Dr. House
Dr. House
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Diabetes May Worsen Tuberculosis, Study Suggests.
reports a cross-sectional study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society found that patients with diabetes who are diagnosed with tuberculosis may be “more likely to present with advanced disease and cavitation in the lungs vs. those with TB who do not have diabetes.” The authors wrote, “These findings support recommendations to screen for and consider TB among diabetics with a high likelihood for infection.” https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/in-the-journals/%7B35f94e99-a3c3-4d6b-b032-2f9df3d8906b%7D/diabetes-may-worsen-tuberculosis-prognosis
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Among Older Women, DHEA May Attenuate Declines In BMD, Modestly Increase Fat-Free Mass Over 12 Months When Compared With Placebo,
Among older women, the adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA] may attenuate declines in bone mineral density [BMD] and modestly increase fat-free mass over 12 months when compared with placebo,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from four single-site, double-blind, randomized controlled trials sponsored by the National Institute on Aging designed to assess the effects of DHEA sulfate therapy on BMD and body composition in adults aged 55 to 85 years not using sex hormone therapy (295 women).” The findings were published online in Clinical Endocrinology. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/in-the-journals/%7Bf5859c6e-c82a-42f5-a446-877b66d31626%7D/dhea-therapy-may-preserve-bone-muscle-mass-in-older-women
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Vision Begins Before We Actually See Anything
How does vision work, and what happens in the brain during the process? As simple as this question may sound, it has yet to be scientifically clarified in full. Dr. Valentin Riedl of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and his team have now been able to show that the distribution of the two most important neurotransmitters in the brain changes as soon as we open our eyes, regardless of whether we actually see anything.
To communicate with each other, neurons use chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. The two most important neurotransmitters in the human brain, glutamate and GABA, have opposing effects: glutamate activates neurons, while GABA suppresses them. Glutamate, incidentally, is also used as spicy substance and can be found in tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. By altering the concentrations of the two neurotransmitters, the brain is able to process impressions from the eyes, called visual stimuli.
Privatdozent Dr. Valentin Riedl, research group leader in the Neuroradiology Department of University Hospital Rechts der Isar of the TUM, and his team have studied how the concentrations of the two neurotransmitters change in the visual cortex, the region in the brain responsible for vision. The study is unique in that the team used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure the concentrations of the neurotransmitters in detail and, above all, in parallel.
Visual Process Triggered by Opening the Eyes https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/vision-begins-before-we-actually-see-anything-312242?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67829054&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8yI6pBq6JNNjSATFjqMNphreg5g-JKEEZY0m4KC0kzoPv0kWieMa49u8PztnOhOXMszEys5WpRdOyMG8Dkb9jJJ_t1rw&_hsmi=67829054
Monday, November 26, 2018
Sperm's Inbuilt Homing Device
Sperm cells, bacteria and other microscopic organisms use varying concentrations of chemicals in their environment -- concentration gradients -- to approach or avoid something in a process called chemotaxis. Egg cells release an attractant chemical, which lures the sperm. Researchers have found that a protein in the cell membranes of sperm plays a key role in how they find their way to eggs. The PMCA protein may also help explain how egg cells only interact with sperm from the same species. PMCA may even be a target of drug discovery. https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/news/sperms-inbuilt-homing-device-312206?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67786753&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_H4QzBQpIF2K8-MBfYwYQQa9C2mRA1iMYdhjf27YbV1tgIovu4n7pZTyYOQ3PFTEZdu4WuHsBcPqbJFv3IaRd4bpngqw&_hsmi=67786753
Voclosporin Effective in Lupus Nephritis Results from AURA-LV trial in patients with active disease
The AURA-LV trial assessed voclosporin, a calcineurin inhibitor, in patients with active lupus nephritis and found that low-dose voclosporin may be successfully added to mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids to control active lupus nephritis.
A total of 265 lupus nephritis patients were enrolled from 79 worldwide centers in this phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of two doses of voclosporin (23.7 mg or 39.5 mg, given twice daily) versus placebo in patients already taking mycophenolate and steroids. The primary endpoint was complete renal response at 24 weeks, and the secondary endpoint was complete renal response at 48 weeks. https://www.medpagetoday.com/rheumatology/lupus/76476?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-11-26&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-11-26&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Test That Measures Wavelengths Of Light Coming Off Skin Cells May Detect T2D, Heart Disease,
reported that research indicates “a test that measures wavelengths of light coming off skin cells might detect type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even your risk of dying.” It is “possible that – someday – a quick ‘autofluorescence’ light test to the skin might be used by consumers in “supermarkets, pharmacies or drugstores as a first estimate of [health] risk,” according to” researchers. HealthDay added, “The new device is called an AGE Reader, with AGE standing for chemicals found on skin cells called ‘advanced glycation end-products.’” The findings were published in Diabetologia. https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/skin-glow-test-might-someday-spot-disease-risk-early-739856.html
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
The Brain's Two Clocks Help Us Anticipate the Future
That moment when you step on the gas pedal a split second before the light changes, or when you tap your toes even before the first piano note of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” is struck. That’s anticipatory timing.
