Extra weight, eating red meat linked to elevated cancer risk: global study

In the past century humans have become more health conscious, and even more so in the last few decades. We all know that smoking is bad for you and can cause cancer, you should wear sunscreen because UV rays are harmful and can cause cancer, and are aware of other factors that can cause cancer. But now scientists are saying that being obese is a risk factor as well. As of late obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and other cardiac disease. Who would have thought that is can be a factor in cancer as well? Additionally the consumption of red meat is also bad for you too. Research has shown that intake should be limited to 500g per week. This does not bode well for low carb diets such as the Atkin's or South Beach diets, which are trying to reduce obesity (now another risk factor too.) Another finding is that alcohol consumption is not only linked to liver and colorectal cancer but also cancer of the esophagus, larnyx, pharnyx, and mouth. With these discoveries the fact that fats, starches and alcohol are bad for you should be reinforced. Americans and others as well need to make changes to their diets and their habits in order to protect against cancer. These are simple things that can be done to prevent a silent killer. But as always the question remains, will people be willing to quit bad habits in order to live longer and healthier lives?
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/10/31/cancer-study.html

Disease-Causing Agent Behind Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease currently affects more than 1.5 million Americans. It’s common cause is thought to be due to the death/impairment of nerve cells in a part of the brain known as the substantia nigra. These cells normally produce dopamine which allows for greater control of the body’s muscles, resulting in smoother movement all around. Now, some researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine think they have found the reason for the death of the nerve cells that cause this disease.

The protein alpha-synuclein plays a crucial role in the development of the disease, though for a long time the cause was unknown. Alpha-synuclein is found throughout the brain. In people with Parkinson’s this protein starts to clump up, which in turn causes the death of dopamine-producing cells. The new research done by the Saint Louis team shows that it is a form of dopamine itself that causes this clumping to occur. The team found that dopamine is converted to a highly toxic chemical called DOPAL. DOPAL directly causes the alpha-synuclein protein to bundle up and leads to cell death.

While current treatments to the disease are based on replenishing dopamine, researchers are now wanting to create “neuroprotective” therapies, or therapies that stop the dopamine cells from dying in the first place. With the direct cause now found, the development for a cure to Parkinson’s has taken another great leap forward. It will take many more, no doubt, but researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to greater breakthroughs for Parkinson’s patients.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030153020.htm

Breast Cancer Returns More Often In Black Women

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2007) — Contrary to previous studies, African-American women with early-stage breast cancer who have surgery to remove the cancer (lumpectomy) followed by radiation therapy have a higher chance of their cancer coming back in the breast and lymph nodes 10 years after diagnosis, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, according to the largest study of its kind.*

The study also shows that early-stage breast cancer patients who are African-American women who are diagnosed with the disease at a younger age have a higher disease stage at diagnosis (larger tumors and cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes) and more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women who undergo similar treatment.
"The incidence of breast cancer is actually lower in African American women compared to Caucasian women, yet their mortality rates are higher," Moran said. "We were surprised. Previous reports did not show higher relapse rates in African American women after surgery to conserve breast tissue. This might be because we had so many African American patients and a longer follow-up period."
"This study confirms the aggressive nature of breast cancer in African-American women and emphasizes how important it is for all African-American women to see their healthcare providers regularly and to go for screening mammograms to try to catch any abnormalities early," said Meena S. Moran, M.D., the lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. "This study also points out the need for further research in evaluating the underlying molecular, genetic and biological differences in breast cancers in African-American women so that we can develop better strategies for helping these women beat their cancer."
For patients with early-stage breast cancer, the current standard treatment involves a lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy to the breast over a five to six-and-a-half-week period to kill any remaining cancer cells.
The cohort study involved 2,382 patients over a 30-year period who underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer. Researchers wanted to find out if there were differences in the outcomes between AfricanAmerican patients and Caucasians. Findings showed that 10 years after treatment with lumpectomy and radiation, 17 percent of African-American women had their breast cancer recur compared with 13 percent of Causcasian patients.
The study "Differences between African American (AA) and Caucasian (C) Patients Treated with Conservative Surgery and Radiation Therapy (CS+RT) for Early Stage Breast Cancer," was presented at a scientific session October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

URL:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029135348.htm

Alzheimer's cold sore virus link

New evidence has shown a correlation between cold sore sufferers and patients dealing with Alzheimer's. Researchers studied cells in culture infected with the virus, and found a dramatic increase in the production of beta amyloid protein, a building block for the plaques that are present in those who suffer from Alzheimer's. Further studies have shown that the herpes simplex virus is found in the brains of up to 70% of people with Alzheimer's. This disease is caused by several factors; still, this information offers new hope in finding a way to prevent the onset of the disease.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7071576.stm

