Natural Rubber Latex Allergy in Spina Bifida - Spina Bifida Association

Natural Rubber Latex Allergy in Spina Bifida – Spina Bifida Association

Latex Allergy Update

MedlinePlus sent this bulletin at 09/27/2012 01:10 PM EDT New on the MedlinePlus Latex Allergy page:

Natural Rubber Latex Allergy in Spina Bifida

09/20/2012 08:00 PM EDT

Source: Spina Bifida Association of America

Natural Rubber Latex Allergy in Spina Bifida

Natural Rubber Latex Allergy in Spina Bifida
People with Spina Bifida are at high risk for latex allergy
What is Natural Rubber Latex?
Natural rubber latex (NRL) is a milky substance tapped from the Hevea Brasiliensis (a tropical rubber tree). It can be heated and molded into hard rubber products like tires; or it can be dipped to make softer products like balloons or medical examination gloves.
What is latex allergy?
Latex allergy means that a person is allergic to proteins in the natural rubber latex. Although anyone can develop a latex allergy, it is thought to be caused by significant long term exposure to latex proteins that are released during processing of the rubber. The amount of latex exposure needed to produce sensitization or an allergic reaction is unknown, but softer rubber products that have been processed longer (like gloves and balloons) are seen as more allergenic; and frequent exposure to latex products increases the risk of developing a sensitivity.
People who have Spina Bifida and catheterize; or have several surgeries from very early in life, such as bladder surgery or shunt revisions, are at very high risk for allergy because of a “cumulative” effect over time. Symptoms of latex sensitivity can be minor, but without warning, may become life threatening. Many people are unaware that they are sensitized to latex because the symptoms can be vague and non-specific. Those people are at risk for a serious reaction.
What are the symptoms of latex allergy?
Itching
Skin redness, hives or rash
Sneezing
Runny nose
Itchy, watery eyes
Scratchy throat
Cough
Wheezing

The most serious allergic reaction to latex is anaphylaxis, a type of shock. An anaphylactic response to latex is a medical emergency.
Signs and symptoms include:
Difficulty breathing caused by swelling of lips tongue or windpipe
Severe wheezing
Severe drop in blood pressure (hypotension)
Dizziness
Loss of consciousness
Confusion
Slurred speech
Rapid or weak pulse
Blue hue of the skin, including lips and nail beds
Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
Latex items
Because of its low cost, durability and versatility, natural latex has been widely used in the United States for over a century; and is used in the production of many common items. Although most medical products are labeled, household or recreational items which contain latex may not be labeled. For that reason, the Latex Allergy Association and the Spina Bifida Association work diligently to keep a current list of products that contain latex; and their “safe” (non-latex) alternatives.
What are cross reactions to latex allergy?
People allergic to latex may also be allergic to the proteins in some fruits and vegetables. Some of them include: banana, avocado, chestnut, kiwi, apple, carrot, celery, papaya, potato, tomato, melon, and avocado. Due to nutritional risks, people should not avoid eating these foods unless they have had a reaction to them and are advised by a dietary or medical professional to avoid them.
What steps should I take to prevent developing latex allergy?
The best way to prevent developing latex allergy is to avoid contact with latex or latex-contaminated powder. Contact occurs through contact with skin, inhaling latex spores, or internally through medical procedures or surgery, when latex touches the skin, mouth, eyes, genital areas or bladder. Severe reactions can occur if latex enters the bloodstream. Powder from latex balloons or gloves gets into the air. Therefore, people with Spina Bifida are at high risk for latex allergy and should avoid exposure to natural latex products from birth. Products made of silicone, plastic, nitrile or vinyl can be used instead.
Those who have had a serious reaction to latex should:

• Wear a medic-alert bracelet or necklace


• Carry auto-injectable epinephrine; and


• Carry sterile non-latex gloves and other non-latex medical items for emergencies.

