A Blood Test for Suicide

May 2, 2014 by

May 2, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

The 10th leading cause of death in America is completely preventable – suicide.  In 2010, 38,364 people died by suicide, more than chronic liver disease, septicemia, and Parkinson’s disease.

While strongly linked to depression, there are not always clear warning signs that someone is about to commit suicide. Unlike a viral or bacterial infection where there can be a number of signs like changes in body temperature, white blood cells, and signaling molecules, there is no simple clinical test to diagnose suicidal tendencies. Now, new research is working toward a blood test using biomarkers that may identify those likely to commit suicide. 

Biomarkers are biological materials that are seen under specific conditions. For example, during a viral infection proteins called cytokines are produced by the human body to help defend cells and tissues from the virus. Identifying these proteins is a signature of viral infection. The challenge is that these signatures change over the course of the infection and different viruses can produce different signatures. Scientists have been working extensively to use this concept of biomarkers to help with the early detection of other diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. 

Researchers at the University of Indiana want to design a simple blood test to detect a specific biomarker to identify those who might be at risk for suicide. They have been looking for protein biomarkers that can distinguish different psychological states. For example, can specific biomarkers tell if someone with bipolar disorder is in a high or low mood? In this recent study, researchers looked for biomarkers in individuals contemplating suicide. Every three to six months, they interviewed and drew blood from their subjects – 75 men with bipolar disorder – and rated their risk of suicide from low to high. Several proteins in the blood varied with these mood swings but one in particular caught researchers’ attention. The protein SAT1 was present in all of those with high indications of suicidal thoughts. SAT1 plays a role in the body’s response to stressful situations.

They then tested suicide victims, grouping them by age and gender, and found high levels of SAT1 in all of them. Finally, they took blood samples regularly from about 80 men with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The study showed higher SAT1 levels in those who were later hospitalized for suicidal behavior. The presence of elevated SAT1 was more than 80 percent predictive of hospitalization. Overall, these are promising results.

SAT1 is not an absolute signature for suicide because many things that can affect its levels. And like any complex behavior, there are a multitude of factors involved. Other biomarkers will need to be identified to create a biosignature for suicide. But this is an exciting discovery that may be used to prevent the tragic deaths of many people in the future.   

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Breaking Bad at the Pharmacy

April 27, 2014 by

April 25, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

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Drug abuse is not confined to street drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. America is facing an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, particularly with pain relievers, depressants, and stimulants. In 2010, 7 million Americans abused prescription drugs every month.

People are able to abuse such medications by taking medicines prescribed for someone else, using them in excess, or by taking them in a way not prescribed, such as crushing and snorting pills or liquefying and injecting them to hasten the effects needed to produce a high.

Depressants, sedatives, and tranquilizers are abused by more than 2.5 million people each month. The mood-altering drug Zoloft ranks sixth on the list of abused pharmaceuticals and earned more than $500 million in sales. It is prescribed for depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder. The 10th most abused prescription drug is Xanax (alprazolam), called Xany, blue footballs, Xanybars, or just bars on the street. Xanax had sales of almost $275 million in 2012. This drug is intended to treat anxiety or panic disorders. It is often abused because it creates what is described as a sense of wellbeing, but can be fatal when abused.

The sleeping pills Ambien and Lunesta are the fourth and seventh most abused drugs from the pharmacy, with sales of $670 and $450 million respectively in 2012. Both are used to treat difficulties falling or staying asleep but can produce hallucinations when abused. Tom Brokaw of NBC News inadvertently experienced these symptoms from Ambien while covering the last presidential campaign.    

Drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are also widely abused, usually by students seeking a way to stay awake and intensely focus on a project or test. Other than marijuana and synthetic marijuana, Adderall is the most-used drug by high school seniors and the eighth most abused prescription drug in the country. Its sales top $400 million. Other stimulants of the central nervous system, Ritalin and Concerta, are the third and fifth most abused pharmaceuticals. Stimulants can have significant side effects like irregular heartbeat, heart failure, seizures, and behavioral changes like paranoia or hostility. 

Some of the most abused drugs are opioid analgesics used clinically as pain relievers. These drugs are involved in 75 percent of all pharmaceutical overdose deaths – more than 16,000 people a year. An estimated 5.1 million people abuse these drugs each month. This included the most abused pharmaceutical drug – Oxycontin. In 2012, sales of this drug reached about $2.5 billion. The second most abused prescription drug, Suboxone, is used as a maintenance treatment for opioid dependence. Its sales brought in almost $1.4 billion. Another opioid, Opana ER (oxymorphone), ranks ninth on the list of most abused pharmaceuticals and is used to treat severe and chronic pain. It earned $300 million in sales in 2012.

Prescription drugs like these are a double-edged sword. They do a lot of good for a lot of people, and many genuinely need them to function. New regulations that govern the use of these drugs, while annoying for people who need them, help limit some of the abusive behavior of those breaking bad.

