- - European weblog on food, health and environment
News - Week 4 - 2009
Britches: His Story, His Campaign
Britches was a baby stump-tailed macaque monkey who was liberated from cruel laboratory
abuse in 1985 by the Animal Liberation Front. His story has touched a lot of hearts and in
his honour a campaign has been launched to raise funds so that wild caught primates
currently suffering abuse can receive the help they deserve and be rehabilitated into
safety.
Letting infants watch TV can do
more harm than good says wide-ranging international review
A leading child expert is warning parents to limit the amount of television children watch
before the age of two, after an extensive review published in the January issue of Acta
Paediatrica showed that it can do more harm than good to their ongoing development.
Professor Dimitri A Christakis, from the Seattle Children's Research Institute and the
University of Washington, USA, has also expressed considerable concerns about DVDs aimed
at infants that claim to be beneficial, despite a lack of scientific evidence.And he
points out that France has already taken the matter so seriously that in summer 2008 the
Government introduced tough new rules to protect the health and development of children
under three from the adverse effects of TV. Professor Christakis' extensive review looked
at 78 studies published over the last 25 years and reiterates the findings of numerous
studies he has carried out with colleagues into this specialist area. He points out that
as many as nine in ten children under the age of two watch TV regularly, despite ongoing
warnings, and some spend as much as 40 per cent of their waking hours in front of a TV.
"No studies to date have demonstrated benefits associated with early infant TV
viewing" says Professor Christakis, whose review looked at the effect that TV has on
children's language, cognitive skills and attentional capacity, as well as areas for
future research. "The weight of existing evidence suggests the potential for harm and
I believe that parents should exercise due caution in exposing infants to excessive
media" he says.
Better MRI scans of cancers made
possible by TU Delft
Researcher Kristina Djanashvili has developed a substance that enables doctors to get
better MRI scans of tumours. On Tuesday 13 January, Djanashvili will be awarded a
doctorate by TU Delft for her work in this field. The medical profession's ability to
trace and visualise tumours is increasing all the time. Detection and imaging techniques
have improved enormously in recent years. One of the techniques that have come on by leaps
and bounds is MRI. Patients who are going to have MRI scans are often injected with a
'contrast agent', which makes it easier to distinguish tumours from surrounding tissues.
The quality of the resulting scan depends partly on the ability of this agent to 'search
out' the tumour and induce contrast.
Children's National scientists
uncover key developmental mechanisms of the amygdala
For the first time, scientists at Children's National Medical Center have successfully
identified a key developmental program for the amygdala—the part of the limbic system
that impacts how the brain creates emotional memories and responses. This knowledge could
help scientists to better understand autism and similar disorders in which altered
function of this region is known to occur. The findings, published in the February edition
of Nature Neuroscience, identify a group (otherwise known as a pool) of precursor cells of
neurons that are earmarked specifically for the amygdala and comprise part of a unique
system of growth and development for this portion of the brain. "Despite its central
role in normal brain function and behavior, little has been known about how neuronal cell
diversity is generated during development of the amygdala," said senior author Joshua
Corbin, PhD, of the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children's National. "It was
thought that development of this region occurred similarly to other brain structures like
the cerebral cortex, but our findings indicate that a specific precursor pool exists that
is pre-assigned exclusively to the limbic system. It is a breakthrough to our
understanding of this little studied region of the brain." Using studies of embryonic
mice, Corbin and his team located two specific pools of precursor cells marked by the
transcription factor Dbx1 that migrate from both the ventral pallium and the preoptic
area—a previously undiscovered pool of migratory cells—to create the requisite
mix of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that ultimately comprise the amygdala.
Remarkably, the preoptic area precursor cells are exclusive contributors to the
development of the limbic system, and no other portion of the brain."Altered function
of the amygdala is a hallmark characteristic of disorders such as autism," said Dr.
Corbin. "A more clear understanding of the normal development of this important brain
structure provides a roadmap to understand the consequences of altered brain development
in neurodevelopmental disorders."
Smoking during pregnancy may impair
thyroid function of mom and fetus
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with potentially harmful changes in both
maternal and fetal thyroid function, according to a new study accepted for publication in
The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
"We studied the influence of cigarette smoking on thyroid function of two groups of
women at different stages of pregnancy – one in the first trimester and the other in
the third trimester," said Dr. Bijay Vaidya, Ph.D., of Peninsula Medical School at
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in the United Kingdom, and coauthor of the study. "In
both groups we found that smoking during pregnancy is associated with changes in the
mothers' thyroid hormone levels." Optimal maternal thyroid function during pregnancy
is vital for a successful pregnancy outcome, said Dr. Vaidya. The adverse outcomes
associated with thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy include increased risk of
miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight and impaired neuropsychological development
of the baby. Dr. Vaidya and his colleagues also measured thyroid hormone levels in the
umbilical cord of babies born to smoking mothers and found that smoking-related changes in
thyroid function extend to the fetus. Dr. Vaidya believes that impaired thyroid function
in the fetus could have potentially harmful biological consequences. The study also found
that in mothers who stopped smoking during pregnancy their thyroid hormone levels were
comparable to levels found in non-smokers, which suggests that changes in thyroid function
are rapidly reversible. There is currently no definitive explanation for how smoking
affects thyroid function, but Dr. Vaidya suggests that smoking may influence thyroid
hormone levels by affecting the enzyme which converts the active form of thyroid hormone
to an inactive form.
Matt Confesses: Where the Hell is
Matt? Video an 'Elaborate Hoax'
Popular cold and cough treatment
may create respiratory distress in young children
New research out of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center suggests that Vicks®
VapoRub®, the popular menthol compound used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion,
may instead create respiratory distress in infants and small children.The study appears in
this month's issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest
Physicians, and reports that the product may stimulate mucus production and airway
inflammation, which can have severe effects on breathing infants or young children because
of the small size of their airways. "The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants,
causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway," said Bruce K. Rubin,
M.D., lead author of the study and a professor in the department of pediatrics at Brenner
Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist. "Infants and young children have
airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so any increase in mucus or
inflammation can narrow them more severely." Vicks® VapoRub® was first compounded
in 1891, in Greensboro. It was introduced in 1905 with the name Vick's Magic Croup Salve.
The flu epidemic of 1918 increased sales from $900,000 to $2.9 million in just one year
and Procter & Gamble has since marketed the product as "The only thing more
powerful than a mother's touch."The salve is widely used to relieve symptoms of colds
and congestion, but there are few data supporting an actual clinical benefit, according to
Rubin. Vicks has been reported to cause inflammation in the eyes, mental status changes,
lung inflammation, liver damage, constriction of airways and allergic reactions. Interest
in conducting the study developed after Rubin and colleagues treated an infant who was
taken to the emergency room after developing severe respiratory distress following the
application of Vicks directly under her nose. Researchers sought to determine the effect
of the product on the respiratory system using ferrets, which have an airway anatomy and
cellular composition similar to humans. The team conducted tests on healthy ferrets and
ferrets that had tracheal inflammation (simulating a person with a chest infection) that
measured the effects of Vicks on mucus secretion and buildup in the airways, and fluid
buildup in the lungs.Results showed that Vicks exposure increased mucus secretion in both
normal and inflamed airways. In addition, the studies showed that exposure to the product
decreased the rate by which mucus was cleared from the trachea. The findings support
current product labeling, which indicates the product should not be used on children under
2 years of age. However, many parents continue to use Vicks on their sick children, often
rubbing the salve on the feet or chest, Rubin said.
Hormone Therapy Linked to Brain
Shrinkage, But Not Lesions
Two new studies show that commonly prescribed forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy may
slightly accelerate the loss of brain tissue in women 65 and older beyond what normally
occurs with aging.The studies’ findings appear as companion papers in the Jan. 13
issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Both papers
report on analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, a substudy of the
National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) landmark Women’s Health Initiative
(WHI) hormone therapy clinical trials.
The pain that is associated with injury to nerves is known as neuropathic pain. It can be
extremely debilitating, and treatments show limited or no effectiveness. Despite this,
little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain. However,
Jianren Mao and colleagues, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have now identified
a role for the molecule leptin, which is not produced by nerves, in neuropathic pain in
rodents. They therefore suggest that it might be a new drug target for the treatment of
humans with neuropathic pain Using a rat model of neuropathic pain, it was shown that
administration of a leptin antagonist to the spinal cord prevented and reversed the
condition. Consistent with this, levels of leptin and one form of the leptin receptor were
upregulated in parts of the spinal cord after nerve injury in the tissues. Further,
neuropathic pain was reduced in mice lacking leptin and induced in healthy rats by
administration of leptin to the spinal cord. The authors therefore suggest that leptin in
the spinal cord has a central role in the development of neuropathic pain and that nerves
and non-nerve cells interact to cause the condition.
The pain that is associated with injury to nerves, such as caused by the trauma of
amputation, entrapment, and compression, is known as neuropathic pain. It can be extremely
debilitating, and treatments show limited or no effectiveness. Nerve injury underlying
neuropathic pain is associated with an inflammatory response, and immune cells are thought
to be contributors to the pain. However, Halina Machelska and colleagues, at Freie
Universität Berlin, Germany, have now shown that in a mouse model of neuropathic pain, a
substantial proportion of the immune cells at the site of nerve injury produce chemicals
known as opiods that markedly reduce the symptoms of neuropathic pain. The authors
therefore suggest that selectively targeting opioid-containing immune cells at sites of
nerve injury could provide natural pain relief and offer a novel approach for neuropathic
pain.
