Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 5 Issue 174 December 3, 2003

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Welcome to the 174th issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at community/newsletter
Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

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The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

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Notes From Tina
(Tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Tis the season! I have been a very busy little elf this week. We are making all of our gifts this year, except for the kids. I've been cutting, tying, sewing, painting, sawing, mixing, blending, cooking and packaging lots of things. I can't tell you what I am making because too darn many of my family members subscribe to this newsletter. Wonder if they'll close their eyes?

I'd love to hear what gifts you are making, we can always use new ideas. Send an email to tina@arthritisinsight.com and tell me what you are making and include some easy instructions. I'll print them in next week's newsletter and pull one name at random. That person will get a Bottle-Popper, easy to use bottle opener. (www.bottle-popper.com)

I gotta get busy! An elf's work is never done!

- Tina

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Ron's Ramblin's
(Ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

OK gang, this week's edition is going to be short. I hope that everyone had an opportunity to get their fill of turkey and all the trimmings. I know that I did, although that is not a complaint. I love turkey sandwiches.

I am barely able to get to my computer. Not only do I have all the boxes with Christmas stuff in them out and in the floor, I also have painters working all around. What is normally an insane abode is even more so for the rest of the week. Whatever possessed me to have painters in at this time of year is certainly beyond me. Oh well, at least it gives me a reason to get out and finish up my shopping.

-Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
An Elaborate Funeral

A well known cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral, with many of his fellow Md's. in attendance. A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service. Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.

Suddenly, one of the mourners burst into laughter. 

When confronted, he said "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral -  I'm a gynecologist."

At that point, the proctologist fainted.

Check out all the jokes at:
fun/jokes
Send yours in today!

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Tina's Tips
Tina@arthritisinsight.com

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

An excellent tip from Brenda D.:

When I am in a severe flare, the only thing that truly helps is a hot bath and a nap right aferwards. I fill the tub with water and add epsom salts and sometimes a little scented bath oil or wash-I find lavender especially relaxing. I then take several washcloths and soak them thoroughly with hotter water from the faucet and apply them to the worst parts-usually my shoulders. I lay back and relax in the tub and let the hot water loosen and warm my sore joints-prop a knee or elbow or ankle and do this-it works just as well. Then I go climb in between the blankets and I find I sleep much deeper and wake up less sore after this nap prep!

Check out more tips at living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com Keep those tips coming!

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Whats New

Rheumatoid Arthritis Links
We've updated the RA links. Got rid of those bad links and added some new ones!
medical/disease/ra/links.html

Advice For Better Living
Holiday help please!
living/advice/

Photo Album
Three new pages. Now we can put faces to those names on the message board.
community/photo

Birthday Board
More happy days added! Check out who celebrates this week!
community/birthday

Question of the Week
Facing facts, dealing with disability, how do you do it?
community/question

Thank you!
A big thank you to Diana T, Gillian E, Deborah B, Teresa G, and Jean D for their recent donations. We can't do it without you!

Check out all the latest updates at
updates.html

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Arthritis Insight Chat
community/chat

Time to get the party started! Got some extra time? Can't sleep? Drop into the chatroom to talk to other members that know exactly what you're going through.

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello friends!  Well, the holiday season is in full swing.  And the holiday season means parties, and presents and decorations.  And it also means cold weather, and trying to stay warm, and eating good food, along with all the candy and cookies and other holiday treats, we consume.

My good friend Nann sent me some soup recipes, that I thought I would share with you.  Pots of soup are a staple at my house during the winter, and these are a welcome addition to my soup recipes.


Spicy Pumpkin Soup  (really quick and easy!)

1 teaspoon oil, preferably canola (though I use light olive oil)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cup chicken broth from bouillon cubes
1 can (19 oz.) chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
1 cup corn kernels, canned or frozen
3/4 cup bottled medium-spicy salsa
garnish: shredded cheddar

Heat oil in 3 qt. saucepan.  Saute garlic, chili powder & cumin about 1 minute.  Add broth and increase heat.  Stir in chickpeas, pumpkin, corn & salsa.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Eat and enjoy!  Garnish bowlfuls with shredded cheddar if desired.

