You’re More Like Your Mother Than You Know

May 24, 2015 by

May 22, 2015

By Medical Discovery News

Photo of mother and child

While the benefits of breast feeding have been well-documented, scientists were surprised to learn of another one: breast milk contains a mother’s stem cells that become a part of different organs of the baby’s body.

Breast feeding protects infants against infections early in life and reduces their risk of juvenile diabetes, heart disease, and cancer as children. It also helps mothers lose weight after giving birth and lowers their risk of osteoporosis and uterine and ovarian cancer.

In addition, seven years ago scientists discovered the presence of mammary stem cells in breast milk. The mammary gland is unique in its ability to go through different stages in anticipation of producing milk, then a period of milk secretion followed by a return to the non-lactating state. All of this can occur as many times as necessary. This massive restructuring of the breast suggested the presence of stem cells.

Human breast milk contains about 14,000 cells in each milliliter. Most of these are the epithelial cells that are abundant in the breast and cells of the immune system. Some of the cells in breast milk had a molecule called nestin on the surface, which in adults is a marker for multipotent stem cells that can develop into many different types of cells, like those in the brain, pancreas, liver, skin, and bone marrow. When scientists transplanted a single nestin-positive stem cells into the fat pad of a grown mouse, it reconstituted a functional mammary gland. Scientists wondered if such cells were serving the same function in humans.

However, further research revealed quite a surprise. First, they genetically modified mice to produce a protein that makes the cells glow red under fluorescent light. Mothers with this new feature were given normal pups to nurse. When they were examined as adult mice, they had cells that glowed red like the mice they had nursed from in their blood, brain, thymus, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys. These cells became functional cells within these organs, so the ones in the brain behaved like neurons and those in the liver made albumin. Based on this experiment, breast milk stem cells travel into the baby’s blood and become functional parts of various organs, at least in mice.

In the laboratory, these stem cells have also shown the ability to differentiate into breast cells that produce milk in a petri dish, as well as bone cells, joint cells, brain cells, heart cells, liver cells, and pancreatic cells that synthesize insulin. In addition, this study may have also discovered a non-invasive, ethical, and sustainable source of multipotent stems.

We don’t yet fully understand the role of these cells in offspring, whether they maintain a tolerance for the mother’s milk, play a role in normal growth and development, or both. Until then, know that your mother is more a part of you than you ever realized.

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I Spy for Heart Disease

August 29, 2014 by

Aug. 29, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

Heart in chest

While a shrink ray like the kind used in science fiction is still stuck in the future, miniature devices are not. Tiny devices have been created to perform a variety of tasks, from an implantable telescope to improve vision in those with macular degeneration to the new pacemaker in clinical trials that is about the size of a large vitamin pill. Now, researchers have developed a catheter-based device smaller than the head of a pin that can provide real-time 3D images of the heart, coronary arteries, and other blood vessels. This is an important invention as the casualties of heart disease continue to rise. Statistically, one in four people will have a heart attack. 

Many Americans are at risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD) due to the buildup of cholesterol and plaque. If there is a rupture or breakage of the plaque, creating a blood clot, that can result in a heart attack with little to no warning. Traditional diagnostic tests such as stress tests and echocardiograms show how much blood is flowing to the heart. If there are regions of the heart that are not getting as much blood as others, it might be a sign of clogged coronary arteries. However, blood flow can also appear to be normal even with plaque buildup.

Currently, there are a variety of methods that provide images of what is going on inside arteries, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multi-detector Computerized Tomography (CT) scans, and injecting an iodine-based contrast agent into arteries through a catheter. But all these look at the inside of the body from the outside, which is why this new device gives an unprecedented way of viewing the heart.

This invention combines ultrasound imaging with computer processors on a single chip only 1.4 millimeters wide. The body’s signals are processed on the chip then transmitted through 13 tiny cables to a computer monitor, so doctors have a visual of the heart and arteries. The prototype took 60 images per second using very little power, therefore generating little heat. This would allow cardiologists to take real-time images of blood vessels in and around the heart to more precisely determine the extent of blockages. These images also have much higher resolution compared to those taken with machines outside the body.