Workers exposed to lead show more
cognitive problems later in life
Both the developing brain and the aging brain can suffer from lead exposure. For older
people, a buildup of lead from earlier exposure may be enough to result in greater
cognitive problems after age 55, according to a follow-up study of adults exposed to lead
at work. A full report appears in the January issue of Neuropsychology, which is published
by the American Psychological Association. From the Graduate School of Public Health and
the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, the authors reported that
cognitive problems were linked to cumulative exposure. The researchers followed up on the
1982 Lead Occupational Study, which assessed the cognitive abilities of 288 lead-exposed
and 181 non-exposed male workers in eastern Pennsylvania. The lead-exposed workers came
from three lead battery plants; the unexposed control workers made truck chassis at a
nearby location. At both points in time, all the workers were given the Pittsburgh
Occupational Exposures Test battery, which includes measures of five primary cognitive
domains: psychomotor speed, spatial function, executive function, general intelligence,
and learning and memory.
Antibodies produced within joints
in rheumatoid arthritis
Studying joint biopsies from people with rheumatoid arthritis, Costantino Pitzalis of
Barts and the London School of Medicine and colleagues found that tiny structures in the
joint lining mimic key functions of antibody-producing lymph nodes, and can support the
production of specific antibodies that may play a role in joint destruction. They found
that these processes continued after joint tissue bearing the lymphoid structures was
transplanted into mice without immune systems of their own, indicating that potentially
destructive antibody production within joints can proceed independently of the body's
lymph nodes.
Gene therapy eliminates brain
tumors through selective recruitment of immune cells
Scientists seeking to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate brain tumors
face two major hurdles: recruiting key immune cells called dendritic cells into areas of
the brain where they are not naturally found and helping them recognize tumor cells as
targets for attack.Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, however, have identified a
sequence of molecular events that accomplish both objectives. Their findings, based on
laboratory and animal studies, appear in the Jan. 13 issue of PLoS Medicine, an
open-access online journal of the Public Library of Science. The Cedars-Sinai team
discovered that a protein – HMGB1 – released from dying tumor cells activates
dendritic cells and stimulates a strong and effective anti-tumor immune response. HMGB1
does so by binding to an inflammatory receptor called toll-like receptor 2, or TLR2, found
on the surface of dendritic cells. "Toll receptors play a major role in the immune
system's recognition of bacterial and viral components, but now we have shown that they
also trigger an immune response against tumors," said Maria G. Castro, Ph.D.,
co-director of Cedars-Sinai's Board of Governors Gene Therapeutics Research Institute and
one of the article's senior authors. "Activation of Toll receptors was essential for
two key stages in initiating immune responses against the tumor – the migration of
peripheral dendritic cells into the brain tumor and the subsequent activation of dendritic
cells and stimulation of a specific anti-tumor cytotoxic T-cell mediated response."
Disabling enzyme allows mice to
gorge without becoming obese, new study finds
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a new enzyme that
plays a far more important role than expected in controlling the breakdown of fat. In a
new study to be published Jan. 11 in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers report that
mice that have had this enzyme disabled remained lean despite eating a high-fat diet and
losing a hormone that suppresses appetite."We have discovered a new enzyme within fat
cells that is a key regulator of fat metabolism and body weight, making it a promising
target in the search for a treatment for human obesity," said Hei Sook Sul, UC
Berkeley professor of nutritional sciences and toxicology and principal investigator of
the research. Sul's research team includes the three co-lead authors of the paper, all
from UC Berkeley's Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology: Kathy Jaworski,
former post-doctoral researcher; Maryam Ahmadian, graduate student; and Robin Duncan,
post-doctoral fellow. The enzyme in the spotlight, adipose-specific phospholipase A2
(AdPLA), is found in abundance only in fat tissue. AdPLA sets off a chain of events that
increases levels of a signaling molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which suppresses
the breakdown of fat. Mice that have no AdPLA have lower PGE2 levels and a higher rate of
fat metabolism. "When levels of PGE2 are decreased because of the lack of AdPLA, fat
breakdown proceeds unchecked, resulting in leanness even in animals that eat all day
long," said co-lead author Duncan. In the study, mice that had the gene for AdPLA
expression knocked out were compared with a control group of normal mice. As soon as the
mice were weaned at about 3 weeks of age, researchers began offering the two groups of
mice an all-you-can-eat buffet of tasty, high-fat foods.
Mayo Clinic Researchers Find that
Variants in a Gene on the X Chromosome are Associated with Increased Susceptibility to
Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered the first gender-linked susceptibility gene for
late-onset Alzheimer's disease.In the Jan. 11 online edition of Nature Genetics, they
report the results of their two-stage genome-wide association study of patients with
Alzheimer's disease. The research showed that women who inherited two copies of a variant
in the PCDH11X gene, found on the X chromosome, are at considerably greater risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease. Women with a variant on one of their two X chromosomes
also had some increase in risk, as did men with the variant on their single X chromosome,
but these effects were weaker than inheriting two variants.
Brain disorder suggests common
mechanism may underlie many neurodegenerative diseases
A Mayo Clinic-led international consortium has found a mechanism that may help explain
Parkinson's and other neurological disorders.Studying just eight families worldwide, the
international team of researchers have discovered a genetic defect that results in
profound depression and parkinsonism in a disorder known as Perry syndrome. Although this
syndrome is exceedingly rare, the mechanism implicated in it may help explain the origins
of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis diseases, and even common depression and sleep disorders that are also hallmarks
of the disorder, the researchers say. In the study, to be published in the February issue
of Nature Genetics (online January 11), the researchers report that people with Perry
syndrome have mutations in a subunit of the dynactin complex (DCTN1; p150glued), which is
essential to the movement of molecular "cargo" inside brain cells, or neurons.
In this case, the mutations meant that the cargo was being driven on a "train"
that essentially had faulty brakes. And because Perry syndrome resembles many other
neurodegenerative diseases, the findings suggest breakdowns along the cell's interior
transportation grid may be a common mechanism underlying neurodegeneration.
"Understanding why distinct neurons are selectively vulnerable to neurodegeneration
in different brain disorders is one of the greatest puzzles in neuroscience," says
the study's lead investigator, Matthew J. Farrer, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at
Mayo Clinic. "These findings suggest that trafficking of specific cargoes inside
brain cells may be a general problem in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases,
depression, and other disorders."
U-M researchers discover new genes
that fuse in cancer
Using new technologies that make it easier to sequence the human genome, researchers at
the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a series of genes
that become fused when their chromosomes trade places with each other. These recurrent
gene fusions are thought to be the driving mechanism that causes certain cancers to
develop. The gene fusions discovered could potentially serve as a marker one day for
diagnosing cancer or as a target for future drug development. In the new study, published
in Nature, the researchers identified several gene fusions in prostate cancer cells. Some
of the fusions were seen in multiple cell lines studied, while other gene fusions appeared
only once. The fusions were found only in cancer cells, and not in normal cells. "We
defined a new class of mutations in prostate cancer. The recurrent fusions are thought to
be the driving mechanism of cancer. But we found other fusions as well, some of which were
unique to individual patients. Our next step is to understand if these play a role in
driving disease," says Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Michigan Center
for Translational Pathology and S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology at the U-M
Medical School. Chinnaiyan's team was the first to identify rearrangements in chromosomes
and fused genes in prostate cancer. Gene fusions had previously been known to play a role
in blood cell cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, and in Ewing's sarcoma.In the current
study, the researchers showed that newer techniques could identify these gene fusions more
quickly and easily.
Protein that regulates hormones
critical to women's health found in pituitary
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have solved the mystery surrounding a
"rogue protein" that plays a role in the release of neurotransmitters and
hormones in the brain.The scientists found abundant amounts of the puzzling protein —
whose main location and function were unknown until now — in a specific area of the
pituitary gland. Like someone at a control knob, the protein may adjust the release of the
two hormones that come almost exclusively from the posterior pituitary: oxytocin, which
controls many reproductive functions, and vasopressin, which controls fluid
balance."The findings raise very interesting possibilities for women's health, in
which rising and falling hormone levels play a key role in many biological
processes," says senior author Meyer Jackson, a professor of physiology at the
UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). More studies will be needed to
better understand the protein, he adds.
Elderly may have higher blood
pressure in cold weather
Outdoor temperature and blood pressure appear to be correlated in the elderly, with higher
rates of hypertension in cooler months, according to a report in the January 12 issue of
Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Seasonal variations in
blood pressure have been recognized among the general population for 40 years, according
to background information in the article. However, few previous studies have looked
specifically at older adults. "Elderly persons may be particularly susceptible to
temperature-related variations in blood pressure," the authors write. "The
baroreflex, which is one of the mechanisms of blood pressure regulation, is modified in
elderly subjects, and it has been hypothesized that disorders of baroreflex control and
enhanced vasoreactivity [sensitivity of blood vessels] could contribute to the
aging-associated increase in cardiovascular morbidity [illness]." Annick
Alpérovitch, M.D., of the Institut National de la Santé et de la Récherche Médicale,
Paris, and colleagues assessed the relationship between blood pressure and temperature in
8,801 individuals 65 or older. All were part of the Three-City study, conducted in three
French metropolitan areas. Participants' blood pressure was measured at the beginning of
the study (starting in 1999) and again about two years later. Outdoor temperatures on the
day of measurement were obtained from local meteorological offices.
