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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Vitamin B12 eludes 8 out of 10 Indians
“So many of them have returned to tell me they were in fact, severely deficient in B12,” she says.
Dr Sadanand Naik is hardly surprised. The head of bio-chemistry at KEM Hospital, Pune, has been researching the malaise among urban Indians. A 2010 study conducted among middle-class men in Pune revealed that 81 per cent were B12 deficient.
A follow up study that he and his team of researchers conducted earlier this year among 120 young post-graduate male and female students from Pune, all vegetarian or whose diet did not include food of animal origin, found half the subjects to be deficient in the vitamin.
Professor and head of neurology at KEM Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Sangeeta Ravat sees an average of four B12 deficient patients a week.
Vitamin B12, an essential micronutrient, plays a crucial role in the formation of red blood cells and maintaining the health of the nerve tissue. It’s what the body needs if it mustn’t fall prey to anemia. Efficient functioning of the central nervous system that’s responsible for maintaining alertness and memory recall also requires healthy doses of B12.
Neuroscientists say B12 has built a reputation for elevating the mood, since it helps manufacture neurotransmitters like monoamines that help regulate the mood, and reduce incidence of depression and anxiety.
It’s about what you eat
Mumbai-based nutritionist Pooja Singhania says the deficiency is marked by gradual but distinctive symptoms, and is born out of dietary habits.
Non-vegetarian food (meat, eggs, fish), milk and dairy products are the only dietary sources of B12 for humans. Vegetarians are at a higher risk, say experts. Although milk and milk products are available to them to meet their B12 requirements, they don’t consume enough. Dr Naik suggests vegetarians consume four glasses of milk a day in the following ways: Drink one glass of milk, have a bowl of yoghurt along with lunch, down a glass of buttermilk around evening, and drink another glass of milk before bedtime.
Dr Ashish Babhulkar, a Punebased shoulder and joint replacement surgeon, says it’s important that the milk you drink be plain and devoid of supplements or chocolate flavouring. At the helm of a seven-year-old research into vitamin B12 deficiency among urban Indians, Dr Babhulkar says, he has witnessed a rise in incidence of muscular skeletal problems. “B12 is crucial for nerve nutrition, and plays a key role in neuromuscular transmission. It therefore determines how strong or weak your muscles will be.”
Pigmentation and tell-tale signs
The symptoms of this deficiency often overlap with those of other diseases. “Often, women also show signs of hypothyroidism,” says Dr Babhulkar. Look out for signs of fatigue, skin pigmentation, memory loss, tingling in the limbs, cramps, giddiness, palpitations, mouth ulcers and loss of energy.
Cancer coverage for 9/11 responders, victims raises concerns about funding
People walk through dust and debris from collapse of World Trade Center towers after terrorist attack, New York City, on Sept. 11, 2011.
(Credit:
AP Photo)
(CBS News) Monday’s announcement that the government would add about 50 types of cancer to the list of 9/11-related illnesses that’s health care costs would be covered has provided relief for what many are calling an overdue decision. But, the announcement also raised concerns over the amount of available funds for suffers and families.
Government to cover cancer health care costs for 9/11 responders and victims
Government will fund care for 50 types of cancers linked to 9/11 under Zadroga Act
60 Minutes: The Dust At Ground Zero
On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) announced it would cover the cancer care for responders and other victims exposed to the toxic dust at ground zero who developed cancers including lung, breast colon, and leukemia and lymphoma. The program had previously only covered lung diseases, asthma and chronic cough along with mental health illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
“The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program,” NIOSH director Dr. John Howard said in a statement to the Associated Press.
In June, officials at NIOSH had said in a filing that it favored a major expansion of the program, known as the Zadroga Act, to include people with the different cancer types that span 14 broad categories of the disease. The decision followed a March recommendation by an advisory committee made up of doctors, union officials and community health advocates, who recommended that cancer be added to the program. While a definitive link between the toxic exposure causing these cancers hasn’t been definitely shown, the NIOSH committee said the dust contained about 70 known and possible carcinogens.
