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February 12, 2001 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Marine n-3 Fatty Acids, Wine Intake and Heart Rate Variability
This article looks at the protective effect of wine and omega-3 fatty acids from fish on sudden cardiac death. A protective effect was shown with the omega-3 fatty acids, but not with wine. This study did not differentiate types of wine and that may be the reason why no protective effect was seen. I firmly believe that alcohol has little beneficial effect on the heart, but the coloring in red wine is what provides the protective effect seen in previous studies, not the alcohol. The substance resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes and in peanuts, is the compound believed to confer these positive effects. Circulation -- Abstracts: Christensen et al. 103 (5): 651 http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/5/651
(TNF-) Plays a Protective Role in Acute Viral Myocarditis in Mice
Careful with this!! TNF-alpha receptor blockers are the hot new class of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and now Crohn's disease. I always worry about blocking the action of a cytokine as important as TNF-alpha--we can't possibly begin to guess the long term effects of this suppression of the immune system. Well, maybe we can--could fatal cardiac infections be one of those long term potential side effects? Only time will tell; time and the post-marketing surveys done on the guinea pig patients... Circulation -- Abstracts: Wada et al. 103 (5): 743 http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/5/743
Analysis of Commensal Host-Microbial Relationships in the Intestine
I know this title sounds a little confusing, but the really, really important take home message in this study is that bacteria in the gut may actually affect the way genes are expressed. The genes that are modulated involve the body's ability to break down environmental toxins, maintain the barrier functions of the gut and many others. This study was done on mice, but if this holds true in humans, than this is truly an amazing finding. All of us in medicine need to wake up an realize that the bacteria in our gut play a major role in our health, as well as our disease.
Science Hooper et al. 291 (5505):881 Human beings contain complex societies of indigenous microbes, yet little is known about how resident bacteria shape our physiology. We colonized germ-free mice with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a prominent component of the normal mouse and human intestinal microflora. Global intestinal transcriptional responses to colonization were observed with DNA microarrays, and the cellular origins of selected responses were established by laser-capture microdissection. The results reveal that this commensal bacterium modulates expression of genes involved in several important intestinal functions, including nutrient absorption, mucosal barrier fortification, xenobiotic metabolism, angiogenesis, and postnatal intestinal maturation. These findings provide perspectives about the essential nature of the interactions between resident microorganisms and their hosts.
COX-2 Expressed at High Levels in Pancreatic Tumors
This study demonstrated high levels of COX-2 in several types of pancreatic tumors, and the addition of COX-2 inhibitors slowed the growth of the tumors. Now, before we jump up and down at this discovery and throw lost of research money into the study of COX-2 inhibitors and pancreatic cancer, we must remember Dr. Gonzalez's work using high levels of pancreatic enzymes, detoxification, coffee enemas and other healthy lifestyle changes. Normal survival for pancreatic cancer rarely exceeds 19 months. Period. In a small study, Dr. Gonzalez achieved 45% survival rate at 2 yrs, with four of eleven patients still surviving. ( Entrez-PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed& list_uids=10368805&dopt=Abstract
Cancer 2001;91:333-338 Over half of pancreatic tumors express cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Japanese researchers report. In addition, COX-2 inhibitors can inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. The researchers also investigated the effect of the COX-2 inhibitors aspirin and etodolac on the growth of four pancreatic cancer cell lines, of which two expressed COX-2 weakly and two expressed the protein strongly. Both drugs inhibited the growth of the cells. "Although the reason remains unclear, there was a negative correlation between the intensity of COX-2 expression and the 50% inhibitory concentration of aspirin but not of etodolac," the authors write. They conclude that COX inhibitors are "possible preventive agents against pancreatic neoplasms."
Effective and Safe Modification of Multiple Atherosclerotic Risk Factors
This article looks at the lowering of multiple risk factor for atherosclerosis simultaneously. As far as I'm concerned, this is the ONLY way to address this problem. Of interesting note in this study was the use of niacin, 500mg twice daily (a very reasonable dose) to raise HDL levels 30%. Add some exercise and avoidance of saturated fat and your LDL/HDL ratios will be looking pretty good!!