Nearly a century later, new
findings support Warburg theory of cancer
German scientist Otto H. Warburg's theory on the origin of cancer earned him the Nobel
Prize in 1931, but the biochemical basis for his theory remained elusive. His theory that
cancer starts from irreversible injury to cellular respiration eventually fell out of
favor amid research pointing to genomic mutations as the cause of uncontrolled cell
growth.Seventy-eight years after Warburg received science's highest honor, researchers
from Boston College and Washington University School of Medicine report new evidence in
support of the original Warburg Theory of Cancer. A descendant of German aristocrats,
World War I cavalry officer and pioneering biochemist, Warburg first proposed in 1924 that
the prime cause of cancer was injury to a cell caused by impairment to a cell's power
plant – or energy metabolism – found in its mitochondria. In contrast to healthy
cells, which generate energy by the oxidative breakdown of a simple acid within the
mitochondria, tumors and cancer cells generate energy through the non-oxidative breakdown
of glucose, a process called glycolysis. Indeed, glycolysis is the biochemical hallmark of
most, if not all, types of cancers. Because of this difference between healthy cells and
cancer cells, Warburg argued, cancer should be interpreted as a type of mitochondrial
disease.
Researchers find roughly half of
healthy, younger adults could be at risk for heart disease
Even younger adults who have few short-term risk factors for heart disease may have a
higher risk of developing heart disease over their lifetimes, according to new findings by
a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher.The findings, based on clinical studies and
appearing in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Circulation: Journal of the American Heart
Association, suggest that traditional methods of identifying heart disease risk might not
adequately identify patients who actually have a higher lifetime risk.
Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "it" nutrient with health benefits for
diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.A recent review
article published by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of
Nursing concluded that adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of
diabetes and reduce complications for those who have already been diagnosed. These
findings appeared in the latest issue of Diabetes Educator. "Vitamin D has widespread
benefits for our health and certain chronic diseases in particular," said Sue
Penckofer, Ph.D., R.N., study co-author and professor, Loyola University Chicago Marcella
Niehoff School of Nursing. "This article further substantiates the role of this
nutrient in the prevention and management of glucose intolerance and diabetes." Many
of the 23 million Americans with diabetes have low vitamin D levels. Evidence suggests
that vitamin D plays an integral role in insulin sensitivity and secretion. Vitamin D
deficiency results in part from poor nutrition, which is one of the most challenging
issues for people with diabetes. Another culprit is reduced exposure to sunlight, which is
common during cold weather months when days are shorter and more time is spent indoors.One
study examined for this review article evaluated 3,000 people with type 1 diabetes and
found a decreased risk in disease for people who took vitamin D supplements. Observational
studies of people with type 2 diabetes also revealed that supplementation may be important
in the prevention of this disease. "Management of vitamin D deficiency may be a
simple and cost-effective method to improve blood sugar control and prevent the serious
complications associated with diabetes," said Joanne Kouba, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N.,
study co-author and clinical assistant professor of dietetics, Loyola University Chicago
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Diet alone may not be sufficient to manage vitamin D
levels. A combination of adequate dietary intake of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, and
treatment with vitamin D2 or D3 supplements can decrease the risk of diabetes and related
health concerns. The preferred range in the body is 30 - 60 ng/mL of 25(OH) vitamin D.
"People at risk for diabetes should be screened for low vitamin D levels," said
Mary Ann Emanuele, M.D., F.A.C.P., study co-author and professor of medicine, division of
endocrinology and metabolism, Loyola University Health System. "This will allow
health care professionals to identify a nutrient deficiency early on and intervene to
improve the long term health of these individuals." Vitamin D deficiency also may be
associated with hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hypertension and heart disease. In
fact, Penckofer recently published another study in Circulation that reported on the role
of chronic vitamin D deficiency in heart disease. The Circulation study authors included
Glen W. Sizemore, MD, emeritus professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and
Metabolism, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and Diane E. Wallis, MD,
Midwest Heart Specialists, Downers Grove, Ill.
Organic Soils Continue to Acidify
Despite Reduction in Acidic Deposition
Following the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 and 1990 acidic deposition in North America
has declined significantly since its peak in 1973. Consequently, research has shifted from
studying the effects of acidic deposition to the recovery of these aquatic and terrestrial
ecosystems. Regional-scale studies have focused primarily on aquatic systems and while
many of these ecosystems are showing signs of chemical recovery (increases in acid
neutralizing capacity and pH, decreases in sulfate and aluminum concentrations), recovery
is slower than expected based on the magnitude of the decline in acid deposition.
Researchers have long suspected that acidification of soils in these watersheds has slowed
the recovery of aquatic ecosystems. Unfortunately, very few studies have examined change
in soil chemistry. As a result our understanding of how soils have responded to decreases
in acidic deposition at the regional scale is limited.Researchers at Syracuse University
sampled soils in 139 watersheds in the northeastern United States in 2001 that had
previously been studied as part of the Direct/Delayed Response Project in 1984. The study
showed that over the 17-yr interval, median base saturation in the Oa-horizon decreased
from 56% in 1984 to 33% in 2001, while effective cation-exchange capacity, normalized to
the soil carbon concentration, showed no significant change. The change in base saturation
was the result of almost equivalent changes in carbon-normalized exchangeable calcium
(CaN) and exchangeable aluminum (AlN). The median CaN declined by more than 50%, from 23.5
to 10.6 cmolc/kgC, while median AlN more than doubled, from 8.8 to 21.3 cmolc/kgC. This
research, to be published in the January-February issue of the Soil Science Society of
America Journal, was made possible by the financial support of the William M. Keck
Foundation.A somewhat surprising result was that the Central New England/Maine subregion,
the subregion that historically has received the lowest inputs of acid deposition of any
of the subregions, showed the greatest declines in exchangeable base cations and base
saturation. This area also exhibited the greatest increases in carbon-normalized
exchangeable acidity (acidityN) and AlN and was the only subregion to experience a
statistically significant decrease in pH. Lead author Richard Warby explained, “It is
possible that the acidification of soils in this subregion was delayed relative to the
other subregions because of the strong regional gradient in acidic inputs from west to
east.”The researchers believe that the observed trend in soil acidification is likely
to continue until acidic inputs decline to the point where soil base cation pools are
sufficient to neutralize them. Warby concluded, “Until then we are likely to see the
continued sluggish chemical recovery of surface waters and a continuing threat to the
health of forests, with additional declines in base status likely to increase the number
of sites exhibiting lower forest productivity and or vulnerability to winter injury.”
With the European Union increasingly resembling its forebears, Nigel Farage
exposes the Grand Illusion of the whole project.
Is religion the root of all evil
Most heart attack patients'
cholesterol levels did not indicate cardiac risk
A new national study has shown that nearly 75 percent of patients hospitalized for a heart
attack had cholesterol levels that would indicate they were not at high risk for a
cardiovascular event, according to current national cholesterol guidelines. Specifically,
these patients had low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels that met current
guidelines, and close to half had LDL levels classified in guidelines as optimal (less
than 100 mg/dL). "Almost 75 percent of heart attack patients fell within recommended
targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low
enough to cut heart attack risk in most who could benefit," said Dr. Gregg C.
Fonarow, Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science at the David Geffen
School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's principal investigator. While the risk of
cardiovascular events increases substantially with LDL levels above 40?? mg/dL, current
national cholesterol guidelines consider LDL levels less than 100 mg/dL acceptable for
many individuals. The guidelines are thus not effectively identifying the majority of
individuals who will develop fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, according to the
study's authors. Researchers also found that more than half of patients hospitalized for a
heart attack had poor high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, according to
national guidelines. Published in the January issue of the American Heart Journal, the
study suggests that lowering guideline targets for LDL cholesterol for those at risk for
cardiovascular disease, as well as developing better treatments to raise HDL cholesterol,
may help reduce the number of patients hospitalized for heart attack in the future.
Scripps research scientists find
cause of cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis
The scientists describe their work in this week's Early Edition of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. In the study, the team shows how the loss of the protein
HMGB2, found in the surface layer of joint cartilage, leads to the progressive
deterioration of the cartilage that is the hallmark of osteoarthritis."We have found
the mechanism that begins to explain how and why aging leads to deterioration of articular
cartilage," says Scripps Research Professor Martin Lotz, M.D., a world-renowned
arthritis researcher who led the study with Noboru Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., a senior
research associate in his lab. "Our findings demonstrate a direct link between the
loss of this protein and osteoarthritis."Osteoarthritis typically begins with a
disruption of the surface layer of cartilage. The cartilage surface layer, called the
superficial zone, is the most important functionally of the four layers of cartilage
present in joints. In normal joints the cartilage surface is perfectly smooth, enabling
joints to slide across one another without friction. Once the cartilage of the superficial
zone starts to deteriorate, though, osteoarthritis sets in, triggering an irreversible
process that eventually leads to the loss of underlying layers of cartilage until bone
begins to grind painfully against bone. Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the spine,
temporomandibular joints, shoulders, hands, hips and knees."We knew that the first
phase of osteoarthritis is the destruction of cartilage in the superficial zone,"
says Lotz, who has spent the past five years studying the role of HMGB2 in osteoarthritis.
"Now we know that before this layer is destroyed, there is loss of the critical DNA
binding protein HMGB2 and that this loss is directly related to aging."
A new mechanism regulates type I
interferon production in white blood cells
A study from a team of researchers led by Dr. Andrew P. Makrigiannis, Director of the
Molecular Immunology Research Unit at the IRCM, has identified a new mechanism regulating
interferon production. This discovery, co-authored by scientists from the International
Medical Center of Japan (Tokyo), the National Cancer Institute at Frederick (Maryland) and
the McGill Centre for the Study of Host Resistance, was published on December 22, 2008 in
the Journal of Experimental Medicine.The plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) is a type of
white blood cell. The primary function of this cell type is to produce type I interferon
when the body is infected by a virus. The pDC has special surface receptors that can
detect many types of viruses. Type I interferon is thus very important for the clearance
of a viral infection. "Working with mice, we have identified a mechanism that
regulates the amount of interferon that is produced by pDCs, explains Dr. Makrigiannis.
