Children with autism use EASe Funhouse video game to learn to cope with noise, experiences in the real world

The new therapeutic PC video game EASe Funhouse Treasure Hunt from Vision Audio Inc. uses 3-D video game technology to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) learn to cope with noise and improve sensory processing.

“All of us experience the world through our physical senses but an autistic child has trouble filtering and processing this continuous flow of information,” said Bill Mueller, president of Vision Audio in Joppa, Maryland. “The EASe game and its music soundtrack helps children on the autism spectrum learn to cope with sounds and experiences in the real world.”

A child with an autism spectrum disorder can be easily over stimulated by the environment. A touch may feel like a burn, lights may be blinding, sounds deafening, smells repugnant. Some autistic children may appear deaf or develop perseverant behaviors like hand flapping. Others may have difficulty with proprioception and balance. These reactions are well known to parents of children on the autism spectrum.

Vision Audio has been helping autistic children cope with sensory issues since 1995. EASe (Electronic Auditory Stimulation effect) music CDs were the original disc-based listening therapy program, designed to stimulate, challenge and promote healthy sensory processing in children with an ASD. Tens of thousands of therapists have successfully used EASe music CDs with their clients, according to Mueller, who also designs systems engineering and integration tools for the NASA Constellation program.

EASe video games are the first high-quality, 3-D PC video games designed as therapeutic teaching tools for children on the autism spectrum. Therapists have clinically tested EASe video games since 2007 with positive results.

“There is great value in the music, visual tracking, motor control and visual-vestibular input components of the EASe program,” said therapist Wendy Aeling of Waconia, Minnesota. “The CD wraps so many good therapeutic qualities into one fun video game. Kids love it and frequently ask to use it.”

EASe Funhouse Treasure Hunt is designed to stimulate, but not over-stimulate, a child who is challenged by sensory processing and organization.

“Our goal is to balance the child’s sensory experiences,” said Bill Mueller, president of Vision Audio in Joppa, Maryland. “Too much stimulation can result in fight-or-flight responses. Too little stimulation and we won’t get past the child’s existing sensory defense mechanisms.”

“Over time, the sensory events in the virtual world of the EASe video game will create a palette of experiences that help the child learn to cope with similar events in the real world. For example, a child can learn to associate crowd noise with the positive experience of playing a ball game. Bouncing around in the vehicles can teach them to manage their own visual orientation and balance in the real world.”

EASe Funhouse Treasure Hunt is an exciting and nonviolent video game that reinforces organization and attention through stimulation of the auditory/vestibular/visual triad. The video game encourages the child to listen and follow verbal and on-screen directions to scan the environment and to collect letters, words, faces and object treasures.

In EASe Funhouse, the player controls a tiny toy tractor careening through a topsy-turvy toy land, collecting treasures and listening to EASe therapeutic music. The game is set in six virtual playrooms, each presenting unique challenges. One playroom has elevators and three vertical levels to explore. In another, the player looks down through mesh panels onto a spacious environment. The child always controls his or her movement through the virtual world.

The educational aspect of the game is simple and effective. A treasure is shown on the screen and the child is instructed to find and tag it in the 3-D world. Treasures include words, dot cards (quantity), images of human faces (male, female, happy, sad, laughing, frightened, etc.), colors and geometric shapes. Features such as ball games challenge a child’s hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.

“EASe Funhouse is a teaching rather than a testing environment,” said Mueller. “The game encourages the child to follow directions, attend and focus, explore and learn, but they’re never tested on what they know or don’t know.”

Instead, teaching is presented as a simple gift of knowledge. A soothing voice says to “Find the six red dots.” If the child tags a happy man instead, the voice says, “That is a happy man. Find the six red dots.” Information is visually reinforced, creating a mental image map from which the child can recall, when later asked to find the “happy man.”

EASe Funhouse Treasure Hunt is appropriate for children six and up, but younger children can benefit from sitting on a parent’s lap, wearing headphones, while the parent “drives.”

A free demo of EASe Funhouse can be downloaded at www.easecd.com along with more information and research studies on EASe technology. Price is $39.00 plus $4 shipping and handling, from Vision Audio Inc., (410) 679-1605, 611 Anchor Drive Joppa MD 21085.

Click for other EASe games

The music they listen to doesn’t have any lyrics that tell them to grow, but new research from Tel Aviv University finds that premature babies who are exposed to music by 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gain weight faster “” and therefore become stronger “” than those who don’t.

A new study carried out by Dr. Dror Mandel and Dr. Ronit Lubetzky of the Tel Aviv Medical Center affiliated with Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine has found that pre-term infants exposed to thirty minutes of Mozart’s music in one session, once per day expend less energy “” and therefore need fewer calories to grow rapidly “” than when they are not “listening” to the music.

“It’s not exactly clear how the music is affecting them, but it makes them calmer and less likely to be agitated,” says Dr. Mendel, a lecturer at Tel Aviv University.

In the study, Dr. Mandel and Dr. Lubetzky and their team measured the physiological effects of music by Mozart played to pre-term newborns for 30 minutes. After the music was played, the researchers measured infants’ energy expenditure again, and compared it to the amount of energy expended when the baby was at rest. After “hearing” the music, the infant expended less energy, a process that can lead to faster weight gain.

A “musical environment” for preemies

When it comes to preemies, one of the main priorities for doctors is to get the baby up to an acceptable body weight so he or she can be sent home. At the hospital, preterm babies may be exposed to infections and other illnesses, and a healthy body weight keeps them immune to other problems in the future.

While the scientists are not sure what occasioned the response, Dr. Mandel offers one hypothesis. “The repetitive melodies in Mozart’s music may be affecting the organizational centers of the brain’s cortex,” he says. “Unlike Beethoven, Bach or Bartok, Mozart’s music is composed with a melody that is highly repetitive. This might be the musical explanation. For the scientific one, more investigation is needed.”

The study came about through an international project led by the U.S.-based consortium NIDCAP, whose goal is to create a set of standard practices to optimize the health and well-being of neonates. A number of environmental effects, such as tactile stimulation and room lighting, are already known to affect the survival and health of these very susceptible babies.

