| Vol.
I, No. 2 | Thanksgiving | Nov.
17th, 2000 |
Health
& Medicine Vital
Signs: News Bits on the Medical Frontier Alternative
Medicine & the Treatment of Cancer
In an October press release,
the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced its plans to establish
two specialized centers to conduct basic and clinical research on
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for cancer. The
research awards, totaling some $8 million each over a five-year period, will
go to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and the University of
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The release
noted that recent surveys show the majority of patients who undergo
treatment for cancer also use some form of complementary or alternative
medicine, such as herbs, vitamins, or meditation. But, warned Dr.
Stephen E. Straus, NCCAM Director, "These approaches have not yet been
proven effective. Moreover, some herbs may cause harmful interactions with
other drugs used as standard treatment by cancer patients."
The
Johns Hopkins Center for Cancer Complementary Medicine, headed by Adrian S.
Dobs, M.D. plans four research projects: Project 1 will examine
anti-oxidant effects of herbs in cancer cells. Project 2 will use
established animal models to investigate different aspects of pain in cancer
patients. Project 3 will investigate the safety and efficacy of a popular
mixture of Chinese herbal medications in men with prostate cancer.
Project 4 will examine the effects of prayer on disease recurrence, immune
and neuroendocrine function in African American women with breast cancer.
At
Pennsylvania, Stephen R. Thom, M.D., Ph.D., who heads the University's
Specialized Center of Research in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy -- an emerging
medical specialty that uses oxygen at greater than-atmospheric pressures to
treat a variety of disorders -- four projects designed to examine mechanisms
of action, safety and clinical efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the
treatment of head and neck tumors will be conducted. Project 1 will
evaluate treatment outcomes for patients who have undergone laryngectomy.
Project 2 will examine the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on growth of blood
vessels and tumors. Project 3 will characterize the effects of
hyperbaric oxygen on cell adhesion and growth of metastatic tumor cells in
the lung. And Project 4 will test the effects of elevated oxygen
pressures on cellular levels of nitric oxide. New
Med for GERD [Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disease] ...
Anyone who
suffers from GERD knows the pain & discomfort that comes with it.
They also know what the usual treatment regimen was -- Prilosec [gen.
Omeprazole SA] and sometimes, at least until recently, when it was pulled
from the market because of severe side-effects, Propulcid [gen. Cisapride].
Yet, while Prilosec has been shown to be very effective, it is also very
expensive, costing well in excess of $200/month for a typical dosage. We
have no indication yet about costs, but there's a new medication that made
it through the FDA pipeline last August for the Rx of GERD -- Aciphex (Rabeprazole
Sodium) Delayed-Release Tablets, from Eisai. Aciphex, like other
proton pump inhibtors [PPI's], is indicated not simply for the treatment of
GERD, but for "healing." In a posting by the FDA's Center
for Drug Evaluation & Research, indications for the use of Aciphex
include: "1) healing of erosive or ulcerative gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD); 2) maintenance of healing of erosive or ulcerative
GERD; 3) healing of duodenal ulcer; [and] 4) treatment of pathological
hypersecretory conditions, including Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome."
In addition, unlike some PPI's, Aciphex is a once-a-day medication. While
the relative effectiveness of Aciphex as compared with other proton pump
inhibitors is still a question, one outcome might well be a reduction in the
cost of all such drugs. That in itself can come as some relief to
those suffering from GERD, particularly if they are without insurance or
face a continual co-pay as a percentage of costs.
- Treatment
for ALS and Other Neurological Disorders on the Horizon
Research at
the Johns Hopkins Center for ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] has proved
promising for the eventual treatment of ALS and other neurological
disorders. On November 5th, the Medical Schools' Office of
Communication and Public Affairs released the following info:
Scientists
at Johns Hopkins report they’ve restored movement to newly paralyzed
rodents by injecting stem cells into the animals’ spinal fluid. ... The
researchers introduced neural stem cells into the spinal fluid of mice and
rats paralyzed by an animal virus that specifically attacks motor neurons.
Normally, animals infected with Sindbis virus permanently lose the ability
to move their limbs, as neurons leading from the spinal cord to muscles
deteriorate. They drag legs and feet behind them. Fifty percent of the
stem-cell treated rodents, however, recovered the ability to place the soles
of one or both of their hind feet on the ground.
Researchers
caution, however, not to expect treatments to become available in the
immediate future. "Under the best research circumstances,"
said researcher Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., "stem cells could be used
in early clinical trials within two years." The on-line release,
which can be read in its entirety {click
here} also invited patients with interested in the clinical applications
of this work to visit a Hopkins web site at http://hopkins.med.jhu.edu/neurologicaldisease.html.
*******
******* If you would like to submit
something for our Health & Med section, don't hesitate to let us know.
Simply e-mail us at health@downstreetmagazine.com.
The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can
reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The
text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an
attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is
accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your
time. [See Freelancers
Wanted for more details.] *******
******* If you would like to advertise in this
section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising
Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. *******
*******
|
