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2010 Sep 8

چهارشنبه 17 شهريور 1389

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2010-1-10

Urine test 'can detect dangerous snoring'
They looked at 90 children referred to a clinic to be evaluated for breathing problems in sleep, and 30 controls. A number of proteins were increased in the urine of the children diagnosed with dangerous snoring. The research is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The team say their findings need to be repeated but may lead to a simple test. The children all had standard overnight tests and some were classified as having obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA can lead to mental, behavioural, cardiovascular and metabolic problems in children. It is estimated that up to 3% of all children up to the age of nine may suffer from it. The researchers collected the children's first sample of urine on the morning after the sleep study. They used a process with fluorescent dyes to separate and characterise the proteins in the urine and found three proteins at higher concentrations in the urine of children with OSA: urocortin 3, orosomucoid and uromodulin. Another protein, kallikrein 1, was at lower levels in the urine. The scientists say further research is needed to work out which proteins work best for a test and the right time to get the urine sample. They think that it may be possible to develop a simple colour-based test like a pregnancy kit that can be done by doctors or parents.

2010-1-7

Mobile phone radiation 'protects' against Alzheimer's
After all the concern over possible damage to health from using mobile phones, scientists have found a potential benefit from radiation.Their work has been carried out on mice, but it suggests mobiles might protect against Alzheimer's. Florida scientists found that phone radiation actually protected the memories of mice programmed to get Alzheimer's disease. They are now testing more frequencies to see if they can get better results. The study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.It involved 96 mice, most of which had been genetically altered to develop beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, which are a marker of Alzheimer's disease, as they aged. The rest of the mice were non-demented. All the mice were exposed to the electro-magnetic field generated by a standard phone for two one-hour periods each day for seven to nine months. Their cages were arranged at the same distance around a centrally located antenna generating the phone signal.The researchers, led by Professor Gary Arendash, said that if the phone exposure was started when the Alzheimer's mice were young adults, before signs of memory impairment were apparent, their cognitive ability was protected. In fact, the Alzheimer's mice performed as well on tests measuring memory and thinking skills as aged mice without dementia. If older Alzheimer's mice already showing memory problems were exposed to the electro-magnetic waves, their memory impairment disappeared.

2010-1-6

Depression 'cuts cancer survival'
The University of British Columbia team said the finding emphasised the need to screen cancer patients carefully for signs of psychological distress. The study, a review of 26 separate studies including 9,417 patients, features in the journal Cancer. It found death rates were up to 25% higher in patients showing symptoms of depression. In patients actually diagnosed with major or minor depression, death rates were up to 39% higher. The increased risks remained even after other clinical characteristics that might affect survival were taken into consideration. However, the researchers said more research was needed before any definitive conclusions could be drawn, as it was difficult to rule out the impact of other factors. They also stressed that, overall, the increased risk of dying from cancer due to depression was small - so patients should not feel they had to maintain a positive attitude to beat their disease. The studies looked at by the British Columbia team focused on a range of survival times, from one year to 10 years. The researchers could find no firm evidence to show that depression impacted on the progression of disease - although the number of studies which specifically looked at this was very limited.

2010-1-4

Pet tarantulas pose risk to owners' eyes, say doctors
The owner of a tarantula spider has suffered severe eye inflammation from cleaning out his pet's cage, doctors have reported.They say the man had no idea his pet was the problem when he came to their clinic for treatment. When they told him they could see tiny hairs sticking out of his eyeball he remembered his pet spider sending out a mist of hairs which hit his face. The doctors say anyone working with spiders should wear eye protection. Dr Zia Carrim, of St James's University Hospital in Leeds, writing in the Lancet, says the man came to his clinic in February, having had a red, watery and light sensitive eye for three weeks. It was when he was examined under a high magnification lens, that hair-like projections were spotted at various depths within the cornea. When these findings were described to the patient, he immediately recalled an incident that had preceded the onset of his symptoms.

2009-12-22

Sex intervention combats malaria
Scientists believe it may be possible to combat malaria by interfering with the sex lives of the mosquitoes which spread the disease.They have shown that the insects can only mate successfully if the male is able to seal his sperm inside the female using a "mating plug". Without the plug, fertilisation cannot occur, and the animals cannot reproduce. The Imperial College London study is published in the journal PLoS Biology. The researchers focused on the species of mosquito primarily responsible for the transmission of malaria in Africa - Anopheles gambiae.These insects mate only once in their lifetime, so disrupting the reproductive process offers a good way of dramatically reducing their numbers.When they mate, the male transfers sperm to the female followed by a coagulated mass of proteins and seminal fluids known as a mating plug. This plug is not found in any other species of mosquito and its role had previously been unclear. But the Imperial team showed it was essential for ensuring sperm is correctly retained in the female's sperm storage organ, from where she can fertilise eggs over the course of her lifetime. In the lab, the researchers were able to stop successful reproduction by preventing the formation of the plug in males.

