ProCPR Blog » Health and Safety

UCLA Develops Innovative Anti-Bacterial Mouthwash to Wipe Out Tooth Decay

Paul Martin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:52:39 +0000

The UCLA School of Dentistry has developed a new mouthwash that may completely eliminate cavities and tooth decay during our lifetime. The new mouthwash targets Streptococcus mutans bacteria, primarily responsible for causing tooth decay and cavities.

The mouthwash, which is the result of nearly ten years of research, could be a big step toward the eradication of all forms of tooth decay.

In a recent clinical study, 12 subjects who rinsed just one time with the experimental mouthwash experienced a nearly complete elimination of the S. mutans bacteria over the entire four-day testing period. The findings from the small-scale study are published in the current edition of the international dental journal Caries Research.

Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is one of the most common and costly infectious diseases in the United States, affecting more than 50 percent of children and the vast majority of adults aged 18 and older. Americans spend more than $70 billion each year on dental services, with the majority of that amount going toward the treatment of dental caries.

This new mouthwash is the product of nearly a decade of research conducted by Wenyuan Shi, chair of the oral biology section at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Shi developed a new antimicrobial technology called STAMP (specifically targeted anti-microbial peptides) with support from Colgate-Palmolive and from C3-Jian Inc., a company he founded around patent rights he developed at UCLA; the patents were exclusively licensed by UCLA to C3-Jian. The mouthwash uses a STAMP known as C16G2.

The human body is home to millions of different bacteria, some of which cause diseases such as dental caries but many of which are vital for optimum health. Most common broad-spectrum antibiotics, like conventional mouthwash, indiscriminately kill both benign and harmful pathogenic organisms and only do so for a 12-hour time period.

The overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics can seriously disrupt the body’s normal ecological balance, rendering humans more susceptible to bacterial, yeast and parasitic infections.

Shi’s Sm STAMP C16G2 investigational drug, tested in the clinical study, acts as a sort of “smart bomb,” eliminating only the harmful bacteria and remaining effective for an extended period.

Based on the success of this limited clinical trial, C3-Jian Inc. has filed a New Investigational Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to begin more extensive clinical trials in March 2012. If the FDA ultimately approves Sm STAMP C16G2 for general use, it will be the first such anti–dental caries drug since fluoride was licensed nearly 60 years ago.

“With this new antimicrobial technology, we have the prospect of actually wiping out tooth decay in our lifetime,” said Shi, who noted that this work may lay the foundation for developing additional target-specific “smart bomb” antimicrobials to combat other diseases.

“The work conducted by Dr. Shi’s laboratory will help transform the concept of targeted antimicrobial therapy into a reality,” said Dr. No-Hee Park, dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry. “We are proud that UCLA will become known as the birthplace of this significant treatment innovation.”

-via

October 14, 2011 -- Peanut Allergy can now be Switched Off
January 14, 2010 -- Cellphones may protect brain from Alzheimer’s Disease
August 3, 2009 -- Millions of U.S. Children Low in Vitamin D
June 19, 2009 -- Japanese study finds chubby people live longest
June 3, 2009 -- Stem Cell Contact Lenses Cure Blindness within a Month

12 Reasons to Stop Smoking Now

Paul Martin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:57:46 +0000

1. Smokers die young.

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, and half of all regular smokers are killed by smoke related diseases. Smokers are 2-4 times more prone to heart attacks than non-smokers.

2. You stink!

Seriously. And the smell isn’t harmless either. If someone just smells the smoke, they’re actually breathing the cancer causing agents that are found in the smoke, either first or second hand. And it’s just as dangerous.

3. You have 10 times more wrinkles.

Smoking accelerates aging. Smokers also have pale, ashen skin and yellowing teeth, fingers and fingernails.

4. Your lungs are full of phlegm and tar.

Smoking causes your lungs to build tar and that can create chronic coughs because of an increase of phlegm.

5. Smoking can cause depression.

A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry followed more than 1,000 people over five years and found that smokers were twice as likely as non-smokers to be depressed. If they quit, the symptoms are less, but if they start smoking again the symptoms return.

6. It’s expensive.

Depending on where you live, a single pack of cigarettes can cost up to $9; at one pack a day, that’s almost $3,285 per year! Think about this, if you work at a job where you make $30k per year, that’s more than ten percent of your yearly income. Plus, your health insurance will cost more, or costs the company you work for more to cover, which hurts the benefits that your company could afford to offer, because you want to smoke.

