Nkoranza (B/A), Aug. 12  GNA – mr Idris Buabeng, Programme Manager of Medical assistance Programme (MAP) International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Sunyani, has urged the general public not to attribute Buruli Ulcer cases to superstitions and witchcraft.

Speaking at a refresher training workshop, organised for 35 community-based surveillance volunteers (CBSV) at Nkoranza at the weekend, mr Buabeng explained that the disease was curable and it is not caused by witchcraft.

He said MAP International, which originated from the United States, arrived in Ghana in the year 2008 and started work in Nkoranza District with the objective of offering necessary financial and logistic support towards the control of Buruli Ulcer.

The workshop was organised by the Nkoranza South District Directorate of Education to update the knowledge of the volunteers on the symptoms of the disease, to enable them to detect cases of the disease and report to the health facilities.

Mr Buabeng said MAP was currently supporting health facilities in Nkoranza South and North districts, as well as Sunyani West and Dormaa districts, in managing Buruli Ulcer cases.

He said the Programme offered capacity building for nurses, provided community health volunteers with updated information on the disease and also increased community awareness to control the disease.

The Programme Manager deplored the negative practice and attitude of some pastors, fetish priests/priestesses and herbalists, who kept Buruli ulcer and tuberculosis (TB) patients in homes with the intention of treating them.

He called on prayer camps, religious ministers and fetish priests/priestesses not to place their welfare above the health and attention of patients but rather to refer them to the hospitals.

Mr Charles Kwasi Gyamfi, Nkoranza South District Disease Control Officer called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and teachers to educate Buruli ulcer and TB patients to visit the hospitals.

He noted that, diseases such as leprosy, elephantiasis, yaws and trypasomiasis still existed in some communities and urged the volunteers to report any strange skin disease to health facilities.

Mr Gyamfi later distributed some onchocerciasis drugs to the volunteers for supply to the communities in the disease endemic zones.

The Nkoranza South District Director of Health Services, Madam Salamatu Ibrahim, commended the volunteers for their immense support to the Ghana Health Service, towards the provision of quality health service delivery to the people in the area.

Vale Dyspraxia Support Group appeals for volunteer leaders

4:30pm Sunday 21st August 2011

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THE Vale Dyspraxia Support Group is appealing for volunteers to come forward to run the organisation.

the Barry family members who have run the group for the last seven years are moving out of the area, and they are desperate for someone to take over the reins.

VDSG provides support and advice for parents, carers, families and others that are affected by dyspraxia.

They currently provide members with monthly meetings, an advice line, and links to a range of other organisations.

They also arrange social activities including 10-pin bowling, cinema trips, boat trips and visits to the likes of Techniquest.

“We are considering moving to Oxford and we are not going to be able carry on with the group if we move there,” said one of the co-ordinators.

“After seven and a half years the group could do with some fresh leadership too.

“We are asking for people to come forward, for us to find out a little bit more about them, and see if people in the meetings feel happy for them to lead the group and take it forward from us.”

Dyspraxia is a condition where the normal process of development of physical actions that require co-ordination is delayed or disturbed.

Typically a child with dyspraxia has difficulty with their gross motor skills, including activities such as throwing, catching and running, as well as fine motor skills, such as handwriting.

Dyspraxia is part of a group of conditions that include dyslexia and ADHD, with many children having symptoms of one or more of these conditions.

if you have an interest in helping young people with dyspraxia and its associated conditions, email valedyspraxia@aol.com or ring 01446 738945.

You can also visit the website at vdsg.org.uk

Read these News stories

Kilkenny Advertiser, April 29, 2011.

The Kilkenny Alzheimer Society of Ireland is the leading dementia specific service provider in Ireland. The Society provides people with all forms of dementia, their families and carers with information and support to maximise their quality of life and facilitate their continued independent living within the community.

I set up the Home Care in Co Kilkenny three years ago this June. There are currently 35 clients receiving home care on a weekly basis and approximately 24 on a waiting list. This service assigns a trained dementia care worker to a client’s home for a designated number of hours per week. The care worker will do activities and stimulation with the client 1e… going for a walk, playing cards — 25s is a popular one, listening to music… it all depends on the clients’ interests. The main carer takes a well- deserved break and this is their time to do whatever they want —  go shopping, to the hairdresser or they may just want to go to bed especially if they were up during the night taking care of a loved one. This service is a life line to some families as often it is the only break they will get in the week.

