- - European weblog on food, health and environment
News - Week 35 - 2008
Animal research is poor science -
29 min
Medical research using animals is
scientifically flawed. The physiological differences between animals and humans are so
great that it is not possible to accurately apply data gained from laboratory animals to
people. Drugs tested on animals are often not applicable or safe for humans, as evidenced
by drugs like Eraldin and Opren, which were safety tested and approved on animals but went
on to cause serious illness and death in patients. Most human diseases are uniquely human.
To develop the safest, most effective treatments requires the study of human cells,
tissues and organs. Humane alternatives, without experimenting on animals are possible and
get results. The Dr Hadwen Trust has been helping pioneer new medical techniques and
treatments for 37 years, without using vivisection. Peter Tatchell interviews Dr Gill
Langley, Scientific Director of the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research.
Earthlings
Controlling Our Food - 109 min
On March 11 a new documentary was aired on
French television - a documentary that Americans won’t ever see. The gigantic
bio-tech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity
which has served mankind for thousands of years.
Vaccine Nation - Director's Cut
(Gary Null) - 90 min
For most people, vaccinating themselves and
their children seems like a good idea. Vaccines are safe, effective and are supposed to
protect us against dangerous infectious diseases - Right? Wrong! What you don’t know
can harm you or kill you! In this groundbreaking film, you will: * See the truth about the
dangers of vaccines and their direct relationship to autoimmune diseases, infections,
allergies and a massive increase of developmental learning and behavioral disorders in
children, such as Autism. * Discover the truth about the history of vaccines and how they
have NEVER been proven to be safe and effective for anyone. * Witness the legacy of
governmental deception and cover-ups associated with vaccines. * Learn about the
corruption within the scientific community and how vaccine studies are seriously flawed. *
You’ll also follow heart-wrenching, real life stories of the parents and children
devastated by the effects of vaccines.
Since there is no question that MSG and aspartame cause lesions in the hypothalamus, the
portion of the brain that is recognized to affect weight, I call upon scientists to
consider the destructive qualities of glutamic acid and aspartic acid as they expand their
search into the reasons for obesity. In particular, I urge those who are exploring the
role of leptin in obesity to consider that it may be the relationship of leptin to a
hypothalamus damaged by MSG and aspartame that results in the inability of some people to
control food intake, and resulting obesity.
Many US public schools in 'air
pollution danger zone'
One in three U.S. public schools are in the “air pollution danger zone,”
according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC). UC researchers have
found that more than 30 percent of American public schools are within 400 meters, or a
quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as main truck and traffic routes.
Research has shown that proximity to major highways—and thus environmental
pollutants, such as aerosolizing diesel exhaust particles—can leave school-age
children more susceptible to respiratory diseases later in life. “This is a major
public health concern that should be given serious consideration in future urban
development, transportation planning and environmental policies,” says Sergey
Grinshpun, PhD, principal investigator of the study and professor of environmental health
at UC. To protect the health of young children with developing lungs, he says new schools
should be built further from major highways. One in three US public schools are in the
"air pollution danger zone," according to new research from the University of
Cincinnati. Researchers have found that more than 30 percent of American public schools
are within 400 meters, or a quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as
main truck and traffic routes.
IU Bloomington chemists receive
$2.9 million to study self-assembling viruses
Martin F. Jarrold, Bogdan Dragnea, Stephen C. Jacobson, Peter J. Ortoleva, James P.
Reilly, and their collaborators at the IU Nanoscience Center and Indiana University's
Center for Cell and Virus Theory will study how viruses build themselves up from their
components, as well as how structural transitions occur in the assembled viruses.
Family members are often called upon to make medical choices for patients who are unable
to do so themselves. Researchers led by Alexia Torke, M.D., of the Indiana University
School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc., studied how physicians treating
these patients interacted with surrogate decision-makers. The qualitative study, based on
interviews with physicians who described their own recent interactions with surrogate
decision makers, is published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Ethics.
Their findings led the researchers to conclude that physicians' ethical framework for
making decisions in which a surrogate is involved is much more complex than previously
realized. Although ethicists have traditionally encouraged physicians to focus exclusively
on the patient, physicians in the study also considered the surrogate's wishes and
interests in their decision making. "The number of times that a physician will deal
with a surrogate decision maker is growing as our population ages and conditions such as
Alzheimer's disease become more common. The issue of how physicians interact with
surrogates is a very important one. We found that physicians often want to take an active
role in determining what is right for a patient and often grapple with the needs of the
patient versus those of the surrogate," said Dr. Torke, who is an IU School of
Medicine assistant professor of medicine and geriatrics and a Regenstrief research
scientist. She is also on the faculty of the IU Center for Aging Research and the
Fairbanks Center for Clinical Medical Ethics
Green catalysts provide promise for
cleaning toxins and pollutants
Tetra-Amido Macrocyclic Ligands (TAMLs) are environmentally friendly catalysts with a host
of applications for reducing and cleaning up pollutants, and a prime example of
"green chemistry." Carnegie Mellon University's Terry Collins, the catalyst's
inventor, believes that the small-molecule catalysts have the potential to be even more
effective than previously proven. Collins will discuss how iron-TAMLs (Fe-TAMLs) work and
areas for further research, citing evidence from mechanistic and kinetic studies of the
catalyst on Monday, Aug. 18 at the 236th national meeting of the American Chemical Society
in Philadelphia. The oxidation catalysts are the first highly effective mimics of
peroxidase enzymes. When partnered with hydrogen peroxide, they are able to convert
harmful pollutants into less toxic substances. Made from the common elements of
biochemistry, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen around a reactive iron core, Fe-TAMLs
are less toxic and usable at extremely low concentrations. Additionally, their composition
also results in very strong chemical bonds that are not broken down by the highly reactive
oxygen intermediaries formed during the reaction with hydrogen peroxide."Our recent
studies into what occurs during the chemical reaction caused by TAMLs proves that the
catalysts are indeed really close mimics of peroxidase enzymes," said Collins, the
Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Green Science at
Carnegie Mellon. "By knowing the mechanics of the reactions, we can fine tune the
catalysts for even better performance."
Hydrogels Provide Scaffolding For
Growth of Bone Cells
Hyaluronic hydrogels developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers may provide a
suitable scaffolding to enable bone regeneration. The hydrogels, created by Newell
Washburn, Krzysztof Matyjaszewski and Jeffrey Hollinger, have proven to encourage the
growth of preosteoblast cells, cells that aid the growth and development of bone. Doctoral
student Sidi Bencherif will present this research, Sunday, Aug. 17 at the 236th national
meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.Currently, physicians are able to
treat patients with damaged bone tissue, like those who have bone fractures that fail to
heal, using demineralized bone matrix, a biological material obtained from cadavers.
Demineralized bone matrix is rich in growth factor proteins which signal bone cells in the
area to multiply and form complex bone tissue, while other proteins in the matrix regulate
the activity of the growth factors. Demineralized bone matrix is in limited supply, and
because it comes from a human donor, there is a risk of transmitting viruses to the
recipient."Tissue engineering is an exciting field. We're creating solutions to
problems that can significantly impact people's quality of life," said Washburn, an
assistant professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon.
"These gels have great promise in not only regenerating bone, but serving as a gene
therapy delivery system.
Pesticide build-up could lead to
poor honey bee health
Honey bees industriously bring pollen and nectar to the hive, but along with the bounty
comes a wide variety of pesticides, according to Penn State researchers. Add the outside
assault to the pesticides already in the waxy structure of the hive, and bee researchers
see a problem difficult to evaluate and correct. However, an innovative approach may
mitigate at least some beeswax contamination. The researchers present their analysis of
pollen, brood, adult bees and wax samples today (Aug 18) at the 236th national American
Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia. Those results show unprecedented levels of
fluvalinate and coumaphos -- pesticides used in the hives to combat varroa mites -- in all
comb and foundation wax samples. They also found lower levels of 70 other pesticides and
metabolites of those pesticides in pollen and bees. "Everyone figured that the
acaricides (anti-varroa mite chemicals) would be present in the wax because the wax is
reprocessed to form the structure of the hives," says Maryann Frazier, senior
extension associate. "It was a bit of a shock to see the levels and the widespread
presence of these pesticides." While the researchers expected the presence of the
chemicals available to treat varroa mites in the hives, the other pesticides' levels were
also surprising. All of the bees tested showed at least one pesticide and pollen averaged
six pesticides with as many as 31 in a sample. "We already had in place ways to test
for viruses, bacteria and fungi, but it was difficult to find an analytical laboratory
that could analyze for unknown pesticides," says Christopher A. Mullin, professor of
entomology. "We needed them to take a comprehensive look at all pesticides, not just
those associated with beekeeping."