One type relies on memories from past experiences. The other on rhythm. Both are critical to our ability to navigate and enjoy the world.
New UC Berkeley research shows the neural networks supporting each of these timekeepers are split between two different parts of the brain, depending on the task at hand.
“Whether it’s sports, music, speech or even allocating attention, our study suggests that timing is not a unified process, but that there are two distinct ways in which we make temporal predictions and these depend on different parts of the brain,” said study lead author Assaf Breska, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at UC Berkeley.
The findings, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, offer a new perspective on how humans calculate when to make a move.
“Together, these brain systems allow us to not just exist in the moment, but to also actively anticipate the future,” said study senior author Richard Ivry, a UC Berkeley neuroscientist.
Breska and Ivry studied the anticipatory timing strengths and deficits of people with Parkinson’s disease and people with cerebellar degeneration.
They connected rhythmic timing to the basal ganglia, and interval timing – an internal timer based largely on our memory of prior experiences – to the cerebellum. Both are primal brain regions associated with movement and cognition.
Moreover, their results suggest that if one of these neural clocks is misfiring, the other could theoretically step in.
“Our study identifies not only the anticipatory contexts in which these neurological patients are impaired, but also the contexts in which they have no difficulty, suggesting we could modify their environments to make it easier for them to interact with the world in face of their symptoms,” Breska said.
Non-pharmaceutical fixes for neurological timing deficits could include brain-training computer games and smartphone apps, deep brain stimulation and environmental design modifications, he said.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/the-brains-two-clocks-312061?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67689584&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9XrZjrTtdok2DO6sUibzEuoTaZXndL0-mRAwBcZpOHdoG1ez8AYL2nI22HzpI4KElnO3J9KtVJrJVpNvHc7JSb-GR4Bw&_hsmi=67689584
Quarter Of American Adults Sit For More Than Eight Hours Each Day
reports researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that a quarter of “American adults sit for more than eight hours a day.” For the study, researchers “analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study’s lead author, Emily Ussery, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity, said, “If a person does sit for eight hours a day for their job, it’s best to reduce some of that sitting time with physical activity, and every little bit of exercise helps.” http://time.com/5459319/americans-sit-too-much/
Global Demand For Insulin Is Increasing Dramatically,
reports researchers found that “a global diabetes epidemic is fuelling record demand for insulin but tens of millions will not get the injections they need unless there is a dramatic improvement in access and affordability.” The findings were published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
MedPage Today (11/20, Monaco) reports “researchers estimated from a modeling analysis” that “the amount of insulin needed to treat type 2 diabetes globally is likely to climb by more than 20% by 2030.” The article adds that “in an accompanying commentary,” Dr. Hertzel Gerstein of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said the researchers used a “highly sophisticated approach” to create “a clearly described, rigorously designed, and flexible mathematical model that allowed them to estimate the number of insulin users and the amount of insulin that will be required worldwide by 2030 under various assumptions. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-diabetes-insulin/millions-left-behind-as-diabetes-drives-surge-in-insulin-demand-idUSKCN1NQ00B
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Powered by Poop!
A team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have demonstrated, for the first time, a technique for converting human excrement into hydrochar—a safe, renewable biomass fuel that resembles charcoal—as well as a nutrient-rich fertilizer.
According to BGU, this process could potentially address two major issues that affect many less affluent countries—poor sanitation and growing energy needs.
In a pilot study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, BGU described how they used a technique known as “hydrothermal carbonization” to heat raw solid human waste in a special “pressure cooker” to three different temperatures (180, 210 and 240 degrees Celsius) for periods of either 30, 60 or 120 minutes.
This sterilizes the human waste and dries it out, creating a solid coal-like substance known as hydrochar, which can be used for household cooking and heating. Last year, BGU researchers carried out similar research using poultry excrement.
“While it is rich in organic matter nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, human waste also contains micropollutants from pharmaceuticals, which can lead to environmental problems if not disposed or reused properly,” says Prof. Amit Gross, director of BGU’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research and expert in the efficient use of marginal water, remediation techniques and the environmental risks associated with contaminated water resources.
Approximately 2.3 billion people still lack basic sanitation services, according to the World Health Organization. Of those, around 892 million people—most of whom live in rural areas—defecate in the open.
Energy scarcity is also a problem in these regions. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide use solid biomass—such as wood—which is converted into charcoal and then used for cooking and heating. However, these practices have a significant impact on the environment. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/powered-by-poop-311952?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67650125&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8e-MwOGHURB-w5kkWW2j6EoSqglmYr_B2gM0ZvXEyg1H5fSVWXR9mg6KqJiKU-LWMUp41K6xHQHzViAVQwoLM0gxKRkw&_hsmi=67650125
Monday, November 19, 2018
Peanut Allergy Treatment Ready for FDA Review
https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/peanut-allergy-treatment-ready-for-fda-review-311906?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67609541&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--cfbZAtrSjpgJQuRAqa9FJ7Z2gzMG2nq1KZotHQvKCgXn4VvnQT03BU9ox_rvEL3_uk-KTIilOjra8tNCw0ffbzqOyoA&_hsmi=67609541
Friday, November 16, 2018
New Inflammation Inhibitor Discovered
It was when developing a new molecule for inhibiting the enzyme that repairs oxygen damage to DNA that the researchers found, to their surprise, that it also dampened inflammation. It turned out that the enzyme OGG1, apart from repairing DNA, also triggers inflammation.
