anonnews--2019-03-15--Breakthrough Stem Cell Treatment Cures Blindness In 2 People A World First

Breakthrough Stem Cell Treatment Cures Blindness In 2 People A “World First”

A new breakthrough in stem cell treatments could make it possible for blind people to be able to see again. According to new research from Scotland, stem cells can be taken from the eyes of non-living donors and used to cure blindness in patients.  Researchers still need to perfect their techniques and get the procedure down to an exact science. In the most recent study, the tissue transplant was attempted on eight blind patients, and two were able to regain their vision and the ability to read again. However, all of the patients who received the treatment noticed a drastic improvement in their vision, some have just recovered faster than others.  So far, the treatment is just able to help with blindness caused by damage to the cornea, which is the protective surface of the eye.  Baljean Dhillon, professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences is one of the lead researchers in the study.  “The findings from this small study are very promising and show the potential for safe stem cell eye surgery as well as improvements in eye repair,” Dhillon said, calling the breakthrough a “world’s first.”  The study was published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. The research focused on limbal stem cells, which are instrumental in our vision. These cells are usually at a low level in patients suffering from corneal blindness.  In the study, the scientists divided 16 patients into two groups, one of which was randomly selected to receive the transplanted tissue. They were also given standard eye drops and immune system suppressing drugs in order to reduce the risk of rejection.  All of the patients who were given stem cells noticed a significant improvement to their eyesight over a year and a half, and those same results were not seen in the control group.  “Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is an irreversible disease resulting from the loss or dysfunction of these epithelial stem cells. The corneal epithelium becomes deficient and is replaced by the surrounding conjunctival epithelium, resulting in a thickened, irregular, unstable epithelium, often with inflammation. LSCD causes severe ocular surface disease characterized by reduced vision or   blindness, chronic ocular irritation, and glare,” said Dhillion.  Dhillon believes that this same type of treatment can be applied in different ways to cure other forms of blindness.  “Our next steps are to better understand how stem cells could promote tissue repair for diseases that are extremely hard to treat and if, and how, they could help to restore vision,” Dhillon says.  Interestingly, both the stem cell and control groups showed improvements in vision which the researchers said warrants further investigation in a larger trial.  Marc Turner, medical director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and Professor of Cellular Therapy at Edinburgh University, said that clinical trails are essential in advancing this type of medical technology.  “Clinical studies such as these help us to understand how complex new cellular therapies may be able to complement existing medical approaches in restoring function to damaged tissues and organ,” Turner says.  The text of the study concluded that, “This RCT demonstrates that sustained benefit is achieved by the IMP in OSD compared with controls and this intervention warrants further study in larger sample sizes in a phase III study. New studies would also benefit from concentrating on a single disease group in order to eliminate some of the variables in this study. Our findings in the subgroup with aniridia suggests that elevated systemic cytokine levels may have clinical relevance and dissecting both ocular and systemic inflammatory mechanisms in aniridia might shed new light on OSD pathogenesis associated with this condition.”  These types of stem cell treatments are offering new hope to people in similar positions, as more facilities are comfortable with attempting the procedure after seeing Bosen’s success. Last year, the Mayo Clinic opened up stem cell therapy trials for ten people suffering from traumatic spinal cord injuries.  According to a study conducted this year at the University of Minnesota Medical School, spinal cord stimulation using stem cells does, in fact, help to heal paralysis in many circumstances. In the study, researchers show that spinal cord stimulation can immediately restore some voluntary movement and autonomic functions such as cardiovascular, bowel, and bladder years after a paralyzing injury without any significant rehabilitation.


eveningstandard--2019-03-20--Worldaposs first ever postnatal depression treatment drug is approved

World's first ever postnatal depression treatment drug is approved

The world's first ever drug for postnatal depression has been approved.  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rubberstamped the Zulresso injection for adult women.  Patients will be required to enroll on a special programme before the drug is administered through an intravenous drip over a 60-hour period.  Tiffany Farchione, a leader at the FDA, said: “Postpartum [postnatal] depression is a serious condition that, when severe, can be life-threatening.  “Women may experience thoughts about harming themselves or harming their child. Postpartum depression can also interfere with the maternal-infant bond.  “This approval marks the first time a drug has been specifically approved to treat postpartum depression, providing an important new treatment option.”  Because of risks associated with the drug, including excessive sedation or sudden loss of consciousness, patients will be subject to strict monitoring from healthcare professionals.  Studies found patients’ depression improved after 30 days following trials of the drug.  Postnatal depression can happen after childbirth, though the symptoms can start during pregnancy. It is characterised by sadness and loss of interest in activities the parent used to enjoy.


fortune--2019-09-16--A Pioneering Peanut Allergy Treatment on the Horizon Brainstorm Health

A Pioneering Peanut Allergy Treatment on the Horizon: Brainstorm Health

Hello and happy Monday, readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  The school year has just begun—and, with it, concerns about food allergies, which afflict some 5.6 million American children under the age of 18.  The figures vary. Some studies have shown that at least 1.2 million U.S. kids and teens suffer, specifically, from peanut allergies. These can be dangerous, and even life-threatening, conditions. But a pioneering peanut allergy treatment from Aimmune Therapeutics appears slated for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval by the beginning of 2020.  An independent panel of advisers overwhelmingly recommended approval of Aimmune's therapy, Palforzia, for children aged four to 17. While the FDA isn't obligated to follow such panels' advice, it almost always does—especially when it comes to conditions with a dearth of available treatment options.  Aimmune's clinical studies have suggested that capsules filled with peanut powder, taken over an extended period at a young age, may significantly reduce the chances of a serious allergic reaction by helping patients build up a tolerance.  The FDA could approve the drug by January or sooner.  Read on for the day's news.  Smartwatches are supposed to help you stay healthy. But how do people actually use them? My colleague Aaron Pressman reports on an insightful new survey into smartwatch use from Parks Associates. It delves into how, exactly, consumers leverage their smartwatches for staying fit. Some key findings? “More than three out of four heads of U.S. households who own and use a smartwatch said they track their steps with their device,” Aaron writes. “Another 60% monitor their heart rates and 53% use the wrist-worn devices to count calories. Among all smartwatch owners, 41% say their most commonly used app is to count calories or reach weight loss goals.” (Fortune)  OxyContin maker Purdue filed for bankruptcy over the weekend. Purdue Pharma on Sunday filed for a $10 billion settlement plan, accompanied by a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as the OxyContin maker grapples with thousands of lawsuits over its alleged role in fueling the opioid addiction crisis through illegal marketing practices. The privately held firm and its owners, the Sackler family, had telegraphed its bankruptcy intentions, although the $10 billion figure would be about $2 billion less than a previously reported settlement (if ultimately approved). (Fortune)  Study: More than 3 million women say their first sexual encounter is rape. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that millions of American women were victims of rape as their first sexual encounter. The survey centered on women aged 18 to 44, and found many victims were assaulted when they were adolescents around the age of 15. Amongst the most troubling findings, as NPR reports: “About 6.5% of women — an estimated 3.3 million nationwide — said that their first sexual experience was rape.” (NPR)  FDA: Impurity That Could Cause Cancer Found in Zantac, by Chris Morris


freedombunker--2019-02-28--FDA Panel Backs Ketamine-Based Treatment for Depression

New hope for depression patients may be on the horizon.  A recent WebMD article reports that a special panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strongly endorsed a new drug to help patients with treatment-resistant depression (a form of depression resilient to many anti-depressants). This new drug, named esketamine, also provides an unprecedented ability to take effect within days whereas others require months.  With nearly 30 percent of Americans experiencing depression at some point in their lives, and with the sporadic success of currently available treatment options, esketamine has tremendous potential to help millions manage their depression. As UCLA assistant professor of psychiatry Walter Dunn, who served on the panel, expressed, “I think esketamine has the potential to be a game-changer in the treatment of depression.”  Despite its exciting potential, esketamine is receiving significantly more attention for being similar to the street drug ketamine (if you couldn’t tell by its name). Ketamine, sometimes referred to as “Special K” or “K,” is a street drug taken for its hallucinogenic effects. The Drug Enforcement Agency currently lists ketamine as a Schedule III substance, containing both potential to cause psychological harm but also provide medical benefits. Regardless, it remains a controlled substance and largely reaches the public only through illicit means.  But ketamine’s reputation as a dangerous street drug runs counter to its reputation in medical literature. Indeed, knowledge of ketamine’s therapeutic abilities to combat depression dates back much further than recent developments. A 2014 paper published in Current Neuropharmacology reviews twenty-four previous academic publications (some dating back twenty years) and finds “ketamine may be considered a valid and intriguing antidepressant option for the treatment of TRD (treatment-resistant depression).”  Unfortunately, government restrictions that hinder the adoption of pioneering medical science are commonplace. As I’ve noted in a previous Beacon post, ecstasy is currently classified as a Schedule I substance by the DEA, deemed to have no medicinal benefits. However, ecstasy is also expected to be approved by the FDA to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by 2021. Marijuana is also a Schedule I substance, but 33 states have passed legislation granting patient access for medicinal purposes. Further, the FDA has approved marijuana-based medication to treat epilepsy.  The FDA will likely decide in early March whether it will allow esketamine to advance in its drug approval process. Despite widespread support of the panel (which voted 14-2 in favor), the agency may not heed its advice.  Considering the seriousness and pervasiveness of depression, as well as the history of medical professionals to find appropriate uses of drugs (even potentially dangerous ones), I hope the FDA allows esketamine to advance. Despite ketamine’s reputation, trusting scientists rather than government regulation is the safer bet.


