October 8, 2006, 6:23 PM CT

Healthful Compounds In Native American Diets

California's role as a national "health food" trendsetter goes back farther than most people suspect -- way back, in fact, when it comes to consumption of a food particularly rich in healthy phytochemicals. In an advance toward understanding the early California Native American diet, food researchers have identified the full range of phytochemicals in tanoak acorns.

Acorns were a staple in the diet of early Native Americans in California, comprising up to 50 percent of total food intake, Alyson E. Mitchell and his colleagues note in a report in the current (Oct. 4) issue of the ACS biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Acorns are still used by Californian Native Americans -- special processing is needed to make the nuts edible -- to make acorn flour and soup.

Past research has indicated that acorns have higher levels of healthful tannin compounds than other nuts, so Mitchell's group set out to identify the specific hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in acorns. These same compounds are found in wine, cocoa and other foods with health benefits. Scientists identified more than two dozen specific compounds, in what they termed a first step toward understanding the role of those compounds in Native American diets.........

Posted by: Sarah      Permalink         Source

October 8, 2006, 5:57 PM CT

Devoting More Research To Webicillin

Could a dose of webicillin beat that stubborn infection? Could a cobweb bandage help soldiers and accident victims with bleeding wounds? Is a wrapping of spider silk the key to preventing the body from rejecting implants?

A review of research on spider silk concludes that scientists have largely overlooked such possible medical applications of this extraordinary natural material, which is stronger than steel. In a report in the current (Sept. 13) issue of the ACS monthly journal Chemical Reviews, Randolph V. Lewis, of the University of Wyoming, describes other scientific research on spider silk during the last 15 years.

"Very few studies of biological testing of spider silk have been done in a rigorous manner," Lewis states. "There is a large body of folklore concerning the antibiotic, wound-healing, and clot-inducing activity of spider silk. However, much of that lore has not been seriously tested." The lore dates to the first century A.D. when spider webs were prized as wound dressings. They even found a place in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream: "I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good master cobweb," the character "Bottom" said. "If I cut my finger, I shall make bold of you".

The scanty scientific evidence is tantalizing, Lewis notes. He cites, for instance, animal studies concluding that spider silks do not induce an immune response -- which causes rejection of implants.........

Posted by: Sarah      Permalink         Source

October 8, 2006, 5:48 PM CT

Marijuana's Ingredient May Slow Down Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists are reporting discovery in laboratory experiments of a previously unknown molecular mechanism in which the active ingredient in marijuana may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Scripps Research Institute's Kim D. Janda and colleagues used laboratory experiments to show that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) preserves brain levels of the key neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Existing medications for AD, including donepezil and tacrine, also relieve AD symptoms by inhibiting the enzyme, acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down acetylcholine. THC does so by inhibiting an alternative site on acetylchlolinesterase and at lower concentrations, Janda's group reports in an article in the current (Oct. 2) issue of the ACS bimonthly journal, Molecular Pharmaceutics. Their experiments show that THC also prevents formation of the amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of AD and its damage to the brain.

"Our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology," they state. They also note that THC may provide a "drug lead" -- a model for developing new and more effective medications with more targeted effects on AD.

The researchers explain that such compounds "may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease, augmenting acetylcholine levels by preventing neurotransmitter degradation and reeducating amyloid beta aggregation, thereby simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's disease".........

Posted by: Sarah      Permalink         Source

October 8, 2006, 5:24 PM CT

Breast Asymmetry Surgery

Many women carry a private sorrow. They suffer from uneven breasts; with each breast differing is size from the other. This condition is also known as breast asymmetry and is a relatively common condition. The embarrassment about the uneven breasts could affect their daily lives, sexuality and confidence. Researchers say that for those women with significant asymmetry, breast surgery can considerably elevate quality of life and self-esteem. These discussions were part of as study that was presented recently at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2006 conference in San Francisco.

