Dr. House
Dr. House
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Obesity Will Surpass Smoking As Leading Cause Of Cancer In Women,
reports an analysis from the charity Cancer Research UK suggests obesity will “overtake smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer in UK women by 2043.” Currently, 12 percent of cancers in women are tied to smoking while seven percent are linked to being overweight and obese. By 2035, the analysis found, “10% of cancers in women (around 25,000 cases) could be related to smoking and 9% (around 23,000 cases) to carrying excess weight.” https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45601052
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Drug May Reduce Rate Of Cardiovascular Events In People With Heart Disease Or Type 2 Diabetes,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/well/fish-oil-heart-attack-stroke-triglycerides-omega-3s.html
reports in “Well” that early results of a large clinical trial suggest a drug called Vascepa, which is made up of “large doses of EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid contained in fish oil,” can sharply reduce “the rate of cardiovascular events in people with a history of heart disease or Type 2 diabetes” and high triglycerides. While previous clinical trials looking “at fish oil in heart patients had not found convincing evidence that it helps,” some experts “argued that the trials were deeply flawed, saying they relied on doses that were too small or that they failed to recruit the patients who were most likely to benefit, like those with high triglycerides.” Along with “lowering cardiovascular events, the [latest] trial found that Vascepa was safe and well tolerated
Friday, September 21, 2018
Drug Addict-like Withdrawal From Quitting Junk Food
Previous studies have focused on sugar withdrawal among animals and the literature regarding humans offered only anecdotal evidence, said Erica Schulte, the study’s lead author and U-M psychology doctoral candidate.
What all researchers can agree upon is that the addictive qualities of tobacco, drugs or alcohol affect the brain similarly and cutting back can lead to negative side effects that can make it difficult to reduce intake. Anxiety, headaches, irritability and depression are some of those outcomes.
Understanding whether withdrawal may also occur with highly processed foods was an essential next step in evaluating whether these foods might be capable of triggering similar addictive processes. The participants reported that sadness, irritability, tiredness and cravings peaked during the initial two to five days after they quit eating junk food, then the negative side effects tapered off, which parallels the time course of drug withdrawal symptoms, the study found.
The study implications suggest that withdrawal symptoms may make dietary changes challenging, which may contribute to people reverting back to bad eating habits, said Ashley Gearhardt, associate professor of psychology and co-author, along with U-M graduates Julia Smeal and Jessi Lewis. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/drug-addict-like-withdrawal-from-quitting-junk-food-309788?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66102225&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8aHQ2DbpQRYoN-9GrWhY49sVl1RJvRW6XRGdhki52ro1UJLJUoCDgjAIUbr5Jrp0xCa9jN_SqsVp-K-XJ73IqeLUb91g&_hsmi=66102225
Nonmenopausal Women Taking Oral Contraceptives May Exhibit Biomarkers For Drug-Induced Torsade De Pointes,
“Nonmenopausal women taking oral contraceptives exhibited biomarkers for drug-induced torsade de pointes, such as increased corrected QT prolongation, according to” the findings of a 498-participant published in JAMA Cardiology. https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/androgen-and-reproductive-disorders/qtc-prolongation-changes-ventricular-tachycardia-oral-contraceptive-use/article/801225/
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Mouth Bacteria Could Indicate Whether Toddlers Will Become Obese
reports researchers “believe the bacteria that live in a toddler’s mouth could provide clues as to whether they will become obese.” After collecting “the gut and oral microbiota of 226 two-year-old children by swabbing their mouths and taking stool samples,” investigators found that “children with rapid infant weight gain – a growth pattern which is a key indicator of whether a baby will become obese – were found to have a less diverse range of microbes in their mouths.” In addition, they “had a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria in their oral microbiota than the others.” The findings were published online in Scientific Reports. https://www.newsweek.com/your-childs-mouth-could-reveal-their-obesity-risk-1127850
Children Conceived Through Certain Fertility Treatments May Be At Higher Risk For Cardiovascular Disease
“Shots” blog reports, “According to research published...in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, children conceived through certain infertility treatments may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after “following the health of children conceived through assisted reproductive technology for more than a decade.” The research contributes “to a small but growing body of research suggesting that children conceived this way may have an elevated risk of hypertension and its health complications.” https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/19/648923906/do-ivf-and-other-infertility-tech-lead-to-health-risks-for-the-baby-maybe
Scientists say they don't yet know why that would be true, but they hypothesize that epigenetics — the interplay of environment and genes — plays a role. Something about the manipulation of the eggs and sperm in the lab might affect which genes are turned on or off as embryos develop.
