Latest news with #UVAHealth
Hans India
28-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Low-cost HIV drug to improve vision in patients with common diabetes complication
New Delhi: An inexpensive, long-approved HIV drug can improve vision in patients with a blinding complication of diabetes more effectively, according to preliminary results of a clinical trial. The drug, lamivudine, could represent an important new option for millions of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) -- a condition affecting about one in 14 people with diabetes. It causes fluid to build up in the retina of the eye and affects vision. As the drug is taken orally it potentially offers patients an alternative to monthly injections directly into their eyes, said the researchers from the University of Virginia in the US. "The mechanism of action of lamivudine is also different from that of existing treatments, so we could also develop combination therapies," said researcher Jayakrishna Ambati, from UVA Health's Center for Advanced Vision Science. The researchers explained that lamivudine is effective against DME because it blocks the activity of inflammasomes -- important agents of our immune systems. Inflammasomes normally act as sensors of infections, but they have also been implicated in the development of DME. For the study, published in the journal Med, the researchers enrolled two dozen adults with DME in a small randomised clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either lamivudine or a harmless placebo, in addition to injections of the drug bevacizumab into their eyes starting after four weeks. Participants who received lamivudine showed significant vision improvements even before their first eye injections. Their ability to read letters on an eye chart improved by 9.8 letters (about 2 lines on the eye chart) at four weeks, while the participants receiving a placebo saw their ability decrease by 1.8 letters. A month after the bevacizumab injections, the lamivudine recipients had improved by a whopping 16.9 letters (more than 3 lines on the eye chart), while the placebo group, receiving bevacizumab alone, had increased by only 5.3. The results suggest that lamivudine may work both alone and in conjunction with bevacizumab injections, though larger studies will be needed to bear that out, the researchers said. Lamivudine alone could be life-changing for patients in many areas of the world with limited access to specialty doctors or who are unable to afford or travel to monthly eye appointments, Ambati said, while calling for more trials of lamivudine with larger numbers of patients.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Virginia health officials confirm state's second case of measles in teen
The Brief A second case of measles has been confirmed in Virginia. State health officials say the patient is a teen between the ages of 13 and 17. There are several potential exposure sites that you can see below. RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the state's second case of measles. They say the patient is a teenager between the ages of 13 and 17 in the Northwest region who recently traveled internationally. What you need to know Below are the dates, times, and locations of potential exposure sites in Virginia: Charlottesville Albemarle Airport on Tuesday, May 20 between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Play it Again Sports, located at 1885 Seminole Trail in Charlottesville on Tuesday, May 20 from 2:40 p.m. to 5 p.m. Goodwill Store and Donation Center, located at 440 Gander Drive in Charlottesville on Tuesday, May 20 from 3:10 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. UVA Health Primary Care Riverside, located at 2335 Seminole Lane, Suite 200 in Charlottesville on Thursday, May 22 from 2 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. UVA Health University Medical Center Emergency Department, located at 1215 Lee St. in Charlottesville on Friday, May 23 from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Dig deeper The state's first case of measles was diagnosed in April. The infected patient was a child up to four years old who recently traveled internationally prior to testing positive. The potential exposure site in that case was a Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center Advanced Urgent Care in Northern Virginia. Health officials said the child had visited the center while contagious. Why you should care Measles is highly contagious all year round. The Virginia Department of Health says anyone exposed is considered to "be at risk of developing measles and should contact their healthcare provider immediately." The Virginia Department of Health goes on to say those exposed should watch for symptoms for three weeks after the date of the potential exposure. Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose and watery eyes before a rash appears on the face and body. If symptoms of measles are noticed, the person exposed should immediately self-isolate by staying home.
