Thanks to better medications and care, patients with HIV are living longer, healthier lives. The flip side is that many of these patients are developing end stage liver and kidney disease.

Despite many challenges, advances in medications and promising research have begun to nudge open doors that were previously closed to this patient population, according to an article by Laurie Carlson in the November-December 2008 issue of Nephrology Nursing Journal . In the past, for example, patients who were HIV positive were not considered possible transplant recipients as physicians felt the immunosuppressive medications used to prevent rejection would further compromise their already taxed systems and increase their risk for infection and death. Also, organs are always in great demand and go to patients who are expected to have a better outcome of survival.

Following strides in care and improved HIV drugs, the National Institutes of Health in 2000 launched a study to evaluate transplants in HIV-infected individuals.

“The preliminary results are encouraging enough to dispute the conventional wisdom that individuals infected with HIV should never be considered as potential transplant recipients,” Carlson writes. “As more transplant centers begin transplanting HIV-infected individuals following a standard protocol, more data will become available to address the many questions that await clarification.”

Protocols include strategies that improve outcomes such as pre-transplant screenings for vaccinations, infectious diseases, and tuberculosis. Post-transplant, medication management and prevention of opportunistic infections are also carefully monitored.

(Clinical Management of the HIV-Positive Kidney Transplant Recipient; Laurie Carlson, MSN, RN; Nephrology Nursing Journal; November-December 2008; annanurse/journal)

Nephrology Nursing Journal is a refereed clinical and scientific resource that provides current information on a wide variety of subjects to facilitate the practice of professional nephrology nursing. Its purpose is to disseminate information on the latest advances in research, practice, and education to nephrology nurses to positively influence the quality of care they provide.

Nephrology Nursing Journal

Updates on the impact of sexually transmitted diseases, infection risk from animals in the home and public settings, seasonal and H1N1 influenza, and foodborne diseases were presented today at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The news conference was sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

“Each year we face new and reemerging infectious diseases threats,” said Susan J. Rehm, M.D., NFID medical director and vice chair, Department of Infectious Disease, at the Cleveland Clinic. “Our goal as medical professionals is to ensure that we identify these threats in a timely manner and educate the public to minimize the overall impact on society.”

Influenza is currently the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in the United States. Seasonal influenza causes an estimated 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations in the United States. Most of the deaths occur in the elderly, but the hospitalization rate for children 2 years of age and younger is comparable to the hospitalization rate of the elderly. As of June 30, 2009 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received 89 reports of influenza-associated pediatric deaths with 67 being attributed to seasonal influenza and 22 pandemic influenza cases.

“Unfortunately, seasonal influenza immunization has never been a health priority for Americans,” said Carol J. Baker, executive director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research and professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “Influenza is not easy to recognize and is often confused with less severe respiratory viral infectious such as the common cold.”

Novel H1N1 influenza virus, which was recognized in late April 2009, has caused a million cases of influenza worldwide and the age groups most affected are the young rather than the elderly. Cases of the pandemic (novel H1N1) influenza are expected to rise during this fall and winter.

“Seasonal influenza vaccine should be available soon. We should start immunizing as soon as the vaccine is available to prevent the seasonal influenza. In addition to vaccines, we should remember hand hygiene, cough etiquette and social distancing also helps to prevent the spread of both types of influenza,” said Dr. Baker.

Additional topics discussed at the 14th Richard J. Duma/NFID Annual News Conference and Symposium on Infectious Diseases included:

– Sexually Transmitted Diseases – Neither Gone Nor Forgotten: David Martin, M.D., chief, section of Infectious Diseases and Harry E. Dascomb Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, discussed the most common reportable infectious diseases in the United States is Chlyamydia trachomatis. The number of reported cases is growing each year due to increased screening efforts. “Excellent C. trachomatis diagnostic tests are now available and can be performed on urine specimens. Treatment is inexpensive and safe. Therefore, theoretically, this common STD could be dramatically curtailed in the United States population if broad-based screening efforts were undertaken,” said Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin outlined the need to eliminate barriers associated with screening including lack of access to healthcare, health care provider reticence to address sexual health issues, limited budgets to support screening programs, insufficient treatment of exposed sex partners, and lack of knowledge on the part of young sexually active individuals about the true risk of unprotected sexual intercourse with multiple partners. Dr. Martin also provided updates on treatment options for gonorrhea, the increased incidence of syphilis and medical advances which lead to discoveries of new STDs.