Almost One-Third Of Men Have Testosterone Levels That Are Low For Their Age,
reports a study published in Scientific Reports “found that 30.8 percent of men...had testosterone levels that were low for their age.” Data show “22.6 percent of men between 20 and 39 had low testosterone levels.” The researchers also found that “low T levels seemed to put men at risk for nine different chronic conditions.”
Expert Says Some Lifestyle Changes Could Improve Testosterone Levels In Men. Contributor Ian Kerner, a licensed couples therapist, writes in CNN (9/19) that he has witnessed “an increasing number of younger guys” who “are complaining of sexual concerns, such as diminished libido and erectile problems.” Kerner says certain lifestyle habits could help improve testosterone levels without using testosterone replacement therapy, which “can have worrisome side effects.” https://www.inverse.com/article/49125-low-testosterone-effects-young-men
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Excessive Or Too Little Maternal Weight Gain During Pregnancy May Be Bad For Children’s Heart Health
Gaining either too much or too little weight during pregnancy may be bad for your child’s heart health,” researchers concluded after studying “905 mother-child pairs, dividing the mothers into groups that either matched or exceeded the recommended weight gain – 25 to 35 pounds for women with a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9; 28 to 40 pounds for those with a B.M.I. under 18.5; and 15 to 25 pounds for a woman with a B.M.I. above 25,” then evaluating “their children’s heart health at age” seven. The findings were published online in Diabetologia. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/well/family/excess-weight-gain-or-loss-during-pregnancy-tied-to-childs-heart-health.html
Red Light Over Sugar in Many Yogurts
Their study, published today in BMJ Open, found that across all categories of yogurt products – with the exception of natural, Greek and ‘Greek-style’ yogurts – the average sugar levels were well above the five grams of sugar per 100 grams threshold required to be classed ‘low sugar’ and carry a green ‘traffic light’ nutritional label in the UK.
Apart from products in the dessert category, organic yogurts were found to have the highest average sugar content – roughly 13.1 grams per 100 grams. A standard sugar cube weighs roughly four grams – equivalent to a level teaspoon of granulated sugar. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/red-light-over-sugar-in-many-yogurts-309676?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66034258&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8V6pMnWQWYeciSOJH3YSRw4MTaOxjw4qUC_daiDxClCspEw8OJ48v7SJYrjnj4CXMd-EB6N2HsvouZtSQPG-eV7CCEXA&_hsmi=66034258
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Women With High Estrogen And Low Progesterone May Smell More Attractive To Men
reports researchers found that “women with high estrogen and low progesterone levels are most attractive to men in an olfactory sense.” The findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://consumer.healthday.com/pregnancy-information-29/love-sex-and-relationship-health-news-452/scent-of-a-woman-fertile-females-smell-better-to-men-737658.html
Commonly Used Household Disinfectants May Be Making Kids Overweight By Altering Their Gut Bacteria,
“Multi-surface cleaners and other commonly used household disinfectants could be making children overweight by altering the bacteria found in their guts,” researchers concluded in findings published online in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Babies “living in households where antimicrobial disinfectants are used at least weekly were twice as likely to have higher levels of the bacteria Lachnospiraceae at ages three to four months than children whose homes did not frequently use disinfectants, the” study revealed, When those youngster “with higher levels of Lachnospiraceae were 3 years old, their body mass index (BMI) was higher than children who do not live in homes that frequently use disinfectants, the study also showed.”
Fox News (9/17, Hein) reports that in arriving at the study’s conclusions, investigators examined “the gut microbiota of 757 babies.” Despite the study’s findings, the study authors “cautioned that outside factors that potentially contribute to weight gain couldn’t be ruled out in the study, including a mother’s diet while pregnant.”
Also covering the story are the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (9/17, Pirani), U.S. News & World Report (9/17, Lardieri), Newsweek (9/17, Gander), HealthDay (9/17, Thompson), and Medical Daily (9/17, Bharanidharan).
