Effective treatment for neuroblastoma

Experts have claimed that they have discovered an effective treatment for deadly cancer -- neuroblastoma -- by applying new science with a 40-year-old known drug.

Michelle Haber, a molecular and cellular biologist in Australia, said laboratory trials with mice genetically programmed to develop neuroblastoma -- a solid tumour that spreads rapidly through the body -- showed the drug, DFMO, delayed the development of tumours or prevented them forming in the first place.

By combining DFMO with conventional anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, that was then used to treat mice with neuroblastoma, the tumours were reduced, took longer to return and some tumours never came back, according to a report published in The Australian.

Haber, executive director of Sydney-based Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, said, "The mice were cured. That's something you virtually never see in aggressive neuroblastoma."

Luciano Dalla-Pozza, head of oncology at Children's Hospital in Sydney welcomed the series of genetic and animal experiments Haber's team had conducted. "If the trial was opened now, I'd unhesitantly look at enrolling patients in it," Dalla-Pozza said. While roughly 75 per cent of children diagnosed with other cancers survive, only 50 per cent of those diagnosed with neuroblastoma survive. Two-thirds of youngsters get an aggressive form of neuroblastoma that kills more than 80 per cent of them within a year.

Haber said discussions were under way with Sydney Children's Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for trials of combination therapy with children who had relapsed from neuroblastoma.

"For me that's incredibly exciting," Haber said.

ref: thetimesofindia

A diet that predisposes baby to obesity

High-fat diet during pregnancy produces permanent changes in the offspring's brain that lead to increased appetite and obesity early in life, a study in rats has shown.

The surprising new research by Rockefeller University scientists has been reported in the Nov. 12 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The research provides a key step toward understanding mechanisms of fetal programming involving the production of new brain cells that may help explain the increased prevalence of childhood obesity during the last 30 years. "We've shown that short-term exposure to a high-fat diet in utero produces permanent neurons in the fetal brain that later increase the appetite for fat," says senior author Sarah F. Leibowitz, who directs the Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology at Rockefeller. "This work provides the first evidence for a fetal program that links high levels of fats circulating in the mother''s blood during pregnancy to the overeating and increased weight gain of offspring after weaning,” the expert added.

Research in adult animals by Leibowitz and others has shown that circulating triglycerides stimulate brain chemicals known as orexigenic peptides, which in turn spur the animals to eat more. Scientists also have shown that obese and diabetic mothers produce heavier children and that exposure to fat-rich foods early in life leads to obesity in adulthood.

These studies suggested that food intake and body weight may be programmed during fetal development. But little was known about the mechanism underlying this programming.

ref: thetimesofindia

Diet alters heart failure risk

Each serving of whole-grains may lessen heart failure risk by 7 percent among middle-aged African-American and white men and women, according to findings from a long-term study.

Conversely, each serving of high-fat dairy and egg appear to increase heart failure risk by 8 and 23 percent, respectively, Dr. Jennifer A. Nettleton, of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, and colleagues found.

"A refined grain here, a full fat yogurt there, and the occasional egg aren't going to result in heart failure, but a continued pattern of such behaviors could," Nettleton told Reuters Health.

Heart failure is a chronic disease in which the heart gradually loses its ability to pump blood efficiently, leaving organs starved for oxygen.

On 3 occasions over the 13-year study, Nettleton's group assessed the dietary intake of 14,153 adults, aged 45 to 64 years, who did not have heart failure in 1987 when the study began. About half the participants were women and a quarter were African-American,

Overall, 1,140 of the participants were hospitalized for heart failure during the study period, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

After accounting for factors that impact heart failure risk such as calorie intake, lifestyle, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood, the researchers found lower heart failure risk associated with greater intake of whole grains, and higher risk associated with greater amounts of eggs and high fat dairy.

The associations held independently of intake of red meat, fruits and vegetables, fish, and nuts. In this study these foods showed no association with heart failure risk likely because there were too few heart failure cases to detect the heart benefits previously linked with eating fish, fruit and vegetables, and nuts, Nettleton said. However, findings from the current study are consistent with current dietary recommendations to minimize saturated fat intake from meat and high fat dairy products, and eat at least 3 whole grains each day, Nettleton said.

ref: thetimesofindia

Why crying is therapeutic after breakup

Shedding tears often eases our sense of shock or trauma after a painful breakup. But why is the act so beneficial? And is there such a thing as a "bad cry"?

University of South Florida psychologists Jonathan Rottenberg and Lauren M. Bylsma, along with colleague Ad JJM Vingerhoets of Tilburg University analysed more than 3,000 recent crying experiences (outside of lab) and found that the benefits of crying depend entirely on the what, where and when of a particular crying episode.

