[News release] Closer than ever to a personalized treatment solution for intellectual disability — ScienceDaily
Closer than ever to a personalized treatment solution for intellectual disability
From the press release
JUPITER, FL – January 21, 2015 – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have produced an approach that protects animal models against a type of genetic disruption that causes intellectual disability, including serious memory impairments and altered anxiety levels.
The findings, which focus on treating the effects of mutations to a gene known as Syngap1, have been published online ahead of print by the journal Biological Psychiatry.
“Our hope is that these studies will eventually lead to a therapy specifically designed for patients with psychiatric disorders caused by damagingSyngap1 mutations,” said Gavin Rumbaugh, a TSRI associate professor who led the study. “Our model shows that the early developmental period is the critical time to treat this type of genetic disorder.”
Damaging mutations in Syngap1 that reduce the number of functional proteins are one of the most common causes of sporadic intellectual disability and are associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Early estimates suggest that these non-inherited genetic mutations account for two to eight percent of these intellectual disability cases. Sporadic intellectual disability affects approximately one percent of the worldwide population, suggesting that tens of thousands of individuals with intellectual disability may carry damaging Syngap1 mutations without knowing it.
In the new study, the researchers examined the effect of damagingSyngap1 mutations during development and found that the mutations disrupt a critical period of neuronal growth—a period between the first and third postnatal weeks in mouse models. “We found that a certain type of cortical neuron grows too quickly in early development, which then leads to the premature formation of certain types of neural circuits,” said Research Associate Massimilano Aceti, first author of the study.
The researchers reasoned that this process might cause permanent errors in brain connectivity and that they might be able to head off these effects by enhancing the Syngap1 protein in the newborn mutant mice. Indeed, they found that a subset of neurons were misconnected in the adult mutant mice, suggesting that early growth of neurons can lead to life-long neural circuit connectivity problems. Then, using advanced genetic techniques to raise Syngap1 protein levels in newborn mutant mice, the researchers found this strategy completely protected the mice only when the approach was started before this critical developmental window opened.
As a result of these studies, Rumbaugh and his colleagues are now developing a drug-screening program to look for drug-like compounds that could restore levels of Syngap1 protein in defective neurons. They hope that, as personalized medicine advances, such a therapy could ultimately be tailored to patients based on their genotype.
In addition to Rumbaugh and Aceti, other authors of the study, “Syngap1 Haploinsufficiency Damages a Postnatal Critical Period of Pyramidal Cell Structural Maturation Linked to Cortical Circuit Assembly,” include Thomas K. Creson, Thomas Vaissiere, Camilo Rojas, Wen-Chin Huang, Ya-Xian Wang, Ronald S. Petralia, Damon T. Page and Courtney A. Miller of TSRI. For more information, seehttp://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223%2814%2900593-9/abstract
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Oranges versus orange juice: Which one might be better for your health? — ScienceDaily
Oranges versus orange juice: Which one might be better for your health?
From the ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: January 21, 2015
“In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, and Vitamin C from Differently Processed Oranges and Orange Juices [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck]”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Many health advocates advise people to eat an orange and drink water rather than opt for a serving of sugary juice. But in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists report that the picture is not clear-cut. Although juice is indeed high in sugar, the scientists found that certain nutrients in orange juice might be easier for the body to absorb than when a person consumes them from unprocessed fruit.
Ralf Schweiggert, Julian Aschoff and colleagues note that oranges are packed with nutrients such as carotenoids and flavonoids that, among other benefits, can potentially help lower a person’s risk for certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. But many people prefer to drink a glass of orange juice rather than eat the fruit. Sugar content aside, are they getting the same nutritional benefits? Schweiggert’s team set out to answer that question.
The researchers found that the production of pasteurized orange juice slightly lowered the levels of carotenoids and vitamin C. But at the same time, it significantly improved the carotenoid and vitamin C bioaccessibility — or how much the body can absorb and use. And contrary to conventional wisdom, although juicing oranges dramatically cut flavonoid levels, the remaining ones were much more bioaccessible than those in orange segments.
