- - European weblog on food, health and environment
News - Week 3 - 2009
The Great Chemical Dumbing Down
What have aspartame, compulsory schooling, toxic vaccines, fluoridation, watching TV,
and multiculturalism all have in common? Dr. Russell blaylock accuses Industry and
Government of dumbing down society with Chemical Toxins. The French philosopher Voltaire
stated that those who hold the power to make you believe absurdities also have the power
to make you commit atrocities. Intelligent people are bad from this point of view, they
think too much, such people are exceptionally bad since they do not believe everything
they are told. People on the other hand equally lacking in intelligence and understanding
have no real choice in that matter, those who can not comprehend need others to comprehend
for them.
Missing the Dark - Health Effects
of Light Pollution
Artificial light has benefited society by, for instance, extending the length of the
productive day, offering more time not just for working but also for recreational
activities that require light. But when artificial outdoor lighting becomes inefficient,
annoying, and unnecessary, it is known as light pollution. Many environmentalists,
naturalists, and medical researchers consider light pollution to be one of the fastest
growing and most pervasive forms of environmental pollution. And a growing body of
scientific research suggests that light pollution can have lasting adverse effects on both
human and wildlife health.
Air pollutants are inhaled as complex mixtures, but the focus of monitoring and research
has been on individual pollutants; however, this practice does not take into account
pollutant interactions that may be important to health. Mauderly and Samet (p. 1) reviewed
selected published literature to determine whether combinations of ozone with other
pollutants may have synergistic effects on health outcomes. The authors found that
synergism involving O3 has been demonstrated by laboratory studies of humans and animals,
although comparisons are limited, and most studies involved exposure concentrations much
higher than typical of environmental pollutants.
Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been shown to affect cognitive
development of children, but the cognitive functions that are particularly affected have
not yet been identified. Boucher et al. (p. 7) reviewed data from nine prospective
longitudinal birth cohorts to investigate the cognitive profile associated with prenatal
PCB exposure. They found that prenatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs appears to
be related to a relatively specific profile of cognitive impairments.
Calcium Supplementation and Blood
Lead in Pregnancy
Prenatal lead exposure is associated with deficits in fetal growth and neurodevelopment.
Calcium supplementation may attenuate fetal exposure by inhibiting mobilization of
maternal bone lead and/or intestinal absorption of ingested lead. Ettinger et al. (p. 26)
investigated whether 1,200 mg daily calcium supplementation affected maternal blood lead
levels during pregnancy, finding modest reductions in blood lead in women randomly
assigned to receive calcium supplements during pregnancy. They concluded that calcium
supplementation appears to be a cost-effective means for lowering fetal lead exposure.
Exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) is linked to vasoconstriction, endothelial dysfunction,
and myocardial ischemia in compromised individuals. Gottipolu et al. (p. 38) investigated
whether DE inhalation would cause greater inflammation, hematologic alterations, and
cardiac molecular impairment in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in healthy Wistar
Kyoto rats. They found evidence that DE inhalation produces a hypertensive-like cardiac
gene expression pattern associated with mitochondrial oxidative stress in healthy rats.
Stoeger et al. assessed whether the in vivo inflammatory response of mice to
combustion-derived nanoparticles (CDNPs) can be predicted in vitro by a cell-free test for
oxidative potency (OxPot) of particles and a gene expression analysis targeting
inflammation, stress, and detoxification-related genes. They found a correlation between
inflammatory response and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area for all CDNPs,
and derived a simple quantitative model to predict in vivo inflammatory response based on
in vitro OxPot and Cyp1a1 induction. This model may serve as an additional step toward
introducing a cell-free test for nanotoxicology that is reliable enough to provide a true
alternative to animal exposures
Qiu et al. determined the concentrations of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(HO-PBDEs) in blood from pregnant women who had not been intentionally or occupationally
exposed to these flame retardants, and from their newborn babies, and then compared these
concentrations with those reported in mice. The PBDE metabolite pattern observed in humans
differed from that in mice, indicating that different enzymes might be involved in the
metabolic process. Levels of HO-PBDE metabolites were low but similar to parent compounds,
which suggests that metabolites may accumulate in human blood.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. People
with PD, their families, scientists, health care providers, and the general public are
increasingly interested in identifying environmental contributors to PD risk. Bronstein et
al. (p. 117) report on a multidisciplinary group of experts who gathered to assess what is
known about the contribution of environmental factors to PD. PD is a complex disorder, and
multiple different pathogenic pathways and mechanisms can ultimately lead to PD. Interplay
among environmental factors and genetic makeup likely influences the risk of developing
PD.
Verhulst et al. investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) standard
deviation score and prenatal exposure to hexachlorobenzene,
dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dioxin-like compounds, and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in a random sample of mother–infant pairs living in Flanders,
Belgium. PCBs were associated with increased BMI during early childhood. Future studies
are needed to confirm the findings and to assess possible mechanisms by which these
pollutants could alter energy metabolism.
Scientific evidence has correlated low birth weight and preterm birth—both important
determinants of perinatal death—with air pollution. de Medeiros et al. (p. 127)
examined the association between traffic-related pollution and perinatal mortality.
Logistic regression revealed a gradient of increasing early neonatal death with higher
exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Associations with fetal mortality were less
consistent. The results suggest that motor vehicle exhaust exposures may be a risk factor
for perinatal mortality.
