Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/28/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Hormone May Hold Key To Helping Elderly Men Live Longer - Science Daily, 5/27/08 "Elderly men with higher activity of the hormone IGF-1--or insulin-growth factor 1--appear to have greater life expectancy and reduced cardiovascular risk ... Subjects with the lowest IGF-1 function had a significantly higher mortality rate than subjects with the highest IGF-1 bioactivity" - Note:  Response to growth hormone is measured by IGF-1.  I was scared away from it when I had neck cancer but I would think that this would support the use of hGH.  My IGF-1 was never that low to begin with.

Cocoa for Diabetes? - WebMD, 5/27/08 - "Researchers caution that the high-dose flavonol cocoa used in their study greatly exceeds the typical U.S. dietary intake of 20 to 100 milligrams daily, and you can't buy the extra-strength version in stores. Rather, they are optimistic that flavonol-containing diets offer an innovative approach to preventing heart disease"

Estrogen Helps Drive Distinct, Aggressive Form Of Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 5/27/08 - "Now, we show for the first time that this natural estrogen can stimulate the production of the cancer-linked TMPRSS2-ERG transcript, via the estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and ER-beta ... We now believe that agents that dampen estrogen activity (ER-beta antagonists) could inhibit fusion-positive prostate cancers" - That raises the question whether aromatase inhibitors might help prevent prostate cancer.  I've always felt they do and have been taking a quarter tablet of letrozole every other day (OffshoreRX).

New Insights In Diagnosing Diabetes May Help The Millions Who Are Undiagnosed - Science Daily, 5/27/08 - "The measurement of HbA1c does not require fasting, while current accepted tests require the patient to fast for at least eight hours. Furthermore, HbA1c more accurately reflects longer-term glucose concentration in the blood; other tests can easily be affected by short-term lifestyle changes, such as a few days of dieting or exercise. And finally, HbA1c laboratory methods are now well standardized and reliable ... HbA1c greater than 6 percent would qualify as being in need of follow-up; HbA1c greater than or equal to 6.5 percent confirmed by a glucose-dependent test should establish the diagnosis of diabetes" - Note:  I feel there is something to this.  My fasting glucose is always high (one was 108) yet my HbA1c is 4.97 (normal 4.7 to 6.2) and my 2 hour fasting glucose bounces a point or two about the low normal.

Organic Free Grazing Cows Are Cream Of The Crop - Science Daily, 5/27/08 - "organic farmers who let their cows graze as nature intended are producing better quality milk ... During the summer months, one of the beneficial fats in particular – conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA9 – was found to be 60% higher" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.

Current Vitamin D Recommendations Fraction Of Safe, Perhaps Essential Levels For Children - Science Daily, 5/27/08 - "The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D for children is 200 International Units (IUs), but new research reveals that children may need and can safely take ten-times that amount ... Only children given the equivalent of 2,000 IUs a day of vitamin D increased 25-OHD levels from the mid-teens to the mid-thirties (ng/ml)--the level considered optimal for adults. None of the children in either trial showed any evidence for vitamin D intoxication"  - Seevitamin D at Amazon.com.  I've gone to the vitamin D 2000 IU at Amazon.com.  If you're worried about that being to high, just skip a day or two per week which most do anyway just by forgetting to take them.

Gum Disease May Raise Cancer Risk - WebMD, 5/27/08 - "Compared to men with healthy gums, men with a history of gum disease were: ... 14% more likely to develop cancer overall ... 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer ... 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer ... 30% more likely to develop blood cancers"

Increased Coffee Consumption May Reduce Risk for Gout in Men - Medscape, 5/25/08 - "During the 12-year study, there were 757 confirmed incident cases of gout. Increasing coffee intake was inversely associated with the risk for gout, with multivariate relative risks (RRs) for incident gout of 1.00, 0.97, 0.92, 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41 - 0.87), and 0.41 (95% CI, 0.19 - 0.88) for coffee consumption categories of 0, less than 1, 1 to 3, 4 to 5, and 6 or more cups per day, respectively ... For decaffeinated coffee, the multivariate RRs for 0, less than 1, 1 to 3, and 4 or more cups per day were 1.00, 0.83, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.54 - 0.82), and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.46 - 1.17), respectively"

Non-estrogen Option for Menopause - WebMD, 5/23/08 - "a non-estrogen drug called Ophena significantly improves symptoms of vaginal dryness and painful intercourse in postmenopausal women, raising hopes of an alterative to estrogen replacement therapy ... Ophena is a type of drug called a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)" - The article makes it sound like it's on the market so I was wondering why I never heard of it.  I Googled it and found the company site and it's not on the market.  It's in a phase III pivotal study.

