- - European weblog on food, health and environment
News - Week 46 - 2008
Vaccine safety controversy on
national TV
"My Life Hurts"
Dr. Shealy discusses how, in his 50+ years of medical work, he has seen undue stress
and subconscious feelings affect countless patients' health and wellness.
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s leading killers. For centuries, TB has been
linked anecdotally with environmental risk factors that go hand-in-hand with
poverty—malnutrition, indoor air pollution from solid fuel use, and crowded living
conditions. Now scientists are presenting convincing evidence to support these
associations, leading some TB experts to argue that control programs must confront
underlying environmental risk factors if the disease is to be stopped.
Individual Air Monitoring Predicts
Prenatal Exposure to PAHs
The results revealed that although most of the women spent less than 3 hours a day
outdoors, their personal PAH exposure correlated closely with outdoor levels of the
pollutants. The data also showed exposure increased significantly during the winter months
with levels declining in the summer, appearing to confirm that coal-burning municipal
furnaces and industries were the source of most ambient PAHs in the city.
After reaching adulthood, half the rats were switched to a high-fat diet. Increased fat
intake exaggerated parathion's metabolic effects, particularly in females. The researchers
believe early-life exposure to parathion and other chemicals might similarly disrupt human
metabolism, thereby contributing to obesity and diabetes. They recommend further studies
on the metabolic influence of environmental chemical exposures.
Dioxins have long been known as highly toxic compounds, having been implicated in cancer,
immune system disorders, endocrine disruption, and birth defects. Animal and in vitro
studies have also suggested a role for dioxins in heart disease. Now a systematic review
of epidemiologic studies has found an association between dioxin exposure and death from
cardiovascular diseases, particularly ischemic heart disease (reduced blood supply to the
heart).
Exposure of Neonatal Rats to
Parathion Elicits Sex-Selective Reprogramming of Metabolism and Alters the Response to a
High-Fat Diet in Adulthood
Developmental exposures to organophosphate pesticides are virtually ubiquitous. These
agents are neurotoxicants, but recent evidence also points to lasting effects on
metabolism. eonatal low-dose parathion exposure disrupts glucose and fat homeostasis in a
persistent and sex-selective manner. Early-life toxicant exposure to organophosphates or
other environmental chemicals may play a role in the increased incidence of obesity and
diabetes.
Cadmium, Lead, and Other Metals in
Relation to Semen Quality - Human Evidence for Molybdenum as a Male Reproductive Toxicant
vidence on human semen quality as it relates to exposure to various metals, both essential
(e.g., zinc, copper) and nonessential (e.g., cadmium, lead) , is inconsistent. Most
studies to date used small sample sizes and were unable to account for important
covariates. Our findings represent the first human evidence for an inverse association
between Mo and semen quality. These relationships are consistent with animal data, but
additional human and mechanistic studies are needed.
S-Ethyl-N,N-dipropylthiocarbamate
Exposure and Cancer Incidence among Male Pesticide Applicators in the Agricultural Health
Study
The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a prospective cohort study of licensed pesticide
applicators from Iowa and North Carolina enrolled between 1993 and 1997. EPTC
(S-ethyl-N,N-dipropylthiocarbamate) is a thiocarbamate herbicide used in every region of
the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that EPTC is most
likely not a human carcinogen ; however, the previous epidemiologic data on EPTC exposure
and cancer risk were limited. In this analysis, EPTC use appeared to be associated with
colon cancer and leukemia. However, given the relatively small number of cases in the
highest exposure tertile, results should be interpreted with caution, and further
investigations are needed.
Aflatoxin Exposure and Viral
Hepatitis in the Etiology of Liver Cirrhosis in The Gambia, West Africa
Cirrhosis of the liver is thought to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
sub-Saharan Africa, but few controlled studies on the etiology of cirrhosis have been
conducted in this region. Our results suggest that the spectrum of morbidity associated
with aflatoxin exposure could include cirrhosis.
Associations of Serum
Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants with the Prevalence of Periodontal Disease
and Subpopulations of White Blood Cells
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) , which are endocrine disruptors that accumulate in
adipose tissue, can increase the risk of periodontal disease through the disturbance of
the immune system. POPs, especially OC pesticides, were positively associated with
periodontal disease, possibly through immunomodulation due to OC pesticides.
Prenatal Exposure to Lead,
?-Aminolevulinic Acid, and Schizophrenia - Further Evidence
A previously conducted study of prenatal lead exposure and schizophrenia using
?-aminolevulinic acid, a biologic marker of Pb exposure, in archived maternal serum
samples collected from subjects enrolled in the Childhood Health and Development Study
(1959–1966) based in Oakland, California, suggested a possible association between
prenatal Pb exposure and the development of schizophrenia in later life. Although several
limitations constrain generalizability, these results are consistent with previous
findings and provide further evidence for the role of early environmental exposures in the
development of adult-onset psychiatric disorders.
Unusually aggressive youth may actually enjoy inflicting pain on others, research using
brain scans at the University of Chicago shows. Scans of the aggressive youth's brains
showed that an area that is associated with rewards was highlighted when the youth watched
a video clip of someone inflicting pain on another person. Youth without the unusually
aggressive behavior did not have that response, the study showed. "This is the first
time that fMRI scans have been used to study situations that could otherwise provoke
empathy," said Jean Decety, Professor in Psychology and Psychiatry at the University
of Chicago. "This work will help us better understand ways to work with juveniles
inclined to aggression and violence." Decety is an internationally recognized expert
on empathy and social neuroscience. The new research shows that some aggressive youths'
natural empathetic impulse may be disrupted in ways that increase aggression.
Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot—a process that was
previously thought to have been lost during the course of vertebrate evolution, according
to new research at the University of Chicago, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, and Institut Pasteur in Paris. Their findings will be published online Nov. 2 in
Nature Chemical Biology. The discovery will improve scientists' understanding of
coagulation during bacterial infections and may lead to new clinical methods for treating
serious medical conditions such as sepsis and anthrax.
MSU researchers find gene that
regulates mold's resistance to drugs
Montana State University scientists concerned about lethal mold infections have found a
gene that regulates the mold's resistance to drugs. The gene, called srbA, allows molds to
thrive during infections even when inflammation reduces its oxygen supply, said Robert
Cramer, senior author of a paper published in the Nov. 7 issue of PloS Pathogens. When the
gene is removed, the mold becomes much more vulnerable to lack of oxygen and can no longer
grow to cause disease.The gene is found in humans and molds, but the researchers studied
it in a common mold called Aspergillus fumigatus, said Cramer, assistant professor of
fungal pathogenesis in MSU's Department of Veterinary Molecular Biology. A. fumigatus can
invade the lungs and cause dangerous diseases, including Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.
Patients with compromised immune systems, especially organ transplant patients, are
particularly at risk.
Melanin Production Discovered in
Fat Tissue May Protect Some Individuals Against Chronic Diseases Associated with Obesity
A two-year study conducted by researchers at George Mason University, INOVA Fairfax
Hospital and the National Cancer Institute may open the door to new therapies for
combating chronic diseases associated with obesity, a condition that affected more than 33
percent of American adults in 2005-06 according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. While analyzing samples taken from morbidly obese patients undergoing weight
loss surgery, the researchers discovered that substantial quantities of melanin—a
pigment that gives the skin, the hair and the iris of the eye their natural
color—were being produced in the study participants’ fat tissue. Ancha Baranova,
assistant professor in George Mason University’s Department of Molecular and
Microbiology and the paper’s lead author, explains that melanin production has never
before been identified in fat tissue. She believes that the antioxidant, which has been
shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, could be the body’s natural defense
against obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, fatty
liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and some cancers.
Mayo Clinic Researchers Find
Predictive Tests and Early Treatment Delay Progression of Blood Cell Cancer
Mayo Clinic researchers say they have moved closer to their goal of providing personalized
care for a common blood cell cancer. They have found that the use of predictive biomarkers
along with two targeted treatments significantly delays the need for conventional
chemotherapy in patients with early-stage, but high-risk, chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL).
Their study, published Oct. 15 in the journal Cancer, found that in a small group of
patients the use of the new tools delayed the need for standard chemotherapy treatment to
about four years after cancer diagnosis. Typically, people with this kind of high-risk CLL
require chemotherapy at about two years after diagnosis. Because this was a small phase II
study, the researchers cannot yet say that this strategy will improve the quality or
duration of life for patients. However, they say that because of these promising findings,
all CLL patients at Mayo Clinic now undergo the predictive tests, whose results can be
used to risk-stratify therapy, including enrollment in ongoing experimental treatments if
appropriate.
