News - Week 52 - 2008
More options can lead to healthier
choices
Could longer menus lead people to choose salads over French fries? According to a new
study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who choose from a large variety of menu
items are more likely to make healthy choices than people who choose from shorter lists.
In a study that looked at the impact of assortment size on consumer selections, authors
Aner Sela (Stanford University), Jonah Berger (University of Pennsylvania), and Wendy Liu
(UCLA) examined the way consumers justify their choices. "Because choosing from
larger assortments is often more difficult, it leads people to select options that are
easier to justify. Virtuous and utilitarian necessities are generally easier to justify
than indulgences. Consequently, people faced with a larger menu might be more likely to
take the garden salad over the pepperoni pizza or the reduced-fat strawberry ice cream
over the double chocolate mocha crunch," write the authors. In the first experiment,
the researchers asked participants to choose from pictures of ice cream flavors, some
low-fat and others regular. The group that chose from a larger assortment chose low-fat
ice cream more often. Likewise, when participants could help themselves to trays of
cookies and fruit, more people took fruit from a larger assortment than from a smaller
assortment (76 percent vs. 55 percent). The results held firm when the choice was between
a computer printer or an mp3 player.
View full article here
Study finds link between political
corruption and FEMA money
Where natural disasters strike, political corruption is soon to follow, say the authors of
a study in the Journal of Law and Economics. But it’s not the wind and rain that
turns good folks bad; it’s the money that floods in afterwards from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
View full article here
Pain hurts more if the person
hurting you means it
Researchers at Harvard University have discovered that our experience of pain depends on
whether we think someone caused the pain intentionally. In their study, participants who
believed they were getting an electrical shock from another person on purpose, rather than
accidentally, rated the very same shock as more painful. Participants seemed to get used
to shocks that were delivered unintentionally, but those given on purpose had a fresh
sting every time. The research, published in the current issue of Psychological Science,
was led by Kurt Gray, a graduate student in psychology, along with Daniel Wegner,
professor of psychology. It has long been known that our own mental states can alter the
experience of pain, but these findings suggest that our perceptions of the mental states
of others can also influence how we feel pain. "This study shows that even if two
harmful events are physically identical, the one delivered with the intention to hurt
actually hurts more," says Gray. "Compare a slap from a friend as she tries to
save us from a mosquito versus the same slap from a jilted lover. The first we shrug off
instantly, while the second stings our cheek for the rest of the night." The study's
authors suggest that intended and unintended harm cause different amounts of pain because
they differ in meaning.
View full article here
Unmarried Dads' Involvement with
Child Secured during Pregnancy, Study Says
The best chance of "reeling-in" an unmarried father and building the foundations
for a stable family life are the critical months of pregnancy, says new research from the
University of Maryland. "Unmarried dads are less likely to drift away if they are
involved during this vital period when a family can begin to bond," says University
of Maryland human development professor Natasha Cabrera, the principal investigator and a
researcher at the school's Maryland Population Research Center.
View full article here
New gene variants present
opportunities in nutrigenomics
A new study uncovers 11 gene variants associated with three blood lipids measured to
determine cardiovascular disease risk: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol,
high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides. The discovery opens up new opportunities
for nutrigenomics researchers looking for links between diet and genetics that will
optimize health and lower chronic disease risk. "Practically all genes related to
lipid levels in the bloodstream respond to changes in the diet," says Jose M.
Ordovas, PhD, one of five senior authors of the study and director of the Nutrition and
Genomics Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at
Tufts University (USDA HNRCA). "With this new knowledge, we are closer to identifying
precise dietary recommendations for people at risk for cardiovascular disease. For
instance, carriers of a certain variant gene could reduce their risk of disease with a
low-cholesterol diet, carriers of another variant gene may benefit from the Mediterranean
diet, while a high-fiber diet may be the healthiest option for carriers of yet another
variant gene." In addition to the 11 new genes, the authors' findings strengthen the
association of 19 previously identified genes with LDL and HDL cholesterol and
triglycerides. Ordovas collaborated with 60 authors, led by corresponding author Sekar
Kathiresan, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, for the study published December 7
online in Nature Genetics December 7. The study is a meta-analysis of over 20,000 subjects
in genome-wide association studies of humans in the United States and Europe with The
Framingham Heart Study accounting for the largest number of samples.
View full article here
New tool could unpick complex
cancer causes & help sociologists mine Facebook
Researchers at the University of Warwick’s Department of Statistics and Centre for
Complexity Science have devised a new research tool that could help unpick the complex
cell interactions that lead to cancer and also allow social scientists to mine social
networking sites such as Facebook for useful insights. An approach called "graphical
models" can be used by researchers to gain an understanding of a range of systems
with multiple interacting factors. These models use mathematical objects called graphs to
describe and depict the probability of relationships between each of the components. When
used to study molecular biology researchers may be interested in saying something about
which molecules influence one another; in the social sciences researchers would use them
to understand the relationships between various economic and demographic factors. However
gaining such information from a graphical model can be a very challenging exercise,
because of the vast range of possible graphs needed for even a relatively small number of
variables. For instance the relatively small network studied by the University of Warwick
led team for this research paper had just 14 proteins which were implicated in the
development of a form of cancer, but those 14 proteins had a vast number of combinations
of possible mutual interactions.
View full article here
UC Davis team refines cancer
treatments to reduce potential nerve damage
While radiation treatments deliver precise doses of high-energy X-rays to stop cancer
cells from spreading or to shrink tumors, oncologists have become increasingly concerned
about inadvertent exposures during head and neck cancer treatments to nerves responsible
for upper body mobility.
View full article here
New psychotherapy has potential to
treat majority of cases of eating disorders
Wellcome Trust researchers have developed a new form of psychotherapy that has been shown
to have the potential to treat more than eight out of ten cases of eating disorders in
adults, a study out today reports. This new "enhanced" form of cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT-E) builds on and improves the current leading treatment for
bulimia nervosa as recommended by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence
(NICE). CBT-E is the first treatment to be shown to be suitable for the majority of cases
of eating disorders. According to NICE, eating disorders are a major cause of physical and
psychosocial impairment in young women, affecting at least one in twenty women between the
ages of 18 and 30. They also occur in young men but are less common. Three eating
disorders are recognised: anorexia nervosa, which accounts for around one in ten cases in
adults; bulimia nervosa, which accounts for a third of all cases; and the remainder are
classed as "atypical eating disorders, which account for over half of all cases. In
these atypical cases the features of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are combined in
a different way.
View full article here
CPAP improves sleeping glucose
levels in type 2 diabetes patients with OSA
A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that
screening type 2 diabetes patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and treating those
who have OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy could improve the
management of their hyperglycemia and might favorably influence their long-term prognosis.
