Wednesday, July 28, 2010

New diabetes research: Half of Americans have gene that affects how body burns sugar 2007

Those people with the variant gene processed fat differently than those who don’t have it. They burned more fat, which may have hindered their ability to remove sugar from the blood stream and burn it. Diabetes is characterized by too much sugar in the blood. “This study adds to what was previously known about this gene variant by showing that after consuming a very rich milkshake, people with the variant gene process the fat from the drink differently than other people,” Weiss says. That is not to say that half of U.S. residents are destined to get diabetes, he adds. “While the variation of the gene appears to contribute to the diabetes risk, it does not cause diabetes by itself,” Weiss says. “Many other genes, some known and some unknown, are involved in a person’s overall risk of developing diabetes. Those are things a person can’t control. But there are risk factors for diabetes that a person can change - lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise.”

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

PPARs and the complex journey to obesity

Ronald M Evans,Grant D Barish & Yong-Xu Wang ; 2004

Obesity and the related disorders of dyslipidemia and diabetes (components of syndrome X) have become lobal health epidemics. Over the past decade, the elucidation of key regulators of energy balance and insulin signaling have revolutionized our understanding of fat and sugar metabolism and their intimate link. The three ‘lipid-sensing’ peroxisome proliferator–activated receptors (PPAR-α, PPAR-γand PPAR-δ) exemplify this connection, regulating diverse aspects of lipid and glucose homeostasis, and serving as bona fide therapeutic targets. With molecular underpinnings now in place, new pharmacologic approaches to metabolic disease and new questions are emerging.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Monday, July 19, 2010

Iontophoretic drug delivery. Xanya Sofra Weiss

Yogeshvar N. Kalia , Aarti Naik , James Garrison , Richard H. Guy ; 2003

The composition and architecture of the stratum corneum render it a formidable barrier to the topical and transdermal administration of therapeutic agents. The physicochemical constraints severely limit the number of molecules that can be considered as realistic candidates for transdermal delivery. Iontophoresis provides a mechanism to enhance the penetration of hydrophilic and charged molecules across the skin. The principal distinguishing feature is the control afforded by iontophoresis and the ability to individualize therapies. This may become significant as the impact of interindividual variations in protein expression and the effect on drug metabolism and drug efficacy is better understood. In this review we describe the underlying mechanisms that drive iontophoresis and we discuss the impact of key experimental parameters—namely, drug concentration, applied current and pH—on iontophoretic delivery efficiency. We present a comprehensive and critical review of the different therapeutic classes and molecules that have been investigated as potential candidates for iontophoretic delivery. The iontophoretic delivery of peptides and proteins is also discussed. In the final section, we describe the development of the first pre-filled, pre-programmed iontophoretic device, which is scheduled to be commercialized during the course of 2004. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 56 619 – 658 )

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Analgesic efficacy of APS (Action Potential Simulation). Pilot study of the patients with chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders. Xanya Sofra

Anna Pyszora, Małgorzata Krajnik, Anna Adamczyk, Michał Graczyk, Jacek Budzynski, Zbigniew Zylicz, Małgorzata Łukowicz; 2007

Background and aims: Pain in musculoskeletal disorders is common medical problem, however frequently difficult to treat. That is why different methods of physical therapies have been tried with the controversial results. APS-therapy (Action Potential Simulation) falls under the broad definition of MET (Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation). MET may be a useful treatment for many pain-related disorders, providing fast relief of symptoms. The aim of this pilot clinical study was to investigate the analgesic efficacy of APStherapy in chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders.
Methods: The study involved 12 patients with musculoskeletal disorders who suffered from chronic pain. Each patient received treatment for 3 weeks’ time. APS-therapy was administered for a period of 16 minutes, 5 times a week. Treatment was given by portable unit, that generated an APS waveform (monophasic, pulse width 800 ms, frequency 150 Hz and intensity 0.5–1.5 mA). NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) evaluation was performed for 3 days of pre-treatment period, before each treatment which reflected the pain situation of the previous 24 h, and once daily for 2 weeks after treatment.
Results: The initial mean NRS in pre-treatment period was 5.53 (SD = 1.94), decreased after APS-therapy to 3.45 (SD = 1.4) (p = 0.002) and even more to 2.56 (SD = 1.23) in the post-treatment period (p = 0.0003). Mean pain intensity decreased significantly after 11 sessions and remained on the same level up to 2 weeks of post-treatment observation.
Conclusion: APS-therapy may be an effective method of nonpharmacological treatment of chronic pain in muscoskeletal disorders.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Assessment of Lifestyle Effects on the Overall Antioxidant Capacity of Healthy Subjects. Xanya Sofra Weiss

