All in the eyes: corneal reflections in photos can help solve crimes

The eyes are not just the mirror of the soul, they also mirror the world around us. Now, a UK team has found that today's high-resolution digital images are now so detailed, they can enlarge the eyes in people's photos and retrieve images of out-of-shot bystanders reflected on their corneas.

Combine this with the fact human beings are very efficient at recognizing faces, even from poor quality images, and you have the makings of a rich forensic resource for solving crimes.

In the past it would be reasonable to assume if you were the one wielding the camera, then you would not be in the picture.

But a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE is now turning this assumption on its head.

Lead investigator Dr. Rob Jenkins, of the Department of Psychology at the University of York, says:

"The pupil of the eye is like a black mirror. To enhance the image, you have to zoom in and adjust the contrast. A face image that is recovered from a reflection in the subject's eye is about 30,000 times smaller than the subject's face."

Cholesterol levels linked to brain deposits that cause Alzheimer's

High good and low bad cholesterol are not just good for the heart but also the brain, suggests new research published in JAMA Neurology.

Study leader Bruce Reed, a professor of neurology at the University of California (UC) Davis, and associate director of its Alzheimer's Disease Center, says:

"Our study shows that both higher levels of HDL - good - and lower levels of LDL - bad - cholesterol in the bloodstream are associated with lower levels of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain."

He explains that while we already have long-standing evidence of raised cholesterol linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's, their study is the first to link it to amyloid plaques in the brains of living people.

Prof. Reed says:

"Unhealthy patterns of cholesterol could be directly causing the higher levels of amyloid known to contribute to Alzheimer's, in the same way that such patterns promote heart disease."

Our food choices are influenced by social norms, study suggests

Social cues affect choices we make on a daily basis, from how we dress to what kind of car we drive. But now, research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that what other people eat influences our own food choices.

Conducting a meta-analysis from 15 studies published in 11 different publications, researchers examined whether or not other peoples' eating habits influenced food intake levels or food choices.

Of the studies, eight looked at how food consumption norms affected the amount of food consumed by study participants, while seven others analyzed how food choice norms affected what people chose to eat.

Lead investigator Eric Robinson, of the University of Liverpool in the UK, says that "in some contexts, conforming to informational eating norms may be a way of reinforcing identity to a social group, which is in line with social identity theory."

And the researchers found consistent evidence that social norms do influence food.

If study participants received information about whether others made low- or high-calorie food choices, they were more likely to make similar choices. In addition, if the participants were told that others were eating larger amounts of food, they also increased their own food intake.

The researchers say this suggests a strong association between eating and social identity.

Study 'could shape public policies'

Don't start 2014 hungover, or worse

The AMA has urged people to take it easy when celebrating the start of the New Year.AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said that New Year's Eve was a great time to relax and have fun with relatives and friends, but warned that partygoers should avoid making the start of 2014 memorable for all the wrong reasons.Dr Hambleton said all too often celebrations were marred by people getting hurt because they, and those around them, overindulged.

World's shrinking groundwater 'needs better governance'

An eminent Australian water scientist has urged the world to take better care of its groundwater resources - or risk dangerous scarcities, economic impacts and potential conflicts in coming decades.Professor Craig Simmons, the Director of Australia's National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NGCRT) says that governments around the world need to get behind the UNESCO plan to develop a Global Framework for Action on groundwater governance, due for release shortly.

Genzyme receives Complete Response Letter from FDA on LemtradaTM (alemtuzumab) application

Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme has announced that it has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its supplemental Biologics License Application seeking approval of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. A Complete Response Letter informs companies that an application is not ready for approval. FDA has taken the position that Genzyme has not submitted evidence from adequate and well-controlled studies that demonstrate the benefits of Lemtrada outweigh its serious adverse effects.

Lactation consultant visits spur breastfeeding among women who usually resist it

In two separate clinical trials, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that periodic meetings with a lactation consultant encourages women traditionally resistant to breastfeeding to do so, at least for a few months - long enough for mother and child to gain health benefits. The results of the trials were published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

Inadequate pregnancy weight gain a risk factor for infant mortality

Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of losing their baby in its first year of life, according to a new study by researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD SPH). This study examined the relationship between gestational weight gain, mothers' body mass index (BMI) before and during pregnancy, and infant mortality rates.

A new role for milk: Delivering polyphenols with anti-cancer activity

Polyphenols found in tea manifest anti-cancer effects but their use is limited by poor bioavailability and disagreeable taste. A new study in the Journal of Dairy Science® finds that when epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major extractable polyphenol in green tea and the most biologically active, when diluted in skim milk or other milk complexes remains bioactive and continues to reduce colon cancer cell proliferation in culture at concentrations higher than 0.03 mg of EGCG/mL.

Task Force says screen high-risk populations for lung cancer

High-risk adults between the ages of 55 and 80 should receive annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography, according to final recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Heavy smokers or former heavy smokers who have quit within the past 15 years are considered high risk. Smoking is responsible for about 85 percent of lung cancers in the United States. The risk for developing lung cancer also increases with age, with most lung cancers occurring in people age 55 or older.

Hypothyroidism not associated with mild cognitive impairment in study

Hypothyroidism was not associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a study of older patients, according to a report published by JAMA Neurology, a JAMA Network publication. Some evidence has suggested that changes in the endocrine system, including thyroid function, may be linked to the development of Alzheimer disease and other dementias, according to the study background. MCI is thought to be a precursor of Alzheimer disease. Ajay K. Parsaik, M.D.

Study examines minority physicians' role in care of underserved patients

Nonwhite physicians cared for 53.5 percent of minority patients and 70.4 percent of non-English speaking patients in an analysis of medical providers and their role in the care of underserved patients, according to a research letter by Lyndonna M. Marrast, M.D., of the Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Mass., and colleagues. Researchers analyzed data from 7,070 adults in the 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey who identified a medical provider.

Stop smoking ads show damage to brain

A new anti-smoking campaign launched in the closing days of 2013 by Public Health England (PHE) includes TV adverts that show in graphic detail the harmful effects of smoking on the brain, heart and lungs.

The new Smokefree Health Harms campaign highlights how inhaling cigarette smoke generates a "toxic cycle of dirty blood" that carries harmful chemicals like arsenic and cyanide around the body, causing damage to major organs.

The dirty blood moves through the lungs and the heart, finally ending up in the brain, causing damage to brain cells.

While all organs are affected, the brain is particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of these chemicals, leading to a faster decline in mental capacity and raised risk of dementia and stroke, says the campaign.

Smoking can narrow the arteries, which in turn raises risk of blood clots that lead to stroke, and recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that smokers are twice as likely to die of a stroke, compared with non-smokers.

Smoking speeds up cognitive decline

Meat, smoking have strongest links to cancer incidence rates

Using 2008 global cancer rates from the World Health Organization, a new international study has found that certain lifestyle factors - specifically smoking and eating diets high in animal products - have the strongest association with cancer rates.

Publishing their findings in the journal Nutrients, the researchers say the results could impact international food policies.

The investigators looked at cancer rates for 21 different cancers from 157 different countries in 2008 and statistically compared these rates with indices for risk-modifying factors.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations provided dietary supply data dating back to 1980. According to the researchers, there is usually a lag of about 20 years between dietary changes and peak cancer rates.

Meat, fish and eggs were included in the animal products index, and lung cancer rates were used as an index for smoking and air pollution effects.

Over half of the cancer incidence rates were explained by smoking and animal product indices among the 87 countries, the study shows.

Additionally, alcoholic beverage supply explained a smaller, yet still significant amount of the cancer rates.

'Lesson for national food policies'

Slow eating may reduce hunger but not calorie intake

It is a well known fact that the more calories one consumes, the more weight is gained. Previous studies suggest that eating speed may affect how many calories the body consumes. But new research suggests that eating speed, rather than caloric intake, may have more of an impact on hunger suppression.

This is according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetics.

Investigators from the Department of Kinesiology at Texas Christian University say that previous research has mainly analyzed the link between calorie intake and eating speed in individuals of a healthy weight.

But this new study looked at the relationship between eating speed and energy intake in 35 overweight and obese individuals and compared the results with 35 individuals of a healthy weight.