Results show that in a group of 20 type 2 diabetics who were mostly obese and were newly
diagnosed with OSA, sleeping and nocturnal hyperglycemia were reduced and the sleeping
interstitial glucose level was less variable during CPAP treatment. The average glucose
level during sleep decreased by approximately 20 mg/dl after an average of 41 days of
CPAP. The sleeping glucose also was more stable after treatment, with the median standard
deviation decreasing from 20.0 to 13.0 and the mean difference between maximum and minimum
values decreasing from 88 to 57. According to Arthur Dawson, MD, senior consultant in the
Division of Chest and Critical Care Medicine and co-director of research at Scripps Clinic
Sleep Center in La Jolla, Calif., it is not surprising that many diabetics have sleep
apnea since type 2 diabetes and OSA are both conditions that are becoming much more common
because of the obesity epidemic. Dawson said, "The low blood oxygen level and the
arousals associated with an apneic event activate the sympathetic nervous system and cause
the release of stress hormones, both of which tend to raise the blood glucose. If we could
prevent these apneic events with CPAP then we might keep the glucose level lower and more
stable through the night." According to the authors, population surveys, the
Wisconsin Sleep Cohort and the Sleep Heart Health Study estimate the prevalence of type 2
diabetes in patients with OSA to be about 15 percent. OSA is associated with increased
insulin resistance independent of obesity; 50 percent of patients with OSA have type 2
diabetes or impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
View full article here
High pesticide levels found in
fruit-based drinks in some countries outside U. S.
In the first worldwide study of pesticides in fruit-based soft drinks, researchers in
Spain are reporting relatively high levels of pesticides in drinks in some countries,
especially the United Kingdom and Spain. Drinks sampled from the United States, however,
had relatively low levels, the researchers note. Their study is scheduled for the December
15 issue of ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.
View full article here
Tiny delivery system with a big
impact on cancer cells
Researchers in Pennsylvania are reporting for the first time that nanoparticles 1/5,000
the diameter of a human hair encapsulating an experimental anticancer agent, kill human
melanoma and drug-resistant breast cancer cells growing in laboratory cultures. The
discovery could lead to the development of a new generation of anti-cancer drugs that are
safer and more effective than conventional chemotherapy agents, the scientists suggest.
The research is scheduled for the Dec. 10 issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.
In the new study, Mark Kester, James Adair and colleagues at Penn State's Hershey Medical
Center and University Park campus point out that certain nanoparticles have shown promise
as drug delivery vehicles. However, many of these particles will not dissolve in body
fluids and are toxic to cells, making them unsuitable for drug delivery in humans.
Although promising as an anti-cancer agent, ceramide also is insoluble in the blood stream
making delivery to cancer cells difficult.
View full article here
Natural colors replace artificial
colorants in foods, beverages
In the future, Santa may be leaving candy canes and nibbling holiday cookies that are a
little duller, but better for your health. The reason? Food color manufacturers are going
natural. Food manufacturers worldwide are increasingly turning to more natural colors in
an effort to replace potentially harmful, though often dazzling, artificial colorings now
used in many foods and beverages. An article on this topic is scheduled for the December
15 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
View
full article here
Study shows an independent
relationship between the intensity of snoring sounds and sleepiness
A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that
objectively measured snoring intensity is correlated with subjective sleepiness
independent of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in patients with moderate to severe
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Results indicate that the sound intensity of objectively
measured snoring in patients with OSA is independently correlated with subjective
sleepiness as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and subjective sleepiness is
better explained by snoring intensity than by AHI. Independent variables such as snoring
intensity, desaturation severity, daily sleep time, subjective snoring frequency and nasal
obstruction symptoms accounted for 22 percent of the variance in ESS scores. Snoring
intensity and AHI together, however, could explain only 15 percent of the variance in ESS
scores. Principal investigator Hiroshi Nakano, MD, PhD, of the department of pulmonology
at the Fukuoka National Hospital in Fukuoka, Japan, says that the results of the study
indicate that daytime sleepiness is affected not only by the severity of OSA, but also by
the loudness of snoring.
View full article here
Later School Start Times May
Improve the Sleep of Adolescents and Decrease Their Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents
A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that after a
one-hour delay of school start times, teens increased their average nightly hours of sleep
and decreased their “catch-up sleep” on the weekends, and they were involved in
fewer auto accidents. When school started one hour later students averaged from 12 minutes
(grade nine) to 30 minutes (grade 12) more self-reported nightly sleep. The percentage of
students who got at least eight hours of sleep per weeknight increased significantly from
35.7 percent to 50 percent; students who got at least nine hours of sleep also increased
from 6.3 percent to 10.8 percent. The average amount of additional weekend sleep, or
“catch-up sleep,” decreased from 1.9 hours to 1.1 hours. Daytime sleepiness
decreased, as reported by students using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Average crash rates
for teen drivers in the study county in the two years after the change in school start
time dropped 16.5 percent compared to the two years prior to the change, while teen crash
rates for the rest of the state increased 7.8 percent over the same time period.
View full
article here
New Study Shows High Blood Pressure
May Make it Difficult for the Elderly to Think Clearly
Adding another reason for people to watch their blood pressure, a new study from North
Carolina State University shows that increased blood pressure in older adults is directly
related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors with already high
blood pressure. This means that stressful situations may make it more difficult for some
seniors to think clearly. Dr. Jason Allaire, an assistant professor of psychology at NC
State who co-authored the study, explains that study subjects whose average systolic blood
pressure was 130 or higher saw a significant decrease in cognitive function when their
blood pressure spiked. However, Allaire notes, study subjects whose average blood pressure
was low or normal saw no change in their cognitive functioning – even when their
blood pressure shot up. Specifically, Allaire says, the study shows a link between blood
pressure spikes in seniors with high blood pressure and a decrease in their inductive
reasoning. "Inductive reasoning is important," Allaire says, "because it is
essentially the ability to work flexibly with unfamiliar information and find
solutions." Allaire says the findings may indicate that mental stress is partially
responsible for the increase in blood pressure – and the corresponding breakdown in
cognitive functioning. However, Allaire notes that normal fluctuations in blood pressure
likely play a role as well.
View
full article here
GUMC researchers find gene function
'lost' in melanoma and glioblastoma
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found a gene they say is
inactivated in two aggressive cancers – malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer,
and glioblastoma multiforme, a lethal brain tumor. They add that because this gene, known
as PTPRD, has recently been found to be inactivated in several other cancers as well,
their discovery suggests that PTPRD may play a tumor suppressor role in a wide variety of
different cancers.The findings are published in the December 15 issue of Cancer Research.
