The Tiny Implantable Drug that's Taking on the Fight Against HIV

Historically, a gin and tonic consumed daily was a means to help protect British soldiers from catching malaria in tropical environments. It was a prophylactic that helped prevent the disease from taking hold. Quinine is the active ingredient that kills malaria, and it is quite bitter. So, British soldiers began adding water, sugar, gin and lime to cover the taste. Thus was born the modern cocktail.

This same general principle of prophylaxis is being applied today to the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Since this disease cannot be cured, prevention is a primary focus of new research. This strategy is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP for short. It involves daily doses of medications known to protect against the infection. When taken consistently, it can substantially reduce the risk of catching HIV and subsequently developing AIDS.

It works much the way a gin and tonic was thought to protect against malaria. It prevents the virus from taking hold and successfully spreading throughout the body. When taken consistently, it can reduce the risk of infection with HIV from sex by upwards of 90 percent. However, missing a single dose can lower the effectiveness.

In sub-Saharan Africa, it is an unrelenting epidemic. According to statistics from 2013, there were 24.7 million people living with HIV in that part of the world. They accounted for 71 percent of all HIV cases in the world.

For a long list of reasons, consistent use of medication is a big challenge in this part of the world. Thus, a current focus of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a tiny implantable drug pump from a Boston-based company called Intarcia Therapeutics. The pump is the size of a matchstick, yet can hold either a six- or twelve-month supply of PrEP medication.

It can be implanted under the skin in a physician's office. The procedure is said to be painless. Since it is an outpatient procedure, it is also relatively quick and easy. Once done, the patient is protected for the six months or one year that it lasts.

There are still many details to work out. It will be some years before it is available on the market. The intent is to make it as easy to use as possible in order to try to curb the current epidemic, especially in less developed parts of the world. Simply containing the epidemic and preventing further spread is the best hope at this time.

The pump may eventually be used as a delivery mechanism for other drug therapies aimed at other serious medical conditions. In fact, Intarcia is currently working to get FDA approval for a variation of the pump intended to provide treatment for type 2 diabetes.

A new high tech drug pump the size of a matchstick is currently being developed as a means to consistently deliver prophylactic medication to protect against HIV. This pump would allow people to see a doctor once or twice a year to get the protection they need from this currently incurable dread disease.

How Researchers Used Frog Mucus to Fight the Flu

New research has identified a peptide named urumin found in the mucus on the skin of a specific frog species. This peptide is showing promise as a potential drug treatment for certain strains of flu.

Long ago, it was found that dropping live Russian Brown frogs into milk would prevent the milk from going sour. This long-standing fact led researchers in 2012 to wonder what the exact mechanism was for preserving the milk. 

They discovered that when frogs are stressed, they secrete peptides via their skin and in the mucus that coats them. According to Louise Rollins-Smith, associate professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, "Amphibians, especially certain groups of frogs, produce and store large amounts of antimicrobial peptides in specialized granular glands in the skin." She also said "When the skin is injured or the frog is alarmed, they release large amounts of the peptides to protect the skin."

These peptides have antimicrobial properties. They can kill various bacteria, viruses and even fungi. These findings have led to more recent research into the specific peptides secreted by a small orange frog named hydrophylax bahuvistara found in southern India.

They identified 32 distinct peptides secreted by this little orange frog. To their surprise, they found that four of them can successfully kill certain strains of flu virus. This has been demonstrated under a microscope and in lab mice. The next trials will likely involve ferrets. If that goes well, human testing could come soon after.

This study found that urumin specifically targets H1 flu viruses. The three other peptides were found to be harmful to human red blood cells. Thus, those three peptides are not currently deemed to be good candidates for developing a flu drug. But, so far, urumin has not been found to be harmful to human cells. Thus, the next stage of studies is being tentatively planned.

The effect of urumin on specific H1 flu viruses is fairly dramatic. It makes the individual flu particles simply fall apart. Unlike currently available drugs, the urumin peptide specifically targets the hemagglutinin. One researcher said "It just blows it up. It makes the virus particle fall apart."

One of the challenges still standing between our current understanding and a potential drug treatment is a good delivery method. In lab mice, the urumin peptide was delivered through their noses. They also exposed the mice to the flu viruses via the same pathway. But this may be ineffective as a treatment protocol. Researchers believe they may need to develop something injectable in order to deliver it to the human blood stream.

At the moment, the next step is simply to try to replicate their success with mice in a study using ferrets, which are often used for flu virus research. If the ferret studies are a success, human studies are likely to follow.

Every year, flu epidemics kill between 250,000 and 500,000 people. Developing an effective treatment, even if it only works for a specific subset of flu viruses, could save millions of lives.

There is an exciting new breakthrough holding out hope for future flu treatments. Research involving a small orange frog has led to the identification of a new peptide called urumin that dramatically causes some flu strains to simply fall apart when exposed to it.

How Exercise Helps the Brain Fight Aging

Everyone has a general understanding that moderate exercise is beneficial to your overall health. Even the smallest amount of exercise can improve your circulation, help fight arthritis, and even improve conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Most people, however, do not realize how beneficial simple exercise is to keeping the brain young.

Exercise Requires Coordination

All forms of exercise require coordination. Because of this, your brain must make the effort to stay coordinated to complete the task. This is very helpful to keeping your brain young. Many people when they age start to lose their ability to maintain their balance or stay coordinated to complete certain tasks. This is why falling is common in the elderly. By keeping your brain active through exercise you will be able to maintain your balance and coordination.