– Infection Risk from Animals in the Home and in Public Settings: Larry K. Pickering, M.D., FAAP, senior advisor to the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, executive secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and professor of pediatrics in the department of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine outlined the risks associated with animal exposures to non-traditional pets in the home and to animals in public settings. “The majority of households in the United States own a pet, and exposure to animals in public settings (petting zoos, state fairs, pet stores, animal swap meets, carnivals, child care centers) results in millions of human-animal interaction each year. Many pet owners, people in the process of choosing a pet and people exposed to animals in public settings are not aware of the potential risk posed by certain animals, especially non-traditional pets such as rodents, reptiles and weasels,” stated Dr. Pickering. “Infections with organisms acquired from these animals can involve many organ systems including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, lungs, blood and central nervous system. Organisms which have been associated with outbreaks include Salmonella species, E. coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter species, Cryptosporidum species, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Dr. Pickering discussed regulations and recommendations applicable to these exposures and defined measures which can minimize or prevent illness in children from exposure to these animals.

– Foodborne Diseases: The Continuing Challenges to Public Health: Robert V. Tauxe, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director, Division of Foodborne Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an overview on the prevention of foodborne diseases, how they can be prevented and the roles the CDC plays in detection and prevention. “Educating consumers and food handlers is important, but not sufficient,” said Dr. Tauxe. “Through studying various outbreaks we can learn how to prevent disease through targeted prevention strategies.”

Since 1996 the CDC has utilized a national surveillance network which allows for sharing of DNA ‘fingerprint’ patterns, permitting rapid detection of clusters of strains from ill persons that have matching patterns. This system facilitates the detection and investigation of dispersed common sources of outbreaks. Each year 50,000 strains are reported to the surveillance system. In recent years the system has detected multi-state outbreaks including E. coli, Salmonella, and Botulism.

About the News Conference and Symposium

The 14th Richard J. Duma/NFID Annual News Conference and Symposium on Infectious Diseases was supported, in part, by unrestricted educational grants to NFID from Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc; Roche; and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

This event is named for former NFID president and executive director Richard J. Duma, M.D, Ph.D., currently director of infectious diseases at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.

About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the causes, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases

Source: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

US scientists suggest that children who grow up near busy roads or highways with traffic pollution have poorer lung function and are more likely to
suffer long term respiratory and heart-related health problems than those who live further away.

The study is published in the early online edition of the Lancet.

The research team was led by Dr James Gauderman, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern
California. His team comprised ten other academic and industry scientists from California and Spain.

The scientists examined the effects of traffic pollution on 3,677 children who grew up in Southern California over an 8-year period between the ages of 10
and 18. They drew on data that had been collected as part of the longitudinal study known as the Children’s Health Study, which has been monitoring
respiratory health among children in 12 Southern California communities. The communities had differing levels of air quality.

The results showed that the lungs of the kids who had lived within 500 metres (about 500 yards) of a busy highway or road with traffic pollution were less
developed and had lower lung capacity than those who had lived at least 1,500 meteres away.

Dr Gauderman said in a prepared statement that a person who has been breathing in that level of pollution in their growing years is likely to have poorer
lung function the rest of their life. It is already known that poorer lung function is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
such as emphysema in later adult life.

“Otherwise-healthy children who were non-asthmatic and non-smokers also experienced a significant decrease in lung function from traffic pollution,” said Dr
Gauderman, and he suggests that “all children, not just susceptible subgroups, are potentially affected by traffic exposure.”

For each year over the 8-year period scientists tested the lung function of each child, such as how forcefully they could breathe out and how much volume of
air they could breathe out and take in. They also recorded how far away the child’s home was from busy roads and highways and took into account the air
quality and level of traffic pollution in each case.

Living near traffic pollution means that more of the ultrafine particles and carbon emitted from vehicle exhausts, particularly from diesel fumes, get deep
into the lungs. Toxic chemicals are also present in traffic pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide which affects the ability of the lungs to exchange oxygen
and carbon dioxide with the bloodstream.