Household Exposure to Paint and
Petroleum Solvents, Chromosomal Translocations, and the Risk of Childhood Leukemia
The association of ALL risk with paint exposure was strong, consistent with a causal
relationship, but further studies are needed to confirm the association of ALL and AML
risk with solvent exposure.
Researcher finds link between age,
birth order and autism
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have shown that the risk of autism increases
for firstborn children and children of older parents. The risk of a firstborn with an
autism spectrum disorder triples after a mother turns 35 and a father reaches 40.
Prince Lionheart Announces
World’s First Silicone Baby Bottle
Due to recent concerns over the toxicity of plastic baby bottles, industry leader Prince
Lionheart has released an innovative new product, Prince Lionheart’s Silicone Baby
Bottles – the world’s first pure silicone baby bottle for a safer way to feed
baby.
25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency is
independently associated with cardiovascular disease in the Third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey
These results indicate a strong and independent relationship of 25(OH)D deficiency with
prevalent CVD in a large sample representative of the US adult population.
Low vitamin d levels predict stroke
in patients referred to coronary angiography
Low levels of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D are independently predictive for fatal strokes,
suggesting that vitamin D supplementation is a promising approach in the prevention of
strokes.
Adding high doses of sludge to
neutralise soil acidity not advisable
A University of the Basque Country PhD thesis has analysed the application of waste sludge
from EDAR (Estación Depuradora de Aguas Residuales - Waste Water Purification Plant) to
acid soils which have limited capacity for neutralising the acidity.Sludge obtained from
water purification plants can be reused, as fertiliser for soils, for example or to reduce
their acidity. The main aim of this University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) PhD
research thesis was to study the effects of the application of EDAR (Estación Depuradora
de Aguas Residuales - Waste Water Purification Plant) waste sludge on the chemical
properties of the soil and on the water filtering through it — with special attention
being paid to the behaviour of heavy metals. Moreover, the effects on forest plantations
— concretely those of Pinus radiata —, have been studied.
New research indicates that the ocean could rise in the next 100 years to a meter higher
than the current sea level – which is three times higher than predictions from the
UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC. The groundbreaking new results from
an international collaboration between researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute at the
University of Copenhagen, England and Finland are published in the scientific journal
Climate Dynamics.
Flooding like that which devastated the North of England last year is set to become a
common event across the UK in the next 75 years, new research has shown.A study by Dr
Hayley Fowler, of Newcastle University, predicts that severe storms – the likes of
which currently occur every five to 25 years across the UK – will become more common
and more severe in a matter of decades.Looking at ‘extreme rainfall events’
– where rain falls steadily and heavily for between one and five days – the
study predicts how the intensity of these storms may change in the future.
Obesity starts in the head? Six
newly discovered genes for obesity have a neural effect
Obesity is known to increase the risk of chronic disorders, such as diabetes (type 2). An
international team of scientists with German participation through the Helmholtz Zentrum
München identified six new obesity genes. Gene expression analyses have shown that all
six genes are active in brain cells.
New study by Rice University
psychologist finds women's brains recognize, encode smell of male sexual sweat
A new Rice University study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that
socioemotional meanings, including sexual ones, are conveyed in human sweat. Denise Chen,
assistant professor of psychology at Rice, looked at how the brains of female volunteers
processed and encoded the smell of sexual sweat from men. The results of the experiment
indicated the brain recognizes chemosensory communication, including human sexual sweat.
Scientists have long known that animals use scent to communicate. Chen's study represents
an effort to expand knowledge of how humans’ sense of smell complement their more
powerful senses of sight and hearing. The experiment directly studied natural human sexual
sweat using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nineteen healthy female subjects
inhaled olfactory stimuli from four sources, one of which was sweat gathered from sexually
aroused males.The research showed that several parts of the brain are involved in
processing the emotional value of the olfactory information. These include the right
fusiform region, the right orbitofrontal cortex and the right hypothalamus.
To make children happier, we may need to encourage them to develop a strong sense of
personal worth, according to Dr. Mark Holder from the University of British Columbia in
Canada and his colleagues Dr. Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace. Their research1 shows that
children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality
relationships – both measures of spirituality – are happier. It would appear,
however, that their religious practices have little effect on their happiness. These
findings have been published in the online edition of Springer’s Journal of Happiness
Studies.
MU Researchers Discover Target that
Could Ease Spinal Muscular Atrophy Symptoms
There is no cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that causes the
weakening of muscles and is the leading genetic cause of infant death, but University of
Missouri researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target that improves deteriorating
skeletal muscle tissue caused by SMA. The new therapy enhanced muscle strength, improved
gross motor skills and increased the lifespan in a SMA model. “This therapy does not
directly target the disease-causing gene; instead it targets the pathways that affect
muscle maintenance and growth,” said Chris Lorson, investigator in the Christopher S.
Bond Life Sciences Center and associate professor of veterinary pathobiology in the MU
College of Veterinary Medicine. “We administered a particular protein, follistatin,
to SMA mouse models to determine if enhanced muscle mass impacts the symptoms of SMA.
After treatment, the mice had increased muscle mass, gross motor function improvement and
an increase in average life span of 30 percent.”
Absence of CLP Protein Can Be
Indicative of Oral Cancer
Human calmodulin-like protein (CLP) is found in many cell types including breast, thyroid,
prostate, kidney, and skin. The protein can regulate many cell activities and has a highly
specific expression. Gaining an understanding about the expression of CLP in oral
epithelial cells and its possible downregulation (or lack of production) in cancer may be
a potentially valuable marker in early detection of oral cancer. A new study in the
Journal of Prosthodontics found that CLP is expressed in normal human oral muscosal cells
and that downregulation of this protein may be an indicator of malignancy or cancer.
