Pycnogenol inhibits production of enzymes involved with inflammation
A recent study published in International Immunopharmacology reveals Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, inhibits the generation of COX-2 and 5-LOX, two naturally occurring enzymes associated with a host of inflammatory conditions. By shutting down the production of these enzymes involved with inflammation, Pycnogenol can actually decrease pain and reduce inflammatory conditions.
A recent study conducted by Genentech Inc suggested a disproportionate increase in heart attacks and strokes in patients treated with Xolair (omalizumab), compared to those who were not given the drug. The FDA had approved the drug in June, 2003 to treat patients aged 12 years or more with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma unresponsive to inhaled steroids and is now conducting a safety review.
According to a study conducted by researchers from University of California, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the University of Copenhagen Hospital, anti-inflammatory drugs that are already in the market for the treatment of arthritis are also effective in treating a chemotherapy-resistant form of lymphoma. The research focused on a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma discovered that anti-inflammatory drugs, etanercept and infliximab, used for arthritis shrank lymphoma tumors in mice.
A new study published in The Lancet depicts that GlaxoSmithKline’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is highly effective at preventing precancerous cervical lesions that can lead to cervical cancer. The researchers said that the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine was as much as 98% effective against HPV-16/18, and between 37% and 54% effective against 12 other cancer-causing HPV types.
The FDA has advised people against using Zicam intranasal products containing zinc as these drugs might cause long-lasting or permanent anosmia (loss of the sense of smell. The following Zicam products come under the FDA warning:
