Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer

Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

A novel therapy for the most common form of lung cancer shows promise and seems to yield largely manageable side effects, according to new research that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers, from Fox Chase Cancer Center, are conducting an ongoing clinical trial to determine whether the compound is more effective at treating tumors than existing treatments.

Hossein Borghaei, DOs, chief of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase, said:

"We're very excited about this drug. I think if we learn how to use it appropriately, and manage the side effects effectively, it will be a good drug to have in our armamentarium."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer. Patients who currently have an advanced (metastatic) form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer, are given a combination of various chemotherapy drugs as treatment.

If that therapy does not work, they are generally treated with a single agent. "We're trying to find a new option," explained Borghaei, who is also the director of Lung Cancer Risk Assessment at Fox Chase.

The drug, called nivolumab, is a monoclonal antibody that targets the immune system's reaction to the disease. Nivolumab acts on the pathway that keeps the tumor safe from the immune system's efforts to destroy it.

According to Borghaei, taking nivolumab can be compared to taking the brakes off the immune system - "it allows the body's own immune system to recognize the tumor as foreign and attack it."

A comparable treatment, a drug called ipilimumab, has been approved for melanoma. Previous research showed that the drug ipilimumab may slow brain tumors in melanoma metastases.


Different adverse reactions occur with nivolumab than one would expect with standard chemotherapy, the experts explained. This is because the drug acts on the immune system.

These side effects, reported on previous trials with this drug, include inflammation of the colon and thyroid inflammation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company marketing the medication, has sponsored other research that indicated nivolumab may have some impact on lung cancer. A phase 1 trial that was previously published showed that 33% of the patients with NSCLC responded to treatment.

Two phase III trials of nivolumab are being conducted by Borghaei and his team in order to the analyze the drug's effects further.

The experts will compare nivolumab's efficacy against docetaxel, another commonly used chemotherapy drug, in patients with NSCLC of various histologies who have not responded to prior treatments.

The trials are still in progress and will enroll several hundred patients around the world. It will be a few years before the human studies are completed, the researchers said.

About ten participants have already been enrolled by Fox Chase alone. "We're going to keep going until we're told to stop," Borghaei said.

Patients with NSCLC should talk about trying nivolumab with their doctors if they think it would benefit them.

Borghaei concluded:
"Every drug patients get now was once experimental. There are a lot of new drugs for lung cancer being investigated, so a lot of reason to feel hopeful that new therapies are on the horizon. But the only way this will happen is if patients participate in experimental trials."

Written by Sarah Glynn

Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;


Probiotic supplements can prevent or lower the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, according to new research in The Cochrane Library.

Scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration suggest that taking probiotics alongside antibiotics can prevent this troublesome side effect.

Antibiotics interfere with the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and permit other dangerous bacteria like C. difficile to take hold. Some people who have C. difficile do not have symptoms, while others are afflicted with diarrhea or colitis.

The "good bacteria" or yeast found in probiotic foods and supplements can offer a safe, inexpensive method to help prevent C.difficile diarrhea. The authors point out this is a significant finding because this type of diarrhea is costly to treat.

A previous study published in JAMA said that eating probiotic foods, such as yogurt, decrease the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

The investigators examined 23 trials that reported on C.difficile involving 4,213 adults and children.

They found that 2% of patients who took probiotics developed C.difficile-associated diarrhea compared with 6% of patients who were taking placebos.

In 26 trials that documented adverse events, there were fewer adverse events experienced in the probiotic groups.

Lead researcher Bradley Johnston, of The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, said:

"In the short-term, taking probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics appears to be a safe and effective way of preventing diarrhoea associated with Clostridium difficile infection. The introduction of some probiotic regimens as adjuncts to antibiotics could have an immediate impact on patient outcomes, especially in outbreak settings. However, we still need to establish the probiotic strains and doses that provide the best results, and determine the safety of probiotics in immunocompromised patients."

Taking probiotics alongisde antibiotics helped to prevent C.difficile diarrhea, however, it did not decrease the number of people who were infected with C.difficile.

Johnston concluded:
"We think it's possible that probiotics act to prevent the symptoms of C. difficile infection rather than to prevent the infection itself. This possibility needs to be investigated further in future trials, which should help us to understand more about how probiotics work."

In 2009, a study conducted at Georgetown University found that kefir, one of the world's oldest "health" drinks, did little to prevent diarrhea in kids. The drink, which is rich in probiotics, did not show a positive outcome, however, researchers were surprised that it appeared to help the children in the study who were the least healthy.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



By changing one gene, scientists have bred a mosquito that does not seek out the smell of humans in preference to

other animals. The team behind one of the first successful attempts to genetically engineer mosquitoes believes their work not

only shows what can be done with the latest genetic techniques, but also helps us better understand the insect's attraction to humans

and therefore how to block it.

Lead researcher Leslie Vosshall, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York,

says in a statement:

"The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that

you can do it."

"By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans," she adds.

Vosshall and colleagues write about their work in a paper published online in Nature on 29 May.

Their report follows another study published recently in PLOS ONE, where researchers from the London School of Hygiene

- Tropical Medicine in the UK describe how malaria-carrying

mosquitoes are more strongly attracted to the smell of humans.

Starting Point Was a Gene in Flies

After scientists in 2007 announced they had sequenced the complete genome of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries

dengue and yellow fever, Vosshall switched her lab's focus from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes and set about trying to

alter their genes.

From working with genetically engineered flies, she and her team already knew of a gene called orco that was important for the

fly's sense of smell. So, as Vosshall explains, they started working on this gene in mosquitoes:

" ... we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would

interact with orco in mosquitoes."

Genetic Engineering Tools

To mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti, the team used "zinc-finger nucleases" (ZFNs), powerful tools that can be

designed to target and cleave specific sequences of genomic DNA.

First, they injected ZFNs into mosquito embryos and when these matured, they sought out mutant individuals and used them to

generate mutant strains so they could study the behavior of the orco gene in mosquitoes.

They discovered that brain cells linked to sensing odors were not as active in the genetically engineered mosquitoes.

But they also found some other interesting changes.

Less Preference for Human Odor

Normally, when presented with a choice between humans and other animals, non-mutant Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fly

toward humans, attracted by their smell.

But when Vosshall and colleagues gave their mutant mosquitoes a choice between human scent and that of guinea pigs, they

did not show a preference for humans. This was the case even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is

supposed to enhance the attraction of mosquito to humans.

It appears that changing a single gene, the orco gene, disrupts the mosquito's ability to seek human prey.

However, this experiment did not establish precisely how the mutated mosquito lost the preference for human smell.

For example, did the mutated insect lose its ability detect that the guinea pig smell is not a preferred one, or did it lose the ability

to discriminate that the human smell is the one to go for? Or did the altered gene cause both these changes?

Response to DEET

In a second part of their study, Vosshall and colleagues found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations were attracted to human

skin even when it was protected by the common insect repellant DEET.

They exposed them to two human arms: one slathered in a solution of 10% DEET, and the other untreated. The insects flew

equally to both arms, showing therefore that they could not smell the DEET.

However, once the mutant mosquitoes landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the one slathered in DEET solution.

Two Different Odor-Sensing Mechanisms Identified

The team concluded that their experiments with DEET on human arms showed the mosquitoes are using two separate

mechanisms to sense the DEET.