Male Painters And Decorators Exposed To Fertility Damaging Chemicals, Study Shows - Science Daily, 5/23/08 - "Men working as painters and decorators who are exposed to glycol ethers are more likely to have poor semen quality"

Red wine keeps liver healthy, suggests new study - Nutra USA, 5/22/08 - "People who drank up to one glass of wine a day saw the risk of liver disease due to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) cut in half ... In contrast, compared with wine drinkers, people who reported modest consumption of beer or spirits had over four times the odds of having suspected NAFLD"

Fish-Oil Supplements Plus Regular Aerobic Exercise Benefit Overweight Patients - Medscape, 5/22/08 - "FO [fish oil] supplements and regular exercise both reduce body fat and improve cardiovascular and metabolic health ... Increasing intake of n-3 FAs could be a useful adjunct to exercise programs aimed at improving body composition and decreasing cardiovascular disease risk"

DHA and Dementia: Preserving Cognition in the Aging Patient (Slides With Audio) - Medscape, 5/22/08 - Good slide show on DHA omega-3 for prevention of dementia and Alzheimer's.  It's 58 minutes though an a bit difficult to get quotes from it.

Metabolic syndrome: Another nail in the coffin? - theheart.org, 5/21/08 - "In PROSPER, metabolic syndrome was not associated with an increased risk of CVD but was associated with a fourfold increased risk of diabetes. Impaired fasting glucose alone had a much higher risk, however, more than 18-fold. In BRHS, metabolic syndrome was associated with a modestly increased risk of CVD and a more than sevenfold increased risk of diabetes"

To Block The Carcinogens, Add A Touch Of Rosemary When Grilling Meats - Science Daily, 5/21/08 - "Rosemary, a member of the mint family and a popular seasoning on its own, also has benefits as a cancer prevention agent. Apply it to hamburgers and it can break up the potentially cancer-causing compounds that can form when the meat is cooked ... Rosemary’s antioxidant content makes this method possible thanks to the presence of phenolic compounds. Those compounds – rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid – block the HCAs before they can form during heating"

"Delipidated" HDL: A new, autologous option for plaque regression? - theheart.org, 5/16/08 - "the apheresis procedure did indeed increase the proportion of pre-beta HDL (from about 5.6% in the sample to 92.8% in the sample) and reduced the proportion of alpha HDL (from about 92.8% of the sample to 20.9% in the sample). Associated with the increase in pre-beta HDL was a fivefold rise in cholesterol efflux seen in patients receiving the delipidated plasma vs the control group, they report. All reinfusion sessions were well tolerated, and there was no signal of an adverse biochemical or hemodynamic reaction to therapy"

An Oracle of Oil Predicts $200-a-Barrel Crude - New York Times, 5/21/08 - "He foresees a “super spike” — a price surge that will soon drive crude oil to $200 a barrel" - I calculate that $200/barrel would make the current price of gas jump from $4 per gallon currently in San Diego to $5.72 per gallon. That's based on the article that said that 72% of the price of gas goes to the oil nations. 72% of $4 is $2.88. Assuming that the remaining $1.12 remains constant:  x/200 = 2.88/125, x = (2.88*200)/125 = $4.60, $4.60 + $1.12 = $5.72.  If that's true, my natural gas powered Honda Civic GX will pay for itself a lot faster than I thought.  I received an email from a reader that figured the lag and several other factors and came up with $7.78 per gallon.  Lag was a big factor that I left out.  I've never seen any time tables but I would think that the gas being sold now was refined from oil purchased at a much lower price two or three months ago.  So even if oil prices hovered where they are there's still going to be a significant increase.  Then I received the following prediction $12 - $15 per gallon:

• 'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas - businessandmedia.org, 5/21/08 - "[T]he prices that we’re paying at the pump today are, I think, going to be ‘the good old days,’ because others who watch this very closely forecast that we’re going to be hitting $12 and $15 per gallon ... And then, after that, when oil – world oil production goes into decline, we’re going to talk about rationing. In other words, not only are we going to be paying high prices and have considerable economic problems, but in addition to that, we’re not going to be able to get the fuel when we want it ... Maxwell’s biography on the Weeden & Co. Web site said he “has been ranked by the U.S. financial institutions as the No. 1 oil analyst for the years 1972, 1974, 1977 and 1981-1986,” according to polls taken by Institutional Investor magazine" - "Squawk Box" is the CNBC financial channel which is where I got the figure that there would not be enough oil to meet the world's need by 2023.  Jim Cramer from CNBC's Mad Money was asked to comment on the $12 oil and he claimed $6 but I don't know what qualifies him on oil prices but $6 is bad enough.
• Energy Watchdog Warns Of Oil-Production Crunch - WSJ.com, 5/22/08 - "Last summer, the agency warned that OPEC's spare capacity could shrink "to minimal levels by 2012." In November, it said its analysis of projects known to be in the works suggested that the world could face a shortfall by 2015 of as much as 12.5 million barrels a day, unless there was a sharp drop in expected demand ... the depletion rate of the world's 811 biggest fields is around 4.5% a year. At that rate, oil companies have to make huge investments just to keep overall production steady. Others say the depletion rate could be higher ... We are of the opinion that the public isn't aware of the role of the decline rate of existing fields in the energy supply balance, and that this rate will accelerate in the future"

I see a lot of new SUV's in San Diego (they don't have license plates yet, which takes about two months in California unless you walk them through).  I guess people are going for the big discounts believing oil will go down.  When they start getting hit for $150 every time at the pump they'll see how far those discounts got them.  That's a new iPod every time they go to the pumps.  I'm sure their kids will appreciate those iPods going down the drain.  My roommate is 57 years old and she weighs about a hundred pounds.  She doesn't have a penny to her name yet she has a SUV and drives 33 miles round trip to work.  I'll never understand the prestige people think they are getting from that to sacrifice that much.  I feel that doing your part to help the economy has more prestige.  I could also preach the environment but if it doesn't hit people in the pocketbook they don't seem to care.  On 5/24, CNN Headlines had a segment on SUVS and trucks and said the prices on them were dropping so fast that some owners owed $20,000 on vehicles that were only worth $12,000.  Another segment said that it now takes an average of $87 to fill an SUV.  That's how I justify to myself blowing $70 on a Bluetooth Wireless Transmitter for my  iPod.  I don't have an SUV.

• SUVs plunge toward 'endangered' list - CNN.com, 5/23/08 - "Owners [of SUV's and trucks] might owe $20,000 or more when the vehicle is now worth $12,000"

I read an article a couple years ago that said 4 of the last 5 recessions were preceded by sharp hikes in fuel prices. I guess that no longer applies but I’m sure it has an effect.  I feel that it's unrealistic to think that the President can have any significant effect on gas prices when the oil countries, most of which are hostile toward us, don't have an unlimited supply and they have a growing business of over a billion people in just China alone.  Yeah, we can withhold arms to Saudi Arabia but then the Saudis can decide that they don't need top of the line weapons if it's going to cost that much of oil profits and maybe Vladimir Putin is a more reliable person to do business with.  Then that money from said to the Saudis could finance better weapon technology for Russia then US tax payers could finance better technology to defeat that, etc.  Sounds like a great solution to me but politicians are selling it and voters are buying it.  Plus Saudi Arabia only produces 9.9% of the world's total.  That charade that the Senate gave  (6 minute video plus many more on oil prices) this week irritated me.  I can't believe people can't see that it is just a show for voters.  I can put together a charade to make Mother Theresa look bad if I wanted to.  I'm not saying that the oil people are nice people but they are not responsible a significant portion or the cost.  Last week I mentioned 8%.  How far do voters think we can get by witling away at that 8%.  One of those MSNBC videos had a bleeding heart story of a lady that could barely afford to get the work.  It didn't mention that she was driving and SUV (duh!) but showed a short glimpse of her driving away with one yet people can't see through that.  When I saw that I had a hard time feeling sorry.   One of the MSNBC videos claimed that gas was already at $9.72 per gallon in the Netherlands.  The auto makers think that the SUV phenomenon is because of the following reptile evolution theory.  Maybe they are right.  If so I guess that makes me a mutant because I've always had small cars even though my parents had Buicks.  I'm sure some SUV readers are saying that I'm right on that one or probably worse.  I could try to argue that I evolved but the correct response would be that no one evolves in just one generation.  When I was 16, my first car was a Toyota Tierra after my father tried for days to get me to take his Buick.  Even at 29 cents per gallon I was about to throw my money away at the gas pump.