Knee ops to repair torn cartilage are 'waste of time'

New research from Finland suggests many thousands of people who have arthroscopic knee surgery to fix a torn cartilage could be wasting their time.

A report on the Finnish Degenerative Meniscal Lesion Study (FIDELITY), published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, finds that the benefits of keyhole operations to repair degenerative meniscal tears are no better than sham operations.

Previous studies have shown that keyhole surgery on the knee does not help patients with osteoarthritis and such procedures have become less common for arthritis sufferers.

In the meantime, keyhole surgery to repair torn cartilage has risen significantly, despite lack of evidence that it actually helps, says the Finnish team.

Knee problems other than arthritis that cause stiffness and pain are very common, and are most often caused by gradual wear and tear rather than sudden injury or trauma. The most common diagnosis that requires treatment is a torn meniscus, a crescent-shaped cartilage that acts like a shock absorber and helps stabilize the knee.

The usual procedure for repairing a torn meniscus is keyhole surgery or arthroscopy, where the surgeon inserts a scope through a small incision to examine the joint and, if required, also partially removes the damaged cartilage through another incision.

Comparing partial removal of damaged cartilage with sham procedure

In this new study, the Finnish team recruited 146 patients aged from 35 to 65 with meniscal tears that had developed through wear and tear rather than injury or trauma. None of the patients had arthritis of the knee.

The researchers randomnly assigned the patients to one of two groups: one underwent keyhole surgery to partially remove the damaged meniscus and the other underwent a sham procedure.

In the sham procedure, the surgeons simulated the real operation. They manipulated the patient's knee and handled surgical instruments near the knee so the patient was under the impression they were being operated on.

Thus both groups underwent arthroscopy, where the scope in inserted into the keyhole so the surgeon can look at the torn cartilage, but only one group actually had part of the cartilage removed.

But neither the patients, the people caring for them after the operation, nor the researchers analyzing the results knew which patients had undergone the real procedure and which had just had the sham operation.

Both groups of patients equally satisfied with the results

The results show that a year later, both groups of patients had an equally low rate of symptoms and were equally satisfied with the overall situation of their knee.

Both groups of patients said they believed their knee felt better than before the operation.

When asked if they would choose the same procedure again, 93% of the partial meniscectomy group said they would, as did 96% of the sham procedure group.

The researchers conclude:

"In this trial involving patients without knee osteoarthritis but with symptoms of a degenerative medial meniscus tear, the outcomes after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy were no better than those after a sham surgical procedure."

Speaking of the impact the study is likely to have, lead author Raine Sihvonen, a specialist in orthopedics and traumatology at Hatanpää Hospital in Tampere in southern Finland, says:

"It's difficult to imagine that such a clear result would result in no changes to treatment practices."

He explains that in nearly all Western countries, this operation is now the most common surgical procedure after cataract surgery, adding that:

"By ceasing the procedures which have proven ineffective, we would avoid performing 10,000 useless surgeries every year in Finland alone. The corresponding figure for US is at least 500,000 surgeries."

Co-author and state adjunct professor Teppo Järvinen, of the Helsinki University Central Hospital, says:

"Based on these results, we should question the current line of treatment according to which patients with knee pain attributed to a degenerative meniscus tear are treated with partial removal of the meniscus, as it seems clear that instead of surgery, the treatment of such patients should hinge on exercise and rehabilitation."

Earlier this year, an important discovery about knee anatomy made its mark when knee surgeons in Belgium for the first time described a new knee ligament called the anterolateral ligament (ALL).

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Scientists use synchrotron to develop novel ibuprofen delivery methods for bones

An excruciatingly painful broken bone. Surgery. Recovery. Healing. You could take an anti‐ inflammatory drug, like ibuprofen for the pain, but it works more or less throughout the body, resulting in less pain‐relief than you'd like.Researchers from Western University are developing a drug carrier that would ensure the drugs needed to treat the pain are taken directly to the bones, providing better targeted treatment.The group, led by Dr.Tsun‐Kong Sham and PhD student Xiaoxuan Guo, in collaboration with Dr.

Paving the way to test inosine's ability to slow Parkinson's progression

The dietary supplement inosine, which the body converts to urate, safely raises blood urate levels in people with early stage Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study. The result paves the way for testing inosine as a potential treatment for slowing PD progression. The research appears in the December 23 issue of JAMA Neurology.Earlier studies have suggested that PD progresses more slowly in people whose natural levels of uric acid (urate), are higher than average.

Widely-used anti-inflammatory drug shows success in treatment of amyloidosis

A recent study led by researchers from the Amyloidosis Center at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) demonstrates that diflunisal, a generic anti-inflammatory drug, successfully reduced neurological decline and preserved the quality of life in patients with familial transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Diflunisal is an inexpensive and safe medication marketed over the past 40 years for arthritis and pain.This study, published in the Dec. 25 issue of JAMA, is one of the first examples of successful repurposing of a generic drug to treat a rare disease.

Researchers show the power of mirror neuron system in learning and language understanding

Anyone who has tried to learn a second language knows how difficult it is to absorb new words and use them to accurately express ideas in a completely new cultural format. Now, research into some of the fundamental ways the brain accepts information and tags it could lead to new, more effective ways for people to learn a second language.Tests have shown that the human brain uses the same neuron system to see an action and to understand an action described in language.

The cost of antibiotic drugs for children - a comparison between the U.K. and the U.S.

The 2009 costs of antibiotics covered by private insurance companies in the U.S. for children younger than 10 years old were estimated to be more than five times higher than the costs in the United Kingdom (U.K.), which are covered by a government universal health plan. These results, from Boston University's Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, are a follow up of an ongoing comparison of prescription drug costs between the U.S. and U.K. The initial results reported on relative drug costs in 2005. The current updated results appear online in the journal Pharmacotherapy.

Nutrition influences metabolism through circadian rhythms, UCI study finds

A high-fat diet affects the molecular mechanism controlling the internal body clock that regulates metabolic functions in the liver, UC Irvine scientists have found. Disruption of these circadian rhythms may contribute to metabolic distress ailments, such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.There's good news, though. The researchers also discovered that returning to a balanced, low-fat diet normalized the rhythms.

Saving fertility not priority at most cancer centers

Infertility is consistently listed as one of the most distressing long-term side effects of cancer treatment for adolescents and young adults. Yet the leading National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers - which should be leaders in fertility preservation - aren't doing an adequate job of helping patients protect their fertility, reports a new Northwestern Medicine® study.

CCNY chemists use sugar-based gelators to solidify vegetable oils

Researchers at The City College of New York have reported the successful transformation of vegetable oils to a semisolid form using low-calorie sugars as a structuring agent. The findings portend the development of alternatives to structured oil products produced using saturated/trans fatty acids, which have been linked to coronary artery disease, obesity and diabetes.

Nursing scholar sheds light on bullying in academia

Bullying isn't only a problem that occurs in schools or online among young people. It can happen anywhere to anyone, and a Rutgers-Camden nursing scholar is shedding some light on how it is becoming increasingly common in academia."What worries me is the impact that bullying is having on the ability to recruit and retain quality educators," says Janice Beitz, a professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden. "It has become a disturbing trend.

Happier patients, lower costs in esophageal surgery

A new program designed to increase the overall satisfaction of patients undergoing esophageal surgery has resulted in lower patient costs and reduced times on both the operating table and in the hospital.Led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and Memorial Hermann Southeast Esophageal Disease Center, the study's results were published in this month's issue of The American Journal of Surgery."We wanted to perform cases more efficiently while still providing the highest levels of patient care," said lead author Farzaneh Banki, M.D.

Full access, full choice for long-acting reversible contraception

At the International Conference on Family Planning 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Population Council convened the third meeting of international experts to discuss ways to expand contraceptive choice and accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of universal access to reproductive health services by increasing access to highly effective, long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs).The Bellagio Group shares a commitment to leadership in increasing access and choice in contraceptive information, services, and supplies.

