Archive for August, 2010

Excerpt:

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption occurs during human immunodeficiency virus encephalopathy, but the mechanisms involved are not understood. We studied how acute and ongoing exposure to human immunodeficiency virus 1 envelope gp120 alters BBB structure and permeability. Intravenous Evans blue, given before stereotaxic gp120 injection into the caudate putamen of rats, was rapidly extravasated. Gelatinolytic activity, studied by in situ zymography, was increased after gp120 administration and was localized within cerebralvessel walls. The gp120 increased the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9. Laminin and claudin-5, key BBB components and targets of both MMPs, were greatly reduced upon gp120 administration. The gp120 increased lipid peroxidation in the vascular endothelium and in neurons. Prior administration of rSV40 vectors carrying the antioxidant enzymes Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase protected from gp120-induced BBB damage. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation upregulated pro-MMP-9 and increased MMP-9 gelatinase activity, and memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blocker, mitigated gp120-induced BBB abnormalities. Using intra-caudate putamen SV(gp120) to test the effects of chronic exposure to expressed gp120, we determined that oxidant stress and increased BBB permeability occurred as in acute exposure. These data indicate that both direct administration and cellular expression of gp120 lead to disruption of the BBB by increasing MMPs and reducing vascular tight junction proteins via mechanisms involving reactive oxygen species generation and oxidant injury.

Linda’s comment:  Good ole Borax has been around for years.  I can remember as a child my granny and mom using borax for cleaning.  Borax, Heinz White Vinegar, Clorox and ammonia was their best friends….Even though there are those, who are chemically sensitive, can not use Clorox or ammonia, it is still used today by thousands.

Full article: http://www.diylife.com/2010/08/12/25-household-uses-for-borax/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diylife.com%2F2010%2F08%2F12%2F25-household-uses-for-borax%2F

Excerpt:

Sometimes referred to as “the miracle mineral,” this time-honored household ingredient is the natural solution for just about everything under your roof, from cleaning to insect control.

Borax, also known as sodium borate, is an a naturally occurring substance and an eco-friendly solution for many things around the house. Most commonly used as a cleaning agent, the uses extend far beyond that.

Talking with friends (ones far wiser than myself), and reading tips from Reader’s Digest,Laundry Goddess and Green Living Tips I’m excited to share all the ways you can use this natural element to your greatest advantage. Here are 25 to get you started. Let us know about your own special uses and we’ll keep updating the list. 

(Safety Warning: Just because borax is natural, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. You should always use gloves when handling it and keep it out of reach of children and pets.While safe in the diluted solutions, borax could be very harmful to children and pets if ingested.)

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20699042&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

A 71-year-old man was referred to our outpatient clinic because
of arthralgia and swelling of his right hand. He also showed a
subcutaneous nodule on his left knee. A second patient, a
57-year-old woman, was referred because of painful skin of her
legs. Dermatologic examination revealed erythemateous livid
discoloration on both feet and legs. There were reticular
varices, corona flebectatia paraplantaris medialis and minimal
pitting oedema. Serology tested positive in both patients for
Borrelia and they both recalled tick bites. A third patient, a
73-year-old woman, was referred because of erythema and maculae
located at her lower legs and positive Borrelia serology.
Pathologic examination was typical for acrodermatitis chronica
atrophicans, a late skin manifestation of Lyme borreliosis. In
all patients, symptoms improved after treatment with doxycycline
for four weeks. A lack of familiarity with this skin condition
may lead to unnecessary vascular investigations and considerable
delay in adequate treatment.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20595179&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

Results
27 different non-specific bands were detected in both groups. Six
of 27 (22%) of the non-specific bands were detected significantly
more in the western blot positive patients compared to the
western blot negative patients (20 kDa, p<0.0001; 28 kDa,
p<0.002; 36 kDa, p<0.002; 37 kDa, p<0.007; 48 kDa, p<0.023; 56
kDa, p<0.028; two-tailed F test). 

Conclusion
Results suggest that the 20, 28 and 48 kDa bands should be
regarded as specific.