The TAU study is the first to quantify the effect of music, specifically Mozart, on newly born children. “Medical practitioners are aware that by changing the environment, we can create a whole new treatment paradigm for babies in neonatal care,” says Dr. Mandel. “That’s our main goal “” to improve their quality of life.

“The point of our research is to quantify these effects so that standards and care-guides can be developed. We still don’t know the long-term effects of the music, or if other kinds of music will work just as well.”

Is music “brain food” too?

The research is based on a controversial 1993 study showing that college students improved their IQs by listening to a Mozart sonata for 10 minutes. When the study was reported, parents in the U.S. started buying Mozart CDs, hoping to boost their children’s brainpower.

Soon the Israeli researchers will start exploring different kinds of music to see if they can measure any similar effects on premature babies. One Israeli researcher suggested that rap music might evoke the same response as Mozart, since the pulsating and repetitive frequency in Mozart’s music can be found in contemporary urban music as well.

The researchers will also survey mothers to discover what kind of music their babies were exposed to in the womb. They will then expose other neonates to the same music to scientifically verify any effect. The pieces to be played to the preterm babies will include ethnic music, rap music, pop music, and, of course, classical music like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, says Dr. Mandel.

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On the Net:

• Tel Aviv University
• NIDCAP

Human genomes carry traces of a 40-million-year-old animal virus that supposedly infected their ancestors, reported AFP.

Research published on Wednesday by the British science journal Nature said the invader is called bornavirus, a pathogen first identified in 1970s that infects the brain.

Keizo Tomonaga of Japan’s Osaka University headed up a team of scientists as they compared the DNA of a range of mammals, including humans, apes, elephants, marsupials and rodents, to look for markers of bornavirus code.

The team found several bornavirus fragments in the human genome in the form of two genes that may be functional, though they are still not clear on what they do.

Previously, the only viruses known to have been passed on in vertebrates were retroviruses, which work by commandeering cellular biological equipment in order to reproduce.

Retroviruses permeate the germline, or the DNA of reproductive cells, meaning at least part of their sequence is passed on to subsequent generations.

Some estimate that retroviruses are responsible for up to eight percent of the human genetic code for life.

Bornavirus, on the other hand, is a bit more furtive in its mode of operation; it replicates in the nucleus of infected cells.

Its name comes from the German town of Borna, where a regiment of cavalry horses was killed in 1885 by a mysterious “heated head” disease.

Following research also discovered the disease among sheep, llamas, ostriches, cats and cattle, although it is not well understood how it spreads.

The effect of the bornavirus on human genes will likely be up for dispute.

The greater question at hand is whether it gave potential cause of genetic mutation or innovation in our species, or if it provided a source for inherited illness or protection from illness.

While bornavirus has not been clearly linked to diseases in humans, some researchers theorize that there could be a connection to schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

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On the Net:

• Nature
• Osaka University
• 3D Model of Bornavirus Courtesy Wikipedia

A study in England has shown that a computerized, interactive weighing device that helps kids keep track of how much and how quickly they are eating may be the future in helping to prevent childhood obesity.

Known as the Mandometer, the medical gadget weighs a plate of food at the beginning of a meal and then measures and tracks the rate at which the food is being consumed, giving voice signals to slow down if the child is scarfing down his food too quickly.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) recently released the results of a 12-month trial of the device with 106 obese children. 

The researchers said that their findings were encouraging, noting that after 1 year, the eating speed of the children fell by 11 percent compared to 4 percent in a control group, while the children using the Mandometer also weighed less and ate smaller portions.

Health experts have long emphasized the correlation between rapid eating and obesity, but in recent years biologists have begun gaining a better understanding of the biochemistry behind the phenomenon.

Scientists say that eating too quickly likely overrides the body’s internal satiety-signaling system that lets the brain know when the stomach is full.

Many dietary experts suspect that parents in the Western hemisphere “” who often train their children to “eat every last bite” on their plates “” may be helping their child’s body to override this natural bio-signaling system.

Researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute originally designed the Mandometer to help patients with the eating disorder bulimia to pace their binging habits.

The device works by creating a digital graph of the rate at which food is being consumed from the plate and then comparing it with an “ideal” graph that is pre-programmed into the machine by a nutritionist.  The machine also talks to the eater, reminding them when they need to slow down.

Scientists at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children heard of the Swedish-designed gadget and were inspired to try it out on obese youth.

The projects chief researcher Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield believes that the Mandometer proved a significant benefit in retraining children to eat more slowly and consequently less.

“It really did seem to help them,” he said. “Their portion sizes decreased by a seventh. Even though this may not sound a lot, it is enough to make a difference.”

“And the improvement seems to be durable because it continued six months after the trial finished,” he added.

Dr. Hamilton-Shield advises that people spend a minimum of 10 minutes eating a meal and adds that it is much healthier to sit at a table instead of in front of the television.

“What tends to happen when we eat alone or while watching the TV is we eat more quickly. Then we miss the signals that tell us we are full up and to stop eating.”

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum believes that while the Mandometer could be a useful tool in helping obese children return to normalcy, it could be avoided altogether if parents would just teach their children healthy eating habits from the start.

“Parents should be able to teach their children to do this themselves. The tragedy is [that] they do not,” she said.

“We have far too many children eating far too much and piling on the pounds, causing future problems not only for themselves but also for the NHS (Britain’s National Health Service).”

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On the Net:

• BMJ Article
• Karolinska Institute
• Bristol Royal Hospital for Children

Cornell study shows we pour too little or too much medicine, depending on spoon size

A new study published in the Jan. 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine illustrates the dangers of using kitchen spoons to measure liquid medicine.

Former cold and flu sufferers were asked to pour one teaspoon of nighttime flu medicine into kitchen spoons of differing sizes. Depending upon the size of the spoon, the 195 former patients poured an average of eight percent too little or 12 percent too much medicine.

“When pouring into a medium-size tablespoon, participants under-dosed. But when using a larger spoon, they poured too much medicine,” said Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, who led the study.