Firefighter Ray Pfeiffer, who had been saying for years that the hundreds of hours he worked at ground zero had something to do with his advanced kidney cancer, told the CBS Evening News that he welcomed the announcement.
“It’s like a vindication saying ‘hey listen, you know, we’re recognized that we were down there that we did get sick from down there,’” Pfeiffer explained. “It’s a little bit of a relief.”
Last year the World Trade Center health program was granted $1.5 billion over five years to treat and monitor about 40,000 people who worked in toxic conditions following the attacks. The CBS Evening News reported that it’s not possible to know how much money is required to fund care for the additional conditions or how many out of the 40,000 ground zero workers will eventually develop diseases. An attorney representing the responders said that $1.5 billion is not nearly enough, and called for at least $3 to $5 billion in available funds.
“There simply isn’t enough money,” Michael Barasch, an attorney representing hundreds of rescue workers, told CBS New York. “There are so many rescue workers with debilitating diseases and they’re simply not going to get a fair amount.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the New York Post that families of 9/11 victims should expect less compensation in light of the government’s announcement.
“Unless you believe the federal government is going to vote us more money – and I think to do that you probably have to believe in the tooth fairy as well – it looks like we have to deal with just this amount,” Bloomberg said. “It’s just a finite amount of money.”
Jennifer McNamara agrees there is more to be done. Her husband John was a first responder who spent more than 500 hours at ground zero and later died of an aggressive colon cancer in August 2009.
(Watch Jennifer McNamara discuss her husband’s story on the left.)
At the time, she criticized to CBSNews.com about the failure to acknowledge a connection between 9/11 and cancer and the government’s refusal to fund treatments. She said one of her husband’s dying wishes was to have officials admit such a link.
Reached by HealthPop following the government’s new decision, McNamara called it a “bittersweet day.”
“Cancer is finally covered, which means the world to me and a lot of people,” she said. “Sadly there were a lot of people who died not knowing their family would be taken care of.”
McNamara however added the issue is “not by any means over” given the finite funding source.
T.J. Gilmartin, a mason who worked in the debris, told the CBS Evening News, “A lot of guys have died since we started. We’re not going to give up,” he said. “We’ll have to go back to Washington again to get more money into the fund.”
Upsher-Smith Announces New Formulation Of B-Nexa® Prescription Vitamin To ...
MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Sept. 11, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. today announced the availability of a new formulation of B-Nexa® Rx Prenatal Vitamin with B Vitamins and Ginger to help calm morning sickness, also known as Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP). The new formulation contains increased amounts of two key ingredients – folic acid and vitamin B6.1
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120123/NY39344 )
“It is well recognized that a woman’s folate intake before and during early stages of pregnancy is critically important,” said Gregory Gilmet, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Director, Medical Affairs, Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.
For the estimated eight out of ten women who experience morning sickness, ensuring that their diet contains an adequate amount of folic acid may be a challenge. B-Nexa® is an important addition to the prenatal nutrition market. The advanced formulation delivers essential folic acid to help support a healthy pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, while helping to calm morning sickness with ginger and vitamin B6.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends vitamin B6 as a first-line approach for morning sickness, and also suggests ginger as a non-drug option.2 B-Nexa®‘s newest formulation contains 1.22 mg of folic acid and 42 mg of vitamin B6, in addition to ginger.1
The NDC number for the new formulation of B-Nexa® is 0245-0215-60. For more information about B-Nexa®, visit http://www.b-nexa.com.
About NVP
Although commonly known as morning sickness, NVP can occur at any time throughout the day and affects 70 to 85% of pregnant women. Approximately 50% of pregnant women experience both nausea and vomiting, while 25% experience only nausea. Studies have shown that women taking a multivitamin regularly at the time of conception were less likely to have severe cases of NVP.2 In most cases, the condition affects women only during the first and early second trimesters, although up to 15% of women continue to have symptoms throughout pregnancy.3
NVP can cause significant distress in many women and can lead to feelings of anxiety about how the fetus may be affected. Some women do not seek treatment for morning sickness because of concerns about drug therapy during pregnancy or because they don’t know help is available. Even a less severe case of NVP can detract from the joy of pregnancy and can affect a woman’s general well being.4
Important Safety Information
You should not take more than 1 mg per day of folic acid unless you are under the care of a healthcare professional, as it may mask the symptoms of a potentially more serious condition.