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/17/health/disinfectants-baby-gut-microbiota-bmi-study/index.html
Monday, September 17, 2018
Quick Test for Viral Infections Reduces Antibiotic Use
The whole process from obtaining a sample from the patient’s nose to getting a result should take under 50 minutes, which has a potentially enormous impact on quality of care, improving the patient journey by allowing earlier, informed decision-making about patient management,” said Dr Roy. “This is the same test and technology as used in our microbiology laboratory, but we have brought the equipment to the patient’s bedside. Results from samples sent to the microbiology lab can take more than two days.”
Dr Roy presented data from the first 1075 patients between 15 January and 1 May 2018 to the congress. Of these, 61% showed the patients had one or more viruses, of which 56% were influenza and 54% were other viruses, such as rhinovirus, coronavirus, metapneumovirus and adenovirus, which can cause just as many respiratory and other problems as ‘flu or a bacterial infection, particularly in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/quick-test-for-viral-infections-reduces-antibiotic-use-309580?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65965268&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1TpNt2yD7pQ8DE-t7v7bVQBDulWISLitqzP0hZBgFABgTiq0pOEj4yDzSRCFoBbepaRHJAU-LmiyoUKFG9nUiSZSi3w&_hsmi=65965268
Fatty Liver Disease Affects Cells' Energy Factories
The insult to ATP producing proteins damaged the mitochondria. In an apparent effort to get rid of dysfunctional mitochondria, cells from fatty livers showed more evidence of digesting their mitochondria, but did not increase production of new ones. As a result, the authors observed mitochondrial and ATP shortages in the cells of mice with fatty liver.
The authors proposed that because the overloaded liver cells used fatty acids instead of glucose to make energy, they may have created more reactive oxygen byproducts, which damaged proteins.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/fatty-liver-disease-affects-cells-energy-factories-309574?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65965268&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1TpNt2yD7pQ8DE-t7v7bVQBDulWISLitqzP0hZBgFABgTiq0pOEj4yDzSRCFoBbepaRHJAU-LmiyoUKFG9nUiSZSi3w&_hsmi=65965268
Mixtures Of Chemicals In Beauty Products May Harm Reproductive Hormones
reported, “Mixtures of chemicals found in beauty products, often aimed at female consumers, could harm their reproductive hormones,” researchers concluded after examining “the impact of exposure across the menstrual cycle.” The study revealed that “certain chemical and UV filters were associated with decreased reproductive hormones in multi-chemical exposures while others were associated with increases in other reproductive hormones.” The findings of the 143-woman study were published online in the journal Environment International. https://www.medicaldaily.com/womens-reproductive-hormones-could-be-harmed-beauty-products-mixed-chemicals-427472
Asthma May Increase Risk Of Obesity,
reported researchers “found that people with asthma are at greater risk for obesity, particularly those who develop the condition as adults and those diagnosed with asthma without allergies.” The findings are scheduled to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. https://consumer.healthday.com/respiratory-and-allergy-information-2/asthma-news-47/asthma-obesity-link-may-cut-both-ways-737706.html
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Supplements May Contain Dangerous Amounts Of Banned Stimulant Higenamine.
reports a new study in the journal Clinical Toxicology found weight-loss and energy supplements sold in the US “may contain potentially harmful and inaccurately labeled levels of the banned stimulant higenamine.” The stimulant is “on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of substances prohibited in sports, though it is legal for use in supplements in the United States, Canada and Europe.” In the study, researchers analyzed 24 products labeled as containing a version of the stimulant and “found unpredictable and potentially harmful amounts...that varied from trace levels to 62 milligrams a serving.” https://mail.google.com/_/scs/mail-static/_/js/k=gmail.main.en.CjTH3K6uFRk.O/am=FngdMA4Qrw8gfAGMzQhgOCCANANh838EWRTgbQDCGP___wMYDgB6AADfgP8f0OMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgQgFf/rt=h/d=1/im=1/rs=AHGWq9ASiatPDyE4Oba93jC_usWVVCWdiQ/m=pds,pdl,pdit,m_i,pdt,t,it
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Molecule Tricks Muscles into Using More Energy
This study shows a direct relationship between sarcolipin and energy metabolism,” says Muthu Periasamy, Ph.D., senior author of the paper and professor at SBP Lake Nona. “This mechanism is intrinsic to muscle and generates heat at the expense of fat burning.”
Two factors increase energy expenditure in muscle—exercise and cold. When either happens, muscle cells intensify calcium cycling and recruit SERCA to move calcium ions into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, a structure within muscle cells that balances calcium levels. This process uses a lot of (ATP) energy because SERCA relies on ATP to move calcium. When sarcolipin binds to SERCA, it uncouples SERCA activity. As a result, it allows ATP consumption but not efficient calcium transport, which causes more energy consumption. The net result is more heat and fat burning.