The next step is to conduct studies using the device on animals to determine its safety and efficacy and to develop potential applications of this technology. Eventually, this data will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain permission to perform clinical trials on humans. Extensive testing will be required before the FDA will approve the device for general use. The developers, a group of engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, are also working to shrink the device even further to .4 millimeters so it can generate images of even smaller blood vessels.

Having clearer images of blood vessels would allow surgeons to have a more complete understanding of the blockage they are dealing with before they operate. Hopefully, in the future use of this device will prevent heart attacks and save many people’s lives.

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How Much Sugar Is Safe?

January 31, 2014 by

Jan. 31, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

Sugar

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City caused a controversy when he tried to ban the sale of sugary drinks more than 16 ounces. Thus the “Big Gulp” rebellion was born and the ban was later overturned by the courts. Yet the rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity remain out of control in the U.S.

In the U.S., 24 million people over age 20 have diabetes. Another 78 million have pre-diabetes with blood glucose levels higher than they should be – the start of glucose intolerance.  And down the road, this may lead to life-threatening heart disease (the No. 1 killer of adults), which is also linked to obesity affecting more than 80 million Americans.

Much of the obesity epidemic has been blamed on unhealthy eating and poor nutrition. Refined sugar has been identified as a source of excess calories. According to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, almost 50 percent of sugar in the diets of Americans comes from sugary drinks and sweetened fruit drinks. The debate over just how much sugar is too much in terms of our health was addressed by a recent study and the results are sending shock waves through the medical community. 

In the experiment, one group of mice ate a normal diet and another group ate a diet where one quarter of the calories came from sugar similar to that in high fructose corn syrup. This level of sugar is pretty equal to that consumed naturally by 15 to 25 percent of the U.S. population. This is equivalent to a person consuming three cans of a sugary beverage a day in an otherwise sugar-free diet. Current nutrition guidelines consider this to be at the top of the safe level of sugar for people.

After 26 weeks of a monitored diet, all the mice were released into an experimental natural environment. Over the next 32 weeks, twice as many sugar-fed female mice died compared to the control group. The sugar-fed male mice produced 25 percent fewer offspring and held 26 percent less territory than mice from the control group. Overall, dietary sugar was linked to a shorter life span, limited reproduction, and lowered competitive success. 

Metabolic measurements on the sugar-fed mice showed changes in glucose clearance and increases in cholesterol levels, but these were considered minor. Nevertheless, life outcomes called Organismal Performance Assays were significantly affected. This may represent a new way to gauge important changes in overall life parameters without corresponding physiological changes.

This certainly raises the question of how much sugar is too much, and the debate over the appropriate level of refined sugar for good human nutrition will continue. It will be interesting to watch in the coming months and years to see if these results are substantiated and if they lead to new nutritional guidelines. Who knows – maybe Mayor Bloomberg was right after all!

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A Top 10 List To Die For

September 13, 2013 by

Sept. 13, 2013

By Medical Discovery News

How are you going to die?

The Centers for Disease Control would answer that life expectancy depends greatly on where someone lives. Life expectancy in the United States ranks 40th in the world with 77.97 years.That addresses when someone might die but what about how? Most likely, it will be from one of these top 10 causes, based on how many Americans they kill each year.

10) Suicide – 38,285. Many factors are now known to influence suicide: mental illnesses, genetics, certain pharmaceuticals, traumatic brain injuries, drug and alcohol abuse, and chemical or hormonal imbalances. To decrease these rates, education about the signs preceding suicide and accessible treatment is necessary.

9) Kidney Disorders – 45,731. Although dialysis can help people survive a little longer without a kidney, it is no cure. Kidney damage can occur from infection, high blood pressure, or toxic reactions to drugs, leading to chronic kidney disease that affects more than 26 million Americans.

8) Influenza and Pneumonia – 53,667. Both these diseases mostly affect the very old, very young, or those with immune system problems. This figure could be lowered with vaccinations.

7) Diabetes – 73,282. The rate of diabetes is increasing, with one in 500 children being diagnosed, corresponding to trends in obesity, diet, exercise, and aging. Lifestyle changes could decrease diabetes rates.

