Biopeer

Constant electrical pulses could improve treament with brain "pacemakers"

Biomedical engineers at the Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering have claimed that rapid-fire electrical pulses strengthen the ability of brain "pacemakers" to reduce symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. Brain "pacemakers" are devices that use deep brain stimulation to drown out the irregular bursts of brain activity characteristic to the disease. According to the research, the rapid-fire pulses can create an "information lesion," or information barrier, that acts similarly to an actual surgical lesion used to treat neurological conditions. “Periodic bursts in the brains of people with tremor – which might follow a pattern such as ‘pop-pop-pop, silence, pop-pop-pop, silence’ - propagate pathological information within brain circuits. If you replace that instead with a constant ‘pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop,’ you have erased that pathological information,” said Warren Grill, the study's lead investigator.   

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Aberdeen University Medical School, in Aberdeen, U.K., has recently discovered that over-exposure to pesticides could lead to Parkinson’s disease. Researchers evaluated data concerning 959 people with Parkinson's or Parkinson's-like syndromes. The evaluation was based on a questionnaire focusing on the levels of pesticide and mineral exposure. The results showed that people who were exposed to low-levels of pesticides were 13% more likely to have Parkinson's compared to people who had never been exposed. People exposed to high levels of pesticides were 41% more vulnerable to the condition. 

Research conducted by Peter Piper, a professor at the University of Sheffield, showed that sodium benzoate, a food and beverage preservative, could lead to Parkinson’s disease. The research showed that sodium benzoate disrupts the ability of mitochondria – the 'power stations' of a cell – to contain the oxygen leaks that create free radicals. Several studies have already linked free radicals to serious illnesses and the process of aging. “I suspect that it does not increase production of free radicals so that levels are going up dramatically. And the body has very successful systems for mopping up 99% of free radicals. But it is that 1% that could be the problem. Over the longer term, this is a major component of why we age and why we progressively lose function,” said Professor Piper.

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Air sensors may improvise existing bioterror alert system

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Montgomery County, Pa., has reportedly installed five ‘super-sensitive air monitors,’ designed to trace biological pollutants. These monitors have built-in filters devised to test the presence of pathogens such as smallpox or anthrax. Positive results for pathogens would signal Homeland Security to stop the spread of bioterrorism pathogens. “We will get an immediate report and can put our response plan into action. The earlier we get notice, the quicker we can respond and the better off everyone will be,” said Joseph M. DiMino, health director of Montgomery County.

Researchers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed detailed protocols for bioconjugated quantum dots (qdots) to be used for detection of bioterrorism agents such as anthrax, plague, botulism, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. The research describes qdots as a conglomeration of nanoparticles of various sizes set inside beads made from polymers. The operation of these qdots is based on the process of ‘multiplexing,’ where the nanoparticles are fine-tuned to luminescent colors which are then used to tag multiple protein biomarkers.

A recent profile of Escape Velocity Systems in the International Food and Safety Quality Network discusses the adoption of stricter certification standards for food products bearing kosher and halal labels. “Most consumers believe that kosher and halal food products follow stricter quality standards than non-kosher products in the same category and since safety is a real priority for consumers, regulator practices from HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) to the Bioterrorism Act to lot traceability, food manufacturers are responding,” said TR Cutler, author of the profile and manufacturing journalist.

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Soy nuts found to improve blood pressure levels in post-menopausal women

Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that replacing soy nuts for other protein sources in a healthy diet could lower blood pressure in post-menopausal women, and may reduce cholesterol levels in women with high blood pressure. The study involved 60 healthy post-menopausal women who were kept on two different diets for eight weeks each. One diet comprised of two meals of fatty fish per week and listed 30% of calories from fat – including less than 7% from saturated fat – 15% from protein, 55% from carbohydrates, and 1,200 mg of calcium. The other diet had the same number of calories but replaced fatty fish with soy nuts. The study's results showed that substituting soy nuts as a protein source reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in 12 hypertensive women. “This study was performed in the free-living state; therefore, dietary soy may be a practical, safe and inexpensive modality to reduce blood pressure,” concluded the authors of the study.