Discuss latex allergy and avoidance with health care providers, schools, day care, camps, visitors and anyone else who is involved with the person who has Spina Bifida.
This information does not constitute medical advice for any individual. As specific cases may vary from the general information presented here, SBA advises readers to consult a qualified medical or other professional on an individual basis.
Additional resources
www.aaaai.org
www.asbah.org
www.latexallergyresources.org
www.latexallergylinks.org
www.osha.gov/SLTC/latexallergy

Download the Natural Rubber Latex Allergy Health Info Sheet here

Radio waves to kidneys lower persistent high blood pressure | American Heart Association

Radio waves to kidneys lower persistent high blood pressure | American Heart Association

Radio waves to kidneys lower persistent high blood pressure

December 17, 2012

Study Highlights:

• A minimally invasive procedure lowered blood pressure in patients whose condition failed to respond to medication.


• Catheter-based renal denervation was found to be safe and effective in lowering blood pressure up to one year after starting treatment, and did not show any lasting harm to the kidneys or heart.


• The procedure ultimately may offer a new treatment alternative for reducing high blood pressure, a global public health epidemic.

EMBARGOED UNTIL 4 pm ET, Monday, December 17, 2012
DALLAS, Dec. 17, 2012 – Directing short bursts of radio waves at nerves surrounding the kidneys lowered blood pressure for at least six months and up to one year among patients with hypertension that persists regardless of taking multiple medications to control it, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation.

The findings could have significant public health implications in the treatment of resistant hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke, said Murray Esler, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Professor and Senior Director of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

Hypertension, which is blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg, affects more than 78 million adults in the United States. Among adults with high blood pressure in the United States, about 9 percent have resistant hypertension – meaning they take four or more medications to control their blood pressure, or blood pressure is still higher than 140/90 mm Hg while taking three different blood pressure medicines.

“Studies will soon determine whether this procedure can cure mild hypertension, producing permanent drug-free normalization of blood pressure,” Esler said. “Based on the blood pressure declines achieved, reduction in heart attack and stroke rates of more than 40 percent is anticipated.”

Catheter-based renal denervation is a minimally-invasive procedure in which doctors use a catheter, inserted through the femoral artery in the groin, to send radio waves that burn away nerve tissue around the kidney arteries. The goal is to destroy the nerves around the kidneys, which help control and filter salt through the body and may be overactive among patients with hypertension.

The results come from Symplicity HTN-2, an ongoing, multicenter, international study evaluating renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension. These findings build on results released in 2010, which showed that six months of treating the nerves around the kidney arteries with radio waves lowered drug-resistant high blood pressure.

Participants who began in the control group of the initial study, and did not have the procedure, were invited to “cross over” and receive renal denervation based on the positive outcomes of the patients who had already received the treatment.

A total of 35 control patients from the earlier study chose to receive renal denervation and were compared with 47 patients who had been among the first wave of patients to have it. Study participants had drug-resistant hypertension at 160 mm Hg or higher, had taken three or more anti-hypertension drugs, and some had other conditions including diabetes. All had undergone renal artery imaging to ensure the arteries around the kidney could withstand the procedure.

In the new study, Esler and his team found that more than 83 percent of the initial renal denervation treatment group experienced a drop in systolic blood pressure of at least 10 mm Hg at six months and nearly 79 percent of the group maintained such reductions at 12 months. The crossover group showed similar results with almost 63 percent reducing systolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg or more six months after starting the treatment.

“Participants’ kidneys were not damaged or functionally impaired,” Esler said. “We also found no ill effects on long-term health from the procedure.”

Co-authors are: Henry Krum, M.B, B.S., Ph.D.; Markus Schlaich, M.D.; Roland E. Schmieder, M.D.; Michael Böhm, M.D.; and Paul A. Sobotka, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

Medtronic Ardian, LLC, funded the study.

Follow @HeartNewson Twitter for the latest heart and stroke news.

