kim

Vickie, You just HAD to go and post this didn't you! I have barely got my blood pressure under control since reading this a few days ago. I happen to have a little saved info on hand in case I ever got the urge to go on a vax rant (which was almost triggered by a recent post regarding Hib/s pneum) I'll leave some here, in case others want to wade thru it. Remeber there are something like 91 strains of s pneumonia. I probably should have posted the last one here, first. The way many of these articles are written, they would have you believe that these additional strains were just discovered or something. You have to hunt to see that some have INCREASED (a few quite dramatically) in the wake of the 7 strain vaccine. excerpts http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-...roved/19371929/ Prevnar generated $2.7 billion in sales in 2008. Analysts have estimated sales of Prevnar 13 will be between $5 and $6 billion in 2014-2015. No wonder Pfizer shares are up 1.3%. http://www.thepharmaletter.com/file/8eb481...es-outlook.html Prevnar 13 - which Pfizer says will be launched within the next few weeks - will cost $108, 30% more than the current Prevnar 7 vaccine, which costs $83 a shot, but it protects against strains of the pneumococcus bacteria that the existing vaccine does not. This price increase accounts for much of the projected increases in sales of Prevnar. Expected to help compensate for Lipitor The vaccine expected to become Pfizer's top seller after its all-time mega blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) loses patent protection next year. Pfizer itself has estimated the new vaccine could add $1.5 billion sales to the Prevenar franchise. http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2009/1...s-a-bullet.aspx Prevnar 13 covers -- you guessed it -- 13 different types of pneumococcal disease, six more than the original. In order to gain approval, Wyeth tested the new vaccine against the old version, but Prevnar 13 failed to show that it was as good as the original for three of the strains in some patients. The FDA asked a panel of experts for their opinion on how important the failure was. But they shrugged it off at a meeting yesterday, voting 10-1 that the vaccine is safe and effective. Now the ball is back in the FDA's hands. The agency doesn't have to follow the committee's advice, but I have a hard time imagining that it won't approve the vaccine, given such resounding support. The PDUFA date for the vaccine is Dec. 30, so perhaps an early Christmas present is in order. http://blogs.forbes.com/sciencebiz/2010/02...ext-top-seller/ Although they are nowhere as prevalent as pneumoccus was pre-Prevnar, they are becoming more common. Most worrisome is a strain called 19A. "It is now the most common cause of invasive, serious pneumococcal disease in children. It’s crept up slowly and it’s especially vicious because it’s multiply antibiotic resistant," says Schaffner. Pfizer is also studying Prevnar 13 to prevent pneumonia in adults, and expects to file an application with the FDA by the end of the year. http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/09/wyeths-pr...cause-superbug/ Prevnar, however, is losing its punch because strains not covered by the vaccine are filling the biological niche that the vaccine strains used to occupy, and they are causing disease. One strain in particular, called 19A, is big trouble. A new subtype of it caused ear infections in the nine Rochester children, ages 6 months to 18 months, that were resistant to all pediatric medications, said Dr. Michael Pichichero, a microbiologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

SFmom (& all), I spent a little time on the website that you sent me (nutrionist) and thought you might like to read some of the info contained in this series too. Lots on role of probiotics/flora Evidence based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (luv that) excerpt from part two http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep062v1 The Role of Th17 in Neuroimmune Disorders: Target for CAM Therapy. Part I http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep063v1 The Role of Th17 in Neuroimmune Disorders: Target for CAM Therapy. Part II http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep064v1 The Role of Th17 in Neuroimmune Disorders: A Target for CAM Therapy. Part III

byarsfive, I'm sure you or one of the Dr.s that you've seen are aware of this, but thought I would mention it anyway. Cipro has been known to cause problems with the achilles tendon (tendon ruptures). He has not been on Cipro when these problems are occuring has he? On a different note, my oldest son has been going through a rough time with stomach pain. Gastro dr said she thought it was viral problem that affected stomach. He casually mentioned during this that his knee has been locking up when he walked. He has not been on any antibiotics recently, altho I'm not sure that he shouldn't have been. With one of 2 illnesses that occured about 4 weeks apart, Dr. said lower lung sounds weren't right. He then told her that it was hard to take a deep breath. Myco P? He did have a cough, but I had hardly noticed it, and was surprised when he said that. It was shortly after that illness that the stomach problems started.

