QUINTAIS IMORTAIS

American Geriatrics Society. "Mediterranean-style diets linked to better brain function in older adults." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 July 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170725154208.htm>.

Deep learning predicts drug-drug and drug-food interactions

Development of a deep learning-based computational framework that predicts interactions for drug-drug or drug-food constituent pairs

Date: April 18, 2018 Source: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Summary: Scientists have developed a computational framework, DeepDDI, that accurately predicts and generates 86 types of drug-drug and drug-food interactions as outputs of human-readable sentences, which allows in-depth understanding of the drug-drug and drug-food interactions.

A Korean research team from KAIST developed a computational framework, DeepDDI, that accurately predicts and generates 86 types of drug-drug and drug-food interactions as outputs of human-readable sentences, which allows in-depth understanding of the drug-drug and drug-food interactions.

Drug interactions, including drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and drug-food constituent interactions (DFIs), can trigger unexpected pharmacological effects, including adverse drug events (ADEs), with causal mechanisms often unknown. However, current prediction methods do not provide sufficient details beyond the chance of DDI occurrence, or require detailed drug information often unavailable for DDI prediction.

To tackle this problem, Dr. Jae Yong Ryu, Assistant Professor Hyun Uk Kim and Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee, all from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), developed a computational framework, named DeepDDI, that accurately predicts 86 DDI types for a given drug pair. The research results were published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) on April 16, 2018, which is entitled "Deep learning improves prediction of drug-drug and drug-food interactions."

DeepDDI takes structural information and names of two drugs in pair as inputs, and predicts relevant DDI types for the input drug pair. DeepDDI uses deep neural network to predict 86 DDI types with a mean accuracy of 92.4% using the DrugBank gold standard DDI dataset covering 192,284 DDIs contributed by 191,878 drug pairs. Very importantly, DDI types predicted by DeepDDI are generated in the form of human-readable sentences as outputs, which describe changes in pharmacological effects and/or the risk of ADEs as a result of the interaction between two drugs in pair. For example, DeepDDI output sentences describing potential interactions between oxycodone (opioid pain medication) and atazanavir (antiretroviral medication) were generated as follows: "The metabolism of Oxycodone can be decreased when combined with Atazanavir"; and "The risk or severity of adverse effects can be increased when Oxycodone is combined with Atazanavir." By doing this, DeepDDI can provide more specific information on drug interactions beyond the occurrence chance of DDIs or ADEs typically reported to date.

DeepDDI was first used to predict DDI types of 2,329,561 drug pairs from all possible combinations of 2,159 approved drugs, from which DDI types of 487,632 drug pairs were newly predicted. Also, DeepDDI can be used to suggest which drug or food to avoid during medication in order to minimize the chance of adverse drug events or optimize the drug efficacy. To this end, DeepDDI was used to suggest potential causal mechanisms for the reported ADEs of 9,284 drug pairs, and also predict alternative drug candidates for 62,707 drug pairs having negative health effects to keep only the beneficial effects. Furthermore, DeepDDI was applied to 3,288,157 drug-food constituent pairs (2,159 approved drugs and 1,523 well-characterized food constituents) to predict DFIs. The effects of 256 food constituents on pharmacological effects of interacting drugs and bioactivities of 149 food constituents were also finally predicted. All these prediction results can be useful if an individual is taking medications for a specific (chronic) disease such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus type 2.

Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee said, "We have developed a platform technology DeepDDI that will allow precision medicine in the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution. DeepDDI can serve to provide important information on drug prescription and dietary suggestions while taking certain drugs to maximize health benefits and ultimately help maintain a healthy life in this aging society."

Story Source:

Materials provided by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Jae Yong Ryu, Hyun Uk Kim, Sang Yup Lee. Deep learning improves prediction of drug–drug and drug–food interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018; 201803294 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803294115

Cite This Page:

https://jornal.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/JAMBU-PATENTES.mp3

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). "Deep learning predicts drug-drug and drug-food interactions: Development of a deep learning-based computational framework that predicts interactions for drug-drug or drug-food constituent pairs." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180418111623.htm>.

Cannabis sativa, patrimônio vegetal da humanidade? - outraspalavras.net/outrasmidias

Link:

https://outraspalavras.net/outrasmidias/destaque-outras-midias/cannabis-sativa-patrimonio-vegetal-humanidade/

30 DE MAIO DE 2018

Dezenas de milhares participam da Marcha da Maconha de 2018, em São Paulo. Preconceito começa a ceder e setores cada vez mais amplos da sociedade defendem legalização

Seminário internacional debate, no Rio, uso medicinal na planta. E ouve relatos de quem já se prepara para produção — orgânica e em cooperativas — quando, enfim, vier a legalização

Por Gustavo Carvalho, na Agência Fiocruz de Notícias

A discussão sobre a regulamentação do uso medicinal da cannabis marcou o seminário internacional Cannabis Medicinal – Um Olhar para o Futuro desde a abertura, com o anúncio do diretor da Anvisa, Jarbas Barbosa, de que isso acontecerá ainda nesse semestre, para fins de pesquisa e produção. Mas na mesa específica sobre o tema, na tarde do primeiro dia (18/5), o advogado Emílio Figueiredo apontou caminhos que vão além dos tramites oficiais. Para ele, a planta deve ser considerada “patrimônio vegetal da humanidade, e não podemos falar de regulamentação sem ouvir as comunidades, quem trouxe a cannabis para cá foram os negros escravizados da África, eles têm que ser ouvidos”. O evento é fruto da parceria entre a Fiocruz, Associação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Pacientes de Cannabis Medicinal (Apepi) e o Museu do Amanhã.