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Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

Additional resources, including multimedia, are available in the right column of this link:

http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-radio-waves-to-kidneys-lower-persistent-241739.aspx

For media inquiries: (214) 706-1173

Maggie Francis: (214) 706-1382; Maggie.Francis@heart.org

Julie Del Barto (broadcast): (214) 706-1330; Julie.DelBarto@heart.org

For public inquiries: (800) AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and strokeassociation.org

Categories: Heart News

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Alcohol Depende... [Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011] - PubMed result

Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011 Jan 21. [Epub ahead of print]

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Alcohol Dependence and Substance Use Disorders.
Treutlein J, Rietschel M.

Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (CIMH), University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany,

jens.treutlein@zi-mannheim.de.

Abstract

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) currently represent the most systematic approach to genetic research into complex disorders. They can detect associations of common variants in genomic regions in the absence of an a priori assumption. Most of the GWAS of addiction performed to date have focused on alcohol dependence or smoking behavior. Four GWAS of alcohol dependence have been published thus far, and only two single nucleotide polymorphisms have received modest support of replication in a subsequent study. Many more GWAS have been conducted for smoking behavior. One large, single GWAS and meta-analyses of the phenotype “smoking quantity” have generated convincing evidence for the contribution of variants in genes for cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunits. This article focuses on GWAS of alcohol addiction and provides an overview of GWAS of other substance abuse disorders.

PMID: 21253885 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Genome-Wide Association Studies of Alcohol Depende… [Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011] – PubMed result

Diagnosing, treating strep throat key to preventing rheumatic heart disease | American Heart Association

Diagnosing, treating strep throat key to preventing rheumatic heart disease | American Heart Association

Diagnosing, treating strep throat key to preventing rheumatic heart disease

February 26, 2009

Diagnosing, treating strep throat key to preventing rheumatic heart disease

American Heart Association Scientific Statement

Statement Highlights:• Rheumatic fever, though rare, can be prevented by accurate diagnosis and treatment of strep throat.
• A certain type of strep causes rheumatic fever. Strep can be identified by a simple test at your doctor’s office.
• Not all sore throats are strep – most are viral.

DALLAS, Feb. 26, 2009 — Accurately diagnosing and treating strep throat is the key to preventing rheumatic fever and subsequent rheumatic heart disease, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can affect many of the body’s connective tissues, especially those of the heart, joints, brain or skin. When the heart valves are damaged by rheumatic fever it leads to rheumatic heart disease which can last a lifetime. Rheumatic fever is caused when a particular strain of strep throat (group A β-hemolytic streptococcus, or GAS pharyngitis) is left untreated. Rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease continues to be the leading cause of cardiovascular death during the first five decades of life in the developing world.
A throat culture, taken by swabbing the back of the throat, is considered the “gold standard” for identifying this strep infection. The culture and good clinical judgment are the best ways to diagnose strep throat, said Michael A. Gerber, M.D., lead author of the scientific statement.
“It’s important to know that while strep throat is most common in children five to 15 years old, most sore throats in this age group are not caused by this particular type of strep,” said Gerber, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. “In fact, most are caused by viruses which do not raise the risk of rheumatic fever and are not treatable with antibiotics.”
The update of the American Heart Association’s 1995 scientific statement gives healthcare providers here and abroad the most recent evidence for preventing rheumatic fever, including specific diagnostic instructions and antibiotic treatment.
Preventing initial episodes of rheumatic fever (primary prevention) requires accurate diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment of GAS pharyngitis. Patients who have had an attack of rheumatic fever are at very high risk of developing recurrences if they have another case of strep throat. They need continuous antibiotics to prevent recurrences (secondary prevention). Patients who have had rheumatic carditis (inflammation of the heart or area around the heart) should also receive preventive antibiotic therapy well into adulthood and perhaps for life. Penicillin is the agent of choice for secondary prevention, but there are other antibiotics that are acceptable alternatives for people allergic to penicillin.
Recurrent episodes of rheumatic fever can worsen rheumatic heart disease or, less frequently, cause rheumatic heart disease in people who didn’t develop it during their first infection.
Signs of GAS pharyngitis include (but are not limited to):
• sudden-onset of sore throat,
• pain on swallowing,
• fever, usually 101-104F,
• headache;
• abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting may also occur, especially in children.
These signs can occur with other upper respiratory tract infections, and it can be difficult even for an experienced healthcare provider to tell GAS pharyngitis from other types of pharyngitis, so the throat culture is important for accurate diagnosis.
Symptoms of rheumatic fever vary widely, but may include:
• fever,
• painful, tender, red, swollen joints,
• pain in one joint that migrates to another one,
• heart palpitations,
• chest pain,
• shortness of breath,
• skin rashes,
• small, painless nodules under the skin.
Rheumatic fever is rare in children younger than 3 years of age in the U.S. Among adults, initial attacks of rheumatic fever are rare, but do occur. Overall, the progression from strep throat to rheumatic fever is rare in the United States, but a few localized acute rheumatic fever outbreaks in civilian and military populations were reported in the 1980s.
“This reappearance of acute rheumatic fever reminds physicians, parents and others about the importance of continued attention to prevention of rheumatic fever in the United States and in other developed countries,” said Gerber.
Co authors include: Robert Baltimore, M.D.; Charles Eaton, M.D.; Michael Gewitz, M.D.; Anne Rowley, M.D.; Stanford Shulman, M.D.; Kathryn Taubert, Ph.D.