Does anyone who has been using NAG have an update? Kelly, do you know why Dr.K is recommending it? Is it in families with a history of RA or anything else in particular? I found this yesterday and wanted to leave it here. I have a way of crashing computers and losing my saved info. so I'm trying to keep more on the forum. What I think is significant here, is that IVIG has been found to be beneficial because it provides immune molecules that express sialic acid. If there is a problem in with the expresson of UDP N-acetylglucosamine, might this be part of the problem? http://www.weizmann.ac.il/molgen/members/l...netics-HIBM.pdf UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase has been shown to be the rate-limiting enzyme in the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway1

That was a most impressive exchange! Dr. T you are truly one in a million. Wish I could give you a big hug. Thanks for your input Caryn

SFmom, That is quite the probiotic. I have heard from more than one, who are working with DAN Dr.s that the standard probiotics are WAY low in dosage. Did you see any negatives? Did you start low and increase slowly? Thanks for sharing the info on that product.

nevergiveup, I want to jump up with my fist in the air (that.. YEA YOU GO nevergiveup type motion) then I had to reread your 2nd post, to see what you were actually saying

mom2twopandas, We have had the blurry vision here, so I'm betting inflammation. I had it quite bad with autoimmune rash (skin infection). I truly believe fish oil and multi b with 100 mgs of thiamine were helpful (also took/take turmeric & used lots of pom juice/tart cherry syrup for a while). Some form of Uveitis seemed like a good bet. The post below talks about Benfotiamine for uveitis, but maybe thiamine works ok in some cases too. There are a few more reports of blurry vision on the thread Vision problems (thread) http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...vision+problems excerpt http://www.betterhealthresearch.com/news/v...dness-19159004/ QUOTE A form of vitamin B1 could become a new and effective treatment for one of the world’s leading causes of blindness, according to Texas scientists. Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have presented promising results achieved with benfotiamene, a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 which is absorbed rapidly by the body and lacks negative side effects. In their study, they injected laboratory rats with toxins that produce a reaction mimicking uveitis and noticed that when the rats were fed benfotiamene they failed to develop any signs of the inflammatory disorder. http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/uveitis about uveitis As an autoimmune disorder, uveitis may occur alone or it may accompany other systemic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Bechet syndrome, sarcoidosis, Kawasaki disease, Reiter disease, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or ankylosing spondylitis. Uveitis may also occur in AIDS, cytomegalovirus infection, syphilis, tuberculosis, Lyme disease, and in fungal infections. http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Benfo...blets/7342?at=0 Benfotiamine is a more bioavailable derivative of thiamin (Vitamin B-1). Unlike normal thiamine, benfotiamine is fat-soluble and more physiologically active. It supports normal glucose utilization by stimulating transketolase, the enzyme essential for maintaining normal glucose metabolic pathways. Normal glucose levels are also vital for the promotion of endothelial cell health in the kidneys and retinas.

I'm curious if anyone has read this (i only briefly scanned) and if there is a correlation to the area studied in relationship to PANDAS families? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570060/ Autism Spectrum Disorders in Relation to Distribution of Hazardous Air Pollutants in the San Francisco Bay Area

This is a previous thread with lots of turmeric/curcumin info http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...amp;hl=turmeric

So many interesting comments on this thread. Wonder if there are any thoughts on LL37 and it's involvement with strep pyrogens? Could a similar mode of action be involved? Also, wondering if this gives insight into why biologicals might be more sucessful in some cases than others (TNFa not induced under certain circumstances...speaking of psoriasis here, but obviously looking at a possible PANDAS connection)? Hate to air ignorance publically, but can't resist missing the possible opportunity to have someone comment http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1970398...ogdbfrom=pubmed excerpt Also, found the mention of MAP2K5 here, interesting. Had been looking at TNFa and it's involvement with NF-κB and MapK pathways. http://www.mdvu.org/emove/article.asp?ID=1218 excerpt

