The multiple sclerosis drug Natalizumab (branded Tysabri), made by Biogen Idec and Elan Pharmaceuticals was voluntarily withdrawn from sale by its manufacturers following complications in patients.

Results from the two-year trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday and the study showed some very remarkable results!  The drug reduced the risk of sustained progression of disability from MS by 42% in a study of about 1000 patients.  The drug also decreased the frequency of clinical relapses, due to MS, by 68%.

However, three patients taking the drug in different trials, two in an MS trial and one being treated for the inflammation of the digestive tract caused by Crohn’s disease – developed PML. Two of the patients died as a result of this complication.

So now it comes time to weight the possible bennifits against the extra risks which appear to be associated with this treatment.  Since this drug appears to work almost twice as well as anything currently on the market we are certainly positive in our outlook for it’s use.

The US Food and Drug Administration has appoved a patch containing a medication called Emsam (selegiline), which can trigger sudden spikes in blood pressure if taken orally with certain foods or drinks, such as red wines or cheese.

This is a blessing for many of the drugs users.  But unfortuaneltey will only help with low dose users.  Higher dose users will still have strict limitations placed on the food and drink they can consume.

As with all approved antidepressants in the US, the product, developed by Somerset Pharmaceuticals Inc., will bear a warning of increased risk of suicide in children and adolescents.  The FDA approved the patch for adults only.

Talk about cool health news!  Researchers in Israel have built a molecular computer that uses enzymes to do data calculations.

Itamar Willner constructed the molecular calculator with colleagues at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.  He believes enzyme-powered computers could eventually be implanted into the human body and used to release drugs custom tailored to a person’s needs.

Enzymes are already used to assist calculations using specially encoded DNA.  These DNA computers have the potential to surpass the speed and power of existing silicon computers because they can perform many calculations in parallel and pack a vast number of components into a tiny space.

Willner states his enzyme computer is not designed for speed as it can take several minutes to perform a calculation.  But believes it could eventually be incorporated into bio-sensing equipment and used to monitor and react to a patient’s response to particular dosages of a drug.

The Technical Stuff

The team built their computer using two enzymes - glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) - to trigger two interconnected chemical reactions.  Two chemical components - hydrogen peroxide and glucose - were used to represent input values (A and B). The presence of each chemical corresponded to a binary 1, while the absence represented a binary 0. The chemical result of the enzyme-powered reaction was determined optically.

As reported in the journal Science, it seems researchers have had some very positive results using molecular therapy on mice. To carry out the experiment,  researchers had to find a way to make the mice depressed.  They did this by putting ordinarily sociable mice in cages with aggressive, bullying mice.

The sociable mice fought regularly with the bullies, and over a period of days became withdrawn and fearful of strange mice. Even when the bullies were removed, the depression stayed.

They cheered up when dosed with antidepressants for a month and were back to normal.

Deleting the molecule involved anesthetizing the mice, then injecting this very specific part of their brains with a virus that disabled the molecule.

They targeted a molecule in a part of the brain known to be related to sensations of pleasure and danger, said Olivier Berton of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, one of the report’s authors.

“We focused on this molecule in a region of the brain that people call the reward pathway, which people have studied a lot in relation to drugs that are abused,” Berton said.

Deleting the molecule from this part of the brain meant that the mice never got depressed and fearful, Berton said, even though conditions were set up that normally would make them run away and hide.

It sounds interesting but quite dangerous as well, we will keep our eye out for more test results from this type of therapy.

This subject is very sensitive for a lot of people.  Chris Rock has a funny bit about organ donation being the ultimate sign of pessimism.  “What happens if they find a way to bring you back to life and you got no eyes!”  ”Little Jimmie in Kansas has them and you got to go and get them back”. 

Right now in Ontario Canada there is a bill being tabled to allow for “presumed consent”, which is law in about 20 different European countries.  Most think that this type of bill does not have a chance, as it is far too aggressive.  But there is another one being tabled that might just fit the “bill”.  MPP Frank Klees introduced a bill at Queens’s Park last week that would require anyone 16 years of age and older to specify, yes, no or undecided, as to whether they want to donate their organs.  It seems to be a middle ground and should received positive support. 

Organ donations can be referred to as “anatomical gifts.”  All US states have passed some version of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.  This act allows a person to make a gift of organs and tissues during his or her lifetime with the gift to take effect upon death. Family members may also donate organs and tissues of a deceased relative if there is no indication the deceased was opposed to such a donation.  

McDonald’s recently disclosed that its french fries contain more trans fat than previously thought and now they say that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavor the popular item.  This being an acknowledgment it had not previously made.

Cathy Kapica, McDonald’s director of global nutrition states, “Technically there are no allergens in there. What this is an example of is science evolving”. 

It seems McDonald’s keeps suffering from these types of deceptive practices and it is quite scary.  For example, the company paid out $10 million in 2002 to settle a lawsuit by vegetarian groups after it was disclosed that its fries were cooked in beef-flavored oil despite the company’s insistence in 1990 that it had abandoned beef tallow for pure vegetable oil. 

Kids and adults alike still flock to McDonald’s and there appears to be no end in sight. I bet health insurance premiums would drop if McDonald’s changed over.