naturalnews--2019-01-28--Studying the potential of acupuncture as an alternative treatment for osteoporosis

(Natural News) The idea of inserting needles through your skin may not be appealing, but acupuncture is actually an effective therapy for many conditions, including osteoporosis. Many studies have investigated the use of this traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis is a condition that makes the bones weak and fragile, increasing the risk of fractures. The bones of people suffering from osteoporosis have lost density or mass and contain abnormal tissue structures. While bones in the hip, spine, or wrist are most likely to break due to osteoporosis, other bones can break too. Osteoporosis also causes permanent pain, reduced height, and a stooped or hunched posture. It may also limit mobility, which typically results in feelings of isolation or depression.  In the U.S., about 54 million people have osteoporosis and low bone mass. However, conventional drugs are widely prescribed to treat this condition, such as bisphosphonates, teriparatide, denosumab, and raloxifene, cause serious side effects. (Related: Osteoporosis Drugs Found to Cause Severe Pain in Muscles, Joints and Bones.)  In a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, researchers confirmed that acupuncture can be used as an alternative treatment for osteoporosis. They have found that this traditional Chinese medicine is even more effective than conventional medicine.  For the review, researchers from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China assessed the efficacy of acupuncture as a clinical treatment for osteoporosis. They reviewed 35 studies involving a total of 3,014 patients. These studies were randomized controlled trials that compared warm acupuncture, needling, or electroacupuncture with sole Western medicine for the treatment of osteoporosis.  The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.  The results showed that warm acupuncture could increase the bone mineral density of the spine and thigh bone compared to sole conventional medicine. It could also increase the levels of calcium and estradiol and decrease pain and alkaline phosphatase levels. Compared to sole Western medicine, electroacupuncture could also relieve pain, reduce alkaline phosphatase, and increase calcium levels, while needling could relieve pain. These results indicate that among the three types of acupuncture, warm acupuncture was the most effective for osteoporosis, followed by electroacupuncture and needling.  With these findings, the researchers concluded that acupuncture could be an effective alternative therapy for treating osteoporosis.  Even people without osteoporosis can experience the benefits of acupuncture. Here are some of them:  Read more news stories and studies on the health benefits of acupuncture by going to HealingArts.news.


naturalnews--2019-04-18--Could electrotherapy and acupuncture be used for post-operative treatment of knee arthroplasty

Could electrotherapy and acupuncture be used for post-operative treatment of knee arthroplasty?

(Natural News) In this study, which appeared in JAMA Surgery, researchers from Stanford University statistically analyzed the results of several clinical studies that used non-pharmacological treatments such as electrotherapy and acupuncture to reduce pain after knee replacement surgery. They used the delay or decrease in the use of opioids and analgesics by patients as measures in determining the effectiveness of these postoperative interventions.  Based on statistical evidence, the researchers believe that electrotherapy and acupuncture are the best non-pharmacological interventions for postoperative pain because they can reduce or delay opioid consumption in patients after total knee arthroplasty.  To learn more health benefits of acupuncture, visit Naturopathy.news.  Tedesco D, Gori D, Desai KR, Asch S, Carroll IR, Curtin C, Mcdonald KM, Fantini MP, Hernandez-Boussard T. DRUG-FREE INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE PAIN OR OPIOID CONSUMPTION AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY. JAMA Surgery. 18 October 2017;152(10):e172872. DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.2872


naturalnews--2019-05-28--Got gout ACV may be the treatment youve been looking for

Got gout? ACV may be the treatment you've been looking for

(Natural News) If you have gout, you know how painful it can be. The condition is characterized by painful inflammation in the joints, resulting in swelling and redness. Gout it caused by a build-up of uric acid, which leads to the depositing of hard crystals in the joints and ultimately, pain. Fortunately, there are many natural approaches to treating and managing gout. Cherries are one of the most popular natural gout remedies, but there are plenty of other options to consider. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has an array of medicinal uses — including treating and preventing gout.  Among natural health enthusiasts, apple cider vinegar is easily the most popular vinegar. Many of ACV’s purported health benefits are backed by science, including its ability to promote weight loss, reduce inflammation and lower blood sugar levels.  Apple cider vinegar is a great choice for fighting gout for two reasons: It can help treat gout symptoms after they’ve started, and help prevent a gout flare-up from starting in the first place.  As Foods For Better Health reports, the acetic acid found in ACV helps to alkalize the body and “cleanse” the blood. Acetic acid also works with malic acid and pectin to eliminate acidic toxins from the body. Essentially, these compounds found in ACV work to fight the accumulation of uric acid in the blood, and help remove it from the body entirely.  While there is not much scientific research on the benefits of ACV in the treatment of gout, it has remained a staple in traditional medicine for years. More, research exploring other areas of ACV benefits can be very telling.  The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.  As Healthline reports, scientific studies have shown that ACV helps reduce inflammation and promote weight loss — two things that can help reduce your risk of a gout flare-up.  More importantly, however, it appears that ACV can help your body eliminate uric acid effectively. Japanese researchers also recently found that acidity in the body can interfere with the elimination of uric acid. The team found that urine that is less acidic (more alkaline) carries more uric acid out of the body.  For people with gout, this is big news because ACV is proven to help alkalize bodily fluids.  To conduct their research, the team asked participants to follow an acidic or alkaline diet. The alkaline diet group had more alkaline urine, which carried out more uric acid than the acidic group. Vinegar was a key component of the alkaline diet, though not the only food prescribed.  Foods For Better Health suggests that ACV can be used topically and internally for gout. To use topically, just soak a cotton ball in ACV, apply to the affected joint and gently massage. Sources suggest that one to two tablespoons of ACV can be mixed with one cup of water and consumed up to three times a day for gout relief. Honey or another sweetener of choice can be used to help make the concoction more palatable. It is recommended that ACV supplements be taken either at night before bed or before meals.  You can also combine ACV and your favorite oil to make your own healing salad dressing.  While ACV has many health benefits, it is very acidic and should be diluted before consuming. It is also important to only take ACV in moderation. Too much or too strong a concoction can damage tooth enamel or even burn the esophagus.  Learn more about ACV and other natural remedies at NaturalMedicine.news.


naturalnews--2019-06-26--Ear acupuncture effective at improving maintaining effectiveness of substance abuse treatment outco

Ear acupuncture effective at improving, maintaining effectiveness of substance abuse treatment outcomes

(Natural News) A recent study published in the journal Behavioural Science suggests using ear acupuncture as an adjunct therapy for those undergoing substance abuse treatment. In the study, the researchers used the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol (NADA) to determine whether it can improve and sustain treatment outcomes when used in concert with traditional therapy.  In sum, NADA protocol, combined with traditional therapy, can potentially improve treatment outcomes for substance abuse.  Read the full text at this link.  Learn more about substance abuse and how to naturally address them at Addiction.news.  Carter K, Olshan-Perlmutter M, Marx J, Martini J, Cairns S. NADA EAR ACUPUNCTURE: AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT. Behavioral Sciences. 2017;7(4):37. DOI: 10.3390/bs7020037


naturalnews--2019-12-06--Israeli scientists find a promising potential treatment for pancreatic cancer

(Natural News) Pancreatic cancer is one of the most daunting varieties of the disease, with very few people surviving beyond five years after their diagnosis. With few symptoms, most patients aren’t diagnosed until they’ve already reached the metastatic stage. It’s the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths and the 12th most common type of cancer worldwide, and an effective treatment is desperately needed. Now, a new discovery could bring hope to future patients.  Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed a new treatment that could destroy pancreatic cancer cells. Their treatment involves a small molecule known as PJ34, which was originally developed to help stroke victims. They discovered that when it is injected, it causes human cancer cells to destroy themselves during cell division, or mitosis.  They conducted their study using transplanted human pancreatic cancer in immunocompromised mice. They found that after two weeks of daily injection with the molecule, there was an incredible 90 percent reduction in cancer cells 30 days after ending the treatment, with one mouse even seeing its tumor disappear completely.  The researchers say this molecule spurs an anomaly while the cancer cells are dividing that provokes rapid cell death. In other words, it’s the cell multiplication itself that is causing these bad cells to die.  Best of all, unlike traditional treatments like chemotherapy, PJ34 does not affect healthy cells, so they did not see any negative effects in the mice from treatment. In fact, the animals grew and gained weight as usual.  Sponsored: NEW Biostructured Silver First Aid Gel created by the Health Ranger combines three types of silver (ionic silver, colloidal silver, biostructured silver) with seven potent botanicals (rosemary, oregano, cinnamon and more) to create a breakthrough first aid silver gel. Over 50 ppm silver, verified via ICP-MS lab analysis. Made from 100% Texas rain water and 70% solar power. Zero chemical preservatives, fragrances or emulsifiers. See full details here.  The study’s leader, Professor Malka Cohen-Armon, also explored this mechanism in a 2017 study, when she used it to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which, like pancreatic cancer, is notoriously difficult to treat. The research team has also found in parallel studies that the molecule is efficient on other deadly types of cancer, including aggressive varieties of lung, brain, ovarian and breast cancers that resist current therapies.  A statement released by the university said the research holds “great potential for the development of a new effective therapy to treat this aggressive cancer in humans.”  Next, the researchers would like to test the molecule on bigger animals like pigs before eventually carrying out trials in humans, which they believe could take around two years, depending on the funding available.  The findings were published in the October edition of the peer-reviewed biomedical journal Oncotarget.  Last year, scientists discovered another potential therapy for pancreatic cancer in the form of dual thermal ablation, a process that entails heating and freezing. They used different technologies to heat and freeze cancer cells and measure the levels of cell death and regrowth. When heating or freezing are used individually, some cells may die but others will survive and regrow. With dual-thermal ablation, however, more cells die and don’t return.  Although these treatments are very promising, it’s still a good idea to do everything you can to reduce your risk, especially if someone in your family has had this type of cancer. Following a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy wright are two easy ways to lower your risk, and you should also refrain from smoking.  The Israeli study, and others like it, could lead to incredibly valuable treatments for this deadly disease, and it’s encouraging to see researchers thinking outside of the box and looking to develop treatments that don’t put your overall health at risk the way chemotherapy does.