"One is what's happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin," Vosshall

explains.

There has been talk of a dual mechanism, but this is the first experiment to show it.



Vosshall's team now wants to explore how the orco protein interacts with the mosquito's smell receptors to shape its sense of

smell.

"We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans," she says.

"And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a

next-generation repellant would look like," she adds.

In another recently published study, US researchers suggest it may be possible to use a bacterium that stops malaria

parasites developing in mosquitoes.





Written by Catharine Paddock PhD












Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Researchers Calculate The Radiation Exposure Associated With A Trip Mars

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer

Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

A novel therapy for the most common form of lung cancer shows promise and seems to yield largely manageable side effects, according to new research that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers, from Fox Chase Cancer Center, are conducting an ongoing clinical trial to determine whether the compound is more effective at treating tumors than existing treatments.

Hossein Borghaei, DOs, chief of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase, said:

"We're very excited about this drug. I think if we learn how to use it appropriately, and manage the side effects effectively, it will be a good drug to have in our armamentarium."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer. Patients who currently have an advanced (metastatic) form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer, are given a combination of various chemotherapy drugs as treatment.

If that therapy does not work, they are generally treated with a single agent. "We're trying to find a new option," explained Borghaei, who is also the director of Lung Cancer Risk Assessment at Fox Chase.

The drug, called nivolumab, is a monoclonal antibody that targets the immune system's reaction to the disease. Nivolumab acts on the pathway that keeps the tumor safe from the immune system's efforts to destroy it.

According to Borghaei, taking nivolumab can be compared to taking the brakes off the immune system - "it allows the body's own immune system to recognize the tumor as foreign and attack it."

A comparable treatment, a drug called ipilimumab, has been approved for melanoma. Previous research showed that the drug ipilimumab may slow brain tumors in melanoma metastases.


Different adverse reactions occur with nivolumab than one would expect with standard chemotherapy, the experts explained. This is because the drug acts on the immune system.

These side effects, reported on previous trials with this drug, include inflammation of the colon and thyroid inflammation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company marketing the medication, has sponsored other research that indicated nivolumab may have some impact on lung cancer. A phase 1 trial that was previously published showed that 33% of the patients with NSCLC responded to treatment.

Two phase III trials of nivolumab are being conducted by Borghaei and his team in order to the analyze the drug's effects further.

The experts will compare nivolumab's efficacy against docetaxel, another commonly used chemotherapy drug, in patients with NSCLC of various histologies who have not responded to prior treatments.

The trials are still in progress and will enroll several hundred patients around the world. It will be a few years before the human studies are completed, the researchers said.

About ten participants have already been enrolled by Fox Chase alone. "We're going to keep going until we're told to stop," Borghaei said.

Patients with NSCLC should talk about trying nivolumab with their doctors if they think it would benefit them.

Borghaei concluded:
"Every drug patients get now was once experimental. There are a lot of new drugs for lung cancer being investigated, so a lot of reason to feel hopeful that new therapies are on the horizon. But the only way this will happen is if patients participate in experimental trials."

Written by Sarah Glynn

Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;


Probiotic supplements can prevent or lower the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, according to new research in The Cochrane Library.

Scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration suggest that taking probiotics alongside antibiotics can prevent this troublesome side effect.

Antibiotics interfere with the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and permit other dangerous bacteria like C. difficile to take hold. Some people who have C. difficile do not have symptoms, while others are afflicted with diarrhea or colitis.

The "good bacteria" or yeast found in probiotic foods and supplements can offer a safe, inexpensive method to help prevent C.difficile diarrhea. The authors point out this is a significant finding because this type of diarrhea is costly to treat.

A previous study published in JAMA said that eating probiotic foods, such as yogurt, decrease the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

The investigators examined 23 trials that reported on C.difficile involving 4,213 adults and children.

They found that 2% of patients who took probiotics developed C.difficile-associated diarrhea compared with 6% of patients who were taking placebos.

In 26 trials that documented adverse events, there were fewer adverse events experienced in the probiotic groups.

Lead researcher Bradley Johnston, of The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, said:

"In the short-term, taking probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics appears to be a safe and effective way of preventing diarrhoea associated with Clostridium difficile infection. The introduction of some probiotic regimens as adjuncts to antibiotics could have an immediate impact on patient outcomes, especially in outbreak settings. However, we still need to establish the probiotic strains and doses that provide the best results, and determine the safety of probiotics in immunocompromised patients."

Taking probiotics alongisde antibiotics helped to prevent C.difficile diarrhea, however, it did not decrease the number of people who were infected with C.difficile.

Johnston concluded:
"We think it's possible that probiotics act to prevent the symptoms of C. difficile infection rather than to prevent the infection itself. This possibility needs to be investigated further in future trials, which should help us to understand more about how probiotics work."

In 2009, a study conducted at Georgetown University found that kefir, one of the world's oldest "health" drinks, did little to prevent diarrhea in kids. The drink, which is rich in probiotics, did not show a positive outcome, however, researchers were surprised that it appeared to help the children in the study who were the least healthy.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



By changing one gene, scientists have bred a mosquito that does not seek out the smell of humans in preference to

other animals. The team behind one of the first successful attempts to genetically engineer mosquitoes believes their work not

only shows what can be done with the latest genetic techniques, but also helps us better understand the insect's attraction to humans

and therefore how to block it.

Lead researcher Leslie Vosshall, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York,

says in a statement:

"The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that

you can do it."

"By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans," she adds.

Vosshall and colleagues write about their work in a paper published online in Nature on 29 May.

Their report follows another study published recently in PLOS ONE, where researchers from the London School of Hygiene

- Tropical Medicine in the UK describe how malaria-carrying

mosquitoes are more strongly attracted to the smell of humans.

Starting Point Was a Gene in Flies

After scientists in 2007 announced they had sequenced the complete genome of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries

dengue and yellow fever, Vosshall switched her lab's focus from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes and set about trying to

alter their genes.

From working with genetically engineered flies, she and her team already knew of a gene called orco that was important for the

fly's sense of smell. So, as Vosshall explains, they started working on this gene in mosquitoes:

" ... we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would

interact with orco in mosquitoes."

Genetic Engineering Tools

To mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti, the team used "zinc-finger nucleases" (ZFNs), powerful tools that can be

designed to target and cleave specific sequences of genomic DNA.

First, they injected ZFNs into mosquito embryos and when these matured, they sought out mutant individuals and used them to

generate mutant strains so they could study the behavior of the orco gene in mosquitoes.

They discovered that brain cells linked to sensing odors were not as active in the genetically engineered mosquitoes.

But they also found some other interesting changes.

Less Preference for Human Odor

Normally, when presented with a choice between humans and other animals, non-mutant Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fly

toward humans, attracted by their smell.

But when Vosshall and colleagues gave their mutant mosquitoes a choice between human scent and that of guinea pigs, they

did not show a preference for humans. This was the case even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is

supposed to enhance the attraction of mosquito to humans.

It appears that changing a single gene, the orco gene, disrupts the mosquito's ability to seek human prey.

However, this experiment did not establish precisely how the mutated mosquito lost the preference for human smell.

For example, did the mutated insect lose its ability detect that the guinea pig smell is not a preferred one, or did it lose the ability

to discriminate that the human smell is the one to go for? Or did the altered gene cause both these changes?

