Odds are, you're not going to make it all the way through this article without thinking about something else.
In fact, studies have found that our minds are wandering half the time, drifting off to thoughts unrelated to what we're doing – did I remember to turn off the light? What should I have for dinner?
A new study investigating the mental processes underlying a wandering mind reports a role for working memory, a sort of a mental workspace that allows you to juggle multiple thoughts simultaneously.
Imagine you see your neighbor upon arriving home one day and schedule a lunch date. On your way to add it to your calendar, you stop to turn off the drippy faucet, feed the cat, and add milk to your grocery list. The capacity that allows you to retain the lunch information through those unrelated tasks is working memory.
The new study, published online March 14 in the journal Psychological Science by Daniel Levinson and Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Jonathan Smallwood at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, reports that a person's working memory capacity relates to the tendency of their mind to wander during a routine assignment. Lead author Levinson is a graduate student with Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry, in the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the UW–Madison Waisman Center.
The researchers asked volunteers to perform one of two simple tasks – either pressing a button in response to the appearance of a certain letter on a screen, or simply tapping in time with one's breath – and compared people's propensity to drift off.
"We intentionally use tasks that will never use all of their attention," Smallwood explains, "and then we ask, how do people use their idle resources?"
Throughout the tasks, the researchers checked in periodically with the participants to ask if their minds were on task or wandering. At the end, they measured each participant's working memory capacity, scored by their ability to remember a series of letters given to them interspersed with easy math questions.
In both tasks, there was a clear correlation. "People with higher working memory capacity reported more mind wandering during these simple tasks," says Levinson, though their performance on the test was not compromised.
The result is the first positive correlation found between working memory and mind wandering and suggests that working memory may actually enable off-topic thoughts.
"What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources deploy them to think about things other than what they're doing," Smallwood says.
Interestingly, when people were given a comparably simple task but filled with sensory distractors (such as lots of other similarly shaped letters), the link between working memory and mind wandering disappeared.
"Giving your full attention to your perceptual experience actually equalized people, as though it cut off mind wandering at the pass," Levinson says.
Working memory capacity has previously been correlated with general measures of intelligence, such as reading comprehension and IQ score. The current study underscores how important it is in everyday situations and offers a window into the ubiquitous – but not well-understood – realm of internally driven thoughts.
"Our results suggest that the sorts of planning that people do quite often in daily life – when they're on the bus, when they're cycling to work, when they're in the shower – are probably supported by working memory," says Smallwood. "Their brains are trying to allocate resources to the most pressing problems."
In essence, working memory can help you stay focused, but if your mind starts to wander those resources get misdirected and you can lose track of your goal. Many people have had the experience of arriving at home with no recollection of the actual trip to get there, or of suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without comprehending any of the words.
"It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read," Levinson says.
Where your mind wanders may be an indication of underlying priorities being held in your working memory, whether conscious or not, he says. But it doesn't mean that people with high working memory capacity are doomed to a straying mind. The bottom line is that working memory is a resource and it's all about how you use it, he says. "If your priority is to keep attention on task, you can use working memory to do that, too."
Levinson is now studying how attentional training to increase working memory will affect wandering thoughts, to better understand the connection and how people can control it. "Mind wandering isn't free – it takes resources," he says. "You get to decide how you want to use your resources."
Source:Eurekalert
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Cancer cells send out the alarm on tumor-killing virus
Brain-tumor cells that are infected with a cancer-killing virus release a protein "alarm bell" that warns other tumor cells of the impending infection and enables them to mount a defense against the virus, according to a study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).
The infected tumor cells release a protein called CCN1 into the narrow space between cells where it initiates an antiviral response. The response limits the spread of the oncolytic virus through the tumor, reducing its ability to kill cancer cells and limiting the efficacy of the therapy.
The study suggests that cells in general might use this mechanism to help control viral infections, and that blocking the response might improve oncolytic viral therapy for glioblastoma and perhaps future gene therapy treatments.
Oncolytic viruses replicate in tumor cells and kill them. They have shown promise for the treatment of glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer. Patients with glioblastoma survive about 15 months after diagnosis on average, so there is great need for new treatments.
The study was published in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Research.
"We found that, in the extracellular matrix, this protein orchestrates a striking cellular antiviral response that reduces viral replication and limits its cytolytic efficacy," says researcher and principal investigator Balveen Kaur, associate professor of Neurological Surgery at the OSUCCC – James.
"These findings are significant because they reveal a novel mechanism used by infected cells to fight viral infections and alert adjacent uninfected cells to prepare their defenses to fight off forthcoming viral attacks," Kaur says.
Kaur notes that CCN1 helps regulate cellular functions that include adhesion, migration, and proliferation, and that it is overexpressed in 68 percent of glioblastoma specimens."These findings are significant because they reveal a novel mechanism used by infected cells to fight viral infections and alert adjacent uninfected cells to prepare their defenses to fight off forthcoming viral attacks," Kaur says.
Kaur notes that CCN1 helps regulate cellular functions that include adhesion, migration, and proliferation, and that it is overexpressed in 68 percent of glioblastoma specimens.
Previous research led by Kaur found that oncolytic virus therapy induced the release of CCN1 into the tumor microenvironment. For this study, Kaur and her colleagues used glioma cell lines, oncolytic viruses derived from human herpesvirus type 1 (HSV-1), and glioblastoma animal models. Key findings include:
CNN1 expression is upregulated by the oncolytic virus but not by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Thus, it may be a general response of glioma cells to viral infection.
In the extracellular space, CCN1 reduces viral replication and the killing of glioma cells.
CCN1 induces a type-I interferon antiviral response using an integrin cell-surface receptor.
"Overall, this finding reveals how extracellular signaling can contribute to viral clearance," Kaur says. "We can now utilize this knowledge to improve future viral gene therapy."
Source:Eurekalert
The infected tumor cells release a protein called CCN1 into the narrow space between cells where it initiates an antiviral response. The response limits the spread of the oncolytic virus through the tumor, reducing its ability to kill cancer cells and limiting the efficacy of the therapy.
The study suggests that cells in general might use this mechanism to help control viral infections, and that blocking the response might improve oncolytic viral therapy for glioblastoma and perhaps future gene therapy treatments.
Oncolytic viruses replicate in tumor cells and kill them. They have shown promise for the treatment of glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer. Patients with glioblastoma survive about 15 months after diagnosis on average, so there is great need for new treatments.
The study was published in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Research.
"We found that, in the extracellular matrix, this protein orchestrates a striking cellular antiviral response that reduces viral replication and limits its cytolytic efficacy," says researcher and principal investigator Balveen Kaur, associate professor of Neurological Surgery at the OSUCCC – James.
"These findings are significant because they reveal a novel mechanism used by infected cells to fight viral infections and alert adjacent uninfected cells to prepare their defenses to fight off forthcoming viral attacks," Kaur says.
Kaur notes that CCN1 helps regulate cellular functions that include adhesion, migration, and proliferation, and that it is overexpressed in 68 percent of glioblastoma specimens."These findings are significant because they reveal a novel mechanism used by infected cells to fight viral infections and alert adjacent uninfected cells to prepare their defenses to fight off forthcoming viral attacks," Kaur says.
Kaur notes that CCN1 helps regulate cellular functions that include adhesion, migration, and proliferation, and that it is overexpressed in 68 percent of glioblastoma specimens.
Previous research led by Kaur found that oncolytic virus therapy induced the release of CCN1 into the tumor microenvironment. For this study, Kaur and her colleagues used glioma cell lines, oncolytic viruses derived from human herpesvirus type 1 (HSV-1), and glioblastoma animal models. Key findings include:
CNN1 expression is upregulated by the oncolytic virus but not by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Thus, it may be a general response of glioma cells to viral infection.
In the extracellular space, CCN1 reduces viral replication and the killing of glioma cells.
CCN1 induces a type-I interferon antiviral response using an integrin cell-surface receptor.
"Overall, this finding reveals how extracellular signaling can contribute to viral clearance," Kaur says. "We can now utilize this knowledge to improve future viral gene therapy."
Source:Eurekalert
Public health investments on rise, health services sales to decline: Economic Survey
Even as the public health investment has increased substantially in the recent years, the sales from health service sector is to grow at 18.6 per cent only during the next fiscal year against the boisterous growth rate of 25 per cent in the current year, according to the Economic Survey.
The Economic Survey presented in the Parliament on Thursday has rated pharmaceutical research and development as a leading driver of foreign investment and put the sector as a key area of growth in the future too.
“During 2010-11, sales of the health services sector had grown by 25.4 per cent. During 2011-12 and 2012-13, sales are expected to grow by a healthy 18.6 per cent and 20.5 per cent respectively on the back of higher occupancy levels in hospitals and revenues per occupied bed. However, major cost components like salaries and wages and other operating expenses are expected to grow at a faster rate of 21.7 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively. The PAT of the sector is expected to fall by 24 per cent in 2011-12 and grow by17 per cent in 2012-13,” said the survey.
There has been an increase in public health investment in the country. The combined revenue and capital expenditure of the Centre and states on medical and public health, water supply and sanitation and family welfare has increased from Rs.53,057.80 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.96,672.79 crore in 2010-11 (BE). In addition to increasing resource allocation for the Health Sector the Government is also playing a critical role in facilitating access to health care delivery channels, public and private through subsidized health, insurance schemes, the survey said.
“The Rasthriya Swasthaya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is being extended to cover MGNREGA beneficiaries and beedi workers,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
The Survey highlights that the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was launched on June 1, 2011 to give free entitlements to pregnant women and sick newborns for cashless delivery, C-Section, drugs and consumables, diagnostics, diet during stay in the health institutions, provision of blood, exemption from user charges, transport from home to health institutions, transport between facilities in case of referral, and drop back from Institutions to home.
A sum of Rs.1437 crore has been allocated to the states during 2011-12 under the JSSK. In order to reach out to difficult, inaccessible, backward and under-served areas with poor health indicators, 264 high focus districts in 21 states have been identified based on concentration of SC/ST population and presence of left wing extremism for focused attention. A Mother and Child Tracking system has been introduced, which provides complete data of the mothers with their addresses, telephone numbers, etc. for effective monitoring of ante-natal and post-natal check-up of mothers and immunization services.
The Survey also points out that the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which targets lowering of Maternal Mortality Ratio by ensuring that deliveries are conducted by skilled birth attendants, has shown rapid growth in last three years, with number of beneficiaries rising to 106.96 lakh in 2010-11 from 90.37 lakh in 2008-09. The issue of governance, transparency, and grievance redressal mechanisms are now the thrust areas for the JSY.
Source:Pharmabiz
The Economic Survey presented in the Parliament on Thursday has rated pharmaceutical research and development as a leading driver of foreign investment and put the sector as a key area of growth in the future too.
“During 2010-11, sales of the health services sector had grown by 25.4 per cent. During 2011-12 and 2012-13, sales are expected to grow by a healthy 18.6 per cent and 20.5 per cent respectively on the back of higher occupancy levels in hospitals and revenues per occupied bed. However, major cost components like salaries and wages and other operating expenses are expected to grow at a faster rate of 21.7 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively. The PAT of the sector is expected to fall by 24 per cent in 2011-12 and grow by17 per cent in 2012-13,” said the survey.
There has been an increase in public health investment in the country. The combined revenue and capital expenditure of the Centre and states on medical and public health, water supply and sanitation and family welfare has increased from Rs.53,057.80 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.96,672.79 crore in 2010-11 (BE). In addition to increasing resource allocation for the Health Sector the Government is also playing a critical role in facilitating access to health care delivery channels, public and private through subsidized health, insurance schemes, the survey said.
“The Rasthriya Swasthaya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is being extended to cover MGNREGA beneficiaries and beedi workers,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
The Survey highlights that the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was launched on June 1, 2011 to give free entitlements to pregnant women and sick newborns for cashless delivery, C-Section, drugs and consumables, diagnostics, diet during stay in the health institutions, provision of blood, exemption from user charges, transport from home to health institutions, transport between facilities in case of referral, and drop back from Institutions to home.
A sum of Rs.1437 crore has been allocated to the states during 2011-12 under the JSSK. In order to reach out to difficult, inaccessible, backward and under-served areas with poor health indicators, 264 high focus districts in 21 states have been identified based on concentration of SC/ST population and presence of left wing extremism for focused attention. A Mother and Child Tracking system has been introduced, which provides complete data of the mothers with their addresses, telephone numbers, etc. for effective monitoring of ante-natal and post-natal check-up of mothers and immunization services.
The Survey also points out that the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which targets lowering of Maternal Mortality Ratio by ensuring that deliveries are conducted by skilled birth attendants, has shown rapid growth in last three years, with number of beneficiaries rising to 106.96 lakh in 2010-11 from 90.37 lakh in 2008-09. The issue of governance, transparency, and grievance redressal mechanisms are now the thrust areas for the JSY.
Source:Pharmabiz
Incidence of Sickness from Imported Foods on the Rise in the US
Health authorities in the United states have said that people are getting sick more often from imported foods in recent years. They added that seafoods and spices from Asia are the most common culprits.
After reviewing cases of reported outbreaks from 2005 to 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 2,348 illnesses were linked to imported foods, with half of the cases occurring in 2009 and 2010.
Fish-linked outbreaks were the most common source and nearly 45 percent of all imported foods causing sickness came from Asia, said the CDC report, presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fish caused 17 of the 39 outbreaks, and spices were the next most common with six outbreaks, including five linked to fresh or dried peppers.
"As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world, too," said lead author Hannah Gould, an epidemiologist in CDC's division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases.
"We saw an increased number of outbreaks due to imported foods during recent years, and more types of foods from more countries causing outbreaks."
US food imports have grown from $41 billion annually in 1998 to $78 billion in 2007, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Up to 16 percent of all food eaten -- and 85 percent of all seafood -- in the United States is imported.
However, officials suspect that there are more food-linked outbreaks than reported because often people are unaware of what has made them ill.
"We need better -- and more -- information about what foods are causing outbreaks and where those foods are coming from," Gould said in a statement.
"Knowing more about what is making people sick, will help focus prevention efforts on those foods that pose a higher risk of causing illness."
Some 48 million illnesses from food strike the United States each year, with the stomach-ailment causing norovirus being the most common followed by salmonella.
According to the latest data for 2008, there were a total of 23,152 sicknesses that year and 22 deaths.
The CDC defines a foodborne disease outbreak as two or more similar illnesses resulting from the same type of food.
Source-AFP
After reviewing cases of reported outbreaks from 2005 to 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 2,348 illnesses were linked to imported foods, with half of the cases occurring in 2009 and 2010.
Fish-linked outbreaks were the most common source and nearly 45 percent of all imported foods causing sickness came from Asia, said the CDC report, presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fish caused 17 of the 39 outbreaks, and spices were the next most common with six outbreaks, including five linked to fresh or dried peppers.
"As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world, too," said lead author Hannah Gould, an epidemiologist in CDC's division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases.
"We saw an increased number of outbreaks due to imported foods during recent years, and more types of foods from more countries causing outbreaks."
US food imports have grown from $41 billion annually in 1998 to $78 billion in 2007, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Up to 16 percent of all food eaten -- and 85 percent of all seafood -- in the United States is imported.
However, officials suspect that there are more food-linked outbreaks than reported because often people are unaware of what has made them ill.
"We need better -- and more -- information about what foods are causing outbreaks and where those foods are coming from," Gould said in a statement.
"Knowing more about what is making people sick, will help focus prevention efforts on those foods that pose a higher risk of causing illness."
Some 48 million illnesses from food strike the United States each year, with the stomach-ailment causing norovirus being the most common followed by salmonella.
According to the latest data for 2008, there were a total of 23,152 sicknesses that year and 22 deaths.
The CDC defines a foodborne disease outbreak as two or more similar illnesses resulting from the same type of food.
Source-AFP
Meditation Strengthens Brain: Study
Eileen Luders, an assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and colleagues, have found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification ("folding" of the cortex, which may allow the brain to process information faster) than people who do not meditate. Further, a direct correlation was found between the amount of gyrification and the number of meditation years, possibly providing further proof of the brain's neuroplasticity, or ability to adapt to environmental changes.
The article appears in the online edition of the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neural tissue. Among other functions, it plays a key role in memory, attention, thought and consciousness. Gyrification or cortical folding is the process by which the surface of the brain undergoes changes to create narrow furrows and folds called sulci and gyri. Their formation may promote and enhance neural processing. Presumably then, the more folding that occurs, the better the brain is at processing information, making decisions, forming memories and so forth.
"Rather than just comparing meditators and non-meditators, we wanted to see if there is a link between the amount of meditation practice and the extent of brain alteration," said Luders. "That is, correlating the number of years of meditation with the degree of folding."
The researchers took MRI scans of 50 meditators, 28 men and 22 women, and compared them to 50 control subjects matched for age, handedness and sex. The scans for the controls were obtained from an existing MRI database, while the meditators were recruited from various meditation venues. The meditators had practiced their craft on average for 20 years using a variety of meditation types — Samatha, Vipassana, Zen and more. The researchers applied a well-established and automated whole-brain approach to measure cortical gyrification at thousands of points across the surface of the brain.
They found pronounced group differences (heightened levels of gyrification in active meditation practitioners) across a wide swatch of the cortex, including the left precentral gyrus, the left and right anterior dorsal insula, the right fusiform gyrus and the right cuneus.
Perhaps most interesting, though, was the positive correlation between the number of meditation years and the amount of insular gyrification.
"The insula has been suggested to function as a hub for autonomic, affective and cognitive integration," said Luders. "Meditators are known to be masters in introspection and awareness as well as emotional control and self-regulation, so the findings make sense that the longer someone has meditated, the higher the degree of folding in the insula."
While Luders cautions that genetic and other environmental factors could have contributed to the effects the researchers observed, still, "The positive correlation between gyrification and the number of practice years supports the idea that meditation enhances regional gyrification."
Source-Eurekalert
Keralas Authentic Ayurveda attracts Germans
Germans have found a way to beat stress and pressures of routine urban life and stay healthy -- embrace the authentic Ayurveda of Kerala. More and more Germans over the age of 50 today prefer the ancient Indian system of medicine to keep them away from stress and to help lead a relaxed life, Kerala Tourism Director Ms Rani George said.
Last week, leading figures from the health sector of Germany took part in a workshop, titled 'Ayurveda: Wellness or Medicine', in Munich, she said.Organised by Kerala Tourism, the workshop was aimed at helping the people of Germany understand more about treatment and therapy under the Ayurveda.Experts in Ayurveda talked to delegates from leading newspapers, women's magazines, and lifestyle and wellness publications as well as tour operators and travel agencies focusing on health and wellness.The participants also included representatives from health and fitness clubs and associations. 'We presented the Ayurveda of Kerala to the German audience as there is an increasing demand for health and wellness among the people in Germany,' Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said. 'Our data shows that the highest number of those coming for Ayurveda treatment to Kerala from abroad is from Germany,' Ms George said.
Source:UNI
Last week, leading figures from the health sector of Germany took part in a workshop, titled 'Ayurveda: Wellness or Medicine', in Munich, she said.Organised by Kerala Tourism, the workshop was aimed at helping the people of Germany understand more about treatment and therapy under the Ayurveda.Experts in Ayurveda talked to delegates from leading newspapers, women's magazines, and lifestyle and wellness publications as well as tour operators and travel agencies focusing on health and wellness.The participants also included representatives from health and fitness clubs and associations. 'We presented the Ayurveda of Kerala to the German audience as there is an increasing demand for health and wellness among the people in Germany,' Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said. 'Our data shows that the highest number of those coming for Ayurveda treatment to Kerala from abroad is from Germany,' Ms George said.
Source:UNI
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Yoga Improves Quality of Life for Caregivers
Dr. Helen Lavretsky, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and colleagues report a further benefit as well: a reduction in stress-induced cellular aging.
The report appears in the current online edition of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
As the U.S. population continues to age over the next two decades, the prevalence of dementia and the number of family caregivers who provide support to these loved ones will increase dramatically. Currently, at least five million Americans provide care for someone with dementia. The detrimental burden on them, in terms of their own lives, can be severe.
For example, says Lavretsky, who also directs UCLA's Late-Life Depression, Stress and Wellness Research Program, "We know that chronic stress places caregivers at a higher risk for developing depression. On average, the incidence and prevalence of clinical depression in family dementia caregivers approaches 50 percent. Caregivers are also twice as likely to report high levels of emotional distress." What's more, many caregivers tend to be older themselves, leading to what Lavretsky calls an "impaired resilience" to stress and an increased rate of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
While medication can improve depression, many caregivers may be opposed to the use of medication because of the associated cost and drug side-effects. That consideration motivated Lavretsky and her colleagues to test a brief mind-body intervention for stress reduction.
The researchers recruited 49 family caregivers who were taking care of their relatives with dementia. Their ages ranged from 45 to 91 years old and included 36 adult children and 13 spouses. The participants were randomized into two groups. The meditation group was taught a brief, 12-minute yogic practice that included an ancient chanting meditation, Kirtan Kriya, which was performed every day at the same time for eight weeks. The other group was asked to relax in a quiet place with their eyes closed while listening to instrumental music on a relaxation CD, also for 12 minutes every day at the same time for eight weeks.
At the end of the eight weeks the researchers found that the meditation group showed significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms and greater improvement in mental health and cognitive functioning, compared with the relaxation group. In the meditation group, 65 percent showed a 50 percent improvement on a depression rating scale, and 52 percent of the group showed a 50 percent improvement on a mental health score. This compared to a 31 percent depression improvement and a 19 percent mental health improvement for the relaxation group.
The researchers also found that meditation increased telomerase activity and thus slowed cellular aging. Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes, known as telomeres. Telomeres are associated with a host of health risks and diseases, which may be regulated in part by psychological stress. In the absence of telomerase activity, every time our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter and shorter, until eventually, they become so short the cells die. If high telomerase can be maintained or promoted, though, it will likely promote improvement in telomere maintenance and immune cell longevity.
In the study, the meditation group showed a 43 percent improvement in telomerase activity compared with 3.7 percent in the relaxation group.
"Although the relation between mental and physical health has been previously documented, the mechanistic links are beginning to be understood at the cellular level," said Lavretsky.
"To a varying degree, many psychosocial interventions like this have been shown to enhance mental health for caregivers," she said. "Yet given the magnitude of the caregiver burden, it is surprising that very few interventions translate into clinical practice. The cost of instruction and offering classes may be one factor. Our study suggests a simple, low-cost yoga program can enhance coping and quality of life for the caregivers."
The pilot results were "striking," she said, given the improvements that were shown in mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity over a short eight weeks at a mere 12 minutes a day. "We found that the effects on cognitive and mental functioning and telomerase activity were specific to the Kirtan Kriya. Because Kirtan Kriya had several elements of using chanting, mudras (finger poses) and visualization, there was a 'brain fitness' effect in addition to stress-reduction that contributed to the overall effect of the meditation." Lavretsky plans a follow-up study to provide further confirmation of this potential mechanism in a neuroimaging study of Kirtan Kriya.
Recently, UCLA launched its new Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program, which provides comprehensive, coordinated care as well as resources and support to patients and their caregivers. Lavretsky has incorporated yoga practice into the caregiver program.
Source-Eurekalert
Study suggests link between H. pylori bacteria and blood sugar control in adult Type 2 diabetes
A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center reveals that the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria is associated with elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important biomarker for blood glucose levels and diabetes. The association was even stronger in obese individuals with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). The results, which suggest the bacteria may play a role in the development of diabetes in adults, are available online in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
There have been several studies evaluating the effect of the presence of H. pylori on diabetes outcomes, but this is the first to examine the effect on HbA1c, an important, objective biomarker for long-term blood sugar levels, explained Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Medicine, part of NYU Langone Medical Center.
"The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is growing at a rapid rate, so the more we know about what factors impact these conditions, the better chance we have for doing something about it," Dr. Chen said. Looking at the effects of H. pylori on HbA1c, and whether the association differs according to BMI status, provided what could be a key piece of information for future treatment of diabetes, she explained.
Type II diabetes causes an estimated 3.8 million adult deaths globally. There have been conflicting reports about the association between H. pylori infection and type II diabetes. To better understand the relationship between H. pylori and the disease, Dr. Chen and Martin J. Blaser, MD, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine and professor of microbiology, analyzed data from participants in two National Health and Nutrition Surveys (NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2000) to assess the association between H. pylori and levels of HbA1c.
"Obesity is an established risk factor for diabetes and it is known that high BMI is associated with elevated HbA1c. Separately, the presence of H. pylori is also associated with elevated HbA1c," said Dr. Blaser, who has studied the bacteria for more than 20 years. "We hypothesized that having both high BMI and the presence of H. pylori would have a synergistic effect, increasing HbA1c even more than the sum of the individual effect of either risk factor alone. We now know that this is true."
H. pylori lives in the mucous layer lining the stomach where it persists for decades. It is acquired usually before the age of 10, and is transmitted mainly in families. Dr. Blaser's previous studies have confirmed the bacterium's link to stomach cancer and elucidated genes associated with its virulence, particularly a gene called cagA.
Regarding H. pylori's association with elevated HbA1c, Drs. Chen and Blaser believe the bacterium may affect the levels of two stomach hormones that help regulate blood glucose, and they suggest that eradicating H. pylori using antibiotics in some older obese individuals could be beneficial.
More research will be needed to evaluate the health effects of H. pylori and its eradication among different age groups and in relation to obesity status, the authors noted.
"If future studies confirm our finding, it may be beneficial for individuals at risk for diabetes to be tested for the presence of H. pylori and, depending on the individual's risk factor profile" Dr. Chen.
In an accompanying editorial in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Dani Cohen, PhD, of Tel Aviv University in Israel, pointed out that while previous studies have addressed the association between type II diabetes and H. pylori in small samples, this study analyzed two independent large national samples of the general population. Dr. Cohen agreed with the study authors, suggesting that adults infected with H. pylori with higher BMI levels, even if asymptomatic, may need anti-H. pylori therapy to control or prevent type II diabetes. If the study findings are confirmed, Dr. Cohen wrote, they "could have important clinical and public health implications."
Source;Eurekalert
There have been several studies evaluating the effect of the presence of H. pylori on diabetes outcomes, but this is the first to examine the effect on HbA1c, an important, objective biomarker for long-term blood sugar levels, explained Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Medicine, part of NYU Langone Medical Center.
"The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is growing at a rapid rate, so the more we know about what factors impact these conditions, the better chance we have for doing something about it," Dr. Chen said. Looking at the effects of H. pylori on HbA1c, and whether the association differs according to BMI status, provided what could be a key piece of information for future treatment of diabetes, she explained.
Type II diabetes causes an estimated 3.8 million adult deaths globally. There have been conflicting reports about the association between H. pylori infection and type II diabetes. To better understand the relationship between H. pylori and the disease, Dr. Chen and Martin J. Blaser, MD, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine and professor of microbiology, analyzed data from participants in two National Health and Nutrition Surveys (NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2000) to assess the association between H. pylori and levels of HbA1c.
"Obesity is an established risk factor for diabetes and it is known that high BMI is associated with elevated HbA1c. Separately, the presence of H. pylori is also associated with elevated HbA1c," said Dr. Blaser, who has studied the bacteria for more than 20 years. "We hypothesized that having both high BMI and the presence of H. pylori would have a synergistic effect, increasing HbA1c even more than the sum of the individual effect of either risk factor alone. We now know that this is true."
H. pylori lives in the mucous layer lining the stomach where it persists for decades. It is acquired usually before the age of 10, and is transmitted mainly in families. Dr. Blaser's previous studies have confirmed the bacterium's link to stomach cancer and elucidated genes associated with its virulence, particularly a gene called cagA.
Regarding H. pylori's association with elevated HbA1c, Drs. Chen and Blaser believe the bacterium may affect the levels of two stomach hormones that help regulate blood glucose, and they suggest that eradicating H. pylori using antibiotics in some older obese individuals could be beneficial.
More research will be needed to evaluate the health effects of H. pylori and its eradication among different age groups and in relation to obesity status, the authors noted.
"If future studies confirm our finding, it may be beneficial for individuals at risk for diabetes to be tested for the presence of H. pylori and, depending on the individual's risk factor profile" Dr. Chen.
In an accompanying editorial in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Dani Cohen, PhD, of Tel Aviv University in Israel, pointed out that while previous studies have addressed the association between type II diabetes and H. pylori in small samples, this study analyzed two independent large national samples of the general population. Dr. Cohen agreed with the study authors, suggesting that adults infected with H. pylori with higher BMI levels, even if asymptomatic, may need anti-H. pylori therapy to control or prevent type II diabetes. If the study findings are confirmed, Dr. Cohen wrote, they "could have important clinical and public health implications."
Source;Eurekalert
Link Between Dietary Fat and Semen Quality
An association has been established between high fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. The results of the study published in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.
It also found that men who ate more omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (the type of fat often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less.
However, the researchers warn that this is a small study, and its findings need to be replicated by further research in order to be sure about the role played by fats on men's fertility. Professor Jill Attaman, who was a Clinical and Research Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research [2], said: "In the meantime, if men make changes to their diets so as to reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat and increase their omega-3 intake, then this may not only improve their general health, but could improve their reproductive health too. At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide."
A number of previous studies have investigated the link between body mass index (BMI) and semen quality, with mixed results. However, little is known about the potential role of dietary fats and semen quality, and so Prof Attaman and her colleagues set out to investigate it in men attending a fertility clinic.
Between December 2006 and August 2010 they questioned the men about their diet and analysed samples of their semen; they also measured levels of fatty acids in sperm and seminal plasma in 23 of the 99 men taking part.
The men were divided into three groups according to the amount of fats they consumed. Those in the third with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower total sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration than men in the third with the lowest fat intake. "Total sperm count" is defined as the total number of sperm in the ejaculate, while "sperm concentration" is defined as the concentration of sperm (number per unit volume). The World Health Organisation provides a definition of "normal" total sperm count and concentration as follows: the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate should be at least 39 million; the concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 15 million per ml.
The study found that the relationship between dietary fats and semen quality was largely driven by the consumption of saturated fats. Men consuming the most saturated fats had a 35% lower total sperm count than men eating the least, and a 38% lower sperm concentration. "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease," said Prof Attaman.
Men consuming the most omega-3 fats had slightly more sperm (1.9%) that were correctly formed than men in the third that had the lowest omega-3 intake.
Of note: 71% of all the men in the study were overweight or obese, and the health effects of this could also affect semen quality. However, the researchers made allowances for this. "We were able to isolate the independent effects of fat intake from those of obesity using statistical models," said Prof Attaman. "Notably, the frequency of overweight and obesity among men in this study does not differ much from that among men in the general population in the USA (74%)."
The study is subject to a number of limitations that could affect the results; for instance, the use of a food frequency questionnaire might not accurately reflect men's actual diets, and only one semen sample per man was collected. The authors point out that studies like theirs cannot show that dietary fats cause poor semen quality, only that there is an association between the two.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date examining the influence of specific dietary fats on male fertility," they write. But they conclude: "Given the limitations of the current study, in particular the fact that it is a cross-sectional analysis and that it is the first report of a relation between dietary fat and semen quality, it is essential that these findings be reproduced in future work."
Prof Attaman and her colleagues are continuing to investigate how dietary and lifestyle factors influence fertility in men and women as well as the treatment outcomes of couples undergoing fertility treatment.
Source-Eurekalert
It also found that men who ate more omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (the type of fat often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less.
However, the researchers warn that this is a small study, and its findings need to be replicated by further research in order to be sure about the role played by fats on men's fertility. Professor Jill Attaman, who was a Clinical and Research Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research [2], said: "In the meantime, if men make changes to their diets so as to reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat and increase their omega-3 intake, then this may not only improve their general health, but could improve their reproductive health too. At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide."
A number of previous studies have investigated the link between body mass index (BMI) and semen quality, with mixed results. However, little is known about the potential role of dietary fats and semen quality, and so Prof Attaman and her colleagues set out to investigate it in men attending a fertility clinic.
Between December 2006 and August 2010 they questioned the men about their diet and analysed samples of their semen; they also measured levels of fatty acids in sperm and seminal plasma in 23 of the 99 men taking part.
The men were divided into three groups according to the amount of fats they consumed. Those in the third with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower total sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration than men in the third with the lowest fat intake. "Total sperm count" is defined as the total number of sperm in the ejaculate, while "sperm concentration" is defined as the concentration of sperm (number per unit volume). The World Health Organisation provides a definition of "normal" total sperm count and concentration as follows: the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate should be at least 39 million; the concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 15 million per ml.
The study found that the relationship between dietary fats and semen quality was largely driven by the consumption of saturated fats. Men consuming the most saturated fats had a 35% lower total sperm count than men eating the least, and a 38% lower sperm concentration. "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease," said Prof Attaman.
Men consuming the most omega-3 fats had slightly more sperm (1.9%) that were correctly formed than men in the third that had the lowest omega-3 intake.
Of note: 71% of all the men in the study were overweight or obese, and the health effects of this could also affect semen quality. However, the researchers made allowances for this. "We were able to isolate the independent effects of fat intake from those of obesity using statistical models," said Prof Attaman. "Notably, the frequency of overweight and obesity among men in this study does not differ much from that among men in the general population in the USA (74%)."
The study is subject to a number of limitations that could affect the results; for instance, the use of a food frequency questionnaire might not accurately reflect men's actual diets, and only one semen sample per man was collected. The authors point out that studies like theirs cannot show that dietary fats cause poor semen quality, only that there is an association between the two.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date examining the influence of specific dietary fats on male fertility," they write. But they conclude: "Given the limitations of the current study, in particular the fact that it is a cross-sectional analysis and that it is the first report of a relation between dietary fat and semen quality, it is essential that these findings be reproduced in future work."
Prof Attaman and her colleagues are continuing to investigate how dietary and lifestyle factors influence fertility in men and women as well as the treatment outcomes of couples undergoing fertility treatment.
Source-Eurekalert
Amazon plant yields miracle cure for dental pain
"We could be looking at the end of some injections in the dentist’s surgery. We've had really clear result from the tests so far, particularly for peridodontological procedures such as root scaling and planing, and there are many other potential applications. The native forest people described to me exactly how the medicine could and should work and they were absolutely right," Cambridge University anthropologist, Françoise Barbira Freedman, said in a press release.
Acmella oleracea has led to a possible new treatment for dental pain. Photo by: Jkadavoor. Freedman was the first westerner to live with the Keshwa Lamas indigenous tribe in Peru; they introduced her to the power of spilanthes extract, which is grown ornamentally around the world but native to the Amazon. In 1975 one of the tribe alleviated pain in Freedman's wisdom teeth by having her bite into the plant.
"During the time I have spent with the Keshwa Lamas I’ve learnt all about the different plants and leaves they use for everyday illnesses and ailments. I first went to Peru as a young researcher hoping to learn more about what was a secretive community who were experts in shamanism. Along the way I’ve learnt a great deal about natural medicines and remedies; everything from toothache to childbirth," Freedman says.
Freedman has now founded pharmaceutical company Ampika Ltd., which is linked to Cambridge University's commercial arm. A portion of proceeds from the company will also be shared among the Keshwa Lamas people, who Freedman still visits.
Beyond dental operations, the gel may also alleviate infant pain during teething.
"There are a range of mucous tissue applications it could benefit, and may even help bowel complaints such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)," says Freedman.
The medicinal gel is currently in trials, but Freedman says she expects it to be on the market by 2014 or 2015.
Although the world's tropical rainforests are under assault by logging, agriculture, monocultures, cattle, and fossil fuel industries, scientists believe the forests contain an untapped medicine cabinet that could provides cures for many of the world's ailments. Currently less than 5 percent of the world's tropical forest plants and less than 0.1 percent of its animals have been tested for medicinal properties.
Source:mongabay.com
What does delaying childbearing cost?
Freezing eggs or ovarian tissue for the sole purpose of delaying childbearing for social reasons may prove too costly for society, according to a recent analysis by a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher.
Fertility preservation -- freezing eggs or ovarian tissue -- was originally intended for women undergoing medical treatments that could affect their fertility.
But now, fertility centers around the country are offering these technologies to women who are not undergoing treatment, but who are "trying to create a backup plan for delaying pregnancy," says Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UIC and lead author of the study, published in the March issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Using decision-analysis techniques, the researchers compared the cost-per-live-birth for three alternative strategies a 25-year-old woman might use if she wants to delay childbearing until age 40.
Those scenarios included doing nothing (no cryopreservation), freezing eggs, or freezing ovarian tissue. The cost of each technique was based on published data.
"We found, in order to create one additional live birth with the mechanisms of freezing either ovarian tissue or freezing eggs, it would cost society an additional $130,000," said Hirshfeld-Cytron, director of the fertility preservation program at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.
In the statistical model, women at age 40 would attempt natural conception for six months before using assisted reproductive technology. After trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant on her own, the woman would either receive the standard of care (in vitro fertilization), or she would utilize either the frozen ovarian tissue or frozen eggs.
The analysis showed that freezing eggs was less expensive than freezing ovarian tissue, and doing nothing was the most cost-effective.
"In any scenario where a woman has undergone a procedure to freeze eggs or part of her ovaries for future use, and then she changes her mind, that is tissue that is never used," Hirshfeld-Cytron said. "The cost estimates in our study are actually very conservative."
Like all medical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology sometimes "can be victim to the tyranny of technology," Hirshfeld-Cytron said. Clinicians get excited about new options and offer them to a wider range of patients.
"Whether or not this is cost-effective is something that needs to be talked about and potentially decided as a society," said Hirshfeld-Cytron.
"It's also possible to argue that we could perhaps avoid these costs by providing an environment for young women that fosters career development and family-building at the same time," she said.
Co-authors are Dr. William Grobman and Dr. Magdy Milad of Northwestern University.
Source:Eurekalert
Fertility preservation -- freezing eggs or ovarian tissue -- was originally intended for women undergoing medical treatments that could affect their fertility.
But now, fertility centers around the country are offering these technologies to women who are not undergoing treatment, but who are "trying to create a backup plan for delaying pregnancy," says Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UIC and lead author of the study, published in the March issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Using decision-analysis techniques, the researchers compared the cost-per-live-birth for three alternative strategies a 25-year-old woman might use if she wants to delay childbearing until age 40.
Those scenarios included doing nothing (no cryopreservation), freezing eggs, or freezing ovarian tissue. The cost of each technique was based on published data.
"We found, in order to create one additional live birth with the mechanisms of freezing either ovarian tissue or freezing eggs, it would cost society an additional $130,000," said Hirshfeld-Cytron, director of the fertility preservation program at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.
In the statistical model, women at age 40 would attempt natural conception for six months before using assisted reproductive technology. After trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant on her own, the woman would either receive the standard of care (in vitro fertilization), or she would utilize either the frozen ovarian tissue or frozen eggs.
The analysis showed that freezing eggs was less expensive than freezing ovarian tissue, and doing nothing was the most cost-effective.
"In any scenario where a woman has undergone a procedure to freeze eggs or part of her ovaries for future use, and then she changes her mind, that is tissue that is never used," Hirshfeld-Cytron said. "The cost estimates in our study are actually very conservative."
Like all medical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology sometimes "can be victim to the tyranny of technology," Hirshfeld-Cytron said. Clinicians get excited about new options and offer them to a wider range of patients.
"Whether or not this is cost-effective is something that needs to be talked about and potentially decided as a society," said Hirshfeld-Cytron.
"It's also possible to argue that we could perhaps avoid these costs by providing an environment for young women that fosters career development and family-building at the same time," she said.
Co-authors are Dr. William Grobman and Dr. Magdy Milad of Northwestern University.
Source:Eurekalert
Broader screening for hepatitis C would be cost effective, study suggests
Broader screening to identify people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) would likely be cost effective, according to a new report published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online. Significantly reducing HCV-related mortality and morbidity, however, will require a coordinated effort that emphasizes not only increased testing but also linking those infected with the treatment they need.
The HCV epidemic peaked many years ago, but roughly 4 million U.S. residents still suffer the consequences of chronic hepatitis C. A growing proportion of those infected now has advanced disease, including cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Deaths from chronic infection have doubled over the last decade and are expected to more than double again by 2030.
The current "risk factor-based approach to screening has failed to identify at least half of those infected, leading to a situation in which a quarter of those newly diagnosed already suffer from cirrhosis of the liver," said Dr. Phillip O. Coffin, who led a team of researchers, including Drs. John D. Scott, Matthew R. Golden, and Sean D. Sullivan, at the University of Washington in Seattle who estimated the cost-effectiveness and impact of HCV screening.
Adding a one-time screening for all adults between the ages of 20 and 69 and factoring in the costs of managing late-stage liver fibrosis versus the costs of attempting to cure patients of hepatitis C, Dr. Coffin's team used statistical modeling techniques to analyze the benefit of broadening screening guidelines. They found that screening all adults was cost effective across a wide range of assumptions related to the costs and effects of screening and treatment. At the same time, the proportion of deaths averted by screening is likely to be relatively small, unless testing efforts are accompanied by substantial increases in successful referral of infected persons for treatment.
"The stealth epidemic of hepatitis C has finally matured, leaving a narrow window of opportunity to find those with advancing disease, connect them with care, and prevent the tragic and costly consequences of liver cancer and end-stage liver disease," Dr. Coffin said. Doctors are hampered by current overly narrow screening guidelines, and managing chronic HCV infection becomes increasingly expensive as it progresses.
"We need to screen the population, but that won't be enough to make a big difference," Dr. Coffin said. "Hepatitis C is a lot like HIV. The U.S. took a long time to come to the conclusion that we needed to really emphasize testing and efforts to link people to care. Hepatitis C is the same. We need a large scale, coordinated effort to identify people with this infection and make sure they get the care they need."
Source:Eurekalert
The HCV epidemic peaked many years ago, but roughly 4 million U.S. residents still suffer the consequences of chronic hepatitis C. A growing proportion of those infected now has advanced disease, including cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Deaths from chronic infection have doubled over the last decade and are expected to more than double again by 2030.
The current "risk factor-based approach to screening has failed to identify at least half of those infected, leading to a situation in which a quarter of those newly diagnosed already suffer from cirrhosis of the liver," said Dr. Phillip O. Coffin, who led a team of researchers, including Drs. John D. Scott, Matthew R. Golden, and Sean D. Sullivan, at the University of Washington in Seattle who estimated the cost-effectiveness and impact of HCV screening.
Adding a one-time screening for all adults between the ages of 20 and 69 and factoring in the costs of managing late-stage liver fibrosis versus the costs of attempting to cure patients of hepatitis C, Dr. Coffin's team used statistical modeling techniques to analyze the benefit of broadening screening guidelines. They found that screening all adults was cost effective across a wide range of assumptions related to the costs and effects of screening and treatment. At the same time, the proportion of deaths averted by screening is likely to be relatively small, unless testing efforts are accompanied by substantial increases in successful referral of infected persons for treatment.
"The stealth epidemic of hepatitis C has finally matured, leaving a narrow window of opportunity to find those with advancing disease, connect them with care, and prevent the tragic and costly consequences of liver cancer and end-stage liver disease," Dr. Coffin said. Doctors are hampered by current overly narrow screening guidelines, and managing chronic HCV infection becomes increasingly expensive as it progresses.
"We need to screen the population, but that won't be enough to make a big difference," Dr. Coffin said. "Hepatitis C is a lot like HIV. The U.S. took a long time to come to the conclusion that we needed to really emphasize testing and efforts to link people to care. Hepatitis C is the same. We need a large scale, coordinated effort to identify people with this infection and make sure they get the care they need."
Source:Eurekalert
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
In leukemia, discovery of Mer protein in cancer cells’ nuclei offers another place to target this known cause of cancer
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study, recently published in the journal PLoS ONE, found another home for Mer – inside cancer cells’ nuclei – and perhaps another role for this protein that can point the way to novel, targeted treatments.
“We’ve known that leukemic B and T cells have a lot of Mer on their surface, while normal lymphocytes have none, and that this protein promotes cancer cell survival,” says Justine Migdall, MD/PhD candidate working in the lab of Douglas Graham, MD, PhD, CU Cancer Center investigator and associate professor of pediatrics and immunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“But signaling from the cell surface may only be part of how Mer promotes leukemia. Our recent finding that Mer also resides in the nucleus suggests there may be additional ways that Mer is promoting cancer from within the cell,” he says.
The question remains, What is Mer doing in the nucleus?
Migdall and Graham think it’s likely that Mer in the nucleus may influence “gene expression” – helping to decide which parts of the cells’ DNA are printed or expressed into proteins. If Mer is, in fact, altering genes within cells, it may be one way in which healthy cells become cancerous – with the wrong genes expressed, a good cell may go bad. Or perhaps Mer in the nucleus may help existing cancer cells survive and thrive despite chemotherapy treatment, as is commonly the case in patients who relapse.
“This finding is especially exciting within the realm of drug development, which is currently focused on inhibiting Mer signaling,” Migdall says. “Mer in the nucleus may offer another explanation of how Mer promotes cancer and thus may prove to be another druggable target.”
A second use of this discovery may be in prognosis – Migdall and Graham hope to discover if the presence of MER in the nuclei of leukemia cells predicts a more aggressive form of the disease. The answer may help doctors deliver more accurate information as well as accurate treatments.
“If we truly have two distinct mechanisms through which Mer acts – cancer cell signaling and regulation of gene expression within the nucleus – then we would have additional ways to target this cancer-causing agent,” Graham says.
Source:News from University of Coloradao Cancer Centre
Cancer epigenetics: breakthrough in ID’ing target genes
Cancer is usually attributed to faulty genes, but growing evidence from the field of cancer epigenetics indicates a key role for the gene “silencing” proteins that stably turn genes off inside the cell nucleus. A new study from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) promises to speed research in the field by rapidly identifying the genes that epigenetic proteins can target for silencing.
The study, which appears this week in Nucleic Acids Research, shows how a new computer program called EpiPredictor can search any genome to identify specific genes affected by epigenetic proteins. The research includes detailed experimental findings that verify EpiPredictor’s results. The research was funded in part by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
In work that could shed light on the molecular workings of cancer cells, researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a method to rapidly identify genes that can be targeted for silencing. The team includes (clockwise from left) Qinghua Wang, Jianpeng Ma, Brian Kirk, Jia Zeng and Yufeng Gou.
“Cancer epigenetics is a new field, and we are still struggling with the basics,” said lead investigator Jianpeng Ma, professor of bioengineering at Rice and the Lodwick T. Bolin Professor of Biochemistry at BCM. “It’s something like a board game. Until now, we’ve understood some of the rules and seen a few of the pieces, but the game board itself has been mostly blank. EpiPredictor lets everyone see the board. It really changes things.”
While many cancers have been linked to mutations in the DNA sequence of particular genes, epigenetic changes do not involve genetic mutations. Instead, epigenetics allows two cells with identical DNA sequences to behave in wholly different ways. Epigenetic proteins effectively edit the genome by turning off genes that are not needed. This editing process is what allows human beings to have specialized cells — like nerve cells, bone cells and blood cells — that look and behave differently, even though they share the same DNA.
The key epigenetic players in cancer are a family of proteins called polycomb-group (PcG) proteins. PcGs are found deep inside the nucleus of cells, in the chamber where DNA is stored. Studies have found abnormally high levels of PcGs in some of the most aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer.
PcGs are generalists that can be called upon to silence any one of several hundred to several thousand genes. They are recruited to this task by polycomb response elements (PREs), segments of DNA that are located next to the genes the proteins subsequently silence. This is where the playing board goes blank; though scientists know there are literally hundreds to thousands of potential PREs in any given genome — including everything from simple insects to human beings — only a few PREs have ever been found.
“So far, only two PREs have been experimentally verified in mammals — one in mice and one in humans,” said EpiPredictor creator Jia Zeng, a BCM postdoctoral research associate. “We suspect there are so many of them, but finding them has been difficult.”
Zeng, a computer scientist, had no formal biology training when she joined Ma’s laboratory under a CPRIT-funded training program for computational cancer research.
“One of the biggest challenges since the completion of the Human Genome Project has been how to dig useful information out of the enormous amount of genomic data,” Ma said.
Ma said Zeng’s new method for zeroing in on PRE sequences is broadly applicable for genomic data mining in areas beyond cancer research.
“Determining the function of a gene based solely on sequence data is virtually impossible,” Ma said. “Recognizing this, Jia applied some advanced tools from computer science to create a learning program that could be trained to look for PRE sequences based upon the scant experimental data that were available.”
In tests on the genome of the fruit fly Drosphilia melanogaster, the EpiPredictor program found almost 300 epigenetic target genes. Experimental research by Ma’s longtime collaborator, BCM biochemist Qinghua Wang, verified that the EpiPredictor predictions were biologically significant.
“We are now working on using the method to scan the human genome to search for potential genes that play a role in cancer epigenetics,” said Wang, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. “We also hope that others will explore how this new method may help to identify the location and function of genes beyond the realm of epigenetics.”