“Twelve percent more may not sound like a lot, but this goes on every four to eight hours, for up to four days,” Wansink explained. “So it really adds up””to the point of ineffectiveness or even danger.”

Visual illusions and spatial relationships are familiar topics in Wansink’s work in food and eating behavior. In his book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, he shows how smaller plates can unknowingly decrease how much people eat, and how taller glasses can decrease the amount of alcohol poured by even expert bartenders.

“Simply put, we cannot always trust our ability to estimate amounts,” said the study’s co-author, Dr. Koert van Ittersum, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Georgia Tech. “In some cases it may not be important, but when it comes to the health of you or your child, it is vital to make an accurate measurement.”

Wansink and van Ittersum recommend using a proper device””a measuring cap or dropper, or dosing spoon or syringe””to measure liquid medicine.

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Image Caption: Research led by Dr. Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food & Brand Lab, shows we should not rely upon kitchen spoons when measuring liquid medicine. Here, Dr. Wansink conducts a test pour in the lab’s kitchen. Credit: Jason Koski

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On the Net:

• Cornell Food & Brand Lab
• More information about this study can be found at www.FoodPsychology.cornell.edu/medicinespoons.html
• Annals of Internal Medicine

In the year 2000, government health officials set some pretty hefty health goals for Americans to reach by 2010.

We, as Americans, didn’t meet these goals the way we should have.

Obesity rates are higher, more people have high blood pressure, we eat twice as much fast food with fat and salt, and more children go without proper dental care.

However, aside from the negative, we have made some positive efforts. There are fewer death rates from cancer and stroke, and vaccination rates are improving.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reassesses goals every 10 years and documents the progress made. Officials are taking the data they collected from the past 10 years to make a new set of health goals to be met by 2020.

An advisory panel of experts has recommended that the new goals be more realistic. They also hope to make it more inviting to the public.

A project called Healthy People was created in the 1970s to let people know that most health issues are preventable.

Dr. Howard Koh, the federal health official who oversees the project, told the Associated Press (AP), “We need to strike a balance of setting targets that are achievable and also ask the country to reach.”

“That’s a balance that’s sometimes a challenge to strike,” he added.

Although health agency workers have memorized the goals, the public isn’t very familiar with them.

“It is something that we think about all the time,” Dr. Lance Rodewald, a vaccination expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told AP.

In 1990s, 41 percent of the goals were achieved, and only 24 percent were achieved for the 2000 goals.

The CDC analysis of the past 10 years, which won’t be released until 2011, shows that only about 20 percent of goals were reached.

For example: One goal was for the percentage of obese people to drop to 15 percent, when at the time nearly a quarter of all adults overweight. According to the latest federal statistics, about 34 percent of adults are obese now.

Some other negative statistics include:

-In 2002, high blood pressure percentages dropped 16 percent from 28 percent, then shot up 20 percent according to recent data.

-The percentage of infants born very small and fragile increased.

-A goal of 9 percent was issued for young children without dental care in 2000 and instead of decreasing, the number rose 20 percent.

To many health officials, simply making progress is a victory.

“That’s evidence of a healthier nation,” Koh said.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding and others want to make a Healthy People 2020 website to provide the public with sources for nutrition and exercise advice.

“We want to make 2020 a blueprint everyone can rally behind,” Fielding said.

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On the Net:

• Department of Health and Human Services
• Healthy People
• CDC

Scientists say one cigarette can take anywhere from 11-14 minutes off your life. Now think about lighting up right after having a heart attack, when your body is at its weakest.

A new study shows people who stop smoking after having a heart attack live longer than people who keep up the dirty habit.

Over 1,500 people were studied for 13 years after surviving a heart attack. Israeli researchers found that compared with first-time heart attack sufferers who continued to smoke, those who quit were 37 percent less likely to die during the study.

People who have never smoked in their life were 43 percent less likely to die than persistent smokers.

The study included 1,521 adults age 65 and older who were treated at one of eight Israeli hospitals for a first-time heart attack in 1992 or 1993. At the time, 27 percent had never smoked, 20 percent were former smokers, and more than half were current smokers. After hospital discharge, a majority of smokers tried to quit; 35 percent managed to remain continuously abstinent over the next 10 to 13 years.

During the 13-year period, 427 people died. The risk was greatest among those who had continued to smoke, even with factors like obesity, exercise habits, education and income, and overall health taken into account.

A survival advantage was found for people who instead of completely quitting, managed to cut down on the amount of cigarettes they smoked.

Of the 381 patients who continued to smoke, the risk of dying during the study period declined by 11 percent for every five daily cigarettes they cut out.

These findings are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Smoking-cessation counseling has been suggested to lower further complications for people who have suffered a heart attack and have not quit smoking.

Dr. Yariv Gerber, from Tel Aviv University, told Reuters, “Smokers who have had a heart attack should be provided with appropriate interventions to help them quit.”

Researchers note that the benefits of quitting, either before or after a heart attack, are at least as great as those of other common therapies to prevent further heart problems — including cholesterol lowering, and use of aspirin and beta-blocker medications, which lower the risk of death by anywhere from 15 percent to 29 percent.

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On the Net:

• Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Tel Aviv University

Music therapy designed for certain individuals may help reduce noise feedback in people suffering from tinnitus, or ear ringing, German scientists said on Monday.

The researchers helped patients by designing and adapting their tastes of music and then stripping out the sound frequencies that matched the individual’s tinnitus frequency.

After listening to these specially-tuned musical therapies for one year, patients reported a distinct decrease in the loudness of the ringing compared with those who had listened to non-altered placebo music.

Tinnitus is a common hearing problem in industrialized countries and the ear-ringing can often be loud enough to impair the quality of life in one to three percent of the general population.

A European Union (EU) health panel expressed concern in January about the potential for hearing damage caused by young people playing their MP3 players too loud. The EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks warned that listening to personal music devices at high volumes for long periods of time could cause hearing loss and tinnitus. The warning prompted the European Commission to issue a new safe volume standard for MP3 players.

Christo Pantev of the Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis at Westfalian Wilhelms-University, Germany, who led the study, said that “an enjoyable, low-cost, custom tailored notched music treatment” could significantly diminish the impairment from tinnitus.

The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

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On the Net:

• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Accelerated approval process used in vaccine approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved Fluzone High-Dose, an inactivated influenza virus vaccine for people ages 65 years and older to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B.

People in this age group are at highest risk for seasonal influenza complications, which may result in hospitalization and death. Annual vaccination remains the best protection from influenza, particularly for people 65 and older.

Fluzone High-Dose was approved via the accelerated approval pathway. FDA’s accelerated approval pathway helps safe and effective medical products for serious or life-threatening diseases become available sooner. In clinical studies, Fluzone High-Dose demonstrated an enhanced immune response compared with Fluzone in individuals 65 and older.

As part of the accelerated approval process, the manufacturer is required to conduct further studies to verify that the Fluzone High-Dose will decrease seasonal influenza disease after vaccination.

“As people grow older, their immune systems typically become weaker,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “This is the first influenza vaccine that uses a higher dose to induce a stronger immune response that is intended to better protect the elderly against seasonal influenza.”

Fluzone High-Dose, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc., is formulated so that each 0.5 mL dose contains a total of 180 micrograms (mcg) of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) which is made up of 60 mcg of each of the three influenza virus strains.

Other currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines for adults are formulated to contain a total of 45 mcg of influenza virus hemagglutinin (15 mcg HA from each of the three influenza strains per dose). Sanofi Pasteur, also manufactures Fluzone, a seasonal vaccine for the United States approved for use in individuals ages 6 months and older.

As expected, because of the higher HA content, non-serious adverse events were more frequent after vaccination with Fluzone High-Dose compared with Fluzone. Common adverse events experienced during clinical studies included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site and headache, muscle aches, fever and malaise. The rate of serious adverse events was comparable between Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone.

People with hypersensitivity to egg proteins or life-threatening reactions after previous administration of any influenza vaccine should not be vaccinated with Fluzone High-Dose.

Fluzone High-Dose is administered as a single injection in the upper arm and is available in single dose pre-filled syringes without preservative.

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On the Net:

• FDA Web Page on Vaccines, Blood & Biologics

Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on December 24th by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.

Over the past few years, we have learned that adult cells can be reprogrammed into cells with characteristics similar to embryonic stem cells by turning on a select set of genes. Although the reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have tremendous potential for regenerative medicine, the conversion is extremely inefficient.

“The low efficiency of the reprogramming process has hampered progress with this technology and is indicative of how little we understand it. Further, this process is most challenging in human cells, raising a significant barrier for producing iPSCs and serious concerns about the quality of the cells that are generated,” explains senior study author Dr. Duanqing Pei from the South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Pei and colleagues measured the production of reactive oxygen species or ROS during reprogramming and discovered a potential link between high ROS and low reprogramming efficiency. They became particularly interested in antioxidants, hypothesizing that they might suppress ROS and cell senescence, which seems to be a major roadblock for the generation of iPSCs.

The researchers found that adding vitamin C, an essential nutrient that is abundant in citrus fruits, enhanced iPSC generation from both mouse and human cells. Vitamin C accelerated gene expression changes and promoted a more efficient transition to the fully reprogrammed state. Somewhat to their surprise, they found that other antioxidants do not have the same effect, but vitamin C does seem to act at least in part through slowing cell senescence.

“Our results highlight a simple way to improve iPSC generation and provide additional insight into the mechanistic basis of reprogramming,” concludes Dr. Pei. “It is also of interest that a vitamin with long-suspected anti-aging effects has such a potent influence on reprogramming, which can be considered a reversal of the aging process at the cellular level. It is likely that our work may stimulate further research in this area as well.”

The researchers include Miguel Angel Esteban, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Tao Wang, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Baoming Qin, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Jiayin Yang, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Dajiang Qin, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Jinglei Cai, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Wen Li1, Zhihui Weng, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Su Ni, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Keshi Chen, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Yuan Li, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Xiaopeng Liu, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Jianyong Xu, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Shiqiang Zhang, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Feng Li, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Wenzhi He1, Krystyna Labuda, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Clinical and Experimental Traumatology, Vienna, Austria, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria, Yancheng Song, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria; Anja Peterbauer, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria, Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria, Linz, Austria; Susanne Wolbank, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Clinical and Experimental Traumatology, Vienna, Austria, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria, Heinz Redl, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Clinical and Experimental Traumatology, Vienna, Austria, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria, Daozhang Cai, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria; Lingwen Zeng, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China; and Duanqing Pei, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.

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On the Net:

• Cell Press
• Cell Stem Cell

The Food and Drug Administration stated in a December 4 letter that Swiss food giant Nestle made misleading claims about the health benefits of some of its children’s beverages.

Nestle made unauthorized nutrient content claims about its Juicy Juice Brain Development Fruit Juice Beverage, Juicy Juice All-Natural 100% Juice Orange Tangerine and Juicy Juice All-Natural 100% Juice Grape.

The FDA reported that the company used the statement “no sugar added” on its brain development drink. That claim is not permitted on any food intended for children under the age of 2, according to the FDA.

Nestle confirmed that they had received the letter from the FDA and are intending to fully cooperate with the FDA to resolve the issue.

In a December 3 letter, the FDA also claimed that Nestle’s Boost Kid Essentials Nutritionally Complete Drink, in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavors, was promoted as “medical food” but did not have the proper requirements to meet that claim.

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On the Net:

• FDA Recently Posted Warning Letters

A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and was carried out at The University of Nottingham.

In research to be published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dr Cornelia de Moor of The University of Nottingham and her team have investigated a drug called cordycepin, which was originally extracted from a rare kind of wild mushroom called cordyceps and is now prepared from a cultivated form.

Dr de Moor said: “Our discovery will open up the possibility of investigating the range of different cancers that could be treated with cordycepin. We have also developed a very effective method that can be used to test new, more efficient or more stable versions of the drug in the Petri dish. This is a great advantage as it will allow us to rule out any non-runners before anyone considers testing them in animals.”