Response to DEET

In a second part of their study, Vosshall and colleagues found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations were attracted to human

skin even when it was protected by the common insect repellant DEET.

They exposed them to two human arms: one slathered in a solution of 10% DEET, and the other untreated. The insects flew

equally to both arms, showing therefore that they could not smell the DEET.

However, once the mutant mosquitoes landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the one slathered in DEET solution.

Two Different Odor-Sensing Mechanisms Identified

The team concluded that their experiments with DEET on human arms showed the mosquitoes are using two separate

mechanisms to sense the DEET.

"One is what's happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin," Vosshall

explains.

There has been talk of a dual mechanism, but this is the first experiment to show it.



Vosshall's team now wants to explore how the orco protein interacts with the mosquito's smell receptors to shape its sense of

smell.

"We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans," she says.

"And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a

next-generation repellant would look like," she adds.

In another recently published study, US researchers suggest it may be possible to use a bacterium that stops malaria

parasites developing in mosquitoes.





Written by Catharine Paddock PhD












Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Researchers Calculate The Radiation Exposure Associated With A Trip Mars

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer

Promising New Therapy For Lung Cancer31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

A novel therapy for the most common form of lung cancer shows promise and seems to yield largely manageable side effects, according to new research that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers, from Fox Chase Cancer Center, are conducting an ongoing clinical trial to determine whether the compound is more effective at treating tumors than existing treatments.

Hossein Borghaei, DOs, chief of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase, said:

"We're very excited about this drug. I think if we learn how to use it appropriately, and manage the side effects effectively, it will be a good drug to have in our armamentarium."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer. Patients who currently have an advanced (metastatic) form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer, are given a combination of various chemotherapy drugs as treatment.

If that therapy does not work, they are generally treated with a single agent. "We're trying to find a new option," explained Borghaei, who is also the director of Lung Cancer Risk Assessment at Fox Chase.

The drug, called nivolumab, is a monoclonal antibody that targets the immune system's reaction to the disease. Nivolumab acts on the pathway that keeps the tumor safe from the immune system's efforts to destroy it.

According to Borghaei, taking nivolumab can be compared to taking the brakes off the immune system - "it allows the body's own immune system to recognize the tumor as foreign and attack it."

A comparable treatment, a drug called ipilimumab, has been approved for melanoma. Previous research showed that the drug ipilimumab may slow brain tumors in melanoma metastases.


Different adverse reactions occur with nivolumab than one would expect with standard chemotherapy, the experts explained. This is because the drug acts on the immune system.

These side effects, reported on previous trials with this drug, include inflammation of the colon and thyroid inflammation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company marketing the medication, has sponsored other research that indicated nivolumab may have some impact on lung cancer. A phase 1 trial that was previously published showed that 33% of the patients with NSCLC responded to treatment.

Two phase III trials of nivolumab are being conducted by Borghaei and his team in order to the analyze the drug's effects further.

The experts will compare nivolumab's efficacy against docetaxel, another commonly used chemotherapy drug, in patients with NSCLC of various histologies who have not responded to prior treatments.

The trials are still in progress and will enroll several hundred patients around the world. It will be a few years before the human studies are completed, the researchers said.

About ten participants have already been enrolled by Fox Chase alone. "We're going to keep going until we're told to stop," Borghaei said.

Patients with NSCLC should talk about trying nivolumab with their doctors if they think it would benefit them.

Borghaei concluded:
"Every drug patients get now was once experimental. There are a lot of new drugs for lung cancer being investigated, so a lot of reason to feel hopeful that new therapies are on the horizon. But the only way this will happen is if patients participate in experimental trials."

Written by Sarah Glynn

Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics

Probiotics Linked To Lower Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotics31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;


Probiotic supplements can prevent or lower the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, according to new research in The Cochrane Library.

Scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration suggest that taking probiotics alongside antibiotics can prevent this troublesome side effect.

Antibiotics interfere with the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and permit other dangerous bacteria like C. difficile to take hold. Some people who have C. difficile do not have symptoms, while others are afflicted with diarrhea or colitis.

The "good bacteria" or yeast found in probiotic foods and supplements can offer a safe, inexpensive method to help prevent C.difficile diarrhea. The authors point out this is a significant finding because this type of diarrhea is costly to treat.

A previous study published in JAMA said that eating probiotic foods, such as yogurt, decrease the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

The investigators examined 23 trials that reported on C.difficile involving 4,213 adults and children.

They found that 2% of patients who took probiotics developed C.difficile-associated diarrhea compared with 6% of patients who were taking placebos.

In 26 trials that documented adverse events, there were fewer adverse events experienced in the probiotic groups.

Lead researcher Bradley Johnston, of The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, said:

"In the short-term, taking probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics appears to be a safe and effective way of preventing diarrhoea associated with Clostridium difficile infection. The introduction of some probiotic regimens as adjuncts to antibiotics could have an immediate impact on patient outcomes, especially in outbreak settings. However, we still need to establish the probiotic strains and doses that provide the best results, and determine the safety of probiotics in immunocompromised patients."

Taking probiotics alongisde antibiotics helped to prevent C.difficile diarrhea, however, it did not decrease the number of people who were infected with C.difficile.

Johnston concluded:
"We think it's possible that probiotics act to prevent the symptoms of C. difficile infection rather than to prevent the infection itself. This possibility needs to be investigated further in future trials, which should help us to understand more about how probiotics work."

In 2009, a study conducted at Georgetown University found that kefir, one of the world's oldest "health" drinks, did little to prevent diarrhea in kids. The drink, which is rich in probiotics, did not show a positive outcome, however, researchers were surprised that it appeared to help the children in the study who were the least healthy.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



By changing one gene, scientists have bred a mosquito that does not seek out the smell of humans in preference to

other animals. The team behind one of the first successful attempts to genetically engineer mosquitoes believes their work not

only shows what can be done with the latest genetic techniques, but also helps us better understand the insect's attraction to humans

and therefore how to block it.

Lead researcher Leslie Vosshall, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York,

says in a statement:

"The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that

you can do it."

"By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans," she adds.

Vosshall and colleagues write about their work in a paper published online in Nature on 29 May.

Their report follows another study published recently in PLOS ONE, where researchers from the London School of Hygiene

- Tropical Medicine in the UK describe how malaria-carrying

mosquitoes are more strongly attracted to the smell of humans.

Starting Point Was a Gene in Flies

After scientists in 2007 announced they had sequenced the complete genome of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries

dengue and yellow fever, Vosshall switched her lab's focus from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes and set about trying to

alter their genes.

From working with genetically engineered flies, she and her team already knew of a gene called orco that was important for the

fly's sense of smell. So, as Vosshall explains, they started working on this gene in mosquitoes:

" ... we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would

interact with orco in mosquitoes."

Genetic Engineering Tools

To mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti, the team used "zinc-finger nucleases" (ZFNs), powerful tools that can be

designed to target and cleave specific sequences of genomic DNA.

First, they injected ZFNs into mosquito embryos and when these matured, they sought out mutant individuals and used them to

generate mutant strains so they could study the behavior of the orco gene in mosquitoes.

They discovered that brain cells linked to sensing odors were not as active in the genetically engineered mosquitoes.

But they also found some other interesting changes.

Less Preference for Human Odor

Normally, when presented with a choice between humans and other animals, non-mutant Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fly

toward humans, attracted by their smell.

But when Vosshall and colleagues gave their mutant mosquitoes a choice between human scent and that of guinea pigs, they

did not show a preference for humans. This was the case even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is

supposed to enhance the attraction of mosquito to humans.

It appears that changing a single gene, the orco gene, disrupts the mosquito's ability to seek human prey.

However, this experiment did not establish precisely how the mutated mosquito lost the preference for human smell.

For example, did the mutated insect lose its ability detect that the guinea pig smell is not a preferred one, or did it lose the ability

to discriminate that the human smell is the one to go for? Or did the altered gene cause both these changes?

Response to DEET

In a second part of their study, Vosshall and colleagues found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations were attracted to human

skin even when it was protected by the common insect repellant DEET.

They exposed them to two human arms: one slathered in a solution of 10% DEET, and the other untreated. The insects flew

equally to both arms, showing therefore that they could not smell the DEET.

However, once the mutant mosquitoes landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the one slathered in DEET solution.

Two Different Odor-Sensing Mechanisms Identified

The team concluded that their experiments with DEET on human arms showed the mosquitoes are using two separate

mechanisms to sense the DEET.

"One is what's happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin," Vosshall

explains.

There has been talk of a dual mechanism, but this is the first experiment to show it.



Vosshall's team now wants to explore how the orco protein interacts with the mosquito's smell receptors to shape its sense of

smell.

"We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans," she says.

"And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a

next-generation repellant would look like," she adds.

In another recently published study, US researchers suggest it may be possible to use a bacterium that stops malaria

parasites developing in mosquitoes.





Written by Catharine Paddock PhD












Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Researchers Calculate The Radiation Exposure Associated With A Trip Mars

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



By changing one gene, scientists have bred a mosquito that does not seek out the smell of humans in preference to

other animals. The team behind one of the first successful attempts to genetically engineer mosquitoes believes their work not

only shows what can be done with the latest genetic techniques, but also helps us better understand the insect's attraction to humans

and therefore how to block it.

Lead researcher Leslie Vosshall, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York,

says in a statement:

"The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that

you can do it."

"By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans," she adds.

Vosshall and colleagues write about their work in a paper published online in Nature on 29 May.

Their report follows another study published recently in PLOS ONE, where researchers from the London School of Hygiene

- Tropical Medicine in the UK describe how malaria-carrying

mosquitoes are more strongly attracted to the smell of humans.

Starting Point Was a Gene in Flies

After scientists in 2007 announced they had sequenced the complete genome of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries

dengue and yellow fever, Vosshall switched her lab's focus from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes and set about trying to

alter their genes.

From working with genetically engineered flies, she and her team already knew of a gene called orco that was important for the

fly's sense of smell. So, as Vosshall explains, they started working on this gene in mosquitoes:

" ... we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would

interact with orco in mosquitoes."

Genetic Engineering Tools

To mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti, the team used "zinc-finger nucleases" (ZFNs), powerful tools that can be

designed to target and cleave specific sequences of genomic DNA.

First, they injected ZFNs into mosquito embryos and when these matured, they sought out mutant individuals and used them to

generate mutant strains so they could study the behavior of the orco gene in mosquitoes.

They discovered that brain cells linked to sensing odors were not as active in the genetically engineered mosquitoes.

But they also found some other interesting changes.

Less Preference for Human Odor

Normally, when presented with a choice between humans and other animals, non-mutant Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fly

toward humans, attracted by their smell.

But when Vosshall and colleagues gave their mutant mosquitoes a choice between human scent and that of guinea pigs, they

did not show a preference for humans. This was the case even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is

supposed to enhance the attraction of mosquito to humans.

It appears that changing a single gene, the orco gene, disrupts the mosquito's ability to seek human prey.

However, this experiment did not establish precisely how the mutated mosquito lost the preference for human smell.

For example, did the mutated insect lose its ability detect that the guinea pig smell is not a preferred one, or did it lose the ability

to discriminate that the human smell is the one to go for? Or did the altered gene cause both these changes?

Response to DEET

In a second part of their study, Vosshall and colleagues found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations were attracted to human

skin even when it was protected by the common insect repellant DEET.

They exposed them to two human arms: one slathered in a solution of 10% DEET, and the other untreated. The insects flew

equally to both arms, showing therefore that they could not smell the DEET.

However, once the mutant mosquitoes landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the one slathered in DEET solution.

Two Different Odor-Sensing Mechanisms Identified

The team concluded that their experiments with DEET on human arms showed the mosquitoes are using two separate

mechanisms to sense the DEET.

"One is what's happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin," Vosshall

explains.

There has been talk of a dual mechanism, but this is the first experiment to show it.



Vosshall's team now wants to explore how the orco protein interacts with the mosquito's smell receptors to shape its sense of

smell.

"We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans," she says.

"And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a

next-generation repellant would look like," she adds.

In another recently published study, US researchers suggest it may be possible to use a bacterium that stops malaria

parasites developing in mosquitoes.





Written by Catharine Paddock PhD












Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Researchers Calculate The Radiation Exposure Associated With A Trip Mars

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Mosquitoes' Sense Of Smell Genetically Altered

Passengers Play Valuable Role Assisting Crew In Common Medical Emergencies On Flights

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans

Mosquitoes With Altered Smell Gene Lose Preference For Humans31 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



By changing one gene, scientists have bred a mosquito that does not seek out the smell of humans in preference to

other animals. The team behind one of the first successful attempts to genetically engineer mosquitoes believes their work not

only shows what can be done with the latest genetic techniques, but also helps us better understand the insect's attraction to humans

and therefore how to block it.

Lead researcher Leslie Vosshall, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York,

says in a statement:

"The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that

you can do it."

"By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans," she adds.

Vosshall and colleagues write about their work in a paper published online in Nature on 29 May.

Their report follows another study published recently in PLOS ONE, where researchers from the London School of Hygiene

- Tropical Medicine in the UK describe how malaria-carrying

mosquitoes are more strongly attracted to the smell of humans.

Starting Point Was a Gene in Flies

After scientists in 2007 announced they had sequenced the complete genome of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries

dengue and yellow fever, Vosshall switched her lab's focus from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes and set about trying to

alter their genes.

From working with genetically engineered flies, she and her team already knew of a gene called orco that was important for the

fly's sense of smell. So, as Vosshall explains, they started working on this gene in mosquitoes:

" ... we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would

interact with orco in mosquitoes."

Genetic Engineering Tools

To mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti, the team used "zinc-finger nucleases" (ZFNs), powerful tools that can be

designed to target and cleave specific sequences of genomic DNA.

First, they injected ZFNs into mosquito embryos and when these matured, they sought out mutant individuals and used them to

generate mutant strains so they could study the behavior of the orco gene in mosquitoes.

They discovered that brain cells linked to sensing odors were not as active in the genetically engineered mosquitoes.

But they also found some other interesting changes.

Less Preference for Human Odor

Normally, when presented with a choice between humans and other animals, non-mutant Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fly

toward humans, attracted by their smell.

But when Vosshall and colleagues gave their mutant mosquitoes a choice between human scent and that of guinea pigs, they

did not show a preference for humans. This was the case even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is

supposed to enhance the attraction of mosquito to humans.

