Gum disease linked to psoriasis: study

Nota del gestor: Y luego dicen que no existen los miasmas homeopáticos y que todo es una teoría sin sentido

(Extraído de Medlineplus)

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with chronic gum disease seem to be slightly more likely to develop the skin condition psoriasis, according to a new study.

Taiwanese researchers found that in a group of more than 230,000 people, those with gum disease were 54 percent more likely to get psoriasis over five years.

The study is among the first to investigate the link between the two conditions and doesn't necessarily mean gum disease can cause psoriasis.

"We don't know very much about what the risk factors are for chronic inflammatory diseases like psoriasis," said Dr. Joel Gelfand, a dermatologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who was not involved in the new research.

"This study points in a potentially new direction for a potential risk factor that - in theory - could be modified and thus lower the risk of psoriasis in the future," he told Reuters Health. "That being said, this finding needs to be confirmed by more-rigorous, more-controlled studies to determine if the findings are real."

Psoriasis is thought to be caused by a mistaken immune reaction directed at the body's own cells, leading to inflamed patches of red, scaly skin.

It's not the first time the condition has been linked to other health problems. Earlier this year, a study of people evaluated for heart disease found 84 percent of patients with psoriasis had coronary artery disease, compared to 75 percent of patients without the skin condition. (See Reuters Health article from January 10, 2012.)

Oral health has also been tied to other conditions, with two studies from this year finding links to heart disease and dementia. (See Reuters Health articles from April 19 and 21, 2012.)

But until now only one other study had looked at the link between psoriasis and chronic periodontitis, the advanced stage of the gum disease gingivitis.

For the new research, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, Dr. Joseph J. Keller from Taipei Medical University and his colleague turned to a database of Taiwan's national health system.

They identified 115,365 people with gum disease, and then selected the same number of people without the condition. The researchers then looked through the database to see how many people in each group developed gum disease over the next five years.

In the group with gum disease, 1,082 developed psoriasis, while 706 did in the comparison group. That works out to about 1.9 in 1,000 people versus 1.2 in 1,000, respectively.

According to the researchers, their findings may challenge some of what is known about psoriasis's underlying cause, but they caution their study has some limitations.

Specifically, they were not able to account for certain factors that could have played a role, such as cigarette smoking. And until the findings are confirmed, Gelfand said, people with gum disease should not be alarmed.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/PWyRZl British Journal of Dermatology, online September 27, 2012.

Cranberry components for the therapy of infectious disease.

(Extraído de PubMed.gov)

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2012 Apr;23(2):148-52. Epub 2011 Nov 14.

Shmuely H, Ofek I, Weiss EI, Rones Z, Houri-Haddad Y.

Source

Department of Internal Medicine C, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel.

Abstract

Summary of the in vitro data support a beneficial effect of cranberry or its proanthocyanin constituents by blocking adhesion to and biofilm formation on target tissues of pathogens. In vivo data partially support these beneficial effects. Consumption of various cranberry products benefited young and elderly females in preventing urinary tract infections, and in conjunction with antibiotic treatment in eradicating Helicobacter pylori infections in women. Mouthwash supplemented with an isolated cranberry derivative reduced significantly the caryogenic mutans streptococci. None of the mice infected intranasal with lethal dose of influenza virus and treated with cranberry fraction died after two weeks. Further studies should focus on the active cranberry component as supplement for food and other products especially where whole juice or powder cannot be used.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID:

22088310

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Uno de cada tres pacientes con cáncer recurre a las 'terapias naturales'

(Extraído de Europapress.es)

Expertos subrayan la importancia de consultar al oncólogo

   MADRID, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

   Uno de cada tres pacientes con cáncer busca apoyo en las 'terapias naturales', como medicina alternativa o integrativa a su terapia médica, según explican este jueves el presidente de la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica (SEOM), el doctor Juan Jesús Cruz, y el coordinador del Grupo de Trabajo SEOM de Prevención y Diagnóstico Precoz, el doctor Pedro Pérez Segura, quienes advierten de que toda sustancia administrada por el propio individuo tiene que ser consultada al oncólogo.

   Durante la presentación del nuevo apartado de medicina integrativa en 'www.oncosaludable.es, Cruz ha aclarado que, dentro de la medicina integrativa se encuentran "una serie de productos", como plantas medicinales, minerales y terapias cuerpo-mente, que complementan el tratamiento de los pacientes con cáncer y que, por ejemplo, pueden servir para aliviar la angustia de recibir quimioterapia.

   Mientras que la medicina alternativa es aquella que consiste en seguir un tratamiento diferente al que recomienda el profesional, como por ejemplo, consumir 'uñas de gato', una planta de la que se publicita su eficacia en el tratamiento del cáncer. "Con la idea de que es algo natural se puede hacer mucho daño. Hay que tener mucho cuidado con lo que se hace", ha advertido, por su parte, el coordinador del grupo de trabajo SEOM de Prevención y Diagnóstico Precoz.

