MU scientists go green with gold,
distribute environmentally friendly nanoparticles
Gold nanoparticles are everywhere. They are used in cancer treatments, automobile sensors,
cell phones, blood sugar monitors and hydrogen gas production. However, until recently,
scientists couldn't create the nanoparticles without producing synthetic chemicals that
had negative impacts on the environment. A new method, created by a University of Missouri
research team, not only eliminates any negative environmental impact, but also has
resulted in national and international recognition for the lead scientist. The research
was published recently in the journal Small. "I have always believed that nature is
smarter and stronger than humankind," said Kattesh Katti, professor of radiology and
physics in MU's School of Medicine and College of Arts and Science, senior research
scientist at the MU Research Reactor, and director of the MU Cancer Nanotechnology
Platform. "This new procedure to create nanoparticles is wonderfully simple, yet it
will help create very complex components. There is so much to learn from energy
generation, chemical and photochemical reactions of plants." Katti, who was recently
recognized by rt Image magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in radiology, and
his research team have formed Greennano Company, a company that is in the beginning stages
of producing environmentally friendly gold nanoparticles. The company will focus on the
development, commercialization and worldwide supply of gold nanoparticles for medical and
technological applications. Katti believes that because of this new process to produce the
nanoparticles, researchers are developing other ways to use them. The MU research team,
which was led by Katti, Raghuraman Kannan and Kavita Katti, found that by submersing gold
salts in water and then adding soybeans, gold nanoparticles were generated. The water
pulls a phytochemical out of the soybean that is effective in reducing the gold to
nanoparticles. A second phytochemical from the soybean, also pulled out by the water,
interacts with the nanoparticles to stabilize them and keep them from fusing with the
particles nearby. This process creates nanoparticles that are uniform in size in a
100-percent green process. No toxic waste is generated.
Effect the Cause comes from the passionate backlash of us here at Momentum Ministries.
We are tired of seeing children in undeveloped countries live in fear and hunger. We are
tired of seeing widows suffer neglect. It is our time to start affecting the cause of this
outcry by getting to the root of these issues and creating lasting change. Effect the
Cause is concerned with the lack of success in combating poverty and disease, in spite of
the billions of dollars given in international aid. Effect the Cause wants to identify and
support those methods that really work. We are vitally concerned with the lack of access
to education by multitudes of orphans in Africa. We dream of the day when girls will have
equal opportunity in school and business. Effect the Cause will support the needs of the
people in remote and neglected areas with love, prayer, food, medical and educational
help.
Victoria Boutenko - How To Reverse
Gray Hair
Victoria Boutenko reveals how long it took her to reverse her gray hair.
"To preserve their [the people's] independence, we must not let our rulers load us
with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty, or profusion
and servitude" - Thomas Jefferson. There was a time, early in America's history, when
its leaders believed in financial discipline. No more. Perpetual debt, which Jefferson
feared would enslave future generations, is clamped on Uncle Sam's undercarriage like a
ball and chain. US public borrowing is $9.8 trillion - and rising. Jefferson, America's
third president (1801-09), is widely regarded as the White House's most intellectually
gifted occupant. He believed that "banking institutions are more dangerous to our
liberties than standing armies", and that "the principle of spending money to be
paid by posterity is but swindling futurity on a large scale." If Congress approves
the Treasury Secretary's $700 billion bail-out of dysfunctional banks, it would be hard to
invent a better example of what Jefferson foresaw: authorised "swindling".
Tomorrow's Americans and those who come after them will pay and pay for the grotesque
excesses and self-indulgence of today's flim-flam merchants. As Jefferson put it: "If
we run into such debt, as we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our
necessaries and our comforts [we will have] no means of calling our mis-managers to
account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the
necks of our fellow sufferers." Latest developments in the financial markets of US
and see-saws in the exchange rate of dollar have undermined the position of the America
currency in world markets. Today, even more countries are thinking about refusing dollar
USD as reserve currency. By doing this, they want to secure their markets and promote the
role of national currencies.
Do 'light' cigarettes deliver less
nicotine to the brain than regular cigarettes?
For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes — which
contain less nicotine than regular smokes — with the implication that they are less
harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as
much nicotine to the brain. Reporting in the current online edition of the International
Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, UCLA psychiatry professor Dr. Arthur L. Brody and
colleagues found that low-nicotine cigarettes act similarly to regular cigarettes,
occupying a significant percentage of the brain's nicotine receptors. Light cigarettes
have nicotine levels of 0.6 to 1 milligrams, while regular cigarettes contain between 1.2
and 1.4 milligrams.
Don't forget the vitamin A when
working with its carrier protein
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient involved in vision, growth, cellular differentiation,
and immune function. Because vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is chaperoned through the body
on carrier proteins. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a study funded
by USDA and NIH, discovered that not only was one of the carrier proteins for vitamin A,
retinol-binding protein (RBP), elevated in obese individuals compared to leaner controls,
but some of it was not attached to retinol, the main circulating form of the vitamin. RBP
that is not bound to vitamin A is called apo-RBP by vitamin A scientists. Their study will
appear in the October 08 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine. The research team led
by Sherry Tanumihardjo, an associate professor of Nutritional Sciences, originally was
interested in determining the degree of hypervitaminosis A in the cohort for preliminary
data on excessive liver storage of the vitamin. Her graduate student, Jordan Mills, was
interested in determining the retinol-binding protein concentrations. While the degree of
hypervitaminosis A was remarkable at 4% prevalence for the obese cohort, the relationship
of retinol to RBP was a more interesting discovery. The retinol to RBP ratio (retinol:RBP)
was significantly lower in the obese subjects than nonobese subjects. This was
attributable to more RBP circulating in the serum not bound to vitamin A. RBP was strongly
associated with vitamin A in both groups, but more so in the nonobese individuals. "A
series of studies in mice and humans revealed a strong relationship between serum RBP and
obesity-induced insulin resistance. While some studies validated these original
observations of elevated RBP in obesity and insulin resistance in humans, others have not.
Often lacking in these publications are data for serum retinol, arguably RBP's most
important physiological companion, representing a possible explanation for conflicting
results," said Mills. Tanumihardjo added, "Our results further the understanding
of the relationship of retinol, RBP, and BMI and suggest that apo-RBP should be evaluated.
Retinol:RBP may add new insights and be a better clinical diagnostic for potential insulin
resistance than RBP alone." The authors say, "This elevated serum apo-RBP may be
adipose-derived and it is unknown whether it is a direct contributor to insulin resistance
in obese individuals. Alternatively, apo-RBP from adipose may transport an unidentified
ligand that is responsible for mediating insulin signaling." Further research is
needed to determine whether apo-RBP is bound to some other compound in circulation. Dr.
Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said "this
interesting study, led by Dr. Tanumihardjo, opens the door to the determination of the
role of apo-RBP in insulin resistance in obese individuals. This will be an important
issue for those working on type 2 diabetes".
Scientists Find “Redesigned
Hammer” That Forged Evolution of Pregnancy in Mammals
Yale researchers have shown that the origin and evolution of the placenta and uterus in
mammals is associated with evolutionary changes in a single regulatory protein, according
to a report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Yale researchers have
shown that the origin and evolution of the placenta and uterus in mammals is associated
with evolutionary changes in a single regulatory protein, according to a report in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Many past studies have shown that
genes are regulated and altered by changes within their own structures. This is the first
work suggesting that the evolution of transcription factors — separate regulatory
proteins — may play an active role in the origin and evolution of structural
innovations like the placenta and uterus,” said senior author Gunter Wagner, the
Alison Richard Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Yale.
Toddlers' focus on mouths rather
than on eyes is a predictor of autism severity
Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have found that two-year-olds with autism looked
significantly more at the mouths of others, and less at their eyes, than typically
developing toddlers. This abnormality predicts the level of disability, according to study
results published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Lead author Warren Jones and
colleagues Ami Klin and Katelin Carr used eye-tracking technology to quantify the visual
fixations of two-year-olds who watched caregivers approach them and engage in typical
mother-child interactions, such as playing games like peek-a-boo. After the first few
weeks of life, infants look in the eyes of others, setting processes of socialization in
motion. In infancy and throughout life, the act of looking at the eyes of others is a
window into people's feelings and thoughts and a powerful facilitator in shaping the
formation of the social mind and brain. The scientists found that the amount of time
toddlers spent focused on the eyes predicted their level of social disability. The less
they focused on the eyes, the more severely disabled they were. These results may offer a
useful biomarker for quantifying the presence and severity of autism early in life and
screen infants for autism. The findings could aid research on the neurobiology and
genetics of autism, work that is dependent on quantifiable markers of syndrome expression.
More than 1,200 women were studied to determine whether a history of dieting and
restrained eating prior to pregnancy was related to higher weight gains in pregnancy. The
researchers note that excessive gestational weight gain "is of concern because of its
association with postpartum weight retention" and other "adverse pregnancy
outcomes such as gestational diabetes mellitus, cesarean sections, large-for-gestational
age, and breastfeeding duration." "With the exception of underweight women, all
other women with a history of dieting or restrained eating gained more weight during
pregnancy and had higher adequacy of weight gain ratios," the researchers found. They
concluded "Restrained eating behaviors were associated with weight gains above the
Institute of Medicine's recommendations for normal, overweight, and obese women and weight
gains below the recommendations for underweight women."
New systems are improving health care delivery for women concerned about breast cancer
and breast related diseases. Join us for an overview of new developments including MRI as
a diagnostic tool, genetic testing, new reconstruction procedures, and current and
upcoming clinical trials related to breast disease.
Exposing the Cholesterol Myth
Dr. Ron Rosedale talks about common cholesterol myths.
Improved heating reduces asthma
symptoms among kids
Improved home heating reduced asthma symptoms in children, according to a Otago University
study in New Zealand. The study examined 409 children in five communities between the ages
of six and 12 with asthma, both before and after the installation of more effective
heating at homes.
Low-glycemic foods make their way
into the U.S. market
Add one more label to the list consumers are increasingly being asked to parse - This one
declares food items as "low glycemic," and refers to a food's effects on blood
sugar levels. Low-glycemic diets have become popular in England and Australia, based on
studies that suggest they could help manage diabetes and prevent heart disease and
obesity, and they're now making headway here in the U.S.
Excessive Fructose Intake, Not
Starch Leads To Metabolic Syndrome
There’s a lot of new research coming out about the root causes of obesity and disease
that it can keep your head spinning round and round for hours trying to absorb it all. And
for all the studies that are released, there are just as many new books ready to tout the
latest principles and concepts that are discovered by those scientists and researchers
looking at the extraordinary findings that are happening. One of these researchers/authors
is Dr. Richard J. Johnson.
Evidence of Inflammatory Immune
Signaling in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Dissection of blood microarray profiles points to B cell dysfunction with coordinated
immune activation supporting persistent inflammation and antibody-mediated NK cell
modulation of T cell activity. This has clinical implications as the CD19+ genes
identified could provide robust and biologically meaningful basis for the early detection
and unambiguous phenotyping of CFS.
To help prevent the leeching of this chemical from many plastic
"seven"-containing objects, do not microwave plastic containers, do not use
plastic containers to store heated liquids or foods, and do not wash these containers in
hot liquids. Hot liquids and food items allow Bisphenol A to be released from plastic
containers more readily.
Bottled water is thousands of times more expensive than tap water, creates mountains of
needless garbage and contributes to other environmental problems. So no matter which way
you look at it, drinking tap water makes more sense for your health, the environment, and
your pocket!
Honey may help bring sweet relief to chronic sinusitis sufferers, new Canadian research
suggests. Scientists say natural germ fighters in honey attack the bacteria that cause the
discomforting disorder.
However, low intake of these substances combined with high consumption of omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found in most types of vegetable oil, may
indeed increase the likelihood that postmenopausal women will develop breast cancer, Dr.
Emily Sonestedt, of Lund University, Malmo, and her colleagues found.
Winning the War on Food (Part 2) -
Mass Irradiation of Produce
Last April, Mike Adams (aka the "Health Ranger") was among the first to predict
that the U.S. government (aka the "Wealth Ranger") would soon attempt mass
irradiation of produce. Unfortunately that prediction was accurate as the FDA has since
approved irradiation of spinach and iceberg lettuce, with peppers and tomatoes possibly
next. Ultimately their goal seems to be the irradiation of all produce.
Merck Targets Low Income and
Minority Women in HPV Vaccine Study
Merck, manufacturer of the controversial Gardasil vaccine, has awarded a research grant of
$79,000.00 to two Indiana University Kelley School of Business professors to study the
effect of two interventions on acceptance of the HPV vaccination among low-income and
minority women, according to a press release by the university.
It has been on the market two years. In that time, the government has received almost
10,000 complaints about Gardasil, the controversial cervical cancer vaccine.
The leaves of the olive tree have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times,
and research has suggested that olive leaf extracts have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory
and antioxidant properties. Now it also appears that a supplement containing olive leaf
extract could help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Food supplementation with an olive
(Olea europaea L.) leaf extract reduces blood pressure in borderline hypertensive
monozygotic twins.
Cholesterol levels decreased for all treatments with significant dose-dependent
within-pair differences for LDL-cholesterol. None of the other parameters showed
significant changes or consistent trends. Concluding, the study confirmed the
antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering action of EFLA943 in humans.
Aspartame Consumption Again Linked
to Degeneration of Brain Neurons
high intake of the artificial sweetener aspartame may lead to the degeneration of brain
cells and various mental disorders, according to a research review conducted by South
African scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo and
published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Ultrastructural changes to rabbit
fibrin and platelets due to Aspartame
The coagulation process, including thrombin, fibrin, as well as platelets, plays an
important role in hemostasis, contributing to the general well-being of humans. Fibrin
formation and platelet activation are delicate processes that are under the control of
many small physiological events. Any one of these many processes may be influenced or
changed by external factors, including pharmaceutical or nutritional products, e.g., the
sweetener aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester). It is known that
phenylalanine is present at position P9 and aspartate at position P10 of the ?-chain of
human fibrinogen, and plays an important role in the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin by
the catalyst -thrombin. The authors investigate the effect of aspartame on platelet and
fibrin ultrastructure, by using the rabbit animal model and the scanning electron
microscope. Animals were exposed to 34 mg/kg of aspartame 26× during a 2-month period.
Aspartame-exposed fibrin networks appeared denser, with a thick matted fine fiber network
covering thick major fibers. Also, the platelet aggregates appeared more granular than the
globular control platelet aggregates. The authors conclude by suggesting that aspartame
usage may interfere with the coagulation process and might cause delayed fibrin breakup
after clot formation. They suggest this, as the fibrin networks from aspartame-exposed
rabbits are more complex and dense, due to the netlike appearance of the minor, thin
fibers. Aspartame usage should possibly be limited by people on anti-clotting medicine or
those with prone to clot formation.
ADHD: Life Course Outcomes and
Treatment Implications
Russell Barkley, Ph.D., focuses on what he terms the Milwaukee Study, which tracks the
life course outcomes of individuals with ADHD, as well as covering issues that are to be
studied in future ADHD studies.
David Wolfe Unleashed
David Wolfe is the world's TOP expert on raw food nutrition and conducts nearly 100
health lectures, seminars, and hosts at least 6 raw adventure retreats each year. More
information can be found on www.thebestdayever.com
Localization begins at home. When we grow and nurture our own food we consume the
ultimate in fresh food using the barest minimum of fossil fuels. David "Avocado"
Wolfe Shares his intimate relationship with growing food from childhood to now and how
this journey can provide a beautiful heaven on earth reality.
If you experience nasal allergies or sinus symptoms (congestion, headaches, pressure), or
if you just get a lot of colds, nasal irrigation with a neti pot may be one option for
relief. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin determined that irrigating the nose
with salt water can improve sinus symptoms and reduce the need for medication for people
who suffer frequently from sinusitis (sinus infections).
Storm over Statins — The
Controversy Surrounding Pharmacologic Treatment of Children
The recommendation to use statins in childhood seems to have hit a collective nerve,
perhaps awakening us to the fuller implications of the obesity epidemic. It's one thing to
treat the rare child who has an inherited defect in cholesterol metabolism and quite
another to extend treatment to children who are at risk for cardiovascular disease because
of modifiable lifestyle factors.
Dr Magnuson, a recent corporate-sponsored visitor, and her ilk, are happy to use rat
studies as a gold standard to ‘prove’ chemical food additive safety – when
it suits them – but when a comprehensive series of studies come out from a
prestigious, non-industry aligned research institute like Italy’s Ramazzini Institute
showing dangers in aspartame, then these food industry apologists quibble over whether the
rats used in the study were sufficiently upper class or went to the right school.
It's Not How Fat You Are, It's What
You Do with It That Counts
The spiralling increase in obesity rates in the Western and developing worlds has brought
with it a host of related metabolic complications including diabetes, dyslipidaemia,
cardiovascular complications, and cancer. Whereas obesity itself presents its own
independent health problems—such as sleep apnoea or psychological issues—the
vast majority of obesity-related mortality is caused by these secondary metabolic
complications. The link between obesity and such complications as insulin resistance is
well established on a population level but poorly understood mechanistically. Efforts to
tackle the obesity epidemic through public health initiatives and drugs have so far been
notable for their lack of success. With little prospect for halting the obesity epidemic,
treatment of its associated diseases becomes of paramount importance both for public
health and associated costs.
A new study shows that eating trans fat may increase the risk of fetal death during
pregnancy. This study discovered that the risk of miscarriage increased 52 percent for
women who consumed a diet high in trans fat, about 4.7 percent of their total calories.
Women, who ate less trans fast, about 2.2 percent of their total calories, had a 30
percent risk.
Proton therapy, a type of cancer radiation therapy, may cut cancer patients' risk of
developing another cancer. That finding comes from researchers at Harvard and
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Autism Doc claims government led
witch hunt against him
“Bernadine Healy, the former head of the US National Institute for Health, admitted
they had altered evidence on the epidemiological studies conducted by the US Government to
suit the official line. She admitted the evidence both the US and UK relies on is useless.
“The UK Government has a big dirty secret that it doesn’t want the public to
know . . . they agreed to under write any compensation claims for the MMR.
MS patients have higher spinal
fluid levels of suspicious immune molecule
A protein that helps keep immune cells quiet is more abundant in the spinal fluid of
patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), further boosting suspicion that the protein,
TREM-2, may be an important contributor to the disease.
Pitt Research Shows That Low
Concentrations of Common Insecticide Can Decimate Tadpole Populations Through the Food
Chain
The latest findings of a University of Pittsburgh-based project to determine the
environmental impact of routine pesticide use suggests that malathion-the most popular
insecticide in the United States-can decimate tadpole populations by altering their food
chain, according to research published in the Oct. 1 edition of “Ecological
Applications.” Gradual amounts of malathion that were too small to directly kill
developing leopard frog tadpoles instead sparked a biological chain of events that
deprived them of their primary food source. As a result, nearly half the tadpoles in the
experiment did not reach maturity and would have died in nature. The research was funded
by a National Science Foundation grant.
Parental warning - Second-hand
smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids
Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware – second-hand
smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published
in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine
Canadian institutions. “Increased exposure to second-hand smoke, both in cars and
homes, was associated with an increased likelihood of children reporting nicotine
dependence symptoms, even though these children had never smoked,” says Dr. Jennifer
O’Loughlin, senior author of the study, a professor at the Université de
Montréal’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a researcher at the
Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal.“These findings support the need for
public health interventions that promote non-smoking in the presence of children, and
uphold policies to restrict smoking in vehicles when children are present,” adds Dr.
O’Loughlin, who collaborated with researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke, the
Université de Moncton, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, Concordia
University and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.
New Study Proves that Pain is Not a
Symptom of Arthritis, Pain Causes Arthritis
Pain is more than a symptom of osteoarthritis, it is an inherent and damaging part of the
disease itself, according to a study published today in journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
More specifically, the study revealed that pain signals originating in arthritic joints,
and the biochemical processing of those signals as they reach the spinal cord, worsen and
expand arthritis. In addition, researchers found that nerve pathways carrying pain signals
transfer inflammation from arthritic joints to the spine and back again, causing disease
at both ends. Technically, pain is a patient’s conscious realization of discomfort.
Before that can happen, however, information must be carried along nerve cell pathways
from say an injured knee to the pain processing centers in dorsal horns of the spinal
cord, a process called nociception. The current study provides strong evidence that
two-way, nociceptive “crosstalk” may first enable joint arthritis to transmit
inflammation into the spinal cord and brain, and then to spread through the central
nervous system (CNS) from one joint to another. Furthermore, if joint arthritis can cause
neuro-inflammation, it could have a role in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease,
dementia and multiple sclerosis. Armed with the results, researchers have identified
likely drug targets that could interfere with key inflammatory receptors on sensory nerve
cells as a new way to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which destroys joint cartilage in 21
million Americans. The most common form of arthritis, OA eventually brings deformity and
severe pain as patients loose the protective cushion between bones in weight-bearing
joints like knees and hips. “Until relatively recently, osteoarthritis was believed
to be due solely to wear and tear, and inevitable part of aging,” said Stephanos
Kyrkanides, D.D.S., Ph.D., associate professor of Dentistry within the Eastman Dental
Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Recent studies have revealed,
however, that specific biochemical changes contribute to the disease, changes that might
be reversed by precision-designed drugs. Our study provides the first solid proof that
some of those changes are related to pain processing, and suggests the mechanisms behind
the effect,” said Kyrkanides, whose work on genetics in dentistry led to broader
applications. The common ground between arthritis and dentistry: the jaw joint is a common
site of arthritic pain.
Occupational therapy gets people
with osteoarthritis moving
Physical activity is the cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle – and especially for
people with osteoarthritis as exercise helps maintain good joint health, manage their
symptoms, and prevent functional decline. Osteoarthritis, however, often makes physical
activity, such as exercise, and even performing daily activities, a challenge. But an
occupational therapist-led approach – called activity strategy training – could
provide patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis the opportunity to lead more active
lives and even improve their overall health, according to a new study led by researchers
at the University of Michigan Health System. In the pilot study, the researchers found
that patients who engaged in activity strategy training along with regular exercise
increased their physical activity, more so than those patients who only took part in
exercise and health education sessions. Study results are now online and are set to appear
in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Researchers are reporting that new insights into the composition of human breast milk may
lead to new ways to prevent and treat stomach illnesses and other diseases in babies and
adults. An article on the topic is scheduled for the Sept. 29 issue of Chemical &
Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. In the C&EN cover story, Associate Editor
Jyllian Kemsley notes that human breast milk is a complex fluid composed of several key
components, including lactose, a sugar that provides energy for the infant, and lipids,
which are thought to provide healthy fats to infants. But scientists are just now
beginning to understand the composition and function of many of the components of human
breast milk. Researchers have found, for example, that certain sugars in breast milk could
be developed into treatments that help fight necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a
potentially deadly disease that affects about 10 percent of premature infants. Some types
of sugars in breast milk appear to prevent bacterial infections, including those that
cause severe diarrhea, the article notes. A better understanding of the chemistry and
function of breast milk can also lead to the design of more nutritious infant formulas and
cow's milk products, the article suggests. "[Breast milk] is a remarkable
fluid," remarked one researcher. "It's extremely embarrassing how little we
still know about it."
Ocean waves not only provide recreation, aesthetic enjoyment and an occasional
rearrangement of our shorelines, but can potentially be tapped as a source for cleaner
energy. Join Scripps Institution of Oceanographys Richard Seymour as he describes how
climate variability impacts the "wave climate" of the North Pacific Ocean. Learn
how scientists and engineers are combining expertise to harness waves as a source for
renewable electric energy production.
Angela Stokes on CNN News: Raw Food
Weight Loss
See Angela Stokes of http://www.RawReform.com in a two minute Raw Food Weight Loss
Special with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN's "Fit Nation". Angela released 160 pounds
with a Raw Food Lifestyle. Premiered on CNN News September 23rd, 2008.
Virtual Colonoscopy Comparable to
Colonoscopy at Detecting Polyps
Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, is
comparable to standard colonoscopy, which uses a long, flexible tube more...with a camera
to view the lining of the colon, in its ability to accurately detect cancer and
precancerous polyps and could serve as an initial screening exam for colorectal cancer,
according to the results of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN)
National CT Colonography Trial. CT colonography employs virtual reality technology to
produce a three-dimensional visualization that permits a thorough and minimally invasive
evaluation of the entire colon and rectum. The ACRIN trial, sponsored by the National
Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), enrolled more
than 2,600 patients at 15 sites nationwide. It is the largest multi-center study to
compare the accuracy of state-of-the-art CT colonography to the gold standard of
conventional colonoscopy. The results of this study are published in the Sept. 18, 2008,
issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
'Hub' of fear memory formation
identified in brain cells
A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role
in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An
apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin
could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation. The
results are published online this week and appear in the October issue of Nature
Neuroscience. The protein beta-catenin acts like a Velcro strap, fastening cells' internal
skeletons to proteins on their external membranes that connect them with other cells. In
species ranging from flies to frogs to mice, it also can transmit early signals that
separate an embryo into front and back or top and bottom. During long-term memory
formation, structural changes take place in the synapses – the connections between
neurons in the brain, says Kerry Ressler, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. Ressler is a researcher at
Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center, where the research was
conducted, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. "We thought
beta-catenin could be a hub for the changes that take place in the synapses during memory
formation," says Ressler. "But because beta-catenin is so important during
development, we couldn't take the standard approach of just knocking it out
genetically."He and graduate student Kimberly Maguschak used a variety of approaches
to probe beta-catenin's role in fear memory formation, such as stabilizing the protein
with a pulse of the psychiatric drug lithium and injecting a virus that could remove the
gene for beta-catenin from brain cells.
New way to control protein activity
could lead to cancer therapies, Stanford study shows
Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a way to quickly
and reversibly fine-tune the activity of individual proteins in cells and living mammals,
providing a powerful new laboratory tool for identifying — more precisely than ever
before — the functions of different proteins. The new technique also could help to
speed the development of therapies in which cancer-fighting proteins are selectively
delivered to tumors. The procedure, described in a Nature Medicine paper published online
Sept. 28, appears to be broadly applicable to efforts to understand the biological roles
of all kinds of proteins, including those that are secreted by cells. This category
includes many potent intercellular signaling proteins that can influence the immune
system, for example by attracting its attention to an existing tumor. “We have yet to
find a protein the system doesn’t work with,” said senior author Steve Thorne,
PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who was involved in the work
while a research associate at Stanford. The work was conducted under the direction of
Chris Contag, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics, of radiology and of microbiology and
immunology; and Tom Wandless, PhD, assistant professor of chemical and systems biology.
UI researchers find potentially
toxic substance present in Chicago air
Although the industrial compounds known as polychlorinated biphenols or PCBs have been
found in previous air samples collected in the city of Chicago, a University of Iowa
researcher says that a new study of Chicago air sampled between November 2006 and November
2007 found PCB11, a byproduct of the manufacture of paint pigments and a potentially toxic
substance, present throughout the city."To the best of our knowledge, this is the
first published report of PCB11 in ambient air," said Keri Hornbuckle, UI professor
of civil and environmental engineering, in the Sept. 24 online issue of the journal
Environmental Science & Technology.
Scientists discover brain area
linked to pain resistance during intense religious experiences
Religious emotions and believes have often been linked to a capacity to deal with pain, as
those images of Philippine men being willingly crucified during religious festivals so
well demonstrate. But although changes in pain sensitivity during a religious experience
are well documented, the exact psychological or/and neurological reasons of the phenomenon
are unclear and, as such, have now become the aim of an investigation by a group of
scientists, philosophers and psychologists from the University of Oxford. The research, to
be published in the next edition of the journal Pain1, reveals, for the first time, that
religion-associated pain resistance is linked to the activation of the brain right
ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), an area associated with both cognitive
down-regulation of pain and reassessment of the emotional meaning of an experience –
for example by giving a neutral or even positive meaning to a noxious experience, and so
making it much easier to cope with. The research contributes for a better understanding of
pain coping mechanisms, and, consequently, can put us closer to new and better therapies
for pain, but also might help to comprehend how cultural influences, such as religion, can
affect the development and use of the different parts of the brain. And it does give an
extra meaning to the saying “faith helps through life’s pains”... It is
known that the brain can control the way we feel about pain – the more we fear it,
for example, the more unbearable it does seem - or even our unconscious perception of it
as shown by the often very high pain threshold of chronic patients. To understand how this
is achieved is of major importance if we consider the devastating effects of chronic pain,
not only to patients’ quality of life, but also as an economic burden to society. In
an attempt to find the link between brain and pain control, Katja Wiech, Miguel Farias,
Irene Tracey and colleagues from the departments of Anaesthetics, Clinical Neurology,
Theology, Ethics and Philosophy at the University of Oxford and the Psychology and
Religion Research Group at the University of Cambridge decided to look into a widely
reported but poorly understood phenomenon - alterations of pain perception observed during
intense religious experiences. For that, the researchers used 12 practicing Catholics and
12 non-religious voluntaries, submitting both groups to an electrical shock, during which
they were shown either a religious or a non-religious image, and while registering their
brain activity. After this the subjects were asked to record the intensity of the pain
felt during the pulse, as well as their like/dislike for each of the images. The pictures
chosen – a painting of the Virgin Mary called ‘‘Vergine annunciate” by
Sassoferrato and ‘‘Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci as the
non-religious control – were aesthetically very similar. Interestingly, it was found
that the religious group reported much less pain if watching the Virgin Mary during the
electrical stimulus, despite the fact that both groups had, previously, been shown to have
similar pain sensitivity.
Don't ask, don't tell doesn't work
in prenatal care
While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on
smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a
woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the journal
Patient Education and Counseling reports that patients don't volunteer information about
substance abuse unless specifically queried.During the course of the study, actual
conversations between the doctors or midwives and their pregnant patients were audiotaped.
Listening to the tapes, the researchers found that prenatal care providers were not
comfortable talking with their patients about dealing with drug and alcohol abuse in spite
of routinely mentioning health risks of such behavior on the unborn infant."The
methodology of this study is important," said Richard Frankel, Ph.D, a co-author of
the study. "Studies that simply rely on questionnaires for data may not get to the
level of specificity needed to understand the mechanisms by which physicians and patients
communicate. We were able to describe in detail the moment by moment communication
behaviors involved in the prenatal conversations we studied. That's good news because
previous studies have shown that one minute of a doctor's time for tobacco counseling has
a measureable effect on attempts to quit smoking." Dr. Frankel is professor of
medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, a research scientist with the
Regenstrief Institute, Inc. and an investigator at the Roudebush VA Center of Excellence
for Implementing Evidence Based Practice.
Study finds young children can
develop full-blown OCD
A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center has found that
children as young as four can develop full-blown obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and
often exhibit many of the same OCD characteristics typically seen in older kids. The
study, published online by the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, is
the largest sample of young children with OCD published to date. "There have been
very few studies focusing on early childhood OCD, even though we know that OCD, if left
untreated, can significantly disrupt a child's growth and development and can worsen as
the child gets older," says lead author Abbe Garcia, PhD, director of the Bradley
Hasbro Children's Research Center (BHCRC) Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic. "That's
why we need to understand more about OCD in very young children, since early diagnosis and
intervention are critical to reducing the severity of symptoms and improving quality of
life." OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts
(obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as
handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of
preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called
"rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them
markedly increases anxiety. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents struggle with OCD.
Restless nights put older adults at
risk for depression recurrence
Nearly 60 percent of the nation's elderly have trouble sleeping, whether it's a lot of
tossing and turning or outright bouts of insomnia. While for most people sleeplessness can
be annoying at best or unhealthy at worst, for elderly individuals who have suffered from
depression in the past, poor sleep may be the first sign that a new bout of depression is
coming on. In a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of
Psychiatry and currently available online, UCLA professor of psychiatry Dr. Michael Irwin
and his colleagues posed three hypotheses: risk for depression would be higher among older
people with a prior history of the disorder; among those with prior depression, sleep
disturbance could predict a relapse or recurrence; and sleep disturbances could act as a
risk factor for depression recurrence separate from other depressive symptoms. The study
confirmed all three hypotheses. "Insomnia is the most frequent sleep disturbance in
depressed patients and is viewed as a symptom of current depression," said Irwin, who
also directs the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA's Semel Institute for
Neuroscience and Human Behavior. "But when sleep disturbances begin to emerge in an
otherwise healthy adult who has experienced depression in the past, we found that it may
serve as a precursor to another attack of depression." The study looked at 351
adults, age 60 and older. Of that number, 145 had a prior history of major or non-major
depression that was in full remission, while 206 had no prior history of depression or
other mental illness. The participants were assessed at four different times over a
two-year period for depressive episodes, depressive symptoms, sleep quality and chronic
medical disease. The researchers found that of the subjects with prior depression, 23 had
a relapse, compared with only one person in the group without prior mental illness. With
the first group, researchers were able to predict depression recurrence based on
individuals' sleep disturbance. Irwin noted that this association was established
independently of other depressive symptoms, chronic medical disease or any use of
antidepressants.
TB bacterium uses its sugar coat to
sweeten its chances of living in lungs
Common strains of tuberculosis-causing bacteria have hijacked the human body’s immune
response to play tricks on cells in the lungs, scientists say. The results of this
takeover are mixed. The cells essentially welcome the bacteria into the lungs and invite
them to stay a while, meaning the human host becomes infected with the TB bacterium. But
in about 90 percent of these cases, the infection remains latent and the infected person
never has any symptoms of illness.
Study finds association between
hepatitis B and pancreatic cancer
A new study has shown that evidence of past hepatitis B infection was twice as common in
people with pancreatic cancer than in healthy controls. This study is the first to report
an association between past exposure to the hepatitis B virus and pancreatic cancer, but
researchers cautioned that more studies are necessary to evaluate the nature of the link.
"While our findings indicate that past exposure to hepatitis B is associated with the
development of pancreatic cancer, more research is needed to determine whether this
relationship is one of cause and effect," said lead author Manal M. Hassan, MD, PhD,
assistant professor at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. "If
these findings can be confirmed by other studies, hepatitis B could be another risk factor
for pancreatic cancer that is readily modifiable with treatment, and even preventable with
a vaccine." In this study, Dr. Hassan and her colleagues compared evidence of
hepatitis B and C infection (as determined by blood tests assessing antibodies to these
viruses) between 476 patients with pancreatic cancer and 879 matched healthy individuals.
Evidence of past exposure to hepatitis B was found in 7.6 percent of patients with
pancreatic cancer versus 3.2 percent of controls. The association between hepatitis B
exposure and pancreatic cancer remained statistically significant even after controlling
for other risk factors, such as smoking. People with both diabetes (an established risk
factor for pancreatic cancer) and hepatitis B exposure had a 7-fold increase in pancreatic
cancer risk, compared to controls. No association was observed between hepatitis C
exposure and pancreatic cancer. The authors noted that past studies have reported the
presence of hepatitis B antigens in pancreatic fluids; others have identified impaired
pancreatic function in people with chronic hepatitis B infection. These findings suggest
that the hepatitis B virus may cause inflammation or DNA damage in the pancreas, which
could increase cancer risk. The researchers also indicated that there may be an increased
risk of liver failure after chemotherapy treatment among patients with pancreatic cancer
who have a history of hepatitis B infection. Dr. Hassan noted that if their findings are
confirmed, oncologists may want to consider checking the hepatitis B status of their
patients with pancreatic cancer before beginning chemotherapy.
Penn Study Shows Immune System Can
Hurt As Well As Help Fight Cancer
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that some
proteins of the immune system can promote tumor growth. Investigators found that instead
of fighting tumors, the protein C5a, which is produced during an immune response to a
developing tumor, helps tumors build molecular shields against T-cell attack. These
findings appeared online this week in Nature Immunology.C5a is part of the complement
system, one of the body’s immune defenses against pathogens. When activated, the
system’s proteins rid the body of microbes and foreign cells. Many cancer treatments
are aimed at boosting the immune system to kill tumors. “Until now, everyone thought
that the complement system was there to eliminate tumor cells. We found that in some
conditions, the complement system can promote tumor growth, depending on the specific
tumor and the specific environment in which the tumors are developing,” says John
Lambris, PhD, the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Professor of Research Medicine.
Can sleeping pills do more harm than good? Join us for this provocative and informative
program exploring the new class of "improved" sleeping pills. According to
recent research by Daniel Kripke, M.D., professor of psychiatry at UCSD School of
Medicine, sleeping pills may increase depression and lead to a higher incidence of certain
diseases. Sleeping pills may actually shorten people's lives.
Prostate Cancer: What Every Man
(and Woman) Should Know
One out of ten American men will develop prostate cancer. Dr. Charles Ryan, a medical
oncologist at UCSF, explores what we need to know about this cancer.
Mike Adams had no idea we were going to film a show while we were driving back to the
start of the festival... For those of you who know Mike, he's a journalist for health
freedom and he doesn't hold anything back.
Breast Cancer Treatment Alternative
- Hyperthermia
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using Heat Treatment, Hyperthermia, in conjunction with low radiation dose, Hyper
fractionation. Superficial tumors like Breast Cancer, Inflammatory Breast Cancer,
Prostate, head and neck, and skin cancer are successfully treated with Hyperthermia, at
the VCI in Los Angeles, California, since 1985. No drugs, surgery or high radiation dose
is used. FDA approved, and paid by most insurances. Side effects are minimum or none.
Financial risk-taking behavior is
associated with higher testosterone levels
Higher levels of testosterone are correlated with financial risk-taking behavior,
according to a new study in which men's testosterone levels were assessed before
participation in an investment game. The findings help to shed light on the evolutionary
function and biological origins of risk taking. The study was jointly led by Anna Dreber,
of the Program in Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University and the Stockholm School of
Economics, and Coren Apicella, of Harvard's Department of Anthropology. The results are
available online in Evolution and Human Behavior. "These findings help us to
understand the motivations for risk-taking behavior, which is a major component of
economic theory," says Dreber. "Risk preferences are one of the most important
preferences in economics, and yet no one knows why they differ between men and women, why
they change over age, or what makes men trade more in the financial market." Previous
studies have shown that on average, men are more likely than women to take risks, and the
researchers theorized that these differences could be explained by the role of
testosterone. Another recent study also demonstrated that stock market traders experienced
greater profits on days their testosterone was above its median level. However, this is
the first study to directly examine the relationship between testosterone and financial
risk-taking. "Although our findings do not address causality, we believe that
testosterone may influence how individuals make risky financial decisions," says
Apicella. In the study, saliva samples were taken from 98 males, ages 18 to 23, who were
mostly Harvard students. The samples were taken before participation in the investment
game, so the researchers were certain that testosterone levels were not elevated as a
result of the game. The researchers also assessed facial masculinity, associated with
testosterone levels at puberty. All of the participants were given $250, and were asked to
choose an amount between $0 and $250 to invest. The participants kept the money that was
not invested. A coin toss determined the investment's outcome, and if the participant lost
the coin toss, the money allocated to the investment was lost. However, if the coin toss
was won, the participant would receive two and a half times the amount of their
investment. At the end of the study, one person was selected by lottery to receive the
cash amount of their investment, which created a monetary incentive for the participants.
The researchers found that a man whose testosterone levels were more than one standard
deviation above the mean invested 12 percent more than the average man into the risky
investment. A man with a facial masculinity score of one standard deviation higher than
the mean invested 6 percent more than the average man.
Birth size is a marker of
susceptibility to breast cancer later in life
The findings from a study by a team based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine (LSHTM) are published today in PLoS Medicine. Associations between birth size,
perhaps as a marker of the pre-natal environment, and subsequent breast cancer risk have
been identified before, but the findings from epidemiological studies have been
inconsistent. The team re-analysed data from published and unpublished studies to obtain
more precise estimates of the extent to which birth size affects the risk of breast cancer
later in life and to investigate whether they could be explained by associations with
other risk factors. They examined 32 studies, comprising 22,058 breast cancer cases among
a total of more than 600,000 women, the large majority of whom lived in developed
countries. They found that birth weight was positively associated with breast cancer risk
in studies where the size at birth information was based on birth records (although not in
those based on adult self-reports, which tend to be less accurate). Analyses of women with
data from birth records showed that a 0.5 kg increment in birth weight was associated with
an estimated 7% increase in the risk of breast cancer. Birth length and head circumference
were also positively associated with breast cancer risk when studies with data from birth
records were analysed. Of the three birth size measures examined, birth length appeared to
be the strongest independent predictor of risk. The estimated magnitude of the birth size
association with breast cancer risk was not affected when the effects of established
breast cancer risk factors were accounted for. Isabel dos Santos Silva, Professor of
Epidemiology at LSHTM and lead author of the study, commented ‘Our study indicates
that birth size is a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer in adulthood, at least in
developed countries. The birth size - breast cancer association appeared to be largely
independent of known risk factors. Little is known on how the pre-natal environment may
affect breast cancer risk later in life. Further research is needed to unravel the
biological mechanisms underlying the birth size - breast cancer association’.
Breast cancer cells recycle to
escape death by hormonal therapy
Many breast cancer cells facing potentially lethal antiestrogen therapy recycle to
survive, researchers say. About 70 percent of breast cancer cells have receptors for the
hormone estrogen, which acts as a nutrient and stimulates their growth. Patients typically
get an antiestrogen such as tamoxifen for five years to try to starve them to death, says
Dr. Patricia V. Schoenlein, cancer researcher in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of
Medicine and Graduate Studies. "About 50 to 60 percent of these women really benefit
from hormonal therapy," says Dr. Schoenlein. Why others don't has been asked for at
least two decades. One reason may be breast cancer cells switch into a survival mode that
normal cells also use when faced with starvation, according to research published in the
September issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Dr. Schoenlein also is reporting on the
research during the 2nd World Conference on Magic Bullets (Ehrlich II) Oct. 3-5 in
Nürenberg, Germany.
We can learn from our mistakes, but how willing are we to talk about them? And what
happens when those making mistakes are physicians, who are often expected to be
infallible? A new University of Iowa study shows that most general practice doctors in
teaching hospitals are willing to discuss their own patient care errors with colleagues,
but about one in four do not. At the same time, nearly nine of 10 doctors said that if
they wanted to talk about a mistake, they knew a colleague who would be a supportive
listener. The findings are reported in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics.
The results suggest that it is important to ensure that learning occurs not just in the
person who made the mistake but also among their peers, said the study's lead author,
Lauris Kaldjian, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the University
of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. "Discussing medical errors can be a form of
professional learning for doctors. Mistakes should be considered shared commodities and
used for all they're worth," said Kaldjian, who also is director of the college's
Program in Bioethics and Humanities. "The findings also point to some challenges for
physicians seeking emotional support after making an error." The study results were
based on surveys of 338 faculty and resident physicians at teaching hospitals in the
United States. Previously published findings by Kaldjian and colleagues, based on the same
data set, showed that doctors' actual communication of medical errors to hospitals and
patients seems to occur less than it should when compared to physicians' positive
attitudes about communicating such errors. The two earlier studies also found that the
more serious the outcome or harm from a hypothetical error, the more likely a doctor said
they would communicate it to patients or hospitals. Similarly, the current study used
hypothetical scenarios to reveal the likelihood of doctors discussing an error that
results in no harm at 77 percent, minor harm at 87 percent, and major harm at 94 percent.
Researchers use nanoparticles to
deliver treatment for brain, spinal cord injuries
Purdue University researchers have developed a method of using nanoparticles to deliver
treatments to injured brain and spinal cord cells. A team led by Richard Borgens of the
School of Veterinary Medicine's Center for Paralysis Research and Welden School of
Biomedical Engineering coated silica nanoparticles with a polymer to target and repair
injured guinea pig spinal cords. That research is being published in the October edition
of the journal Small. The team then used the coated nanoparticles to deliver both the
polymer and hydralazine to cells with secondary damage from a naturally produced toxin.
That research was published in August by the journal Nanomedicine.Borgens' group had
previously shown benefits of the polymer polyethylene glycol, or PEG, to treat rats with
brain injuries and dogs with spinal cord injuries. PEG specifically targets damaged cells
and seals the injured area, reducing further damage. It also helps restore cell function,
Borgens said.
Breakthrough optical technology to
assess colon cancer risk, accuracy
Researchers at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) and Northwestern University
have discovered that fiber optic technology can for the very first time effectively
measure blood levels in the colonic lining (mucosa) in humans, thus having potential
applications for analyzing risk of colon cancer. The study appears in the October 2008
issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological
Association (AGA) Institute. The study used fiber optic technology to map microvascular
blood content in patients during colonoscopy. The results provide the first indication
that the early increase in blood supply (EIBS) is detectable in humans and that a high
blood level mirrors proximity to neoplasia (process of tumor formation). The findings also
suggest that this technology could be a valuable screening tool for enhancing polyp
detection and could lead to improvements in colon cancer prevention. "Our premise is
that since the lining of the large intestine -- rectum and colon -- is contiguous, if you
see an abnormality in one part of the colon, then somewhere else in the colon you have a
higher likelihood of harboring an adenoma [benign tumor] or carcinoma [malignant
tumor]," said Hemant K. Roy, M.D., director of gastroenterology research at
NorthShore University HealthSystem and the study's principal clinical researcher.
"EIBS strengthens our premise thanks largely to the unique and accurate ability of
Four Dimensional Elastic Light Scattering Fingerprinting (4D-ELF)."
Getting help for depression and
anxiety has significant long-term benefits
According to the Mood Disorder Society of Canada, about 1.3 million Canadians suffer from
depression. University of Alberta researcher Ian Colman says most people are not getting
the type of treatment they need. Colman, an assistant professor from the School of Public
Health, and his research team decided to perform a study to see the long term effects of
taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. The team studied a group of 200 people
who were diagnosed with either depression or anxiety. Of that group, 45 were on
medication. The group of 200 had their mental health assessed in 1989 through a series of
questions in a survey asking about their illness and what, if any, treatments they were
on. Ten years later the group took a similar questionnaire. Colman says they were
surprised to find those who were not using antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications
were three times more likely to be suffering from depression or anxiety 10 years later.
