tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18463404857465443172024-03-12T18:04:18.575-04:00NoExcusesThe blog for CFer's who wish to be proactive, and not reactive, about their healthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger489125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-71604603679236949302013-07-20T19:11:00.002-04:002013-07-20T19:11:49.314-04:00Beta-blocker management of refractory hemoptysis in cystic fibrosis<div class="cit" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.45em;">
<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Ther Adv Respir Dis." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23539159#" role="menuitem" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #660066;" title="Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease.">Ther Adv Respir Dis.</a></span> 2013 Mar 28. [Epub ahead of print]</div>
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Beta-blocker management of refractory hemoptysis in cystic fibrosis: a novel treatment approach.</h1>
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<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Moua%20J%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23539159" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #660066;">Moua J</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Nussbaum%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23539159" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #660066;">Nussbaum E</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Liao%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23539159" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #660066;">Liao E</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Randhawa%20IS%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23539159" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #660066;">Randhawa IS</a>.</div>
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Source</h3>
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Department of Pediatric Pulmonary, Miller Children's Hospital, Long Beach/University of California, USA.</div>
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Abstract</h3>
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BACKGROUND:</h4>
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/objective: Recurrent hemoptysis is a debilitating complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) and likely results from mucosal erosions into abnormal bronchial blood vessels due to chronic respiratory infection. We hypothesize that the use of beta-blockade will decrease mean arterial pressure resulting in lower bronchial artery blood flow and, subsequently, decrease the frequency and severity of hemoptysis, rate of hospitalizations, and usage of intravenous antibiotics.</div>
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METHODS:</h4>
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Retrospective chart review was performed on 12 CF patients with recurrent hemoptysis, aged 13-40 years old, along with a follow-up telephone survey to assess the effectiveness of beta-blockade for hemoptysis, tolerance of inhaled respiratory medications, activity tolerance, and potential adverse effects. A beta-blocker, specifically atenolol, was initiated in all subjects within 24 hours after experiencing recurrent hemoptysis episodes.</div>
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RESULTS:</h4>
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A majority of patients (72.7%) had complete cessation of hemoptysis. There were significant decreases in the frequency of hemoptysis (p = 0.02) and the amount of hemoptysis (p = 0.004). The rate of hospitalizations significantly decreased from 1.33 to 0.67 (p = 0.05) after initiation of atenolol. There was a trend toward statistical significance in the reduction of intravenous antibiotics use (p = 0.08). No statistical difference was found when comparing the pre- and post-treatment means of forced expiratory volume in 1-second (p = 0.59). Very minimal adverse effects were observed with only one patient reporting intermittent facial flushing.</div>
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CONCLUSION:</h4>
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Beta-blockade, particularly with atenolol, appears to successfully treat, if not resolve, recurrent hemoptysis refractory to conservative therapy in CF. Beta-blocker therapy appears to maintain an effective safety profile in CF.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23539159">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23539159</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-55027473332438295862013-06-06T00:25:00.001-04:002013-12-16T22:38:18.201-05:00Von Willebrand's diseaseI have just been diagnosed with Von Willebrand's disease (because one rare genetic illness isn't enough for me apparently) and I'm hoping my story might help others.<br />
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I got my first period on a class trip to Spain when I was 13 (you can't make this stuff up).<br />
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My period lasted 20 some odd days and was truly miserable. I got a few weeks off and Aunt Flo was back in town for another extended stay of 2+ weeks. This pattern repeated for a few months before I finally agreed to see an OBGYN to get checked out for any abnormalities.<br />
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Since I have CF, all weird things are often attributed to my genetic disease until proven otherwise - and my horrible periods were no exception. My ultrasounds of my uterus were normal, hormone levels were OK, so the doc, my family (yey to have family involved when you're 13 on the topic of periods.... I was mortified) and I agreed to wait things out to see if my period "normalized."<br />
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Very soon after this agreement I threw up my hands in frustration as a then 14-year-old and demanded some sort of help. The OBGYN prescribed birth control pills and this solved everything. I was overjoyed to not have horrendous cramps or terrible fatigue from losing so much blood. Problem solved.<br />
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Fast forward to 27 years old, and I am diagnosed with my 1st superficial venous thrombosis in my left arm after I have a PICC for 2 weeks with abx. Not excited. I threw another superficial venous thrombosis in my right arm (later in 2009) with a PICC (I have this documented in my blog here btw) and naturally red flags go off in my head ; everyone knows estrogen makes you more prone to clots, right?<br />
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Fabulous. Off I go to a hematologist to get a work up just in case I'm in a hyper-coagulable state (for various reasons such as an undiagnosed Factor V Liden ) and everything turns out clean. I meet with a new OBGYN to understand my options for birth control and I'm presented with a few options: IUD's (Mirena which is progesterone-based, less clotting possibility; Copper with no hormones at all which can make periods worse), a progesterone pill, or depo privera. I liked the idea of localized (somewhat) hormones of progesterone, one less pill to take, yada yada with Mirena. So in goes the Mirena in December 2010 and off the birth control pill.<br />
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Periods begin to return to my 13 year old state- heavy, lasting looooong (2 weeks) for months. I am told by my OBGYN that it can take a few months for the Mirena to kick in. Summer 2011 arrives and periods are still horrendous. A re-visit to the OBGYN and I'm told that gosh, well, literature states in 3% of patients or so it can take a full 12 months for the Mirena to kick in. So I wait. And wait.<br />
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January 2012 rolls around and my Mirena has been in for 13 months and periods are still lasting too long and I'm an unhappy camper. I decide to switch OBGYN's to see if something else might be going on. February 2012 we decide on a transvaginal ultrasound to see if anything else might be causing excessive bleeding - fibroids, etc. Ultrasound looks normal but IUD looks slightly out of place ; it's hanging out in my cervix instead of in my uterus.<br />
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Feb 2012 I am diagnosed with CFRD so dealing with period issues kind of takes a back burner - CFRD and insulin is a steep learning curve and I need to focus on not destroying my lungs, kidneys, eyes, etc with high blood sugar.<br />
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May 2012 we decide, with this new OBGYN, to do a hysteroscopy In June 2012 to make sure nothing else is going on in my uterus that we couldn't see on the transvaginal ultrasound. We also decide to swap out my IUD for a shiny new IUD since who knows, maybe the IUD wasn't in the right place for the past 1.5 years and maybe this is why I'm having crazy bleeding.<br />
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Hysteroscopy goes great - nothing to report. No fibroids, no signs of endometriosis, uterine lining looks fine. Fantastic - hopefully this new IUD does the trick and takes away my miserable 1.5 year experience of loooooong periods. Mark in the calendar - June 2012 new IUD.<br />
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Our story now brings us to April 2013 - my periods are still lasting 3 weeks and are heavy. I'm exhausted, frustrated, angry and scared. My options for birth control are so limited and clearly Mirena isn't working.<br />
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I consult with my OBGYN and she suggests we try Depo. Ugh, that drug name just sends chills up my spine. I've heard so many bad things about the drug (extreme bone loss, infertility, unending hunger) that I am really hesitate to take this next step. I cancel my appointment to get my depo shot with my doc.<br />
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On a whim, I mention my struggles to a colleague and she suggests I visit an OBGYN in a fancy part of town who doesn't even take insurance. Great. I spend $1000+/ month on my healthcare as it is, so I'm not eager to drop a few hundreds of dollars on a doc I can't afford. But something tells me to do it.<br />
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This 3rd OBGYN in 3 years is very nice. She takes the time to listen to my history and she's eager to help. She suggests a few things that might be going on and recommends we run some blood tests. She also wants records of my blood clots to examine.<br />
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First on the list of tests is for a very rare genetic blood disorder. Less than 1% of the population has it and it's probable that I don't have it, but it's possible. She asks if I bleed a lot having teeth pulled (wisdom teeth) - not that I recall. Nose bleeds? Not really. Bruising easily? Why yes, I've definitely noticed that recently. Not my whole life, though. Just the past few years when I bump in to things I bleed easily. And with my insulin shots, I get a bruise very often at the injection site....I always assumed that was normal for shots. Nope. I bruise with my allergy shots in my arm too.... assumed it was normal. Not so much. Long periods are also a symptom of the disease - check.<br />
