Dr. House
Dr. House
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Breastfeeding Could Reduce A Child’s Risk Of Obesity By 25 Percent, WHO Study Finds.
reports that according to the findings of “a major study involving 16 countries” and led by experts from the World Health Organization, breastfeeding may reduce “the chances of a child becoming obese by up to 25%.” The study of data “from nearly 30,000 children” demonstrates “children who were never breastfed were 22% more likely to be obese and those who had been breastfed for less than six months were 12% more likely to be obese than children who were breastfed for six months.” The findings were published in the journal Obesity Facts. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/30/breastfeeding-reduces-child-obesity-risk-by-up-to-25-who-finds
Monday, April 29, 2019
Work Stress and Poor Sleep: Combined Effects on Heart Disease Characterized
During an average follow-up of nearly 18 years, the absolute risk of cardiovascular death in hypertensive staff increased in a stepwise fashion with each additional condition. Employees with both work stress and impaired sleep had an absolute risk of 7.13 per 1,000 person-years compared to 3.05 per 1,000-person years in those with no stress and healthy sleep. Absolute risks for only work stress or only poor sleep were 4.99 and 5.95 per 1,000 person-years, respectively.
In the study, work stress was defined as jobs with high demand and low control – for example when an employer wants results but denies authority to make decisions. “If you have high demands but also high control, in other words you can make decisions, this may even be positive for health,” said Professor Ladwig. “But being entrapped in a pressured situation that you have no power to change is harmful.”
Impaired sleep was defined as difficulties falling asleep and/or maintaining sleep. “Maintaining sleep is the most common problem in people with stressful jobs,” said Professor Ladwig. “They wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning to go to the toilet and come back to bed ruminating about how to deal with work issues.”
“These are insidious problems,” noted Professor Ladwig. “The risk is not having one tough day and no sleep. It is suffering from a stressful job and poor sleep over many years, which fade energy resources and may lead to an early grave.”
The findings are a red flag for doctors to ask patients with high blood pressure about sleep and job strain, said Professor Ladwig. “Each condition is a risk factor on its own and there is cross-talk among them, meaning each one increases risk of the other. Physical activity, eating healthily and relaxation strategies are important, as well as blood pressure lowering medication if appropriate.”
Employers should provide stress management and sleep treatment in the workplace, he added, especially for staff with chronic conditions like hypertension. https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/work-stress-and-poor-sleep-combined-effects-on-heart-disease-characterized-318752?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72164716&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--UwBZpmxjWCDATHeYHWWKoGCW2Gy42FFDKYWg646zZ8f37e089XdrJRocM9t9KgabdYw8u6C2fHekM_yKAz5lm7pCo8w&_hsmi=72164717
High Blood Levels of Environmental Pollutant Linked to Premature Death
PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of environmental pollutants that are subject to restrictions in many countries and the prohibitions have led to lower levels of PCBs in the environment. But when these substances are broken down very slowly and stored in fatty tissue, they are still present in animals and humans. Especially PCBs with many chlorine atoms in the molecule remain in the blood of most Swedes.
The so-called PIVUS study comprises more than 1,000 randomly selected 70-year-olds in Uppsala who have been followed for a long time. In the current study, levels of PCBs in the blood were measured in 2001–2004 and then also at 75 years of age. Follow-up of those who died during a ten-year period showed that the individuals who had the highest levels of PCBs with many chlorine atoms in the blood had an excess mortality of about 50 percent, especially in cardiovascular disease, compared to other groups. This corresponds to approximately seven extra deaths during the ten-year follow-up period.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/high-blood-levels-of-environmental-pollutant-linked-to-premature-death-318767?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72164716&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--UwBZpmxjWCDATHeYHWWKoGCW2Gy42FFDKYWg646zZ8f37e089XdrJRocM9t9KgabdYw8u6C2fHekM_yKAz5lm7pCo8w&_hsmi=72164717
Friday, April 26, 2019
Colorectal Cancer Vaccine Proves Safe in Phase I Trial
In earlier preclinical work in mice, Jefferson researchers demonstrated how the design of their vaccine worked. Tumor vaccines have historically been developed against a sort of molecular sign-post for cancer. Because they come from normal cells, cancer cells share nearly all of the same molecules, making it difficult for the immune system to differentiate normal from cancerous. Tumor antigens are molecules that the immune system can recognize as different from normal. In colorectal cancer, one such molecule called GUCY2C, was identified by Scott Waldman, MD, PhD, the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Professor and Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health.
The vaccine developed by first author, Adam Snook, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Dr. Waldman and others, works by activating the immune system against the GUCY2C molecule. By joining the GUCY2C molecule with a molecule that boosts the immune reaction called PADRE, and loading it into an adenovirus vector, the researchers engineered a vaccine that could specifically target the colon cancer.
The current clinical trial enrolled 10 patients with stage I or II colon cancer. Patients were given one dose and came back for blood draws 30, 90, 180 days after immunization. Patients experienced some discomfort at the injection site, but reported no serious side effects of the vaccine. The blood samples showed activation of “killer T cells,” the immune cell type the researchers had expected. These killer T cells are responsible for finding and killing colon cancer cells that are responsible for causing the cancer to come back.
