Major Discovery Could Pave Way For New Cancer Treatments
November 15th, 2010
The Telegraph
By: Richard Alleyne
They have found that male hormones play a key role in promoting a specific genetic change that fuels the growth of tumours.
Identifying the genes that are regulated by these hormones is a major step forward in finding new therapies for the disease, which kills one man every hour in the UK.
The study focused on male sex hormones called androgens and their influence on fusing together genes.
These mutant genes, which have been found in several cancers, form when DNA from different parts of the genetic region of cells merge.
Exposure to androgens can cause genes that are normally far apart to fuse together.
In the latest study, a team led by experts at the Institute of Cancer at Queen Mary University of London, found that androgens promote the fusion of two specific genes which fuel the growth of cancer. They are the genes TMPRSS2 and ERG.
Dr Yong-Jie Lu, the lead researcher from the Institute of Cancer, said: “This is a significant discovery and a major breakthrough into the future prevention of the disease.
“It could also lead to new treatments.
“If we can learn how to control and manage androgen levels, there is a strong possibility that we may be able to help thousands of men, especially those known to be at high risk from a family history of prostate cancer, from developing the condition altogether.”
Rebecca Porta, chief executive of Orchid, said: “Every year over 35,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the UK.
“Now, more than ever before, we need to improve our understanding of this disease and to identify new ways to treat and manage it. The work of Dr Yong-Jie Lu is an important step in this direction.
“We are very pleased to be supporting his research programme.”
The work, published in the journal Cancer Research, was funded by the male cancer charity Orchid and the Medical Research Council.
Every year 36,000 men in Britain are diagnosed with prostate cancer, while 10,000 die.
It is the most common cancer among men in the country.
Click here for the full report from The Telegraph
Sunscreen Causing Rickets In Middle Class English Children
November 15th, 2010
The Telegraph
By: Rebecca Smith
The disease, caused by low levels of vitamin D generated in the body from sunshine and certain foods, had died out around 80 years ago but is now coming back.
Cases of rickets in children have occurred in northern England and Scotland where there are fewer months of the year with sufficient sunshine to obtain enough vitamin D but now doctors are seeing it on the South coast as well.
It is thought extensive use of sunscreen, children playing more time on computer games and TV rather than playing outside and a poor diet are to blame.
Professor Nicholas Clarke, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital and professor of paediatric orthopaedic surgery at the University of Southampton, said: “The return of rickets in northern parts of the UK came as a surprise despite the colder climate and lower levels of sunshine in the north, but what has developed in Southampton is quite astonishing.”
Children from all backgrounds are being affected now and the disease is not limited to the poor as it was in Victorian times.
He added: “In my 22 years at Southampton General Hospital, this is a completely new occurrence in the south that has evolved over the last 12 to 24 months and we are seeing cases across the board, from areas of deprivation up to the middle classes, so there is a real need to get national attention focused on the dangers this presents.”
Professor Clarke says he and colleague Dr Justin Davies, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist, have checked over 200 children for bone problems and more than 20 per cent of them have significant deficiencies.
“A lot of the children we’ve seen have got low vitamin D and require treatment,” he said.
“This is almost certainly a combination of the modern lifestyle, which involves a lack of exposure to sunlight, but also covering up in sunshine, and we’re seeing cases that are very reminiscent of 17th century England.”
He added: “We are facing the daunting prospect of an area like Southampton, where it is high income, middle class and leafy in its surroundings, seeing increasing numbers of children with rickets, which would have been inconceivable only a year or so ago.”
Professor Clarke says vitamin D supplements should be more widely adopted to halt the rise in cases.
Vitamin D is found in oily fish and eggs and margarine, cereals and milk can be fortified with it.
The vitamin is vital for the absorption of calcium needed for strong bones and teeth.
