Home Community Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 171

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 5 Issue 171 November 5, 2003

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Welcome to the 171st 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

Well, I seem to have misplaced Miss Tina again this week. Hopefully I can hunt her down and get her back here before the next issue. Gonna make this short - I've got a hot date with a warm bed and cool book.

Have a good week everybody!

Kimmy

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

Does it strike anyone else as interesting that there now appears to be a new rash of television commercials for arthritis related drugs. However, they are not ones intended for humans, but rather for our canine friends. I have to wonder if they are basically the same as those advertised for us, but with a new name. Guess I will have to research that sometime.

I have been wondering this week whatever possessed me to purchase a home with stairs in it. I can certainly say one thing for it though, it makes me plan my activities more efficiently, so that I minimize the number of up and down trips as much as possible. I guess that is what it is all about; finding ways to cope and go on with the blessings of arthritis.

~Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN...

If you give a Mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her that she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things to Make With A Pound of Hamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.

She will look for the checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year old.

While she is changing the two year old, the phone will ring.

Her five year old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some.

And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the
muffin that went with it.

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 extra from Dee!

Just a thought to add to Penny's tip about preparing meal ahead and freezing them...they have a vacuum packing machine that you can use. Seal the bottom of a bag, place vertical seals (I usually use the gallon sized roll of plastic) for the number of courses you have...meat, vegetable, carb, etc and then vacuum and seal the top. The whole meal can be cooked at one time and goes from freezer to microwave without any hassles. Just cut the top off the bag and pour it all out onto a plate. Hope it helps someone!

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

Member Stories
The Osteoarthritis section has a new one! Ready to send in yours?
community/stories

Member Directory
Updated three listings and (hopefully) cleared up the confusion between the Evelyns. ;)
community/directory

Jokes
Found some knee-slappers in the mailbox and gave the joke section a much needed update. Keep 'em coming - we can always use a giggle 'round here.
fun/jokes

Member Stories
Jamie added her story to the PA section.
community/stories

Birthday Boards
Another November baby added. Anyone else?
community/birthday

Arthritis & Depression
Another member tells us what gets them down.
living/depression

Member Directory
Added a new one and updated a bunch!
community/directory

Newsletter
Yep! Another week, another issue...
community/newsletter

News
All the ACR Headlines listed on one page so you can browse them at your leasure.
news

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 again, friends! Chicken is a staple around my house, AND it is one of our favorites. I am always looking for different ways to prepare chicken and ran across these. They are fairly simple, but can give Wednesday night chicken a little flair. Something a little different. Something new. Enjoy.


Almond Chicken Casserole

2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cups diced celery
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 cup crushed cornflake crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
1 In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; saute onion and celery until soft.
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3 Combine the chicken, rice, onion and celery in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stir in mayonnaise and soup, then almonds. Top with crushed cornflakes and 2 tablespoons butter.
4 Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown.


Candied Chicken Breasts
(the name is something of a misnomer, but that is what it is called)

This recipe is great for company! And with the holidays approaching, this would be great for entertaining!


Ingredients

10 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
10 pineapple rings


Directions
1 Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, flour, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture and brown in skillet, about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Layer chicken in 2 lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dishes.
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3 In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and water. Bring to a boil, and pour over chicken. Cover baking dishes with aluminum foil.
4 Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Top each piece with a pineapple ring, and serve

And last but not least-

Herbed Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients
2/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 1/3 cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves


Directions
1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2 Mix rice and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.
3 In a medium bowl, blend the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. Mix in the thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, allspice, and black pepper.
4 Place chicken breasts in a medium baking dish, and coat with the olive oil mixture.
5 Place chicken in the preheated oven, and, basting occasionally with the olive oil mixture, cook 30 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Serve over the rice with remaining olive oil mixture.

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

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From the NIH:
NIAMS Researchers Collaborate to Produce Targeted Immunosuppressant Drug
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/oct2003/niams-30.htm

Investigators at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Pfizer Global Research and Development and Stanford University have collaborated in studying a new immunosuppressant drug, CP-690,550, that may avoid some of the common side effects associated with other medications that curb the immune system. The new drug, discovered by Pfizer researchers, may be of major importance for those who are treated with immunosuppressants for organ transplants or autoimmune diseases.

John O'Shea, M.D., Yong-Jie Zhou, M.D., and their team in the NIAMS Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch joined scientists from Pfizer and Stanford in developing and studying the drug. CP-690,550 was tested in mice with heart transplants and in monkeys with kidney transplants done by Stanford. In both cases, animals treated with CP-690,550 survived much longer than untreated animals. None of the treated animals showed signs of such immunosuppressant side effects as increased cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure or increased white blood cell count. The animals also showed no significant decreases in white blood cells or platelets.

The new drug, reported in the journal Science, inhibits the enzyme Jak3, a protein discovered by the NIAMS team in 1994 that is found only in immune system cells. The new study shows that inhibiting this enzyme has the effect of suppressing the immune system, while not affecting other systems of the body. Current immunosuppressant drugs target enzymes found in cells throughout the body, resulting in the toxic side effects. The Jak3 inhibitor has the advantage of selectively targeting a protein that only has effects on immune cells.