Mount Sinai researchers discover
technology that silences genes
Mount Sinai researchers have developed a new gene silencing technology that could be used
to target genes that can lead to the development of certain diseases. This technology
could pave the way for preventing diseases where gene dysfunction plays a role. The
groundbreaking research was led by Ming-Ming Zhou, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman of the
Department of Structural and Chemical Biology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The
findings, which will be published in the September issue of Nature Cell Biology, are
available on the magazine's web site as of today. "By being able to silence certain
genes, we may be able to suppress genes that can cause diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer,
inflammation and diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. We now know we
can focus on these genes and potentially change the ultimate course of many diseases that
have a major impact on people's lives," says Dr. Zhou. In the study, Dr. Zhou, Shiraz
Mujtaba, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Structural and Chemical Biology at Mount Sinai and
their colleagues discovered that Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus uses a viral protein
to modify host DNA packing chromatin and switch host transcription machinery for viral
replication. Based on this finding, researchers were able to develop a new gene targeting
technology that effectively suppresses transcriptional expression of targeted genes in
human cells, including genes that are linked to the onset of a number of diseases.
Synthetic moleculues could add
spice to fight against cancer
Seeking to improve on nature, scientists used a spice-based compound as a starting point
and developed synthetic molecules that, in lab settings, are able to kill cancer cells and
stop the cells from spreading. The researchers are combining organic chemistry,
computer-aided design and molecular biology techniques in developing and testing
pharmaceutical compounds that can fight breast and prostate cancer cells. The synthetic
molecules are derived from curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the spice
turmeric.
This is Jerry Brunetti's highly informative
video lecture Food as Medicine (2005) where he lays out his experience with terminal
cancer which he successfully overcame with eating healthy and different food than he used
to eat until then. In 1999 he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and given 6 months
to live. He did not submit to chemotherapy, but rather, developed his own unique dietary
approach to enhance his immune system. Jerry shares his personal experiences and provides
his recipe for healthy living. You will learn about the crucial importance of minerals,
which foods to choose for your best health requirements and what to avoid. After viewing
this fascinating lecture you'll realize the remarkable value of food in building good
foundations, and providing buffers, to keep your body healthy. 3h long. A must see for
everyone. Food as Medicine features: -The power of pigments -Make your plate a rainbow.
-Protection from cruciferous vegetables. -The good oils. -Fabulous fermentation. -Eggs-The
ultimate food. -Butter vs. Margarine-The power of raw milk. -What major minerals
do-Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Sulfur. -The trace mineral
catalysts-Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Boron and Iron. -The forgotten five-Iodine, Molybdenum,
Cobalt, Selenium and Chromium.
Tip: André Plomp
Largest study of its kind
implicates gene abnormalities in bipolar disorder
The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated
machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells. Researchers
supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National
Institutes of Health, found an association between the disorder and variation in two genes
that make components of channels that manage the flow of the elements into and out of
cells, including neurons. "A neuron's excitability – whether it will fire –
hinges on this delicate equilibrium," explained Pamela Sklar, M.D., Ph.D., of
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at
the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who led the research. "Finding statistically
robust associations linked to two proteins that may be involved in regulating such ion
channels – and that are also thought to be targets of drugs used to clinically to
treat bipolar disorder – is astonishing."Although it's not yet known if or how
the suspect genetic variation might affect the balance machinery, the results point to the
possibility that bipolar disorder might stem, at least in part, from malfunction of ion
channels. Sklar, Shaun Purcell, Ph.D., also of MGH and the Stanley Center, and Nick
Craddock, M.D., Ph.D., of Cardiff University and the Wellcome Trust Case Control
Consortiuum in the United Kingdom and a large group of international collaborators report
on their findings online Aug. 17, 2008 in Nature Genetics. "Faced with little
agreement among previous studies searching for the genomic hot spots in bipolar disorder,
these researchers pooled their data for maximal statistical power and unearthed surprising
results," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "Improved understanding of
these abnormalities could lead to new hope for the millions of Americans affected by
bipolar disorder." In the first such genome-wide association study for bipolar
disorder, NIMH researchers last fall reported the strongest signal associated with the
illness in a gene that makes an enzyme involved the action of the anti-manic medication
lithium. However, other chromosomal locations were most strongly associated with the
disorder in two subsequent studies.
Suicidal Thoughts Among College
Students More Common Than Expected
More than half of 26,000 students across 70 colleges and universities who completed a
survey on suicidal experiences reported having at least one episode of suicidal thinking
at some point in their lives. Furthermore, 15 percent of students surveyed reported having
seriously considered attempting suicide and more than 5 percent reported making a suicide
attempt at least once in their lifetime. Presenting Sunday at the 116th Annual Convention
of the American Psychological Association, psychologist David J. Drum, PhD, and co-authors
at the University of Texas at Austin reported their findings from a Web-based survey
conducted by the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education.
The survey was administered in the spring of 2006 and gathered information about a range
of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students. The survey was reviewed by the
participating campus counseling directors as well as two experts in suicidology.
Antidepressants May Impair Driving
Ability, New Research Finds
People taking prescription antidepressants appear to drive worse than people who aren't
taking such drugs, and depressed people on antidepressants have even more trouble
concentrating and reacting behind the wheel. These were the conclusions of a study
released Sunday at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
University of North Dakota psychologists Holly Dannewitz. PhD, and Tom Petros, PhD,
recruited 60 people to participate in a driving simulation in which participants had to
make a series of common driving decisions, such as reacting to brake lights, stop signs or
traffic signals while being distracted by speed limit signs, pylons, animals, other cars,
helicopters or bicyclists. The simulation tested steering, concentration and scanning.
Thirty-one of the participants were taking at least one type of antidepressant while 29
control group members were taking no medications with the exception of oral contraceptives
in some cases. The group taking antidepressants was further divided into those who scored
higher and lower on a test of depression. The group taking antidepressants who reported a
high number of symptoms of depression performed significantly worse than the control group
on several of the driving performance tasks. But participants who were taking
antidepressants and scored in the normal range on a test to measure depression performed
no differently than the non-medicated individuals.
Newly detected air pollutant mimics
damaging effects of cigarette smoke
previously unrecognized group of air pollutants could have effects remarkably similar to
harmful substances found in tobacco smoke, Louisiana scientists are reporting in a study
scheduled for presentation today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society. Inhaling those pollutants exposes the average person up to 300 times more free
radicals daily than from smoking one cigarette, they added. The discovery could help
explain the long-standing medical mystery of why non-smokers develop tobacco-related
diseases like lung cancer, said H. Barry Dellinger, Ph.D., the Patrick F. Taylor Chair of
Environmental Chemistry at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Children's Hospital Oakland
scientist finds potential Alzheimer's cure in century-old drug
A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland
shows that a century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Used at a very low concentration – about the
equivalent of a few raindrops in four Olympic-sized swimming pools of water - the drug
slows cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with
the diseases to live longer, healthier lives. A paper on the methylene blue study,
conducted by Hani Atamna, PhD, and a his team at Children's, was published in the March
2008 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
Journal. Dr. Atamna's research found that methylene blue can prevent or slow the decline
of mitochondrial function, specifically an important enzyme called complex IV. Because
mitochondria are the principal suppliers of energy to all animal and human cells, their
healthy function is critical. "The results are very encouraging," said Dr.
Atamna. "We'd eventually like to try to prevent the physical and cognitive decline
associated with aging, with a focus on people with Alzheimer's disease. One of the key
aspects of Alzheimer's disease is mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically complex IV
dysfunction, which methylene blue improves. Our findings indicate that methylene blue, by
enhancing mitochondrial function, expands the mitochondrial reserve of the brain. Adequate
mitochondrial reserve is essential for preventing age-related disorders such as
Alzheimer's disease."
'Point of care diagnostics' in the
starting blocks
Tracking down cancer at a very early stage, studying cell growth, developing new
medicines: future lab-on-a-chip systems will use nanoscale electrical fields to enable the
detection and manipulation of cells and biomolecules. The University of Twente’s
eLab4Life project can expect a grant of 2.4 million euros from the European Research
Council for this research. Lab-on-a-chip systems bring the laboratory to the patient
instead of the other way around: a blood sample will no longer have to go to the
laboratory and the patient will no longer have to wait for the result; a pocket-sized
laboratory that gives the result on the spot will soon be available. This is called
‘point-of-care diagnostics’. According to Prof. Albert van den Berg, who leads
the University of Twente’s BIOS Lab-on-a-chip group, a real breakthrough can be
expected from making special nanoscale structures for generating electrical fields that
can be used to study individual cells or molecules: “So far a lot of experiments have
been carried out with optical techniques that are sometimes difficult to integrate in a
complete system. The new nanostructures we envisage will make it possible for us to
miniaturize systems even further and to develop commercially-feasible equipment.”