Advances in HIV vaccine research likely following animal vaccine study

A vaccine study in monkeys designed to identify measurable signs that the animals were protected from infection by SIV, the monkey version of HIV, as well as the mechanism of such protection has yielded numerous insights that may advance HIV vaccine research. Seven laboratories collaborated on the research led by Mario Roederer, Ph.D., and John R. Mascola, M.D., at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Pre-surgery chemo benefits more esophageal cancer patients

A new study suggests having chemotherapy before surgery to remove a tumor may benefit more patients with esophageal cancer than previously thought.

Tim Underwood, an esophageal surgeon researcher at the University of Southampton in the UK, and colleagues report their findings in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Previous studies have already established that giving chemotherapy before surgery can benefit patients with esophageal cancer by shrinking their tumors.

But as well as these patients, the new study shows that even those whose tumors do not shrink may also benefit, because the pre-op chemo can reduce the spread of the cancer to the lymph nodes.

The study shows that when spreading to the lymph nodes was reduced, this had a knock-on effect of improving survival and lengthening time to relapse.

Mr. Underwood, an MRC Clinician Scientist, says:

"We still don't know why some patients respond to chemotherapy, and others don't. But this study suggests that more patients than previously thought do benefit from chemotherapy before surgery, which means that having more treatment after their operation might also work for them too."

He and his colleagues also believe having more chemo after surgery would benefit such patients even further.

An aggressive cancer with a very poor prognosis

Esophageal cancer is an aggressive cancer with a very poor prognosis. The cancer forms in the lining of the esophagus or gullet, the pipe that passes food from the throat to the stomach.

The cancer is more common in people who smoke, drink alcohol, are overweight and whose diet is poor in fresh fruits and vegetables.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 17,990 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease and 15,210 will have died of it in 2013.

In the UK, where around 8,500 new cases are diagnosed every year, esophageal cancer is the ninth most common cancer, and the sixth most common cause of cancer death.

Study investigated 200 patients with adenocarcinoma

There are two types of esophageal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the flat cells in the gullet lining, and adenocarcinoma, which starts in cells that make and release fluids like mucus.

This study, which was funded by Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC), relates to 200 patients with adenocarcinoma who were treated at Southampton General Hospital.

The hospital records showed that of the 136 patients who had chemotherapy before surgery, tumor shrinkage occurred in 36 (26%) of them. So at first it might seem the other 74% did not benefit.

Average time to relapse extended from 1 to over 5 years

However, in the patients who had the pre-op chemo but whose tumors did not respond, there were 30 individuals who showed a reduction in the number of lymph nodes with cancer in them.

And this group showed an increase in the average time to relapse from just under 1 year to over 5.5 years.

Kate Law, director of clinical trials at Cancer Research UK, says the number of cases of esophageal cancer is on the rise, and survival is still poor, adding:

"This study is another piece in the jigsaw in helping us to understand how to tailor treatment to the type of cancer that esophageal patients have."

The researchers now want to find genetic markers that will help them tailor their treatments for patients with esophageal cancer.

Meanwhile, in a Swedish study published recently in the journal Cancer, researchers at the Karolinska Institute found that after surgery, esophageal cancer patients with certain symptoms have poor outcomes and an increased risk of dying of the disease.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Injectable gene therapy targets blood vessels in tumors

By designing an injectable viral vector that targets blood vessels of tumors, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, have opened new avenues for gene therapy against cancer and other diseases that have abnormal blood vessels.

The achievement is a milestone in the long search for a way of using a deactivated virus to deliver disease-altering genes directly to target cells by injection into the bloodstream.

In a recent issue of the online open access journal PLoS ONE, the team reports how it used the approach to target tumor blood vessels in mice without harming healthy tissue.

Co-author David T. Curiel, distinguished professor of radiation oncology, explains the importance of the achievement:

"Most current gene therapies in humans involve taking cells out of the body, modifying them and putting them back in. This limits gene therapy to conditions affecting tissues like the blood or bone marrow that can be removed, treated and returned to the patient. Today, even after 30 years of research, we can't inject a viral vector to deliver a gene and have it go to the right place."

With this early "proof-of-concept" study, not only have he and his colleagues shown it is possible - in mice at least - to use a deactivated virus to carry chosen genes directly to target cells in the lining of tumor blood vessels, but they also managed to do it without the virus getting stuck in the liver, something that has eluded previous attempts.

Study aim was to show potential for other approaches

In their study, the team designed the viral vector to carry a gene payload to target the abnormal blood vessels that drive and nurture tumor growth, but not to destroy them.

Instead, their goal was to show how it might be possible to use the tumor's own blood supply to fight the cancer, as senior author Jeffrey M. Arbeit, professor of urologic surgery and of cell biology and physiology, explains:

"We don't want to kill tumor vessels. We want to hijack them and turn them into factories for producing molecules that alter the tumor microenvironment so that it no longer nurtures the tumor."

Such a strategy could be used either to stop the tumor growth, or help chemotherapy and radiation to make them more effective.

"One advantage of this strategy is that it could be applied to nearly all of the most common cancers affecting patients," Prof. Arbeit adds.

In theory, he says, such an approach may even work against diseases other than cancer - such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and heart failure - that feature abnormal blood vessels.

Targeted cells 'glowed green,' while healthy tissue did not

To show that they could get the vector to carry a gene that only reaches the target cells, the team got it to carry a piece of the human roundabout4 (ROBO4) gene, which is known to be switched on in the cells that line blood vessels in tumors.

They injected the viral vector and its payload into the bloodstream of mice bearing a range of tumors and found it collected in tumor blood vessels, while largely avoiding healthy tissue.

Also, because the gene makes a protein in the target cells glow green, they could see that the vector reached only tumor vessels and bypassed healthy tissue.

In their study, they describe a case where a kidney tumor spread to an ovary in the mouse. The team was able to show how the vessels feeding the secondary (metastatic) tumor glowed green, distinct from the vessels in the healthy part of the ovary.

The researchers used a combination of imaging techniques, such as "wide field low power, intermediate, and high power microscopic magnification bolstered by quantitative immunoblotting," to show that the viral vector specifically targeted the linings of blood vessels in both primary and metastatic cancers.

Adding second factor to payload stops vector gathering in liver

In another part of their study, they found by adding the anti-clotting agent warfarin, they could stop the viral vector gathering in the liver. The team says this worked because the warfarin stopped the virus interacting with the mice's blood-clotting machinery.

However, the warfarin solution would not work in human patients because of the risk of bleeding, but its value in the mouse study serves to show that it is possible to add something to the virus to stop it gathering in the liver. Previous studies suggest in human patients this could be done genetically.

Prof. Curiel sums up the achievement:

"We combined a method we had developed to detarget the liver and a method to target the blood vessels. This combination allowed us to inject the vector into the bloodstream of the mouse, where it avoided the liver and found the proliferative vessels of interest to us."

Funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) helped pay for the study.

In March 2011, another team of US researchers published a study where they described developing a nanodrug to fight breast cancer without harming healthy tissue by targeting specific molecules that help tumors grow and spread.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Study links concussion with Alzheimer's disease brain pathology

2nd International Summit on Clinical Pharmacy, December 02-03, 2014, San Francisco

OMICS Group invites all the participants across the globe to attend 2nd International Summit on Clinical Pharmacy which is going to be held during Dec 02-03, 2014 at San Francisco, California, USA. 2nd International Summit on Clinical Pharmacy will be organized around the theme "Implementation of Advances and Challenges in Clinical Pharmacy." Clinical Pharmacy-2014 is comprised of 16 tracks and 103 sessions designed to offer comprehensive sessions that address current issues in Clinical Pharmacy.

FDA approves Tretten to treat rare genetic clotting disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tretten, Coagulation Factor XIII A-Subunit (Recombinant), the first recombinant product for use in the routine prevention of bleeding in adults and children who have a rare clotting disorder, known as congenital Factor XIII A-subunit deficiency. Congenital Factor XIII deficiency is an extremely rare genetic disorder. Patients with this deficiency do not make enough Factor XIII, a protein that circulates in the blood and is important for normal clotting. Factor XIII is composed of two subunits, A and B.