Cordyceps is a strange parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars (see image). Properties attributed to cordyceps mushroom in Chinese medicine made it interesting to investigate and it has been studied for some time. In fact, the first scientific publication on cordycepin was in 1950. The problem was that although cordycepin was a promising drug, it was quickly degraded in the body. It can now be given with another drug to help combat this, but the side effects of the second drug are a limit to its potential use.

Dr de Moor continued: “Because of technical obstacles and people moving on to other subjects, it’s taken a long time to figure out exactly how cordycepin works on cells. With this knowledge, it will be possible to predict what types of cancers might be sensitive and what other cancer drugs it may effectively combine with. It could also lay the groundwork for the design of new cancer drugs that work on the same principle.”

The team has observed two effects on the cells: at a low dose cordycepin inhibits the uncontrolled growth and division of the cells and at high doses it stops cells from sticking together, which also inhibits growth. Both of these effects probably have the same underlying mechanism, which is that cordycepin interferes with how cells make proteins. At low doses cordycepin interferes with the production of mRNA, the molecule that gives instructions on how to assemble a protein. And at higher doses it has a direct impact on the making of proteins.

Professor Janet Allen, BBSRC Director of Research said: “Research to understand the underlying bioscience of a problem is always important. This project shows that we can always return to asking questions about the fundamental biology of something in order to refine the solution or resolve unanswered questions. The knowledge generated by this research demonstrates the mechanisms of drug action and could have an impact on one of the most important challenges to health.”

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Image Caption: Cordyceps militaris growing on a moth pupa. © Malcolm Storey, 2001, www.bioimages.org.uk.

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On the Net:

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• The University of Nottingham
• Journal of Biological Chemistry

In order to promote healthy eating and cut back on obesity, Taiwan plans to start taxing junk food.

A bill is being drafted by the Bureau of Health Promotion to tax unhealthy foods such as sodas, candy, cakes, fast food and alcohol.

The report said profit from the tax would finance groups supporting health awareness or subsidize the island’s cash-strapped national health insurance program..

Chiou Shu-ti said the bill is expected to submitted for approval next year and will hopefully take effect by 2011.

Beryl Sheu, chief of the foundation’s food nutrition division said, “Overweight problems are getting worse in Taiwan with 25 to 30 percent of children obese, and it will cause more strain on our national health system.”

“Hopefully the tax will dissuade people from eating junk food and snacks and prompt food companies to make healthier products,” she said.

If the bill is passed, Taiwan would be the first government in the world to tax junk food.

Athersys, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to develop and commercialize MultiStem for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (“IBD”). MultiStem is an investigational stem cell therapy currently in development by Athersys for several other conditions, including acute myocardial infarction, bone marrow transplant support, and ischemic stroke.

Under the terms of the agreement, Athersys will receive an up-front cash payment of $6 million from Pfizer, as well as research funding and support during the initial phase of the collaboration. In addition, Athersys is also eligible to receive milestone payments of up to $105 million upon the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Pfizer will have responsibility for development, regulatory and commercialization and will pay Athersys tiered royalties on worldwide commercial sales of MultiStem IBD products. Alternatively, in lieu of royalties and certain commercialization milestones, Athersys may elect to co-develop with Pfizer and the parties will share development and commercialization expenses and profits/losses on an agreed basis beginning at phase III clinical development.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a group of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions that affect the colon and small intestine, typically resulting in severe abdominal pain, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea. The most common forms of the disease include Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease, which are estimated to affect more than two million people in the U.S., major European countries and Japan. Chronic IBD can be a severely debilitating condition, and advanced cases may require surgery to remove the affected region of the bowel, and may also require temporary or permanent colostomy or iliostomy. In many cases, surgery does not achieve a permanent cure, and patients suffer a return of the disease.

“Pfizer is committed to the development of new medicines that have the potential to fundamentally improve the quality of clinical care in areas of need. We are delighted to work with Athersys to develop MultiStem for inflammatory bowel disease,” said Dr. Ruth McKernan, Head of Pfizer Regenerative Medicine. “This is an innovative new area and our collaboration with Athersys represents a cornerstone of Pfizer’s stem cell and regenerative medicine strategy.”

“We have been systematically evaluating potential partnering opportunities in multiple areas, and we believe that Pfizer represents the ideal partner for this program,” said Dr. Gil Van Bokkelen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Athersys. “Their longstanding global leadership in development and commercialization of new medicines, focus on best-in-class therapies, and their growing commitment to regenerative medicine provide a great foundation for working together.”

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On the Net:

• Pfizer
• Athersys
• MultiStem
• Image Courtesy PLoS Biology – Wikipedia

Men using so-called “mad honey” to improve their sex lives may end up making a trip to the emergency room instead, according to a new report by Turkish researchers published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

The honey has long been linked to food poisoning, with most of the documented cases having occurred in Turkey.  However, the honey is used as a sexual stimulant and as an alternative medicine for stomach problems in the nation’s Black Sea region.

The Turkish researchers document 21 cases of mad-honey poisoning that passed through their ER over a five year time period. Nearly all cases involved middle-aged and older men, who local beekeepers say typically purchase the product as a way to boost their sexual performance.

“Mad” honey, made from the nectar of a particular rhododendron species, contains concentrations of substances known as grayanotoxins, some of which can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, slowed heart rate, vomiting and fainting. Common processed honey is unlikely to contain such grayanotoxins.

Most consumers of mad-honey in Turkey are aware they are getting a “special honey,” and discuss the possible side effects with the beekeepers, said the study’s lead researcher Dr. Ahmet Demircan of Gazi University.

Poisoning usually occurs because when people consume more mad honey than is recommended, said Demircan in an interview with Reuters.

In the current study, Demircan and his colleagues examined records of more than 200,000 patients who had visited their ER between December 2002 and January 2008.

