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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