PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS NEWS AND VIEWS
VOLUME- 4 ISSUE- 20
December 31, 2004
PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS MEDICAL NEWS
TWO NEW PSORIASIS TREATMENTS COMING SOON?
Two New Psoriasis Treatments May Be Ready for Human Testing
Dec. 16 (HealthDayNews) -- Two separate approaches to treating psoriasis, a
painful condition that attacks the skin, have shown promise in the lab and may
be ready to try on humans.
The first is an experimental drug called benzodiazepine-423 (Bz-423) that is
a chemical cousin of the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, a new
University of Michigan study finds.
In human skin cultures designed to model psoriasis, the researchers found
that Bz-423 suppressed cell growth. Psoriasis is characterized by unchecked cell
growth.
"Currently, the best treatments for skin lesions associated with psoriasis
are topical steroids, but the problem with those drugs is that they're not
selective for the disease-causing cells. They affect normal cells as well, and
repeated use over time can lead to tissue destruction," Gary Glick, a professor
of biological chemistry, said in a prepared statement.
"What makes our compound particularly exciting is that it has the potential
to be applied topically, and it shows very good selectivity for models of the
disease-causing cells versus normal cells. So we believe the problems
associated with repeated topical steroid use could possibly be alleviated with
compounds like this," Glick said.
He and his colleagues hope to begin human clinical trials with Bz-423 in the
near future.
Glick is a shareholder in GMP Immunotherapies Inc., which signed an
exclusive patent license and a sponsored research agreement with the University
of
Michigan to develop Bz-423 and other compounds.
The second study goes to the cause of psoriasis itself. A Dec. 12 news
release from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston says
scientists have identified a protein called STAT3 that initiates psoriasis when
the body's immune system is activated to fight off a wound, burn or some
other invasion.
The scientists actually developed a skin cream that cured the itching,
redness and scaling that psoriasis caused in the study mice. The ointment can
also
prevent recurrence, they said.
John DiGiovanni, Ph.D., the study's lead investigator and director of M.D.
Anderson's Department of Carcinogenesis, said in the news release, "We may have
found an entirely new treatment option for psoriasis." The study appears in
the January 2005 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
Until now, the cause of psoriasis has remained a mystery. According to the
news release, patches of skin that become inflamed are most often the scalp,
elbows, knees, and lower back. Treatments have been most effective in slowing
down its progress, but nothing exists to cure psoriasis, DiGiovanni says.
"We may have found the link - the change in keratinocytes [skin cells that
make keratin, the substance that comprises hair, nails and skin] that
cooperates with the immune system cells necessary for development of human
psoriasis."
Robert Preidt - SOURCES: University of Michigan, news release, December
2004; news release, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,
Houston,
Dec. 12, 2004 - Copyright © 2004 ScoutNews LLC.
*******************************************************
SHOVEL SNOW SAFELY
Experts list precautions you can take before you tackle this winter chore
Dec. 11 (HealthDayNews) -- Shoveling snow can be more than a chore; it can
be a health hazard if you don't take some basic precautions, warns the Canadian
Physiotherapy Association (CPA).
Back injuries, muscle strains, hypothermia and heart attack are among the
potential dangers. The CPA offers the following advice for safe shoveling:
Before you start shoveling, take time to warm up and stretch your muscles.
Warm, relaxed muscles are less likely to suffer strains than cold, tight
muscles.
Choose the right shovel. A shovel's handle length is right for you when you
can slightly bend your knees, bend forward 10 degrees or less, and hold the
shovel comfortably in your hands as you begin a shovel stroke. A plastic shovel
blade is lighter than a metal one, so it puts less strain on your back.
Ergonomic shovels with a bent shaft are better than straight shaft shovels.
When you hold the shovel, keep your hands at least 12 inches apart. This
increases your leverage and reduces the strain on your body.
When you lift snow, squat with your legs apart, bend your knees and keep
your back straight. Make sure to lift with your legs and don't bend at the
waist. Scoop up small amounts of snow and walk to where you want to dump it.
Spraying a lubricant or silicone on your shovel will help prevent snow from
clinging to it.
Step in the direction that you're throwing the snow. This will prevent
twisting in your low back.
If there's heavy snow, tackle it in two stages. First, skim off the top
layer and then remove the bottom layer. Don't overload your shovel. If you can't
say a long sentence in a single breath, you're working too hard. Take a break
or reduce the intensity of effort.