7. Smoking causes infertility.

“Smoking appears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years,” according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

8. You’ll have a difficult pregnancy.

Toxins from cigarettes travel into the placenta, which cuts oxygen flow to your baby by up to 25%.

Smoking can cause your baby to have birth defects and a lower birth weight, according to the American Lung Association. You’re also 50% more likely to deliver prematurely, according to a National Institutes of Health study.

9. Your PMS will get worse.

Women who began puffing before age 15 reported suffering from severe PMS – backaches, bloating, breast tenderness, acne, severe cramps, headaches and mood swings.

10. You’re a bad influence.

One study showed that 55% of kids whose parents were smokers planned on smoking in the future.

11. Second-hand smoke kills.

Second hand smoke causes the same illness and disease on non-smokers as it causes in those that smoke.

12. One is the loneliest number.

Smokers are being increasingly marginalized and edged out by their peers, and studies are saying that smokers are going dateless more often than those who don’t smoke.

-via

January 22, 2009 -- Quit Smoking with “My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr”

Peanut Allergy can now be Switched Off

Paul Martin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:45:44 +0000

Tricking the immune system can help to make the allergen safer and to prevent the body’s life-threatening reaction. Researchers found that they could trick the immune system into thinking that nut proteins aren’t a threat to the body. The preclinical study achieved peanut tolerance by attaching peanut proteins onto blood cells and reintroducing them into the body. Using this approach may also allow more than one food allergy to be targeted at a time.

“We think we’ve found a way to safely and rapidly turn off the allergic response to food allergies,” said Paul Bryce, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of allergy-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Bryce and Stephen Miller, professor of microbiology-immunology at Feinberg, are co-senior authors of a paper published in the Journal of Immunology.

It’s the first time this method for creating tolerance in the immune system has been used in allergic diseases. It has previously been used in autoimmune diseases. The approach also has a second benefit. It creates a more normal, balanced immune system by increasing the number of regulatory T cells, immune cells important for recognizing the peanut proteins as normal.

“T cells come in different ‘flavors’,” Bryce said. “This method turns off the dangerous Th2 T cell that causes the allergy and expands the good, calming regulatory T cells. We are supposed to be able to eat peanuts. We’ve restored this tolerance to the immune system.”

Peanut allergies often cause life-threatening allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis. Each year there are between 15,000 and 30,000 episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis and 100 to 200 related deaths in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is no safe treatment to protect people from a severe allergic reaction to food.

When an allergic person eats a peanut, the proteins are absorbed through the intestine and can activate a life-threatening, full-body immune response. This includes constriction of the airways, low blood pressure and/or shock and can lead to loss of consciousness and death.

This approach was first tested with peanut allergies, and the second round of studies was conducted with an egg protein, which was to produce an asthma like attack. When the mice inhaled the asthma-provoking egg protein, their lungs did not become inflamed.

“This is an exciting new way in which we can regulate specific allergic diseases and may eventually be used in a clinical setting for patients,” said Miller, the Judy Gugenheim Research Professor at the Feinberg School.

-via

November 22, 2011 -- UCLA Develops Innovative Anti-Bacterial Mouthwash to Wipe Out Tooth Decay
May 3, 2010 -- Respect Every Bite, During Food Allergy Awareness Week and Beyond
January 14, 2010 -- Cellphones may protect brain from Alzheimer’s Disease
August 3, 2009 -- Millions of U.S. Children Low in Vitamin D
June 19, 2009 -- Japanese study finds chubby people live longest

Grandma rescues Toddler thanks to Alert from Child with Downs Syndrome

Paul Martin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:00:23 +0000

In a situation that could have ended in tragedy, a two year old’s life was saved. A ten year old girl named Annie, who has Downs Syndrome, recognized that the two year old child was in trouble, having fallen into the pool, and told twelve year old Sophia. Sophia alerted her grandmother Lianne who jumped in and rescued the child using CPR.

“I put him on the ground, and I began CPR. And then he began to gurgle. And when he finally began to gurgle, I rolled him over, tried to get the water out of his lungs,” Lianne Azevedo said. The EMT’s praised Lianne for her fast action that saved the little boy’s life. Little Brady Dones was awake and alert when he went to the hospital, and he’s expected to be okay.

