Here is a smorgasbord of recent news and research reports on health and medicine.
Probiotics Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Probiotics have been shown to be beneficial to digestive health, but increasing evidence suggests direct and indirect interactions between gut microbiota (GM) and the central nervous system (CNS).
A study on adult zebrafish with its diet supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum showed the effects of probiotic treatment on structural and functional changes of the GM, as well as host neurological and behavioral changes.
In addition to GM modifications, L. plantarum treatment also significantly reduced anxiety-related behavior and altered GABAergic and serotonergic signaling in the brain. Lastly, L. plantarum supplementation provided protection against stress-induced dysbiosis of the GM.
www.nature.com/…
Cranberry disrupts bacteria's Communication Lines
Scientists from McGill University and INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier in Canada recently released a novel investigation showing that cranberry extract successfully interrupted the communication between bacteria associated with problematic and pervasive infections.
P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic and versatile γ-proteobacterium that readily develops antibiotic resistance and is responsible for various infections affecting immunocompromised individuals, such as those suffering from cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa regulates most of its virulence factors in a cell density-dependent manner via cell-to-cell communication, commonly known as quorum sensing (QS). The QS system is an essential part of the organism’s virulence and is required to establish infection in the mammalian host.
The study, done on fruit flies, examined the anti-virulence potential of a cranberry extract rich in proanthocyanidins (cerPAC) in combating P. aeruginosa. Results clearly show the anti-infectious properties of a cerPAC against P. aeruginosa strain PA14 and reveal the multi-modal action of cerPAC in impairing QS function.
Dr. Déziel said, "Cranberry PACs interrupt the ability for bacteria to communicate with each other, spread and become virulent -- a process known as quorum sensing. The cranberry extract successfully interferes with the chain of events associated with the spread and severity of chronic bacterial infections."
A growing number of studies have examined other beneficial properties of Cranberries such as anti-oxidant, anti-adhesion, anti-motility and anti-cancer.
www.nature.com/…
Turmeric and Colon Cancer
The combination of two plant compounds that have medicinal properties - curcumin and silymarin - holds promise in treating colon cancer, according Saint Louis University research published in the June 23 issue of the Journal of Cancer.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, which is present in spicy curry dishes, and silymarin is a component of milk thistle, which has been used to treat liver disease.
The study was conducted on colon cells in a laboratory model. Scientists next would need to study how the curcumin and silymarin impact the actions of molecules, such as genetic transcription and expression, that cause cells to change, Ezekiel said. Then the compounds would be studied in an animal model, then in humans.
"Concentrations of curcumin and silymarin that are too high could be harmful to people," he said. "We still have much to learn, and for now, it's so much safer to add a little spice to your diet and get your curcumin from foods that contain turmeric, such as curry, rather than taking high doses of the compound."
www.slu.edu/…
Fat Loss using Vestibular Nerve Stimulation
In a study conducted by researchers at the Center for Brain and Cognition, UCSD, non-invasive electrical stimulation of the inner ear in humans appears to cause a loss of body fat.
There is increasing evidence of a “set-point” for body weight in the brain, that is regulated by the hypothalamus. This feedback control mechanism modifies feeding behavior and metabolic rate, in order to maintain body fat at a relatively fixed amount. Moreover, evidence is now emerging that Western diets with excessive quantities of certain macronutrients, in particular simple carbohydrates and saturated fatty acids damage neuronal populations within the hypothalamus and push the set-point for body fat upwards.
It is also known that animals subjected to hypergravity show a marked reduction in their total body fat. This loss of fat appears to be mediated by a specific vestibulo-hypothalamic pathway.
Vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS), also known as galvanic vestibular stimulation, involves non-invasively stimulating the vestibular system by applying a small electrical current between two electrodes placed over the mastoid processes. The researchers demonstrated that repeatedly stimulating the otolith organs in humans causes a reduction in total body fat.
biorxiv.org/…
On a related note, electric stimulation of the Vagus nerve is an active area of research. Neurosurgeon Kevin Tracey was the first to prove that stimulating the vagus nerve can significantly reduce inflammation. Results on rats were so successful, he reproduced the experiment in humans with stunning results. The creation of implants to stimulate the vagus nerve via electronic implants showed a drastic reduction, and even remission, in rheumatoid arthritis, hemorrhagic shock, and other equally serious inflammatory syndromes. Because the vagus nerve is associated with many different functions and brain regions, research is being done to determine its usefulness in treating other illnesses, including various anxiety disorders, Alzheimer's disease, migraines, fibromyalgia, obesity, and tinnitus.