2009-12-15

Drinking cups of tea and coffee 'can prevent diabetes'
And the protection may not be down to caffeine since decaf coffee has the greatest effect, say researchers in Archives of Internal Medicine. They looked at 18 separate studies involving nearly 500,000 people. This analysis revealed that people who drink three or four cups of coffee or tea a day cut their risk by a fifth or more, say researchers. The same amount of decaffeinated coffee had an even bigger effect, lowering risk by a third. Type 2 diabetes usually starts after the age of 40 and develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly. Type 2 diabetes is treated with a healthy diet and increased physical activity. In addition to this, medication and/or insulin is often required. If the findings prove true, doctors may well start advising people to put the kettle on as well as take more exercise and watch their weight, say the researchers. When the authors combined and analysed the data, they found that each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day cut diabetes risk by 7%. Lead researcher Dr Rachel Huxley, from the University of Sydney in Australia, said because of the finding with decaffeinated coffee, the link is unlikely to be solely related to caffeine. Instead, other compounds in coffee and tea - including magnesium and antioxidants known as lignans or chlorogenic acids - may be involved.

2009-12-12

Alcohol link to breast cancer recurrence
A US study of 1,900 women who had recovered from breast cancer found that moderate drinking was linked to a 30% higher risk of recurrence. The eight-year study found the strongest link in women who were post-menopausal or overweight. UK charities said alcohol is known to increase the risk of cancer in general. Presenting the research at the American Association for Cancer Research breast cancer conference, the researchers said few studies had been done on the risk of alcohol consumption and the recurrence of cancer.The study looked at women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1997 and 2000, and compared recurrence of the disease in those who drank alcohol with those who abstained. Over the course of the research there were 349 breast cancer recurrences. The increased risk found in those who drank at least three to four drinks a week was apparent regardless of the type of alcohol drunk. But alcohol consumption was not associated with overall mortality.

2009-12-4

'Double trouble' antibiotic hope
It sticks to bacteria in two places making it more potent and reducing the chance that bacteria will adapt to resist it, the journal Science reports.Although not itself suitable for use in patients, it is hoped drugs can be created based on the same principle. But the news comes as experts warn that excessive regulation is preventing new antibiotics being developed. An editorial in The Lancet medical journal has called for greater efforts to develop new antibiotics. A recent EU report found that only 15 antibacterial drugs that offer a potential benefit over existing drugs are in development, and only five have reached the final stage of the trials process. And the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy has set up a working group to try and address some of the barriers.In the latest study, researchers looked at a naturally occurring molecule made by soil bacteria called simocyclinone.It attacks an enzyme in bacteria called DNA gyrase, stopping them from growing. This enzyme is also targeted by a commonly used group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, but resistance to these drugs is growing. The team showed that simocyclinone binds to a completely different, previously unexploited part of the enzyme and also latches on in two places or "pockets". The "double-headed" nature of the antibiotic makes it 100 times more powerful than if each "head" attached to the bacteria individually. And because bacteria would have to mutate in both binding sites, it cuts the potential for resistance. Simocyclinone is a fairly large molecule and can not easily get into bacterial cells.By designing molecules which bind to the enzyme in the same way, researchers say more effective antibiotics could be developed.

2009-12-1

Heart disease
The UK has one of the highest rates of death from heart disease in the world - one British adult dies from the disease every three minutes - and stroke is the country's third biggest killer, claiming 70,000 lives each year.Heart attacks occur when blood flow is blocked, often by a blood clot, while strokes are caused either by blocked or burst blood vessels in the brain. A range of other conditions, including heart failure, when blood is not pumped properly around the body, and congenital heart defects can also cause long term problems, and even death, for sufferers.

2009-11-28

Multiple sclerosis 'blood blockage theory' tested
US scientists are testing a radical new theory that multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by blockages in the veins that drain the brain.The University of Buffalo team were intrigued by the work of Italian researcher Dr Paolo Zamboni who claims 90% of MS is caused by narrowed veins. He says the restricted drainage, visible on scans, injures the brain leading to MS. He has already widened the blockages in a handful of patients. The US team want to replicate his earlier work before treating patients. Experts welcomed the research saying it was important to confirm the basic science before evaluating any therapy. MS is a long-term inflammatory condition of the central nervous system which affects the transfer of messages from the nervous system to the rest of the body.The Buffalo team, led by Dr Robert Zivadinov, plan to recruit 1,100 patients with MS and 600 other volunteers as controls who are either healthy or have neurological diseases other than MS. Using Doppler ultrasound, they will scan the patients to see if they can find any blockages within the veins of the neck and brain. If they can prove Dr Zamboni's theory of "chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency", they say it will change our understanding of MS.