“We are preparing for a phase II study that will begin recruiting patients this fall,” says Dr. Snook. “We used lessons learned in the first study to modify the vaccine to hopefully make it even more effective.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/cancer-research/news/colorectal-cancer-vaccine-proves-safe-in-phase-i-trial-318665?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72115068&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9TiCn4wM1y4qtkjH6v3BGMDexS5jg9k6jcfX3IFNeVOGY247LVy5kKEukg87km1RF-w-udu7Q7e-maec7BXpPfqqcj5w&_hsmi=72115068
Gallup Poll Finds Americans Are Among Most Stressed People Worldwide.
reports on a Gallup poll which found that in 2018, “Americans reported feeling stress, anger and worry at the highest levels in a decade.” In the US, nearly 55 percent of adults “said they had experienced stress during ‘a lot of the day’ prior, compared with just 35 percent globally.” The poll “found that being under 50, earning a low income and having a dim view of President Trump’s job performance were correlated with negative experiences among adults in the United States.” http://time.com/5577626/americans-stressed-out-gallup-poll/
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Brain Network May Explain Why We Keep Eating Calorie-rich Foods Long After We're Full
Experiments in the past few years have suggested that our wiring for hedonic feeding involves nociceptin, a small protein that works as a signaling molecule in the mammalian nervous system. Kash's laboratory and other groups have found that compounds blocking nociceptin activity - called nociceptin receptor antagonists - have little or no effect on homeostatic feeding by lab rats and mice, but these compounds do curb hedonic bingeing on tasty, calorie-rich foods. Thus, drug developers have eyed these antagonists as potential anti-obesity, anti-binge-eating drugs, and researchers have been eager to identify the specific brain circuits through which they work. The goal would be to develop a more targeted treatment.
Identifying this circuit is largely what Kash and colleagues accomplished in their new study. They engineered mice to produce a fluorescent molecule along with nociceptin, literally illuminating the cells that drive nociceptin circuits. There are multiple nociceptin circuits in the brain, but Kash and colleagues observed that one in particular became active when the mice got a chance to binge on calorie-rich food. The circuit projects to different parts of the brain, including those known to regulate feeding. It starts in an emotion-processing region of the brain called the central amygdala.
Deleting about half of the nociceptin-making neurons in this circuit reduced the mice's bingeing and kept their weight down when they had access to rich food, without affecting their intake of ordinary chow. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/the-neurobiology-of-noshing-318609?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72076799&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-95kJ92fGhbY3mHb3oZFJ4ACoK8cLST0IfGVCk-dEVkogIQWteSc3wh0J0Ea32OovcUuNog_gNwGJgFo9spOiTRdT5tJw&_hsmi=72076799
The Key to a Good Night’s Sleep: A Step Towards New Sleep Disorder Treatments
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body’s pineal gland – located near the center of the brain. Humans respond to changes in daylight via the pineal gland. During the day the pineal gland is “inactive”, however as daylight fades and darkness descends, the gland becomes “active” and produces more melatonin which is then released. The released melatonin then binds to MT1 and MT2 receptors on the surface of your cells, and you begin to feel less alert. Before dawn, the level of melatonin decreases, signaling that it is time to wake up. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/the-key-to-a-good-nights-sleep-a-step-towards-new-sleep-disorder-treatments-318599?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72076799&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-95kJ92fGhbY3mHb3oZFJ4ACoK8cLST0IfGVCk-dEVkogIQWteSc3wh0J0Ea32OovcUuNog_gNwGJgFo9spOiTRdT5tJw&_hsmi=72076799
Common Food Preservative Triggers Weight Gain, Insulin Resistance In Mice
reports on a study in mice that found that consuming the preservative propionate “may trigger metabolic responses that are linked to obesity and diabetes.” The additive, a naturally occurring fatty acid which helps prevent mold, was found to cause “weight gain and resistance to the hormone insulin” in mice, and spurred “a release of blood sugar-raising hormones – and a subsequent surge in insulin.” The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/food-and-nutrition-news-316/could-common-food-preservative-make-people-fat-745475.html
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Obesity Linked to Changes in Brain Structure
"We found that having higher levels of fat distributed over the body is associated with smaller volumes of important structures of the brain, including gray matter structures that are located in the center of the brain," Dr. Dekkers said. "Interestingly, we observed that these associations are different for men and women, suggesting that gender is an important modifier of the link between fat percentage and the size of specific brain structures."
