-----Original Message-----
From: RCookHook(AT)aol.com <RCookHook(AT)aol.com>
To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com <tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
Date: Wednesday, 19 May 1999 10:36:am
Subject: [TMIC] FYI - SCI News Ltr 5-17-99(LAST ONE)
>AS IS SAID IN MY LAST POSTING, I WOULD POST THE LETTER FOR THE MONTH OF MAY
>AND DISCONTINUE POSTING BECAUSE THE SUBSCRIPTION IS FREE AND AVAILABLE TO
ALL
>WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED.
>
>BOB FROM HOUSTON
>
>SCI Network
>Newsletter 5/17/99
>
> Issue #16
>Contents:
> ***Topics for this Week and Weekend
> ***News Articles
> -Gene Therapy May Hold Key to Pain Control
> - Medtronic SynchroMed(R) EL infusion system helps
>people to deal
> with chronic pain or severe muscle spasticity
> -Congress-mandated study of victims with
disabilities
>NOW FUNDED!
> -Champion Bull Rider rides again
> -FDA Explores Patient Safety
> ***New Web Sites:
> <A HREF="http://www.shepherd.org/">Welcome to
Shepherd
>Center
></A>
>
><A HREF="http://www.dowhickam.com/products/granulex.html">Granulex</A>
> <A
>HREF="http://www.carringtonlabs.com/whydro.html">Carrington Wound Hydrogels
></A>
>
> ***I have aquired a lot of SCI web sites and other related
> sited on file if you want. Just send me an e-mail
asking
> for the list of sites that I have and I'll send them
to
>you.
> Thanks....
> ***FunTime Section: Jokes
>
> If you have any comments or sugestions for the SCI Network Newsletter,
>please e-mail BHost Rick. Also, if you have articles, web sites, and/or
other
>information that you think others might benifit from, just send it on over
>and I'll add it to the Newsletter. This is the America Online Community SCI
>Network Newsletter which means that everyone can contribute. Thanks...
>
>BHost Rick, BHostLindy, BHostTater, and BHostSNOT
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- >- > > Here are the topics for ALL the SCI (spinal cord injury) groups. Should >anyone have trouble finding us or if you have any questions just use the >links below. To get to these rooms without the links do "Keyword" Better >health, chat rooms.. Thanks and we will see ya in group:-) > ><A HREF="aol://2719:3-691-Mutual%20Support%20Room">Mutual Support Room</A> > <A HREF="mailto:BHostTater(AT)aol.com">BHostTater</A> > <A HREF="mailto:BHostSNOT(AT)aol.com">BHostSNOT</A> >Wednesday May 19th 9:00 pm ET >Topic: TBA > >************************************************************ ><A HREF="aol://2719:3-235-Equal%20Access%20Cafe">Equal Access Cafe</A> ><A HREF="mailto:BHostRick(AT)aol.com">BHostRick</A> ><A HREF="mailto:bhostlindy(AT)aol.com">BHostLindy</A> >Friday May 21st 11:00 pm ET >Topic: How being online has affected your life > >************************************************* ><A HREF="aol://2719:3-235-Equal%20Access%20Cafe">Equal Access Cafe</A> ><A HREF="mailto:BHostRick(AT)aol.com"> BHostLindy</A> ><A HREF="mailto:BHostRick(AT)aol.com">BHostRick</A> >Saturday May 22nd 10:00 pm ET >Topic: How to get respect when in chair > >************************************************* > >News Stories > >Gene Therapy May Hold Key to Pain Control >3.52 p.m. ET (1952 GMT) May 7, 1999 >NEW YORK - Researchers believe they may have discovered a better way to >relieve chronic pain - by injecting pain-relieving genes directly into the >tissue that surrounds the spinal cord. >Scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research >(NIDCR) and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia report that >animal tests show pain can be alleviated by injecting a gene that increases >the production of beta-endorphins, a natural pain-reliever. Their report is >published in the May issue of the journal Human Gene Therapy. > >"We are totally pumped up that this approach is working in an animal model," >Dr. Michael Iadarola, chief of NIDCR's Neuronal Gene Expression Unit said in >a press statement. "The animal studies have shown us that genes are readily >taken up by the connective tissue cells that surround the central nervous >system. So, given the right gene, our approach has application to a broad >range of conditions, from pain control to spinal cord injury and disorders >like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease." > >There is much room for improvement in pain control. "In neuropathic pain >after nerve injury, pain is poorly controlled by currently available >methods," write the