Biopeer

Studies link diet to cholesterol

While one study has found that black soya beans could lower cholesterol, another study has determined that garlic does not help to lower cholesterol.

In an encouraging study, researchers from South Korea have found that a diet of black soya beans could lower cholesterol and reduce weight gain. The researchers based their conclusions on studies they conducted on rats. During the trial, 32 male rats were divided in to four groups and given black soya beans in varying quantities with one group not being given any. The researchers found that the beans reduced the total blood cholesterol by 25 per cent. In the case of LDL cholesterol, the levels came down by a significant 60 per cent. Also, weight gain was reduced by half in those rats who got about ten per cent of their energy from black soya beans. However, experts believe that more research needs to be conducted before these findings can be proved conclusively.

On the other hand, scientists from the US are of the view that garlic does not lower cholesterol. Researchers from the Stanford Prevention Research Center, California, studied 192 participants with LDL cholesterol levels ranging from 130 to 190 milligrams per deciliter of blood. They were divided into four groups and were given garlic either in a sandwich, as a supplement pill, as a supplement powder or were not given any garlic but a placebo. It was observed that regardless of the cholesterol levels initially, garlic did not have any effect on them. The study findings are a blow to all those adults suffering from moderately high cholesterol levels.

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Possible new uses of two drugs explored

Two independent studies have brought to light the fact that drugs customarily associated with epilepsy and breast cancer can be beneficial for patients suffering from Down syndrome and prostate cancer respectively.

In a major finding, American researchers from the Down Syndrome Research Center at Stanford University, California, have found that pentylenetetrazole could treat Down syndrome symptoms. For the trial, the researchers bred mice to have the genetic differences that cause Down syndrome. These mice and healthy mice were given a maze test. At first, the mice with the disorder explored the maze randomly as opposed to the healthy mice. However, after 17 days on the drug, the mice with the syndrome began to behave more like the healthy mice. The almost normal behavior of the mice continued even after the drug had been stopped. The researchers believe this is because of the drug’s effect on GABA, a neurotransmitter. They are optimistic about the potential of this line of treatment and hope to test the drug or a similar compound on humans.

Meanwhile, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, has proved that hormone-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer has serious side effects, including weight gain and muscle loss. However, in an interim analysis of 200 participants on this therapy, the doctors have found that the selective estrogen receptor modulator toremifene could negate the side effects of prostate cancer treatment. In the analysis, the participants were either given toremifene or a placebo for 24 months. It was found that the drug helped the patients to gain bone density and improve their cholesterol. While the researchers do not believe that toremifene will have a postive impact on the side effect of impotence, they are now planning to test its efficacy on other side effects.

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Diagnostic testing leaps with three new tests

American scientists from Cleveland Clinic have formulated a color test to diagnose lung cancer. The chemical composition of a lung cancer patient is different from that of a healthy patient. On the basis of this knowledge, the scientists developed a sensor which has 36 dots to detect these chemical changes. When these dots come into contact with a person’s breath, they will change color depending on the chemicals in the breath. When tested on 122 participants, both healthy and not, it accurately detected lung cancer in three of the four with the disease. Thanks to this small and inexpensive sensor, doctors will be able to detect lung cancer at the early stages when it can be effectively treated.

In another study, Canadian researchers have determined that observing eye movement is effective in diagnosing FASD in children. Researchers from the University of Kingston, Ontario, evaluated the oculomotor performance of 12 children without FASD against that of 10 children with FASD. When the children were given different tasks, it was found that children with FASD had longer reaction times and also committed more directional errors. As their next step, the researchers aim to apply these findings to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other developmental disorders

Meanwhile, Australian scientists from the Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne, have developed a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease. This ‘gene-sequencing chip’ screens 17 genes including the six that have been previously linked to this disease. The test is a great development as currently, doctors diagnose on the basis of their observations. This often leads to inaccurate diagnoses. The chip will also enable researchers across Australia to conduct a gene-mapping study that will link more genes to Parkinson’s. The researchers are now planning to test this chip on 400 DNA samples collected from patients in Victoria and Tasmania.

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Fight against HIV/AIDS renews hope

In what could be a possible breakthrough in the fight against HIV/AIDS, researchers have concluded that circumcision protects men against HIV. The US National Institutes of Health researchers conducted two major trials in Kenya and Uganda wherein they followed more than 7,000 men, both circumcised and not, for two years. They found that circumcision brings about a 60 per cent reduction in men’s chances of contracting HIV. In fact, the results were so conclusive that the trials were stopped earlier than planned. However, experts are cautious about the feasibility of putting this into action, especially in Africa, due to health infrastructure, cultural and religious issues.