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[Press release] Classic psychedelic use protective with regard to psychological distress and suicidality — ScienceDaily
English: A bottle of LSD from a Swiss clinical trial for end-of-life anxiety in cancer patients, circa 2007, conducted by Dr. Peter Gasser, sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. The opaque bottle has a red cap and a yellow, cyan, and white label. The label says in part: Clinical Study, EK # 2007/016, d-LSD hydrate Capsule, Only for research purposes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/81622620
Date:January 21, 2015Source:SAGE PublicationsSummary:Classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and mescaline, previously have been shown to occasion lasting improvements in mental health. But researchers, through a new study, wanted to advance the existing research and determine whether classic psychedelics might be protective with regard to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.Classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and mescaline, previously have been shown to occasion lasting improvements in mental health. But researchers led by University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health investigators wanted to advance the existing research and determine whether classic psychedelics might be protective with regard to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Approximately 30,000 lives in the United States are claimed by suicide every year, and more than 90 percent of victims have been diagnosed with mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Using data from more than 190,000 respondents of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2008-2012, the researchers found that those who reported ever having used a classic psychedelic drug in their lifetime had a decreased likelihood of psychological distress in the past month, and decreased suicidal thinking, planning and attempts in the past year.
“Despite advances in mental health treatments, suicide rates generally have not declined in the past 60 years. Novel and potentially more effective interventions need to be explored,” said Peter S. Hendricks, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior and lead study author. “This study sets the stage for future research to test the efficacy of classic psychedelics in addressing suicidality as well as pathologies associated with increased suicide risk (e.g., affective disturbance, addiction and impulsive-aggressive personality traits).”
Hendricks says the take-home message from this study is that classic psychedelics may hold great promise in the prevention of suicide and evaluating the therapeutic effectiveness of classic psychedelics should be a priority for future research.
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[Press release] Men and women process emotions differently
Men and women process emotions differently
From the 21 January 2015 University of Basel press release
Women rate emotional images as more emotionally stimulating than men do and are more likely to remember them. However, there are no gender-related differences in emotional appraisal as far as neutral images are concerned. These were the findings of a large-scale study by a research team at the University of Basel that focused on determining the gender-dependent relationship between emotions, memory performance and brain activity. The results will be published in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Brain activity when viewing negative emotional images: red and yellow indicates the more active areas of the brain when images are rated as highly stimulating. Green indicates the areas that specifically become more active in women (image: MCN, University of Basel).)
It is known that women often consider emotional events to be more emotionally stimulating than men do. Earlier studies have shown that emotions influence our memory: the more emotional a situation is, the more likely we are to remember it. This raises the question as to whether women often outperform men in memory tests because of the way they process emotions. A research team from the University of Basel’s “Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences” Transfaculty Research Platform attempted to find out.
With the help of 3,398 test subjects from four sub-trials, the researchers were able to demonstrate that females rated emotional image content – especially negative content – as more emotionally stimulating than their male counterparts did. In the case of neutral images, however, there were no gender-related differences in emotional appraisal.
In a subsequent memory test, female participants could freely recall significantly more images than the male participants. Surprisingly though, women had a particular advantage over men when recalling positive images. “This would suggest that gender-dependent differences in emotional processing and memory are due to different mechanisms,” says study leader Dr Annette Milnik.
Increased brain activity
Using fMRI data from 696 test subjects, the researchers were also able to show that stronger appraisal of negative emotional image content by the female participants is linked to increased brain activity in motoric regions. “This result would support the common belief that women are more emotionally expressive than men,” explaines Dr Klara Spalek, lead author of the study.The findings also help to provide a better understanding of gender-specific differences in information processing. This knowledge is important, because many neuropsychiatric illnesses also exhibit gender-related differences. The study is part of a research project led by professors Dominique de Quervain and Andreas Papassotiropoulos at the University of Basel, which aims to increase the understanding of neuronal and molecular mechanisms of human memory and thereby facilitate the development of new treatments.
