Whats up

Pipsissewa
Prunella Ramps

Pretty little Blue flowers - Lilliacea family?
Open wide! Skunk Cabbage in flower Mystery Shrub with interesting scales - opposite in pairs, yet the pairs alternate and are perpendicular. Rather reptilian looking.

Knotweed shoots. cool color.
Dependable little Cat's Paw. aka Ground Ivy
Nettle Babies!

Mark's Mystery plant ... I'm stalking it to see what it ends up being.
Hopefullly I can capture a mug of the coltsfoot flowers (shy as they are), and the bloodroot flowered today too. The chives sprang up in a millisecond and so did the comfrey. Nature is waking up indeed.

MEN WHO EXERCISE LESS MORE LIKELY TO WAKE UP TO URINATE

Men who are physically active are at lower risk of nocturia (waking up at night to urinate), according to a study led by a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researcher

The study by Kate Wolin, ScD, and colleagues is published online ahead of print in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Nocturia is the most common and bothersome lower urinary tract symptom in men. It can be due to an enlarged prostate known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) -- as the prostate enlarges, it can squeeze down on the urethra. Other causes include overproduction of urine, low bladder capacity and sleep disturbances. Nocturia increases with age, and is estimated to occur in more than 50 percent of men 45 and older.

Wolin and colleagues analyzed data from a large, ongoing clinical trial called the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). Men ages 55 to 74 were eligible for the trial. The study included questions on BPH-related outcomes, including enlarged prostate, elevated PSA levels and nocturia. PLCO also asked men about physical activity and other lifestyle factors.

Wolin's analysis included 28,404 men in the PLCO trial who had BPH outcomes before enrolling in the study (prevalent group) and 4,710 men who had newly developed BPH (incident group).

Among men in the incident group, those who were physically active one or more hours per week were 13 percent less likely to report nocturia and 34 percent less likely to report severe nocturia then men who reported no physical activity. (Nocturia was defined as waking two or more times during the night to urinate; severe nocturia was defined as waking three or more times to urinate.)

"Combined with other management strategies, physical activity may provide a strategy for the management of BPH-related outcomes, particularly nocturia," Wolin and colleagues wrote.

There are several possible mechanisms by which physical activity can protect against nocturia, including reducing body size, improving sleep, decreasing sympathetic nervous system activity and lowering levels of systemic inflammation.

Future studies should explore physical activity as a potential symptom-management strategy, "with particular attention to the dose of physical activity necessary and the mechanisms that might underlie the association," Wolin and colleagues wrote.

IF YOU ARE OVER 60 DRINK UP FOR YOUR MEMORY

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, University of Kentucky, and University of Maryland found that for people 60 and older who do not have dementia, light alcohol consumption during late life is associated with higher episodic memory -- the ability to recall memories of events.

Moderate alcohol consumption was also linked with a larger volume in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for episodic memory. The relationship between light alcohol consumption and episodic memory goes away if hippocampal volume is factored in, providing new evidence that hippocampal functioning is the critical factor in these improvements. These findings were detailed in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

This study used data from more than 660 patients in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. These patients completed surveys on their alcohol consumption and demographics, a battery of neuropsychological assessments, the presence or absence of the genetic Alzheimer's disease risk factor APOE e4 and MRIs of their brains. The researchers found that light and moderate alcohol consumption in older people is associated with higher episodic memory and is linked with larger hippocampal brain volume. Amount of alcohol consumption had no impact on executive function or overall mental ability.

Findings from animal studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may contribute to preserved hippocampal volume by promoting generation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. In addition, exposing the brain to moderate amounts of alcohol may increase the release of brain chemicals involved with cognitive, or information processing, functions.

"There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning and regional brain volumes during late life according to reported midlife alcohol consumption status," said lead author Brian Downer, UTMB Sealy Center on Aging postdoctoral fellow. "This may be due to the fact that adults who are able to continue consuming alcohol into old age are healthier, and therefore have higher cognition and larger regional brain volumes, than people who had to decrease their alcohol consumption due to unfavorable health outcomes."

Although the potential benefits of light to moderate alcohol consumption to cognitive learning and memory later in life have been consistently reported, extended periods of abusing alcohol, often defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages during a single drinking occasion is known to be harmful to the brain.