Meanwhile, researchers treating HIV positive women for herpes simplex virus have observed that the antiviral drug valacyclovir lowers HIV levels. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 140 women with HIV-1 and HSV-2. The women were treated with either valacyclovir or placebo and followed for 12 weeks. Then they analyzed the impact of the drug on the genital and plasma viral loads of HIV-1 (RNA) and HSV-2 (DNA). They found that the level of HIV viral load came down in women who were on valacyclovir by an average of 50 per cent. The impact of the drug increased over a period of time. The researchers are hopeful that the findings will have “important implications for HIV control”.

Continuing their efforts to fight against HIV/AIDS, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom are coming together to donate USD 70 million to Zimbabwe. The funds will be used for the benefit of children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. The orphans under this program will get access to vital education and health care services.

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New developments in genetic studies facilitate neurological research

In a path-breaking research study, scientists found two genetic links to autism. Researchers across North America and Europe participated in the “Autism Genome Project”, one of the largest genetic studies conducted on autism. The researchers enrolled about 1200 families for the study. From each family, at least two children were affected by autism. On examination, the scientists have associated a gene, known as neurexin 1, and another gene located on Chromosome 11 with the condition. The researchers hope that this discovery will aid the formation of genetic tests, to help in the early diagnosis of autism and consequently to develop better therapies.

Another group of researchers, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has connected a gene regulatory protein with brain cancer. They conducted a study on mice suffering from fatal brain cancer malignant glioma and found that the elimination of Olig2 from the mice prevented the development of a brain tumor in 91 per cent of the mice. Olig2 is a protein that controls genetic activity and aids stem cell growth during brain development. They concluded that Olig2 represses p21, a gene that inhibits cell replication and encourages the formation of a brain tumor. Finding a way to curb the protein will aid the formation of new therapies against brain cancer.

Researchers from MIT and Japan’s RIKEN Brain Science Institute have linked certain gene mutations to schizophrenia. As part of their study, they examined genetically modified mice and schizophrenic individuals. They identified various genes from the early growth response gene family that control calcineurin (a key brain enzyme), such as the PPP3CC gene, as the stimulants causing the disorder. They confirmed this after conducting tests on humans. Researchers hope to find a way to target the calcineurin system to develop a new schizophrenia therapy.

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Studies reveal cholesterol’s secrets

Two independent studies have found new risks of high cholesterol levels. One study, conducted by a group of scientists from across the globe, disclosed the possibility of an association between an excessive build-up of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the Vancouver Child and Family Research Institute at the University of British Columbia examined a group of genetically mutated mice that showed the characteristic symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The scientists turned off the "ATP-binding cassette transporter A1" (ABCA1) gene of the mice. Since this gene controls the cholesterol levels and the insulin secretion in the pancreatic beta cells, considerable changes were found in the quantities of both. The scientists found an unusual increase in cholesterol in the pancreatic beta cells, which they believe hampers the secretion of insulin. However, there are several contradicting theories regarding this. The scientists conclude that further studies need to be conducted to gain a better perspective.

Another study carried out by researchers from Harvard, USA, confirms the increased risk of stroke for women with high cholesterol levels. The scientists examined the medical records of over 27,000 women from USA and Puerto Rico, who were part of the Women’s Health Study. The women were approximately 45 years old and had no prior history of any major illness. Their cholesterol levels were examined at the beginning of the study. The researchers gathered further information over the next 11 years and found that nine out of every 10,000 women suffered from a stroke every year. Linking all cholesterols (except HDL) with ischemic stoke, the researchers believe that high cholesterol levels double the chances of women suffering from stroke. Although the study does have certain limitations, it is based on solid records and has confirmed earlier assumptions made by researchers.

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Sight for the blind

Science fiction is on its way to becoming fact with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) giving the green light to a trial of the Argus II system, a bionic eye implant. Researchers from the University of Southern California developed this implant for blind patients. Signals from a camera mounted on the patient’s spectacles are sent to a hand-held device. After processing, the data is sent to both the spectacles as well as the receiver under the eye surface. From the receiver, the data goes to electrodes in the retinal implant. This, in turn, sends it to the brain. The implant is only one square millimeter in size and will be tested on 50 to 75 blind participants across five centers. It is expected to become available in around two years at a cost of approximately USD 30,000. The researchers are now focusing on the long-term effects of these implants on the brain and the visual cortex.