Cardiologists identify a new gene linked to Cardiac Arrest

Researchers at the University of Pittsburg School of Medecine, under the leadership of Barry London, MD-PhD, have identified a new gene, GPD1-L, responsible for a particular form of cardiac arrest called Brugada syndrome. This syndrome is an inherited form of arrythmia (irregular heart beating) that is most common in young men. It easily leads to sudden cardiac arrest in people without underlying cardiac disease. In 20% of cases with Brugada syndrome, mutations in the heart's sodium ion channels cause decreased ion flow, which ultimately results in less heart beats in some parts of the heart.
In the study conducted, the researchers found that the GPD1-L gene, on chromosome 3p24, is a trafficking gene that allows the sodium ion channel to find its way to the cell membrane. Mutations can interfere with this trafficking. Some oxidative stresses, such as pollution, smoking and stress, could also influence the function of the gene and its product.
Though it was identified 15 years ago, Brugada syndrome is still not well understood. Implantable cardiac defribillators (ICDs), which are able to correct ventricular fibrillation by providing shocks to the heart, are currently our best way of dealing with sudden arrythmias.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071031114325.htm

Starving breast tumors

Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels. This process is normal when it comes to growth and wound healing, but is unwanted in cancer cells. The constant and growing blood supply to tumors allows them to spread metastatically. Researchers are investigating ways to cut off the nutrient and oxygen supply to tumors found in the breast. Tumors with no nutrient supply, or pre-vascularized tumors can grow up to only 2-3 cubic millimeters. If the tumors are this small, they will be easier to eliminate and prevent the growth of cancer cells in the future.

Through research, nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK)has been found to fuel angiogenesis. The cancer cells secrete NDPK into surrounding cells, making it possible for the tumor to grow. Ian Buxton of the University of Nevada verified this fact by treating endothelial cells with NDPK and comparing the rates of angiogenesis to a controlled group of endothelial cells. It was found that the treated cells had an angiogenesis rate which was about 70% faster than in the control group. Buxton then added a P2Y receptor antagonist with the NDPK to another experimental group, finding the angiogenesis levels were almost the same in both groups. P2Y receptor antagonists prevent NDPK from entering the cells.

The method of blocking the NDPK from the P2Y receptors is being further investigated. Obviously, this method would not serve as a good treatment for breast cancer, but it would work well as a preventative therapy after the removal of the tumor. Many women experience a metastatic spread years after the original tumor has been removed. This treatment should prevent cancer cells from reoccurring.

I find this article very interesting because many advances are being made in breast cancer treatment, but the recurrence of breast cancer is still relatively common. The ability to completely eliminate future growth of these cells is an amazing improvement. Hopefully, with the advances in breast cancer treatment we will remove breast cancer from the top 10 list of causes of death in women (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/ Oct 30 2007).

URL:
http://www.medwire-news.md/380/70522/Breast_Cancer/Novel_drugs_could_starve_breast_tumors_of_blood_supply.html
(Oct 25 2007)

Nerve Study Illuminates Anesthesia Mechanism

When patients are taken in for major surgery they are put to sleep with the aid of anesthetic drugs. However, until recently how exactly anesthesia works has not been a major concern to doctors. All doctors knew is that anesthesia put the patient to sleep and allowed them to complete the procedure. New research has shown, however, that anesthetics affect the brain at the physiological level by disrupting communication between brain cells. It has been shown that the neurons in the reticular activating system (RAS) in rats are electrically coupled and communicate through gap junctions. Researchers say that this may play an important role in the control of sleep-wake cycles. Understanding this could help scientists create more finely tuned anesthetic agents. Dr. Edgar Garcia-Rull says that some, though maybe not all, anisthetics disrupt the RAS and put people to sleep by blocking gap junctions. In the study Dr. Garcia and lead author David S. Heister are testing the levels of expression of connexin 36, a neuronal gap junction protein to see how anesthetics affect it. This study, which still has gaps, does show promise in the comprehension of how anesthetics affect the brain and put a pateint to sleep and how the sleep-wake cycle is regulated in others.

Neurological proscesses though somewhat understood are still the subject of debate and tons of interesting research. The brain is a very interesting part of the body which still holds many secrets that are left to be uncovered. Breakthroughs in understanding of how anesthetics affect communication in the brain could lead to not only better use of anesthetics, but possibly a way to have the reverse effect that an anesthetic has. Could it be possible to use the concept of anesthesia in the "reverse" direction to help communication in the trauma damaged brains of comatose and PVS patients.

http://www.anesthesiologynews.com/index.asp?section_id=21&show=dept&issue_id=328&article_id=8895