FDA warns consumers not to use muscle growth product

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to immediately stop using a product called Mass Destruction, marketed as a dietary supplement for muscle growth. The product is labeled to contain at least one synthetic anabolic steroid and has been linked to at least one reported serious illness.The FDA was alerted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services of a serious injury associated with use of Mass Destruction. The report described a previously healthy 28-year-old male with liver failure requiring transplant after several weeks of product use.

Top-line results of Phase IIb study with monotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., a biotechnology company with a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address inflammatory and cancer diseases, announced results from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase IIb study involving 79 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis ("RA") for its proprietary drug CF101, an A3 adenosine receptor ("A3AR") agonist. The study entailed 2 arms, a placebo and a CF101 1 mg treated group, in which CF101 was administered orally twice-daily as a monotherapy for 12 weeks to patients with RA.

New quality, payment initiative positively impacts pediatric care

Within two years of implementation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' Alternative Quality Contract (AQC) had a small but significant positive effect on the quality of pediatric care, according to a new study from Boston Children's Hospital. The results were published online Dec. 23 in Pediatrics.To stem the continued growth in health care spending, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts - the state's largest commercial payer - implemented an AQC in 2009.

Genetic screening identifies genes driving resistance with a guide RNA library

Researchers have developed a method to create a comprehensive library of mutations across all genes in the mouse genome. This library can be used to examine the role of every gene in different cell types.CRISPR technology uses the DNA-cutting enzyme Cas9, with the help of a guide RNA sequence, to find and modify genetic targets. Scientists can easily engineer multiple new guide RNAs using standard molecular biology techniques. This makes for a much faster and efficient method to modify the genome of any cell type in any species.

Study shows value of calcium scan in predicting heart attack, stroke among those considered at risk

A new study shows that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, should play a more prominent role in helping determine a person's risk for heart attack and heart disease-related death, as well as the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery. CAC screening provides a direct measure of calcium deposits in heart arteries and is easily obtained on a computed tomography (CT) scan."We showed that by using only the traditional risk factors, we miss a significant percentage of individuals at high risk.

Young adults want to live close to transit, high-density housing, and urban amenities

Research out of the University of Waterloo appearing in an upcoming issue of the Canadian Geographer.Contrary to traditional ideas of neighbourhood gentrification defined along class lines, this research examines a new division of space, in urban core areas increasingly populated by young adults who have delayed child-bearing and increased educational attainment with a decline in economic prospects and the extension of a youthful phase.

Sending messages via molecules can aid communication underground, underwater or inside the body

Scientists have created a molecular communications system for the transmission of messages and data in challenging environments such as tunnels, pipelines, underwater and within the body.The technique has a wide range of applications in environments where electromagnetic waves cannot be used, for example in underground structures such as tunnels, pipelines or in underwater environments.Molecular signalling is a common feature of the plant and animal kingdom - insects for example use pheromones for long-range signalling - but to date continuous data have not been transmitted.

Home tests for HPV could identify cancer risk

HPV self-testing is as effective as tests done by doctors, according to a Lund University study. Simple HPV home tests could therefore complement existing screening programmes, and identify more women at risk for cervical cancer.Sweden has a system of regular gynaecological smear tests, which has halved the number of cases of cervical cancer. Most of the patients who die from the disease are therefore either above the screening age, or part of the 20% who fail to attend their screenings. The figures are similar in other countries with equivalent screening programmes.

Are concussions related to Alzheimer's disease?

A new study suggests that a history of concussion involving at least a momentary loss of consciousness may be related to the buildup of Alzheimer's disease-associated plaques in the brain. The research is published in the December 26, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Potential weight-loss mouth spray for fuller feeling

A chemical naturally occurring in the body, already proven to produce a feeling of being full when administered, has found an effective new route via a spray on the tongue, say health researchers from the University of Florida.

The chemical, called peptide YY, is a gut hormone released after eating that the researchers have been trying to exploit for the reproduction of feeling full after food, and so aiding weight loss.

Several years of work by the researchers have included some success in inducing this effect by injecting the hormone - but this route of administration straight to the bloodstream resulted in unacceptable side effects.

The clinical trials were stopped because of vomiting, the researchers say. Given in this way, peptide YY's effect went too far, telling the brain that the stomach was overfull, in turn resulting in the "visceral sickness."

Safer mode of delivery

Now, however, the study with mice - using a simple mouth spray containing the hormone - suggests that taking it via this route half an hour before food could prove a safer way to help with weight loss, the lead researcher says.

Sergei Zolotukhin, PhD, an associate professor of cellular and molecular therapy at the University of Florida's College of Medicine, says:

"When mice were treated with a solution of this peptide using a simple spray, with one puff they will consume less food and they will start losing weight."

Dr. Zolotukhin adds:

"The implications are very simple: if you put peptide YY in a spray or gum and you take it half an hour before dinner, you will feel full faster and consume less food.

"It could be just a 5 or 10% difference, but it is enough to stimulate weight loss."

Hope for scientific sense in the oral spray market

The researchers note that other oral weight-loss sprays are already on the market, but they say that these are not "backed by medical science."

A search engine enquiry will turn up numerous herbal and homeopathic sprays from the diet system industry, and some preparations are available without prescription from pharmacies.

While many show no evidence of harm, nor do many show evidence of benefit, some are unsafe and illegal.

One example, the "homeopathic" human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) weight-loss products, have been the subject of action by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

On an alert page for consumers last updated on September 20th, the FDA says these products are "potentially dangerous," adding:

"The FDA and the FTC have issued seven letters to companies warning them that they are selling illegal homeopathic HCG weight-loss drugs that have not been approved by FDA, and that make unsupported claims."

Effects on nerve pathways

The study from Dr. Zolotukhin and his colleagues is published in the The Journal of Neuroscience.

As well as trying injection, the team also explored delivery via gene therapy in previous work. It was during this process, the researchers say, that they became the first to discover that the YY peptide can be found in saliva.

Initial tests of the oral spray of the substance finally proved successful, however the researchers "needed to be sure that the spray would not stimulate the same sickness as injection." But the latest study showed that the salivary type of the peptide had different effects on nerve pathways than the body-systemic version that had proven too potent.

Dr. Zolotukhin says:

"Comparing systemic peptide YY versus salivary PYY, what we have found is that although salivary PYY induces similar neuronal pathways to induce fullness, at the same time, it does not induce the neuronal pathways that cause visceral sickness."

The potential treatment against obesity needs further research before human trials can begin, and the researchers are hoping to find a commercial partner to license the technology.

In other obesity research presented today, a new study suggests that African-American women need to consume fewer calories or do more activity to achieve the same weight-loss rates as Caucasian women who start the process at a similar size.

The team of metabolism experts from the University of Pittsburgh, PA, cite a lower metabolic rate to explain the greater difficulty for African-Americans in reducing obesity.

Written by Markus MacGill

Girls' brains reorganize earlier, may explain their faster maturity

As we grow older, our brains reorganize themselves, pruning and streamlining nerve fiber linkages to reduce overall network connectivity while selectively preserving long-distance connections that are crucial to information integration.

Now, a team led by Newcastle University in the UK has found this brain streamlining starts earlier in girls, suggesting it may explain why they mature before boys in their teen years.

The researchers also suggest this gradual, selective reduction of connections may be the reason brain function does not deteriorate - it even improves - during network pruning.

One of the study leaders, Dr. Marcus Kaiser, reader in Neuroinformatics at Newcastle, says:

"Long-distance connections are difficult to establish and maintain but are crucial for fast and efficient processing."

Long-distance connections bring new information

To explain the value of the long-distance connection, Dr. Kaiser uses the idea of social networks:

"If you think about a social network, nearby friends might give you very similar information - you might hear the same news from different people. People from different cities or countries are more likely to give you novel information."

"In the same way, some information flow within a brain module might be redundant whereas information from other modules, say integrating the optical information about a face with the acoustic information of a voice, is vital in making sense of the outside world."

Short-cuts linking processing modules preserved

Access to medical information, bio tissue for research: new public attitudes

In this age of surveillance cameras, computer algorithms for tracking website visits, and GPS-imbedded cell phones, many people feel their right to privacy is slipping away. This perception extends into the medical realm as well where information gleaned from Electronic Health Records and clinical tissues are being used for medical research purposes with and without patient consent in some situations, though compliant with federal regulations.

