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Medicalnews

An international team of scientists has discovered that the ubiquitous bacteria that causes most painful stomach ulcers has been present in the human digestive system since modern man migrated from Africa over 60,000 years ago. The research, published online by the journal Nature, not only furthers our understanding of a disease causing bacteria but also offers a new way to study the migration and diversification of early humans.

The international research collaboration was led by scientists from the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, and the Hanover Medical School. The researchers compared DNA sequence patterns of humans and the Helicobacter pylori bacteria now known to cause most stomach ulcers. They found that the genetic differences between human populations that arose as they dispersed from Eastern Africa over thousands of years are mirrored in H. pylori.

Human DNA analysis has shown that along the major land routes out of Africa human populations become genetically isolated - the further from Eastern Africa a population is the more different genetically it is compared to other human populations. Other research has shown gradual differences in European populations, presumed to be the result of Neolithic farmers moving northwards. The international H. pylori research team found almost exactly the same genetic distribution patterns in their results.

The scientists combined their genetic analysis with a computer simulation the modeled the spread of the bacteria across the globe. This showed that it migrated from Eastern Africa at almost exactly the same time as early humans, approximately 60,000 years ago.

The UK research effort was led by Dr Francois Balloux, a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-funded scientist at the University of Cambridge. He said: "Humans and this ulcer-causing bacterium have been intimately linked for the last 60,000 years. The research not only shows the likelihood that for tens of thousands of years our ancestors have been suffering the effects of this bacteria but it also opens up new possibilities for understanding early human migration. By showing that Helicobacter pylori emerged from Africa at the same time as early humans it makes it easier to examine some of the controversial questions about human migration. For example we could use our understanding of the bacteria's spread to gauge poorly understood human population shifts in Europe, Africa and Asia."

Labels: stomach ulcer, ulcer

By THOMAS H. MAUGH II
Los Angeles Times

Older people who take heartburn drugs such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid and Protonix for long periods have a significantly increased risk of hip fractures, possibly because the drugs block calcium absorption, Pennsylvania researchers reported Wednesday.

The drugs, which block production of acid in the stomach, are among the most widely used in the United States with combined annual sales of more than $10 billion.

"The perception is that the drugs are completely safe, and doctors dispense them without thinking too much about the risks and the benefits," said Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who led the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Now, he said, physicians should be aware of the potential risk, prescribe the lowest possible dose and use the drug only on patients who really need it.

Men using heartburn drugs ran twice risk of women, study says

An estimated 300,000 Americans older than 65 sustain hip fractures each year, according to the National Institutes of Health, and recovery is difficult. About 20 percent die of complications and another 20 percent are consigned permanently to nursing homes.

The findings are interesting, said Dr. Alan Buchman of Northwestern University, but the results do not prove that the drugs caused the increased risk.

"Maybe they have some other problem that increases the risk for fractures," he said.

Even if the drugs are at fault, the solution may be simply to consume more calcium, either in the form of dairy products or as supplements, said Buchman, who was not involved in the study. "The average North American doesn't get enough calcium anyway," he said.

Drug manufacturers noted that the products have been used for more than 10 years and have been through many clinical trials without evidence of risk.

Amy Allen, a spokeswoman for TAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill., which manufactures Prevacid, said the company has an extensive post-marketing surveillance system and "has not identified a safety signal for bone fractures related to Prevacid."

Heartburn typically occurs when acid from the stomach bubbles up into the esophagus, a condition called acid reflux. It is very painful and can cause ulcers on the lining of the esophagus. Some researchers believe it also can lead to cancer.

Yang and his colleagues used a large British database to identify 13,566 hip fracture patients over age 50 and a matched group of 135,386 healthy people.

They found that one year of using the drugs increased risk of hip fractures by 44 percent. Long-term users who received high doses of the drugs had as much as 2.6 times the normal risk.

Men using the drugs had about twice the risk of hip fractures as did women, perhaps because the women were more likely to be consuming calcium supplements as post-menopausal therapy.

Patients taking a different class of acid inhibitors that includes Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid and Axid had a 21 percent increased risk of fractures after one year.

The results are similar to those obtained in a smaller Danish study reported this year, Yang said.

Yang, who has received funding from several manufacturers, pointed out that adequate levels of acid are required in the duodenum to dissolve calcium salts so they can be absorbed by the body. Studies in animals have suggested that the acid blockers can interfere with this process, producing a calcium deficiency that, in turn, leads to a thinning of bones.