6) Alzheimer’s – 84,691. This form of dementia affects older adults, mostly over 60, and is caused by the build-up of beta-amyloid protein plaques in the brain. There is currently no cure.

5) Accidents – 122,777. The leading cause of accidental deaths depends on age. For children and young adults it’s car accidents, adults over 35 are most likely to accidentally overdose on drugs, and for those over 65 it’s most likely to be related to a fall.

4) Stroke – 128,931. A stroke occurs when an area of the brain does not receive oxygen due to a ruptured or blocked blood vessel. Those with high blood pressure, diabetics, smokers, and alcoholics are at the highest risk. The good news is that deaths from strokes decreased by almost 45 percent in 10 years but still leads to more than 250,000 hospitalizations yearly.

3) Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases – 143,382. These diseases of the lungs and airways include bronchitis and emphysema, although the latter kills 20 times more than the former. Smoking is the leading cause of this condition.

2) Cancer – 575,313. Lung, colon, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers have the most victims out of more than 200 different types affecting more than 60 different organs. Another piece of good news is that five-year survival rates have increased about 15 percent since the 1970s.

1) Heart Disease – 596,339. Advances in science have improved care, reducing these deaths by 18 percent in 10 years. However, as 25 percent of adults have high blood pressure, 67 percent are overweight, and 20 percent smoke, Americans have plenty of risk factors to improve on.

The United States has maintained its leadership role in biomedical science and needs to continue this in the future. Support biomedical research – your life may depend on that next scientific advance.

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An Aspirin A Day

March 29, 2013 by

March 29, 2013

By Medical Discovery News

New research shows that aspirin truly deserves its nickname as the wonder drug, since now it even helps fight cancer. It’s naturally found in willow bark, which has been used as herbal medicine for thousands of years. People have been taking aspirin in its current for over 100 years.

Ancient Greeks used ground willow bark to treat fevers and control pain during in childbirth. Then, in the early 1800s, English physicians and scientists wanting to discover the key to willow bark’s effect isolated its active component, salicin. In 1890 a German chemist named Friedrich Bayer (sound familiar?) created a synthetic salicin molecule called acetylsalicylic acid. This derivative was less irritating to the stomach than willow bark and became the modern form that lines drugstore shelves. 

Since then, researchers have been finding even more medical uses for aspirin. In the 1960s, scientists began exploring aspirin’s ability to thin blood and tested its usefulness in preventing heart disease. To summarize many extensive clinical trials, it is now generally believed that taking low-dose aspirin on a daily basis helps reduce the chances of a second heart attack (but not the first) in men. But these studies also revealed some negative side effects of regular aspirin use, including bleeding ulcers and hemorrhaging retinas. 

Recent studies may have uncovered another, quite wonderful, effect of aspirin – reducing the risk of some common cancers. Initial studies found the occurrence of colorectal cancer was lower in those who took aspirin regularly. These studies followed individuals who took aspirin for its cardiovascular benefits, but also ended up decreasing their risk of developing certain tumors by almost 40 percent. And low-dose aspirin also appeared to reduce the spread of tumors in people with established cancer.

In a 2010 British study, those taking daily aspirin for at least five years reduced their risk of dying from colorectal, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, brain, lung, and prostate cancers by more than 20 percent. These studies also cited issues of bleeding in the stomach and retinas, especially in older individuals. New guidelines for aspirin therapy suggest starting an aspirin regime at age 50 and stopping by age 70 in order to reduce this risk.

Several properties of aspirin might explain its cancer-fighting abilities. Aspirin inhibits enzymes called cyclooxygenases or COX, which normally convert a type of fatty acid into compounds that protect the stomach lining. This may be why aspirin can lead to stomach irritation, but may also explain why aspirin works well as an anti-inflammatory, since COX can contribute to inflammation. And preventing inflammation also prevents the growth of tumor cells.

Given its ability to combat the nation’s two most serious killers, the potential for expanding low-dose aspirin therapy looks positive. Overall, these results have scientists on the verge of declaring aspirin the first “general anticancer drug.” Of course, individuals should consult their physician before starting any drug regime. 

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