Grandma’s CPR revives drowning toddler: wwlp.com

June 22, 2011 -- Dad learns CPR and saves Son only 11 days later
December 1, 2008 -- A Life Saved this Morning… maybe Three!
October 28, 2008 -- Father uses CPR training to save son
September 29, 2008 -- CPR revives Infant after Water Accident
August 27, 2008 -- On the Benefits of First Aid Safety Training

MyPlate replaces Food Pyramid

Paul Martin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:09:54 +0000

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the Food Pyramid replacement today. Called “My Plate” it is meant to help Americans get healthier with their food options. The graphical icon is one that will likely be everywhere, as it should infiltrate grocery stores nationwide in short order.

There are various graphics that companies can use to show the food group that the item falls under, which highlights the piece that you’ll quickly recognize once you are familiar with the graphic. It reminds me of the Trivial Pursuit wedges. For instance, here’s what the icon might look like when the food falls under the Fruits category:

This is a definite simplification that brings things back toward the four food groups that I grew up with, and away from the complexity of the food pyramid, that seemed to be an over-complication of something that we do every day.

Press Release

First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled the federal government’s new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it’s tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden. That’s how easy it is.”

“With so many food options available to consumers, it is often difficult to determine the best foods to put on our plates when building a healthy meal,” said Secretary Vilsack. “MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles. This effort is about more than just giving information, it is a matter of making people understand there are options and practical ways to apply them to their daily lives.”

Originally identified in the Child Obesity Task Force report which noted that simple, actionable advice for consumers is needed, MyPlate will replace the MyPyramid image as the government’s primary food group symbol as an easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPyramid will remain available to interested health professionals and nutrition educators in a special section of the new website.

ChooseMyPlate.gov provides practical information to individuals, health professionals, nutrition educators, and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets with resources and tools for dietary assessment, nutrition education, and other user-friendly nutrition information. As Americans are experiencing epidemic rates of overweight and obesity, the online resources and tools can empower people to make healthier food choices for themselves, their families, and their children. Later this year, USDA will unveil an exciting “go-to” online tool that consumers can use to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices.

Over the next several years, USDA will work with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’sMove! initiative and public and private partners to promote MyPlate and ChooseMyPlate.gov as well as the supporting nutrition messages and “how-to” resources.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, launched in January of this year, form the basis of the federal government’s nutrition education programs, federal nutrition assistance programs, and dietary advice provided by health and nutrition professionals. The Guidelines messages include:

Balance Calories
• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains

Foods to Reduce
• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Coupled with these tested, actionable messages will be the “how-tos” for consumer behavior change. A multi-year campaign calendar will focus on one action-prompting message at a time starting with “Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables.”

“What we have learned over the years is that consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet,” said Secretary Vilsack. “This new campaign calendar will help unify the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts and highlight one desired change for consumers at a time.”

As part of this new initiative, USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action by encouraging consumers to take a photo of their plates and share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate. USDA also wants to see where and when consumers think about healthy eating. Take the Plate and snap a photograph with MyPlate to share with our USDA Flickr Photo Group [http://www.flickr.com/people/usdagov/].
For more information, visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.

May 26, 2011 -- Food Pyramid Replacement coming June 2

Food Pyramid Replacement coming June 2

Paul Martin — Thu, 26 May 2011 20:58:10 +0000

When I was in school we learned about the four food groups. It seemed a very simple chart to follow, and it wasn’t until much more recently that I learned that the whole system that I had learned was replaced in 1992 with the food pyramid. It looks as though the paradigm is about to shift again, with the replacement of the food pyramid on June 2nd.

When I first saw the food pyramid, I found it slightly overwhelming and a bit confusing, and it appears that I was not alone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) feels that the food pyramid just doesn’t capture the attention of the public anymore. Personally, I think it was a failure to begin with, since it took so long for me to learn about it. I don’t remember when it was, but I definitely first learned about it after 2000, after it had been around for at least eight years. I’d call that a failure.

From an interview with WebMD:

“Consumers can look forward to a new, simple, easy-to-understand cue to prompt healthy choices,” Post tells WebMD. “You will get this monumental effort across all agencies as well as the private sector. A partnership with the goal of improving the health of all Americans.”

One of the few people who already has seen the icon is WebMD Director of Nutrition Kathleen Zelman, RD.

“This icon really has the potential to trigger an ‘aha!’ moment, where people say, ‘Hey, this is not that hard, I can do this,’” Zelman says. “These ‘aha!’ moments are what make people finally change their behavior.”

The release of the icon marks the launch of a massive effort to promote the USDA/HHS dietary guidelines announced last January.

-via WebMD

Look for the icon to release with the new guidelines on June 2. Here’s the update: MyPlate replaces Food Pyramid.