It appears that changing a single gene, the orco gene, disrupts the mosquito's ability to seek human prey.

However, this experiment did not establish precisely how the mutated mosquito lost the preference for human smell.

For example, did the mutated insect lose its ability detect that the guinea pig smell is not a preferred one, or did it lose the ability

to discriminate that the human smell is the one to go for? Or did the altered gene cause both these changes?

Response to DEET

In a second part of their study, Vosshall and colleagues found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations were attracted to human

skin even when it was protected by the common insect repellant DEET.

They exposed them to two human arms: one slathered in a solution of 10% DEET, and the other untreated. The insects flew

equally to both arms, showing therefore that they could not smell the DEET.

However, once the mutant mosquitoes landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the one slathered in DEET solution.

Two Different Odor-Sensing Mechanisms Identified

The team concluded that their experiments with DEET on human arms showed the mosquitoes are using two separate

mechanisms to sense the DEET.

"One is what's happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin," Vosshall

explains.

There has been talk of a dual mechanism, but this is the first experiment to show it.



Vosshall's team now wants to explore how the orco protein interacts with the mosquito's smell receptors to shape its sense of

smell.

"We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans," she says.

"And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a

next-generation repellant would look like," she adds.

In another recently published study, US researchers suggest it may be possible to use a bacterium that stops malaria

parasites developing in mosquitoes.





Written by Catharine Paddock PhD












Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Researchers Calculate The Radiation Exposure Associated With A Trip Mars

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Mosquitoes' Sense Of Smell Genetically Altered

Passengers Play Valuable Role Assisting Crew In Common Medical Emergencies On Flights

Guilt Detection Tests Can Be Beaten By Suppression Of Incriminating Memories

Longer Treatment For Children With Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis Improves Survival Rates

Mosquitoes' Sense Of Smell Genetically Altered

Passengers Play Valuable Role Assisting Crew In Common Medical Emergencies On Flights

Potential For Blood Test To Diagnose Alzheimer's In Earliest Stage

Patients With Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma Identified Who May Benefit From Adjuvant PCV

Medical Professionals On Board Help With In-Flight Emergencies

Medical Professionals On Board Help With In-Flight Emergencies30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;


Medical emergencies during commercial airline flights can be a scary occurrence, but most cases are well taken care of by other passengers and flight attendants, in accordance with consulting doctors on the ground.

The study, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that doctors, nurses and other medical professionals on planes help treat sick passengers in three-fourths of the emergencies observed.

Researchers analyzed records of in-flight medical phone calls from five domestic and international airlines to UPMC's STAT-MD Communications Center, a 24-hour, doctor-run medical command center, from Jan. 1, 2008 through Oct. 31, 2010.

Several airlines use a medical communications facility to speak with doctors on the ground, but it is not required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). STAT-MD advised 11,920 in-flight medical calls during the period of the study.

The most common in-flight issues documented included:
respiratory symptoms
cardiac symptoms
fainting, or near fainting
nausea or vomiting

Doctor-passengers gave medical help in close to half of all those calls, according to the investigators. Nurses and emergency medical technicians also aided in an additional 28% of the calls. Flights that made landings in alternate destinations because of medical issues occurred in 7.3% of the incidents.

The majority of passengers who were treated in-flight showed positive results. Of those 11,000 patients:
25.8% were transferred to a hospital by emergency medical services
8.6% were admitted
and 0.3% died either on the plane or upon arrival to the hospital

The most common reasons for admission to a hospital included respiratory and cardiac symptoms.

The study findings showed that the majority of calls could be handled by the flight attendants, who are trained in emergency procedures and can use an FAA-required emergency medical kit, along with medical volunteers.

In these instances, doctors who were on the ground gave additional advice, like use of certain medications in the medical kit, and helping the pilot and crew in making choices about whether the aircraft needed to change its course.

Christian Martin-Gill, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of emergency medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said:

"We wanted to provide a description of the type of emergencies commonly treated on an aircraft, identify the outcomes of these patients and provide an understanding of the treatment capabilities available on the aircraft in the medical kit and through experts on the ground."

Doctors, health care professionals and others should be trained on how to deal with crises, emergencies and illnesses in tight, cramped, and unfamiliar airplane settings, so that they may effectively come to people's aid when needed.

Dr. Martin-Gill concluded:

"Commercial air travel is generally safe, and in-flight deaths are rare. We hope to look more closely at the most common conditions and which ones require follow-up care so we can better tailor treatment recommendations for passengers."

In a similar study from 2009, researchers suggested that fainting was the most common in-flight emergency, followed by stomach issues, and heart conditions.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Two GSK Skin Cancer Drugs Approved By FDA

Two GSK Skin Cancer Drugs Approved By FDA30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

Two new GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drugs, Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), have been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and the number one cause of death from skin disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 76,690 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the U.S. in 2013, and about 9,480 will die from the disease.


Patients with melanoma whose tumors express the BRAF V600E gene mutation can now take the approved drug Tafinlar, a BRAF inhibitor, while patients whose tumors express the BRAF V600E or V600K gene mutations can take Mekinist, a MEK inhibitor.


Experts estimate that 50% of melanomas appearing in the skin have a BRAF gene mutation. The FDA approved these two drugs as single agents, not as a combination treatment.


A genetic test, known as he THxID BRAF test, was also approved by the Agency. The test is a companion diagnostic that will determine whether a person's melanoma cells have the V600E or V600K mutation in the BRAF gene.


Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said:

"Advancements in our understanding of the biological pathways of a disease have allowed for the development of Tafinlar and Mekinist, the third and fourth drugs the FDA has approved for treating metastatic melanoma in the past two years."


In 2011, Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) were approved by the FDA to treat metastatic or unresectable melanoma - a tumor that is unable to be removed by surgery.


Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said:

"The co-approval of Tafinlar and Mekinist and the second companion diagnostic for BRAF mutation detection demonstrates the commitment of pharmaceutical and diagnostic partners to develop products that detect and target the molecular drivers of cancer."


The approval of the THxID BRAF test is based on data from clinical trials that support the approval of Tafinlar and Mekinist, the experts said. In order to test for the mutation, samples of patients' melanoma tissue were taken.

Tafinlar was analyzed in 250 patients with BRAF V600E gene mutation-positive metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one group received Tafinlar and the other received dacarbazine, a chemotherapy drug.


Results showed that patients who received Tafinlar had a delay in tumor growth that was 2.4 months later than those taking dacarbazine.


The most severe side effects reported in patients taking Tafinlar included a raised risk of skin cancer (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma), fevers that may be complicated by low blood pressure, dehydration, kidney failure, severe rigors (shaking chills), and elevated blood sugar levels that call for changes in diabetes medication or the need to begin taking drugs to control diabetes.


The most common side effects in patients taking Tafinlar included:
headache
joint pain
hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin)
ferver
hand-foot syndrome
hair lossnon-cancerous skin tumors



Mekinist was examined in 322 individuals with metastatic or unresectable melanoma with the BRAF V600E or V600K gene mutation. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either Mekinist or chemotherapy.


The scientists found that patients taking Mekinist had a delay in tumor growth that was 3.3 months later than those undergoing chemotherapy.


However, people who took Tafinlar or other inhibitors of BRAF in the past did not seem to benefit from Mekinist.