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The blood test would help us to see if the bruising and long periods were an indication of something being off.<br />
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Here are the results. 4 Hematologists and 4 OBGYN's later, I have von Willebrand Type I.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ibHMcaI9mkg/Ua9mRDdNhOI/AAAAAAAADHY/QVCtzYg_32Y/s1600/von+willebrand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ibHMcaI9mkg/Ua9mRDdNhOI/AAAAAAAADHY/QVCtzYg_32Y/s1600/von+willebrand.JPG" /></a></div>
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A hallmark of von Willebrand's is unexplained loooooong periods. And bruising.<br />
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So naturally we ask, why didn't I have long periods from age 14 to 27? Well, estrogen based birth control pills help mitigate the effects of von Willebrand's disease - so I had normal periods and didn't bruise as easily.<br />
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This also explains why I didn't have crazy bleeding issues during my many surgeries between 2000-2009 (hernia repair, gallbladder out, appendix out).... I was on an estrogen BC pill.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Great, so now what? Options to treat von Willebrand's are (1) resume estrogen based BC pills - <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">The estrogen hormones present in birth control pills can boost levels of von Willebrand factor and factor VIII activity</span> or (2) <strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">Desmopressin (DDAVP) that works by s</strong><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">timulating your body to release more von Willebrand factor already stored in the lining of your blood vessels.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You would imagine I would opt for DDAVP given my history of blood clots. Because both of my PICC-related blood clots were superficial in nature and not deep, my new hematologist feels comfortable putting me on estrogen birth control pills. So we're going to try that out for a few months and fingers crossed it helps!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, von Willebrand's is genetic (autosomal dominant, unlike CF which is autosomal recessive) which means there's a 99% chance I inherited my gene from one of my parents. I have informed my parents of the consequences of one of them having the disease (trouble during surgery, etc) but they have yet to get tested. Typical parents, right? Not sure about yours, but mine seem to have a lot less sense of urgency about their health than I do. Must be nice :)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I guess a lighter sense of urgency is the luxury of people in relatively good health or of those in denial. Which one my parents are - I think a little of both. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll keep you posted on how my health goes with my new diagnosis and treatment. Wish me luck!</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-69559874051634572842013-01-26T11:07:00.001-05:002013-01-26T11:07:27.957-05:00Viagra a potentiator and corrector (in CF)<a class="contentpagetitle" href="http://www.cysticfibrosisnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=411:viagra-a-potentiator-and-corrector-in-cf&catid=11:in-the-literature" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Viagra a potentiator and corrector (in CF)</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">JANUARY 22, 2013</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The success of ivacaftor in targeting the CFTR defect in CF has re-focused attention on other agents that may potentiate or correct CFTR function. Among the candidates are the phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and taladafil (Cialis).</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">An initial study reported that sildenafil increased CFTR trafficking to the apical membrane in nasal epithelial cells obtained from CF patients (Dormer et al. </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Thorax</em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> 2005;60:55-9; free full text at</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1747155/pdf/v060p00055.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1747155/pdf/v060p00055.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">). Two animal studies subsequently found that PDE-5 inhibitors administered either by intraperitoneal injection or nebulization were able to stimulate chloride transport as shown by changes in nasal potential difference (NPD) (Lubamba et al. </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Am J Respir Crit Care Med</em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">2008;177:506-515, free full text at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/177/5/506.full.pdf+html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/177/5/506.full.pdf+html</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">; Lubamba et al.</span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Eur Respir J </em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">2011;37:72-78).</span><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">A recent German study has also found that sildenafil acts as a potentiator and corrector of wild-type and F508del CFTR channel activity, however, the high doses required may not be suitable in the treatment of CF (Leier et al. </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Cell Physiol Biochem</em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> 2012;29:775-790).</span><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">A new review of PDE-5 inhibitors suggests that inhaled vardenafil may be more appropriate due to its potency and longer duration of action (Noel et al. </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Front Pharmacol</em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> 2012;3:167; free full text at</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3444771/pdf/fphar-03-00167.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3444771/pdf/fphar-03-00167.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">). Inhalation had a more rapid onset of action, appeared well tolerated and was not associated with clinically significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure in phase I testing (Berry et al.</span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> J Sex Med </em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">2009; epublished July 28, 2009). Preliminary data suggest that vardenafil also reduces the expression of inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar fluid (Lubamba et al. </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">J Cyst Fibros</em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> 2012;11:266-273), but further study is needed.</span></span><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; width: 540px;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">Comment<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Dr. Pearce Wilcox:</strong> Advances in technology have made it feasible for many laboratories to test compounds that might facilitate CFTR function. These referenced studies in cell systems and animal models illustrate the potential in F508del for a class of medications with already established clinical roles – PDE-5 inhibitors. Given that cAMP-dependent chloride conductance in CF epithelial cells is impaired, there is reason to believe that modulating intracellular levels of cAMP could have beneficial therapeutic effects for patients with CF. While an understanding of the mechanisms are limited, there is work to show a partial correction of the basic transepithelial ion transport abnormalities, and mitigation of the exaggerated inflammatory responses related to the F508del-CFTR protein. A wide dose safety margin of these compounds, based especially on work in pulmonary hypertension, has been shown. However, the study of Leier et al suggests that supraphysiologic levels may be needed to potentiate CFTR function. Consequently, the work outlined utilizing a nebulized PDE -5 inhibitor with favourable pharmacokinetics is an important next step. This impressive body of CF-related PDE-5 inhibitor research (outlined in detail in the review by Noel et al.) is the basis to move this class of medications into clinical research, facilitated by the approval and experience in other disorders. Indeed <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/" style="color: #2969a9; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;">clinicaltrials.gov</a> shows that Phase 1 and 2 studies in CF are already underway.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-50750840827935561092012-12-28T18:41:00.001-05:002012-12-28T18:43:58.250-05:00Probiotics and exacerbations <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other than the prevention/treatment of C Diff, looks like these buggers may help prevent exacerbations. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20503277#" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Pediatric pulmonology.">Pediatr Pulmonol.</a> 2010 Jun;45(6):536-40. doi: 10.1002/ppul.21138.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probiotic supplementation affects pulmonary exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis: a pilot study.</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Weiss%20B%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Weiss B</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Bujanover%20Y%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Bujanover Y</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Yahav%20Y%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Yahav Y</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Vilozni%20D%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Vilozni D</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Fireman%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Fireman E</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Efrati%20O%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=20503277" id="" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Efrati O</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Source</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Safra Children's Hospital, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. weissb@sheba.health.gov.il</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abstract</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OBJECTIVE:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probiotics reduce intestinal inflammation in, and Lactobacillus GG (LGG) reduces pulmonary exacerbation rate cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. We intended to determine the effect of a mixed probiotic preparation on pulmonary exacerbations and inflammatory characteristics of the sputum in CF patients.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">STUDY DESIGN:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A prospective pilot study of 10 CF patients with mild-moderate lung disease and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization, treated with probiotics for 6 months. Pulmonary function tests (PFT's), sputum cultures with semi-quantitative bacterial analysis, and sputum neutrophil count and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were compared to pre-treatment and post-treatment values. The rate of pulmonary exacerbations was compared to 2 years prior to the study.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RESULTS:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exacerbation rate was significantly reduced in comparison to the previous 2 years and to 6 months post-treatment (P = 0.002). PFT's have not changed at the end of treatment and during 6 months post-treatment. No change in sputum bacteria, neutrophil count, and IL-8 levels was observed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CONCLUSION:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probiotics reduce pulmonary exacerbations rate in patients with CF. Probiotics may have a preventive potential for pulmonary deterioration in CF patients.</span></div>
