OBESITY-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN LINKED TO LEUKEMIA DEVELOPMENT

Cancer researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine have found an obesity-associated protein’s role in leukaemia development and drug response which could lead to more effective therapies for the illness.

The study, published in the online edition of Cancer Cell  provided evidence that FTO -- the protein associated with fat mass and obesity -- plays a critical cancer-promoting role by regulating expression of a set of genes through a mechanism involving ribonucleic acid (RNA) modification and thereby increasing the reproduction of leukaemia cells and prohibiting drug response.

Researchers in the study analyzed a microarray dataset of 100 human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) samples from patients and nine normal control samples as well as other large-scale microarray datasets of AML samples. They found that FTO was highly expressed in various subtypes of leukaemia samples such as those that contained chromosome crossover (genetic exchange between chromosomes) or mutations in certain genes. The high level of FTO expression contributed to cancer cells multiplying and surviving and also promoted the development of leukemia in animal models and the non-response of cancer cells to therapeutic agents.

Additionally, researchers found that genes like ASB2 and RARA, which were reported to inhibit leukaemia cell growth and/or mediate the response of leukaemia cells to therapeutic agents, were suppressed in the AML samples with higher FTO expression. The suppression of these genes was attributed to FTO-controlled decreased stability of their mRNA and was connected to FTO's m6A demethylase activity.

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GESTATIONAL DIABETES LINKED WITH IRON LEVEL

High levels of iron are linked with a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes (GDM), which calls into question routine recommendations for iron supplements for pregnant women, new research indicates.

Results from a study published in Diabetologia on November 10 showed that women who were in the top quartile for iron biomarkers in the second trimester of pregnancy had about 2.5 times the risk of developing GDM compared with those in the bottom quartile.

The researcher thinks that is more likely that iron supplements are a contributor to gestational diabetes, rather than the cause of it, pregnant women should be screened for iron levels and given supplements only if they are deficient.

Too much iron as well as too little can cause harm, and pregnant women are often susceptible to low iron levels and related adverse outcomes. 

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INFLAMMATION AND DIABETES COMPLICATIONS: ANY LINK?

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.

Over time, having too much glucose in blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.

The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled worldwide over the last 20 years.

Inflammation is one of the main reasons why people with diabetes experience heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other, related complications. Now, in a surprise finding, researchers have discovered, in mice, that when certain immune cells can’t manufacture fat, the mice don’t develop diabetes and inflammation, even when consuming a high-fat diet.

But eliminating inflammation altogether is not the answer to preventing diabetic complications because inflammation is also vital for clearing infectious pathogens from the body and helps wounds heal. Still, Semenkovich said the new findings may have profound clinical implications.

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ARE YOU AT RISK OF OTHER SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER ?

Around one in six women (17 per cent) diagnosed with breast cancer goes to her doctor with a symptom other than a lump -- the most commonly reported breast cancer symptom, according to new research presented at the 2016 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer conference in Liverpool.

Breast symptoms, other than a breast lump, that may be a sign of cancer (termed 'non-lump' in the study) include nipple abnormalities, breast pain, skin abnormalities, ulceration, shape abnormalities and an infected or inflamed breast.

Researchers from UCL examined the data of more than 2,300 women diagnosed with breast cancer in England in 2009/10. They found that, although most women with breast cancer sought help quickly, those with 'non-lump' symptoms were more likely to delay going to their doctor compared with women with a breast lump alone.

Women with both a breast lump and 'non-lump' symptoms were also more likely to delay seeking help.

Women presenting with breast ulceration, nipple abnormalities, breast infection or inflammation, swollen arm or armpit, and pain in the armpit were more likely to wait longer than three months to seek help.

It's crucial that women are aware that a lump is not the only symptom of breast cancer. If they are worried about any breast symptoms, the best thing to do is to get it checked by a doctor as soon as possible. Diagnosing cancer earlier really is key in order to increase the chances of survival. Symptom awareness campaigns such as the Be Clear on Cancer campaign should continue to emphasise breast symptoms other than breast lump. 

Source: Science Daily

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BREATH ANALYZER: DIABETES DIAGNOSIS MADE SIMPLE

For several years, scientists have been working toward "breathalyzers" that can diagnose various diseases without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Now, one team has developed a new, portable breath analyzer that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes noninvasively in the office. The report appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.