The records indicated 21 cases of mad-honey poisoning, 18 of which were men ranging in age from 41 to 86.  The patients typically presented with symptoms like dizziness, nausea and vomiting after consuming the honey.  All were treated and released from the hospital within 18 to 48 hours, the researchers said.

Demircan and his team also queried local beekeepers specializing in mad honey to ascertain the reasons customers typically purchased the product. The beekeepers reported that men in their 40s and 50s usually buy the honey to improve their sexual function.

The findings suggest that ER doctors should consider mad-honey poisoning in cases where low blood pressure and slowed heart rate cannot be attributed to more common causes, Demirican said.  This is particularly true with middle-aged men, he added.

Although most cases of mad honey poisoning have been seen in Turkey, ERs elsewhere should be aware of the condition, Demirican said, citing case reports from Europe where men of Turkish descent had visited the ER with apparent mad-honey poisoning.

Other scientists have said that with the growing global consumption of imported and unprocessed “natural” honey, the possibility of honey intoxication should be not be ruled out whenever a healthy person has an unexplained drop in blood pressure and heart rate.

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On the Net:

• Annals of Emergency Medicine

A new study suggests that ads for junk food may be littering popular websites visited by children, according to Reuters.

Researchers examined 28 of the Web sites most frequented by children and found that the majority of food products advertised there met experts’ criteria for “foods to avoid.”

Dr. Lori Dorfman, director of the Berkeley Media Studies Group in California, noted that ads for sugar-laden cereals, candy, soda or fast food populated a majority of the Web sites, which included sites one would not readily associate with food, like those run by Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network, among others.

The American Journal of Public Health reports that of the 77 advertised products across all the Web sites, only five were foods that children should be encouraged to consume.

Calls to Nickelodeon by Reuters were not immediately returned and Cartoon Network refused to comment. But a spokeswoman for PBS Kids todl the news agency that its representation in the study is “misleading.”

Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice-president of children’s media, said, “PBS Kids does not accept advertising, and it does not market food products to children.”

Instead, the site carries, at the bottom of some pages, the logos of various PBS sponsors — which include fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A.

Rotenberg says, “Children will never see an image of a food product.”

PBS Kids has Web pages — Fizzy’s Lunch Lab and Don’t Buy It — designed to teach kids about healthy eating and avoiding media influences, respectively, she added.

When it comes to the issue of media influences on children, TV ads have long been under fire for marketing junk food to children and teenagers.

But according to Dorfman’s team, the Internet has provided a whole new outlet for advertisers — and companies are expected to keep increasing the proportion of their spending devoted to online marketing.

Dorfman says, “The public health implications are serious because digital marketing such as what we found on Web sites popular with kids is much different than TV advertising, which caused the alarm in the first place.”

“Digital marketing is immersive, interactive and incessant — rather than 30 seconds watching a TV commercial, children are spending 20 minutes deeply engaged with the brand.”

A recent study found that food manufacturers’ use of “advergames” — online games that companies use to boost traffic to their Web sites and promote their brands — may indeed influence kids’ eating choices.

Kids playing advergames that focus on cookies and chips wanted those same foods after playing the game. But when the games featured foods like fruit and orange juice, the children tended to want those foods for a post-game snack.

For the current study, Dorfman and her colleagues assessed the nutritional quality of foods and beverages advertised on the 28 top children’s Web sites between July and August of 2007.

Of the 77 products they found, 49 met the “foods to avoid” criteria set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an advisory body to the federal government. Another 23 products fell into the neutral category because they were neither junk foods nor nutritious enough to be encouraged; such products included lower-sugar cereals and certain baked snack foods.

Only five of the advertised products — including oatmeal, milk and pure fruit juice — were foods that the IOM encourages children to eat.

Dorfman said, “Parents should be concerned because much digital marketing flies under their radar.”

But she also asserted that parents should not be given the job of monitoring the ads their kids see online.

She added, “The online environment is not like watching TV, something a family might do together. It’s unreasonable, and unfair to think that parents could monitor every mouse click children make.”

Instead, Dorfman argued, “food marketers and children’s media companies need to adhere to higher nutrition standards for the foods they market to children, especially when they do it out of earshot of parents.”

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On the Net:

• Berkeley Media Studies Group
• American Journal of Public Health

New study shows women tend to have better sense of touch due to smaller finger size

People who have smaller fingers have a finer sense of touch, according to new research in the Dec. 16 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. This finding explains why women tend to have better tactile acuity than men, because women on average have smaller fingers.

“Neuroscientists have long known that some people have a better sense of touch than others, but the reasons for this difference have been mysterious,” said Daniel Goldreich, PhD, of McMaster University in Ontario, one of the study’s authors. “Our discovery reveals that one important factor in the sense of touch is finger size.”

To learn why the sexes have different finger sensitivity, the authors first measured index fingertip size in 100 university students. Each student’s tactile acuity was then tested by pressing progressively narrower parallel grooves against a stationary fingertip “” the tactile equivalent of the optometrist’s eye chart. The authors found that people with smaller fingers could discern tighter grooves.

“The difference between the sexes appears to be entirely due to the relative size of the person’s fingertips,” said Ethan Lerner, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, who is unaffiliated with the study. “So, a man with fingertips that are smaller than a woman’s will be more sensitive to touch than the woman.”

The authors also explored why more petite fingers are more acute. Tinier digits likely have more closely spaced sensory receptors, the authors concluded. Several types of sensory receptors line the skin’s interior and each detect a specific kind of outside stimulation. Some receptors, named Merkel cells, respond to static indentations (like pressing parallel grooves), while others capture vibrations or movement.

When the skin is stimulated, activated receptors signal the central nervous system, where the brain processes the information and generates a picture of what a surface “feels” like. Much like pixels in a photograph, each skin receptor sends an aspect of the tactile image to the brain “”more receptors per inch supply a clearer image.

To find out whether receptors are more densely packed in smaller fingers, the authors measured the distance between sweat pores in some of the students, because Merkel cells cluster around the bases of sweat pores. People with smaller fingers had greater sweat pore density, which means their receptors are probably more closely spaced.