npr--2019-02-21--A New Treatment Can Relieve Food Allergies But Few Doctors Offer It

A New Treatment Can Relieve Food Allergies, But Few Doctors Offer It  Scouring ingredient lists. Carrying an EpiPen. Sitting at the special lunch table at school. These anxiety-ridden measures have become routine for families with severe food allergies, who know it takes only one wrong bite to end up in the emergency room.  Nearly 6 million U.S. children and teens — about 8 percent, or two per classroom — have food allergies. In children, allergy to peanuts, which can be life-threatening, has gone up more than 21 percent since 2010.  Some of these kids — as well as adults with severe food allergies — are trying a new treatment. And they're not waiting around for the Food and Drug Administration to approve it. The treatment, known as oral immunotherapy, involves consuming tiny amounts of the trigger food, with gradual increases in dose. Over time, the immune system learns to react less vigorously to the allergen.  Because there's not yet an FDA-approved version of this treatment, most medical providers don't yet offer it. So most patients can get it only by enrolling in research studies, of which there have been dozens in recent years.  When Whitney Block, a clinical research nurse who helped run oral immunotherapy trials at Stanford University, saw that more than 2,000 people were on the waitlist to get into these studies, she decided to start offering oral immunotherapy on her own. In 2017, Block opened her own clinic, National Allergy Center, in Redwood City, Calif., and just launched a second site in Southern California.  "What I've done and continue to do in research trials I've brought out to private practice to make it available to more people," Block says. Patients have flown to the clinic from the East Coast and even from Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates.  Block is among a small but growing number of allergists around the U.S. who have begun offering the therapy without enrolling patients in trials. Just four board-certified allergists offered oral immunotherapy for food allergies in 2010, but the number surpassed 100 by 2017, according to the website OIT 101, which is run by parents who've had success with oral immunotherapy and maintains a directory of providers.  The therapy is not a cure. People who get the treatment still have to read labels and cannot eat whatever they want. And the vast majority have to continue the treatments indefinitely to keep their tolerance. For peanut allergy, for instance, they would need to continue to consume roughly one peanut per day.  Yet for many, to be able to tolerate even one or two whole peanuts without symptoms is life-changing. "It provides that additional margin of safety," says Dr. Brian Vickery, an allergist-immunologist at Emory University. "By undergoing this type of treatment, they can move around in the world with more peace of mind."  Vickery was the lead author of a paper published in November 2018 in the New England Journal of Medicine that described encouraging results from a placebo-controlled study of peanut protein capsules developed by Aimmune Therapeutics. While it's possible for clinicians to offer the treatment simply with commercially available peanut flour, Aimmune's product, AR101, offers a standardized dose suitable for rigorous study and FDA approval.  The South San Francisco biopharmaceutical company tested AR101 in 551 peanut allergy sufferers at 66 sites. At the end of the 12-month trial, more than two-thirds of the group taking the active drug were able to tolerate a dose of peanut protein equivalent to about two peanut kernels. Based on Aimmune's recent results, the company submitted a licensing application to the FDA for its peanut capsules in December. It could be approved in 2019, and approval could lead to broader use of the treatment and to insurance covering it.  DBV Technologies of Montrouge, France, is developing another form of immunotherapy that delivers peanut protein to the immune system through a small skin patch. The company plans to resubmit a licensing application for this product, Viaskin Peanut, in response to the FDA's request for more data on manufacturing procedures and quality controls.  While these products work their way toward approval, the vast majority of providers are not yet offering oral immunotherapy to their patients, except as part of a research trial. "Physicians are concerned that without FDA approval, if something goes wrong, they're going to be held liable," says Dr. Christina Ciaccio, a pediatric allergist at the University of Chicago Medicine.  At a national immunology meeting in San Francisco this Sunday, experts will debate whether the treatment is ready to go mainstream. The "yes" side will be presented by Dr. Richard Wasserman, who started offering the treatment to patients at Dallas Food Allergy Center in July 2008. Since then, the clinic has treated more than 800 people for allergies to 20 foods. "The response of patients and families to oral immunotherapy has been the most rewarding thing I have done in 40 years of medical practice," Wasserman says.  On the "no" side is Dr. Robert Wood, a pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who has published a study that noted that the degree and duration of protection offered by immunotherapy is unknown and that allergic reactions are common during the treatment.  Many families find the therapy stressful. At some points during the regimen, often on days the doses increase, most patients experience skin rashes, itching in the mouth, abdominal pain and other unwelcome side effects. And it doesn't work for everyone. In the recent trial of Aimmune's peanut capsules, 10 percent of the participants 17 and under who received the active drug needed rescue epinephrine during the exit food challenge at the end of the study.  "If you have lived your life thinking this stuff is poisonous and can kill you ... and now the treatment is in fact ... to take a little bit of it in food every day, that's a difficult thing for people to wrap their heads around, particularly when they start to experience symptoms," Vickery says.  In addition, immunotherapy requires certain precautions that can hinder daily activity. For instance, patients must avoid exercise, hot showers and anything else that elevates the body temperature for several hours after dosing.  Because of the difficulty of the treatment and the risks, clinicians caution against patients trying this on their own. "There is potential for serious side effects," warns Block. "You definitely need medical oversight."  Oral immunotherapy treatment "is not going to be suitable and appropriate for everyone," says Ciaccio. But she says emerging treatments for food allergies "will continue to be a hot topic."  "We need more than one — just like we need more than one treatment for diabetes," she says.  Esther Landhuis is a freelance science journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her on Twitter: @elandhuis.


politico--2019-04-05--California tests if addiction treatment can be incorporated into primary care

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — California had just weeks to get a program that used medication to treat opioid use disorder up and running after receiving $90 million in federal grants in 2017. So officials found a model that was already working in Vermont, and supersized it to fit the sprawling state.  The scaling up of the "Hub and Spoke" system, particularly in rural areas, has presented challenges but also delivered results in locales like this Gold Rush-era city east of Sacramento — and dovetailed with existing efforts to expand medication-assisted treatment to give the state a two-pronged approach to confronting the opioid epidemic.  Hub and Spoke, first launched in Vermont in 2012, features a system of regional addiction treatment centers or "hubs" that are connected with "spokes" like primary care practices and local clinics. Patients have individual treatment plans. The system allows many patients to get help close to home, at clinics that offer buprenorphine, a drug seen as the gold standard for treating opioid abuse symptoms, and that employ behavioral health providers and nurse case managers. Those with more complex cases, who for example need to be treated daily with methadone, can be referred to a centralized hub.  After starting with 18 hubs and 57 spokes, the California effort has expanded in a year and a-half to include more than 200 spokes statewide. The state has also layered on other programs, including one that treats people suffering from opioid withdrawal in an emergency room with buprenorphine, and then refers them to a nearby spoke, often the next day.  California doesn't rank with opioid abuse hot spots like West Virginia, Ohio or New Hampshire. But rural pockets, particularly in the north of the state, have experienced alarming overdose death rates.  Beth Tanzman, the Vermont state health official who manages Hub and Spoke there, told POLITICO that while states like Louisiana and New Hampshire have adapted the program, “it’s so important and impressive to see states like California figure out how to scale treatment” for opioid use disorder.  As of last month, more than 13,000 patients in the state have used the model, and the number of physicians prescribing buprenorphine has increased by 82 percent since July 2017, according to the state Department of Health Care Services.  The overarching goal in California is to create a framework for treating a range of addiction disorders, including alcohol, methamphetamines and other substances.  “We know people with addiction are showing up in emergency rooms and clinics and they have mental health issues and they’re getting arrested and they go to jail,” said Kelly Pfeifer, a physician and addiction specialist at the California Health Care Foundation. “Why shouldn’t they get treated wherever they land?”  As it builds out the hub-and-spoke system, California has taken advantage of several waves of federal grants totaling some $266 million to expand the use of medication-assisted treatment. The state may yet have to tap into other sources and find efficiencies once the grants run out.  Despite the short-term nature of the grants, California wanted to take an aggressive approach, said Marlies Perez, chief of substance use disorder compliance at the state's health care services department. “These federal dollars have been huge in making this happen.”  The money has helped fund an innovative emergency department program, originally called the E.D. Bridge program, which offers patients experiencing opioid withdrawal symptoms immediate access to buprenorphine, also known by the brand name Suboxone. A form that dissolves under the tongue and can resolve symptoms within a matter of minutes is provided right in the emergency room.  The program started a year ago in 12 hospitals and now includes 31 hospitals and one clinic, nearly half of which are located in rural areas of the state.  “We want the entire state,” said Aimee Moulin, an emergency physician at the University of California, Davis who is a regional coordinator for the Bridge program. “Our overall goal is to make this the standard of care.”  Placerville is one of the few places in California where the Hub and Spoke and Bridge programs are being deployed together, offering immediate overdose treatment in the small, rural hospital’s emergency department.  “We’re a small county and a small organization, but we’re going to start seeing this take off across the state because of these two programs,” said Loni Jay, a physician who in November opened a new spoke, Marshall CARES, an outpatient clinic steps from the hospital, Marshall Medical Center in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  The county — El Dorado — was quick to establish spokes, due primarily to providers at El Dorado Community Health Centers who were already prescribing buprenorphine well in advance of the hub-and-spoke federal grant. Marshall Medical Center was also one of the first hospitals in the state to sign on to the E.D. Bridge pilot. The hospital recently brought on board a substance use navigator to help guide patients.  “What we’re doing is providing a full integration of care — behavioral health, a MAT [medication-assisted treatment] program, R.N. case managers, licensed alcohol and drug counselors, medical assistants,” said Terri Lee Stratton, CEO of the four-clinic El Dorado Community Health Centers.  The nearest hub still is nearly an hour away, in Roseville. But most providers say they rarely have to refer patients, because they can typically be managed at the clinic level.  Patients suffering from withdrawal who show up at the emergency room get treated on the spot with Suboxone. Then they’re set up with a next-day appointment at a nearby spoke.  Though Marshall providers treat just one or two patients a week in this fashion, they say the program is already starting to have an effect.  “We treat them quickly and effectively, and that doubles the likelihood of them being in treatment in 30 days,” said Arianna Sampson, a physician assistant who helped set up the Bridge program.  For the 49 weeks starting in August 2017, 92 percent of the patients treated at the hospital with Suboxone followed up by seeking care at a spoke, according to Sampson, with the nearest one 15 miles away. After a year, 26 of those patients were still in treatment, accounting for a 74 percent success rate.  Meanwhile, buprenorphine use in El Dorado County increased 89 percent from 2015 to 2017, according to state public health statistics. Statewide buprenorphine prescribing increased just 14 percent over that period.  California still faces barriers to getting these programs up to speed around the state, including stigma from health professionals and resistance from traditional substance-abuse providers. To prescribe buprenorphine, doctors have to get special training and a federal license known as an “X-waiver.” Though that's created bureaucratic hurdles, the opioid legislationl Congress passed last October expanded who could prescribe it.  The experience has professionals optimistic the region will have the infrastructure to treat other forms of substance abuse, including methamphetamines.  “I truly believe we’re reversing this opioid epidemic,” Sampson said. “But what we know about the history of humankind, there will be something else.”