OBESITY MAY SHORTEN LIFE EXPECTANCY UP TO EIGHT YEARS

'Tis the season to indulge. However, restraint may be best, according to a new study led by investigators at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University. The researchers examined the relationship between body weight and life expectancy. Their findings show that overweight and obese individuals have the potential to decrease life expectancy by up to 8 years. The study, published in the current issue of The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology,further demonstrates that when one considers that these individuals may also develop diabetes or cardiovascular disease earlier in life, this excess weight can rob them of nearly two decades of healthy life.

In collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary and the University of British Columbia our team has developed a computer model to help doctors and their patients better understand how excess body weight contributes to reduced life expectancy and premature development of heart disease and diabetes," says lead author Dr. Steven Grover, a Clinical Epidemiologist at the RI-MUHC and a Professor of Medicine at McGill University.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: the predictors of health

Dr. Grover and his colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (from years 2003 to 2010) to develop a model that estimates the annual risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults with different body weights. This data from almost 4,000 individuals was also used to analyze the contribution of excess body weight to years of life lost and healthy years of life lost.

Their findings estimated that individuals who were very obese could lose up to 8 years of life, obese individuals could lose up to 6 years, and those who were overweight could lose up to three years. In addition, healthy life-years lost were two to four times higher for overweight and obese individuals compared to those who had a healthy weight, defined as 18.5-25 body mass index (BMI). The age at which the excess weight accumulated was an important factor and the worst outcomes were in those who gained their weight at earlier ages.

"The pattern is clear -- the more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health," Dr. Grover adds. "In terms of life-expectancy, we feel being overweight is as bad as cigarette smoking."

The next steps are to personalize this information in order to make it more relevant and compelling for patients. "What may be interesting for patients are the 'what if?' questions. What if they lose 10 to 15 pounds? Or, what if they are more active? How will this change the numbers?" says Dr. Grover. The research team is now conducting a three year study in community pharmacies across the country to see if engaging patients with this information and then offering them a web-based e-health program will help them adopt healthier lifestyles, including healthier diets and regular physical activity.

"These clinically meaningful models are useful for patients, and their healthcare professionals, to better appreciate the issues and the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, which we know is difficult for many of us to adopt and maintain, Dr. Grover adds.

Qutenza Capsaicin turn up the heat

I've used Capsaicin myself, with some success (I think). The trouble is that the cream is horrible if you get it in your eyes, mouth or on an open wound. The patches are a much better idea because you can localise the application much more accurately but they're not approved here in Holland! I personally was never sure if the pain caused by the cream was not almost as bad as the neuropathy pain but it did seem to ease over time. I don't use it any more because the rubber gloves and stained socks (or floor) were just more trouble than they're worth. Has anyone else had good or bad experiences?
(This article is from Aidsmeds.com (great site for general information and useful forums)

March 28, 2011

Pooled Trial Results Suggest Capsaicin Patch Relieves Neuropathy Pain

The pooled results of two clinical trials suggest that a skin patch with the chili pepper–derived chemical capsaicin could relieve HIV-related neuropathy pain by about 30 percent. These trial results, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), were reported by the website Medpage Today.

Chili peppers and mustards have been used for centuries in topical balms to treat chronic pain. Only during the past few decades, however, have scientists figured out how capsaicin—the chemical that gives chilies their pungency—works as an analgesic: It depletes a neurochemical called substance P responsible for transmitting pain.

NeurogesX, based in San Mateo, California, has spent several years testing capsaicin in skin patches to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions. The company now has a skin patch made up of a gel containing 8 percent capsaicin, called Qutenza, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat pain from shingles and from diabetic neuropathy. Qutenza is applied for one hour in a single application, and the pain-relief lasts for about three months.

NeurogesX has also conducted trials of Qutenza to treat HIV-related distal sensory polyneuropathy (neuropathy), a condition marked by nerve damage, which can cause pain, tingling and numbness in the extremities and sometimes lead to permanent disability.

“To date, medications used to treat neuropathic pain have yielded disappointing results in large randomized controlled studies among HIV-associated neuropathy,” Steven Brown, MD, from the AIDS Research Alliance in Los Angeles, told Medpage Today.

Brown, who presented the results of the two trials at the AAPM conference, also noted: “The only substances that have shown any impact on the pain appear to be the [Qutenza] patch, smoked cannabis and recombinant human nerve growth factor, but none of these treatments has yet been approved by the FDA for that use.”

