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Week 49
What are the Dangers of Mutating
Pet Flu Viruses, and Does Your Pet Need a Flu Shot?
On October 20, Fox News reported that dog flu, also known as H3N8, or CIV for Canine
Influenza Virus, could be added to the list of illnesses to think about if you’re a
dog owner. CIV is reportedly a mutated form of Equine Influenza, or horse flu, and was
first discovered about three years ago.
Food sources of vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is emerging as an exciting player in the control and possible regression of
coronary atherosclerotic plaque. Only about 10% of dietary vitamin K intake is in the K2
form, the other 90% being the more common K1.
Mandatory Disclosure of
Pharmaceutical Industry-Funded Events for Health Professionals
There are moves internationally to ensure greater disclosure of gifts and educational
events for doctors paid for by pharmaceutical manufacturers. However, there is no
agreement on appropriate standards of disclosure. In Australia, since mid-2007, there has
been mandatory reporting of details of every industry-sponsored event, including the costs
of any hospitality provided.
Norwegian Physicians' Knowledge of
and Opinions about Evidence-Based Medicine
Do Norwegian physicians know about the three important aspects of EBM? Do they use EBM
methods in their clinical practice? What are their attitudes towards EBM? Has EBM in their
opinion changed medical practice during the last 10 years? Do they use EBM based
information sources?
Twenty-Seven Years of Phase III
Trials for Patients with Extensive Disease Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Disappointing Results
Few studies have formally assessed whether treatment outcomes have improved substantially
over the years for patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC)
enrolled in phase III trials. The objective of the current investigation was to determine
the time trends in outcomes for the patients in those trials.
Immunisation with a Multivalent,
Subunit Vaccine Reduces Patent Infection
River blindness, or onchocerciasis, is caused by a parasitic worm (Onchocerca volvulus)
that is transmitted by blood-feeding blackflies, which breed in fast-flowing rivers. More
than 37 million people are infected and may experience visual impairment and/or severe
dermatitis. Control of onchocerciasis is largely dependent on a single drug, ivermectin.
Whilst this is extremely effective at killing the worms' offspring (microfilariae) and
preventing symptoms, ivermectin does not eliminate the long-lived adult parasites or
always stop transmission. Consequently, treatments must be repeated for many years, and
drug resistance may be emerging. Against this background, a vaccine against onchocerciasis
would provide an important additional tool to sustain effective control. In this study, we
evaluated eight worm antigens as vaccine components in cattle, which are often parasitized
by O. ochengi (the closest relative of O. volvulus) in West Africa. Twelve uninfected
animals received all eight antigens and were exposed to natural transmission of O. ochengi
alongside 13 unvaccinated cattle. After almost two years, 92% of vaccinated animals had
acquired adult worms, but only 58% were positive for microfilariae; whereas 100% of
unvaccinated animals harboured both parasite stages. This suggests that a vaccine against
microfilariae to prevent development of disease in humans may be achievable.
Vitamin D Can Ease Symptoms of
Multiple Sclerosis
Australian scientists have found that Vitamin D may slow the progression of multiple
sclerosis (MS).
Vitamin D intrigues at AHA confab
A study on the docket for today is sure to add to the growing interest in Vitamin D. Among
healthy adults age 50 and older, those with extremely low levels of the vitamin were
almost twice as likely to die, develop congestive heart failure, or suffer a stroke over
the next two years. They also had more coronary artery disease than those with adequate
amounts.
Scientists Discover Heart Disease
in Ancient Egyptian Mummies
An international team of scientists has discovered heart disease in ancient Egyptian
mummies, dispelling the view that cardiovascular disease is an illness of modern humans.
Mouse study points to treatment for
Down syndrome
Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brain may help prevent some of
the memory deficits in Down syndrome that hinder learning and make it hard for the brain
to develop normally.
Second hand smoke worse for
toddlers, fat kids
link between the amount of secondhand smoke exposure and a marker of vascular injury in
toddlers. This link was two times greater in toddlers who were obese.
Study 40% of U.S. May Be Obese by
2018
If current obesity trends continue, more than 40 percent of adults in the United states
will be obese and spending on the epidemic will quadruple to $344 billion by 2018,
according to a new study released Tuesday.
Bogus Claims on Food Labels
10 Sneaky Label Traps to Avoid, courtesy of ShopSmart
New study exposes risks of BPA
A recent study on bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical used in some plastic water bottles and
canned food liners, found evidence suggesting the substance may increase the risk of
reproductive issues in humans.
Babies Exposed In The Womb To
Chemicals Found In Everyday Products
Even before they're born, babies are being exposed to chemicals that have been linked to
serious health-related problems.
Natural cures a powerful
alternative to 'Big Pharma'
With the health care debate moving into the Senate, we are still missing the mark on how
to actually reduce the bottom-line costs of health care.
World's largest aspartame maker
Ajinomoto is trying to rename it AMINOSWEET!
Leading aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will brand the
sweetener AminoSweet.
New weapon in war on hospital bugs
A compound that mimics one of the body's weapons against bacteria could be used to wipe
out hospital bugs.
EU-funded researchers discover new
immune cell
EU-funded researchers have discovered a new type of immune cell that plays a role in
certain chronic inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and asthma. The team hopes that
their discovery will eventually lead to the development of new drugs to treat these
diseases.
Restored hearings
The primary purpose of this therapy is to alleviate temporary tinnitus. For example use it
after attending a concert, going to a disco, listening to a loud mp3 player or being in a
loud environment. The therapy lasts for approximately one minute, only requires a
broadband connection, a pair of outer ear headphones and it has a 99% success rate proven
by scientific trials.
Sweet -- sugared polymer a new
weapon against allergies and asthma
Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer
strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and
asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to
fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way. For more than a decade, a team
led by Bruce S. Bochner, M.D., director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has studied a unique protein known as
Siglec-8. This protein, whose name is an acronym for Sialic Acid-binding,
Immunoglobulin-like LECtin number 8, is present on the surfaces of a few types of immune
cells, including eosinophils, basophils and mast cells. These different cell types have
diverse but cooperative roles in normal immune function and allergic diseases. When
functioning correctly, they are a valuable aid to keeping the body healthy and
infection-free. However, in allergic reactions and asthma attacks, the cells unleash an
overwhelming response that typically harms the body more than it helps. The researchers
found in previous studies that when they bound antibodies that specifically target
Siglec-8 to the protein on eosinophils, the cells promptly died, an effect that might be
useful in stemming an allergy or asthma attack. Since producing antibodies can be
expensive—a potential roadblock to using them as pharmaceuticals in the
future—the researchers sought another way to activate this protein.
Mother’s Depression a Risk
Factor in Childhood Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests
Asthma symptoms can worsen in children with depressed mothers, according to research from
Johns Hopkins Children’s Center published online in the Journal of Pediatric
Psychology. Analyzing data from interviews with 262 mothers of African-American children
with asthma — a population disproportionately affected by this inflammatory airway
disorder — the Hopkins investigators found that children whose mothers had more
depressive symptoms had more frequent asthma symptoms during the six-months of the study.
Conversely, children whose mothers reported fewer depressive symptoms had less frequent
asthma symptoms. Researchers tracked ups and downs in maternal depression as related to
the frequency of symptoms among children.
New findings suggest strategy to
help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies
New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating
an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the
Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Scientists know that an
HIV-neutralizing antibody called b12 binds to gp120, an HIV surface protein, at one of the
few areas of the virus that does not mutate: the site where gp120 initially attaches to
human immune cells. It was thought that exposing the human immune system to this site on
gp120 would generate antibodies that, like b12, can neutralize HIV. Studies have found
that for unknown reasons, however, the vast majority of antibodies that recognize this
site do not block the virus from infecting cells. Now a new study solves this puzzle,
suggesting that antibodies must home in precisely on the site of initial gp120 attachment
to successfully neutralize HIV. The gp120 protein usually appears on the surface of HIV
and on infected cells in inactive forms of viral debris or non-functional viral spikes.
Only rarely do gp120 molecules appear on the surface of the virus in a functional viral
spike, which contains a cluster of three gp120 molecules, known as a trimer, in specific
alignment. HIV uses this functional viral spike to bind to immune cells and infect them.
Engineer designs micro-endoscope to
seek out early signs of cancer
Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients’ bodies. Now, a University of
Florida engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection. Physicians
currently insert camera-equipped endoscopes into patients to hunt visible abnormalities,
such as tumors, in the gastrointestinal tract and internal organs. Huikai Xie, an
associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working on replacing the
cameras with scanners that “see” beneath the surface of tissues — revealing
abnormal groups of cells or growth patterns before cancerous growths are big enough to be
visible. “Right now, endoscopes just take pictures of the surface tissue. So, if you
see some injury, or abnormality, on the surface, that’s good,” Xie said.
“But most of the time, particularly with cancer, the early stages of disease are not
so obvious. The technology we are developing is basically to see under the surface, under
the epithelial layer.” Experiments with Xie’s scanning
“micro-endoscopes” on animal tissue have been promising, although his devices
have yet to be tested in people. The pencil-sized or smaller-sized endoscopes could one
day allow physicians to detect tumors at earlier stages and remove tumors more precisely,
increasing patients’ chances of survival and improving patients’ quality of
life.
Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria
Harmful to Human Health
Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to
cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of
Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de
Lyon in France. The research team describes the study as the first to show that
"cigarettes themselves could be the direct source of exposure to a wide array of
potentially pathogenic microbes among smokers and other people exposed to secondhand
smoke." Still, the researchers caution that the public health implications are
unclear and urge further research. "We were quite surprised to identify such a wide
variety of human bacterial pathogens in these products," says lead researcher Amy R.
Sapkota, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland's School of Public Health.
Surgery not linked to memory
problems in older patients
For years, it has been widely assumed that older adults may experience memory loss and
other cognitive problems following surgery. But a new study from researchers at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis questions those assumptions. In fact, the
researchers were not able to detect any long-term cognitive declines attributable to
surgery in a group of 575 patients they studied. "There's a perception that people go
in for surgery, and they aren't quite the same afterward," says first author Michael
S. Avidan, M.D. "The reports of cognitive deterioration have varied, but several
studies have suggested it affects many elderly people. In my experience as an
anesthesiologist, I've found this is a very common concern."
Women Can Quit Smoking and Control
Weight Gain
Many women don't quit smoking because they are afraid of gaining weight. That's because
nicotine suppresses the appetite and boosts a smoker's metabolism. But a new meta-analysis
(results of several studies) shows that women who quit smoking while receiving treatment
for weight control are better able to control their weight gain and are more successful at
quitting cigarettes. The finding disproves current clinical guidelines that say trying to
diet and quit smoking at the same time will sabotage efforts to ditch cigarettes.
"Women who smoke often feel caught between a rock and hard place, because they're
concerned about their health but also concerned about their appearance," said Bonnie
Spring, lead author of the study and a professor of preventive medicine at the
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Now they don't have to choose
between the two." Previously, it was assumed that a person could only change one
health risk behavior at a time. "But these findings show that, at least in the case
of smoking and eating, you actually get an added benefit when you try to change a couple
of behaviors at once," Spring said.
Reflux esophagitis due to immune
reaction, not acute acid burn, UT Southwestern researchers report
Contrary to current thinking, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
might not develop as a direct result of acidic digestive juices burning the esophagus, UT
Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found in an animal study. Rather,
gastroesophageal reflux spurs the esophageal cells to release chemicals called cytokines,
which attract inflammatory cells to the esophagus. It is those inflammatory cells, drawn
to the esophagus by cytokines, that cause the esophageal damage that is characteristic of
GERD. The condition is manifested by symptoms such as heartburn and chest pain.
New antioxidant compounds have been
identified in foods such as olive oil, honey and nuts using two analytical techniques
Scientists from the University of Granada have used two new techniques, capillary
electrophoresis and high resolution liquid chromatography, to enable them to identify and
quantify a great part of the phenolic compounds in such foods. These compounds have a
chemopreventive effect in humans and a great influence on the stability of oxidation
levels of food.
Scripps research scientists find
new link between insulin and core body temperature
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link
between insulin—a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders
such as diabetes—and core body temperature. While much research has been conducted on
insulin since its discovery in the 1920s, this is the first time the hormone has been
connected to the fundamental process of temperature regulation. The paper was published
recently in an advance, online issue of the journal Diabetes, a journal of the American
Diabetes Association, and will appear in the January print edition of the publication. The
scientists found that when insulin was injected directly into a specific area of the brain
in rodents, core body temperature rose, metabolism increased, and brown adipose (fat)
tissue was activated to release heat. The research team also found that these effects were
dose-dependent—up to a point, the more insulin, the more these metabolic measures
rose. "Scientists have known for many years that insulin is involved in glucose
regulation in tissues outside the brain," said Scripps Research neurobiologist Manuel
Sanchez-Alavez, who was first author of the new paper with Bartfai lab colleagues Iustin
V. Tabarean and Olivia Osborn (now at the University of California, San Diego). "The
connection to temperature regulation in the brain is new." In addition to suggesting
a fresh perspective on diseases such as diabetes that involve the disruption of insulin
pathways, the study adds to our understanding of core body temperature—the
temperature of those parts of the body containing vital organs, namely the trunk and the
head. Normally, core body temperature stays within a narrow range so that key enzymatic
reactions can occur. When core body temperature goes outside this range for prolonged
periods—higher as in fever, or lower as in hypothermia—the result is harm to the
body.
Schizophrenia gene's role may be
broader, more potent, than thought
UCSF scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a
gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia. Scientists have
known that the mutated form of the human gene – one of three consistently associated
with schizophrenia – mildly disrupts the transmission of chemical signals between
nerve cells in the brain. The new study focuses on genes involved in "adaptive
plasticity," the capacity of nerve cells to compensate for a wide range of
perturbations and continue to function normally. Studies ranging from fruit flies to human
have shown that if a nerve cell is functionally impaired then the surrounding cells can
compensate and restore normal cell-to-cell communication. This type of "adaptive
plasticity" stabilizes brain function, but the molecules involved remain largely
unknown. In the current study, the team screened 276 mutated, or disabled, fly genes to
determine if their absence revealed a role in adaptive plasticity in the fruit fly nervous
system. While absence of most of the genes had no impact on adaptive plasticity, the
absence of the gene known as dysbindin did. The finding, reported in the November 20, 2009
issue of Science, was dramatic, says the senior author of the study, Graeme Davis, PhD,
Albert Bowers Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
at UCSF.
Common plastics chemicals linked to
ADHD symptoms
Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning
materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been
inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth
defects, asthma, and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant
association between exposure and adverse effects. A new report by Korean scientists,
published by Elsevier in the November 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, adds to the
potentially alarming findings about phthalates. They measured urine phthalate
concentrations and evaluated symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
using teacher-reported symptoms and computerized tests that measured attention and
impulsivity. They found a significant positive association between phthalate exposure and
ADHD, meaning that the higher the concentration of phthalate metabolites in the urine, the
worse the ADHD symptoms and/or test scores. Senior author Yun-Chul Hong, MD, PhD,
explained that "these data represent the first documented association between
phthalate exposure and ADHD symptoms in school-aged children." John Krystal, MD, the
Editor of Biological Psychiatry, also commented: "This emerging link between
phthalates and symptoms of ADHD raises the concern that accidental environmental exposure
to phthalates may be contributing to behavioral and cognitive problems in children. This
concern calls for more definitive research." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in the Summary of their 2005 Third National Report on Human Exposure to
Environmental Chemicals, state that "very limited scientific information is available
on potential human health effects of phthalates at levels" found in the U.S.
population. Although this study was performed in a Korean population, their levels of
exposure are likely comparable to a U.S. population. The current findings do not prove
that phthalate exposure caused ADHD symptoms. However, these initial findings provide a
rationale for further research on this association.