Control of blood vessels a possible
weapon against obesity
Mice exposed to low temperatures develop more blood vessels in their adipose tissue and
metabolise body fat more quickly, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet.
Scientists now hope to learn how to control blood vessel development in humans in order to
combat obesity and diabetes. The growth of fat cells and their metabolism depend on oxygen
and blood-borne nutrients. A possible way to regulate the amount of body fat – in
order, for instance, to combat obesity – can therefore be to affect the development
of blood vessels in the adipose tissue. A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet
have now demonstrated the rapid development of blood vessels in the adipose tissue of mice
exposed to low temperatures. This is followed in its turn by a transformation of the
adipose tissue from 'white' fat to 'brown' fat, which has higher metabolic activity and
which breaks down more quickly.
Study - excessive use of antiviral
drugs could aid deadly flu
Influenza’s ability to resist the effects of cheap and popular antiviral agents in
Asia and Russia should serve as a cautionary tale about U.S. plans to use the antiviral
Tamiflu in the event of widespread avian flu infection in humans, scientists
say.Researchers analyzed almost 700 genome sequences of avian influenza strains to
document where and when the virus developed resistance to a class of antiviral drugs
called adamantanes and how far resistant strains spread. The analysis suggests that
widespread antiviral drug use can accelerate the evolution of drug resistance in viruses,
and that resistant strains can emerge and spread rapidly.
Research on the mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's,
stroke, dementia, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, to name a few, has taken a step
forward thanks to the work of biological sciences Ph.D. student Sonia Do Carmo, supervised
by Professor Éric Rassart of the Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM) Biological
Sciences Department, in collaboration with researchers at the Armand-Frappier Institute
and the University of Valladolid in Spain. Do Carmo and her collaborators have
successfully demonstrated the protective and reparative role of apolipoprotein D, or ApoD,
in neurodegenerative diseases. Their discovery suggests interesting avenues for preventing
and slowing the progression of this type of illness. These studies were inspired by work
done ten years ago by Professor Rassart's team, who then discovered increased levels of
ApoD in the brains of people with several types of neurodegenerative disorders, including
Alzheimer's. The team hypothesized that this protein might play a protective and
restorative role but were unable to demonstrate this at the time.
Protein's essential role in
repairing damaged cells revealed
University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a key protein in cells plays a
critical role in not one, but two processes affecting the development of cancer."Most
proteins involved in responding to DNA damage that can cause cancer either help detect the
damage and warn the rest of the cell, or help repair the damage," says David O.
Ferguson, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead author. Ferguson is an assistant professor of
pathology at the U-M Medical School and a member of U-M's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Physical Activity May not be Key to
Obesity Epidemic, Loyola Study Finds
A recent international study fails to support the common belief that the number of
calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity.
Researchers from Loyola University Health System and other centers compared African
American women in metropolitan Chicago with women in rural Nigeria. On average, the
Chicago women weighed 184 pounds and the Nigerian women weighed 127 pounds. Researchers
had expected to find that the slimmer Nigerian women would be more physically active. To
their surprise, they found no significant difference between the two groups in the amount
of calories burned during physical activity. "Decreased physical activity may not be
the primary driver of the obesity epidemic," said Loyola nutritionist Amy Luke,
Ph.D., corresponding author of the study in the September 2008 issue of the journal
Obesity. Luke is an associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and
Epidemiology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.Physical activity is
defined as anything that gets your body moving. U.S. government guidelines say that each
week, adults need at least 2 ½ hours of moderate aerobic activity (such as brisk walking)
or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (such as jogging). Adults also should do
muscle-strengthening activities, such as weight-lifting or sit-ups, at least twice a week.
The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted
by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity.
But hopes dimmed when it was found that obese people are unresponsive to leptin due to
development of leptin resistance in the brain. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital
Boston report the first agents demonstrated to sensitize the brain to leptin: oral drugs
that are already FDA-approved and known to be safe. Findings were published January 7 by
the journal Cell Metabolism. In 1995, researchers reported in Science that they had
isolated a protein that is present in normal mice, but not in an obese strain of mice
called ob/ob, which lacked a gene also called ob. When either obese or normal mice were
directly injected with the protein – now called leptin – they ate less and lost
weight. "Everyone in the field thought they would get the Nobel," says Umut
Ozcan, MD, of Children's Division of Endocrinology. Unfortunately, when obese humans took
the hormone, they lost weight only temporarily – then rebounded back. "Most
humans who are obese have leptin resistance," says Ozcan. "Leptin goes to the
brain and knocks on the door, but inside, the person is deaf."
A special issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG): Part B: Neuropsychiatric
Genetics presents a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in genetic research of
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The issue covers major trends in the
field of complex psychiatric genetics, underscoring how genetic studies of ADHD have
evolved, and what approaches are needed to uncover its genetic origins. ADHD is a complex
condition with environmental and genetic causes. It is characterized by developmentally
inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that has an onset in
childhood. It is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, affecting between 8-12
percent of children worldwide. The drugs used to treat ADHD are highly effective, making
ADHD one of the most treatable psychiatric disorders. However, despite the high efficacy
of ADHD medications, these treatments are not curative and leave patients with residual
disability. Because ADHD is also has one of the most heritable of psychiatric disorders,
researchers have been searching for genes that underlie the disorder in the hopes that
gene discovery will lead to better treatments for the disorder.