They found that the majority of respondents reported improvements in their mood following a bout of crying. However, a third of the participants reported no improvement in mood and a tenth felt worse after crying.

The survey also revealed that criers who received social support during their crying episode were the most likely to report improvements in mood.

Research to date has not always produced a clear picture of the benefits of crying, in part because the results often seem to depend on how crying is studied, said a Southern Florida release.

The authors note several challenges in accurately studying crying behaviour in a laboratory setting. Volunteers who cry in a lab setting often do not describe their experiences as being cathartic or making them feel better.

Rather, crying in a lab setting often results in the study participants feeling worse; this may be due to the stressful conditions of the study itself, such as being videotaped or watched by research assistants.

However, these lab studies have provided interesting findings about the physical effects of crying. Criers do show calming effects such as slower breathing, but they also experience a lot of unpleasant stress and arousal, including increased heart rate and sweating. Research has shown that the effects of crying also depend on who is shedding the tears. For example, individuals with anxiety or mood disorders are least likely to experience the positive effects of crying. These findings will appear in the December issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science.

ref: thetimesofindia

Eating at buffets can make you obese

People who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and find their community unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to get obese, says a new study.

Ross Brownson, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis said that it's not that people don't want to get physical activity or eat healthy foods, but lack of easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables has made people obese.

In the study conducted over 258 randomly selected adults in 12 rural communities in Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee showed that lack of sidewalks for walking or biking or just few places available to be active has made people perceive their community unpleasant for physical activity.

"It's not that people don't want to get physical activity or eat healthy foods, but we've made it difficult in many communities," said Brownson. "People in small towns spend a great deal of time in cars, and they also may not have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables in their markets," Brownson added.

During the study, the researchers asked the participants about their access to produce and low-fat foods, frequency and location of food shopping and frequency and location of restaurant dining. They also were asked how they perceived their community for physical activity.

The findings revealed that respondents who ate out often, especially at buffets, cafeterias and fast food restaurants, were more likely to be obese. Rural adults have higher levels of obesity and are less active in their leisure time than urban and suburban U.S. adults, said Brownson. Those with a high school education or less reported limited access to fruits and vegetables and were more likely to shop at convenience stores.

"Although obesity rates are higher in rural areas, this is one of the first studies to look at food choices and exercise in this population," says Alicia Casey, first author of the paper and now a doctoral student in health communications at Penn State University. "Determining how much these factors increase the risk of obesity in rural areas can help us determine methods to help this group," he added.

ref: thetimesofindia

Bone drug can fight breast cancer - 3

Specialists took issue with a separate analysis of that study, which hinted at a bigger benefit from starting on Femara. And pooled results of prior studies involving 20,000 women suggest that any such advantage is very small.

"At this point in time, there is a slight increase in survival in patients treated with AIs but it is not statistically significant," said that study's leader, Dr. James Ingle of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

"The only really fair interpretation is that all of these are the same," and that women should include one at some point in their treatment as guidelines now recommend, Winer said.

About 90,000 women in the United States and many more worldwide each year face this decision, and key issues are cost and side effects.

Both drugs can cause hot flashes. Tamoxifen raises the risk of endometrial cancer and blood clots. The aromatase inhibitors can cause more bone loss, vaginal dryness, problems having sex, joint pain and muscle aches.

"Many of us think that overall, they're drugs that are a little harder to take," Winer said of the newer drugs.

"When you put it all together it's almost a balancing act," depending on each woman's health history and risks, said Dr. C. Kent Osborne, a breast cancer specialist at Baylor College of Medicine ghelaniin Houston. The San Antonio Breast Cancer symposium is sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, Baylor and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

ref: thetimesofindia

Bone drug can fight breast cancer - 2

The study was sponsored by Zometa's maker, Swiss-based Novartis AG, and the study leader consults for the company. With doctor fees, a Zometa infusion can run more than $1,200. In the study it was given every three weeks for four to six months.

Known side effects of Zometa and other bone-building bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax include bone, joint or muscle pain and in rare cases, jawbone decay. They are mainly used to treat osteoporosis.

Also at the conference, several reports strengthened evidence that newer hormone-blockers called aromatase inhibitors, or AIs, do a better job of preventing cancer recurrences and may give a slight survival advantage over the long-used drug tamoxifen.

These drugs work against estrogen, which helps most breast tumors grow, and are given for about five years after surgery for early stage breast cancer to prevent its return.

Tamoxifen has been used for decades and is sold in generic form for about $70 a month. The newer drugs cost around $300 and come in three brands: AstraZeneca PLC's Arimidex (anastrozole), Pfizer Inc.'s Aromasin (exemestane) and Novartis' Femara (letrozole). They only work in women after menopause.