Taking ginger if you have a bleeding disorder or while you are also taking a blood thinner or other medication that affects the blood may increase the risk of bleeding.
Please see the Full Prescribing Information for a complete list of warnings and precautions. http://b-nexa.com/prescribing-information
About the Nexa® Family of Products
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. is committed to providing nutritional support to mothers before, during and after pregnancy. Designed to help support a healthy pregnancy, the Nexa® family of products includes Nexa® Plus Capsules (Rx prenatal vitamin with 350 mg plant-based DHA from algal oil), more than any other single gel capsule prescription prenatal vitamin taken once a day,5-10 Nexa® Select Capsules (Rx prenatal vitamin with plant-based DHA from algal oil), and PreNexa® Capsules (Rx prenatal vitamin with plant-based DHA from algal oil), all of which offer essential nutrition for mom and developing baby, including 1.25 mg folic acid. Additionally, B-Nexa® Tablets (Rx prenatal vitamin formulated with B-vitamins and ginger) are designed to help calm nausea and vomiting of pregnancy while providing important folic acid supplementation. To learn more about the Nexa® family of products or to obtain complete prescribing information, visit http://www.nexavitamins.com.
About Upsher-Smith Women’s Health
Upsher-Smith Women’s Health is committed to providing options, specifically designed to meet the ever-changing needs of women throughout their lives, for prenatal nutritional support, bone health support, and symptom relief during menopause. For additional information, visit http://www.upsher-smith.com/products/womens-health.
About Upsher-Smith
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, U.S.-based company devoted to improving health and advancing wellness since 1919. Upsher-Smith demonstrates its commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of its customers by developing, producing and marketing consumer and prescription products. In addition to its strong heritage in generics, Upsher-Smith’s branded businesses focus on women’s health, dermatology and CNS therapeutic areas. For additional information, visit http://www.upsher-smith.com.
References
107088.01
SOURCE Upsher-Smith Laboratories
Vitamin B12 eludes 8 out of 10 Indians
“So many of them have returned to tell me they were in fact, severely deficient in B12,” she says.
Dr Sadanand Naik is hardly surprised. The head of bio-chemistry at KEM Hospital, Pune, has been researching the malaise among urban Indians. A 2010 study conducted among middle-class men in Pune revealed that 81 per cent were B12 deficient.
A follow up study that he and his team of researchers conducted earlier this year among 120 young post-graduate male and female students from Pune, all vegetarian or whose diet did not include food of animal origin, found half the subjects to be deficient in the vitamin.
Professor and head of neurology at KEM Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Sangeeta Ravat sees an average of four B12 deficient patients a week.
Vitamin B12, an essential micronutrient, plays a crucial role in the formation of red blood cells and maintaining the health of the nerve tissue. It’s what the body needs if it mustn’t fall prey to anemia. Efficient functioning of the central nervous system that’s responsible for maintaining alertness and memory recall also requires healthy doses of B12.
Neuroscientists say B12 has built a reputation for elevating the mood, since it helps manufacture neurotransmitters like monoamines that help regulate the mood, and reduce incidence of depression and anxiety.
It’s about what you eat
Mumbai-based nutritionist Pooja Singhania says the deficiency is marked by gradual but distinctive symptoms, and is born out of dietary habits.
Non-vegetarian food (meat, eggs, fish), milk and dairy products are the only dietary sources of B12 for humans. Vegetarians are at a higher risk, say experts. Although milk and milk products are available to them to meet their B12 requirements, they don’t consume enough. Dr Naik suggests vegetarians consume four glasses of milk a day in the following ways: Drink one glass of milk, have a bowl of yoghurt along with lunch, down a glass of buttermilk around evening, and drink another glass of milk before bedtime.
Dr Ashish Babhulkar, a Punebased shoulder and joint replacement surgeon, says it’s important that the milk you drink be plain and devoid of supplements or chocolate flavouring. At the helm of a seven-year-old research into vitamin B12 deficiency among urban Indians, Dr Babhulkar says, he has witnessed a rise in incidence of muscular skeletal problems. “B12 is crucial for nerve nutrition, and plays a key role in neuromuscular transmission. It therefore determines how strong or weak your muscles will be.”
