News 24 juli 2009
When children have breathing
problems - UFZ researchers involved in improving air quality in La Plata
Increasing numbers of children around the world are suffering from respiratory problems
– coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks. Although the key external causes of these
diseases were identified a long time ago (traffic and industrial air pollution), it had
not previously been possible to distinguish clearly between these two factors so as to
have a targeted impact on them. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental
Research (UFZ) and the University of Leipzig carried out research in this area together
with colleagues from the University of La Plata and can now confirm that air pollution
caused by industry has even more grave effects than vehicle exhaust fumes.The recently
completed study on ‘Combined effects of airborne pollutants as risk factors for
environmental diseases’ was conducted as part of a long-standing collaborative
venture, supported by the international office of the German Federal Ministry of Education
and Research, between the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the
University of Leipzig and the University of La Plata in Argentina. The results have been
published in several internationally-respected journals, including the Journal of Allergy
and Clinical Immunology and Toxicology.
Anti-Epilepsy Drug Risk On
Cognitive Function For Unborn Childre
Interim results of a study being conducted by scientists at the University of Liverpool
suggest that children aged three years and younger, who are born to women taking the
anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate whilst pregnant, are likely to have an IQ of six to
nine points lower than average. The research, in collaboration with Emory University in
the US and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, tested more
than 300 three-year-olds in the UK and US, whose mothers took one of four anti-epilepsy
drugs (AEDs) whilst pregnant. The preliminary findings suggest that children exposed to
the drug sodium valproate had lower IQ results than children exposed to other AEDs,
regardless of the mother’s IQ. The results also took dosage, duration of pregnancy
and mother’s consumption of folic acid whilst pregnant, into account. Professor of
Clinical Neuropsychology at the University, Gus Baker, said “Our research looked at
how exposure to sodium valproate and other AEDs in the womb affected children’s
everyday life – in particular their IQ, memory and language abilities from one to six
years of age.”
New research into how stress
affects weight control
An academic at the University of Hertfordshire is leading a research team to explore how
emotions, habits and stress can cause people difficulties in controlling their weight.
Study shows gene variant raises
obesity risk
An international team of researchers has found a connection between a variation in a gene
active in the central nervous system (CNS) and an increased risk for obesity. The study,
published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Genetics, adds weight to past
findings that our genes play a major role in what we want to eat and how much of it, and
in our susceptibility to obesity. The research is part of the EU-funded EUROSPAN
('European special populations research network: quantifying and harnessing genetic
variation for gene discovery') project, which is supported under the Sixth Framework
Programme (FP6) to the tune of EUR 2.4 million.For this latest study, 34 European and US
research institutions discovered that people who have inherited the gene variant neurexin
3 (NRXN3) have a 10% to 15% increased chance of being obese versus people who do not have
the variant. 'Obesity is a major health concern worldwide. In the past two years,
genome-wide association studies of DNA (desoxyribonucleic acid) markers known as SNPs
(single nucleotide polymorphisms) have identified two novel genetic factors that may help
scientists better understand why some people may be more susceptible to obesity,' the
authors write. 'We uncovered a new gene influencing waist circumference, the NRXN3, which
has been previously implicated in studies of addiction and reward behaviour.' Data from
eight studies were used to carry out the research. These studies, which focused on genes
and body weight, included over 31 000 people of European origin, aged 45 to 76. According
to the researchers, the subjects represented a broad range of health behaviours and
dietary habits.
Patterns of genetic changes found
in mental retardation
Dutch and British researchers have shed more light on the connection between genes and
mental retardation or intellectual disability. Thanks to their work, they shrank the list
of genes whose changes trigger this disorder from thousands to several dozen. The findings
are published in the open-access journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Genetics. The
results of the study are part of the AnEUploidy ('Understanding the importance of gene
dosage imbalance in human health using genetics, functional genomics and systems biology')
project, which is funded under the EU's 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for
health' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Financing for AnEUploidy,
which will end in November 2010, stands at EUR 12 million. The project aims to fuel the
understanding of the molecular basis and pathogenetic mechanisms of aneuploidies (cells
that have extra copies or missing copies of specific chromosomes). The researchers from
the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the UK Medical
Research Council at the University of Oxford noted that between 1% and 3% of the
population is affected by mental retardation (also known as developmental or intellectual
disability, this condition is characterised by subnormal intellectual functioning and
impaired adaptive behaviour during one's developmental years). Various, yet individually
rare DNA (desoxyribonucleic acid) deletions and duplications, lead to this disease.