The most severe side effects reported in patients taking Mekinist included skin infections, loss of vision, lung inflammation, and heart failure.

The most ommon side effects in patients receiving Mekinist included:
diarrhea
rash
peripheral edema (tissue swelling)
skin breakouts that look like acne


Tafinlar and Mekinist - pregnancy and fertility

The experts noted that women of child bearing age should be warned that Tafinlar and Mekinist have the potential to cause fetal harm. Men and women should also be aware that these drugs could cause infertility.

A recent report described simple steps people can take this summer that can help them prevent skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S.

Written by Sarah Glynn



Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

ADHD Medications Don't Lead To Drug Or Alcohol Abuse

ADHD Medications Don't Lead To Drug Or Alcohol Abuse30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

Children who are on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications are not at an increased risk of drug addiction or abuse later on, says a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

For a while now, researchers haven not been sure whether medications such as Ritalin or Adderall can increase the risk of children becoming addicted to substances such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, tobacco, etc.

Previously, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) had found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and significantly decreases the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs.

However, by thoroughly analyzing 15 long-term studies which tracked drug abuse among a total of 2,565 children diagnosed with ADHD between 1980 and 2012, the authors were able to come to a more concrete conclusion as to its effects on drug/substance abuse.

The results were somewhat surprising. Two of the studies revealed that children on stimulant medication were at a lower the risk of alcohol abuse, while another said they were at a higher risk.

Study author Kathryn Humphreys, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that previously "there was evidence for both increased risk and decreased risk for substance problems related to stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD."

However, this new study indicates that, for the most part, children "who received stimulant medication treatment for ADHD are at no differential risk for these substance outcomes than their counterparts who did not receive medication treatment."

It is important for parents and pediatricians to be aware of all the benefits and risks of treating children with stimulant medication.

Kathryn added:

"Pediatricians and child psychiatrists also must weigh the potential costs and benefits of various treatment options. Our study provides an important update to clinicians.
Particularly for those who are concerned that stimulant medication is a 'gateway' drug or increases the risk for later substance use, there is no evidence at the group level for this hypothesis."

In fact, a previous study suggested that there is a protective effect from stimulants that helps lower the risk of children diagnosed with ADHD taking drugs.

Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental - behavioral pediatrics at the Steven - Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, said the finding "was accepted as gospel, and pediatricians had taken comfort in that there was a secondary benefit to treating patients with stimulant medications."

Analysis of data from two long-term studies of the impact of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the development of psychiatric disorders in young adults confirms that ADHD alone significantly increases the risk of cigarette smoking and substance abuse in both boys and girls, this finding was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child - Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Adesman added that although children with ADHD are at a higher risk of drug dependency later in life, it is likely due to the nature of the condition itself and not because they took stimulant medications.

There is no evidence to say that ADHD medicines are 'gateway' drugs'.
]
Dr. Rani Gereige, a professor of pediatrics and director of medical education at Miami Children's Hospital, agreed with the other researchers, adding that:

"This is a finding that will reassure families that there is no worry later on of the risk of drug abuse. This worry should not be an issue [for parents] in deciding whether or not to put their child on stimulant medication."

In conclusion, the authors said that ADHD medication doesn't increase the risk of substance abuse.

The researchers said the finding will "provide an important update and suggest that treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with stimulant medication neither protects nor increases the risk of later substance use disorders."

A previous study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, similarly found that the use of stimulant drugs to treat children with ADHD has no effect on their future risk of substance abuse.


Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Painkillers Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack

Painkillers Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

High doses of some of the most common painkillers, including ibuprofen and diclofenac, can increase the risk of heart problems by nearly thirty percent, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of clinical trials to analyze the risks associated with taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -including selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tNSAIDs).

NSAIDs are medications with analgesic (pain reducing) and antipyretic (fever reducing) properties.

High-dose NSAIDs are frequently used to treat and manage pain among patients suffering from inflammatory disorders.

Although many patients are willing to accept the risks associated with the medications, they should be fully informed first by their doctor. The results of this study will help them determine whether they are willing to take the risk.

The cardiovascular risks associated with NSAIDs had been explored by researchers before. One study found that heart attack survivors who were prescribed NSAIDs were 45% more likely to die or have another heart attack within one week of treatment.

In order to fully assess the health impacts of NSAIDs and help patients make an informed choice, the investigators thoroughly analyzed results from a total of 639 different clinical trials (which cover 353,000 patients records).

They identified an increased risk of heart attacks and death among the new generation of NSAIDs "coxibs", which were associated with a thirty percent increase in the risk of major vascular events.

The effects of high dose prescriptions levels of 150mg diclofenac or 2,400mg ibuprofen each day were analyzed.

A previous study published in PLoS Medicine revealed that naproxen and low dose ibuprofen are least likely to increase cardiovascular risk whereas diclofenac, even in doses available without prescription, elevates risk.

Results of the study showed that every year there were three additional heart attacks, four additional cases of heart failure, and one death for every 1,000 people taking the medications.


Ibuprofen a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)

Lead researcher Prof Colin Baigent, said:
"Three per thousand per year sounds like it is quite a low risk, but the judgement has to be made by patients.
So if you're a patient and you go and sit in front of your doctor and discuss it, you are the one who should be making the judgement about whether three per thousand per year is worth it to allow you, potentially, to go about your daily life."

It's important to note that this finding shouldn't alarm or concern people who only use the painkillers for the occasional headache.

Prof Baigent commented that the finding is particularly relevant to people at high risk of heart disease on high doses of NSAIDs, adding that "the higher your risk of heart disease, the higher your risk of a complication. Roughly speaking, if you've got double the risk of heart disease, then the risk of having a heart attack is roughly doubled."

Of all the NSAIDs analyzed, "Naproxen" didn't appear to increase major vascular events or vascular deaths.

It is crucial that prescribers are aware of the risks associated with these powerful drugs before prescribing them.

Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

HIV Shell Structure Cracked With Help Of Supercomputer

HIV Shell Structure Cracked With Help Of Supercomputer30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;



A new study that features on the cover of Nature this week describes how researchers in the US have for the

first time cracked the chemical structure of the capsid or protein shell of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The

breakthrough, which likely opens the way to powerful new drugs against the virus that causes AIDS, was made possible with the

help of a new "petascale" supercomputer.

Scientists have been trying for some time to crack the precise chemical structure of HIV's cone-shaped capsid, a protein shell that

protects the virus's genetic material. The capsid is thought to be the key to virulence of HIV and has become an attractive target

for new antiretroviral drug development.

As senior author of this new Nature study, Peijun Zhang, an associate professor of structural biology at the University of

Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says in a statement:

"The capsid is critically important for HIV replication, so knowing its structure in detail could lead us to new drugs that can treat or

prevent the infection."

"This approach has the potential to be a powerful alternative to our current HIV therapies, which work by targeting certain

enzymes, but drug resistance is an enormous challenge due to the virus' high mutation rate."

Previous studies have described attempts to chip away at the capsid structure bit by bit. To try and see the atomic-level detail of

the shell, made of over 1,300 identical proteins, researchers have used a range of sophisticated lab tools, from nuclear magnetic

resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, to cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-EM tomography.

But it was only when they added the processing power of the new petascale Blue Waters supercomputer at the National Center for

Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, to the already impressive array of tools, that Zhang and colleagues were

able to fathom the chemical structure of the entire capsid.

