Nutrition has benefits for brain network organization

Date: September 7, 2017

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summary:

Nutrition has been linked to cognitive performance, but researchers have not pinpointed what underlies the connection. A new study found that monounsaturated fatty acids -- a class of nutrients found in olive oils, nuts and avocados -- are linked to general intelligence, and that this relationship is driven by the correlation between MUFAs and the organization of the brain's attention network.

An assortment of foods containing omega 3 healthy fats acids.

Credit: © autumnhoverter / Fotolia

Nutrition has been linked to cognitive performance, but researchers have not pinpointed what underlies the connection. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that monounsaturated fatty acids -- a class of nutrients found in olive oils, nuts and avocados -- are linked to general intelligence, and that this relationship is driven by the correlation between MUFAs and the organization of the brain's attention network.

The study of 99 healthy older adults, recruited through Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, compared patterns of fatty acid nutrients found in blood samples, functional MRI data that measured the efficiency of brain networks, and results of a general intelligence test. The study was published in the journal NeuroImage.

"Our goal is to understand how nutrition might be used to support cognitive performance and to study the ways in which nutrition may influence the functional organization of the human brain," said study leader Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology. "This is important because if we want to develop nutritional interventions that are effective at enhancing cognitive performance, we need to understand the ways that these nutrients influence brain function."

"In this study, we examined the relationship between groups of fatty acids and brain networks that underlie general intelligence. In doing so, we sought to understand if brain network organization mediated the relationship between fatty acids and general intelligence," said Marta Zamroziewicz, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the neuroscience program at Illinois and lead author of the study.

Studies suggesting cognitive benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in MUFAs, inspired the researchers to focus on this group of fatty acids. They examined nutrients in participants' blood and found that the fatty acids clustered into two patterns: saturated fatty acids and MUFAs.

"Historically, the approach has been to focus on individual nutrients. But we know that dietary intake doesn't depend on any one specific nutrient; rather, it reflects broader dietary patterns," said Barbey, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois.

The researchers found that general intelligence was associated with the brain's dorsal attention network, which plays a central role in attention-demanding tasks and everyday problem solving. In particular, the researchers found that general intelligence was associated with how efficiently the dorsal attention network is functionally organized used a measure called small-world propensity, which describes how well the neural network is connected within locally clustered regions as well as across globally integrated systems.

In turn, they found that those with higher levels of MUFAs in their blood had greater small-world propensity in their dorsal attention network. Taken together with an observed correlation between higher levels of MUFAs and greater general intelligence, these findings suggest a pathway by which MUFAs affect cognition.

"Our findings provide novel evidence that MUFAs are related to a very specific brain network, the dorsal attentional network, and how optimal this network is functionally organized," Barbey said. "Our results suggest that if we want to understand the relationship between MUFAs and general intelligence, we need to take the dorsal attention network into account. It's part of the underlying mechanism that contributes to their relationship."

Barbey hopes these findings will guide further research into how nutrition affects cognition and intelligence. In particular, the next step is to run an interventional study over time to see whether long-term MUFA intake influences brain network organization and intelligence.

"Our ability to relate those beneficial cognitive effects to specific properties of brain networks is exciting," Barbey said. "This gives us evidence of the mechanisms by which nutrition affects intelligence and motivates promising new directions for future research in nutritional cognitive neuroscience."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Marta K. Zamroziewicz, M. Tanveer Talukdar, Chris E. Zwilling, Aron K. Barbey. Nutritional status, brain network organization, and general intelligence. NeuroImage, 2017; 161: 241 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.043

Cite This Page:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Nutrition has benefits for brain network organization." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170907112408.htm>.

Producing malaria treatment at large scales

First-choice malaria treatment, artemisinin, successfully produced by moss

Date: September 7, 2017

Source: Frontiers

Summary:

For the first time, production of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin has been achieved at an industrial scale using genetically engineered moss. This offers new hope for stabilizing artemisinin supplies and combatting malaria.

Compared to smallpox or typhoid, malaria is proving one of the most challenging human diseases to eradicate -- and so remains a real and constant danger to nearly half the world's population. Twenty years ago, two million people died each year on average from malaria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite numerous advances in treatment, 212 million cases were reported in 2015 alone and an estimated 429,000 people died from the disease.

The first-choice treatment for malaria is artemisinin -- which is used in Chinese medicine to treat fever and inflammation as well as malaria. Before 2001, health care officials around the world administered the drug as a single compound, but this allowed malaria parasites to become drug-resistant. Scientists and medical professionals found, however, that artemisinin can work in combination with two other treatments, mefloquine and chlorproguanil, to attack different aspects of the parasite and ultimately disable it. According to the WHO, the number of courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies procured from manufacturers increased globally from 187 million in 2010 to 311 million in 2015.

But a major problem remains: the supply of artemisinin is not stable or sufficient, and as a result, treatment remains expensive.

Enter human ingenuity and innovation!

New research published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, "Stable Production of the Antimalarial Drug Artemisinin in the Moss Physcomitrella patens," demonstrates that artemisinin can be rapidly produced by genetically engineered moss at an industrial scale.

Artemisinin is generally derived from the plant Artemisia annua, a summer annual with a short growing season and known to gardeners as sweet wormwood. Due to its complex structure, the drug is difficult and not economically feasible to chemically synthesize. Other researchers have attempted to bioengineer artemisinin using Nicotiana tobacum (cultivated tobacco plants) or yeast, but these approaches either required much more engineering than the current analysis or yielded a semi-pure product.

The researchers introduced five genes responsible for biosynthesizing the precursor of artemisinin, dihydroartemisinic acid, into the moss Physcomitrella patens using multiple DNA fragments. The final conversion of this acid into artemisinin occurs by photooxidation in the moss cell.

Because moss, as a non-vascular plant, has such a simple structure it offers an ideal setting for genetically engineering drugs. The genetically engineered moss was grown in both liquid and solid media under 24h LED-light.

After only three days of cultivation, the researchers had a substantial initial product: 0.21 mg/g dry weight of artemisinin. By day 12, they had the highest accumulation of the drug.

"This moss produces like a factory," said Henrik Toft Simonsen, one of the paper's authors. "It produces artemisinin efficiently without the precursor engineering or subsequent chemical synthesis that yeast and tobacco require. This is what we hope for in science: a simple, elegant solution."