Study resolves a basic cellular question - Golgi's whereabouts during cell division

Resolving a fundamental question in cell biology and showing off the powers of new high-resolution 3-D imaging, NIH scientists have discovered where the Golgi apparatus, which sorts newly synthesized proteins for transport inside and outside the cell, goes when it disassembles during cell division, according to research presented at the American Association for Cell Biology (ASCB) annual meeting in New Orleans.With conventional microscopy techniques, the scientists said they could only watch as the Golgi dissolved into tiny "puncta" and an unresolvable haze.

New nanotechnology has implications for medicine, security, research

Researchers working to advance imaging useful to medicine and security are capitalizing on the same phenomenon behind the lingering "ghost" image that appeared on old television screens.A team of researchers from Purdue University and Macquarie University in Sydney has created a way to control the length of time light from a luminescent nanocrystal lingers, adding a new dimension of time to color and brightness in optical detection technology.

Thicker brain sections appear associated with belief of importance of religion

The importance of religion or spirituality to a person appears to be associated with the thickness of certain brain regions, according to a study by Lisa Miller, Ph.D., of Columbia University, New York, and colleagues. Researchers conducted a familial study of 103 adults (ages 18-54 years) who were the second- or third-generation offspring of depressed or nondepressed study participants. Religious or spiritual importance and church attendance were assessed twice over five years. The cortical thickness of the brain was measured with magnetic resonance imaging at the second time point.

Study examines locations of substance abuse facilities that accept Medicaid

Approximately 60 percent of U.S. counties have at least one outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) facility that accepts Medicaid, although the number is much lower in southern and Midwestern states, according to a study by Janet R. Cummings, Ph.D., of Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues. The expansion of Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 sets the stage for helping address long-standing gaps in access to SUD treatment for states that opt-in to the expansion, according to the study background.

Registered tanning salons more common than other businesses in Florida

In Florida, there is one tanning salon for every 15,113 people and 1.16 tanning facilities for every 50 squares miles, according to a research letter by Sonia A. Lamel, M.D., of the University of Miami, and colleagues. Indoor tanning is linked to melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer development, especially if people tan before the age of 35 years. Florida has the second highest incidence of melanoma in the country with frequent use of tanning facilities by teenage girls and young adults, according to the study background.

Incarceration has no effect on nonresident fathers' parenting

A prison sentence may not always have negative consequences for children of the incarcerated, says University of California, Irvine sociologist Kristin Turney. In a new study, she finds that when an uninvolved dad spends time behind bars, there are no negative effects on his parenting."To date, most research shows that incarceration has detrimental effects on family life," she says. "But we find that there is considerable variation in these effects.

Study shows pressure to conform to gender roles is stronger in all-girls schools

Newspaper headlines worldwide tout the benefits of single-sex schools: Girls 75% more likely to take math if they go to a single-sex private school, will boys learn better if girls aren't allowed? Single-sex education is best for girls in stereotypically male subjects...But new research from Concordia University shows not everyone benefits from single-sex education - especially not those who don't conform to gender norms.

Treating injured workers with the help of online tool

University of Alberta researchers have developed a new web-based tool to aid health professionals in determining the right treatment course for injured workers, helping them feel better and get back to work earlier.Researchers used a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning to analyze injury and treatment records from Alberta's workers' compensation database to create a tool that recommends an appropriate course of rehabilitation. During early testing, the support tool actually outperformed clinicians.

Girls, Hispanic children have higher malnutrition rates in US

Children who do not receive adequate nutrients are at risk for a number of health concerns. And now, a new study reveals that in the US, Hispanic children and girls have significantly higher rates of chronic malnutrition, leading researchers to call for specific analyses of child nutrition.

Investigators from the latest study published their results in the Pan American Journal of Public Health.

They looked at nutritional status in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic children by studying a representative sample of over 14,000 children from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was conducted between 2003 and 2010.

All children were living in the US and were between the ages of 2- and 19-years-old.

Among Hispanic children, the researchers found chronic malnutrition was twice as high, compared with non-Hispanic white children.

"Stunting" - defined as low height for age, and which also signals chronic malnutrition - was much higher among Hispanic children than non-Hispanic white children, at 6.1% versus 2.6%.

Additionally, the researchers found that 38.2% of Hispanic children were either overweight or obese, compared with 29.8% of non-Hispanic white children.

Surprisingly, even in the healthy weight category of Hispanic children, 6.8% exhibited stunting, compared with 4.6% of overweight or obese Hispanic children.

Gender differences

Hospital infection in pregnancy tied to higher risk of autism

A new study finds that hospital-diagnosed bacterial infections in pregnancy are associated with a higher risk of autism spectrum disorders.

Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research report their findings in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

The study brings new evidence on the role of infection in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and suggests further areas to explore.

For their analysis the researchers matched records of 407 children with autism and 2,075 children who did not have autism. The children were born between 1995 and 1999 and were members of the Kaiser Permanente health plan for at least 2 years following their birth.

Infections diagnosed in hospital and autism risk

Senior author and research scientist Dr. Lisa A. Croen says they found:

"Infections diagnosed in a hospital setting were more common among mothers of children who developed an ASD compared with mothers of children who did not develop an ASD."

She explains that though infections in pregnant women are common, they found most were not tied to increased risk for autism:

"Only bacterial infections diagnosed in the hospital were associated with an increased risk."

Their analysis showed pregnant women with bacterial infections diagnosed in the hospital (such as of the genitals, urinary tract and amniotic fluid) had a 58% higher risk of delivering a child with ASD.

Although not very common in the group they studied, having an infection diagnosed during a hospital stay that occurred in the second trimester of pregnancy was linked to a three-fold increase of having children who developed ASD.

Hospital-diagnosed infections may be more severe

Lead author and research fellow Dr. Ousseny Zerbo says:

"Infections diagnosed in an inpatient setting may represent more severe infections, and these were associated with increased risk of ASD."

Although it is not clear how infection in the mother affects risk of the child developing autism, Dr. Zerbo says animal studies suggest it could be something to do with how the expectant mother's immune system reacts to infection. It may interfere with brain development in the fetus.

For instance, a recent study of mice and rats found that viral infection disrupts neural development in offspring, increasing risk of autism.

Dr. Zerbo says their study shows most infections in pregnancy are not linked to autism, but he cautions there does appear to be some increased risk and advises:

"It would be prudent for pregnant women to contact their doctor if they suspect an infection."

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

The EBV oncogene LMP1 protects lymphoma cells from cell death through the collagen-mediated activation of DDR1

The malignant Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (RS) cell is embedded in a collagen-rich microenvironment. In this week's issue of Blood, Cader and colleagues elucidate a potentially important collagen-mediated signaling pathway supporting the survival of RS cells in Epstein-Barr virus-positive (EBV+) Hodgkin Disease (HD), demonstrating that expression of the EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) upregulates the expression of discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen-activated receptor tyrosine kinase.

The risk of venous thrombosis in individuals with a history of superficial vein thrombosis and acquired venous thrombotic risk factors

Although superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) has traditionally been viewed as a benign disease, it is associated with an increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). However, there are almost no data to suggest which patients may be at increased risk of subsequent DVT following SVT. In this week's issue of Blood, Roach and colleagues analyze results from a case-controlled study of nearly 5,000 individuals with DVT and more than 5,700 controls to determine how previous SVT could influence DVT risk in the setting of other risk factors.

CYP2B6*6 is an independent determinant of inferior response to fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The backbone of therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the combination of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC). In order to exert its cytotoxic effect, cyclophosphamide must first be converted to its active form by CYP2B6, an isoform of cytochrome P450. In this week's issue of Blood, Johnson and colleagues present a study discussing the impact of genetic variation in CYP2B6 on CLL response to FC regimens by screening for the most common variant of CYP2B6 that defines the *6 allele.

U.S. health continues to be threatened by heart disease and stroke

Heart disease and stroke remain two of the top killers of Americans and pose a significant threat to millions of others, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update 2014, published in its journal Circulation.The update reflects the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases and their risk factors. It is the only source for current prevalence data on cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. and stroke is the No. 4 cause.

