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y.; Jan. 5, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine

Complementary and alternative medical therapies for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

(Extraído de PubMed.gov)

Altern Med Rev. 2011 Dec;16(4):323-37.

Pellow J, Solomon EM, Barnard CN.

Source

Registered Homoeopath, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Department of Homeopathy, Johannesburg, South Africa E-mail: jpellow@uj.ac.za.

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed childhood disorder characterized by impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. ADHD affects up to 1 in 20 children in the United States. The underlying etiologies of ADHD may be heterogeneous and diverse, and many possible risk factors in the development of ADHD have been identified. Conventional treatment usually consists of behavioral accommodations and medication, with stimulant medication most commonly being prescribed. Parents concerned about the side effects and long-term use of conventional medications are increasingly seeking alternatives to pharmacologic treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers parents various treatment options for this condition, including dietary modifications, nutritional supplementation, herbal medicine, and homeopathy. CAM appears to be most effective when prescribed holistically and according to each individual's characteristic symptoms. Possible etiologies and risk factors for the condition also need to be considered when developing a treatment plan. This article serves to highlight the latest research regarding the most commonly used CAM for children with ADHD.

Dried licorice root fights the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease

(Extraído de medicalexpress.com)

Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice — used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine — that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

 

 

 

 

 

Stefan Gafner and colleagues explain that the dried root of the licorice plant is a common treatment in Chinese traditional medicine, especially as a way to enhance the activity of other herbal ingredients or as a flavoring. Despite the popularity of licorice candy in the U.S., licorice root has been replaced in domestic candy with anise oil, which has a similar flavor. Traditional medical practitioners use dried licorice root to treat various ailments, such as respiratory and digestive problems, but few modern scientific studies address whether licorice really works. (Consumers should check with their health care provider before taking licorice root because it can have undesirable effects and interactions with prescription drugs.) To test whether the sweet root could combat the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities, the researchers took a closer look at various substances in licorice.

They found that two of the licorice compounds, licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, were the most effective antibacterial substances. These substances killed two of the major bacteria responsible for dental cavities and two of the bacteria that promote gum disease. One of the compounds — licoricidin — also killed a third gum disease bacterium. The researchers say that these substances could treat or even prevent oral infections.

More information: Isoflavonoids and Coumarins from Glycyrrhiza uralensis: Antibacterial Activity against Oral Pathogens and Conversion of Isoflavans into Isoflavan-Quinones during Purification, J. Nat. Prod., 2011, 74 (12), pp 2514–2519. DOI: 10.1021/np2004775

Abstract
Phytochemical investigation of a supercritical fluid extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis has led to the isolation of 20 known isoflavonoids and coumarins, and glycycarpan (7), a new pterocarpan. The presence of two isoflavan-quinones, licoriquinone A (8) and licoriquinone B (9), in a fraction subjected to gel filtration on Sephadex LH-20 is due to suspected metal-catalyzed oxidative degradation of licoricidin (1) and licorisoflavan A (2). The major compounds in the extract, as well as 8, were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of several major oral pathogens. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the most potent antibacterial activities, causing a marked growth inhibition of the cariogenic species Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus at 10 μg/mL and the periodontopathogenic species Porphyromonas gingivalis (at 5 μg/mL) and Prevotella intermedia (at 5 μg/mL for 1 and 2.5 μg/mL for 2). Only 1 moderately inhibited growth of Fusobacterium nucleatum at the highest concentration tested (10 μg/mL).

Provided by American Chemical Society

Calories, not protein, matter most for fat gain

(Extraído de news.yahoo.com)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When it comes to packing on body fat, how many calories you eat seems to count more than where those calories come from -- lots of protein, or very little.

Researchers found that people who ate high-calorie diets all gained about the same amount of fat. Those whose diets were low in protein gained less weight overall than people on high- and moderate-protein diets, but that's because the low-protein group also lost muscle.

"Huge swings in protein intake do not result in huge swings in body fat gain," said Dr. James Levine, who studies obesity at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota but wasn't involved in the new study.

"It really is the calories that count."

Previous research has suggested that when people over-eat, the amount of weight they gain varies from person to person. Whether the make-up of individuals' diets might be affecting how their body stores the extra calories has remained unclear, though.

For the current study, researchers led by Dr. George Bray from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, recruited 25 young, healthy volunteers to live in their lab and eat a prescribed diet for two to three months.

During the first couple of weeks, the researchers tinkered with participants' diets to determine exactly how many calories they needed to maintain their body weight.