The epigenetic research is explained very well in the attached text from a video clip that I have put on the www.gordonresearch.com website. The pictures bring this to life and will be very educational to any audience but the conclusion from the video clip is below.

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article:  http://www.fliqz.com/aspx/permalink.aspx?vid=75c53ffb47df42fb85809973823b249d

Excerpt:

Nova
A Tale of Two Mice
In this audio slide show, Dr. Dana Dolinoy of Duke University explains the role that the epigenome, a sort of second genome, plays in regulating the expression of our genes. As Dolinoy notes, we can no longer say with certainty whether genetics or the environment have a greater impact on our health, because the two are inextricably linked through the epigenome.

Posted: July 1, 2008
CHAPTER 1: THE AGOUTI SISTERS

DANA DOLINOY: Hi, I’m Dr. Dana Dolinoy, a post-doctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Randy Jirtle at Duke University. In our laboratory we study epigenetic gene regulation, or how environmental exposures interact with the epigenome to affect long-term health and disease.

So today I’d like to introduce you to two Agouti mice. And as you can see, the yellow mouse is quite obese, and she is also prone to diabetes and cancer. But on the other hand, the brown mouse remains slender and lean and also has a lower risk of developing disease.
But what’s really amazing about these two mice are that they are genetically identical — they are two identical twin sisters from the same mother. So what makes them look so different?

Full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527122147.htm

Excerpt:

ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2010) — The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium’s twisty shape is what enables it to survive — and thrive — within the stomach’s acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof.

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that, at least when it comes to H. pylori‘s ability to colonize the stomach, shape indeed matters. Microbiologist Nina Salama, Ph.D., and colleagues report their findings May 28 in Cell.

Salama and colleagues are the first to demonstrate that the bug’s helical shape helps it set up shop in the protective gelatin-like mucus that coats the stomach. Such bacterial colonization — present in up to half of the world’s population — causes chronic inflammation that is linked to a variety of stomach disorders, from chronic gastritis and duodenitis to ulcers and cancer.

Linda’s comments:  I would NEVER be without my D-3….This was part of the problems I had with so many Cancers…My D-3 levels were in the toilet….Just a wakeUP call, you don’t get enough VitD from the sun or the toxic MILK you drink either….I take 15 thousand units daily and sometimes more.  When in doubt have your doctor run a blood test on you…while you are add it get your B12 and Magnesium levels checked.

Vitamin D is now essential to lower colon and breast cancer. And short term high dose Vitamin A for infections saves lives. Dr Weil finds Vitamin D long-term use for adults is TOTALLY SAFE at 2000 units a day. The Counsel for Responsible Nutrition believes it is totally safe at 10,000 units a day for adults but what about short term use in massive amounts like 50-100,000 for acute infections. This knowledge has almost been ignored and could have become lost. 

My friend Dr Carl Reich MD in Canada was famous for treating ASTHMA and eliminating frequent hospitalizations in tough cases. He was using up to 50,000 units a week!  Of course they took his license but he changed the lives of nearly 10,000 patients! So it may be a long time until we fully appreciate the medical applications of aggressive Vitamin D therapy.

Vitamin A for treatment of most infections is safe and totally underutilized due to ignorance by medical profession. In the same vein as changing attitudes toward high dose vitamin D there is need to learn more about Vitamin A. The World Health Organization recommends the injections of children with 250,000 units of Vitamin A. This treatment is proven to save children’s lives daily around the world but long term use can affect bone growth so no one uses this fantastically effective therapy proving that a little knowledge is dangerous. No serious side effect of high dose for 5 days therapy up to 500,000 units a day for adults has been reported.

But with a few reports of relatively minor side effects related to long term use nothing serious with the 5 day use of high dose vitamin A is documented other than some increase in intracranial pressure leading to some headaches in perhaps 1-3% of patients but with dramatic recovery from infections. 

So hopefully one day we will realize that the “side effects” incurred with nutritional therapy are rather benign. There are no reported deaths in the USA in 2008 from nutritional supplements yet those who become knowledgeable in Orthomolecular Medicine, as I am, have to be prepared for criticism from less enlightened colleagues who do not understand benefit to risk calculations. They think nothing of their being at least the 4th leading cause of death in the US but are quick to criticize those who use therapies that they know nothing about but which have tremendous potential for really helping patients!!