“This study shows there are health effects from childhood exposure to traffic exhaust that can last a lifetime,” said Director of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, David Schwartz.

“Someone suffering a pollution-related deficit in lung function as a child will probably have less than healthy lungs all of his or her life,” added Dr
Gauderman.

The researchers suggest that this study adds further support to the argument that regional air quality regulations will have to be adjusted to take in local
factors, including how traffic volume affects air quality. This is particularly important in areas where because of population growth, communities are
building schools and homes near to busy roads and highways. This study shows there is likely to be a significant impact on child and adult public health if
this trend is allowed to continue.

“Effect of exposure to traffic on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age: a cohort study.”
Dr W James Gauderman PhD, Hita Vora MS, Prof Rob McConnell MD, Kiros Berhane PhD, Prof Frank Gilliland MD, Prof Duncan Thomas PhD, Fred Lurmann MS,
Edward Avol MS, Nino Kunzli MD, Michael Jerrett PhD and Prof John Peters MD.
The Lancet Early Online Publication, 26 January 2007.
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60037-3

Click here for Abstract (free
subscription).

Factsheet (PDF) for parents on traffic pollution and
children’s health (Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California).

: Catharine Paddock
Writer: blog

Younger women have equivalent access to kidney transplants compared with their male counterparts, but older women receive transplants much less frequently than older men, according to a study appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that steps are needed to ensure that women are provided with equal opportunities to receive kidney transplants as they age.

Researchers have reported that women have less access to kidney transplants than men, but this recent study indicates that this disparity does not affect all women. Dorry Segev, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, MD, and his colleagues discovered this by studying the United States Renal Data System, which collects, analyzes, and distributes information about end-stage kidney disease in this country. Their analysis included 563,197 patients with end-stage kidney disease diagnosed between 2000 and 2005.

The investigators found that while young women in this group had equivalent access to transplantation when compared with their male counterparts, access for older women decreased significantly. Specifically, women aged 18 to 45 years had access to transplantation that was equivalent to men, women aged 46 to 55 years had 3% less access, women aged 56 to 65 years had 15% less access, women aged 66 to 75 had 29% less access, and women over 75 years had 59% less access.

These disparities existed for both access to the deceased donor waiting list as well as access to live donations. However, the gender disparities were limited to referral to the waiting list – once a woman was on the transplant list, her chances of receiving a transplant were equivalent to a man’s. This is very different from other disparities in transplantation such as race disparities, in which African Americans are less likely to be referred to the waiting list and are also less likely to receive a transplant once on the list.

Dr. Segev and his team also found that for every age group analyzed in this study, women had a similar or slightly higher survival benefit from transplantation compared with men, indicating that there is no reason to deny women transplants as they age.

These findings could help researchers develop ways to reduce disparities in kidney allocation. “Knowing that the gender disparity is limited to older women indicates that efforts should be made to identify specific differences between older men and older women – rather than general differences between all men and women – in an effort to minimize the gender disparity in access to transplantation,” said Dr. Segev.

###

The article, entitled “Older Age and Comorbidities as Effect Modifiers of Transplant Gender Disparities,” is online at jasn.asnjournals/, and will appear in the March 2009 print issue of JASN.

ASN is a not-for-profit organization of 11,000 physicians and scientists dedicated to the study of nephrology and committed to providing a forum for the promulgation of information regarding the latest research and clinical findings on kidney diseases.

ASN publishes JASN, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), the Nephrology Self-Assessment Program (NephSAP), and the ASN Kidney News.

Source: Shari Leventhal

American Society of Nephrology

In a step closer to developing a treatment for Parkinson’s in humans using therapeutic cloning, scientists in the US and Japan have for the first time
used cells from a mouse to treat Parkinson’s in the same mouse.

The study is published in the advanced online issue of the journal Nature Medicine and is the work of investigators at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, and the Riken Institute in Kobe, Japan.

Hailed as the first study of its kind, the investigators showed that therapeutic cloning, or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SNCT), using cells from a mouse
to treat the same mouse can be successful. Although so far only demonstrated in animals, if the success is replicated in humans, it will open the door to
treatments that reduce transplant rejection and improve recovery in a range of other diseases and medical conditions.