Study shows California's autism
increase not due to better counting, diagnosis
A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to
eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990
cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted —
and the trend shows no sign of abating. Published in the January 2009 issue of the journal
Epidemiology, results from the study also suggest that research should shift from genetics
to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the
root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California's children. "It's time to start
looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate
of autism in California," said UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researcher Irva
Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of environmental and occupational health and epidemiology and
an internationally respected autism researcher. Hertz-Picciotto said that many
researchers, state officials and advocacy organizations have viewed the rise in autism's
incidence in California with skepticism.
New drug shows promise for
treatment of adults with fragile X syndrome
A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the UC Davis
M.I.N.D. Institute has found that an oral drug therapy, called fenobam, shows promising
results and could be an effective new treatment for adults with fragile X
syndrome.“Currently there are no therapies on the market to treat cognitive deficits
associated with fragile X syndrome,” said lead study author Elizabeth Berry-Kravis.
“This pilot study has identified the potential beneficial clinical effects of
fenobam, but further study is needed.”Berry-Kravis, a pediatric neurologist at Rush,
said that some study subjects given fenobam showed calmed behavior and rapid reduction in
hyperactivity and anxiety — effects that are similar to the drug’s action in
earlier studies involving mice.
Chemopreventive agents in black
raspberries identified
A study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for
Cancer Research, identifies components of black raspberries with chemopreventive
potential. Researchers at the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center found that
anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids in black raspberries, inhibited growth and stimulated
apoptosis in the esophagus of rats treated with an esophageal carcinogen. "Our data
provide strong evidence that anthocyanins are important for cancer prevention," said
the study's lead author, Gary D. Stoner, Ph.D., a professor in the department of internal
medicine at Ohio State University. Stoner and his team of researchers fed rats an
anthocyanin-rich extract of black raspberries and found that the extract was nearly as
effective in preventing esophageal cancer in rats as whole black raspberries containing
the same concentration of anthocyanins. This study demonstrates the importance of
anthocyanins as preventive agents in black raspberries and validated similar in vitro
findings. It is among the first to look at the correlation between anthocyanins and cancer
prevention in vivo. Stoner and his colleagues have conducted clinical trials using whole
berry powder, which has yielded some promising results, but required patients to take up
to 60 grams of powder a day. "Now that we know the anthocyanins in berries are almost
as active as whole berries themselves, we hope to be able to prevent cancer in humans
using a standardized mixture of anthocyanins," said Stoner. "The goal is to
potentially replace whole berry powder with its active components and then figure out
better ways to deliver these components to tissues, to increase their uptake and
effectiveness. Ultimately, we hope to test the anthocyanins for effectiveness in multiple
organ sites in humans," said Stoner.
Maslinic acid provides a natural
defense against colon cancer
Researchers from the University of Granada and the University of Barcelona have shown that
treatment with maslinic acid, a triterpenoid compound isolated from olive-skin pomace,
results in a significant inhibition of cell proliferation and causes apoptotic death in
colon-cancer cells. Maslinic acid is a novel natural compound and it is able to induce
apoptosis or programmed death in human HT29 colon-cancer cells via the intrinsic
mitochondrial pathway. Scientifics suggest this could be a useful new therapeutic strategy
for the treatment of colon carcinoma.This study is the first to investigate the precise
molecular mechanisms of the anti-tumoral and pro-apoptotic effects of maslinic acid
against colon-cancer. Chemopreventive agents of a natural origin, often a part of our
daily diet, may provide a cheap, effective way of controlling such diseases as cancer of
the colon. A wide range of studies in recent years has shown that triterpenoids hinder
carcinogenesis by intervening in pathways such as carcinogen activation, DNA repair, cell
cycle arrest, cell differentiation and the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells.
Triterpenoids are compounds present in a wide range of plants used in traditional medicine
and known to have antitumoral properties. Low concentrations of maslinic acid are to be
found in plants with medicinal properties, but its concentration in the waxy skin of
olives may be as high as 80%.The results of the study could contribute to the development
of maslinic acid for use as cancer chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents.
Researchers have found that a technique used to visualize amyloid fibers in the laboratory
might have the potential to destroy them in the clinic. The technique involves zapping the
fluorescently-tagged fibers with a laser, which can inhibit their growth and degrade them.
This study, appearing in this week's JBC, may offer a non-drug alternative to treat
amyloid-based disorders like Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Huntington diseases. Yuji Goto and
colleagues had been studying amyloids, dense tangles of protein, to better understand how
they form. In an effort to view amyloid formation under a microscope in real-time, they
added an amyloid specific dye called thioflavin T (ThT) to the tangles and then hit it
with a laser beam to induce fluorescence. Surprisingly, they found that under the right
conditions, the laser could actually stop fiber growth and even degrade the amyloids.
HWI scientist first in world to
unravel structure of key breast cancer target enzyme
The molecular details of Aromatase, the key enzyme required for the body to make estrogen,
are no longer a mystery thanks to the structural biology work done by the Ghosh lab at the
Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI) in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Debashis
Ghosh's solution of the three-dimensional structure of aromatase is the first time that
scientists have been able to visualize the mechanism of synthesizing estrogen. In fact,
the Ghosh lab has determined the structures of all three of the enzymes involved in
controlling estrogen levels that can serve as drug targets for estrogen-dependent tumors
in breast cancer. This work is so significant, the world-renowned journal Nature will be
publishing the structure of aromatase at 2.90 angstrom resolution in an upcoming issue.
