Lupus Awareness Bracelet Earring Set by RocknBauble
RocknBauble.etsy.com announces its Support of Lupus Awareness Month with a Donation of 10 Percent of the Proceeds from the Sale of its Lupus Awareness Jewelry.
Lupus Awareness Month is May and one of several observances promoted by the Lupus Foundation of America. RocknBauble.etsy.com announces it will support Lupus Awareness Month by donating 10 percent of the proceeds from the sale of its Lupus Awareness Jewelry line. Custom Lupus Awareness bracelets, necklaces, earrings and book thongs are being offered through the RocknBauble storefront located on the ETSY website (www.RocknBauble.Etsy.com) “I am excited to assist this cause with creating custom Lupus Awareness Jewelry and donating part of the proceeds to help support Lupus Research, ” said Andi (Lupus Jewelry Artist). Jewelry for all awareness colors and causes is available with a percentage of the proceeds to be given to the cause the particular piece represents and we will place an emphasis on Lupus this month.
About Lupus Awareness Month:
Lupus Awareness Month is one of several observances promoted by the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org) to increase visibility for lupus. The LFA and its chapters designated May as Lupus Awareness Month to incorporate other related events into the observance. The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1,500,000 Americans have a form lupus. This estimate is based on two nationwide polls, which asked respondents if they, or anyone in their immediate household, had ever been diagnosed with lupus. In addition, another poll revealed that 28% of all Americans know someone with lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that, for unknown reasons, causes inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any of the body’s own cells, tissue, and organs – especially the skin, joints, blood, heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain.
About RocknBauble:
RocknBauble.com owner and jewelry artist Andi Vogel states, “As a nurse I like to heighten the publics awareness of Lupus and all other awareness causes, donations from my awareness jewelry adds support to these causes.” Andi fashions her awareness jewelry by hand and meticulously selects all materials so each piece is unique. Butterflies, Baubles, Stars, Lampwork Beads, Furnace Glass, Czech Republic Crystals, Swarovski Crystals, Fresh-water Pearls, Sterling Charms, Hearts and Puzzle pieces are used in this high quality jewelry, as well as some highly desirable variations and more unusual settings most of which are hand crafted by local and international artisans. Andi’s flair for style and eye for color shines through in every awareness creation.
The Lupus Alliance of America is working to build a brighter future for all lupus patients and their families.
from their “about us” page:
The Lupus Alliance of America is a group of agencies that have come together for the express purpose of providing needed services to those affected by lupus within their local communities. Our mission is “To ensure the delivery of services to those affected by lupus through affiliate members and other agencies and to fund research efforts.”
The Lupus Alliance of America serves to support those individuals, organizations and agencies that are involved in research to find a cure for lupus or to improve treatment of the disease. This support includes providing money for such research and the dissemination of information that will help to advance those efforts.
The Lupus Alliance of America:
Promotes programs of public awareness and education about lupus.
Promotes, through affiliates of the corporation, patient education programs and services for those affected by lupus.
Works with health professionals to improve the standards of diagnosis, care, services and treatment of those suffering from lupus.
Serves as an advocate for those affected by lupus.
Supports research into the causes, treatment and cure of lupus.
from their affiliates list page:
The Lupus Alliance of America and the Affiliates listed below are working to build a brighter future for all lupus patients and their families.
Lupus Alliance of America
3871 Harlem Rd.
Buffalo, NY 14215
Phone: 1 (866) 415-8787
Fax: 1 (716) 835-7251
E-mail: info@lupusalliance.org
Web: http://www.lupusalliance.org
Lupus Alliance of America Affiliates:
Hudson Valley Affiliate
100 South Bedford Road
Suite 340
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
Click here for map
Psychotherapy May Help People With Lupus Cope with Stress
Psychotherapy helps cut the incidence of psychological woes in patients with lupus who have high levels of daily stress, a new study finds. The treatment also helps these patients improve and maintain their quality of life, according to a new Spanish study. The research included 45 patients randomly assigned to a control group or to a therapy group. Each received 10 weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). By the end of the study, the patients in the therapy group had significantly reduced levels of depression, anxiety and daily stress — along with significant improvement in quality of life — compared to those in the control group.