“When you exercise, your muscle makes more mitochondria and oxidizes more fat,” says Periasamy. “Sarcolipin is the missing link. It’s recruited during exercise or cold exposure and alters calcium cycling to increase mitochondria biogenesis and fat burning.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/molecule-tricks-muscles-into-using-more-energy-309425?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65858443&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jqOwssMElhLJJKvP_dYLOH7r3rX_EYUkb08xnQfp4KSaGcOG_29yyzKGrbkPsxWMjlecFpKky7yK91UbB_vVpg8dHtw&_hsmi=65858443
The Marathon Gene
Ultimately, a graduate student named Jon Okerblom took up the task, building mouse running wheels and borrowing a mouse treadmill. “We evaluated the exercise capacity (of mice lacking the CMAH gene), and noted an increased performance during treadmill testing and after 15 days of voluntary wheel running,” said Okerblom, the study’s first author. The researchers then consulted Ellen Breen, PhD, a research scientist in the division of physiology, part of the Department of Medicine in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who added observations that the mice displayed greater resistance to fatigue, increased mitochondrial respiration and hind-limb muscle, with more capillaries to increase blood and oxygen supply.
Taken together, Varki said the data suggest CMAH loss contributed to improved skeletal muscle capacity for oxygen utilization. “And if the findings translate to humans, they may have provided early hominids with a selective advantage in their move from trees to becoming permanent hunter-gatherers on the open range.”
When the CMAH gene mutated in the genus Homo two to three million years ago, perhaps in response to evolutionary pressures caused by an ancient pathogen, it altered how subsequent hominids and modern humans used sialic acids — a family of sugar molecules that coat the surfaces of all animal cells, where they serve as vital contact points for interaction with other cells and with the surrounding environment.
The human mutation causes loss of a sialic acid called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and accumulation of its precursor, called N-acetylneuraminic acid or Neu5Ac, which differs by only a single oxygen atom.
This seemingly minor difference affects almost every cell type in the human body — and has proved to be a mixed blessing. Varki and others have linked the loss of the CMAH gene and sialic acids to not just improved long-distance running ability, but also enhanced innate immunity in early hominids. Sialic acids may also be a biomarker for cancer risk.
Conversely, they have also reported that certain sialic acids are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes; may contribute to elevated cancer risk associated with red meat consumption; and trigger inflammation.
“They are a double-edged sword,” said Varki. “The consequence of a single lost gene and a small molecular change that appears to have profoundly altered human biology and abilities going back to our origins.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/researchers-claim-discovery-of-a-long-distance-running-gene-309435?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65858443&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jqOwssMElhLJJKvP_dYLOH7r3rX_EYUkb08xnQfp4KSaGcOG_29yyzKGrbkPsxWMjlecFpKky7yK91UbB_vVpg8dHtw&_hsmi=65858443
Obesity Appears To Harm Ability Of Rats To Remember And Learn Things
reports researchers working with rats “found that obesity can harm the ability to remember and learn things.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Neuroscience. https://www.newsweek.com/obesity-affects-learning-memory-research-1114913
GLP-1-Associated Nausea May Be Linked To Acid Reflux Medicines,
“Use of proton pump inhibitors and histamine-2 receptor antagonists to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease or to counter gastric effects of NSAIDs is a risk factor for nausea and vomiting in adults with type 2 diabetes prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists,” researchers concluded. In addition, investigators “identified female sex and presence of diabetic retinopathy as risk factors for gastrointestinal adverse events in these patients whether or not they used medications that affect the gastrointestinal tract.” The findings of the 130-adult study were published online in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/in-the-journals/%7Bfe541e12-c231-4117-929f-2fd05d97cad7%7D/glp-1-related-nausea-associated-with-acid-reflux-medications
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Brain's Immune Cells to Blame for Obesity-associated Cognitive Decline
Obesity leads to cognitive impairment by activating microglial cells, which consume otherwise functional synapses in the hippocampus, according to a study of male mice published in JNeurosci. The research suggests that microglia may be a potential therapeutic target for one of the lesser known effects of this global health epidemic on the brain. Credit: Cope at al., JNeurosci (2018)
Nearly two billion adults worldwide are overweight, more than 600 million of whom are obese. In addition to increasing risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, obesity is also a known risk factor for cognitive disorders including Alzheimer's disease. The cellular mechanisms that contribute to cognitive decline in obesity, however, are not well understood.
