#CWRU researchers discover byproducts from bacteria awaken dormant T-cells and HIV viruses Dental and medical researchers from Case Western Reserve University found another reason to treat periodontal disease as soon as possible.
They discovered that byproducts of bacteria in gum disease, called metabolic small chain fatty acid (SCFA),
can work together to wake up HIV in dormant T-cells and cause the virus to replicate.
Their findings help explain why people with the HIV-infections and periodontal disease have higher levels of the virus in their saliva than HIV patients with healthy gums.
The researchers speculate that byproducts from other bacteria infections in other diseases might change gene expression using similar mechanisms.
For dental patients with HIV their findings further support how important it is to treat bacterial infections in gum disease early.
This interaction by SCFA and T-cells surprised co-investigators Fengchun Ye, assistant professor of biological sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of dental medicine,
and Jonathan Karn, director of the Center for Aids Research and professor and chair of the Department of Molecular biology and Microbiology at Case Western Reserve's medical school.
Their findings are described in the article, "Short chain fatty acids potently induce latent HIV-1 in T-cells by activating P-TEFB and multiple histone modifications,"
In the interaction between gum disease and HIV, five SCFA byproducts from two prevalent oral bacteria--Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn)--are involved in activating resting immune T-cells carrying latent (inactive
and respond to inflammation to ward off an infection in the body.""As long as someone is healthy,
Last year, Ye and Karn discovered that one SCFA--butyric acid--induced a chain of events that reactivate the virus associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common malignancy in HIV patients.
"The impact on waking up T-cells and activating HIV replication was a"double whammy"find that contributes to understanding the little-known microbiome in HIV disease,
That prompted the researchers to investigate the mechanism that drives the replication of the virus in gum disease.
HIV antiviral therapy prevents active HIV cells from replicating and doesn't affect the quiet viruses in sleeping T-cells.
As long as the patient is free of gum disease, the virus sleeps and remains in check, Karn said d
#UCSD Study Shows Why Protein Mutations Lead to Familial Form of Parkinson Disease Researchers at the San diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San diego, have shown for the first time why protein mutations
lead to the familial form of Parkinson disease. The study, available online in prepublication in ACS Chemical Neuroscience and partially funded by the National institutes of health, focuses specifically on alpha-synuclein (asyn), a protein
which represents the major structural component of Lewy bodies protein clumps found in the brains of individuals with Parkinson disease and other neurological disorders.
Parkinson disease is characterized by impairment or deterioration of neurons in an area of the brain known as the substantia nigra In the familial form of the disorder,
which these mutations caused disease. s an unstructured protein, asyn is called sometimes hameleonbecause it has no stable configuration
a research scientist with SDSC as well as the UC San diego Moores Cancer Center and the Department of Neurosciences. evertheless when these changes seem to be random on first glance,
researchers could not say why these mutations caused Parkinson disease, said Tsigelny. he discovery of Zone 2 as the distinguishing feature of the membrane-penetrating configurations of asyn paves the road to possible prevention of such a binding.
Wolf Wrasidlo from the Moores Cancer Center; and Cassia Overk, Tania Gonzalez, Margarita Trejo, Brian Spencer,
highlighting the need for an approved drug that can be taken after radiation exposure to protect against organ injury and death.
& Biology identifies a drug candidate called DBIBB that increases the survival of mice suffering from radiation syndrome,
The findings suggest that DBIBB shows promise for becoming the first drug capable of treating acute radiation syndrome caused by the high levels of radiation released by nuclear explosions."
and our efforts will provide protection through medical countermeasures against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation
which can cause cell death and organ injury due to DNA damage. Although some agents tested by the military can provide some protection against radiation sickness when taken prior to radiation exposure,
no approved drug is taken effective when after radiation exposure. In previous studies, Tigyi and his collaborators found that a molecule called lysophosphatidic acid (LPA),
"This technology can potentially also help cancer patients from the side effects of radiation therapy and astronauts from chronic exposure to cosmic rays on their journey to Mars. s
It is a major topic of biomedical research and has been shown to be a central regulator of cell proliferation, growth, and death.
too much expression of the protein that Myc encodes has been linked closely to cancer, making it a well-known but elusive target of drug developers.
said senior author John Sedivy, the Hermon C. Bumpus Professor of Biology and professor of medical science at Brown."
