May 12, 2008, 8:21 PM CT

Metoprolol around the time of surgery

Beta-blocker drugs may help prevent heart attacks during surgery, but they may increase the risk of death and major stroke, says a major study would be published online today by the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet.

POISE is the worlds largest randomized trial addressing perioperative cardiac complications. POISE reviewed the effects of a beta-blocker versus placebo given to patients around the time of surgery.

POISE demonstrates that a beta-blocker given around the time of surgery decreases a patients risk of a heart attack but increases their risk of a major stroke and death, said Dr. P.J. Devereaux, POISE co-principle investigator, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Worldwide approximately 100 million adults have major non-cardiac surgery (i.e., all surgeries excluding heart surgeries) each year. Among them, more than one million will suffer a major heart complication such as a heart attack or death.

Surgery increases patients catecholamines, or stress hormones, which increase the hearts requirement for oxygen. The stress on the heart can lead to serious events like a heart attack. Because beta-blockers reduce the effects of increased catecholamines some physicians believed they may prevent serious heart complications around the time of surgery......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 8, 2008, 9:03 PM CT

Scientists Identify Key Roadblock to Gene Expression

A team of researchers has provided, for the first time, a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The work identifies a critical stop sign for transcription, the first step in gene expression, and has implications for understanding how the AIDS virus regulates its genes. The findings would be reported in the 15 May 2008 issue of the journal Nature.

The researchers observed that nucleosomes--chromosomal building blocks made up of proteins around which DNA is coiled--occur at precise locations along genes that are actively undergoing transcription. They also showed that RNA polymerase--the enzyme that reads genes as the first step in making proteins--is stopped at the first nucleosome, where it remains idle until it is directed to continue moving forward. "This discovery is important because nucleosomes are barriers to transcription and we now are seeing the impact of nucleosome organization on RNA polymerase," said lead investigator B. Franklin Pugh, professor and Willaman Chair in Molecular Biology at Penn State University.

Using state-of-the-art ChIP-sequencing, a genome-mapping tool provided by collaborator Stephen S. Schuster, Penn State professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and computational predictions developed by collaborators Ilya Ioshikhes, an assistant professor at Ohio State University, and Istvan Albert, a research assistant professor of bioinformatics at Penn State, the researchers precisely mapped the locations of hundreds of thousands of nucleosomes. The researchers then compared these maps to the team's earlier maps of the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, revealing that evolution has organized nucleosomes differently in simple life forms in comparison to more complex organisms like the fruit fly......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 8, 2008, 8:50 PM CT

How genes control blood proteins important to health

A new study shows how genes control levels of a number of blood proteins implicated in disease. The findings are the result of an international collaboration between researchers at the University of Exeter, the National Institute on Aging, and the Tuscany and Florence Health Agencies. Details, published May 9th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, determine how a number of of the key proteins within our blood are under genetic control, showing that diet and lifestyle are not the only factors influencing its makeup.

Maintaining the correct proportions of proteins, fats and other molecules in our blood is critical for normal health. An obvious example is cholesterol: high blood levels of bad LDL cholesterol and low blood levels of good HDL cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease. Prior studies have shown how cholesterol levels are not only influenced by diet and lifestyle but are also under strong genetic control.

This latest study, involving the entire genome, shows how blood levels of a number of other proteins are under strong genetic control. These proteins include a class of molecules called interleukins that are important in inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Interleukins may also play a role in heart disease and related metabolic disorders. As an example, the group identified variations in genes that influence Sex hormone binding globulin, a protein that controls how much testosterone is freely available in ones blood. As another example, the group identified variations in genes that influence Macrophage inflammatory protein beta (MIP-beta), a protein that may play a role in influencing how likely people with HIV infection will go on to develop AIDS. The identification of these genes could lead to a greater understanding of the diseases they are implicated in......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:57:44 GMT

Gene for Kidney Failure Identified

Scientists have identified a gene known as Jund, which controls the activity of a group of cells thought to be responsible for potentially severe inflammation of the kidney. This discovery could offer a route for tackling the auto-immune destruction of kidney tissue which can occur in lupus patients, subsequently causing renal failure. Jund regulates the activity of macrophages, cells which help us fight infection by eating up cellular debris and pathogens, and stimulating immune cells. The new research showed that when these cells are overactive, they can destroy healthy kidney tissue.

Professor Aitman, who led the Medical Research Council team, said: "We are hoping that this discovery will allow us to find a new and effective way of treating this potentially fatal form of kidney failure. By reducing the activity of the Jund gene, we were able to reduce activity of inflammatory cells that can become overactive in certain diseases of the kidney. Such a therapy would be of obvious benefit to patients suffering from auto-immune diseases such as lupus. This would allow them to avoid dialysis and maintain their quality of life."
The study has been published in Nature Genetics. Posted by: ruth      Read more     Source

May 5, 2008, 8:16 PM CT

The secret to long life may not be in the genes

A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Dez Prez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.

The research team studied the bone mass and analysed the genetics of a man with enviable health who at the time of the study was 113 years old. The research was carried out with four other members of his family: a 101-year-old brother, two daughters aged 81 and 77, and a nephew aged 85, all of them born and still living in a small town of the island of Menorca. The research findings were recently reported in the Journal of Gerontology and reported that the man's bones were in excellent conditions: his bone mass was normal, there were no anomalous curvatures and he had never sustained a fracture.