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<dt style="border: 0px; color: #575757; display: inline; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">PMID:</dt>
<dd style="border: 0px; color: #575757; display: inline; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">20503277</dd><dd style="border: 0px; display: inline; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="color: #575757; white-space: nowrap;">
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]</div>
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<span style="color: #575757;"><span style="line-height: 22.383333206176758px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20503277">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20503277</a></span></span></dd></span></dl>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-26574003370657260742012-12-26T22:32:00.005-05:002012-12-26T22:33:21.997-05:00Well, well, well, look what we have hereYears and year ago, when I was purporting the benefits of the eFlow (loooooong before Cayston was approved.... check out my posts from 6+ years ago), I had a really hard time finding internet links for the eFlow studies that had been conducted.<br />
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Ultimately I located them on random internet pages, which were subsequently taken down. After exploring the CF Services webpage (not sure I remember why.... I really despise that pharmacy), I came across the same studies I had referenced years ago:<br />
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<a href="https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/UploadedFiles/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/178D0017-eFlowrapid-Medikamentenmessungen-EN.pdf">https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/UploadedFiles/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/178D0017-eFlowrapid-Medikamentenmessungen-EN.pdf</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/UploadedFiles/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/178D0035-eFlowrapid-Medikamentenmessungen-im-Vergl-EN.pdf">https://www.cfservicespharmacy.com/UploadedFiles/ProductsandPrices/PARIeRapidExclusivelybyCFServicesPharmacy/178D0035-eFlowrapid-Medikamentenmessungen-im-Vergl-EN.pdf</a><br />
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I still have the pictures of the studies on my blog, but I just found it funny that this information has become a bit more "mainstream."<br />
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Happy eFlow-ing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-71696121411798452492012-12-09T13:06:00.001-05:002012-12-09T13:09:04.320-05:00C Dff<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>WARNING</u>: this post contains extensive and graphic discussion of feces. Not for gratuitous purposes, but rather to help out other CFer's who want to prevent or who suffer from C Diff. You are warned. </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe it's just my lack of exposure to the CF community, but I haven't heard many talk about struggles with <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736">C Diff</a> (<span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Clostridium difficile). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">So when I was diagnosed with this a week and a half ago, after my second hospital admission in 2 months (I was admitted the 2nd time for sinus surgery and we agreed more IV abx would set me up for a good chance of recovery), I searched the web feverishly for answers for how to treat this potentially deadly condition.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">PWCF are no strangers to life-threatening conditions, this is true. But I've mostly been a pulmonary CF type gal for the 31 years I've been on the planet - no real weight problems, despite being PI. I take digestive enzymes, and as of 8 months ago I do have CFRD, but other than that, I don't give my digestive system much attention.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">I've always taken probiotics off and on, mostly to either prevent a yeast infection while on IV abx or more recently to boost my immune system (thanks to smart Cyster Mandy). But that was really the extent to which I knew about these little heroes that live in our bodies.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">So I'm sure you're absolutely shocked to hear that I went on a whirlwind of research upon being diagnosed with C Diff. I'll give you my research and actions in a few paragraphs - first I'll describe my symptoms. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">I was constipated without a BM for 72 hours - finally had a BM in the early morning of my 1st Friday in the hospital, and I ended up having 7 more that day that were pretty explosive diarrhea . I don't typically get diarrhea with IV abx, but sometimes loose stools. A quick C Diff culture showed I did in fact have the affliction. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">I felt slightly nauseated that Friday, and a bit distended, but nothing too horrendous other than frequent trips to the bathroom. Saturday, however, brought some of the worst pain I have felt since I passed gallstones. I was put on </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Simethicon</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> and given a small dose or morphine to make me comfortable. I've never been on anything stronger than Tylenol + codeine, so I was pretty afraid of taking a strong pain killer. But the pain was too great and wasn't going away.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">I was put on Oral Flagyl and Vanco (in addition to the other 3 IV abx I was on to treat the PA in my lungs) to treat the C Diff - very standard therapy. I was also given packets of lactobacillus to hopefully build up the good bacteria in my gut to combat the C Diff. The lactobacillus was refrigerated by the hospital, but I wasn't sure what the brand was or what the quality was.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Luckily the pain of Saturday never came back - thanks to lots of praying and I think the Flagyl and Vanco (and maybe even </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Simethicon) were doing their job. The diarrhea, however, did not go away until well over a week later. More on that later. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">As I was healing from my 1st sinus surgery and cranky lungs, I shook my head at myself for not proactively taking probiotics after my hospitalization discharge in October and prior to my admission in November. I knew in the back of my mind this was important, but with all the fevers, lethargy, blah blah blah I was dealing with I just didn't get it done. I asked my doc why he didn't put me on probiotics - he said the studies were mixed on whether probiotics really helped prevent C Diff. There you go.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">So back to the research - I first wanted to understand the exact mechanism of C Diff. Essentially, one can acquire C diff in two different ways - either getting it from someone else (not washing your hands....most commonly in hospital or long term care facilities) or through over use of abx. The abx CFer's normally use are "broad spectrum" - meaning the abx kill the PA we want dead, but the abx also kill some of the good bacteria in our intestines. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">As any of us who have had a yeast infection can attest, the balance between bacteria species, bacteria and fungus, etc etc is very fragile. And when the balance is disrupted, yeast infections and C Diff can result, to name a few afflictions. C Diff is particularly worrisome because the overgrowth of the bacteria releases toxins from the bacteria, causing inflammation of the colon or even damage to the intestines. Scary scary stuff.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">So, what I'm hoping to pass on to my fellow CFer's are a few foods for thought on treating and preventing C Diff. This is my research thus far, what has worked for me, and what else I have in my tool box in case things get worse.</span></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; line-height: 17px;">Not all probiotics are made the same. Most notably, good bacteria can be destroyed in your probiotic quite quickly</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Ask the store where you are purchasing the probiotic if the item arrives to the store refrigerated. Often, probiotics need to be refrigerated, otherwise the bacteria die off. So if you're purchasing a probiotic from a refrigerator in the store, but the probiotic was transported by truck at room temp for 3 days just to get there, are you really getting your money's worth? Or more importantly, what your digestive tract needs? I was shocked that my favorite brand of probiotics didn't arrive at my store refrigerated. So I chose a different brand</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; line-height: 17px;">Read packaging to determine how the probiotics are created. Some yogurt products are infused with the good bacteria, then fermented. This can destroy the bacteria</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Location of the manufacturer is important as well. I chose a manufacturer just a few dozen miles from the store - I figure the refrigeration transport will have more integrity and the product is fresh</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">If things escalated, I was ready to visit a local doctor for a fecal transplant. Not the most glamorous, but scientifically and logically it makes sense. I have no desire to lose my colon over this C Diff infection </span></span><span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: initial;"><a href="http://fecalmicrobiotatransplantation.com/FMT/home.html" id=".reactRoot[743].[1][2][1]{comment10101234235673645_19564710}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]..[1]" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">http://fecalmicrobiotatransplantation.com/FMT/home.html</a>. </span><span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: initial;">Things have not escalated and I haven't resorted to this method - but I just want to throw it out there in case anyone needs it/ wants to research it. C Diff is serious.