Sinus Infections, Inflammation

[Guest guest]

I don't know if they included me in that 32million, but you can count me in. I

can say that the entire time I was on Sprycel, I had one sinus infection after

the other, even MRSA in my sinuses. I had to inhale liquid antibiotics for

weeks on end and had to buy a compressor to use it, not mention the oral

antibiotics. It took a very long time to get over it. Maybe I should go back

and tell the doctor who was baffled by it that I think it was caused by Sprycel.

When I was on Gleevec I had bladder infections for 4 years, the entire time I

was on Gleevec. Now that I am back in the Ariad trial, I have ringworms on my

thighs. I am wondering if these drugs do not affect our immune systems, making

us more susciptible to have one infection over another. (When I was on SKI, I

had long standing hives). I was wondering if anyone else had a similiar

problem. You may have to look up your medical bills or think about it for a

while. I didn't just wake up one morning and make this stuff up. I found this

article about inflammation of the sinuses. We don't realize it, but

inflammation is a serious disease or it can be positive. I have read articles

on inflammation from time to time and thought I would mention it as a subject

for discussion. If you think you don't have it or never have, think again, you

just may have had it, unknowingly, many times.

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(A preliminary study (Northwestern University, USA) suggests that persistent

inflammation, as indicated by increased levels of C-reactive protein in the

blood, is a risk factor for the development of colon cancer.)

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(Graves' eye disease is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and fatty

deposits in the eye muscles and connective tissue surrounding the eye. Among the

symptoms are pronounced bulging eyes, retracted eyelids, dry eyes, and, in

severe cases, loss of vision. Women are more likely than men to develop the

disease.)

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Two more instances of inflammation, hypertension and Alzheimer's: (High blood

pressure, evidence of arterial disease and markers of inflammation in the blood

in middle age appear more common in individuals whose parents have Alzheimer's

disease than in individuals without a parental history of the condition,

according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry,

one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previous twin studies estimate that as much

as 60 percent of the risk for Alzheimer's disease is under genetic control,

according to background information in the article. Other research has

identified several vascular and inflammatory risk factors in midlife that may be

associated with the later transition into cognitive decline related to

Alzheimer's disease.)

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Now inflammation shows another side, the positive side: (inflammation actually

helps to heal damaged muscle tissue, turning conventional wisdom on its head

that inflammation must be largely controlled to encourage healing. These

findings could lead to new therapies for acute muscle injuries caused by trauma,

chemicals, infections, freeze damage, and exposure to medications which cause

muscle damage as a side effect. In addition, these findings suggest that

existing and future therapies used to combat inflammation should be closely

examined to ensure that the benefits of inflammation are not eliminated.)

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Here we find another reversal of how inflammation is a positive thing: (In a

surprising reversal of long-standing scientific belief, researchers at the Mayo

Clinic campus in Florida have discovered that inflammation in the brain is not

the trigger that leads to buildup of amyloid deposits and development of

Alzheimer's disease. In fact, inflammation helps clear the brain of these

noxious amyloid plaques early in the disease development, as seen from studies

in mice that are predisposed to the disorder, say the researchers in the online

issue of the FASEB Journal.)

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A team of international researchers has discovered that a specific gene on

chromosome 15 regulates inflammation, a finding with implications for a wide

range of disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity,

Alzheimer's, and infections. The findings are published in the October 9 online

issue of Nature Genetics.

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(Investigators believe this discovery will be of great interest to biomedical

and pharmaceutical researchers because of an already heightened understanding of

the role of inflammation in so many human disorders.)

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" Practically every common disease involves an inflammation component, " said

Blangero, Ph.D., a scientist at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research

(SFBR) in San and the paper's senior author. " So the discovery of a new

player in the inflammation pathway opens up many potential avenues for

intervention on a broad range of health issues. "

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(Now a research study identified SEPS1 as a type of " garbage truck " that helps

clear cells of misfolded proteins that build up when cells are placed under

stress, Blangero said. Inflammation develops when those faulty proteins

accumulate in a cell. People with a genetic variation that impairs SEPS1'

ability to purify the cells by clearing out the bad proteins tend to suffer

higher levels of inflammation than people in whom the gene fulfills that role

more efficiently, according to the study. The study found the same relationship

between SEPS1 and inflammation in two geographically and ethnically distinct

populations of people in the United States, one in Wisconsin and one in Texas.

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(Researchers studying diseases impacted by inflammation also might look to see

what role SEPS1 plays in disease susceptibility. Already, ChemGenex and SFBR

scientists are beginning to study how this gene influences a variety of complex

diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, preeclampsia, and

various infectious diseases.)