Your welcome Mama2Alex When Vickie first posted this, I typed a post (mostly in capital shouting letters) then deleted the whole thing. I think this article presents what's really the more important message. I saw Andrew Wakefield on 60 minutes (?) when he was talking about the findings from the Hep B only, study on the monkeys. I was pretty excited to hear that it would be part of a cummulative vaccine study. I didn't know it would move along this quickly. When I saw the words "stark and devastating," I had very mixed feelings. Horror, although not surprised horror, and relief that FINALLY something may FORCE the medical profession to make changes to what I feel is a terribly flawed and downright dangerous practice for some children. There may be many things that we can't control with genetics and environment, but THIS particular issue is something that CAN and MUST be changed, if it's causing or triggering damage to children. With the pressure on Wakefield and others involved in this, I have to believe that it was a carefully designed study. I know "they" will try to discredit everyone involved, along with the findings (they are very aware of that too) yet these people forged ahead. Wakefield has paid a very high professional and personal cost for his involvement in this research. I, for one am very greatful. I think that it's up to us as parents to share this info with as many other parents as possible. It's imperative that Peds and parents start looking at the WHOLE child and carefully deciding which vaccines a particular child might benefit from (does risk outweigh potential reward) with great attention paid to the timing of a particular vaccine in the bigger picuture of the childs overall health. I'll shut up now (could go on and on when it comes to this subject) but continue to watch for updates and add info when I can

If this statement is correct, hopefully change will come swiftly excerpt http://generationrescue.org/wakefield_statement2.html For the past decade, parents in our community have been clamoring for a relatively simple scientific study that could settle the debate over the possible role of vaccines in the autism epidemic once and for all: compare children who have been vaccinated with children who have never received any vaccines and see if the rate of autism is different or the same. Few people are aware that this extremely important work has not only begun, but that a study using an animal model has already been completed exploring this topic in great detail. Dr. Wakefield is the co-author, along with eight other distinguished scientists from institutions like the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Washington, of a set of studies that explore the topic of vaccinated versus unvaccinated neurological outcomes using monkeys. The first phase of this monkey study was published three months ago in the prestigious medical journal Neurotoxicology, and focused on the first two weeks of life when the vaccinated monkeys received a single vaccine for Hepatitis B, mimicking the U.S. vaccine schedule. The results, which you can read for yourself here, were disturbing. Vaccinated monkeys, unlike their unvaccinated peers, suffered the loss of many reflexes that are critical for survival. Dr. Wakefield and his scientific colleagues are on the brink of publishing their entire study, which followed the monkeys through the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule over a multi-year period. It is our understanding that the difference in outcome for the vaccinated monkeys versus the unvaccinated controls is both stark and devastating.

Lynn, You are speaking with Dr. T!!!?

nevergiveup, I thought of you when I read this. I'm going to post it on the N acetylglucosaime thread too ( NAG was not found to be effective, but glucosaime hydrocloride was), but had to wonder about the possible relationship with MS too. If blockages were found in MS patients and ICAM I (from Busters info on the "T cells cross BBB thread") is upregulated in these conditions, seems there might be overlap here. I just found this whole article to be really interesting http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:49Ysp_...=clnk&gl=us Glucosamine, a naturally occurring amino monosaccharide modulates LL-37-induced endothelial cell activation

opps...double post

Sometimes the bad guys use these supplements too. I was wondering if NAC could be used by a yeast/fungus possibly making it stronger? Michael, this was something I thought you might like to read http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19427509 N-acetyl cysteine protects against ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage but not against cell killing in yeast and mammals. Also, when ever NAC/glutathione come up, I always think about how acetaminophen plays into that pathway and the recent suggestion that a popular pain reliever containing it, has recently been hinted to not be such a great thing to give kids prior to immunization. They're saying it interfers with antibody production, but I have to wonder if some are catching onto the idea that it might not be a great idea for other reasons too. We no longer use acetaminophen here at all.