Sleep apnea may cause heart disease
in kidney transplant patients
Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated
with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a study
appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology
(CJASN). Researchers found that kidney transplant patients are just as likely to have this
sleep disorder as dialyzed kidney disease patients who are on the transplant waiting list.
Therefore, both types of patients who have sleep apnea should be considered at high risk
for developing serious heart-related complications. Cardiovascular disease is the most
common cause of death in individuals who receive kidney transplants, and doctors monitor
transplant recipients for high blood pressure, or hypertension, and other signs of heart
trouble. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when an individual stops breathing momentarily
during sleep due to obstruction of the airway and has been linked to hypertension. Miklos
Zsolt Molnar, MD, PhD (Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary), and his colleagues
studied the prevalence of sleep apnea in kidney transplant patients and the effects the
condition had on their cardiovascular risk. The study included 100 transplant recipients.
The researchers found that moderate-to-severe sleep apnea occurred in one of every four
individuals. This rate was similar to that seen in a group of dialyzed kidney disease
patients who were waiting for a transplant. In addition, kidney transplant patients with
sleep apnea were more than twice as likely to be taking three or more anti-hypertensive
drugs as patients without the sleep disorder but still displayed higher blood pressure
than patients who slept normally. As seen in the general population, being obese increased
patients' risk of developing sleep apnea. When risk scores were calculated to predict
patients' risk of developing heart disease or experiencing a stroke, kidney disease
patients who had sleep apnea had twice the risk as patients without apnea.
Waking up memories while you sleep
They were in a deep sleep, yet sounds, such as a teakettle whistle and a cat's meow,
somehow penetrated their slumber. The 25 sounds presented during the nap were reminders of
earlier spatial learning, though the Northwestern University research participants were
unaware of the sounds as they slept. Yet, upon waking, memory tests showed that spatial
memories had changed. The participants were more accurate in dragging an object to the
correct location on a computer screen for the 25 images whose corresponding sounds were
presented during sleep (such as a muffled explosion for a photo of dynamite) than for
another 25 matched objects. "The research strongly suggests that we don't shut down
our minds during deep sleep," said John Rudoy, lead author of the study and a
neuroscience Ph.D. student at Northwestern. "Rather this is an important time for
consolidating memories." Most provocatively, the research showed that sounds can
penetrate deep sleep and be used to guide rehearsal of specific information, pushing
people's consolidation of memories in one direction over another. "While asleep,
people might process anything that happened during the day -- what they ate for breakfast,
television shows they watched, anything," said Ken Paller, senior author of the study
and professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern.
"But we decided which memories our volunteers would activate, guiding them to
rehearse some of the locations they had learned an hour earlier." The Northwestern
study adds a new twist to a growing body of research showing that memories are processed
during sleep. It substantiates the literature showing that the brain is very busy during
sleep, going over recently acquired information and integrating it with other knowledge in
a mysterious consolidation process that sustains our memory abilities when awake.
An intervention that can reduce
hostile perceptions in children with prenatal alcohol exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to a wide array of developmental deficits,
including significant impairments in social skills. An examination of a social- skills
intervention called Children's Friendship Training found that it led to a decrease in
hostile attributions or perceptions of children with PAE. Results will be published in the
February 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. "Children
with PAE have a hard time making and keeping friends," explained the study's
corresponding author Vivien Keil, who was a staff research associate in the department of
psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA when
the research was conducted. "More specifically, they tend to have difficulty
understanding social cues and common social norms," she said. "In order to make
and keep friends, we must be able to read social cues such as facial expressions and other
body language. If a child makes hostile attributions, this means that s/he is more likely
to perceive that the people around them are hostile or negative and, as a result, s/he is
likely to respond in a hostile manner, thus undermining successful social
relationships." "These social problems are due, in part, to the neurological and
cognitive deficits known to be associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol," said
Joseph M. Price, a research scientist in the Children and Adolescent Services Research
Center at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. "However, children prenatally
exposed to alcohol are also more likely to be exposed to negative early-life experiences
– such as unresponsive caregivers, maltreatment, disruptions in early parent-child
interactions, and out-of-home placements – all of which are known to contribute to
behavior and social problems during childhood and adolescence."
Full recovery now possible for an
'untreatable' mental illness
Patients coping with the chaos and misery of Borderline Personality Disorder now have
reason for strong confidence in making major life changes through a new treatment, Schema
Therapy. For the first time, three major outcome studies have shown that many patients
with Borderline Personality Disorder can achieve full recovery across the complete range
of symptoms. In one study Schema Therapy was shown to be more than twice as effective in
bringing about full recovery as a widely-practiced traditional treatment (Transference
Focused Psychotherapy). Schema Therapy was also found to be more cost-effective and to
have a much lower dropout rate. In a second study group schema therapy led to even
stronger outcomes than those in the previous investigation over a briefer period with a 0%
drop out rate and a recovery rate of 94% over an 8 month period. A third study, now in
press, shows that individual Schema Therapy can be successfully implemented in regular
mental health care settings with no loss of effectiveness. While other specialized
treatments for BPD have demonstrated empirical support, all but Schema Therapy have
serious limitations in their impact on patients' functioning and quality of life and only
Schema Therapy has demonstrated cost effectiveness. Schema Therapy is also associated with
higher levels of patient and therapist satisfaction with the treatment. The first of these
large scale studies was reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, published by the
American Medical Association, the second published in the Journal of Behavioral Therapy
and Experimental Psychiatry and the third will soon be appearing in Behavior Research and
Therapy. Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that expands on the principles of
cognitive-behavioral therapy. According to the National Institute of Mental Health,
Borderline Personality Disorder is found in about 1 to 2.5 percent of the general
population although a recent large-scale epidemiological study reported a much higher
estimate of 5.9%. This latter study indicates that BPD is potentially five to six times as
prevalent as either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Is type 2 diabetes mellitus a risk
factor for gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancer?
There are minimal data assessing the relationship between diabetes with gallbladder,
biliary and pancreatic cancer. Recent small studies have suggested an elevated risk of
pancreatic cancer only in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). A research article
published on November 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this
question. The research team, lead by Dr. Jamal at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
Long Beach, California, performed a retrospective search of type 2 DM patients matched to
non-diabetic controls, discharged from Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals from 1990
to 2000, for the presence of gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancer. The database
search identified 1 172 496 cases and control subjects for analysis. There was no
difference in mean age between the case and control groups. Among patients with type 2 DM,
the incidence of pancreatic cancer was increased threefold compared to controls, and
gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary cancers were increased by twofold compared to
controls. This is the first study to provide a comprehensive assessment of the risk for
gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancers in a large cohort of patients with type 2 DM.
This study suggests future avenues for investigation to determine preventive measures and
screening implementation strategies, to limit the impact of these tumors in the veteran as
well as general type 2 DM population in the United States.
Pain drug morphine may accelerate
cancer growth
Evidence is mounting that morphine, commonly used to manage pain, may accelerate cancer
growth.
Elderly people succumb to viruses
'because their immune systems work too hard'
Elderly people succumb to viruses more often than the young not because they have weakened
immune systems, but, ironically, because their natural defences are working too hard.
Drinking up to bottle of wine a day
can cut heart disease risk
Drinking up to a bottle of wine a day cuts the risk of developing heart disease in men by
half, controversial new research has found.
Women put 515 chemicals on their
face and body every day in beauty regime
Women put 515 chemicals on their face and body every day by using beauty products that
contain dozens of ingredients, some of them potentially harmful.
We're killing the oceans
Is it too late to save the seas that sustain us?
Trans fat raises risk of sudden
cardiac death in women
A new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that high
intake of trans fat significantly increases risk of sudden cardiac death in women with
prior diagnosed coronary heart disease.
The Use of Probiotics to Relieve
Autism Symptoms
Probiotics are becoming a large topic of conversation in the medical field as well as
among researchers and scientists everywhere. Probiotics, also known as the
“good” or “friendly” bacteria, have been under the spotlight by
researchers questioning how beneficial they would be as a treatment for autism.
Study Shows Brain's Ability to
Reorganize
Visually impaired people appear to be fearless, navigating busy sidewalks and crosswalks,
safely finding their way using nothing more than a cane as a guide. The reason they can do
this, researchers suggest, is that in at least some circumstances, blindness can heighten
other senses, helping individuals adapt. Now scientists from the UCLA Department of
Neurology have confirmed that blindness causes structural changes in the brain, indicating
that the brain may reorganize itself functionally in order to adapt to a loss in sensory
input.
Spray can prevent premature
ejaculation
A spray that numbs the penis can help prevent premature ejaculation, doctors reported on
Thursday, and drug maker Sciele Pharma Inc, a division of Japan's Shionogi, plans to file
for U.S. approval next year.
Silica nanoparticles flow in (and
out of) waste
New research highlights some of the issues swirling around nanomaterials in wastewater,
but no answers are forthcoming.
Pesticides & Birth Defects May
Be Linked
One out of every 33 babies in the U.S. are born with a birth defect, one of the leading
causes of infant death in this country. Now, researchers say during certain times of the
year, birth defects spike.
More birth defects seen with
assisted reproduction
A new study has found a higher rate of birth defects among babies conceived by assisted
reproduction compared to babies conceived naturally.
Mass extinction linked to lung
cancer mystery
The volcanism that nearly annihilated life on Earth 250 million years ago also boosted the
silica content of coal that is driving high lung cancer rates in a Chinese county.
Low-carb, high-carb diet both help
keep weight off
Low-carb and high-carb diets work equally well for maintaining weight loss, Australian
researchers report.
Academic Researchers’
Conflicts of Interest Go Unreported
Few universities make required reports to the government about the financial conflicts of
their researchers, and even when such conflicts are reported, university administrators
rarely require those researchers to eliminate or reduce these conflicts, government
investigators found.
Which Hospitals Are Ignoring New
Mammogram Rules?
New recommendations for breast cancer screening that brewed a storm of controversy and
confusion were formally rejected Wednesday by the Obama administration and by medical
centers across the country.
Switch is still active even when in
the “off-state”: RUB scientists investigate dynamics of signal transmission in
cells
Specific proteins within human cells transmit information and signals to their destination
point. The Ras protein, which switches information channels on and off, is the most
important protein. It primarily controls the growth of organisms. Excessive cell growth,
which can lead to the development of tumours, can result if the Ras function gets out of
control. A paradigm governing the molecular comprehension of the transmission of signals
must now be modified due to the results obtained by the research team at the faculty of
chemistry and biochemistry. The molecular switch Ras can also transmit signals when in the
“off-state.” It is namely not the structure of the protein, but the binding
strength between Ras and the partner protein Raf, that is responsible for the opening of
an information channel. Prof. Herrmann explained that although the inherent binding
strength has a highly specific level, it can nevertheless be artificially manipulated.
This implies that it also becomes a focal issue in the development of efficacious agents.
Yearly influenza vaccinations - a
double-edged sword?
Yearly vaccination against seasonal influenza viruses is recommended for certain
individuals at high risk of complications associated with influenza. It has been
recommended in some countries, including the USA, that all children aged 6—59 months
are vaccinated against seasonal influenza. However, it has been shown—mainly in
animals—that infection with influenza A viruses can induce protective immunity to
influenza A viruses of other unrelated subtypes. This so-called heterosubtypic immunity
does not provide full protection, but can limit virus replication and reduce morbidity and
mortality of the host. This type of immunity might be relevant to human beings when a new
subtype of influenza A virus is introduced into the population, such as the new influenza
A H1N1 virus responsible for the present influenza pandemic and the highly pathogenic
avian influenza H5N1 viruses that are causing an ever increasing number of human
infections with high mortality rates. Preventing infection with seasonal influenza viruses
by vaccination might prevent the induction of heterosubtypic immunity to pandemic strains,
which might be a disadvantage to immunologically naive people—eg, infants.
An Environmentalist in Favor of
More Consumption
“Environmentalists have their hearts in the right place and many of them are very
concerned about developing countries,” he says, pouring two cups of strong white tea,
“but the way they have framed their whole narrative, it’s kind of defeatist:
they want to shut down trade, many of them do, and if you shut down trade, you will
increase poverty whether you like it or not.”
Cinema popcorn is nutritional
horror show
Nutritional analysis of popcorn servings at some of America's biggest cinema chains has
found mind-boggling calorie counts that may surprise consumers who think of the snack as a
relatively healthy treat.
Health Issues in Middle Age Can
Lead to Dementia
People who smoke or who have high blood pressure or diabetes in middle age are more likely
to develop dementia, a new study has found.
Persistent Organic Pollutant
Exposure Leads to Insulin Resistance Syndrome
Our findings, for the first time, provide evidence that exposure to POPs commonly present
in food chains leads to insulin resistance and associated metabolic disorders.
US doctors back later start for
cervical cancer tests
Women should not get their first cervical cancer screening before age 21, the leading US
group of women's health care professionals said Friday, also recommending less frequent
subsequent tests. Pushing back the age of the first screening would help avoid giving teen
girls unnecessary treatment, which can have "economic, emotional and future
childbearing implications," according to the guidelines issued by the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Five Steps to Overcoming Gout
Naturally
Often in past centuries, gout was laughingly passed off as an affliction of the rich,
because it usually affected those who had easy access to fancy foods and plenty of liquor.
However today we know better and this report will review these myths and help you
understand the real cause of gout.
Biofuel Push Leads to World Hunger,
Economist Says
The planet can produce enough food to feed all of its people a European diet several times
over, but the global food crisis persists due in a large part to such misplaced government
priorities as the push for biofuels, a Netherlands-based doctor of economics said in
Saskatoon Wednesday.
Second-hand smoke may harm health
outdoors
THE smoking ban is causing outdoor second-hand smoke exposure in some areas to more than
double, according to a new study.
Philip Morris ordered to pay $300
million to smoker
A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million
in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by
emphysema.
Norway says found H1N1 mutation in
flu victims
Norwegian health authorities said on Friday they have discovered a potentially significant
mutation in the H1N1 influenza strain that could be responsible for causing the severest
symptoms among those infected.
It's already too late to shut the
door on GM foods
A report from the British Royal Society has been released that urges support for
genetically-modified foods by the British public in order to address what it deems the
world's growing demand for food. The report also reveals the disturbing reality about just
how far genetically-modified (GM) foods have already penetrated the food supply in
England, despite widespread public rejection of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)
roughly a decade ago.
First human trials for stem cell
blindness therapy
The first human trials of a stem cell therapy for an eye disease that causes blindness in
young people could start next year.