Original source
Klara Spalek, Matthias Fastenrath, Sandra Ackermann, Bianca Auschra, XDavid Coynel, Julia Frey, Leo Gschwind, Francina Hartmann, Nadine van der Maarel, Andreas Papassotiropoulos, Dominique de Quervain and Annette Milnik
Sex-Dependent Dissociation between Emotional Appraisal and Memory: A Large-Scale Behavioral and fMRI Study
Journal of Neuroscience (2015) | doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.2384-14.2015
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[Press release] US needs harm-reduction approach to drug use, researcher says
US needs harm-reduction approach to drug use, researcher says
From the 14 January 2015 Rice University press release
Neill: Approach minimizes harm associated with drug use for the individual and society
HOUSTON – (Jan. 14, 2015) – The United States’ law-and-order approach to reducing the supply of drugs and punishing sellers and users has impeded the development of a public health model that views drug addiction as a disease that is preventable and treatable. A new policy paper from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy advocates that a harm-reduction approach would more effectively reduce the negative individual and societal consequences of drug use.
According to the paper’s author, Katharine Neill, the rate of federal inmates incarcerated for drug offenses hovered at just under 50 percent in 2011, and in 2013 the Obama administration’s budget asked for $25.6 billion to fight the drug war, $15 billion of which was directed toward law enforcement. In addition, by some estimates, state and local governments spend a combined total of $51 billion per year on drug-related law enforcement efforts, which suggests they have a lot to gain by investing in treatment options, Neill said.
“That law enforcement efforts continue to dominate drug policy highlights the need to reframe the discourse on drug use and addiction,” said Neill, the Baker Institute’s Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy. “While emphasizing the cost-saving benefits of treatment is important, this should be coupled with more public conversations focusing on drug addiction as a disease requiring medical treatment, not politically based solutions. Reframing the issue in this way should increase the likelihood that a public health approach to drug policy will be adopted for the long term.”
The paper, “Tough on Drugs: Law and Order Dominance and the Neglect of Public Health in U.S. Drug Policy,” is published in the journal World Medical and Health Policy.
Emphasizing harm reduction is a popular public health approach to drugs, Neill said. “A harm-reduction approach recognizes the permanence of drugs in society and, instead of trying to eradicate drug use, focuses on minimizing harm associated with drug use for the individual and society,” she said. “This encompasses a variety of objectives, including preventing individuals from using drugs, treating individuals who want to stop using drugs, preventing drug use where it increases the chances of negative outcomes such as driving while on drugs, and helping individuals who want to continue using drugs do so in a way that does not further compromise their health or the health of others.” This last objective is often achieved through needle-exchange programs intended to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C and is more controversial than other policies, Neill said.
Harm reduction is multidimensional and can include contradictory objectives, she said. For example, some proponents wish to decriminalize drug use and focus on helping drug users get the resources they need for treatment or to continue to use drugs safely, while others accept the illegality of drug use so long as treatment is more available. Others argue that distinctions should be made between drugs according to the risks they pose to the user and society and that policy should be based on these distinctions. “Still, most advocates of harm reduction agree on some basic tenets, including the view that addiction is a disease requiring medical assistance, the desire to minimize risky behavior without requiring abstinence and the need to protect the public from the consequences of drug use, which includes punishing individuals who commit acts that harm others,” Neill said.
– See more at: http://news.rice.edu/2015/01/14/us-needs-harm-reduction-approach-to-drug-use-baker-institute-researcher-says/#sthash.2OCJoKRU.dpuf
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DocuBase Article: Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited
DocuBase Article: Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited.
From the abstract
Tuesday, 13th January 2015
Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited
Source: Oxfam International
From Summary:
The failure of the current pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) system is revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) alert about the lack of effective medicines to address antimicrobial resistance, and the absence of a treatment for the deadly Ebola virus that is ravaging communities in West Africa at the time of writing.
While low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have being suffering from a lack of access to medicines for years, European public health systems have become unable to bear the burden of expensive new medicines. The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is affecting all people, but is more acutely hitting developing countries that are still struggling with the unfinished business of communicable diseases. Meanwhile, European health systems, badly hit by austerity measures, are under pressure to deliver more with less money, against a backdrop of rising medicine prices.
The European Union (EU) could play a leading role in improving pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicines around the world. However, the European Commission (EC) has implemented a trade agenda that favours the commercial interests of the multinational pharmaceutical industry over the health of people in LMICs. Such trade policies have triggered an outcry from European citizens, experts and organizations, who are asking for the public interest to be prioritized in trade discussions.
Opening statement
[Research journal article] Medicare Per Capita Spending By Age And Service: New Data Highlights Oldest Beneficiaries | Full Text Reports…
Medicare Per Capita Spending By Age And Service: New Data Highlights Oldest Beneficiaries
Abstract
Medicare per capita spending for beneficiaries with traditional Medicare over age 65 peaks among beneficiaries in their mid-90s and then declines, and it varies by type of service with advancing age. Between 2000 and 2011 the peak age for Medicare per capita spending increased from 92 to 96. In contrast, among decedents, Medicare per capita spending declines with age.
As the US population ages and more people on Medicare live into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, analysts and policy makers are examining the impact of these trends on the federal budget and the Medicare program. At the same time, geriatricians and other providers who care for older patients are paying greater attention to the question of how best to meet the needs of an aging population. By 2050 the number of people on Medicare ages 80 and older will nearly triple; the number of people in their 90s and 100s will quadruple.1⇓–3
To inform discussions about Medicare’s role in providing coverage for an aging population and to assess the relationship between Medicare spending and advancing age, this article presents findings from an analysis of Medicare per capita spending among beneficiaries over age 65 in traditional Medicare, by age and type of service.4Our main findings are shown in Exhibit 1 and discussed in detail below.
Exhibit 1Medicare Per Capita Spending For Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries Over Age 65, By Age And Survival Status, 2011
SOURCE Authors’ analysis of a 5 percent sample of Medicare claims for 2011 from the Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. NOTES Average per capita spending in 2011 for all traditional Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 (“all beneficiaries”) was $9,839; for the subset of those beneficiaries who were still alive at the end of 2011 (“full-year survivors”), it was $8,647. The analysis excluded beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage. The analysis also excluded traditional Medicare beneficiaries age 65 because some of these beneficiaries are enrolled for less than a full year; therefore, a full year of Medicare spending data is not available for all people at this age.Previous studies have reported an increase by age in Medicare per capita spending,5,6beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending,7 and Medicaid spending.8 However, they have not examined Medicare per capita spending in depth, categorizing it by beneficiaries’ age and type of service and including trends over time.
We examine the following questions: What is the trajectory of Medicare per capita spending by age, at what age does spending peak, and has the peak age changed over time? How does Medicare per capita spending by age vary for specific Medicare-covered services? What is the pattern of per capita spending by age among decedents?
…
[Press release] Breakthrough may impact flu vaccination
Breakthrough may impact flu vaccination
SINGAPORE, January 20, 2015 — An analysis of 10 years’ worth of data on human influenza B viruses has shed new light on the pathogen which can cause the seasonal flu. Findings from this study could help make flu immunization programs more effective; by better targeting vaccines or by eventually eliminating one of the flu lineages completely.
What are Influenza B viruses?
Influenza epidemics seriously affect populations worldwide, with an estimated three to five million cases of severe illness and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths, yearly. Four influenza virus lineages co-circulate in the human population to cause seasonal epidemics. Of the four, two are influenza A and two are influenza B virus lineages, named Victoria and Yamagata. To date, most studies have focused on the influenza A virus lineages because they are the more commonly circulating lineages in humans which have also caused occasional pandemics.
Diagram of antigenic shift vs antigenic drift in influenza virus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A new study, led by Assistant Professor Vijay Dhanasekaran and Associate Professor Gavin Smith from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS), has presented the largest comparative analysis of human influenza B viruses undertaken to date. Results were achieved using advanced computational methodologies to analyze genomic data of the pathogen taken from human hosts. Significantly, this study is also the first to integrate demographic information such as the host’s age.
Findings offer new insight into the evolution and epidemiology of this highly infectious virus, and reveal how the two influenza B virus lineages fundamentally differ from each other and from the influenza A virus lineages.
Flu Vaccine Implications
“Our research shows that school aged children are more susceptible than adults to influenza B virus lineages, especially the Victoria lineage,” explained first author Asst Prof Dhanasekaran from the Emerging Infectious Diseases Program at Duke-NUS. “This younger population should be targeted for the use of the quadrivalent influenza vaccines.”
Commonly administered influenza vaccines are generally composed of two influenza A lineage viruses – but only one influenza B lineage virus. Recently, quadrivalent influenza vaccines, which target all four lineages, have been approved for use. However, they are significantly more difficult to prepare, more expensive and have limited availability. This new study shows that it may be important to use these vaccines for a specific population.
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[Press release] Penn Medicine Bioethicists Call for Return to Asylums for Long-Term Psychiatric Care
Bioethicists call for return to asylums for long-term psychiatric care
From the 20 January 2015 Penn Medicine press release
JAMA Viewpoint Characterizes Current Model for Treating Mentally Ill as “Ethically Unacceptable and Financially Costly”
PHILADELPHIA — As the United States population has doubled since 1955, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds in the United States has been cut by nearly 95 percent to just 45,000, a wholly inadequate equation when considering that there are currently 10 million U.S. residents with serious mental illness. A new viewpoint in JAMA,written by Dominic Sisti, PhD, Andrea Segal, MS, and Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, of the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy in the Perelman School of Medicine at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, looks at the evolution away from inpatient psychiatric beds, evaluates the current system for housing and treating the mentally ill, and then suggests a modern approach to institutionalized mental health care as a solution.
English: Pilgrim Psychiatric Center (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“For the past 60 years or more, social, political and economic forces coalesced to move severely mentally ill patients out of psychiatric hospitals,” write the authors. They say the civil rights movement propelled deinstitutionalization, reports of hospital abuse offended public consciousness, and new drugs gave patients independence. In addition, economics and federal policies accelerated the transformation because outpatient therapy and drug treatment were less expensive than inpatient care, and the federal legislation like the Community Mental Health Centers Act and Medicaid led to states closing or limiting the size of so-called institutions for mental diseases.
However, the authors write, “deinstitutionalization has really been transinstitutionalization.” Some patients with chronic psychiatric diseases were moved to nursing homes or hospitals. Others became homeless, utilizing hospital emergency departments for both care and housing. But “most disturbingly, U.S. jails and prisons have become the nation’s largest mental health care facilities. Half of all inmates have a mental illness or substance abuse disorder; 15 percent of state inmates are diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.” According to the authors, “this results in a vicious cycle whereby mentally ill patients move between crisis hospitalization, homelessness and incarceration.”
Instead, the authors suggest that a better option for the severely and chronically mentally ill, and the most “financially sensible and morally appropriate way forward includes a return to psychiatric asylums that are safe, modern and humane.” They argue that the term ‘aslyum’ should be understood in its original sense — a place of safety, sanctuary and healing.
“Asylums are a necessary, but not sufficient component of a reformed spectrum of psychiatric services,” write the authors. Reforms need to expand the role of these institutions to address a full range of integrated psychiatric treatment services — from providing care to patients who cannot live alone or are a danger to themselves and others, to providing care to patients with milder forms of mental illness who can thrive with high-quality outpatient care. These fully-integrated, patient-centered facilities do exist in the U.S. today, but more are needed to provide 21st century care to patients with chronic, serious mental illness.
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[press release] Current nutrition labeling is hard to digest
Current nutrition labeling is hard to digest
From the 20 January 2015 McGill University press release
Study compares four types of nutrition labels, the least effective being the one currently required in Canada and the US.PUBLISHED: 20 JAN 2015Current government-mandated nutrition labeling is ineffective in improving nutrition, but there is a better system available, according to a study by McGill University researchers published in the December issue of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
The researchers compared four different labeling systems and found that the Nutrition Facts label currently required on most food products in the US and Canada was least useable. That label, which lists the percent daily value of several nutrients, took more time to understand and led to nutrition choices hardly different from chance. Another label type, NuVal, enabled quick and nutritious choices. NuVal is a shelf sticker used in some American food markets, which indicates the overall nutritional value of each food item with a number from 1-100.
Resolving “nutrition conflicts”
“Food shoppers typically have a limited amount of time to make each food choice, and they find the Nutrition Facts labels to be confusing and difficult to use,” says Peter Helfer, lead author and PhD student in Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill. “One product may be low in fat, but high in sugar, while another product may be just the opposite. Nutrition Facts labels can highlight nutrition conflicts but fail to resolve them. Even educated and motivated shoppers have difficulty picking out the most nutritious product with these labels.”
NuVal scores are calculated by nutrition experts at several universities, including Yale, Harvard, and Northwestern, and emphasize both the positive and negative aspects of each food. By reducing nutritional content to a single number, NuVal labels resolve nutrition conflicts.
Two other labeling methods produced mixed results. The Traffic Light system used in the UK allowed for a bit more nutritious choices than chance. But it took more time to use, because the colors of several traffic lights have to be counted and compared. Labels that certify some foods as nutritious, but not others, are used in Denmark, Sweden, and Canada. These allowed quick decisions, but did not increase nutritious choices. “Such certification labels are not sufficiently discriminating to produce consistently better nutrition. They also create controversies about exactly where to draw the line between nutritious and harmful foods,” says co-author Thomas Shultz, Professor of Psychology and Computer Science at McGill.
The widespread availability of low-nutrition, high-calorie food is believed to be an important cause of an epidemic of obesity and associated diseases throughout the world. Shultz argues that “Empowering consumers to make healthier food choices with valid and useful nutrition labeling could help to stem this epidemic. If consumers have the information to make nutritious choices, this could nudge food sellers and producers to improve their products.”
Picture: compared labelling systems (%Daily Value, Traffic Light, NuVal, and Heart)
The effects of nutrition labeling on consumer food choice: a psychological experiment and computational model
Peter Helfer, Thomas R. Shultz
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Dec. 2014
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24913496
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[Press release] NIH researchers tackle thorny side of gene therapy
NIH researchers tackle thorny side of gene therapy
From the 20 January 2015 press release
NIH researchers tackle thorny side of gene therapy
Pre-clinical studies in mice reveal ways to reduce cancer risk with modified treatment
NHGRI researchers conduct laboratory investigations to advance gene therapy. Watch the video featuring Dr. Charles Venditti and Dr. Randy Chandler:
Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) Gene Therapy
Bethesda, Md., Tues., Jan. 20, 2015 – National Institutes of Health researchers have uncovered a key factor in understanding the elevated cancer risk associated with gene therapy. They conducted research on mice with a rare disease similar to one in humans, hoping their findings may eventually help improve gene therapy for humans. Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH, published their research in the Jan. 20, 2015, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
“Effective and safe gene therapies have the potential to dramatically reverse diseases that are life-threatening for affected children,” said NHGRI Scientific Director Dan Kastner, M.D., Ph.D. “This study is an important step in developing gene therapies that can be safely used to benefit patients.”
Toxic side effects actually are rarely observed by researchers who have designed gene therapies using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) as a vector to deliver the corrected gene to a specific point in the cell’s DNA. AAVs are small viruses that infect humans but do not cause disease. A vector is a DNA molecule of AAV used as a vehicle to carry corrected genetic material into a cell. AAV viruses are uniquely suited for gene therapy applications.
But one prior study did find an association between AAV and the occurrence of liver cancer. The present research addresses this problem in gene therapy for an inherited disease in children called methylmalonic acidemia, or MMA. For 10 years, NHGRI researchers have worked toward a gene therapy to treat MMA. The condition affects as many as 1 in 67,000 children born in the United States. Affected children are unable to properly metabolize certain amino acids consumed in their diet, which can damage a number of organs and lead to kidney failure. MMA patients also suffer from severe metabolic instability, failure to thrive, intellectual and physical disabilities, pancreatitis, anemia, seizures, vision loss and strokes. The most common therapy is a restrictive diet, but doctors must resort to dialysis or kidney or liver transplants when the disease progresses.
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[Press release] Equation helps identify global disparities in cancer screening and treatment | EurekAlert! Science News
From the 20 January 2015 press release
Disparities in cancer screening, incidence, treatment, and survival are worsening globally. In a new study on colorectal cancer, researchers found that the
Age-standardised death rates from Colon and rectum cancers by country (per 100,000 inhabitants). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) can help identify whether a country has a higher mortality than might be expected based on cancer incidence. Countries with lower-than-expected MIRs have strong national health systems characterized by formal colorectal cancer screening programs. Conversely, countries with higher-than-expected MIRs are more likely to lack such screening programs.
The findings suggest that the MIR has potential as an indicator of the long-term success of global cancer surveillance programs. “The MIR appears to be a promising method to help identify global populations at risk for screenable cancers. In this capacity, it is potentially a useful tool for monitoring an important cancer outcome that informs and improves health policy at a national and international level,” said Dr. Vasu Sunkara, lead author of the Cancerstudy. Senior author Dr. James Hébert, who had used the MIR previously at the state and national level within the US, added that the use of the MIR internationally opens new possibilities for testing the relationship between this important indicator of cancer outcome and characteristics of countries’ health care delivery systems.
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[Press release] Connection between childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders seen at cellular level | EurekAlert! Science News
Logo for mitochondrial DNA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From the 20 January 2015 press release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In a new study published online in Biological Psychiatry on January 16, 2015, researchers from Butler Hospital identify an association between biological changes on the cellular level and both childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders. These changes in the form of telomere shortening and alterations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), are important in the aging process, and this new research provides evidence that psychosocial factors–specifically childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders– may also influence these cellular changes and could lead to accelerated aging.
Mitochondria convert molecules from food into energy that can be used by cells and also play a key role in cellular growth, signaling, and death. Telomere shortening is also a measure of advanced cellular aging. Recent studies have examined the possible connection between mitochondria and psychiatric disorders, but the research is very limited, and no prior work has examined the relationship of mitochondrial DNA to psychosocial stress. “We are interested in these relationships because there is now clear evidence that stress exposure and psychiatric conditions are associated with inflammation and health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Identifying the changes that occur at a cellular level due to these psychosocial factors allows us to understand the causes of these poor health conditions and possibly the overall aging process.” said Audrey Tyrka, MD, PhD, Director of the Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience at Butler Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University.
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[Press release] Living longer, not healthier
From the press release
New research by UMass Medical School suggests genes that extend lifespan won’t necessarily improve health in advanced age
Heidi A. Tissenbaum, PhD A study of long-lived mutant C. elegans by UMass Medical School scientists shows that the genetically altered worms spend a greater portion of their life in a frail state and exhibit less activity as they age then typical nematodes. These findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest genes that increase longevity may not significantly increase healthy lifespan and point to the need to measure health as part of aging studies going forward.
“Our study reveals that if we want to find the genes that help us remain physically active as we age, the genes that will allow us to play tennis when we’re 70 similar to when we were 40, we have to look beyond longevity as the sole criteria. We have to start looking at new genes that might play a part in ‘healthspan.’” said Heidi A. Tissenbaum, PhD, professor of molecular, cellular & cancer biology and the program in molecular medicine and principal investigator of the study.
Genomic and technological advances have allowed scientists to identify several groups of genes that control longevity in C. elegans, a nematode used as a model system for genetic studies in the lab, as well as in yeast and flies. These genes, when examined, have analogs in mammals. The underlying assumption by scientists has always been that extending lifespan would also increase the time spent by the organism in a healthy state. However, for various reasons, most studies only closely examine these model animals while they’re still relatively young and neglect to closely examine the latter portion of the animals’ lives.
Challenging the assumption that longevity and health are intrinsically connected, Dr. Tissenbaum and colleagues sought to investigate how healthy long-lived C. elegans mutants were as they aged.
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Chemistry life hacks to help you survive winter (video)
Prevent fog inside your car, kitty litter to the rescue, prevent dry skin, an a chemical reaction to keep your hands warm!
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[Press release] Genetic changes in Ebola virus could impede potential treatments
Thinking of my Liberia FB friends. One I met (he is a nurse) in 2009 while doing service projects in Liberia. He is a dean of a college near the capital (Monrovia)…while school is out, he is working with Doctors Without Borders in Monrovia.
Another is a former student of mine (1980/81…when I was a Peace Corps volunteer. He is now a Methodist deacon, in Ganta, the second largest city in Liberia. Ganta is 10 miles up the road from where I volunteered. Back in 2009, he recognized me in front of the church in Ganta, where we did some volunteer projects!
Third person is a health screener in Kpain, where I was a Peace Corps volunteer. He put in a FB friend request. He is from Nigeria.
These three men are among my heroes. They are doing so much with so little. Reaffirmed my belief that Liberians are resilient and creative.
USAMRIID Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Genetic changes in Ebola virus could impede potential treatments
Ebola Pathenogensis (Photo credit: Wikipedia
From the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases 20 January 2015 press release
Scientists studying the genetic makeup of the Ebola virus currently circulating in West Africa have identified several mutations that could have implications for developing effective drugs to fight the virus.
In today’s online edition of the journal mBio, senior author Gustavo F. Palacios, Ph.D., and colleagues describe the “genomic drift,” or natural evolution of the virus, and how it may interrupt the action of potential therapies designed to target the virus’s genetic sequence.
According to Palacios, who directs the Center for Genome Sciences at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), three types of genetic sequence-based treatments are being evaluated during the current outbreak: monoclonal antibody, small-interfering RNA (siRNA), and phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) drugs. All were developed using Ebola virus strains from two smaller outbreaks that occurred in 1976 and 1995.
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About
This blog presents a sampling of health and medical news and resources for all. Selected articles and resources will hopefully be of general interest but will also encourage further reading through posted references and other links. Currently I am focusing on public health, basic and applied research and very broadly on disease and healthy lifestyle topics.
Several times a month I will post items on international and global health issues. My Peace Corps Liberia experience (1980-81) has formed me as a global citizen in many ways and has challenged me to think of health and other topics in a more holistic manner.
Do you have an informational question in the health/medical area?
Email me at jmflahiff@yahoo.com
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This blog is a companion site to my Health and Medical News and Resources Web site with…
- Great places to start (locating health information)
- Links to help from others (as health care providers and support groups)
- Interactive tools (as health calculators and apps)
- Select related news sites and blogs
My professional work experience and education includes over 15 years experience as a medical librarian and a Master’s in Library Science. In my most recent position I enjoyed contributing to our library’s blog, performing in depth literature searches, and collaborating with faculty, staff, students, and the general public.
While I will never be be able to keep up with the universe of current health/medical news, I subscribe to the following to glean entries for this blog.
- Science Daily – Your source for the latest research news
- MedlinePlus email updates from the US National Institutes of Health
- Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce – a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries
- US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) news now with updates on the agency’s efforts to “improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans”
- Research Buzz, “news about search engines, digital archives, online museums, databases, and other Internet information collections since 1998”
- Scout Report, a “weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators”
- KevinMD.com -“Social Media’s leading physician voice”
- EurekAlert-Medicine and Health
Health and Medical News and Resources 