</span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realize this post is all over the place, but I want to get out as much info as possible. 2 days ago, Friday, I was released from the hospital, PICC line pulled, no more abx except for the Flagyl and Vanco. I immediately went to the store to pick out a probiotic. After looking at the criteria above, I chose <a href="http://www.biokplus.com/en-us">http://www.biokplus.com/en-us </a> Strawberry probiotic (yes, it has a little added sugar Mandy, I know, I know....) with 50 billion live and active cultures for my struggling belly. Now I'm just telling you what I chose and what was best for me - it's important that you do your research for which probiotic is best for your situation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday night I drank my 1st 1/2 jar of the probiotic (I didn't want to start off too aggressively... too many good bacteria can be disruptive as well) and I drank the other 1/2 Saturday morning. Saturday evening (last night) I have my first formed BM and much more appetite than I had had in over a week. This morning, Sunday, another formed BM. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be fair, I was taken off IV abx 36 hours before this solid BM. So it's possible that being off the IV abx helped the good bacteria start to grow. But I am convinced that the probiotic certainly helped the good bacteria and of course implanted more good bacteria for my digestive system to work and the C Diff to settle down a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will keep you guys posted, as I'm certainly not out of the woods yet. C Diff can re-occur after my Flagyl/Vanco cycle ends, or of course with my next round of abx. But I feel more confident with the right probiotic in hand I can try to PREVENT the infection in the future, and treat it if it comes back. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, and my sinuses and lungs are doing fine too. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hoping this info can help other CFer's out there who are need of help - C Diff is certainly a nightmare. FIGHT ON!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-30081233486434680062012-04-14T21:26:00.002-04:002012-04-16T22:24:49.987-04:005 weeks of KalydecoSo I have now been on Kalydeco for 5 weeks. For those who don't know me, I do NOT have G551D nor do I have any sort of gating mutation.<br />
<br />
That being said, as many of you know, there was a small subset of patients with DDF508 in the Phase III Kalydeco study that had a very large increase in FEV1 with the drug. Genes don't tell the whole story with this drug - as you see with many CF patients, their genes don't predict how healthy/unhealthy they are. Siblings, with the exact same CF mutations, have varying CF outcomes.<br />
<br />
Diet, exercise, modifier genes all have an impact on how CFTR functions.<br />
<br />
So I wanted to try Kalydeco. Keep in mind, as I started the drug, I was diagnosed with CFRD. Meaning I have had out of control blood sugars that are artificially suppressing my lung function - most likely over the past 1.5 - 2 years I think (I have been having false negative OGTT results).<br />
<br />
Upon starting Kalydeco, my FEV1 was approximately 2.3L, which is around 81% (waaaaaaay down from my normal of mid 90s, I know. It's been a rough year for me).<br />
<br />
2 weeks in to taking Kalydeco, using my home FEV1 monitor, my FEV1 went up to 2.56. This was prior to taking any diabetes medication or doing any other changes in my diet, exercise or medication routine.<br />
<br />
That's an 11% increase in FEV1. And I felt it.<br />
<br />
I could laugh without coughing my brains out for the first time in years. <br />
<br />
(EDITED TO ADD:I did PFTs on Monday, April 9 at my clinic and then came home to compare to my home meter - the FEV1's were 0.03 apart. So although I didn't have the opportunity to take a look at my FEV1 on the same machine a few weeks ago because I didn't have a clinic appointment, I do believe my home machine correlates pretty closely to my clinic machine.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I got bad allergies from really really crazy winds that were blowing around that turned me in to an inflammation nightmare. That, coupled with experimenting with my blood sugar log (I wanted to see what would happen with my sugars when I ate a "treat" aka sugary stuff, vs normal stuff vs. healthy stuff) I think really set me back. I blew about 2.32L last Tuesday (at about 4.5 weeks).<br />
<br />
Due to diabetes, they did my first urinalysis and it came back that I was super dehydrated (they were checking for me spilling protein in my urine - big sign of uncontrolled sugars) - and of course DUH! Dehydration wasn't helping my lungs either. This was prior to starting insulin as well - no changes in medications until 4/11 where a basal insulin was added.<br />
<br />
So bottom line is, I don't have G551D and I had no expectation of having miraculous, mind-blowing FEV1 results with Kalydeco. But I do know that one's genes aren't the only story with CFTR function, so I was bound and determined to get my hands on this drug off label.<br />
<br />
So we shall see where my lung journey will go - I am anticipating that my lungs will feel a bit better with some insulin on board. But any change in FEV1 from here on out can be attributed to better CFRD control, not necessarily Kalydeco. So I a grateful I had a handful of weeks to change nothing about my care other than Kalydeco to see the true changes.<br />
<br />
I will continue to keep you all posted.<br />
<br />
But there is no doubt in my mind that Kalydeco had some impact......<br />
<br />
........and I'm so grateful that my country doesn't have nationalized healthcare or socialized medicine so I could get a hold of the drug off label and my government couldn't restrict me. I'm willing to bet getting a hold of Kaly in Australia, England and Canada for non-G551D patients will be nearly impossible. I already know of more than a dozen here in the States, and I'm sure there are more.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's my blog, and I can make a political statement if I want.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is also big enough to take it away." </b><br />
<b>-Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States and principle author of the Declaration of Independence </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-91306356680329029492012-04-14T12:01:00.000-04:002012-04-14T12:01:34.893-04:00Regular periods - another benefit of Green SmoothiesAnother lovely benefit I have experienced from drinking Green Smoothies (thanks to Mandy <a href="http://saltyspark.blogspot.com/">http://saltyspark.blogspot.com/</a> ) is regular periods.<br />
<br />
I have long suffered from irregular, loooooong, heavy periods. Oral, estrogen-based BC pills would help with this, but since I have throw 2 PICC line clots, these meds are now out of the question for me.<br />
<br />
Since drinking green smoothies regularly, I have been able to time my periods like clock work - January, February, March and now April 2012 have all been perfectly 28 days apart. Amazing!<br />
<br />
Periods are still a bit loooong and heavy, but at least I'm spending less $ on replacing soiled undies! :)<br />
<br />
Cheers!<br />
<br />
<br />
<img height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/431726_10100711554361185_3436330_55116592_1304188480_n.jpg" width="225" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-73415406773805426692012-03-19T21:24:00.000-04:002012-03-19T21:24:15.171-04:00The effect of N-acetylcysteine on chloride efflux from airway epithelial cells<h1 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 1.125em; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.375em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="cit" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Cell Biol Int." href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19947928#" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Cell biology international.">Cell Biol Int.</a> 2010 Jan 27;34(3):245-52.</div></h1><h1 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; line-height: 1.125em; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.375em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The effect of <span class="highlight" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 18px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">N-acetylcysteine</span> on chloride efflux from airway epithelial cells.</h1><div class="auths" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Varelogianni%20G%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Varelogianni G</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Oliynyk%20I%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oliynyk I</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Roomans%20GM%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Roomans GM</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Johannesson%20M%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Johannesson M</a>.</div><div class="aff" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; line-height: 1.0915em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 class="label" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #724128; font: inherit; height: 1px; left: -10000px; line-height: 1.2857; margin-bottom: 0.6428em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1.2856em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px;">Source</h3><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden. georgia.varelogianni@orebroll.se</div></div><div class="abstr" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #985735; font: inherit; line-height: 1.2857; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Abstract</h3><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Defective chloride transport in epithelial cells increases mucus viscosity and leads to recurrent infections with high oxidative stress in patients with CF (<span class="highlight" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">cystic fibrosis</span>). NAC (<span class="highlight" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">N-acetylcysteine</span>) is a well known mucolytic and antioxidant drug, and an indirect precursor of glutathione. Since GSNO (S-nitrosoglutathione) previously has been shown to be able to promote Cl- efflux from CF airway epithelial cells, it was investigated whether NAC also could stimulate Cl- efflux from CF and non-CF epithelial cells and through which mechanisms. CFBE (CF bronchial epithelial cells) and normal bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) were treated with 1 mM, 5 mM, 10 mM or 15 mM NAC for 4 h at 37 degrees C. The effect of NAC on Cl- transport was measured by Cl- efflux measurements and by X-ray microanalysis. Cl- efflux from CFBE cells was stimulated by NAC in a dose-dependent manner, with 10 mM NAC causing a significant increase in Cl- efflux with nearly 80% in CFBE cells. The intracellular Cl- concentration in CFBE cells was significantly decreased up to 60% after 4 h treatment with 10 mM NAC. Moreover immunocytochemistry and Western blot experiments revealed expression of CFTR channel on CFBE cells after treatment with 10 mM NAC. <b><u>The stimulation of Cl- efflux by NAC in CF airway epithelial cells may improve hydration of the mucus and thereby be beneficial for CF patients.</u></b></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-49837124306899429672012-03-11T12:58:00.000-04:002012-03-11T12:58:38.985-04:00Day 2 - KalydecoWell, suffice it to say that I feel a bit like I'm flashing back to Fall 2006, about 5 1/2 years ago, when I first started taking NAC. (<a href="http://noexcusesnoexcuses.blogspot.com/2008/08/nac.html">http://noexcusesnoexcuses.blogspot.com/2008/08/nac.html</a>)<br />
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It's true, we look for little signs of medication working or for side effects particularly right when we start something new. I took my first dose of Kalydeco right before bed on 3/9 Friday. Here is what I observed:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Prior to starting Kalydeco, I had been a bit non-compliant with my green smoothies and felt quite a bit more tight and non-moving mucus-y in my right middle lobe. I would cough but nothing would come up - but I could tell it was there. My FEV1 on 3/5 at clinic was 80%</li>
</ul><ul><li>When I woke up yesterday (3/10) AM, the first thing I noticed was how clear my sinuses felt. I could feel air moving in my sinuses where I feel like I've never felt air move before. Like up above my eyebrows - it was almost distracting because it was so different and weird</li>
</ul><div><ul><li>I coughed up pretty watery, much thinner than what I had the past few day's mucus. My right middle lobe felt much clearer</li>
</ul><ul><li>I have kind of avoided exercising the past few weeks because it was so exhausting to cough so much - but exercising yesterday was much easier and I could breathe deeper in my right middle lobe. I coughed while exercising but it was mostly a dry cough</li>
</ul></div><div><ul><li>Today I don't notice as much air flowing through my sinuses, but it's possible that I'm used to it or it was just a fluke yesterday. Not sure</li>
</ul></div><div><ul><li>I for sure have a plug stuck in my right middle lobe and it's a bit harder for me to breathe in my right lobe today. I am going to try to go for a run later today to cough it up (that usually does the trick) - it will be cool to see how my endurance is</li>
</ul><ul><li>I had another feminine side effect that normally I would post here because I'm comfortable posting anything - but I realize that all my readers might not be comfortable reading all I feel to share. Ha. So if you're curious, drop me an email or a PM and I'll fill you in :)</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div></div><div>So all in all, some changes that I am cautiously optimistic about. It may be complete placebo effect, but that's fine with me - I feel good, whatever the cause. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll continue to keep you guys posted</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-6757690074254013282012-03-10T01:14:00.000-05:002012-03-10T01:14:48.039-05:001st Kalydeco doseI was very fortunate and blessed to get my 1st Kalydeco dose in the mail today.<br />
<br />
Luckily my doc was willing to give it a try, even though I don't have G551D (I have DF508 and Di507). And my insurance covered Kaly for a really reasonable co-pay.<br />
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I'm really not expecting it to do much, but I figured it most likely won't hurt me so I should just give it a shot.<br />
<br />
There are so many things that can influence how genes are expressed, such as modifier genes, exercise (Stanford states that exercising actually increases CFTR function) and the foods we eat. So I think our CF genes don't tell the whole story - another reason why just trying Kaly is a good idea in my mind.<br />
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I look forward to keeping you all posted on my progress or lack thereof over the next month(s).<br />
<br />
Update so far is that I took my 1st Kaly at around 9pm with my dear friend and parents watching me over video chat.<br />
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Bottom's up!<br />
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">According to Vertex: "In recombinant cells VX-770 increased CFTR channel open probability (P(o)) in both the F508del processing mutation and the G551D gating mutation."</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19846789" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0086cd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19846789</a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">From Annals of Human Genetics, 2003, by Rowntree et al,:</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Measurements of Cl- conductase of intestine and respiratory tissues of DF508 homozygote CF patients suggest, in vivo, that at least some DF508 CFTR can reach the plasma membrane"</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fafafa; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.colorado.edu/MCDB/MCDB4600/1ReviewPhenotype.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0086cd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.colorado.edu/MCDB/MCDB4600/1ReviewPhenotype.pdf</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-21991808868162902622012-01-21T19:03:00.000-05:002012-01-21T19:03:09.802-05:00Aquagenic palmar wrinklingAgain, I think we as a CF community are so fortunate to have Mandy and all of her amazing research around treatments for CF. I have learned so much from her and this post is another testament to her dedication to the lives of all CFers.<br />
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As many of you know, I have been drinking <a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=green+smoothie+revolution&hl=en&prmd=imvnsb&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1366&bih=677&ix=hcb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=10004805580182675844&sa=X&ei=K08bT_HbFcmMiALc9uzGCA&ved=0CFgQ8wIwAA">green smoothies</a> in an attempt to get more greens in my diet - I truly eat like a crazy teenager, which I know is not good for my health. I really love the smoothies and they taste wonderful.<br />
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A benefit I didn't realize I could expect from these wonderful smoothies is my aquagenic palmar wrinkling has disappeared. It took about 4 weeks of drinking the smoothies everyday, but it worked!<br />
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Now what exactly the health consequences are of this, we aren't sure. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19548945">But we do know that those with CF and those who are CFTR carriers wrinkle much faster when submerged in water.</a><br />
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I'll continue to keep you all posted on any other exciting changes!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iVzhSlYSvzg/TxtSGEkF94I/AAAAAAAABmw/kMcDK6F7PWo/s1600/397958_10100628798868855_3436330_54802895_777317576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iVzhSlYSvzg/TxtSGEkF94I/AAAAAAAABmw/kMcDK6F7PWo/s400/397958_10100628798868855_3436330_54802895_777317576_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-81292206362308565882012-01-21T18:26:00.000-05:002012-01-21T18:26:47.822-05:00MDRPA to MDSPAIn July 2011, I was so bummed to be admitted to the hospital with very, very few antibiotic options to treat my PA. Basically I had colistin and sorta kinda beta-lactams (intermediate resistance). Not too fun.<br />
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Well, thanks to the amazing wisdom of Ms. Mandy - who is always giving me great ideas), I have been taking Chilated Magnesium every day since October.<br />
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And in clinic on Jan 12, for the first time in 3 years, my clinic took me off isolation because I no longer have multi-drug resistant PA. Meaning all 3 of my PA strains are susceptible to nearly all classes of antibiotics (one strain is resistant to one class).<br />
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Talk about amazing. Incredible. Truly, a God-send. <br />
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Here are some studies supporting this outcome (thank you to Mandy's blog for these references):<br />
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<h1 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3846em; font: inherit; line-height: 1.125em; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.375em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Proteomic analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown under magnesium limitation.</b></h1><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Guina%20T%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guina T</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Wu%20M%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wu M</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Miller%20SI%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Miller SI</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Purvine%20SO%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Purvine SO</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Yi%20EC%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yi EC</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Eng%20J%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Eng J</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Goodlett%20DR%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodlett DR</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Aebersold%20R%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Aebersold R</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Ernst%20RK%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ernst RK</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Lee%20KA%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #660066; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lee KA</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">.</span> </div><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. tguina@u.washington.edu </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">In this study, large-scale qualitative and quantitative proteomic technology was applied to the analysis of the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown under magnesium limitation, an environmental condition previously shown to induce expression of various virulence factors. For quantitative analysis, whole cell and membrane proteins were differentially labeled with isotope-coded affinity tag (ICAT) reagents and ICAT reagent-labeled peptides were separated by two-dimensional chromatography prior to analysis by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in an ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS). To increase the number of protein identifications, gas-phase fractionation (GPF) in the m/z dimension was employed for analysis of ICAT peptides derived from whole cell extracts. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">The experiments confirmed expression of 1331 P. aeruginosa proteins of which 145 were differentially expressed upon limitation of magnesium. A number of conserved Gram-negative magnesium stress-response proteins involved in bacterial virulence were among the most abundant proteins induced in low magnesium. </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Comparative ICAT analysis of membrane versus whole cell protein indicated that growth of P. aeruginosa in low magnesium resulted in altered subcellular compartmentalization of large enzyme complexes such as ribosomes. This result was confirmed by 2-D PAGE analysis of P. aeruginosa outer membrane proteins. This study shows that large-scale quantitative proteomic technology can be successfully applied to the analysis of whole bacteria and to the discovery of functionally relevant biologic phenotypes. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">PMID: 12837596 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-65704308332465721412011-12-26T14:09:00.002-05:002011-12-26T14:09:49.544-05:00Green Smoothie for LunchYummy green smoothie for lunch today! :)<br />
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Anyone reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Life-Victoria-Boutenko/dp/155643930X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324926548&sr=8-2">the books</a>?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0QJitVuKACw/TvjGbVYolzI/AAAAAAAABmk/XHgjjPiRsuw/s1600/395732_10100581367092515_3436330_54533803_1896340163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0QJitVuKACw/TvjGbVYolzI/AAAAAAAABmk/XHgjjPiRsuw/s400/395732_10100581367092515_3436330_54533803_1896340163_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-63236816363464108712011-12-10T15:05:00.000-05:002011-12-10T15:05:06.778-05:00Green Smoothie Time!As many of you know, our fellow Cyster Mandy has infinite wisdom about SO MANY CF related topics.<br />
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One of these many is a CFer's diet: she correctly points out (this isn't a direct quote, but rather a summation of her opinion) that sugar, refined carbs, etc are not a great way for a CFer to put on weight as these foods create inflammation in the body. Who cares if you are a normal BMI if your lungs are inflamed and in bad shape?<br />
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I have tried drinking Mandy's green smoothie recommendation off and on over the past years, but a few weeks ago I finally made the plunge and purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Smoothie-Revolution-Radical-Towards/dp/1556438125">"Green Smoothie Revolution" by Victoria Boutenko</a> as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Life-Victoria-Boutenko/dp/155643930X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323546648&sr=1-1">"Green For Life."</a> I by far don't eat enough greens and smoothies are such an easy way for me to the nutrition I know I need.<br />
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So this book includes dozens upon dozens of smoothie recipes - great to find a version to your liking and also important for variety (greens contain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaloid">alkaloids </a> - and too many alkaloids from one type of green can cause some unwanted symptoms. so rotating greens daily or weekly is smart). One thing I just learned from the book is that banana masks the taste of chlorophyll, so I basically feel like I'm drinking a banana smoothie that just happens to look green (and have kind of a green texture).<br />
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Anyway, just wanted to share - I will keep you posted on how I feel. I'm sure I won't feel worse than I do without eating greens :) :) :)<br />
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The below smoothie contains: 1 Green Apple, 1 Banana, 1/2 inch ginger root, 4 leaves of kale and 2 cups of water (I kind of wish I would have put in some ice instead of just plain water - it would have made the smoothie a little bit colder and frothie sp?).<br />
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PS that tube thing in the back is the sink hook up for my neb dishwasher :)<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-14048246550071833852011-10-15T22:18:00.000-04:002011-10-15T22:18:10.268-04:00How to clean nebsMy first year out of college, living on my own for the 1st time, I got pretty overwhelmed with cleaning/sterilizing my nebs. I'm of the school of thought that bacteria (mainly, pseudamonas) will grow on nebs in between treatments if you don't clean and sterilize them (if you don't believe me, take your neb to a lab and have it swiped to see what bacteria are growing). Why put bacteria back in to your lungs while doing a breathing treatment?<br />
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So my solution when I first started living on my own to the cleaning/sterilizing neb thing? Simple. Stop doing pulmozyme regularly, and therefore have one less neb to clean.<br />
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Trust me, that didn't work out very well.<br />
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So the method I came up with was to get a little table top dishwasher that cleaned and sterilized nebs in one simple step!<br />
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I bought the dishwasher from Walmart online, and had it delivered. <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Danby-Compact-Countertop-EnergyDishwasher/9854464">http://www.walmart.com/ip/Danby-Compact-Countertop-EnergyDishwasher/9854464</a><br />
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The CFF states that if your nebs are explosed to water that is at least "158° F for 30 minutes," this will kill PA. <a href="http://www.cff.org/UploadedFiles/LivingWithCF/StayingHealthy/Germs/StoppingTheSpread/Stopping-the-Spread-of-Germs.pdf">http://www.cff.org/UploadedFiles/LivingWithCF/StayingHealthy/Germs/StoppingTheSpread/Stopping-the-Spread-of-Germs.pdf</a> (page 2, right column)<br />
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Bingo! the dishwasher sterilizes AND cleans all in one. I don't think any other method does this - if so, let me know so we can spread the word!<br />
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Needless to say, nearly 10 years later, I of course do my pulmozyme 2x/day like I am supposed to, because it's easy to have clean and sterile nebs! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-30054793323492187672011-08-28T21:01:00.002-04:002011-08-28T21:14:00.953-04:00Why Long-Term Azithromycin Use Increases Infection With a Mycobacterium<span class="date" style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">ScienceDaily (Aug. 1, 2011)</span> — The clinical outcome is improved if patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis are treated long-term with the antibiotic azithromycin. However, azithromycin treatment in patients with cystic fibrosis as recently associated with increased infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria. Now, researchers have confirmed that long-term use of azithromycin by adults with cystic fibrosis is associated with infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria and identified an underlying mechanism.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 13px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Azithromycin is an antibiotic that also has antiinflammatory properties. It is these antiinflammatory properties that are thought to account for the improvement in clinical outcome observed when patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis are treated long-term with azithromycin.</div><div style="font-size: 13px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">However, a recent study indicated that azithromycin treatment in patients with cystic fibrosis is associated with increased infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria, a serious complication in such individuals. Now, a team of researchers -- led by Andres Floto and David Rubinsztein, at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; and Diane Ordway, at Colorado State University, Fort Collins -- has confirmed that long-term use of azithromycin by adults with cystic fibrosis is associated with infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria and identified an underlying mechanism.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
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Specifically, the team found that in mice, azithromycin treatment inhibited the intracellular killing of nontuberculous mycobacteria within immune cells known as macrophages by impairing the cellular process autophagy. As azithromycin was not known to block autophagy prior to this work, these data highlight a clinical danger associated with inadvertent pharmacological blockade of this important cellular process.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801122952.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801122952.htm</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-29335866297518230612011-07-28T00:04:00.000-04:002011-07-28T00:04:04.404-04:00Pfizer’s Zyvox and Antidepressants May Be Fatal Combination<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 39px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Pfizer’s Zyvox and Antidepressants May Be Fatal Combination</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="web_ticker" density="sparse" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=PFE:US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" ticker="PFE:US" title="Get Quote" topic_url="http://topics.bloomberg.com/pfizer-inc/">Pfizer Inc. (PFE)</a>’s Zyvox antib</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">iotic can cause potentially fatal central nervous system reactions in patients who also take antidepressants that increase levels of the brain chemical serotonin, U.S. regulators said.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pfizer’s Zoloft and Pristiq, <a class="web_ticker" density="full" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=LLY:US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" ticker="LLY:US" title="Get Quote" topic_url="http://topics.bloomberg.com/eli-lilly-&-co/">Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY)</a>’s Cymbalta and<a class="web_ticker" density="full" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GSK:LN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" ticker="GSK:LN" title="Get Quote" topic_url="http://topics.bloomberg.com/glaxosmithkline-plc/">GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK)</a>’s Paxil and Wellbutrin are among 29 psychiatric drugs that patients may need to stop taking temporarily when they require treatment with Zyvox, the <a density="full" href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/food-and-drug-administration/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Food and Drug Administration</a> said today in a <a density="full" href="http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm265305.htm#table" rel="external" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Open Web Site">drug safety</a> communication.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Zyvox, used to treat some types of drug-resistant bacteria including MSRA or methicillin-related Staphylococcus aureus, skin infections and nosocomial pneumonia, can interact with the antidepressants to cause a toxic reaction known as serotonin syndrome in which excess amounts of the chemical build up in the brain, according to the FDA.