"Over the past decade several dozen tumor suppressor genes have been identified, but
only a minority of them is important in causing many different tumor types. PTPRD seems to
be one of these broad spectrum tumor suppressor genes," says the study's lead
investigator, Todd Waldman, MD, PhD, an associate professor of oncology at Georgetown's
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. If the hypothesis is true – and Waldman and his
team are now investigating loss of PTPRD in a number of additional cancers – then it
may be possible to design a therapy that has wide applicability in oncology, he says.
"Most targeted cancer drugs today work by inhibiting gene products that are
overactive in cancer cells. In this case, it is loss of the PTPRD gene that leads to
cancer," Waldman says. "Therefore, we are trying to discover the molecules that
PTPRD's protein controls, and then we plan to target these downstream molecules with a
novel agent."
View full article here
Exciting discovery could 'stop
cancer from killing people'
Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumours
at distant sites. It is a complex process in which cell motility and invasion play a
fundamental role. Essential to our understanding of how metastasis develops is
identification of the molecules, and characterisation of the mechanisms that regulate cell
motility. Hitherto, these mechanisms have been poorly understood. Now, a team of
researchers lead by Professor Marco Falasca at Barts and The London School of Medicine and
Dentistry has shown not only that the enzyme phospholipase C?1 (PLC?1) plays a crucial
role in metastasis formation, but that down regulation of PLC?1 expression is able to
revert metastasis progression. The team investigated the role of PLC?1 in cell invasion
and metastasis using different approaches to modulate its expression in highly invasive
cancer cell lines. Their results showed that PLC?1 is required for breast cancer cell
invasion and activation of the protein Rac1. They revealed a functional link between PLC?1
and Rac1 that provides insight into processes regulating cell invasion.
View full article here
6 new genes suggest obesity is in
your head, not your gut
New research suggests that genes that predispose people to obesity act in the brain and
that perhaps some people are simply hardwired to overeat. An international research team
co-led by the University of Michigan found six new genes that help explain body mass index
and obesity, and all but one of the genes are tied to the brain rather than to metabolic
functions, such as fat storage and sugar metabolism. In addition to the six new genes, the
study also confirmed the role of two other genes previously associated with obesity, said
co-principal investigator Goncalo Abecasis, an associate professor at the U-M School of
Public Health. The study will appear online Dec. 14 in advance of print publication in the
journal Nature Genetics. It's significant that five of the six new genes also impact brain
function, because the findings suggest people could simply be programmed to overeat, said
U-M postdoctoral researcher Cristen Willer, first author on the study. The brain, she
said, has two main functions related to weight: appetite control and the regulation of
one's total energy balance (whether you burn more calories or conserve more energy).
"This research tells you a little about what kinds of drugs you want to develop and
where you want them to act," Abecasis said.
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full article here
Immunity stronger at night than
during day
The immune system's battle against invading bacteria reaches its peak activity at night
and is lowest during the day. Experiments with the laboratory model organism, Drosophila
melanogaster, reveal that the specific immune response known as phagocytosis oscillates
with the body's circadian rhythm, according to Stanford researchers who presented their
findings at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17,
2008 in San Francisco. "These results suggest that immunity is stronger at night,
consistent with the hypothesis that circadian proteins upregulate restorative functions
such as specific immune responses during sleep, when animals are not engaged in
metabolically costly activities," explains Mimi Shirasu-Hiza of Stanford University.
Shirasu-Hiza and her colleague David Schneider turned to the fruit fly, Drosophila
melanogaster, as the model system to help them define the relationship between innate
immunity and circadian rhythm, which is the oscillating protein clock or timing mechanism
in cells. Circadian rhythm paces the human body as well as the fruit fly through its days
and nights, setting the rest/activity cycle that cues when to eat, sleep and mate over a
24-hour cycle.
View full article here
Mayo researchers find potential
links between breast density and breast cancer risk
Having dense breasts -- areas that show up dark on a mammogram -- is strongly associated
with increased breast cancer risk, but "why" remains to be answered. Now, by
examining dense and non-dense tissue taken from the breasts of healthy volunteers,
researchers from Mayo Clinic have found several potential links.
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full article here
K-State researcher finds
correlation between childhood obesity and asthma
A Kansas State University study that found that healthy children with higher levels of
body fat and lower levels of physical activity had greater amounts of airway narrowing
after exercise. These findings may point to the increase over the past several decades in
asthma prevalence as well as obesity prevalence, the researcher said.
View full article here
Brain Enzyme May Play Role In
Controlling Appetite And Weight Gain
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that
overactivity of a brain enzyme may play a role in preventing weight gain and obesity. The
findings were reported in Cell Metabolism. To understand what drives hunger and causes
metabolic disease, many scientists have focused on the hypothalamus, an almond-sized
structure located deep within the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and
thirst. Specialized nerve cells in the hypothalamus sense whether the body contains
adequate amounts of nutrients and stored body fat. The cells then send out signals telling
other parts of the brain to adjust food intake, metabolic rates, and physical activity
accordingly — keeping the body's caloric intake in balance with calories burned. To
learn more about these nutrient-sensing pathways and how they go awry in metabolic
disorders, researchers at Einstein focused on an enzyme called p70 S6 Kinase 1, or S6K,
which plays a role in regulating the growth and proliferation of all cells, including
nerve cells.
View full
article here
Discovery could improve the lives
of premature babies
Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
have identified a potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo which
may help to improve the outcome for very premature babies. The researchers at Cardiff
University, in collaboration with those at the Saban Research Institute at Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital, have discovered a key player in early lung development which is
a potential drug target for treating very premature babies with small, immature lungs. The
research is published today (12 December 2008) in The Journal of Physiology. The work was
carried out in the laboratories of Dr Daniela Riccardi and Professor Paul Kemp (School of
Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK) in collaboration with Professor David Warburton
(Saban Research Institute, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, USA).
View full article here
An enzyme that mutates antibodies
also targets a cancer-causing oncogene
The human immune system runs a risky business. It mutates its own DNA to diversify
defenses against foreign invaders it has never before encountered. Unfortunately, these
mutations sometimes miss the mark, and the result can be lethal cancer. Now Rockefeller
University scientists have found that the same enzyme that enables an effective immune
response is also responsible for the DNA breaks that cause lymphomas.
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full article here
Researcher invents lethal 'lint
brush' to capture and kill cancer cells in the bloodstream
In a new tactic in the fight against cancer, Cornell researcher Michael King has developed
what he calls a lethal "lint brush" for the blood -- a tiny, implantable device
that captures and kills cancer cells in the bloodstream before they spread through the
body. The strategy, which takes advantage of the body's natural mechanism for fighting
infection, could lead to new treatments for a variety of cancers, said King, who is an
associate professor of biomedical engineering. In research conducted at the University of
Rochester and to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Biotechnology and
Bioengineering, King showed that two naturally occurring proteins can work together to
attract and kill as many as 30 percent of tumor cells in the bloodstream -- without
harming healthy cells.