Como advogado de movimentos sociais e de associações de pessoas que fazem uso terapêutico da cannabis, Emílio fez questão de apresentar propostas pragmáticas. Ele enfatizou a necessidade de reinterpretação dos tratados internacionais, “a Jipe [Junta Internacional de Fiscalização de Entorpecentes, da ONU] vem aqui fiscalizar e diz que não tem objetivo de desrespeitar os direitos humanos, só que a política de drogas baseada em suas determinações no Brasil desrespeita esses direitos”.

Ele defendeu que essa revisão deve envolver o Estado, empresas e o terceiro setor. O primeiro teria o papel regulamentar, fiscalizar e tributar, as empresas têm capacidade de dar escala à produção atender um grande número de pessoas de forma rápida, mas são feitas para lucrar. “As associações podem realizar qualquer atividade, podem fazer tudo que as empresas fazem, menos distribuir lucro para seus associados e diretores, todo superávit operacional, deve ser reinvestido em suas atividades”, disse.

Emílio afirmou que as “empresas da cannabis” não devem repetir os erros de outros setores, como a exploração dos trabalhadores, o desrespeito aos consumidores, a sonegação de impostos e os danos ao meio ambiente. Para ele, são necessários padrões de fiscalização diferenciados para a produção empresarial e a colaborativa e individual. “A Anvisa [Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária] não pode entrar na casa da pessoa e dizer ‘você tem que plantar maconha dessa forma para a sua saúde’, ela não pode te impedir de comer um bife gorduroso, não pode impedir de guardar maionese estragada na geladeira”, brincou o advogado, ponderando que os órgãos públicos podem publicar boas práticas para o cultivo.

Segundo ele, é necessário um modelo regulatório que contemple os pequenos produtores rurais, “não pode ser um latifúndio de cannabis, o latifúndio já causou problemas demais nesse país”. Para Emílio, a produção da cannabis é uma questão de soberania e segurança nacional, “estamos falando da saúde dos brasileiros, ela não pode se transformar numa commodity do mercado internacional”. Ele afirmou ainda, que o Brasil está criando uma regulamentação agora, depois de conhecer a experiência de diversos países, “não pode errar, não adianta copiar é preciso criar um modelo que leve em conta a realidade geográfica e social”.

A mesa-redonda contou ainda com a participação do jornalista Tarso Araujo, que apresentou um panorama das experiências de regulamentação da cannabis em diversos países. Tarso destacou as diferenças em relação à autorização para produção, distribuição, padrões de controle de qualidade, indicações para o uso medicinal. Ele afirmou que existe uma relação entre qualidade de vida e restrições ao acesso, que em países, como Israel e Holanda, onde a regulamentação é bastante abrangente, mas também flexível, os resultados são mais proveitosos para a sociedade.

A gerente de Produtos Controlados da Anvisa, Renata Souza, descreveu as diversas fases do processo de regulamentação da cannabis no Brasil. Renata lembrou que, desde a primeira demanda (2014) das famílias de pacientes para a importação do canabidiol (CBD), alguns passos foram dados, como a permissão da importação da cannabis para fins de ensino e pesquisa. Mas afirmou que ainda há um longo caminho até a regulamentação prometida pelo diretor da Agência, passando diversas audiências, reuniões setoriais e pela participação social através de consultas públicas.

Também participou da discussão o empresário Caio Santos, que fundou a Entourage Phytolab em 2015. A empresa atua na produção de cannabis medicinal em sociedade com a Bedrocan, companhia de origem holandesa que uma das maiores do mundo no setor. Para o empresário “empreender em cannabis no Brasil é uma luta, sem vontade política, não teremos a regulamentação”.

Cultivo e Produção

A manhã do segundo dia do Seminário (19/5) foi dedicada a experiências de produção e cultivo da cannabis. Sarah Balboa expôs o processo de produção em escala industrial da Revivid, empresa fundada em 2011 no Colorado (EUA). A Revivid é hoje uma das maiores empresas produtoras do Canabidiol (CBD) no mundo, trabalha com plantas orgânicas e alta tecnologia industrial, como o uso de CO2 para extrair óleos de maneira não tóxica e segura.

A empresa afirma ter controle total sobre o processo de produção, da planta ao produto final, com alto investimento em equipamentos para fabricação e controle de qualidade. Segundo a diretora da Revivid, a empresa conta com pesquisadores em seus laboratórios e técnicos treinados em procedimentos seguros de manuseio, resultando em um produto de alta qualidade farmacêutica. Trabalhando com o desenvolvimento genético, a empresa garante ter plantas com menos impurezas e concentrações mais adequadas de CBD.

Um nível intermediário de cultivo foi ilustrado pela experiência da Associação Brasileira de Apoio Cannabis Esperança (Abrace). Formado em antropologia e autor do livro Cannabis medicinal introdução ao cultivo, Sérgio Vidal é o cultivador responsável pela produção de Cannabis da Associação na Paraíba. A Abrace é uma organização sem fins lucrativos que distribui extratos como o CBD (puro ou na forma de óleos, sprays e pomadas) para pelo menos 600 pacientes com problemas neurológicos em todo o país. Desde novembro do ano passado tem autorização da Justiça Federal para cultivar e manipular a Cannabis sativa exclusivamente para fins medicinais.