Cancer-Killing Virus Shows Promise as Metastatic Cancer Treatment

Recently reported by Paul Hallenbeck, Ph.D., of Neotropix in Malvern, Pa is news of recently discovered cancer-killing virus, Seneca Valley Virus-001. Other cancer-killing viruses have been shown to be effective against localized cancer, but what caught my eye about this virus is its potential against metastatic cancer, especially lung and eye cancer. Metastatic cancer is much deadlier than localized cancer and any new methods of fighting it are always good news. It is believed that in the past, other cancer-killing viruses have been inable to target metastatic cancer because of an inability to differentiate between normal and cancerous cells or because the virus was altered in the blood or by the immune system. However, trials with the new Seneca Valley Virus-001 have been performed in both normal and tumor cell lines and in the blood to see how it is affected there. In the trials, the Seneca Valley Virus-001 showed great cancer-killing potential and ability to distinguish between normal and cancerous cells. The results appear to trump those of all other cancer-killing viruses opening high hopes for the future of cancer treatment and may be seen in action in humans in the years to come.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030160940.htm

Stem Cells Restore Memory in Mice

At the University of California, Irvine, a rodent's memory was brought back up to healthy levels after 3 months. Even though we know that stem cells may come in handy when treating diseases which cause loss of motor function, this study reveals that stem cells might even bring back memory. In this study, the scientists used mice which develop brain lesions, then destroy cells in the hippocampus which are related to memory. After they did this, the rats with the destroyed cells were more likely to forget. Then, researchers placed 200,000 neural stem cells into each mouse and the mice were able to remember things just as well as the normal mice. It was also noted in this study that stem cells injected into healthy mice travelled throughout the brain, while those injected into poor memory mice migrated to the hippocampus, suggesting that these stem cells repaired the damage rather than replacing the cells.
http://health.msn.com/centers/alzheimers/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100173445

Light Activated Cancer Drug Hope

Currently, the difficulty with cancer treatments lie with the inability of the immune system to differentiate between healthy and tumor cells, so both are attacked.
Newcastle University researchers have potentially discovered a way to cause monoclonal antibodies to attack only tumor cells. The method involves coating the antibodies with a light sensitive organic oil which interferes with the activity of the antibodies. When uv light is shown on the tumor site, the antibodies are activated. Research has shown success on ovarian cancers in rats and human trials are expected to begin soon.
This article is of interest due to the huge effect this treatment will have if successful. Also, as biomedical engineering students it is important to be aware of new research and possible areas of study for our future careers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7067828.stm

Heart Disease may be reduced by Enzyme CEH

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have been researching an enzyme called CEH, and have found that it could have significant effects in reducing the causes of coronary heart disease. Specifically, CEH’s role in the cardiovascular system could play a role in developing techniques to reduce plaque build-up in arteries. This treatment of increasing CEH is unique from other treatments which reduce plaque build-up, since it has the potential to actually decrease existing plaque.

Coronary heart disease results when monocytes in the coronary artery absorb large amounts of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol. After this absorption of LDL takes place, the monocytes become large and bloated (foam cells), and start clogging the coronary artery. This results in plaque formation in the artery, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, atherosclerosis, and other kinds of vascular disease. The enzyme CEH counteracts this process, by making the cholesterol in the monocytes available to HDL, also known as good cholesterol. This is where cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH), comes into play. It controls the amount of cholesterol that is available for absorption by HDL. In other words, increasing the amount of CEH could decrease the amount of LDL in foam cells in the coronary artery, resulting in a decrease of plaque build-up.

Shobha Ghosh, a professor at the VCU School of Medicine showed how reducing the amounts of LDL in mice who had the human gene for CEH was a direct correlation in the decrease of heart disease. Although this research is still in the early phases of translational medicine and there is still work to be done, I believe that there is great potential for the development of many types of treatments for cardiovascular disease.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/86646.php

Gene therapy sees early success for neurodegenerative disease

Doctors marked the first successful use of an attenuated HIV virus to carry a therapeutic gene into a patient’s cells on October 28th, as two 7-year-old Spanish children with ALD began showing early signs of success from the pioneering gene-therapy treatment.

HIV is a promising vector for transferring corrective genes into a host due to its ability to directly into cell nuclei. But until now it hadn’t been proven in a clinical setting. The results raise hopes for a treatment for adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), and this early success potentially opens the door to better treatments for many other diseases involving the bone marrow and blood cells, such as leukaemia, thalassemia and sickle-cell disease.

Working in collaboration with the Californian biotech company Cell Genesys, Inserm researchers, Patrick Aubourg and Natalie Cartier, first cultured the children's bone-marrow progenitor cells — which give rise to all blood cell types — and then transferred the corrective gene to them using the HIV virus. They then destroyed the children's existing bone marrow using chemotherapy, and reintroduced the modified cells, which took hold within a month to produce new bone marrow and blood cells. Samples taken showed exceptional results, with half of the new cells containing the introduced gene, and 20-30% expressing the corrective protein.

Although the initial results are encouraging, caution is warranted. Many previous gene-therapy trials have failed because of serious problems with side effects. It will also take another 18 months of follow-up before the team can be reasonably sure that their gene transfer remains stable, and that the level of corrective protein expressed is sufficient to prevent clinical symptoms from developing.