Elise Cope and colleagues replicated previous research by demonstrating diet-induced obesity in mice impairs performance on cognitive tasks dependent on the hippocampus and results in loss of dendritic spines -- the neuronal protrusions that receive signals from other cells -- and activates microglia. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches to block microglial activity, the researchers established microglia are causally linked to obesity-induced dendritic spine loss and cognitive decline. The results suggest obesity may drive microglia into a synapse-eating frenzy that contributes to the cognitive deficits observed in this condition. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/brains-immune-cells-to-blame-for-obesity-associated-cognitive-decline-309339?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65823085&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8UE4XoboebY7bHr97ftRIUeu8qu7tpIute9KMcMneXvCeZtk1Dh8WxvHplWT7LKmoVrmXTDmnHo_MxXaff5StQxc4FPQ&_hsmi=65823085
Each Daily Serving Of Whole-Grain Foods May Be Associated With A Drop In The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes,
reports that “eating bread, pasta and cereal may actually help prevent type 2 diabetes, as long as those foods are made from whole grains, new research” indicates. Investigators “found that each serving of whole-grain foods per day was linked to as much as an 11 percent drop in the risk of type 2 diabetes.” The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/type-ii-diabetes-news-183/want-to-avoid-type-2-diabetes-eat-more-whole-grains-737582.html
Scientists Claim Blood Test Can Detect Circadian Rhythms.
reports a study published in PNAS describes a new computer algorithm developed by scientists at Northwestern University that “uses blood sample data to predict someone’s circadian rhythm.” ABC News explains, “Disruption of a normal rhythm may be a factor in many diseases: insomnia, heart disease, and even neurological disorders like dementia have all been linked to a misaligned circadian rhythm.” If the algorithm “works as well as they believe, physicians could know ‘what time it is’ within someone’s circadian rhythm, and use it to examine the impact of a disrupted ‘clock’ on various diseases.” https://abcnews.go.com/Health/scientists-developed-blood-test-detect-internal-body-clock/story?id=57731003
Monday, September 10, 2018
Minority Youth With T1D May Be At A Higher Risk Of Increasing Blood Glucose Levels Compared With Whites
reported, “Minority youth with type 1 diabetes were at higher risk of increasing blood glucose levels compared with whites,” researchers concluded after analyzing “a sample of 1,313 newly diagnosed individuals from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open. The author of an accompanying editorial wrote, however, that “when interpreting these findings, it’s important to keep in mind that there is ‘now clear evidence that on average black patients have a higher HbA1c level than white patients for the same mean glucose concentration...[at a] magnitude of 0.4%.’” https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/type1diabetes/74982
No Association Found Between Physical Activity At Any Age And Early Menopaus
reported that there appears to be no link between exercise and a woman’s “risk of early menopause.” Researchers arrived at that conclusion after analyzing “data from more than 107,000 U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 42, who were followed for 20 years.” In fact, the study revealed “no association between physical activity at any age and early menopause.” The findings were published online in the journal Human Reproduction. https://consumer.healthday.com/women-s-health-information-34/menopause-and-postmenopause-news-472/exercise-doesn-t-affect-timing-of-menopause-study-finds-737412.html
Friday, September 7, 2018
Study Links Intermittent Fasting To Longevity.