This research also expands the frontiers of synthetic biotechnology by offering a genetically robust plant-based platform, which can be scaled up for industrial production of other complex, high-value, plant-based compounds. Because P. patens uses light as an energy source it is, in the long run, more cost effective than approaches such as yeast, which must be fed with some form of sugar.

Producing artemisinin from moss in simple liquid bioreactors means that industrial-scale production is easily possible in a cost-effective manner. The next steps would be to further optimize the process, particularly reducing any unnecessary products and ensuring the metabolic process is as efficient as possible. Also, while it may seem extraordinary to develop a drug in three to 12 days, by comparison microorganisms can be cultivated in a matter of hours, said Simonsen. Plants simply take longer to cultivate than microorganisms. Even so, this approach has built-in savings: moss does not have to be reengineered every time; stock cells can be reused.

"It will be a great day if scientists can eradicate malaria worldwide," said Simonsen. "This is a disease that affects 200 to 300 million people every year. It's especially deadly for kids."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Frontiers. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Nur Kusaira Binti Khairul Ikram, Arman Beyraghdar Kashkooli, Anantha Vithakshana Peramuna, Alexander R. van der Krol, Harro Bouwmeester, Henrik Toft Simonsen. Stable Production of the Antimalarial Drug Artemisinin in the Moss Physcomitrella patens. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2017; 5 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2017.00047

Cite This Page:

Frontiers. "Producing malaria treatment at large scales: First-choice malaria treatment, artemisinin, successfully produced by moss." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170907125636.htm>.

Mediterranean-style diet may eliminate need for reflux medications

Date: September 7, 2017

Source: Northwell Health

Summary:

A plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet has been shown to provide the same medical benefits for treating laryngopharyngeal reflux as popular reflux medications, according to new research.

A plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet has been shown to provide the same medical benefits for treating laryngopharyngeal reflux as popular reflux medications. This is according to a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery by researchers from Northwell Health's The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and New York Medical College.

When compared to patients who took the traditional reflux medication, proton pump inhibitors (PPI), those patients who consumed a 90-95% whole food, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet paired with alkaline water had the same if not better reduction in reflux symptoms. 62.6 percent of patients treated with a plant-based diet and alkaline water saw a six point reduction in their Reflux Symptom Index (RSI -- a measurement for the severity of reflux symptoms), compared to 54.1 percent reduction in patients taking PPI's. Though this research only focused on those with laryngopharyngeal reflux, this same diet regimen has implications to help patients with gastro-esophageal acid reflux (also known as GERD).

Lead author of the study, Craig H. Zalvan, MD, FACS, chief of Otolaryngology and medical director of The Institute for Voice and Swallowing Disorders at Northwell Health's Phelps Hospital and researcher at the Feinstein Institute, said he was formerly one of the largest prescribers of PPI's in the region. Feeling that there had to be a better approach to treating reflux conditions like laryngopharyngeal reflux, he started to research alternatives.

"Although effective in some patients, I felt medication couldn't be the only method to treat reflux and recent studies reporting increased rates of stroke and heart attack, dementia and kidney damage from prolonged PPI use made me more certain," said Dr. Zalvan. "I did research and saw a lot of studies using plant-based diets to treat patients for many other chronic diseases, so I decided to develop a diet regimen to treat my laryngopharyngeal reflux patients. The results we found show we are heading in the right direction to treating reflux without medication."

The diet suggested by Dr. Zalvan consists of mostly fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts with near complete cessation of dairy and meats including beef, chicken, fish, eggs and pork. This is in addition to standard reflux diet precautions like avoiding coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, greasy and fried food, spicy foods, fatty foods and alcohol. Along with relieving reflux symptoms, Dr. Zalvan noted that many of his patients who were treated with a plant-based diet also experienced some weight loss and a reduction of symptoms and medication use from other medical conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Dr. Zalvan said that a plant-based diet approach with alkaline water and standard reflux precautions should either be attempted prior to the use of medication or with the short-term use of medication for more severe needs.

"Dr. Zalvan's approach of challenging assumptions in treatment norms epitomizes our view of medical research at the Feinstein Institute and Northwell Health," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute. "We are committed to developing novel strategies to benefit our patients in a way that positively impacts medical practice globally."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Northwell Health. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Craig H. Zalvan, Shirley Hu, Barbara Greenberg, Jan Geliebter. A Comparison of Alkaline Water and Mediterranean Diet vs Proton Pump Inhibition for Treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 2017; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2017.1454

Cite This Page:

Northwell Health. "Mediterranean-style diet may eliminate need for reflux medications." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170907143005.htm>.

Folic acid may mitigate autism risk from pesticides

Date: September 8, 2017

Source: University of California - Davis Health System

Summary:

Researchers have shown that mothers who take recommended amounts of folic acid around conception might reduce their children's pesticide-related autism risk.

Researchers at UC Davis and other institutions have shown that mothers who take recommended amounts of folic acid around conception might reduce their children's pesticide-related autism risk.

In the study, children whose mothers took 800 or more micrograms of folic acid (the amount in most prenatal vitamins) had a significantly lower risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -- even when their mothers were exposed to household or agricultural pesticides associated with increased risk. The study appears today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

"We found that if the mom was taking folic acid during the window around conception, the risk associated with pesticides seemed to be attenuated," said Rebecca J. Schmidt, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and first author on the paper. "Mothers should try to avoid pesticides. But if they live near agriculture, where pesticides can blow in, this might be a way to counter those effects."

In the paper, which used data from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study, researchers looked at 296 children between 2 and 5 who had been diagnosed with ASD and 220 who had developed typically. Mothers were interviewed about their household pesticide exposure during pregnancy, as well as their folic acid and B vitamin intake. The team also linked data from California Pesticide Use reports, which provide important details about agricultural spraying, with the mothers' addresses.

Mothers who took less than 800 micrograms and encountered household pesticides had a much higher estimated risk of having a child who developed an ASD than moms who took 800 micrograms of folic acid or more and were not exposed to pesticides. The associated risk increased for women exposed repeatedly. Women with low folic acid intake who were exposed to agricultural pesticides during a window from three months before conception to three months afterward also were at higher estimated risk.