Sunlight Has More Powerful
Influence on Ocean Circulation and Climate Than Do North American Ice Sheets, Say
Scientists
A study reported in today's issue of Nature disputes a longstanding picture of how ice
sheets influence ocean circulation during glacial periods. The distribution of sunlight,
rather than the size of North American ice sheets, is the key variable in changes in the
North Atlantic deep-water formation during the last four glacial cycles, according to the
article. The new study goes back 425,000 years, according to Lorraine Lisiecki, first
author and assistant professor in the Department of Earth Science at the University of
California, Santa Barbara. Lisiecki and her co-authors studied 24 separate locations in
the Atlantic by analyzing information from ocean sediment cores. By observing the
properties of the shells of tiny marine organisms, called foraminifera, found in these
cores, they were able to deduce information about the North Atlantic deep water formation.
Scientists can discern historical ocean temperature and circulation patterns through the
analysis of the chemical composition of these marine animals.
Impulse Control Region in Brain
Affected in Teens with Genetic Vulnerability for Alcoholism
A new study suggests that genetic factors influence size variations in a certain region of
the brain, which could in turn be partly responsible for increased susceptibility to
alcohol dependence. It appears that the size of the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), an
area of the brain that is involved in regulating emotional processing and impulsive
behavior, is smaller in teenagers and young adults who have several relatives that are
alcohol dependent, according to a study led by Dr. Shirley Hill, Ph.D., professor of
psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In the research, which was
published this week in the early online version of Biological Psychiatry, Dr. Hill and her
team imaged the brains of 107 teens and young adults using magnetic resonance imaging.
They also examined variation in certain genes of the participants and administered a
well-validated questionnaire to measure the youngsters’ tendency to be impulsive. The
participants included 63 individuals who were selected for the study because they had
multiple alcohol-dependent family members, suggesting a genetic predisposition, and 44 who
had no close relatives dependent on drugs or alcohol. Those with several alcohol-dependent
relatives were more likely to have reduced volume of the OFC.
Unusual use of toys in infancy a
clue to later autism
Researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute have found that infants later diagnosed
with autism exhibited unusual exploration of objects long before being diagnosed. Studying
a group of children at high risk for developing autism, the researchers found that those
eventually diagnosed with the disorder were more likely to spin, repetitively rotate,
stare at and look out of the corners of their eyes at simple objects, including a baby
bottle and a rattle, as early as 12 months of age.These findings could help pediatricians
diagnose and treat autism earlier, reducing some of the social and educational challenges
associated with the disorder."There is an urgent need to develop measures that can
pick up early signs of autism, signs present before 24 months," said M.I.N.D.
researcher Sally Ozonoff, first author of the current study, which was published in the
October issue of Autism, the journal of the National Autistic Society.
UC Davis researchers discover
Achilles' heel in pancreatic cancer
UC Davis Cancer Center researchers have discovered a metabolic deficiency in pancreatic
cancer cells that can be used to slow the progress of the deadliest of all cancers.
Published in the October issue of the International Journal of Cancer, study results
indicate that pancreatic cancer cells cannot produce the amino acid arginine, which plays
an essential role in cell division, immune function and hormone regulation. By depleting
arginine levels in cell cultures and animal models, the team was able to significantly
reduce pancreatic cancer-cell proliferation. "There have been few significant
advances in 15 years of testing available chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer,"
said Richard Bold, chief of surgical oncology at UC Davis and senior author of the study.
"The lack of progress is particularly frustrating because most patients are diagnosed
after the disease has spread to other organs, eliminating surgery as an option. We have to
turn back to basic science to come up with new treatments." Bold explained that
average survival time for those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is just four-and-a-half
months, although chemotherapy can extend that prognosis up to six months.
New study shows that important gene
controls the ability of the thymus to produce disease-fighting T-cells after an organism's
birth
New research, just published by researchers from the University of Georgia, provides the
first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to maintaining the production of the thymus
and its disease-fighting T-cells after an animal’s birth. The discovery could help
scientists find out how to turn the thymus back on so it could produce T-cells long after
it normally shuts down most of its function, which, for humans, occurs by early adulthood.
If the finding leads to further ways to manipulate the gene, the result could be a new
avenue for the body to fight disease more effectively as the body ages. The research was
just published in the online edition of the journal Blood, a publication of the American
Society of Hematology. “Such things as infectious diseases, inflammation and heart
problems are all related to immune response,” said Nancy Manley, an associate
professor of genetics and chair of UGA’s Interdepartmental Developmental Biology
Group. “You don’t have to think far to see how understanding the effect of this
gene could affect the quality of life for older people and others as well.” Other
authors of the paper, beside Manley, are doctoral graduate student Lizhen Chen and
assistant research scientist Shiyun Xiao, also of the University of Georgia.
