Archive for June 28th, 2006
Just like you can not copyright an idea, you cannot get a patent for perfume. That’s because the individual wearer’s chemical composition changes the consistency of the formula; the reason an identical fragrance fails to smell the same on different people.
So how do perfume makers protect their products? They find a loophole. Several, to be exact. Here’s how it works: Patents can be taken out for the development of new aromatic raw materials, the discovery of new properties in those raw materials, and for any breakthrough that improves how the perfume smells in the bottle.
Robertet, one of the oldest manufacturers of fine perfumes in the world, has developed several patents in the competitive fields of cosmetics. Its research scientists have discovered that certain aromatic materials actually inhibit the growth of some micro-organisms responsible for body odor. Body odor, incidentally, is caused by the enzyme activity of such bacteria as corynebacterium xerosis and staphylococcus epidermis. The company is now marketing a product called Deomix, an alternative to the anti-bacteria agents commonly used in deodorants.
The well-established company has also discovered a way to improve room deodorants. Typically, air fresheners are made up of perfumery compounds to mask rather than neutralize common household odors. Robertek’s environmentally-correct products have been proven to be successful in wiping out such odors as garlic, rotten eggs, fish, urine and dog food. The results of the company’s innovative efforts can be found on the labels of all of its room deodorizers.
Robertek has long believed that natural is better. Even before the world’s focus was directed toward environmental protection, its scientists were busy extracting from nature what had formerly been available with synthetics. Its dedication to natural ingredients began at its conception in 1850.
The company welcomed the new millennium with ways to develop new processes for botanical odor. Some of Robertek’s newest innovations include products that kick in when Mother Nature falls down on the job. In the field of food flavors, the company plans to offer a new natural molecule aimed at improving the way some foods taste and smell.
To learn more about Robertek and its innovations, search for its site on the Web. Be sure to ask for a free sample of Natural Linden Blossom Absolute, a plant known for its calming properties. This plant, by the way, can also be used as a food condiment.
June 28th, 2006
By: OSU.edu
A new study using ovarian cancer cell lines shows promise in treating the deadly disease by combining the chemotherapy drug cisplatin with an aspirin-like compound to make recurrent cancer cells less resistant to the chemotherapy.
The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As a first course of treatment, ovarian cancer typically is treated with surgery followed by a regimen of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. However, cisplatin is not an effective treatment when the ovarian cancer inevitably returns, says Periannan Kuppusamy, a professor of internal medicine at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
“Somehow the ovarian cancer cells adapt and become resistant to this drug,” said Kuppusamy, lead author of the study. “Once treated with cisplatin, the ovarian cancer cells develop an abundance of thiols, which are a kind of cellular antioxidants that protect the cancer from the chemotherapy.”
Kuppusamy wondered whether the abundance of thiols could somehow be used against the ovarian cancer cells. The study found that the nitric oxide released from the aspirin derivative NCX-4016 reacts with the cellular thiols, which causes the cancer cells to stop proliferating. In addition, the nitric oxide depletes the thiols, making the cancer cells more susceptible to the chemotherapy.
“The nitric oxide-releasing ability of the aspirin derivative NCX-4016 is enhanced by thiols, so I thought this type of treatment might work better in a tumor cancer cell that is rich in thiols, such as a resistant ovarian cancer,” Kuppusamy said.
Kuppusamy plans to continue this research in animal models.
He collaborated with Dr. Louis Ignarro of the University of California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, who along with two colleagues won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their work in discovering the biologic role of nitric oxide.
June 28th, 2006
By: Mayo Clinic
A Mayo Clinic study has shown that the onset of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) at a younger age appears to be connected to antidepressant use.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder is a sleep disorder where patients act out their dreams, which are often unpleasant and violent, according to Maja Tippmann-Peikert, M.D., sleep medicine specialist, neurologist and study investigator. This acting out results from a loss of normal muscle paralysis in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the dream stage of sleep, which normally prevents enacting one’s dreams. RBD patients generally act out their dreams in a defensive posture, as if fending off an attacker, says R. Robert Auger, M.D., Mayo Clinic sleep medicine specialist, psychiatrist and primary investigator. The disorder is often recognized by a bed partner.
Although previously published case reports and a more recently published study have suggested the association between antidepressants and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, this study represents the first systematic demonstration of the relationship. Findings will be presented June 19 at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies’ SLEEP 2006 meeting in Salt Lake City.
“Our findings suggest that REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in younger patients - in the 30s instead of the usual age of the 50s or older - is frequently linked to antidepressant use,” says Dr. Auger. “I’d interpret this to mean one of three things: 1) in younger patients, antidepressants can cause REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, or 2) in younger patients, RBD results in psychiatric diagnoses that then result in antidepressant prescriptions, or 3) a common factor is causing both the REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and the psychiatric diagnoses, which in turn results in antidepressant prescriptions. If medications are implicated in a direct manner, it may be an idiosyncratic effect, it could be related to the dose of medication, or the medications simply may be unmasking an underlying predisposition to RBD.”