Click here for the full report from The Telegraph
Severe Acne Linked to Increased Suicide Risk
November 15th, 2010
WebMD
By: Salynn Boyles
Anecdotal reports of suicides in patients taking Accutane for severe acne have long plagued the drug, but studies have failed to prove or disprove a link to suicidal behaviors.
Now new research finds that severe acne itself increases the risk for suicidal thoughts and actions, raising more questions about the role of the drug, if any, in suicide.
Researchers conclude that use of Accutane for severe acne might lower the overall risk for suicidal behaviors in patients with severe acne, although they concede its use may trigger these behaviors in some vulnerable patients.
“The main message is that very bad acne alone increases the risk for suicide attempts, regardless of treatment,” researcher Anders Sundstrom, MD, tells WebMD.
Accutane’s Troubled History
Introduced in the early 1980s, Accutane (isotretinoin) has been used by more than 13 million people with severe acne, according to manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
Early on its use was linked to an increased risk for serious birth defects and miscarriage. Reports of depression and suicidal behaviors in users soon followed but have been harder to confirm.
The drug has been implicated in several high-profile suicides, including the 2002 death of a Florida teen who flew a small plane into a Tampa skyscraper and the 1999 death of the 17-year-old son of Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak.
In both cases, the parents of the teens unsuccessfully sued Hoffmann-La Roche, claiming that Accutane contributed to the suicides.
Last June, the company announced that it was withdrawing Accutane from the market, citing increased competition from generic isotretinoin.
Severe Acne Linked to Suicide
In the new study, published today in the journal BMJ Online First, researchers followed more than 5,700 patients with severe acne in the years before, during, and up to 15 years after they took isotretinoin.
During this period, 128 of the patients were admitted to the hospital following a suicide attempt.
The analysis revealed that the risk for suicide was increased several years before treatment and remained elevated in the months after treatment.
The highest risk was seen six months after treatment ended, leading the researchers to speculate that patients who aren’t helped by the drug may be distraught at the prospect of having to continue to live with their acne.
Surprisingly, taking the drug was associated with a lower risk of a second suicide attempt in patients with a previous attempt.
“This suggests that a history of suicide attempts may not be a definite cause for avoiding this drug,” Sundstrom says.
He adds that doctors need to recognize that patients with severe acne may have an increased risk for depression and suicidal behaviors.
The researchers also call for close monitoring of patients during treatment with isotretinoin and for up to a year after the drug is stopped.
Parker Magin, PhD, say the impact of treatment with isotretinoin on suicidal behavior may never be fully understood.
Magin is a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.
“It would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove causality without a randomized trial, and we are never going to see that,” he tells WebMD. “What we do now know is that acne is not a trivial condition, particularly acne of the severity that would qualify for the use of this drug.”
Click here for the full report from WebMD
Ten Percent of American Kids Have ADHD
November 15th, 2010
AOL News
By: David Knowles
It’s a problem that appears to be getting worse.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD for short, is on the rise in the United States, with one in 10 children in the country being diagnosed with the neurological condition at some point, according to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control.
The National Survey of Children’s Health found that the number of kids age 4 to 17 who reported being diagnosed with ADHD rose from 7.8 percent to 9.5 percent from 2003 to 2007.
The disorder is characterized by an inability to concentrate at school, at home or in social settings. According to the survey, 66.3 percent of children who suffer from ADHD take medication to combat its symptoms, a marked increase from previous years.
Medications such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, all of them amphetamines, are used to treat the symptoms of ADHD. Some doctors have even prescribed medical marijuana to patients.
The precise cause of ADHD remains unknown, but one recent study suggested a correlation with a diet high in processed and fried foods.
Here’s a primer on ADHD from AnswersTV.
WH Hands Out 111 Obamacare Waivers
November 15, 2010 by Andrew
Filed under Government
Secret Survey Shows Inflation Already Here
November 15th, 2010
CNBC.com
By: John Melloy
There might not have been a second round of quantitative easing, if Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke shopped at Walmart.
