Health and Medicine – Page 14

Mumps, vax, quacks #science

A few science news snippets:

Mumps vaccination and teenage swelling – Clinical evidence suggests that we should best avoid mumps in teenagers, could a booster vaccine at age 12 or thereabouts be the answer?
Martin Gardner RIP – Debunker of quacks and pseudoscientists and an unequalled mathematical raconteur, he will be missed.
Electronic blast for superbug killers and more… – This week, an electronic blast could kill superbugs and give us sweeter smelling socks, the Alchemist learns. Models could improve our understanding of volcanic ash and oil spills while analytical instrumentation for atmospheric studies is improved with a low-noise controller. In the technological field, a new nano material based on titanium pentoxide could one day outshine Blu-ray, and molecular bubbles could deliver drugs more effectively than conventional polymer capsules. Finally, emergency NSF funding could help in the cleanup after the Gulf of Mexico oil release.
A Question Of Identity – Who's Wong? Who's White? ResearcherID on the way?
A new spin on extending battery life – A team at Bar-Ilan University is working to make existing batteries last ten times longer and existing processors work ten times faster using spintronics.

Tellura, angiogenesis, favourites

Tellurium steroids, angiogenesis against cancer, favourite chemical things and more…

My name is tellura – Drugs based on tellurium catch the eye of Derek Lowe
Antiangiogenic "anticancer" foods – Can eating these foods help prevent pin-head sized cancers that grow in people from gaining the blood vessels they need to grow into something malignant? In other words, can we eat to starve cancer?
Spicing meat cuts cancer risk – They say variety is the spice of life, but spice has some hidden benefits in reducing the risk of absorbed cancer-causing chemicals from barbecued meat, apparently.
A few of my favorite (chemistry) things – One of the originals from the chemistry things meme to which I succumbed this week.
UK Geocoding – Want to know precisely where you are in the UK, just enter your postcode to get latitude and longitude.
Sunless tanning will not protect you – Fashionable (but generally ugly) spray tanning that gives caucasians a familiar orange glow do not protect them from UV skin damage caused by the sun

Smoking cadmium and benchtop X-rays

Latest science news including this week’s round up from my SpectroscopyNOW column:

Smoking out cadmium problem – A statistical analysis of spectroscopic data is helping scientists home in on the problem of decreased fruit and vegetable consumption being associated with an elevated concentration of cadmium in the blood of male smokers.
Short, sharp outburst – A new approach to generating ultra-short, high-density electron pulses for the production of advanced X-ray sources has been developed. The approach could lead to a bench-top X-ray synchrotron for materials science, pharmaceutical research and nanotechnology research.
Metabolic obesity – Evidence from NMR spectroscopic studies of individual metabolic profiles would suggest that the way our bodies digest and process nutrients in the food we eat is different for every person and could ultimately affect overweight and obesity problems.
Heavy metal and hardened arteries – The way in which arterial plaques form, atherogenesis, is not yet completely understood despite a significant number of research studies in this area. Now, a study using rabbits on a high-fat diet (HFD) has investigated the effects of changes in the concentrations of heavy metalsin several tissues using spectroscopy.
Electronic ‘nose’ can predict pleasantness of novel odours – Our sense of smell may not be as subjective as we thought, as scientists develop an electronic nose that can distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant odours.
Scientists embrace openness – "Everybody makes mistakes. And if you don't expose your raw data, nobody will find your mistakes." –Jean-Claude Bradley [no relation]

Antimony, x-rays, childhood obesity

Science news links for March 12-15, including the latest on my SpectroscopyNOW.com column:

Feverish New World X-ray – X-ray crystallography has allowed US researchers to discover exactly how one type of New World hemorrhagic fever virus latches on to and infects human cells. The work offers a much-needed lead for new treatments.
Marking up childhood obesity – Metabolic fingerprinting has been shown to be a powerful tool for exploring Biomarkers in a range of disorders and the pathophysiological mechanisms of disease. A new study has now applied the technique to childhood obesity to intriguing effect.
Myrtle medicine – German researchers have successfully devised and implemented a total synthesis of myrtucommulone A, tracking progress and structures using NMR spectroscopy. The compound is physiologically active in anticancer and antibacterial screens, and the synthesis opens up the potential for making simpler, but active analogues.
Antimony analysed in food packaging – A simple, yet sensitive, method for detecting inorganic antimony in food packaging has been developed using cloud point extraction combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS).
Unlocking the opium poppy’s biggest secret – Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine
What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? –
Antibiotics against stomach cancer – Helicobacter pylori often causes stomach ulcers and, in extreme cases, gastric cancer. f1000 Medicine Reports, Seiji Shiota and Yoshio Yamaoka discuss the possible eradication of H. pylori infections using antibiotics.
How cars are killing us – Cars are lethal, but nowhere more so than in the developing world.

Cancer, pneumonia, regulations, theranostics

The 1st of January issue of SpectroscopyNOW is live:

MRI nanoparticles seek and destroy cancer cells – A single nanoparticle can be tracked using real-time MRI as it homes in on cancer cells. A fluorescent dye used to tag the nanoparticle couples with heat therapy to kill the targeted cells. Naomi Halas and Amit Joshi of Rice University and their colleagues there and at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), both in Houston, Texas, have demonstrated the “theranostics” approach in laboratory cell cultures so far but are confident that they will, one day, be able to use this approach to MRI tracking and cancer cell targeting in animals, then people. The all-in-one particle is another example of the growing field of theranostics being developed to allow physicians to diagnose and treat disease in a single procedure. The team reports details in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

NMR test for pneumonia – The first demonstration of how metabolic analysis using NMR spectroscopy to analyse a urine sample for diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia has been undertaken. The simple diagnostic could be useful as the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia rises across the globe.

Regulatory crystallography – The structure and function of a chromatin regulator in yeast has been determined using X-ray crystallography. The structure provides new insights into epigenetics and may ultimately represent a target for the development of pharmaceutical therapies for a whole range of diseases.

Raman targets bacterial cell walls – Bacterial cell walls are a key target for antibiotics but they can change structure during reproduction. Now, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy have been used to home in on these changes in a bacterium and so provide important clues about the biochemical changes that occur at the cellular level.

Snagging supernova spectra – Spectroscopy reveals that an extraordinarily bright, very long-lasting supernova named SN 2007bi, spotted in the night sky by a robotic telescope is the first example of the earliest type of star in the universe

Juggling cancer nano news

Latest news reports from yours truly on Spectroscopynow.com

Juggling matters on the brain – UK scientists have used magnetic resonance imaging to reveal that learning a complex task like juggling can causes changes in the white matter in the brain. The findings could have implications for developing new approaches to neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

Cancer transition – Anticancer drugs for treating ovarian and colon cancer could use rare metals as weapons in the battle against these diseases. The presence of unusual metal centres in organometallic compounds presents a novel affront to tumour cells that may even beat cancer cells that have evolved resistance to conventional drugs.

17th century mathematics and 21st century materials – Nanoparticles can self-assemble into quasicrystalline structures, according to researchers in the USA. The newly discovery structures could provide useful insights into how such non-periodic, and yet ordered, that lie half way between amorphous solids and regular crystals can arise.

Spectroscopy quickly reveals drug contamination – Near infrared (NIR) reflectance and laser Raman spectra can be used to quickly screen drug samples non-destructively and to spot contamination. The techniques could not displace nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electrophoresis required by drug regulators, but could be used as a quick first test for screening potentially contaminated drug products.

Organic ferroelectrics – Raman spectroscopy touches on the properties of an organic ionic material, only the second of its type to be synthesised, that apparently undergoes a phase transition at low temperature making it ferroelectric.

Methylmercury marker – Detecting methylmercury usually involves complex sample preparation and a sophisticated analytical procedure. Now, a European team has developed a novel approach to detecting this hazardous substance much more quickly and easily using a new type of fluorescent marker.

