June 10, 2008, 8:17 PM CT

Cancer-killing viruses influence tumor blood-vessel growth

Viruses genetically designed to kill cancer cells offer a promising strategy for treating incurable brain tumors such as glioblastoma, but the body's natural defenses often eliminate the viruses before they can eliminate the tumor.

The findings of an animal study by scientists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center help explain why this happens and could improve this treatment for brain cancer patients.

The research, reported in the June 10 issue of the journal Molecular Therapy, shows that as the viruses destroy the tumor cells, they cause the cells to make proteins that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to the tumor. These vessels transport immune cells that eradicate the viruses and actually stimulate regrowth of the tumor.

"This study points to an important side effect of oncolytic viral treatment that may limit its efficacy," says principal investigator Balveen Kaur, a researcher with Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dardinger Laboratory for Neuro-oncology and Neurosciences.

"Knowing this, we can now work on designing a combination treatment that will inhibit this effect and enhance the action of the viral treatment".

The scientists also discovered that, in infected tumor cells, the viruses changed the activity levels of three genes associated with blood-vessel growth in gliomas......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

June 9, 2008, 9:58 PM CT

Poor sleep can affect a student's grades

Insufficient sleep among adolescents may not only contribute to lower grades and a lack of motivation, but may also increase the odds of serious levels of emotional and behavioral disturbances, including ADHD, as per a research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

The study, authored by Fred Danner, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, focused on 882 high school freshmen who provided information about their sleep habits and school grades and also completed psychological and behavioral assessments.

As per the results, students reported sleeping, on average, 7.6 hours per school night, with 48 percent reporting less than eight hours. Hours of sleep per school night were significantly positively linked to GPA and level of motivation, and significantly negatively linked to clinically significant levels of emotional disturbance and ADHD. Each additional hour of sleep on school nights lowered the odds of scoring in the clinically significant range of emotional disturbance and ADHD by 25 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

Since these findings are based on associations rather than direct experimental manipulation, they cannot conclusively prove that insufficient sleep causes a loss of motivation, poor grades, ADHD, and emotional disturbance during adolescence, said Dr. Danner. The results, however, are consistent with a growing body of research that a number of adolescents do not get sufficient sleep and that even mild chronic sleep deprivation has serious effects on their psychological functioning. Lack of sleep should no longer be considered a traditional adolescent rite of passage because it can have serious consequences......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

June 4, 2008, 10:33 PM CT

Does everyone really want to be a macho man?

Traditional attitudes of masculinity, such as physical toughness and personal sacrifice, are valued in Mexican culture. A University of Missouri researcher observed that Mexican-American men, as a group, are more likely to endorse traditional 'macho man' attitudes than European-American or black men. Certain factors influenced this attitude, including socioeconomic status (SES). The higher the SES, the greater the likihood that Mexican-American men held tightly to traditional masculine roles, even at the expense of emotional pressure.

As per the study, Mexican-American men who embraced traditional 'macho man' beliefs were more engaged with traditional Mexican culture and often were the primary breadwinners for the family. There were no significant findings that age affected these attitudes.

Those men often believed that:

• They deserved respect from their immediate family.
• Self-assurance in men is admirable.
• It is essential for men to gain the respect of others

"Being raised in a culture with traditional male values, Mexican-American men learn to uphold these values," said Glenn Good, professor of educational, school and counseling psychology in the MU College of Education. "Men learn that they must be tough, suck it up and not complain."........ Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:26:47 GMT

Succinobucol: New Antioxidant Drug

As presented in medical meetings, the new antioxidant drug succinobucol showed promising benefits in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.


© Buck McDaniel


Though side effects (aside from already known: diarrhea) and potential cardiovascular risks, still needs investigation, preliminary results on the drug and the full study is published in the May 24 issue of The Lancet.

According to study author Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, director of the research center at the Montreal Heart Institute in Canada:

"There is more data in the article than in the previous presentation, with greater detail on the prevention of diabetes and glycemic [sugar] control.

There are several interesting findings that include a large reduction of new cases of diabetes and also glycemic control in patients who already have diabetes. But there needs to be confirmation before it is used widely, because there was no effect on clinical endpoints such as heart attack and stroke.

Some confirmation of the drug's effectiveness is expected from a major trial that is nearing completion. Results of that trial should be published "within the next few months"".

With the array of antioxidant products in the market these days, it is good to know that there is something for those with diabetes.

Read the full report from Forbes. Posted by: Gloria Gamat      Read more     Source

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:19:16 GMT

Stress in Pregnancy Increases Baby's Asthma and Allergy Risk

Here's another item to be included in the list of things pregnant women should avoid to reduce their kid's risk of having allergies and asthma: stress.
Babies born to mothers experiencing high levels of stress had more IgE in their blood at birth than did babies born to less-stressed moms. IgE is an antibody involved in allergic and asthmatic reactions.

"Moms who had elevated levels of stress had children who seemed to be more reactive to allergens, even when exposed to low levels of allergens," said study co-author Dr. Rosalind Wright, an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Well, pregnant or not, too much stress cannot result to anything good. The question is, how does one reduce stress?!? Posted by: ruth      Read more     Source

May 22, 2008, 10:09 PM CT

Premature tooth loss can affect oral health for years to come

The prospect of exchanging a tooth for that coveted reward from the tooth fairy often has kids wiggling teeth with vigor, but what happens when a primary or permanent tooth is lost prematurely due to trauma? As per a research studyreported in the March/April 2008 issue of General Dentistry, the AGDs clinical, peer-evaluated journal, parents and caretakers more often than not do not know what to do with a traumatically affected tooth and do not take proper steps to respond to the injury, which can affect their childs oral health permanently.

