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Period Ending May 26, 2007
ALZHEIMER'S: BLOOD INFLAMMATION EARLY WARNING SIGN OF AD
People whose blood shows signs of inflammation are more likely to later develop Alzheimer's disease than people with no signs of inflammation, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School. The study of older adults found that those with the highest levels of cytokines in their blood were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as those with the lowest amounts. Cytokines are protein messengers that trigger inflammation. The researchers said the study, published in the journal Neurology, is further evidence that inflammation plays a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease and that cytokines may be a marker of future risk for developing the disease.
AVIAN FLU: SURVIVORS' ANTIBODIES NEUTRALIZE H5N1 STRAIN
Adults who have recovered from the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza may hold the key to future treatments for the virus, according to an international team of researchers. In a study published the journal PLoS Medicine, the researchers showed how specific antibodies taken from avian flu survivors in Vietnam can be reproduced in the laboratory and prove effective at neutralizing the virus in culture vitro and in mice. The H5N1 influenza virus has caused disease and death in millions of poultry across the globe and occasionally has been transmitted to humans, often fatally. By mid-May 2007, according to the World Health Organization, there had been 306 known cases in humans, 185 of them fatal. Doctors based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, have shown that monoclonal antibodies generated from the blood of human survivors of the H5N1 virus are effective at both preventing infection in mice and neutralizing the virus in those already infected.
EPILEPSY: HUMAN HERPES VIRUS 6B ASSOCIATED WITH ONE FORM
There is strong evidence that one particular type of epilepsy is associated with a viral infection, according to a study from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In a study published in PLoS Medicine, the researchers reported that DNA from the virus Human Herpes Virus 6B in specific regions of the brains of 11 or 16 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is a common, severe, type of epilepsy that usually begins in childhood.
PARKINSON'S: PESTICIDE EXPOSURE, HEAD TRAUMA INCREASES RISK
Exposure to pesticides and traumatic head injury may have a causative role in Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study also found the risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease increases according to the level of exposure. People who had been exposed to low levels of pesticides were found to be 1.13 times as likely to have Parkinson's disease compared with those who had never been exposed. Those who had been exposed to high levels of pesticides were 1.41 times as likely to be affected. Parkinson's disease occurred 1.35 times more frequently in people who had been knocked unconscious once compared with those who had never been knocked out, and arose 2.53 times more frequently in those who had been knocked out more frequently.
METH: COMMON TREATMENT FOR OVERDOSE MAY DAMAGE BRAIN CELLS
A common antipsychotic drug used in emergency rooms to treat methamphetamine overdose damages nerve cells in an area of the brain known to regulate movement, a new study shows. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine said their experiments in rats indicate that only the combination of the medication, haloperidol, and methamphetamine causes the destructive effects, not either one alone. The results, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, raises immediate concerns that a standard treatment for methamphetamine overdose in humans might worsen drug abuse-related brain injuries.
DIAGNOSTICS: PERSONALITY TEST COULD HELP DETECT FORM OF DEMENTIA
A simple personality test could help doctors develop earlier detection of dementia with Lewy bodies, a form of dementia often confused with Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Lewy bodies are the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia. It shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Getting the correct diagnosis is especially important because some medications used to treat the mental health symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can be potentially dangerous for people with dementia with Lewy bodies. The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that even before diagnosis, people with dementia with Lewy bodies displayed passive personality changes, such as diminished emotional response, disinterest in hobbies, repetitive behaviors, and growing apathy, or lack of interest, more often than those with Alzheimer's.
CANCER: BLOOD TEST COULD MONITOR EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENTS
A blood test that detects proteins commonly released by a growing tumor could one day become a useful tool for monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatment in people with advanced throat cancer. The research from scientists at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan, was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. It found throat cancer patients who showed a decline in several cancer-related proteins following chemotherapy and radiation treatment were more likely to remain in remission, while those who experienced a large rise over time in those proteins frequently exhibited a return of throat cancer. The findings could help lead to the development of a blood test that enables doctors to detect the recurrence of throat cancer early on, when there is still time to pursue a second line of treatment, such as surgery or drug therapy.
MRSA: COMMUNITY-ASSOCIATED DRUG RESISTANT STAPH ON THE RISE
Chicago's Cook County Hospital system says the number of antibiotic-resistant staph infections acquired outside of hospitals or other healthcare institutions increased nearly seven-fold between 2000 and 2005. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA infections, which do not respond to standard antibiotic treatments, are typically associated with hospitals and other healthcare environments. In a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers at Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County reported the incidence of community-acquired MRSA skin and soft tissue infections increased to 164.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2005 from 24 cases per 100,000 people in 2000. The researchers said it is unclear why there has been a rapid rate of increase in these cases, but said the findings suggest that prisons, public housing and other community settings may promote cross-transmission because large at-risk populations remain together for long periods of time.
