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Week 51
Parents Gone Wild? Study Suggests
Link Between Working Memory and Reactive Parenting
We’ve all been in situations before where we get so frustrated or angry about
something, we will lash out at someone without thinking. This lashing out — reactive
negativity — happens when we can’t control our emotions. Luckily, we are usually
pretty good at self-regulating and controlling our emotions and behaviors. Working memory
is crucial for cognitive control of emotions: It allows us to consider information we have
and reason quickly when deciding what to do as opposed to reacting automatically, without
thinking, to something. For parents, it is particularly important to maintain a cool head
around their misbehaving children. This can be challenging and sometimes parents
can’t help but react negatively towards their kids when they act badly. However,
chronic parental reactive negativity is one of the most consistent factors leading to
child abuse and may reinforce adverse behavior in children. To avoid responding reactively
to bad behavior, parents must be able to regulate their own negative emotions and
thoughts. In the current study, psychologists Kirby Deater-Deckard and Michael D. Sewell
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Stephen A. Petrill from Ohio
State University, and Lee A. Thompson from Case Western Reserve University examined if
there is a link between working memory and parental reactive negativity.
'BioScience' Study - Species Down,
Disease Up
The extinction of plant and animal species can be likened to emptying a museum of its
collection, or dumping a cabinet full of potential medicines into the trash, or replacing
every local cuisine with McDonald's burgers. But the decline of species and their habitats
may not just make the world boring. New research now suggests it may also put you at
greater risk for catching some nasty disease.
Stopping MRSA before it becomes
dangerous is possible, Sandia/UNM researchers find
Most scientists believe that staph infections are caused by many bacterial cells that
signal each other to emit toxins. The signaling process is called quorum sensing because
many bacteria must be present to start the process. But the Jeff Brinker research group
has determined that the very first stage of staph infection, when bacteria switch from a
harmless to a virulent form, occurs in a single cell and that this individual process can
be stopped by the application of a simple protein. The Brinker group’s nonantibiotic
approach may make it easier to treat staphylococci strains that have become drug resistant
like the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. The control of such strains is
a formidable problem in hospitals. “The good news is that by inhibiting the single
cell’s signaling molecules with a small protein, we were able to suppress any genetic
reprogramming into the bacterium’s more virulent form,” said Brinker. “Our
work clearly showed the strategy worked.”
Study suggests adult stem cells may
help repair hearts damaged by heart attack
Adult stem cells may help repair heart tissue damaged by heart attack according to the
findings of a new study to be published in the December 8 issue of the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology. Results from the Phase I study show stem cells from donor
bone marrow appear to help heart attack patients recover better by growing new blood
vessels to bring more oxygen to the heart. Rush University Medical Center was the only
Illinois site and one of 10 cardiac centers across the country that participated in the
53-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I trial. Rush is now currently
enrolling patients for the second phase of the study. Researchers say it is the strongest
evidence thus far indicating that adult stem cells can actually differentiate, or turn
into heart cells to repair damage. Until now, it has been believed that only embryonic
stem cells could differentiate into heart or other organ cells. "The results point to
a promising new treatment for heart attack patients that could reduce mortality and lessen
the need for heart transplants," said Dr. Gary Schaer, head of the Rush Cardiac
Catheterization Laboratory and study principal investigator at Rush.
Nicotine levels higher in children
exposed to secondhand smoke in the home
New research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of
the American Association for Cancer Research, supports the World Health Initiative's
efforts for a home smoking ban, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
Specifically, hair nicotine concentrations were higher in children exposed to secondhand
smoke at home, and the younger the children, the higher the concentration under the same
level of secondhand smoke exposure at home. "This study provides adequate evidence to
support home smoking bans, particularly in homes with small children," said Sungroul
Kim, Ph.D., a research associate at the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Kim and colleagues used hair nicotine
concentrations as a biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure, because it is less affected by
day-to-day exposure variation compared to the presence of nicotine in other body fluid
samples. The study included 1,284 children from 31 countries in Latin America, Asia,
Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Chinese 'herbal' cigarettes no
healthier than regular cigarettes
Despite popular belief and some marketing claims, researchers have found that Chinese
"herbal" cigarettes that combine medicinal herbs with tobacco are just as
addictive and no safer than regular cigarettes. "The public needs to be aware that
herbal cigarettes do not deliver fewer carcinogens," said lead researcher Stanton A.
Glantz, Ph.D., professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine and Cardiovascular
Research Institute at the University of California, San Franisco. "We hope our
findings will help to dispel the myth that they are a safer alternative to conventional
cigarettes; they are not." Results of this study are published in the December issue
of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association
for Cancer Research, which has a special focus on tobacco. Chinese herbal cigarettes are
becoming increasingly more popular in China and elsewhere in the world. Glantz, along with
colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (including Quan Gan, Ph.D., and
Neal L. Benowitz, M.D.), and researchers at the China Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, examined the levels of four markers to determine differences in the delivery
of nicotine and carcinogens between the two marketed products. They compared 135 people
who smoked herbal cigarettes and 143 people who smoked "regular" tobacco
cigarettes. The study was conducted in one city in China.
Secondhand smoke exposure in
childhood increases lung cancer risk later in life
Children exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke have an increased risk of developing lung
cancer in adulthood, even if they never smoked. Results of this study are published in
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association
for Cancer Research, as part of a special tobacco focus in the December issue. This year
alone, more than 219,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer; more than 159,000
will die from it and some of those may be people who have never smoked. Studies to date
have shown that exposure to secondhand smoke in adulthood has detrimental health effects,
but data are limited on one's risk of developing lung cancer when exposed as a child. What
makes this study different from previous research is that it was conducted in two
independent cohorts and included a molecular analysis of gene variants of innate immunity
— the mannose binding lection-2 gene, or MBL2 gene. The MBL2 gene is known to affect
susceptibility to respiratory diseases. Using the ongoing National Cancer
Institute-Maryland Lung Cancer study (624 cases; 348 controls), Curtis C. Harris, M.D.,
chief of the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis at NCI, and colleagues collected
information on secondhand smoke history among men and women. They used DNA for genotyping
the MBL2 gene. Then, to compare, Harris, Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of epidemiology
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues used results from a Mayo Clinic
study (461 never smokers; 172 cases; 289 controls).
Cigarette smoking increases
colorectal cancer risk
New study results strengthen the evidence that people who smoke cigarettes over a long
period of time have an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer, even after
adjusting for other risk factors. "This provides one more reason not to smoke, or to
quit as soon as possible," said senior author Michael J. Thun, M.D., M.S., vice
president emeritus, epidemiology and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society.
"Colorectal cancer should be added to the list of cancers caused by smoking."
Findings are published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &
Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, as part of a
special focus on tobacco. Thun and colleagues tested the association between long-term
cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer after adjusting for multiple other factors that
are generally associated with risk, including screening. From 1992 through 2005 the
researchers followed almost 185,000 participants aged 50 to 74 years old; participants
described their behaviors and medical conditions. Participants who smoked cigarettes for
40 or more years, or who did not quit before age 40, had a 30 percent to 50 percent
increased risk of developing colon or rectal cancer during the follow-up, even in analyses
that adjusted for 13 other potential risk factors, according to Thun. After 13 years of
follow-up, the researchers identified 1,962 cases of invasive colorectal cancer.
Increased nicotine levels detected
in those who light-up earlier
People who smoke their first cigarette within minutes after waking up have much higher
levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine when processed by the body, than those who
wait to smoke, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked. "Since cotinine levels
appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest that smokers who smoke
immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer," said researcher
Joshua E. Muscat, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health sciences at Penn State College
of Medicine. "These people may require a more intensive intervention than other
smokers to help them quit smoking on a sustained or permanent basis." Results of this
study are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the
American Association for Cancer Research, as part of a special tobacco focus in the
December issue. Nicotine levels in the blood can be measured biochemically by the
concentration of the metabolite cotinine. Muscat, along with John P. Richie, Jr., Ph.D.,
professor of public health sciences and pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine,
and colleagues conducted a community-based study in Westchester County, N.Y., to examine
whether a behavioral aspect of nicotine dependence (the amount of time to the first
cigarette after waking up) affects the physiological uptake of nicotine. This in turn may
affect one's success in quitting smoking and have multiple health effects, such as lung
cancer. The study included 252 healthy black and white people who were daily cigarette
smokers. Researchers examined a number of behavioral factors that are thought to measure
the urge to smoke, and results showed a clear trend between lighting-up earlier and higher
cotinine levels.
Exposure to secondhand cigarette
smoke over a lifetime increased breast cancer risk later in life
Exposure to secondhand smoke for a prolonged period of time and in high quantity may
increase the risk of breast cancer, even in women who never smoked cigarettes themselves.
"The question of whether exposure to side-stream smoke could increase risk of breast
cancer is one that is unresolved," said Peggy Reynolds, Ph.D., senior research
scientist at the Northern California Cancer Center's Berkeley office. "While no
single epidemiologic study can answer the question, our findings suggest that cumulative
high levels of exposure may contribute to breast cancer, adding to the evidence for a
variety of other adverse health outcomes." Details of these results are published in
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association
for Cancer Research. The December issue features a special focus on tobacco studies.
Reynolds and colleagues examined the risk of developing breast cancer among women who had
never smoked tobacco products, but who had a history of exposure to secondhand smoke
either at home, at work or in social settings. Participants also had no history of breast
cancer. The researchers collected detailed information via questionnaire from more than
57,000 women in the California Teachers Study, then followed them for a decade. Detailed
questions helped the researchers to determine whether age at exposure, setting of exposure
or amount of exposure influenced the risk of developing breast cancer.
Breastfeeding protects women from
metabolic syndrome, a diabetes and heart disease predictor
Breastfeeding a child may lower a woman’s risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, a
condition linked to heart disease and diabetes in women, according to a Kaiser Permanente
study that was published today online ahead of print and will appear in the February issue
of Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association (link:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/db09-1197). The protective association was even stronger for
women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, according to the study’s lead
author, Erica Gunderson, PhD, an epidemiologist and research scientist at Kaiser
Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. Breastfeeding a child lowers
risk by 39 to 56 percent (depending on the duration of breastfeeding) for women without
gestational diabetes, and 44 to 86 percent (depending on the duration of breastfeeding)
for women with gestational diabetes, researchers said. Investigators looked at durations
that included 0-1 month of lactation up to greater than 9 months of lactation. Previous
research has shown that lactating women have more favorable blood levels of glucose and
lipids within several weeks after delivery than women who were not lactating. Other
studies have reported much weaker protective associations of breastfeeding with the
presence of Metabolic Syndrome and diabetes in middle-aged and older women. Funded by the
U.S. National Institutes of Health, this 20-year prospective study is the first to measure
all components of Metabolic Syndrome both before pregnancy and after weaning in women of
childbearing age, enabling researchers to examine breastfeeding in relation to new onset
of Metabolic Syndrome, explained Gunderson. “The findings indicate that breastfeeding
a child may have lasting favorable effects on a woman’s risk factors for later
developing diabetes or heart disease,” she said, explaining that the benefits
don’t appear to be due to differences in weight gain, physical activity, or other
health behaviors. However, in this study, less belly fat and higher levels of good
cholesterol (HDL-C) were characteristic of women who did not develop Metabolic Syndrome,
Gunderson said.
Gladstone scientists identify
strategies to protect new brain cells against Alzheimer's disease
Stimulating the growth of new neurons to replace those lost in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is
an intriguing therapeutic possibility. But will the factors that cause AD allow the new
neurons to thrive and function normally? Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of
Neurological Disease (GIND) have discovered that two main causes of AD amyloid-beta (A?)
peptides and apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) impair the growth of new neurons born in adult
brains. What is more, they have identified drug treatments that can normalize the
development of these cells even in the presence of A? or apoE4. The findings are described
in two separate papers published in the current issue of Cell Stem Cell. Although it had
long been assumed that neurons cannot be renewed, it is now well established that new
neurons are generated throughout the lives of mammals. One brain region in which new
neurons are born in adults, the hippocampus, is involved in learning and memory and
affected severely by Alzheimer's disease. GIND investigator Li Gan, PhD, and her
collaborators studied the development of neurons born in the hippocampus of adult mice
genetically engineered to produce high levels of human A? in the brain. Surprisingly, A?
initially accelerated the development of newborn neurons but then profoundly impaired
their maturation at later stages of development. "Interestingly," Dr. Gan said,
"we were able to protect the newborn neurons and ensure their normal development with
drugs that counteract A?-induced abnormalities in neural network activity. It is possible
that these drugs could support the development of neurons from stem cells even in the
hostile environment of the AD brain."
Master gene plays a key role in
development of a common childhood brain tumor
The master gene Math1 is involved in the genesis of the most common childhood brain tumor,
medulloblastoma, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the
current issue of the journal Science. The finding provides a new treatment target in the
deadly disease that most commonly affects children and young adults, said Dr. Huda Zoghbi,
the report's senior author and professor of molecular and human genetics, pediatrics,
neurology and neuroscience at BCM. Math1 (also known as Atoh1) is important for making a
critical population of cells called granule neurons in the cerebellum, which controls
important motor functions such as balance for walking and standing. Granule neurons are
the largest population of neurons in the brain. They come from a small area at the top of
the hindbrain. The precursors of these neurons start dividing there and then go to the
cerebellum where they divide over and over to make hundreds of millions of cells.
Medulloblastoma, which affects an estimated 1,000 people in the United States every year,
arises in the hindbrain and is thought to come from this dividing population of cerebellar
cells.
Elevated CO2 levels may mitigate
losses of biodiversity from nitrogen pollution
Rising levels of carbon dioxide may overheat the planet and cause other environmental
problems, but fears that rising CO2 levels could directly reduce plant biodiversity can be
allayed, according to a new study by a University of Minnesota scientist Peter Reich. In
fact, rising CO2 may actually help counteract losses of diversity from another
environmental villain: the global rain of nitrogen from fertilizers and exhaust fumes. The
study, published in this week's edition of Science magazine, involved a 10-year open-air
outdoor experiment in which 48 plots planted with 16 different species of grassland plants
were tested using ambient and elevated levels of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Researchers
measured the number of species observed in each plot, the plant biomass both above and
below ground, as well as factors related to soil, water and light that might affect plant
growth.
2 heads better than 1 in new
antibiotic method
An antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could
be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs. "A completely
new way to beat bacteria is an exciting find at a time when resistance to existing
antibiotics is growing," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre, lead
author on the research to be published in Science. JIC is an institute of the BBSRC. The
antibiotic molecule slots into pockets in the surface of a bacterial enzyme, DNA gyrase,
and inhibits its activity. Gyrase is essential for bacteria to survive and grow. However,
it is not present in humans so is an ideal, and already established, target for
antibiotics. "If you can knock out this enzyme, you have a potential new drug,"
says Prof Maxwell.
Lombardi's Shields leads special
journal focused on tobacco research
The study of tobacco has been the life-long focus of his research and now, Peter Shields,
MD, deputy director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University
Medical Center, has led the effort to edit a special-edition of Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Prevention (CEBP) dedicated to best research practices in tobacco science
from researchers the world over. The December issue of CEBP, a journal of the American
Association for Cancer Research, is designed to provide researchers with the critical
tools to conduct research directed to assisting decision-makers, such as those at the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a comprehensive review of the most up-to-date
research on tobacco use. The journal includes nine review articles by leading experts in
the field and covers topics from clinical trail design to how to best assess toxicity
levels in new tobacco products. Shields is lead investigator for a series of papers in the
issue. "The FDA will soon grapple with very challenging issues," Shields says.
"It cannot ban tobacco entirely, and its policy makers will need to address a unique
paradigm -- how to regulate and balance health risks with continued protection of an
industry whose products harm and kill people when used as intended."
Researchers identify gene that
spurs deadly brain cancer
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have identified a new factor that is
necessary for the development of many forms of medulloblastoma, the most common type of
malignant childhood brain cancer. HHMI investigator Huda Y. Zoghbi and colleagues at
Baylor College of Medicine prevented medulloblastoma from developing in mice by shutting
down production of the protein Atoh1 in susceptible brain cells. The team's findings,
reported in the December 4, 2009, issue of Science, suggest Atoh1 may be a new target for
medulloblastoma treatment. "When we cloned the gene for Atoh1 in 1996, we had no clue
that it had any medical relevance," said Zoghbi, a neuroscientist and neurologist.
"Now we know that it's critical for many medical issues, the most recent one being
this common childhood cancer." Atoh1 (also known as Math1) is a transcription factor
that works in the nuclei of cells to keep certain genes switched on. It is evolutionarily
ancient, appearing in slightly varying forms in various species, from fruit flies to
humans. In cells where Atoh1 is active, it seems to be switched on only during fetal
development, when cells proliferate rapidly to fill out the various parts of the nervous
system. However, in the region of the brain known as the cerebellum, Atoh1 is active after
birth in the fast-dividing granule neuron precursor (GNPs) cells that eventually stop
dividing and become mature granule neurons. "The cerebellar granule neurons are
unique in that most of their development happens after birth, both in mice and
humans," Zoghbi said.
Green tea chemical combined with
another may hold promise for treatment of brain disorders
Scientists at Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of
Pennsylvania have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea
component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids.
Amyloids are the primary culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer's,
Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases. Their study, published in the current issue of
Nature Chemical Biology (December 2009), may ultimately contribute to future therapies for
these diseases. "These findings are significant because it is the first time a
combination of specific chemicals has successfully destroyed diverse forms of amyloids at
the same time," says Dr. Martin Duennwald of BBRI, who co-led the study with Dr.
James Shorter of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. For decades a major goal
of neurological research has been finding a way to prevent the formation of and to break
up and destroy amyloid plaques in the brains and nervous systems of people with
Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases before they wreak havoc. Amyloid plaques are
tightly packed sheets of proteins that infiltrate the brain. These plaques, which are
stable and seemingly impenetrable, fill nerve cells or wrap around brain tissues and
eventually (as in the case of Alzheimer's) suffocate vital neurons or brain cells, causing
loss of memory, language, motor function and eventually premature death. To date,
researchers have had no success in destroying plaques in the human brain and only minimal
success in the laboratory. One reason for these difficulties in finding compounds that can
dissolve amyloids is their immense stability and their complex composition.