However, the patients in the therapy group didn’t show any significant reduction in lupus disease activity, said the Spanish researchers. The study was led by N. Navarrete-Navarrete of the University Hospital Virgen de Las Nieves, and was recently published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. (source ethiopianreview.com)
This is an actual abstract of the study
Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of chronic stress in patients with lupus erythematosus: a randomized controlled trial.
Chronic stress worsens the quality of life (QOL) of lupus patients by affecting their physical and psychological status. The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioural intervention in a group of patients with lupus and high levels of daily stress was investigated. METHODS: Forty-five patients with lupus and high levels of daily stress were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) or a therapy group (TG); they received cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which consisted of ten consecutive weekly sessions. The following variables were evaluated at baseline and at 3, 9 and 15 months: (1) stress, anxiety, depression, (2) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index, somatic symptoms, number of flares, (3) anti-nDNA antibodies, complement fractions C3 and C4 and (4) QOL. A multivariate analysis of repeated measures and various analyses of variance were carried out. RESULTS: We found a significant reduction in the level of depression, anxiety and daily stress in the TG compared to the CG and a significant improvement in QOL and somatic symptoms in the TG throughout the entire follow-up period. We did not find any significant changes in the immunological parameters. CONCLUSIONS: CBT is effective in dealing with patients suffering from lupus and high levels of daily stress as it significantly reduces the incidence of psychological disorders associated with lupus and improves and maintains patients’ QOL, despite there being no significant reduction in the disease activity index. (source nih.gov)
Lupus Foundation of America Collaborates with Federal Agencies and the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office to Expand Medical Education on Lupus
(Washington,DC) Representatives from the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), along with 22 national organizations, attended the first consortium meeting aimed at developing a national health care provider education initiative to improve lupus diagnosis, treatment, and management among minorities. The meeting, held at the American College of Rheumatology offices in Atlanta, Georgia from January 12–14, 2010, was facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH), and Office of Minority Health (OMH).
According to an LFA survey, a person waits on average three years and visits four doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis of lupus. More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women, and it is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Physician and health care provider education is critical to improving the early diagnosis and management of lupus, and ultimately preventing the life-threatening consequences of the disease, particularly among those most at-risk for the disease.
An estimated $1.6 million is available for the initiative entitled, “Eliminating Disparities in Lupus Through Education and Training for Health Professionals” (EDLET/HP), which ultimately seeks to expand and promote the utilization of more comprehensive lupus curricula in medical and nursing schools, and among health care professionals and professional associations.
It is estimated that 80 percent of Americans know little or nothing about lupus. For far too long there have been limited resources to address the patient, public, and professional education gaps in lupus. In part, the first-ever Ad Council public awareness campaign on lupus sponsored by the OWH launched last year began to address the long-standing need to raise awareness and close the gap. The LFA is the Founding Partner on the campaign, “Could I Have Lupus?” which is directed at those most at-risk for developing the disease, and urges individuals who may be experiencing symptoms to ask their doctor about lupus. The EDLET/HP initiative is the health care professional counterpart to the Ad Council campaign.
“The LFA commends the Office of Minority Health and Office on Women’s Health for the foresight in developing these initiatives,” said Sandra C. Raymond, LFA President and CEO. “We also want to thank lupus advocates across the United States for bringing to Congressional attention the urgent need for comprehensive patient, public, and professional education programs on lupus.”
This year, the LFA will be hosting its 12th annual Advocacy Day program in Washington, DC from March 15-16, 2010. It is an opportunity for individuals to educate Members of Congress about lupus, and encourage them to support more funding for lupus research and education programs. To learn more Advocacy Day or to register, visit www.lupus.org/advocacyday.
A recent study by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that the overall mortality rate in the U.S. for all pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases was not worse than the age and sex-adjusted population. Furthermore, mortality rates were significantly lower than reported in previous studies of rheumatic diseases and conditions that are associated with increased mortality. Details of the study appear in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.
The Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) estimates that 300,000 children in the U.S. suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease. According to CARRA, childhood arthritis is the #1 cause of acquired disability in children and is the 6th most common chronic childhood disease.
While rheumatic diseases present well-known risks to health, function, and quality of life, several conditions—juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, childhood systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, various vasculitides, and systemic sclerosis are associated in various studies with a small but significant increase in mortality.
