Uno Chicago Grill to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day
Uno Chicago Grill is offering free individual pizzas or entrees (with an entree or pizza purchase of equivalent value) to all veterans on Veterans Day, November 11. You don't need a coupon -- just show up in uniform or with a military or veteran's ID.
In case you don't know, Uno Chicago Grill has a wide-ranging gluten-free menu, including delicious gluten-free pizzas, steaks, salmon, ribs, chicken, burgers, salads, side dishes, and desserts. (I wrote about Uno Chicago Grill earlier this year.)
They have more than 200 restaurants in the U.S. - so if you're a veteran, and you live near an Uno Chicago Grill, take advantage of their Veteran's Day offer. (And if you're not on a gluten-free diet, bring along someone who is!)
Setback for Potential Celiac Disease Drug AT-1001
Back in December 2007, there was a lot of fanfare when pharmaceutical giant Shire, headquartered in the U.K., signed an agreement with Alba Therapeutics Corp. in Maryland to collaborate in the development of Alba's potential new drug for celiac disease, known as AT-1001 (or larazotide acetate). Shire bought the development rights outside of the U.S. and Japan for AT-1001 for an upfront cost of $25 million, and newspapers at the time said the deal could eventually be worth more than $325 million, if AT-1001 met everyone's expectations.
Unfortunately, the results of clinical trials (research studies in humans) have been disappointing, and yesterday Shire announced it was terminating its deal with Alba. In a press release, Shire said, "On October 16, 2009 and following review of Phase 2 data, Shire informed Alba Therapeutics Corporation of its intent to terminate the collaboration. Effective November 15, 2009 Shire will return to Alba all rights to...larazotide acetate for celiac disease, also known as AT-1001."
In the same press release, Shire also announced its intention to terminate a collaboration with another company (Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.), and that company promptly announced it was laying off 20% of its staff. I haven't seen any similar announcements from Alba, but I'm afraid of what this means for AT-1001 and Alba's other projects.
Consumer Survey from the National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, is asking consumers to help with a research project. According to their statement, the point of the project is to help them gain "insight and better understanding of the health information needs and information-seeking behaviors of NIH health consumer audiences." Our answers will help them provide "health, medical, and scientific information to a broader variety of audiences."
Take the NIH online survey, and your answers will help them do a better job of providing health information for all of us. For people in your family who don't have internet access, you can print out the survey and they can return the hard copy to the NIH by mail.
While I'm on the topic of "information seeking," here are some tips I posted a few months ago for how to judge the quality of a medical web site.
Treating Celiac Disease with Worms
Treating celiac disease with worms? Is this a Halloween headline, about gluten-free gummy worms? Nope. Read on.
As you might know, a variety of possible treatments for celiac disease are "in the research pipeline" right now. Within the next 5 to 10 years (or maybe sooner), those of us who can't or would rather not manage their celiac disease with a strict gluten-free diet will probably be able to take drugs of one sort or another that will allow at least some small amount of gluten to be eaten without the usual damage. In addition to medications, researchers in Australia are testing a vaccine against celiac disease, which I wrote about a few months ago.
Yesterday on Twitter I learned about another incredible project in Australia. Honestly, if it hadn't been tweeted by someone I respect (@GlutenFreeRN), I'd have been sure it was a joke. But it's for real (and be warned: it's not for the squeamish). As you can read for yourself on the Australian Broadcasting Company web site, worms have been linked to relief of celiac disease.
At Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, 10 volunteers with celiac disease were infected with live human hookworms. As the article reports, "The parasites burrowed into participants' skin and entered the bloodstream after being applied to the forearm. They then traveled via the lungs to the gut where they happily colonized."
Then, every day for the next 21 weeks, the volunteers ate a few slices of white bread. Another 10 patients with celiac disease, who were not treated with the hookworms, also ate white bread every day, for purposes of comparison. And in fact, the patients with the parasites had less inflammation and less damage in their intestines.
The Australian Broadcasting Company reports that at the end of the trial, the volunteers were offered worm medication to get rid of the parasites, "but all chose to keep their worms."
Why would researchers even think of treating celiac disease patients with worms? On clinicaltrials.gov, a website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health with information on studies being planned or conducted all over the world, I found the answer. The Australian research team explains it this way:
The disappearance of intestinal parasites from humans in developed countries may be responsible for the upsurge in many diseases including Celiac Disease, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, asthma and hay fever. A parasite's survival relies on its ability to interfere with the host's immune response. The mechanisms employed to do this are similar to those [a person needs to protect against] the so-called autoimmune disorders, diseases in which the system turns on itself. [We] suspect that when parasites are excluded from the environment, some individuals become sufficiently self-reactive to develop an autoimmune disease. American researchers have successfully treated patients with Crohn's and ulcerative colitis using a pig whipworm....[We]have undertaken a similar preliminary study using a human hookworm in Crohn's patients.