A study recently conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston and its affiliate, Brigham and Women's Hospital, discussed the efficacy of calcium and vitamin D in reducing breast cancer risk in pre-menopausal women. The study evaluated the diets of more than 10,000 pre-menopausal and 21,000 post-menopausal women, through a questionnaire on the medical history and lifestyle of the participants. A 10-year assessment of the questionnaires showed that pre-menopausal women in the group with the highest intake of calcium had a 40% lower breast cancer risk. Pre-menopausal women with highest vitamin D intake had a 35% lower risk. “I would recommend women, especially pre-menopausal women, have adequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D to keep up their overall health, and additionally, to potentially reduce risk for developing breast cancer,” said lead author, Jennifer Hsiang-Ling Lin.

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Researchers discover a new link between genes and breast cancer

Researchers at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute of the University of Pennsylvania and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have recently discovered that  the Rap80 gene is necessary in the function of the BRCA1 gene, which finds and repairs sites of DNA damage. Rap80 binds with ubiquitin, which collects at the DNA damage site, thus facilitating BRCA1 transportation to the damage site. If the BRCA1 gene is mutated, it cannot bind to Rap80 and thus cannot recognize sites of DNA damage. The longer the sites of DNA damage remain, the more cancer causing mutations will accumulate within a cell.

A study published in The Lancet by scientists at Cancer Research UK showed hormone drugs – LHRH agonists –  could diminish the need of chemotherapy in some pre-menopausal breast cancer patients. “They mean that pre-menopausal women with hormone receptor positive low risk breast cancer could consider treatment that is as effective as chemotherapy without having to endure unpleasant side effects and risk losing their fertility,” said Jack Cuzick, professor at Cancer Research UK.

Researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago discovered that MRI scans could benefit the surgical treatment of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The study involved 155 women diagnosed with breast cancer by mammogram, ultrasound or needle biopsy. The diagnosis was then followed up by a surgical plan and a MRI on both breasts. MRIs detected 124 additional aberrant areas in 73 of the women resulting in altered surgical management of 36 women, which included 10 women with a history of mastectomy, 21 who had undergone lumpectomies and five who had surgery on both breasts.

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Phage technology rolls-out possible control for food poisoning

University of Nottingham experts have collaborated with the Canadian biotech company GangaGen Life Sciences Inc. to develop bacteriophage-based treatments for the control of Campylobacter. Campylobacter is a bacterial intestinal disease characterized by vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The research implements phage technology for preventing food contamination from pathogenic bacteria in animal products. “GangaGen has demonstrated in production animal trials that we can isolate and use phages with full regard for safety, and that are benign to animals, humans and the environment,” said Dr Rainer Engelhardt, chief executive of GangaGen Life Sciences Inc.

Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have reported that a combination therapy with three classes of antiretroviral drugs could possibly reduce HIV in people with an existing low viral count. Research evaluated seven HIV-positive people for 3.5 to 4.5 years, keeping a count on the resting CD4+ T cells in which HIV remained throughout treatment. Research showed that early treatment with the three-drug combination therapy reduced the number of infected resting T cells by 50% every 4.6 months. Inferences from the research showed that 7.7 years of the combination therapy in the early stages of HIV could facilitate complete elimination of the HIV virus.

Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have declared the capacity of the drug peginterferon (pegylated interferon alfa-2a) for curing Hepatitis C. The study showed peginterferon either alone, or in combination with ribavirin, could cure Hepatitis C. The study was presented at the 38th annual Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington. The study involved six months of drug therapy for patients suffering from Hepatitis C. Tests following the drug therapy showed positive results, as 50 % of the patients tested negative for Hepatitis C.

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Carbon monoxide may offer cheap and simple prevention for cerebral malaria

A research study conducted by scientists at the University of Debrecen in Hungary and the Institute of Molecular Medicine and the Gulbenkian Institute of Science in Portugal showed that inhaled carbon monoxide could be a cheap and simple method of preventing cerebral malaria. The study indicates that carbon monoxide imitates the action of a natural enzyme released by the body in response to an infection with the malaria parasite. Carbon monoxide reduces the impact of a toxic molecule called heme, which is released by red blood cells infected with malaria.

