Some have asked why the case of the second Canadian death was reported in the press, when the family had initially asked for privacy back in April when it occurred. Dr. Barry Rubin is investigating this case, spoke about it at the Canadian MS Society meeting with Dr. Hubbard, and mentioned it to the press last week.
from The Star, June 30th--
Rubin said he remains unconvinced that CCSVI exists, and he is concerned about patients’ safety. He confirmed that a third person has died as a result of the controversial treatment, but said he could not provide any details as the death is under investigation. The two previously reported deaths happened in California and Costa Rica.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1017876--scientists-explain-about-face-on-ms-trials
From CBC July 8th---
Dr. Barry Rubin, the head of vascular surgery at Toronto's University Health Network, is part of the Canadian government's panel that recommended a safety trial into the treatment last month.
Rubin is in contact with a physician in California.
"I subsequently phoned the physician in California and he confirmed that one patient died shortly after the procedure and a second patient had a stroke," Rubin said. "The severity of that stroke is unknown to me."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/ms-vein-surgery-tied-death-2nd-canadian-203848488.html
Dr. Barry B. Rubin is the vascular representative of Canadian CCSVI and MS research. But he doesn't think it exists. Why is he the "go to" vascular doctor for comments on CCSVI? He has been quoted in the Canadian press as being dubious of Dr. Zamboni's research since the beginning. He has made public presentations on CCSVI, which can be viewed on online.
http://www.uhn.ca/Focus_of_Care/Munk_Cardiac/whats_new/PMCC_Conference/public-lectureMS/index.asp
https://www.facebook.com/notes/ccsvi-in-ms-toronto/dr-barry-rubins-public-lecture-on-ccsvi-follow-up/10150124144259919
Why was he chosen for all of the CIHR expert panels, when doctors like Dr. McDonald from Barrie, who actually have studied and treated CCSVI in patients, are not on the panels?
Dr. Rubin is a very fine vascular surgeon, and he has treated patients for a variety of vascular problems. He is the director of vascular surgery at the University of Toronto and Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Dr. Rubin is an active researcher....but not into venous disease or phlebology. His specialty is much smaller-- the molecular medicine of bioactive phospholipids.
http://vascularsurgery.utoronto.ca/faculty/rubin.htm
Dr. Rubin is an expert in "lipid mediators" or "bioactive lipids". Many diseases, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, MS and diabetes are associated with chronic inflammation. An important step in finding an effective treatment is to understand the basics of an inflammatory response, including the role of bioactive lipids. Understanding how bioactive lipids regulate the disease processes will lead to the development of drugs that have more specific targets and less adverse side effects.
He recently spoke at a symposium in Japan, sponosored by Astellas and Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Kyoto University- this is from the symposium brochure:
The world of lipid mediators is expanding. New and unexpected biological functions, biosynthetic pathways and receptors are being revealed for lipids as appreciation grows for their complex interactions with protein and the genome. New actions are still being added to classic mediators such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Lipid mediators are now recognized to influence a broad swath of biology from inflammation to allergy, immunity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and behavior.... Expansion of our understanding of the role of lipid mediators affords the opportunity for novel therapeutic opportunities, examples of which will be discussed in the symposium.
http://www.nature.com/natureevents/science/events/7464-Bioactive_Lipids_Biochemistry_and_Diseases_D2
And now he's researching neuroinflammation of the spine and the role of lipid mediators. Is this for MS?--Here's his most recent paper:
Anti-inflammatory role of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 in a model of neuroinflammation--(for the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology in Frankfurt- This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant GE695 and the LOEWE Lipid Signaling Forschungszentrum Frankfurt.)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075851
He's received large research grants from the US organization Vascular Cures, as one of their Wylie Scholar fellows, to study lipid mediators.
http://www.vascularcures.org/index.php/what-we-do/wylie-scholar-program/17-what-we-do/wylie-scholar-program/52-barry-rubin-md-phd
I realize that Dr. Rubin is quick to comment that he is not influenced by pharmaceutical companies, and I am not saying that he is. His molecular research has been funded for 15 years by the CIHR. And the targets he is looking at could be very, very helpful to those with chronic inflammation, like people with MS.
Still, the question needs to be asked....why is Dr. Rubin, a world-renowned expert in lipid mediators and inflammation, the Canadian venoplasty expert for CCSVI research? And why has he been so outspoken regarding his doubts of Dr. Zamboni's research? Why all of the comments on the dangers of venoplasty, when Dr. Siskin, Dr. Zamoni and Dr. Simka's peer-reviewed and published research have shown the safety of venoplasty for CCSVI?
Canadians need to ask the health minister to appoint a true specialist in central venous disease and phlebology to the CCSVI research panel. Especially if they want to understand CCSVI.
Joan
http://www.facebook.com/notes/ccsvi-in-multiple-sclerosis/dr-barry-b-rubin-and-ccsvi-research-in-canada/10150244601307211