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071030/full/news.2007.204.html

Boo! Scientists Strike Back at Fear

In lieu of the upcoming holiday I thought an article about fear would be appropriate.

Fear is a very overwhelming experience for human beings, whether they are young or old humans experience this emotion. Recent studies are being developed on how fear is signaled in the brain. These studies include tests on how fear effects and controls the brain when a person is spooked or experiences anxiety. Genetics seem to play a role in the development of fear in humans, as well as traumatic effects. In fact about 40 million Americans deal with issues of anxiety. Now due to advancements in medicine, scientists believe to have found a way of treating such problems.

Fear is a powerful emotion and changes how the body functions depending on its level. Fear can spark better attention and brain skills, as well as make the body able to withstand a greater amount of pain. Knowing how fear works is a very interesting topic for scientists because it is unique to each and every individual. Finding a way to control fear is a very complex and difficult problem, but scientists may be closer than ever before.

Scientists have targeted the part of the brain that is triggered by something frightful or foreign. They then tested how the process ran through the body and brain. The spot found to be the key part of the brain was the amygdala, in the deep brain. This part of the brain acts like an alarm in the brain and when stimulated sends out certain chemicals that help to overcome fear. When this chemical is not secreted properly it is very difficult for someone to overcome a fear, this may lead to a phobia. However, tests have shown that D-cycloserine helps to strengthen the chemical reaction, thus helping to overcome a fear. This method has not been tested to its full potential. Scientists believe that this is a good first step in the right direction.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Facing-Our-Fears.html

Deep Brain Stimulation Treats Depression

As we have all probably figured out with our design projects, there are different applications for deep brain stimulation. In this article a neurosurgeon has used deep brain stimulation to treat a woman with severe depression (afflicts as many as four million people). The woman, Diane Hire, has had severe depression for over twenty years, and has tried various treatments from drugs and therapy to electroconvulsive therapy.

The neurosurgeon created two holes on the left and right side of her brain respectively, which he used to feed wires, as thick as fishing line, which contained an electrode o n the end,into a specific region of her brain where mood and energy are regulated. The doctors mapped her brain, using images gathered over 180 MRI's, so they could be as precise as possible when positioning the electrode. The wires led to a battery-run stimulator located in Hire's chest. The neurosurgeon then applied about two volts through the wires and into her brain.

After the treatment she said that things seemed clearer and brighter to her. She commented that she actually felt happy and she smiled for the first time in twenty years. This treatment utilized the fact that electrical signals applied in the brain can facilitate cell communication. The exact mechanism, however, that is affected by this treatment is unkown. I found this quite interesting in light of our design project. Its interesting that stimulating the brain in various ways could create a variety of different affects, who knows what other diseases/disorders could be treated using deep brain stimulation? This just proves that there is so much more to learn about the brain and that its complexities could provide a variety of avenues for treating patients.

URL
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/7fe10fb25fef4110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

Whey Protein May Protect Against Prostate Cancer

You, or someone you know, uses whey as a dietary supplement. Many associate the protein as a means of gaining muscle mass for pre- or post-workout meals. However, the cheese byproduct has other advantages than purely body-building.

Scientists of Ohio State University treated male human prostate cells with whey protein in vitro. The cells, in response, increased cellular production of the antioxidant glutathione by as much as 64 percent. Glutathione is one of several antioxidants known to control the production of cancer-causing free radicals. Whey contains the amino acid cysteine, a key element in the synthesis of glutathione.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/05/030529081202.htm

DBS, Dopamine, and Impulsivity

Dopamine-boosting drugs and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are the common avenues of approach in restoration of mobility in patients with Parkinson's disease. These two methods, however, are implicated in increased impulsivity, but in different ways. 

A group at the University of Arizona discovered these differences through the use of a computer game that presented each patient with two unfamiliar squiggles, one of which when selected would flash "Correct!". It was found that deep brain stimulation inhibits or interferes with a patient's tendency to pause and consider alternatives when faced with a difficult decision. Patients with DBS electrodes turned on made faster choices, but with the electrodes off, the same patients exhibited the normal tendency to consider alternatives. 

Dopamine, the group reported, inhibits a patient's ability to learn from negative experiences. In terms of the computer game, patients with elevated levels of dopamine had reduced tendencies to avoid choosing the incorrect squiggle. This effect of dopamine has been implicated in the incidence of repeated gambling without regards to losses in medicated Parkinson's patients.