Analysis showed that, in men, higher total body fat percentage correlated with lower gray matter volume overall and in specific structures involved in the reward circuitry and the movement system. In women, total body fat only showed a significant negative association with the globus pallidus, a structure involved in voluntary movement. For both men and women, higher total body fat percentage increased the likelihood of microscopic changes to the brain's white matter. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/obesity-linked-to-changes-in-brain-structure-318539?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72032609&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--BRVsCPP60G3nQSmmWQjzfmWbAOZfdcnaiZNTHkxgbarRgFvsrYgka13jjdXfaDGfqEamENot4jsxNkEoNZa2CSV9GCA&_hsmi=72032609
Reasons Why Some People Are More Susceptible to C. diff
The UVA researchers found that the immune response to C. diff causes tissue damage and even death through a type of immune cell called Th17. This solves a longstanding mystery about why disease severity does not correlate with the amount of bacteria in the body but, instead, to the magnitude of the immune response. It also explains why patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to suffer severe C. diff infections and more https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/reasons-why-some-people-are-more-susceptible-to-c-diff-318535?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72032609&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--BRVsCPP60G3nQSmmWQjzfmWbAOZfdcnaiZNTHkxgbarRgFvsrYgka13jjdXfaDGfqEamENot4jsxNkEoNZa2CSV9GCA&_hsmi=72032609
Forget the “Fountain of Youth”, Longevity Lies in a Gene
As humans and other mammals grow older, their DNA is increasingly prone to breaks, which can lead to gene rearrangements and mutations--hallmarks of cancer and aging. For that reason, researchers have long hypothesized that DNA repair plays an important role in determining an organism's lifespan. While behaviors like smoking can exacerbate double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA, the breaks themselves are unavoidable. "They are always going to be there, even if you're super healthy," says Bohmann. "One of the main causes of DSBs is oxidative damage and, since we need oxygen to breathe, the breaks are inevitable."
Organisms like mice have a smaller chance of accumulating double-strand breaks in their comparatively short lives, versus organisms with longer lifespans, Bohmann says. "But, if you want to live for 50 years or so, there's more of a need to put a system into place to fix these breaks."
The longevity gene
SIRT6 is often called the "longevity gene" because of its important role in organizing proteins and recruiting enzymes that repair broken DNA; additionally, mice without the gene age prematurely, https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/forget-the-fountain-of-youth-longevity-lies-in-a-gene-318524?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=72032609&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--BRVsCPP60G3nQSmmWQjzfmWbAOZfdcnaiZNTHkxgbarRgFvsrYgka13jjdXfaDGfqEamENot4jsxNkEoNZa2CSV9GCA&_hsmi=72032609
Significant Changes Made In 2009 To WIC Program Resulted In Reduced Risk For Obesity Among Small Children
reports that “significant changes” in 2009 that made the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) “more nutritious for low-income families and children resulted in reducing the risk of obesity among four-year-old children who had been part of the program since infancy,” researchers found. Investigators “found that the obesity risk was 12% lower for boys and 10% lower for girls who received a full dose of the new food package up until age four, compared to children who receive a full dose of the old food package.” The findings were published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://www.nola.com/news/2019/04/toddlers-obesity-rates-dropped-when-food-voucher-program-became-more-nutritious-study.html
Average Sitting Time Rises Among Americans, Study Indicates.
reports that a new study published in JAMA found that average daily sitting time in America has “increased by roughly an hour, to about eight hours for U.S. teens and almost 6 1/2 hours for adults,” over the nearly a decade. By 2016, “at least half of American kids and adults spent an hour or more of leisure time daily using computers,” with the largest increase “among the oldest adults.” Washington University researcher and lead author Yin Cao said, “Everything we found is concerning. ... The overall message is prolonged sitting is highly prevalent.” https://apnews.com/27cbf8a6e2c94427851111fada8a6a3d
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Sugar Rush in Septic Shock Leads to Mouse Memory Loss
The loss of memory and cognitive function known to afflict survivors of septic shock is the result of a sugar that is released into the blood stream and enters the brain during the life-threatening condition. This finding, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains the premature mental aging that follows septic shock and may shed light on memory loss in other diseases.
“This sugar is getting into the hippocampus, and it shouldn’t be in there,” said Robert Linhardt, professor of biocatalysis and metabolic engineering and member of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and lead author of the study. “We actually think this is rewiring memory in the hippocampus, and it’s causing memory loss. Neural circuits are being disrupted or broken or connected in the wrong way.” https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/sugar-shock-leads-to-memory-loss-318472?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71985485&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Y9KdcLKvRegmJVFncsgokTOTcv4F0YeJH3A5MzYWhlMYB_JmS1yXFPY3bbpf63Ota3MIvuVPbn4CnTjv5ZYQpwAdkOA&_hsmi=71985485
This is a no brainer Children, Teens Who Drink Water Are Less Likely To Consume Sugary Beverages Throughout Day
reports that research suggests “children and teens who drink water are less likely to consume sugary beverages throughout the day.” Investigators found that “one out of every five kids and young adults” in the study “reported that they did not drink water in the day prior to the survey.” The study indicated that “not drinking water was associated with consuming an extra 93 calories per day, on average, and 4.5% more calories from sweetened beverages such as sodas, sports drinks and juice.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Medscape (4/22, Brown, Subscription Publication) reports, “Caloric intake from” sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) “was significantly higher among non-Hispanic white (237.4 vs 114.9 kcal), non-Hispanic black (218.1 vs 124.9 kcal), and Hispanic children (176.1 vs 115.3 kcal) who reported no water intake compared with those who reported water intake.” Additionally, “caloric intake from SSBs was...significantly higher among those who did not drink water vs those who did in all age categories.” https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/22/health/water-decreases-sugary-drinks-study/index.html
Dim Light Exposure At Night May Cause Breast Cancer To Metastasize To The Bones,
reports that research presented at ENDO 2019 reveals “the possible dangers of dim light exposure at night that could cause breast cancer to metastasize to the bones.” Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that “more than a third of adults in the U.S. get less than the recommended amount of sleep per night.” The National Cancer Institute estimates that “more than 150,000 U.S. women had breast cancer in 2017 that metastasized,” often to the bones. Readers are invited to “read more about endocrine neoplasia and cancer and how the Endocrine Society is leading the way in identifying new and better ways to treat these diseases.” https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/pillow-talk-the-possible-link-between-circadian-disruption-and-breast-cancer-metastasis/
Boys And Girls With Obesity Appear To Already Display Hallmarks Of Reproductive Dysfunction During Early Stages Of Puberty, Researchers Say.