Greater meaning in life enjoyed by residents of poorer nations

While residents of wealthy nations tend to have greater life satisfaction, new research shows that those living in poorer nations report having greater meaning in life.These findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggest that meaning in life may be higher in poorer nations as a result of greater religiosity. As countries become richer, religion becomes less central to people's lives and they lose a sense of meaning in life.

Criminology scholars debunk 11 myths about mass murder in a special issue of Homicide Studies

With the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, many are left with questions about what leads to this and similar tragedies throughout the U.S. While some have theorized about the common personality traits of mass murderers, the frequency of these incidents, and the policy that can stop them, such speculation has led to many myths and misconceptions.

Mechanism discovered that controls the development of myelodysplastic syndromes

Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center have discovered a control mechanism that can trigger the development of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood cancers. This finding may lead to therapies capable of preventing the progression of these diseases.MDS primarily affects older individuals, with approximately 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In MDS, a person's blood is not able to make one or more types of healthy blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. Instead, the patient has a high number of immature stem cells that do not develop properly.

Illicit drug residues in Swedish sewage water

Chemists at Umea University have been able to trace narcotics substances and prescription drugs in measurements of wastewater from 33 Swedish sewage treatment plants. Cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, in measurable concentrations, were found in a total of half of the locations.When a person consumes a drug it is excreted through the digestive system, either unchanged or as metabolites through the body and ends up in the wastewater. Through taking a sample of water in treatment plants and measuring the levels of drugs can provide a snapshot of the drug usage in a particular city.

Students with a disability more likely to be restrained, secluded in school

The restraint and seclusion of students in U.S. public schools in response to student behavior problems are used much more frequently on students with a disability than on students without a disability, and especially in affluent school districts, according to new research at the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.Restraint is a practice that uses physical or mechanical means to restrict a student's freedom of motion. Seclusion is a practice that usually involves the involuntary isolation of a student for a period of several minutes.

Unprecedented but justified. Princeton meningitis outbreak calls for "compassionate use" of unlicensed vaccine

In the wake of Princeton University's meningitis outbreak, healthy individuals on campus who are at risk for infection will be offered voluntary immunization with Bexsero (Novartis), a vaccine that has not been approved for use in the United States. Since March 22, 2013, health officials have confirmed eight cases of Neisseria meningitides serogroup B (MenB) meningitis among students and visitors at Princeton University. Bexsero is the only vaccine in production that protects against MenB.

Task Force recommends BRCA mutation screening for high-risk women

According to a new guideline being published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care providers screen asymptomatic women with a family history of breast, ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal cancers to determine if that family history may be associated with an increased risk for potentially harmful mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. Women who screen positive should have genetic counseling and, if indicated after counseling, BRCA testing.

The American College of Physicians explains how Medicaid expansion will help the poor

The American College of Physicians (ACP) explains how Medicaid expansion will benefit poor citizens and their physicians in an article being published early online in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors write that under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act-mandated Medicaid expansion, patients who have historically been denied Medicaid coverage will now have access to a healthcare plan equivalent to a benchmark plan chosen by the state. The Medicaid plan will be required to cover 10 essential benefit categories, including regular health screenings.

A tomato-rich diet may reduce breast cancer risk, study shows

It has long been known that postmenopausal women are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. But now, new research suggests that adopting a diet rich in tomatoes may reduce this risk. This is according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

According to the National Cancer Institute, women in the US have a 12.4% risk of developing breast cancer at some point in their lives. This risk increases with age, with women over the age of 50 having a 1 in 42 chance of developing the disease.

According to the study researchers, led by Adana Llanos of Rutgers University, postmenopausal women increase their risk of breast cancer further as their body mass index (BMI) climbs. But this latest study suggests that this risk may be reduced simply by adopting a different diet.

To reach their findings, the investigators analyzed 70 postmenopausal women for a period of 20 weeks.

For the first 10 weeks, the women were required to follow a tomato-rich diet. This involved consuming a minimum of 25 mg of lycopene each day. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

For the remaining 10 weeks, the women followed a soy-rich diet. This required them to consume at least 40 g of soy protein daily.

All women were asked to refrain from eating any soy or tomato products 2 weeks prior to each diet.

Tomato-rich diet increases adiponectin levels

Drug combo defeats tumor defenses in pancreatic cancer

A UK team has discovered how to undermine a protective wall that pancreatic cancer tumors maintain around themselves, thus enabling the body's own immune cells - which they boosted with an antibody - to enter and attack cancer cells.

In initial tests carried out at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, based at the University of Cambridge, the combined treatment almost completely eliminated cancer cells in 1 week.

Study leader Prof. Doug Fearon, who heads the Tumour Immunology Laboratory at the Institute, says:

"By enabling the body to use its own defences to attack cancer, this approach has the potential to greatly improve treatment of solid tumors."

He and his colleagues report their findings in the latest print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.

First reported immunotherapy success in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a disease where symptoms rarely show in the early stages, so it is usually only diagnosed once it has spread to other parts of the body, and prognosis is poor.

According to the National Cancer Institute, for the year 2013, 45,220 Americans will have discovered they have pancreatic cancer, and 38,460 will have died of the disease. In the UK, where survival rates are equally poor, it is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Worldwide, it is the eighth.

This new study from Prof. Fearon and colleagues is the first to report success with "immunotherapy" in pancreatic cancer.

Immunotherapy is a promising new field of cancer treatment that focuses on stimulating the patient's own immune system to attack the cancer.

It has shown particular promise in cancers with solid tumors, but patients with pancreatic cancer have not responded to this approach. This could be because, as in some other solid tumors, pancreatic cancer protects itself with a barrier.

Drug breaks down protective barrier surrounding tumors

The immune system has some inbuilt capacity to deal with cancer cells. Part of this is the T cell, which can recognize and attack cancer cells. But in the case of pancreatic cancer, the cancer cells have developed a way to shield themselves from T cells.

Working with a mouse model of human pancreatic cancer, Prof. Fearon and colleagues discovered that this shield or barrier takes the form of a chemokine protein, CXCL12, that coats the cancer cells and keeps the T cells away.

The protein is made by a specialized kind of connective tissue cell, called a carcinoma-associated fibroblast, or CAF.

Prof. Fearon explains:

"We observed that T cells were absent from the part of the tumor containing the cancer cells that were coated with chemokine, and the principal source of the chemokine was the CAFs."

He and his colleagues also found that removing CAFs from the pancreatic cancer appeared to allow the immune system to control the growth of the tumor.

They went on to find a way to remove the protective effect of the shield by using a drug that stops the T cells from interacting with the protein CXCL12.

The drug is AMD3100, also known as Plerixafor, which blocks the T cells' receptor for the cancer-shielding protein CXCL12.

And when they used Plerixafor with anti-PD-L1, an immunotherapeutic antibody that boosts T cell activity, the number of cancer cells and the size of the tumor shrank significantly.

After 1 week of combination treatment, the shrunken tumor contained only premalignant cells and inflammatory cells.

Support and funds for the study came from Cancer Research UK, GlaxoSmithKline, the Medical Research Council, Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and the Anthony Cerami and Anne Dunne Foundation for World Health.

In another study published recently in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a team from the US showed how a combination of immunotherapy and gene therapy could lead to an effective treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the brain.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Flu and cold top the 2013 chart of medical search terms

The top 10 trending health issues of 2013 have been released by Google, and top of the list of searches are flu and cold, with labor coming in at third place.

The results are found in the year-end zeitgeist, the search giant's annual "spirit of the times" analysis.

The appearance of the term labor as a highly popular search in the health issues list comes as "royal baby" made it to seventh place in the total Google search activity across 2013, a chart topped by "Nelson Mandela."

It was July 22nd when the world's media heard the news that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, had delivered a healthy Prince George.

Life-saving formula a step closer to human trials

A global innovation that has the potential to prevent women in developing countries from the fatal loss of blood after childbirth will move a step closer to human trials, following a $500,000 gift from Australia's Planet Wheeler Foundation.Monash University's Dr Michelle McIntosh has been - and remains - on a crusade to raise millions of dollars to fund an innovation that could save an extraordinary number of lives.Over the past decade more than one million women in developing countries have died of excessive bleeding during pregnancy.