View full article here
There's a Life-Saving Medical
Device Sitting on Your Sink
Hospital-borne infections are a serious risk of a long-term hospital stay, and
ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a lung infection that develops in about 15% of all
people who are ventilated, is among the most dangerous. With weakened immune systems and a
higher resistance to antibiotics, patients who rely on a mechanical ventilator can easily
develop serious infections — as 26,000 Americans do every year. Thanks to a proven
new clinical approach developed by Tel Aviv University nurses, though, there is a new tool
for stopping the onset of VAP in hospitals. This new high-tech tool? An ordinary
toothbrush.
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Lumbar fusion has long-term
benefits
Lumbar fusion is becoming an increasingly common treatment for low-back pain, but its
long-term effects are relatively unknown. A doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical
university Karolinska Institutet now shows that the long-term effects are superior to
those of physiotherapy. Chronic low-back pain is treated increasingly often with lumbar
fusion, by which several lower back vertebrae are fused in a way that has little impact on
the back’s overall mobility. Lumbar fusion has been shown to relieve pain in the
short term, but no studies have examined the long-term effects of the operation and
compared them with alternative, non-surgical treatments like physiotherapy.
View full article here
Study firmly ties hormone use to
breast cancer
Taking menopause hormones for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer, according to
a new analysis of a big federal study that reveals the most dramatic evidence yet of the
dangers of these still-popular pills.
View full article
here
Are power and compassion mutually
exclusive?
A new study in Psychological Science reveals that individuals with a higher sense of power
experience less compassion and distress when confronted with another's suffering, compared
to low-power individuals. In addition, powerful people were not motivated to establish a
relationship with distressed individuals. The authors suggest that powerful people's
tendency to show less compassion and distress towards others reinforces their social
power.
View full article here
New scientific knowledge on
juvenile diabetes
Finnish scientists have reported a breakthrough in the attempts to understand the
development of type 1 diabetes. They discovered disturbances in lipid and amino acid
metabolism in children who later progressed to type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile
diabetes. The alterations preceded the autoimmune response by months to years. The study
may prompt new approaches for prediction and prevention of type 1 diabetes in
pre-autoimmune phase of the disease.
View full article here
Male Circumcision May Decrease Risk
of HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer
http://www.idsociety.org/Content.aspx?id=12952
View full article here
Autism and schizophrenia share
common origin
Schizophrenia and autism probably share a common origin, hypothesizes Dutch researcher
Annemie Ploeger following an extensive literature study. The developmental psychologist
demonstrated that both mental diseases have similar physical abnormalities which are
formed during the first month of pregnancy.
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full article here
Vitamin D deficiency in infants and
nursing mothers carries long-term disease risks
Once believed to be important only for bone health, vitamin D is now seen as having a
critical function in maintaining the immune system throughout life. The newly recognized
disease risks associated with vitamin D deficiency are clearly documented in a report in
the Dec. issue of Breastfeeding Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann
Liebert, Inc., and the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
View full article here
Benefits of breastfeeding outweigh
risk of infant exposure to environmental chemicals in breastmilk
A study comparing breastfed and formula fed infants across time showed that the known
beneficial effects of breastfeeding are greater than the potential risks associated with
infant exposure to chemicals such as dioxins that may be present in breastmilk, according
to a report published in the Dec. issue of Breastfeeding Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal
published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and the official journal of the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine.
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full article here
A low dose of caffeine when
pregnant may damage the heart of offspring for a lifetime
A new study published online in The FASEB Journal shows that the equivalent of one dose of
caffeine (just two cups of coffee) ingested during pregnancy may be enough to affect fetal
heart development and then reduce heart function over the entire lifespan of the child. In
addition, the researchers also found that this relatively minimal amount of exposure may
lead to higher body fat among males, when compared to those who were not exposed to
caffeine. Although the study was in mice, the biological cause and effect described in the
research paper is plausible in humans. According to Scott Rivkees, Yale's Associate Chair
of Pediatric Research and a senior researcher on the study, "Our studies raise
potential concerns about caffeine exposure during very early pregnancy, but further
studies are necessary to evaluate caffeine's safety during pregnancy." To reach their
conclusion researchers studied four groups of pregnant mice under two sets of conditions
for 48 hours. The first two groups were studied in "room air," with one group
having been injected with caffeine and another injected with saline solution. The second
two groups were studied under conditions where ambient oxygen levels were halved, with one
group receiving caffeine and the other receiving saline solution. They found that under
both circumstances, mice given caffeine produced embryos with a thinner layer of tissue
separating some of the heart's chambers than the group that was not given caffeine. The
researchers then examined the mice born from these groups to determine what long-term
effects, if any, caffeine had on the offspring. They found that all of the adult males
exposed to caffeine as fetuses had an increase in body fat of about 20 percent, and
decreased cardiac function of 35?? percent when compared to mice not exposed to
caffeine."Caffeine is everywhere: in what we drink, in what we eat, in pills that we
use to relieve pain, and even in candy," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief
of The FASEB Journal. "This report shows that despite popular notions of safety,
there's one place it probably shouldn't be: in the diet of an expectant mother."
View
full article here
Reward-stress link points to new
targets for treating addiction
Rewarding and stressful signals don't seem to have much in common. But researchers
studying diseases ranging from drug addiction to anxiety disorders are finding that the
brain's reward and stress signaling circuits are intertwined in complex ways. Vanderbilt
University Medical Center investigators have now discovered a functional link between
reward and stress. They found that dopamine – the brain's chief reward signal –
works through corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) – the brain's main stress signal
– to increase the activity of a brain region involved in addiction relapse. The
findings, reported Dec. 17 in The Journal of Neuroscience, point to new potential targets
for treating alcohol and drug abuse – particularly the problem of relapse. It is
widely accepted that stress is a key signal in prompting alcohol and drug abuse relapse.
"Even after long periods of abstinence, an individual is at risk for relapse, and
stress is what's most frequently cited as initiating that relapse," said Danny
Winder, Ph.D., associate professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and an
investigator in the Center for Molecular Neuroscience and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
Studies in animal models had suggested that a brain region called the extended amygdala
– an area that extends anatomically between reward and stress centers – and CRF
within this region were involved in stress-induced reinstatement (relapse) behavior. It
was also known that alcohol and drugs of abuse increase dopamine levels, not just in the
"classical" reward circuitry in the brain, but also in the extended amygdala. It
was not clear, however, what dopamine did in this region.
View full article here
Pitt researchers create non-toxic
clean-up method for potentially toxic nano materials
University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed the first natural, nontoxic method for
biodegrading carbon nanotubes, a finding that could help diminish the environmental and
health concerns that mar the otherwise bright prospects of the super-strong materials
commonly used in products, from electronics to plastics.