Repairing DNA damage - Researchers
discover critical process in cancer treatment
New study from Université de Montréal and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital published in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) From the sun’s UVA
rays to tobacco smoke, our environment is chock-full of DNA-damaging agents that can lead
to cancer. Thanks to our body’s own DNA repair mechanisms, however, the effects of
many carcinogens can be reversed and prevent the formation of tumours. Now, according to a
new study published in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences of the USA (PNAS), scientists from the Université de Montréal and the
Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre have identified a new biochemical pathway
which controls such DNA repair.
Social interactions can alter gene
expression in the brain, and vice versa
Our DNA determines a lot about who we are and how we play with others, but recent studies
of social animals (birds and bees, among others) show that the interaction between genes
and behavior is more of a two-way street than most of us realize. This is not a new idea
to neuroscience, but one that is gaining strength, said University of Illinois entomology
and neuroscience professor Gene Robinson, lead author of a review on the subject this week
in the journal Science. Stanford University biology professor Russell Fernald and Illinois
cell and developmental biology and neuroscience professor David Clayton are co-authors.
Genes in the brain are malleable, turning on or off in response to internal and external
cues. While genetic variation influences brain function and social behavior, the authors
write, social information also alters gene expression in the brain to influence behavior.
Thanks to the newly sequenced genomes of several social animals, including honey bees and
zebra finches, and new technologies such as microarrays (which allow researchers to
glimpse the activity of thousands of genes at a time), neuroscientists are gradually
coming to understand that “there is a dynamic relationship between genes and
behavior,” Robinson said. “Behavior is not etched in the DNA.”
Pregnancy diabetes doubles the risk
of language delay in children
Children born to mothers with pregnancy-related diabetes run twice the risk of language
development problems, according to a research team directed by Professor Ginette Dionne of
Université Laval's School of Psychology. Details of this discovery are published in the
most recent issue of the scientific journal Pediatrics. Researchers compared the
vocabulary and grammar skills of 221 children whose mothers were diagnosed with
gestational diabetes to those of 2,612 children from a control group. These tests were
conducted at different intervals between ages 18 months and 7 years. Results showed that
children born to mothers with gestational diabetes achieve poorer scores on tests of
spoken vocabulary and grammar than children of healthy mothers. The differences between
the two groups are probably due to the effects of gestational diabetes on the brain
development of babies. The study shows that these effects persist even after the children
start school. This study is the first to isolate the effect of gestational diabetes from
other factors including family socioeconomic status, alcohol and tobacco consumption as
well as maternal hypertension during pregnancy.
60 percent of cancer patients are older, but they are 'systematically excluded' from
clinical trials. Age is not an independent factor in cancer survival rates and should not
influence decisions about how to treat older patients, according to a study in the
November issue of IJCP, the Independent Journal of Clinical Practice. A team of hospital
and University-based researchers from Barcelona, Spain, carried out a detailed study of
more than 200 patients diagnosed with cancer. "We found that there were a number of
factors that influence survival rates – including physical quality of life and how
far the cancer had spread – but age was not one of them" says lead researcher Dr
Eva Domingo from Hospital Vall d'Hebron. "Despite this fact, and the challenges that
clinicians face from an ageing population, there has been little research into how to
treat older cancer patients, who often have complex medical needs because of other health
issues. "They have been systematically excluded from clinical trials for cancer
treatments. Although 60 per cent of cancers occur in patients over 65, their participation
in clinical trials does not exceed 25 per cent."This has made it difficult to predict
how older patients will tolerate and respond to the latest cancer treatments and has
provided an obstacle to making evidence-based clinical decisions." Dr Domingo and her
colleagues teamed up with researchers from the University of Barcelona to look at 224
patients diagnosed with cancerous tumours. The patients ranged from 32 to 92 years of age
and three-quarters of them were male. Thirty-nine per cent of the patients were under 65
and 61 per cent were 65 or over. The most common tumours were respiratory (43 per cent)
and gastrointestinal (29 per cent). 42 per cent of the patients had a localised tumour.
Just under two-thirds of the patients (62 per cent) died during the one-year follow-up
period.
Study shows testosterone improves
sexual well-being in post-menopausal women
An international study showed testosterone, when used with no other hormone therapy, is an
effective treatment for low libido in postmenopausal women. More than 800 women from 65
centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Sweden
participated in the study, the first to show that testosterone administered by a skin
patch can boost sex drive in postmenopausal women. Previous studies have shown
testosterone treatment for low libido is beneficial for women undergoing estrogen therapy.
However, this study shows testosterone by itself could be a good alternative for women who
do not want to take estrogen.