DIABETES: STEM CELLS FROM CORD BLOOD ENGINEERED TO PRODUCE INSULIN
Medical researchers say they have engineered adult stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood to produce insulin, a fundamental discovery that could eventually allow people with type-1 diabetes to grow their own insulin-producing cells. Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston said their work was the first demonstration that human umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells can be engineered to synthesize insulin. In a paper published in the journal Cell Proliferation, the researchers described how they directed adult stem cells to begin developing, or "differentiating," into islet-like cells. Islet cells produce insulin. The researchers caution that the discovery represents extremely basic research. It is just a first step and doesn't prove that they will be able to replicate the islet-like cell development in people.
HIV: RESEARCHERS SAY VACCINE AGAINST MYRIAD STRAINS POSSIBLE
Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences said it may be possible to develop a vaccine that protects against the myriad strains of the HIV virus. HIV is extremely variable, so an effective vaccine may need to stimulate the body to produce cross-reactive antibodies that will neutralize multiple viral strains. In an animal model, researchers used a particular HIV-1 surface protein and an immune response-boosting component. The researchers tested antibodies generated by the immunizations to determine their effectiveness in neutralizing the infectivity of a variety of HIV-1 strains. The study, published in the Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found the immunization neutralized all 48 strains of HIV-1 tested. The results are encouraging for vaccine development because they showed that it is possible to elicit a broad-spectrum antibody response.
BREAST CANCER: INCREASED RADIATION SHORTENS TREATMENT TIME
Radiation therapy after lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer can be safely delivered in higher daily doses to greatly reduce treatment time, according to a study from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The researchers found the curative outcome for early-stage breast cancer is the same whether a woman chooses to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy, the removal of the entire breast. Radiation significantly reduces the chance that cancer will recur in the affected breast, but the usual time commitment—five days a week for six or seven weeks—can be a barrier for choosing this treatment option. The study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, demonstrated that treatment time can be shortened from six to four weeks using intensity-modulated radiation therapy. This highly sophisticated system delivers external-beam radiation that allows for more even dose distribution and accuracy as well as lower doses to organs such as lung and heart, thus reducing side effects. Women may prefer a lumpectomy but often choose a mastectomy to avoid the time needed for the radiation. The researchers believe their work could help reduce the barriers for choosing breast conserving surgery.
CERVICAL CANCER: VACCINE COULD REDUCE INCIDENCE SIGNIFICANTLY
Administering the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine to both sexually active women and those who have never had sex could substantially reduce the incidence of HPV-related cervical cancer and pre-cancers, according to researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. In a study published in the journal Lancet, the researchers said for women who have never had sex, the vaccine is 99 percent effective in stopping cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. When data from women who could have been exposed was included, the efficacy was 44 percent. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in women worldwide, and is caused by infection with cancer causing types of human papillomavirus. Around 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, 80 percent of which are in developing countries. About 250,000 women die from cervical cancer each year.
METABOLIC DISORDER: ONCE FATAL DISEASE IS TREATABLE WITH DRUGS
People with a class of rare genetic disorders that often lead to brain damage, coma and death can be successfully treated with drugs, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The researchers found that prompt diagnosis coupled with a rapid start of intravenous drug therapy significantly improves the survival rates of people with the condition, called urea cycle disorders. The condition affects proteins in the liver that are necessary to process the by-products of protein metabolism. Urea cycle disorders affect about one in every 8,200 people, but the diagnosis is often missed or delayed. The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, took 25 years to accumulate enough patients to evaluate the drug treatment. Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Minnesota, Thomas Jefferson University and the Medical College of Wisconsin collaborated in the study.
ASTHMA: SURVEY SHOWS DISEASE NOT CONTROLLED IN MOST PATIENTS
A survey of patients with moderate to severe asthma revealed that the disease was not controlled in 55 percent of patients despite the fact that most had health insurance and visited their health care providers regularly. Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine also found that 38 percent of controlled asthmatics and 54 percent of uncontrolled asthmatics reported having had an asthma attack during which they feared for their life. The survey, reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that uncontrolled asthma is highly prevalent in patients using standard asthma medications and points to a critical need for improved asthma care. Uncontrolled asthma has been associated with significant costs. In 2003, reports show that asthma caused about 24.5 million missed days of work, 12.7 million physician office visits and 1.2 million outpatient visits.
