Sunday October 11, 2009 marks the annual Iota Sigma Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi Run for the Roses 5K and 10K road races to benefit arthritis research. The perennial event in Ames, Iowa is open to all ages and running ability. All proceeds from this race go directly to arthritis research grants.
Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority is an international women’s fraternity with 187 collegiate chapters and 320 alumnae chapters in the United States and Canada. Since 1967 the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority has been supporting arthritis research. To date the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority has donated over $1,500,000.00 in grants for arthritis research.
Through the sponsorship of area businesses for this run, the sorority has annually raised funds for arthritis research. This year the Run for the Roses road race will be held on October 11, 2009 and my twitter friend Mike Brekke will once again be one of the participants. It was through Mike that I heard of this amazing group of women that have been supporting arthritis research for over 40 years.
I would like to thank all the participants, sponsors and most of all the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority sisters for all their hardwork and dedication to a cause that may one day help me and the millions of others that are effected by this painful disease. I am truely grateful for all that you have done.
New research at the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University in South West London indicate that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation in those with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis(RA). The study was conducted at the Kingston University in conjunction with Neal’s Yard Remedies to test the health benefits of 21 herb extracts and plants.
White tea is made from the same plant that produces both black and green tea. Because white tea comes from the buds and young leaves of the plant it is believed that they contain higher levels of antioxidants than the black and green variety which is made from older plant leaves.
The findings published in the August issue of Complementary and Alternative Medicine state that white tea prevented the activity of certain enzymes that are associated with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Professor Naughton from Kingston University stated: “These enzymes and oxidants are key components of normal body processes. However, in inflammatory conditions, suppressing the activities of the excess components has been the subject of decades of research”. “We were surprised to find such high activity for the white tea extracts in all five tests that were conducted.’ added Naughton. “The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, as well as wrinkles.”
The researchers also added that they used a very small amount of white tea in their tests-”…far less than you would find in a drink”. Other natural remedies tested in this study were green tea, anise and pomegranate. All were shown to decrease inflammation however not as significantly as the white tea.
According to new research published June 28, 2009 in Nature Medicine, scientists have uncovered one molecular switch that triggers the immune system to attack the joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The authors of the study from Imperial College London state that blocking this signal may provide effective arthritis treatments in the future. Approximately 1 percent of the population suffers from rheumatoid arthritis the most common autoimmune disease. About half of all patients are not responding to the current treatments available today. Research scientists working on this study state that stopping this disease closer to the root of the problem could possibly be the best way to treat the disease. The results from their study suggest a new direction for therapies.
In healthy people when a microbe invades the body the immune system responds by turning on a molecular switch that sends the immune system into action to protect the body from disease. In this study, the signal molecule called tenascin-C can trigger the same molecular switch and activate the immune system. High levels of this signal molecule tenascin-C in joints may cause the activated immune system to attack the joint tissue that leads to persistent inflammation that is common in rheumatoid arthritis. The molecular switch is called TLR4. It is found on the surface of the immune cell and in prior research mice without TLR4 do not show chronic joint inflammation.
The researchers in this study are hopeful that scientists can develop new treatments that target the interaction between tenascin-C ( the signal molecule ) and TLR4( the molecular switch ). This may help to combat rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Kim Midwood, the head author of this study from the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at Imperial College in London states that “We have uncovered on way that the immune system may be triggered to attack the joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We hope our new findings can be used to develop new therapies that interfere with tenascin-C activation of the immune system and that these will reduce the painful inflammation that is a hallmark of this condition.”
The researchers conducted 5 studies. One study suggests that tenascin-C is needed to sustain inflammation. They produced joint inflammation in mice with and without the gene for tenascin-C and found that the mice without the gene for tenacin-C showed no swelling or tissue distructions however the mice with the gene that could produce tenascin-c had severe swelling in the joint and bone and cartilage damage. In a later study, mice joints were injected with the active part of the tenacin-C molecule. Researchers found that it caused the joints of the mice to become inflamed and with higher doses the reaction was more intense. In another study, scientist found that by taking human immune cells called macrophages and fibroglasts from the swollen joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and adding tenascin-C the cells produced more molecules that cause inflammation.The study authors are planning on working out the exact mechanism in tenacin-C that increases these levels of inflammation in the joint and explore way to inhibit it.
I think that this is an informative video regarding stem cell therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It sounds like this therapy may be on the horizon for us. If you are interested in reading the full research paper on this topic you can @ http://bit.ly/48hRg
We all talk about RA being an invisible disease and that most people do not understand what it means to have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Well now there are two people out there stepping up to do something about it. Tiffany Westrich from Jewelry Messages and Sara of The Single Gal’s Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis have teamed up to raise awareness about rheumatoid arthritis and hopefully some research funds too.
All information is intended for
your general knowledge only and is not a
substitute for medical advice or treatment.
You should consult your physician for any
health issues.
According to new research published June 28, 2009 in Nature Medicine, scientists have uncovered one molecular switch that triggers the immune system to attack the joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The authors of the study from Imperial College London state that blocking this signal may provide effective arthritis treatments in the future. Approximately 1 percent of the population suffers from rheumatoid arthritis the most common autoimmune disease. About half of all patients are not responding to the current treatments available today. Research scientists working on this study state that stopping this disease closer to the root of the problem could possibly be the best way to treat the disease. The results from their study suggest a new direction for therapies.
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