Groundbreaking Discovery May Lead
to Stronger Antibiotics
The last decade has seen a dramatic decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics, resulting
in a mounting public health crisis across the world. A new breakthrough by University of
Virginia researchers provides physicians and patients a potential new approach toward the
creation of less resistant and more effective antibiotics. "As bacteria become more
resistant to our current classes of antibiotics, there also has been a general lack of new
targets for developing novel antibiotics," says John H. Bushweller, Ph.D., who led a
new study appearing in the September 26, 2008, issue of Molecular Cell. "This is a
dangerous situation, but our discovery provides a starting point for a completely novel
class of antibiotics, acting via a different mechanism." What Dr. Bushweller,
professor of molecular physiology and biological physics, and fellow researchers at the
UVA Health System and Harvard Medical School have determined is the structure of a
particular integral membrane enzyme, called DsbB - one of the many proteins that reside in
cell membranes. These so-called integral membrane proteins are important, because they
account for roughly one-third of any genome in the human body and are the targets of more
than half of all currently used drugs.
An acupressure treatment applied to children undergoing anesthesia noticeably lowers their
anxiety levels and makes the stress of surgery more calming for them and their families,
UC Irvine anesthesiologists have learned. According to Dr. Zeev Kain, anesthesiology and
perioperative care chair, and his Yale University collaborator Dr. Shu-Ming Wang, this
noninvasive, drug-free method is an effective, complementary anxiety-relief therapy for
children during surgical preparation. Sedatives currently used before anesthesia can cause
nausea and prolong sedation. “Anxiety in children before surgery is bad because of
the emotional toll on the child and parents, and this anxiety can lead to prolonged
recovery and the increased use of analgesics for postoperative pain,” said Kain, who
led the acupressure study. “What’s great about the use of acupressure is that it
costs very little and has no side effects.”
Case Western Reserve University
researchers track Chernobyl fallout
When a reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded in 1986 in what was then the
Soviet republic of Ukraine, radioactive elements were released in the air and dispersed
over the Soviet Union, Europe and even eastern portions of North America. More than 20
years later, researchers from Case Western Reserve University traveled to Sweden and
Poland to gain insight into the downward migration of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in
the soil. Among the team's findings was the fact that much more plutonium was found in the
Swedish soil at a depth that corresponded with the nuclear explosion than that of Poland.
Radionuclides occur in soil both from natural processes and as fallout from nuclear
testing. Gerald Matisoff, chair of the department of geological sciences at Case Western
Reserve University, Lauren Vitko, field assistant from Case Western Reserve, and others
took soil samples in various locations in the two countries, measuring the presence and
location of cesium (137Cs), plutonium (239, 240Pu), and lead (210Pbxs).
A study conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic shows that obese patients with specific
genetic makeup had enhanced response to the weight loss drug sibutramine, while others who
lack these genetic factors lost little or no weight.The findings are published in the
October issue of Gastroenterology. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
study, Mayo researchers measured the impact of two different dosage levels of sibutramine
(10 or 15 mg daily) combined with behavioral therapy for 12 weeks in 181 overweight or
obese participants. Participants received structured behavioral therapy for weight
management at four, eight and 12 weeks.As has been previously shown in trials with this
approved medication, patients who received sibutramine and behavioral therapy lost
significantly more weight than those who received placebo and the same behavioral therapy.
Researchers also confirmed that weight loss at four weeks was a significant predictor of
weight at 12 weeks, even after adjusting for baseline weight, gender, BMI and
treatment.Researchers explored the influence on weight and body composition of specific
genetic markers indicative of variation in the function of two hormones/transmitters and
an intracellular protein that mediates the function of those hormones. Patients with a
certain pattern of variations of the genes lost an average of 10-12 pounds over the
12-week study, and those with unfavorable variations did worse.
Use it or lose it? Researchers
investigate the dispensability of our DNA
Our genome contains many genes encoding proteins that are similar to those of other
organisms, suggesting evolutionary relationships; however, protein-coding genes account
for only a small fraction the genome, and there are many other DNA sequences that are
conserved across species. What are these sequences doing, and do we really need them at
all? In a study published online today in Genome Research (www.genome.org), researchers
have delved into this mystery and found that evolution has actively kept them in our
genome. Before the human genome was sequenced, researchers estimated the genome might
contain upwards of 140,000 protein-coding genes, but surprisingly, sequencing revealed
only about 20,000, accounting for less than 2% of the entire genome. Previously, Dr. Gill
Bejerano of Stanford University found that lurking within the other 98% of the genome are
stretches of sequences, known as ultraconserved elements, which are identical between
humans and animals such as rodents and chickens, even though hundreds of millions of years
of independent evolution separates them. Other evidence has suggested that ultraconserved
sequences can harbor critical functions, such as regulation of the activity of certain
genes. Yet research in this field has produced laboratory results that are seemingly in
disagreement: some ultraconserved elements can be deleted from the mouse genome and
produce no observable effect on mice. Bejerano cautions that laboratory experiments such
as these may not be able to detect slow evolutionary forces at work. "With this in
mind, we set out to examine the genomic data, much as someone would examine archaeological
data, in search of similar deletion events that have happened naturally, and more
importantly, were retained in the wild."
CT Scans Change Treatment Plans in
More Than a Quarter of ER Patients with Suspected Appendicitis
CT scans change the initial treatment plans of emergency physicians in over ¼ of patients
with suspected appendicitis, according to a study performed at the University of
Washington Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. During the study 100 adult patients
admitted to the ER for symptoms of appendicitis were evaluated. The treatment plans of
these patients were assessed before and after CT and compared. Results showed that
“treatment plans changed in 29% of patients as a result of CT. In many instances, CT
ruled out appendicitis when the treatment plan prior to the scan was surgical
consultation, eliminating the potential for unnecessary surgery on patients with a normal
appendix,” according to Robert O. Nathan, MD, lead author of the study. “The
data suggest that CT can be withheld in patients in whom emergency clinicians rate the
likelihood of appendicitis as unlikely but that CT findings are often of benefit when
appendicitis is judged to be very likely,” said Dr. Nathan.
Childhood wheezing with rhinovirus
can increase asthma odds 10-fold
Infants who experience viral respiratory illnesses with wheezing are known to be at
increased risk for developing asthma later during childhood. It is not known, however,
whether every type of respiratory virus that produces wheezing presents similar risk.
Using new molecular techniques to identify different viruses, researchers now believe they
have pinpointed the biggest culprit: rhinovirus (RV). "We have found that rhinovirus,
the most common cause of colds, contributes a disproportionate amount towards future
asthma development in comparison to other viruses that also cause childhood
wheezing," said principle investigator, Robert F. Lemanske, Jr., M.D., head of the
Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology and Professor of Pediatrics
and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The
results were reported in the first issue for October of the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society. From
November 1998 to May 2000, researchers at the University of Wisconsin recruited nearly 300
newborns at high risk for asthma (with one or both parents having had allergies or asthma)
to take part in their prospective cohort study on the etiology of asthma, the Childhood
Origins of Asthma (COAST) study. The children were followed from birth to six years and
evaluated for the presence of specific viruses during wheezing illnesses. At six years, 28
percent of the kids had asthma— and those who had wheezed with rhinovirus were
disproportionately among them. Children who wheezed with RV during the first year of life
were nearly three times as likely to have asthma at age six, whereas children who wheezed
with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another common respiratory ailment that has been
linked to asthma risk in children, did not have an increased asthma risk. The older the
children were, the greater the effect. Children who had wheezed with RV in their second
year of life were more than six times as likely to have asthma. Wheezing with RV at three
increased asthma odds by more than 30-fold.
Saliva Proteins Could Help
Detection of Oral Cancer
Clinicians could detect oral squamous cell carcinoma, a form of oral cancer, using a
simple test that detects proteins in saliva, according to a report in the October 1, 2008,
issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer
Research. This work was led by David T. Wong, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., professor and associate
dean for research, at the University of California, Los Angeles School of
Dentistry.Previous studies have shown that saliva can be a useful diagnostic tool, but
this is the first study to globally evaluate saliva protein levels from oral cancer
patients. Since it is very simple to collect and process saliva fluids, the discovery of
these biomarkers may lead to a useful clinical tool for noninvasive diagnosis of oral
cancer in the future."This test is currently not available, but we are developing
point-of-care microfluidic devices to detect these markers that we can use in clinical
trials," said Shen Hu, Ph.D., assistant professor of Oral Biology and Proteomics at
the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry.
Smoking increases depression in
women, study reveals
A new study reveals that women who smoke are at greater risk of developing major
depressive disorder. The study has been published today the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Barwon Health assessed a group of 1043
Australian women, whose health had been monitored for a decade as part of the Geelong
Osteoporosis Study.On their ten year follow up participants were given an additional test
of a psychiatric assessment. “It was at this point we were able to determine if
depression had developed and investigate whether or not smoking pre-dated the onset of
depression” said University of Melbourne researcher, Associate Professor Julie Pasco,
who led the study within the Clinical and Biomedical Sciences at Barwon Health. Results
revealed that women with depression were more likely to have been smokers than those
without depression. Compared with non-smokers, the likelihood for developing depression
more than doubled for heavy smokers (those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day). The
researchers also examined longitudinal data to determine the risk of women developing a
new major depressive disorder over time. A total of 671 women with no history of major
depressive disorders were studied. Of the 87 women who were smokers, 13 (15%) went on to
develop major depressive disorder. However, among 584 non-smokers, just 38 (6.5%)
developed major depressive disorder during a decade of follow-up.