Medical News Today
12-05-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Alzheimer's: HIV drugs may offer ‘significant' protection
New research suggests that HIV drugs may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's. Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images Researchers at UVA Health have found that a class of HIV drugs called nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) may significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Their large-scale analysis of United States health insurance data revealed that patients taking these medications had up to a 13% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease each year. Based on these findings, the team is calling for clinical trials to test whether these drugs could be used to help prevent Alzheimer's. In their new research, they found that people taking these medications are significantly less likely to develop the condition. The team had earlier discovered a possible biological mechanism explaining how the drugs might offer protection against Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia, responsible for approximately 60% to 80% of all cases in the United States. It most commonly begins in individuals ages 65 and older. Motivated by this, the researchers examined two major U.S. health insurance databases and found that the risk of developing Alzheimer's dropped by 6% per year in one dataset and by 13% per year in the other among patients on NRTIs. Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, founding director of UVA's Centre for Advanced Vision Science and a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and senior of the study, explained the key findings to Medical News Today : 'We analysed health insurance databases of tens of millions of people and made the surprising discovery that people taking a group of anti-HIV drugs called NRTIs had a ~10% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease for every year that they took these drugs.' — Jayakrishna Ambati, MD NRTIs are commonly used to stop HIV from replicating in the body. However, Jayakrishna Ambati and his research team had previously found that these drugs also block the activation of inflammasomes, key immune system components that have been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease. This discovery led them to investigate whether patients taking NRTIs, which also treat hepatitis B, might have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. To explore this, the team analysed long-term health data from two major U.S. sources: 24 years of records from the Veterans Health Administration, which predominantly includes male patients, and 14 years from the MarketScan database, which covers a more diverse, commercially insured population. They focused on individuals ages 50 and older who were being treated for HIV or hepatitis B and who had no prior diagnosis of Alzheimer's. The researchers identified over 270,000 qualifying patients and assessed how many later developed Alzheimer's. After accounting for potential confounding factors, such as existing health conditions, they found that those taking NRTIs experienced a marked and meaningful reduction in Alzheimer's risk. The researchers observed that the reduced risk of Alzheimer's was specific to patients taking NRTIs and was not seen in those using other types of HIV medications. This distinction led them to conclude that NRTIs should be formally tested in clinical trials to assess their potential to prevent Alzheimer's disease. If proven effective, the impact could be substantial. With nearly 7 million Americans currently affected by Alzheimer's and projections indicating that number could double to 13 million by 2050, the need for preventive treatments is growing. In addition, the financial burden is expected to rise sharply, with the annual cost of care for Alzheimer's and related dementias projected to increase from $384 billion today to nearly $1 trillion in the coming decades, according to the Alzheimer's Association. 'It's estimated that 10 million people develop Alzheimer's disease around the world every year. A 10% reduction in risk could have a dramatic effect on the impact and burden of Alzheimer's,' Dr Ambati explained. 'There are some ongoing clinical trials of NRTIs in Alzheimer's disease that are showing some interesting anti-inflammatory effects. Since NRTIs can have some rare but serious side effects, we have developed a modified version called K9 that has the beneficial anti-inflammatory effect without those side effects. K9 is already in clinical for eye diseases, and we are planning to start trials in Alzheimer's disease as well.' — Jayakrishna Ambati James Giordano, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Biochemistry, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, who was not involved in the research, told MNT that 'this is an interesting retrospective study.' 'It provides evidence that use of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) that have been used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and which inhibit development of inflammasomes, is positively correlated to a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease.' 'This is noteworthy in that several lines of converging evidence have shown that bodily and cerebral inflammatory states can induce production of both tau and amyloid proteins in brain that are contributory to the pathology of [Alzheimer's],' Giordano added. 'Inflammasomes are cellular proteins that aggregate and form discrete structures both in response to tau and amyloid aggregation, as well as following certain viral and bacterial infections, trauma, alterations in immune function, and exposure to various stressful environmental factors.' —James Giordano, PhD 'Inflammasomes induce changes in mitochondrial function, cell metabolism, calcium regulation, can contribute to the formation of neural plaques and tangles, and can induce a form of cell death, which has been implied in the genesis of Alzheimer's,' Giordano explained. Inflammation, NRTIs, and Alzheimer's 'This study strengthens the hypothesis that inflammasome-mediated inflammatory processes are operative in Alzheimer's and offers potential direction for the development of NRTI type drugs and molecular agents aimed at mitigating inflammasome development as a viable treatment – or perhaps preventive intervention – for Alzheimer's.' —James Giordano, PhD
Fox News