The Society engages with over 3,500 active members /volunteers and employs over 700 full and part-time staff

The network currently includes 16 branches, 6 regional offices, 40 Day Care Centres, 38 Home Care Programmes, 30 Carer Support Groups, nine social clubs and one overnight respite centre.

The society also operates the Alzheimer National Helpline Service offering information and support to anyone affected by Alzheimer’s disease / dementia. As the major dementia specific service provider in Ireland, The Society engages with over 3,500 active members /volunteers and employs over 700 full and part-time staff.

Families receive between one hour and eight hours of home care per week depending on their needs and resources available. in total the society provides 105 hours care per week to families through five care workers in the Kilkenny region alone.

The Kilkenny Day Care centre is based in the Caredoc building on Waterford road. This centre can accommodate eight to 10 people with Alzheimer’s and dementia everyday and operates from 9.30am-4pm, Monday – Friday every week.

There is a nice atmosphere in the centre and they have a lovely big garden which the clients can relax in, or go for a walk. The activities vary from day to day for example there is knitting, making jigsaws, singsongs, sonas, there is always plenty for the clients to do. if anyone would like to know more about this service contact Margaret or Ruth on 056 7771230.

Fundraising efforts

in an effort to continue to provide Home Care and Day Care services to people in the society, we rely heavily on monies raised from fundraising efforts. Upcoming local events include a jumble sale taking place in Cillin Hill on Sunday morning may 7, where we will be taking a stand at the large car boot sale. if anyone has any unwanted gifts or household items clothes, toys etc just drop them into the Day Centre.

we also have a five-a-side football tournament taking place on April 30 in O’Loughlin Sports Centre for anyone who would like to get involved or simply make a donation — it dosen’t matter how big or small.

This year the 17th Annual Tea Day campaign is being held nationwide on Thursday may 5, and it aims to raise up to €450,000 in funds

Next month on may 22 there will be a 10k walk or run which will leave from Stonyford at 12.30am. This event should be great fun and if anyone would like to take part they can get a sponsorship card from the Day Care centre on the Waterford Road.

The society also runs national events throughout the country annually and this year the 17th Annual Tea Day campaign is being held nationwide on Thursday may 5, and it aims to raise up to €450,000 in funds that will be vital to ensure that families can access their local Alzheimer’s services nationwide when they need them most.

RTE’s Pat Kenny launched Tea Day this year for the society. The Frontline presenter, whose late mother Connie lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 14 years, has been a strong supporter of the Alzheimer Society in recent years. he knows the  difference the Alzheimer Society of Ireland services can make to carers and their families.  

our National Helpline on 1800 341 341 also answered over 2,400 queries last year demonstrating clearly the demand for support pressured families need, while providing care for their loved ones living with dementia. 

meanwhile, the 115 services throughout the country provided nearly 700,000 hours of support during the year to the growing numbers of people affected by Alzheimer's disease and dementia in Ireland.

in Kilkenny this year, Tea Day will be taking place on Thursday may 5, in St Patrick’s Parish Centre in Loughboy (which is beside Super Valu) from 11am to 1pm and all are welcome to come on the morning for a cup of tea and refreshments. There will be raffles on the day and if anyone would like to donate a prize for our raffle we would be very grateful. we would accept any home made cakes, tarts etc to sell.

all money raised in Kilkenny for Tea Day will stay in the county and be channelled directly into services in Kilkenny.

in addition the society is currently inviting applications for its annual Cuba Cycle Challenge which will take place from November 6 – 14 this year. The society has run the Cuba Cycle Challenge for the last two years. since 2008 it has raised over €120,000 for families in Ireland struggling to cope with the devastating condition of Alzheimer’s disease. Participants over the last two years have ranged in age from 19-65, if anyone would like more information on this year’s trip please contact The Alzheimer Society of Ireland on 01-2073800.

we are also always looking for volunteers to help out for an hour or two at various fundraising events in the county so if anyone would like to become a volunteer please get in touch.

Finally, the society also launched a Public Awareness Campaign at the start of the year aimed at educating people to know the early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia. while memory loss is the most common sign of Alzheimer’s known by the public, the campaign seeks to raise public awareness around the other early symptoms such as changes in mood and ability to manage in a bid to encourage early diagnosis. More information on the early signs and symptoms and advice on what you can do is available on remember.ie.

we have many exciting initiatives taking place in the Kilkenny area and nationally and we would urge anyone who is interested to get involved either through attending local events such as Tea Day or volunteering. all support means we can continue to provide the best level of care for people in the community who need it most.