prepareforchange--2019-03-05--Why Fasting Is Such a Powerful Treatment Strategy for Diabetes

The answer for Type 2 diabetes is to stop feeding your body sugar and burn off the sugar already in your cells, and the most effective way to do this is fasting  Type 2 diabetes should not be treated with insulin, as insulin forces glucose into cells that are already saturated with excess glucose and cannot take in more. Instead, the glucose gets turned into fat, which is why insulin injections result in dramatic weight gain  Type 2 diabetes is curable, and the cure is less than inexpensive — it’s free. You actually save money, as the remedy is to fast and not eat anything for a number of days on a regular basis  Any fasting blood sugar regularly over 90 mg/dl really suggests insulin resistance, and work by the late Dr. Joseph Kraft suggests 80 percent — 8 out of 10 — Americans are in fact insulin resistant  An estimated 30.3 million Americans, nearly 1 in 10, have Type 2 diabetes. Another 84 million American adults — about 1 in 3 — are prediabetic, defined as an elevation in blood glucose over 100 mg/dl  We have an epidemic of diabetes in the United States. An estimated 30.3 million Americans, nearly 1 in 10, have Type 2 diabetes.1 Another 84 million American adults — about 1 in 3 — are prediabetic, and most are unaware of this fact. Prediabetes2 is defined as an elevation in blood glucose over 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) but lower than 125 mg/dl, at which point it formally becomes Type 2 diabetes.  However, any fasting blood sugar regularly over 90 mg/dl really suggests insulin resistance, and seminal work by the late Dr. Joseph Kraft, author of “Diabetes Epidemic and You: Should Everyone Be Tested?” suggests that 80 percent — 8 out of 10 — Americans are in fact insulin resistant,3 which means they’re already on their way toward developing diabetes.  That’s the bad news. The good news is Type 2 diabetes is curable, and the cure is less than free. It actually saves you loads of time and money. In his book, “The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally,” Dr. Jason Fung details how to address this exceptionally common problem.  Fung is a nephrologist (kidney specialist) with a practice in Toronto. Two years ago, I interviewed him about fasting, which is one of the most powerful interventions for Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Fung was also one of the experts who peer reviewed my book, “Fat for Fuel,” which integrates some of his work.  There are two types of diabetes, Type 1, or insulin dependent diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes, which is lifestyle related. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases and is the topic of this particular discussion. Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes started to rise in the 1980s, at a time when obesity had yet to become a significant trend. However, as obesity became more prevalent, so did Type 2 diabetes.  Ultimately, diabetes is just one symptom. Insulin resistance, which results in mitochondrial dysfunction, is also at the heart of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases, and it all starts because your body is unable to burn fat as a primary fuel. When your body relies primarily on sugar instead, more reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated, which damage the mitochondria in your cells.  Fasting has been used for thousands of years to keep us well. Once you understand what insulin resistance actually is and what Type 2 diabetes is, then you’ll understand why something so simple as abstaining from food for a period of time can be such a powerful intervention. Contrary to infectious diseases, you cannot treat metabolic disease with a pill, because metabolic diseases such as diabetes are predicated on lifestyle, primarily diet. As explained by Fung:  To avoid adding sugar into your body it is important to adopt a cyclical low-carb, high-fat diet, which I detail in “Fat for Fuel.” Then, to burn off the sugar already in your system, intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating is a powerful tool. Exercise is not the solution for diabetes, and cannot replace fasting.  Remember, you can’t out-exercise your mouth. The reason for this is because you not only have insulin resistance in your muscles, but in all your tissues and organs, and to eliminate the excess glucose in your organs you need to temporarily “starve” the cells.  Clearly, you should exercise, but that will only burn the glycogen in your muscles. It’s not going to address your fatty liver. As noted by Fung, fasting “gets rid of all the sort of excess nutrients. That’s why, historically, people called it a cleanse or a detox, because that’s really what it is.”  In his practice, Fung has used fasting for many years and can attest to the dramatic turnarounds possible. “We have people coming in with the most severe diabetes; they’re taking hundreds of units of insulin a day, and within three to four weeks we have them off everything.” Oftentimes, a severe diabetic can revert back to being nondiabetic within as little as two months.  This is not to say it’s easy. Fasting can be difficult when you’re used to eating multiple times a day. But it’s a natural way that will allow your body to heal itself. Meanwhile, taking insulin for Type 2 diabetes is about the worst thing you can do. As explained by Fung:  Fasting is the most profoundly effective metabolic intervention I’m aware of. It’s like getting a free stem cell transplant, and it massively upregulates autophagy and mitophagy. It also stimulates mitochondrial biosynthesis during the refeeding phase, which allows your body to naturally regenerate. For these reasons, fasting is not only beneficial for Type 2 diabetes and obesity but also for health in general, and likely even longevity.  There’s even evidence to suggest fasting can help prevent or even reverse dementia, as it helps your body clean out toxic debris. As noted by Fung, “It’s fundamentally one of the keys of wellness.” By lowering insulin, you also increase other important hormones, including growth hormone (aka the fitness hormone), which is important for muscle development and general vitality.  Other ailments that can benefit from fasting include polycystic ovaries, polycystic kidneys and fast growing cancer cells. The reason for this is because when autophagy increases, your body starts breaking down old protein, including fast growing cells. Then, during the refeeding phase, growth hormone increases, boosting the rebuilding of new proteins and cells. In other words, it reactivates and speeds up your body’s natural renewal cycle.  Most people fear being hungry and avoid it like the plague. Here, intermittent fasting can make the process a lot easier. Before I tried my first five-day water fast, I increased my intermittent daily fasting to the point that I was fasting for 20 hours a day for a few months, but one month is likely sufficient.  At that point, going several days without food was easy, since my body had had gained metabolic flexibility and was able to burn fat as my primary fuel, Most people get really hungry by Day Three on a water fast, yet I had no hunger at all. Fung agrees, saying:  Gradually easing into longer fasts will naturally minimize most side effects associated with fasting, as will transitioning over to a high-fat, low-carb diet, to help your body to adjust to using fat as a primary fuel. The so-called “keto flu” is often related to sodium deficiency, so it’s recommended to take a high-quality unprocessed salt each day. I typically pour salt in my hand and lick it throughout the day when fasting, as I obviously can’t put it on food. This will also help reduce the likelihood of intractable muscle cramps at night.  Headaches are also common when you first start water fasting. These too can often be minimized by taking salt. An alternative to eating salt straight, or putting it in water, is to add it to a bit of bone broth. Another important mineral is magnesium. It’s particularly important if you are diabetic, as magnesium deficiency is very common among Type 2 diabetics. This is another possible culprit if you’re getting muscle cramps.  There are several types of magnesium, some of which are more poorly absorbed than others. During water fasting, your best bet is to use Epsom salt baths, as this allows your body to absorb the magnesium through your skin rather than your digestive tract. Magnesium has a laxative effect in high doses, and when you’re not eating anything, oral magnesium can easily result in “disaster pants.” Multivitamins can also be useful during extended fasts, especially if you’re doing them regularly.  It is also important to understand that if you are on a multiday water fast you will liberate many toxins from your fat stores, so using an infrared sauna and taking effective binders, like chlorella, modified citrus pectin, cilantro or even activated charcoal can help eliminate these liberated toxins from your body and prevent their reabsorption.  While fasting is a profoundly effective intervention for Type 2 diabetes, you do need to use caution if you’re diabetic. If you are taking medication, especially for your blood sugar, you have to make sure you talk to your doctor, because there’s a risk your blood sugar may end up dipping too low. If you’re taking insulin, and keep taking insulin while fasting, you could get into trouble.  Last but not least, one of the greatest fears people have about fasting is the concept of starvation and the loss of lean muscle mass. In his book, Fung explains why such fears are overblown. Your metabolic rate is the energy your body uses to generate body heat and keep your organs working. Your body basically needs a certain number of calories a day. People have a tendency to think that skipping a meal means your metabolic rate will decrease.  In reality, the exact opposite occurs. In studies looking at basal metabolic rate, people’s metabolic rate is actually 10 percent higher at the end of a four-day fast than at the beginning. So, your body is not shutting down, it’s actually ramping itself up. The reason for this has to do with counterregulatory hormones. As insulin drops, counterregulatory hormones go up.  Some of these activate your sympathetic nervous system (the so-called fight or flight response). “So, as you fast, all these hormones are going up, your sympathetic nervous system is going up, your adrenaline is going up, your growth hormone’s going up,” Fung says.  If you’re among the 80 percent of people who are insulin resistant, get yourself a copy of Fung’s brand-new book that comes out April 3, “The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally.” Fung’s book, “The Complete Guide to Fasting,” is another excellent resource. As Fung says, we’ve known that fasting is beneficial for thousands of years. We just strayed away from it, and we need to re-embrace this foundational aspect of health.