They did not develop osteoporosis, they maintained a healthier balance of immune system T cells, had less cardiac fibrosis,
were experienced more active less age-related slowing of their metabolic rate, produced less cholesterol, and exhibited better coordination.
upregulation of a variety of stress defense mechanisms. Their experimental mice seemed to suffer from as much stress and consequences of stress as normal mice.
The different benefits of Myc reduction compared to other laboratory longevity extenders shows that just as there are many ways the body can break down with aging,
if it can reduce osteoporosis in people the way it does in mice. In particular, Sedivy said,
any drug that can target Myc directly is likely to find many applications beyond cancer r
The new sensor is as accurate as the"wet electrode"sensors used in hospitals, but can be used for long-term monitoring
Long-term monitoring of electrophysiological signals can be used to track patient health or assist in medical research,
Electrophysiological sensors used in hospitals, such as EKGS, use wet electrodes that rely on an electrolytic gel between the sensor
Columbia University School of engineering and Applied science-Opening new doors for biomedical and neuroscience research, Elizabeth Hillman, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering and of radiology at Columbia University Medical center
"The ability to perform real-time 3d imaging at cellular resolution in behaving organisms is a new frontier for biomedical
The emergence of fluorescent proteins and transgenic techniques over the past 20 years has transformed biomedical research,
and Kimara Targoff (assistant professor of pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics), all of whom are starting to use the SCAPE system in their research."
The findings of a new study have advanced significantly researchersknowledge of immunity for these pathogens. Information about the immune responses that occur in animals following haemoplasma infection is relatively unknown largely due to the fact that researchers struggle to study these bacteria as they are unable to grow them in the laboratory.
Antibiotics do not consistently clear infection and without correct treatment the anaemia can be fatal.
Recently haemoplasma associated anaemia has been reported in a human too. The aim of the study was to determine
whether cats who had recovered previously from M. haemofelis infection were protected from re-infection. The researchers found that they were representing a significant advancement in scientistsknowledge of immunity for haemoplasmainfections.
The exact methods of protective immunity could not be identified clearly despite extensive investigations but the study results suggest that a vaccine using a weakened form of the bacteria may offer protection against haemoplasma infection.
Dr Séverine Tasker Reader in Feline Medicine in Companion Animal Studies who led the study said:
his is the first study to demonstrate protective immunity against M. haemofelis reinfection and it provides important information for a possible future hemoplasma vaccine. ur findings could help prevent the disease in cats
and could also be of particular importance to farm animal species where haemoplasma infections can cause huge financial losses. he study recommends future research should explore
whether the bacterial animal infection could be transmitted to humans and how the immune system targets the pathogen t
#California Unveils Strictest Rules on Pesticide California farmers now must abide by the nation's strictest rules for a widely used pesticide in a change designed to protect farmworkers
and people who live and work near agricultural fields but is likely to raise prices on produce.
The restrictions announced Wednesday target chloropicrin, a pesticide injected into the ground before planting crops such as strawberries, tomatoes and almond orchards.
In recent years, the chemical has caused hundreds of people to suffer from irritated eyes, coughing fits and headaches,
Successfully fighting off an infection depends on the interactions between these cells. A new device developed by MIT engineers offers a much more detailed picture of that cellular communication.
the researchers have learned already more about how T cells major players in the immune response become activated during infection.
Hidde Ploegh, an MIT professor of biology and member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, is also a senior author of the paper.
and display pieces of viral or bacterial proteins (known as antigens) on their cell surfaces. When these B cells encounter T cells with receptors that recognize the antigen,
the T cells become activated, provoking them to release cytokines inflammatory chemicals that control the immune response
the MIT team found that they did not all respond the same way after encountering B cells carrying identical antigens on their surfaces.
the researchers found that the initial activation level depends on how much of the antigen is presented. At high levels, most of the cells respond the same way.
at lower antigen levels, the T cell responses vary greatly. These differences also correlated to differences in T cell cytokine production.
#Scientists Create Device for Extracting Tumor Cells from Blood An international group led by scientists at UCLA California Nanosystems Institute has developed a new method for effectively extracting
Circulating tumor cells are cancer cells that break away from tumors and travel in the blood, looking for places in the body to start growing new tumors called metastases.
Capturing these rare cells would allow doctors to detect and analyze the cancer so they could tailor treatment for individual patients.
In his laboratory at the UCLA California Nanosystems Institute, Hsian-Rong Tseng a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, used a device he invented to capture circulating tumor cells from blood samples.
The device, called the Nanovelcro Chip, is a postage-stampized chip with nanowires that are 1,
000 times thinner than a human hair and are coated with antibodies that recognize circulating tumor cells.