   Pérez Segura ha puesto, por ejemplo, que el zumo de naranja o pomelo así como productos compuestos por piel de uva en dosis elevadas pueden generar efectos adversos en el organismo, ya que el exceso de vitamina C puede interactuar con la quimioterapia. Además, ha alertado del 'tratamiento' con bayas chinas, de las "que se han retirado partidas completas con altas dosis de plomo".

   Asimismo, ha apuntado a estudios realizados para demostrar la eficacia del selenio en el cáncer de mamá, pulmón y próstata, que demostraron "poca eficacia", y que, incluso, uno de ellos, relacionó su consumo con el aumento del tumor de próstata.

   Los pacientes tienen que tener en cuenta también que el 'ginseng' es un revitalizante no recomendado en mujeres con cáncer de mama o de útero hormonosensibles. Por el contrario, la práctica de yoga puede reducir la fatiga y el cansancio asociado con la enfermedad y sus tratamientos. También el aloe vera, que tiene un efecto antitumoral, al ser un regenerador celulario y la caléndula,  ayuda a combatir la toxicidad cutánea

 

CUBRIR UNA "LAGUNA MUY GRANDE"

   Por todas estas razones, la creación de este nuevo apartado dentro de su web tiene como objetivo dar a conocer las "sustancias que pueden ayudar y no perjudicar" a los pacientes oncológicos, ha señalado Cruz, quien ha recomendado consultar "todo lo que se tome" al médico.

   De la misma opinión es Pérez Segura, quien ha señalado que la SEOM ha tratado de cubrir una "laguna muy grande" y ha lamentado que, en general, los pacientes cuenten con fuentes de información de "baja fiabilidad".  Además, ha asegurado que existen nuevos fármacos que interactúan de manera distinta "a la quimioterapia clásica".

   "La SEOM intenta crear una herramienta mediante un método de trabajo muy estricto. Queremos que sea el germen de un producto más ambicioso", ha añadido. Los apartados que se encuentran en la página son 'plantas', 'elementos', 'terapias', 'cuerpo mente' y 'glosarios', que "están avalados por publicaciones científicas", ha dicho.

   Se trata de una "herramienta, que aborda la seguridad del paciente", y que, hasta la fecha, "no existía", al ser "costosa" en cuanto a recopilación de información, ha indicado Pérez Segura. Sin embargo, la página no exime, en ningún caso, el hecho de que el paciente tenga que ir a la consulta del médico a consultar las sustancias que está tomando.

   Por último, Cruz ha considerado que, quizás, en ocasiones, habría que valorar si los beneficios de este tipo de tratamientos son "psicológicos" y no tienen un gran impacto en el organismo del paciente.

Antibiotics in Childhood May Increase Bowel Disease Risk: Study

(Extraído de healthfinder.gov)

By Kathleen Doheny

MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Use of certain antibiotics may put children at higher risk for developing bowel diseases, new research has found.

The earlier children take antibiotics and the more they take, the higher the risk of later developing the inflammatory bowel diseases known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the researchers found.

"There appears to be a 'dose response' effect," said Dr. Matt Kronman, assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. "The more antibiotics children took, the more their risk increased."

Earlier studies had suggested a link between bowel disease and antibiotics use, but most of those studies had limitations. The new study, published online Sept. 24 in the journal Pediatrics, looked at data on more than 1 million children 17 years old or younger in nearly 500 health practices participating in a United Kingdom health network. The children were followed for two or more years between 1994 and 2009.

The researchers found that 64 percent of the children had taken some sort of antibiotic at least once, and about 58 percent had taken antianaerobic antibiotics, which target bacteria that do not need oxygen to grow. Antianaerobic antibiotics include penicillin, amoxicillin, tetracyclines, metronidazole, cefoxitin and others.

During the follow-up period, nearly 750 children developed Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Common symptoms of these lifelong conditions include abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss. The risk was more than five times greater for babies given the drugs before 1 year of age compared to babies who did not receive antibiotics, but the risk decreased significantly with age.

Although there was an 84 percent increased risk of developing the bowel diseases for those who took antibiotics, the real-world risk is still very low, Kronman said. Also, although the study found an association, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, so parents should not deny their children needed medication based on these results, experts said.

In the United States, about 49 million prescriptions for pediatric antibiotics are written each year, about half of them for penicillin, according to background information in the study. The authors said those prescriptions would be associated with 1,700 additional cases of irritable bowel disease a year.

It is known that antibiotics change the natural bacterial environment of the gut, and Kronman speculates that this may trigger inflammation. The bowel diseases are marked by chronic intestinal inflammation.