The other two enzyme structures determined by the Ghosh lab as part of this project were
estrone sulfatase (2003) and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (1996). All three
enzymes control the levels of estradiol in different tissues. "This is a dream come
true," Dr. Debashis Ghosh, an HWI senior research scientist and a principal
investigator who also holds a joint faculty appointment at the Roswell Park Cancer
Institute (RPCI), said. "Scientists worldwide have been trying for 35 years to
crystallize this membrane-bound enzyme and we are the first to succeed. Now that we know
the structures of all three key enzymes implicated in estrogen-dependant breast cancers,
our goal is to have a personalized cocktail of inhibitors customized to the specific
treatment needs of each patient. Our knowledge about these three enzymes will enable us to
develop three mutually exclusive inhibitors customized to each patient's needs which will
work in harmony together with minimal side effects."
While some emerging technologies can create environments that require very little physical
effort, one Kansas State University researcher thinks games like Nintendo's Wii Fit can
help promote physical rather than sedentary activities for people of all ages."I
think there is a great potential to develop ways to promote physical activity through
technology," said David Dzewaltowski, professor and head of the department of
kinesiology at K-State and director of the university's Community Health Institute.
"Kids innately like to move, so I believe that there is a big future in games that
use emerging technologies and require movement because the games will be enjoyed by
children and also be more healthy than existing games." In a commentary published in
the October 2008 Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, Dzewaltowski discussed how
technology is changing our everyday life and affecting our health. Wii Fit has games that
incorporate yoga, strength training, balance and aerobics. The games are interactive and
require the player to physically move, which is better than nothing, Dzewaltowski said. It
uses a balance board and allows gamers to simulate challenges like snowboarding down a
mountain.
Smoking during pregnancy fosters
aggression in children
Women who smoke during pregnancy risk delivering aggressive kids according to a new
Canada-Netherlands study published in the journal Development and Psychopathology. While
previous studies have shown that smoking during gestation causes low birth weight, this
research shows mothers who light up during pregnancy can predispose their offspring to an
additional risk: violent behaviour. What's more, the research team found the risk of
giving birth to aggressive children increases among smoking mothers whose familial income
is lower than $40,000 per year. Another risk factor for aggressive behaviour in offspring
was smoking mothers with a history of antisocial behaviour: run-ins with the law, high
school drop-outs and illegal drug use. Psychiatry professor and researcher Jean Séguin,
of the Université de Montréal and Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, co-authored
the study with postdoctoral fellow Stephan C. J. Huijbregts, now a researcher at Leiden
University in the Netherlands, as well as colleagues from Université Laval and McGill
University in Canada. "Mothers-to-be whose lives have been marked by anti-social
behaviour have a 67 percent chance to have a physically aggressive child if they smoke 10
cigarettes a day while pregnant, compared with 16 percent for those who are non-smokers or
who smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes a day," says Dr. Séguin. "Smoking also seems
to be an aggravating factor, although less pronounced, in mothers whose anti-social
behaviour is negligible or zero."
Deaths from lung cancer could be
reduced by better policies to control indoor radon
About 1100 people each year die in the UK from lung cancer related to indoor radon, but
current government protection policies focus mainly on the small number of homes with high
radon levels and neglect the 95% of radon related deaths caused by lower levels of radon,
according to a study published on bmj.com today.The authors argue that installing basic
and cheap measures to prevent radon in all new homes would be more cost-effective and have
greater potential for reducing lung cancer deaths caused by radon, and UK Building
Regulations should be amended to enforce this.Radon in the home is a natural air pollutant
produced by the decay of uranium in the ground. Radon gas seeps into buildings through
cracks and holes in the foundations and when it decays it produces particles that can
enter the lungs and expose them to damaging radiation.
Deep brain stimulation treatment
for advanced Parkinson's disease patients provides benefits
Patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation
treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months
than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious
adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA.Deep brain stimulation
is a surgical treatment involving the implantation of electrodes that send electrical
stimulation to specific parts of the brain to reduce involuntary movements and tremors. It
is the surgical intervention of choice when PD motor (movement) complications are
inadequately managed with medications, according to background information in the article.
"However, recent reports highlighting unexpected behavioral effects of stimulation
suggest that deep brain stimulation, while improving motor function, may have other less
desirable consequences," the authors write. They add that there are few randomized
trials comparing treatments, and most studies exclude older patients.
On a high-fat diet, protective gene
variant becomes bad actor
New evidence in mice bolsters the notion that a version of a gene earlier shown to protect
lean people against weight gain and insulin resistance can have the opposite effect in
those who eat a high-fat diet and are heavier, reveals a report in the January 7th issue
of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. The findings suggest that the 12
percent of people who carry the so-called Ala12 version of the gene that serves as a
master controller of fat differentiation will be more sensitive than most to the amount of
fat in their diets. (That fat-moderating gene is called peroxisome proliferator-activated
receptor gamma isoform 2, or Pparg2.) The Ala12 gene variant in question is less active
and less efficient in driving fat cells' formation than the more common Pro12 version, the
researchers explained. As a result, individuals carrying Ala12 are generally less obese
and more sensitive to insulin, but that can change if they shift to a less sensible,
fat-laden meal plan. Genetic testing for the variant might therefore be used as a
diagnostic tool, said Johan Auwerx of Université Louis Pasteur in France and the Ecole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. "Through dietary counseling,
carriers could be informed that they really need to watch out for high fat in their
diets," he said. The findings also raise a potential caution about the long-term
effects of drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) now in use for the treatment of
diabetes, he added. Those drugs stimulate activity of the Pparg2 receptor. The findings
suggest it may be better—at least in some settings—to have a less active
receptor.