“Previous studies from other laboratories suggested that individuals of the same age have about the same number of vibration receptors in their fingertips. Smaller fingers would then have more closely spaced vibration receptors,” Goldreich said. “Our results suggest that this same relationship between finger size and receptor spacing occurs for the Merkel cells.”

Whether the total number of Merkel cell clusters remains fixed in adults and how the sense of touch fluctuates in children as they age is still unknown. Goldreich and his colleagues plan to determine how tactile acuity changes as a finger grows and receptors grow farther apart.

The research was supported by the National Eye Institute and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council in Canada.

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On the Net:

• Society for Neuroscience
• Journal of Neuroscience

There are far more Americans diagnosed with nearsightedness than just three decades ago, according to a report released Tuesday.

Also known as myopia, nearsightedness is when the eyes cannot focus correctly, resulting in the blurring of distant objects. Fortunately, it is easily remedied with corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.

It is still a mystery as to why an increasing number of Americans are becoming nearsighted.

“At this time, we really don’t know how to prevent myopia,” Dr. Susan Vitale of the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.

“It’s really important to get regular eye examinations from an eye care professional,” she said.

Vitale and her colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the percentage of black and white Americans between the ages of 12 to 54 with myopia in 1971-1972 and 1999-2004.

The same methods were implemented to determine myopia during both time periods. “We wanted to make it as similar as possible to get a feel for whether the prevalence was actually increasing or not,” Vitale explained.

They discovered that between 1971 to 1972, 25% of Americans from ages 12 to 54 had myopia. This number jumped to 42% in the 1999-2004 period.

In the 1999-2004 period, the prevalence of myopia was about 66% higher, the investigators wrote in the most recent issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Vitale did not find this to be a surprise, considering reports from Asia, Australia, Africa, and Israel that suggest that the prevalence of myopia is increasing in those regions, she told Reuters Health.

“This is something that has been on the radar for a while,” Vitale said, “but it’s the first time that we have tried to nail it down as carefully as possible in the US.”

The differences in myopia rates were astounding among black people, in whom the 1999-2004 rates were “more than double” the rates in the earlier time period. Among the white participants, the 1999-2004 rates were 63% higher than those in 1971-1972. In 1999-2004, myopia rates in both genders were 64% and 69% higher, respectively, than in 1971-1972.

It is still unclear what exactly causes myopia, but there are several risk factors, including being born prematurely or genetics. “If your parents are myopic, you are more likely to be myopic,” Vitale said.

Other studies have also linked myopia to activity that requires close examination, such as reading, sitting at a computer screen, or using small electronic devices. Vitale said this is a “reasonable” possibility, considering how much work and entertainment patterns have changed over the past 30 years.

She also mentioned a study in Australia which found evidence that children who spent the most time outdoors were the least likely to suffer from myopia.

“Outdoors you have different lighting conditions and you are looking at distant objects instead of near objects,” Vitale noted, and these are both contributing risk factors for myopia.

Though the treatment of myopia is relatively simple, the costs add up when taking its prevalence into account. Vitale and colleagues said in the report, “If 25 percent of those aged 12 to 54 years had myopia, the associated annual cost would be more than $2 billion; an increase in prevalence to 37 percent would increase the cost to more than $3 billion.”

They concluded that by determining modifiable risk factors for the development of myopia, it could ultimately lead to the development of cost-effective options.

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On the Net:

• National Eye Institute
• Archives of Ophthalmology

A French study published on Monday claims the chemical Bisphenol A used in plastic containers and drink cans has been shown for the first time to affect the functioning of the intestines, AFP reported.

The report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences journal, said researchers from the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Toulouse found that the digestive tract of rats reacted negatively to even low doses of the chemical also called BPA.

The chemical was also found to have lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system’s response to digestive inflammation. The research was also conducted on human intestine cells.

The chemical BPA is used in the production of polycarbonated plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the lining of cans used for food and beverages, and in dental sealants.

Over the past decade, more than 130 studies have linked even low levels of BPA, which can leach from plastics, to a variety of serious health problems including breast cancer, obesity and the early onset of puberty.

However, the first organ to come in contact with the substance, the intestine, was the primary focus of the French study.

The Toulouse institute released a statement explaining that the researchers orally administered doses of BPA to the rats that were equivalent to about 10 times less than the daily amount considered safe for humans.

The results showed that BPA reduced the permeability of the intestinal lining through which water and essential minerals enter the body.

Meanwhile, newborn rats exposed to BPA in the uterus and during feeding showed a higher risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood, the study found.

The institute said that the study shows the very high sensitivity on the intestine of Bisphenol A and opens new avenues for research, including how to define acceptable thresholds of the substance for humans.

Six major baby bottle makers in the United States agreed to stop using the chemical in May of this year after reports surfaced that BPA could be detrimental to an infant’s health.

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On the Net:

• Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences
• National Institute of Agronomic Research

A new study shows a medicinal herb, milk thistle, appears to reduce liver damage resulting from chemotherapy.

Chemo drugs often cause liver inflammation, making it necessary to lower the dose or suspend treatment until the inflammation subsides. These interruptions in therapy can make treatment less effective, the researchers said.

Dr. Kara Kelly, lead researcher from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, said, “We found that milk thistle, compared to placebo, was more effective in reducing inflammation.”

“If these results are confirmed, milk thistle may allow us to treat liver inflammation or prevent it from occurring, which will allow better delivery of chemotherapy drugs,” she added.

Milk thistle, a longtime folk remedy, is often recommended to treat liver and gallbladder damage and mushroom poisoning. No other treatment for liver toxicity exists, Kelly said.

For the study, Kelly’s team randomly assigned 50 children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia to receive milk thistle or a placebo for 28 days. All the children had liver inflammation at the start of the study.

Liver inflammation is common among children undergoing chemotherapy Kelly told Reuters Health — with about two-thirds developing liver toxicity at some point during treatment.

Twenty-eight days later, the children who had received milk thistle had improved liver enzymes, compared with the children who received a placebo, the researchers said.

