Today's Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting includes a report on beta carotene's ability to improve vision in people with certain incurable retinal diseases. The AAO-MEACO meeting-the world's largest, most comprehensive ophthalmic education conference-is in session October 16 through 19 at McCormick Place, Chicago.

cis Beta-Carotene Mat Boost Vision in Some Patients with Incurable Retinal Disease Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a cluster of hereditary disorders of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye) that can result in incurable blindness. RP usually begins with night blindness in childhood, then loss of peripheral (side) vision leading to tunnel vision, and ultimately blindness. Since a specific form of the nutrient beta carotene, 9-cis, has been effective against one type of night blindness, researchers decided to test its effects in RP patients. One third of the 29 participating patients showed improved visual function while taking the prescribed oral dose for 90 days, but the other two-thirds showed no effect.

"We recommend repeating the study with patients with the genetic forms of RP that would be most likely to respond to oral beta carotene," said Dr. Rotensteich. "We know its positive effect is associated with retinoid cycle defect, which is involved in some but not all forms of RP. Also, future research should look for the optimal beta carotene dosage," he added.

Calcium and vitamin D are essential to keeping bones strong, dense and healthy as we age, as well as preventing bone loss, osteporosis, and skeletal fractures. Calcium builds and maintains healthy bones and vitamin D assists with absorption and increased uptake.

Alarmingly, 90 percent of women in the U.S. are deficient in calcium and 50 to 90 percent are deficient in vitamin D. These numbers are even higher among minorities, including Hispanics and African-Americans. Even among children, 30 to 40 percent are already deficient in calcium and vitamin D. Furthermore, about 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men aged 50 and older will have a fracture as a result of osteoporosis.

Clinicians and patients have become concerned about the possible, but unproven links between calcium supplements and heart attacks. In an editorial published in the current issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, E. Joan Barice, M.D., M.P.H., affiliate associate professor, and Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Dr.P.H., first Sir Richard Doll professor and senior academic advisor to the dean in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, provide reassurances to clinicians and their patients about calcium and vitamin D supplements and cardiovascular disease.

The authors emphasize that the benefits of calcium and vitamin D supplements on bone health are conclusive, and that the totality of evidence is reassuring on cardiovascular disease. The totality of evidence includes all sources of information whether basic or clinical research, especially studies designed to test the question. Previous concerns were based largely on over-interpretation of results from studies not designed to test the question as well as overreliance on a few sub-groups of individual studies rather than looking at the totality of evidence.

To decrease disability and death from osteoporosis, many guidelines recommend daily intakes of 1,200 mg of calcium and 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D.

Hennekens and Barice conclude that it would be unfortunate if clinicians failed to prescribe the combination of calcium and vitamin D supplements as adjuncts to therapeutic lifestyles changes of proven benefit, especially regular physical activity, to the very large number of patients in whom the benefit-to-risk ratio in clearly favorable.

"While drugs to prevent and treat osteoporosis serve as bricks in strengthening bones and preventing bone loss, calcium and vitamin D serve as mortar," said Hennekens. "Without adequate intake of this combination, as recommended by most guidelines, we can neither achieve nor maintain healthy bone structure."

Barice has been a national leader in women's health as well as addiction medicine. She established the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine and achieved designation of the specialty by the Florida Medical Association and subsequent recognition by the American Medical Association. Her numerous other accomplishments benefiting public health include chronic pain management and the appropriate use of alternative and complementary medicines.

Hennekens has received numerous recent honors including the 2013 Fries Prize for Improving Health for his seminal contributions to the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, the 2013 Presidential Award from his alma mater, Queens College, for his distinguished contributions to society, the 2013 honoree as part of FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine from the American Heart Association for reducing deaths from heart attacks and strokes, and the 2014 Ochsner Award on cigarette smoking and disease. From 1995 to 2005, Science Watch ranked Hennekens as the third most widely cited medical researcher in the world and five of the top 20 were his former trainees and/or fellows. In 2012, Science Heroes ranked Hennekens No. 81 in the history of the world for having saved more than 1.1 million lives.

Use for 2 or more years of proton pump inhibitors and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (two types of acid-inhibiting medications) was associated with a subsequent new diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a study appearing in the December 11 issue of JAMA.

"Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively common, especially among older adults; it has potentially serious medical complications if undiagnosed. Left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to dementia, neurologic damage, anemia, and other complications, which may be irreversible," according to background information in the article. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) suppress the production of gastric acid, which may lead to malabsorption of vitamin B12, and they are among the most commonly used pharmaceuticals in the United States. However, few data exist about any association between long-term exposure to these medications and vitamin B12 deficiency in large population-based studies.

Jameson R. Lam, M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif., and colleagues evaluated the relationship between the use of acid-suppressing prescription medications and vitamin B12 deficiency within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California population. The researchers identified 25,956 patients having new diagnoses of vitamin B12 deficiency between January 1997 and June 2011 and 184,199 patients without B12 deficiency, and compared their exposure to acid inhibitors as observed via electronic pharmacy, laboratory, and diagnostic databases.