View full article here
Aging brains allow negative
memories to fade
It turns out there's a scientific reason why older people tend to see the past through
rose-colored glasses. A University of Alberta medical researcher, in collaboration with
colleagues at Duke University, identified brain activity that causes older adults to
remember fewer negative events than their younger counterparts.
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full article here
Researchers identify new anti-tumor
gene
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University have identified a new anti-tumor gene
called SARI that can interact with and suppress a key protein that is overexpressed in 90
percent of human cancers. The discovery could one day lead to an effective gene therapy
for cancer.
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full article here
MU Researcher Identifies Possible
Genetic Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, borderline personality disorder
(BPD) is more common than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and is estimated to affect 2
percent of the population. In a new study, a University of Missouri researcher and Dutch
team of research collaborators found that genetic material on chromosome nine was linked
to BPD features, a disorder characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal
relationships, self-image and behavior, and can lead to suicidal behavior, substance abuse
and failed relationships. “The results of this study hopefully will bring researchers
closer to determining the genetic causes of BPD and may have important implications for
treatment programs in the future,” said Timothy Trull, professor of psychology in the
MU College of Arts and Science. “Localizing and identifying the genes that influence
the development of BPD will not only be important for scientific purposes, but will also
have clinical implications.”
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Study of placenta unexpectedly
leads to cancer gene
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered a gene mutation that impairs
the placenta and also is influential in cancer development, according to a study published
online December 16, 2008, in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology. The
investigation is the first to link the key placental gene, SENP2, to the well-known p53
protein, which is defective in 50 percent of all cancers. Until now, the SENP2 gene's role
in early embryo development was not known. As a result of making the connection between
SENP2 and the potent cancer stimuli, it will be possible to gain more insight into the
complex genetic network involved in cancer, and to develop new therapies, said lead author
Wei Hsu, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Genetics and Oncology, of the James P.
Wilmot Cancer Center. Hsu and former graduate student Shang-Yi Chiu, currently a
postdoctoral fellow at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at
Harvard University, have been investigating how cellular signaling triggered by gene
mutations affect embryo development in mice. The goal is to better understand the genetic
causes and possible treatments for a number of diseases. "What we discovered was an
unexpected interaction between an old player, p53, and a new player, SENP2," said
Hsu, who also has an appointment in the URMC Center for Oral Biology.
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full article here
Take precautions this season to
prevent risk of CO poisoning
We are now in the chilliest season of the year. Homes across the region are using heaters
and furnaces for warmth. While turning up the heat may bring us comfort, it is important
to be wary that some heating devices might also bring us danger. Heaters and furnaces emit
carbon monoxide (CO), which is a leading cause of poison deaths. “Carbon monoxide
poisoning results in hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses every year,” said
Norma Barton, a certified specialist in poison information at the Ruth A. Lawrence Poison
and Drug Information Center. “It is especially dangerous because it has no color,
odor, or taste. What’s more, CO-producing devices live in our homes. All fuel-burning
devices may emit CO, and should be treated as potentially dangerous.”These CO-making
devices include gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas stoves, gas ovens, kerosene space
heaters, wood and gas fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, power generators and car engines.
View
full article here
Smoking associated with increased
risk for colorectal cancer and death
An analysis of previous studies indicates that smoking is significantly associated with an
increased risk for colorectal cancer and death, according to an article in the December 17
issue of JAMA. Although tobacco was responsible for approximately 5.4 million deaths in
2005, there are still an estimated 1.3 billion smokers in the world. While a number of
cancers are attributable to smoking, the link between cigarette smoking and colorectal
cancer (CRC) has been inconsistent among studies. "Because smoking can potentially be
controlled by individual and population-related measures, detecting a link between CRC and
smoking could help reduce the burden of the world's third most common tumor, which
currently causes more than 500,000 annual deaths worldwide. In the United States alone, an
estimate of approximately 50,000 deaths from CRC would have occurred in 2008," the
authors write. Edoardo Botteri, M.Sc., of the European Institute of Oncology, Milan,
Italy, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to review and summarize published data
examining the link between smoking and CRC incidence and death. The researchers identified
106 observational studies, and the meta-analysis was based on a total of nearly 40,000 new
cases of CRC. For the analysis on incidence, smoking was associated with an 18 percent
increased risk of CRC. The researchers also found a statistically significant
dose-relationship with an increasing number of pack-years (number of packs of cigarettes
smoked/day, multiplied by years of consumption) and cigarettes per day. However, the
association was statistically significant only after 30 years of smoking. Seventeen
studies were included in the analysis of mortality, which indicated that smokers have a 25
percent increased risk of dying from CRC than people who have never smoked. There also was
an increase in risk of CRC death with increasing number of cigarettes per day smoked and
for longer duration of smoking. For both incidence and death, the association was stronger
for cancer of the rectum than of the colon. "Smoking has not been considered so far
in the stratification of individuals for CRC screening. However, several studies reported
that CRC occurs earlier in smokers, particularly in those with heavy tobacco consumption,
and our previous and present findings provide strong evidence of the detrimental effect of
cigarette smoking on the development of adenomatous [benign tumor] polyps and CRC. We
believe that smoking represents an important factor to consider when deciding on the age
at which CRC screening should begin, either by lowering the age in smokers or increasing
the age in non-smokers," the authors write.
View full article here
Low-glycemic diet shows greater
improvement in glycemic control than high-fiber diet
View full article here
Scientists find link between
inflamed gums and heart disease
The next person who reminds you to floss might be your cardiologist instead of your
dentist. Scientists have known for some time that a protein associated with inflammation
(called CRP) is elevated in people who are at risk for heart disease. But where's the
inflammation coming from? A new research study by Italian and U.K. scientists published
online in The FASEB Journal shows that infected gums may be one place. Indeed, proper
dental hygiene should reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke and heart disease
independently of other measures, such as managing cholesterol. "It has been long
suspected that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process, and that periodontal disease
plays a role in atherosclerosis," said Mario Clerici, M.D., a senior researcher on
the study. "Our study suggests that this is the case, and indicates that something as
simple as taking good care of your teeth and gums can greatly reduce your risk of
developing serious diseases." To reach this conclusion, the scientists examined the
carotid arteries of 35 otherwise healthy people (median age 46) with mild to moderate
periodontal disease before and after having their periodontal disease treated. One year
after treatment, the scientists observed a reduction in oral bacteria, immune inflammation
and the thickening of the blood vessels associated with atherosclerosis. "Because
many Americans have some form of gum disease, this research can't be brushed aside,"
said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "As it turns out,
the health of our blood vessels could be hanging by the proverbial thread: dental
floss."