Food Chemistry News

On the menu today, why red wine is a no-no when it comes to fishy cuisine, how chemists can help you improve your gravy, and a whole platter of food chemistry to tempt your taste buds:

“Red wine with red meat, white wine with fish.” But, have you ever wondered why? Japanese chemists have discovered that the iron in red wine simply makes fish taste too…well…fishy…giving your mouth an unpleasant, fishy aftertaste, according to a report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Gravy training – The British probably have as many different recipes for making gravy as they have gravy boats from which to pour it over their roast beef. But, a spot of chemistry can improve not only the flavor, texture, and color, but give gravy a healthy boost. Here’s the definitive chemical guide to making gravy.

Pink pepper is actually the dried berry of the Brazilian weed Schinus terebinthifolius and contains an irritating phenol-type compound known as cardanol. Pink pepper causes a range of toxic reactions including rashes, oral and respiratory irritation, chest pains and tightness, headaches, swollen eyelids, stomach upset, diarrhoea and haemorrhoids. Nice… But, despite that it’s a trendy ingredient among trendy chefs. The Guardian provides the skinny on pink pepper.

Apparently, American gourmets are latching on to the Japanese concept of umami, or “deliciousness”, which is considered the fifth taste after salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. The word roughly translates as “tasty”, although “brothy”, “meaty”, or “savory” could do just as well. It’s difficult to translate a whole concept literally. Recently, scientists homed in on a specific tongue receptor linked to natural “glutamate”; as in the amino acid part of monosodium glutamate, the sodium there to make it soluble in water. Glutamate, of course, is the archetypal umami ingredient, so the link grows stronger.

Now, a couple of stories for those parts of the world now entering the barbecue season. Chemists have figured out how to make meats more succulent and tasty on the grill, while others have figured out that it’s the sour receptors on your tongue that respond to the bubbles in soda pop.

Finally, although British scientists came up with an explanation a decade ago, apparently the French have turned their attention to that Great British passtime – tea drinking – and have found a possible way to solve the perennial problem of the dribbling teapot. They report details in a physics preprint just uploaded to the arXiv servers.

Well, after all this talk of food, I’m now feeling a little peckish, so off to do a little cordon blue in the kitchen…or maybe I’ll just break into the snack cupboard instead…

Breast Cancer, Plankton, Tellurides

My latest contributions to SpectroscopyNOW.com and my current Alchemist column on ChemWeb.com are now live:

Sweetening breast cancer risk – Experimental and epidemiological evidence previously suggested that circulating glucose and insulin may play a role in the emergence of breast cancer. Now a statistical analysis of baseline plasma levels of these compounds shows that elevated serum levels may indeed be a risk factor in postmenopausal women.

Mysterious marine microbe metabolism – US researchers have used spectroscopy to help them show that microscopic marine microbes, phytoplankton, are the answer to a ten-year-old mystery about the source of an essential nutrient in the oceans, the phosphonates found in organic phosphorus.

Telluride temperature test, just right – Researchers in India have used laser spectroscopy and other techniques to study a new type of glass doped with telluride ions that could have potential as new kind of high temperature sensor.

The fourth item, posted earlier in October, is my extended take on the Nobel Prize for chemistry news, which goes into some of the chronology of the X-ray structures of ribosomes that led to this year’s prize completing a trilogy of important post-Darwin discoveries (Watson-Crick, Wilkins, Kornberg, now the current prize).

A spot of synchronicity this week with the development of rocket-powered chemistry based on water and aluminum powder meshing neatly with the discovery of water on the moon. While, Harvard chemists are taking macromolecules to the truly macro scale to help them understand polymer folding. In Japan, nano scientists have found a way to insulate their wiring using carbon nanotubes and vaporized metal while a highly sensitive breast cancer detection chip is on the horizon in Europe. Read more and get the links in The Alchemist this week.

Treating the Obesity Epidemic

Drugmaker Vivus saw its experimental weight-loss medication, Qnexa, pass two Phase III clinical trials C&EN reported on September 10, and the company’s share price skyrocketed.

The rewards of developing a safe and effective anti-obesity medication will be in the tens of billions of dollars, according to Bloomberg. Of course, such apparent breakthroughs are going to hit the headlines, big time. After all, who wants to reduce calorie intake and increase exercise levels when popping a pill could solve one’s weight problems?