• Big and Bad - gladwell dot com, 1/12/08 - "Over the past decade, a number of major automakers in America have relied on the services of a French-born cultural anthropologist, G. Clotaire Rapaille, whose speciality is getting beyond the rational—what he calls "cortex"—impressions of consumers and tapping into their deeper, "reptilian" responses. And what Rapaille concluded from countless, intensive sessions with car buyers was that when S.U.V. buyers thought about safety they were thinking about something that reached into their deepest unconscious. "The No. 1 feeling is that everything surrounding you should be round and soft, and should give," Rapaille told me. "There should be air bags everywhere. Then there's this notion that you need to be up high. That's a contradiction, because the people who buy these S.U.V.s know at the cortex level that if you are high there is more chance of a rollover. But at the reptilian level they think that if I am bigger and taller I'm safer. You feel secure because you are higher and dominate and look down. That you can look down is psychologically a very powerful notion. And what was the key element of safety when you were a child? It was that your mother fed you, and there was warm liquid. That's why cupholders are absolutely crucial for safety. If there is a car that has no cupholder, it is not safe. If I can put my coffee there, if I can have my food, if everything is round, if it's soft, and if I'm high, then I feel safe. It's amazing that intelligent, educated women will look at a car and the first thing they will look at is how many cupholders it has. " During the design of Chrysler's PT Cruiser, one of the things Rapaille learned was that car buyers felt unsafe when they thought that an outsider could easily see inside their vehicles. So Chrysler made the back window of the PT Cruiser smaller. Of course, making windows smaller—and thereby reducing visibility—makes driving more dangerous, not less so. But that's the puzzle of what has happened to the automobile world: feeling safe has become more important than actually being safe"

Maybe people aren't buying off on politicians blaming those evil oil companies and that they are going to fix them.  On 5/21/08, CNBC did a poll on who was to blame for the oil crisis.  OPEC was 7.6%, President Bush was 17%, Congress was 23%, Speculators/Investors was 29%, Big Oil was 5.8% (the lowest one) and Consumers was 18%.  An update on 5/23 had the oil companies down to 3.8%.  The flaw in that poll is that the people that watch CNBC are different from the people that watch Ophra.

I filled my natural gas powered 2008 Civic GX again.  This time I made a trip to a friend north of Fallbrook so only about 10% was city driving.  The mileage was 120.5 and it took 2.8 equivalent gallons which came to 43 mile per gallon.  I couldn't believe it either.  I calculated it on my Razor phone and I even got out of the car again to look at the gallons.  When you go 65 in the right lane with cruise control it's like the fuel gauge doesn't even move.  When I get Phill installed, I'll be paying $1.26 per gallon equivalent.  That on top of 40 miles per gallon I'll be paying more at Starbucks than at the gas pumps.  They advertise 36 highway and 24 city.  It's better than that on the highway but I think it might be worse than that in the city by the way the gauge falls off.  The 2009's say 28/29.  I don't know if that's a misprint.  The new 2008 EPA fuel economy methods fuel standards probably lowered the 24/36 number on my  car.  That might be why I've been beating the estimate.  I don't know what they were in 2007.  See:

• Fuel Economy - EPA - "Beginning with 2008 models, all fuel economy estimates based on new test methods, which EPA finalized in December 2006. The new methods better account for actual driving conditions that can lower fuel economy, such as high speed, aggressive driving, use of air conditioning, and cold temperature operation. The new estimates will give drivers a more accurate estimate of the fuel economy they are likely to achieve on the road. Because of the new methods, the estimates for most 2008 models will be lower than their 2007 counterparts. To aid consumers shopping for new cars, EPA has also redesigned the fuel economy window sticker posted on all new cars and light trucks to be easier to read and understand"
• 2008 Honda Civic GX - Accolades and Awards - honda.com - "For 2008, the Civic GX is "America's Greenest Car" according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). But this is not the first time the Civic GX has received this honor. The Civic GX was first ranked at the top of the ACEEE list in 2000, and has held the title of "Greenest Car" for five consecutive years. That’s more than any other vehicle. The Civic GX keeps coming out on top due to its squeaky-clean and gasoline-free near-zero emissions performance—which is great news for the environment"

I mentioned the year and a half as an army helicopter pilot last week.  I received a couple emails about it.  Click here for the pictures.  I finished the remaining 20 years as a navy jet pilot.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Telmisartan is more effective than losartan in reducing proteinuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy - Kidney Int. 2008 May 21 - "telmisartan is superior to losartan in reducing proteinuria in hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy, despite a similar reduction in blood pressure" - Just one more reason I feel telmisartan should be the first line treatment for hypertension if natural methods such as coenzyme Q10 don't work.  See telmisartan at OffshoreRx1.com.