Co-authors include Rice graduate students Yufeng Gou and Brian Kirk, a predoctoral training fellow in the National Library of Medicine Training Program of the Keck Center of the Gulf Coast Consortia. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation and the John and Ann Doerr Fund for Computational Biomedicine at Rice University. Zeng’s CPRIT fellowship is administered by the Keck Center Computational Cancer Biology Training Program of the Gulf Coast Consortia.
Source:RICE UNIVERSITY NEWS & MEDIA
The study, which appears this week in Nucleic Acids Research, shows how a new computer program called EpiPredictor can search any genome to identify specific genes affected by epigenetic proteins. The research includes detailed experimental findings that verify EpiPredictor’s results. The research was funded in part by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
In work that could shed light on the molecular workings of cancer cells, researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a method to rapidly identify genes that can be targeted for silencing. The team includes (clockwise from left) Qinghua Wang, Jianpeng Ma, Brian Kirk, Jia Zeng and Yufeng Gou.
“Cancer epigenetics is a new field, and we are still struggling with the basics,” said lead investigator Jianpeng Ma, professor of bioengineering at Rice and the Lodwick T. Bolin Professor of Biochemistry at BCM. “It’s something like a board game. Until now, we’ve understood some of the rules and seen a few of the pieces, but the game board itself has been mostly blank. EpiPredictor lets everyone see the board. It really changes things.”
While many cancers have been linked to mutations in the DNA sequence of particular genes, epigenetic changes do not involve genetic mutations. Instead, epigenetics allows two cells with identical DNA sequences to behave in wholly different ways. Epigenetic proteins effectively edit the genome by turning off genes that are not needed. This editing process is what allows human beings to have specialized cells — like nerve cells, bone cells and blood cells — that look and behave differently, even though they share the same DNA.
The key epigenetic players in cancer are a family of proteins called polycomb-group (PcG) proteins. PcGs are found deep inside the nucleus of cells, in the chamber where DNA is stored. Studies have found abnormally high levels of PcGs in some of the most aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer.
PcGs are generalists that can be called upon to silence any one of several hundred to several thousand genes. They are recruited to this task by polycomb response elements (PREs), segments of DNA that are located next to the genes the proteins subsequently silence. This is where the playing board goes blank; though scientists know there are literally hundreds to thousands of potential PREs in any given genome — including everything from simple insects to human beings — only a few PREs have ever been found.
“So far, only two PREs have been experimentally verified in mammals — one in mice and one in humans,” said EpiPredictor creator Jia Zeng, a BCM postdoctoral research associate. “We suspect there are so many of them, but finding them has been difficult.”
Zeng, a computer scientist, had no formal biology training when she joined Ma’s laboratory under a CPRIT-funded training program for computational cancer research.
“One of the biggest challenges since the completion of the Human Genome Project has been how to dig useful information out of the enormous amount of genomic data,” Ma said.
Ma said Zeng’s new method for zeroing in on PRE sequences is broadly applicable for genomic data mining in areas beyond cancer research.
“Determining the function of a gene based solely on sequence data is virtually impossible,” Ma said. “Recognizing this, Jia applied some advanced tools from computer science to create a learning program that could be trained to look for PRE sequences based upon the scant experimental data that were available.”
In tests on the genome of the fruit fly Drosphilia melanogaster, the EpiPredictor program found almost 300 epigenetic target genes. Experimental research by Ma’s longtime collaborator, BCM biochemist Qinghua Wang, verified that the EpiPredictor predictions were biologically significant.
“We are now working on using the method to scan the human genome to search for potential genes that play a role in cancer epigenetics,” said Wang, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. “We also hope that others will explore how this new method may help to identify the location and function of genes beyond the realm of epigenetics.”
Co-authors include Rice graduate students Yufeng Gou and Brian Kirk, a predoctoral training fellow in the National Library of Medicine Training Program of the Keck Center of the Gulf Coast Consortia. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation and the John and Ann Doerr Fund for Computational Biomedicine at Rice University. Zeng’s CPRIT fellowship is administered by the Keck Center Computational Cancer Biology Training Program of the Gulf Coast Consortia.
Source:RICE UNIVERSITY NEWS & MEDIA
Italian researchers found how to stop low back pain
Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found an important molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain and other acute vertebral problems like cervical axial pain, all due to aging and degeneration of the vertebral column.
The team led by Dr. Luigi Aurelio Nasto and Enrico Pola also developed an experimental drug to inhibit this degenerative mechanism, by blocking its principal culprit, the molecule, "NF-kB" and tested it successfully in mice. The study was carried out in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh research team led by Paul Robbins, James Kang and Nam Vo (e-mail: von@upmc.edu).
Researchers reported their findings in the February 16 online edition of the journal Spine.
Nasto and Pola found that high concentration of NF-kB causes the degeneration of intervertebral discs (the structures that separate and damp the vertebrae), a degenerative process that could affect also young adults (30 year old), especially if they adopt a sedentary lifestyle. In other words when NF-kB becomes overactive, it triggers a series of deleterious reactions that ultimately affect the physiological structure of the vertebral column.
Due to aging, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, intervertebral discs degenerate, leading to the progressive stiffening of the column. The intervertebral disc degeneration is responsible for syndromes such as chronic low back pain or neck pain that affects a large proportion of the adult population.
Back pain and neck pain are ranked among the leading causes of lost working hours and disability in adults Italian scientists found the mechanism behind the degenerative processes of the column. They studied mice that are genetically programmed to age rapidly (progeroid mice). The average lifespan of normal mice is 2 years. The progeroid mice age more quickly and have a lifespan of 8 months. The progeroid mice perfectly mimic the process of spine degeneration that occur in old people and young adults who suffer from low back pain.
The researchers found that NF-kB plays a role in the degeneration of the spine. NF-kB is a transcription factor, it modulates the activation of specific target genes. Researchers found that NF-kB activates many genes related to inflammation and turn off anti-inflammatory protective genes. Moreover in many studies NF-kB was found hyperactive in both the spines of old mice and old people.
The results of the Italian research suggest that NF-kB induces the onset of deleterious inflammatory processes and inhibit anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Moreover "our study shows that by inhibiting NF-kB, we can stop spine degeneration", Dr. Nasto says. "Drugs that turn off or even only partially inactivate NF-kB could be used to prevent the degeneration of intervertebral discs in patients."
"In our study, we developed a specific drug, called NBD peptide, able to specifically inhibit the deleterious action of NF-kB – dr Pola explains. NBD has been already successfully tested by a US team in Pittsburgh to slow the course of muscular dystrophy in an animal model (NF-kB is also involved in this disease). This peptide will be soon tested in a clinical trial (phase I) to study its therapeutic effects on Duchenne muscular dystrophy".
According to Nasto and Pola, NBD may also be used to counteract the aging of the vertebral column. "We hope to develop other selective inhibitors of NF-kB to slow the degeneration of intervertebral discs" and cure low back pain, Pola concludes.
Source:Eurekalert
MDACS to launch self sex education in public schools in Mumbai from June
Mumbai District AIDS control Society (MDACS) in association with the Maharashtra State Education department is soon going to launch a programme on self sex education targeting students from the public schools in Mumbai. MDACS has already identified around 50 government run schools in the city to initiate the programme which is aimed at sensitising the students on basic sex education to reduce the risk of HIV infection among them.
This programme will be initially launched in around 50 public schools in Mumbai for the students from standard IX and X. The course will have16 sessions in one year with about 30 to 40 minutes class everyday. MDACS has already initiated the training of the teachers so that they can impart the subject more elaborately among the students.
This programme is expected to be implemented in the curriculum from June this year. According to Vinitha Venkatraman, joint director, MDACS, “We are in the final stages of understanding with the education department on this project and are looking forward to initiate it at the earliest. We are happy that the government is supportive of this as it will play a vital role in educating the students on ways to avoid a situation that may lead to HIV infection.”
At present, though the number of incidence of HIV cases in the city has come down, a newer trend shows an alarming rise in HIV among youngsters.
Dr Harish Pathak, additional project director, MDACS, informed, “We are making efforts to do our level best to lift the ban implied by the government in the state so that we can contribute more in educating the youngsters on sex education. Unfortunately, today due to the ban we have to impart the knowledge through life skill eduction which covers only a fraction of the same. It is high time the government takes a stance on this case as it is the future of the country at risk due to ignorance of this issue.”
He further informed that last year they had initiated sex eduction programme in some private schools in the city as they were outside the preview of the ban. MDACS also has a successful programme running in colleges within the city called red cross club which conducts programme to educate students on sex education and ways that will help in preventing HIV and AIDS among youngsters.
The Government of Maharashtra has banned sex education in the state due to pressure from some political parties. However NACO has given the authority to MDACS to co-ordinate with the education system in the state to conduct such programmes to ensure sensitisation of safe sex methods so as to prevent the incidence of HIV and AIDS in the city.
Source:Pharmabiz
This programme will be initially launched in around 50 public schools in Mumbai for the students from standard IX and X. The course will have16 sessions in one year with about 30 to 40 minutes class everyday. MDACS has already initiated the training of the teachers so that they can impart the subject more elaborately among the students.
This programme is expected to be implemented in the curriculum from June this year. According to Vinitha Venkatraman, joint director, MDACS, “We are in the final stages of understanding with the education department on this project and are looking forward to initiate it at the earliest. We are happy that the government is supportive of this as it will play a vital role in educating the students on ways to avoid a situation that may lead to HIV infection.”
At present, though the number of incidence of HIV cases in the city has come down, a newer trend shows an alarming rise in HIV among youngsters.
Dr Harish Pathak, additional project director, MDACS, informed, “We are making efforts to do our level best to lift the ban implied by the government in the state so that we can contribute more in educating the youngsters on sex education. Unfortunately, today due to the ban we have to impart the knowledge through life skill eduction which covers only a fraction of the same. It is high time the government takes a stance on this case as it is the future of the country at risk due to ignorance of this issue.”
He further informed that last year they had initiated sex eduction programme in some private schools in the city as they were outside the preview of the ban. MDACS also has a successful programme running in colleges within the city called red cross club which conducts programme to educate students on sex education and ways that will help in preventing HIV and AIDS among youngsters.
The Government of Maharashtra has banned sex education in the state due to pressure from some political parties. However NACO has given the authority to MDACS to co-ordinate with the education system in the state to conduct such programmes to ensure sensitisation of safe sex methods so as to prevent the incidence of HIV and AIDS in the city.
Source:Pharmabiz
Find Solutions to Your Problems in an Innovative Way
Using innovative methods to solve problems is a new technique developed by a US researcher.
According to Tony McCaffrey, a psychology PhD from the University of Massachusetts, there is a classic obstruction to innovation called 'functional fixedness'.
"which is the tendency to fixate on the common use of an object or its parts. It hinders people from solving problems," McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey has developed a systematic way of overcoming that obstacle: the "generic parts technique" (GPT).
People trained in GPT solved eight problems 67 percent more often than those who weren't trained, and the first group solved them more than 8 times out of 10.
Here's how GPT works: "For each object in your problem, you break it into parts and ask two questions," explained McCaffrey, who is now a post-doctoral fellow in UMass's engineering department.
"1. Can it be broken down further? and 2. - this is the one that's been overlooked-Does my description of the part imply a use?"
So you're given two steel rings and told to make a figure-8 out of them. Your tools? A candle and a match. Melted wax is sticky, but the wax isn't strong enough to hold the rings together.
The other part of the candle - the wick implies a use: Wicks are set afire to give light.
"That tends to hinder people's ability to think of alternative uses for this part," said McCaffrey.
Think of the wick more generically as a piece of string and the string as strands of cotton and you're liberated. Now you can remove the wick and tie the two rings together. Or, if you like, shred the string and make a wig for your hamster.
McCaffrey has drawn his insights by analyzing 1,001 historically innovative inventions. In every one, he found, the innovator discovered an obscure feature or an obscure function.
McCaffrey cites a recent invention to solve a modern problem.
"In this very poor section of the Philippines, people living in shanties were using electric lights inside while it was sunny outside," he said.
He also described how to save money on electricity.
"Take a 2-liter Coke bottle, stick it through a hole in the roof, fill it with water. The water reflects the light around the inside the house."
A simple idea, using an overlooked feature of water: "It refracts light 360 degrees."
GPT is one of a "palette" of techniques McCaffrey is developing into what he calls "innovation assistance software," which itself can be put to novel uses.
His undergraduate student, a comedy writer, is applying the technique to build obscure situations that can make people laugh.
The study has been published in the journal Psychological Science.
Source-ANI
According to Tony McCaffrey, a psychology PhD from the University of Massachusetts, there is a classic obstruction to innovation called 'functional fixedness'.