Greenland ice core reveals history
of pollution in the Arctic
New research, reported this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, finds that coal burning, primarily in North America and
Europe, contaminated the Arctic and potentially affected human health and ecosystems in
and around Earth's polar regions.
Are Food Makers Lying? Fake Fiber,
Nutrition by Natalie
Coping With Stress - Biofeedback:
Self-Mastery Beyond Pills
Stress is ubiquitous and on the rise. How
we learn to manage it can have profound effects on our health and well being. This series
explains how our bodies experience stress and demonstrates effective strategies to help
you thrive in a fast-paced world. On this edition, Richard Harvey discusses strategies to
reduce stress beyond medication.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects 1.3 million
Americans. Research advances and drug development have helped control this chronic
disease. Noted UCLA Rheumatology expert Dr. Michael Weisman, presents an update on the
latest treatments in the first of two lectures.
Repeat exams using widely available and inexpensive ultrasound imaging could help identify
patients at high risk for a heart attack or other adverse cardiovascular events, according
to a study published in the September issue of the journal Radiology. Researchers
performed ultrasound imaging on the carotid arteries of 1,268 patients who were
asymptomatic but at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Of those, ultrasound determined
that 574 patients had carotid artery disease, as determined by the amount of plaque built
up in the two vessels that supply blood to the head and neck. Each of those patients had a
second ultrasound exam six to nine months later to measure changes in the plaque lining
the arteries. "Determining the degree of stenosis, or how much the artery has
narrowed, is insufficient to predict patient risk," said lead researcher Markus
Reiter, M.D., from the Department of Angiography and Interventional Radiology at Medical
University Vienna in Austria. "We know that the majority of cardiovascular and
cerebrovascular events occur in patients whose blood vessels are less than 70 percent
narrowed." Reiter and his team used ultrasound images and computer-assisted gray
scale median (GSM) measurements to determine the density of the plaque lining the carotid
arteries. Plaques that appear dark on ultrasound images and have a low GSM level are
suggested to be associated with an increased risk for clinical complications and seem to
represent unstable plaques, which are more likely to rupture or burst.
'Cutting by color' - New imaging
technique for more precise cancer surgery
A futuristic imaging technique could improve cancer surgery by revealing hidden anatomical
details. Photo of a pig's hind leg viewed after injection with near-infrared contrast
agents and imaging with near-infrared... Cancer surgeons today operate "blind"
with no clear way of determining in real-time whether they have removed all of the
diseased tissue, which is the key to successful surgery. Researchers in Massachusetts now
report development and early clinical trials of a new imaging system that highlights
cancerous tissue in the body so that surgeons can more easily see and remove diseased
tissue with less damage to normal tissue near the tumor. The technique shows particular
promise for improving surgery for breast, prostate, and lung cancer, whose tumor
boundaries can be difficult to track at advanced stages, they say. Described today at the
236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the technique can also help
cancer surgeons avoid cutting critical structures such as blood vessels and nerves.
"This technique is really the first time that cancer surgeons can see structures that
are otherwise invisible, providing true image-guided surgery," says project director
John Frangioni, M.D., Ph.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston and
co-director of its Center for Imaging Technology and Molecular Diagnostics. "If we're
able to see cancer, we have a chance of curing it."
New reasons to avoid grapefruit and
other juices when taking certain drugs
Scientists and consumers have known for years that grapefruit juice can increase the
absorption of certain drugs — with the potential for turning normal doses into toxic
overdoses. Now, the researcher who first identified this interaction is reporting new
evidence that grapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange and apple, can do
the opposite effect by substantially decreasing the absorption of other drugs, potentially
wiping out their beneficial effects. The study provides a new reason to avoid drinking
grapefruit juice and these other juices when taking certain drugs, including some that are
prescribed for fighting life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, cancer,
organ-transplant rejection, and infection, the researcher says. These findings —
representing the first controlled human studies of this type of drug-lowering interaction
— were described today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society.
Chemical liberated by leaky gut may
allow HIV to infect the brain, Einstein scientists find
In up to 20 percent of people infected with HIV, the virus manages to escape from the
bloodstream and cross into the brain, resulting in HIV-associated dementia and other
cognitive disorders. Now, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva
University have found strong evidence that a component of the cell walls of intestinal
bacteria — a chemical present in high levels in the blood of HIV-infected people
— helps HIV to penetrate the usually-impregnable blood brain barrier (BBB). The
findings, published in the August issue of the Journal of Virology, could lead to
strategies for preventing HIV from entering the brain and causing serious
complications."Previous research has suggested that it's not individual HIV viruses
that get into the brain but rather HIV-infected immune cells known as monocytes,"
says Dr. Harris Goldstein, director of the Einstein-Montefiore Medical Center for AIDS
Research and senior author of the study. "Using an animal model, we wanted to find
out first of all whether being infected with HIV enables monocytes to do what they don't
usually do — escape from blood vessels and enter brain tissue."
MU Researchers Study Facial
Structures, Brain Abnormalities to Reveal Formula for Earlier Detection of Autism
Recently, Harvard researchers reported that children with autism have a wide range of
genetic defects, making it nearly impossible to develop a simple genetic test to identify
the disorder. Now, University of Missouri researchers are studying 3-D imaging to reveal
correlations in the facial features and brain structures of children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD), which will enable them to develop a formula for earlier detection of the
disorder. The researchers anticipate their work also will reveal genetic clues that can
direct additional research. Autism is a brain disorder characterized by a complex of
social, communication and behavioral difficulties.“When you compare the faces and
head shapes of children with specific types of autism to other children, it is obvious
there are variations. Currently, autism diagnosis is purely behavior based and doctors use
tape measurements to check for facial and brain dissimilarities. We are developing a
quantitative method that will accurately measure these differences and allow for earlier,
more precise detection of specific types of the disorder,” said Ye Duan, assistant
computer science professor in the MU College of Engineering. “Once we have created a
formula, we can pre-screen children by performing a quick, non-invasive scan of each
child’s face and brain to check for abnormalities. Early detection is crucial in
treating children and preparing families.”
Queen's chemist designs new
'catch-and-tell' molecules
A Queen’s scientist, whose research is now used worldwide in blood analysing
equipment, has made another important discovery. Recently announced as the winner of the
Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) Sensors Award for 2008, Professor A. Prasanna de
Silva, has created ‘intelligent’ molecules. The discovery is based on previous
pioneering research by Professor De Silva and his colleagues at Queen’s, which
created ‘catch and tell’ sensor molecules that send out light signals when they
catch chemicals in blood. That technology helped create blood diagnostic cassettes which
have achieved sales of over $50 million worldwide. Used in hospitals, ambulances and
veterinary offices the cassettes are used to quickly monitor blood for levels of common
salt components such as sodium, potassium and calcium.
The Role of the Intestinal Barrier
Function in the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease
Understanding the role of the intestinal barrier in the pathogenesis of celiac disease is
an area of translational research that encompasses many fields and is currently receiving
a great deal of attention. This chapter reviews the recent advance in intestinal mucosal
biology involved in gliadin trafficking and possible alternative therapeutic approaches to
correct the barrier defect typical of celiac disease.
Scott Corbett of Identity Media
(www.identityid.com) examines the dark side of the fast food industry in a trio of
riveting new spots for PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign.
Sally Fallon: The Truth About Soy
and Why its Toxic
Part of a new series of "Professional
Perspectives" on Fluoride. In this short video, Dr. Bill Osmunson -- a general and
cosmetic dentist -- explains why he is now concerned about fluoride and water
fluoridation.
A senior psychiatrist at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in San Diego, Calif. has found
evidence that taking sleeping pills regularly can increase the risk of skin cancer.
New research suggests that cadmium is one of the critical ingredients causing emphysema,
and even low-level exposure attained through second-hand smoke and other means may also
increase the chance of developing lung disease.