prepareforchange--2019-04-19--Why Sodium Bicarbonate is an Effective Treatment for Disease and Cardiac Arrest

Sodium and potassium bicarbonates are nontoxic primary alkalizing agents for the prevention and treatment of cancer, liver disease, Type I & Type II diabetes, Lupus, heart disease, pharmacological toxicosis, vascular surgery operation, tonsillar herniation due to cerebral edema, lactic acid toxicosis, and hyponatremia or low salt or loss of salts due to excessive or over-exercise. Research by British scientists at the Royal London Hospital shows that sodium bicarbonate can dramatically slow the progress of chronic kidney disease.  Yet the debate continues about sodium bicarbonate and why it should or should not be used in medicine. Jim Davis, MA, RN, EMT-P, writing for the Journal of Emmergency Services says, “For patients in cardiac arrest, after administering epinephrine and amiodarone, you consider sodium bicarbonate as directed by protocol. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is used primarily to combat acidosis, although it’s the treatment of choice in certain cases of overdose. It works by mixing with lactic acid that forms in low perfusion states and in periods of inadequate oxygenation, such as shock and cardiac arrest. It is then converted to a form of carbonic acid that turns into carbon dioxide, and in turn, is expelled through the lungs during ventilation.  Patients who have overdosed from tricyclic antidepressants, diphenhydramine, aspirin, verapamil and cocaine have potentially toxic effects and have benefited from sodium bicarbonate use when symptomatic. Sodium bicarbonate is the universal mainstream treatment of acidosis. It is used every day by oncologists to neutralize the heavy acidic nature of their chemical and chemotherapeutic agents which are often quite toxic. Sodium and potassium bicarbonate increases the hydroxyl ions or electron levels through increased alkalinity to the cells buffering the metabolic acids that can cause cancer.[1]  Davis indicates that the American Heart Association (AHA) has deemphasized the use of sodium bicarbonate so instead of seasoned paramedics giving multiple ampules of sodium bicarbonate during a cardiac arrest they are slow now to inject. They are still administering but now only as an afterthought. Has anything changed?  “Primarily, NaHCO3 works as a buffer by mixing with acids within the body to reduce the acid–base imbalance. Acidosis can develop when excessive amounts of lactic acid are produced during low perfusion states and in periods of inadequate oxygenation. In the presence of NaHCO3, the excess acid is converted to a form of carbonic acid, and then into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. The excess CO2 is expelled through the lungs during ventilation. Patients who become hypoxic from hypoventilation or poor perfusion are unable to metabolize the products of anaerobic glycolysis, which causes lactic and metabolic acidosis to develop thereby lowering their pH level.”  There really are no other good opitions to treat acidosis so EMS providers need to recognize the importance of considering acidosis early on, as well as recognizing that NaHCO3 is the only safe and fast acting treatment option. It was dishartening for many doctors, hospitals and ambulence crews a year ago when shortages of sodium bicarbonate from the two pharmaceutical companies forced cancelations of surgeries and other medical precedures.  A normal pH is 7.35 to 7.45; a pH less than 7.35 places the patient in a state of acidosis. During severe acidosis (pH less than 7.2), the heart is more susceptible to v fib and other arrhythmias. Myocardial contractility is suppressed, hypotension occurs, hepatic blood flow is reduced, and oxygen delivery to tissue is impaired.2 The body uses bicarbonate as a buffer to offset the increase in acid production, attempting to maintain homeostasis.  Sodium bicarbonate administration in conjunction with epinephrine was reported to increase survival as early as 1968, with more recent studies demonstrating similar results. In 2005 Pittsburgh researchers found that EMS systems administering NaHCO3 with epinephrine within minutes of resuscitation demonstrated a higher ROSC, higher discharge rate and better neurological outcome.  Researchers at John Hopkins University evaluated acidosis and brain pH of dogs during prolonged resuscitation. The group receiving NaHCO3, cerebral pH, cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption all remained higher at close to pre-cardiac arrest values. The group with uncorrected acidosis had significant reduction in all areas.  The main concern with using sodium bicarbonate: The sodium load from baking soda can cause fluid retention, particularly edema and nephrotic syndrome in people with compromised kidneys or chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinically, this means an eGFR of less than 30 ml/min; an eGFR of100 ml/min is considered “healthy.” Sodium bicarbonate can raise cardiovascular risk, owing to its high sodium load. Many people, especially those battling hypertension and cardiac issues, need to minimize their salt intake, not raise it.  If high amounts of bicarbonate is used it can precipitate leaching of minerals, especially magnesium and calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. That is why I recommend a product called pH Adjust because it blends sodium bicarbonate with potassium bicarbonate and magnesium to reduce sodium intake as well as balance bicarbonate with other minerals.  According to the Mayo Clinic, baking soda can be used to relieve stomach acid-related health issues, such as acid reflux, sour stomach and heartburn. Some think that bicarbonate is only fine for occasional use and others point to the possibility for some side effects as a reason that bicarbonate always be administered under a doctor’s supervision. This is a mistake in that doctors are not informed about, or even interested in the tendency of most patients to be acidic. So do not stick with your health professional’s recommended dosage instructions.  The bodies own production of bicarbonate goes down as we age creating deficiencies that are important to address. The more acidic a person gets the more they need bicarbonate because oxygen delivery to the cells decreases.  Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm.


sputnik--2019-05-02--Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment On Hold Due to Chaotic Brexit Negotiations

Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment On Hold Due to 'Chaotic Brexit Negotiations'

A patient undergoing cancer treatment has been told a radiotherapy treatment, his best chance of a cure, has been delayed indefinitely "because of Brexit".  Richard Kelly, 53, is being treated for liver cancer and was due to start a cutting-edge treatment, selective internal radiation therapy (Sirt), alongside chemotherapy in April — but despite Sirt being recommended months ago, at his last appointment on 23rd April his oncologist at Bristol Royal Infirmary informed him "NHS England were unable to set a budget for this kind of treatment because of the chaotic nature of the Brexit negotiations and the actual leaving of the European Union…therefore this essential treatment was delayed, with no suggestion of a date when it would be available," Kelly told The Independent.  The delay in Britain's scheduled departure date for leaving the EU was expected to limit the damaging consequences of a no deal Brexit — but Kelly was told "in black and white terms" that Brexit was putting his life at risk.  Consultants had offered the "groundbreaking" form of radiotherapy after they determined his cancer had progressed and was "incurable", but could be contained with chemotherapy. But while Kelly's doctors didn't discuss whether other patients had been affected by Brexit, he said he knew of other people who certainly had been.  "I can't be the only one, how serious is this going to get? We haven't even left. That big red bus said £350 million a week going into the NHS, but we can't even afford cancer treatment. This is the reality of it, thanks a bunch Nigel Farage," Kelly despaired.  While the UK will continue to use EU standards on medicines and clinical trials in the short term once it leaves the EU, the charity noted there would still be some degree of disruption — and urged drugs companies to stockpile medicines just in case.  In February, the Royal College of Radiologists cautioned NHS trusts would have "no choice but to prioritise" which patients receive cancer treatment should a no-deal Brexit go ahead and delay the import of radioactive isotopes.  The College said it had not seen the "detail of the customs paperwork" that would allow the materials, which cannot be stockpiled as they decay too quickly, to gain fast-track entry into the UK — medical isotopes are used in nuclear medicine either to treat cancer by killing diseased cells, or to diagnose diseases by injecting a radioactive tracer into the body that allows scanner images to be taken of tissue and organs. In the case of a no-deal Brexit, expected delays at UK ports would make delivery of these materials by land or sea unviable because of their short shelf-life.