O cultivo mantido pela Abrace é orgânico e sustentável, utilizando energia solar para suplementação das necessidades de iluminação que a cannabis exige. Utilizam defensivos agrícolas naturais, e cultivam sete subespécies da planta, com sementes de origem controlada, doadas por bancos de semente internacionais. A expectativa é que, a partir de setembro desse ano, possam colher de suas estufas em João Pessoa (PB) de 15 a 20 Kg de Cannabis em três meses.

A Associação, que tem como parceiros universidades e institutos nacionais e internacionais, espera concluir 2019 um processo de restruturação do cultivo e processamento. Será inaugurado um novo cultivo em Campina Grande (PB), com instalações hidropônicas, inclusive utilizando água de piscicultura, além de iniciar a produção própria de sementes. Para Vidal, “o cultivo associativo é a forma mais igualitária de permitir o uso medicinal”.

A experiência de cultivo pelos próprios pacientes e familiares foi relatada por Marcos Lins da Apoio à Pesquisa e Pacientes de Cannabis Medicinal (Apepi). Marcos é cofundador e diretor da Apepi e foi o primeiro Pai a ter o direito de plantar cannabis legalmente para sua filha, e faz oficinas de plantio e manufatura de óleo com as famílias. Ele conta que o grupo usava inicialmente óleos importados, mas as dificuldades para sua obtenção conduziram à utilização de um produto artesanal. O resultado foi até melhor em alguns casos, então decidiram plantar a Cannabis em suas casas e frequentemente trocam experiências sobre dificuldades e soluções no cultivo e produção do óleo.

A Apepi mantém há algum tempo uma parceria com a UFRJ, que ajuda com questões de higiene e outros cuidados na produção. Essa parceria gerou a iniciativa de angariar fundos coletivamente para compra de equipamentos para analisar e melhorar a qualidade do óleo que produzem, revelando um grau de concentração de CDB em alguns casos até mais adequado ao uso medicinal do que determinados produtos industrializados.

Uma pesquisa informal realizada pela Apepi revelou que, apesar da proibição e dos riscos, 76% dos associados não tem medo de plantar. Citando Martin Luther King, que afirmava que “temos o dever moral de obedecer a leis injustas”, Marcos incentiva o auto cultivo e desafia “alguém teria coragem de prender um pai ou mãe que planta para seu filho especial? ”.

Brasil está perdendo oportunidades de pesquisa do jambu

Para professora, lei de patente é suficiente na proteção de recursos, problema está na falta de investimento

Por Redação - Editorias: Atualidades, Rádio USP, Jornal da USP no Ar

21/06/2018

O jambu e suas propriedades são objeto de pesquisas desenvolvidas nos Estados Unidos e na Europa. O Brasil, no entanto, perde com a pouca exploração de sua biodiversidade ao mesmo tempo que concede patentes para estrangeiros. Pesquisadores da Universidade Federal do Amazonas (Ufam) foram impedidos de lançar na indústria uma pomada de uso odontológico feita a partir da substância spilantol, que possui propriedades anestésicas, por conta de patente registrada nos Estados Unidos.

Jambu é uma planta típica da região norte do Brasil – Foto: Wikipédia Commons

A professora Geciane Porto, da Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade de Ribeirão Preto (FEA-RP) da USP, comenta as condições para as concessões dessas patentes. Os EUA, onde a planta não existe, possuem 15 patentes registradas. Na Europa são 34. “Para a biodiversidade brasileira ser estudada, é necessária uma autorização. Existe um processo formal, que vale tanto para pesquisadores nacionais quanto para estrangeiros.”

Segundo ela, é necessária a apresentação de um projeto de pesquisa com a substância química a ser estudada. Para a realização da patente, é preciso uma “atividade inventiva”, na qual o pesquisador faz uma descoberta relacionada à alguma substância da planta e pode pedir autorização para patenteá-la.

“Nós perdemos uma grande oportunidade de fazer pesquisas sobre o jambu” acrescenta a professora. Geciane comenta que o Brasil começou tardiamente a desenvolver pesquisas sobre a planta, apesar do senso comum dos nativos do Norte do País sobre as propriedades da planta. Para a professora, a legislação é suficiente para proteger os recursos naturais do País. O problema está na falta de investimentos em pesquisa.

Jornal da USP no Ar, uma parceria do Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Faculdade de Medicina e Rádio USP, busca aprofundar temas nacionais e internacionais de maior repercussão e é veiculado de segunda a sexta-feira, das 7h30 às 9h30, com apresentação de Roxane Ré.

Você pode sintonizar a Rádio USP em São Paulo FM 93,7, em Ribeirão Preto FM 107,9, pela internet em www.jornal.usp.br ou pelo aplicativo no celular. Você pode ouvir a entrevista completa no player acima.

Link:

https://jornal.usp.br/atualidades/brasil-esta-perdendo-oportunidades-de-pesquisa-do-jambu/

Vitamin D deficiency linked to greater risk of diabetes

Date: April 19, 2018 Source: University of California - San Diego Summary: An epidemiological study suggests that persons deficient in vitamin D may be at much greater risk of developing diabetes.

An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Seoul National University suggests that persons deficient in vitamin D may be at much greater risk of developing diabetes.

The findings are reported in the April 19, 2018 online issue of PLOS One.

The scientists studied a cohort of 903 healthy adults (mean age: 74) with no indications of either pre-diabetes or diabetes during clinic visits from 1997 to 1999, and then followed the participants through 2009. Vitamin D levels in blood were measured during these visits, along with fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance.

Over the course of time, there were 47 new cases of diabetes and 337 new cases of pre-diabetes, in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes.