Then, for eight weeks, they piled on about 1,000 extra calories to those daily diets. One-third of the participants were fed a standard diet with 15 percent of their calories coming from protein, while the others ate low- or high-protein diets with either five or 25 percent of calories from protein.

That worked out to volunteers eating an average of 47, 139 or 228 grams of protein per day.

Those diets made everyone gain weight, but not equally. The low-protein diet group put on about seven pounds per person, compared to 13 or 14 pounds in the normal- and high-protein groups.

But people in the low-protein group stored more than 90 percent of their extra calories as fat and lost body protein (muscle mass), while other participants gained both fat and healthier lean muscle, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. So the groups all gained a similar amount of total excess fat.

Donald Layman, a food science researcher at the University of Illinois in Urbana, said it's difficult to see how the findings apply to a general population that isn't being overfed such a protein-deficient diet, in the case of the low-protein group.

"It's an interesting scientific study, but from an obesity standpoint, I don't think it tells us anything," he told Reuters Health.

But Levine said there are a couple of messages that people outside of a strict scientific study can take away from the findings -- especially that weight gain or loss might not be the best way to track how healthy a person's diet is.

Bray agreed.

"The scale that you step on isn't necessarily a good guide to the kind of weight you're gaining," he told Reuters Health.

"People who had the low protein gained about half as much weight as those that had normal or high protein, but the weight was different in one major component: they lost body protein, which is not healthy," Bray said. "The scale can fool you into thinking that you're winning when you aren't."

Regardless of that number, he concluded, "If you over-eat extra calories, no matter what the composition of the diet is, you'll put down more fat."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/hwxtTL Journal of the American Medical Association, online January 3, 2012.

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Soy may not protect against stomach cancer

(Extraído de news.yahoo.com)

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Estrogen-like compounds that come with a soy-rich diet are sometimes linked to a reduced risk of cancer, but new research from Japan suggests that protection doesn't extend to stomach cancer.

In a study that tried to tease apart the effects of isoflavones -- also known as phytoestrogens -- found in soy, and other nutrients, like salt, Japanese researchers found no difference in gastric cancer risk between people who consumed a lot of isoflavones and those who consumed the least.

Azusa Hara and her colleagues from the National Cancer Center in Tokyo examined data on about 85,000 people in an existing Japanese study.

The researchers estimated how much isoflavone the study's participants ate from a list of questions they had answered in the 1990s, then followed the subjects until the end of 2006 to see how many developed stomach cancer.

During the follow-up period, approximately 1,250 of the study's participants got stomach cancer, but the researchers saw no difference in risk between those who ate the most isoflavone and those who ate the least.

According to Dr. Richard Peek, director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, estrogen is thought to protect against stomach cancer because the disease is much more common in men, at least until women are post-menopausal -- hinting that younger women's higher estrogen levels might be protecting them.

Peek told Reuters Health there are also studies on mice that suggest estrogen protects against stomach cancer.

The Japanese team, however, found an increase in stomach cancer risk among women taking hormone therapy who ate the most isoflavone-laden food, compared to those who ate the least.

The women in the study on hormone therapy were more likely to smoke, drink and have a family history of stomach cancer, the researchers note, which could explain the link.

Hara and her colleagues wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that their results are limited by the use of their questionnaire and the fact that they could not account for whether the subjects were also infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is also linked to increased stomach cancer risk.

Still another well-known risk factor for gastric cancers is high salt intake.

According to the American Cancer Society, a person in the United States has a one in 114 chance of developing stomach cancer. An estimated 21,500 Americans were diagnosed with it in 2011 and an estimated 10,500 died from it.

Stomach cancers were once the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. until 1930.

"One of the reasons for decline is that people have fridges now, and they use less salt preservatives," said Khaldoun Almhanna, a medical oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/AuxWcS American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online December 20, 2011.

Tender la mano a los demás podría ayudar a las personas deprimidas

(Extraído de healthfinder.gov)

Los actos de generosidad sin motivos ulteriores se pueden convertir en un estado de ánimo más positivo en general, aseguran expertos

Por Dennis Thompson
Reportera de Healthday

LUNES, 2 de diciembre (HealthDay News) -- Hacer algo bueno por alguien con frecuencia hace que las personas se sientan bien consigo mismas, y que su lugar en el mundo es algo positivo.

Pero, ¿significa esto que se ha probado científicamente que los actos de generosidad al azar tienen un valor terapéutico en el tratamiento de los trastornos del estado de ánimo, como la depresión?