Using a combination of computer simulations and cutting-edge lab experiments, physical
biochemists at Rice University have discovered how a small genetic mutation -- which is
known to cause Wilson disease -- subtly changes the structure of a large, complex protein
that the body uses to keep copper from building up to toxic levels. "The protein we
study is like a big puzzle," said lead author Agustina Rodriguez-Granillo, the Rice
doctoral student in biochemistry and cell biology who carried out the mathematical
simulations and laboratory research. "The mutation that causes most cases of Wilson
disease is well-known, but our study looks at the overall puzzle to see how such a small
mutation can alter the shape and function of such a large and complex protein." The
protein in question is called ATP7B, which is a multidomain protein that sits in an
internal membrane and regulates the movement of copper atoms inside human cells. Though
large quantities of copper can be toxic, our bodies need a small amount for key enzymes
involved in, for example, respiration and brain functions. ATP7B acts something like a
warehouse manager, locking up bulk quantities of copper and handing it out for use in
these proteins. Wilson disease is a genetic disorder that alters the ATP7B protein's
ability to work, causing copper to build up to toxic levels in the liver, brain, eyes and
other organs. Over time the disease can cause life-threatening organ damage. Wilson
disease affects as many as 150,000 people worldwide. The new study is available online
from the Journal of Molecular Biology. It focused on the genetic flaw that causes most
cases of Wilson disease. That flaw, known as H1069Q, is caused when just one out of the
more than 1,400 amino acids in ATP7B is changed. That amino acid is a histidine located at
position 1069. In the disease-causing form of the protein, this histidine is replaced with
a glutamic acid.
Obese prostate cancer patients may
benefit more from brachytherapy
Brachytherapy, also called seed implants, may be a more beneficial treatment than surgery
or external beam radiation therapy for overweight or obese prostate cancer patients,
according to a study published in the August issue of the International Journal of
Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
Silver is the key to reducing
pneumonia associated with breathing tubes
People have long prized silver as a precious metal. Now, silver-coated endotracheal tubes
are giving critically ill patients another reason to value the lustrous metal. In a study
published in the Aug. 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association,
researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the NASCENT
Investigation Group, report that the silver-coated tubes led to a 36 percent reduction of
ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP can strike up to 15 percent of people who are
intubated to aid breathing and can cause death in an estimated 20 percent to 40 percent of
those stricken. "VAP is a relatively common infection and increasingly one caused by
antibiotic-resistant bacteria," says the study's lead author, Marin H. Kollef, M.D.,
a Washington University pulmonary specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "There have
been many attempts to prevent VAP, most of which have revolved around modifying hospital
practices. The silver-coated endotracheal tube has an advantage in that it doesn't require
any additional effort by nurses, therapists and doctors, who may already be over
burdened." Past efforts to prevent VAP included elevating the head of a patient's
bed, repeatedly checking ventilator tubing and emptying condensates, monitoring feeding to
prevent reflux into the lungs, frequent handwashing and isolation of infected patients.
The silver-coated endotracheal tube is structurally identical to a typical tube, so its
adoption would not require any change in standard hospital procedures. Studying 1,509
patients in 54 centers who were intubated for 24 hours or more, the research group found
that 7.5 percent of those with uncoated tubes developed VAP. In comparison, 4.8 percent of
those with silver-coated tubes developed VAP, a 36 percent reduction.
Inorganic arsenic, commonly found in ground water in certain areas, may increase the risk
of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found that individuals with diabetes had
higher levels of arsenic in the urine compared to individuals without diabetes. The
results are published in the August 20, 2008, issue of JAMA. “Our findings suggest
that low levels of exposure to inorganic arsenic may play a role in diabetes,” said
Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor with the
Bloomberg School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. “While
prospective studies are needed to establish whether this association is causal, these
findings add to the existing concerns about the long-term health consequences of low and
moderate exposure to inorganic arsenic.” Inorganic arsenic is found naturally in
rocks and soils. In the U.S., most exposure to inorganic arsenic comes from contaminated
drinking water. Foods such as flour and rice can also provide small quantities of
inorganic arsenic, particularly if grown or cooked in areas with arsenic contamination in
soil or water. Seafood is a source of organic arsenic compounds that have little or no
toxicity.
One Sleepless Night Increases
Dopamine in the Human Brain
Just one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human
brain, according to new imaging research in the August 20 issue of The Journal of
Neuroscience. Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote
wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps
people stay awake despite the urge to sleep. However, the study also shows that the
increase in dopamine cannot compensate for the cognitive deficits caused by sleep
deprivation. “This is the first time that a study provides evidence that in the human
brain, dopamine is involved in the adaptations that result from sleep deprivation,”
said Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who led the study.
Volkow and colleagues found that in healthy participants, sleep deprivation increased
dopamine in two brain structures: the striatum, which is involved in motivation and
reward, and the thalamus, which is involved in alertness. The researchers also found that
the amount of dopamine in the brain correlated with feelings of fatigue and impaired
performance on cognitive tasks. “These findings suggest dopamine may increase after
sleep deprivation as a compensatory response to the effects of increased sleep drive in
the brain,” said David Dinges, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, an expert unaffiliated with the study. “The extent to which this occurs may
differentiate how vulnerable people are to the neurobehavioral effects of sleep
loss,” Dinges said.
Als men aan veel gifstoffen bloot staat, hetgeen voor elke Nederlander het geval is, is
fase I actiever dan normaal. Als fase II van de ontgifting op normale snelheid verloopt of
iets te traag is dan zullen de in Fase I gevormde supertoxines (de tussenvorm) in het
lichaam achter blijven en nog meer schade aanrichten dan de oorspronkelijke toxines. In
zo’n geval spreekt men van een pathologische (ziekmakende) ontgifting. Een standaard
leverstimuleringsprotocol, dat beide fasen aanzet om sneller te werken, is in dit geval
niet aan te bevelen omdat men niet precies weet of men de disbalanse tussen fase I en II
niet verder vergroot en daarmee ernstige schade aan het lichaam toebrengt.
Carnegie Mellon MRI technology that
non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) isn't just for capturing detailed images of the body's
anatomy. Thanks to novel imaging reagents and technology developed by Carnegie Mellon
University scientist Eric Ahrens, MRI can be used to visualize — with
"exquisite" specificity — cell populations of interest in the living body.
The ability to non-invasively locate and track cells, such as immune cells, will greatly
aid the study and treatment of cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, as well as
provide a tool for advancing clinical translation of the emerging field of cellular
regenerative medicine, by tracking stem cells for example. Ahrens will present his
research on this new approach, called fluorocarbon labeling, Thursday, Aug. 21 at the
236th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia. "With our
technology we can image specific cells in real-time with exquisite selectivity, which
allows us to track their location and movement and to count the apparent number of cells
present. We then use conventional MRI to obtain a high-resolution image that places the
labeled cells in their anatomical context," said Ahrens, an associate professor of
biological sciences at the Mellon College of Science. The ability to track the movement
and eventual location of specific immune cells is critical for understanding the cells'
role in disease and therapeutic mechanisms, and for developing effective cell-based
therapeutics. Other MRI methods for visualizing cells use metal-based contrast agents,
which can make it difficult to clearly identify labeled cells in the body, according to
Ahrens. "The large background signal from mobile water and intrinsic tissue contrast
differences can often make it challenging to unambiguously identify regions containing
these metal-ion labeled cells throughout the body, which is the current state of the
art," Ahrens said.
Dartmouth workshop sets research
agenda for environmental mercury
Embracing the belief that an interdisciplinary and coordinated research agenda can have a
profound impact on advancing science and influencing policy, a group of experts has
developed a roadmap for improving our understanding of how mercury moves through the
marine ecosystem and into the fish we eat. Members of Dartmouth's Toxic Metals Research
Program convened the group of 43 leading scientists, environmental regulators, and public
health experts in November 2006 to set priorities for a research and biomonitoring agenda
that can inform environmental regulation and public health policy. Their report is
published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The group
put a priority on monitoring and research across habitats with an integrated approach that
considers the poorly understood links among marine sources, biotransfer processes, and
bioaccumulation mechanisms that put humans at risk of exposure to mercury. For example,
one unanswered question: does the toxic form of mercury produced and bioaccumulated in
coastal ecosystems end up in fish such as tuna caught in the open ocean?
New Insights Into the Regulation of
PTEN Tumor Suppressor Function
The PTEN tumor suppressor gene controls numerous biological processes including cell
proliferation, cell growth and death. But PTEN is frequently lost or mutated; in fact,
alteration of the gene is so common among various types of human cancer that PTEN has
become one of the most frequently mutated of all tumor suppressors. Now, a study led by
researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School
provides important new insights into PTEN regulation. Reported in the August 20 advance
on-line issue of Nature, the findings define a pathway that maintains PTEN in the nucleus
and offers a novel target for enhancing this gene’s tumor suppressive function.
“Our laboratory recently discovered that even when PTEN is produced normally by a
cell, it has to be properly localized within the nucleus in order to maintain its full
tumor suppressive abilities,” explains senior author Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD,
Director of Basic Research in BIDMC’s Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at
Harvard Medical School. “Indeed, it’s been demonstrated that in a variety of
cancers, PTEN has broken away from the nucleus. With these new findings, we now understand
how this happens.” Examination of the abnormal blood cells of acute promyelocytic
leukemia (APL) led to the discovery that PTEN had become loosened from the nucleus.