When 2 milliliters of blood are run through the chip, the tumor cells stick to the nanowires like Velcro.
Capturing the tumor cells was just part of the battle, though. To analyze them, Tseng team needed to be able to separate the cells from the chip without damaging them.
In earlier experiments with Nanovelcro the scientists used a technique called laser capture microdissection that was effective in removing individual cells from the chip without damaging them,
and release (at 4 degrees Celsius) circulating tumor cells at their optimal purity. Polymer brushes on the Nanovelcro nanowires respond to the temperature changes by altering their physical properties
who is also a member of UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. e combined the thermoresponsive system with downstream mutational analysis to successfully monitor the disease evolution of a lung cancer patient.
#Biogen idec Columbia to Conduct Collaborative Genetics Research Biogen idec and Columbia University Medical center have formed a $30 million strategic alliance to conduct genetics discovery research on the underlying causes of disease
The agreement will integrate genomics research conducted at Columbia with Biogen idec understanding of disease mechanisms and pathways,
and expertise in discovering new medicines. ur understanding of human genetics is rapidly expanding, and there is growing recognition that the elucidation of the genetic causes of disease will have a transformative effect on both patient care
and drug development in many different diseases said David Goldstein, Phd, founding director of Columbia University Institute for Genomic Medicine. his collaboration marries the exceptional drug development expertise of Biogen with cutting-edge genomics expertise at Columbia University Medical center.
It will not only focus on target identification and validation at the early stages of drug development,
but also facilitate genetically informed evaluation of treatments. uman genetic technologies and analytics have advanced to the point where they are becoming central to the discovery
and development of new medicines, said Tim Harris, Phd, DSC, Senior vice president, Technology and Translational Sciences,
or unique disease presentations and to explore the connections among genes, pathways, and disease processes.
The ultimate goal will be to provide multiple qualified targets for new therapeutic approaches, increasing the potential for the development of new treatments. his collaboration with Biogen,
with its focus on the genetic causes of diseases, fits in perfectly with Columbia commitment to precision medicine,
said Lee Goldman, MD, MPH, Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine. he development of new treatments based on this genetic understanding will have profound effects on clinical practice.
The new facility will have broad genetic research capabilities and the capacity to launch and complete whole-genome sequencing projects rapidly.
It will allow for rapid population-scale DNA sequencing across a broad range of disease areas, focusing on diseases with significant unmet clinical need such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Tom Maniatis, Phd, the Isidore S. Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University Medical center and director of Columbia university-wide
precision medicine initiative, said, he strong clinical and basic science programs in neurodegenerative diseases at Columbia will significantly benefit from the Columbia/Biogen alliance.
We expect that the alliance will dramatically advance our understanding of the genetics of these devastating diseases and ultimately lead to mechanism-based treatments, a key aspect of Columbia precision-medicine initiative. c
#Radiation Hormone Therapy Prolong Survival for Older Men With Prostate Cancer Adding radiation treatment to hormone therapy saves more lives among older men with locally advanced prostate therapy than hormone
therapy alone according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology from Penn Medicine researchers.
The researchers found that hormone therapy plus radiation reduced cancer deaths by nearly 50 percent in men aged 76 to 85 compared to men who only received hormone therapy.
Past studies have shown that 40 percent of men with aggressive prostate cancers are treated with hormone therapy alone exposing a large gap in curative cancer care among baby boomers aging into their 70s.#
#ailure to use effective treatments for older patients with cancer is a health care quality concern in the United states.#
#Radiation plus hormone therapy is such a treatment for men with aggressive prostate cancerssaid lead author Justin E. Bekelman MD an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology Medical Ethics and Health policy at Penn
Perelman School of medicine and Abramson Cancer Center.##atients and their physicians should carefully discuss curative treatment options for prostate cancer
and reduce the use of hormone therapy alone. ocally advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has spread outside but near the prostate gland.
Unlike slower growing tumors locally advanced prostate cancer is an aggressive malignancy that is prone to metastasize
and cause cancer deaths. Hormone therapy lowers or blocks the levels of testosterone and other androgens (male hormones) that feed prostate cancer tumors.
Two landmark clinical trials have shown that radiation plus hormone therapy produces a large and significant improvement in survival in younger men relative to hormone therapy alone
but until now there has been no comparable research on treatment for older men with advanced prostate cancer.
Addressing this question for the first time Penn research team compared the combination of radiation plus hormone therapy
versus hormone therapy alone among 31 541 men with prostate cancer ranging in age from 65 years to 85 years.