researchers. "In cancer pain, intravenous or oral >morphine is only partially effective, and is accompanied by debilitating >side effects. ..." > >In their search for a new way to control pain, the research team used an >adenovirus to deliver the beta-endorphin gene to the spinal cord of rats. >Neither the brain nor the spinal cord was a hospitable environment for >direct injection of virus, but the protective sheath of connective tissues >that coats the spinal cord acted like a sponge and soaked up the virus. > >At first this appeared to be an obstacle to controlling pain through gene >therapy via the spinal cord, but then the investigators found that the >spinal fluid was an "excellent medium to expose a wide swath of neurons to >the therapeutic virus," said Iadarola. > >Within 24 hours, the connective tissues began secreting beta-endorphin until >beta-endorphin levels were 10 times greater than normal. > >Tests of pain response in rats showed that the animals with increased levels >of beta-endorphin had reduced pain. > >The effects of beta-endorphin, however, were not permanent. Peak production >occurred between three and seven days and was greatly reduced after 15 days. >But researchers believe that improvements can result in a single injection >that provides long-term gene expression, not only of beta-endorphin, but >genes to treat a variety of spinal and brain disorders. > > >***** > > > MINNEAPOLIS, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In an action that will benefit patients >with chronic pain or severe muscle spasticity, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), >today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) >approval to market the Medtronic SynchroMed(R) EL infusion system. This >implantable drug infusion system delivers medication directly into the fluid >surrounding the spinal cord. > >( Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990505/MNW020 ) > >The SynchroMed EL (Extended Life) system builds upon the success of the >Medtronic SynchroMed(R) drug infusion system, the world's only implantable >infusion system programmable from outside the body. First released in 1988, >the SynchroMed system is used today in the delivery of morphine to treat >cancer pain and nonmalignant pain, as well as in the delivery of intrathecal >baclofen to treat severe spasticity. This implantable drug delivery system >has helped nearly 50,000 patients with cancer pain, nonmalignant pain, or >spasticity due to cerebral palsy, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal >cord injury and stroke. > >Like the original SynchroMed system, the SynchroMed EL is surgically placed >beneath the skin of the abdomen and delivers drugs via a catheter directly >into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Because medications are >delivered to the site where they can be the most effective, small, >concentrated dosages may significantly control chronic pain or severe >spasticity. Smaller doses also can mean fewer negative side effects. > >With SynchroMed EL, advancements in technology will add about three years of >battery life before replacement, depending on dosage. It will also extend >the average time between replacement surgeries from the four-year life of the >SynchroMed to seven years in the SynchroMed EL when programmed at average >flow rates. In addition, the system can precisely deliver very low drug >dosages (as small as 48 microliters, or about one-twentieth of a drop per >day). > >"The SynchroMed EL system demonstrates Medtronic's continuing partnership >with physicians to develop products that address patient needs," said Scott >Ward, vice president and general manager of Medtronic's Drug Delivery >Business. "The extended battery life makes our SynchroMed system even more >cost-effective for the duration of a patient's treatment, and the lower flow >rates allow for a wider range of drugs and concentrations to be clinically >investigated. This will help in developing new answers to unmet medical >needs." > >In future clinical studies by biotechnology companies, the system will be >used to deliver investigational medications directly to the brain for >treating epilepsy and malignant brain tumors. (The safety and efficacy of >these investigational medications have not been determined.) > >Medtronic is the world leader in medical technology, pioneering therapies >that restore health, extend life and alleviate pain. Its