Marriage is not the answer to child disadvantage - UL study

A study by researchers at the University of Limerick using the 'Growing Up in Ireland' data has found that the apparent benefits of marriage, in relation to child development, are not related to marriage per se but to the background characteristics of the parents.This is the key finding to emerge from the most detailed statistical study to-date of the effects of family structure on child development, which was published in Dublin by the Family Support Agency.

Wide disparities in diagnosis time for childhood lupus identified

New research has found that a child's symptoms and the doctor they are referred by can affect the time taken to diagnose juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE). The research, which shows substantial disparities in the time to diagnosis for JSLE in the UK, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Rheumatology.Typically the time between symptom onset and diagnosis of JSLE is 4-5 months, but the research found that diagnosis can take much longer for some children.

GRU researcher develops moisturizing lozenges for dry mouth

A researcher at Georgia Regents University has developed moisturizing lozenges for dry mouth.Dr. Stephen Hsu, Professor of Oral Biology in the GRU College of Dental Medicine, has created MighTeaFlow® lozenges with a clinically tested all-natural green tea formula with xylitol to treat dry mouth, adding to his growing line of green tea products.

For the first time cells from the eye are inkjet printed

A group of researchers from the UK have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print cells taken from the eye for the very first time.The breakthrough, which has been detailed in a paper published in IOP Publishing's journal Biofabrication, could lead to the production of artificial tissue grafts made from the variety of cells found in the human retina and may aid in the search to cure blindness.

Ability to overcome poverty boosted by self-worth

For people in poverty, remembering better times - such as past success - improves brain functioning by several IQ points and increases their willingness to seek help from crucial aid services, a new study finds.The findings suggest that reconnecting the poor with feelings of self-worth reduces the powerful stigma and psychological barriers that make it harder for low-income individuals to make good decisions or access the very assistance services that can help them get back on their feet.

Innovation could lead to faster drug therapies and increased understanding of proteins on the microscopic level

Membrane proteins are the "gatekeepers" that allow information and molecules to pass into and out of a cell. Until recently, the microscopic study of these complex proteins has been restricted due to limitations of "force microscopes" that are available to researchers and the one-dimensional results these microscopes reveal. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a three-dimensional microscope that will yield unparalleled study of membrane proteins and how they interact on the cellular level.

New hope for stem cells, regenerative medicine emerges from the lab

JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, has published a novel technique that could resolve a snag in stem cell research for application in regenerative medicine - a strategy for reprograming cells in vivo to act like stem cells that forgoes the risk of causing tumors.Dr. Kostas Kostarelos, principal investigator of the Nanomedicine Lab at the University of Manchester, said that he and his colleagues have discovered a safe approach to reprogramming somatic cells (which constitute most of the cells in the body) into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

Improvements needed in preventive dental care in the USA

The uptake rate of preventative dental care increased over a ten-year period in the United States, but there remains a large disparity among ethnic groups, reports one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on the subject, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Public Health.Neglect of dental care can have serious consequences like decay, inflammation, and loss of teeth, and an increased risk of malnutrition. Gum disease has been implicated in an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

Stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury

A systematic survey of the scientific literature shows that stem cell therapy can have a statistically significant impact on animal models of spinal cord injury, and points the way for future studies.Spinal cord injuries are mostly caused by trauma, often incurred in road traffic or sporting incidents, often with devastating and irreversible consequences, and unfortunately having a relatively high prevalence (250,000 patients in the USA; 80% of cases are male).

Global map to predict giant earthquakes

A team of international researchers, led by Monash University's Associate Professor Wouter Schellart, have developed a new global map of subduction zones, illustrating which ones are predicted to be capable of generating giant earthquakes and which ones are not.The new research, published in the journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, comes nine years after the giant earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra in December 2004, which devastated the region and many other areas surrounding the Indian Ocean, and killed more than 200,000 people.

New tool for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart

Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues in Belgium have developed a specialized catheter for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart. The novel device includes a curved needle and graded openings along the needle shaft, allowing for increased distribution of cells. The result is maximized retention of stem cells to repair the heart. The findings appear in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Non-significant reduction in the amount of candida in women who were taking oral garlic tablets

In a world-first study, led by the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women's Hospital, researchers have found garlic does not significantly reduce vaginal candida (thrush).Led by University of Melbourne PhD candidate Cathy Watson also of the Royal Women's Hospital, the findings were published online in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.This study is the first to investigate the effect of oral garlic on vaginal colonisation of candida and provides another link in the chain of investigation of complementary and alternative therapies.

Rapid evolution of novel forms: Environmental change triggers inborn capacity for adaptation

In the classical view of evolution, species experience spontaneous genetic mutations that produce various novel traits - some helpful, some detrimental. Nature then selects for those most beneficial, passing them along to subsequent generations.It's an elegant model. It's also an extremely time-consuming process likely to fail organisms needing to cope with sudden, potentially life-threatening changes in their environments. Surely some other mechanism could enable more rapid adaptive response.

Using air transportation data to predict pandemics

Computational work conducted at Northwestern University has led to a new mathematical theory for understanding the global spread of epidemics. The resulting insights could not only help identify an outbreak's origin but could also significantly improve the ability to forecast the global pathways through which a disease might spread.

Opportunities to strengthen trauma systems offered by Affordable Care Act

Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 45 and the fourth-leading cause of death for people of all ages. Much progress has been made over the last 50 years in developing statewide regionalized trauma systems to care for these injuries, but authors of a review appearing in the December issue of Health Affairs, believe more work is needed to ensure the right patient gets to the right place at the right time, and that the Affordable Care Act may offer opportunities to strengthen trauma systems.

Diabetic macular edema: 'not enough awareness and patient care'

Individuals with diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing diabetic eye disease. But new research reveals that less than 50% of US adults with diabetic macular edema - retina swelling that can lead to blindness - are told by their doctor that diabetes is the cause of their condition, and less than 60% have had a dilated eye exam in the last year.

This is according to a study published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a form of diabetic retinopathy - the leading cause of blindness in diabetics.

DME occurs when the blood vessels in the eye's macula - a part of the retina responsible for sharp vision - leak fluid and swell. This can lead to partial vision loss or total blindness.

Prompt treatment of the condition can prevent blindness. But in order to catch the condition early, diabetic patients need to undergo regular dilated eye examinations.

To determine the awareness of eye care and eye disease among diabetic patients, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Neil M. Bressler of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hospital and editor of JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed 798 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, who had self-reported diabetes.

Of these, 238 had diabetic retinopathy without DME, while 48 had DME.

Diabetics 'not receiving prompt eye care'

Results of the study revealed that only 44.7% of those with DME said they had been told by their doctor that their eyes had been affected by diabetes, or that they had diabetic retinopathy.

Furthermore, only 46.7% of diabetic individuals with DME said they visited a diabetes nurse educator, dietician or nutritionist for their diabetes more than 1 year ago or never, while only 59.7% said they had a dilated eye exam within the past year.

Commenting on their findings, the researchers say:

"Our results suggest that many individuals with DME report not receiving prompt diabetes-related or eye-related care, although many of these individuals are at risk of substantial visual loss that could be lessened or eliminated with appropriate care."

Importance of dilated eye exams

This is not the only study to find that diabetic patients lack awareness when it comes to their risk of diabetic eye disease and the importance of regular dilated eye examinations.

A recent survey from Diabetic Connect - a social networking site for diabetes sufferers and their families - found that 25% of people with diabetes do not have the recommended annual dilated eye exam.

Walking 2,000 more steps each day reduces cardiovascular risk

People with impaired glucose tolerance can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 8% simply by walking an additional 2,000 steps a day, a large international study says.

Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a precursor to type 2 diabetes, affects 79 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Worldwide, the figures are even more staggering - with researchers saying 344 million people are currently affected, and this number is set to rise to 472 million by 2030.

Led by Dr. Thomas Yates, from the University of Leicester in the UK, the latest study analyzed data collected from 9,306 adults from 40 countries.

The findings, published in The Lancet, suggest that an extra 20 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by 8%.