I find this article interesting because it reminds the reader of how the body is truly an integrated system. One cannot affect one aspect of the body without affecting another aspect even to the slightest degree. I also find the insight that this article provides into decision making very interesting because it illustrates the range of effects that treatment options can have on a patient.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5850/553a

Degradable Coronary Stents

Stents are tiny tubes inserted into diseased arteries to keep them open. The main purpose of a stent is to counteract significant decreases in vessel or duct diameter by propping open the artery by a mechanical scaffold or stent. Stents are typically left in the body and remain there because they are not degradable. However, recently a revolutionary, new biomaterial has been discovered to provide a material that will allow stents to degrade.

Fully degradable coronary stents have been explored for more than 20 years. But, no clinically useful products could be developed, in part, because of the lack of polymers that could meet the extremely demanding performance requirements. By developing a library of degradable polymers comprising 10,000 theoretically possible compositions and applying combinatorial methods the best possible biomaterial was identified. It was this resulting material that was selected for use.

The biomaterial is currently being tested in 30 patients for safety in Germany and Brazil but if they are successful, this will be a huge breakthrough for not just stents but global bioengineering. The main issue with bioengineering is ensuring that products do not tamper with the bodies homeostasis. Degradable stents will allow the body to heal, doing its intended job and then leave the body non-invasively. This means no concerns regarding long-term effects of having the stent.

I myself am very intesrested in the workings of a stent and have seen many various prototypes and this one is by far the most interesting. I've always wondered how companies can truly ensure their product for years worth of wear and tear. A stent goes through significant abuse and the idea of having it in the artery permanately sounds like a malfunction is bound to occur. This would make stents much more reliable in my opinion and I can't wait to see the results in the 30 patients.

The article--> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018123505.htm

Wikipedia Stents--> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stents

Experimental Drugs on Trial

It takes roughly eight and a half years for a drug to reach the consumer from the time it is first tested to when it appears in pharmacies. This is due to the “gold standard” set by the FDA—a stringent process of testing and retesting drugs to ensure their safety and efficacy. This process is broken up into three phases:

[I] Drug is administered to 20-80 people to test dosage levels and side effects
[II] Several hundred people receive the drug to determine its short-term side effects and efficacy
[III] The effectiveness and safety of the drug are tested on a several thousand people

This extensive scheme was created in an attempt to prevent unexpected side effects from taking a toll on people’s lives. We’ve all heard of cases, however, where this process has failed. Thalidamide, Vioxx, Celebrex, and Laetrile are all examples of drugs that passed the FDA’s requirements and were later recalled due to unforeseen side effects.

Interestingly, patients are now stepping up to shorten this period of extensive testing. Frank Burroughs, for example, founded a group named the Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs after the death of his daughter. Abigail Burroughs was a terminally ill cancer patient who attempted to enter the pre-trials on drugs like Erbitux and Iressa, but she was denied entry. The argument is essentially summarized by two standpoints: terminally ill patients claim that they should have access to drugs that have not made it through the full testing process while the FDA believes this would endanger the patients by exposing them to untested chemicals. It is, of course, a more complicated matter than it appears. If a patient is out of treatment options and death is eminent, then why not provide some type of treatment, even if the outcome is unsure? For example, it seems that a cancer patient would rather be alive and infertile than to pass away. On the other hand, rushing the testing process could have a negative effect on the entire pharmaceutical industry as many drugs that should not reach market now would.

Where do we draw the line? How sick does a patient have to be in order to receive a drug that is not available to the general public? Speeding up the drug approval process could have potentially life-saving and detrimental effects, and finding a balance between these two extremes will be essential to the credibility of America’s medicinal system.


Benderly, Beryl Lieff. "Experimental Drugs on Trial." Scientific American: October 2007

Nightmares Offer Clues to Why We Dream

Nightmares offer clues to why we dream, how our dreaming and waking lives may intersect, as well as how we are able to create a virtual reality within our skull. Studies have shown that about 75% of our dreams are associated with negative emotions and that about 25% of children between the ages of 5 and 12 are awakened from bad dreams at least once a week. The frequencey of nightmares varies by sex and age, with young adults, particularly women, having the most nightmares.

Scientists have begun determining which areas of the brain are active and which are inactive during sleep. Most dreaming occurs during REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep and many changes occur in the brain when one enters this sleep stage. The limbic system, which is involved in emotions, is much more active during sleep, while the prefrontal cortex, functioning in rational thought and critical reasoning, is largely offline. The primary visual cortex is relatively inactive, which is the area of the brain that receives visual signals, but the secondary visual cortex, involved in intrepretation of the signals, remains active. A small region of the brainstem also paralyzes most of the body to prevent physical activity during dreaming. All of these changes in the brain contribute to the nature of our dreams.