Therapeutic cloning or SNCT involves removing the nucleus from an egg and replacing it with the nucleus of the subject. Thus the egg develops using the DNA
of the donor of the nucleus and not the donor of the egg. The egg develops into a blastocyst cell that yields embryonic stem cells with the potential to
become a range of cell types that can be used therapeutically.

Since the cells develop with the DNA of the donor of the nucleus, when implanted into the donor’s body, they will not be attacked by the donor’s immune
system.

In this new study, senior author Dr Lorenz Studer, who is Head of the Stem Cell and Tumor Biology Laboratory within the Sloan-Kettering Institute at MSKCC,
and lead author Dr Viviane Tabar, Neurosurgeon and stem cell scientist at MSKCC, used skin cells from the tails of 24 mice with Parkinson’s to create 187
cell lines, from which they derived dopamine neurons that were customized to each individual’s DNA. Dopamine neurons are brain cells that are missing or not
working effectively in Parkinson’s disease.

They then grafted the customized cells into mice with the same DNA as the cells. And another control group of mice received cells with DNA that did not match their own. The mice that received
dopamine neurons that matched their own DNA showed neurological improvement and lack of immunological response whereas those that received mismatched cells
did not.

The study has been welcomed by experts as bringing medicine a step closer toward an effective treatment for Parkinson’s, a chronic and progressive brain disease
for which there is currently no cure although there are drugs that slow and relieve the symptoms. However, some have also remarked that there is still a
long way to go before it can be said that such a treatment will be successful in humans.

Speaking to BBC News, Robin Lovell-Badge, a professor in stem cell research at the National Institute of Medical Research in London, UK, said that this study
demonstrated the potential for therapeutic cloning in the treatment of Parkinson’s, but while the successfully treated mice made a significant recovery,
they were only studied for 11 weeks, which is not long enough to tell if the treatment persists.

The Washington Post reported a comment from assistant professor Michael Jakowec, a neurologist at the George and MaryLou Boone Parkinson’s Disease and
Movement Disorders Research Center at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who said that moving the science from
mice to humans is a “gigantic” step.

Jakowec told the Post that:

“You see a lot of failures in studies that try to translate success from rodents to humans.”

He suggested it might be premature to move to humans next, perhaps the method shoud be demonstrated in primates first, but there is no doubt that it opens
“a new avenue of therapeutic strategy, which may ultimately benefit patients down the road,” said Jakowec.

“Therapeutic cloning in individual parkinsonian mice.”
Viviane Tabar, Mark Tomishima, Georgia Panagiotakos, Sayaka Wakayama, Jayanthi Menon, Bill Chan, Eiji Mizutani, George Al-Shamy, Hiroshi Ohta, Teruhiko
Wakayama & Lorenz Studer.
Nature Medicine, Published online: 23 March 2008.
DOI:10.1038/nm1732

Click here for Abstract.

Sources: journal abstract, MSKCC press release, Washington Post, BBC News.

: Catharine Paddock, PhD

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has developed updated guideline recommendations on the use of bisphosphonates, medications that help strengthen the bone, in people with multiple myeloma. The new guideline will be published in the June 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The key recommendations in the guideline address:

В· Therapy duration, dosage and monitoring
В· Osteonecrosis of the jaw
В· Previous recommendations for solitary plasmacytoma, indolent myeloma, smoldering myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy and biochemical markers

Myeloma is a cancer caused by abnormal plasma cells that form tumors in the bone marrow. Myeloma can cause organ damage and increased breakdown and loss of bone, which can lead to pain, loss of bone structure, fractures and hypercalcemia. Over ninety percent of people with myeloma have more than one tumor, so the disease is often called multiple myeloma.

Patients who receive bisphosphonates when being treated for multiple myeloma may experience less bone pain, fewer fractures and slower loss of bone mass. Risks of bisphosphonate use include reduced kidney function, acute kidney failure and osteonecrosis of the jaw. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two intravenous bisphosphonates for treating bone loss from multiple myeloma: pamidronate (Aredia) and zoledronic acid (Zometa).

Therapy Duration, Dosage and Monitoring

The guideline recommends that bisphosphonates be given to patients monthly for two years. At two years, the physician should consider stopping the use of bisphosphonates if the patient has responded to therapy. Physicians should re-start bisphosphonate therapy if a patient’s myeloma returns and new bone problems develop.