Major impacts of climate change
expected on mental health
Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health
consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be
given much attention at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next week. Dr Lisa
Page and Dr Louise Howard from the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London
reviewed a range of recent research by scientists into the potential mental health impacts
of climate change. In an article published in Psychological Medicine online, the two
mental health experts conclude that climate change has the potential to have significant
negative effects on global mental health. These effects will be felt most by those with
pre-existing serious mental illness, but that there is also likely to be an increase in
the overall burden of mental disorder worldwide. The scientists urge for the lack of
research into the mechanisms that cause the effects of climate change on mental disorder
to be addressed, so that mental health policy makers can plan for the significant impacts
of climate change on mental health that are to be expected.
Vaccination, antivirals and social
distancing may blunt impact of H1N1 influenza
The relatively low number of new cases created by a single case of H1N1 influenza
indicates that mitigation strategies such as vaccination, social distancing and the use of
antiviral drugs may help to lessen the final impact of the virus, suggests an
epidemiological modelling study reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
The study looked at data from laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 between April 13 and June
20, 2009 in Ontario, Canada and performed 1000 simulations to estimate epidemiological
parameters for the virus. These findings may be useful to policy-makers in managing the
pandemic. "Because the 2009 influenza pandemic continues to evolve, these values are
critical for planning and can be used to reduce some of the uncertainty around the health
burden likely to be associated with this disease in the coming months," writes Dr.
David Fisman of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and
coauthors.
Lifelong memories linked to stable
nerve connections
Our ability to learn new information and adapt to changes in our daily environment, as
well as to retain lifelong memories, appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve
cells communicate, according to a new study by NYU Langone Medicine Center researchers.
The study is published online this week in the journal Nature. The scientists, led by
Wen-Biao Gan, PhD, associate professor of physiology and neuroscience at NYU School of
Medicine, discovered that a delicate balancing act occurs in the brain where neuronal
connections are continually being formed, eliminated, and maintained. This feat allows the
brain to integrate new information without jeopardizing already established memories, the
new study suggests. Using a powerful optical imaging technique called two-photon
microscopy, Dr. Gan and colleagues at The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Biology and
Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, viewed the precise changes
that take place at synapses, the junctions where nerve cells communicate, in the wake of
learning a new task or being exposed to a novel situation. New knowledge, explains Dr.
Gan, prompts alterations in the dendritic spines, the knobby protrusions along the
branching ends of nerve cells. With learning, spines are gained and others lost.
"We've known for a long time that the brain remodels after learning," says Dr.
Gan "Our studies show that the brain does this in two ways: by adding a tiny fraction
of new connections to the brain's neural circuitry and eliminating old ones."
Study links real-time data to flu
vaccine strategies
Adaptive vaccination strategies, based on age patterns of hospitalizations and deaths
monitored in real-time during the early stages of a pandemic, outperform seasonal
influenza vaccination allocation strategies, according to findings reported Dec. 3 by
researchers, including two from Arizona State University, in the online journal PLoS ONE.
Using data from the A(H1N1) influenza outbreak in Mexico earlier this year, the authors
conclude that a modeling approach that targets specific age groups for vaccinations, could
help countries develop policies to mitigate the impact of ongoing and secondary pandemic
waves. "These new data shed light on which age groups are at high risk of infection
and transmission during a pandemic influenza outbreak. Unlike seasonal vaccination
strategies that target young children and seniors, our adaptive strategy based on early
epidemiological data prioritized the young and adults between the ages of 20 and 59 years,
which was based on the pattern of hospitalizations and deaths during the Mexican pandemic
outbreak," says mathematical epidemiologist Gerardo Chowell-Puente, an assistant
professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in ASU's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences.
The end of deforestation in the
Brazilian Amazon?
A new article in the December 4 issue of Science addresses how the combined efforts of
government commitments and market transition could save forest and reduce carbon emissions
in Brazil. The Policy Forum brief, entitled "The End of Deforestation in the
Brazilian Amazon" was authored by contributors from the Woods Hole Research Center,
Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia (IPAM), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,
Aliança da Terra, Environmental Defense Fund, University of Florida, Universidad Rey Juan
Carlos, and the Universidade Federal do Pará. According to Daniel Nepstad, a senior
scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center and the study's lead author, "market
forces and Brazil's political will are converging in an unprecedented opportunity to end
deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon with 80 percent of the forest still standing."
Brazil has lowered deforestation rates 64 percent since 2005. This remarkable achievement
was possible through a government crack-down on illegal activities in the region. It was
helped by a retraction of the cattle and soybean industries, and a growing effort to
exclude deforesters from the beef and soy markets. The article describes how Brazil could
build upon this progress to end forest clearing by the year 2020, and the additional
funding that will be required to reach this goal. The study estimates that $6.5 to $18
billion will be needed from 2010 to 2020 to achieve the end of deforestation, resulting in
a 2 to 5 percent reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions. The steps include the
support of low-deforestation livelihoods for forest peoples and smallholders; identifying
and rewarding responsible cattle ranchers and farmers; improved enforcement of
environmental laws; and investments in protected area management. This estimate utilizes a
sophisticated economic model of the Amazon region that estimates and maps the value of
forgone profits from ranching and soy farming that are associated with forest
conservation.
51% of ICU patients infected
A single-day snapshot of thousands of patients in hospital intensive care units in more
than 75 countries suggests more than half had infections.
Animals fled to Antarctic to
survive global warming
Animals may have survived the global warming that caused Earth's biggest mass extinction
by fleeing to Antarctica, scientists believe.
Bacteria found in two-thirds of
store-bought chicken
Two-thirds of broiler chickens purchased from stores in 22 states contained bacteria in
levels that can make you sick, says a new report from Consumer Reports released today.
BPA found in 90% of newborns
A study released Wednesday which found that nine of 10 babies tested were born with
bisphenol A in their systems has renewed calls for the chemical to be banned.
Chemicals, pollutants found in
newborns
Chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of
other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino
infants in the United States.
Heavy metals raise risk of penis
defects
PREGNANT women who work in occupations that may bring them into contact with heavy metals
are at more than double the usual risk of having a baby boy with hypospadias.
How Vitamin D Can Help Save You
from the Swine Flu
And now, a new study suggests that vitamin D is SO essential to your immune system, that
it’s been preserved in the human genome for over sixty million years! With a history
like that, you can’t go wrong in getting more vitamin D. Keep reading to find out
more about this discovery.
Link suspected between
acetaminophen use and asthma
Dr. David Lang, an asthma expert at the Cleveland Clinic, discusses research that
indicates acetaminophen may heighten asthma risk for children and pregnant women.
Recent Study Finds High-Fructose
Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
High-fructose corn syrup has come under fire in the past for its negative health benefits,
but now there might be another reason to avoid it: a recent study found that many forms of
high-fructose corn syrup contain evidence of mercury.
Your Own Fat, Relocated
THE latest kind of recycling has nothing to do with soda bottles. It entails
liposuctioning fat from, say, thighs or buttocks and injecting it into breasts to augment
them.
Studies link PFC levels to high
cholesterol, but can't say whether one causes the other
Three new studies link cholesterol with 3M-manufactured chemicals found in drinking water,
without saying whether one might cause the other.
Chemicals in waterways untracked,
unchecked
Growing awareness of pharmaceuticals in Iowa waterways has eclipsed a broader problem of
chemicals from consumer products that are untracked and unchecked, a new report said.
Sanofi warning on antidepressant
Norpramin
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA has warned that its antidepressant Norpramin should be
given with extreme caution to patients with a history of certain heart problems.
Vegetarian low protein diet could
be key to long life
Reducing consumption of a protein found in fish and meat could slow the ageing process and
increase life expectancy, according to the research.
Expert Panel Recommends Listing
Formaldehyde as Known Human Carcinogen
The panel reviewed numerous key epidemiological studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde
in different occupational settings. The studies were deemed sufficient evidence to
indicate a causal relationship between exposure to formaldehyde and cancer in humans.
Taken together, these human studies revealed three types of cancers, including
nasopharyngeal carcinoma, sinonasal adenocarcinoma and myeloid leukemia. "Chance,
bias and confounding factors are unlikely to explain the observed excess in these
cancers," McMartin noted.
New gene findings will help guide
treatment in infant leukemia
Pediatric oncologists have identified specific genes, dubbed partner genes, that fuse with
another gene to drive an often-fatal form of leukemia in infants. By more accurately
defining specific partner genes, researchers expect to better predict which infants may
benefit from particular treatments. Oncologists also aim to use this latest knowledge to
develop new and more effective therapies for this difficult-to-treat type of blood cancer,
called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Their goal is to target treatments to specific
genes and other associated factors that become abnormal because of the gene fusions.
Blaine W. Robinson, Ph.D., a research scientist at The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, will present research findings in infant ALL at the annual meeting of the
American Society of Hematology on Dec. 8. His group collaborated with the Children's
Oncology Group (COG), a cooperative, multicenter research organization, on this research,
sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. ALL is the commonest of all the
pediatric cancers. While the survival rate for children older than one year of age with
ALL has increased over time with advances in chemotherapy, the outlook for infants
(patients less than one year old) with the disease generally has been grim. Infants with
ALL have a poor prognosis and a much higher mortality rate compared to other children, and
curative treatments for them are far behind the therapy for childhood ALL. For the
majority of these high-risk infants, the problem is within the structure of a specific
chromosome. In an abnormality called the MLL translocation, the MLL gene on chromosome 11
breaks and joins with any one of many different "partner" genes from other
chromosomes. The rearranged genetic region, called a translocation, leads to the
production of a fusion gene and an abnormal protein and, ultimately, to leukemia.
Are angry women more like men?
"Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile?" wrote
author Lynn Hecht Schafran. The answer, according to an article in the Journal of Vision,
may lie in our interpretation of facial expressions. In two studies, researchers asked
subjects to identify the sex of a series of faces. In the first study, androgynous faces
with lowered eyebrows and tight lips (angry expressions) were more likely to be identified
as male, and faces with smiles and raised eyebrows (expressions of happiness and fear)
were often labeled feminine. The second study used male and female faces wearing
expressions of happiness, anger, sadness, fear or a neutral expression. Overall, subjects
were able to identify male faces more quickly than female faces, and female faces that
expressed anger took the longest to identify. "The present research shows that the
association between anger and men and happiness and women is so strong that it can
influence the decisions about the gender of another person when that person is viewed
briefly," said Ursula Hess, PhD, from the Department of Psychology, University of
Quebec at Montreal. According to the report, the findings from this study as well as
others lead to the idea that "the face is a complex social signaling system in which
signals for emotion, behavioral intentions and sex all overlap."
Popular diabetes drugs linked to
increased risk of heart failure and death
Risk of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes
prescribed oral antidiabetes drugs: Retrospective cohort study using UK general practice
research database Sulphonylureas, a type of drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes,
carries a greater risk of heart failure and death compared with metformin, another popular
antidiabetes drug. The findings, published on bmj.com today, suggest clinically important
differences in the cardiovascular safety profiles of different antidiabetes drugs, and
support recommendations that favour metformin as first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes affects more than 180 million people worldwide and is associated with at
least a two-fold increased risk of death, mainly from cardiovascular disease. Oral
antidiabetes drugs are widely used to help control blood sugar levels, but there are
concerns that some may increase cardiovascular risk. So a team of researchers led by
Professor Paul Elliott from Imperial College London set out to investigate the risk of
heart attack (myocardial infarction), congestive heart failure and death from any cause
associated with prescription of different types of oral antidiabetes drugs. They used data
from 91,521 men and women (average age 65 years) with diabetes included in the UK General
Practice Research Database between 1990 and 2005. Factors that could potentially affect
the results were taken into account. Metformin was the most commonly prescribed drug
(74.5% of patients), followed by second generation sulphonylureas (63.5%).
Parents Gone Wild? Study Suggests
Link Between Working Memory and Reactive Parenting
We’ve all been in situations before where we get so frustrated or angry about
something, we will lash out at someone without thinking. This lashing out — reactive
negativity — happens when we can’t control our emotions. Luckily, we are usually
pretty good at self-regulating and controlling our emotions and behaviors. Working memory
is crucial for cognitive control of emotions: It allows us to consider information we have
and reason quickly when deciding what to do as opposed to reacting automatically, without
thinking, to something. For parents, it is particularly important to maintain a cool head
around their misbehaving children. This can be challenging and sometimes parents
can’t help but react negatively towards their kids when they act badly. However,
chronic parental reactive negativity is one of the most consistent factors leading to
child abuse and may reinforce adverse behavior in children. To avoid responding reactively
to bad behavior, parents must be able to regulate their own negative emotions and
thoughts. In the current study, psychologists Kirby Deater-Deckard and Michael D. Sewell
from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Stephen A. Petrill from Ohio
State University, and Lee A. Thompson from Case Western Reserve University examined if
there is a link between working memory and parental reactive negativity.
Stopping MRSA before it becomes
dangerous is possible, Sandia/UNM researchers find
Most scientists believe that staph infections are caused by many bacterial cells that
signal each other to emit toxins. The signaling process is called quorum sensing because
many bacteria must be present to start the process. But the Jeff Brinker research group
has determined that the very first stage of staph infection, when bacteria switch from a
harmless to a virulent form, occurs in a single cell and that this individual process can
be stopped by the application of a simple protein. The Brinker group’s nonantibiotic
approach may make it easier to treat staphylococci strains that have become drug resistant
like the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA. The control of such strains is
a formidable problem in hospitals. “The good news is that by inhibiting the single
cell’s signaling molecules with a small protein, we were able to suppress any genetic
reprogramming into the bacterium’s more virulent form,” said Brinker. “Our
work clearly showed the strategy worked.”
Understanding DNA Repair and Cancer
A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks
in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how
cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous
in the first place. The protein, known as proliferating cell nuclear antigen, forms a ring
that fits around the DNA double helix. This cuff-like ring helps to keep in place DNA
polymerase, the enzyme that makes a copy of the DNA strand when cells divide into two new
cells. The new study, published Nov. 25 in the journal Molecular Cell, shows that PCNA
performs a similar function during DNA recombination -- when pairs of chromosomes line up
and exchange strands of DNA. Recombination occurs when cells divide to form eggs and
sperm, and also when cells try to repair breaks that cross both strands of DNA. "This
is a new trick from an old horse," said Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, professor of
microbiology at UC Davis and leader of the molecular oncology program at the UC Davis
Cancer Center.
Scientists discover gene module
underlying atherosclerosis development
By measuring the total gene activity in organs relevant for coronary artery disease (CAD),
scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have identified a
module of genes that is important for the recruitment of white blood cells into the
atherosclerotic plaque. The findings, which are to be published in the open-access journal
PLoS Genetics, suggest that targeting the migration of white blood cells in the
development of atherosclerosis may help to reduce the risk for adverse clinical effects
such as ischemia and myocardial infarction.
How nutrition affects healthy
ageing
A new study of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing could help to understand the
positive effect of dietary restriction on healthy ageing. Previous evidence from different
organisms (fruit flies and mice) have shown that dietary restriction increases longevity,
but with a potential negative side effect of diminished fertility. So the female fruit fly
reproduces less frequently with a reduced litter size on a low calorie diet, but its
reproductive span lasts longer. This is the result of an evolutionary trait, as scientists
believe: essential nutrients are diverted towards survival instead of reproduction.
(Nature, December 3, 2009) Researchers from the newly founded Max Planck Institute for
Biology of Ageing in Cologne have studied whether health benefit stem from a reduction in
specific nutrients or calorie intake in general by manipulating the diet of female fruit
flies. The fruit flies were fed a diet of yeast, sugar and water, but with differing
amounts of key nutrients, such as vitamins, lipids and amino acids. The scientists were
able to show that longevity and fertility are affected by a combination of the type and
amount of amino acids; whilst varying the amount of the other nutrients had little or no
effect. Furthermore, the researchers found out in previous studies that levels of a
particular amino acid - methionine - were crucial to increasing lifespan without
decreasing fertility. By carefully manipulating the balance of amino acids, both lifespan
and fertility were maximised. For the first time, this indicates that it is possible to
extend lifespan without wholesale dietary restriction and without lowering reproductive
capacity. As the effects of dietary restriction on lifespan is evolutionary conserved -
observed in different organisms - researchers believe that the essential mechanisms apply
to it as well. Even though the human genome has about four times the number of genes as
the fruit fly genome, there are many similarities on a genetic level, allowing these
results to be of significance for humans as well.
Human guinea pigs link pay and risk
levels
More than 15 million Americans are recruited annually to participate in clinical trials
according to the Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP), and most will be
compensated for their participation. Research institutions view payments to volunteers as
compensation for time and expenses; not as compensation for potential risks related to
participating in the experiments. A new study finds that volunteers have a very different
view of clinical trial compensation. High-paying research studies raise a red flag for
human guinea pigs and signal high levels of risk. The findings from a study published this
month by the journal Social Science and Medicine have implications for informed consent in
human subjects research and the debate over research participation incentives.
Potential new 'twist' in breast
cancer detection
Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins publishing in the December issue of
Neoplasia have shown that a protein made by a gene called "Twist" may be the
proverbial red flag that can accurately distinguish stem cells that drive aggressive,
metastatic breast cancer from other breast cancer cells. Building on recent work
suggesting that it is a relatively rare subgroup of stem cells in breast tumors that
drives breast cancer, scientists have surmised that this subgroup of cells must have some
very distinctive qualities and characteristics. In experiments designed to identify those
special qualities, the Hopkins team focused on the gene "Twist" (or TWIST1)
– named for its winding shape – because of its known role as the producer of a
so-called transcription factor, or protein that switches on or off other genes. Twist is
an oncogene, one of many genes we are born with that have the potential to turn normal
cells into malignant ones. "Our experiments show that Twist is a driving force among
a lot of other players in causing some forms of breast cancer," says Venu Raman,
Ph.D., associate professor of radiology and oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine. "The protein it makes is one of a growing collection of markers that, when
present, flag a tumor cell as a breast cancer stem cell." Previous stem cell research
identified a Twist-promoted process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT,
as an important marker denoting the special subgroup of breast cancer stem cells. EMT
essentially gets cells to detach from a primary tumor and metastasize. The new Hopkins
research shows that the presence of Twist, along with changes in two other biomarkers
– CD 24 and CD44 – even without EMT, announces the presence of this critical
sub-group of stem cells. "The conventional thinking is that the EMT is crucial for
recognizing the breast cancer cell as stem cells, and the potential for metastasis, but
our studies show that when Twist shows up in excess or even at all, it can work
independently of EMT," says Farhad Vesuna, Ph.D., an instructor of radiology in the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "EMT is not mandatory for identifying a
breast cancer stem cell."
