A company operating out of South Africa is charging tens of thousands of pounds for stem cell treatments, using cells that should not be injected into people, putting the lives of their vulnerable and chronically ill patients at risk, BBC TWO's Newsnight programme has uncovered.

The company, called Advanced Cell Therapeutics (ACT), has been buying cord blood stem cells from California, storing them in the UK as a staging post, then shipping them to clinics in Europe and Africa where doctors inject them into their patients.

ACT claims the cells have a beneficial effect for a host of diseases and conditions from spinal cord injury, lung cancer, deafness and HIV/AIDS. But the majority of their patients come from the UK, seeking help for multiple sclerosis.

Biomark

Newsnight has spoken to former ACT employees, and established that the two individuals behind the company, Stephen Van Rooyen and Laura Brown, are the same people being pursued by the FBI for an alleged fraudulent stem cell business in the United States, run via a company called Biomark. The pair are living in South Africa, operating under various aliases, and face an extradition hearing by US authorities on 5 September, 2006.

At a clinic in Rotterdam, run by a doctor called Robert Trossel, who administers stem cells on behalf of ACT, Newsnight filmed a vial of cord blood stem cells about to be injected into a two-year old boy. His mother had travelled from Australia under the impression that the treatment might ease the severe after-effects of a meningitis infection in her son, Ethan Regan. The vial was labelled AllCells - a company based in California.

Legal action

The general manager of AllCells, Jay Tong, told Newsnight he was shocked that his cells were being injected into people. He made clear, as does the company's website, that the cells are intended only for research purposes. They are not guaranteed free from bacterial and viral contamination to the standard that would allow them to be used even in animal models, let alone people. He asked "has anyone died?"

When we put our findings to Dr Trossel, he said: "When confronted with the evidence yesterday, ACT admitted incorrect product delivery on this occasion. We are taking legal action against them and have cancelled all ACT patients until further notice."

Potential health risks

In Cape Town, Newsnight interviewed two former ACT employees, and spoke to Dr Catherine Orridge, who was the medical director of ACT until she became suspicious of the source of the stem cells and found out for herself where they were coming from.

Like Newsnight, she saw the AllCells name on a vial, contacted the company and was devastated to discover that the cells should be used for research purposes only. She is anxious about potential health risks to patients posed by the cells because they contain animal protein. Patients are not told this, so are put at risk of an allergic reaction - including anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal, she says.

Stem cell scientists see enormous potential benefit for medicine from stem cells in the future. But they say it is simply a false hope to use cord blood stem cells in the vast majority of the range of conditions ACT claims.

Professor Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council told Newsnight:

"I'm shocked. I am taking what you tell me as true, and my first concern is for the patients, very vulnerable, obviously desperate for treatments and that desperation is being exploited by charlatans it seems to me."

UK role

Newsnight has also uncovered that the UK has been performing a vital role in ACT's business. A company called CryoStore was holding the frozen stem cells in its Greenwich warehouse.

CryoStore's manager, Malcolm Wilkinson, said in a statement:

"We were advised by ACT that the material was for research purposes. We were not aware of what form this research took."

He said he was seeking advice from the UK's Human Tissue Authority (HTA). When we informed him of the FBI's interest in the individuals behind ACT (known to him as Biomark) he told us he had severed his links with them. He sent ACT's stem cells to another storage facility in the UK and informed the HTA. When we told him our findings he confirmed that that all the material he had held for ACT was from AllCells…

The stem cells are now being stored at Thermo Electron Biorepository Services in Hertfordshire, who say they will probably not continue to store them. They are waiting for written confirmation of what the company in South Africa they've been dealing with, BioCell, has told them verbally - namely that the material is for research purposes only.

"We wouldn't want to condone any unethical treatment," head of operations Robert Jones told us. "Injecting into people would be a clinical purpose, not research."

The HTA said it's done everything it can within the limits of current legislation to advise them about the wisdom of storing cells if they know they are intended for use in people when they are not fit for that purpose.

Consent form

Newsnight has spoken to Stephen Van Rooyen, who has so far declined our offer of an interview on camera and has not confirmed or denied that ACT's stem cells come from AllCells.

He has pointed out that ACT's patients sign a consent form in which they are told about the risk of an allergic reaction. But that form does not mention animal protein.

When we asked him if his cells come from AllCells, Mr Van Rooyen said:

"I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from here. This is a highly sensitive business, the number of companies around the world that have the technology to produce this kind of cell is very limited and by us going out on the BBC and explaining where our source is is equivalent to commercial suicide. Every single company, individual, doctor, would then be able to go directly to the source."

"In terms of patients having an issue with the safety of the cells and their origin. The most important thing there is that the cells are supported with a certificate of analysis provided to the doctors. The doctors review that. We have a five year track record with not a single negative side effect and the vast majority of people having benefited. That surely matters more than anything. We're not talking about people with minor conditions. We're talking about people who have been sent home to die."

Newsnight contacted Ethan Regan's mother, Sybil, and told her about the origin of the stem cells used in her son's £13,000 injection. She said she was:

"Really disappointed, deceived, duped. What can I say? There are a lot of colourful words I can use but I am not going to. I am really disappointed if the allegations I have heard are true, then it's not fair… the financial perspective doesn't concern me but from a health point of view for Ethan it really does."

Susan Watts' report was shown on Newsnight on Tuesday, 29 August, 2006.

This is a part of article Stem cell treatment warning Taken from "Buy Amoxil" Information Blog

Supplements with Known or Theoretical Drug Interactions

Many reviews have been published about drug–nutrient and drug–supplement interactions.[186-189] It has become apparent that effects on absorption, metabolism, and excretion are not restricted to prescription drugs. Research has revealed substantial interactions between many prescription medications and the consumption of grape-fruit juice.[190] The effects of St. John’s wort on CYP isoenzymes have also been well-defined through diligent observations and detailed research.[191] These interactions are typically reported involving a prescription medication, but supplement–supplement interactions are also possible and much more difficult to identify. Caution should be taken whenever more than one medication or supplement is added or dietary intake significantly altered. Information regarding these types of effects may be found in many databases and the primary literature.  Printer- Friendly Email This

Am J Health-Syst Pharm.  2007;64(5):467-480.  ©2007 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
This is a part of article Dietary Supplements in Patients With Cancer: Risks and Key Concepts, Part 2 Taken from "Casodex Bicalutamide 500Mg" Information Blog

Risk Factors and Etiology

There are several known risk factors for prostate cancer. These include increasing age, race, family history, and dietary intake of fats (Presti, 2004). A man age 60 to 79 has a probability of 1 in 8 of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, a significant increase compared to a younger man age 40 to 59 who has a 1 in 103 chance of a prostate cancer diagnosis (Presti, 2004). African-American men are at increased risk, although the reason for the phenomena is unknown. Relatives diagnosed with prostate cancer put a man at increased risk. The number of relatives and their age at diagnosis increases the risk; the younger the age of the relative at the time of diagnosis, the higher the relative risk for the male relative (Presti, 2004). A diet high in fat is a possible risk factor. Cadmium exposure (cigarette smoke, alkaline batteries, and working in the welding industry) may increase the risk, although this is a weak risk factor (Presti, 2004).

Published studies do not prove a cause-effect association for vasectomy as a risk factor (Presti, 2004). The underlying reason for the possible relationship is unknown. Elevations in antispermatozoa antibodies, decreases in seminal hormone concentrations, and decreases in prostatic secretion have been reported in men who have undergone vasectomy. How these effects might relate to the development of Ca P is unknown (Platz, Kantoff, & Giovannucci, 2000). There is also speculation that men who have undergone vasectomy may seek medical care more frequently, leading to earlier diagnosis of Ca P (Presti, 2004).

The etiology of Ca P is unknown. Many theories have been proposed through the years, but none has ultimately been proven. Increased male hormones and infections are two theories that continue to be discussed. What is currently known is that the gene responsible for familial Ca P resides on the long arm of chromosome 1 and PCAP and CAPB genes. In addition, there are tumor-suppression genes in several areas of the human genome that have been identified as possible areas involved in developing Ca P (Presti, 2004). As scientific knowledge of Ca P increases, the cause and natural course of the disease may be discovered.

Previous PageSection 2 of 9Urol Nurs 24(4):258-264, 268-269, 2004. © 2004 Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates
This is a part of article Prostate Cancer in Older Men Taken from "Casodex Bicalutamide 500Mg" Information Blog

Sexual Dysfunction Following Rectal Surgeries

Sexual Dysfunction After Nonrectal Cancer Surgeries

Simple proctocolectomy is still commonly performed for many benign conditions including inflammatory bowel disease. Stahlgren and Ferguson reported in 1959 that 25% (5/25) of men who underwent proctectomy for benign disease complained of varying degrees of impotence. In a contemporary proctocolectomy series from Oxford reported, most of the patients having ED after surgery were above the age of 50. Although the reported ED in their series was 3.8%, 13.5% had minor complaints in erectile function.[62] Interestingly, Watts et al.[63] observed an increase in the sexual activity in most of the women after simple proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel disease as a result of increased physical well being. Based on the literature, it would appear that simple proctocolectomy does not have significant impact on the sexual function unless it is for inflammatory bowel disease, and, in that situation, sexual activity appeared to be increased.Sexual Dysfunction After Rectal Cancer Surgeries

Sexual dysfunction has been a major complication after radical rectal surgeries because of injury to the pelvic plexus.[64] Low anterior resection and APRs are still the most commonly performed curative surgeries for rectal cancer. Sexual dysfunction rates after these oncological surgeries vary from 10 to 60%.[65] When multimodality treatments are used, which include neoadjuvant and adjuvant radiation, sexual dysfunction also increases.[66]