Dietary sport supplement shows
strong effects in the elderly
Beta-alanine (BA), a dietary supplement widely used by athletes and body builders, has
been proven to increase the fitness levels of a group of elderly men and women. The
research, published in BioMed Central's open access Journal of the International Society
of Sports Nutrition, suggests that BA supplementation improves muscle endurance in the
elderly. The research was carried out by Jeffrey Stout, PhD from the University of
Oklahoma, USA, and a team of colleagues. According to Dr. Stout, "This could have
importance in the prevention of falls, and the maintenance of health and independent
living in elderly men and women." BA is an amino acid that, together with histidine,
forms the dipeptide carnosine. Carnosine is found in muscle tissue and makes an important
contribution to the maintenance of intracellular pH, which is vital for normal muscle
function during intense exercise. An increased intake of BA significantly raises muscle
carnosine levels. In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 26 elderly men and
women were given a 90-day course of BA supplementation or placebo pills. Their fitness
levels were tested before and after the course. In the treatment group, 67% of the
subjects showed an improvement in their fitness levels, compared to 21.5% of the people
receiving the placebo treatment. The researchers write, "Our data suggest that 90
days of BA supplementation increases physical working capacity in elderly men and women.
These findings are clinically significant, as a decrease in functional capacity to perform
daily living tasks has been associated with an increase in mortality, primarily due to
increased risk of falls."
Silencing growth inhibitors could
help recovery from brain injury
Silencing natural growth inhibitors may make it possible to regenerate nerves damaged by
brain or spinal cord injury, finds a study from Children's Hospital Boston. In a mouse
study published in the November 7 issue of Science, researchers temporarily silenced genes
that prevent mature neurons from regenerating, and caused them to recover and re-grow
vigorously after damage. Because injured neurons cannot regenerate, there is currently no
treatment for spinal cord or brain injury, says Zhigang He, PhD, Associate Professor of
Neurology at Children's and senior author on the paper. Previous studies that looked at
removing inhibitory molecules from the neurons' environment, including some from He's own
lab, have found only modest effects on nerve recovery. But now He's team, in collaboration
with Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Children's, demonstrates
that re-growth is primarily regulated from within the cells themselves.
Dalmatian bladder stones caused by
gene that regulates uric acid in humans
A gene mutation in Dalmatian dogs causing high levels of uric acid that can lead to
bladder stones has been identified by a team of researchers in the School of Veterinary
Medicine at the University of California, Davis. The discovery equips dog breeders with
the tools to eliminate the harmful trait from the Dalmatian breed, and yields clues to the
cause of similar problems in humans. The findings are published November 7 in the
open-access journal PLoS Genetics. All mammals excrete waste products in their urine, but
only humans, great apes and Dalmatian dogs produce elevated levels of uric acid in their
urine and blood. Other dog breeds do not usually produce uric acid. In humans, this can
result in kidney stones, hypertension and gout, a painful inflammation of the joints. In
Dalmatians, high uric acid levels result in the formation of bladder stones that often
have to be removed surgically.
Immune cells known as eosinophils have a central role in causing asthma. Now, a team of
researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, has developed approaches to
noninvasively visualize in real-time eosinophil responses in the lungs and airways of mice
with a disease that mimics asthma (experimental allergic airway inflammation); they hope
that these approaches might be developed to help assess the efficacy of treatments (both
old and new) for the disease. The team, led by Mikael Pittet and Ralph Weissleder,
visualized eosinophils at single-cell resolution using various noninvasive real-time
molecular imaging technologies (specifically, near-infrared fluorescence fiber optic
bronchoscopy, intravital microscopy, and fluorescence-mediated tomography) following
injection of an optical sensor that targets proteins produced by eosinophils known as
MMPs. Using a combination of the sensitive optical sensor and fluorescence-mediated
tomography, it was observed that dexamethasone (a drug used to treat severe asthma)
decreased the number of eosinophils in the lungs of mice with allergic airway
inflammation. As some of the imaging techniques have the potential to be developed for the
clinic, the authors suggest that in combination with an appropriate optical sensor they
might improve our ability to diagnose asthma and assess treatment efficacy.