"Folic acid intake below the median and exposure to pesticides was associated with higher risk of autism than either low intake or exposure alone," said Schmidt, a UC Davis MIND Institute faculty member. "The mothers who had the highest risk were the ones who were exposed to pesticides regularly."

While folic acid did reduce the associated risk of a child developing autism, it did not entirely eliminate it.

"It would be better for women to avoid chronic pesticide exposure if they can while pregnant," Schmidt said.

The authors caution that this is a case-control study that relied heavily on participants' memories. In addition, they have yet to establish a causal link. However, these results certainly warrant larger studies to validate them. The team is also eager to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to folic acid's possible protective effects.

"Folate plays a critical role in DNA methylation (a process by which genes are turned off or on), as well as in DNA repair and synthesis," said Schmidt. "These are all really important during periods of rapid growth when there are lots of cells dividing, as in a developing fetus. Adding folic acid might be helping out in a number of these genomic functions."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - Davis Health System. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Cite This Page:

University of California - Davis Health System. "Folic acid may mitigate autism risk from pesticides." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170908205535.htm>.

Distribuição da Bauhinia forficata no Brasil

Em todo o Brasil é possível encontrar alguma planta do gênero Bauhinia conhecida como unha-de-vaca ou pata-de-vaca. No entanto, a maioria é encontrada como parte da arborização urbana e pertencente à espécie Bauhinia variegata. Vaz e Tozzi (2005) citam que o gênero Bauhinia é bastante amplo, com cerca de 300 espécies, sendo 200 consideradas brasileiras.

Apesar de haver referências sobre uso medicinal de algumas espécies ou variedades do gênero Bauhinia, a mais estudada, principalmente como coadjuvante no tratamento da diabetes, é a Bauhinia forficata. A principal diferença dessa espécie com as outras espécies, é a presença de espinhos.

Além dos nomes populares já citados, a B. forficata, também é denominada popularmente, por casco-de-vaca, pata-de-boi, miroró, mororó, dentre outros. Pertence à família Fabaceae e sua nomenclatura aceita após revisões passou a ser Bauhinia forficata subsp. pruinosa (Vogel) Fortunato & Wunderlin.

Lorenzi (1992) observa que B. forficata ocorre no Rio de Janeiro, e de Minas Gerais ao Rio Grande do Sul, principalmente na floresta pluvial Atlântica.

Outras informações sobre sua distribuição no Brasil podem ser encontradas no site: floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br. Como, por exemplo:

Distribuição no Brasil: ocorrências confirmadas no Nordeste (Alagoas, Bahia, Pernambuco); no Sudeste ( Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo) e no Sul (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina). A espécie é encontrada no Domínio Fitogeográfico Mata Atlântica. 

Com relação aos tipos de Vegetação, o site cita as seguintes: Área Antrópica, Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, Floresta Ombrófila (=Floresta Pluvial), Floresta Ombrófila Mista.

Referência do site:

Bauhinia in Flora do Brasil 2020 em construção. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Disponível em: <http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/floradobrasil/FB82666>. Acesso em: 20 Set. 2017,

Figura 1. Mapa de Distribuição da Bauhinia forficata no Brasil. Fonte: http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br.

Referências Bibliográficas:

Lorenzi H. Árvores Brasileiras: Manual de identificação e cultivo de plantas arbóreas nativas do Brasil. Nova Odessa: Plantarum. 1992.

de Lusa MG. Análise morfoanatômica comparativa da folha de Bauhinia forficata Link. Acta bot. bras. 2009; 23(1):196-211. 2009. Disponível em: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/abb/v23n1/v23n1a22.pdf. Acesso em: 20 Set. 2017.

Vaz AMSF, Tozzi AMGA. Bauhinia ser. Cansenia (Leguminosae: Caesalpinoideae) no Brasil. Rodriguésia. 2003 ;54:55-143. Disponível em: https://rodriguesia.jbrj.gov.br/FASCICULOS/rodrig54_83/55483.pdf. Acesso em: 20 Set. 2017.

Texto: 

Engenheiros Agrônomos: Mary Ellen Souza Melo, Marcos Roberto Furlan

VT ERVAS MEDICINAIS

'Epigenetic' changes from cigarette smoke may be first step in lung cancer development

Date: September 11, 2017

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Summary:

Scientists say they have preliminary evidence in laboratory-grown, human airway cells that a condensed form of cigarette smoke triggers so-called 'epigenetic' changes in the cells consistent with the earliest steps toward lung cancer development.

An illustration of how cigarette smoke triggers epigenetic changes in airway cells.

Credit: Jennifer Fairman

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have preliminary evidence in laboratory-grown, human airway cells that a condensed form of cigarette smoke triggers so-called "epigenetic" changes in the cells consistent with the earliest steps toward lung cancer development.

Epigenetic processes are essentially switches that control a gene's potentially heritable levels of protein production but without involving changes to underlying structure of a gene's DNA. One example of such an epigenetic change is methylation -- when cells add tiny methyl chemical groups to a beginning region of a gene's DNA sequence, often silencing the gene's activation.

"Our study suggests that epigenetic changes to cells treated with cigarette smoke sensitize airway cells to genetic mutations known to cause lung cancers," says Stephen Baylin, M.D., the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research and professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Details of the scientists' experiments are described in the Sept. 11 issue of Cancer Cell.

For two decades, scientists have known some of the genetic culprits that drive lung cancer growth, including mutations in a gene called KRAS, which are present in one-third of patients with smoking-related lung cancers, according to Baylin. Genetic and epigenetic changes also occur when normal cells undergo chronic stress, such as the repeated irritation and inflammation caused by decades of exposure to cigarette smoke and its contents.

Baylin and Johns Hopkins scientist Michelle Vaz, Ph.D., first author on the study, suspected that the interplay of epigenetic and genetic changes may occur when normal lung cells develop into cancer, but, Baylin says, the timing of such changes was unknown.

To create the effect of tobacco smoke on cells, Vaz, Baylin and their colleagues began their studies with human bronchial cells, which line the airways of the lungs, and grew them in a laboratory. Every day for 15 months, the scientists bathed the cells with a liquid form of cigarette smoke, which they say is comparable to smoking one to two packs of cigarettes daily.

The scientists recorded the molecular and genetic changes in the smoke-exposed cells over 10 to 15 months, which the scientists say may be similar to 20 to 30 years of smoking, and compared the changes to bronchial cells that had not been exposed to the liquid smoke.

After 10 days of smoke exposure, the scientists found an overall increase in DNA damage responses to so-called reactive oxygen species within the cells. Reactive oxygen species, also called free radicals, are chemicals that typically contain oxygen, are known to be found in cigarette smoke, and cause DNA damage in cells.

Between 10 days and three months, the cells exposed to smoke had a two- to four-fold increase in the amount of an enzyme called EZH2, which works to dampen the expression of genes. Baylin and other scientists have shown that EZH2 and its effects can precede abnormal DNA methylation in gene start sites.

After EZH2 enzymes rise, their levels taper off, and then, the scientists found two to three-fold increases in a protein called DNMT1, which maintains DNA methylation in the "start" location of a variety of tumor suppressor genes that normally suppress cell growth. When these genes are silenced a barrier is removed that might otherwise stop the cells from growing uncontrollably -- a hallmark of cancer.

A host of other genes, which control many other cellular processes do not show such abnormal DNA methylation after smoke exposure.

Baylin says certain genes that control cell growth get turned down periodically during certain stages of life, including embryogenesis, when organisms are growing and developing rapidly. These genes can normally be turned on when cells need to stop growth and allow cells to mature. Chronic cigarette smoke exposure, as noted in many human cancers, tends to block these cell maturation genes from properly turning on, says Baylin.

At the end of six months, the amount of EZH2 and DNMT1 enzymes had tapered off in the cells exposed to the smoke. However, the impact of the two methylation-regulating enzymes was still seen at 10 to 15 months, when scientists found decreased expression of hundreds of genes -- many of which are key tumor suppressor genes such as BMP3, SFRP2 and GATA4 -- in the smoke-exposed cells and a five- or-more-fold increase in the signaling of the KRAS oncogene that is known to be mutated in smoking-related lung cancers.

However, no mutations were found in the KRAS gene itself or the tumor suppressor genes during the 15-month period of cigarette smoke exposure. These abnormally methylated and silenced genes, says Baylin, would have blocked the increase in KRAS signaling if the genes had been properly activated under smoke-free circumstances.

The scientists also found that the timing of epigenetic and genetic events may be key to lung cancer development. They tested this by inserting mutations into the KRAS gene in the DNA of cells exposed to the cigarette smoke condensate for six months as well as those exposed for 15 months. The scientists found that the inserted mutation transformed cells into cancer in only the 15-month cells, where methylation was fully established, but not in the six-month-exposed cells.

Vaz and Baylin say the results suggest that early epigenetic changes triggered by chronic cigarette smoke exposure can build up over time and make the airway cells increasingly sensitive to responding to mutations that initiate cancer.

They say that smokers can best lower their risk of cancer by quitting altogether, and the sooner a smoker quits, the lower their lung cancer risk may be. Their analysis of data in previous studies done by The Cancer Genome Atlas group have shown that the types of abnormal methylation levels they found are lower in smokers who have quit for more than 10 years than those who have not quit.

It may be possible to use de-methylating drugs, they say, for people with higher than normal risk for lung cancer, such as people who have had surgery for early forms of the disease. Such drugs are currently used in clinical trials for certain types of cancer and are standard therapy for a type of pre-leukemia condition.

The scientists caution that their model, as is the case with any laboratory model, may not be exactly what occurs in people during a lengthy period of smoking, but they say it's a first step in understanding the epigenetic processes that may occur early in the transformation of cells into lung cancer.

The scientists also do not know if their model applies to people who smoke e-cigarettes or other forms of tobacco, as their study used condensates typically found in traditional cigarettes.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Michelle Vaz, Stephen Y. Hwang, Ioannis Kagiampakis, Jillian Phallen, Ashwini Patil, Heather M. O'Hagan, Lauren Murphy, Cynthia A. Zahnow, Edward Gabrielson, Victor E. Velculescu, Hariharan P. Easwaran, Stephen B. Baylin. Chronic Cigarette Smoke-Induced Epigenomic Changes Precede Sensitization of Bronchial Epithelial Cells to Single-Step Transformation by KRAS Mutations. Cancer Cell, 2017; 32 (3): 360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2017.08.006

Cite This Page:

Johns Hopkins Medicine. "'Epigenetic' changes from cigarette smoke may be first step in lung cancer development." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170911122714.htm>.

Curso de ervas medicinais em Campo Erê.

Your stools reveal whether you can lose weight

Date: September 12, 2017

Source: Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen

Summary:

Something as simple as a feces sample reveals whether you can lose weight by following dietary recommendations characterized by a high content of fruit, vegetables, fibers and whole grains, report scientists.

The bacteria we all have in our gut may play a decisive role in personalized nutrition and the development of obesity.

Credit: © aamulya / Fotolia

Something as simple as a feces sample reveals whether you can lose weight by following dietary recommendations characterized by a high content of fruit, vegetables, fibers and whole grains. This is a finding of a new study conducted at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The bacteria we all have in our gut may play a decisive role in personalized nutrition and the development of obesity. This is shown by several studies that have delved into the significance of these bacteria.

"Human intestinal bacteria have been linked to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, and scientists have started to investigate whether the intestinal bacteria can play a role in the treatment of overweight. But it is only now that we have a breakthrough demonstrating that certain bacterial species play a decisive role in weight regulation and weight loss" says Professor Arne Astrup, Head of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The ratio between the two groups of intestinal bacteria is crucial

A relationship between two groups of intestinal bacteria is decisive for whether overweight people lose weight on a diet that follows the Danish national dietary recommendations and contains a lot of fruit, vegetables, fiber and whole grains. In the study 31 subjects ate the New Nordic Diet for 26 weeks and lost an average of 3.5 kg, whereas the 23 subjects eating an Average Danish Diet lost an average of 1.7 kg. Thus weight loss was on average 1.8 kilos greater in the subjects on the New Nordic Diet.

High proportion of Prevotella bacteria lead to weight loss

When the subjects were divided by their level of intestinal bacteria, it was found that people with a high proportion of Prevotellabacteria in relation to Bacteroides bacteria lost 3.5 kg more in 26 weeks when they ate a diet composed by the New Nordic Diet principles compared to those consuming an Average Danish Diet. Subjects with a low proportion of Prevotella bacteria in relation to Bacteroides did not lose any additional weight on the New Nordic Diet. Overall, approximately 50 percent of the population has a high proportion of Prevotella-bacteria in relation to Bacteroides-bacteria.

"The study shows that only about half of the population will lose weight if they eat in accordance with the Danish national dietary recommendations and eat more fruit, vegetables, fibers and whole grains. The other half of the population doesn't seem to gain any benefit in weight from this change of diet," says Assistant Professor Mads Fiil Hjorth at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. He continues: "These people should focus on other diet and physical activity recommendations until a strategy that works especially well for them is identified."

The researchers emphasize that they have already confirmed the results in two independent studies, so they are certain that these results are credible.

Personalized weight loss guidance

The results show that biomarkers, e.g. faecal samples, blood samples, or other samples from our body, which says something about our state of health, should play a far greater role in nutritional guidance. Simply because biomarkers allow us to adapt the guidance to the individual.

"This is a major step forward in personalized nutritional guidance. Guidance based on this knowledge of intestinal bacteria will most likely be more effective than the "one size fits all" approach that often characterises dietary recommendations and dietary guidance," says Assistant Professor Mads Fiil Hjorth.

At present it is primarily research units at universities and other academic institutions that examine the composition of intestinal bacteria, but as an effect of this breakthrough the University of Copenhagen has licensed a company in Boston, USA, to develop and publish a concept based on this research, that will be of benefit to obese people.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

M F Hjorth, H M Roager, T M Larsen, S K Poulsen, T R Licht, M I Bahl, Y Zohar, A Astrup. Pre-treatment microbial Prevotella-to-Bacteroides ratio, determines body fat loss success during a 6-month randomized controlled diet intervention. International Journal of Obesity, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2017.220

Cite This Page:

Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen. "Your stools reveal whether you can lose weight." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912093122.htm>.

Tomatoes' crystal ball reveals evolutionary secrets

Date: September 12, 2017

Source: Michigan State University

Summary:

Scientists have focused on a single type of molecule in trichomes - acylsugars. The secrets the scientists found from studying these specialized metabolites open an evolutionary window for the emerging field of plant defense metabolism, insights that could lead to engineering advances for better pest resistance and human medicine.

Michigan State University's Robert Last studies tomatoes. Specifically, he researches their hair, or trichomes.

For this study, he focused on a single type of molecule in trichomes -- acylsugars. The secrets Last and a team of MSU scientists found from studying these specialized metabolites open an evolutionary window for the emerging field of plant defense metabolism, insights that could lead to engineering advances for better pest resistance and human medicine.

There are an estimated 300,000 species of plants in the world, producing roughly more than a million metabolites. Plants use these molecules to grow, communicate with each other or to defend themselves against pests and disease. Humans benefit from many of these products for food, medicines and industrial uses. Thousands of core metabolites are found in every plant, but hundreds of thousands are more specialized and found only in specific groups of plants.

Acylsugars are an example of a group of specialized metabolites found only in the Solanaceae family, which includes tomato and petunia plants. These specialized metabolites have a wide variety of structures and are made by different enzymes working together to carry out a series of biochemical reactions.

"We sought to understand how this novel pathway originated and diversified across 100 million years of plant evolution," said Last, MSU Barnett Rosenberg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Plant Biology and the study's senior author. "This is our crystal ball, our view into evolution."

The crystal ball revealed that many of the enzymes that make acylsugars are "promiscuous," meaning that they could use a variety of molecules as starting points for their chemical reactions. This could be the key as to how the plants make a variety of acylsugars.

The scientists also discovered that many of the enzymes that make acylsugars are encoded by genes that were originally copies of other genes that have subsequently evolved new roles.

Deciphering these codes are important because tomatoes' acylsugars are natural pesticides. Engineering plants to produce acylsugars could reduce pesticide use in crop production. Additionally, some of these mechanisms could help make chemicals that have pharmaceutical value, including ones that treat cancer and heart conditions.

"Plants are master chemists, and we're only just beginning to understand the metabolic pathways that they use to produce these amazing compounds," said Last, who's also an MSU AgBioResearch scientist. "By understanding how the pathways evolved to produce these enzymes could lead to innovative ways to make valuable compounds on a large scale."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Michigan State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Gaurav D Moghe, Bryan J Leong, Steven M Hurney, A Daniel Jones, Robert L Last. Evolutionary routes to biochemical innovation revealed by integrative analysis of a plant-defense related specialized metabolic pathway. eLife, 2017; 6 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.28468

Cite This Page:

Michigan State University. "Tomatoes' crystal ball reveals evolutionary secrets." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912134906.htm>.

Cold comfort: Fat-rich diets and adaptation among indigenous Siberian populations

Date: September 12, 2017

Source: Molecular Biology and Evolution (Oxford University Press)

Summary:

Recently, scientists have been exploring the genetic signatures of adaptation in several indigenous cold-adapted human populations. Now, a new study has identified new signals of adaptation across multiple genes and exploring a rich demographic history. By performing extensive analyses on DNA sequencing data for two North-Central Siberian populations, the Nganasan (nomadic hunters) and Yakut (herders), they have been able to infer the most comprehensive demographic and adaptive history.

See more at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912170505.htm

Health benefits of olives and olive oil

A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism.

Date: September 12, 2017

Source:

Virginia TechSummary:A research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps prevent type 2 diabetes.

Olive oil.

Credit: © Dušan Zidar / Fotolia

The health benefits of olives -- and associated natural products such as olive oil -- have long been recognized and touted by proponents of the Mediterranean diet.

However, little was previously known about what specific compounds and biochemical interactions in the fruit contribute to its medical and nutritional benefits such as weight loss and prevention of type 2 diabetes.

A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease.

The findings were recently published in the journal Biochemistry as a Rapid Report, which is reserved for timely topics of unusual interest, according to the journal.

"Our work provides new mechanistic insights into the long-standing question of why olive products can be anti- diabetic," said Bin Xu, lead author, assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a Fralin Life Science Institute affiliate. "We believe it will not only contribute to the biochemistry of the functions of the olive component oleuropein, but also have an impact on the general public to pay more attention to olive products in light of the current diabetes epidemic."

The discovery could help improve understanding of the scientific basis of health benefits of olive products and develop new, low-cost nutraceutical strategies to fight type 2 diabetes and related obesity.

