Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Hepatitis C Daily News; Telaprevir Feb 2 2011


Good Morning Folks,

For years now I have been a loyal visitor of a blog written by Dr. Joe Galati. However, just for the record it has nothing to do with the fact he is incredibly handsome, it has more to do with way he wears that white coat. Today when I wandered over to his blog I found this;


by Dr. Joe Galati on February 1, 2011

In a recent report, there are continued signs that Telaprevir in combination with Interferon and Ribavirin will have significantly increased rates of clearing the hepatitis C virus. New agents against hepatitis C are due for FDA approval in the second half of 2011. For the past three years, we have been fortunate at Liver Specialists of Texas to have been participating in these clinical studies, and remain active with over 15 ongoing hepatitis C research studies. If you are interested in research opportunities, call us 713-794-0700. The full article is posted below.
In patients with chronic hepatitis C, combining telaprevir with ribavirin and peginterferon alfa-2a or 2b yielded sustained virologic response rates of more than 80%, regardless of which type of interferon or which dosing regimen of telaprevir was used, Dr. Patrick Marcellin and his colleagues reported in the February issue of Gastroenterology...continue reading...

HCV Advocate as always is hard at work and just published their Feburary Newsletter...love it !


February 2011 HCV Advocate

In This Issue:

An article about the priority review given for boceprevir and telaprevir in the United States and the European Union. In addition, telaprevir has been grant priority review in Canada.
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief

“News Briefs” contains an overview of important news stories, including the first real collaboration between HCV pharmaceuticals, new guidelines on acetaminophen dosage, pilot programs for the HCV aged-based testing initiatives, and the use of medicines to prevent the recurrence of hepatitis C after liver transplantation.
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief

HCV Snapshots” for February are devoted to research on the association between HCV, stroke and heart disease
Lucinda K. Porter, RN


“HealthWise”’s topic this month is a further exploration of the heart and HCV

Lucinda K. Porter, RN
No one does it better, right !
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From another great site; HIV and Hepatitis
Liz Highleyman has more on HCV and the risk of stroke ;
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Hepatitis C Patients May Have Increased Risk of Stroke
SUMMARY: People with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection appear to have a higher likelihood of dying from strokes than uninfected individuals, according to research reported in the December 2010 issue of Stroke. Over 17 years of follow-up, nearly 3% of HCV seropositive people died due to cerebrovascular events, compared with 1% of HCV negative people; furthermore, the risk of stroke death rose with increasing HCV viral load.


Anadys Starts Phase 2b Study of HCV Polymerase Inhibitor ANA598
SUMMARY: Anadys Pharmaceuticals announced this week that it has begun treating the first participants in a Phase 2b clinical trial of its investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase inhibitor ANA598. The new drug will be tested in combination with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in both previously untreated patients and people who did not achieve sustained response to prior therapy.


Latest News From Medical News Today

Little Decline Found In Hepatitis C Infections Among Injection Drug Users
01 February 2011A recent 20-year study of injection drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore found a significant decline in new cases of HIV infection but only a slight decline in new cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection...


Hepatic Vein Thrombosis Following Liver Resection
01 February 2011Patients undergoing liver surgery have long been considered to be at low risk of venous thromboembolism. However, pulmonary embolism has recently emerged as an increasingly frequent and potentially fatal complication following liver resections.


A Diagnostic Marker In Hepatocellular Carcinoma
01 February 2011E2F5 is a member of the E2F transcription factor family, and plays a key role in cell growth and proliferation. Overexpression of E2F5 has been reported in various human cancers, but not in liver cancer, and its biological...


HIV

Researchers Identify Novel HIV Replication Strategy in Macrophages
SUMMARY: HIV appears to use a previously unrecognized strategy to reproduce in macrophages, according to research published in the December 10, 2010, Journal of Biological Chemistry. This mechanism allows the virus to hide out in these long-lived immune cells and continue replicating, even in the absence of its usual genetic building blocks, and offers a potential new target for anti-HIV therapy.