A new pricing survey of products sold at the world’s largest retailer showed a 0.6 percent price increase in just the last two months, according to MKM Partners. At that rate, prices would be close to four percent higher a year from now, double the Fed’s mandate.
The “inaugural price survey shows a small, but meaningful increase on an 86-item grocery basket,” said Patrick McKeever, MKM Partners analyst, in a note. Most of the items McKeever chose to track were every day items like food and detergent and made by national brands.
On November 3, the Fed announced its much-anticipated purchase of $600 billion in Treasury securities. An effort to keep market rates low since the central bank’s benchmark rate is already at zero. The Federal Open Market Committee’s statement said, “Currently, the unemployment rate is elevated, and measures of underlying inflation are somewhat low, relative to levels that the Committee judges to be consistent, over the longer run, with its dual mandate.”
But since that statement, interest rates have actually gone up, backfiring on a Fed chief who wants his quantitative easing to spark inflation of 2 percent annually. A moderate amount of inflation would be considered good for the economy. The problem is that inflation is already running well above a healthy level, investors said, Bernanke is just not looking in the right place, like a Walmart.
“I suspect that when the Chairman thinks about reflation he has a difficult time seeing any other asset besides real estate,” said Jim Iuorio of TJM Institutional Services. “Somehow the Fed thinks that if its not ‘wage driven’ inflation that it is somehow unimportant. It’s not unimportant to people who see everything they own (homes) going down in value and everything they need (food and energy) going up in price.”
Next week, the government is expected to say its official measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, increased at a 0.3 percent annual rate, according to economists’ consensus estimate. Core CPI, excluding food and energy, is expected to climb just 0.1 percent.
The biggest dollar increase in McKeever’s survey was on a jug of Tide Original laundry detergent, manufactured by Procter & Gamble. Both P&G and Kimberly-Clark gave tentative forecasts for this quarter on concern they won’t be able to pass rising input costs on to the consumer. They may have no choice.
Prices of cotton, silver wheat, soybeans, corn are all up big this year. Cotton futures are up the most, climbing 90 percent so far in 2010. The price of silver is up 63 percent.
The purpose of McKeever’s note was actually not to be a commentary on Fed policy. The retail analyst is just trying to find out if Walmart is subtlety-increasing prices without decreasing foot traffic. A process he would deem bullish the stock.
“If the pricing dynamic is shifting, as our survey suggests, this would lend some upside bias to our sales and earnings expectations,” said McKeever.
Bernanke keeping interest rates artificially low is sparking outrage among central bank chiefs around the world, who feel the U.S. is essentially exporting inflation.
China’s CPI surged 4.4% in October, according to figures released Thursday, higher than economists’ expected and up from a 3.6 percent annual reading in the month prior.
Said EmergingMoney.com Founder Tim Seymour, “Bernanke definitely must not shop at WalMart in China.”
Click here for the full report from CNBC.com
The Kevin Trudeau Show: 11-10-10
Today, Kevin delves deep into the illegal immigrant controversy and gives you the health advice that could save your life! Plus, author and former meteorologist, Brian Sussman, stops by to blow the whistle on one of the biggest frauds of our era; global warming. Click here to find out how the government is misleading you.
Self Help:
Turn Back Time
Inspiration From Teddy Roosevelt
Beef Up Your Diet
Treating Crohn’s Disease
Add Even More Nutrition To Your Salad
Kill Viruses For Good!
Join Today!
Health:
Big Pharma Attempts To Jump On The Fish Oil Bandwagon
AstraZeneca Only Facing Fine For Illegal Marketing
Chicken Feces Found in Commercial Beef
Children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, Zyrtec Recalled
Vitamin D Cuts Cancer Risk
Teen Girls Get Bribed To Get Gardasil Vaccine
Drugging of Infants & Toddlers in the US
Government:
Just One State
Putting Security Back Into Social Security
WHO Issues Warning About Big Pharma Corruption
Everything Kevin:
Become An Insider!