"Our study lends credence to that hypothesis," he said. But the authors said many questions still remain.

Kronman suspects the antianaerobic antibiotics are driving the boost in risk. "The vast majority of bacteria in the gut are anaerobic," he said.

They found no link, however, between tetracycline, an antianerobic antibiotic, and bowel disease.

The large number of children studied is a strength of the new research, said another expert, Dr. William Muinos, co-director of gastroenterology at Miami Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Florida International University in Miami.

Muinos said he has observed the link in patients. It appears to him that drugs that disrupt more of the anaerobic colonies are worse for increasing the risk of bowel disease.

The take-home message, Kronman said, is not to avoid antibiotic use in children at any cost but to use them wisely. "When they are needed, they are critical," he said.

Parents should feel free to ask a doctor who is prescribing an antibiotic for their children if it's needed at that time, Kronman added. Parents also can consider asking doctors if they can choose a targeted antibiotic that focuses on a narrower range of bacteria.

One message for parents, he said, is to tell your child's pediatrician if you have a family history of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Yogurt consumption, blood pressure, and incident hypertension: A longitudinal study in the Framingham Heart Study

(Extraído de newsroom.heart.org)

American Heart Association News Tip - Abstract 188

September 19, 2012

EMBARGOED UNTIL 4 pm ET, Wednesday, September 19, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, September 19, 2012 -Adding more yogurt to your diet without increasing the number of calories you eat may help lower your risk of high blood pressure, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.

A recent study found long-term yogurt-eaters were less likely to develop high blood pressure and on average had lower systolic blood pressure than those who didn’t eat yogurt. Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading. It measures the force of blood against the walls of your arteries when your heart is beating.

During the 15 year study, researchers followed more than 2,000 volunteers who did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study. Yogurt consumption was measured by questionnaires filled out by the volunteers at three intervals over the study period. Study participants were 31 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure if at least 2 percent of their daily calories came from yogurt, which would be like eating at least one six-ounce cup of low-fat yogurt every three days. In addition, their systolic blood pressure increased less than that of people who didn’t eat yogurt.

The study was funded by the Framingham Heart Study of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and by a research grant from the Dannon Company, Inc.

Sesame and rice bran oil lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol

(extraído de newsroom.heart.org)

American Heart Association Meeting Report - Abstract 186

September 19, 2012

Study Highlights:

• A blend of sesame and rice bran oil reduced blood pressure almost as well as a common medication.
• Those who used a combination of both the oil and medication had more than twice the drop in blood pressure compared to either the group taking medication alone, or those only supplementing their diet with the oil blend

EMBARGOED UNTIL 4 pm ET, Wednesday, September 19, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, September 19, 2012 — People who cooked with a blend of sesame and rice bran oils saw a significant drop in blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.

The researchers found cooking with a combination of these oils in a variety of ways worked nearly as well as a commonly prescribed high blood pressure medication, and that the use of the oil blend with medication yielded even more impressive results.

“Rice bran oil, like sesame oil, is low in saturated fat and appears to improve a patient’s cholesterol profile,” said Devarajan Sankar, M.D, Ph.D., a research scientist in the Department of Cardiovascular Disease at Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital in Chikushino, Japan. “Additionally, it may reduce heart disease risk in other ways, including being a substitute for less healthy oils and fats in the diet.”

The 60-day study in New Delhi, India, divided 300 people with mild to moderately high blood pressure into three groups. One group was treated with a commonly used blood pressure lowering medication called a calcium-channel blocker (nifedipine). The second group was given the oil blend and told to use about an ounce each day in their meals.

The final group received the calcium channel blocker and the oil blend.

All three groups, with approximately an equal number of men and women, average age of 57, saw drops in their systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading and measures the force of blood against your artery walls when the heart is pumping.

Systolic blood pressure dropped an average of 14 points for those using only the oil blend and 16 points for those taking medication. Those using both saw a 36-point drop.

Diastolic blood pressure also dropped significantly: 11 points for those eating the oil, 12 for those on medication and 24 for those using both. Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number in a blood pressure reading that measures the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart is at rest between beats.

As for cholesterol, those using the oils saw a 26 percent drop in their LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and a 9.5 percent increase in the HDL (“good” cholesterol), while no changes in cholesterol were observed for the patients who used only the calcium-channel blocker. Those who took the calcium channel blocker and the oils had a 27 percent drop in LDL levels and a 10.9 percent increase in the HDL.

Healthier fatty acids and antioxidants, such as sesamin, sesamol, sesamolin and oryzanol, in the oil blends may be responsible for the results, Sankar said. These antioxidants, mono and poly unsaturated oils are compounds found in plants and have been linked with lower blood pressure and total cholesterol in earlier studies.