APR carries a higher risk of postoperative sexual dysfunction than sphincter-saving procedures.[67] The reported impotence rates after APR in the literature varied from 15 to 92%.[64] The permanent colostomy made after APR has also shown to alter the body image and increases the rate of postoperative sexual dysfunction. Most of these studies were retrospective in nature and included various age groups with different base line function. Danzi et al.[68] reported an impotence rate of 48% in their prospective study following APR. Although sphincter-saving surgery is reported to have better potency rates, ED still varies from 14 to 73%.[68,69] Similar to reports following RP, the patient's age has been shown to significantly influence postoperative sexual dysfunction. Patients older than 60 have a higher risk of sexual dysfunction than younger patients.[69] Fazio et al.[70] reported that patients younger than 50 years had a minimal risk of sexual dysfunction. Other factors that have been shown to affect the impotence after surgery include tumor stage, surgical technique and experience of the surgeon. The surgical technique of an experienced surgeon in dissecting the correct planes can potentially influence postoperative return of potency.

Most experienced surgeons are currently performing total mesorectal excision (TME) with preservation of the neurovascular bundles. The TME procedure reduces the sexual dysfunction rates.[71] Enker et al. in 1997 reported that APR, when performed in accordance with the principles of TME and autonomic nerve preservation, ensures the greatest likelihood of resecting all regional disease while preserving both sexual and urinary functions. They showed that 57% of patients undergoing APR and 85% of patients undergoing sphincter preservation surgeries were able to maintain their urinary and sexual functions.[72] Pocard et al.[73] reported with TME and autonomic nerve preservation that 4/7 seven women were able to achieve orgasm similar to their preoperative status. With the increasing popularity of laparoscopy, certain surgeons now perform laparoscopic assisted TME. Quah et al.[74] reported that sexual dysfunction rates were higher after laparoscopic surgery than open surgery in men, but there was no difference in women. Owing to paucity of reports in the literature, it may be too early to reach any conclusion regarding the sexual function following laparoscopic TME. However, whether the approach is open or laparoscopic, preoperative counseling regarding the potential postoperative sexual dysfunction is essential. ED following rectal cancer surgery is further compounded by the frequent use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant radiotherapy.[74] A recent study by Mannaerts et al.[66] showed that the preoperative ability to have an orgasm disappeared in 50% of males and 50% of females following multimodality rectal cancer treatment.

Sexual dysfunction rates following treatment for rectal cancer are significant and should be an essential part of preoperative counseling. With the technical modification such as TME and autonomic nerve sparing, sexual function rates will continue to improve. Unfortunately, many rectal cancers are locally advanced and require multimodality treatment, which increase the risk of sexual dysfunction.  Printer- Friendly Email This

Int J Impot Res.  2006;18(1):1-18.  ©2006 Nature Publishing Group
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Anti-inflammatory Properties of Probiotic Strains

As described previously, L. acidophilus LB and L. johnsonii La1 decrease gastric inflammation in colonized animals.[30,32] This was also observed with other probiotic strains: L. salivarius WB1004 (108 CFU/mL) was able to displace H. pylori adhering to the MKN45 cell line and to exert an anti-inflammatory effect by decreasing dose dependently the release by these cells of IL-8.[33] Therefore, this same probiotic strain was used to evaluate its preventive effect in gnotobiotic BALB/c mice mono-colonized by H. pylori. Administration of L. salivarius prevented H. pylori colonization and the development of gastritis; this effect was specific of this probiotic as it was not observed with other micro-organisms such as E. faecalis and S. aureus. Administration of L. salivarius after infection eradicated H. pylori and reversed gastric inflammation. Similar observations were reported with L. rhamnosus R0011 and L. acidophilus R0052[34] and with L. gasseri OLL2716.[35] Furthermore, the intake of yogurt containing this latter strain protected rats in a dose-dependent manner against acute gastric lesions induced by oral administration of HCl, compared with the administration of non-fermented milk.[36] The size of the gastric lesions was decreased by yogurt and this was associated with significantly increased levels of PGE2 in the gastric mucosa. Such protective activity was inhibited when indomethacin was injected, confirming the importance of prostaglandins in this effect.

Increased levels of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1-α, EGF and bFGF have also been implicated in the protective effect displayed by strains of B. breve and B. bifidum against gastric ulceration induced by acetic acid or ethanol in rats.[37] Interestingly, the oral administration of the polysaccharide fractions of these micro-organisms exerted a similar anti-ulcer effect. The intensity of this activity correlated with the rhamnose content of the polysaccharides, those with more than 60% of rhamnose being the most effective in inducing healing of the gastric mucosa.  Printer- Friendly Email This

Aliment Pharmacol Ther.  2006;23(8):1077-1086.  ©2006 Blackwell Publishing
This is a part of article Probiotics in Controlling Gastric Colonization by H pylori? Taken from "Buy Amoxil" Information Blog