Doctors already know that women who take these newer drugs either as initial treatment or after a few years of tamoxifen have better chances of staying cancer-free. But which of these approaches is best is not known.

Results of a study led by Novartis consultant Dr. Henning Mouridsen of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark mostly were a draw. There were trends toward improved survival for women starting on Femara, but the differences were so small they could have occurred by chance alone.

ref: the timesofindia

Bone drug can fight breast cancer - 1

New research adds fresh hope that a drug that strengthens bones might also fight breast cancer. Women who were given the drug, Zometa, as part of their initisl treatment had greater tumor shrinkage and were less likely to need radical surgery, according to a prelimenary study reported Thursday at a cancer conference in Texas.

In June, doctors were stunned when a big study found that Zometa — given to prevent bone loss caused by certain cancer treatments — also greatly cut the risk that cancer would recur in women who developed the disease before menopause.

Cancer specialists are eagerly awaiting the final results of a second, ongoing study testing Zometa in 3,360 women who had breast cancer after menopause — a much more common situation.

Its leaders gave a mini-report Thursday on 205 participants who had chemotherapy to try to shrink their tumors before surgery.

Those given infusions of Zometa along with chemo had a third more tumor shrinkage and as a result, were less likely to need their whole breast removed versus just the lump, said study leader Dr. Robert Coleman of the University of Sheffield in England.

Eleven percent of Zometa takers had a complete response to treatment — no evidence of cancer in their breasts or lymph nodes — versus 6 percent of women given chemo alone.

Partial studies like this are not enough to change practice, but these results are surprising and deserve further testing, said Dr. Eric Winer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston. Such significant benefits from the bone drug before surgery "is not something I would have expected," he said.

Winer had no role in the work or financial ties to any breast cancer drugmakers. He also is a spokesman for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the largest group of doctors who treat cancer.

ref: thetimesofindia

Aerobics help in weight loss

Sixty minutes of vigorous aerobic exercises on a treadmill is better than 90 minutes of weight-lifting in suppressing appetite.

Aerobics do so by modifying release of two key appetite hormones, ghrelin and peptide YY, while weight-lifting affects the level of only ghrelin, according to a new study.

This line of research may eventually lead to more effective ways to use exercise to help control weight, according to co-author, David J. Stensel of Loughborough University in Britain. There are several hormones that help regulate appetite, but the researchers looked at two of the major ones, ghrelin and peptide YY. Ghrelin is the only hormone known to stimulate appetite. Peptide YY suppresses appetite.

Ghrelin was discovered by researchers in Japan only about 10 years ago and was originally identified for its role as a growth hormone. Only later did its role in stimulating appetite become known. Peptide YY was discovered less than 25 years ago.

In this experiment, 11 male university students did three eight-hour sessions. During one session they ran for 60 minutes on a treadmill, and then rested for seven hours.

During another session they did 90 minutes of weight lifting, and then rested for six hours and 30 minutes. During another session, the participants did not exercise at all, said a Loughborough release.

During each of the sessions, the participants filled out surveys in which they rated how hungry they felt at various points. They also received two meals during each session. The researchers measured ghrelin and peptide YY levels at multiple points along the way.

They found that the treadmill (aerobic) session caused ghrelin levels to drop and peptide YY levels to increase, indicating the hormones were suppressing appetite. However, a weight-lifting (non-aerobic) session produced a mixed result. Ghrelin levels dropped, indicating appetite suppression, but peptide YY levels did not change significantly.

Based on the hunger ratings the participants filled out, both aerobic and resistance exercise suppressed hunger, but aerobic exercise produced a greater suppression of hunger.

The changes the researchers observed were short term for both types of exercise, lasting about two hours, including the time spent exercising, Stensel reported.

The study appears in the online edition of The American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

fer: thetimesofindia

Nuts help cut risk of heart disease

Good morning friends. This article is good for the nuts lovers. I’m sure that everyone will eat nuts to prevent heart ailment. This has reference to The Times of India.

Here's a health tip in a nutshell: Eating a handful of nuts a day for a year — along with a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish — may help undo a collection of risk factors for heart disease.

Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better than boosting the olive oil in a typical Mediterranean diet. Both regimens cut the heart risks known as metabolic syndrome in more people than a low-fat diet did.

"What's most surprising is they found substantial metabolic benefits in the absence of calorie reduction or weight loss," said JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. In the study, the people who improved most were told to eat about three whole walnuts, seven or eight whole hazelnuts and seven or eight whole almonds. They didn't lose weight, on average, but more of them succeeded in reducing belly fat and improving their cholesterol and blood pressure.

Manson, who wasn't involved in the study, cautioned that adding nuts to a western diet — one packed with too many calories and junk food — could lead to weight gain and more health risks.