There is renewed hope for the blind with an American study determining that even if one has been blind in early life, the brain can learn to see. The researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded this after observing blind people in India. While working on their Project Prakash, they found eye surgery was beneficial to even children older than five years of age. Tests on 32 year old woman who had had the surgery twenty years ago proved that such people had almost normal abilities, were able to identify objects and faces, and judge 2D and 3D shapes among other abilities. The researchers are now aiming to follow and observe the order in which the mechanism of visual skill is developed in children who have had their sight returned.

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Brain research throws up interesting possibilities

Scientists researching the mysteries of the brain have found that drinking cocoa can increase blood flow to the brain. The researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK, believe this is because cocoa beans contain the antioxidant flavanol. They arrived at this conclusion after conducting a test on young women wherein they studied the participants’ brains through magnetic resonance imaging while the participants undertook the complex tasks assigned. They found that blood flow to the brain was greater in those women who had drunk cocoa when compared to those who had not. The researchers are optimistic that their findings are a promising first step in the fight against dementia.

Meanwhile, American researchers from Duke University reported that Avastin could slow the growth of gliomas when combined with chemotherapy. The researchers conducted a study on more than 32 patients who were in stage III or stage IV of this deadly brain cancer. When they combined Genentech’s Avastin (bevacizumab) with the chemotherapy drug irinotecan, they were successful in shrinking the tumor by nearly 50 per cent in 63 per cent of the patients. In other patients, the combination stopped the growth of the tumors. The researchers are hopeful that this finding will lead to effective treatment options.

In another study, researchers from the National Institutes of Health, USA and University of Bristol, UK, have determined that seafood has a positive effect on the fetus. They found that when pregnant women consumed less than 340 g of seafood in a week, they were more likely to deliver children with low verbal IQ in comparison with mothers whose weekly seafood consumption was greater than 340 g. The findings are significant as they contradict the advice of the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services that urged pregnant mothers to curb intake to protect the fetuses from pollutants in the seafood.

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Vaccines create stir

Researchers from the Saint Louis University Medical Center have determined that administering the flu vaccine through a nasal spray is more effective than injecting it. On comparing the children who had received the flu vaccine through a nasal spray against those who had been injected with it, they found that the former was more effective in 54.9 per cent more cases. However, they do not advocate the spray for children younger than one year and those suffering from asthma as it was observed to cause wheezing. Also, though MedImmune Inc, the makers of this vaccine have applied for approval to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it has not been granted yet.

In a major setback, the FDA has issued public health notifications for RotaTeq, a diarrhea vaccine for children. It has come to the notice of the FDA that there could be a possible link between RotaTeq use and intussusception, a potentially fatal bowel problem. Since the FDA approved the vaccine in February 2006 to January 2007, 28 babies who had received RotaTeq had developed intussusception. Though these cases have not exceeded the usual number, the FDA has requested parents to report cases of intussusception so that it can be conclusively determined whether the vaccine is the cause for the disease.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has granted the prequalification status to Rotarix, a vaccine for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children. GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturers of the vaccine, stated that this status makes the vaccine eligible for mass vaccination programs. In a positive development, Italy, Canada, Norway, Russia and the UK have come together to formulate and make available vaccines for developing countries. The program, called Advance Market Commitment, is a USD 1.5 billion plan mainly targeting diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The effort is estimated to save the lives of 5.4 million children by 2030.

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Gene studies bring new hope

Diabetes research got a boost when an international research team pinpointed four points on the human gene map that are linked to type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the Imperial College London, UK, McGill University, Canada and the Pasteur Institute of France, among other institutions, together examined 392,935 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) belonging to participants with and without type 2 diabetes. After extensive comparisons, the researchers narrowed down the points or loci to four. The loci were those concerned with insulin regulation, including a mutation of zinc transporter SLC30A8. The scientists are hopeful that these findings will help them find a way to confirm a person’s predisposition to diabetes and thereby prevent its occurrence by suggesting dietary and other lifestyle changes.

Meanwhile, researchers from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium have confirmed that the gene CASP8 reduces the risk of breast cancer. After examining SNPs from nine genes, they concluded that a variation in the CASP8 gene reduced the risk for women carrying it by 10 per cent. On the other hand, a variation in the TGF-beta1 gene raised the risk of developing the disease by 7 per cent. Both these variants are not very strong and have as much influence as lifestyle habits do. However, the researchers admit the possibility of other genes existing that may be weak by themselves but can collectively influence one’s chances of developing the disease.

In another study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Children's Hospital in California have determined that a protein secreted by gene Olig2 causes gliomas to form. They conducted experiments on mice where they observed that when the protein was prevented from functioning, the gliomas also stopped developing in 91 per cent of the mice. They believe that drugs that target Olig2 will be able to destroy tumor cells without having any negative effect on healthy brain tissue.

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