“From there, we observed that the loss of another tumor suppressor known as PML
[whose mutation is a main cause of acute promyelocytic leukemia] was at the root of
PTEN’s escape from the nucleus,” adds the study’s first author Min Sup
Song, PhD, a member of the Pandolfi laboratory. Further investigations revealed that PML
was blocking the function of an enzyme known as HAUSP, which under normal circumstances,
serves to direct PTEN out of the nucleus.
Tragically, ten million children will die
this year from preventable or treatable illnesses. One cannot read the news today without
being confronted by reports of violence, poverty, hunger, and disease afflicting the human
community, especially in the developing world. Some of the people who are leading the
effort to combat infectious disease and poverty in developing nations will engage the
entire campus community in a conversation on this subject. These individuals have devoted
their careers to helping the world's poorest populations.
Robert Rines, PhD, has never been deterred by the critics. The 86-year-old inventor spent
three decades gathering evidence to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, enduring
sharp criticism from fellow scientists. Five years ago, he made his most significant
finding. He discovered that Loch Ness, which today is a fresh water lake in the Scottish
Highlands, was once filled with sea water, and it could have sustained a creature like
"Nessie." But as he was preparing for his next trip to Scotland, Rines suffered
a stroke in March 2007 that left him unable to swallow. He was told that he would be
feeding tube reliant. That’s when this inventor decided to take a chance on a
relatively new invention… neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Although FDA approved
in 2002, few well-respected randomized controlled trials had been done to determine the
therapy’s effectiveness in swallowing disorders. But Rines was eager to try it.
Cynthia Wise Wagner was the only speech pathologist in an acute care hospital in Boston
offering this treatment immediately after Rines’ stroke. Rines was initially unable
to contract the muscles in the middle of his throat, Wagner said. Since neuromuscular
electrical stimulation has been successfully used in physical therapy for years to jump
start muscles after surgery or injury, Wagner hoped the therapy would create contractions
in Rines’ pharynx.
A new study in mice finds that plaques associated with Alzheimer’s wreak havoc on
calcium’s role in cell signaling. Careful journalists write that Alzheimer’s
disease is associated with the characteristic plaques in patients’ brains, never that
it’s caused by those plaques.
Bone marrow stem cells may help
control inflammatory bowel disease
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a
particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from
autoimmune attack in a mouse model. In their report published in the journal Stem Cells,
the team from the MGH Center for Engineering in Medicine report that mesenchymal stem
cells (MSCs), known to control several immune system activities, allowed the regeneration
of the gastrointestinal lining in mice with a genetic mutation leading to multiorgan
autoimmune disease. “Our findings suggest that MSC therapy could become a useful
treatment for inflammatory bowel disease,” says Biju Parekkadan, PhD, of the Center
for Engineering in Medicine, the paper’s lead author. “Several previous studies
have observed these cells’ ability to inhibit specific subsets of T cells and relieve
symptoms in particular autoimmune disorders. But this is the first demonstration of their
ability to suppress a broad-based autoimmune reaction and protect gastrointestinal
tissue.” Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system loses control over
lymphocytes (white blood cells) that attack an individual’s own tissues. Treatments
for these diseases – more than 80 conditions, ranging from type 1 diabetes to
rheumatoid arthritis to gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease – are
primarily directed against symptoms; and even those that target the immune system do not
completely suppress the out-of-control response. Found in the bone marrow, MSCs give rise
to tissues supporting blood cell development and secrete factors that can modulate several
immune system activities. Their use has recently received FDA approval to treat severe
graft-versus-host disease in children.
Dr. Edward Duckworth is part of a new generation of neurosurgeons who are making brain
surgery a lot easier on patients. At Loyola University Hospital, Duckworth is using
less-invasive techniques to remove tumors, to repair life-threatening aneurysms and to
dramatically reduce seizures in epilepsy patients. Rather than removing large sections of
the skull or face, Duckworth is reaching the brain through much smaller openings. And in
certain cases, he goes through the nose to get to the brain. "It's not necessary to
expose a large surface of the brain in order to access a small abnormality," said
Duckworth, an assistant professor, neurological surgery, at Loyola University Chicago
Stritch School of Medicine.Less-invasive brain surgery can result in decreased pain and
shorter hospital stays. It also makes patients less apprehensive, Duckworth said.
Duckworth recently performed a less-invasive aneurysm repair on David Shoblaske of
Riverside, Ill. An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel. Shoblaske's aneurysm was in the
right side of his brain. It was spotted on a CT done in an attempt to find the source of
Shoblaske's nonstop headaches. If the aneurysm had burst, Shoblaske likely would have
suffered a serious stroke. To prevent that from happening, Duckworth closed off the
aneurysm with a small titanium clip. In a traditional aneurysm repair, the surgeon cuts
out a piece of skull roughly 3 inches high and 3 inches wide. After repairing the
aneurysm, the surgeon uses small plates and screws to reattach the skull piece. By
contrast, the opening Duckworth created in Shoblaske was only about one inch across. It's
difficult to work with such a small opening. "You have to be much more
meticulous," Duckworth said.
Codeine not safe for all
breastfeeding moms and their babies
Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers,
according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick
Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Lead author Dr. Gideon Koren published research in the
journal, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics which suggests that the codeine used in
some pain relief drugs can actually have harmful and even fatal results for infants when
ingested by some breastfeeding mothers. "With nearly half of all infants in North
America being delivered by caesarean section or after episiotomy, there is clearly a
requirement for pain relief for mothers," says Koren. "However, our study
confirms that codeine as a treatment for pain may be unsuitable and cannot be considered
safe for all breastfed infants." Koren holds the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology
at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario,
and is a professor of pediatrics at both Western and the University of Toronto. He is also
a senior scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at SickKids Research
Institute, and director of The Motherisk Program. Codeine is commonly used for pain relief
and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as being compatible with
breastfeeding. Following numerous reports through the Motherisk counseling service and the
tragic death of an infant who died from an overdose of morphine acquired from breast milk,
Koren and his team, located at SickKids and The University of Western Ontario,
investigated these negative reactions.
Research Suggests Diabetes
Transmitted from Parents to Children
A new study in the September issue of the Journal of Lipid Research suggests an unusual
form of inheritance may have a role in the rising rate of diabetes, especially in children
and young adults in the United States. DNA is the primary mechanism of inheritance; kids
get half their genes from mom and half from dad. However, scientists are just starting to
understand additional kinds of inheritance like metabolic programming, which occurs when
an insult during a critical period of development, either in the womb or soon after birth,
triggers permanent changes in metabolism. In this study, the researchers looked at the
effects of a diet high in saturated fat on mice and their offspring. As expected, they
found that a high-fat diet induced type 2 diabetes in the adult mice and that this effect
was reversed by stopping the diet. However, if female mice continued a high-fat diet
during pregnancy and/or suckling, their offspring also had a greater frequency of diabetes
development, even though the offspring were given a moderate-fat diet. These mice were
then mated with healthy mice, and the next generation offspring (grandchildren of the
original high-fat fed generation) could develop diabetes as well. In effect, exposing a
fetal mouse to high levels of saturated fats can cause it and its offspring to acquire
diabetes, even if the mouse goes off the high-fat diet and its young are never directly
exposed.
Researchers discover how rheumatoid
arthritis causes bone loss
Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone,
according to a study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological
Chemistry. The findings are already guiding attempts to design new drugs to reverse
RA-related bone loss and may also address more common forms of osteoporosis with a few
adjustments. Two million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes
swelling, pain and deformity in joints and also lead to the thinning of bone. In
autoimmune diseases like RA, the body's disease-fighting immune cells mistakenly identify
parts of a person's body as foreign invaders, akin to bacteria, and produce chemicals to
destroy them. Among the immune chemicals known to play a central in autoimmune disease is
tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), which ramps up the production of immune cells and
chemicals as part of the body's response to disease. When overproduced in RA patients, TNF
alpha signals for the destruction of cartilage and bone. Beyond its control over immune
cells, TNF alpha also influences bone mass. Human bone is continually regenerated to
maintain strength. Under the control of signaling molecules which include TNF alpha, two
cell types, balanced against each other, make bone recycling possible. Osteoclasts break
down aging bone to make way for new bone, while osteoblasts build new bone at the sites
where osteoclasts have removed it. Going into the study, the field understood that TNF
alpha decreases the number of bone-building osteoblasts, but not how. The current study
provides the first direct proof that the TNF alpha affects osteoblasts through an enzyme
called Smad Ubiquitin Regulatory Factor 1 (Smurf1), which in turn shuts down two proteins
that would otherwise drive bone-building. While traditional RA drugs like NSAIDs and
steroids treat symptoms, a newer class of best-selling drugs (e.g. Humira, Remicade and
Enbrel) reverses the disease process by shutting down TNF alpha activity. While the new
drugs are effective for many patients, others experience infections and even lymphoma in a
few cases. The new drugs are based on bioengineered versions of proteins made by human
immune cells called antibodies, and are very expensive to make. Thus, the field has been
searching for smaller, simpler chemicals that would be effective, but with lower costs and
fewer side effects.