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full article here
Prostaglandin receptor key to
atherosclerosis development
Atherosclerosis -- a disease that includes the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-laden lumps
of cells inside the artery wall -- is the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes. A
team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators has now demonstrated that a
receptor for prostaglandin-E2 plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. The
findings, reported this month in Cell Metabolism, point to this receptor and its signaling
pathways as molecular targets for modulating atherosclerosis development.
View full article here
Joslin research finds nearly
three-quarters of youths with diabetes insufficient in vitamin D
Three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes were found to have insufficient levels of
vitamin D, according to a study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center –
findings that suggest children with the disease may need vitamin D supplementation to
prevent bone fragility later in life. “To our surprise, we found extremely high rates
of vitamin D inadequacy,” said Lori Laffel, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Pediatric,
Adolescent and Young Adult Section at Joslin, Investigator in the Section on Genetics and
Epidemiology, and senior author of the paper. “We didn’t expect to find that
only 24 percent of the study population would have adequate levels.” The study, which
appears in the January 2009 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, measured levels of serum
25-hydroxyvitamin D in 128 youths with type 1 diabetes ranging in age from 1.5 to 17.5
years. The study sample included subjects with recent onset of diabetes as well as those
who had long-established diabetes. It found 24 percent had sufficient levels, 61 percent
with insufficient levels and 15 percent to be deficient or having the lowest levels.
Generally, those with deficient levels were the oldest of the subjects. In fact, 85
percent of the adolescents in the sample demonstrated inadequate vitamin D levels.
View full article
here
Vulnerability to post-traumatic
stress disorder runs in families, study shows
Earthquakes have aftershocks — not just the geological kind but the mental kind as
well. Just like veterans of war, earthquake survivors can experience post-traumatic stress
disorder, depression and anxiety. In 1988, a massive earthquake in Armenia killed 17,000
people and destroyed nearly half the town of Gumri. Now, in the first multigenerational
study of its kind, UCLA researchers studying survivors of that catastrophe have discovered
that vulnerability to PTSD, anxiety and depression runs in families. Armen Goenjian, a
research psychiatrist in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and
colleagues studied 200 participants from 12 multigenerational families exposed to the
earthquake. Participants suffered from varying degrees of the disorders. The researchers
found that 41 percent of the variation of PTSD symptoms was due to genetic factors and
that 61 percent of the variation of depressive symptoms and 66 percent of anxiety symptoms
were attributable to genetics. Further, they found that a large proportion of the genetic
liabilities for the disorders were shared.
View full article here
Shaming some kids makes them more
aggressive
-Aren't you ashamed of yourself? All these years, you've been trying to build up your
child's self-esteem, and now a growing body of research suggests you may be making a big
mistake. A study published in the December issue of Child Development finds that early
adolescents with high self-esteem are more likely to react aggressively when they feel
ashamed than their peers with lower levels of self-esteem. "Young teens with low
self-esteem apparently don't feel the need to protect their punctured egos," said
University of Michigan psychologist Brad J. Bushman, a co-author of the study with
colleagues from VU University and Utrecht University in The Netherlands. For the study,
Bushman, Sander Thomaes, and colleagues conducted an experiment with 163 children ages 10
to 13, from Michigan middle schools. Almost all were white, and slightly more than half
(54 percent) were males. A few weeks before participating in the on-line experiments, the
young people filled out a questionnaire designed to assess their levels of self-esteem and
narcissism. The researchers measured self-esteem by assessing the degree to which
participants were satisfied with themselves and the way they led their lives. Sample
statements included, "Some kids like the kind of person they are," and
"Some kids are not very happy with the way they do a lot of things." They were
asked if they were like that.
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full article here
Mayo Clinic study finds increased
risk of pneumococcal disease in asthma patients
Mayo Clinic research shows adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious
pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common bacteria causing
middle ear infections and community acquired pneumonia. It also causes blood stream
infections and brain infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control,
pneumococcal infection is one of the leading causes of death from a vaccine-preventable
disease. The researchers recommend including asthma as an indication for pneumococcal
vaccination in adults. The results of the study were recently published in the October
edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. "We found that adults with
invasive pneumococcal disease, a serious, potentially fatal disease, are seven times more
likely to be asthmatics. Our study also showed that 17 percent of the burden of invasive
pneumococcal disease can be attributable to asthma at a population level. This is quite a
significant impact on the burden of invasive pneumococcal disease," says Young Juhn,
M.D., a pediatric and adolescent medicine physician-scientist at Mayo Clinic and lead
author of the study. "Invasive pneumococcal disease is a vaccine-preventable disease.
The implication is that we have the ability to significantly reduce instances of this
potentially fatal disease by expanding the indication for the pneumococcal vaccine to
include adults with asthma."
View
full article here
UT Southwestern researchers
identify gene linked to inherited form of fatal lung disease
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that a mutation in a gene
known for its role in defending the lungs against invading pathogens is responsible for
some inherited cases of a lethal lung disease affecting older adults. The same mutation
may also be associated with lung cancer, the researchers said. This is the third gene that
UT Southwestern scientists have linked with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. The
study appears online this week and in the January issue of American Journal of Human
Genetics. In the U.S., about 200,000 patients have IPF, and about 40,000 patients die from
the disease each year, according to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. The disease
typically strikes people in their 50s and older, causing severe scarring of the lungs.
Death usually occurs within three years of diagnosis. "We don't have any medicines to
treat this disease," said Dr. Christine Garcia, assistant professor in the Eugene
McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and of internal medicine at UT
Southwestern and the study's senior author. "If a patient is younger than 65, lung
transplantation is an option, but most people who develop IPF are older than that."
View full article here
Groundbreaking, inexpensive,
pocket-sized ultrasound device can help treat cancer, relieve arthritis
A prototype of a therapeutic ultrasound device, developed by a Cornell graduate student,
fits in the palm of a hand, is battery-powered and packs enough punch to stabilize a
gunshot wound or deliver drugs to brain cancer patients. It is wired to a ceramic probe,
called a transducer, and it creates sound waves so strong they instantly cause water to
bubble, spray and turn into steam.
View
full article here
Men sexually abused in childhood
ten times more likely to contemplate suicide
Sexual abuse in childhood increases the risk of suicide in men by up to ten times, say
researchers from the University of Bath. A recent study of Australian men has found that
those who were sexually abused as children are more likely than women to contemplate
taking their own lives. Whilst gender and mental health problems are the most important
risk factors for contemplating suicide, it is increasingly acknowledged that traumatic
experiences such as childhood sexual abuse may be a significant risk factor.