The guideline recommends that people with multiple myeloma who experience bone loss or fracture of the spine from osteopenia receive either 90 mg of pamidronate over two hours or 4 mg of zoledronic acid over at least 15 minutes, every three to four weeks.

The guideline recommends monitoring multiple myeloma patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy every three to six months for albuminuria-high levels of the protein albumin in the urine might indicate damage to the kidneys. According to FDA-approved labels of pamidronate and zoledronic acid, the physician also should monitor levels of creatinine, a chemical in the body used to measure kidney function, before providing a dose of either drug.

Physicians should stop administering pamidronate and zoledronic acid to patients who develop kidney problems while on either bisphosphonate,” said Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, co-lead author of the guideline and director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “Treatment may be resumed once the exact kidney problem is identified and resolved.”

For multiple myeloma patients with existing kidney problems and extensive bone disease, the guideline does not recommend use of zoledronic acid. For these patients, the guideline recommends a longer infusion of four to six hours of pamidronate, instead of a two-hour infusion.

The guideline also recommends lowering the dose of pamidronate in multiple myeloma patients with pre-existing mild to moderate kidney disease. The manufacturer of Zometa previously recommended lowering the treatment dose for these patients as well.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw

The guideline includes new recommendations for patients with osteonecrosis of the jaw, or bone loss or deterioration of the jaw that occurs in some patients using bisphosphonates. Symptoms include infection of the jaw, pain, swelling, loose teeth and exposed bone.

The guideline recommends that all multiple myeloma patients receive a comprehensive dental examination and appropriate preventive dentistry prior to starting bisphosphonate therapy. All oral infections and areas in the mouth at high risk for infection should be treated,” said Robert A. Kyle, MD, co-lead author of the guideline and a hematologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Patients should maintain excellent oral hygiene and avoid invasive dental procedures, if possible, while receiving bisphosphonate therapy.”

Previous recommendations

The guideline update does not recommend use of bisphosphonates for myeloma patients with the following conditions:

В· One bone tumor (solitary plasmacytoma)
В· A slower growing form of myeloma (smoldering or indolent myeloma)
В· Conditions of abnormal plasma cells that are not myeloma but may eventually develop into myeloma (Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance)

Additionally, the guideline does not suggest use of the biochemical markers to monitor bisphosphonate treatment for routine care of multiple myeloma patients.
Along with the new guideline, ASCO also has released a corresponding patient guide available on ASCO’s patient Web site, People Living With Cancer, at
“American Society Of Clinical Oncology 2007 Clinical Practice Guideline Update On The Role Of Bisphosphonates In Multiple Myeloma” by Robert A. Kyle, et al., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

This guideline is being published in the June 10 print issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the semi-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading professional society representing physicians who treat people with cancer.

For a copy of the guideline and available supplemental materials, visit www.asco/guidelines

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. ASCO’s nearly 25,000 members from the United States and abroad set the standard for patient care and lead the efforts to discover more effective cancer treatments, increase funding for clinical and translational research, and, ultimately, improve cancer care for the estimated 10 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year. ASCO publishes the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the preeminent, peer-reviewed, medical journal on clinical cancer research, and produces People Living With Cancer (www.PLWC), a comprehensive consumer Web site providing oncologist-vetted cancer information to help patients and families make informed health-care decisions.

www.asco

View drug information on Aredia; Zometa.

There is no known cure for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But new hope, in the form of stem cells created from the patient’s own bone marrow, can be found – and literally seen – in laboratories at Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Yoram Cohen of TAU’s School of Chemistry has recently proven the viability of these innovative stem cells, called mesenchymal stem cells, using in-vivo MRI. Dr. Cohen has been able to track their progress within the brain, and initial studies indicate they can identify unhealthy or damaged tissues, migrate to them, and potentially repair or halt cell degeneration. His findings have been reported in the journal Stem Cells.

“By monitoring the motion of these cells, you get information about how viable they are, and how they can benefit the tissue,” he explains. “We have been able to prove that these stem cells travel within the brain, and only travel where they are needed. They read the chemical signalling of the tissue, which indicate areas of stress. And then they go and try to repair the situation.”

