TuftScope Health, Ethics, and Policy Blog

Smartphone Diagnosis? Biosensing Platform Quickly and Accurately Diagnoses Disease and Monitors Treatment Remotely

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:25:00 +0000

News Brief by Fred Lu

Your smartphone just got smarter. Researchers have discovered a way to screen for infectious diseases using a sample as small as a drop of blood without the need for extensive laboratory infrastructure. Waseem Asghar, Ph.D.,of Florida Atlantic University, Hadi Shafiee, Ph.D of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Biomedical Engineering, Fatih Inci, Ph.D, and Utkan Demirci, Ph.D of the Stanford School of Medicine combined paper and other types of flexible material to build an electrical and optical biosensor that can be linked to a smartphone app, allowing for rapid diagnosis and identification of microbes. In contrast with existing biosensors that require signals to be amplified before use, are expensive to manufacture, and require expensive equipment to deploy, these sensors can be constructed at a low cost and are simpler to use. Asghar hopes that this development can speed up the diagnosis of infectious disease and clinical research in developing areas.

Florida Atlantic University. "Smart phone diagnosis? Biosensing platform quickly and accurately diagnoses disease and monitors treatment remotely." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 April 2015. .

Cardiac Tissue Grown on 'Spider Silk' Substrate

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:24:00 +0000

News Brief by Kathryn Gibb

Researchers at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have made a discovery that could transform the transplant world. A research team led by Professor Konstantin Agladze worked on cardiac tissue engineering and recently found a new way to cultivate heart tissue cells. The researchers have used a spidroin substrate, also known as cobweb protein, to grow the tissue cells. These protein strands are known to be strong, flexible, and durable. Oftentimes it is difficult to find a substrate to grow cells on, but this cobweb protein has allowed the researchers to develop cells within three to five days that act just as living heart tissue would. The spidroin fiber has been used in the past to grow implants like tendons and bones, but this is the first time that they have been used to grow cells.

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. "Cardiac tissue grown on 'spider silk' substrate." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 April 2015. .

60 Years After a Vaccine, New Technology May Finally Eradicate Polio

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:22:00 +0000

News Brief by Lushna Mehra

New technologies have allowed for the creation of an easily accessible and usable vaccine to get rid of polio. Polio became extremely prevalent in the 1940s and 50s when 35,000 people were said to have been disabled annually because of it. Two major vaccinations were used around that time: the Salk and the Sabin. The former injected the recipient with a “dead” virus, while the latter was an oral vaccine with a weakened version of live polio. The Sabin vaccine was especially helpful in increasing people’s immunity, though presently the U.S. uses a vaccine similar to the Salk.

In typical cases of polio, people have few to minor symptoms like limb pain, fatigue, and nausea in 4 to 8% of cases. Additionally, less than 1% of the cases lead to permanent paralysis, which often occurs in the legs but sometimes may occur in the respiratory system as well. The major way in which polio spreads is from person-to-person contact, including coughing, sneezing, or fecal contamination. The virus can last for seconds in the air, hours on a surface, and weeks in fecal matter. Though polio was declared decimated in the U.S. in 1979, researchers want to protect the entire human population. Smallpox is a similar virus and it is the only infectious disease that humans have gotten rid of, and many hope to do the same to polio.

The newly created vaccine for polio involves a patch similar to an adhesive bandage. This patch contains microneedles with the vaccine in it, and the vaccine is delivered to the body when the patch is put on the skin and pressed on. This combats the challenge of limited resources and ability to transport them since the microneedle patch does not require professionals to administer it and is easily transportable to those in need of it. Microneedle patches may therefore be the future to restrict and to potentially eradicate polio.

Strickland, Ashley. "60 Years after a Vaccine, New Technology May Finally Eradicate Polio." CNN. N.p., 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. .

In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:20:00 +0000

News Brief by Kanika Kamal

Scientists at Rockefeller University have discovered a new strategy for combating HIV. HIV is very difficult to fight because it constantly mutates and evolves to become drug resistant. The body has trouble producing new antibodies to keep up with the ever-changing virus. Additionally, scientists and doctors must stay several steps ahead of the virus in order to fight this virus. This new research, however, has discovered a possibly potent antibody, 3BNC117, which is able to get a headstart and catch HIV efficiently.

After testing this antibody on mice and primates, scientists conducted a study where the antibody was injected into the bloodstream of uninfected and HIV-positive humans. This experimental design on its own was revolutionary as it was the first time that “new generation” HIV antibodies were tested on humans. After 56 days, all of the infected participants showed a 300-fold decrease in the amount of HIV in the blood. Additionally, the antibodies remained active in individuals for quite some time. Naturally, the results deviated depending on the amount of virus originally present and the sensitivity of the strain they had. Lastly, scientists believe that the antibody can also enhance the patient’s immune system, which can further confer protection against the virus. Nonetheless, these results were promising.

Much like other HIV-treatments, this antibody will have to be used in conjunction with other drugs for best results, as the virus is constantly evolving. Overall, 3BNC117 has had remarkable success in the participants for the study and thus proves to be a promising new weapon in the fight against HIV.

Rockefeller University. "In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 April 2015. .

Two New Ebola Vaccines Pass Important Early Test, Researchers Say

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:04:00 +0000

News Brief by Samantha Fine

Researchers confirmed that two new Ebola vaccines have been proven to protect monkeys from the strain of the deadly virus without any side effects. However, the vaccines have not been tested on humans yet. Older vaccines have traditionally caused side effects such as fever and joint and muscle pain. Thomas W. Geisbert, an Ebola expert at the University of Texas in Galveston, stated that human trials of the new vaccines will begin in the summer. These recent vaccines were made by the company Profectus BioSciences, which received $55 million to conduct research on Ebola vaccines. The vaccines are made from the vesicular stomatitis virus (V.S.V), which causes an oral disease in cattle but rarely infects humans. In the Ebola vaccines, V.S.V is engineered to make a protein from the surface of the Ebola virus; this protein communicates with the immune system and assists it in recognizing and fighting off the Ebola infection. Future studies will soon show the effectiveness of these new vaccines.

Grady, Denise. "2 New Ebola Vaccines Pass Important Early Test, Researchers Say." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. .

Ebola virus diagnostic tool developed by physician who worked in Liberia

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 14:45:00 +0000

News Brief by Catherine Donlon

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) affected 24,000 people in West Africa in the recent epidemic; over 10,000 people died from the disease, making it the largest EVD epidemic in history. With such a high mortality rate, it is very important for physicians and healthcare providers to be able to diagnosis EVD in patients. Correct diagnoses help save lives because infected individuals can be isolated, and unaffected individuals can leave hospitals, where they are more likely to contract the disease from sick patients. Unfortunately the presence of EVD is difficult to determine in patients due to the fact that its symptoms resemble many other illnesses like a cold, fever, or the flu.

Adam C. Levine, an emergency medicine physician who volunteered in Liberia to treat infected individuals and set up an Ebola Treatment Unit, created a model to help determine which patients needed to be isolated before lab result confirmations were available. He created an Ebola Prediction Score that called for patients to be isolated if they showed six specific symptoms: “sick contact, diarrhea, loss of appetite, muscle pain, difficulty swallowing, absence of abdominal pain.” Of the patients isolated at the Ebola Treatment Unit after this six-symptom model was put into place, 42% of the people were confirmed to have EVD by laboratory tests. Although this model helped in early treatment and diagnosis of EVD in Liberia, there is still a lot of research that needs to be done in order for diagnosis to be more efficient and timely. Advances in EVD diagnosis could save hundreds of lives.

Lifespan. "Ebola virus diagnostic tool developed by physician who worked in Liberia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 April 2015. .

Connecticut Teen Can't Return Home as Forced Chemo Ends

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 14:38:00 +0000

News Brief by Prachi Sharma

A 17-year-old, documented as Cassandra C., -her true name has not been revealed due to her status as a juvenile)- was forced to undergo six months of chemotherapy against her will to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. Recently she has been denied a motion to return to her mother's home or hold visitation rights. Cassandra was initially diagnosed with the cancer in September 2014, and was told that she had an 85% chance of survival if treated with chemotherapy; without it, doctors asserted she would die within two years. After undergoing treatment for two days in November, Cassandra ran away and was consequently placed under the custody of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. In spite of an intense legal battle, doctors surgically implanted a port in her chest to administer the medication in December, and Cassandra has been in good health since then. Ultimately, her lawyers failed to prove that Cassandra was mature enough to make her own medical decisions. A judge has ruled that Cassandra will remain in temporary custody of the state until the end of April when her last round of chemotherapy is complete, and will then be free to return home, even though her lawyers assert that she is currently no longer in jeopardy from her disease and should be free to leave now. This case illustrates the ongoing debate between patient autonomy and beneficence, the physician's duty to act in the patient's best interests.

Goldschmidt, Debra. "Connecticut Teen Can't Return Home as Forced Chemo Ends." CNN. Cable News Network, 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. .

Common bacteria on verge of becoming antibiotic-resistant superbugs

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:59:00 +0000

News Brief by Jessica Newfield

The Washington University School of Medicine recently published an article conveying that antibiotic resistance is spreading much more easily and rapidly through two common genes that are the most responsible for hospital-related infections. The infections that most commonly result from antibiotic resistance in hospital settings are respiratory and urinary infections. The causes of these infections are believed to be linked to contaminated scopes with bacteria that resist carbapenems, which are antibiotics used by gravely ill patients. Author Gautam Dantas, PhD, suggests that we may even be past the times of using antibiotics, as they are becoming less and less effective, and may even cause more harm than good. Carbapenem-resistant bacteria are now considered one of the three most urgent threats among antibiotic resistant bacteria. The two genes responsible for carbapenem-resistant diseases are KPC and NDM-1, both found on contaminated medical equipment. After sequencing the genome of these two resistance genes, researchers have determined that it is only going to get easier for antibiotic resistance to spread.

Reference:

Washington University School of Medicine. (2015, March 25). Common bacteria on verge of becoming antibiotic-resistant superbugs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 4, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150325210513.htm

College Kids Make Robotic Arms for Children Without Real Ones

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:53:00 +0000

News Brief by Catie Donlon

In the United States itself, there are about 1,500 children who are born with upper limb deformities every year. Through the use of 3-D printers and with the expertise of several nonprofit organizations, these children can receive significant help by means of both mechanical and electronic arms.

The mechanical limbs allow the hand to open and close when the elbow bends. E-Nable is an online organization started by Jon Schull at the Rochester Institute of Technology that connects children with 3-D printers that create these mechanical arms. It also allows for designs for bionic arms to be shared across the Internet. However these mechanical arms do not function for children without elbows.

Limbitless Solutions, started by Albert Manero at the University of Central Florida (UCF), is the only organization that currently creates electronic hands and arms. These electronic arms function differently than a normal arm, by using a muscle sensor that causes the hand to open and close when the bicep is flexed. Each arm costs about $350 and requires 30-50 hours to make. College students and graduate students at UCF have already created electronic arms for five children, and are currently in the process of helping three more. These arms are also customizable such that the children can choose different colors and patterns. This huge advance in robotics and science has the ability to make a difference in children's lives around the world!

Sashin, Daphne. "College Kids Make Robotic Arms for Children without Real Ones." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. .

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:46:00 +0000

News Brief by Kanika Kamal

It seemed that altering the human genome to prevent genetic diseases or even enhance intelligence and beauty was something you only saw in science fiction movies. However, due to a new genome editing technique founded in 2012, this could soon develop into reality.

This method has been hotly debated in the science community since its inception in 2012, and has not yet been approved for clinical use because of the potential ethical ramifications from manipulating someone’s genes artificially. Dr. George Daley believes that editing the human genome “raises enormous peril for humanity.” Because this technique is not terribly complicated, many scientists fear that doctors will take it into their own hands and start administering techniques.

Aside from the ethical reasons detailing why artificially enhancing a human genome is problematic, there is room for error in the technique itself. In this technique, the genome is primed with its own defense system to destroy any viral DNA sequence given to it. However, the technique occasionally leads to the genome being cut at unintended sites. Additionally, replacing a defective gene with a normal one may cause unforeseen issues in humans.

As of right now, gene therapy still exists as a mode for altering germline genome, but it is not as efficient as the current technique in question. Scientists have called for a public discussion on the matter, including an international meeting by the National Academy of Sciences to establish rules for this genome-editing technique. Only once the topic has been heavily debated by scientists, politicians, and humanists alike, will we be closer to a decision on the future of this new method.

Wade, Nicholas. "Scientists Seek Ban on Method of Editing the Human Genome." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Mar. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. .

Treatment Advances in Type 2 Diabetes

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 01:07:00 +0000

News Brief by Samantha Fine

Approximately 29 million Americans have Diabetes, the most common form being Type 2 Diabetes. This chronic disease occurs when one’s pancreas cannot supply the insulin required in order to maintain normal blood glucose levels. One method of treatment is insulin therapy, which usually is achieved through insulin injections; however, new types of insulin are entering the market such as Afrezza, a rapid acting insulin inhalant. One can be administered insulin simply by breathing in Afrezza. There are also new injectable drugs that help regulate blood sugar and appetite, which could help with weight loss for certain Type 2 patients. New oral drugs have been developed that create long-term blood sugar control and not only do some of these drugs aid symptoms of diabetes; but help treat other issues such as menstrual problems, infertility and Parkinson’s disease. Most diabetics must constantly check their blood sugar levels with monitors; however now, there is a new way to check blood glucose, called continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), which uses a tiny sensor that can continually check sugar levels and contains an alarm for low and high levels of blood glucose. These treatment advances allow diabetics to have more pathways and choices to manage their disease.

Lewis, Sarah. "Treatment Advances in Type 2 Diabetes." Treatment Advances in Type 2 Diabetes. N.p., 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. .

A Billion at Risk for Hearing Loss from Exposure to Loud Music

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 00:51:00 +0000

News Brief by Lushna Mehra

The World Health Organization (WHO) has, as the result of its research, come to the conclusion that there are one billion teens and young adults at risk for hearing loss. The cause stems from using personal devices and earbuds to listen to music to going to loud events at entertainment venues like concerts, bars, nightclubs, and sporting events. Both the amount of time you spend listening to a noise and its loudness affect ear damage. In analyzing data pertaining to the listening habits of 12- to 35-year-olds in the wealthy countries of the world, the WHO found that about 50% of those studied engage in listening to unsafe sound levels on personal devices and 40% are exposed to unsafe volumes at entertainment venues. Unsafe volume levels include over 85 dB for 8 hours or over 100 dB for 15 minutes. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation indicated that 85 dB is similar to the city traffic noises heard from a car, a common everyday sound. Because of this prevalence of loud noises, about 360 million of the population already have moderate to severe hearing loss, about half of which could have been prevented, according to the UN Health Agency Worldwide. Hearing loss is permanent and cannot be reversed, only maintained. Even musical performers, like the Rapper Plan B and Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, have suffered from preventable ear damage. They both have tinnitus, which is marked by a permanent ringing tone heard in the ears. Plan B noted that he began to think trains were passing his house when the tinnitus began developing and he has to wear special earplugs in order to sleep. Martin explained that he has taken extra precautions to prevent further ringing or hearing loss by protecting his ears.

The WHO has since launched a Make Safe Listening initiative. They stress the alternatives of using headphones or noise canceling earbuds over regular earbuds, not listening to volumes over 60%, taking listening breaks, using an app to monitor volume levels, and protecting ears at entertainment venues in order to prevent the possibility of hearing loss. WHO also wishes to have an increase in awareness about hearing loss by parents, teachers, and physicians, as well as informing manufactures of devices and managers of entertainment venues about potential precautions they could take. By taking these measures seriously it is possible to prevent irreversible ear damage.

LaMotte, Sandee. "A Billion at Risk for Hearing Loss from Exposure to Loud Music." CNN. Cable News Network, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. .

Less Futile End-Of-Life Care Observed Where Palliative Care Knowledge Is Greater

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 00:44:00 +0000

News Brief by Kathryn Gibb

Researchers at Brown University’s School of Public Health have released a study that analyzes how informed nursing directors at nursing homes are regarding palliative care methods. The study also indicates a negative correlation between the level of knowledge and the number of unnecessary end of life treatments that patients receive. Although the study found 43% of the nursing directors surveyed were well informed of palliative care, there was still roughly 20% of directors that had little to no knowledge on the subject. Data from Medicare demonstrated that nursing homes with directors who had little to no knowledge on palliative care were more likely to recommend their patients to receive aggressive end of life care. These treatments, such as the insertion of a feeding tube, injections, restraints, or emergency room visits often led to increased distress. On the other hand, those who were knowledgeable in palliative care were able to provide comfort for patients in their last days of life. The study demonstrated room for improvement on behalf of these directors at nursing homes to learn more about palliative care in order to provide better care for their patients.

