Calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D, can induce a tumor-suppressing protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.
Previous research had determined that increased serum levels of vitamin D are associated with an improved diagnosis in patients with breast cancer. However, little had been known about the factors that determine the effect of calcitrol on inhibiting breast cancer growth.
During the study, researchers examined the protein involved in the action that can reduce the growth of vitamin D in breast cancer cells. The research could provide a basis for the design of new cancer treatments.
Sources:
Science Daily February 5, 2009
18 February 2009
Vaccine Studies: Under the Influence of Pharma
by Barbara Loe Fisher
If you take more than a casual look at the way the mass vaccination system in the U.S. works, you see that pharmaceutical companies marketing vaccines have a lot of clout. It was the pharmaceutical industry that told Congress in 1982 that they were going to leave the nation without vaccines if they didn't get liability protection but have opposed making it less difficult for vaccine victims to obtain federal compensation in the U.S. Court of Claims under a 1986 law that gave them liability protection. It is Pharma lobbyists, who bully the FDA into fast tracking vaccines like Gardasil and who sit at the CDC's policymaking tables urging that new vaccines be recommended for use by all children so they can persuade state legislators to mandate vaccines like influenza vaccine.
Today, a study published in the British Medical Journal reveals the clout that Big Pharma has in the world of medicine journal publishing, specifically the publishing of scientific articles about vaccines. In a Cochrane Collaboration review and analysis of published influenza vaccine studies conducted by Tom Jefferson, M.D., Ph.D. and his colleagues, they found that influenza vaccine studies sponsored by industry are treated more favorably by medical journals even when the studies are of poor quality.
Jefferson's analysis confirms that drug companies marketing vaccines have a major influence on what gets published and is said about vaccines in medical journals. It is no wonder that there are almost no studies published in the medical literature that call into question vaccine safety. The preferential treatment of Pharma-funded studies also explains why the risks of an inappropriately fast-tracked vaccine like Gardasil are underplayed in the medical literature and why a physician like Andrew Wakefield, M.D., who dared to publish a study in 1998 in a medical journal (The Lancet) calling for more scientific investigation into the possible link between MMR vaccine and regressive autism, has been mercilessly persecuted for more than a decade by both Pharma-funded special interest groups as well as public health officials maintaining close relationships with vaccine manufacturers.
Jefferson and his colleagues identified and assessed 274 published studies on influenza vaccines for their methodological quality and found no relationship between study quality, publication in prestige journals or their subsequent citation in other articles. They also found that most influenza vaccine studies are of poor quality but those with conclusions favorable to influenza vaccinations are of significantly lower methodological quality. The single most important factor determining where the studies were published or how much they were cited was sponsorship, with those partially or wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry having higher visibility.
Dr. Jefferson commented, "The study shows that one of the levers for accessing prestige journals is the financial size of your sponsor. Pharma sponsors order many reprints of studies supporting their products, often with in house translations into many languages. They also purchase advertising space in the journal. Many publishers openly advertise these services on their website. It is time journals made a full disclosure of their sources of funding.
Earlier this week the National Vaccine Information Center (www.NVIC.org) called on the Obama Administration and Congress to investigate Gardasil vaccine risks. NVIC has long questioned the inappropriate influence of vaccine manufacturers in federal vaccine licensing and policymaking and state vaccine mandates. In 2006, Merck's Gardasil vaccine was fast tracked by the FDA at Merck's request and in 2007 Merck lobbyists mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign to get Gardasil mandated by state legislators for all sixth grade girls, which would have assured the big drug company a predictable market.
The Pharma lobbying effort in 2007 to get all states to mandate Gardasil failed but every other vaccine produced by drug companies and licensed by the FDA in the past quarter century has been mandated. Those new mandates were added to state vaccine laws by legislators and public health officials at the urging of vaccine manufacturer lobbyists and Pharma funded organizations touting vaccine studies published in the medical literature.
In the past three decades, the numbers of doses of government recommended vaccines for children and medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics has tripled to 69 doses of 16 vaccines, with 48 doses of 14 vaccines targeted to children under age six. Pharma lobbyists have persuaded most states to pass laws requiring two to three dozen doses of most of the 16 government recommended vaccines. Last year New Jersey became the first state to mandate influenza vaccine for children attending daycare and school.
In the past few years, Dr. Jefferson has authored several independent reviews of influenza studies published in the medical literature for the Cochrane Collaboration, which have been published in the British Medical Journal, questioning the quality of published scientific evidence for influenza vaccine effectiveness and safety for the elderly as well as children.
Clearly, if the makers and marketers of vaccines can influence the quality and quantity of the scientific evidence published in the medical literature proving that vaccines are safe and effective -- evidence that is used by states to mandate vaccines and by the U.S. Court of Claims to deny compensation to vaccine injured children -- then Congress was wrong in 1986 to protect the makers and marketers of vaccines from liability for injuries and deaths caused by those vaccines.