In the developed world, overweight and obesity (BMI > 30) and other diet-related problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, are on the increase. And, while it might be assumed that the billions of people who live in abject poverty with the daily threat of acutely lethal diseases, such as malaria, have other things to worry about, the diseases we commonly associate with the “Western” lifestyle are emerging across the globe. The WHO says that, perhaps with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, deaths caused by chronic diseases dominate the mortality statistics.

Astoundingly, WHO figures from 2005 suggested that there are more people suffering from overweight-related problems than malnutrition. At the time, globally there were more than 1.6 billion people aged over 15 years who were overweight and 400 million of those were clinically obese, while around 800 million suffered from malnutrition. Those numbers are already changing. The WHO predicts that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.

The costs in terms of loss of quality of life and impact on healthcare providers in the developed world are likely to be unsustainable in terms of demands on surgical and drug treatments.

While much of the focus on the obesity epidemic is aimed at the US, high rates of cardiovascular disease associated with poor nutritional choices, dietary trends, and exercise issues ring just as true in the UK.

Andreas Anastasiou of the Department of Agricultural and Food Economics at the University of Reading, and a quantitative risk analyst at the Bank of Santander, London, UK and Athanasios Anastasiou a lecturer at the Technological Education Institute of Patras, Greece and an economist at the University of Patras, recently highlighted the sorry state of the British diet and the burden the growing obesity problem will ultimately have on the economy and society as a whole.

Here are just a few of the UK obesity facts and figures cited by the authors:

30,000 – deaths a year
9 years – average life reduction
18 million – working days lost
£1 billion – cost to National Health Service
£2.5 billion – cost to the economy

Obesity and associated chronic diseases are a serious threat to a nation’s health and well-being, the researchers say. “Their impact on the economy and society as a whole is tremendous exhibiting enormous healthcare costs and losses in working hours and years of life.” They suggest that improvements will happen if long-term changes to food choices and dietary habits are made, whether this should come top down from government and healthcare providers is difficult to say. How ever it is achieved, you can be almost certain that popping a pill will not be the cure all, despite what pharmaceutical share prices might suggest.

Andreas G. Anastasiou, & Athanasios Anastasiou (2009). The effects of current dietary trends and consumption patterns on health: evidence from the UK Int. J. Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 1 (3), 318-333

Dental Lead, Lung Cancer and Monopoles

This week’s ezines on SpectroscopyNOW are now live, featuring a breath test for lung cancer, magnetic monopoles, a way to boost fuel cells, and reducing toxic waste from dental surgeries.

Extracting the dental lead – Lead contamination in the black paper used to mask dental X-ray paper has been determined for the first time using AAS. The worrying results suggest that the used material represents an environmental waste problem requiring pre-treatment before disposal.

I asked the researchers to outline the importance of their study. Team leader Debora Guedes told me that, “There are still more than 600 million packets of intraoral film exposed each year in the USA alone, and much more elsewhere in the world. The volume of potential waste materials is significant,” she says.

She pointed out that while attention has previously been given to the disposal of the lead foil used against backscatter radiation that can fog an X-ray image and also to avoiding lead-lined boxes to store intraoral dental X-ray film, lead contamination of the black paper used to help exclude light from the film, or the paper or plastic wrapping of the film and lead foil has been ignored entirely, she adds. “This study is an important public health contribution as it indicates that this neglect is of potential importance,” Guedes told me.

A breather for lung cancer suspects – Researchers in Israel have used cheminformatics methods to “train” an array of gold-nanoparticle sensors to rapidly distinguish between the out breath of lung cancer patients and that of healthy individuals.

Monopoles apart – Four research papers, two of which were published in the journal Science, this week, and two submitted to the physics preprint archive, suggest that a long-sought icon of fundamental physics has finally been discovered – the magnetic monopole. This fundamental research could have enormous potential in materials research, nanotechnology, and eventually instrumentation.

Fuelling nanotube potential – X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to analyse semimetallic titanium dioxide nanotubes with potential in fuel cell technology.