For the study, the researchers identified the minimum healthy level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in blood plasma to be 30 nanograms per milliliter. This is 10 ng/ml above the level recommended in 2010 by the Institute of Medicine, now part of The National Academies, a health advisory group to the federal government. Many groups, however, have argued for higher blood serum levels of vitamin D, as much as 50 ng/ml. The matter remains hotly debated.

"We found that participants with blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D that were above 30 ng/ml had one-third of the risk of diabetes and those with levels above 50 ng/ml had one-fifth of the risk of developing diabetes," said first author Sue K. Park, MD, in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea.

Study co-author Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, adjunct professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, said persons with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml were considered vitamin D deficient. These persons, the researchers found, were up to five times at greater risk for developing diabetes than people with levels above 50 ng/ml.

Garland, who has previously investigated connections between vitamin D levels and various types of cancer, said the study builds upon previous epidemiological research linking vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of diabetes. Epidemiological studies analyze the distribution and determinants of health and disease conditions. They do not necessarily prove cause-and-effect.

"Further research is needed on whether high 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels might prevent type 2 diabetes or the transition from pre-diabetes to diabetes," said Garland. "But this paper and past research indicate there is a strong association."

Garland and others have long advocated the health benefits of vitamin D. In 1980, he and his late brother Frank C. Garland, also an epidemiologist, published an influential paper that posited vitamin D (produced by the body through exposure to sunshine) and calcium (which vitamin D helps the body absorb) together reduced the risk of colon cancer. The Garlands and colleagues subsequently found associations with breast, lung and bladder cancers.

To reach 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 30 ng/ml, Garland said would require dietary supplements of 3,000 to 5,000 international units (IU) per day, less with the addition of moderate daily sun exposure with minimal clothing (approximately 10-15 minutes per day outdoors at noon).

The current recommended average daily amount of vitamin D is 400 IU for children up to 1 year; 600 IU for ages 1 to 70 years (less for pregnant or breastfeeding women) and 800 IU for persons over 70, according to the National Institutes of Health. Higher daily amounts of vitamin D are generally considered safe, but blood serum levels exceeding 125 ng/ml have been linked to adverse side effects, such as nausea, constipation, weight loss, heart rhythm problems and kidney damage.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - San Diego. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Sue K. Park, Cedric F. Garland, Edward D. Gorham, Luke BuDoff, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and risk of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes: 12-year cohort study. PLOS ONE, 2018; 13 (4): e0193070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193070

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University of California - San Diego. "Vitamin D deficiency linked to greater risk of diabetes." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419154632.htm>.

Mediterranean diet may blunt air pollution's ill health effects

Date: May 21, 2018 Source: American Thoracic Society Summary: Eating a Mediterranean diet may protect people from some of the harm of long-term exposure to air pollution, and reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks, stroke and other causes of death, according to new research.

Eating a Mediterranean diet may protect people from some of the harm of long-term exposure to air pollution, and reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks, stroke and other causes of death, according to new research presented at the ATS 2018 International Conference.

"Previous studies have shown that dietary changes, particularly the addition of antioxidants, can blunt the adverse effects of exposure to high levels of air pollution over short time periods," said Chris C. Lim, MS, a doctoral student at the NYU School of Medicine. "What we did not know was whether diet can influence the association between long-term air pollution exposure and health effects."

Rich in antioxidants, the Mediterranean diet favors fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oils, fish and poultry over red meat and processed foods. Antioxidants are molecules that disarm oxidized and highly reactive molecules, or free radicals, that are known to cause cell and tissue damage.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study. Over 17 years, the study followed 548,699 people (average age 62 at enrollment) from 6 states -- California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana and Pennsylvania -- and two cities -- Atlanta and Detroit. During that time, 126,835 people in the study group died.

The researchers created five groups of participants based on their level of adherence to a Mediterranean diet and linked participants to estimates of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) based on census tract information.

When comparing those least and most adherent to a Mediterranean diet, the study found that:

Deaths from all causes increased by 5 percent for every 10 parts per billion (ppb) increase in long-term average NO2exposure in those least adherent, compared to 2 percent among the most adherent.
Cardiovascular disease deaths increased by 17 percent for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter (?g/m3) increase in long-term average PM2.5 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 5 percent among the most adherent.
Cardiovascular disease deaths increased by 10 percent for every 10 ppb increase in NO2. exposure in those least adherent, compared to 2 percent among the most adherent.
Heart attack deaths increased by 20 percent for every 10 ?g/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 5 percent among the most adherent.
Heart attack deaths increased by 12 percent for every single ppb increase in NO2 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 4 percent among the most adherent.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet did not appear, however, to protect against the harmful effects of long-term exposure to O3. The diet did not reduce deaths from all causes, heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases associated with O3 exposure.

"Given the benefits we found of a diet high in anti-oxidants, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that particle air pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion adversely affects health by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation," said senior study author George Thurston, ScD, director of the Program in Exposure Assessment and Human Health Effects at the Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU School of Medicine. "On the other hand, the ozone effect was not significantly blunted by a Mediterranean diet, so ozone apparently affects cardiac health through a different mechanism."

With about one-fourth of the study population living where air pollution levels were 10 ?g/m3 or more above the lowest exposure, he added, "adoption of a Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce the effects of air pollution in a substantial population in the United States."

Study limitations include only having dietary information from the point when participants enrolled in the study and enrolling a higher percentage of white and well-educated Americans than are represented in the U.S. population as a whole.