Aspirin kills 400% more people than
H1N1 swine flu
The CDC now reports that nearly 4,000 Americans have been killed by H1N1 swine flu. This
number is supposed to sound big and scary, motivating millions of people to go out and pay
good money to be injected with untested, unproven H1N1 vaccines. But let's put the number
in perspective: Did you know that more than four times as many people are killed each year
by common NSAID painkillers like aspirin?
Breast cancer study 'identifies
tumour-causing enzyme'
Scientists have identified an enzyme that is crucial for turning breast tissue into
tumours, according to a study published in the journal Cell.
Alberta passes bill to recoup
health costs from criminals, big tobacco
Alberta has passed legislation allowing the province to sue criminals and tobacco
companies to recover health-care costs.
Refined Sugar - The Sweetest Poison
of All
A multitude of common physical and mental ailments are strongly linked to the consuming of
'pure', refined sugar.
Vitamin D Emerges as Treatment for
Prostate Cancer - Cuts PSA Levels by Half
Treatment with vitamin D supplements may slow the progress of prostate cancer, according
to a study published in the journal BJU International. In the United States, prostate
cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men, after lung cancer.
Approximately 240,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, leading to 30,000 deaths.
Do Statin Drugs Cause Vitamin D
Deficiency?
There’s new speculation that the very low cholesterol levels that can be attained
with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may contribute to vitamin D deficiency.
New diagnostic tool detects breast
cancer much earlier
A new diagnostic tool called breast-specific gamma imaging, or BSGI, helped make the
difficult decision a little easier.
Fall Risk in Hemodialysis Patients
Linked to Vitamin D Metabolite
Hemodialysis (HD) patients who suffer from vitamin D deficiency may be at increased risk
of falls and fractures, data suggest.
Unconfirmed reports of large
numbers of deaths from the vaccine in the Ukraine
Unconfirmed reports are coming in that thousands of people in what appears to be a rural
area under quarantine in the western Ukraine have been killed by vaccines. A Ukrainian
woman who crossed into neighbouring Poland told people there that she had driven into the
Ukraine to meet a friend but was stopped about 60 km from the border and told that parts
of the Western Ukraine were closed at a distance of about 100 kilometers from the border
with Poland.
Vitamin D Studies of Interest
For whatever reason, the national press has reduced reporting on new Vitamin D studies, so
I will try to cover a few of the more remarkable papers published in the last six weeks.
Big Pharma Under Pressure as Drug
Patents Expire and Pipeline Slows
Increasing exposure to patent expiries and downward trends in pipeline quality continue to
underpin Moody’s negative outlook for the industry, though the outlook for generics
is more positive.
How We Pay for Pharma’s
Crooked Dealings
As everyone knows by now, the main reason we can’t get a health reform bill enacted
is because the phamaceutical and insurance industries aren’t happy with their piece
of the action. This despite the fact that when politicians talk about cutting costs, what
they really have in mind is cutting services to us so these two big industries can enhance
their profitability.
How do statins work? They
dramatically raise vitamin D levels
Several studies have shown that statins raise 25(OH)D levels but last month this study
showed that Crestor nearly tripled Vitamin D levels, from 14 to 36 ng/mL, in just 8 weeks.
I loved what the author concluded, "We have no idea of the mechanism involved."
Nor do I, as statins should lower, not increase, vitamin D levels because statins reduce
Vitamin D's precursor, cholesterol. As Dr. Yavuz said, "This is clearly an
opportunity for further research." These results are simply amazing, from 14 to 36
ng/mL in 8 weeks and the study was conducted in the winter, when levels should fall, not
rise. Just think, if the pleiotropic (many effects) statin drugs work by simply raising
Vitamin D levels (and statins' pleitropic effects are certainly not mediated through
lowering cholesterol levels), then that is one expensive way to raise Vitamin D levels.
However, it is the perfect commentary on the American health care system; that is, in
America we use statins to treat Vitamin D deficiency, not Vitamin D.
Saving the single cysteine - new
antioxidant system found
We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing
is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more
vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines. Now,
researchers at the University of Michigan, along with colleagues in Belgium, have
discovered a new antioxidant system that protects single cysteines. The research appears
in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Science.
High Blood Pressure Easy to Miss in
Children with Kidney Disease
Spot blood pressure readings in children with chronic kidney disease often fail to detect
hypertension – even during doctor’s office visits — increasing a
child’s risk for serious heart problems, according to research from Johns Hopkins
Children’s Center and other institutions.
Researchers Identify Role of Gene
in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular
Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes
that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Scientists
hope the finding could lead to an effective therapy to target and inhibit the expression
of this gene resulting in inhibition of cancer growth. According to Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph.,
Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, director of
the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine in the VCU School of Medicine, and program leader
of Cancer Molecular Genetics at the Massey Cancer Center, the team has shown that
astrocyte elevated gene-1, AEG-1, a cancer promoting gene, is involved in both oncogenic
transformation, which is the conversion of a normal cell to a cancer cell, and
angiogenesis, which is the formation of new blood cells. Oncogenic transformation and
angiogenesis are critical for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis.
Therapy 32 times more cost
effective at increasing happiness than money
Research by the University of Warwick and the University of Manchester finds that
psychological therapy could be 32 times more cost effective at making you happy than
simply obtaining more money. The research has obvious implications for large compensation
awards in law courts but also has wider implications for general public health. Chris
Boyce of the University of Warwick and Alex Wood of the University of Manchester compared
large data sets where 1000s of people had reported on their well-being. They then looked
at how well-being changed due to therapy compared to getting sudden increases in income,
such as through lottery wins or pay rises. They found that a 4 month course of
psychological therapy had a large effect on well-being. They then showed that the increase
in well-being from an Ł800 course of therapy was so large that it would take a pay rise
of over Ł25,000 to achieve an equivalent increase in well-being. The research therefore
demonstrates that psychological therapy could be 32 times more cost effective at making
you happy than simply obtaining more money. Governments pursue economic growth in the
belief that it will raise the well-being of its citizens. However, the research suggests
that more money only leads to tiny increases in happiness and is an inefficient way to
increase the happiness of a population. This research suggests that if policy makers were
concerned about improving well-being they would be better off increasing the access and
availability of mental health care as opposed to increasing economic growth. The new
research paper, entitled “Money or Mental Health: The Cost of Alleviating
Psychological Distress with Monetary Compensation versus Psychological Therapy” is
published online this week at: Health Economics, Policy and Law
Carvedilol shown to have unique
characteristics among beta blockers
In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers
can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular
activity. The study, which appears in the journal Circulation Research, found that
beta-blockers that target both the alpha- and beta-receptors on the heart muscle offer the
most benefit to cardiac patients, while those that target only the beta-receptors can
actually undermine the structure and function of the heart. Circulation Research is
published by the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the leading cause of death
in the United States. Patients with heart disease usually have higher levels of
catecholamines – hormones that activate the beta-adrenergic receptors to stimulate
cardiac muscle contraction. In this process, the heart initially grows to become a more
efficient pump. Unfortunately, the researchers found, this growth also predisposes the
heart to eventual failure. Traditionally, beta-blockers targeting the beta-adrenergic
receptors have been utilized as a long-term therapy for heart failure.
Discovery of New Type of Immune
Cells Regulating Inflammation in Chronic Diseases
Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM)
of Technische Universität München have discovered a new type of immune cells - the Th22
cells - which can protect the body against inflammation and aid in tissue repair. In the
current online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Stefanie Eyerich and
Dr. Kilian Eyerich together with their colleagues from Imperial College London and
Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata in Rome, present their groundbreaking discovery.
It represents a milestone on the way to developing new treatment methods for inflammatory
skin diseases such as psoriasis and allergic reactions and potentially also allergic
respiratory diseases such as asthma.
Possible Link Studied Between
Childhood Abuse and Early Cellular Aging
Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular
aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University. The
findings, which are published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry, draw a direct
connection between childhood psychological trauma and accelerated reduction in the size of
telomeres, the “caps” on the end of chromosomes that promote cellular stability.
Telomeres typically shorten with age. After measuring DNA extracted from blood samples of
31 adults, researchers found accelerated shortening of telomeres in those who reported
suffering maltreatment as children, compared to study participants who did not.
Funeral industry workers exposed to
formaldehyde face higher risk of leukemia
Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were
associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to a new study
published online November 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous
studies have shown excess mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer
in anatomists, pathologists, and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked
with formaldehyde. For this study, researchers at the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and
Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues investigated
the relation of mortality to work practices and formaldehyde exposure levels among these
professionals. In a case–control study among funeral industry workers who had died
between 1960 and 1986, researchers compared those who died from lymphohematopoietic
malignancies and brain tumors with those who died from other causes. Lifetime work
practices and exposures to formaldehyde were obtained by interviews with next of kin and
coworkers. This study was the first epidemiological investigation, to the authors'
knowledge, to relate cancer risk to duration of employment, work practices, and estimated
formaldehyde exposure levels in the funeral industry.
Simple blood test could reduce
repeat breast MRI scans in premenopausal women with irregular periods
A simple blood test corresponding to the follicular phase (days 3-14) of a normal
menstrual cycle can aid in optimal scheduling of breast MRI exams in premenopausal women
with irregular cycles — possibly reducing the number of repeat scans and
non-diagnostic tests patients experience and providing clearer images on which doctors
make their recommendations, according to a study published in the December issue of the
American Journal of Roentgenology.Research has shown that performing breast MRI scans
during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle minimizes breast tissue enhancement.
"In practice, many clinicians scan premenopausal women who lack normal menstrual
cycles without regard to the timing of their hormonal cycle," said Richard L. Ellis,
M.D., lead author of the study. "This can result in non-diagnostic exams and repeat
scans," he said. Using what is already known about the menstrual cycle and its
effects upon normal breast tissue, Ellis, a radiologist at the Norma J. Vinger Center for
Breast Care in Lacrosse, Wis., reasoned that a simple blood test could be used to optimize
the timing of breast MRI exams. Blood tests were used to time exams in 11 women with
irregular cycles. "None of the breast MRI scans performed in our small group of women
resulted in high background enhancement of normal breast tissue requiring a repeat
scan," said Ellis.
A Reasonable Alternative to
Immediate Biopsy of Palpable Breast Lesions With Benign Imaging Features
Short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to invasive biopsy of palpable (capable
of being touched or felt) breast lesions with benign imaging features, particularly in
younger women with probable fibroadenoma (non-cancerous tumors that often occur in women
during their reproductive years), according to a study published in the December issue of
the American Journal of Roentgenology. The study, performed at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, Va., consisted of a group of 320 women with 375 palpable masses with
benign features for which short-term follow-up was recommended. “We found that only
one case of cancer was diagnosed for which short-term follow-up had been
recommended,” said Jennifer A. Harvey, M.D., lead author of the study.
Medical Imaging Technique
Identifies Very Common Condition in Women That Often Goes Undiagnosed
In women with lower urinary tract symptoms, a medical imaging technique called dynamic MRI
allows clinicians to diagnose pelvic organ prolapse — a condition that often goes
undiagnosed on static MRI and at physical examination, according to a study published in
the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Pelvic organ prolapse is
relatively common and occurs when the pelvic floor muscles become weak or damaged and can
no longer support the pelvic organs. If left untreated, living with prolapse can be a
challenge, both physically and emotionally, as the symptoms can disrupt day-to-day life.
Dynamic MRI is performed while the patient performs a straining maneuver, such as bearing
down. Static MRI is performed while the patient is at rest. The study, performed at NYU
Langone Medical Center in New York, included 84 women with lower urinary tract symptoms
who underwent dynamic and static MRI scans for a suspected urethra abnormality. Ten of the
84 patients were found to have an abnormality of the urethra. “However 33 patients
were diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse, of whom 29 were diagnosed exclusively on
dynamic imaging,” said Genevieve L. Bennett, M.D., assistant professor of radiology
at NYU Langone Medical Center and lead author of the study.
The Developing Child - Rating
Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior in Pre-Adolescence
In a study published in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry researchers show that over reactive parenting, such as heavy criticism or
yelling as a response to a child’s negative behavior, can produce higher levels of
aggression or rule-breaking in a child who is normally introverted, non-benevolent,
non-conscientious, or imaginative. Children who are extraverted, benevolent,
conscientious, or not that imaginative by nature are least adversely affected by this
parental response.
Let them eat snail
A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren
could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. In a research paper to be
published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, she
explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more
protein. Ukpong Udofia of the Department of Home Economics, at the University of Uyo, has
looked at the moisture levels, protein content, and iron composition of the flesh of the
giant West African land snail and compared it to beef steak. Snail pie is much more
nutritious than a beef pie, she says. Udofia and her research team baked pies of both
varieties and asked young mothers and their children to try the tasty meal. Most of them
preferred the taste and texture of the pies baked with the snail Archachatina marginata to
those made with beef. The kids and their mothers judged the snail pies to have a better
appearance, texture, and flavour.
Differences between any far
infrared sauna versus a near infrared lamps
There are significant differences between any far infrared sauna versus a near infrared
lamp sauna of the design we believe is best. Before we explore them, it is necessary to
emphasize that the near infrared heat lamps can be quite simply added to most far infrared
saunas to gain the advantages the lamps provide. Here the some major differences between
the near and the far infrared types of designs.
Blind see again with bionic eye
Three Britons are among only 32 in the world taking part in a trial of the technology,
which gave a 51-year-old man enough eyesight to read short words for the first time in his
adult life.
Cancer screening - What could it
hurt? A lot, actually
Routine cancer testing saves lives, but it also leads to biopsies, surgeries, radiation,
even deaths that otherwise would not have occurred. But experts' reevaluations are met
with public angst.
Do You Know the Five Risk Factors
for Lung Cancer BESIDES Smoking?
According to the EPA, if 1,000 smokers were exposed to the “action” radon level
of 4 pCi/L over a lifetime, about 62 of them would get lung cancer from the radiation,
compared to only about 7 out of 1,000 non-smokers.
Ex-Smoker Wins Against Philip
Morris
Legal experts predict that thousands of tobacco lawsuits could gain momentum in Florida
after a Fort Lauderdale jury ordered Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million to a former
smoker who says she needs a lung transplant.
French develop human skin from stem
cells
French researchers have successfully used human embryonic stem cells to create new skin to
help those suffering from serious burns.
Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for
Climate Dispute
Hundreds of private e-mail messages and documents hacked from a computer server at a
British university are causing a stir among global warming skeptics, who say they show
that climate scientists conspired to overstate the case for a human influence on climate
change.
The War on Soy - Why the 'Miracle
Food' May Be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare
Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in just about
everything you eat these days -- including hamburgers, mac 'n cheese and salad dressing.
What is Really Interfering with
Women’s Hormones?
Daniel Kalish, D.C., explains why hormone imbalances are usually not an isolated problem.
Most of the time, they are related to stress response. But a combination of lifestyle
changes and balancing hormones can get your system working right.
Chemical May Help Down Syndrome
Sufferers
Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brain may help prevent some of
the memory deficits in Down syndrome that hinder learning and make it hard for the brain
to develop normally, researchers said.
