In the 1930s, Eli Lily developed Thimerosal as a preservative and it was widely used in vaccines. Until the removal of Thimerosal, which contains 49.9% ethyl mercury by weight, from most pediatric vaccines in 2001, the source of the largest human exposure to mercury in the US was in children under 18 months of age undergoing routine childhood immunization schedules. Before 2001, a child may have received a cumulative dose of over 200 μg/kg (micrograms per kilogram) in the first 18 months of life.

Although Thimerosal has been removed from most childhood vaccines, it is still present in the flu vaccine, which is given to pregnant women, the elderly, and children. Also, many vaccines given to children in developing countries still contain Thimerosal.

In the 2005 issue of NeuroToxicology, the authors of a study examine the toxicity of Thimerosal within the body including neurons. They examine the neurotoxic mechanisms, how the body detoxifies mercury, and the use of N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC for short, in facilitating the detoxification pathway within the body.

Glutathione, a tripeptide composed of cysteine, glutamate, and glycine, is manufactured in the liver and also in the brain. Normally, the concentrations of glutathione in the cells are quite high providing for detoxification of a variety of heavy metals including mercury. However, when this essential antioxidant is depleted the excess mercury can bind to internal cellular proteins leading to toxic damage. Studies have shown that, “low micromolar concentrations of Thimerosal induced DNA strand breaks, caspase-3 activation, membrane damage and cell death.”

Homocysteine is an amino acid produced during metabolism of another amino acid called methionine. Homocysteine is regarded as a risk factor for heart disease and is implicated in other disease conditions. Elevated homocysteine is associated with a deficiency of folic acid, which can be found in green, leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, citrus fruits, fortified breakfast cereals and other sources.

In a recent issue of Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord the authors discuss the relationship of homocysteine and Alzheimer Disease (AD). The authors show that elevated levels of homocysteine is related to impaired cognitive function, dementia, and AD. And because B vitamins, folate, and B12 are important in homocysteine metabolism they could be quite important in the progression of AD.

In the July/August issue of the ACP Journal Club the author examined the question of whether the pneumococcal vaccination was effective in preventing disease or death in adults. Fifteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were examined. This included 75,197 patients with a follow-up ranging from 18 months to 4 years.

The analysis showed that, “11 trials that evaluated all-cause mortality showed no benefit of vaccination. Results for pneumococcal pneumonia and pneumonia mortality were heterogeneous, with more recent trials showing no effect.” The conclusion was, “Pneumococcal vaccination is not effective in preventing disease or death in adults.”

According to the CDC, in July of 2000, the three leading causes of death were heart disease at 724,859 per year, cancer at 541,532 per year, and stroke at 158,448 per year. A recent study in Drug Safety looks at how to quantify the much lesser known number of deaths caused by adverse drug events or ADEs for short.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) present the single greatest risk of harm to patients in hospitals. An adverse drug event is an unwanted or harmful side effect experienced following the administration of a pharmaceutical or combination of pharmaceuticals. In the United States ADEs account for an estimated 218,000 deaths each year and cost from $30 to $130 billion each year.

“The direct medical costs associated with ADEs have been estimated to be in the range of $US30 billion to $US130 billion annually in the US alone. These estimates are even more meaningful when compared with other high cost conditions or diseases, such as diabetes mellitus ($US45.2 billion), obesity ($US70 billion), and cardiovascular disease ($US199.5 billion). Drug-related mortality has been estimated to claim 218,000 lives annually.”

In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute of Cancer Research announced that red meat and processed meat could increase the risk of colorectal cancer. A new study in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention concludes that fresh red meat and processed meat do just that. However, they also found that consumption of fish and chicken did not increase the risk.

The study, conducted in Melbourne Australia, examined the diets of over 37,000 people from 1990 to 1994. After controlling for a number of possible confounding variables they found that the group that ate the most red meat and processed meat were twice as likely to get rectal cancer.

Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the number of infections in infants. Studies have shown a decreased incidence of meningitis, sepsis, pneumococcal disease, as well as resistant pneumococcal bacterium as compared with their formula-fed peers. Breastfeeding also reduces diarrheal disease, urinary tract infections, ear infections, as well as respiratory illnesses. Many of these illnesses result in the use of antimicrobials, with up to 53% of all antimicrobials being prescribed to 0-4 year olds.

A recent study in Clinical Pediatrics further demonstrates the importance of breastfeeding in reducing infections. The study shows by reducing infections that breastfed babies greatly reduce the need for antimicrobials. In fact, the number of days infants spent on antimicrobials was half that of those being fed formula. “The mean number of days receiving antimicrobials was also significantly higher in formula-fed infants at both the 6- and 12-month levels in comparison to breastfed infants. Breastfeeding babies spent 48% as much time receiving antimicrobials by 6 months of age as their formula-fed peers did.” The study also showed that continued breastfeeding beyond 6 months also had a positive effect in less antimicrobial use.

A new study finds that green tea helps protect the liver from damage. Green tea contains compounds called polyphenols. These polyphenols have received the most attention because of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The main constituent, that also has the highest antioxidant properties, is epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG for short.

The study authors exposed groups of mice to a toxic substance – carbon tetrachloride. The group that was given EGCG for 3 days prior to administration of this toxic substance had markedly less liver damage than the group that did not receive the EGCG. In fact, the EGCG group’s liver measurements were close to that of the control group that didn’t receive the carbon tetrachloride at all.