"which is the tendency to fixate on the common use of an object or its parts. It hinders people from solving problems," McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey has developed a systematic way of overcoming that obstacle: the "generic parts technique" (GPT).
People trained in GPT solved eight problems 67 percent more often than those who weren't trained, and the first group solved them more than 8 times out of 10.
Here's how GPT works: "For each object in your problem, you break it into parts and ask two questions," explained McCaffrey, who is now a post-doctoral fellow in UMass's engineering department.
"1. Can it be broken down further? and 2. - this is the one that's been overlooked-Does my description of the part imply a use?"
So you're given two steel rings and told to make a figure-8 out of them. Your tools? A candle and a match. Melted wax is sticky, but the wax isn't strong enough to hold the rings together.
The other part of the candle - the wick implies a use: Wicks are set afire to give light.
"That tends to hinder people's ability to think of alternative uses for this part," said McCaffrey.
Think of the wick more generically as a piece of string and the string as strands of cotton and you're liberated. Now you can remove the wick and tie the two rings together. Or, if you like, shred the string and make a wig for your hamster.
McCaffrey has drawn his insights by analyzing 1,001 historically innovative inventions. In every one, he found, the innovator discovered an obscure feature or an obscure function.
McCaffrey cites a recent invention to solve a modern problem.
"In this very poor section of the Philippines, people living in shanties were using electric lights inside while it was sunny outside," he said.
He also described how to save money on electricity.
"Take a 2-liter Coke bottle, stick it through a hole in the roof, fill it with water. The water reflects the light around the inside the house."
A simple idea, using an overlooked feature of water: "It refracts light 360 degrees."
GPT is one of a "palette" of techniques McCaffrey is developing into what he calls "innovation assistance software," which itself can be put to novel uses.
His undergraduate student, a comedy writer, is applying the technique to build obscure situations that can make people laugh.
The study has been published in the journal Psychological Science.
Source-ANI
Anti-aging Gene Identified
The gene is found in all mammals and is known to protect against age-related cell damage.
The scientists manipulated the gene, SIRT6, in laboratory mice and found it extended their lifespan by up to 15 per cent, the Daily Express reported.
They hope the discovery will lead to the creation of a pill to help older people stay fitter, healthier and live longer - a breakthrough akin to finding "the fountain of youth".
According to results of a trial, when researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel reduced or removed the gene, the mice developed diabetes, curvature of the spine and aged faster.
Mouse and human SIRT genes are 80 per cent identical.
"This gene is important to health and if you can tinker with it to get the body to make more of it then we could get people living longer," said Biologist Dr Haim Cohen, who led the study.
This gene is important to health and if you can tinker with it to get the body to make more of it then we could get people living longer
Dr Cohen explained "We can't inject the gene so we are looking for a pill that can turn on the gene. If we can do that, then we might have found the fountain of youth."
Dr Cohen believes a pill could be taken in young adulthood or middle age before the ageing process begins. However, he says human trials are years away.
The SIRT6 gene is part of a group of seven related pieces of DNA that has already excited drug companies.
The finding was published in the journal Nature.
Source-ANI
3-D Paper Sensor to Test for Malaria, HIV
Such low-cost, "point-of-care" sensors could be incredibly useful in the developing world, where the resources often don't exist to pay for lab-based tests, and where, even if the money is available, the infrastructure often doesn't exist to transport biological samples to the lab.
"This is about medicine for everybody," says Richard Crooks, the Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry.
One-dimensional paper sensors, such as those used in pregnancy tests, are already common but have limitations. The folded, 3-D sensors, developed by Crooks and doctoral student Hong Liu, can test for more substances in a smaller surface area and provide results for more complex tests.
"Anybody can fold them up," says Crooks. "You don't need a specialist, so you could easily imagine an NGO with some volunteers folding these things up and passing them out. They're easy to produce as well, so the production could be shifted to the clientele as well. They don't need to be made in the developed world."
Source-Eurekalert
Monday, 12 March 2012
Pine Bark Extract Helps Ease Menopause Symptoms
The study conducted at Pescara University examined 70 perimenopausal women, aged 40-50 years.
Perimenopause is the term used to describe the menopause transition years, typically the years before and after the final menstrual period.
Participants were assigned to a placebo or test group. The test group was given 100 mg of Pycnogenol per day (50 mg taken twice daily), over a period of eight weeks.
Participants' menopausal symptoms were evaluated by a scoring system, based on a total of 33 common signs and symptoms, using values ranging from zero (absent) to a maximum of four (very serious). Oxidative stress levels were evaluated by measuring capillary blood plasma free radicals from a drop of capillary blood from the fingertips.
The study found that Pycnogenol substantially improved perimenopausal signs and symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, irregular periods, loss of libido and vaginal dryness after eight weeks of treatment.
It also decreased bloating and improved irregular heart beat and improved digestive problems.
"As evidenced by this study, Pycnogenol may arguably represent a very effective basic, daily dietary supplement for menopausal women due to its extended range of health benefits, including cardiovascular benefits and Pycnogenol's proven ability to lower blood pressure," says Dr. Gianni Belcaro, the lead researcher from Pescara University, Italy.
Results showed that not only did Pycnogenol improve menopausal signs and symptoms, but also decreased elevated levels of oxidative stress, as shown by capillary blood tests.
Pycnogenol's ability to manage heart health is of particular significance as menopausal women live at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease.
This study confirms previous findings that Pycnogenol effectively improves perimenopausal signs and symptoms.
The finding has been published in Panminerva Medica.
Source-ANI
Happiness Increases With Age
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Warwick, backs up previous research showing that happiness levels form a U-curve, reaching their low point at around 45 but then increasing as we age.
For the study, the researchers analysed the lifestyle and health patterns in more than 10,000 people in the U.S. and the UK. They evaluated quality of life using eight different factors including perception of general health, pain, social functioning and mental health.
According to Saverio Stranges, the study leader, happiness may increase with age because we develop "better coping abilities" to deal with hardship than younger people.
"It's obvious that people's physical quality of life deteriorates as they age, but what is interesting is that their mental well-being doesn't also deteriorate - in fact it increases," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
"We suggest that this could be due to better coping abilities, an interpretation supported by previous research showing older people tend to have internal mechanisms to deal better with hardship or negative circumstances than those who are younger.
"It could also be due to a lowering of expectations from life, with older people less likely to put pressure on themselves in the personal and professional spheres," he added.
Source-ANI
Increased honey bee diversity means fewer pathogens, more helpful bacteria, IU biologist finds
Led by IU Bloomington assistant professor Irene L.G. Newton and Wellesley College assistant professor Heather Mattila, and co-authors from Wellesley College and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, the new work describes the communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies. The study, which was conducted at Wellesley College in 2010, is also the first to identify four important microbes in bee colonies that have previously been associated with fermentation in humans and other animals: Succinivibrio (associated with cow rumens), Oenococcus (wine fermentation), Paralactobacillus (food fermentation) and Bifidobacterium (yogurt).
Newton, who joined the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology last year, said the research suggests honey bees may take advantage of these beneficial symbiotic bacteria to convert indigestible material into nutritious food and to enhance protection from pathogens.
The research identified, for the first time, important food-processing genera in honey bee colonies: Succinivibrio and Oenococcus were the dominant genera found in the study, and there was 40 percent greater activity of the probiotic genera Bifidobacterium and Paralactobacillus in colonies that were genetically diverse compared to those that were genetically uniform. Genetic diversity is created in a colony when a queen mates with many male bees, an act that is known to improve colony health and productivity.
"We don't yet know what's causing colony collapse disorder, but colonies that succumb to it suffer from a broad range of problems," Newton said of a phenomenon that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says has taken about 34 percent of the overall U.S. honey bee population each year since 2007. "What we observed in our work was that there was less likelihood of potentially pathogenic bacteria showing up in genetically diverse honey bee colonies compared to genetically uniform colonies."
The team was able to sample and then classify over 70,500 genetic sequences for bacterial genera from 10 genetically uniform colonies and 12 genetically diverse colonies by analyzing a specific molecule found in RNA -- a first for examining honey bees and their symbiotic microbes. Their study is the largest of its kind -- the single-largest analysis of newly identified active microbes ever to be identified in honey bees. In addition, they revealed that those microbes were more diverse in genetically diverse colonies (1,105 unique bacterial species) compared to genetically uniform colonies (781 species)."What we found was that genetically diverse colonies have a more diverse, healthful, active bacterial community -- a greater number and diversity of bacterial sequences affiliated with beneficial genera were found in genetically diverse colonies," Newton said. "Conversely, genetically uniform colonies had a higher activity of potential plant and animal pathogens in their digestive tract -- 127 percent higher than workers from genetically diverse colonies."
Newton's co-author, Heather Mattila, has been investigating the benefits of genetic diversity for honey bees for years and was thrilled to have Newton's microbial expertise incorporated into the project.
"This is an exciting result because it gives us insight into how individual bees and their symbionts can enhance the overall health of a colony when it is genetically diverse," Mattila said.
It is yet unknown how genetic diversity within a colony generates and maintains more diverse and healthful bacteria. A honey bee colony is a eusocial superorganism -- thousands of worker sisters work together to execute all tasks needed by the whole. Honey bees may benefit from the bacterial symbionts that they host by increased resistance to colonization by pathogens or through the production of nutrients by these microbes. Newton and Mattila believe the work has clear implications not only for how colonies are managed worldwide but also for the evolutionary advantages that polyandry (mating with multiple males) holds for eusocial honey bees."We are particularly interested in these results, and think the public will be too, given the alarming honey bee colony losses in recent years due to colony collapse disorder, as well as the role that these pollinators play in the security of our food supply," Newton said. "From what we've found at this point, I guess you could say that when you are living with 40,000 of your closest relatives, it pays to be genetically diverse.
Lifestyle changes for obese patients linked to modest weight loss
A program that helps obese patients improve healthy behaviors is associated with modest weight loss and improved blood pressure control in a high-risk, low-income group, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Duke University, Harvard University and other institutions.
The research is published March 12 in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Obesity treatments are not widely available in the U.S. primary care setting, particularly for low-income patients who seek care at community health centers, according to the study's authors.
"We undertook this study in federally qualified health centers, requiring minimal primary care time, so that we might develop a strategy that could be easily implemented through the broad range of health centers that receive support from the federal government," says epidemiologist Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center. "The great recession added to the strains under which our inner city, low-income participants were living. Despite this, we managed to retain 86 percent of the patients through the entire study."
The two-year study included 365 obese patients receiving treatment for high blood pressure. More than 70 percent were African-American, 68 percent were female, and 33 percent had less than a high school education. The average participant was 54 years old.
The patients were randomly assigned to receive either usual care or to participate in a program that promoted weight loss by setting goals to change behavior, self-monitoring online or with an automated phone system, counseling sessions by telephone and optional group support sessions. The patients were all seen at three community health centers in Boston.
Compared to those receiving usual care, the lifestyle intervention slowed increases in weight and blood pressure in this population of high-risk patients. Although six-month weight losses were modest — a little more than two pounds — the patients did not gain back any weight over the two-year study. The lifestyle intervention was associated with improvements in blood pressure that were clinically significant.
During the study, the average systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) was lower in the intervention group compared with the usual care group but not significantly different. However, increases in systolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the intervention group. And at two years, patients in the intervention group were more likely to have controlled blood pressure than patients in the usual care group.
The researchers note this study's modest results may apply better to real-world health center settings than results from highly controlled trials that show larger effects from treatment.
Because low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials but bear the greatest risk and disease burden of obesity, Colditz and his colleagues call for more work to find the best ways to address their needs.
Source:Eurekalart
The research is published March 12 in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Obesity treatments are not widely available in the U.S. primary care setting, particularly for low-income patients who seek care at community health centers, according to the study's authors.
"We undertook this study in federally qualified health centers, requiring minimal primary care time, so that we might develop a strategy that could be easily implemented through the broad range of health centers that receive support from the federal government," says epidemiologist Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center. "The great recession added to the strains under which our inner city, low-income participants were living. Despite this, we managed to retain 86 percent of the patients through the entire study."
The two-year study included 365 obese patients receiving treatment for high blood pressure. More than 70 percent were African-American, 68 percent were female, and 33 percent had less than a high school education. The average participant was 54 years old.
The patients were randomly assigned to receive either usual care or to participate in a program that promoted weight loss by setting goals to change behavior, self-monitoring online or with an automated phone system, counseling sessions by telephone and optional group support sessions. The patients were all seen at three community health centers in Boston.