Many studies examining the hallmarks of diabetes in exhaled breath have shown that elevated levels of acetone are strongly linked to diabetes. Detecting the concentrations of any given substance in breath in a simple way, however, is a major challenge. Breath contains a complex mix of compounds, including water, carbon dioxide and methane, that can throw results off. Mass spectrometry can do the job, but it's not very practical for point-of-care testing. Robert Peverall and colleagues wanted to fill that void.

The researchers created a hand-held device with an adsorbent polymer that can trap acetone from exhaled breath, then release it into a cavity where a laser probes its concentration. They tested the accuracy of the device on the breath of healthy subjects under different conditions, such as after overnight fasting or exercising, and compared results with mass spectrometry readings. The measurements were a close match and covered a wide range of concentrations, including those that would suggest a patient has undiagnosed type-1 diabetes, or has problems controlling their blood glucose. Adding to the practicality of the device, the researchers say it could be re-used many times.

Source: Science Daily

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COCOA COMPOUND IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR BIOMARKER

To the tantalizing delight of cocoa lovers everywhere, a number of recent studies employing various methods have suggested that compounds in cocoa called flavanols could benefit cardiovascular health. Now a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cocoa consumption reveals some further pieces of supporting evidence.

The meta-analysis in the Journal of Nutrition, an assessment of the combined evidence from all 19 RCTs, focused on whether consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa products was associated with improvements in specific circulating biomarkers of cardiometabolic health as compared to consuming placebos with negligible cocoa flavanol content. In all, 1,139 volunteers were involved in these trials.

The studies found that cocoa flavanol intake may reduce dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides), insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, which are all major subclinical risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases.

The greatest effects were seen among trial volunteers who ate between 200 and 600 milligrams of flavanols a day (based on their cocoa consumption). They saw significant declines in blood glucose and insulin, as well as another indicator of insulin resistance called HOMA-IR. They also saw an increase in HDL, or "good," cholesterol. Those consuming higher doses saw some of the insulin resistance benefits and a drop in triglycerides, but not a significant increase in HDL. Those with lower doses of flavanols only saw a significant HDL benefit.

There were benefits evident for both women and men and didn't depend on what physical form the flavanol-rich cocoa product was consumed in -- dark chocolate vs. a beverage, for example.

Source: Science daily.

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HIGH CHOLESTEROL LINKED TO ARTHRITIS

High cholesterol might harm more than our cardiovascular systems. New research using animal models, published online in The FASEB Journal, suggests that high cholesterol levels trigger mitochondrial oxidative stress on cartilage cells, causing them to die, and ultimately leading to the development of osteoarthritis. This research tested the potential therapeutic role of mitochondria targeting antioxidants in high-cholesterol-induced osteoarthritis and provided proof-of-concept for the use of mitochondrial targeting antioxidants to treat osteoarthritis.

To make this discovery, Prasadam and colleagues used two different animal models to mimic human hypercholesterolemia. The first was a mouse model that had an altered gene called ApoE-/- that made the animals hypercholesteremic. The other was a rat model, and the animals were fed a high-cholesterol diet, causing diet-induced hypercholesterolemia. Both models were fed a high-cholesterol diet or control normal diet, after which they underwent a surgery that mimics knee injuries in people and was designed to bring on osteoarthritis.

Both the mice and the rats that were subjected to surgery and fed with high-cholesterol diets showed more severe osteoarthritis development than seen in the normal diet group. However, when both the mice and the rats are were exposed to the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin and mitochondrion-targeted antioxidants, the development of osteoarthritis was markedly decreased in relation to the untreated groups.

Source: Science daily

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HIGH CALCIUM DIET, SUN AND WHOLE MILK LINKED TO OVARIAN CANCER

Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and and other U.S. health and academic institutions shows a diet high in calcium and low in lactose (milk) may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women. The work, which appears in the latest edition of the British Journal of Cancer, also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of developing the disease in this population.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute.

The associations were evaluated among participants in the African-American Cancer Epidemiology Study, which is an on-going population-based case-control study of ovarian cancer in African-American women in 11 states including New Jersey. 

Investigators found that both lactose intake and consumption of whole milk were significantly associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer risk in African-American women, while skim and low-fat milk were not. No association was found for cheese or yogurt products.