The inhibitor blocks the release of inflammatory proteins, such as TNF alpha. In trials on mice with acute pulmonary disease, the researchers succeeded in dampening the inflammation.
“This discovery could give rise to a new treatment for a very serious condition,” says Professor Helleday. “We’ll now be developing our OGG1 inhibitor and examining whether it can lead to new treatments for inflammatory diseases in order to cure or relieve diseases such as sepsis, COPD and severe asthma.”
The discovery was made in collaboration with Professor Istvan Boldogh from the University of Texas Medical Branch, USA.
The repair pathway on which OGG1 operates was discovered by Tomas Lindahl at Karolinska Institutet in the 1970s, an achievement that earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/new-inflammation-inhibitor-discovered-311895?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67566430&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--8vlcU5qGHxOa6aZf3mKezT37ZMks2cy-KTqMXt7FwlQjQqnWa-SDGVBR1A41E5ilCJTcmS4RQufsYIRL1LsgsiEHFTA&_hsmi=67566430
Assisted Reproduction Technologies May Be Associated With Increased Risk Of Intellectual Disabilities In Children
“Parents who use reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be more likely to have children with intellectual disabilities than those who conceive without help,” researchers found after examining “data on 2,876 children conceived with assistive reproductive technology (ART) and 207,751 kids born without ART in Western Australia from 1994 to 2002.” These children were followed for eight years. The study revealed that youngsters “born with the help of ART were 58 percent more likely to have intellectual disabilities by age eight or older.” What’s more, “with ART, kids were...more likely to have severe deficits.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-assistedrepro-disability/assisted-reproduction-tied-to-risk-of-intellectual-disabilities-in-kids-idUSKCN1NK2WZhttp://www.google.com/
Long-Term, Off-Label Use Of Phentermine Appears To Be Effective, Safe
reports that research suggests “long-term, off-label use of the weight-loss drug phentermine appears to be effective and safe.” The findings were presented at Obesity Week 2018.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Pain is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The study found that when subjects expected more heat, brain regions involved in threat and fear were more activated as they waited. Regions involved in the generation of pain were more active when they received the stimulus. Participants reported more pain with high-pain cues, regardless of how much heat they actually got.
“This suggests that expectations had a rather deep effect, influencing how the brain processes pain,” said Jepma.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/pain-is-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-311858?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67531906&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Cf0osCsdgQkeJFfoJbvL2lSYRbimLzb_m6kiRXgEHRfXTpqnCm9mQv5V13NFJ9W1DMQV0SwzSVBOwvbzPBAeGCv6zSA&_hsmi=67531906
Cancer Poised to Become Top U.S. Killer "Epidemiological transition greatest in highest-income U.S. counties
Data show that heart disease is more likely to be the leading cause of death in low-income counties," the authors wrote. "Low-income counties have not experienced the same decrease in mortality rates as high-income counties, which suggests a later transition to cancer as the leading cause of death in low-income counties."
They said the findings were consistent with research on this "epidemiological transition," including a 2016 report suggesting that by 2020, cancer will surpass heart disease (the leading cause of death nationwide since 1950). However, a study limitation was the use of county median household income as a proxy for socioeconomic status. https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/publichealth/76295?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-11-15&eun=g721819d0r&pos=111111&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-11-15&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Overweight Adults Who Reduce Carbohydrate Intake And Replace Them With Fat May Increase Their Metabolisms
reports that a study published in the BMJ has “found that overweight adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms.” Researchers found that “after five months on the diet, their bodies burned roughly 250 calories more per day than people who ate a high-carb, low-fat diet, suggesting that restricting carb intake could help people maintain their weight loss more easily.” Those on the low-carb diet burned 209 to 278 more calories per day than those on the high-carb diet, a difference that would lead to an estimated 22-pound weight loss over three years if researchers weren’t intervening to maintain weight.” The study indicated that “the effect was even larger for those who produced high levels of insulin in response to carbohydrates; they burned 308 to 478 more calories a day on the low-carb diet than they did on the high-carb diet.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-low-carb-burns-calories-11312018-story.html
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
AMA Wants Warning Labels For Foods High In Added Sugars.
