Massachusetts is in the midst of an “epidemic” involving residents becoming addicted to prescription opiates such as OxyContin, according to a recently issued report from the state’s OxyContin and Heroin Commission. According to the Boston Globe, the panel said that prescription drug abuse of opiates such as OxyContin among the state’s residents is a “serious and dangerous” situation that needs to be addressed with the same urgency as the H1N1 flu.

The state “is losing men and women on its streets at a rate of 42 to 1 compared to what the state is losing in two wars overseas," the panel said in its executive summary. "Addiction is a medical disorder, and we have a public health epidemic on our hands that is larger than the flu pandemic."

The 71-page report included several recommendations for steps that should be immediately taken to deal with the growing OxyContin problem that is seen in drug rehabilitation programs throughout Massachusetts. They include making it easier for law enforcement officials to track people with multiple painkiller prescriptions, increasing support for “recovery” high schools designed for teens dealing with opiate addiction and reducing punishment for criminals who agree to enter an addiction program.

Halloween face paints contain contaminants such as lead and other heavy metals reports a US group, which recently tested 10 children’s face paints. The research team tested the paints for heavy metals and reviewed ingredient labels of Halloween products sold at seasonal holiday stores.

Titled ‘Pretty Scary’, the report recommends that parents look for safer alternative for their children. Part of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of US based nonprofit health and environmental groups.
The report says that though the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] advises parents against using cosmetics on their children that could possibly contain lead; parents have no way of knowing which face paints are safe to buy as the product labels do not carry enough information. Interestingly, there is no legal requirement to list items such as lead and heavy metals.

Face paint, though used popularly during the Halloween season is increasingly popular all year at children’s birthday parties and even when they dress up and play at home. This continued exposure to a potentially harmful product could result in several side effects.

The report highlights the low-level of safety standards for cosmetics sold in the United States should be a matter of concern not taken too lightly.

In the report:

- 10 out of 10 children’s face paints contained lead at levels between 0.05 and 0.65 parts per million (ppm).

- 6 out of 10 children’s face paints contained nickel, cobalt or chromium at levels between 1.6 to 120 ppm (much higher than the industry safety standard of 1 ppm).

- Snazaroo Face Paint contained some of the highest levels of lead, nickel and cobalt found in the study. This product carries the words “nontoxic” and “hypoallergenic” on its label.

The Kiev Foundation has awarded Yale researchers a $320,000 grant to study new methods of treatment for Williams Syndrome. This chromosomal disorder is still incurable, and causes cardiovascular and connective tissue problems. Williams Syndrome, occurres in about one in every 10,000 births, and is caused by the deletion of genes on chromosome 7. Characteristics of this chromosomal disorder include a flattened nasal bridge; small, upturned nose; slack joints and complications in blood flow, because of thickened arterial walls, including the main artery that leaves the heart.

Yale researches supported by the Kiev Foundation grant include Frank Giordano, M.D., William C. Sessa, professor and vice chair of the Department of Pharmacology; and George Tellides, M.D., professor of surgery (cardiothoracic). This team will study the elastin gene, hoping to design new treatments for Williams Syndrome.

The most severe problems of this disorder are the result of the loss of one copy of elastin, which is a gene on chromosome 7. It plays a big part in maintaining artery walls.

Giordano and Sessa will carry out the Studies into whether the erasure of one copy of elastin causes changes in gene expression. Meanwhile, Giordano’s lab will work on engineering transcription factors as a means of treatment. Sessa lab will focus on identifying microRNAs that will help increase that expression, while Tellides will look into pathways which activate when cells divide.

The results from a research study currently underway by a team of neurologists at the University of Buffalo could have far-reaching effects on what we know as the causes of Multiple Sclerosis. As part of this study, the researchers will look at the possibility of a condition called Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (also known as CCSVI), as one of the possible causes for the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. CCSVI, is a condition in which the primary veins outside skull begin to narrow.

The changes to the blood flow patterns that stem from restricting the regular blood flow from the brain can eventually injure the brain tissue and gradually begin to degenerate the neurons.

“If we can prove our theory, that cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is the underlying cause of MS,” said Robert Zivadinov, M.D., Ph.D. principal investigator on the study, “it is going to change the face of how we understand MS.”

The study will have a participation of more than 1,600 adults and 100 children. The participants, including more than 1,100 patients, are those who have a diagnosis of either definite or possible Multiple Sclerosis. The enrollment drive for the study has begun and will last for two years. Any MS patient across the United States is eligible for participation.

Every subject of the study will have a general clinical examination with head and neck Doppler scans to study the directions of the venous blood flow based on various postures. The subjects will fill out a questionnaire to rule out the possibility of environmental causes for their conditions.

The holidays can be an especially difficult time for people coping with drug addiction. Even people who have gone through a rehab program can experience difficulty dealing with the emotional strain of the holiday season, increasing the danger for a person to experience a relapse.

One of the main problems is that while the holidays are a time for people to share fond memories with their families, most recovering drug addicts don’t have these “good times” to look back on; instead they only have the painful memories of the damage their previous drug abuse caused or time spent in drug rehabilitation instead of enjoying their family’s company.

During the holidays, it’s important for family members to focus on the positive experiences they had with relatives and loved ones dealing with addiction rather dwelling on the past. It’s also important for people who are working on staying clean and sober to call an addiction center hotline for help if they feel they are on the verge of a relapse.