DIET: VITAMIN D AND CALCIUM LOWER RISK OF BREAST CANCER
Women who consume higher amounts of calcium and vitamin D may have a lower risk of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer, according to researchers at the Brigham Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers reported calcium and vitamin D intake were moderately associated with a lower risk of breast cancer before but not after menopause. Data from animal studies have linked calcium and vitamin D to breast cancer prevention, according to background information in the article. However, epidemiologic studies on humans have been less conclusive.
BRAIN FUNCTION: NATUAL COMPOUND BOOSTS MEMORY IN MICE
A natural compound found in blueberries, tea, grapes, and cocoa enhances memory in mice, according to newly published research, according to researchers at the Salk Institute and candy maker Mars. This effect increased further when mice also exercised regularly. The compound, epicatechin, is part of a group of chemicals known as flavonols and has previously been show to improved cardiovascular function in people and increase blood flow in the brain. The researchers said the finding is important because it identifies a single natural chemical with memory-enhancing effects, suggesting that it may be possible to optimize brain function by combining exercise and dietary supplementation.
DAIRY: SKIM MILK-PRODUCING COWS COMING TO A PASTURE NEAR YOU
Scientist in New Zealand have discovered that some cows have genes that give them a natural ability to produce skim milk and plan to use this information to breed herd that produce only skimmed milk, a report in Chemistry & Industry said. The researchers also plan to breed commercial herds producing milk with the unique characteristics required to make a butter that is spreadable straight from the fridge. They have already identified a cow with the genes required to do this and say a commercial herd is likely by 2011. The milk is very low in saturated fats and so should be high in polyunsaturates and monounsaturated fats.
EXERCISE: WORKOUTS MAY BOOST GOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
Regular exercise appears to modestly increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or so- called "good," cholesterol, according to researchers at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo. A meta-analysis study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reported strong evidence that individuals who are more physically active have higher levels of HDL cholesterol. The researchers found, however, that only exercise duration, and not frequency or intensity, was associated with a change in the HDL levels. The researchers said that in improving blood HDL levels, increasing time per session is better than performing multiple brief exercise sessions.
HYPERTENSION: SOY NUTS MAY IMPROVE BLOOD PRESSURE IN OLDER WOMEN
Substituting soy nuts for other protein sources in a healthy diet appears to lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women, and also may reduce cholesterol levels in women with high blood pressure, according to a study from researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The American Heart Association estimates that high blood pressure affects approximately 50 million Americans and 1 billion individuals worldwide. The most common—and deadly—result is coronary heart disease. Women with high blood pressure have four times the risk of heart disease as women with normal blood pressure. In the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers said dietary soy may be a practical, safe and inexpensive way to reduce blood pressure. If the findings are repeated in a larger group, they said it may have important implications for reducing cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women.
BRAIN CANCER: DEVICE SHOWS PROMISE IN EARLY STUDIES
An investigational device that specifically targets rapidly growing cancer cells with intermediate frequency electrical fields called Tumor-Treating Fields more than doubled the median overall survival rates in patients with the most common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumor, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The device called the Novo-TTF, which is being developed by Haifa, Israel-based NovoCure, is used to treat recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. The device uses electrical fields to disrupt tumor growth by interfering with cell division of cancerous cells, causing them to stop proliferating and die off instead of dividing and growing. Healthy brain cells rarely divide and have different electrical properties than cancerous brain cells. This allows the device to target cancer cells without affecting the healthy cells. The company has begun enrolling patients for a large-scale, late-stage clinical trial.
DEVICES: DOCTORS USE RFID TO DETECT ESOPHAGEAL REFLUX
Doctors from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have joined with engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington to develop a wireless monitoring system that uses electrical impulses to track esophageal reflux. The wireless technology, called radio frequency identification or RFID, has been used in thousands of stores for tracking inventory and in identification chips implanted in some pets. Researchers combined that technology with another emerging applied science called impedance monitoring, which tracks reflux through electrical impulses. About 19 million people have gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is caused by stomach content moving upward from the stomach into the esophagus. The new system involves pinning a small, flexible RFID chip to the esophagus, where it remains until removed by a physician. The chip, about two square centimeters, or a little bigger than a dime, tests for electrical impulses that signal acidic or non-acidic liquids moving through the esophagus. It then transmits data to a wireless sensor worn around the neck. The device, presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington D.C., is still being tested. Researchers believe it will be a welcome replacement for current standard procedures, which require placing a flexible catheter tube through the nose and down into the esophagus.
CANCER: DENTISTS NEED MORE TRAINING TO DETECT ORAL CARCINOMA
More than 92 percent of Illinois dentists provide oral cancer examinations for their patients, but many are not performing the procedures thoroughly or at optimum intervals, according to a new University of Illinois at Chicago study. The majority of dentists correctly identified the most common form of oral cancer, as well as the most common sites for oral cancer and the most-common types of early lesions. Many, however, were not able to answer those questions correctly. About 31,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year; it will cause more than 8,000 deaths. Of the newly diagnosed patients, only half will be alive in five years, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Survival has not significantly improved in decades. The death rate for oral cancer is higher than for cervical cancer; Hodgkin's disease; and cancer of the brain, liver, testes, kidney or skin. The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry were similar to studies in other states.
IGNORANCE: GENERAL PUBLIC LACKS BASIC MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE
The general public is ignorant about the symptoms and risk factors that contribute to serious medical conditions such as stroke and HIV/AIDS, according to a study from researchers at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The study, published in the online journal BMC Medicine found those with university degrees, a medical background or personal experience of an illness are only slightly better informed. It is essential that people know the symptoms and risk factors linked to serious clinical conditions since early detection can positively influence treatment outcome, say the authors. It can also cut related costs and reduce risk-taking behavior.
KIDNEY CANCER: FDA APPROVES WYETH'S FIRST-IN-CLASS DRUG
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Torisel for advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 85 percent of kidney cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that 51,190 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed this year, and more than 40 percent of these patients are initially diagnosed with advanced disease. Torisel is the only marketed cancer therapy that specifically inhibits the kinase, a key protein in cells that regulates cell proliferation, cell growth and cell survival. Wyeth anticipates that Torisel will be available to patients in July 2007.
STEM CELLS: CONGRESS TO SEND BUSH BILL TO EASE FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
Congress plans to send legislation that would relax restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to President George Bush, the Associated Press reported. Bush is expected to veto the legislation, which would be the second time he rejected such efforts. Supporters of the bill said they do not believe they have the two-thirds majority needed to override such a veto. Bush vetoed legislation last year that would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cells beyond the small number of existing cell lines that are currently allowed. Democrats made the legislation a top priority when they took control of the House and Senate in January. Though the legislation passed both houses by wide margins, the victories were not wide enough to provide a veto-proof majority.
RESEARCH PACT: CALIFORNIA JOINS ONTARIO TO STUDY CANCER STEM CELLS
Ontario and California agreed to establish a Cancer Stem Cell Consortium to research ways to use knowledge of cancer stem cells to fight disease, Reuters reported. Ontario Premiere Dalton McGuinty offered $28 million in financing for the effort, which will be based in Toronto. The program calls for scientists in Ontario to work closely with researchers in California.
CHINA: SINGLE WOMEN AWARE OF CONTRACEPTIVES, BUT TOO SHY TO ASK
Young, single women in urban China are aware of contraceptive methods, but some may be too shy to ask for them, according to a study published online in BMC Health Services Research. Young women want more information, but need private and anonymous family planning because of judgmental attitudes surrounding premarital sex and premarital pregnancy, according to the study conducted by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom. The data collected in the study questions the assumption from previous research in China that young people lack knowledge and awareness of effective contraception methods.
DNA: COMPANY SEQUENCES GENOME OF JAMES WATSON FOR LESS THAN $1M
The company 454 Life Sciences, in collaboration with scientists at the Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, said it completed a project to sequence the genome of co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA James Watson. The mapping of Watson's genome marks the first individual genome to be sequenced for less than $1 million, the company said. When the Human Genome Project began, scientists expected it would take 15 years to sequence the 3 billion base pairs and identify all the genes. The task was completed in 13 years in 2003. The mapping of Watson's personal genome, which was presented to him on a DVD, was completed in just two months and demonstrates how far sequencing technology has come in a short time.
LEGISLATION: BIO SAYS PATENTS PROMOTE, NOT HINDER, INNOVATION
As Congress considers a variety of changes to current patent law, the Biotechnology Industry Organization is defending patents as an important tool for encouraging innovation in the life sciences. In a white paper entitled "The Myth of the Anticommons," the trade association countered arguments that the proliferation of patents has the potential to stifle innovation in the biotechnology industry because of transaction costs and competitive interests. The white paper cited a study by the National Academy of Sciences that found that only 1 percent of academic respondents experienced delays on their projects of more than a month due to patents and not a single respondent abandoned a project due to a patent on knowledge inputs.
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