reports the AMA wants the FDA to develop warning labels for the front of packages “for foods high in added sugars.” Albert J. Osbahr, III, MD, a member of the AMA’s Board of Trustees, said, “When consumers have access to the amount of sugar they are consuming they may choose foods with less sugar,” which might “help prevent debilitating chronic medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease which affect millions of Americans.” Sugar Association CEO Courtney Gaine said the step “does nothing but mislead consumers because it is an idea not grounded in science and does not support FDA’s rationale for setting the daily value in the first place.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sugar-regulation/u-s-physicians-urge-fda-to-bolster-labeling-on-high-sugar-foods-idUSKCN1NI2YT
Vitamin D Insufficiency May Be Associated With Earlier Death In Older Men Living In Thailand,
reports, “Insufficient vitamin D levels were linked to earlier death in older men living in Thailand,” researchers concluded after analyzing “survey data from 2008 in 1,268 older adults (median age, 74 years) from a national database in Thailand, then” linking “the information to a 2015 vital registry.” The findings were published online in the journal Geriatrics and Gerontology International. https://www.healio.com/family-medicine/nutrition-and-fitness/news/online/%7Ba4ce2835-3e65-4d76-99d6-639296c5728e%7D/insufficient-vitamin-d-levels-tied-to-earlier-death-in-older-men
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Fat-clogged’ Immune Cells Fail to Fight Tumors
esearchers have gained a new understanding of the link between obesity and cancer. In the presence of excess fat, the immune surveillance system fails due to an obesity-fueled lipid accumulation in natural killer (NK) cells, preventing their cellular metabolism and trafficking. The new findings were published in Nature Immunology.1
More than 1.9 billion adults are either overweight or obese and a growing amount of evidence proposes that numerous cancer types (including liver, kidney, endometrial and pancreatic cancers)2 are more common in overweight or obese people. Cancer risk is increased in those with higher body fat, with up to 49% of certain types attributed to obesity.3
The Link Between Cancer and Obesity
Article
The Link Between Cancer and Obesity
READ MORE
Previous findings from the GLOBOCAN project indicate that, in 2012 in the United States, approximately 28,000 new cases of cancer in men and approximately 72,000 in women were associated with being obese or overweight.4
The 2018 study1 investigated the effect of obesity on the cellular metabolism, gene expression, and function of NK cells, and its influence on cancer development.
NK cells are cells of the innate immune system that limit the spread of tumors – numerous in vitro models have shown that tumor cells are recognized as ‘targets’ by NK cells.5 These cells destroy their targets by secreting lytic granules containing perforin and apoptosis-inducing granzymes. NK cells require a greater amount of energy to support their anti-tumor activity, therefore they switch their metabolic activity from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to glycolysis to meet the increased demand for ATP.1 https://www.technologynetworks.com/cancer-research/news/obesity-and-cancer-fat-clogged-immune-cells-fail-to-fight-tumors-311744?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67453675&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9X-Pke7lj8Ekj6-jDhqyw-iDi6w5BQe0vrAV2pOwByG1nCwS6o4r8anDb8dBnqOON6TnDn9w6bk6mv-x-S-7XFley8iA&_hsmi=67453675
Spreading the Infection
Vaccinia virus, a poxvirus closely related to smallpox and monkeypox, tricks cells it has infected into activating their own cell movement mechanism to rapidly spread the virus in cells and mice, according to a new UCL-led study.
The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, explain how the virus mimics infected cells’ own proteins to kick-start the signalling pathway enabling the cell to move around.
“We were surprised to find that not only does the poxvirus turn on the infected cell’s motility pathway, it also controls the speed and direction of movement to coordinate the rapid spread of the infected cells,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Jason Mercer (MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at UCL).
Vaccinia virus causes a mild and asymptomatic infection, which is why it was used in the world’s oldest vaccine, that of smallpox, as it safely confers immunity to the much more harmful virus.
“There are numerous viruses, including herpes viruses and tumour-causing viruses, that are known to promote movement in infected cells, so by clarifying the mechanism in one virus, we hope to shed light on new therapeutic targets to prevent the spread of many different viruses,” said the study’s first author, PhD student Corina Beerli (MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at UCL). https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/spreading-the-disease-311751?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67453675&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9X-Pke7lj8Ekj6-jDhqyw-iDi6w5BQe0vrAV2pOwByG1nCwS6o4r8anDb8dBnqOON6TnDn9w6bk6mv-x-S-7XFley8iA&_hsmi=67453675
Federal Government Releases New Guidelines Urging Americans To Exercise Even For A Few Minutes.
reports that a committee appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services released new guidelines urging Americans to exercise even if it is just for a few minutes at a time. The new guidelines, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, replace the previous guidance from 2008 that recommended exercising for periods of at least 10 minutes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-government-guidelines-say-you-can-get-your-exercise-in-small-doses/2018/11/11/3201d4c0-e5f8-11e8-bbdb-72fdbf9d4fed_story.html?utm_term=.155e62e2729e
Being Treated With Too Much Medication May Lead To Increased Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation In Patients With Hypothyroidism,
reports that research indicates that “for patients with hypothyroidism, being treated with too much medication could lead to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.” Researchers found that “elevated levels of the thyroid hormone free thyroxine (free T4) – even within the upper levels of normal reference ranges – were associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in the study, suggesting the possible need for redefining the safest reference ranges in hypothyroidism treatment.” The findings were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2018. https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkc2NhcGUuY29tL3ZpZXdhcnRpY2xlLzkwNDc4NQ==&ac=401
Monday, November 12, 2018
Consuming Soy-Based Formula During Infancy May Be Linked To Severe Menstrual Pain In Adulthood,
investigators “found that women who had ever been fed soy formula as babies were, at ages 18-22 years, 50 percent more likely than those not fed soy to experience moderate or severe cramping during most periods when they were not using hormonal contraception.” In addition, women fed soy in infancy were “40 percent more likely to have used hormonal contraception at some point to alleviate menstrual pain,” the study found. The findings were published online in the journal Human Reproduction. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-menstrualpain-soy-formula/soy-baby-formula-linked-to-severe-menstrual-cramps-later-in-life-idUSKCN1NF01D
Research Evaluates Whether Vitamin D, Fish Oil Can Lower Rates Of Cancer, Major Cardiovascular Events.