The milk thistle group had significantly lower levels of one enzyme in particular, AST, and a trend towards lower levels of another enzyme called ALT, Kelly’s group found.

In addition, milk thistle appeared to help patients tolerate higher doses of chemotherapy. Sixty-one percent of the children receiving milk thistle needed dose reductions, compared with 72 percent of the children receiving placebo, but this difference is not significant, the researchers noted.

Related lab experiments showed the herb did not lessen the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs, and Kelly thinks milk thistle might reduce liver inflammation for patients with other cancers who are taking other types of chemotherapy as well. Further research is needed, she said, to determine the appropriate dose and duration of milk thistle therapy.

Still, some experts remain unconvinced about the herb’s value in cancer treatment.

Dr. Julio C. Barredo, director of pediatric hematology-oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that the study’s small size, the low doses of milk thistle used and the short time frame of the study make the findings inconclusive.

Also, there was no difference in the delay of treatment in either group, he said.

“Improvement in one liver enzyme did not lead to patients who received the drug being delayed less than patients who received placebo in getting their chemotherapy,” Barredo said.

“I don’t think that you could recommend that people go and take this supplement when they are taking chemotherapy from the results of this study,” Barredo said. “Maybe a larger study, using a higher dose is warranted.”

Even though milk thistle is available over the counter, Dr. Kelly cautioned chemotherapy patients against using it on their own. Anyone receiving cancer treatment, she said, should “absolutely” talk with his or her doctor before starting any supplements.

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On the Net:

• Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Image Courtesy Wikipedia

A report authored by UA communication professor Dale Kunkel says children are still bombarded with television ads for unhealthy food choices.

A new study released Monday in Washington, D.C., criticizes the nation’s food and beverage industry for failing to shift their marketing efforts aimed at children. The report said television advertising continues to contribute to epidemic levels of obesity, despite industry promises of reform.

Children Now, a California-based public policy group that advocates for children, commissioned the study, conducted by Dale Kunkel, a professor of communication at the University of Arizona, and UA graduate students Christopher McKinley and Paul Wright. The study can be seen on the Children Now Web site.

The study ““ “The Impact of Industry Self-Regulation on the Nutritional Quality of Foods Advertised on Television to Children” ““ analyzes the impact of the 2007 Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. It is the first ever independent, comprehensive evaluation of industry self-regulation on advertising food to children. Kunkel also will present his findings on Tuesday at a Federal Trade Commission hearing in Washington.

The industry initiative was launched three years ago by the U.S. Council of Better Business Bureaus as a voluntary, self-regulatory program designed to shift the mix of advertising messages targeting children. The goal of the initiative is to significantly improve the nutritional quality of food and drink advertised to children.

More than a dozen of the nation’s largest food and beverage companies signed on. Together they represent about two-thirds of that industry’s advertising budget.

However, Kunkel’s study concludes that the industry has failed to meet the principal recommendations from a 2006 Institute of Medicine report to shift marketing away from foods low in nutritional quality and to emphasize advertising strategies promoting healthier food, beverage and meal options.

“My colleague, Dr. Dale Kunkel, and his collaborators at the University of Arizona have demonstrated that advertising of low-nutrient high-density foods continues to be a significant preventable variable in the childhood obesity epidemic,” said former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, now the distinguished professor of public health at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

“This new scientific information should be a renewed “Ëœwake up’ call to all elected officials, teachers and parents to take appropriate action to prevent childhood obesity and in doing so improve the quality of life and reduce the cost of care for our children,” Carmona said.

Kunkel, who has researched children and media issues for 25 years, served on the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences committee that issued the report concluding that food marketing is a significant contributor to childhood obesity.

The study’s key finding is that, despite industry self-regulation, nearly three out of four, 72.5 percent, of the foods advertised on television to children are for products in the poorest nutritional category. Known as “Whoa” foods, these products should be consumed only on special occasions, such as birthdays, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Advertising for truly healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits, known as “Go” foods, is virtually invisible. Commercials for these foods account for only one percent of all food advertising to children.

Kunkel said that in 2005, before the initiative began, 84 percent of ads were for products with the poorest nutrition, based on criteria from the Department of Health and Human Services Go-Slow-Whoa food rating system.

“Four years later, under self-regulation, they have only moved the bar to 72.5 percent,” Kunkel said. “We cannot win the battle against childhood obesity as long as we continue to allow industry to bombard children with ads for foods that they really shouldn’t eat very often.”

Kunkel said it would require watching 10 hours of children’s programs to find one healthy food ad. That same amount of viewing time would contain 55 ads for “Whoa” foods, and 20 for “Slow” foods.

The study also criticizes the use of familiar, “licensed” characters to influence children’s decisions. While the food industry claims that licensed characters are only used to promote healthy foods to children, Kunkel’s research has found that nearly half, 49 percent, of all food ads with licensed characters, such as Spongebob Squarepants, promote foods in the poorest nutritional category.

Because of the failure of industry self-regulation, the report recommends that Congress should step in to regulate advertising to children, a step also advocated by the Institute of Medicine.

By Jeff Harrison, University of Arizona

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On the Net:

• University of Arizona
• Children Now
• Dale Kunkel

Australian health officials have created an original way to remind beachgoers to re-apply their sunscreen.

The Cancer Council of New South Wales on Sunday debuted a five-second jingle to encourage people to stop tanning and apply skin protection.

It will broadcast at beaches in parts of Sydney at habitual times during the day this summer in hopes that this reminder will reduce harmful sun exposure.

“Although most teenagers know the importance of protecting their skin, it’s easy to forget when out and about having fun,” said council’s skin cancer prevention expert Sofia Khayech to Yahoo News.

Melanoma is the most widespread kind of cancer in people 15-44 in Australia.

Khayech said that the jingle, to be played over loudspeakers, was developed to act as a “friendly reminder” to use sunscreen, wear a hat and find the shade.

“Many people don’t realize sun damage in the first 15 years of life greatly increases the risk of skin cancer in later life,” she said.

Officials want to further expand the counsel to other parts of Australia if the endeavor is doing well.

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On the Net:

• Cancer Council of New South Wales