Next steps include testing the compound in a diabetic animal model and investigation of additional new functions of this compound, or its components, in metabolism and aging.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Virginia Tech. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Ling Wu, Paul Velander, Dongmin Liu, Bin Xu. Olive component oleuropein promotes β-cell insulin secretion and protects β-cells from amylin amyloid induced cytotoxicity. Biochemistry, 2017; DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00199

Cite This Page:

Virginia Tech. "Health benefits of olives and olive oil: A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism.." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912161025.htm>.

New research on probiotics in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer

Histamine-producing probiotic reduces inflammation and suppresses colon tumors in mice by supplying missing enzyme, according to report

Date: September 13, 2017

Source: Elsevier

Summary:

In an innovative approach to colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention and treatment, scientists are studying ways to replace missing metabolites in patients prone to gut inflammation and CRC. A new study describes how administration of histamine-producing gut microbes to mice lacking the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC) reduced inflammation and tumor formation. These results suggest that alteration of the gut microbiome with probiotics may become a new preventative or therapeutic strategy for patients at risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated CRC.

See more at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170913084437.htm

Asthma drug from the garden center

Researchers test a substance from the leaves of a common ornamental plant

Date: September 13, 2017

Source: University of Bonn

Summary:

The coralberry could offer new hope for asthmatics: researchers have extracted a new kind of active pharmaceutical ingredient from its leaves to combat this widespread respiratory disease. In mice, it almost completely inhibits the characteristic contraction of the airways. The plant itself is not exotic: it can be found in any well-stocked garden center.

The leaves of the coralberry (Ardisia crenata) contain the natural substance FR900359.

Credit: © Photo: Raphael Reher/Daniela Wenzel/Uni Bonn

The coralberry could offer new hope for asthmatics: researchers at the University of Bonn have extracted a new kind of active pharmaceutical ingredient from its leaves to combat this widespread respiratory disease. In mice, it almost completely inhibits the characteristic contraction of the airways. The plant itself is not exotic: it can be found in any well-stocked garden center. The study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The coralberry is no outstanding beauty most of the year. This however changes in the winter months: it then forms striking, bright red berries, which make it a popular ornamental plant during this time. Nevertheless, the scientists involved in the study are interested in the plant for another reason: the leaves of the coralberry contain a substance with the cryptic name FR900359. It is assumed that this could be suitable as a medication against certain diseases, despite the fact that Ardisia crenata (its botanical name) has so far been largely disregarded by science.

Researchers at the Institutes of Physiology I, Pharmaceutical Biology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Bonn, together with asthma specialists from Nottingham (United Kingdom), have now published a study that could change this. They found that FR900359 is very effective at preventing the bronchial muscles from contracting. Asthmatics regularly suffer from these pronounced contractions preventing adequate ventilation of the lungs. The resulting shortness of breath can be life-threatening.

More effective than common medicines

The new compound relieves these spasms -- and is supposedly more effective and has a more prolonged action than the most common asthma drug salbutamol. "However, we have so far only tested the substance in asthmatic mice," explains junior professor Dr. Daniela Wenzel. Wenzel is doing research in respiratory diseases at the Institute of Physiology I at the University of Bonn; she was the leader of the study.

The idea to test FR900359 came from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology: there, the scientists managed to isolate and characterize the active pharmaceutical substance from the leaves of the coralberry. "This compound inhibits critical signaling molecules in our cells, the Gq proteins," explains Wenzel. Gq proteins exert key functions in many processes in the body -- including control of the airway tone.

Normally, interaction of various signaling pathways induces narrowing of the airways. Inhibition of individual signaling pathways can reduce the contraction of the respiratory tract. However, this does not make it possible to completely prevent such contractions in patients with severe asthma. The various contracting signals converge on Gq proteins and trigger airway spasm. "When we inhibit the activation of Gq proteins with FR900359, we achieve a much greater effect," emphasizes Dr. Michaela Matthey from the Institute of Physiology I.

This worked exceptionally well in asthmatic mice in the study. "We were able to prevent the animals from reacting to allergens such as house dust mite with a narrowing of the bronchia," Wenzel is pleased to report. There were hardly any side effects, as the active pharmaceutical ingredient could be applied via inhalation to the respiratory tract and thus only reached the systemic circulation in small quantities. However, it is not known whether the substance is also suitable for use in people. Although the scientists have already been able to show that human bronchial muscle cells in a petri dish and isolated human airways react in a similarly promising manner, further tests, which could take years, are required prior to its application in people.

Nevertheless, the work is already a great success. This is no coincidence: the German Research Foundation (DFG) funds the research group "G protein signal cascades: creating new pharmaceutical concepts with molecular probes and active pharmaceutical ingredients" at the University of Bonn. The aim is to pharmaceutically influence central signaling molecules such as the Gq proteins to identify novel substances for the treatment of certain diseases. Physiologists and pharmacists at the University collaborate closely within the research group; the current study is the result of this successful scientific interaction.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Bonn. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Michaela Matthey, Richard Roberts, Alexander Seidinger, Annika Simon, Ralf Schröder, Markus Kuschak, Suvi Annala, Gabriele M. König, Christa E. Müller, Ian P. Hall, Evi Kostenis, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Daniela Wenzel. Targeted inhibition of G q signaling induces airway relaxation in mouse models of asthma. Science Translational Medicine, 2017; 9 (407): eaag2288 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aag2288

Cite This Page:

University of Bonn. "Asthma drug from the garden center: Researchers test a substance from the leaves of a common ornamental plant." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170913193128.htm>.

Ricin only lethal in combination with sugar

Date: September 19, 2017

Source: Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA)

Summary:

Researchers have discovered a means of immunizing cells against the biological weapon ricin, which, they report, is only lethal when combined with sugar.

Jasmin Taubenschmid, PhD student at IMBA and first author of the study with a ricin plant.

Credit: Image courtesy of Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA)

Researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) have discovered a means of immunizing cells against the biological weapon ricin, as reported in the current issue of Cell Research.

The plant toxin ricin is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring proteins, making it an extremely dangerous bioweapon. Ricin attacks have made the headlines a number of times over the years, including the spectacular "umbrella murder" in London in the 1970s, or more recently the ricin letters addressed to Barack Obama in 2014. As there is no antidote, it is all the more fortunate that the letters were intercepted.

