Princess Cruises announces benefit cruise to support American Heart Association

Princess Cruises is celebrating CPR awareness during the month of June by announcing a special cruise to benefit the American Heart Association (AHA). Expected to raise $1 million for the Association’s heart health programs and educational outreach, the cruise is the second in Princess’ new “Cruising for a Cause” series that devotes an entire sailing to support a charitable cause.

Sailing from February 10-15, 2014, aboard Ruby Princess on a Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, the five-day voyage will offer passengers a heart-themed experience, focused not only on “affairs of the heart,” but also a variety of onboard features themed around heart health awareness – including special guest speakers, educational activities and other programs to foster healthy living.

A portion of each passenger’s cruise fare, totaling approximately $500,000, will be matched by Princess Cruises with an additional $500,000, for a total of $1 million. The proceeds will be used to support the American Heart Association’s mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, with one in every three deaths attributable to heart disease and stroke,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “Because we care about the health and well-being of our employees, passengers, and all members of the Princess family, we felt the American Heart Association would be the perfect fit for our second charity cruise.”

The American Heart Association cruise will sail on a Western Caribbean itinerary roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, with calls at Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
Cruise fares range from $599 to $1,649 per person based on double occupancy. A tax-deductible portion of each fare ranging from $100 to $300 per person, depending upon cabin category, will be donated to the American Heart Association.

The cruise is the second of the company’s new “Cruising for a Cause” initiative where Princess will dedicate entire sailings to support select charitable causes. This new, industry-leading program will provide the line’s passengers, many of whom are looking for opportunities to make positive contributions to their communities and the world, a way to make a difference even as they vacation. The first cruise, to support U.S. veterans, will sail November 5-9, 2013, aboard Caribbean Princess.

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Cholesterol: Bad for Heart and Eyes

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By John Gever, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today

Excess cholesterol in macrophages within ocular blood vessels may help trigger neovascular, or "wet," age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a laboratory study suggested.

A series of experiments in mice showed that cholesterol levels in macrophages from older mice were higher than in younger animals, apparently because of impairments in the ABCA1 cholesterol efflux mechanism, according to Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues.

Topical as well as systemic treatment of older mice with a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist known as T0-901317, which boosts cholesterol efflux from cells, reduced the degree of choroidal neovascularization in a laser-induced model of the human disease, the researchers also reported in the April 2 issue of Cell Metabolism.

Apte and colleagues also confirmed in lab studies that human peripheral blood mononuclear cells show progressive ABCA1 impairment and cholesterol buildup with age.

However, despite headlines in consumer media suggesting that people with AMD could benefit immediately from anti-cholesterol medications, Apte and colleagues did not test whether the LXR agonist could prevent spontaneous neovascularization in mice, let alone humans.

Nor are there any LXR agonists approved for human use, although at least one has progressed as far as phase I clinical testing. Moreover, the study did not address "dry" AMD, the much more common but less severe form of AMD.

Nevertheless, Apte and colleagues argued that the results point to a new approach to treating wet AMD.

"Therapeutic intervention prior to the development of advanced disease with effective agents that upregulate macrophage cholesterol efflux in the eye might prevent progression and can be used as prophylaxis against the development of choroidal neovascularization and its blinding complications," they wrote.

LXR agonists have previously been suggested as treatments for Alzheimer's disease, glioblastoma, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and a variety of other disorders.

John Gever

Senior Editor

John Gever, Senior Editor, has covered biomedicine and medical technology for 30 years. He holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an M.S. from Boston University. Now based in Pittsburgh, he is the daily assignment editor for MedPage Today as well as general factotum on the reporting side. Go Pirates/Penguins/Steelers!

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