Tuberculosis Coinfection Increases Risk of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
SUMMARY: HIV positive women coinfected with tuberculosis (TB) are more likely to transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy, according to a study described in the February 1, 2011, Journal of Infectious Diseases. These findings underline the importance of TB treatment and use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent HIV transmission.

Computer Model System Helps Clinicians Select Best Antiretroviral Drug Combo
SUMMARY: The HIV Treatment Response Prediction System (HIV-TRePS) -- a free web-based tool developed by compiling treatment data from thousands of HIV patients around the world -- can help clinicians predict which combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens are likely to work for a specific individual, according to research reported in the January 8, 2011, issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs. In 2 studies, the system helped select regimens that produced greater viral suppression with fewer pills.
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JAMA.
Teenage girls and young women infected with HIV get pregnant more often and suffer pregnancy complications more frequently than their HIV-negative peers, according to new research led by Johns Hopkins investigators. National Institutes of Health, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
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1 hour ago Two drug classes -- a protease inhibitor (PI) or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) -- are equally effective as the centerpiece for an initial treatment regimen for HIV-positive children, researchers reported.
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Study Examines Incident Hepatitis C Infection in HIV-Infected Men
Hepatitis C is a leading cause of illness and death for individuals infected with both HIV and hepatitis C. Recent reports from around the world demonstrate that hepatitis C is emerging as a sexually transmitted infection among HIV-infected men who do not inject drugs. However, many HIV-infected men do not receive continued screening for hepatitis C throughout their HIV care. Hepatitis C symptoms often do not manifest themselves until the later stages of the illness, so people are not as likely to know that they have become infected and hence need further testing and treatment. Researchers examined the role of later acquisition of hepatitis C in HIV patients in a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, which is currently available online.

In the study, 1,800 HIV-infected men had an initial negative hepatitis C blood test result, with at least one subsequent test. At the time of their initial negative hepatitis C results, 94 percent were receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV and 6 percent reported current or prior injection drug use.
Ultimately, 36 patients were subsequently diagnosed with hepatitis C. Of those, 25 percent reported an injection drug use history, although 75 percent reported no current or previous injection drug use.

“Screening HIV-infected patients for hepatitis C only once upon entry into HIV care is not sufficient,” according to study author Lynn E. Taylor, MD, of Brown University in Providence, R. I. “The standard of care needs to change. HIV-infected persons should have access to ongoing screening for hepatitis C. Doctors and patients may not be aware of or freely discuss all risk behaviors that may lead to hepatitis C infection. These behaviors are often stigmatized. Patients may not feel comfortable discussing these risk factors nor may they be aware of all the ways in which hepatitis C may be transmitted via blood.”
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Founded in 1979, Clinical Infectious Diseases publishes clinical articles twice monthly in a variety of areas of infectious disease, and is one of the most highly regarded journals in this specialty. It is published under the auspices of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Based in Arlington, Va., IDSA is a professional society representing more than 9,000 physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases. For more information, visit http://www.idsociety.org/


Fatty Liver Disease

ScienceDaily has an interesting article on Fatty Liver disease, if you have been diagnosed with the disease you may find the concept of the entire article interesting; " A new research finding showing a strong relationship between complex microbial ecologies in human intestines and the common but serious medical condition known as fatty liver illustrates this paradox." The researchers concluded; "More research will be required to determine the extent to which bacterial populations play a role in fatty liver development in the general population, but our results strongly suggest that there may be a link in some people."

Liver Cancer

Chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C

Recent Results Cancer Res. 2011;188:85-99.