The Cleveland Clinic study team, however, maintains that previous mortality studies were relatively small, reported mortality outcomes only on specific diseases, had a follow up time of less than 10 years, and were mostly conducted prior to the 1990s, when new and improved drug treatments emerged. The team suggests that larger studies may also be flawed because most were based on physician surveys, without strategies to verify response.
To determine the mortality rates, risks, and causes of death associated with pediatric rheumatic diseases in the U.S., the researchers examined the world’s largest rheumatology registry, the Pediatric Rheumatology Disease Registry (PRDR), which includes 49,023 patients from 62 centers who were newly diagnosed between 1992 and 2001. Identifiers were matched with the Social Security Death Index censored for March 2005. Death certificates, referring physicians, and medical records confirmed deaths. Causes of death were derived by chart review or from the death certificate.
After excluding patients with malignancy, 110 deaths were identified among 48,885 patients in the PRDR registry. This number was significantly lower than the expected mortality from the age- and sex-adjusted U.S. population especially among 18,111 patients who were followed up for at least 9 years. The standardized mortality ratio was notably greater for systemic lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis but not for systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and was markedly less for pain syndromes. Most of the deceased with inflammatory disease died of their disease or disease complications, while many of the deceased with pain syndromes died of non-natural causes.
“One possible cause of the increased survival in the present study compared with previous studies may be the improved treatment that was introduced in the 1990s, said the lead author of the study Philip Hashkes, M.D., M.Sc. “Since the information in the PRDR was limited, we could not explore in depth for risk factors or early predictors of mortality. This and continued follow-up of this cohort for mortality trends should be investigated in future studies.” (Source: Cleveland Clinic)
2009: A Year of Many Firsts in Efforts to Overcome Lupus
Achievements in Lupus Research, Education and Advocacy Cause for Celebration and Hope
WASHINGTON — The year 2009 will be remembered as a year of many firsts for lupus, including the first successful phase III clinical trial of a potential new treatment for lupus, the launch of the first-ever Ad Council public awareness campaign for lupus, and the first comprehensive report on the barriers to lupus drug development. And it appears there are no signs of any slowing of momentum as we enter the New Year.
Advances during 2009 in basic and clinical research on lupus hold promise for a greatly improved quality of life for the 1.5 million Americans and the more than five million individuals worldwide who are living with lupus. Two pivotal studies of Benlysta(TM) (belimumab) reached their primary endpoints that should enable the drug to become the first new treatment approved for lupus in more than a half-century. In addition, several studies published during 2009 provided new clues into the underlying causes of lupus and how the disease affects people of different genders, ages, races and ethnicities. In June, the Lewin Group issued a report commissioned by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) on barriers to lupus drug development. The report’s recommendations provide a roadmap to the further development and approval of a full arsenal of new, more tolerable and effective treatments for lupus.
Continued Growth in Awareness and Public Support for Lupus
Awareness of lupus further grew in 2009 with the launch in March by the Ad Council of a national public awareness campaign that targets individuals at greatest risk for development lupus. In addition, musicians Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook released a new digital single, “LUCY,” that helped to bring greater worldwide attention to lupus and generate funds to support lupus research.
The United States Congress expanded its support for lupus by greatly increasing funding for the National Lupus Patient Registry, and providing new funding for a national health provider education program to improve early diagnosis and treatment of lupus and reduce health disparities. In addition, Congress appropriated additional funding to support lupus research through the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program.
These achievements were the result of the combined efforts of the Lupus Foundation of America and its national network of chapters and support groups, scientists and clinicians, industry representatives, congressional champions and leaders of federal agencies, countless lupus advocates and other volunteers, donors, and individuals with lupus and their families who have dedicated their energies to address this urgent health problem. While momentum had been building throughout the past decade, the historic events of 2009 provided solid evidence that we have entered a new era of discovery and hope in the search for the causes of and cure for lupus.
The LFA has compiled a list of ten significant accomplishments, including several firsts, in efforts to overcome lupus and its impact on individuals and families.
1. First Successful Completion of a Phase III Clinical Study of a potential New Treatment for Lupus
Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced positive results from BLISS-52 and BLISS-76, two large-scale phase III clinical trials of BENLYSTA(TM) (belimumab) for treating systemic lupus. Both trials succeeded in meeting their primary endpoints, which should make BENLYSTA eligible for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Upon approval, BENLYSTA would be the first-ever treatment developed specifically for lupus, and the first new FDA-approved drug for lupus in more than 50 years.