LSUHSC research reports new method
to protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimer's
New research led by Chu Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at LSU Health
Sciences Center New Orleans, provides evidence that one of the only naturally occurring
fatty acids in the brain that has the ability to interact with the receptors originally
identified as the targets of THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) can help to
protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Published in the August 15, 2008 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the
research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation, specifically
the role these relatively recently discovered endogenous cannabinoids can play in the
control of COX-2 and other cyclooxygenases. COX-2 is a key player in neuroinflammation and
has been implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases and worsening of
damage from such insults as traumatic brain injury and stroke.Chen and research associate
Jian Zhang show that endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) functions as an
endogenous COX-2 inhibitor, turning off the production of COX-2 which normally goes into
overdrive in response to pro-inflammatory and certain types of toxic stimuli, resulting in
the injury or death of brain cells. The researchers also revealed the specific signaling
pathways that regulate the 2-AG suppression of COX-2. The paper, Endocannabinoid
2-Arachidonoylglycerol Protects Neurons by Limiting COX-2 Elevation, is available online
at http://www.jbc.org.
Acute maternal stress during
pregnancy linked to development of schizophrenia
Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely
to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. Research published in the open access
journal BMC Psychiatry (embargoed for release on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 7:01 p.m.
EST) supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal exposure to severe
stress during the early months of pregnancy to an increased susceptibility to
schizophrenia in the offspring. According to lead author Dolores Malaspina M.D.,
M.Sc.P.H., Anita Steckler and Joseph Steckler Professor of Psychiatry at the NYU School of
Medicine. "The stresses in question are those that would be experienced in a natural
disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane, a terrorist attack, or a sudden
bereavement". Data from 88,829 people, born in Jerusalem from 1964 to 1976, were
collected from the Jerusalem Perinatal Study that linked birth records to Israel's
Psychiatric Registry. The NYU authors discovered that the offspring of women who were in
their second month of pregnancy during the height of the Arab-Israeli war in June of 1967
(the "Six Day War") displayed a significantly higher incidence of schizophrenia
over the following 21-33 years. The study also showed that the pattern was
gender-specific, affecting females more than males. Following the 1967 war, females who
had been in their second month of fetal life during the conflict were 4.3 times more
likely to develop schizophrenia than females born at other times. Males in their second
month of fetal life were 1.2 times more likely to develop schizophrenia. "It's a very
striking confirmation of something that has been suspected for quite some time", said
Malaspina."The placenta is very sensitive to stress hormones in the mother,"
explains Malaspina, "these hormones were probably amplified during the time of the
war."
Eating red meat during adolescence
might heighten the risk of breast cancer
Many adolescent women shun red meat, driven by the lure of clothes-hanger figures and
runway looks. But for those who don't, here's a reason to reconsider: Eating a lot of red
meat during adolescence may increase the risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women,
a new study reports. The findings are based on a study published in a recent issue of
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention conducted by Dana-Farber oncologist Lindsay
Frazier, MD, Sc M, and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard
Medical School. Red meat consumption during adulthood has been previously shown to spur
hormone-fueled breast cancer in women ages 26 to 46. The new study is the first
prospective study to show a connection between a diet high in red meat during adolescence
and the development of pre-menopausal breast cancer. A prospective analysis is an
investigation that follows a group of women over time instead of establishing a link
through medical records of past diagnoses.
A surprise discovery -- that calorie-burning brown fat can be produced experimentally from
muscle precursor cells in mice -- raises the prospect of new ways to fight obesity and
overweight, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Reporting in the Aug. 21
issue of the journal Nature, the researchers demonstrated that brown fat, which is known
as the "good" form of fat -- so called because it burns calories and releases
energy, unlike "bad" white fat that simply stores extra calories -- can be
generated from unspecialized precursors that routinely spawn skeletal muscle. The team led
by Dana-Farber's Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, showed that a previously known molecular switch,
PRDM16, regulates the creation of brown fat from immature muscle cells. They also
determined that the process is a two-way street: Knocking out PRDM16 in brown fat cells
can convert them into muscle cells. However, Spiegelman called the latter an
"experimental lab trick" for which he currently envisions no practical
applications. The "huge surprise" of the study results, he said, was that muscle
precursor cells known as "satellite cells" are able to give birth to brown fat
cells under the control of PRDM16. Spiegelman said the finding confirms that PRDM16 is the
"master regulator" of brown fat development. The confirmation will spur ongoing
research in his laboratory, he said, to see if drugs that rev up PRDM16 in mice -- and
potentially, in people -- could convert white fat into brown fat and thereby treat
obesity. Another strategy, he said, might be to transplant brown fat cells into an
overweight person to turn on the calorie-burning process.
Atypical evening cortisol profile
induces visual recognition memory deficit in healthy human subjects
Diurnal rhythm-mediated endogenous cortisol levels in humans are characterised by a peak
in secretion after awakening that declines throughout the day to an evening trough.
However, a significant proportion of the population exhibits an atypical cycle of diurnal
cortisol due to shift work, jet-lag, aging, and mental illness.This study suggests that
atypical evening salivary cortisol levels have an important role in the early
deterioration of recognition memory. The loss of recognition memory, which is vital for
everyday life, is a major symptom of the amnesic syndrome and early stages of Alzheimer's
disease. Therefore, this study will promote a potential physiologic marker of early
deterioration of recognition memory and possible diagnostic strategy for Alzheimer's
disease.
Allogeneic endometrial regenerative
cells - An "off the shelf solution" for critical limb ischemia?
Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is an advanced form of peripheral artery disease which is
responsible for approximately 100,000 amputations per year in the US. Trials to date have
reported clinical improvement and reduced need for amputation in CLI patients receiving
autologous bone marrow or mobilized peripheral blood stem cells for stimulation of
angiogenesis. While such treatments are currently entering Phase III trials, practical and
scientific pitfalls will limit widespread implementation if efficacy is proven. Hurdles to
be overcome include: a) reduced angiogenic potential of autologous cells in aged patients
with cardiovascular risk factors; b) invasiveness/adverse effects of bone marrow
extraction and G-CSF mobilization, respectively; and c) need for on-site cellular
manipulation. The Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC) is a mesenchymal-like stem cell
derived from the menstrual blood that is believed to be associated with endometrial
angiogenesis. We discuss the possibility of using allogeneic ERCs as an "off the
shelf" treatment for CLI based on the following properties: a) High levels of growth
factors and matrix metalloprotease production; b) Ability to inhibits inflammatory
responses and lack of immunogenicity; and c) Expandability to great quantities without
loss of differentiation ability or karyotypic abnormalities.
Comparison of Prognostic Gene
Expression signatures for Breast Cancer
During the last years, several groups have identified prognostic gene expression
signatures with apparently similar performances. However, signatures were never compared
on an independent population of untreated breast cancer patients, where risk assessment
was computed using the original algorithms and microarray platforms.Despite the difference
in development of these signatures and the limited overlap in gene identity, they showed
similar prognostic performance, adding to the still growing evidence that these prognostic
signatures are of wide clinical relevance.
Duke Chemists Synthesize Promising
Anti-Cancer Product
Duke University chemists have patented an efficient technique for synthesizing a marine
algae extract in sufficient quantities to now test its ability to inhibit the growth of
cancerous cells while leaving normal cells unaffected. The researchers also deduced that
this molecule -- called largazole -- acts on cells through the same chemical mechanism as
other anti-cancer compounds on the market or in clinical trials. “It’s a very
exciting molecule,” said Jiyong Hong, a Duke assistant chemistry professor. Hong's
graduate student, Yongcheng Ying, reported on the work in an Aug. 20 talk in Philadelphia
during the 236th national meeting of the American Chemical Society. It was also described
in a May 29 report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). Hendrik Luesch,
a natural product chemist at the University of Florida who led the group that discovered
largazole, was a corresponding author of the May JACS report along with Hong. Luesch's
team first extracted and identified largazole from a marine blue-green algae collected at
Key Largo, Fla. Guided by evidence of therapeutic benefits from extracts of a related
algae, the Florida group demonstrated that largazole could impede breast cancer cell
growth better than the anti-tumor drug Taxol without causing Taxol-like side effects on
normal breast tissue.