Calcium intake, whether through food and/or supplement, was associated with a decreased risk of disease. While researchers found no association between dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake and ovarian cancer risk. 

Results also showed that increased sun exposure may reduce ovarian cancer risk in this population.

source: science daily

GENE MUTATIONS UNIQUE TO COLON CANCERS IN AFRICAN AMERICANS DISCOVERED

Scientists who last year identified new gene mutations unique to colon cancers in African Americans, have now found that tumours with these mutations are highly aggressive and more likely to recur and metastasize. 

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers, a research collaboration which includes University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University, who last year identified new gene mutations unique to colon cancers in African Americans, have found that tumors with these mutations are highly aggressive and more likely to recur and metastasize. These findings partly may explain why African Americans have the highest incidence and death rates of any group for this disease.  

The study will be printed in the December 2016 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) by members of a research team that a year ago found 15 genes in African Americans that are rarely or never detected as mutated in colon cancers from Caucasians. The current study investigated the outcomes associated with these mutations in African American colorectal cancer. This study is significant because it helps shed further light on why colorectal cancers are more aggressive in African Americans. 

The researchers examined 66 patients who had stage I -- III colorectal cancer and found those patients positive for the mutations had an almost three times higher rate of metastatic disease, and stage III patients positive with mutations were nearly three times more likely to relapse compared to patients without the mutations.

Source: science daily

EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD BULLYING MAY PERSIST FOR LONG

Childhood bullying inflicts the same longstanding psychological trauma on girls as severe physical or sexual abuse. A recent study of 480 college freshmen showed harmful effects of bullying may linger for years, negatively affecting victims' mental health well into young adulthood.

Participants in the study were assessed on their exposure to a variety of traumatic experiences -- including bullying, cyberbullying and crimes such as robbery, sexual assault, and domestic and community violence -- from birth through age 17. Students also reported on their psychological functioning and symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The students who experienced bullying as children reported significantly greater levels of mental health problems than their peers.

SELENIUM STATUS LINKED TO CANCER RISK

As a nutritional trace element, selenium forms an essential part of our diet. In collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, researchers from Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin have been able to show that high blood selenium levels are associated with a decreased risk of developing liver cancer. In addition to other risk factors, the study also examines in how far selenium levels may influence the development of other types of cancer. Results from this study have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Selenium is found in foods like garlic, fish, shellfish, meat, milk and eggs. It is a trace element that occurs naturally in soil and plants, and enters the bodies of humans and animals via the food they ingest.

Selenium deficiency is identified as a risk factor for a range of diseases. Selenium deficiency is a major risk factor for liver cancer. Selenium anticarcinogenesis can be conceptualized as a multi-tiered process whereby chemical/biochemical actions of Se metabolites are translated into changes in cancer risk by intermediate molecular and cellular mechanisms.

This study does not show that selenium supplementation has a direct protective effect against liver cancer. However, it does confirm the importance of a balanced diet, of which selenium forms an integral part. Previous studies had suggested a similar relationship between a person's selenium status and their risk of developing colon cancer, as well as their risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease.

TIME OF THE DAY INFLUENCE OUR RISK TO INFECTION

We are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day as our body clock affects the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, suggests new research. The findings may help explain why shift workers, whose body clocks are routinely disrupted, are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic disease.

 

When a virus enters our body, it hijacks the machinery and resources in our cells to help it replicate and spread throughout the body. However, the resources on offer fluctuate throughout the day, partly in response to our circadian rhythms -- in effect, our body clock. Circadian rhythms control many aspects of our physiology and bodily functions -- from our sleep patterns to body temperature, and from our immune systems to the release of hormones. These cycles are controlled by a number of genes, including Bmal1 and Clock.

This suggest that shift workers, who work some nights and rest some nights and so have a disrupted body clock, will be more susceptible to viral diseases. If so, then they could be prime candidates for receiving the annual flu vaccines.

MALE CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS: ARE YOU READY?

Male contraceptives are methods of preventing pregnancy that primarily involve the male physiology. In the past 50 years, there have been few changes in male contraception compared with the range of options available to women. Today, the only contraceptive methods available to men are: condoms – a barrier form of contraception that stops sperm reaching and fertilizing an egg. 