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some deaths among patients who suffered such a reaction were reported to the FDA’s adverse-event database, the agency said. Pfizer, based in <a density="sparse" href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/new-york/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York</a>, reported $1.18 billion in revenue from Zyvox last year.</div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">Excess Serotonin</h2><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Confusion, memory issues, hyperactivity, excessive sweating and muscle twitching are among the symptoms of excess serotonin levels. Patients taking psychiatric drugs shouldn’t stop using them without first consulting a health-care professional, the FDA said.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">The current U.S. package insert for Zyvox “already includes prominent information regarding the potential for serotonergic interactions, the risk of serotonin syndrome and the need for careful observation of patients prescribed Zyvox who are on such agents,” Kristen Neese, a Pfizer spokeswoman, said today in an e-mail. The company hasn’t identified any new safety signals related to those drug interactions, she said.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">“In an ongoing commitment to ensure patient safety, Pfizer continually monitors all relevant safety information including information pertaining to the concomitant use of Zyvox and serotonergic antidepressant medications,” Neese said.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">To contact the reporter on this story: Molly Peterson in Washington at<a density="mailto" href="mailto:mpeterson9@bloomberg.net" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Send E-mail">mpeterson9@bloomberg.net</a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">To contact the editor responsible for this story: Adriel Bettelheim at <a density="mailto" href="mailto:abettelheim@bloomberg.net" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0033cc; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Send E-mail">abettelheim@bloomberg.net</a></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/pfizer-s-zyvox-can-cause-toxicity-with-antidepressants-fda-says.html?cmpid=yhoo">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/pfizer-s-zyvox-can-cause-toxicity-with-antidepressants-fda-says.html?cmpid=yhoo</a></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-88815649705469870422011-07-26T10:05:00.000-04:002011-07-26T10:05:28.919-04:00CF associated changes in lung stem cells may contribute to disease progression<h1 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 3px; color: #ca0405; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px;">Cystic fibrosis-associated changes in lung stem cells may contribute to disease progression</h1><div class="article_metadata" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 4px; padding-bottom: 18px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="metadata_time" style="color: #666666; float: right; font-size: 10px;">26/07/2011 02:49:00</span><div><br />
</div></div><div class="font_size" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div align="right" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-top: 10px;"><div></div></div><div id="article_body" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 12px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 546px;"><strong>Researchers at the University of Iowa's Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD9" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: bold !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">Medicine</span> have discovered that in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, the airway glands are depleted of a specific population of airway stem cells that participate in airway repair following injury.</strong><br />
Their results are published in the July 18 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation.<br />
The research team was led by John F. Engelhardt, Ph.D., Roy J. Carver Chair in Molecular Medicineand professor and head of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD10" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">anatomy</span> and cell biology, and graduate student Weiliang Xie, UI Molecular and Cellular Biology Program.<br />
Extensive research carried out on cystic fibrosis over the past two decades has firmly established that loss of a functional chloride channel called CFTR leads to chronic bacterial lung infections associated with recurrent injury and repair of the airways. One feature of the lung that helps to fight<span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD7" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">infection</span> is the presence of airway glands, which secrete bacteria-killing factors into the airway.<br />
These glands are also neighborhoods, or niches, for adult airway stem cells, sheltering them from toxic insults that bombard the airway surface. Without functional CFTR these glands fail to secrete these antibacterial factors, making the lung particularly susceptible to infection and to the tissue damage that accompanies it. A question about CF that remains to be resolved is whether the repair processes normally triggered by infection-associated damage remain intact in the CF lung.<br />
The UI research team discovered that airway glands from CF humans and three CF animal models -- pig, ferret and mouse -- aberrantly express a "neuropeptide" that both activates CFTR and controlsstem-cell responses in airway glands following lung injury. Neuropeptides are small molecules that help the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD8" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">nervous system</span> direct functions in tissues. This increase in neuropeptide <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD11" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">causes</span> stemcells to abandon their protected glandular niches, and the airway to adapt by establishing new niches for stem cells in the more dangerous setting of the airway surface.<br />
"This is the first demonstration that lung stem cell niches may be altered in CF," Engelhardt said.<br />
In their study, the researchers hypothesized that when it comes to CFTR dysfunction the nervous system may try to compensate by overproducing one of several neuropeptides. Their research shows that the neuropeptide called CGRP is excessively produced by glands in an attempt to activate CFTR, but because of the lack of CFTR activity in cystic fibrosis the CGRP signal remains on.<br />
"Imagine the axle is broken on a car and because the driver senses he is not moving he pushes the accelerator more; when the car still doesn't move he pushes down even further," Engelhardt said. "Eventually the engine overheats and bursts into flames."<br />
In this analogy, CFTR is the broken axle, CGRP is the fuel that feeds the engine, and the centralnervous system is the driver who senses that thing are not functioning properly. CF airways thus produce more CGRP in an attempt to reactive the broken CFTR channel—the untoward <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD6" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">side effect</span>being that this pathway also stimulates stem cells in the gland to divide.<br />
It remains unclear why the CGRP pathway is selectively hyperactivated in the CF lung, since other neuropeptides can also <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD12" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(51, 102, 255) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-style: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">stimulate</span> CFTR. Engelhardt and Xie hypothesize that this may be due to airway-gland injury caused by the lack of CFTR, since CGRP is transiently induced even in healthy glands following injury, to spur stem cells into action.<br />
"The future excitement of these findings relates to the potential of manipulating lung stem cellsthrough neuropeptides or their inhibitors," Engelhardt said. He cautioned that "the identity of lungstem cell is a matter of hot debate, and it remains unclear how the majority of functional studies we conduct in mice will translate to humans. However, given the similar findings of CGRP dysregyulation in four CF species, this pathway appears to be important in CF."<br />
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The research team included UI researchers from the UI Carver College of Medicine and UCSF.<br />
The study was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health, and the UI Center for Gene Therapy.<br />
STORY SOURCE: UI Health Care Marketing and Communications, University of Iowa Health Care, 200 Hawkins Dr., W319 GH, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1178<br />
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MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Rossiter, 319-356-7127, <a href="mailto:molly-rossiter@uiowa.edu" style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">molly-rossiter@uiowa.edu</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.healthcanal.com/disorders-conditions/19130-Cystic-fibrosis-associated-changes-lung-stem-cells-may-contribute-disease-progression.html">http://www.healthcanal.com/disorders-conditions/19130-Cystic-fibrosis-associated-changes-lung-stem-cells-may-contribute-disease-progression.html</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-34892052433186386922011-07-19T23:25:00.000-04:002011-07-19T23:25:19.138-04:00Treatment of Hemoptysis with Tranexamic AcidTreatment of Recurrent Severe Hemoptysis in Cystic Fibrosis with Tranexamic Acid<br />
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<a href="http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ArtikelNr=50470&Ausgabe=227718&ProduktNr=224278&filename=50470.pdf">http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ArtikelNr=50470&Ausgabe=227718&ProduktNr=224278&filename=50470.pdf</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-48840923823925955432011-07-19T23:21:00.000-04:002011-07-19T23:21:47.598-04:00Severity of Cystic Fibrosis Linked to Genetics<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 26px;">Such a fascinating debate in the CF community over to what extent CF genes influence clinical outcomes. This is such an amazingly cool study!</span></span></span></h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #727272; font-family: Arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Dr. Garry Cutting, from the Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #727272; font-family: Arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">, explains, “We already know which gene causes cystic fibrosis, but to a large extent that gene does not by itself explain how severe the condition will be.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #727272; font-family: Arial, verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> </span></h1><h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</h1><h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Severity of Cystic Fibrosis Linked to Genetics</h1><div class="postMeta" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: -10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="post_category" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by Rudolph Yap in <a href="http://www.healthtalkandyou.com/category/health-news/" rel="category tag" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; color: #40799e; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="View all posts in Health News">Health News</a> on Jul 13, 2011</div></div></span><br />