Dr. Yates explains:

"People with IGT have a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. While several studies have suggested that physical activity is beneficially linked to health in those with IGT, this is the first study to specifically quantify the extent to which change in walking behaviour can modify the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular-related deaths."

Study confirms narcolepsy as an autoimmune disease

A new study that offers some of the most compelling evidence to date for the idea of "mimicry," where the immune system attacks a body protein because of its similarity to a pathogen protein, confirms that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease.

Reporting in the latest online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California show how in genetically susceptible individuals, narcolepsy can be triggered because part of a wakefulness protein, called hypocretin, is very similar to part of a protein from the pandemic 2009 H1N1 "swine flu" virus.

Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder where the brain cannot control sleep-wake cycles, leading to sudden bouts of sleep, often accompanied by cataplexy, an abrupt loss of voluntary muscle tone that can cause collapse.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that narcolepsy affects around 1 in 3,000 Americans. Currently, there is no cure.

Immune system attacks brain cells that make the 'wakefulness' protein

In 2009, Emmanuel Mignot, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford, who has been working on narcolepsy for over 20 years, led a study that gave the first genetic clue that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system attacks brain cells that make the "wakefulness" protein hypocretin.

Prof. Mignot, who is co-senior author of the new paper, says:

"The relationship between H1N1 infection, vaccination and narcolepsy gave us some very interesting insight into possible causes of the condition. In particular, it strongly suggested to us that T cells of the immune system primed to attack H1N1 can occasionally also cross-react with hypocretin and somehow cause the destruction of hypocretin-producing neurons."

The latest work suggests new ways to interrupt the process before all the hypocretin-producing cells are lost and produce the dramatic symptoms of narcolepsy.

It also opens the prospect of a blood test to diagnose the disease, and it offers new insights into a link between a pandemic H1N1 vaccine used in Europe in 2009 and a spike in narcolepsy cases in Scandinavia the year after.

The team says their work will also give new ideas to researchers investigating other types of autoimmune disorders, particularly those involving the brain.

Co-senior author Elizabeth Mellins, an immunology researcher and professor of pediatrics at Stanford, adds:

"By giving us a new way to think about how neurons in these patients die, it also suggests new therapeutic approaches that we would not have considered if we hadn't learned that this is an autoimmune disease."

Focus on T cells because of link to HLA signature

Previous studies have established that the vast majority of people with narcolepsy have a variant of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene that is found in only a quarter of the general population.

For their work, Prof. Mignot and colleagues decided to focus on the T cells of the immune system because of their association with the HLA signature found in nearly all narcolepsy patients.

HLA is a molecule that sits on the surface of cells that present antigens and bits of proteins they gather from their environment. T cells come along and scan these proteins, and if any of these is "foreign," they start to divide and go around the body looking for it so as to destroy it.

However, if there is a case of mistaken identity on the part of the T cells, then things can go drastically awry. Prof. Mellins explains how they started to suspect this was the case in narcolepsy:

"When we saw that the portion of the hypocretin that seemed to be recognized by the immune system in narcolepsy patients was similar to a part of the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza hemagglutinin molecule, we were very hopeful that we were on the right track."

They found that a short, 13-amino-acid section of the H1N1 hemagglutinin protein was very similar to two equally short pieces of the hypocretin protein.

The resemblance was close enough so that the T cells of people who suffer from narcolepsy reacted strongly to the hypocretin protein segments.

The researchers tested this by presenting the small piece of the H1N1 protein to cultured T cells from narcolepsy patients, and saw how this increased the proportion of hypocretin-reactive cells.

Other pathogens may cause similar confusion in immune system

The team was also surprised to find hypocretin cross-reactive T cells in blood taken from narcolepsy patients before H1N1 began circulating in humans in 2009.

Prof. Mignot says this suggests other viruses or pathogens may sometimes cause a similar confusion in the immune system, adding that:

"Indeed, there is a growing appreciation that cross-reactivity of immune T cell recognition may not be as uncommon as once thought. Although this cross-reactivity may make the immune system more adaptable to new infections, it may also increase the chance of mistakes that could result in autoimmune diseases."

In another study published earlier this year, researchers at the UCLA Center for Sleep Research offer another clue to the cause of narcolepsy in humans. They suggest an excess of histamine brain cells may reduce hypocretin cells.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

IVF success could double with new way of detecting faulty egg cells

In a study that could change the prospects for the 1 in 15 infertile couples worldwide, researchers in China and the US show how their way of finding genetic defects in egg cells could double the success rate of the reproductive treatment in vitro fertilization.

The new method, based on whole-genome sequencing of individual egg cells, could lead to an accurate, safe and cheap way to select genetically normal embryos for in vitro fertilization (IVF), thus increasing the chances of producing a healthy baby.

As well as looking for DNA sequence variations associated with known genetic disorders, the new approach detects chromosome abnormalities.

Study author Jie Qiao, department director and professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Peking University, 3rd Hospital, says:

"In this way, we kill two birds with one stone: one set of deep sequencing analysis to avoid two types of genetic problems."

"Theoretically, if this works perfectly, we will be able to double the success rate of test tube baby technology from 30% to 60% or even more."

The researchers write about their work in a recent online issue of the journal Cell.

New approach sequences whole genome of 'polar bodies'

In IVF, an egg from the woman is fertilized with sperm from the man in a "test tube," and the embryos are then implanted in the woman's uterus.

There are several ways to screen the embryos for genetic defects before implantation, but these carry risks because they involve removing cells from the embryo. Also, they do not detect chromosome abnormalities and genetic disorders based on DNA sequence variations at the same time.

Although whole-genome sequencing has recently been developed for screening sperm cells, until now there was not an equivalent way to apply it egg cells, despite the fact they are more likely to contain chromosome abnormalities.

In their study, the researchers developed a way of sequencing the whole of the genetic code of "polar bodies" - cells that emerge when egg cells divide but then die off, so they can be safely removed without harming the embryo.

Co-author Sunney Xie, Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University in the US, and also of Peking University, says they are now starting to test their new approach in clinical trials, and:

"If the clinical trial works, this technique could enormously increase the success rate of IVF, especially for older women or women who have had recurrent miscarriages."

In another study published earlier this year, researchers showed an IVF technique that increased pregnancy rates by 20%. The procedure, known as endometrial scratching, improved both pregnancy and birth rates when performed once in women undergoing reproductive treatment.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Nearly 8% of hip implants not backed by safety evidence

Almost 8% of all implants used in hip replacement surgery have no readily available evidence relating to their safety or effectiveness, finds a study published on bmj.com today.The researchers say the current regulation process "seems to be entirely inadequate" and they call for a revised system for introducing new orthopaedic devices.The high failure rate of some metal-on-metal hip replacements has highlighted the need for an adequate evidence base for orthopaedic implants.

Government's voluntary approach to improving hospital food is not working, argues expert

As the government announces a review of hospital food, Katharine Jenner, Chair of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, argues that only by setting legally binding standards for hospital food can it ensure that inpatients get served high quality, nourishing meals.In an article published on bmj.com today, she says the government has wasted more than £54 million of taxpayers' money on twenty one failed voluntary initiatives to improve hospital food since 1992 - enough to pay for thirty four new hospital kitchens.

First treatment for infants with CAPS licensed in UK

Anakinra (Kineret®), an interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibitor, has been granted a licence for treatment of CAPS in children and adults by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Anakinra is the first CAPS treatment licensed for use in children as young as eight months. CAPS is an umbrella term for a number of ultra-rare, life-long, severely debilitating autoinflammatory diseases which cause rash, headache, fever, joint pain and other inflammatory symptoms. CAPS affects approximately 1 in 1,000,000 people in the UK.

Manufacturing low-cost artificial cells

Easily manufactured, low-cost artificial cells manufactured using microprinting may one day serve as drug and gene delivery devices and in biomaterials, biotechnology and biosensing applications, according to a team of Penn State biomedical engineers. These artificial cells will also allow researchers to explore actions that take place at the cell membrane."In a natural cell, so much is going on inside that it is extremely complex," said Sheereen Majd, assistant professor of biomedical engineering.