'Mental retardation is defined as an overall intelligence quotient lower than 70, and is
associated with functional deficits in adaptive behaviour, such as daily living skills,
social skills and communication,' the authors write. 'This disorder results from
extraordinarily heterogeneous environmental and genetic causes. Genetic changes underlying
mental retardation are still poorly resolved, especially for the autosomes that provide
the largest contribution to disease aetiology.' According to the team, microscopically
visible chromosomal changes detected by routine chromosome analysis are responsible for
mental retardation in 5% to 10% of patients. Such changes 'represent gains or losses of
more than 5 [to]10 Mb of DNA and affect many genes, thereby almost inevitably leading to
developmental abnormalities during embryogenesis [formation and development of the
embryo]', the research shows.
When food gets inspected and even
recalled, consumers may not be getting a clear picture of the process
Consumers usually find out pretty quickly if the meat they're planning to throw on the
grill has been recalled. What consumers may not be finding out about recalls and the
inspection process, however, could make them doubt the effectiveness of what is actually a
pretty good system to keep food safe, according to Kansas State University researchers.
Charles Dodd, K-State doctoral student in food science, Wamego, and Doug Powell, K-State
associate professor of food safety, published a paper in the journal Foodborne Pathogens
and Disease about how one government agency communicates risk about deadly bacteria like
E. coli O157 in ground beef. Publications, Web pages and recalls are all used in this risk
communication. Dodd said that although the Food Safety and Inspection Service generally
does a good job of keeping meat safe, it's easy for consumers to think the opposite,
particularly when a recall tells them that the food in the fridge or pantry may be
dangerous. In their study, Dodd and Powell looked at what information consumers can take
away from the Food Safety and Inspection Service's Web site, and suggest government
agencies can more clearly communicate their role in keeping the food supply safe. "We
as Americans tend to expect more from regulatory agencies than we should, so we set
ourselves up for disappointment," Dodd said. "Occasionally, regulatory agencies
may create unrealistic expectations by the way they communicate with the public. The
message of our paper is to say that the Food Safety and Inspection Service is doing a good
job, considering the amount of resources it has. We are trying to open up dialogue about
how its role could be communicated more effectively."
Life Lessons - Where Psychology
Stands on Living Well
Unfortunately for us, there is no formula for fulfillment or guide to life satisfaction;
however, humans have turned to philosophy, religion and science time and again for answers
to our existential questions. We may have come a long way since Confucius and Plato, and
science continues to piece together some of the answers, but what have we learned so far?
Psychologists Nansook Park and Christopher Peterson from the University of Michigan turned
to their own field to ask, "What is a good life and how can we achieve and sustain
it?" In their article recently published in Perspectives in Psychological Science, a
journal of the Association for Psychological Science, the authors explored the many ways
psychology has contributed to, and continues to research, the science of living well. So
far we have learned from psychology that a good life includes experiencing more positive
than negative feelings, feeling like your life has been lived well, continually using your
talents and strengths, having close interpersonal relationships, being engaged at work and
other activities, being a part of a social community, perceiving that life has a meaning,
and feeling healthy and safe. And while these conclusions may seem like common sense, we
as humans fall short on knowing just how to obtain and maintain these qualities.
Psychology still has a ways to go until the perfect formula for a good life is found. As
Park and Peterson put it, "At present, psychology knows more about people's problems
and how to solve them than it does about what it means to live well and how to encourage
and maintain such a life." They suggest researchers across all disciplines of
psychology come together and collaborate on their findings, perhaps pulling together a
more complete picture of the human experience.
Stop and smell the flowers -- the
scent really can soothe stress
Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or other fragrant
plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling
certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress
levels. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a
bi-weekly publication. In the new study, Akio Nakamura and colleagues note that people
have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight
inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant
oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today.
And linalool is one of the most widely used substances to soothe away emotional stress.
Until now, however, linalool's exact effects on the body have been a deep mystery. The
scientists exposed lab rats to stressful conditions while inhaling and not inhaling
linalool. Linalool returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes —
key parts of the immune system — to near-normal levels. Inhaling linalool also
reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive in stressful
situations. The findings could form the basis of new blood tests for identifying
fragrances that can soothe stress, the researchers say.