Tracking live cells in the brain

To test the capabilities of this innovative new stem cells, Dr. Cohen created a study to track the activity of the live cells within the brain using the in-vivo MRI at the Strauss Centre for Computational Neuro-Imaging. Watching the live, active cells has been central to establishing their viability as a therapy for neurodegenerative disease.

Dr. Cohen and his team of researchers took magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and used them to label the stem cells they tested. When injected into the brain, they could then be identified as clear black dots on an MRI picture. The stem cells were then injected into the brain of an animal that had an experimental model of Huntington’s disease. These animals suffer from a similar neuropathology as the one seen in human Huntington’s patients, and therefore serve as research tool for the disease.

On MRI, it was possible to watch the stem cells migrating towards the diseased area of the brain. “Cells that go toward a certain position that needs to be rescued are the best indirect proof that they are live and viable,” explains Dr. Cohen. “If they can migrate towards the target, they are alive and can read chemical signalling.”

An ethically viable stem cell

This study is based on differentiated mesenchymal cells (MSC), which were discovered at Tel Aviv University. Bone marrow cells are transformed into NTFs-secreting stem cells, which can then be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. This advance circumvents the ethical debate caused by the use of stem cells obtained from embryos.

Although there is a drawback to using this particular type of stem cell – the higher degree of difficulty involved in rendering them “neuron-like” – the benefits are numerous. “Bone marrow-derived MSCs bypass ethical and production complications,” says Dr. Cohen, “and in the long run, the cells are less likely to be rejected because they come from the patients themselves. This means you don’t need immunosuppressant therapy.”

Working towards a real-life therapy

Dr. Cohen says the next step is to develop a real-life therapy for those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. The ultimate goal is to repair neuronal cells and tissues. Stem cell therapy is thought to be the most promising future therapy to combat diseases such as Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and researchers may also be able to develop a therapy for stroke victims. If post-stroke cell degeneration can be stopped at an early stage, says Dr. Cohen, patients can live for many years with a good quality of life.

In collaboration with Dr. Cohen, this work on tracking live stem cells in the brain was done by Noam Shemesh, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Ofer Sadan from the group of Drs. Daniel Offen and Eldad Melamed from the Felsenstein Medical Research Center at the Rabin Medical Center.

Source:
George Hunka

American Friends of Tel Aviv University

The University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) will host the 2005 Communication and Aging Symposium on February 18 and
19. Bringing together researchers, professionals, policy makers, seniors and students, the symposium will translate
knowledge into practice, and create and strengthen connections between those who discover, use and benefit from new knowledge
about communication and aging.

The public event is co-sponsored by the Centre for Research on Biological Communication Systems at UTM and the Canadian
Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA). It will take place in the Auditorium on the main floor
of the Communication, Culture and Information Technology Building, UTM, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North.

For more information, visit the symposium website at utm.utoronto/crbcs/events or contact Prof. Kathy Pichora-Fuller in the Centre for Research
on Biological Communication Systems at 905-828-3865 or kpfullerutm.utoronto.

Media Contact:

Tracy Moniz
Communications Officer
University of Toronto at Mississauga
Email: tmonizutm.utoronto
Phone: 905-569-4757

Teaching children about healthy eating and discouraging the consumption of sodas (fizzy drinks) has a short to medium term effect on childhood obesity, but no long term impact. Researchers found that three years after an education program came to an end the impact was completely gone.

You can read about this in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The authors explain that simple interventions are only really effective if there are ongoing and long-term. Approximately 10% of the global school age population is overweight. Forecasts predict that 20% of boys and 25% of girls in the United Kingdom will be obese by 2010.

Janet James and team explain that several studies have demonstrated that there is a link between the consumption of fizzy drinks and obesity – this association is acknowledged by the WHO (World Health Organization).

The “Ditch the Fizz” campaign, known as the Christchurch Obesity Prevention Project, was put into practice in six junior schools in Southern England from August 2001 – the program ran for one year and included 644 children, aged 7-11. The program attempted to discourage children from consuming fizzy drinks, as well as encouraging them to eat healthily – there were four extra health education classes spread over the year. There was one intervention group and a control group. At the end of the year the levels of obesity in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the control group.