"But using nuts to replace a snack of chips or crackers is a very favorable change to make in your diet," Manson cautioned.

The American Heart Association says that over 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a combination of health risks, such as high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Nuts help people feel full while also increasing the body's ability to burn fat, said lead author Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain.

"Nuts could have an effect on metabolic syndrome by multiple mechanisms," Salas-Salvado said. Nuts are rich in anti-inflammatory substances, such as fiber, and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. They are high in unsaturated fat, a healthier fat known to lower blood triglycerides and increase good cholesterol.

Obese kids risk thyroid damage

Good morning friends. Obese kids out there. Being fat is not good. You may be looking healthy but the truth is it has a it's not good and it creates damage.

Obesity may cause inflammation that damages the thyroid, which secretes hormones to regulate metabolism and other important functions, Giorgio Radetti of the Regional Hospital of Bolzano in Italy and colleagues said.

They evaluated 186 overweight and obese children for about three years, testing thyroid hormone levels and thyroid antibodies and imaging the thyroid gland using ultrasound.

“We found an association between body mass index and thyroid hormone levels which suggests that fat excess may have a role in thyroid tissue modification,” Radetti said.

ref: thetimesofindia

Fungus can slash heart attack, obesity

Good morning friend. We all know teenage very seldom or some how i may say wer not reading newspapers. They are using computers to surf and to search anything. They are crazy about computers. That's why I'd like to share with all of you what I have read in The Times of India.

A vegetarian superfood, which is made from fungus, can cut the risk of having a heart attack and help people stay slim.

What's more, the miracle item can also slash the risk of suffering from diabetes, says the study published in the British Nutrition Foundation's journal.

According to experts, a diet rich in mycoprotein can lower cholesterol and could help reduce high levels of blood glucose and insulin. It may also prolong a feeling of fullness after a meal, potentially helping people to slim.

Mycoprotein is a meat-free form of high quality protein which is made by adding oxygen, nitrogen, glucose and minerals to a natural fungus called Fusarium venenatum.

It is found in meat free products like mince, sausages, escalopes, deli food and ready meals.

To reach the conclusion, the researchers reviewed data relating to the benefits of mycoprotein, a key ingredient in meat substitutes like Quorn.

The review discovered reported cholesterol reductions of up to 14 per cent among people eating 190 grammes of mycoprotein a day for three weeks. A single serving of meat substitute mince contains 80 grammes of mycoprotein, the study found.

Also a reduction in cholesterol of around 10 per cent among people with elevated cholesterol levels eating 120 to 140 grammes of mycoprotein a day was reported. As for the expanation, the researchers said that mycoprotein might be useful in the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes because it slows the transport of food sugars from the stomach to the bloodstream. This has the effect of lessening the peaks and troughs often seen in blood glucose and insulin levels after meals.

"Mycoprotein is a really healthy food and the bonus is all these benefits on top. If it fills you up and helps to reduce the impact of blood sugar and reduce cholesterol, it sounds like it is a bit of a superfood," the Daily Express quoted nutritionist Angela Dowden, as saying.

Treatment for food allergy on the anvil

Scientists across Europe are working towards developing a treatment for one of the most common and dangerous conditions for humans- food allergy.

The initiative called the Food Allergy Specific Therapy (FAST) research project has Dr Clare Mills of the Institute of Food Research as a lead partner.

"All people with food allergy can do is avoid the foods to which they are allergic. The threat of severe anaphylaxis has a great impact on their quality of life," he said.

Attempted treatment with allergen-specific immunotherapy, where a patient received monthly injections with an allergen extract for three to five years, failed because it could cause anaphylaxis as a side effect.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction involving the whole body, often within minutes of exposure to the allergen.

Peanut allergy is the most widely known cause, but other causes of anaphylaxis include other foods, insect stings, latex and drugs. If untreated in time it can be fatal.

In the FAST project, scientists will use modified variants of allergic proteins that are hypoallergenic and therefore safer. The proteins will be purified making them more effective and making it easier to control the dose.

Almost 90 percent of all food allergies are caused by about 10 foods.

Allergies to fish and fruit are among the most common in Europe. In fish allergy the protein responsible is parvalbumin and in fruit it is lipid transfer protein (LTP). Modified hypo-allergenic versions of these proteins will be produced at tested as potential treatments.

"We are hoping for a cure that will allow people to eat fish or fruit again. But a significant reduction of sensitivity would already be a great step forwards," said Dr Ronald van Ree from the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam.

He added: "The risk of unintentional exposure due to cross-contamination of foods, or while eating in restaurants or at parties, will decrease. This will take away lot of the anxiety that has a negative impact on the quality of life of food allergy sufferers." (ANI)