For more information on services in the Kilkenny region or any of our fundraising events please contact myself, Marie O’Shea on 086-6090421 or anyone who is concerned about a loved one or themselves can call Margaret or Ruth in the Day Care Centre on Waterford road on 056 – 777 12 30 or the National Helpline on 1800 341 341.

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‘Fighting the menopause’: a survey suggests acupuncture can curb the severity of hot flushes and also relieve mood swings

Acupuncture can help women suffering from the most common symptoms of the menopause, it is claimed.

A study suggests the ancient Chinese needle therapy can curb the severity of hot flushes and also relieve mood swings among women receiving it regularly.

Hot flushes can suddenly produce an uncomfortable feeling of intense heat, while frequent flushes at night can disrupt sleep. 

The symptoms are caused by the dilation of blood vessels in the skin and are linked to hormone imbalances, but they are still not fully understood.

Medication proven to combat flushes includes Hormone Replacement Therapy and some antidepressants, which appear to damp down the body’s blood vessel system.

In the study, which was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, Turkish researchers looked at 53 menopausal women.

Twenty seven received acupuncture twice a week for ten weeks. this involved placing needles at certain points on the body to boost energy and release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

The remaining volunteers were given ‘dummy’ acupuncture with blunted needles.

At the end of the trial, those receiving genuine treatment had lower scores for the intensity of the hot flushes and mood swings they experienced – which progressively improved over the treatment period – compared with those given dummy needles.

The researchers said the effect on endorphins might curb flushes by stabilising the body’s temperature controls, but they were unable to say how long the effect lasted after treatment finished.

The researchers admit the trial was small but claim the complementary therapy could be worth trying for menopausal women unable or unwilling to use HRT.

In a different study, from Norway, women reported a reduction in frequency and intensity of hot flushes both by night and by day having used acupuncture for 12 weeks.

However David Sturdee, president of the International Menopause Society, said: ‘the evidence is not strong from previous studies and this a small trial.

‘we need to have much bigger numbers to prove this really can help women going through the menopause.’