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The American Heart Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.americanheart.org/corporatefunding.
NR09 – 1028 (Circ/Gerber)

Genome-Wide Association Studies: Is there a Genoty... [Curr Pharm Des. 2011] - PubMed result

Curr Pharm Des. 2011 Feb 28. [Epub ahead of print]

Genome-Wide Association Studies: Is there a Genotype for Cognitive Decline in Older Persons with Type 2 Diabetes?
Abbatecola AM, Oliveri F, Corsonello A, Antonicelli R, Corica F, Lattanzio F.

Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Scientific Direction, Ancona, Italy. angela_abbatecola@libero.it.

Abstract
There is a dramatic increase in the number of elderly persons on a worldwide scale with an increase in chronic comorbidities, especially type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and dementia. Although cognitive faculties commonly deteriorate in non-diabetic persons as they age, several studies have concluded that diabetes is uniquely associated with cognitive decline and is associated with a two-fold risk of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Studies have also suggested that good glycemic has shown to improve cognitive status, however whether the use of specific anti-diabetic oral agents may play an additional role in controlling against cognitive deterioration is unknown. In addition, excitotoxicity from the overstimulation of glutamate receptors is considered a major cause of neuron death in AD and statins may be promising agents for protecting against memory loss. Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms common to both T2DM and AD are glucose toxicity and a direct effect of insulin on amyloid metabolism. In fact, AD and T2DM have comparable pathological features in the islet and brain (amyloid derived from amyloid β protein (β-amyloid) in the brain in AD and islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide in the pancreas in T2DM). Evidence is growing linking precursors of amyloid deposition in the brain and pancreas to the pathogenesis of AD and T2DM, respectively. Indeed, the need to identify agents capable of correcting such pathological features may in turn significantly protect against the accumulation of β-amyloid in the brain, known to interfere with correct cognitive function. Cholesterol may also be directly involved in β-amyloid aggregation: abnormal oxidative metabolites such as cholesterol-derived aldehydes can modify β-amyloid, firstly promoting Schiff base formation, then accelerating the early stages of amyloidogenesis. At the moment, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have begun to elucidate the genetic architecture of chronic diseases including, T2DM and AD. Thus, one of the challenges for a successful GWAS in the future will be to identify a genotype in older persons with T2DM for good drug response, which in turn may protect against cognitive decline and AD. The literature has suggested that the use of insulin sensitizers and statins are correlated with a lower rate of cognitive decline in older persons. In this paper, we will explore recent findings regarding diverse single nucleotide polymorphisms from GWAS on T2DM, AD and both. We will also shed light on future pathways, as the basis of improving drug and diagnostics development for a better integration of genetic studies for precise drug-development focusing on the role of genetic variation in maintaining metabolic control and cognitive performance.

PMID: 21352095 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Genome-Wide Association Studies: Is there a Genoty… [Curr Pharm Des. 2011] – PubMed result