reports a new study by the National Institute on Aging “suggests that intermittent fasting could be the key to longevity.” Scientists from the NIA, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center “found that increasing time between meals improved the overall health of male mice and lengthened their lives compared to mice that ate more frequently.” The study also found the health benefits were seen “regardless of what the mice ate or how many calories they ate.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/06/fasting-may-more-important-than-what-youre-eating-study-suggests/1206269002/
Type Of Weight Loss Surgery Matters For Patients With Severe Obesity,
reports a small study published in the journal Surgery found that patients who have “weight-loss surgery for extreme obesity may lose more weight with an older operation known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass than with a newer sleeve gastrectomy procedure.” The researchers followed patients for seven years after the surgery and found that while “both types of surgery were associated with lasting weight loss as well as reductions in obesity-related health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol,” those who had sleeve gastrectomy had less weight loss, 24 percent versus 30 percent with RGYB. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-weightloss-surgery/type-of-weight-loss-surgery-matters-for-people-with-severe-obesity-idUSKCN1LM314
Epigenetic Control of Memory Strengthening
Two broad findings have been seen in memory reconsolidation, which is the retrieval and strengthening of a recent memory. The first broad finding is that, during memory reconsolidation, changes in translational control -- the process of forming new proteins from activated genes -- occur in areas of the brain related to memory formation. The second broad finding is that epigenetic mechanisms -- various molecular modifications known to alter the activity of genes without changing their DNA sequence -- are also somehow actively involved during memory reconsolidation or strengthening. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/epigenetic-control-of-memory-strengthening-309271?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65752201&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-97uGfAxWWosFugPYPunSXS5F9Utc2vKBOed4rAjEJCqD7na7Hns1copwbWp-8XkpHi3zflZYqmt-Z5i3XAqzUdZfVRrQ&_hsmi=65752201
How We Inherit "Healthy" Fat
Dad's bad fat on our stomach and thighs
As a result of extensive studies, the researchers have also discovered how genes derived from our father primarily lead to the development of white fat tissue, which most often are found on the stomach, thighs and backside, and which can lead to metabolic diseases.
Likewise, it appears that genes from our mother primarily lead to the development of brown fat tissue, which is characterized by having a protective effect against obesity. https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/how-we-inherit-good-fat-309256?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65752201&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-97uGfAxWWosFugPYPunSXS5F9Utc2vKBOed4rAjEJCqD7na7Hns1copwbWp-8XkpHi3zflZYqmt-Z5i3XAqzUdZfVRrQ&_hsmi=65752201
Sugar Molecules Provide Ozone Layer Protection
In their paper in the journal Global Challenges, the scientists from Mainz and Aschaffenburg describe a method of effectively binding both airborne and liquid phase Freon 11 using modified cyclic sugar molecules, i.e., a substance called methyl-substituted α-cyclodextrin. This would prevent the release of the environmentally harmful foaming agent into the atmosphere, where it additionally impairs the stratosphere's ability to protect against UV radiation. The process of Freon 11 binding is reversible and the adsorbent medium can be fully regenerated under controlled conditions. The recovered material can also be reused. This makes the process a sustainable and environmentally-friendly method of binding this extremely ozone-depleting substance, a method that can be readily employed when old refrigerators are scrapped, for example. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/sugar-molecules-provide-ozone-layer-protection-309255?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65752201&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-97uGfAxWWosFugPYPunSXS5F9Utc2vKBOed4rAjEJCqD7na7Hns1copwbWp-8XkpHi3zflZYqmt-Z5i3XAqzUdZfVRrQ&_hsmi=65752201
Questions Raised Over Benefits of Common Probiotics
Every day, millions of people take probiotics – preparations containing live bacteria that are meant to fortify their immune systems, prevent disease or repair the adverse effects of antibiotics. Yet the benefits of probiotics have not really been medically proven. It is not even clear if probiotic bacteria really colonize the digestive tract or, if they do, what effects these have on humans and their microbiomes – the native bacteria in their guts. In two back-to-back reports published in Cell, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science show – in both mice and in humans – that a probiotic preparation of 11 strains of the most widely used probiotic families may sometimes be less-than-beneficial for user and their microbiome.
To explore how probiotics truly affect us would turn out to be an “inside job”: For the first study, 25 human volunteers underwent upper endoscopy and colonoscopy to sample their baseline microbiome composition and function in different gut regions. Fifteen of those volunteers were then divided into two groups: The first were administered the 11-strain probiotic preparation, and the second were given placebo pills. Three weeks into the four-week treatment, all participants underwent a second upper endoscopy and colonoscopy to assess their response to the probiotics or placebo, and they were then followed for an additional two months.
The researchers discovered that probiotics’ gut colonization was highly individual. However, they fell into two main groups: The “persisters” guts hosted the probiotic microbes while the microbiomes of “resisters” expelled them. The team found they could predict whether a person would be a persister or resister just by examining their baseline microbiome and host gene expression profile. Persisters, they noted, exhibited changes to their native microbiome and gut gene expression profile, while resisters did not have such changes. “Our results suggest that probiotics should not be universally given to the public as a ‘one size fits all’ supplement,” says Elinav. “Instead, they could be tailored to each individual and their particular needs. Our findings even suggest how such personalization might be carried out.”