Pigmentation and tell-tale signs
The symptoms of this deficiency often overlap with those of other diseases. “Often, women also show signs of hypothyroidism,” says Dr Babhulkar. Look out for signs of fatigue, skin pigmentation, memory loss, tingling in the limbs, cramps, giddiness, palpitations, mouth ulcers and loss of energy.
Cancer study seeks 300000 participants
CANCER
S.F. General study seeks 300,000
San Francisco General Hospital is seeking volunteers to participate in a national study tracking the effects of lifestyle, behavioral, environmental and genetic factors on cancer rates and prognoses.
The study is being organized by the American Cancer Society, and researchers hope to enroll 300,000 adults from a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds around the United States.
Participants must be between the ages of 30 and 65 and never diagnosed with cancer. After signing up, participants will be asked to fill out a lengthy survey online, then undergo a brief physical exam that includes a waist measurement and blood draw. Participants will be expected to complete follow-up surveys every two to three years for the next two to three decades.
Two enrollment drives are taking place in San Francisco – on Oct. 12 at San Francisco General Hospital and on Oct. 20 in Golden Gate Park. For more details about the enrollment drives or the study itself, go to www.cps3sanfrancisco.org.
- Erin Allday
DIABETES
Discovery may aid Type 1 treatment
Stanford researchers have identified a molecular pathway that is critical to the growth and survival of beta cells, the pancreatic cells that are responsible for producing insulin.
Their discovery, which was described in the July issue of the journal Developmental Cell, could give scientists new avenues for treating Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by the failure of beta cells to produce insulin.
Scientists have been trying to grow beta cells in the lab to replace those lost or broken in Type 1 diabetics. The discovery, known as a molecular signaling pathway, offers another clue toward creating replacement beta cells.
The Stanford researchers found that the molecular pathway plays an important role in the maturation of beta cells shortly after birth in mice and humans. In mice, when the pathway was inactivated, the animals produced less insulin, had fewer beta cells and died within three months of severe diabetes.
- Erin Allday
CANCER
Clathrin could be key to cell division
UCSF researchers have discovered that a protein called clathrin plays a critical role in cell division and could help scientists better understand how cancer develops.
Clathrin, a protein found in every human cell, serves to transport materials within the cells. Researchers discovered that they could make cells divide erratically and unevenly – one of the hallmark traits of cancer cells – by deleting a compound of clathrin.
The discovery, featured on the cover of the August edition of the Journal of Cell Biology, may reveal clues about how cells develop abnormalities that appear to be associated with cancer when they divide.
- Victoria Colliver
STEM CELL RESEARCH
State awards $100 million
California’s stem cell funding agency has awarded $100 million to researchers working on basic biology as well as those focusing on specific diseases such as heart disease, muscular dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine last week awarded $63 million to four institutions and companies including StemCells Inc. The Newark company received $20 million to fund preclinical development of its proprietary stem cell product for Alzheimer’s disease. The adult stem cells, injected into the brain of animals, appear to help protect existing nerve cells.
The agency awarded $38 million to 28 other projects as part of its basic biology awards program. The program focuses on research to gain better understanding of the different kinds of stem cells and how to work with them. Recipients included researchers from Stanford University, UCSF, the J. David Gladstone Institutes and Novato’s Buck Institute for Age Research.
- Victoria Colliver
MALARIA
Sri Lanka lauded for reducing cases
Researchers from the UCSF Global Health Group and Sri Lanka’s Anti-Malaria Campaign highlighted Sri Lanka’s ability nearly to wipe out malaria despite the country’s 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009.
Malaria control programs typically weaken in countries experiencing conflict, leading to increased risk of outbreaks and epidemics. But Sri Lanka succeeded in reducing malaria cases by 99.9 percent since 1999 and is on track to completely eliminate the disease by 2014.