Two kinds of traumatic tooth loss can occur during childhood: The child can lose a primary (baby) tooth prematurely, or they can lose a permanent tooth. With primary or baby teeth [the mistake parents or caretakers make] is that they often dont think that the loss of a primary tooth is particularly important since a permanent tooth is supposed to come in and replace it anyway, says AGD spokesperson, Tom A. Howley, Jr., DDS, MAGD. It is important to keep baby teeth because they maintain the spacing for permanent teeth. Keeping baby teeth in place will also increase the likelihood that permanent teeth come in straight.

As per the studys lead author, Lucianne Cople Maia, DDS, MSD, PhD, another mistake parents and caretakers make is that they believe it can always be replanted. In some cases, the tooth can be splinted back in; however, therapy still should be sought for a prematurely lost primary tooth. The area where a tooth has been lost should be checked for bone fractures or other damage, among other concerns, explains Dr. Howley......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 20, 2008, 9:40 PM CT

Study reveals link among childhood allergies

A study released by scientists at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, shows that cat ownership may have a protective effect against the development of asthma symptoms in young children at age five. The study, published by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, observed that children with cats in the home were more likely to have made allergy-related antibodies to cats. At three years of age, children who had made antibodies to cats early in life were more likely to have wheeze, a respiratory symptom linked to asthma. However, by age five, the same children who had grown up with a cat were then found to be less likely to have wheeze.

This finding suggests that prolonged cat ownership and early life exposure to cats may have a protective effect against early asthma indicators, such as wheeze, as children reach age five. "While the study design does not allow us to recommend early cat ownership to prevent asthma, it does seem to indicate that avoidance of cats to prevent the development of asthma is not advised. However, once a child has asthma and is allergic to cats, the recommendation would still be to find a new home for the cat," said Matthew Perzanowski, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health and lead author and investigator on the research......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 19, 2008, 6:27 PM CT

Receptor for hot chili pepper and pain revealed

You can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Using sophisticated equipment, the research team led by Dr Theodore G. Wensel, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at BCM, generated the first three dimensional view of the protein that allows you to sense the heat of a hot pepper. The report appears in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This protein, known as TRPV1, not only senses spicy foods, but also makes it possible to feel real heat and the pain and inflammation correlation to other medical conditions, said Wensel, senior author on the study. This method of viewing the protein now gives us the chance to clearly see the functional relationship between outside stimuli and the nerve cell.

The outside stimulus used in this study was the heat of a chili pepper. It has been known for years that the burning sensation results from the action of a chemical known as capsaicin on TRPV1 found on the nerve cell membrane. TRPV1 is an ion channel, a tiny pore on the cell membrane that allows chemicals such as calcium to flux in and out.

Any time you feel a burn or pain sensation, it is mediated by a TRPV1 channel. Different levels of heat are mediated by different TRP channels, said Dr. Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, a postdoctoral associate in Wensels laboratory at BCM and first author of the study. They are all related but each is regulated in a different manner......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 18, 2008, 9:37 PM CT

Obstructive sleep apnea causes earlier death

Stroke victims who have obstructive sleep apnea die sooner than stroke victims who do not have sleep apnea or who have central sleep apnea, as per Swedish researchers, who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Societys 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Monday, May 19.

The scientists followed 132 stroke patients over 10 years. Twenty-three of those patients had obstructive sleep apnea; 28 of those patients had central sleep apnea. Those with an obstructive apnea-hypopnea index of 15 or greater were 76 percent more likely to die earlier. Those with a lower apena-hypopnea index of 10 were also at greater risk of early death.

The findings are especially interesting because obstructive sleep apnea is a treatable condition, said Karl Franklin, M.D., who led the research team at University Hospital in Umea, Sweden.

The scientists results were independent of age, gender, smoking, body-mass index, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, cognitive ability and how dependent patients were on help in their daily lives.

As per Dr. Franklin, patients with central sleep apnea tended to have an increased risk of earlier death, but unlike those with obstructive sleep apnea, that risk was not independent of confounders.

Earlier research Dr. Franklin and colleagues conducted using trans-cranial Doppler observed that cerebral blood flow and arterial blood pressure increase during obstructive apneas and then rapidly decrease to low values when the apnea ends. This pattern, the scientists said, suggests cerebral ischemia occurs at the same time as oxygen saturation is low......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 14, 2008, 8:31 PM CT

New Treatment for Hepatitis C

Scientists at the OU Health Sciences Center have found a new use for an old drug. Their findings appear online Friday in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The drug, Fluvastatin, has been approved since 1993 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the therapy of elevated cholesterol in adults. Millions of patients have taken Fluvastatin for cholesterol without difficulty.

In a study of 31 veterans at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Oklahoma City, scientists observed that Fluvastatin significantly lowered the viral load, or levels of hepatitis C virus, for up to six weeks when used alone. Hepatitis C is the disease that claimed the life of Oklahoman Mickey Mantle.

"This research is the first to demonstrate the antiviral activity of Fluvastatin in human beings infected with hepatitis C, most of whom were non-responders to the standard of care therapy," said Ted Bader, M.D., the principle investigator on the project and the director of liver diseases at the OU Health Sciences Center.

Since Fluvastatin will not completely clear the hepatitis C virus by itself, scientists have started a phase II randomized, controlled trial that combines Fluvastatin with the standard therapy of peg-interferon and ribavirin. They hope to use the combination of medicines to significantly improve the cure rate for hepatitis C. After further mandatory testing and approval, the drug could be available as a new therapy for hepatitis C far sooner than any other anti-hepatitis C drug currently under research and development......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source