That mechanism is a protein-protein interaction between surface receptor Ly49Q and the
class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule."It is known that viruses
often cause a decrease of class I MHC molecules on cells. The team of scientists believes
that the reason for this may be to stop interferon production by the pDCs. Thus, class I
MHC recognition by Ly49Q on pDCs is necessary for the optimal activation of innate immune
responses in vivo.
'Refinery dust' reveals clues about
local polluters, UH-led research team says
Cloaked in the clouds of emissions and exhaust that hang over the city are clues that lead
back to the polluting culprits, and a research team led by the University of Houston is
hot on their trails. Investigator Shankar Chellam is heading up the case, which hinges on
unique identifiers found in fine particulate matter, a mixture of organic, inorganic or
metal material. This material is given off by natural sources, such as sea spray and
grassfires, and manmade sources, such as vehicles and industrial operations, and then
suspended in the air. "Fine particulate matter is tiny – about 30 times smaller
in diameter than a human hair – but it carries in it a lot of information about where
it came from," explains Chellam, a civil and environmental engineering professor at
UH's Cullen College of Engineering. Like any good detective, Chellam has enlisted a team
with varying expertise, including urban air quality expert Matthew Fraser of Arizona State
University, UH doctoral students of engineering and a NASA scientist. When their
investigation started six years ago, Chellam says, the team was surprised, "maybe
naively," that most research at the time focused on ozone, which is formed when
emissions mix with sunlight. Much less attention was paid to airborne particulate matter
in the Houston area. "Most previous studies have been concerned with gases,
particularly ozone," Chellam explains. "It is the particulate matter – both
fine matter that is smaller than 2.5 micrometers and coarse matter that is larger than 2.5
micrometers, but smaller than 10 micrometers – that we are interested in."
Rene Toes and Tom Huizinga discuss a new study indicating that lymphoneogenesis in the
inflamed synovial tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is fostering potentially
pathogenic immune responses.
Stress-Mediated Increases in
Systemic and Local Epinephrine Impair Skin Wound Healing - Potential New Indication for
Beta Blockers
Rivkah Isseroff and colleagues describe how stress-induced elevation of epinephrine levels
can impair the healing of burns in mice and suggest that β2 adrenergic receptor
antagonists may have a role in improving skin wound repair.
Scientists develop new tool to
improve oral hygiene
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new dental product to identify
plaque build-up in the mouth before it is visible to the human eye. The toothbrush-sized
product has a blue light at its tip, which, when shone around the mouth and viewed through
yellow glasses with a red filter, allows plaque to be seen easily as a red glow. The
device, produced in collaboration with dental and healthcare developers, Inspektor
Research Systems BV, has been designed for everyday use in the home. Dentists currently
use disclosing agents in tablet form to uncover tooth decay and plaque but these often
stain the mouth and taste unpleasant. The new product, known as Inspektor TC, will be
particularly useful for those who are vulnerable to dental diseases such as children and
the elderly.
UAB research revives cancer
concerns about some plastic additives
Animal research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is resurrecting cancer concerns
about a plastic additive commonly used in consumer products, including baby bottles, water
bottles and the linings of cans.
Oprah is creating a lot of buzz after gaining forty pounds and simultaneously claiming she
solved her thyroid problem. Her statements sent internet bloggers into a frenzy. How did
she get off her thyroid medication? Did she really solve her thyroid problem? Isn't this
just a temporary break from a sinister and permanent thyroid illness? If her thyroid is in
such great shape why did she pile on forty pounds?
Folate Consumption Reduces Risk of
Stroke by 20 Percent in Male Smokers
A higher intake of folate reduces the risk of stroke in male smokers by 20 percent,
according to a new study conducted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the
National Institutes of Health, the Karolinska Institutet and the Finnish National Public
Health Institute, and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Is it possible that wearing a bra can actually cause cancer? Studies show that this is a
very real possibility. The reason is that regularly wearing a bra prevents lymph drainage
and circulation, which can greatly increase the possibility of developing breast cancer.
The lymphatic and circulatory systems are responsible for both delivering vital nutrients
and clearing out toxins. When the body does not have access to nutrients or when it is
under the attack of toxins, cancer may develop.
FDA Scientists Describe Corruption
to Obama Transition Team
A group of federal scientists has sent a letter to President-elect Obama's transition team
describing serious managerial misconduct within a division of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The letter was dated last week and was written on FDA Center for
Devices and Radiological Health letterhead. "The purpose of this letter is to inform
you that the scientific review process for medical devices at the FDA has been corrupted
and distorted by current FDA managers, thereby placing the American people at risk,"
the letter states.
Skin Pigment Disease Reversed with
Piperine Nutrient From Black Pepper
An extract derived from black pepper may be able to help reverse the effects of the skin
pigmentation disease known as vitiligo, according to research conducted by scientists from
Kings College London and published in the Ridge Journal of Dermatology.
Menopause can cause a number of mild to severe symptoms such as mood disturbances, vaginal
dryness, sleep disturbances and hot flashes. Yet many people don`t realize that these
symptoms are a result of a physical imbalance. Herbs, along with plenty of exercise and a
healthy diet can bring the body into balance and ease the symptoms durng this time of
life. Here are 4 herbs that can effectively alleviate menopausal symptoms.
Reduced breast cancer risk -
Physical activity after menopause pays off
Several studies had previously suggested that regular physical exercise reduces the breast
cancer risk of women. However, it had been unknowned just how much exercise women should
take in which period in life in order to benefit from this protective effect. Moreover,
little was known about which particular type of breast cancer is influenced by physical
activity. Answers to these questions are now provided by the results of the MARIE study,
in which 3,464 breast cancer patients and 6,657 healthy women between the ages of 50 and
74 years were questioned in order to explore the connections between life style and breast
cancer risk. Participants of the study, which was headed by Professor Dr. Jenny
Chang-Claude and conducted at the German Cancer Research Center and the University
Hospitals of Hamburg-Eppendorf, were questioned about their physical activity during two
periods in life: from 30 to 49 years of age and after 50. A comparison between control
subjects and breast cancer patients showed that women in the control group had been
physically more active than patients. The scientists calculated the relative breast cancer
risks taking account of the effect of other risk factors. Results show that the risk of
developing breast cancer after menopause was lower by about one third in the physically
most active MARIE participants compared to women who had generally taken little physical
exercise.
Researchers detail how aging
undermines bone healing
Researchers have unraveled crucial details of how aging causes broken bones to heal
slowly, or not at all, according to study results published today in the Journal of Bone
and Mineral Research. The research team also successfully conducted preclinical tests on a
potential new class of treatments designed to "rescue" healing capability lost
to aging.In the worst cases, an age-related delay in healing keeps the two sides of a
fractured bone from ever rejoining (non-union), leaving many confined to wheelchairs,
unable to walk or to live independently. Of the estimated 5.6 million fractures in the
United States each year, between five and ten percent (up to 560,000) will heal slowly or
incompletely. Researchers have known for 30 years that aging interferes with fracture
healing, and have been filling in the details since on the complex web of biochemicals,
stem cells and genes that bring about healing. The field is now reaching the point where
precision designed drugs are in different stages of animal and human trials.The current
study is focused on cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), an enzyme known from past studies to drive
stem cells to differentiate into cartilage, which then matures into bone. Researchers at
the University of Rochester Medical Center 20 years ago discovered the gene in humans that
is responsible for producing the COX-2 enzyme and revealed the enzyme's role in causing
inflammation, the reason drugs like the painkiller Vioxx were developed to shut down its
action. Then about seven years ago another research team here determined that COX-2 also
plays an essential role in bone formation during skeletal repair.
The DREAM-gene which is crucial in regulating pain perception seems to also influence
learning and memory. This is the result of studies carried out by researchers in Seville
(Spain) and Vienna (Austria). The new findings could help explain the mechanisms of
Alzheimer’s disease and yield a potential new therapeutic target.
Paintballs can cause severe and 'visually devastating' eye injuries, especially when used
in unsupervised settings without proper eye protection, reports a study in the February
issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology (www.AJO.com), published by Elsevier.
"Eye injuries secondary to high-velocity paintballs can cause tremendous damage to
vital ocular structures often requiring extensive surgical intervention," comments
Dr. Kyle J. Alliman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine. "Unfortunately, visual loss is often permanent." Dr. Alliman and
colleagues analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of 36 patients treated for paintball
injuries to the eye at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between 1998 and 2005. The patients
were mainly young men, average age 21 years. The injuries were often quite severe,
including rupture of the eyeball in 28 percent of patients and detached retina in 19
percent. Surgery was required in 81 percent of patients—including eventual removal of
the eye (enucleation) in 22 percent. Even when the eye was saved, many patients had
permanent visual loss. Overall, near-normal vision (20/40 or better) was restored in only
36 percent of eyes.
Abnormal DNA repair genes may
predict pancreatic cancer risk
Abnormalities in genes that repair mistakes in DNA replication may help identify people
who are at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a research team from The University
of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Jan. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer
Research. Defects in these critical DNA repair genes may act alone or in combination with
traditional risk factors known to increase an individual's likelihood of being diagnosed
with this very aggressive type of cancer. "We consider DNA repair to be the guardian
of the genome," said lead author Donghui Li, Ph.D., professor in the Department of
Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at M. D. Anderson. "If something is wrong with the
guard, the genes are more readily attacked by tobacco carcinogens and other damaging
agents." With this in mind, Li and her colleagues set out to identify DNA repair
genes that could act as susceptibility markers to predict pancreatic cancer risk. In a
case-control study of 734 patients with pancreatic cancer and 780 healthy individuals,
they examined nine variants of seven DNA repair genes. The repair genes under
investigation were: LIG3, LIG4, OGG1, ATM, POLB, RAD54L and RECQL. The researchers looked
for direct effects of the gene variants (also called single nucleotide polymorphisms) on
pancreatic cancer risk as well as potential interactions between the gene variants and
known risk factors for the disease, including family history of cancer, diabetes, heavy
smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and being overweight.