France Finds Monsanto Guilty of
Lying
France's highest court has ruled that U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the
truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup.
Folic acid supplements linked to
asthma in newborns
Children born to women taking folic acid supplements late in pregnancy are placed at an
increased risk of developing asthma, a new study finds.
Smoking can make H1N1 effects worse
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named groups of people at a
high risk of developing serious complications from H1N1 Influenza.
Study finds babies are exposed to
toxic chemicals in the womb
Chemicals found in plastics, non-stick products, water bottles, and soda cans can be
detected in the bodies of pregnant women.
Mammogram is Killing Women, Causes
Breast Cancer
As an example, if the patient did her mammogram every year since 1990, and year 2000, for
sure that those patient will have a lump. A
Long exposure to embalming fluid
raises morticians' risk for cancer death
A new study found that extended exposure to formaldehyde, a chemical used in embalming,
raised a mortician’s risk for dying of myeloid leukemia, a kind of blood cancer.
A Silent Suffering of ‘Animals
Foer devotes most of this book to providing a detailed condemnation of industrial animal
agriculture—or factory farming—which provides more than 99% of the meat consumed
in America today and which has exactly nothing to do with the pastoral image most people
associate with the word “farm.”
Statin Side Effects Covered Up
The other side to statins, like all medication, is that taking them is not without risk.
They are known to deplete coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in the body, which can lead to symptoms
such as muscle fatigue and muscular pain.
Vitamin D - the missing link for
multiple sclerosis sufferers
Scientists have uncovered increasing evidence of the significance of Vitamin D in the
development of multiple sclerosis.
65? Back of the Line for the Swine
Flu Vaccine
Older people are still first in line for seasonal flu shots, but all the media attention
has been on swine flu.
Cancer screening - What could it
hurt? A lot, actually
Routine cancer testing saves lives, but it also leads to biopsies, surgeries, radiation,
even deaths that otherwise would not have occurred.
CASE OF THE TOXIC GINGERBREAD MAN
Why did researchers take a knife to a cute little plastic gingerbread man? To make him
give up the source of his toxic fumes.
Change is in the works for
pollution rules
http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2009/11/22/change-works-pollution-rules
Curbs to ship pollution would stoke
global warmin
Shipping is slowing climate change by spewing out sunlight-dimming pollution but a
clean-up needed to safeguard human health will stoke global warming, experts said Friday.
Is electro smog causing your
headache?
Swindon is to become Britain's first Wi-Fi town, but at what cost to its inhabitants'
health?
Kettleman City parents want inquiry
into birth defects
Many parents worry that poisons in the air, water and land are to blame. Their town of
1,500 is wedged in among agricultural fields, two highways and a hazardous-waste landfill.
Modern 'superdiets' based on myths,
says expert
Superdiets such as drinking large amounts of grapefruit juice or eating only raw fruit and
vegetables have been exposed as just food myths, a leading professor claims.
Phthalates exposure and
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-age children
After adjustment for covariates, teacher-rated ADHD scores were significantly associated
with DEHP metabolites but not with DBP metabolites. We also found significant
relationships between the urine concentrations of metabolites for DBP and the number of
omission and commission errors in continuous performance tests (CPT) after adjustment for
covariates. CONCLUSION - The present study showed a strong positive association between
phthalate metabolites in urine and symptoms of ADHD among school-age children.
Working mothers perpetuating myth
of 'the useless man' to feel more feminine
Working women are perpetuating the myth of 'the useless man’, who does little
housework, to make themselves feel more feminine, new research claims.
Big Dairy Pushes Raw Milk
Regulation
Raw milk products pose a "significant food safety hazard" and facilities that
make them should be covered by the new food safety bill, said the two largest US dairy
trade bodies.
Flaxseed oil and osteoporosis
Animal studies suggest that adding flaxseed oil to the diet could reduce the risk of
osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and women with diabetes, according to a report to be
published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health. Mer
Harvi and colleagues at the National Research Center, in Cairo, Egypt, have studied the
effect of diabetes on bone health and evaluated how flaxseed oil in the diet might delay
the onset of osteoporosis. The researchers studied 70 female albino rats of which 30 had
their ovaries removed (ovx) to simulate the post-menopausal state and experimental
diabetes was present in one group of rodents. The researchers then classified the rats as
control, sham, diabetic, diabetic received flaxseed oil in the diet, ovx, ovx-diabetic and
ovx-diabetic received flaxseed oil in the diet. After two months, the team collected urine
and blood samples from the rats and measured serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
and the bone-creating protein osteocalcin. They found that these two compounds were
present at higher levels in the ovx and the diabetic ovx groups, but much lower in the
non-ovx diabetic group. The concentrations of IGF-1 and osteocalcin could be raised to
normal levels by adding flaxseed oil to the diet. The team also found that the levels of
deoxypyridinoline in the urine were raised in the diabetic group. Deoxypyridinoline is
normally present in healthy bone and its presence in urine is a specific marker for bone
resorption associated with osteoporosis. Levels of this marker compound fell when the rats
were given flaxseed oil.
New study links alcohol in
pregnancy to child behaviour problems
A new study from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence
that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behaviour in
different ways. The study has just been published online in the international journal
Addiction. Lead author Colleen O'Leary said the analysis was drawn from a random sample of
more than 2000 mothers who completed a questionnaire three months after the baby's
delivery, and were then followed up when the child was 2, 5 and 8 years of age.
“Mothers who reported what we would classify as heavy drinking in the first trimester
of pregnancy were nearly three times as likely to report that their child suffered with
anxiety and/or depression or somatic complaints,” Ms O'Leary said.
Research reveals exactly how
coughing is triggered by environmental irritants
Scientists have revealed how environmental irritants such as air pollution and cigarette
smoke cause people to cough, in research published today in the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The authors of the study, from Imperial College
London and the University of Hull, have identified the reaction inside the lungs that can
trigger coughing when a person is exposed to particular irritants in the air. They suggest
that their findings may ultimately lead to the development of new treatments for chronic
coughing. Coughing is the most common reason for people visiting a family doctor.
Treatment options are limited for people with chronic coughing; a recent study concluded
that over-the-counter remedies are ineffective and there is increasing concern about the
safety of these therapies in children. Today's study indicates, for the first time, how
coughing can be triggered when a person is exposed to certain irritants in the air. It
shows that the irritants can switch on receptor proteins called TRPA1 on the surface of
nerve endings in the lungs. This switches on sensory nerves, which then trigger a cough
reflex. The researchers say coughing could potentially be treated by blocking TRPA1
receptors, to stop irritants in the air from setting off this chain reaction. They hope
that this could ultimately help millions of people whose lives are affected by chronic
coughing. Professor Maria Belvisi, corresponding author of the study from the National
Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: "For some people, chronic
coughing can be annoying and uncomfortable, but for others it can be distressing and can
have a severe impact on their quality of life. Many people say that certain things in the
air can make them cough and we are very excited that we have shown, for the first time,
exactly what is probably happening inside the lungs. Now that we think we have cracked the
mechanism, we can start investigating whether we can stop people from coughing excessively
by blocking the receptor protein that triggers it."
New research shows versatility of
amniotic fluid stem cells
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid
meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they
may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists
originally thought. Reporting in Oncogene, a publication of Nature Publishing Group, the
research teams of Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Wake Forest Institute for
Regenerative Medicine, and Markus Hengstchläger, Ph.D., from the Medical University of
Vienna, have shown that these amnion stem cells can form three-dimensional aggregates of
cells known as embryoid bodies (EBs). It is believed that cells at this stage of
development can be directed to become virtually any cell in the human body. "This
finding suggests that the amnion cells have greater potential than we originally thought
and may be able to form many cell types," said Atala. "This could expand the
number for diseases and conditions that they may be helpful for." Atala's team is
currently evaluating the cells for their potential to treat diabetes and kidney disease.
They were the first to report success (Nature Biotechnology, Jan. 2007) in isolating stem
cells from placenta and amniotic fluid, which surrounds the developing fetus. The current
research is one of several projects designed to determine the potential of this new type
of stem cell. For the study, scientists generated two additional lines of stem cells from
amniotic fluid using the same protocol developed by Atala's lab. They then investigated
the incidence of EB formation in all three lines.
How green is your house?
Preliminary results from 1500 respondents show that those who own their own home are more
likely to separate their rubbish (83 per cent) than those in rented accommodation (59 per
cent), whilst less than one in a hundred households have solar water heating (0.5 per
cent) or solar energy panels (0.5 per cent). Initial findings also show that switching off
the lights in unused rooms (82 per cent) and not leaving the television on standby (67 per
cent) are significantly more popular than taking fewer flights (16 per cent), car sharing
(15 per cent) and not buying items because they have too much packaging (8 per cent).
Green behaviours costing the least money and effort are currently the most popular with
the British public, despite the fact that 59 per cent of people think that if things
continue on their current course we will soon experience a major environmental disaster. A
fuller picture of environmental and other behaviours and attitudes based on the first
annual survey of 100,000 individuals from 40,000 households for Understanding Society will
be published at a later date.
Daycare may double TV time for
young children, study finds
In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care
settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in
home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based
daycares. This study is the first to examine screen time in child care settings in more
than 20 years. The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs in four
states, and was guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the
Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute
and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
"Preschool-Aged Children's Television Viewing in Child Care Settings" is
published in the December 2009 issue of Pediatrics, appearing online November 23, 2009.
Previous estimates of screen time for babies and pre-school children relied on parental
reports of viewing in the home, yet the majority of pre-schoolers are now commonly cared
for by someone other than a parent, away from home in a child care setting. Prior studies
have estimated that preschool children watch 2-3 hours of TV per day at home. According to
the researchers, previous data on screen time in child care settings are more than 20
years old and don't accurately reflect today's cultural factors affecting media use among
children. The study found that among preschool-aged children, those in home-based daycares
watched TV for 2.4 hours per day on average, compared to 0.4 hours in center-based
settings. Some home-based programs were closer to the center-based programs in amount of
time they used television, particularly those programs in which the staff had college
degrees. With the exception of infants, children in home-based child care programs were
exposed to significantly more television on an average day than children in center-based
programs (infants: 0.2 vs 0 hours; toddlers: 1.6 vs 0.1 hours; preschool-aged children:
2.4 vs 0.4 hours). The greatest increase in screen time occurred in the preschool group,
in home-based child care settings."It's alarming to find that so many children in the
United States are watching essentially twice as much television as we previously
thought," said Christakis. "Research continues to link excessive preschool
screen time with language delay, obesity, attentional problems and even aggression
depending upon content. At the same time, studies show that high quality preschool can be
beneficial to children's development. Unfortunately, for many children, the potential
benefits of preschool may be being displaced by passive TV viewing. I suspect many parents
are unaware of the frequency and extent of TV viewing in day care settings. Hopefully,
these findings will serve as a wake up call for them."
Exposure to lead, tobacco smoke
raises risk of ADHD
Children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke and during childhood to lead face a
particularly high risk for ADHD, according to research done at Cincinnati Children's
Hospital Medical Center. The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in
children between the ages of 8 and 15 could be reduced by eliminating both of these
environmental exposures. This could translate into up to 800,000 children "Tobacco
and lead exposure each have their own important adverse effect," says Tanya
Froehlich, M.D., a physician in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at
Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author. "But if children are exposed to
both lead and prenatal tobacco, the combined effect is synergistic." The study is to
be published online Nov. 23 by Pediatrics.
Johns Hopkins researchers track
down protein responsible for chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps
A protein known to stimulate blood vessel growth has now been found to be responsible for
the cell overgrowth in the development of polyps that characterize one of the most severe
forms of sinusitis, a study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. The finding gives
scientists a new target for developing novel therapies to treat this form of the disease,
which typically resists all current treatments. Chronic sinusitis, a constant irritation
and swelling of the nasal passages, is a common condition thought to affect about one out
of every six people. This problem has several forms with a range of severities. One of the
most severe forms produces polyps, overgrowths of unhealthy sinus tissue that can block
the nose and sinus passages and make breathing through the nose difficult or impossible.
This often results in pain, swelling, and an increase in infections. Though researchers
aren't sure how many people have this subtype, it's estimated to affect between 15 and 30
percent of sinusitis patients. "This type of sinusitis isn't subtle—you can spot
the patients with polyps from across the room. They're breathing through their mouths,
they talk with nasal voices, they're constantly sniffling, and their faces are
swollen," says Jean Kim, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Departments of
Otolaryngology and Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine, and a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Allergy and Asthma Center at the Johns
Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.Kim explains that surgery to remove the polyps is one of
the most common treatments for this disease. However, nasal and sinus polyps in these
patients almost always regrow. "Once the patient has entered the cycle of growing
polyps, it's very hard to get out," she says. Another common treatment is oral
steroids, but these drugs are fraught with many harmful side effects and also only
temporarily treat the disease.
Burned out, depressed surgeons more
likely to commit more major medical errors
Surgeons who are burned out or depressed are more likely to say they had recently
committed a major error on the job, according to the largest study to date on physician
burnout. The new findings suggest that the mental well-being of the surgeon is associated
with a higher rate of self-reported medical errors, something that may undermine patient
safety more than the fatigue that is often blamed for many of the medical mistakes.
Although surgeons do not appear more likely to make mistakes than physicians in other
disciplines, surgical errors may have more severe consequences for patients due to the
interventional nature of the work. Some estimate that as many as 10 percent of
hospitalized patients are impacted by medical errors. "People have talked about
fatigue and long working hours, but our results indicate that the dominant contributors to
self-reported medical errors are burnout and depression," said Charles M. Balch,
M.D., a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and one of
the study's leaders. "All of us need to take this into account to a greater degree
than in the past. Frankly, burnout and depression hadn't been on everybody's radar
screen."
New understanding about mechanism
for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy
Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British
Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have
uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke,
as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. The results of the study were recently
published online in Nature Medicine. Following a stroke, many brain cells continue to die
even after blood flow has been restored. Researchers have long known this is due to a
complicated cascade of cellular messages that lead to the "self-destruction" and
death of brain cells. The team of Brain Research Centre scientists discovered that, in
animal models, the over-activation of NMDA receptors—special receptors on the surface
of brain cells—activates another protein, called SREBP-1, which subsequently causes
cell death. SREBP-1 is found naturally in cells throughout the body and is involved with
cholesterol and other fat production. NMDA receptors control the movement of calcium in
and out of brain cells, which is necessary for normal brain function. However, following a
stroke, levels of glutamate—the most abundant chemical messenger in the
brain—rise rapidly in cells, leading to over-activation of NMDA receptors, an excess
of calcium entering cells, and the onset of cell death.
Cancer metabolism discovery
uncovers new role of IDH1 gene mutation in brain cancer
Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first
time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a
cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough discovery shows that the mutated form
of IDH1 produces a metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), which may contribute to the
formation and malignant progression of gliomas, the most common type of brain cancers.