Brown University. "Less futile end-of-life care observed where palliative care knowledge is greater." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 March 2015. .

Last Known Ebola Patient in Liberia is Discharged

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:33:00 +0000

News Brief by Sam Kessel

On Thursday, March 5^th, Liberia's last known Ebola patient was discharged, a significant milestone after the 9000+ cases that were reported over the last several months. The news of the last patient with Ebola in the country being released from the hospital was met with a celebration in Monrovia, the state capital. Despite the good news, the deputy health minister of Liberia cautioned that the fight against Ebola is not over. This hint of trepidation stemmed from the continued outbreak in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Ebola virus has been notoriously hard to contain in West Africa due to poor health care facilities and unhygienic sanitary conditions. While there is much to be celebrated regarding this public health achievement, Liberia will not be considered free of the outbreak until April 4^th. At that date two incubation cycles (21 days each) of the virus will have passed, and if no new cases have surfaced, the declaration that Ebola is gone will be made.

Onishi, Norimitsu. "Last Known Ebola Patient in Liberia Is Discharged." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Mar. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

FDA Approves Zarxio, Its First Biosimilar Drug

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:26:00 +0000

News Brief by Prachi Sharma
The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) has recently approved Zarxio, a biosimilar drug produced by Sandoz, to prevent infections in cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy. While Zarxio had already been approved in Europe, its approval in the United States is unprecedented as there was no regulatory system in place to bring biosimilar drugs to the market. This approval is vital as it allows increased access to these alternative drugs that are potentially much cheaper than those that are currently available.
Biosimilar drugs utilize biologic drugs, which are made from living cells instead of chemicals like typical pharmaceuticals. Biologics are known for being extraordinarily expensive due to the lack of competition that has resulted from their patent protection. When first developed, these drugs were so complex that the development of generic versions was unfathomable. However, over the years, pharmaceutical companies have developed similar copies of these biologics and have sought approval from the F.D.A. Thus, these low-cost alternatives, which are approximately a third cheaper than brand name biologic drugs, will create newfound competition and potentially allow for some reduction in cost of older cancer care drugs. Furthermore, it is estimated that if the 11 biosimilars that are currently in development are approved, the Unites States may save approximately $250 billion in drug costs. There are still many challenges: the naming process of biosimilars as generics or brands is being debated; also, doctors may need to prescribe biosimilars because they cannot be automatically substituted for brand name drugs yet. Regardless, the FDA’s approval marks a new age for the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.

Tavernise, Sabrina, and Andrew Pollack. "F.D.A. Approves Zarxio, Its First Biosimilar Drug." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

New tool for detecting, destroying norovirus

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:14:00 +0000

News Brief by Frederick Lu

A research team led by Dr. Grant Hansman of the German Cancer Research Center has discovered nano-85, which is a “nano body,” or a smaller and more stable antibody, that can bind to norovirus-like particles (VLPs) and potentially break the virus apart. Because noroviruses undergo constant evolution and are difficult to develop therapies for, nano-85’s ability to recognize many different VLPs from different strains of virus make it a promising candidate as a diagnostic tool. Researchers found that nano-85 was able to detect the virus in 1/3 of the stool samples it was tested on and are hopeful that it may become an aid in diagnosis after further development.

Additionally, while examining the interaction between nano-85 and a specific part of VLP known as the protruding (P) domain, which is akin to a flexible spike, Hansman was unable to find an intact VLP, leading him to believe that nano-85 was causing the VLPs to break apart.

Norovirus infections are generally only treated by rehydration of the patient. If Hansman is correct in saying that nano-85 is responsible for viral disassembly, then this could result in many new leads for antiviral therapy.

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ). "New tool for detecting, destroying norovirus." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 March 2015. .

Chronic Stress Can Wreak Havoc on the Body

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 00:39:00 +0000

News Brief by Samantha Fine

Chronic stress can arise from recurring pain, post-traumatic memories, unemployment, family tension, poverty, child abuse or even residence in a dangerous neighborhood. With constant stress, health risks, such as those of heart attacks, strokes, infections, and asthma, increase significantly. Only in the past two decades have scientists been able to prove the dangers of chronic stress. In a study conducted by British researchers, thousands of male British citizens were examined. They found that the men in the more stressful jobs smoked more, had higher blood pressure, exercised less, and were more likely to die of heart problems than men in less stressful positions.

Other research has shown that certain jobs, such as those of police officers, can create greater health risks. Officers are 21 times more likely to die of a heart attack when in an altercation with a suspect. Furthermore, a high stress personality can also lead to health problems. In a study conducted at San Carlos University in Madrid, 150 adults who had survived a stroke were given a personality survey and were found to score high on having Type A behaviors. Everyday stressors have a major cumulative impact on immune response and can contribute to physical deterioration. Research has proven that even small wounds take a longer time to heal when a person is stressed.

Forms of stress can arise in various ways: from long job hours to feelings of loneliness. John Cacioppo, a social neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, states that being isolated increases blood pressure, creates a fragmented sleep pattern and diminish one’s overall immunity. A test in mice with breast cancer showed that stress, created by confining mice in a small space for two hours a day, increased the likelihood of cancer spreading throughout the entire body by thirty-fold. Chronic stress wreaks havoc on the body, yet solutions are still unclear. Although cures such as self-help, social support and anti-anxiety medications have shown to decrease stress, treatment varies from person to person. Perhaps the lingering question is whether cures for chronic stress will become more individualized, focusing on the stressors that differ depending on the person.

Seppa, Nathan. "Chronic Stress Can Wreak Havoc on the Body." Science News. Science News, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. .

A Scientific Tale of Two Dresses

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 00:32:00 +0000

News Brief by Jessica Newfield

Is the famous dress blue and black, or white and gold? “A scientific tale of two dresses,” produced by CNN, provides the scientific explanation for our inability to decide on the true colors of the dress that has been captivating the online community. Cones, or eye structures in our retinas, perceive colors in different ways depending on our genes. They detect the various blue, green, and red wavelengths in the images that we see.

After that information is processed, the cones and our brain integrate the wavelengths perceived to make other colors. The colors in this blue/black, or white/gold dress hit the threshold of color perceived by our cones that differ from person to person. The paradox concerning the dress is that “each of us makes slightly different unconscious assumptions” about which light to filter out when we look at the dress. Dr. Emily Chew, an ophthalmologist at the National Institutes of Health suggests that this dress could help pave the way for furthering our knowledge on how we understand and perceive color.

Reference: Cohen, E. (2015, February 28). A scientific tale of two dresses - CNN.com. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/27/health/science-of-gold-blue-dress/

Research Highlights: Visual Impairment Associated with Higher Rates of Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts in South Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Research Highlights Editor) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 20:20:00 +0000

Visual Impairment Associated with Higher Rates of Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts in South Korea

Though we generally consider mental illness to be caused entirely by dysfunction within the brain, damage to other parts of the body can strongly influence the development of mental illness. Studies have shown that visual impairment, for example, can lead to a greater incidence of depression and even suicide. A study recently published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology has further investigated the effect of visual acuity on suicide and depression in South Korea.

Researchers used medical information provided by the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine visual acuity, depressive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts and/or attempts in 28,919 Korean participants aged 19 years or older. Visual acuity was measured via an eye chart and suicide/depressive symptoms were ascertained through a mental health questionnaire. Statistical analyses showed that lower visual acuity was significantly linked with suicidal thoughts and attempts. A severe loss of vision to the point of total or near-total blindness was associated with a 2-3 fold greater risk of suicide compared to participants with normal vision. However, researchers found no link between visual acuity and depression. Importantly, researchers also found that less than 30% of participants who had attempted suicide and less than 10% of participants with suicidal thoughts had sought counseling for these issues.

It is presently unclear whether the results of this study are generalizable to people of other nationalities and cultures, and further testing is needed to confirm these results in alternate populations. Despite this, the present study has important implications for the treatment of patients with poor visual acuity. Though many programs and technologies exist to improve the day-to-day lives of blind or visually impaired individuals on a practical level, treatments often do not focus on the mental and emotional toll that comes with loss of vision. Researchers of the present study have encouraged ophthalmologists to prioritize patient mental health and encourage those suffering from visual impairments to seek counseling if needed.

Br J Ophthalmol doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2014-306518

Caroline Russell-Troutman is the 2014-2015 Research Highlights Editor.

Six Ways to Beat Chronic Stress

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:13:00 +0000

News Brief by Kanika Kamal

Once the semester gets into full swing, it’s hard to avoid the stress piling up around you. Sometimes the amount of work we have can send us into a panic, making us scramble to meet deadlines and causing us to lose sleep (and sometimes even weight). Not only is chronic stress a nuisance, but it can also have detrimental health effects, such as increasing the chance of heart attacks. So, how can students combat chronic stress? According to Science News, the following six things can help counteract the effects of stress:

1. Yoga and Tai Chi: Thinking positive thoughts, clearing your mind, and focusing on your breathing has been shown to lower blood pressure and help unwind stress at both the molecular and clinical levels.

2. Meditation: Meditation has been shown to help fight off infections, such as the cold and flu. For example, a recent study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed that participants who practiced 2.5 hours of meditation a week took less sick days for respiratory illness than those who did not meditate.

3. Real-Time Monitoring: Monitoring your stress levels, such as by carrying monitors that measure heart rates, can help make us more aware of the stress we face and can encourage us to take a couple minutes to breathe and cool down. A study at the University of Calgary had doctors, members of a high-stress profession, monitor their stress levels. They found that at the end of the four week period, the doctors’ stress levels had dropped substantially when compared to the control.

4. Parenting Classes: Stress not only comes from your actions, but also from the environment around you. Studies have shown that giving parents training classes can help reduce stress in their children. These classes have created less harsh, more consistent parents, and as a result, has made it so that their children had lower levels of stress as they grew older.

5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an important part of treatment for people with anxiety and depression. It works by helping change their frames of thinking from negative to positive, giving them the skills to cope. But, CBT does not only benefit people with mental illness. Changing your framework of thinking from self-destructive to more positive can help people cope with stress and improve the body’s health. In fact, CBT has shown to boost the body’s immune response to viruses.

6. Pets: Finally, everyone knows that dogs are man’s best friends, but studies have shown that these friendly companions can actually decrease stress in humans.

Following these six tips, or at least trying out a few, could lower your stress levels and help you lead a healthier, happier lifestyle. So, it’s worth a shot!

Deadly CRE Germs Linked to Hard-to-Clean Medical Scopes

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:07:00 +0000

News Brief by Kathryn Gibb

CRE, or carbapenem-resistant enterbacteriaceae, is a family of germs that can develop into antibiotic resistant bacteria. Recently, the U.C.L.A medical center discovered that these germs were transmitted to patients via improperly sterilized duodenoscopes. These medical scopes are used in procedures to diagnose and treat diseases. The devices have many small crevices that make them easy to house leftover body fluids and germs, while making them difficult to clean. When not properly disinfected, the scopes have the potential to transmit the dangerous CRE bacteria. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can make infections impossible to treat, oftentimes resulting in death. Although the U.C.LA medical center claimed that the scopes were cleaned according to the manufacturing company’s standards, two of the seven duodenoscopes used at the hospital had been suspected to transmit the germs to patients. The hospital has agreed to clean the scopes in a way that “goes above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards,” according to a statement issued by the U.C.L.A Health System. While the FDA has the power to remove these scopes from the market, currently there aren’t any alternatives to these devices. Rather than potentially creating a greater public health problem by removing the scopes from the market, it appears they will remain in use. For now, the scopes will be cleaned thoroughly to prevent the further spread of this infection.

Tavernise, Sabrina. "Deadly CRE Germs Linked to Hard-to-Clean Medical Scopes." Health. The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. .

Immune Cells: Learning From Experience

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:04:00 +0000

News Brief By Lushna Mehra

When fighting off infections, immune cells learn and remember from their experience in order to apply this information to future battles. The 2015 first edition of Immunity discussed, specifically, the role of T-helper cells, which aid the regulation of the immune system by releasing messenger substances, like cytokines. Dr. Kupz of the Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin stated that we know T cells are able to release various quantities of the messenger substances, but we previously believed the amount to be random. It is now known that it is possible that a T-helper cell is activated and then learns how much of which cytokine it needs to produce to fight off an infection. A team of researchers from Charité—Universitätsmedizin, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, the University of Heidelberg, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, USA, and James Cook University found that once T-helper cells defeat an infection, some T-helper cells retain memory of the instance due to the amount of a specific factor in the nucleus of the cells. Dr. Kupz noted that in future interactions for the T-helper cells, memory T-cells are activated in light of a new infection and are able to release a pre-determined amount of cytokine. He concludes that more research in this realm could lead to stronger, specific immune reactions and could potentially aid in the reduction of misdirected immune responses, such as unwarranted inflammation.

James Cook University. "Immune cells: Learning from experience." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2015. .

Brain Implant Gives Children New Chance to Hear

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:01:00 +0000

News Brief by Sam Kessel

A team led by the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine (USC) has recently begun a clinical trial to assist children born without an auditory nerve. Despite the availability of hearing aids, people born without this nerve are never able to hear because their brain is unable to process sound. An Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) is a device that directly stimulates neurons at the position where the spinal cord meets the brain. The device has been successfully used in the past to treat children 12 years or older suffering from neurofibromatosis type II, a disease that produces a harmless brain tumor on the hearing nerve. Typically, this treatment has not been successful in adults because after a certain age, brains are unable to learn how to process sound. This clinical trial is important because it is the first of its kind to effectively test how well the ABI improves outcomes for young children and determine how safe it is. Additionally, this trial will help scientists to study how the brain physically changes when it begins processing sound and learns speech.

University of Southern California - Health Sciences. "Auditory brainstem implant: Hearing experts break sound barrier for children born without hearing nerve." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 February 2015. .

New Weapon in War Against Flu Pandemics and Pneumonia

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 01:36:00 +0000

News Brief by Fred Lu

Despite its yearly occurrence and the plentiful availability of vaccines against it, influenza remains a major global health concern and is estimated to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Likewise, pneumonia remains the leading cause of death for children under five and is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States. In combating these ailments, the body's inflammatory response can help clear the lungs of infection. However, with influenza and pneumonia, the affected area can remain inflamed long after the infection is gone, leading to a buildup of fluid and internal bleeding. This results in a longer recovery time and, in the case of severe Avian flu and SARS, causes more deaths than the actual infection. Now, a group of scientists led by Associate Professor Andrew Tan of the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore have identified an antibody that blocks a protein, ANGPTL4, which is found in high concentrations in patients with severe respiratory infections. ANGPTL4 was found to be responsible for increasing the permeability of blood vessels and usually helps combat infections by allowing white blood cells to enter an infected area to deal with pathogens. However, in the absence of infection, the protein can cause dangerous inflammation. The antibody has been shown to reduce the length of respiratory infections in mice and will be produced by two biotechnology companies, the UK based Abcam and the US based Adipogen Internationals, for sale in vaccine form. The new revelations about ANGPTL allow it to be used as a biomarker for respiratory infections.

Nanyang Technological University. "New weapon in war against flu pandemics and pneumonia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 February 2015. .

Cow Immune System Inspires Potential New Therapies

noreply@blogger.com (TuftScope Journal) — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 02:36:00 +0000

News Brief by Steven Hefter

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a potentially life-altering remedy for people who suffer from hormone deficiencies. The research, which has recently been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports the hypothesis that human antibodies and hormones can be combined, a process that also occurs in cows. Humans with low hormone deficiencies need an outside source of human growth hormone (hGH) that usually comes in the form of an injection. The problem is that the body rapidly breaks down hGH, meaning that daily injections may be needed to maintain the levels of hGH needed. As expected, this worsens a person’s quality of life. On the other hand, antibodies can remain in the body for weeks. The researchers noticed something interesting about the bovine antibody structure from a 2013 study published by TSRI scientists; it has a round base with a long amino-acid chain pointing outwards. At the end of this chain there is a “knob region” that supposedly binds to pathogens. The scientists wanted to see if they could switch the knob region with DNA from a human hormone, such as hGH. To do so, they used recombinant DNA technology to unite hGH with the bovine antibody. Since this combination was stable, the researchers tried to expand and not use any cow DNA in the next experiment. They used Herceptin^®, an anti-cancer antibody, as the antibody in this stage. The hGH-antibody treatment worked better in rat models than did the hGH treatment alone, thus supporting the hypothesis that a hormone-antibody mixture can aid growth in humans. TSRI Research Associate Tao Liu, who is the co-author of this paper with Yong Zhang at Calibr, believes that this method can even be used to provide insulin to treat Type 2 Diabetes. The future is exciting for the theory of an antibody-hormone complex.

The Scripps Research Institute. "Cow immune system inspires potential new therapies." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2015. .