News Letter 2007 10

M. A. SMITH

A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION

MASAPLC.COM

Michael A. Smith, Attorney at Law

319 E. Foothill Blvd., #C Voice - (626) 357-1177

Arcadia, CA 91006 Facsimile - (626) 357-4588

October 2007 No. 28

Remember, effective October 01, 2007, you must have a current, valid passport if you travel outside the US borders. A birth certificate is no longer accepted to re-enter the country.

If you paid for, and did not receive, expedited passport service, you may request a refund by writing to:

Include the passport number, your name, date and place of birth, approximate application date, mailing address, and contact phone number.

This applies to the $60 expediting fee only. Travel Magazine, October 2007

Since their unearthing in caves near the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea, the scrolls have been recognized as containing some of the earliest copies of many Hebrew Bible texts. Of the parchments, currently on display at the San Diego Natural History Museum, ten are being exhibited for the first time. In addition to the scrolls, the exhibition explores the science of dating and preserving the ancient documents. See them until December 31. For information go to www.sdnhm.org or call (619) 232-3821. Lifestyle Magazine, Auto Club, June 2007

One in three people are salt sensitive and should severely restrict their salt intake. Although the other two may not be affected, they should be careful about over consumption. Too much salt can cause serious health problems.

Following is an AHA quiz to see how much you know about sodium and your diet. (Answers are T or F)

1. The goal for adults, according to the AHA, is to eat less than 2,300 mg. of sodium a day; about 1 teaspoon.

4. Eating fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned cuts down on sodium intake.

Hospice care occupies a specialized and growing niche in the healthcare economy providing comfort to the dying and their families. It also cuts costs for Medicare. Hospice is expected to become even more important as baby boomers enter their later years.

Hospice began as a charitable endeavor, run by volunteers, offering pain relief for the terminally ill.

Hospice organizations, including for-profit companies, served 1.2 million patients in 2005, and 1/3 of the nation’s 2.4 million deaths occurred in hospice programs. A handful of publicly held companies provide hospice care along with hundreds of smaller private, for-profit companies and well established non-profit ventures. Medicare picks up more than 3/4 of the bill.

Hospice is a business that evolved from a purely non-profit mission into a growing healthcare business. For-profit programs provide care for 35 percent of hospice patients. Non-profit groups care for 56 percent, while government and other types of organizations help the other 9 percent. Thanks Fred C.

The importance of being respectful to those we meet seems to have been set aside in the day-to-day rush of life. We all feel it. None of us like it. We would all like to see a change. Here is one way for each of us to make a change happen. (Although the following was designed for the healthcare profession, it applies to us all.)

Companies caught up in the YouTube craze are eager to put consumer created videos on their Web sites and in TV spots. Their attorneys’ are trying to restrain them long enough to explain the legal pitfalls of such ads; copyright infringement, defamation, false advertising claims and brand damage.

Contrary to current belief (consensus is NOT science), studies show we need a larger dose of vitamin D than recommended in order to reap its benefits.

Vitamin D, the so-called sunshine vitamin (once thought to be critical only to bone health), is useful throughout the body to strengthen the immune system and control cell growth. Yet, researchers estimate as many as 50 percent of Americans may be deficient in this nutrient. Vitamin D deficiency is particularly serious in people with darker skin, the elderly, those who diligently avoid exposure to the sun and those who follow the current recommended dietary allowance, which many say is too low.

Research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a role in 17 forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, periodontal disease and auto-immune diseases such as lupus. It may not be the lone cause of these illnesses, the experts caution, but does appear to be a contributor.

Historically, our main source of vitamin D has been sunlight, which penetrates the skin and, after processing in the liver and kidneys, becomes cholecalciferol; the hormone responsible for vitamin D’s healthful benefits. This was fine when people spent most of the day outdoors wearing little clothing. However, our indoor lifestyle, as well as darker pigmentation, aging and the use of sun screen, interferes with the process.