Exercise Requires Dedication

Making a commitment to exercise everyday requires you to make a commitment to the routine. Establishing a routine of any type is beneficial to the brain because the brain is required to remember and perform this routine on command. Repeating an exercise routine helps you retain your memory skills and keeps the brain stimulated.

Feeding Your Brain

Your brain requires fresh blood and pure oxygen to work properly. When you exercise, you are pushing more blood and more oxygen through your system. This means that you will feel more alert and your brain will function at optimal strength. By continuing to exercise, you will feed your brain and help it to stay healthy.

Social Interaction

Many people find that it is easier to exercise with a friend. Going to the gym or attending exercise classes gives you the opportunity to interact with other people. This social interaction is beneficial to your overall mental health, and this benefit extends to your physical brain. Your brain “enjoys” the pleasure hormones that it receives when you are socially interactive and this response keeps your brain active and young.

Health Benefits

There are many medical disorders that can have adverse effects on the brain. High cholesterol, diabetes, even high blood pressure can all take its toll on the brain. When your body is unhealthy your brain will also suffer. Exercising decreases your risk for many of these diseases and can help improve them if you are already suffering from one of these conditions. For every other medical condition you eliminate, prevent, or manage, your brain will benefit from your healthy efforts.

Exercise, when added to a healthy diet, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body and your brain. Exercise will help you remain strong, keep you feeling young, and help your brain stay active and healthy. You do not have to commit to an aggressive workout routine to see the benefits. Making the commitment to add twenty minutes of movement of any type to your day will be very beneficial to your overall health.

Healthy Habits can Fight Even Genetic Heart Disease

A new study involving more than 55,000 adults looked at the effect of four lifestyle factors on the incidence of heart disease. The conclusion: Even those with a known genetic predisposition to heart disease can influence the outcome by avoiding unhealthy habits and pro-actively developing healthy ones.

The study assigned a risk factor based in part on whether or not participants carried any of 50 genes known to be associated with increased risk of heart disease. It also looked at the four following healthy lifestyle factors:

1. No current smoking
2. Lack of obesity (BMI less than 30)
3. If they engaged in physical exercise at least once a week
4. Healthy dietary pattern

Participants were ranked based on the number of healthy lifestyle factors they had. The study found that although genetic factors can dramatically increase the risk of heart disease -- by as much as 90 percent in some cases -- every health lifestyle factor helped reduce the risk.

This runs counter to what many people believe about genetic health factors. Most people wrongly believe that if you have "bad" genes, there is no fighting it. You might as well throw in the towel.

But this is not true. Diet and lifestyle make a significant impact on health outcomes, even for those individuals born at high risk due to known genetic factors. The more positive lifestyle factors, the more positive impact.

If you have genetic factors for heart disease, you can work on reducing your risk by doing the following things:

Eat Healthy
This means fewer processed foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables. It also means avoiding saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol. Limit salt and sugar and eat a high fiber diet.

Be Active
You should exercise at least once a week. But you should also avoid sitting for excessive periods of time. If you work a desk job, get up and walk around a little every hour or so. Your heart will thank you.

Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you are underweight or overweight, work on gradually getting to a healthy weight. Then work at maintaining a healthy weight. Yo-yo dieting -- losing weight and then packing it back on -- is worse than just carrying a few too many pounds.

Avoid Tobacco and Limit Alcohol Use
If you smoke or use other tobacco products, give it up. Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Contrary the popular belief that genetic predisposition to heart disease is destiny, new studies are showing that lifestyle factors can help mitigate genetic risk. If you are at high risk, eat right, exercise, keep your weight down and avoid tobacco.

Blueberries Take On Alzheimer's, Nature's Secret Fighter

You have probably heard that blueberries make for a great addition to your daily diet, but did you know that they have also been proven to fight off Alzheimer's? Alzheimer's is a very common form of dementia. Blueberries have already been proven to help reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, but new research shows that the antioxidants found in blueberries could also be the key to helping you fight off Alzheimer's as well. This is great news because Alzheimer's already affects an estimated 5.3 million adults in the U.S. This number is expected to increase by 2025 to 7 million people. Taking positive steps to reduce your risk for Alzheimer's is a great way to tackle this disease head on. 

Another reason that blueberries retain their status as a super fruit is that they have been shown to boost memory and overall cognitive function. This is especially true for older adults and for people who have actually suffered from cognitive impairments at some point. The driving force behind the positive effect of blueberries on your overall brain function is anthocyanins, which are antioxidant pigments. While all forms of berries are generally healthy for you because they are very high in antioxidants, one of the things that make blueberries stand out is that they have the highest antioxidant content of all berries. Antioxidants work to fight harmful free radicals in the brain.

If you are looking for additional ways to keep your brain sharp and Alzheimer's at bay, then you consider adding foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. A great source of omega-3 fatty acids is fish, including salmon and tuna. You might also be able to take a supplement to get your daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids if you are not able to eat fish on a regular basis. 

In addition to changing your diet to boost your cognitive functions, you can take proactive steps to keep your brain otherwise active. A huge step in the right direction for this is to get regular physical exercise. This can increase your circulation and make sure that enough oxygen gets to your brain to keep it sharp. Along with getting regular exercise, you should try to mix in as much social interaction as you can. Research shows that seniors who make a point of interacting with others on a regular basis are less likely to become depressed or develop symptom's of Alzheimer's. To kill two birds with one stone, you could arrange to exercise on a daily basis with friends. Mix in some blueberries for a healthy snack, and you have yourself a winning combination for beating Alzheimer's.