Two clinical trials of Qutenza for HIV-related neuropathy conducted before 2008 had mixed results, with one showing improvements in neuropathy pain and another finding that Qutenza wasn’t significantly better than a gel patch containing a miniscule amount of capsaicin. A 2009 article in Wired magazine detailed how the placebo effect—whereby patients’ symptoms can significantly improve just by thinking they are getting a real medicine, even if they receive only a sugar pill—is particularly strong in trials of pain medication. This means that a medicine often has to be quite potent to show a statistical difference.

At the recent AAPM conference, Brown presented data on an analysis that pooled the results of two newer studies. The studies compared 239 people who received a single application of Qutenza (8 percent capsaicin) with 99 people who received a single application of a control patch containing only 0.04 percent capsaicin.

Brown and his colleagues found that those receiving Qutenza had a 27 percent decrease in their neuropathy pain compared with a 15.7 percent decrease in those who received the control patch. The improvement was highly statistically significant, meaning that the difference between Qutenza and the control was too large to have occurred by chance.

What’s more, when Brown’s team looked at those who received a higher degree of pain relief—a 30 percent or more reduction in pain scores—36 percent of those on Qutenza saw this higher level of relief compared with 22 percent on the active control.

The three-month improvement in neuropathy pain doesn’t come without side effects, however. David Walk, MD, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, who has used Qutenza for non-HIV pain care, told Medpage Today, “This treatment can be painful. Even with the lidocaine that is delivered before the patch is applied, patients report some pain associated with the patch for as long as a week afterward, so we usually send them home with analgesia to cover that period.”

NeurogesX reports on its web site that it is still working to seek FDA approval for Qutenza for HIV-related neuropathy.

The Make Up Of A Nerve Cell

Today's very helpful post from cerebromente.org (see link below) gives you everything you ever wanted to know about the make up of a nerve cell. It's fascinating reading although much of it may leave you feeling a sense of information-overload. The point is that everywhere we go in search of information about neuropathy, we will come across several of the terms shown here below. Understanding precisely what they mean, what they do and where they are in relation to each other, increases our knowledge as to what's happening within our nervous system. Doctors don't have the time to explain it all to you but will surely appreciate it if you bring your knowledge to the conversation!