2. Ad Council Launches its First-Ever National Public Awareness Campaign on Lupus
The Ad Council launched its first national multi-media public awareness campaign for lupus. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH), the campaign aimed to reach individuals most at risk for developing lupus – young women of childbearing age, especially African American, Asian, and Hispanic women. The Lupus Foundation of America was the Founding Partner with OWH on the campaign that is expected to generate $30 million annually in donated media exposure for lupus.
3. First Comprehensive Study to Address Barriers to Lupus Drug Development
The Lewin Group issued a report following a 9-month study commissioned by the LFA that included recommendations to overcome barriers that have obstructed lupus drug development. The LFA immediately began implementing the recommendations by launching the first-ever Collective Data Analysis Initiative (CDAI). The project will examine data from previous lupus clinical trials to learn the impact that background therapies may have had on trial outcomes and use that knowledge to improve the design of future trials of potential new therapies for lupus.
4. First-Ever Consensus Definition of Lupus Flares Reached by 120 International Lupus Experts
The LFA addressed a significant barrier to advancing the science and medicine of lupus by securing consensus on a definition of lupus flares. The Lupus Foundation of America Flare Definition (LFA-FLARE) was developed through a rigorous three-year process that involved more than 120 global lupus experts. Once validated, the LFA-FLARE is likely to be used mainly as a primary or secondary outcome for clinical trials, to assist in establishing entry criteria for certain clinical trial designs, and may be useful for managing lupus.
5. Scientists Gain Clues on the Underlying Causes and Triggers for Lupus
Researchers identified a gene linked to lupus, interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1). Its location on the X chromosome may help explain why females are 10 times more susceptible to the disease than males. Scientists also found that people whose vitamin D tests showed low levels of the nutrient had higher levels of lupus antibodies. The study suggests that a vitamin D deficiency could serve as a catalyst to developing lupus in people who are genetically predisposed to the disease.
6. Congress Funds New and Continuing Lupus Research
In 2009, Congress provided $4 million to support the National Lupus Patient Registry, as part of a broader national epidemiological study on lupus, and $1 million for a national health provider education program to improve early diagnosis and treatment of lupus and reduce health disparities. Congress also continued to support lupus research through the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, which last year provided an additional $1.4 million for a study of lupus biomarkers.
7. New Companies Entered the Lupus Market and New Studies Planned to Develop More Tolerable and Effective Treatments for Lupus
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies continued to expand efforts during 2009 to develop and test potential new treatments for lupus. UCB and Immunomedics announced positive phase IIb study results for epratuzumab, ImmuPharma released promising findings from a final phase IIb study of Lupuzor(TM), and Genentech presented encouraging data from a phase I study of rontalizumab. In addition, approximately twenty clinical studies were underway at the end of 2009 to test possible new therapies for lupus.
8. LFA Awards New Research Funding to Address Issues Critical to Lupus Patients
The LFA awarded new funding for research grants to address issues of critical importance for people with lupus, including the management of the disease in children and teens, improving health outcomes, the underlying genetic causes of male lupus, facilitating greater accuracy in the diagnosis of lupus, and the development of new, safe, and effective treatments. In addition, the LFA awarded five student fellowships to foster an interest in lupus research, and renewed funding for the Lupus Biomarkers Clinical Consortium, a collaborative initiative that seeks to identify biomarkers that hold promise to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of lupus. In all, the LFA supported the work of 13 lupus investigators in 2009.
9. A Growing Number of Lupus Studies Presented at World’s Largest Scientific Meeting for Rheumatologists
Building momentum for scientific discovery in lupus was evident when more than 260 abstracts of research studies related to lupus were presented during the 75th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Philadelphia during October. The LFA produced video highlights of more than 20 significant studies. The videos are available at www.lupus.org/acr. During the conference, LFA officials also met with the Foundation’s medical and corporate advisors to discuss the future direction of research on lupus and to review recommendations from an important new report on barriers to lupus drug development.