Government vaccine recommendations, U.S. Court of Claims vaccine injury compensation awards and state vaccine mandates are justified on the strength of scientific published in medical journals. It is time for medical journals to disclose all financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. It is time for studies questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to receive a fair hearing in scientific journals rather than editors confining themselves to primarily publishing studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry maintaining that every vaccine is totally safe, effective and necessary.
Kudos to the British Medical Journal for having the integrity to publish Jefferson's comprehensive analysis of pharmaceutical money influence on vaccine studies published in the medical literature. Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call for the scientific community, Congress and the public to put an end to the undue influence the pharmaceutical industry has on the science and policy of mass vaccination in the U.S.
If you take more than a casual look at the way the mass vaccination system in the U.S. works, you see that pharmaceutical companies marketing vaccines have a lot of clout. It was the pharmaceutical industry that told Congress in 1982 that they were going to leave the nation without vaccines if they didn't get liability protection but have opposed making it less difficult for vaccine victims to obtain federal compensation in the U.S. Court of Claims under a 1986 law that gave them liability protection. It is Pharma lobbyists, who bully the FDA into fast tracking vaccines like Gardasil and who sit at the CDC's policymaking tables urging that new vaccines be recommended for use by all children so they can persuade state legislators to mandate vaccines like influenza vaccine.
Today, a study published in the British Medical Journal reveals the clout that Big Pharma has in the world of medicine journal publishing, specifically the publishing of scientific articles about vaccines. In a Cochrane Collaboration review and analysis of published influenza vaccine studies conducted by Tom Jefferson, M.D., Ph.D. and his colleagues, they found that influenza vaccine studies sponsored by industry are treated more favorably by medical journals even when the studies are of poor quality.
Jefferson's analysis confirms that drug companies marketing vaccines have a major influence on what gets published and is said about vaccines in medical journals. It is no wonder that there are almost no studies published in the medical literature that call into question vaccine safety. The preferential treatment of Pharma-funded studies also explains why the risks of an inappropriately fast-tracked vaccine like Gardasil are underplayed in the medical literature and why a physician like Andrew Wakefield, M.D., who dared to publish a study in 1998 in a medical journal (The Lancet) calling for more scientific investigation into the possible link between MMR vaccine and regressive autism, has been mercilessly persecuted for more than a decade by both Pharma-funded special interest groups as well as public health officials maintaining close relationships with vaccine manufacturers.
Jefferson and his colleagues identified and assessed 274 published studies on influenza vaccines for their methodological quality and found no relationship between study quality, publication in prestige journals or their subsequent citation in other articles. They also found that most influenza vaccine studies are of poor quality but those with conclusions favorable to influenza vaccinations are of significantly lower methodological quality. The single most important factor determining where the studies were published or how much they were cited was sponsorship, with those partially or wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry having higher visibility.
Dr. Jefferson commented, "The study shows that one of the levers for accessing prestige journals is the financial size of your sponsor. Pharma sponsors order many reprints of studies supporting their products, often with in house translations into many languages. They also purchase advertising space in the journal. Many publishers openly advertise these services on their website. It is time journals made a full disclosure of their sources of funding.
Earlier this week the National Vaccine Information Center (www.NVIC.org) called on the Obama Administration and Congress to investigate Gardasil vaccine risks. NVIC has long questioned the inappropriate influence of vaccine manufacturers in federal vaccine licensing and policymaking and state vaccine mandates. In 2006, Merck's Gardasil vaccine was fast tracked by the FDA at Merck's request and in 2007 Merck lobbyists mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign to get Gardasil mandated by state legislators for all sixth grade girls, which would have assured the big drug company a predictable market.
The Pharma lobbying effort in 2007 to get all states to mandate Gardasil failed but every other vaccine produced by drug companies and licensed by the FDA in the past quarter century has been mandated. Those new mandates were added to state vaccine laws by legislators and public health officials at the urging of vaccine manufacturer lobbyists and Pharma funded organizations touting vaccine studies published in the medical literature.
In the past three decades, the numbers of doses of government recommended vaccines for children and medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics has tripled to 69 doses of 16 vaccines, with 48 doses of 14 vaccines targeted to children under age six. Pharma lobbyists have persuaded most states to pass laws requiring two to three dozen doses of most of the 16 government recommended vaccines. Last year New Jersey became the first state to mandate influenza vaccine for children attending daycare and school.
In the past few years, Dr. Jefferson has authored several independent reviews of influenza studies published in the medical literature for the Cochrane Collaboration, which have been published in the British Medical Journal, questioning the quality of published scientific evidence for influenza vaccine effectiveness and safety for the elderly as well as children.