Few foods offer even modest amounts of natural vitamin D. Although milk and some cereals are fortified with vitamin D it is often delivered in the form of synthetic D2, which is more stable but not easily utilized by the body. Be sure you are taking D3--the same compound made in your sun-exposed skin, advises Dr. Andrew Weil.

It is well know vitamin D prevents rickets, a disease that leaves bones soft and misshapen. For years, the government has based its recommendation on how much vitamin D people need on the minimum necessary to prevent rickets. Too much D, they warned, could be toxic. Scientists now say those warnings are overblown.

The consensus at this point is 1,000 to 2,000 units a day is probably a good amount to maintain health. NOTE: Vitamin D must be taken with a fatty food or it will not “stick to you.” Thanks Fred C.

The Pew Research Center, conducted a current-events survey and found people are no more informed now than before the rapid expansion of cable news and on-line sites.

The old argument was, the media could not be trusted, they were to arrogant or were not responsive to what people really wanted to know. Here are some of their findings: *only 21 percent of those questioned could identify Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense.

*when given a choice among three labels for Supreme Court Justice, John Roberts-- liberal, moderate or conservative--37 percent chose “conservative.”

How can today’s leaders become better known? It helps to be in the movies first. Ninety-three percent could identify CA Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, but only 61 percent could name Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Regular readers of newspapers and magazines rated high, as did regular news watchers. However, the highest scorers were regular watchers of fake news, such as “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

The media could do a better job of informing people and differentiating between important news and “fluff.” Today, it is harder than ever to be uninformed, and yet people refuse to plug into current events. This does not bode well for developing informed voters. A disturbing percentage of people continue to blame the media or public officials for their decision to remain uninformed. (See the second “E” in RESPECT, page two) It is too bad for all of us the uninformed cannot see their lack of participation is part of the problem. Thanks Fred C.

A distinct sub-population of cancer stem cells in pancreatic tumors governs metastasis and renders the tumor resistant to chemotherapeutics, according to a report in the journal Cell Stem Cell. This confirms the hypothesis that cancer stem cells are the source of metastasis, Jeremy Rich of Duke University Medical Center, told The Scientist. Although the study focuses on pancreatic cancer, it could apply to many other tumors as well. “The implications are much, much broader,” he said.

Recent research has suggested some tumors, including colon, breast, prostate, brain and pancreas, arise from a small subset of stem-like cells called cancer stem cells, which often are marked by the cell surface antigen CD133. These cells induce tumor formation and are often resistant to conventional therapies. Researchers assumed some segment of these cells also drove metastasis, however, this had not been proven.

In the current study, conducted at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, researchers used both primary human tumors and immortalized cell lines to identify a small population of stem cell-like tumor cells that appeared to self-renew and differentiate into other cells of the tumor. Marked by CD133, these cells were also resistant to conventional chemotherapeutics, providing a possible explanation for the poor survival prospects. The team then identified a subset of CD133+ cells, which also expressed the chemokine receptor CXCR4, at the tumor’s interface with healthy tissue. When these cells were injected into mice, they formed both primary tumors and metastasis. But when pre-incubated with antibodies to CXCR4 (or depleted of CXCR4+ cells), they remained tumorigenic but lost the ability to metastasize.

The study puts a definition on the cells responsible for metastasis. It is expected CXCR4 will play a role in metastasis of many other tumors. Thanks Fred C.

Is microwave popcorn a health risk? Not when eaten. The potential risk comes from inhaling large quantities of vapors produced when the corn is heated enough to become a gas you can inhale (190∘).

Diacetyl gives butter its flavor. It is found naturally in many foods; coffee, dairy products and some vegetables and fruits. It is added in larger quantities in products like cake mixes and frozen foods. Microwave popcorn has the highest content of all.

Pop Weaver has removed diacetyl from their popcorn. Other manufacturers (Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret, Act II, Jolly Time) say they will eliminate diacetyl “in the near future.” If your microwave popcorn has butter flavoring and the package does NOT say “diacetyl-free,” you should presume the product contains the additive and consider selecting another brand. People Magazine, October 1, 2007