Parts of the Nerve Cell and Their Functions Silvia Helena Cardoso, PhD   [1. Cell body] [2.Neuronal membrane] [3.Dendrites] [4. Axon] [5. Nerve ending] 1. Cell body The cell body (soma) is the factory of the neuron. It produces all the proteins for the dendrites, axons and synaptic terminals and contains specialized organelles such as the mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, secretory granules, ribosomes and polysomes to provide energy and make the parts, as well as a production line to assemble the parts into completed products. Cytosol - Is the watery and salty fluid with a potassium-rich solution inside the cell containing enzymes responsible for the metabolism of the cell. 1. Nucleus - Derived from the Latin word for "nux", nut, the nucleus is the archivist and the architect of the cell. As archivist it contains the genes, consisting of DNA which contains the cell history, the basic information to manufacture all the proteins characteristic of that cell. As architect, it synthesizes RNA from DNA and ships it through its pores to the cytoplasm for use in protein synthesis. The.Nucleolus is an organelle within the nucleus which is involved actively in ribosome synthesis and in the transfer of RNA to the cytosol. 2. Golgi Apparatus - membrane-bound structure that plays a role in packaging peptides and proteins (including neurotransmitters) into vesicles. 3. Polyribosomes - there are several free ribosomes attached by a thread. The thread is a single strand of mRNA (messenger RNA, a molecule involved in the synthesis of proteins outside the nucleus). The associated ribosomes work on it to make multiple copies of the same protein. 4. Neuronal membrane (see next box) 5. Mitochondrium - this is the part of the cell responsible for the supply of energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Neurons need an enormous amount of energy. The brain is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. In man, for example, the brain uses 40 ml of oxygen per minute. Mitochondria use oxygen and glucose to produce most of the cell's energy. The brain consumes large amounts of ATP. The chemical energy stored in ATP is used to fuel most of the biochemical reactions of the neuron. For example, special proteins in the neuronal membrane use the energy released by the breakdown of ATP into ADP to pump certain substances across the membrane to establish concentration differences between the inside of the neuron and the outside. 6. Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum and Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (7) - A system of tubes for the transportation of materials within the cytoplasm. It may have ribosomes (rough ER) or no ribosomes (smooth ER). With ribosomes, the ER is important for protein synthesis. Nissl Bodies - Groups of ribosomes used for protein synthesis. 2. Neuronal Membrane   The neuronal membrane serves as a barrier to enclose the cytoplasm inside the neuron, and to exclude certain substances that float in the fluid that bathes the neuron. The membrane with its mosaic of proteins is responsible for many important functions: - keeping certain ions and small molecules out of the cell and letting others in, - accumulating nutrients, and rejecting harmful substances, - catalyzing enzymatic reactions, - establishing an electrical potential inside the cell, - conducting an impulse - being sensitive to particular neurotransmitters and modulators . The membrane is made of lipids and proteins - fats and chains of aminoacids. The basic structure of this membrane is a bilayer or sandwich of phospholipids, organized in such a way that the polar (charged) regions face outward and the non polar regions face inward. The external face of the membrane contains the receptors, small specialized molecular regions which provide a kind of "attachment port" for other external molecules, in a scheme analogous to a a key and a keyhole. For each external molecule there is a corresponding receptor. Whenever receptors become attached to a molecule, some alterations of the membrane and in the interior of the cell ensue, such as the modification of permeability to some ions. 3. Dendrites These structures branch out in treelike fashion and serve as the main apparatus for receiving signals from other nerve cells. They function as an "antennae" of the neuron and are covered by thousands of synapses. The dendritic membrane under the synapse (the post-synaptic membrane) has many specialized protein molecules called receptors that detect the neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft. A nerve cell can have many dendrites which branch many times, their surface is irregular and covered in dendritic spines which are where the synaptic input connections are made. 4. Axon  Axon Usually a long process which often projects to distant regions of the nervous system. The axon is the main conducting unit of the neuron, capable of conveying electrical signals along distances that range from as short as 0.1 mm to as long as 2 m. Many axon split into several branches, thereby conveying information to different targets. Many neurons do not have axons. In these so-called amacrine neurons, all the neuronal processess are dendrites. Neurons with very short axons are also found. The axons of many neurons are wrapped in a myelin sheat, which is composed of the membranes of intersticial cells and is wrapped around the axons to form several concentric layers. The myelin sheath is broken at various points by the nodes of Ranvier, so that in cross section it looks like a string of sausages. The myelin protects the axon, and prevents interference between axons as they pass along in bundles, sometimes thousands at time. The cells that wrap around peripheral nerve fibers - that is, nerve fibers outside of the brain and spinal cord - are called Schwann cells (because they were first described by Theodor Schwann). The cells that wrap around axons within the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) are called oligodendrocytes. The axon, with its surrounded sheath, is called a nerve fiber. Between each pair of sucessive Schwann cells is a gap of a node of Ranvier. The Axon Hillock The axon hillock is where the axon is joined to the cell. It is from here that the electrical firing known as an action potential usually occurs. 5. Nerve Ending (Presynaptic Terminals)   Synapses are the junctions formed with other nerve cells where the presynaptic terminal of one cell comes into 'contact' with the postsynaptic membrane of another. It is at these junctions that neurons are excited, inhibited, or modulated. There are two types of synapse, electrical and chemical. Electrical synapses occur where the presynaptic terminal is in electrical continuity with the postsynaptic. Ions and small molecules passing through, thus connecting channels from one cell to the next, so that electrical changes in one cell are transmitted almost instantaneously to the next. Ions can generally flow both ways at these junctions i.e. they tend to be bi-directional, although there are electrical junctions where the ions can only flow one way, these are know as rectifying junctions. Rectifying junctions are used to synchronise the firing of nerve cells. Chemical synaptic junction is more complicated. The gap between the post- and presynaptic terminals is larger, and the mode of transmission is not electrical, but carried by neurotransmitters, neuroactive substances released at the presynaptic side of the junction. There are two types of chemical junctions. Type I is an excitatory synapse, generally found on dendrites, type II is an inhibitory synapse, generally found on cell bodies. Different substances are released at these two types of synapse. The direction of flow of information is usually one way at these junctions. Each terminal button is connected to other neurons across a small gap called a synapse. The physical and neurochemical characteristics of each synapse determines the strength and polarity of the new input signal. This is where the brain is the most flexible, and the most vulnerable. Changing the constitution of various neurotransmitter chemicals can increase or decrease the amount of stimulation that the firing axon imparts on the neighbouring dendrite. Altering the neurotransmitters can also change whether the stimulation is excitatory or inhibitory.

http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n07/fundamentos/neuron/parts_i.htm