What's needed now, Buchman said, is a study that looks directly at bone-mineral density to determine whether it decreases in patients receiving the drugs.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Gastroenterological Association/GlaxoSmithKline Institute for Digestive Health.

Heartburn typically occurs when acid from the stomach bubbles up into the esophagus, a condition called acid reflux. It is very painful and can cause ulcers on the lining of the esophagus. Some researchers believe it also can lead to cancer.

Labels: acid reflux, Heartbun, ulcer

From Health Consciousness

It works because the Aloe vera plant produces at least six antiseptic agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamic acid, phenol, and sulfur. All of these substances are recognized as antiseptics, because together they exhibit antimicrobial activity. This explains why Aloe has the ability to eliminate many internal and external infections. Lupeol, salicylic acid and magnesium are also highly effective analgesics, and this explains why Aloe is an effective pain killer.

Aloe vera contains at least three anti-inflammatory fatty acids (cholesterol, campesterol and B-sitosterol, all of which are plant sterols), and this explains why Aloe is such an effective treatment for burns, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions, as well as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, and ulcers of all kinds, both internal and external. The presence of fatty acids may explain why some have stated that Aloe is highly effective for many inflammatory conditions of the digestive system and many other internal organs, including the stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, kidney, and pancreas. The presence of any one of these fatty acids, especially B-sitosterol, explains why it is often reported that Aloe juice is an effective treatment of allergic reactions and acid indigestion, and why it helps, in association with a low fat diet, to lower harmful cholesterol levels.

If the SYNERGISTIC RELATIONSHIP between the elements found in the plant's sap, its gel and throughout the entire plant does not explain why Aloe works, then NOTHING DOES! All of which explains why "across time", lay persons and physicians alike have proclaimed that Aloe vera has the ability to heal, alleviate, eliminate or cure, a monumental list of human diseases and disorders, and therefore truly deserves the name "Medicine Plant."

1.	Penetration - Aloe has the ability to reach the deepest body tissues, some seven layers deep.
2.	Antiseptic - Aloe has six antiseptic agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamic acid, phenol and sulfur. Kills bacteria, viruses and fungus.
3.	Stimulates cell growth - Aloe stimulates the birth of new, healthy tissue.
4.	Settles nerves
5.	Cleanses - Aloe detoxifies and normalizes your metabolism.

A TO Z

Historically, we find that Aloe vera has been used to treat human and animal medical problems from A to Z, and many more uses for the leaf have been suggested in contemporary literature:

• Penetrates tissue
• A natural cleanser
• Anesthetizes tissue, relieving pain associated with joints & sore muscles
• Bactericidal in high concentration with infectious bacteria - acts as strong antibiotic, destroying bacteria even when diluted
• Virucidal when in direct contact for long periods
• Fungicidal
• Antipruritic - stops itching
• Nutritional - provides vitamins, minerals, sugars
• Dilates capillaries, increases circulation to area
• Breaks down and digests dead tissue, including pus (acne)
• Enhances normal cell proliferation. Hastens healing
• Moisturizes tissue
• Antipyretic - reduces heat of soresAnti-inflammatory

Nutritional Information

Vitamins / Minerals
B-12, calcium, copper, iron, zinc, magesium, phosphorus, potassium

Amino Acids
Nine of ten essential amino acids (missing only tryptophan), plus alanine, asartc acid, cystine, glutamic acid, glyine, hydroxy-proline, proline, serine and tyrosine

Fatty Acids Helpful In Tissue Maturation
Linoleic, linolenic, myristic, caprylic, oleic, palmitic, stearic

Antiseptic
Cinnamic acid, lupeol (a natural salicylic acid), phenol, sulfur, urea nitrogen

Analgesic
Lupeol, magnesium (as lactate)

Anti-inflammatory
Brady kinase, B-sitosterol, campesterol, beneficial HDL cholesterol

Natural Defense System Enhancers
A newly discovered component of the Aloe vera plant, called acemannan, shows preliminary evidence of strengthening the body’s natural defenses

Enzymes
Amylase, lactic dehydrogenase, lipase, SGP transaminase, SGO transaminase

Other
Alkaline phosphatase, creatine phosphatase, creatinine, glucose, lactate, sodium, triglycerides

Labels: Aloe vera, antisepticd, Natural Medicine, ulcer