What do you think? There needs to be a lot more research on this method before it becomes commonly available. Would you volunteer for a hookworm study?
Send Along a Gluten-Free Cupcake and Make Your Kid Feel Good at the Same Time
Allison of Sure Foods Living has written about a great little product that will help gluten-free kids feel better about bringing their own cupcakes along to parties and other special events. They're called Go Go Cupcake Holders, and Allison says they solve the problem of "how to send one cupcake and not smush it!"
Take a look at Allison's in-use photos, or go straight to Amazon to order them -- as of this writing, the price is $6.99 for two.
Another cupcake holder to check out: Range Kleen cupcake holders, 6 for $12.99, also on Amazon.
Creepy-Sounding Gluten-Free Food to Serve on Halloween
If you're looking for gluten-free Halloween party food, or if you just need to entertain some young trick-or-treaters at the dinner table, I've posted an article with links to recipes for snacks, main courses, and desserts with all sorts of creepy-sounding names. Take a look at Gluten-Free Halloween Food: What to Feed Your Gluten-Free Trick or Treaters. How about some "Moldy Mashed Potatoes"? Some "Spaghetti and Eyeballs" or "Brains on the Half Skull"? I'm not sure if the "Vampire Truffles" are OK for calorie counters like me, but I could definitely go for some "Bloody Good Halloween Punch"!
Don't forget to check out the updated list of gluten-free Halloween candy, too.
A Wonderful Web Site for Kids with Celiac Disease
Here's a terrific site for kids with celiac disease, sponsored by Schär, a very well known manufacturer of gluten-free products in Europe. The site is callled 123Milly.com. That's Milly* in the picture on the right. She's a friendly little blue dragonfly, and she can "speak" to children in English, German, Italian, French or Spanish. The site has colorful tools for figuring out what to take to school for lunch each day, a food quiz, an archive of comic strips, puzzles, word search games, memory games, and much, much more.
Whether you have a kid, know a kid, or are a kid, check out 123Milly.com!
*© All rights reserved for Dr. Schär GmbH
Remote-Control Halloween Decorations Raise $$ for Celiac Disease
The Controllable Halloween Decorations for Celiac Disease are back! Just like he does every Christmas, techie guru Alek Komarnitsky has rigged three live webcams and X10 technology so that not only can we view the spectacular display of lights and decorations but also we can also control them, from anywhere in the world. (I personally just inflated a giant Frankenstein, and I put up a message that said "Happy Halloween from New Jersey USA!")
This year, the bright, colorful Halloween decorations at his house in Colorado also include pumpkins, Grim Reapers, a skull, SpongeBob SquarePants, a headless horseman, Homer Simpson, and more.
This is the fifth year that Alek and his family have dedicated their holiday lights to raising funds and awareness for the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. As Alek puts it, "The website is completely free and totally fun, especially for kids. If folks are so inclined, you can make an optional donation directly to the Center for Celiac Research."
Over the years, the Komarnitsky holiday lights have raised nearly $40,000 for celiac disease!
B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Pasta)
Do you eat gluten-free pasta? When your friends and family want to go out for Italian food, don't sit mournfully and watch them eat big bowls of pasta that are off-limits to you... Instead, read B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Pasta): How to Have Gluten-Free Pasta in the Restaurant of Your Choice.
Celiac Disease Events, October 2009
I've been asked to help publicize some upcoming events across the country:
Chicago Area
Saturday, October 10
10:30 a.m.
University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center Annual Free Blood Screening
Registration for the screening is now closed, but a panel of experts will be available for an interactive Q&A, and exhibitors will be on hand with various products and services.
Atlanta Area
Saturday, October 17
9 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
Atlanta Metro Celiacs Vendor Fair
A large Gluten-Free Vendor Fair will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel (1075 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, Georgia).
New York City Area
Sunday, October 18
The Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease and Vendor Fair
WALK: Starts at 10:00 am
2 mile or 4 mile route through scenic parts of Rye, NY
VENDOR FAIR: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
NEW THIS YEAR: Gluten-Free Cupcake Decorating Sponsored by Glutino
SPEAKER PRESENTATION: Dr. Christina Tennyson of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University will speak at 11:15 am about the latest research on celiac disease.
Erie, Pennsylvania
Celiac Sprue Association Annual Conference
October 30 - November 1, 2009
Held in conjunction with the Annual CSA Dietitian Day on October 29.