This discovery appears to reverse the previously held belief that IDH1 was non functional
for cancer-causing activity. It is also one of the first reported instances where a
metabolic enzyme such as IDH1 is shown to play a role in cancer formation, in this case
through altered metabolic activity. This finding creates opportunities for therapeutic
intervention in brain cancer and other cancers where IDH1 mutations are present using new
drugs that can target the IDH1 metabolic pathway.. The Agios research also identified an
exciting new biomarker, 2HG, that could be used to develop an important diagnostic. The
research was published on November 22 by the journal Nature, in a paper entitled
"Cancer-associated IDH1 mutations produce 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG)".[1]
"This groundbreaking work is profound for the field," said Professor Lew
Cantley, Ph.D., Director of the Cancer Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
a founder of Agios and a supporting author. "The team at Agios has demonstrated that
what was previously considered an inactive enzyme is in reality an active oncogene and a
potential therapeutic target. This has fundamentally changed our understanding of the
field. Additionally, there is an easily measured metabolic biomarker, 2HG, that will help
in the diagnosis and treatment of any related therapeutics that arise from this
work." Agios scientists uncovered the function of the IDH1 mutation by employing
novel techniques in a new area of cancer biology called cancer metabolism, which focuses
on studying profound changes in metabolic activity in cancer cells. Through a mix of
large-scale profiling of hundreds of cellular metabolites, x-ray crystallography, and
innovative enzymology, the Agios team demonstrated that a single amino-acid substitution
in the IDH1 active site allows the enzyme to acquire an entirely new activity to produce
the metabolite 2HG. Analysis of tumor samples of brain cancer patients with the IDH1
mutation revealed up to hundred-fold elevations in concentrations of 2HG, a metabolite
that has been previously linked to the formation of brain cancer.
Surface bacteria maintain skin's
healthy balance
On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is
undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now
shows that the normal bacteria living on the skin surface trigger a pathway that prevents
excessive inflammation after injury. "These germs are actually good for us,"
said Richard L. Gallo, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and pediatrics, chief of UCSD's
Division of Dermatology and the Dermatology section of the Veterans Affairs San Diego
Healthcare System. The study, to be published in the advance on-line edition of Nature
Medicine on November 22, was done in mice and in human cell cultures, primarily performed
by post-doctoral fellow Yu Ping Lai . "The exciting implications of Dr. Lai's work is
that it provides a molecular basis to understand the 'hygiene hypothesis' and has
uncovered elements of the wound repair response that were previously unknown. This may
help us devise new therapeutic approaches for inflammatory skin diseases," said
Gallo. The so-called "hygiene hypothesis," first introduced in the late 1980s,
suggests that a lack of early childhood exposure to infectious agents and microorganisms
increases an individuals susceptibility to disease by changing how the immune system
reacts to such "bacterial invaders." The hypothesis was first developed to
explain why allergies like hay fever and eczema were less common in children from large
families, who were presumably exposed to more infectious agents than others. It is also
used to explain the higher incidence of allergic diseases in industrialized countries.
Systems Biology Approach Provides
Insulin Resistance Insights
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego recently offered the sharpest-yet
picture of how core biochemical pathways in skeletal muscle cells and fat cells are
altered in people who suffer from insulin resistance—a primary defect in type 2
diabetes and obesity. Taking a systems biology approach, the bioengineers and medical
researchers also determined how a common class of drugs for treating insulin
resistance—TZDs—alter these same core pathways. This led the team to uncover
previously unknown effects of TZDs and insights that could lead to improved drug therapies
for insulin resistance.The team—led by investigators from the UC San Diego Jacobs
School of Engineering and School of Medicine—recently published their findings in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
New cancer target for non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma
Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular
mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells. By exploiting
this mechanism, researchers have been able to powerfully suppress tumor formation in lab
testing and in animal models. Promising results have led to the design of a clinical trial
that will soon be under way to test a compound -- called PU-H71 -- in human patients. This
compound is in a new class of drugs, called heat shock protein inhibitors. Standard
treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma includes radiation therapy, chemotherapy and
monoclonal antibodies. Approximately 66,000 people are diagnosed in the United States each
year and approximately 50 percent of patients will not be cured by current treatments.
Farmers used high levels of
antibiotics in cows
Federal officials have sent warning letters to two Central Minnesota dairy farms for
allegedly using high levels of antibiotics in cows.
Ukraine Swine Flu Deaths indicate
H1N1 Vaccine and Biological Weapon Link
According to a news article in Russia this week, autopsies on H1N1 victims doctors have
confirmed pneumonia was not the cause of death. Cardiopulmonary insufficiency and
cardiogenic shock are to blame and antibiotics should not be used.
ES finds toxins at scrap site
Environment Southland is investigating an Invercargill industrial site believed to have
been contaminated with toxic chemicals known as PCBs.
A Few Things Parents Should Know
About Tamiflu
The purpose of this article is to encourage the American people to read information on
drugs they are being prescribed -- especially prescribed to their children -- and to read,
read, read ingredients contained on labels -- especially what is being ingested by
children.
Erin Brockovich Tackles Toxic
Chemical Reform Initiative
Million Baby Crawl Campaign travels the country raising awareness about the nation’s
outdated chemical laws.
Hidden truth of pork industry
exposed
SHOPPERS are being urged to buy free-range pork at Christmas in protest at
"appalling" conditions endured by factory-farm pigs.
The hidden truth - pig farming
Animals Australia took the unprecedented action of sending experienced investigators,
including Communications Director Lyn White, into a major commercial factory farm in South
Australia to document the conditions being endured by mother pigs.
Salmon farming fury
NORWAY HAS closed 100 of its fjords to salmon farming to protect its wild stock, John
Mulcahy, chairman of Save the Swilly (Ireland) told a packed audience.
NSAIDs often prescribed for
arthritis
Patients on NSAID therapy, especially those with predisposing risk factors such as a
history of ulcers, high dose NSAIDs, use of anti-coagulants or steroids, and being over
70, are most commonly associated with NSAID-induced ulcer complications .
Dietary patterns linked with
depression
People who eat a diet laden with processed and high-fat foods may put themselves at
greater risk of depression, according to UCL research published today
Fat around the middle increases the
risk of dementia
Women who store fat on their waist in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop
dementia when they get older, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. The study
has just been published in the scientific journal Neurology. "Anyone carrying a lot
of fat around the middle is at greater risk of dying prematurely due to a heart attack or
stroke," says Deborah Gustafson, senior lecturer at the Sahlgrenska Academy. "If
they nevertheless manage to live beyond 70, they run a greater risk of dementia." The
research is based on the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, which was
started at the end of the 1960s when almost 1,500 women between the ages of 38 and 60
underwent comprehensive examinations and answered questions about their health and
lifestyle.
New discovery about the formation
of new brain cells
The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a,
which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important
for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue, reveals new research from
the Sahlgrenska Academy published in the journal Stem Cells.Although the research has been
carried out using mice and cultured cells, it could lead to a new medicine for human
beings, which could be given to patients who have had a stroke or other disorders that
damage or destroy the nerve cells. "Our research findings show that it could be
possible to use molecules that are similar to the peptide C3a to boost the formation of
nerve cells and stimulate the replacement of nerve cells lost due to injury or
illness," says senior lecturer Marcela Pekna who headed the research group at
theSahlgrenska Academy.
New research into cancer
Scientists have begun a three-year study to analyse why cancer patients become resistant
to treatments designed to fight the disease. A research team from Kingston University has
been awarded Ł99,000 to investigate why some tumours are sensitive and respond to
treatments and why other tumours do not. The study, funded by cancer charity BRIGHT
(Better Research into Gastrointestinal Cancer Health and Treatment), will look at existing
treatments for cancer of the colon and rectum, known as colorectal cancer. Experts from
Kingston’s Faculty of Science will work with specialists at Royal Surrey County
Hospital to examine tumour specimens from colorectal cancer patients. They aim to identify
signs or markers which could indicate how patients respond to treatment with anti-cancer
drugs. The scientists will also investigate whether cancer stem cells play an important
role in the progression of colorectal cancer and could be responsible for the poor
response or development of resistance to treatment with anti-cancer drugs.
Spotting the sick child
Paediatricians at the University of Leicester and the University Hospitals, Leicester have
recently launched a unique online tool to improve the assessment of sick children. Funded
by the Department of Health, the website - www.spottingthesickchild.com/ - is aimed at all
front line professionals in the field of child health and teaches the basic facts and
relevant examination of the seven commonest presenting complaints in acutely ill children.
The website builds on the hugely successful DVD of the same name, which indicated that
most healthcare practitioners lack training and confidence in acute paediatric illness,
and are highly motivated to learn these skills. The intended audience includes Foundation
doctors, Emergency Department doctors, paediatric doctors in training, General
Practitioners, nurses in GP surgeries / Emergency Departments / Paediatric wards, Health
Visitors, paramedics and ambulance technicians, and medical students.
Polyphenols and polyunsaturated
fatty acids boost the birth of new neurons
Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in
polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the
production of the brain's stem cells -neurogenesis- and strengthens their differentiation
in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when
compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the
brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, both of
which are greatly damaged in patients with Alzheimer's disease.These results give support
to the hypothesis that a diet made up of foods rich in these antioxidant substances could
delay the onset of this disease or even slow down its evolution. The study will be
published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and was directed by
Mercedes Unzeta, professor of the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Participating in the study were researchers from this department and from the departments
of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, and of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, all of
which are affiliated centres of the Institute of Neuroscience of Universitat Autňnoma de
Barcelona. The company La Morella Nuts from Reus and the ACE Foundation of the Catalan
Institute of Applied Neurosciences also collaborated in the study. Polyphenols can be
found in tea, beer, grapes, wine, olive oil, cocoa, nuts and other fruits and vegetables.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids can be found in blue fish and vegetables such as corn, soya
beans, sunflowers and pumpkins. The LMN cream used in this study was composed of a mixture
of natural products: dried fruits and nuts, coconut, vegetable oils rich in
polyunsaturated fat and flour rich in soluble fiber. These creams were created and
patented by the company La Morella Nuts, located in Reus near Tarragona. Previous studies
had verified their effects on regulating cholesterol levels and hypertension, two risk
factors commonly associated with heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Narrow Win for Stem Cell Research
A tie vote of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Friday defeated -- for now -- a
campaign to impose new limits on stem cell research at the system.
Genital herpes virus relentlessly
infects its hosts
A new statistical model shows that genital herpes doesn’t “go away” and
flares up occasionally, but that the virus is constantly released into genital skin by
neurons, sometimes at higher amounts than others. These findings highlight a key challenge
in controlling herpes transmission among the sexually active, and point to the need for an
effective and safe herpes vaccine.
Scientists watch as peptides
control crystal growth with ‘switches, throttles and brakes’
By producing some of the highest resolution images of peptides attaching to mineral
surfaces, scientists have a deeper understanding how biomolecules manipulate the growth
crystals. This research may lead to a new treatment for kidney stones using biomolecules.
Other Illnesses, Body Weight Do Not
Explain Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer Survival, UAB Researchers Say
A new study by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers shows that body-mass
index (BMI) and co-existing medical conditions (co-morbidity) do not explain the decreased
survival observed among African-Americans compared to Caucasians who also have colon
cancer.
Multiple health concerns surface as
winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive
A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed
interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people
who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as
"nature's antibiotic." On issues ranging from the health of your immune system
to prevention of heart disease and even vulnerability to influenza, vitamin D is now seen
as one of the most critical nutrients for overall health. But it's also one of those most
likely to be deficient – especially during winter when production of the
"sunshine vitamin" almost grinds to a halt for millions of people in the United
States, Europe and other northern temperate zones. Analogs of the vitamin are even being
considered for use as new therapies against tuberculosis, AIDS, and other concerns. And
federal experts are considering an increase in the recommended daily intake of the vitamin
as more evidence of its value emerges, especially for the elderly. "About 70 percent
of the population of the United States has insufficient levels of vitamin D," said
Adrian Gombart, a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State
University. "This is a critical issue as we learn more about the many roles it may
play in fighting infection, balancing your immune response, helping to address autoimmune
problems, and even preventing heart disease."Those issues were just outlined in a new
publication in Future Microbiology, a professional journal, on the latest findings on
vitamin D research, at OSU and in many other programs around the world. Of particular
interest are findings made recently by OSU scientists that vitamin D induces the
"expression" of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide gene. This explains in
part how it helps serve as the first line of defense in your immune response against minor
wounds, cuts, and both bacterial and viral infections. Experts believe advances in the use
of cathelicidin may form the basis for new therapies.
Exposures to metals and diesel
emissions in air linked to respiratory symptoms in children
Exposure shortly after birth to ambient metals from residential heating oil combustion and
particles from diesel emissions are associated with respiratory symptoms in young inner
city children, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for
Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public
Health. The study is the first to analyze the effects of exposure to airborne metals in
this very young population and the findings could have important public health
implications. Published in the December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine, the study also contributes to a further understanding of how
specific sources of air pollution may impact child health. The study compared pollutant
levels with respiratory symptoms of children between birth and age two living in Northern
Manhattan and in the South Bronx, and found that the airborne metals nickel and vanadium,
were risk factors for wheezing in young children. Residual oil combustion for heating is a
major source in New York City of these metals. Elemental carbon, an indicator of diesel
exhaust, was associated with increased frequency of coughing only during cold and flu
season (September through April). "It appears that exposure to ambient metals and
diesel-exhaust particles in our air may lead to several respiratory symptoms for young
children living in urban areas," said Rachel L. Miller, MD, associate professor of
Medicine and Environmental Health Sciences (in Pediatrics) at New
York–Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and co-deputy director of CCCEH
at the Mailman School of Public Health and senior investigator on the study. "The
effects of exposure to airborne metals had not been studied previously in children so
young, and these findings could have important public health implications for members of
inner-city communities in New York City and elsewhere."
Burnout and mental distress
strongly related to errors by US surgeons
Major medical errors self-reported by American surgeons are strongly related to both
burnout and depression. Those findings appear today in the online edition of Annals of
Surgery. The Mayo Clinic-led study included collaborators from Johns Hopkins and the
American College of Surgeons. In the confidential study, nearly 9 percent of U.S. surgeons
responding said they made a major error in the three months prior to being surveyed. Over
70 percent attributed the error to themselves rather than a systemic or organizational
cause. Results showed the components of surgeon burnout - emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization and perception personal accomplishments - were related to errors; as was
surgeons' "mental quality of life" including depression. "These results
suggest that a surgeon's personal mental health including burnout may have an effect on
quality of care," says lead author Tait Shanafelt, M.D. "Our aim is to encourage
more research to find ways to reduce distress among surgeons and to provide better support
when errors occur." The authors say medical errors can haunt surgeons for years and
contribute to distress.
Upending Textbook Science on
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is caused by the build-up of a brain peptide called amyloid-beta.
That's why eliminating the protein has been the focus of almost all drug research pursuing
a cure for the devastating neurodegenerative condition. But that may be counterproductive,
says Dr. Inna Slutsky of Tel Aviv University's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,
Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Her recent research demonstrates that amyloid-beta is also
necessary to maintain proper brain functioning. These findings may shake the foundations
of Alzheimer’s research.