U-Iowa study helps advance
heart-related research
Using a new mathematical model of heart cells, University of Iowa investigators have shown
how activation of a critical enzyme, calmodulin kinase II (CaM kinase), disrupts the
electrical activity of heart cells. The study, which also involved Columbia University,
was published online Dec. 3 in the journal PLoS Computational Biology. "Recently,
researchers have developed great interest in calmodulin kinase II as a critical regulator
of the heart's response to injury. By targeting this enzyme's activity, it may be possible
to prevent or treat heart disease and associated electrical rhythm disturbances,"
said Thomas Hund, Ph.D., associate in internal medicine at the University of Iowa Roy J.
and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the paper's senior author. "CaM kinase
is activated when the heart experiences injury, for example, when an artery providing
blood to the heart becomes blocked. In the short-term, this increase in activity may be
the heart's attempt to increase blood flow," Hund said. "However, unfortunately,
the initial response results in a vicious cycle that likely advances heart disease."
In this study, the team analyzed tissue from injured hearts from animals, in which a
coronary artery had been blocked. They found a dramatic increase in the levels of oxidized
CaM kinase in specific heart regions where potentially lethal electrical activity occurs.
UI researchers find likely source
of Chicago air pollutant in paint pigments
Two University of Iowa researchers may have found a likely source of a polluting
substance, a polychlorinated biphenol (PCB) called PCB11, that they previously identified
in air samples throughout Chicago. The pigments in some indoor and outdoor paints contain
PCB11, according to a University of Iowa study published in the Dec. 3 online issue of the
journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Where are the female scientists in
research articles?
A recent research article published in the journal Scientometrics by a team from the
University of Extremadura (UEX) has proved something that was already obvious to its
scientific community – the extreme imbalance between the visibility of its male and
female scientists. Only 20% of the university's articles studied had female lead authors,
while the percentage of male lead authors stood at 50%. The remaining articles were led by
authors from other universities. "The percentage of documents with female involvement
is very low when compared to the overall authorship of scientific production at the
UEX", Vicente Guerrero, lead researcher of the study and a professor in the Faculty
of Biblioteconomics and Documentation at UEX, tells SINC. The results of this work have
been published in the latest issue of the journal Scientometrics. The differences between
men and women are clear, both in the overall number of articles published and in the count
of the most important research positions according to gender. Women account for between
10% and 15% of overall authorship of the articles studied, between 12% and 20% of lead
authors and between 6% and 17% of last-position signatories, while their male counterparts
account for between 35% and 50% in terms of the total number of articles produced, between
44% and 62% of lead authors and between 43% and 58% of last-position signatories. The
researchers cross referenced their study with the ISI Web of Science database in the
United States to look at all the scientific articles published by UEX in collaboration
with different Spanish and international universities between 1990 and 2005. The data were
broken down by categories, areas and the gender of the researchers. They then carried out
an analysis on the basis of scientific areas and authorship in order to identify the lead
authors and the researchers signing the articles in last position, indicating the greatest
levels of responsibility.
New therapy targets for amyloid
disease
A major discovery is challenging accepted thinking about amyloids – the fibrous
protein deposits associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's – and
may open up a potential new area for therapeutics. It was believed that amyloid fibrils -
rope-like structures made up of proteins sometimes known as fibres - are inert, but that
there may be toxic phases during their formation which can damage cells and cause disease.
But in a paper published today [04 December 2009] in the Journal of Biological Chemistry,
scientists at the University of Leeds have shown that amyloid fibres are in fact toxic -
and that the shorter the fibre, the more toxic it becomes. "This is a major step
forward in our understanding of amyloid fibrils which play a role in such a large number
of diseases," said Professor Sheena Radford of the Astbury Centre for Structural
Molecular Biology and the Faculty of Biological Sciences. "We've revisited an old
suspect with very surprising results. Whilst we've only looked in detail at three of the
30 or so proteins that form amyloid in human disease, our results show that the fibres
they produce are indeed toxic to cells especially when they are fragmented into shorter
fibres. "
Lifelong memories linked to stable
nerve connections
Our ability to learn new information and adapt to changes in our daily environment, as
well as to retain lifelong memories, appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve
cells communicate, according to a new study by NYU Langone Medicine Center researchers.
The study is published online this week in the journal Nature. The scientists, led by
Wen-Biao Gan, PhD, associate professor of physiology and neuroscience at NYU School of
Medicine, discovered that a delicate balancing act occurs in the brain where neuronal
connections are continually being formed, eliminated, and maintained. This feat allows the
brain to integrate new information without jeopardizing already established memories, the
new study suggests. Using a powerful optical imaging technique called two-photon
microscopy, Dr. Gan and colleagues at The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Biology and
Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, viewed the precise changes
that take place at synapses, the junctions where nerve cells communicate, in the wake of
learning a new task or being exposed to a novel situation. New knowledge, explains Dr.
Gan, prompts alterations in the dendritic spines, the knobby protrusions along the
branching ends of nerve cells. With learning, spines are gained and others lost.
"We've known for a long time that the brain remodels after learning," says Dr.
Gan "Our studies show that the brain does this in two ways: by adding a tiny fraction
of new connections to the brain's neural circuitry and eliminating old ones."
Papillomavirus silences innate
immune response
In the 1980s, Harald zur Hausen and his co-workers discovered that specific types of human
papillomavirus (HPV) cause cervical cancer. Scientists soon found out how these pathogens
cause cells to degenerate. It is known today that the main culprits are viral proteins E6
and E7. Both proteins switch off different cellular control functions, thus promoting cell
growth. Professor Dr. Frank Rösl and his co-workers at DKFZ have now discovered another
mechanism by which the E6 oncoprotein of high-risk HPV16 promotes carcinogenesis. The
oncogene silences production of an immune protein called interferon-kappa. Interferons are
proteins which are part of our immune system and are responsible primarily for stimulating
the immune response to viruses and tumors. Interferons are produced by white blood cells
and other cell types. Interferon-kappa is relevant for HPV infections, because it is
produced mainly in cells of the skin and mucosa (keratinocytes) which are the preferred
hosts of the viruses. If interferon-kappa is not working in cells, other proteins involved
in immune defense also cease to function properly. Dr. Bladimiro Rincon-Orozco of Rösl's
team has now shown for the first time that HPV16 switches off the interferon-kappa gene by
biochemical modification of DNA. Such alterations of the genetic material are called
epigenetic mutations. Studying HPV infected cells in a culture dish, the research team
observed that interferon-kappa is epigenetically silenced. They were later able to confirm
this result in cervical cancer tissue samples.
Fort Detrick researcher may be sick
from lab bacteria
A military researcher at Fort Detrick may be sick from the bacteria she studies in her lab
at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
Student blames mold for asthma
A University of Cincinnati student is seeking reimbursement after being diagnosed with a
health condition attributed to her on-campus housing.
Asthma drugs increase risk of
autism in foetus
American scientists have claimed that some commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of
asthma in pregnant women as well as pre-term labour increase the risk of autism and other
psychiatric disorders in developing foetus.
Babies Are Exposed to 100 or More
Chemicals Before Birth
A new study enumerates prenatal exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Elizabeth Saunders talk on toxins
More than eighty thousand chemicals, many of which have been banned in Europe because they
are considered hazardous to health, have been introduced into our every day lives.
Research Suggests Herbal Supplement
May Shield Liver From Damage
Certain drugs, even if they are sold over-the-counter, may cause liver damage and lead to
organ transplantation, but a new study suggests a common Eastern medicine may help
patients avoid that outcome.
Regulation of complementary
therapists 'may harm patients'
Statutory regulation of herbalists and Chinese medicine practitioners is ‘completely
inappropriate’ and will put patients at risk, according to doctors' leaders.
Fatty acids affect ulcerative
colitis risk
People who eat lots of red meat, cook with certain types of oil, and use some kinds of
polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-heavy margarines may be increasing their risk of a
painful inflammatory bowel disease.
Do Neti Pots Really Work?
In the short term, using a neti pot for a few days will probably not do any harm, and
it’s likely to help relieve the symptoms of acute sinusitis and nasal congestion.
Risk of blood clots after surgery
is higher than thought
The risk of suffering a potentially fatal blood clot after surgery is higher than
previously thought - and the risk remains high for up to three months, a new study has
found.
Insomnia prevalent among cancer
patients who receive chemotherapy
Three quarters of cancer patients and survivors treated with chemotherapy suffer insomnia
or sleep disorders that often become chronic conditions.
New discovery might lead to ways to
stop cancer development
U.S. researchers have discovered a mechanism that may lead to ways to predict and perhaps
interfere with the formation and development of cancer.
Obama and America's Chemically and
GMO-Addicted Farm Lobby Asleep
Reuters news reported yesterday that, “The lion’s share of revenue earned by
U.S. farmers for controlling greenhouse gases under a House-passed climate bill would be
paid for growing trees, analysts told an Agriculture subcommittee on Thursday.
Study Reveals Stronger Muscles Lead
to Better Brain Function
A recent study published in the November 2009 issue of Archives of Neurology revealed that
the greater muscle strength a person has, the more likely he or she is to maintain proper
cognitive function over time. The study examined 970 men and women and found that those
individuals who ranked in the top ten percent for muscle strength were 61 percent less
likely to develop progressive cognitive degeneration when compared to those in the bottom
ten percent.
Midwives warned over refusal to
vaccinate women against swine flu
Midwives are being sent letters reminding them of the safety of the swine flu vaccine
after it emerged some pregnant women are being refused the jab.
Atrazine Sparks Stress Hormones in
Female Rats
Exposure to the common herbicide atrazine rapidly induces the release of stress hormones
in rats, which may explain how the weed killer produces some its harmful reproductive
effects.
Tamiflu dose warning
MEDICS treating babies with swine flu have been warned to limit the dosage of Tamiflu they
administer.
Researchers Find Vitamin D Levels
are Associated with Survival in Lymphoma Patients
A new study has found that the amount of vitamin D in patients being treated for diffuse
large B-cell lymphoma was strongly associated with cancer progression and overall
survival. The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of
Hematology in New Orleans.
Coconut oil and thyroid
An important function of coconut oil is that it supports mitochondrial respiration,
increasing energy production that has been blocked by the unsaturated fatty acids. Since
the polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit thyroid function at many levels, coconut oil can
promote thyroid function simply by reducing those toxic effects. It allows normal
mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, without producing the toxic lipid peroxidation that is
promoted by unsaturated fats.
Physiological effects of
medium-chain triglycerides
Animal studies are summarized and human trials more systematically evaluated because the
primary focus of this article is to examine the effects of MCT on human energy metabolism
and satiety. Hormones including cholescytokinin, peptide YY, gastric inhibitory peptide,
neurotensin and pancreatic polypeptide have been proposed to be involved in the mechanism
by which MCT may induce satiety; however, the exact mechanisms have not been established.
From the literature reviewed, we conclude that MCT increase energy expenditure, may result
in faster satiety and facilitate weight control when included in the diet as a replacement
for fats containing LCT.
Virgin Coconut Oil and Diabetes
A study done in May 2009 suggests that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil
can improve brain function in type 1 diabetes. The study concluded: "Medium-chain
triglycerides offer the therapeutic advantage of preserving brain function under
hypoglycemic conditions without causing deleterious hyperglycemia.
Mayo Clinic and collaborators find
vitamin D levels associated with survival in lymphoma patients
A new study has found that the amount of vitamin D in patients being treated for diffuse
large B-cell lymphoma was strongly associated with cancer progression and overall
survival. The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of
Hematology in New Orleans. "These are some of the strongest findings yet between
vitamin D and cancer outcome," says the study's lead investigator, Matthew Drake,
M.D., Ph.D., (http://www.mayoclinic.org/bio/13726218.html) an endocrinologist at Mayo
Clinic in Rochester. "While these findings are very provocative, they are preliminary
and need to be validated in other studies. However, they raise the issue of whether
vitamin D supplementation might aid in treatment for this malignancy, and thus should
stimulate much more research." The researchers' study of 374 newly diagnosed diffuse
large B-cell lymphoma patients found that 50 percent had deficient vitamin D levels based
on the commonly used clinical value of total serum 25(OH)D less than 25 ng/mL. Patients
with deficient vitamin D levels had a 1.5-fold greater risk of disease progression and a
twofold greater risk of dying, compared to patients with optimal vitamin D levels after
accounting for other patient factors associated with worse outcomes. The study was
conducted by a team of researchers from Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa. These
researchers participate in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Program
of Research Excellence (SPORE),
(http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/hematologic_malignancies/spore_lymphoma.cfm)
which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The 374 patients were enrolled in an
epidemiologic study designed to identify predictors of outcomes in lymphoma. Since this
was not a clinical trial, patient management and treatments were not assigned, but rather
followed standard of care for clinical practice. The findings support the growing
association between vitamin D and cancer risk and outcomes, and suggest that vitamin D
supplements might help even those patients already diagnosed with some forms of cancer,
says Dr. Drake. "The exact roles that vitamin D might play in the initiation or
progression of cancer is unknown, but we do know that the vitamin plays a role in
regulation of cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting
cancer," he says.
'Live' imaging reveals breast
cancer cells' transition to metastasis
The spread, or metastasis, of individual breast cancer cells from the main tumor into the
blood circulation to the lungs and other body tissues and organs is under the control of a
growth factor abbreviated TGFb, according to a study with laboratory mice that will be
presented at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 49th Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-9,
2009 in San Diego. These messenger genes may be a promising target for drugs to block the
metastatic breast cancer route, said Erik Sahai, Ph.D., of Cancer Research UK in London.
"The results helped us to find the set of genes that are behind the spread of breast
cancer -- and that the genes need to be first turned on and then off in order for single
cancer cells to be able to 'relocate,'" Sahai said. Sahai's presentation at the ASCB
conference follows the Oct. 2009 publication of the study in Nature Cell Biology. In their
studies with laboratory mice with breast cancer, Sahai and his colleagues determined that
the control switch is the TGFb (transforming growth factor beta) that previous research
had shown to regulate normal cell growth and movement. Using an advanced microscopy and
analysis technique, the Cancer UK scientists documented the movement of the cancer cells
from the mouse's primary tumor site.
Appetite, consumption controlled by
clockwork genes at cross-purposes in flies
One of the pioneers in research on sleep:wake circadian genes, Amita Sehgal, Ph.D., has
discovered that fruit flies' appetite and consumption are controlled by two rival sets of
clocks, one in neurons and the other in the fly fat body, which is analogous to the liver.
These research results, which extend the circadian clock repertoire into metabolism, will
be reported at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 49th Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-9,
2009 in San Diego. In fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, neurons and fat body tissue
exert opposing effects on the storage of nutrient reserves, and thereby on food
consumption and the response to starvation, explained Sehgal, Howard Hughes Medical
Institute investigator at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. The fat body
clock promotes the storage of nutrients, thereby allowing the animal to survive periods of
starvation, while clocks in the nervous system deplete nutrient stores and promote
feeding, most likely to replace the nutrients consumed. Thus, Sehgal concluded that a
circadian rhythm of feeding is likely controlled by the interaction of these metabolic and
neuronal clocks. To understand how circadian rhythms drive feeding and metabolism, Sehgal
charted the expression levels of molecules in the fat body that are known to change over
the day:night cycle.
Genetic studies reveal new causes
of severe obesity in childhood
Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that the loss of a key segment of DNA can lead to
severe childhood obesity. This is the first study to show that this kind of genetic
alteration can cause obesity. The results are published today in Nature. The study, led by
Dr Sadaf Farooqi from the University of Cambridge and Dr Matt Hurles from the Wellcome
Trust Sanger Institute, looked at 300 children with severe obesity. The team scanned each
child's entire genome looking for types of mutation known as copy number variants (CNVs).
CNVs are large chunks of DNA either duplicated or deleted from our genes. Scientists
believe this type of mutation may play an important role in genetic diseases. By looking
for CNVs that were unique in children with severe obesity, compared with over 7,000
controls (apparently healthy volunteers from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium
2), they found that certain parts of the genome were missing in some patients with severe
obesity. According to Dr Farooqi "We found that part of chromosome 16 can be deleted
in some families, and that people with this deletion have severe obesity from a young age.
Scripps research team restores some
function to cells from cystic fibrosis patients
In an encouraging new development, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has
restored partial function to lung cells collected from patients with cystic fibrosis.
While there is still much work to be done before the therapy can be tested in humans, the
discovery opens the door to a new class of therapies for this and a host of other chronic
diseases. The results were published on December 6, 2009 in an advance, online edition of
the high-impact journal Nature Chemical Biology. "We are very excited by these
results," said team leader Professor William Balch, a professor in the Departments of
Cell Biology and Chemical Physiology and member of the Institute for Childhood and
Neglected Diseases, who also receives support from the Skaggs Institute for Chemical
Biology, all at Scripps Research. "Because we came at the problem of restoring cell
function from a new perspective—using biology to correct biology—these findings
have the potential to be game-changing." The new study, performed in collaboration
with a large number of cystic fibrosis investigators across the United States and Canada,
showed that a compound called suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), which is already
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for lymphoma, can restore
about 28 percent of normal function to lung surface cells with the most common, yet
severe, cystic fibrosis mutation that results in complete loss-of-function in homozygous
patients (those receiving a copy of the mutated gene from both parents). "The results
are very promising," said Balch. "We know that cystic fibrosis individuals with
15 to 30 percent of normal cellular function, as can occur with certain mutations, have
milder cases of the disease and a more normal lifestyle than patients carrying a severe
mutation. The added degree of function conveyed by SAHA or a compound like SAHA could make
a tremendous difference to patients with acute disease."
Caltech scientists discover
aggression-promoting pheromone in flies
Have you ever found yourself struggling to get your order taken at a crowded bar or lunch
counter, only to walk away in disgust as more aggressive customers elbow their way to the
front? It turns out that flies do much the same thing, according to biologists from the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Reporting in the advance online edition of
the journal Nature, the scientists say they have identified an aggression-promoting
pheromone that controls such behaviors, and have pinpointed the neurons in the fly's
antenna that detect this pheromone and relay the information to the brain to elicit
aggression. Their results provide an important first step toward unraveling the mystery of
how aggression—an innate (unlearned) behavior—is hardwired into the brain by an
animal's genes. Pheromones—specific chemicals used by a particular species to
communicate and to control their behavior—have been identified in the scent glands of
other insect species, such as ants and beetles, and have been shown to elicit aggressive
behavior when presented in synthetic form to the insects. It has been difficult, however,
to prove that the insects normally use these pheromones to control their aggressive
behavior, notes study coauthor David Anderson, Caltech's Seymour Benzer Professor of
Biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. "Obtaining such proof
required the ability to experimentally interfere with the insects' capacity to sense the
pheromone," he explains. "And that, in turn, necessitated identification of the
receptor molecules that detect aggression pheromones, and of the olfactory sensory neurons
that express these receptors."