A new male contraceptive could be on the horizon after scientists identified a novel way to block the transport of sperm during ejaculation.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science scientists have found that complete male infertility could be achieved by blocking two proteins found on the smooth muscle cells that trigger the transport of sperm.

The researchers demonstrated that the absence of two proteins in mouse models, α1A-adrenoceptor and P2X1-purinoceptor, which mediate sperm transport, caused infertility, without effects on long-term sexual behaviour or function. This  knowledge could be applied to the potential development of a contraceptive pill for men.

Previous strategies have focused on hormonal targets or mechanisms that produce dysfunctional sperm incapable of fertilization, but they often interfere with male sexual activity and cause long term irreversible effects on fertility.

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TATTOO AND CANCER: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

With the increasing acceptance of tattooing, it is important to consider the possible health effects tattoos have on your body − especially any increased risks for cancer.

Permanent tattoos are made by using needles to inject coloured inks below the skin’s surface. Inks are less likely than before to contain inorganic salts such as mercury, cadmium, and cobalt. 

Aluminium, oxygen, titanium, and carbon are common ingredients of tattoo inks irrespective of the colour. Known allergenic metals such as chromium, nickel and cobalt have been found to exceed safe allergic limits.

Health risks associated with tattooing include infections, allergies, scarring, granulomas (small knots or bumps that can form around particles of tattoo pigment), and MRI complications such as swelling or burning when people with tattoos undergo an MRI.

Studies have also shown that benzopyrene, a chemical in black tattoo ink, can induce skin cancer in test animals, while other cancer-causing chemicals can damage collagen.

Nanoparticles, also found in tattoo ink may be capable of evading the body’s natural defense more easily. In fact, black tattoo pigments are almost pure nanoparticles, which have been shown to migrate away from the skin, damage collagen, and accumulate in the spleen and kidneys, with possibly harmful effects for health.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF THE SECOND CAUSES OF DEATH?

A 45 year study in middle-aged men has shown that the impact of low physical capacity on risk of death is second only to smoking. The research is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The benefits of being physically active over a lifetime are clear, Low physical capacity is a greater risk for death than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Researchers found that low aerobic capacity was associated with increased rates of death. The association between exercise capacity and all-cause death was graded, with the strongest risk in the tertile with the lowest maximum aerobic capacity. The effect of aerobic capacity on risk of death was second only to smoking.

We have come a long way in reducing smoking. The next major challenge is to keep us physically active and also to reduce physical inactivity, such as prolonged sitting

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CELEBRATES WORLD HEPATITIS DAY

Every year, the global community celebrates World Hepatitis Day to draw peoples’ attention to the importance of eliminating Hepatitis in the society.

The annual commemoration of the day is usually organised by the the United Nations and the World Hepatitis Alliance, who work with individuals and community groups to promote awareness by raising campaigns worldwide about hepatitis.

World Hepatitis Day is commemorated annually on July 28 to promote awareness of hepatitis, a disease that affects the liver, and to encourage prevention and treatment.

Hepatitis is a term used to describe the inflammation of the liver as a result of viral infection or exposure to harmful or toxic substances such as drugs or alcohol.

World Viral hepatitis infection affects about 400 million people worldwide, which is more than 10 times the number of people affected by HIV. Yet at present, just one in 20 people with viral hepatitis know they are infected, and only one in 100 with the disease is being treated.

While some types of hepatitis will pass without causing permanent damage to the liver, chronic cases can cause cirrhosis, liver failure or cancer.

According to the UN Health agency, the World Health Organisation, more than 680,000 people die annually due to complications of hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 700 000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases.

In developing countries with poor sanitary conditions and hygienic practices, about 90% of children have been infected with the hepatitis A virus before the age of 10.

WHO estimated that 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B.

In 2013, an estimated 1.45 million people died of the disease, up from less than 500,000 people in 1990.

According to the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Margaret Chan, the world has ignored hepatitis at its peril, and it is now time to mobilize a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to the one generated to fight other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

With better understanding of its prevention, timely interventions and adequate treatment, thousands of lives could be saved every year.

There is a vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B, and none for hepatitis C, but the antiviral medication has made it possible to cure 90% of patients within two to three months.

The Theme for this year's World Hepatitis Day is '' Hepatitis Elimination: It's up to you''.

NAHIMAT