"All women have some degree of breast asymmetry, but for those with a noticeable difference, the embarrassment often keeps them from seeking help," said Walter Erhardt, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and Public Education Committee chair. "Even if breasts differ by less than a half-cup size it can be very noticeable. The condition is talked about so infrequently that a number of are unaware there are surgeries that can correct the problem".

Breast asymmetry occurs when a woman's breasts differ in size or shape. For example, a woman's left breast may be a B-cup and the right, a D-cup. Conversely, a woman may have one breast that significantly droops, and the other does not, making the woman's breasts appear unbalanced.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

October 6, 2006, 4:41 AM CT

Cola Might Increase Osteoporosis Risk

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 55 percent of Americans, mostly women, are at risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease of porous and brittle bones that causes higher susceptibility to bone fractures. Now, Katherine Tucker, PhD, director of the Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and colleagues have reported findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that cola, a popular beverage for many Americans, may contribute to lower bone mineral density in older women, a condition which increases risk for osteoporosis.

Tucker, also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, and colleagues analyzed dietary questionnaires and bone mineral density measurements at the spine and three different hip sites of more than 2,500 people in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study whose average age was just below 60. In women, cola consumption was associated with lower bone mineral density at all three hip sites, regardless of factors such as age, menopausal status, total calcium and vitamin D intake, or use of cigarettes or alcohol.

However, cola consumption was not associated with lower bone mineral density for men at the hip sites, or the spine for either men or women. The results were similar for diet cola and, although weaker, for decaffeinated cola as well.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

October 5, 2006, 10:20 PM CT

New Technique To Boost Protein Analysis

Imagine you had to break a secret code, but you could see only part of the message. That's the kind of frustration scientists face when trying to identify proteins and characterize how those proteins are modified in cells by biological processes.

But now, Cornell scientists have extended a powerful technique to increase by fourfold the size of a protein that can be analyzed, to those containing more than 2,000 amino acids, up from about 500.

Called a "top-down" approach, the technique uses a mass spectrometer, which measures the masses of ions or charged particles. Scientists break up the protein into pieces and weigh both the masses of the whole protein and of the individual pieces. By matching the weight of the whole protein and its pieces with those of known protein sequences in a database, they can identify the protein. Any differences in mass with known proteins can help scientists also find where and how proteins have been modified in cells.

For example, if a section of a protein has an increased weight of 16, scientists can tell that the protein has been oxidized within that section, which means that an oxygen atom (with an atomic weight of 16) was added.

"When you isolate a protein from a mixture, your first problem is to know which one it is," said Fred McLafferty, Cornell's Peter J.W. Debye Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and senior author of the paper reported in the Oct. 6 issue of the journal Science. "Mass spectrometry characterizes a protein by measuring the masses produced from it".........

Posted by: Kevin      Permalink         Source

October 5, 2006, 10:05 PM CT

Experiment Yields Bubbly Surprise

University of Chicago physicists have discovered a new class of behavior in air bubbles rising from an underwater nozzle. In this surprising behavior, the bubbles tear apart in sharp jerks instead of pinching off at a point, the research team will report in the Oct. 6 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters.

The research is helping scientists understand the mathematical explosions they encounter in the equations that govern the physics of fluids. "These are the equations of our lives," said Wendy Zhang, Assistant Professor in Physics at the University of Chicago. They govern everything from the bubbles of carbonated beverages to the venting of gas from deep oceanic fissures. They even apply to such large-scale processes such as exploding stars.

"One of the things that's nice about this field of research is that it's around you all the time," said Sidney Nagel, the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor in Physics at the University of Chicago. "It's on your tabletop and you've seen it who knows how many times. But by studying this so incredibly carefully, you get insights about things that happen on the celestial scale".

Chicago graduate student Nathan Keim and his co-authors-Zhang, Nagel, and Peder Moller, now a Ph.D. student at Ecole Normale Suprieure-documented their discovery using high-speed digital photography. Keim's experiment built on previous work that Zhang, Nagel and others published in Science in 2003. Until then, scientists believed that all fluids broke apart in much the same way. They believed that the cross-section of the pinching neck of any drop or bubble would become circular until it broke, regardless of its initial conditions.........

