WorldHealth.net

Researchers develop groundbreaking diagnostic test

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A new licensing agreement has brought anti-aging physicians one step closer to being able to assess a patient's risk of age-related blindness before symptoms manifest.

Cambridge University's commercialisation company Cambridge Enterprise and Canadian molecular diagnostic company ArcticDx are developing a diagnostic test to identify an individual's genetic predisposition to developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) prior to the onset of the condition.

President and CEO of ArcticDx, Greg Hines said: "This will be the first time that clinicians will be able to diagnose the condition before symptoms arise. This provides the opportunity for targeted patient education and routine eye examinations that offer early detection and disease management.

"Macular Degeneration is a disease that can be arrested but it is not reversible. It is important to offer earlier treatment regimens that may arrest the disease before significant vision loss occurs."

AMD is currently one of the most prevalent forms of blindness in Europe and the US, affecting one in 15 people over the age of 75.

Body clock linked to metabolism

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have identified a molecular link between circadian rhythms and metabolism.

One of the world's leading experts in the field, distinguished professor and chair of pharmacology, Paolo Sassone-Corsi and his team discovered a protein the[that] regulates the body clock and works in balance with the protein SIRT1, which controls energy use in cells.

"This interplay has far-reaching implications for human illness and aging, and it is likely vital for proper metabolism," he explained.

"When this balance between these two vital proteins is upset, normal cellular function can be disrupted. Because of the role these two enzymes play, changes in our sleep patterns or our diets can directly be translated into how our cells act."

The findings offer potential scope for the development of new treatment for diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Previous studies have shown that SIRT1 can help control the aging process by acting as a resistance against oxidative and radiation-induced cell stress.

Population bomb 'ticks louder than climate'

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:00:32 GMT

Global population growth is looming as a bigger threat to the world's food production and water supplies than climate change, a leading scientist says.

Speaking at a CSIRO public lecture in Canberra yesterday, UNESCO's chief of sustainable water resources development, Professor Shahbaz Khan, said overpopulation's impacts were potentially more economically, socially and environmentally destructive than those of climate change.

''Climate change is one of a number of stresses we're facing, but it's overshadowed by global population growth and the amount of water, land and energy needed to grow food to meet the projected increase in population. We are facing a world population crisis.''

In the past four years, the price of rice in Thailand had risen from $A200 a tonne to $A800 a tonne, and India had banned rice exports in a bid to ensure the country had sufficient supplies of this staple food, Professor Khan said.

''It would be a mistake for Australia's governments to assume they can adapt to declining water availability within the Murray-Darling Basin by deciding staple crops like wheat and rice can be grown in other countries. We need smarter ways to improve water efficiencies so we can continue to grow those crops.''

Before taking up the UNESCO post in Paris earlier this year which involves supervising sustainable water development projects in 190 countries Professor Khan led CSIRO's irrigation systems research and was founding director of the international centre for food security at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga.

The city's mayor farewelled him with a public reception, praising his passion and commitment to water reform and his role in championing rural communities. Yesterday, Professor Khan called for debate on national water reform to be ''opened up to include a genuine diversity of opinion'', claiming scientists ''are worried about being crucified'' by governments if they express dissenting views.

''Scientists are fearful, to be honest,'' he said.

Many politicians were out of touch with crucial livelihood issues facing rural Australia, particularly poverty and the loss of jobs in communities built on wealth generated by irrigated food production.

''There is a disconnect and mistrust. You have politicians and scientists from the big cities coming up with ideas and warning of painful decision, but they're not bringing the communities who will be affected into the discussion.

''In my experience, irrigators are not vandals: they're trying to make a living for their families, often faced with great hardships, and have made a lot of effort to achieve water efficiencies. We should celebrate some of the successes achieved by our farmers, because there have been stunning successes in the Murray-Darling Basin.''

Australia must also think about the future social and environmental implications of its ''population footprint''.

He said, ''It's not something that should happen by an act of God. It has to be an informed decision about geographic spread and location, about benefits for indigenous communities, for river systems and wetlands. It's a big exercise and needs to be done very carefully.''

RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/population-bomb-ticks-louder-than-climate/1173782.aspx on Tuesday, July 22, 2008.

Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:42:27 GMT

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said.

No other major academic cancer research institutions have sounded such an alarm about cell phone use. But Herberman's advice is sure to raise concern among many cell phone users and especially parents.

In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing.

Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields.

The issue that concerns some scientists — though nowhere near a consensus — is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children. It is not a major topic in conferences of brain specialists.

A 2008 University of Utah analysis looked at nine studies — including some Herberman cites — with thousands of brain tumor patients and concludes "we found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies."

Studies last year in France and Norway concluded the same thing.

"If there is a risk from these products — and at this point we do not know that there is — it is probably very small," the Food and Drug Administration says on an agency Web site.

Still, Herberman cites a "growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer."

"Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use," he wrote in his memo.

A driving force behind the memo was Devra Lee Davis, the director of the university's center for environmental oncology.

"The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain," she said in an interview from her cell phone while using the hands-free speaker phone as recommended. "I don't know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don't know that they are safe."

Of concern are the still unknown effects of more than a decade of cell phone use, with some studies raising alarms, said Davis, a former health adviser in the Clinton Administration.

She said 20 different groups have endorsed the advice the Pittsburgh cancer institute gave, and authorities in England, France and India have cautioned children's use of cell phones.

Herberman and Davis point to a massive ongoing research project known as Interphone, involving scientists in 13 nations, mostly in Europe. Results already published in peer-reviewed journals from this project aren't so alarming, but Herberman is citing work not yet published.

The published research focuses on more than 5,000 cases of brain tumors. The National Research Council in the U.S., which isn't participating in the Interphone project, reported in January that the brain tumor research had "selection bias." That means it relied on people with cancer to remember how often they used cell phones. It is not considered the most accurate research approach.

The largest published study, which appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, tracked 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including thousands that had used the phones for more than 10 years. It found no increased risk of cancer among those using cell phones.

A French study based on Interphone research and published in 2007 concluded that regular cell phone users had "no significant increased risk" for three major types of nervous system tumors. It did note, however, that there was "the possibility of an increased risk among the heaviest users" for one type of brain tumor, but that needs to be verified in future research.

Earlier research also has found no connection.

Joshua E. Muscat of Penn State University, who has studied cancer and cell phones in other research projects partly funded by the cell phone industry, said there are at least a dozen studies that have found no cancer-cell phone link. He said a Swedish study cited by Herberman as support for his warning was biased and flawed.

"We certainly don't know of any mechanism by which radiofrequency exposure would cause a cancerous effect in cells. We just don't know this might possibly occur," Muscat said.

Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though studies are being done to see if there is a link between it and tumors of the brain and central nervous system, there is no definitive link between the two, the institute says on its Web site.

"By all means, if a person feels compelled that they should take precautions in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radio waves through their bodies, by all means they should do so," said Dan Catena, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. "But at the same time, we have to remember there's no conclusive evidence that links cell phones to cancer, whether it's brain tumors or other forms of cancer."

Joe Farren, a spokesman for the CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group for the wireless industry, said the group believes there is a risk of misinforming the public if science isn't used as the ultimate guide on the issue.

"When you look at the overwhelming majority of studies that have been peer reviewed and published in scientific journals around the world, you'll find no relationship between wireless usage and adverse health affects," Farren said.

Frank Barnes, who chaired the January report from the National Research Council, said Wednesday that "the jury is out" on how hazardous long-term cell phone use might be.

Speaking from his cell phone, the professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder said he takes no special precautions in his own phone use. And he offered no specific advice to people worried about the matter.

It's up to each individual to decide what if anything to do. If people use a cell phone instead of having a land line, "that may very well be reasonable for them," he said.

Susan Juffe, a 58-year-old Pittsburgh special education teacher, heard about Herberman's cell phone advice on the radio earlier in the day.

"Now, I'm worried. It's scary," she said.

She says she'll think twice about allowing her 10-year-old daughter Jayne to use the cell phone.

"I don't want to get it (brain cancer) and I certainly don't want you to get it," she explained to her daughter.

Sara Loughran, a 24-year-old doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh, sat in a bus stop Wednesday chatting on her cell phone with her mother. She also had heard the news earlier in the day, but was not as concerned.

"I think if they gave me specific numbers and specific information and it was scary enough, I would be concerned," Loughran said, planning to call her mother again in a matter of minutes. "Without specific numbers, it's too vague to get me worked up."

RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/13339-Pittsburgh_Cancer_Center_Warns_Of_Cell_Phone_Risks on Thursday, July 24, 2008.

Liposuction may serve as stem cell source

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The latest stem cell research has found that fat removed from the lower abdomen and inner thighs via liposuction is a rich source of stem cells.

A study published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) indicates that the concentration of stem cells was highest in the fat tissue taken from the lower abdomen and inner thighs.

Commenting on the findings, Dr J Peter Rubin explained: "Adult stem cells, derived from our own tissues, hold strong promise for improved clinical therapies.

"The potential for healing and repairing injury or disease through stem cells, including conditions like breast cancer and reconstruction, heart failure, spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson's disease are incredible."

ASPS president Dr Richard D'Amico added: "The value of stem cells harvested through fat is the ready and ample supply available."

Statistics show that in 2007 more than 301,000 liposuction procedures were performed.

Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the ASPS is recognized as a leading authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.

Scientists discover mechanisms of senile blindness

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hyperactive immune resistance has been associated with senile blindness caused by age-dependent macular degeneration (AMD).

A team of Anglo-German opthalmologists have demonstrated for the first time that the immune system of patients with AMD is entirely hyperactive.

Lead researcher Dr Hendrik Scholl commented: "These results infer that senile blindness may arise from a permanent state of inflammation in the body. This can obviously lie dormant for decades, then in advanced old age can lead to the appearance of symptoms of the disease."

The study was conducted by scientists from Bonn, Gottingen, Regensburg and Oxford under the leadership of Dr Hendrik Scholl of Bonn University's Eye Clinic.

Previous studies have shown that hereditary changes in the regulation of the immune system influence the risk of contracting AMD.

In Germany, an estimated 4.5 million people suffer from AMD and it is the most common cause of blindness in the western industrialized nations.

Study: hungry mice are happy mice

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:25:58 GMT

Unhappy and want to be happy? A new study says you should get hungry.

When our bodies notice we need more calories, levels of a hormone called ghrelin increase. Ghrelin is known to trigger hunger, but new research suggests this may be a side effect of its primary job as a stress-buster.

Researchers manipulated ghrelin levels in mice through a variety of methods, including prolonged calorie restriction, ghrelin injection and a genetic modification rendering the mice numb to ghrelin's effect.

Mice who had limited ghrelin activity seemed depressed. If pushed into deep water they made no effort to swim. When introduced to a maze, they clung to the entryway. And when placed with other mice, they tended to keep to themselves. (These behaviors were reversed when the mice were given a low-dose antidepressant commonly prescribed to humans.)

In contrast, mice with high levels of ghrelin swam energetically in deep water, looking for escape. They eagerly explored new environments. And they were much more social.

The researchers think that hunger-induced happiness is an adaptive measure. Getting food, especially in the wild, requires concentration, clear-headed perception and often cooperation.

Hunger is not the only stressor that causes ghrelin to rise. Social anxiety can stimulate it as well. When mice were exposed to an older "bully" mouse, ghrelin levels rose and stayed high for weeks.

Elevated ghrelin could be why some people overeat when under pressure. If the stress-induced snack is avoided, the research suggests, ghrelin levels will remain high and help us confront the stressor in a calm, effective way.
Editor: Gareth Dodd

RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/15/content_8550278.htm on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

"Snapshots" of eyes could serve as early warning of diabetes

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:21:25 GMT

A new vision screening device, already shown to give an early warning of eye disease, could give doctors and patients a head start on treating diabetes and its vision complications, a new study by U.S. researchers shows.

The instrument, invented by scientists at University of Michigan, captures images of the eye to detect metabolic stress and tissue damage that occur before the first symptoms of diabetes are evident.

For people with diabetes -- diagnosed or not -- the new device could offer potentially significant advantages over blood glucose testing, the "gold standard" for diabetes detection.

The device takes a specialized photograph of the eye and is non-invasive, taking about five minutes to test both eyes.

In the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, scientists Victor Elner and Howard Petty report on the potential of the new instrument to screen for diabetes and determine its severity.

If further testing confirms the results to date, the new instrument may be useful for screening people who are at risk of diabetes but haven't been diagnosed.

"Our objective in performing this study was to determine whether we could detect abnormal metabolism in the retina of patients who might otherwise remain undiagnosed based on clinical examination alone," says Elner.

Metabolic stress, and therefore disease, can be detected by measuring the intensity of cellular fluorescence in retinal tissue. In a previous study, they reported that high levels of flavoprotein auto fluorescence (FA) act as a reliable indicator of eye disease.

In this new study, they measured the FA levels of 21 individuals who had diabetes and compared the results to age-matched healthy controls. They found that FA activity was significantly higher for those with diabetes, regardless of severity, compared to those who did not have the disease.

Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes, the FA device holds the potential to help address a leading and growing public health concern, said the authors.

Editor: Yan Liang
RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/15/content_8545497.htm on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

Proven: Vegetarians Live Longer

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:15:06 GMT

By Christine Lepisto

Vegetarians Live Longer

The battle has long been waged, and will certainly continue in spite of this study. Are humans designed/evolved to eat everything and at risk of malnutrition as vegetarians? Or is vegetarianism the healthy and ethical choice? The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study's shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality.

Long-term Study of Vegetarians

The participants of the the German Cancer Research Center study included 60 vegans (no animal products consumed), 1165 vegetarians (eating eggs, milk but no meat) with the remainder described as "moderate" vegetarians who occasionally ate fish or meat. The health of these study participants was compared with the average German population. Living longer seems not to be exclusively related to eating meat, though, as the results for moderate vegetarians was not statistically different from those for vegan or strict vegetarian diets.

To the argument that it is not vegetarianism but a general interest in a healthier lifestyle which leads to such notable results, scientists reply with evidence that the majority of vegetarians do not cite health reasons for their lifestyle, but make their choice based on ethical commitment, environmental concerns or simply personal taste.

Vegetarians and Malnutrition

Research by a team led by Professor Ibrahim Elmadfa at the University of Vienna found a much better than average intake of Vitamin C, Carotinoides, Folic acid, fiber and unsaturated fats. Where shortcomings may arise is for Vitamin B12, calcium und Vitamin D in a vegan diet. Astoundingly, however, study participants did not suffer from diseases, such as osteoporosis, typically related to inadequate intakes of these micro-nutrients.

RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/vegetarians-live-longer.php on Sunday, July 13, 2008.

Pathologists Believe They Have Pinpointed Achilles Heel Of HIV

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:09:52 GMT

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions.

The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.

The Achilles heel, a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120, is now under study as a target for therapeutic intervention. Sudhir Paul, Ph.D., pathology professor in the UT Medical School, said, “Unlike the changeable regions of its envelope, HIV needs at least one region that must remain constant to attach to cells. If this region changes, HIV cannot infect cells. Equally important, HIV does not want this constant region to provoke the body’s defense system. So, HIV uses the same constant cellular attachment site to silence B lymphocytes - the antibody producing cells. The result is that the body is fooled into making abundant antibodies to the changeable regions of HIV but not to its cellular attachment site. Immunologists call such regions superantigens. HIV’s cleverness is unmatched. No other virus uses this trick to evade the body’s defenses.”

Paul is the senior author on a paper about this theory in a June issue of the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. Additional data supporting the theory are to be presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference Aug. 3-8 in Mexico City in two studies titled “Survivors of HIV infection produce potent, broadly neutralizing IgAs directed to the superantigenic region of the gp120 CD4 binding site” and “Prospective clinical utility and evolutionary implication of broadly neutralizing antibody fragments to HIV gp120 superantigenic epitope.”

First reported in the early 1980s, HIV has spread across the world, particularly in developing countries. In 2007, 33 million people were living with AIDS, according to a report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

Paul’s group has engineered antibodies with enzymatic activity, also known as abzymes, which can attack the Achilles heel of the virus in a precise way. “The abzymes recognize essentially all of the diverse HIV forms found across the world. This solves the problem of HIV changeability. The next step is to confirm our theory in human clinical trials," Paul said.

Unlike regular antibodies, abzymes degrade the virus permanently. A single abzyme molecule inactivates thousands of virus particles. Regular antibodies inactivate only one virus particle, and their anti-viral HIV effect is weaker.

“The work of Dr. Paul’s group is highly innovative. They have identified antibodies that, instead of passively binding to the target molecule, are able to fragment it and destroy its function. Their recent work indicates that naturally occurring catalytic antibodies, particularly those of the IgA subtype, may be useful in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection,” said Steven J. Norris, Ph.D., holder of the Robert Greer Professorship in the Biomedical Sciences and vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston.

The abzymes are derived from HIV negative people with the autoimmune disease lupus and a small number of HIV positive people who do not require treatment and do not get AIDS. Stephanie Planque, lead author and UT Medical School at Houston graduate student, said, “We discovered that disturbed immunological events in lupus patients can generate abzymes to the Achilles heel of HIV. The human genome has accumulated over millions of years of evolution a lot of viral fragments called endogenous retroviral sequences. These endogenous retroviral sequences are overproduced in people with lupus, and an immune response to such a sequence that resembles the Achilles heel can explain the production of abzymes in lupus. A small minority of HIV positive people also start producing the abzymes after decades of the infection. The immune system in some people can cope with HIV after all.”

Carl Hanson, Ph.D., who heads the Retrovirus Diagnostic Section of the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory of the California Department of Public Health, has shown that the abzymes neutralize infection of human blood cells by diverse strains of HIV from various parts of the world. Human blood cells are the only cells that HIV infects.

“This is an entirely new finding. It is a novel antibody that appears to be very effective in killing the HIV virus. The main question now is if this can be applied to developing vaccine and possibly used as a microbicide to prevent sexual transmission,” said David C. Montefiori, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research & Development at Duke University Medical Center. The abzymes are now under development for HIV immunotherapy by infusion into blood. They could also be used to guard against sexual HIV transmission as topical vaginal or rectal formulations.

“HIV is an international priority because we have no defense against it,” Paul said. “Left unchecked, it will likely evolve into even more virulent forms. We have learned a lot from this research about how to induce the production of the protective abzymes on demand. This is the Holy Grail of HIV research -- development of a preventative HIV vaccine.”

Major contributors to the research from the UT Medical School include Yasuhiro Nishiyama, Ph.D., and Hiroaki Taguchi, Ph.D., both with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Miguel Escobar, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics. Maria Salas and Hanson, both with the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory, contributed.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/13307-Pathologists_Believe_They_Have_Pinpointed_Achilles_Heel_Of_HIV on Thursday, July 17, 2008.