To conduct this study, investigators reviewed records of patients consecutively diagnosed with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder at Mayo Clinic between 2002 and 2005, removing those with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or dementia at the time of RBD diagnosis. Twenty patients diagnosed when they were less than 50 years old (average age 34) were age- and gender-matched for comparison to a group of patients without RBD. Equivalent comparisons were performed in patients diagnosed with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder over age 50. After looking at all groups, the investigators found that the younger REM Sleep Behavior Disorder patients were unique with respect to greater use of antidepressants than those without REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (80 percent versus 15 percent use). Antidepressants prescribed for these patients spanned all types: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), venlafaxine, mirtazapine and tricyclic antidepressants. The investigators also found a higher prevalence of females in the early-onset group of RBD (45 percent female) patients than in older-onset RBD (13 percent female). RBD is known to be largely a male disease.
A link between antidepressants and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder is not completely surprising, according to Dr. Auger, as the neurotransmitters affected by these medications are involved in REM sleep regulation, and a recent study shows that they diminish the muscle paralysis associated with normal REM sleep.
Dr. Auger says that due to the retrospective nature of the study, correlation but not direct causality between antidepressants and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder can be inferred.
“From the results of our study, it appears that young-onset REM Sleep Behavior Disorder is frequently associated with antidepressants,” says Dr. Auger. “It nevertheless appears to be a relatively rare phenomenon, so I don’t think one should hesitate to take an antidepressant based on this particular risk. Physicians should be aware of this potential side effect, however, particularly in patients who complain of sleep disturbances. I’m hoping these findings will create a greater awareness, as practitioners generally would not link medications with RBD.”
There are no treatments available for those prescribed antidepressants to prevent them from later developing REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, but the condition is generally quite treatable once identified, he says. It is uncertain whether this younger group of patients possesses the same risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease later in life, as has been described in previous studies involving patients with older-onset REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.
June 28th, 2006
By: American Dietetic Association
While diets low in carbohydrates and high in protein continue to attract the public’s attention, researchers at the University of Texas - Austin report that “normal-weight” adults tend to eat more fiber and fruit than people who are overweight or obese.
The researchers looked at dietary intakes of more than 100 people of generally the same age and height, half of whom were considered normal weight based on their body mass index and other measurements, and half of whom were overweight or obese. The researchers found the diets of the two groups were similar in many ways, including intakes of sugar, bread, dairy products and vegetables. The main difference between the groups was the amount of fiber consumed by the normal-weight adults – 33 percent more dietary fiber and 43 percent more complex carbohydrates each day (per 1,000 calories).
“Obviously, no magic formula exists for weight loss,” the researchers write, “but our results indicated that a diet containing more than average amounts of fiber, complex carbohydrate and fruit was associated with normal body fat stores and standard weight for height.”
June 28th, 2006
How do I get healthy looking skin? Read and follow these guidelines.
You can have younger looking skin at any age. Here is how to undo skin damage as a result of too much sun exposure.
Freckles are cute across a little girls nose, but when you are not a kid anymore, freckles can turn into brown splotches on your face. Are these little splotches freckles or age spots? Minimizing their appearance in either case is easy.
As our skin ages the dermis tries hard to protect itself from the suns’ burning rays and increases its production of melanin this leaves brown splotches on the skin. The best protection against these age spots is to avoid the sun and use sunscreen.
But, if you already have splotchy skin you can use bleaching creams to fade age spots. Drug stores sell bleaching creams over the counter. These creams contain hydroquinone and go by names such as Porcelana. The hydroquinone fades brown spots in about 6 weeks time. Critics say that hydroquinone creams bought over the counter are not strong enough and that a doctor can prescribe a higher strength. Dermatologist also say that a fading cream works best when used a long with a Retin-A cream. Retin-A must be prescribed by a physician.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids can work to reduce age spots and also reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It works by using the mild acids from natural substances like fruit and milk to slough off dead skin cells.
To really refresh skin and get rid of age spots and wrinkles use a combination of all of the above. A topical cocktail of Retin-A, hydroquinone and Alpha Hydroxy Acid.
If creams are not getting rid of your skin problems several procedures can be done by your dermatologist.
Skin Peels: A doctor uses a 50 precent solution of salicylic acid. The problem spot blisters and peels off within two days. A single treatment runs about $350.00 it is very effective but takes several weeks to stop blistering and peeling.
Freeze out age spots. A dermatologist can freeze age spots with liquid nitrogen. Pain is surprisingly minimal. This treatment can have side effects in some people. It can leave scarring or a white spot in place of the brown spot.
Laser treatment on age spots destroys the cells making the excess pigmentation. New normally functioning pigment cells move back into that area. This method works best on one isolated brown spot. Laser treatment is generally not painful. Doctors agree that laser treatment carries the smallest amount of side effects.
June 28th, 2006