Direct recording shows brain signal
persists even in dreamless sleep
Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have taken one of
the first direct looks at one of the human brain's most fundamental
"foundations": a brain signal that never switches off and may support many
cognitive functions. The results, appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, are an important step forward for efforts to outline what
neuroscientists call the functional architecture of the brain. Better understanding of
this architecture will aid efforts to treat brain injury and mental disorders. Although
the brain's different specialized regions can be considered as a collection of physical
structures, functional architecture instead focuses on metaphorical structures formed by
brain processes and interactions among different brain regions. The "foundation"
highlighted in the new study is a low-frequency signal created by neuronal activity
throughout the brain. This signal doesn't switch off even in dreamless sleep, possibly to
help maintain basic structure and facilitate offline housekeeping activities. "A
different, more labile and higher-frequency signal known as the gamma frequency activity
has been the focus of much brain research in recent years," says first author Biyu
He, a graduate student. "But we found that signal loses its large-scale structure in
deep sleep, while the low-frequency signal does not, suggesting that the low-frequency
signal may be more fundamental." "What we've been finding is reorienting the way
we think about how the brain works," says senior author Marcus Raichle, M.D.,
professor of radiology, of neurology and of neurobiology. "We're starting to see the
brain as being in the prediction business, with ongoing, organized carrier frequencies
within the systems of the brain that keep them prepared for the work they need to do to
perform mental tasks."
When a cell's chromosomes lose their ends, the cell usually kills itself to stem the
genetic damage. But University of Utah biologists discovered how those cells can evade
suicide and start down the path to cancer. Details of how the process works someday may
provide new ways to treat cancer. The new study of fruit flies is the first to show in
animals that losing just one telomere - the end of a chromosome - can lead to many
abnormalities in a cell's chromosomes, which are strands of DNA that carry genes.
"The essential point is that loss of a single telomere may be a primary event that
puts a cell on the road to cancer," says Kent Golic, a professor of biology at the
University of Utah and senior author of the study, which will be published online soon in
the December issue of the journal Genetics. Fruit flies have four pairs of chromosomes.
Humans have 23 pairs. Each chromosome has two ends, called telomeres, which often are
compared with the plastic tips of shoe laces. When those tips are lost or break, the
shoelace frays. Previous research has shown that aging and cancer often are associated
with loss or shortening of telomeres.
VTT, Turku University Hospital and
Gothenburg University studying how gut microbes affect on progression of type 1 diabetes
VTT has started a new 3-year project in September 2008 jointly with the Turku University
Hospital and the Gothenburg University with the aim being prevention of type 1 diabetes.
To achieve this goal the scientists will be using gut microbiota as a target. T1D is a
major healthcare issue in Western countries.The project is motivated by VTT's discovery of
early metabolic signatures predictive of later progression to autoimmunity and type 1
diabetes. These metabolic signatures suggest the potential role of gut microbiota in early
T1D pathogenesis. Therefore, in this project the aim is to discover specific microbes or
lack of them associated with later progression to T1D, and to utilize that information for
developing new prevention strategies. If the tests for the prevention strategies are
successful the intervention can be considered for clinical stages.
Scientists say they have pinpointed a gene in the brain that can calm nerve cells that
become too jumpy, potentially paving the way for new therapies to treat autism and other
neurological disorders.
Zulus have taken extracts from the geranium plant for hundreds of years to stop coughs and
sneezes. They say the extracts are particularly good at reducing the amount of phlegm. Now
Kaloba, a key ingredient from the flower, has been given the green light for sale in
Britain as a medicine.
Ontario's road to a law cutting
toxic chemicals gets its first bump
The Ontario government is plugging away on its plan to bring a measure of order to the way
toxic chemicals are used. It should be a no-brainer when front pages are filled with
horror stories about bisphenol A and melamine, but that's not the way laws are created.
Swedish alternative medicine sector
in danger of fragmentation
Through government disinterest, the Swedish CAM sector is in danger of being split between
a mainstream medical sector that creams off the more acceptable therapies and a diverse
and disorganized alternative sector reluctant to be held accountable to western medical
standards.
In the online edition of the Journal of Andrology, Dr. Abdulmaged M. Traish and associates
reviewed the evidence linking decreased plasma levels of testosterone, type 2 diabetes
(T2D), and insulin resistance (IR). They performed a literature search to generate the
data in this review, and concluded that androgen deficiency is linked with T2D, IR,
metabolic syndrome (MetS), and increased visceral fat deposition, which serves as an
endocrine organ, producing inflammatory cytokines that promote endothelial dysfunction and
vascular disease. Some of the interesting supporting data are as follow.
Tissue Proteomics Technology to
Identify Protein Biomarkers of Metastasis
Over 200,000 cases of early-stage breast cancer present for treatment decisions each year
in North America. Proteins make up the molecular pathways which control cell functions and
are the targets of drug action. This protein-based approach may yield valuable tissue
biomarkers of breast cancer metastasis as well as potential new cancer drug targets.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) was revealed that t-shirts sold in
Sweden contain nonylphenol ethoxylates, a chemical substance which can cause birth defects
and cancer.
The "Environment" for
Autism Research - Signs of Improvement?
In summary, the "environment" for this area of research has improved, albeit
slowly. Incorporation of specific objectives targeting environmental risk factors in the
IACC Strategic Plan, together with clues emerging from ongoing studies and an increased
recognition of the potential for identification of preventable risk factors, should help
to create a new sense of urgency to address environmental hypotheses in ASD.
Contaminants in Human Milk -
Weighing the Risks against the Benefits of Breastfeeding
Throughout human history, breastfeeding has been the primary means of feeding infants.
Human milk not only provides nutrients but also supports the still-developing host defense
system of the infant with a number of crucial immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory
agents. Despite these and other benefits of human milk, published reports of toxicants
such as persistent organic pollutants and metals in human milk have caused mothers and
health professionals to question the safety of breastfeeding. The research to date
indicates that, despite the health risks posed by these contaminants, breastfeeding nearly
always remains the optimal choice for infant feeding. Mothers in conflict and disaster
situations also are advised to continue breastfeeding rather than use commercial infant
formula, because it is easier to meet the nutritional needs of mothers than those of her
nonbreastfed infant.
Perinatal Bacterial Exposure May Be
More Important than Hepatitis for Liver Tumor Development
Helicobacter hepaticus, a bacterium discovered in 1994 and widespread in many experimental
mouse populations, is associated with a high incidence of liver tumors in aging mice. A
new mouse study shows that perinatal exposure to this pathogen, rather than development of
hepatitis itself, may be the single most important factor in the development of liver
tumors caused by H. hepaticus [EHP 116:1352–1356; Diwan et al.]. The results support
evidence from other studies that progressive hepatitis and liver tumors in older mice may
stem from early-life exposure.
Closure of Coal-Burning Plants
Could Improve Neurodevelopment
Coal burning, which provides up to 75% of China's electricity, is the main environmental
source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in that country. Research in Europe, the
United States, and Asia indicates that prenatal exposure to PAHs increases the risk of
reduced fetal growth and adverse neurodevelopmental effects. Cofirmation for these studies
comes in new research in China, which suggests that reduction of prenatal exposure to PAHs
was linked to improved developmental outcomes in a small group of Chinese children.
The importance of a thinner skull and differing dielectric properties is confirmed by a
study in the 7 June 2008 issue of Physics in Medicine and Biology showing that a child's
brain absorbs up to twice as much RF as an adult brain. Children today will experience a
longer period of exposure because they start using cell phones at an earlier age,
according to Hardell; this might be important, because cumulative dose seems to have a
strong influence on increased risk of brain tumors. Kheifets adds, however, that
"data are lacking on effects of exposures on brain tumors in children . . . [and]
other health effects need to be looked at as well."
Case–Control Study of Blood
Lead Levels and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Chinese Children
There was a significant difference in BLLs between ADHD cases and controls. ADHD cases
were more likely to have been exposed to lead during childhood than the non-ADHD control
subjects, with adjustment for other known risk factors [children with BLLs ? 10 µg/dL vs.
? 5 µg/dL ; OR = 6.0 ; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.10–8.77, p <0.01 ; 5–10 µg/dL vs. ? 5 µg/dL, OR="4.9" ; 95% CI="3.47–6.98," p < 0.01]. These results were not modified by age and sex variables. This was the largest sample size case–control study to date to study the association between BLLs and ADHD in Chinese children. ADHD may be an additional deleterious outcome of lead exposure during childhood, even when BLLs are < 10 µg/dL.
The Relationship between Prenatal
PCB Exposure and Intelligence (IQ) in 9-Year-Old Children
hese results, in combination with similar results obtained from a similar study in the
Great Lakes conducted 10 years earlier, indicate that prenatal PCB exposure in the Great
Lakes region is associated with lower IQ in children.
Methylmercury and cognitive
functions in the child
Maternal exposure to methylmercury has been associated with decrements in cognitive
function in the child (Budtz-Jorgensen et al. 2007; Grandjean et al. 1997, 2005;
Jedrychowski et al. 2006; Oken et al. 2005). The developmental effects of maternal
inhalation of low levels of metallic mercury vapor during pregnancy have been explored
primarily in animals [reviewed by Counter and Buchanan (2004)]; however, in a study of
women in Tagum, the Philippines, a fish-eating community using metallic mercury in gold
mining/processing, cord blood total mercury was associated with developmental and language
deficits at 2 years of age (Ramirez et al. 2003). A few studies have shown a relationship
between occupational mercury exposure and various adverse reproductive outcomes using work
setting or hair levels to define exposure (Seidler et al. 1999; Sikorski et al. 1986).