reports that “in recent years, many Americans have embraced vitamin D and fish oil pills, their enthusiasm fueled by a steady trickle of suggestive research studies linking higher levels of vitamin D with lower rates of cancer and other ills, and fish consumption with reduced heart disease.” According to the Times, however, “a large and rigorous government-funded randomized trial — the only such study of omega-3 fish oils ever carried out in healthy adults, and the largest trial ever done of high-dose vitamin D — has found the supplements do not lower cancer rates in healthy adults.” They also do not “reduce the rate of major cardiovascular events, a composite of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from cardiovascular disease.”
The NPR (11/10, Neighmond) “Shots” blog reports that the findings “were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session...and released online Saturday by the New England Journal of Medicine.” Although “the overall results were disappointing, there appeared to be a beneficial effect when it came to one aspect of heart disease and fish oil,” the data indicated that “taking fish oil lowered the risk of heart attack by about 28 percent, which is a ‘statistically significant’ finding, says Dr. JoAnn Manson,” who “led the research.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/10/well/live/vitamin-d-and-fish-oils-are-ineffective-for-preventing-cancer-and-heart-disease.html
Friday, November 9, 2018
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Androgen Deprivation Tied To Greater Heart Failure Risk In Prostate Cancer Patients,
reports a large study of Asian men found that “long-term use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) dramatically elevated the risk of heart failure over the course of 1 year follow-up in men with prostate cancer, compared with non-ADT users.” The research found that “the incidence of heart failure was 72% higher among ADT users compared with non-users, at an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.72 (95% CI 1.08-2.73).” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/prostatecancer/76178
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
AHA: Late Meals Linked to HTN, Prediabetes Risks seen in study of Hispanic and Latino Americans
Eating a late dinner may contribute to cardiometabolic risk in American Hispanics and Latinos, a population-based study found.
People who consumed at least 30% of their energy after 6 pm had 23% higher odds of hypertension (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.05-1.44) and 19% higher odds of prediabetes (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.03-1.37) compared with those who ate less in the evening.
But eating in the evening was not associated with overweight, obesity, or central adiposity in the study by Nour Makarem, PhD, of Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues slated for presentation here at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, which begin Saturday.
Late eaters had higher levels of the following, compared with other participants:
Fasting glucose (93.7 versus 93.0 mg/dL; P=0.001)
Insulin levels (12.4 versus 11.6 mU/L; P=0.003)
Score on the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR; 2.9 versus 2.7; P=0.001)
Systolic blood pressure (BP; 118.7 versus 117.5 mm Hg; P=0.004)
Diastolic BP (72.2 versus 71.0 mm Hg; P<0.0001)
These data are from "the first population-based study to demonstrate that consuming a larger proportion of energy in the evening may be associated with reduced glycemic control and higher odds of prediabetes and hypertension in US Hispanics [and] Latinos," the investigators noted. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aha/76164?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-11-07&eun=g721819d0r&pos=&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-11-07&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Model Identifies Potentially Unsafe Restaurants
Foodborne illnesses are common, costly, and land thousands of Americans in emergency rooms every year. This new technique, developed by Google, can help restaurants and local health departments find problems more quickly, before they become bigger public health problems,” said corresponding author Ashish Jha, K.T. Li Professor of Global Health at Harvard Chan School and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.
The study was published online November 6, 2018 in npj Digital Medicine.
Foodborne illnesses are a persistent problem in the U.S. and current methods by restaurants and local health departments for determining an outbreak rely primarily on consumer complaints or routine inspections. These methods can be slow and cumbersome, often resulting in delayed responses and further spread of disease.
To counter these shortcomings, Google researchers developed a machine-learned model and worked with Harvard to test it in Chicago and Las Vegas. The model works by first classifying search queries that can indicate foodborne illness, such as “stomach cramps” or “diarrhea.” The model then uses de-identified and aggregated location history data from the smartphones of people who have opted to save it, to determine which restaurants people searching those terms had recently visited.
Health departments in each city were then given a list of restaurants that were identified by the model as being potential sources of foodborne illness. The city would then dispatch health inspectors to these restaurants, though the health inspectors did not know whether their inspection was prompted by this new model or traditional methods. During the period of the study, health departments continued to follow their usual inspection procedures as well.