Compared to those receiving usual care, the lifestyle intervention slowed increases in weight and blood pressure in this population of high-risk patients. Although six-month weight losses were modest — a little more than two pounds — the patients did not gain back any weight over the two-year study. The lifestyle intervention was associated with improvements in blood pressure that were clinically significant.
During the study, the average systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) was lower in the intervention group compared with the usual care group but not significantly different. However, increases in systolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the intervention group. And at two years, patients in the intervention group were more likely to have controlled blood pressure than patients in the usual care group.
The researchers note this study's modest results may apply better to real-world health center settings than results from highly controlled trials that show larger effects from treatment.
Because low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials but bear the greatest risk and disease burden of obesity, Colditz and his colleagues call for more work to find the best ways to address their needs.
Source:Eurekalart
Study reports steady increases in long-term survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, reflecting impact of treatment advances
A study by the Children's Oncology Group (COG) reported that five-year survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, the most common type of pediatric cancer) among children treated through COG clinical trials increased from 83.7 percent during the period 1990-1994 to 90.4 percent in the period 2000-2005. The improvements in survival were observed among all children over age 1 regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or subtype of ALL. This analysis, which is the largest study to date of ALL survival, showed similar gains in 10-year survival. The findings are published March 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Childhood leukemia was virtually incurable until the early 1960s, but this study shows that we're 90 percent of the way toward our goal of curing all children with this disease," said lead author Stephen Hunger, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital Colorado. "New drugs and new drug combinations have increased survival rates and helped children live longer and better, and we continue to refine these therapies. Nevertheless, we still have important work to do to help the remaining 10 percent of patients who don't survive."
The development of new drugs for ALL ─ such as methotrexate, cytarabine, and 6-mercaptopurine ─ raised the five-year survival rate from less than 10 percent in the 1960s to approximately 77 percent between 1985 and 1994. Individuals treated since then have not necessarily received different drugs, but rather improved combinations and dosing schedules honed over the years through rigorous clinical trials. Advances in supportive care, which can minimize side effects and help treat and/or prevent potentially fatal infections, have also played a vital role in enabling patients to complete their ALL treatments in the optimal time period, leading to better outcomes.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program has previously reported that five-year survival for ALL has increased over the last 10 to 15 years, but unlike the current study of COG data, SEER statistics do not track data on survival for specific subgroups.
In this study, Dr. Hunger and his colleagues analyzed long-term survival among 21,626 individuals who were treated for ALL as children or adolescents (infancy to age 22) in COG clinical trials between 1990 and 2005. Researchers divided this time period into three "eras" (1990-1994, 1995-1999, and 2000-2005) that included similar-sized patient groups to examine changes in five- and 10-year survival over time. The study population represents nearly 56 percent of ALL cases estimated to have occurred among individuals in the United States younger than age 20 between 1990 and 2005.
In addition to the gains in five-year survival, they found that 10-year survival increased from 80.1 percent between 1990-1994 to 83.9 percent in 1995-1999. Survival improved significantly in all of the following subgroups: children ages 1-9 years; 10 years and older; 15 years and older; males and females; whites, blacks, and other races; Hispanics, non-Hispanics, and persons of unknown ethnicity; those with B-precursor ALL and T-cell ALL; and those with standard-risk or high-risk disease.
Among infants (age 1 and younger), however, five-year survival changed little between 1990-1994 (52.1 percent) and 2000-2005 (50.3 percent), while the causes of death changed considerably. Death rates from ALL relapse or progression decreased from 43 percent in 1990-1994 to 27.2 percent in 2000-2005, while the incidence of treatment-related deaths increased from 3.9 percent to 13.9 percent during this period.
Dr. Hunger explained that infants' developing immune systems make them more prone to infections during cancer treatment, compromising their health and ability to complete cancer therapy.
"Different approaches are still needed to treat infants with leukemia," he said. "Clinical trials are starting to look at combining newer, more targeted drugs with conventional chemotherapy, and we're hopeful that this approach will improve outcomes for infants."
Researchers also continue to compare the molecular profiles of children who are cured of ALL with those of the minority whose disease returns, in hopes of creating a "molecular fingerprint" that can be used to identify which patients are at highest risk of cancer recurrence. With this information, therapy could be tailored from the outset to increase the chance of survival. Molecular studies may also help identify new therapeutic targets.
Dr. Hunger emphasized that these data represent the advances that can be achieved against cancer through rigorous clinical trials. "Today, more than half of all children with cancer are treated through clinical trials, compared to less than 5 percent of adults with cancer," he said. "Without a doubt, more and more children and older adolescents with leukemia are cured today because of the patients and parents who were willing to participate in clinical research."
Source:Eurekalert
"Childhood leukemia was virtually incurable until the early 1960s, but this study shows that we're 90 percent of the way toward our goal of curing all children with this disease," said lead author Stephen Hunger, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital Colorado. "New drugs and new drug combinations have increased survival rates and helped children live longer and better, and we continue to refine these therapies. Nevertheless, we still have important work to do to help the remaining 10 percent of patients who don't survive."
The development of new drugs for ALL ─ such as methotrexate, cytarabine, and 6-mercaptopurine ─ raised the five-year survival rate from less than 10 percent in the 1960s to approximately 77 percent between 1985 and 1994. Individuals treated since then have not necessarily received different drugs, but rather improved combinations and dosing schedules honed over the years through rigorous clinical trials. Advances in supportive care, which can minimize side effects and help treat and/or prevent potentially fatal infections, have also played a vital role in enabling patients to complete their ALL treatments in the optimal time period, leading to better outcomes.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program has previously reported that five-year survival for ALL has increased over the last 10 to 15 years, but unlike the current study of COG data, SEER statistics do not track data on survival for specific subgroups.
In this study, Dr. Hunger and his colleagues analyzed long-term survival among 21,626 individuals who were treated for ALL as children or adolescents (infancy to age 22) in COG clinical trials between 1990 and 2005. Researchers divided this time period into three "eras" (1990-1994, 1995-1999, and 2000-2005) that included similar-sized patient groups to examine changes in five- and 10-year survival over time. The study population represents nearly 56 percent of ALL cases estimated to have occurred among individuals in the United States younger than age 20 between 1990 and 2005.
In addition to the gains in five-year survival, they found that 10-year survival increased from 80.1 percent between 1990-1994 to 83.9 percent in 1995-1999. Survival improved significantly in all of the following subgroups: children ages 1-9 years; 10 years and older; 15 years and older; males and females; whites, blacks, and other races; Hispanics, non-Hispanics, and persons of unknown ethnicity; those with B-precursor ALL and T-cell ALL; and those with standard-risk or high-risk disease.
Among infants (age 1 and younger), however, five-year survival changed little between 1990-1994 (52.1 percent) and 2000-2005 (50.3 percent), while the causes of death changed considerably. Death rates from ALL relapse or progression decreased from 43 percent in 1990-1994 to 27.2 percent in 2000-2005, while the incidence of treatment-related deaths increased from 3.9 percent to 13.9 percent during this period.
Dr. Hunger explained that infants' developing immune systems make them more prone to infections during cancer treatment, compromising their health and ability to complete cancer therapy.
"Different approaches are still needed to treat infants with leukemia," he said. "Clinical trials are starting to look at combining newer, more targeted drugs with conventional chemotherapy, and we're hopeful that this approach will improve outcomes for infants."
Researchers also continue to compare the molecular profiles of children who are cured of ALL with those of the minority whose disease returns, in hopes of creating a "molecular fingerprint" that can be used to identify which patients are at highest risk of cancer recurrence. With this information, therapy could be tailored from the outset to increase the chance of survival. Molecular studies may also help identify new therapeutic targets.
Dr. Hunger emphasized that these data represent the advances that can be achieved against cancer through rigorous clinical trials. "Today, more than half of all children with cancer are treated through clinical trials, compared to less than 5 percent of adults with cancer," he said. "Without a doubt, more and more children and older adolescents with leukemia are cured today because of the patients and parents who were willing to participate in clinical research."
Source:Eurekalert
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Trial against Big Tobacco starts in Montreal Monday
A groundbreaking trial gets underway in Montreal Monday against three leading tobacco companies which face a $25 billion lawsuit for allegedly failing to adequately warn smokers of the dangers of cigarettes.
Plaintiffs have filed two separate class actions in what is Canada's biggest-ever civilian lawsuit, against Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans Benson & Hedges in the Superior Court of Quebec.
The first class includes 90,000 current and former smokers in Quebec who say they have fallen ill with a range of smoking-related ailments including emphysema and cancer of the throat and larynx, and are seeking $105,000 Canadian per person.
The second suit was filed by 1.8 million current smokers who say they are unable to quit the tobacco habit, and are seeking $10,000 per person.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse the Canadian tobacco companies of hiding research which has established a link between smoking and serious health problems like cancer.
The suit also alleges that tobacco firms in Canada have tried to manipulate the levels of nicotine in their cigarettes, increasing the levels of dangerous tar and have also added certain products such as ammonia.
Mario Bujold, director general of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health said told AFP that one of the witnesses will be Robert Proctor, author of "Golden Holocaust," a book about alleged nefarious practices by the US tobacco industry.
Quebec is only one of several Canadian provinces seeking monetary damages from the tobacco manufacturers.
Several provinces, led by British Columbia, are also suing Canada's tobacco companies in hopes of recovering billions of dollars spent by their health insurers to treat the victims of tobacco use.
Source:AP
Plaintiffs have filed two separate class actions in what is Canada's biggest-ever civilian lawsuit, against Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans Benson & Hedges in the Superior Court of Quebec.
The first class includes 90,000 current and former smokers in Quebec who say they have fallen ill with a range of smoking-related ailments including emphysema and cancer of the throat and larynx, and are seeking $105,000 Canadian per person.
The second suit was filed by 1.8 million current smokers who say they are unable to quit the tobacco habit, and are seeking $10,000 per person.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse the Canadian tobacco companies of hiding research which has established a link between smoking and serious health problems like cancer.
The suit also alleges that tobacco firms in Canada have tried to manipulate the levels of nicotine in their cigarettes, increasing the levels of dangerous tar and have also added certain products such as ammonia.
Mario Bujold, director general of the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health said told AFP that one of the witnesses will be Robert Proctor, author of "Golden Holocaust," a book about alleged nefarious practices by the US tobacco industry.
Quebec is only one of several Canadian provinces seeking monetary damages from the tobacco manufacturers.
Several provinces, led by British Columbia, are also suing Canada's tobacco companies in hopes of recovering billions of dollars spent by their health insurers to treat the victims of tobacco use.
Source:AP
'The Science of Yoga': how yoga works
People have practiced yoga over centuries and across continents; it's considered a religion, a search for transcendence, a way to get in shape, even a cult complete with gurus.
In "The Science of Yoga" science writer William Broad turns his attention to dissecting what about yoga can be confirmed, nailed down and interpreted in a way our Western minds can quantify. Broad has taken yoga since his freshman year in college, and proclaims in the prologue, "Yoga can kill and maim — or save your life and make you feel like a god. That's quite a range. In comparison, it makes other sports and exercises seem like child's play."
An impressive chronology of yoga launches the book, from Indus Valley clay seals portraying figures in yogic postures, c. 2500 BCE, through current studies concluding that yoga lessens spinal deterioration and equals or surpasses exercise in reducing stress, improving balance and diminishing fatigue. I had no idea that such diverse characters as Jung, Thoreau and Gandhi were intrigued by yoga.
So why didn't The New York Times magazine excerpt the chapter from Broad's book on yoga's healing properties? Or his chapter on creativity, detailing how musicians, actors and artists have relied on yoga as muse?
Instead the newspaper featured the book's most sensationalistic chapter in a piece called "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body." Unfortunately this is also the most dated chapter, citing outmoded teaching methods and an injury that happened in 1973. Its inflammatory language about brain injuries, blinding pain and popped ribs inflamed the yoga world — the blogosphere is still spluttering in self-defense.
But don't judge the book by this article. Broad sums it up himself with a quote about how any practice, when it stems from ego and obsession, can cause problems. And he concludes "The discipline on balance does more good than harm."