“Boys and girls with obesity already display hallmarks of reproductive dysfunction during the early stages of puberty, including differences in hormone levels that are partially influenced by high insulin secretion,” researchers concluded in a “a cross-sectional analysis” involving “50 boys (median age, 12 years) and 54 girls (median age, 10 years) with and without obesity in early puberty (Tanner stages 2 and 3), recruited between 2009 and 2015 for the Health Influences of Puberty study.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/obesity/news/online/%7B94d88987-9edf-4186-a3c1-9852f66482d1%7D/obesitys-effect-on-reproductive-hormones-begins-in-early-puberty
Monday, April 22, 2019
Friday, April 19, 2019
Ancient Pee Reveals Switch From Hunting to Herding
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/ancient-pee-reveals-switch-from-hunting-to-hearding-318415?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71887646&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--b9MmlkT3XwJTQmxS6aZsttCVfX6sOVgEQ42Lf_PJFbW540P6rOS2DoeO4dBp8pt-kswuGDf96OMDSCWVIBztZqjLtyA&_hsmi=71887646
The transition from hunting and gathering to farming and herding is considered a crucial turning point in the history of humanity. Scholars think the intensive food production that came along with the Neolithic Revolution, starting around 10,000 B.C., allowed cities to grow, led to technological innovation and, eventually, enabled life as we know it today.
It has been difficult to work out the details of how and when this took place. But a new study published in Science Advances begins to resolve the scale and pace of change during the first phases of animal domestication at an ancient site in Turkey. To reconstruct this history, the authors turned to an unusual source: urine salts left behind by humans and animals.
Whereas dung is commonly used in all sorts of studies, “this is the first time, to our knowledge, that people have picked up on salts in archaeological materials, and used them in a way to look at the development of animal management,” says lead author Jordan Abell, a graduate student at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The team used the urine salts to calculate the density of humans and animals at the site over time, estimating that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. The results suggest that domestication may have been more rapid than previously expected. They also support the idea that the Neolithic Revolution didn’t have just one birthplace in the Fertile Crescent of the Mideast, but rather occurred across several locations simultaneously.
Researchers Discover Genetic Mutation Tied To Low Appetite And Develop Genetic Risk Score For Obesity.
reports researchers found in one study that some “people carry a genetic alteration [in the MC4R gene] that mutes appetite,” which “also greatly reduces their chances of getting diabetes or heart disease.” In another study using the same data as the first, researchers developed “a genetic risk score for obesity” that “can help predict, as early as childhood, who is at high risk for a lifetime of obesity and who is not.” Both studies were published in Cell.
The AP (4/18, Ritter) reports that in the second study, the researchers developed a test that “examines more than 2 million spots in a person’s genetic code, seeking variants that individually nudge a person’s obesity risk up by a tiny amount.” The researchers found that “middle-aged people with scores in the top 10 percent were 25 times as likely to be severely obese as those in the bottom 10 percent,” and that “those two groups were separated by an average weight difference of about 29 pounds (13 kilograms).” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/health/genetics-weight-obesity.html
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Common Myths Compromise Good Sleep
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/common-myths-compromise-good-sleep-318406?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71879855&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fbiJenaUANr70FBI3VpwEn9GarzrU_gJwmq-BeiEVHUOvKkdWDMPTP4hfNzP16tdwu9jMkQ93wX2AcuUe1RZabuVf_Q&_hsmi=71879855
People often say they can get by on five or fewer hours of sleep, that snoring is harmless, and that having a drink helps you to fall asleep.
These are, in fact, among the most widely held myths about sleeping that not only shape poor habits, but may also pose a significant public health threat, according to a new study published online April 16 in Sleep Health.
Researchers from NYU School of Medicine reviewed more than 8,000 websites to identify the 20 most common assumptions about sleep. With a team of sleep medicine experts, they ranked them based on whether each could be dispelled as a myth or supported by scientific evidence, and on the harm that the myth could cause.
“Sleep is a vital part of life that affects our productivity, mood, and general health and wellbeing,” says study lead investigator, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health. “Dispelling myths about sleep promotes healthier sleep habits which, in turn, promote overall better health.”
The claim by some people that they can get by on five hours of sleep was among the top myths researchers were able to dispel based on scientific evidence. They say this myth also poses the most serious risk to health from long-term sleep deficits. To avoid the effects of this falsehood and others identified in this study, such as the value of taking naps when you routinely have difficulty sleeping overnight, Dr. Robbins and her colleagues suggest creating a consistent sleep schedule and spending more time, at least seven hours, asleep.
