May 2002 

Julie Feldman MPH RD, Clinical Dietitian

Nobody likes to be rejected, especially your organs.  That is why new from Novartic pharmaceuticals regarding new clinical data is very exciting.  Their new drug Certican is now in its second year of phase III trials, and the results are that the drug significantly lowers the rate of acute rejection of transplanted organs and skin grafts.  In trials, this drug is used with cyclosporinel to prevent rejection is kidney, lung and heart transplant patients by reducing the restricted blood flow that is common in transplanted organs and tissues.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced on April 26 that they now know a new mechanism that cells in the body use to identify and destroy abnormal DNA components in the body.  What is interesting about this finding is that they also believe that this type of natural defense may interfere with some drug treatments for cystic fibrosis.  Wouldn't you know it, CF is caused by a similar mechanism in which a DNA component called mRNA is destroyed prematurely.  This also true of one-third of the human disease genes including muscular dystrophy.  The theory behind all this scientific language is that if researchers can figure out how to stop this premature termination of DNA, they may be able to improve the effectiveness of drug treatments.

November 15, 2002 is the date for the 65 Roses Holiday Ball to be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  What is unique about this function is a local artist, Cliff H. Nixon, will be raffling off an oil painting with the CF theme.  From his emails, it appears you can get more information regarding his work and the function at http://members.aol.com/wtrunk0517/page1.html or by visiting www.ezboard.com  Jump to board name = "bfineartillustrations", access forum = artist message board, access category = cystic fibrosis foundation.

In the San Francisco Bay area, doctors are using a technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD.  This is the genetic testing of embryos before they are implanted in the uterus of a women to allow for the birth of a child without a deadly defect.  Currently the test is very expensive  ($15,000-$20,000) and limited to only certain genetic illnesses like Huntington's disease (a deadly neurologic disorder). It does pose the question, however, of its use for diseases  including CF, or even obesity or depression??? The ethics involved in this debate are certainly deeper than can be discussed in this newsletter, however it does give us something to think about.

America's dirty little secret: 42% of men and 25% of women don't wash their hands after leaving a public restroom according the American Society for Microbiology.  The US govt. attributes $5 billion in annual health-care costs to infections caused by poor hygiene.  This amounts to 2 million patients becoming infected and 88,000 deaths annually.  This is why a new sterile coating being developed by scientists may help us change how we fight germs.  This coating which can be applied to a number of different products including urinary catheters to doorknobs kills bacteria on contact.  It's inventors claim that it can kill 94% of bacteria that lands on it.  This new product will inevitably be included in many new products to come!

It is spring time and everyone is coming into the clinic feeling sick!!  What is going on???  The problem with feeling sick is none of you want to eat  either.  Everyone is feeling stuffed up, or run down, or simply not hungry.  What you need to remember is the food you eat fuels the lungs, immune system and circulatory system that you have.  When you don't eat enough, your body uses the protein stores inside your body to make up for the deficit.  These protein stores are things like your muscles (heart, lungs, etc...)  Here is a delicious high protein recipe to indulge in and get your intake up to par... 

All-American Meat Loaf

from Martha Stewart of course!

Serves 6

Be careful not to overknead the meatloaf ingredients; doing so will result in a heavy and dense loaf.

3 slices white bread 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 1  rib celery, strings peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ketchup 4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard 8 ounces ground pork 8 ounces ground veal 8 ounces ground round 2 large eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more needles for sprinkling 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rings     1.  Preheat oven to 400°. Remove crusts from bread, and place slices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried bread crumbs in this step, as they will make your meat loaf rubbery.     2.  Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (Chopping vegetables this way saves time and ensures that vegetables will be small enough to cook through and not be crunchy). Transfer vegetables to bowl with the bread crumbs.     3.  Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet, but tight enough to hold a freeform shape.     4.  Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf covering the parchment.     5.  Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until most of the water has evaporated. Transfer onion to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onion over the meat loaf.     6.  Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160°, about 25 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool on rack, 15 minutes.