Which seems an understatement of his own research. Broad spent time with Manhattan physician Loren Fishman, who before he went on to get his medical degree, studied with Iyengar, the master of yoga alignment. Fishman tells how he healed his torn rotator cuff with yoga while waiting for surgery on it. He says yoga is effective in treating osteoporosis, arthritis and can even prevent bunions. "Without yoga," said Fishman, "I'd lack the most interesting, least expensive and most helpful and versatile form of treatment that I have." When Broad asked him how often he prescribed yoga for his patients, Fishman replied "Twice this morning."
Yoga is nothing if not experiential; it's an inside-out proposition. Broad's exploration of yoga's benefits, hype and hedonism lend a 21st century context to this most ancient of human pursuits. But if you want to understand the joys and depths of yoga, I suggest you put down the book and roll out the mat.
By: Valerie Easton
Source:Seattle Times
In "The Science of Yoga" science writer William Broad turns his attention to dissecting what about yoga can be confirmed, nailed down and interpreted in a way our Western minds can quantify. Broad has taken yoga since his freshman year in college, and proclaims in the prologue, "Yoga can kill and maim — or save your life and make you feel like a god. That's quite a range. In comparison, it makes other sports and exercises seem like child's play."
An impressive chronology of yoga launches the book, from Indus Valley clay seals portraying figures in yogic postures, c. 2500 BCE, through current studies concluding that yoga lessens spinal deterioration and equals or surpasses exercise in reducing stress, improving balance and diminishing fatigue. I had no idea that such diverse characters as Jung, Thoreau and Gandhi were intrigued by yoga.
So why didn't The New York Times magazine excerpt the chapter from Broad's book on yoga's healing properties? Or his chapter on creativity, detailing how musicians, actors and artists have relied on yoga as muse?
Instead the newspaper featured the book's most sensationalistic chapter in a piece called "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body." Unfortunately this is also the most dated chapter, citing outmoded teaching methods and an injury that happened in 1973. Its inflammatory language about brain injuries, blinding pain and popped ribs inflamed the yoga world — the blogosphere is still spluttering in self-defense.
But don't judge the book by this article. Broad sums it up himself with a quote about how any practice, when it stems from ego and obsession, can cause problems. And he concludes "The discipline on balance does more good than harm."
Which seems an understatement of his own research. Broad spent time with Manhattan physician Loren Fishman, who before he went on to get his medical degree, studied with Iyengar, the master of yoga alignment. Fishman tells how he healed his torn rotator cuff with yoga while waiting for surgery on it. He says yoga is effective in treating osteoporosis, arthritis and can even prevent bunions. "Without yoga," said Fishman, "I'd lack the most interesting, least expensive and most helpful and versatile form of treatment that I have." When Broad asked him how often he prescribed yoga for his patients, Fishman replied "Twice this morning."
Yoga is nothing if not experiential; it's an inside-out proposition. Broad's exploration of yoga's benefits, hype and hedonism lend a 21st century context to this most ancient of human pursuits. But if you want to understand the joys and depths of yoga, I suggest you put down the book and roll out the mat.
By: Valerie Easton
Source:Seattle Times
Study Reveals How Fruit and Veggies Could Make You More Attractive
Scientists at St Andrews University monitored the food consumption of 35 people and clicked their pictures over this period.
Eating an average of 2.9 more portions of fruit and vegetables a day made them look healthier when rated by others at the end of the study, while an extra 3.3 portions enhanced their attractiveness, the Daily Mail reported.
Fruit and vegetables are rich in carotenoids, which guard against cell damage from pollution and UV rays and can prevent age-related disorders like heart disease and cancer.
It was previously known that eating extreme amounts of certain vegetables such as carrots could turn skin orange. However, it was not known that a small increase in these red and yellow pigments in the skin could be perceptible to others - or that it was seen as appealing.
A camera that can gauge close-up changes to the skin's redness, yellowness and lightness found that these considerably increased in people who increased their intake of fruit and vegetables.
Using light sensors, the researchers revealed that these red and yellow hues were linked with the levels of carotenoids in the skin.
There are hundreds of different types of carotenoids.
But those thought to have the most dramatic effect on the skin are lycopene - which gives tomatoes and red peppers their red colour - and beta-carotene, found in carrots as well as broccoli, squash, and spinach.
Skin colour can also be affected by chemicals called polyphenols, found in apples, blueberries and cherries, which cause blood rush to the skin surface.
"We expected the colour change to be most dramatic in people who ate very few fruit and vegetables to start off with, but it was actually across the board," said Ross Whitehead, who lead the study.
"A lot of the people were already eating close to the recommended amount.
"But we found even a couple of extra portions could still make a difference to their skin colour," Whitehead added.
He said the team, who studied white and Asian volunteers, would look at whether this was valid for other races too, and whether it had a smaller or greater effect in older people, as the volunteers were all aged 18 to 25.
The study has been published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Source-ANI
Achilles Heel of Clot-buster Discovered
Plasmin is released into the blood in an inactive form called plasminogen. Circulating plasminogen is curled up in a "closed," activation-resistant form. In order for plasminogen to be converted to plasmin, it must first undergo a dramatic change in shape and "open" itself up. "We know that activation of plasminogen is tightly regulated," explains senior study author, Prof. James Whisstock, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. "However, without knowing the atomic details of the closed form of plasminogen, it is impossible to understand what causes it to change shape and how it is converted to plasmin by plasminogen activators."
Researchers from Monash University and the Australian Synchrotron have now solved the long-sought-after atomic structure of closed plasminogen. "We were very surprised to find that a simple sugar tethered to plasminogen guards access to the site of activation," says Dr. Tom Caradoc-Davies, from the Australian Synchrotron. Most remarkably, however, the researchers also found that plasminogen plays a kind of peek-a-boo with the blood clot. "We found one part of plasminogen seems to be very unstable and transiently opens up a tiny bit. Proteins in the blood clot bind to this 'Achilles' heel' when it is exposed, trapping plasminogen in the open form that can be activated," says lead author, Dr. Ruby Law, from Monash University.
"We use plasminogen-activating drugs to treat stroke and other life-threatening disorders associated with blood clots. However, until now, the molecular details for these therapeutic effects have never been understood," concludes co-senior author, Paul Coughlin, a clinical hematologist from the Australian Centre for Blood diseases. "Now, with the structure of plasminogen and an enhanced understanding of how it is converted to plasmin, we finally have a platform to develop new and more effective clot-busting therapeutics."
Source-Eurekalert
Protein discovery could switch off cardiovascular disease
Scientists discover protein and move a step closer to preventing cardiovascular disease
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Surrey have found a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease.
The findings, published online in the journal Cardiovascular Research, have revealed the protein protein pregnane X receptor (PXR) can switch on different protective pathways in the blood vessels.
Co-author Dr David Bishop-Bailey, based at Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, said they found the protein was able to sense a wide variety of drugs, foreign chemicals and food products in the blood and switch on specific pathways to deal with them.
"We've known for a long time that this protein has an important role sorting out waste products in the liver - now we believe it could have an important role in protecting the body against cardiovascular disease," he said.
Dr Karen Swales, based at the University of Surrey, said: "Heart and circulatory disease is the UK's biggest killer. Discovering that the protein pregnane X receptor (PXR) could protect blood vessels has major implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease."
"We knew if PXR played similar protective roles in blood vessels to those in the liver, it could protect the vessels from damage caused by harmful substances in the blood."
The researchers used human tissue and blood vessel cells in culture and found PXR was present and active.
Dr Bishop-Bailey added: "We introduced specific PXR activating drugs and saw a co-ordinated increase in metabolising and anti-oxidant enzyme pathways.
"Since blood travels everywhere in the body, PXR has the potential to provide protection not just through its actions in the liver, but anywhere in the entire body. If we can work out how to manipulate PXR to turn on detoxification and antioxidant pathways in blood vessels, we may be a step closer to preventing our nation's biggest killer."
Source:Eurekalert
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Surrey have found a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease.
The findings, published online in the journal Cardiovascular Research, have revealed the protein protein pregnane X receptor (PXR) can switch on different protective pathways in the blood vessels.
Co-author Dr David Bishop-Bailey, based at Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, said they found the protein was able to sense a wide variety of drugs, foreign chemicals and food products in the blood and switch on specific pathways to deal with them.
"We've known for a long time that this protein has an important role sorting out waste products in the liver - now we believe it could have an important role in protecting the body against cardiovascular disease," he said.
Dr Karen Swales, based at the University of Surrey, said: "Heart and circulatory disease is the UK's biggest killer. Discovering that the protein pregnane X receptor (PXR) could protect blood vessels has major implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease."
"We knew if PXR played similar protective roles in blood vessels to those in the liver, it could protect the vessels from damage caused by harmful substances in the blood."
The researchers used human tissue and blood vessel cells in culture and found PXR was present and active.
Dr Bishop-Bailey added: "We introduced specific PXR activating drugs and saw a co-ordinated increase in metabolising and anti-oxidant enzyme pathways.
"Since blood travels everywhere in the body, PXR has the potential to provide protection not just through its actions in the liver, but anywhere in the entire body. If we can work out how to manipulate PXR to turn on detoxification and antioxidant pathways in blood vessels, we may be a step closer to preventing our nation's biggest killer."
Source:Eurekalert
A new approach to treating type I diabetes? Gut cells transformed into insulin factories
A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patient's intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.
The research—conducted in mice—was published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.
A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.
The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Accili's lab.
The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.
Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisions—Foxo1—the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.
"Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients," Dr. Accili says.
"Nobody would have predicted this result," Dr. Accili adds. "Many things could have happened after we knocked out Foxo1. In the pancreas, when we knock out Foxo1, nothing happens. So why does something happen in the gut? Why don't we get a cell that produces some other hormone? We don't yet know."
Insulin-producing cells in the gut would be hazardous if they did not release insulin in response to blood glucose levels. But the researchers say that the new intestinal cells have glucose-sensing receptors and do exactly that.
The insulin made by the gut cells also was released into the bloodstream, worked as well as normal insulin, and was made in sufficient quantity to nearly normalize blood glucose levels in otherwise diabetic mice.
"All these findings make us think that coaxing a patient's gut to make insulin-producing cells would be a better way to treat diabetes than therapies based on embryonic or iPS stem cells," Dr. Accili says. The location of the cells in the gut may also prevent the diabetes from destroying the new insulin-producing cells, since the gastrointestinal tract is partly protected from attack by the immune system.
The key to turning the finding into a viable therapy, Dr. Accili says, will be to find a drug that has the same effect on the gastrointestinal progenitor cells in people as knocking out the Foxo1 gene does in mice. That should be possible, he says, since the researchers found that they could also create insulin-producing cells from progenitor cells by inhibiting Foxo1 with a chemical.
"It's important to realize that a new treatment for type I diabetes needs to be just as safe as, and more effective than, insulin," Dr. Accili says. "We can't test treatments that are risky just to remove the burden of daily injections. Insulin is not simple or perfect, but it works and it is safe."
Source:Eurekalert
The research—conducted in mice—was published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.
A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.
The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Accili's lab.
The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.
Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisions—Foxo1—the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.
"Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients," Dr. Accili says.
"Nobody would have predicted this result," Dr. Accili adds. "Many things could have happened after we knocked out Foxo1. In the pancreas, when we knock out Foxo1, nothing happens. So why does something happen in the gut? Why don't we get a cell that produces some other hormone? We don't yet know."
Insulin-producing cells in the gut would be hazardous if they did not release insulin in response to blood glucose levels. But the researchers say that the new intestinal cells have glucose-sensing receptors and do exactly that.
The insulin made by the gut cells also was released into the bloodstream, worked as well as normal insulin, and was made in sufficient quantity to nearly normalize blood glucose levels in otherwise diabetic mice.
"All these findings make us think that coaxing a patient's gut to make insulin-producing cells would be a better way to treat diabetes than therapies based on embryonic or iPS stem cells," Dr. Accili says. The location of the cells in the gut may also prevent the diabetes from destroying the new insulin-producing cells, since the gastrointestinal tract is partly protected from attack by the immune system.
The key to turning the finding into a viable therapy, Dr. Accili says, will be to find a drug that has the same effect on the gastrointestinal progenitor cells in people as knocking out the Foxo1 gene does in mice. That should be possible, he says, since the researchers found that they could also create insulin-producing cells from progenitor cells by inhibiting Foxo1 with a chemical.
"It's important to realize that a new treatment for type I diabetes needs to be just as safe as, and more effective than, insulin," Dr. Accili says. "We can't test treatments that are risky just to remove the burden of daily injections. Insulin is not simple or perfect, but it works and it is safe."
Source:Eurekalert
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Facebook Badge
PAGE COUNTER