Posted by: Kevin      Permalink         Source

October 5, 2006, 9:58 PM CT

Tumor Suppressor Promoteing Cancer Cell Growth?

Scientists have shown that the tumor suppressor gene H-REV107-1 may actually stimulate tumor progression in some non-small cell lung carcinomas. The related report by Nazarenko et al., "H-REV107-1 stimulates growth in non-small cell lung carcinomas via the activation of mitogenic signaling," appears in the recent issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

Tumor suppressor genes function by regulating normal cell growth and proliferation. When a tumor suppressor gene is turned off, by mutation, deletion, or blocked expression, cell growth can proceed without safeguards, contributing to cancer cell proliferation. However, this appears not to be the case in some non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC), in which a tumor suppressor (H-REV107-1) actually promotes cancer cell growth.

Nazarenko et al. found H-REV107-1 expression in a portion of human NSCLC samples examined. When they further characterized this expression in relation to normal lung tissue, H-REV107-1 was found in nonproliferating and proliferating cells in normal lung tissue, localized mainly to the nucleus. In cultured NSCLC cells, however, H-REV107-1 was found in either the cytoplasm or both the cytoplasm and nucleus.

The group then examined whether cellular localization of H-REV107-1 in NSCLC tumor samples is linked with tumor behavior. Strikingly, cytoplasmic localization correlated with decreased patient survival (24 months versus 41 months for nuclear localization). These data suggested that cytoplasmic H-REV107-1 stimulates cell growth. This was then confirmed by suppression of H-REV107-1 RNA, which inhibited cell proliferation, and overexpression of H-REV107-1 protein, which stimulated cell growth pathways and increased proliferation.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

October 5, 2006, 9:55 PM CT

Plenty Of Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity

As concern has grown over the effects of the human release of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into the atmosphere, so too has research into technologies to manage CO2. One such research project, overseen by geologist Brandon Nuttall at the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kentucky, has investigated the option for geologic sequestration of captured CO2 in Devonian black shales, organic-rich rocks found beneath about two thirds of Kentucky.

Geologic sequestration refers to the process of permanent underground storage of carbon dioxide captured from sources such as coal-fired power plants, cement plants, and others manufacturing plants. Widespread deposits of shale are generally thought to be the seal or cap for deeper storage reservoirs that would prevent sequestered CO2 from leaking to the surface. Injection of CO2 into black gas-producing shales may have an additional value of enhancing the recovery of natural gas.

In the three year project funded by National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Nuttall determined that the deeper and thicker parts of the Devonian shales in Kentucky could provide a potentially large geologic storage reservoir for captured CO2. In fact, the extensive occurrence of shales in geologic basins across North America would make them an attractive regional reservoir for economic CO2 sequestration.........

Posted by: Tyler      Permalink         Source

October 4, 2006, 10:32 PM CT

Overweight Children At Increased Risk

Research published recently in Journal of the CardioMetabolic Syndrome (JCMS) presents data supporting that adult diseases, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea are now recognizable in childhood. The underlying link between them is a disorder of insulin resistance, which is worsened by childhood obesity. The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed that about one-third of U.S. children today, about 25 million, are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

One study in this special issue reports data on the effect of age and sex on cardiovascular risk in overweight children, aged 11 years and older. Results showed that hypertension and dyslipidemia in overweight children is high, with overweight males 11 years and older having a higher prevalence of these risk factors than females and younger males. This may explain the earlier appearance of cardiovascular disease in overweight adult males.

Scientists from Wisconsin, lead by Dr. David K. Murdock examined the effect of elevated body mass index in 247 healthy school children of which 28 percent of 2nd graders and 33 percent of 11th graders were overweight. Data from the study revealed that biomarkers of increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes were already present in the overweight children.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source