With regard to the genetical analyses, scientists were unsuccessful in finding any mutations in the KLOTHO gene, which is generally correlation to a good level of mineral density and therefore healthy bones. Neither did they find any mutations in the LRP5 gene, which is linked to longevity. None of the members of the family who took part in the study presented any mutations in this gene......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 5, 2008, 6:55 PM CT

Gene linked to alcohol and cocaine dependence

Prior family-based research had linked a broad region on chromosome 4q with alcohol dependence (AD). A new study has observed that nine of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) DNA sequence variations in the 3 region of the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within chromosome 4q, have a significant association with AD, especially those with more severe AD, and co-existing cocaine dependence.

Results would be reported in the recent issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at OnlineEarly

We believe it is important to identify genes contributing to AD for two primary reasons, said Tatiana M. Foroud, director of the division of hereditary genomics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and first author of the study.

First, better therapys can be developed which would improve the success rate for those wishing to end their AD, she said. Second, being able to identify those at greater risk for AD at a young age would allow interventions to be initiated earlier, potentially reducing the likelihood that the individual will become AD.

The past few years have been an incredibly exciting time in gene identification, added Danielle Dick, assistant professor of psychiatry, psychology, and human and molecular genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

May 5, 2008, 6:54 PM CT

Genes environment and drinking

Genes and the environment contribute differently to drinking among young adolescents.

A 2001/2002 report by the World Health Organization observed that, among young people in western countries who began drinking before 16 years of age, the average age of initiation was 12 years of age. A new twins study from the Netherlands has observed that genetic factors appear to be involved in the early initiation of alcohol use, while common environmental factors become involved once alcohol use has begun.

Results would be reported in the recent issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at OnlineEarly

A lot of studies examining alcohol use in adolescents have focused on several social factors in alcohol use, for example, the influence of friends and parents, said Evelien A. P. Poelen, a researcher at Radboud University Nijmegen, while genetic factors have often been neglected. We thought both factors should be taken into account simultaneously in order to examine the relative contribution of both to the initiation and frequency of drinking.

Poelen and her colleagues used data collected through the Netherlands Twin Register to identify 694 twin pairs who were 12 to 15 years of age during survey years 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2000. Of these pairs, 125 were identical males, 89 were fraternal males, 183 were identical females, 106 were fraternal females, and 191 were fraternal of the opposite sex (in total, 619 males, 769 females). Initiation and frequency of drinking were analyzed as a function of three influences: genetic effects, common environmental effects, and unique environmental effects......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

April 28, 2008, 4:56 PM CT

Virtual world therapeautic for addicts: UH study shows

Patients in treatment to overcome addictions have a new arena to test their coping skillsthe virtual world. A new study by University of Houston Associate Professor Patrick Bordnick observed that a virtual reality (VR) environment can provide the climate necessary to spark an alcohol craving so that patients can practice how to say no in a realistic and safe setting.

As a therapist, I can tell you to pretend my office is a bar, and I can ask you to close your eyes and imagine the environment, but youll know that its not real, Bordnick said. In this virtual environment you are at a bar or at a party or in a real-life situation. What we found was that participants had real-life responses.

Bordnick, of the UH Graduate College of Social Work, investigates VR as a tool for assessing and treating addictions. He studied 40 alcohol-dependent people who were not receiving therapy (32 men and eight women). Wearing a VR helmet, each was guided through 18 minutes of virtual social environments that included drinking. The participants drink of choice was included in each scene. Using a game pad, each rated his or her cravings and attention to the alcohol details in each room. Each then was interviewed following the experience.

What we found was that the VR environments were real enough that their cravings were intensified. So, now we can develop coping skills, practice them in those very realistic environments until those skills are working tools for them to use in real life, Bordnick said......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:09:56 GMT

New Molecule May Lead to Anti-Heart Attack Drug

What happens before a heart attack (myocardial infarction)?


© gandhiji40


Dangerous clots of too many blood platelets will block the vessels, thereby causing a heart attack.

Research findings from gandhiji40 suggests that it is possible to dissolve the clots by a way of a clot-busting pill that attacks a receptor on the blood cells' surface.

When such kind of a pill happen, high risk patients can take it at the first sign of chest pains. A pill that patients can keep with them instead of the current treatments that physicians administer. That's means you gotta be rushed to the nearest hospital!

A new molecule called RUC-1 could be the key to such a pill, according to Rockefeller scientists:

Barry Coller, David Rockefeller Professor and head of the Allen and Frances Adler Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology, and laboratory manager Robert Blue have found a new molecule, called RUC-1, that not only appears to sidestep these problems but, unlike existing drugs, could be taken orally.

"RUC-1 could provide advantages over the currently available inhibitors," Blue says. If someone was at very high risk for having a heart attack, he could keep the drug on hand and take it the same way doctors currently suggest using aspirin, swallowing the pill at the first sign of chest pain. "This would be the same idea, only much more potent," he says.

Really great once this happens. Especially if truly without the side effects of current treatment. Let's wait and see.

Find more details from gandhiji40. Posted by: Gloria Gamat      Read more     Source

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:03:57 GMT

Unhealthy Habits Has Alzheimer's Link

By unhealthy habits it meant drinking and smoking.


© cell105


As reported recently by American researchers, heavy drinkers and smokers develop Alzheimer's disease seven years earlier than those who do not smoke and drink. At least that is their claim!

A study of 900 people aged over 60 found early onset was most likely in those who also had a high-risk gene.

The researchers said their findings showed heavy drinking and smoking were two of the most important preventable risk factors for the condition.

In this study, heavy drinking is defined as more than two drinks a day while heavy smoking is defined as smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day (!).

The gene in particular that is one of the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease is the APOE variant 4 - a specific gene already identified for Alzheimer's.

Read more from the cell105. Posted by: Gloria Gamat      Read more     Source