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The Relationship Between Sweat and Sleep

January 17, 2014 by

Jan. 10, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

Sweat and sleep

If only getting to sleep were really as easy as counting sheep. Over half of Americans admit to struggling with insomnia a few nights a week. And the loss of sleep doesn’t just make a person tired, it can affect how long they live. People who an average of six or fewer hours of sleep each night had higher mortality rates than those who slept seven or more. New research has provided more insight into how people can overcome or prevent insomnia.

Problems falling asleep initially, waking up during the night and then having problems getting back to sleep, feeling tired upon waking in the morning, and waking up before the alarm all count as insomnia – it’s both the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. There are two different types: primary, a direct issue with sleep, and secondary, sleep issues caused by an underlying medical condition like depression, asthma, and overuse of alcohol. Insomnia can lead to other serious medical issues including memory problems, depression, heart disease, and car accidents. 

Common causes of insomnia include stress, emotional issues, physical discomfort, medications, disruptions in a person’s schedule, and environmental disturbances like light, noise, and temperature. Many suffering from insomnia rely on medications such as sleeping pills and sedatives, the most common being over-the-counter antihistamines. But these drugs can come with significant side effects, particularly for the elderly. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which changes ways of thinking to improve behavior, is recommended for insomnia.

Evidence shows the best ways to prevent insomnia are to maintain a regular schedule, avoid caffeine for the eight hours before bed, and especially get some exercise. While research has long shown the positive relationship between exercise and sleep, a recent study has led scientists at Northwestern University to conclude that sleep may influence exercise more than exercise influences sleep.    

This experiment involved a group of women diagnosed with insomnia, divided into two groups: an exercise and an inactive group. The exercise group performed 30 minutes of moderate exercise several times a week for 16 weeks while the other group was inactive. The results were encouraging, since those in the active group slept 45-60 minutes longer each night, woke less frequently, and felt more energized during the day. 

The surprise came when the scientists took a detailed look at the diaries the women kept of their exercise and sleep. The effect of exercise seemed to take longer than expected – a full four months. Also, most did not report sleeping better on the nights after they exercised, but that a good night’s sleep helped them exercise better the next day. 

People without sleep issues typically experience a more restful night’s sleep after exercising, so why is this not the case for people with insomnia? It may be that those with sleep disorders are different neurologically. They may have hyper-arousal of the stress system, which takes a prolonged regular exercise regime to overcome. Further research will be able to answer remaining questions about the timing or intensity of exercise, the effect of different types of exercise, and whether this is the case in men as well.

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Stress-Relieving Gene

October 29, 2012 by

By Medical Discovery News

Oct. 20, 2012

Stress can lead to high blood pressure, mood disorders, and can have other negative health effects

One word serves as an instant conversation starter: stress. It’s inescapable, and comes from common experiences like deadlines and demanding bosses, a spouse who doesn’t understand and children who don’t obey, or bills to pay and endless chores to do. The added burden of a health crisis or relative’s death can cause stress to become acute. Though people throw the word around, unchecked stress takes a physiological and psychological toll.

Research shows chronic stress leads to mood disorders such as depression, which has enormous effects on the brain. It changes brain cell behavior and the structure of brain tissues. For example, the hippocampus, which is the brain’s memory center, can shrink in people with a history of depression. And neurons, which are cells that transmit brain signals, can slow down.

A new report further supports this causal link between stress and mood disorders. It shows chronic stress blocks a gene called neuritin that normally protects the brain from such disorders. A research team from Yale University studied how rats, which also possess the neuritin gene, responded to 35 days of stress induced by isolation, no food or play, and a change in their light and dark cycles.

As expected, the rats showed signs of depression. They lost interest in food, sweetened drinks, and didn’t swim when placed in water. An analysis showed these rats had significantly lower neuritin gene activity compared with rats in a control group. While some of the depressed rats were given antidepressants to recover, others were injected with a genetically engineered virus to increase neuritin gene activity. These rats recovered just as well as those given antidepressants, which suggests neuritin is effective at blocking stress and mood disorders.

To further prove neuritin can protect the brain from depression, researchers blocked the neuritin gene in healthy rats and saw them exhibit the same depressed states as rats exposed to chronic stress. The study supports past evidence that already began to link stress to the development and progression of mood disorders.

Past studies show a person suffering depression has lower levels of something called brain-derived growth neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  This protein factor is important in keeping neurons active and healthy. Other findings also suggested low neuritin gene activity diminished the coding of a protein that protects the brain’s ability to adapt to new experiences.

The findings will help scientists target a new method for treating the one in four Americans affected by mood disorders in any given year, according to the National Institute on Mental Health. Though antidepressants are currently available, only 30 percent of people taking them fully recover. Finding a new therapy that can promise better results can be life changing.

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