Ricin takes effect once it enters an organism. It destroys cells' "protein machines," known as ribosomes, rendering one of the fundamental processes required for life inactive. Even minute doses can kill within 36-72 hours. The plant that produces the lethal poison, Ricinus communis, is also found in some front gardens and parks. Castor oil extracted from the plant's seeds -- the soluble poison comes from the seed coat -- has medical and industrial uses. Scientists have been searching for an effective ricin antidote for decades. However, cytotoxins like ricin also provide important insights into the molecular characteristics of cells, such as the contact points which a poison uses to enter cells and how it makes its way to the part of the cell where it obstructs processes that are essential for life. There is also the question of how cells can protect themselves.

Ricin requires access code containing sugar

IMBA researchers have now discovered that sugar is a key factor. The researchers identified two genes that make ricin so lethal. Fut9 and Slc35c1 regulate metabolism of a particular sugar in cells, namely an essential monosaccharide called fucose -- not to be confused with fructose or fruit sugar. It attaches to proteins and is subsequently able to change their form and function. Because fucose also attaches to proteins in the cell wall, it plays an important role in communication and transport between cells and their surroundings. As reported in Cell Research, both Fut9 and Slc35c1 are responsible for ricin's toxic effect because they give the poison access to cells' transport systems, enabling it to reach the ribosomes, which it ultimately destroys.

"Inhibiting these genes, for instance by means of a synthesised molecule, obstructs the transport of ricin into the cells and stops it reaching those parts where it can unleash such significant damage. This is because the poison requires a typical sugar signature on the cell wall to which it can attach," explained Jasmin Taubenschmid, a PhD student in the IMBA team headed by Josef Penninger. Taubenschmid and protein researcher Johannes Stadlmann are the lead authors of the recently published study. The research also delivers new insights into the interplay between proteins and sugar, which plays a part in various fundamental biological processes. "Previous research looked at proteins and sugar separately. But it turns out that the interaction between them is particularly fascinating, and this has generated an entirely new level of information," Stadlmann pointed out.

Extremely rare genetic defect the key to ricin therapy?

A special partnership with the University of Münster and Heidelberg University shed light on the mechanism through which the poison has an effect. University hospital departments provided the IMBA research team with cell samples from a patient who was unable to metabolise fucose due to an extremely rare genetic defect. He was one of only a handful of people who might have survived an attempted umbrella murder. This is because ricin is not toxic without this particular sugar. "Research into rare diseases often produces astonishing findings which are useful to a large number of people," commented IMBA Scientific Director Josef Penninger. In this particular case, research on the very rare inability to metabolise fucose -- only three cases have been identified worldwide -- contributed significantly to the idea of developing a preventive therapy against ricin poisoning.

Story Source:

Materialsprovided by Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Jasmin Taubenschmid, Johannes Stadlmann, Markus Jost, Tove Irene Klokk, Cory D Rillahan, Andreas Leibbrandt, Karl Mechtler, James C Paulson, Julian Jude, Johannes Zuber, Kirsten Sandvig, Ulrich Elling, Thorsten Marquardt, Christian Thiel, Christian Koerner, Josef M Penninger. A vital sugar code for ricin toxicity. Cell Research, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/cr.2017.116

Cite This Page:

Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA). "Ricin only lethal in combination with sugar." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170919092351.htm>.

Taking a break from dieting may improve weight loss

Research showed in a randomized controlled trial, that taking a 2-week break during dieting may improve weight loss

Date: September 18, 2017

Source: University of Tasmania

Summary:

Avoiding continuous dieting may be the key to losing weight and keeping the kilos off, the latest research shows. Researchers showed in a randomized controlled trial, that taking a two-week break during dieting may improve weight loss.

See more at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918222235.htm

Exposure to pet and pest allergens during infancy linked to reduced asthma risk

Date: September 19, 2017

Source: NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Summary:

Children exposed to high indoor levels of pet or pest allergens during infancy have a lower risk of developing asthma by 7 years of age, new research reveals. The findings may provide clues for the design of strategies to prevent asthma from developing.

Baby and cat snuggling and sleeping.

Credit: © aynur_sh / Fotolia

Children exposed to high indoor levels of pet or pest allergens during infancy have a lower risk of developing asthma by 7 years of age, new research supported by the National Institutes of Health reveals. The findings, published September 19 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, may provide clues for the design of strategies to prevent asthma from developing.

While previous studies have established that reducing allergen exposure in the home helps control established asthma, the new findings suggest that exposure to certain allergens early in life, before asthma develops, may have a preventive effect. The observations come from the ongoing Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA -- pronounced "Eureka") study, which is funded by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) through its Inner-City Asthma Consortium.

"We are learning more and more about how the early-life environment can influence the development of certain health conditions," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "If we can develop strategies to prevent asthma before it develops, we will help alleviate the burden this disease places on millions of people, as well as on their families and communities."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8 percent of children in the United States currently have asthma, a chronic disease that intermittently inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma can result in missed time from school and work and is a major cause of emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

The URECA study investigates risk factors for asthma among children living in urban areas, where the disease is more prevalent and severe. Since 2005, URECA has enrolled 560 newborns from Baltimore, Boston, New York City and St. Louis at high risk for developing asthma because at least one parent has asthma or allergies. Study investigators have been following the children since birth, and the current research report evaluates the group through 7 years of age.

Among 442 children for whom researchers had enough data to assess asthma status at age 7 years, 130 children (29 percent) had asthma. Higher concentrations of cockroach, mouse and cat allergens present in dust samples collected from the children's homes during the first three years of life (at age 3 months, 2 years and 3 years) were linked to a lower risk of asthma by age 7 years. The researchers observed a similar association for dog allergen, although it was not statistically significant, meaning it could be due to chance. Additional analysis indicated that exposure to higher levels of these four allergens at age 3 months was associated with a lower risk of developing asthma.

Evidence also suggested that the microbial environment in the home during infancy may be associated with asthma risk. A previous report from URECA that assessed the microbiome of house dust collected in the first year of life suggested that exposure to certain bacteria during infancy may protect 3-year-olds from recurrent wheezing, a risk factor for developing asthma. In the current report, researchers found associations between the abundance of certain types of bacteria in the house dust and an asthma diagnosis by age 7 years, suggesting that exposure to certain types of bacteria in early life might influence development of asthma. However, additional research is needed to clarify the potential roles of these microbial exposures in asthma development.