Here is novel way to use up leftover turkey.


Mexican Turkey-Bean Soup                                4 portions, 6 cups

1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (13 1/2 oz) ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 teaspoon oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 can (15 1/4 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup cheddar cheese cut in 1/2" cubes

In a large saucepan combine tomatoes, chicken broth, chilies, onion, oregano and cumin; bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, to blend flavors, about 15 minutes.  Add turkey and beans; simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.  Ladle into 4 serving bowls; top each with cheddar cheese cubes.


Black Bean Soup with Lime                                      

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 (16 oz.) cans black beans, undrained
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
3 cups medium or hot chunky salsa
juice & grated peel of 1 lime
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream (opt.)

Cook onion and cumin in oil in 4 qt. saucepan over medium heat until onion is tender.  Puree 2 cans beans & their liquid in batches with chicken broth in electric blender; add to pot.  Stir in remaining beans, salsa, lime juice & peel.  heat mixture to boil; reduce heat to low & simmer for 30 minutes.

Each bowl of soup may be topped with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream (opt.).

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, that you would like to share, please send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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From the NIH:
Scientists Report Early Progress in Tissue Engineering Mandibular Condyle
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2003/nidcr-01.htm

Researchers have long dreamed of engineering new knees, hips and other body joints in the laboratory from a persons own bone and cartilage producing adult stem cells. The challenge has been to figure out how to manipulate these cells and get them to form tissues that precisely mirror the natural three-dimensional structure and mechanical strength of our normal, healthy joints.

Now, in an important first step toward realizing this dream, scientists report in this months issue of the Journal of Dental Research that they have created a mandibular condyle from rat adult stem cells that is the precise three-dimensional shape of the human joint. A mandibular condyle is the knobbed ending of the lower jaw; it joins the lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull on both sides of the head at the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ.

Stressing that their findings are preliminary and significant scientific challenges lie ahead, the researchers said the results are hopeful because they produced their structure from a single population of stem cells and prompted them to form two distinct layers of bone and cartilage, a characteristic feature of a condyle and a first in the field of tissue engineering. According to Jeremy Mao, D.D.S, Ph.D., a scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and an author on the study, this work is instructive in learning to engineer not only mandibular condyles but those of other joints throughout the body.

"The TMJ is a synovial, or free-moving, joint," said Mao, whose work is supported by NIHs National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). "So are the knee, hip, and shoulder joints, all of which include rounded, moveable condyles. We certainly hope our results will be applicable to other synovial joints."

Coined in 1987, the term "tissue engineering" combines principles from engineering and the life sciences in a bold attempt to use the bodys own biological materials to repair, regenerate, and ultimately replace damaged organs and tissues, including bone and cartilage. If successful, tissue engineering would eliminate the need for bone grafts and avoid problems associated with artificial replacement joints, such as donor site defects, immunorejection, abnormal wear and tear, and transmission of pathogens.

As tissue engineers have studied the hips, knees, and other joints, most of their work to date has focused on the initial step of repairing a small area of damaged tissue. According to Mao, while studies in this area have tremendous therapeutic potential, he and his colleagues realized that these strategies might be somewhat limited in people with severe arthritis. "People with very severe osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis often have large condyle defects, so the entire condyle needs to be replaced," said Mao.

About two years ago, Mao and his team of clinicians, dentists, surgeons, cell biologists, and materials scientists decided to take the next step and engineer a mandibular condyle. "Why the mandibular condyle?" answered Adel Alhadlaq, D.D.S., M.S., a coauthor on the paper and also a scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "We began our research using mice that were no larger than a human hand, and, obviously, it wasnt possible to engineer a large human tibia or femur that way. Because the mandibular condyle is smaller and could be transplanted into a mouse, it was just a practical structure to try and engineer."