Morgan TR.Gastroenterology Section, VA Long Beach Healthcare System, 5901 E. Seventh Street - 11, Long Beach, CA, 90822, USA, timothy.morgan@va.gov.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic hepatitis, which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States tripled between 1975 and 2005, and is expected to increase further, and to remain elevated for more than 20 years. Curing hepatitis C infection in patients with cirrhosis through treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin reduces the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Several noncurative treatments also appear to reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Prospective studies report a reduced incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients treated with a mixture of carotenoids with or without myo-inositol, with vitamin K(2), or with polyprenoic acid (an acyclic retinoid). Uncontrolled and/or retrospective studies have reported beneficial effects of treatment with Sho-saiko-to, glycyrrhizin and ursodeoxycholic acid on hepatocellular carcinoma incidence.

Meta-analyses of epidemiologic studies show a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among liver disease patients who drink two or more cups of coffee per day. Numerous agents prevent or reduce hepatocarcinogenesis in animal models. An ongoing Phase II clinical trial is evaluating S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) as a potential chemopreventive agent in hepatitis C cirrhosis. Overall, these data suggest that chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C is an achievable objective.


PMID: 21253791 [PubMed - in process]
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Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread...
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YES! Beat Liver Tumors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of patients diagnosed with primary or metastatic liver tumors, announced it will host its first advocacy day on Capitol Hill on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011...
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Diagnostic tool for tumor grading in hepatocellular carcinoma

Pre-operative liver biopsy in cirrhotic patients with early hepatocellular carcinoma represents a safe and accurate diagnostic tool for tumor grading, finds February's Journal of Hepatology.

Knowledge of pre-operative tumour grade is crucial in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma because it can influence recurrence and survival after surgery.
The accuracy of pre-operative needle core biopsy in tumor grading has been assessed in only a few studies with conflicting results.

Dr Antonio Colecchia and colleagues determined the long-term safety and the overall accuracy of needle core biopsy in assessing tumor grading in subjects who had undergone liver resection for a single hepatocellular carcinoma.

The research team evaluated 81 cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had undergone needle core biopsy before liver resection.
The cumulative mortality was 17% from all causes
Journal of Hepatology

Only patients with a single HCC and with at least a 5-year-follow-up were included.
Tumor grading was scored according to a modified Edmondson–Steiner classification including well/moderately vs poorly-differentiated.

In the 81 patients with a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma tumor grade was correctly identified by needle core biopsy in 91% hepatocellular carcinomas.
The research team observed that needle core biopsy overall sensitivity and specificity were 65% and 98%, respectively.

The team noted that the positive predictive value was 92% with a negative predictive value of 91%.

The researchers observed no major complications.
The overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 83%, 62%, and 44%, respectively.
The recurrence rate after a 5-year-follow-up was 56% for low grade, and 82% for high grade tumors.

Dr Colecchia's team concludes, "Pre-operative needle core biopsy can be performed on early hepatocellular carcinoma cirrhotic patients because it provides histologically useful information for hepatocellular carcinoma management with good accuracy and a low complication rate."
J Hepatol 2011: 54(2): 300-5

02 February 2011


Off The Cuff


WASHINGTON -- With Monday's ruling by a federal judge that the healthcare reform law is unconstitutional, legal experts foresee a showdown in the Supreme Court, where the outcome could go either way...keep reading..
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Public Release: 2-Feb-2011 Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit
Fifteen members of the Entomological Society of America gave presentations at the Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit: Advancing Towards Solutions to the Bed Bug Problem, held by the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, Feb. 2, 2011. The meeting focused on what is being done to combat bed bugs, the importance of educating consumers, improvements in prevention and control techniques, controlling bed bugs in schools and public housing, and on the state of bed bug knowledge and future research needs.
Contact: Richard Levine
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Healthy You