thedailymirror--2019-06-02--New hunt and destroy radiotherapy treatment poised to tackle prostate cancer

New 'hunt and destroy' radiotherapy treatment poised to tackle prostate cancer

A pioneering treatment which can “search and destroy” cancer cells offers hope to thousands of patients.  The targeted radiotherapy can tackle incurable prostate cancer when tumours have spread through the body.  Scientists have identified a protein, prostate-specific membrane antigen, which is produced by cells in the most advanced cases.  PSMA was used initially to scan where tumours had spread, but now it is used to guide radioactive isotopes to tumours.  Trials involving this technique found eight in 10 of the hardest to treat patients had their tumours shrink.  The last-ditch treatment is now available in the UK, but only privately – with the first two patients receiving it last week.  There are 10,000 men in Britain with advanced prostate cancer.  If trials are successful, experts at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago said PSMA radiotherapy could be introduced on the NHS.  Study leader Prof Johann de Bono, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: “This treatment is a huge deal, causing substantially durable remission.  “We believe we will have this drug approved within two years – and it works.”  Aussie oncologist Arun Azad is testing the treatment on 200 men in one of 10 trials worldwide.  He said: “If results are positive, it really will change the landscape of how we treat prostate cancer.”  Scientists believe patients could survive for up to a decade longer with the procedure.  There are 11,500 prostate cancer deaths in the UK a year.  Hans Schaupp became the first man in Britain to be treated with PSMA radiotherapy on May 25.  The 77-year-old, from Hampshire, below, said: “I was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 2012.  “I had two years of hormone therapy and then the PSA started going up again. I was talked into having chemotherapy.  “I had nine cycles, but chemo is barbaric. We had been talking for a long time about PSMA.  “I was considering going to Germany but then it became available here.  “I was the first patient to get it. The treatment is fantastic. I was in the clinic less than four hours.  “Rather than poisoning your whole body with chemo, it goes straight to the tumours. If it works, then great.  “It is five days since I had it and I feel absolutely perfect. No side-effects, nothing.”


theguardianuk--2019-01-10--Waiting times for NHS cancer treatment are at worst ever level

Record numbers of patients are not getting vital cancer care on time because NHS England performance against waiting time targets has fallen to its lowest ever level, according to official figures.  Hospitals are increasingly having to force patients to wait for care because they cannot keep up with the growing numbers being referred by GPs who fear they have the disease.  Over 18,000 suspected cancer patients a month in England are now not getting to see a specialist or starting their treatment within prescribed timescales, NHS England’s latest performance data has revealed.  In November, 14,634 people did not see a specialist cancer consultant within 14 days, the supposed maximum length of time the NHS constitution says that anyone referred by their GP should have to wait.  Another 2,884 people could not start their treatment inside 62 days, and a further 894 did not begin their treatment within 31 days, despite family doctors classifying both groups as urgent cases.  Experts warned that the growing delays lead to mental anguish for patients, could have “a serious impact” on people’s health and raised doubts about the NHS’s plans to improve Britain’s internationally poor record of diagnosing cancer early.  “When they suffer delays like these, patients are bound to ask themselves whether the wait has had an impact if they’re diagnosed with cancer. It’s difficult for nurses to reassure patients in this situation, which compounds the anxiety and distress patients already feel,” said Patricia Marquis, a regional director at the Royal College of Nursing in England.  “Tens of thousands of patients and their families are enduring agonising waits, all too aware that a small delay could have a serious impact,” she said.  More people were unable to see a specialist within 14 days during April to November 2018 than in the whole of the previous financial year. While 113,935 patients had to wait longer than 14 days in 2017-18, even more – 124,133 – missed out that target between April to November 2018. That is the highest number since the target was introduced in October 2009.  NHS performance against some of the cancer waiting times targets has nosedived over the past year at the same time as concerns have grown about shortages of cancer doctors and specialist cancer nurses. The number of those not seeing a specialist within 14 days has risen by 60% since last year.  The NHS trust in Oxford ran so short of cancer nurses last year that it considered rationing the amount of chemotherapy patients it should receive, while one in London was forced to merge two chemotherapy units for the same reason.  While hospitals should ensure that 93% of patients see a specialist within two weeks, just 91.7% were able to do so in the eight months between April and November 2018 – again, their worst performance on record. During that same period 6,256 people could not start their treatment within 31 days of doctors making a “decision to treat”. That is on course to be many more than the 7,204 who were not treated on time in all 12 months of the year before.  Similarly, 22,565 people have missed out on urgent treatment within 62 days of referral already in 2018-19 which, again, is set to exceed the 26,217 who missed during last year.  “These truly terrible statistics represent the most shameful indictment of nearly nine years of Tory austerity, cuts and staffing failures in the NHS,” said Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary.  In November hospitals in England missed five of the eight cancer targets – including the 14-day and 62-day requirements – for the fourth month in a row. They have breached the 62-day treatment target every month since December 2015 and only met it three times in the 58 months since they first missed it in January 2014. The 14-day target has been missed for the past eight months.  Macmillan Cancer Support’s executive director of policy and impact, Fran Woodard, said: “Behind these figures are people waiting anxiously for a diagnosis and treatment, during a period when lives are already being turned upside down, despite the best efforts of NHS staff facing greater demand for their services and increased pressures.”  NHS leaders, whose long-term plan for the service’s future this week outlined ambitious improvements to cancer diagnosis and outcomes, must draw up a fully costed plan to give cancer services the workforce they need, added Woodard.  The King’s Fund also highlighted that growing numbers of patients are having to wait more than six weeks – the supposed limit – to have a CT, MRI scan or X-ray to help doctors diagnose if they have cancer.  Deborah Ward, a senior analyst at the thinktank, said: “Although the NHS is treating thousands more people, it can’t keep up with rapidly increasing demand.  “The long-term plan set out ambitious targets to improve cancer care and these new figures highlight the scale of the challenge. But without a credible workforce plan it’s hard to see how these goals will be met.


theguardianuk--2019-06-01--New breast cancer treatment offers hope of longer life to younger women

Younger women with breast cancer have been given the hope of living longer after what is described as “one of the greatest advances in breast cancer research in recent decades”.  Adding ribociclib, a targeted drug that disrupts cancer cells, to standard hormone therapy was found to boost survival among premenopausal patients who have an advanced form of the disease.  The risk of death was cut by almost a third compared with those treated with hormone therapy alone, according to the study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago.  “This is indescribably good news for patients and their families,” said Lady Delyth Morgan, the chief executive at Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now.  The research, led by Dr Sara Hurvitz of the University of California in Los Angeles, followed 672 pre-menopausal women under the age of 59 who had advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.  The patients were assigned either ribociclib, which targets and interferes with processes in the cells that cause cancer to grow, or a placebo. All the women also received hormone therapy.  After 42 months, 70% of those treated with the combination therapy were still alive, compared with 46% of those who received just hormone therapy.  “This is the first study to show improved survival for any targeted therapy when used with endocrine therapy as a first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer,” Hurvitz said. “The use of ribociclib as a frontline therapy significantly prolonged overall survival, which is good news for women with this terrible disease.”  Women who received ribociclib lived an average of 23.8 months without the disease progressing, compared with 13 months for those treated with a placebo, the research found.  “We have known for some time that giving ribociclib with an aromatase inhibitor [a hormone therapy] can slow the spread of incurable breast cancer, but to now know that it can also extend life for premenopausal patients is the new hope that so many families have been waiting for,” Delyth said.  “The recent introduction of this class of drugs to NHS care has offered a long-awaited step forward in our ability to delay the progression of the most common type of incurable breast cancer. It is now absolutely fantastic to see the very first evidence that ribociclib can give thousands of younger women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer more time to live. We cannot put into words what it will mean for so many women to be able to spend precious extra time with their families and create memories that will last a lifetime.  “This class of drugs, and the way it slows cancer growth, represents one of the greatest advances in breast cancer research in recent decades, and it’s vital we ensure that all patients who could benefit are able to access it.”  The study may also stimulate further research into whether the combination of ribociclib and other types of drug that are currently not approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence could help another class of breast cancer patients – those who have received prior hormone therapy.


theindependent--2019-02-25--Cancer treatment could be revolutionised by targeting a single cell scientists say

Cancer treatment could be revolutionised by targeting a single cell, scientists say

The toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation make the cure often seem as bad as the ailment, and there is also the threat of recurrence and tumour spread.  Cancer treatment still follows a practically medieval method of cut, burn or poison. If the growth can’t be cut out through surgery, it may be burnt away with radiation or poisoned by chemotherapy.  As a result, cancer therapy remains a daunting diagnosis for patients and treatment options seem limited for a disease which causes one in six deaths globally.  The failure to innovate in cancer treatment may lie in the very poor success rate of clinical trials. Approximately 95-98 per cent of new anti-cancer drugs actually fail phase-III clinical trials, the phase in which new treatments are compared with existing therapy options. This is a staggering statistic. No other business could possibly survive with such an abysmal success rate.  Most drugs are made to target “bulk” cancer cells, but not the root cause: the cancer stem cell. Cancer stem cells, also known as “tumour-initiating cells”, are the only cells in the tumour that can make a new tumour. New therapies that specifically target and eradicate these cancer stem cells are needed to prevent tumours growing and spreading, but for that there needs to be more clarity around the target.  Our new research may have discovered such a target. We have identified and isolated cells within different cancerous growths which we call the “cell of origin”. Our experiments on cancer cells derived from a human breast tumour found that stem cells – representing 0.2 per cent of the cancer cell population – have special characteristics.  They generate vast amounts of energy and proliferate rapidly. We believe that they resemble the cancer cell of origin that has escaped senescence – the natural process of cell ageing and “death” which concludes a healthy cell life cycle. These are thought to be the first cancer cells which start the process of uncontrolled cell multiplication and cause tumours to form.  These cancer stem cells undergo anchorage-independent growth, also known as growth in suspension, without any tissue attachment. This is how metastasis occurs – spreading via the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. These features put them front and centre as a new target for anti-cancer therapy.  With astonishing luck, these energetic cancer stem cells are colour-coded which means they have a natural phosphorescent glow, making them easy to identify and target.  Now that we have found them and we know how they behave, it should be relatively simple to find drugs to target cancer stem cells. In our new paper we have already shown that they are easily targeted with a mitochondrial inhibitor or a cell cycle inhibitor such as Ribociclib, an FDA-approved drug in the US which would prevent their proliferation.  Ultimately, this means that if we focus on energetic cancer stem cells, we may be able to directly hit the target. We might be able to turn cancer into a manageable chronic disease, like diabetes. We believe that we have arrived at the start of a new, more fruitful, road in cancer therapy. As a consequence, “big pharma” drug screening should actually focus on cancer stem cells and their relevant targets.  Michael P Lisanti is a professor of translational medicine at the University of Salford. This article originally appeared on The Conversation  We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.  At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.


theindependent--2019-03-11--How a stem cell treatment left patients feeling worse than before

After years of back pain, Timothy Lunceford decided in July to try an injection of umbilical cord blood, an unproven treatment increasingly touted by chiropractors and pain doctors as a cure for achy joints. A day after he got the shots, Lunceford’s back began throbbing. After two days, he was feverish and could hardly move.  “It felt like someone stuck a knife into the middle of my back and just left it there,” says Lunceford, a 52-year-old wildlife biologist from Athens, Texas.  Lunceford says his wife rushed him to a hospital, where doctors found E coli and a second type of bacteria in his blood. Nurses gave him antibiotics to fight life-threatening sepsis, and a neurosurgeon scraped infected tissue from his spine. For 58 days, Lunceford remained hospitalised, wracked by intense pain.  Over the past year, at least 17 people have been hospitalised after being injected with products made from umbilical cord blood, a little-known but fast-growing segment of the booming stem cell industry, according to state and federal health officials and patient reports. Sold as a miracle cure for a variety of intractable conditions, the injections have sickened people in five states, prompting new warnings from health officials about the risks of unproven stem cell treatments.  All but two of the illnesses have been linked to a single company: Liveyon of Yorba Linda, California. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report in December tying 12 cases in multiple states to treatments sold by the company. Three additional patients in Texas and Maine have filed lawsuits against Liveyon claiming the company’s product infected them with bacteria.  Liveyon, founded in 2016, sells tiny vials of a solution it says is derived from umbilical cord blood, which it claims is an especially potent source of healing stem cells. In ads and on its website, Liveyon says its product is “as miraculous as the birth of a child itself” and “stimulates regenerative healing.”  Such products are not approved by federal regulators or supported by clinical research, but businesses selling them say they provide relief to many patients. Many health professionals say the injections – like most stem cell therapies – violate Food and Drug Administration rules against using unapproved drugs and are potentially dangerous.  The CDC report revealed a specific risk: bacterial infection. The CDC says it had documented a dozen patients who had developed a variety of maladies from the injections, including swollen spinal discs, infected bones and joints, and abscesses in their backs. Three of the 12 patients were hospitalised for a month or more, the report says.  The CDC did not name the patients, but the date of Lunceford’s injection and the length of his hospital stay match those of a patient listed in the CDC report.  On 28 September, after the FDA and other health officials enquired about the infected patients, the company issued a recall for all treatment vials marketed under the name “Liveyon ReGen”. Blaming the California company that manufactured the vials, Liveyon executives says they hired a new manufacturer in Florida and changed the name of their product to “Liveyon Premier MAXCB”.  “We’re a victim as much as the patients who were infected,” Liveyon’s founder and chief executive, John Kosolcharoen, says in one of several interviews. “I feel like we tried to do everything right.”  Internal company records show that Liveyon received reports of patients falling ill and testing positive for E coli as early as 5 June 2018 – nearly four months before the recall. Liveyon executives did not dispute that finding but says they did not act sooner because they believed the infections were caused by doctors who inadvertently contaminated their product while injecting patients.  However, the CDC found that the bacterial contamination probably “occurred before distribution” to doctors. After obtaining 10 unopened vials of Liveyon treatments from clinics in Texas and Florida where patients had fallen ill, the CDC report says, investigators found bacteria in eight of them. In the weeks since then, CDC officials says, they have obtained many more ReGen vials directly from Liveyon and found bacteria in a large proportion of them.  Kosolcharoen says he continues to believe that doctor error contributed to the rash of infections. He adds that Liveyon has spent a lot of time and money trying to establish and follow best practices in a field rife with bad actors.  “We’re just the tip of the iceberg, and we’re the cleanest in the iceberg,” Kosolcharoen says. “If anyone else knew what’s going on in this industry, they would roll over in their grave.”  Stem cells can divide and renew themselves over long periods, and some can grow into any kind of cell in the body. Eventually, researchers say, stem cells could be used to treat many diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinson’s.  But those therapies are still being developed; the only FDA-approved stem cell treatment is for blood disorders like leukemia. Many leading researchers compare the products being sold now to snake oil, saying there is little oversight, little scientific rationale for the procedures and little proof they have any effect.  Meanwhile, doctors have found evidence of harm: several people have gone blind after receiving stem cell treatments, according to reports in the New England Journal of Medicine and elsewhere. And two people died shortly after being injected with stem cell treatments in Florida, most recently in 2012.  The for-profit stem cell business is nonetheless booming. After cropping up overseas in countries such as Thailand and China, the industry has flourished in the United States – without much resistance, until recently, from the FDA or other federal regulators. Academic experts have identified at least 716 US stem cell clinics and say the true number probably exceeds 1,000.  Many clinics use patients’ own tissue – belly fat, blood or bone marrow – to fashion treatments. More recently, practitioners have begun offering treatments manufactured from birth-related products, including discarded placentas, amniotic tissue, umbilical cords and cord blood.  Such materials have a long history in commercial marketing, says Jeanne Loring, a neurobiologist and stem cell researcher at California-based Scripps Research.  “People have been putting things like that in creams and shampoo for ages,” she says. “But there’s nothing inherently magical about placental tissue or the amniotic sac.”  Lisa Fortier, a Cornell University regenerative medicine researcher, says such products may not even contain stem cells. In a test of 11 products marketed as injectable treatments – none of them from Liveyon – Fortier found that none contained stem cells, or a single live cell of any kind. She says they also contained very few “growth factors” – substances that many companies often claim stimulate healing.  If these products have any effect on patients, Fortier says, “it’s not through live cells or growth factors”.  In interviews, Kosolcharoen, 47, defended his company and its treatments. Whatever testing on other products may show, tests paid for by Liveyon have indicated that its vials contain live cells and stem cells, according to a self-published company report.  Kosolcharoen says he benefited from stem cell therapies in 2012, after falling off a balcony and shattering his knee.  “Liveyon was my way to share the success I had,” he says.  Kosolcharoen says he started Liveyon in 2016, after years of working as an entrepreneur in the insurance, real estate and telemedicine industries. To launch the company, he brought on Alan Gaveck, 59, a podiatrist who serves as Liveyon’s top medical expert.  Gaveck has had no formal training in stem cells, but he says he has spent the past nine years immersed in the industry. Comparing himself to university professors and academic stem cell researchers, he says: “I’ll stand up to any of them as far as knowledge of stem cells is concerned.”  Before Liveyon, both men experienced professional setbacks, according to court documents and other records.  Two months after filing Liveyon’s incorporation documents, Kosolcharoen pleaded guilty to defrauding the military healthcare system.  According to an FBI affidavit, Kosolcharoen ran a sales team that persuaded soldiers to request prescriptions for a topical cream sold for “pain, scarring, stretch marks, erectile dysfunction, or for ‘general wellness’”. In return, Kosolcharoen received more than $600,000 (£460,000) from a compounding pharmacy that supplied the cream, the affidavit said.  In an interview, Kosolcharoen says he didn’t deliberately defraud anyone. He says federal officials charged him because he wasn’t directly employed by the pharmacy and therefore was receiving payment for his work under an improper tax status.  He says he pleaded guilty because federal officials threatened to charge his relatives involved in the business. His sentencing in the case has been repeatedly delayed; Kosolcharoen says federal officials are waiting to use his testimony against the compounding pharmacy. Federal prosecutors declined to comment because the case remains open.  Before that, Kosolcharoen ran into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which barred him in 2014 from the securities industry after he made “material misstatements” and committed “fraud and deceit”, according to a settlement agreement between the SEC and Kosolcharoen.  In an administrative hearing on the case, the SEC says Kosolcharoen worked for a Dallas-based medical insurance company, Global Corporate Alliance, which SEC officials described as “a $10m Ponzi scheme that victimised at least 80 investors”.  In an interview, Kosolcharoen says that he was duped by the company and that he and his relatives lost money when authorities exposed the scheme.  “I was the middle person, transferring paperwork,” he says. Kosolcharoen says authorities told him, “We won’t charge you with anything, but you have to agree to never get a security license.” The SEC declined to comment on the agreement.  Gaveck, meanwhile, no longer holds a medical license. He was reprimanded by the Arizona podiatry board in 2007, when the board voted unanimously to censure him for his treatment of a patient who came to him for a dislocated toe and – two surgeries later – had to have the toe amputated.  The patient sued Gaveck for malpractice, he says; he later decided not to renew his medical licence.  “I had a very busy surgical practice and, yes, I had a malpractice suit,” Gaveck says in a telephone interview. Such lawsuits, he says, are a common occurrence for “anyone who has been in medicine long enough”.  Gaveck says he does not need a medical licence because Liveyon does not treat patients directly in the United States. Instead, the company sells its treatments to chiropractors and other practitioners. Over the past two years, Kosolcharoen says the company has sold 25,000 vials at $1,500 for a single-injection dose or $1,800 for a multiple-injection dose.  Those sales have brought in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, Kosolcharoen says, but he says the company’s profits so far have been modest because of startup and overhead costs.  Until recently, Liveyon also did not engage directly in manufacturing. Kosolcharoen and Gaveck says it would have taken too long to set up their own manufacturing operation, so they turned to Exeligen Scientific in San Diego.  Liveyon officials says executives at Exeligen set up a third company in San Diego, called Genetech, to produce Liveyon’s vials. In June – about the time Liveyon first started hearing from providers about infected patients – an FDA inspection of Genetech’s facility found numerous sterility and safety lapses, according to FDA records.  At the time, inspectors reprimanded Genetech for not following safe manufacturing practices – such as consistently screening donor cells for communicable diseases, FDA records show. The agency issued a formal warning to the company in November and told Genetech it was selling an unapproved product. It copied Liveyon’s Kosolcharoen on the letter.  Neither Genetech nor Exeligen could be reached for comment. The websites and phone numbers for the companies no longer work, and top executives did not respond to multiple emails or repeated calls and texts to their cellphones.  Kosolcharoen says he knew nothing about the FDA’s findings at Genetech until several months after the June inspection.  “I gotta be a little mad at FDA,” he says. “Had we been notified that they had done an inspection of Genetech and found these deviations, we would have stopped buying from them immediately.”  Liveyon continued to distribute vials of “Liveyon ReGen” through the summer and into the fall. The first reports of infected patients reached the CDC in September.  After investigating cases reported by health departments in Texas and Florida, CDC officials issued a call to other health departments nationwide. By mid-December, the CDC had found 12 patients, its report says: seven in Texas, four in Florida and one in Arizona. This week, CDC officials says they confirmed a 13th case of infection.  Dorothy O’Connell, 90, of Brazoria, Texas, says she is among those patients, and details of her case match one investigated by the CDC.  O’Connell received Liveyon injections for her arthritic back and neck on 12 September, according to her daughter, Elaine Dilley. Within days, “she started throwing up, and I had to call an ambulance”, Dilley says, adding that her mother’s pain was so intense, “you couldn’t touch her”.  O’Connell was airlifted 50 miles north to a hospital in Houston. “Her kidneys were shutting down, and they were worried she was going to have a heart attack,” Dilley says. “The doctors didn’t think she was going to make it.”  Despite her age, O’Connell had always been able to take care of herself, including mowing her own lawn, Dilley says. Now her mother has been left with damaged vision, hearing and balance, Dilley says, and has had to learn how to walk again.  Seven months after his July injections, Lunceford, the patient from Athens, Texas, says he still experiences persistent stabbing pains and has been unable to return to work. He, O’Connell and three other Texas patients have filed lawsuits against Liveyon, alleging negligence.  Liveyon has denied their claims and is fighting them in court.  In addition to Lunceford and O’Connell, The Post reviewed the medical claims of five other people who says they were hospitalised after receiving Liveyon treatments. Among them is John Herzog, 63, an osteopathic physician in Falmouth, Maine, whose case was not among the 12 investigated by CDC.  Herzog says he injected himself in May after some of his patients asked for cord-blood injections. Regional chiropractors were “making a killing” on the shots, he says. But before charging his patients “$1,800 a vial for something that wasn’t effective”, he says, he decided to try it himself on a painful knee.  When Herzog expressed concerns about the product’s safety, a Liveyon sales person arranged a phone call with Gaveck, the company’s top medical expert. Gaveck assured Herzog the product was sterile, he says.  Within minutes of the injection, however, Herzog says, his knee ballooned, and he couldn’t straighten his leg. The pain was excruciating. In the hospital, doctors found two types of bacteria, and Herzog says he was later diagnosed with a bone infection and a related blood clot.  Once an enthusiastic biker and windsurfer, Herzog says he lost 30 pounds and now cannot walk up stairs without pain.  Last week, Herzog filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against Liveyon, Genetech – and Gaveck. Asked to comment on the case, Gaveck says the phone call occurred before Liveyon had gotten the first reports of bacterial infections in patients.  “I probably did have a conversation with him,” Gaveck says. “Sales reps refer folks to me all the time.”  But, he says, “I don’t talk glowingly about anything. I talk about what I know and the science of it.”  After years of minimal regulation of the stem cell industry, the FDA issued guidelines in 2017 making clear that many products are unapproved drugs being marketed illegally. The agency says it is giving many in the industry time to become compliant while targeting riskier treatments, such as injections into the eye and spinal cord, for enforcement. It has also gone to court to try to stop procedures at two clinics.  So far, Liveyon has not received a warning letter from the FDA, even though federal regulations say distributors are responsible for their products’ safety.  FDA officials declined to discuss the details of the Liveyon-Genetech case. In an interview, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the agency “continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the product, how it became contaminated and how patients became injured and may take additional action”.  Last month, Los Angeles health officials reported two patients had become seriously ill after being injected with a similar product sold by a different company.  FDA officials says the agency lacks the resources to pursue a comprehensive crackdown on the sprawling stem cell industry. It is difficult to impose a “regulatory architecture after an industry has sort of grown up”, Gottlieb says.  “There’s now a marketplace where arguably hundreds of millions of dollars are being made,” says Mark Schwartz, a former top official for the FDA’s Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Manufacturers, clinics and distributors like Liveyon “have a vested interest in keeping this going and are not so easily scared off”.  Kosolcharoen says the recent infections will not impede Liveyon’s success. He and Gaveck say the company recently set up its own laboratory, so it won’t have to rely on outside manufacturers. They are already aggressively marketing vials being produced by their new lab under the label “Liveyon Pure” and have increased their asking price by $200 a vial.  Meanwhile, the company is planning a rapid expansion. Liveyon hired 10 new employees, Kosolcharoen says, and plans to hold 36 seminars in the coming year to teach chiropractors and pain doctors about its treatments. The company aims to be selling in 13 countries by year’s end.  Liveyon also recently opened its own clinic in Cancun, Mexico, Kosolcharoen says, so that American patients can receive its treatments unfettered by FDA regulations.  So far, he says, the clinic has injected hundreds of patients, including people with spinal cord injuries, people with Parkinson’s disease and many children with autism.  “The future for Liveyon,” Kosolcharoen says, “is the brightest it’s ever been,”  We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.  At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.