MIT biologists have discovered that the organization of DNA's packing material plays a
critical role in directing stem cells to become different types of adult cells. The work,
to be published in the journal Cell on Nov. 14, could also shed light on the possible role
of DNA packaging in cancer development. Led by Laurie Boyer, assistant professor of
biology at MIT, the researchers examined the role of chromatin — the structure that
forms when DNA is wound around a core of proteins called histones. "We're
particularly interested in how chromatin structure influences gene expression and
ultimately cell fate," Boyer said. "We hope the studies we are doing can lead to
better understanding of development as well as certain diseases." It has been
theorized that cancer cells may overexpress genes involved in early embryonic development,
allowing them to proliferate unchecked and regress from adult tissue cells to a stem
cell-like state.
Multiple sclerosis progression can
be predicted with MRI
A new study published in Journal of Neuroimaging shows that MRI scans used on multiple
sclerosis (MS) patients to determine if the disease has affected gray matter in the brain
can dentify those at-risk for progression of disability. MS affects approximately 400,000
people in the United States and as many as 2.5 million worldwide. It is the most common
cause of progressive disability in young adults. While the cause of the disease remains
unknown, it is characterized by damage to the covering over the nerve fibers in the brain
and spinal cord, or to the nerve fiber itself. In an attempt to understand the causes of
disease progression, researchers at the Partners MS Center, led by Dr. Rohit Bakshi and
his team, have developed new ways to detect gray matter damage.
Therapy may block expansion of
breast cancer cells
Breast cancer stem cells are known to be involved in therapy resistance and the recurrence
of cancerous tumors. A new study appearing in Clinical and Translational Science shows the
mechanisms governing stem cell expansion in breast cancer (called Notch activity), and
finds that therapy targeting a protein called cyclin D1 may block the expansion of
cancerous stem cells. The study, conducted by Dr. Richard Pestell and colleagues at Thomas
Jefferson University, was the first to show that cyclin d1 is required for breast cancer
growth in mice. As cyclin d1 is known to be over-expressed in human breast cancer, the
findings may explain how cyclin d1 contributes to breast tumor growth, and provide the
rationale for targeted therapies at cancerous stem cells in humans. "Breast and other
cancers are maintained through a population of cancer stem cells. By specifically
targeting cancer stem cells we hope to reduce recurrence and improve therapy
responses," says Pestell.
Mitochondria Could Be a Target for
Therapeutic Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
A study in the edition of Nature Medicine describes the function and interaction of a
critical molecule involved in cell death in Alzheimer’s disease patients. These new
findings reveal that blocking this molecule, called Cyclophilin D (CypD), and development
of surrounding mitochondrial targets may be viable therapeutic strategies for the
prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Shi Du Yan, Ph.D.,
professor of clinical pathology in the Department's of Pathology and Surgery and in the
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia
University Medical Center, who led the multi-center research. This paper strengthens the
concept that mitochondrial permeability pores may be central in mitochondrial and neuronal
malfunction relevant to Alzheimer disease. Dr. Yan and her colleagues offer new insights
into the mechanism underlying amyloid beta (A?)-mediated mitochondrial stress through an
interaction with CypD, which is linked to synaptic plasticity and learning/memory.
Importantly, these findings may help explain the mechanism of action of a medication
already in use in clinical trials.
Pitt research identifies new target
in brain for treating schizophrenia
Research from the University of Pittsburgh could expand the options for controlling
schizophrenia by identifying a brain region that responds to more than one type of
antipsychotic drug. The findings illustrate for the first time that the orbitofrontal
cortex could be a promising target for developing future antipsychotic drugs—even
those that have very different mechanisms of action. The study will be published during
the week of Nov. 3 in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of National Academy of
Sciences, with a print version to follow. Bita Moghaddam, a professor in the Department of
Neuroscience in Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences and the paper's lead author, found that
schizophrenia-like activity in the orbitofrontal cortex—a brain region responsible
for cognitive activity such as decision making—could be triggered by the two
different neurotransmitters linked to schizophrenia: dopamine and glutamate. Brain
activity was then normalized both by established antipsychotic medications that regulate
only dopamine and by experimental treatments that specifically target glutamate.
Proteomics Study Yields Clues As To
How Tuberculosis Might Be Thwarting The Immune System
A link between the immune system and the self-cleaning system by which biological cells
rid themselves of obsolete or toxic parts may one day yield new weapons in the fight
against tuberculosis and other deadly infectious diseases. Scientists with the U.S.
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
have discovered proteins residing in both systems that point to “cross-talk”
between them. In a collaboration between the research groups of Carolyn Bertozzi, director
of Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry nanoscience center, and Jay Keasling, director of
Berkeley Lab’s Physical Biosciences Division, profiles were obtained for 546
different types of proteins in the membrane of a phagosome, an organelle of macrophages (a
type of white blood cell) that essentially “eats” and destroys invading
organisms (a process called phagocytosis). This represents the most comprehensive
proteomic analysis of a phagosomal membrane to date.