Another common myth relates to snoring. And while Dr. Robbins says snoring can be harmless, it can also be a sign of sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing starts and stops over the course of the night. The authors encourage patients not to dismiss loud snoring, but rather to see a doctor since this sleep behavior may lead to heart stoppages or other illnesses.
Oxytocin May Have Potential As Treatment For Alcoholism
reports that “scientists believe an oxytocin nasal spray could help treat alcoholism, according to a new study.” The study’s authors – “led by Drs. Tunstall, Koob and Vendruscolo of the National Institutes of Health and Drs. Kirson and Roberto of The Scripps Research Institute – believe their findings could translate into new pharmaceutical treatments for alcoholism, a release said.” https://www.foxnews.com/health/oxytocin-nasal-spray-alcoholism
Researchers Evaluate Bariatric Embolization As A Treatment For Severe Obesity.
reports that researchers found that “bariatric embolization – in which one or more arteries to the stomach are blocked with microspheres – led to promising one-year weight-loss in a pilot study of 20 patients with severe obesity.” In the “proof-of-concept study, patients who had an average of 67 kg (148 pounds) excess weight at baseline lost 11.5% of it 12 months following the procedure.” The findings were published online in Radiology. https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2019182354?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed&
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Do Breathing Sounds Tell a Story? Crackling vs Wheezing
Vibrating the lung cells makes them promote inflammation which damages the lung. Asthma already involves inflammation of the airway tubes in the lung, so wheezing likely just makes things worse.
And what’s going on when patients inhale and produce a crackling sound?
Crackles are ruptures of liquid plugs in the smaller airway tubes that pop open during inspiration. The sound mechanism is very similar to drinking through a straw when you get down to the last sips at the bottom of the cup. The gurgling is a mixture of liquid and air with popping bubbles, just like a fluid-overloaded lung.
The sequence is very damaging to the cells, and again they respond with inflammation and injury.
How do you see this new understanding impacting diagnoses or treatments?
Well, this is completely new territory. Since no one has ever viewed lung sounds as a cause of disease, they have not been investigating it. It’s a paradigm shift for a field that has a 200-year history with the stethoscope.
Experimental models need to be designed to include measurement of injury, from cellular to whole organ level, along with measurement of sound. Our research group in collaboration with—Shuichi Takayama, a former U-M professor of biomedical engineering now at Georgia Tech—has done that for crackles in microfluidic platforms, but that is just a beginning. https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/do-breathing-sounds-tell-a-story-crackling-vs-wheezing-318241?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71790839&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-89ko7bCIZ0SH5z59m72KU9_zOgDZWLbfigHc9_MB6doPJIIJCNhoENopzlr6BnsaY64z4Bzby3w-yN14nThiUJsKsIvA&_hsmi=71790839
3D Heart Printed Using Patient's Own Tissue
"This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," says Prof. Tal Dvir of TAU's School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, who led the research for the study. https://www.technologynetworks.com/cell-science/news/3d-heart-printed-using-patients-own-tissue-318230?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71790839&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-89ko7bCIZ0SH5z59m72KU9_zOgDZWLbfigHc9_MB6doPJIIJCNhoENopzlr6BnsaY64z4Bzby3w-yN14nThiUJsKsIvA&_hsmi=71790839
FDA Approves Prescription Weight Loss Drug.
reports that “in a rare move, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a novel prescription drug meant to help with weight loss and weight management.” The prescription “drug, called Plenity [cellulose and citric acid] and developed by Gelesis, has been cleared for overweight or obese adults with a body mass index of at least 25, even if they do not have other health problems.” Plenity “should be used in conjunction with diet and exercise, the FDA says, and can also be taken alongside other weight-loss medications.” http://time.com/5570718/plenity-weight-loss-drug/
Older Adults Who Use Metformin May Experience Reduced Cognitive Performance Due To Possible Vitamin B6 And B12 Deficiency,
Older adults who use metformin might experience reduced cognitive performance, possibly because of deficiency of vitamins B6 and B12,” researchers concluded. The findings of the 4,160-older adult study were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/home/topics/diabetes/type-2-diabetes/metformin-use-b-vitamin-deficiency-linked-to-reduced-cognitive-performance/
Monday, April 15, 2019
Growth Hormone Makes Weight Loss Harder
For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why it’s so difficult to maintain the weight achieved after the sacrifices of a successful diet and why it’s so easy to regain the lost weight. Leptin has hitherto been considered the main hormone that acts to conserve energy when we’re hungry,” Donato said.
Bloodstream leptin levels are known to fall in response to weight loss, he explains, but this knowledge has never resulted in the creation of a successful diet or therapy with leptin that could enable subjects to lose weight and not regain it soon afterwards.
“The weight loss process evidently involves several metabolic processes and several hormones besides leptin. This is where GH comes in. We found that in response to weight loss, GH acts on the brain in a similar way to leptin. However, while leptin levels fall, the opposite happens to GH. Weight loss triggers a rise in bloodstream levels of GH,” Donato said.
“In the recently published article, we show that central growth hormone signaling also promotes neuroendocrine adaptations during food deprivation.”