A 22-year Prospective Study of Fish, n-3 Fatty Acid Intake, and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 May;17(5):1136-43 - "Fish intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk [multivariate relative risk (95% confidence interval) for highest versus lowest category, 0.60 (0.40-0.91); P(trend) = 0.01]. The inverse association was observed for both colon and rectal cancers. Our findings for n-3 fatty acids were similar to those for fish; the multivariate relative risk (95% confidence interval) of total colorectal cancer for the highest versus lowest quartile of n-3 fatty acids was 0.74 (0.57-0.95; P(trend) = 0.01) ... Our results from this long-term prospective study suggest that intakes of fish and long-chain n-3 fatty acids from fish may decrease the risk for colorectal cancer" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Protective role of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 against oxidative stress in nonmalignant human prostate epithelial cells - Int J Cancer. 2008 Jun 15;122(12):2699-706 - "1,25-VD can protect nonmalignant prostate cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death by elimination of ROS-induced cellular injuries through transcriptional activation of G6PD activity. The antioxidative effect of vitamin D strengthens its roles in cancer chemoprevention and adds to a growing list of beneficial effects of vitamin D against cancer" - Seevitamin D at Amazon.com.  I've gone to the vitamin D 2000 IU at Amazon.com.

Effects of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor and Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonist Combination on Nitric Oxide Bioavailability and Atherosclerotic Change in Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbits - Hypertens Res. 2008 Mar;31(3):575-84 - "1) vehicle (control), 2) the ACEI enalapril (E: 3 mg/kg/day), 3) the ARB losartan (L: 30 mg/kg/day) and 4) enalapril (1.5 mg/kg/day) + losartan (15 mg/kg/day) (E+L). Intra-aortic infusion of ACh produced an increase in plasma NO concentration, which was significantly greater with all the drug treatments than with the control. E increased ACh-induced NO significantly more than L (by 6.9 nmol/L, and 4.7 nmol/L, respectively). E+L increased ACh-induced NO by 9.5 nmol/L, significantly more than either E or L ... the combined treatment with an ACEI and an ARB may have additive protective effects on endothelial function as well as atherosclerotic change"

Higher Serum Free Thyroxine Levels Are Associated with Coronary Artery Disease - Endocr J. 2008 May 23 - "The relative risk (RR) for CAD in highest tertile of FT(4 )showed increased risk compared with the lowest tertile (RR 1.98; 95% CI 0.98-3.99, p<0.001). Our study showed that FT(4 )levels were associated with the presence and the severity of CAD. Also, this study suggests that elevated serum FT(4 )levels even within normal range could be a risk factor for CAD" - That might be an argument for going with T4 on say even days and T3 on odd days.

Serum DHEA-S Level Is Associated with the Presence of Atherosclerosis in Postmenopausal Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Endocr J. 2008 May 21 - "intima-media thickness (IMT) ... Although simple regression analysis showed that log(DHEA-S) and IGF-I in men and log(DHEA-S) in women were significantly and inversely correlated with baPWV and IMT, only log(DHEA-S) in women was still significantly and inversely correlated with these atherosclerotic parameters after multiple regression analysis was adjusted for age, duration of diabetes, BMI, HbA(1C), systolic blood pressure, LDL-Cholesterol (C), serum creatinine, and smoking (Brinkman index). Serum DHEA-S level seemed to be associated with atherosclerosis in diabetic postmenopausal women independent of age, body stature, diabetic status, and other atherosclerotic risk factors, and might be a useful addition to other parameters for assessing the risk of atherosclerosis in this population" - See DHEA at Amazon.com.

alpha- and gamma-Tocopherol prevent age-related transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain of mice - J Nutr. 2008 Jun;138(6):1010-8 - "In the heart, both tocopherol-supplemented diets were effective in inhibiting the expression of genes previously associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased innate immunity. In the brain, induction of genes encoding ribosomal proteins and proteins involved in ATP biosynthesis was observed with aging and was markedly prevented by the mixture of alphaT and gammaT supplementation but not by alphaT alone. These results demonstrate that middle age-onset dietary supplementation with alphaT and gammaT can partially prevent age-associated transcriptional changes and that these effects are tissue and tocopherol specific" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Electrophilic cyclopentenone neuroprostanes are anti-inflammatory mediators formed from the peroxidation of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid - J Biol Chem. 2008 May 19 - "free radical-mediated oxidation of DHA greatly enhances its anti-inflammatory potency, an effect that closely parallels the formation of A4/J4-NPs. Furthermore, chemical reduction or conjugation to glutathione, both of which eliminate the bioactivity of A4-NP, also abrogate the anti-inflammatory effects of oxidized DHA. Thus, we have demonstrated that A4/J4-NPs, formed via the oxidation of DHA, are potent inhibitors of NF-kB signaling and may contribute to the anti-inflammatory actions of DHA" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Luteolin reduces IL-6 production in microglia by inhibiting JNK phosphorylation and activation of AP-1 - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 May 19 - "Luteolin consumption reduced LPS-induced IL-6 in plasma 4 h after injection. Furthermore, luteolin decreased the induction of IL-6 mRNA by LPS in hippocampus but not in the cortex or cerebellum. Taken together, these data suggest luteolin inhibits LPS-induced IL-6 production in the brain by inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway and activation of AP-1 in microglia. Thus, luteolin may be useful for mitigating neuroinflammation" - See luteolin products at iHerb.