Additional studies are needed to determine if the oil blend is as beneficial as it seems. The combination was made specifically for this study, and there are no plans to market it commercially, Sankar said. Blending these oils yourself would not necessarily produce these effects.

People with high blood pressure should not stop taking their medications and should speak with their doctors before trying any product that might change their blood pressure to ensure they’re being properly monitored.

Co-authors are.Ravinder Singh, M.B.B.S., and Biprabuddha Chatterjee, M.Sc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

No outside funding was received for this research. Adani Wilmar Limited of Gujarat, India, donated the oil blend (Vivo^TM) for use in the study.

Un nuevo estudio desacredita la teoría viral del síndrome de la fatiga crónica

(Extraído de healthfinder.gov)

El hallazgo rebate un trabajo anterior, pero la causa sigue siendo un misterio

Por Kathleen Doheny

MARTES, 18 de septiembre (HealthDay News) -- En confirmación de unas dudas científicas anteriores, un estudio reciente concluye que el síndrome de la fatiga crónica no es provocado por dos virus conocidos como XMRV y pMLV.

Investigadores de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud de EE. UU., los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) de EE. UU., la Universidad de Columbia y otras instituciones, entre ellos algunos de los científicos que realizaron la investigación original, examinaron a 147 pacientes de síndrome de fatiga crónica en ubicaciones de todo el país, y los compararon con 146 personas sanas.

¿El resultado? "Este análisis no reveló evidencia de infección con XMRV ni con pMLV", escribieron los autores. El estudio aparece en la edición de septiembre y octubre de la revista mBio.

El síndrome de fatiga crónica, también conocido como encefalomielitis miálgica, afecta a alrededor de un millón de personas en Estados Unidos, según un comunicado de prensa de la Columbia, y las mujeres tienen más probabilidades de recibir el diagnóstico. La afección se caracteriza por una fatiga sin explicación que no mejora mediante el reposo en cama.

Los pacientes también reportan problemas de memoria o con otras habilidades del pensamiento, dolor muscular o articular, dolor de cabeza y otros síntomas.

En 2009, un trabajo publicado en la revista Science conectó el síndrome con la infección con un virus ratonil conocido como XMRV, por la sigla en inglés de virus xenotrópico relacionado con el virus de la leucemia murina.

En 2010, otro estudio halló un virus, el virus politrópico de la leucemia murina, llamado pMLV, en algunos pacientes, lo que dio más respaldo a la teoría viral.

Sin embargo, los editores de Science retractaron el informe de 2009, diciendo que hallazgos de seguimiento no confirmaron los hallazgos originales.

Los investigadores iniciaron el nuevo estudio para resolver el asunto.

Evaluaron las muestras sanguíneas de un grupo afectado por el síndrome de la fatiga crónica y de personas no afectadas.

Ninguna de las muestras mostró evidencia de ninguno de los dos virus.

El nuevo estudio debe acabar con cualquier preocupación de que la enfermedad sea causada por virus, señaló K. Kimberly McCleary, presidenta de la Asociación Americana de SFCDI (síndrome de fatiga crónica y disfunción inmune).

"Durante los últimos tres años, más de 70 publicaciones han seguido al informe original que relacionaba el SFC con el XMRV", apuntó.

El nuevo informe aborda puntos débiles de las investigaciones anteriores, afirmó. También "provee una respuesta concluyente y ofrece un desenlace. La totalidad de la evidencia publicada indica claramente que no debe haber preocupaciones persistentes sobre la infección con XMRV/pMLV entre los individuos con SFC".

"Ya no puede haber ambigüedad", apuntó el Dr. Jonathan Stoye, director de virología del Instituto Nacional de Investigación Médica MRC, en Londres. "No queda evidencia que relacione al XMRV ni al pMLV con [el síndrome de fatiga crónica/la encefalomielitis miálgica]", afirmó.

Durante años, los investigadores han estudiado muchos tipos de infecciones para ver si podrían desencadenar o provocar el síndrome de fatiga crónica, según los CDC. Entre ellos se encuentran el virus que provoca la infección de Epstein-Barr, el virus del herpes humano, el virus de Ross River, y otros.

Los estudios sobre si cambios en el sistema inmunitario de una persona podrían llevar al SFC han arrojado resultados mixtos. No hay evidencia de que el síndrome de fatiga crónica sea provocado por deficiencias en la nutrición, aunque los expertos recomiendan una dieta equilibrada a todo el que sufre de la afección.

El síndrome de fatiga crónica no tiene cura. Los CDC apuntan que el tratamiento se personaliza según los síntomas específicos de las personas. Los CDC recomiendan abordar los síntomas más perjudiciales, como la fatiga, los problemas para dormir, la depresión o la ansiedad.