GH receptors in the brain are located in the hypothalamus, the highest center of the autonomic nervous system. Impulses from the hypothalamus influence the cells of the neurovegetative system and regulate smooth muscle tissue in the gut and blood vessels, cardiac muscle, all glands, and the kidneys, among other organs.
The researchers found that GH receptors in the hypothalamus specifically activate a small population of neurons called AgRP, which is short for agouti-related protein. AgRP neurons in turn increase the production of AgRP, which increases appetite and diminishes energy metabolism and expenditure.
“AgRP is one of the most powerful appetite stimulants. It’s curious to see how a small number of AgRP neurons, only a few thousand out of the billions of neurons in the hypothalamus, can play such an important role,” Donato said. https://www.technologynetworks.com/cell-science/news/gh-also-key-to-neuroendocrine-adapation-to-weight-loss-318211?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71749895&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_uzQihMVJEqv30s6xeIjNbHPuahcVNPPO9xfI4LmKpS_uBd4m6xXOJdFnYdXTZIVu6AOyi2ny3NbxPTh-JTGZQzmXG_Q&_hsmi=71749895
Gene Linked to Appetite Regulation Offers Obesity Insights
"We had identified a group of severely obese children carrying rare genetic variants in the SRC-1 gene," said co-corresponding author Dr. I. Sadaf Farooqi, professor of metabolism and medicine in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow.
Working together, Xu, Sadaf Farooqi and their colleagues found that many of the SRC-1 variants in the obese children produced dysfunctional proteins that disrupted the normal function of SRC-1. On the other hand, SRC-1 variants in healthy individuals did not disrupt SRC-1 function.
Furthermore, mice genetically engineered to express one of the human SRC-1 genetic variants found in obese children ate more and gained weight. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/gene-linked-to-appetite-regulation-offers-obesity-insights-318199?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71749895&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_uzQihMVJEqv30s6xeIjNbHPuahcVNPPO9xfI4LmKpS_uBd4m6xXOJdFnYdXTZIVu6AOyi2ny3NbxPTh-JTGZQzmXG_Q&_hsmi=71749895
Obesity May Overtake Smoking As Number One Preventable Cause Of Cancer, Experts Say.
reported that “smoking has been the No. 1 preventable cause of cancer for decades and still kills more than 500,000 people a year in the United States,” but “obesity is poised to take the top spot, as Americans’ waistlines continue to expand while tobacco use plummets.” Being obese and overweight “has been associated in recent years with an increased risk of getting at least 13 types of cancer, including stomach, pancreatic, colorectal and liver malignancies, as well as postmenopausal breast cancer.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-disturbing-links-between-too-much-weight-and-several-types-of-cancer/2019/04/12/b43c4e68-5a1d-11e9-842d-7d3ed7eb3957_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1de15ab4f4eb
Friday, April 12, 2019
Eliminating Damaged Mitochondria Before They Worsen Chronic Inflammation
NLRP3 inflammasome promotes inflammation because it triggers the release of two very potent pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines: interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. According to Karin, there are existing drugs that can block IL-1β, but not IL-18. ChoK inhibitors, his team found, can reduce both cytokines.
"There are several diseases, including lupus and osteoarthritis, whose treatment will likely require dual inhibition of both IL-1β and IL-18," Karin said. https://www.technologynetworks.com/cell-science/news/eliminating-damaged-mitochondria-before-they-worsen-chronic-inflammation-318116?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71697539&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8EmUggIpqWRO0S1rVWzismAGs96a8HyzXzUK69xNV-Hx5iWq4Uhys8VZ_MigNqS__DATT6FwkKhCImFjtIJZlYyqIBPw&_hsmi=71697539
Researchers Identify Factors Tied To Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery.
reports researchers found that “factors associated with weight regain after bariatric surgery include sedentary time, eating fast food, eating when feeling full, eating continuously, binge and loss-of-control eating, and weighing oneself less than weekly.” The findings were published in Annals of Surgery. https://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/Abstract/publishahead/Patient_Behaviors_and_Characteristics_Related_to.95143.aspx
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Better Tests Ahead in Lupus Varied phenotype and biomarker profiles make diagnosis and monitoring a challenge
Hell yes it does. I have SLE, RA, Sjogrens and scleroderma. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/acrsota/79133?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2019-04-11&eun=g721819d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202019-04-11&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_Active
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Use Of Topical Corticosteroids May Be Tied To Increased Risk Of T2D
Use of potent topical corticosteroids in the preceding four years was more common among Danish and U.K. adults who went on to develop type 2 diabetes [T2D] than among those who did not develop the disease,” indicating that “use of these agents may be associated with increased risk for” T2D, research indicated. The findings were published online in Diabetes Care. https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/%7B61189ba7-ccb6-4e72-9b3e-24f848669457%7D/topical-corticosteroid-use-may-increase-type-2-diabetes-risk
HbA1c Levels Associated With Mortality Regardless Of Diabetes Diagnosis
Regardless of diabetes diagnosis, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are associated with mortality, with risk for all-cause mortality increasing with HbA1c levels that are too low or too high,” researchers concluded after conducting “a study of participants from the Health and Retirement Study who had available HbA1c data and no history of cancer (n = 15,869).” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/home/topics/diabetes/hba1c-linked-to-all-cause-mortality-risk-in-patients-with-and-without-diabetes/
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
No Such Thing As a Sugar Rush
Using data collected from 31 published studies involving almost 1300 adults, Dr Konstantinos Mantantzis at Humboldt University of Berlin, Dr Sandra Sünram-Lea at Lancaster University, and Dr Friederike Schlaghecken and Professor Elizabeth Maylor in the University of Warwick’s Department of Psychology investigated the effect of sugar on various aspects of mood, including anger, alertness, depression, and fatigue.