Less is known about the relation to birth outcomes of lower-level, nonoccupational,
metallic mercury exposure. A study, using questionnaires to assess exposure, of pregnant
women having mercury dental fillings replaced during pregnancy showed no reductions in
newborn birth weight (Hujoel et al. 2005).
new research suggests that eating a piece of dark chocolate eat day may help to reduce
inflammation, a known risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease and
cancer.
Making metabolism more inefficient
can reduce obesity
In a discovery that counters prevailing thought, a study in mice has found that
inactivating a pair of key genes involved in "fat-burning" can actually increase
energy expenditure and help lower diet-induced obesity. These unusual findings, appearing
this week in the JBC, might lead to some new roads in weight-loss therapy. Humans and
other warm-blooded animals need to continually "burn fat" in order to maintain
body temperature, and it's currently believed that an individual's fat-burning capacity,
or thermogenic potential, is connected with obesity risk; that is, people with more
thermogenic potential are less likely to become obese. In fact, bodybuilders and dieters
looking to burn fat commonly use thermogenic supplements like ephedra. In theory, lowering
thermogenesis should increase the chances of obesity, but Leslie Kozak and colleagues at
Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that this may not be the case. They
knocked-out two thermogenic genes in mice, Ucp1 (mitochondrial uncoupling protein) and Gdm
(glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and then fed the mice a high-fat diet while rearing
them at a cool 20 °C (68 °F). Surprisingly, these mice were actually quite resistant to
obesity, which resulted from the mice turning on backup heat generators, so to speak.
Lacking Ucp1 and Gdm, genes that have been designed for the efficient production of heat,
mouse white fat cells activated alternate, and more inefficient, fat burning pathways. In
this case, though, inefficiency is beneficial, as the mice had to burn more fat than
normal to stay warm (by analogy you burn more wood by warming your house with an open fire
then with a well designed wood stove). Importantly, after spending 10 weeks at 20 °C the
mice retained these alternate pathways even after transferring to 28 °C (82 °F),
suggesting their bodies had adapted to the change. Thus, Kozak and colleagues note, fat
burning does not necessarily require making thermogenesis easier; by making it harder and
forcing the body to use inefficient methods to stay warm, the same goals can be reached.
Repairing breaks in the two strands of the DNA double helix is critical for avoiding
cancer. In humans and other organisms, a molecular machine called the MRN complex is
responsible for finding and signaling double-strand breaks (DSBs), then launching the
error-free method of DNA repair called homologous recombination. Mre11 proteins initiate
the repair of double-strand breaks in DNA, either on two ends of broken DNA brought
together (synaptic complex at left) or at the site of a collapsed fork in replicating DNA
(branching complex at right). The detailed structural information in these models was
mostly obtained from protein crystallography of Mre11 dimers bound to DNA. In an article
in the online October 3, 2008 issue of the journal Cell, John Tainer of the Life Sciences
Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
leading a team of his colleagues from the Scripps Research Institute, reveals how the
central component of the MRN complex performs its essential functions. The core of the MRN
complex is the protein Mre11 (M stands for Mre11, R for the Rad50 protein, and N for the
Nbs1 protein). But without good models of how Mre11 interacts with DNA, based on evidence
from high-resolution images, it was impossible to know how Mre11 recognizes the ends of
the broken DNA and how – or even whether – it remodels DNA sequences. So just
how Mre11 works has been a matter of dispute. Tainer and his colleague resolved these
issues by going beyond images of the stand-alone structure of Mre11 to study Mre11 bound
to DNA during the first steps of DSB repair. “This breakthrough was possible because
combined project efforts, funded by DOE to characterize microbial complexes and by the
National Cancer Institute to examine complexes relevant to cancer, came together to define
these DNA complexes,” says Tainer. “Understanding how the body responds to DNA
damage is fundamental for many potential cancer interventions and gene therapies. These
results are especially exciting, as they open the door to the predetermined control of
homologous recombination for cancer therapeutics and gene targeting.”
New Catheter-less Technique May
Ease the Pain and Discomfort of Prostate Cancer Recovery
To ease the pain of recovery following prostate cancer surgery, physician-scientists have
developed an innovative and patient-friendly approach that eliminates the use of a penile
urinary catheter. The new patentable technique, used in conjunction with robotic
prostatectomy — the surgical removal of the prostate — eliminates the pain and
discomfort associated with the standard catheter. "Robotic surgery offers better
cosmetic benefits, reduced pain, early continence, a high rate of sexual potency, and
minimal blood loss, all without sacrificing the success of cancer elimination,"
explains lead researcher Dr. Ashutosh K. Tewari, director of robotic prostatectomy and
outcomes research at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and the Ronald P. Lynch Associate
Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "But, now, the new
technique we are studying may further enhance the comfort for our patients," says Dr.
Tewari. The new study is published today in the British Journal of Urology International.
The research team studied 50 patients — 30 implanted with the custom designed device,
and 20 who received the standard penile catheter. The two groups were comparable in age,
prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, body mass index (BMI), the grade and stage of the
cancer, length of surgery, blood loss, and several other operative measures. The results
were positive.
Scientists identify a molecule that
coordinates the movement of cells
Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially
attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the
extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell,
scientists at Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and
power this movement from the inside — findings that could have implications for
understanding how cancer cells metastasize. “The most dangerous part of cancer is
that cancer cells migrate from their primary location and invade other parts of the
body,” says first author Xiaoyang Wu, a postdoc in Elaine Fuchs’s Laboratory of
Mammalian Cell Biology and Development. “ACF7 facilitates cell movement, so it’s
possible that the less ACF7 a cell has, the less malignant it would become. It’s a
really exciting question in cancer biology now.”
6 environmental research studies
reveal critical health risks from plastic
Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and flame retardants (PBDEs) are strongly
associated with adverse health effects on humans and laboratory animals. A special section
in the October 2008 issue of Environmental Research, "A Plastic World" provides
critical new research on environmental contaminants and adverse reproductive and
behavioral effects. Plastic products contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals"
that can block the production of the male sex hormone testosterone (phthalates used in PVC
plastic), mimic the action of the sex hormone estrogen (bisphenol A or BPA used in
polycarbonate plastic), and interfere with thyroid hormone (brominated flame retardants or
PBDEs used in many types of plastic). Two articles report very similar changes in male
reproductive organs in rats and humans related to fetal exposure to phthalates. Two
articles show that fetal exposure to BPA or PBDEs disrupts normal development of the brain
and behavior in rats and mice. Two other articles provide data that these chemicals are
massively contaminating the oceans and causing harm to aquatic wildlife.The other studies
integrate new laboratory research with a broader view reflecting exposures to a variety of
chemicals in plastic. These ubiquitous chemicals found in many plastics act independently
and together to adversely affect human, animal and environmental health. The articles show
amongst others the massive contamination of the Pacific Ocean with plastic, and the amount
of contamination has increased dramatically in recent years; animal brain structure, brain
chemistry and behavioral effects from exposure to BPA and "phthalate syndrome"
in rats' male offspring."For the first time a series of articles will appear together
that identify that billions of kilograms of a number of chemicals used in the manufacture
of different types of plastic can leach out of plastic products and cause harm to the
brain and reproductive system when exposure occurs during fetal life or prior to
weaning," emphasized Dr. Frederick vom Saal, Guest Editor of the "Plastic
World". "Not only are these studies of scientific importance, they also
contribute to the ongoing US congressional hearings involving the Food and Drug
Administration," remarked Gert-Jan Geraeds, Publisher of Environmental Research,
"As such, "The Plastic World" has a broader societal impact and raises
awareness of increasingly important environmental issues".
Research team discovers brain
pathway responsible for obesity
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, for the first time, have found a messaging
system in the brain that directly affects food intake and body weight.Reported in the Oct.
3 issue of Cell, the findings - from a study in mice - point to a completely new approach
to treating and preventing obesity in humans. The discovery also offers hope for new ways
to treat related disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases - the most
prevalent health problems in the United States and the rest of the developed world. Led by
Dongsheng Cai, an assistant professor of physiology at the UW-Madison School of Medicine
and Public Health, the researchers looked specifically at the hypothalamus - the brain
structure responsible for maintaining a steady state in the body - and for the first time
found that a cell-signaling pathway primarily associated with inflammation also influences
the regulation of food intake. Stimulating the pathway led the animals to increase their
energy consumption, while suppressing it helped them maintain normal food intake and body
weight. The research stems from recent explorations into the problem called metabolic
inflammation, a byproduct of too much food or energy consumption. Unlike the classical
inflammation typically observed in infections, injuries and diseases such as cancer, the
metabolic inflammation seen in obesity-related diseases is much milder, doesn't lead to
overt symptoms or cause tissues damage. "Metabolic inflammation is a chronic,
low-grade condition consisting of inflammatory-like responses at the molecular level. It
has many downstream consequences," says Cai. "It causes cellular dysfunction,
which can decrease the regulation of several physiological processes, including
metabolism." Scientists believe that metabolic inflammation may be at the core of
many chronic, obesity-related metabolic disorders that are so common today, he adds. Cai
and his team zeroed in on NF-kappaB, a protein complex that can be activated specifically
by IKKbeta to induce inflammatory reactions in many cell systems.