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<img alt="Severity of Cystic Fibrosis Linked to Genetics" src="http://www.healthtalkandyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Severity-of-Cystic-Fibrosis-Linked-to-Genetics-1059.jpg" /><br />
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Researchers have found that the severity of cystic fibrosis, which is a life-threatening hereditary condition that affects the lungs and digestive system, is seemed to be influenced by genetic variations.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">According to Dr. Garry Cutting, a professor of pediatrics and a member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins, most cystic fibrosis patients born today live to their mid-30’s but that’s an average. Some succumb to the disease before their 10th birthday, while others live into their 50s and we wanted to know why.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For the study, the researchers used and analyzed a data from 3,467 patients, which included unrelated patients from the Genetic Modifier Study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Canadian Consortium for Genetic Studies out of the University of Toronto, and related patients and their parents from the CF Twin and Sibling Study at Johns Hopkins. With this study, the team aims to achieve help extend the life expectancy of the people having this kind of disease.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The team of the three studies collaborated and analyzed 600,000 sites of variation that is found within the genome, hoping to search common variations which are more frequently associated with severe cases of the disease.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After this, the researchers were “able to identify a region encompassed by two genes on chromosome 11 linked to severe cases of the disease.” Chromosome 20 on the second region was also identified.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cutting explained, “We already know which gene causes cystic fibrosis, but to a large extent that gene does not by itself explain how severe the condition will be.” He further added that they’ve already discovered new genes that influence the course of disease and may enable prediction of the disease’s severity and, most importantly, the customization of treatments for patients with unfavorable genetic modifiers — this is the realization of individualized medicine.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Moreover, Cutting concluded that this study might be the first step in developing therapies for the patients with cystic fibrosis.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.healthtalkandyou.com/severity-of-cystic-fibrosis-linked-to-genetics/">http://www.healthtalkandyou.com/severity-of-cystic-fibrosis-linked-to-genetics/</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-17192168784516122272011-07-10T12:30:00.000-04:002011-07-10T12:30:22.108-04:00Improved treatment response to dornase alfa in cystic fibrosis patients using controlled inhalation.<div class="cit" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.91666em; line-height: 1.45em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Anyone know what a "Smart Nebulizer" is? I have never heard of it and I'm trying to google but not really finding much....</b></span></div><div class="cit" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.91666em; line-height: 1.45em;"><br />
</div><div class="cit" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.91666em; line-height: 1.45em;"><br />
</div><div class="cit" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.91666em; line-height: 1.45em;"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Eur Respir J." href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21737560?dopt=Abstract#" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;" title="The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology.">Eur Respir J.</a> 2011 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]</div><h1 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3333em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.125em; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.375em;">Improved treatment response to dornase alfa in cystic fibrosis patients using controlled inhalation.</h1><div class="auths" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Bakker%20EM%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Bakker EM</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Volpi%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Volpi S</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Salonini%20E%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Salonini E</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22van%20der%20Wiel-Kooij%20EC%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">van der Wiel-Kooij EC</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Sintnicolaas%20CJ%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Sintnicolaas CJ</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Hop%20WC%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Hop WC</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Assael%20BM%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Assael BM</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Merkus%20PJ%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Merkus PJ</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Tiddens%20HA%22%5BAuthor%5D" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;">Tiddens HA</a>.</div><div class="aff" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.91666em; line-height: 1.0915em;"><h3 class="label" style="font-size: 1em; height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; position: absolute; top: auto; width: 1px;">Source</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em;">Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital Rotterdam The Netherlands.</div></div><div class="abstr" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 1.2em;"><h3 style="color: #985735; font-size: 1.2em !important; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Abstract</h3><div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Better treatment of obstructed small airways is needed in CF. This study investigated whether efficient deposition of dornase alfa in the small airways improves small airway obstruction. In a multi-centre, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial, CF patients on maintenance treatment with 2.5 mL dornase alfa once daily were switched to a smart nebulizer and randomized to small airways deposition (n=24) or large airways deposition (n=25) for 4 weeks. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The primary outcome parameter was Forced Expiratory Flow at 75% of Forced Vital Capacity (FEF75). FEF75 increased significantly by 0.7 SD (5.2% predicted) in the large airways group and 1.2 SD (8.8% predicted) in the small airways group. Intention to treat analysis did not show a significant difference in treatment effect between groups. Per protocol analysis, excluding patients not completing the trial or with adherence <70%, showed a trend (p=0.06) in FEF75 Z-score and a significant difference (p=0.04) between groups in absolute FEF75 (L·s(-1)) favouring small airways deposition. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Improved delivery of dornase alfa using a smart nebulizer that aids patients in correct inhalation technique resulted in significant improvement of FEF75 in children with stable CF. Adherent children showed a larger treatment response for small airways deposition.</div></div><div class="aux" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 1.2em;"><div class="resc" style="color: #575757;"><br />
<dl class="rprtid" style="color: #575757; display: inline; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 0px;"><dt style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">PMID:</dt>
<dd style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">21737560</dd> <dd style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]</dd></dl></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-38852835811439500482011-07-08T15:31:00.000-04:002011-07-08T15:31:49.951-04:00Replace Your Jacket!Thanks to catboogie from www.cf2chat.com , I ordered a free replacement jacket from Respirtech. I have had my original jacket since 2006 so I figured it might be time for a replacement.<br />
<br />
HUGS to catboogie for this tip because I had no idea what crappy shape my old jacket was in. WOW.<br />
<br />
I would be able to do 100% pressure no problem with my old jacket - now I'm on 70% with this new jacket and it is MUCH more intense. wow wow wow! I'm guessing I had air leaking perhaps with my old jacket and just didn't notice it.<br />
<br />
If you have a Respirtech vest, please make sure to replace it every so often to make sure you're getting the full effect (AND change the filter....something I also haven't done in a while). We use these devices way too often to not keep them in tip top shape.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-41638910705684978462011-06-27T11:06:00.000-04:002011-06-27T11:06:57.576-04:00The role of female hormones on lung function in chronic lung diseases<b>The role of female hormones on lung function in chronic lung diseases</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
BMC Women's Health 2011, 11:24<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
".....it is known that sex hormones such as estrogen can also up-regulate MUC5B gene expression in normal<br />
human airway epithelial cells [82]. MUC5B is one of the major mucins in the human airway<br />
submucosal glands [83]. Estrogen is not the only regulator of MUC5B but also regulates a wide<br />
diversity of genes involved in extracellular matrix, general cell growth, and differentiation processes<br />
[24]. Taken together, estradiol may have the potential to augment mucin production resulting in<br />
reduced clearance in CF. "<br />
<br />
<br />
Read more here: <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6874-11-24.pdf">http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6874-11-24.pdf</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1846340485746544317.post-18574887304441396922011-06-18T22:08:00.001-04:002011-06-18T22:09:57.326-04:00Dr. Oz hearts GSHLove me some Dr. Oz.<br />
<br />
More support for our friend NAC, precursor to Glutathione (GSH).<br />
<br />
CFers are known for lacking dearly in GSH.... <a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/superhero-antioxidants-pt-1">The Superhero of Antioxidants, Pt 1.</a><br />
<br />
I would love hear from anyone who has gotten IV GSH. Never heard of it before this segment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0