La respuesta es que sí, según un creciente cuerpo de investigación que ha encontrado que las "intervenciones de actividad positiva", como ayudar a alguien a llevar las bolsas de la compra, escribir una nota de agradecimiento, o incluso recordarse de motivos para sentirse afortunado, pueden servir como un tratamiento eficaz y de bajo costo para la depresión.

"Parece algo realmente trivial. Parece no ser gran cosa, eso de sentirse bien por unos diez minutos", comentó Sonja Lyubomirsky, profesora de psicología de la Universidad de California en Riverside, coautora de un artículo reciente sobre el tema. "Pero para una persona deprimida, no es trivial en lo absoluto. Los individuos deprimidos tienen que aumentar las emociones positivas en sus vidas, incluso aunque sea un minuto aquí y otro allá".

Tras una revisión rigurosa de investigaciones previas sobre los beneficios terapéuticos de las emociones positivas, Lyubomirsky dijo que ella y sus colegas hallaron una confirmación generalizada de la idea de que las personas con una tendencia a la depresión pueden ayudarse a sí mismas al ayudar a los demás, o al introducir la positividad en sus vidas cotidianas de otra forma.

Un camino tan sencillo y barato al bienestar podría tener importantes implicaciones, dado que más de cien millones de personas de todo el mundo sufren de depresión, según el estudio de Lyubomirsky. Esto incluye a más de 16 millones de adultos de EE. UU. De los casos reportados, alrededor de 70 por ciento no reciben suficiente tratamiento o no lo reciben en lo absoluto.

Las intervenciones de actividad positiva pueden darse de una variedad de formas, que incluyen:

• Ser amable con los demás
• Expresar gratitud
• Pensar de forma optimista
• Meditar sobre las cosas buenas de la vida

"El aspecto importante es la emoción positiva", señaló Lyubomirsky. "La característica más importante de la depresión es la ausencia de emociones positivas, o sea sentir nada, un vacío".

Ser positivo no solo puede mejorar el estado de ánimo, sino que puede convertirse en una "espiral ascendente" autosostenible, afirmó.

"Quizás para los demás sea más fácil acercársele, o se convierta en una persona más creativa e imaginativa", dijo Lyubomirsky. "Se acumula, y es más probable que experimente aún más emociones positivas". Por ejemplo, quizás sea más probable que su jefe le felicite si usted está contento en el trabajo, y que su esposo o esposa sea más amable tras un acto de generosidad de su parte.

La Dra. Michelle Riba, ex presidenta de la Asociación Americana de Psiquiatría (American Psychiatric Association), profesora de psiquiatría y directora asociada del Centro de la Depresión de la Universidad de Michigan, concurrió en que la positividad puede tener un efecto dramático sobre el bienestar de las personas.

"Muchas investigaciones sólidas muestran que estos tipos de acciones pueden tener un impacto positivo en la vida", aseguró Riba. "En general, las personas que ayudan a los demás dejan de enfocarse en su propio dolor y sus propios problemas y preocupaciones, y se sienten bien consigo mismas".

Y quizás lo mejor es que las personas pueden realizar estas acciones positivas sin ayuda de nadie.

"Es sencillo", señaló Lyubomirsky. "No hay que ir al médico. No es un sustituto, pero es una gran alternativa o adyuvante a la terapia o los fármacos".

Los investigadores siguen evaluando las mejores maneras de buscar e implementar las acciones y pensamientos positivos para ayudar a tratar la depresión, dijeron Lyubomirsky y Riba.

Por ahora, los que desean mejorar el estado de ánimo a través de la positividad deben descubrir qué funciona mejor para ellos a través del ensayo y el error. Esto podría incluir pensar mucho sobre las mejores formas en que pueden ayudar a los demás, y recordar las cosas buenas de sus propias vidas.

"Conlleva trabajo", afirmó Lyubomirsky. "Recordarse continuamente de actuar con generosidad hacia los demás requiere un esfuerzo, aunque creo que con el tiempo se hace más fácil".

Afirmó que también es importante variar las actividades, para no caer en la rutina.

"Hay que hacerlo de forma óptima", comentó Lyubomirsky. "Hay que tener variedad. No hacer lo mismo todos los días. Hacerlo de forma óptima para uno".

(FUENTES: Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., professor, psychology, University of California, Riverside, Calif.; Michelle Riba, M.D., professor, psychiatry, and associate director, Depression Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

The Mainstreaming of Vegan Diets

(Extraído de MedlinePlus.gov)

Once the purview of a small group of devotees, more people -- including nutritionists -- are embracing plant-based eating plans

TUESDAY, Dec. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Vegan diets are considered by some to be extreme, a strict way of eating that exists on the radical fringes of vegetarianism.