Wortels - bodily functions
Taiwanese researchers have found that certain stir-fried vegetables such as carrots, can
absorb high quantities of fat. Dr. Peter Hoagland with the USDA Center in Philadelphia
found that simply eating two medium sized carrots daily could reduce cholesterol levels by
10-20%. Carrots also contain a small amount of lecithin which is helpful in lowering
cholesterol levels. Not only does the carrot physically resemble ginseng, but scientific
and clinical studies have demonstrated that carrots provide many of the same protective
and therapeutic benefits of ginseng, but at a fraction of the cost. An oxysterol in
carrots inhibits the proliferation of fungus.
Lightning-produced radiation a
potential health concern for air travelers
New information about lightning-emitted X-rays, gamma rays and high-energy electrons
during thunderstorms is prompting scientists to raise concerns about the potential for
airline passengers and crews to be exposed to harmful levels of radiation. Scientists at
the Florida Institute of Technology, University of California, Santa Cruz and the
University of Florida have estimated that airplane passengers could be exposed to a
radiation dose equal to that from 400 chest X-rays if their airplane happens to be near
the start of a lightning discharge or related phenomena known as a terrestrial gamma ray
flash. he big unknown: how often — if ever — commercial airliners are exposed to
these thunderstorm events, because the bursts of radiation occur only over extremely brief
periods and extend just a few hundred feet in the clouds. “We know that commercial
airplanes are typically struck by lightning once or twice a year,” said Joe Dwyer,
professor of physics and space sciences at Florida Tech. “What we don’t know is
how often planes happen to be in just the right place or right time to receive a high
radiation dose. We believe it is very rare, but more research is needed to answer the
question definitively.”
Scientists detect PCBs on
America’s highest peak
Even the snow on Aconcagua Mountain in the Andes is polluted with PCBs. An international
team of researchers detected low concentrations of these toxic, carcinogenic chlorine
compounds in samples taken from America’s highest mountain. The snow samples taken at
an altitude of 6200 metres are among the highest traces found anywhere in the world of
these substances, which have been banned since 2001. In particular, the samples contained
more persistent compounds like hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 138) and heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB
180).
New York autopsies show 2009 H1N1
influenza virus damages entire airway
In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the
respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza
pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New
York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. The scientists reviewed autopsy reports,
hospital records and other clinical data from 34 people who died of 2009 H1N1 influenza
infection between May 15 and July 9, 2009. All but two of the deaths occurred in New York
City. A microscopic examination of tissues throughout the airways revealed that the virus
caused damage primarily to the upper airway—the trachea and bronchial tubes—but
tissue damage in the lower airway, including deep in the lungs, was present as well.
Evidence of secondary bacterial infection was seen in more than half of the victims. The
team was led by James R. Gill, M.D., of the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner
and New York University School of Medicine, and Jeffery K. Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., of
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH. The findings are
reported in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, now available online and
scheduled to appear in the February 2010 print issue. "This study provides clinicians
with a clear and detailed picture of the disease caused by 2009 H1N1 influenza virus that
will help inform patient management," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
"In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, it appears the novel pandemic influenza virus
produces pulmonary damage that looks very much like that seen in earlier influenza
pandemics." The new report also underscores the impact 2009 H1N1 influenza is having
on younger people. While most deaths from seasonal influenza occur in adults over 65 years
old, deaths from 2009 H1N1 influenza occur predominately among younger people. The
majority of deaths (62 percent) in the 34 cases studied were among those 25 to 49 years
old; two infants were also among the fatal cases.
U of A's David Schindler confirms
untold levels of oil sands pollution on the Athabasca
After an exhaustive study of air and water pollution along the Athabasca River and its
tributaries from Fort McMurray to Lake Athabasca, researchers say pollution levels have
increased as a direct result of nearby oil sands operations. University of Alberta
biological sciences professor David Schindler was part of the team that conducted a long
term air and water study and found high levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds. PACs are
a group of organic contaminants containing several known carcinogens, mutagens, and
teratogens. The highest levels of PAC's were found within 50 kilometres of two major oil
sands up graders. Schindler says that government and industry have claimed the pollution
is a naturally occurring seepage from the oil sands deposits and are not related to the
oil sands industry. The research team monitored water and snow packs concentrations of
pollutants along the Athabasca in winter and summer of 2008. Schindler and the others
report that levels of PACs increased the closer they got to the oil sands developments and
reached a point where the airborne particulates left oil slicks on top of melted snow.
"We found PACs in parts per trillion but they are toxic at parts per trillion,"
said Schindler.
Deaths related to narcotic pain
relievers have doubled since 1991
Deaths from opioid use in Ontario have doubled—from 13.7 deaths per million residents
in 1991 to 27.2 deaths per million residents in 2004—according to a new study led by
physicians at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
(ICES) in Toronto. Researchers also found that the addition of a long-acting form of
oxycodone (OxyContin) to the province's drug formulary in January 2000 corresponded with a
five-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths. "Many doctors are aware that
prescription opioids can have fatal side effects by depressing breathing and decreasing
level of consciousness," explains lead author Dr. Irfan Dhalla, a physician at St.
Michael's Hospital. "But we suspect most will be surprised to learn just how many
deaths occur each year in Ontario from prescription opioids." Opioids, also known as
narcotic pain relievers, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in Canada.
They are used to treat people with moderate-to-severe acute or chronic pain. The
researchers manually reviewed nearly 7,100 files at the Office of the Chief Coroner for
Ontario. They then linked these files with provincial data on physician visits and
medication prescribing. They also analyzed data from IMS Health Canada—an
organization that tracks the sales of prescription drugs.
Caffeine doesn't reverse the
negative cognitive impact of alcohol, study shows
People who drink may want to know that coffee won't sober them up, according to new
laboratory research. Instead, a cup of coffee may make it harder for people to realize
they're drunk. What's more, popular caffeinated "alcohol-energy" drinks don't
neutralize alcohol intoxication, suggest the findings from a mouse study reported in the
journal Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological
Association. "The myth about coffee's sobering powers is particularly important to
debunk because the co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions
with disastrous outcomes," said co-author Thomas Gould, PhD, of Temple University, in
extending the research to what it means for humans. "People who have consumed only
alcohol, who feel tired and intoxicated, may be more likely to acknowledge that they are
drunk," he added. "Conversely, people who have consumed both alcohol and
caffeine may feel awake and competent enough to handle potentially harmful situations,
such as driving while intoxicated or placing themselves in dangerous social
situations." In the laboratory, caffeine made mice more alert but did not reverse the
learning problems caused by alcohol, including their ability to avoid things they should
have known could hurt them, according to the study. Scientists gave groups of young adult
mice various doses, both separately and together, of caffeine and of ethanol (pure
alcohol) at levels known to induce intoxication. The doses of caffeine were the equivalent
of one up to six or eight cups of coffee for humans. Control mice were given saline
solution. Gould and co-author Danielle Gulick, PhD, then tested three key aspects of
behavior: the ability to learn which part of a maze to avoid after exposure to a bright
light or loud sound; anxiety, reflected by time spent exploring the maze's open areas; and
general locomotion.
Genetic variations indicate risk of
recurrence, secondary cancer among head and neck cancer patients
Eighteen single-point genetic variations indicate risk of recurrence for early-stage head
and neck cancer patients and their likelihood of developing a second type of cancer,
researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported at the
American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research
Conference. The team examined 241 single nucleotide polymorphisms - variations of a single
DNA building block in a gene - in eight genes involved in the creation of micro RNA
(miRNA), small bits of RNA that regulate genes, and 130 miRNA binding sites on host genes
where miRNAs exert their effects on regulating gene expression. "We focus on miRNA
pathways because these small molecules regulate between one third and half of genes,"
said senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of
Epidemiology in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences. "Genetic
variations in miRNA biogenesis genes and miRNA binding sites have been associated with the
risk of having multiple solid tumors, so we hypothesized that these variations might be
associated with the risk of recurrence or secondary primary tumors in these
patients," Wu said. About 10 percent of patients have a recurrence, and 15-25 percent
go on to develop secondary primary tumors.
Study shows nearly 1/3 of human
genome is involved in gingivitis
Gingivitis, which may affect more than one-half of the U.S. adult population, is a
condition commonly attributed to lapses in simple oral hygiene habits. However, a new
study shows that development and reversal of gingivitis at the molecular level is
apparently much more complicated than its causes might indicate. Research conducted
jointly by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble
(P&G) Oral Care has found that more than 9,000 genes – nearly 30 percent of the
genes found in the human body – are expressed differently during the onset and
healing process associated with gingivitis. Biological pathways associated with activation
of the immune system were found to be the major pathways being activated and critical to
controlling the body's reaction to plaque build-up on the teeth. Additionally, other gene
expression pathways activated during plaque overgrowth include those involved in wound
healing, neural processes and skin turnover. Results of the study are published today in
the December 2009 edition of the Journal of Periodontology. This study is the first to
successfully identify gene expression and biological pathways involved with the onset and
healing process of gingivitis. Gingivitis is characterized by gums that are red, swollen
and tender and that bleed easily during brushing and flossing. If untreated, gingivitis
can lead to periodontal disease, which has been studied extensively for its possible
relation to heart disease, diabetes and pre-term birth. Researchers said that
understanding how gingivitis develops and resolves on a molecular level can possibly
provide critical insights into gum disease prevention, as well as new treatments.
"The study's findings demonstrate that clinical symptoms of gingivitis reflect
complicated changes in cellular and molecular processes within the body," said Steven
Offenbacher, D.D.S., Ph.D., the study's lead author and director of the UNC School of
Dentistry-based Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases. "Understanding the thousands
of individual genes and multiple systems involved in gingivitis will help explain exactly
what is occurring in a person's body at the onset of the disease and how it relates to
their overall health."
How to read brain activity?
The electroencephalogram (EEG) has been widely used in research and medicine for more than
eighty years. The ability to measure the electric activity in the brain by means of
electrodes on the head is a handy tool to study brain functions as it is noninvasive and
easy to apply. However, the interpretation of the EEG signals remains difficult. The main
reason for this is that the exact relationship between the activities generated in the
brain to that measured on the scalp is unclear. Therefore, a question of paramount
practical importance is how EEG can be used to deduce neural activity in the brain.
Recently, Kevin Whittingstall and Nikos Logothetis, from the Max Planck Institute for
Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen have addressed this very question for the first time.
By combining recordings of both EEG and individual neurons in trained monkeys,
Whittingstall and Logothetis found that a combination of specific waves in the EEG could
indeed reliably predict the activity of cells in the brain. They presented different movie
clips consisting of everyday natural scenes to trained monkeys. While the monkeys watched,
their brain activity was recorded via EEG and via electrodes that were placed directly on
the neurons, thus allowing for a direct comparison between data sets. Specifically, they
observed that the firing pattern of cells was highest during periods where bursts of
'fast' EEG activity were embedded within the slow-wave EEG. As the degree of this
so-called 'frequency band coupling' changed, as did the cells firing rate. "We
succeeded in identifying which aspects of the EEG best represent changes in the activity
from a population of neurons in the brain", explains Kevin Whittingstall. "With
this information, we can now move to better understand the cause of abnormal EEG waveforms
in patients with certain neurological disorders."
Delinquent boys at increased risk
of premature death and disability by middle age
Men who have a history of delinquency in childhood are more likely to die or become
disabled by the time they are 48, and not just from the obvious consequences of antisocial
behaviour, new research indicates. The UK study, published in the December issue of the
Journal of Public Health, is the first to examine how a wide range of early antisocial
behaviours, as well as parental factors, affect various health outcomes 40 years later.The
study found that among boys who engaged at age 10 in antisocial behaviour such as
regularly skipping school or being rated troublesome or dishonest by teachers and parents,
and who then went on to be convicted of a crime by the age of 18, 16.3% (1 in 6) had died
or become disabled by the age of 48. That compared with 2.6% (1 in 40) of the boys from
the same lower socioeconomic South London neighbourhood who were not delinquent or
offenders - an almost seven-fold difference. "We were surprised to see such a strong
link between these early influences and premature death and this indicates that things
that happen in families at age 8-10 are part of a progression towards dying
prematurely," said the study's leader, Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Director of the
Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales. "It was also
surprising that the increase was not limited to substance abuse or other mental health
problems known to be linked with an antisocial lifestyle, but included premature death and
disability from a wide variety of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke,
respiratory disease and cancer."
In cancer-ridden rats, loneliness
can kill
Socially isolated female rats develop more tumors—and tumors of a more deadly
type—than rats living in a social group, according to researchers at Yale University
and the University of Chicago. The dramatic increase in mammary tumors among isolated
Norway rats — which, like humans, are a highly social species — illustrates how
loneliness can be deadly, the authors report in findings to be published the week of
December 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "There is a
growing interest in relationships between the environment, emotion and disease. This study
offers insight into how the social world gets under the skin," said Gretchen Hermes,
first author of the paper and a resident in the Neurosciences Research Training Program in
the Yale Department of Psychiatry. The leading suspect seems to be stress, triggered by
being separated from a group. Stress is linked to many negative health
outcomes—including activation of cancer-promoting genes. The research team, led by
senior author Martha K. McClintock at the University of Chicago, had previously shown that
fearful and anxious rats were more prone to tumors and death. The new study shows that
social isolation and neglect can trigger the fear and anxiety responsible for this
susceptibility to cancer. To test the hypothesis, researchers followed the development of
spontaneously occurring mammary tumors in rats that lived in groups or in isolation.
Although both the solitary and social animals developed tumors, the isolated rats
developed 84 times the amount of tumors as those living in groups. Those tumors also
proved to be more malignant than those found in rats living in groups. The results show
that health effects of isolation need to be studied more closely in a broad range of human
disease, particularly psychiatric disorders, Hermes said. "The costs of social
neglect have unique relevance for psychiatric patients, the natural history of psychiatric
illness and the profound co-morbidities associated with mental disease," she said.
"The results of this study make a physiological link between loss of the social
network and disease states, and may help explain the shortened life expectancy of
individuals with mental illness."
Tiny RNA Has Big Impact On Lung
Cancer Tumors
Researchers from Yale University and Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., reversed the growth of lung
tumors in mice using a naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNA. The study reveals
that a tiny bit of RNA may one day play a big role in cancer treatment, and provides hope
for future patients battling one of the most prevalent and difficult to treat cancers.
“This is the first time anybody has shown a positive effect of microRNAs in shrinking
lung cancer,” said Frank Slack, Ph.D., co-senior author of the paper, researcher at
the Yale Cancer Center and professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology.
The tumors in mice with non-small cell lung cancer shrank after the Yale team delivered an
intranasal dose containing a type of micro-RNA called let-7, the authors reported in the
Dec. 7 issue of the journal Oncogene. MicroRNAs are small bits of genetic material most
often associated with transmission of information encoded in DNA. However in the past
decade microRNAs have been shown to play crucial roles in gene regulation and/or gene
silencing
The thalamus, middleman of the
brain, becomes a sensory conductor
Two new studies show that the thalamus--the small central brain structure often
characterized as a mere pit-stop for sensory information on its way to the cortex--is
heavily involved in sensory processing, and is an important conductor of the brain's
complex orchestra. Published in Nature Neuroscience and the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, the two studies from the laboratory of Murray Sherman both
demonstrate the important role of the thalamus in shaping what humans see, hear and feel.
"The thalamus really hasn't been a part of people's thinking of how cortex
functions," said Sherman, professor and chairman of neurobiology at the University of
Chicago Medical Center. "It's viewed as a way to get information to cortex in the
first place and then its role is done. But the hope is these kinds of demonstrations will
start putting the thalamus on the map." When light hits the retina of the eye, that
information makes a stopover in the thalamus before being sent to the visual cortex of the
brain to be processed. Similarly, auditory and somatosensory (touch) information is routed
through the thalamus before traveling to cortex for more complex processing. One set of
experiments, conducted by Brian Theyel and Daniel Llano in Sherman's laboratory and
published online Sunday December 6 in Nature Neuroscience, used a novel imaging technique
to demonstrate how the thalamus remains a part of the conversation even after that initial
"relay." The flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging technique, developed with
University of Chicago assistant professor of neurobiology Naoum Issa, allowed the
researchers to observe neuronal activity in a specially-prepared mouse brain slice that
preserved connections between thalamus and somatosensory cortex. Once sensory information
reaches the cortex, it is thought to remain segregated there as it moves from primary
cortex to secondary cortex and higher-order areas. But when Theyel severed the direct
connection between primary and secondary cortical regions, stimulating primary
somatosensory cortex still activated secondary cortex as well as the thalamus (see video),
suggesting a robust pathway from cortex to thalamus and back. Only when the thalamus
itself is interrupted does the activation of secondary cortex fail. The observation that
at least a portion of sensory information passes back through the thalamus on its travels
between cortical areas refutes the notion of the thalamus as a passive, one-time relay
station, Theyel and Sherman said.
Isolation and stress identified as
contributing to breast cancer risk
Social isolation and related stress could contribute to human breast cancer
susceptibility, research from a rat model designed at the University of Chicago to
identify environmental mechanisms contributing to cancer risk shows. The researchers found
that isolation and stress result in a 3.3-fold increase in the risk of developing cancer
among rats with naturally occurring mammary tumors. The research establishes, for the
first time, that isolation and stress could be a factor in human breast cancer risk, said
Martha McClintock, a psychologist at the University of Chicago and an author of a paper in
current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers at the
University have been studying social isolation in the context of breast cancer development
after having found that that many women living in high-crime neighborhoods must deal with
a variety of stressors, including social isolation. In particular, African American women
have been noted to have an earlier onset of breast cancer, although total incidence is
similar to women from other ancestries. "We need to use these findings to identify
potential targets for intervention to reduce cancer and other and its psychological and
social risk factors," said McClintock, the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished
Service Professor in Psychology and Comparative Human Development at the University.
"In order to do that, we need to look at the problem from a variety of perspectives,
including examining the sources of stress in neighborhoods as well as the biological
aspects of cancer development." The results of the study are published in a PNAS
paper titled, "Social Isolation Dysregulates Endocrine and Behavioral Stress While
Increasing Malignant Burden of Spontaneous Mammary Tumors." Gretchen Hermes, a former
researcher at the University and now a resident in psychiatry at the Yale University
School of Medicine, is lead author of the study.