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Public Release: 2-Feb-2011 Food Research International
Food scientists at the University of British Columbia have been able to pinpoint more of the complex chemistry behind coffee's much touted antioxidant benefits, tracing valuable compounds to the roasting process.
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When you think about organs with an important role in reproduction, the liver most likely doesn't spring to mind. But a new report in the February issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, shows that estrogen...
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New York / Heidelberg, 2 February 2011
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Drugs warning – check the label
Patients may be unaware of potential drug side-effects due to inconsistent labelling
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A new study highlights inconsistencies in black box warnings - medication-related safety warnings on a drug's label - and argues for a more transparent and systematic approach to ensure these warnings are consistent across all drugs within a same category, and any additions to warnings, on the back of a drug withdrawal for example, are done within a reasonable and uniform time period. The work by Orestis Panagiotou and John Ioannidis and colleagues from the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece and Stanford University School of Medicine in the USA is published in Springer's journal Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Black box warnings are the strongest medication-related safety warnings that can be placed in a drug's labelling information, according to the FDA. Their purpose is to highlight major drug-related risks. Because serious drug-related adverse events tend to be down to the pharmacological class of drug rather than to the individual drug, most black box warnings are typically applied to all members of a given class of drugs.

Panagiotou and team looked at how consistent black box warning labelling is across same-class drugs in order to assess whether some drugs fail to carry a warning when black box warnings exist for other drugs in the category, as well as whether there are differences in the time it takes to add a warning to drugs in the same class. They studied the labels of 20 drug classes (176 drugs in total) selected from the USA's 'Top 200 Drugs for 2008 by Sales'. Of these 20 categories, 10 had at least one black box warning while the other 10 had none.
The authors identified differences in 9 of the 20 classes, with 15 black box warnings not present on all the labels of drugs in the same class. For 10 of these 15 different warnings, the information was included elsewhere on the labels as simple warnings or text. For the remaining 5, the black box context was not found anywhere else on the drugs' labels. Significantly, withdrawn drugs tended not to have a black box warning before their withdrawal and the reason for their withdrawal rarely became a black box warning for the other drugs in the same category.
In addition, among the 10 drug classes with at least one warning, there was a considerable time-lag in black box warning acquisition in 8 categories, ranging from 2 months to 14 years in some cases.

The authors argue that labels should mention and justify why a major recognized risk is not an issue for a particular agent in the same class, where other members have demonstrated major toxicity. In their view, unjustified omission of a black box warning may leave patients largely unaware of potential risks.
Orestis Panagiotou and colleagues conclude: " Our findings imply that the process of black box warning acquisition requires transparent and systematic rules, as well as clear justification for the presence of, or lack of evidence for, specific major risks for individual drugs."
Reference
1. Panagiotou OA et al (2011). Different black box warning labelling for same-class drugs. Journal of General Internal Medicine; DOI 10.1007/s11606-011-1633-9
The full-text article is available to journalists on request.
More information about this journal:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
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Gallstone disease associated with increased mortality in the USA

Gallstone disease associated with increased mortality in the United States, reports this month's issue of Gastroenterology.

Gallstones are common and contribute to morbidity and health care costs, but their effects on mortality are unclear.

Drs Constance Ruhl and James Everhart examined whether gallstone disease was associated with overall and cause-specific mortalities in a prospective national population-based sample.
The research team analyzed data from 14,228 participants in the third US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who underwent gallbladder ultrasonography from 1988 to 1994.

The cumulative mortality was 17% from all causes

Gastroenterology

Gallstone disease was defined as ultrasound-documented gallstones or evidence of cholecystectomy.

The underlying cause of death was identified from death certificates collected through 2006.
Mortality hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to adjust for multiple demographic and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
The research team found that prevalence of gallstones was 7%, and of cholecystectomy was 5%.
During a follow-up period of 18 years or more, the cumulative mortality was 17% from all causes, 7% from cardiovascular disease, and 5% from cancer.

The researchers noted that participants with gallstone disease had higher all-cause mortality in age-adjusted, and multivariate-adjusted analysis.

A similar increase was observed for cardiovascular disease mortality, and cancer mortality.
Individuals with gallstones had a similar increase in risk of death as those with cholecystectomy.
Dr Ruhl and colleague commented, "In the US population, persons with gallstone disease have increased mortality overall and mortalities from cardiovascular disease and cancer."
"This relationship was found for both ultrasound-diagnosed gallstones and cholecystectomy."
02 February 2011


From Scope; I love Scope and just for the record its not because there are over 153 Stanford physicians that work out on a daily basis, just putting it out there.