Internet address is >http://www.medtronic.com > > >***** > > > Congress-mandated study of victims with disabilities NOW >FUNDED! > >Many of you have followed the progress of U.S. Senate Bill 1976 "Crime >Victims with Disabilities Awareness Act" (to see the full Bill, go to >http://thomas.loc.gov and search the 105th Congress, then SB 1976). This >Bill, signed by President Clinton in 1998, mandated the first-ever national >study of crime victims with disabilities, and originally asked for $850,000 >to complete the research (and other work mandated by the Bill). After a >year of negotiating for this study, the U.S. Department of Justice has now>awarded $175,000 for Phase I of this study, which essentially calls for >papers to be commissioned to summarize key issues, and a national panel to >be appointed to consider further research, policy, and legislative needs in >this area. It also provides funding for about 20 persons to be flown to DC >next November to participate in a meeting with Congressional staff and >others to discuss the issues, and present the study's findings. The study >began May 1st, and I was asked to be the Study Director (the grant was given >to the National Research Council (NRC), and research arm of the U.S. >Congress, and all funds go to their staff, travel for the meeting, and pay >for the commissioned papers.). This is a "volunteer" position. I have >agreed to do this, but know I will need lots of help from disability experts >to make this effort successful. There are a lot of good folks working on >the issue of victims with disabilities, but we are not well organized and >most of us are not well funded. >So, I ask your help initially in two areas: >1) What are the key topics that we need to commission "state of the art" >reviews on. The budget allows for about 8 of these papers, authors to be >paid $1500 each to write the 20-30 page review. Topics could include: the >prevalence of the problem, theoretical explanations for which victims with >disabilities have higher risks, model programs to respond to such victims, >unique issues in police investigation and prosecution, personal safety >training, and so on. >2) Who do we want to "appoint" to the working group to review the papers, >and attend a 2-day meeting next Fall in Washington DC to discuss needed >legislation, research, and programs. > >A final report is due to be delivered to the U.S. Congress, published by the >National Research Council, next April 2000. The final report will summarize >what we learned about the topic, and our recommendations. I think this is a >very important symbolic and substantive step. It is the first national U.S. >study on this topic - and the fact that it is going through the National >Research Council is important, as this is a very prestigious group and >Congress pays close attention to their report. Please send me suggestions >of topics we should cover, and persons and agencies who should be involved. >And PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS YOU THINK COULD HELP. >I am tremendously grateful for any help you can offer. I think we have an >opportunity to do good work on behalf of crime victims with disabilities. > >Joan Petersilia, Ph.D. >Professor, Criminology, Law & Society >School of Social Ecology, SE II, Room 2317 >University of California, Irvine >Irvine, California 92697-7080 >Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 15:07:27 +0800 > >~~~~~ http://www.our-kids.org/ for Help/Info/Interest ~~~~~ > > >***** > >ARCHDALE, N.C. (AP) -- Doctors said Jerome Davis would never ride again after >a bronco slung him on his head, shattering his spine and paralyzing him. > >Today, with the help of a special saddle, the champion bull rider is back on >a stallion -- even though he still can't walk and struggles to feed himself. > >His doctors haven't been told. > >``I don't tell them everything,'' he says, cutting a sly grin. ``I'm going to >do what I want to do. Besides, what are they going to do, tell me they want >to stop taking my money? I don't think so.'' > >The saddle is the most familiar place on earth to Davis, who sat on his first >horse when he was 2 months old, broke his first bronc when he turned 11 and >won his first national bull-riding event at 16. > >Davis yearned to become the world's best bull rider and at 22, he did just >that, riding nine out of the sport's 10 most menacing bulls at the 1995 >national finals. > >Then