At the same time, Mao said his research team has had a long-standing research interest in temporomandibular joint disorders. These sometimes painful conditions affect an estimated 90 million Americans, and, for those with severe damage to the joint itself, a tissue-engineered mandibular condyle one day could have tremendous clinical benefits.

As reported this month in the Journal of Dental Research, Maos group succeeded in their efforts. The group isolated adult mesenchymal stem cells from rat bone marrow, then treated them in the laboratory to differentiate into either bone or cartilage producing cells called osteoblasts and chondrocytes. Each adult mesenchymal stem cell can produce thousands of individual osteoblasts or chondrocytes.

Thereafter, the group seeded the differentiated cells into a hydrogel polymer solution, and placed their creation into a polyurethane mold made from a human mandibular condyle. The scientists then implanted three small molded structures just below the skin of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Each implant now was encapsulated in a hydrogel coat that was subdivided into layers seeded either with osteoblasts or chondrocytes, an attempt to engineer distinct layers of bone and cartilage.

Eight weeks later, Mao and colleagues harvested the three tissue-engineered condyles from the mice. They found the implants had formed on their own into "firm" structures that retained the precise shape and three-dimensional structure of the molded human mandibular condyle.

Importantly, within the layer of the implants seeded with osteoblasts, the scientists detected mineral deposits in island structures, a sign that the osteoblasts had followed their biological program and produced bone. In the other layer, they identified "sparse chondrocyte-like cells within abundant extracelluar matrix" that expressed certain proteins characteristic of cartilage.

In future work, Mao said he and his team will attempt to enhance the biological and mechanical properties of the tissue-engineered condyles. However, Mao stresses that these results are just the start of a much steeper scientific challenge. "It is no small task by any measure to recapitulate what nature does perfectly during development," he said. "Although we understand many of these cues during natural development, we need to learn how to utilize them to tissue engineer mandibular condyles."

"But we have designed several approaches to solving the problems, and enhancing the tissue-forming capacity of engineered mandibular condyles. This will be the central focus of our NIDCR grant over the next few years," added Mao.

The NIDCR, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the federal governments lead agency in the conduct and support of dental research. For more information about NIDCR, please visit www.nidcr.nih.gov or call (301) 496-4261.

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday to akamom, Samantha and Robin Mayhall!!!
Check out all the birthdays at
community/birthday
and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Join the Arthritis Dieters!
This is a group of people with arthritis who want to lose weight with others who know of the challenges of living with is arthritis. All those medications that make living with arthritis tolerable, but pile on the pounds. This group has been set up to give us a protected group where we can talk to others who know what it is like.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arthritis-dieters/

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know.

Write an article!
We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis. C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer.
community/kenscheerfund

Thank You!
A great big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and are donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors.

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:

Sore No More (http://sorenomore.com) gel will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com.

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

SCHERING-PLOUGH EYES DEAL ON RIGHTS TO ARTHRITIS DRUG
For Schering-Plough and Fred Hassan, on the prowl for that first big deal for the new management team, the circumstances couldn't look much better.
Schering-Plough's pipeline of blockbuster products is almost bare, and Hassan has repeatedly said one of his priorities is to bolster the company's R&D program by acquiring rights to promising products from other companies.

KNEE ARTHRITIS: EARLY DETECTION CAN MAKE LIFE LESS PAINFUL
There is no cure for arthritis, but physical therapy can
make living with arthritis easier and less painful. Activities ...

EXCLUSION OF SEPTIC ARTHRITIS AFTER ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT...
Laboratory studies and aspiration followed by culture testing should be performed liberally in cases of suspected septic arthritis after anterior cruciate ...

NEW TURMOIL HITS ARTHRITIS VICTORIA
... again in deep turmoil. Arthritis Victoria has been rocked by the resignation of three board members. President John Marshall, his ...

HYDROTHERAPY AND EXERCISE HELP ARTHRITIS PATIENTS
Participation in either a hydrotherapy program or a gym-based
exercise program for just 6 weeks improves the functional of patients ...