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American Thoracic Society. "Mediterranean diet may blunt air pollution's ill health effects." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180521131837.htm>.

Flavonoids may slow lung function decline due to aging

Date: May 21, 2018 Source: American Thoracic Society Summary: A type of flavonoid found in dark-pigmented fruits like red grapes and blueberries may slow the lung function decline that occurs with aging.

Previous research has shown that the plant-produced chemicals known as flavonoids have beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins, the type of flavonoid investigated in the current study, have been detected in lung tissue shortly after being ingested, and in animals models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The plant chemicals appear to reduce mucus and inflammatory secretions.

However, "the epidemiological evidence on the association between flavonoids and lung function is very scant," said lead study author Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, PhD, assistant professor in the Human Nutrition Division of the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. "So we wanted to investigate whether dietary intake and anthocyanins are associated with lung function decline in middle-age adults."

The researchers analyzed data from 463 adults (average age: 44) who participated in the second and third European Community Respiratory Health Surveys from 2002 to 2012. Those included in the current study completed a dietary questionnaire and underwent spirometry at enrollment and upon follow-up. A common lung function test, spirometry measures the amount of air that a person can forcefully exhale in one second (FEV1), the total amount of air a person can exhale after taking a deep breath (FVC) and the ratio of the two, FEV1/FVC. Participants were then grouped into quartiles based on the amount of anthocyanins they consumed.

The study found individuals in the highest, compared to the lowest, quartile of anthocyanin intake had:

a slower rate of annual decline in FEV1 than those in the lowest quartile: -9.8 milliliters per year (mL/yr) vs. -18.9 mL/yr.
a slower rate of annual decline in FVC than those in the lowest quartile: -9.8 mL/yr vs. -22.2 mL/yr.
a slower rate of annual decline in FEV1/FVC: -0.02/yr.

The researchers also analyzed the association between anthocyanin consumption and lung function in smokers, those who had never smoked and those who quit. The association between high consumption of the flavonoids and reduced lung function decline appeared to be stronger among both never smokers and those who had quit than in the general study population. Among smokers, the study did not find an association between anthocyanin intake and lung function.

The study adjusted for a wide range of factors, including characteristics of participants' diets, gender, height, body mass index and socioeconomic status. Another strength of the study was its inclusion of participants from two countries, Norway and England. The study was limited by its relatively small size and the fact that diets were self-reported.

"Our study suggests that the general population could benefit from consuming more fruits rich in these flavonoids like berries, particularly those who have given up smoking or have never smoked, Dr. Larsen said. "For smokers, quitting remains the best thing they can do to protect their health."

The first European Community Respiratory Health Survey began in 1990 in response to a worldwide increase in asthma prevalence. The scope of the surveys has expanded to include information about the associations between behavioral and environmental factors that might also affect the development of COPD.

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American Thoracic Society. "Flavonoids may slow lung function decline due to aging." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180521131841.htm>.

Compound in citrus oil could reduce dry mouth in head, neck cancer patients

Date: May 21, 2018 Source: Stanford Medicine Summary: A compound found in citrus oils could help alleviate dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study.

A compound found in citrus oils could help alleviate dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The compound, called d-limonene, protected cells that produce saliva in mice exposed to radiation therapy -- without diminishing the tumor-fighting effects of the radiation. The researchers, led by graduate student Julie Saiki, also showed that d-limonene taken orally is transported to the salivary gland in humans.

The study will be published online May 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The finding was possible because of a close collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists, said co-senior author Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, professor of chemical and systems biology. "This is a perfect example of two pieces that could not work alone."

"Stanford is a fertile ground for collaboration," added Quynh-Thu Le, co-senior author and professor and chair of radiation oncology.

About 40 percent of head and neck cancer patients who receive radiation therapy develop dry mouth, known clinically as xerostomia. It's more than uncomfortable: patients struggle to speak and swallow and are more likely to develop oral pain or dental cavities, and the condition can lead to tooth removal in some cases, Le said. And, although some recovery can occur in the first years after the therapy, once saliva production is impaired, it is usually gone for life.

Radiation can kill salivary cells

One drug, called amifostine, is approved for use during radiation therapy to try to ward off dry mouth, but its side effects, including nausea and potential low blood pressure, are common, so it is rarely used in the clinic, Le said.

Many of the saliva-producing cells that are needed to keep the mouth constantly moist are found in a pair of structures called the submandibular glands, tucked under the lower jawbone on each side of the chin. Radiation often kills these cells and, more troublingly, also salivary stem and progenitor cells, those juvenile members of the population that are needed to rebuild and restore the capacity to make saliva.

The key to retaining salivary function is protecting these rare but critical stem and progenitor cells. That's tricky because, following radiation therapy, toxic, highly reactive compounds called aldehydes are created in the gland, gumming up cellular function.

Le, the Katharine Dexter McCormick and Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor, who specializes in treating head and neck cancer, said she had spent a decade hearing from her patients about their struggles with dry mouth. "I wanted to do something," she said.

Her initial strategy was to try to regenerate salivary stem cells and, while working with these cells, her lab found that they contain high levels of an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1, or ALDH3A1. The enzyme is a member of the large aldehyde dehydrogenase family of enzymes, proteins that initiate or speed up chemical reactions, that can defang troublesome aldehydes. But ALDH3A1 isn't a match for the radiation-unleashed aldehydes on its own.

She needed to find something to amp it up.

Looking to the East

Le had met with Mochly-Rosen through SPARK, a program founded and co-directed by Mochly-Rosen, that shepherds basic science discoveries into the clinic. Mochly-Rosen, who is the George D. Smith Professor in Translational Medicine, had been working on aldehyde dehydrogenases for more than a decade and had obtained access to a library of 135 traditional Chinese medicine extracts.