02.07.2011– February 7, 2011 (Cincinnati, Ohio) — Results of two Phase 1 clinical trials of S-equol (AUS-131) were published in the February issue of Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society. this first-in-class, nonsteroidal, nonhormonal estrogen receptor ? (ER?) agonist offers a potentially safer alternative to estrogen for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. As part of a drug development program, these studies were the first to investigate AUS-131 in humans. Results demonstrated a favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profile for AUS-131, and have allowed the company to proceed to Phase 2 clinical trials, which will be completed in Q3 2011. these studies evaluated the pharmacokinetics and tolerability of single and multiple oral doses of AUS-131 in healthy volunteers. these studies also established the doses for proof-of-concept Phase 2 studies investigating AUS-131 as a treatment for postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly referred to as hot flashes. Results also support Ausio’s development of AUS-131 as a treatment option to inhibit prostate cell growth in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The full paper is available at: journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/Abstract/2011/02000/Single_dose_and_steady_statepharmacokinetic.15.aspx “One of the compelling reasons for developing S-equol as a pharmaceutical product is that women are reluctant to take estrogens for their menopausal symptoms” said Richard Jackson, PhD, Ausio Pharmaceuticals, LLC, President and CEO, and the study’s lead author. “Based on the Phase 1 studies, AUS-131 offers an oral medication that safely delivers therapeutic levels of S-equol, which may benefit patients with a variety of diseases and conditions.” History of Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms and Significance of S-Equol whereas hormone therapy (HT) has been the therapy of choice for the management of menopausal symptoms in women, the Women’s Health Initiative has shown that HT has been associated with increased risk of invasive breast cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and deep vein thrombosis. this increased risk is associated with the abundance and prominent role of the estrogen receptor ? (ER?) in the breast, uterus, and endothelium in the cardiovascular system. Alternative treatments for VMS have included serotonin, norepinephrine, mixed reuptake inhibitors, and botanicals such as soy products and black cohosh, but these treatments have both efficacy and safety issues. beyond botanicals, purified, nonsteroidal isoflavones found in soy—genistein, daidzein, and glycitien—have been studied for the treatment of chronic diseases in the aging population, including, among others, VMS in postmenopausal women, with limited success. Daidzein is further biotransformed to the isoflavan S-equol by the intestinal bacteria flora of certain individuals, particularly Asians. Published reports show that patients who demonstrate the health benefits of soy are those who are equol producers. Cincinnati-based Ausio Pharmaceuticals, LLC has developed a patented chemical process for the synthesis of S-equol that allows for large-scale production of pure GMP-quality S-equol to conduct clinical trials. About the Studies two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials were performed in healthy volunteers: a single-rising dose study in 61 participants and a 14-day repeat-dose study in 40 participants. Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of AUS-131 were assessed in both men and women. AUS-131 was well-tolerated by all participants with no significant drug-related adverse events at doses several-fold higher than the expected therapeutic range. Food decreased maximal plasma concentration but did not significantly affect overall exposure to the drug. AUS-131 was readily absorbed with a steady-state level of S-equol achieved after the first day of twice-daily dosing. The pharmacokinetics of the drug were linear with dose and showed that the drug was readily cleared from the body. Subjects receiving the lower doses of AUS-131 achieved plasma levels of S-equol equivalent to those that researchers have associated with the health benefits of ingestion of soy. these studies in healthy participants also provided the first report of plasma and urine levels of unconjugated S-equol after oral dosing using a recently published highly sensitive method. Results from Phase 1 studies provided dosing information for the ongoing international, multicenter Phase 2a efficacy trials in patients with VMS and BPH. About AUS-131 AUS-131 is a first-in-class, nonsteroidal, nonhormonal, selective ER? agonist that has the potential to provide the therapeutic benefits that researchers have attributed to soy ingestion. Importantly, results to date show that the compound has an excellent safety profile. AUS-131 is pure, synthetic S-equol, which is a soy isoflavone that is naturally produced in a small percent of individuals in the US after ingestion of soy. this molecule is being evaluated for a wide range of indications, including menopausal symptoms, BPH, osteoporosis, and topical applications. About Vasomotor Symptoms In the US, there are more than 40 million postmenopausal women. More than 70% of these women experience hot flashes. The major products available to treat these symptoms are estrogens, which have current US sales of $1.8 billion, despite the risks associated with their use. The results of the Women’s Health Initiative study showing increased risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular events, stroke, and venous thrombosis with long-term estrogen-progestin therapy have dramatically decreased the use of estrogen therapy and increased the market opportunity for new VMS therapy with an ER? agonist, such as the S-equol product, AUS-131. About Ausio Pharmaceuticals Ausio Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is a private biotechnology development company focused on the advancement of safe and effective medicines for the aging population. Ausio was founded in 2006 by Richard Jackson, PhD based on technologies licensed from the Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd, NSW, Australia, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. The company has garnered a strong patent position for its lead compound, AUS 131. it has rapidly developed AUS-131 by working with excellent service providers. Ausio’s strategic goal is to collaborate with international pharmaceutical partners for AUS-131 in the US and other markets worldwide. for further information on Ausio, please visit the company’s website at ausiopharma.com. CONTACT: Iris Shaffer (708) 799-6284

A nurse examines blood samples taken from volunteers that are labelled and ready to be stored. (credit: Getty Images/Christopher Furlong)

WASHINGTON (AP) – There’s new hope for an overlooked epidemic: two powerful drugs are nearing the market that promise to help cure many more people of liver-attacking hepatitis C — even though most who have the simmering infection don’t know it yet.

Surprisingly, two-thirds of hepatitis C sufferers are thought to be baby boomers who’ve harbored since their younger, perhaps wilder, years a virus that can take two or three decades to do its damage.

What could be a treatment revolution is spurring the government to consider if it’s time to start screening aging baby boomers for hepatitis C, just like they get various cancer checks.

“We’re entering a whole new era of therapy,” says Dr. John Ward, hepatitis chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We really want to begin that clarion call for action for this population who’s at risk.”

Today’s two-drug treatment for hepatitis C cures only about 40 percent of people with the most common variety of the virus, and causes some grueling side effects. now major studies show that adding a new drug –either Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ telaprevir or Merck & Co.’s boceprevir — can boost those cure rates as high as 75 percent. And they allow some people to cut treatment time in half, to six months, thus lessening how long they must deal with those side effects.

If the Food and Drug Administration approves the drugs — a decision widely expected this summer — they would be the first that work by directly targeting the hepatitis C virus. Specialists draw comparisons to the early 1990s when potent combination therapies emerged to treat AIDS. many recently diagnosed patients are postponing therapy to await these new drug cocktails in hopes of a better chance at a faster cure, says Dr. Paul Pockros, hepatology chief at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., who helped test telaprevir.

However, the bigger impact could come if more people get tested for hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus. It’s often stigmatized as a risk only to people who inject illegal drugs. but the virus could have begun festering from a blood transfusion before 1992, when testing of the blood supply began.