Among patients with a new diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency, 3,120 (12.0 percent) were dispensed a 2 or more years' supply of PPIs, 1,087 (4.2 percent) were dispensed a 2 or more years' supply of H2RAs (without any PPI use), and 21,749 (83.8 percent) had not received prescriptions for either PPIs or H2RAs. Among control patients, 13,210 (7.2 percent) were dispensed a 2 or more years' supply of PPIs, 5,897 (3.2 percent) were dispensed a 2 or more years' supply of H2RAs (without any PPI use), and 165,092 (89.6 percent) had not received prescriptions for either PPIs or H2RAs.



The researchers found that the magnitude of the association was stronger in women and younger age groups with more potent acid suppression (PPIs vs. H2RAs), and that the association decreased after discontinuation of use. There was no significant trend with increasing duration of use.

"We cannot completely exclude residual confounding [factors besides the drugs] as an explanation for these findings, but, at minimum, the use of these medications identifies a population at higher risk of B12 deficiency, independent of additional risk factors. These findings do not recommend against acid suppression for persons with clear indications for treatment, but clinicians should exercise appropriate vigilance when prescribing these medications and use the lowest possible effective dose. These findings should inform discussions contrasting the known benefits with the possible risks of using these medications," the authors conclude.

A Texas AgriLife Research scientist and fellow researchers have discovered that arginine, an amino acid, reduces fat mass in diet-induced obese rats and could help fight human obesity.

"Given the current epidemic of obesity in the U.S. and worldwide, our finding is very important," said Dr. Guoyao Wu, an AgriLife Research animal nutritionist in College Station and Senior Faculty Fellow in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University.

The research found dietary arginine supplementation shifts nutrient partitioning to promote skeletal-muscle gain, according to the researchers. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Nutrition (http://jn.nutrition.org).

In laboratory experiments, rats were fed both low-and high-fat diets. They found that arginine supplementation for a 12-week period decreased the body fat gains of low-fat and high-fat fed rats by 65 percent and 63 percent, respectively. The long-term arginine treatment did not have any adverse effects on either group.

"This finding could be directly translated into fighting human obesity," Wu said. "At this time, arginine has not been incorporated into our food (but could in the future)."

Arginine-rich foods include seafood, watermelon juice, nuts, seeds, algae, meats, rice protein concentrate and soy protein isolate, he said.

The research suggests that arginine may increase lean tissue growth. In pigs, it was found that dietary arginine supplementation reduced fat accretion (growth) but increased muscle gain in growing/finishing pigs without affecting body weight.

Another important observation according to the research was that dietary arginine reduced serum concentrations of branched-chain amino acids.

"This metabolic change is likely beneficial because elevated concentrations of branched-chain amino acids may lead to insulin resistance in obesity. Additionally, arginine can stimulate muscle protein synthesis, a biochemical process that requires large amounts of energy," Wu said. "Thus, dietary energy would be utilized for lean tissue rather than fat gain."
Source:

http://www.tamu.edu/

 

English

Reported by department of technology & communication of YaghootRooyan International Holding Group, the second festival & national exhibition of herbal medicine, natural products & Iran’s traditional medicine was held on the 29th September till 2nd October in this year.
This festival & exhibition which was held by science & technology development staff of herbal & traditional medicine related to deputy science & technology of president’s office, included 14 fundamental in this field along with 4 educational workshops.
The main range of audiences of this festival, were public &private companies, in particular private & public knowledge base institutes, researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs & investors who wish to invest in this area. Furthermore physicians, producers of herbal products & medicine, inventors related to the field, students & professionals were present in the exhibition.
In this fair which was held by presence of Dr. Jahangiri, first deputy of president, Dr. Sattari, science & technology deputy of president & Mahmoud Hojati, agriculture minister, one of the fundamental was introducing herbal products & food supplements. In this regard 5 new products of SepidTeb pharmaceutical company were launched.
SepidTeb which is one of the active knowledge base companies in the country, not only promoted&culturized appropriate use of herbal supplements, but also took the opportunity to make agreements for cooperation in the development of this industry, through exchange of ideas, communication and consultation with manufacturers & entrepreneurs in this area.
It is noteworthy, at this festival SepidTeb pharmaceutical company was chosen as one of selected knowledge base companies in pharmaceutical field.one of the most important factors for this to happen is a research & development center belongs to this company which by considering market demand in the country, could take a significant step in the production of new products & upgrade it’s previous.
Dr.SeyedHosseinEtemadi, founder of YaghootRooyan Int’l Holding Group said that quick commercialization process, creative& innovative human resources & also keeping pace with the world’s latest technology are the other factors for success of SepidTeb pharmaceutical company.