Jean-François Lesgards, Philippe Durand, Magali Lassarre, Pierre Stocker, Guy Lesgards, André Lanteaume, Michel Prost, Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel; 2002

Oxidative damage is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Using a biologic test based on whole blood resistance to free-radical aggression, we sought to evaluate lifestyle factors that may contribute to the normal variability of the overall antioxidant status. We assessed this global antiradical defense capacity in 88 men and 96 women in relation to information on lifestyle obtained by questionnaire. In our relatively young, healthy population, we found a weak negative relation between male sex or aging and the resistance to oxidant stress. Among the factors studied, nonsmoking, vitamin and/or mineral supplementation, and regular physical activity were closely associated with an increased overall antioxidant capacity. Conversely, the antioxidant potential was negatively related to tobacco smoking; psychologic stress; alcohol consumption; moderate vegetable, low fruit, and low fish consumption; and, to a lesser extent, high natural ultraviolet light exposure. Thus, we were able to determine “unhealthy” and “healthy” lifestyle patterns that truly contributed to the variation of individual antioxidant capacity. We conclude that lifestyle determinants of cancer and cardiovascular risks were associated with a decreased overall antioxidant status as dynamically measured by means of a biologic test. Thus, the evaluation of the total human resistance against free-radical aggression, taking into account nutritional habits, lifestyle, and environmental factors, may be useful in preventive medicine as a precocious diagnosis to identify healthy subjects who are at risk for free-radical–mediated diseases.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Saturday, July 17, 2010

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The Practice of Korean Medicine: An Overview of Clinical Trials in Acupuncture

Yong-Suk Kim, Hyungjoon Jun, Younbyoung Chae, Hi-Joon Park, Bong Hyun Kim, Il-Moo Chang, Sung-keel Kangand Hye-Jung Lee; 2005

Acupuncture, one of the Oriental medical therapeutic techniques that can be traced back at least 2500 years, is growing in popularity all over the world. Korea has continued to develop its own unique tradition of medicine throughout its long history, and has formed different types of acupuncture methods. The purpose of this review is to summarize clinical case studies in acupuncture and related therapies, such as acupressure, electric acupuncture, auricular acupuncture and moxibustion in Korea. A survey of Korean journals revealed that a total of 124 studies were published from 1983 to 2001. Results obtained from the survey showed that most clinical studies using acupuncture, electric acupuncture, moxibustion and other traditional therapies could alleviate a relatively broad range of medical problems. However, it should be emphasized that almost all clinical case studies published in various local journals did not follow the ‘good clinical practice’ with respect to regulatory aspects. Since they were not conducted using the randomized double-blinded controls with a large sample size, all the results should be considered as therapeutic indications. This review is an attempt to show the scope of acupuncture in our country and the kind of diseases, after many years of clinical experience, that were deemed valid targets for clinical trials.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Comparison of Apoptosis and Terminal Differentiation: The Mammalian Aging Process

C.E. Gagna, H.-R. Kuo, E. Florea, W. Shami, R. Taormina, N. Vaswani, M. Gupta, R.Vijh, and W.C. Lambert; 2001

Apoptosis is the ordered chain of events that lead to cell destruction. Terminal differentiation (denucleation) is the process in which cells lose their nuclei but remain functional. Our group examined cell death in three tissues using two different fixatives and a postfixation procedure, involving young (5 months) and old (2 years) guinea pigs. The data reveal that B-DNA and Z-DNA content decreases, whereas single-stranded (ss-) DNA increases, in older tissues undergoing apoptosis (skin and cornea) and terminal differentiation (ocular lens). We speculate that some of the factors that contribute to the aging process might also be responsible for the enhanced amount of damaged DNA in older tissues undergoing cell death. (J Histochem 49:929–930, 2001)