It was proposed by Dr. Neilson and Dr. Levin that dreaming creates "fear extinction memories," helping people clear away fearful memories during bad dreams, but that this "fear extinction" doesn't occur in nightmares.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/science/23angi.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=health

HIgh Blood Pressure Medication Could Treat Alzheimers

This article is interesting because we just got finished talking about Alzheimer's Disease and when I found this article that describes a possible treatment for Alzheimer's I knew I had to post it. High blood pressure medication has been shown to decrease the amount of amyloid beta plaques in the brain that lead to Alzheimer's. Many different high blood pressure medications have been tested and they have narrowed it down to a few different ones. So far this has only been proven in mice, but studies will eventually be done on humans. This discovery, if proven effective in humans, could lead to a longer productive lives for many.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305318,00.html

Natural Protein May Hurt Vision

A recent study conducted by the Medical College of Georgia has found that high levls of an amino acid called homocysteine could harm the eyes. Homocysteine is a chemical compound with the formula HSCH₂CH₂CH(NH₂)CO₂H. It is a homologue of the naturally-occurring amino cysteine, differing in that its side-chain contains an additional methylene (-CH₂-) group before the thiol (-SH) group. It is suspected that homocysteine is a likely cause of retinal damage and vision loss. High levels of homocysteine damage the extensive blood vessel and neuronal network of the retina.

Homocysteine levels increase when there’s a decline in folic acid (folate) levels. This is a problem for many Americans because they don’t eat enough folate-rich fruits, vegetables and grains. Folate, along with vitamine B12, convert this homocysteine to methionine. When this conversion fails, elevated levels of homocysteine levels interfere with the folding and structure of collagen.

The retina is a thin layer of neural cells that lines the back of the eyeball. It is comparable to the film in a camera. The retina is very important because it is party of the central nervous system, and is also the only part of the central nervous system that can be imaged directly. The retina’s job is to receive light and transform it into neural impulses that go to the brain.

The U.S. National Institute of Health has made a grant of $1.8 million in hopes to learn more about how elevated levels of this amino acid may affect the retina.

The link to the article is:

http://health.yahoo.com/news/180771;_ylt=Al52THwh8DjcuNwHQKApnCCmxbAB

Gene Targeting

Gene targeting allows scientist to inactivate or modify particular genes in mice. This technique helps scientists use mice to study heart disease, diabetes, cancer, cystic fibrosis and other diseases. On Monday October 8, 2007, U.S. citizens Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies, and Sir Martin J. Evans of Britain won the 2007 Nobel Prize for there discoveries that led to this technique of manipulating mouse genes.

Gene targeting is done by researchers who introduce a "genetic change" into mouse embryonic stem cells. Then the mice that are born from these embryos produce offspring with the altered genes. Overall, using this technique scientist have studied about half of the genome of a mouse.

By using gene targeting, people who work in the fields of biomedicine are able to understand specific gene function. Capecchi and his colleagues have geneticaly altered mice (knockout mice) and developed strains of genes to study health related conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Although, right now this technique is only being used to study mice, eventually I believe that we could use gene targeting to help treat disease in humans.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/08/nobel.science.ap/index.html
(CNN)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071008/ts_nm/nobel_medicine_dc
(Yahoo News)

Older Physicians Looking for an Out

Health care as we know it could be seeing big changes according to this article. Malpractice insurance and long hours are bringing older physicians down, and the majority of physicians over 50 said they would disencourage their children to seek becoming doctors. The number of unsatisfied physicians has increased dramatically over the last three years, and an exodus of well train physicians would send American healthcare spiraling. It is for some of these reasons that many good physicians leave to United States to practice in Europe, where practice laws are more lienient. The government knows this, and makes it very difficult for doctors to do this.

I find this article interesting because there will always be the struggle of healthcare being a business or a service. It is generally agreed that over time healthcare has become more of a business practice, but at the same time I believe we can never put a price on human life. If there is a mass exodus of physicians, we might see more financial or professional flexibility in healthcare. Since a good chunk of biomedical engineers go on to become docotors, this could affect what we choose to do after our undergraduate education.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/PainManagement/tb/7103

New Paradigm for Modeling Growth

Modeling growth is, naturally, of great interest to biomedical engineers. After all, most of the materials that we deal with in the body are tissues that are constantly growing and shrinking. Currently, growth is usually modeled by one-to-one mapping, with each 'point' in the body of interest referenced to its original location. This works well for stretching and shrinking; however, a major difficulty arises when the body adds or loses material of interest. For instance, as an ice cube freezes, water is added to the solid. This growth of the ice cube cannot be modeled by one-to-one mapping because a point did not necessarily exist at time = 0.

To remedy this, many researchers have included correction factors; often that only make the model match a particular application. However, there appears to be a shift in modeling growth (in which our own Dr. Humphrey is involved) in which growth is tracked spatially. In other words, the point is referenced to its current position, and the body is seen as a mixture of the states that can be present. To go back to our ice cube example, the entire area/volume will be seen as having present both ice and water. A variable density gradient can then be used at each point that will tell you what is present -- if a point is ice, it's density gradient will equal the density gradient for ice, if it is water, it will equal water, while if it is in the process of freezing, it will be somewhere between the two.

This new approach to modeling growth is generally called 'mixture theory' because it views a tissue as a 'mixture' of the solid and liquid states. For more information (at a much deeper level!), visit the links below. The first one goes through the mathematics for this approach, and is from a professor at Columbia University. The second one is co-authored by Dr. Humphrey, and applies this type of theory to a biomechanical problem.

http://www.columbia.edu/~ga29/pdf/AteshianBMMB07b.pdf
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Doi=80699 (must access via A&M subscription)

Biodegradable Gene deliver: making retroviruses a thing of the past

Gene therapy is a field that has been intensely researched for the past 20 years with over a thousand clinical trials. Scientists have been chasing the breakthroughs (and even fame) that would come with a safe and highly effective way to deliver gene's into a persons DNA. Up until recently the only way possible of delivering genes into a human was to use recombinant DNA technology to insert genes into a virus then use the virus to deliver that gene into a human's chromosome. This of course could be cause for concern since we rely on scientist to take out all the negative effects of viruses and make sure they are completely harmless then use them as tools for altering DNA. Scientists at MIT have decided to start from scratch and have designed they're own DNA delivery system using large biodegradable polymers. The polymer-DNA nanoparticle can act like an artificial virus by delivering functional DNA when injected into nearby tissues. The MIT scientists used mainly three poly(beta-amino esters), or chains of alternating amine and diacrylate groups, in order to develop these gene carrying polymers. The non-viral DNA carrying nanoparticles have all ready proved to be effective in mice. One more notable point about this new method is that the DNA payload able to be delivered by these nanoparticles is much bigger than that of a virus.

I found this article to be very interesting because it not only introduces a new technology that is more effective in delivering DNA, which is very important since the future of medicine is gene therapy. It's also very interesting because it seems as if though the researchers really care about the potential safety problems associated with the old methods and looked for a safer alternative especially to those who might be skeptical of having viruses willingly injected into their bodies.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070907095614.htm

Scientists Build a Better Petri Dish

Biomedical engineers at Brown University have improved the way to culture cells. They invented a new type of petri dish that can grow cells in three dimensions with great efficiency: quickly and cheaply. The dish contains agarose that allows cells to self-assemble naturally; thus, form tissues. This improved 3D dish has few advantages over the traditional petri dishes. In conventional petri dishes, cells’ growth does not mimic the way the cells grow in the body. The shape, function and growth patterns of cells cultured in traditional petri dishes differ compared with cells grown in a 3-D environment. Since cells multiply in a 3D fashion, the new 3D dish can multiply cells just as it was in the body. Because the dish is non-adhesive, cells won’t stick to it. The dish is porous that allows particles to move in and out and has the ability to form natural cell-to-cell connections. I find this interesting because this new technology holds a lot of hope for future research. It could also save research companies millions of dollars because it will increase accuracy in laboratory testing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20071019/hl_hsn/scientistsbuildabetterpetridish

Nanoengineers Mine Tiny Diamonds for Drug Delivery

Recently, researchers at Northwestern University have shown that nanodiamonds can be a very effective way to deliver chemotherapy drugs. The negative effects caused by the current drug delivery agents are not present in the nanodiamond delivery method of chemotherapy drugs. Basically, this method limits the exposure of toxic drugs to the body by shielding the drug from the normal cells so as not to kill them. The nanodiamonds also don’t cause inflammation in the cell which the current method does not do which has serious adverse affects. “There are a lot of materials that can deliver drugs well, but we need to look at what happens after drug delivery…Nanodiamonds are highly ordered structures, which cells like. If they didn’t, cells would become inflamed. From a patient’s perspective, this is very important. And that’s why clinicians are interested in our work,” said Dean Ho, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern University. One important aspect of the nanodiamond structure is that it provides a powerful release in a very localized place. Another fact that makes the nanodiamonds clinically important is that they are also soluble in water, unlike many other upcoming nanoparticles. This research seems to be astronomical and hopefully one day will make chemotherapy better for those that have to endure it.

http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/33585/Nanoengineers_mine_tiny_diamonds_for_drug_delivery.html

Effectiveness of Taxol Questioned

New research is suggesting that the chemotherapy drug Taxol, commonly given to women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer is not universally effective, as it was initially thought to be.

The federally funded study which has led to the possibility of Taxol being less universal in positive effect was conducted by looking at frozen cancer tissues from 1500 individuals that were initially part of the study that found Taxol to increase overall survivability. Using genetic tools available now, but not in the 1990's when the study was initially conducted, to identify the genetic make-up of the cancer cells, and corresponding survival data, the new study found that Taxol was most effective in women with an overactive HER-2 gene, and did little for women without the overactive gene.

If subsequent studies come to the same conclusion, Taxol may be given out more specifically to breast cancer patients due to the strong side effects of the drug outweighing the negligible benefits. About 18% of women of the original study that received Taxol reported neurological problems ranging from numbness to tingling in the hands and feet, occurring months and even years after receiving the drug.

Response: Given the recurring theme of drug specificity in class and in the design project, it seemed appropriate to post an article in which this was highlighted so clearly. Article also demonstrated the way in which the growing pace of technology is changing the way medicine is thought about and practiced. It's also interesting to me that a drug with powerful side effects such as neurological dysfunction would be prescribed as widely as Taxol initially was, especially in light of the strong evidence that the majority of patients receiving the drug would net no positive result.

Full Article Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225760/

Allergic Reactions May Guard Against Brain Cancer

"Studies have found that people with atopic or allergic diseases – asthma, hay fever or eczema – show a reduced risk of being diagnosed with a primary brain tumour called a glioma. These tumours are notoriously deadly: just 3% of people with the most common form live five years beyond diagnosis."

Eleni Linos, from Harvard School of Public Health, conducted a study with several patients trying to confirm this relationship between allergic reactions and brain cancer. He found that the patients with histories of allergies were 39% less likely to be diagnosed with glioma--a very deadly brain tumor. This percentage was enough for Linos to be highly excited about the negative correlation between brain tumors and allergic reactions.

"This is just so tremendously encouraging for those working on immune-based treatments, since it implies that once a cancer is detected or established, it isn't too late to start trying to do something about it with immunotherapy," he says.

However, there is a counterargument to this finding in that maybe the brain tumors are the reason for why there is a decrease in allergic reactions, rather than the allergic reactions decreasing the risk of brain tumors. Judith Shwartzbaum of Ohio University points out that gliomas are known to be potent suppressors of the immune system. She notes, "I am still not completely convinced that it's not the tumour suppressing the allergy."

I found this article particularly interesting mainly because of the debate of whether or not the cancer is suppressing the allergies or if the allergies are suppressing the cancer. It is basically asking the question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Although both sides may have a significant evidence for each argument, it is still not certain what the cause is. Cancer is a very challenging, but interesting, subject due mostly to our lack or knowledge on where all of these types of cancers emerge. However, it is very clear that everyone is doing everything in their power to overtake this challenge, which is why this article caught my attention.

This article can be found at:
http://media.newscientist.com/article/dn12765-allergic-reactions-may-guard-against-brain-cancer.html

"I am creating artificial life", declares US gene pioneer

Craig Venter, a DNA researcher at the Scientific Institute in San Diego, California, claims to have created the first artificial life form by creating his own chromosome made from 381 genes strung together containing a total of 580,000 base pairs. The chromosome was made from the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium and their new, designer chromosome is dubbed Mycoplasma laboratorium. However, this genetic material is not enough, as the genetic information must be transplanted into a living cell to use the cellular machinery to function, divide, and replicate. This "creation" brings up ethical questions, but elevates the scientific standard, as we used to only dream of being able to make "designer" genes. In addition, a "designer" bacterial strain might once be made to combat global warming, or create new energy sources. Whether commercially applicable or not, this significant finding is surely a breakthrough. This Article Can be found at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/oct/06/genetics.climatechange.

Bird flu virus mutating into human-unfriendly form

The H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated to infect people more easily. Although it has not transformed into a pandemic strain, the changes are concerning. The H5N1 avian flu virus, which mostly infects birds, has infected 329 people in 12 countries, killing 201 of them since 2003. It rarely passes from person to person, but if it acquires the ability to do so, it would likely cause a global epidemic.

Birds typically have a body temperature of 106° F, while humans generally have a body temperature of 98.6° F. The human nose and throat, where flu viruses normally enter, is usually around 91.4° F. The specific change that has been identified could allow the bird flu to grow in the upper respiratory tract of humans since the mutation allows H5N1 to live well in the cooler temperatures of the human upper respiratory tract. Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has reported that recent samples of virus taken from birds in Africa and Europe all carry the mutation.

I found this article interesting since it concerns all of us and the problem stated could eventually become an even bigger issue if more mutations occur, which would possibly allow the virus to become pandemic strains. The article can be found at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0439354420071005

Hope Over Tumor-Killing Skin Cancer Drug

A possible method of skin cancer treatment has been detected, which entails overloading cancer cells with oxygen, causing them to die. The new drug STA-4783 contains chemicals which transport oxygen to the cancer cells and has no effect on normal, healthy cells. A study was conducted in which 28 patients with serious skin cancer were given the regular chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, and 53 patients received paclitaxel plus the new oxygen-delivering drug. On average, the patients who received both medications survived 4.2 months longer than those who received only the standard chemotherapy. This method of skin cancer treatment has the potential to be used as a cure for skin cancer. This is very exciting news since a cure has been sought after for quite some time. With all of the cancer research being conducted, a cure should be discovered before we know it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20992619/