Among men age 65 to 75 years old radiation plus hormone therapy was associated with a reduction in prostate cancer deaths of 57 percent relative to hormone therapy alone
(from 9. 8 percent to 4. 4 percent of patients at 7 years follow up. Similarly among men age 76 to 85 years old radiation plus hormone therapy was associated with a reduction in prostate cancer deaths of 49 percent relative to hormone therapy alone
(from 9. 8 percent to 5. 0 percent of patients at 7 years follow-up. In both groups radiation plus hormone therapy was associated also with about one-third fewer deaths from any cause.
Importantly the clinical trials have shown that the side effects of radiation plus hormone therapy are very acceptable relative to hormone therapy alone. lder men with aggressive prostate cancers should know that the combination of radiation plus
hormone therapy is both tolerable and effective in curing prostate cancersaid Bekelman. In addition to offering new evidence for older men Bekelman research also demonstrates that the prior clinical trial findings for younger men apply in the eal-worldof routine clinical practice.#
#Only three percent of cancer patients participate in clinical trials; thus confirming that treatments work in real-world care is a crucial aspect of translating medical evidence to clinical practice.
Bekelman study is an example of patient-centered cancer comparative effectiveness research which provides reliable useful information to help individual patients make informed cancer care decisions
and improve cancer care outcomes. The Penn-led study examined radiation treatment and hormone therapy in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database.
SEER collects data from population-based cancer registries that cover 26 percent of the U s. population and Medicare
which covers 97 percent of the U s. population 65 years of age or older. Patients received treatments not by random assignment but as part of their normal clinical care.
Bekelman team utilized specialized analysis techniques to mimic randomized clinical trials in data from routine care
and to identify which treatments are best for men of different age groups and cancer severity e
#Egg and Sperm cells Made From Adult Cells For the first time, scientists have made human sperm and egg precursor cells from human adult skin cells.
The work, detailed in a recent Cell paper, could ultimately change the age at which women stop having children."
"This paper represents another step forward in a very important area of stem cell biology,"Renee Riejo Pera,
a leading developmental biologist with Montana State university, told Bioscience Technology. Pera was uninvolved in the research.""The paper uncovers fundamentals in producing the earliest stage germ cells.
Studies such as this help tremendously towards a goal of helping infertile men and women.""he feedback has been extremely positive, the Weizmann Institute Jacob Hanna,
one of two senior authors on the paper, told Bioscience Technology. think this is a major leap forward."
#Technology Detects Lingering Cancer cells During Breast Surgery Many patients undergoing lumpectomy surgery at NYU Langone Medical center for the removal of an early detected breast tumor the surgical option of choice for this diagnosis
--are benefitting from new intra-operative technology that detects microscopic amounts of cancer cells on removed tumor tissue not visible during or following surgical intervention.
The Division of Breast Surgery at NYU Langone was the first in New york city to utilize Marginprobe for early stage breast cancer.
Manufactured and marketed by Dune Medical devices, Marginprobe utilizes non-destructive radio-frequency spectroscopy technology in the operating room to analyze the outer margins of removed cancerous tissue to detect traces of cancer cells.
the surgeon excises additional tissue from the surgical site to ensure that no additional cancer cells remain. he greatest benefit of Marginprobe is that we can perform this additional tissue removal during a patient initial surgery,
thereby sparing them the anxiety and frustration of additional follow-up surgery, said Freya Schnabel, MD, Director of Breast Surgery at NYU Langone.
Marginprobe was the subject of a major multi-institutional retrospective study led by Dr. Schnabel and published in the March 2014 edition in Annals of Surgical Oncology.
The study examined close to 600 patients who underwent lumpectomies for non-palpable breast malignancies. It concluded that the utilization of Marginprobe was as much as three times more effective in finding additional cancer on the margins of removed tumor tissue,
compared to more traditional intra-operative imaging and other assessment tools. e found that adjunctive use of the Marginprobe device in the operating room significantly improved surgeonsability to identify additional cancer cells on the margins of removed tumors,
Dr. Schnabel said. arginprobe detection of additional cancer cells along the margins of removed tissue indicates that additional tissue removal is warranted.
This, in turn, improves the rate of a completely successful lumpectomy with no additional follow-up surgery required.