Faith, Your remarks about your son's itchy head and heels recently, caught my attention too. I'll tell you something about skin stuff, it's VERY hard (for Docs too) to pin down exactly what they are. A biopsy will provide the most definitive info (in the absence of other clear cut symptoms) but it has to be done before steroids, antibiotics etc. I could just kill myself for not making them culture my elbow when it got infected and that rash broke out. Have you noticed the spots in relationship to other symptoms or exacerbations?

reactive, Can I ask if your rash looked anything like the pic in the link? I got this from a googling images of scarlet fever. http://www.clinical-virology.org/gallery/i...let_fever_2.jpg

A. The cure for autoimmune illness? B. The definition of a phopholodophilous? (oh yea that's a gentleman of greek origion who is taking probiotics, right?) C. Ille qui nos omnes servabit..... Latin for "He that will protect us all".

laurena, I'm wondering if you have any knowledge of type one appearing after, or along side a strep infection? If yes, is it commonly known to appear after other infections or illness too?

Mrigsby, I'm envious. I'm waiting for my limited eater to hit that stage. I do understand the worry of it swinging too far in the other direction tho, too. A gastro dr. recently told us that she felt my oldest son (not the picky eater) had a virus that affected the nerves in his stomach. As I was snooping around trying to fit that in the equation, I ran into some info on "CCK," and anxiety (we had some panic attacks in the middle of the night that I haven't seen in years). This is wiki info that I thought you might want to read thru. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin Ghrelin Ghrelin levels in the plasma of obese individuals are lower than those in leaner individuals[19] except in the case of Prader-Willi syndrome-induced obesity. Those suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa have high plasma levels of ghrelin compared to both the constitutionally thin and normal-weight controls.[20] These findings suggest that ghrelin plays a role in both anorexia and obesity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholecystokinin Cholecystokinin Neurobiology As a neuropeptide, CCK mediates satiety by acting on the CCK receptors distributed widely throughout the central nervous system. In humans, it has been suggested that CCK administration causes nausea and anxiety, and induces a satiating effect. Some studies have given a strong correlation for the satiating effect, but have not proven or disproven that CCK administration causes nausea or anxiety.[3] The mechanism for this hunger suppression is thought to be a decrease in the rate of gastric emptying.[4] CCK also has stimulatory effects on the vagus nerve, effects that can be inhibited by capsaicin.[citation needed] The stimulatory effects of CCK oppose those of ghrelin, which has been shown to inhibit the vagus nerve.[citation needed] The CCK tetrapeptide fragment CCK-4 (Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2) reliably causes anxiety when administered to humans, and is commonly used in scientific research to induce panic attacks for the purpose of testing new anxiolytic drugs.[5]

Greg, If you have noticed any change in urinary frequency or issues with what you would consider "excessive thirst," it might not be a bad idea to have your son's blood sugar levels checked too.

had to share something that I ran across. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/ci...o,1124079.shtml

If the concept is the same as what I think I'm understanding from the n acetyl glucosamine reading, you are trying to block the antibodies receptors. You are not trying to supply the host with anything. You are simply trying to plug up the receptor on the antibody the is attacking the host. However, my understanding (and this might not be worth much) is that pyruvate is a substance, and organic acid (straight from wiki). How this works it's way into a situation where neruonal tissue is affected, I have no idea. My understanding of Cam kinase is along the same lines. It's not "something" it's a process. Calcium enters the cell, hits one of the main receptor sites, calmodulin (or more accurately "binding protein") and starts a "process." Maybe this discussion can clarify some things for me too. I know Dr. Shaw is very educated guy and from the abstract from the novartis study, I don't find it hard to believe that there is cross reactivity btwn things other than the strep epitope (n acetyl glucosamine) and human tissue. Not sure how pyruvate kinase fits in the picture tho.