An inner 'fingerprint' for
personalizing medical care
Fingerprints move over. Scientists are reporting evidence that people have another
defining trait that may distinguish each of the 6.7 billion humans on Earth from one
another almost as surely as the arches, loops, and whorls on their fingertips. In a study
scheduled for the Aug. 7 issue of ACS' monthly publication the Journal of Proteome
Research, they report evidence from studies in humans for the existence of unique patterns
in metabolism. Metabolism is a whole caboodle of chemical processes. The body uses to turn
food into energy, grow, repair damage from diseases and injuries, use medicines, and carry
out other functions necessary to continue living. In the new study, Ivano Bertini and
colleagues cite growing evidence that each individual has a unique metabolic profile. It's
a biochemical counterpart to fingerprints that can be detected by analyzing the chemical
whorls and grooves that result from metabolism and can be detected in the urine.
Vaccine Blocks Malaria Transmission
in Lab Experiments
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have for the first time
produced a malarial protein (Pfs48/45) in the proper conformation and quantity to generate
a significant immune response in mice and non-human primates for use in a potential
transmission-blocking vaccine. Antibodies induced by Pfs48/45 protein vaccine effectively
blocked the sexual development of the malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium, as it grows
within the mosquito. Sexual development is a critical step in the parasite’s life
cycle and necessary for continued transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. The
study is published in the July 22 edition of the journal PLoS ONE. “Development of a
successful transmission-blocking vaccine is an essential step in efforts to control the
global spread of malaria. In our study, we demonstrate the relative ease of expression and
induction of potent transmission-blocking antibodies in mice and non-human primates. This
approach provides a compelling rationale and basis for testing a transmission-blocking
vaccine in humans,” said Nirbhay Kumar, PhD, senior author of the study and professor
in Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s W. Harry Feinstone Department of
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.
New Treatment Method Reduces Pain
and Increases Mobility in Patients with Vertebral Compression Fractures
Vesselplasty, a new minimally invasive procedure, increases mobility and reduces pain and
the need for pain killers in patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs),
according to a study performed at the Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia,
Spain. Vesselplasty is a new alternative to vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty—two
conventional VCF treatment methods. Vesselplasty solves the problem of leakage of cement
out of the vertebral body which can happen during both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty,”
said Lucia Flors, MD, lead author of the study.The study included 29 patients with VCFs
who underwent vesselplasty. “After the procedure, all patients had improvements in
their pain scores; 93% of patients had improvements in mobility; and 62% of patients had a
decreased need for pain killers,” said Dr. Flors. There was no evidence of clinical
complications following the procedure. “Vertebral compression fractures often cause
severe, disabling pain and progressive deformities of the spine in osteoporotic patients,”
she said. “Vesselplasty is a safe alternative in the treatment of VCFs. It is an
image-guided procedure that only requires conscious sedations and local anesthesia. Most
patients refer improvement in their level of pain immediately following the procedure,”
said Dr. Flors.
Low-Dose CT Method, Delivering 50%
Less Radiation, Correctly Identifies Patients with Appendicitis
Patients with possible appendicitis are typically evaluated using a standard-dose contrast
enhanced CT, but a low-dose unenhanced CT that delivers approximately 50% less radiation
is just as effective, according to a study performed at the Seoul National University
College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea. The standard-dose enhanced CT scan delivers
approximately 8.0 mSv of radiation; the low-dose unenhanced CT scan delivers approximately
4.2 mSv of radiation. A total of 78 patients with appendicitis were all evaluated using
both the standard-dose and low-dose methods. CT images were then reviewed by two separate
radiologists. Radiologist number one was able to correctly identify appendicitis in 77/78
patients using the low-dose unenhanced method and in 78/78 using the standard-dose
enhanced method. Radiologist number two was able to correctly identify appendicitis in all
78 patients using both methods. “Considering the high incidence of appendicitis in
the general population and the rapidly increasing use of CT, small individual risks
applied to such an increasingly large population may create a public health issue in the
future,” said Kyoung Ho Lee, MD, lead author of the study. “Low-dose unenhanced
CT can potentially be used as the first line imaging test in patients suspected of having
appendicitis,” he said.