Einstein researchers discover a
protein that amplifies cell death
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a
small intracellular protein that helps cells commit suicide. The finding, reported as the
"paper of the week" in the January 16th print issue of the Journal of Biological
Chemistry, could lead to drugs for combating cancer and other diseases characterized by
overproduction of cells. The research was led by the late Dennis Shields, Ph.D., a
professor in Einstein's Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology for 30 years,
who died unexpectedly in December. In response to stress or as a natural part of aging,
many cells undergo programmed suicide, also known as apoptosis. Cancer cells often become
immortal and dangerous by developing the ability to suppress apoptosis. A decade ago
apoptosis was thought to be directed solely by the nucleus and mitochondria of cells. Dr.
Shields' laboratory was the first to show that a cellular organelle known as the Golgi
apparatus also plays a role in apoptosis.
Study shows how defective DNA
repair triggers 2 neurological diseases
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have teased apart the biological
details distinguishing two related neurological diseases—ataxia telangiectasia-like
disease (ATLD) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS). Both disorders arise from defects in
a central component of the cell's machinery that repairs damaged DNA, but each disease
presents with distinct pathologies. Defects in DNA repair dramatically increase the risk
of cancer, which is found in NBS. However, NBS is also characterized by the occurrence of
small brain size, or microcephaly, while in contrast, ATLD causes predominantly
neurodegeneration. The research involved the use of mouse models of each the diseases to
analyze how the gene defects in ATLD and NBS give rise to the different pathologies. The
researchers published their findings in the Jan.15, 2009, issue of the journal Genes &
Development. "Besides shedding light on the rare diseases, the findings may also help
to understand how defective DNA repair can selectively affect different organs and how
this leads to cancer in some situations," said Peter McKinnon, Ph.D., associate
member of the St. Jude Department of Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology and the paper's
senior author. To explore the differences between ATLD and NBS, the researchers used mice
engineered to have defects in the causative genes, which produce two proteins that help
form a critical component of the DNA repair machinery, called the MRN complex. The MRN
complex zeroes in on broken DNA segments and attaches to them. It then recruits another
important DNA repair protein, called ATM, to launch the repair process. However, if the
damage is too severe, ATM may also trigger programmed cell death called apoptosis.
Study Uses Bone Marrow Stem Cells
to Regenerate Skin
A new study suggests that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used in the construction of
artificial skin. The findings mark an advancement in wound healing and may be used to
pioneer a method of organ reconstruction. The study is published in Artificial Organs,
official journal of the International Federation for Artificial Organs (IFAO), the The
International Faculty for Artificial Organs (INFA) and the International Society for
Rotary Blood Pumps (ISRBP). To investigate the practicability of repairing burn wounds
with tissue-engineered skin combined with bone marrow stem cells, the study established a
burn wound model in the skin of pigs, which is known to be anatomically and
physiologically similar to human skin.
If you have trouble keeping weight off and you're wondering why – the surprising
answer may well be the cheeseburgers you ate – when you were a toddler. Surprising
new research by University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology researcher Dr. Raylene
Reimer, published in an international journal, indicates a direct connection between an
adult's propensity to put on weight and our early childhood diet. Reimer is a leader in a
growing field of study that examines the developmental origins of health and disease.
Researchers in this area believe our pre-natal and early childhood environment influences
our future risk of developing conditions like cardio vascular disease, obesity and
diabetes. "My research has shown that the food we eat changes how active certain
genes in our body are – what we call genetic expression. In particular we believe
that our diet has a direct influence on the genes that control how our bodies store and
use nutrients," says Reimer. "There's a growing body of work that indicates a
relationship between our health as adults and our early diet, and even our mother's diet.
This research shows for the first time that our early childhood diet may have a huge
impact on our health as adults."
New drug holds out promise of
normal diet for sufferers of devastating PKU genetic disease
magine being forced to say no to a child crying for more food at supper. Sadly, Margie
Fischer doesn't have to imagine it; that was normal life at her family's dinner table for
years. Her daughter Maggie, now 20, suffers from phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disease
that means her body can't tolerate anything more than a low-protein diet. PKU is described
by scientists as an autosomal recessive genetic disease that is characterized by a
deficiency in an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). Without PAH, the body
cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. It then builds up in the blood, crosses
the blood–brain barrier and causes severe brain damage. Fortunately, PKU can be
detected at birth in blood tests, and was one of the first treatable genetic diseases.
From infancy, PKU sufferers are restricted to a low-protein diet to avoid the worst
complications of the condition. This diet is essential during childhood to prevent damage
to the brain while it is still growing; however, it is now also recommended for life to
optimize school performance, concentration and the ability to think clearly. "When
Maggie was a little child, we would give her vegetables and we could give her, say, two
little sprigs of broccoli," Fischer said. "She would be crying at the dinner
table that she wanted more broccoli," Fischer said. "Saying no to a kid who
wants more broccoli brought tears to my eyes. It was so sad."However, help may now be
on the way. A new pharmaceutical being developed by researchers at McGill University and
the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – along with colleagues at the Scripps
Research Institute and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. – is offering PKU sufferers the
hope of being able to eat a normal, protein-rich diet. Their preclinical evaluation study
was published in December in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers identify new protein
that triggers breast cancer
Canadian researchers have identified a new protein in the progression of breast cancer.
According to a recent study from the Université de Montréal and the University of
Alberta, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the protein ARF1 plays a
critical role in cancer cell growth and the spread of tumours. Targeting this protein with
drug therapy may provide hope to women with breast cancer."Until now, ARF1 has been
associated with harmless albeit important housekeeping duties of cells," says senior
author Audrey Claing, a professor of pharmacology at the Université de Montréal.
"The Université de Montréal and the University of Alberta team is the first to
characterize the role of ARF1 in breast cancer."Dr. Claing and her colleagues used
invasive breast cancer cell lines to study ARF1's role. These cells are sensitive to a
particular growth factor, called epidermal growth factor or EGF, which has previously been
shown to stimulate tumour growth and invasion. Their findings suggest that EGF works
through ARF1 in these cells. In addition, when ARF1 activity was chemically blocked,
breast cancer cell migration and growth was reduced. Conversely, when ARF1 was
overproduced in these cells, their movement was enhanced.
Midlife coffee and tea drinking and
the risk of late-life dementia
Midlife coffee drinking can decrease the risk of dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) later
in life. This conclusion is made in a Finnish Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and
Dementia (CAIDE) Study published in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's
Disease (Volume 16:1). This study has been conducted at the University of Kuopio, Finland
in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and the National Public
Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. The study included participants from the survivors of
population-based cohorts previously surveyed within the North Karelia Project and the
FINMONICA study in 1972, 1977, 1982 or 1987 (midlife visit). After an average follow-up of
21 years, 1409 individuals (71%) aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination in 1998. A
total of 61 cases were identified as demented (48 with AD). "We aimed to study the
association between coffee and tea consumption at midlife and dementia/AD risk in
late-life, because the long-term impact of caffeine on the central nervous system was
still unknown, and as the pathologic processes leading to Alzheimer's disease may start
decades before the clinical manifestation of the disease," says lead researcher,
associate professor Miia Kivipelto, from the University of Kuopio, Finland and Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. At the midlife examination, the consumption of coffee and
tea was assessed with a previously validated semi-quantitative food-frequency
questionnaire. Coffee drinking was categorized into three groups: 0-2 cups (low), 3-5 cups
(moderate) and >5 cups (high) per day. Further, the question concerning tea consumption
was dichotomized into those not drinking tea (0 cup/day) vs. those drinking tea (?1
cup/day).
Adelaide researchers have made a world breakthrough in treating premature babies at risk
of developmental disorders. A six-year study led by Dr Maria Makrides from the Women's
& Children's Health Research Institute and Professor Bob Gibson from the University of
Adelaide has demonstrated that high doses of fatty acids administered to pre-term infants
via their mother's breast milk or infant formula can help their mental development. The
findings were published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Researchers found that a major lipid in the brain - the omega-3 fatty acid known as
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - is not developed sufficiently in babies born before 33 weeks'
gestation, leading to possible impaired mental development.
Alcohol exposure in the womb
affects 'teenage' booze behavior
Rats whose mothers were fed alcohol during pregnancy are more attracted to the smell of
liquor during puberty. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal
Behavioral and Brain Functions have shown that rats exposed during gestation find the
smell of alcohol on another rat's breath during adolescence more attractive than animals
with no prior fetal exposure. Professor Steven Youngentob from the State University of New
York Upstate Medical University, USA, led a team of researchers who investigated the
social and behavioral effects of fetal ethanol exposure in adolescent and adult rats. He
said, "The findings by Amber Eade in my lab reveal that fetal ethanol exposure
influences adolescent re-exposure, in part, by promoting interactions with intoxicated
peers. These results highlight an important relationship between fetal and adolescent
experiences that appears essential to the progressive development of alcohol abuse."
Fetal ethanol experience is believed to train the developing sense of smell to find
ethanol odor more attractive. The authors describe how, in both rats and humans, fetal
exposure changes how the odor and flavor of ethanol are perceived. They write, " Such
learning may be a fundamental feature of all mammalian species because it is important
(from a survival standpoint) for the pre-weanling animal to accept and be attracted to the
food sources consumed by the mother". In this study the authors found that rats
unexposed to ethanol were significantly less likely to follow an intoxicated peer than
those with gestational experience.