The finding culminates a long process of research and discovery by the NIAMS team. After discovering Jak3, the team demonstrated that this protein, called a kinase, was critical for the cell signaling process resulting in the development of infection-fighting white blood cells. They went on to show that the mutation of the gene encoding Jak3 was responsible for a form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Because Jak3 is essential for immune cell function, and because its expression is limited to blood cells, the team proposed that inhibiting Jak3 might be the basis for a new class of immunosuppressant drugs. The group then entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with Pfizer - a partnership that has enabled Pfizer to develop this new drug.

CP-690,550 is the first Jak3 inhibitor to show positive results in primates. Further animal studies are being conducted to determine if this drug could be used successfully and safely in humans.

Immunosuppressant drugs, which inhibit the body's immune response, are given to prevent the body from rejecting transplanted organs, and are also used to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. Autoimmune diseases cause the immune system to attack healthy, normal tissue as if it were a foreign substance. The finding that CP-690,550 selectively suppresses the immune response in transplant rejection with minimal toxicity also suggests that a Jak3 inhibitor might be useful in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

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Member Stories
Jamie's Story

Hello My name is Jamie. I am 30 years old diagnosed with PA. I found out 5 years ago that I have PA after the birth of my youngest child. I believe that i have been in denial for about 4 years regading my condition. Sometimes its a little overwhelming to think that I have this uncurable disease. My doctor has started me on Enbrel and Methotrexate today and it has been more that a little upsetting for me. I am hoping to hear from more people just like me that struggle to do everyday chores. I would also like to hear about how these two drugs have helped others. I am scared of the side effects. Working, Raising 3 children, Husband, and Household chores are almost too much for me. Iam tired all the time, have trouble sleeping, and I would guess that I am also dealing with depression. I try to keep the smile on and just deal with it. I mean what choice do I have? I would love to start a friendship with any of you that might need to talk about our "situation". I will be waiting to hear from you.

To see the rest of stories go on over to:
community/stories

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday to Suzanne L. aka aka su-boo, Katherine Schnauss, Pic, Cheryl aka Prizm, JLC38, Dorcas B aka dedebe4, Ardith, Paula, Denise aka DJ, Jennie, Julianna Olsen aka Counselorjules, Teresa Rupright aka mstc33, Jona, Jo Gutierrez and Wheezer!!!
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

LEECHES HELP WITH ARTHRITIS PAIN
Treatment with leeches may reduce pain and stiffness in patients with arthritis of the knee, German scientists report.
Yahoo News, Nov 4

EUROPEANS UNAWARE OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS THREAT
Europeans are unaware of the dangers of rheumatoid arthritis, ignoring the symptoms and delaying a crucial early visit to the doctor, a survey revealed on Wednesday.
Yahoo News, Nov 4

ANTI-OSTEOPOROSIS DRUG WINS WIDER EU APPROVAL
Roche Holding AG's Bondronat drug has won wider European Union approval to prevent osteoporosis and fractures in patients with breast cancer that has spread to their bones, the Swiss group said on Tuesday.
Medscape, Nov 4 (free registration required)

OBESITY HORMONE CONTRIBUTES TO OSTEOARTHRITIS
The hormone leptin may play an important role in the development of osteoarthritis by regulating cartilage-producing cells, French researchers report.
Yahoo News, Nov 3

VIRUS-RELATED MUSCLE DAMAGE TIED TO CHRONIC FATIGUE
Chronic fatigue syndrome seems to occur sometimes after a virus infection. Now, researchers have shown that some patients with the syndrome have evidence of virus in their muscles, and this in turn is linked to abnormal muscle function.
Yahoo News, Oct 31

PICKY EATING COMMON IN KIDS WITH BOWEL DISEASE
Children with inflammatory bowel disease are more likely than others to exhibit signs of "picky" eating, such as not eating during meals, negotiating what they will or won't eat, or refusing outright to eat certain foods, the results of a new study suggests.
Yahoo News, Oct 31

TETRACYCLINES COULD BE AN OVERLOOKED OPTION FOR RA
Tetracyclines, especially minocycline, reduce disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to results of a metaanalysis published in the Journal of Rheumatology for October.
Medscape, Oct 31 (free registration required)

NEW IMMUNOSUPPRESSANT COULD REDUCE SIDE-EFFECTS
An experimental new immune-suppressing drug could help patients with organ transplants avoid rejection while suffering fewer side effects, U.S.-based researchers said on Thursday.
Yahoo News, Oct 30

AN OVERVIEW OF THROMBOCYTOSIS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Clarification of the pathobiologic basis of thrombopoiesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can increase understanding of the exact pathogenesis of megakaryocytopoiesis and improve management of the patients with inflammatory thrombocytosis, according to Turkish experts.
Doctors Guide, Oct 30 (free registration required)

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

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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
The Twenty Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands startedgoing up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied,"What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still Wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still Wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are
special - Don't EVER forget it."

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003

AI Staff
Page last updated on November 5, 2003