Kevin is on YouTube!
Sign Up For Kevin’s FREE Podcast
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The Kevin Trudeau Show: 11-9-10
Today, Kevin reveals the top four things happening right now that have been designed to keep you fearful and alter your perception of what you consider ‘normal.’
Self Help:
Invest Your Money
Winter Leadership Cruise
Stress Reduction
Have Dinner With KT
Weight Loss Cure
Health:
290,000 Eggs Recalled Due To Salmonella At Ohio Egg Farm
Drug Company Money Affects Doctors’ Prescriptions
Cancer Patients Radioactive!
Drug Companies Hire Troubled Doctors As Experts
Cancer Is Purely Man Made Say Scientists
Amino Acids In Watermelon Lower Blood Pressure
Abbott Labs Sold Bug Tainted Baby Formula
Why Technology Is Really Bad For Your Health
Wealth:
As Fed Policy Sinks, The Dollar Prices of Essentials Soar
Government:
Supreme Court Weighs Consequences of Vaccine Cases
US Not Tracking Afghan Spending
Wall Street Mogul Picked For State Department Post
NWO:
Launch of Unknown Missile Caught on Tape in California
Strange Signal Comes From Alien Planet
NASA Digitally Alters Picture
Everything Kevin:
Become An Insider!
Support Kevin!
Kevin is on YouTube!
Sign Up For Kevin’s FREE Podcast
Follow Kevin on Twitter
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Take Trudeau on the Go! Click here to download this show to your iPod, mp3 player, or PC through iTunes!
Click HERE to watch the Kevin Trudeau Show LIVE!
Why Your Technology Is (Really) Bad for Your Health
November 9th, 2010
LemonDrop.com
By: Emily Tan
From cell phones and CrackBerries to iPhones and laptops, technology has become such an integral part of our daily lives, we wouldn’t know how to live without it.
However, as convenient as these devices are, a new book argues they may take a not-well-known toll on our health. In “Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn’t Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution,” Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, author of the New York Times bestseller “Fat Flush Plan,” as well as 30 other books on health and nutrition, explores the various ways our bodies are affected by “electronic pollution” — and how to protect ourselves from these electromagnetic frequencies, or EMFs.
We had the chance to talk to Dr. Gittleman and find out how her own health scare inspired the book, and, according to her research, how your laptop may prevent you from having kids, and what’s in asparagus that can protect you from evil EMFs.
Lemondrop: Where did the idea for this book come from?
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman: It really started when I began to see some common symptoms among many of my clients who were very plugged in. I started seeing a litany of common symptoms like major headaches, light sensitivity, fatigue, skin problems, dizziness and a major lack of energy, among people who were doing everything right. And that concerned me. When I started evaluating their lifestyles, the one thing I noted they all had in common is that they were all consistently using some sort of digital device. They were either on a wireless computer very frequently, living on their cell phones or were even working from their home office with a mobile phone.
Now, the real clincher was several years ago. I was diagnosed with a parotid tumor, which was benign. And I came to realize through my reading that it was associated with really heavy cell phone usage. So, to see what was going on with real-life clients and what was going on with this unusual situation with myself, that made me think that there was something going on with the environment. And lo and behold, I read and consumed everything I could at the time and figured out that we were all being zapped.
When you talk about being “zapped,” you don’t just mean anything that’s connected to the Internet, but also the everyday appliances we use, right?
What I learned is that it’s not only the latest technology, but there are some frightening links to the exposure of the fields that are coming from electronics — whether that’s at work or it’s your refrigerator or even that microwave oven that so many of us come to depend upon. So it really has to do with everything electrical.