June 2, 2011 -- MyPlate replaces Food Pyramid

FDA approves new HIV and Hepatitis C drugs

Paul Martin — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:37:01 +0000

The United States’ Food and Drug Administration has just approved a new drug to fight HIV in combination with other antiretrovirals that are already on the market. The drug is called Edurant, and it was made by New Jersey based Tibotec Therapeutics. It works by blocking the HIV from replicating and is part of a class of drugs known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

“Patients may respond differently to various HIV drugs or experience varied side effects,” said Edward Cox, director of the office of antimicrobial products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“FDA’s approval of Edurant provides an additional treatment option for patients who are starting HIV therapy.”

-via

The FDA also approved a long awaited drug for the treatment of Hepatitis C, which was developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The drug is called Incivek, and it is so effective that the chances of a person being cured of the disease double with its’ use. This drug works in combination with others such as ribavirin and pegylated interferon. It was unanimously approved by the FDA, and Vertex founder and former CEO Joshua Boger remarked that this is “a great day for patients that we at Vertex envisioned almost 18 years ago.”

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May 13, 2009 -- US Objects to General Mills’ Cheerios Health Claims
January 25, 2010 -- FDA shifts BPA focus
July 8, 2009 -- FDA Takes Enforcement Action Against Cheese Manufacturer Peregrina
July 7, 2009 -- FDA Approves Multaq to Treat Heart Rhythm Disorder
July 2, 2009 -- FDA panel backs cut maximum Tylenol dosage

2011 List of Best Sunscreens

Paul Martin — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:18:23 +0000

If you’re looking for a good sunscreen, you might be surprised to find that the best is also one of the cheapest. According to Consumer Reports, the most effective sunscreen is the Target store brand Up & Up’s Sport Continuous SPF 30. It took the top honor as the best buy, with top marks for effectiveness while costing just $0.88 per ounce.

After testing the ability of 22 sprays, creams and lotions to protect against ultraviolet A and B radiation. UVA exposure is linked to skin cancer and aging, and UVB exposure is linked to burning.

Three other brands were rated highly for their UVA, UVB protection and reasonable price:

Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 30
Coppertone Sport Ultra Sweatproof SPF 30
CVS Fast Cover Sport SPF 30.

-via

Consumer Reports: Best sunscreen: 4 sprays outshine the rest

August 12, 2009 -- Sun Safety Is More Than Sunscreen
July 3, 2009 -- EWG’s Best and Worst Sunscreens

Wii Fit helps Woman Diagnose onset of Parkinsons

Paul Martin — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:45:14 +0000

Julie Wilks, a British mother of two, says that she began to realize she was suffering from Parkinson’s disease only after she stepped on the Wii Balance Board. The device comes with Wii Fit Plus, which as a primary function works by helping you learn to optimize your balance.

About a year ago, she noticed that her balance was heavily shifted to one side, which the Balance Board confirmed. The Balance Board uses four sensors, two on each side, to capture where you’re focusing your weight, and if you’re shifting at all. The heavy shift began to worry her, and other symptoms later started to emerge. She visited a doctor who delivered the diagnosis. She had Parkinson’s disease.

“I’m so grateful that I was playing the game that day and that it ended in my diagnosis,” she told the Daily Mail. “What an amazing piece of technology.”

Due to the illness she has left her job and is now hoping to raise money to fight the disease. She seems to be in good spirits. You can read the full story here: Woman diagnosed with Parkinson’s after noticing symptoms while playing Wii Fit [Daily Mail]

November 20, 2009 -- Wii: Great for Exercise and Senior Centers
June 16, 2008 -- Wii used for Physical Therapy, Fitness Ultimatum 2009 coming this fall
January 18, 2010 -- Wii Balance Board performs as well as $18,000 Medical Device
February 17, 2009 -- Padres reliever Heath Bell credits Wii Fit for Weight Loss Help
January 23, 2009 -- Wii Fit Helps Once Paralyzed Girl to Walk Again

Roy on Rescue covering 2010 CPR Guideline Updates

Paul Martin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:56:12 +0000

Paramedic Roy Shaw is doing a series of entries about the newly released 2010 CPR guideline updates. If you’d like to go in-depth with the new guidelines, take a look at the following entries, and continue to follow his series as he updates with more.

2010 Latest CPR Guidelines Released

2010 CPR Update Series – 911 and Dispatcher Changes

2010 CPR Update Series – Compression Only CPR