Flavonoids and ovarian cancer risk: A case-control study in Italy - Int J Cancer. 2008 May 19 - "In logistic regression models including study center, education, year of interview, parity, oral contraceptive use and family history of ovarian or breast cancer or both, an inverse relation with significant trend in risk was found between ovarian cancer and flavonols [odds ratio (OR), 0.63; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.47-0.84] as well as isoflavones (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.37-0.69), comparing the highest versus the lowest quintile. Further adjustment for fruit and vegetable intake did not modify these associations, suggesting that isoflavones and flavonols may have a distinct role in explaining the effect of fruit and vegetable against ovarian cancer. On the basis of our findings and the relevant literature, we infer that isoflavones, and perhaps flavonols, may have favorable effects with respect to ovarian cancer risk" - See bioflavonoids at Amazon.com.

Dietary flavonoid intake and risk of cancer in postmenopausal women: The Iowa Women's Health Study - Int J Cancer. 2008 May 19 - "After multivariable adjustment, lung cancer incidence was inversely associated with intakes of flavanones (HR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.53-0.86, all results highest vs. lowest quintile) and proanthocyanidins (HR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.57-0.97). Among current and past smokers, those with intakes in the highest quintile for flavanones (HR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.50-0.86), and proanthocyanidins (HR = 0.66; 95% CI; 0.49-0.89) had significantly lower lung cancer incidence than those in the lowest quintile. Similar associations were not seen in never smokers. Isoflavone intake was inversely associated with overall cancer incidence (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.86-1.00). This study provides further support for a beneficial effect of flavonoid intake on lung cancer risk, especially among current and past smokers" - See bioflavonoids at Amazon.com.

Antioxidant Protection of Resveratrol and Catechin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae - J Agric Food Chem. 2008 May 20 - "In this work, the capacity of resveratrol and catechin to protect the eukaryotic microorganism Saccharomyces cerevisiae against oxidative stress caused by different agents, hydrogen peroxide, carbon tetrachloride, and cadmium, was evaluated. Under all stress conditions, both polyphenols increased tolerance, although their protection was more evident under peroxide exposure. By using mutant strains deficient in specific antioxidant defense systems (superoxide dismutases, catalase, or glutathione), it was observed that increased H 2O 2 tolerance produced by both polyphenols was associated with catalase, as well as the rise in survival rates caused by resveratrol under CCl 4. The acquisition of tolerance was correlated with a reduction in lipid peroxidation, indicating that the antioxidant property of resveratrol and catechin involves protection against membrane oxidation"

Neat Tech Stuff :

This isn't really tech (kind of between health, cancer protection and tech) but I ordered one of these swim shirts (no affiliation).  I used to have one but lost it in the move.  They are great for swimming in the summer sun.  When I don't wear one my back itches at night from the sun damage.  They claim that they are recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.  After I order it I noticed that Amazon had a bigger selection for about half the price.  See Swim Shirts at Amazon.com but I think I like the one I got better.

Most karaoke software programs are designed to work with a mixer.  I got the VocoPro KJM-7900 Pro at DJDeals.com.  You run something like the Cables To Go - 03179 - 3.5mm Stereo Male To 2 RCA Female Y-Cable from your computer to the mixer and plug the microphone into the mixer and then run something like Monster Cable M DJ-CR-1M pair of 1 meter DJ Cables(RCA to 1/4 inch) from the mixer to an amplifier.  However there is a way to skip the mixer, use your computer's microphone input and just go with the computer to amplifier cable.  See:

• Use Your PC as a PA - PC Magazine - "Find the speaker icon in the system tray. If you don't see a speaker icon, launch Control Panel and double-click the Multimedia, Sounds and Multimedia or Sounds and Audio devices applet. On the first tab find the check box that relates to showing a volume icon on the taskbar - check that box and click OK. Double-click the speaker icon to open the Volume Control window, which acts as amixer board for the various sound channels. In that window, choose Properties from the Options menu. Make sure that Playback is selected in the Adjust volume for box,and that the check box for Microphone is checked in the list of volume controls. Choose OK to close the Properties window ... You should now see a column labeled Microphone in the volume controls. Uncheck the Mute check box for the microphone, making your mic live. Adjust the Microphone and Volume Control settings and the volume control on your speaker system as needed"
• Miguel Carrasco's Real World: Vista Microphone and Line-In Issues? - miguelcarrasco.net - "Right-click on the sound icon in the system tray and select Playback Devices (or alternatively, go to Control Panel and select Sounds). Once in the Sounds window, double-click the Speakers options, then go to the Levels tab, and there you'll find the available options"
• However, I had to go this route:
  • Miguel Carrasco's Real World: Vista Microphone and Line-In Issues? - miguelcarrasco.net:
  • "If you can't get the input monitor to appear in the speakers/headphones section as a few of you can't.
    Try this:
    
    1) Press (WindowsKey)-R (to run a program)
    2) Type "regedit", press enter, and then click "Continue" (depending on your security settings)
    3) Go to Edit -> Find (or Ctrl-F)
    4) Type "EnableInputMonitor" and click Find (or Find Next)
    5) Double-click the EnableInputMonitor entry. It will come up as 0000 00. Change the 00 to 01 (so it's 0000 01). Do a Find Next just to make sure it's the only EnableInputMonitor registry setting on your system
    6) Exit the Registry Editor and Restart the PC
    6a) Wait for Vista's criminally long reloading time
    7) Right-click the little Sigmatel Icon and select "Playback Devices"
    8) Click "Speakers/Headphones" and then "Properties".
    9) Under the "Levels" tab, there is now a new option called "Input Monitor", which is muted. Click the speaker to unmute to Input Monitor, and the Line-In port now functions as expected (i.e. like every other computer and every other sound card made in the last 20 years)"
  • If you have a Dell, try:
  • Alright, I found an article on Dell's site that gives the registry key mikey mentioned back in June. See the full article at http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=vista&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=38805&c=us&l=en&cs=04&s=bsd
    
    Long and short of it is:
    1) Open regedit (Start->Run, type regedit)
    2) Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000\Settings\filter\SpeakerHp\
    3) Create a new Binary Value
    4) Give it the name EnableInputMonitor
    5) Set it's value to 01
    6) Restart your machine
    7) Open your Playback Devices (right click on volume control icon in system tray, select Playback Devices)
    8) Open the Speakers/Headphones
    9) Go to the levels tab
    10) Unmute the input monitor
    
    There you go, you can now hear your microphone on your speakers.

My favorite karaoke software is Siglos Karaoke Player/Recorder (about $50).  If you don't know some that can put your karaoke songs onto your hard drive you'll also need software to do that.  My favorite is CGDFix Super (about $70).  For a lot more karaoke information, click here for my karaoke page.

Health Focus (Combining ACEI's and ARBs, Pros and Cons) - Note:  Combining ACEI and ARBs is controversial and some docs say you can't do it but it's the least of all the evils regarding side effects if you need two:

• Effects of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor and Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonist Combination on Nitric Oxide Bioavailability and Atherosclerotic Change in Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbits - Hypertens Res. 2008 Mar;31(3):575-84 - "1) vehicle (control), 2) the ACEI enalapril (E: 3 mg/kg/day), 3) the ARB losartan (L: 30 mg/kg/day) and 4) enalapril (1.5 mg/kg/day) + losartan (15 mg/kg/day) (E+L). Intra-aortic infusion of ACh produced an increase in plasma NO concentration, which was significantly greater with all the drug treatments than with the control. E increased ACh-induced NO significantly more than L (by 6.9 nmol/L, and 4.7 nmol/L, respectively). E+L increased ACh-induced NO by 9.5 nmol/L, significantly more than either E or L ... the combined treatment with an ACEI and an ARB may have additive protective effects on endothelial function as well as atherosclerotic change"
• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, or Both for Patients With Proteinuria? A Best Evidence Review - Medscape, 5/20/08 - "Most significantly, the addition of ACEIs to ARBs reduced proteinuria to a greater degree than ARBs alone (ratio of means 0.76 at 1 to 4 months and 0.75 at 5 to 12 months). Combination therapy was also superior to treatment with ACEIs alone ... The 2 important conclusions that can be drawn from this meta-analysis are that ARBs are not superior to ACEIs in improving proteinuria, and that the combination of these 2 treatments appears superior in this outcome compared with either treatment alone ... Two of the biggest safety concerns regarding the combination therapy include the risks for hyperkalemia and acute worsening of renal function. A review of the literature, however, suggests that these risks may not be significantly worse with combination treatment vs monotherapy"
• Telmisartan, Ramipril, or Both in Patients at High Risk for Vascular Events - N Engl J Med. 2008 Mar 31 - "Telmisartan was equivalent to ramipril in patients with vascular disease or high-risk diabetes and was associated with less angioedema. The combination of the two drugs was associated with more adverse events without an increase in benefit" - Yeah but if you have to go with two drugs it sure seems like it's the least of all the evils regarding side effects.
• Establishing A New Option for Target-organ Protection: Rationale for ARB Plus ACE Inhibitor Combination Therapy - Am J Hypertens. 2008 Jan 24 - "Combination therapy targeting RAS activation may reduce target-organ damage and provide superior blood pressure (BP) control; combining angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) represents one possible approach"
• Rationale for double renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade - Am J Cardiol. 2007 Aug 6;100(3A):25J-31J - "The clinical benefits of both angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) extend beyond blood pressure reduction to encompass tissue-protective effects in target organs, such as the heart, vasculature, and kidneys, that underlie the reductions in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity seen in large outcome trials. However, these effects are achieved by different mechanisms. ACE inhibitors reduce circulating and tissue angiotensin II levels and potentiate the beneficial effects of bradykinin, including generation of nitric oxide (NO). By contrast, the protective effects of ARBs are owing to the blockade of the angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptors and possibly also to the stimulation of angiotensin II type 2 (AT(2)) receptors, again resulting in NO release. In addition, some ARBs, such as telmisartan, are selective activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), thereby increasing insulin sensitivity. In contrast to other PPAR-gamma ligands, such as the thiazolidinediones, activation of this receptor by telmisartan does not result in weight gain. The complementary mechanisms of action of ACE inhibitors and ARBs create a rationale for combination therapy in high-risk patients"
• New opportunities in cardiovascular patient management: a survey of clinical data on the combination of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers - Am J Cardiol. 2007 Aug 6;100(3A):45J-52J - "Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) differ in their actions on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). ACE inhibitors prevent the formation of angiotensin II, although angiotensin II may still be generated by alternative pathways. However, ACE inhibitors interrupt bradykinin breakdown, which in turn potentially enhances nitric oxide and prostacyclin mechanisms. In contrast, ARBs selectively prevent the binding of angiotensin II to the angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptor while leaving the potentially beneficial effects of the AT(2) receptor unaffected. The supposition is that dual blockade of the RAAS effectively overcomes the harmful effects of angiotensin II mediated by the AT(1) receptor while offering the additional effects of the ACE inhibitor"
• Do we use an ACE, an ARB, or both? What clinical trials tell us - Patient Care, 4/1/05 - "Combining ACEs and ARBs can improve outcomes, particularly for patients with heart failure and those who have hypertension with diabetes"
• Impact of Telmisartan Versus Ramipril on Renal Endothelial Function in Patients with Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2007 Mar 2 - "In patients with type 2 diabetes telmisartan and ramipril both increased NO activity of the renal endothelium significantly that in turn may support the preservation of cardiovascular and renal function"
• Addition of an angiotensin receptor blocker to full-dose ACE-inhibition: controversial or common sense? - Eur Heart J. 2005 Nov;26(22):2361-7 - "combination of a full-dose ACE-inhibitor and an ARB can be a rational choice in selected patients" - [full article]
• Combination ACE inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker therapy - future considerations - J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007 Jan;9(1):78-86. - "The individual gains seen with each of these drug classes have led to speculation that their combination might offer additive if not synergistic outcome benefits. The foundation of this hypothesis, although biologically possible, has thus far not been sufficiently well proven to support the everyday use of these 2 drug classes in combination. Additional outcomes trials, which are currently proceeding to their conclusion, may provide the necessary proof to support an expanded use of these 2 drug classes in combination"
• Do ACE inhibitors and ARBs mix well? Analysis urges caution - theheart.org, 10/10/07 - "patients receiving both an ACE inhibitor and an ARB were more likely not to comply with therapy due to side effects, which included hypotension, cough, angioedema, worsening renal function as defined by a change in serum creatinine >0.5 mg/dL, hyperkalemia as defined by serum potassium level changes >5.5 mEq/L, and symptomatic hypotension"
• See telmisartan and ramipril at OffshoreRx1.comor SuperSaverMeds.com/a>.