05-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Pharma's plastic prescription bottle problem gets a paper solution
Have you ever stopped to think about what happens to those little orange pill bottles after you finish your prescription? Every year, around 200 billion of these bottles are produced worldwide, and sadly most of them end up in landfills. In the U.S. alone, about 4 to 5 billion plastic pill bottles are thrown away each year. That's enough plastic to circle the Earth multiple times. While they might seem harmless, these bottles contribute significantly to the growing plastic pollution crisis because they're often not recycled properly. Join The FREE "CyberGuy Report": Get my expert tech tips, critical security alerts and exclusive deals, plus instant access to my free "Ultimate Scam Survival Guide" when you sign up. Plastic has become the go-to material for packaging, including in medicine, because it's cheap, durable and easy to produce. However, the environmental cost is huge, and the pharmaceutical industry has struggled to find a sustainable alternative. Enter the Tully Tube, a revolutionary new pill bottle made mostly from 100% sustainably sourced paper. Developed by Parcel Health, this isn't just any paper bottle. It's the first one to meet the strict U.S. FDA regulations for food-contact packaging, making it safe to use for prescription medications. What makes the Tully Tube really impressive is how it balances sustainability with practicality. The body of the bottle is made from recyclable and compostable paper, which means it can break down naturally instead of piling up in landfills. The cap, which needs to be child-resistant for safety, is still made from plastic but uses recycled materials to reduce its environmental impact. You might be wondering how a paper bottle can protect pills from moisture, heat or damage during shipping. The Tully Tube uses a clever three-layer construction. It's coated with a food-safe compostable layer that keeps water and humidity out, ensuring your medication stays fresh and effective. When it's time to toss the bottle, a patented pull tab makes it easy to separate the paper body from the plastic cap and neck. This means the paper part can be composted or recycled, while the plastic pieces can be recycled separately. It's a simple but smart way to make sure every part of the bottle is handled properly at the end of its life. One of the biggest hurdles for sustainable packaging is cost. Fortunately, the Tully Tube is priced competitively with traditional plastic bottles, so pharmacies don't have to pay more to go green. Plus, because the paper surface is easier and cheaper to print on, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies can customize the bottles with logos, designs or even characters to make the packaging more engaging for customers. From an environmental perspective, the Tully Tube reduces carbon emissions by about 30% compared to plastic bottles. That's a significant cut in greenhouse gases, especially when you consider the billions of bottles used every year. UVA Health is already leading the way by rolling out Tully Tubes across its system. This move is expected to eliminate millions of plastic bottles from their waste stream, showcasing how sustainable packaging can work even in industries with strict safety and regulatory standards. Their example proves that eco-friendly alternatives aren't just theoretical, they're ready for real-world use today. The Tully Tube may seem like a small innovation, but it has the potential to make a huge environmental difference. It challenges the longstanding reliance on plastic in the pharmaceutical industry by offering a practical, safe and sustainable alternative. As more hospitals and pharmacies consider adopting this new packaging, the impact could be enormous. Would you be open to using a paper pill bottle instead of the traditional plastic one? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
High doses of vitamin A may be toxic, warns UVA Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center
CHARLOTTESVILLE – With several regions in the United States experiencing a surge of measles cases, misinformation about how to prevent and treat it is causing some people to overdose on vitamin A, cautions UVA Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center in a press release. Consuming too much vitamin A can cause a range of health effects, including liver damage. Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe health complications, and even death, particularly in children. Symptoms may include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body. More: Hardest hit by United Way's closure, here's how much 13 nonprofits lost and what they do There is no specific cure for measles. Treatment primarily focuses on providing comfort and relief from the symptoms. Under the supervision of a healthcare provider, vitamin A may be given to boost the body's ability to fight infection, particularly in patients who are malnourished and may have a vitamin A deficiency. This has led to a misunderstanding that large doses of vitamin A can cure or prevent measles. This is not true, said UVA's Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center. People who try to treat themselves with vitamin A are at risk for hypervitaminosisA, or vitamin A poisoning. Because vitamin A is fat soluble, the body stores excess amounts. If too much vitamin A is stored, it can become toxic. Poison centers across the United States typically receive 400 to 500 calls per year related to vitamin A, and the Blue Ridge Poison Center is concerned that figure could increase this year, it said. 'When it comes to taking any medicine or supplement, including vitamins, more is not necessarily better,' said Christopher Holstege, medical director of UVA Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center. 'Unless a person has a diagnosed deficiency, or some other health condition, and a health professional has advised the extra supplement and is monitoring their care, taking doses of vitamins greater than the recommended daily amount can be harmful.' According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best protection against measles is the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective. More: Wawa groundbreaking held with timelines announced for new Staunton and Fishersville stores This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: High doses of vitamin A may be toxic, warns UVA Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center