on March 14, 1998, at an arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Davis was paralyzed >when a bronc threw him. > >He swore he'd ride again -- if not bulls, then horses. > >``A stallion,'' says his wife, Tiffany. ``It had to be a stallion.'' > >And so, a little more than a year after his crippling fall, just as he vowed, >Davis rides a stallion named Chief. With the help of a special saddle >equipped with a back brace, the 26-year-old cowboy and Chief wander his >farm's arena, survey nearby hayfields and watch for mares. > >Davis and his wife were married in October. They live in a 100-year-old >farmhouse on his grandfather's old ranch. Together, the two of them run a >100-acre farm, manage 200 head of bucking bulls, and put on rodeo events >around the country. > >Most days, wearing his world championship belt buckle, Davis cruises the farm >on a specially equipped four-wheeler or a heavy-duty wheelchair. He herds >bulls and cuts deals by phone that send his herd to rodeos around the country. > >``I tell him he's the busiest crippled man I've ever seen in my life,'' Mrs. >Davis jokes. ``I figured life would slow down a bit when this happened, but >no, not Jerome.'' > > >***** > >FDA Explores Patient Safety > > FDA Explores Patient Safety > By LAURAN NEERGAARD= > AP Medical Writer= > WASHINGTON (AP) _ Faced with growing concern over drug safety, > the Food and Drug Administration announced plans Monday to help > patients use powerful medicines more safely _ but said much depends > on getting doctors, other health workers and patients themselves to > help. > ``Safe doesn't mean no risk,'' stressed FDA Commissioner Jane > Henney, saying doctors and patients both must understand that every > drug has side effects and that there are ways to minimize risk. > An estimated 2 million Americans are hospitalized annually from > drug side effects, and 100,000 die. > Some problems are largely unavoidable, like the fact that cancer > chemotherapy can leave patients vulnerable to dangerous infections. > Others are a surprise. New drugs are tested on only a few > hundred to a few thousand patients before they're sold to millions, > meaning rare side effects that didn't show up in small clinical > trials can wind up hurting hundreds of people. But doctors aren't > required to report side effects to the FDA, which has only about 80 > employees to monitor the more than 3,000 prescription drugs sold. > In addition, critics say the FDA's approval process isn't strict > enough. The agency has had to ban five drugs since September 1997; > in the previous decade, it banned just six others. > Still, experts say most side effect-caused deaths are > preventable. > Doctors may prescribe the wrong drug _ sometimes confusing drugs > with similar names _ or wrong dose. The medicine may interact > dangerously with another drug the patient takes but forgot to > mention. Doctors may not monitor how the patient's liver or kidneys > process the drug closely enough to avert a brewing problem, or > patients may never be told to report early symptoms. > Doctors may not even know all the side effects. Time-strapped > physicians may not fully read FDA-approved prescription labels, and > it's hard to remember warnings for so many drugs. > The FDA on Monday defended its approval process, saying the > percentage of drugs banned has not increased even though the agency > is approving dozens more medicines in recent years than it once > did. > But Henney said the agency is planning new ways to improve > patient safety, including a meeting this fall with doctors' and > patients' groups to address ways they, too, can improve. > Many of FDA's plans are evolving, but they include: > _Seeking $15.3 million from Congress this year to improve drug > monitoring, including an upgraded computer network to speed reports > of side effects. > _Designing a new drug label to help doctors find safety > information quickly, instead of fumbling through pages of fine > print. > _Exploring how to limit early sales of certain drugs, so that > fewer people risk unexpected side effects. > _Considering expanding a pilot ``sentinel hospital'' project. > FDA recently specially trained certain hospitals to investigate and > report injuries caused by medical devices. Such programs could give > early warning of flaws in treatments, or highlight those that > require more doctor training. > Doctors already are moving