They also considered how factors such as the quantity and type of sugar consumed might affect mood, and whether engaging in demanding mental and physical activities made any difference.
The researchers found that :
· sugar consumption has virtually no effect on mood, regardless of how much sugar is consumed or whether people engage in demanding activities after taking it.
· people who consumed sugar felt more tired and less alert than those who had not.
· the idea of a ‘sugar rush’ is a myth without any truth behind it.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/no-such-thing-as-a-sugar-rush-317870?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71573772&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8pOM0LySxd3W5cKzeyUGD5u8wB5KDpbjyw6MaYU0d7JFyxxwknZWjE68KG_-ib7g3LvE3eMARYnJXST19rF1yBB3NQsg&_hsmi=71573772
Dietary Supplements May Not Increase Life Expectancy And May Be Harmful In Large Quantities, Study Indicates.
reports researchers found that dietary supplements do not increase life expectancy, and may be harmful in large quantities. The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
TIME (4/8, Ducharme) reports the researchers concluded that “nutrients consumed via supplements do not improve health and longevity as effectively as those consumed through foods.” http://time.com/5564574/supplements-vitamins-health/
Excessive Vitamin D Use Can Cause Kidney Damage In People Not Deficient In The Vitamin, Case Report Indicates.
reports that “a recent case study indicates that excessive use of vitamin D can cause kidney damage in people who are not deficient in the vitamin.” The findings were published online in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. http://www.cmaj.ca/content/191/14/E390
Physical Activity Is Key To Maintaining Weight Loss, Not Diet, Study Indicates.
reports on a study published in Obesity, which found that being “very physically active rather than restricting calories appears to be key to keeping the pounds from creeping back after successful weight loss.” In a group of 25 middle-aged people who had lost an average of 58 pounds and “kept it off for nine years,” as compared to “similar people who had normal or excess weight,” the study found that the people who kept excess weight off “were much more physically active. On average, they took 12,107 steps/day, much more than the 8935 steps/day in the normal-weight group and the 6477 steps/day in the overweight/obese group.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.22373
Monday, April 8, 2019
Food Additive May Impact Flu Vaccine Effectiveness
Tert-butylhydroquinone, or tBHQ, can be found in several food products including cooking oils, frozen meats (especially fish) and processed foods such as chips and crackers. Products don't always have to include it on ingredient lists.
"If you get a vaccine, but part of the immune system doesn't learn to recognize and fight off virus-infected cells, then this can cause the vaccine to be less effective," said Robert Freeborn, a fourth-year doctoral student who led the study with Cheryl Rockwell, an associate professor in pharmacology and toxicology. "We determined that when tBHQ was introduced through the diet, it affected certain cells that are important in carrying out an appropriate immune response to the flu." https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/food-additive-may-impact-flu-vaccine-effectiveness-317806?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71532446&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-96g8X_eWrAba8bhX-M_TsKeX-QXupLePILLIoKsF4xL-Dwq9-mmkSrvE8hMewSe81-0T9pG6EKHO8xdOOWlE3tfBQjWQ&_hsmi=71532446
Many Women With Menstrual Symptoms Do Not Tell Their Families Or Physicians,
reported researchers found that “many women who suffer from menstrual symptoms like pain and heavy bleeding don’t tell their families or doctors about it even when it interferes with their ability to keep up with daily routines.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-menstruation/women-often-keep-impact-of-menstrual-pain-bleeding-to-themselves-idUSKCN1RH2EL
Friday, April 5, 2019
Beauty May Not Lie in the Eye of the Beholder – It May Lie in Genetics
Identifying parts of the genome associated with facial beauty
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) have conducted a genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify parts of the genome associated with facial beauty. "Facial beauty is a human trait that is of great interest worldwide. Previous studies provided evidence that attractiveness is genetically heritable, but no specific genetic variant has been identified for attractiveness", says Qiongshi Lu, Assistant Professor at UW and principal investigator of the study. "A map of genetic associations for attractiveness may allow us to quantitatively investigate the evolutionary reasons behind our preference for certain facial features."
The study, published in PLOS Genetics, used genetic information from a sample of 4,383 European individuals including both men and women. Volunteers were asked to score the sample's yearbook photos based on attractiveness, and the scores given to each person's photograph were analyzed with regards to their genetic information; "By linking each individual’s genetic information with his/her attractiveness rating, we were able to demonstrate the statistical associations between certain genetic variants and facial attractiveness" adds Lu.
GWAS studies are increasingly used in areas of science such as medicine, where researchers look for specific genetic variants that may increase disease susceptibility, for example. Nevertheless, their use in measuring attractiveness is a novel concept. The researchers have therefore created a study that spans two disciplines – genetics and sociology. Lu notes: Most sociological studies that focus on measuring attractiveness do not collect genetic data. The availability of matched genetic information and robustly measured attractiveness in our study cohort is the key to our success".