In Chicago, where the model was deployed between November 2016 and March 2017, the model prompted 71 inspections. The study found that the rate of unsafe restaurants among those detected by the model was 52.1% compared with 39.4% among inspections triggered by a complaint-based system. The researchers noted that Chicago has one of the most advanced monitoring programs in the nation and already employs social media mining techniques, yet this new model proved more precise in identifying restaurants that had food safety violations.
In Las Vegas, the model was deployed between May and August 2016. Compared with routine inspections performed by the health department, it had a higher precision rate of identifying unsafe restaurants.
When the researchers compared the model with routine inspections by health departments in Las Vegas and Chicago, they found that the overall rate across both cities of unsafe restaurants detected by the model was 52.3%, whereas the overall rate of detection of unsafe restaurants via routine inspections across the two cities was 22.7%. https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/model-identifies-potentially-unsafe-restaurants-311504?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67300627&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jY6FcoMlplY2TGESbMFtQ412Pbyr6qTRgg0hJtaWe2ipv3npfUU3mwsqCXTpXJtJwZh9MRkLEnUSAavvhTRwb1BYZaw&_hsmi=67300627
Janssen Pharmaceuticals Recalls Two Oral Contraceptive Formulations Due To Instruction Errors.
reports, “Janssen Pharmaceuticals has issued a voluntary recall involving two of its oral contraceptive formulations because the patient information inside the affected packages does not include appropriate instructions for the dispenser included in the products.” This could possibly result in women “mistakenly taking an inactive ‘reminder’ pill instead of an active pill, potentially leading to breakthrough bleeding or an unintended pregnancy.” Issued Nov. 2, the “pharmacy-level recall...affects one lot of Ortho-Novum 1/35 (norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol) tablets and two lots of Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 (norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol) tablets.” https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkc2NhcGUuY29tL3ZpZXdhcnRpY2xlLzkwNDQ1MA==&ac=401
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
The Reasons for Hemispheric Dominance in the Brain
The left and the right hemispheres specialise in different tasks. However, it has not yet been fully understood how one hemisphere assumes dominance over the other when it comes to controlling specific functions. Biopsychologists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum describe their latest findings in the journal Cell Reports, published online on 30 October 2018. Dr. Qian Xiao and Professor Onur Güntürkün have demonstrated in pigeons that the dominance is caused by slight differences in temporal activity patterns in both hemispheres.
Novel research approach
The two hemispheres are connected via thick nerve fibre bundles, so-called commissures. “In the past, it had been assumed that the dominant hemisphere transmits inhibitory signals to the other hemisphere via the commissures, thus suppressing specific functions in that region,” explains Onur Güntürkün. However, the interactions that take place between the two hemispheres are excitatory, as well as inhibitory. “This is why it has remained a mystery where, exactly, functional brain asymmetries stem from,” says Güntürkün.
The result is: if both brain hemispheres compete for control, the left hemisphere is able to delay the activity of neurons in the right hemisphere. “The right hemisphere simply acts too late to control the response,” describes Onur Güntürkün. The researchers demonstrated that the neurons in the left and the right hemispheres are also capable of synchronising their activity in principle.
A question of timing
“These results show that hemispheric dominance is based on a sophisticated mechanism,” concludes Onur Güntürkün. “It does not hinge on one general inhibitory or excitatory influence; rather it is caused by minute temporal delays in the activity of nerve cells in the other hemisphere.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/the-reasons-for-hemispheric-dominance-in-the-brain-311426?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67264197&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Sih3gqTpwedSkWt2Zn6IcMG2c63OpUXBj1-k7HrCVCFEq5ybwZPb0-Lnl7DYiMfGjnzFc9_uDf35auRphsZsYppaarg&_hsmi=67264197
Screen-Time Does not Disrupt Children's Sleep, New Study Finds
Screens are now a fixture of modern childhood. As young people spend an increasing amount of time on electronic devices, the effects of these digital activities has become a prevalent concern among parents, caregivers, and policy-makers. Research indicating that between 50% to 90% of school-age children might not be getting enough sleep has prompted calls that technology use may be to blame. However, the new research findings from the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, has shown that screen time has very little practical effect on children’s sleep.
The study was conducted using data from the United States’ 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. Parents from across the country completed self-report surveys on themselves, their children and household.
'The findings suggest that the relationship between sleep and screen use in children is extremely modest,' says Professor Andrew Przybylski, author of the study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. 'Every hour of screen time was related to 3 to 8 fewer minutes of sleep a night.'
In practical terms, while the correlation between screen time and sleep in children exists, it might be too small to make a significant difference to a child’s sleep. For example, when you compare the average nightly sleep of a tech-abstaining teenager (at 8 hours, 51 minutes) with a teenager who devotes 8 hours a day to screens (at 8 hours, 21 minutes), the difference is overall inconsequential. Other known factors, such as early starts to the school day, have a larger effect on childhood sleep.