'Window into the brain' reveals
deadly secrets of malaria
Looking at the retina in the eyes of patients with cerebral malaria has provided
scientists with a vital insight into why malaria infection in the brain is so deadly. In a
study funded by the Wellcome Trust and Fight for Sight and published today in the Journal
of Infectious Diseases, researchers in Malawi have shown for the first time in patients
that the build-up of infected blood cells in the narrow blood vessels of the brain leads
to a potentially lethal lack of oxygen to the brain. Malaria is one of the world's biggest
killers, killing over a million people every year, mainly children and pregnant women in
Africa, and adults in South-east Asia. Malaria parasites enter the bloodstream from bites
by infected mosquitoes and live in red blood cells, making them stick to the inside of
narrow blood vessels and causing blockages. Most deaths occur as a result of cerebral
malaria, where red blood cells infected by malaria parasites build up into the brain,
leading to coma and convulsions and, if not treated swiftly, death. Scientists have known
for some time that cerebral malaria is accompanied by changes in the retina, known as
malarial retinopathy which can be seen by examining the eye. Because the retina can be
considered as an extension of the central nervous system, it has been used previously as a
"window into the brain", allowing for swifter diagnosis of cerebral malaria.
However, until now it was not clearly understood why the disease should be so deadly.
Scientists uncover evolutionary
keys to common birth disorders
The work of Forsyth scientist Peter Jezewski, DDS, Ph.D., has revealed that duplication
and diversification of protein regions ('modules') within ancient master control genes is
key to the understanding of certain birth disorders. Tracing the history of these changes
within the proteins coded by the Msx gene family over the past 600 million years has also
provided additional evidence for the ancient origin of the human mouth. Dr. Jezewski has
published an important study examining the Msx family that has ancient roots as a master
control gene for patterned embryonic growth. Previous work by Dr. Jezewski, and other
groups, identified mutations within the human MSX1 gene in two different birth disorders:
either cleft lip and palate or skin derivative disorders ('ectodermal dysplasias') that
include tooth and nail malformations. The mutations associated with the more severe
clefting disorder are found within unique portions of the MSX protein, thus providing the
first molecular explanation for this disease pattern. This work may eventually enable
genetically susceptible families with environmental risk factors to prevent these common
birth disorders.
Southeast Alaskan Native drummers and singers set the frame for a documentation of the
detrimental effects plastics have on the ocean. Key message: Nothing can live without the
ocean. Help save the life of the ocean; steer clear of plastic bags.
New tool could prevent needless
stents and save money, Stanford cardiologist says
Doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents and could improve patient
outcomes — and ultimately save lives — if they did more in-depth measurements of
blood flow in the vessels to the heart. That's the finding of a study, to be published
Jan. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine, that evaluated the benefits of a new
diagnostic tool to measure blood flow and determine whether stenting was the best option.
"Not only were the outcomes better, the cost was less," said William Fearon, MD,
co-principal investigator of the multicenter international study called FAME and assistant
professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
"Now there's scientific support for cardiologists to apply this new technique."
Nico Pijls, MD, PhD, professor of cardiology at Catharina Hospital in The Netherlands, was
the other co-principal investigator. The study suggests that doctors should go one step
beyond the traditional method of relying solely on X-rays from a coronary angiogram to
determine which arteries should be stented for patients with coronary artery disease. In
many cases, cardiologists will routinely prop open with a stent any arteries that look
significantly narrowed on the angiogram, said Fearon. "The problem is you can't
always tell from the angiogram whether this is absolutely necessary." By using a
method called "fractional flow reserve," or FFR, which involves inserting a
coronary pressure guidewire into the artery, doctors can measure whether blood flow is
actually reduced to a dangerous level beyond any apparent narrowing. In certain cases,
medication may be a better option to stenting.
A new randomized, prospective trial has shown that orlistat, a commonly prescribed
inhibitor of fat absorption, does not help patients with fatty liver disease (FLD) lose
weight, nor does it improve their liver enzymes or insulin resistance. These findings are
in the January issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf
of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The article is also
available online at Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). With obesity on the
rise throughout the world, FLD has become a major epidemic. Weight loss improves liver
enzymes and levels of fat in the liver, and the study did show that patients who lost 5
percent or more of their body weight over nine months did experience these improvements.
However, since it is often difficult for people to lose weight through diet and exercise,
researchers have looked for medications that could help. Many studies have focused on
orlistat, which is sold as the brand-name Xenical and over-the-counter as Alli.
Human beta cells can be easily
induced to replicate, according to study in Diabetes
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have successfully induced
human insulin-producing cells, known as beta cells, to replicate robustly in a living
animal, as well as in the lab. The discovery not only could improve models and methods for
studying diabetes, but also opens up new possibilities for treating the condition.
"Most scientists thought that these important pancreatic cells could not be induced
to regenerate, or could only replicate very slowly," explained senior author Andrew
F. Stewart, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Endocrinology and
Metabolism at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "This work provides
proof-of-principle that the production of human beta cells can be stimulated, and that the
newly generated cells function effectively both in the lab and in a living animal."
The findings are in the early online version of Diabetes, one of the journals of the
American Diabetes Association.
Lack of grey matter in brain is
linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
A research study led by scientists from the Gregorio Marańón University Hospital in
Madrid and the Network of Centres for Biomedical Research in Mental Health Networks
(CIBERSAM) shows that adolescents experiencing a first outbreak of psychosis have lower
levels of grey matter in their brains than healthy teenagers. Strangely, this change was
seen in patients suffering from various psychoses, including bipolar illness and
schizophrenia. The objective of the study was to examine and locate differences in the
volume of grey matter in the brains of healthy people (controls) and individuals diagnosed
with psychotic outbreaks in infancy or adolescence. The researchers broke such psychosis
down into three sub-groups – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychoses that
did not fit into either of the other two classifications. The study, published recently in
the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, analysed a sample
of 121 people aged between 7 and 18, inclusive. All the patients and controls were
examined using magnetic resonance imaging in order to detect any possible changes in the
structure of their brains.
The study shows that infants that left the maternity ward with undiagnosed heart disease
evinced much higher mortality than those who were diagnosed before discharge: 18 percent
versus 0.9 percent when comparing children who were not premature or were lacking a
functioning left ventricle. No children died at home with undiagnosed heart disease in the
Western Götaland region during the study period, compared with five deaths in the home in
the regions under comparison. The assessment of costs showed that screening is
cost-neutral when introduced. All that is needed is a machine with a one-off outlay of
about SEK 12,000 (~$1,500) per delivery unit as well as the time, roughly five minutes per
infant, it takes for a midwife to perform the screening. Since the method would entail a
probable decrease in neurological damage cause by circulation collapse, and less need for
pre-operative intensive care, this screening is cost-effective in the long term.
Probiotics prevent IgE-associated
allergy until age 5 in cesarean-delivered children but not in total cohort
According to a recent study from the University and the University Central Hospital of
Helsinki, Finland, no allergy-preventive effect is extended to age 5 years by perinatal
supplementation with probiotics in babies at risk for developing allergies; protection is
conferred only to Cesarean section babies Childhood allergies have increased significantly
in industrialized countries during the past few decades. Researchers theorize that this
rising incidence is the result of a lowered exposure to bacteria in early childhood. This
exposure to microbes appears to be essential in jump-starting the immune system to develop
healthy pathways that do not result in allergic conditions. Additionally, it’s been
observed that infants who develop allergies have intestinal bacteria that are distinctly
different from those of non-allergic infants, suggesting that the type of intestinal
microflora is an important factor in forming allergic conditions. In a study published in
the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (online January 2009) researchers from the
University and University Central Hospital of Helsinki conducted a clinical trial of more
than 1200 mothers whose infants would be at high risk to develop allergies. During the
last month of their pregnancies, the mothers took daily doses of a probiotic mixture or a
placebo, and their infants were given the same probiotic mixture plus a prebiotic or a
placebo for the first 6 months of their lives. The children were followed for 5 years and
evaluated for incidence of allergic diseases. The authors found that the frequencies of
allergic and IgE-associated allergic disease and sensitization were similar in the
children who had received probiotic and those who’d gotten placebo. Although there
appeared to be a preventive effect at age 2, there was none noted at age 5. Interestingly,
in babies born by cesarean section, the researchers found less IgE-associated allergic
disease in those who had received the probiotic.
Alternative medicine is going mainstream, and top-notch hospitals are embracing various
forms of alternative and complementary medicine. According to the American Hospital
Association, more than one-third of U.S. hospitals offer at least one type of
complementary medicine, which includes acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, nutrition,
massage therapy and herbal medicine.
Swiss and Dutch health systems
provide lessons for US on achieving universal coverage
A new Commonwealth Fund study says that policies in the Switzerland and Netherlands that
achieve near-universal coverage and low administrative costs can help inform the U.S.
health care reform debate. Both countries effectively cover all but one percent of their
population—compared with 15 percent uninsured in the U.S.—due to an individual
mandate to purchase health insurance and premium assistance for those with low incomes.
Both countries have also been successful at curbing high administrative costs: the Swiss
and Dutch health systems spend about five percent of health care costs on administrative
costs, compared with an average of seven percent and even higher rates in private
insurance policies in the U.S. "These countries can serve as idea labs for health
reform in the U.S., and we should seek to learn from their successes and failures, just as
we learn from the experiences of states like Massachusetts," says Commonwealth Fund
President Karen Davis. "There are examples of universal, comprehensive, high-quality,
efficient health care systems that can show us the path to high performance."