Low-carb diets prove better at
controlling type 2 diabetes
In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with
the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood
sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. Patients who
followed the no-glycemic diet experienced more frequent reductions, and in some cases
elimination, of their need for medication to control type 2 diabetes, according to lead
author Eric Westman, MD, director of Duke's Lifestyle Medicine Program. The findings are
published online in Nutrition and Metabolism. "Low glycemic diets are good, but our
work shows a no-glycemic diet is even better at improving blood sugar control," he
says. "We found you can get a three-fold improvement in type 2 diabetes as evidenced
by a standard test of the amount of sugar in the blood. That's an important distinction
because as a physician who is faced with the choice of drugs or diet, I want a strong diet
that's shown to improve type 2 diabetes and minimize medication use." Eight-four
volunteers with obesity and type 2 diabetes were randomized to either a low-carbohydrate
ketogenic diet (less than 20 grams of carbs/day) or a low-glycemic, reduced calorie diet
(500 calories/day). Both groups attended group meetings, had nutritional supplementation
and an exercise regimen. After 24 weeks, their glycemic control was determined by a blood
test that measured hemoglobin A1C, a standard test used to determine blood sugar control
in patients with diabetes. Of those who completed the study, the volunteers in the
low-carbohydrate diet group had greater improvements in hemoglobin A1C. Diabetes
medications were reduced or eliminated in 95 percent of the low-carbohydrate volunteers,
compared to 62 percent in the low-glycemic group. The low-carbohydrate diet also resulted
in a greater reduction in weight. "It's simple," says Westman. "If you cut
out the carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes down, and you lose weight which lowers your
blood sugar even further. It's a one-two punch."
Beta-Blockers in the Real World -
Help for Some, but Not for ‘Stiff Hearts’
Beta-blockers can help older patients with heart failure live longer lives, but only if
their condition is caused by a poorly-functioning left ventricle, say researchers at the
Duke Clinical Research Institute. The finding, available online and slated to appear in
the Jan. 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, could lead to
clarification of professional guidelines on beta-blocker drug use among older patients.
Testes stem cell can change into
other body tissues, Stanford/UCSF study shows
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have
succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance
to embryonic stem cells — they can differentiate into each of the three main types of
tissues of the body — but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the
same. According to the study, the testes stem cells have different patterns of gene
expression and regulation and they do not proliferate and differentiate as aggressively as
human embryonic stem cells. The findings, published in the January issue of the journal
Stem Cells, are in contrast to those reported in a recent Nature paper, which concluded
that the cells were, in fact, as pluripotent as embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent cells
can become any cell in the body and form tumors called teratomas when transplanted into
mice. "It's time to reinterpret the data," said Renee Reijo-Pera, PhD, professor
of obstetrics & gynecology at Stanford, "and to accept that we're beginning to
discover many different types of stem cells. Although they are all related to each other,
they also all have unique therapeutic applications in which they surpass other family
members."
Collagen VI may help protect the
brain against Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford
have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against
amyloid-beta (A?) proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD).
While the functions of collagens in cartilage and muscle are well established, before this
study it was unknown that collagen VI is made by neurons in the brain and that it can
fulfill important neuroprotective functions. The team of investigators led by GIND
director Lennart Mucke, MD, reported in the current edition of the journal Nature
Neuroscience, that collagen VI is increased in brain tissues of Alzheimer's
patients."We first noticed the increase in collagen VI in the brain of AD mouse
models, which inspired us to look for it in the human condition and to define its role in
the disease," said Dr. Mucke. The Gladstone team had profiled changes in gene
expression using DNA microarrays, which provides an unbiased method for identifying key
biological pathways. By comparing all of the genes that are active in disease and normal
tissue, one can get valuable information on new pathways and potential therapeutic
targets. The researchers looked at the dentate gyrus, a specific area of the brain that is
critical to memory and particularly vulnerable in AD, and compared the genes that were
turned on and off in normal mice and a mouse model of AD. This analysis revealed the
striking increase in collagen VI in the brains of mice that model AD.
Scientists can now differentiate
between healthy cells and cancer cells
One of the current handicaps of cancer treatments is the difficulty of aiming these
treatments at destroying malignant cells without killing healthy cells in the process. But
a new study by McMaster University researchers has provided insight into how scientists
might develop therapies and drugs that more carefully target cancer, while sparing normal
healthy cells Mick Bhatia, scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer
Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and his team of
investigators have demonstrated – for the first time – the difference between
normal stem cells and cancer stem cells in humans. The discovery, published in the
prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology today, could eventually help with the further
customization and targeting of cancer treatments for the individual patient. It will
immediately provide a model to discover drugs using robotic screening for available
molecules that may have untapped potential to eradicate cancer.
Studies link maternity leave with
fewer C-sections and increased breastfeeding
Two new studies led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggest that
taking maternity leave before and after the birth of a baby is a good investment in terms
of health benefits for both mothers and newborns. One study found that women who started
their leave in the last month of pregnancy were less likely to have cesarean deliveries,
while another found that new mothers were more likely to establish breastfeeding the
longer they delayed their return to work. Both papers were part of the Juggling Work and
Life During Pregnancy study, funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S.