Patienten mit einer Zirrhose lassen sich oft nur durch eine Transplantation retten.
Allerdings gibt es viel zu wenig Spenderorgane. Sie sollen daher bevorzugt
lebensgefährlichen Fällen zu Gute kommen. Diese lassen sich anscheinend an einem
speziellen Blutprotein mit einer größeren Genauigkeit erkennen, als bislang möglich
war. Das Protein namens sTNF-R75 könnte Ärzten dabei helfen, die Warteliste in eine
entsprechende Rangfolge zu bringen. Das zeigt eine Studie am Universitätsklinikum Bonn,
die in der kommenden Ausgabe der Zeitschrift Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
erscheint. Eine Zirrhose entsteht typischerweise durch jahrelangen starken Alkohol-Konsum.
Ursachen können aber auch Entzündungen wie eine Hepatitis B oder C sein. Die Leber
wandelt sich dabei nach und nach in narbiges Bindegewebe um – ein Prozess, der
irreversibel ist. Sie kann dann ihre vielfältigen Aufgaben nicht mehr wahrnehmen –
unter anderem dient sie als Energiespeicher und wichtigste Entgiftungs-Station des
Körpers. Eine Leberzirrhose ist daher lebensgefährlich; am Ende steht meist die
Transplantation.
Hepatitis C transmission not
reduced by C-sections, says new study
Planned cesarean sections do not help to reduce the chances of a pregnant mother with
Hepatitis C (HCV) transmitting the infection to her unborn baby, according to new
scientific findings by the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science and the National
Maternity Hospital in Dublin. Hepatitis C is the most common cause of chronic viral
infection in the Western World today. It affects an estimated 170 million people
worldwide. It is a viral infection of the liver which is mainly transmitted through
contact with contaminated blood or blood products.
Pediatric cancer - Alteration of a
gene causes neuroblastoma
Olivier Delattre’s team (Inserm Unit 830 “Genetics and Biology of Cancer”)
of the Institut Curie reveal in an article in the 16 October issue of Nature that
alteration of the ALK gene is closely associated with the most frequent solid
extracerebral tumor in children—neuroblastoma. By studying the familial forms of this
tumor, the researchers also conclude that ALK is a gene that predisposes to neuroblastoma.
This discovery may allow the development of new treatments in neuroblastomas. It may also
enable the identification in at-risk families of children who carry an altered ALK gene,
so that they can be offered regular checkups. At present, over half of children diagnosed
with neuroblastoma and metastases still die of their disease.
Research identifies significant
weakness in dementia screening
A research team led by Dr Alisoun Milne, a Senior Lecturer at the Tizard Centre [1],
University of Kent, has identified weaknesses in the most widely employed dementia
screening instrument currently used in primary care. The team, which included three senior
health care practitioners from the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
[2], conducted a study that included a review of research evidence, a systematic
clinically informed evaluation of the most commonly used screening measures, and a survey
of measures employed in primary care in Kent. Although the survey revealed that the Mini
Mental State Examination (MMSE) was the most widely used measure in Kent - with as many as
51% of respondents using it as the only screening tool - the review concluded that three
other less commonly used instruments are easier to administer, clinically acceptable, more
effective, and less affected by patient education, gender, and ethnicity. These are: the
General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS),
and the Mini-Cognitive Assessment Instrument (Mini-Cog). That all three have psychometric
properties similar to the MMSE is also important.
Rural women are at higher risk of
blood pressure disorders during pregnancy
Several factors, such as older age and high weight gain, are known risk factors for
pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders. Now a new report
suggests that social factors -- including living in a rural county -- may also increase
the risk of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension, according to research being
presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific
Exposition in Philadelphia, Pa.
As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as
important as high levels of sodium -- especially among African-Americans, according to
research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and
Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pa.