A petascale computer has a number-crunching rate measured in "petaflops", or petas (quadrillions, 1015) of

floating point instructions per second. To put this into context, a petascale computer can perform in one second the same

number of instructions as it would take everyone on Earth doing one calculation per second for 1.5 days.

The simulations that added the missing pieces to the HIV capsid puzzle were conducted during testing of Blue Waters by co-

authors Klaus Schulten, a physics professor, and Juan R. Perilla, a post-doc researcher, both at the University of

Illinois.

Commenting on the HIV capsid challenge, Schulten says:

"This is a big structure, one of the biggest structures ever solved."

"It was very clear that it would require a huge amount of simulation - the largest simulation ever published - involving 64 million

atoms," he adds.

From previous studies that had found the HIV capsid contains a number of identical proteins, the researchers already knew these

proteins are arranged as pentagons and hexagons, and they had a hunch that the pentagons formed the tight round corners of

the cone-shaped capsid they could see under an electron microscope.

But exactly how many of these proteins it takes to make the capsid, or how the pentagons and hexagons fit together, remained a

mystery.

Zhang and the structural biology team at Pittsburgh found that when exposed to high concentrations of salt, the protein building

blocks assemble into tubes made only of hexagons.

From further experiments they found that certain regions of the proteins interact with one another in a way that is "critical for

capsid assembly and stability, and for viral infectivity," they note.

They then managed to get a rough idea of the overall shape of the capsid by taking cryo-electron tomographs of it sliced into

sections.

From these results, and their own simulations of how the hexamers and pentamers might interact, Schulten and Perilla carried out

a series of large-scale computer simulations.

Schulten says that they could only match the 64-million-atom capsid structure to the "diverse" experimental data using a unique

approach they developed themselves that they call "molecular dynamic flexible fitting".

"You basically simulate the physical characteristics and behavior of large biological molecules but you also incorporate the data

into the simulation so that the model actually drives itself toward agreement with the data," he explains.

With these techniques the researchers found that the HIV protein shell comprises 216 hexagons and 12 pentagons arranged in the

way the experimental data suggested.

The proteins in the hexagons and pentagons were identical but the angles through which they attached to each other were

different among different regions of the structure.

Schulten says this is what puzzled them: such a protein would have to be inherently flexible to form such a varied

structure.

By having pentagons as well as hexagons, the capsid can form a closed structure, explain the researchers, describing the property

the pentagons bring as "induced acute surface curvature". (A quick look at the structure of fullerenes, or even soccer balls for

that matter, and you get an idea of what they are talking about).

Schulten says that knowing more about the detailed structure of the HIV capsid will help researchers understand how it functions,

and this helps drug developers work out how to disrupt those functions.

He explains how the HIV capsid has to perform two opposing functions. It has to remain intact to protect its genetic material, but

it also has to be able to release it in a timely manner once inside the host cell so it can replicate.

"That has to happen with really good timing - too quick is not good, too slow is not good. And this is a moment when you can

throw a wrench into the system," says Schulten.

"The timing of the opening of the capsid is essential for the degree of virulence of the virus. This is where we could

perhaps best interfere with HIV infection," he adds.


Funds for the study came from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health

and the National Science Foundation, which also funds the Blue Waters supercomputer.

Earlier this year, scientists in the UK developed a vaccine

against foot and mouth disease that uses a synthetic virus capsid to provoke an immune response.

To determine the structure of that virus shell, and identify mutations that would improve it, they used Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron

facility.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD











Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Medical Professionals On Board Help With In-Flight Emergencies

Medical Professionals On Board Help With In-Flight Emergencies30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;


Medical emergencies during commercial airline flights can be a scary occurrence, but most cases are well taken care of by other passengers and flight attendants, in accordance with consulting doctors on the ground.

The study, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that doctors, nurses and other medical professionals on planes help treat sick passengers in three-fourths of the emergencies observed.

Researchers analyzed records of in-flight medical phone calls from five domestic and international airlines to UPMC's STAT-MD Communications Center, a 24-hour, doctor-run medical command center, from Jan. 1, 2008 through Oct. 31, 2010.

Several airlines use a medical communications facility to speak with doctors on the ground, but it is not required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). STAT-MD advised 11,920 in-flight medical calls during the period of the study.

The most common in-flight issues documented included:
respiratory symptoms
cardiac symptoms
fainting, or near fainting
nausea or vomiting

Doctor-passengers gave medical help in close to half of all those calls, according to the investigators. Nurses and emergency medical technicians also aided in an additional 28% of the calls. Flights that made landings in alternate destinations because of medical issues occurred in 7.3% of the incidents.

The majority of passengers who were treated in-flight showed positive results. Of those 11,000 patients:
25.8% were transferred to a hospital by emergency medical services
8.6% were admitted
and 0.3% died either on the plane or upon arrival to the hospital

The most common reasons for admission to a hospital included respiratory and cardiac symptoms.

The study findings showed that the majority of calls could be handled by the flight attendants, who are trained in emergency procedures and can use an FAA-required emergency medical kit, along with medical volunteers.

In these instances, doctors who were on the ground gave additional advice, like use of certain medications in the medical kit, and helping the pilot and crew in making choices about whether the aircraft needed to change its course.

Christian Martin-Gill, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of emergency medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said:

"We wanted to provide a description of the type of emergencies commonly treated on an aircraft, identify the outcomes of these patients and provide an understanding of the treatment capabilities available on the aircraft in the medical kit and through experts on the ground."

Doctors, health care professionals and others should be trained on how to deal with crises, emergencies and illnesses in tight, cramped, and unfamiliar airplane settings, so that they may effectively come to people's aid when needed.

Dr. Martin-Gill concluded:

"Commercial air travel is generally safe, and in-flight deaths are rare. We hope to look more closely at the most common conditions and which ones require follow-up care so we can better tailor treatment recommendations for passengers."

In a similar study from 2009, researchers suggested that fainting was the most common in-flight emergency, followed by stomach issues, and heart conditions.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Two GSK Skin Cancer Drugs Approved By FDA

Two GSK Skin Cancer Drugs Approved By FDA30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

Two new GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drugs, Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), have been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and the number one cause of death from skin disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 76,690 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the U.S. in 2013, and about 9,480 will die from the disease.


Patients with melanoma whose tumors express the BRAF V600E gene mutation can now take the approved drug Tafinlar, a BRAF inhibitor, while patients whose tumors express the BRAF V600E or V600K gene mutations can take Mekinist, a MEK inhibitor.


Experts estimate that 50% of melanomas appearing in the skin have a BRAF gene mutation. The FDA approved these two drugs as single agents, not as a combination treatment.


A genetic test, known as he THxID BRAF test, was also approved by the Agency. The test is a companion diagnostic that will determine whether a person's melanoma cells have the V600E or V600K mutation in the BRAF gene.


Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said:

"Advancements in our understanding of the biological pathways of a disease have allowed for the development of Tafinlar and Mekinist, the third and fourth drugs the FDA has approved for treating metastatic melanoma in the past two years."


In 2011, Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) were approved by the FDA to treat metastatic or unresectable melanoma - a tumor that is unable to be removed by surgery.


Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said:

"The co-approval of Tafinlar and Mekinist and the second companion diagnostic for BRAF mutation detection demonstrates the commitment of pharmaceutical and diagnostic partners to develop products that detect and target the molecular drivers of cancer."