A study published in the journal PLoS–Pathogens by the Public Library of Science–elaborates on the new malaria vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Nottingham. The research involved genetic modification of a mouse-related parasite for the production of an antigen that recognized the human immune system. Followed by the production of the antigen, the researchers genetically altered the mouse’s immune system to produce a ‘human molecule’ on its white blood cells. This test resulted in the protection of the human antibodies in the mouse from parasites. “We have made the best possible animal model you can get in the absence of working on humans or higher primates, as well as developing a novel therapeutic entity,” claimed Dr. Richard Pleass, of the Institute of Genetics.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, claimed that the combined therapy of artemether-lumefantrine on malaria leads to a lower rate of treatment failure compared to other combination therapies. The clinical trials conducted between November 2004 and June 2006 involved 601 healthy children, aged 1-10 years, from an urban community in Kampala, Uganda. The children were administered three combination therapies (amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, amodiaquine plus artesunate, or artemether-lumefantrine) in the first phase of uncomplicated malaria. A follow up of 13 to 19 months showed that the risk of treatment failure was the least with 6.7% for artemether-lumefantrine.

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Phase III clinical trial for obesity treatment underway

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OREX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders, with an initial focus on obesity, recently announced the initiation of the second study in its Phase III clinical trial program for its lead product candidate, Contrave as a treatment for obesity. The program includes a set of four registration trials evaluating a variety of obesity-related outcome measures. This trial is a 56-week study intended to assess both the safety and efficacy of Contrave in obese patients with type II diabetes. The trial will take place at approximately 40 centers nationwide and OREXIGEN plans to enroll 525 individuals. Patient recruitment is now underway.

Conor Medsystems, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, presented its clinical trail results of the pivotal study for the CoStar® cobalt chromium paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent. Conor Medsystems is one of the principal investigators for the COSTAR II (CObalt Chromium STent with Antiproliferative for Restenosis) trial.

The COSTAR II trial compared the CoStar® stent with the Taxus Express(2) paclitaxel drug-eluting stent, and was designed to demonstrate non-inferiority at eight month follow up with respect to major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with multi-vessel or single-vessel disease. In this trial, MACE was defined as a composite of clinically-driven target vessel revascularization (re-treatment), new myocardial infarction (heart attack or MI) related to the target vessel and cardiac death related to an intervened vessel. As a result of the outcomes, Conor Medsystems LLC recently terminated ongoing clinical trials with the CoStar® stent and halted the submission of its Pre-Market Approval application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the product. Further, Conor Medsystems discontinued sale of the product through commercial partners in countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America where the CoStar® stent was already approved.

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Implanted device to detect seizures brings new hope to epilepsy patients

Neuropace, based in Mountain View, CA, has developed a new device, known as the responsive neurostimulation system, that could help epilepsy patients who fail to find relief from anticonvulsant medications. An electrical stimulator, smaller than a playing card and curved in shape, is inserted into a hollowed-out part of the skull. Two electrodes are then implanted into the region of the brain that triggers seizures, called the seizure focus. Surgeons locate this spot prior to surgery using a combination of brain imaging and electroencephalogram recordings (EEG), which measure brain activity from surface electrodes on the skull. The electrodes monitor nearby neurons for signs of abnormal electrical activity. When they detect signs of an impending seizure, they emit an electrical pulse, blocking the hyperactive wave from spreading throughout the brain. "The idea is to stop the seizure before it occurs," said Frank Fischer, CEO at Neuropace.

Siemens Medical Solutions showed a prototype for the world’s first fully-functioning imaging system capable of performing simultaneously Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The first in-vivo human brain simultaneous MR-PET images were acquired in the Siemens facilities in the USA. This could prove to be a turning point in diagnosis and therapy for millions of patients suffering from neurological diseases, stroke and cancer. The MR-PET will help understand the pathologies and progression of various neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, depression and schizophrenia. It also holds great promise for stem cell therapy. The first MR-PET images were acquired with support of Dr. David Townsend and Dr. Claude Nahmias, both from the University of Tennessee, USA, and Dr. Heinz-Peter Schlemmer, Dr. Claus Claussen and Dr. Bernd Pichler, all from the University Tübingen in Germany.