'This suggests we need to look at other variables when it comes to children and their sleep,' says Przybylski. Analysis in the study indicated that variables within the family and household were significantly associated with both screen use and sleep outcomes. 'Focusing on bedtime routines and regular patterns of sleep, such as consistent wake-up times, are much more effective strategies for helping young people sleep than thinking screens themselves play a significant role.' https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/screen-time-does-not-disrupt-childrens-sleep-new-study-finds-311421?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67264197&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Sih3gqTpwedSkWt2Zn6IcMG2c63OpUXBj1-k7HrCVCFEq5ybwZPb0-Lnl7DYiMfGjnzFc9_uDf35auRphsZsYppaarg&_hsmi=67264197
People With Type 1 Diabetes May Have Higher Risk Of Complications When Using Cannabis,
reports a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that people with type 1 diabetes “may be more likely to develop potentially fatal complications when they use cannabis.” Researchers found that “cannabis users had about twice the risk of experiencing a serious complication known as diabetic ketoacidosis, which develops when blood sugar is elevated for too long and the body produces high levels of acids known as ketones.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-diabetes-cannabis/cannabis-tied-to-serious-type-1-diabetes-complications-idUSKCN1NA26X
Monday, November 5, 2018
Parents Report 'Sharing' Leftover Antibiotics Nearly half of those surveyed diverted, rather than disposed of, unused prescription meds
Parents said they often saved leftover antibiotics and gave them to other people, both within and outside the family, according to researchers here.
In an anonymous online questionnaire distributed to a national sample of 496 parents through Amazon Mechanical Turk, nearly half (48.2%) of the parents reported that they'd kept leftover antibiotics rather than properly disposing of them, reported Ruth Milanaik, DO, of Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health in Lake Success, New York, and colleagues.
Of those, 73% said they subsequently diverted the medications to siblings, unrelated children, and unrelated adults, all without physician consultation. Parents also said they used the leftover antibiotics themselves, the authors stated in a presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting.
"This is a dangerous practice," Milanaik said at an AAP press conference. "As we have gotten smarter about development of antibiotics, our microbes have gotten smarter as well. They have learned from every mistake we have ever made, and from every shortened course of antibiotics."
"We, as clinicians, need to do a better job of telling our patients that proper disposal of antibiotics is a really important practice," she added. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aap/76116?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-11-05&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1111&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-11-05&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Injury to a parent may result in sleep issues for children and teens
Following a parental injury, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), children (ages ≤17) had a 17% increased rate of outpatient care for sleep disorders for issues such as circadian rhythm disorder, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and unspecified sleep disorders, reported Capt. Saira Ahmed, MD, of the Walter Reed National Military Hospital in Washington, and colleagues.
Also, teenagers had a 37% (incidence rate ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.25-1.50) increase in sleep visits, they said in a presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting.
Ahmed reported at an AAP press conference that her group accessed records from the Military Health System, and determined there was an overall 48% increase (IRR 1.48, 95% CI 1.33-1.63) in sleep visits among the children of parents who experienced PTSD and TBI.
She told MedPage Today that only a small percentage of the parental injuries were related to combat. "These were common injuries...such as vehicular accidents or falls around the home, and therefore it is likely that the findings are applicable to the general population," Ahmed stated. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aap/76119?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-11-05&eun=g721819d0r&pos=11&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202018-11-05&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days
Working Group Convened To Explore Growing Diabetes Crisis.
reported that it recently “convened a working group of policymakers, researchers, clinicians and experts to explore the growing diabetes crisis, and identify challenges, gaps and solutions.” Taking part in the working group were “researchers from the National Institutes of Health, PCORI, congressional staff and academic experts, as well as health care providers ranging from endocrinologists to pharmacists and community health workers.” The group’s “conversation mostly focused on Type 2 diabetes, particularly regarding prevention, although some aspects of the discussion particularly surrounding disease management and care coordination apply as well to Type 1.” Currently, “one in three” US adults “are living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the CDC.” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/02/us-diabetes-epidemic-959043
Testosterone Replacement Therapy May Reduce Risk For Early Mortality In Men With T2D
reported that research indicates “testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may reduce the risk for early mortality in men with type 2 diabetes.” But, “this potential benefit does not stem from improvement in conventional cardiovascular risk factors.” The research was published in BJU International. https://www.renalandurologynews.com/hypogonadism/testosterone-replacement-therapy-diabetes-lower-death-risk/article/812348/
Friday, November 2, 2018
Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease Who Take Diabetes Medicines May Have Fewer Signs Of Dementia, Postmortem Study Indicates.
reports that in a small postmortem study involving brain examinations, researchers found that people with Alzheimer’s disease who take diabetes medications “may have fewer signs of dementia in their brains than similar patients not taking the” medicines. The findings were published online in PLOS One. https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/could-diabetes-drugs-help-curb-alzheimer-s-739173.html
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Patients With GH Deficiency Due To Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma May Experience Excessive Morbidity Due To Cerebral Infarction, Sepsis Regardless Of Whether They Received Long-Term GH Therapy.