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Arasys Inch Loss Arasys Perfector Xanya Xanya Sofra Weiss Xanya Weiss Xanya Sorfa-Weiss Xanyasofraweiss xanyaweiss perfector arasys perfectorarasys arasysperfector inch loss inch-loss body shaping Ion Magnum Pacemaker Technology pacemaker Statins Heart Disease Heart attack Diabetes obesity cellulite cellulite loss nanotechnology nanocurrent pico amperes picoamperes picocurrent marren micro current microcurrents microcurrent face lift non surgical face lift Bio-identical Hormone Therapy Bio-identical Hormones Growth Hormone Free T3 Thyroid Hormones Muscle Building Acne Reduces acne Melasma Reduces Melasma Pigmentations Reduce Pigmentation Reduce Acne

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Messenger RNA levels of genes involved in dysregulation of postprandial lipoproteins in type 2 diabetes: the role of Niemann–Pick C1-like 1, ATP-bindi

Aims/hypothesis The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between chylomicron composition and expression of genes that regulate chylomicron production in the intestine. We examined expression of the following: (1) Niemann–Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), which regulates cholesterol absorption; (2) ATP-binding cassette transporters G5 and G8 (ABCG5, ABCG8), which regulate cholesterol homeostasis through their ability to excrete enterocyte cholesterol back into the lumen of the intestine; and (3) microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP), which packages the chylomicron particle by assembling cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipids and apolipoprotein B48.
Subjects, materials and methods Type 2 diabetic (26) and non-diabetic (21) patients were examined. Levels ofNPC1L1, ABCG5 and ABCG8 and MTTP mRNA were measured in duodenal biopsies by real-time PCR. Lipoproteins were isolated by sequential ultracentrifugation.
Results Diabetic patients had more NPC1L1 mRNA than the control subjects (p<0.02). Expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8 mRNA was lower in the diabetic patients (p<0.05) and MTTP expression was increased (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between NPLC1L1 and MTTP mRNA (p<0.01) and a negative correlation between NPC1L1and ABCG5 mRNA (p<0.001). Diabetic patients on statin therapy had increased ABCG5 and ABCG8 mRNA compared to those not on statin (p<0.02 and p<0.05) and less MTTP mRNA than those not on statin (p<0.05).
Conclusions/interpretation This study demonstrates that in type 2 diabetes there are important alterations to the expression of intestinal genes that regulate cholesterol absorption and chylomicron synthesis. In diabetic patients statin therapy is associated with reduced MTTP expression and increased ABCG5 and ABCG8 mRNA. The study suggests new mechanisms to explain postprandial diabetic dyslipidaemia and the beneficial effect of statins.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Collagen II

Definition of COL2A1

COL2A1: The gene responsible for the production of the alpha1(II) chain of type II collagen. Mutations in the COL2A1 gene lead to a number of different heritable skeletal disorders, including achondrogenesis type II, hypochondrogenesis, Kniest dysplasia, spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia of the Strudwick type, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, and Stickler syndrome. Type II collagen, which adds structure and strength to connective tissues, is found primarily in cartilage, the gel that fills the eyeball (vitreous body), inner ear, and the center portion of the discs between the vertebrae in the spine (nucleus pulposus). There are two forms of type II collagen made in the body. One version, type IIA, is made mainly in the vitreous body of the eye. The second version, type IIB, is preferentially produced in adult cartilage tissue.Collagen II is initially produced as type II procollagen, a protein consisting of three pro-alpha1(II) chains twisted together to form a triple-stranded helical (spiral-shaped) molecule. While in the cell, enzymes modify certain amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), specifically lysine and proline, by adding chemical groups that are necessary for the strands to come together in a stable structure and then cross-link with other molecules. Other enzymes add sugars to the protein. The triple-stranded type II procollagen molecule leaves the cell and is converted to collagen by enzymes that clip small segments off both ends. The collagen molecules arrange themselves into long, thin fibrils outside of the cell. The fibrils come together in side-by-side groups to form collagen fibers. Cross-linking between molecules in fibrils produces a very stable protein structure, which contributes to collagen's tissue-strengthening function.

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Xanya Sofra Weiss

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Evaluation of microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation (MENS) effectiveness on muscle pain in temporomandibular disorders patients. Xanya Sofra Weis

The effect of Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation (MENS) was evaluated and compared with occlusal splint therapy in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients with muscle pain. Twenty TMD patients were divided into four groups. One received occlusal splint therapy and MENS (I); other received splints and placebo MENS (II); the third, only MENS (III) and the last group, placebo MENS (IV). Sensitivity derived from muscle palpation was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Results were submitted to analysis of variance (p<0.05).>

Xanya Sofra Weiss