theindependent--2019-04-02--Obesity treatment helps patients safely lose weight by reducing blood flow to the stomach trials sh

Obesity treatment helps patients safely lose weight by reducing blood flow to the stomach, trials show

A procedure which helps obese people to lose weight by reducing blood flow to the stomach could become a cheaper and less risky alternative to other surgeries, a clinical trial suggests.  Researchers leading tests of the recently developed technique, known as bariatric embolisation, showed that over a year severely obese patients shed around 10 per cent of their body weight.  They also reported having a reduced appetite, feeling full more quickly, and showed promising early signs that their cholesterol was going down.  “This is a great step forward for this procedure establishing early feasibility, safety and early efficacy,” said Dr Clifford Weiss, lead author of the study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  The pioneering procedure works by using a tubular catheter to access the blood vessels and place microscopic beads which block off some of the arteries leading to the stomach.  This reduces the blood flow enough to prevent the stomach releasing hunger-triggering hormones, but not enough to cause damage.  Obesity is a growing public health crisis in developed countries like the US and UK. Britain is already the fattest nation in western Europe and this is driving rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers.  This places a significant burden on health systems, and while weight-loss surgeries are shown to be effective in reducing obesity, financial constraints mean the NHS has been reduced to rationing these as well.  Embolisation is already used to shut off blood flow to a weak or damaged blood vessel – aneurysm repair – and a way to starve cancerous tumours of oxygen.  While it is still in early stages in weight loss, bariatric embolisation instead of gastric bypass, where the small intestine is attached to a pouch at the top of the stomach, or gastric bands which pinch the stomach to make a person feel full quicker, with less risk of infection and complications.  The 20 patients in the trial, which is published in the journal Radiology on Tuesday, lost 8.2 per cent of their excess weight in the first three months and had lost 11.5 per cent of their weight by the end of the trial.  Crucially the participants all reported that their quality of life had improved as well.  Larger trials with more patients will be needed to rule out the possibility that the weight loss is just a temporary placebo effect, but it looks at present like a future option to help combat obesity.  “It is fulfilling to all of us to see something that started as an idea develop through about a decade of research and then go all the way to an initial clinical trial,” Dr Weiss said.  “The reality is that obesity itself is an individualised disease that requires individualised treatments.”  We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.  At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.