French

Dévoilement des 5 produits de l'industriepharmaceutiqueSepidTebdans la deuxièmeédition du Festival de la médecinetraditionnelleet les plantesmédicinales.
Selon le département de la technologieet de la communication possession international YaghoutRoyan, le deuxième festival national et l'exposition de plantesmédicinales, les produits de la médecinenaturelle et la médecinetraditionnelle 07-10 mehr de l'année a eu lieu.
Le festival et de l'exposition en coursd'élaboration par le Comité de la science et de la technologie des plantesmédicinales et vice-président de la médecinetraditionnelleassocié de la science et de la technologie a eu lieu .was Composé de 14 selon le domainefondamental et 4 ateliers.
Qu'est-ceque les contacts d'origine de cette festival publiéparticulaireetCamarades, les institutions Governali, les institutions privéesfondéessur les connaissances, les chercheurs, les propriétairesindustriels, entrepreneurs, Les investisseurs qui souhaitentinvestirdanscettepartie.
Dansce festival aussi des médecins, des fabricants de produits à base de plantes et les médicaments, les inventeurs et les technologies relatives à la partie, les étudiants et les professionnelsparicipavano.
Vouset le joint avec le docteurJahangiri, participer à ce festival, premier vice-président. ProfesseurSattari, vice-président de la technologie.également Dr. Mahmoud Janatti, ministre de l'AgricultureL'un des principauxsujetsétaientl'introduction de produits à base de plantes et complémentsalimentaires à cetégard, a étédévoilé 5 nouveaux produitspharmaceutiquesSepidTeb.
PharmacieSepidTebest un des activistesbaséssur la connaissanceontprésentéleurs nouveaux produits à la foire, Avec saprésence au festival, en plus de promouvoir la culture et la bonne utilisation des suppléments, herbes, Grâce à l'échanged'idéesconversation avec les producteurs et les autres entrepreneurs danscesecteur. Accord de coopération pour le développement du secteuratteint.
Ilest à noter commerce SepidTebdans le festival commel'une des sociétés leader dans la base de connaissancespharmaceutiquea étéchoisi.commel'un des facteurs les plus importantsdans la prise de cetévénement un centre de recherche et développement.
en tenant compte du marché et de leurs contacts dans le pays peutêtreuneétapeimportantedans la production de nouveaux produits et l'amélioration du choix de produitsprecedent.

Italian

Scoprimento di 5 prodottidellaaziendafarmaceuticaSepidTebnel secondo Festival dellamedicinatradizionale e piantimedicinali.
Secondo ildipartimento di tecnologia e comunicazionepossessointernazionaleYaghoutRoyan, il secondo festival nazionale e l'esposizionedellepiantemedicinale, prodotti di medicinanaturale e medicinatradizionale dal 07 al 10 mehr del quest'annosi è tenuto.
Il Festival e mostraEssendosviluppato dal ComitatoScienza e dellaTecnologia di piantemedicinali e medicinatradizionaleassociate di vice presidentedellascienza e dellatecnologiasi è tenuta .era Costituito da 14 basatafondamentalesul campo e 4 officine.
Ciòchecontattioriginali di questo festival hannopubblicato e particolato I compagni, istitutigovernali, istituti private base sulconoscenza, ricercatori, Proprietari industrial, imprenditori, Gliinvestitorichedesideranoinvestire in questa parte.
In questo festival anchemedici, I fabbricanti di prodottisul base di pianti e farmaci, Inventori e tecnologieriguardantila parte, Studenti e professionistiparicipavano.
Si e tenuta con DottoreJahangiriparticipavano in questofestival,primovice di presidente. ProfessoreSattari, Vice Presidente di tecnologia.anchedottore Mahmoud Janatti, Ministrodell'Agricoltura. Uno degliargomentiprincipali, eranol'introduzione di prodottierboristici e integratorialimentari A questoproposito, è statosvelatoi 5 nuoviprodottifarmaceuticiSepidTeb.
FarmaciaSepidTeb è un attivistibasatisullaconoscenzaintrodottoiloronuoviprodotti in fiera, Con la suapresenza al festival, oltre a promuovere la cultura e ilcorrettouso di integratori a base dell, erbe, Attraverso lo scambio di idee, conersazione con I produttori e glialtriimprenditori di questosettore. Accordo di cooperazione per lo sviluppodelsettoreraggiunta.
Si segnalacommercioSepidTebnel festival Come unadelleaziende leader nella parte della base di conoscenzefarmaceutico è statoscelto come unodeifattoripiùimportantinellarealizzazione di questoeventoavere un centro di ricerca e sviluppo, tenendoconto del mercatoedilorocontattinelpaesepuoavere un passoimportantenellaproduzione di nuoviprodotti e miglioramentiallescelte di prodotti precedent.
ProfessoreSeyedHosseinEtemadi, ilfondatore di international holding YaghoutRouyan, processo di commercializzazionerapidamene,avereImpiegaticreativi e innovative anchetenereilpasso con le ultimetecnologie del mondosaAltrifattori di successi di SepidTeb