Genes related to attractiveness differ by sex
Several genes were identified across individuals that were measured as "attractive", and, interestingly, these genes differed across the sexes. In women, specific genetic variants associated with beauty were also related to genes impacting body mass. In contrast, variants associated to attractiveness in males were linked to genes affecting blood cholesterol levels.
"Our results suggest that there is not a ‘master gene’ with strong effect on facial attractiveness. Instead, attractiveness is most likely controlled by a large number of weak genetic associations with complex regulatory effects. That said, several relatively stronger association signals did show up in our analyses," Lu comments. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/beauty-may-not-lie-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-it-may-lie-in-genetics-317717?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71483341&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1V3-dptz3ZAwY765QDM7dZG3_xRms_8EtMwNb1RsjhtyMiIK_qhEhcuwXCzvrLOI2_ulhsBBmoXclIDO3ch4dCVR9TQ&_hsmi=71483341
Insulin Resistance May Be A Hallmark Of Schizophrenia, Study Suggests.
reports researchers found “more evidence of genetic ties between schizophrenia and insulin resistance” after studying “the association between insulin resistance, schizophrenia polygenic risk, and response to treatment in 58 drug-naive patients with schizophrenia and 58 matched healthy individuals while controlling for a range of demographic (age, gender, body mass index), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol and cannabis use) and clinical (psychopathology scores, treatment drug) factors.” The findings were published online April 3 in JAMA Psychiatry. https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkc2NhcGUuY29tL3ZpZXdhcnRpY2xlLzkxMTM1Mw==&ac=401
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Genetic Drivers of Heavy Drinking and Alcoholism
The researchers identified 13 independent genetic variants associated with alcohol consumption, eight of which had not been previously reported, including VRK2, DCLK2, ISL1, FTO, IGF2BP1, PPR1R3B, BRAP, and RBX1. Ten variants were associated with AUD, including seven that had not been previously associated with it: GCKR, SIX3, SLC39A8, DRD2 (rs4936277 and rs61902812), chr10q25.1, and FTO. The five variants associated with both heavy drinking and AUD were ADH1B, ADH1C, FTO, GCKR, and SLC39A8.
They also discovered 188 different genetic correlations to health outcomes among the study group, some in opposite directions. Notably, heavy drinking was associated with lower risk of coronary artery disease and glycemic traits, including type 2 diabetes, but positively correlated with overall health rating, HDL or "good" cholesterol concentration, and years of education. AUD was significantly correlated with 111 traits or diseases, including lower intelligence and likelihood of quitting smoking and greater risk of insomnia and most psychiatric disorders. The genetic differences between the two alcohol-related conditions and the observed opposite correlations point to potentially important differences in comorbidity and prognosis. That underscores the need to identify the effects of the risk variants in future, especially where they diverge by traits, to better understand and treat them, the authors said.https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/genetic-drivers-of-heavy-drinking-and-alcoholism-317625?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71402858&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_UBNpRnA7WqWL-WRpBSMpKSX7Q9gAsCz2h8PCZylk1RJDO4meUjYcZianXRalh-m4lmwHN8eGrk3EF2C9AKOstZZ3P7w&_hsmi=71402858
Hormone Oversecreted In Obesity May Provide Pathway From Adipose To Lung Tissue In People With Both Obesity And Asthma,
reports that aP2, “a hormone that is oversecreted in obesity, may provide a pathway from adipose to lung tissue in individuals with both obesity and asthma,” researchers concluded after comparing “525 individuals with body mass indices of less than 25 kg/m², of whom 15 had asthma, with 385 individuals with body mass indices of more than 25, of whom 15 of whom had asthma.” The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. In an embedded video interview, one of the study’s authors discusses the findings at length. https://www.mdedge.com/endocrinology/article/197962/obesity/obesity-related-asthma-new-hormonal-target
Dietitian Advises Vitamin D Supplements.
“In 2012, 20 percent of American adults reported taking vitamin D supplements,” but in light of “two recently published studies” some are wondering about the value of these supplements. The first “suggests vitamin D supplements neither lead to clinically significant improvement in bone mineral density nor reduce the risk of falls and fractures,” while the second found “supplementation with vitamin D did not result in a lower incidence of invasive cancer or cardiovascular events than placebo.” Brissette adds, “the Endocrine Society says at least 1,500 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day may be needed to achieve blood levels of vitamin D linked to bone health and muscle function,” and so, Brissette concludes, “taking 2,000 IU a day appears to be both sensible and safe for most people.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dont-throw-away-your-vitamin-d-supplements-yet/2019/04/01/56c0961c-4c13-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a47042dd4f14
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Some Childhood Cancers May Be More Com
reports a new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota suggests that “certain rare childhood cancers may be more common in children conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF), a U.S. study suggests, but parents needn’t lose sleep over this finding.” The higher “risk of cancer may be due at least in part to advanced maternal age and other health factors that lead women to try IVF in the first place... [researchers said].” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-ivf-cancer/ivf-tied-to-slight-increased-risk-of-rare-childhood-cancers-idUSKCN1RD365
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