The House Science and Technology Committee today introduced legislation that highlights
the growing attention on Capitol Hill to the need to strengthen federal efforts to learn
more about the potential environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks posed by engineered
nanomaterials. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that promises to usher in the next
Industrial Revolution and is the focus of an annual $1.5 billion federal research
investment. The new bill (H.R. 554) is almost identical to legislation that passed the
House last year with overwhelming bi-partisan support by a vote of 407 to 6. The Senate
was expected to mark up similar legislation, but lawmakers ran out of time during the
session. Introduction of the bill comes only months after former Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) official J. Clarence (Terry) Davies authored a report that makes a series of
recommendations for improving federal risk research and oversight of engineered
nanomaterials at EPA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety
Commission.
Historically, the regulation of dietary supplements has been a significant challenge for
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the fact that some of these products are
now being manufactured using nanotechnology creates an additional layer of complexity.A
new report to be released at this event will address the question - Is FDA equipped to
meet the emerging regulatory challenge of dietary supplements that use engineered
nanomaterials? The short answer is no.
Prairie soil organic matter shown
to be resilient under intensive agriculture
A recent study has confirmed that although there was a large reduction of organic carbon
and total nitrogen pools when prairies were first cultivated and drained, there has been
no consistent pattern in these organic matter pools during the period of synthetic
fertilizer use, that is, from 1957-2002. "For these prairie soils, some of the best
in the world, declines in organic matter from cultivation were likely completed by the
1950s, and since then organic matter pools have remained relatively constant under modern
production practices," said U of I biogeochemist Mark David who led the study. Carbon
and nitrogen pools in soil, which are part of organic matter, are important because their
alteration can affect greenhouse gases, the sustainability of agricultural production, and
are a measure of soil quality. "Monitoring the change through time is important, but
can present difficulties because short term, soil-landscape variability accounts for
considerable differences in soil organic matter, and it is slow to respond to management
shifts," David said. "Most of the decline in organic matter occurred in the top
50 centimeters of soil, with evidence that carbon and nitrogen moved from the upper soil
layers to deeper ones, possibly enhanced by tile drainage," David said. The study
utilized previously sampled fields, archived soil samples, and made use of prairie
remnants to document changes in soil carbon and nitrogen pools in response to agricultural
production.
As bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics continue to increase in number,
scientists keep searching for new sources of drugs. In this week's JBC, one potential new
bactericide has been found in the tiny freshwater animal Hydra. The protein identified by
Joachim Grötzinger, Thomas Bosch and colleagues at the University of Kiel, hydramacin-1,
is unusual (and also clinically valuable) as it shares virtually no similarity with any
other known antibacterial proteins except for two antimicrobials found in another ancient
animal, the leech. Hydramacin proved to be extremely effective though; in a series of
laboratory experiments, this protein could kill a wide range of both Gram-positive and
Gram-negative bacteria, including clinically-isolated drug-resistant strains like
Klebsiella oxytoca (a common cause of nosocomial infections). Hydramacin works by sticking
to the bacterial surface, promoting the clumping of nearby bacteria, then disrupting the
bacterial membrane.
Biofuel carbon footprint not as big
as feared, Michigan State University research says
Publications ranging from the journal Science to Time magazine have blasted biofuels for
significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, calling into question the
environmental benefits of making fuel from plant material. But a new analysis by Michigan
State University scientists says these dire predictions are based on a set of assumptions
that may not be correct. "Greenhouse gas release from changes in land use –
growing crops that could be used for biofuels on previously unfarmed land – has been
identified as a negative contributor to the environmental profile of biofuels," said
Bruce Dale, MSU University Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering and materials
science. "Other analyses have estimated that it would take from 100 to 1,000 years
before biofuels could overcome this 'carbon debt' and start providing greenhouse gas
benefits."
Scripps Florida scientists find
novel use for old compound in cancer treatment
The compound, ?-difluoromethylornithine or DFMO, targets the activity of a specific enzyme
and, even in very limited doses, is effective in protecting against the malignancy in
animal models. "The drug, which was developed as a cancer therapy and later shelved
because of toxicity concerns, has been around since the 1970s," said John Cleveland,
Ph.D., chair of the Scripps Florida Department of Cancer Biology whose laboratory
conducted the study. "But over the past five years, it has undergone a rebirth as a
chemoprevention agent, first showing efficacy in animal models of human cancer and more
recently in human prostate and colon cancer. Our study shows that it likely works in a
large cast of tumors, even those having poor prognosis, like high-risk
neuroblastoma." Neuroblastoma is a childhood malignancy of the sympathetic nervous
system (part of the nervous system that serves to accelerate the heart rate, constrict
blood vessels, and raise blood pressure) that accounts for nearly eight percent of all
childhood cancers and 15 percent of pediatric cancer-related deaths. Its solid tumors
arise from developing nerve cells, most commonly in the adrenal gland, but also in the
abdomen, neck, and chest. Neuroblastoma usually occurs in infants and young children,
appearing twice as frequently during the first year of life than in the second.
Tragically, children with stage IV, high-risk neuroblastoma have a less than a 40 percent
chance of long-term survival.
Scripps research team develops new
technique to tap full potential of antibody libraries
In hopes of more fully tapping the libraries' potential, a group of Scripps Research
Institute scientists, led by Scripps Research President Richard A. Lerner, M.D., has for
the first time developed a new screening technique that enables antibody screening against
equally massive libraries of targets. This technique makes it possible to accelerate
searches for new treatments against cancer and other diseases.The work is being reported
in this week's Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of
Science (PNAS). The immune system produces antibodies to immobilize invaders, such as
bacteria and viruses, by attaching to proteins referred to as antigens on those invaders.
For many years, researchers have been producing huge collections of synthetic antibodies
that collectively dwarf the number of antibodies humans produce naturally. These resources
are a synthetic immune system with almost limitless potential, but existing techniques
have only enabled screening the millions upon millions of available antibodies against
handfuls of antigens. "Many scientists have long recognized that efficient and
sufficient access to the libraries demands an effective technique for also screening
target antigens by the millions," said Lerner. "This work now makes that
possible."
Is there a relationship between
sleep-wake rhythm and diabetes? A new gene variant influences fasting glucose levels via
the melatonin metabolism
An international research team with German participation including Helmholtz Zentrum
München, among other institutions, has succeeded in identifying a new gene variant which
is associated with elevated fasting glucose levels and a high risk for type 2 diabetes.
The gene mediates insulin secretion indirectly via the release of melatonin, which
implicates a previously unknown relationship between the sleep-wake rhythm and the fasting
glucose level. The finding could open up new possibilities of treatment which go far
beyond the primarily symptomatic therapy approaches to diabetes that have been practised
until now. Diabetes mellitus and diabetes-associated late complications are among the most
frequent chronic diseases and causes of death worldwide. In Germany there are
approximately six million people with type 2 diabetes who are aware that they have the
disease. In addition, there is a relatively high estimated number of undiagnosed
diabetics. Besides lifestyle factors such as overweight and lack of exercise, genetic
factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Possible Alzheimer's Disease Marker
Discovered in Rare Genotype
Researchers at Banner Health's Sun Health Research Institute have uncovered evidence that
Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be clinically confirmed in patients with apolipoprotein E2
homozygote. The results of their study are published in the January 2009 issue of the
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Apolipoprotein E2 homozygote has been associated with a protective effect against AD and
contributes to delaying the onset of symptoms. However previously, no significant data had
pointed to clinically confirmed AD in persons with apolipoprotein E2 homozygote. The
reverse is true of apolipoprotein E4. Previous studies have confirmed that apolipoprotein
E4 is a predictive risk factor for AD and indicates an increased genetic risk of AD.
Clinical confirmation of the apolipoprotein E2 homozygote Alzheimer's disease finding in
this study was confirmed by MRI, PET and neuropsychological evaluation and testing. AD
pathology is yet to be determined and will occur at post mortem.
Researchers Find Essential Proteins
for Final Stage of Malaria Transmission Cycle
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) have identified, for
the first time, the molecular components that enable the malaria-causing parasite
Plasmodium to infect the salivary glands of the Anopheles mosquito—a critical and
final stage for spreading malaria to humans. According to the researchers, saglin, a
mosquito salivary protein, is a receptor for the Plasmodium protein Thrombospondin-Related
Anonymous Protein (TRAP). The two proteins bind together to allow invasion of the salivary
gland by Plasmodium sporozoites, which can be transmitted to a human when bitten by an
infected mosquito.
Brown Researchers Work Out
Structure of TIGAR, a Possible Cancer Flag
Two Brown University researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of an
enzyme whose presence in the body could help doctors detect cancer earlier or develop more
targeted treatments.Hua Li and Gerwald Jogl detail their progress with the enzyme known as
TIGAR in a paper to be published Jan. 16, 2009, in The Journal of Biological
Chemistry.“It will help us to understand where else we should be looking for good
[anti-cancer] targets,” said Jogl, assistant professor of biology in the Department
of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry at Brown. Jogl is the study’s
principal investigator and corresponding author. Li is a fifth-year Ph.D. student based in
Jogl’s lab and is the lead author.
Report calls aerosol research key
to improving climate predictions
Scientists need a more detailed understanding of how human-produced atmospheric particles,
called aerosols, affect climate in order to produce better predictions of Earth's future
climate, according to a NASA-led report issued by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program
on Friday. "Atmospheric Aerosol Properties and Climate Impacts," is the latest
in a series of Climate Change Science Program reports that addresses various aspects of
the country's highest priority climate research, observation and decision-support needs.