A new study is showing the growing popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): Use among U.S. adults increased by 14 percent between 2002 and 2007. WebMD reports: CAM, which includes such practices as yoga, massage, herbal medicine, and meditation, has been increasing in popularity for many years. In 1990, a third of all Americans had used some form of CAM. By 2002, the number of people who had tried CAM had nearly doubled. The numbers, [Dejun Su, PhD, a sociologist at the University of Texas - Pan American] and his colleague Lifeng Li report, remain on the rise.

From Medscape

Herbal Supplements: Talking With Your Patients
Journal for Nurse Practitioners, February 1, 2011

Abstract
The popularity and prevalence of herbal products and dietary supplements in the US has grown steadily. Patients are increasingly using them to prevent disease, complement conventional therapies, and promote well being and health. Nurse practitioners play a critical role in discussion, communication, and education of herbal supplement use. This article provides a review of commonly used herbal supplements regarding recent evidence for efficacy, possible drug interactions, and safety considerations.

Introduction
Approximately 38 million US adults use herbal and dietary supplements.[1] In 2009, Americans spent $5.03 billion on herbs and other botanical supplements, and their sales are steadily growing.[2] From Sam's Club to natural food retailer Whole Foods Market, even convenience stores sell herbal supplements such as ginkgo and echinacea alongside aspirin. Patients are regularly using herbal products to self-treat medical conditions, complement conventional therapies, and maintain their overall health and well-being. Most patients receive their information about herbs and supplements from their friends, family, and the Internet but rarely from their healthcare provider.[3]

Since the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) became law in 1994, vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements are presumed to be safe and freely available. However, the FDA does not regulate dietary supplements, and there are no pre-market safety or efficacy studies required. If a dietary supplement has safety issues once it is on the market, the FDA can take action against the manufacturer by issuing a warning or removing the product. In 2007, the FDA issued its final current "good manufacturing practices" (GMPs) regulations to maintain that dietary supplements are processed consistently and meet quality standards. While improvements have been made in the oversight of supplements, issues of quality and safety continue. In 2010, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report finding trace levels of lead and other contaminants (within levels accepted by the FDA and EPA) and examples of deceptive or suspect marketing claims.[4]

Despite increasingly common usage, only one-third of patients tell their physician about their use of supplements.[1] Physicians do not commonly ask patients about their complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, and patients may feel uncomfortable discussing it. But concomitant use of herbal supplements with prescription drugs or over-the-counter (OTC) medications can put patients at risk for a variety of serious drug interactions. Herbs and drugs often interact when they use the same transport or metabolic protein, commonly cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, glucuronosyltransferases (UGT), and P-glycoprotein (Pgp), resulting in induction or inhibition activity.[5] However, many factors, including the dose, schedule, and route of administration, can affect the potential drug-botanical interaction. If the botanical and drug are administered at different times, it is less likely that a clinically relevant interaction will occur.[5]
Check out all the info, free registration required



Well, its offical ; Updated USDA Dietary Guidelines Released
Medscape Medical News, January 31, 2011

January 31, 2011 — The seventh edition of the US Department of Agriculture guidelines for healthy eating were released online today and include 23 key recommendations for all Americans, as well as 6 additional recommendations for specific population groups.
US Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines were first developed in the United States in 1980, and the previous (sixth edition) guidelines were released in January 2005. For the latest guidelines, a panel of 13 nutrition experts was convened to determine whether revisions were warranted, and to provide suggestions.
Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, LD, from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, chaired the 13-member Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee. For 18 months, the committee reviewed the scientific and medical literature regarding the role of diet and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention.

"The overarching differences include emphases on managing body weight through all life stages and on proper nutrition for children throughout," the authors note. "Also, research on eating patterns is incorporated for the first time, and the eating patterns presented now include vegetarian adaptations," they add.
The report, which includes recommendations for Americans aged 2 years and older, as well as those at increased risk of chronic disease, incorporates 2 new chapters: "The Total Diet: Combining Nutrients, Consuming Food" and "Translating and Integrating the Evidence: A Call to Action."