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/new-recommendation-why-yo_b_446580.html

Excerpt:

I am raising my recommendation of 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day to 2,000 IU per day. Since 2005, when I raised it from 400 to 1,000 IU, clinical evidence has been accumulating to suggest that a higher dose is more appropriate to help maintain optimum health.
We have known for many years that we need vitamin D to facilitate calcium absorption and promote bone mineralization. But newer research has shown that we also need it for protection against a number of serious diseases. In recent years, scientists have discovered that it may help to prevent several cancers, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, psoriasis, diabetes, psychosis, and respiratory infections including colds and flu. 

To focus particularly on cancer prevention, two recent meta-analyses (in which data from multiple studies is combined) conducted by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California at San Diego and colleagues suggested that raising blood levels of vitamin D could prevent one-half of the cases of breast cancer and two-thirds of the cases of colorectal cancer in the U.S. Discussing the breast cancer analysis, study author Cedric Garland, Dr.P.H., stated that “The serum level associated with a 50 percent reduction in risk could be maintained by taking 2,000 international units of vitamin D3 daily plus, when the weather permits, spending 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun.” A 50 percent reduction in breast cancer deaths would have saved the lives of more than 20,000 American women in 2009.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20699042&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

A 71-year-old man was referred to our outpatient clinic because
of arthralgia and swelling of his right hand. He also showed a
subcutaneous nodule on his left knee. A second patient, a
57-year-old woman, was referred because of painful skin of her
legs. Dermatologic examination revealed erythemateous livid
discoloration on both feet and legs. There were reticular
varices, corona flebectatia paraplantaris medialis and minimal
pitting oedema. Serology tested positive in both patients for
Borrelia and they both recalled tick bites. A third patient, a
73-year-old woman, was referred because of erythema and maculae
located at her lower legs and positive Borrelia serology.
Pathologic examination was typical for acrodermatitis chronica
atrophicans, a late skin manifestation of Lyme borreliosis. In
all patients, symptoms improved after treatment with doxycycline
for four weeks. A lack of familiarity with this skin condition
may lead to unnecessary vascular investigations and considerable
delay in adequate treatment.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20407371&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Lyme borreliosis is the most common
vector-borne bacterial infection in temperate areas of the
northern hemisphere. It has been perceived as difficult to
diagnose and treat, but much is now known about its clinical
presentations, which largely fall into well defined categories in
both adults and children. This review features recent
publications on clinical diagnosis and management. 

RECENT FINDINGS: The reported incidence of Lyme borreliosis has
increased markedly in many countries. Many recent publications
have focused on clinical and laboratory aspects of paediatric and
adult neuroborreliosis, and there is now strong evidence for the
efficacy of oral doxycycline for most presentations of
neuroborreliosis. Serological tests have improved significantly.
Several studies have confirmed that patients treated for early
Lyme borreliosis have good overall long-term outcomes. Studies of
patients with persistent symptoms following treatment have not
shown evidence for active infection or for sustained benefit from
prolonged antibiotic treatment. 

VITAMIN D stopped all asthma for years in Canada under Dr Carl Reich but often needed higher doses, some as high as 50,000 units for awhile. He had records on nearly 10,000 children with dramatic reduction in all asthma related issues. Of course they took his license 15 years ago. 

Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com

Full article: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Vitamin-D-could-reduce-mold-allergies/?c=DcghxY3t7h4ZDIGYHhNXAA%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily

Excerpt:

Vitamin D may protect asthmatics from an allergic response linked to common mold, suggests a new study from the US supporting the vitamin’s immune health effects.

Results of a cell study ,published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, identifieda connection between vitamin D levels and the activity of certain allergy associated immune cells.

 

“We found that adding vitamin D not only substantially reduced the production of the protein driving an allergic response, but it also increased production of the proteins that promote tolerance,” said lead researcher Dr Jay Kolls from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.