The study's authors include scientists from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the Department of Energy. "The influence of aerosols on climate is
not yet adequately taken into account in our computer predictions of climate," said
Mian Chin, report coordinating lead author from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md. "An improved representation of aerosols in climate models is essential
to more accurately predict the climate changes." Aerosols are suspended solid or
liquid particles in the air that often are visible as dust, smoke and haze. Aerosols come
from a variety of natural and human processes. On a global basis, the bulk of aerosols
originate from natural sources, mainly sea salt, dust and wildfires. Human-produced
aerosols arise primarily from a variety of combustion sources. They can be the dominant
form of aerosol in and downwind of highly populated and industrialized regions, and in
areas of intense agricultural burning.
Progress made in understanding
causes and treatment of endometriosis
Endometriosis is a poorly understood chronic disease characterized by infertility and
chronic pelvic pain during intercourse. It affects between 5 to 10 million women in the
U.S. Serdar Bulun, M.D., George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology at
Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, has spent the past 15 years
investigating and identifying the causes of this disease. Bulun, and colleagues in his
lab, discovered key epigenetic abnormalities in endometriosis and identified existing
chemicals that now help treat it. Bulun describes his lab's findings over the past 10
years in the Jan. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. One of the
abnormalities he discovered is the presence of the enzyme aromatase -- which produces
estrogen -- in endometriosis, the diseased tissue that exists on pelvic organs and mimics
the uterine lining. (Normal endometrium, located in the uterine cavity, does not contain
aromatase.) As a result, women with endometriosis have excessive estrogen in this abnormal
tissue found on surfaces of pelvic organs such as the ovaries. Bulun found the protein SF1
that produces aromatase, which is supposed to be shut down, is active in endometriosis.
"Estrogen is like fuel for fire in endometriosis," Bulun said. "It triggers
the endometriosis and makes it grow fast."
Key protein that may cause cancer
cell death identified
Researchers at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have become the
first to discover and characterize a human protein called Bax-beta (Bax?), which can
potentially cause the death of cancer cells and lead to new approaches in cancer
treatment. The finding is published in the 16 Jan. report of Molecular Cell. Detection of
Bax? has eluded scientists until now. Said Dr Victor Yu, principal investigator of the
IMCB research team, "Our research findings reveal that Bax? protein levels are
normally kept at essentially undetectable levels in healthy cells by the protein
degradation machine in cells known as proteasomes. Proteasomes are "protein-digesting
machines" that regulate cellular levels of various proteins including that of the
lethal Bax?, by breaking them into smaller components within the cell. "Thus, the
proteasomes are there to keep the lethal Bax? in check," he added. "This is
exciting — if the proteasome-mediated degradation of Bax? could be inhibited
specifically in cancer cells, it could cause the harmful cancer cells to go through
apoptosis". In apoptosis, unwanted, damaged and infected cells are eliminated. Until
the discovery of Bax? by Dr. Yu's team, only one single protein called Bax-alpha (Bax?)
had been extensively studied in cells. Earlier evidence had suggested that more than one
protein was encoded by the Bax gene.
Nursing study concludes postnatal
depression can possibly be prevented drug-free
A heart-to-heart chat with a peer has proven an effective way to prevent postnatal
depression in high risk women, cutting the risk of depression by 50%, according to a
University of Toronto nursing study published in BMJ Online today. Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis,
an associate professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Canada research
chair in perinatal community health, examined the effectiveness of telephone-based peer
support to prevent postnatal depression in high risk women. After Web-based screening of
more than 21,000 women from seven health regions in Ontario, 701 high risk mothers were
recruited and randomized to receive standard postnatal care or standard care and the
support of a peer volunteer (who had experienced postnatal depression themselves).
Scientists find new structural
motif in key enzymes is essential to prevent autoimmune disease
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis
Research Foundation have found a specific mutation that leads to the development of severe
autoimmune kidney disease in mice. The research sheds light on the basic biology of the
immune system, as well as on the effectiveness of drugs such as the anti-leukemia
medication Gleevec/Imatinib. The study was published in the January 16, 2009 edition
(Volume 33, No. 1) of the journal Molecular Cell. In the study, the scientists identify a
disease-causing mutation in a binding structure common to dozens of kinases—specific
enzymes, especially important in cell signaling, that can modify other proteins by
transferring a phosphate group onto them. The mutation reduced the activity of an
important kinase, Lyn (a member of the Src family, which modulates important cellular
processes including cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation). "Our study
has several important implications," said Karsten Sauer, a Scripps Research scientist
and assistant professor who led the study. "First, it shows that when you eliminate
the activity of the Lyn kinase through mutation, you develop problems in B cell signaling,
resulting in B cell hyperactivity which leads to a severe autoimmune reaction—in this
case, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, a form of kidney disease very similar to human lupus.
This shows for first time how essential the Lyn kinase activity, and not potential adaptor
or scaffold functions of the protein, is for B cell signaling, and for preventing
autoimmune disease." B cells produce pathogen-fighting antibodies and are a critical
part of the adaptive immune system.
Scientists Find Cause of Cartilage
Degeneration in Osteoarthritis
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found an important link
between a protein that declines with age and the development of osteoarthritis, the most
common disease of aging affecting nearly 27 million Americans. The finding opens the door
to developing effective new treatments for osteoarthritis. Currently, no treatment for
this degenerative disease exists apart from palliative drugs for pain and inflammation.
The scientists describe their work in the January 12, 2009, Early Edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, the team shows how the loss
of the protein HMGB2, found in the surface layer of joint cartilage, leads to the
progressive deterioration of the cartilage that is the hallmark of osteoarthritis.
"We have found the mechanism that begins to explain how and why aging leads to
deterioration of articular cartilage," says Scripps Research Professor Martin Lotz, a
world-renowned arthritis researcher who led the study with Noboru Taniguchi, a senior
research associate in his lab. "Our findings demonstrate a direct link between the
loss of this protein and osteoarthritis."
Dartmouth researchers identify
potential cancer target
Dartmouth Medical School researchers have found two proteins that work in concert to
ensure proper chromosome segregation during cell division. Their study is in the January
2009 issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology. This finding is relevant for treating solid
cancerous tumors that lose the ability to accurately segregate their chromosomes. Tumors
that shuffle chromosomes, a process called chromosomal instability, are known to have a
poor prognosis. "We show that the function of two proteins, called Kif2b and MCAK, is
to correct improper attachments during cell division to prevent the mis-segregation of
chromosomes" said Duane Compton, the senior author on the paper and a professor of
biochemistry at Dartmouth Medical School. "The two proteins share the workload as
Kif2b acts early in cell division and MCAK acts later. This cooperation underlines the
importance of proper chromosome segregation for the healthy life of all cells."
Compton is also director of the Cancer Mechanisms Research Program at Norris Cotton Cancer
Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Compton explained this finding follows a
study his team published in the February 2008 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology that
showed that the main cause of chromosomal instability is that chromosomes make improper
attachments to the spindle apparatus during cell division. "These improper
attachments occur normally during cell division in all cells, but in the tumor cells, the
improper attachments fail to get corrected and cells attempt to divide with persistent
improper attachments," said Compton.
Canada-US scientists discover gene
responsible for brain's aging
Will scientists one day be able to slow the aging of the brain and prevent diseases such
as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's? Absolutely – once the genetic coding associated with
neuronal degeneration has been unraveled. According to a new study published in The
Journal of Neuroscience, a research team from the Université de Montréal,
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has taken a giant
step in this direction by identifying a gene that controls the normal and pathological
aging of neurons in the central nervous system: Bmi1. The primary risk factor for diseases
such as macular degeneration, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's is age. Although many
researchers have sought to better understand the genetics and pathophysiology of these
diseases, few studies have focused on the basic molecular mechanisms that control neuronal
aging.
Free Antibiotics - The Wrong
Prescription for Cold and Flu Season
With an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections growing, experts are warning
grocery-store pharmacies that antibiotics giveaways are an unhealthy promotional gimmick.
If grocery stores want to help customers and save them money during cold and flu season,
the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) says, they should offer free influenza
vaccinations instead. Giant, Stop & Shop, and other grocery stores have recently begun
offering free antibiotics at their pharmacies. Most concerning are promotions such as
Wegmans’ that link antibiotics to the winter cold-and-flu season—despite the
fact that antibiotics will have no effect on these viral illnesses and carry risks of
serious side effects. “While it may make good marketing sense, promoting antibiotics
at a time when we are facing a crisis of antibiotic resistance does not make good public
health sense,” said IDSA President Anne Gershon, MD. “On the other hand, grocery
stores would be doing a tremendous service if they help more people get their flu
shots.”
A French study reported in the 12th January issue of Archives of Internal Medicine has
found a strong correlation between blood pressure and outdoor temperature in a large
sample of the elderly.(1) As a result, the investigators advise that, during periods of
extreme temperatures, careful monitoring of blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment
“could contribute to reducing the consequences of blood pressure variations in the
elderly”. The study, which monitored 8801 participants over the age of 65 in the
French Three-City study, found that systolic and diastolic blood pressure values differed
significantly across the four seasons of the year and according to the distribution of
outdoor temperature. The higher the temperature, the greater the decrease in blood
pressure. Systolic blood pressure, for example, decreased with increasing temperature,
with an 8.0 mmHg decrease between the lowest (<7.9°C) and the highest (21.2°C) temperatures. Average systolic blood pressure was 5 mmHg higher in winter than in summer. High blood pressure, defined as a systolic blood pressure of 160 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic blood pressure of 95 mmHg or higher, was detected in 33.4 per cent of participants during winter and 23.8 percent during summer. These changes in blood pressure were greater in subjects 80 years or older than in younger participants.