"Taken together, the Dietary Guidelines recommendations encompass two overarching concepts," Dr. Van Horn and colleagues write in the executive summary. These are to "maintain calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight," and to "focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages."
With respect to maintaining calorie balance and a healthy weight, the authors suggest that "people who are most successful at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight do so through continued attention to consuming only enough calories from foods and beverages to meet their needs and by being physically active."

They add that a healthy eating pattern "limits intake of sodium, solid fats, added sugars, and refined grains and emphasizes nutrient-dense foods and beverages." These include "vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, and nuts and seeds."

Some Foods and Nutrients Should Decrease, Some Should Increase
The new guidelines specifically suggest decreasing the intake of various foods and nutrients, including limiting sodium to 1500 mg in about half the US population. Consumption of saturated fats, dietary cholesterol, trans fatty acids, solid fats, added sugars, and refined grains should all be limited. If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation, the guidelines state.
In contrast, intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products should all be increased. Lean proteins including seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds should be emphasized.
The guidelines also suggest that foods providing more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D should be selected. "These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and milk and milk products."

Guidelines for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding or who wish to become pregnant, as well as all individuals aged 50 years or older, are also included.
Professional Associations Respond to New Guidelines
Professional associations with a stake in nutrition have spoken out about the new guidelines. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) states in a written release that it welcomes the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and that it strongly supports the emphasis on plant-based diets.

"For years, the science on cancer risk has shown that diets emphasizing a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans are cancer-protective," notes Susan Higginbotham, RD, PhD, director of research at AICR, in a statement.
"A plant-based diet means moderating meat intake, not eliminating it altogether," Dr. Higginbotham said. "We're thrilled to see obesity prevention, and thus cancer prevention, being placed front-and-center, where they belong."
However, the American Heart Association maintains that the new guidance for sodium content is too high. Although the dietary recommendations advise people at risk for high blood pressure or who already have hypertension to reduce daily sodium intake to 1500 mg, the rest of the population is still advised to limit intake to 2300 mg sodium per day.

"The [American Heart Association] recommends a daily sodium consumption limit of less than 1500 mg a day for all Americans, and is concerned that this two-part recommendation does not go far enough to protect the health of all Americans," the organization states in a news release.
Meanwhile the American Society of Nutrition congratulates the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services on issuance of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
American Society of Nutrition spokesperson Connie Weaver, PhD, who served on the 2005 Committee, notes that the "most impressive new aspect of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines is the call to action for all sectors of the society to become involved in ensuring that all Americans have access to nutritious foods and opportunities for physical activity and to facilitate individual behavior change through environmental strategies."
No commercial support was involved in the current report. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Released January 31, 2011.
Check out the Full text


More Americans Turn To Lower-Cost Alternative Meds, Especially Whites
01 February 2011The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies experienced a significant growth in the United States in the last decade, and a new analysis finds that CAM use becomes more likely when access to...


MedShape Applauds FDA Action Against Illegal Homeopathic HCG Weight Loss Products
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New on this blog;
It has taken years for HCV to receive the attention it so badly needs. Because this disease hits so close to home my anger leaves me bitter as I look around to see who is to blame.

First, this country has been slow to fund needle exchange programs, the US government forbade funding for such services until 2009 when the federal funding ban was lifted. I am appalled at our governments indifference; restraining communities by not funding these programs until a few years ago.

Secondly, it's evident that this disease has never played out well in the media. Could it be that from day one HCV was toted in the press as the "baby boomer" disease? The term gained popularity with journalists when it was first reported that baby boomers account for two out of every three cases of chronic Hepatitis C. Obviously this is accurate, however for me the term "baby boomer" is nothing more then negative connotation insinuating "1960/70's" drug users, all in the hopes of making a journalistic headline more eye-catching...read more..


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