View full article here
New study shows that a cough
medicine ingredient could effectively treat prostate cancer
A study published today in the December issue of the European medical journal Anticancer
Research demonstrates that an ingredient used in a common cough suppressant may be useful
in treating advanced prostate cancer. Researchers found that noscapine, which has been
used in cough medication for nearly 50 years, reduced tumor growth in mice by 60% and
limited the spread of tumors by 65% without causing harmful side effects. Prostate cancer
is the most common cancer among men in the United States. The American Cancer Society
estimates that 186,320 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and 28,660 will
die from it. One man in 6 will get prostate cancer during his lifetime. Although
slow-growing in most men, the cancer is considered advanced when it spreads beyond the
prostate. There is no known cure. The laboratory study was a joint effort by Dr. Israel
Barken of the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation, Moshe Rogosnitzky of
MedInsight Research Institute, and Dr. Jack Geller of The University of California San
Diego. Noscapine has previously been studied as a treatment for breast, ovarian, colon,
lung and brain cancer and for various lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and
melanoma. This study, however, is the first to demonstrate its effectiveness in treating
prostate cancer.
View full article here
Drinkers with the alcohol
dehydrogenase 1C*1 gene are at greater risk of colorectal cancer
Chronic drinking is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, possibly through the effects of
acetaldehyde, which is created by the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme. This study
investigated if a polymorphism of the ADH1C gene that is found in Caucasians may effect
acetaldehyde concentrations. Findings confirm ADH1C*1 as a genetic risk marker for
colorectal tumors among people who drink more than 30 grams of alcohol per day.
View full article here
Prenatal alcohol exposure damages
white matter, the brain's connective network
One part of the prenatal brain that may be particularly sensitive to alcohol's effects is
white matter, nerve fibers through which information is exchanged between different areas
of the central nervous system. A recent study has demonstrated that alcohol consumption
during pregnancy can alter the microstructural integrity of developing fetal cerebral
white matter in the frontal and occipital lobes of the brain. These anomalies may help to
explain the executive dysfunction and visual processing deficits that are associated with
gestational alcohol exposure. "The brain's white matter is made up of nerve bundles
that transfer information between brain regions," explained Susanna L. Fryer, a
researcher at San Diego State University's Center for Behavioral Teratology and
corresponding author for the study. "Optimal white-matter integrity is thought to
support efficient cognition. So the finding that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated
with altered white-matter integrity may help explain aspects of the cognitive and
behavioral problems that individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)
commonly face." "Several studies of FASD within the last three years have used a
new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to
examine the brain's connective network – also known as white matter –in ways not
previously possible," added Jeffrey R. Wozniak, assistant professor of psychiatry at
the University of Minnesota.
View full article here
Biomarkers improve ischemic stroke
prediction
Testing patient's blood for two proteins or biomarkers that occur when inflammation is
present could help doctors identify which patients are more likely to have a stroke, said
researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online in
the journal Stroke. The biomarkers -- lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2)
and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) -- are known to be associated with an
increased risk of the kind of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked.
In this study, researchers led by Dr. Vijay Nambi, assistant professor of
medicine-atherosclerosis and vascular medicine at BCM and staff cardiologist Center for
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at The Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center,
studied 949 people taking part in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (ARIC), a
large scale study designed to investigate the causes and course of atherosclerosis. Of
those, 183 developed a stroke. When they looked at the blood test results for the patients
in the study, they found that testing for the two inflammation biomarkers helped obtain a
better picture of the risk of stroke for each patient. "Adding each biomarker
individually to the traditional risk factors for ischemic stroke improved
prediction," Nambi said. "However, adding both, along with taking into account
how the two interact, gave the most improvement in prediction." The traditional risk
factors used to determine the likelihood of this type of stroke include age, sex, race,
whether a person smokes, blood pressure, diabetes, use of high blood pressure medication
and body mass index as a measure of obesity.
View full article here
MRI brain scans accurate in early
diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
MRI scans that detect shrinkage in specific regions of the mid-brain attacked by
Alzheimer’s disease accurately diagnose the neurodegenerative disease, even before
symptoms interfere with daily function, a study by the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease
Research Center (ADRC) in Miami and Tampa found. The study, reported earlier this month in
the journal Neurology, adds to a growing body of evidence indicating MRI brain scans
provide valuable diagnostic information about Alzheimer’s disease. The findings are
important in light of many new disease-modifying drugs in trials -- treatments that may
prevent mild memory loss from advancing to full-blown dementia if administered early
enough. "We advocate, based on these findings, that the criteria for the diagnosis of
Alzheimer’s disease should include MRI scans,” said the study’s lead author
Ranjan Duara, MD, medical director of the Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and
Memory Disorders at Mount Sinai Medical Center who is affiliated with the University of
Miami Miller School of Medicine and University of South Florida College of Medicine.
“By incorporating MRIs into the assessment of patients with memory problems, early
diagnosis can be standardized and done far more accurately.”
View full
article here
Common treatment for men's pelvic
pain proves ineffective, Queen's-led study shows
A commonly-prescribed drug for men suffering from a painful pelvic condition failed to
significantly reduce patients' symptoms in an international study led by Queen's
University professor and urologist at Kingston General Hospital, Curtis Nickel.
View
full article here
Scientists study how asbestos
fibers trigger cancer in human cells
Ohio State University scientists believe they are the first in the world to study the
molecular underpinnings of cancer by probing individual bonds between an asbestos fiber
and human cells. Though any clinical application is years away, the researchers hope their
findings could aid in drug development efforts targeting illnesses caused by excessive
exposure to asbestos, including the deadly cancer called mesothelioma. The researchers use
atomic force microscopy to observe how a single asbestos fiber binds with a specific
receptor protein on cell surfaces. They suspect that at least one of the more lethal forms
of asbestos triggers a cascade of events inside cells that eventually lead to illness,
sometimes decades later. The conditions most commonly associated with long-term exposure
to airborne asbestos are lung cancer; asbestosis, a chronic respiratory disease; and
mesothelioma, a cancer that forms in the membrane lining most internal organs of the body,
including the lungs.
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full article here
EPA should pursue cumulative risk
assessment of phthalates and other chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should examine whether combined exposures to
chemicals known as phthalates could cause adverse health effects in humans, says a new
report from the National Research Council. In addition, this analysis, called a cumulative
risk assessment, should consider other chemicals that could potentially cause the same
health effects as phthalates, instead of focusing on chemicals that are similar in
structure, which is EPA's current practice. Furthermore, EPA should consider using the
recommended approach for future cumulative risk assessments on other kinds of chemicals.
Phthalates are used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as cosmetics, medical
devices, children's toys, and building materials. In light of concerns, the European Union
and the United States have passed legislation that restricts the concentrations of several
phthalates in children's toys, and the European Union has also banned several phthalates
from cosmetics. EPA asked the Research Council to recommend whether it should conduct a
cumulative risk assessment for phthalates, and if so, how it should be framed.