Mayo Clinic researchers prove key
cancer theory
Mayo Clinic researchers have proven the longstanding theory that changes in the number of
whole chromosomes -- called aneuploidy -- can cause cancer by eliminating tumor suppressor
genes. Their findings, which appear in the current issue of the journal Cancer Cell along
with an independent commentary on the discovery, end a major controversy in the field of
cancer research as to whether aneuploidy is a cause or a consequence of cancer.Virtually
all human cancers have an abnormal number of chromosomes. Therefore, it has been long
suspected that gene mutations which promote erroneous chromosome separation during cell
division are to blame for tumor development. However, because of experimental limitations
this was difficult to prove. "By using a combination of new and established mouse
models for human cancer, we were able to prove that aneuploidy causes cancer and elucidate
the mechanism by which it does so," explains Jan van Deursen, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
cancer biologist and senior author.
With amino acid diet, mice improve
after brain injury
Neurology researchers have shown that feeding amino acids to brain-injured animals
restores their cognitive abilities and may set the stage for the first effective treatment
for cognitive impairments suffered by people with traumatic brain injuries. "We have
shown in an animal model that dietary intervention can restore a proper balance of
neurochemicals in the injured part of the brain, and simultaneously improves cognitive
performance," said study leader Akiva S. Cohen, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at The
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The study appears today in the online issue of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. If these results in mice can be
translated to human medicine, there would be a broad clinical benefit. Every 23 seconds, a
man, woman or child in the United States suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The
primary cause of death and disability in children and young adults, TBI also accounts for
permanent disabilities in more than 5 million Americans. The majority of those cases are
from motor vehicle injuries, along with a rising incidence of battlefield casualties.
Although physicians can relieve the dangerous swelling that occurs after a TBI, there are
currently no treatments for the underlying brain damage that brings in its wake cognitive
losses in memory, learning and other functions. The animals in the current study received
a cocktail of three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), specifically leucine, isoleucine
and valine, in their drinking water. Previous researchers had shown that people with
severe brain injuries showed mild functional improvements after receiving BCAAs through an
intravenous line. BCAAs are crucial precursors of two neurotransmitters—glutamate and
gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, which function together to maintain an appropriate
balance of brain activity. Glutamate excites neurons, stimulating them to fire, while GABA
inhibits the firing. Too much excitement or, too little, and the brain doesn't work
properly. A TBI upsets the balance.
Quitting smoking can reverse
asthma-inducing changes in lungs
Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that
exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to
research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The research is published
in the December 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "We found that exposure to cigarette smoke
appears to increase the thickness of the epithelium, or lining, of the airways in the
lung. This may be the underlying cause of the fact that smoking asthma patients experience
more asthma symptoms, such as shortness of breath and phlegm production, compared to
non-smoking asthma patients," said Martine Broekema, Ph.D., the lead author of the
study. Dr. Broekema and colleagues examined patients with asthma who were assessed each
for the severity of their asthma and allergy, given questionnaires to determine the extent
of their smoke-induced symptoms, and then underwent bronchial biopsies. Of the total of
147 patients, 66 never smoked, 46 were ex-smokers and 35 were current smokers. In addition
to the changes in the epithelial thickness, Dr. Broekema found distinct differences
between the current smokers and the ex- and non-smokers. "In addition to the
epithelial thickening, we found that cigarette smoke negatively affects levels of exhaled
nitric oxide, making it an unreliable indicator of asthma severity in smokers," she
said. Current smokers also had more mucous-producing goblet cells in their epithelium and,
the epithelial cell layer contained more mucus protein overall, when compared to
never-smoking asthmatics. "These pathological findings were associated with the
severity of phlegm production reported by the asthma patients, suggesting a causal
relationship between the two. Smoking asthmatics also showed a distinct inflammatory
profile in their lungs compared to never-smoking asthmatics, with a lower number of
eosinophils and higher number of mast cells," said Dr. Broekema. "Furthermore,
our data suggest that smoking cessation can reverse the thickening of the lining of the
airways." To determine the role of exposure length on asthmatic lungs, the scientists
divided the ex-smokers into two groups: those with fewer than the median 3.4 pack-year
exposure and those with more than 3.4 pack-years.
Deaths from opioid use have
doubled, 5-fold increase in oxycodone deaths
Deaths from opioid use in Ontario, Canada, have doubled since 1991 and the addition of
long-acting oxycodone to the drug formulary was associated with a 5-fold increase in
oxycodone-related deaths, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
www.cmaj.ca. Most of these additional deaths were accidental. Opioids are among the most
commonly prescribed medications in Canada and are often used for patients with chronic
non-malignant pain. Other studies have argued that prescribing is not a major contributor
to the adverse health effects of opioid abuse, yet this study suggests that increased
rates of opioid prescriptions are a significant factor in accidental opioid-related
deaths. The study looked at prescribing data from 1991 to 2007 from IMS Health Canada,
which collects information from almost two-thirds of Canadian pharmacies, and deaths
attributed to opioid use from records of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario
between 1991 and 2004. It also linked the coroner's data to health care databases to track
patients' medical visits. Prescriptions for opioid pain medications increased by 29%, with
codeine the most frequently prescribed, although the number of prescriptions for that drug
declined during the study period. Oxycodone prescriptions rose more than 850%, much more
rapidly than any other opioid, and accounted for 32% of the almost 7.2 million
prescriptions for opioids dispensed in 2006. Between 1991 and 2004, 7099 deaths with
complete records were attributed to alcohol and/or drugs. In 3406 of these deaths —
61.9% — opioids were implicated as cause of death. The median age of death was 40
years and 67% were men. Suicide was a factor in 23.6% of deaths. "The rise in
opioid-related deaths was due in large part to inadvertent toxicity," write Dr. Irfan
Dhalla, of the University of Toronto and coauthors. "There was no significant
increase in the number of deaths from suicide involving opioids over the study
period."
Not All Parents Place Their Babies
“Back to Sleep,” Yale Research Finds
Placing infants on their backs for sleep can help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS). But a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues
shows that while the practice helped reduce the incidence of SIDS, it has reached a
plateau since guidelines were released by the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development.
Group to start project to cut
indoor fuel burning
An advocacy group on lung health plans to work with health authorities in 12 countries
from 2010 to reduce indoor fuel burning, which causes respiratory diseases and lung cancer
and kills 2 million people a year.
Fructose may be unhealthy
Fructose is hazardous to the cardiometabolic health of many children adolescents and
adults
Scientists find foetal blood vessel
failure clue
Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding why a foetal blood vessel can fail to
close shortly after birth, causing serious health problems.
DEA Forced to Scrub Misleading Info
on the American Medical Association's Position on Marijuana
Activists get the DEA to remove obsolete information from its website claiming that the
American Medical Association (AMA) still opposes medical marijuana
An antioxidant in broccoli and
cauliflower may treat cystic fibrosis and other diseases
In addition to the suffering and death they cause, cystic fibrosis (CF), diabetes, heart
disease, and neurodegeneration (any disease process that involves the death of brain
cells) have something else in common: scientists believe they are inflammation-based
disorders. Now comes word that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine have discovered that a natural antioxidant, thiocyanate, found in certain
vegetables including broccoli and cauliflower, might treat and even prevent these chronic
health problems. Bottom line: it appears thiocyanate protects cells from damage generated
during the body's inflammatory response to infection and injury.
Accidental release of toxic
chemicals, polluted water by local plants cited in report
Frequent accidents at 10 of the state's biggest refineries resulted in the release of
millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air and millions of gallons of polluted
water into state water courses between 2005 and 2008, according to a report to be released
this morning by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.
24-hour drinking 'to blame for
cancer jump'
Cheaper alcohol and the 24-hour drinking culture are contributing to a jump in a number of
cancers, experts have warned.
Lightweight "triple-zero"
house produces more energy than it uses
the building is energy self-sufficient (zero energy consumed), produces zero emissions,
and is made entirely of recyclable materials (zero waste).
'Curly hair gene' discovered by
scientists
A 'curly hair gene' has been discovered by scientists, paving the way for a pill that
could perform the same function as hair straighteners.
Antidepressant May Change
Personality While Relieving Symptoms
Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their
personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in
the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have been related to depression
risk, according to background information in the article. Individuals who are neurotic
tend to experience negative emotions and emotional instability, whereas extraversion
refers not only to socially outgoing behavior but also to dominance and a tendency to
experience positive emotions. Both traits have been linked to the brain’s serotonin
system, which is also targeted by the class of antidepressants known as selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Obesity gene discovery 'may cut
cases blamed on abuse'
Scientists have discovered what they believe is a genetic cause of severe obesity in
children.
Young Adults’ Blood Lead
Levels Linked to Depression, Panic Disorder
Young adults with higher blood lead levels appear more likely to have major depression and
panic disorders, even if they have exposure to lead levels generally considered safe,
according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals. “Lead is a well-known neurotoxicant that is ubiquitous in the
environment, found in air, soil, dust and water,” the authors write as background
information in the article. Eliminating lead from gasoline has led to a dramatic decline
in average blood levels, but remaining sources of exposure include paint, industrial
processes, pottery and contaminated water. “Research on the neurotoxic effects of
low-level lead exposure has focused on the in utero and early childhood periods. In adult
populations, the neurotoxic effects of lead have been studied mainly in the context of
occupational exposures, with levels of exposure orders of magnitude greater than that
experienced by the general population.”
Transgene from GM Corn Found in
Soil-Dwelling Animals
Despite evidence that transgenes (from species other than the "engineered"
species) in genetically modified (GM) plants can persist in the soil, little research has
been done to determine the extent of such contamination. This is an important issue
because environmental contamination by transgenes "hasseri- ous implications for
environmental health, including human safety," according to Canadian scientists who
recently tested various soil-dwelling animals for the transgene (responsible for
resistance to the herbicide glyphosate) present in GM Roundup Ready® corn. They collected
the animals in May, August, and October (macroarthropods and nematodes) or in May and Au-
gust (microarthropods and earthworms) from a field of Round- up Ready® corn.
Stain repellents linked to low
birth weight and premature births
Research finds that stain repellent and anti-adhesive chemicals may be linked to low birth
weight and premature births in those born near a factory that both produces and uses the
chemicals. A study that surveyed members of a West Virginia community finds that higher
exposures – presumably through water and air – to antistick chemicals released
from a nearby factory may be linked to low birth weight and early birth in babies born to
women who live in the area.The synthetic chemicals of concern in the study are called
polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs). They are widely used in the manufacture of stain
repellents applied to carpets and furniture and as anti-adhesives in pots and pans.Two of
the most common PFCs are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate
(PFOS). While they are designed for use in product coatings, PFOA and PFOS may also form
when other PFCs break down. The chemical plant located near Parkersburg, West Virginia
used PFOA since 1951 to make nonstick coatings.These chemicals are very persistent and
have been detected worldwide in wildlife and humans. The most recent National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reported that virtually all US residents are exposed
to PFOA and PFOS.Animal studies have reported reduced fetal weight and increased neonatal
mortality after exposure to high doses of PFCs. Results from previous human studies have
been inconsistent.
Body mass and waist size can
predict heart disease
Measuring body mass index or waist size in overweight people can accurately predict the
risk of heart disease, Dutch scientists said on Monday.
Researchers finds hidden sensory
system in the skin
The human sensory experience is far more complex and nuanced than previously thought,
according to a groundbreaking new study published in the December 15 issue of the journal
Pain (http://www.painjournalonline.com/article/S0304-3959%2809%2900526-0/abstract). In the
article, researchers at Albany Medical College, the University of Liverpool and Cambridge
University report that the human body has an entirely unique and separate sensory system
aside from the nerves that give most of us the ability to touch and feel. Surprisingly,
this sensory network is located throughout our blood vessels and sweat glands, and is for
most people, largely imperceptible. "It's almost like hearing the subtle sound of a
single instrument in the midst of a symphony," said senior author Frank Rice, PhD, a
Neuroscience Professor at Albany Medical College (AMC), who is a leading authority on the
nerve supply to the skin. "It is only when we shift focus away from the nerve endings
associated with normal skin sensation that we can appreciate the sensation hidden in the
background." The research team discovered this hidden sensory system by studying two
unique patients who were diagnosed with a previously unknown abnormality by lead author
David Bowsher, M.D., Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool's Pain
Research Institute. These patients had an extremely rare condition called congenital
insensitivity to pain, meaning that they were born with very little ability to feel pain.
Other rare individuals with this condition have excessively dry skin, often mutilate
themselves accidentally and usually have severe mental handicaps. "Although they had
a few accidents over their lifetimes, what made these two patients unique was that they
led normal lives. Excessive sweating brought them to the clinic, where we discovered their
severe lack of pain sensation," said Dr. Bowsher. "Curiously, our conventional
tests with sensitive instruments revealed that all their skin sensation was severely
impaired, including their response to different temperatures and mechanical contact. But,
for all intents and purposes, they had adequate sensation for daily living and could tell
what is warm and cold, what is touching them, and what is rough and smooth."
Brain imaging shows kids' PTSD
symptoms linked to poor hippocampus function
Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, say scientists at the
Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Their new
study gives the first direct evidence that children with symptoms of post-traumatic stress
suffer poor function of the hippocampus, a brain structure that stores and retrieves
memories. The research helps explain why traumatized children behave as they do and could
improve treatments for these kids. "The brain doesn't divide between biology and
psychology," said Packard Children's child psychiatrist Victor Carrion, MD, the
primary author of the new research. "We can use the knowledge we get from
understanding brain function to improve the psychology of the individual and vice
versa." Extreme stressors such as experiencing abuse or witnessing violence can make
children isolate themselves from family and friends, feel disconnected from reality,
experience intrusive thoughts about the trauma and struggle in school.
"Post-traumatic stress is not only about the traumatic memories; it really affects
daily living," said Carrion, who is an associate professor of child and adolescent
psychiatry at the School of Medicine and director of Stanford's early life stress research
program. The research will be published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Pediatric
Psychology. (The paper's Digital Object Identifier, or DOI, is 10.1093/jpepsy/jsp112.) The
findings could be an important step toward better monitoring of PTSD treatments, which
include psychotherapy techniques such as teaching relaxation exercises, helping children
to construct a cohesive story about the traumatic event and helping them learn to cope
with reminders of the trauma. Right now, psychologists assess such treatments by looking
for improvements in symptoms, but that's a problem because the symptoms can fluctuate from
day to day. "That method has the disadvantage that we don't know what's happening at
the neural level," Carrion said. To observe how kids' brains work after trauma,
Carrion's team used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare 16 young people who
had PTSD symptoms with a control group of 11 normal youths. The scientists scanned the
brains of the 10- to 17-year-old subjects during a simple test of verbal memory. Subjects
read a list of words, then saw a similar list with new words added, and were asked which
terms were present on the original list. The hippocampus worked equally well in stressed
and control subjects when the word list was first introduced. However, subjects with PTSD
symptoms made more errors on the recall part of the test and showed less hippocampus
activity than control subjects doing the same task. Subjects with the worst hippocampus
function were also most likely to experience a specific set of PTSD symptoms: Such
impairment of the hippocampus was strongly correlated with "avoidance and
numbing" symptoms of PTSD, including difficulty remembering the trauma, feeling cut
off from others and lack of emotion.
Spices halt growth of breast stem
cells, U-M study finds
A new study finds that compounds derived from the spices turmeric and pepper could help
prevent breast cancer by limiting the growth of stem cells, the small number of cells that
fuel a tumor’s growth. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer
Center have found that when the dietary compounds curcumin, which is derived from the
Indian spice turmeric, and piperine, derived from black peppers, were applied to breast
cells in culture, they decreased the number of stem cells while having no effect on normal
differentiated cells. “If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the
number of cells with potential to form tumors,” says lead author Madhuri Kakarala,
M.D., Ph.D., R.D., clinical lecturer in internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a
research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Emotions an overlooked key to
whistle-blowing
A gut-level connection with workers may be the key to encouraging whistle-blowing that
could chip away at an estimated $652 billion lost to fraud annually by U.S. businesses, an
ongoing University of Illinois study suggests. Though largely overlooked, tapping into
employees’ emotions and personal values can produce powerful triggers for calling out
wrongdoing in the workplace, from petty theft to embezzlement and sexual misconduct, U. of
I. researchers say. “It’s very difficult to encourage people to blow the whistle
if you ignore the role of emotions and personal identity, which most company policies do
at this point,” said Abhijeet Vadera, a graduate student who is studying the issue
along with business professor Ruth V. Aguilera and former U. of I. professor Brianna Caza.
At Stanford, nanotubes + ink +
paper = equal instant battery
Dip an ordinary piece of paper into ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver
nanowires, and it turns into a battery or supercapacitor. Crumple the piece of paper, and
it still works. Stanford researcher Yi Cui sees many uses for this new way of storing
electricity.
Fatty food can weaken the immune
system
Fresh evidence that fatty food is bad for our health has come to light: mice fed a
lard-based diet over a long period got worse at fighting bacteria in the blood, reveals a
thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg. The mice fed the
lard-based diet derived 60 per cent of their total calories from fat. They were compared
with mice fed a low-fat diet, where no more than ten per cent of their calories came from
fat. As expected, the mice on the high-fat diet got fatter. A more surprising result was
that their immune system was less active. The white blood cells got worse at dealing with
bacteria in the blood, which could have contributed to many dying of sepsis. "Obesity
is usually associated with inflammation that does not result from an infection, which
simply means that the immune defences are activated unnecessarily," says doctoral
student Louise Strandberg who wrote the thesis. "Ironically, the mice on the high-fat
diet seem to have a less active immune system when they really need it." Fat people
are also at a greater risk of aquiring infection, for example in connection with an
operation. In mice, the thesis shows that it is fatty food rather than obesity in itself
which affects the ability to fight off sepsis caused by bacteria.
Superior offspring without genetic
modification
When two gene pools combine, you might expect the characteristics of the offspring to end
up somewhere in the middle between those of its parents. But children often have
characteristics that are better or worse than that middle value, sometimes even better
than both parents. This is not a newly-recognized phenomenon. Indeed, it has been
exploited to breed better horses, redder tomatoes, more nutritious rice, and salmon that
can thrive in fish farms, to mention but a few examples. Heterosis is the scientific term
for being better than your parents. Why does heterosis occur? What is the molecular
mechanism? How common is it? How can we make it happen more often and to greater effect?
Researchers at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of
Gothenburg and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences outside Oslo are aiming to find
answers to these questions in a new research project.