And when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, it was the beginning to a whole new Pandora’s box of challenges that we had never faced before. That’s the reason I talk about what we’re exposed to when we were at our grandmother’s houses in the beginning of the book: If you take a look at what we’re exposed to [now] … we have over 200 times more EMFs and live in a sea of man-made frequencies and wavelengths that we’ve never been exposed to before. So this is a brand-new phenomenon, and I think we’re moving into uncharted territory.
The whole idea that cell phones can cause tumors and cancer has been floated before, yet people have seemed to just ignore it. Why do you think we turn a blind eye to the potential dangers?
I think that convenience of using cell phones and microwaves overshadows everything else, and we move so quickly during our days that we’re just conscious of the fact that these elements are electrical, and not that they’re exposing us to these unseen pollutants. You can’t see or smell the electrical pollution, but you’re feeling the effects. But because they’ve become so much a part of life — and we’ve got such an active telecommunications industry — we’re just concerned about convenience. No one is connecting the dots and saying, “Wow, I’ve been tired and I can’t sleep. I’m taking more anti-depressants.” And it’s really all about convenience. And I think we’re too busy to pay attention, and it is an inconvenient truth. People just don’t want to look at it.
How likely is it that someone will get a brain tumor from their cell phones?
What we’ve seen is that they’re heavy-duty users of their cell phones. Normally cancer may take up to 40 years to develop, so it’s a slow-growing thing. And the fact that so many users are developing brain cancer after 10 years shows that something is going on because of the frequency of use and the severity of use. So it’s becoming much more frequent. Everybody knows at least three or four people with some sort of cancer, whether it’s a brain tumor or a parotid gland tumor or an auditory gland tumor. But what really gets me concerned is that a lot of the cell phones are being advertised to kids who want something really fancy with some sort of cartoon character or some ringtone. And I think it’s the children who are growing up with the technology and the cell phones and smartphones and so on that really are at much more risk than even the adults.
You mention a study that finds men who carry cell phones in their pockets have a lower sperm count. Where do you suggest they keep their cell phones?
If you have to carry your cell phone on your person, then make sure that the keypad is facing inward — that somehow can deflect some of the radiation. And I think it’s important to just use the cell phone when you need it for emergency use or as much as possible use a special ear-tube headset so you’re not touching the cell phone or it’s not up to your head. I’m not a believer in wired or even wireless headsets.
Click here for the full report from LemonDrop.com
Abbott Labs Sold Bug-Tainted Baby Formula
November 9th, 2010
Westlaw News & Insight
Abbott Laboratories’ recent recall of 5 million cans of powdered Similac infant formula has triggered a federal class action by a California woman who says she purchased the possibly bug-infested product for her son.
Jessica Tosh-Surryhne sued the company and its marketing subsidiary in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleging breach of express and implied warranties.
She says the defendants likely knew the formula contained beetles and larvae well before the Sept. 22 recall.
In her complaint and petition for class certification, Tosh-Surryhne says a nationwide action on behalf of all Similac buyers would help resolve numerous common questions of fact.
Among these questions are whether Abbott’s conduct was illegal, if it engaged in unfair or fraudulent business practices by selling a product it knew to be unsafe, and whether such behavior entitles Similac buyers to monetary damages and other relief.
The recall covered all Similac powder formula sold in plastic tubs and certain lots sold in 8-ounce, 12.4-ounce and 12.9-ounce cans. The company said any contaminated formula is not harmful to babies, but may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
The recall was prompted after beetles were found in one area of a single formula production facility.
In addition to the breach-of-warranty claims, Tosh-Surryhne’s prospective class complaint includes causes of action for unjust enrichment, false and misleading advertising, fraudulent concealment, and unfair business practices under various state laws.
Abbott owed a duty of reasonable care to disclose the facts it “knew, or recklessly disregarded or reasonably should have known” about the tainted formula, the complaint says.
The company knew that the plaintiff and others relied on its misrepresentations and/or omissions regarding the formula’s quality, Tosh-Surryhne says, and such representations led her to buy Similac for her son.
Click here for the full report from Westlaw News & Insight