Accordingly, the National Research Council report is not a comprehensive profile on the
health effects of phthalates.
View full
article here
Medical acupuncture gaining
acceptance by the US Air Force
Medical acupuncture, which is acupuncture performed by a licensed physician trained at a
conventional medical school, is being used increasingly for pain control. Richard
Niemtzow, MD, PhD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal
(www.liebertpub.com/acu) and the official journal of the American Academy of Medical
Acupuncture, is at the forefront of these efforts in the military. The technique developed
by Dr. Niemtzow has been so successful that the Air Force will begin teaching
"Battlefield Acupuncture" to physicians deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in
early 2009. "Battlefield Acupuncture" can relieve severe pain lasting several
days. Based on modern neurophysiological concepts, Niemtzow developed a variation of
acupuncture that involves inserting very tiny semi-permanent needles into very specific
acupoints in the skin on the ear to block pain signals from reaching the brain. This
method can lessen the need for pain medications that may cause adverse or allergic
reactions or addiction. "This is one of the fastest pain attenuators in
existence," said Dr. Niemtzow, who is the Consultant for complementary and
alternative medicine for the Surgeon General of the Air Force, and is affiliated with
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda. "The pain can be
gone in five minutes."
View
full article here
First trimester smoking linked to
oral clefts
Smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy is clearly linked with an increased risk
of cleft lip in newborns. Genes that play a role in detoxification of cigarette smoke do
not appear to be involved. This is shown in a new study published in the journal
Epidemiology.
View full article here
Common infant virus may trigger
type 1 diabetes
Human parechovirus is a harmless virus which is encountered by most infants and displays
few symptoms. Suspected of triggering type 1 diabetes in susceptible people, research
methods need to take this “silent” virus into consideration. This comes from
findings in a study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. This study was part of
a long-term project at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health to investigate if
environmental risk factors affect type 1 diabetes. Faecal samples and questionnaires about
the health of 102 children were sent in monthly by their parents for closer study.
Researchers wanted to see how common human parechovirus infections were among Norwegian
infants. Existing research indicates that a related virus which only affects rodents,
Ljungan virus, has been linked to the development of rodent diabetes.
View full article here
Patients with severe psoriasis need
evaluation of heart disease risk
According to new recommendations in the December 10 issue of The American Journal of
Cardiology (AJC) (www.ajconline.org), published by Elsevier, new research is called for
and patients with severe forms of the skin disease psoriasis should receive evaluation and
possible treatment to reduce their risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Psoriasis is a
common skin disease affecting two to three percent of the world population, including 7.5
million Americans. The most common type of psoriasis causes a scaly rash that can cover
large areas of the skin; some patients develop arthritis as well. In addition, there is
now strong evidence that people with psoriasis are at increased risk of CAD—narrowing
of the arteries supplying the heart, which can lead to heart attack (myocardial
infarction) and other complications. A special "Editor's Consensus" article
provides an update on the little-recognized link between psoriasis and heart disease.
"This AJC Editor's Consensus focuses on a large new area of evidence strengthening
the connection between inflammatory processes and coronary artery disease," comments
cardiologist and lead author of the article, Vincent E. Friedewald, M.D., of the
University of Notre Dame. Dr. Friedewald is also an Assistant Editor of AJC. "It is a
particularly interesting and unique document in that it bridges current knowledge from two
medical disciplines—dermatology and cardiology—that rarely interrelate."
View full article here
Science's breakthrough of the year
- Cellular reprogramming
In its annual list of the year's top ten scientific breakthroughs, the journal Science has
given top honors to research that produced "made-to-order" cell lines by
reprogramming cells from ill patients. These cell lines, and the techniques for producing
them, offer long-sought tools for understanding -- and hopefully someday curing --
difficult-to-study diseases such as Parkinson's disease and type 1 diabetes.
View full article here
Einstein Researchers Find
Convincing Evidence That Probiotics are Effective
Up to one in five people on antibiotics stop taking their full course of antibiotic
therapy due to diarrhea. Physicians could help patients avoid this problem by prescribing
probiotics, according to a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of
Yeshiva University published in American Family Physician. Antibiotics target
"bad" bacteria but may also kill the "good" bacteria in the large
intestine, leading to diarrhea. Diarrhea can also result from bacterial and viral
infections. Probiotics?cultures of "good" microorganisms similar to those
normally found in the gut ? have been promoted as restoring the microbial balance
disrupted by antibiotics and infections. Probiotic bacterial strains are added to certain
yogurts and brands of miso and other fermented foods, and are also available as powders
and pills sold in health food stores. The Einstein scientists reviewed the medical
literature and found seven, high-quality studies in which probiotics were administered to
people. The researchers concluded that the studies support the use of probiotics for
avoiding diarrhea resulting from antibiotic use or from gastrointestinal viral or
bacterial infections. In addition, the probiotics used in these studies were found to
rarely cause adverse effects, even in children.
View full
article here
Modified gene targets cancer cells
a thousand times more often than healthy cells
Researchers at the University of Rochester have designed a gene that produces a thousand
times more protein in cancer cells than in healthy cells. The findings may help address
the prime challenge in anticancer therapy, improving treatments' ability to specifically
and effectively target cancer cells. Using this new approach, scientists should be able to
insert "self-destruct" codes into the modified gene, forcing cancer cells to
kill themselves while healthy cells remain largely unaffected.
View full article here
Great fireworks, shame about the
toxic fallout
WHEN those fireworks light up the sky on New Year’s Eve, be careful not to breathe in
too much smoke. A study of the fallout from a New Year display in Austria shows for the
first time that the fireworks can aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma because
they shoot out harmful aerosols. Georg Steinhauser and his colleagues at Vienna University
of Technology analysed fallen snow before and after a display in the village of Saalbach.
Fireworks often contain metal salts to give them colour, such as barium for green flashes
and strontium for red. The researchers wanted to find out whether any traces remained,
clinging to snowflakes. If they did, it would mean the particles were present in the smoke
from the fireworks and could be breathed in by spectators. “We found huge amounts of
barium in the snow,” says Steinhauser (Atmospheric Environment, DOI:
10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.08.023). Concentrations were typically 500 times higher than in
snow samples taken from the same sites before the display. Barium poisoning is known to
constrict the airways, so inhaling it could aggravate asthma symptoms, says Steinhauser.
View full article here
New anti-cancer components of
extra-virgin olive oil revealed
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals,
‘phytochemicals’, that can trigger cancer cell death. New research published in
the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between
olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk. Javier Menendez
from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of
Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive
oil were most active against cancer. Menendez said, “Our findings reveal for the
first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil
drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer
cells”.
View full article here
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