Turning Up The Heat On Tomatoes
Boosts Absorption Of Lycopene
Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the
popular garden staple added disease-fighting power, Ohio State University research
suggests. Scientists have found that lycopene molecules in tomatoes that are combined with
fat and subjected to intense heat during processing are restructured in a way that appears
to ease their transport into the bloodstream and tissue. The tomato is the primary food
source of lycopene, a naturally occurring pigment linked to the prevention of cancer and
other chronic diseases.
Compounds Have Potential For
Diagnosis, Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease
Scientists have discovered that these compounds interact in three specific ways with the
tau protein, which is the subject of a growing body of research into the causes and
progression of dementia.In a normal, healthy brain, the tau protein binds to and
stabilizes structures in the brain that are essential for proper functioning. But tau
protein that breaks away from these structures can begin forming long strands called
filaments. These filaments can clump into tangles, which are a marker of Alzheimer’s
disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Depending on the specific compounds under
study, they can produce three different outcomes when introduced to the tau protein: They
either bind to the protein filaments; inhibit the filaments from developing; or drive tau
protein to form filaments. So far, the interactions have been observed in test tubes and
cell cultures, so any clinical use of the compounds will require years of additional
research.
Coatings To Help Medical Implants
Connect With Neurons
Plastic coatings could someday help neural implants treat conditions as diverse as
Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration. The coatings encourage neurons in the body
to grow and connect with the electrodes that provide treatment. Jessica O. Winter,
assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University
described the research Thursday, August 21 at the American Chemical Society meeting in
Philadelphia. She is also an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. Worldwide,
researchers are developing medical implants that stimulate neurons to treat conditions
caused by neural damage. Most research focuses on preventing the body from rejecting the
implant, but the Ohio State researchers are focusing instead on how to boost the implants'
effectiveness.
Alcohol dependence among women is
linked to delayed childbearing
Alcohol use during the teen years can not only lead to subsequent alcohol problems, it can
also lead to risky sexual behavior and a greater risk of early childbearing. An
examination of the relationship between a lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD) and
timing of first childbirth across reproductive development has found that AD in women is
associated with delayed reproduction. Results will be published in the November issue of
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early
View.
Joslin study identifies protein
that produces 'good' fat
A study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that a protein known for
its role in inducing bone growth can also help promote the development of brown fat, a
"good" fat that helps in the expenditure of energy and plays a role in fighting
obesity. "Obesity is occurring at epidemic rates in the U.S. and worldwide and that
impacts the risk and prognosis of many diseases," said Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D. an
Assistant Investigator in the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action and lead author
of the paper published in the August 21 issue of Nature. "We hope this study can be
translated into applications to help treat or prevent obesity." Tseng noted that
obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and is closely linked to the metabolic
syndrome, a collection of medical problems associated with insulin resistance that can
lead to an increased risk of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in coronary arteries
that leads to heart attack and stroke. In laboratory studies of mouse cells, Tseng and her
colleagues identified that a bone-inducing protein called BMP-7 drives precursor cells
that give rise to mature brown fat cells. According to Tseng, there are two main types of
fat cells in the body – white and brown. "White fat cells are the 'conventional'
form of fat designed to store energy. By contrast, the main role of brown fat is to burn
calories by generating heat. Brown fat cells largely disappear by adulthood in humans, but
their precursors still remain in the body," Tseng explained. A 2005 Joslin study by
Dr. Tseng and colleagues discovered genes that control the creation of the precursor cells
of brown fat. Another more recent 2007 Joslin study led by C. Ronald Kahn, M.D., head of
the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action and also a co-author of the current
Nature study, found clusters of brown fat cells dispersed between bundles of muscle fibers
in an obesity-resistant strain of mice. Now, this latest study identified BMP-7 as the
protein capable of inducing the formation and function of brown fat cells. According to
the paper, delivery of BMP-7 into mice using adenovirus as a vector resulted in an
increase in the development of brown fat tissue. In one of the experiments, the mice that
developed brown fat tissue gained less weight than those that did not. In another
experiment, mice that received injections of progenitor cells – similar to stem cells
– that had been pre-treated with BMP-7 also developed additional brown fat tissue.
Joslin Study Finds Insulin
Resistance Causes Gallstones
It has been known for more than 100 years that gallstones are more common in obese
individuals. Now, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have determined that insulin
resistance is likely the reason why. “This is a very exciting discovery not only
because we now have an answer to something that has been a puzzle for more than a century,
but also because of its potential therapeutic implications,” said lead author Sudha
Biddinger, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher in the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action.
The research, which is published in the current issue of Nature Medicine, demonstrates a
link between insulin resistance and the development of gallstones in mice that lacked
insulin receptors in their livers. “Obesity is associated with increased secretion of
cholesterol into the bile. The excess cholesterol accumulates in the gallbladder, which
can lead to the formation of painful gallstones,” said Biddinger. “This study
shows that insulin resistance is key to this process, as the lack of insulin receptors in
the liver was sufficient to promote gallstones in that group of mice.” In the study,
mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet for one week. Thirty-six percent of the insulin
resistant mice developed gallstones, compared to none in the control group. According to
the paper, a regulatory protein involved in diabetes called FOXO1 is the cause.
According to new research from the Monell Center, odors from skin can be used to identify
basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The findings, presented at the
236th meeting of the American Chemical Society, may open doors to development of new
methods to detect basal cell carcinoma and other forms of skin cancer. The researchers
sampled air above basal cell tumors and found a different profile of chemical compounds
compared to skin located at the same sites in healthy control subjects. "Our findings
may someday allow doctors to screen for and diagnose skin cancers at very early
stages," said Michelle Gallagher, PhD. Human skin produces numerous airborne chemical
molecules known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, many of which are odorous. In the
study presented at the ACS, the researchers obtained VOC profiles from basal cell
carcinoma sites in 11 patients and compared them to profiles from similar skin sites in 11
healthy controls. Both profiles contained the same array of chemicals; the difference
involved the amounts of specific chemicals – some were increased and others decreased
in samples from basal cell carcinoma sites. The researchers plan to characterize skin odor
profiles associated with other forms of skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma and
melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. To identify changes related to cancer, the
researchers first needed to identify a normative profile for VOCs and to determine whether
this profile varies as a function of age, gender or body site.
A newly developed medical imaging technology may provide doctors with a long-awaited test
for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), scientists from New York reported today at the
236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. By far the most common form of
arthritis, OA is a bane of the Baby Boom generation, causing joint pain and disability for
more than half of those over 65 – nearly 21 million people in the United States.
Breaking the 'mucus barrier' with a
new drug delivery system
Chemical engineers from Johns Hopkins University have broken the "mucus
barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through
human mucus — regarded by many as nearly impenetrable — and carrying medication
that could treat a range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer, cervical
cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research noted in a presentation scheduled for the 236th
National Meeting of the American Chemical Society."We studied the properties of
disease-causing viruses that evolved to infect mucosal surfaces to engineer a coating that
enables our drug delivery particles to penetrate mucus layers in minutes. In our new work,
we have improved the coatings considerably to allow faster penetration for a wider array
of particle sizes," says lead presenter Samuel K. Lai, Ph.D.Mucus, the slippery
secretion lining the lung airways, surface of the eye, gastrointestinal tract, and female
reproductive tract, may seem delicate. But it is a tenacious barrier, effectively keeping
out most pathogens and limiting infections."Mucus has evolved to be a highly
efficient barrier," says Justin Hanes, professor of chemical & biomolecular
engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the lead investigator of the study. "For
example, we constantly inhale particles into our lungs, but they typically stick to mucus
rather than penetrate it. Particles that stick are removed rapidly from the lungs on a
mucus 'conveyor belt,' and are swallowed and sterilized in the gut. Mucus barriers protect
us from constant infection, as well as everyday things like the millions of particles in
the black cloud emitted from a bus when it takes off from a stop."
Brain Cells Called Astrocytes
Undergo Reorganization and May Engulf Attacking T Cells
When virally infected cells in the brain called astrocytes come in contact with anti-viral
T cells of the immune system, they undergo a unique series of changes that dramatically
reorganize their shape and function, according to researchers at the Board of Governors
Gene Therapeutics Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Intriguingly, the new
data indicate that astrocytes may defend themselves from attacking T cells by engulfing
(gobbling up) the aggressors. “Further studies into the cellular and molecular
processes leading to these changes could have implications for understanding and treating
brain infections, brain tumors and neurodegenerative disorders,” said Pedro R.