Take plenty of breaks while you shovel. Every so often, stand up straight
and walk around to extend the lower back. Place your hands on the back of your
hips and bend backwards slightly for several seconds.
Dress properly. Wear mitts, not gloves. Dress in layers. The inner layers of
clothing should be made of material that wicks perspiration away from your
body. Don't wear cotton. It traps moisture close to your body. Outer layers
should be windproof and water-resistant. Wear a scarf and hat to reduce heat
loss. Your footwear should have good treads that will prevent slips or falls.
If you have any health problems or are in poor shape, don't shovel. Before
winter, arrange for someone to clear the snow off your driveway and sidewalks.
Robert Preidt - SOURCE: Canadian Physiotherapy Association, news release,
December 2004 Copyright © 2004 ScoutNews LLC.
*********************************************************
MORE EVIDENCE OF INFLAMMATIONâS ROLE IN HEART DISEASE
Even infection can have inflammatory effect on blood vessels, research finds
By Ed Edelson - HealthDay Reporter
Dec. 15 - Two studies an ocean apart illustrate the growing importance of
inflammation as a contributor to heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular
diseases.
In the United States, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health
report that blood levels of C-reactive protein, a molecular marker of
inflammation, rank with cholesterol levels as indicators of future coronary
heart
disease.
And in England, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine report that an ordinary infection -- such as the flu -- may raise the
risk of heart attack or stroke over the next few days because of an
inflammatory effect on blood vessels.
Both studies appear in the Dec. 16 issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine.
Inflammation is the process by which the body responds to injury or
infection. Laboratory evidence and results from clinical and population studies
suggest that inflammation is important in atherosclerosis, the process by which
fatty deposits build up in the lining of arteries, according to the American
Heart Association.
The British study was undertaken because inflammation is known to play a
long-term role in cardiovascular disease, said study author Liam Smeeth, a
senior lecturer in epidemiology.
The idea that an infection could have an immediate damaging effect on the
endothelium, the delicate lining of the blood vessels, came from laboratory work
done by Dr. Patrick Valliance of University College London, Smeeth said. So,
the British researchers looked at the record of infections reported by
nearly 40,000 people who had had a stroke or heart attack.
"The risk of both events were substantially higher after a diagnosis of
systemic respiratory tract infection and were highest in the first three days,"
the researchers reported. Urinary tract infections also raised the risk, but to
a lesser extent, the study found.
There was one bit of good news: Getting vaccinated against influenza,
tetanus or pneumonia did not increase the risk of a cardiovascular event, as the
researchers suspected might happen.
"Either it [vaccination] produces no inflammatory effect or it has an effect
only in a subgroup of people," Smeeth said. "That is reassuring news."
The Harvard report used data from two studies that have been following more
than 120,000 health professionals, male and female, for many years. They
underwent a large number of blood tests, including markers of inflammation, at
the start of the study. The researchers looked at those levels in the 239 women
and 265 men who had heart attacks or died of heart disease over the next six
to eight years.
A high level of C-reactive protein -- more than 3 milligrams per liter of
blood -- increased the risk of such an event by nearly 70 percent, compared to a
reading lower than 1 milligram per liter, after adjusting for the presence
of two other risk factors, diabetes and high blood pressure, the researchers
found.
Blood levels of cholesterol and other lipids were stronger predictors of
trouble, but "the level of C-reactive protein remained a significant contributor
to the prediction of coronary heart disease," they reported.
Right now, measuring blood levels of C-reactive protein are "supplementary
to measuring traditional risk factors," such as cholesterol, blood pressure and
obesity, said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, chief of women's cardiac care at Lenox
Hill Hospital in New York City, and a spokeswoman for the American Heart
Association.
"There are individuals in whom we would want to measure C-reactive protein,
such as those who have coronary disease but no other risk factors and those at
borderline or intermediate risk," she said. "But we are not at the point
where we would use it as the sole determinant of risk."
Jennifer K. Pai, a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health
and lead author of the journal report, said she agreed with that assessment.
"Using it [C-reactive protein levels] in conjunction with these other risk
factors probably would be best," Pai said.
SOURCES: Liam Smeeth, PhD, senior lecturer, epidemiology, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, England; Nieca Goldberg, M.D., chief, women's
cardiac care, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Jennifer K. Pai, Sc.D,