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(When the body is deprived of oxygen during a major surgery, the kidneys, heart

muscles or lungs can be injured as a result. The problem is that lack of oxygen

can lead to inflammation. Yet some athletes deliberately train at high altitude,

with less oxygen, so they can perform better. Their bodies adapt to the reduced

oxygen.

(Now a doctor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has explored the

relationship between lack of oxygen, called hypoxia, and the inflammation that

can injure or kill some patients who undergo surgery. In a liver transplant, for

example, the surgery and anesthesiology can go perfectly yet the new liver will

fail because of hypoxia. " Understanding how hypoxia is linked to inflammation

may help save lives of people who have survived a major surgery only to be faced

with potential harm to major organs, " says Holger K. Eltzschig, MD, PhD.

(Eltzschig's exploration of the relationship between hypoxia and inflammation

was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. His work was supported by

more than $1 million from the National Institutes of Health.)

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(For the first time in the United States, more than 200 scientists from around

the world will gather to explore research challenging conventional theories

about immunology, inflammation and their link to acute and chronic diseases. The

Damage Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules (DAMPs) and Alarmins Symposium

will be held at the Hillman Cancer Center, 5115 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, Aug. 30

through Sept. 2.

(DAMPs and alarmins are the molecules in the body that promote healing after

events such as heart attacks, strokes and car accidents. According to

Lotze, M.D., director of Strategic Partnerships for the University of Pittsburgh

Cancer Institute and co-director of the symposium, they promote a sterile

inflammation that comes from inside cells.

( " At this point, it is well-understood that continuous inflammation is also

linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and most

cancers, particularly those occurring in adults, " said Dr. Lotze. " In the past,

the prevailing scientific notion was that pathogen-associated molecular

patterns, or PAMPs, cause inflammation by activating the immune system when

pathogens such as viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria invade the body. This

type of immune response occurs in the setting of infection. At this symposium,

scientists will present research linking the DAMPs inflammatory response to

chronic diseases, including arthritis, obesity, atherosclerosis and cancer. "

(According to Dr. Lotze, current theories of inflammation are based on the

notion that inflammation is caused by forces outside the body, such as

pathogens, while the DAMPs theory of inflammation suggests that it arises

internally from the body's very cells.)

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(With up to half of a person's body mass consisting of skeletal muscle, chronic

inflammation of those muscles - which include those found in the limbs - can

result in significant physical impairment. According to University of Illinois

kinesiology and community health professor Huey, past research has

demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E may be associated with

reduced expression of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, in vitro, in various

types of cells. Cytokines are regulatory proteins that function as intercellular

communicators that assist the immune system in generating a response.

(To consider whether the administration of Vitamin E, in vivo, might have

similar effects on skeletal and cardiac muscle, Huey and a team of Illinois

researchers put Vitamin E to the test in mice. The team included study designer

Rodney , a U. of I. professor of animal sciences, whose previous work has

suggested a possible link, in mice, between short-term Vitamin E supplementation

and reduced inflammation in the brain. The study represents the first time

researchers have looked at in vivo effects of Vitamin E administration on local

inflammatory responses in skeletal and cardiac muscle.

(In this study, the researchers investigated the effects of prior administration

of Vitamin E in mice that were then injected with a low dose of E. coli

lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute systemic inflammation. The effects were

compared with those found in placebo control groups.)

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Now, you will never look at inflammation the same way again. Our bodies use it

to heal as well as to warn us if something is wrong, biologically.

FYI,

Lottie Duthu

Thirty-two million Americans are affected by inflammation of the lining of the

nose and sinuses, or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), researchers wrote today in an

article published in ls of Internal Medicine. Approximately 1 in every 5 of

them develop nasal polyps that can exacerbate symptoms of blocked nasal

passages, facial pain, and reduced ability to smell.

While topical steroids have proven effective at reducing symptoms, relapses are

common, and patients are often referred to an otolaryngologist where oral

steroids are then administered. Researchers sought to determine if an initial

course of oral steroids followed by sequential use of topical steroid treatments

could improve patient outcomes.

The researchers studied 60 adults with CRS and at least moderate-sized nasal

polyps that had been referred to an otolaryngologist by their primary care

physician. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either two weeks of oral

steroids or placebo, followed in both groups by steroid nasal drops and then

steroid nasal spray over the next 26 weeks.

Over 28 weeks of therapy, the oral steroids group experienced a greater

reduction in the size of polyps and greater improvement in their sense of smell

than those in the placebo group. The authors of an accompanying editorial

caution that oral steroids should be used reserved for patients that did not

respond to topical steroids, as side effects can be serious.