Many of those extracts have been used as treatments for various ailments in humans for hundreds of years, boosting the likelihood they are safe to use, Mochly-Rosen said.

Her team found that seven of these 135 extracts boosted ALDH3A1 activity. It was up to Saiki to see if she could break apart these complex natural extracts -- from plants including tangerine, lotus and an Asian rhizome known as zhi mu in Chinese -- to find out what, exactly, was activating the enzyme.

"She did the unthinkable, a really amazing achievement. She found the single active ingredient that activates the enzyme, ALDH3A1," Mochly-Rosen said.

Admittedly, Mochly-Rosen and Saiki said, a bit of luck and a fair amount of trial-and-error were involved. D-limonene stood out from other compounds in the extracts because it is broken down relatively quickly in the body and has been deemed by the Food and Drug Administration as a food flavor "generally recognized as safe" that has been approved for use as a food additive, Saiki said.

Saiki said she was pleasantly surprised by her finding. "It's a very common molecule, and sometimes as a scientist you wonder, Why hasn't anyone seen this before?" she said.

Next, they had to see if d-limonene would rev up ALDH3A1 in living cells.

Testing in mice, and humans

A series of experiments with mouse cells that had been exposed to radiation showed that d-limonene reduced aldehyde concentrations in both adult and salivary stem and progenitor cells. Even when the cells were treated weeks after radiation exposure, d-limonene still improved their ability to recover, repair gland structure and produce saliva. Mice that ate d-limonene and were exposed to radiation also produced more saliva than mice that did not receive d-limonene and were exposed to radiation. The researchers also learned that d-limonene wasn't likely to boost saliva production so high that mice, or humans, would be drooling -- the compound didn't increase saliva production in mice that hadn't been exposed to radiation. And they confirmed that d-limonene did not affect tumor growth or interfere with the tumor-shrinking effects of the radiation in mice.

A further set of experiments pulled back the curtain on d-limonene's work: it was stopping the expression of messages that trigger the salivary stem and progenitor cells to self-destruct.

Buoyed by these positive results, the researchers wanted to know if the compound had any hope of helping patients. To work, it would have to be active inside the salivary glands. To find out, they launched a phase-0 study, an early clinical trial in a small number of patients to see if d-limonene, taken by mouth in a capsule, would be distributed to the salivary gland. Four participants who were having a salivary gland tumor removed took d-limonene for two weeks before the surgery. When the tissue was examined after it was removed, researchers found high levels of d-limonene, showing that it has the potential to be used therapeutically in humans -- it reaches the salivary gland tissue.

The patients did experience one quirky side effect: Citrus-infused burps.

Next, the team plans to start the clinical trial process, which will take several years and require a multi-institutional collaboration, Le said. "If it works, then this type of drug would be used safely to prevent dry mouth in patients in the long run and make it much easier for patients to tolerate the radiation treatment with an improved quality of life after the treatment," she said.

The work is an example of Stanford Medicine's focus on precision health, the goal of which is to anticipate and prevent disease in the healthy and precisely diagnose and treat disease in the ill.

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Stanford Medicine. "Compound in citrus oil could reduce dry mouth in head, neck cancer patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180521154248.htm>.

Sweet potatoes didn't originate in the Americas as previously thought

Date: May 21, 2018 Source: Indiana University Summary: Sweet potatoes may seem as American as Thanksgiving, but scientists have long debated whether their plant family originated in the Old or New World. New research by a paleobotanist suggests it originated in Asia, and much earlier than previously known.

A) Modern distribution of the sweet potato family (yellow line) and genus (white line). B) Fossil leaf of Ipomoea meghalayensis. C) Modern leaf of Ipomoea eriocarpa, showing similar size, shape and vein pattern.

Credit: Indiana University

Sweet potatoes may seem as American as Thanksgiving, but scientists have long debated whether their plant family originated in the Old or New World. New research by an Indiana University paleobotanist suggests it originated in Asia, and much earlier than previously known.

IU Bloomington emeritus professor David Dilcher and colleagues in India identified 57-milion-year-old leaf fossils from eastern India as being from the morning glory family, which includes sweet potatoes and many other plants. The research suggests the family originated in the late Paleocene epoch in the East Gondwana land mass that became part of Asia.

"I think this will change people's ideas," Dilcher said. "It will be a data point that is picked up and used in other work where researchers are trying to find the time of the evolution of major groups of flowering plants."

Previous fossil evidence had suggested the morning glory family may have originated in North America about 35 million years ago. But molecular analyses had supported the idea that it originated earlier and in the Old World. The new research provides evidence for that conclusion.

The discovery also suggests the morning glory family and the nightshade family, which includes potatoes and tomatoes, diverged earlier than previously thought. Together with the recent, separate discovery of 52-million-year-old nightshade fossils in Argentina, it suggests that morning glories developed in the East and nightshades in the West.

The 17 fossils analyzed in the study are the earliest recorded fossils for both the morning glory family, known as Convolvulaceae, and the order Solanales, which includes morning glories and nightshades. Morning glory fossils are rare because the plants' soft structure was not easily preserved in rocks.

Dilcher's collaborators, Gaurav Srivastava and Rakesh C. Mehrotra of India's Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, discovered the fossils in Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India.

The researchers used microscopic analysis of the shape and structure of the leaves, comparing details of the leaf veins and cells with plants in the genus Ipomoea. Using such analysis to examine evolutionary relationships has been a hallmark of Dilcher's paleobotany research career.