10. Lupus Enters Popular Culture and Awareness Increases as LFA Expands its Presence on the Net
As part of its Patient Voices series, The New York Times website featured the stories of people from across the country who are affected by lupus. The LFA further expanded its presence on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to engage a new online audience in advocacy and public awareness. To highlight the need for safer, more tolerable, and effective medications, the LFA launched Band Together for Lupus, that asks people to wear an LFA purple wristband until there is a medication approved by the FDA specifically for lupus. Musicians Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook released the digital single, “LUCY,” with proceeds going to support lupus research, generating more than a quarter million views to LFA’s YouTube page.
About Lupus
Lupus is an acute and chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any organ in the body. Its health effects include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, miscarriages, and organ failure. Ninety percent of the people with lupus are women, and it is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians. Lupus is unpredictable and potentially fatal, yet at present no satisfactory treatment or cure is available.
About the LFA
The LFA is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus, and providing support, services, and hope to all people affected by lupus. Founded in 1977, the LFA has a nationwide network of chapters and support groups and operates programs of research, education, and advocacy.
(Source Lupus Foundation of America)
The drugs most frequently associated with drug-induced lupus are:
Chlorpromazine, Hydralazine, Isoniazid, Methyldopa, Penicillamine, Procainamide, Quinidine, and Sulfasalazine. Currently, newer medications have been associated with drug-induced lupus, such as the new biological agents used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira). Typically, once the suspected medication is stopped, symptoms should decline within days, usually symptoms disappear after one or two weeks. Drug-induced lupus can be diagnosed with certainty only by resolution of symptoms and their failure to recur after stopping the medication.
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus resembles systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It results from a hypersensitivity reaction to a medication. The drug may react with cell materials, causing the body to form antibodies that attack the body’s own healthy cells. Symptoms tend to occur after taking the drug for at least 3 to 6 months. Persons with drug-induced lupus erythematosus may have symptoms that affect the joints (arthritis), heart, and lungs. Other symptoms associated with SLE, such as lupus nephritis and neurological disease, are rare. Drug-induced lupus affects men and women equally.
New York, Nov 12th – GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Thursday it expects its experimental lupus drug Benlysta to be a “very major” product and contribute meaningfully to the company’s bottom line. Glaxo and partner Human Genome Sciences Inc reported results from two clinical trials showing that patients taking Benlysta in combination with standard treatments experienced a significant improvement in symptoms compared with those taking standard treatments and a placebo.
“I believe this is going to be a very significant medicine for GSK and we are ramping up in anticipation of that,” said Andrew Witty, Glaxo’s chief executive, at the Reuters Health Summit in New York.
If approved, the drug will be the first treatment for lupus — a complex disease which causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissue and organs — in 50 years.
Analysts have predicted the drug could generate anywhere from $1 billion to $4 billion annually.
“When you see a wide range of estimates it is probably a good thing to pick something in the middle until you get some greater intelligence,” Witty said. “Do I subscribe to numbers at either end of this huge range? Probably not at this point in time. Are we going to invest in this medicine on the assumption it will be very significant for the company? Absolutely.”
Earlier this month, Glaxo, based in the United Kingdom, and Rockville, Maryland-based Human Genome Sciences reported data from the second of two trials needed for the drug to be considered for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The second trial met its main goal, but the data was not quite as strong as in the first trial, which some analysts found disappointing. Witty, however, was unconcerned.
“Both studies are landmark events,” he said. “I think we are on the way to something quite special.” ( reuters.com)
Lucy Vodden of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ fame passed away
Lucy, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles’ classic song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46. Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden. Britain’s Press Association said she died last Tuesday. Hospital officials said they could not confirm the day of her death. Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates back to her early days, when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s son.
Julian Lennon, then 4 years old, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.” At the time, John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a landmark album released to worldwide acclaim in 1967. The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, replete with haunting images of “newspaper taxis” and a “girl with kaleidoscope eyes.” Rock music critics thought the song’s title was a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always claimed the phrase came from his son, not from a desire to spell out the initials LSD in code. Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents’ divorce, but they were reunited in recent years when Julian Lennon, who lives in France, tried to help her cope with the disease. He sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.
“I wasn’t sure at first how to approach her,” Julian Lennon told the Associated Press in June. “I wanted at least to get a note to her. Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I’d help with something she’s passionate about, and I love gardening too. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face.”