Clearly, if the makers and marketers of vaccines can influence the quality and quantity of the scientific evidence published in the medical literature proving that vaccines are safe and effective -- evidence that is used by states to mandate vaccines and by the U.S. Court of Claims to deny compensation to vaccine injured children -- then Congress was wrong in 1986 to protect the makers and marketers of vaccines from liability for injuries and deaths caused by those vaccines.
Government vaccine recommendations, U.S. Court of Claims vaccine injury compensation awards and state vaccine mandates are justified on the strength of scientific published in medical journals. It is time for medical journals to disclose all financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. It is time for studies questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to receive a fair hearing in scientific journals rather than editors confining themselves to primarily publishing studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry maintaining that every vaccine is totally safe, effective and necessary.
Kudos to the British Medical Journal for having the integrity to publish Jefferson's comprehensive analysis of pharmaceutical money influence on vaccine studies published in the medical literature. Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call for the scientific community, Congress and the public to put an end to the undue influence the pharmaceutical industry has on the science and policy of mass vaccination in the U.S.
Omega-3 Fats Prevent the Medical Complications of Obesity
According to a recent study, diets rich in omega-3 fats can protect the liver from damage caused by obesity. This could help explain why some obese patients are more likely to suffer complications associated with obesity.
Lipids called protectins and resolvins, which are derived from omega-3 fats, can actually reduce the incidence of complications such as hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance.
Researchers studied several groups of mice with an altered gene which made them obese and diabetic. Mice given a diet rich in omega-3’s exhibited less hepatic inflammation and improved insulin tolerance.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 12, 2009
Lipids called protectins and resolvins, which are derived from omega-3 fats, can actually reduce the incidence of complications such as hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance.
Researchers studied several groups of mice with an altered gene which made them obese and diabetic. Mice given a diet rich in omega-3’s exhibited less hepatic inflammation and improved insulin tolerance.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 12, 2009
Could Carbon Dioxide Replace Antibiotics?
Wound infection is a serious surgical complication that can lead to longer stays in hospital and a greater risk of death. Problems include bacterial contamination of the wound, drying of body tissues and heat loss.
Scientists now suggest that a wound could continuously be flooded with carbon dioxide gas (CO2) during surgery. Carbon dioxide could prevent airborne bacteria from reaching the wound and would also suffocate germs. Humidified CO2 would also keep the wound warm and moist, which should reduce tissue damage and speed-up healing.
CO2 is already used for this purpose in the food packaging business.
Sources:
Science Daily February 12, 2009
Scientists now suggest that a wound could continuously be flooded with carbon dioxide gas (CO2) during surgery. Carbon dioxide could prevent airborne bacteria from reaching the wound and would also suffocate germs. Humidified CO2 would also keep the wound warm and moist, which should reduce tissue damage and speed-up healing.
CO2 is already used for this purpose in the food packaging business.
Sources:
Science Daily February 12, 2009
Exercise Lowers Your Risk of Colon Cancer
A new study has added considerable weight to the claim that exercise can lower the risk for colon cancer. Researchers combined and analyzed several decades worth of data from past studies on how exercise affects colon cancer risk, and found that those who exercised the most were 24 percent less likely to develop the disease.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer. The study suggests that if the American population became significantly more physically active, there would be over 24,000 fewer cases of colon cancer in the U.S. each year.
The protective effect of exercise held for all types of physical activity, whether that activity was recreational or job related.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 12, 2009
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer. The study suggests that if the American population became significantly more physically active, there would be over 24,000 fewer cases of colon cancer in the U.S. each year.
The protective effect of exercise held for all types of physical activity, whether that activity was recreational or job related.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 12, 2009
Do Drug Companies Control Medical Journal Vaccine Studies?
In a review of influenza vaccine studies, researchers found that the studies sponsored by industry are treated more favorably by medical journals -- even when the studies are of poor quality.
According to Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), this confirms that drug companies marketing vaccines have undue influence on what gets published in medical journals regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness.
The researchers identified and assessed more than 270 published studies on influenza vaccines, and found no relationship between study quality, publication in prestige journals or their subsequent citation in other articles. Instead, the single most important factor determining where the studies were published or how often they were cited was sponsorship, with those partially or wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry having higher visibility.
Sources:
British Medical Journal 2009: 338-354
Business Wire February 12, 2009
According to Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), this confirms that drug companies marketing vaccines have undue influence on what gets published in medical journals regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness.
The researchers identified and assessed more than 270 published studies on influenza vaccines, and found no relationship between study quality, publication in prestige journals or their subsequent citation in other articles. Instead, the single most important factor determining where the studies were published or how often they were cited was sponsorship, with those partially or wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry having higher visibility.
Sources:
British Medical Journal 2009: 338-354
Business Wire February 12, 2009
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