News 8 dec 2009
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.
Link
Kokosolie voor de ziekte van
Alzheimer
Hen & Yan
Ketones: The YouTube Interviews
There is now available on www.YouTube.com a
six part series of interviews about ketones, coconut oil and MCT oil and the potential
benefits for people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other
neurodegenerative diseases. The primary purpose of making these videos is to increase
awareness of the need for funding for large scale production of the ketone ester made by
Dr. Richard Veech at the
NIH. My secondary goal is to let people know that the medium chain triglycerides in
coconut oil and MCT oil can produce circulating ketones that can act as an alternative
fuel for brain and other cells that
are insulin resistant and cannot use glucose as a fuel; the levels are considerably lower
than those that can be achieved with Dr. Veech's ketone ester, however, some improvement
or stabilization of disease
may still be possible with the oils.
FAST FACTS
Learn more
• Dr. Mary Newport's Web site: www.coconutketones.com
• Accera's information on Axona: www.accerapharma.com
• The Alzheimer's Association
statement on medical foods: www.alz.org/national/documents/statements_medicalfoods.pdf
• Caregiver discussions about coconut
oil, MCT oil and Axona can be found at http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve. (For a key word
search, click on the purple "Find'' button at the top of the list.)
http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/762104261/m/63910335/p/1
http://coconutketones.blogspot.com/
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."
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
Babies Are Exposed to 100 or More
Chemicals Before Birth
A new study enumerates prenatal exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Link
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."
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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."
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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. "
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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%).
Link
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."
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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."
Link
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.”
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
Tamiflu dose warning
MEDICS treating babies with swine flu have been warned to limit the dosage of Tamiflu they
administer.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
Link
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.
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