Dr. Schnabel has used Marginprobe in more than 50 cases, and is encouraged extremely with the results. he Marginprobe allows us to increase the likelihood that patients will leave the OR with a successful lumpectomy,
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women in the U s, . with over 285,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
It is estimated that between 60 to 75 percent of these patients opt for a lumpectomy the removal of the cancerous lesion,
Most patients will undergo some form of post-surgical treatment, either chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or a combination of the two.
Marginprobe greatest benefit is that it provides added assurance to both the surgeon and the patient that all cancer cells are removed during the initial surgery. t is critically important to spare patients the additional burden of re-excision procedures
and the time that is lost from work and family. Marginprobe helps us achieve that. i
They may not want to go out on their own and deal with the risk and stress of a startup,
Those who do attend university favor professions such as medicine, pharmacy, nursing and teaching, and they have been less present in business schools.
and other existing microscopy and sensing techniques to field-portable, cost-effective and high-throughput instruments can make possible myriad new applications for point-of-care medicine
The system can identify developing conditions that could lead to hypoxia or G-induced loss of consciousness (GLOC.
We discovered that hypoxia can develop in different conditions. In non-pressurized cockpits, for example, when flying helicopters over high mountain ranges, hypoxia can develop slowly over the course of an hour.
When caused by oxygen supply failures or human condition, blood oxygen levels can drop, from 90 to 60-70 percent.
and water heaters sprouting from government buildings hospitals police stations bus shelters as well as thousands of gaily colored private homes throughout the Caribbean island.
whilst simultaneously providing drivers with a stress-free, elegant mode of transportation. Article provided in agreement with Bradley Taylor who is a guest contributor to Earthtechling
and Oklahoma infrastructure in some states is scarce. o avoid feelings of range anxiety common in owners of CNG-only vehicles we made the Impala bi-fuel allowing our customers to drive on CNG when available and on gasoline
#State Leadership In Financing A Greener Future While crippling paralysis has become standard operating procedure for Congress in the face of mounting climate and energy challenges,
#Implants And Powering Them From Within Your heart expends half a joule of energy every time it beats.
you need to have surgery to replace it. Power is always a challenge. The innovation is a flexible piezoelectric layer sandwiched between biocompatible plastic.
These results, the team concluded, demonstrate that their system could power implants like pacemakers with
or without batteries. ur ultimate goal is to replace the battery of an implant altogether,
ut even extending the life of the implant own battery is useful. They grew rat smooth muscle cells on their prototypes to determine that the materials were not toxic.
They then affixed it to beating sheep and cow hearts to see if it would operate as they had hoped
causing the spread of disease. But western-style toilets require sewage lines and treatment plants that aren feasible in many places.
#Spotting inherited heart disease before it strikes CM affects one in 2500 adults, with an annual incidence of between 5%and 8%per 100 000, says INHERITANCE coordinator Professor Eloisa Arbustini of the Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo. t is one of the leading causes
of heart failure due to systolic dysfunction, being responsible for 10 000 deaths per year in Europe, and it is the most common indication for cardiac transplantation in adolescents and adults.
Early diagnosis and management of the disease is fundamental, but in spite of the fact that it is inherited in up to half of all cases,
That means several different genes may cause the disease. INHERITANCE researchers have worked to characterise different types of DCM,
and they undertook genetic studies to explore the molecular makeup behind the different mutations that cause the disease.
The results have enabled successful preclinical and pre-symptomatic diagnosis meaning researchers can identify family members at risk before they develop the disease.
They have developed also ground-breaking, family-tailored and optimised clinical and genetic work up, enabling a more cost-effective use of medical resources. ver the course of three years, says Arbustini,
e have obtained important new information with immediate relevance to everyday clinical practice. The greatest contribution has been our characterisation of patients with aminopathies a subtype of DCM caused by mutations in the gene encoding for the nuclear envelope protein.
and carries a high risk of ventricular arrhythmias, even in the early phases of the disease. nother major achievement of INHERITANCE has been to provide policy makers with a healthcare model that can be applied across the continent,
she says. Using this model to diagnose and care for families identified with genetic DCM allows doctors to provide tailored monitoring,
treatment and preventive care, reduce discomfort for patients and cost compared to other treatment. Patients can receive treatment as outpatients
and avoid unnecessary hospitalisation. Arbustini says the subject of the study, familial DCM, is not only an important healthcare problem in its own right but can also serve as a model for developing improved and tailored treatments for other inherited diseases.
28th february 2014 Rare Diseases Day 2014 Project details Project acronym: INHERITANCE Participants: Italy (Coordinator), France, UK, Nederlands, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Sweden FP7 Proj.
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