New silver nanoparticle skin gel
for healing burns
Scientists in India are reporting successful laboratory tests of a new and potentially
safer alternative to silver-based gels applied to the skin of burn patients to treat
infections. With names like silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate, these germ-fighters
save lives and speed healing. The researchers describe gel composed of silver
nanoparticles — each 1/50,000th the width of a human hair — that appears more
effective than these traditional gels. Their study is scheduled for the Aug. 3 issue of
ACS' Molecular Pharmaceutics, a bi-monthly journal. Kishore Paknikar and colleagues note
that antimicrobial silver compounds have been used for decades on burn patients, whose
damaged skin is highly vulnerable to bacterial infections. However, topical silver agents
now in use can loose effectiveness in the body, cause skin discoloration, and damage
cells. Drug-resistant bacteria can make these treatments less effective. The scientists
demonstrated that their gel killed a broad range of harmful bacteria, including
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most common causes of burn infections, as well as
several drug-resistant microbes. The gel, which contains 30 times less silver than silver
sulfadiazine, did not have any apparent toxic effects when applied to the healthy skin of
test animals. "These results clearly indicate that silver nanoparticles could provide
a safer alternative to conventional antimicrobial agents in the form of a topical
antimicrobial formulation," the article states.
Scientists link immune system's
natural killer cells to infant liver disease
Scientists have linked an overactive response by one of the immune system's key weapons
against infection – natural killer, or NK, cells – to the onset of biliary
atresia in infants, a disease where blocked bile ducts can cause severe liver damage and
death. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center also report that
blocking a gene that helps NK cells attack bile duct tissues lessens damage and may be a
way to treat the most common cause of chronically progressive liver disease in children.
The study, to be published in the Aug. 3 Journal of Clinical Investigation, is posted
online on the journal's website. "Our findings underscore the developing immune
system's role in causing injury to bile ducts soon after birth, and they have implications
for developing new therapies to block the disease by targeting certain cells or
pro-inflammatory circuits," said Jorge A. Bezerra, M.D., the study's senior
investigator and research director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and
Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's. "The next steps for translating these findings
into clinical application would include pre-clinical trials of biologics to halt disease
progression by blocking the Nkg2d receptor and depleting NK cells at the time biliary
atresia is diagnosed," he added. Very little is known about the cause of biliary
atresia, although it has been traced to the immune system responding to an infection in
the liver and bile ducts. Surface tissues inside the bile ducts are damaged, which in turn
allows inflammatory cells to block the duct and the ongoing accumulation of fibrotic
tissue. Biliary atresia affects about one in every 15,000 babies. The current frontline
treatment is surgery to remove and replace obstructed bile ducts with sections of the
child's intestine. Without surgery, bile cannot enter the intestines to aid digestion, and
instead backs up into and damages the liver. Corrective surgery is successful 65 to 85
percent of the time and is not considered a cure, although it can allow babies to have
several years of fairly good health. In more severe cases, children may require a liver
transplant.
Large abdominal wall lipoma causes
bowel obstruction
Proteus syndrome is a complex disorder associated with varied, disproportionate,
asymmetric overgrowth of many body parts and unregulated adipose tissue. The overgrowth
seen in Proteus syndrome is progressive and difficult to manage. Patients with Proteus
syndrome require repeated treatment for the progressive overgrowth of tissue over a long
period. Aggressive treatment may cause severe functional and cosmetic consequences, so
surgical intervention is often delayed until it is absolutely necessary. This report
written by Yoshifumi Nakayama from Japan presents a surgical case of a large lipoma in the
abdominal wall of a patient with Proteus syndrome. Their article is to be published on
July, 14 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. On physical examination, a large
mass with unclear margins was found in the left lower quadrant of her abdominal wall. A
plain abdominal X-ray examination indicated scoliosis and deformity of the pelvic bone.
Colon gas in the left colon shifted to the right upper side. Computed tomography (CT) of
the abdomen demonstrated a large mass in the subcutaneous adipose tissue at the left lower
abdominal wall. In the current case, the patient was diagnosed with Proteus syndrome based
on certain diagnostic criteria and underwent an excision. The postoperative course was
uneventful, the encasement of the left colon was improved, and she left the hospital on
the 15th postoperative day. At present, she continues to receive medical treatment on an
outpatient basis. Postoperatively, bowel movement occurred twice a day.
Is somatic hypersensitivity a
predictor of irritable bowel syndrome?