In recent months, Vodden was too ill to go out most of the time, except for hospital visits. She enjoyed her link to the Beatles, but was not particularly fond of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” “I don’t relate to the song, to that type of song,” she told the Associated Press in June. “As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, ‘No, it’s not you, my parents said it’s about drugs.’ And I didn’t know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself.” Vodden is the latest in a long line of people connected to the Beatles who died at a relatively young age. The list includes John Lennon, gunned down at age 40, manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose when he was 32, and original band member Stuart Sutcliffe, who died of a brain hemorrhage at 21.
A spokeswoman for Julian Lennon and his mother, Cynthia Lennon, said they were “shocked and saddened” by Vodden’s death. Angie Davidson, a lupus sufferer who is campaign director of the St. Thomas’ Lupus Trust (www.lupus.org.uk), said Vodden was “a real fighter” who had worked behind the scenes to support efforts to combat the disease.
“It’s so sad that she has finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long,” said Davidson.
Washington, September 26 : Vikas Nanda, a scientist of Indian origin, has won the prestigious National Institutes of Health
(NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award this year.
Dr. Nanda is assistant professor of biochemistry and a member of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He will receive 1.5 million dollars over five years to support his novel approach to creating a synthetic network of proteins resembling the extracellular matrix of mammalian cells. This will allow research into the role of the matrix in normal and disease processes and help translate new findings into the development of biomaterials, which can then be used to engineer artificial tissue for treatment of human diseases.
“Dr. Nanda has demonstrated exceptional innovation as a researcher and is highly deserving of the esteemed New Innovator Award,” said Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “His research into the role extracellular matrices play in causing disease could transform therapy for patients,” he added.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network of proteins that provides a surface upon which cells can adhere, transform and spread rapidly. The ECM mediates communication within cells and under normal conditions can suppress a cell’s transformation from a normal state to one that is malignant. Alterations in the ECM are critical contributors to a wide spectrum of diseases, including cancer, lupus and other autoimmune disorders. Dr. Nanda’s research focuses on the construction of artificial collagen-based matrices using computational methods. These matrices will be used to examine the role of chemical and spatial organization of the network of proteins in the ECM on the tumor forming potential of adhered cells.
“I am honored to receive support for my research from the NIH,” said Dr. Nanda. “By constructing artificial matrices, we can explore their ability to suppress rapid cell growth in the presence of various signals that contribute to abnormal tumor development. This will provide a powerful system for studying molecular aspects of the matrix biology of cancer,” he added.
Dr. Nanda added that successfully designed matrices can be applied to engineering safer artificial human tissues that may provide therapeutic treatment of chronic diseases, including those of the bowel, bone and skin. According to the NIH, New Innovator Awards support a small number of investigators of exceptional creativity who are early in their research careers. (ANI)
Leukemia, Lymphoma Awareness Bracelet Sterling Silver and Vintage Glass by RocknBauble These little guys were shouting at me to put them together for this cause. I fell in love with these tiny vintage West German Pressed glass orange beads and their wonderful round shape. Combined with vintage swirly lime green glass German vintage beads, Sterling […]
“Vicious Circle” Offers New Acute Leukemia Treatment Target COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers have identified a self-feeding “vicious circle” of molecules that keeps acute leukemia cells alive and growing and that drives the disease forward. The findings suggest a new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one that targets this molecular network and […]
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Psychotherapy helps cut the incidence of psychological woes in patients with lupus who have high levels of daily stress, a new study finds. The treatment also helps these patients improve and maintain their quality of life, according to a new Spanish study. The research included 45 patients randomly assigned to a control group or to a therapy group. Each received 10 weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). By the end of the study, the patients in the therapy group had significantly reduced levels of depression, anxiety and daily stress — along with significant improvement in quality of life — compared to those in the control group.
(Washington,DC) Representatives from the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), along with 22 national organizations, attended the first consortium meeting aimed at developing a national health care provider education initiative to improve lupus diagnosis, treatment, and management among minorities. The meeting, held at the American College of Rheumatology offices in Atlanta, Georgia from January 12–14, 2010, was facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH), and Office of Minority Health (OMH).
A recent study by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that the overall mortality rate in the U.S. for all pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases was not worse than the age and sex-adjusted population. Furthermore, mortality rates were significantly lower than reported in previous studies of rheumatic diseases and conditions that are associated with increased mortality. Details of the study appear in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.
Achievements in Lupus Research, Education and Advocacy Cause for Celebration and Hope
The drugs most frequently associated with drug-induced lupus are:
