June 7, 2007, 7:43 PM CT

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The diaphragm, a shelf of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity, is critical to sustaining life. A life-threatening birth defect known as congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), results from failure of normal diaphragm formation which in turn allows abdominal organs to migrate into the chest cavity. Abnormal lung development, so-called pulmonary hypoplasia, frequently co-occurs with CDH, and in fact is the major predictor of morbidity and mortality. This appears to arise from combined primary developmental defects of the lung, as well as mechanical compression from the displaced abdominal contents. CDH affects as a number of as 1 in 3,000 newborns and continues to have a mortality rate as high as 50 percent. Researchers have come to understand that it is not limited to a single or specific defect in the diaphragm and is often accompanied by other major malformations, commonly relating to the lungs or cardiovascular development. There is also increasing evidence that genetic mutations in important developmental pathways contribute to CDH.

Four new reviews shed light on CHD by describing the diversity of the condition, exploring potential ways of treating it, using animal models to discover which genes play a role in diaphragm development, and examining its connection to cardiovascular malformations. The studies were published in May 2007 in a special issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C that examines the biology and genetics of CHD and is available online via Wiley InterScience at (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/ajmgc)......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 23, 2007, 8:42 PM CT

A nurse makes the decision on who will live

Thymic nurse cells were given their name because of their intimate relationship with developing T cells (thymocytes) in the thymus. Thymic nurse cells have been reported to take as a number of as 50 thymocytes into their cell body (see thymocytes inside of a thymic nurse cell in photos, the blue dye stains the nuclei of thymocytes inside of a nurse cell). Whether or not thymic nurse cells have the capacity to "internalize" another cell into itself, and the function of this unique biological phenomenon during T cell development is the focus of studies performed by Dr. Guyden at The City College of New York and colleagues at Tuskegee University.

Thymic nurse cells were discovered in 1980. Their existence was heavily debated because a number of researchers found it difficult to think that a cell could internalize another cell. In early studies, it was suggested that thymic nurse cells function exclusively in the up-take and removal of non-functional thymocytes from the developmental process. In a study featured in the recent issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Dr. Guyden and colleagues show that thymic nurse cell function is not limited to the removal of non-functional thymocytes, but plays a role in deciding which thymocytes will die, because they will be potentially harmful if they mature, and which will continue to develop into normal T cells. These results were obtained using a genetically altered mouse system created to study this selection process, which is called MHC restriction. During MHC restriction, all potentially harmful thymocytes must be weeded out (a process called negative selection). The remaining normal subset of thymocytes is induced to mature (a process called positive selection). The genetic alteration in the animals studied results in female mice whose thymocytes undergo positive selection, exclusively, while all thymocytes in male mice are negatively selected. If thymic nurse cells only internalize thymocytes that will be killed and removed, one would expect them to be absent in the female animal (exclusive to positively selected thymocytes that continue development). However, their results show a significantly larger number of thymic nurse cells containing thymocytes (selected to live) in female mice than in male mice. These data show that thymic nurse cells are not only capable of internalizing thymocytes that have been selected to die, but also possess the capacity to take up thymocytes that have been selected to live via positive selection......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 23, 2007, 8:38 PM CT

Pointing a finger at the source of fecal bacteria

Excessive levels of fecal bacteria were to blame for almost 60 percent of Nebraska streams deemed impaired by federal and state environmental laws in 2004. In order to develop effective pollution-control strategies, it is important for scientists to identify the source of the contamination. By using multiple methods, or a toolbox approach, to determine the origin of fecal pollution in streams, scientists were able to identify the source of fecal bacteria with greater certainty than if testing with a single method.

In collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the University of Cincinnati, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers used a toolbox approach when investigating the sources of fecal bacteria within the Plum Creek watershed in south-central Nebraska. The researchers report their findings in the May-June 2007 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality.

This research was funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Water Program, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2001, monitoring studies by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality named Plum Creek the most contaminated tributary to the middle reaches of the Platte River. The scientists used two fecal source-tracking tools to analyze contaminated water and stream-sediment samples in the Plum Creek watershed......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 23, 2007, 8:25 PM CT

Stem cells may look malignant, not act it

Bone marrow stem cells attracted to the site of a malignant growth frequently take on the outward appearance of the cancerous cells around them, University of Florida scientists report in a paper would be reported in the recent issue of Stem Cells.

But whether that enables them to fuel cancer's ability to develop and then spread, as some researchers suspect, is not entirely clear. The findings, available early in this month's online edition of the journal, actually contest the increasingly popular theory that bone marrow stem cells seed cancer. Instead, these cells might simply look like cancer, not act like it.

"They have the same kind of surface proteins," said study author Chris Cogle, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the UF's College of Medicine Program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. "They have the same skin. The next question is 'Do they have the same guts"'.

"Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't actually the seed of cancer," said Cogle, who also is affiliated with the UF Shands Cancer Center. "At the worst, these cells could help support malignant tissue by providing it with growth factors or proteins that help the cancer grow and survive. At the very least, these marrow cells are just being tricked into coming into the malignant environment and then made to walk and talk like they don't commonly do"......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 21, 2007, 10:50 AM CT

Bifantis shows anti-inflammatory properties

The biotechnology company Alimentary Health today announced results from two studies that demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and Salmonella infection. Data from these studies were presented this week at the 38th annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference taking place in Washington D.C.

The inflammatory response is a key part of the immune systems battle against invaders, but in certain conditions and diseases, it can do more harm than good by injuring healthy tissue. Inflammation is linked to a variety of conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimers disease and more. Bifantis has previously been shown to modulate the inflammatory response in a clinical trial in irritable bowel syndrome. The results announced this week demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory effects of Bifantis are not restricted to the gastrointestinal tract.

"Inflammation is a major factor in many chronic diseases, which affect millions of people," said Barry Kiely, Chief Executive Officer, Alimentary Health and an early investigator of the probiotic effects of Bifantis. "Data continue to show that Bifantis has anti-inflammatory activity, which may be useful in the management of inflammation-linked diseases."........ Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:13:32 GMT

Chinese Blood Products Industry Set to Take Off

ResearchInChina published a report recently on China's blood productsChina Blood Product Industry Report, 2006-2007, published in April, draws the conclusion that the blood products industry in China is about to become much more lucrative for a variety of reasons. Among them: increased population, growing health problems that require blood products as part of medical treatment, and government regulations. The report estimates that demand for blood products will grow at 15% per year over the next few years. While the report is currently available only in Chinese, an English translation is in the works and should be available in before July. Posted by: Greg Cruey      Read more     Source

May 15, 2007, 11:08 PM CT

Getting to the core of an emergent public health threat

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 was a loud wake-up call for scientists studying infectious diseases. SARS infected over 8,000 people, killed 10 percent of those infected, and weakened most with pneumonia.

"The SARS outbreak was a strong reminder that new viruses can emerge, and whether new or old, pathogens can cause not only significant disease and death, but they can also have a global socioeconomic impact," said Brenda Hogue, an associate professor in the Biodesign Institutes Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and School of Life Sciences. Hogue has been involved in a big push to uncover some of the key clues behind coronavirus illness.

When SARS emerged, no one could have predicted that a new coronavirus, commonly the culprit of nothing more than a common cold in humans, could become so harmful and spread so quickly through health systems from China to Canada.

Coronaviruses routinely cause about 30 percent of the common colds in humans, and infect a large number of animals where they cause significantly more severe diseases.

"We expect that some of what we learn about coronaviruses will no doubt be applicable to other viruses too," Hogue said. "Our long-term goals are to make use of this basic research to design better vaccines and develop new targets for antiviral therapys." ......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 14, 2007, 10:51 PM CT

Pediatricians and pathologists see traumatic brain injury differently

Confronted with the same hypothetical scenarios of traumatic brain injuries to children, pediatricians and pathologists were unable to agree half the time whether the deaths should be investigated as potential child abuse, scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine found.

The study demonstrates the need for improved, uniform definitions if research is to prevent such abuse, said Antoinette Laskey, M.D., M.P.H., a forensic pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and her colleagues. They reported on their efforts to develop a framework to help scientists compare cases in the recent issue of the journal Child Abuse and Neglect.

Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of abusive death in children and is particularly common in abused children under the age of 4. Fifteen hundred children a year in U.S. are killed because of traumatic brain injury and those who survive are often devastated.

It is impossible to do randomized controlled studies of abusive head trauma but scientists need to develop improved tools to correctly identify and ultimately prevent this abuse as per Dr. Laskey.

"We have to understand abusive head trauma. Research in the field is in its infancy in comparison to what we know about other pediatric conditions. We need to increase both the volume and the quality of what we know. We need to know more and we cant until we have pediatricians and pathologists, the doctors who see these children, speaking the same language," said Dr. Laskey......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 14, 2007, 10:49 PM CT

Oral Quick-dissolve Strips For Rotavirus Vaccine

A thin strip that dissolves in the mouth like a popular breath-freshener could someday provide life-saving rotavirus vaccine to infants in impoverished areas. The innovative drug-delivery system was developed by Johns Hopkins undergraduate biomedical engineering students.

During a two-semester course, the seven-student team fabricated a thin film that should melt quickly in a babys mouth, prompting the child to swallow the vaccine. The dissolved medicine is coated with a material to protect it in the childs stomach. This coating is also designed to release the vaccine in the small intestine, where it should trigger an immune response to prevent a rotavirus infection.

The novel drug-delivery system is needed because rotavirus is a common cause of severe diarrhea and vomiting in children, leading to about 600,000 deaths annually. Most of these occur in developing nations, where medical services to treat intestinal distress are not widely available. Rotavirus vaccine to prevent this illness is currently produced in a liquid or freeze-dried form that must be chilled for transport and storage, making it very expensive for use in impoverished areas. In addition, newborns sometimes spit out the liquid, a problem that is less likely to occur with a strip that sticks to and dissolves on the tongue in less than a minute......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source

May 14, 2007, 9:05 PM CT

Older patients with major depression

Older patients with major depression whose primary care physicians team with depression care managers are 45% less likely to die within a 5-year time period than elderly adults with major depression who receive their care in primary care practices where there are no depression care managers. This study, conducted by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, appears in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The results of this study reveal the need for engaging primary care practices as partners in developing mental health services for older patients, says Joseph Gallo, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Penn, and lead author of the paper.

The practice-based, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in 20 primary care practices in New York and Pennsylvania. 1,226 randomly sampled patients 60-75 years of age were screened for depression and were classified as having major depression (396), minor depression (203), or no depression (627). The practices were randomly assigned to usual care, or a depression care management intervention, which involved a depression care manager who worked with the primary care provider to recommend therapy for depression as per standard guidelines. Patients were followed for two years, and approximately 3 years after the study, death certificates were evaluated to see whether the depression intervention had any effect on mortality......... Posted by: Rose      Read more         Source