Am Heart J 140(5):792-803, 2000 Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are at an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and thus are an excellent group in whom to evaluate the feasibility and the effect of an aggressive multifactorial intervention on atherosclerotic vascular disease risk factors. The Arterial Disease Multiple Intervention Trial (ADMIT) was designed to determine the efficacy, safety, and compliance of an multifactorial therapy on selected atherosclerotic disease risk factors in patients with PAD. Niacin increased HDL cholesterol levels by 30%, with the majority of effect achieved at a dosage of 500 mg twice daily. Warfarin had an anticoagulant effect. The antioxidant vitamins resulted in a significant increase in vitamin E, C, and beta-carotene plasma levels. Overall, compliance was high and few adverse effects were reported. ADMIT demonstrates that it is both feasible and safe to modify multiple atherosclerotic disease risk factors effectively with intensive combination therapy in patients with PAD.
Worsening of Hypertension by Cyclo-oxygenase-2 Inhibitors
Remember and keep this ingrained: the human body has interactions between organs, between cells and even within cells that are far beyond what science may ever discover. When we block one such interaction without fully understanding what that process does IN ITS ENTIRETY, we risk side effects that may potentially be worse than the original disease process. Nature gave us methods to combat pain. They have been used for centuries, if not longer. Side effects of these therapies are virtually unheard of.
J Clin Hypertens 2(6):396-398, 2000 The cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has been marketed as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with a reduced risk for gastrointestinal toxicity compared to other classes of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also known to differ in their risk of adversely affecting blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. The acute effect of cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors on blood pressure has not been reported. We describe three cases demonstrating an adverse effect of cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors on blood pressure in stable hypertensive patients.
FDA Warns Against Use of Product That Phyne Will Not Recall
This article seems strange. The FDA has ordered a recall, but the recall of one of the items, injectable adrenal cortex extract, is not going to be done by Phyne Pharmaceuticals. Kind of makes you wonder who's in charge... Ironically, the recall was due to substandard manufacturing processes. Instead of using this potentially unsafe extract, I would consider using glandulars long before I would consider using an injectable extract. Glandulars are purified portions of organs from healthy tissue (usually bovine) . If you want to support a gland in the body, instead of figuring out all the potential micronutrients necessary for optimal functioning, glandulars are the best answer.
(article) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued on Monday a strong recommendation against the use of injectable adrenal cortex extract (ACE) manufactured by AMRAM Inc. and marketed by Phyne Pharmaceuticals. A recall of ACE and about 38 other injectables marketed by Phyne was enacted by AMRAM in December due to concerns of substandard manufacturing conditions found by FDA officials on a visit to AMRAM's facilities. However, the FDA believes that Phyne delayed taking action to remove the recalled products from the market, and the agency last week issued a warning to healthcare organizations and medical product distributors that AMRAM and Phyne's products may be unsafe. Phyne has now informed the FDA that it will not include ACE in the recall effort, according to the agency's statement on Monday. "FDA shares the same safety concern about ACE as it does with the products which Phyne Pharmaceuticals is recalling because all of the products were manufactured by AMRAM Inc. under the same conditions violating good manufacturing standards for pharmaceuticals," the agency said. Phyne was not immediately available for comment. In interviews with Reuters Health last week, company representatives argued that it was the FDA that had held up the recall and that the products at issue are not actually defective.
Sex Influences Mortality Risk Associated With Diastolic BP
Wow..this is some new news to me! Men with systolic (the top number) hypertension and normal diastolic (bottom number) were at higher risk of cardiovascular mortality than those systolic hypertensive men with elevated diastolic values. No theory was given for these results.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37:163-168 Middle-aged men with systolic hypertension appear to be at higher risk of death when their diastolic blood pressure is normal than when their diastolic blood pressure is mildly or moderately increased. However, women appear to be at increased risk when both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures are elevated, according to a report by French researchers. For both men and women, the investigators found that cardiovascular mortality increased as systolic blood pressure increased. After adjusting for age and systolic blood pressure, they noted that for subjects with normal systolic pressure, diastolic pressure did not influence cardiovascular mortality. Dr. Benetos' team detected a U-shaped curve relationship between cardiovascular mortality and diastolic pressure in men with systolic hypertension. In this group, the lowest mortality rates were seen among men whose diastolic pressure was 90 to 99 mm Hg. However, there was a 73% increase in mortality for men whose diastolic pressure was less than 90 mm Hg, and a 65% increase in mortality when the diastolic pressure was 110 mm Hg or greater, according to the report. Additionally, among women with systolic hypertension, diastolic blood pressure was "positively correlated with cardiovascular mortality," the researchers note. "In middle-aged subjects, classification of cardiovascular risk according to diastolic blood pressure levels should take into account gender, especially when systolic blood pressure levels are elevated," Dr. Benetos' group concludes.