In a paper published Aug. 29 in the online journal PLoS One, researchers determined that the ability of the country’s anti-malaria efforts to be flexible helped it to continue reducing cases of the disease during wartime. Sri Lanka deployed mobile clinics to hard-to-reach places and used innovative methods to control mosquitoes such as distributing insecticide-treated nets when spraying was impossible.
- Victoria Colliver
Cancer study seeks 300000 participants
CANCER
S.F. General study seeks 300,000
San Francisco General Hospital is seeking volunteers to participate in a national study tracking the effects of lifestyle, behavioral, environmental and genetic factors on cancer rates and prognoses.
The study is being organized by the American Cancer Society, and researchers hope to enroll 300,000 adults from a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds around the United States.
Participants must be between the ages of 30 and 65 and never diagnosed with cancer. After signing up, participants will be asked to fill out a lengthy survey online, then undergo a brief physical exam that includes a waist measurement and blood draw. Participants will be expected to complete follow-up surveys every two to three years for the next two to three decades.
Two enrollment drives are taking place in San Francisco – on Oct. 12 at San Francisco General Hospital and on Oct. 20 in Golden Gate Park. For more details about the enrollment drives or the study itself, go to www.cps3sanfrancisco.org.
- Erin Allday
DIABETES
Discovery may aid Type 1 treatment
Stanford researchers have identified a molecular pathway that is critical to the growth and survival of beta cells, the pancreatic cells that are responsible for producing insulin.
Their discovery, which was described in the July issue of the journal Developmental Cell, could give scientists new avenues for treating Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by the failure of beta cells to produce insulin.
Scientists have been trying to grow beta cells in the lab to replace those lost or broken in Type 1 diabetics. The discovery, known as a molecular signaling pathway, offers another clue toward creating replacement beta cells.
The Stanford researchers found that the molecular pathway plays an important role in the maturation of beta cells shortly after birth in mice and humans. In mice, when the pathway was inactivated, the animals produced less insulin, had fewer beta cells and died within three months of severe diabetes.
- Erin Allday
CANCER
Clathrin could be key to cell division
UCSF researchers have discovered that a protein called clathrin plays a critical role in cell division and could help scientists better understand how cancer develops.
Clathrin, a protein found in every human cell, serves to transport materials within the cells. Researchers discovered that they could make cells divide erratically and unevenly – one of the hallmark traits of cancer cells – by deleting a compound of clathrin.
The discovery, featured on the cover of the August edition of the Journal of Cell Biology, may reveal clues about how cells develop abnormalities that appear to be associated with cancer when they divide.
- Victoria Colliver
STEM CELL RESEARCH
State awards $100 million
California’s stem cell funding agency has awarded $100 million to researchers working on basic biology as well as those focusing on specific diseases such as heart disease, muscular dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine last week awarded $63 million to four institutions and companies including StemCells Inc. The Newark company received $20 million to fund preclinical development of its proprietary stem cell product for Alzheimer’s disease. The adult stem cells, injected into the brain of animals, appear to help protect existing nerve cells.
The agency awarded $38 million to 28 other projects as part of its basic biology awards program. The program focuses on research to gain better understanding of the different kinds of stem cells and how to work with them. Recipients included researchers from Stanford University, UCSF, the J. David Gladstone Institutes and Novato’s Buck Institute for Age Research.
- Victoria Colliver
MALARIA
Sri Lanka lauded for reducing cases
Researchers from the UCSF Global Health Group and Sri Lanka’s Anti-Malaria Campaign highlighted Sri Lanka’s ability nearly to wipe out malaria despite the country’s 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009.
Malaria control programs typically weaken in countries experiencing conflict, leading to increased risk of outbreaks and epidemics. But Sri Lanka succeeded in reducing malaria cases by 99.9 percent since 1999 and is on track to completely eliminate the disease by 2014.
In a paper published Aug. 29 in the online journal PLoS One, researchers determined that the ability of the country’s anti-malaria efforts to be flexible helped it to continue reducing cases of the disease during wartime. Sri Lanka deployed mobile clinics to hard-to-reach places and used innovative methods to control mosquitoes such as distributing insecticide-treated nets when spraying was impossible.
- Victoria Colliver
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