The leaves the researchers studied are in the genus Ipomoea, which includes sweet potato but also hundreds of other plants, most of which don't produce food for humans.

"We don't know that these were sweet potatoes," said Dilcher, emeritus professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Department of Biology in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences. "We can't say there were delicious sweet potatoes there. There may have been, or there may not."

The morning glory family is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and includes about 57 plant genera and 1,880 species. The sweet potato is the world's second most important root crop, and other members of the family are medicinally and culturally significant.

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Journal Reference:

Gaurav Srivastava, Rakesh C. Mehrotra, David L. Dilcher. PaleoceneIpomoea(Convolvulaceae) from India with implications for an East Gondwana origin of Convolvulaceae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018; 201800626 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1800626115

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Indiana University. "Sweet potatoes didn't originate in the Americas as previously thought." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180521154256.htm>.

Daily egg consumption may reduce cardiovascular disease

Having an egg a day could reduce risk of stroke by 26 percent

Date: May 21, 2018 Source: BMJ Summary: People who consume an egg a day could significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases compared with eating no eggs, suggests a new study.

Boiled eggs.

People who consume an egg a day could significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases compared with eating no eggs, suggests a study carried out in China, published in the journal Heart.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, including China, mostly due to ischaemic heart disease and stroke (including both haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke).

Unlike ischaemic heart disease, which is the leading cause of premature death in most Western countries, stroke is the most responsible cause in China, followed by heart disease.

Although ischaemic stroke accounted for the majority of strokes, the proportion of haemorrhagic stroke in China is still higher than that in high income countries.

Eggs are a prominent source of dietary cholesterol, but they also contain high-quality protein, many vitamins and bioactive components such as phospholipids and carotenoids.

Previous studies looking at associations between eating eggs and impact on health have been inconsistent, and most of them found insignificant associations between egg consumption and coronary heart disease or stroke.

Therefore, a team of researchers from China and the UK led by Professor Liming Li and Dr Canqing Yu from the School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, set out to examine the associations between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease, major coronary events, haemorrhagic stroke and ischaemic stroke.

They used data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study, an ongoing prospective study of around half a million (512,891) adults aged 30 to 79 from 10 different geographical areas in China.

The participants were recruited between 2004-2008 and were asked about the frequency of their egg consumption. They were followed up to determine their morbidity and mortality.

For the new study, the researchers focused on 416,213 participants who were free of prior cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes.

From that group at a median follow-up of 8.9 years, a total of 83,977 cases of CVD and 9,985 CVD deaths were documented, as well as 5,103 major coronary events.

At the start of the study period, 13.1% of participants reported daily consumption (usual amount 0.76 egg/day) and 9.1% reported never or very rare consumption (usual amount 0.29 egg/day) of eggs.

Analysis of the results showed that compared with people not consuming eggs, daily egg consumption was associated with a lower risk of CVD overall.

In particular, daily egg consumers (up to one egg/day) had a 26% lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke -- the type of stroke with a higher prevalence rate in China than in high-income countries -- a 28% lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke death and an 18% lower risk of CVD death.

In addition, there was a 12% reduction in risk of ischaemic heart disease observed for people consuming eggs daily (estimated amount 5.32 eggs/week), when compared with the 'never/rarely' consumption category (2.03 eggs/week).

This was an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, but the authors said their study had a large sample size and took into account established and potential risk factors for CVD.

The authors concluded: "The present study finds that there is an association between moderate level of egg consumption (up to 1 egg/day) and a lower cardiac event rate.

"Our findings contribute scientific evidence to the dietary guidelines with regard to egg consumption for the healthy Chinese adult."

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Journal Reference:

Chenxi Qin, Jun Lv, Yu Guo, Zheng Bian, Jiahui Si, Ling Yang, Yiping Chen, Yonglin Zhou, Hao Zhang, Jianjun Liu, Junshi Chen, Zhengming Chen, Canqing Yu, Liming Li On Behalf of the China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group. Associations of egg consumption with cardiovascular disease in a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. Heart, 2018 DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312651

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BMJ. "Daily egg consumption may reduce cardiovascular disease: Having an egg a day could reduce risk of stroke by 26 percent." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180521184702.htm>.

Gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liver

Date: May 24, 2018 Source: NIH/National Cancer Institute Summary: Scientists have found a connection between bacteria in the gut and antitumor immune responses in the liver. Bacteria found in the gut of mice affect the liver's antitumor immune function. The findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for therapeutic approaches to treat them.

Scientists have found a connection between bacteria in the gut and antitumor immune responses in the liver. Their study, published May 25 in Science, was led by researchers in the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It showed that bacteria found in the gut of mice affect the liver's antitumor immune function. The findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for therapeutic approaches to treat them. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

"What we found using different tumor models is that if you treat mice with antibiotics and thereby deplete certain bacteria, you can change the composition of immune cells of the liver, affecting tumor growth in the liver," said Tim Greten, M.D., of NCI's CCR, who led the study. "This is a great example of how what we learn from basic research can give us insight into cancer and possible treatments."

The microbiome is the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in or on the body. In humans, the greatest proportion of the body's total microbiome is in the gut. Despite extensive research into the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer, the role of gut bacteria in the formation of liver cancer has remained poorly understood.