CELLTECH SCRAPS ARTHRITIS DEAL
Celltech yesterday scrapped the partnership deal for its rheumatoid arthritis drug and now claims that it could fund the development using its own cash flows.

CHONDROGENE AND THE CANADIAN ARTHRITIS NETWORL ENTER INTO A...
Dr. K. Wayne Marshall, President and CEO of ChondroGene Limited and Mr. Chris Nelson, President of the Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN), are pleased to announce that the two organizations have entered into a new research collaboration in which ChondroGene will make its proprietary technology and tools available

HOLIDAY TIPS FOR ARTHRITIS SUFFERERS
... This stress can compound problems for those suffering from arthritis
or related diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia. In many ...

More health news can be found on our site:
news/

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The A.I. Help Desk
Linda Peck

Computers 101 - Keeping Your Mass Mailing Contacts a Secret is Easy as BCC

Have you ever gotten something forwarded to you with hundreds of e-mail addresses in the header?  Every address on that email may be getting unintentionally passed all over the net.  When you forward it to everyone in your address book you risk making every address on that email vulnerable to "spammers".   So do your friends a favor and avoid exposing their addresses to all of cyberspace, send mass mailings as Blind Carbon Copies (BCC). E-mail privacy is just a few clicks away. Here's what you do...

When you create or forward an e-mail in Outlook Express you usually click on "To:->" and make selections from your address book. If you look down, you'll see other options: "Cc:->" and "Bcc->". Simply highlight the addresses you want to send to and click "Bcc:->".

When you finish your selections, click OK and you will return to the New Message window where you can type your e-mail. Put your own address in the "To:->" field.

If composing or forwarding an e-mail in Netscape Mail, open your address book in the menu at the top (the icon looks like a plus sign on an index card with a little person standing next to it).  Then, select names from your address book and click "Bcc->" to add the names to your list.  Click OK and you will return to the composition window where you can type your message.  You can also click the arrow in the "To:" field, then Select "Bcc:" and type in the addresses or copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V) next to the index card.

With AOL, you can just put the recipient addresses into the "Cc:" field in (parenthesis) for them to be hidden.  Most other web based email clients have a BCC option somewhere.

Put your own address, or a fake one, in the "To->" field and everyone who receives the email will only see that address, and not the other 275 people you sent the message to.  The only drawback I can think of is that the copy in your "Sent Items" folder does not show who you sent the message to, although you can normally view the list of folks in the properties menu option for the email.

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques
http://www.worldstart.com
Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

Helping Helps

Doing things for other people could help you live a healthier life.  In a study, people whose lifestyles included lending support to others tended to report better mental health compared to people who were not as giving. And mental well-being has been linked to better overall health, according to research.

This Week's Clicks

A new version of an old song - http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jwwaller/elvis/

Countdown to Christmas - http://www.iw.net/~nystrom/

Christmas crafts - http://www.craftown.com/xmas.htm

Christmas tags to print - http://www.debidawn.com/xmastags.htm or http://www.debidawn.com/xmastags2.htm

Free movies for the disabled - http://www.moviesforfree.org/

No ads, just games - http://www.oodlz.com/?n=kan_game2

Dealing with depression - free booklet - http://mall.gtw.net/lhm/depresspecialord.asp

Retail Closeouts - http://www.retailcloseoutmall.com/

Supermarket Guru, smarter shopping, healthier eating - http://supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/1

Until next week,
Life is not about how fast you can run or how high you can climb....but how well you bounce.

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Contribute

Have you written something you think our subscribers would like to read? Send it to Tina@arthritisinsight.com and maybe we'll use it in our newsletter.

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A Closing Thought
Ho! Ho! Ho! Time to brush up on those Christmas Caroles, let's start with:

Deck the Halls

Deck the halls with boughs of holly   
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
'Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our gay apparel.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

See the blazing Yule before us.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Strike the harp and join the chorus.   
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Follow me in merry measure.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
While I tell of Yuletide treasure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Fast away the old year passes.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Hail the new ye lads and lasses
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Sing we joyous all together.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Heedless of the wind and weather.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003