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Tag: research study

  • Asthma Drug Uses Antibody To Reduce Symptoms

    Asthma, a disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, and chest tightening, affects 18.7 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a new experimental drug is here to stop it.

    Quilizumab, an inhalable drug developed by Genentech, has shown the ability to reduce asthma symptoms even six months after individuals stopped taking it, according to a new study published on July 2 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

    Quilizumab takes a different approach than most asthma medications on the market. It targets elevated serum levels of allergen-specific immunoglobulin (IgE), which people with asthma sometimes have a higher level of in their bloodstream compared to people in general. IgE sits on the surface of cells and is what causes people with asthma to react to allergens such as pollen and dust mites with common asthma symptoms.

    The experimental drug targets IgE with a humanized monoclonal antibody. Researchers tested the drug in two groups—one group of 36 allergy patients and another group of 29 people with mild asthma, randomly giving them either quilizumab or an inactive placebo.

    Researchers note that in “both studies, quilizumab treatment was well tolerated and led to reductions in total and allergen-specific serum IgE that lasted for at least 6 months after the cessation of dosing.” Furthermore, in people who were subjected to an “allergen challenge,” the drug blocked the formation of new IgE and reduced “allergen-induced early and late asthmatic airway responses by 26 and 36” percent, respectively.

    There is only one current drug on the market that targets IgE called omalizumab and it requires one to three injections every two to four weeks. Quilizumab, because it is inhalable, is more convenient and lasts longer, making it a more attractive option to people with asthma.

    Study author Jeffrey Harris said a follow-up clinical trial involving 560 people with more severe asthma is underway, and the results will likely be available next year.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons<

  • Probiotics Benefits May Include Healthier Skin

    Some early studies suggest that consuming probiotics in food or dietary supplements might help or prevent certain skin conditions, according to LiveScience.

    The benefit of consuming probiotics is that they introduce healthy bacteria into the gut, reducing inflammation, which causes a variety of skin conditions, said Dr. Whitney Bowe, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

    According to Bowe, probiotics hold promise for treating common skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. Several manufacturers are currently experimenting with adding strains of probiotics to their skin care products, including moisturizers, cleansers, peels and lotions. The four skin conditions that seem most promising for probiotics to treat are acne, eczema, rosacea, and anti-aging.

    But according to another article in LiveScience, people still have misconceptions about the use of probiotics, their benefits, and their role in promoting health and treating diseases, said Dr. Patricia Hibberd, a professor of pediatrics and chief of global health at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, who has studied probiotics in young children and older adults.

    The article goes on to say that not all probiotics are the same, that they cannot replace medication, and that food and supplement labels do not provide an accurate microbe count for the specific probiotic they contain.

    According to WebMD, “Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system.”

    Part of the problem, according to Hibberd, is the way probiotics are advertised. None of the supplements or foods that contain probiotics is approved to treat specific diseases or conditions but general health claims are allowed to be made. Food makers are allowed to say that their product “improves digestive health,” a very general claim that’s not well-defined.

    Still, Bowe believes that early research is showing some compelling results for probiotic treatment of skin conditions. Increased numbers of good bacteria may also help to hydrate aging skin, reduce sun damage and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, Bowe suggests.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Diabetes Management Goes ‘Bionic’ With New Device

    Researchers involved in two National Institutes of Health-funded studies have developed a ‘bionic’ pancreas that monitors a patient’s blood sugar levels and makes Type 1 diabetes more manageable.

    Created by researchers at Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the experimental device is not actually an organ or something transplanted within a patient’s body.

    It involves three parts: two pager-sized hormone pumps, connected to the body through thin tubes inserted under the skin, and a small “brick,” combining an iPhone and continuous glucose monitor, to coordinate when each hormone should be delivered, co-author Edward Damiano of the Boston University Department of Biomedical Engineering told the USA Today.

    One pump delivers insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar, and the other deliver glucagon, which raises blood sugar. Glucagon is often used as a “rescue” drug or an antidote for insulin, as almost 10 percent of diabetes-related deaths are due to hypoglycemia, or accidental insulin overdose, according to CBS News.

    Results, which are published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that the device did a better job of monitoring and managing blood sugar levels than the patients who monitored levels on their own. The device kept blood sugar levels more consistent than those without the device.

    Additionally, researchers found patients in the study needed 37 percent fewer interventions for hypoglycemia.

    “What we’re building is a system that uses glucagon like a brake in a car,” Damiano told CBS News. “The insulin is like the accelerator and the glucagon is like the brake system.”

    The device would allow for people with Type 1 diabetes to do away with the standard stick-your-finger testing for blood sugar levels and manual insulin injections, as well as the worry of keeping up with unpredictable blood sugar changes after meals or daily activity.

    “It’s a fully autonomous soup-to-nuts solution,” Damiano said. “You enter the patient’s body weight. That is it, and then it just starts controlling blood sugar. Basically, it takes the burden of day-to-day diabetes management off your shoulders.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Dementia Treatment Research Looks At Oxytocin: Study

    A team of researchers from Ontario, Canada, have discovered that injecting a single dose of the neuropeptide oxytocin, which is normally produced in the hypothalamus region of the brain, can have a demonstrable effect on patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, according to a research study.

    Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a “devastating, progressive, neurodegenerative disease for which there is presently no available cure,” the researchers wrote in the introduction of their research paper. Patients with the behavioral variant of FTD have difficultly functioning socially and reading emotional cues, often displaying indifference and even callousness toward close family members.

    Researchers included 20 patients with FTD in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, and had patients complete standard neuropsychological tests of memory, language, and executive functions. Patients also completed a Neuropsychiatric Inventory and a Frontal Behavioral Inventory.

    Patients were randomly assigned to receive either a dose of oxytocin or a placebo. Twenty minutes after administration of either oxytocin or the placebo, patients attempted to complete a “battery of emotion validated processing tasks,” which included “Facial Expression Recognition and Intensity,” among others.

    Results suggest that patients who were administered oxytocin have a reduced identification of expressions relating to anger and fear, along with some sub-items that were not statistically significant. According to one of the psychological models used by the researchers, diminished recognition of negative emotional expressions or “threat cues” can possibly reduce aggressive behavior.

    This is in line with previous research concerning the administration of oxytocin on healthy adults, where administration of oxytocin was associated with increased cooperative behaviors, increased social processing, and increased empathy.

    Researchers note that this study was the first in examining oxytocin effects on patients with FTD and that while the results do not warrant using oxytocin as a treatment yet, they are promising and should be followed up with more studies.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Weight Loss: Diet Drinks Better Than Water?

    Weight Loss: Diet Drinks Better Than Water?

    This study is sure to spark debate among weight loss experts. After years of doctors and nutritionists warning consumers that drinking diet beverages may actually cause a person to gain weight, a new study that will be published in June’s journal of Obesity is now claiming otherwise.

    Before going onto the research findings, it’s probably important to note that the study was funded by the American Beverage Association, in turn popular calorie-free drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Snapple backed the study.

    James O. Hill, Ph.D., who is executive director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, co-authored the study. He concluded that drinking diet beverages helps a person to lose weight. “This study clearly demonstrates diet beverages can in fact help people lose weight, directly countering myths in recent years that suggest the opposite effect – weight gain.” He added, “In fact, those who drank diet beverages lost more weight and reported feeling significantly less hungry than those who drank water alone. This reinforces if you’re trying to shed pounds, you can enjoy diet beverages.”

    The study was performed with a relatively small sample size of 303 people during a 12-week clinical trial. Half of the group was instructed to drink at least 24 ounces of a diet beverage every day. They could consume as much water as they wanted. The other half of the study participants were told to drink at least 24 ounces of water a day, however, no diet beverages were allowed. The second study group could eat food containing sugar substitutes like Equal and Sweet’N Low, but they could not add them to anything they drank.

    The study concluded that the diet beverage group lost an average of 13 pounds over the trial period of 12-weeks. The water group lost an average of 9 pounds over that same period. Researchers also noted that the diet beverage group claimed to feel less hungry. Additionally, the group showed improvements in serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL, known as “bad” cholesterol.

    Of course, this is just one study. A 2012 research study published in American Journal of Public Health claimed that people who drank two or more diet drinks a day ended up gaining weight, and the drinks actually made people feel hungrier. Additionally, studies have determined that artificial sweeteners found in products like Equal contain aspartame, which has previously been linked to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack in females.

    What has been your personal experience with diet drinks? Do they seem to help or hinder your weight loss goals?

    Image via Diet Coke, Twitter

  • Email, Social Media Communication Increases, IM Use Decreases

    As part of a study commissioned by Microsoft, market research company MarketTools surveyed 1,268 professionals and students over the age of 18 about their email habits and other forms of communication at home and at work.

    45% of those surveyed said that their use of email at work will most likely increase in the next five years. 51% said that it would likely stay the same. Only 4% thought it would decrease. At home, 36% of those surveyed thought their email use will increase, 55% said it will stand pat and 6% said it will likely decrease.

    This shouldn’t shock most of us, as email has become such an integral part of almost everyone’s lives. Hell, the AP stylebook recently decided to go with “email” instead of “e-mail.” It really is it’s own thing – not just an electronic type of regular mail.

    What is interesting, however, is when the study talks about specific tools for communication in the office. As expected, 96% of those surveyed says that in the past year their email use has either increased or stayed the same. Social Media, SMS, Phone and Face to Face communication has also all increased. The only form of communication that has declined is instant messaging – 14% saying it has increased, 15% saying it has decreased and 71% saying it has stayed the same.

    As part of this study, Microsoft has also given us an infographic about the history of email. it tracks the service from its beginnings in 1965 at MIT (I know, 1965!) to Facebook integration with Microsoft Office web apps in 2010. Be warned, it is a little Outlook – oriented, as would be expected with a Microsoft infographic. It does chart the 1998 release of the Tom Hanks – Meg Ryan romcom You’ve Got Mail, which obviously makes the whole thing worth it.