Smoking and DNA Mutations
Smoking a pack a day for a year causes 150 mutations in lung cells — www.sciencedaily.com/...
Scientists have measured the catastrophic genetic damage caused by smoking in different organs of the body and identified several different mechanisms by which tobacco smoking causes mutations in DNA. Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and their collaborators found smokers accumulated an average of 150 extra mutations in every lung cell for each year of smoking one packet of cigarettes a day.
Other organs were also affected, with the study showing that a pack a day led to an estimated average 97 mutations in each cell in the larynx, 39 mutations for the pharynx, 23 mutations for mouth, 18 mutations for bladder, and 6 mutations in every cell of the liver each year.
The team also found a mutational signature characteristic of tumors of the lung and larynx in smokers. This guanine-to-thymine base-pair change is thought to occur as a result of DNA adducts on guanines and has been previously demonstrated as the mutational signature that occurs in cells exposed to a known tobacco-derived carcinogen.
The researchers uncovered a complex mutational pattern spanning all the cancer types examined. This cellular aging–related mutational pattern was found in tumors from smokers and nonsmokers, but was enriched among smokers. “What we think is happening in this case is that tobacco smoke is deregulating a molecular clock, and that is increasing the speed with which these mutations accumulate,” explained Alexandrov.
Publication — Mutational signatures associated with tobacco smoking in human cancer — science.sciencemag.org/…
Skin Patch to Treat Peanut Allergy
A wearable patch that delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin shows promise for treating children and young adults with peanut allergy, with greater benefits for younger children, according to one-year results from an ongoing clinical trial. The treatment, called epicutaneous immunotherapy or EPIT, was safe and well-tolerated, and nearly all participants used the skin patch daily as directed.
Additional studies in larger groups of children are needed before the therapy could be approved for wider use.
www.nih.gov/... www.dbv-technologies.com…
On a related note, the Learning About Peanuts (LEAP) trial published last year showed that early exposure to peanuts can reduce the risk for allergy in kids. The study involved 600 children aged 4 months to 11 months who were at high risk for peanut allergies (they already had egg allergies and eczema). The group was randomized to either consume or avoid peanuts until age 5. At the end of that time period, the researchers found exposure in the first five years of life led to an 81 percent reduction in peanut allergies. www.newsweek.com/...
Homeopathy and FTC Policy Statement
FTC Issues Enforcement Policy Statement Regarding Marketing Claims for Over-the-Counter Homeopathic Drugs. www.ftc.gov/...
The FTC will hold efficacy and safety claims for OTC homeopathic drugs to the same standard as other products making similar claims. That is, companies must have competent and reliable scientific evidence for health-related claims, including claims that a product can treat specific conditions.
Homeopathy, which dates back to the 1700s, is based on the theory that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people. Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance. According to the policy statement, homeopathic theories are not accepted by most modern medical experts.
The FTC recognizes that an OTC homeopathic drug claim that is not substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence might not be deceptive if the advertisement or label where it appears effectively communicates that: 1) there is no scientific evidence that the product works; and 2) the product’s claims are based only on theories of homeopathy from the 1700s that are not accepted by most modern medical experts. Any such disclosures should stand out and be in close proximity to the product’s efficacy message and might need to be incorporated into that message.
Post-Meal Sleepiness
Large, Salty, or Protein-Rich Meals Induce Post-Meal Sleepiness, based on a study conducted on fruit flies.
Postprandial sleep was positively correlated with ingested volume, protein, and salt—but not sucrose — revealing meal property-specific regulation. Silencing of leucokinin receptor (Lkr) neurons specifically reduced sleep induced by protein consumption.
elifesciences.org/...
Something to remember this Thanksgiving Day.