reports, “Patients with growth hormone [GH] deficiency due to nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma experienced excessive morbidity due to cerebral infarction and sepsis regardless of whether they received long-term GH therapy, whereas treatment was associated with a normal incidence of type 2 diabetes [T2D], despite higher” body mass index “and more severe hypopituitarism in treated patients,” researchers concluded in a 426-patient study. The findings were published in the European Journal of Endocrinology. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/neuroendocrinology/news/in-the-journals/%7B0739a3a3-f592-4352-93f0-2ee5b5a89251%7D/no-association-between-long-term-gh-replacement-comorbidities-in-nonfunctioning-pituitary-adenoma
News Nov 01, 2018 | Original Story from the National Institutes of Health. Animal Movement Controlled by Gut Bacteria Credit: Pixabay. AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to RedditShare to LinkedInShare to WhatsAppShare to Google+Share to More A new study puts a fresh spin on what it means to “go with your gut.” The findings, published in Nature, suggest that gut bacteria may control movement in fruit flies and identify the neurons involved in this response. The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. “This study provides additional evidence for a connection between the gut and the brain, and in particular outlines how gut bacteria may influence behavior, including movement,” said Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., program director at NINDS. Researchers led by Sarkis K. Mazmanian, Ph.D., professor of microbiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and graduate student Catherine E. Schretter, observed that germ-free flies, which did not carry bacteria, were hyperactive. For instance, they walked faster, over greater distances, and took shorter rests than flies that had normal levels of microbes. Dr. Mazmanian and his team investigated ways in which gut bacteria may affect behavior in fruit flies. “Locomotion is important for a number of activities such as mating and searching for food. It turns out that gut bacteria may be critical for fundamental behaviors in animals,” said Dr. Mazmanian. Fruit flies carry between five and 20 different species of bacteria and Dr. Mazmanian’s team treated the germ-free animals with individual strains of those microbes. When the flies received Lactobacillus brevis, their movements slowed down to normal speed. L. brevis was one of only two species of bacteria that restored normal behavior in the germ-free flies. Dr. Mazmanian’s group also discovered that the molecule xylose isomerase (Xi), a protein that breaks down sugar and is found in L. brevis, may be critical to this process. Isolating the molecule and treating germ-free flies with it was sufficient to slow down the speedwalkers. Additional experiments showed that Xi may regulate movement by fine-tuning levels of certain carbohydrates, such as trehalose, which is the main sugar found in flies and is similar to mammalian glucose. Flies that were given Xi had lower levels of trehalose than did untreated germ-free flies. When Xi-treated flies, which showed normal behavior, were given trehalose alone, they resumed fast movements suggesting that the sugar was able to reverse the effects of Xi. Next, the researchers looked into the flies’ nervous system to see what cells were involved in bacteria-directed movement. When Dr. Mazmanian’s team turned on neurons that produce the chemical octopamine, that activation canceled out the effect of L. brevis on the germ-free flies. As a result, the flies, which had previously slowed down after receiving the bacterium or Xi, resumed their speedwalking behavior. Turning on octopamine-producing nerve cells in flies with normal levels of bacteria also caused them to move faster. However, activating neurons that produce other brain chemicals did not influence the flies’ movements. According to Dr. Mazmanian, Schretter and their colleagues, Xi may be monitoring the flies’ metabolic state, including levels of nutrients, and then signaling to octopamine neurons whether they should turn on or off, resulting in changes in behavior. Instead of octopamine, mammals produce a comparable chemical called noradrenaline, which has been shown to control movement. “Gut bacteria may play a similar role in mammalian locomotion, and even in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Mazmanian. More research is needed to see whether bacteria control movement in other species, including mammals. In addition, future studies will further investigate how Xi is involved in these behaviors. This article has been republished from materials provided by the National Institutes of Health. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Reference Schretter CE. et al. A gut microbial factor modulates locomotor behavior in Drosophila. Nature. October 24, 2018. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0634-9. 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A New Way to Treat Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?
Maria Lindahl and her team at the University of Helsinki have found that the removal of mesencephalic astrocyte–derived neurotrophic factor MANF specifically from β-cells in adult mice results in the loss of β-cells in diabetes.
"This indicates that MANF expression is needed for the survival, maintenance and function of pancreatic β-cells in mice. MANF was also found to protect stressed β-cells from death and to induce the proliferation of β-cells from old mice," Maria Lindahl says.
“This discovery further suggests that MANF has therapeutic potential for the treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, where β-cell protecting and regenerating therapies are not available,” says Tatiana Danilova from Maria Lindahl's team.
In previous collaboration studies at the University of Helsinki by the groups directed by Professor Mart Saarma and Professor Timo Otonkoski, MANF deficiency in mice led to diabetes due to the progressive loss of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. MANF was found to be important for the survival and proliferation of both human and mouse β-cells in culture.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/a-new-way-to-treat-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes-311298?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=67155703&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_qb_1wF69DOC19iPGOfTE2I5pOf9POZOBtoCfaupivs-9A8ZzNbx0c3aBESLn467lW7al-j6XT8cq73UEj8ivGVJbvXw&_hsmi=67155703
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