More research needed regarding the
impact of climate change on mental health
Among the many topics to be discussed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Copenhagen this month, one that is unlikely to feature is that of increasing concern about
the effects on climate change on people with a history of mental health, and the potential
for an increase in the overall burden of mental disorder worldwide. An invited editorial
published this month in Psychological Medicine by Cambridge University Press suggests that
many of the most important health impacts of global warming will be on mental health. The
editorial highlights suggestions that climate change may adversely affect those with
pre-existing mental illness and increase the vulnerability of people with mental health
problems who live in the poorest countries. To date work has been conducted almost
exclusively on physical health outcomes, but in their paper Lisa Page and Louise Howard
say more needs to be done to assess the potential consequences for mental health and
mental health policy globally. “Research is almost entirely lacking in this area, a
situation that we would urge be addressed so that mental health policy makers can plan for
the impact of climate change on mental health.”
New mechanism underlying
cardiovascular disease
Hyperglycemia starts a complex chain of events that damages blood vessels and cause
cardiovascular disease. Scientists at Lund University Diabetes Centre (LUDC) have now been
able to demonstrate why this happens, as well as how the destructive chain can be broken.
This discovery represents a crucial step towards an efficient treatment of the vascular
injuries that will be the cause of death for most diabetes patients.“This is a
previously unexplored track that can explain how high blood sugar levels damage the blood
vessels”, says Maria Gomez, scientist at LUDC and the responsible author of the
article, which is published online today in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and
Vascular Biology. At the end of the chain is the protein osteopontin. “Osteopontin is
the black sheep of vascular biology. We know that elevated levels of this protein set off
a cascade of inflammatory events that injures the blood vessel walls”, says Maria
Gomez. It is already known that diabetics have elevated levels of osteopontin in their
blood and that there is a strong connection with diabetes complications. Inflammation is a
basic mechanism underlying atherosclerotic plaque formation, which causes cardiac
infarction and stroke. These diseases are the cause of death of 70 to 80 percent of all
diabetics and approximately half of Swedish non-diabetics.
Controversial kidney transplant
technique could provide lifeline for very ill patients
Surgeons who successfully performed kidney transplants after removing small cancerous and
benign masses from the donated organs, have published their results in the December issue
of the UK-based urology journal BJUI. The technique, carried out by US surgeons at the
University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, could offer a vital lifeline to
patients with end-stage renal disease as well as increasing the supply of viable organs.
“Transplanting a living donor kidney which has been affected by a renal mass is
controversial and considered a high risk” says co-author Dr Michael W Phelan.
“However the ongoing shortage of organs from deceased donors, and the high risk of
dying while waiting for a transplant, prompted five donors and recipients to push ahead
with surgery after the small masses were found in the donor kidneys.” The five renal
masses, which were discovered during routine donor evaluation, ranged from 1.0cm to 2.3cm
in size. Cancerous cells were found in three of the five masses and the other two were
benign. The kidneys were removed from the donors, put on ice and taken to the
recipients’ operating rooms. Surgeons carefully removed the renal mass and a portion
of the tissue near the mass was rushed through to pathology for confirmation that the
tumour had been completed removed. The kidneys were then reconstructed and transplanted
into the recipients.
Gap widening between rich and poor
The gap between the rich and poor in Sweden has grown considerably in recent years,
according to a new report from the country's largest labour group.
Swedish group renames hymen
'vaginal corona'
A Swedish sexual rights group unilaterally proclaimed a new English term for what it
considers one of the most misunderstood parts of the female anatomy.
Children's brain tumour clue found
in genome
An international study that included doctors at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children
appears to shed new light on a particular type of brain tumour in children that often
proves deadly.
"BPA-free" foods found to
contain BPA
A recent analysis of canned foods revealed that, across the board, the cans contained
measurable levels of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, a toxin known to cause hormonal
problems, sexual dysfunction, cancer, and other abnormalities. Even among products labeled
"BPA-free", tests revealed levels of BPA significant enough to cause problems.
Bayer Admits GMO Contamination is
Out of Control
Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered
organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all
outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops
are irreversibly contaminated.
Decline in Breast Cancer - Not Just
Because of Hormone Therapy
Between 2002 and 2003, American women experienced a 7 percent decline in breast cancer
incidence, which scientists attribute to the publicity surrounding results of the
Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). However, researchers led by Brian Sprague, Ph.D.
have conducted a reevaluation of the post-WHI landscape that suggests otherwise. “We
found that the change in hormone therapy use only accounted for a decline of about 3
percent, so there’s another 4 percent that is being caused by something we do not yet
know,” said Sprague, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin.
Gender-Bending Chemicals in
Minnesota Waters
Minnesota, the state that made national headlines with the discovery of malformed frogs in
the 1990s, has found endocrine disrupting chemicals and traces of pharmaceuticals even in
some of its most remote and otherwise cleanest waters. Armed with substantial state
funding, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has released a new report and is
now continuing field work to determine the aquatic range of endocrine disrupting chemicals
that can mimic hormones and cause changes to the reproductive system or development of
organisms. The new study found the hormones androstenedione in 64 percent of sampled lakes
and 50 percent of sampled rivers, estrone in 55 percent of the lakes and 75 percent of the
rivers, and 17?-estradiol in 55 percent of the lakes and 38 percent of the rivers.
“These may be of human origin, naturally occurring, or both,” MPCA observed.
Bisphenol-A was found in 45 percent of the sampled lakes and 38 percent of sampled rivers.
The report also disclosed that endocrine disrupting chemicals were found in a lake north
of Grand Marais in lightly-populated Arrowhead region. No sewage plants or septic tanks,
the suspected “point sources” of the chemicals, are found near Northern Light
Lake. But waters from the lake contained compounds from detergents and carbamazepine, a
drug used to treat attention deficit disorder.
Many Types of Balsamic Vinegar
Contain High Levels of Lead
Findings from a November 9, 2009, Environmental Health News report have revealed that many
varieties of balsamic vinegar contain trace amounts of lead that are contributing to
neurological and other damage in both children and adults. Ingestion of a single
tablespoon of vinegar with the highest tested levels of lead was found to potentially
raise a child's blood lead level by 30% while two tablespoons a day would raise it by 55%.
Men Married to Smart Women Live
Longer
A study has determined that for men, long life and good health have nothing to do with the
man’s education and everything to do with his wife’s. Men married to smart women
live longer.
The Climate Mafia
German tax authorities are now investigating almost 40 companies that traded certificates
for allegedly taking advantage of loopholes in sales tax laws to bilk the taxman out of
hundreds of millions of euros.
Big belly 'as bad as being obese'
for the heart
A big belly is just as dangerous for the heart as being heavy, a new study has found.
Coffee may 'reduce risk' of lethal
prostate cancer
Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of developing the most serious kind of prostate
cancer, a scientific conference has been told.
Nintendo Wii 'can lead to fractured
limbs, damaged knees and painful tendonitis'
Playing the Nintendo Wii can lead to fractured limbs, damaged knees and painful
tendonitis, surgeons have warned.
U.S. Cancer Epidemic Coming from
Toxic Chemicals in Food and Environment
The battle over health care focuses on access to insurance, or tempests like the one that
erupted over new mammogram guidelines.But what about broader public health challenges?
What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and
more to do with contaminants in our water or air -- or in certain plastic containers in
our kitchens? What if the surge in asthma and childhood leukemia reflect, in part, the
poisons we impose upon ourselves?
Brahmi herb can treat Alzheimer's
Researchers are coming by evidence that herbs like brahmi, associated with the ayurveda
system of medicine, can help ward off Alzheimer's disease and preserve one's mental
faculties.
Miscarriage linked with breast
cancer risk
Women who experience a miscarriage in their first pregnancy appear have an increased risk
of developing breast cancer after menopause, according to a new conducted in France.
Rat model shows tobacco smoke
exposure induces brain changes indicative of nicotine dependence
Rats passively exposed to tobacco smoke become dependent on nicotine, according to a new
study1 by Dr. Adrie Bruijnzeel and colleagues from the University of Florida in the US.
Their findings of how rats’ brains respond to exposure to tobacco smoke have
implications for the study of the effects of tobacco smoke on the human brain even from
passive exposure to other smokers, and for future studies testing new treatments for
tobacco addiction. Their work has just been published online in Springer’s journal
Psychopharmacology. Nicotine as well as many other compounds in tobacco smoke act together
on the brain reward system and are addicting in smokers, but the effects of passive
exposure have not been studied. In order to develop drug therapies for tobacco addiction,
animal models that investigate the long-term effects of mere passive exposure to the
addictive compounds in tobacco smoke are needed. In a set of four experiments on male
Wistar rats, Dr. Bruijnzeel and colleagues investigated whether rats exposed passively to
tobacco smoke would become dependent on nicotine. They specifically looked at how the
rats’ brains responded to being exposed to tobacco smoke and whether the rats
displayed withdrawal symptoms.
MSU researcher unveils new approach
to treating lower back pain
Using a branch of science that crosses disciplines to study complex problems, a Michigan
State University researcher is introducing a new way to understand and treat lower back
pain, a condition affecting more than 40 million Americans and costing billions of dollars
each year. N. Peter Reeves, a researcher in Osteopathic Surgical Specialties in MSU's
College of Osteopathic Medicine, is studying the spine using systems science, which became
popular in the early 20th century. With a systems approach, it is possible to study
complex systems in a way that not only includes their parts but also how the parts
interact to affect the entire system. "The attractiveness of the systems approach is
that it allows the research community to share results and integrate data to provide a
coherent picture of the spine system, which in turn can be used to better diagnose and
treat back pain," Reeves said. The problem with current clinical approaches is they
focus on a reductionist method, in which a medical problem is broken down into smaller
parts to isolate elements of the condition, Reeves said. Reeves recently presented his
research at an international back pain symposium in Brisbane, Australia. The meeting
brought together about a dozen of the top spine researchers across the world to discuss
differing opinions and models on managing back pain and understanding spinal control.
Bone marrow cells may significantly
reduce risk of second heart attack
Cells from heart attack survivors’ own bone marrow reduced the risk of death or
another heart attack when they were infused into the affected artery after successful
stent placement, according to research reported in the American Heart Association journal
Circulation: Heart Failure. Benefits found early in the Reinfusion of Enriched Progenitor
Cells And Infarct Remodeling in Acute Myocardial Infarction (REPAIR-AMI) trial could last
for at least two years, researchers said. “More research is needed, but this gives us
a hint of what might be possible with this new treatment — prevention of another
heart attack and of rehospitalization for heart failure, both life-threatening
complications,” said Birgit Assmus, M.D., first author of the study and assistant
professor of cardiology at J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
Most antidepressants miss key
target of clinical depression
A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) - is highly elevated during
clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants,
according to an important study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The
study has important implications for our understanding of why antidepressants don't always
work. Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) used an advanced
brain imaging method to measure levels of the brain protein MAO-A. MAO-A digests multiple
brain chemicals, including serotonin, that help maintain healthy mood. High MAO-A levels
excessively remove these brain chemicals. Antidepressant medications are the most commonly
prescribed treatments in North America, yet 50 per cent of people do not respond
adequately to antidepressant treatment. Dr. Jeffrey Meyer the lead investigator explains,
"Mismatches between treatment and disease are important for understanding why
treatments don't always work. Rather than reversing the problem of MAO-A breaking down
several chemicals, most antidepressants only raise serotonin."
Cut out the (estrogen) middleman
Risky therapy for aging brain may be avoidable by focusing instead on hormone’s
target, USC neuroscientists suggest. Estrogen seems to act like a middleman in its
positive effect on the brain, raising the possibility that future drugs may bypass the
carcinogenic hormone altogether while reaping its benefits. A split-personality chemical,
estrogen is thought to protect neural circuits and boost learning and memory, while at the
same time increasing cancer risk when taken in high doses. In a study published online
today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), neuroscientists at
USC and the Western University of Health Sciences show that estrogen sometimes acts
through another chemical. Their experiments on mice verified that the hormone stimulates
parts of the brain dedicated to learning and memory. "We show very clearly that it
does activate the same machinery that is activated during learning and memory," said
Michel Baudry, professor of neurobiology at the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
But the researchers also found that estrogen acts through calpain, a protein considered
crucial to learning and memory since a seminal paper in 1984 by Baudry and Gary Lynch of
the University of California, Irvine on the biochemistry of memory. Baudry is senior
co-author on the PNAS study, which implies that the hormonal description of estrogen needs
revisiting.
Study shows link between working
memory and reactive parenting
Any parent knows that sometimes maintaining your cool with misbehaving children is a
challenge. We all have times when we get frustrated or angry and lash out at someone
without thinking. A new study by psychologists at Virginia Tech and two other universities
suggests that parents with poorer working memory skills are less likely to be able to
control their emotions with their children. "Angry, oppositional behavior in children
is aversive and challenging to parents," said Kirby Deater-Deckard, professor of
psychology [http://www.psyc.vt.edu] in Virginia Tech's College of Science
[http://www.science.vt.edu], who, along with colleagues at Ohio State and Case Western
Reserve universities, observed mothers and their children while they completed two
frustrating tasks that required cooperation. "To avoid responding reactively to
oppositional behavior, a parent must appraise the situation and respond in a way that
promotes regulation of her or his own negative emotions and thoughts as well as those of
the child." Deater-Deckard found that reactive negativity was evident only among
mothers with poorer working memory. This cognitive skill plays a central role in the
regulation of thoughts and emotions via a cognitive function known as reappraisal. By
reinterpreting or reappraising the event or the situation such as a child's oppositional
behavior, the parent is better able to understand the cause and thereby regulate his or
her emotional response. "Chronic parental reactive negativity is one of the most
consistent factors leading to child abuse and may reinforce adverse behavior in
children," Deater-Deckard said. He added that working memory training can be highly
effective.Results of the study will be reported in the January issue of Psychological
Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
UT Houston researchers launch phase
II trial of stem cells and acute heart attack
The second phase of a clinical trial testing a new stem-cell-based therapy on injured
heart muscle has been launched by researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at
Houston. It is the only study site in the Texas Medical Center. Results from Phase I of
the trial are published in today's issue of the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology. Researchers reported that patients were treated safely with intravenous adult
human mesenchymal stem cells (Prochymal) after a heart attack. In addition, they had fewer
arrhythmias, improved heart and lung function, and improvement in overall condition.
"We are able to use a stem cell product that is on the shelf without prior
preparation of anything from the patient, and this product appears to be able to help the
heart muscle recover after a heart attack," said Ali E. Denktas, M.D., the trial's
Houston site principal investigator and assistant professor of cardiology at the UT
Medical School at Houston. "This means patients have the potential to recover quicker
with less risk of an immediate secondary attack." In many cell-based therapies,
doctors harvest the patient's own cells, process them and then return them to the patient.
Prochymal, developed by Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., contains adult mesenchymal stem cells
from healthy donors. The cells can be stored at an emergency center until needed. For
purposes of the Phase II study, Prochymal must be administered within seven days of a
heart attack. Yesterday, researchers enrolled the first patient for the Phase II study at
the Houston site. Heart attack patient Melvin Dyess, 49, received an intravenous infusion
of either the stem cells or placebo as part of the protocol of the double-blind study. The
procedure took place at the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical
Center. Denktas said UT Medical School researchers will continue to enroll willing
patients into the Phase II study who are admitted to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical
Center. Neither patients nor their physicians know whether they received the stem cell
drug.
Scripps Research scientists reveal
key structure from ebola virus
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the structure of a critical
protein from the Ebola virus, which, though rare, is one of the deadliest viruses on the
planet killing between 50 and 90 percent of those infected. Described in the advance,
online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS), the research reveals how a key component of the Ebola virus, called VP35, blocks
the human immune system, allowing the virus uncontrolled replication. The structure
represents a major step forward in understanding how the deadly virus works, and may be
useful in the development of potential treatments for those infected. "After
infection, the virus and immune system are in a race," said Erica Ollmann Saphire,
Ph.D., associate professor at Scripps Research, who led the three-year effort to solve the
structure. "If the virus can hide its molecular signatures, it can suppress immune
responses and replicate unchecked. This new understanding of the mechanism that Ebola
virus uses to evade the immune system opens the door for developing drug therapies."
A signature of Ebola virus infection is the presence of the virus's double-stranded RNA,
which, when detected by immune system proteins, triggers a full immune response. The new
research describes how the VP35 protein of the Ebola virus masks the double-stranded RNA
to prevent the immune response. The protein structure, determined by X-ray
crystallography, showed that VP35 binds another copy of itself, and the pair cooperatively
masks the RNA ends. Christopher Kimberlin, the first author of this study, explained that
this assembly is unusual because each member of the pair binds the RNA in a different way,
revealing that VP35 has two unique strategies for masking viral signatures. Importantly,
the interface between the two VP35 molecules provides a new target for drugs that would
stop Ebola virus infection and allow the immune system to clear the infection. Additional
RNA binding, small angle X-ray scattering, and deuterium exchange mass spectrometry
experiments confirm the cooperative function of these molecules for immunosuppression.
There is currently no cure for Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The virus is spread when people
come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal. Most die from a
combination of dehydration, massive bleeding, and shock. There is currently no vaccine or
drug therapy for Ebola infection, but the findings of this study may lead to new
treatments.
Inhaling oxygen eases cluster
headaches
Treating cluster headaches by inhaling oxygen at home helps to relieve the pain quickly,
according to a new British study.
New review questions benefit of
Roche drug Tamiflu
There is no clear evidence that Roche's widely used drug Tamiflu prevents complications
such as pneumonia in people with flu, a group of medical experts said on Tuesday.
Four in five swine flu 'patients'
did not have disease
Four out of five people who called the swine flu line for Tamiflu did not actually have
the disease, new figures have shown.
Researchers Questions Tamiflu's
Effectiveness
There's not enough evidence to conclude that the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has
any benefit for the complications of influenza in otherwise healthy patients.
Why the Marketing and Ad Industry
Are Afraid of New Regulatory Watchdogs
The firms doing the spinning for some of the financial meltdown's biggest players have
good reason to be worried. Their crimes, after all, went largely unnoticed.
Burn a Tree to Save the Planet? The
Crazy Logic Behind Biomass
Fire up your chainsaw and cut down a tree. Not so you can decorate it for the Christmas
holiday; so you can set it on fire to help combat global warming. That's right, burn a
tree to save the planet. That's the notion behind biomass, the new (yet ancient)
technology of burning wood to produce energy.
Bacteria Provide Clues to Human
Decisions
Scientists studying how bacteria under stress collectively weigh and initiate different
survival strategies say they have gained new insights into how humans make strategic
decisions that affect their health, wealth and the fate of others in society. Their study,
published this week in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, was accomplished when the scientists applied the mathematical
techniques used in physics to describe the complex interplay of genes and proteins that
colonies of bacteria rely upon to initiate different survival strategies during times of
environmental stress. Using the mathematical tools of theoretical physics and chemistry to
describe complex biological systems is becoming more commonplace in the emerging field of
theoretical biological physics. The authors of the new study are theoretical physicists
and chemists at the University of California, San Diego’s Center for Theoretical
Biological Physics, the nation’s center for this activity funded by the National
Science Foundation, and Tel Aviv University in Israel. They say that how genes are turned
on and off in bacteria living under conditions of stress not only shed light on how
complex biological systems interact, but provide insights for economists and political
scientists applying mathematical models to describe complex human decision making.
11 Dangerous Ingredients You Should
Avoid at All Costs
Headaches, birth defects, allergies and even cancer can be caused by ingredients in common
cosmetics. You don't need that junk to look good.
Are Holiday and Weekend Eating
Patterns Affecting Obesity Rates?
The holidays can be challenging for even the most diligent dieters. But are weekends just
as detrimental? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Quinnipiac University in
Hamden, Conn., found that weekend eating patterns change significantly. J. Jeffrey Inman,
a University of Pittsburgh professor of marketing and associate dean for research in the
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and his coauthor, Adwait Khare, Quinnipiac
University professor of marketing, studied two years' worth of data on consumers' eating
behavior and found that the quantity and quality of foods eaten during a meal and over the
course of the day differs considerably on weekends and holidays. Just as important as the
daily caloric increase on weekends and holidays is the nutritional value of the food
consumed, according to the research, which was published in the Fall 2009 issue of the
“Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.” Labor Day barbeques and Thanksgiving
Day feasts focus on family and friends bonding over tables laden with high-calorie foods.
Because the quantity and quality of food consumed changes during these times, Inman
suggests that the U.S. Department of Agriculture incorporate recommendations for holiday
and weekend eating into its food pyramid guidelines.
Sticks & Stones Break Bones
The best way to prevent a fracture is to stop bones from reaching the point where they are
prone to breaking, but understanding the process of how bones form and mature has been
challenging. Now researchers at the University of Houston department of health and human
performance have created a process that grows real human bone in tissue culture, which can
be used to investigate how bones form and grow. "We have manufactured a structure
that has no synthetic components," said Mark Clarke, associate professor and
principal investigator. "It's all made by the two cell types bones start with inside
the body. What you end up with is a piece of material that is identical to newly-formed,
human, trabecular bone, including its mineral components, its histology and its growth
factor content." Being in a microgravity environment causes astronauts' bodies to
lose more bone mineral than they can replace, which makes them vulnerable to fractures and
breaks. Even when they return to Earth, the bone loss continues as their bodies slowly
begin the process of replacing the bone mineral content.
Worms unlock secrets to new
epilepsy treatments
team of scientists from The University of Alabama used worms to reel in information that
they hope will lead to a greater understanding of cellular mechanisms that may be
exploited to treat epilepsy. In a new research report in the journal GENETICS, the
researchers explain how the transparent roundworm, C. elegans, helped them identify key
"molecular switches" that control the transport of a molecule
(gamma-aminobutyric acid or "GABA") that if manipulated within our cells, might
prevent the onset of seizures. "It is our hope that this work serves to accelerate
the path toward the identification of genetic factors that cause a susceptibility to
epilepsy," said Guy A. Caldwell, Ph.D., co-author of the study from the Department of
Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. "Simultaneously, this
work has the potential to uncover new avenues toward therapeutic development to control or
prevent seizures in the future." To make this finding, the researchers conducted
experiments involving drugs known to affect neuronal activity in combination with DNA
mutations in genetic factors shared between C. elegans and humans. Changes in the worm's
neuronal activity led to repetitive convulsions believed to be similar to those
experienced in epilepsy. These convulsions were observed under a microscope, and videos of
those events were used to evaluate the severity of the neuronal changes. At the same time,
the researchers used a green fluorescent protein to "tag" or "label"
the cellular locale and delivery of GABA in neurons. This tagging allowed the researchers
to see the specific genetic factors that led to abnormal movement of GABA in neurons as
they coincided with worm seizures and to make appropriate comparisons with worms from the
control group.
Physicians knowledge of childhood
food allergies needs room for improvement
With an estimated four to six percent of children in the U.S. suffering from food
allergies, a new study shows that pediatricians and family physicians aren't always
confident they have the ability to diagnose or treat food allergies. A study published in
the January 2010 issue of Pediatrics and headed by Dr. Ruchi Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., a
researcher at Children's Memorial Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at
Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, brought attention to current
knowledge gaps among primary care physicians in the diagnosis and management of food
allergy. Researchers at Children's Memorial used the Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey
for Pediatricians and Family Physicians to analyze physicians' knowledge and perceptions
of food-related allergies in children. More than 400 pediatricians and family physicians
across the nation responded to questions in areas ranging from the definition and
diagnosis of food allergy to appropriate treatment and use of healthcare among affected
children. Notably, 99 percent of those surveyed reported providing care for children with
food allergy.Participants' overall knowledge of food allergy was fair, with misconceptions
and conflicting ideas commonly reported. For example, most participants incorrectly
identified chronic nasal congestion as a symptom of food allergy. The majority of
physicians were proficient in identifying common childhood food allergies however they
were less knowledgeable about the frequencies with which these allergies are outgrown.
While the severity of food allergies and potential for anaphylaxis was acknowledged among
those surveyed, few knew the appropriate dosage of epinephrine in the treatment of
anaphylaxis or that teenagers are at a greater risk of fatality due to anaphylaxis
compared to younger children. Such inconsistencies among providers likely contribute to
uncertainties among caregivers and families. "Many physicians themselves reported not
being comfortable with diagnosis, treatment, or interpreting labs for food
allergies," says Dr. Gupta, "Understanding theses misconceptions will help us to
create an intervention tool to close the knowledge gap." Dr. Gupta and her team are
working to create a food allergy module that can easily be used by physicians in the
office as a reference when providing care to food-allergic children.
New clues emerge for understanding
morphine addiction
Scientists are adding additional brush strokes to the revolutionary new image now emerging
for star-shaped cells called astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Their report, which
suggests a key role for astrocytes in morphine's ability to relieve pain and cause
addiction, appears online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication. In
the study, Piotr Suder and colleagues point out that nearly everyone viewed astrocytes
— the most abundant cells in the brain — as supporting actors in the drama of
brain activity. Scientists thought astrocytes simply propped up neurons, nerve cells that
transmit signals, and kept them in proper position. Studies during the last several years,
however, suggest that these cells are just as their Greek name suggests — stars. The
scientists added morphine to a group of astrocytes in cell culture for several days. They
found that the morphine-exposed cells showed increased levels of nine proteins that appear
to play a role in maintaining the normal function of nerve cells. "These proteins,
after additional detailed study of their function, may serve as a potential marker of drug
addicion, or may be the targets for potential therapy," the article notes.
How calorie-restricted diets fight
obesity and extend life span
Scientists searching for the secrets of how calorie-restricted diets increase longevity
are reporting discovery of proteins in the fat cells of human volunteers that change as
pounds drop off. The proteins could become markers for monitoring or boosting the
effectiveness of calorie-restricted diets — the only scientifically proven way of
extending life span in animals. Their study appears online in ACS’ Journal of
Proteome Research: “The physiologic effects of calorie restriction are reflected in
the in vivo adipocyte-enriched proteome of overweight/obese subjects.”Edwin Mariman
and colleagues note that scientists have long known that sharply restricting intake of
calories while maintaining good nutrition makes animals live longer and stay healthier.
Recent studies suggest that people may gain similar benefits. But scientists know little
about how these diets work in humans, particularly their effects on cells that store fat.
The new study focused on proteins in abdominal subcutaneous fat cells from a group of
overweight people before and after they went on a five-week-long calorie-restricted diet.
The volunteers each lost an average of 21 pounds. Scientists identified changes in the
levels of 6 proteins as the volunteers shed pounds, including proteins that tell the body
to store fat. These proteins could serve as important markers for improving or tracking
the effectiveness of therapies involving calorie-restricted diets, they say.
Nerve-cell transplants help
brain-damaged rats fully recover lost ability to learn
Nerve cells transplanted into brain-damaged rats helped them to fully recover their
ability to learn and remember, probably by promoting nurturing, protective growth factors,
according to a new study. Building on previous investigation of transplants in the nervous
system, this critical study confirms that cell transplants can help the brain to heal
itself. Ultimately, it may lead to new therapies to help dementia patients. More
generally, scientists can now develop and test new ways to help repair an injured nervous
system -- whether through new drugs, genetically modified cells, transplanted neural
(nerve) and non-neural brain cells, or other means. The discovery was announced in the
December issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, published by the American Psychological
Association. The findings, according to the authors, confirm the potential of cell grafts
to stimulate the release of growth factors for neurons, regenerate or reorganize a part of
the brain, and restore cognitive function, in a process called neural plasticity. This
study focused on the hippocampus, considered to be the seat of learning and memory, whose
shrinkage in Alzheimer's disease causes steadily worsening symptoms. The study's authors
targeted a key player in the hippocampal "learning system," which includes the
hippocampus itself, the subiculum (the major output structure connected to the cortex, the
self-aware "thinking" part of the brain), and the adjacent entorhinal cortex.
Previously, these scientists had demonstrated that damage to the subiculum in rats led to
deterioration of the hippocampus, and problems with learning. The next question was
obvious: Could researchers do the opposite, repair the hippocampus and restore the memory
functions? They sought the answer at India's National Institute for Mental Health and
Neuro Sciences and National Centre for Biological Sciences (Tata Institute for Fundamental
Research), both in Bangalore. First, the scientists injected a neuron-destroying chemical
into the subiculum area of 48 adult rats.
Money changes what we think is
fair, research finds
Thinking of rewarding your sales department for a job well done? You might not want to
make cash part of the pay-off. A study to be published in an upcoming issue of
Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that
when it comes to distributing resources, people’s ideas about what’s fair change
depending on what’s being handed out. If it’s something that has its own
intrinsic value – in-kind goods such as food or vacation days – people are more
likely to see equal distribution of such items as fair. But if it’s something that is
only valuable when it’s exchanged – such as money or even credit card reward
points – ideas of fairness shift to a more market-based attitude. In that case, the
thinking is that people should receive according to what they’ve contributed.
“What exactly is it about money that causes people to treat it so differently than
other resources?” asks Sanford DeVoe, an assistant professor of organizational
behaviour, at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management who co-wrote
the paper with Columbia University’s Sheena Iyengar. “The paper shows that it is
the property of money being a medium of exchange,” Prof. De Voe says. “When you
allocate something that only has its value in what it can be exchanged for, that is what
activates a market mindset and really invokes these strong norms about input and effort
leading to reward.”
New Skin Stem Cells Surprisingly
Similar to Those Found in Embryos
Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like
certain stem cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone, cartilage, and even
nerve cells. These newly-described dermal stem cells may one day prove useful for treating
neurological disorders and persistent wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, says Freda Miller,
an HHMI international research scholar. Miller and her colleagues first saw the cells
several years ago in both rodents and people, but only now confirmed that the cells are
stem cells. Like other stem cells, these cell scan self-renew and, under the right
conditions, they can grow into the cell types that constitute the skin’s dermal
layer, which lies under the surface epidermal layer. “We showed that these cells are,
in fact, the real thing,” says Miller, a professor at the University of Toronto and a
senior scientist in the department of developmental biology at the Hospital for Sick
Children in Toronto. The dermal stem cells also appear tohelp form the basis for hair
growth.The new work was published December 4, 2009, in the journal Cell Stem Cells.
Why cancer cells just won't die
When cells experience DNA damage, they'll try to repair it. But if that fails, the damaged
cells are supposed to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. A cancer researcher at
Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario has identified a protein
that regulates apoptosis, a new discovery which has implications for both the diagnosis
and treatment of cancer. Caroline Schild-Poulter's findings are now published online in
the journal Molecular Cancer Research. "The protein we've identified, RanBPM, is
directly involved in activating apoptosis," explains Schild-Poulter who is also an
assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Western's Schulich School of
Medicine & Dentistry. "One of the hallmarks of cancer is that the cells don't
initiate apoptosis despite having defects in their genetic material. In other words the
damaged cells do not commit suicide, and this develops into cancer. Failure to activate
apoptosis also makes it difficult to cure cancer. You cannot kill these cells by causing
DNA damage to them using chemotherapy or radiation, because these cells resist
dying." While more research is needed to fully understand how this protein functions,
Schild-Poulter believes RanBPM could be targeted to re-activate apoptosis, killing cancer
cells. The protein may also be a marker used to predict whether a tumour will go on to
become malignant.
Studying ancient hairs answers
questions about stress
Recent studies show that one in three Canadians suffer from stress and the number is on
the rise. But stress isn't a new problem. While the physiological state wasn’t
properly named until the 1930s, new research from The University of Western Ontario proves
stress has plagued humans for hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years. The first study of
its kind, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, detected the stress hormone
cortisol in the hair of ancient Peruvians, who lived between 550 and 1532 A.D. When an
individual is stressed – due to real or perceived threats – cortisol is released
into nearly every part of the body, including blood, saliva, urine and hair. Emily Webb, a
PhD candidate at Western in Archaeological Science and the study’s lead author, says
the findings are important because it will allow us to better understand how ancient
people behaved and felt during their time on Earth but more importantly, to better
understand stress and how it affects us today.
People affected by autism believe
increase is 'real,' not diagnostic
There has been a major increase in the number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum
disorders over the last two decades - the question is why? Researchers have found a sharp
difference between the beliefs of ordinary people and medical experts about the reasons
for the increased incidence of autism. Expert consensus is that the rapid increase is a
result of changes in diagnostic practice, but many lay people directly or indirectly
affected by the disorder believe that the number of cases have increased in absolute
terms. Many also believe that increasing incidence is the result of exposure to new
environmental hazards and other effects of modern lifestyles. A study carried out by
researchers from the universities of Exeter and Bristol examined the ideas put forward in
unsolicited correspondence to scientists carrying out research into the causes of autism.
"Our study highlights the contrast between lay explanations of the increasing
prevalence of autism and the consensus opinion of medical experts," says researcher
Ginny Russell. "It also demonstrates the strength of lay belief that the rise is due
to risks from modern technologies and changing lifestyles, showing a latent unease with
these developments." The researchers, from Egenis, a research centre at the
University of Exeter, and the department of community based medicine at the University of
Bristol, have published their findings in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development.
Carnegie Mellon scientists discover
first evidence of brain rewiring in children
Carnegie Mellon University scientists Timothy Keller and Marcel Just have uncovered the
first evidence that intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children
causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves
communication within the brain. As the researchers report today in the journal Neuron,
brain imaging of children between the ages of 8 and 10 showed that the quality of white
matter — the brain tissue that carries signals between areas of grey matter, where
information is processed — improved substantially after the children received 100
hours of remedial training. After the training, imaging indicated that the capability of
the white matter to transmit signals efficiently had increased, and testing showed the
children could read better. "Showing that it's possible to rewire a brain's white
matter has important implications for treating reading disabilities and other
developmental disorders, including autism," said Just, the D.O. Hebb Professor of
Psychology and director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging (CCBI).
Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, agreed. "We
have known that behavioral training can enhance brain function. The exciting breakthrough
here is detecting changes in brain connectivity with behavioral treatment. This finding
with reading deficits suggests an exciting new approach to be tested in the treatment of
mental disorders, which increasingly appear to be due to problems in specific brain
circuits," Insel said. Keller and Just's study was designed to discover what
physically changes in the brains of poor readers who make the transition to good reading.
They scanned the brains of 72 children before and after they went through a six-month
remedial instruction program. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a new brain imaging
technique that tracks water movement in order to reveal the microscopic structure of white
matter, Keller and Just found a brain change involving the white matter cabling that wires
different parts of the brain together. "Water molecules that are inside nerve fibers
tend to move or diffuse parallel to the nerve fibers," explained Keller, a CCBI
research scientist and author of the first developmental study of compromised white matter
in autism. "To track the nerve fibers, the scanner senses areas in which many water
molecules are moving along in the same direction and produces a road-map of the brain's
wiring."
77 percent of European pigs are
castrated without anesthetic
The castration of pigs prevents the "boar taint" smell in the meat and allows
them to contain more fat. However in practice this can be very different. Now, for the
first time, a scientific team has collected information on the conditions of castration on
European pigs. The main conclusion of the study, that forms part of the PIGCAS project, is
that these animals are castrated directly by the livestock farmers, without anaesthetic
and in some cases, without respecting the European legislation. As part of the PIGCAS
research project (Attitudes, practices and state of pig castration in Europe), a team of
European scientists has just demonstrated that, of the 125 million male pigs slaughtered
each year in Europe, 77% are castrated without anaesthetic. This investigation, which
appears in the most recent issue of the journal Animal, confirms that some countries fail
to comply with the regulation for these practices, given that the European legislation
states that castration without anaesthetic must be carried out within the first seven days
of the animal's life. After this period it must be done by a vet using anaesthetic. Norway
and Switzerland have banned surgical castration without anaesthetic to prevent pigs from
suffering and now they are looking into enabling the breeding of intact males (without
castrating). However this option also has some disadvantages: "The breeding of
'intact' males is quite complicated, because when they reach sexual maturity there is more
fighting and mounting amongst the animals, in addition to the pigs suffering from stress
and injuries", Maria Font i Furnols, co-author of the study and researcher in the
Institute for Food and Agriculture Research and Technology (IRTA), indicated to SINC. In
Spain roughly 30% of male pigs for conventional production are castrated. The most common
method is surgical castration without anaesthetic. In non-conventional production, which
includes large-scale pig breeding, almost all the males are castrated, as they are
slaughtered at heavy weights for the production of high-quality cured products. According
to Font i Furnols, within the IRTA they have already studied aspects of breeding and
handling of intact males to try to minimize the negative effects of stopping castration.
They are also working on other alternatives to surgical castration, such as
immunocastration, a technique recently authorised in the European Union, which has been
used for years in Australia and New Zealand, and which involves vaccinating the pigs to
reduce the production of the chemical compounds responsible for the "boar taint"
from the meat. In the case of female pigs, the legislation does not consider castration
unless it is for therapeutic or diagnostic reasons. However based on the PIGCAS project it
has been confirmed that in some countries this practice is carried out. In 88% of the
cases analysed in Europe it is the livestock farmers themselves who carry out the
castration. This is due to the demands of the market. This way the sexual smell is
avoided, a sensorial defect in the meat of some male pigs that are not castrated, it can
allow for a better handling of the animals in the farm and it results in the meat
containing more fat and finer marbling, a characteristic which is valued in cured
products.
Study Confirms Association between
Tobacco Smoke and Bahavioral Problems in Children
Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke during their early development can develop
abnormal behavioral symptoms by the age of ten years. This association was discovered
using data from the GINI-plus study by scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München in
collaboration with colleagues of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Technische
Universität München and Marienhospital Wesel. The scientists observed that the impact of
tobacco smoke was especially detrimental during gestation. The results of the study have
been published in the current online issue of the renowned journal Environmental Health
Perspectives. “We were able to show that children who are exposed to tobacco smoke
prenatally and during the first years of life have a higher risk of developing abnormal
behavioral symptoms when they are of school age,” said Dr. Joachim Heinrich of the
Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum München. “Moreover, it makes a
difference whether the child was exposed to tobacco smoke first after birth or was already
confronted with it during prenatal development.” According to the study, children who
were only exposed to tobacco smoke prenatally have a 1.9 times higher risk of developing
abnormal behavioral symptoms in comparison to children without any exposure (change this
if it is the wrong comparison). The risk for children first exposed to tobacco smoke after
birth is 1.3 times higher. Furthermore, children who were exposed to tobacco smoke both
while in the womb and while growing up doubled the risk of developing abnormal behavioral
symptoms. Such symptoms include hyperactivity, attention deficits or problems in their
relationships with peers. The results of the study were independent of affects from the
social environment in which the children were growing up.
Coaxing injured nerve fibers to
regenerate by disabling 'brakes' in the system
Brain and spinal-cord injuries typically leave people with permanent impairment because
the injured nerve fibers (axons) cannot regrow. A study from Children's Hospital Boston,
published in the December 10 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that axons can regenerate
vigorously in a mouse model when a gene that suppresses natural growth factors is deleted.
Adding to a previous study published in Science last year, research led by Zhigang He,
PhD, of the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Children's Hospital Boston provides further
evidence that axon regeneration is limited by a reduced or lost responsiveness to
injury-induced growth factors -- and also suggests some ways of overcoming the problem to
help people recover from brain or spinal cord injury. In the earlier study, He and
colleagues used genetic techniques to delete two inhibitors of a growth pathway known as
the mTOR pathway in the retinal ganglion cells of mice. (These cells constitute the optic
nerve, which carries visual input from the retina to the brain.) Removing this inhibition
brought about vigorous growth in injured axons, but not in uninjured axons, suggesting
that something about the injury itself helps trigger axon regeneration. In the new study,
He and colleagues used a second set of genetic techniques in mice to delete a suppressor
of inflammatory signaling, known as SOCS3, in retinal ganglion cells -- and again saw
robust axon growth after injury. The greatest effect was seen after one week, when there
were also signs that the mTOR pathway was re-activated.
Brain activity exposes those who
break promises
Scientists from the University of Zurich have discovered the physiological mechanisms in
the brain that underlie broken promises. Patterns of brain activity even enable predicting
whether someone will break a promise. The results of the study conducted by Dr. Thomas
Baumgartner and Professor Ernst Fehr, both of the University of Zurich, and Professor Urs
Fischbacher of the University of Konstanz, will be published in the journal Neuron on
December 10, 2009.The promise is one of the oldest human-specific behaviors promoting
cooperation, trust, and partnership. Although promises are generally not legally binding,
they form the basis for a great many everyday social and economic exchange situations.
Promises, however, are not only kept, but also broken. Material incentives to deceive are
in fact ubiquitous in human society, and promises can thus also be misused in any social
or economic exchange scenario in order to cheat one's interaction partner. Business
people, politicians, diplomats, attorneys, and private persons do not always behave
honestly, as recent financial scandals have dramatically demonstrated. Despite the
ubiquity of promises in human life, we know very little about the brain physiological
mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In order to increase understanding in this area,
neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner (University of Zurich) and economists Ernst Fehr
(University of Zurich) and Urs Fischbacher (University of Konstanz) carried out a social
interaction experiment in a brain scanner where the breach of a promise led both to
monetary benefits for the promise breaker and to monetary costs for the interaction
partner. The results of the study show that increased activity in areas of the brain
playing an important role in processes of emotion and control accompany the breach of a
promise. This pattern of brain activity suggests that breaking a promise triggers an
emotional conflict in the promise breaker due to the suppression of an honest
response.Furthermore, the most important finding of the study enabled the researchers to
show that "perfidious" patterns of brain activity even allow the prediction of
future behavior. Indeed, experimental subjects who ultimately keep a promise and those who
eventually break one act exactly the same at the time the promise is made – both
swear to keep their word. Brain activity at this stage, however, often exposes the
subsequent promise breakers.
Behavioral training improves
connectivity and function in the brain
Children with poor reading skills who underwent an intensive, six-month training program
to improve their reading ability showed increased connectivity in a particular brain
region, in addition to making significant gains in reading, according to a study funded in
part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the
Dec. 10, 2009, issue of Neuron. "We have known that behavioral training can enhance
brain function." said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "The exciting
breakthrough here is detecting changes in brain connectivity with behavioral treatment.
This finding with reading deficits suggests an exciting new approach to be tested in the
treatment of mental disorders, which increasingly appear to be due to problems in specific
brain circuits." For the study, Timothy Keller, Ph.D., and Marcel Just, Ph.D., both
of Carnegie Mellon University, randomly assigned 35 poor readers ages 8??, to an
intensive, remedial reading program, and 12 to a control group that received normal
classroom instruction. For comparison, the researchers also included 25 children of
similar age who were rated as average or above-average readers by their teachers. The
average readers also received only normal classroom instruction. Four remedial reading
programs were offered, but few differences in reading improvements were seen among them.
As such, results for participants in these programs were evaluated as a group. All of the
programs were given over a six month schooling period, for five days a week in 50-minute
sessions (100 hours total), with three students per teacher. The focus of these programs
was improving readers' ability to decode unfamiliar words. Using a technology called
diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the researchers were able to measure structural properties
of the children's white matter, the insulation-clad fibers that provide efficient
communication in the central nervous system. Specifically, DTI shows the movement of water
molecules through white matter, reflecting the quality of white matter connections. The
better the connection, the more the water molecules move in the same direction, providing
a higher "bandwidth" for information transfer between brain regions.
Recalling Emotional Memory Opens
Window of Opportunity to Re-Write It
Scientists have for the first time selectively blocked a conditioned fear memory in humans
with a behavioral manipulation. Participants remained free of the fear memory for at least
a year. The research builds on emerging evidence from animal studies that reactivating an
emotional memory opens a 6-hour window of opportunity in which a training procedure can
alter it. "Our results suggest a non-pharmacological, naturalistic approach to more
effectively manage emotional memories," said Elizabeth Phelps, Ph.D., of New York
University, a grantee of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH). Phelps and NIMH grantee and NYU colleague Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., led the
research team that reports on their discovery online Dec. 9, 2009 in the journal Nature.
"Inspired by basic science studies in rodents, these new findings in humans hold
promise for being translated into improved therapies for the treatment of anxiety
disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)," said NIMH Director Thomas
R. Insel, M.D. The results add support to the hypothesis that emotional memories are
reconsolidated – rendered vulnerable to being modified – each time they are
retrieved. That is, reactivating a memory opens what researchers call
"reconsolidation window," a time-limited period when it can be changed.
Instruction repairs brain
connectivity in poor readers
Scientists have demonstrated that intensive remedial instruction can bring about a
positive change in the brain connectivity of poor readers. The research, published by Cell
Press in the December 10th issue of the journal Neuron, has intriguing implications for
the therapeutic potential to improve information transfer in multiple neurological
abnormalities that are believed to be related to deficits in anatomical connectivity. The
integrity of the brain's white matter, the wiring that facilitates efficient relay of
information between different areas of the brain, is absolutely critical to human behavior
and cognition. "Although the basic computing power of the brain surely lies in
individual neurons, it is only their collective action, made possible by white matter
connectivity, that enables the multicentered large-scale brain networks that characterize
human thought," explains lead study author, Dr. Timothy A. Keller. "For this
reason, even a modest modification in white matter has the potential to enable major
changes in cognitive ability." Previous research has revealed that the brains of
children with a reading disability display underactivation of key brain regions involved
in reading and suggested that reading difficulty might be linked with impaired
connectivity within the brain's reading network. Dr. Keller and colleague, Dr. Marcel
Just, used a sophisticated neuroimaging technique to study the white matter of 8- to
10-year-old poor readers before and after intensive remedial instruction. The structural
organization of white matter was measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). Prior to remedial
instruction, poor readers had lower FA than good readers in cortical regions associated
with reading. These same brain regions exhibited a significantly increased FA in the poor
readers after instruction and reading practice, and this increase was correlated with
improved reading ability. Importantly, the results also suggested that the amount of
fiber-insulating myelin was increased in these cortical areas, an indication that neural
transmission is occurring more efficiently. "Our findings suggest that whatever the
cause of abnormally low FA among poor readers may be, the abnormality is amenable to
behavioral treatment when provided within an age window in which maturation, experience,
and development are still capable of influencing FA," says Dr. Keller. "The
capability to improve white matter provides a possible remediation not only for reading
difficulty but also for other neurological abnormalities believed to be underpinned by
deficits in anatomical connectivity, such as autism."
Low-density lipoprotein receptor
reduces damage in Alzheimer's brain
The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) has received a lot of attention because of its
connection with coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, but now it appears as if it
may have a beneficial influence in degenerative brain diseases. New research, published by
Cell Press in the December 10th issue of the journal Neuron, links LDLR with a reduction
in brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and suggests a new therapeutic
strategy for this incurable disease. Amyloid ?-protein (A?) plays a major pathogenic role
in AD, a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive
impairment and memory loss. Accumulation of sticky extracellular A? plaques damages
neurons and is thought to play a central role in disease pathogenesis. Apolipoprotein E
(apoE), an established genetic risk factor for late-onset AD, is involved in the
metabolism and transport of fats, and previous work has implicated apoE in A?
accumulation. "Modulating the function of proteins that control apoE metabolism in
the brain will likely alter the extent of amyloid deposition and ultimately affect the
disease process," explains senior study author, Dr. David M. Holtzman from the
Washington University School of Medicine. "We know that low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
receptor binds to apoE, yet its potential role in AD pathogenesis remains unclear."
Dr. Holtzman and colleagues created transgenic mice that overexpressed LDLR in the brain
and bred them with transgenic mice that were engineered to exhibit key pathological
changes associated with AD, such as A? accumulation. Brain apoE levels were decreased by
50% to 90% in the LDLR transgenic mice and increased expression of LDLR-facilitated
elimination of extracellular A?. Importantly, LDLR overexpression led to dramatic
reductions in A? aggregation, amyloid plaque formation, and neuroinflammatory responses.
"Our study clearly demonstrates the beneficial effects of LDLR overexpression in the
brain on pathogenic A? aggregation and subsequent neuroinflammatory responses,"
concludes Dr. Holtzman. "Given the results from these studies, the therapeutic
potential of previously identified compounds, and potential new agents, which regulate
LDLR in peripheral tissues merit additional testing in animal models of A?
amyloidosis."
A new mouse could help understand
how some lung cancer cells evade drug treatment
A new study published in Disease Models and Mechanisms describes the development of drug
resistance in mice with lung cancer. The lung tumors in mice result from changes similar
to those seen in human patients. Also like humans, these tumors initially respond to drug
treatment but eventually become resistant to therapy. Studying lung cancer cells in this
model should provide insight into the mechanisms that make lung cancer cells resistant to
current treatment methods and uncover new therapeutic targets.
UC Berkeley social scientists build
case for 'survival of the kindest'
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs
that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists
are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more
compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.
Fast, Accurate Urine Test for
Pneumonia Possible, Study Finds
Doctors may soon be able to quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of pneumonialike
symptoms by examining the chemicals found in a patient’s urine, suggests a new study
led by UC Davis biochemist Carolyn Slupsky. Pneumonia is a lung infection that annually
sickens millions of people in the United States, resulting in approximately 500,000
hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. A rapid, accurate diagnostic test for pneumonia
could save lives by enabling doctors to begin appropriate treatment earlier. Using
technology known as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers were able to
identify a chemical “fingerprint” for the type of pneumonia caused by the
bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, and compare this to the chemical fingerprints for
other types of pneumonia and noninfectious lung diseases.
Possible ovarian cancer treatment
target identified
A multi-institutional study has identified a potential personalized treatment target for
the most common form of ovarian cancer. In the December 8 issue of Cancer Cell, the
research team describes finding that a gene called MAGP2 – not previously associated
with any type of cancer – was overexpressed in papillary serous ovarian tumors of
patients who died more quickly. They also found evidence suggesting possible mechanisms by
which MAGP2 may promote tumor growth. "Ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at an
advanced stage when it is incurable, and the same treatments have been used for virtually
all patients," says Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, director of medical gynecologic oncology
in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, the study's corresponding
author. "Previous research from my lab indicated that different types and grades of
ovarian tumors should be treated differently, and this paper now shows that even papillary
serous tumors have differences that impact patient prognosis." Birrer was with the
National Institutes of Health when this study began and is now at the MGH Cancer Center..
The fifth most common malignancy among U.S. women, ovarian cancer is expected to cause
close to 15,000 deaths during 2009. Accounting for 60 percent of ovarian cancers,
papillary serous tumors are typically diagnosed after spreading beyond the ovaries. The
tumors typically return after initial treatment with surgery and chemotherapy, but while
some patients die a few months after diagnosis, others may survive five years or longer
while receiving treatment. To search for genes expressed at different levels in patients
with different survival histories, which could be targets for new treatments, the
researchers conducted whole?genome profiling of tissue samples that had been
microdissected ? reducing the presence of non?tumor cells ? from 53 advanced papillary
serous ovarian tumors. The gene for microfibril?associated glycoprotein 2 (MAGP2) had the
strongest correlation with reduced patient survival.
Berkeley Lab Experts Assist in the
Greening of China
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists Lynn Price and Nan Zhou expected the long
banquet and endless toasting. What they did not expect on a recent trip to a cement plant
in central China was a three-hour variety show by the factory employees, complete with
folk dancing, song-and-dance numbers and comedians. Even more surprising were the lyrics
to one of the songs: “I started to listen closely and realized they were singing
about closing inefficient factories, next year’s clean production targets and so
on,” said Zhou.
Study reveals how Arctic food webs
affect mercury in polar bears
With growing concerns about the effects of global warming on polar bears, it's
increasingly important to understand how other environmental threats, such as mercury
pollution, are affecting these magnificent Arctic animals. New research led by
biogeochemists Travis Horton of the University of Canterbury and Joel Blum of the
University of Michigan lays the groundwork for assessing current and future effects of
mercury deposition and climate change on polar bears. The study appears in the December
issue of the journal Polar Research. Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but some
150 tons of it enter the environment each year from human-generated sources such as
coal-burning power plants, incinerators and chlorine-producing plants. Deposited onto land
or into water, mercury is picked up by microorganisms, which convert some of it to
methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish and the animals that eat them.
As bigger animals eat smaller ones, the methylmercury is concentrated—a process known
as bioaccumulation. Sitting at the top of the food chain, polar bears amass high
concentrations of the contaminant.
Is Big Pharma influencing policy?
Has the B.C. Liberal government sold out to Big Pharma? Has it put its loyalty to the
pharmaceutical industry ahead of sound health-care policy making?
Big Pharma inside the WHO
This is a confidential pharmaceutical industry trade association dossier about the WHO
Expert Working Group (EWG) on R&D Financing. The International Federation of
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA; "Big Pharma") gave its
members 4 documents: a non-public draft report of the WHO EWG and a non-public Comparative
Analysis done by the working group, the IFPMA Overview of the EWG Comparative Analysis,
and IFPMA summary slide on the EWG Draft Report. The compilation of documents shows the
influence of "Big Pharma" on the policy making decisions of the WHO, the UN body
safeguarding public health. These confidential documents were obtained by the drug
industry before their public release to WHO member states (scheduled to be released May
2010). The document also illustrates that the WHO expert group was highly responsive to
industry lobbying — a result that public health groups had feared since early 2009,
when the expert group met with the industry, but refused to meet with public health groups
known to be industry critics. The likely audience for these documents include countries,
public health policy makers, civil society, industry, academia, media, patients and the
general public.
Flu Pandemic May Be The Mildest
since Modern Medicine Began Tracking
With the second wave of H1N1 infections having crested in the United States, leading
epidemiologists are predicting that the pandemic could end up ranking as the mildest since
modern medicine began documenting influenza outbreaks...
HIV-Related Memory Loss Linked to
Alzheimer's Protein
More than half of HIV patients experience memory problems and other cognitive impairments
as they age, and doctors know little about the underlying causes. New research from
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests HIV-related cognitive
deficits share a common link with Alzheimer's-related dementia: low levels of the protein
amyloid beta in the spinal fluid.
Salmon - Clean, green super-food or
battery hens of the sea?
But a growing number of critics say the marketing is a sham and that the waters of a
salmon farm are more likely to be swirling with chemicals and waste.
Potential Immunotoxic Effect of
Thimerosal
Thimerosal, an ethylmercury-based compound used for decades as a vaccine preservative, has
previously been linked to neurotoxic effects. New research reveals that it may also affect
the immune system by altering how dendritic cells respond to biochemical signals.
Eating Pistachios May Lower Lung
Cancer Risk
A diet that incorporates a daily dose of pistachios may help reduce the risk of lung and
other cancers, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research
Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held Dec. 6-9. "It is known that
vitamin E provides a degree of protection against certain forms of cancer. Higher intakes
of gamma-tocopherol, which is a form of vitamin E, may reduce the risk of lung
cancer," said Ladia M. Hernandez, M.S., R.D., L.D., senior research dietitian in the
Department of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and
doctoral candidate at Texas Woman's University - Houston Center. "Pistachios are a
good source of gamma-tocopherol. Eating them increases intake of gamma-tocopherol so
pistachios may help to decrease lung cancer risk," she said. Pistachios are known to
provide a heart-healthy benefit by producing a cholesterol-lowering effect and providing
the antioxidants that are typically found in food products of plant origin. Hernandez and
colleagues conducted a six-week, controlled clinical trial to evaluate if the consumption
of pistachios would increase dietary intake and serum levels of gamma-tocopherol. A
pistachio-rich diet could potentially help reduce the risk of other cancers from
developing as well, according to Hernandez. "Because epidemiologic studies suggest
gamma-tocopherol is protective against prostate cancer, pistachio intake may help,"
she said. "Other food sources that are a rich source of gamma-tocopherol include nuts
such as peanuts, pecans, walnuts, soybean and corn oils."
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