Health Resources and Services Administration and led by Sylvia Guendelman, professor of
maternal and child health at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. The research takes a
rare look into whether taking maternity leave can affect health outcomes in the United
States. "In the public health field, we'd like to decrease the rate of C-sections
(cesarean deliveries) and increase the rate of breastfeeding," said Guendelman.
"C-sections are really a costly procedure, leading to extended hospital stays and
increased risks of complications from surgery, as well as longer recovery times for the
mother. For babies, it is known that breastfeeding protects them from infection and may
decrease the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), allergies and obesity. What
we're trying to say here is that taking maternity leave may make good health sense, as
well as good economic sense."
Antipsychotic drugs double risk of
death among Alzheimer’s patients
New research into the effects of antipsychotic drugs commonly prescribed to
Alzheimer’s patients concludes that the medication nearly doubles risk of death over
three years. The study, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, was led by Prof
Clive Ballard’s King’s College London team and is published in Lancet Neurology
on 9 January. The study involved 165 Alzheimer’s patients in care homes who were
being prescribed antipsychotics. 83 continued treatment and the remaining 82 had it
withdrawn and were instead given oral placebos.
Spirituality May Help Adolescents
Cope With Chronic Illness
Chronic illness can lead to poorer quality of life—particularly for adolescents. New
research shows that spirituality may help teens cope with their conditions. Two recent
studies, led by Michael Yi, MD, associate professor of medicine, and Sian Cotton, PhD,
research assistant professor in the department of family medicine, investigated how
adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—a condition characterized by
chronic inflammation in the intestines—may use spirituality to cope with their
illness.
Bladder cancer is much more likely to be deadly for women and African-Americans, but the
reasons long believed to explain the phenomenon account for only part of the differences
for such patients compared to their white and male counterparts, according to results
published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer.The results present a stark question
for doctors and patients: If age, tumor type, and stage of the disease upon diagnosis
don't account for all the increased lethality of the disease in women and
African-Americans, then what does?It's a gaping question facing researchers who have long
confronted an irony of bladder cancer, the fifth-most-common type of cancer in America.
The disease is more lethal in those patients who are less likely to get it.
Identification of genetic markers
for ulcerative colitis could lead to treatment
An international consortium of researchers, including major contribution from a team led
by Dr. John D. Rioux, a professor of medicine at the Université de Montréal and the
Montreal Heart Institute, has identified genetic markers associated with risk for
ulcerative colitis. The findings, published in the advance online journal Nature Genetics,
bring researchers closer to understanding the biological pathways involved in the disease
and may lead to the development of new treatments that specifically target them. "Our
identification of some of the genes that lead to ulcerative colitis are giving us a first
look into the causes of this debilitating disease and provides strong leads as to improved
diagnosis and treatment," says Dr. Rioux, one of the lead researchers of the study.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, relapsing disorder that causes inflammation and
ulceration in the inner lining of the rectum and large intestine. The most common symptoms
are diarrhea (oftentimes bloody) and abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's
disease, another chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder, are the two major forms
of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
OHSU School of Dentistry uncovers
mechanism for dental pain
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry
(www.ohsu.edu/sod) have discovered a novel function of the peptide known as Nerve Growth
Factor (NGF) in the development of the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve provides the
signaling pathway for periodontal pain, dental surgical pain, and pain associated with
temporomandibular disorder, trigeminal neuralgia, migraine, and other neuropathic and
inflammatory conditions. Working with researchers in the dental school departments of
Endodontology and Integrative Biosciences, second-year endodontology resident and lead
author of the study, Leila Tarsa, D.D.S., M.S., found a new mechanism involved in
establishing junctions – known as synapses – between trigeminal nerve cells.
Nerve cells communicate with one another through chemicals called transmitters that are
released at synapses. The transmitter release from nerve cells endings is possible only if
aided by several molecules that are critical for proper function of the synapse. Tarsa's
research shows that NGF promotes transport of one of the molecules (called synaptophysin)
from the nerve cell body to its ending. "The data indicate that NGF participates in
formation of neuronal connections in the trigeminal system," said Agnieszka
Balkowiec, M.D., Ph.D., OHSU School of Dentistry assistant professor of integrative
biosciences and OHSU School of Medicine adjunct assistant professor of physiology and
pharmacology, who is the senior author of the study and whose lab hosted the research.
"This study has broad implications for trigeminal nerve regeneration."
McGill researchers discover gene
that increases susceptibility to Crohn's disease
Researchers at McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health
Centre (RI MUHC) and the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, along
with colleagues at other Canadian and Belgian institutions, have discovered DNA variations
in a gene that increases susceptibility to developing Crohn's disease. Their study was
published in the January issue of the journal Nature Genetics. The study was led by McGill
PhD candidate Alexandra-Chloé Villani under the supervision of Dr. Denis Franchimont and
Dr. Thomas Hudson. Dr. Franchimont, now with the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, was
a Canada Research Chair formerly affiliated with the Gastroenterology Dept. of the MUHC.
Dr. Hudson, former Director of the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation
Centre, is now the President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer
Research (OICR), located in Toronto. The researchers pinpointed DNA sequence variants in a
gene region called NLRP3 that are associated with increased susceptibility to Crohn's
disease. Crohn's is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the digestive system that
can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients can suffer from a number of
different symptoms in various combinations, including abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea,
fever, vomiting and weight loss. Rarer complications include skin manifestations,
arthritis and eye inflammation.