But today, a growing number of people are giving vegan diets a second look, and nutritionists now believe that a well-thought-out vegan eating plan could be the most healthy way to live for most people.

"Properly planned vegan diets are healthy, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of many diseases," said Vandana Sheth, a registered dietitian and nutrition educator in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Vegan diets are plant-based and exclude all animal products, even items like milk, cheese and eggs that are allowed in some forms of vegetarian diets.

Veganism drew added attention in 2011 from a pair of U.S. notables. Former President Bill Clinton -- long famous for McDonald's runs and barbeque lunches -- announced in August that he had converted to a vegan diet. And domestic doyenne Martha Stewart dedicated an hour-long episode of her TV show in March to the vegan lifestyle.

Research has found that people who follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle enjoy a number of health benefits, Sheth said. These include:

• Lower cholesterol levels.
• Lower blood pressure.
• A healthier body mass index.
• Decreased risk for heart disease.
• Decreased risk for cancer.
• Better control and prevention of diabetes.

"They don't have to worry about cholesterol because cholesterol is only found in animal products," Sheth said. "And as you would expect, vegan diets are much higher in fiber."

Sheth added that research has found vegan diets to be appropriate for people at all stages of the life cycle -- even people at crucial stages, such as growing children, pregnant or lactating women, and highly active athletes.

One of the long-standing criticisms of a vegan diet has been that people will miss out on many essential nutrients that are in rich supply in animal products. Nutritionists say that is no longer a serious concern, although people in a vegan lifestyle do need to pay careful attention to their supply of certain nutrients.

Interestingly, protein is not one of the nutrients that vegans need to worry about, even though plants are not the best sources because their proteins do not break down into the full range of amino acids that the human body requires for healthy functioning.

"It's true that most plant foods don't contain all the essential amino acids needed by our bodies, while animal proteins do," said Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "But a grain plus a bean makes a complete protein. As long as you're getting a variety of those, you are fine -- and they don't need to be consumed at the same time."

Sheth and Giancoli also noted that certain vegan "super foods" like soy products and quinoa have been found to contain proteins that break down all the essential amino acids.

"It is absolutely possible to get enough protein from beans, lentils, tofu, soy products and other plant sources like seeds and nuts," Sheth said. "As long as you're getting a varied amount throughout the day, your body can mix it up and get what it needs."

Nutrients that vegans do have to keep careful track of in their diets, according to Sheth and Giancoli, include vitamin B12, a key nutrient in cell metabolism, nerve function and blood production, and calcium, which is needed for healthy bones. Animal products are rich in vitamin B12, and dairy products contain loads of calcium.

However, vegans can get B12 and calcium from fortified cereals and fortified dairy substitutes such as soy or rice milk. "You need to be a smart consumer and read labels to make sure you're buying products that are fortified," Giancoli said. Dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli, collard greens or kale also are good sources of calcium.

Vegans also have to make sure they get enough iron, which is essential in the creation of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells and tissues throughout the body. Again, animal products are much more rich in iron, although plant foods such as dried beans, dark green leafy vegetables and fortified dairy substitutes are good sources.

"Keep in mind that our bodies are able to absorb more iron from food if the meal is also rich in vitamin C," Sheth said. "If you're having spinach, you might have tomatoes or a citrus dressing with it to increase absorption."

Omega-3 fatty acids probably represent the greatest nutritional challenge for vegans, the two nutritionists said. Thought to be critical for cognitive function and healthy cardiovascular function, omega-3s appear in large amounts only in fatty fish such as salmon -- a dietary no-no for vegans.

Some plant sources -- flaxseeds, soybeans, pumpkin seeds and walnuts, for example -- contain a type of omega-3 fatty acid, but it's not the same type found in fish and has not been proven to have the same level of health benefits, Giancoli said.

"There's some concern that vegans may be missing out," she said.

Finally, vegans need to keep in mind that it's just as easy for them to indulge in an unhealthy diet as it is for omnivores, Sheth said.

She recommends that her vegan clients follow the federal government's "My Plate" guidelines for eating, the same as everyone else should. "You're basically just replacing the protein source," Sheth said. "Otherwise, it's the same meal."

SOURCES: Vandana Sheth, R.D., C.D.E., Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Andrea Giancoli, R.D., M.P.H., Los Angeles