24 months after the project had ended researchers re-measured the children’s weight, height and BMI (body mass index) – and converted them into Z scores. The Z score factors in the child’s age and sex, and represents the deviation compared to an average child of the same age and gender.

The researchers found that the total number of overweight children had risen in both groups – however, there were still more overweight children in the control group. Three years after the project had finished the prevalence of overweight in both groups was identical.

The authors explain that obesity is a very complex condition.

“It remains unclear whether specific interventions or those which focus on all aspects of the diet and physical activity are the most successful. Perhaps the true impact of any school based intervention can effectively only be evaluated if the interventions are continuous,” the researchers concluded.

“Preventing childhood obesity: two year follow-up results from the Christchurch obesity prevention programme in schools (CHOPPS)”
Janet James, Peter Thomas, David Kerr
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39342.571806.55 (published 8 October 2007)
Click here to view abstract online

Queen’s University Belfast is spearheading a ВЈ1 million international research effort to combat liver fluke a parasite which causes disease in livestock, resulting in billions of pounds in losses every year to farmers around the world.

The disease caused by liver fluke worms Fasciolosis has a huge impact on livestock globally, causing ill health in animals and dramatically reducing productivity. Losses to UK farmers are estimated at over ВЈ300 million per year, while in India, Fasciolosis costs the agricultural sector between ВЈ1.3 and ВЈ3 billion per year.

Further, this disease is a food-borne pathogen which can also infect people. An estimated 17 million people are infected with the liver fluke worm and the disease has been designated a Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organisation.

Parasitologists from Queen’s School of Biological Sciences will work with partners at Aligarh Muslim University and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in India, and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in efforts to uncover a new vaccine for the disease.

Professor Aaron Maule from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s said: “Liver fluke worms cause serious losses in cattle, buffaloes, goats and sheep and are a serious threat to the livelihood of farmers in many areas of Asia and Africa. A farmer in India whose buffalo is infected can see a 30 per cent drop in milk yields. This parasite represents a huge burden to India’s largely agricultural economy.

“In the developed world, liver fluke are mainly controlled using drugs which kill them. Drug resistance, however, is spreading. As these drugs become less effective, outbreaks of the disease in the UK are on the rise.

“A new control strategy, based on vaccination or chemotherapy, is urgently needed. This is exactly what we will be working to develop over the next three years, along with our partners in Wales and India.

“Key to the development of an effective treatment will be the careful selection of a suitable vaccine or drug target from within the worm. We will identify this target with the help of new molecular technologies, such as gene silencing, whereby potential targets are temporarily removed from the worm in order to determine their importance to the worm’s survival.

“Following the selection of the best vaccine targets, our research partners in India will conduct field trials in livestock to identify the best vaccine to control liver fluke disease.

“We also believe this technology based strategy for the selection of vaccine and drug targets will be directly transferable to other animal and human parasites, such as blood flukes and tapeworms.”

Professor Wayne Powell, Director of IBERS at Aberystwyth University said: “I am particularly pleased that IBERS is working in partnership to tackle major global challenges and making a contribution to solving some the most pressing problems in the developing world.”

The ВЈ1 million research funding is part of the ВЈ13 million Combating Infectious Diseases of Livestock for International Development initiative co-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Department for International Development and the Scottish Executive.

UK Development Minister Mike Foster said: “Smallholders from developing countries face a daily struggle. Healthy animals can mean the difference between feeding a family or being plunged further into poverty and malnutrition. This new research will reduce poverty, increase animal welfare and ultimately improve the quality of life for some of the world’s poorest people.”

Welcoming the research, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: “This collaboration demonstrates the UK’s determination to share our world-leading science in the search for improved treatments and diagnostic tools in animal health. Animal disease is a deadly threat that leaves no corner of the Earth untouched. This research will allow communities to protect food chains and economies at home and in developing countries.”

BBSRC Chief Executive, Professor Douglas Kell, said: “Joining with partners from developing countries, UK science can provide a solid platform for providing disease management solutions from better vaccinations through to more sophisticated diagnostic techniques which will not only transform the lives of millions across the developing world, but also generate a more stable livestock infrastructure globally for the benefit of us all.”

Details of all the projects being funded by the Livestock for International Development initiative are available in a media briefing at the website below.

Source: Queen’s University Belfast