Radiological health expert Daniel Hayes, Ph.D., of the New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene suggests that a form of vitamin D could be one of our body's main
protections against damage from low levels of radiation. Writing in the International
Journal of Low Radiation, Hayes explains that calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D,
may protect us from background radiation and could be used as a safe protective agent
before or after a low-level nuclear incident. Biologists and pharmacologists who
specialize in radiation and health are keen to find an effective agent that could be given
by mouth, have few side effects and would protect us against a suspected or impending
nuclear event, whether an accident, terrorist attack, or other incident. In terms of
protecting people from the long-term effects of radiation, cancer formation would be the
main focus. The ideal agent would act by blocking DNA damage or by halting the progression
of damaged cells that might eventually grow into cancers. While a drug is yet to be found
with such ideal radio-protective properties, other researchers have demonstrated that
certain dietary supplements have at least some of the desired properties. Hayes argues
that vitamin D, and in particular its biologically active form, could be the key
ingredient in radiological protection. "Our general understanding and appreciation of
the multifaceted protective actions of vitamin D have recently entered a new era,"
says Hayes, "It is now becoming recognized that its most active molecular form,
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, may offer protection against a variety of radiation- and
otherwise-induced damages." Hayes has reviewed the various biochemical mechanisms by
which vitamin D protects users_ from the low levels of natural radiation released by the
rocks on which we stand and the skies above us. He points out that calcitriol is involved
in cell cycle regulation and control of proliferation, cellular differentiation and
communication between cells, as well as programmed cell death (apoptosis and autophagy)
and antiangiogenesis. Calcitriol is the form of vitamin D that activates the body's
Vitamin D Receptor (VDR), which allows gene transcription to take place and the activation
of the innate immune response. It is possible that several of the transcribed by the VDR
will help transcribe proteins that protect the body against radiation.
U of M study says students accept
whole grains when gradually added to school foods
Elementary school students will eat more whole grains when healthier bread products are
gradually introduced into their school lunches, a new University of Minnesota study shows.
Whole grain breads are strongly recommended as part of a healthy diet, but children and
pre-teens won't always eat them. For this study, researchers from the university's
department of food science and nutrition monitored how much bread students threw away, and
whether that amount increased as the percentage of whole-grain flour in the bread and
rolls was gradually increased.
New medical device gives promise to
patients with heart failure
William Sowdon was constantly losing his breath and could only walk at a snail's pace.
Laura Huber, at 28, had a rare case of postpartum cardiomyopathy, a condition where the
heart muscle is inflamed and doesn't function well. The health of Sowdon and Huber was
turned around when doctors at the U— home to one of the world's top mechanical
support programs— implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) called HeartMate
II. The University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview helped conduct the trial for
HeartMate II, which the FDA recently approved as a bridge to a heart transplant. When the
device is connected to the heart, blood drains from the weakened left ventricle into a
pump designed to take over the ventricle's work. The result is the full output of a
healthy heart. The motor is the only moving part, and it runs continuously on bearings
lubricated by the steady flow of blood. The patient carries a lightweight monitor and
power unit to regulate pump speed.
Interaction between gene variants
may alter brain function in schizophrenia
A collaborative study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is
giving what may be the first look at how interactions between genes underlie a key symptom
of schizophrenia, impaired working memory. Functional imaging studies reveal how a
combination of common variants in two genes is associated with reduced activity of
important brain structures in schizophrenia patients but not in normal controls. The
report has been released online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences. "Schizophrenia is a highly genetic disorder, but we are learning
that its genetics are not straightforward. In most cases potential risk genes appear to
have very small effects on symptoms, making it difficult to attribute clinical findings to
particular genes," says Joshua Roffman, MD, of the MGH Department of Psychiatry, the
study's lead author. "To amplify some of these subtle effects, we and others are
looking how the genes affect brain function, rather than just behavior." The team
– which included investigators from the University of New Mexico, University of Iowa
and University of Minnesota through the MIND Clinical Imaging Consortium – used
functional MRI to scan an area of the prefrontal cortex known to be critical to working
memory in 79 schizophrenia patients and 75 healthy controls as they completed a memory
task. Levels of cortical activity were then analyzed for any association with common
variants in two genes: MTHFR, which regulates folate metabolism and has been associated
with schizophrenia risk, and COMT, which is involved with dopamine processing during
working memory.
Association Between General
Anesthesia for Hernia Surgery in Children and Risk of Later Developmental Problems
Children under the age of three who had hernia surgery showed almost twice the risk of
behavioral or developmental problems later compared to children who had not undergone the
surgery, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of
Public Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The study included 383 children
who were born into the New York State Medicaid system between 1999 and 2001 who had
surgery performed under general anesthesia to repair a groin hernia. The researchers
compared this group of children to 5,050 randomly selected, age-matched children in the
Medicaid system, and found that five percent of the children exposed to anesthesia and 1.5
percent of the children in the control group were eventually diagnosed with a
developmental or behavioral disorder. After adjusting for age, gender, race and such
complicating birth diagnoses as low weight, the association between hernia surgery under
general anesthesia and behavioral diagnoses was twice that in children who did not have
surgery.
