People in their 40s with larger stomachs have a higher risk for dementia when they reach their 70s, according to researchers at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California. Previous studies have looked at central obesity (as determined by waist circumference) and body mass index in the elderly and its link to dementia risk, but this study, published in the online issue of Neurology, is the first time researchers have demonstrated a longitudinal association between midlife belly fat and the risk of dementia later. The researchers said that their finding is disturbing considering that 50 percent of adults in this country have abdominal obesity. Researchers studied 6,583 people age 40 to 45 in northern California who had their abdominal density measured. An average of 36 years later, 16 percent of the participants had been diagnosed with dementia. The study found that those who were overweight and had a large belly were 2.3 times more likely to develop dementia than people with a normal weight and belly size. People who were both obese and had a large belly were 3.6 times more likely to develop dementia than those of normal weight and belly size. Those who were overweight or obese but did not have a disproportionally large abdomen had an 80-percent increased risk of dementia.

 

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE LAUNCHES NEW STEM CELL CENTER
The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California has created a new Center for Regenerative Medicine and named noted stem cell researcher Jeanne F. Loring as its founding director. Researchers at the new Center will explore many aspects of stem cells, including embryonic, adult, and malignant cancer stem cells, from their basic biology to potential clinical applications in drug discovery, drug delivery, and cell therapy. The new center's major mission is to provide infrastructure to support collaboration and strategic partnerships in human stem cell research and train the next generation of stem cell scientists. The center will offer an intensive human embryonic stem cell laboratory course sponsored by the National Institutes of Health this fall, and it will be the site of the San Diego area training course supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

NEUROLOGY: GROWTH HORMONE FOUND TO PLAY ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT OF BRAIN’S SMELL CENTER

Insulin-like growth factor or IGF, a human hormone known to stimulate the growth of cells throughout the body, has been found to play a role in establishing the proper nerve connections in the odor center of the brain, according to researchers at the University of California at Berkeley. IGF has long been known role for its role to make cells grow and multiply, but the research, published in the journal Neuron, shows IGF is among a small number of molecules known to direct the growth of nerve cells in the brain during its development. The researchers said their study suggests said IGF could become important therapeutically once doctors begin implanting new cells, perhaps stem cells, into the brain to cure neurodegenerative diseases.

 

EPILEPSY: NEURAL HUB NETWORK MARKS THE DISORDER
An increased number of neuron hubs in the epileptic brain may be the root cause for the seizures that characterize the disorder, according to researchers at the University of California at Irvine. Researchers found that these hubs—a small number of highly connected neurons—are formed in the hippocampus during the transition from a healthy brain to an epileptic one. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports the increased number of connections among these hubs circulate and amplify signals to such a degree that they overwhelm brain networks, leading to epileptic seizures.

 

HEART DISEASE: CORONARY CALCIUM TESTING PREDICTS FUTURE AILMENTS
Calcium deposits in coronary arteries provide a strong predictor for possible future heart attacks and cardiac diseases, and detecting such deposits can be valuable for promoting overall cardiac health, researchers at the University of California at Irvine report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, the largest involving CT scanning to date, is the first to include racially and ethnically diverse participants. Coronary calcium is detected by CT scanning, a noninvasive procedure that, for calcium detection, does not require injected contrast. The procedure focuses on the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart and are especially susceptible to calcium buildup. The researchers found that participants with moderate deposit amounts had more than a seven times greater risk of cardiac heart disease compared to people with no coronary calcium buildup. Participants with large deposit amounts faced a 10 times greater risk. Coronary calcium is a marker for a diseased artery. It builds up like atherosclerotic plaque and is caused by the same primary factor—high blood lipid levels.

 
HEPATITIS C: DRAMATIC RISE IN DEATHS IN UNITED STATES FROM VIRUS
Hepatitis C-related deaths in the United States more than doubled from 1995 through 2004, the most recent year for which data are available, according to researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere. Mortality rates peaked in 2002, then declined slightly overall, while continuing to rise among people 55 to 64 years old. The study, published in the journal Hepatology, found Hepatitis C-related mortality rates increased from 1.09 deaths per 100,000 persons in 1995 to 2.57 per 100,000 in 2002, before declining slightly to 2.44 per 100,000 in 2004. Hepatitis C virus is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, affecting about 1.3 percent of the population. Up to one in five sufferers develops liver cirrhosis, and up to one in 20 develops liver cancer. HCV is the top reason for liver transplantation, and the 16th leading cause of premature death in the country. The researchers said the observed increases likely reflect both true increases in mortality and the growing use of serologic tests for HCV.

 

Researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have discovered how salmonella becomes lethal for AIDS patients. Their findings also implicate a mechanism by which HIV evades some of the powerful drugs used to treat AIDS. Nearly half of all HIV-positive African adults who become infected with Salmonella die from what otherwise would be a seven-day bout of diarrhea. The results of the study, published online by Nature Medicine, revealed that viral infection of the intestine results in the depletion of a type of white blood cell, called Th-17, in the gut mucosa. This T helper lymphocyte produces IL-17, a cytokine or chemical messenger that plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response, recruiting other immune system cells to the site of infection. This kind of interruption in the gut’s immune response could be allowing HIV to maintain reservoirs that evade drug treatments. The rise in patients with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa has led to a dramatic increase in the frequency of non-typhoidal Salmonella serotypes, the strains of the bacteria that cause acute food-borne disease worldwide. Normally, this infection is limited to the intestine, causing gastroenteritis. In AIDS patients, however, the infection spreads to the bloodstream and causes what is called NTS bacteremia.  

 

PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION: CORCEPT BEGINS FOURTH LATE-STAGE TRIAL OF CORLUX
Menlo Park, California-Corcept Therapeutics said it has begun its fourth late-stage clinical trial of its drug Corlux for the treatment of the psychotic features of psychotic depression. This trial is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study which will enroll up to 450 patients at approximately 25 sites in the United States. Psychotic depression is a serious psychiatric disorder which affects approximately 3 million people annually in the United States. It is more prevalent than either schizophrenia or manic depressive illness. The disorder is characterized by severe depression accompanied by delusions, hallucinations, or both. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a fast-track designation for Corlux for the treatment of the psychotic features of psychotic depression. In addition, the FDA has indicated that Corlux will receive a priority review if no other treatment is approved for psychotic depression at the time Corcept submits it for approval.  

CANCER: NEXT-GENERATION DRUG FROM NURX FOUND TO REDUCE SIZE AND NUMBER OF TUMORS
Irvine, California-based NuRx Pharmaceuticals reported its next-generation rexinoid agonist significantly reduced the number and size of lung tumors and lowered the total tumor volume in mouse models compared to the control group, according to a paper published in Clinical Cancer Research. The paper also reported that the experimental drug, known as NRX4204, caused marked tumor regression in all of the mammary tumors when used therapeutically. Rexinoids regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis pathways. The paper is based on a study that first evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of NRX4204 and its growth-inhibitory properties in vitro and then measured the compound's ability to prevent and/or treat experimental lung and estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer in vivo.