The approval of the THxID BRAF test is based on data from clinical trials that support the approval of Tafinlar and Mekinist, the experts said. In order to test for the mutation, samples of patients' melanoma tissue were taken.

Tafinlar was analyzed in 250 patients with BRAF V600E gene mutation-positive metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one group received Tafinlar and the other received dacarbazine, a chemotherapy drug.


Results showed that patients who received Tafinlar had a delay in tumor growth that was 2.4 months later than those taking dacarbazine.


The most severe side effects reported in patients taking Tafinlar included a raised risk of skin cancer (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma), fevers that may be complicated by low blood pressure, dehydration, kidney failure, severe rigors (shaking chills), and elevated blood sugar levels that call for changes in diabetes medication or the need to begin taking drugs to control diabetes.


The most common side effects in patients taking Tafinlar included:
headache
joint pain
hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin)
ferver
hand-foot syndrome
hair lossnon-cancerous skin tumors



Mekinist was examined in 322 individuals with metastatic or unresectable melanoma with the BRAF V600E or V600K gene mutation. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either Mekinist or chemotherapy.


The scientists found that patients taking Mekinist had a delay in tumor growth that was 3.3 months later than those undergoing chemotherapy.


However, people who took Tafinlar or other inhibitors of BRAF in the past did not seem to benefit from Mekinist.

The most severe side effects reported in patients taking Mekinist included skin infections, loss of vision, lung inflammation, and heart failure.

The most ommon side effects in patients receiving Mekinist included:
diarrhea
rash
peripheral edema (tissue swelling)
skin breakouts that look like acne


Tafinlar and Mekinist - pregnancy and fertility

The experts noted that women of child bearing age should be warned that Tafinlar and Mekinist have the potential to cause fetal harm. Men and women should also be aware that these drugs could cause infertility.

A recent report described simple steps people can take this summer that can help them prevent skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S.

Written by Sarah Glynn



Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

ADHD Medications Don't Lead To Drug Or Alcohol Abuse

ADHD Medications Don't Lead To Drug Or Alcohol Abuse30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

Children who are on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications are not at an increased risk of drug addiction or abuse later on, says a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

For a while now, researchers haven not been sure whether medications such as Ritalin or Adderall can increase the risk of children becoming addicted to substances such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, tobacco, etc.

Previously, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) had found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and significantly decreases the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs.

However, by thoroughly analyzing 15 long-term studies which tracked drug abuse among a total of 2,565 children diagnosed with ADHD between 1980 and 2012, the authors were able to come to a more concrete conclusion as to its effects on drug/substance abuse.

The results were somewhat surprising. Two of the studies revealed that children on stimulant medication were at a lower the risk of alcohol abuse, while another said they were at a higher risk.

Study author Kathryn Humphreys, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that previously "there was evidence for both increased risk and decreased risk for substance problems related to stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD."

However, this new study indicates that, for the most part, children "who received stimulant medication treatment for ADHD are at no differential risk for these substance outcomes than their counterparts who did not receive medication treatment."

It is important for parents and pediatricians to be aware of all the benefits and risks of treating children with stimulant medication.

Kathryn added:

"Pediatricians and child psychiatrists also must weigh the potential costs and benefits of various treatment options. Our study provides an important update to clinicians.
Particularly for those who are concerned that stimulant medication is a 'gateway' drug or increases the risk for later substance use, there is no evidence at the group level for this hypothesis."

In fact, a previous study suggested that there is a protective effect from stimulants that helps lower the risk of children diagnosed with ADHD taking drugs.

Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental - behavioral pediatrics at the Steven - Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, said the finding "was accepted as gospel, and pediatricians had taken comfort in that there was a secondary benefit to treating patients with stimulant medications."

Analysis of data from two long-term studies of the impact of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the development of psychiatric disorders in young adults confirms that ADHD alone significantly increases the risk of cigarette smoking and substance abuse in both boys and girls, this finding was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child - Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Adesman added that although children with ADHD are at a higher risk of drug dependency later in life, it is likely due to the nature of the condition itself and not because they took stimulant medications.

There is no evidence to say that ADHD medicines are 'gateway' drugs'.
]
Dr. Rani Gereige, a professor of pediatrics and director of medical education at Miami Children's Hospital, agreed with the other researchers, adding that:

"This is a finding that will reassure families that there is no worry later on of the risk of drug abuse. This worry should not be an issue [for parents] in deciding whether or not to put their child on stimulant medication."

In conclusion, the authors said that ADHD medication doesn't increase the risk of substance abuse.

The researchers said the finding will "provide an important update and suggest that treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with stimulant medication neither protects nor increases the risk of later substance use disorders."

A previous study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, similarly found that the use of stimulant drugs to treat children with ADHD has no effect on their future risk of substance abuse.


Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Painkillers Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack

Painkillers Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack30 May 2013-nbsp;-nbsp;-nbsp;

High doses of some of the most common painkillers, including ibuprofen and diclofenac, can increase the risk of heart problems by nearly thirty percent, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of clinical trials to analyze the risks associated with taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -including selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tNSAIDs).

NSAIDs are medications with analgesic (pain reducing) and antipyretic (fever reducing) properties.

High-dose NSAIDs are frequently used to treat and manage pain among patients suffering from inflammatory disorders.

Although many patients are willing to accept the risks associated with the medications, they should be fully informed first by their doctor. The results of this study will help them determine whether they are willing to take the risk.

The cardiovascular risks associated with NSAIDs had been explored by researchers before. One study found that heart attack survivors who were prescribed NSAIDs were 45% more likely to die or have another heart attack within one week of treatment.

In order to fully assess the health impacts of NSAIDs and help patients make an informed choice, the investigators thoroughly analyzed results from a total of 639 different clinical trials (which cover 353,000 patients records).

They identified an increased risk of heart attacks and death among the new generation of NSAIDs "coxibs", which were associated with a thirty percent increase in the risk of major vascular events.

The effects of high dose prescriptions levels of 150mg diclofenac or 2,400mg ibuprofen each day were analyzed.

A previous study published in PLoS Medicine revealed that naproxen and low dose ibuprofen are least likely to increase cardiovascular risk whereas diclofenac, even in doses available without prescription, elevates risk.

Results of the study showed that every year there were three additional heart attacks, four additional cases of heart failure, and one death for every 1,000 people taking the medications.


Ibuprofen a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)

Lead researcher Prof Colin Baigent, said:
"Three per thousand per year sounds like it is quite a low risk, but the judgement has to be made by patients.
So if you're a patient and you go and sit in front of your doctor and discuss it, you are the one who should be making the judgement about whether three per thousand per year is worth it to allow you, potentially, to go about your daily life."

It's important to note that this finding shouldn't alarm or concern people who only use the painkillers for the occasional headache.

Prof Baigent commented that the finding is particularly relevant to people at high risk of heart disease on high doses of NSAIDs, adding that "the higher your risk of heart disease, the higher your risk of a complication. Roughly speaking, if you've got double the risk of heart disease, then the risk of having a heart attack is roughly doubled."

Of all the NSAIDs analyzed, "Naproxen" didn't appear to increase major vascular events or vascular deaths.

It is crucial that prescribers are aware of the risks associated with these powerful drugs before prescribing them.

Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today