2009-11-21

'Female Viagra' discovery claim
In three separate trials, the drug flibanserin did wonders for women's flagging sex drive despite doing nothing to lift mood.The accidental discovery is akin to Viagra's - it was originally designed as a heart medicine but failed. The US work was presented at a sexual medicine meeting in Lyon, France. Medicine: "Flibanserin was a poor antidepressant."However, astute observers noted that it increased libido in laboratory animals and human subjects. "So, we conducted multiple clinical trials." The women in the studies who took 100mg of the drug once a day for their low libido reported significant improvements in their sexual desire and satisfactory sexual experiences, he said. "It's essentially a Viagra-like drug for women in that diminished desire or libido is the most common feminine sexual problem, like erectile dysfunction is in men." The trials were funded by manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim and involved 2,000 women in the US, Canada and Europe. Some doctors are sceptical about the need for pills to boost female sex drive. For some, reduced sexual interest or response may be "normal", says Professor Irwin Nazareth or University College London. Others say relying on a pill could stop couples talking through underlying issues. Paula Hall of Relate said: "Female loss of libido is a big problem and it is not going away. It can cause problems within a relationship and affect self-esteem. "This research is really quite exciting for women with loving partners whose loss of libido is a physical thing. But it is not going to fix a broken relationship or help with looking after the kids or cleaning the house."

2009-11-18

Thyroid 'risk from pre-eclampsia'
Teams from the US and Norway found those with the condition had a raised risk of an under-active thyroid, which can lead to fatigue and depression. They say women showing signs of pre-eclampsia need thyroid checks as well as standard heart and kidney checks.The thyroid gland controls the rate at which the body burns energy and makes hormones, which help regulate heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.If it is under-active it can lead to a condition known as hypothyroidism, which can produce many symptoms, such as fatigue, weakness and depression, and raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Pre-eclampsia is a condition linked to abnormally high blood pressure which, if untreated, can endanger both mother and baby, causing convulsions and damaging the heart and kidneys. The condition leads to the deaths of 1,000 babies each year in the UK alone. The cause of pre-eclampsia remains unclear, but the condition has been linked to raised levels of certain proteins during the second half of pregnancy.

2009-11-16

Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect
An imaging study of hypnotised participants showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain linked with daydreaming or letting the mind wander. The same brain patterns were absent in people who had the tests but who were not susceptible to being hypnotised. One psychologist said the study backed the theory that hypnosis "primes" the brain to be open to suggestion. Hypnosis is increasingly being used to help people stop smoking or lose weight and advisers recently recommended its use on the NHS to treat irritable bowel syndrome. It is not the first time researchers have tried to use imaging studies to monitor brain activity in people under hypnosis. But the Hull team said these had been done while people had been asked to carry out tasks, so it was not clear whether the changes in the brain were due to the act of doing the task or an effect of hypnosis. In the latest study, the team first tested how people responded to hypnosis and selected 10 individuals who were "highly suggestible" and seven people who did not really respond to the technique other than becoming more relaxed. The participants were asked to do a task under hypnosis, such as listening to non-existent music, but unknown to them the brain activity was being monitored in the rest periods in between tasks, the team reported in the journal Consciousness and Cognition.

2009-11-15

Mutant genes 'key to long life'
Telomeres are relatively short sections of specialized DNA that sit at the ends of all our chromosomes. They have been compared to the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unravelling. Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten and the cell becomes more susceptible to dying. The importance of telomeres was recognised last month when three scientists received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for determining the structure of telomeres and discovering how they protect chromosomes from degrading. Telomerase can repair the telomeres, preventing them from shrinking. The team at Einstein found that the centenarians and their offspring had higher levels of telomerase and significantly longer telomeres than the unrelated people in the control group and that the trait was strongly heritable. The scientists had previously shown that individuals in Ashkenazi families with exceptional longevity have generally been spared major age-related diseases, like heart disease and diabetes. The centenarians in this study had a lower average body mass index than the controls and higher levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. Yousin Suh, associate professor of medicine and genetics at Einstein and a lead author on the paper, said: "Our findings suggest that telomere length and variants of telomerase genes combine to help people live very long lives, perhaps by protecting them from the diseases of old age. "We're now trying to understand the mechanism by which these genetic variants of telomerase maintain telomere length in centenarians. "It may be possible to develop drugs that mimic the telomerase that our centenarians have been blessed with."

2009-11-12

New warning on 'perfect vaginas'
Research published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology also questions the very notion of aesthetically pleasing genitals. Operations to improve the appearance of the sex organs for both psychological and physical reasons are on the rise. But surgeons said the report overplayed the risks of an established procedure. Researchers from University College London reviewed all the existing studies on cosmetic labial surgery - which generally involves reducing the amount of tissue that protrudes from the lips which cover the vagina. They found there had been little work to document any longer-term side effects. Labioplasty, as it is known, costs about £3,000 privately and is offered for a variety of reasons: some women complain that wearing tight clothes or riding a bike is uncomfortable, while others say they are embarrassed in front of a sexual partner. But consultant gynaecologist Sarah Creighton and psychologist Lih-Mei Liao challenged the ethics of offering women surgery to address such insecurities, suggesting it was adverts for a "homogenised, pre-pubescent genital appearance" which created these anxieties in the first place. They also suggested that any pain apparently caused by protrusion may well have a psychological root - noting that male genitalia protrude far further without causing major discomfort.

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