to improve patient safety, > particularly with computer programs that automatically flag > medication errors, said American Medical Association president Dr. > Nancy Dickey. > But FDA's plans fail to acknowledge some of its own failures, > said critic Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the consumer advocacy group Public > Citizen. For example, the FDA didn't require liver testing for > patients taking the new diabetes drug Rezulin until after some > patients were injured, even though studies signaled that liver > toxicity might arise, he said. At least 28 Rezulin patients have > died of liver failure. > Also, FDA approves drugs that work no better than older > competitors but wind up being more dangerous, Wolfe said. For > example, doctors already had 58 blood pressure drugs when FDA > approved Posicor, which it then had to ban for causing killer drug > interactions. > The AMA's new National Patient Safety Foundation is conducting > its own study of drug safety, including whether FDA's process needs > improvement. > The idea isn't to point fingers when deadly side effects erupt, > but ``to say, 'what went wrong in the process so we can fix it so > these things don't happen again,''' Dickey explained. > > >Questions??? If you can, please drop these people a note. They need our help. > > > >***** >Members of the Week: > >If you would like to put your bio sketch in the Newsletter, please e-mail it >to me and I'll put it in. Tell your story and a personal quote or two... > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- >------------------------------------ > > >*****I have aquired a lot of SCI web sites and other related sited on file if >you want. Just send me an e-mail asking for the list of sites and I'll send >them to you. Thanks.... > > > >FunTime Section: Jokes > >Y2K Bug > <A >HREF="http://www.angelfire.com/co/mountainboy/images/Y2Kbug.gif">Y2Kbug.gif >at www.angelfire.com ></A> > >This site has lots of animated graphics, jokes and fun. ><A HREF="http://www.wirefire.com/seakle/default.html">Announcing jokes and >fun at Eakle's family fr... ></A> > > <A HREF="http://www.callahanonline.com/">Cartoon humor lives at Callahan >Online ></A> > >Never fool around with a Little old lady: > ___ > (___) > /' '\ > / /"\ \ > \_/o o\_/ > ( _ ) > '\ /' > /\\V//\ > / /_ _\ \ > \ \__ _/ / > \/===\/ > || || > || || > ||_ _ _|| > |_______| > ||| > / Y \ > '"'"' > >A little old lady went to the grocery store and put the most expensive cat >food in her basket. She then went to the check out counter where she >told the check out girl. "Nothing but the best for my little kitten. " > >The girl at the cash register said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot sell you cat >food without proof that you have a cat. A lot of old people buy cat food >to eat, and the management wants proof that you are buying the cat food >for your cat." The little old lady went home, picked up her cat and >brought it back to the store. > > (((,.-...- / \~~/ \ > ( {>|Y|<} > \ )_ '~-~)' > \,,/,,/ \,,,I,\ > >They sold her the cat food. > >The next day, the old lady went to the store and bought 12 of the most >expensive dog cookies -- one for each day of Christmas. The cashier >this time demanded proof that she now had a dog, claiming that old >people sometimes eat dog food. > >Frustrated she went home, came back and brought in her dog. > > __----_ > /##| \ > /###| | \___ O > |####| \ > |####| | > \####/ _____/ > \### / > ===== > / \ > | |_ \ > \___/ | > = =\ / > _| |_ |__ > > >She was then given the dog cookies. > >The next day she brought in a box with a hole in the lid. The little old lady >asked the cashier to stick her finger in the hole. The cashier said, "No, >you might have a snake in there." The little old lady assured her that >there was nothing in the box that would bite her. So the cashier put her >finger into the box and pulled it out and told the little old lady, "That >smells >like POOP." > >The little old lady grinned from ear to ear, "Now, my dear, can I please >buy three rolls of toilet paper? > > > > >***** > > >Disclaimer: The thoughts, ideas, and suggestions presented in this >publication are for your information only. Please consult a health care >provider before beginning any new medications, nutritional plans, or any >other health related program. The SCI Network does not assume any >responsibilty for individual member's actions. > > > > > > > > > >