Although visceral hypersensitivity is considered a hallmark feature of IBS, conflicting
evidence exists regarding somatic hypersensitivity in this patient population. Several
investigators have found no evidence for heightened somatic pain sensitivity in IBS
patients. Also, others have reported similar cold presser pain tolerance in IBS patients
and controls. These conflicting findings may result from differing somatic pain testing
procedures. Previous studies have explored the correlates of visceral hypersensitivity
among patients with IBS. To further evaluate somatic hyperalgesia among patients with IBS,
the authors evaluated thermal pain sensitivity among patients with diarrhea-predominant
IBS (D-IBS) vs constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS) compared with healthy subjects. A
research led by G Nicholas Verne from United States addressed this issue. The article is
to be published on July 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. A total of 42
cases with D-IBS and 24 with C-IBS, and 52 control subjects were collected in the study.
Their thermal pain hypersensitivity were examined Thermal stimuli were delivered using a
Medoc Thermal Sensory Analyzer with a 3 cm × 3 cm surface area. Heat pain threshold
(HPTh) and heat pain tolerance (HPTo) were assessed on the left ventral forearm and left
calf using an ascending method of limits. The Functional Bowel Disease Severity Index
(FBDSI) was also obtained for all subjects. The research revealed controls were less
sensitive than C-IBS and D-IBS with no differences between C-IBS and D-IBS for HPTh and
HPTo. Thermal hyperalgesia was present in both groups of IBS patients relative to
controls, with IBS patients reporting significantly lower pain threshold and pain
tolerance at both test sites. A unique finding of this study is that the authors detected
a strong relationship between heat pain measures and Functional Bowel Disease Severity
Index (FBDSI) scores. IBS patients with high FBDSI scores had the highest thermal pain
sensitivity compared to those IBS patients with low to moderate FBDSI scores.
Pre-chewed food could transmit HIV
Researchers have uncovered the first cases in which HIV almost certainly was transmitted
from mothers or other caregivers to children through pre-chewed food. The source of HIV in
the pre-chewed food was most likely the infected blood in the saliva of the people who
pre-chewed the food before giving it to the children. The researchers said their findings
suggest that HIV-infected mothers or other caregivers should be warned against giving
infants pre-chewed food and directed toward safer feeding options. The cases indicate that
physicians and clinics should routinely include questions about pre-chewing food in their
health screening of infant caregivers who have HIV or are suspected of the infection.
Also, possible cases of HIV transmission through pre-chewed food should be reported to
public health agencies to help increase understanding of the prevalence of such
transmission. Led by Aditya Gaur, M.D., of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,
with colleagues from St. Jude (Marion Donohoe, CPNP), the University of Miami (Charles
Mitchell, M.D., and Delia Rivera, M.D.) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(Kenneth Dominguez, M.D., Marcia Kalish, Ph.D., and John Brooks, M.D.), the researchers
published their findings in the August 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics. Gaur is an
assistant member of the St. Jude Infectious Diseases department. Giving infants pre-chewed
food has been reported to transmit infections such as streptococcus and the hepatitis B
virus, Gaur said. However, until these cases there was no evidence that the blood-borne
HIV could be similarly transmitted. The source of blood in the saliva of the person
pre-chewing the food for the child may likely have been visible or microscopic bleeding
from the gums or some other part of the mouth, he added. In their paper, the researchers
described three cases in which pre-chewed food was likely the source of HIV transmission
to infants. The case that led to this published report was a 9-month-old infant who was
referred to St. Jude because she was HIV positive after earlier tests had been negative.
“Her HIV-positive mother had not breastfed her, and further investigation had ruled
out transmission by blood transfusion, injury or sexual abuse,” Gaur said. Also,
genetic testing, led by Kalish at the CDC, showed that the daughter had been infected with
the same HIV strain as the mother. “Fortunately, the St. Jude nurse practitioner,
Marion Donohoe, was very thorough in her questioning about feeding practices, and she
asked about pre-mastication. It turned out this mother had fed her daughter pre-chewed
food,” Gaur said.
Longer life for milk drinkers say
Reading researchers
Research undertaken by the Universities of Reading, Cardiff and Bristol has found that
drinking milk ¹ can lessen the chances of dying from illnesses such as coronary heart
disease (CHD) and stroke by up to 15-20 %.In recent times milk has often been portrayed by
the media as an unhealthy food. The study, led by Professor Peter Elwood (Cardiff
University) together with Professor Ian Givens from the University of Reading’s Food
Chain and Health Research Theme, aimed to establish whether the health benefits of
drinking milk outweigh any dangers that lie in its consumption.Importantly, this is the
first time that disease risk associated with drinking milk has been looked at in relation
to the number of deaths which the diseases are responsible for.
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