Diabetics show alarming increase in
morbid obesity
A Loyola University Health System study has found that one out of five Type 2 diabetics is
morbidly obese -- approximately 100 pounds or more overweight. Researchers reported that
62.4 percent of U.S. adults with Type 2 diabetes are obese, and 20.7 percent are morbidly
obese. Among African American adults with Type 2 diabetes, 1 in 3 is morbidly obese.
"The rate of morbid obesity among people with diabetes is increasing at a very
alarming rate, and this has substantial public health implications," said Dr. Holly
Kramer, a kidney specialist and lead author of the study published online in the Journal
of Diabetes and its Complications. Kramer and colleagues examined data from the National
Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys completed during the years 1976 to 2006. The
surveys, known as NHANES, included interviews and physical examinations of representative
samples of the U.S. population. Between the survey periods 1976-1980 and 2005-2006, there
was a 141 percent increase in the rate of morbid obesity among adults with Type 2
diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Morbid obesity is defined as having a body
mass index (BMI) greater than 40. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
For example, a 5-foot-2-inch adult with a 40 BMI weighs 218 pounds (82 pounds overweight),
while a 6-foot-2-inch adult with a 40 BMI weighs 311 pounds (117 pounds overweight).
New discovery about the formation
of new brain cells
The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a,
which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important
for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue, reveals new research from
the Sahlgrenska Academy published in the journal Stem Cells. Although the research has
been carried out using mice and cultured cells, it could lead to a new medicine for human
beings, which could be given to patients who have had a stroke or other disorders that
damage or destroy the nerve cells. "Our research findings show that it could be
possible to use molecules that are similar to the peptide C3a to boost the formation of
nerve cells and stimulate the replacement of nerve cells lost due to injury or
illness," says senior lecturer Marcela Pekna who headed the research group at
theSahlgrenska Academy.The peptide C3a is generated through the activation of the
complement system, a group of proteins in the blood that is essential for the body's
immune defence ."Our research group was the first in the world to show that the
complement system also plays an important role in the repair and regeneration of the
brain," says Pekna. "This was a surprising discovery that opened up a whole new
field of research."
Umbilical cord blood stem cell
transplant may help lung, heart disorders
Two separate studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, have shown
that transplanted human-derived umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells transplanted in an
animal model had positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders the
animal models. "Human UCB-derived MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) have been
successfully isolated, cultivated and been shown to differentiate into various cell types,
such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, stromal cells, skeletal cells, endothelial
cells and neural cells and even lung-specific cells in vitro," said corresponding
author of the first study, Dr. Won Soon Park from the Samsung Medical Center, Seoul,
Korea. "It is not known, however, if human UCB-derived MSCs can differentiate into
lung-specific cell types in vivo." To find out, the researchers investigated the
therapeutic benefits of transplanting human umbilical cord blood (UCB) mensenchymal stem
cells (MSCs) into newborn laboratory rats with oxygen-deprived lung injury. They found
that MSCs have a protective effect against hyperoxia-induced lung injury, likely due to
anti-inflammatory effects. The researchers noted that their findings are expected to have
important therapeutic potential for the currently untreatable hyperoxic neonatal lung
disease, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), in premature human infants. The easy
availability of UCB is an associated benefit. Dr. Park noted that the optimal route for
transplantation had not previously been determined. "An injured lung produces soluble
factors that cause MSCs to proliferate and migrate toward an injured lung," he
explained. "But it has been unclear if the local, intratracheal administration of
MSCs is comparable to, or better than systemic transplantation."
Cellphones affect the brain
Cellphones and other cordless telephones have a biological effect on the brain, according
to research from Sweden's Örebro University.
Genetic clue to glioma brain cancer
growth
Scientists have pinpointed a mutated gene as key to the development of some types of
glioma brain tumour.
PCBs - when green paint isn't green
Last year, University of Iowa scientists reported the discovery of a novel contaminant in
urban air -- a polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, that had never been intentionally
manufactured.
Smoking when pregnant is linked to
hyperactive children
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy more than double the chances of their children
suffering from hyperactivity, claim researchers.
The toxins of life, discovered in a
body burden test
Every day, every minute, we're breathing in chemical pollutants, whether we realize it or
not. The reality is, you likely have dozens, if not hundreds of these chemicals in your
body at this very instant.
Ukraine's Carbon Windfall an Issue
for Copenhagen
Ukraine's economic collapse has produced a potential multibillion-dollar bonanza, allowing
the country to reap windfall carbon credit profits from the smokeless smokestacks of its
industrial shutdown.
French Study is First to Associate
Pain Assessment with Improved Outcomes in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients
A large study of more than 1,300 patients has provided evidence that increased attention
to pain assessment in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU)
may improve patient outcomes and lead to shorter ICU stays. According to lead study author
Jean-Francois Payen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hopital Albert Michallon in Grenoble, France,
pain assessment and management can often be an underappreciated aspect of care that may
improve care during and after an ICU stay.
Moderate drinking while pregnant
doubles risk of child becoming depressed
Moderate drinking while pregnant could double the risk of a baby suffering depression
later in life, according to a new study.
Researchers Find Tamiflu Resistant
Viruses in UK and US
On Friday, the World Health Organization announced that there have been 57 cases of
Tamiflu resistant flu viruses worldwide. The vast majority of those mutations were caused
by an anomaly in the patients themselves; they did not spread from person to person.
The Story of 500 Years of Global
Greed and Misery
"The End of Poverty?", a documentary by Philippe Diaz, paints a lurid picture of
globalization's role in the First World/Third World rift.
Vinegar Can Help Lower Blood Sugar
Levels
Studies suggest that adding vinegar to a meal may reduce its impact on blood sugar.
Swedish pig farms flout animal
protection laws
Living conditions for Swedish pigs are worse than previously realized, an animal rights
group claims, citing its own video evidence.
Avoiding conflict at work doubles
heart risk
New Swedish research shows that men with pent-up frustrations about perceived workplace
injustices run twice the risk of suffering a heart attack.
Skin germs aid in normal healing
U.S. researchers say bacteria that normally live on the skin actually help the body to
heal itself by calming down overactive immune responses.
Vioxx risks evident earlier,
researchers say
Red flags about the pain reliever Vioxx were present at least three years before the drug
was taken off the market, U.S. researchers say.
Seniors on sedatives prone to falls
Seniors who take medications like antidepressants and sleeping pills that have a sedating
effect are at greater risk of falling, say researchers, suggesting that doctors need to
take more care in prescribing such drugs.
Award in Hormone Suit
A jury awarded $28 million in punitive damages in Pennsylvania state court Monday to a
plaintiff who claimed her use of Pfizer Inc.'s hormone-therapy drugs caused breast cancer.
The Biology Behind the Milk of
Human Kindness
Above all, be thankful for your brain’s supply of oxytocin, the small, celebrated
peptide hormone that, by the looks of it, helps lubricate our every prosocial exchange,
the thousands of acts of kindness.
China executes two over tainted
milk powder scandal
China has executed two people for their role in a scandal involving tainted milk powder
that resulted in six children dying, officials have said.
Chinese drywall linked to
irritation
Sulfur thought to be culprit; homeowners urged to get 'fresh air'
Czech regret over sterilisation
The Czech government has expressed regret over the illegal sterilisation of Roma women.
Fight Candida and Yeast with
Natural Olive Leaf Extract
The battle against candida is familiar to many. Some struggle for years with fatigue,
weight gain and recurring infections, only to be told by doctors that it's "all in
your head." The luckier ones realize the cause behind their symptoms early on, only
to be handed endless prescriptions for drugs that eventually aren't enough to fight back.
Candida has become increasingly resistant to pharmaceutical antifungal drugs. It is more
important than ever to turn to natural methods like olive leaf extract and finally turn
the tables on candida.
In Type 2 Diabetes, Mitochondrial
Damage Kills Insulin-Producing Cells
Over time, patients with type 2 diabetes lose insulin-producing cells, a difficulty that
aggravates their disease. Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center now have identified a
mechanism that triggers the problem, giving a chance to find targets for drugs to protect
these crucial cells. Curiously enough, the failure arises when the insulin-producing
"beta" cells, located in the pancreas, themselves fail to import insulin
properly. Similar failures throughout the body, producing a condition known as insulin
resistance, are a common cause of type 2 diabetes. Scientists in the lab of Joslin
Principal Investigator Rohit N. Kulkarni, M.D., Ph.D., found that when a beta cell can't
respond to circulating insulin, an altered molecular cascade ends up damaging the normal
action of a certain molecular complex on the surface of the cell's mitochondria.
Millions more than thought have
already had swine flu, Government scientists say
One in five children have already had swine flu, many without even knowing it, scientists
have said.
Nanotech widespread in cosmetics,
report finds
SOME of the world's most prestigious cosmetic houses have been accused by an environmental
group of using Australian women as guinea pigs.
Scientists Discover Influenza's
Achilles Heel - Antioxidants
As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama
researchers has raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the
flu -- antioxidants.
Fuel fumes 'can increase anxiety
and aggression'
Simply filling up a car can increase the risks of suffering from anxiety and aggression, a
new study suggests.
Technology 'will remove the need to
cut most patients open'
Technological advances will soon remove the need to cut patients open for most surgical
procedures, a former health minister has predicted.
The Second Wave of The Financial
Tsunami
The Wave Is gathering force & could hit between the first & second quarter of 2010
Yaz/Yasmin/Ocella Side Effects
Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella are popular contraceptives (birth control pills). These drugs are
marketed under different names, but are chemically the same. Unfortunately, these pills
have been linked with serious and deadly side effects.
Cancer industry abandons science to
keep pushing mammograms that harm women
The cancer industry has blatantly abandoned science these past two weeks by insisting
women under 50 should receive annual mammograms even though the industry's own scientific
task force concluded that such screenings result in too many false positives. Essentially,
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force took a good, hard look at the science and
concluded that mammograms harm far more women than they help (for women under 50, anyway).
But when they announced the new recommendations that women under 50 should avoid
mammograms -- and women over 50 should only get them every other year -- the cancer
industry cried foul.
Drug industry threatens reform
A new AARP analysis has found that drug companies raised their prices for prescription
drugs by 9.3 percent during the past year, amounting to $10 billion in new revenues. That
is $2 billion more than the promised annual cost cuts.
New US exposure study commissioned
Another US study on health risks of bisphenol A (BPA) will add to the growing volume of
research.
H1N1 Flu Vaccine Linked to
Life-Threatening Muscle Disorder, Other Side Effects
Some people who have received the vaccine for the H1N1 “swine flu” virus have
developed a potentially fatal muscle disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and
other serious side effects.
MS progress slowed by giving birth,
Belgian doctors say
Giving birth seems to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), Belgian and Dutch
researchers say.
Vioxx risks could have been
detected earlier
Heart risks from taking Merck & Co Inc's painkiller Vioxx could have been detected
more than three years before the company withdrew the drug from the market in September
2004, had the data been openly available, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
CPSC Ties Drywall, Corrosion
Federal regulators said Monday there is a "strong association" between chemicals
emitted by Chinese drywall and metals corrosion, a finding that could pave the way for the
government to help homeowners facing billions of dollars in repair bills.
Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the
Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria
One of my good sources within the government said to me that they’re either trying
to, in his opinion, over-represent the swine flu numbers or under-represent by not
counting them anymore. He said, “You need to find out which it is.” And so to
find out which it might be, I really wanted to see the data that the CDC had at the time
it made the decision to quit counting the cases.
A Coating for Life
Stents that keep weakened and flabby arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers.
But after six months, those stents are no longer needed — once the arteries are
strengthened, they become unnecessary. Previously, doctors had no choice but to leave them
in place. Prof. Meital Zilberman of Tel Aviv University's Department of Biomedical
Engineering has developed a new patent-pending fiber platform that carries drugs where
they’re needed, then dissolves. "Our new composite fibers consist of a strong
core coated with a drug-releasing, or 'eluting,' solution. They combine strength with the
desired elements necessary for drug delivery, so they can be used as the basis of
biodegradable drug-eluting stents," says Prof. Zilberman.
A sticky solution for identifying
effective probiotics
Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the
gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify
strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people. "Probiotics need to interact
with cells lining the gut to have a beneficial effect, and if they attach to surfaces in
the gut they are more likely to stick around long enough to exert their activity,"
says Dr Nathalie Juge from the Institute of Food Research. IFR is an Institute of the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which funded the research. The gut
is the largest immune system organ in the body. The cells lining the gut are covered in a
protective layer of mucus that is continuously renewed by specialised cells. As well as
protecting the gut lining, mucus provides an attachment site for beneficial bacteria that
help maintain normal gut function. Mucus adhesion has been well studied for pathogenic
bacteria, but precisely what enables commensal (our gut bacteria) bacteria to stick is not
known. In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, IFR and University of
East Anglia scientists have obtained the first crystal structure of a mucus-binding
protein.
Molecule discovered that makes
obese people develop diabetes
Many people who are overweight or obese develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes at
some stage in their lives. A European research team has now discovered that obese people
have large amounts of the molecule CXCL5, produced by certain cells in fatty tissue. The
main risk factors for type 2 diabetes are obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. The
biomedical community has known for many years that substances produced by fatty tissue are
responsible for the link between obesity and diabetes. "Chronic inflammation of the
adipose tissue, which is characteristic of obese people, is a crucial stage in the
development of insulin resistence and type 2 diabetes", Lluis Fajas, lead author of
the study and a researcher at the Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) in
France, told SINC. The results of this new study show that serum levels of a chemokine
molecule called CXCL5, produced by certain adipose tissue cells, appear at much high
levels in the tissues of obese people than in those of individuals with normal weight.
This has helped Lluis Fajas's research team to come to a biomedically relevant conclusion:
"The CXCL5 molecule helps cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes". The
most important part of this study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, is the
discovery that an experimental treatment aimed at inhibiting the action of CXCL5 can help
to protect obese mice from develping type 2 diabetes. "If these studies can be
confirmed in humans, this treatment would represent a fundamental improvement in the
quality of life of obese individuals", the researcher concludes.
'Too fat to be a princess?' UCF
study shows young girls worry about body image
Even before they start school, many young girls worry that they are fat. But a new study
suggests watching a movie starring a stereotypically thin and beautiful princess may not
increase children's anxieties. Nearly half of the 3- to 6-year-old girls in a study by
University of Central Florida psychology professor Stacey Tantleff-Dunn and doctoral
student Sharon Hayes said they worry about being fat. About one-third would change a
physical attribute, such as their weight or hair color. The number of girls worried about
being fat at such a young age concerns Tantleff-Dunn because of the potential implications
later in life. Studies have shown that young girls worried about their body image are more
likely to suffer from eating disorders when they are older. The encouraging news for
parents is that taking their young daughters to see the new Disney film "The Princess
and the Frog" isn't likely to influence how they perceive their bodies.
Antidepressants - Benefit of
reboxetine not proven
There is no scientific proof that people suffering from depression can benefit from taking
reboxetine. However, clinical trials do provide proof of benefit of bupropion XL and
mirtazapine: both agents can alleviate symptoms. This is the conclusion of the final
report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published on 24
November 2009. The final evaluation of reboxetine and mirtazapine was only possible after
manufacturers disclosed data that had previously been concealed. This case re-emphasizes
the need for a mandatory regulation, which would require all clinical trials to be
registered at the start and to have their results published after study completion.