Researchers have uncovered why some dietary fats, specifically long-chain fats, such as
oleic acid (found in olive oil), are more prone to induce inflammation. Long-chain fats,
it turns out, promote increased intestinal absorption of pro-inflammatory bacterial
molecules called lipopolysaccharides (LPS). This study appears in the January issue of
JLR.While dietary fats that have short chains (such as those found in milk and cheese
products) can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the intestines, long-chain
fats need to be first packaged by the intestinal cells into particles known as
chylomicrons (large complexes similar to HDL and LDL particles). Erik Eckhardt and
colleagues at the University of Kentucky wondered whether some unwanted LPS particles,
routinely shed by the bacteria that inhabit the human gut, might also be sneaking in the
chylomicrons. Their hypothesis turned out to be correct; when they treated cultured human
intestinal cells with oleic acid they observed significant secretion of LPS together with
the chylomicron particles, a phenomenon that was not observed when the cells were treated
with short-chain butyric acid. Similar findings were found in mouse studies; high amounts
of dietary oleic acid, but not butyric acid, promoted significant absorption of LPS into
the blood and lymph nodes and subsequent expression of inflammatory genes. Eckhardt and
colleagues believe these findings may pave the way for future therapies for Crohn's
disease and other inflammatory bowel disorders. In addition, they note that this study
once again highlights the importance of the diverse bacteria that call our intestines
home.
Penn Researchers Unlock Molecular
Origin of Blood Stem Cells
A research team led by Nancy Speck, PhD, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at
the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has identified the location and
developmental timeline in which a majority of bone marrow stem cells form in the mouse
embryo. The findings, appearing online this week in the journal Nature, highlight critical
steps in the origin of hematopoietic (or blood) stem cells (HSCs), says senior author
Speck, who is also an Investigator with the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at
Penn.
Synthetic HDL - A new weapon to
fight cholesterol problems
Buttery Christmas cookies, eggnog, juicy beef roast, rich gravy and creamy New York-style
cheesecake. Happy holiday food unfortunately can send blood cholesterol levels sky high.
Northwestern University scientists now offer a promising new weapon -- synthetic
high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol -- that could help fight
chronically high cholesterol levels and the deadly heart disease that often results. The
researchers successfully designed synthetic HDL and show that their nanoparticle version
is capable of irreversibly binding cholesterol. The synthetic HDL, based on gold
nanoparticles, is similar in size to HDL and mimics HDL's general surface composition.
High insulin levels raise risk of
breast cancer in postmenopausal women
Higher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of
breast cancer, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
report. Their findings, published in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, suggest that interventions that target insulin and its signaling
pathways may decrease breast cancer risk in these women. Breast cancer is the most common
cancer among women in the United States. Last year, approximately 182,000 women were
diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 died from the disease. The majority of
breast cancers arise in women past the age of menopause. Obesity is a well-established
risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, but just how obesity and breast cancer are
connected is unclear. Many researchers have assumed that the link is estrogen—a
hormone that is known to increase breast-cancer risk and is found at higher-than-average
levels in obese women. But obese women also have other hormonal imbalances that may play a
role in triggering breast cancer. One such imbalance is elevated levels of insulin, which
stimulates the growth of breast cells in tissue culture. The Einstein study is the first
to prospectively identify insulin's role in breast cancer while controlling for estrogen
levels. The multi-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI)—the largest study of
postmenopausal women ever funded by the National Institutes of Health—followed health
outcomes in more than 93,000 postmenopausal women. At enrollment, each participant donated
blood samples that were stored for later analysis.
Growth of new brain cells requires
'epigenetic' switch
New cells are born every day in the brain's hippocampus, but what controls this birth has
remained a mystery. Reporting in the January 1 issue of Science, neuroscientists at the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that the birth of new cells,
which depends on brain activity, also depends on a protein that is involved in changing
epigenetic marks in the cell's genetic material. "How is it that when you see someone
you met ten years ago, you still recognize them? How do these transient events become long
lasting in the brain, and what potential role does the birth of new neurons play in making
these memories?" says Hongjun Song, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology and
member of the Johns Hopkins Institute of Cell Engineering's NeuroICE. "We really want
to understand how daily life experiences trigger the birth and growth of new neurons, and
make long-lasting changes in the brain." The researchers reasoned that making
long-term memories might require long-term changes in brain cells. And one type of
cellular change that has long-lasting effects is so-called epigenetic change, which can
alter a cell's DNA without changing its sequence but does change how and which genes are
turned on or off. So they decided to look at the 40 to 50 genes known to be involved in
epigenetics, and see if any of them are turned on in mouse brain cells that have been
stimulated with electroconvulsive therapy—shock treatment. "It's long been known
that ECT induces neurogenesis in rodents and humans, so we used it as our test case to
find what is triggered downstream to cause new cells to grow," says Song.One gene
turned on in response to ECT was Gadd45b, a gene previously implicated in immune system
function and misregulated in brain conditions like autism. To confirm Gadd45b is turned up
in response to brain activity, the researchers also examined mice experiencing a different
activity. Exposure to new surroundings, the team found, also turns on Gadd45b in brain
cells.
Shchepinov, however, is the first researcher to link the effect with aging. It dawned on
him that if aging is caused by free radicals trashing covalent bonds, and if those same
bonds can be strengthened using the isotope effect, why not use it to make vulnerable
biomolecules more resistant to attack? All you would have to do is judiciously place
deuterium or carbon-13 in the bonds that are most vulnerable to attack, and chemistry
should take care of the rest.