Lapses in infection control in health facilities still occasionally expose people today. so could even a one-time experiment with drugs way back in college, something doctors are reluctant to ask a now middle-aged, button-downed patient to reveal, says Ward.

“It cuts across every segment of society,” adds Dr. Arun Sanyal of Virginia Commonwealth University, past president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. “I can tell you our hepatitis C treatment clinic is a great social equalizer.”

About 3.2 million Americans, and 170 million people worldwide, have chronic hepatitis C. In the U.S., new infections have dropped dramatically — although the disease’s toll is rising as people infected decades earlier reach ages where their livers start showing damage. Hepatitis C already is a leading cause of liver transplants, and it kills about 12,000 U.S. patients a year, a number expected to triple within 20 years.

Most people find out they’re infected like Brian Graham of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., during a routine check-up that spotted elevated liver enzymes. He’d never heard of hepatitis C and had no obvious risk factors. but tests showed the virus had begun to scar his liver. so over the last decade he tried three rounds of traditional treatments, with increasingly tough side effects, to no avail.

“I didn’t want to die of liver disease or cancer or suffer the prospect of having to tee up for a liver transplant. Scary stuff,” says Graham, now 56.

Enter the new drugs. They work by blocking an enzyme named protease that’s key for the virus to reproduce. but they must be taken together with standard medications — ribavirin pills plus injections of interferon-alpha — that are thought to boost the immune system.

According to studies presented at a recent medical meeting, 67 percent to 75 percent of patients given treatment including either boceprevir or telaprevir, respectively, had what doctors call a cure. That’s defined as no sign of the hepatitis C virus six months after their last dose. Importantly, only about a quarter of black patients are helped by standard therapy but adding one of the new drugs more than doubled their cure rates.

People getting their first-ever treatment did best, but the studies also found improvements in hard-to-treat patients like Graham.

“The fourth time did the trick,” says Graham, who volunteered for an early telaprevir study and says he’s been hepatitis-free for three years.

The new drugs do add side effects to the flulike symptoms and other complaints of existing treatment. Telaprevir’s main risk is a rash that is sometimes severe, and boceprevir’s is anemia.

“The future looks very bright beyond telaprevir and boceprevir,” notes Dr. Fred Poordad of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, who has studied both drugs and consults for several companies. He points to additional drugs in earlier-stage testing that promise to target more types of hepatitis C and perhaps eventually allow for pill-only, interferon-free treatment.

Manufacturers haven’t said how much the new drugs will add to the price of treatment that already can cost $30,000, albeit far cheaper than a liver transplant.

A stickier issue: not everyone suffers serious liver damage and it’s hard to predict who will, raising questions about exactly who needs treatment even as drug companies help push for more screening.”

That’s a concern, acknowledges Jeff Levi of the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health, also a screening proponent. but when to treat is a doctor-patient decision, and “anyone with chronic infection you do want to be monitoring so you can intervene at the right moment,” he adds.

Plus, people with hepatitis C should avoid alcohol and consider other liver-protection steps — and know how to avoid infecting others, he stresses.

Stay tuned: The CDC has begun a study at four hospitals — in new York, Detroit, Houston and Birmingham, Ala. — to see if a one-time hepatitis C test for baby boomers makes sense. among the boomers, black men in their 50s are at particular risk. CDC plans new guidelines next year.

Meanwhile, “start that conversation” at a routine doctor’s visit by asking about hepatitis C risks and testing, Ward advises boomers.

(© Copyright 2010 The associated Press. All Rights Reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Roche Holding, AG, a major pharmaceutical company, has released results of an eight-week phase II clinical trial for a schizophrenia drug it has tentatively named RG1678. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal online, volunteers who took the drug plus a second-generation FDA-approved antipsychotic experienced a significant reduction in the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms include lack of interest, lack of motivation and social isolation to the point that work is not possible. no currently approved drugs treat the negative behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia.

The researcher administered several different drug dosages during the trial and found that the 10 mg and 30 mg doses were more effective than the 60 mg doses. According to the article, the drug has a good safety profile and is generally well-tolerated.

A stage III clinical trial is currently underway. if RG1678 performs well in this trial, which involves a larger number of volunteers being tested for a longer period of time, it could be approved and available for use in 2013 or 2014. Meanwhile, schizophrenia drugs that treat the positive symptoms are available, lessening the effects of delusions and hallucinations in symptomatic patients. Monitor this website and other news outlets for future results regarding RG1678.

Read more: online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101206-703306.html