New device enables early detection
of cancerous skin tumors
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev are developing a new device that detects
cancerous skin tumors, including melanomas that aren't visible to the naked eye. During
initial testing, the OSPI instrument (Optical Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging) revealed new
textures of lesions that have never been seen before - including melanoma in patients who
were diagnosed with various skin lesions and were awaiting surgery for their removal. The
instrument diagnosed 73 types of lesions, some of them cancerous. Dermatologists and
plastic surgeons typically diagnose skin tumors by their appearance with the naked eye and
only rarely using a dermatoscope - a magnifying tool that allows tumors to be examined in
detail. The OSPI biosensor uses safe, infrared wavelengths and LC devices to measure tumor
characteristics, including contours and spread. "This is an exciting preliminary
development since the initial testing shows that we can now identify microscopic tumors in
the biological layers of the skin," explains Prof. Abdulahim, who is head of the BGU
Electro-Optical Unit in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and is leading the research
group. As we continue to develop the OSPI, we also see an opportunity to use this
technology for detecting other types of cancerous growths." Cancerous mole detection
is usually done by looking for one or more telltale visible symptoms: if the mole is
asymmetrical; if its outline is blurred or irregular; if it has multiple colors; if it is
larger than five millimeters in diameter; and if stands up above the skin.
High unexpressed anger in MS
patients linked to nervous system damage, not disease severity
People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the
general population and this could have an adverse effect on their relationships and
health, according to a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of
Neurology. Italian researchers assessed 195 patients with MS, using a range of scales that
measure anger, depression and anxiety, and then compared them with the general population.
They were surprised by the results, which showed that while patients experienced almost
twice the normal level of withheld anger and exerted low levels of control on their anger,
their expressed anger levels were similar to the general population. This, together with
the fact that the elevated withheld anger levels were not related to the severity of the
patients' MS, suggests that these inconsistent changes were caused by nervous system
damage, rather than an emotional reaction to the stress of the disease. "We believe
that the higher levels of withheld anger shown by the study subjects is due to
demyelination, loss of the substance in the white matter that insulates the nerve endings
and helps people receive and interpret messages from the brain" explains lead
researcher Dr Ugo Nocentini from the IRCCS S Lucia Foundation in Rome.
Polyphenols and polyunsaturated
fatty acids boost the birth of new neurons
Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in
polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the
production of the brain's stem cells -neurogenesis- and strengthens their differentiation
in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when
compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the
brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, both of
which are greatly damaged in patients with Alzheimer's disease. These results give support
to the hypothesis that a diet made up of foods rich in these antioxidant substances could
delay the onset of this disease or even slow down its evolution. The study will be
published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and was directed by
Mercedes Unzeta, professor of the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Participating in the study were researchers from this department and from the departments
of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, and of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, all of
which are affiliated centres of the Institute of Neuroscience of Universitat Autňnoma de
Barcelona. The company La Morella Nuts from Reus and the ACE Foundation of the Catalan
Institute of Applied Neurosciences also collaborated in the study. Polyphenols can be
found in tea, beer, grapes, wine, olive oil, cocoa, nuts and other fruits and vegetables.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids can be found in blue fish and vegetables such as corn, soya
beans, sunflowers and pumpkins. The LMN cream used in this study was composed of a mixture
of natural products: dried fruits and nuts, coconut, vegetable oils rich in
polyunsaturated fat and flour rich in soluble fiber. These creams were created and
patented by the company La Morella Nuts, located in Reus near Tarragona. Previous studies
had verified their effects on regulating cholesterol levels and hypertension, two risk
factors commonly associated with heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Discovery leads to effective
treatment of painful skin condition
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with a worldwide group of
physicians and scientists, have discovered a remarkable treatment for a rare, yet
debilitating, skin condition. The study, published online November 24 in Molecular Therapy
describes a new treatment for pachyonychia congenita, an ultra-rare genetic skin condition
caused by mutations in a gene called keratin. The disorder is characterized by painful,
blistering calluses on the feet and limbs that limit a patient's ability to walk. Other
skin and nail problems also occur. The new treatment involves a relatively new class of
drug called siRNA, and works by preventing the gene with the mutation from being expressed
but permitting the healthy keratin genes to function normally. The study marked the first
time that the skin of a human subject was treated with this type of drug. Researchers say
that in this single patient trial the drug worked, had no serious side effects, and has
vast potential because of its ability to specifically and potently target single
molecules, making it an option for many other genetic diseases, including cancer.
"The result is exceptionally promising since it suggests that siRNAs can be used
safely on the skin and also possibly to treat genetic disorders that would otherwise have
few therapeutic options," says Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead author.
"The patient was treated with siRNA on her right foot and with placebo on the left
foot. The callus on the right foot that received the siRNA fell off at the site of
injection, but this did not happen on the left foot."
New study finds MRSA on the rise in
hospital outpatients
The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA—an infection-causing
bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics—poses a far greater health threat than
previously known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a study in the
December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The new threat is easily picked up in
fitness centers, schools, and other public places and has increased the overall burden of
MRSA within hospitals, the report found. The study, which analyzed data from more than 300
microbiology labs serving hospitals all over the United States, found a seven-fold
increase in the proportion of "community-associated" strains of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in outpatient hospital units between
1999 and 2006. According to study authors, this increase threatens patient safety because
doctors and patients often move back and forth between inpatient and outpatient units of a
hospital.
Metobolomics uncovers key
indicators of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
A recent metobolomics study by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical
Center in Richmond found that impaired peroxisomal oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFA) is associated with the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The study also found significantly higher plasma
monounsaturated fatty acids in the blood of patients with NAFL and NASH. Full findings
appear in the December issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on
behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease (NAFLD) affects a third of the U.S. adult population, with many cases found
in obese individuals. NAFLD ranges from NAFL, a benign condition where fat accumulates in
the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol, to a more serious state known as NASH
where inflammation or scarring of the liver occurs and which can progress to liver
failure. Study participants included 50 in a lean normal control, 25 subjects with NAFL
and 50 patients with NASH. Researchers classified the NAFL group by a diagnosis of fatty
liver with the presence of accumulated liver fat of at least grade 1 severity according to
the NASH Clinical Research Network criteria. The NASH group included those with at least a
grade 1 severity in accumulated liver fat, inflammation and cytologic ballooning of at
least grade 1 severity in each. The nonalcoholic nature of the disease was established by
clinical assessment that the alcohol consumption was less than 20 gm/day for women and 30
gm/day for men. Lean normal controls were identified by a body mass index between 18-25
kg/m2, absence of symptoms or signs of disease, normal liver enzymes and hepatic sonogram.
Exposure to both traffic, indoor
pollutants puts some kids at higher risk for asthma later
New research presents strong evidence that the "synergistic" effect of
early-life exposure to both outdoor traffic-related pollution and indoor endotoxin causes
more harm to developing lungs than one or the other exposure alone. Environmental health
scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine have shown that
children exposed to both high levels of traffic-related particles and indoor endotoxin
during early life are six times more likely to experience persistent wheezing than
children exposed to low levels of traffic and indoor-related pollutants. They report their
findings in the Dec. 1, 2009, edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical
Care Medicine. This is believed to be the first study to look at the combined effects of
traffic-related exposures and sampled endotoxin in children during infancy as an indicator
of asthma later in life. Endotoxin, a component of bacteria thought to trigger an immune
response in humans, was measured from dust samples collected prior to age 1. Based on a
long-term study of children deemed at high risk for allergies later in life, UC
environmental health researchers have found that 36 percent of the children studied who
were exposed to high levels of both traffic-related pollution and indoor endotoxin
demonstrated persistent wheezing at age 3, an early warning sign of asthma and other
pulmonary conditions. Only 11 percent of children exposed to low levels of both indoor and
outdoor allergens experienced wheezing; 18 percent of children exposed to low levels of
indoor endotoxin and high levels of traffic-related particles experienced persistent
wheezing. Endotoxin exposure alone appeared to have little effect. "There is a clear
synergistic effect from co-exposure to traffic-related particles and endotoxin above and
beyond what you would see with a single exposure that can be connected to persistent
wheezing by age 3," explains Patrick Ryan, PhD, lead author of the study and a
research assistant professor of environmental health at UC."These two exposure
sources—when simultaneously present at high levels—appear to work together to
negatively impact the health of young children with developing lungs."
Serotonin Made in Breast Cancer
Cells, Researchers Show
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have documented that the brain hormone
serotonin is made in human breast cancer cells and functions abnormally, contributing to
malignant growth. Researchers in the lab of Nelson Horseman, PhD, a professor in the
department of molecular and cellular physiology, published their findings this month in
Breast Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed online journal. The study represents the first
report of direct involvement of serotonin in human breast cancer. Horseman’s team has
previously shown that serotonin, a neurotransmitter best known for its involvement in mood
regulation, plays a role in mammary gland development. Armed with that knowledge,
researchers analyzed human breast tumors from patients and in a laboratory setting to
determine if serotonin played a role in breast cancer.
Factors from common human bacteria
may trigger multiple sclerosis
Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease.
The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium
Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in
the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Multiple sclerosis (MS), a
disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700
people in the United States. Patients with multiple sclerosis have a variety of
neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, difficulty in moving, and difficulty in
speech. Porphyromas gingivalis, a common oral bacterium in humans, produces a unique type
of lipid, phosphorylated dihydroceramides (DHCs), which enhance inflammatory responses.
These lipids are also likely produced by bacteria found in other parts of the body
including the gastrointestinal tract. To determine if these lipids accentuate
immune-mediated damage in autoimmune disease, researchers led by Robert B. Clark and Frank
C. Nichols of the University of Connecticut Health Center administered phosphorylated DHCs
in a mouse model of MS. The severity of disease was significantly enhanced by the addition
of these lipids in a manner that was dependent on activation of the immune system. These
data suggest that phosphorylated DHCs from bacteria commonly found in humans may trigger
or increase the severity of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Could Asbos be harmful to young
people?
The first major study into the impact of Asbos (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders) on young
people is being conducted by Kingston University’s newly appointed Professor of Law.
Julia Fionda has completed a pilot study which adds to the controversy over Asbos by
suggesting that the orders can have a harmful effect on young offenders. The study also
raises questions about whether Asbos may lead their recipients deeper into criminality.
Professor Fionda, who undertook the pilot study with Dr Rachel Manning of the University
of the West of England and Robert Jago of the University of Surrey, said that Asbos could
be counter-productive. “Since the year dot teenagers have hung around together on
street corners but what sort of adults are they going to turn into if Asbos restrict their
physical movement in public places?” she asked. “It can impact on the growing up
process and the way young adults learn social skills.” Professor Fionda and her
colleagues interviewed young people and their parents, who they contacted through a youth
offending team in the south of England. Professor Fionda began her research in her
previous role as a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton. She is set to expand
her work in her new appointment at Kingston’s Faculty of Business and Law. At the age
of 42, Professor Fionda is one of the youngest law professors in the country.
New gene discovered that increases
the effectiveness of drugs used to fight cancer and allows a reduction in dosage
Researchers at the University of Granada have found a suicide gene, called 'gene E', which
leads to the death of tumour cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and
prevents their growth. The importance of this new gene is that its use to fight cancer can
reduce the potent drugs that are currently used, so that could mean more effective
treatment for cancer. This research was conducted by Ana Rosa Rama Ballesteros, from the
Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology at the University of Granada, and directed by
professors Antonia Aránega Jimenez, José Carlos Prados Salazar and Consolación Melguizo
Alonso. Its aim was to study the possibility of reducing the dosage of drugs currently
administered to cancer patients using combination therapy with suicide gene E. Scientists
from the UGR have shown that the bacteriophage phiX174 killer gene called E, can be used
to induce death in tumour cells. So far, attempts to use many chemotherapeutic (cytotoxic)
agents similar to the E gene have shown severe limitations resulting from their toxicity
and their poor affinity with the tumour.
Antioxidants could help preserve
muscle strength
In a study in older adults, dietary intake of vitamins C and E was linked with muscle
strength, leading the researchers to suggest at a meeting in Atlanta this past weekend
that a diet high in antioxidants could play an important role in preserving muscle
function in older adults
Fertility drugs may pose some
uterine cancer risk
hough the use of fertility drugs does not seem to generally increase uterine cancer risk,
a Danish study identified small increases in risk from certain fertility drugs used for
longer duration.
Indoor Allergies and Their
Prevention
Allergy symptoms are often associated with blooming trees and shrubs and the increase of
pollen this brings.
Polyphenols and Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids Boost the Birth of New Neurons
Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in
polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the
production of the brain's stem cells -neurogenesis- and strengthens their differentiation
in different types of neuron cells.
FDA letter warns about antibiotics
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given two St. Lawrence County dairy farms
warnings about their alleged misuse of antibiotics.
Severe and Chronic Pain in Multiple
Areas Associated With Increased Risk of Falls in Older Adults
Older adults who reported chronic musculoskeletal pain in two or more locations, higher
levels of severe pain, or pain that interfered with daily activities were more likely to
experience a fall than adults who did not reports these types of pain, according to a
study in the November 25 issue of JAMA. "Falls rank among the 10 leading causes of
death in older adults in the United States, resulting in more than $19 billion in health
care costs annually. Despite a growing body of scientific evidence supporting associations
between a number of risk factors and falls, efforts to translate these findings into
effective fall prevention strategies have been limited," the authors write. Few
reports have examined chronic pain as a risk for falls in older adults. "Pain
contributes to functional decline and muscle weakness and is associated with mobility
limitations that could predispose to falls."
Migrating Brain Cells Stick
Together
Researchers have long known that proteins known as cadherins—short for
calcium-dependent adhesion molecules—play a key role in helping neurons navigate
through the developing brain. Cadherins sit within the cell membrane, projecting a
chemical hook outside the cell that allows it to adhere to its neighbor. Cells that fail
to make these connections fail to differentiate normally and also lose their ability to
migrate normally, earlier studies have shown. But the mechanisms behind this coordinated
movement—in particular, how each cell adjusts its inner workings to move to the right
place at the right time—are only now starting to be revealed, using imaging that
tracks these cells in live animals as they develop. In this new study, Köster and
colleagues reveal crucial pieces of this puzzle, showing how the cells orient themselves
to migrate together. The team studied zebrafish, one of the workhorses of developmental
neurobiology, because its transparent body allows researchers to track movements of cells
inside of it.
OSU research backs value of vitamin
D
A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed
interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people
who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as
"nature's antibiotic."
Worries grow about the dangers of
H1N1 vaccine side effects
A survey released on November 24th shows that a majority of Americans are still uncertain
about the safety of H1N1 swine flu vaccines, and are worried about the potential side
effects, including the rare severe reactions.
Gene offers bowel cancer 'shield'
A gene known to shield the body from harmful chemicals may also protect against bowel
cancer, a study suggests.
Women Claim Drugmaker Knew Pill
Could Cause Cancer
Several dozen Indiana women are preparing to sue a drug company they claim sold a product
it knew could cause breast cancer.