Interim study results from the Biomarkers for Rapid Identification of Treatment Effectiveness (BRITE) trial in major depression suggest that Aspect Medical System’s EEG-based research technology is a significant predictor of patient response to treatment of depression with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) after one week of treatment. Further, the results suggest that the technology may help expedite the process of identifying effective antidepressant drug therapy. “These interim BRITE trial results are encouraging and support our belief that we can develop a practical, easy-to-use brain assessment device to help clinicians optimize care for patients suffering from depression,” said Nassib Chamoun, president and CEO of Aspect Medical Systems, Inc., which is a global market leader in brain monitoring technology.

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Combination treatment effective to prevent ulcer bleeding

A study published in ‘The Lancet’ suggests that a combination therapy in case of gastrointestinal (GI) tract bleeding would be effective than a singular treatment of NSAID or cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor. The combinations therapy includes COX-2 inhibitor and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for the prevention of ulcer bleeding. The study involved 441 GI patients, who received 200 mg of celecoxib twice daily; 137 patients were randomized to receive 20 mg of esomeprazole twice daily (combined-treatment group) and 136 received placebo (control group) for 12 months. A median follow-up of 13 months showed that there was effective prevention of GI tract bleeding in cases of combination treatment. However, the study was limited by the lack of comparison of the combination treatment with a nonselective NSAID and a PPI.

A study conducted by researchers at New York Medical College and University of Rochester Medical Center, revealed the impact of cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib, in reducing the risk of brain damage in premature babies. Research involved strengthening the germinal matrix in premature babies, which is responsible for triggering new brain cells in babies. The experiments concentrated on the incapacity of blood vessels to handle high rate of blood flow and blood pressure, and this results in snapping in the supply of oxygen to some of the brain tissues. In order to handle the VEGF molecule, responsible for brain’s call for more oxygen, the researchers used celecoxib to disrupt the production of cox-2. This resulted in slower production of VEGF. Researchers concluded that lowering the production of VEGF would eliminate the birth of new blood vessels, hardening the germinal matrix. “This work is very exciting, but the work is ongoing, and we must investigate the use of celecoxib more thoroughly before considering it for widespread use to prevent this problem,” said Praveen Ballabh, neonatologist at Westchester Medical Center.

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New non-invasive biopsy to detect skin cancer

Researchers at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are exploring non-invasive ways to detect skin cancer painlessly and more effectively. Conventional skin care therapy scars the skin surface, as the therapy involves a biopsy of suspicious moles over the skin, giving way to a second surgery to inhibit cancerous growth. The researchers claim that the latest imaging technology – ‘Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy’ – can uses painless laser beam to scan skin cells beneath the surface. Confocal scanning laser microscopy is under research to give sure shot results in detecting irregularly shaped cancer cells and confirm the existence of the same without a biopsy.

A study published in the journal ‘Public Library of Science-Medicine’, by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, California, reveals that the immune system in melanoma patients does not respond to a molecule called interferon, which plays a key role in revitalizing the immune system. The researchers feel that a treatment exposing melanoma patients to interferon for a longer time could boost immune system. There are possibilities of the treatment giving way to further studies based on development of vaccines. “Identification of this interferon response disruption may boost efforts to develop vaccines for different types of cancer,” said researchers at Stanford.

A Scottish company – Lumicure – has come-up with a new bandage for treating skin cancer in a painless way. The bandage is an improvisation of photodynamic theory, as it incorporates aminolevulinic acid and low-powered organic light-emitting diode embedded in a small adhesive device. Aminolevulinic acid apparently acts as a photosensitive cream when comes in contact with the cancer abrasions on the skin and further interacts with cancerous cells when exposed to sunlight. However, painless the therapy might be, it takes longer time than traditional photodynamic theory, and hence, it stands doubtful in treating advanced forms of skin cancer.

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