Lowenstein, M.D., Ph.D., director of the institute and holder of the Bram and Elaine
Goldsmith Endowed Chair in Gene Therapeutics. Lowenstein is senior author of an article on
the new findings, published on Aug. 20 in PLoS ONE, an open-access, peer-reviewed, online
journal of the Public Library of Science. Astrocytes play numerous roles in maintaining
the structure, metabolism and function of the brain. They provide nutrients to neurons,
are integral in the formation of the blood-brain-barrier, and have essential functions in
controlling neuronal activity.
Bath researchers study how cancer
cells come unstuck
Scientists in the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Bath have
started a three year study into the junctions that hold cells together, giving insight
into how cancer cells can break off and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer affects
one in three people at some point in their lives, with most cancer deaths being caused by
the development of secondary tumours in other parts of the body. This research, funded by
leading medical charity Cancer Research UK, could help scientists better understand what
causes cancer to spread and may suggest new ways it could be treated in the future. Normal
cells are held together by junctions on the cell surface, but in some cancers these
junctions are lost. This makes the cancerous cells more likely to break off and spread
tumours to other parts of the body. Dr Andrew Chalmers and Dr Paul Whitley, both lecturers
from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry, are studying how a group of proteins
called ESCRTs are involved in the loss of these junctions in kidney and intestine cells.
Enzyme new potential target in
treating blood cancer
A discovery by a research team with the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in
Sweden may lead to new treatments for blood cancer and other diseases. By stopping the
production of a specific enzyme, ICMT, researchers were able to alleviate disease symptoms
in mice with blood cancer. In many forms of cancer, the growth of tumors and their ability
to spread are stimulated by a mutated gene that codes for a so-called RAS protein. This
has led to intensive research into how to block the activity of these proteins. “RAS
proteins exist in all cells, anchored to the inside of the cell membrane, where they
regulate cell growth and cell division. The enzyme we are studying helps RAS proteins get
anchored to the cell membrane. By blocking this enzyme, we were able to inhibit the
binding of RAS proteins to cell membranes and greatly improve the disease symptoms in mice
with blood cancer,” says Associate Professor Martin Bergö, who directs research at
the Wallberg? Laboratory at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The research team has developed a
genetically modified mouse that produces a mutated and constantly active RAS protein in
its bone marrow, where new blood cells are generated. These mice develop a form of
leukemia that is similar to a number of forms of blood cancer in humans. The pathogenic
bone marrow cells divide uncontrollably, and the normal control of cell growth cannot turn
them off. In these mice, the production of the enzyme called ICMT can also be stopped.
Significant long-term benefit for
low back pain revealed by major study
A major study led by a Southampton researcher has found significant evidence that the
Alexander Technique can provide long-term benefit for people with chronic or recurrent low
back pain. The study, one of the first of its kind, is being published online today by the
BMJ at BMJ.com. It shows that lessons in the Alexander Technique provide an individualised
approach to reducing back pain through the teaching of life-long self-care skills that
help people recognise, understand and avoid poor habits affecting postural tone and
neuromuscular co-ordination. Up until now there has been no good evidence of the long-term
effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons. But the latest research by Professor Paul
Little of the University of Southampton, in conjunction with Professor Debbie Sharp, of
Bristol University, shows that the technique can help long-term back pain. The
multi-centre clinical trial involved 579 patients and compared 24 Alexander Technique
lessons, six Alexander Technique lessons, six sessions of classical massage and normal GP
care. Half of the patients allocated to each of these groups also received a GP
prescription for aerobic exercise (30 minutes of brisk walking or the equivalent each
day), followed by behavioural counselling from a practice nurse. The study showed that 24
Alexander Technique lessons led to important improvements in function, quality of life and
a reduction in the number of days the patients suffered pain.
Are your eyes a window to
diabetes-related health issues?
Scientists at Aston University in Birmingham, UK are carrying out a unique study using the
eyes to detect early signs of health problems which could lead to diabetes, and
they’re looking for volunteers to help. A team of scientists from Aston’s
Ophthalmic Research Group (ORG) are looking for healthy 20-65 year olds to take part in a
free health check - results of which could help in detecting risk for diabetes or early
diabetic changes. The scientists are particularly interested in the differences in these
factors between the South Asian community and Caucasian population in Birmingham. People
who sign up for their free health check will undergo a simple ultrasound test (to assess
cardiovascular health), an eye test (to measure blood flow and blood vessel diameter) and
a blood test (to check for glucose and cholesterol levels). Researchers (led by
Ophthalmology lecturer Dr Doina Gherghel) would like to test South Asian (Indian, Sri
Lankan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) or Caucasian people, with or without a family history
of diabetes in one or both parents.
Stem cell indicator should boost
bowel cancer survival rates
Scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel
cancer, which should improve both treatment and survival. The UK-led team, headed by
scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute,
(NESCI*), studied tissue samples from 700 colorectal (bowel) cancer patients and tracked
their progress. They found that patients who had a stem cell marker protein called Lamin A
present in their tissue were more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease. The
team concluded that if the marker is detected in the early forms of colorectal cancer,
these patients should be given chemotherapy in addition to the surgery normally offered to
ensure a better survival predicament.The team now aims to develop a robust prognostic tool
for use in the health service.
Bisphenol A exposure can increase
risk of diabetes and heart attacks
In human fat tissues, bisphenol A (BPA) suppresses levels of a key hormone, adiponectin,
that protects people from heart attacks and Type II diabetes. These results implicate BPA
as a potential cause of metabolic syndrome, one of the most serious and costly public
health problems in the US.
The National Marine Fisheries Service lists China as supplying 70 percent of America´s
tilapia. China and Thailand are the largest suppliers of imported shrimp. After traveling
over two thousand miles throughout Mainland China and spending five days on the Yangtze
River, I have become alarmed at the condition of our imported seafood from Asia.
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer and liver disease, I read everything I could
find on both subjects. Certain words kept popping up: toxic pesticides, toxic fertilizers,
herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, vitamin supplements, mineral supplements. After my
mastectomy for the breast cancer, I turned to organic food, which has none of these
additives, and I stopped all vitamin and mineral supplements to heal my liver and fight
cancer recurrence. After six months, my liver enzymes returned to below normal, my overall
cholesterol dropped 40 points, my good cholesterol rose 40 points, and even my bad
cholesterol dropped a few points. Since breast cancer is not a one shot deal, I remain on
an organic diet to fight cancer recurrence and to keep my liver healthy.
I call them “The Big Offenders.” These are the guys that add hormones and
antibiotics to dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, and chickens. They inject these hormones
into cattle and sheep so the animals gain weight faster. The faster weight gain reduces
the waiting time for the animal’s slaughter, speeding the meat to your dinner table.
Dairy cows are injected with hormones to increase milk production. This increase in milk
production requires frequent milking which in turn leads to udder irritation and
infections that require antibiotics. Since the infections don’t always completely
clear up, the government permits a certain amount of pus to remain in the milk.’
UT Southwestern researchers uncover
molecule that keeps pathogens like salmonella in check
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a potential new way to stop the
bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea from making people
sick. The researchers found that the molecule LED209 interferes with the biochemical
signals that cause bacteria in our bodies to release toxins. "What we have here is a
completely novel approach to combating illness," said Dr. Vanessa Sperandio,
associate professor of microbiology and biochemistry at UT Southwestern and senior author
of a study available online today and in a future issue of Science.Though many
antimicrobial drugs are already available, new ones are needed to combat the increasing
microbial resistance to antibiotics. In addition, treating some bacterial infections with
conventional antibiotics can cause the release of more toxins and may worsen disease
outcome. Scientists have known for decades that millions of potentially harmful bacteria
exist in the human body, awaiting a signal that it's time to release their toxins. Without
those signals, the bacteria pass through the digestive tract without infecting cells. What
hasn't been identified is how to prevent the release of those toxins, a process that
involves activating virulence genes in the bacteria. In the new study, UT Southwestern
researchers describe how LED209 blocks the bacterial receptor for these signals. In 2006,
the UT Southwestern researchers were the first to identify the receptor QseC sensor
kinase, which is found in the membrane of a diarrhea-causing strain of Escherichia coli.
This receptor receives signals from human flora and hormones in the intestine that cause
the bacteria to initiate infection.
Google.org invests more than US$10m
in breakthrough geothermal energy technology
In the continuing effort to develop electricity from renewable energy cheaper than from
coal, Google (NASDAQ-GOOG), through its philanthropic arm Google.org, announced $10.25
million in investments in a breakthrough energy technology called Enhanced Geothermal
Systems (EGS). Today's announcement also includes funding for research on next-generation
geothermal resource mapping, EGS information tools, and a policy agenda for geothermal
energy.
Althoughmental problems are highly relevant in connection with fatigue, it seems likely
that the extreme state observed in many CFS patients have a more distinct cause;
particularly as many of the patients were highly active and well-adjusted prior to the
onset of disease.