To investigate whether gut bacteria affect the development of tumors in the liver, Dr. Greten and his team carried out a series of experiments with mice. They used three mouse liver cancer models, and found that when they depleted gut bacteria using an antibiotic "cocktail," the mice that had the antibiotics developed fewer and smaller liver tumors and had reduced metastasis to the liver.

The investigators next studied the immune cells in the liver to understand how the depletion of gut bacteria suppressed tumor growth in the liver of the antibiotic-treated mice. Antibiotic treatment increased the numbers of a type of immune cell called NKT cells in the livers of the mice. Further experiments showed that, in all three mouse models, the reduction in liver tumor growth that resulted from antibiotic treatment was dependent on these NKT cells. Next, they found that the accumulation of the NKT cells in the liver resulted from an increase in the expression of a protein called CXCL16 on cells that line the inside of capillaries in the liver.

"We asked ourselves, why do mice treated with antibiotics have more CXCL16 production in these endothelial cells?" Dr. Greten said. "That was the critical point, when we found that bile acids can control the expression of CXCL16. We then did further studies, and found that if we treat mice with bile acids, we can actually change the number of NKT cells in the liver, and thereby the number of tumors in the liver."

Bile acids are formed in the liver and help break down fats during digestion.

Finally, the investigators found that one bacterial species, Clostridium scindens, controls metabolism of bile acids in the mouse gut -- and ultimately CXCL16 expression, NKT cell accumulation, and tumor growth in the liver.

Dr. Greten explained that while many studies have shown an association between gut bacteria and immune response, this study is significant in that it identifies not just a correlation, but a complete mechanism of how bacteria affect the immune response in liver. In the same study, the researchers found that bile acids also control the expression of the CXCL16 protein in the liver of humans and wrote that, though these results are preliminary, the novel mechanism described in this study could potentially apply to cancer patients.

This press release describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process -- each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

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Materials provided by NIH/National Cancer Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Chi Ma, Miaojun Han, Bernd Heinrich, Qiong Fu, Qianfei Zhang, Milan Sandhu, David Agdashian, Masaki Terabe, Jay A. Berzofsky, Valerie Fako, Thomas Ritz, Thomas Longerich, Casey M. Theriot, John A. McCulloch, Soumen Roy, Wuxing Yuan, Vishal Thovarai, Shurjo K. Sen, Mathuros Ruchirawat, Firouzeh Korangy, Xin Wei Wang, Giorgio Trinchieri, Tim F. Greten. Gut microbiome–mediated bile acid metabolism regulates liver cancer via NKT cells. Science, 2018; 360 (6391): eaan5931 DOI: 10.1126/science.aan5931

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NIH/National Cancer Institute. "Gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liver." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180524141715.htm>.

Most popular vitamin and mineral supplements provide no health benefit, study finds

Date: May 28, 2018 Source: St. Michael's Hospital Summary: The most commonly consumed vitamin and mineral supplements provide no consistent health benefit or harm, suggests a new study led by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto.

A variety of supplements.

The most commonly consumed vitamin and mineral supplements provide no consistent health benefit or harm, suggests a new study led by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto.

Published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the systematic review of existing data and single randomized control trials published in English from January 2012 to October 2017 found that multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin C -- the most common supplements -- showed no advantage or added risk in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or premature death. Generally, vitamin and mineral supplements are taken to add to nutrients that are found in food.

"We were surprised to find so few positive effects of the most common supplements that people consume," said Dr. David Jenkins*, the study's lead author. "Our review found that if you want to use multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium or vitamin C, it does no harm -- but there is no apparent advantage either."

The study found folic acid alone and B-vitamins with folic acid may reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke. Meanwhile, niacin and antioxidants showed a very small effect that might signify an increased risk of death from any cause.

"These findings suggest that people should be conscious of the supplements they're taking and ensure they're applicable to the specific vitamin or mineral deficiencies they have been advised of by their healthcare provider," Dr. Jenkins said.

His team reviewed supplement data that included A, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folic acid), C, D and E; and ?-carotene; calcium; iron; zinc; magnesium; and selenium. The term 'multivitamin' in this review was used to describe supplements that include most vitamins and minerals, rather than a select few.

"In the absence of significant positive data -- apart from folic acid's potential reduction in the risk of stroke and heart disease -- it's most beneficial to rely on a healthy diet to get your fill of vitamins and minerals," Dr. Jenkins said. "So far, no research on supplements has shown us anything better than healthy servings of less processed plant foods including vegetables, fruits and nuts."

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Materials provided by St. Michael's Hospital. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

David J.A. Jenkins, J. David Spence, Edward L. Giovannucci, Young-in Kim, Robert Josse, Reinhold Vieth, Sonia Blanco Mejia, Effie Viguiliouk, Stephanie Nishi, Sandhya Sahye-Pudaruth, Melanie Paquette, Darshna Patel, Sandy Mitchell, Meaghan Kavanagh, Tom Tsirakis, Lina Bachiri, Atherai Maran, Narmada Umatheva, Taylor McKay, Gelaine Trinidad, Daniel Bernstein, Awad Chowdhury, Julieta Correa-Betanzo, Gabriella Del Principe, Anisa Hajizadeh, Rohit Jayaraman, Amy Jenkins, Wendy Jenkins, Ruben Kalaichandran, Geithayini Kirupaharan, Preveena Manisekaran, Tina Qutta, Ramsha Shahid, Alexis Silver, Cleo Villegas, Jessica White, Cyril W.C. Kendall, Sathish C. Pichika, John L. Sievenpiper. Supplemental Vitamins and Minerals for CVD Prevention and Treatment. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2018; 71 (22): 2570 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.04.020

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