Post-antibiotic colonization and the native microbiome
In the second study, the researchers addressed a related question that is of equal importance to the general public, who are often told to take probiotics to counter the effects of antibiotics: Do probiotics colonize the gut following antibiotic treatment, and how does this impact the human host and their microbiome? The researchers administered wide-spectrum antibiotics to 21 human volunteers, who then underwent an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy to observe the changes to both the gut and its microbiome following the antibiotic treatment. Next, the volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first was a “watch and wait” group, letting their microbiome recover on its own. The second group was administered the 11-strain probiotic preparation over a four-week period. The third group was treated with an autologous fecal microbiome transplant (aFMT), made up of their own bacteria that had been collected before giving them the antibiotic.
Probiotics, after the antibiotic had cleared the path, could easily colonize the human gut – more so than in the previous study in which antibiotics had not been given. To the team’s surprise, the probiotics’ gut colonization prevented the both the host gut’s gene expression and their microbiome from returning to their normal pre-antibiotic configurations for months afterward. In contrast, autologous FMT resulted in the native gut microbiome recolonizing and the gut gene expression profile returning to normal within days. “These results,” says Elinav, “reveal a new and potentially alarming adverse side effect of probiotic use with antibiotics that might even bring long-term consequences. In contrast, personalized treatment – replenishing the gut with one’s own microbes – was associated with a full reversal of the drugs’ effects.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/questions-raised-over-benefits-of-common-probiotics-309252?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65752201&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-97uGfAxWWosFugPYPunSXS5F9Utc2vKBOed4rAjEJCqD7na7Hns1copwbWp-8XkpHi3zflZYqmt-Z5i3XAqzUdZfVRrQ&_hsmi=65752201
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Your Immune System Could Aid Fight Against Opioid Addiction
The same immune system that fights infection and the flu could join the battle against opioid addiction, new research out of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research indicates.
Erin Calipari, assistant professor of pharmacology and corresponding author on a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, says there’s promise in specific immune system peptides – amino acid compounds that signal cells how to function.
In this case, they may be affecting brain activity and, by extension, drug cravings.
“We found we could target these immune peptides and change the cravings that male mice and rats had for food and sugar,” Calipari said. “Now we’re looking at what we need to do before we can take this into human clinical trials. This is exciting because we see how peripheral systems such as the immune system could be influencing cravings.”
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/your-immune-system-could-aid-fight-against-opioid-addiction-309194?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65721838&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8RnLfHhqJ8-ojRN8L_4L2U3p7D-raaR5UeNC8xQ0_vkfqiSQHv0mcO1BDqNE3lvtJaVKtYolrYtKdoNn31V6WERd78YQ&_hsmi=65721838
Review Indicates No Increased Prevalence Of CVD In Women With PCOS.
“Women with polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] are at higher risk for obesity and elevated cholesterol vs. healthy women, but” investigators “observed no increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in this population” after reviewing “data from 47 longitudinal studies published between 1992 and 2018 that examined metabolic and CVD complications, with follow-up observations, in women with PCOS.” The findings were published online in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/in-the-journals/%7B015a99b0-8915-4c12-a829-35f57fdb5934%7D/no-increased-cvd-risk-observed-in-pcos
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
What Gene Variants Can Help Us Live Longer?
A new method has made it possible to identify twenty-five parallel mutations located in genes associated with wound healing, blood coagulation and cardiovascular disorders. The results could help to develop new drugs to treat ageing-related diseases. The research confirms the theory that some genes that help us in the initial stages of life are harmful to us once the reproductive stage has ended.
Senescence, or biological ageing, refers to the general deterioration of an organism’s physiological functions, leading to increased susceptibility to diseases and ultimately death. It is a complex process that involves many genes. Lifespans vary greatly across different animal species. Thus, for example, flies live for four weeks, horses for thirty years, whereas some hedgehogs may live for up to two centuries. Why is the range of lifespans in nature so broad? This is one of the basic and most intriguing questions faced by biologists.
Potentially, human beings can live for up to 120 years, whereas the species of some closer primates live for half that period. In order to explain the reasons behind these differences, researchers led by scientists at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), in collaboration with researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the University of Bristol and the University of Liverpool, have identified some of the genes that may have been crucial in extending the life of our species, as well as that of primates with a longer lifespan. The study has been published in the Molecular Biology & Evolution journal.
