MicroCT Of Skeleton Can ID Even The Subtlest Birth Defects

Researchers have found a way to visualize subtle birth defects in prenatal and postnatal bats, mice, opossums, and primates using a technique called microscopic x-ray computed tomography (microCT).

The article discussed how scientists hope to use this techique to obtain an understanding of how a particular gene functions in a normal and abnormal case. This could potentially allow scientists to better understand birth defects and how to prevent them.

The article discussed how the technique discussed in the article coupled with gene function experiments, such as altering the expression of a particular gene, could be used for birth defect studies by geneticists.The scientists in the article apparently measured the differences between skull and limb shape as well as length for a range of animals commonly studied by geneticists.
Apparently the microCT is excellent for high-resolution, morphological (structural) study of developing bones.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430141049.htm

Inherited Blindness Treated with Gene Therapy

Researchers from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London in the UK have found a gene therapy treatment for a rare form of blindness called LCA. LCA, or Leber’s congenital amaurosis, occurs in patients shortly after birth and results in progressively worse vision, eventually leading to complete loss of sight. LCA is an inherited disease caused by a malfunction in the gene RPE65 and prevents photoreceptor cells in the retina from functioning properly. Robin Ali, professor at UCL, led the treatment trials and said that the project had two goals: to test whether gene therapy would be safe for patients suffering from retinal disease, and whether it would be able to improve vision in patients with advanced retinal disease. The treatment consisted of inserting functional copies of the RPE65 gene into retinal cells of patients using a vector (inactive form of a virus). Surgical techniques and a very fine needle were used to actually insert the vector. Out of the three patients treated with the healthy gene, one patient showed a significant increase in night vision. The treatment was also found to be completely safe with no harmful effects (which was significant since retinal tissue is very sensitive). According to Ali, this is a great accomplishment and will pave the way for future gene therapy treatments in other ocular diseases. Currently gene therapy is still an developing treatment and not widely available for most patients.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105523.php

Experimental drug to stop radiation damage

Andrei V. Gudkov, a chairperson of Cell Stress Biology within the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.), is the lead researcher in the study of a drug that protect against lethal damage from radiation.

Radiation has and is used to kill cancerous cells, but does have adverse effect on healthy tissues, bone marrow, GI tract, and other cells in the body.

The drug of interest has been named CBLB502, a polypeptide drug derived from Salmonella flagellin.

Gudkov and his team found that when defective cells are stopped from spreading through apoptosis.

Apoptosis is prevented from occurring in cancer; that is, bad cells are killed but good cells are also adversely affected. Thus, it causes cancerous tumors to occur.

Gudkov and his team found that when apoptosis is prevented from occurring, a pathway called NFKB is also blocked.


The NFKB pathway is activated by flagellin, a protein in gut bacteria, and is normally used by apoptosis to destroy bad cells while leaving good cells alone.

Once the Gudkov team learned of the connection among apoptosis, NFKB, and flagellin, they decided to try to simulate the same pathway.

They injected the drug CBLB502 into mice and rhesus monkeys, waited from fifteen to sixty minutes, and then exposed the laboratory animals to lethal doses of radiation.

The investigators found that the drug improved survival rates, helping to protect bone marrow and the GI tract. The animals had more protection when the wait time was 60 minutes versus shorter times.

Especially important for radiation treatments for cancer patients, the drug CBLB502 did not prevent radiation from treating tumors in the mice as it protected healthy tissues.

This drug has now become the interest of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), since it could help citizens in case of a nuclear attack.

The Man Who Grew A Finger

In every town in every part of this sprawling country you can find a faceless sprawling strip mall in which to do the shopping.

Rarely though would you expect to find a medical miracle working behind the counter of the mall's hobby shop.

That however is what Lee Spievak considers himself to be.

"I put my finger in," Mr Spievak says, pointing towards the propeller of a model airplane, "and that's when I sliced my finger off."

It took the end right off, down to the bone, about half an inch.

"We don't know where the piece went."

The photos of his severed finger tip are pretty graphic. You can understand why doctors said he'd lost it for good.

Today though, you wouldn't know it. Mr Spievak, who is 69 years old, shows off his finger, and it's all there, tissue, nerves, nail, skin, even his finger print.

'Pixie dust'

How? Well that's the truly remarkable part. It wasn't a transplant. Mr Spievak re-grew his finger tip. He used a powder - or pixie dust as he sometimes refers to it while telling his story.

Mr Speivak's brother Alan - who was working in the field of regenerative medicine - sent him the powder.

For ten days Mr Spievak put a little on his finger.

"The second time I put it on I already could see growth. Each day it was up further. Finally it closed up and was a finger.

"It took about four weeks before it was sealed."

Now he says he has "complete feeling, complete movement."

The "pixie dust" comes from the University of Pittsburgh, though in the lab Dr Stephen Badylak prefers to call it extra cellular matrix.

Pig's bladder

The process he has been pioneering over the last few years involves scraping the cells from the lining of a pig's bladder.

The remaining tissue is then placed into acid, "cleaned" of all cells, and dried out.

It can be turned into sheets, or a powder.

It looks like a simple process, but of course the science is complex.

"There are all sorts of signals in the body," explains Dr Badylak.

"We have got signals that are good for forming scar, and others that are good for regenerating tissues.

"One way to think about these matrices is that we have taken out many of the stimuli for scar tissue formation and left those signals that were always there anyway for constructive remodelling."

In other words when the extra cellular matrix is put on a wound, scientists believe it stimulates cells in the tissue to grow rather than scar.

If they can perfect the technique, it might mean one day they could repair not just a severed finger, but severely burnt skin, or even damaged organs.

Clinical trial
They hope soon to start a clinical trial in Buenos Aires on a woman who has cancer of the oesophagus.

The normal procedure in such cases is often deadly. Doctors remove the cancerous portion and try to stretch the stomach lining up to meet the shortened oesophagus.

In the trial they will place the extra cellular matrix inside the body from where the portion of oesophagus has been removed, and hope to stimulate the cells around it to re-grow the missing portion.

So could limbs be re-grown? Dr Badylak is cautious, but believes the technology is potentially revolutionary.

"I think that within ten years that we will have strategies that will re-grow the bones, and promote the growth of functional tissue around those bones. And that is a major step towards eventually doing the entire limb."

That kind of talk has got the US military interested.

They are just about to start trials to re-grow parts of the fingers of injured soldiers.

Skin burns
They also hope the matrix might help veterans like Robert Henline re-grow burnt skin.

He was almost killed in an explosion while serving in Iraq. His four colleagues travelling with him in the army Humvee were all killed.

He suffered 35% burns to his head and upper body. His ears are almost totally gone, the skin on his head has been burnt to the bone, his face is a swollen raw mess.

So far he has undergone surgery 25 times. He reckons he has got another 30 to go.
Anything that could be done in terms of regeneration would be great he says.

"Life changing! I think I'm more scared of hospitals than I am of going back to Iraq again."

Like any developing technology there are many unknowns. There are worries about encouraging cancerous growths by using the matrix.

Doctors though believe that within the so called pixie dust lies an amazing medical discovery.

Robots in Surgery

The time of Robotic surgery is almost here! While all the surgical robots in existence today rely on people for function it will only be a matter of time before they are automatic.

Robotics are being introduced to medicine because they allow for unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally invasive procedures. So far, these machines have been used to position an endoscope, perform gallbladder surgery and correct gastroesophogeal reflux and heartburn. The ultimate goal of the robotic surgery field is to design a robot that can be used to perform closed-chest, beating-heart surgery. According to one manufacturer, robotic devices could be used in more than 3.5 million medical procedures per year in the United States alone. One robot that has been recently developed is the da Vinci Surgical System.

The da Vinci Sugrical System was approved by the FDA in 2000 making it the first robotic system allowed to be used in American operating rooms. Ituses technology that allows the human surgeon to get closer to the surgical site than the human eye would allow, and work at a smaller scale than conventional surgery permits.

The $1 million da Vinci system consists of two primary components:
A viewing and control console
A surgical arm unit

In using da Vinci for gallbladder surgery, three incisions -- no larger than the diameter of a pencil -- are made in the patient's abdomen, which allows for three stainless-steel rods to be inserted. The rods are held in place by three robotic arms. One of the rods is equipped with a camera, while the other two are fitted with surgical instruments that are able to dissect and suture the tissue of the gallbladder. Unlike in conventional surgery, these instruments are not directly touched by the doctor's hands.

Two other roborts have also been made the Zeus system and theAutomated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning (AESOP) Robotic System.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/robotic-surgery1.htm

Scientists find a quicker way to make antibodies

Researchers a the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have found a new way to efficiently produce antibodies. Previously accepted methods include searching through white blood cells looking for the desired antibody or modifying mice antibodies to mimic those of humans. While these methods take many months to years, the newly developed process can take as little as a month to complete. This process involves focusing on antibody secreting plasma cells which upon initial infection release an outburst of antibodies and collecting the antibodies that have been produced. Trials in humans have proven to be particularly easy and productive in that 80 percent of the collected antibodies were the desired ones. Trials have only been done with the seasonal flu and could be particularly uselful in fighting outbreaks of influenza strains while a vaccine is being developed. Additionally, this process is potentially applicable to an array of diseases and infections including HIV, pneumomia, and anthrax. The article was particularly interesting to me because of the vast application it could have to all the infections and diseases society faces everyday. Its application is endless.

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/n30538248-flu-antibodies/

Tree-Lined Streets Cut Asthma

In a recent study performed by Columbia University researchers, it was found that asthma rates among children age four and five fell by 25% for every extra 343 trees per square mile. Some asthma experts believe that when children are exposed to a lesser amount of microbes than normal that this increases their risk for asthma. This is believed because it is thought that when you are exposed to more microbes when you are little that your immune system gets more practice at fighting infection. The tree-lined street would therefore encourage children to play outside more often exposing them to more microbes present in the air. The link between asthma cases even held true after other sources of pollution were taken into account. This finding could possibly help to find a link between environmental causes of a life threatening condition. In New York City alone, asthma is the number one cause of admission to a hospital for children under 15. With this issue being this severe, its important that we continue to find the physiological interactions between our body and the environment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7374078.stm

-Cody Covington

ACE2

Scientists at The Australian National University are a step closer to understanding the rare Hartnup disorder after discovering a surprising link between blood pressure regulation and nutrition that could also help to shed light on intestinal and kidney function.
The team from the University's School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology together with colleagues from the University of Sydney set out to study nutrient uptake in the intestine and discovered an essential role of a protein called ACE2 in the process.
Two versions of the protein are known as ACE1 and ACE2. ACE1 is targeted by the blood pressure reducing drugs, but until now the role of ACE2 has been less clear. What the researchers found was a completely different role for ACE2 in nutrition.
"Protein forms up to 20 percent of our nutrition," said one of the authors of the report, Professor Stefan Bröer. "Amino acids are removed from the intestine by specialised cells which are endowed with a large number of transporters moving nutrients from the intestine into cell.
"Instead of tailoring a specific hormone, ACE2 cuts into proteins releasing amino acids from the intestine into cells. Additionally, we found that ACE2 was also important to endow the cell with transporters" he said.
The research shows that a failure of certain transporters to make contact with ACE2 can cause Hartnup disorder - where amino acid absorption in the intestine is impaired resulting in neurological problems and a skin rash in children.

Engineer Develops Thermosuit For Rapid Cooling Of Critically Ill Patients

William Ohley, who has taught in the URI College of Engineering for 28 years, joined with medical colleagues in Louisiana and New Jersey to form Life Recovery Systems after developing what they call the Thermosuit® , a plastic suit that encases unconscious patients to flood their bodies with cold water to induce hypothermia.

Ohley explained that by rapidly inducing hypothermia, and reducing body temperature by three to five degrees centigrade, a patient's full recovery from cardiac arrest is more likely to occur. Just 10 to 20 percent of cardiac arrest patients whose hearts are restarted recover fully, primarily because the lack of blood flow to the brain causes brain damage or brain swelling. This device would allow for the blood flow to return to normal faster and prevent brain damage. Additionally, the AHA guidelines state that a patient's body temperature after cardiac arrest should be reduced to 32-34 degrees centigrade and held there for 12 to 24 hours. The rate of cooling is also important and the fact that Ohley's product can produce the needed temperature much faster is what makes his device ideal (as of right now.)

Systems have been developed that blow cold air over the body or deploy ice packs, but they often take hours to reduce the body temperature to effective levels. Ohley’s system takes just 30 minutes. The device is now being deployed in a number of hospitals around the country and internationally, and nursing and emergency room staff are being trained in its use. Hospitals using the suit report that the survival rate of patients suffering cardiac arrests has risen from 35 percent to 60 to 70 percent.

In addition to cardiac arrest patients, Ohley believes stroke patients and those with brain and spinal cord injuries may also benefit from use of the design.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430161111.htm

Proteins Blocking HIV Replication

HIV is a prominent disease that has yet to have a viable cure to it. The HIV virus is so aggressive because it infects T cells, where it will then replicate and eventually weaken the entire immune system. The main problem that many of the drugs have with treating HIV is they attack the virus, which can mutate and become resistant to the treatment. Recently scientists have taken into consideration the affect that ITK proteins can have on HIV replication. The ITK will activate the T cells when there is an infection. HIV uses the same kind of route to spread through out the body as ITK. Scientists have come up with the idea that maybe inactivating the ITK protein will stop the HIV virus from entering the cells, which will lessen the chance of HIV spreading and replicating. They are predicting that using something that is already present in the body will be more effective than using a drug. This will prevent the virus mutating and becoming resistant to a drug. This article interested me the most because this is such a dominating disease that has been taking lives for too long.

No Substitute for Real Blood

Since 1998, bioengineers have been working to find a substitute for blood. Since there is a shortage of donor blood and there is a short shelf life of donated blood, a substitute for blood would be very useful in the medical world. All of the substitutes contained hemoglobin, so that the blood could successfully deliver oxygen to tissues and organs. This blood alternative has not been put into common clinical use, since it is still being researched and tested. Tests are showing that patients who receive the substitute have a higher risk of heart attacks and death. The problem appears to be that hemoglobin in blood alternatives captures nitric oxide. The nitric oxide molecules dilate blood vessels and keep blood platelets from getting sticky and clotting. Some argue that the statistics found are flawed since they include some models that were abandoned soon after they were put into trial. Until new statistics are generated, it appears the blood alternatives are not a good option for blood transfusions. Although research has stumbled upon some serious setbacks, research will continue. Hopefully engineers will find a substitute that is just as good as actual organic blood.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/428/1

Gene Therapy For Arthritis

Author: Charlie Lundquist

Arthritis affects nearly a third of the nations population, yet none of the current drugs or treatments for arthritis alters the course of the disease, and joint replacements are nowhere near as good as the original healthy joint. In the future, gene therapy may provide the answer, and a cure for arthritis. Gene therapy is currently being evaluated for its abilities in inducing stem cell differentiation into healthy cartilage and its ability to transfer genes that could aid in treating the symptoms of arthritis

Stem Cell Differentiation

The problem with current methods of creating cartilage grafts is that mature chondrocytes, such as those obtained in a biopsy, have a limited capacity to reproduce. They reproduce slowly and only divide a certain number of times. Adult stem cells have an unlimited capacity to reproduce and can differentiate into any kind of cell under the right conditions. Ideally, a cartilage graft would use stem cells differentiated into mature chondrocytes[i]. More cells would be produced and all the cells would be of the correct type. The only problem is getting the stem cells to differentiate into what you want.

Genetic modulation could serve this purpose by directing the differentiation into chondrocytes. Currently studies around the world are looking at differentiating stem cells by using recombinant DNA vectors. Basically, a bacteria or virus is encoded with a gene that expresses a protein that signals the stem cell to differentiate into a chondrocyte. The bacteria then infect the stem cell and incorporate its DNA. The stem cell uses the bacterial DNA to make the desired protein. Signals within the cell detect the protein and tell the cell to differentiate into a chondrocyte. Many potential proteins have been identified, but the most important are Sox8 and Sox9 because they are most directly associated with differentiation.

Gene Transfer For Treatment of Arthritis

Two projects began in 2006 that could provide a treatment for non-specific arthritis through gene therapy. One project, led by Dr. Christopher Evans at Harvard University, is trying to create a cell factory that delivers medicine to an affected joint. The premise is to use a bacterial or viral vector to insert a specific gene into the cells surrounding a joint. The cells would then begin to produce interleukin-1 inhibitor protein, which negates a substance that causes swelling and immune response in joints. Trials in horses and rabbits have shown significant improvement in symptoms long-term (up to one year). Clinical trials in humans began in early 2007 and are ongoing[ii].

The second project is being conducted by a company in Maryland called TissueGene. This company has created a genetically modified cell culture that produces a protein which promotes growth in damaged cartilage. The protein could induce enough growth and remodeling in the joint to eliminate symptoms entirely. Clinical trials in humans also began early in 2007 on patients undergoing total joint replacement surgery. The cells were injected several weeks before the joint was taken out and the joints were evaluated for cartilage regeneration. Transfection of TGF-β cDNA expression vectors into fibroblasts (NIH 3T3-TGF-β1) generated the genetically modified culture which produced hyaline and fibrous cartilage when injected into a damaged joint. The results of clinical trials are still under evaluation.

---

[i] Heng, B. C., T. Cao, and E. H. Lee. "Directing Stem Cell Differentiation into the Chondrogenic Lineage in Vitro." Stem Cells 22.7 (2004): 1152-67.

[ii] Dembner, Alice. "Research to Unleash Gene Therapy on Arthritis." Health. Boston Globe August 14 2006.

Bionic Eye Promises to Restore Sight to the Blind

Recently a group in London has performed surgery on two men in their fifties to equip them with a 'Bionic Eye'. This eye partially restores eyesight by implanging tiny metal plates studded with electrodes into the retina. While promising, this technique called Argus II, does not completely restore eyesight. Instead it provides the patient with vision of light and dark outlines. However, this is immensely better than being completely blind. This was the first time that the surgery has been perforemed in the UK. The Argus II was developed by Second Sight, an American company. The system involves a camera is attached to a pair of eyeglasses. The camera transmits a wireless signal to the electronic receiver and electrode panel implanted in teh eye. The system is powered by a battery pack that the patients wear on their waist. The electrodes stimulate retinal nerves, which in turn send signals to the optic nerve and subsequetnly the brain. These devices are quite pricey and have been estimated at about £15,000. However, US trials have been successful and it is predicted that these devices will be readily availiable in about three years.
This is an extremely revolutionary and important area of bioengineering. Restoring sight to the blind is one of the classic problems that engineers have been trying to solve for years, and now we seem to be much closer. One of the interesting things about the article was that they only performed surgery on patients diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that becomes progressively worse over time. While this disease affects over 25,000 people in the UK it would be nice to find a cure for all blindness rather than only one.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=37619

InfraReDx Technology: Near Infrared Diffuse Spectroscopy for Coronary Artery Disease

InfraReDx, Inc, a privately held startup based in Burlington, Mass., said on Friday that its angiography laser scanner, intended to characterize fatty deposits in coronary vessel walls, has been approved by the FDA, according to the New York Times.
So we went ahead to check out the technology behind the device, and here's what we found:
Near-infrared [NIR] diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is a highly developed technique that is in common use in fields such as chemistry and pharmaceutical development to identify the chemical composition of substances. The identification of the chemicals present is based on the differential absorption of light in the NIR spectrum by different molecules. An important feature of near-infrared light is that it can penetrate tissue and can therefore identify a tissue despite the presence of blood between the detector and the target. This is an important advantage for imaging within the human coronary artery.
Much of the activity of InfraReDx has been devoted to overcoming the challenges of performing NIR spectroscopy in the human coronary where problems of access, penetration of blood, motion, and the need to scan must be overcome. Fortunately, major advances in lasers and optical devices developed primarily for the telecommunications industry have made it possible to overcome these challenges.
The InfraReDx system consists of a laser light source, an automated pullback and rotation device and a small fiberoptic catheter. While the catheter is similar in size and ease of use to an intravascular ultrasound catheter, the information it provides is quite different since it is based on an optical rather that an ultrasonic signal.
The NIR system obtains signals from patients that are analyzed with algorithms validated by comparison to tissue histologic findings in ex-vivo coronary specimens. It is therefore possible to perform a pullback in a patient’s artery, and provide an image of the NIR signals which indicate the presence of lipid and other chemicals of interest. It is expected that these images, which are called Intravascular Chemograms™, will provide information to interventional cardiologists to help in the care of patients already undergoing cardiac catheterization for a coronary event. It is expected that the initial use of the InfraReDx device will be for diagnosis, which will help in prevention of a second coronary event in the approximately 2 million individuals world-wide who undergo a coronary intervention each year.

Micro-origami: Micrometer-scale 'Voxels' Folded Up For Drug Delivery

Researchers at USC Information Sciences Institute developed a technique for creating tiny nanosclae containers as small as 30 micrometers on a side that could be used for precise drug delivery. Much like oragami-folded paper, the containers are made by etching off the folded patterns onto thin sheets of polysilicon on top of a thin film of gold, and can be made into varying shapes. The sheets are then coated with permalloy, making them magnetic, making sure not to coat the places that would be later folded. Next, to fold the sheets, a magnetic force is used, followed by water pressure and capillary forces to tightly seal the capsules. This technique produces tightly sealed voxels and allows for easy mass production. It is hoped that this method will provide an efficient way to produce an effective drug delivery system.

Mom's diet may influence baby's sex, study says

Mothers-to-be who eat better deliver more boys — but critics aren't so sure

A recent study in Whales revealed interesting findings that correlated a mother’s diet at conception with the sex of her child. Mothers who did not eat breakfast and ate foods low in nutrition were more likely to have female children, whereas women who consumed breakfast daily, especially cereal, had a higher percentage of male babies. The correlation also depended on calorie intake, with the larger calorie intakes belonging to the mothers of sons.

This data is the first of its kind in that it found a correlation between a mother’s dietary intakes at conception to the sex of her child.

The study was hosted by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford in England. The Universities asked 740 first time mothers to keep an accurate food diary before and during the first trimester of pregnancy. The women were divided into three groups; a high nutrient, high calorie intake group, a low calorie, low nutrient intake group and the medium. The first group, which consumed the highest quantities of calories and nutritious food, delivered 56% male children, whereas the group which consumed the least amount of calories delivered only 45% males.

Odds of having a boy were much higher for women who ate at least one bowl of breakfast cereal a day compared to women who ate less than one bowl a week, the study said. Breakfast cereals are usually fortified by vitamins and minerals.

Critics of the study’s claims refer back to fertilization facts. The sex of the child is determined solely by the sex chromosome on the father’s sperm. However, it has been shown that in vitro fertilizations a male embryo is partial to an environment high in glucose. Women who don’t eat breakfast will have lower levels of glucose in the mornings, and therefore would not foster the growth of a male embryo as well as those that did.

Although I am not quite convinced that a women’s diet can influence her baby’s sex as much as the study may suggest, I found this article very interesting because I am personally fascinated and amazed at the embryonic development and fertility issues.

Full article- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24262928/

Improved Impella Bi-VAD, team Hufflepuff, Section 502

Our device objective was to design a fully implantable bi-vad for children ranging in age from 6 months to adolescence with the intent of a bridge to transplant or recovery. Our device improves upon the impella design that is already available in clinical trials. The impella design is an axial flow LVAD inserted via catheter through aortic valve into the left ventricle. An impeller coated in heparin provides suction that moves blood from an inlet in the left ventricle through an outlet in the lumen of the aorta. There are three main problems associated with the impella design that our device corrects:

• The impella design does not adequately perfuse the coronary and cerbral ostia.
• The aortic valve does not provide an adequate seal around the impella pump, resulting in backflow.
• As the child grows the pump can be displaced.

To correct these problems:

• An aortic balloon was inserted though the aortic archwhich inflates on diastole and deflates on systole. This provides backflow against an artificial value which allows appropriate perfusion of the coronary and cerebral ostia and aids the failing heart with contractions.
  
• A nitinol cage containing an allograft or porcine valve will be inserted through the aortic valve. This artificial valve will contain more leaflets allowing appropriate closure around the pump, preventing backflow.
• The pump will be secured via a pig tail end cap which can stretch as the child grows.

Our group also designed an RVAD which is inserted via a Swan-Ganz catheter through the vena cavae, through the atrium, through the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle where it will also be secured via a pigtail endcap. The RVAD does not need a nitinol stent or balloon to assist in proper functioning of the heart because the pulmonary valve does not interfere with any vessel ostia.

Blood substitutes tied to higher risk of heart attack, death

A government researcher recently announced that experimental blood substitutes are linked to an increase risk of heart attack and death; it has been suggested that studies on people be halted. Before human trials, animal trials even showed evidence that the product causes constriction of blood vessels that could lead to heart attacks.

The senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Charles Natanson, led a team that pooled data from several trials involving 3711 patients and found 164 deaths versus 123 deaths among controls: a more than 30% increase in mortality. The largest difference was in heart attacks; there were 59 heart attacks among treated patients and 16 among controls.

An artificial blood substitute could prove invaluable on the battlefield and in small, rural hospitals where fresh blood supplies can run in short supply. The government researchers realize this fact but are concerned about the products' safety and lack of clinical benefit.

At the moment, the government is urging that all results of trials on experimental agents involving people be made available to doctors and scientists.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/04/28/blood.substitutes/index.html

Team Ravenclaw Device Design

C.L.A.W. : Child Life Aid Widget

There are two main reasons a child may need a heart transplant; congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy. Currently there are no fully implantable devices that are small enough to fit in an infant’s chest cavity. Our team, over the course of a semester, developed the Child Life Aid Widget (C.L.A.W) which is artificial heart constructed of the electroactive polymer Nafion. Nafion’s response to an electrical stimulation is a graded mechanical force. Our heart consists of four chambers, replicating the human heart, which contract after stimulation from pacemaker leads. The “atria” contract first, followed by the “ventricles” which are stimulated by a separate lead from the pacemaker. The CLAW chambers have an inner coating of gold, which is non-thrombogenic and pliable, and the outside of the chambers are coated with platinum. The CLAW will be encapsulated in a neoprene/HEMA copolymer “pericardial sac” to prevent irritation of the surrounding tissues.

The CLAW will utilize Medtronic Hall easy fit valves and Dacron grafts, which will be used by surgeons to implant our device. If the patient’s heart has a chance of recovery, we will use heterotopic implantation. If more room is needed in the patient’s chest cavity, the surgeon will perform a lobectomy. Our device will be powered by a modified pacemaker battery and will be rechargeable via a piezoelectric clothing. We will be administering the anticoagulant Heparin to reduce the possibility of coagulation. Our device will be able to provide the appropriate cardiac output for children under the age of 13.

This group consisted of Kelsey Thompson, Stacy Prukop, Courtney Shell, Peter Sguigna, Joann Pearson, Beth Placette, Leigh Ann Piefer, Ricky Van de Graf, Patrick Simmons, and Nicolas Sears.

Gene therapy for blindness

Researchers in the Children's hospital of Philadelphia from the University of Pennsylvania are developing a new and exciting treatment for blindness. They are mainly researching inheritable retinal degenerations such as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). LCA is a disease that begins damaging light receptors in the retina in childhood and well into late adolescence until the patient is blind. The researchers used a vector of a genetically engineered adeno-associated virus to deliver the normal version of the gene RPE65 that is mutated in one form of LCA. So far only 3 patients have received the treatment through a surgical procedure in which the gene is injected into the eye. The patients have reported better sensitivity to light and have been able to navigate an obstacle course better since before the treatment. This is exciting because this is the first time gene therapy has been used to treat a nonlethal pediatric condition. We are still a long way from the movie Gattica but i think that this new breakthrough in gene therapy could pave the way for scientist and researchers to better understand our genetic makeup and the effects they can have in treating it.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194726.htm

No Substitute for Real Blood

While donating blood is a noble gesture, there are a couple of problems. There is never enough donated blood and the blood that is acquired does not last long in storage. As engineers, the natural conclusion is to develop a blood substitute. However, this has been proven difficult.
Charles Natanson and Public Citizen teamed up to compare the effects of using donated blood versus blood substitutes. Their findings were frightening. Those who received blood substitutes were at a higher risk for heart attacks and death.
One theory as to why this is happening is that the hemoglobin in the blood substitute binds to nitric oxide, which causes the platelets to stick, increasing the risk of clots.
However, not all scientists are in agreement. Some argue that there is not a statistical difference between deaths caused by regular blood transfusions and those using blood substitutes. There is an agreement that more research should be done in this field.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/428/1

Gene Therapy: A Success for Four Patients

In a study performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with the help of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, some young adult patients with Leber congenital amaurosis regained some ability to see. Leber congenital amaurosis begins at birth and causes complete blindness by age 40. One form of the disease is caused by a mutation in the retinal pigment epithelium 65 (RPE65) gene, which codes for a protein that helps convert vitamin A to a form that the retina can use to make rhodopsin, a light-absorbing pigment. If the gene is mutated and rhodopsin cannot be manufactured, the photoreceptors of the retina die.

In the study, a virus vector was used to deliver the RPE65 gene. No side effects were observed. Two patients who could only see hand motions before were able to read several lines of an eye chart, and one patient was able to efficiently navigate and obstacle course for the first time.

Plans have been made to treat younger patients, whose retinas are less damaged and stand to benefit more by the treatment, perhaps avoiding blindness altogether.

The full article may be viewed at: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/428/2.

The Ravenclaw

The Pediatric BiVAD

Group Members:

Sylvana Guirguis, Jinesh Patel, Wee Wen Leow, Laura Hernandez-Cruz, Jake Mitchell, Allen Jarzombek, and Darren Drake

For this project, our problem was to design a totally implantable pediatric heart that serves as either a bridge to recovery, bridge to transplant, or a permanent device. Although one in five people suffer left-side ventricular failure, only a minority are candidates for VADs. To be considered for a VAD, patients must meet specific criteria with regard to blood flow, blood pressure, and general health. VADs are actually available to all patients in cardiovascular crisis, but their uses is not recommended for patients with certain diseases such as severe liver disease, advanced age, infections, irreversible renal failure, etc. Some of the difficulties we faced when working on this device was the patient size, anticoagulation, and growth.

The Ravenclaw BiVAD Device

The device features a magnetically levitated impeller that minimizes blood-related complications such as thrombus formation and hemolysis. There are two such impellers stacked on top of each other inside a titanium casing. The blood flow is continuous. Other components of the device include a flow-straightener and a diffuser. We are using titanium inlet cannulae to connect the pump to the ventricular apexes of the heard and Dacron weave tubes to connect the pump to the aorta and pulmonary artery. Our tubing is going to have a textured surface to promote neointima formation which will reduce the risk of thromboembolic complications. The entire device and pump will be monitored and controlled by a microship inserted in the pump. Our device will be powered by an internal power supply as well as an internal power supply, so that no cords or wires will be coming out of the patient’s body, thus reducing risk of infection.

There are several aspects we will need to monitor with this device, and we do this by using probes that are inserted to collect such important data as blood velocity, frequency of flow, and volume of flow. We will also be using Doppler ultrasound as a monitoring system for our design.

As an added innovation to the traditional BiVAD, we will also be using Angiotensin II as another monitoring device. We will use sensors to detect receptor gene expression in the cardiomyocytes. This will then send feedback to the device. The more gene expression that is seen, then the older child is getting, and thus we will lower the heart rate to match the weight-to-biding site ratio. Another innovative component is our rate-adaptive pacing system which uses “activity sensing” to achieve rate modulation at a speed proportional to the lever of exercise load.

The Ravenclaw is indicated for use to provide temporary left side mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to cardiac transplantation for pediatric patients in these ranges:

• 7-16 years of age
• With Body Surface Area > 1.0 m2 and <1.5>
• Who are in NYHA Class IV end-stage heart failure
• Who are refractory to medical therapy and who are (listed) candidates for cardiac transplantation.

Some considerations of using the device include but are not limited to use of anti-coagulants to prevent thrombosis and to allow for recirculation underneath the imepllers, preventative antibiotics to combat infection, possible shearing of red blood cells, patients cannot engage in excessive exercise, and cannot be exposed to MRIs.

Tomato dishes 'may protect skin'

A recent experiment was done which found that adding five tablespoons of tomato paste to the daily diet of 10 volunteers was shown to improve the skin’s ability to protect against harmful UV rays of the sun. The antioxidant lycopene found in tomatoes seems to be the component that may help ward off skin damage by providing protection against UV rays. By the end of this study, skin samples were taken from the group of people with tomato paste added to their daily diet, and they showed a 33% increased protection against sunburn and higher levels of procollagen in the skin. This may suggest a potential reversal of the skin aging process, and researchers are further looking into the benefits of lycopene for the skin.

Playgroups 'cut leukaemia risk'

'Children who attend daycare or playgroups cut their risk of the most common type of childhood leukaemia by around 30%, a study estimates.'

Leukaemia is the most frequent cancer affecting children (1 in every 2,000 children are affected by this terrible disease).

Leukaemia is said to be caused from a genetic defect starting from the womb. However, some research has shown that if children are exposed to infections (such as roaming around playground), their bodies have stronger immune systems that can prevent leukaemia from forming. If the immune system isn't challenged during early childhood, children have a greater chance of forming leukaemia because their immune system is not used to fighting off several infections.

These results are very important because this is the first time that several studies with correlations have been put together and has actually given a VERY significant effect, which can be rare to find within cancer studies. In addition, this is just another step towards figuring out how to combat complex diseases in the human body.

I find this article interesting because I am always trying to keep up to date with different cancers affecting all kinds of different people in the world. Cancer can be such a deadly disease and being able to see that we are getting closer and closer to fixing this deadly problem everyday. We may not have an exact cure yet, but with all of these new and recent findings, such as this one, we are getting closer and closer to completely understanding this complex disease, as well as many others, and finally preventing them from the world forever.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7370773.stm

MITs Pathogen "Sniffer"

MIT researchers have developed a 1 cubic foot box that can detect pathogens within 3 minutes from a liter of air. These include anthrax, plague, smallpox, tularemia and E. coli. but it can detect 24 in all.

The environmental sensor uses modified human immune cells dubbed B cells to detect the pathogens. Each immune cell is used to detect a particular pathogen and when it encounters the pathogen, it emits a photon of light that is recorded to determine the present pathogens.

It is considered to be good for building protection applications and could also be used in doctors offices. A patient would simply have to breathe into the device and the results would be available within minutes.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336771,00.html?sPage=fnc/scitech/innovation

Scanner to Find Fatty Deposits in Vessels

A company has come out with a new device that uses Infrared laser to locate fatty pools in the vessel walls of the arteries. InfraReDx is the company, and their new equipment is meant to help doctors specifically locate and determine where these lipid pools are in the artery walls. Researchers feel that its not just a clog in the artery that causes a heart attack, so they want to be able to locate these "pools" because it is at these sites where the artery wall ruptures that causes the heart attack. This is even helped out by stenting which was thought to erase the problem, but they are not so sure anymore. The device is mainly the next step in imaging that allows atherosclerosis to be identified and treated quicker and better.

I found this interesting and relevant because we did do cardiovascular this semester. Also, myself and my dad's side of the family all have high levels of cholesterol, so I like to see that they are doing something that can find the "heart attack" risk before it happens. Another reason is because atherosclerosis is becoming a larger and larger problem in the US because of our high fat diets, so this can help detect patients who need treatment more efficiently.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/business/26plaque.html?ref=health

Excess Fat Around the Waist May Increase Death Risk For Women

A recent study from Harvard and the NIH reveals that women with excess fat around their waists have a greater chance of dying early from cancer compared to women with smaller waistlines. Having fat around the waist increases the risks for several health problems including diabetes and heart disease. Having abdominal obesity, despite not being ‘overweight’, can lead to women’s early death. Since there is little data on the relationship between abdominal obesity and death, scientists researched nearly 44,000 white registered nurses to obtain some data over 16 year period through measurements and surveys. As years progressed, the women died from various reasons including cancer and heart disease. With that research, scientists concluded this theory: women with waist size 35 inches or higher were two times more likely to die from heart disease and cancer compared to women with a waist size less than 28 inches.
This article is important because it raises an important issue in our society: obesity. Over 50% of American adults have abdominal obesity which should encourage scientists to research more on this condition. By educating the public about maintaining healthy weight through various programs, abdominal obesity will reduce significantly in the population.

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2008/niddk-07.htm

Senate passes genetic discrimination Legislation

This past Thursday the Senate passed a bill disallowing insurance companies and employers to withhold employment or service based on information from genetics. The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate, and will probably be put into effect sometime early this coming week (Bush supports the legislation). The Senate is hoping that with this bill, people will no longer fear that genetic test results will be held against them. They are hoping to see a rise in genetic testing, and the progression of gene based therapy.

I found this interesting because this is a good indication that we will soon be at the brink of genome based medicine. With the genome sequenced and many proteins elucidated, one wonders if one day medicine will be patient tailored. As bioengineers, an ethical conflict could have risen over whether genetic information would be private or public information. Still, I found this bill to be reassuring that the government realized this could present a problem, and has already taken action to eliminate a problem.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/24/senate.genetics.ap/index.html

Way to Combat Kala-Azar Discovered

Indian researchers have discovered a protein that is involved with the physiology of the parasite that causes kala-azar. Kala-azar is known medically as visceral leishmaniasis and commonly as black fever. It is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is caused by a parasite called Leishmania donovani. The parasites are transported "through the bite of an infected female sandfly," Scidev.Net reported. Higher levels of cTXNPx, an enzyme that detoxifies peroxides, has been found to help L. donovani have dangerous, according to Jitesh P. Iyer and his co-workers from the National Institute of Immunology.

Immune cells of humans infected with L. donovani release hydrogen peroxide in response to the parasites. Higher levels of cTXNPx means that the parasites can endure higher levels of hydrogen peroxide, thus allowing them to have a greater resistance anti-leishmanial drugs. "This study provides a link between cTXNPx expression to survival, virulence and drug response in L. donovani," the researchers write in a paper published in the April issue of the journal Molecular Microbiology.

Kala-azar is endemic in four Indian states, infecting about 300,000 people and killing 20,000 each year. Worldwide, kala-azar is responsible for 60,000 deaths each year.

So, why is this important? Well, since it is the worst form of leishmaniasis, this information can be used to treat other forms of leishmaniasis, which is found in 88 countries. These 88 countries are populated by about 350 million people. In the Americas, leishmaniasis is found ranging from northern Argentina to southern Texas. Recently, it has been found in North Texas. Finally, many troops deployed to the Middle East have come in contact with the disease.

Links:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/Scientists_find_kala-azar_protein/articleshow/2987516.cms

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leishmaniasis
http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DPD/parasites/leishmania/factsht_leishmania.htm#common

Brain Damage Linked to Cancer Drug

The drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is widely used to treat many kinds of cancer such as breast, ovaries, colon, stomach, pancreas and bladder. When this drug was tested on mice, vital brain cells were shown to have been destroyed. 5-FU attacks oligodendrocyte cells in the brain along with the precursor stem cells from which they originate. These cells produce myelin, which is needed for communication between the nerve cells. Oligodendrocytes virtually disappeared from the rats over a period of 6 months.
These findings could explain the reason that almost 80% of breast cancer chemotherapy patients report some form of mental impairment after treatment. At first the mental problems were thought to be from depression and anxiety related to diagnosis and treatment. The findings could also explain the common neurological side effects referred to as “chemo-brain.” Side effects include memory loss, poor concentration, and in more extreme cases, seizures, and even dementia.
Also, 3 widely used cancer drugs were found to be more toxic to healthy brains thatn to the cancers they are meant to treat. These drugs are the standard treatment for cancers and will continue to be used for years to come. Therefore, the effects of the drugs must continue to be studied. The experiment was tested on rats, so the exact effects on humans are still unknown. Even though the drugs might cause slight mental changes, the benefits of the drugs far outweigh those problems.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7360127.stm

FDA finds contaminant in suspect blood-thinner

U.S. health officials said on Wednesday that they have found a contaminant in a blood-thinning drug that is produced by Baxter Healthcare Corp. that has been linked to more than a dozen deaths in the United States. The drug is actually designed to keep potentially life-threatening blood clots from forming in the veins, arteries, and lungs. Investigations began after a spike in reports of health problems associated with heparin, a drug that is made from pig intestines at plans in China and Wisconsin. FDA investigators have found a heparin-like compound—that is not heparin—present in some of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in both facilities. It was found that the contaminant made up between 5-20 percent of each sample tested reacts like heparin some of the conventional tests used for heparin. This explains why it was not picked up.

The drug is supposed to be used to prevent potentially life-threatening clots in arteries, veins, as well as the lungs. It is still however unclear whether this contaminant was introduced in the company’s plant in Wisconsin or the one in China. Coincidentally a similar case with pet food as occurred recently in China. Since the agency issued its report that 19 deaths have taken place since January 1, 2007, it has received world of another 27 deaths. In totality, the FDA received 785 heparin-linked cases which included breathing, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating and plummeting blood pressure that can lead to life-threatening shock.

The Baxter company has suggest that the main cause may be associated with the crude heparin, soured from China, or from the subsequent processing of that product before it reaches Baxter. It is too early to know for sure whether it was done on accident or purposely however.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/05/heparin.contaminant/index.html?iref=newssearch

Boy or Girl? The Answer May Depend on Mom’s Eating Habits

I know what you're thinking, the sex of a child is determined by the SRY gene typically found on the Y sex chromosome. This data does not disprove that or argue with, though the title of the article is very misleading.

A new set of data, who's accuracy is questionable, seems to indicate that a women's eating habits may influence the success of the development of the embryo. The data was collected based on self-reporting by the women of how much, when, and what they ate. The accuracy of such data is questionable but the women who ate more had a 12% higher chance of having a son and women who at less have a 10% higher chance of having a girl. 10-12% isn't very much but the scientific reason behind this is that women who eat less have lower glucose levels which suppresses male embryo development. Whether or not the women ate breakfast was another factor.

So basically this article was more about how women's eating habits might affect the success of the development of the embryo, with male embryos being more susceptible to lower glucose levels. Still I decided to post this because the title of the article really intrigued me, which was what it supposed to do I guess and maybe someone in our class might find this useful if they want a son.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/boy-or-girl-the-answer-may-depend-on-moms-eating-habits/

Brain Patterns Predicting Mistakes

Researchers have spotted a change in the brain patterns that occurs approximately 30 seconds before individuals are prone to making a mistake. The change appears to occur when the person goes into ‘autopilot’ on tasks that have become monotonous. Because of the advanced prediction, there is a hope that a device can be developed that can monitor the brain patterns of individuals making crucial decisions and can warn them if they are entering the ‘rest mode’. They say monotonous jobs like passport and immigration control where focus is hard to maintain would be perfect for such a device. The problem comes with the fact that the results were obtained while patients were monitored with a functional MRI, which are large and currently there is not a portable, lightweight EEG device available. Additionally, if such a device is developed they would still need to test and insure such a device would be able to pick up on the changes in brain activity. Also they are not sure that the brain changes are a causal link to the mistakes.
I found this article interesting because it highlights the need for advancements in the area of instrumentation. A biomedical engineer could definitely be instrumental in making such a potentially helpful device possible. It also shows how research can be translated into the development of novel devices. The fact repetitive, boring tasks could be linked to making mistakes is also interesting.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7358863.stm

Hospital Rooms of the Future

Some hospitals around the nation are now taking the next step in hospital care—transforming the hospital room from a room with a bed and television to a fully integrated, computerized room that recognizes caretakers automatically and notifies them of their patient’s status. With the advent of these smart rooms, patients no longer have to worry about medication mistakes due to a lost patient’s chart.

The room’s computers use voice recognition software to allow doctors instantaneous access to their patient’s information. Shuja Hassan, a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, expressed the need for such a system by saying that she “couldn’t tell you how many times, as a physician, she got to a nursing station looking for her patient’s chart, and it’s not there, somebody else has it.”

The caretakers are tracked around the hospital by using ultrasound tracking devices that detect small transmitters that doctors or nurses can wear. Each personalized transmitter sends the doctor’s name and job title to the computer, which then pops up on a monitor. This allows patients and their families to know exactly who is coming into and out of the rooms and why they’re there. The computer also displays medications that the patient should be taking. This allows both the doctors and patients to check and make sure that both sides are on the same page and helps to prevent medical mistakes.

Each smart room costs from $2000 to $3000. While this is an expensive upgrade, many physicians say that it is a critical step needed to improve today’s patient care.

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=18479

Omphalocele

Babies can be born with their abdominal organs outside of their bodies. I had never heard of such of a condition so I thought I would share it with everyone. In the article on FoxNews, a baby girl was born with this condition. She is doing very well after being born on Feb 20. After 20 weeks gestation, the parents knew that their child would have this condition. I believed that the strange thing about this condition is that they do not put the organs back inside of her body until about 6-8 monthes of age. The reason the surgeons can't put them in right after the baby is born is because the abdoninal cavity is abnormally small due to the fact that it wasn't stretched by the organs. They put an antibodic cream on the organs so that the walls of them would harden and serve as better protection until they are put back in. I also researched the condition more and found that this condition is not very common and that it is a sex-linked recessive trait. I chose this article because I thought students should know more about this condition.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352085,00.html

Heart Wrap Fabric that Beats Your Heart for You

A new fabric-like device offers a way to assist a beating heart; give it a little squeeze. The device wraps around the heart and when help is needed it contracts to help th heart pump with more vigor. Current methods of heart assist devices focus on pumping blood external to the heart. An LVAD for example uses a incision in the bottom of the heart to siphon blood and pump it to the aorta, taking some strain off of the heart. While these methods have been successful at prolonging life, anti-clotting therapy is a lifelong reality for these patients.

The new device was developed at the University of Leeds. it consists of a webbing that wraps around the heart, removing actual contact with the bloodstream. It functions only when necessary through sensors that recognise when the heart needs to beat with more force and contract the webbing, kind of like a gentle, more effective CPR.

“It’s a really simple concept that works in the same way as when you squeeze a plastic bottle, forcing the liquid inside to rise,” says David Keeling, a student involved in the physical testing of the apparatus. While currently only a prototype stage, computer calculations have shown simulations under different conditions and results look promising. "Our device also allows for a controlled relaxation of the heart muscle after contraction, which means that it’s being supported throughout the whole heartbeat process", David says, "It’s the same as when you pull a muscle in any other part of your body, rest can often be the best therapy."

Nick Sears
04/20/08

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/intelligent-cardiac-assist-fabric-beats-your-heart-for-you/

Just Use Natural Openings for Surgery

Last month, doctors at the University of California, San Diego, removed the appendix of a 24-year-old patient through her vagina. Surgeons Santiago Horgan and Mark Talamini made greate strides in the technique called "natural orifice" surgery. They made a small incision in the wall of the patient's vagina, through which they passed surgical tools and a small camera to the appendix; and removing the organ through the same incision. Also, the surgeons also made a small cut in the bottom of the patient's bellybutton and inserted another camera through it to help guide surgery. This 50 minutes procedure left the with about a two day recovery.

However, the new procedure creates new complications. Though wound healing may be improved, there is still the danger of internal leakage and subsequent infection with cuts through the stomach or colon. The doctors are also still using traditional laparoscopic surgical tools; which are not ideal, because they aren't as flexible as surgeons really need for such extensive internal maneuvering.

This type of surgery for removing the appendix has lead doctors to go outside the box and think of new ways to remove internal organs. There have been reports of galbladders being removed with the same procedure. This new process has diminished the amount of surgical incisions from 5 to 1.

Link: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1727656,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics

Immunotherapy: Enlisting The Immune System To Fight Cancer

Researchers are beginning to look in a new direction for cancer treatment: the body's own immune system. A trial wasconducted on women with progressive, recurrent, or advanced cervical cancer in which a live Listeria cancer vaccine, Lovaxin C, was used for the treatment. The women in the study had all failed chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, but this vaccine has the potential to be effective in shrinking tumors and preventing new ones from forming.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium commonly found in soil, stream water, sewage, plants, and food. In the body, Listeria thrives within antigen presenting cells, which consume foreign invaders, and thus directs an immune response. Listeria is being bioengineered to cause it to secrete a tumor-specific antigen fused to a listerial protein, thus focusing a strong immune attack. Researchers are combining their knowledge about what enables Listeria to infect human immune systems and how humans are able to get rid of Listeria in order to combine and target these immune responses against cancer.

The study was performed on 15 patients, with the following results: five patients had progression of their cancer, seven were stable, and one patient showed a partial response to the therapy, who is now tumor-free. Three women had approximately 20% tumor reductions. Other studies were conducted on patients with prostate and other types of cancer.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415111730.htm

Used Meth? Tired of It? Just Reboot.

Research has shown that methamphetamine stimulates release of dopamine by neurons in the midbrain into the synapses of nerve cells in the striatum, the region of the forebrain associated with control of movement, but most notably the development of habitual behaviors. This excess dopamine - a neurotransmitter connected to motivation and attention - then inhibits information flow from the cortex to the affected area by blocking nerve cells in the cortex from releasing the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is primarily responsible for excitation. Thus a possible explanation for the addictive nature of methamphetamines arises: the increased levels of dopamine combined with the inhibition of messages from the cortex allows the addict to focus his attention on one particular object or stimulus, namely the pleasurable stimulus of the drug. 

Most recently, researchers using mice discovered that although simply discontinuing use of the drug does not return the brain to its pre-addicted state, the brain does return to its pre-addicted after a reintroduction of the drug, in effect "resetting" the system. These results were obtained from mice given methamphetamines for 10 days, which translates into about 2 years of human use. After the mice had been in withdrawal, a single final dose produced the noted the results. These results are believed to have some correlation with other neurons found in the striatum that release acetylcholine: methamphetamines cause increased release of dopamine, which depresses acetylcholine levels, which in turn causes a depression of glutamate levels, resulting in the depression of information flow in the brain. Re-administration of methamphetamines after a period of withdrawal, however, somehow has the reverse effect on the acetylcholine produces neurons. Consequently, research is underway to locate and identify this neuronal "reset button".

This is yet another illustration of the remarkable complexity of the brain.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=can-the-brain-be-rebooted-to

Caffeine protects mice from UV-induced skin cancer

Caffeine acts as a sort of "sun screen" when given to mice before their skin is exposed to and damaged by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, and this ultimately prevents the development of skin cancer, according to researchers.
In the current issue of Cancer Research, the investigators also describe the mechanism that may be responsible for this protection. Specifically, caffeine triggers a process by which skin cells containing irradiation-damaged DNA are removed. Thus, these defective skin cells can not reproduce and become cancerous.
"The results of the present study," senior investigator, Dr. Allan H. Conney told Reuters Health, "provide a possible mechanism for earlier observations indicating that oral administration of caffeine inhibits ultraviolet light-induced skin cancer in mice."
Conney of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway and colleagues supplied animals with caffeine in their drinking water for 1 to 2 weeks before UVB exposure.
The caffeine concentration led to blood levels comparable to that achieved in humans after 3 to 5 cups of coffee per day.
The team also determined that caffeine applied in a cream or gel directly to the skin immediately after UVB radiation exposure caused the death of DNA-damaged skin cells as well.
"We believe that these results will extrapolate to humans," continued Conney, "but clinical studies need to be done." He pointed out that previous "studies indicate that coffee or tea drinkers have a lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer."

Needle-size device created to track tumors, radiation dose

Engineers at Purdue University are creating a wireless receiver that can be injected into tumors and tell doctors their location and other vital information such as how much radiation a tumor receives. This device uses RFID technology which is completely harmless to the body, unlike x-rays, which is often used as an imaging technique during radiation treatments. With this device we now have a safe cost effective way to track tumors in the body and track the progression of treatment.


Link:
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080408ZiaieDosimeter.html

High Blood Pressure May Be Buffer Against Headaches

A new study suggests that people with hypertension are less likely to have problems with headaches and migraines. The study found that participants with high systolic pressure were 40% less likely to have headaches while participants with high pulse pressure were 50% less likely to have headaches, compared to those of normal blood pressure.
The suggested explanation is that the higher the blood pressure is, the stiffer the blood vessel is going to be, and thus the less likely the nerve endings are activated for an action potential, such as feeling pain. This study, however, is still subject to further investigation, since the blood pressure is a crude measurement and headaches might be related to other factors.

Link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_63408.html

Genetic Test Offers Clues About Cardiac Hypertrophy In Children

A new study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School have found signs that pediatric cardiac hypertrophy (the thinkening of the heart muscle) can be caused by genetic mutation. Research has suggested that the mutation lies in the same ten genes that are responsible for the occurence of the disorder in adults. This is groung breaking because diagnostic tests for children have not been developed since little is known about the cause of cardiac hypertrophy in children.

Work with the genetic mutations that take place in cardiac hypertrophy has been going on for years but only for adult cases. This new information can help lead to better understanding of how the gene mutations work and why they present symptoms at different times. According to the researchers working with the study about one-fifth of cases of cardiac hypertrophy are because of this genetic mutation. The genes implicated encode "sarcomere" proteins that make the heart's contractile pump. By being mutated they create an enlarged cardiac wall.

Knowing the cause of cardiac hypertrophy in children is only the beginning. Many children who are diagnosed with cardiac hypertrophy have to go up for heart transplantation. Hopefully defining the problem will help to find a solution.

A study conducted by the Baylor College of Medicine examined eighty-four children with cardiac hypertrophy to the occurance of the genetic mutations. Out of the eighty-four, fourty-six had mutations on the ten suspect genes. Thirty-three of the children had a family history of cardiac hypertrophy and twenty-one of them showed mutations in the same suspect genes. In some cases the children's parents were screen for cardiac hypertrophy. Some were found to have enlarged hearts but did not experience the same problems as the children. Further research is to be conducted to find why this occurs. Until then a way to fix the mutated genes will be studied and hopefully a solution can be found.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409174618.htm

Anaesthetic drug 'numbs memory'

The scientists at University at California have found a drug, sevoflurane gas, can help stop patients from remembering painful memories, such as the details of a recent surgery the patient just went through.
"This study reports the discovery of an agent and method for blocking human emotional memory" --Scientists of University of California
In a research study, it was found that patients that were given sevoflurane could only remember about 5% of the emotive images that were shown to them while given the gas. The patients could only remember 10% of the other images that didn't incite emotion, such as a cup of coffee. Brain scans revealed that the gas appeared to interfere with impulses between the amydala and hippocampus, areas of the brain known for their involvement in the processing of emotion and memory.
This drug is found to only prevent new memories from forming, it is not proven that this drug can erase memories already made.
This type of research is a step forward in trying to understand why patients remember the gruesome details of their surgeries, even though they are put completely to sleep during the procedure. They found that approximately 1 in every 5,000 patients remember the procedure of the surgery, and this drug can help block these painful and emotional memories from forming.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7342548.stm

The Road to Regeneration

In the old days undergoing an amputation was like receiving a death sentence. Today, advancements in modern technology have made the amputation a fairly common procedure and some amputees even excel physically and perform better than they did before surgery. Engineers are forever creating lighter, faster, more efficient prosthetics for patients, but the amputee is never able to feel completely whole again. However, the regeneration of human limbs is on the horizon as scientists are learning to harness the natural ability of humans to re-grow their own tissue.

Our most in-depth understanding of the regeneration of limbs comes from a simple animal model – the salamander. When a salamander limb is initially amputated, blood vessels constrict and a layer of skin cells forms over the wound. Fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue) receive signals to migrate to the heart of the injury where they form the blastema. This blastema is the absolute key to regenerating a limb in a salamander because is serves as a site for the aggregation of progenitor cells. Fibroblasts, for example, can enter the blastema and transform into “undifferentiated” blastemal cells, from which point they can become skeletal tissues and then fibroblasts once again.

Humans are remarkably similar to salamanders with respect to regeneration of some tissues, including epidermis, interstitial connective tissue, adipose tissue, muscle, bone, and vasculature. All of these tissues have the capability to regenerate themselves after small scale injury. Still, there exists a large gap between the salamander and the human that we need to bridge. One of the biggest differences, for example, is that mammalian fibroblasts form scar tissue after injury while salamander fibroblasts do not. In both animals fibroblasts migrate to the wound, proliferate, and lay down a new extracellular matrix. However, mammalian fibroblasts proceed one step further by producing too much of the new extracellular matrix, which becomes abnormally cross-linked as the tissue ages. Thus the formation of scars is one of the greatest impedances to regenerating new limbs, along with the formation of a blastema where it would not normally occur.

Scientists have already created a blastema in a mouse where it would not normally exist. They hope to continue working with mice and transfer the work to humans in one or two decades. An exciting find by H. Chang and J. Rinn of Stanford shows that adult human fibroblasts do in fact contain a memory of their developmental stage, which could be utilized to help fibroblasts lay down a non-scarring matrix under proper conditions.

Muneoka K. et al. “Regrowing Human Limbs.” Scientific American. April 2008: 56-63.

The No-Incision Appendectomy

U.S . doctors have made advances in surgery methods by a technique called "natural orifice" surgery. This type of surgery will shorten recovery, lessen pain, and do away with scarring. It has recently been performed on a 24-year-old patient in which her appendix was removed through her vagina. The surgeons made a small incision in the vaginal wall and passed surgical tools and a camera through to the appendix. They removed the organ through the same incision in the vagina. This procedure only took 20 minutes longer than a standard laparoscopic appendectomy, and the patient described her pain as if she had done too many sit-ups. This is good news for the experimental procedure, meaning that it works very well for recovery. Other natural openings, the mouth or the rectum, can also be used for the surgery.

This type of surgery is much less invasive than open surgery, and since the incisions are internal, they are able to heal more quickly than external incisions. This is because the internal tissue is much less sensitive than external tissue. Also, the risk of infection is anticipated to be much lower in natural orifice surgery since the wounds heal faster, and the longer the incision takes to heal, the greater the risk of infection.

Although there are so many benefits to this new type of surgery, there are still some complications. There becomes a risk of internal leakage and infection when the wounds are internal rather than external, especially when the incisions are in the stomach or the colon. Also, the surgical tools available are not as flexible as desired, so it is more difficult to maneuver them during surgery. New instruments could be designed for this type of surgery in order to combat the problem. Overall, the benefits outweigh the risks so far. Natural orifice surgery could soon become the new standard for surgery.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1727656,00.html

Daily caffeine 'protects brain'

Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests.

High levels of cholesterol in the blood are believed to make the blood-brain barrier "leaky". Alzheimer's researchers suggest this makes the brain vulnerable to damage which can trigger or contribute to the condition. The amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee a day appears to block many of these disruptive effects.

A study on rabbits fed a fat-rich diet showed that the vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply was protected in those given a caffeine supplement. After 12 weeks of a high-cholesterol diet, the blood brain barrier in those given caffeine was far more intact than in those given no caffeine.

Coffee has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and now there is a potential explanation why.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7326839.stm

Video capsule may soon diagnose celiac disease

A new study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology has shown that villous atrophy in suspected cases of celiac disease can be detected by a new device, the video capsule enteroscopy.
Diagnosis of celiac disease is made by the identification of lesions in the mucosa of the small bowel. This is currently accomplished by an endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract in which multiple duodenal biopsies are taken.

A team of researchers in Italy evaluated the effectiveness of video capsule enteroscopy (VCE) against the standard endoscopy of the upper GI with biopsies of the second portion of the duodenum in patients suspected of having celiac disease and found VCE to have a sensitivity of 87.5 percent.

The findings of this study are significant because it shows that VCE may offer an effective alternative to duodenal biopsy. The next step is to confirm these findings by completion of a larger, more comprehensive study.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSKRA07860920070820