Exposure to environmental
pollutants is associated with asthma symptoms in children
Exposure shortly after birth to ambient metals from residential heating oil combustion and
particles from diesel emissions are associated with respiratory symptoms in young inner
city children, according to a new study.
Oceans Absorbing Carbon Dioxide
More Slowly, Yale Scientist Finds
The world’s oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide (CO2), a Yale geophysicist has
found after pooling data taken over the past 50 years. With the oceans currently absorbing
over 40 percent of the CO2 emitted by human activity, this could quicken the pace of
climate change, according to the study, which appears in the November 25 issue of
Geophysical Research Letters.
New genetic cause of cardiac
failure discovered
Over the course of a lifetime, the heart pumps some 250 million liters of blood through
the body. In the order to do this, the muscle fibers of the heart have to be extremely
durable. The research group headed by Dr. Wolfgang Rottbauer, vice chair of the Department
of Medicine III at Heidelberg University Hospital (Chairman: Prof. Dr. H. A. Katus), has
discovered a protein that is responsible for the stability of the smallest muscular unit,
the sarcomere. In cooperation with other researchers within the National Genome Research
Network (NGFN) which is funded by the German Federal Ministery of Education and Research,
especially Prof. Dr. H. Schunkert from the University of Lübeck and Prof. Dr. M. Stoll
from the University of Münster, they proved that mutations of this protein are the cause
of a new type of heart failure. The results have been published in the November issue of
Nature Medicine.
Dentists can help to identify
patients at risk of a heart attack
Dentists can help to identify patients who are in danger of dying of a heart attack or
stroke, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. Thanks to the study, six men who
thought they were completely healthy were able to start preventive treatment in time.
"Dentists are really proud of their profession and feel no need to encroach upon
doctors' territory," says senior dental officer and professor Mats Jontell at the
Sahlgrenska Academy. "However, we wanted to find out if we as a profession could
identify patients at risk of cardiovascular disease." The study involved 200 men and
women over the age of 45 who did not have any known cardiovascular problems. During a
routine visit to their normal dentists in Borĺs and Gothenburg they were also checked out
for known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Tailor-made HIV/AIDS treatment
closer to reality
An innovative treatment for HIV patients developed by McGill University Health Centre
researchers has passed its first clinical trial with flying colours. The new approach is
an immunotherapy customized for each individual patient, and was developed by Dr. J-P.
Routy from the Research Institute of the MUHC in collaboration with Dr. R. Sékaly from
the Université de Montréal. "This is a vaccine made for the individual patient
– an "haute couture" therapy, instead of an off-the-rack treatment"
said Dr Routy. By "priming" the immune system, as with a vaccine, to fight the
specific strain of HIV/AIDS infecting a given patient, the scientists believe they have
developed a therapy that shows immense promise and could be an even more effective weapon
against the virus than the anti-retroviral cocktails currently in use. The results of the
first-stage clinical trials, which tested the therapy in conjunction with anti-retroviral
drugs, were published recently in Clinical Immunology. Phase 2 of the clinical trial,
which is nearly complete, is testing the therapy's efficacy on its own at 8 different
sites in Canada. The new therapy uses dendritic cells which are removed from each
HIV-infected patient and subsequently multiplied in-vitro. Dendritic cells present
material from invading viruses on their surface, allowing the rest of the immune system to
identify and attack the invaders. "They are the "grand conductors" of the
immune response," explains Dr Routy. "With them, you push the immune system, in
all its functions, at the same time." In the current trial, dendritic cells were
exposed to a sample of HIV RNA (ribonucleic acid) specific to the patient involved. This
exposure encouraged the cells to develop defences specific to that viral strain. The
modified cells – called AGS-004 – were then injected back into the patients.
Early relationships influence teen
pain and depression
Angst could be more than a rite of passage for insecure teenagers, according to a study
published in the Journal of Pain. Researchers from the Université de Montréal,
Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University have discovered that
insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches,
abdominal pain and joint pain. These teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers
with secure attachments. Dr. Isabelle Tremblay, a researcher at the Université de
Montréal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, and Dr. Michael
Sullivan, a psychology professor at McGill University, launched this study to build on
previous findings that childhood experiences play a major role in the relationships people
develop in later life. Simply put: insecure infants grow up to be insecure adolescents,
and later, insecure adults. "Although previous studies in adults found that an
individual's security level was influenced by painful experiences, it was not clear why
relationship security should be related to pain," says Dr. Tremblay. "We found
that adolescents with insecure relationships tend to be more 'alarmist' about their pain
symptoms; they have a tendency to amplify the degree of threat or severity of their pain.
This amplification leads to more intense pain and more severe depressive symptoms."
Cutting greenhouse pollutants could
directly save millions of lives worldwide
Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions will
have major direct health benefits in addition to reducing the risk of climate change,
especially in low-income countries, according to a series of six papers appearing today
(Wed., Nov. 25) in the British journal The Lancet. Two University of California, Berkeley,
authors of the papers - Kirk R. Smith, professor of global environmental health, and
Michael Jerrett, associate professor of environmental health sciences - will discuss the
results today at an 11:30 a.m. EST press conference in Washington, D.C. The press
conference also will include Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy
and Climate Change Policy, and Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and National Toxicology Program. United Kingdom
coauthors will be patched in via satellite from London, where they also will be holding a
press conference. The studies, three of them coauthored by Smith and one coauthored by
Jerrett, use case studies to demonstrate the co-benefits of tackling climate change in
four sectors: electricity generation, household energy use, transportation, and food and
agriculture.
Climate change could boost
incidence of civil war in Africa, study finds
Climate change could increase the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan Africa by over 50
percent within the next two decades, according to a new study led by a team of researchers
at University of California, Berkeley, and published in today's (Monday, Nov. 23) online
issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study,
conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley as well as at Stanford University, New York
University and Harvard University, provides the first quantitative evidence linking
climate change and the risk of civil conflict. It concludes by urging accelerated support
by African governments and foreign aid donors for new and/or expanded policies to assist
with African adaptation to climate change.
Senior doctors launch global
movement to tackle climate change
Senior doctors from across the globe have come together to form the International Climate
and Health Council. Their aim is to mobilise health professionals across the world to help
tackle the health effects of climate change. The Council will be officially launched on
Wednesday 25 November 2009 to coincide with a series of papers being published by the
Lancet on the public health impact of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ahead
of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.Founding members include Professor Ian
Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Muir Gray, Director of the
Campaign for Greener Health Care, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the British
Medical Association, Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal and
Lancet Editor, Dr Richard Horton. Together with colleagues from Australia, Africa, Asia,
Europe and the Americas, they are calling for urgent government-led international action
to reduce carbon emissions and promote the universal adoption of low carbon sustainable
lifestyles. Failure to agree radical reductions in emissions spells a global health
catastrophe, they say.
High salt intake linked to strokes
and cardiovascular disease
Eating high amounts of salt is linked to a significantly higher risk of strokes and
cardiovascular disease, states a paper published today in the British Medical Journal. The
research was carried out jointly by the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre
for Nutrition, based at the University of Warwick and University Hospital in Coventry, UK,
and the uropean Society of Hypertension Excellence Centre in Hypertension based at the
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University Medical School in
Naples, Italy. The study looked at the relationship between the level of habitual dietary
salt intake and the occurrence of stroke and cardiovascular disease by reviewing 13
prospective studies from the UK, Japan, USA, The Netherlands, Finland and China, including
more than 170,000 participants, followed up for 3.5 to 19 years, who experienced nearly
11,000 vascular events. The study provides unequivocal evidence of the direct link between
high dietary salt intake and increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. A 5 g
lower daily salt intake would reduce stroke by 23% and total cardiovascular disease by
17%, thus averting 1.25 million fatal and non-fatal strokes, and almost 3 million vascular
events worldwide each year. The effect is greater, the larger the difference in salt
intake and increases with time.
Alzheimer's research sheds light on
potential treatments for urinary tract infections
Research into Alzheimer's disease seems an unlikely approach to yield a better way to
fight urinary tract infections (UTIs), but that's what scientists at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere recently reported. One element links the
disparate areas of research: amyloids, which are fibrous, sticky protein aggregates. Some
infectious bacteria use amyloids to attach to host cells and to build biofilms, which are
bacterial communities bound together in a film that helps resist antibiotics and immune
attacks. Amyloids also form in the nervous system in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease and many other neurodegenerative disorders. To probe amyloids' contributions to
neurodegenerative diseases, scientists altered potential UTI-fighting compounds originally
selected for their ability to block bacteria's ability to make amyloids and form biofilms.
But when they brought the compounds back to UTI research after the neurology studies, they
found the changes had also unexpectedly made them more effective UTI treatments.
"Thanks to this research, we have evidence for the first time that we may be able to
use a single compound to impair both the bacteria's ability to start infections and their
ability to defend themselves in biofilms," says senior author Scott J. Hultgren,
Ph.D., the Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University.
Tobacco smoke exposure before heart
transplantation may increase the risk of transplant failure
A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore provides
the first direct evidence that cigarette smoke exposure prior to a heart transplant in
either the donor, recipient, or both, accelerates the death of a transplanted heart. The
study, published this month in the journal Circulation, showed that tobacco smoke leads to
accelerated immune system rejection of the transplanted heart, heightened vascular
inflammation and increased oxidative stress, and a reduction in the transplanted organ's
chance of survival by 33-57 percent. The study, conducted in rats, involved exposure to
levels of tobacco equivalent to that of a habitual, light-to-moderate-range smoker and
included comparisons between smoking and non-smoking donors and recipients. "Our
research shows that if a heart donor has been a habitual smoker, and you put that heart in
a non-smoking recipient, that heart won't work; it will be rejected," says the
study's senior author, Mandeep R. Mehra, M.B.B.S., professor of medicine, head of the
Division of Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of
cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "This study shows beyond a
shadow of a doubt how smoking affects transplantation." This is the first study to
look at the impact of smoking in heart donors, according to the principal investigator,
Ashwani K. Khanna, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine. "There are already many risk factors that physicians and surgeons
must consider when they try to match a donor with a recipient. This study makes clear that
smoking in both the donor and the recipient should also become a part of the risk calculus
in organ donation," says Dr. Khanna.
Early protein processes crucial to
formation and layering of myelin membrane
New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin
sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover
how mutations affect the structure of myelin, a focal point of research in multiple
sclerosis and other neurological disorders. The findings were central to the group's
broader conclusion that a set of protein processes required in the early-stage conversion
of glucose into fatty acids are critical to the proper formation and layering of myelin
membrane, the researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Boston College Professor of Biology Daniel Kirschner, Senior Research Associate Hideyo
Inouye, graduate student Adrienne Luoma, and undergraduate Michelle Crowther partnered
with Dutch, Italian, Swiss and Japanese scientists. The research group looked at the
composition of myelin lipids for clues about their role in myelin structure and stability,
Kirschner said. Myelin sheaths surround the axons of neurons and are considered critical
to the proper functioning of the nervous system. "Myelin is a stack of membranes
providing insulation to the axon and with that insulation comes rapid nerve
conduction," said Kirschner. "If myelin becomes defective, the membranous
insulator becomes leaky and the nerve doesn't conduct as well. If myelin is totally
missing along part of an axon, the nerve conduction is blocked."
Global Study of Salmon
Global Study of Salmon from Dalhousie University, Ecotrust, and the Swedish Institute for
Food and Biotechnology Shows: "Sustainable" Food Production Isn't So
Sustainable.
Sweden's 'obesity epidemic' shows
signs of slowing
After decades of progressive weight gain, Swedes’ waistlines appear to have stopped
expanding, a new study shows.
Floaters, light flashes may signal
retinal tear
Researchers are warning that people who see sudden, persistent "floaters" or
flashes of light in their vision could have a serious eye condition that could lead to
blindness if left untreated.
Swine flu 'levelling off' in Canada
The number of new swine flu cases across some communities in Canada appears to be
levelling off, federal health officials said Wednesday.
No MMR vaccin for my kids
WHEN Ben Whittaker's young nephew developed autism after receiving the MMR jab he decided
he would never let his own kids receive the triple vaccine.
China expert warns of pandemic flu
mutation
China must be alert to any mutation or changes in the behavior of the H1N1 swine flu virus
because the far deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in the country, a leading Chinese
disease expert said.
Cranberry juice prevents urinary
tract infections
A new study suggests that drinking small amounts of cranberry juice daily may help prevent
urinary tract infections in girls.
Cup of mint tea is an effective
painkiller
A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially
available analgesics, a study suggests.
Inhaling Human Pathogens With
Cigarette Smoke
Cigarettes contain hundreds of different strains of bacteria, including many human
pathogens. That means smokers are inhaling live bacteria into their lungs, which could be
one reason why they contract so many infections and chronic diseases, scientists say.
Merck's Vioxx scandal widens
Drug maker knew Vioxx was deadly for years before risk was made public
Scientists identify gene linked to
mental illnesses
Scientists have identified a gene which could be responsible for depression, bipolar
disorders and schizophrenia.
Turkey toxin? No thanks
Roxarsone is an arsenic-containing antimicrobial drug widely used in the nonorganic
livestock industry to speed the growth, improve the coloring of and combat intestinal
parasites in poultry and sometimes pigs as well.
Is Amazon.com Screwing You Over?
Amazon is charging -- and pocketing -- exorbitant shipping and handling fees, and someone
somewhere is getting rich from it.
Stay a safe distance away from
screw-in fluorescent bulbs
The most popular types of screw-in, energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs should not - as
an "interim precautionary measure" - be closer than 30 centimeters from the body
for more than one hour per day, the Health Ministry recommended on Tuesday.
African dust bringing toxic
chemicals to U.S., Caribbean
Pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls are among the
contaminants hitching an airborne ride to the United States and other parts of the Western
Hemisphere on dust storms blowing out of West Africa.
Lead, chemicals found in toys
despite stricter law
Group's tests discover that some products still 'slip through the cracks'.
Pesticide levels in blood
associated with prostate cancer
Blood levels of three types of banned organochlorine pesticides are associated with
prostate cancer in the general US population, researchers report in a recent study.
The US consumes tons of soy -- and
it's not all good
Americans are in love with soy, but not in the soy milk sipping, tofu stir-frying way you
might think.
Study finds chemicals widespread in
Minn. waters
Minnesota scientists say it appears endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pharmaceuticals are
found in even the most pristine lakes in the state.
Risks of Mammography - Hidden Role
of the American Cancer Society
The series of recent articles on mammography which report the harm done by overscreening,
written by New York Times columnist Gina Kolata, as well as in other newspapers, have made
no reference to the critical role of the American Cancer Society, warns Samuel S. Epstein,
M.D., chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition.
Ecological Farms - the Only Real
Way to Feed an Increasingly Hungry World
There are those who would like us to believe that industrialized farming is the only way
to feed the earth’s growing population. Disinformation comes daily from powerful
industrial agricultural companies whose profits depend entirely on the sale of chemicals,
genetically modified (GM) seeds, and food processing. Furthermore, they maintain that
massive-scale farming methods are key to adapting to climate change.
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