In this work, the researchers studied the genomes of seventeen primate species, including humans. From the standpoint of ageing, primates are interesting because while they are very similar, there are major differences across the different species in terms of longevity. Hence, of all the species studied, only three ― humans and two macaques ― lived longer than the common ancestor, which proves that “they have undergone a relatively rapid process of lifespan evolution”, explains Arcadi Navarro, ICREA research professor at the IBE and the study leader. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/what-gene-variants-can-help-us-live-longer-309157?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65687876&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8PJ-8wQI-1CfgMeu8_XllGYT6dPFHG0SXg79l0uT3fFBWVxQWUHx8lZWspzGernuO95y8GdvoeSCPdCQA1c_tgiQtQ_A&_hsmi=65687876
Type 2 Diabetes Tied To Increased Carotid Plaque Burden
reports researchers found that “type 2 diabetes (T2D) was associated with an increased carotid plaque burden and negative remodeling, even when early in the diagnosis.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/type-2-diabetes/carotid-artery-remodeling-t2d-early-diagnosis-plaque-vulnerability-obesity/article/792644/
Fish Oil in Third Trimester Tied to Higher BMI for Kids -This increase attributed to gains in lean mass, bone mineral content
However, there was no increased risk of obesity at age 6 years, they wrote in BMJ.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/dietnutrition/74920?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-09-05&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-09-05&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Genetic engineering allows different species of bacteria to communicate with each other in the gut of a living mouse, setting the stage for a synthetic microbiome.
More than 1,000 species of bacteria have been identified in the human gut, and understanding this incredibly diverse “microbiome” that can greatly impact health and disease is a hot topic in scientific research.
Because bacteria are routinely genetically engineered in science labs, there is great excitement about the possibility of tweaking the genes of our intestinal interlopers so that they can do more than just help digest our food (e.g., record information about the state of the gut in real-time, report the presence of disease, etc.).
However, little is known about how all those different strains communicate with each other, and whether it is even possible to create the kinds of signaling pathways that would allow information to be passed between them.
Now, researchers from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have successfully engineered a genetic signal-transmission system in which a molecular signal sent by Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria in response to an environmental cue can be received and recorded by E. coli in the gut of a mouse, bringing scientists a step closer to developing a “synthetic microbiome” composed of bacteria that are programmed to perform specific functions. The study is reported in ACS Synthetic Biology.
“In order to improve human health through engineered gut bacteria, we need to start figuring out how to make the bacteria communicate,” said Suhyun Kim, a graduate student in the lab of Pamela Silver at the Wyss Institute and HMS, who is the first author of the paper. “We want to make sure that, as engineered probiotics develop, we have a means to coordinate and control them in harmony.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/a-telephone-for-your-microbiome-308428?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65636534&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1iQgpchQe3XJ2zl0Jxc7uF7QM4oixZWQrmrDE2fXhsLGJBG0nW6t9oBOQh0m2zm7JYB4gNY_FXXxk3eQKPjOfwOW9_A&_hsmi=65636534
Eye Damage Detected in Tears by Color-changing Sensor
We expect a significant potential impact of this biosensor for evaluating the eye in post-surgical patients as well as trauma patients,” said study leader Dipanjan Pan, a University of Illinois professor of bioengineering and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Previous work by the group found that ascorbic acid concentration in tears is a good measure for determining extent of injury to the eye. Ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, is found in high concentrations in the fluid inside the eye, called aqueous humor, but normally has very low concentration in tears.
“Deep damage to the cornea from trauma or incisional surgery releases aqueous humor into the tear film, which increases the concentration of ascorbic acid in tears to a measurably higher level than that found in normal eyes,” said Pan, also affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois. “OjoGel offers a unique biosensing technique that provides an effective and simple method for testing ascorbic acid in a point-of-care delivery system.”
Pan’s group collaborated with Dr. Leanne Labriola, an ophthalmologist at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, to develop OjoGel.
“OjoGel technology may allow for faster identification of serious eye injuries,” Labriola said. “With a rapid point-of-care device such as this, anyone in an emergency department could perform a test and know within minutes if the patient needs urgent surgery to save their vision.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/color-changing-sensor-indicates-urgent-need-for-vision-saving-surgery-308426?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=65636534&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1iQgpchQe3XJ2zl0Jxc7uF7QM4oixZWQrmrDE2fXhsLGJBG0nW6t9oBOQh0m2zm7JYB4gNY_FXXxk3eQKPjOfwOW9_A&_hsmi=65636534
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