"Our observations imply that exposure to a broad variety of indoor allergens, bacteria and bacterial products early in life may reduce the risk of developing asthma," said James E. Gern, M.D., the principal investigator of URECA and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Additional research may help us identify specific targets for asthma prevention strategies."

In addition, the seven-year URECA results confirm previous research linking development of childhood asthma to recognized risk factors such as prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke and maternal stress and depression. Investigators found that the presence of cotinine, which results from the breakdown of nicotine in the body, in the umbilical cord blood of newborns increased their risk of developing asthma by age 7 years. Maternal stress and depression reported during the first three years of the child's life also were associated with an increased risk of developing childhood asthma.

The URECA investigators are continuing to monitor the children. By dividing the children into groups based on characteristics of their allergies and asthma, the scientists hope to uncover additional information about which early-life factors influence development of allergic or non-allergic asthma.

Story Source:

Materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

GT O'Connor et al. Early-life home environment and risk of asthma among inner-city children. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.040

Cite This Page:

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "Exposure to pet and pest allergens during infancy linked to reduced asthma risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170919102555.htm>.

Ensuring broccoli sprouts retain their cancer-fighting compounds

Date: September 20, 2017

Source: American Chemical Society

Summary:

Raw broccoli sprouts, a rich source of potential cancer-fighting compounds, have become a popular health food in recent years. But conventional heat treatment used to kill bacteria on produce can reduce levels of the broccoli sprouts' helpful phytochemicals. Now researchers report that high pressure processing could wipe out harmful bacteria while maintaining high concentrations of its health-promoting ingredients.

Raw broccoli sprouts, a rich source of potential cancer-fighting compounds, have become a popular health food in recent years. But conventional heat treatment used to kill bacteria on produce can reduce levels of the broccoli sprouts' helpful phytochemicals. Now researchers report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistrythat high pressure processing could wipe out harmful bacteria while maintaining high concentrations of its health-promoting ingredients.

Research has found that broccoli sprouts contain anywhere from 10 to 100 times more glucosinolates than their mature counterparts. Glucosinolates are the main compounds in broccoli and its sprouts that are transformed into isothiocyanates when chopped or chewed. Studies suggest that isothiocyanates have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity. To help prevent bacterial contamination, the sprouts can be heated, but high temperatures can affect the conversion of glucosinolates to isothiocyanates. So Volker Böhm and colleagues wanted to explore an alternative method for getting rid of broccoli sprouts' microbial contamination.

The researchers treated sprouts with high pressure, a method that is sometimes used to ensure the safety of seeds, fruits and vegetables while preserving heat-sensitive nutrients. Results showed that processing broccoli sprouts at 400 to 600 megapascals increased the amount of glucosinolates that turned into isothiocyanates. Up to 85 percent of glucosinolates were converted under high pressure processing, boosting the plants' potential health-promoting compounds. The rate of conversion for mild heat treatment at 60 degrees Celsius was 69 percent. Isothiocyanate levels in boiled samples were undetectable or not quantifiable. Thus, the researchers say high pressure could be a preferred method over heating for processing broccoli sprouts.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Anna Westphal, Kenneth M. Riedl, Jessica L. Cooperstone, Shreya Kamat, V. M. Balasubramaniam, Steven J. Schwartz, Volker Böhm. High-Pressure Processing of Broccoli Sprouts: Influence on Bioactivation of Glucosinolates to Isothiocyanates. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2017; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01380

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Ensuring broccoli sprouts retain their cancer-fighting compounds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170920100015.htm>.

Both high, low levels of magnesium in blood linked to risk of dementia

Date: September 20, 2017

Source: American Academy of Neurology

Summary:

People with both high and low levels of magnesium in their blood may have a greater risk of developing dementia, according to a study.

People with both high and low levels of magnesium in their blood may have a greater risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the September 20, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"These results need to be confirmed with additional studies, but the results are intriguing," said study author Brenda C.T. Kieboom, MD, MSc, of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. "Since the current treatment and prevention options for dementia are limited, we urgently need to identify new risk factors for dementia that could potentially be adjusted. If people could reduce their risk for dementia through diet or supplements, that could be very beneficial."

The study involved 9,569 people with an average age of 65 who did not have dementia whose blood was tested for magnesium levels. The participants were followed for an average of eight years. During that time, 823 people were diagnosed with dementia. Of those, 662 people had Alzheimer's disease.

The participants were divided into five groups based on their magnesium levels. Both those with the highest and the lowest levels of magnesium had an increased risk of dementia, compared to those in the middle group.

Both the low and high groups were about 30 percent more likely to develop dementia than those in the middle group. Of the 1,771 people in the low magnesium group, 160 people developed dementia, which is a rate of 10.2 per 1,000 person-years. For the high magnesium group, 179 of the 1,748 people developed dementia, for a rate of 11.4 per 1,000 person-years. For the middle group, 102 of the 1,387 people developed dementia, for a rate of 7.8.

The results were the same after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect the risk of dementia and magnesium levels, such as body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use and kidney function.

Kieboom noted that almost all of the participants had magnesium levels in the normal range, with only 108 people with levels below normal and two people with levels above normal.

Foods that are good sources of magnesium include spinach, almonds, cashews, soy and black beans, whole grains, yogurt and avocados.

Kieboom said that if the results are confirmed, blood tests to measure magnesium levels could be used to screen for people at risk of dementia. She emphasized that the study does not prove that high or low levels of magnesium cause dementia; it only shows an association.

Limitations of the study include that magnesium levels were measured only once, so they could have changed, and that magnesium levels in the blood do not always represent the total level of magnesium in the body.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Academy of Neurology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Brenda C.T. Kieboom, Silvan Licher, Frank J. Wolters, M. Kamran Ikram, Ewout J. Hoorn, Robert Zietse, Bruno H. Stricker, M. Arfan Ikram. Serum magnesium is associated with the risk of dementia. Neurology, 2017; 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004517 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004517

Cite This Page:

American Academy of Neurology. "Both high, low levels of magnesium in blood linked to risk of dementia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 September 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170920182104.htm>.